a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with a new chapter of this wonderful valentine's day story!

man, that was a rollercoaster of emotions last time, huh? yeah, don't think that was the last of the angst — this is where the sadness and no humour kind of disappear and turn into a mushy mess of emotions :P

shoutout to...

fangerdanger6- bethan will have to sail eventually or else i am gonna get sniped by all of you guys :') but it was very sad indeed. hopefully ethan doesn't take it too badly, huh? anyway, thank you for the review :)

bennyweirlover17- aw, don't cry! that's ethan's job :P but hopefully this chapter will be somewhat redeeming for all the sadness...oh who am i kidding it's going to be just as heartbreaking, hence the title :P anyway, thank you for the review as always :D

mbav fan66- i mean, emily is kind of a weird person if you think about it ;) but ya, plot stuff is happening — i can definitely tell you that :) i am glad you are liking it so much, fanfic buddy! hope this chapter does the same ^-^

and with that, let us get on with the chapter, shall we?

disclaimer: i don't own mbav or its characters. if i did, all the scripts would be a disaster :P

ENJOY


Day 9: "I was the shoulder he cried on when it happened."

X~*~X

Needless to say, Thursday morning was a complete disaster.

Ethan woke up with puffy eyes and realized that he was still in the same outfit from yesterday. His brain helpfully reminded him of the disastrous third-wheeling date he went on with Benny and Emily, and how fucking happy they are.

'There is literally nothing you can do about it,' his rationality said calmly. 'It sucks, but there is really nothing you can do to change the fact that Benny and Emily are going to live happily ever after.'

Ethan wiped his tears for the umpteenth time. 'Not helping, rationality.'

'Just being...rational.'

Ethan groaned, getting out of bed and looking at himself in the mirror. His eyes were a bit red from the excessive crying the night before, and his hair was frazzled all over the place. He was still wearing the blazer from the night before, but it was slightly lopsided. A few buttons were unbuttoned, and the dress shoes he bought for the occasion suddenly felt too tight.

'You need to go to school,' his brain reminded him. Ethan sighed, shaking his head and went to his washroom. He splashed some water on his face in attempts of brightening up, but to his avail, nothing really worked.

'Just get ready,' his brain compromised. He did as he told, throwing his date-outfit in the laundry — lucky he didn't just toss it in the bin altogether — and put on a casual, but monochrome-grey, outfit. He looked in the mirror and shook his head, slamming the door in the end.


"You look like shit," Erica said as soon as Ethan reached his locker. Ethan stared at her as if he was blowing her head off, but turned to face his textbooks instead.

"Since when did you care," he grumbled. Erica sighed, leaning against the locker.

"Okay, okay, so she was right — you are in the dumps about...um...all of this." She waved her hands in front of her, and Ethan got the message.

"Who told you to come here," Ethan muttered, pulling notebooks out of his bag and placing them in his lockers. "Better yet, why do you care?"

"The answer to both of your questions is Sarah," Erica explained, and Ethan groaned.

"You got to be kidding me," he said lowly.

"Hey, she's just trying to help," Erica pointed out. "The least you can do is try and accept her offer for help."

"Nothing can help me right now," Ethan mumbled. "I'm going through a rough brea— wait, why do you even care?"

Erica sighed. "Again, Sarah."

"That doesn't really answer many things, Erica."

"Okay, forget Sarah," Erica explained. "I...we've been friends for some time now, haven't we? And I don't like when people are all...mopey around me. It gets me frustrated because that leads to complaining, and God do I hate when people complain."

"Real sentimental," Ethan deadpanned. Erica looked at him in disbelief.

"What, it's true!" she protested. "You don't honestly think I'm going to lie to you, do you?"

"Of course not," Ethan replied sarcastically. "Throughout this whole 'friendship', you definitely have never lied to me. Really, I believe you."

"Wow, you're really bitey when you are heartbroken," Erica said, slightly annoyed. Ethan rolled his eyes, opting to ignore her. Erica sighed.

"I just need you to brighten up a little," she compromised. "There are...plenty of spellmasters in the sea. Especially if one of those spellmasters is Benny, as he is bound to fall in the sea eventually."

