Futurama

More Than Us, Part 4
By Nasteve

I wish that I could fly, fly, fly away
And if I should fall, and you hear me call, would you stay?
More than us, we are them, but they don’t know, what’s in their hands
It’s more than you, and it’s more than I, but it’s more
And everybody calls it love but I’m not really sure
If this is love, at all. No, not anymore.

*Lyrics - quite blatantly obvious - from ‘More Than Us’ by the Trav, "The Men Who", written by the one and only…Fran Healy.

Fry was sat at the PE conference table holding hands with his girlfriend, Sian. As Leela entered the room, her eye met with Sian’s and the three of them narrowed. Leela glared across with hate at the devil woman and clenched her fists. Fry kissed his sweetheart, and then left the room for a moment, leaving Leela and Sian to brew in each other’s hate.

“I know what you’re up to, bitch, and I’m not gonna let you get away with it,” Leela growled.

“Is that right?” Sian answered. “Say, Leela, have you ever thought about something for your eye? Like a paper bag?”

“Are you talking to me or chewing a brick? Either way, you’re about lose your teeth.”

“Bring it on!” Sian cried as she leapt to her feet.

“Hiiaaah!” Leela kicked Sian and knocked her to the ground immediately. “Take that!”

When Leela woke up, the smile she was wearing rapidly left her as she realised that not only was she not kicking Sian’s ass but was lying on top of her bed covers, soaking wet, still fully clothed (having only had the strength to kick off her boots before she collapsed asleep), and also had a nasty hangover.

“Ugh,” Leela groaned as she rolled onto her back and squeezed her eye back shut.

Once she got out of bed, the first thing she had to do was go to the kitchen. She seriously considered just filling the sink with water and simply dipping her head in for a guzzle, but having regained her sense of dignity, instead took a glass and drank about 10 gallons of water. Next, she had breakfast. Leela excused herself from her morning workout and followed her meal with a shower and a change of sheets. Leela thanked her lucky stars that it was Sunday morning and she didn’t have to go to work, because, as she forced her way around the apartment, her hangover slowly started to drive her nuts and she simply had to do something about it. Leela fetched a bottle of TitaniumBrew hangover remover from the cupboard, and with a few mouthfuls managed to clear her head significantly.

Fragments of memories of last night’s party kept coming back to her, but most prominently those of Fry with her. Why did Sian have to show up and ruin everything? Leela held her head in her hands. She couldn’t stop thinking about Fry. She was deeply in love with him; she felt like they were two souls destined to be together forever. She felt like raw emotions she’d buried had surfaced and she saw so plainly now how much she really cared for him. A little voice kept saying maybe it was just jealousy, or that she’d had her chance and if she didn’t care for Fry then, why does she care for him now? But Leela didn’t care. All she knew was that she wasn’t whole without Fry, and that she had to get him back.

Sian and Fry were walking through Central Park without a care in the Universe. Holding hands, they breathed in the fresh, pollution-free, New New York air and smiled contently, each with the thought that they’d found someone who cared about stuff in the same way the other did. Fry adored Sian’s bouncy, care-free, attitude, but also admired her intelligence and strong, independent nature. Sian loved Fry’s kind heart and boyish charm, and the two of them both enjoyed sharing the same activities: watching TV, having fun, Anti-Gravity Racing (which Fry had adopted a huge interest for), having sex, and gazing at the stars. But more deeply than that, they shared a feeling between each other: a bond that no one else could see or feel and it felt like they were the only ones who felt that way. That was the best part.

As they walked, a voice from above called down at them, “Hey! Fry, Sian! Hey! Up here!”

The pair looked up in surprise to see Amy hovering twelve feet or so above them.

“Amy?” Fry asked.

“Yeh, what’s up?” Amy answered, she slowly started to descend and Fry could see that she had new boots on with what looked like a bulb of blue flame blasting from the heels. Amy eventually touched down and said, “Hey.”

“Wow, that’s the coolest thing I ever saw since last night when Zoidberg got drunk, took off his shell and tried to do ‘The Robot’."

Sian giggled, “Oh God, I remember that!” Sian shook in good humour. “Ewww.”

“You like them? They’re my brand new sky boots. I was just breaking them in when I spotted you and thought I’d drop in,” Amy said.

“Heh. Man, I can think of a million uses for those,” Fry remarked at the boots with wonderment.

“We used to play sky tag all the time on Mars when I was a kid, It was so much fun,” said Amy.

“Wow that sounds fun,” Sian said.

“Did you enjoy the party last night?” Amy asked.

“Yeh, it was great; everyone seemed to have a great time,” Sian and Fry agreed.

“I thought Leela looked a little troubled,” Amy added.

“Really? We never really noticed her the whole night,” Fry said.

“Me neither,” Amy agreed, “but when I did notice her, she looked awfully down.”

“Wow, maybe I should go speak to her,” Fry said.

“I know I don’t know Leela as well as the two of you,” Sian spoke up, “but ever since I’ve met her, she’s seemed like quite a depressive person.”

“She isn’t always, but I have noticed she’s been a little more lonesome than normal,” Amy said.

“Yeh, she isn’t always, she’s probably just going through a phase or something,” Fry offered.

“You’re probably right. She seems quite nice, she probably just needs someone to give her the time, y’know?”

“Hehe!” Amy chuckled. Fry didn’t say anything. “Yeh, I can’t even remember the last time Leela had a boyfriend,” Amy continued.

Fry could.

“Hey! She’s fine! She’s a really nice person. In fact, I think you and her could be good friends if you got to know her, Sian,” Fry said.

“Yeh, I know, I didn’t say anything against her,” Sian insisted.

