go through all this pain || FERRIS

[melon]

She needed to get out and stretch her legs, but she also needed to look into more places in town. She was going to be living here for a while, and it only made sense to explore. Besides, she needed to find wonderful places to photograph so that she could get her name out there. She didn't have a gig until later this evening, so she had all day to kill. Archer stood up from where she had been sitting on her couch, doing absolutely nothing, determined to get some good photos today. And what was a better place to take pictures than the aquarium? She had the perfect camera for it, so she was actually really excited. Going through her small apartment, she reached her back bedroom and changed from the sweats and sweatshirt she had donned for a lazy day. Changing into a pair of her khakis, she threw on a black tee shirt and covered it with a zip up sweatshirt. This would do for now. Throwing her long, wavy brown hair back into a messy ponytail, she grabbed her nikon bag and gave Noah a treat as she left the apartment.

She wished she could have taken the dog with her, but he wouldn't be allowed in the aquarium. She couldn't and wouldn't just leave him outside. Sighing to herself, she opted to walk the distance from her apartment instead of driving. She could use the exercise, really. She had just been sitting around lately and that wasn't getting her anywhere. It would however give her another fifteen pounds and a disheveled appearance. Deciding against sitting around doing nothing from now on, she stepped forward, her sneakers hardly making a sound as she walked along. Her big brown eyes stared out at all around her, and she could be guilty of people watching. She couldn't help it. They were just so interesting. Shaking her head with a small smile upon her face, she finally saw the aquarium up ahead. Getting a bit excited, she picked up her pace and was soon waiting in line for a ticket. Once she bought one, which was rather expensive, she entered. It was different to see a person going in by themselves, but Archer didn't care. She loved the solitude and the freedom to do whatever she wanted to do whenever she wanted. It was perfect, and she couldn't wait.

Her eyes held wonder as she walked through the first tunnel, the water illuminating everything around her. There were hundreds, thousands of fish! One of every color it seemed like, and she noticed the sharks swimming in the background as well. That was a creature she would never want to come across. A shark. She couldn't even imagine. Freezing for a moment underneath a rather breath taking piece of coral and school of fish, she went into her bag and brought out her nikon. Making sure there would be no flash, she started snapping pictures left and right, relieved and glad she had just changed the film. This was going to be a day filled with tons of pictures, she was sure of it. She moved along the tunnel, not wanting to be in the way of anyone. A small smile reached her face as she saw the fish swimming along rather happily. They seemed so free, and at peace. Even if they were forever trapped behind this glass. Sighing to herself, she lowered her camera and stared quietly at the scene before her. It made her a little sad to see them all trapped in here, and that might be because it mirrored how she herself felt. Trapped. Constantly. She refused to think like that though. She just couldn't. She was here to enjoy her day and take pictures until her gig. That was that.

^{STARRING : ARCHER & FERRIS
WORDS : 608
STATUS : FINISHED
NOTES : <3
LYRICS USED : USE SOMEBODY - KINGS OF LEON
LISTENING TO : HOME DIERKS BENTLEY
BANNER CREDIT : TANA
TAGGED : TANA}

[ferris]

She won't ever get enough

Once she gets a little touch

standing by the largest tank in the aquarium, ferris allowed himself to forget everything around him for a moment. he wasn't typically the introspective type, but he had his moments, and this was one of them. being a photographer made him see the beauty in the world around him, and for that moment, he simply stood with his camera in one hand watching the fish swimming lazily around in the water. sharks meandered, untouchable, in the midst of them, not bothering to attack the fish which seemed would be their typical prey. that part of aquariums had always fascinated him. the animals didn't act as he expected them to act in the wild. perhaps that was the way of things: captivity changed a person. and that was why he'd never had a serious girlfriend.

there came the subject of 'girlfriends' again, ferris sighed to himself. he hated the subject of a love life. his father, the immortal bachelor, was continually calling him and asking him where he stood with the ladies. then, the inevitable bitching out would ensue as george lectured his son on the importance of sleeping around with women. no, he didn't phrase it that way, but that was essentially the message. although ferris was more like his father than he'd prefer, he liked to deny that to himself, so he was hardly the ladies' man anymore. sure, there was a time when he was - sleeping with any woman he could be certain didn't have aids - but not so much anymore. then again, that could be simply because he wasn't back in seattle, his usual stomping ground. no, he'd been on vacation in sapphire bay, california, of all places, for two days now. he was scoping out the location for a potential photography studio. if he could get out of seattle and away from his father's influence, he would be safe. or at least he imagined he would be.

