a^2 ) skin-writing, flower-stealing n a gifted heart

[gently]

ＴＯＢＹ ＭＯＮＴＧＯＭＥＲＹ
────────────────────────────────
the sun was beginning to fall from it's throne in the sky, painting what remained of the endless stretch of blue with breathtaking ribbons of orange and purple. it felt like such a long time since toby had watched the sun go down - and he remembered seeing it through the window of his room in ward 7c and thinking; alright, i made it through another day, which means i can do the same tomorrow. and that transition from light to dark had been a hope-filled reminder for toby that he was still strong enough to keep going. now it was different, feeling the daylight disappear from around him left him feeling more sad than anything else, because it surely meant that soon he'd have to stop talking to this person who had brought so much change in a short space of time and how was he to know whether or not he'd wake up in the morning to find the words gone? like it was all just a perfect dream.

nonetheless he remained where he was on the front-porch step. the street was much quieter now, only the occasional car zipping by with it's headlights beaming ahead. toby pulled his jacket closer around himself, keeping a watchful eye on the blank space of skin below his last message, patiently awaiting a reply. it took a little while - maybe she wasn't sure how to reply to his question, or maybe there was something serious going on that she was trying to find a way to avoid talking about. or maybe you're overthinking it? his subconscious chipped in.

that's right, you have too many cute things about you, i strain to remember which one i was talking about. the looped words made him grin like a moron as he watched the rest of them appear, the lid of his marker gripped between his teeth for a lack of a better place to put it. she finished with i'm - good, as long as you are too. though, i'm thinking about visiting the cemetery later this week, and it was there that toby found himself stuck for what to say. had she been right in front him physically he might of asked whom she would be visiting (before regretting it instantly and trying to piece together an apology because jeez you don't just ask people that) but he couldn't just write that. he wanted to be comforting but if she wanted him to know she'd say something and the last thing he wanted was to come off as rude. instead he scribbled down a slightly more thought-out response, though at this point he was straining his eyes to see what he was writing. he hoped it was legible, at least. i'm really sorry about that. hey, if you ever want some company you know how to find me. i'm always here (: and she did know how to find him, really. all she had to do was write the words and they'd figure it out from there. was that too vague? probably, but he wasn't really thinking about it.

he sighed and realised just how cold it had gotten since he'd come out so he got up from his spot, dusted off his jeans and headed back inside, grateful for the warmth that engulfed him the second he passed through the door frame.

[yeeee i got a post up woo! sorry
for the wait. you're a star for being patient c:]

[ruse]

xxxxxxxxＡＶＹＮ ＨＥＮＤＥＲＳＯＮ
xxxxxxxxlighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?

xxher good mood seemed to fade with the sun's dripping warmth, the tints of orange and red and pink marrying with purples and cool cool hues, some tepid blues soaked with stars and faraway suns. avyn, by nature, was a worrier and an overthinker and her actions were often outlined with hesitation and highlighted by uncertainty and a terrible deal of contemplation towards her audience's part (what if they take it the wrong way? am i coming off too much? am i mirroring them well enough? am i enough for them? will i ever-) even if it's a person she'd thought she'd known for years and had a bulleted list she pocketed in her mind for, even if she was in love once with this particular person (some would argue, she still is in love, regardless of whether he was pushing up daisies or peonies and his heart was caged up behind the xylophone ribs of a new owner). was she too forward mentioning the cemetery, how'd he react? by the time avyn looked out the window again, the sun had traded off with the moon as mother nature's primary choice lamp and her mind was saying, 'beautiful things don't live so long; you should know, he was only eighteen'.

xxthe girl forced her thoughts to dissipate, goosebumps brandishing her arms - she was covered in blankets, but her skin was still speckled with shivers as much as it was written on. she tried to pass time by glancing out the window some more and counting all the stars bedazzling the night scene like the shoes she wore when she was about eleven young (not as thickheaded then, nor with a lonely space where innocence used to reside in her). she'd some homework to do later on, and maybe something actually productive besides tallying stars and waiting on a dead person to write you back on your arm. and there was tomorrow too, whether or not if this was a one-time thing, a trick of her eyes to dilute her desperation or something tangible and would stay when she pinched her temporarily tattooed skin. her gaze lowered to her arm, meeting the crooked, careful but hasty writing with clouded eyes and a smile (was this the third? or fourth?), lingering stare fixed on 'i'm talking to you ..', dangerous words that paired her heart with a fleeting tempo. more distorted scrawl began to form on her arm, and she heard footsteps and voices grumbling in, the announcement of her parents coming home with a seal of the front door. the cap of her marker popping off again, rustle of blanket as she shifted for a better position to respond in.

