Want To Believe •

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

A week in Nebraska did not help Gabe in the way he hoped. In the moment after he walked through the door and surprised his parents his mom took one look at him and simply asked; “What’s her name?” She knew of but had never met Fallon and Gabe could never bring himself to lie to his mom. He told her as much as he could without crossing a parent/child line and she supported his decision for a break from New York City and Gabe successfully managed to distract her from the matter of his love life for the rest of the week by handing her his paper to look over and asking her for help with further research. He didn’t want to talk about it with him mom or anyone else. He was hoping the ranch and helping his dad around the surgery would help him get his emotions in check and allow him to compartmentalise everything that had happened, but it was all in vain. At the end of the week when he boarded the plane destined for New York he still felt the same gut wrenching heartbreak as when he had landed in Lincoln.

He couldn’t put off returning to the library any longer and after one more day of hiding out at the apartment and faking contentment to Myles, Gabe packed his bag like always and walked the eight blocks to the campus. His stomach was tying itself in knots at the thought of being back in the same building as Fallon and for the first time ever he didn’t think that he could pull this off as easily as he wanted to. He hadn’t spoken to her since the morning before he left for Lincoln, but that had been part of his plan. It seemed weird not communicating with her for that long a time, but he also needed that break, especially considering that Fallon hadn’t left his thoughts once when he was home. No matter how hard he tried, that night and that memory of her body against his haunted him like his own personal Jacob Marley, chains and all.

In the library, he occupied his usual corner and pulled his laptop and books from his bag, setting himself up like he did most mornings for another long day of research and writing. Usually, his PhD work was the one thing that could distract him from everything else in his life, but today it was not the case. He tried to read the books, he tried to copy the relevant articles but his mind was just fixated on the sole fact that Fallon was only a few corridors away, probably acting as though the night they had spent together never happened. The exciting myths he knew inside out and backwards were not enough to distract him from the blonde professor who would soon be calling on him for lunch or something. Gabe couldn’t face up to this like nothing was wrong. His feelings were too strong, too overwhelming this time for him to believe that everything would be okay again between them.

Sitting there his frustration only grew. He kept running his fingers through his shaggy hair, taking his glasses on and off, flicking his phone open and shut…anything to try and keep his mind off of everything. Eventually, he snapped, shoving the books from his desk and propping his head in his hands, raking fingers through his hair until eventually he just couldn’t take anymore. Before the librarian could come over and try to lecture him, Gabriel gathered his things together, threw it all down on the desk again and stormed from the library towards the offices of those who taught at NYU. After the receptionist recognised the geek, she was quick to hand over a copy of Fallon’s schedule and Gabe, without thinking, took off towards the lecture hall she was assigned to be in right now. If his logic stood a chance against his unstoppable feelings for the petite blonde, then Gabe would have realised just how terrible this idea was to act upon. However, he wasn’t thinking like that now and all he wanted was answers for everything between them. He needed to know what had happened and what was happening if he stood a single chance of getting over her and that night. Without pausing outside the door, Gabe walked right on into the lecture hall and waited for Fallon to turn around before loudly and regrettably opening his mouth. “Why did we sleep together last week?”

[/color] He demanded, not thinking about the college students who were obviously in the room with them.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 812
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

Alright, she knew it was bad when her students were asking what was up with her. She was always dressed nice, very professional. She hardly ever let anything show while she was up in front of the class. And yet this last week of classes, she'd put on slides, movies and only asked for a rather quick and easy analysis of them. She didn't even put that much care into her wardrobe the last week, today proving as much with her shorts and flats. But she was determined today to do something, say something and get out of this funk. Gabe had to be back in town, though she didn't know for sure since she hadn't heard hide or hair from him since that morning. Not that she really wanted to see him so soon. Like him, she needed some time away to get everything into perspective. It hadn’t been likely that Gabe would be wandering too far from her mind, and she’d been right. Every time she did something, or let her mind wander, he was right there. Memories of that night, college, summers invaded her every thought, bring Fallon near her breaking point. She’d almost called in to work and emailed her students, telling them she’d caught some sort of flu and wouldn’t be in for a couple days just to get some time away from people. It wasn’t entirely fair that he could fly off home and Fallon had to stay in the city. But every time she thought about leaving her students behind for a couple days, she felt guilty. It wasn’t their fault she was a mess because it took seven years to realize she was completely head over heels for her best friend.

She'd been a terrible person; Devon helped her see that. That girl was definitely a voice of reason for Fallon when she needed one and Gabe wasn't around to hand out his words of wisdom. She'd been ridiculously happy about what happened, she couldn't deny she'd been dreaming about that for a really long time. Always wondering what it would be like to rake her nails down his chest, feel his arms around her in just that way. This time around, real life was a hell of a lot better than fantasy ever could be. But she’d acted a fool and hide away inside herself, equally shocked that it had actually happened and it wasn’t just some blissful dream she could hold onto forever. But it had been real, and she’d closed herself off too stunned by it all to voice her feelings; because she did have feelings. And they were stronger than anything Fallon had ever felt before. That in itself was what shocked her the most but it hadn’t been something she’d been willing to think about that morning. She needed to think about it though, and talk to Gabe. In fact, she’d been meaning to text Myles and see if he was home yet to talk. But she didn’t want to hear what the other Pi Kappa Phi had to say on his behalf. Brothers stuck together and in a frat it was definitely bros before hoes; despite practically being one of the “bros”.

She sighed, taking a moment’s breather to let her class finish their notes on what she was saying. There wasn’t much of a stretch to anywhere this time around in her lecture on the original comedic legend of Charlie Chaplin compared to what society considered comedy now. Comedy wasn’t a genre Fallon was obsessed about, but she knew what she was talking about all the same. She was rambling on with her speech, clicking through the pictures of stills from different movies, both new and old, as if it were a script, though this was her first time walking this class through the genre, and only the second overall. Her mind wasn’t anywhere near the topic but she was good at multitasking. Thinking about Gabe and the situation she’d tossed them into and the lecture she was currently in the middle of. She almost wished he would just walk through that door after class and let them have a yelling match of sorts to work through their drama.

