HER BEAUTY AND THE MOONLIGHT OVERTHREW YOU

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

AND LOVE IS NOT A VICTORY MARCH IT'S A COLD
and it's a broken hallelujah

Denny did all the speaking for her, but she didn't mind in the least. Yes, Annie could stand but she really didn't want to; she still felt weak and just wanted to go home and lay down. But her desire to leave far outweighed the physical exhaustion. It was weird, because it probably seemed to the nurse that Denny had some kind of cult control over her, with the way they were acting. Annie was just surprisingly blank, not really showing much emotion on her face, not really talking, letting his personality and physicality overwhelm the entire situation, basically useless and submissive. The burns didn't help that perception, either, Annie knew. They still scattered over her arms, but she didn't really notice anymore. It just felt like it was part of her skin now, even though it bothered her. She knew one day she would forget and then accidentally notice. They'd be a source of much heartache for her until the scars finally faded away. She just sighed as she listened to the nurse and Denver banter. Her head hurt and she just wanted to go outside. Actually, she was torn between her want to go outside and her want to kiss Denny and let his hands go all over her and try to get back what they'd had on Christmas. Those were seemingly complicated things for her. So she just sighed and listened to the two of them. 

But your scars have the doctors worried. And your…..fiancé didn’t exactly make things easier for anyone last night. At first Annie kept her head down, like she could hide her feelings about the burns by doing that, like maybe she could be a chameleon and they wouldn't notice her, like she could melt into Denny's arms and then it would all be good again. But after thee nurse's pause, Annie found this odd mix of curiosity and confusion settling over her. She picked her head up slightly. Fiancé...? she thought. She wasn't stupid though, and she figured that he had said that to get into her room. But she just kind of felt this... overwhelming want for it to be true. It was silly, because they'd talked about this before, and Annie knew that they would get married... eventually. That eventually was starting to eat away at her the same way she couldn't remember him saying she looked pretty. Annie's head was reeling, she pulled her thoughts in too many ways. And what had happened last night that Denny hadn't made easier? Annie picked her head up slightly. Your doctor wasn’t exactly leaving well enough alone, ma’am.  it was silly, but the first thing Annie noticed from his speech was just how weird ma'am sounded on his lips. But then she wanted to know. What had happened? She chewed her lip nervously. 

That’s no justification for yelling that early in the morning, sir. If it happens again, we’re going to have you removed from the property. Yelling? Denver had yelled? Annie kind of wanted to giggle. She found it hard to believe, to say the least. He wasn't exactly a yelling kind of person, she knew. What had caused him to? And she almost wanted to beg for him to not do it again. If he had to leave, she would have to stay and she couldn't stay, especially not without him. As the nurse spoke further, Annie was relieved to discover she didn't have to stay at all, and it drastically changed her mood. She was excited to leave, of course. It was weird though, because overall she felt terrible. She didn't know how, but the same feeling that had been settling into her on the beach was sinking back, like this was all temporary and Denver was slowly slipping away from her and within a short amount of time she would be alone. Annie didn't know why that came back, it didn't have much reasoning. She hated how complicated everything had gotten in such a short amount of time. She just wanted to go back in time and undo it all. She wanted to go back to sitting in his bed and just kissing him over and over until it bubbled over to more but then simmer back down. She didn't need more than that; why had she ruined it? There had been no reasoning, she had just decided that she would mess everything up and twist it all up so it wouldn't work anymore. She wanted to scream when she thought about that all. She wanted to fix it, but she didn't know how. 

When the nurse left, Annie smiled a little at Denny, entertained by the way he was saying things. She slid off the counter, and because she just couldn't help herself she pulled her hands from his and wrapped him around his neck, leaning forward to kiss him. Seriously kiss him. And it felt so good, so right to her. It made all her worries and all those other fucking stupid thoughts just melt away because she'd missed him. She didn't think about how wrong she felt, because she promised she wouldn't. She focused on how right they felt. Her hair was still gnotted in that braid, seeing as she had put it in when her hair was wet and then it'd been in for... well actually just overnight. It felt so much longer, though. When she pulled back she smiled a little, and bit her lip. "It's snowing outside though, and I don't have any clothes." It was the middle of January in Massachusetts, of course it was snowing. Annie didn't exactly have any snow resistant clothes with her, not to mention that if she had they would probably be all bloody. So there was that minor flaw in them leaving right away. 

"But, um," she cleared her throat "what was she talking about. With the way my fiancé was yelling in the morning?" she was honestly curious, but she couldn't help but smile when she said fiancé, like it was some little joke they had. But there was this undeniable pull in her heart when she said it. She wanted it to be true. But annie didn't know what was true anymore. What she really wanted was for things to be simple again. She would try her hardest for that. 

1,054 - OUTFIT - lyrics to that song i'm obsessed with and this thread is obviously for denver - i'm sorry.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

what a match ,
I'M HALF DOOMED AND YOU'RE SEMI-SWEET

Denny didn’t even think of the repercussions of the nurse mentioning the early hours of the morning. He hadn’t thought he’d have to explain himself, but he wasn’t necessarily unnerved by the thought. At the same time, he wasn’t out to seem like a hero. Denny just didn’t want to have to explain the entire situation because he didn’t want to have to repeat what the doctors had said that drove him to what he’d said. It was always about sparing Annie when he had something to keep from her, not that he had to keep something from her. It was about making sure progress was made, not deteriorated just steps after another step was walked upon. But the nurse just had to bring it all up. She hadn’t even been there, and Denny didn’t like her anyway, but she had to start talking about him and his slight irritation issue right in front of Annie. Maybe it was some twisted, sick form of revenge for what he’d done, even though all of this made it sound ten times as dramatic as the circumstance had actually been.

So though he loved the kiss, though it felt so necessary and infective, he wasn’t able to really enjoy too much of it. He wasn’t hurt that she’d asked because at this point Annie had a right to know what had happened this morning. It just scared him to think of what she would say. “Well,” he said, trying desperately to find words that might help sugar coat the conversation he’d had so early in the morning he could hardly think straight. “The doctors were saying things that I didn’t like hearing after you fell asleep. I was wide awake so I got up and just said what was on my mind really,” which wasn’t that far of a stretch. The things he’d said had been on his mind in one way or another, but they’d been impulsively so, and just that fact was enough to let anyone know they weren’t exactly planned out. Denny had just been so mad, so irritated that they would talk about his Annie that way, regardless of her current state of being. They had no rights, not even as doctors to do that. Denny had just stood up for what he believed essentially, but by the end of the run in he’d threatened the doctors and he knew that was grounds for being forcefully removed from the premises. “I was just setting some things straight. No one got hurt,” he said, letting a small smile settle on his unsettled lips.

He moved back through thoughts in an uneven pattern and shrugged when Annie spoke about clothing. “We can call Abby, unless you’d rather I’d just go get something.” He didn’t want to leave without Annie though - he was afraid that if he did, the doctors would poke and prod at Annie again, and then he’d come back and she’d be in worse shape than she’d ever been in with him. He’d literally have to start all over again, and that metaphor about the wall came back to him with the force of a semi-truck. Quickly though, Denny shook his head and focused again, finding it easier than ever before. He knew though, that if he did leave, and if they did do the worst to Annie, that little control would be completely wiped from his abilities again. It would like they’d gone in reverse faster than any of their progress forward had gone. But then another thought occurred to him. “But that includes explaining the entire situation to her.” This was one of those times Denny wished he had friends outside of those that he met through Annie. He needed some guy friends that didn’t have anything to do with Abby or Boss or the band, just so he could call them up and ask them to bring his girlfriend some winter clothing at the hospital. Of course that made Denny sound quite like a user, like he just wanted to make friends so they’d do shit for him - but that wasn’t the entire case. That just happened to be the situation he was currently in.