"I guess you're righ— wait, how did you know about Benny?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she blatantly commented. "I swear, Benny is the last person to know that you have a big crush on him—"

"Shh!" Ethan hissed, pulling her closer to him and gave her a steely glare. "Do you want the whole school to know that I am gay for my best friend, or would you want to keep my reputation intact?"

"I don't see how being gay will ruin your reputation," Erica muttered. "You're being you, aren't you?"

"Did I strike a few chords?" Ethan asked sarcastically. "Sorry. You wouldn't understand because you aren't a bullied nerd."

"But I was, wasn't I?" Erica whispered back. "I am a bisexual Dusk fangirl, walking around the halls like a dork. The only difference between then and now is that I don't look like a complete mess."

"You're...you're bisexual?"

"What, do you think I only eat boys because they're cute?" Erica muttered, annoyed. "Girls are hot too. I have a strong belief that everyone is a little bi."

Ethan frowned. "I guess you're right. I take it back."

"What I am trying to say is nothing will change if you come out — especially to Benny," Erica explained. "Seriously, who cares what other homophobic-teenagers think? They have never bothered you when you geeked out about video games, so I don't see why they would bother you when you're flashing out a pride flag."

"I guess you're right," Ethan said again. "Thanks, Erica."

"Anytime, dork," she replied. "Just...try not to act too sad, huh? I know you're in a tough situation, but it'll eventually clear up. Don't let it bother you too much — everything will be right-side up for Ethan Morgan soon enough."

"You care," Ethan said after a moment of silence, astonished.

Erica's eyes widened, and she frantically shook her head. "Um, no I don't!"

"Uh, yes you do!" Ethan teased. "Erica Jones, popular nerd-slash-vampire, cares about lowly dork, Ethan Morgan!"

"Shut up, no I don't!" she hissed. "Sarah, remember?"

"Well I guess I'll be going, bestie," Ethan said with a sly wink. "Thanks for the talk. I really appreciate it."

Erica sighed. "Whenever Sarah asks, dork. Whenever Sarah asks."

"Sure," Ethan said with a roll of his eyes, and he watched her walk away.


It was nearing lunch, and Ethan realized that, for the first time in a long time, he doesn't have anywhere to sit.

Sarah, Rory, and Erica were off doing some vampire-chore for the Council, and Benny was no doubt with Emily.

He was alone.

'Make some friends?' his morality immediately suggested.

'He can't do that,' his rationality retorted. 'No offense, but even he knows that.'

Ethan sighed; it's right.

"Hey, Ethan!"

Ethan turned around at the sound of his name, and saw Benny was waving to him at their regular table. He frowned, trying to think of what to do.

'Talk to him,' his love-sick brain told him. 'You can still make this happen.'

'He totally wrecked you last night,' his rationality pointed out. 'Do you really want a scoop full of pudding and awkward conversations?'

Realizing that he has been staring for almost five seconds, he snapped out of his semi-conscious trance and walked towards Benny, shutting his morality and his rationality off for a while.

"Hey, B," he said, trying not to sound too sad. "How was the rest of your date?"

"Practically magical," Benny said dreamily. "For some reason...I just can't get her out of my head. It's like this little voice in my head telling me that 'yup, that is definitely the girl you're going to marry'. You know what I mean?"

'Great start,' his rationality managed to say.

"Not really, no," Ethan admitted, stirring his pudding absentmindedly — he didn't even like pudding. "I guess I have been...going through a rough patch with love lately."

Benny frowned. "Really?"

'Surprised you couldn't tell,' his brain said sarcastically. Ethan sighed.

"Er, yeah," Ethan said, suddenly nervous. "Literally nothing to worry about though."

"No, E, your feelings are completely valid," Benny said calmly, which made Ethan boil to melting point.

"I feel like they aren't," he said, verging on frustration. "I've done literally everything to get this...this person to at least acknowledge that there is something more than just friendship between us. I've done everything. I feel like it's just completely useless, and hopeless, and I should just give up, and—"

Ethan couldn't take it anymore, and he broke down.

'Nice going,' his brain practically screamed. 'Not only are you heartbroken, but you also happen to be a heartbroken mess.'

Benny blinked, and tried to assess the situation.

Here was his best friend,
who was crying.

Benny awkwardly pulled Ethan closer and let him cry in his shoulder. He rubbed his back slowly, and sighed.

