Status: A random one shot that could possibly turn into more, depending on feedback.
Gone
(untitled)
Chapter 2
Chapter Text
He had wanted it to work, he really did. Yet, despite the desperate late night calls and failed attempts at normalcy, it just wasn’t meant to be. Sidney could not find the passion behind the relationship, nor did he particularly feel that much would come of it. Sure, he was attracted. He would have been stupid not to find her extremely attractive, and his friends made this very clear the night they first met. A few drinks in and getting tired of the pointless conversation around him, he approached her at the bar. It was as much for him as it was to shut up his goading friends making snide remarks from the table. Sidney did not think like most of the people around him. He didn’t mind being single, he didn’t mind hanging out with his team mates’ kids when they tugged on his shirt and asked for a piggyback ride. His scene was not that dingy dive bar and cheap alcohol. Did he regret his valiant efforts? No, not really. She was nice and sweet, obviously recognizing him quickly but polite enough to pretend while he flirted very, very badly. Her name was Dara. 24, in school for liberal arts with no specific career nailed down yet. He was charmed by her honesty, which was something he was not used to when it came to dating. Most women tried to bulk up their lives in order to seem more interesting. She was carefree and had no problem making fun of herself. Sidney figured it could be worthwhile to pursue. Besides, what did he have to lose?
Oh. Right. Him. He could have lost him. But, what did they have? How could something nonexistent be threatened? His excuses were enough to pacify anyone who asked about “that cute girl” he was seeing. Schedules conflicting, long distance, he didn’t have the time - the list went on. There was no one to call him out on his reasoning because it all made perfect sense. Deep down, Sidney knew there the true reason, and it scared the hell out of him. Perhaps the worst part of this entire fucked up situation was the looming fact that he had absolutely no one to confide in. There were a few times when, in a moment of weakness, he nearly confessed to his sister. Eventually Sidney learned that this was far too delicate and he could not trust anyone else with the burden of knowledge. It was a harsh reality. There was no one who could understand the pure freedom he had felt being with Claude. He was utterly and completely alone. The pain always hit late at night, when he was wide awake in bed and reminded of just how horribly unrealistic he was being. Claude had made it very clear that there was nothing else left. Sidney was far too stubborn, of course. Stubborn and slowly dipping down into a dark hole that he never experienced before. One night, he finally caved. The agonizing loneliness gripped him so hard he couldn’t breathe. One text message wouldn’t hurt. And if Claude got angry with him, oh well. Deep in his heart, Sidney knew – he knew it had to be done.
"Can I please see you?"
If only he also knew that Claude was in bed that very same moment, staring at his phone and having an argument with himself over a very similar text message. His fingers hovered over the screen, a new message already opened and various words typed and then promptly deleted. What a shock it was when suddenly a message popped up, as if the person on the other end was reading his mind. Should he reply immediately? Should he wait and not look too desperate? Fuck it.
“When and where.”
Chapter Text
He had wanted it to work, he really did. Yet, despite the desperate late night calls and failed attempts at normalcy, it just wasn’t meant to be. Sidney could not find the passion behind the relationship, nor did he particularly feel that much would come of it. Sure, he was attracted. He would have been stupid not to find her extremely attractive, and his friends made this very clear the night they first met. A few drinks in and getting tired of the pointless conversation around him, he approached her at the bar. It was as much for him as it was to shut up his goading friends making snide remarks from the table. Sidney did not think like most of the people around him. He didn’t mind being single, he didn’t mind hanging out with his team mates’ kids when they tugged on his shirt and asked for a piggyback ride. His scene was not that dingy dive bar and cheap alcohol. Did he regret his valiant efforts? No, not really. She was nice and sweet, obviously recognizing him quickly but polite enough to pretend while he flirted very, very badly. Her name was Dara. 24, in school for liberal arts with no specific career nailed down yet. He was charmed by her honesty, which was something he was not used to when it came to dating. Most women tried to bulk up their lives in order to seem more interesting. She was carefree and had no problem making fun of herself. Sidney figured it could be worthwhile to pursue. Besides, what did he have to lose?
Oh. Right. Him. He could have lost him. But, what did they have? How could something nonexistent be threatened? His excuses were enough to pacify anyone who asked about “that cute girl” he was seeing. Schedules conflicting, long distance, he didn’t have the time - the list went on. There was no one to call him out on his reasoning because it all made perfect sense. Deep down, Sidney knew there the true reason, and it scared the hell out of him. Perhaps the worst part of this entire fucked up situation was the looming fact that he had absolutely no one to confide in. There were a few times when, in a moment of weakness, he nearly confessed to his sister. Eventually Sidney learned that this was far too delicate and he could not trust anyone else with the burden of knowledge. It was a harsh reality. There was no one who could understand the pure freedom he had felt being with Claude. He was utterly and completely alone. The pain always hit late at night, when he was wide awake in bed and reminded of just how horribly unrealistic he was being. Claude had made it very clear that there was nothing else left. Sidney was far too stubborn, of course. Stubborn and slowly dipping down into a dark hole that he never experienced before. One night, he finally caved. The agonizing loneliness gripped him so hard he couldn’t breathe. One text message wouldn’t hurt. And if Claude got angry with him, oh well. Deep in his heart, Sidney knew – he knew it had to be done.
"Can I please see you?"
If only he also knew that Claude was in bed that very same moment, staring at his phone and having an argument with himself over a very similar text message. His fingers hovered over the screen, a new message already opened and various words typed and then promptly deleted. What a shock it was when suddenly a message popped up, as if the person on the other end was reading his mind. Should he reply immediately? Should he wait and not look too desperate? Fuck it.
“When and where.”