Chapter Text
They made it to the steps outside the building before Rudy started groaning. It sounded so much like Tina that Zeke almost started calling for her before he realized it was coming from the boy beside him. He watched as Rudy sank down to sit on the steps, putting his face in his hands as he continued to moan. Having dealt with Tina’s panic attacks that were almost identical to this, Zeke knew that it was best to just be there rather than try to talk the boy out of it.
Zeke sat on the step above the one Rudy was on, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, his tone soft and reassuring. “It’s over now.”
“I really messed up, didn’t I?” Rudy asked through his groans.
Zeke blinked at him, a little confused. “Whaddya mean, Reg Size? It’s just detention.”
“I don’t care about that!” Rudy lifted his head to stare at the other male. “I mean with Louise! Did you see how she looked at me??” He buried his face back in his hands with a whimper. “I didnt mean to make her upset…I just couldn’t stand there and listen to him talk crap about her anymore.”
All Zeke could do was look at the boy in amazement. Rudy had just had the absolute shit beaten out of him and almost gotten suspended, and THIS was what he was worried about? Louise being mad at him?
That told him all he needed to know.
“So.” Zeke rested his chin on the heel of his hand, studying the boy. “How long have you been in love with her.” It wasn’t a question.
To his surprise, Rudy didn’t start sputtering or wheezing. Instead, the boy just sighed and let his hands drop from his face to hang limply on his knees. “Since the fourth grade. Valentine’s Day. Something happened.” He gave Zeke a quick glance. “Something I promised to never talk about.” His eyes gazed out at nothing in particular. “After that, I knew that I was going to love her for the rest of my life. I mean, how could I not?” A smile lifted one corner of his lips. “She’s vivacious and fearless and clever. She makes you want to be the best that you can be.”
“Why don’t you tell her that?” Zeke offered.
Rudy just shook his head vehemently. “Because. There’s no way she could feel the same way about me.” He stared down at the concrete beneath his shoes. “I’ll always just be Regular Sized Rudy to her.”
This poor kid. Zeke couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. After all, he knew exactly how he was feeling. It was the same way he’d felt about Tina for years. Offering your heart to someone who you thought would never feel the same was terrifying to think about. But he knew that it could also end well for you if you tried.
“Ya miss every shot ya don’t take,” Zeke said, giving the boy’s shoulder a pat. “But I get it.”
Zeke’s phone started to ring. It was Tina’s ringtone. In an instant he was on his feet, grabbing the thing out of his pocket and pressing the screen to answer before bringing it to his ear. “Tina??”
“Zeke?? Oh, thank god. Where are you?”
Hearing her voice made him feel better, his shoulders relaxing. “On the steps outside. Where are you? Is Louise with you?”
Rudy’s head snapped to look at him when he heard the name.
“She was, but she ran off.” Tina sighed, and Zeke could imagine her running her fingers through her hair. “She probably went home. She was really angry.”
Zeke winced. Yikes. That didn’t sound good. “Where are you?”
“At the truck. I hadn’t heard from you since Mr. Frond dragged you off and I got worried.”
“I’m okay, hon, promise,” Zeke reassured her, his tone soft. “Rudy and I are gonna start heading your way.”
“Is he okay??” Tina asked, starting to sound frantic.
“Yeah, he’s okay,” Zeke told him, gesturing for the boy to stand up. “I’ll let him explain what happened when we get to you.”
“Oh, okay. I love you.”
Somehow, even after two years, hearing those words in her voice made his insides melt like butter. “I love you, too. See ya soon.” He ended the call and slid the phone back in his pants pocket before looking at Rudy. “Ready to get outta here?”
The boy nodded, standing up. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
“What about your stuff?” Zeke asked, noticing the boy’s lack of his backpack for the first time.
“I’ll text Jessica later to grab it for me.”
“Alright.” Zeke’s hand clapped down on Rudy’s shoulder. “Let’s go.” Then the two walked down the rest of the steps and headed for the school’s parking lot.
