Angelo, Amanda - Sunday night
Nov. 14th, 2004 11:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAngelo, understandably, isn't in the best shape after this 'talk' with Paige, and heads for the flyer's platform. Amanda joins him up there.
Angelo all but staggered out of Paige's room after the fight, moving slowly like a man in pain, the weight of the jewellery box in his pocket no longer a comforting one. He was barely aware of Amanda's presence in the corridor outside as he headed blindly for the roof access, hand already digging in his inside pocket for his cigarettes.
Angelo may not have been aware of her, but Amanda had come back upstairs after leaving medlab and Nate's refusal to let her Heal him, looking specifically for her friend. Her heart wrenched at the sight of him, and at where he was going - there was no way in hell she was going to leave him up there alone in that state. Following after, she paused for a moment at the door, shivering in the chill, before seeing him sitting hunched on the edge of the flyer's platform, and she readied a telekinetic spell, just in case. He looked like someone who had had their heart ripped out, and she wasn't sure what he'd do.
"Ange?" she said, coming over to sit beside him. "Are you...?" All right? was what she'd been about to ask, but it was a pretty stupid question. Instead she settled for: "Are you going to be okay?"
Angelo looked round at her dully, hands busy with the by-now automatic business of getting out and lighting a cigarette. "I don't know."
"Do you..." This was hard. Usually it was her on the other end of the comfort thing, and she just blurted out how she was feeling with a minimum of prompting... "Do you want t' talk 'bout it? Or if you don't, you don't have t' say anythin', but I'm here, if you need me..."
He finished what he was doing and lifted the cigarette to his lips with one hand, reaching blindly for hers with the other. Human contact was a very good thing right now. "I asked Paige to marry me, 'cause I thought it was the right thing to do. What she needed. It wasn't." Stupid, stupid, stupid...
Amanda blinked, and bit down hard on her immediate response: 'Why you do a daft thing like that for? Is she up the duff or somethin'?' It was definitely a logic-defying leap - other member of threesome blows up, ask girl to marry you. Instead she wrapped both hands around his, holding tight, unconsciously projecting reassurance at him the same way she would have Manuel. "Possibly not the best timin', mate, but I'm sure you had yer reasons..." she hazarded. "Is she... how badly did she take it?"
"Bad", he answered, voice as flat as it had been throughout the conversation. "Your average screamin', hittin' an' tears reaction."
"Oh Ange..." Holding the hand wasn't enough - Amanda half-turned and awkwardly put her arms around him, trying not to knock them both over the edge. "'S the shock of everythin'. She's always wound so bloody tight, an' now this, an' then you... It don't mean she don't love you. I know she does."
Angelo nodded shakily. "I know. She... she said so. Well. Screamed it at me, but you know." He looked at the cigarette in his hand, at his other arm, back at the cigarette, then at her, holding out the cigarette. "Could you... could you take this away? I don't think... I should have it right now. My lighter, too." Stupid, stupid...
"Of course." Amanda unwrapped one arm from him long enough to take the cigarette, sneaking a quick drag before stubbing it out on the platform and then taking his cigarettes and lighter and shoving them in her jacket pocket. "You'll get through this, Ange. all of you. Yer've just gotta hang on..."
He sighed, leaning into her arms with a kind of desperation, not even bothering to wipe away the tears he knew were still in his eyes. "I hope so. I'll try."
"Yer strong. So is Paige. An' so is Jono." Amanda said the words without really hearing them, concentrating on holding Angelo, being there. "An' yer've got people who care 'bout all of you, an' we'll be here for you. I'll here for you - I won't leave you, Ange, I promise."
He turned his head to look at her with an almost childish hope in his eyes. He'd known that, really, but that wasn't the same as knowing. And promises were powerful things... "You promise?"
"By my name," she told him. The promise she couldn't break, ever. "I swear by my name I'll never leave you unless you want me to, Ange." Her arms tightened around him, and she smiled a little. "Yer my best mate."
He smiled back tentatively, letting himself relax an inch or two. "Little sister...", he reminded her. "We're family now."
"An' family sticks together. You taught me that." She lifted her hand to his face, wiped the tears away with her thumb. "Love you, big brother. No matter what."
