fickle_obsessed (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fickle_obsessed) wrote2023-06-06 08:32 pm
fickle_obsessed) wrote2023-06-06 08:32 pm
(no subject)
She’d known him since High School, neither of them had exactly fitted in, it was just that she’d tended to keep her head down, ignore all the jibes and laughter and people calling her emo like it was an insult, she’d never minded that much, apart from the fact she was goth, but she knew better than to try and correct or educate them, their teachers had enough trouble doing that. Dom on the other hand had always got in trouble, unable to keep still or concentrate and always ending up getting sent out for being a disruption,
She’d always thought he was cool, and the fact he didn’t give a fuck about what people thought of him was inspiring really, she’d just never really had the guts to say anything.
She hadn’t seen him in a couple years - she’d gone onto college and he’d not. She kept an eye out for him around town, on the bus she got to college but she’d never seen him again, until she moved to Sheffield for Uni, not really worth it as her parents had pointed out but she wasn’t going to get the full Uni experience living at home and going in every morning. She’d been there a couple of weeks when she saw him again, in Corporation, the city’s rock club it was the first time she’d been since it was pretty expensive to get back to Doncaster from there. He looked different - before he’d been cute, and kind of obnoxious at times, now he was just hot, standing at the bar in his PVC skirt and Cramps top waiting to get served. She waited a couple of minutes, not sure if she actually had the guts to speak to him finally but then she walked over, standing next to him for a bit before she finally spoke.
“You’re Dom, right?” she asked, although she already knew it was him. “You probably don’t remember-”
“Charlotte! Fuck I such a crush on ya at school,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a hug.
She felt herself blushing as she hugged him back, just a bit awkwardly. “Seriously?” she asked when he finally let go because the bartender had shown up.
“Fuck yeah, wait, let me get ya a drink and we can talk, right?” he asked. “What ya havin’?”
“Vodka and diet coke.”
“Can I make it a double? Not tryna get ya drunk or anythin’,”
“Wouldn’t ask for one, but yeah, that’s what I’m actually drinking, thanks.”
As the guy behind the bar went to make their drinks he turned his attention to her again, the grin stuck on his face. “Fuck, you better than I remember,” he admitted, biting her lip.
“Yeah, yeah, you too,” she said. “And grown up, right? I mean…I always thought you were so fucking cool, proper handful like but….yeah.”
Dom was about to say something when the bartender came back with the drinks.
“You wanna go upstairs where it’s a bit quieter?” he asked.
Charlotte nodded.
“Brilliant, cos I definitely wanna hear more ‘bout ya thinkin; I was cool cos I had no idea, thought you thought I were a poser.”
The Learning Resource Centre stayed open til 8pm but Dom had never seen anyone in any later than 5. He’d started coming in to write his essays since it was easier to concentrate without the sounds of his parents arguing. Usually it was just him and the librarian downstairs who never seemed to pay attention to him until it was time for her to lock up.
Today though he heard the door downstairs open, followed by the sound of footsteps running up the stairs to the computers.
“Fuck,” she muttered, breathless as she paused at the top, rooting about in her back before she grabbed a computer, looking more than a little stressed.
“You alright?” he asked from a few computers away.
She jumped, clearly unaware she wasn’t alone.
“Shit, sorry,” he said, “Didn’t mean to scare ya.”
She shook her head. “Didn’t know anyone even used this place,” she admitted. “I mean I never have, until now, obviously.”
“Obviously,” he agreed. “So…what brings up here?”
“My laptop suddenly decided not to turn on and I’m got an essay to hand in tomorrow, so…here I am.”
“Ya wright ya essays the night before?” he asked, clearly surprised. “Always thought you were one of those people that got on with it the second it was assigned.”
She laughed at that. “I wish, not entirely left it til the night before, but….yeah not exactly finished,” she explained, frowning as she glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen - 19:02. “Fuck,” she hissed, “got less than an hour to finish it..” She shook her head and closed her eyes taking a deep breath. “Stop distracting me!” she told him.
Dom raised his hands in protest. “Soz,” he said. “I’ll just shut up, cos I’m working on the same essay and I’d put money on you be way ahead of me.”
“You know strictly speaking we should be enemies,” Charlotte said, raising her head from its position on his chest.