but starting his own business during a recession was going to be a pain in the ass to say the least. he had no money - fresh out of college in europe - and he refused to take his father's cash although it was constantly forced on him. he supposed his father wanted to help him, but the guy was a douchebag who'd royally screwed his son from toddlerhood, and ferris couldn't forgive him. so while he allowed george to push the money off on him, he just put it away in his savings account for a rainy day and tried to earn money on his own.

stepping away from the tank, he moved back to the wall to get the widest shot possible and began adjusting his lens. having a new camera was always a pain to him. he had to learn where all of the buttons were - and what they did - all over again. although sometimes frustrating, it was worth it. he'd spent seven hundred dollars on it, and it better be worth his time. lowering the camera to examine the many features for a moment, he switched some switches and flipped a few knobs and raised it back to his eye only to see blackness. for a moment, he thought he'd forgotten to remove the lens cap, but then he realized someone was blocking his shot. instantly, his impetuous anger and quick temper lit up and he ground his teeth together. and it was a girl on top of everything. well wouldn't his father be proud when he told him he'd cussed out some chick for blocking his picture.

"your ass may be able to get you into the best nightclubs, but it sure isn't doing my shot any good," he snapped to the girl who stood a good head below him in height. out of habit, he took one hand from his camera and ran his hand back through his long, spiked hair, wiping it away from his vision. raising his eyebrows and giving her a look like she must be deaf, he waited for her to get out of his way.

(CLOTHES) (ARCHER) (681) (WHOOT! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!)

[melon]

Archer stood back for a moment, her gazing floating up to the very top of the tunnel she was in. Thoughts swelled through her mind and try as she might, she could not get them to go away. Normally she was successful, other times not so much. And those other times usually ended with her having a panic attack, which she was certain she didn't want to do in the middle of this populated place. But she could not remove the thoughts of that night from her mind, and for a moment she stood transfixed, looking as if she was staring off into space. And she was. She thought about that night and why it had to happen the way that it did. Why hadn't her coaches just cancelled the game for the night? The weather was horrible, and the roads were even worse. It was an accident waiting to happen, and it did happen. Archer could still hear the screech of the metal across the pavement, but above all that, she could hear her mother's screams. Her father was yelling, and Archer could only sit there in shock as they went spinning over sideways.

Closing her eyes now, she stood, clutching her camera between her shaking fingers. No. Not here. She couldn't have on here. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she tried calming herself down, but that action only plunged her deeper into her memories. When she came to in that car, she screamed. She couldn't stop screaming but she honestly couldn't even hear herself. Her parents were dead. She saw them right in front of her own eyes. Her father's eyes were cold and staring, so unlike his usually warm and happy expression. Her mother's face, once gentle, was now torn to pieces and Archer couldn't even recognize her. Archer pulled herself from that image instantly, knowing only bad things would come if she kept going down that memory lane. Wrenching her eyes open, she felt herself become short of breath, and for a moment she clutched her chest, as if that would help. Shaking now, she tried making herself unseen by the large crowds that were gathering around her. If she was about to have a panic attack she was going to do so in the bathroom, with as much privacy as she was going to get here.

However, as she was backing up and away from the part of the tunnel she had been standing in, she heard a rather irritated voice behind her, talking about her butt. Excuse him? Turning around on her heel, she fought to catch her breath as her brown eyes blazed with anger. How rude! "I could care less about your shot. And you shouldn't speak to people like that!" She finished, but her tone was breathless and quiet. Her face was flushed from what was happening inside of her, and she just shook her head. Pushing past him angrily, she made sure that her shoulder did indeed hit his, but because of their height difference she most likely only hit his arm. "You rude, arrogant jerk." She stated on her way by, still clutching her chest from the pain that was building there. Goodness how she hated these attacks. She didn't even make it to the bathroom. She disappeared around the corner and doubled over, placing her hands on her knees, the camera hanging from her neck. Gasping for air, she couldn't stop herself from shaking. This was embarrassing, but it did seem to be a bit abandoned. No one was passing through the small hallway. Thank goodness for that.

