Strangetown, here we come: Chapter Sixteen
Warnings: language, violence, death, drug use
Chapter Sixteen
Ripp was having a terrible nightmare.
His father stood before him in the empty desert, with his back to him, and as much as Ripp yelled at him, he would not turn around. Ripp walked towards him, but couldn't get any closer.
Then, it was his mother. He kept walking, then began running. He was yelling at the top of his lungs, but she didn't turn around.
And then, suddenly, she did.
She crumpled into a heap before him. Dead. There was nothing he could do about it.
Then it was Ophelia. She was drowning.
It was too late. There was nothing he could do.
Then Ripp himself was the one drowning.
Then he was witnessing the marriage of Johnny and Ophelia.
Johnny seemed distracted and uninterested. Ophelia looked at Ripp with a pleading expression on her face.
All he could do was watch.
Johnny had everything he could ask for, but he wasn't satisfied. Ophelia knew that he didn't really love her anymore. She was holding back tears.
Ripp wanted to kill Johnny. If Johnny didn't love Ophelia enough, like she deserved, then Ripp would have no choice but to kill him.
Then suddenly, he was able to move, and he was attempting to kill his best friend.
But Johnny was much stronger than he was.
"You should mind your own fucking business, Ripp! This was all your own fault!"
"You deserved this. If anyone deserved anything, it was you!"
"Would it have killed you to call me Dad, just this one time?!"
Then he was marrying Ophelia himself.
She was happy. She wouldn't have anything to be afraid of ever again.
Ripp carried her over the threshold of the Grunt family home.
She was his. All his.
"We might not have much, but we do have each other."
Ophelia was making him omelettes.
They were just like his mother used to make.
She was a perfect wife. It was a perfect marriage, and they would have a perfect family.
Then they were fighting and cursing at each other.
He was calling her down to the dirt, telling her that she was a whore.
He said that he didn't love her anymore, and she was doing the same. She had never really loved him.
She left him, and she never came back.
Then he was watching it all. His mother leaving his father. Except he wasn't. He was being watched. By himself.
"It was all your fault that she went away! You didn't love her enough!"
"It wasn't good enough! You're such a fucking asshole! Why would she want you?! Of course it wasn't enough!"
"It would never be enough."
"Don't be a fucking idiot! What the FUCK were you thinking?!"
"You should NEVER have fucking married her!"
Ripp was already crying when he woke up, and Johnny and Ophelia were in his room. They had heard him calling out in his sleep.
They were by his side, as they always were. After the dream, he felt like he should apologize to them. The lingering traces of confusion left him feeling as if he had betrayed them both, and that it had been real.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" It was all that he could say.
They stood there with him until he was able to calm down. After he was reassured that everything was okay, they were able to get him back into bed, and he slept through the night without incident. He'd been sleeping often, but poorly, ever since he had heard about the General.
The next morning, he felt a little better, and they ate some cold leftover pizza for breakfast, then watched TV together.
Johnny and Ophelia were more than willing to talk about what had happened with Ripp, but he didn't seem to be interested in dealing with it head-on just yet. Ripp was much more interested in just talking about cartoons, and that was fine by them.
"This show is just ridiculous," said Johnny, "How did it ever get on the air? It's so violent."
"It's fucking hilarious." Ripp added.
"It is pretty strange for a kid's show." Ophelia said.
"My favourite part is when the flamingo goes to this fucking flamingo-themed lounge to rally the troops - look, there he goes! Look at him fucking go!" Ripp laughed, and Ophelia shrugged at Johnny. They shared a smile.
"Can we see the game for a minute?"
"Fuck that, Johnny! I want to see if that soap with the fucking hot redheaded twins is on." Ripp switched the channel, whiled Johnny sighed. He was sick of watching Pleasant View, which was Ripp's favourite soap opera, and, in Johnny's opinion, the worst piece of trash on television.
Ripp often argued that Johnny would like it more if he watched it more often, and actually bothered to get into it. It was great if you knew the whole story and figured out the characters and such, as Ripp constantly explained. But who had time for that, besides Ripp?
"Oh yeah. Now we're fucking talking. Pleasant twins, indeed. They are the source of many an inappropriate twin fantasy."
"Ripp, we always watch this shitty show. I want to see the score."
