Perfect - (2 Parts)

[everest]

Well. For those of you who don’t know the fandom of Skins, it’s a British drama that follows the lives of several teenagers, especially the less sugar-coated parts. The whole series deals with some issues that aren’t really smiled upon in most societies, as well as more ‘accepted’ problems.

That being said, this fic hints at some things and contains some bad language. Nothing is too bad, and I’m pretty sure that I’m not breaking any posting rules, but I just felt that that needed to be said anyway. And it isn’t as though this fic is going to be incredibly heavy and dark or anything- it’s actually fairly light and plotless. Just a bit of fluff to go with a good series- hopefully I did it justice.

Obligatory disclaimer: I don’t own Skins or any of the characters.

This is set sometime in early season one, I think. It will be posted in two parts. Here’s the first one, and I hope you like it!

Part one:

Waking up to a pounding head and a moderately uneasy feeling in his stomach, Tony stretched his arms over his head and then began his morning routine. Some people would be bothered by the overall awful feeling that was washing over him, but he didn’t think much about it. Honestly, what good was it to dwell? It was just another hangover; Tony never let those stop him. He sure as hell wasn’t about to start now, either.

Grunting slightly as he pulled himself up for another crunch, he noticed an itch enter his nose. He rubbed at it briefly. This also wasn’t unusual; probably just something leftover from the night before. The itch, however, did not disappear as he expected. Instead, it resulted in his sneezing in the middle of a crunch, failing to so much as cover as the sneeze took him by surprise.

“Hu’ISSsshah!” The seventeen year old sniffed angrily. “Fuck.”

After that, however, he resumed the crunches, forgetting about the sneeze.

Finishing his workout, Tony stood in front of the mirror, pleased. He certainly wasn’t an ugly kid, and he certainly knew it. He never was one for modesty.

Moving to his window to look across the street at his older, attractive neighbor, he allowed himself to zone out. His moment was broken, however, by his sister, waving at him franticly with an annoyed expression from the street below his window.

Tony smiled. Their parents had no idea about the kind of girl she really was. She’d been out all night, at some party most likely, and needed him to help her sneak back into the house to change and remove the heavy makeup. Keeping up appearances, making sure everyone thought you were perfect… it was something he could understand. Although, he didn’t put out as much of an effort to appear ‘perfect’ to their parents as his sister did, especially their father, mainly because he had too much fun messing with the older man of the house.

Deciding to go with the usual, the teenager turned on his stereo, twisting the knob until the volume was on full so she could sneak past their parents. He winced slightly at the sound of the loud music; it wasn’t agreeing with his head. Again, he barely gave the headache a moment’s thought; it really wasn’t worth his attention.

“For fuck’s sake!” A smirk played across his lips as he heard his dad’s telltale swearing and angry footsteps nearing his room. “Does this have to happen every fucking morning!? TONY!!” The older man burst open the door, exasperated.

“The remote’s broken!” he acted as if he was pressing the buttons.

“Use the bloody buttons on the machine!” The man sounded exasperated.

“They haven’t worked for weeks!” The teenager offered an innocent look, and his father slammed the door, storming down the stairs.

Tony laughed.

-----

“Well, you look like crap.” Those were the first words that came out of Sid’s mouth when he saw Tony at school.

“And you look about as half-ass as you always do.” He bit back.

“Touché.”

Tony rubbed his eyes a bit, and Sid decided to risk another jibe.

“Aw, does Tony have a hangover?” The teenager grinned, pleased at his bravery.

“Shut the fuck up Sid.”

The boy’s smile dropped. The way those words had been spoken made it clear that Tony’s well-being was not to be brought up again.

And, it wasn’t. Although, Sid did still watch Tony throughout the day. He was beginning to doubt his earlier assumption; it wasn’t a hangover that was bothering his friend.

Tony being Tony, nothing was too obvious. A few swipes to the nose caught Sid’s eye, and the boy’s ears also perked up each time he heard Tony clear his throat. Still though, Sid wasn’t sure that his friend was sick until the end of the day, right after the bell rang. Everyone stood up quickly, exiting the room, but Tony lingered at his desk, so Sid decided to wait by the door.

A few second passed, and nothing happened. Sid considered leaving. But, just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw the teenager jerk his head forward, making some noise into his fist. Sid assumed it to be a sneeze, though the sound was so strangled he couldn’t be sure.

“Nknt!”

Ah, there it was again. Yes, Tony was definitely sneezing, Sid decided, as he watched the teenager rub at his nose angrily. Suddenly, he looked Sid’s way. The boy’s body tensed up suddenly. He was caught.

Tony’s expression, at first, was surprised, but then he met Sid’s eyes with a fiery glare that scarred him shitless.

The glare lasted for less than a second, and soon Tony was walking towards him, expression carefully neutral.

“What are you waiting for?” The teenager asked casually.