Fallon’s voice trailed off as she turned and saw the one person she didn’t think wanted to see her anytime soon. Her mind went completely blank looking over at Gabe and the door he’d just burst through. She opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing in her lecture hall when he spoke. Fallon wished there wasn’t a hall full of students sitting right there to play live studio audience to their soap opera drama. Because, unfortunately that was exactly what it felt like to Fallon; a soap opera and she hated that. She opened her mouth again to say something else but her words caught in her throat and her eyes were as wide as saucers at his question, still, voiced for all her students to hear or maybe at the fact that he was standing right there. No doubt she’d be reading about this in a few dozen scripts to come.

She didn’t look away from the scholar as she addressed the class as calmly as she could; which was hoarse and anything but calm and collected like she’d hoped. She absolutely couldn’t look away if she were being honest with herself. A week away from him had felt like a lifetime or more. A million emotions raced through Fallon at seeing him again after so long. “Alright,” she said, swallowing to wet her dry throat. “That’s, uh, the end of class. I’ll email you what you need later.” She didn’t know what to say to Gabe other than she was sorry. A simple apology wouldn’t work this time around. She hadn’t just thrown up on a favourite pair of converse this time. Tears even threatened to cloud her vision but she blinked them away furiously, not willing to let the waterworks fall again. “Gabe, I...” she said, her voice even more rough than before. Try as she might, his name was the only word that she could coherently let out. Whether or not he heard it over the few papers rustling, she didn’t know.

Tag|| Gabe! <3
Words|| 1045
Clothes|| Speechless
Music|| It Was You by Trace Adkins
Notes|| <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Throughout his life Gabe was used to having his heart broken and by now he thought himself something of an expert when it came to putting it back together. This thing with Fallon went deeper than a usual broken heart though and the opening of James Frey’s “Million Little Pieces” came to mind every time he felt that cold stab to the chest that accompanied the memories of that night. “It can’t be fixed. It’s broken beyond repair. It’s in a million little pieces.” He wanted to remain optimistic about his friendship with the blonde he had fallen for, but it honestly seemed hopeless. How could he simply be just friends with someone he felt so strongly about?

In the back of his mind there was his Jiminy Cricket lingering and it kept telling him that none of this would’ve happened if he had just pushed her off his lap when he had first pushed her away. If he’d quelled his feelings then and followed what his conscience had advised then there might have been a few days of awkward socialisation, but it would have been something they could have gotten over and moved on from without his emotions exploding and dragging him under, suffocating him with the constant replay of that night and how amazing it had been. He regretted it, but at the same time he didn’t. How could he regret the greatest night of his life? Still, it didn’t seem to be worth losing his best friend over.

That same Jiminy Cricket incarnation cropped up to tell him that there had to be a million better ways he could have poised that question and delivered it. Shouting it out in a room full of college kids was probably not the greatest idea the intelligent guy had ever had, but the little voice of reason was barely whispering right now given Gabe’s fragile state and impulsive behaviour. Not even logic and sensibility could control him right now and that alone should’ve been enough to make someone worry about what power Fallon and love had over the young scholar. If Myles was here, Gabe knew he’d be dragging him away and trying to calm him down before he did something stupid…but wait, he just crossed that line by announcing the intimate night to Fallon’s students without considering her career into the picture. It was probably a good job that no one in her classes knew him since if they did, they’d probably assume he was another student just like they were given his hours spent in the library.

His dark eyes never moved from the petite blonde though and he didn’t even care when she dismissed her class. To him, they weren’t important and if they wanted to say something or spread rumours then it would just be like life at UCLA again. After Myles’ admission it was obvious that his name was on the lips of others more than he cared to think about. He was still angry at the Pi Kappa Phis for placing bets on his love life and Fallon’s, but that was something he could deal with later once he had had it out with Fallon and found out exactly what had happened. Usually, he didn’t confront the girls who had hurt him or yell at them for using him, but Fallon wasn’t just some girl and he hadn’t expected her to act like one. “Don’t bother making excuses, because I don’t want to hear them. If you wanted comfort sex then you should’ve just said before you jumped me. And then you probably should’ve called Myles because I don’t do that.”

[/color] He wasn’t yelling, but his voice was cold and hard. He didn’t care if there were kids still in the room to hear him either; he just needed to get all of this out before his crushed him with the weight of unspoken words.

He walked away from her, but he wasn’t finished yet. Gabe just wanted to try and pull himself together before he started screaming or crying. His feelings had never been this strong before and since he thought they weren’t reciprocated, they were deadly to him. He wanted rid of them so that he could get on with his life. “I came to you wanting answers as to why girls did this to me. If you thought a physical demonstration would work as an answer then you were wrong, Fallon Flynn.”[/color] He said in the same cold, controlled voice that wavered only at the end of his words. He still couldn’t bring himself to look at her again knowing that if he did, he would lose the remainder of his self-control. Gabe didn’t know what that would do to him and he didn’t want to find out.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 812
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

Fal had thought a lot about the last seven years in the last seven days. There had been far too many obvious moments for Fallon’s liking. All those parties, she’d been lifted by drunken Frat boys, Gabe running to her rescue like her very own Prince Charming. She hated that she lived up to her hair colours stereotype sometimes. She felt even more stupid over the last seven days than she did when she found Brad and realized all of that was a lie. For such a smart girl, she sure could be a stupid, dumb blonde. Fallon had promised herself she’d call Gabe, maybe stop in to the library to see him. They had to talk about it all, it was just getting worse that they hadn’t yet. She’d had this whole speech planned out, confessing everything. But with him standing in her class, all of her well thought out words flew out the window like a bad script. Everything she’d thought out had turned into smoke and Fallon was left with memories and apologies; neither of which was exactly helpful at the moment.

