Sorry to keep you all in suspense like that (like any of you were really in suspense anyway). I didn't get writer's block, I have the next two or three chapters already written out, but college happened. That, and I believe the philosophy of keeping 'em waiting.
Well, as things may have it, no new plot developments happen in this chapter, so you'll just have to sit tight and see what comes.
*Karasuma*Firestorm*
R for language.
Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
Rufus was just stepping off the dance floor when he saw it. The fun sounds of Run-DMC had faded and transformed into some unrecognizable techno bullshit, so he'd decided to go off and get himself a beer. It was times like these that he was so glad to be an apostle and not an angel, poor sober bastards.
And then he saw them. Bethany and Holden, lips locked, standing stock-still in a throng of oblivious bodies that were swaying drunkenly to the music.
He debated getting a hotel room for the duration of his stay on this planet.
~~~~~
"Lunchbox!" Jay shouted, pushing aside girls as politely as he could and guys as irritably as he could in a desperate chase to catch up with the tubby bitch. "You fat piece of shit," he panted, colliding with Silent Bob as the other man skidded to a stop in front of him. "I've been trying to find you for the past ten fucking minutes...why're you fucking stopping, man? They take away the snacks?"
Silent Bob, a little wide-eyed, pointed.
No less than ten feet away were Bethany and Holden, making out on the dance floor while people bumped and grinded around them.
"Dammit," Jay said. "I'm too fucking late."
Silent Bob glared his at his friend, as if to say, 'what about Justice?'
"Oh, shut up, you tubby fuck. I didn't mean it like that."
Silent Bob looked skeptical.
"Well, I didn't!"
~~~~~
Banky and Hooper were walking to the bar, engaged in what must have been round one million and one of their perpetual argument over Archie's sexual orientation. "Look, I'm willing to believe that there is something between Bluntman and Chronic, though I highly doubt that was Holden's intent when we created this thing, and certainly not mine," Banky said. "There may even be something between the *real* Jay and Silent Bob."
"Speculate all you want, honey, but I don't think so."
"That's moderately comforting. And for another thing, I flat-out agree that Batman and Robin are more than 'partners.'"
"Oh, they're partners all right."
"But Archie and Jughead? Not fucking likely."
"I thought you would have learned by now."
"Yeah, well, sometimes I find it hard to believe that you have..." Banky trailed off. "Oh my God..."
"What is it?" Hooper asked, looking around, and emitting a small excited squeal when he saw it. "My oh my. Is that our own dear Holden McNeil, tortured artiste?"
"The one and only," Banky said, unable to take his eyes off the couple, kissing each other like they hadn't touched another human being in years. Which was probably true, he reflected.
"And who's that lady he's with?"
"Bethany, his new friend," Banky said bitterly.
"Banky dear, this fixation of yours with our little Mr. McNeil is trying my patience."
"I'm sorry Hoop, it doesn't mean anything."
"I should hope not," Hooper said, and began to stride off in the opposite direction of Holden and Bethany.
As he followed, Banky couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, an almost wistful expression twisting his face.
~~~~~
Alyssa wasn't sure who her dancing partner was. She was a bit more than drunk, and had come to the point where she didn't really care. She was seeing someone right now, a beautiful swimsuit model named Christina. But what Christina didn't know wouldn't kill her. And a meaningless dance with a cute bi girl wasn't going to hurt anyone.
She'd never had a fling of any sort when she was with Holden. Hadn't even so much as looked at another girl. Stupid shit like that had never mattered when she was with him. Nothing mattered when she was with him. But that was over now.
Good riddance, right?
As she and the blond woman spun in lazy, drunken circles around each other, Alyssa spotted a couple embraced across the floor. She smiled faintly, remembering the conversation she had had with Holden in the bar about fleeting love the first time they'd met. Things were so innocent then, when they were just friends and there were no complications. No suspicion, no hidden emotions, just innocuous friendship.
Alyssa looked to the couple again. The others in the club just went on with their business as if these two didn't exist. They probably didn't exist to anyone but each other. It would've been cute, if she hadn't been so cynical and dizzy.
They broke apart, and Alyssa got a good look at them. The guy was Holden. It was Holden (with Bethany, surprise, surprise), and he was grinning and looked really happy. She hadn't seen him like that since...well, it had been a long time.
Since her.
Alyssa smiled to herself and kept dancing.
~~~~~
"That was...that was...unexpected," Bethany said.
Holden was embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I..."
She smiled at him faintly. "Don't be. I didn't say it was bad."
"Well, if it was, I'm sorry, I'm kinda out of practice."
"Stop apologizing! It was good. Unexpected, but not unwanted and not unappreciated."
"I crossed a line, didn't I," Holden said.
"Most likely, but you don't hear me complaining."
"Is this going to fuck things up for us?"
"Holden, things were fucked up for us from the get-go. Let's just take things as they come and wait a few days before fucking each other, okay?" She smiled at him, a testimony to something, but Holden couldn't read it.
"Fair enough," he said with a grin. "In any case, I *would* like to get back to my place, maybe watch TV, maybe collapse and ponder the meaning of existence. I'm not sure what the great plan is, but I know I was right about one thing, the club and I do not seem to agree."