^{STARRING : ARCHER & FERRIS
WORDS : 626
STATUS : FINISHED
NOTES : <3
LYRICS USED : USE SOMEBODY - KINGS OF LEON
LISTENING TO : GONE AWAY SAFETYSUIT
BANNER CREDIT : TANA
TAGGED : TANA}

[ferris]

She won't ever get enough

Once she gets a little touch

fully prepared to return to ignoring the midget once she excused herself from his view, ferris nodded curtly when she moved and ignored her snide remark. one characteristic he got strongly from his father was his inability to give a crap when he hurt people. he supposed he'd probably offended or hurt the girl's feelings, but he had a hard time finding a part of him that gave a damn. he wasn't some sappy writer, he was a photographer and a busy one at that. the more shots he got, the more money he could save up to start his gallery. as his heartlessness kicked in as the girl called him a jerk and moved away - her voice sounding rather strange in the process - ferris felt a brief pang in his chest. sometimes, he remembered too many of the traits his father had given him and couldn't remember any that could be attributed to his mother.

he hadn't known the woman before she left them, having gotten enough of his father early on. she'd gotten pregnant while the two dated, and ferris was only five years old when she'd moved on, getting an annulment since she and his father had only been officially married a short time. custody arrangements hadn't been hard, george mccullough had been a rich european businessman even back then, and ferris's mother apparently hadn't given a damn about him. george received custody as his son turned six, and that had been that. since then, ferris had been turning into a shadow of his father despite his best efforts not to.

however, deep down, he really didn't want to be like his father. it was just a pattern he couldn't help falling into. his will just wasn't strong enough to defeat his vices, the dark shadows of his personality. instinctly, and against his better judgement, ferris glanced out of the side of his vision as the girl moved away around the corner. just before she passed the wall and disappeared from view, her hand went to her chest and she bent forward. then she was gone. his heart leapt in his chest and his face burned hot. great, he'd given the poor girl a heart attack. letting his camera drop to his chest, he chased after her, rounding the corner just as she doubled over, seemingly in pain. awkwardly, he moved to her side, attempted putting his hand on her back to comfort her but thought better of it considering his prior behavior, and leaned over so he could see her face. she gasped and shook, and he thought he may get sick at the sight of her. he'd never seen anyone have any sort of panic attack or epileptic seizure or whatever it was was happening.

pulling his phone from his pocket, he did the first thing he could think of. he dialed 911. "there's a girl having some sort of attack... i don't know... just get the hell over to the aquarium, you idiots." hanging up, he shoved the phone into his pocket and moved back to her side. grabbing her hips as politely as possible, he tried to lower her to the floor - maybe she could breathe better down there. placing his hands on his knees, he looked into her face, holding his camera with one hand to keep it from swinging into her face and giving her a black eye. "so..um... i didn't mean to give you a heart attack or anything." he felt so awkward, unused to helping people.

(CLOTHES) (ARCHER) (YEAH SO THIS ONE SUCKS. I'M SORRY. I SHALL TRY TO DO BETTER! HEE HEE)

[melon]

She couldn't believe that this was happening like this. What if she froze during a performance? This had to stop. Maybe she should actually go to the doctors like her small group of friends suggested when she had friends. No. She wasn't going. That would be admitting defeat and she never gave up. She would work through these issues and that was that. Swallowing past the lump that had risen in her throat, she closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall. She was struggling to catch her breath, but she had had enough of these to know what to do to calm herself down. She had done it multiple times before, but one had never hit her as hard as this one had. She hadn't had one in quite some time though, so that had to be a good sign, right? It just had to happen now though? And in front of that jerk of a guy? That was what frustrated her the most. She hated looking weak, especially in times of a confrontation. If she had been in the right frame of mind she would have stayed and annoyed the crap out of him.