Surprisingly, Fallon could handle his icy anger in front of her students. They were a group of pretty cool people once one got to know them and what happened in the class, didn't usually leave in the form of tales and stories, or in this case, rumours. If the higher ups of the school heard how she taught her class, chances were they wouldn't have even been having this conversation in the lecture hall she'd signed out. But surmising that she only did what she did because she was feeling vulnerable and weak. "You incomparable idiot! Do you know that?! You have to be the biggest idiot on the face of this entire planet!" she yelled, giving in. She didn't want to yell, she didn't want to raise her voice in any way. She had an entire class lingering just to listen and get ideas for their next script work assignment but she didn't give a single damn about that anymore. He was standing there, insinuating that all she had wanted from him was a night of forgetting. Too bad there was absolutely no way in hell she would ever forget a single millisecond of the night they shared. "Are you kidding? You must be joking because that's ludicrous. God and his doctors only know what that man has! He's slept his way through LA and half of Manhattan!" Screaming about Myles was probably overkill. After all, she loved the man but that was solely like a brother. Fallon couldn't think about Myles that way when Gabe had always been there, hiding away in her head and her heart.

She couldn’t give him excuses when she didn’t have any. She’d given in to seven years of desire. She could tell him that, the words were just sitting there on the edge of her tongue, just waiting for her head to give the go ahead; but no. She had wanted to be with Gabe. There was seven years of expertly hidden feelings swirling around and in a moment of slightly intoxicated impulse, she acted. If she had known it would turn out the way it had, with her hiding and him running away, she would have rolled off his lap the instant he pushed her away. She’d felt hurt then and the morning after she’d been scared out of her mind that he’d think it was some sort of mistake; some sort of one night fling. She felt like she’d been running around the city with a permanent blush, though it had only appeared when Gabe had opened his big mouth. It was terribly annoying that she couldn’t be mad at him, for any of it. She took the blame on herself after Devon had talked her down from a ridiculously useless freak out. Gabe’s next spiel had Fallon’s eyes narrowing in anger.

She wanted to stomp all the way across the room to him, but she held herself in check; barely. She practically ran across the room, she was walking so fast. When she stood behind him, she reached out, grabbing onto the sleeve of his sweater and tugging on it until he turned to face her again. When she could see the rich chocolate colour of his eyes, she projected her hurt and anger. She took another step closer, crowding him because she was so angry at him for that single comment. She swore he had to have nearly a foot on her but that didn’t matter to her. She poked right in the center of his chest. “If you really think that about me, Gabriel Fitzpatrick than these last seven years have been a lie and an utter waste of both of our time. I expected so much better from you of all people!” she shook her head, turning away from him. “Complete idiot,” she muttered, refusing to even try and piece together the speech she’d thought up. Absently, she swiped at her eyes, hot angry tears had slipped past but she didn’t care anymore. She didn’t think he could break her heart again but he had.

Tag|| Gabe! <3
Words|| 864
Clothes|| Speechless
Music|| It Was You by Trace Adkins
Notes|| <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Usually, Gabe was the last person who would get angry and the fact that in the last seven days he had found himself yelling at Myles and now Fallon should have been a sign to the young scholar that he was going about this in entirely the wrong fashion. Still, he wasn’t listening to that voice in the back of his head right now; he was driven solely on his feelings. Honestly, he had thought he would be able to get over all of this by now, but it was just getting worse the longer he left it for. This was the first time in his life that he was unable to pretend that everything was okay. He had no control over what he was feeling and the fake smiles and optimistic pretence just wouldn’t come as easily as they had done in the past. What made it worse was that he knew he would’ve been able to put that façade in place had it just been the bad date with Kelli that he associated with that Friday night, but she was the last thing he thought about when it came to the night in question.

There was probably an old myth or tale to surmise this moment, but as this situation seemed to be all about first times, it was also the first time Gabe had been left without an obvious scholarly point to fall back upon to make this easier and more befitting of their usual conversation. Right now, he wasn’t trying to keep it normal though; he just needed to know the truth about what had happened between them and why it had happened. Seven years don’t just lead up to a “why not” moment and sleeping with your best friend after all that time had to mean something more than just convenience. However, until Gabe heard otherwise from Fallon’s enticing lips, he was doomed to think that was all it was meant to be to the blonde professor.

So, it seemed that Fallon’s only response was to insult him repeatedly. Gabe narrowed his eyes at her and felt his own patience reaching its limit. They were both better than a screaming match in a still occupied lecture hall, but right now neither of them seemed to be acting their age. “Clearly I am an idiot! Why else would I only fall into bed with girls who don’t care about me?”

[/color] He yelled back, not giving a damn about curious eyes or the assumptions probably being made right about now. Neither of them would be coming across in a positive light, but reputations were not what this was about. “I’m just glad I didn’t make this mistake with you back in college if this is all it was going to mean to you.”[/color] He added, alluding only briefly to the powerful feelings that had begun back in the days of their fading teenage years on the sunny campus of UCLA.

The second he felt her grabbing his alma-mater shirt the visions of the night he had tried in vain to forget only hit him stronger. He remembered how she had pushed his shirt from his skin, the touch of her hands on his chest, her lips trailing along his jawline…he closed his eyes to try and block them out but just like that night he had no control over his desires once more. He barely caught her words as she spoke them; his mind was elsewhere and remembering what the hand twisted in his shirt had made him feel the second it had brushed his torso. “And I expected better from you. After everything you said to me you acted no better than those LA girls you slated.”[/color] He told her honestly, his heart aching from how this “discussion” seemed to be pushing them further apart than the night they shared together seemed to have done. It dawned on him in that moment that the damage done was irreparable. There were no words or actions that could ever fix what that night had done to their friendship. He watched her walk away from him and let out a defeated sigh that was tainted with the heartbreak he felt. Gabe took a step closer to her, lowering his voice to a softer, more Gabe-like tone. “I’m not even angry about this. I just feel foolish for thinking a girl like you might actually be interested in a skinny geek like me.”[/color] He confessed, backing up and turning back to the door. If he could make it out into the corridor now without any other incident, he just might be able to retain some level of dignity before he hid himself away in the library stacks for the remainder of his time at NYU.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 835
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

Fallon didn’t snap often. She had a temper, but she didn’t allow it to control her life and refused to succumb to it easily. This last week of being completely in the dark and not even having Myles to supply her with information was nerve-racking. She was on edge and nearly snapped a few times uselessly. She’d caught herself just in time, but that didn’t matter. She’d found herself precariously close to going crazy, or numb. She’d never felt like the saying “bros before hoes” applied to her with her closest friends until now. She was isolated, basically. She still spoke to Myles and hung out, but their choice topics never ventured too closely to Gabe or stories of the good old days.