“I don’t even remember how I got here without a real pair of pants.” Looking down quickly, Denny remembered he’d only worn those basketball shorts and his hoodie. He didn’t even think he’d worn shoes on the way here - he’d acted totally and completely on impulse last night when he’d freaked out and brought Annie here; there’d been no focus or time to even throw flip flops on. “Surprised my toes didn’t fall off either.” But thinking about all of that now just made Denny colder than he thought he could get. He was glad he hadn’t opened the windows yet; the snow would have gotten in and the cold would have wrapped around him in so many ways that his vulture would have been all but completely wiped from his brain. Some part of him, that vulture again, would enjoy the fresh air and the loss of the chemical tint to the air, but most of Denny would just freeze and complain and whine. It wouldn’t be fun, and it wouldn’t be bearable - which meant that him running home now to get some clothes was really out of the question in three ways. He didn’t want to leave without Annie; he knew Annie didn’t want him to leave her here alone; the cold would have literally given him frostbite to the point of having his toes, maybe his entire foot amputated.

“Looks like Boss or Abby are our choices. Pick one.” Denny finally let himself smile again, a sort of lazy smile that was lined with a hint of what might be a slight eye roll. Something else ran through his thoughts and he realized that clothing entitled underwear, and though Denny trusted Boss to be mature, Boss was still a guy. It didn’t matter if he had a girlfriend or not - Denny was still just as jealous as the next guy when it came to other guys and his girlfriend’s - or rather, according to the hospital and what he’d told the doctor in scrubs this morning, his fiance’s panties. “On second thought, let’s just call Abby,” he said, looking around the room for some sort of communicative device. He found the phone next to the bed, white just like the rest of the room and just as obnoxious with the scent of chemicals. Did they seriously have to clean everything in the room all the time? He guessed that was inevitable, but they’d be out of here soon enough so Denny didn’t have too much to worry about anymore. In a few hours, they’d be back at his place - maybe Annie’s with her cat, if he even still existed - just making sure things were still on track. There’d be no third parties to interject between them and interrupt and make them worry and freak out; it would just be Annie and Denny for a while. Denny could handle that - wanted it, actually. He just wanted to get out of his oppressive place and spend time, all the time he had with Annie.

“Unless, you know, you’d rather I just…fly over or something? It wouldn’t take nearly as long, but I don’t want to leave you here by yourself.” It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Annie, but Denny by no means trusted the doctors. Sure, they had pretty little plaques that said they knew what they were doing, but that didn’t mean that they knew what Annie was going through. Denny above everyone else knew that Denny knew Annie better than anyone else, and always would, and therefore unless he was her doctor, there was no trusting anyone. So leaving her here for those….leeches to get a hold of her? It wasn’t really an option, but one way or another Denny knew Annie couldn’t just leave in that little gown. “I’m gonna need shoes either way.”

1437 -- seren/annie <3 -- I MADE IT ALL. 'cept the lyrics go to fall out boy. -- OUTFIT WITH THE SILLY HAT! -- okay homework time.

[ABIGAIL CASSIDY PIERCE]

what if there's nothing more to me
I'M JUST SKIN AND BONES

Abby looked up from painting her nails. The blue that was already on there was chipping away and she hated it when that happened. It made her look nails look gross and old. She had a bad habit of picking them when there was no nail polish to keep her from doing it. She reached for her ringing phone. Pressed the talk button and shifted it so it was pressed between her ear and shoulder before saying anything. "Hello." Denny answered on the other side. She listened as he spoke. Abby stopped painting her nails and focused to what he was saying. Why the fuck was Annie in the hospitable and why the fuck did she need cloths. She hug up the phone before Denny was done explaining. She just put shoes on and ran out of her house. She didn't have any car or mode of transportation so it looked like she was going to be running to their house. it didn't take her to long though. Abby ran most mornings when she wasn't to hung over. It was how she released all of her stress and kept in shape. Abby quickly found the spare key where she knew Annie hid one just in case and slid open the door. There wasn't really even time for Abby to think. she just moved around what needed to be moved and got Annie her clothes. She also managed to get Denny a pair of shoes, which was the last thing she heard before she ran out. She wasn't really prepared to start ruing to the hospital so once she was out side and got to a main street, she flagged down a cab and told him where to go. Abby was moving faster than she ever thought that she could, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. she had so many questions flowing though her mind and the fact that there was another person in this small car did not help. And the dirty thoughts where never welcomed in her head. She had a.. boyfriend? she still wasn't sure what to call any of this. Confusion was the only thing that ever went though her mind.

Finally Abby made it to the hospital. She asked the front desk for the room number and then ran off. She was kind of pissed she had no clue with what was going on with her best friend. Annie was the only girl Abby had ever stayed friends with for more than a couple months. She hated that she had no idea where the fucking room was either. She stopped to look around and finally found it at the end of the hallway. She took a breath and walked in the room. There was Annie on the stupid bed and Denny in there next to her. "What the fuck happened bro? Do you have any idea how much I hate being called to the fucking hospital? Any idea? Because I do. And then to be told that I have to get a bunch of your shit! I'm not your bitch." Abby yelled at them. She threw their stuff on the seat next to her and looked at Annie. She looked like she hadn't eaten in years. Her body did not look like it should be able to support life of any kind at this point. She didn't even bother trying to read either one of their minds. She was to pissed and there was way to many thoughts in her mind that she hardly hear the hum of theirs. "I do not appreciate being left out like this. I am worried about you. Annie You are my best fucking friend and this is how I have to find out what has been going on with you? Fuck this!" Abby was almost in tears as she kept yelling at her. She knew she was kind of over reacting about this, but she was really worried about Annie. She knew there was a lot going on in her head. Annie had been fucked up for a while, but Abby deserved to be treated like a friend. "Tell me what the FUCK is going on Annie!" Abby screamed. Her voice cracked and a tear slipped down her face.

It killed her to see Annie like this. Abby had never been in a hospital before, partly because she didn't have friends, family or really anyone who would need her to be in a place like this. Now was to much. And to find out because Annie needed clothes? This whole thing was fucked up. She wasn't even sure why she was reacting this way. A normal person would have gotten Annie her stuff calmly asked what was wrong and take care of her friend. But Abby had no idea what a normal person was. Abby's one and only friend was Annie and she was pretty much the last thing from normal. Annie was more or less probably going to start yelling and screaming back, but she didn't care. Abby just wanted to hear the whole story from Annie's mouth. Abby was sure she had hurt Annie is some way she felt horrible about everything she said. She wanted to take back all of the yelling and everything she said. "I'm sorry." she whispered. "I just... I care about you. You are my best friend and I care about what happens to you. Denny is the only one that is in love with you, but Annie I do love you. You are my best friend and the only person I can get drunk with and not regret getting in bed with. Partly because I know we didn't do anything. Please just tell me what happened to you," Abby said. She could feel a tear rolling down her cheek. She was getting really emotional over this. It must be her time of the month again. She only got really upset when she was in her period. And she was pretty upset right then.

words • 1000ish. i lost count.
notes • abby is pissed
outfit • right herrr

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

AND LOVE IS NOT A VICTORY MARCH IT'S A COLD
and it's a broken hallelujah

In the time that it took for Abby to get there, Annie moved back to the bed. Sure, she could stand, but the pure exhaustion of what her body had been through was forcing her to lay down. She figured if she stood any longer her legs would shake or something, and then she would have to stay longer. It was just easier for her to lay down and conserve what she had. She wasn't laying down though, just sitting. Abby - being Abby - made it obvious when she arrived. Annie was barely bothered by it because that's just how Abby was. However, when the other girl started yelling, Annie blanched a little. She reached for Denny's hand quietly, just because it was an immediate impulse, an action taken on instinct; in short, she couldn't help herself. She blinked at Abby's harsh words,  but she knew the mind reader was right. It wasn't fair for her to find out like this. It wasn't fair that the shifter had been MIA for nearly a month. Tell me what the FUCK is going on Annie! Annie flinched. Abby was nearly in tears. 

The way the younger girl had studied Annie when she first walked in kind of set the older girl on nails. She liked to think that she didn't look bad, but she knew that wasn't true. She looked wasted away after the tantrum her body had thrown last night, the way everything protested when she moved and she could only thank whatever she could that she didn't puke up what she hadn't bled out; she felt like there wasn't enough of her own body left. She had only ingested the bare minimum of food, refusing to admit she was hungry when she was. That left Annie looking sallow and malnourished. Her hair was twisted and gnotted together like it was just going to turn into one bug dreadlock from that braid; not that Annie too much cared, she really didn't have the motivation to brush it out. She knew that was really bad. It took a lot to not even have the motivation to brush your own hair. Her normally tan skin was paler than it should be. Too much blood for one person, too much pain between her hips. Her expression was probably... odd. 

