Chapter Text
If there were a ranking of worst Wednesdays ever, yours could possibly be number one. So far, it had even surpassed Mondays, and as any good Garfield fan knows, those are the worst.
And now, you're standing in line to buy a cup of hot chocolate from some kid's stand on the side of the road, because even if this is the worst Wednesday in all of the history of time, it doesn't deserve to be the worst for everyone else around you.
--At least, not yet. If life keeps hitting you like a deranged whack-a-mole game, you may start snapping at others... But then you feel guilty, and that just makes your mood go down even faster. As it is, your inner voice has gained a sarcastic flair.
It's a lose-lose situation. At least you're not injured. What was that game from the old children's book? Pollyanna? The Thank-You Game, or something, where the main character gets a pair of crutches instead of a doll and chooses to be glad that she isn't seriously injured and needing to use the crutches.
...You're pretty sure later in the book she breaks both her legs anyway, but that's besides the point. All of this thinking is just reminding you that life is awful right now.
An older lady pokes you in the back with her cane. "Are you in line? Get moving, or I'll cut in front of you!"
Right. Hot chocolate.
The kid at the stand has a missing tooth on the side of his mouth, but that doesn't stop him from grinning at you with ferocious cheer. "Howdy, partner! Here f'r a cuppa?" His voice is inflected with a very fake Western accent, and you notice the play Sheriff's badge on his chest, along with a felt cowboy hat that had apparently been discarded on the grass near his stand.
Cowboy wannabe. Cute.
You can't help but smile at him and respond in turn: "Sure thing, partner! Whatcha got for me?" His face lights up in an even more gleeful grin (If it were possible), and he begins showing off his stalk, which, to his credit, was some quality hot chocolate with even more quality add-ins.
In the end, you choose a regular cup of chocolate with a candy cane and extra marshmallows. You'd been tempted to try the caramel sauce, or even the orange and chilli pepper, but tradition won in the end.
You'd probably be back for more later, anyway.
You make your way over to your car and notice that there's a strip of white cloth next to your right front tire, almost exactly where the valve stem is.
Weird.
You walk around the car once to make sure that there's nothing else out of the ordinary. There isn't, but how does a piece of cloth get there, out of all places?
...The wind, probably.
You get into your car, and as you start it up, you realize that the tire pressure light is on. After just walking around your car, you know none of the tires looked serious, so you just start driving home, making a mental note to examine the tire pressure later. You have a... Thingy that does that, right? You'll have to check your storage.
Right now, you want to get home and enjoy your hot chocolate, which is cooling by the minute.
Good thing the day's almost over, I want to go to bed-- You freeze, accidentally jolting on the brake and making the car behind you honk irritably.
Was that a flash of white that I saw?
Are you being stalked? No, no, that's not possible. No one would stalk you. You're just a regular, normal human being. No need to jump to conclusions. You're overreacting. White is a very normal color to see around town. Just because you saw it twice is not a good reason to freak out.
You make it home without much trouble, looking over your shoulder all of the way. Your neighborhood is quite a bit out of town, so you're sure that if anybody was following you, which they weren't, because you're just being paranoid, you'd notice them just fine.
You step inside your house, hot chocolate in hand, and sigh, relief coursing through your veins. You're fine. You're just fine. Time to sit down, relax, enjoy your drink...
You yelp, almost spilling the aforementioned drink on yourself. That was definitely white.
...Am I actually happy that I wasn't being paranoid? Get a grip on yourself!
Your brain does not comply. At least you know your danger senses are up and running.
Danger senses... I am so freaking tired.
It's because of those danger senses that you decide to throw caution to the wind, march right out your front door, and yell,
"I know you're out there! Come out and show yourself! I am not equipped to deal with a creepy stalker politely if they jump out at me, and I will throw boiling hot chocolate on your head if you come any closer without introducing yourself!"
Silence. Then out of the bushes on your left comes...
A skeleton monster.
You know about monsters, had met a few of them, but the city that you lived in was several hours away from theirs, a place you'd only heard about on the news. You remember how, later that day, you'd been chuckling about its name to yourself.
Seriously, who names their city New New Home?
A branch snaps, and you jolt back to attention. Right. Skeleton monster who's maybe your stalker, except they're definitely your stalker because they're at your house.
