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sissyTitle: Come Apart
Fandom: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Characters: Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent
Prompt: 003. Ends
Word Count: 305
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Arthur leaves.
A/N: If you’d like, this could be followed by 002 and 001.
Table
Ford couldn’t answer right away.
This wasn’t just something he could smooth over. Usually when he dug a hole for himself, he left enough room to climb out. Not this time.
Arthur’s lips were pursed together so tightly that his face was white, a drained and pale color offset by the bright, angry blotches of red that were his cheeks. “Well?” He asked. He didn’t sound angry. He didn’t sound anything at all.
Little Ford’s were scrambling around the metaphoric walls of Big Ford’s brain, searching for something, anything to say that would help their situation. They failed, spectacularly.
“Well….er, Arthur. “ The Betelgeusian paused. He wasn’t at a loss for words. Ford Prefect had never been speechless in his life. But it would have been a lot easier if he hadn’t been just a little, maybe, on the edge of panicking. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Oh.” Arthur’s hands twisted in his sleeves. “Like what?”
“It didn’t mean anything, Arthur. It was just a, a thing, you know?” Ford winced. Not the right thing to say. Not at all. “She was just a….some girl, Arthur!”
The band of tension surrounding them snapped and let loose a tidal wave of anger. “Some girl?” Arthur howled. “Just some girl? For someone who’s just some girl, she seemed to be giving you an awfully good time, considering you’d rather spend the night with her than me. But then again, I suppose I’m just some man, aren’t I?”
“No!” Ford gasped. “Arthur, I-“
“Save it, Ford.” The human interrupted. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t have to stick around in places they don’t want to be.”’
Ford starred at the retracing man’s back. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
“But I do want to be with you.” He said, finally, to the empty room.
Title: Doing Yourself Wrong
Fandom: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Characters: Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent
Prompt: 002. Middles
Word Count: 280
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Zaphod comforts.
A/N: If you’d like, this could be followed by 001, and follow 003.
Table
“Don’t look so down, cus. “ Zaphod patted Ford’s shoulder.
He wasn’t quite sure what to do. He wanted his cousin to be at least mildly satisfied because, well, they were family, but the situation was light-years out of the range that his meager comforting skills could handle.
‘Down’ was an understatement. Ford Prefect was so down he was sideways, flipped upside-down, and dunked in a bucket of topsy-turvy. He was pale, tired, frazzled, upset, and painfully sober. His eyes, hollow looking, stared dispassionately at the array of drinks Zaphod had set before him. He sighed heavily.
The former galactic president twirled an olive-topped toothpick between the fingers of his third hand. The other two clasped a drink each. “Look, Ford, I still don’t see what the big deal is. I mean, look at you! You’re in the middle of your prime! Nobody’s gonna blame you if you want to have a little fun once in a while away from that stick in the mud.” Except, he added mentally, for that said stick-in-the-mud.
Ford started to shred a damp napkin into small pieces.
“C’mon, what self-respecting Betelgeusian would settle down at your age? Of course you don’t want to be stuck with that boring old monkey.”
The ginger haired journalist mumbled something. “Huh?” asked his left head. The other leaned closer.
“I said I do want to be stuck with that boring old monkey.” Ford moaned. His head hit the table with a solid thunk. Muffled, he whined piteously,” I do want to spend my time with that stick-in-the-mud. I just made a stupid mistake, that’s all.”
“Oh,” Zaphod took a drink. Then he took another. “Well, that’s a problem.”
Title: Come Together
Fandom: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Characters: Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent
Prompt: 001. Beginnings
Word Count: 278
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Ford changes.
A/N: If you’d like, this could follow 002 and 001.
Table
“I’m sorry.” Ford said.
The silence, so thick it was almost tangible, shattered around them. Arthur’s shoulders sagged. He looked as weary and tired and desperate as Ford felt.
The human sighed. “You should be.”
“And I am!” Ford insisted. “I really, really am! Please, Arthur…”
They stood for a moment, in the sudden stillness. The universe as they knew it was slowly coming to a stop, trying to brake before it crashed and burned.
“I already gave you a second chance, Ford. And a third.” The displaced man said, in a tone that was soaked in both hurt and accusation. Ford blinked, and blinked, and blinked. “I know. I know, Arthur. Just once more. I won’t do it again.”
“Yes, you will.” Arthur looked around, at anything other than the Betelgeusian. “You always do.”
“I might not. This is- different now.”
Ford rubbed his face. He clenched his towel in both hands, looking at Arthur desperately. “You left.” He whispered loudly, “You just left me.”
Clenching his jaw, Arthur breathed deeply, “Of course I left. I was tired of you-you!” his anger deflated, leaving him looking more haggard than before. “Of the ways it made me feel.”
“You’d never left me before.”
“I thought you might change.” The you didn’t was unspoken, but Ford’s stomach twisted as if Arthur had shouted it.
“I am.” He blurted out. “I mean, right now, as we speak. I’m changing. Since you left. I think-“
The universe was winding up, rolling over, getting ready to go, go,go. Ford Prefect knew what he wanted more than he had ever wanted before. “I think I’m beginning to see how much I like you.”
