Chapter Text
“He was being 100% serious,” Zoe explained.
“Maybe he’s just taking a five day long nap? I’ve done that before” Vinnie said, reaching for the pizza boxes.
Sunil swatted his hand away “Vinnie, that was a coma.”
“Oh, yeah that's what they called it”
“If he’s in a coma, then we really need to hurry up!” Penny said, starting to speed walk ahead of the group.
“Uh, Penny? I don’t think he’s actually in a coma,” Pepper explained.
“Then why hasn't he called me back yet?” Penny Ling turned back around to the group with misty eyes.
“Because he hates us?” Vinnie suggested, which earned him a jab in the ribs from Pepper.
Zoe shook her head and walked up the steps to Russell’s apartment building. “Would you guys please get it together? This is important,” She went to press the doorbell before being interrupted by Minka
“Oooh! Oooh! Let me do it, LET ME DO IT!!”
“It’s all yours”
And so she rang the doorbell in a way some might call excessive.
A few muffled stops and clicks came from behind the door. In the crack of the heavily latched door, there was a single, tired eye.
“You aren’t doordash.” the door began to close, but Minka put her whole weight against the door.
“Nuh-uh, Mister. You aren’t getting off the hook that easily”
“You want food? We have pizza! Sunil! Show him the pizza” Zoe hissed. Sunil did so and Russell stopped pushing on the door.
“Fine,”
After about a minute unfastening various locks, Russell held out his hands to receive the pizza, but was met by six people scurrying into his house while the door was open, knocking him over in the process.
Russell just sat there on the ground, his friends eyes staring through his skin. He didn’t want to be seen like this. His clothes were stained and ill-fitting. His eyes were red and sore from lack of sleep. He hadn't shaved in days, and worst of all, his hair was greasy and unspiked. He felt disgusting. He wanted to curl into a ball and disappear, but the best he could do was bring his knees to his chest and bury his head in his arms.
Somehow, he grumbled out some words “What are you guys even doing here”
“Russell Ferguson,” Zoe addressed him “We want to know- no we need to know, why you have been ignoring us for the last week.”
Russell looked up at the group, thought for a second, and shriveled away once more.
Penny walked closer and sat on the shag carpet right next to him. She put a gentle hand on his quaking back. “Russell, what she means is we’re worried about you! When you didn’t talk to us, we got really scared. Vinnie thought you died!”
“I didn’t think he died! I thought he was in a comma!”
“Coma.” Zoe corrected
“Whatever”
“Look, that isn’t what’s important right now” Pepper said, sitting criss-cross across from Russell. “Just let us know what’s up, and we’ll leave you alone, okay?”
The others looked at each other and joined the circle. Russell shifted his weight from side to side, but didn’t emerge from his ball.
“I… I can’t hang out with you anymore. I only cause problems. I take things too far. I’m bossy. I can’t take a joke,” his voice started to break, scratchy from no use “I’m the fucking worst. A-and I can’t understand why you don’t hate me,”
“C’mon, you know it would take a whole lot more than that to make us hate you” Minka said as she ruffled his hair.
“And you are saying this like we don’t all have our own faults! Pepper is unfunny, Zoe is totally self-absorbed, Vinnie is-” Sunil stopped when he saw the looks he was getting. He flushed and cleared his throat “I do believe I made my point,”
“Besides, I had a lot of fun hanging out with you, even if it did end with us getting chased down!” Pepper said.
“I think you should punch more cops!” Vinnie added. Pepper readied her elbow for another rib-jabbing when a quiet chuckle came from Russell. Soon it changed from a chuckle to a chortle to a full on laugh, lifting his head up to see the world again. “Hahaha! How many times are you gonna change that story! Soon I’m gonna be having a full on brawl with the police chief!”
He looked at his friends’ expressions of confusion and cheer and somehow, he began to feel more normal. “Thank you all so much, and I’m really sorry for acting the way I did-” before Russell could finish his thought he was engulfed in what could be described as half a tackle and half a group hug.
“Who’s ready for pizza?” Penny Ling asked, after a few good moments of the impromptu dogpile cuddle session.
“PIZZA!” the group collectively yelled, pushing and tripping over each other to be the first to get to the food.
Russell was left alone, brushing himself off. He looked at them all and smiled. ‘Maybe tonight won’t be so bad after all’, he thought.