Annie probably just looked like a half-starved dog. 

She knew she should have yelled back. But she couldn't. Annie's determination to do anything was lower than low. She felt like she was on the beach again, ready to just walk into the water and drown, not having enough fight to stop her feet from moving. That's what was so terrible about this entire situation; Annie was left feeling dead. She felt wrong, so wrong. A new thing was that her mind protested lightly when she thought that, saying that she was right to Denny and that was enough. And it was; Abby could see into Annie's kind and understand what was wrong and how messed up it was all twisting into, she didn't take Annie's hardship for granted. And frankly, the shifter could care less about Boss - he was her friend and all, but much too submissive to be more than a neutral pillar in her life, there, but not noticed, appreciated, but not worshipped. It kind of came full circle to just Denver and how her felt like a sunrise to her, warm and gentle and promising. But for now Annie was overwhelmed. She didn't know what to say and she felt like her voice would quiver anyway. Just the raw strain of everything that had happened had switched Annie into this polar opposite of the girl people expected her to be. 

She cleared her throat. "I known it's not fair." she said quietly. It wasn't fair, but then again neither was anything Annie had been pushed into. Fate wasn't smiling on her much these days. That was a lie though - fate had thrown her to Denny. And that was more than kind, so maybe all this upsetting shit was just evening it all out. She blinked uselessly, feeling like she was going to cry with the sheer magnitude of what she had to say. "I wore the slutty lingerie you dared me to get, yeah I wore it to Denny's and then he gave me a promise ring for christmas, but that's kind of irrelevant." but it totally wasn't, because the small weight of it on her hand kept her sane seventy five percent of the time. "And then we did it." she smiled lightly at how elementary she sounded, just that this was some humor in an intense situation. "Twice." she giggled a little, but god, it felt amazing. Embarrassment was the last thing on her mind because she was jut giving facts and getting some amusement out of it. When she spoke again, it kind of came in a flood. "And then my mind went wrong and I alienated myself from everyone for three weeks and didn't eat anything and burned myself." And the amusement was gone. Her face changed dramatically and her lips turned into that weird grimace you get before you cry. 

Annie picked up her hand that wasn't in his and wiped under her eyes, but it didn't help anything because she was already crying. "And then Denny found me and yelled at me and told me I wasn't wrong and then he took me home and things were shaky," because Annie had just sat in his bed silent, picking at her skin, wishing she could just blink and everything would be normal "and just when things were getting better...they got worse, 'cause I was pregnant. But even that wasn't too bad. It was scary, but not bad, you know?" She was really crying, and when she spoke again it was hard to understand because her voice was shaking and eclipsed by sobs. But she was thinking it, too, just in case Abby couldn't physically hear her. "But that same night - last night - I had a miscarriage. And now we're full circle."

Annie picked up her hand again and wiped her eyes. She was shaking like a leaf, and she didn't know what she wanted anymore. She was torn, once more; part of her wanted to go home and sleep, part of her just wanted to go hug Abby, and then there was always that part that wanted to let go of the world and kiss Denny. But she had to do something to make this right because she wanted things to be simple again. She wanted it with her whole heart and then some. "And now my best friend is here bringing me clothes so I can go home and get sleep and then I can go to the mall with my best friend in a few days..." She smiled shakily. 



1,149 - OUTFIT - lyrics to that song i'm obsessed with and this thread is obviously for denver - blarg.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

what a match ,
I'M HALF DOOMED AND YOU'RE SEMI-SWEET

Denny was not going to let go of control. Not any longer. Not self control, anyway. But he figured, with Abby here and with what she saying, Denny’s best bet was to practice self control through not saying anything at all. It was easier than Denny had planned, especially when he just didn’t want to hear Abby’s screaming. It hurt his ears after what seemed like too long to not have screaming in his range of audio. It was just easier to seem indifferent, no matter how rude that was. He understood the frustration that Abby felt, but in his case he’d never made his frustration verbal. He couldn’t; if he had, everyone would have known that Cheyenne had been the one to run that girl over in high school. So though he knew why a situation like this one would be frustrating, Denny didn’t necessarily understand the necessity to scream everything. But he didn’t want to offend anyone or cause something really horrible to ensue, so he stayed silent. He let Annie take his hand and just held hers back as his legs were brought up and tucked under one another on the bed. It was more uncomfortable than he remembered it being, but Denny knew they’d all be out of here sooner rather than later, so it didn’t matter.

He wasn’t ignoring Abby. Denver just wasn’t speaking. He heard everything she said and occasionally sent a look in her direction. He took pride in having Abby know how much he loved her best friend, but it wasn’t enough pride to spread a smile across his face. He just kept that plain, almost bored expression, one that a little kid might have if he was a smart-ass and being yelled at for doing something he knew was forbidden. His silence was deafening to himself only – not speaking or having something to say made his ears ring at such a pitch he felt like a dog. But that was Annie’s job, right? The ringing was just a mental thing, obviously. Only Denny could hear it, and for a few long seconds it distracted him from what Abby was yelling. But then she was done anyway, and Annie was searching her mind for something to say. Denny couldn’t bring himself to say anything now – he was astonished Abby could get that loud and the distracting ringing in his ears had made it hard for him to understand exactly what she’d been trying to say. Plus, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference what Denny said. Sure they were friends, but they were really only that close because of Annie. Denny couldn’t deny the fact that he didn’t know much about Abby, that he was positive Annie knew ten times – if not more – than he did about the girl. It was hard to be close to someone that he hardly knew anything about, Denny found, except for Annie.

Because in his life, she’d seemed to be the exception for just about everything. No one had been able to talk him out of a depression state two years ago. No one until Annie had come along. No one had ever been able to catch his attention quite like her. No one had ever made Denny want to be more than he was, to be the best person he could be one little step at a time, except for Annie. No one in his entire life had ever made him feel like he’d give up everything for them, even his own life. He’d waited for that day, when he’d meet a girl that would turn his entire world around to the point where he’d give his existence for her if he had to, when he could actually be a Hero instead of an Anti-Hero. Annie had been that girl, and it was easy to see these days. He wasn’t exactly a super hero like Spiderman or anything, but Denny felt a bit nobler when he stood up for Annie, when he protected her like he had this morning from the doctors. So it really didn’t matter how much or little he knew about Abby. The exception was Annie, in every possibly tangible, imaginable way.

Yeah, and then everything changed. Annie was speaking now, and Denny could hear her words because she wasn’t screaming and leaving that high pitched ringing in the way of the words. He couldn’t help the blush climbing up into his face when Annie spoke about what happened on Christmas. The ring and the lingerie didn’t really mean anything then; he was actually blushing because Annie had dove into their personal business head-first. He didn’t care on the anger end right now; Abby was Annie’s friend and he knew girls to some certain extent. One way or another Abby would have known with or without Denny knowing that she knew, and so he wasn’t hurt that she’d brought it up. She’d told Abby the truth, and he could relate to her honesty. Denver was just embarrassed that he had to be in the room to hear Annie tell Abby about their sexual relations. He couldn’t even look in Abby’s direction, couldn’t stand to see what was on her face when Annie went on. Denny felt like Abby might try and find a way to just blame him, like it was his fault Annie had lost her wits and his fault that she’d gotten pregnant. Yeah, the latter of the two might as well have been his fault considering without him, she wouldn’t have ended up in that situation. But could Abby really blame him for that? She would have theoretically been an Aunt, and Annie and Denny would have found ways to be happy through that – could Abby honestly blame the person that made her best friend happiest besides herself? Denny knew he wouldn’t be able to if he had a best friend that wasn’t Annie.