Zeke stayed silent on the ride back to the Belcher’s place as Rudy told Tina about what had happened in the office. To her credit, Tina didn’t freak out at all, only asked a few questions. Zeke could tell that she was upset to learn what Jason had said and done, but she refrained from reacting to it for now. He was sure that he would hear all of her thoughts when they went home later that night. Not that he minded. He liked it when she got worked up and passionate about it. It was honestly kinda hot. Not that he’d ever tell her that.
Tina’s assumptions about Louise’s location turned out to be true. As soon as they pulled up to park in front of the restaurant, the little spitfire yanked the door open and marched over to them with her fists at her sides. Zeke nearly locked the doors out of concern for Rudy’s safety, but the look in Tina’s eyes made him think better of it. Instead, he quickly turned the vehicle off and got out, going over to her. “Lou, look–”
“Rudy!!” she shrieked, glaring at the boy looking at her from the passenger side window. “Get your stupid butt out here!”
Tina got out and went over to Louise, grabbing her arm. “Stop it, Louise!”
Her sister yanked out of her hold and started pounding her little fists on the door. “Open up, Stieblitz!”
This time it was Zeke’s turn to grab her. “Hey, easy on the truck!”
“Oh, go choke on a cactus, mullet head!” The short girl glared up at him but stepped away from his truck.
Zeke rolled his eyes at her insult. He hadn’t had a mullet since the eighth grade, and even then he’d absolutely rocked it, thank you very much!
Rudy got out of the truck sheepishly, avoiding making eye contact with Louise. This seemed to make her even angrier as she grabbed his sleeve and started to drag him over to the door that led up to the apartment. “We need to talk,” she said through gritted teeth. “NOW.”
“Is this really necessary?” Tina asked with exasperation.
Louise turned on her with a glare. “Would you rather I do it here in front of the restaurant? Where we could discourage potential customers from coming? Dad would just LOVE that!” Then she turned and opened the green door of the apartment, dragging Rudy inside before slamming the door shut behind them.
There was a pause, then Tina and Zeke turned to each other. “We should go after them,” Tina said.
“Oh, most definitely,” Zeke agreed, and they both hurried over to the door. They waited a moment to give the two inside a chance to get upstairs before going in themselves, making sure to close the door behind them as quietly as possible. Then they creeped up the stairs, peering between the wooden poles of the railing to see what was going on.
They couldn’t just leave Rudy to die. That was just cruel and unusual. It had absolutely nothing to do with them being nosey.
The air left Rudy’s lungs when Louise practically threw him onto her couch. He quickly sat up, watching her with wide eyes as the girl started to pace back and forth in the living room. She kept looking over at him and glaring, then would just mutter to herself and keep pacing. For not the first time, Rudy found himself wishing he could read minds. Or at least her mind. She was so hard to understand, never doing anything predictable.
Which was why he was so worried right now. That look she’d given him in the cafeteria had scared him to death, because he genuinely had no idea why she was so mad. Louise loved a good fight, and she had even encouraged him to start standing up for himself more. So why had it upset her so much?
Rudy sighed and leaned forward on the couch. “Louise–”
“Don’t.” She stopped pacing and glared at him, her hands fisted at her sides. “Don’t you dare try to justify what happened today.”
“I don’t–” he tried again, but she quickly cut him off.
“Do I look like a damsel in distress to you, Rudy? Huh?” She waited for a few seconds then scowled at him. “Well??”
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “No, but–”
“But nothing!” She stomped over to him and stopped when she was right in front of him, nearly nose to nose. “You’re an idiot.”
“I know.”
“Like, the biggest idiot to ever idiot.”
“That’s a little harsh,” he mumbled, trying to look away.
But she was having none of it, grabbing the collar of his shirt and forcing him to look at her again. Her other hand jabbed a finger against his chest. “I. Don’t. Need. You. To. Defend. Me. Got it?? So if you EVER pull a stunt like you did today, I swear to GOD, Rudy–!”
Something inside him snapped and he scowled back at her. His hands went up to smack hers away from him. “If you’re looking for an apology, you’re not gonna get one! I’m not sorry!”
Louise blinked at him with shock before glaring back at him. “Good! Because I don’t want an apology!”
