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rumpelsnorcackTitle: A Long Life (But One Worth Living)
Author/Artist:
rumpelsnorcack
Rating: PG-13
Characters & Pairings: Rory, Amy, Mels
Word Count: 1119 this chapter
Summary: The story of Rory's life, from meeting Amy to death.
Notes: .Many thanks to the wonderful
a_phoenixdragon and mollywheezy who have been extremely supportive through this whole process. I've been writing this on and off for a while. It's still not finished, but is getting there. Not sure how many chapters there will be, but each one is intended as a short one-shot in its own right so all can be read independently. However, they do all build together to give a picture of Rory's life, complicated timelines and all. It's all roughly chronological, but each piece doesn't necessarily exist in the same timeline as each other piece. So some are pre-reboot, some post, some exist in a universe which includes Mels, others don't.
Disclaimer: Sadly none of the characters are mine, I just enjoy hanging around in their sandbox.
He was blindfolded again. It was always stressful being shut away with no light and having to trust other people to make sure you didn't hurt yourself. Rory didn't like it, not one bit, and he really didn't trust Mels. Amy was different; he was pretty sure she wouldn't let him hurt himself, but Mels (he gritted his teeth as he thought of her) ... Mels was terrifying.
'Oi Rory! Stop playing around and get on with it.' Mels' voice was authoritative and a bit smug. Rory knew she felt superior to him because he always let them do this sort of thing to him. But it was the price of being friends with Amy, and for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom it was becoming desperately important to him to keep Amy as a friend.
He sighed, stretched his arms out to the sides and started to gingerly move forward again. This was the worst part of this game – that he wasn't allowed his arms in front of him. 'Little bit to the left, Rory!' Amy's voice called out, the tone uninterested and desultory. He took two steps sideways and felt his arm brush a brick wall as he did so. He stopped, shocked. He'd been so close to walking into a wall before Amy told him, and she'd been so casual and blasé about it when she finally had bothered to let him know there could be a problem.
Rory ripped the blindfold off his face and glared at the two girls. They were a few feet away, chatting idly with their heads together.
'I'm not doing this anymore.' He announced. He turned and walked away, expecting that someone (hopefully Amy, he thought with a blush) would rush after him, demand to know why and ask him to stay in the game. Instead he got all the way to the classroom door before he turned and looked back. The two girls were still where he had left them, heads still together. Neither one looked as if she had even noticed that he was gone.
Rory's mouth twisted briefly in grief, then he turned his back on the girls and pushed his way into the classroom.
When they returned at the end of break he was sitting reading a book at his desk.
'What's up, loser?' Mels crowed as she slid into the seat on one side of him. Rory pointedly ignored her.
'Rory? What's the matter? Where did you go?' Amy was more conciliatory.
'I'm sick of that game,' Rory said, making an effort to keep his voice even so she wouldn't notice how important this was to him. 'I don't think I'm playing anymore. Exams are coming. I need to study.'
'Whatever! Who cares about exams?' Mels, leaned back in her seat, arms slung behind her head, looking as if she had no cares in the world. Rory again refused to interact with her. He knew he was being petty, but there was something satisfying in just absolutely not dealing with Mels. He felt ... almost free.
He snuck a look at Amy out of the corner of his eye, just in time to see her quirk her brow at Mels over the top of his head. Then she shrugged and pulled her own work out of her desk as the teacher entered the room.
Rory smiled to himself. It wasn't much of a victory, but he'd stood up to his best friends, who – when he thought about it – often didn't seem to treat him very well. If he could do it once he could keep doing it.
Over the next few weeks, Rory refused to play the blindfold game. Amy used all the tools in her arsenal – she cajoled him, she berated him, she ignored him, she even tried to guilt-trip him into doing it, but Rory planted his feet. He refused to be put in a position where he could hurt himself again. And slowly the girls grew to accept that he wasn't Rory the total pushover anymore.
'You've changed, Rory,' Mels mused one afternoon when Amy had been called home and the two of them were left in the orchard alone.
'No I haven't, Mels. I'm still me; I've just stopped giving a damn what you think of me.'
