Context: You've known Arthur since you both were little. He's always been a troublemaker and you've always tried your best to be a good friend to him. Once college hit, though, all of his vaguely benevolent pranking and attitude turned borderline abusive. You didn't recognize the man you loved anymore and, well, if he can't be the man you love anymore, he's going to make sure you never love him again, either.

Setting: Home

Tags:[M4F][Enemies to Lovers?][Tsundere Toxic Childhood Friend Speaker][Weary Childhood Friend Listener][Argument/Fighting][Drama][Jealous][Unrequited Love?][Manipulative to Remorseful][Regret/Crying][Injured Listener][Comfort][Roommates][Party][ANGST][CW: Hypothermia/Lots of Swears]

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[Scene opens at home]

[You’re bringing in the last of the groceries when your roommate traipses in, his usual smarmy self]

[SFX: Groceries being set down]

“Aww, it’s the Hermit Crab! Thanks, Hermi, I always appreciate you being willing to stock up for a party.”

[Pause.]

“Look, just because you weren’t officially invited doesn’t mean you can’t tell me to fuck off and join anyways.”

[He rolls his eyes and you roll yours right back]

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a snowstorm. I get it. I paid for everything so you can’t be too butthurt about it.”

[Pause…]

“Oh, you’re more butthurt that I’m throwing a party to find a hook-up? Yeah, well, Miss Childhood Friend, you’re the one that came at me with the whole, ‘Arthur, you’re turning into a person I’m not sure I like’. Since I’m free from all your goody-goody nonsense, you shouldn’t get mad when I go looking for affection elsewhere…”

[...Pause…]

[He frowns, immensely bitter]

“Yeah, well, if you still love me, that’s on you for not catching up fast enough. I’m not a good boy, I’m not going to turn into one just because you plead and whine about my future, so find someone you actually won’t feel embarrassed to be around, huh?”

[. . . Pause]

“Hmph. Sure you weren’t embarrassed. Suuuure, you just ‘care’ about me. Fuck off with that shit, you and your fucking boundaries. Real friends are meant to go down together, no matter what, but no. You get one bad experience and suddenly my lifestyle is too much!”

[Pause!]

[He flinches, still angry but ashamed]

“...I know. Someone spiked your drink, but I was RIGHT THERE! I got you home!”

[Pause…]

“Oh my God, with the twenty minutes… Yes, I was gone for twenty minutes. My friends kept an eye on you, they didn’t let that guy walk off with you, now did they? You need to get out of your room more, Hermit Crab. You could stand to develop more of a spine.”

[. . .]

“Oh, quit being a baby. ‘If you hadn’t shown up when you did’, can we not? We don’t know what would have happened so there’s no point dwelling about it. Now. We’ve had our daily argument over me being a piece of shit and you being a spineless baby. Do you want to throw in one or two, ‘I can’t wait til our lease is up so I never have to see you again’, or…?”

[ . . . ]

[Pause.]

“Oh, I WILL have a great party! Believe me, I WILL!”

[SFX: The Listener going back to her room and calmly shutting the door and/or calmly shutting it then slamming it about three or four times before returning to calm]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time Transition - A few hours

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Scene opens back at home]

[BGM: Suitably obnoxious party music]

[You sit at your computer, trying to do something. Anything. But the music is almost shaking the walls and no one is bothering to be non-obnoxious, so you poke your head out]

“Heeey, Hermi! Finally poked your head out!”

[You look over toward his voice and see him reclined against the wall, beer in one hand and a pretty lady in the other]

[. . .]

“Huh? Oh, this is Kimmy! Yeah, she might be spending the night. Hope that’s cool! She’s a Hell of a kisser!”

[. . .]

[He makes eye contact with you, enjoying his time with this lady, apparently. You shake your head and turn to go when he calls out:]

“Hey, Hermit! Can you grab me another beer from the garage? I’m a little busy!”

[Pause…]

[He laughs, a little maliciously]

“Thanks, Roomie! Alright, beautiful, where were we?”

[He goes back to his makeout session while you grab your coat and some slippers. The snowstorm is still ranging but you doubt it's worth it to bundle up just to go open the garage]

[SFX: The Listener grabbing her clothes and heading outside/the music quickly bowing to the snowstorm]

[You trudge over and try the code… nothing]

[SFX: Buttons clicking uselessly]

[...and again…?]

[SFX: Buttons clicking uselessly]

[Cold surrounds you a lot faster than you thought it would. You turn and hurry back to the house… it’s locked]

[Pause!!]

[SFX: The Listener pounding on the door]

[... Nothing]

[You pound on the door again but no one seems to hear you. The snowstorm rages around you and you immediately begin to find it hard to breathe. You sit by the door… Someone’s sure to exit soon… Surely…]

[. . .]

[... does he really hate you enough to lock you out…?]

[SFX: More pounding on the door, lighter this time, fading into the BGM: Party music]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POV Shift: The Speaker

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Back inside, Arthur has continued his makeout session, though he seems… distracted]

“Mmh… One sec, beautiful. How long have we been making out?”

[Pause?]

[He glances around with a frown]

“...It’s been twenty minutes? Ah, fuck, I should check on my roommate. Our internal door to the garage is busted and missing stairs, so she had to go outside to get in… Should’nt take this long…”

[Pause]

“Oop, hey now, gorgeous. Let’s watch those wandering hands, huh? Hehe. I promise I’ll be back just as soon as I make sure the idiot is OK.”

