NEWS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW:
So, it's become clear to me that everyone thinks this is Steven/May, and yes, it was initially planned to be that way. However, I've realized I'm having way too damn fun of a time writing Archie for him to be just a side character. From this moment on, this story is Steven/May/Archie and no, I won't be revealing who the final pairing will be, if there will be a 'final' pairing at all. This was originally just a fuck-off fic that I was writing that doesn't have any real plot or direction, just a chronicle of May's college experience. I'm not taking a vote between Steven and Archie because I'm about 110% positive that it will be overwhelmingly in support of Steven.
I encourage you to give Archie a chance. Steven is unbelievably hot and amazing, but Archie has some pretty lovable qualities too, ya know? All I'm saying is don't start hating Archie because he's a possible love interest. For all you all know, May's going to get a shot with both of them and THEN we'll have a vote as to the final pairing. (That's just an idea, I don't know if it's actually going to happen, so don't hold me to it!)
This is NOT your typical one-pairing romance.
Again, this is about May's experience at college, first and foremost, and the romance is just the icing on the cake. So don't get your panties in a twist! ;) Trust me, there's room for both Archie AND Steven. Trust me.
And now, on with the show!
Chapter Five: Cops and Prostitutes
May screamed at the sound of an explosion in her vicinity and a wave of heat washed over her. She heard fire crackling and then Archie was on his feet and dragging her up.
"RUN!" he shouted, and in her terror, May complied without a second thought. Archie was faster than her, with much longer legs, and noticed she was falling behind rapidly. He stopped and she almost collided into him, but then he swooped her up and continued running.
May wasn't sure how long they ran, but they had disappeared into the woods for a while and were now reappearing near the bridge she had passed to get here.
Archie set her down and was panting heavily. May was, too, although for entirely different reasons because she hadn't been the one carrying someone.
"Stupid shithead must've set it for one hour instead of one minute," Archie muttered as he caught his breath. May stared at him dumbly, the events of the past fifteen minutes starting to catch up to her.
"Someone was trying to kill you!" she shrieked. Involuntarily, her eyes drifted to the smoke drifting up from where the bomb had gone off. Then his words processed. "Wait, one minute?" she screeched. "It was supposed to be one minute? That would have killed me!"
Archie looked at her for a long moment and then started to laugh. "Oh, shit," he gasped, caught up in hysterics. "You're such a fucking idiot. Oh shit, hahahahahaha!"
May was drunk on adrenaline and fury was pulsing through her, although she wasn't certain as to who she was actually pissed off at. "I'm the idiot? You're the one who someone's trying to kill! You have to be pretty stupid to get in that kind of situation!"
Archie was laughing harder now, apparently finding what she said funny, and May could only seethe. She began to pace back and forth, itching to aim a well-placed kick at Archie, but when she realized that he had pretty much saved her and a bunch of other people's lives, she refrained from doing so. She was still really angry.
Finally, Archie calmed down. "This is why you don't do nice shit for people you don't know. I really appreciate the sentiment, babe, but that could have really fucked some shit up."
Somewhere deep down, May was relieved that he didn't sound pissed off at all anymore. She was in such a whirlwind of emotions that she didn't even mind him calling her 'babe.'
"Yeah, well consider it a lesson learned," she snapped, but it didn't have as much heart in it as it should have.
Suddenly, sirens were blaring in the distance and Archie was immediately serious again. "We'll want to go the long way back. We can't take the bus, though…"
May then took a minute to inspect herself and Archie. They were partially covered in soot—Archie more so than her—sweaty, and dirty. It was clear that they had been in the vicinity of the bomb and given that they had high-tailed it out of there, they looked particularly guilty.
She felt a little dizzy now that the shock was wearing off. "I don't feel so good," she whispered to herself, then turned around and vomited up everything she had eaten for lunch. She continued to vomit and she vaguely noticed Archie holding back her hair as she emptied her stomach onto the ground.
When she was done, she wiped her mouth and stood shakily. Archie steadied her and suddenly she was leaning into him heavily.
"Ugh. I never want to do this again," she muttered into his side. He supported her weight easily.
Archie snorted. "Probably a good idea," he replied. Once she had gotten her footing straight, Archie stepped away and pulled out his cellphone.