'Yep, see. Changed. You'd never have said that to me last year.'
'No I wouldn't,' Rory agreed. 'But I'd have thought it.' He grinned at her. 'You'd hate to know some of the things I've thought about you in the past.'
Mels sat up and looked at him. 'Like what?' she challenged. Rory's heart beat with a sickening thud in his chest. He still hated confrontation, and even though he'd arrived at this point he wasn't sure he wanted to finish what he’d begun. But he could tell from the look in Mels' eyes that she wasn't going to let him get away with saying nothing.
'Okay then,' he said, his voice unhappy, but slightly relieved to be actually saying it. 'I thought you were a hard cow; bossy, bitchy and a shitty friend.'
He squinted at her, worried she would be angry, but to his surprise she laughed.
'I am a bossy, bitchy, shitty friend,' she said. I've been waiting for you to call me on it for ages. I never thought you'd have the guts.'
She lay back down next to him. 'I think you're okay, Rory. A bit wussy sometimes, but a decent bloke.'
'Thanks,' Rory said, his voice wry. 'That's a compliment ...'
'Oh it is,' Mels agreed. 'I used to think you were just wet, but now you've got a backbone I kinda like you.' She looked at him with a sly expression. 'You like her, don't you? Amy.'
Rory gaped at her. 'How did you? I mean ... I don't know what you're talking about.'
Mels laughed again. 'Sure you do. I approve, you know. Now that I know you're not a wimp. I couldn’t have a wimp as my …’ she coughed, looking suddenly uncomfortable before continuing. ‘Well, anyway, Amy deserves someone as awesome as her. I’m not going to help you, but I just want you to know you have my blessing.'
Rory shut his mouth and looked at her carefully. Something had changed and he felt like he had an ally now. He wasn't sure why she was different now, but he wasn't questioning it. That she knew he liked Amy wasn't as threatening as he expected. He dismissed her ‘blessing’ – he didn’t want her help or need her blessing, but something changed that day and Rory felt like he’d passed some invisible test and that now he and Mels were genuinely friends … finally.
Prologue (start here)
Chapter Five
Author/Artist:
rumpelsnorcackRating: PG-13
Characters & Pairings: Rory, Amy, Mels
Word Count: 1119 this chapter
Summary: The story of Rory's life, from meeting Amy to death.
Notes: .Many thanks to the wonderful
mollywheezy who have been extremely supportive through this whole process. I've been writing this on and off for a while. It's still not finished, but is getting there. Not sure how many chapters there will be, but each one is intended as a short one-shot in its own right so all can be read independently. However, they do all build together to give a picture of Rory's life, complicated timelines and all. It's all roughly chronological, but each piece doesn't necessarily exist in the same timeline as each other piece. So some are pre-reboot, some post, some exist in a universe which includes Mels, others don't. Disclaimer: Sadly none of the characters are mine, I just enjoy hanging around in their sandbox.
He was blindfolded again. It was always stressful being shut away with no light and having to trust other people to make sure you didn't hurt yourself. Rory didn't like it, not one bit, and he really didn't trust Mels. Amy was different; he was pretty sure she wouldn't let him hurt himself, but Mels (he gritted his teeth as he thought of her) ... Mels was terrifying.
'Oi Rory! Stop playing around and get on with it.' Mels' voice was authoritative and a bit smug. Rory knew she felt superior to him because he always let them do this sort of thing to him. But it was the price of being friends with Amy, and for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom it was becoming desperately important to him to keep Amy as a friend.
He sighed, stretched his arms out to the sides and started to gingerly move forward again. This was the worst part of this game – that he wasn't allowed his arms in front of him. 'Little bit to the left, Rory!' Amy's voice called out, the tone uninterested and desultory. He took two steps sideways and felt his arm brush a brick wall as he did so. He stopped, shocked. He'd been so close to walking into a wall before Amy told him, and she'd been so casual and blasé about it when she finally had bothered to let him know there could be a problem.
Rory ripped the blindfold off his face and glared at the two girls. They were a few feet away, chatting idly with their heads together.