Oh, but Denny felt extra scared when Annie told Abby that he’d yelled at her. He didn’t mean to, and he couldn’t even remember having done that at all. He’d been concerned and worried out of his mind, quite like he had been last night, and all he could think to do when Annie was wrenching away from him like she’d finally figured out he really was a criminal or something was to stand up and tell her what was on his mind. So now Denny was actually fearing Abby’s reaction to that. He didn’t know her, as processed before, and he didn’t know what she was capable of outside of a bar. Denny just continued to stay silent, not looking at Abby, not really looking at Annie either. He was frozen, but not in that sense he’d been feeling a few times since Christmas when he was stunned or shocked into the same position for minutes (maybe) on end. He just felt frozen because he didn’t know what to do except to stay quiet and not to make any sudden moves. His hand still wrapped around Annie’s just held on, not really moving at all the way no other part of him was ceasing movement. He could hardly breathe, but it was okay for now. Denny hardly even noticed. He was just focused on keeping cool and staying quiet.

But then he actually had something to say, and keeping it in with his sort of brutal honesty wasn’t exactly an option. He wasn’t quite sure he felt the need to apologize, but it was in the front of his mind, pushing on the boundaries of his head to find a way out. The words finally found out they could travel down a messenger cell to his mouth and before he could even realize the reason he had for creating those words, they were out in the open. “Sorry.” He wasn’t even sure who he was saying it to, but now it was out and Abby and Annie had definitely had the chance to hear it. It was too late to take it back, and so Denny lifted his head and wracked his mind for a reasoning behind the apologetic words. He sighed when nothing came up at first. “Things have just been so messed up lately.” He was now mostly mumbling to himself, probably sounding the most insane he had since the beach. Denny just couldn’t stand feeling like this was his fault, like something was going to be blamed on him whether he had done it or not. He didn’t even take into account that Abby might blame Denny for keeping Annie from her for a almost a month – which he hadn’t meant to do in the least – but when that possibility came into his mind he feared it the most. Denny wasn’t controlling Annie; he didn’t threaten her life if she left him for even a second. He was just trying to make things better, when really all of this just seemed like it was coming back to hit him in the face. Hard.


1437 -- seren/annie <3 -- I MADE IT ALL. 'cept the lyrics go to fall out boy. -- OUTFIT WITH THE SILLY HAT! -- wow hard had to be the last word? i need to get my head out of this gutter right now.

[ABIGAIL CASSIDY PIERCE]

what if there's nothing more to me
I'M JUST SKIN AND BONES

Abby was getting dizzy with everything that was going on. The smell of the hospital made her jaw clench. She was suffocating from all of it. The smell, the words, the people. She was going to fall over. But she held herself up using the frame of the door she was still standing in front of. Why did Annie look so sick? She wasn’t nearly this bad… Abby tried to think back to the last time she saw her. But all she could think of was Christmas. And that seemed like such a long time ago. Abby was basically in tears and wasn’t sure how much longer her legs were going to support her. She bent down so her ass was on the ground and her legs were pulled up and her arms wrapped around them. "I known it's not fair." Annie said quietly. Abby looked her right in the eye. "I wore the slutty lingerie you dared me to get, yeah I wore it to Denny's and then he gave me a promise ring for Christmas, but that's kind of irrelevant. And then we did it." Abby smiled slightly at how elementary she sounded when Annie said they did it. Not, we fucked, we made love, or whatever else, just "we did it". Abby smiled and remembered the day they went to the mall slightly tipsy with Annie. Abby also bought the slutty outfit but she never made it all the way over to Boss's house, partly because she got way to drunk and couldn't even remember where she lived. So she just crashed at home that night. but Annie's voice interrupted her thoughts for a moment. "Twice." They both giggled a little at that part. Abby thought it was funny because it made Annie sound like her. Abby and Boss kind of did the same thing, but Abby was a little bit more a of whore when that happened.

"And then Denny found me and yelled at me and told me I wasn't wrong and then he took me home and things were shaky, and just when things were getting better...they got worse, 'cause I was pregnant. But even that wasn't too bad. It was scary, but not bad, you know?" She was really crying, and so was Abby. She had no idea all of this is what was happening. Abby bend her head down and started crying into her legs. She didn't want to hear all of this. It was too much. Annie had been though hell while Abby was just hanging out with Boss. And Boss was amazing. There was hardly any drama or it was hard to understand because he was just Boss. But Annie and Denny had so much more to deal with. This whole pregnant thing. Abby never ever wanted to get pregnant. That would be one of her biggest fears. More than having a relationship, death, and anything else that would scare any normal person. Annie's voice was shaking and eclipsed by sobs when she tried to talk this time. "But that same night - last night - I had a miscarriage. And now we're full circle. And now my best friend is here bringing me clothes so I can go home and get sleep and then I can go to the mall with my best friend in a few days..." Annie smiled shakily.

"I love you Annie. and I would be more than happy to go to the mall with you." Abby said as she lifted her had up from where it was. Her legs didn't feel so shaky anymore. “Sorry.” Denny said. “Things have just been so messed up lately.” But Abby hardly head what he had to say. She was to busy standing up and running over to Annie. She gave her a hug. She missed this feeling of being close with someone other than Boss. She let the tears run down her cheek. She wiped them away from her face. She pulled back and kissed Annie on the cheek. "Okay, so I am going to go home, go to bed, and try to sleep. Because right now to much has happened. And I love you baby. Call me when you get home, or tomorrow. Because we are going to the mall. New clothes can help anyone." Abby said smiling. She looked over at Denny and smiled at him finally acknowledging his presence in the room. "Thank you for taking care of her Denny. You are the best guy ever! Well other than Boss." Abby said with a laugh. "Get some rest though, you look kind of dead." Abby turned around and walked out the door.

She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand to be in there. She loved Annie and Denny but something about being in the hospital put her off. She had never been in one in her entire life, other than when she was born. But the sick people, the people that could die at any second. That was probably what it was. She had these thoughts with out even noticing. They were there and clouding up her mind. Almost everyone in this place was sick, dying, or needed help in some way. Abby was not the kind of person you see in here. She would be the one sitting at home making up any excuse she could, so she would never have some come here. The thought of death really did scare her. So she never thought about it, it hardly ever came up in conversations, and Abby just didn't think about it. But being pregnant? that was beyond scary. Was on birth control, took a plan B when she knew she should, and made sure the guy used a condom. She was so paranoid of getting pregnant. It had to be her worst nightmare. Not only did Abby not really like kids, she felt awkward around them, and she was so fucked up in the head she had no idea how to even begin to raise one. Abby kind of planned on being forever single, so she would never have to worry about settling down and having a family. But Boss came into that picture and killed all of those thoughts for her.

Abby just wanted to forget about everything though. she could just get in a cab, go home, and sleep. But Boss kept coming into her head. The thought if having a family with him. It was all to scary for Abby to think about right now, or ever. So she would let Boss bring that up, and hopefully, not with her.

words • 1117
notes • tralala
outfit • right herrr

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

AND LOVE IS NOT A VICTORY MARCH IT'S A COLD
and it's a broken hallelujah

She blinked lightly Annie felt like she was spinning, she was out of control. Abby came and hugged her close. It was weird to be this close with someone other than Denny. Annie couldn’t help how that her mind just thought about it. Abby was kind of more like an equal, the same size as Annie (only not really because Annie was almost wasting away). Denny was so different, he was kind of like her shield from anything. He could just wrap his arms around her and sweep her away from the world. No one would notice, no one would fight him. All she needed was for him to pull her close and if he turned around he could protect her from anything. Annie didn’t have one doubt in her mind that there was something that would hurt her that Denver couldn’t stop. Most important was that. He would never let someone lay a hand on her, including herself. The moment Annie went to do something, she knew he would grab her hands and put them behind her back, he would kiss her until she cried because she just couldn’t do that to him. Because when she hurt herself, she hurt him more. That wasn’t what love was about, either. Annie was starting to get a god idea of just what exactly love entailed, and it was making her a better person. She had never hurt other people out-right, she just constantly crumbled within herself. Being with Denver was honestly forcing her to be stronger. Every time she broke down, he had to put her back together, and the guilt ate away at her. That wasn’t fair. That wasn’t what love was about, but he was teaching her about what it was.

