A/N: That's right, we're doing a .5 chapter again-
Really taking after Shannon, huh. Anyway, this will start right before Fitz leave the cafeteria in a huff
Before:
"Did you all have a nice weekend?" Linh asked innocently, a smile flitting across her face.
"Yep, very good," Biana grinned. Sophie braced herself for the horrifically unsubtle hint about to come her way as Biana continued. "I have some news, actually. Although I think it won't be news to most of you..." she grabbed Dex's hand.
"I have some news, actually. Although I think it won't be news to most of you..." Fitz's eyebrows furrowed as Biana grabbed Dex's hand, as realization sparked.
"Oh YES, you're together publicly!" Maruca said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Finally! I mean, I'm sure we all knew already, but-"
The words sent a wave of anger through Fitz's system. He brought his hand down on the table, ignoring the sting as his palm made contact. He hit it harder than he meant to, and winced internally.
But he didn't regret it, even as all eyes turned to him.
Because even though he was her brother, even though they'd had a big old heart-to-heart the other day, Biana had told him last.
Fitz's fists were clenched, and he knew it, but he couldn't make himself uncurl his fingers.
"Something wrong, brother dear?" Biana asked, tension ringing through her tone. Fitz knew she'd been worried about telling him, how he might react.
He wasn't being fair.
"Nope," Fitz said slowly. But the words were bursting up, because images were flashing through his head.
Keefe and Sophie and Biana and Linh and Dex, all with the same look on their faces.
The resigned look, the 'oh, there he goes again' look. But Sophie and Keefe's faces were angled away, and Fitz felt a quick surge of guilt that he quickly tamped down.
"Only wondering if I'm always the last to know."
Fitz regretted the words, but it was too late to go back now because it was true.
Biana sighed wearily, but Fitz noticed her white knuckles as her hand clenched into a fist. "We were keeping it from everyone-"
"Not everyone," he reminded her. His nails were digging into his palm but he hardly registered the pain. "Everyone knew, you said. Except me."
"It isn't like that-" Dex tried.
"Right." Fitz took a deep breath, but he suddenly couldn't stand looking at all of their faces. Not because they were liars (he wasn't being fair to her, to them) but because of the pitying gazes they were sending him. The annoyance, and guilt, and sympathy.
They all knew, and Fitz couldn't stand it.
"I want you to know I'm very happy for you," Fitz told the happy couple. Even if their day, their announcement was ruined and it was all his fault. His anger, his pettiness, his guilt.
He strode out of the cafeteria.
(Linh's POV)
Sophie stood up, presumably to go after him, but Biana stopped her with a hand on her arm.
"Let him brood," the brunette told her. "You're probably the last person he wants to see right now. Well... second last."
It didn't take a genius to figure out who Biana meant, and Sophie sat back down, biting her lip anxiously. She tugged at an eyelash, and Linh stood up.
"I'll go. You don't have to, Biana." The vanisher had risen from her seat, and Linh knew that Biana wouldn't want to deal with her brother right now.
Not in a bad way. But Biana was overwhelmed, Linh could tell. The last thing she needed was to talk Fitz through his feelings.
Biana gave her a grateful look, dropping back down. "He's not mad at... about us, you know-"
"I know," Linh smiled, even if she wasn't exactly looking forward to the conversation ahead. She patted Marella on the shoulder (no one else seemed to notice the way the blonde managed to stiffen and relax at the same time) and let one of Marella's braids twist through her fingers as she left.
The ground shuddered quickly before stilling, and Linh knew that no one else had noticed.
She just couldn't resist.
But even the soft feeling of the terrakinetic's hair couldn't stop her eyebrows from furrowing as she followed Fitz's path out of the cafeteria.
Maybe she shouldn't have told Tam about what happened. But she figured he already knew about it to some level. Biana had given permission to tell about her and Dex, after all, and Linh had never been able to keep secrets.
Well, there was one secret, but Linh doubted she was very subtle about it.
Spying the tip of Fitz's bag around a corner, Linh rounded the wall and saw him sitting on one of the white benches that lined the wall in this hallway. He didn't look too bad; mostly annoyed at himself instead of angry at others, and he wasn't crying or anything.
More... disappointed.
He looked up when he heard her, and a surprised look crossed his face. He'd obviously not expected her, and Linh understood why.
She sat down next to him quietly, letting him decide when to speak as she traced her finger along the edge of the bench, pointedly not looking at him.
"They sent you to calm me down, didn't they." Fitz didn't look at her as he said it, instead staring sullenly at the wall in front of him. "To keep me from saying something stupid because they know I can't get mad at you."
Linh's eyes widened, and Fitz glanced at her. He comprehended the look on her face, and a startled laugh burst from his chest. "Oh, not like that," he reassured her. "Definitely not. I just... it's hard to get mad at you. You just... I don't know."
Linh let out a breath, turning the words over in her mind. "I get that a lot."
He laughed, and she smiled in satisfaction.
"What's wrong?" She dared to ask.