"Um, there, there," he said quietly, rubbing circles in Ethan's back. "You...you really don't need to cry."

Ethan sniffled in his shoulder, and Benny smiled softly.

"I'm sorry," Ethan mumbled through Benny's shirt, and Benny shook his head.

"There's no reason for you to be sorry," Benny said in Ethan's hair, which made Ethan smile. "Whoever this person may be, they'd be an idiot not to notice all the good things you do."

Ethan pulled back and smiled through teary eyes. "They're not an idiot...or at least it's debatable if they are or not."

Benny laughed. "Well no bother. Idiot or not, there are plenty of other people much deserving of your love if this person doesn't want it."

Ethan sighed. "I want him to want it, B. I really want him too."

Both Benny and Ethan were unfazed at the sudden realization. Benny sighed.

"In the end, you can't control who he loves," he said. "If you have to move on, move on. But if you really feel like you two are soulmates...you should just tell him so."

Ethan blinked.

"Thank you, Benny," he ended up saying. "Again, sorry for crying. It was a bit pathetic, actually."

"It was definitely not pathetic," Benny chuckled, giving him a pat on the back. Ethan resumed eating, and Benny frowned, facing him.

"By the way," he added, "congratulations."

"Hmm?" Ethan asked lowly, a bit distracted.

"I assume you just sorta...came out, didn't you?"

Ethan nearly choked on his pudding. "W-What?"

"You said 'you want him to'," he said, indirectly quoting him. "I assume your crush is a guy, no? I mean, you know I don't really care, I'm just a bit...surprised."

'Idiot!' his brain screamed. Ethan shook his head.

"I guess I did," Ethan said, a small smile plastering his face. "Yay me."

"So bi, gay, demi, ace, what is it?"

Ethan shrugged, mindlessly stirring his pudding. "Don't like labels."

"Of course," Benny said with a goofy smile. "You never did like to choose anyway."

He paused, and added, "I'm really glad we had this chat. With all the crazy things that has been going on, I just feel like there's not enough...us time, you know?"

Ethan blinked. "Yeah, I know. I…I liked this too."

Benny raised his water bottle with a charming grin. "To us."

Ethan laughed nervously, trying to ignore the sudden wave of sadness.

"To...to us."

They clinked glasses, and Benny grinned. Ethan nervously drank his bottle of water when suddenly it hit him.

He could tell him.

He could tell him right now.

"Benny?" Ethan asked, his voice slightly airy. "About what you said, with the whole 'just tell him' thing."

"Yeah?" Benny asked, raising his bottle to take a sip. Ethan took a deep breath.

"Well, I like y—"

"Benny-bear, hello!" Emily's cheery voice came out of nowhere, and Ethan's eyes widened.

"Yodelling," he immediately said. "I...I really love yodelling."

Benny frowned, slightly confused. "That's...that's great, Ethan."

He then faced Emily and she leaned forward to let him kiss his cheek. The two merely seemed like blurs behind Ethan's tears.

"Hey, cutiepie," he giggled, a new glint in his eyes that Ethan didn't recognize. "Still gorgeous, aren't you?"

"Only 'cause you make me so," Emily said back, and then faced Ethan. "Hey, Ethie! Glad to see you kept my sweetie-pie company while I was out helping the soup kitchen down the street!"

'Of-fucking-course,' his brain grumbled. Benny grinned.

"You're so good, you know?" he cooed, tapping her nose with an index finger. She giggled, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

Something didn't seem real about her smile.

"Anyway, I'm gonna steal him away for a while, if you don't mind!" Emily said cheerily, pulling Benny's arm and dragging him off his chair. Seemingly transfixed by her, he flashed Ethan a thumbs up before he was whisked away with her.

Ethan looked at them determinedly — if he couldn't get through with Benny, he would have to find a reason to absolutely hate Emily.

'That's not really a good plan, is it?' his brain rationalized. Ethan sighed — it could only go up from here.


a/n- well that was quite the chapter, huh? what will ethan do now? ? ? stay tuned to find out :)

so drop a review if you liked it if you like, and i will see you tomorrow with a chapter that might just blow your mind *smiles mischievously*

نگه دارید در نگه داشتن در (persian)