“Go on,” Dom replied, sure she was going somewhere with this, but not really sure where.
“I mean we’re dating over county lines - Yorkshire and Lancashire? Pretty sure that’s how the War of the Roses started!”
Dom tilted his head and raised his eyebrow at her. “Did ya do well in History?” he inquired. “Cos I’m not sure that’s right.”
“Not really,” she conceded. “Most of my historical knowledge comes from Horrible Histories.”
“And that said the War of the Roses was caused by some girl from Manchester shaggin’ a bloke from Donnie, did it?”
“Don’t remember them covering it actually,” she admitted. “But y’know even if that’s not how it happened we’re still enemies, it’s just the divide.”
Dom rolled his eyes at her. “This you tryna make us more exciting? Does it do summat for ya? Knowing ya fucking someone ya shouldn’t be?”
“Maybe,” she laughed.
“Like a fucking emo Romeo and Juliet?”
“Think they were pretty emo to start with,” she pointed out.
Dom had started making a habit of staying at Charlotte’s student accommodation, mostly because it was easier than having to get back to Doncaster after a night out. This was one of those nights, or one of those mornings - 3.30am when they finally stumbled back to her room, holding hands,, snogging desperately as soon as the door was closed behind them, just in case the last four hours of doing the same wasn’t quite cutting it, which is wasn’t.
They were both drunk, somehow finding enough gaps in between getting off with each other to finish more than a few doubles. She let go of him to turn on the lamp by her bed, bright enough to see him properly, but not so bright it would hurt their eyes.
He grinned widely as she went back over to him, arms wrapping around her and lifting her off the floor. She wrapped both her arms and legs around him and smiled down at him, one hand sliding into his hair.
“Love this,” she told him. “You here, waking up next to you.” She leaned in, kissed him gently. “Next year, you wanna look for somewhere together?” she asked.
HIs smile grew, threatening to split his face in half. “Seriously? Ya wouldn’t get fed up of me?”
“Doubt it,” she told him. “I love you, kind hate not waking up with you.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, looking up at her, his grin changed into something else, something more serious. “Love you too, just remind me again tomorrow, yeah? Wanna make sure I remember.”
Year 7 - Charlotte was nervous about so many new kids from different schools. She’d always been quiet, disappeared into the background but she’d never been bullied. She was terrified that would change.
On her first day she met him - Dom Harrison, a wild, loud, obniious boy who never sat still and always talked back. She kind of hated him.
Year 8 - They had almost every class together, Charlotte sat at the back and kept her head down and counted down the seconds until the bellrang. Dom was forced to sit at the front of class so the teachers could keep an eye on him. He got detention at least once a week.
Year 9 - When they came back from the summer holidays they were both different. Charlotte’s cousin had leant her a tape of The Cure and everything suddenly felt like it made sense. On No Uniform day Dom wore a Korn T-Shirt . They were still on opposite ends of the classroom, but she was starting to look at him more, and not just to glare and wish he’d shut up.
Year 10 - She doesn’t want to go to the school dance, the music’ll be crap and she won’t in and she’ll end up sitting on her own all night wishing she was at home in her bedroom.
But she does - because her mum thinks it’ll be good for her. She wears all black and spends mosr of the time in the toilets trying to avoid all the other girl’s taking the piss out of her. When she finally does come out Dom’s in the corridor looking shifty, but he asks her if she’s okay, tells her he hates it here too, then he opens his jacket and shows her the flash in the inner pocket, asks if she wants some, and even though she has no idea what it is she says yes.
The night gets more bearably after that.
Year 11 - She doesn’t care what people think of her anymore, she gets made to wipe her eyeliner off most mornings and everyone sings the Addams Family themetune to her when she walks past. Dom’s a bit quieter now, maybe cos he’s always stoned, but sometimes he only sits a couple of rows away from her, and then it starts getting harder to concentrate.
Year 11a -He’s wearing black nail varnish, everyone’s taking the piss, teachers included and she can see him trying not to scream or cry and storm out. He strides past her desk, face like thunder, tears in his eyes.
“I think you look cool,” she says. And he smiles.