“You.” Sid couldn’t come up with a less lame answer.

“This isn’t the girl scouts, Sid. We don’t enforce the buddy system.”

“Oh.” The weak response was all Sid could manage. “Uh, what are you doing tonight?”

“Just going over to Michelle’s, nothing special.” Even though Tony said it, Sid knew that what was going to be happening at Michelle’s was a hell of a lot more special than anything that would be happening to him tonight.

Just as the thought crossed Sid’s mind, Tony turned towards him. “What about you?” He asked. “Going to be getting an action tonight?”

“Oh. Nah.” Again with the lame-ass replies.

Tony simply nodded, not saying the words Sid expected to hear. “Well then. I’ll see you later, yeah?” He didn’t wait to hear a response, just began walking away.

“Yeah.” Sid mumbled, though he doubted Tony could even hear the words.

----------

I'll have the next part up sometime either tomorrow or the day after. Hopefully it was good and I didn't butcher the characters?

[MusicaDiabolos]

Oh, wow, this is exciting! I adore this show, seen every episode, and Tony is one of my favourites

Is Maxxie going to be in the story?

Can't wait for more!

[PaperThings]

EEP! I loved this so, so, SO much! You actually have no idea how happy it made me. Thank you so much for swapping with me! You nailed Tony's character so well, it was absolutely amazing. I loved how fascinated Sid was by him sneezing. Heehee . Amazing.

He certainly wasn’t an ugly kid, and he certainly knew it.

^ Loved this . So Tony.

Haha I am going to go read it again now . I can't wait for part 2!

[silentdreamer789]

Definitely no butchering of characters Can't wait for the next part!

[Alice]

This is awesome. I loved Tony so much in the original series!

[Sawyer]

You write Skins so well! Tony is so delicious. Mmm. Your characterization is excellent and the mood was set up just as it would have been in the show. And I really like the way you write. More more more!

[RSB]

Skins!!! I adore this show and Tony is definitely my favorite character across all the series. thanks for writing this!

[Aprilcot]

OHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Me would like more please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's nothing that can compare to your writing, I'm sorry... It's the truth.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More please!!!!!!!!!!!

[everest]

Thank you guys so much! It’s great to know you all liked that first part. I’m really glad that it was in-character as well, especially because of this next part. Things get a bit… improbable? I don’t know, hopefully it’s fine. I think I already mentioned this, but this story is supposed to take place in early season one, before... well, before a lot of things. I’m assuming if you’ve seen the series you at least have an idea of what I’m talking about.

And PaperThings, I’m especially glad you liked it! The trade has been fun.

This is the final part, unfortunately. I hope you all enjoy it just the same!

Part two

Tony sat in his room, staring at himself in the mirror. Sick? No. He didn’t get sick. It just didn’t happen. Being sick was disgusting and pathetic, and Tony was neither of those things.

He was just a bit… off. Off his game. Yeah, that was all. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed.

Michelle wouldn’t want to be around him when he was “off”. And though Tony was sure he could find plenty of girls to entertain him tonight, for some reason he only wanted to be around Michelle. It wasn’t like him, but then, there was a reason he’d picked her to be his girlfriend.

So he strolled into the bathroom and popped a couple pills. His face felt a bit hot, so he splashed some water over it.

There. Perfect.

-----

“Hey Nips!” He called out to Michelle as he entered the room.

“Tony.” She didn’t sound amused.

The teenager sat on her bed, waiting all of five seconds to move on. “Well then. Shall we?”

Michelle glared at him. “Do you honestly think I haven’t got anything better to do?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Bastard.” She mumbled.

“You can’t be upset just because I called you Nips…”

“Oh yeah? And why can’t I?” She glared at him even harder than before. Michelle was a beautiful girl, but those looks she gave could kill a small animal. Tony was almost discouraged. Almost.

“It’s a funny nickname!” He stated, grinning that cocky grin he always had. He felt anything but confident, but he wasn’t about to let his afflictions show, especially not to Michelle.

The reply he received was curt. “Hardly.”

Tony was getting tired of all the talking. If it went on for much longer, he’d need a drink or something. His throat was in enough pain as it was, he didn’t need a debate.

“Fine. I’m sorry, all right? I won’t call you that again.”

That was enough to surprise Michelle. Giving up wasn’t like Tony. She figured he was only saying it to get what he wanted, but still… Tony always got what he wanted, without sacrifice. She protested it, but she was used to it… and so his apology struck her as odd.

So she decided to call him out on it.

“Liar.” Not a wordy response, or even clever in the slightest, but it was would do.

“What do you want me to say? I said I was sorry. Jesus, Nips.”

“Tony!” The way she said his name actually sounded as if it caused her pain.

“What?” He said, mocking her tone. “You didn’t even believe me when I said I’d stop, so what’s the point?”

