Chapter Text
A tall, scrawny boy who didn’t have a care in the world. Someone who never let anything or anyone get to him, and who seemed ready to take all of his problems hands on. The kind of person who always wore a smile and wanted to help make the world a better place. Getting to know him better, you realized that your first impression of him had been spot on. Misha moved into the house next door when you were 7, and despite him being a few years older, the two of you soon became the best of friends. He was like the brother you never had, and you were inseparable. Even when he was in high school and you were still an awkward preteen with braces and glasses, he always found time for you. He graduated your freshman year and went on to take some classes at the community college, wanting to stay home to help support his family. Any fears you had that you’d grow apart when he went to school soon dissipated when you saw him waiting at your doorstep when you came home from the first day of school your sophomore year. You could remember it clearly; the two of you had gone out for a movie and some ice cream, and spent the rest of the day together just talking. You honestly couldn’t remember a time when you were happier.
So when you got accepted into your choice college, on the other side of the country, you made the hardest decision you had ever made in your entire life. You decided to pursue your dreams, promising Misha through teary eyes that you would call every day, him pulling you into a tight embrace, a few tears streaming down his face as he watched you board the plane. And you had kept to your promise; for the first few months, anyway.
It all started great. You called him at the end of each day and the two of you talked for a few hours. A few hours turned into one, then only a few minutes until they stopped all together. When you came home for Christmas, you were shocked to find that Misha had taken on a full time job and was living on campus, and had stayed over the holidays. The two of you exchanged a few texts after that, but soon you lost contact all together when he stopped responding.
That was 15 years ago.
You woke up to the sound of your alarm going off at 6am. Reaching over and shutting it off, you sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, frowning slightly. You had been dreaming about him again. Of course you had; you’d been watching the latest episode of Supernatural the night before and it was hard to not think about him every time he appeared on the screen. Your heart did a flip every time you saw his face, accompanied by a pang of sadness. You wondered why you even tortured yourself with it, but the show was good and you weren’t going to stop watching it just because one of the actors used to be your best friend.
Used to be. You sighed, getting out of bed and heading towards the bathroom. It was going to be another long day.
Misha ran his fingers through his wet hair and looked in the mirror. He hadn’t gotten much sleep that night, waking up every few hours and not being able to fall back asleep. He finally gave up around 6 and decided to take a shower. He sighed back at his reflection and headed downstairs, grabbing a bagel and some orange juice for a quick breakfast. As he ate he walked around the house, noticing that not much had changed since he had last been here. The only difference was that instead of the smell of freshly brewed coffee and conversation in the kitchen, he was met with silence. His parents travelled frequently, and were currently in Switzerland for a month. When Misha called so say he’d be in town for the weekend, they had been more than willing to let him stay at the house while they were out. So home he came.
He finished his breakfast and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, checking his phone. 6:45. He locked the door behind him as he walked outside and slid the key under the mat, heading to his car when he paused. He turned around and took a long breath. It had been dark when he’d arrived late last night so he didn’t get a good look, but now, in the early light of the morning, all the memories came rushing back. Your parents had moved out of the house years ago after you left for college, but everything still looked the same. It was as if time had frozen and he half expected you to come walking out the door any minute now. He shook his head and turned around, getting in his car. He quickly pulled out of the driveway and made his way downtown, glancing back at the house in his rear view mirror until it was out of sight.
A few minutes later he was jogging through the city, the crisp morning beating against his face. He smiled to himself as he ran, thinking about the mornings the two of you had spent trying to outrun the other until you couldn’t run any more. You always took the same route, starting from the City Hall and making your way towards the park on the other side of downtown, where you’d take a quick water break before making your way back. It just seemed dull now, without you there to talk to and make him laugh. Just being with you made everything seem so much better. Misha picked up his pace, not wanting to get himself down so early in the morning. Maybe this was a mistake. If he couldn’t even make it through the morning without thinking of you, how was he supposed to-
The thought remained unfinished as he made a turn and ran into another body coming from the opposite direction. He fell to the ground and lay on his back for a few seconds, groaning before he sat back up.
“Crap.” He stood up slowly, looking at the girl he’d ran into, who was sitting up and wincing as she touched her head. He offered his hand. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Are you ok?”
She took his hand and let him help her up. “Yeah, I’m fine. I should have been watching where I was-” she stopped mid sentence as she finally looked up, eyes widening in recognition. “Misha?”
Misha quickly dropped his hand and took a step back, heart racing as he realized who he was looking at. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.
“Y/N.”