On Repeat

Of all the things to do on the 4th of July, sleeping on the couch was probably the last thing Vic would want to do. That was the last thing anyone would want to do.

But Jenna wasn’t just anyone.

For her, that was apparently the first thing she wanted to do because when he had finished his shower and gotten dressed, he walked into the living room and found her sprawled across the couch. She’d obviously finished getting ready before him, as she was wearing one of his old tank tops and her favorite ripped denim shorts. On her feet were her Converse that were adorned with crude sharpie drawings courtesy of Vic along with his signature to brand his “masterpiece”. He didn’t know how she did it, but despite her laying there with one arm draped over her forehead and her mouth ajar while a bit of drool hung off the corner of her mouth, she still looked better than him.

Vic looked down at his watch and chuckled, shaking his head when he noticed that it was only three in the afternoon. They were supposed to meet up with Mike soon, but that wasn’t going to happen with Jenna currently taking the time to enjoy a nice nap. Maybe he should’ve expected that from dating a girl who was born on the opposite side of the world. Obviously she was still living by Australia’s timezone and it it looked like they were just going to have to meet with his brother later.

Except his brain decided to come up with another solution by giving him the great idea of waking her up in the most hilarious way. And yeah, he kind of also thought of this as payback to that one time she put a fake tattoo of a butterfly on his forehead while he was sleeping. It was kind of her fault for having her other hand dangling off the couch. That just opened up a great opportunity for him.

Though unlike him, Jenna wasn’t as heavy a sleeper, so he had to make sure he was very quiet on his way toward the kitchen. One thing about the floor of their house was that it creaked, which made walking through the living room feel like he was walking through a damn minefield. He also had to make sure he didn’t trip, especially with his clumsy ass.

Once Vic made it to the kitchen, he opened up the fridge to see if they actually were in possession of what he needed. He knew that Jenna went shopping a few days ago and she knew what they always got, so he was sure he’d find it. Eventually he found a new, unopened can of whipped cream sitting in the back of the fridge and he grinned widely when he grabbed it. Slowly, he pulled on the tab of the cap and managed to successfully twist it off. Unfortunately for him, because he was way too clumsy for his own good, the cap slipped out of his hands. If that wasn’t enough, when he tried to catch it, the entire can also slipped through his fingers and hit the floor with a loud clang.

His eyes widened and he frantically picked up both the cap and can. He then poked his head out into the living room to see if she heard it and let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw that she didn’t even budge. Her eyes were still closed and her hand was still dangling, so he didn’t fuck up. At least not yet.

He placed the cap on the counter and grabbed the feather duster from underneath the sink before heading back out to the living room, tip toeing all the way toward the couch. When he reached her and dropped to his knees, he tried his best to keep himself from laughing too loud as he sprayed whipped cream on her open hand. All that was left for him to do was use the feather duster to tickle her nose.

As soon as he did that, the hand that was covered in whipped cream immediately came up and smacked him right in the face. Vic was so surprised that he fell backwards, landing on his butt and gaping at her. It turned out that Jenna was wide awake and she was bursting out in laughter at the sight of the whipped cream smeared all over him.

Vic was still trying to process what just happened. “What...the...hell...?”

“You thought you were so clever,” Jenna said in between laughs. “Well, looks like you didn’t expect that, did you!”

Normally, he would’ve made some kind of comeback but he realized that he still had the can in his hand. So while she was having fun taunting him, he sprayed the whipped cream on his own hand and did the same thing she did to him—only difference was that he made sure he didn’t smack her as hard.

“Looks like you didn’t expect that!” he exclaimed.

However, that didn’t stop there and before he could let out a laugh, she retaliated by snatching the can from him and spraying it directly on his head. To prevent him from taking it back, she got off the couch and ran into the kitchen, prompting Vic to get up on his feet and chase after her. Even while running in circles, she still continued to spray him and the whipped cream flew all over the place. He managed to catch up to her and tickled her sides so that he could take the can away. This time he was the one spraying it everywhere while trying to get away, leaving the walls, floor, and counters splattered with whipped cream.