Seriously. She wouldn't have taken his condescending tone and his attitude if she wasn't having a panic attack. Now she just looked like an idiot. Shaking her head, he trembling fingers clutched at her chest, trying to move the barrier that she felt was there. Sucking in a large breath, she choked, and that sent her head spinning. Growing dizzy, she kept her eyes clothes knowing that this would pass soon. The attacks usually only lasted a few minutes at most, and that knowledge kept her strong. Trying to comfort herself with her mind, she suddenly heard footsteps coming around the corner. Oh great. Just great. Pushing herself up so that she was standing straight, she tried to appear as if she was behaving normally. Putting on a calm expression, it instantly fell when she saw who it was. Really? Did he have to keep bothering her? She was out of his shot now, for goodness sakes! Why did he even have to follow her in the first place? He didn't really come off as the most caring individual in the world, and this didn't make sense to her. Giving him a cold look, she was soon doubled over, not able to hold herself up any longer than she had been up.

Hearing his voice, she panicked even more. Oh no! He couldn't be calling the ambulance. Fear trickled through her eyes for a moment, and she looked up at him, trying to grab his phone. But she only succeeded in brushing his hand with her fingers. "No please don't! I...I can't a-afford that!" But it was too late, and he had already hung up the phone. What was she going to do? She could barely afford to feed herself and her dog, as well as pay her rent! That was why she was so thin, and she didn't need a hospital bill on top of it all. There was no way she was going to be able to pay that off! Trembling more at the mere thought of being in more debt, she sucked in a breath and felt her heart beat start to slow down. Great. It was ending and now she was going to look like an even bigger fool. Suddenly, she felt hands on her hips and she started a bit, not liking the idea of being touched by a stranger. Giving him a look, she sat down, trying to keep him in her line of vision.

"Please, as if this had anything to do with you. Or are you that self-centered. It was a panic attack. I'm fine. I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern, but really. I'm fine." Regaining her breath and her composure, she was trying to gather what was left of her pride. And that was extremely difficult while this gorgeous young man was peering down at her. Gorgeous? Really? What was she thinking? Her head was just a mess, that was all. Being stubborn, she picked herself up from off the floor, thinking she had the strength to go on. Her fingers were still shaking as she tried to adjust the camera strap around her neck. And then, as she stepped forward, she stumbled. Right into him. Catching herself before she hit his camera, she blushed immediately. "I'm sorry! I just..lost my balance. I'm sorry!" This was a night mare.

^{STARRING : ARCHER & FERRIS
WORDS : 788
STATUS : FINISHED
NOTES : LET THE FUN BEGIN =D
LYRICS USED : USE SOMEBODY - KINGS OF LEON
LISTENING TO : GOD GAVE ME YOU || BLAKE SHELTON
BANNER CREDIT : TANA
TAGGED : TANA}

[ferris]

She won't ever get enough

Once she gets a little touch

he noticed her trying to flag him down just as he hung up his phone and it slipped into his pocket. hearing a snippet of what she said - something about not affording an ambulance which he'd already called to come get her - ferris shook his head magnanimously. "then i'll pay for it," he stated simply, shrugging his shoulders to brush the issue away. he had no intention of explaining further why and how he had enough money to pay off an ambulance, so he lowered her to the ground and then stood, hovering near, but not too close, so he could be sure she was okay. he told himself it was for the sake of his own conscience that he stood there - he felt responsible for the panic attack in the first place - but he couldn't help noticing that the petite girl really was attractive. only in a photogenic way, of course.

realizing he was staring, he cleared his throat and looked away, seeing her look up at him out of the corner of his eye. as she started speaking, he looked down at her and raised his eyebrows. well, it was true he was an arrogant jerk, but when did he start caring? "self-centered, probably not, but arrogant jerk hits it right on the head," he snapped. he didn't need to stand around listening to some short pint telling him his character flaws. he was well aware of them. he felt it when the side of his personality which resembled his father reared its ugly head, and that was often nowadays. it was the reason he stayed alone most of the time, which only made it worse since he didn't interact with enough people to work out the kink in his armor. the cycle was a neverending one that ate away at him from the inside, but it was his problem. he certainly didn't need an audience.

