ˢʰᵉ ᵐᵘˢᵗ ᵇᵒˡᵗ

"what do you mean?" kim asked. she had found herself intrigued by him, but couldn't place him in her memories or anything. "it has to be important if you mentioned it in the first place."

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  it  really  isn't  important  ,  ”  he  insisted  ,  shaking  his  head  .  kim  didn't  remember  him  ,  and  he  didn't  know  how  to  help  her  fix  that  ,  either  .  until  he  could  ,  ron  knew  he  should've  maintained  some  sort  of  distance  ,  even  if  it  that  wasn't  what  he  wanted  to  do  .  she  was  his  best  friend  ,  he  wanted  to  be  near  her  all  the  time  . 

"you can always tell me anything." chandler said. he hoped that even if monica didn't know him like he knew her, she knew that.

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  thanks  ,  chandler  ,  ”  monica  said  ,  smiling  softly  .  she  could  tell  he  meant  it  ,  too  .  “  that  means  a  lot  to  me  .  ”

❝ i thought that too ... until you and rae showed up ... ❞ terra thought she escaped her past when she arrived in mystic. no one knew her , she could redefine herself. she pretended like she had no past ; but she couldn't do that when beast boy arrived , not anymore. with the arrival of any titans , it seemed incredibly easy to dig up the past again. now it was too hard to bury it again ; there were too many reminders. ❝ was i though ? ❞ she asked , her tone completely genuine. the teen titans were the closest thing she ever had to friends , but ... she betrayed them. her end of the relationship was built upon a lie. the moments they appeared the closest , she was actually working against them. ❝ i just think that's ... stupid ... ❞ she couldn't think of a better word. how could beast boy ever trust her again ? care about her ? when he knew what she was capable of ?? ❝ you say you wanna go back , but , ❞ her head shook. ❝ i don't want to go back to what we were ... it was a lie ... i was a terrible person. you don't deserve a friend like that. ❞

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  just  because  the  titans  are  here  does  not  mean  that  you  can't  start  over  ,  ”  he  stated  ,  trying  to  reason  with  her  .  he  didn't  want  her  to  feel  like  she  had  to  hide  or  couldn't  be  happy  .  that  was  the  last  thing  he  wanted  .  he  wanted  her  to  be  able  to  experience  joy  and  live  a  fulfilling  life  for  herself  .  “  you  were  ,  ”  he  said  ,  nodding  .  “  slade  might've  ruined  a  lot  of  things  and  gotten  inside  your  head  ,  but  you  were  still  my  friend  .  ”  he  might've  felt  betrayed  for  a  long  time  ,  but  he'd  since  gotten  over  it  .  he  was  more  understanding  now  than  he'd  been  initially  .  it  wasn't  terra's  fault  that  she'd  gotten  manipulated  .  “  we  don't  have  to  go  back  to  what  we  were  ,  ”  the  male  stated  ,  head  shaking  slightly  .  “  we  can  be  something  different  here  .  we  can  be  better  friends  .  real  friends  .  there's  no  reason  to  be  so  hard  on  yourself  .  what  happened  back  home  .  .  .  it  doesn't  matter  anymore  .  this  is  where  we  are  now  .  ”

terra blinked. ❝ so what if i do ? ❞ she deflected. arms crossed over her chest , as if defensive. their relationship was one of the primary sources of said guilt. how could she look at him , the person she possibly betrayed the most , and not feel ridden with it ?? ❝ well someone has to punish me , don't they ?? why should i be allowed to be happy after everything , hm ?? ❞

∿ 𝅄 ˚ this  song  and  dance  felt  quite  familiar  .  her  being  too  hard  on  herself  ,  him  telling  her  that  she  didn't  need  to  be  .  beast  boy  had  let  go  of  the  past  awhile  ago  .  he  wanted  to  move  on  ,  not  have  it  weighing  him  down  .  it  seemed  that  terra  was  still  struggling  to  accomplish  that  .  he  hoped  that  one  day  ,  she'd  be  able  to  .  “  that  was  another  lifetime  ago  ,  terra  .  you  have  to  stop  letting  it  burden  you  as  much  as  it  does  .  ”