[SFX: Him meandering the house]

Where is she…? Her room door is cracked, no way she’s in there… Did she drive somewhere…?

[Pause…]

Godamnit… When she vanishes like this, it makes my stomach hurt… I know I was being a dick earlier, but the snowstorm is way too bad for her to drive anywhere… Wait…

[He visibly bristles]

What if she called that prick of a physics major, Liam…? What if he picked her up and they’re making out at his stupid, fancy bachelor pad?? If he’s touched her… or even kissed her for a second-!!

[SFX: A wall being punched/ a few people reacting in surprise]

“Oh, sorry! Sorry, my bad! Just remembered a bad play from last night’s game!”

Nice, idiot. Way to play it off… Where is she?! C’moooon!

[SFX: Many texts being sent/the notification sound - distant, at first, but largely growing louder as he moves closer to the Listener’s door]

“‘Scuse me one second, gorgeous, I just need to check in with my dork of a roomie. C’mon, you worrywart nerd, just text me back… Just… text me… back, what the fuck?! Does she not have her phone on her, somehow??”

[SFX: More notifs]

“...Wait, that sounds like her phone… Hey, loser, knock knock, open up the door, it’s me!”

[Pause]

“Don’t give me the silent treatment, you-!”

[SFX: The door swinging open]

“-you’re not here… OK, so I was right earlier, but… Your car is still parked on the road, what…? Wait… Wait, something’s not right… Hey! HEY! SHUT THE MUSIC OFF!”

[BGM: Being silenced]

[SFX: People murmuring in confusion]

“Listen! My roommate went out to our garage almost an hour ago, now, but the door is broken from the inside! Did anyone see her go outside?!”

[SFX: Some shuffling/mumbling]

[He swears, grabs his coat, and races outside while everyone stands in uncertain silence, wondering what to do]

“HERMI?! HERMI, ARE YOU OUT HERE?!”

[P-Pause…]

[You barely manage it. It’s so cold…]

“I heard you! Ah geeze, hang on! Hang on!!!”

[SFX: Him scrambling wildly through the snow]

“HEY! Hey, hey, hey, no no no no no…! Jesus Fuck, SOMEONE CALL 911!!! PLEASE!!!”

[P-P-Pause]

[He scoops you up in his arms and barrels his way back into your house, cradling you by the fireplace]

[SFX: Him barging his way towards the fire]

“It’s gonna be OK! Listen to me, alright, you’re going to be OK! You HAVE to be, alright?! I won’t take any of this pansy-ass ‘dying’ shit, that’s for other people! That’s for pathetic quitters! That’s not us, we don’t fucking quit, not EVER! JESUS CHRIST, TANNER, DID YOU CALL THE EMS OR NOT?!”

[Pause!]

“THANK YOU! OK, OK… Everyone, clear out, I gotta get them out of these wet clothes!”

[SFX: People hurrying out/clothes being removed]

[Pause!!]

“I know it hurts! Here, take my giant hoodie… Curl up in that, then wrap up in this blanket, OK? You’re alright… Just try and calm your breathing down a little…”

[P-Pause]

“Your right knee…? You can’t feel it…?”

[Pause…]

“...It’s alright… I got you… The ambulance will be here soon, you’re going to be OK… What happened? Why didn’t you knock, huh??”

[P-Pause…]

“You did… Fuck me, the music must have been too… Godamnit, FUCK! I’m sorry, Hermi…! I should have been keeping a better-godamned eye on you!”

[P-Pause]

“...Your knee looks a little… black… but it’s OK, right? You’re OK, right??”

[. . .]

[His voice peters out]

“...H-Hey, c’mon… Do you remember, when we were little, when I set off all those fireworks at the Scouts award ceremony? I had a panic attack in all the chaos and you took my hand and got me out of there… Do you remember…?”

[. . .]

“C’mon, now… Here! Thank you, Jeff. Here, c’mon… Jeff made you some nice hot tea… I think you need to stay awake, c’mon, I-I’m not sure, but you can’t just be a cute little hermit crab right now and not talk, OK??”

[. . .]

[SFX: The sirens slowly bleeding into the scene]

“H-Hey…? Oh God, HEY!! Their breathing isn’t right, does anyone here know what to do?! They were breathing fast b-but they’re hardly breathing at all, now!! Please, I think she’s dying, I-I think she’s dying and I don’t-! I-I don’t know what to do, please! Please, please, someone…?!”

[He sounds as muffled as he did when you were covered in snow. The desperation in his voice almost sparks some adrenaline in you… but the fatigue wins]

[SFX: The sirens sounding directly outside the house]

“They’re here! Everyone clear a path! Clear a path, please!”

[SFX: A path being cleared and the EMTs being allowed through]

“Here! Yes, she got stuck outside! No, I… she says she or they or whatever is fine so I switch back and forth, but this is her! Please help, please, it’s MY fault, I promised I’d keep an eye on her and I didn’t-!”

[You fade out as he makes his desperate confession. You’re not sure what ‘promise’ he’s talking about… it’s not like he’s been your friend in years, now…]

[SFX: Fade out on Arthur sort of panic-rambling at the EMTs/general first care administration]

[To be continued?]