"i was going to say i was glad you survived, but now i'm beginning to second guess that statement," he muttered. "i suppose the princess won't be needing the beast anymore?" raising his eyebrows sarcastically, he turned to leave as she pushed herself up and tried to take a step. however, he didn't get far as she fell forward. instinctively, he reached out to catch her and she fell into his arms, her perfectly round face looking up at him as he balanced her. he could tell a lot of her weight was on him which told him she wasn't strong enough to stand on her own yet. the smell of her - perfume intermingled with the spicy scent of the liquid used to soak photographs in a dark room - washed over him and he held his breath to prevent being overcome. it was a delicious smell, a hint of femininity mixed with something he loved doing: taking pictures. he hadn't noticed it before, but she also wore a camera around her neck, and although it was significantly smaller than his own, he'd owned one similar at some point in the past. they had a common ground to stand on, literally and figuratively. for the briefest of moments, ferris felt a connection with her, and he looked into her eyes at the thought, but he pushed the feeling away as quickly as it came. there was a very good chance he would never see this girl again in his life, and there was no point in becoming friends. he was only visiting in this town, and for all he knew, so was she, so there was really no use in putting out the effort to bond.

"it's fine, really," he stated flatly, trying to hide his reaction to her sudden closeness. although his father was a player who slept with women and left them alone the next morning, ferris liked to imagine he wasn't like that. sure, he was a douche, but he tried to respect women when they weren't being annoying little twits. so instead of pushing her away, he found himself steadying her with one hand on his hip and his other hand finding its way to push her wavy brown hair out of her brown eyes. realizing what he was doing, he cleared his throat and gently pushed her away, shoving one hand into his pocket while the other found its way to the back of his neck and then to his hair as he tried to preoccupy his hand with something to do in the awkwardness. "umm... i trust you're feeling better?"

suddenly, the stillness of the moment was broken as the hallway filled with noise, paramedics flooding into their small alcove. the hospital workers overwhelmed them, pushing ferris back away from her and preventing him from helping or speaking or reacting much at all. he tried to tell them their assistance really was no longer necessary, but they were too busy checking her blood pressure and shining bright lights into her eyes to see if her pupils were dilating correctly to listen to him. growling under his breath, he moved out of their way and into the bigger hallway from whence he had come. the tank shone its blue light on the marble flooring and ferris tried to block out the circus going on behind him, focusing on the fish who lazily moved about their environment without a worry in the world.

after what seemed like twenty minutes, the crew began to disperse behind him, but he didn't turn to look immediately. as he saw them passing toward the aquarium's exit, he ventured a glance after them, briefly wondering if the stranger had agreed to go with them or if she stubbornly remained behind.

(CLOTHES) (ARCHER) (WELL AT LEAST IT'S LONGER. WHY DO I SUCK SO MUCH?! LOL)

[melon]

She felt sick to her stomach and she knew it was because of the panic attack. She was honestly tired of these things. Seriously. Her parents had died eleven years ago to date, and then she realized why she was having one. Today was the day. The anniversary of their death. Archer couldn't believe that she had momentarily forgotten and that hit her heart hard. She always did something for them on this day and she felt horrible for not doing something. What was she thinking? She was too worried about taking pictures to make some money, and the gig that she had tonight. Seriously, what was wrong with her? And now she was taking her frustration out on this stranger, which wasn't fair at all. Even though he seemed like a real jerk, she didn't have the right to antagonize him like she had been doing. Especially now that he was standing over her to make sure that she was alright. Biting her lower lip out of pure annoyance at herself, she looked down to her hands, which were clutched together over her knees. They were trembling still and Archer didn't know what to do to make them stop now. She was a horrible person. She couldn't deal with the fact that she had ignored this day. And a small part of her heart truly believed it was because she wanted to forget. She wanted to move on.

Closing her eyes, she refused to let the tears fall. There was no way that she would cry in front of this stranger. No way. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she felt her eyes well up with tears, but she refused to let them fall. Blinking quickly, she gasped once more to try and restart her regular breathing. Her pale face showed the strain she had just went through during the panic attack. This was so embarrassing. She couldn't believe that this was happening to her. And in front of an extremely attractive young man. Who was nothing more than a seemingly self-centered idiot. That was rough, and rude. He wasn't an idiot. She didn't even know him well enough to judge his character. Maybe he was just having a bad day. He didn't need to take it out on her though. Furrowing her brow now, she wiped stubbornly at her face in case the tears did fall, but was glad to find her cheeks dry. At least she could keep a small part of her pride, right? She suddenly heard him snap in front of her, and her brown eyes darkened immediately. "I will not let you pay for it. I am not some charity case that you can push your money on to make yourself feel better. Since you admit you are an arrogant jerk. Listen, I appreciate you helping me, but I'm no princess. And you don't have to feel obligated to stay, or guilty, or whatever. Thank you for your help." She finally finished.