Collage 1st Year - On her first day her eyes scour the place for him - the common room, the cafeteria, the smoking area. He’s not here. She should’ve known better than to expect him to be, he never really seemed to get on with formal education.
College 2nd Year - She’s too young to get into the club but she chances it anyway, big boots, black lips, eyeliner wing so sharp it could cut someone. She smiles at the security guy, doesn’t comment when he stares at her tits and she’s in.
She spots him instantly, heart pounding at the mere sight of him after so long. And he looks so much happier, so much more comfortable in this skin. She heads over, taps him on the shoulder and when he sees her he grins, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the ground.
“Fuckin’ ‘ell, never thought I’d see you again. Thought I’d missed my chance!”
“What chance?”
“Already remembered what ya - ‘bout me nails,. Made me think maybe I was the right track, if you liked it.” He dips his head, almost bashful. “Wish I’d asked you out.”
“Maybe now’s your chance.”
The taxi queue outside the club was massive, people starting to get rowdy and annoyed as people pushed in and tried to steal prebooked cabs. Dom and Charlotte were keeping well out of it, a bit further up the road to avoid the mayhem, Dom was smoking like a man starved of nicotine, which wasn’t far off the truth, it had been four hours after all. By now he’d normally have been half way down his pack but he’d bumped into her and suddenly it was kicking out time.
She shivered beside him, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked up the road, then back to a club’s worth of people all waiting to get picked up.
“Din’t bring a coat?” Dom asked casually, watching her through a haze of smoke.
“Northern,” she pointed out. “Shouldn’t need a coat, plus that’s two quid wasted on the cloakroom, and another queue to get in!”
Dom nodded. “Makes sense, yeah,” she agreed, watching as she shivered again, not sure if she was putting it on or not.
“”You want me hoodie?” he asked after about a minute.
She didn’t answer right away and Dom laughed. “You tryna work out how to turn it down in a way that’ll make me insist?”
“Maybe,” she conceded, trying not to smile.
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he pulled off his hoodie, his t-shirt riding up with it. “”Go on,” he said, handing it over. “And never let it said I’m not a gentleman.”
“Fuck, I hope not, doesn’t seem much point bringing you home if that’s the case.”
Dom laughed again. “Gentleman where it matters? Slut where it doesn’t?”
“Yeah, yeah that works,” she grinned, stepping closer, stealing the cigarette from his hand so she could kiss him. “Shame there’s such a long wait, really.”
“Could start walking?” he offered with a grin.
She’d always thought he was cool, and the fact he didn’t give a fuck about what people thought of him was inspiring really, she’d just never really had the guts to say anything.
She hadn’t seen him in a couple years - she’d gone onto college and he’d not. She kept an eye out for him around town, on the bus she got to college but she’d never seen him again, until she moved to Sheffield for Uni, not really worth it as her parents had pointed out but she wasn’t going to get the full Uni experience living at home and going in every morning. She’d been there a couple of weeks when she saw him again, in Corporation, the city’s rock club it was the first time she’d been since it was pretty expensive to get back to Doncaster from there. He looked different - before he’d been cute, and kind of obnoxious at times, now he was just hot, standing at the bar in his PVC skirt and Cramps top waiting to get served. She waited a couple of minutes, not sure if she actually had the guts to speak to him finally but then she walked over, standing next to him for a bit before she finally spoke.
“You’re Dom, right?” she asked, although she already knew it was him. “You probably don’t remember-”
“Charlotte! Fuck I such a crush on ya at school,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a hug.
She felt herself blushing as she hugged him back, just a bit awkwardly. “Seriously?” she asked when he finally let go because the bartender had shown up.
“Fuck yeah, wait, let me get ya a drink and we can talk, right?” he asked. “What ya havin’?”
“Vodka and diet coke.”
“Can I make it a double? Not tryna get ya drunk or anythin’,”
“Wouldn’t ask for one, but yeah, that’s what I’m actually drinking, thanks.”
As the guy behind the bar went to make their drinks he turned his attention to her again, the grin stuck on his face. “Fuck, you better than I remember,” he admitted, biting her lip.
“Yeah, yeah, you too,” she said. “And grown up, right? I mean…I always thought you were so fucking cool, proper handful like but….yeah.”
Dom was about to say something when the bartender came back with the drinks.