“Well, I’ve got to fly anyway. Heh, I’m meeting Kif soon. See you guys later! Bye!” Amy called as she flew off on her sky boots.

The next morning at Planet Express, the professor greeted Fry and Leela as they sat at the conference table. “Good news, everyone! Today you’ll be delivering a shipment of recycled toilet paper to Uranus. However, it appears that Bender caught the 1MRATAR53D Virus, so you’ll have to just make the delivery by yourselves.”

Leela took the ship up into space and set course for their destination. On the bridge, Leela, sat at the pilot's seat, concentrated her vision directly in front of her, but her mind was not focused on the flight; she was thinking about Fry. Fry was sitting casually in his chair, watching the stars fly by.

“So, Fry,” Leela began, she had opened her mouth but couldn’t actually think of anything intelligent to say, how times change, “um, it’s gonna be weird not having Amy around anymore, huh?”

“Yeh, I guess. But great for her,” Fry answered.

“Yeh, great for her. Gets to see Kif all the time… and work on a big ship…”

“And work for Zapp Brannigan,” Fry added.

“Heh, yeah,” Leela laughed nervously.

(After a pause) “Leela?” Fry asked.

“Mmm?” Leela responded, with a sudden, playful, return to composure.

“Are you alright? I mean, you’ve seemed a little off lately,” Fry asked.

“Off?” Leela asked.

“Yeah, just recently you haven’t seemed yourself.”

“In what way? I’m fine. What do you mean?”

“Nothing, it’s just…”

“I’m fine, I’m perfectly alright,” Leela insisted.

“Okay, it’s just, well you looked awfully down at Hermes’ birthday on Saturday.”

Just then, as they were passing Saturn’s rings, the ship jolted and the engines cut out and the ship stopped motionless. [Note: I know we’re in space, but remember the engines move the universe so the ship can stop instantly. Heh, I’m not as dumb as I am ugly.]

However, instead of getting up to sort the problem, as she normally would, Leela was more interested in resolving the conversation. Leela spun right around in her chair.

“Look, Fry,” Leela was starting to get pretty angry all of a sudden. She was ready to have a go at Fry, but she managed to stop herself. She realised that she had no idea why she was getting so riled. Actually, she did. She was trying to hide something, but she didn’t want to hide it anymore. There really was only one way Leela could get back together with Fry. She had to be completely honest with him.

“Actually, you’re right, I’ve been miserable lately,” Leela admitted.

“Why?” Fry asked.

“Because…I, I think I’m in love with you,” Leela confessed. Now that it was out, Leela felt that duel sense of relief and fear you get when you confess your love to someone and are worried about being rejected. The second afterwards hung in the air for ever.

“You love me?” Fry repeated, dumb struck. It was a huge shock. For years he’d wanted Leela to love him as he loved her, and now it happened as he was in a relationship with someone else.

“Yes. I’ve been torn up inside since you started seeing Sian. I’ve felt so useless and…lonely,” Leela looked down to her left, she looked ready to cry.

“Leela,” Fry got up to give Leela a hug, a hug which she sorely needed because she rose to meet him halfway and the pair embraced each other. Leela managed to hold back the tears.

(After they had held each other for a time) “Leela,” Fry began, he tried to say it in the most delicate way he could, “Leela, you don’t really love me. You never have. This isn’t love, you’re just a little jealous...”

“It’s not just petty jealousy!” Leela retorted, stepping back from the embrace, “There’s nothing petty about it. This is love. I’m sure of it. I’m so sure that it hurts. I love you Fry. I’ve felt this way for a long time now, but by the time I realised it, you were involved with someone else. But I realised it before you met Sian. That’s how I know it’s real. Please, Fry, give me a chance.”

“Leela…” Fry couldn’t believe this, part of him wanted to say ‘yes’ but he knew he couldn’t do that. “Leela, I’m sorry. But if you really felt that way about me, then why didn’t you say so? I gave you plenty opportunity.”

“I know. I know you did. But it was complicated. I... I didn’t know how to handle it, but I do love you, I really mean it.” Leela was nearly crying.

“I’m sorry,” Fry tried to comfort her. “You’ll be alright. I’m sure you’ll meet someone you love more than you think you love me and who loves you. There’s more than us in this universe, you know?”

Leela sobbed. Looking at her, Fry felt as though he’d just ripped her heart out. Fry kissed her on the cheek, catching one of her tears on his lips. “You know we’ll always be friends, right?”

“Yeah,” Leela sniffed.

Leela lay in bed that night, hugging a pillow and a scrunched up handkerchief, and gazing back up at her ceiling in the darkness. She thought about what Fry had said. Was this love or was she really just jealous? It felt so pure, she knew it must be love. Leela sniffed and hugged her pillow tighter. She thought about what Fry said about there being more fish in the sea, about how she’d love someone else, but she loved Fry, and that was all she cared about. She didn’t want to love anyone else. Didn’t he understand that?

Leela sighed heavily, and started thinking about the romantic moments she’d shared with Fry. Times when the two of them had come so close, and times when she’d pushed him away. She felt so sorry for herself. “I miss Fry.” She sobbed softly into her pillow. Leela rolled onto her side and cried until she fell asleep.

The End

I hope somebody liked this fic, I didn’t exactly feel the love from it, but I thought the quality of the writing, if not the story, was more evolved than anything else I’d written. I know it’s not comedy, and I really wish I could do humour, but I love writing, and this is what comes out of me; and I do love my Futurama.

This fic is re-dedicated to the voices in your head at night; the feeling you’re not supposed to feel, and the fact that it never, ever, ever works out right; and also to anyone who knows what that means. What a tune, ah.