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flightlesscipher · 10 days ago

Text

Future Frights, Sleepless Nights

A TS Quint fanfiction

(authors note: around 3700 word count, it's a long one. I hope that this story helps make someone feel less alone. If u enjoy shit with deep meaning, check this out. The story takes place sometime before mallrats, but he is single in this timeline..sorry brandi😅. I'm not a professional, there's probably a few grammatical errors here and there, but I like to think the heart of the plot makes up for it. There is use of y/n-your name. I highly doubt it, but if kevin smith sees this, hello mister awesome. #1 I promise this is purely fictional and I do not intend on stealing your creations, it's just an expansion idea on a character of yours that I love. #2 you're fuckin epic btw ily legend #3 if this somehow someway ever gets in your hands and you read it, i would be honored to hear any words of advice or criticism to my writing. After all, you're the king of dialogue and mastermind of the most iconic plot ideas. To everyone else, pls let me know what you think as well:)Enjoy💜)

"If crime is a social disease..." you start to read excitingly, before getting interrupted by your phone ringing. "Who the fuck could that be?" It was 9 am on a Saturday. You woke up extra early just in time to watch the mailman walk all the way up to your door from your window. There isn't even a word to explain how ecstatic you've been now that your package has finally arrived. Weeks upon days upon every last minute, you've been waiting to get your hands on the newest comic. Admire every color and line down to the smallest detail. Feel every single page under your finger tips, making it yours. Fuck.

You pick up your phone and sigh in slight annoyance. "yello," you mutter, trying not to sound like you want to kick the ass of whoever the fuck is on the other end. "Hey y/n...what are you doing?" It was none other than TS Quint, one of your close friends. You would say best friend, but Brodie insists that "only one" can claim that title. Brodie actually introduced you two a while back, considering the fact that you guys had a lot of similarities. Same taste in music, same drive to be a good person, same "lousy want for cheesy romance", same soft heart, and so much more. He was right, it was definitely true. The amount of late night phone calls, drunk adventures, and much needed deep talks should earn you the best friend title, even TS secretly agrees. Maybe not THE best friend, but A best friend is more like it. Which is why he called you this early in the morning. TS could count on you when it came to almost anything. Almost.

"Playing rock, paper, scissors with myself. Why what's up," you answer sarcastically, rolling your eyes at your own humor.

"C'mon, seriously! Are you busy? Please tell me you're not." You can hear the stress in TS' voice, his tone sounding way more weak than the typical morning raspiness. He's usually one to throw a witty reply right back at you unless there's something bothering him.

"Well I wassssss trying to read that new comic I've been waiting on...but you sound like you've either got run over by a bus or you haven't slept in days. What's going on?"

A loud groan buzzes from his end. You can feel his exhaustion through the phone. "I haven't!!!! I been tossing and turning all night. I can't seem to get in a comfortable position and it's driving me insane. It's been fucking hours!"

You can't help but feel atleast a little bad for him. At the end of the day, friendship is always more important than some comic..well...for the most part. "Okay soo..your next best solution is hanging out with me?" You knew he needed some comfort, but you wanted to tease him a little before saying yes.

TS groans even louder and let's out a long sigh. "Please y/n? I'm sick of being in this house and even more sick of my inability to relax. Plus, I wanted to see you anyway..." The sincerity and pureness of his last admission made you melt. Despite Quint's many many stresses, he always has a soft spot for you.

"Let me guess. You called Brodie first. He didn't answer."

A nervous chuckle slips through his lips. You can imagine his anxious facial expression already. "Well yeah, I always call Brodie first..." Small guilt starts to flow through his veins. "You know he won't be awake till another 5 hours from now," he tries to distract you from the previous topic as his voice shakes a little.

"Hmm, so what you're telling me is that if Brodie wasss awake, you wouldn't have even bothered to reach out to me?" At this point you were just coming for his life. It's always been super easy to get under his skin.

"Damn it y/n, can I come see you or not?" Man he sounded irritable. He wanted so bad to be a smartass back but he didn't have the energy.

"Yes you can come over," you reasure him in a now warmer tone as a smile tugs at the corners of your lips. "I was just fucking with you. See you soon, Quint."

You can practically hear him jump out of bed. "Thank GOD. I'm getting dressed and leaving. See you in a few." He hangs up immediately, missing your laugh at his relief. TS sure was a character.

