Not so broken-hearted (2D/STYLO) Chapter 6
It had been about a week and a half since 2D had moved into his new house. Every other day, it seemed like a box was left on his doorstep, or a piece of furniture, or some clothing. He felt a little strange accepting the anonymous donations, but any help was help, and he appreciated it. He'd even gotten some money, a few hundred dollars, that he held onto for dear life. Eventually, somehow, he'd put it to good use. His birthday would come up in a week or two, and maybe he'd do something with it then.
Meanwhile, he'd taken a few of those dollars and brought the Stylo to a self-attended carwash on a warmer day, carefully washing the body of the auto, cleaning around the windscreens by hand as not to get water into the interior. He carefully removed the rest of the broken glass from the rear window, vowing to get it replaced along with the driver's window.
2D also attentively detailed the inside of the car as well, making sure the light beige upholstery was as clean as possible. Seeing the camaro's condition improve, even a little, brought a smile to his face. He felt impulsed to remain intimately close as he cleaned, subconsciously making little caresses and affectionate gestures without much thought. He was becoming much more comfortable with the black beast, and knew the traces of its every contour quite soon.
On a lazy afternoon, about two days before his birthday, 2D was washing his few dishes after lunch when he smelled something curiously sweet wafting through the air. There was a knock at the glass door, as he'd left the wooden front door open, and he turned to walk to the door and answer it, only to stop dead in his tracks at what he saw.
Standing at his doorstep, in plain jeans, a T-shirt, and ratty sneakers, holding some mysterious pie, was a sight that 2D crumbled before. "Toochi!" She shouted happily, grinning. Noodle was taller than he remembered. But then, he remembered years ago. Opening the door, he immediately took the pie and set it aside on a small table, grabbing her with his long arms and squeezing her tight, lifting the girl off of the ground.
"Noodle!" He shouted happily. He couldn't help but smile. Setting her down, he backed away a few steps. He then remembered what happened on Plastic Beach, heart dropping into the pit of his stomach. He looked down, suddenly distressed. "What's wrong, toochi-san?" Noodle looked at him curiously. He sighed, and with a heavy heart, blurted "I hurt Murdoc...I'm sorry..." feeling ashamed, he ran to the kitchen, leaning on the counter near the refrigerator. His head began throbbing, competing with his heart to make him explode.
Noodle rushed over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He deserves every bit of it." she murmured. At this, 2D froze, eyes wide. "But...he was our band leader...s-shouldn't I be sorry...? He... he hurt me, but.." he trailed, flustered. Noodle pulled him by the shoulders so that he was facing her and looked him straight in the eyes. She shook her head. "He hurt you. He held you captive, he destroyed you. I will not forgive him for that. We are tougnt as we grow to forgive, but some I simply can't. Nor should you."
Hugging him tightly, she retrieved the pie from the table by the door, bringing it over and sitting it on the counter. "Come on. Show me your home. I want to know you're safe." This got a melancholy smile from the young man, and he nodded. "Okay. This way..." he showed her through the house, explaining everything as he went. She listened, interested. He finished up the tour at the carpark door.
"And this.." he walked into the carpark, leaving the door open for Noodle, "...is the Stylo." he unthinkingly ran a hand down its side as he circled the shadowy machine, stopping at the driver's side and leaning gently on the roof. Noodle noted the intimate behaviour, then took in the full sight of the car as she made a complete circuit around it. "It's nice."
2D smiled. "Yes...y'know, I escaped in this.." he gave the vehicle a peck as she moved, thinking it would be unnoticeable. She noted it silently. "So, have you met any of your neighbours?" she absently questioned. He shook his head, then paused for thought. "Are you going to stay awhile?" he looked at her hopefully; they had a lot of catching up.
"Actually, yes," she nodded. "I don't have a home either and was hoping to stay for some time." At this, he smiled excitedly and gave a little hop. "That's great! I missed you..." he stopped as his stomach gave an awkwardly loud growl. The two laughed and headed back into the kitchen.
They eventually sat at the couch, where there was now a small coffee table, and ate a few slices of the pie Noodle had brought. They talked and laughed and shared missed memories until nightfall. Noodle retired on the couch, curled up in a soft blanket, and 2D peacefully rested in his bed, feeling much less anxious now that he wasn't alone. His sleeping mind wandered over apple pie and camaros and friendship, and danced around ideas of happiness and future.
Come morning, Noodle took him to a nearby shopping outlet for a day of fun and relaxation. She noticed his anxiety as he left the house without the Stylo for the first time. He'd been in the carpark for several minutes before they left in the truck. They wandered throughout the stores and didn't buy much, but had a pleasant time nonetheless. 2D would occasionally space out or make a sour expression when he was reminded of something Murdoc had done or said to him. Noodle could still see the trauma in his eyes.
Later, the two traveled to a small, cheap Mexican restaraunt and sat to have a bite. Noodle was sure she'd never seen 2D's eyes get so big as an amazingly large plate full of burritos, taquitos, rice and other goodies arrived at the table– she'd told the waiter to bring the largest reasonable order of 2D's meal that they could. She wanted him to indulge, to get away from the ever-present negative feeling she saw in him when he remembered Murdoc. And she figured the best way was to celebrate.
