Smoke And Steel

• Twenty Nine - Deer in the Headlights •

*This is really quite short because it's just an extra from the twin's POVs*

Tate

"Babe, just calm down and tell me what's wrong."

"I can't calm down! I'm just so...  frustrated!" I pulled at my hair. I just didn't know how to deal with the emotions that were raging through me once they were there.

"Tate," Fey's soft voice silenced me through the phone. "Just breathe. Tell me what's wrong or I can't help you."

"It's Avery."

"Is he..?"

"He's awake."

"Oh that's great news!" She said excitedly. "Isn't it?"

"It's not him being awake that I'm annoyed about. It's him."

"Oh babe, just tell me what about him has got you like this. You should be happy now that he's back."

"I'm annoyed because, well, I'm his best friend but yet he doesn't even see me when she's around. All at once it's like the sun rises and sets with her and I don't even matter to him any more."

"She?"

"Ebony. He forgets that she's not the only one who's been waiting by his bedside for the past week, or the only one who's been plagued with worry. I've barely eaten or slept since they brought him in and yet he's awake and I'm out here."

"Oh, Tate. He probably doesn't even realize what he's done. He likes her and the one time that I've seen them together it wasn't hard to see that they're both smitten, even if they don't see it themselves."

"But what about me? What about how I feel? If anything had gone wrong then I don't know how I would've coped. He might be in love but he still has a family in us and he doesn't even stop to see that! He just kicked all of us out of that room so he could be with her. What if we wanted to talk to him?"

"Tate you stop this right now. He has been awake for next to no time and you're not even giving him a chance. Just give him today and then you can tie him to a chair or something and force him to listen to you on Thursday. And you do matter. You matter to me."

"Yeah, well. What's so special about Thursday?"

"You haven't seriously forgotten, have you?"

"Forgotten what?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Thanksgiving is on Thursday. You do celebrate it, don't you?"

I'd been so worried about Avery lately that the thought of celebrating a holiday of any sort had totally escaped my mind. "I forgot. Plus, I don't know if they'll let him out by then. He just woke up."

"Well for both your sake's I hope they do. You guys seriously need to talk, sooner than later."

"Fey?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for talking to me. I uh, I'm thankful that I have you, and I'm sorry if I interrupted your day. I just needed you to help me. Sometimes I just feel too much and it crushes me under it's weight. No one's really been able to calm me down before. No one except for Avery, and now you."

"It's no problem. I'd do it all over again if you asked me too."

"That's what made me fall in love with you. You understand me." I only realized what I'd said after the words were out.

"You love me?" She sounded shocked.

"Yeah, well I didn't really want to tell you this way, but yeah, I guess I do. No wait, I know I do. I mean, how could I not? You're beautiful and sweet and kind and geeky and I love that. I like your blue hair and your smile and your eyes. I love your laugh, your voice, and I think you look especially adorable when you're pretending to be mad at me. I love you, Fey."

"Holy crap."

"I mean if you're not ready yet then that's alright too, you don't have to say it back. Or if you totally hate me now because I just said it over the phone and not in real life, then I understand that too."

"Oh you sweet boy, I love you too. I would kiss you right now if I could. Oh gosh, I can't believe you just said that. Holy crap, I can't stop smiling now."

I didn't know you was the happier person right now - her, or me?
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Tash

I didn't see her until it was too late, the pair of us crashing into each other.

We both fell flat onto the flaw, my tailbone smacking into the hard linoleum.

"Shit," I squeaked out, trying to stop my eyes from watering. It hurt like a bitch.

"Are you alright?"

I looked up at the girl who I'd just banged into, only to be caught in her gaze like a deer in the headlights. She literally took my breath away, and I had to remind myself to take actually take a breath.

"Absolutely great," I said as I took her extended hand. At the sight of her I could care less about my throbbing tail-bone. "Are you alright?"

"I'm feeling fantastic," she said, our hands lingering in each others' grasp for a beat longer than they should've. I watched as her hazel eyes took in my face, my lips, my neck. She looked so utterly perfect and I was kind of confused about the way I was feeling about her.

I ached to reach out and run my hands down the length of her blonde hair and down to the point where it touches the curve of her waist. I wanted to hear her whisper my name, to hear the way it would sound coming from her lips.

We studied each other, and I had no doubt in my mind that she was feeling the same way. I'd been with girls and guys before, but this felt like a different type of wanting. This wasn't lust, it was something different. Three minutes after crashing into this girl and I wanted to know everything about her - her name, where she came from, what her story was. Whether she preferred skittles or M&Ms, Pepsi or Coca Cola, Books or Movies.

"I'm Ella," she said, extending her hand again. "This might be a bit out of the blue, but would you like to come get a coffee with me?"

"I'm Natasha," I said, taking her hand in mine. "And I would love to come get coffee with you."
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A/N

Song of the Chapter - Deer in the Headlights by Owl City

- C♥