“You’re gonna get it, Vic!”

“Only if you catch me first!”

Jenna was right behind him, her arm stretched out in an attempt to grab his shirt. Just when she got a hold of his shirt, her foot slipped and she fell forward, making her collide with his back and sending them both to the floor. Vic was first, making a loud thud once he made contact with the ground and Jenna fell on top of him.

He broke her fall, so she cared more about Vic than herself at the moment. When she got off of him, he was still face down on the tiled floor and she heard a muffled groan as he tried to shift his body. She turned him over and gasped when it was revealed that he definitely suffered much worse than she did, as there was blood coming out of his nose and a small pool of the red liquid had formed on the part of the floor where he landed.

“Shit, you’re bleeding.” Jenna panicked. “Does it still hurt? Is it broken?”

Vic looked up at her and gave her a smirk, completely ignoring the fact that he was dazed and that his nose was covered in blood. “Broken? Nah, I’ve handled worse shit than this...”

“I’m serious.” She frowned. “You could be really hurt. Just stay here while I get the band-aids, okay?”

Minutes later after she brought out the first aid kit, they were sitting on the kitchen floor with their backs against the counter. She was right beside him, cleaning the blood off with a wet cloth as he sat there gazing at her. He had been saying over and over again that he was fine while she shook her head and muttered something about his indifference under her breath. Now this was something not many people did on Independence Day and Vic didn’t mind that. Sure, it resulted in them both looking like a mess and him getting hurt (not to mention the whole kitchen became some sort of sugary war zone), but days when he can be a total goofball with the girl he loved are when he was at his happiest.

His nose hurt like hell, but looking into those steel blue eyes while her delicate fingers gently ran along his cheek and tended to his injuries made it hurt a little less.

“Are you even listening?”

Vic pulled himself out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice, finding that he just earned himself an irritated look from her. “W-what?”

She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “I said that we should take you to the hospital. You took a hard fall there.”

“But I’m fine,” Vic assured her. He was honestly trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince her. “Come on, let’s be real here. This isn’t the worst accident you’ve seen me have.”

“True,” she mused, actually giving him a small smile. She then looked down at the both of them, their clothes stained and their hair sticky. She giggled and then finally wiped the remaining blood off. “Look at us. We’re such idiots.”

“How’d you know I was gonna prank you anyway?” he asked. “ I was so sure that you were asleep.”

“I was,” she said. “Only thing is it was kind of hard to stay asleep when you were making so much noise in the kitchen.”

“So I was my own downfall,” Vic joked. “Fuck, I should’ve known that’d wake you up.”

Jenna laughed and tucked his hair behind his ear before putting a hand on his cheek. “It was still funny and we both had fun.”

“I always have fun with you,” he admitted with a wide grin.

“And I never want it to end.”

She smiled back and leaned in to kiss him, only for Vic to wince and pull back when her nose lightly bumped against his. Both their smiles had disappeared when they knew that he wasn’t as okay as he said he was. They stood up and Jenna laced her fingers with his, guiding him out of the kitchen and down hall.

“Come on, we’re changing and then we’re taking you to the hospital,” she told him.

Vic didn’t object this time because she was right. He let her lead him as he stared at her in admiration while the words she said to him earlier replayed in his head. She always brought out the best in him and ever since he met her when he was doing an Isles and Glaciers show, Jenna made him feel like he really mattered. Her compassion and her love healed him in ways he didn’t think anybody could. This girl, this amazing girl managed to tear down his walls and get him to open up to her about all the pain he endured from insecurities and broken trust. There were things he was able to talk to her about that he couldn’t tell Jaime, Tony, or even Mike. It was her lips that kissed his scars and she was the catalyst for him to completely evolve into the idealistic person he’d always wanted to be. Funny thing was that he was that person all along and he just needed help seeing that.