"Is that what you think? That I don't care about you?" She barked out a harsh laugh. If only he knew he was the only one she cared about. She tried opening her mouth again to say exactly that, but no noise came out at all; not even a girly, annoying little squeak. She choked, stunned. A mistake? Did he really think it was all a mistake? She'd been too wrapped up in that to realize the significance of his words. He couldn't possibly think it was all a mistake, could he? She didn't; she couldn't. Despite the fact it had taken seven years for them to get to that point, she didn't think it was a mistake, or regrettable. Maybe she'd been right all along. He didn't love her the way she loved him and she could feel her heart breaking into the smallest of pieces. What they shared hadn’t been a mistake, but this moment right here was. “I... I was afraid,” she said, barely a whisper. She didn’t think he’d hear that part, she’d said it too low but it was the first time she’d admitted that.

Screw it. There were plenty of different ways she could go about this. But at this point, it was confess or watch the only man she really, truly ever loved walk out the door and out of her life forever. She spun around to look at Gabe’s retreating back. "It didn't take a genius the see what was obvious. And I’m an even bigger idiot still," she said with that same sad little laugh, trying to keep him in the room while she tried to decide which one of those many ways she wanted to use. She could be blunt and just come right out and tell him she loved him with everything she had. Or she could be a little more subtle about it and quote something she knew he'd understand. Since he'd left, she'd been reading about anything and everything based in and around mythology. She searched her vast collection for any movie she could get her hands on that hand any relevance. There weren’t many, only three, but they were enough to get a better idea.

Fallon hated tears, including these hot angry tears. Maybe especially these ones; they made her feel vulnerable, weak. She hated feeling that way, and tried very hard to hide those feelings. Gabe was bringing them out in front of at least half the class still, though she would’ve put money down on none of them leaving. She had wanted to at least save face with a small portion of her class, but that wasn’t likely to happen now. Her breath caught as she took a deep breath and turning around she threw her hands up in the air and walked back down to her desk, defeated. Now, she really thought she could disappear from class for a little while and at least they’d understand why she’d vanished.

Tag|| Gabe! <3
Words|| 619
Clothes|| Speechless
Music|| It Was You by Trace Adkins
Notes|| <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Gabe had only spoken to Myles once during the week he had been in Lincoln for. Even then it was only because Myles was sneaky and called Gabe’s mom to make the lanky geek come to the phone after endless messages and missed calls. The brothers had avoided all conversations that involved Fallon and Gabe had deliberately evaded any move Myles made to try to make him reveal his cards once more. He didn’t want another heart to heart with the roommate and he didn’t want Myles to pity him for falling in love with the one girl he probably never should have given his heart to in the first place. The more he tried not to think about it, the more he wished that Brad had been five minutes late that day at UCLA and then maybe Gabe could’ve been rejected by the fountain and moved on with his life and took his feelings with him.

Gabe angrily pushed the hair from his face and looked across at Fallon. The words escaping his lips held no real meaning for half of the time he had been in his hall for, but that wasn’t about to slow him down now. “Oh, go on, mumble your excuses! It’s not like any of them can change this now.”

[/color] He wanted his heart back. He wanted to be able to close his eyes without seeing Fallon over and over again. He wanted to be able to fall back onto a bed without remembering hers and he wanted to be able to get on with his life without that night being the centre of his universe with gravity always pulling him back towards it. “I don’t know anymore, Fallon, but you were the last person in my life who I thought would take a guy to bed when it wouldn’t mean a thing.”[/color] He wasn’t judging girls who did that, but he knew Fallon and she wasn’t one of those people. That was what made it hurt more; the very idea that Fallon had used him because she trusted him. That whispering conscience had persistently tried to stop that thought from seeping into his stream of consciousness, but it was overwhelmed every time. Gabe’s logic had never needed to prepare for a war against his heart and it had very quickly been pushed back to the shadows whilst this torturous love consumed him.

Her words stopped him in his tracks. He didn’t quite understand who was being insulted with that remark and the curious scholar inside of him forced him to stay in the room, despite the rest of him screaming to leave and gather the shattered heart and dignity along the way. He let out another soft sigh and looked at his Converse clad feet, shaking his head softly and closing his tired eyes. There was a beat and then he turned around to look at her again. Why was it that when another girl broke his heart he could walk away, but the second that Fallon did it he seemed to go back so that she could kick sand into his eyes? He saw the tears on her face and the remains of his heart caught in his throat, once again suffocating that powerful logic. It pained him to close the distance between them, but he did it all the same; he was pissed, but he was still a gentleman. Reaching up, he brushed away the tears with his thumbs, cupping her face in his hands for a moment. The sparks from that night shot through him again and he backed away with a sigh, shoving his tingling hands into his pockets with the hope of quelling the sensation coursing through him. “Forget about it. I’m a moron and one day you’ll find a guy who can tan in the sunlight, who doesn’t own only brand of footwear and who can’t recite Greek Mythology and Latin easier than he can the alphabet.”[/color] He scoffed at his own pathetic attempt at a joke and then looked down at his feet again, knowing that this should be his cue to leave though his legs disagreed.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 730
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