"It's not... about Biana and Dex. I'm happy for them, I really am." Fitz's fingers tapped his knee in agitation, and Linh laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. He glanced over at her, but his finger continued tapping as he said, "I just... it's just everything, you know? And everyone knowing. I don't want... I don't want people pitying me because of something so stupid and I can't stand knowing that they do. You know?"
"Yes," Linh responded thoughtfully. She did understand, not wanting to be pitied; even if she was pitied (or hated, or distrusted) for something both better and worse- being a twin- she did understand not wanting people knowing something happened that was her fault.
Namely, flooding a major city.
"No one's really judging you, you know," she said quietly, her hand reaching down to lace her fingers with his. He understood it wasn't romantic, and when he smiled at her, it was sad instead of sweet.
"Yeah, they are. But it's okay."
It wasn't, and Linh knew it. But Fitz squeezed her hand gently before letting go and turning back to face the wall.
"This is his favorite ditching spot, you know. When we were younger, he used to convince me to ditch with him, and I would get super nervous we would get caught. And if we did, then we got detention, but he would always manage to get back in trouble." Fitz shook his head slowly. "Now? Everything is so messed up. I thought it was hard back then, but now?"
"Yeah," Linh agreed. "But look at all the things that went right. Look at Biana and Dex. At how Tam and I are out and... even Sophie and Keefe."
"And you and Marella?" Fitz grinned, lips curving up ever so slightly. Linh felt her face flush, and she lifted her chin.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, even as the corner of her mouth quirked up in a smirk.
"Yeah," Fitz snorted. "Don't lie to me. I'm not blind."
Linh had a few comments she could have made to that, but she thought better of it and said instead, "Fine, fine. I'll admit it. But no telling Tam!"
"So I'm not the last one to know this time!" Fitz grinned, before the smile dropped off his face a second later.
Linh reached for his hand again and turned him towards her. "We don't intentionally keep things from you, you know. It just... happens."
"That helps, thanks," Fitz rolled his eyes.
"No, I mean... you know, with the Sophie and Keefe thing... that happened..." Linh searched for the words. This was awkward, but it had to be done, so she pushed on. "But the Dex and Biana thing, we didn't, well, exclude you because of you, it was because you're Biana's brother. Just like Tam is mine, and he'll be the last to know about Marella and me."
"I know," Fitz said, even though he didn't look like he believed it. "I know that's part of it. But the other part is that you were worried I'd get angry."
Linh hesitated. She hated lying, really, even if it was to help someone's feelings. But they were in this situation because of lying anyway, and piling on some more wouldn't help.
Plus, he would see right through her. Linh had never really been the best at masking her emotions, anyway.
"Not exactly. But that was a part of it, yeah."
"Anger is how I..." Fitz waved his hands around as if he was trying to catch the words in the air. Snatch them from the air and put them in his mouth. "Cope, I suppose you'd say. Deal with things?"
"I know," Linh said softly, threading their fingers together again. "It's Tam's, too. Pushing people away, getting mad at the world. I get it. What you need to do is isolate who you're really mad at. Then, why; and go from there."
"I'm mad at Keefe. And Sophie, and Biana," Fitz said immediately. Linh knew he hadn't thought his words through, and he scowled on cue. "Not mad, exactly..."
"Yep. It's hard to do, to understand your emotions. Which is why you need to talk to them, okay? Understand what happened. Talk to Sophie, get the whole story, then decide who you're mad at and whether or not there's a real concrete reason for it." Linh glanced up as the first bell went off, signaling the end of lunch. Fitz stood, his hands flexing as they released themselves from Linh's grip.
"Thanks," he said, almost surprised. "You're... really good at this."
"I have experience with teenage boy angst," Linh said cheerfully, shouldering her bag. "You're welcome."
Fitz smiled, picking up his own bag. "You really helped, you know."
"I know," Linh grinned back. "And hey-" she caught his hand as he turned away to go to class- "I'm always here, okay? I know you usually go to Biana but since she's your sister, that has to be a little awkward. You can talk to me if you need it."
Fitz glanced back, his smile flashing again. "Thanks. I will. And the same goes for you."
"Thanks," Linh repeated before he said,
"You should tell Tam about you and Marella. He'd be excited for you once he got over all of his protective-brother-prerogative or whatever."
Linh considered it. She'd been thinking about it, and she knew Tam would be happy- maybe it was more that she was worried about everyone else. About what might happen if she and Marella went public.
About what her parents would say.
Linh pushed the thought from her mind and squared her shoulders. "I will."
So, Linh is awesome. I wish she got more development in the series, she had so much potential.
I sound like an old person.
Anyway, the above chapter was purely platonic; unless Finh is one of your ships, in which case let your imagination run wild. But yeah, Finh is honestly one of the few things I don't ship, so I had to make that clear.
Marella's ability has a name now, and more Marellinh was squeezed into that because I couldn't resist-
So yeah, that was that. Next will be... um. Something! Most likely Sophie, Keefe, and Fitz in a room together talking about feelings.
It's gonna be ~fun~