camalyng: (Chloe: not so sure about this)
Amihan (ə-'mi-hən) ([personal profile] camalyng) wrote in [community profile] greenstickered2012-11-26 05:50 pm

Uncharted: No New Messages

Title: No New Messages
What: Uncharted fanfic - short story
Rating: G
Words: 284
Summary: Charlie drops by and leaves a message. Chloe answers it.
Alternate links: Tumblr rebloggable link with the art that inspired it
Notes: Inspired by and in response to [personal profile] whatshisface's tags for [tumblr.com profile] avali's Uncharted fanart. Everything in blockquotes is from her tags.



Not many people have this address, and at this time of night, you know who it is at the door even before his name and photo light up your phone screen.

It would be easy to let him in. This apartment is small; the door isn’t even a metre from the windowsill you’re sitting on. If you’re careful you could probably just lean back from the windowsill and unlock the door, without even getting up and walking there.

It would be easy, and it’s too hard to even try. Some time after your phone fades to black (one new message) you hear his footsteps walking away, and it’s only then that you listen to your voicemail.
"Bright eyes. Are you home? You weren't picking up, so I thought I'd drop by just to make sure, but here I am, outside your door, leaving a voicemail since you're not answering.

"Did I do something wrong? I know I should have asked before agreeing to go with Drake on the job, and that I should asked before I recommended you, but you're the best driver in the business, and I know there's no bad blood between you and 'im, so why are you so against me coming with?"
He would blame himself for your aversion to having him along on this job.
"You said you're going, so I want to be there. Someone's got to keep an eye on you, and I sure as hell won't leave Drake to do that."
He would want to keep an eye on you and not trust Nate to do it alone.
"... Chloe. Did something happen? On a job you and Nate had - is that why you don't want me along?"
It’s his landing on the real reason you don’t want him along that surprises you, that has you hesitating to call him back. Because this job sounds like Shambhala all over again and you can’t let that happen again, not to him, not to Nate. (You’re going to kill Nate for taking it, you’ve thought several times, except you know you agreed to take it to keep an eye on him.)
"I want you to know that nothing bad's going to happen."
You don’t, can’t believe him.
"I'll see you on Saturday, then. Stay safe, bright eyes."

"You have no new messages."
It’s even later when you finally ring him back, late enough that you expect it to go to voicemail, but he surprises you again by picking up, and it doesn’t sound like he was sleeping, either.

“Chloe -”

“You did nothing wrong.”

You hang up rather than address anything else in the message, but that probably says enough on its own.