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Entry tags:
light behind the clouds
Title: light behind the clouds
Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs
Character(s): Fitzgerald, Alcott
Pairing(s): None
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 555
Rating: G
Warnings: Spoilers
Summary: Fitzgerald is reluctant to speak to his wife; Alcott helps.
Notes: Does it still count as gen if a character's canon wife exists.
“When was the last time you spoke to your wife?” Alcott asks, and Scott freezes instantly.
“I’ve been busy,” he says, not meeting her gaze.
He can hear the frown in her voice even without looking at her. “You’ve been homeless, but even with that, I can’t imagine you not doing everything possible to keep in contact with her. So… so, when was it?”
He could lie, but Alcott’s always been good at seeing through him. Better to just cut to the chase. “...During the attack on Moby Dick. They interrupted my phone call.”
“But that was ages ago! You haven’t spoken to her since? She must be so worried about you!” When Scott looks back at her, she’s wringing her hands, an expression of clear and honest concern on her face. “I know you talk to her all the time, and on schedule too, so going without contact this long - she must realize something’s wrong!”
“I don’t know what she does or doesn’t realize any longer,” Scott says with a sigh. “But that’s not the reason I haven’t called her.”
“Then it’s because you couldn’t? You can use my cell phone if you want to.” She digs it out of her pocket and holds it out to him, expectantly.
He doesn’t take it.
“...Mr. Fitzgerald?”
“I told you I lost my wedding ring,” he says, and doesn’t elaborate any further.
“It’s just a ring,” she replies, after a moment. “It can always be replaced, and even if you never get one as expensive as the first one, it doesn’t mean that you love her any less.”
“I shouldn’t have had to use it up in the first place,” he says. “How can I talk to her knowing I treated my ring like so much cash?”
Alcott considers that for a few seconds, then says, trying to sound stern: “Call her or I’ll call her for you.”
Scott laughs.
“I’m serious!” she says, pulling the cell phone to her chest. “I… I’ll call her right now!”
He keeps chuckling. It’s not really funny at all, that he can’t work up the nerve to call Zelda, but the idea of Louisa May Alcott, the woman with the worst social anxiety he knows, willingly making a phone call is ridiculous in any circumstance.
He laughs until Alcott, her face screwed up in determination, starts pressing buttons on her phone. Then he stops. “You aren’t really going to- Miss Alcott, wait just a moment-”
He hears the dial tone, and she holds the phone up to her ear with a trembling hand. “H...hello? Is this Mrs. Fitzgerald? ...Th-this is Louisa Alcott, I work with your husband. Yes, he’s alright. Yes, he’s right here. Yes, I’ll give him the phone, hold on one moment.” She holds the phone out to him another time.
This time, Scott only hesitates a second before taking it, prepared for a lecture on how many of their scheduled phone calls he’s missed. “Hello, sweetheart, I’m sorry I haven’t-”
Zelda is crying. He can just make out ‘thank goodness you’re fine’ through the sobs.
It makes his chest hurt. “I’m so sorry for worrying you, Zelda. I promise, everything is going to be alright.”
He notices Alcott slipping away to give the two of them some privacy, and reminds himself to thank her later.
Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs
Character(s): Fitzgerald, Alcott
Pairing(s): None
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 555
Rating: G
Warnings: Spoilers
Summary: Fitzgerald is reluctant to speak to his wife; Alcott helps.
Notes: Does it still count as gen if a character's canon wife exists.
“When was the last time you spoke to your wife?” Alcott asks, and Scott freezes instantly.
“I’ve been busy,” he says, not meeting her gaze.
He can hear the frown in her voice even without looking at her. “You’ve been homeless, but even with that, I can’t imagine you not doing everything possible to keep in contact with her. So… so, when was it?”
He could lie, but Alcott’s always been good at seeing through him. Better to just cut to the chase. “...During the attack on Moby Dick. They interrupted my phone call.”
“But that was ages ago! You haven’t spoken to her since? She must be so worried about you!” When Scott looks back at her, she’s wringing her hands, an expression of clear and honest concern on her face. “I know you talk to her all the time, and on schedule too, so going without contact this long - she must realize something’s wrong!”
“I don’t know what she does or doesn’t realize any longer,” Scott says with a sigh. “But that’s not the reason I haven’t called her.”
“Then it’s because you couldn’t? You can use my cell phone if you want to.” She digs it out of her pocket and holds it out to him, expectantly.
He doesn’t take it.
“...Mr. Fitzgerald?”
“I told you I lost my wedding ring,” he says, and doesn’t elaborate any further.
“It’s just a ring,” she replies, after a moment. “It can always be replaced, and even if you never get one as expensive as the first one, it doesn’t mean that you love her any less.”
“I shouldn’t have had to use it up in the first place,” he says. “How can I talk to her knowing I treated my ring like so much cash?”
Alcott considers that for a few seconds, then says, trying to sound stern: “Call her or I’ll call her for you.”
Scott laughs.
“I’m serious!” she says, pulling the cell phone to her chest. “I… I’ll call her right now!”
He keeps chuckling. It’s not really funny at all, that he can’t work up the nerve to call Zelda, but the idea of Louisa May Alcott, the woman with the worst social anxiety he knows, willingly making a phone call is ridiculous in any circumstance.
He laughs until Alcott, her face screwed up in determination, starts pressing buttons on her phone. Then he stops. “You aren’t really going to- Miss Alcott, wait just a moment-”
He hears the dial tone, and she holds the phone up to her ear with a trembling hand. “H...hello? Is this Mrs. Fitzgerald? ...Th-this is Louisa Alcott, I work with your husband. Yes, he’s alright. Yes, he’s right here. Yes, I’ll give him the phone, hold on one moment.” She holds the phone out to him another time.
This time, Scott only hesitates a second before taking it, prepared for a lecture on how many of their scheduled phone calls he’s missed. “Hello, sweetheart, I’m sorry I haven’t-”
Zelda is crying. He can just make out ‘thank goodness you’re fine’ through the sobs.
It makes his chest hurt. “I’m so sorry for worrying you, Zelda. I promise, everything is going to be alright.”
He notices Alcott slipping away to give the two of them some privacy, and reminds himself to thank her later.