Title: Mending the Breach
Author: Pip's Sister/Ms. Marvel 1
Fandom: Clerks
Pairing: Dante/Randal
Rating: PG-13 for language
Archive: Yes, but please tell me first. KS Archive
and LA are cool.
E-Mail: felicitypirrip@y...
Disclaimer: Dante Hicks, Randal Graves, Jay, Silent Bob, Caitlin Bree, Veronica Loughran, Brodie Bruce, and Rene Mosier are all the property of Kevin Smith and the View Askewniverse. They are used without permission and for non-profit purposes.
Notes: Slash. Don’t do anything stupid. Sequel to “So Close and Yet So Far Away,” I’d recommend you read that before even LOOKING at this fanfic but if you don’t, it’s okay. I’ll get you up to speed. And yeah, I know. I said I wouldn’t write a sequel. However, after I got better, Dante told me he wanted to be happy too. Could you refuse someone so cute?

Acknowledgements: For the one that I want. I never “settled.”

~*~*~

The really awful part about the full shift, other than the obvious fact that he had to work all day, was seeing the day live and die outside the window. It was late into winter now, so he came in before the sun rose and left after the sun set. In fact, the sun had been gone for hours now. Dante sighed as he locked the register for the night. Such a depressing feeling, as if he wasn’t depressed enough already.

Ding-ding. Dante looked up and groaned as the all-too-familiar men entered the room. “You know we’re closed. I locked the register. Go away.”

“Aw, now is that any way to treat two loyal customers such as ourselves?” Jay asked as he walked towards the register (swiping a Devil Dog from the nearby shelf as he did so). “Shit, you can make an exception for us, right?”

“Give me the Devil Dog in your pocket and I’ll think about it.”

Jay and Silent Bob just started laughing. A moment later, Dante realized what he had said and groaned.

“Look, get out of the store.”

“Aw, what the fuck’s wrong, cock smoker? I thought that was your thing these days, right. Oh, wait… I forgot. You two are having a little trouble in paradise, right?”

Silent Bob suddenly stopped laughing. Dante’s face turned a bit red. “Look! Just get the fuck out of the store, okay? I’ve had a long day and I don’t need your shit!”

“Holy shit, it was just a fucking joke…” Jay paused as Silent Bob elbowed him. “What?”

Silent Bob whispered something in Jay’s ear. The blonde man’s eyes widened. “Oh…” He looked at Dante. “Really?”

“Yeah…” Dante said. “I guess we have you to thank for that, really. After you gave those kids the idea about us being married it got us talking.”

“Yeah?” Jay shrugged. “Shit, I didn’t think we had that much effect on youse.”

Dante raised an eyebrow. “You mean you’re genuinely touched?”

“No, but you sound like you are.” Jay laughed lewdly.

Dante just sighed. He should have expected something like that. He wanted to say that, but instead just muttered, “Not at the moment…”

Jay heard him anyway. “Oh yeah, the trouble in paradise shit. What’s up with that, anyway?”

“Long story.”

“Well, fuck. It’s not like you’re going anywhere. I know youse two are living together and if youse are still fighting, I bet you’re gonna want to hide here like a pussy as long as possible. Besides, Silent Bob gets off on this homo shit.”

Dante rubbed his eyes as Silent Bob frowned at Jay. The stoner had a point. He didn’t exactly like the Quick Stop, but he had to admit he would rather be here than at home… with Randal curled up on his own side of the bed… and he hadn’t really talked to anyone in the past few days…

“Okay, long story short. You remember Caitlin Bree?”

“That chick who fucked the dead guy?”

Dante rolled his eyes. “Yes, her. She’s been catatonic for the last few years but she just recently started to come out of it. Anyway, she asked to see me a few days ago and it went well at first. But… well, when she asked to leave I guess we felt some old feelings or something and…”

Silent Bob winced and covered his eyes. Jay just blinked in surprise. “… What?”

“I kissed her.”

Silent Bob shook his head vigorously.

“Shit. That’s it? I thought you fucked her or something.”

Dante sighed. “I might as well have… This isn’t looking good for us.”

