Apartment Melodies (ch7)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY $10+ PATRONS!

Okay, this is just a quick one. It's just... with the newest episode, I had such high hopes we'd get to see Carole go home to Tuesday and confide in her about her dad, but no. So I had to do it for us. Again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Carole & Tuesday.

-------------

															Chapter 7.

Alba City melts into the twilight around her, until the only thing left is the silhouette of a man.

A man who had abandoned her, a man Carole had never felt all that inclined to meet or care about.

Until she'd met him and started to care about him.

It isn't fair. None of it's fair. She never asked for him to find her, never asked for him to be so nice, never asked to feel this kind of poignant regret at watching him leave.

Part of her wants to follow him, but also knows she can't. She can't leave behind what she has, what she's found. Not for a man who had left her.

Even if she understands his circumstances now, it doesn't change the fact that she'd grown up in churches and refugee camps instead of in a warm household.

His leaving her made her who she is today, and she wouldn't trade that for anything, but there will always be a part of her that regrets.

Especially now, watching his back fading farther and farther into the distance, she regrets.

She watches until she can't see him anymore, until he's too far gone and her vision has become bleary. Heat drips down her face and stains the sidewalk beneath her, and she can't wipe her eyes quickly enough.

Her legs feel heavy and weak as she turns toward the apartment and begins climbing the stairs. The grocery bags weigh her down by the arms, as other things weigh her down by the heart. She barely makes it halfway up the steps before she sways to one side and slumps against the wall.

She almost looks back. Almost.

Is it a relief that she'd met him? That she knows what kind of person he is? Or would she have been better off never knowing?

She isn't sure when or if she'll ever know the answers.

Her legs shake, and the bags on her wrists nearly drag her back down the stairs she'd managed to best. She has to yank herself back up and push forward. She has to leave her father behind, just as he'd done to her.

She has her own life now. She has someone waiting for her.

Carole staggers up the rest of the stairs until she reaches the door. Digging out her key and fumbling it into the lock is no easy feat at the moment, but she manages somehow. The door creaks open, but the usual greeting of 'I'm home' doesn't come from her lips.

The sound of her entrance rouses Tuesday from the couch where she'd been resting. She sits up yawning, pawing the sleep from her eyes.

Just the sight of her sends another pang through Carole's chest. She could never leave her, not for anything or anyone.

Carole wipes her eyes again and walks inside slowly, trying to compose herself. Tuesday finally opens her eyes and lets out a sleepy greeting.

"Welcome home, Carole."

In all her life, Tuesday is the only person who has ever welcomed her home. Tuesday is her home.

Carole can feel herself trying to smile.

"Hey..."

But she can hear the wobble in her own voice, the beginnings of a hiccup that forces her to clamp her lips shut. Tuesday is on her feet immediately, eyes wide and voice taut with worry.

"Carole? What's the matter?"

Carole shakes her head, trying to stay calm.

"It's nothing. I just..."

She feels more tears, and there's no stopping them. They drip onto the apartment floor in plain sight for Tuesday to glimpse. Gasping, Tuesday hurries over to her, stumbling and nearly tripping on the carpet in her haste.

"Carole-"

She sounds almost as heartbroken as Carole feels.

Carole drops the grocery bags and the act, accepting Tuesday's desperate, shaking embrace. Carole clings weakly onto her roommate's dress in return.

Tuesday squeezes her close, but not too hard, and Carole can tell she's worried to the point of tears already.

"What happened?" Tuesday whimpers. "D-Did someone say something? Did someone hurt you...?"

Carole grabs a firmer hold onto Tuesday's sides and buries her face into the girl's shoulder. She sighs, tries to get ahold of her breathing.

But Tuesday's comfort has the opposite affect. Carole feels too safe in her arms, too honest. Instead of composing herself, she just breaks down all over again.

The sobs burst free, and her legs give. Tuesday yelps as she hastily follows her to her knees.

"C-Carole-?"

"Sorry..." Carole hides more deeply into her collar. "I didn't mean to make you worry... I'm fine. I will be."

"Carole..." Tuesday's heart aches for her. Carole can feel it beating against her chest, wanting to know what's wrong, wanting to help.

But she can't burden Tuesday with this. Tuesday has enough to deal with regarding her own parents.

"It's nothing," she murmurs. "I'll be fine, Tues. I promise."

"But... But you aren't fine now..."

Carole shakes her head and cracks a smile.

"Dummy. Of course I am. I have you."

Tuesday whimpers and ends up crying more than Carole does. She's always been a crybaby. It's all because of that empathetic heart of hers. It's gotten her into trouble more than once, but it's at times like these Carole wouldn't wish her to be any other way.

She just hugs her. Tuesday is all she needs – all she'll ever need from here on out.

Both of them stop crying eventually, and Tuesday doesn't pry any further about Carole's circumstances. She simply helps her put the groceries away before bringing her to the couch and sitting down beside her.

"Do you want to rest for a little while?"

"Nah, I'm good." Carole pulls out a notebook from the nearby coffee table. "Actually... I kind of had an idea for some new lyrics. Wanna hear?"

"Of course!"

And just like that, everything feels normal again. In spite of everything Carole has learned, even if some part of her would rather never have learned it at all. Her past is behind her and there's nothing she can do to change it.

But her present and her future have Tuesday in them, and that's something she'll always look forward to.

---------

A/N: Yeah, not much. I don't have much time to write with my summer jobs, but I just... I really thought Carole would go into the apartment and Tuesday would comfort her in the anime, but of course not... ugh.