Okay, I'm not sure If i posted this story before ages ago but, just in case, sorry If I already did.

Title: Unrequited Love
Author: Missile. x
Rating: E (for everyone!)
Genre: Romance/ angst
Status: Completed One- shot
Pairing: Larry/Iris
Summary: Larry asks Iris out on a date but there are somethings Iris can't let go of, or maybe doesn't want too?

Authors notes: I just want to say this really isn't me trying to prove a point about the Phoenix/Iris pairing. I just think that Iris/Larry is a cute idea and it's only natural that Iris would be very hesitent to move on.



Unrequited love


“Pleeeeeaaaaaase?” he said dragging out the word in his usual whiney voice for the millionth time “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“I’m sorry Laurice; I just don’t think it’s a good idea…” I repeated (also for the millionth time).
“Why not?“ He asked still using his annoying whiney voice.

“I told you why not a second ago!” We’d been having this argument for what seemed like hours and he was now following me through the supermarket car park, jogging behind me, occasionally stopping for breath.

“But Rissy! You promised and I don’t remember you actually telling me why it’s a bad idea!”

“I did and I most certainly don’t remember promising you anything!” I exclaimed turning around to face him.

“You did! I remember “Laurice, as soon as I get out of this hell hole I promise to go out on as many dates as your heart desires!” He said imitating me (well trying to), with a high pitched voice.

I turned around with my head held up high “Ok, firstly that sounds nothing like me, secondly I never said anything of the sort!”

“Iriiiiiiiiis!” he moaned dropping his high pitched imitation and using his whiney voice once again “B-but you’re so cute…and pretty…and a really nice, totally amazing person!”

I felt my face soften and my cheeks glow red. Feenie used to use a similar voice to that and then get around my mood by saying such sweet things. But I loved my Feenie! I could never feel that way about Laurice could I?

“Please?” he finally begged, pulling a puppy dog face “Just give me a chance to show you it could work…”

How was I meant to say no to that? But something was still stopping me, urging me to say no…

“Look here’s the thing Laurice…I can’t go on a date with you because…well…because I still-” I trailed of trying to think of the right word “-have special feelings…of care towards Feeney…” I sighed, this was somewhat of and understatement. I’d spent six months in jail longing for him the way that I had for the last six years he’d not even known that I’d existed only to be released and find well…Let me recall…


Two weeks ago...

I rang the door eagerly feeling happy for the first time in weeks, maybe months. Finally I was going to see him again! Absentmindedly playing with the door handle I muttered “Come on Feenie, don’t leave me waiting, I’ve waited too long for this…”

After what seemed like minutes (a long time for someone to take to answer the door) finally I heard I click, an untidy looking man answered the door. He blinked at me.

“Iris? Is-Is that you?”

“Y-Yes, yes, hi how are you?” I answered beating myself up inside for sounding so lame.

“Um yeah I-I’ve been ok I guess, want to come in?” he asked scratching his head tiredly.

“Yeah, sure.” I stepped through the door into what look like a small rubbish dump.

“Ah, sorry about the mess, I haven’t really had a chance to clean up…”

Or clean himself by the looks of things, he was wearing a stained bark blue hooded top with blue ripped jeans and a beanie hat over his once spiky hair. Still messy or clean he was still my Feenie.

“No, It’s okay.” I replied politely not mentioning or giving away my shock at the state of his office or appearance “I came to see you, not your office."

“Oh…” he said simply twisting a small amethyst ring he was wearing on his finger nervously.

“So um…seen much of Maya lately or anyone else?” I said decided to cut to the chase.

“Well, that really depends on which way you look at it-” he murmured more to himself that to me.

I sighed, clearly he wasn’t going to elaborate “Oh? So what do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is I haven’t seen her for a while but given the choice…I would be.” he continued, still murmuring.

Suddenly I felt a jolt of pain in my heart. It was all too clear to me now what he meant. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes. Wiping them away and willing myself not to be such a baby I over at him.

“Oh, ok that’s…that’s fine.” I couldn’t hold it in, apparently resistance was futile. I felt a single tear fall down my face and before long more joined it like a Battalion of soldiers storming down my face thick and fast.

I quickly turned my head away not wanting him to see but apparently he had noticed that I had practically burst into tears and hot footed over to me, putting his arm around me.

