Work Text:
Shawn stood outside of the apartment, staring at the door. What was waiting for him on the other side of the door could end in two ways. They would be able to work things out, and everything would be fine, or they would both end up the broken shells of two people who used to be in love with one another. A small part of him didn't want to go through the door. If he refused to face the reality of the situation, then he wouldn't have to pay the consequences.
As he moved toward the apartment door, lifting his hand to knock, the door pulled open away from him. Topanga looked at him with an apologetic look on her face, stepping to the side to offer him in the room. She watched as Shawn moved past her into the living room, pausing momentarily. He glanced back over his shoulder at his friend.
"She's in her room," Topanga said, offering a half-hearted smile. "I'll be at Corey's if you need us."
"Thanks," Shawn replied, nodding his head slowly. He turned his attention in the direction of Angela's bedroom, letting out a sigh. "It's over, isn't it, Topanga?"
Topanga shrugged, shaking her head. "You won't know until you talk to her."
"I know," Shawn frowned, shaking his head.
Topanga waited to leave until she knew for certain he was going back to Angela's bedroom. It broke her heart to know that her friends were hurting, but her presence in the apartment would help the situation. Pulling the door shut behind her, Topanga leaned back against the door and exhaled slowly. "I hope they can work this out," she mumbled.
The door to Angela's bedroom was open, just a crack. Shawn could see her sitting on the corner of the bed with her head in her hands. He could tell she had been crying - the fact that he had been the reason for those tears tore through him. With a sigh, he reached up and rapped his fingers against the door.
The noise startled her, causing her to jump from the corner of the bed. She caught sight of Shawn standing outside the door and let out a sigh; shaking her head, she motioned for him to come in. "Close the door behind you."
Shawn stepped into the room, pausing to push the door shut behind him. A shiver ran down his spine as the click echoed in the room. He nervously carded a hand through his hair and took a few steps towards Angela, a half-hearted smile on his face. "Hey," he said, stopping a few steps away from her.
"Hey, Shawn," Angela replied, taking a few steps back. The exaggerated distance between them pulled at her heart, but she needed space if she was going to keep a clear head about this. With her mind made up to follow her dad, she knew she couldn't leave any part of her heart behind in Philadelphia. This would hurt no matter how she approached it, so she turned slowly on her heel to face him. As her eyes met his, she could feel tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Damn it," she mumbled, reaching up to furiously wipe the tears away.
Shawn took a step towards her only to be stopped by her taking a step back, shaking her head. He let out a sigh, dropping his head. "You won't let me comfort you, so what are we doing here, Angela?" Shawn asked, letting his hands fall to his side. He watched as she moved further away from him and turned away from him.
"I think we should just…," Angela's voice trailed off as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, hanging her head as she took a deep breath. A shiver ran through her body as she heard Shawn move towards her. "Not."
"What do you mean?" Shawn asked, stopping short a few steps from where Angela was standing. She had her back to him, and he could see her body flinch with each footstep he took. He watched as she shook her head, wrapping her arms tighter around her waist. With a heavy sigh, Shawn carded a hand through his hair and decided to close the space between them. He wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her to face him.
"Angela," he whispered, reaching up to loop his finger under her chin and tilting her head up to look at him. "Talk to me. Please."
Angela shook her head, crying as she tried to escape him, but it was useless. He had no intention of letting her go. His hold around her waist tightened, keeping her in place in front of him. She kept her eyes shut tight, tears falling freely as she brought her hands up to cover her face, and Shawn grabbed one of them before she could shield her face from him.
"Let me go," Angela hissed, taking a step back from him. She was shaking as she scrubbed her hands over her face, and she took a few moments to collect herself before shaking off the nerves that had tensed all over her body. "I can't do this with you anymore."
"Can't do what, Angela?" Shawn pleaded, stepping towards her but stopping when she put her hand up between them. "Why won't you just talk to me?"
"There's no point," Angela sighed, shaking her head as she looked at him. "Shawn, we've been down this road many times before, and nothing has changed. We still have the same fights time and time again. I can't keep doing this, and it's killing me."
"We can work through the fighting," Shawn insisted, shoving his hands in his pocket. The motion was only to stop himself from reaching out to her. It was becoming increasingly obvious that she didn't want him to touch her or even be as close to her as he was already. "So that's not it. What is really going on?"
The tears continued to roll down her face, and Angela could feel herself starting to cave, wanting to be wrapped up in Shawn's arms, safe from the pain she was causing herself. She knew she had to tell him the truth; it was the only way he would understand why she needed to end things with him right this very minute. If she didn't, he would hate her in a few weeks when she just disappeared. The last thing in the world that she wanted was for him to hate her.
"I love you, Angela," Shawn said, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. "I want to make this right, and I don't want to end things, not this way."
"I love you too, Shawn," Angela replied, her voice a low whisper as she stepped toward him, stopping when she was just one step away from him. "That's why we need to end this now before either of us gets hurt."
"Why? What changed?" Shawn asked, fighting every urge in his body to reach out and wrap her up in his arms.
"Because I'm leaving with my father," she said.
Her small bedroom was filled with silence. Shawn stared at her with his mouth gaped open in disbelief. It took about ten minutes for her words to resonate with him. Closing his mouth, he nodded his head and spun on his heels. He moved to the door and paused, grabbing hold of the door knob as he looked back at her over his shoulder.
"I guess you're right. We should end this now," he sighed, shaking his head. "I hope the peace corps gives you everything I couldn't. Goodbye, Angela."
Angela watched as he left, slamming the door shut behind him. With the slam of the door, a sob wracked her body. She collapsed on the bed and wrapped her arms around a pillow, holding it tight against herself. This decision was best for both of them - no pining after one another and living their lives on pause.
Shawn stormed through the living room and out of the apartment, slamming the door in his wake. He was mumbling under his breath as he waited for the elevator, shaking his head. It would have been easier not to know the reality of the situation - at least for a little while longer.