That left her a bit breathless, and combined with her standing up, she just lost it all together. She was uncoordinated and completely too dizzy to be standing already. And that was when she fell into him. Her pale cheeks flushed instantly and she found herself catching his arm for stability. That brought her face closer to his and she was lost for a moment in his eyes as she tried to regain her focus. When he stated that he was fine, Archer figured that was a good time as any to straighten. However, she was trapped. She didn't know what was keeping her this close to him, but something pulled her to him. She couldn't figure out what it was, but she was drawn to him. It was like she was caught in some spell he was casting, and she didn't know how to handle that exactly. Studying him for a moment, she felt her stomach flutter as he reached to tuck a strand of her loose hair behind her ear. Archer's fingers tightened softly where she had rested her hand on his chest for balance. His shirt was caught in her grasp when he seemed to come too and eased her backwards.

He didn't push hard, but her balance was completely shattered after that attack. Groping wildly for something as she stumbled slightly, she caught the railing behind her. Lowering her gaze, she bent her head down and closed her eyes tightly. What in the world just happened? She could not believe this. She just must be crazy. Hearing his question, she nodded. Of course she wasn't going to admit that she felt as if she was about to fall over again. "A bit, yeah. Thanks. Sorry, again." She was about to say his name, but there was suddenly a flurry of activity around her. Her face paled even more as she recognized the hospital staff around her. She was never going back to a hospital. She had made that promise on her release date. Her brown eyes looked wildly around for the stranger who had come to her aid before. He was something solid and familiar, even if she had just met him. He have given her some strength, and now that she was pushed away from him, she felt the terror setting in once more.

"No I'm fine. Really, he helped me. He called when he first saw it happen. Please, don't touch me! I'm fine, I don't need you to help. No, I'm not going to the hospital. Give me the darn form then!" Her voice was in near hysterics as they ran all of the preliminary tests on her, and she finally managed to get them to leave her alone before she started panicking again. Signing the papers that said she denied treatment, she felt a sigh of relief escape her as they left. Thank goodness. The question now was, could she find that stranger from before? For some reason she knew her inner terror would subside if she could just see his face even if he was a jerk. Finally. Her eyes locked with his and she held his gaze. Confusion, terror, and pride ran through her brown eyes clearly and she stepped towards him. "Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear it, but I am thankful for your help. I'm Archer, if it even matters to you." She said, offering her hand out for him to shake if he felt the need to be civil in the least.

^{STARRING : ARCHER & FERRIS
WORDS : 1224
STATUS : FINISHED
NOTES : OH PLEASE, YOU'RE FINE! MINE SUCKS, I APOLOGIZE!
LYRICS USED : USE SOMEBODY - KINGS OF LEON
LISTENING TO : GOD GAVE ME YOU || BLAKE SHELTON
BANNER CREDIT : TANA
TAGGED : TANA}

[ferris]

She won't ever get enough

Once she gets a little touch

staring into the massive tank at the sharks and the fish swimming around in the water with them, ferris began to feel some of his usual coolheadedness return. he typically wasn't the type to snap someone's head off - although he could easily end a confrontation if one happened - and he didn't like losing control like he had with the girl. although he could often be rude when it came to things interferring with what he was doing or what he wanted, he was usually a lone wolf type of guy, perfectly content with being alone in a crowd. he was a wonderful party guest, but his everyday life was quiet and contemplative: the life of an artist. no, he wasn't some sappy poem-writing drug addict who sat around in his dark, dank apartment swinging back and forth from debating suicide to what his next poem would be. he just preferred thinking about the finer things in life - and preferably getting them on film if possible - and not turning into his father.

that was his biggest fear in life, really: turning into that man. it was a fear always in the back of his mind and always in his thoughts. whenever he interacted with someone outside of his apartment, he could see traits like george in his mannerisms and actions, so he tried to stay indoors or by himself when at all possible. it was probably a stupid way to shield others from himself, but it was the best idea he could come up with. that was another reason why he didn't like using the money his father gave him. using the cash was like giving in to the rest of his basest self and turning completely into his old man. he couldn't give his demons the satisfaction. therefore, he came across as an arrogant asshole to the entirety of the outside world, and if that was what kept them safe from him, then so be it.

