#hand me a handkerchief too raincoat man

[eepyracc]

“Letting his lightblade serve her, becoming the strongest weapon in her hands, is something Resonance Evol can easily achieve, and Xavier will surely give her every bit of himself.

Love. The greatness of love„

[aoioozora]

THIS IS SO AMAZING OMG (talking about the Simon fanfic btw) YOU JUST EARNED A FOLLOWER ❤️❤️ we'd really appreciate it if you did a part 2? 🥹 Take care

Simon.

Part 2

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13

Character: Simon Riley / Ghost

Content: Biker! Ghost x Fem! Reader, strangers to lovers, fluff, civilian au

Note: I was never planning on making this a series but here we go, I guess I'm invested too now >:) thank you for requesting and following! While this series is fluff only, I have a small warning for this part: there's swearing, crude jokes. And possibly incorrect usage of Scottish and English slang. Enjoy :) Photo credit: mus

“It's pishin’ it doon out here.”

Simon looked at his friend and sighed, “English, MacTavish.” 

MacTavish groaned. “It's raining fuckin’ hard.” 

“Then say so.” 

“I did!” 

Simon and his friend, John MacTavish or ‘Johnny’, as he was affectionately called, found themselves standing under the shade of a book café, helmets in hands, watching Simon's bike get drenched in the heavy rain. Neither of them expected a downpour, and were caught without raincoats. And so the two had no choice but to wait it out. 

“It was yer bloody brilliant idea to go on a road trip when I warned ye that it was gonna rain today,” Johnny griped, crossing his arms as he shook the rain water off his helmet. 

Simon didn't say a word. He copied Johnny in getting the water off his helmet, except that he wiped it off with his hand. As he hung his head down to do so, his messy blond hair fell over his eyes, and he shook his head to get it out of the way. He wiped his hands on a handkerchief to dry them, and then pulled his mask down below his nose to inhale a fresh gulp of the cold, wet air. When he had inhaled enough, he pulled the mask back on, and his eyes wandered to his motorcycle, which was surrounded by a foggy haze in the rain. 

His mind wandered to that night he saved a young lady off the dangerous streets. He remembered how he saw her from afar, and without a second thought, sped up to her assailants, half-intent on actually flattening them into crepes. He remembered how his engine pounded as adrenaline charged his blood, as he twisted the accelerator to full throttle, sending the vehicle flying. 

A pretty lady he thought she was. He didn't know why he called her his girlfriend; his brain decided that being a boyfriend was the second most powerful thing a man could be, the first being a husband. No other men would mess with another man's woman, that was for sure, unless he had a death wish. She acted well too, convincingly even. 

He pulled out his phone and turned it around. Nestled beneath the clear casing was a small, clear candy wrapper, the same one that the pretty lady gave him that day. He didn't know why he felt the need to keep it, but did anyway. He definitely wanted something to remind him of her. 

He had been in anguish ever since he dropped her off and rode away; he had completely forgotten to ask for her name. But who does that? They were strangers. What are the odds that two strangers would meet again? 

“I'm heading inside,” Johnny announced, “I want a coffee.”

“Get me some tea.” 

“Fuckin’ Brit.” 

Simon was about to correct Johnny by telling him that Scotland, where he was from, was also part of the British isles, but he bit back, not wanting to risk hearing a rant in exclusively colorful, and totally family friendly Scottish words and phrases. 

“Fine, I'll do it myself.” Simon rolled his eyes and followed Johnny inside the book cafe. 

The two men sat at a table and while Johnny peered into the menu, Simon sank back into the comfortable chair and looked at the yellow bulbs hanging overhead, casting a soft, golden glow on the smooth wooden tables, the floors, and the cutlery. The smell of coffee, cakes, and books filled the air, along with the soft ruffle of pages, clinks of tableware and cups and saucers, and the distinct murmurs of his friend across him as he figured out what coffee he wanted to have. 

A waiter came by to take their orders, and the two were soon left to their own, sitting in unusual silence as they stared out the glass windows at the relentlessly pouring rain. While Johnny hummed a tune to himself, Simon, tired of looking at the downpour, decided to amuse himself with people watching. 

He saw people working at their laptops, some reading and drinking, others chatting in soft murmurs, and staff doing their job. 

His eyes fell on one particular lady who was seated at a table across the cafe, back facing him, busily working on her laptop. He felt his heart stop for a moment. Her silhouette was familiar, particularly her hair; it looked just like her. His heart pounded beneath his ribs. 

He didn't realise how long he looked until Johnny's voice piped, “Wit ye lookin’ at?” which interrupted the momentary buzz of his thoughts. 

Simon turned to his friend, who was looking at him with mingled curiosity and confusion. “Nothing.” he replied, shaking his head and hanging it down slightly to look away, but his eyes immediately darted to the lady, as if she was a strong magnet. 

Johnny wasn't quite convinced, and he followed Simon's line of vision. “A lass,” he observed, smirking. 

Simon glared at his friend, but it only made him chuckle. The two watched as she stood up for a moment and turned around, intent on walking to the shelves to grab a book. That's when Simon saw her face, and again, his heart seized. 

“It's her.”

His breath lodged tight in his lungs and his body visibly stiffened. And the most unfortunate reaction of them all: his partially exposed cheeks had turned pink. His eyes were glued to her, and he was unaware that Johnny was still keenly observing him. 

“Ye ken her?” asked Johnny, his smirk widening. 

“You remember I saved a girl the other day?” He asked back. 

“That's her?” Johnny whipped his head back again to take another gander at the lady. 

She was furiously flipping through the pages of a hardbound book, as if desperately in search of something. Simon rested his elbow on the armrest of the chair and leaned his cheek on his fist; he watched with interest as she hunched over the book like a medieval scholar, and wondered what her occupation was. She went back to her seat, hunched over again, and the two men looked back at each other. 

“Go talk to her,” Johnny challenged.

“No.”

“Keep bein’ a fuckin’ pussy and ye won't get to fuck that pussy, ye ken?” 

Simon snorted at that, but then immediately and quietly hissed “Wheesht!” at Johnny to make him shut up, glancing back at the pretty lady. “Don't be disrespectful,” he added.

Johnny chuckled, ever amused at the fact that his Scottish vernacular was infecting the Englishman. He leaned forward, resting a hand on his knee, continuing to smirk, “Since when did ye care about respect, huh?” 

Simon inhaled sharply, since he was getting increasingly impatient with Johnny and at the fact that he was running out of arguments. It was also a bit hard to argue in a place where you're supposed to be quiet. 

