AN: Bowl The Bunny. One of the best JP/Craig episodes ever! A random fic. Just for Bunny.
Back For Bunny Part 1 -
Hollyoaks village, it seemed, hadn't changed. The beauty salon, Evissa, was a flurry of activity. Groups of women going for pampering sessions for the festive season. Drive 'n' Buy, the local shop, was filled with shoppers buying the necessities to fill their fridges and cupboards. Stepping out of the taxi, he breathed in the familiar scent of the place he'd once called home. He buried his face deep into the scarf wrapped around his neck, picked up the two suitcases he'd brought with him, and headed for The Dog In The Pond.
-
John Paul McQueen was fighting a losing battle. He threw the tie on the floor with a frustrated sigh and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He didn't understand why he had to go to the stupid party anyway. It wasn't like he was even in the festive spirit.
He cast his mind back to Christmas 2 years ago.. It had been a disaster. He'd just broken up with Hannah and Craig wouldn't even speak to him. For a reason that wasn't even real. He'd lied about fancying Sarah to save his friendships, but ended up destroying them anyway. On top of that, his family had been robbed on Christmas Eve thanks to Michaela's naivety. Needless to say, it was a Christmas to remember, but one he'd rather forget. He glanced again at his reflection. The striped shirt he was wearing was unfastened by one button at the top. He sighed weakly. Maybe he didn't need a tie anyway.
-
He opened the back door to the pub as quietly as he could possibly manage and walked slowly inside. The pub was a hive of laughter as people laughed and talked with one another. He glanced at his watch. Almost midday. He'd arrived later than he'd hoped to, thanks to the hectic traffic between the airport and the village.
He crept slowly up the stairs towards the flat, lugging his suitcase behind him. He stopped by the door and glanced inside. His mother and Steph were frantically hurrying around the place, trying to get themselves ready for what he could only assume was going to be another Christmas rush in the pub. He plastered a smile across his face and walked in. 'Well,' he said 'Some thing never change!'
Frankie and Steph swung around at the sound of the familiar voice. 'Craig!' the chorused cheerfully and rushed to greet him with hugs and kisses. He glanced around the room. 'Wow, it's still the same' he laughed. Not that he'd thought it would be any different. He'd only been gone 15 months. Then again, a lot can change in 15 months. He should know.
Frankie let out a small laugh. 'Are you planning on staying long?'
'Just a few days,' Craig replied. 'I've got a lot of stuff to be doing for uni. I'll be gone by new year.'
-
'John Paul! Are you ready yet?' Myra McQueen’s voice echoed through the house. John Paul took a final glance at his reflection and left his bedroom to greet his mother where she was stood, waiting, at the bottom of the stairs.
'Finally! Come on... The girls are all there, I said we'd meet them there'
John Paul sighed. He'd spent an hour pleasing with Myra to let him stay home tonight, insisting he'd be fine, but she'd refused, saying that it's Christmas and they should all be out celebrating together, not cooped up inside doing nothing. She hadn't actually considered that he might have had something to do.
They'd walked to the pub in silence. Myra had attempted to make conversation with her only son, but he just replied with a grunt or a shrug of his shoulders, and she'd felt no option to but to give up and let him feel sorry for himself for whatever reason he was.
-
Even though he'd only arrived back less than half an hour ago, Frankie had somehow managed to persuade Craig to put a nice shirt on and join the celebration downstairs. He was sat, slumped in a corner seat at the back of the pub. Out of view of everyone. Although he's promised his mum he'd try and enjoy himself, he was failing miserably. He was shattered and jet lagged, and he had a pounding headache creeping in slowly. He popped a salted peanut in his mouth and concentrated on peeling the label from the beer bottle he was clutching.
He heard an argument erupt at the bar as a furious customer pleaded to be served next. He knew he should offer to help out behind the bar, but he couldn’t face it. Not yet. All eyes on him. People knowing what had happened. Judging him. Without even wanting to hear his side of the story.
He rolled his eyes as he spotted yet another group of people pointing at him. No doubt talking about it. He was about to stand up and head back upstairs for a lie down, when he saw the familiar face walk in. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. But he soon realised it was as real as it could get. He was about to come face to face with the person who, 15 months ago, held his heart. The person who, 15 months ago, he'd considered spending his life with. The person who, 15 months ago, he'd walked away from.
-
John Paul couldn’t help but feel claustrophobic. The Dog In The Pond was packed to the brim with people. Some he was familiar with, others he'd never seen before in his life. He wondered how they hadn’t crossed paths, living in a village as small as Hollyoaks.
He watched as, one by one, his family drifted off elsewhere to chat to friends. He stood, alone, by the door. It wasn’t that he didn't have anyone to chat with. Given the opportunity, he could strike a conversation with anyone right now, but he had an overwhelming fear of doing that. Even after all this time, he still got the occasional idiot hurl some homophobic insult at him and he'd found it incredibly difficult to put trust in people too soon.
He scanned the room, desperate to find an abandoned seat to sit. That was when he saw him. For a second, he though his mind was playing tricks on him. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then snapped them open. But he was still there. Sat in the corner of the pub, staring right back at him, was the boy that had held his heart and then abandoned him 15 months ago. Sat in the corner of the pub, staring right back at him, was Craig Dean.
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McDean Fan! ||
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Craig <3 JP ||
Rhys <3 Mercedes"Lambrini Simba Ocean Buttercup. It just rolls off your tongue, doesn't it?"
R.I.P Max
pls write more soon