Fandom: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Characters: Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent
Prompt: 003. Ends
Word Count: 305
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Arthur leaves.
A/N: If you’d like, this could be followed by 002 and 001.
Table
Ford couldn’t answer right away.
This wasn’t just something he could smooth over. Usually when he dug a hole for himself, he left enough room to climb out. Not this time.
Arthur’s lips were pursed together so tightly that his face was white, a drained and pale color offset by the bright, angry blotches of red that were his cheeks. “Well?” He asked. He didn’t sound angry. He didn’t sound anything at all.
Little Ford’s were scrambling around the metaphoric walls of Big Ford’s brain, searching for something, anything to say that would help their situation. They failed, spectacularly.
“Well….er, Arthur. “ The Betelgeusian paused. He wasn’t at a loss for words. Ford Prefect had never been speechless in his life. But it would have been a lot easier if he hadn’t been just a little, maybe, on the edge of panicking. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Oh.” Arthur’s hands twisted in his sleeves. “Like what?”
“It didn’t mean anything, Arthur. It was just a, a thing, you know?” Ford winced. Not the right thing to say. Not at all. “She was just a….some girl, Arthur!”
The band of tension surrounding them snapped and let loose a tidal wave of anger. “Some girl?” Arthur howled. “Just some girl? For someone who’s just some girl, she seemed to be giving you an awfully good time, considering you’d rather spend the night with her than me. But then again, I suppose I’m just some man, aren’t I?”
“No!” Ford gasped. “Arthur, I-“
“Save it, Ford.” The human interrupted. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t have to stick around in places they don’t want to be.”’
Ford starred at the retracing man’s back. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
“But I do want to be with you.” He said, finally, to the empty room.
Title: Doing Yourself Wrong
Fandom: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Characters: Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent
Prompt: 002. Middles
Word Count: 280
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Zaphod comforts.
A/N: If you’d like, this could be followed by 001, and follow 003.
Table
“Don’t look so down, cus. “ Zaphod patted Ford’s shoulder.
He wasn’t quite sure what to do. He wanted his cousin to be at least mildly satisfied because, well, they were family, but the situation was light-years out of the range that his meager comforting skills could handle.
‘Down’ was an understatement. Ford Prefect was so down he was sideways, flipped upside-down, and dunked in a bucket of topsy-turvy. He was pale, tired, frazzled, upset, and painfully sober. His eyes, hollow looking, stared dispassionately at the array of drinks Zaphod had set before him. He sighed heavily.
The former galactic president twirled an olive-topped toothpick between the fingers of his third hand. The other two clasped a drink each. “Look, Ford, I still don’t see what the big deal is. I mean, look at you! You’re in the middle of your prime! Nobody’s gonna blame you if you want to have a little fun once in a while away from that stick in the mud.” Except, he added mentally, for that said stick-in-the-mud.
Ford started to shred a damp napkin into small pieces.
“C’mon, what self-respecting Betelgeusian would settle down at your age? Of course you don’t want to be stuck with that boring old monkey.”
The ginger haired journalist mumbled something. “Huh?” asked his left head. The other leaned closer.
“I said I do want to be stuck with that boring old monkey.” Ford moaned. His head hit the table with a solid thunk. Muffled, he whined piteously,” I do want to spend my time with that stick-in-the-mud. I just made a stupid mistake, that’s all.”
“Oh,” Zaphod took a drink. Then he took another. “Well, that’s a problem.”
Title: Come Together
Fandom: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Characters: Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent
Prompt: 001. Beginnings
Word Count: 278
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Ford changes.
A/N: If you’d like, this could follow 002 and 001.
Table
“I’m sorry.” Ford said.
The silence, so thick it was almost tangible, shattered around them. Arthur’s shoulders sagged. He looked as weary and tired and desperate as Ford felt.
The human sighed. “You should be.”
“And I am!” Ford insisted. “I really, really am! Please, Arthur…”
They stood for a moment, in the sudden stillness. The universe as they knew it was slowly coming to a stop, trying to brake before it crashed and burned.
“I already gave you a second chance, Ford. And a third.” The displaced man said, in a tone that was soaked in both hurt and accusation. Ford blinked, and blinked, and blinked. “I know. I know, Arthur. Just once more. I won’t do it again.”
“Yes, you will.” Arthur looked around, at anything other than the Betelgeusian. “You always do.”
“I might not. This is- different now.”
Ford rubbed his face. He clenched his towel in both hands, looking at Arthur desperately. “You left.” He whispered loudly, “You just left me.”
Clenching his jaw, Arthur breathed deeply, “Of course I left. I was tired of you-you!” his anger deflated, leaving him looking more haggard than before. “Of the ways it made me feel.”
“You’d never left me before.”
“I thought you might change.” The you didn’t was unspoken, but Ford’s stomach twisted as if Arthur had shouted it.
“I am.” He blurted out. “I mean, right now, as we speak. I’m changing. Since you left. I think-“
The universe was winding up, rolling over, getting ready to go, go,go. Ford Prefect knew what he wanted more than he had ever wanted before. “I think I’m beginning to see how much I like you.”