“Just go already. I cannae see ye looking so stupid like this. The worst she can say is ‘fuck off’.” Johnny shrugged. 

Simon shot his friend and unimpressed look, making Johnny snort. “That is the worst thing she can say, you wanker,” he said, now mechanically rising from his chair. 

“Fuck off and get her number, ye gobshite, or else you'll just be wanking to her and not talking.” Johnny shook his head with a smirk and gave his friend a slap on the back as he passed him. Simon returned the gesture with a slap to the back of Johnny's head, particularly in annoyance at the latter part of his sentence. 

While Johnny whined quietly from how hard a slap he had been dealt with, Simon's attention was drawn when he heard her voice again, sounding a little agitated. His head whipped towards her table, and yet again, she was being hit on by some guy, and clearly looked like she was uncomfortably fighting back his unwanted advances. 

Simon glared at the man as he began his march. “If only she had a boyfriend by her side, a guard dog…” he thought to himself as he speedily, yet calmly stepped over to her table. 

He went around some tables and emerged behind the man, towering over him. Before Simon was noticed by her, his hand came down heavily on the man's shoulder, making him flinch. Leaning down, he whispered as the man turned to face him, “What business do you have with my girlfriend?” 

The man was met with Simon's glaring eyes that meant serious business. He froze up immediately. 

“Babe, he was trying to hit on me even though I told him I wasn't interested,” the lady's voice resounded, and a quick glance at her told Simon that her eyes glimmered with recognition. 

The “babe” made his knees weak for a moment, but he shook off the feeling and continued to glare at the man. No more words were needed. He immediately stood up from his seat and strode away, apologising without sincerity. When he was finally earshot, she sighed. 

“You alright, love?” asked Simon with gentleness unusual to him, glancing around again to make sure the man was nowhere in sight. 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she sighed, also looking in the direction the man left. She looked back at him and smiled brightly, “But what a coincidence. We meet again, Simon.” 

“And I'm mighty chuffed about it.” he thought to himself as he nodded in response. “Funny coincidence, really. My friend and I were just about to leave on a small road trip and the rain,” he shook his head and clicked his tongue as he looked at the windows, “it rained on our parade, I guess.”

The unintentional pun made her giggle. Simon normally had a grip on his emotions, but that damned giggle threw off his train of thought. But regaining himself, he continued, “So we took shelter here, and I saw you. Thought I'd come talk and then I heard that guy trying to make a pass at you.”

She motioned to the chair for him to sit down, which he instantly did; he cursed himself for seeming so eager. 

“You heard?” she asked with emphasis. 

“Yeah?” he nodded, slightly confused as to why she zeroed in on that word in particular. “I was looking elsewhere, and then I heard you.”

She then glanced at her laptop for a moment and then pulled the screen down slightly so he wouldn't see what was on. As she did, she said, “I see. I'm lucky you came just then because I was having a hard time driving him away.”

“I could tell,” he answered slowly. He then decided to change the subject. “You come here often?” 

“Yeah, every day. This place is calm and quiet and the atmosphere helps me work.”

“What's your job?” 

“I'm an author.” 

“An author?” he blinked in surprise. He didn't expect that. “What do you write about?” 

“Fantasy and adventure… With a hint of romance.” She grabbed her tote that was on the table and pulled out a book from it, which she showed him. “This is my first published book.” 

“No kidding?” He took the book in my hand. It was titled ‘Firefly Trails’, embossed in gold. The cover was matte, showing a dark forest trail dotted with glossy fireflies and their greenish yellow light. Below the title was her name, and he read it in his mind slowly, his eyes spending more time taking it in more than anything else on the cover. 

“New York Times Bestseller.” he recited, smirking as he eyed the epithet on the top of the cover, “Don't they slap this on every book?” 

“They do, but this actually did pretty well in New York.”

“So you're famous then?” 

“Kind of?” 

“Tell me your Instagram handle, I'll need to see for myself.” Simon pulled out his phone and looked at her, waiting for her to tell him. 

She did. He immediately typed it out on the search bar and while he did, he rested his elbow on the table, holding his arm upright. His neck was craned upward slightly, and the lady couldn't help but stare at the way his Adam's apple moved as he gulped, and the way the sternocleidomastoid muscle tightened and popped from under his fair skin as he moved his neck. 

Her analytical, authorly eyes scanned him keenly, soaking in all she could make of his facial features; at his icy blond hair, short and styled in an undercut; his long eyelashes, his shapely eyebrows, his slightly pink cheeks under the black mask, the way his brown eyes reflected against the blue light of the phone screen; it was all a sight to behold. He was saying something, but her mind was so lost in trying to mentally string words together to describe the view in front of her in the most superfluous manner possible, in hopes that this information would be used in her future works. 

“Hey, you really are famous. You got quite a tonne of followers.” Simon, who was highly aware of her shameless staring, somehow managed to interrupt her flow of thought. 

She was successfully brought back to Earth from her daydream, and she nodded, now embarrassed to have been caught red-handed. He thankfully made no comment on it, not wanting to make things awkward.

She answered, “I suppose so. But they're not as many as bigger authors. I'm not complaining, though. I'm really happy to have a lot of people liking my work.”

“You're too modest,” he said, and she could see his cheeks rise to his eyes just a wee bit behind his mask, indicative of a smile. He now showed her her Instagram page on his phone. “There, I followed you,” he said, pointing at the grey ‘Following’ button.

“Are you sure? You don't look like the type of person who reads or is interested in author updates.” A slightly teasing smirk tugged the corner of her lips. 

Simon chuckled and shook his head slightly, making his short hair swish a little; she took notice of it. “I'm a voracious reader,” he bragged, lying through his teeth, even using a fancy word to make it more convincing. 

She smiled, clearly not quite convinced, but decided to humor him anyway. “If you are, then that book is a gift for you.” She glanced at the copy resting on his lap. 

“No kidding?” he blinked as he took the book in his hand to gaze at it. “Well, since you're so famous, I think I should get your autograph.” he said, and she could see one of his cheeks raised; an unmistakable smirk. 

“Oh, come on, you're making me blush,” she giggled, but took the book anyway.

"My intentions exactly," he thought as he watched her grab a pen and start writing on the first page. 

His phone buzzed a message in the meantime, and he took the device to have a look. It was Johnny. He glanced at the other end of the cafe at his friend, and found him staring, finishing the last sips of his coffee. 

Johnny MacTavvy: oi yer tea's getting cauld 

Johnny MacTavvy: Rain's stopped too. Let's go 

Simon now looked out the glass windows and the rain had indeed stopped, and a bit of sunlight was peeking through the cloudy skies. He sighed, not wanting to go just yet, but knowing Johnny wouldn't let him tarry any longer, he quickly typed a reply, which Johnny saw immediately. 