Memories with her played like scenes in his head and as years went by, he continued to add more moments to play on repeat. It was a movie that never got old and a song that went on forever. Just like she said to him, he never wanted it to end.


“Dude, what the hell happened to you?”

The sun was gone by the time they met up with Mike and his girlfriend, Alysha. They knew they were going to be late, but their trip to the hospital took much longer than expected. Because 4th of July wasn’t exactly the safest of holidays, Vic wasn’t the only one with an amusing injury that day. Some of the patients that they met during their visit had some crazy stories that brought them there. One person apparently got into a fight that involved a pool and a porch chair, another person was at a club to watch a local band and took a stage dive at the wrong time, and who could forget that one guy who misused some fireworks? Compared to those people, Vic’s broken nose was like a scraped knee.

It already took long for them to be done, but then they had to head back home to clean up and the whipped cream hardening made it even more time consuming. That’s why they ended up heading downtown at around 8, where Mike and Alysha were waiting for them. As soon as his younger brother caught sight of them, Mike could only turn his attention toward the bandage covering Vic’s nose.

“Yeah, are you okay?” Alysha asked, sounding more concerned than Mike was.

“You’re looking at what happens when you try to outrun Jenna McDougall.” Vic chuckled as he put an arm around her. “If you haven’t guessed already, I failed.”

“It was an accident,” Jenna clarified. “The real lesson here is that you shouldn’t run on the hard tiled floor when there’s whipped cream on it.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know why whipped cream was involved?”

“Shut up.” Vic punched his brother’s arm. “She fell asleep and I was trying to prank her. Didn’t really go as planned, but it was still pretty funny. Anyway, my nose will be fine in a few weeks. Nothing major.”

“You came just in time,” said Alysha. “The fireworks are gonna start soon and Mike said he knows a good spot where we’ll be able to see everything without having to deal with too many people.”

The streets were starting to get crowded as more people arrived and gathered on the sidewalk. Realizing that they were in the way, Vic bent down so that Jenna could jump on his back. Once she did, he grabbed her legs and started walking while her arms slung over his shoulders, securely holding onto him. “Then we better head there now. Lead the way, bro.”

They all walked along the sidewalk and by that point it was filled with so many people that they couldn’t really move that fast. Mike held onto Alysha’s hand and looked over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure Vic and Jenna were still right behind him. When they reached a crosswalk, he told them that they only had to follow the crowd for a few more blocks and then they’d be able to go a different direction. After four blocks, they reached an intersection and went right. When they crossed, they kept going right until they were finally away from everyone. With less people around, it was going to be easier for them to get to their destination.

Still being carried by Vic, Jenna gave him a small kiss on his temple. “Hey, how’s your nose?”

“It’s fine now,” he replied. “Why?”

“I’m just checking,” she said. “I want to make sure you’re alright.”

Vic turned his head to look at her, though he kept walking. “My nose is fine. It’s been fine, Jenna. You were at the doctor’s when they told me it was only a minor fracture, so why do you sound so worried?”

“Well, because...I don’t know,” Jenna leaned forward to press herself against his back, tightening her hold so that she was practically hugging him. “I feel bad because I’m a little bit responsible for it.”

“You? Responsible for it? Oh, come on.” He scoffed. “The reason why I broke my nose in the first place was because I sprayed the whipped cream into your hand and tried to be slick. Even if you didn’t trip, I would’ve fallen regardless. It was an accident, so don’t think about it too much.”

“Okay, then I won’t. But I still want to make it up to you later.”

“You can make it up to me by enjoying yourself for the rest of the night. We’re watching explosions in the sky, remember?”

“Can you guys walk a little faster? We’re here.”

Both Jenna and Vic took a moment to register where they were and realized they were far behind. Mike and Alysha were standing outside the doors of what appeared to be an apartment complex, waiting for them to catch up. Turned out that Mike had a friend who lived there and the rooftop of the building had a nice view where they could all stare up at the fireworks without having to deal with people bumping into them or getting in the way.