" stop knowing me so well, it's honestly annoying. "

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  sorry  ,  but  you  know  that's  never  gonna  happen  ,  dusk  ,  ”  she  said  ,  shrugging  .  “  i  know  you  too  well  ,  and  i  can't  just  forget  all  the  little  details  about  you  that  you'd  like  me  to  .  ”

❝ like real people do ? ❞ brandon repeated as he wrapped his arms around his fiancee. ❝ have i been doing something wrong ?? cause i haven't heard you complain about my skills so far ... ❞

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  baby  ,  you  haven't  been  doing  anything  wrong  ,  ”  she  was  quick  to  assure  him  ,  a  smirk  tugging  at  her  lips  .  “  i  really  just  wanted  an  excuse  to  tell  you  to  kiss  me  .  ”

" leia. " han repeated her name more sternly, hand reached forward to hold onto her wrist with a new found firmness. " don't make me ask again, just let me take you home, okay? i'm worried about you. "

∿ 𝅄 ˚ the  seriousness  of  his  nature  caught  her  by  surprise  ,  as  did  the  way  he  grabbed  hold  of  her  wrist  .  brows  furrowed  and  she  glanced  down  at  his  hand  before  looking  back  up  at  han  .  she  hadn't  seen  him  like  this  before  .  “  i'm  fine  ,  ”  she  insisted  .  though  ,  that  was  far  from  the  truth  .  she  hadn't  gotten  a  decent  night's  sleep  in  weeks  and  she'd  been  expending  all  of  her  energy  on  a  daily  basis  .  leia  couldn't  recall  the  last  time  she'd  actually  relaxed  .

“ you're a terrible liar. or deep in denial. ” zelda replied, leaning against the nearest wall. “ you act like you don't care about much other than yourself, you're high a lot of the time, you don't seem to take responsibility seriously... you have baggage. ” she trails off, head tipping as he tries to change the subject. “ for once, i'm completely free of anything time restricting. besides, this is fun. ”

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  i  don't  recall  asking  for  your  opinion  on  that  ,  ”  bender  pointed  out  .  she  could  try  analyzing  him  all  she  wanted  ,  he  wasn't  going  to  suddenly  decide  he  felt  like  opening  up  or  anything  of  the  sort  .  he  just  found  it  to  be  a  little  irritating  ,  but  he'd  experienced  far  worse  .  “  don't  try  going  into  psychology  ,  ”  he  stated  ,  rolling  his  eyes  .  “  you  don't  know  me  ,  or  anything  about  me  .  ”  he  scoffed  before  shaking  his  head  .  “  find  something  else  to  entertain  yourself  with  .  ”

tara is stunned into silence. she is not sure what had prompted mike to make what seemed to be such a confession. she could not comprehend what he could mean. ❛ i'm into you. ❜ the words echo in her head. did he merely find her attractive ? did he like her more than as a friend ? what could this possibly mean for them going forward ? her mind is racing ; but so is her heart. she can't control either. she doesn't know what to say or do. she can't verbalize it , but he secretly meant the world to her. he was her best friend ; the only one who was able to start breaking down her barriers since arriving in mystic. every day , she worries she could do something to cause the loss of their friendship ; the idea of pursuing anything more than what they already have only terrifies her more. could she let him in any closer than she already has ?? how far could they go before she finally scared him away for good ?? eventually , she blinked. ❝ i'm sorry , but ... what ??? ❞