"I can't decide which one is hotter. I mean, they have the exact same face and body, but -"
"Ripp! Take your hand out of your pants and just change the channel for a second! God, you are such a remote hog!"
"Yeah, so I like to control the remote!" Ripp shrugged, dramatically. "it's a MAN thing! You wouldn't fucking understand, Johnny." Johnny's hair seemed to stand up even further in rage.
"What?! You stupid asshole!"
"Guys," Ophelia cut in, "Is this necessary?" She sighed.
She wondered how many other women had to put up with two men every single day, like she did. Not that she'd trade them for two women. Or anyone else.
"I'm just saying, Johnny." Ripp continued, as if he hadn't even heard Ophelia. "You can't compete with my Grunt manliness. I have so much fucking testosterone, I don't know what to do with it! I have to give it away on the street."
"That's not the only thing you give away on the street." Johnny smirked.
"Oh, shut up and grow some fucking facial hair, or something, Johnny, you big pussy!"
"Hey, that's just an alien -"
"I said, give it up, you two!" Ophelia scolded. She had to stop this before they ended up taking their pants off and going to find a ruler.
"We're only carrying on, Phi." Johnny said, sheepishly.
"Well, I think you should stop it."
"Okay, Phi. You're the boss." Ripp laughed, but then immediately stopped taunting Johnny.
Was she really the boss? Ophelia hadn't really thought of it that way before, but Ripp was probably right. They did actually listen to her, most of the time, and she was left with the task of mediating all their silly ego wars. And they basically tripped over themselves and fought over who would get to do something as simple as getting her a glass of water.
It was probably just one more thing for them to be competitive about. She didn't really fully understand it, and she didn't expect to. She decided that she may as well get used to it, and just enjoy the attention.
Johnny's cellphone rang. "Sorry. I'll take it into another room."
"Yes, for fuck's sake, Johnny! Please do. They're about to bitch slap each other. I don't want to miss any of the dialogue." Johnny made a rude gesture at Ripp, but then proceeded to run upstairs to answer the phone.
"Hello?" He had no idea who it could possibly be at that hour in the morning.
"Johnny!"
He had no trouble placing the voice. "Oh, hi, Jayne."
"How are you? I haven't heard from you in a while."
"No, you haven't." He said. "Things have been a bit crazy around here lately."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes. It's fine. I've just been busy." He didn't feel right about telling Jayne all about it. At least not yet.
"How about you?"
"Oh, everything is great. I wanted to let you know that I moved out of the dorms too."
"Oh, did you?"
"Yeah, with Stella! God, she's a riot! Well, not really. She's pretty quiet, but she's such a nut. You have to meet her! You still haven't met her."
"Yeah, we should all get together sometime."
Yeah, totally! You have to come to our new place. We could have a party!"
"Yeah, I guess so." Johnny usually loved the idea of throwing a party, but he didn't exactly feel very festive lately.
"Well, that doesn't sound very enthusiastic, Johnny! I think it would be really fun."
"Yeah, it would be. I'm sorry, I'm just a little out of it."
"Hey! You should bring your friends too!" Jayne chirped. "Bring Ripp and Ophelia with you! I want to meet them." Johnny felt like he was having a small heart attack.
"Really?"
"Well, why not, silly? Are they your secret friends? Why wouldn't you want to bring them with you?"
"Well, no reason, I guess." She was right. She'd have to meet them sooner or later.
"Of course, you'll invite them! I'm just dying to meet them, you know. Well, I'll let you know when I've worked something out, and them we'll totally get together, okay?"
"Okay. That sounds great." After he ended their call, he stood there for a minute, in a daze.
After she hung up with Johnny, Jayne made another call. To her father, this time.
"Hi Dad. I didn't interrupt you, did I?"
"Well, actually, you did, but that doesn't matter. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm great. The move was pretty painless. We're all settled in now."
"How are things with your roommate?"
"Oh, Stella's great. She's like my long lost sister, or something." There was a pause.
"And Johnny?"
"He's fine too, Dad. He's a really nice guy."
"I really hope you know what you're doing, Jayne."
"Dad!" She huffed. "Haven't we been through this enough already?"
"I just wish you would reconsider. Or, at least, take some time. You're young. You should be out there discovering what it is that you want."
