Crazy (Brian Johnson x Fem!Reader)
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Word Count: 3K
A/N: So, in listening to Electric Blue for that chapter, I discovered this song also by Icehouse and became obsessed and here we are. Cue yet another anachronistic songfic! *air horns* (Also, Matt is back. And I just...I love him so much).
Synopsis: Brian still doesnât really âgetâ why reader is with him or chose him, but he likes it anyway. Directly follows Good Boy.
CW: Self-doubt, mild put downs, some sexuality (talking about the previous chapter), swearing, another 80s songfic
Brian could not wrap his head around it, obviously. Yesterday, he was sure he lost her, that she had realized that she could have anyone she wanted, that she didnât have to settle for him. And it just seemed crazy to him that the anyone she wanted would mean...well, him. They werenât opposites, per se. Not in the way that Claire and Bender were. But he felt like he didnât have as much to offer, other than knowledge in math, which she hated anyway. She was the absolute nicest person he had ever met and while he hated confrontation and tried to make peace between parties all the time, he was prone to dark thoughts.
I've got a pocket full of holes
Head in the clouds the king of fools
You've got a ribbon of rainbows
The sun in your eyes burning through
Y/N hadnât exactly yelled âfuck youâ at Claire Standish, anyway. âShe did punch Mike in the face though,â Brian thought with pride, âand she did it for you.â He smirked at the thought of it, especially since they were now approaching the Shop class door. Y/N had insisted on walking with him to this class today, knowing Mike would be there. Brian leaned against the wall to the left of the doorframe, looking down at Y/N while he talked to her, her hand still in his. He saw Mike approaching from the hallway behind them and was semi-surprised that he didnât just turn tail and walk away after the shit he pulled yesterday. It wasnât like he was a stranger to skipping class anyway. But maybe he wanted to make a statement in the same way that Brian and Y/N wanted to. Brian squeezed Y/Nâs hand to indicate to her that Mike was there and she immediately dropped her sentence and stood on her tiptoes to kiss Brianâs lips in front of him. Their makeout session had reassured Brian yesterday, but she explained that she wanted to drive home to Mike that he had not succeeded; that she and Brian were still happily together. His eyes fluttered closed; sheâd never kissed him at school before. They werenât hugely into public displays of affection and mostly just held hands or hugged, not wanting an adult to write them up to spend another Saturday with Vernon. âMight not be so bad though, to have a whole day with just her in the libraryâŠâ His mind drifted off in the pleasant thought as he wrapped his arms around her waist and heard Mike huff past them. They had definitely succeeded in their mission, but he didnât really care that Mike was there or had seen them; this was good enough. He pulled back and looked in her eyes, lips twitching up into a smile.
âWhat?â She asked innocently.
Could be I'm happy and sad
Could be I'm losing my head over you
âNothing. Just...admiring you.â He said, earnestly, but she laughed and blushed in response.
âYouâre a goof.â She said, playfully tapping his shoulder and pulling away. âNow, get to class.â
âYes maâam,â he joked, âIâll let you know how it goes.â
âYouâd better.â She looked at him mischievously.
Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby
To want a guy like me
Brian felt emboldened by their exchange in the hallway and reasoned âIâm doing this for her sake,â as he took a seat directly in Mikeâs line of sight. He could feel the fixed glare on him, knowing Mike hated that his nasty little scheme didnât work; he couldnât steal Y/N away from Brian, and the little cut in his lip was proof. Brian, however, had his own proof and subtly adjusted the collar on his button-down shirt, making it even looser by undoing the second button. He pretended to be listening to the instructor attentively but waited to feel Mikeâs eyes on him again. He knew it was bound to happen. He caught him in his periphery looking over at him, and he definitely wasnât zoning out because there were daggers in his eyes, so Brian pretended to scratch his shoulder, revealing the hickey that Y/N left on his neck yesterday afternoon. Sheâd made her brand upon him so that everyone could know that he belonged to her and vice versa. Who better to start with than Mike? He turned slightly towards him as his eyes bugged in realization and he gave Mike a smug smirk. The dark-haired boyâs expression darkened and his face became red before he looked away. No, Brian didnât âget itâ that Y/N chose him and wanted to be with him, but he sure enjoyed it.
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind, crazy
Well, there must be some kind of mistake
To give your heart away
âOh, I was pretty sure his head was going to explode,â Brian was regaling Y/N about todayâs shop class as she drove him home. She had, of course, taken Bender to work first and they had saved this conversation for the time just between them. John was still incensed that Mike did something so stupid and would probably love a revenge plot against him, but Brian and Y/N both knew better that Bender would not want to hear about the mark that had driven Mike so crazy. Nor did they really need his taunts or questions about it, either. That would be a nightmare.