the emt's moved off behind him, gradually trickling away through the exit as he watched them, and he heard a small, quiet voice behind him even as he'd secretly been watching for her. "Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear it, but I am thankful for your help. I'm Archer, if it even matters to you." still staring into the tank with his arms folded over his chest, ferris smiled to himself. he could sense that he intimidated her - not in the 'he's so rich and powerful i don't know if i'm allowed to talk to him' sort of way, but in the 'he's a jerk and he'll just continue to be a jerk no matter what i say' sort of way. that was a tone he was used to. ignoring her thanks, he continued staring into the water, watching a particularly playful young shark chasing its mother around in the tank, as he responded. "you said 'darn'. i don't think i've ever heard anyone use such a soft euphemism like that before. most of the time people just come right out and say the damn word." raising his eyebrows, he turned and looked at her where she stood a good foot below his line of vision, the blue light from the water illuminating her expressive brown eyes. he knew by that look in her eyes that they were two very different people. here he was, the beast, and she was the beauty, so guileless and sweet, the type of girl who says 'darn' instead of the real thing. ferris almost laughed out loud, but he refrained so she wouldn't think he was some kind of crazy person.

"whether you believe me or not, i'm glad you didn't have a heart attack," he added, looking back into the water. "and since i doubt you'll leave me alone until you know, my name is ferris." he shrugged almost imperceptibly. the sooner she left him alone, the sooner she would be better off. sooner than later he would just offend her or hurt her feelings or, if it ever got that far, break her heart. it was who he was. it was as if he'd been cursed with the mccullough male curse: to always break the hearts of the people closest to him. and he could still feel her petite frame in his arms, and he knew she'd come too close already. in the most poetic way, he could feel the petals falling one-by-one off of his cursed rose, and he knew there was no saving him. but perhaps, if she got away soon enough, she could save herself. turning to look at her once more, steeling his eyes so he showed no emotion, he spoke sharply. "you can go now."

(CLOTHES) (ARCHER) (SO I GOTTA ADMIT, I LOVE THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST REFERENCES I'M PULLING OUT HERE. XD I'M GONNA RIDE THIS UNTIL IT DIES. LMBO)

[melon]

As she stood behind him, she wondered what was going through his mind. This probably wasn't what he was expecting to happen during his day and she felt kind of bad. Well, she shouldn't. He obviously wasn't that bothered by it. He was staring into the aquarium and he hadn't even acknowledged her presence, or the fact that she had even spoken to him. She should have known that he was going to be a jerk. He sure wasn't the charmer when he had spoken about her butt before. How rude was that? Trying not to get worked up again, she looked down to the ground, ready to turn away from this handsome stranger. And there was the handsome again. What was thinking? He didn't care. He could care less, that much was obvious. She shouldn't even be having those kinds of thoughts about him. Besides, he wouldn't want her. No one did and she just had to get used to that fact. She had way too much baggage that she needed to keep hidden. No one could get close to her. She wouldn't allow it. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and turned on her heel. However, that was when he decided to speak up.

Turning her expressive brown eyes towards him, she made eye contact as he spoke about her not even swearing. A flush reached her cheeks as she was embarrassed from what he was accusing her of. But it was true. She hardly ever swore unless she was completely angry. She hated swearing. It was something that was negative and she just didn't need anymore negativity in her life. Biting her lower lip, she shrugged her petite shoulders gently. "To each his own. Sorry if I offended you by not swearing." She said quietly, her tone rising slightly as she grew irritated. Why did it even matter if she said the word or not? It didn't. Gosh this was so frustrating and she didn't even know why she was letting him get under her skin like this. It didn't matter. He didn't matter. She just knew that she had to thank him and apologize because he had cared enough to call an ambulance, and he had cared enough to make sure that she was alright. That was saying something, right? Furrowing her brow, she just stepped back and away from him, not knowing what else to say or to do in his presence. And she didn't need the heart ache or the aggravation, right? She could just go back to taking her pictures.

