Work Text:
Tucker was lying on his bed, glasses slightly crooked, listening to the latest Dumpty Humpty soundtrack. “We Just Had a Great Fall” blasted through his headphones as he opened a new file on his PDA.
Digital journal.
He stared at the blinking cursor.
“Okay… this feels weird.”
He hit record.
“Uh. Hey. This is Tucker. Tucker Foley. Journal Entry One. Wow. That sounds way more dramatic than I meant it to.”
He shifted on his bed.
“So yeah, I never thought I’d be a journal guy. I kinda always thought it was a girly thing. Or like… something people do in movies when they’re having a crisis.”
He paused.
“But I guess that’s dumb. Writing stuff down is just… thinking out loud. And my brain does not shut up. So maybe this’ll help.”
He reached over and grabbed a bag of mini powdered donuts, popping one into his mouth.
“Okay, important news. Physics test results. I got a B.”
He let out a quiet, proud laugh.
“A B. That’s not survival. That’s actual competence. Sam got a B too. And Danny—thanks to Gwen—finally pulled a B on something that wasn’t ghost-fighting. I’m honestly still processing that.”
He shoved another donut into his mouth.
“And yeah. Gwen.”
He rolled onto his side, staring at the wall.
“I think she actually likes… this version of me. The one that doesn’t act like every girl is just eye candy. The one that listens. And doesn’t say the first dumb thing that pops into his head.”
He winced slightly.
“When she said I acted like a true gentleman? That kinda hit. In a good way. No one’s ever called me that before. Usually it’s more like ‘Tucker, stop’ or ‘Tucker, seriously?’”
He huffed a small laugh.
“Denise really got through to me. I didn’t think it would stick. But it did. Respect isn’t about getting points. It’s just… basic. And I wasn’t always great at that.”
He adjusted his glasses.
“And Gwen wants to be a physicist. That’s actually really cool. She’s got plans. Big ones. I don’t want to be the guy who only sees her hair or her smile and ignores the rest of her.”
A beat of honesty slipped in.
“I still have to catch myself sometimes. The old habits don’t just disappear. But at least now I notice them. That’s something, right?”
He reached for one last donut.
“Also, the one-hour-off-tech thing? Still painful. I almost checked my PDA three times yesterday. But… it’s not as bad as I thought. It’s quieter. I think more. Which is annoying. But also kinda good.”
He stared at the ceiling.
“I dunno. I just don’t want to be the same guy I was. If I’m gonna like someone, I wanna do it right.”
He cleared his throat.
“Anyway. That’s enough deep thoughts for one night. This is Tucker Foley. Signing off.”
He clicked stop, set his PDA on the nightstand, and removed his glasses. As he drifted off to sleep, he wasn’t just thinking about Gwen. He was thinking about who he was trying to become.