"Who are you?" You inwardly flinch at the harshness of your voice. The monster does, too, their eyelights (What are those things... Would it hurt if you stuck your hand through his socket? ... Focus!) dimming slightly. They mutter something you can't hear.
"Pardon?"
"Cross." Their voice is decidedly masculine. Hot, too.
Oh my goodness, brain, get your head in the game! Now is so not the time!
"Cross, huh? Well, do you plan on telling me why you've been following me?" Cross averts his eyelights, a faint lavender blush appearing on his cheekbones.
Cute.
At this point, you're too tired to stop your brain from thinking anymore. Sure, go ahead, feel attracted to a random skeleton who's been following you for who knows how long.
"...How long have you been following me?" Cross's blush deepens from a light lavender shade to a rich violet.
"A few weeks," he mumbles.
"Why?"
"Because--! You wouldn't understand--!" He's blurting out sentences now, his voice desperate. "I-- I had to see you again!"
"Again?! I-- What-- How long has this been going on?!"
"No, no, no! You don't understand!" He's pleading with you, hesitantly stepping forward before stepping back. "There's-- There's a multiverse. And in a world similar to this, I... I met you for the first time." He's gradually approaching now, his face almost hopeful. "B-but, that world was destined to be destroyed... I-- I lost you."
Lavender tears are encroaching on his sockets now, not quite falling down his face, but there, a testament to his sincerity. "I just had to see you one more time before letting go... But I couldn't let go, could I?" In the last part, he speaks quietly to himself, a personal thought voiced. "I just kept coming back, over and over and over... And then today, you were having an awful day... Your car tire was flat, did you know? I fixed it for you. Ripped a piece off of my outfit, too." He motions to himself, and for the first time, you study his attire.
It's... surprisingly formal. Almost royal. A very put-together look, meant for someone on duty for an important job.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, and you realize he's gotten close. Close enough that you could reach out and touch him if you wanted. "I should never have forced this on you. I'm just... Selfish."
You are stunned. You feel like the secrets of the universe have just been bestowed upon you, and you're just expected to handle having your world being ripped out from beneath your feet. "Hang on a second. There's a multiverse?"
Cross snorts and tries to look hurt, but his face, while still morose, also had a twinge of playfulness. "I tell you I'm your soulmate, and that's what you care about?"
"S-soulmate?!" You yelp, your sporadic attention span now definitely focusing on it now. "You never said anything about soulmate!"
"W-well," Cross stammers, his violet blush now back in full, "I-I'm not totally sure, but seeing how badly I've needed to see you again... It's like a piece of my soul is ripped out, every time I have to leave."
He's speaking faster now, words flowing quickly as though he's scared you'll stop him if he pauses. "Do you know how hard it is to watch you, someone I had just barely realized I love with my whole soul, live your life without knowing about my existence? Every time you were hurt, or in pain, or struggling, all I wanted to do was to pull you into my arms and tell you it would all be okay. But I couldn't, because the you I knew before is gone. I had one chance at loving someone, and that chance was ripped away from me in a way that was beyond my control. I... I missed you."
He says it almost bashfully, and you can't help thinking that it's adorable. Too bad that you'll need more time to process before you can decide how to move forward...
Wait. Hasn't my brain been telling me this whole time how attractive he is?!
... I hate the universe, even if we are destined to be together. What happened to free will, huh?! To the stars above, if you can hear me, I do not appreciate your interference!
You sigh. Cross stiffens, his face the picture of regret. "I'll," he swallows. "I'll leave now. I'm sorry, this was never your fault. You won't see me again." He turns to go, his hand going to his belt as though to pull out a knife. ...You don't like that thought.
"Wait!" You lunge forwards and grab his shoulder, making him pause and look at you, confusion written across his face. You can't help but note that his jacket is extremely soft, and you will definitely be stealing it later. "I don't understand, well, most of the things you just said. What I do understand is that my brain is inexplicably telling me to ask you for hot chocolate."
You motion to your cup, which by now has cooled. You glare at the offending now-cold chocolate and toss it over your shoulder randomly into your front yard. Cross stares, startled. You give him a soft smile. "I happen to know an amazing roadside hot chocolate stand, and there's a chance we can perhaps get a discount if we talk with Western accents!"
Cross binks, then gives a hesitant, hopeful blushing smile back. "I think I'd like that."
End