Perfect
Author's Note: Okay, this song by Simple Plan really, really made me think.
What were Laguna's parents like? I decided on a few things, and here came
this little songfic. I might decide on a sequel, and use songs to tell
Laguna's life. Now that's something I wanna do.
Laguna entered the room, and sat opposite his father. The man glared at Laguna and then crossed his hands. "Laguna, what happened?" Laguna shrugged. "Nothing." "Lieutenant, what happened?" Laguna shook his head and mumbled, "I just do what I want to do." "I hate that Laguna! Why can't you be more obedient?" Clay Loire, Laguna's father, yelled. "Why can't you be more like your brother? Why can't you be like Dakota?" "I don't want to be like Dakota. Dakota is a boring." Laguna trailed off into mumbles, but curse words were just audible. "Stop it, Laguna. You do this only to vex me." "No I don't. I just do what I want!"
Hey dad, look at me Think back and talk to me Did I grow up according to plan? Do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do? But it hurts when you disapprove all along
Clay blinked. "What do you want to do right now?" Clay tried. "Punch Dakota's face in." Laguna admitted. Clay appeared shocked. "Why? Dakota is such a good kid! He's getting a good education and he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. Isn't that wonderful?" Laguna flew to his feet. "This is exactly what I mean! He's only my half-brother, and I shouldn't even consider him that, given the father you've been!" "Where did that come from?" Clay asked. "I pay no less attention to you than to Dakota. And besides, even if you don't have the same mother, he's still your brother. Now, please be quiet. Why can't you be more like Dakota? Honestly, you should be in childcare or something." "This is exactly what I mean! I can't seem to live up to your high standards!"
And now I try hard to make it I just want to make you proud I'm never gonna be good enough for you I can't pretend that I'm all right And you can't change me
"Stop pushing me, dad. Stop. I want to go now, please?" Laguna asked. "No. You stay right where you are. I'm not done." Clay said. "You cannot seem to do anything right, Laguna. I don't know where you got your clumsiness from, but it certainly wasn't me! Probably your mother, considering the ditz she was." "Shut-up! My mother wasn't a ditz! If you had have actually been there and worked with her, you would've found that she was perfectly alright. Clumsy, yes, but she wasn't stupid and she certainly wasn't a ditz!" "Temper, Laguna. Think of Dakota. What would he do?" Clay asked. "I'm sure he'd be bawling to think that you aren't what you seem. You seem a perfect person, with a perfect life, and one perfect son. Dakota." "And what am I really?" "A sneaky, conniving snake with a poisonous tongue. You can't seem to accept that things aren't perfect. They can't be. But you don't accept that. You can't. Your mind won't allow it."
'Cause we lost it all Nothing lasts forever I'm sorry I can't be perfect Now it's just too late and We can't go back I'm sorry I can't be perfect
"What an outrage, Laguna! You liar!" "But who is the liar, father? You or me?" Clay banged his hand against that desk. He looked to Laguna. "You are the one with the tongue of an asp, to speak with such cruelty to one he loves." "I didn't say I loved you." Clay smirked. "You used to all of the time." "Well, not anymore. You don't talk to me. You never come visit me. You don't even have my phone number. You couldn't even tell me who my best friends are!" "Aren't they those two. James and Morris?" Laguna shook his head. "Kiros and Ward. See? You have no idea! How old am I? How old is Dakota?" "You are. twenty-two? Dakota is seven years, ten months, eight days." Clay announced, realizing that he had just revealed the fact that he did love Dakota more than Laguna. Laguna looked away and played with the hat he wore. "Well, why do you listen to me then? You cut your hair." Laguna took his hat off. His hair fell about his face, long, straight and clean, still slightly damp from a shower earlier. "No I didn't." Laguna said. "Fine." Clay said, crossing his arms. "You win."
I try not to think About the pain I feel inside Did you know you used to be my hero? All the days you spent with me Now seem so far away And it feels like you don't care anymore
"Dad?" Laguna asked. "If you're going to make another shot, asp, make it now and get out." Clay snapped. Laguna was taken aback. "I was just wondering. well two things. I'm twenty-six and I wanted to know if Kiros, Ward and I could do the Centra mission." Clay looked hard at Laguna. "Why?" "Because it's out in the middle of nowhere. I haven't had a good fight in days." Laguna said. Clay laughed outright. "Days? That's it? Dakota has never even touched a weapon!" Laguna sighed. "And I won't put mine down for anything." "What about writing? You always wanted to do that." Clay asked. "Maybe secondary. Hyne, I just want to kick some ass." Laguna said. He pumped a fist into the air. "I just want to make someone proud."