∿ 𝅄 ˚ speaking  those  words  out  loud  had  his  heart  racing  ,  he  was  a  nervous  wreck  .  mike  didn't  think  he  could  hold  them  in  any  longer  ,  though  .  he  had  no  way  of  knowing  what  the  outcome  of  this  was  going  to  be  ,  but  he  just  knew  he  needed  to  get  it  off  of  his  chest  before  he  exploded  .  he  alsohad  no  idea  how  terra  was  going  to  react  .  he  knew  she  was  a  complex  individual  .  he  didn't  expect  things  to  go  smoothly  ,  but  he  felt  like  he  was  lying  by  keeping  his  feelings  to  himself  .  he  was  terrified  to  be  open  ,  but  he  couldn't  pretend  like  he  hadn't  come  clean  .  “  terra  ,  i'm  sorry  .  .  .  but  it's  the  truth  ,  okay  ?  ”  he  said  ,  his  nerves  running  rampant  .  “  i  .  .  .  i  like  you  .  i  like  you  more  than  friend  likes  someone  .  i  can't  help  the  way  i  feel  .  ”  he  wished  he  knew  what  was  going  on  in  her  head  ,  would  give  anything  to  have  some  sort  of  insight  to  how  she  was  processing  things  ,  because  the  expression  on  her  face  wasn't  giving  him  much  help  .

gabriella's words meant a great deal to chad. sometimes, he was insecure over his own hard work and dedication and even his talents. everyone got that way, even him. so to have that reassurance eased some anxiety he had felt. " i won't. thank you for the reminder. "

∿ 𝅄 ˚ she  saw  it  as  her  duty  to  motivate  the  people  around  her  ,  to  encourage  her  friends  and  let  them  know  that  she  believed  in  them  .  gabriella  wanted  nothing  more  than  to  be  a  support  system  for  them  .  she  knew  what  it  was  like  to  feel  the  way  chad  felt  ,  and  she  wouldn't  wish  that  upon  anyone  .  she  gave  him  a  small  smile  ,  nodding  slightly  .  “  you  don't  need  to  thank  me  ,  chad  .  i  just  want  you  to  remember  that  you're  a  great  person  ,  and  you  deserve  nothing  but  the  best  .  ”

❝ and if i bust my ass ?? ❞ tara made a face , borderline glaring at him if not for the smile she failed to hold back. ❝ it's your fault for getting me in this situation !! ❞ she was beginning to think he liked putting her in potentially compromising situations ; like it was revenge for her constant teasing.

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  well  ,  then  you  get  back  up  and  try  again  ,  ”  he  said  ,  shrugging  .  that  sounded  like  something  his  parents  would  say  ,  or  any  other  adult  from  his  time  .  mike  shook  his  head  ,  laughing  slightly  .  “  you  could've  said  no  ,  ”  he  told  her  ,  refusing  to  accept  any  semblance  of  blame  .   

candice half smiled, trying to hide how hard of a day she had until now. instead she has chosen to nod to his words and look away, fingertips picking little fuzzballs off his blanket as she flattened onto her stomach. " not many are. " candice finally said with a shrug.

∿ 𝅄 ˚ he  wasn't  sentimental  by  any  means  .  brandon  was  someone  who  preferred  avoiding  those  touchy  -  feely  type  of  emotions  .  he  saw  little  appeal  in  them  .  he  preferred  maintaining  an  element  of  indifference  .  he  shrugged  ,  glancing  over  at  her  .  “  you  don't  need  that  many  people  to  be  there  for  you  anyways  .  as  long  as  you  know  you  have  at  least  someone  you  can  count  on  ,  you'll  be  fine  .  ”

troy was known for his grand , romantic gestures ; he'd do anything for gabriella , and he made sure it showed. ❝ you said you had to study for finals , and said i should too ... ❞ he reminded as he inched closer to her. ❝ so i thought we'd make it a study date ... slight emphasis on date ... ❞ he gestured to the picnic he set up in her living room. he may have bought everything , ranging from pizza to chocolate covered strawberries to flowers , but he made up in presentation to add his personal touch.