Fuckin’ Brit: ok 

By the time Simon kept his phone in his pocket, the lady finished her autograph and handed the book to him. “Enjoy.” She smiled. 

Simon murmured a “Thanks” as he received the book, and then rose from his seat. 

“Leaving already?” she asked, looking a little disappointed. 

“Yeah, my friend's annoying me to finish my tea so we can be on our way. The rain's stopped now, so…”

“Okay,” she nodded slightly, glancing out the windows to confirm for herself. Looking back at him, she smiled again, “Take care then.” 

“You too,” he inhaled. “Make sure you don't get hit on again,” he said, attempting to be casual and funny, but he felt like his attempt turned out to be so stupid. 

She shook her head, scoffing and smiling. “I'll be fine.” 

He was relieved that the attempt landed safely despite the turbulence, and he sighed. “Right then, I'll see you inna bit, love.” 

“See you, Simon.” 

He nodded once at her and then strode back to Johnny, feeling his knees get weaker by the second. He managed to reach his table and practically fell down in his seat. 

“Well?” asked Johnny with a smirk as he leaned forward and eyed the book in Simon's hand. “She gave ye a gift, I see.” 

“She's an author. Her first book.” Simon answered, handing him the book so he could see it. 

“For real?” Johnny took the book and flipped through the pages. The autograph on the first page caught his attention and he read it. His eyes widened slightly and he closed the book, returning it to his friend, who was drowning the lukewarm tea. “He completely forgot, didnae he, this bastard.” Johnny muttered under his breath, smirking. 

“What was that?” asked Simon, setting down the teacup. 

“Nothing. Let's go.” 

The two paid for their drinks and as they stepped out the door, Simon glanced back at her, and saw that she was also looking at him over her shoulder. This time, he felt a bit fluttery in his stomach. She waved at him with another of those pretty smiles and he waved back, already feeling his knees go weak again. 

The two turned away and exited the book cafe. While Johnny wiped the rainwater off the motorcycle, Simon took a moment to see what she had written as an autograph. 

“Dear Simon, thank you for saving me twice. I hope you enjoy the book,” was written, and along with that was her name and signature.

Below that was written in unmistakably bold and clear letters, “Call me,” along with her number. 

Simon felt like he had been struck by lightning. His face turned alarmingly red and hot to the point that he scrambled to pull his hood over to hide himself. “Fuck me…” he mumbled his exclamation as he processed this very clear green light from her. It was unbelievable. 

In the meantime, the lady herself  couldn't believe this whole thing just happened. He happened to be there, came up to her, saved her, and swooped her off her feet the second time. It was an amazing coincidence, a once in a lifetime incident, something straight out of a novel. And being an author, she couldn't let this go. She just had to shoot her shot by slapping her phone number in the autograph and now hope that he would call her.

But if there was one thing that sold her completely, it was the fact that he heard that she was in trouble, and came to her rescue. 

Feeling a flutter in her chest, she looked back at her laptop screen. A Google search result was displayed in bold:

“The name Simon means ‘to hear’.”

End of Part 2.

Part 3

[chaoslovesmisery]

Chapter 3. Whispers and Dust

It's been about a month since my run in with Sylus and I had hardly seen him since. I would update him every so often about the Heroine/Female Hunter and occasionally play pool with Luke and Kieran at a nearby bar.

She was walking with Caleb, one of the key players in the Ever Group, and he walked into the store while she walked around the block. My aether core in my eye scans the area sensing fluctuations nearby. I can see her Hunter's Watch not reacting to anything but she seems to be able to still sense the fluctuations in the air not realizing that it's actually coming from a person.

I fly to another lamp post across the street and I see a man wearing a cap, coming out of an alley. He turns slightly to the hovering patrol drone with compound eyes and fiddles with his hat. As he moves I can tell the Metaflux in the area is increasing. I'm not supposed to engage with her, only watch.

I watch as the Heroine crosses the street and begins to follow the suspicious man from a safe distance but he's noticed her and his pace is increasing. I fly closer peering from above. I watch as she begins to walk fast and see that she's been hit by his Evol, which appears to be some form of light? She whips her arm, shocked by pain she felt no doubt.

"I see that you're actually smart. Too bad, I don't have time to play around." The man says to her, turning around. I can see her hesitate as the man rushes into an alley. She runs after him, but he's already gone. I debate whether to follow him or not but decide to stick to my mission.

I watch as she and Caleb have an uninteresting conversation as they walk back to Josephine's home. I can feel it in my feathers, something is wrong. It's too quiet, as I look around I hear a major explosion and when I look down the heroine is on the ground crawling towards the house. I dive down to the closest alleyway checking to make sure no one is around and sprint to her. I picked up my phone calling Sylus.

"There's been an explosion, she's passed out on the floor," I rush out before he can greet me.

"Are you alright?" He asks and I say yes without thinking about it.

"Call emergency services, check the area. The arsonist may still be in the area." He states in a chilling voice. The phone clicks and I dial for emergency services. I can sense someone watching nearby and I turn my head. I start hearing neighbors come out of their homes checking on what's going on. An older woman runs up to me and checks on the Heroine for me.

"Did you call emergency services?" She asked not to look at me.

"Yes," I say before dashing back to the alley I had transformed earlier. I run and transform back into a crow and fly overhead. I can feel the aether core in my eye scanning around until I see the man in a raincoat walking down a different alley. I fly overhead and can see him enter an abandoned factory. I carefully sit perched above them, and not too long later I see the man that the Heroine had run into wearing the cap pushing the door open entering the building.

His steps kick up dust, and the sound of his shoes hitting the ground echoes in the empty room. The man in the raincoat turns his head when he hears the noise. He pulls back his pointed hood.

"Long time no see. You look older now." He says.

"Have you gone blind as you kept an eye on Ever?" the man with the cap retorts, his voice surprisingly old-sounding compared to his appearance. His hands over a black briefcase. The man in the cap smells heavily of the explosion site's scent and I can tell instantly that it was him who was the arsonist.

"Here are the goods." He says and the man in the raincoat frowns before pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and wraps it around his hand to pinch a corner of the briefcase. He gives it a couple of shakes before opening it. I can see that it contains slightly yellowed pages but I'm not sure what they say. The man in the raincoat goes through them silently page by page.

"Is this it?" He says having gone through all the pages appearing slightly unsatisfied.

"Don't be too greedy," the man with the cap snarled. "This is enough for you to confirm her identity and role."

