The
Forever
Feel
Good
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"Stuart!"
The shout from the other side of the hallway near the studio kitchen was so sudden Noodle jumped in her chair. Russel was beside her, and he left his hands still on the panels and looked out the threshold of the doorway to watch for bad movements when Murdoc barged his way through the door. 2D was there to greet the bassist, who was making furious hissing noises and hard clicks on the linoleum from his heeled boots, and he suddenly found himself slammed into the opposite wall.
A visibly fuming Murdoc gripped and shook 2D so hard, a small picture frame trembled from its hook and toppled to the floor. 2D, as a first reaction, left his hands loose and tensed, frightened.
"Where the hell do you get off busting into my Winnie and taking my shit!"
2D's expression went from pure shock and fear to total anger and hostility towards his bassist. His boney hands gripped Murdoc's wrists to try to squeeze the strong hands that held him to the wall. "What the hell are you making a fuss about?" 2D shouted back in his face. "What – I didn't take nothing!"
A sudden pounding shove of 2D against the wall jolted Russel from his chair, and the big man took steps to the Studio Kitchen.
"Don't play dumb with me, you stupid twat! You barged into me Winnie and stole my stash!" Murdoc made another ruthless shove. "I ought to give you what you fucking deserve!" Murdoc drew a hand away from the singer's shirt collar and gave a hit to 2D's nose. A thick trail of blood poured from the singer's nostrils. Stu's head boggled around for a slip second before he sought an opening to smack Murdoc in the face, and broke himself away to stumble and bump into the couch. Murdoc made a move to grapple him before 2D pulled out switchblade from his back pocket.
"Whoa!" Russel sprinted towards 2D and Murdoc to try to stop another oncoming fight, gripping 2D from the back of his shirt and holding Murdoc's shoulders. In the small space of the Studio Kitchen, 2D flailed wildly like a child and escaped from Russel's big grasp, bolting for Murdoc. He stuttered mumbled speech, an unintelligible squeaking of threats and accusations.
Russel moved fast. His arms jolted forward to grab 2D and tossed him to hang over his shoulder, shouting at both 2D and Murdoc to calm them, while the latter two shouted over each other. The huge movements in the next room, since she could see it with the door open, began to annoy Noodle and made her head fall into her hands.
Noodle had a look of distain on her face. She rubbed at her temples and swallowed hard, trying to get herself calm from under the noise. She stepped off her chair and stalked into the next room. Her eyes cast a dark shadow of growing anger. Her nose was a cherry red as she started to sniffle. Her throat clenched shut, but over the chaos between the boys she lived with and the tension in her chest, she found energy to raise her voice from a mumble to a scream:
"Why don't you all stop acting like children, and act like the ADULTS YOU ARE!"
Silence was a hard thing to accomplish in the KONG building. There were echoing squishy noises along the corridors and tapping at the windows and there was always flushing of the toilets. The sudden quiet that emitted from Noodle's band mates was queer and eerie. Taken aback from the young girl's outburst, the boys stayed in their tangled places, turning their wide-eyed faces at Noodle.
Russel loosened his grip on the other men when their limbs went limp against his strength. 2D dropped off of Russel's shoulders and his face melted into a look of hurt, his arms hung at his sides, his mouth parted open. Murdoc turned his eyes to the floor and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Russel breathed for a minute, thinking if it was the best choice to touch Noodle and talk to her, or wait for her to calm down herself. The large man stayed in his place, tentatively and awkwardly. He whispered her name.
She sniffed at him and turned to exit the Studio Kitchen. "I'm sorry."
"Hey--, Noodle-babe!"
The slamming of the door answered his call to help her.
Russel huffed, sad and annoyed. He clenched his fists to make an audible cracking of his knuckles.
"Why y'all gotta do this kind of shit, huh?" He said in a hush when he spun around to look at the two adults. "All this fighting you do gets her real upset."
2D fidgeted and crossed his feet to itch a spot on his calve. Long, bony fingers hit his forehead and rubbed at his temples. "I'm sorry, Russ…"
"Damn right you are, D. But it's Noodle, not me. And Muds," Russ jabbed a finger in the direction that Noodle had gone and twisted his head again to see Murdoc's chin on his chest. "I don't know why you can't be at least a little nicer around 2D when we're in front of her."
"You know that ain't gonna happen, Russ," he said with a rasp in his voice, looking at him in the face. "I was angry and I wanted to hit him, that's all. I didn't know Noodle was here."
"It doesn't matter where Noodle is or where Noodle isn't," Russel said with his voice growing harsher. "You can't go busting 'round here anymore to hit D around! You're being a bad influence on her! The both of you!"
Murdoc harrumphed. He kept his eyes closed.
"Go apologize to her." Russel demanded.
"Even if I do, she won't wanna see me." Murdoc said, and he made his way slowly to the door.
2D looked like a kicked puppy in an ally way. His solid black eyes glistened in the florescent lighting and he pouted his bottom lip to try and stop himself from whimpering. He rubbed his bare arms when he felt a shiver, and he turned his head around when Murdoc passed behind him.
"I'll bring you your stash back if you want, Murdoc." He said, meekly.
Murdoc paused with his hand stiff on the doorknob and looked at 2D with hooded eyes. He had that bored, uninterested look plastered on his face. Murdoc didn't pull off a look that would be forgiving, especially to 2D, of all people, but Murdoc, while looking bored and grumpy, his breath that flooded out his nose showed that he was plainly exhausted.
The bassist tilted his head back, and said, "No, Stu. Forget it." And he exited.
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Please review. This is where I got stuck.