Fallon's eyes narrowed. "I said I was afraid, okay? Just nevermind!" she said way too loudly. She hated that he was mad at her about this. She felt like she understood, though. It was her fault, he was allowed to be mad, but really, to not even let her have a single thought to herself? Mumbling wasn't against the law in New York. "Didn’t mean a thing? It meant everything!" she yelled angrily throwing her arms to the side as if throwing it all away and forgetting about the people milling about the room. She couldn't stop herself and as the words fell on her own ears, her eyes widened. She hadn't meant to say that. It was the truth, but she hadn't meant to say that. She had to get her head on straight. An entire week without Gabe around and the blonde professor was turning into a loon. She was just waiting for the nice men with the butterfly nets to walk through the door next! The worse part, she wanted to continue and tell him she hadn’t brought home a guy, he’d shown up on her doorstep, depressed and drunk. And she wanted to tell him he wasn’t just any guy. But she thought if she did that, it would make everything even worse than it already was. She couldn’t handle that on top of everything else going on; that would have been too much.

The young professor wished more than anything that right then and there, the room was empty apart from them. She didn’t need to be reliving this moment a dozen times over when the next installment of scripts found themselves in her email. If he walked out that door, leaving her behind forever, it would break what little of her heart she had left at this point. Earthshattering heartbreak was hard enough the first time, to have to read over the scene again and again, and know how many different ways this could have gone would be absolute agony. But there were only two real endings to this moment. Either they tried to work through it and stay friends, or they were ruined forever. Fallon had her money on option two, at the moment. She didn’t see a good outcome through her thoroughly shattered spirit. She wanted to pull her hair out, she wanted to hide under the desk, she didn’t know what she wanted. There was just too much going on in her head to figure it all out. She knew she wanted Gabe and she knew he didn’t want her.

She wanted to lean into his touch, she really did, but he stepped back before she had the chance to give in to that desire like she’d given in before. Shaking her head, Fallon closed her eyes for a second. "Gabe, you're an even bigger idiot than I originally thought," she said, chuckling at the entire situation before opening her eyes. She felt like she'd finally cracked. "I don't want some hyped up muscle head tanning addict. I want to wake up every morning with those geek chic glasses on the bedside table,” she said, pointing directly at the frames. “I've always wanted to hear about the endless tales and those facts I have no need for. Seven years, Gabe." She said, looking up at him. "You’ve always been there, in the back of my mind. No one’s ever lived up to you. All I want is you and those silly pets,” she said, slightly tugging on the side of his shirt.

Tag|| Gabe! <3
Words|| 591
Clothes|| Speechless
Music|| It Was You by Trace Adkins
Notes|| <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

He spluttered out a small laugh and then shook his head. “Well you weren’t afraid when you were ripping my shirt off. What the hell was there to be afraid of other than this situation right now?”

[/color] He asked, hurting more than ever. If she hadn’t wanted anything to escalate from that night then she probably would’ve been better searching a bar for a guy with less morals and a no-strings-attached mentality. She was just confusing him now. What she was saying seemed to be contradicting what she had done that morning and after a week of thinking it over and over, the memory trapping him like his own private prison it was the last thing he needed during this confrontation. Her words brought him glimmers of hope that he knew better than to have faith in, but the sparks were already there. “Everything? What? If that was ‘everything’ then you have a damn funny way of showing it! You acted as though us passing out naked in your bed was a common thing!”[/color] He retorted, still not realising that this wasn’t her office and that there was every chance of lingering students hearing his words.

He didn’t know what he wanted from his brash entrance into the lecture hall. He didn’t care about anyone else but her and all he wanted was to hold her in his arms again. The longer he spent in her presence the more he remembered the fine details of that night. He didn’t understand what she had been arguing back with and it just made his head spin. She would imply one thing but apparently mean another and Gabe was only used to deciphering Latin; not Californian girls. His folded his arms across his chest in a defensive manner, hoping that whatever blow she delivered next wouldn’t break him down entirely. He was amazed that he held it together so well this far without confessing everything to her or crying himself. He might have shown her small glimpses of the feelings he had kept hidden, but there were no outright confessions of his love that would certainly be worthy of a cheesy Hollywood script.

His head snapped back up at the sound of what had to be her favoured insult this day. He was about to part his lips with another heartbroken and angst filled retort when she cut him off with her own secret admission. Listening, he slowly worked out exactly what she was trying to say and he took a step back, needed a moment to process all of this although his dark eyes remained fixed on hers. Words, for the first time, failed him and he just stood there, staring, for a long moment before he received a mental slap from Jiminy Cricket. Still, there were no words that could verbalise the pounding in his chest or the ragged nature of his breathing. He reached out and grabbed Fallon’s wrist, pulling her close to him whilst his other hand moved to tilt her chin. He pressed his lips hungrily to Fallon’s, trying to show her all of the emotions that were bubbling inside of him, burning his blood with passion and desire and freezing all doubts from this moment on. Breaking apart, he rested his forehead against hers and his fingers danced over her jawline, sliding under her hair as a small smile twitched at his lips. “You sure as hell have a funny way of showing all of that.”[/color] He whispered before kissing her sweetly again; this was all so much more amazing when they were both sober and Gabe found himself unable to get enough of her again. His hand left her wrist and encircled her waist. “And the only ‘silly’ pet I have is Myles and he is not joining us in this.”[/color] He joked, knowing that this conversation was far from over. They still had to discuss exactly what had happened between them, why Fallon had acted the way she did and why it had taken them seven years to finally see something that was blindingly obvious to everyone around them. He stole another kiss and then pulled back slightly to stare down at the woman he never thought he would hold again. “I’ve loved you for seven long years.”[/color] He confessed in a whisper as his eyes grew glassy, pulling her closer and holding her as though he had every intention of never letting her go again. After seven years of that truth pressing down on his heart it finally felt like perfection to say it out loud and to the one girl in his life those words were reserved for.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 777
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

Fallon's eyes stayed narrowed and her head was racing with all the reasons to be afraid, but she refused to do more than cross her arms over her chest. He stormed into her classroom, demanding this conversation take place, right then and there. She'd be damned if she answer that with the audience they had surrounding them. Fallon stood there, looking around the class with wide, hurt blue eyes at the people still filling space. A few made quick work of getting to a door, but not nearly enough for Fallon's liking. This was just too good a scene to pass up apparently. She was so confused; she didn't even know what she was saying anymore. It was all gibberish and babbling, trying to get him to see the bigger picture her words provided without just outright saying them to him. She thought she was a smart woman but this entire week made her head explode. When this was all said and done she was going to need a very long vacation in St. Bart’s. It was a good thing the school year was almost to an end. She’d be able to power through the next weeks and then, the entire summer was hers to disappear.

