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hit me with your best shot ❢ meme continuations ❢ aus ❢ idek

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[endlesswar]

[He's here. The music is louder than he enjoys. And the beer in his hand is getting downed slowly. Nothing crazy. Just trying to appease the friends. Look. There he is. Though it's an exercise in futility. Going through the motions in everything but socializing. He can't do that yet. Just drinking and swaying a little bit. He misses the stares and is wholly oblivious.

Why did he agree to come? Oh. Friends. The ones that are trying to shove him toward girls sitting together.]

I'm okay. Nah. Let's leave them alone, okay?

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[ Eventually, Colleen gets dragged away by Danny and Karen can see Misty eyeing someone else in the bar and she nudges her to go dance. Telling her she doesn't need to babysit her, she's fine like this.

Misty relents after a lot of hesitation and Karen does her best to keep her eyes in her drink, sighing heavily when she hears one of her favorite songs come on. She sighs again and says to herself before taking a long shot from her drink. ]

Good fucking job, Page.

[endlesswar]

[Big songs always kind clear the bar as everyone gets to the dance floor. Frank stays put, another long pull from his beer as he contemplates going home. He turns, looking for his companions and then, of course, as fate would have it. He sees none other than Karen Page. Alone. Pretty as a picture. He stays fixed in place. Going over there is not going to lead anywhere he hasn't been. Still he has to wonder if one more night or one more conversation would make a difference.

Staying still and wondering never got anyone anything.]

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[ She finishes off her drink and orders another one by the time he comes over, pressing her chin and mouth into her hand as she leans heavily on the bartop.

She doesn't notice him until he's right beside her, too stuck in her own head (again). But her hand drops onto the bartop and she almost laughs. Both at her fucking luck and at his persistence. ]

...you don't give up, do you?

[endlesswar]

Hello to you too.

[He doesn't sit beside her, no. He leans on the bar with his own drink in his hand.]

Not like I followed you here or anything.

[With friends like her's she would know immediately.]

You're not enjoying the night.

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I don't usually come to places like this.

[ Not anymore. Her and her brother had wanted to when they were both in high school and wanting more freedom. Now, she was just here because her friends wanted to distract her and it was more to appease them. ]

[endlesswar]

[Seems like she might. At least the image of a more jovial Karen would. Seeing her like this, deflated, possibly defeated. Just doesn't seem right.]

D'you need someone to take you home? There are plenty of taxis at this hour.

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[ She shakes her head, jaw clenching slightly as she's willing herself to remain as aloof as possible. Her new drink is set in front of her and she picks it up almost immediately, ]

You don't have to worry about me, Frank.

[endlesswar]

Yeah. I know. I'm just reminding you that you don't have to be miserable.

[At least in this circumstance. He takes a drink.]

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[ She shakes her head again, smiling in a way that holds little actual amusement. ]

Pretty sure I'm destined for it at this point.

[ She takes another swallow from her glass. Maybe she's just meant to be miserable. Maybe it really had been her fault and she's just been running from it the whole time. ]

[endlesswar]

You? [Frank shakes his head.] I don't believe it. And neither should you.

[This is not how it should be for her. For him? Frank can't rightly say. She's got big ambition and principles.]

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You don't know me well enough to say that.

[ That and he shouldn't be trying to make her feel better when she's rejected him. ]

[endlesswar]

I've seen enough to know that you've got a drive. And while you might not believe it, I think you have a good heart.

[One that she's trying to protect. Frank can see that much. As much as it hurts.]

No games here. Go on home.

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Oh, so now you get to tell me what to do?

[ She's going to stay and drink until she can't feel any of that heart anymore, tyvm. ]

[endlesswar]

[He pushes off the bar like he's going to stand upright and walk away. No. Instead he just looks at her, really looks at her. The mood lighting makes strands of gold go blue, red and purple. Candlelight of a cozy Italian joint suits her better. Or sunlight through the trees.

Why are they like this?]

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[ She looks over at him when he doesn't just walk away and it unnerves her the way he just looks at her like that. She can feel that pressure building behind her eyes again.

Goddammit. ]

Why do you care?

[ Her voice breaks and she can only hope the music around them covered that up. ]

[endlesswar]

Just because we're not ever going to date doesn't mean you're not a human being to me anymore.

[Is that what she expects? Just to fade into the crowd gain and just be a nobody? Frank's brow furrows and he takes a glance around looking for Colleen or Misty in the throng.]

You can stay here if you want. Or I can make sure you get home okay and I'll fuck off.

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That doesn't answer my question.

[ He doesn't get to look at her like that and then try to blow off his reasoning on just treating her like a person. ]

[endlesswar]

Whether you meant to or not, you really got to me.

[Which isn't an all out frightening love confession which is about as intimidating as it can get when the other person is ready to turn tail. It's the truth. She picked him out and put him on the spot. Something like drop kicking his heart, smiling and laughing. Maybe because Frank's life is mostly empty and all he's got is the Corps to look forward to that it made this sudden connection with Karen more profound. Maybe he's got it twisted. But he's not the only one looking forlorn at a bar on a Friday night.]

[paged]

[ She looks at him for a long moment, silent and forgetting the club around them. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the days she's spent feeling like shit for doing what she kept telling herself was "right". Maybe it was both and the combination was just too much. His words may not have been a love confession but they hit her right in her heart. The realization of what she's done to him, trying so hard to protect herself that she didn't consider how it would hurt him, assumed it wouldn't. Guys are guys, after all.

But he keeps coming back, time and again.

The water blurs her vision, the blue of her eyes standing out more somehow. ]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you.

[ She has to look away as she can feel the tears wanting to push beyond her lids. (How much has she wished she could hear those words said to her?) ]

[endlesswar]

Karen.

[What to say? Frank leans in again. There's still a decent amount of space between them. He can't crowd her. He shouldn't touch her. He shouldn't even be trying to talk to her and they both know it. But here he is like he couldn't buy a clue.]

Don't apologize, okay? Whatever you're going through, whatever's going on you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Right? The fact that she looks away from him even when he's trying to help sure as hell feels like a final dismissal. Oh shit is that Misty?]

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[ She rubs at her eyes with one hand and reaches out to grab his shirt sleeve with the other. Misty is on her way back over but she hasn't seen Frank there, yet. Karen isn't aware of any of it. ]

...will you take me home?

[endlesswar]

Yeah. If that's what you want.

[His expression is soft and focused just on her. Misty has her date in tow and comes to a rough stop seeing Karen and her company. Whating what what?]

Say the word and we're out of here.

[Because he doesn't see Misty either or recognize that there's potential for a confrontation.]

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[ Karen nods at him and turns back to him to confirm, ]

Yeah. I want to go.

[ Misty steps forward as she's getting off the stool and, doesn't glare at Frank, just looks very concerned for her friend. She knows Karen's reasons for trying to break things off before they got started. She knows the things she's been through before coming to school here. It's easy to be protective of her friend. But Karen just gives her arm a squeeze and tells her she's heading back. Frank will make sure she gets there safe.

Reluctantly, Misty lets her go. The look she gives to Frank is as good as a verbal warning to do just that: take care of her friend. ]

[endlesswar]

[It's good that she has people in her corner. No matter what's going on. And Frank can read that gaze in Misty's eyes loud and clear. He waits until Karen is standing and lets her lead the way. No victory, no gloating. Just the right thing to do. The noise of the club is so loud that once they step out of the door and into the night his ears buzz a little. Just a car now and then and scattered conversation.

Once glance to make sure that Karen's not only here but still intent to keep going.]