(mary) francine goldstein (francen) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-02-10 21:20:00 |
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The best thing about Danny was that when she showed up at the flat he shared with his roommate, Gladys, while he wasn't even there, was that Gladys immediately stepped aside and let her come in. Francine hadn't told him that she was going to show up, but he must've known that he would. It was just like Danny to account for everything. She had made her way to Danny's room, curled up in his bed, and slept. It became a habit. Every day, as soon as she finished up at work, she made her way to Danny's, even though he was usually at work or visiting their dad. Gladys would let her in, every day with an increasingly concerned look on her face, and Francine would hide away in Danny's duvet. Sometimes, she'd emerge with a frantic look in her eyes, a burst of aggressive inspiration for revenge, and a commandeering of the living room to put up her detailed plans on the wall — much to Gladys' annoyance — but most of the time, she stayed in the room. She woke up that morning with a cup of tea on the nightstand and voices that filtered in through the half-open door. "I know that your sister has gone through a lot lately, especially lately," Gladys began, hushed in a way that clearly wasn't hushed at all, "but I just don't think this is very healthy for her." "She's not bothering anyone, Gladys," Danny said, tiredly. "That doesn't mean it's a good coping mechanism, Daniel," she stressed, "and sometimes she does bother me, you know, when —" Francine rolled over, groaning as she stretched out her limbs, and shouted, "I'm DEPRESSED, not DEAF," in the direction of the door. There was some shuffling and, satisfied, Francine fell back against the pillow. A minute later, Danny shuffled in, his weight pushing down the edge of the bed. She scooted away and closed her eyes. "Fran," he said softly. "I know you're awake." "Only because your stupid voices woke me up," she grumbled back. He laughed. "I should've closed the door." "You should've kicked Gladys out." "I can't do that. Who would help me pay the rent?" "Anyone. I'll move in if you get rid of her." Francine's head poked out from under the duvet. "I don't trust her." Danny sighed, just perceptible enough for her well-honed observatory skills. "She's only worried about you. And you know, I am too." Francine rolled her eyes. "She's mean and doesn't understand anything. And I'm fine." "If you were fine, you wouldn't be here." She scowled at him, but it didn't deter him. "A lot of things have happened recently and I know it hasn't been... great." "Thank you, Danny, that means so much to me." She tugged the duvet back over her head and heard his sigh. His sigh sucked. "I don't want to talk about it." "You don't have to talk about it with me. But why don't you get out of bed and eat something?" "I'm not hungry," she said, even though she was. "And also I'm asleep." "Francine..." "Danny, I'm sleeping now and if you don't want me to kick you out, you should leave me alone." He fell silent, but he didn't move. She could still feel his weight on the bed. Before she could think about kicking him off, Danny spoke again. "I'm going to see Anthony in a bit. Do you want to come along?" She did, but that meant she'd have to get up and change her clothes and brush her hair and eat and she was already exhausted thinking about it, so she shook her head, realized that he couldn't see it, and said, instead, "No, I'm busy." "Come on, Fran. He misses you." "I'll just write to him then." "I think he'd really like to see you, though." "Daniel," she snapped, pulling the duvet down and glaring at her brother. "I'm busy." "Sleeping." "Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to it." Her lip trembled unwittingly as she turned over and Danny must've caught it before his face softened and he reached out a hand to place on her shoulder. "Seeing him will cheer you up, Fran," he said. "I —" She meant to say don’t want to, but ended up saying, "can’t." Danny’s brow furrowed, she knew, without having to see it, because his voice changed. “You can't?” "He'll know," and because she knew he was just going to ask, she continued, "Anthony always knows everything even when I don't say it so he'll know that my life sucks and that I'm miserable and I can't do anything about anything and nothing is going right and he can't know that so I'm just not going to see him." Francine jutted her chin out defiantly, but the effect was muted by her less than imposing figure hidden in the bed. "Why don't you want him to know that?" "Because his life sucks and he'll just get all blotchy and worried when he should be focusing on himself," she said, like it wasn't obvious. "I don't follow your logic." "That's because you're you. I'm the put together one so I can't show up looking like I'm not. And he'd know." "Mum's — away. Your friend died." Francine flinched. "And you just found out your best friend is a Death Eater," Danny said simply, not unkindly, because that was the way he was. "No one expects you to be okay after that." "Ex best friend," she corrected, but it was no use. Sometimes, she still referred to Layla without the correction and only realized moments after. It was always the worst then. "Ex best friend," he amended. "Just tell him I'm fine, okay? And that I'll write him soon and that he better not be getting detention and that it wouldn't hurt him to learn how to be more popular." She pulled the sheets back up and held her breath until she felt Danny get up off the bed. She let out her breath when he closed the door. Danny returned a few hours later to Francine at the kitchen counter with a bowl of cereal in front of her. She was glaring at Gladys, as though she was the one out of place in her own flat. He'd have to apologize to her later. "Danny," Francine said, once he took off his coat. "Tell Gladys the volume on the TV is way too loud for anyone to concentrate on anything." He made an apologetic face at Gladys, who rolled her eyes and turned down the volume. It hadn't been that loud in the first place. Sorry, he mouthed. "Are you eating my cereal?" He asked, walking over to Francine. "It's about to expire so I thought it'd be fine." She paused to let him protest, but he didn't. "And I'm not changing out of my pajamas." "Anthony said he misses you." Francine's response came with her eyes focused on the cereal. "I'll just see him next time." "Okay." Danny got another bowl out and grabbed the cereal box. "How are you?" "Terrible," she said. "I hate everything." "Things aren't great," he agreed. "You know if you want to talk about it, that's what I'm here for." Francine didn't respond, but she swirled her spoon around in the milk and pushed the bowl away from her. "I miss mum," she finally said. "So do I," Danny said, his voice breaking towards the end. She felt her eyes well up and bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying. "What if we never see her again?" The words came easily for a thought she'd barely let herself think. "Don't say that." "It could happen." She felt a tear slip down her cheek and wiped it away furiously. "And it'll be my fault because I was friends with a Death Eater and she didn't even care about —" "Francine, it's not your fault." Firmly, he repeated it. "You know whose fault it is." "It doesn't help." "It will. One day, it will." She didn't believe him. Sniffling a little, she shook her head. "How was Anthony?" For a brief second, Danny looked like he wasn't going to let the topic go, but he did. He was the best like that. "I was going to see Dad and tell him. Wanna come along?" Francine nodded. "Are you going to change?" She looked down and frowned. "I'll just wear a coat over it." "Dad'll just make fun of you." "He can try." It made her smile, a little. "Okay, I'll be ready in five. Don't let Gladys get close to you. She's clearly planning to seduce you and I refuse to be her sister-in-law." "You're imagining things." "I always know," Francine said and she sounded so much like the Francine he was accustomed to that he had to laugh. Maybe that was a good sign. |