“Well, why the hell did you kiss her?”

“I don’t know…”

“So, he left you?”

“Not… not really. But he’s upset.”

Jay shrugged. “Fuck, he’s taking it all too seriously. You’re a fucking moron, though. I wouldn’t have fucking told him.”

“That’s because you don’t know what ‘honesty’ is,” chided Bob.

“Eh, fuck honesty. Was just a fucking kiss….”

Silent Bob shook his head as Jay jammed a few candy bars into his pocket. “You can’t blame him, though. You know you’d be upset too.”

“I know that,” Dante said. “I’ve…” he hung his head. “I’ve been there.”

“So why did you do it?”

“That’s what I keep asking myself.”

Silent Bob shrugged. “Do you love her?”

Dante lowered his eyes. “No. I really don’t. I thought I may have for a minute, but right after I kissed her all I could think of was Randal.”

“Now do you love him?”

Dante nodded. “Very much.”

“Well, then you know you can’t do shit like that.”

“I know…”

Silent Bob thought for a minute. “Can I ask you something? Have you two ever fought before? I mean, really fought. Not some pissy disagreement over George Lucas, either. An all-out fight.”

“Well, yes. Not since we’ve become lovers if that’s what you mean, but…”

“That’s what I mean.”

“Oh… then no.”

“Well, I bet you’ve been in enough relationships to not have to hear this, but these kinds of things make it stronger. And if he said he wouldn’t leave you, then personally I think everything will be okay.”

“Yeah?” Dante smiled weakly.

“Yeah. Now, do you think we could have some smokes?”

Dante frowned, then shook his head and got a pack of Nails. Silent Bob handed him a five and a single as he unlocked the register.

“Pleasure doing business with you, cock smoker!” Jay smirked as Dante handed Silent Bob the change. The two stoners then made their way toward the door.

“See,” said Silent Bob, “if you’d work more on your people skills I wouldn’t have to keep doing that all the time…”

Dante sighed as the door closed. He didn’t feel that much better after that, and to be honest the conversation was little more than Silent Bob putting into words what Dante knew already. Still… it was kind of nice to talk to someone.

And put off going home. That was big. It was odd, though. In a way, he really wanted to see Randal, to plead with him and try to mend the breach he’d created, but in many other ways, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to face Randal or deal with the tension between them.

He didn’t want to think about this, and unfortunately he seemed to have too much time to do so. He could only wrap himself up in his job for so long until some unpleasant experience with a customer made that miserable, too.

Oh well, he didn’t really have time to put this off any longer. He reached for his coat and-

Dante rolled his eyes as he heard the doorbell ring. “No! I locked the register for the last time! Get the hell-”

“It’s me.”

Dante froze. Oh God, that voice. He slowly turned around.

Randal stood in the middle of the floor, yet it wasn’t him. Well, it was, but… it wasn’t like him. His usual smugness, his false charm… it was all gone. He looked… Dante didn’t know. Tired. Tired and humble.

Dante’s hands gripped his coat fiercely. “Huh…” he coughed. “Hi. I… I’m sorry I…”

Randal nodded. “I know. It’s late. You’re supposed to be closed.”

“Right.”

“Right.”

There was a pause. Dante tried to loosen his grip on the coat but he wasn’t doing so well.

“I tried to talk to you sooner. I just… Well, Brodie and Rene decided to move into an apartment above that comic store they got and I’ve been helping them out and stuff.”

Dante nodded. “It’s okay. I… I understand if you’re busy.”

“Yeah…”

Randal and Dante kept their eyes on the floor.

“Are… are you busy or something or did you have plans because I can just get a taxi or…”

“No!” Dante said quickly. “No, I-I don’t have anything to do. We can talk.”

“Okay…” Randal thrust his head towards the door. “Um… car?”

“Y-Yeah, sure.”

Randal moved towards the door and Dante followed, switching off the lights, and then turning around to lock the door. Randal stood by the passenger side door of the car as Dante pulled down the shutters and locked them.

Dante then made his way over to the driver’s side. He unlocked the door to his own side, and then pressed a button on the door which unlocked Randal’s. The two of them got in.