"Dad. Just because I'm planning to marry Johnny after college, doesn't mean I'm not experimenting. I'm in college! I'm not even really dating Johnny, so I'm still free to see other people."
"You don't have to get married. Especially not so young."
"I know that Dad. You didn't get married. But that was your choice, wasn't it? I don't want to be alone for my entire life."
"Getting married doesn't mean that you won't be alone."
"Oh my GOD, Dad! Do you always have to be so mopey?!" She sighed in exasperation. "Yes, I know! I get it. We all die alone - it's the sim condition. I've heard the story before!"
"It's just this plan that the pollinator has - you're just a piece of genetic property to him! He's out there making these deals like you're a commodity, and not a person."
"Dad, you always have to look at the negative side of every situation."
"You don't even have to have children - do you even want them?! That's what this is all about, you know! Reproduction. It doesn't have to be that way, Jayne. You're still as much a person if you don't reproduce. Biology is not destiny."
"Well, you didn't think you'd have children, and you were happy enough to have me, weren't you?"
"Yes, Jayne, I was very happy to have you."
"Well, why wouldn't I want children of my own? And nobody is holding a gun to my head, Dad! We could get married and not have children, you know."
"Marriage is just so... definite."
"I'm not going to make the decision lightly, Dad. I'm really thinking about it, you know."
"Well, you know what's best for yourself, dear. Just be sure that you examine it closely before you do anything too permanent."
"Dad! If I spent my whole life "examining" it, like you do, I wouldn't have a chance to live it, would I?"
"That may be true, but a little self reflection wouldn't hurt." Jayne sighed.
"How's your work coming along these days?"
"The same as always."
"When do you think it will be ready?"
"It will be ready when it's ready. I'll know it when I get there, but for now, I couldn't say." He paused. "And how about you? You're still painting on your own time?"
"Yes, Dad. I'm surprised that I have any interest in it after all the silly exercises they have us working on in class, but if I didn't do my own work on the side, I'd go crazy!"
"Good for you. Still mostly portraiture?"
"Yeah. It's the only thing that really interests me. The sim form. And well, faces are probably the hardest thing to really paint, so it keeps me struggling."
"I agree completely."
"I've been doing some work on some sets and stuff for the theatre program too. Pretty silly stuff, mostly, but good experience. And I get to meet lots of people. The theatre kids are great. They're all so MUCH."
"Well, we're all actors, aren't we? At least they're honest about it."
"Okay, Dad. I really should go now." Jayne laughed. "I'll call you after the big crit tomorrow, okay?"
"Good luck."
Buck hadn't dreamed at all that night. Lately, he had been sleeping the sleep of the dead. The Smith's place had a very tranquilizing effect on him.
That first morning, when he woke up in unfamiliar surroundings, he had been confused. It took him a while to realize that he was in Johnny Smith's old bedroom. It was weird. He'd been in the Smith home about a million times, but he didn't recall ever recall spending more than a couple of minutes in Johnny's room.
It was strange to sleep in a room that wasn't his. It smelled different, and even the temperature wasn't the same. The bedsheets felt different. Nothing ever stayed the same, he thought, so he may as well get used to it.
Johnny's room had that weird empty frozen-in-time feeling that bedrooms sometimes get after the kids go to college, and their parents are too sentimental to change it.
Buck's father had turned Ripp's bedroom into a study within a month of him leaving for La Fiesta Tech. Buzz had no illusions that Ripp would ever sleep in it again, but Buck wondered if he would have cared either way.
When he went to Jill's room, she was still asleep, so he coughed a bit and called to her. "Jill... are you getting up?" Buck didn't want to have to wander around the house by himself. It felt too bold.
"What time is it?! Why are you up so early?"
"It's almost 0900 hours, Jill." The General would have had a fit if Buck had slept in this late at home.
"What?"
"Oh. I meant nine o'clock. Sorry, force of habit."
"Ugh. It's so early, Buck."
"Well, I can't sleep in until noon like you do, Jill." He shrugged. "You invited me over, so now you have to deal with me."
"Sorry. I'm just cranky in the morning." She got out of bed. "How do you feel?"
"I feel okay, I guess. As good as can be expected." Buck tried to avoid drawing attention to the fact that he had noticed that Jill was obviously not wearing a bra.
