Dents

[+] Momentz

I slipped one of 2D's shirts on. I found it lying on the floor beside his bed. It looked mostly clean. More importantly, it smelled like him. I could never get enough of that.

It was probably white once, but it was so worn now that the coloring was dingy. On the front was a large red 'T' with the word 'virus' written across the top. It took me a moment to recognize that it was a reference to Resident Evil, a series that 2D had introduced to me some time last year.

It was strange for me to notice that this was related to something in pop culture. Growing up, we didn't have a television. After I'd left home, I was too busy with school to bother staying caught up on movies. I never had the opportunity. Admittedly, I never had much interest either. 

Some of the movies 2D showed me were pretty good, though. I liked them. Resident Evil was probably my favorite of them all.

2D pulled on a pair of jeans he snagged from the dresser. Halfway decent, he flopped backwards onto the bed with a pack of smokes in hand. I stood at the end of it. The light of the still-burning candle flickered behind me. He squinted in my direction, twiddling two of the cigarettes between his fingers. He leaned back onto the pillows, beckoning me to join him.

I curled up beside him and rested my head on his bare chest, listening to the gentle thudding of his heart. He lit both of the cigarettes at once. He handed one to me. I lifted my head to take a few drags. I leaned back in to the shallow dip in his chest near his sternum. He held me tightly against him, tracing his hand along my arm affectionately.

The mattress springs creaked beneath us. The television was still on, but it broadcast only static now that the Playstation had been shut off. The space heater beside us hummed noisily. Despite its constant clattering, it wasn't very efficient. It served to heat a mere fraction of the room.

"Saoirse," 2D breathed out a puff of smoke, "Yew rememba when we washed up in Hong Kong, 'n we were real hungry, 'n we went to 'at one truck wifth those scrummy noodles?"

"Yeah," I giggled. I could never forget that.

"We were so hungry and totally broke, so we ran away. I can't believe we did that."

"Yeh," he laughed, "I wonda 'bout 'at lady sometimes. We oughta go back there 'n pay 'er somefink fo' the trouble, yew fink?"

I tapped the cigarette in the ashtray 2D had set on the mattress. A wisp of smoke accidentally went up my nose. I wiggled my nostrils a bit to clear out the feeling. That didn't work, so I shook my head and closed both of my eyes until the tingling went away.

2D had been watching. He whispered under his breath something about me being 'so bloody cute.'

"I'd like that. Hopefully she's understanding about the whole mess."

"We made quite a ruckus. Don't s'pose she was too chuffed ova et."

I grinned. He was probably right, which meant that we'd have to pay up a fair amount if we truly meant to make it up to her. As the memory of Hong Kong crept into my thoughts and the flashing of the city lights surrounded me again, I dwelled on something else that made my heart sink a little in my chest.

"2D, you remember that harmonica you got for me, right?"

He smashed the cigarette in the ashtray. It didn't burn out entirely. A small ember still desperately held on, creeping up toward the crushed filter.

"Stole et fo' yew," he corrected, "Bu' yeh, I rememba."

"I loved it, you know. It was the most thoughtful gift anyone ever gave me. I... I wish I had taken it with me. I don't want you thinking that I'm not still grateful for what you did then."

2D stared at me quietly. His hand faltered in its once consistent stroking of my arm. His mouth hung open in a way that I couldn't read.

"Fank yew, luv. Always wished I would've snatched et when we ran off, bu' I wasn't finking straight, 'n wifth Murdoc poundin' on the door... I jus' wanted to get us out ov there."

"I know you did. I did too. I'm still so happy that you did that for me, though. Truly."

An idea came to me. I sat bolt upright in bed. It startled 2D. I could feel him practically jump out of his skin when I flew forward. I apologized for scaring him, yet I couldn't help but laugh at his silliness either. An outrageous memory had just returned to me. I needed to share it with him immediately.

"Oh my God, 2D. You stole a car once!"

His confusion transitioned to understanding, which then turned to humility.

"I - I had to! What else would yew 'ave 'ad me do?

He loosened up the more he thought about it. He chuckled.

"I was freakin' out, Saoirse. I sort ov lost the plot."

"I can't blame you for that," I digressed, cuddling up with him again.

"Things were really crazy for us, huh?"

"Yeh. Fings are always crazy fo' us."

He sounded uncharacteristically sad. As quickly as that emotion was revealed, it disappeared.

I nuzzled into him, turning my head upward so that I could get a better look at his face.

The static of the TV reflected in the darkness of his eyes. His hair had started to dry, though a few of the thicker locks still dripped occasionally. He was overdue for a shave, though it wasn't like I particularly cared. He was as spellbinding as he'd always been. At once, all of the moments I'd fallen in love with him for flooded back to me as a raging tsunami of emotion.

When I first met him, all I wanted to do was protect him. That impulsive instinct hadn't faded. It had transformed into something greater.

"I'd love if we could go somewhere some day, where it's not like that. Where things aren't always crazy for us all the time."

"Had 'at fo' a bit, in Beirut. Et was a fun time, then."

"Yeah, it was. Until Murdoc showed up," I sighed.

"A lot of good things ended 'because Murdoc showed up,' right?"

We both laughed at that.

"You know... 2D. I mean somewhere else, though. Maybe after we wrap things up here, we could go someplace nice. Quiet. I'm sure this album is going to go over well. We won't have to worry about money for a while," I swallowed, "We could run away. Not forever, or anything. Maybe for a few years. We could travel around, even."

2D smiled, a cheeky expression on his face.

"Why not foreva?"

"If you'd want to, I would."

Our conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

2D told whoever it was that it was alright. Noodle poked her head in through a small crack in the door. She was behaving as if she was worried that we wouldn't be decent when she entered.

After confirming that we were fully clothed, or mostly clothed, she came inside and dropped a stack of three large cardboard boxes on the floor. They clattered about loudly. A few strings of icicle lights fell out from one of the open flaps of the top box.

"You two. I bought decorations. I need your help to put them up. 2D, I need you to take care of the lights. Saoirse, you can help me with the tree."

"Alright," I said, fumbling around for a hair tie.

I found one that I left on the nightstand and tied my hair back so that it wouldn't get in the way. 2D huffed childishly. I slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"Also," Noodle continued, "Why is the shower still on? Turn it off."

2D blushed fiercely.

"Righ'."