Her mind was getting off track though, and she tried to focus on Abby standing right there, hugging her. She buried her face in Abby’s hair, and didn’t want to let go. She hated that their friendship had almost slipped out of her fingers, and it was killing her that it seemed like everything was slipping away. Her heart yearned to just go back in time to when things had been so simple, when she had just jumped on Denny’s back after a show and kissed his neck, and then he swung her to him and it was just them. Sure, Annie had bantered with Abby, but Abby had Boss; Annie’s mind took the liberty of calling that perfect. To be in almost a separate world with Denny, but then have that spot where Abby’s separate world overlapped with her’s. When they pulled back, Abby planted a kiss on the side of Annie’s face, and Annie just smiled. It made her happy to think they could pull this all back together, but she still worried incessantly. That’s all that Annie ever did was worry. She couldn’t let thing go at all. She wiped under her eyes, ignoring this weird feeling in the pit of her stomach that she didn’t have a name for. She squeezed Denny’s hand tightly when Abby threw him the compliment. Annie, for one, knew that there was nothing more true that she had ever heard. Boss was great, Annie really didn’t doubt that. But to her Denver was better because he was suffering through being in love with her. Her was willing to fix her, her was willing to just let her lean on him. Annie didn’t know anyone that would have. She didn’t know anyone that meant as much to her as Denny meant to her. She didn’t know anything that was worth as much as what just being with him was worth.

Considering all of that, it was kind of weird how she had been so worried and obsessed with the idea of him leaving her. Sometimes Annie still worried about it. It wasn’t like she thought he would hurt her that way, but sometimes it just felt like their relationship had an expiration date. She knew that it didn’t, because he wouldn’t hurt her that way. He said he wouldn’t, he said that nothing would pull him away from her, nothing would hold his attention the way she did, no one would ever mean as much. It was a difficult pill for Annie to swallow though, because she didn’t see herself as so worth holding onto. She didn’t know how much she was worth. She knew her head was so mixed up and jumbled that she couldn’t keep her wits, she knew that her body had withstood enough damage that she didn’t know how to control it. She knew her nerves were so shot that she worried and shook all the time. She wondered if they were together because of circumstance; what if some other girl had pulled him out of that depression? Would he be as attached to her? It was Annie’s natural way of thinking to worry about all of this. It was just her default way of working.

She shouldn’t doubt him like that, though; Denver wasn’t only her boyfriend and everything else that no term could encompass, but he was also her best friend. He knew more about her than absolutely anyone that Annie had ever met. It was weird, because they had gone from friends to dating so seamlessly. They had switched to physical really quickly. To be honest, some little part of her wondered if Denny had already been fantasizing thinking about being physical with her, in any way shape or form. She knew that he never expected the physicality, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t think about it, honestly. Annie knew how those kind of rules worked, and how easy it was for the mind to slip through them weirdly.

Annie watched Abby leave quietly, her eyes were still kind of watery. She turned her head to Denny, just resting her head against the crook of his neck, letting go of his hand to wrap both her hands around his middle. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With discussing everything that had happened, it was also detrimental that Annie had put her mind through it, too. She took deep breaths, and they made her whole body shake. She just let her body breathe. She didn’t want to think about anything anymore, didn’t want to focus on anything. She knew it would be easier to deal with this sudden tidal wave of emotion if she got dressed and went outside. The air and just the open sky would just calm her down, would strengthen her body so her emotions weren’t such a hurricane. But this was one of those things that needed to be dealt with right now. Honestly, though, Annie was dealing with it kind of well. She wasn’t crying, and that was a start. But she just didn’t know how to move and she needed all of Denny’s strength and all of his warmth to support her. She just kept her eyes closed and took this weird breaths, she just tried to keep her mind stable.

She wasn’t sure how long she just sat in that silence, in that embrace, but finally Annie opened her eyes, and pulled back slightly. Her body didn’t let go, it was so dependent on him that she felt like she would die if she just pulled back enough so they weren’t touching. She was torn again, always torn; she wanted to stay laying against him because she just liked that stability. But at the same time, she wanted to get dressed, and check out. She wanted to get the fuck out of here, and into the air, even if it was snowing. She kissed his cheek lightly, although she wanted to be kissing his lips, and stood up off the bed, picking up her clothes and moving into the bathroom. She didn’t really do anything about the door, she just wanted to be far enough so anyone walking by wouldn’t see her when she changed. Pulling on jeans, and flannel and then boots, she stopped to undo her braid, running her hand through her hair. It was notted and gross, and it was like she had no effect on anything that was going on. Annie sighed, and just tried to braid it again, pulling it back into submission. Her hair alone kind of made her look homeless.

But see, that was the thing. Annie had more than a home. She had anywhere that she was with Denny, she had his house, she had her house, she had the woods she had the air, she had everything. She straightened out the flannel shirt with this kind of frown on her face. It struck her suddenly that she really did need to work on her weight in a positive manner; either her clothes were getting bigger, or Annie was still not taking care of herself. It was obviously the latter. “Let’s go,” she said. She needed to get out, now.



1,496 - OUTFIT - lyrics to that song i'm obsessed with and this thread is obviously for denver - omnomnom

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

what a match ,
I'M HALF DOOMED AND YOU'RE SEMI-SWEET

Finally, everything was over. Everything that set Denny on edge in the past forty eight hours, besides things like Annie’s mood swings which he was staring to formulate an antidote for, was over. No more worrying about pregnancies getting in the way of anything – though Denny didn’t really think of it that way until he realized a baby might alter his progress in trying to fix things – no more hospital trips because now he was going to be more careful about what he did. No more crying Abby’s or crying Annie’s because Denny was going to make sure Abby was part of the fixing process, even though that was almost a source of contradiction. He’d find a way though – he always seemed to. It was just that he couldn’t risk something like this again. He couldn’t risk having Annie freak out in the middle of a hospital, which ultimately was probably more detrimental to his whole process than either of them were realizing now. He knew Annie wouldn’t think about that right at this moment – she wanted to get home probably a good ten times more than he did just because of everything that had happened to her. And Denny didn’t blame her; Annie had been through so much already and then to go through this entire freak incident? He’d be marching out the door in that ugly little gown if it were him, but Denny’s determination was quite famously known.

Silently, Denny watched Abby hold Annie. No one said anything in reply to his words, and so he took it as it was. It was like he wasn’t even there, but at the same time he was. Like he was just a ghost watching the entire situation, but no one really acknowledged that he had any say in anything that happened. Honestly, Denny was okay with that right now. He was so protective of Annie when it came to other people, with exceptions of course. Only two exceptions: Abby and Boss. But because of his over protectiveness, Denny had to let Abby and Annie have their moments without him interjecting. He could trust Abby, mostly, with Annie. Especially today, when Abby was so freaked out and nearly as insanely out of the loop of Annie’s mind as he’d been right after Christmas. He’d been in her place before, but now Denny couldn’t really help but blame himself for putting Abby there. He’d kept Annie to himself without really realizing it. He’d almost locked her up in his bedroom, keeping an eye on her at all times like he was some father with a superiority complex instead of a boyfriend that was trying to find a needle in a hay stack. So really, Abby’s missing out on Annie was sort of his fault, and maybe that was why he’d said sorry. He hadn’t meant to keep best friends separated, but at the same time he didn’t really know what else to do. First, Annie was his best friend. He didn’t really have Abby or Boss the way Annie had Abby or the way Abby had Boss. Second, there was the conflict of trust Annie and Abby together enough to not have to hang around them constantly while they tried to have Abby & Annie-like fun. Things just jumbled in his mind and didn’t stop until he realized Abby was talking to him.

Quickly he forced the words through his processes in his head. Denver couldn’t stop the smile on his face from forming in an acute manner across his face. That blush he’d felt before returned but in a less extreme manner. It clung to the edges of his face behind the skin, just enough to show that his skin was turning pink. “Thanks, Abby.” He finally looked at her again, just to ensure that his small smile was appreciative of her words. But then she was leaving and Annie was moving and Denny’s mind was just a bit behind everything else. Her hand wasn’t in his anymore but her arms were around him, so he didn’t mind or freak out. He just sighed and let her hold him, not even noticing how he slipped an arm across her back to hold her too. Now that there were no words being spoken, his mind had room to wander again.