"Thanks for inviting me over, Jill."
"Well, you're welcome here anytime, Buck. My home is practically your home, you know." Jill suddenly thought of something, and got very excited.
"Oh, you have to see the twins now! They're so much bigger!"
"See?!" Jill grinned. "Aren't they sweet? Jordan's a little blondy, just like me and Johnny."
"He's cute." Buck smiled.
"He has The Chin, though. Poor thing. I got off the hook with that one." Jill laughed. "It was obviously a narrow escape."
"Look at her red hair!" Buck exclaimed as he picked up Jolene. "It's so pretty with her green skin,"
"I know! Isn't it great?" Jill smiled. "I'm so jealous. Dad had red hair too, you know... before he became the old silver fox."
"They're just perfect, Jill." Buck smiled.
Buck was so good with the babies. Jill couldn't help but think that he'd make an excellent father one day. Well, if he ever got married, that is. To a woman.
She mentally scolded herself for the thought immediately. What was she thinking? He could be a father anyway. That didn't matter. There was always a way, especially in Strangetown. She, of all people, should know that.
"Tank, you've been staring at those dishes for over twenty minutes. Do you want to talk about it?" Tank really had been standing in the kitchen for quite some time without realizing it, and Frances had spent that time working up the courage to approach him again.
"What would I talk about, Worthington?" Tank snarled.
"I don't know." Frances said, timidly. "Your father. About him... you could talk about that."
Tank just stared at him.
"You want me talk about Dad? What good would that do?"
"It'll help you, Tank. You need to talk about what it's doing to you."
"You want me to talk about my feelings?!" Tank was embarrassed to even say that.
"Well, yes. Why not?"
"Listen. That's not going to happen." Tank said it in a way to suggest that the discussion was over, but Frances didn't take the hint.
"I really think you need to get that off of your chest, Tank."
"Look, I'm just not used to doing that, Worthington."
"Well, you could start now."
Frances J. Worthington III clearly did not know Tank Grunt very well yet. It was going to take more than a little coaxing from Frances to get Tank to spill his guts.
The phone rang, causing Ripp to stir from his nap. He was all alone in the apartment, since Johnny and Ophelia had gone to class.
"Hello?"
"Ripp, get your hairy ass over here right now! We need to jam. You fucked off last time, and we were waiting for hours, and I'm fucking sick of it!"
"Well, I -"
"I don't want to hear your fucking excuses, Ripp!" Jaxy raged. "I will tear you a new asshole if you don't get over here right now! Do you want an angry dyke on your back, Ripp? I promise you that I can kick your ass something fierce."
"Okay, Jax. I'll be there." He hadn't left the house in days, so he figured that he may as well go.
Tank was also getting out of the house for the first time in days.
He had gone to the library to clear his head, and to get away from Frances. He couldn't deal with all of his questions. As he entered the main room of the library, he saw Ophelia on her way up the stairs.
"Ophelia! Wait!" He called out to her, and followed behind her. If anyone could understand him, it would be kind, caring Ophelia.
She kept walking and didn't turn around. Maybe she hadn't heard him.
"Ophelia! It's me. Tank." She stopped, but didn't turn around.
"It's good to see you. I really need someone to talk to right now who would understand -"
Ophelia spun around suddenly, and slapped Tank across the face with all of her might.
"Understand?! Understand YOU, Tank?!" She screamed. People stopped and stared. "How could I understand you?!"
"I - I'm sorry."
"You're lucky I'm even willing to look at you, after what you did to Ripp!" She yelled. "You don't deserve to have someone to talk to! You should just sit there alone and think about what you've done! You deserve everything you get."
"Ophelia, I didn't mean to -"
"It seems a bit extreme to have been a mistake, Tank."
"But he - he said -"
"Ripp doesn't make your decisions for you! You were the one who chose to beat the shit out of him, and you are completely to blame!"
"Ophelia -"
"Don't Ophelia me! Don't even say my name." She turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Tank pleaded. "I didn't think. I didn't mean it."
She kept walking.
"I would take it back if I could." It came out almost as a whisper.
He had been a fool if he had any doubt about where Ophelia's loyalties lay. And he thought that he really must be the worst person in the world, if he had done something terrible enough to bring Ophelia Nigmos to lash out at him like she had. He was a terrible, terrible person.
