Better Man
Title: Better Man
Characters: Hurley, Libby, Frogurt, Kate.
Pairing: Hurley/Libby.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: AU. Spoilers for the mobisode "The Adventures of Hurley and Frogurt."
Summary: Written for the fix-it challenge over at lostsquee. Hurley remembers the blankets and gets to have his picnic with Libby.
"Hey!" Libby waved a hand in greeting to Hurley as he made his way up the beach towards her, smile rapidly replaced by a look of concern as she registered the expression on Hurley's face.
"What's the matter? Didn't Rose and Bernard have any wine after all?"
Hurley held out the bottle to Libby. "Oh, yeah, they had it. Bernard said I could have it, no problem. He was totally cool with it."
Hurley wondered why he felt the need to justify himself to Libby in this way. It had been her idea, after all. And it wasn't her who had made that crack about stealing, but Frogurt, the guy who'd made those other cracks about what a "real man" could do for Libby, and that if he, Hurley, didn't get anywhere with Libby today, it was "Neil time".
"Then what's the matter?" Libby asked. "Is this about before? Because it really doesn't matter, Hurley. So you couldn't remember the way to that beach of Sayid's. It's okay. I'm perfectly happy to have the picnic here."
Hurley looked at Libby's open, friendly face and wished he could believe her. She was probably only saying that to make him feel better about the fact that he'd screwed up. Forgetting the wine, then forgetting the way to the beach - all he'd got right was the food and the blankets, and if Sayid hadn't reminded him, he'd have forgotten the blankets too.
Hurley always screwed up with dates. The first time had been a girl called Samantha, in high school. That had been a picnic too. He'd planned the menu so carefully, but then had gone and included a cake containing nuts, which she was allergic to. She'd taken one bite and gone into anaphylactic shock. And then there had been that open-air concert with Starla, where it had rained and then they'd got a flat tyre on their way home. He bet nothing like that ever happened to Starla now she was with Johnny.
"Look, it's not that, okay?" Hurley burst out, considering then deciding he probably had nothing to lose after all. If the date carried on like this, it would end up being "Neil time" anyway.
"It's just...I ran into Neil over by Rose and Bernard's tent," he eventually admitted.
"Neil?" Libby asked, frowning. "Oh, the guy who makes the frozen yogurt, set up his tent over by Steve and Tracy? Bit of a chip on his shoulder?"
Hurley smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah, that dude. He - he kinda said some things."
"Some things like what?" Libby asked.
Hurley hesitated. "Actually, it doesn't matter." The whole thing was stupid, now that he thought about it. Okay, so Frogurt had acted like a jerk, but Hurley wasn't sure he'd really come off any better. He'd reacted to him, rather than just brushing the comment off. He should just try and ignore Frogurt, rather than let him screw up the rest of the date. Hurley had already done a good enough job of that himself, anyway.
"Hurley, it was obviously important enough to have upset you in the first place," Libby began. "And if it's bothering you, then I wish you'd just talk to me about it."
Hurley sighed. "It was the way he was talking about you. He kept saying I was holding up the line, I should back off and let a real man show me, and if I didn't get anywhere with you, it was gonna be his time..." He fell silent at the look of disgust on Libby's face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
Libby nodded slowly, silent for a while.
There, Hurley thought. The dude was right after all. Dave, too.
The words Dave had spoken to him a couple of days earlier flashed through his mind. Oh, right, right, right, Libby -- the mega cute blonde chick who magically appeared from the other side of the Island. Oh, oh, oh, yeah -- and who just happens to have the hots for you. Dave had been right after all. Hurley was kidding himself.
"I'm sorry," Hurley repeated at last. "I messed up. Guess I should - " He began to get to his feet.
But Libby reached out and took his hand. "No, Hurley. It wasn't you who messed up."
Hurley stared at her. "What?"
"The way he talked, about his time and holding up the line," Libby began, "that's something I actually find quite offensive. He talked about me as though I'm some kind of possession to fight over, not a person with feelings, with opinions. He's not stopping to consider me at all."