âOh my God. Spare no detail. Tell me exactly how he looked.â Y/N was almost giddy about the prospect, âI almost wish I was there.â
âIt was pretty great,â Brian flashed her a smile, one she returned warmly, âSo I was all nonchalant about it but like, of course I knew he could see it.â
âRight.â
âBut then I kind of turned more towards him and his eyes got huge, like they were going to pop out of his skull.â
âAmazing,â she laughed, âwhat else?â
âThen he just kind of...glared at me. Like he was hoping Iâd burst into flames. And his face got all red and veiny. I swear he was gonna blow a gasket.â
âUtterly beautiful,â she remarked and Brian took a moment to think that it was a funny thing to say; itâs how he would describe her, not Mikeâs pissed-off expression.
So if I'm dreaming don't wake me tonight
If this is all wrong I don't want it right
âThank you for filling me in,â she said as she pulled up against the curb in front of his house.
âNo problem, My pleasure, really,â he joked.
âI know it isnât exactly...like you to do that, yâknow? Like you donât go around starting things or causing trouble.â
âHey, I cause trouble,â he mused, smiling, âyou met me in detention, you knew I was a bad boy.â She laughed in response; he loved that.
âYeah, okay,â she replied sarcastically and giggled, âbut, my point is...Iâm glad you did it. Like, Iâm proud of you for not backing down. He deserves for things to be awkward, to have it thrown in his face.â
âOh, for sure. Any time. Itâs not like I minded the method or anythingâŠâ He playfully raised an eyebrow at her, and she giggled in response but also blushed anyway. It was still a slightly embarrassing topic, given that it was a new chapter for them and they were still kind of figuring things out together. He realized he was lost in a gaze and cleared his throat to snap out of it. âDo you want to come in for a bit?â He gestured back towards his house. He didnât mean to imply anything untoward, but realized thatâs how it could come across, so he quickly sputtered out, âI mean, uh, my momâs probably home but maybe we could just hang out for a while?â
âYeah. Iâd like that,â she responded and they both headed inside. She had only been at Brianâs house a handful of times, and definitely only in communal spaces; she had never seen his room. While Y/N lived with her mom and Bender, things at her house were usually quieter...more deserted. Brianâs house always had someone else in it, it seemed. He was right about this afternoon, his mother was indeed home. Brian and Y/N settled on the couch, not too close together or touching. While his family was supportive of him having a girlfriend and adored Y/N, it was still horribly uncomfortable to imply any sort of closeness or affection around them. Maybe at some point, they would outgrow that, but for now, it was frightening just to think about his parents witnessing even a touch to the hand, let alone a kiss or something.
Unfortunately, their time together didnât last too long. Brianâs mom popped in to let them know she would be headed out soon to pick up Mary from school and gave them a look that implied she did not want them to be alone in the house together. He felt his neck prickle in embarrassment, but Y/N just nodded and told Mrs. Johnson, âI should probably get home soon to start dinner anyway.â
Before she left the room, however, his mother casually tossed out, âWhile Iâm gone, Brian, get started on your homework, please. I noticed your grade in Shop is slipping again.â He clenched his jaw in response. He hated that she felt the need to say anything to him about it, but particularly in front of his girlfriend. She left, but the tension of her words remained in the air and Y/N caught Brianâs uneasy expression.
âHoney, you know that you are so much more than your grades, right?â She asked him, reassuringly taking his hand. He wasnât sure how much his conscious or unconscious minds really knew that, but her believing that was enough in this moment. He looked up at her and met her eye.
âThank you,â he replied, grateful for the reminder.
'Cause you're the one sure thing
When I get lost in the game once again
To him, she was perfect. Which just made it difficult to believe she saw him in a similar light. She was supportive and reminded him what mattered, brought up his good qualities. And her list extended longer than his own of âcan make spaghetti,â it was filled with attributes he didnât even see that he had. He felt like it was sheer luck that she was with him. He supposed part of it was; it was fate for both of them to have detention that day after not really seeing each other at all this school year. He remembered the odd feeling of devastation he felt the first day of each semester, realizing she wasnât in any of his classes. He had forgotten about her a bit over the summer, to be truthful, but when he started thinking of school again, she was the first thing that came to mind and he was hoping he would see her again. But he was wholly disappointed making it through that first day back with no sign of her. He even thought that maybe she had moved away, that she was only meant to be a quick glimmer in his otherwise dull life and that heâd have to move on. He was delighted and relieved when he saw her in one of the hallways a few days later, although he wasnât entirely sure he wasnât imagining it until he saw her around a few more times. Then, he looked hopefully towards the semester change of classes in January...just to be disappointed again. He assumed that she had forgotten all about him, if she had ever noticed him at all.