He tossed her a smile, and she returned it. "Sounds good to me."
Well, as things may have it, no new plot developments happen in this chapter, so you'll just have to sit tight and see what comes.
*Karasuma*Firestorm*
R for language.
Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
Rufus was just stepping off the dance floor when he saw it. The fun sounds of Run-DMC had faded and transformed into some unrecognizable techno bullshit, so he'd decided to go off and get himself a beer. It was times like these that he was so glad to be an apostle and not an angel, poor sober bastards.
And then he saw them. Bethany and Holden, lips locked, standing stock-still in a throng of oblivious bodies that were swaying drunkenly to the music.
He debated getting a hotel room for the duration of his stay on this planet.
~~~~~
"Lunchbox!" Jay shouted, pushing aside girls as politely as he could and guys as irritably as he could in a desperate chase to catch up with the tubby bitch. "You fat piece of shit," he panted, colliding with Silent Bob as the other man skidded to a stop in front of him. "I've been trying to find you for the past ten fucking minutes...why're you fucking stopping, man? They take away the snacks?"
Silent Bob, a little wide-eyed, pointed.
No less than ten feet away were Bethany and Holden, making out on the dance floor while people bumped and grinded around them.
"Dammit," Jay said. "I'm too fucking late."
Silent Bob glared his at his friend, as if to say, 'what about Justice?'
"Oh, shut up, you tubby fuck. I didn't mean it like that."
Silent Bob looked skeptical.
"Well, I didn't!"
~~~~~
Banky and Hooper were walking to the bar, engaged in what must have been round one million and one of their perpetual argument over Archie's sexual orientation. "Look, I'm willing to believe that there is something between Bluntman and Chronic, though I highly doubt that was Holden's intent when we created this thing, and certainly not mine," Banky said. "There may even be something between the *real* Jay and Silent Bob."
"Speculate all you want, honey, but I don't think so."
"That's moderately comforting. And for another thing, I flat-out agree that Batman and Robin are more than 'partners.'"
"Oh, they're partners all right."
"But Archie and Jughead? Not fucking likely."
"I thought you would have learned by now."
"Yeah, well, sometimes I find it hard to believe that you have..." Banky trailed off. "Oh my God..."
"What is it?" Hooper asked, looking around, and emitting a small excited squeal when he saw it. "My oh my. Is that our own dear Holden McNeil, tortured artiste?"
"The one and only," Banky said, unable to take his eyes off the couple, kissing each other like they hadn't touched another human being in years. Which was probably true, he reflected.
"And who's that lady he's with?"
"Bethany, his new friend," Banky said bitterly.
"Banky dear, this fixation of yours with our little Mr. McNeil is trying my patience."
"I'm sorry Hoop, it doesn't mean anything."
"I should hope not," Hooper said, and began to stride off in the opposite direction of Holden and Bethany.
As he followed, Banky couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, an almost wistful expression twisting his face.
~~~~~
Alyssa wasn't sure who her dancing partner was. She was a bit more than drunk, and had come to the point where she didn't really care. She was seeing someone right now, a beautiful swimsuit model named Christina. But what Christina didn't know wouldn't kill her. And a meaningless dance with a cute bi girl wasn't going to hurt anyone.
She'd never had a fling of any sort when she was with Holden. Hadn't even so much as looked at another girl. Stupid shit like that had never mattered when she was with him. Nothing mattered when she was with him. But that was over now.
Good riddance, right?
As she and the blond woman spun in lazy, drunken circles around each other, Alyssa spotted a couple embraced across the floor. She smiled faintly, remembering the conversation she had had with Holden in the bar about fleeting love the first time they'd met. Things were so innocent then, when they were just friends and there were no complications. No suspicion, no hidden emotions, just innocuous friendship.
Alyssa looked to the couple again. The others in the club just went on with their business as if these two didn't exist. They probably didn't exist to anyone but each other. It would've been cute, if she hadn't been so cynical and dizzy.
They broke apart, and Alyssa got a good look at them. The guy was Holden. It was Holden (with Bethany, surprise, surprise), and he was grinning and looked really happy. She hadn't seen him like that since...well, it had been a long time.
Since her.
Alyssa smiled to herself and kept dancing.
~~~~~
"That was...that was...unexpected," Bethany said.
Holden was embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I..."
She smiled at him faintly. "Don't be. I didn't say it was bad."
"Well, if it was, I'm sorry, I'm kinda out of practice."
"Stop apologizing! It was good. Unexpected, but not unwanted and not unappreciated."
"I crossed a line, didn't I," Holden said.
"Most likely, but you don't hear me complaining."
"Is this going to fuck things up for us?"
"Holden, things were fucked up for us from the get-go. Let's just take things as they come and wait a few days before fucking each other, okay?" She smiled at him, a testimony to something, but Holden couldn't read it.
"Fair enough," he said with a grin. "In any case, I *would* like to get back to my place, maybe watch TV, maybe collapse and ponder the meaning of existence. I'm not sure what the great plan is, but I know I was right about one thing, the club and I do not seem to agree."
He tossed her a smile, and she returned it. "Sounds good to me."
