A/N: At long last, we come to my final draft. This is actually a combination of two drafts that I had sitting around. I could have gotten away with completing this series with the previous chapter, but I wanted to add one more in for fun. As some of you have already heard me say, thank you so much for all of your support and kind reviews. It means the world to me. I've really enjoyed posting these drafts for all of you. It's been a great experience from beginning to end. I hope to return to the Gorillaz fandom eventually with more writing. Until then, keep on being the awesome people that you are.
Enjoy reading!
-08 (Extra) -
[Phase 3]
She came out of the hotel shower wrapped in a towel. Her hair was still dripping wet and her skin glistened with mist from the washroom.
2D tried to look up at her, but the overwhelming pang of regretful memories flooding his mind was enough to keep his head lowered as she walked gently towards his hunched-over form.
Before long he was staring at her feet, which were now visible below him.
She stood still in front of him, but he could hear her breathing in and out: It was a safe reminder that there truly was someone in the room with him and he wasn't lost in a haze of overdose or liquor.
Without hesitation or thought, he leaned his head forward against her stomach, still drooped downward, his gaze at her polished feet.
She and him both remained quiet.
He closed his eyes and lifted his arms, wrapping them around her hips. He wasn't sure why; he wanted to feel closer to her. The feeling of her pressed against his forehead cooled his throbbing dome and gave him stability.
Please make this pain go away. Please stay right here with me. Please fix me. This was what he yearned to say as he held her firmly.
Unaware of his thoughts, Noodle's pleas were of the same nature.
Please fix me.
Please fix everything.
Please don't leave me.
Stay.
There was nothing more she wanted. All she could ever need was sitting in front of her, begging for reassurance.
Maybe they could fix each other.
The medicine she was for him could be the medicine he was for her. And she was dying to heal by his hands.
Momentary disregard for the spinning earth around them led the towel around Noodle's slim body to slide off to the floor and suddenly 2D was draping his arms around her nude figure.
He lifted his head slowly, biting his lip. Could this happen? Should this happen?
As he sat up straight now, searching his mind for answers, Noodle stepped forward and moved between his knees, carefully pushing him backward onto the bed, laying her body upon his.
She stared down at him. She was completely flushed red, but her focus didn't break. She moved her face towards his before 2D placed his hands on her shoulders to slow her down.
"…I'm not good enough for yeh…I'm not."
Noodle gazed into him.
"I'm this broken thing tha' can't be fixed. I am the way I am…I can't be better…I can't get better…I'm jus'…this. I'm not worthy of yeh…I never was."
The guitarist tilted her head a bit, watching his face bend in painful expression, rejecting himself. She reached up and brushed some azul bangs from his face, contemplating the man she had so boldly laid down upon. How little he realized or knew was surprising.
She leaned in and met his lips; the wonderful familiarity of his warm breath and the feel of his hands tracing her skin.
She released him and he solemnly stared up at her. She studied him a moment longer and then laid her head down on his chest. He breathed in and out before she smiled, "Stuart…There is no unmade decision or imperceptible choice. You are the individual that I find myself admiring most on this otherwise dead planet. We both have scars that can't be erased, but… you are my best friend…and maybe together we can be better. Perhaps I feel that I'm unfixable as well and perhaps I don't feel that I am worthy of your intimate attention either. But together, we can be better."
2D hoisted himself up now. As he did so, Noodle reached to cover her chest with her arms, sitting in front of him.
He looked down at the sheets, running his hand over them to straighten out the wrinkles. "…We can be broken together?"
"No. Together we can repair what is broken."
2D grinned to himself.
"If I qualify, of course." Noodle squeezed her own shoulders.
He glanced up at her for a moment, then reached for her arms and drew her close.
They leaned back down on the bed again, into the shadows away from the washroom's glaring light.
"Yeh my person…You're the only one that qualifies."
2D watched her, breathing in and out heavily.
Could this have actually happened? Was that person really her?
He closed his eyes, feeling perspiration roll down his brow. A pang of guilt; a pang of passion. When he re-opened his hallow eyes, he saw a beautiful person who had willingly chosen this for herself; who had willingly chosen him.
And so this event had transpired.
Yes, it was different now. She was different now. She was mature and wise, proper and keen. An adult. She and him were adults. Yes, this was true.
But finally catching his breath, he couldn't help but hate himself more and more. As the rush of blood passed, as she lay there across from him tired and sweaty, he began to question himself: How could he do this?… How could he do this to her? How could he mutilate this remarkable person's chastity? How could he have taken away everything she stood for and everything she had safely protected all those years?
Such a simple act.
He couldn't look at her. Instead he averted his eyes, ashamed.
Noodle's hand, lying on the sheets between them, began to slide across the fabric slowly. It moved with a bit of grace towards him, until it found his cheek and stroked it carefully.
She whispered, "Please don't look that way."
He still kept his eyes lowered.
"Stuart."
He bit his lip and spoke in a raspy voice. "I love you. I never wan' to hurt you. I never wan' to-…"
She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her bare chest against his, resting her right cheek on his skin and closing her eyes.
"I'm in love with you." He breathed into her hair. "I'm in love with my best friend."
x