“Then what do you want, Louise?!” Rudy yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. He loved this girl so much, but she was so damn confusing sometimes!
Louise let out a frustrated yell and shoved him back against the couch. “You’re really something else, you know that, Stieblitz?!”
That was enough. He may have loved her, but that didn’t mean that he had to put up with this. He was already tired and sore from the day, and all he wanted was to lie down and nurse his wounds and heart. Her yelling at him was just too much.
“Fine! Whatever!” Rudy stood up and Louise had to back away. “If you hate me so much for it, then I’m gone!” He started to turn to leave.
But Louise leaped onto his back, making him yelp and fail his arms to try to keep his balance. For someone so small, she was still a considerable weight. And she was strong, as he wasn’t able to pry her arms or legs from around his body. Rudy started to spin around, trying to dislodge the girl. “Louise! Let go!”
“No!”
“LOUISE!”
“NO!”
“Why not?!” he yelled, trying again to pry her arms from around his neck.
“Because I don’t want you to go!” Her grip on him got tighter, and he worried that she would accidentally choke him out.
“But you’re mad at me!” he protested, wiggling around. Damn, how was she this strong??
“I’m not mad at
you
, dumbass!”
Her words made him freeze in place, one hand on her wrists and the other on one of her ankles. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and something in the pit of his stomach started to feel warm. It was the same feeling he got when he realized just how much she cared about him. Like how it’d felt when she had kissed him all those years ago.
“...wh…what?”
Her grip on him tightened, though not too much so that she didn’t cut off his air. “I’m not mad at you, Roo.”
“Then…what is this all about?” His hand on her wrists went to cup her hands, the other reaching behind him to hold her up.
Louise was quiet for a bit and Rudy worried that she wouldn’t say anymore, but then she spoke. “You scared me.”
His heart was in his throat now. “I…scared you? How?”
“By doing what you did!” He felt Louise bury her face against his neck and it made his face turn bright red. “Jason is the captain of the football team. He works out every frickin’ day. If he wanted to, he could have taken you out, Rudy! And then I would have to kill him, and then we all would have ended up in jail!”
“How do you figure that?” Rudy couldn’t help the smile that spread on his lips despite his blush.
“Because then you would bring Jason back from the dead so that you could kill him for sending me to jail.”
“That’s very specific.”
“Are you saying I’m wrong?” He felt her smile against his skin.
“No, you’re right.” Rudy gave her hands a squeeze. “Can you please get off me so we can talk about this?”
He felt her tremble a bit, which peaked his interest. “What if I don’t want to?” she asked quietly.
Rudy sighed and glanced at her over his shoulder. “Lou, come on. Please?”
Louise sighed, but let go of him. Rudy helped her to her feet, figuring that she must have leaped from the coffee table to get on his back. He was significantly taller than her now, so it couldn’t have been an easy feat. It just proved how badly she had wanted him to stay…the thought made him blush again.
The girl sat on the couch and he joined her, making sure to give her enough space. Louise wasn’t really the cuddly type, so she wouldn’t want him pressing up against her. Rudy leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. He didn’t look at her, though he desperately wanted to. But if he did, it ran the risk of spooking her and making her run off. Emotions weren’t exactly her forte, or so she liked to claim.
The quiet went on and Rudy was ready to try to break it when she finally spoke. “Look, Roo. I appreciate what you did. It was actually pretty bold of you.” She glanced at him with a half smile before looking away again. “But it was stupid. Really stupid. Anyone with half a brain cell could have predicted that he would retaliate. You’re lucky Zeke was there or he would have kicked your ass.”
“I don’t know,” Rudy reached up one hand to rub the back of his neck. “He looked a lot worse than me by the end of it.”
“Yeah, by some fluke,” she shot back, glaring at him again. “But seriously, Rudy. He could have really hurt you. Your only saving grace was your stupid oak tree height.”
One eyebrow rose at her words. “Oak tree height?”
“Don’t make me slap you,” she rolled her eyes at him before getting back to the matter at hand. “It was stupid. Really, really stupid.”
“I couldn’t let him get away with what he’d done, Lou,” he argued, looking at her.