"You silenced Josephine and retrieved the research material from back then. Good work." The man in the raincoat tosses a vial to the hat-wearing man. Then he ticks the pages into his bag and returns the briefcase with a two-finger push.

"It stinks. Be careful walking around with it. Otherwise, sharp-nosed hunters might follow its scent back to you." He says shaking his handkerchief before placing it back into his coat pocket.

"You better be careful with your handkerchief. When it's tainted with that, you won't make it out either." The man in the cap says pulling his hoodie on. He looks at the drug inside the vial and his lips curl into a smirk, his old voice trembling slightly with excitement. "When are you planning on making your next move?" He asks.

"Why should we rush? Her powers aren't complete yet. Besides..." The man in the raincoat pauses looking in my direction and I turn away. Shit. Did he see me? I look back at him and he is starting out the window below. "...Your Prince Xavier has been glued to her side watching over her, right? I've been curious for a while. Do people still practice feudalism where you're from? Isn't that regression in a sense?" He says.

"Hmph, Xavier can only guard her for so long. He's too busy dealing with his own issues," the hat-wearing man says, eagerly stepping forward. "Don't say I didn't warn you. It's not just Ever who wants her. Strike first to gain an advantage."

"The one who strikes first is helping her cultivation." The man in a raincoat ignores him, pulling the hood over his head as well. "If you can get rid of Xavier in the process, you’d be doing us a big favor. Isn't internal struggle your specialty? Kill Xavier and let Ever crown you as a prince. Haha-" The man in the raincoat's arrogant laughter is abruptly cut off as a thin beam of light cuts his neck. Blood spills out as a wrinkled hand grabs his throat and lifts him.

"I can't kill Xavier, but I can do more than deal with a two legged, carbon-based monkey like you." He says.

"You...Cough, cough...Kill me, then. But how long can you survive in this era?" The man in the raincoat faintly smiles, his trembling fingers pointing at the drug in the hat-wearing man's hand he had taken out of his pocket. He scoffs and a gust of wind throws the man wearing a raincoat into a corner.

"Tell your masters that they better get their hands on her fast. Based on my experience, her existence isn't as simple as the observation records suggest." The man puts his cap back on and his face feels familiar. I've seen both men before but the man wearing the cap I've seen even more recently. Where though?

"If you keep stalling, Ever Group will end up losing more than they bargained for once she develops." He says while his footsteps fade into the distance. The door slams shut, leaving the man who's wearing the raincoat lying in the rubble.

"Acting all high and mighty. Backtrackers my ass. Cough...By seniority, I'm your ancestor." He staggers to his feet, brushing off the dust. He pulls out another handkerchief to wipe the corner of his eye. I think more to myself as I take the opportunity to fly out of the warehouse heading back to the N109-Zone.

I land on the roof stumbling on my landing falling to the floor. This was a lot of information to take in. I stand back up stepping on my long hair and tripping again in the process. I hear two people snickering by the door as they walk and help me up. I push them off of me and snatch the blade in his hand, slicing my hair off, handing my hair to Kieran and handing Luke the blade he gave me.

"Hey, your hair is even this time!" Luke exclaims and I mush his face away.

"Now is not the time," I whisper instead of yell and they freeze. I didn't even have the energy to yell. All that flying around the smoke earlier must have affected me more than I knew. They both wrap their arm around my waist supporting my weight, while I throw one arm over each of them.

"Should we carry you?" Kieran says and I shake my head no.

"Just take me to Sylus." I pant trying to catch my breath still. I did fly over here like my life depended on it.

Not too long later we walk down the steps and enter Sylus' living room. He gets up and picks me up princess style but I feel too weak to argue. Luke and Kieran let go of me as Sylus takes me to his bedroom placing me gently on his bed. Sylus orders Kieran to get me water and Luke to grab me water and a cloth.

"You're running a fever, Little Dove," he says gently leaning me forward, feeding me water. Luke and Kieran make themselves scarce.

"I'm a crow, not a dove," I shake my head pushing the water away and he brings it back making me drink more.

"Okay, Little Bird," He sets me down and places the cloth in water and wrings it out before setting it on my forehead.

"Sylus, there is something I need to tell you. I followed the arsonist." I rush out. He puts his hand over my mouth stopping me from talking.

"It can wait," he says and I'm stunned. Is this really Sylus?

"But it's about her and the Ex-Prince, wait did she make it out okay?" I ask and he covers my mouth again.

"I can hear about it tomorrow when you are better, for now, rest. And yes, she's at Akso Hospital doing just fine, Kieran and Luke checked while you chased down the arsonist." He says and he touches the tips of my freshly cut hair.

"But don't you want to know?" I ask and his concerned look turns cold.

"Rest, that's final, Little Bird." He says and he gets up walking out. I stare at the ceiling wondering if this is really happening. Why does it feel like he has been acting differently towards me? What the heck is wrong with him? I mean he basically sacrificed himself for this girl in the past, traveled time and space to attempt saving her. Why does it feel like he's changed since he escaped out of the space-time prison?

I really wished I had remembered more about the game Love and Deepspace.

****************************************************************

A/N: Chapter based off of Chapter 4, Part 2: Interlude, Part 3: Within Reach, and World Underneath : Sealed in Dust Part 1 Whispers and Part 6 Dust.

Read/Played in order:

1. World Underneath: Long Lost Treasure Part 01- Submerged Rock, Pages 01-03

2.World Underneath: Long Lost Treasure Part 06- Audio File No.5: Conflict, Pages 3.5-10

3. Chapter 4, Part 02: Interlude, Part 03- Within Reach

4. World Underneath : Sealed in Dust Part 01- Whispers, Pages 01-02

5. World Underneath : Sealed in Dust Part 06- Dust, Pages 01-06

[thotsforvillainrights]

~Rainy Day~

(Man I’ve decided to combat baby fever by making some more of this Au. It’s been a while since I’ve written for it anyway so why not! Also you may notice the art I’ve drawn for this kiddo. It’s true his design differs from reader to reader. How he looks skin and hair wise is based entirely off your mind. But for me, I’ve drawn what I think he’d look like if I were Y/N myself.)

Au: Kaishi

Part: Sixteen

Theme: Fluff

A deep sullen sigh escaped as he sat on his knees and stared at the rain running down the window. He had long since lost his interest in pretending the drops were racing and now he was at the rock bottom of bordem itself. He leaned forward and pressed his chubby cheek against the window along with his ear so he could listen closely to the sound of rain hitting the roof. It could almost soothe him to sleep had it not been for the input from his father on the couch. 