May suddenly realized that while her messenger back was still with her—however unlikely that may be—it was singed and she wasn't too sure about the state of its contents. She decided it was something she would deal with later.
Archie was barking out orders to someone over the phone for a few moments before he hung up. He turned to her and told her, "Shelly's coming to pick us up. She'll be here in a hot minute."
May nodded. "Okay, so, when are you going to tell me why someone's trying to kill you? Shouldn't you be going to be police with this?"
"Ain't like that, babe," he said, scratching his chin and staring up into the sky, which had begun to cloud over. The temperature was rapidly dropping and May shivered when a harsh wind gusted past them. "The less you know, the better."
May decided that she agreed with that statement. "Okay…" She went on to her next question. "If it was supposed to go off in a minute, and they messed it up and it became an hour, that still doesn't explain why it sat on your doorstep for like two whole days. Why did it only go off when I picked it up?"
"Motion sensor," Archie replied easily. "If the dumbshit woulda done it right, you'd be very, very dead right now."
"So wait…you were home this entire time?" she asked. "And you knew what it was, so why didn't you do anything with it?" Her voice was raising in volume as she spoke until she was practically screaming.
"Shut up," he hissed. "This place is buzzing with cops now. Until Shelly gets here, we gotta be fucking invisible, do you hear me?" As if to follow up on that thought, he dragged her into the nearest copse of trees, still facing the street, which was about a thousand feet from where they were.
"You haven't answered my question," she whispered once they were out of sight.
"I didn't know what it was, no," Archie replied at length. "But any unmarked packages are usually bad news, so I left it there. I had an idea of what it was 'cause there was the possibility that some information had been leaked, so I was having a guy come over to take a look at it. Turns out I was right."
"Why didn't you call me right away?" she asked a little testily.
"Cause I was fuckin' asleep," Archie snapped, sounding annoyed at the accusation in her voice.
May huffed but nodded, accepting it for what it was. "But then how did you know to have me meet you at the park? How did you even know I was alive? How did you-"
"It was dumb fucking luck, okay? Quit it with the questions, will you? The less you know, the better. Seriously."
May nodded, her curiosity sated for the moment. However, she vowed that she and Archie were going to have a long discussion at some point. She had his number and he had hers, so one way or the other, she was going to get her answers.
She wasn't supposed to know it, sure, but short of him telling her, "It's classified" and going all 'FBI secret agent' on her, she was going to get the bigger picture about her next door neighbor.
Although, with the way he was talking, it seemed like the secret agent idea was very possible in this situation.
Archie's phone vibrated and he pulled it out, flipping it open to read what was apparently a text. "Okay, Shelly's here. We walk slowly and casually, okay? Look like you're having fun or something."
May nodded and began to walk next to him towards the road. A navy blue sedan was parked there and its four-ways were on, so May naturally assumed that this was their ride. When they approached, Archie was somehow gentlemanly enough to open the back door for her before climbing into the passenger seat.
Then again, she was starting to realize that she really didn't know all that much about the man who had unintentionally endangered her life and then very intentionally saved it—she could now clearly recall how he had covered her with his body—all in one fell swoop. Mixed in somewhere with her anger, a bud of affection bloomed. It was actually rather valiant, what he had done, despite the unorthodox way he had handled the situation and his cutting and vulgar language throughout the ordeal.
"Hey, hun," the woman in the driver's seat, apparently Shelly, said to Archie. "You getting into trouble again?"
Archie gave Shelly a pointed look and then she glanced back at May before an expression of understanding crossed her face.
"Not me," he said after the exchange. "Her." He thumbed at May.
"What'd you do, sweetheart?" Shelly asked her as she switched gears into drive and pulled out into traffic. "Looks like you blew something up."
"No," May replied, leaning back into the leather seat in relief. The car was incredibly comfortable and after the horrendous events of the last hour, she was ready to fall asleep for a month. She probably would have been asleep that very moment if her perception of Archie hadn't just completely done a one-eighty. "Something blew us up."
"Sometimes that's how it is," Shelly said with a laugh. "Where to?" she then asked Archie. "Your place, or…?"
"Starbucks first," Archie said. "Then home."
"She going with you?" Shelly sounded intrigued.