He just kept thinking about the last twenty-four hours. He’d been so happy that Annie had possibly been pregnant, that he was going to be a parent, even at twenty-two. He’d thought he’d be ready in ten months; he’d planned everything out and had been ready to start the preparations. But he’d been wrong t some extent. Now that he’d been through all of this mental strain with Annie, he just realized he wasn’t ready. Sure, he’d be happy, but he wasn’t ready. He was still trying to control himself completely, trying to get to a comfortable, confident spot in his mind where he’d be able to help Annie without worrying about trying to help himself too. A baby would have thrown all of that off, and that would not have been good for anyone. Denny would have lost control of himself again in the rush to keep the baby from harm, and eventually he would have just been…..not pleasant. At least, that was how he was picturing everything that could have happened. His slight paranoia had just taken hold of the picture perfect thought from the bathroom in his apartment, twisting the thought of a child into something dark and destructive. He wasn’t so happy and grateful that Annie had had to go through what her body had been through to get to this place where their progress could continue slowly, but he was grateful that there wasn’t going to be anything to get in the way of their common goal. But no matter what, he had to save the thought of being there for Annie and their child in a place where this sudden darkness could never get to it. He had to be able to keep reminding himself of the happiness that had overwhelmed him when he’d realized what had sent Annie into his bathroom in the first place.

Before he could realize what was going on, Annie was moving again. His mind didn’t wrap around the fact that he had shoes now, so instantly it missed having Annie right there, right against him, wanting him more than anyone had ever wanted him before. For an instant he wished he had the ability to control her movements, to keep her closer to him forever, but then a door mentally opened and he realized why she was moving. No longer did he want to control Annie, and he almost hated himself for even thinking that. He wasn’t a dictator; he was just her boyfriend. As he reminded himself of that, he got off the bed and slipped on the shoes Abby had brought him, glad Annie had a friend she could depend on like Abby that wasn’t Denny. Either way, he was done just a few seconds before Annie, and he nodded when she spoke. He was more than willing to finally get out of here, and now that everything was settled, they were able to do so. Denny reached out and took a hold of Annie’s hand, mostly to let her know he was still a support system if she needed him before heading for the door. As soon as they were down the hall and out of the unit the doctors had kept Annie in, Denny felt a huge weight just lift off of his shoulders. The nurses started looking in their direction, but Denny just held Annie close to him and walked without really noticing.

Finally the outside world hit him in the face like a boot to his jaw. It wasn’t unpleasant though; this boot was familiar and cold and welcoming all at once. He felt eight times better right outside of the hospital doors than he did from the inside, just a few steps back. Denver smiled and took in the air around him, letting it soak through his hoodie into his skin and settle in places the monster had touched before. It was almost like a cleansing, and it sent Denny into this positive mindset that the Hospital had crushed too many times in the span of a few hours. “Ready to go home?” he asked, even though Denny full well knew the answer. He just looked at Annie and leaned down a bit to kiss her, knowing that all of whatever had happened in the last two days was behind them. Everything was going to be okay; he just wholly felt it.


1450 -- seren/annie <3 -- I MADE IT ALL. 'cept the lyrics go to fall out boy. -- OUTFIT WITH THE SILLY HAT! -- abcdefghijklmnop

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

AND LOVE IS NOT A VICTORY MARCH IT'S A COLD
and it's a broken hallelujah

The moment Denny’s hand slipped into her’s, Annie felt like this huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Like the elephant that had been sitting on her chest was gone. Blame was gone, mistakes were gone, everything was suddenly feeling okay again. There was some kind of hidden hope in it that Annie didn’t really have a name for. It was home, it was familiar. It was warm, and… yeah, home was just the perfect word to use for it. Did Denver even know what he did to her with the littlest things? Did he have any idea of how much just that, just holding her hand, meant. Overall, he was her entire life, he was everything she could have ever imagined having. It was a commonly revisited thought for her when she thought about how she had never imagined having something like this. It had never even occurred to her that she would ever have deserved as much as what she was getting now. She had never pictured herself to be a part of something so big, even if it was only that big to the two of them. She had never pictured herself to be such a substantial part of someone’s life. It just wasn’t a thought that her mind would have ever noticed.

Walking out of the hospital felt like the best thing that had ever happened to Annie. The rush of emotions that surged through her threatened to crush her, took her breath away. She felt so mixed up suddenly, she couldn’t remember where she was and she felt upside down. Everything came in at her at once. The smell of the air, clean, clear, with that small bitter bite of the snow. She feel of it all, the cold that seemed to seep into her being, somewhat deterred by her clothing. Just the pure joy of being outside of that confining place was enough to kind of wake her up and shake sense of it. She felt so overcome by it all, and she couldn’t comprehend anything that was happening. The sheer joy of being outside again, of feeling air… it made Annie feel so alive. It made her realize how much of life she’d been pushing away in the past month. It was like she had dipped herself in shades of gray, lying kind of lifeless while she dried and now that she was out again after being so contained… she was just thrown into this hurricane of colors and emotions and sensations that she used to be able to feel, but grew a tolerance to, made them gray too. Now that she had realized how absolutely suffocating the gray was, it was easy for her to enjoy this whole tornado of color.

Annie had really just been through enough. If you added up everything that the world had strung her through, it did kind of seem like she deserved the happiness she was getting with Denver. First there was growing up without any real mother figure. That was something that bothered Annie more than she ever let on, that was something that she had never really told anyone. It was this little thing that chipped away at her slowly. She acted like being brought up in this sort of broken family was no big deal. Honestly, Annie had never had a family. She had her dad, but that didn’t really count, for some reason. They had tried to make it work, but they were just too thrown together. There wasn’t really anything to salvage with their relationship. Annie had never really had anyone love her until Denny came along. Annie hadn’t had the slightest bit of love, no friends or anyone to look out for her and guide her at all. She just kind of was, and so for a while it was just Annie and her wolf-self. Maybe that’s why she had an unhealthy attachment for it, it was coping.

That was probably the worst thing that had ever happened to Annie; her (lack of) coping skills. She really couldn’t cope with anything, and she took the worst possible routes in trying. She took routes that came back and bit her even harder than the actual problem, she had ways of doing things that hurt her even worse than she could imagine. That was constantly how Annie’s life seemed to work. She had a problem and tried to cope, which was innocent enough. Everyone tried to cope, in one way or another. It was natural, it was how people dealt with things. But somehow Annie just wasn’t naturally inclined to pick the smart way of coping. Her instincts instantly pushed her to the absolute wrong ways until she was crying and couldn’t feel herself anymore. And then that lead to worse problems.

Honestly, Denver did cause problems in her life. But he resolved everything, one way or another. Denny made everything better, and even the problems were better than they would have been without him. Not many of her thoughts were making sense, but she really couldn’t care less. They didn’t have to make sense when she was with Denny, when he was holding her close enough to keep the bite of winter at bay. He kept all those thoughts at bay, too. Everything about him just seemed to make Annie’s existence easier. Even if easy wasn’t the right word, something like it was. Maybe enjoyable was better. He made Annie’s life worth living. He made it to where Annie felt on top of the world for just keeping him around. He made it to where she felt so amazing and empowered and proud of herself that she had coaxed him into this man that she couldn’t let anyone near. He made her feel like she was worth something, like she was something to be protective over, someone to worry about. He made her feel like she wasn’t a problem that needed solving, even if she had those problems that needed solving. She wasn’t a dilemma, she was just Annie with a few quirks that needed to be manipulated a bit for her to live her life to the fullest. And he was just Denny, he was just there to fix her and love her and make everything okay and make it to where she could never be happier.