Ripp walked into the kitchen at Jaxy's place, and she was waiting impatiently at the kitchen table. She turned to look at him when he entered, and was about to lay into him, but then noticed how terrible he looked.
"Holy shit, Ripp! What the fuck happened to you?!"
"I had a pretty shitty week." Ripp said, languidly. "My father just disappeared without a trace. Then my brother beat the piss out of me."
"Oh, well come in, honey. Don't worry about jamming. Gunnar's half in the bag anyway. It's a fucking dead loss. Let me get you something to eat, or something. Zo made some tomato soup. Do you like that?" Jaxy ushered him in.
"Yeah, sure."
"I'll make you a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it too. I make a fucking deadly grilled cheese." Jaxy patted Ripp on the back like a pet dog, and Ripp half expected her to scratch him behind the ear.
"That sounds great, Jax." Ripp smiled. "Thank you."
"The bubble blower is all fired up there, Ripp, if you're interested." Zo said, as she headed to the stove to warm up the tomato soup.
"Well, the doctor gave me these crazy painkillers, so I'm pretty fucked up as it is."
"Really?! Are they any good?"
"Well, they do the fucking job on the pain."
"You have any to spare?"
"Yeah, sure. Knock yourself out." He tossed her the bottle. "I don't really even fucking need them that much anymore."
"You're still on them, though, I see." His pupils looked like he was staring into the sun.
"Yes, indeed."
"Good man." Zoe laughed, as she swallowed some pills with a swig from the bottle of vodka that she'd been drinking from. She wiped her mouth and gestured to the bubble blower. "Like I said, it's all fired up for you, Ripp. Go nuts."
So he did.
Ripp knew that it probably wasn't the most intelligent thing to do, but when had he ever claimed to be intelligent? The best he could really hope for was that he might be less stupid than most other people. He sat down and took one very long drag and held his breath.
He was right. The painkillers and the bubbles did have a compounding effect. He slowly fell back onto the floor, the room tickling him with warm, fuzzy fingers.
"Well, he's certainly feeling no fucking pain." Jaxy remarked, with a laugh.
He really wasn't. At least not for the moment.
Buck was getting used to staying with the Smiths. He was beginning to feel right at home.
That evening, Buck found himself in the kitchen with P.T. It was where he spent most of his time, and Buck was all too happy to join him. P.T. was baking, and Buck was hoping to pick up a couple of tips through observation. When the pan was finally in the oven, Buck got up the nerve to speak.
"Thank you for letting me stay here, Mr. Smith."
"You can call me P.T., Buck." It wasn't entirely true, since Buck found that way too informal.
"Okay," he said, "but really, I don't know what I would have done without all of you."
"Listen, Buck," P.T. began, "I want to apologize for the friction between our families in the past, especially between your father and me. I hope that you don't feel that this had anything to do with you."
"Of course not, sir."
"Please, call me P.T." He said with a kind smile. Buck really doubted that he'd ever be able to call him that.
"I've always felt welcome here, Mr. Smith. And I know that my father was mostly to blame for that feud."
"That was just as much my fault as his, Buck." P.T. said, solemnly. "I don't want the Grunts to go on thinking that they are to blame for all these petty rivalries and dramas in our town. You boys should just forget about it and move on."
The oven timer went off. "Looks like this is just about ready." P.T. said as he checked on his baked alaska. It was quite a masterpiece of baking, and doubly impressive to Buck for being entirely vegan in its contents. He wouldn't have even thought it was possible, but P.T. had worked some sort of magic.
"Wow. That smells great." Buck considered adding his name, but again failed. "I could only dream of making something that complicated."
"You'll be a pro at it one day, Buck, I'm sure."
Buck thought that P.T. was just about the greatest guy he'd ever been around. He had this really functional extended family, and he didn't act at all like Buzz. He baked cakes and did domestic things, while Jenny had a career.
It was so very different from how Buck's father had thought the world ought to work. Lyla had unquestionably been the housewife, and though Buck had been too young to know for sure, he now thought that she must have been extremely bored, and lonely too. Why else would she have done what she did?