“You wanna go upstairs where it’s a bit quieter?” he asked.
Charlotte nodded.
“Brilliant, cos I definitely wanna hear more ‘bout ya thinkin; I was cool cos I had no idea, thought you thought I were a poser.”
The Learning Resource Centre stayed open til 8pm but Dom had never seen anyone in any later than 5. He’d started coming in to write his essays since it was easier to concentrate without the sounds of his parents arguing. Usually it was just him and the librarian downstairs who never seemed to pay attention to him until it was time for her to lock up.
Today though he heard the door downstairs open, followed by the sound of footsteps running up the stairs to the computers.
“Fuck,” she muttered, breathless as she paused at the top, rooting about in her back before she grabbed a computer, looking more than a little stressed.
“You alright?” he asked from a few computers away.
She jumped, clearly unaware she wasn’t alone.
“Shit, sorry,” he said, “Didn’t mean to scare ya.”
She shook her head. “Didn’t know anyone even used this place,” she admitted. “I mean I never have, until now, obviously.”
“Obviously,” he agreed. “So…what brings up here?”
“My laptop suddenly decided not to turn on and I’m got an essay to hand in tomorrow, so…here I am.”
“Ya wright ya essays the night before?” he asked, clearly surprised. “Always thought you were one of those people that got on with it the second it was assigned.”
She laughed at that. “I wish, not entirely left it til the night before, but….yeah not exactly finished,” she explained, frowning as she glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen - 19:02. “Fuck,” she hissed, “got less than an hour to finish it..” She shook her head and closed her eyes taking a deep breath. “Stop distracting me!” she told him.
Dom raised his hands in protest. “Soz,” he said. “I’ll just shut up, cos I’m working on the same essay and I’d put money on you be way ahead of me.”
“You know strictly speaking we should be enemies,” Charlotte said, raising her head from its position on his chest.
“Go on,” Dom replied, sure she was going somewhere with this, but not really sure where.
“I mean we’re dating over county lines - Yorkshire and Lancashire? Pretty sure that’s how the War of the Roses started!”
Dom tilted his head and raised his eyebrow at her. “Did ya do well in History?” he inquired. “Cos I’m not sure that’s right.”
“Not really,” she conceded. “Most of my historical knowledge comes from Horrible Histories.”
“And that said the War of the Roses was caused by some girl from Manchester shaggin’ a bloke from Donnie, did it?”
“Don’t remember them covering it actually,” she admitted. “But y’know even if that’s not how it happened we’re still enemies, it’s just the divide.”
Dom rolled his eyes at her. “This you tryna make us more exciting? Does it do summat for ya? Knowing ya fucking someone ya shouldn’t be?”
“Maybe,” she laughed.
“Like a fucking emo Romeo and Juliet?”
“Think they were pretty emo to start with,” she pointed out.
Dom had started making a habit of staying at Charlotte’s student accommodation, mostly because it was easier than having to get back to Doncaster after a night out. This was one of those nights, or one of those mornings - 3.30am when they finally stumbled back to her room, holding hands,, snogging desperately as soon as the door was closed behind them, just in case the last four hours of doing the same wasn’t quite cutting it, which is wasn’t.
They were both drunk, somehow finding enough gaps in between getting off with each other to finish more than a few doubles. She let go of him to turn on the lamp by her bed, bright enough to see him properly, but not so bright it would hurt their eyes.
He grinned widely as she went back over to him, arms wrapping around her and lifting her off the floor. She wrapped both her arms and legs around him and smiled down at him, one hand sliding into his hair.
“Love this,” she told him. “You here, waking up next to you.” She leaned in, kissed him gently. “Next year, you wanna look for somewhere together?” she asked.
HIs smile grew, threatening to split his face in half. “Seriously? Ya wouldn’t get fed up of me?”
“Doubt it,” she told him. “I love you, kind hate not waking up with you.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, looking up at her, his grin changed into something else, something more serious. “Love you too, just remind me again tomorrow, yeah? Wanna make sure I remember.”
Year 7 - Charlotte was nervous about so many new kids from different schools. She’d always been quiet, disappeared into the background but she’d never been bullied. She was terrified that would change.