Ready to go home? Annie could hear the excitement in his voice. And she did want to go home, but honestly- she stopped momentarily, pinning that thought to the walls of her mind as her all of her thought processes just had to stop while Denny kissed her. That’s how it always was, she couldn’t think of anything else but the feel of his lips on her’s, and how there was nothing, that would rival that. But… really that was a lie. She knew just lying with him in bed all day – not really doing anything, just having him hold her really close and kiss her on the head – could be just as great. She knew that just talking quietly could be everything as great as kissing. Or, hey, even just sitting with him in silence held just as much power, just as much beauty. Because, as cheesy as it sounded, Annie found beauty in everything they did. Even when those things left dents in pans and feelings hurt on beaches and burns on arms and blood on sheets… she still thought all those things were beautiful. Because they were so real. They weren’t a figment of her imagination, they were real and tangible and up front and beautiful.

Or maybe she was just getting carried away.

She back tracked in her mind. Yes, home seemed like a good idea, but she knew that they probably wouldn’t do anything there. Just sit in his bed – whose sheets should most likely be washed, or bleached, or burned, or something – and just kind of not do anything but touch lightly and maybe talk. And Annie just didn’t want that right now. She still felt like this natural disaster, but in a beautiful way, even if she looked like a flood or a famine. It really didn’t matter because she was with him. And that was beautiful in itself, really – it was a good sign if she could stop worrying about herself, simply because he was sticking around. But her mind was just kind of going on tangents without her at this point. “I dunno. We could always go do something…” That was really the wrong thing for her to say though, because Annie shouldn’t even be standing. The nurse said it was good, but Annie didn’t know why she had stood in the first place. She hadn’t really been able to then and now that she was kind of getting used to the cold and everything, her body was screaming bed rest. She smiled though, and stretched up on the tips of her toes, running her fingers through his hair. "Hmm, I miss your hat though." She smiled wide, because she just felt so good.



over fifteen hundred, i kind of lost count - OUTFIT - lyrics to that song i'm obsessed with and this thread is obviously for denver - woop woop.

[/quote]

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

what a match ,
I'M HALF DOOMED AND YOU'RE SEMI-SWEET

As much as home did sound nice, Denver couldn’t deny the fact that he wanted to be outside. Maybe not particularly in shorts, but at least he had shoes on now. He did want to go out and be away from the bedroom, just so that he didn’t have to sit all day and climb onto the roof when Annie was asleep or something. But he knew also that Annie had been through enough for her, him, Abby, and Boss put together. Her mind was probably ready to just shut off and down forever. Denny couldn’t really tell, but thinking back vaguely on things that had happened, he just felt like rest might help a little. Even if it didn’t last the whole day. Even if they found something to do later, and just rested for now - but why did resting need so much of his attention? Denny really didn’t need to be freaking out over this too. All he had to do was come up with a plan, get Annie to agree, and things would be alright. Besides, he felt like getting out would do them some good. They spent so much time inside together, which was so weird considering how animalistic they could tend to get. Vultures weren’t meant to be kept inside as pets, not that Denny necessarily felt like a pet. Kalaks weren’t meant to keep inside, caged in a dark bedroom the way Annie had been for a few weeks now.

So yeah, maybe just going back for a little while then getting out would work. It was clear that Annie needed to take things lightly today, and maybe Denny did too. After all, he’d been the one to freak out, and he’d been the one to carry her all the way here without shoes on in the snow. And then he’d been the one to freak out some more, though he didn’t doubt Annie had freaked out too. So maybe going home first was a good idea, and since Denny knew that, he had to think of what they’d do to get out later. The thought occurred to him that he and Annie hadn’t had a real date yet, which in essence might have led to some of their internal issues that they’d had after Christmas. Maybe not directly, but he just felt like part of the reason they’d even gotten into what had happened was because they weren’t trying to be more like a normal couple. Obviously both of them had been okay with that up until now, but even at this point the thought only dabbled onto a few of Denny’s other thoughts. So now, instead of just doing, Denny was rambling on and on about what to do and how to do it. His mind needed just as much rest and probably a few sessions of therapy in order to stop, but for now, since he didn’t think he could afford a therapist after last night, he’d have to deal with Annie - but that thought was so beyond invalid that Denny didn’t even let himself completely think it. There had to be something missing in his head for him to be able to let those words pass across his mind’s eye.

“We could,” he said, letting his mind settle as some clouds moved across the center of the sun. A cool breeze moved and Denny’s legs felt like they were going to shake. He’d need pants before they really went anywhere if he planned on enjoying anything. And he needed an excuse better than ‘I need pants’ to go home and actually get pants on. All that took was one physical look at Annie. She looked too thin, and honestly Abby was right. He probably looked just as dead as Annie, so Denny didn’t have room to say anything, but he hadn’t planned on pointing out flaws. He didn’t really have to say anything though, because of Annie’s comment about his hat. Now that he thought about it, he missed it too. It just reminded him of yesterday, when things - before the bathroom run - had seemed to just get easier to deal with, when events and circumstances were easier to plan out. But through that, it made him chuckle a bit. The ridiculousness of the hat just made the situation at hand lighter, which in turn made it easier for Denny to see through the mad typhoon of thoughts in his head. “In that case, I think we should go back,” he paused and kissed her again, just honestly missing the light kisses he could give her when times weren’t tense or otherwise tough.

“We can just hang out for a while, then…..dinner and a movie later? You know, if you’re up to it.” The plan hadn’t even really formed in his mind. He’d just impulsively decided dinner and a movie would be getting out, but it actually sounded nice. Not as expensive as going to a therapist, but simple enough to add a bit of normalcy to their relationship. It was what they needed. It was what might actually help for once instead of hurting, because even with a hundred people on all sides, as long as Denny had Annie he didn’t see one of them. He just had to see Annie and his entire world, his home, his life was right there in front of him. To think he might have lost all of that last night would have ripped him in two if he wasn’t so…content. If he wasn’t so ready to just get back to a private place with Annie and just stay there for a while, Denny probably would have been crying. But the prospect of a date had Denny doing two things. First, he was shuffling a bit out of nervousness considering this was one of the only times in his entire twenty-two years that he’d ever asked anyone out. Second, he was trying to figure out this feeling in his stomach that suddenly arose when he’d asked her about going. It just felt so weird, not in a bad way and not in a nervous way. It was a natural feeling, like something he got when he knew he should be flying or when he knew he should be talking. “I’ll even wear the hat if it makes you happy.”


1107 -- seren/annie <3 -- I MADE IT ALL. 'cept the lyrics go to fall out boy. -- OUTFIT WITH THE SILLY HAT! -- this is a disappointing reply. i am disappoint.

[ANNABELLE MARIE HURLEY]

AND LOVE IS NOT A VICTORY MARCH IT'S A COLD
and it's a broken hallelujah

Annie just wanted things to be smooth again. She wanted to reach that dream-like level with him… but different. Something in Annie kind of made her want to flaunt Denny. It all came back to not understanding how she had even gotten into this situation. It all came back to how she just couldn’t comprehend this. Sure, terrible things had happened to her, but she just had this feeling like everything was about to get better, like things were about to get better in a really nice way. In that case, I think we should go back. The ridiculousness of the hat just kind of took any strain off of them. Not that there really was any strain, because Annie just felt so on top of the world. Nothing could tear her down, nothing could touch her. It didn’t matter anyway, nothing mattered more than him and them when he leaned down and kissed her lightly again. Annie smiled against his lips. She felt this simplicity, and she wanted to fight with everything she had in her and then everything she didn’t just to keep that simplicity around. It gave her this kind of hope that she didn’t know she was capable of. Like for once she could quit her worrying and just focus on how they were together, and appreciate that.

We can just hang out for a while, then…..dinner and a movie later? You know, if you’re up to it. Okay, here was the fact of the matter; Annie had never been on a date. No one had ever asked her, no one really saw her worth the time or capability of even attempting anything long term. It kind of reminded her of how no one had loved her before Denny came along. That was the thing with him; Annie saw everything he did courteous and sweet. Between the light kisses and telling her he wouldn’t let anyone take her and just keeping her real close when she had to fall asleep in a scary place, telling her everything would turn out okay when she hurt herself, offering to take her home and to the movies… maybe she was just getting carried away, but Annie knew this would never happen again. Never again would there be anyone to show her that kind of generosity, never again would anyone just touch her with the same gentle kind of intensity, no one would ever love her or care about her or protect her or fix her the way Denny did. She didn’t know if there was anyone that was even capable of it, let alone willing. Annie had never really seen herself as much of a prize, and she knew that not too many people did. But Denny did; he saw her as worth all the trouble, he said. And she was done questioning what he said; she was ready to just listen. She wanted to listen to every word that he said, she wanted to understand every meaning. She wanted him to know what she knew; that there would never be anything better than this.