Well, if Buck wanted to do things the way the Smiths did them, there was nothing to stop him, was there? Especially with Buzz no longer there to disapprove. Not that this would have mattered. Buck had already decided that he would do things his own way, with or without his father's approval.
There was absolutely nothing to prevent him from doing it, and he had proof that it could work out just fine.
Having dinner with the Smiths was like eating on a different planet from the one that Grunts had eaten on. They carried on pleasant conversations, and they even listened to Buck when he spoke. At first, this confused him, and he felt really nervous about having everyone's full attention.
"You didn't have any trouble for missing school, did you, Buck?" asked Jenny. "I could write you a note."
"I don't think it will be necessary, Mrs. Smith."
"Oh, Buck. You can call me Jenny. Your brother always did." Buck smiled, and then continued.
"They excused me from the work for that week, which is nice. I'd never be able to catch up, after having missed so much school. Well, I would, I guess, but it would be hard."
"Buck, I'm sure you would have no trouble catching up at all." Jenny smiled. "Jill has been getting her homework finished twice as fast since you've been here. I hope she isn't just copying your work."
"Mo-om!" Jill whined. "I wouldn't do that. Besides, Buck wouldn't let me!"
"Yes, he would, Jill. If I know you at all, and I like to think that I do, I am sure that you'd talk him into doing it. Buck is so nice that he'd probably let you." Jenny was right. Buck would let Jill copy his work if she wanted to. And he did.
"Oh, mom. Give it a rest! You're SO annoying!"
Yes, the Grunt home it was not. He felt slightly out of his element, but he also really enjoyed it.
Buck had been pretty young when his parents had split up, but he remembered them fighting. They were careful to hide it from him, at least the shouting and more aggressive fighting, but he always knew when it was happening. After they fought, they would be unnaturally quiet, and a wall of silence would hit Buck as soon as he entered the room.
He didn't remember ever seeing his parents flirt with each other like Jill's parents did. He'd only seen that in photographs, and he could never really reconcile those images with his reality. Obviously, his parents had really gotten married, and they had smiled for the picture, but he thought that they must have dropped the smile once the flash went off, and then went back to their serious lives. It had seemed normal to him, until he began to spend time at Jill's house, and witnessed the Smiths in action.
Buck's parents had given him the impression that marriage was a tedious chore, and hadn't really sold him on the idea, but that had changed when he met the Smiths. They had fun. They genuinely enjoyed each other's company.
What they had, Buck wanted. He wanted that more than anything. They were so in love! Jill always rolled her eyes, gagged, and said that she hated it when her parents got all lovey-dovey.
Sure, Jill found it annoying now, but she'd be happy enough to have that herself one day, Buck was sure.
"What do you think your brothers would like to eat, Buck?" Jenny asked. "I know that Ripp hates tofu, but I've been able to pass seitan by him before without any complaints. What about Tank? Has he ever had it, Buck?" Jenny was going to have everyone over for supper later that week.
"I don't know, but Tank will eat anything. I don't think he has any taste buds."
"Well, I think that a stir fry should be acceptable to all." Jenny decided, making a mental grocery list for herself.
"You can help me to bake a cake, Buck." P.T. added with a smile. Buck flashed a shy grin, while inside he did somersaults.
Ripp was leaving his bandmates' apartment one afternoon, having spent the morning sleeping on their couch after the night before. He was trying to get back to his own place before Johnny and Ophelia had time to really worry about him too much. He knew that they'd worry, even though they knew where he was. Maybe even because of it.
When he left, he instead found himself walking in the other direction towards the house next door. Before he really thought about it any more than that, he was knocking on Tank's door.
And Tank answered it. He was staring into his brother's face without saying a word.
Tank felt his body go cold as he observed Ripp's face, which, though mostly healed, still showed signs of what he had done to him. Ripp said nothing, but eyed Tank with an icy cold glare.
Ripp motioned towards him suddenly, and Tank automatically recoiled in fear.
But Ripp wasn't going to hit him.
He was trying to pull Tank into a hug. Tank tensed as Ripp's arms enclosed him.
"Hug me back, you fucking asshole!"
Tank hugged his brother, and pulled him close. He hadn't been in such close contact with Ripp in years. He had almost forgotten what he smelled like.
"God damn it, Tank!" Tears were rolling down his face. "I didn't mean that. I didn't mean any of it! You know that I didn't mean it, right?!"