On her first day she met him - Dom Harrison, a wild, loud, obniious boy who never sat still and always talked back. She kind of hated him.
Year 8 - They had almost every class together, Charlotte sat at the back and kept her head down and counted down the seconds until the bellrang. Dom was forced to sit at the front of class so the teachers could keep an eye on him. He got detention at least once a week.
Year 9 - When they came back from the summer holidays they were both different. Charlotte’s cousin had leant her a tape of The Cure and everything suddenly felt like it made sense. On No Uniform day Dom wore a Korn T-Shirt . They were still on opposite ends of the classroom, but she was starting to look at him more, and not just to glare and wish he’d shut up.
Year 10 - She doesn’t want to go to the school dance, the music’ll be crap and she won’t in and she’ll end up sitting on her own all night wishing she was at home in her bedroom.
But she does - because her mum thinks it’ll be good for her. She wears all black and spends mosr of the time in the toilets trying to avoid all the other girl’s taking the piss out of her. When she finally does come out Dom’s in the corridor looking shifty, but he asks her if she’s okay, tells her he hates it here too, then he opens his jacket and shows her the flash in the inner pocket, asks if she wants some, and even though she has no idea what it is she says yes.
The night gets more bearably after that.
Year 11 - She doesn’t care what people think of her anymore, she gets made to wipe her eyeliner off most mornings and everyone sings the Addams Family themetune to her when she walks past. Dom’s a bit quieter now, maybe cos he’s always stoned, but sometimes he only sits a couple of rows away from her, and then it starts getting harder to concentrate.
Year 11a -He’s wearing black nail varnish, everyone’s taking the piss, teachers included and she can see him trying not to scream or cry and storm out. He strides past her desk, face like thunder, tears in his eyes.
“I think you look cool,” she says. And he smiles.
Collage 1st Year - On her first day her eyes scour the place for him - the common room, the cafeteria, the smoking area. He’s not here. She should’ve known better than to expect him to be, he never really seemed to get on with formal education.
College 2nd Year - She’s too young to get into the club but she chances it anyway, big boots, black lips, eyeliner wing so sharp it could cut someone. She smiles at the security guy, doesn’t comment when he stares at her tits and she’s in.
She spots him instantly, heart pounding at the mere sight of him after so long. And he looks so much happier, so much more comfortable in this skin. She heads over, taps him on the shoulder and when he sees her he grins, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the ground.
“Fuckin’ ‘ell, never thought I’d see you again. Thought I’d missed my chance!”
“What chance?”
“Already remembered what ya - ‘bout me nails,. Made me think maybe I was the right track, if you liked it.” He dips his head, almost bashful. “Wish I’d asked you out.”
“Maybe now’s your chance.”
The taxi queue outside the club was massive, people starting to get rowdy and annoyed as people pushed in and tried to steal prebooked cabs. Dom and Charlotte were keeping well out of it, a bit further up the road to avoid the mayhem, Dom was smoking like a man starved of nicotine, which wasn’t far off the truth, it had been four hours after all. By now he’d normally have been half way down his pack but he’d bumped into her and suddenly it was kicking out time.
She shivered beside him, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked up the road, then back to a club’s worth of people all waiting to get picked up.
“Din’t bring a coat?” Dom asked casually, watching her through a haze of smoke.
“Northern,” she pointed out. “Shouldn’t need a coat, plus that’s two quid wasted on the cloakroom, and another queue to get in!”
Dom nodded. “Makes sense, yeah,” she agreed, watching as she shivered again, not sure if she was putting it on or not.
“”You want me hoodie?” he asked after about a minute.
She didn’t answer right away and Dom laughed. “You tryna work out how to turn it down in a way that’ll make me insist?”
“Maybe,” she conceded, trying not to smile.
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he pulled off his hoodie, his t-shirt riding up with it. “”Go on,” he said, handing it over. “And never let it said I’m not a gentleman.”
“Fuck, I hope not, doesn’t seem much point bringing you home if that’s the case.”
Dom laughed again. “Gentleman where it matters? Slut where it doesn’t?”
“Yeah, yeah that works,” she grinned, stepping closer, stealing the cigarette from his hand so she could kiss him. “Shame there’s such a long wait, really.”
“Could start walking?” he offered with a grin.