xxavyn struggled some to make out the newfound writing residing on her arm, a little bit of sadness sinking in replaying the script in her head. and something almost unreadable, something like frustration or anger burning anew, (was he sorry for leaving her? they were soulmates and- she loved him, more than she would admit to him, more than he loved his peonies and how danger tasted on his lips). i thank you, the girl found herself slipping into a colder character, shaking it off irritably (he seems sincerely sorry, avyn, don't do this). his following statement put her at a standstill for a moment before she regained composure. i'll keep that in mind, you being on demand. almost like - a dog? or is that too far of a comparison? but i'm here for you too, always.
xxshe almost ended with 'i love you'.



(same to you, sorry for the wait; i had some fam over <: should we timeskip to the cemetery scene or next or wait a little more btw?)

[gently]

ＴＯＢＹ ＭＯＮＴＧＯＭＥＲＹ
────────────────────────────────
a glance up at the ageing clock that ticked obnoxiously loudly in the living room told toby that it wasn't really all that late, but he found a sense of tiredness lingering over him anyway, weighing on his eyelids and drawing a yawn from him. considering he hadn't had a full day at school in so long it made sense that he would be a little more tired than usual and the nerves that had kept him up late into the night before definitely did not help. he glanced back down at the script on his skin and sighed. he'd just have to have faith that this whole interaction hadn't been a wonderful dream and she'd still be there, on the other side or whatever, when he woke up in the morning. still, he was reluctant.

the boy realised he hadn't eaten anything since he'd come home. alright, i'll eat and then bed, he thought idly as he popped a few pieces of bread into the toaster and leaned against the kitchen island. shrugging off his jacket he found a response was waiting for him. i'll keep that in mind, you being on demand. almost like - a dog? he laughed aloud at that and found a small, blank space further up his arm to begin writing back. you know what? i like dogs so i'm going to go ahead and take that as a compliment (: the final part of her message left him with a feeling something akin to longing. he knew it wasn't uncommon for soulmates to never meet in person, but he wanted nothing more than to actually have her right in front of him so that they could talk face to face, he could hear what her voice sounded like and know what she looked like when she laughed. and for a few insane seconds he felt like writing that down, but held back out of fear of coming off as really freakin' weird.

instead his next reply read: but thank you, it means a lot. it's early-ish but i think i'm gonna head to bed bc i'm super tired, sorryyy :p ur gonna have to promise me u won't disappear in the morning! wow, the amount of clear skin on both of his arms was seriously shrinking, but toby couldn't get over how much he liked the way it looked. there was the clear difference in both of their handwriting (and the pens they were using) but he couldn't help but think how well it all pieced together - much like pieces in a mosaic.

his toast popped up and he covered it in cheese spread (which he was not ashamed to admit he loved, thank you very much) before practically inhaling it along with a glass of water and his nightly medication. he yawned again and trudged up to his bedroom, looking forward to curling up under the covers and falling into sleep's comfortable embrace. he decided to add a last minute farewell to the graffiti on his arm before getting into his pj's. he wrote - nighty night, talk later ♥

[i think a timeskip sounds gooood c:
pumped for that scene.]

[ruse]

xxxxxxxxＡＶＹＮ ＨＥＮＤＥＲＳＯＮ
xxxxxxxxlighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?

xxshe was tempted to pull on a sweater as an alternative to tugging on the blanket to keep on, though a glance at the words lingering on her skin stopped her. she found herself biting on her lower lip (a bad habit that she'll likely not grow out of) and replacing her backpack and binders and pencils and markers on the bed (the more the merrier to mar her skin with), and beginning on her homework. something to stall while lying in wait for the conversation to continue (irony, she used to use this device of fate's to distract her from schoolwork before). bringing her knees close, forming a sideways makeshift desk out of her porcelain thighs. avyn spared another look at her arm, covering her mouth with a hand for fear her laugh would ring out. there was no space in time between her movement to seek out the marker and comment; oddly optimistic; just as i remember you haha, tho good answer; she smiled down fondly at her reply just below his, ap chemistry long forgotten (or more like, shoved out of her mind in favor of talking to a cute boy that made her smile with some of her teeth and blush, like she was in fifth grade and her crush of a mere eleven years and four months gave her candy on valentine's). and dogs? considerably better than humans, her writing drawled out, honest truth; there was a reason dogs were a human's best friend, or many actually. probably.