The rest of the night went much in the same fashion; the two laughed and talked and had fun. 2D offered to drive the two home, as Noodle had already done so much already, and she gladly allowed him. She noticed the care he took not to slam her truck door, the ease with which he went about making adjustments to his seat and the steering wheel; however, he seemed quite distant and almost businesslike in how he handled the vehicle compared to his Stylo.
For awhile, the drive was silent. He decided to take a back road on the advice of Noodle, slowing the pace of the trip. There was no better pace than a leisurely one, as proclaimed by Noodle. Later, breaking the silence, Noodle spoke up. The way he behaved had been something in her mind that she just could not crack, despite being a "walking smarts-bank" in some earlier words from Stuart.
"Toochi-san?" she anxiously grabbed his attention. "Yeah, Noods?" he glanced in her direction. She paused, thinking of how to put her words together. Suddenly, she felt unsure asking, almost unwelcome asking. She sighed deeply. "What's special to you about the Stylo?" she questioned quietly, hoping not to offend him. There was a thick silence for a moment. 2D's heard pounded; he felt it might bust his ribcage; he was suddenly nauseous. "Well...he's been there with me through it all..I mean, it. It has... and Stylo has suffered the same hardships, being abused and used by Murdoc...he neglected us both..." his breath seemed to escape him, and he swallowed hard. Noodle saw his reluctance to go on, and waited patiently.
"The Stylo seemed like my only friend for so long..." he went dead silent, gnawing his lip. His head began to throb and hurt again. It was not as bad as before he'd escaped, but this was the worst he'd felt since, and Noodle could tell. They pulled into the driveway and 2D killed the engine of the little pickup and got out, locking his door and rushing in before even looking at Noodle again. When she came in, she didn't see him right away. Instinctively, she headed for the carpark.
Her guess was right, she realised, as she opened the door. There was 2D, sitting in the driver's seat of the car, head leaned on the steering wheel and hands loosely embracing the column behind it. She saw a tear roll down his face and quietly paced over. "Toochi-san.." she murmured. He shut his eyes. "I'm losing it, aren't I?" he asked, clenching his jaw. "No...Toochi, you are just different...if you need to heal by showing love in a different way, then fine... but if you want help, I can find you someone to talk o.." she treaded extremely gently.
As soon as he heard her mention things like 'different' and 'help', his mind switched gears. He tried his best not to be angry with her, speaking with an exasperated but controlled tone. "I don't need...h-help... please, just..." his breath caught in his throat. "Just go..." he quietly sobbed. At this, Noodle nodded. "Call if you need me, big brother..." she quickly exited, leaving him to his own devices.
"Toochi!" Noodle knocked on the carpark door. No response. Her worries were beginning to get the best of her. She worried about whether Stuart might have hurt himself when he was upset. Impatient, she took a bobby pin she always kept in her hair (both for aesthetic and emergency purposes) and picked the lock with ease. She swung the door open slowly, stepping down into the carpark. The first thing she noticed was a funny, chlorinated smell to the air and the discarded shirt and shoes in the floor.
Pacing quickly around to the driver's side door of the automobile, she leaned close to the window and saw 2D lying on his side in the reclined seat, back to the door. As expected, he was wearing no shirt or shoes. He shivered a little in his sleep, quietly murmuring about the Stylo. "2D...it's morning.." she gently prodded his shoulder with her fingertips.
2D jumped, startled to wakeness. He turned his head quickly, only to see that Noodle had gotten into the carpark. "O-oh...Noods, lov, what're you doing here...?" He yawned. She gave him a puzzled look. "You scared me, I thought you disappeared." She stated plainly. This got an apologetic look from the man. "I'm sorry. I dozed off before I could come in." He lied. A little white one, but a lie, and Noodle could tell. She decided not to say much of anything about it yet. "Come on, birthday boy, we're going to celebrate."
She motioned for him to follow, and went into the house, leaving the carpark door standing wide open. 2D got out of the Stylo and gathered his shirt and shoes. He gave the auto a reluctant look, almost sad to leave. Before walking into the house, he planted a kiss on the vehicle's hood which was by no means quick.
The smell of sweat and coffee, along with waffles and dirt, flooded Murdoc's nostrils, provoking another massive pain for his sinuses, which would never get better, or so he was convinced. There was the hustle and bustle of a little diner he'd come upon on the way back from one of his major intelligence sources in the States. The tiny restaraunt was worn down, a hole torn in the sign on the outside that used to read "SUNRISER DINER"; it now read "SUNRI-NER" and the loose parts flapped in heavy winds.
The little place wasn't the busiest all the time, but he'd stopped for lunch, which wasn't a good idea anywhere if you asked him, but stomachs tend to have an annoying way of reminding you that you're alive. He had just finished eating whatever he'd barely bothered to order, and was headed out the door. He pondered how long it would take to get him from Texas to Arizona without stopping, except to buy gas and sharpen a knife.
Murdoc unlocked and opened the driver's door of a pretty little el Camino, not much different from the one they'd fled from so long ago. However, the paint was a striking black, which Murdoc had customized to carry a large red sigil of Baphomet across the hood. The little demon had a roar to match its appearance and was intimidating despite its low-to-the-ground stature. The bassist climbed in and fired up his little fiend and pulled out, continuing his westward voyage.