Christ. He really was an immature, conceited, obnoxious little idiot. Michelle wondered why she put up with his crap.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked the question again.

Did his voice just crack? She could have sworn it did. He seemed annoyed, but then that could have been her fault.

Her fault. She almost laughed right there as the thought crossed her mind. That was what Tony did, got inside your head and manipulated you into thinking that he was right.

But he was charming, and that was enough for him. It didn’t hurt that he was hot, either.

So Michelle surrendered. She really shouldn’t have. Tony was being ridiculous. But she did, and it wasn’t long before the two were all over each other, making out in a way Sid only dreamed of. Tony couldn’t hide the smirk that came over his face as the thought occurred to him, but the expression was quickly dropped as his nose twitched.

“Fuck” He mumbled.

Michelle paused. “Something wrong?” She, one again, sounded annoyed with him.

“No, nothing. Sorry.” And then he continued, only to swear again as the feeling intensified.

“Tony?!” She demanded.

The teenager in question pulled away. “Soh… sor…” but the word was cut off. He bent away from Michelle, stifling the sneeze into his fist.

“h’gNXt!” Damn. So much for ignoring it.

“Tony?” She asked again, softer, as though he were a child.

“Yeah?” He responded, with what he hoped was a nonchalant sniffle.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” He told her, though he had to sneeze again. “Shit!” He muttered, before turning away once more. “hi’knGXT’u”

Tony failed to completely contain the sneeze, much to his annoyance.

“You’re sick, aren’t you?” She sounded angry. Of course she did. He must have seemed disgusting.

So he lied. “Of course not, Nips. Just an itch.”

“I can hear it in your voice.” She stated. Michelle didn’t even protest the nickname. Clearly, she was not to be distracted from the issue at hand.

And Tony didn’t doubt she could hear it in his voice. He could feel it in his head, a throbbing pain that had come with the sneezes he’d tried, and failed, to contain. He could feel it in his throat, a raw, painful sensation that made itself known every time he swallowed. Tony could feel it in the way he could barely manage to breathe through his nose, in the way his face felt as though it were on fire, and in the way his eyes felt dry and tired, as if they couldn’t remain open any longer.

He felt like crap, but the way he felt was irrelevant.

“It’s nothing.” His voice came out quiet, almost embarrassed. Michelle had never seen him like this.

“It’s something, Tony.” She said the words gently, but Tony stood up, taking them as an insult.

“Fine. I’ll just be leaving, then.” He started for the door. Staying was no longer in his best interests. Clearly, Michelle wasn’t going to let this go.

“No! Tony, wait!” He waited. “Stay. Relax.”

“Relax?” He asked, voice carefully neutral.

“Yeah. Stay, and I could… I could take care of you.” Was she really saying this? Yes, yes she was. And somehow, it felt right.

Tony was caught off guard. She wanted to take care of him. Well, that was a surprise. A pleasant one, though. Tony actually found himself considering the offer. Michelle, worrying over him, bringing him tissues and tea… he was actually kind of enjoying the idea.

But that kind of thing didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t happen to him.

And so the wall was put up. “I don’t need your care.” The words came out angry, though he felt anything but. He began to leave once more, regretting every step but stepping forward just the same.

“You aren’t perfect, Tony!” she called it after him, a bit of desperation in her voice.

And then the already questionably stable wall crumbled to the ground. He turned around, face for once not carefully held, his cocky smirk completely gone. “I know.” he told her, words holding honesty and regret.

Michelle was taken aback. Had he just said that? It was so unlike him. She found herself feeling for him, feeling for her ailing boyfriend, wishing that he would stay and let her care for him.

But then the door closed, and it was over. Tony would be his arrogant old self again in the morning, and they both would pretend like none of this had happened.

Still though, Tony thought as he left her house, even though he’d rejected her care, it was nice that she’d offered it.

He wasn’t perfect. He knew that. But he wasn’t about to let everyone else know that as well.

[sneezychick93]

Oh my goodness! I love this! Poor Tony. I hope Michelle gets to take care of him.

[PaperThings]

Awww so cute!! Poor Tony . I love how you make me feel terrible for him, without taking away any of his personality. Amazing job with that. Seriously, you have no reason to fret over characterization - you've nailed them all. Loved the scene with Michelle, because it felt so natural. I wanted to hug Tony even more than usual.

Thank you so much, once again. I love this story so much. I promise to get up the second part of your story soon, too. Sorry it's been so long!

[tFM!]

I LOVE this so much Tony and Michelle were my favorite couple from gen 1, and you wrote them perfectly.

[Aprilcot]

Wow!

That was just amazing!!!!!!!!!!

So cute!!!!!

[Mf1611]

that was a really good story i liked tony's sneezes it was really cute that he was trying to contain them

[Scion]

Amazing job with characterizations. This it totally how I think they would act!