xxin the pocket of her backpack she found a bag of doritos, all crisp edges and mostly in-tact triangles and she could feel her more logical side losing out -this isn't dinner, it's more snack, av- to teenaged thinking - it's only one bag, and your metabolism's only this good for so long and this blanket is really comfortable too, yeah? she wrapped the blanket arond her arms, never reaching the skin-writing. her eyes scanned through the masterpiece they've made throughout the day and memories washed over her like an ocean; holding hands and thinking he had been like the moon (there, but always a quiet one), taking his presence for granted and calling his laugh the soundtrack of her life. her hand was cold now, but her arm bared words. the words never ran over each other, close but never touching and looking like stars in the sky almost. the girl laughed lowly, hollowly at this sighting, an empty sound to fill unneeded space. she wondered if she offered her life, her world to fate, would she able to get another glimpse -just one, that's fine- of her soulmate?

xxmore script was arranging, drawing closer to the bend of her elbow: but thank you, it means a lot. it's early-ish but i think i'm gonna head to bed bc i'm super tired, sorryyy :p , this won a small show of teeth from the girl and a roll of her eyes. long day huh? alright, you go get your beauty rest, pretty boy ;p she borrowed his emoticon, adding a wink. at his next words, she took more caution: i'll promise you that, her writing spelled out, if you promise me the same. good night, i lo until tomorrow, love.


( boop boop timeskip begins here ye )


xxavyn found herself in the grasp of another uneventful day, gray areas and an endless loop of droning teachers from goverment to algebra ii. she decorated the corners of her notes with epitaphs for herself -a girl who wore tragedy like makeup and became a walking disaster, seeing everything in diluted brilliance, whose smile never reached her eyes anymore- and her friends, as well as he -the boy who didn't live long enough and whose laugh never reached the distances it was supposed to and who died for a girl who wasn't worth saving- and occasionally, somewhat subtly, checked her arms for more words under the arms of the cable knit sweater she wore that smelled vaguely like his hugs and his terrible ax cologne and the smoke he used to breathe.

xxafter school however, that's when things began to pick up color, almost like how she was scheming to pick up peonies from a house whose address she didn't know, just the flowers that stood guard and stoic and they were lovely - she remembered, he had liked the taste of danger as much as she liked the taste of his open mouth on hers. maybe, that's what prompted her to think of stealing the flowers in the first place. that, and they were his favorite - a boy like him who had smoked cigarettes and cursed as much as he had laughed enjoyed flowers and even had a favorite (she still thought it was strange, but it was one of the things she had adored about him). they were right there in the open, easy to take (easier than a life, her mind added) in a quaint garden and no one looked to be around to witness a crime in action. and they were peonies, and he had loved them; he always used to blush and turn away talking about them, only mumbling 'they're easy to take care of' and avyn recalled looking up their meaning a month after she had donned all black and joined a group of shadows who weren't just themselves anymore without him (sunflowers represented love, honor, beauty; ironic, considering he died before he could vote). she would take the flowers as if she were in the midst of a covert mission, with him tugging on her arm and telling her to 'hurry up your ass; we're gonna get caught!' (if anything, it was shadow trying to pull her away from the possible crime scene this time around).



(same same i decided to skip to the next day and after school, and now she's at toby's house and planning to steal the peonies?? but legit she's just squatting by the flowers and getting pumped tbh; also rip for long   post)

[gently]

ＴＯＢＹ ＭＯＮＴＧＯＭＥＲＹ
────────────────────────────────
the violent buzzing coming from his phone's alarm tore toby away from the wonderfully peaceful sleep he'd been so content in. it was surprising how quickly he managed to fall asleep the night before considering the way that his head had been ablaze with a million thoughts and questions - most of them concerning his soulmate. the foreign heart inside his chest seemed to beat a tiny bit faster (in a totally cliche way) when he glanced down at his arms, still littered with the words they had exchanged; now slightly smudged and faded from a night of sleep. he traced a finger over the last thing she'd said and he couldn't remember if he'd seen it before falling asleep or not. good night, i lo until tomorrow, love. toby frowned, confused. it was possible that her head had just been somewhere else and she'd made an error, but it felt like something else. like words she had wanted to say but could not bring herself to write. he sighed and threw the covers off of himself. classes wouldn't wait for him.

