Va Te Faire Foutre (Franc)

[Ellen Banks]

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Ellen hands rebounded over and over against Franc’s Front door, a scowl on her face wishing with all her might. If she could she would blow the door off it’s hinges with the intense force of her anger. Damn it Franc. This was why Ellen never ever wanted to come out...but oooohh no, once upon a time three years ago, Franc took advantage of a small moment of vulnerability and found out about her sexual preference….ever since then every once in awhile an attractive girl would walk to her in a bar and smile at her…

It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was pulling the strings….

“FRANCOIS LAFFORT! YOU GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! DON’T MAKE ME DRAG YOU OUT!”

[François Laffont]

Ok, so maybe it was not entirely a good idea. But three years have passed and the girl was still very much in the closet. It was worse than that, she seemed to be in denial entirely of the thing. So yeah, every now and then, Franck might have suggested they went out and when that happened, he might have sent a pretty girl or two to talk to her. Not flirt necessarily, just talk, cheer her up, be nice, that sort of thing. He was not asking for Ellen to date any of them or sleep with them. Franck liked to think it was more than just a way to try and make her accept who she was, she’d feel a lot better than, but also a way for her to be better around people. You’d think someone like her would know how to be charming but she really had something against being likeable.

Franck had a very busy schedule. When he was not at school studying, he was at work. Or at home studying. Or training. Or with friends. It left little time for himself so he took it fully when he finally managed to squeeze some alone time in there. The television was on, his laptop on the coffee table. He was sending emails to some friends of his back in France when the loud thuds could be heard at the door. Lifting his gaze from the screen, he peeked through the window. But he could not see the front door from here. It couldn’t just be someone selling stuff of preaching the good word door to door, unless it was a passably irritated one who aimed to break the door if he did not open.

Franck got up and walked towards the door. He was almost there when he could hear the voice, muffled by the door but still distinct enough to know who was calling him out. He opened quickly, wondering what it was this time. It was rare that Ellen bothered to come here. Unique, even. “’Ello Ellen. And how are you today?” Franck asked, doing his best not to focus on anything he might get out f her. Why was pissed off her natural state of mind?

[Ellen Banks]

Oh sure. Everyone loves Frac, oh he’s so kind and so caring and just all together so very wonderful wasn’t he? Really Franc should quite frankly mind his own business. Honestly what gave him the right to interfere in people’s life like the way he does. Quite frankly he was a busy body. and that might fly with people like Erika or -God help him- Frank Cox but Ellen for one would not stand for it.

Excepally when it came to this, Ellen’s sexuality was none of his concern. Ellen was perfectly happy where she stood with that, it was the safest place she could possibly be, not causing a stir not letting people know. No one HAD to know, No one SHOULD know. He shouldn’t know, and yet he felt the need to try and ...what? Temp Franc out the closet?

Honestly…. Some people…

“You know I’m exactly how I’m feeling, don’t answer questions you know the answer to, second I don’t appreciate you, INSISTING on interfering in my social life. The others might let you get away with it ..But I won’t. I don’t know where you find these girls but this stops NOW

[François Laffont]

Franck was well aware that Ellen’s tolerance for his kindness and care had its limits. And she was not shy about it either. But Franck also took on him to help her. He saw something, three years ago. More than a crack in the overall perfect veneer and very thick walls of hers, he sensed a vulnerability he sort of wanted to preserve. Yes, he knew her secret and yes she had to right to keep it a secret. She didn’t need to scream to the world that she liked other girls. But he had the feeling it was more than that. She was so deep into the closet that she even denied being in it. Those girls he sometimes sent her way, it was not so she would flirt with them. He even talked to them at times. They were gay or bi, true, but they mostly accepted that part of themselves. A part he wished Ellen would at the very least accept. There was nothing wrong about it. She could tell her friends she was dating that roommate of hers without being ashamed of it.

Ok, asking how one felt was sort of pointless for him but it was custom courtesy. And Franck was very civil. It was just the kind of question you naturally ask, even when you don’t really care. Ellen was not in the mood for that though. She went straight to what brought her here, basically the fact that he was apparently interfering with her social life. He frowned at that, wondering where she was going with this. He didn’t think he was interfering with anything. And then she brought the girls. But it only vaguely made it clearer for him. “Ellen, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re still upset about these two girls I invited at our table? We were just discussing and there was a guy too, remember? And I think you told me then that I should stop finding ways to invite the prettiest girls of the club to our table. So if there was any other ‘girls’, I can tell you, it’s not me,” he told her now that he had the time to reply something. He looked at... could he say friend? It seemed a little too much but Franck was not good at just calling people acquaintances. “Is it so hard to believe that one found you interesting enough to want to talk to you on their own?”