"Yeah, well, intelligence kind of flew out the window that night, didn't it?" she asked, too angry to give a damn. It was a broken heart trying to break another. She didn't know he was already broken because of her. “I wasn’t the only one who misplaced their head for the night.” Her breath caught in her throat. She wanted him to say something, anything but this was so much better. Fallon’s fingers dug into the sides of his shirt, holding herself up against him, pouring everything she had into returning his kiss. She never wished so much in her entire life she’d worn heels. As it was she felt she wasn’t tall enough standing on the tips of her toes. She opened her eyes slowly looking up and shrugged her shoulder lightly. “Yeah, but you love the crazy,” she said, grinning. Fallon couldn’t believe this was all happening. This last week, Fallon had relived every minute of that night not only because every time she closed her eyes it started playing like a home movie, but because she wished it would happen again. She didn’t let herself hope it really would happen, but wishing she didn’t think would hurt as much. She’d been wrong. “Definitely not. He can take care of himself for a little while so long as we leave food around for him,” she said, laughing as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She felt like some Disney Princess finally getting her very own Geek Charming; because regular princes were so overrated.

Fallon bit her lip, holding back a laugh. “That just means we have seven years to catch up on.” Fallon gave into the laugh, leaning forward again to press a quick kiss to his lips. "I love you so much. These have been the worst seven days of my life. And that includes that week we all went to Cancun,” she said, shuddering. Sighing, she shook her head and leaned back, raising her voice. “That really is the end of this class. If you’re not out in ten seconds, I’ll assign a ten thousand word essay on something I haven’t even taught you yet!” she called out the empty threat to the people still standing about in the room. She knew this wasn’t over, she’d have to explain why she’d acted the way she had, no doubt getting laughed at in the process of it all. But she could enjoy the bliss while it lasted. Giggling, Fallon buried her face in Gabe’s chest. It was all a little surreal. She almost wanted someone to pinch her to make sure it really was happening. But at the same time, if it was all a dream, it was the happiest she’d ever had and didn’t want it to end.

Tag|| Gabe! <3
Words|| 669
Clothes|| Speechless
Music|| It Was You by Trace Adkins
Notes|| <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

If his head hadn’t been messed up before, it certainly was now! As logic and sensibility finally crept their way back into their rightful places, they filled Gabe’s head with even more questions and confusion than he would like to have right now. He just wanted to keep holding Fallon in his arms, kissing her and whispering his love for her, but his mind was spinning with endless questions. Why did she love a guy like him? Why had that morning been so awkward? Why hadn’t they acted upon these feelings sooner? What would happen now? The hurt that was now fading was being consumed by such thoughts and Gabriel did not need that in his life at this moment. He wanted to spin her around and hug her tight, not interrogate and demand answers from her like he had done when he first entered the lecture hall.

Now that this was “resolved” Gabe found it impossible to keep the geeky, goofy smile from his lips. “I love you, so let’s just leave the crazy in Ancient Greece.”

[/color] He joked, his hands sliding down to her waist as he playfully touched his nose to hers and smiled again. At the mention of Myles, Gabe quickly recalled their conversation a week ago and sighed, knowing just how much he would be in for from his Pi Kappa Phi brothers once this news got around the circuit; he was already convinced that Myles had told them about the night with Fallon and they were all waiting with anticipation to see what came next. It was Greek tradition that Gabe found himself truly afraid for, knowing that New York was not far for them to come and exact it upon him. “The second this story gets back to him I am a dead man.”[/color] He said, shaking his head. The next Fraternity get together was only two months away and Gabe had witnessed what the brothers put each other through in the name of tradition.

Gabe didn’t want to let her go. It had taken seven years to get Fallon in his arms and he had every intention of keeping her there now. “I’m looking forward to it. You’re not getting rid of me so easily, Miss Flynn.”[/color] He said in a slightly flirtatious tone. Never in a million years did he expect this to be happening right now after that terrible morning after the night before situation they had found themselves in. Still, Gabe was not one to question fate’s design; everything else, maybe, but not that. He brushed the light hair from her eyes and smiled, leaning down to kiss her gently one more time. How could one person be so addicted to another? “I thought we made a pact never to speak about Cancun ever again?”[/color] He queried, eyes widening at the memories he had successfully forgotten about. If anything, that week had taught him to never allow Myles to have full control of a vacation ever again. “But I agree. This week has been more testing than the twelve labours of Heracles.”[/color] He added, feeling insanely relieved now that the tension was gone from his thoughts and that the only questions left were ones they could answer and discuss calmly, probably with whispered promises and stolen kisses to break up the conversation. “I really don’t want to, but we should probably talk, right?”[/color] Gabe would’ve loved to spend the afternoon and night just with Fallon in his arms making up for lost time, but the logical man inside kept reminding him that the tension and anger between the two of them ten minutes before would not dissipate with a kiss and a confession of love. If they didn’t deal with it soon, then it would just linger and build up until something happened that would make one of them snap and possibly ruin this romance.