“Brat, get your face off the window. Not only are you making it dirty with your dead skin and oils, but you’re also making yourself dirty from the possible germs it holds.” Kai spoke as he flipped the page of the book he was reading. effortlessly. “But I’m boooooooooored!” Kaishi drew out the word with a lengthy groan as his face slid down the window. Kai rolled his eyes and closed the book. “Then go do your homework.” He placed the book down and watched his son slug across the room to sit next to him on the couch. “I already did all of my work for today AND tomorrow too. I even did my bonus work.” Kai sighed and reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief. He began rubbing off the side of Kaishi’s face that was on the window as he spoke. “Alright then watch TV, or something. Go play with your toys, read something, or maybe help Pops tidy up the study. There’s a lot of stuff to do so cut out that complaining will you?” The boy grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms in annoyance. “I don’t want to do any of that stuff. I’m way too bored for that junk.” 

“Watch it.” Kai thumped his nose.

“Did I hear someone say they were bored?” You spoke as your head popped out from around the corner of the hallway entrance. The picture of both your son and husband’s eyes lighting up when seeing you was something you’d never get over. “What’s ailing you hmmm baby?” You took a seat on the other side of Kaishi and opened your arms for him to scurry into your lap. “I’m so super bored and daddy hasn’t given me any good advice.” You laughed at the way Kai scoffed. “Hmm well, it’s a rainy day huh. Why don’t you go puddle stomping?” Kaishi tilted his head at this, meanwhile Kai was shaking his head rapidly in the background. You smiled and continued explaining to you son while your husband sat in the background with a look of defeat. “Puddle stomping is something I used to do with my mom/dad/guardian when I was a little kid. It’s nothing big or serious but it was still really fun yknow? All you do is find puddles and take the biggest stomps you can! The bigger the stomp, the more fun the splash is! The best part of puddle stomping is when you come back inside from it. You take a warm bath and dry off with warm towels that were put in the clothes dryer. You can then have warm soup or hot chocolate depending on the weather. I always wanted an ice cream Sunday myself.” Kaishi’s wide eyes seemed to sparkle in excitement. He whipped his head around and practically shouted at Kai. “DADDY TAKE ME PUDDLE STOMPING PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!!!!” 

“Nope! Absolutely not! The entire act in itself is filthy. Think of all that nasty water that’s out in the streets. Not to mention the mud and dirt. That’s why I never did it myself, and I would’ve preferred if you never knew about the activity.” Kai paused to glare at you while you snickered to yourself. “Y/N, you do it.”

“Me? Well I’d love to but I’m busy today.”

“BS, no you aren’t.”

“Am too. I’ve got to get groceries.”

“Make Chrono do it.”

“Chrono is off today and I don’t want to bother the others. Why don’t you do it, my loving husband?”

“I’ve got paperwork to do.”

“Oh? That same paperwork you told me you finished earlier then?”

“...Well, Pops can do it then.”

“Nope, I’m taking Pops with me because he has a clinic appointment today.”

Kai groaned in defeat and Kaishi hopped off the couch. “Yes!!!” He rushed down the hallway to fetch his new raincoat and boots you got him last week. Once alone, Kai moved to smother you in a too tight hug. “You think you’re slick huh? Oh you’ll pay for this one later, Angel.” You wiggled out of his grasp and planted a kiss on his cheek, admiring the small pink that began dusting his cheeks. “Oh I’m so scared, oooo oh no!” You exaggerated before heading off to find Pops with a laugh. As you went down the hall, Kaishi came out of it wearing his rainy day attire. “Okay I’m ready!” Kai sighed and pulled his fluffy hood over his head. “You get 20 minutes of this madness and then it’s straight to the bathroom to clean yourself up, got it?” Kai ordered as he grabbed his large black umbrella. He passed a small blue umbrella with white polka dots and a red hook handle to Kaishi. “Thank you daddy!” The boy held the umbrella close, nearly shivering from excitement. “One more thing.” Kai paused with his hand on the door knob. “You stay close by y side out here. I don’t want you taking off running and getting hurt, okay?” Kaishi nodded in agreement and watched excitedly as his dad opened the doorway and ushered for him to leave. “The boy walked outside to the front, popped open his umbrella and waited until Kai followed along with it. “There, number one! It’s really big!” Kaishi pointed at a large puddle in the grass by the end of the driveway gate. “Go on then. I’ll stay back a bit so I don’t get subjected to this madness.” Kai watched his son rush to the puddle and basically leap into it. The cute giggling almost made up for the fact he was outside in the rain right now. He sighed and followed behind Kaishi as they exited the yard and walked down the sidewalk of their neighborhood. Kaishi took a break from the puddles to slow down and walk alongside his father and enjoy the rain for a bit. “Daddy, why come you never did puddle splashing as a kid?” Kaishi asked with curiosity. “It’s puddle stomping, brat. And the reason is the same as I said earlier: it’s disgusting.” Kai sighed and looked over at the flower bushes that grew alongside the fence line this way. It brought back a few memories of when Pops would walk him home with an umbrella after his school fights. “Daddy, you really hate germs huh.”

“Absolutely.”

“Well then what did you do for fun during a rainy day?”

“Shogi. I’d play it with Pops a lot. It’s why I’m so good at it right now. No one can beat me. Not even the old man himself.”

“Will you teach me to play Shogi one day?”

“Kai thought to himself for a second before smiling and putting his free hand on the top of Kaishi’s hooded head. “I suppose. If it’ll please you then I will.” Kaishi smiled widely and leaned onto his fathers touch before gasping and pointing ahead of himself again. “Big one spotted ahead!!!!” He rushed and jumped into the puddle repeatedly, unknowing to the fact that his father had slipped out the cell phone.

He smiled to himself and slipped his phone in his pocket. “Alright that’s enough. It’s been well past 20 minutes so let’s pack it up and get inside.” He directed before turning to walk away. He smiled to himself under his mask at the sound of pattering rain boots squeaking to catch up to him. Once inside, both boys hung their wet jackets up at the doorway hook and placed the umbrellas in the holder. Kaishi went to his room to pick out pajamas while Kai went to run some warm bath water. He looked up at the picture on the wall and stared at it for a bit while the water trickled from the bath spout. The picture was a baby photo of Kaishi wearing an oversized bath towel and smiling widely. Kai suddenly felt a lot less annoyed with today and a ton more thankful with the memories he was able to make. Kids grow up so fast, right? 