Tank said nothing. Had he known that?
"Please forgive me! You have to forgive me, Tank."
Tank mouthed the words, silently, then managed the tiniest of breaths, until the words gently floated into Ripp's ear.
"I forgive you, Ripp." He said.
"And I know that Dad would have forgiven you too."
Ripp's body shuddered as he was racked by uncontrollable sobbing. Tank held his brother tightly while he cried.
Tank had always hated to see Ripp cry. Sometimes it was simply irritating, seeing him cry like a girl, like a baby, but it was also very upsetting to him. He did care about him, and despite everything, it always hurt him when Ripp was upset.
Tank knew that he wouldn't cry. Not then, and maybe not ever. He was very grateful that Ripp was crying enough for both of them. He held Ripp until he ran out of tears.
Finally, Ripp became calm again, wiped his eyes, and turned to face Tank.
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry too, Ripp. You didn't deserve that. I wouldn't have done it if I had only been able to stop and think."
"I understand, Tank. I know why you did it."
"That doesn't excuse me. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I forgive you."
"You look terrible, Ripp."
"Well, you kind of fucked up my nose, Tank."
"Well, how does that prevent you from doing your laundry and washing your hair?"
"Oh, fuck off, Tank. I don't look that bad."
"You're covered in lint. You shouldn't wear black if you're going to roll around in dog hair." Tank proceeded to pull strands of hair from Ripp's clothing.
"That's MY hair, Tank!" Ripp huffed. "And watch where you're putting your fucking hands!"
"What about these blond hairs?"
"Those could be anybody's."
Ripp could list off four or five different people offhand. Tank continued to remove hair samples, of every colour, from all over the LFT campus.
"That's pretty gross, Ripp." Tank grimaced.
"God, you're covered in them!" Tank said, thoroughly disgusted.
"Aren't you done yet?" Ripp whined.
"Ummm, hello?" Frances entered the room, tentatively, as Tank finally finished his task. "You must be Tank's brother."
"That is correct." Ripp laughed. "What gave me away? Surely not my face, right? Or my dress and deportment."
"Well, I just assumed." Frances began.
"I'm only fucking with you. Worthington, is it?"
"Yes." He smiled, mostly at the fact that Tank must have mentioned him. "Frances."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Frances. You must be a pretty fucking brave soul to be shacking up with Tank here. That's not for the faint of heart, you know."
"You seem to be right, but I never would have guessed that he was so destructive."
"Well, he is named Tank, you know."
Watching Frances talk, Ripp couldn't help but think that he may not be faint of heart, but he surely must be limp of wrist. Ripp hadn't been dragged to all those gay bars with Jaxy and Zoe without picking up a thing or two. He'd picked up plenty, at least in the sense of general knowledge. He could have picked up more than that.
Ripp wondered how the hell Tank had ended up with him, of all people, as his roommate. It seemed to defy logic.
"Listen, Ripp. Do you want something to eat?" Tank asked. "I made mac and cheese."
"Ummm, no thanks." Ripp had eaten Tank's cooking before.
"It's really good. Frances says so all the time. Isn't that right, Worthington?"
"Yes. It's... very lovely." He hoped that the pause hadn't been too noticeable.
Ripp was somehow convinced to stay and have a bite, despite his better judgement. He chewed it and swallowed with great effort, while Tank watched for a reaction.
He looked over at Frances, who was obviously feeling the same revulsion that he was, but was trying to hide it.
"Well?"
"Tank, this tastes like ass."
"What?!" Tank fumed. "Worthington likes it! You like it, don't you, Frances?"
Frances smiled, but said nothing.
Ripp bit his tongue, hard, to avoid saying the first thing that came to his mind, which was, "Clearly, he likes ass." Instead, he just started to laugh hysterically.
"What?! What's so fucking funny, Ripp?"
"Oh, nothing."
Ripp decided that it might not be such a bad idea to come over to visit Tank more often.
A/N: I'd like to make a little shout-out to Madame Ugly's open letter from Parents Against Needless Debauchery and Ruffianism (P.A.N.D.R.), which can be found here, for a deeper look into that sinister children's programming that Johnny, Ripp, and Ophelia were watching. Just go read it. Please. It's funny.