Author's Note:
The random asshole boyfriend in this has no identity really, he's just there for the sake of the fic. Thought I would clear that up before you read any further.
Anyways, on to the more important stuff. Firstly this may not make a lot of sense if you're not familiar with Iris and/or Ordinary Life, but in case you're not, I will give a quick explanation. Isadora Winchester is Sam and Gabriel's half archangel daughter, and her character is explored a lot more in Ordinary Life than it is in this. She has a pretty strong personality, but I wanted to explore her vulnerabilities, and I got really inspired when I heard "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Script. I strongly recommend listening to that before reading the fic since this is based off of it :-)
Nico Gallagher belongs to Reaper's Curse! Thanks very much for letting me borrow him :D Isadora Winchester is half owned by moi, half owned by my faithful co-writer Kim! And readers, if you're interested in seeing pictures of Izzy and Nico, just go to my profile and look under "Ordinary Life." There's links (: Had to post this before I went to bed lol, my plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone! Think I should start working my way towards sleep now, though...
P.S. I guess this could be set somewhere in chapter ten of Ordinary Life...? *shrugs*
Isadora sat on her porch, the car radio (she had all the doors of her black Corvette open) turned up full blast, and her mascara streaked. Thankfully, Sam and Gabriel were used to her blaring music or they'd have come out here to investigate. That bastard…the only man she had ever tried to stay with and she walked in to find him in bed with another woman. Of course he hadn't washed his hands of her without injury, though. She may have cried, but as she cried she had threw him across the room and into a bookcase with a simple wave of her hand, a long piece of splintered wood spearing his genitals. No one fucks with Isadora Winchester and gets away with it.
But now the adrenaline had faded, leaving her hurt and exhausted. She couldn't bear to go inside and face her parents. After all her talk of not falling for someone, after not spending more than a night or two with any man she'd ever met, she had finally gone and committed to this one. And he broke her heart. She was angry, humiliated, and wanted to strangle herself for all of the mental whining. Isadora was a fighter, a warrior, and most of her friends would describe her as pretty badass. She wasn't the seventeen year old that sat outside on her porch steps crying over some guy because he cheated on her.
Then a recognizable car pulled up, one she knew belonged to Nico Gallagher, a friend of the family. She'd only spoken to him once or twice, but he seemed nice enough. One thing she knew for certain was that she didn't want anyone to see her like this. She liked people thinking she was the strong one, the invincible one. Her pride couldn't withstand someone seeing her with her eyes puffy and red, her eye shadow smeared from wiping tears from her eyes, and her mascara running down her cheeks.
"Heard the music on my way home and thought I'd come see what was up," Nico said, getting out of his car.
Izzy had her head ducked, a curtain of hair masking her face. "Nothing much." She managed to keep her voice even.
"I brought soda and pizza, mind if I join the party?"
Tempting. "Sorry to tell you, but it's not a party. Thanks for the idea though."
"Iz, what's up?"
Her head snapped up without it meaning to. How had he known something was wrong? Her voice sounded fine and he hadn't been able to see her face. He stared, waiting, and the crack in her voice gave her away when she said, "I'm fine."
Snatching the six pack of Dr. Pepper and large cheese pizza from the car, he walked over and sat next to her on the porch. "What happened Izzy?"
"My worthless excuse for a boyfriend happened," she finally admitted, pulling a slice of pizza from the box with a little more force than necessary.
"Adrian didn't deserve you…but I'm sorry he hurt you."
"And I'm sorry you're stuck listening to a whiny teenage girl that didn't know a lying, cheating asshole when she saw one."
"You're not whiny, Iz. I've never seen you upset, you didn't even cry when Loki went missing and he's your twin bother. Emotion doesn't make you weak, it makes you human."
A small smile tugged at her mouth. "Whenever you get a girlfriend, you'll be able to talk your way out of anything. You always know exactly what to say."
He smiled too. "Come on." Getting to his feet, he extended his hand.
"I thought you hated dancing."
"I thought you didn't date."
"That was special circumstances."
"So is this."
Sighing in defeat (something she didn't do very often), she slid her hand into his and followed him up onto the porch. His hand found her waist, hers found his shoulder, and their free hands clasped together. Nico pulled her close and danced with her slowly as the beginning of The Script's "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" faded into the first verse.
"Going back to the corner where I first saw you
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move
Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand saying
'If you see this girl can you tell her where I am?'
Some try to hand me money, they don't understand
I'm not broke I'm just a brokenhearted man
I know it makes no sense, what else can I do
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you?"
Her body was finally relaxing and her guards were starting to lower. Feeling her exhausted body grow laxer in his arms, Nico lifted her up and placed her feet on top of his Converse shoes, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close. She in turn wrapped her own around his neck and dropped her head onto his shoulder. The words of the chorus resounded in her head as she closed her eyes and let his feet guide hers.
"'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
And you heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be
Thinking maybe you'd come back here to the place that we'd meet
Then you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street
So I'm not moving
I'm not moving."
It occurred to her then that while they didn't talk over trivial matters, Nico had been her rock since she was nine years old. When she fell of a horse and sprained her ankle, he carried her a mile and a half back to his house. When her twin brother Loki went missing, he handed her a cup of hot chocolate and assured her that everything was going to be okay. And now, when her heart was in pieces on the ground, he was picking it up and piecing it together, handing it back to her. She realized then that Nico had been taking care of her for years, even if she'd never taken the time to appreciate it.
"Thank you," she whispered out of the blue.
"For what?"
She sighed against his hoodie. "Everything. I wish I was in more of a position to give you something in return."
"I don't want anything in return, Iz. I'd never ask that of you. I've waited this long…and I'll keep waiting for as long as I need to."
The meaning behind his words sunk in, and that didn't frighten her nearly as much as she thought it would.
"People talk about the guy, waiting on a girl
There are no holes in his shoes but a big hole in his world
Maybe I'll get famous for the man who can't be moved
And maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news
And you'll come running to the corner, 'cause you know it's just for you
I'm the man who can't be moved
I'm the man who can't be moved."
She smiled as she listened to the song. Nico Gallagher, the man who couldn't be moved.