Alternate Reality, Benji/Margo.

*sigh* Well... never made a chat so bear with me here... *composes self*

So, this is a deviation for my and Endellion's characters, Benji and Margo.
Benji and Margo are childhood friends, and they've been together since.. well... childhood.
Benji has unrequited feelings for Margo, and he's too afraid to tell her, because he doesn't wanna lose her. He's never been in a relationship, because his feelings for her have always held him back.
Margo is an artist with a menagerie of ex-boyfriends, most of which are un-notable, but a couple of them are important. One who Margo really loved, and when they broke up, she was kinda left in pieces. Luckily Benji was there to help put her together again. She started to develop feelings for him, but never acted on them, because she didn't wanna lose him. But then Guy came along. Guy seemed like a nice guy at first, and he reminded Margo a lot of her old boyfriend, so she started dating him. Unfortunately Guy wasn't so nice after all. He was emotionally abusive, and started to get physical as well. Benji found out, and well... let's just say that Guy's lucky he didn't end up in a coma, or worse... Anyways, once again Benji was there to help put her back together.

Now, fast forward about a year, Guy is back. He managed to convince Margo to go on a date with him, and, much to both our dismay, pressured her into sleeping with him. *SIGH* ... Anyways.
Margo is pretty much an emotional wreck, and Benji has no idea.

This is where we are now. So... let's get this train wreck rolling...

So, I realize I forgot the setting... *sigh* Like I said, first chat, bear with me.
Anyways, this takes place in Benji and Margo's home town of [insert name here], [insert state here]. The majority of this will likely take place in their apartments.
We'll see where it goes, but this is all I've got for now. *shrug*

Margo
I sat with my legs tucked under me and my head resting on Benji's shoulder, as I only halfway followed the movie playing on the tv screen. As per ritual, I occasionally threw a handful of popcorn when things got cheesy, but... obviously, I wasn't really into that, either.

All I could wonder is if Benji suspected anything yet. If he realized how... filthy I was. I had taken shower after shower following the incident, but I still couldn't feel clean. I felt like Guy was clinging to my skin, my hair, like some invisible filth. His words echoed through my mind and body still ached from his touch. Look- it's not that I thought sex itself was evil or anything like that... but with /him/... I just... how could I be so stupid?

I then wondered if Benji at least realized how broken I was. Not broken physically, though I had earned my fair share of bruises- mainly on my back and stomach- from that night... but... couldn't he see it in my eyes? How I was barely holding on, barely keeping myself together? I wanted to tell him, longed for it. The secret was eating me alive from the inside out. But I couldn't bear to think of Benji seeing me as some kind of whore...

Benji

So there we were, Margo and I. We were sitting in my apartment, watching some cheesy old romance; Kind of a weekly tradition of ours, to rent these old movies and pick them apart. This week it happened to be one of those cheesy romances, where you can predict everything that happens, just because you've already seen it in so many other movies.

I was lounging on the couch, my feet propped on the coffee table, the bowl of popcorn in my lap. Margo was sitting next to, her head on my shoulder. One arm on the back of the couch behind her, the other on the armrest on my other side. I wanted let my arm fall and wrap around her, pulls her close and hold her tight... but I didn't. I just sat there with her, only half paying attention to the movie...

Something was off, I could tell. Margo hadn't really been acting right this past week or so. I couldn't tell what was wrong, but I could see it... I could see it in her eyes... But I didn't push it... I didn't push her. I figured that she'd tell me when she was ready... I couldn't help but be worried, though.

Margo:
I snatched a couple of pieces of popcorn from the bowl when the couple on screen started kissing again, and wound my arm up to pitch it. But then... I just stopped, my arm freezing and then letting the popcorn tumble to the ground. I didn't realize how badly I was shaking until I folded my arms again.

"Sorry..." I breathed out, looking at the kernels on the floor "Sorry... s-sorry..." Shaking harder, now that I had begun to apologize I couldn't stop. I had to tell him. I couldn't keep anything from him, especially not this. The secret wasn't just eating me now, it was swallowing me whole. Suddenly I found it hard to breathe, my panicked thoughts whirling until they became muddled in my head. "Benji, I'm so sorry..." Tears sprung to my eyes and I felt my breathing speed until I was nearly hyperventilating

Benji

Another make out scene, great...
Margo was likely to throw popcorn, unless she had fallen asleep again.

I blinked at the kernels fell to the ground, then looked up at Margo when she started apologizing...
Something was wrong, something was very very wrong.

I turned to her and gently pulled her into my arms. "What is it, Mar? What's wrong?" She was on the brink of crying and she was breathing rapidly. This was bad, this was very bad, I've never seen her this bad. And I've seen her at some of her lowest points... this was worse.