[Ellen Banks]

Question. when on earth had Ellen asked for Franc’s “Kindness” -Kindness? More like pity

Answer: Never.

Ellen didn't know why Franc bothered her especially when it was clear that Ellen was not a kind person, no matter how much Franc or anyone else told her otherwise , These people...these stupid stupid people, they think they can get Ellen to open up like it’s a simple thing. Like all Ellen had to do is to give them a kind word and she’d instantly be a better person, the simple fact was Ellen has grown and maintained walls and defenses that seemed to have taken a life of her own. She couldn’t have but react to a kind act without suspicious, she just couldn’t help herself….

..She didn’t think she could turn off even if she wanted to….

Ellen couldn’t help but silent once Franc began to calmly explain to her the situation…Yes she remembered the night well, Ellen was having a conversation with Franc and them two girls came over to them because they knew Franc or something like that….naturally they were quite attractive so Ellen’s defenses went way up and she made her excuses and walked away….before long she was encountered by another woman, so naturally she assumed…

First time another woman tried to pick her up….that was new….

Once Ellen managed to figure out what had happened she threw a look at Franc “.....If you say a word I might have to kill you…”

[François Laffont]

Franck understood, somewhere deep inside, that Ellen would always be like some wild dog barking at anyone approaching her. But he also believed there was some good in her and it would be nice to see it come through at times. The problem was that every time she would go and let her walls done a tiny bit, she’d notice you noticed and build them back up again, even higher if necessary so that you’d know it did not just happen.

It was a shame, really. Franck really thought she could be happy but how was that possible when she refused to let anyone in. Maybe not in her heart just yet but surely someone with so high walls also had many, many levels before getting to the core. She could let some people get past some of these levels. Like that ‘roommate’ of hers. But Franck was not supposed to know about this. She did not just felt some love when thinking of her, no way.

Was Ellen getting what he was talking about? She could just review the night in her head if she refused to believe him. How could he incite someone to go and flirt with her when he was busy having a conversation with others? It was not his fault if he was so popular he couldn’t walk in a room without people knowing who he was. Even in the nightlife apparently, despite the fact it was not a life he lived often.

“What?” he let out, rather on the defensive. “What have I done to get you this mad at me? I’m not asking you to flirt with them. You can just talk. Or sit there and drink while we talk. That’s what you do most of the night anyway when I take you out. Makes me wonder why I still bother finding out parties to invite you to.” Then again, she sometimes called. She would deny it, but he could tell she was the ones who wanted it at times. As for Franck’s reason... he was just hoping she’d open up a little more. At least bring Ashley or something. But she was her little secret so he doubted that would ever happen.

[Ellen Banks]

Like most things in Ellen’s life dealing with people seemed maddeningly simple to her, if she didn’t want to talk to people don’t talk to her if she didn’t want to open to you, don’t ask her to open up. If she was asked or pushed forward to do…..pretty much anything she’d most likely do the exact opposite of that. She HATED being told want to do. Or forced to do something she simply didn’t want to do. Who said she needed to open up? Why should she discuss her personal life with anyone whatsoever?He let Franc in once. That was a privilege, and should be treated at such. Not a right llke Franc seemed to think so....

Just because he could read emotions doesn’t give him the right to zoom in and out of Ellen whenever he felt like it….

Yes, Ellen will admit that when it came to…..certain clubs, Franc seemed to be much more confident and popular in gay clubs then Ellen was, well that was probably because Ellen had never been in one in her life, she could almost assume that everyone knew her name at gay bar and the like…Ellen couldn’t say she;s been to a lot of them….

A sound emanated from her throat that almost seemed like a hiss from Ellen when Franc took it upon himself to complain about how Ellen went about handling herself and the way she spoke to him, so what else was new? “Oh, well thank you so much, for taking it upon yourself to have pity on little old me by allowing me just BASK in your company and I’m so dreadfully sorry if my company is such a burden!”

[François Laffont]

He knew Ellen hated when he did that. But, really, what was the point in going to a club if they were not to get social? Sure, he loved the dancing, but you might want to get new partners during the night and that required for you to be social. As for the drinking, Franck always did his best to leave it to a minimum. He didn’t think he was a jolly drinker and he didn’t want to end up saying something he might regret.

Ellen didn’t like it though. But, really, if he brought out girls, it was not so much for her to flirt with them than accept they were all gay around here. Plus if he invited a guy, she’d likely leave him all for Franck. That wasn’t the goal here.

