Archive: Yep

Rating: G at most

Disclaimer: If I could think of characters of my own I would. And I'd like to think I'd be rich. But I can't and I'm not.
So the people who are clever enough and rich enough to make money from their creations should look kindly on me
and not get mad when I get some tiny little measure of pleasure out of them once in a while. Thank you.

Light

by Elvichar

It was me. I talked. That was the only reason the kid was there that night. And Tyler resented it.

That's why he picked the fight with the fat guy, the real owner of the basement.

And that's the reason Tyler was so mad he let himself get beaten to a pulp. Well possibly.

Blondie was fine. Unscathed, unmarked. Kinda glowy even. The rule about the new guy having to fight went out the window. We were all too shocked by Tyler just losing it.

I brought him there and Tyler was mad. It was all my fault.

Up till then guys just showed up. I don't know how they found out about it, they just did. Sure I asked that guy at work - but it was Tyler's idea. The one time I don't consult Tyler about who to ask. And this happens.

At least I knew where I was with Marla. I hated her. She ruined my life. With Tyler it's always been different. He ruined my life in a good way.

At first I thought he might be jealous of the blond kid. He was like some sort of uber-Tyler, what Tyler would be if you took his genes and practiced a little eugenics on them for a couple of hundred years. Ok maybe not that long. It'd probably only take a few days if you spliced them right.

Then again he was almost like a photographic negative. What Tyler would look like if you drained all the colour out of him.

But the truth of it was I brought him there. I conjured him up. I knew it would make Tyler mad and I wanted to see how far I could push him before he snapped.

Obviously not far.

But something changed after that. Tyler seemed to take to the kid. Ignored me and started touching him, encouraging him. And all the while I'm thinking 'Why?'

Why did I ask him there, why was Tyler so upset? And especially why did Tyler keep doing this to me? Wrong-footed every time. Just when I thought I knew where I was he pulled another stunt.

I tried not to think about it too much. But then he moved in.

Sure so did all the others - all the members of Fight Club without homes, without family, without any sort of self-respect. They all came looking for some one to worship. Except for him.

It was out of control I couldn't stop it. I'd pulled the switch. He'd sit in front of a lamp and you'd swear that he had a halo. An angel of light. And I wanted to snuff that light out completely.

I tried to talk to Tyler about it. Reason with him. He wasn't listening.

"No one is more important than anyone else. You are not..."Tyler started.

"Yeah, yeah I know, not some unique snowflake. If that's true Tyler why is he so special - how come he gets to go around looking like Rolfe from the fucking Sound of Music?"

Tyler just laughed. Said I had nothing to worry about. Told me I was being paranoid.



***********************



So it was about a week later. I got home and no one was there. Not even Tyler. Not even Bob.

But he was there.

"What's your problem with me?" He was standing in a doorway, doing that lit-from-behind thing.

"Problem? I have no problem. What do you mean problem?"

"Why am I here - why do I never know where I stand with you?"

I sat down and just stared at him, "What?" I said. Tried to think of something pithy, but it was difficult.

He smiled and sat down next to me. Still no visible scars. Don't know how he does it.

"One minute you're happy to see me, friendly. The next you just ignore me. It's odd."

I got up. This was making me uncomfortable. I can't deal with verbal confrontation, it reminds me too much of my parents before they stopped speaking altogether. Physical confrontation - fine. It's a lot easier, believe me.

He grabbed my arm then.

"I want to know," he demanded. His grip was amazingly tight for someone who looked so insubstantial.

"Would you let go - we're not at Fight Club now you know," I tried to push his fingers open, but they weren't responding.

He looked at me with an odd far away look in his eye. Like the expression on an icon. Or a plaster saint. I thought he was going to bless me or something for a moment. But then he leaned forward and kissed me so softly it felt like air.

I had my eyes closed. I felt his grip on my arm loosen. When I opened my eyes he was gone.

Everyone else was there though. And I was on the couch. And it was all a dream

Figures. I am Jack's overactive imagination. And all I can come up with is a cliche.

"Hey wakey wakey sleepy head," Tyler ruffled my hair and grinned down at me. That was one thing I had over blondie. He never ruffled his hair.



END



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