“Iris, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I thought…I don’t know what I thought but I just didn’t think that was why you’d come over because…”

“Why else would I?” I said slightly raising my voice, I was annoyed that he’d been so tactless with my feelings and practically waved them around in front of me “I thought when you said I always was the person you though I was that you’d meant you still cared about me…”

“I-I do, but…Iris please” apparently giving up trying to convince me “Don’t cry like that, I do still care about you but not…in that way?” He shuffled looking uncomfortably down at me. When he noticed I still hadn’t stopped crying he began to look slightly irritated “Aww come on! I thought you were Dahlia for 6 years; I only discovered you existed six months ago-” I noticed he’d raised his voice and taken his arm from around my neck “-and do you expect me to just forget about how much you’ve lied to me? Nobody forced you to help your sister!”

“Feenie, please, I know lying to you was wrong but…I still love you!” I suddenly realized what I’d just said, up to now all I had mention was that I cared about him, not loved him.
He stared at me, much to my surprise with a warm expression on his face “Iris, you know this wouldn’t work, neither of us are the same people we were back then “I can’t lie and pretend I feel something I don’t.” He said softly.

I sniffed, hearing that he didn’t feel anything for me was what hurt the most “So, where’s Maya anyway?”

He hesitated “Well…In the mountains…as far as I know…”

“As far as you-“

“I-I’m not exactly sure,” he cut across me “She left me…for as long as it takes…”

“Oh?” I said simply, desperately wanting to know more about the situation, just in case.

“Recently she showed certain interest in me…romantically I mean, but I was…unsure."

“Unsure of what?” I felt my pulse race, what if-

“I…well, honestly I didn’t want to risk out friendship, so she left to give me time to decide, she said…it was too painful to be around me all the time when she felt like she did...and, and now she’s gone and I know just how much I loved her."

My heart dropped again, I felt so stupid for thinking he would be unsure of his feelings because of me…

I once again felt warm tears face down my face, I tried to conceal them but I just couldn’t so I turned away again, worried if he saw I was crying again he’d be irritated but me.

“Iris…you can’t understand how sorry I am…I didn’t realize you felt this way after all this time…”
Attempting to wipe away my tears I took a deep breath in.

“It-It’s ok, you have nothing to apologize for, I-I should go now.”

“Iris-” he called softly as I opened the door “I think it might be a good idea if you didn’t…well if you didn’t visit again like this. Don’t waste your life with unrequited love. I think that it’s time you moved on…” He walked towards and planted a gentle kiss in the lips “Goodbye Iris…”

I walked out of the office sobbing. Nothing I did for the next two weeks could distract my mind from the feeling of our last kiss…ever. Everything reminded me of him…


Present day...

So here was my chance to finally move on the way he’d told me to. Laurice had practically begged me to go out with him and yet I still found myself reluctant.

Larry reminded me so much of young Feenie…

“Go on Rissy, what d’ya say? Pretty please?” Laurice said prompting me out of my daydream.

I turned around and looked up at him smiling for the first time in the last two weeks and said-

“I hope your dates are better than your imitations…”





----------
So maybe it seemed a bit dperessing at times but it had a happy ending, right? It follows on from a story I wrote ages ago so all that stuff about Maya leaving to the mountians stuff followed on from that.

Hope people like this, and don't think I'm couple bashing Phoenix/Iris. I did write this quite some time ago...maybe a year but I don't know If I ever posted it or not.

---

Ahh, emotional! It captures the single flaw at the heart of the Phoenix/Iris pairing well-that they're different people now, and maybe they've moved on.
Of course, I still support Phoenix and Iris. Even so, I enjoyed this.

---

I've heard that story about P/M in another story... Did you write it? Because it seems like a direct sequel.

JasmineJustice: Fair enough about the Phoenix/Iris pairing, just glad you read it and enjoyed it!

justis76: Sorry, I didn't really understand your question but thanks for reading even so. To make what I meant clearer what I mean is: About a year ago i wrote and seven chapter long Phoenix Maya story (Date with destiny), this story - in a way, follows on from that story.

Sorry If that didn't answer your question.

---

Not much talk about being disbarred...

---

Yeah, uh, that's the story I was talking about. I like how you tied that in.

I despise the Larry Iris pairing more than anything else in the whole game, but I was still entranced by your writing, and stuck it through to the end. That's how good your writing skills are!

---