As you lift the comic back up to your eyes, the heroes on the pages stare right back at you. A quiet sigh escapes your lips, signifying a silent goodbye for now. You gently place the comic on your desk, gazing at the cover one more time to remind yourself of the excitement. You didn't bother changing your outfit. You felt comfy and knew TS didn't care what you looked like anyways..he'd probably show up looking a bit frazzled considering his current state. As you lazily walk to your door, you mentally prepare yourself for whatever TS is about to hit you with. The warmth of your shoes envelopes your feet as you slip them on before you head outside. You figured you'd wait for your friend to arrive, but within no time, you can already see his car in the distance speeding down the street. Faint sounds of electric guitar fills your ears more and more the closer he gets.

The car screeches as he barely parks in your driveway. Clearly he was in a rush to see you. You walk up to his car as he rolls down his window. His hair was a bit of a mess but somehow he didn't look anywhere near how Brodie looks when he wakes up. He was wearing a flannel and jeans per usual. "There you aree," he says with a smile. His eyes watch you climb into the passenger seat and close the door. "Here I am," you sigh, throwing out sarcastic jazz hands, smiling right back at him.

"Sorry I look..like this..." He awkwardly gestures at himself in embarrassment. "It has been a very long night." His hands grab hold of the wheel as he looks down at his lap and exhales.

"Atleast you don't look like jay after having an "adventurous night." You should see the look of that man with a weed hangover. His hair all over his face and his shirt somewhere across the street in a bush." He looks at you with wide eyes trying to imagine the sight. "But anyways tell me what's on your mind? What's stopping mister TS from sleeping at night?" You gently nudge his shoulder, playfully trying to get something out of him. You know he's one to feel a lot, but struggle to let it out without being asked.

"I don't..I don't know! I just couldn't get comfortable and my head was racing..with a million things. Nothing specific." The slight hint of anxiousness in his voice stood out more than a peacock in a flock of pigeons.

"Cut the bullshit TS, tell me what's wrong," you say a little sternly, careful not to sound angry at him. You've said that sentence to him on multiple occasions.

"It's nothing, don't worry. Just couldn't sleep...besides...here look. I found this new band you'll like. I burned some songs onto a cd for you." Your eyes widen as he quickly tries to shift your focus onto something else other than his thoughts. TS leans over you and whips open his glove compartment. Like always, cds and cassettes fly out onto your lap. No matter how many times you've told him, he fails to keep that part of his car organized. It really is a messy representation of his music taste.

"C'mon which one is it? I swear I put it on the top." He hurriedly shuffled through his collection. Some cds had cases, whereas others did not. He tossed some on your lap as you watched him frantically search. You always enjoyed Quint's high appreciation for great music, both underground and well-known. Sharing songs with you was just another adorable love language of his. But at the moment you knew he was avoiding facing the conflicts of his mind right in front of you. "TS..."

"Ahhh here it is!" He lifts the cd in the air between you guys, giving it a little shake as he was careful not to get thumb prints on it. You can see he had written some words on it in sharpie, but before you had time to read it he quickly inserted it into the car. Groovy bass fills the air, following the loud pop of a snare drum. TS starts lightly drumming his steering wheel with his hands. The song wasn't bad, but you reach over to lower the volume so you can talk to him.

He gently grabs hold of your hand to stop you. "Oh you don't like this one? That's okay, cause I know for SURE you'll love the next one, dude." He presses the skip button and increases the volume even more. His hand releases from yours as he air guitars to the music. It was always entertaining to see him put on a show for you, but now wasn't the time.

"TS..." you say again trying to get his attention, but ofcourse that was a fail. You sharply inhale, finally reaching to turn off the music completely. TS abruptly stops and his jaw drops. "Heyy what was that f-"

You don't let him finish his sentence for obvious reasons. "Talk to me," your voice now stern and serious. His blue eyes lock with yours, softening in such a way that reveals even more exhaustion than before. He likes to think he's good at hiding things, but Quint's eyes speak louder than any words out of his mouth will.

TS sighs and drops his hands to his lap, his fingers playing with the bottom of his flannel for comfort. "I'm scared.." The tone of his voice drops, sounding extra vulnerable.

"Scared? Scared of what??""

"Wasting time..." he mumbles, clear enough for you to hear him.

"TS what on earth are you talking about?" You slightly raise an eyebrow as you try to read the emotions on his face.

"The future, y/n! My future," he starts, his words now filled with passion. "We're not teenagers anymore. We're adults. And it fucking scares me. I don't know what I'm doing or what I should be doing to prepare myself for it all. I don't even know how to "adult."

You feel your heart drop at his honesty. His words hit too close to home. The material of your pants suddenly seems interesting as you listen to TS pour his feelings out to you.