As he said he was glad she didn't have a heart attack, she spoke up. "Well it's a relief to know you aren't that big of jerk then." She said honestly, looking at him for any sort of reaction. She should have just come out and called him an ass, but even thinking the word got her flustered and embarrassed. Biting her lower lip once more, she heard his name and the brazen words that came with it. She wouldn't leave him alone? Hardly. "Alright. Well. If you think that I couldn't have walked away from you without knowing your name, oh great one, you've got another thing coming." Sheesh, what was wrong with her? She was usually never this snappy, but apparently he really got to her. Shaking her head, she was about to turn when she heard his words. Was he serious? She wanted to smack that cold look right out of his eyes. Stepping forward, she looked up at him, her eyes flashing with a fire that she hardly ever showed anymore. "Do not stand there and patronize me. Who are you to tell me if I can go or not? I have every right to be here. Get off your high horse." She snapped, looking at him and not backing down from this fight. If it was a fight that he wanted, then he was going to get one.

^{STARRING : ARCHER & FERRIS
WORDS : 750
STATUS : FINISHED
NOTES : THIS IS GONNA BE FUN. AND I LOVE THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST REFERENCES! SO TRUE!
LYRICS USED : USE SOMEBODY - KINGS OF LEON
LISTENING TO : GOD GAVE ME YOU || BLAKE SHELTON
BANNER CREDIT : TANA
TAGGED : TANA}

[ferris]

She won't ever get enough

Once she gets a little touch

her taking offense at his words and behavior didn't surprise him. he was trying to keep her at a distance on purpose, but he could tell she was the pushy type. for some reason she seemed to have a desire to make him open up, but he just couldn't. if he did, didn't she understand what kind of trouble that could get her into? his personality alone could break her heart, and even though he didn't know her, he had enough of a heart to not want to hurt a stranger. that was exactly why he had to get her to leave him alone, and now.

"Do not stand there and patronize me. Who are you to tell me if I can go or not? I have every right to be here. Get off your high horse," she snapped at him, her short height doing nothing to diminish her willpower. ferris smiled sadly down at her, turning to face her fully. irritation welled up within him, and he wished she would just leave him alone. he could go back to his hotel room and be alone and wouldn't have to worry about scarring anyone for life with his shadowy personality. couldn't she tell when to just stop? that was it, she just didn't get it. she didn't swear, she didn't give up. she was so many things that he wasn't already, and he hardly knew anything about her other than those few personality traits and her name.

"i'm not..." he sighed and shook his head, not bothering to go on. clenching his fists, he partially turned away from her and then thought better of it. "don't you get it?! you should not be around me," he snapped, tossing his hands in the air in exasperation. motioning to her petite frame, he continued, "you're obviously a sweet person despite your snippiness, and i... i'm just not. so you would be better off walking away from whatever it is you think you're going to make out of this." he motioned toward the door and then fixed her with his blue eyed gaze. the determination in her brown eyes and her stature spoke volumes about how immovable she was, and he had to admire her for it. but he would break her eventually, it would just take time. and he couldn't let that happen. he wouldn't break another person's heart.

when ferris was only five years old, his mother had left his father, and ferris had always blamed himself. she hadn't even bothered to try to get custody of him, hadn't even shown up for the hearing. as a young child, that broke his heart. he'd written up this dramatic story in his head about how he wasn't good enough and he'd broken her heart so badly because he wasn't perfect enough that she'd left. there were other details to his inner drama that he hadn't remembered over the years, but it didn't matter. he still always had that feeling that he was going to disappoint everyone he met. so he'd fallen into one night stands to keep away from the emotions of relationships, and he'd become a photographer so he could view the world without being involved in it.

shaking his head in exasperation, ferris looked at her again and did the first thing that came to his mind. she was a complete stranger, so he'd never have to worry about seeing her again after this, so why not live on the edge? besides, maybe it would silence her and get her to leave. stepping closer to her, he quickly took her face in his hands and leaned down, kissing her on her mouth. it wasn't a hard kiss or rough even, just enough pressure to get the message across. it was his last ditch effort, and it was a bit desperate perhaps. however, he found that her lips tasted like some sort of berries, and he was enjoying making his point more than he should have. hesitantly, he released her and forced himself to step away. his eyes flashed with a miriad of emotions, but he showed nothing in his face.

"are you happy now?" he asked, "you got a reaction out of me. now i can leave." turning, he brushed past her and walked toward the exit, still feeling the touch of her lips on his. if he could get out fast enough maybe she couldn't catch him on her short legs.

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