"We're neighbors," May interjected tiredly. While she was totally exhausted, she wasn't so out of it that she was okay with being talked about like she wasn't present.
Shelly shrugged. "Alright. Starbucks, then home."
The ride from then on was silent. Shelly had turned on the radio and it was playing some hit pop song. Shelly was humming along to it softly and this directed May's attention to her, which was a welcome change from the sudden feelings of a sort of admiration for Archie blooming in her chest.
Shelly had very tan skin and gorgeous wavy black hair that probably reached her waist—May couldn't tell because it was up in a ponytail. She could, however, see the few streaks of dark blue that went through it, specifically her bangs. Shelly had icy blue eyes, which contrasted nicely with her darker coloring, and May was suddenly left wondering what was up with Cambridge and all the gorgeous people here. Steven, Shelly, even Archie, although he had a different kind of appeal than the two former. Maxie was handsome, too, but he was so stone-faced and cold that May couldn't actively find him attractive. She was only able to acknowledge that some people might find him so.
Still, so many amazingly attractive people seemed to be congregated here…May wondered if she was going to be able to find time for a boyfriend between work and school. Preferably one that wasn't her TA or couldn't break her in half if he held her the wrong way.
They stopped at a Starbucks that May recognized was just around the corner from the apartment complex she and Archie shared. Shelly didn't order anything, but Archie ordered a black coffee with a double shot of espresso before turning to her.
"What do you want?" he asked.
May looked at him in surprise, silently questioning him, but he just made an impatient nodding motion with his head and his piercing blue eyes prodded her to answer.
"Uh, I guess a strawberries and cream frappuccino," she said after a moment. Shelly relayed that to the cashier.
May suddenly realized that because she hadn't been planning to spend money—or rather, couldn't because she didn't have the money to spare—she had left her wallet at home. She told Archie this just as he was pulling out his wallet.
"What, you thought I was going to let you pay after all that shit we just went through?" was all he said.
May didn't really have an argument for that and she was actually very touched by the sentiment. Archie's gruff but almost kind behavior wasn't really helping the sudden blooming of emotion she was having for him. She had come to realize that she owed Archie a significant debt—basically, whatever her life could be considered worth. At the same time, she didn't get the feeling that Archie would abuse the new bond that had been formed when he had courageously covered her body with his to protect her from the blast.
"Thank you," she said as sincerely and gratefully as she could. It was the least she could do after he had done so much for her. A thought then occurred to her. Could his harsh words and sharp anger have been out of…concern? No, that seemed a little too out there. They didn't know each other well enough for that to be the case…right?
Archie just shrugged and passed his money to Shelly, who then gave it to the cashier.
May was starting to feel a bit better with the creamy fruit drink sliding down her parched throat and her mood was steadily improving. Archie was now talking quietly with Shelly, but May didn't pay it any attention, too engrossed in her thoughts about her savior and the day's events. They were in front of the apartment complex less than five minutes later.
"Call me, hun!" Shelly called out to Archie once he and May had exited the car. She pulled away quickly afterward and sped jerkily down the street. May suddenly realized that Shelly had probably been actively censoring her driving when they were in the car.
"Who was that?" May asked as they walked back to their building. They took the back way to avoid being seen in their post-explosion state and, luckily, did not encounter anyone.
"That's Shelly Adams. Long-time friend and one hell of a call girl," Archie said casually, taking another sip from his coffee.
May spluttered. "Wait-what?"
Archie looked at her with an amused expression. "What, got a problem with pros?"
"I don't-no!" she protested. "I have nothing against, you know, prostitutes, I've just never met one before and I thought…"
"Shelly's not your average pro. She's expensive, if you know what I mean. Has a choice in her johns, lives the high life, all that. Probably because she doesn't have a drug habit to kick and is gorgeous as all hell."
May nodded and they arrived at their respective apartments. She turned to him and wasn't quite sure what to say. 'Thanks for saving my life, let's try not to get blown up again' didn't quite sound like the right thing to say, and she didn't know if it would really be appropriate to attack him with a hug to show the fierceness of her appreciation for him. That left her options rather limited.
"You gonna be okay?" Archie asked. He sounded genuinely concerned, if not a little gruff about it.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," May replied, laughing weakly. She was starting to understand him a bit, she thought to herself. "But…don't you think we should, you know, report the bomb or something?"