And now I try hard to make it I just want to make you proud I'm never gonna be good enough for you I can't stand another fight And nothing's all right
"Listen Laguna. You don't have to die to make someone proud. It won't matter." Clay said. He knew that the reasoning was false, but he himself didn't believe that he picked favorites among his sons. "It does. Even if I do die, I'll be happy, doing what I do best." Laguna said. "And what do you do best, Laguna?" "I fight."
'Cause we lost it all Nothing lasts forever I'm sorry I can't be perfect Now it's just too late and We can't go back I'm sorry I can't be perfect
"Laguna, you may go to Centra. You asp. and take Kiros and Ward with you. But don't come back. I won't care. I won't. Go to Centra, then find yourself somewhere to live, because you sure as hell can't come back here." "Fine. I don't care. I'll stay somewhere around town. Or hopefully I'll die. Yeah, maybe I should die. Maybe it's destiny. Do you believe in destiny?" "With all my heart." Clay replied. "Well maybe mine is to die in Centra."
Nothing's gonna change the things that you said Nothing's gonna make this right again Please don't turn your back I can't believe it's hard Just to talk to you But you don't understand
"What happened to you, Laguna? What happened that made you such a sharp- tongued little bastard, able to skip whole topics in the blink of an eye, yet still sound sincere and sarcastic at the same time?" Laguna shrugged. "I've always been this way, I guess. The true me, lucky you, you get it all to yourself. And you can stop calling me 'asp.' I keep thinking you're calling me an 'ass.' It gets annoying." Clay shook with laughter, but made no noise. "You are an ass, Laguna. You are the biggest ass I've ever met." Laguna took the insult. He stood up and stormed out. Clay was left at his desk, humming softly to himself and daring to voice the words to the closed door in front of him:
"Cause we lost it all, Nothing lasts forever, I'm sorry, I can't be perfect,"
Fin
Laguna entered the room, and sat opposite his father. The man glared at Laguna and then crossed his hands. "Laguna, what happened?" Laguna shrugged. "Nothing." "Lieutenant, what happened?" Laguna shook his head and mumbled, "I just do what I want to do." "I hate that Laguna! Why can't you be more obedient?" Clay Loire, Laguna's father, yelled. "Why can't you be more like your brother? Why can't you be like Dakota?" "I don't want to be like Dakota. Dakota is a boring." Laguna trailed off into mumbles, but curse words were just audible. "Stop it, Laguna. You do this only to vex me." "No I don't. I just do what I want!"
Hey dad, look at me Think back and talk to me Did I grow up according to plan? Do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do? But it hurts when you disapprove all along
Clay blinked. "What do you want to do right now?" Clay tried. "Punch Dakota's face in." Laguna admitted. Clay appeared shocked. "Why? Dakota is such a good kid! He's getting a good education and he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. Isn't that wonderful?" Laguna flew to his feet. "This is exactly what I mean! He's only my half-brother, and I shouldn't even consider him that, given the father you've been!" "Where did that come from?" Clay asked. "I pay no less attention to you than to Dakota. And besides, even if you don't have the same mother, he's still your brother. Now, please be quiet. Why can't you be more like Dakota? Honestly, you should be in childcare or something." "This is exactly what I mean! I can't seem to live up to your high standards!"
And now I try hard to make it I just want to make you proud I'm never gonna be good enough for you I can't pretend that I'm all right And you can't change me
"Stop pushing me, dad. Stop. I want to go now, please?" Laguna asked. "No. You stay right where you are. I'm not done." Clay said. "You cannot seem to do anything right, Laguna. I don't know where you got your clumsiness from, but it certainly wasn't me! Probably your mother, considering the ditz she was." "Shut-up! My mother wasn't a ditz! If you had have actually been there and worked with her, you would've found that she was perfectly alright. Clumsy, yes, but she wasn't stupid and she certainly wasn't a ditz!" "Temper, Laguna. Think of Dakota. What would he do?" Clay asked. "I'm sure he'd be bawling to think that you aren't what you seem. You seem a perfect person, with a perfect life, and one perfect son. Dakota." "And what am I really?" "A sneaky, conniving snake with a poisonous tongue. You can't seem to accept that things aren't perfect. They can't be. But you don't accept that. You can't. Your mind won't allow it."
