#DON'T JUDGE ME THEY DESERVE STUPID OBLIVIOUS NORMAL TEEN AUS!!!!

[lisbonsteresa]

There’s Gotta Be Some Butterflies Somewhere (Wanna Share?)

this was originally going to be a fun little holiday gift for @cachekakusu​ (but now it’s more of an apology for making her relive her past 🌸✨ LiTerArY tRaUmA ✨🌸). In either case, it’s essentially a longer version of our chat threads, but i tried to make it as fluffy as possible to atone for my actions

hopefully it works aflksdj

At first only a dark screen was displayed, with shuffling and whispers heard in the background. Then someone hissed “Lens cap!!” and a picture suddenly appeared of two teenagers sitting at a long table; a laptop sitting in front of the girl and bright smiles on both their faces. “Hi everyone!” the girl spoke, directing her words straight ahead at what must have been the camera lens. “Welcome back to our channel. If you don’t already know, my name’s Lyra and this is Will.” The boy next to her raised his hand in a slight wave. “And we decided we wanted to do something a little special for today’s video.” “That’s right.” the boy continued, “To celebrate reaching five thousand subscribers – and thank you so much for that, by the way  –” Lyra nodded fiercely next to him, echoing his statement. “we’re going to do a little ‘Get to Know Us’ Q&A.”

“We are!” Lyra finished. “And, point of notice; this is a livestream, so we’re just going to take the questions as they come, and you’ll get to see our completely unedited reactions to them. But please keep the questions like PG-13,” she added, “because I’m pretty sure Will’s mum still watches our videos.” “Oh she definitely does.” Will confirmed. “And she and I would both appreciate everything staying mum-appropriate.” Lyra laughed “Excellent. And hi Elaine!” she looked directly at the camera with a grin and a wave, then focused her attention on the laptop screen in front of her. “Oh wow and we already have our first question: from aeronaut_txn: how long have you known each other? Hm, it really has been a while hasn’t it?” she paused, thinking, “Will and I met when we were – what, 12?” she glanced over at Will and he nodded in agreement. “Actually it’s kind of a funny story; I first met Will after he got stuck under my porch chasing his cat.” “Not Kirjava, by the way.” Will interrupted, looking only mildly embarrassed at Lyra’s last statement. “Our old cat, Moxie.”

“Of course not Kirjava,” Lyra snorted, “she barely ever leaves your side.” As if summoned by the mention of her name, the unusually large cat in question suddenly leapt up onto the table, fixing Lyra a look that would have been very judgmental were it coming from a human. Will grinned and reached up to scratch at Kirjava’s ears and the feline happily moved her attention to him, purring softly and butting her head against his hand while Lyra continued. “I’m convinced that if you could find a way to sneak her into school she’d never leave you alone.”  “Says the girl who hides Pan in her backpack every other day.”

“That’s because Pan is quiet, and sneaky, and good at hiding. And besides, Kirjava’s like three times his size.” Kirjava suddenly let out a low growl and leapt across the table to bat at Lyra with her paw. “Er….no offense.” Lyra reached slowly out and Kirjava seemed to let the slight pass, letting the teen scratch under her chin. There was a sudden squeak and flash of fur as Lyra’s pine marten scrambled down from his usual perch on her shoulder and onto Kirjava’s back. “And now you’ve gone and woke him up.” Lyra huffed, but there was a smile on her face as she watched Pan and Kirjava start to chase each other around the table.

“I think if anyone’s to blame for that, it’s you.” Will laughed, gently shooing the animals off the table before they knocked something over. “Anyway, Moxie was….. let’s say she was a free spirit.”  “A very nice way to say she just did whatever she wanted.” “Well yes, but she was a very good cat all the same. Although she did have a habit of running out of the house whenever she got the chance despite not being an outside cat at all. One morning a few summers ago I was helping my mum unload groceries and Moxie just sprinted out the door and was halfway across the neighbor’s yard before we even realized what was happening. I ran out to go get her, but by that point she had already sequestered herself under their back porch. Should’ve been easy to grab her, but the space was a little…..narrower than I was expecting.

“I was on my way downstairs when there was this yowling noise out of nowhere; maybe the angriest sound I’d ever heard a cat make.” Lyra looked as though she was trying very had to hold back a laugh. “And then someone was calling ‘help’ from our backyard, so I went outside to look and all I see is Will’s little Spider-Man pajama pant-covered legs sticking out from under our porch.” 

