concordia

six

word count: 861

date written: 10.3.19

verse: canon

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something was wrong with connie and elle wished she knew what. she had her suspicions, of course, but when she'd tried her best to coax the answer out of connie herself, she'd been as closed off as ever. so elle had used a different approach instead, trying to relieve some of the stress that inevitably came with being clinical lead, but that had only resulted in dirty looks and snide remarks. whatever was wrong with connie, she didn't want elle finding out. not that that had ever deterred her before, and it wouldn't now either. if connie thought she was just going to stand idly by and let her deal with whatever this was on her own then she'd just have to think again. after all, 'challenge' was elle's middle name.

now connie snapping at people was hardly uncommon -- in fact, there was probably more cause for concern when she wasn't doing that -- but connie snapping at her specifically had all but been a non-issue since they'd become friends. so when she'd done it again that morning (and over something so petty), elle's determination to get to the bottom of things had only strengthened.

unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she didn't see her again until the end of their shift when she caught sight of her in the car park just as she was leaving. meeting the others slipped elle's mind in a heartbeat and she immediately hurried in connie's direction instead, catching up to her right as she was opening her car door. elle was quick to reach out and close it before she could disappear inside.

"what the hell do you think you're-?" connie cut herself off the second elle stepped into view, sighing at the sight of her, and crossed her arms impatiently, refusing to step back and give elle any room. she was hoping that their close proximity would prompt her to move instead but there was no such luck. elle stayed right where she was, leaning against the car door to prevent connie from running (or, rather, driving) off. "would you mind moving?"

"yes, quite a lot, actually," elle said, standing her ground. connie's jaw tightened but she didn't ask her again, and elle hesitated slightly before carrying on, knowing she wouldn't get another chance. "look, is everything okay? you've been acting strange ever since, well..." she trailed off, eyes flickering to the half-healed cut plainly visible on connie's forehead. her gaze burned like fire, and connie immediately reached up to flatten her hair across the mark as best as she could.

"i'm perfectly fine," she muttered, now scowling darkly, but, even in the shadow of the night sky, elle could still read her eyes like pages in a book. she was more afraid than she was angry. of what, or even who, however, elle wasn't certain, but she had a good idea. "not that it's any of your business."

elle rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue in annoyance. it was the same answer as always and it had never once been truthful. "you're my friend, connie, and i care about you," she sighed, eyeing her with worry. "of course it's my business." she could see right through connie's facade and she was growing bored. there was no point in her playing pretend if elle didn't buy her performance.

"oh, please," connie scoffed, narrowing her eyes. "i don't need your pity." she loathed the idea of being seen as vulnerable and was wrongly assuming that elle's only interest was using it against her. she couldn't comprehend the possibility of someone genuinely caring about her even now.

"it's not pity," elle told her, tired of connie's constant self-preservation. it was easily one of her least endearing qualities. "all i want to do is help you. if you would just tell me what's wrong instead of shutting me out, i could-"

"there's nothing to tell," connie snapped, sharply interrupting her. elle winced slightly at her tone, knowing she'd reached the threshold of connie's patience. they were back at square one yet again, although she'd be lying if she said she was surprised. every time she pushed connie for an answer, she lashed out in response, scared of what elle might think if she knew the truth or saw the side of her she barely even showed herself. it was inevitable, really, a habit she'd yet to break and likely never would completely, but while it had never made elle give up (and never would), the lack of progress was certainly frustrating.

"connie-"

"get out of my way," connie demanded, completely unwilling to listen further, and elle finally moved away from the car with a sigh. there was no point in arguing. connie was back to hiding in her impenetrable fortress and if elle carried on pushing her now, she knew she only ran the risk of jeopardizing their already fragile friendship further. so she let connie go, stepping to the side as she climbed into her car without so much as a backward glance. but as elle watched her drive off, concern written across her face, she only wanted to find out what was wrong even more than she had before.