She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn’t have a chance t say anything before he was speaking again. I’ll even wear the hat if it makes you happy. Her little smile grew to this huge grin, and she didn’t even know why. She didn’t really have reasoning for anything anymore, she was just… happy. She was so happy that she didn’t even have words for how happy she was. She just had this huge smile because Denver made her so happy. He made her feel like the only person on the plant, like nothing mattered when she was in his sight. He had never said it in so many words, and maybe she was just being self-sure again and he didn’t see her that way, but that didn’t deny the fact that that’s how he made her feel. And she really needed to stop making it sound like he was out to get her. Annie almost always found some way to make her thoughts sound like that. She needed to find some way to stop and just enjoy being in love. That was what she was, in love and she didn’t know why she always had to make it difficult.

“Sounds amazing,” she smiled at him. The look in her eyes kind of went beyond any measure of adoration, and Annie didn’t think her face had ever quite held this impression, even with all they had been through. It was the kind of look that really just betrayed any guard she had. Vulnerable, in one way, but it told the entire truth. It showed how much she had invested in him, it showed how much love really meant to her and how much she loved him. It was a look that let anyone who saw her know that without Denny she was nothing. She was a girl who would never be adored or protected or loved again. She would mean nothing, she would feel like nothing, she would never be capable of loving the way that she loved him, she would never look at anyone the way she looked at him. He was… he was her everything.

She leaned forward a little and kissed him softly. She didn’t pull back very far when she did. “I think the hat seems like a good idea. It was cute,” somehow her smile grew in size. She didn’t even know how that had happened, didn’t even know that it was possible. All she knew was she was incredibly happy in that moment. She noticed that he was antsy though, kind of nervous like he couldn’t sit still. She raised an eyebrow at that behavior, trying to think of why. She back tracked a little in their conversation, and she just suddenly laughed out loud. “Denny, are you nervous?” She didn’t know why it seemed so funny to her… it just did.


1,004 - OUTFIT - lyrics to that song i'm obsessed with and this thread is obviously for denver - bleg.

[DENVER CARLOS HURLEY]

what a match ,
I'M HALF DOOMED AND YOU'RE SEMI-SWEET

“Ha!” A nervous little laugh did absolutely nothing for Denny. In fact, he was sure it made his nervousness just that much more obvious. He tried to make it sound like the idea of being nervous was total blasphemy, but it ended up just emphasizing the way his nerves were acting, the way he felt like he’d crash and burn if he took a step in the wrong direction. It really wasn’t that intense, but Denny had never really asked anyone out like this to be honest. Even more, he’d never asked out someone he’d felt so strongly about, and he’d never really cared for anyone’s opinion more than Annie’s. If she rejected the idea of a date, which she hadn’t but the possibility had been hanging around his head just a few seconds ago, Denny wasn’t really sure what would have happened. On the outside he would have just shrugged probably and gone home. On the inside was a different story. Denny had a bit more control than a month ago on his mental inner workings, but that didn’t mean he was the master of hiding everything all the time. That had been Annie for the longest time, though she’d opened up more and more as time passed.

But he didn’t have to freak out because Annie hadn’t said no. She’d said yes, and for a second Denny felt like he was in freshman year again asking some girl at lunch out on a date. They’d only gone on one insignificant date and by the end of the night Denny was tired of her. She had this little tick where if you got her started on one subject she didn’t shut up, and on top of that Denny was positive she’d had some sort of hearing problem because the entire night she’d practically yelled his ear off. Yeah, that had sort of been a waste of time and mostly just had given him something to do instead of sit at home and write some music or hang out with the dumbass friends that would have gotten him arrested way before his time. But this? This was different. This took much more thought; it challenged his self assurance and made Denny feel that nervousness he’d never really had around girls before. He’d use an example like Prom as an exception, except for that he hadn’t gone to prom. He’d been out of jail by the time prom had rolled around, but no one wanted to go with him, and even if he’d taken Cheyenne he’d a) had been made fun of for having to take his sister and b) wouldn’t have had anyone else to hang out with. It would have just been Cheyenne and Denny, probably as Denny watched all the guys there check out his little sister. Still, it all just came back to the fact that asking Annie out was on its own level compared to asking anyone else before. This was more like asking her to prom rather than just to pizza and a movie because of everything that had happened before this and everything that the two of them hoped for afterwards.

Regardless of all of that, Annie wanted to go out with Denny. His nervousness was useless and obvious at the same time, the worst and most embarrassing combination that Denny could think of. His foot started shuffling out of nowhere and his shoulders raised, which really was just so involuntary that he really felt like he was in 9th grade again. This was totally and utterly embarrassing and though that term was becoming quite redundant there was no better or worse way to word how Denny felt. “Maybe a little bit,” he said and felt that blush from before slowly start to crawl upwards. He took a hold of his emotions though and stopped it, but didn’t stop the smile that would have backed it up. He realized he’d been looking at his feet shuffling and soon he stopped that too, then looked at Annie with that smile still sitting on his face. “I don’t have all that much practice in asking pretty girls out, you know,” he said in that comical but serious way that just made him sound the way he felt – pertaining to being a freshman again. With that he just rolled his eyes lightly, letting that smile stay where it was before he looked back at Annie. He kissed her again, not ever getting enough of that feeling, but understanding how much he didn’t need to hold her as close as possible, like she might just float away. Though that sounded a lot worse than he’d meant it, Denny really just understood the feeling to the point where he knew they were making progress still. Now, in comparison to say Christmas or Thanksgiving, Denny could kiss Annie and not have to be so close that almost all of the time they were one person. It was nice to know they didn’t have to focus on one little minute detail like that anymore.

“Really?” he asked in that is that the truth or…. sort of way. “Because yesterday morning you told me made me look silly.” He was still smiling in that way that made him look like it was a disease or something, like a little smile bug had infected his face to the point where he just couldn’t wipe the expression from his face. Well, that last part was true. Though he could control a lot more than he could last week, Denny could not for the life of him force away the happiness behind his face that caused the smile, and frankly he didn’t really want to. “But hey, if cute is silly and silly is cute, then just plop one of those weird jester hats on my head and call it a day.” He was kidding, obviously. Denny was really just trying to lift his nerves, take them out of his system and turn them into fun or something. It was working, to be honest. His feet stopped moving and his thoughts didn’t feel very 14 year old anymore. His head felt pretty clear actually, and there was only one thing running the train of that old station. It was Annie and the prospect of going out and being a public couple for the first time formally since they’d started being a couple.

With another quick kiss, Denny was ready to head home and get away from this big white building for a long, long time. He kind of wished he had a car so Annie wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to his place, but for now they’d have to deal. Neither of them held a steady job really, so neither of them could afford car insurance, payments, gas, maintenance, or anything else a car would entail. But Denny’s mind only stretched enough to want that, not to actually fret over not having a car. If Annie didn’t want to walk, he’d give her a piggy back ride or something – and besides, it wasn’t all that long of a walk. It would just be cold and slow because of the wind, but eventually they’d be home with hot cocoa if he had any left. So without really saying much, Denny just turned enough to show he was ready to start the journey, even though journey was sort of not the right word. Annie and he were always on a journey. It just happened that way; anything that they did was an adventure honestly, all part of trying to find themselves through each other and all of that good, cheesy stuff that Denny only imagined was possible in predictable romance movies. Instead of dwelling for too long, Denny just spoke. “There are some really comfy, warm blankets waiting for us. Maybe a DVD or two to keep us entertained,” he said, though he doubted they’d need a television and movies to keep each other awake and entertained as he’d put it. Denny knew that as long as Annie was around, he was quite attentive in the manner that he never really got too bored.


1360 -- seren/annie <3 -- I MADE IT ALL. 'cept the lyrics go to fall out boy. -- OUTFIT WITH THE SILLY HAT! -- i feel so much better about this reply.