"It all scares me. Some days I'm fine and other days I'm completely losing my mind. So much so to the point it keeps me awake at night, clearly," he again gestures to his appearance as his eyes widen in annoyance. "I don't know what to do or what I even want to do! I spend so much time trying to dive into the shit I like and find more shit exactly like it. It's almost like a distraction from entering the real world. I mean..comics, music, video games, partners...what if all of it is just a waste of fucking time?"

The pain is TS' voice felt like a flame against your skin. You hated knowing your best friend was feeling this way. Everything he was saying felt indescribably relatable, but you didn't think he realized that. "TS..."

He keeps going and doesn't let you speak. "I don't know how they do it! There's tons of other people our age who know exactly what they're doing and exactly where they're going to end up. It's like they have the list of steps right in front of them! But then what? What if they do get there? Are we just supposed to repeat the same cycle of work, eat, and sleep everyday for the rest of our lives? I can't do that!!!"

He pauses to take a breath. He gazes into your eyes searching for some kind of comfort or answers. His cheeks are starting to flush a little from his ranting. You try to chime in. "Ya know I feel-"

TS interrupts again, revealing that he still had more to say. "I like hanging out with my friends. I like spending hours in comic stores or records shops. I like being stupid and getting drunk and high and just living without any worries. But it makes me feel so guilty. I'm so confused! You don't hear about adults doing what we do. Everything is "oh I can't I have work. I have to take care of the kids. Ah shit I can't I have to pay my bills next week." It sickens me! Obviously I want a job and a good future where I don't have to worry, but I can't even begin to describe the amount of emotions that bubble up inside of me everytime I think about it all. There's so many ways to turn and paths to take! The fact that one wrong decision can completely screw up the outcome of our future scares the fucking life out of me. It's so draining! What if-"

"TS!!" You didn't want to interrupt, but God knows how long he would've kept rambling and going in circles. "I understand you," you admit.

His eyebrows raise in surprise. "You do?"

"Duh. Do you think I'm not as lost in life as you are? I'm in the same boat. You're young. We're young. It's confusing as shit yeah, but we have so much time," you try to comfort him despite agreeing with every word he said.

"But it doesn't feel like it. We may be young but not as young as we used to be. It feels like the days fly by way quicker. Especially on days we fuck around and do what we actually wanna do."

"I know it does. It's bound to be that way the older we get. That's why it's important to appreciate every second and live in the moment. You're not living life if you're just worrying about the future, man."

TS looks out the window and takes a deep breath. It looks like he's trying to accept what you're telling him but still struggling.

You reach over and place your hand on his shoulder. "It's normal to worry about this shit, TS. It's completely okay, I promise. But you gotta be in the present. I have trouble focusing on the right now, too. You know that. We all grow our own way. There's no rule or age limit to life. No matter how old you are or where you are in your journey, you will always have room for growth. Everybody's chapters are different lengths, whether it may be love, success, happiness..you have the right to take as long as you need to read each one. Even turn the pages back to them anytime..."

Quint looks at you completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe it. You knew yourself you were a little wise when it came to helping others. Listening to your own advice is something you have to work on, though.

"And about being afraid of wasting your time..don't. You spending time with your friends and finding joy in your favorite things isn't bullshit, TS. That is what's MEANT to be happening right now. You're figuring out who you are. What you love. What makes you, you. You're decorating your soul and building the future TS that younger TS always wanted to be. And maybe time flying by while doing all these things is actually a good thing. It means you're truly enjoying what makes you, you. I think you should continue spending time where time disappears. A full life goes fast and in the end, time that flies is time well spent." You smile warmly at him, secretly being impressed at the wise words that just came out of your mouth.

"Holy shit. You're right." TS' eyes widen in sudden realization. He was always one to be extremely grateful for meaningful advice. Through the deep exhausted state in his blue eyes, you now notice a glimmer of light. A tired expression now mixed with a sense of awakeness from relief. "What do I do about fearing the cycle of doom?" A playful smile starts to form on his lips, knowing you understood what he meant.

"Honestly, I can't tell you to not be afraid about that part. Fuckin hell. You and I both are afraid of living that God awful cycle of work, eat, and sleep all while suffering silently till you die. Shit, I swear on my life that so many other people our age are afraid of that crap, too. We're young, TS. We have time. We'll figure it out. Life will do it's thing. Don't compare yourself to anyone who's "doing better than you." I say it all the time.." You put your hand out, expecting him to finish the sentence.

"Comparison is the thief of joy." He quoted in a now content tone of voice.