While Kaishi was taking a bath, Kai was preparing two cups of Sundays. How could he honestly resist joining in on the sweet icy treat? “Hope you’re making one for me too?” Your voice suddenly appeared as you entered from running errands with Pops. “Done already? It hasn’t even been all that long. How did you get everything done so soon?” Kai questioned as you pulled out a spare cup for your ice cream Sunday. “I never said how many groceries I needed to get. I only said that I needed to shop.” You winked at him and he rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d trick me.” Kai scoffed before filling your glass with ice cream first. “You’re home!!!” Kaishi shouted as he rushed up to sit in your lap and hug your neck. “And daddy is making the ice cream thingy too?! This is the best rainy day ever! Thank you daddy!!!” Kai smiled beneath his mask at his little family. You guys always brought out the fluff in this man.

“Go ahead and make room for me too. I’d love a Sunday.” Pops smiled as he entered the kitchen as well.

[jgfiles]

Random info on the suits seen in “Joker Game”

I hope it will be of some use to fanfiction writers who, like me, aren’t really familiar with suits and such… Mind you, I’ve also added the Japanese translation but I don’t encourage you to use in fics the Japanese name for this type of clothes as they’re typically western and you’ll see part of the Japanese names are basically transliterations of the western names. With this said, let's start.

We know that the main characters of Joker Game wear suits.

Suit (背広 Sebiro): A suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, usually consisting of at least a jacket and trousers.

Sakuma politely volunteered to pose for us so here’s what he’s wearing.

Three Piece Suit (三つ揃いのスーツ Mitsuzoroi no Suit or スリーピース・スーツ Three Piece Suit): A suit that adds to the jacket and the trousers a waistcoat.

Collared shirt (ワイシャツ Waishatsu): Shirt with a formal (somewhat stiff) collar, a full-length opening at the front from the collar to the hem (usually buttoned), and sleeves with cuffs. In some pictures the shirt the boys wear seem to be a Tuxedo Shirt (イカ胸シャツIka Mune Shirt), a shirt which present a bib-like contrast in the front where the contrasting fabrics on the bib are usually heavier and feature a pleated or pique effect. In Joker Game time in Japan shirts tended to have a Detachable Collar (セパレートカラーの襟 Separate collar no Eri), making the shirt looks like a collarless tunic shirt (並衿シャツ Namieri shirt or スタンドカラーシャツ Stand Collar Shirt) when the collar wasn’t attached.

Collar (襟 Eri): The part of the shirt that fastens around or frames the neck.

Link Cuff (袖口 Sodeguchi) : An extra layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of the shirt covering the wrist which have buttonholes on both sides and are meant to be closed with cufflinks or silk knots. The ones in the boys’ shirts seem to be the French Cuffs (ダブルカフス Double Cuffs).

Cufflink (カフリンクス Cufflink): Linked ornamental button or buttonlike device for fastening a shirt cuff. It’s wear in pair, one for each cuff. Cufflinks can be manufactured from a variety of different materials and may also be an item of jewellery for boys and men.

Necktie (ネクタイ Necktie): Also known as tie, it’s a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat.

Waistcoat (ヴェスト Vest): It’s a sleeveless upper-body garment, usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. It is also sported as the third piece in the traditional three-piece male business suit. If my memory doesn’t serve me wrong in Joker Game we only see Single-Breasted Waistcoats (シングルのウェストコートSingle no Waistcoat).

Single-Breasted Waistcoats (シングルのウェストコートSingle no Waistcoat) : Waistcoat which has one column of buttons and a narrow overlap of fabric.

Front Buttons (正面ボタン Shōmen botan): Buttons on the front of the waistcoat.

Coat (上着 Uwagi): The modern jacket worn with a suit is traditionally called a lounge coat. If my memory doesn’t serve me wrong in Joker Game we only see Single-Breasted Coats (シングルスーツ Single Suit).

Single-Breasted Coat (シングルスーツ Single Suit) : Coat which has one column of buttons and a narrow overlap of fabric.

Lapel (襟 Eri): The folded flaps of cloth on the front of a coat. The ones in Joker Game are usually Step lapels (ノッチドラペル Notch lapel).

Step lapel (ノッチドラペル Notch lapel): A lapel that is sewn to the collar at an angle, creating a step effect. This is the standard on single-breasted suits.

Breast Pocket (胸のポケット Mune no Pocket): A pocket found at the left side of a coat, where a pocket square or handkerchief can be displayed.

Jetted Pocket (背広のポケット Sebiro no Pocket): The two main outer pockets of a coat, of the formal type, with a small strip of fabric taping the top and bottom of the slit for the pocket.

Jacket Cuff (袖口 Sodeguchi): The ending part of the sleeve of a coat were buttons are usually put merely for a decorative purpose.

Cuff Button (袖口ボタン Sodeguchi Botan): Purely decorative buttons placed on the cuffs of the coat which normally can’t be undone and whose number vary according to the formality of the coat.

Front Button (正面ボタン Shōmen botan): Buttons on the front of the coat.

Trousers (スラックス Slacks): An item of clothing worn from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately. Suit trousers are always made of the same material as the jacket.

Dress shoes (革靴 Kawagutsu): Garments worn on the feet to be worn with a suit, usually made in leather. Likely the ones that the boys wear are the Oxford type.

Wristwatch (腕時計 Udedokei): A watch designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap.

Sadly, due to Sakuma’s pose, we can’t see what’s holding up his pants so we need another volunteer. Tazaki, if you please would you let us give a better look at your trousers?

Belt (ベルト Belt or 帯革 Obikawa): A flexible band, typically made of leather and worn around the waist to support trousers.

Just so you know, most of the cast of Joker Game wear a belt to hold up his trousers when wearing a suit. There are two notable known exceptions but we’ll talk about them later.

Also when still studying in D Agency all the spies, Yuuki and Sakuma wore a hat. Amari, do you mind showing it to us?

Fedora (中折れ帽 Nakaorebō): A felt hat with a wide brim and indented crown. Normally a fedora has also a hatband from ribbon or leather.

Hatband (リボン Ribbon): Band placed around a hat.

Interesting enough, when in his spy mission Amari will still wear a suit but it’ll be a Two Piece Suit which, in addition to miss the waistcoat, will sport some notable differences from his usual suit (colour put aside).

Two Piece Suit (ツーピース・スーツTwo Piece Suit): A suit that has a jacket and the trousers.

Braces (サスペンダー Suspenders or ズボン吊りZubontsuri): are fabric or leather straps worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers.

Pork Pie hat (豚肉パイ帽子 Butaniku Pie Bōshi orポークパイ・ハット Pork Pie Hat): It’s a hat which bear superficial resemblance to a culinary pork pie dish. Like the Fedora it also has a Hatband (リボン Ribbon).