"Don't worry about it," Archie said. May looked skeptical and he returned the look. "What are you gonna say? 'I, for all intents and purposes, stole my next door neighbor's package, it turned out to be a ticking bomb, and then I let it explode on federal property?'"
May protested rather violently at that. "I didn't steal it!"
"Taking someone else's mail intentionally is a felony," Archie told her, smirking at her when she blanched.
"Okay, yeah. So, probably don't want to go to the police," May agreed. "But don't you think there will be an investigation?"
"Hell yeah, there will be! That's why you don't go back to Dawes Island Park for the next year and lay low for a good long time. You got a criminal record?" May shook her head, her heartbeat starting to speed up. If they found out in any way that she was connected to the explosion, her school career—no, life—was going down the drain. "Then you're good."
May sighed in relief. "Alright. Well, good night. And…thanks. For everything." She didn't feel like those few words really conveyed her emotions properly, but she had nothing else she could offer him.
Archie just laughed. "You're welcome. Just don't go around picking up shit that isn't yours anymore, okay?"
She could only roll her eyes good-naturedly and they parted. After disposing of her empty cup, May collapsed on her bed and relished the softness of her bed. She was not going to think about the day anymore, especially not Archie. The way he had looked at her just before she walked in her front door had sent her stomach into knots. She couldn't identify the emotion in his eyes nor the one that the look had caused, but she suddenly had the strangest feeling that she was on a crash-course down to hell.
May sighed and closed her eyes, deciding to ignore the feeling of foreboding. Archie, she decided, was probably on about the same level of untouchable as Steven, especially if he hung out with women like Shelly. Still, she had had immediate infatuation with her TA and now there was a budding of affection for Archie. She was pretty sure both were equally bad choices as far as crushes went for distinctly different but nonetheless valid reasons. Steven was her TA and Archie was probably a secret FBI agent—and that was just the beginning.
As she continued to compare the two totally opposite men in her mind, May made the decision that she just didn't care.
No more fucks were given that night.
Now, review time!
Thank you to: Darling Grimm, katzeko, LeprechaunGreen, EnigmaUniverse, becksterRES, DragonkynNatKiasu, vaKEra, 1939Sorry-Not-Sorry1945, Guest, mupp3tbab3h, JetravenEx, Akatsupure, F. Flotsam, Hunter the Weavile, CelestialOwl, loli-belle, L van Am, and TrebleKnight. It's nice to see so many new usernames and you guys are GREAT!
Thank you, Darling Grimm! I hope that you continue to find my story enjoyable. :)
LeprechaunGreen, you're awesome for going back through all the questions and answering them!
EnigmaUniverse, I hope your lurking days are over and you'll stand here in the light with the rest of us! It was nice to hear from you and thank you so much for the compliments.
DragonkynNatKiasu - never be afraid to write long reviews! I love them! As for your question(s), I've never really tried Coffee Bean, so I guess I'll have to go with Starbucks. But I can't drink coffee (I think I'm allergic) so I don't really go to either all that often. The only gender preference I have is female Feebas/Milotic, but it's ridiculously trying to catch more than one Feebas, so I usually give up once I finally catch ONE. I don't know if they changed that in ORAS. I also prefer female starters and fossils, just because you can breed them and with Wonder Trade, I like sending hard-to-get Pokemon so that I'm not the chick sending off an Oddish or a Wingull for ridiculously rare Pokemon. As for Eevee evolution? Damn, that's a hard one...I love all of them, but I'd probably have to say Umbreon or Leafeon. DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE! I BEG OF YOU!
Guest - This story is meant to be in May's perspective, but I hate first-person, so no, probably no Steven POV. Sorry! :(
Jetraven Ex, I would absolutely NEVER take another person's mail without their explicit pre-authorization. It actually IS a felony!
CelestialOwl - I hope you don't abandon the story because of the added love-triangle. Just give poor Archie a chance! D:
That's all, folks. Feel free to ask questions - I'll be here to answer them!
Question: If you had to date either Maxie or Archie, who would you choose?
BONUS QUESTION: Should Maxie get in on our little love-triangle and make it a square? ;D
Reviews are love!