This was originally written by lj user: ashtree_fiction. Full credit goes to her.
Title: Always Loved Her Best
Fandom: Skins
Pairing/Characters: Tony/Effy, with a side of Cook and Pandora.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,146 words
Tony is in the library when his cell phone first goes off, and he reaches for it quickly, silent swearing at his forgetfulness. He turns it off, and goes back to reading.
He doesn't turn it back on until later at the coffee shop, when he remembers that he forgot to call his lab partner about the materials he's supposed to buy. His phone beeps at him, once, then twice and then five times, telling him how many calls he's missed since the mishap at the library.
He checks, but the number isn't one he recognizes and they didn't even bother leaving a message so he places the phone back on the table and immerses himself into his turkey sandwich. Not a second later, his phone rings, and that number flashes on his screen. Without much thought beyond irritation, he flips it open and shouts into it the receiver.
"What the fuck do you want?"
The woman at the table across from him glares at him as her little girl giggles at him.
"I want you to grow some fucking balls and come home, mate." a rough voice spits back at him.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The woman sends him another glare as she gets up from her table, dragging her daughter behind her.
"Who am I? I'm Cook.” Cook laughs, a strange, low laugh, full of hurt and despair.
"Wait. Cook? The one my sister is with?” Tony tries to remember what Effy told him about the guy, but right now all he can remember are his endless chemistry formulas.
Another laugh. "Mate, where have you been? I thought you and Effy were close. Anyway, we haven't been together for a year at least. But that's not the point. Why aren't you here?"
"Cook!” A high-pitched yell comes from the phone, and Tony has to move the phone away from his ear.
"Quiet Panda, I'm talking to Tony now, finally got through to the wanker."
"Oh. Well hi Tony! Please come home, she needs you.” Panda says into the phone and Tony is even more confused.
"Who needs me?" he asks.
"Cook, she's not eating again," Panda murmurs, but Tony catches it anyway.
"Right I'll be right there. Don't leave her alone.” Cook sighs. "Listen Tone, I don't know why you're not here right now, but Effy's hurtin' real bad right now."
"What? What happened?” Tony stands up, packing his bag and throwing the other half of his sandwich into the trash.
“ . . . "
"Cook! What the fuck's wrong with my sister?” Tony yells as he breaks into a jog back to his dormitory.
"When was the last time you talked to Effy?” Cook asks softly, and Tony barely hears him over the sound of the wind in his ear.
"A month ago? Maybe two?” Tony runs past a couple on the sidewalk and nearly trips a dog. "Out of my way!" he yells irritably.
"Tony, stop running."
He stops, and that surprises him as his mind catches up with him, the only thought in his head rolling repeatedly. Effy's hurt, something wrong with Effy, oh my god Effy, Effy, Effy, Effy . . .
"Sit down, Tone."
He flops down with a thump under a tree with some shade and takes a few shaky deep breaths.
"You really don't know, do you? Well . . ."
As Tony listens, he becomes less aware of the world around, his ears buzz and the repeating mantra of Effy becomes louder in his head and he wants to throw up.
He doesn't know how long he sits there with the phone to his head, his eyes closed, and his heart drumming.
"Do you want me to come get you?” Cook asks.
"No. I'll drive.” Tony stands up and grabs his bag, briskly walking to his dorm again.
"Drive safely then. And . . . " Cook sighs again, almost a sob. “ I'm sorry no one told you mate."
Tony hangs up and runs.
He drives as fast as he ran, without stops, without food and before he knows it he's standing in front of the red door he once called home. Fumbling for his keys, he's not aware of how much time has passed since he hung up on Cook.
The door opens, and Panda greets him with a hug and a soft kiss to his cheek. "Hi Tony."
He nods, acknowledging her presence and walks past her toward the stairs.
"Tony!” Anthea shouts in surprise from the kitchen. "What are you doing here? I thought you had finals. You're not skipping them are you?” She walks down the hall, drying a plate. "You know you could lose your scholarship and school isn't all that cheap you know, young man."
"Mum.” Tony says, his hand gripping the stairs tightly. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"
Anthea's angry gaze softens and she looks lost, like she did before the divorce. She drops the plate and it shatters on the floor. "I . . . need a cigarette.” She walks over the mess and out the front door.
"I'll clean it up.” Panda says, her cheerful tone slicing through the tense atmosphere. She places her hand on top of his. "She's in her room. Or yours, actually. Cook's up there as well."
He tries to smile, but nothing but a grimace crosses his face. He takes one step, and then dashes the rest of the way to the top.
Opening the door, he finds Cook smoking a spliff, sitting on the windowsill. Seeing Tony, he gets up to leave.
"Where are you going?" a small voice asks from the bed.
"Tony's here, Eff. He's here princess.” Cook brushes back her hair and looks up at Tony. "He'll take care of you now."
Tony grabs a chair and places it next to Effy on the bed. He almost sits but then sees her broken expression and thinks better. He climbs in next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and is surprised when she fights back.
"No. Not you. Please.” Her words are soft and strangled and tear at his heart even more than he thought possible. He captures her lips in his and she settles, a sob shaking her body.
"I love you, Elizabeth Stonem.” Tony whispers into her hair. "And I know you love me. You don't fool me."
Effy cries into his shoulder and he holds her closer. At the doorway, he watches as Panda silently cries. Cook wraps his arms around her and pulls her away.
"Come on Panda pops. Let them be.” He closes the door behind them, nodding once more at Tony before the latch clicks.
Effy cries until she sleeps, but not before whispering into his ear.
"I always loved you best, Anthony."