Bow tie (ボウ Bow): A type of necktie also known as bow knot because tied using a common shoelace knot. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that the two opposite ends form loops.

Hatano and Fukumoto were the two notable exceptions mentioned above who, while in D Agency, wore Two Piece Suits and Braces.

Going on we can see that in an old photo Arisaki Akira/Yuuki wears a suit and a hat we haven’t met yet.

Top Hat (シルクハット Silk Hat): A tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat. Like the Fedora and the Pork Pie Hat it also has a Hatband (リボン Ribbon).

There’s another accessory used by our beloved guys when in a suit. Please, let’s the Head of D Agency come forward.

Pocket watch (懐中時計 Kaichūdokei): A watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket.

Walking Stick (杖 Tsue): It’s a device used to facilitate walking.

White Glove (白い手袋 Shiroi Tebukuro): A garment covering the whole hand.

To be honest Yuuki wears only a single glove… and to hide how his right hand isn’t the prosthetic one… but I thought it was worth mentioning it.

Going on, we know that Gamo also wears another interesting accessory:

Sleeve garter (アームバンド Arm Band): It’s a garter worn on the sleeve of a shirt.

Interesting enough, even though the boys all go for Single-Breasted Coats, foreigners (Ernest Graham, Howard Marks, Louis McCloud) in Joker Game often wear:

Double-breasted Coat (ダブルスーツ Double Suit): Coat which has a wider overlap and two parallel rows of buttons.

Wing collar shirt (ウィングカラーのシャツ Wing collar shirt): Formal shirt with a wing collar. Very likely this one too is a Tuxedo Shirt (イカ胸シャツIka Mune Shirt) with a Detachable Collar (セパレートカラーの襟 Separate collar no Eri).

Wing collar (ウィングカラー Wing collar): A small standing collar with the points pressed to stick out horizontally, resembling “wings”, worn with men's evening dress.

Pocket square (ポケットチーフ Pocket Chief): Handkerchief used as a purely decorative accessory in a suit pocket.

Umbrella (傘 Kasa): A folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs, which is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole designed to protect a person against rain. It’s sort of iconic to assume English gentlemen always have an umbrella with them.

Graham also usually wear a different hat from the ones we saw before:

Bowler hat (山高帽Yamataka bōshi) is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown

Also worth mentioning how Elena, when disguising herself as a man, and then Tazaki, when disguising himself as Elena, will wear a three piece suit with some other different accessories we didn’t see previously.

Flat cap (ハンチング帽 Hunting-bō): A rounded cap with a small stiff brim in front.

Ascot tie (アスコット・タイ Ascot tie): A neckband with wide pointed wings made of silk.

Last but not least, when the weather is really cold, our boys wear something over their suits. Yes, I’m talking of:

Overcoat (外套 Gaitō): A type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment, which usually extends below the knee. Overcoats are most commonly used in winter when warmth is more important.

The ones we see them wearing are:

Chesterfield coat (チェスターフィールドコートChesterfield coat): It’s a long, tailored overcoat named after the Earl of Chesterfield.

Trench Coat (トレンチコートTrench coat): A raincoat made of waterproof heavy-duty cotton gabardine drill, or leather, or poplin.

Note that the kids Tazaki met on the train were wearing suits as well… but their own had a small difference compared to the other suits we saw till now as instead than trousers the kids were wearing:

Shorts (ショーツ shorts): A shortened version of trousers.

Last but not least an hopefully helpful guide to the colours used for the suits of the main casts. Note that colours were taken from the images on the official web (when possible), so they should be as close as possible to the intended ones. Colour names are just an approximation as, although I've used a colour tool to find them out, not always that exact shade had a name that the program knew.

A sidenote here. I’m not sure if Miyoshi, when impersonating Maki Katsuhiko, and Fukumoto, when impersonating Shiozuka Hajime were wearing suits as suits are supposed to be a set of garments made from the same cloth and they both were wearing odd trousers compared to their jackets. Also, they didn’t even wear ties. But well, I thought including their colours anyway.

...and with this I’ve finished.

Corrections and additional info are always very welcomed!

[ecotone99]

[RF] The passenger

“.. in these unprecedented times, the little things shouldn’t be taken lightly. these are the things that makes our lives happier...” the radio’s voice is interrupted by a loud static, as I drive through a long tunnel on the expressway. The static annoyed me a little, so I turn off the radio. I think to myself, Unprecedented-a fancy new word for the media to toy around with. As the tunnel ends, my view is engulfed with dense dusky clouds. The color of the sky is pitch dark grey & through the window I see a dark blue glow all around. Its about 7 in the evening, I put the car into cruise control as the next stop would be after 25-30kms. When I relax for a bit and look across the dark countryside fields have grown out to be into dark dense forest of old massive tress. Nature has a free pass on doing whatever it likes to ever since we humans stop interfering with it. It has been the longest 5 years since the virus broke out. Sure there have been vaccines and multiple variants of it for multiple type of patients. The cure did work, and thing stabilized a lot. Only after a whole year of economic despair for the masses. So much so that the people infected wouldn’t afford the vaccine, even at the subsidized rate. Government being government took too long to offer it for free to masses. They had their fat paycheck and used it as an essential tool for the elections. Then, gave it to the masses. However, it was too late by then… the psychological impact it took on the young generation was just too much. From forming cult’s that believed to virus was a cure for the nature’s freedom to resisting the vaccine and living a depleted life quality only as a protest against the world organization for making the vaccine too expensive. Sure, the people who remain sane through it all were the artistic people singing the best form of music they knew, painting the best portraits they ever could… It was irony as its finest form, as world went from needing lawyers, politicians, health origination to more self-focused institutions of living, exercise & art culture. Now, the Fields like IT, Security boomed only in terms of volume but not quality. They soon become the sheep’s herd where people did task of humongous data collection, aggregation and analysis to sell ads. Technology, cars & travel soon become the basic food & clothing standard, they were just an expense now rather than a field of profession and innovation. Times have changed a lot.

The toll arrives, I skim through the left lane as I take control of the car. As I drive past go ahead to make a stop at a nearby coffee store for refreshment. The clouds burst into a thundering rain. It hits the ground like a storm. Rain made sure the sun set earlier than it usually does. I wait for a while for it to stop so I could have some tea/coffee, but it only got worse …

The strong air wind current made the raindrops hit the car with such a intensity that the only sound I could hear was of intense drizzling. I decide to drive along before the conditions made it impossible to drive. I turn on the wiper, but it wasn’t enough. I barely moved a couple of meters before someone literally jumped into my car by opening the rear door. He dripped all over the seats and wore a black raincoat that went well along with its dark grey mask. I scream “hey!!! What the…” and my car brakes screeches loudly.