At this point Lyra was laughing fully, and Will wrinkled his nose in indignation. “It should be mentioned that my mum does her shopping very early; I wouldn’t have been wearing the pajamas otherwise. And anyway, they were cool for a 12-year-old.” “Oh yes, very cool.” Lyra snickered. “Especially when I had to pull you out by your ankles and they almost fell dow-” “Lyra!” Will snapped, clapping a hand over her mouth and glaring at her. “We don’t have to mention that part on camera.”

‘Right, right, sorry” she snorted, still looking very pleased with herself as she pulled Will’s hand down and addressed the camera directly. “Anyway, the point is, we were able to get Will successfully extracted, and luckily for him, I knew the easiest way to squeeze back under and grab Moxie.” “Oh yes, we’re all very lucky that you liked acting like a feral child and digging tunnels into the mud under your back porch” Will muttered, rolling his eyes. “Sounds like someone’s still stuck on the pajama pants and forgetting the great sacrifice I made in getting that cat back.” Will let out an exasperated sigh “Not the scar-” “You mean the giant scar I still have on my arm after your cat fought me tooth and claw on the way out from under that porch? That scar?”

Will covered his face and groaned “You know I think I’d rather deal with your mum twenty times over than have you keep holding that scar over my head.” Lyra laughed at that. “You sure about that? She was steaming mad when she saw it – came running out the back door yelling about rabies and ruined clothes and ‘undignified behavior’ as if I wasn’t wearing a Mickey Mouse jumper and dungarees and, you know, twelve.” “She was pretty imposing though.” Will admitted. “She usually is.” Lyra sighed. “But you didn’t miss a beat – looked her right in the eyes and said ‘don’t worry ma’am, Moxie’s had all her shots’ and then….what was it?” Will shrugged. “Something about how she should be proud to have raised such an upstanding citizen for a daughter – which is an hilarious statement, by the way, knowing you the way I do now –” Lyra snorted and stuck her tongue back at him. “and it seemed to satisfy her.” “Oh the best way to appease my mum is definitely through compliments.” There was a slightly sour tone in Lyra’s voice, but it faded as quickly as it came. “I think that was when she decided she liked you.” “She likes me?” Will sounded shocked. “Well, not that she’d ever say as much, but I think she sees you as my most mature friend.” Lyra shrugged. “Sometimes I think she might even be a little intimidated by you. You might not know it for looking at him,” she said to the camera, “but Will can be very serious when he wants to be.” “Well I have to balance you out somehow, haven’t I?”

“Oh shut it.” Lyra rolled her eyes and knocked her shoulder against Will’s, but there was a fond smile on her face nonetheless. “Anyway we didn’t really talk much after that and Will went back to his house, but we spent the rest of the summer in one of our backyards or the other, and when school started we found out we were in the same class, and things just kind of went from there.” “And now here we are: four years later and I’m still stuck with her.” Will said through a smirk. Lyra’s smirk matched his. “Mhm, lucky you. Anyway, next question.” Her eyes moved to the laptop screen in front of her and she began to read through the options. “Ok let’s see… sky-iron-soul asked…what was your favorite film of the year?” Lyra immediately clamped a hand over her mouth, just barely stifling her laugh as she looked over at a groaning Will. “Oh I don’t know,” she began, removing her hand to rest her chin on it while she smirked at the irritated boy, “what was your favorite film this year Will?”

“Lyra, please-” “Funny thing is,” she grinned towards the camera, “Will here has fallen asleep during every film we’ve ever gone to see.” “Not every film!”

“Oh right, sorry, you did manage to stay awake for all of Cats. Would you say that’s because it was your favorite though?” Will fixed Lyra with a deadpan stare. “No, I would say that was because you kept poking me in the side every five minutes to ask me what the hell was going on, as if I would possibly have any more idea than you”.

“Right, well, in my defense…” Lyra shrugged, “Cats”.

“Actually,” a voice spoke up from somewhere off-screen, “if you pay attention, Cats does have a fairly well thought out plot that you can follow-” But the rest of the sentence was drowned out by the collective groans of the other two teens. “Roger, not the Cats debate again.” Will sighed, turning his attention to the unseen boy. “It’s bad enough you made us sit through two hours of that monstrosity.” Lyra agreed. “Must you continue to torment us with it now?” “Fine, fine,” Were Roger in front of the camera, it was easy to imagine he would be holding his hands up in in mock surrender. “I guess there’s no accounting for bad taste. But seriously Will,” he continued, seeming to pointedly ignore Lyra’s fake cough-covered ‘yeah, yours’ “The cinema’s the worst place to fall asleep. Why don’t you just nap in class like me and Billy?” “Listen it’s not like I mean to-” Will paused as if he had just realized what had been said. “Actually, first of all, don’t do that, that’s bad” he continued, looking for all the world like a disapproving lecturer while Lyra snickered next to him like the teacher’s pet. “But I don’t go into the cinema planning on falling asleep, it just happens. I mean it’s dark and the seats recline and they’re actually weirdly comfortable-”