“I’m not gonna be the only girl he ever cheats on, Roo–”
“It wasn’t that.” He gulped. This was gonna suck, but she needed to know. “Jason only asked you out on a bet.”
Louise froze, her whole body tensing. Her head slowly turned and she looked at him with wide eyes. “...what?”
“His buddies bet him that if he could get you to sleep with him in a month’s time, they would all pitch in to buy him a new car,” Rudy told her, looking away. The look in her eyes made his stomach clench. “If he lost, he had to pay each of them two hundred dollars and sit out for the rest of the season.”
The silence that stretched between them was tense and he desperately wished that he could go back in time and punch Jason again. He still could not understand how a person could know someone as amazing as Louise and still want to hurt her. Sure, she was a little rough around the edges, but once you got to know her you could see just how much she cared. Louise was fiercely loyal and protective of those she loved. Her way of comforting was a little aggressive, but in a good way. And she was wickedly clever, especially when it came to the elaborate schemes she pulled. She was just an all around awesome person and he hated that she’d gotten hurt.
And he hated that he had done nothing to stop it.
Louise was the one who broke the silence. “Still. You didn’t need to do that. I can handle myself.” He could hear the tremor in her voice that she was desperately trying to hide.
He wasn’t having any of it. “No. You don’t know the things he said about you, Lou. You didn’t have to hear him brag about every little thing he got you to do for him. You didn’t have to hear him complain over and over again about how you wouldn’t put out.” His hands clenched into fists on his knees. “He’s a jerk. A total prick. He had it coming, and I’m glad that I was the one to give it to him.” His lips turned up in a grim smile.
“And how do you know all of that?” she demanded.
“We have the same gym hour,” he said darkly, glaring down at the floor. “He and his buddies talk so much shit in the locker room about the girls in our school. Normally I can just tune it out, but then they started talking about you and I just couldn’t.” He shook his head, clenching his eyes shut. “I started recording them on my phone. I played one for Mr. Frond because I needed him and everyone there to understand
why.
”
His eyes sprang open when he felt her hand on his cheek. She turned his head so that he was looking at her and their eyes met. The look in hers…once again, he couldn’t read her. He had no idea what she was thinking and it made his heart pound in his chest.
“Why?” she asked him softly.
He blinked, feeling his face heating up again. “Because you’re my friend, Lou. My best friend.”
She just shook her head at him. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, you can believe whatever you want, then.” He tried to turn his head but she was having none of it. Her staring into his eyes was making him so nervous because he had no idea what it meant. With Louise, it could be anything. “What?” he finally asked her, desperation rising in his chest.
“Tell me the truth, Rudy.” Her thumb swiped over his cheekbone with such tenderness that it made his breath catch in his throat. “Why.” It wasn’t a question.
His blood ran cold. Oh god. She knew. There was no other way around it. His whole body started to tremble. What was she trying to get from this? Did she want him to just admit so that she could let him down gently? Because he knew that she wouldn’t laugh in his face or make fun of him for it. She could be mean, but she wasn’t unjustly cruel.
Rudy just shook his head, jerking away from her touch. “Louise, no–”
“Rudy–”
“Please.” He shook his head again, looking away from her and clenching his eyes shut again. “Please don’t make me do this.”
“I need you to say it, Rudy.”
“I can’t,” he whispered, covering his face with his hands. “It’ll just make everything awkward and then you won’t hang out with me and you won’t want to be my friend anymore and I can’t stand to lose you, Lou, I just can’t–”
“Roo.” She cut him off, reaching over and pulling his hands down from his face. She waited until he opened his eyes and looked at her before speaking again. “Please.”
Rudy swallowed hard, hoping that he could keep from crying. If he cried now, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold it together. “Because.” His eyes trailed down, staring at her hands that held his. “I like you. Wait, no.” He shook his head fiercely. “No. I’m not gonna chicken out this time.” He looked up at her, his brows pinched together as he fought the agony rising in him. “I’m in love with you, Lou. I have been since that Valentine’s Day.”
To his surprise, a smile broke out onto her lips. “See, was that so bad?” Her hands let go of his and she reached up to cup his face, pulling him to her and pressing her lips against his.