“Look man, I just need to reach the next toll, I have to work at night... its my shift if I don’t would lose my jobs… Please help me out!”

I put on my mask kept in my dash, I see around 7 messages notification before I could check it … I realized that I was stuck in middle of nowhere with a stranger. He continues

“I can pay you 500 bucks! Could you please hurry?”

“The next toll stop is of Satara around 167 Km away… I hope that works for you.”

I then drive away into the rains for next couple of minutes until a conversation break out: -

“So are you going on another workcation?” I ask him and feeling utterly foolish using the word workcation…

“Well yes and no, I believe no form of vacation involves any form of work. But this shitty corona virus has made the world a remote hub for working from anywhere…”

“I remember when I use to work for one of the corporations like you do…”

I continue “I absolutely hated from the start. It was my first job and I hated it since the pre-covid phase. As the pandemic hit us, my optimistic soul decided to free-lance…”

“We are all just free lancers of living life… we distracted our minds from living it into things like a good salary, a lot of work so we have an excuse for our poor morale and discipline…” he interrupts me...

“Hmm, that’s what I thought when I tried to clean, cook and work with a mouse and tablet in my other hand… until I tripped over the broomstick... dipped my machine in puddle of utensils and soap...”

“I thought nothing can be shittier than a 12-hr. shift and living all by yourself… until I eliminated the former and lived with the latter…” I conclude as I put my car in cruise control again…

“trust me if you don’t leave, you keep doing this life of work and personal work takes a backseat with no time for yourself. You end up running, your mind jogs but you don’t….” he replies

Our conversation is what the thousands of young adult’s face today. The saturated menial work but secure till retirement vs the life of exploring yourself. I choose the life of exploring myself and quit my job a year after the virus. My promotion was just due, but I hated every second of it. The first few days were peaceful. Then it was those slog days of life has no meaning to the days of hyper productivity machine. Reading novels every hour to exercising in the evening to the home chores. This cycle of enjoying then lying on the edge of my couch as the end of the world to living healthier … it continued for years and years…

I had exhausted all my savings, I tried to pursue singing in between those years but these days... singing was limited to online videos and pay to listen apps. I couldn’t make it any of them…

The rain didn’t slow down at all, it rained with same intensity. We cross a milestone which says 78km to satara.

Now, here I was after 5 years, giving an ride to just another employee of just another corporation. While I yearned to ace my interview tomorrow for another role to live for other few more years at some company called DSB….

My phone rings, as I reach for it, the passengers got scared to death. I looked at him as he shivers with fear like one would in this heavy rain. I ask him “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t pick it up, please!”

“It’s not a bomb!” I joked.

But instead of laughs,his faltered words and a bit softer voice starts explaining “ I didn’t got enough time… its not fair.. I should have the chance…”

“for what?”

The phone rings again…

This time I ignore the passenger’s warning and pick it up.

“Stop your car right now!” a girl screams through the tiny speakers of my phone

While my car sails on 80 km/hr. via cruise control, I ask “Why? What the fuck is wrong?”

The passenger now becomes totally uneasy and starts uneasy rolling rom left seat to right and back…

“trust me, it’s your Uniform Disorder”

“What?”

My head suddenly starts hurting as I see the passenger hitting his head repeated across the windowpane and repeating “You must not take the job ... you must not…”

“hello? Hello? Stop it !” the girl over phones repeats it

My head bursts into pain and anixety with so much chaos …

I scream “STOPPPP!” with all the energy I had in my voice.

The passenger stops but now he’s crying profusely and removes his mask. He looks an awfully lot similar to someone I have seen… until I realize he somewhat looks a lot like me... in my past life... in the younger years...

I just had to stop now…

I hit the brakes but it’s a little too much and little too late as the car skids to off road and crashes itself into a huge tree…

The airbags pounce in my face and the car crashes & breaks down…

I lie sub conscious for few hours with my face dug into the puffy air bag…

When I wake up, I see a scar on my forehead which bleeds and looks as if I tried to hit the window with my head.

I see the passenger standing out calmly deep into the woods surrounded by dark trees… the rain had slowed down too...

Strangely, despite the accident and all the mess I didn’t feel angry for a bit.

It was as if whatever he felt , would translate to how I would end up feeling. Uneasy backin the car during the school but calm now post the accident in these dense woods.

I Stepped out to talk to him, to understand why he did what he did…

He tells me “I hate my job, and I could stand a single second of it, I wanted to leave just like you… after I left the condition only got worse... I couldn’t find where my interest aligned… I smoked up all my savings on this car… then I had nothing to do or anything to pursue that interested me...

I felt like nothing…or no one in this world mattered. The loneliness made me lose my grip. I took therapy with my parents’ money... things got better I changed myself from a couch potato to a productive machine.

It still felt like a job to us ... you know? Reading , singing, writing , doing the same old chores again and again…

It just felt like doing what’s right... eventually they convinced us to become normal… and tried getting a job for us...”

“US? US? Who the fuck are you, why do u look like me?” I ask him puzzled as he sounded like me narrating my own life story….

“I told you it’s never enough time!”

A car rushes into the forest from behind, I look behind… it’s my therapist. She jumps out of my car. I look back out again to find the passenger missing… he was gone in a split second. It was like he wasn’t even here. I found myself in his black raincoat.

She panicked and started crying... as she sobbed while trying to patch my forehead wound with her handkerchief. She finally started speaking “the Schizophreniform Disorder is making you live your worst day again. Usually, I have stopped you when you enter the car but this is by far the most far you have gotten. The job that rejected you is of so many years back , when you visited Bangalore for an interview and drove for a whole day… Its okay you will get another job ... another interview will be aligned… we will toe your car then repair it and I will not inform anybody about this mishap”

She continues to cry “No one needs to know “

My phone rings again...I try to find it in the mess of my crashed car… it felled at the front co passengers’ seat with a cracked screen…

It’s an unknown number, I pick it up “hello? Who’s this?” I enquire

“Yea, its PLC technologies, we have an interview scheduled for tomorrow. It would be an telephonic interview. What time would be comfortable for you?”

I get a chill down my spine and my phone slips through my hand. I am shell shocked and all I could think about was the panicking passenger who said on loop “You must not take the job! Job!” Should I trust him? or this genuine therapist who has been trying to make me feel better ever since. Is this the new normal? or just the same old normal?

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Link: https://notyoureverydayblog258255348.wordpress.com/2020/08/22/the-passenger/

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