Then came that Saturday in March. He was so stunned to see her walk in. Detention, of all places. A place neither of them would typically be, but it was just a right-time-right-place situation. He thanked whatever powers that be that she got caught freeing those frogs and that the flare gun blew up his locker. Otherwise, he might not have had this second chance, this opportunity. When he was alone and reflected on it, he had to admit that he almost let that opportunity pass him by, too. She had asked him for help in math and given him her phone number. She really initiated it. He realized now, that she was chasing him the whole time.
Hey, I'm a lucky guy
Without a reason and I don't understand
Well, you've gotta be crazy, baby
To want a guy like me
âShh..shh. Let me process this and picture it first. Okay, proceed.â
âYou know, Iâm not so sure I want to be telling you things about my girlfriend so you can fantasize about her later.â Brian scoffed at Matt as they both huddled in a booth at Ginoâs. He was excited to tell him the deal with making Mike mad and the thrilling story of just how he had received that hickey...but Matt savoring the details was now making him regret it.
âItâs not so much that.â Matt replied, and when Brian gave him a stare as if to say, âReally?â he continued, âOkay, yeah. I have eyeballs and these glasses to help them so I know your girlfriend is hot but...I donât think of her that way, honestly, man.â
âYouâre still being weird about it.â
âIâve told you, itâs vicarious,â Matt shrugged, âItâs like...like seeing Kirk and Uhura kiss. I donât want to kiss her but you still kind of imagine a similar situation where you get to be the brave captain, yâknow? Itâs like reading a romance novel. Or, apparently, in your case, a letter to Penthouse.â He waggled his eyebrows and Brian swiped at him, but Matt dodged it.
âIt is not a letter to Penthouse. Jesus, Matt.â Brian grumbled in response.
âThereâs no use in fantasizing about your girlfriend, anyway. She clearly only has eyes for you. You should see the way she looks at you, itâs almost sickening.â
âGet outta here,â Brian dismissed him.
âNo, man. I donât think other guys exist to her. Not like...in an attractive capacity anyway. I donât think she knows thereâs anybody but you.â Matt told him and Brian tried to hide his smile, even though propping his elbow on the table and covering his mouth with his hand was probably obvious. âHonestly, I think thatâs what Iâm most jealous of,â Matt said, seriously.
âWhat?â Brian asked and Matt rolled his eyes at his obliviousness.
âThat sheâs in love with you, dude. Thatâs not an everyday thing. Like, a guy kissing a hot girl? Sure. Even making out and getting a hickey, why not? But having someone who looks at you like youâre the only person in the whole world, the only thing that matters? That shit is rare, my friend.â
âSheâs not--she doesnât...we havenât been dating that long, Matt.â Brian cleared his throat. Matt always told it to him straight, but he found this hard to believe.
âLike that matters? Iâve seen the way you look at her too, moron. Youâre going to tell me, honestly, that youâre not in love with her?â Matt looked at him blankly and Brian didnât answer; he didnât lie to Matt either. He had known for a while that it wasnât just some crush, or even a mutual liking of each other. He knew his feelings for her were more than that. Heâd do anything for her, to make her happy. When he sat in silence and didnât defend himself, Matt followed up with a simple, âExactly. Thatâs what I thought.â
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind, crazy
Well, there must be some kind of mistake
To fall in love with me
Yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind, crazy
Friday night, he was over at Y/Nâs house, just the two of them. They were nestled together on her pink couch in her living room, he was leaned back against the arm, with his right leg on the couch and his left on the ground supporting their collective weight. She was laying against him, her back against his chest, with both of her feet up on the couch and his arms wrapped around her waist. Even entangled like this, he felt like he would never be close enough. His heart was humming at the realization that this was indeed real, that he had all he dreamed of for years. When he was here with her like this, it didnât matter that Shop wasnât going great, or that he had an argument with his mom, or that Mary broke one of his trophies, or that people thought he was a geek. He was just...happy. He couldnât remember being more content.
âBrian?â Y/N asked and he snapped out of his thoughts.
âHmm?â
âI asked you a question and you didnât answer,â she turned slightly and gave him an uneasy smile, âAre you okay?â
âYeah, I was just---just thinking.â
âAbout what?â She looked at him with puzzlement.
âI- Okay, donât laugh or think Iâm weird or wrong or whatever but⊠I just. Donât really understand how we got here, to this point. But Iâm just very, very happy about it.â She sat up and turned, feet now on the floor so she could see him. Her eyes raked his face for some kind of understanding of what he meant.
âI donât...I donât know what you mean.â
âLike,â he shifted, a little uncomfortable under her gaze, âI mean, I was there but I still donât really get it. Like, why me? Youâd have to be crazy to choose a guy like me.â
âFunny, it feels like the most logical and rational thing Iâve ever done,â she teased him and leaned forward against his chest. âBut I guess I get it; I feel the same way about you. And, Iâm also just happy it worked out,â she leaned up and kissed his lips, which he was all too happy to return.
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