His dark eyes flicked around the room and he was finally able to acknowledge the students in their seats. Gabe really hadn’t thought about external factors when he had stormed into that room and the fact that it was a lecture hall hadn’t even dawned on him when his head was full of unanswered questions. He laughed awkwardly and took a small step back, moving his hands away from her waist just enough to give her some room to deal with her class. “Ah, yeah, I forgot you teach sometimes. And I am technically a student. Have fun with that.”[/color] He joked, hoping to brush away his own awkward realisation of the ‘show’ the class had just been subjected to. He was not the kind of guy who enjoyed PDA and had he paused to think that Fallon wasn’t alone in the room then he probably would’ve just cornered her at the solitude of her office. Still, he knew it wasn’t anything to be wholly worried about. The whispers might linger for some time, but he wasn’t an undergraduate and his student status was only a formality for his library card and ID pass. No one actually considered him to be one, but he knew it would be the start of jokes for Myles and anyone else who knew them both for a long time to come. Gabe knew that there would be stories, jokes and banter from the UCLA alumni especially, for a long, long time. After all, there was money riding on this day and how they got to it!
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 951
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

There was only one thing Fallon could blame for that morning. And as ridiculous as it sounded to her own ears, she’d been scared. Completely afraid of what would happen to them, because despite the night before being the best thing to ever happen to her- and she’d met George Clooney, she didn’t want to ruin their friendship. She didn’t want to confess her love and him not return it. She didn’t want him to just say thanks, that was great and walk out the door; though she knew that third scenario would never happen with the Pi Kappa Phi. Fallon still hadn’t wanted to completely admit that she was head over heels, no going back in love with her best friend then. She should have known that it wouldn’t have ruined anything but make it better. Unfortunately, common sense flew out the window and left Fallon running scared like a little girl in a horror movie.

“Troy can keep it,” she agreed, laughing. She sighed, closing her eyes and just enjoying the feel of being in Gabe’s embrace. “I love you, Gabe,” she said on a breath of laughter. She opened her eyes and looked right into his. “And it feel so good to say that,” she added. Fallon’s eyes quickly narrowed in confusion. “There are plenty of reasons usually for that, what’s this one, exactly?” she asked, teasing but curious. “I don’t remember you doing something that requires a death certificate.” The boys of Pi Kappa Phi were notorious for pranks and games and the group of guys Gabe had lived with through college weren’t against flying from all over the country to torture him for whatever reason they deemed good enough; and that was just about anything to give them an excuse to get together. She just hoped this time around she wouldn’t be a part of it somehow.

"Technically, you and your brothers made that pact. I'm not Pi Kappa Phi so I'm above the Greek Law," she said sounding as serious as she could muster, which at the moment wasn't too serious at all; not that it mattered how hard she tried. Gabe was the only one who could see through her acting prowess. She hadn’t said a word about those nights in Mexico, but she also had never made that pact to never speak of it, so had she been willing to talk about it, then the tales of that week would have been on everyone’s lips. But she’d been there and had been a part of it and practically lived at the Frat house, so she figured it was in her best interest to stay quiet. “The events of that trip are going to make great material for my movie deal and autobiography,” she teased; thought there was no way in hell that she would do that to her friends. The professor nodded her head. “I have a meeting with a couple students after this but then I’m free,” she said.

“And there goes my career, thanks Gabe,” she said shaking her head. There would be questions after he left but she was confident this show wouldn’t hit the ears of her boss. If it did, it really would be the end of her career, despite the fact his student title was more show than anything else and despite they were friends first, before NYU even came into the picture. The group in the room were a great group of people and the most they would do was use this moment for fodder. Still, it made her worry just the tiniest bit.

Tag|| Gabe! <3
Words|| 599
Clothes|| Speechless
Music|| It Was You by Trace Adkins
Notes|| <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

When Fallon had acted so casually the morning after the greatest night of his young life so far, Gabe hadn’t wanted to bring up the questions that were lingering in his mind. He didn’t think he could handle the rejection actually coming from her lips without breaking down entirely; he never thought that she might reciprocate his feelings if he had just confronted her sooner and maybe when they were alone and not in a classroom where curious eyes had been watching the scene unfold as though it was scripted, which Gabe had a feeling it would be now that they had fallen into the roles of inspirational muses in front of a class of talented writers. Still, at least he could hide in his thesis paper and leave Fallon to read their biographical moment over and over if that happened.

He chuckled at her words and nodded in agreement. “I love you too, Fallon.”

[/color] He said for her ears only, his arms wrapping tighter around her as though letting her go would mean losing her. “And it feels amazing to hear it.”[/color] He whispered, bending down to kiss her sweetly again. A part of him still couldn’t believe that he was actually holding Fallon, confessing his love, kissing her and knowing now that she felt the same way he had done for all of these years. Now, all he was wondering was why they had waited so long to get to this point. Still, that was a question that didn’t need to be answered when all that mattered was that they were here now, together. He spied the confusion dancing across her expression, but all he could do was chuckle and shake his head. The technical details were much too complex and long winded to explain all of this to her now and here; she’d probably see it for herself after the Pi Kappa Phis got their hands on him. “I gave my heart to the woman I love. I betrayed my brothers.”[/color] Biting his lip before grinning foolishly, Gabe pressed his lips to her forehead and brushed her hair from her face. “It’s a Greek thing.”[/color] Mainly it was all college age games and pranks, but he knew that his initiated brothers still kept up the traditions as an excuse to hang out again and escape the lives they were settling into, but still feeling too young for all the seriousness of modern post-college life. Plus, Gabe liked the romanticised world of his Fraternity and the hazing he’d get for falling for Fallon would be worth it, knowing that he’d get to hold her after whatever his brothers put him through.

