JATP One-Shots

2- The Fight Pt. 2

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Summary: Reggie comforts Claudia after her fight with Luke

Setting: LA 1994

Warnings: Alcohol & Mentions of fighting

Words: 1,547

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Claudia walked through the streets of Los Angeles. The tears were freely falling down her face at this point. Her hand was still covering her left eye. The wind nipped her skin causing a chill to run down her spine. At this moment she realized she had stormed out without a jacket. She finally stopped walking and looked around trying to gather her surroundings. She had been so lost in her thoughts of the chilly weather and the fight to realize that she had ended up on the front steps of the Peters household. Before she could stop herself, she knocked on the door with her free hand. The sound of shuffling feet and crashing came from behind the door. Claudia flinched as the front door swung open to reveal a disheveled Mrs. Peters with a half-empty wine bottle in her hand.

"Hi. Um... is Reggie home?" Claudia asked shifting nervously.

"REGINALD! THERE IS SOMEONE AT THE DOOR FOR YOU!" Mrs. Peters yelled suddenly, causing Claudia to flinch once again and look away as another tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped the tear and looked back up to see Mrs. Peters shuffling her way back over to the couch before falling back onto it and taking another drink from the bottle in her hand. Claudia stepped forward once more waiting for Reggie to appear.

"Who is it?" She heard Reggie call this to his mother as he rounded the corner, pulling his left arm through the sleeve of the flannel he obviously grabbed on his way out of his room. "Whatever," he shook his head at the sight of his mother. When he looked to the door his entire demeanor shifted. He reached his arm out pulling Claudia inside quickly and out of the cold. Reggie reached behind the girl and pushed the door closed before guiding her through the house and into his room. Claudia stood toward the foot of the bed one hand covering her eye and the other arm wrapped around her torso in a one-armed self hug. Reggie turned around and closed the door, double-checking to make sure it was locked. When he turned around it only took a moment for Claudia to break down, sobs racking through her body. Reggie rushed over, engulfing her in a hug and lowering her to the ground as her legs could no longer support her. They carried on for many minutes; Claudia crying as Reggie held her close whispering calming words. Eventually, Claudia calmed enough to the point that her sobs became sniffles and Reggie took the opportunity to speak to the girl for the first time since her mysterious arrival.

"Claudia..." he started slowly, waiting for a response. When Claudia shifted slightly in his arms he took that as a sign to keep going. "Claudia, are you okay? What happened?" he asked, helping the sniffling girl to stand so they could sit on the edge of his bed. Claudia nodded slowly, not making eye contact and pulling her legs up onto the bed until she was cross-legged. "Claudia..." Reggie repeated a little more forcefully. She finally looked up at him. Her left hand was still covering her eye.

"Luke..." was all she could muster before looking down while new tears fell down her cheeks. Reggie reached forward grabbing hold of Claudia's right hand and attempted to pull her left hand away from her face. She resisted with a shake of her head.

"Clau," Reggie said once more pulling slightly on her left wrist. Claudia slowly let Reggie lower her hand from her face revealing the medium-sized bruise that was starting forming around her eye. Reggie froze at the sight, tensing slightly. "Claudia, what happened? You said, 'Luke'. Did he do this to you? Did he hurt you? I swear if he hurt you I'll kill him myself..." Reggie started frantically, getting angrier and angrier with each question he rattled off before Claudia cut him off shaking her head desperately.

"No!" she shouted a little louder than she meant to. "He didn't mean it. We were in a fight an-and he said some things and I tried to calm him down but he shook me off and I fell and I hit the table. It's nothing. He didn't mean it. He didn't mean it. He didn't mean..." She rambled off at the end as more tears fell that she didn't even know she had in her fell.

"Hey, it's okay..." Reggie cooed as he pulled the girl into a hug once more. He held her as she cried for the next couple of minutes. The memories of the fight with her brother replaying in her head. "Claudia...can you explain what happened? Please?" Reggie pleaded, placing a finger under the girl's chin so she would look at him. Claudia nodded her head and proceeded to recount the fight she had with her twin. Reggie listened intently while he watched the girl play with the rose-shaped ring on her thumb. After the girl finished, Reggie could see her body relax even though more tears were streaming down her face. Claudia looked up at him and sniffled, wiping her tears from her face. Reggie sat there with a look on his face that Claudia couldn't discern. It was angry, sympathetic, and loving? While trying to figure it out she let out an involuntary shiver. "Here you're cold," Reggie stated as he shed his flannel placing it over the girl's shoulders. Claudia looked at the now shirtless Reggie and quickly thanked him before looking away. Claudia let out a small yawn before she quickly hid it behind her hand. Reggie let out a small chuckle before stating, "Okay here's what we're gonna do. I'm going to go grab my laptop so we can watch a movie and then I'm gonna call Luke so that he knows you're safe...."

"No!" Claudia shouted once again louder than she meant to.

"Claudia I have to let him know you're safe," Reggie responded standing up.

"No," Claudia pleaded as she grabbed his hand, "If you call him he is going to come here and I can't face him. Not tonight. I'll call him in the morning." She looked up at Reggie through her eyelashes.

"Fine. Let me just go and grab my laptop then," Reggie stated as he walked out of the room. Claudia took this time to finally slip her arms into the sleeves of the flannel on her shoulders wrapping it around herself and inhaling the familiar scent of pine and men's cologne. While she waiting for Reggie to return, she looked around the room. She quickly spotted the Build-A-Bear that matched the others she got the rest of the band for Christmas a few years ago. She picked it up and started playing with it. She pressed that paw and the familiar sound of their first big hit "Now or Never" filled the room. Claudia proceeded to make the bear dance along to the music. She was softly singing along when Reggie walked back into the room. He had the bowl of popcorn in one hand and his laptop under his arm as he shut the door. He chuckled at Claudia who finished the portion of the song that played from the bear by making it play an imaginary guitar. 

"You're cute," Reggie stated without thinking causing both the teens to blush. Reggie hastily set the popcorn down on his nightstand before turning back to Claudia. Reggie sat down on the bed and placed the laptop on his legs before reaching out and pulling the girl down and into his side. She let out a small gasp, followed by a giggle as she fell before snuggling herself close. Reggie proceeded to cue up A New Hope with no resistance from Claudia seeing as it wasn't the first Star Wars marathon the two had had. He placed the popcorn between the two and clicked play. About halfway through the movie, Reggie felt Claudia shift around before settling down again. Soon after he felt something cold falling onto his torso where her head lay. He figured she must have started to cry again and quickly moved the (at this point empty) popcorn bowl so he could pull her in even closer than before and played with her braids to provide her some comfort. Claudia buried her face into Reggie's chest letting out a shaky breath. After a few minutes, Reggie felt the crying girl's breathing slow as she drifted off to sleep. He looked to the clock on his nightstand which read 12:45. Figuring he might as well get some sleep too, he paused the movie and closed his laptop setting it between the empty popcorn bowl and clock on his nightstand before lowering himself in his bed and pulling the covers over the both of them.

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Wow! This is much longer than pt. 1! Pt. 3, what Luke did after the fight, will be posted tomorrow. In the meantime, please vote and comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Also, I know that Build-A-Bear was not invented until 1997 but shhhhhhhh...

Request are open and welcomed just leave a comment on the first Author's Note at the beginning of this book.

Until Next Time Fantoms!