'Cause we lost it all Nothing lasts forever I'm sorry I can't be perfect Now it's just too late and We can't go back I'm sorry I can't be perfect
"What an outrage, Laguna! You liar!" "But who is the liar, father? You or me?" Clay banged his hand against that desk. He looked to Laguna. "You are the one with the tongue of an asp, to speak with such cruelty to one he loves." "I didn't say I loved you." Clay smirked. "You used to all of the time." "Well, not anymore. You don't talk to me. You never come visit me. You don't even have my phone number. You couldn't even tell me who my best friends are!" "Aren't they those two. James and Morris?" Laguna shook his head. "Kiros and Ward. See? You have no idea! How old am I? How old is Dakota?" "You are. twenty-two? Dakota is seven years, ten months, eight days." Clay announced, realizing that he had just revealed the fact that he did love Dakota more than Laguna. Laguna looked away and played with the hat he wore. "Well, why do you listen to me then? You cut your hair." Laguna took his hat off. His hair fell about his face, long, straight and clean, still slightly damp from a shower earlier. "No I didn't." Laguna said. "Fine." Clay said, crossing his arms. "You win."
I try not to think About the pain I feel inside Did you know you used to be my hero? All the days you spent with me Now seem so far away And it feels like you don't care anymore
"Dad?" Laguna asked. "If you're going to make another shot, asp, make it now and get out." Clay snapped. Laguna was taken aback. "I was just wondering. well two things. I'm twenty-six and I wanted to know if Kiros, Ward and I could do the Centra mission." Clay looked hard at Laguna. "Why?" "Because it's out in the middle of nowhere. I haven't had a good fight in days." Laguna said. Clay laughed outright. "Days? That's it? Dakota has never even touched a weapon!" Laguna sighed. "And I won't put mine down for anything." "What about writing? You always wanted to do that." Clay asked. "Maybe secondary. Hyne, I just want to kick some ass." Laguna said. He pumped a fist into the air. "I just want to make someone proud."
And now I try hard to make it I just want to make you proud I'm never gonna be good enough for you I can't stand another fight And nothing's all right
"Listen Laguna. You don't have to die to make someone proud. It won't matter." Clay said. He knew that the reasoning was false, but he himself didn't believe that he picked favorites among his sons. "It does. Even if I do die, I'll be happy, doing what I do best." Laguna said. "And what do you do best, Laguna?" "I fight."
'Cause we lost it all Nothing lasts forever I'm sorry I can't be perfect Now it's just too late and We can't go back I'm sorry I can't be perfect
"Laguna, you may go to Centra. You asp. and take Kiros and Ward with you. But don't come back. I won't care. I won't. Go to Centra, then find yourself somewhere to live, because you sure as hell can't come back here." "Fine. I don't care. I'll stay somewhere around town. Or hopefully I'll die. Yeah, maybe I should die. Maybe it's destiny. Do you believe in destiny?" "With all my heart." Clay replied. "Well maybe mine is to die in Centra."
Nothing's gonna change the things that you said Nothing's gonna make this right again Please don't turn your back I can't believe it's hard Just to talk to you But you don't understand
"What happened to you, Laguna? What happened that made you such a sharp- tongued little bastard, able to skip whole topics in the blink of an eye, yet still sound sincere and sarcastic at the same time?" Laguna shrugged. "I've always been this way, I guess. The true me, lucky you, you get it all to yourself. And you can stop calling me 'asp.' I keep thinking you're calling me an 'ass.' It gets annoying." Clay shook with laughter, but made no noise. "You are an ass, Laguna. You are the biggest ass I've ever met." Laguna took the insult. He stood up and stormed out. Clay was left at his desk, humming softly to himself and daring to voice the words to the closed door in front of him:
"Cause we lost it all, Nothing lasts forever, I'm sorry, I can't be perfect,"
Fin