∿ 𝅄 ˚ she  didn't  really  have  anyone  ever  do  anything  like  this  for  her  before  troy  .  she  appreciated  the  gestures  ,  they  were  not  necessary  in  her  eyes  ,  but  she  was  grateful  that  he  took  the  time  regardless  .  gabriella  grinned  at  his  words  ,  a  nod  of  approval  following  .  “  this  will  be  the  best  study  date  i've  ever  had  ,  ”  she  told  him  ,  a  soft  laugh  escaping  her  lips  .  “  i  can't  believe  you  did  all  of  this  for  me  .  it's  really  sweet  ,  troy  .  ”

❝ every detail , huh ? ❞ blake raised a curious brow. as someone who just spoke off the cuff , he didn't think he said anything of substance. his conversational skills were rather shallow , keeping anything deeply personal well hidden. he much preferred to keep it that way. ❝ oh , i am lucky , sure ; but i'm afraid your wasting that beautiful brain space of yours on me.❞

∿ 𝅄 ˚ “  mhm  ,  every  detail  ,  ”  elena  confirmed  while  nodding  .  it  wasn't  too  difficult  for  her  to  pay  attention  to  someone  when  she  was  actually  interested  in  them  .  if  she  didn't  care  about  someone  ,  it  was  easy  to  disregard  every  little  thing  they'd  ever  said  ,  unless  she  considered  them  to  be  an  enemy  and  wanted  something  to  use  against  them  .  her  memory  was  sharp  ,  and  she'd  always  been  grateful  for  that  .  “  oh  ,  i  hardly  think  it's  a  waste  .  i've  got  room  for  you  and  a  lot  of  other  people  in  my  brain  ,  blake  .  ”

no matter how cool dustin tried to be, suzie pulled a softer and sweeter side from the goofball he was normally. even in this place, where memories could be wiped, he was happy to have her here amongst what was seemingly foggy chaos. " you can't. i think i'd go crazy without ya. "

∿ 𝅄 ˚ suzie  had  always  been  adaptable  ,  she'd  had  no  choice  but  to  be  ,  really  .  growing  up  in  the  chaos  that  she  did  ,  somehow  made  this  a  lot  easier  for  her  to  accept  .  of  course  ,  it  defied  the  science  and  logic  she  believed  in  ,  but  she  was  keeping  herself  together  relatively  well  .  plus  ,  she  had  dustin  there  ,  and  it  made  things  infinitely  better  for  her  .  “  you  don't  have  to  worry  about  that  ,  ”  she  assured  him  ,  small  smile  tugging  at  her  lips  .  “  i'm  here  ,  and  i'm  here  to  stay  .  ”

⊹  —   they  couldn't  help  it,  the  reaction  it  brought.  her  more  brooding  of  expressions  altered  in  a  soft,  sweet  smile  as  they  looked  over  at  garfield.  the  statement  was  random,  but  it  was  appreciated  nonetheless.  "  i  appreciate  that,  gar,  "  they  said,  that  grin  not  faltering  for  a  second.  "  i'm  here  for  you,  too.  “  a  hand  grabbed  onto  his,  squeezing  it  a  bit  to  reassure  him  of  her  own  words.  “  this  place  is  weird,  but  i'm..  happy  we  have  each  other.  ”

∿ 𝅄 ˚ some  days  ,  it  was  still  stressful  trying  to  adjust  to  life  in  mystic  .  sure  ,  he'd  been  there  awhile  now  ,  but  it  didn't  make  the  days  any  easier  .  he  was  still  on  edge  ,  just  waiting  for  the  rug  to  be  pulled  out  from  beneath  him  .  he  chose  to  remain  vigilant  ,  not  wanting  to  let  his  guard  slip  too  much  .  he  smiled  ,  giving  her  a  slight  nod  of  the  head  .  “  thanks  ,  ray  ,  ”  he  stated  .  he  glanced  down  at  their  joint  hands  before  returning  his  focus  to  the  other  .  “  me  too  .  ”  there  was  safety  and  strength  to  be  found  in  numbers  . he couldn't imagine trying to navigate the place independently .