By the time they were on the rooftop, the fireworks had started and surprisingly no other buildings were blocking their view. Mike had stated how perfect the spot was and he turned out to be right. Bursts of color filled the sky and they all stood near the ledge of the building, watching them in awe as each firework left beautiful trails of light that decorated the scene before them. Vic took a moment to watch Jenna as she pointed at the ones that caught her attention and he smiled at seeing how bright her eyes were when she saw all the different movements the fireworks made. Some were shooting straight up, others shattered into sparks, and there were even few that spiraled.

He admitted, the whole thing was thrilling and impressive, but nothing quite got him like that captivating look of wonder in her eyes.

She looked back at him and tilted her head when she saw him standing a few feet away from her, hands in his pockets while that smirk was on his face.

“What’s with you?” Jenna asked.

“Nothing.” Vic shrugged. “Just enjoying what’s in front of me right now.”

Jenna walked over to where he was and wrapped her arms around him. Holding him close, she put her head against his chest and sighed. “You’re so cute when you’re cheesy.”

He chuckled and hugged her back, resting his chin on the top of her head as the fireworks went on. Still, as content as everyone seemed, he couldn’t help but feel like the atmosphere was lacking something.

That’s when an idea came to mind. “You know what song would be perfect right now?”

“Why do I have a feeling I know what it is?” She pulled away and her eyes narrowed at the wide grin he was giving her. She shook her head. “No. I know that look. You’re gonna do it, aren’t you?”

In response, Vic got down on one knee and held one of her hands. Then he took a deep breath and sang, “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?”

She laughed and covered her face with her other hand. “I knew it! Vic, please don’t do this to me right now, I’m already laughing.”

He just kept going, skipping a couple of lines from the song but he didn’t care. “You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine...”

“Please stop.”

“Just own the night like the 4th of July!”

What really killed her was not just him singing Katy Perry, but that instead of singing it terribly off key, he was actually singing it really well. In fact, he was probably singing it better than Katy herself and Jenna couldn’t stop laughing. By this point, his brother and Alysha had turned around to see what was going on and they gave Jenna extremely puzzled looks, hoping for an explanation but she honestly didn’t have one to give. All she could do was hide her face because her cheeks were flushed red from secondhand embarrassment. At least part of her assumed it was embarrassment but she knew it really wasn’t. No matter how ridiculous he looked or how dumb the song was, there was something about Vic kneeling down and serenading her that always made her weak.

Her stomach was starting to hurt from giggling so much, but he wasn’t done yet. That’s when he stood up, spread out his arms and hit the chorus.

“‘Cause baby, you’re a firework
Come on, show ‘em what you’re worth”

Then without hesitation, Jenna joined in and they were both making hilariously over-the-top gestures while surprisingly having great harmonization. Mike was just shaking his head in an attempt to hide his laughter while Alysha was clapping along. As soon as they finished the rest of the chorus, they bowed and Jenna hugged Vic again, burying her face into his chest.

He kissed the top of her head and she reciprocated by standing on the tip of her toes to give him a kiss of her own. She made sure that she didn’t bump into his nose this time and finally their lips met. His hands ran moved up so that he could hold the sides of her face and when they pulled away it was his turn to blush.

“Happy America Day, you weirdo,” she whispered and he kissed her again.

“I know I’m a weirdo, but so are you,” he said. “I love you, weirdo.”

“Love you, too.”

It was a weird day; that was one way to describe it. But as weird as it was, it was also a day they could look back on and picture clearly. Even years later, they knew they’d still crack up at the thought of Vic’s faceplant or Jenna getting sprayed with whipped cream or their small performance of “Firework” by Katy Perry because they were all memories that they shared. Memories that showed just how much they meant to each other and reminded them that the world didn’t suck so much as long as they were together.

Like the rest of their memories, this was a day that was always going to play on repeat.