Narrowing his eyes, Gabe shot her a look that said ‘nice try’. She may not have been bound by Greek oath and traditions, but she had been there and there were stories about her and that week that were equally as bad as the tales of the brothers and what their adventures had entailed. “So, it’s fine then for me to give your class a lecture on what their Hollywood professor got up to in Mexico?”[/color] He asked casually, as though he hadn’t embarrassed her enough already in front of the students with this performance. “You wouldn’t dare.”[/color] He growled, grabbing at her sides playfully. “Besides, I have just as many terrifying stories of your college days that I can retaliate with.”[/color] He joked, raising his eyebrow challengingly. Chuckling again, he let out a contented sigh and smiled. “I’m sure they’ll be interesting meetings.”[/color] He remembered that he would have to collect his belongings from the library before they did anything, but he could worry about that when she was off doing her job.

He laughed warmly, something he hadn’t done in a week now. “I’ll just baffle them with endless knowledge into letting you keep your job. Besides, I’m out of here in a few more months.”[/color] Once this paper was done, he would be finished with schooling for a while. Then it would be time to write what he wanted and slowly move from the museum to teaching, but there would be a few years between that. Gabe knew that Fallon’s job was probably safe and with that he kissed her once more, unable to get enough.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 757
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3

[Fallon Alexandra Flynn]

With those simple words, it seemed like a weight was lifted of her shoulders. A million questions raced through her head, but she was trying hard to silence them for the time being. They would have to talk about it all, naturally. They couldn’t continue if they just bottled everything back up, but Fall felt like it could wait just a little while longer until they weren’t center stage. “Oh, wait, I think Myles said something about that,” she said pausing as if thinking about something. “If we’re talking betraying your brothers, that’s automatic beheading. I suppose I’ll be picking out a coffin soon,” she said on a sigh. “And just when things are starting to look up again.” She knew it was probably her fault he was going to have to go through the traditions of the Greeks. But that didn’t stop her from teasing him about it. Besides, knowing the guys she used to hang out with on a near daily basis, her presence would probably somehow be mandatory.

“There isn’t anything you could tell these guys that would shock them by now, I’m sure,” she said, lying like the rug in her office. The events of that week were on her list of topics to never speak of again; like the rest of the group. If those stories got out, chances were her students would never look at her the same. But she still said the words so calm and collected. Fallon laughed, involuntarily jumping away from his hands. “Like Vegas, what happens at college, stays at college,” she said, tugging lightly on the hair tickling her fingers as she leaned up to press a soft kiss to Gabe’s lips; unable to get enough of him. “After this, it’ll be more of an interrogation than a meeting,” she said biting her lip, worried about those questions. She wouldn’t answer them all, but some she’d be willing to let pass. She’d have to try damn hard to keep the meeting on the right track but she would cross that bridge when she got to it and right now she had a few minutes before then to forget about it.

Fallon shook her head. “Talking in circles to get what you want won’t work on them, but by all means, if that happens, go right ahead and try.” Meanwhile, she wouldn’t concern herself too much over it. At least half of her students had seen her with Gabe before and it was obvious they were friends, if not more than that. She’d been so blind to it all, and now that everything had blown up in their faces, it all sort of screamed obvious. It would have made her wonder if Trevor just let everything slide for that reason or if he was equally as clueless about it all. But she had no doubt the man saw it all unfold and was just bidding his time until he could do his little happy “I told you so” dance. She’d have to remember to call him later and ask about that. She didn’t think she and Trevor kept things from each other, but she’d been wrong before.

Tag|| Gabe! <3
Words|| 527
Clothes|| Speechless
Music|| It Was You by Trace Adkins
Notes|| <3

[Gabriel Pearce Fitzpatrick]

Now that the thought was in Gabe’s head it was refusing to leave. The Pi Kappa Phi brothers might very well put him through hell, but the whole thing would be whilst Gabe was wearing a smile. In truth, he had been in that house during college and had wanted to find a love what was worthy of ‘betraying’ his brothers for and all along it had been with the girl right before his dark eyes. Fallon would be worth a night of boyish hazing and Gabe didn’t have a doubt about that. “A coffin might be a little too far, but I wouldn’t put it past them to leave me in need of a massage or six after they’re through with me.”

[/color] After the conversation with Myles before he had left for Nebraska the week before, Gabe knew that he would be totally in for it since everybody seemed to know that this relationship was inevitable.

He threw her a sceptical look, but the smirk still danced across his lips. “Maybe, but I’m sure they never imaged their professor doing what she did that week in Cancun. Remember that bar? Even I couldn’t believe what was happening and I’m usually the one to deal with everything.”[/color] He teased quietly, making sure that no one could overhear him. He had a feeling they had enough questions for Fallon without him adding more by implying certain things about the Hollywood blonde. “Until Myles has tequila and then he can give a detailed account of every college event from freshman through to senior year.”[/color] Gabe said on a sigh. His roommate had a strange idea of ‘in confidence’ from time to time, especially once the alcohol had loosened those lips of his and he thought a story would help him win over a girl in the bar. Chuckling, he dared another glance around the room and then shook his head. “I’d offer to help, but I left all of my things in the library when I came running down here.”[/color] He admitted with a small smile, still surprised at how they had gone from awkward yelling to holding each other close and stealing kisses.

Gabe chuckled, but knew that Fallon’s job was as safe as it ever was. “Ah, but they haven’t met me yet.”[/color] He joked. Granted, he probably knew one or two of her bosses since the graduates who studied at NYU had to meet more frequently with more of the important people at the university, but it wasn’t as though Gabe could identify them all by name. In fact, unless it was his own personal tutor, then he probably wouldn’t know them straight off without needing some prompting. Grinning, he stole another kiss and then hugged her closer. “Y’know, you should really let me take you on a proper date soon.”[/color] He had bought her lunch, dinner and endless amount of drinks, but none of them counted as a date when they were both oblivious to their feelings. There was so much that Gabe wanted to do now with Fallon that his mind was almost spinning with possibilities.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

• • •

TAGGED! Fall <3
WORDS! 561
OUTFIT! Flustered Frat Boy!
LYRICS! All I Have - - - The Veronicas
NOTES! <3