“And you constantly overwork yourself to the point of exhaustion.” Lyra interrupted. “Lyra, please don’t start this again.” Will sighed, rubbing his eyes as if he was already tired of the topic. Lyra was undeterred. “I’m not starting anything; I’m continuing a conversation you keep refusing to participate in.” Her face softened. “I’m not trying to berate you, but you do too much Will. I mean, A-levels, and your apprenticeship, and tutoring, and helping your mum around the house…. you do it all wonderfully, of course, but it’s still too much.” Will shifted uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding eye contact with Lyra. “I just wish you’d get how important it is to take a break sometimes and relax, which is what I thought going to the cinema would be, but you always end up just snoring into my shoulder.” Will squinted at her in disbelief. “I don’t snore.” “Yes you do, but that’s not the point.” Lyra replied, cutting him off before he could argue further. “Honestly I don’t know why you even come anymore. I mean, what are you getting out of it?”

Will glanced at the camera, suddenly looking as if he wished very much they were having this conversation anywhere but in front of it. “Because…. you’re always so excited when something new comes out.” Lyra paused, taken aback for a moment. “And because you’re absolutely impossible to say no to.” He seemed to relax more as he settled back into his usual teasing tone. “Seriously,” he continued, grinning up at the camera now, “the second she hears ‘no’ she pulls this sad, pouty face like you just kicked Pan across the room.” Still smiling, he turned his attention to Lyra, expecting a laugh or a sarcastic response, but found instead that she was simply looking at him with wide eyes. “So you mean you’ve only been going…for me? Her voice was uncommonly gentle and her cheeks were unusually pink. The teasing mood seemed to dissipate. “Well, I mean, not just for you,” Will began, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, “sometimes we go with Roger and Billy, after all…” Lyra’s eyes hadn’t left his face. “but yeah. Mostly, I guess.” Lyra’s face broke into a wide smile. “Oh Will-”

“Now don’t go getting sappy on me.” He interrupted, nudging her shoulder gently with his own. “It shouldn’t be a surprise that I like seeing my best friend happy. Besides, it’s the same as you going to all those cooking classes with me, even though you burn everything you make.” “I don’t burn everything.” Lyra sniffed, looking offended at the accusation. “Nearly everything, then.” Will shot back. “Alright fine point taken.” She replied with a grin and an eye roll. “And you’re right, it’s not a surprise. It’s just…..really sweet.” She smiled warmly at him and reached her hand out to hold his atop the table. “Thank you Will.” Will grinned back at her and squeezed her hand lightly “Of course. So we’re still on for Friday?”

“Definitely. But from now on, I’m buying the tickets.” “What – who says?” “I say.” She smirked. “If someone’s going to pay for you to take a nap in a sticky-floored auditorium, then that someone’s going to be me.” Will grimaced “But you’re already buying the popcorn!” “Of course I am; I’m the one who eats all of it!”

“Fine” Will conceded with a roll of his eyes. “But from now on you can’t complain if I fall asleep on your shoulder.” “Hey I never complained about that; I complained about your snoring.” “I don’t snore!” “And the drooling.”

“I do not-” They were cut off by a very loud – and fairly irritated – “Ahem” from off-screen. Both teens jumped slightly, blinking in surprise when they found that their faces had somehow grown much closer during their bickering, and that they had yet to release their hold on each other’s hand. “Not to interrupt,” Roger’s voice came again (sounding like interrupting was in fact the very thing he had had in mind). “But you do have other questions here guys.” “Right,” Lyra seemed to collect herself; pulling her hand away from Will’s and clearing her throat. “So anyway, next question. Ok, from nobiggerthanamustardseed: do you have any plans for the future? Wow mustardseed, you sure know how to bring the excitement.” They both stopped to think for a moment. “Well,” Lyra began, “we’re both studying our A-levels right now, but I think Will has a more concrete idea for his further education than I do. There’s a lot of different subjects I’m interested in, but lately I’ve been focusing more on language.” “Yeah you mentioned that,” Will broke in, “more ancient languages right? Like symbology?” Lyra nodded. “But I’ve also been thinking about taking a gap year. Dr. Malone’s been saying she might need an assistant on her research trip next year, and her last paper on dark matter was fascinating. It’d be nice to do a little traveling too. I’d have to make sure I force you to visit me though,” she looked over at Will with a smirk. “Get your head out of the books.” Will snorted in response. “As I remember it, having my head in the books wasn’t a problem when I was helping you study.” “Yes, how could I forget, oh great Professor Parry” Lyra’s voice was dripping with sarcasm; Will only rolled his eyes in return. “No to be fair, I probably wouldn’t have passed my anatomy exam without your help, even if you were a bit of a drill sargent.” “No, you definitely wouldn’t have.”