Slowly, still not quite allowing himself to believe what he was hearing, Hurley sat back down, slightly closer to Libby than before.
"I'm not interested in him at all," Libby continued. "I don't know Neil well, but the way he's always complaining isn't attractive to me. He talks about it being his time, but he hasn't ever really tried to get to know me. And he's just been rude to someone I happen to care a lot about. Does he really think I'm going to be impressed by that?"
Tentatively, Hurley smiled. "I guess not."
"But you," Libby went on, "well, you've gone to all this trouble to organise this picnic for me. You've gone to a lot of effort with me, with us, and it's obvious to me how loyal and caring you are with your friends, too. The whole camp loves you.
"I said to you that day at the cliff top that the way I feel about you is real, and I meant that, Hurley."
Slowly, Libby leaned in close, took Hurley's face in her hands and kissed him softly on the lips.
"Now," she smiled as they pulled apart, "did you say you had wine?"
As they walked back towards their camp, hand in hand, Hurley was still finding it hard to believe quite how well this afternoon had gone. For the first time in a long while, he began to feel that maybe his luck was changing, that he wasn't cursed after all.
"There's just one thing still bugging me," Hurley remarked.
Libby smiled. "What?"
"I still haven't figured out where I know you from."
An odd expression formed on Libby's face. Hurley frowned for a moment, then followed her gaze to where Neil Frogurt sat, staring at Libby's hand in his, glaring at them. Must be that bothering her, Hurley thought.
"Should I, uh, say something?" he asked.
Libby shook her head. "Don't rise to it. Ignore him, let him see you're the better man," she whispered, deliberately leading Hurley away from him. "Hey, here comes Kate."
Hurley glanced in the direction Libby had indicated, called out "Hey, Kate!" before he'd noticed the expression on her face. Kate began to speak. Something had happened; it was Ana Lucia.
Without a word, Libby turned to Hurley with tears in her eyes.
Hurley took her in his arms, pulled her close.
Libby had been there for him when he'd been tempted by the food and taunted by Dave. Now it was his turn to be there for her.
Characters: Hurley, Libby, Frogurt, Kate.
Pairing: Hurley/Libby.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: AU. Spoilers for the mobisode "The Adventures of Hurley and Frogurt."
Summary: Written for the fix-it challenge over at lostsquee. Hurley remembers the blankets and gets to have his picnic with Libby.
"Hey!" Libby waved a hand in greeting to Hurley as he made his way up the beach towards her, smile rapidly replaced by a look of concern as she registered the expression on Hurley's face.
"What's the matter? Didn't Rose and Bernard have any wine after all?"
Hurley held out the bottle to Libby. "Oh, yeah, they had it. Bernard said I could have it, no problem. He was totally cool with it."
Hurley wondered why he felt the need to justify himself to Libby in this way. It had been her idea, after all. And it wasn't her who had made that crack about stealing, but Frogurt, the guy who'd made those other cracks about what a "real man" could do for Libby, and that if he, Hurley, didn't get anywhere with Libby today, it was "Neil time".
"Then what's the matter?" Libby asked. "Is this about before? Because it really doesn't matter, Hurley. So you couldn't remember the way to that beach of Sayid's. It's okay. I'm perfectly happy to have the picnic here."
Hurley looked at Libby's open, friendly face and wished he could believe her. She was probably only saying that to make him feel better about the fact that he'd screwed up. Forgetting the wine, then forgetting the way to the beach - all he'd got right was the food and the blankets, and if Sayid hadn't reminded him, he'd have forgotten the blankets too.
Hurley always screwed up with dates. The first time had been a girl called Samantha, in high school. That had been a picnic too. He'd planned the menu so carefully, but then had gone and included a cake containing nuts, which she was allergic to. She'd taken one bite and gone into anaphylactic shock. And then there had been that open-air concert with Starla, where it had rained and then they'd got a flat tyre on their way home. He bet nothing like that ever happened to Starla now she was with Johnny.
"Look, it's not that, okay?" Hurley burst out, considering then deciding he probably had nothing to lose after all. If the date carried on like this, it would end up being "Neil time" anyway.