'I'm not doing this anymore.' He announced. He turned and walked away, expecting that someone (hopefully Amy, he thought with a blush) would rush after him, demand to know why and ask him to stay in the game. Instead he got all the way to the classroom door before he turned and looked back. The two girls were still where he had left them, heads still together. Neither one looked as if she had even noticed that he was gone.
Rory's mouth twisted briefly in grief, then he turned his back on the girls and pushed his way into the classroom.
When they returned at the end of break he was sitting reading a book at his desk.
'What's up, loser?' Mels crowed as she slid into the seat on one side of him. Rory pointedly ignored her.
'Rory? What's the matter? Where did you go?' Amy was more conciliatory.
'I'm sick of that game,' Rory said, making an effort to keep his voice even so she wouldn't notice how important this was to him. 'I don't think I'm playing anymore. Exams are coming. I need to study.'
'Whatever! Who cares about exams?' Mels, leaned back in her seat, arms slung behind her head, looking as if she had no cares in the world. Rory again refused to interact with her. He knew he was being petty, but there was something satisfying in just absolutely not dealing with Mels. He felt ... almost free.
He snuck a look at Amy out of the corner of his eye, just in time to see her quirk her brow at Mels over the top of his head. Then she shrugged and pulled her own work out of her desk as the teacher entered the room.
Rory smiled to himself. It wasn't much of a victory, but he'd stood up to his best friends, who – when he thought about it – often didn't seem to treat him very well. If he could do it once he could keep doing it.
Over the next few weeks, Rory refused to play the blindfold game. Amy used all the tools in her arsenal – she cajoled him, she berated him, she ignored him, she even tried to guilt-trip him into doing it, but Rory planted his feet. He refused to be put in a position where he could hurt himself again. And slowly the girls grew to accept that he wasn't Rory the total pushover anymore.
'You've changed, Rory,' Mels mused one afternoon when Amy had been called home and the two of them were left in the orchard alone.
'No I haven't, Mels. I'm still me; I've just stopped giving a damn what you think of me.'
'Yep, see. Changed. You'd never have said that to me last year.'
'No I wouldn't,' Rory agreed. 'But I'd have thought it.' He grinned at her. 'You'd hate to know some of the things I've thought about you in the past.'
Mels sat up and looked at him. 'Like what?' she challenged. Rory's heart beat with a sickening thud in his chest. He still hated confrontation, and even though he'd arrived at this point he wasn't sure he wanted to finish what he’d begun. But he could tell from the look in Mels' eyes that she wasn't going to let him get away with saying nothing.
'Okay then,' he said, his voice unhappy, but slightly relieved to be actually saying it. 'I thought you were a hard cow; bossy, bitchy and a shitty friend.'
He squinted at her, worried she would be angry, but to his surprise she laughed.
'I am a bossy, bitchy, shitty friend,' she said. I've been waiting for you to call me on it for ages. I never thought you'd have the guts.'
She lay back down next to him. 'I think you're okay, Rory. A bit wussy sometimes, but a decent bloke.'
'Thanks,' Rory said, his voice wry. 'That's a compliment ...'
'Oh it is,' Mels agreed. 'I used to think you were just wet, but now you've got a backbone I kinda like you.' She looked at him with a sly expression. 'You like her, don't you? Amy.'
Rory gaped at her. 'How did you? I mean ... I don't know what you're talking about.'
Mels laughed again. 'Sure you do. I approve, you know. Now that I know you're not a wimp. I couldn’t have a wimp as my …’ she coughed, looking suddenly uncomfortable before continuing. ‘Well, anyway, Amy deserves someone as awesome as her. I’m not going to help you, but I just want you to know you have my blessing.'
Rory shut his mouth and looked at her carefully. Something had changed and he felt like he had an ally now. He wasn't sure why she was different now, but he wasn't questioning it. That she knew he liked Amy wasn't as threatening as he expected. He dismissed her ‘blessing’ – he didn’t want her help or need her blessing, but something changed that day and Rory felt like he’d passed some invisible test and that now he and Mels were genuinely friends … finally.
Prologue (start here)
Chapter Five