"Love you too, little sis", he murmured, huddling closer to her as if for warmth. "Always."
Angelo all but staggered out of Paige's room after the fight, moving slowly like a man in pain, the weight of the jewellery box in his pocket no longer a comforting one. He was barely aware of Amanda's presence in the corridor outside as he headed blindly for the roof access, hand already digging in his inside pocket for his cigarettes.
Angelo may not have been aware of her, but Amanda had come back upstairs after leaving medlab and Nate's refusal to let her Heal him, looking specifically for her friend. Her heart wrenched at the sight of him, and at where he was going - there was no way in hell she was going to leave him up there alone in that state. Following after, she paused for a moment at the door, shivering in the chill, before seeing him sitting hunched on the edge of the flyer's platform, and she readied a telekinetic spell, just in case. He looked like someone who had had their heart ripped out, and she wasn't sure what he'd do.
"Ange?" she said, coming over to sit beside him. "Are you...?" All right? was what she'd been about to ask, but it was a pretty stupid question. Instead she settled for: "Are you going to be okay?"
Angelo looked round at her dully, hands busy with the by-now automatic business of getting out and lighting a cigarette. "I don't know."
"Do you..." This was hard. Usually it was her on the other end of the comfort thing, and she just blurted out how she was feeling with a minimum of prompting... "Do you want t' talk 'bout it? Or if you don't, you don't have t' say anythin', but I'm here, if you need me..."
He finished what he was doing and lifted the cigarette to his lips with one hand, reaching blindly for hers with the other. Human contact was a very good thing right now. "I asked Paige to marry me, 'cause I thought it was the right thing to do. What she needed. It wasn't." Stupid, stupid, stupid...
Amanda blinked, and bit down hard on her immediate response: 'Why you do a daft thing like that for? Is she up the duff or somethin'?' It was definitely a logic-defying leap - other member of threesome blows up, ask girl to marry you. Instead she wrapped both hands around his, holding tight, unconsciously projecting reassurance at him the same way she would have Manuel. "Possibly not the best timin', mate, but I'm sure you had yer reasons..." she hazarded. "Is she... how badly did she take it?"
"Bad", he answered, voice as flat as it had been throughout the conversation. "Your average screamin', hittin' an' tears reaction."
"Oh Ange..." Holding the hand wasn't enough - Amanda half-turned and awkwardly put her arms around him, trying not to knock them both over the edge. "'S the shock of everythin'. She's always wound so bloody tight, an' now this, an' then you... It don't mean she don't love you. I know she does."
Angelo nodded shakily. "I know. She... she said so. Well. Screamed it at me, but you know." He looked at the cigarette in his hand, at his other arm, back at the cigarette, then at her, holding out the cigarette. "Could you... could you take this away? I don't think... I should have it right now. My lighter, too." Stupid, stupid...
"Of course." Amanda unwrapped one arm from him long enough to take the cigarette, sneaking a quick drag before stubbing it out on the platform and then taking his cigarettes and lighter and shoving them in her jacket pocket. "You'll get through this, Ange. all of you. Yer've just gotta hang on..."
He sighed, leaning into her arms with a kind of desperation, not even bothering to wipe away the tears he knew were still in his eyes. "I hope so. I'll try."
"Yer strong. So is Paige. An' so is Jono." Amanda said the words without really hearing them, concentrating on holding Angelo, being there. "An' yer've got people who care 'bout all of you, an' we'll be here for you. I'll here for you - I won't leave you, Ange, I promise."
He turned his head to look at her with an almost childish hope in his eyes. He'd known that, really, but that wasn't the same as knowing. And promises were powerful things... "You promise?"
"By my name," she told him. The promise she couldn't break, ever. "I swear by my name I'll never leave you unless you want me to, Ange." Her arms tightened around him, and she smiled a little. "Yer my best mate."
He smiled back tentatively, letting himself relax an inch or two. "Little sister...", he reminded her. "We're family now."
"An' family sticks together. You taught me that." She lifted her hand to his face, wiped the tears away with her thumb. "Love you, big brother. No matter what."
"Love you too, little sis", he murmured, huddling closer to her as if for warmth. "Always."