Lyra clicked her tongue in mock annoyance. “And just when I was trying to give you a compliment-” “That’s what you call a compliment?” “When it’s directed at you, yes. Anyway, enough about me; tell the people what you’re going to do.” But before Will could open his mouth to respond, Lyra was already talking again. “He’s going to be a doctor.” Will laughed. “Well you don’t have to say it like that.” “I can’t help it.” Lyra responded. “You’ve only been talking about it since KS3.” “What, and now it’s a bad thing to have goals?” “Of course not, it just gets old talking about all the courses you’ll need to take and the admittance requirements that need to be met.” Lyra sighed, but it was clear to see her complaints weren’t serious. She turned her attention to the camera: “But since you all haven’t had to suffer through all of that, I’ll tell you that Will is absolutely brilliant – got nearly perfect scores on his GCSE this year, an apprenticeship with NHS, and he’s already fielding scholarship offers for uni.” Next to her, Will had covered his suddenly pink face in embarrassment, but couldn’t seem to stop a wide grin from spreading across it. “Even though you’re almost insufferably noble about it,” Lyra continued, “I am very proud of you, and I know you’ll make an amazing doctor.”

Will’s grin only grew as he uncovered his face to meet Lyra’s eyes. “Thank you.”

A beat of sincerity passed between them, interrupted almost immediately by Lyra. “And even though I cannot stand the thought of being forced to share you with the world, your gift is too great to keep you all to myself.” Will rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics. “So long as you promise not to forget little old me while you’re off saving lives.” Lyra continued, throwing a melodramatic arm across Will’s shoulders.

“You’re such a ham.” He laughed, gently shrugging her arm away. “Weren’t you the one saying you wanted to go to a different continent with Dr. Malone a few minutes ago?” “I don’t recall that, no.” “Besides,” he continued with a roll of his eyes, “we live in Oxford. Any university I’d want to go to is an hour away at most. You can’t get rid of me that easily, Belacqua.” Lyra seemed to drop her theatrics, looking instead at Will with soft eyes and a gentle smile. “Is that so, Parry?” “It is.” He answered, his expression mirroring hers.

Another beat passed between them, longer than the first, before Lyra’s attention shift back towards the laptop screen. “Alright everyone, I think we have time for one more question. Let’s see… here we go, from EP1985: how long have you two been dat – ” her sentence cut off suddenly, and she glanced nervously over at Will then up at the camera before continuing. “Oh no, we’re not –” but her words stopped suddenly again, her face very rapidly turning red. His curiosity piqued, Will leaned closer to Lyra to read the question over her shoulder “We’re not what?” he asked, squinting at the screen to make it out, before his eyes grew wide and his cheeks grew red to match Lyra’s. “Oh! No, no, definitely not.” He continued with an awkward laugh, leaning back to sit ramrod straight in his chair and stare directly at the table in front of him, while all the time Lyra seemed as if she was trying to both watch his every move and pretend he didn’t exist. There was a moment of silence as both teens avoided eye contact with each other, the camera, or – presumably – Roger. Finally Lyra cleared her throat and said, her voice slightly strained, “Sorry to disappoint anyone, I guess, but Will and I are… just friends.” Her eyes flickered quickly over to Will, who nodded quickly in agreement. “Exactly. We didn’t mean to give you guys the wrong impression, but there’s nothing but friendship here.”

Hearing the other’s words seemed to let them both relax, although their faces were still flushed. “It’s kind of funny, actually,” Lyra began, catching Will’s gaze again, but with amusement rather than worry in her eyes, “how many times we’ve heard that since we started making videos.”

“Yeah it’s weird,” he replied, a grin slowly forming, “don’t know how everyone keeps coming to such a crazy conclusion.”

“Anyway, that’s all the time we have for today!” Lyra said, addressing the camera directly. “Thanks so much for your questions guys and we’ll –” Will’s voice joined her’s for their usual sign-off. “ – see you back here next week!” Outro music began playing as Will and Lyra leaned their heads close in a now inaudible conversation, and the very last thing that was heard before the picture faded completely to black was Roger’s voice muttering a weary “Absolutely hopeless.”