Nothing was said for a minute.

“So…” Dante said.

“So,” Randal repeated.

Dante sighed. “I… I… I don’t know how to start this.”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

Dante looked at Randal. “What do you mean?”

“Is there something wrong with us?”

“No, of course not. This… That was just a heat of the moment thing.”

Randal shrugged and pulled his left knee to his chest. “I understand that, but the fact that the heat was even there…”

“Well…” Dante’s fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. “I… I don’t know. It was just… Well, you know the history between her and me…”

“I’ve had history with plenty of ex-girlfriends. I never kissed them. And they were lesbians. Believe me. I could have had the urge to.”

Dante felt his heart sink. “I’m… I…”

“Look, the thing is you’ve pulled shit like this before on Veronica and…”

“No! No, that was different. I really thought I loved her and… and… I don’t love her, I’m sure of that now. Randal, the minute after I kissed her I thought of you. I regretted it immediately. I don’t love her. I love you.”

Randal’s eyes lowered to slits. “But are you sure of that? I mean… I don’t doubt you care about me but…” Randal coughed. “But I also know that you’re really more inclined to women and maybe this all means that…”

“No. No. I don’t… Randal, I love you. I only want you.”

“Is that true? Or are you settling for me?”

“Settling for…” Dante shook his head. “No, no I… You’re smart and loyal and sexy and…” Dante sighed. “And… fuck, after what I did, I feel like you don’t deserve me.”

Randal didn’t say anything. Dante waited a few minutes, gripping the steering wheel so hard that his hand was sweating.

“Is there no way that I can prove it to you?”

Randal sighed. “You really hurt me, Dante.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. I’ve… I’ve been so miserable these past few days. I miss you, Randal.”

“I miss you too, but…” Randal looked outside the window. “But if I’m not what you want…”

“What I want is for you to be happy,” said Dante.

Randal sighed. His eyes were still glued to the window.

Dante gripped his hand harder on the wheel. “Randal, I… it’s true. I am attracted to women. I feel temptation sometimes. I know you must too, even if you discovered you liked men a bit better. But that…” he sighed. “I’ve met a lot of women, Randal. I haven’t loved any of them like I’ve loved you.”

“Yeah, but you kissed one, one that you keep going back to.”

“And it was a mistake. I know that now. I… After what happened I’d never do that again, I mean…” he hung his head. “I love you so much. I’ve felt like shit these past few days. Jay fucking noticed how I felt. Jay! I’ve never felt this alone in my life because if I lose you I’m not only losing the person I love but… but I’m losing my best friend.”

Randal just looked at Dante. There was a pause, then… “You felt that bad?”

“Of course. I’m not settling for anything, Randal. You’re the one I love.”

Randal sighed. Dante just stared in front of him, his hands gripping the steering wheel even tighter.

“Dante?”

At the sound of his name, he turned his head towards Randal. Randal wrapped a hand behind Dante’s neck and pulled him forward. He pressed his forehead to Dante’s.

“You asked me what would make me happy.”

Dante nodded.

“You’re what would make me happy.”

Dante looked into Randal’s eyes. Slowly he felt Randal edge closer. His lips brushed against his own and they kissed.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Randal.”

Randal smiled slightly. “It’s… Well, it’s not okay. But we can forget about it. And you can’t do it again.”

Dante nodded. “I know. You’re a selfish bastard who doesn’t share, right?”

Randal blinked. “I said that?”

“Yeah…”

“Hmm… I must have been trying to get you laid.”

Dante laughed. “Well… it worked.”

“Nice…”

Dante smiled.

Randal plucked Dante’s hand off the steering wheel and took it in his own. “Hey, c’mere.” He wrapped his other arm around Dante’s back and pulled him close. Dante closed his eyes, just enjoying the feel of Randal’s embrace.

“Randal…”

“Yeah?”

“I’d never go back. Not now. Not ever. Not after this. Not after I know what I’d lose.”

Randal smiled. “Dante?”

“What?”

“It’s all right.” He kissed him. “It’s gonna be all right.”

The End.