At first he just froze, his eyes wide and his body tensed. This was definitely not how he thought she would react. He had anticipated anger or pity, had expected her to throw him out and never want to see him again. But this…her kissing him…this had been the very last thing he’d expected.
She pulled away and all he could do was stare at her, blinking rapidly. “W-w-wait a minute, what? What?”
Louise tilted her head at him, her mouth slowly turning down. “What? Did I…did you not want that to happen?” Her hands pulled away from him and she started to retreat. “Oh god, did I completely fuck this up??”
“No! No no no no.” Rudy reached up to cup her face this time, keeping her in place. “No, you didn’t. I’m just kind of in shock. I didn’t know you liked me, too.”
“I love you, idiot,” she said softly, her smile back on her lips.
Her words made his heart skip a beat. “Then why did you say yes to Jason?”
Louise shrugged. “Because he asked.”
A loud laugh escaped him. “So if I had asked before Jason, you would have said yes?”
“Duh.” She rolled her eyes playfully at him. “Then we could have avoided this whole thing.”
“I dunno,” he grinned at her, stroking her cheeks softly with his thumbs, “it felt really good to dump that chocolate milk on him.”
“An inspired choice, if I do say so myself,” she agreed, reaching up one hand to cup his over her cheek. Her other hand threaded her fingers through his other hand, bringing it down to rest in her lap. “Stupid, but inspired.”
All he could do was laugh and shake his head before leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. They both closed their eyes and let the moment wash over them before opening them to stare into each other's eyes. Rudy felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn’t believe that this was happening. Never in even his wildest dreams could he have predicted that this would happen.
But he would have it no other way.
“Can I kiss you?” he breathed, feeling the urge nearly overpower him.
“God, yes,” she said, smiling up at him.
He didn’t need to be told twice. Rudy pulled her face towards his, pressing his lips to hers and closing his eyes again. She sighed contentedly, wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his body as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He had imagined this exact scenario so many times, but nothing could have prepared him for how
good
it felt. He never wanted to let her go.
After a bit Louise pulled away, pressing her forehead to his again. He opened his eyes to find her staring at him with such tenderness that it nearly made him cry. She gave him a soft smile. “You still haven’t asked me, stupid.”
Rudy laughed and gave her a squeeze, leaning back to kiss her forehead. “Sorry.” He looked down into her eyes, one hand raising to cup her cheek again. “Louise, will you be my girlfriend?”
“Hell yeah.” She grinned at him before pulling him into another breathtaking kiss.
“Way to go, Rudy!” Zeke whisper cheered from their hiding place.
“Yessssss,” Tina breathed happily, only to glare at him when he took his phone out. “Nooooo, don’t you dare!”
“Oh, c’mon, T, just one picture?” he whispered to her with a grin. “So I can send it to Gene?”
Tina sighed and rolled her eyes at him but smiled. “Alright, just one picture. Then we should get out of here.”
He grinned and raised his phone, leaning to the side a little to get a better shot of the new lovers. He hit the camera button and froze when the camera flashed. They both just stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do.
“Maybe she didn’t notice??” Tina whispered desperately.
“Who the FUCK??” Louise yelled from in the living room.
“Shit!” Zeke looked at Tina with wide eyes. “Run!” They both turn and bolted back down the stairs.
“I’m gonna freaking kill you!” they heard Louise. “Rudy, let me GO, they need to be taught a lesson!?”
“No can do, Lou!” her new boyfriend replied cheerfully. “I’m never letting you go!”
“Run, run!” Tina laughed, pushing both herself and Zeke down the stairs and out of the apartment.
In the end, Rudy did have to go to detention every day after school that next week. Jason was suspended and an investigation was launched against him and his friends for things they’d said about and done to various girls in the school. Rudy and Louise dated through the rest of high school and he proposed right after graduation. Louise said yes, if only to be able to say that she got engaged before Zeke and Tina did. They werel happy and in love, and they had an interesting story to tell when people asked how Rudy and Louise got together.
Zeke was just glad that he had been there to see it all.