"Exactly, my friend. See? You had it in you all along." It pleases you to finally see TS show off a full smile this morning, especially because of your assistance. You reach out and ruffle his hair gently, the soft brown strands standing up in different directions. "You'll be alright, TS. I promise."

He pushes your hand away with a giggle and flattens down the mess. His eyes meet yours as he gently grabs hold of the sides of your face. "Thank you, y/n. You're a genius. I seriously don't know what I'd do without you."

Your heart going from a huge drop to cozy comfort in such a short time was pretty similar to a rollercoaster. But being friends with TS literally felt like being on one anyways. "No need to thank me, man. It's what I'm here for."

"I'm so fucking glad I came to see you instead of Brodie. He probably would've told me to just rub one out and move on," he admitted with an awkward chuckle.

"You probably should have," you joke. That definitely would have knocked him out for sure. One of the common traits you both shared was also having crude humor at even the worst moments.

"Do you wanna do me a quick favor?" TS' eyes nervously jump around side to side. He was being playful as usual, but he damn sure always had the balls to ask despite knowing your answer.

"No."

"Okay."

The air fell silent. Faint sounds of wind and birds singing mixed with the purring of the car until TS spoke up. "So uhhh..about that comic. You wanna go inside and enjoy it with me? I know how long you've been waiting for it."

Finally. You knew TS well enough to know he was also interested in experiencing the things you loved with you, just as you did with him. There was no way he wouldn't have brought it up eventually this morning. "You bet!"

Both of you climb out his car. While you walk to your front door, he wraps an arm around your shoulder and pulls you close. He gives you a small, much needed side hug while simultaneously ruffling your hair this time to playfully get you back for earlier.

"You jerk," you mumble as you nudge him away.

"Yeah, your favorite jerk."

Like he does everytime, TS slides his shoes off at the door. No matter how many times you tell him he doesn't have to do that, he still insists it's only respectful he does. His parents raised him well without a doubt. You teased him for it, but he knew you admired that trait. Once in your room, he plops down onto your bed, face first. He stays still and groans. "mmfcomfy."

"You're so stupid haha. Move over." You grab the comic and sit on the bed next time him as he rolls over and leans back on your pillow. He snatches a still full bag of chips you had left open earlier off your nightstand and starts eating them. You didn't even care at this point. You were happy you had helped your best friend feel a little better and finallyyy was having the comic nerd moment you've been waiting for.

A common position you guys spend together took place yet again. Your head rests on TS' chest while his hands rest partially on your stomach. A lot of the time, you're holding a comic, tilting it up enough for him to also see the pages and be able to flip them for you if you're reading it aloud to him. One of the unique habits he has during these moments always puts a smile on your face. If he's wearing a flannel, specifically unbuttoned, he will throw the extra fabric over you. It's almost like he's trying to cover you with the smallest blanket, or make himself feel closer to you somehow.

"I am now in the present. Experiencing a new comic with my best friend. I can feel the time flying by already," he playfully quotes you with a soft sigh.

You start to read the comic to him, listening to him quietly gasp or hum to the art or dialogue he enjoyed. It wasn't until 4 pages in that he got quiet. You can feel his breathing pattern on your back grow slower. Careful not to wake him, you lift your head slowly to see the physical answer for why he stopped replying. Thank God. TS finally fell asleep. After all those hours of struggling and stressing, he now looks like he took a visit to Peaceful Town.

You lean back down into his chest, feeling his hands gently hold you tighter in his sleep. The comic was everything you've been dreaming about, but even in the midst of excitement, you realize this is a beautiful moment free of worries. No need to worry about responsibilities or the future or running out of time. Just as the heroes in the comic live out their purpose, you allow yourself to do the same. Living in the moment, drifting into a calming snooze with TS Quint.

-Flight🪽

#woah flights first clerks fanfic oh em gee #tbh my first ever public fanfic of any fandom:00 #surprised it wasnt bout randal jay or holden tbh #funny enough i wrote these on very sleepless nights..it took 4eva but im proud #please lmk what u think if youve had time to read it #also plspls PLS dont steal. i put a lot of feelings and hard work into this<3 #fanfiction #mallrats #mallrats fanfiction #view askewniverse #come get fed #view askewniverse fanfiction #ts quint #i love him hes so underrated #kevin smith #jay and silent bob #wholesome #not my dividers #also not my pics but i DID edit them up a bit #can you recognize what comic the line is from #also feel free to use your imagination for what band he was showing you in 95'#was personally thinking blink bc they didnt blow up till a few years l8r #ok running away now baiiii 💌

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