And Tony knows that after tonight, he's never leaving her side again.
Title: Always Loved Her Best
Fandom: Skins
Pairing/Characters: Tony/Effy, with a side of Cook and Pandora.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,146 words
Tony is in the library when his cell phone first goes off, and he reaches for it quickly, silent swearing at his forgetfulness. He turns it off, and goes back to reading.
He doesn't turn it back on until later at the coffee shop, when he remembers that he forgot to call his lab partner about the materials he's supposed to buy. His phone beeps at him, once, then twice and then five times, telling him how many calls he's missed since the mishap at the library.
He checks, but the number isn't one he recognizes and they didn't even bother leaving a message so he places the phone back on the table and immerses himself into his turkey sandwich. Not a second later, his phone rings, and that number flashes on his screen. Without much thought beyond irritation, he flips it open and shouts into it the receiver.
"What the fuck do you want?"
The woman at the table across from him glares at him as her little girl giggles at him.
"I want you to grow some fucking balls and come home, mate." a rough voice spits back at him.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The woman sends him another glare as she gets up from her table, dragging her daughter behind her.
"Who am I? I'm Cook.” Cook laughs, a strange, low laugh, full of hurt and despair.
"Wait. Cook? The one my sister is with?” Tony tries to remember what Effy told him about the guy, but right now all he can remember are his endless chemistry formulas.
Another laugh. "Mate, where have you been? I thought you and Effy were close. Anyway, we haven't been together for a year at least. But that's not the point. Why aren't you here?"
"Cook!” A high-pitched yell comes from the phone, and Tony has to move the phone away from his ear.
"Quiet Panda, I'm talking to Tony now, finally got through to the wanker."
"Oh. Well hi Tony! Please come home, she needs you.” Panda says into the phone and Tony is even more confused.
"Who needs me?" he asks.
"Cook, she's not eating again," Panda murmurs, but Tony catches it anyway.
"Right I'll be right there. Don't leave her alone.” Cook sighs. "Listen Tone, I don't know why you're not here right now, but Effy's hurtin' real bad right now."
"What? What happened?” Tony stands up, packing his bag and throwing the other half of his sandwich into the trash.
“ . . . "
"Cook! What the fuck's wrong with my sister?” Tony yells as he breaks into a jog back to his dormitory.
"When was the last time you talked to Effy?” Cook asks softly, and Tony barely hears him over the sound of the wind in his ear.
"A month ago? Maybe two?” Tony runs past a couple on the sidewalk and nearly trips a dog. "Out of my way!" he yells irritably.
"Tony, stop running."
He stops, and that surprises him as his mind catches up with him, the only thought in his head rolling repeatedly. Effy's hurt, something wrong with Effy, oh my god Effy, Effy, Effy, Effy . . .
"Sit down, Tone."
He flops down with a thump under a tree with some shade and takes a few shaky deep breaths.
"You really don't know, do you? Well . . ."
As Tony listens, he becomes less aware of the world around, his ears buzz and the repeating mantra of Effy becomes louder in his head and he wants to throw up.
He doesn't know how long he sits there with the phone to his head, his eyes closed, and his heart drumming.
"Do you want me to come get you?” Cook asks.
"No. I'll drive.” Tony stands up and grabs his bag, briskly walking to his dorm again.
"Drive safely then. And . . . " Cook sighs again, almost a sob. “ I'm sorry no one told you mate."
Tony hangs up and runs.
He drives as fast as he ran, without stops, without food and before he knows it he's standing in front of the red door he once called home. Fumbling for his keys, he's not aware of how much time has passed since he hung up on Cook.
The door opens, and Panda greets him with a hug and a soft kiss to his cheek. "Hi Tony."
He nods, acknowledging her presence and walks past her toward the stairs.
"Tony!” Anthea shouts in surprise from the kitchen. "What are you doing here? I thought you had finals. You're not skipping them are you?” She walks down the hall, drying a plate. "You know you could lose your scholarship and school isn't all that cheap you know, young man."
"Mum.” Tony says, his hand gripping the stairs tightly. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"
Anthea's angry gaze softens and she looks lost, like she did before the divorce. She drops the plate and it shatters on the floor. "I . . . need a cigarette.” She walks over the mess and out the front door.
"I'll clean it up.” Panda says, her cheerful tone slicing through the tense atmosphere. She places her hand on top of his. "She's in her room. Or yours, actually. Cook's up there as well."
He tries to smile, but nothing but a grimace crosses his face. He takes one step, and then dashes the rest of the way to the top.
Opening the door, he finds Cook smoking a spliff, sitting on the windowsill. Seeing Tony, he gets up to leave.
"Where are you going?" a small voice asks from the bed.
"Tony's here, Eff. He's here princess.” Cook brushes back her hair and looks up at Tony. "He'll take care of you now."
Tony grabs a chair and places it next to Effy on the bed. He almost sits but then sees her broken expression and thinks better. He climbs in next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and is surprised when she fights back.
"No. Not you. Please.” Her words are soft and strangled and tear at his heart even more than he thought possible. He captures her lips in his and she settles, a sob shaking her body.
"I love you, Elizabeth Stonem.” Tony whispers into her hair. "And I know you love me. You don't fool me."
Effy cries into his shoulder and he holds her closer. At the doorway, he watches as Panda silently cries. Cook wraps his arms around her and pulls her away.
"Come on Panda pops. Let them be.” He closes the door behind them, nodding once more at Tony before the latch clicks.
Effy cries until she sleeps, but not before whispering into his ear.
"I always loved you best, Anthony."
And Tony knows that after tonight, he's never leaving her side again.