"It's just...I ran into Neil over by Rose and Bernard's tent," he eventually admitted.
"Neil?" Libby asked, frowning. "Oh, the guy who makes the frozen yogurt, set up his tent over by Steve and Tracy? Bit of a chip on his shoulder?"
Hurley smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah, that dude. He - he kinda said some things."
"Some things like what?" Libby asked.
Hurley hesitated. "Actually, it doesn't matter." The whole thing was stupid, now that he thought about it. Okay, so Frogurt had acted like a jerk, but Hurley wasn't sure he'd really come off any better. He'd reacted to him, rather than just brushing the comment off. He should just try and ignore Frogurt, rather than let him screw up the rest of the date. Hurley had already done a good enough job of that himself, anyway.
"Hurley, it was obviously important enough to have upset you in the first place," Libby began. "And if it's bothering you, then I wish you'd just talk to me about it."
Hurley sighed. "It was the way he was talking about you. He kept saying I was holding up the line, I should back off and let a real man show me, and if I didn't get anywhere with you, it was gonna be his time..." He fell silent at the look of disgust on Libby's face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
Libby nodded slowly, silent for a while.
There, Hurley thought. The dude was right after all. Dave, too.
The words Dave had spoken to him a couple of days earlier flashed through his mind. Oh, right, right, right, Libby -- the mega cute blonde chick who magically appeared from the other side of the Island. Oh, oh, oh, yeah -- and who just happens to have the hots for you. Dave had been right after all. Hurley was kidding himself.
"I'm sorry," Hurley repeated at last. "I messed up. Guess I should - " He began to get to his feet.
But Libby reached out and took his hand. "No, Hurley. It wasn't you who messed up."
Hurley stared at her. "What?"
"The way he talked, about his time and holding up the line," Libby began, "that's something I actually find quite offensive. He talked about me as though I'm some kind of possession to fight over, not a person with feelings, with opinions. He's not stopping to consider me at all."
Slowly, still not quite allowing himself to believe what he was hearing, Hurley sat back down, slightly closer to Libby than before.
"I'm not interested in him at all," Libby continued. "I don't know Neil well, but the way he's always complaining isn't attractive to me. He talks about it being his time, but he hasn't ever really tried to get to know me. And he's just been rude to someone I happen to care a lot about. Does he really think I'm going to be impressed by that?"
Tentatively, Hurley smiled. "I guess not."
"But you," Libby went on, "well, you've gone to all this trouble to organise this picnic for me. You've gone to a lot of effort with me, with us, and it's obvious to me how loyal and caring you are with your friends, too. The whole camp loves you.
"I said to you that day at the cliff top that the way I feel about you is real, and I meant that, Hurley."
Slowly, Libby leaned in close, took Hurley's face in her hands and kissed him softly on the lips.
"Now," she smiled as they pulled apart, "did you say you had wine?"
As they walked back towards their camp, hand in hand, Hurley was still finding it hard to believe quite how well this afternoon had gone. For the first time in a long while, he began to feel that maybe his luck was changing, that he wasn't cursed after all.
"There's just one thing still bugging me," Hurley remarked.
Libby smiled. "What?"
"I still haven't figured out where I know you from."
An odd expression formed on Libby's face. Hurley frowned for a moment, then followed her gaze to where Neil Frogurt sat, staring at Libby's hand in his, glaring at them. Must be that bothering her, Hurley thought.
"Should I, uh, say something?" he asked.
Libby shook her head. "Don't rise to it. Ignore him, let him see you're the better man," she whispered, deliberately leading Hurley away from him. "Hey, here comes Kate."
Hurley glanced in the direction Libby had indicated, called out "Hey, Kate!" before he'd noticed the expression on her face. Kate began to speak. Something had happened; it was Ana Lucia.
Without a word, Libby turned to Hurley with tears in her eyes.
Hurley took her in his arms, pulled her close.
Libby had been there for him when he'd been tempted by the food and taunted by Dave. Now it was his turn to be there for her.