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storypaint ([personal profile] storypaint) wrote2008-09-04 10:36 am

Giving In (Mason/Daisy)

Title: Giving In
Author: rhap_chan
Comm: [livejournal.com profile] fandomsecrets meme
Fandom: Dead Like Me
Pairing: Mason/Daisy
Prompt: Daisy finally agrees to go out with Mason, but then she gets to move on to the next world. Angst ensues.
Rating: G
Word Count: 965
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Dead Like Me is not my property. This fanfic is a derivative of canon material that is not my property. I do not profit from these writings. The opinions and actions expressed in these stories are not necessarily the views and beliefs of the original author or me.

Excerpt: It was a Friday like any other, full of German waffles and good-morning scowls and the sounds of Rube scribbling on Post-Its and arguing with George, and since he had a free moment before he had to weasel someone into picking up his check, Mason asked her again.

If Mason were to pause for a moment and be honest with himself-- an unlikely thing, of course, but always possible-- he had given up on Daisy. Sure, he still brought her flowers and made sexually suggestive remarks and asked her out every Friday, but he no longer believed she'd give in.

It was a Friday like any other, full of German waffles and good-morning scowls and the sounds of Rube scribbling on Post-Its and arguing with George, and since he had a free moment before he had to weasel someone into picking up his check, Mason asked her again.

"Oh, but come on, Daise, it would be fun--"

"I said yes, Mason. I said yes. Don't make me change my mind," she said, pouting adorably, and Mason stopped midsentence to concentrate on his blinking.

"What?" Mason asked after a moment, and Daisy rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, but Rube interrupted.

"I should tell you as the leader of this ragtag crew that inter-office relationships are frowned upon by the Higher-Ups."

"By you, more likely," Mason mumbled, and Rube frowned.

"Bad for morale if one of you would take your last reap and get out of my life already."

"Well, bad luck for you, Georgia," Daisy said, leaning forward and giving Mason a glimpse of beautiful cleavage. "Looks like this thing with Rube isn't going to work out."

Both George and Rube choked on their drinks and then looked at each other before looking back at Daisy. When George could breathe again, she said indignantly, "I'm not doing anything with Rube! He's my boss."

"Darn tootin', Daisy. The Peanut and I are much smarter than you two, certainly in that respect," Rube said, recovering as well. He thumped his chest and coughed. "Now, don't ever make me say "darn tootin'" again and get out there to do your job. Make whatever arrangements you're going to make with the bum on your own time."

He handed her a Post-It note and she flounced out before Mason could get her to pay for breakfast, calling over her shoulder, "Meet me at Assaggio at six, and don't make me regret this!"

So he tucked his ticket under George's when she went to the bathroom and took off as well. Mason often had a spring in his step, due to some drug or petty theft, but today was different. Today, he had a date with Daisy Adair.

Six o'clock could not come fast enough. Even his reap was easy-- an older lady with an unfortunate tendency to smoke cigarettes without turning her gas burners off all the way. He pretended to be selling magazine subscriptions and got five dollars for his trouble as well as her soul. Five dollars wouldn't buy a very good dinner, but he had a stash he could raid.

He was on the doorstep of the restaurant at 5:55PM, feeling the blood pumping through his veins like a sixteen-year-old boy on his first date.

At 6:30, he went outside and used the pay phone down the street to call George.

"Daisy? Daisy hasn't been home yet," George said, her voice made scratchy by the phone. "I thought maybe she was out getting her hair done or something. Dates are... productions... to Daisy, you know."

"I do, I do," Mason said easily, but a thread of worry was already sewing its way into his heart. Daisy was amazingly bad at being on time, but why agree to date him if she wasn't going to show up at all?

"I wouldn't worry," George said, oddly sympathetic for him, and she hung up.

At 8:00, Mason went home.

He was at Der Waffelhaus early the next morning-- an exercise in futility since Daisy was never early herself, but he hadn't slept well so he was the first to meet Rube in their booth. He slunk into a seat, frowning.

"Daisy stood me up," he said.

Rube looked up at him, surprised. Then his eyes became a bit sad.

"Couldn't help it, kiddo," he said, thumbing behind him to the booth where a tall boy, perhaps sixteen sat. He was all gangly limbs and acne and he looked miserablely adolescent to Mason. Mason lifted an eyebrow.

"That's her replacement," Rube continued. "Derrick. Daisy had her last reap yesterday."

His first reaction was so that's why she agreed! but he clamped his mouth shut on that angry statement and sloped a little further down in the booth, feeling miserable. He ran a hand through his hair hopelessly.

"You are going to let him stay with you until we find him someplace of his own, okay?" Rube continued relentlessly.

"A little busy being heartbroken here," Mason protested, but Rube shook his head.

"Told you this would be bad for morale," he replied, and Mason sort of wanted to punch him, but he didn't have the energy (or the guts, really, not that he'd admit that to himself either).

"Sod off," he said instead, radiating moodiness, and maybe Rube had a little more sympathy for him than he expressed, because he didn't protest when Mason left his bill.

He sighed, looking down at his ledger. "Tried to tell him," he said to no one in particular. Then he turned around to the boy in the next booth.

"I've got a reap in twenty so you can learn how this works. Watch closely now."

He got up and the boy followed him.

"Am I really dead?" he leaned down and mumbled into Rube's ear.

"That tanker trailer you skateboarded into says so," Rube replied with his usual forced cheer. "Now come on."

And while they walked he wondered a little if Daisy had known, and if that had really been why she'd agreed to Mason's date. You never knew, really. But he still wondered.