Franck didn't say it right and she was now giving her attitude. “I invited you because, sometimes, when I want to go out, I just think: ‘oh hey, why don’t I invited Ellen? She might like that.’ And so I do. And you agree, or you’re the one who complains you want to go out and we go out. Then you clam up. What’s the point of going out then?” There was also the secret wish she’d invite Ashley someday. That was wishful thinking, he started to get that now, but Franck still kept wishing it. Wouldn’t it be great if Ellen finally admitted her feelings for the girl? Was she really afraid they’d turn their back at her for this? Most people would just shrug it off and be happy for her, Franck was certain of it. “Hey, if you don’t want to go out with me, just say it. I’ll ask someone else. It’s just... well you do look relaxed when we start, like you enjoy doing it.” Was that a form of manipulation? Franck often felt like he was manipulating people when going on like that. At the same time though, since this was Ellen, he felt like she sort of deserved a bit of manipulation.

[Ellen Banks]

Ellen, was fine going to clubs, she practically had spent her teens years bouncing between here to the far reaches of the earth with Erika during her teen years, but the clubs that Franc wished to take her, were terrifying places to Ellen the gay clubs Ellen normally tended to avoid might as well be another planet to her. Some place akin to the land that Alice found where she to, actually took the time to go through the looking glass and landed in a similarly strange place…..

Though presumably with far less body glitter…..

So yes she was somewhat defensive when Franc brought up the idea of her going to a gay club….you better believe that Ellen heed and hard with her normal ever so sharp syntax that she wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those…..
….but then again…..Curiosity and intrigue was always something of a weak point for her….So…she went along with it...and once she actually relaxed….She did enjoy it.

...and they both knew it, which is exactly why Ellen didn’t argue, just shot him a look that semed to say “Ok, you got me there but I refuse to

[François Laffont]

Franck could go to more ‘heterosexual’ clubs. It was not like he ever went to Wayne’s World to flirt and find himself some guy. He had a hard time imagining this would lead to actual romance and not just something sexual. After all, he did sense what the guys who came to talk to him felt. Maybe it was why he preferred The Looking Glass and invited girls over rather than guys.

Ellen didn't seem all that excited at the idea of going there with him. “You know why you’re the one I ask out the most when I go to clubs?” he asked her, obviously not expecting her to know. She was more likely to retort something that was meant to hurt him or at least mock him in some way. “You know how hard crowds can be on me. And crowds you find in bars... I need to get out of there at some point, or at least focus on someone whose emotions wouldn’t be too over the place. Or wouldn’t try to match me with some guy. If there’s one of my friends whose ready to make fun of me if I get too fanboy over some guy, it’s you. And I don’t think you hate it as much as you pretend, otherwise you wouldn’t agree to go out with me whenever I suggest it,” he explained. He knew saying he was using her would not make her want to go more. In fact, he was likely to get some snarky comeback for it. But she was not the only one who could be honest here, even if he was not as bluntly as she was. At least he was not pretending. This had to have some value to her. “Besides, it’s always better when you don’t go alone.” Because he was not there to flirt. Even if he was, the idea of Ellen being is wingman was just too weird to make it happen.

She was glaring at him. She tended to do that whenever he picked up something out of her. She knew it couldn’t be helped. At least the fact she enjoyed going to bars was a lot less damageable to her reputation than other things he might say about her. “Of course, I would love for you to invite your friend too but if you don’t want Ashley to come along, I’m fine with that too.” He knew it was not going to happen. But a man had the right to hope.

[Ellen Banks]

No Ellen really couldn’t go to Wayne’s World, or really think about Franc’s love life (For what ever reason Ellen was always far more on guard around men than, That was yet another thing she could imagine that was yet another thing that could be discussed in therapy….) So she never really enjoyed the idea of spending time around them, so something of a compromise was the looking glass (As you can imagine ‘Tinks Bar’ Was a terrifying prospect for her..)

Ok, she supposed if she as being honest, she supposed it was nice to have someone around her who understand all of that, without Ellen saying a word to confirm, (Not that she would ever admit to something like that) and once again she really couldn’t say a word or mount a reasonable defense against his words, to be honest Ellen was somewhat taken off guard. Seriously, who was this man and what has he done with Franc?

So much for being weak,....

Everything he said was utterly true, no she wouldn’t baby him, no he wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear and Ellen would probably vomit if she EVER let him get all goo-goo over a guy,

So, in lieu of defense Ellen resorted to a stony silence pointedly looking away from Franc with her arms crossed

….But her face did soften when Franc mentioned Ashley, bringing her up always seemed to have that effect on Ellen. Urg. Was there a way to hold BACK affection. a way to stop it wafting off of her…..he mentioned Ash to get a rise out of Ellen didn’t he? No fair!

Ellen’s eyes flickered the ground almost bashfully, shaking her head “Ashley doesn’t like crowds” She said in a much softer voice than normal “She'd get nervous with  so many people she doesn't know in her personal space”

[François Laffont]

Franck knew that his words could be dangerous. It was so easy to piss off Ellen and you generally didn’t live long after that. Just long enough for you to regret it. He didn’t want Ellen to hate him for that but every now and then, Franck knew it was important to give people a little push. In Ellen’s case however, if you wanted to push her, you better make sure she didn't feel it or be real fast about it and run away to avoid any future retaliation.