Margo
My shoulder shook with escalating sobs, and I nearly lost it when I felt his arms around me. "I-I...I..." The words were lodged in my throat, choking me. I couldn't tell him, couldn't tell... couldn't dive him away... just... couldn't. I couldn't be /that/ girl in his eyes.

Another part of me wanted to push him away, like now that I've been in the rough embrace of Guy I didn't deserve Benji's gentle comfort. But I didn't move, regardless.

I shook my head quickly, an audible sob slipping out of my mouth. "S-sorry"

Benji

I kept one arm around her as I moved the bowl of my lap off my lap and set it on the coffee table, then gently brushed away some tears. She was shaking. She was crying. She was an absolute wreck... and yet I refused to see a wreck of a girl. I saw Margo, my best friend, that I've known for as long as I can remember... that I've loved for almost 6 years now... I only saw Margo.
And I could see that something was very wrong. I refused to let her avoid it.

I look at her, my fingers lingering just a moment as I brush away some more tears. "Please, Margo. Tell me what's wrong. You can tell me anything..."

Margo
Part of me, a small voice in the back of my head, was ashamed to be this... broken. Even in front of Benji. But that small voice was trumped by the fact I couldn't collect myself enough to be anything else...

Still, my voice dropped to a low whisper to try to steady it. Like maybe that would help "N-not this..."

Benji

"Yes this. Anything. I mean it." I tried to reassure her. I wasn't ganna let her avoid this. She was a mess, and I needed to know why. I normally wouldn't push her, but I know that something this bad can only get worse the more she tries to avoid.

"Please, Margo. I promise I won't judge you or anything."

Margo
"Do you swear?" I asked childishly, still in that same quiet tone of voice.

Benji

I smiled reassuringly, "I already said I promise, didn't I? I could never hold anything against you, Margo."

Margo
I looked away from his smile guiltily, for a moment my gaze back on that silly, stupid movie. "I... he..." I took a deep breath "Well... Guy is back..." My voice got impossibly smaller the more I talked "And he and I... sort of... went on a... d-date..."

I mouthed the next few words, but when I realized I was no longer making sounds I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to speak up "He and I...we... he pressured me, I thought... almost didn't... have a choice... we..."

I dropped my hand and lost the ability to make coherent words for a moment, making a couple pained unintelligible noises that sounded like mumbled apologies

Benji

I smile fell as soon as she said his name. Guy. Damnit. Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnit. No. Damnit no. Not Guy. I swear I'll-...wait... is she saying what I think she's saying...? No... nononononono. That... No. I swear I'm going to kill Guy if I ever see him again. How dare he force Margo into that... that kind of stuff should be reserved for the person you love.
She was apologizing more... she seemed like she really regrets it, which means she didn't want it, which means she doesn't love Guy, which means... maybe.... maybe there's hope yet... for me...

But that wasn't the issue right now. I needed to assure her that I wasn't going to hold this against her... that would've been a lot simpler if I could form any words right now...

So I did the only thing I could think to do. I gently pulled her towards me, and wrapped my arms around her shoulder in a soft embrace, holding her close. I wanted to show her that I was still here for her. That I didn't hate her... that I couldn't hate her...

Margo:
Much to my surprise, he didn't reject me. He didn't push me away. Despite everything, despite what I had done and the filth that still clung to me... he... just pulled me into an embrace.

And possibly for one of the first times, I realized I really didn't deserve my best friend.

"T-thank you, Benji..."

Though I was becoming more acutely aware of my bruises now, and let out a tiny wince at the movement.

Benji

I pulled away just enough so I could see her face.

"Of course, Margo... I could never push you away... no matter what." My eyes search her face and I offer her a smile. "...forever and always... right?"

It was true... I could never leave Margo, despite everything, even this, I could never leave her... I would never leave her... Sometimes I think I couldn't live without her...

I pulled her into my arms again and just held her. I don't think I would've been able to stop myself from doing something stupid if I kept looking at her...

Margo:
I clung to him, sobs threatening to erupt again. "F-forever and always" I mumbled against his chest with a tiny nod. "...Please..." I don't know what I'd do if he ever did leave. He's what keeps me together at my worst, and still makes my day at my best...

Benji

I held her close as he she clung to me, one hand gently rubbing her back, trying to calm the sobs out of her. "I promise not to leave you... ever..."

It's times like this that I wish I could tell her how I feel, tell her how much I love her, and that I'll always love her, no matter what happens.
Here, together with her, I feel like I can forget about everything else, about all our worries and all our problems. Just forget everything, and just enjoy being with her...
She's what keeps me sane... she's what keeps me from doing stupid things... I'd do anything for her...