She was not yelling though, and that did surprise him. He expected her to be a snobbish on him and point out she was not here for his pleasure or to help him out with anything. But no. She kept silent. She refused to look at him, which probably could be translated to ‘I know you’re right but hell will freeze over before I admit it’. It was a small victory.

And Ellen was right, he did mention Ashley to get a reaction out of her. Soften things after perhaps upsetting her. He could always sense her softening whenever Ashley was mentioned. He knew she was her weakness. At least it was Franck who knew it. If Ellen stopped thinking like the calculating bitch she can be at times and more like Franck was, she’d know he wouldn’t tell anyone or use it against her. At least not for things that would cost her.

Ashley wouldn’t do well in a club though. “Oh. We’ll find something else then. I wouldn’t want her to be uncomfortable.” Yes, he was not so subtly hinting that he’d like to meet with her someday. He had the right to dream. “If you don’t like going out like this too much either, I’ll find something else,” he assured her. He knew she was curious about those bars, he knew it was what made her come. But he was also aware she wanted to run away at some point in the evening. “Are we good?”

[Ellen Banks]

Ellen didn’t really agree at all, it wasn’t “So easy” to annoy Ellen she considered herself a perfectly reasonable person and if you really wanted to stay on her good side then the process was perfectly simple. Don’t say something stupid. Don’t speak out of turn, do not ever think you’re capable of telling her what to do and refrain from giving your irrelevant opinion on Ellen’s on going soap opera that she seemed to call a life.

Now, that wasn’t too much now was it? Did that really make her so “Difficult?” That she just happened to have several standards -REASONABLE standards she might add- that she insisted on maintaining at all times?

She wasn’t a bitch as some people might say. She just had very high standards.

Of course Ellen couldn’t tell Franc why Ash was naturally nervous around strangers, would it even matter? Franc would take what was given and nothing more,the fact that Ellen sometimes treated Ash like she was made of glass was her own business… and the idea of Franc and Ash going to a club together...yeah that made her uncomfortable to say the very least,

Ellen didn’t say anything for a moment “Are we good” Now wasn’t that a load question? Was she ever truly “Good” with anyone? If he was asking if Franc was still annoyed…...No. No she wasn’t the moment had past...and Ellen was a lot more calm now then when she came here….

“You’re still an idiot”

Calm, wasn’t the same as agreeable

[François Laffont]

Sadly for Ellen, everything she would ask out of people to do, or more like not to do, were things Franck would do. At the same time, he believed it was why they were friends of sort. It was in his nature to speak of feelings, to push people if he felt they were straying off the right path or to at least gently pointing it out to them. Everywhere Ellen was all edges, he was smooth and fluffy. And, whether she liked it or not, he was being all smooth and fluffy on her too. If she had a problem with that, he wouldn’t mind nicely reminding her she was the one who came to him and not the other way around. He extended a hand, she took it.

Because Franck knew that, he was cutting Ellen a lot of slack. While he would likely never be able to talk back at someone if they treated him the way she did, he also wouldn’t let a lot of people other than Ellen try this on him. In a way, he liked that she was blunt. Of all of his friends, she was the one who’d likely stop him if he ended up too dramatic. She wouldn’t try to find a nice way to tell things to him. It might be hard, but it was also welcomed.

Ashley was apparently not good with strangers. Her reasons were her own, Franck was too delicate to ask for details. There was also the fact he believed a part of this came more from Ellen who wanted to protect the one person that mattered the most to her. He could understand that.

He waited to know if they were good. He smiled at her answer. “I can deal with that,” he assured her. He didn't take it too much as an offense. Ellen was just being Ellen. To him, she might as well have said they were good. “And know that I’m not losing hope. I’ll find something so the three of us can go out.” No, he was not giving up on that.

[Ellen Banks]

The last thing Ellen ever needed was someone “Pushing” her to do things she really rather not do. Last time she checked Ellen didn’t need Franc to be a fairy God Mother. In fact she almost certain that she told Franc that’s the last thing she would have wanted, she was fine on her own and all Franc did was meddle. Meddle Meddle, that’s all he seemed to do, Honestly Ellen thought this was his social life, his life was so boring that he spent his days just going from person to person giving ADVICE or whatever guidance he thought was SO indispensable….


Ellen was concerned as always thinking about how Ash would react to being in public, especially with her being so naturally introverted, Ash was so weary when she stepped out of her comfort zone and the threat of a possible panic attack was never far away.


She doubted Franc knew how fragile Ash was.


“If we do, that. And I’m not agreeing to it, but if we do do it. The INSTANT you feel Ash starting to panic. We leave”