he reluctantly changed his warm and cozy pajamas for a pair of jeans that were a little worn at the knees, a faded t-shirt gray and a jacket lined with wool. he somehow managed to mess up tying the laces of his shoes three times before getting them to stay put, lazily trudged downstairs for breakfast and his medicine before finally making it out the front door. he hadn't found the time to write a morning greeting and as far as he knew there was nothing new from her either so toby simply assumed she was busy and elected not to bother her. it would probably do him well to focus on classes too - he was behind enough already.

morning classes weren't so bad - toby found that he quite enjoyed the new topic they were studying in biology - but as the day dragged on he just got more and more bored. people were more talkative towards him today, like they'd just noticed his return and/or remembered who he was exactly. the people he actually considered good friends was relatively small but they were his group and they probably would be until the end of school where they'd all split off in different directions and inevitably lose contact with each other forever. surprisingly the thought didn't bother toby all that much. he liked meeting new people and looked forward to being able to get out of his hometown. nothing was really keeping him here apart from the team at the hospital who were still monitoring his progress and school.

the home bell was music to his ears. toby took his time going home, stopping in at the corner store to buy a small hoard of those really cheap lollipops that he liked to have in his bedside table in case of emergency midnight snacks. 'you should probably take it easy on the sugar, tobes' his mother's voice echoed somewhere in the corner of his mind. nonetheless he tore the wrapper off of a blue one and trapped it between his teeth. as a general rule, blue candy was always the best candy in toby's humble opinion. his soulmate popped back into his mind all of a sudden, perhaps because his general train of thought was on sweet things at the time. he was somewhere in the middle of deciding what to talk to her about when he got home when something stopped him in his tracks. a figure crouched beside his peonies, looking about as shifty as a person could while looking at flowers. he was no expert, but he was fairly certain she wasn't just stopping to admire them. she was set to bolt at any given moment and her hands were moving in a way that made it look like she was unsure of her next move. he raised a curious eyebrow, stepping closer and plucking the lollipop out of his mouth and leaving his tongue stained blue. he cleared his throat, more to let her know he was there than anything else.

"excuse me? hi. if i may ask - what exactly are you doing?" he asked, trying to keep the amusement from showing on his face as he tilted his head to the side, blinking his blue eyes at the girl.

[oh my god my first three paragraphs were
sorta just drivel ;w; sorryyy this is kinda bad.
random thought - when they shower, do all of
the words wash off? or just the ones they wrote
themselves? this is the stuff that keeps me up at
night, man.]

[ruse]

xxxxxxxxＡＶＹＮ ＨＥＮＤＥＲＳＯＮ
xxxxxxxxlighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?

xx" ... what exactly are you doing?"

a voice. it's right there and god, av, you should've been faster and looked less fishy (how does one pull off the criminal look around flowers, i don't know how but ask her) and don't look up and -wait, she's losing her balance anyways- was that squeak his or hers? hers; it's all mine, her thoughts answered, and she sorta wished that the higher powers that could be watching, studying her behind those damn clouds would come and answer her message: save me before this becomes too awkward. and her mind now, it was running a number of possible moves to maneuver through this situation.


- sweet-talk
yourself out (he already has a tooth for the cav-
ity-induced things evidently, too).

- lie like hell.
- aim low;
don't give him room to recover.

- bolt;
run before he can (alt option; include the peonies).

but there was something in this boy's day blue eyes that sparkled; maybe it was the sun trapping in his eyes, or how the artificial hue of his lollipop (she saw the color around the rims of his lips) didn't quite reflect the brightness he seemed to radiate (there was something about him, it reminded her of another boy who'd rather wear tattoos instead of actual shirt sleeves -once upon a time-, even if they shared no physical similarity). you're smarter than this avyn, don't jeopardize yourself like this. the girl nursed her lower lip between her teeth, lips pulling into a frown a little while she contemplated her options and got from her compromising state pop-squatting. she offered a mere smile, like it'd alleviate the awkwardness in the air like just adjusting the bunsen burner in class the other day.
"i'm - sorry, this was-" avyn found herself holding her arms and moving her hands while trying to explain and seeing pretty words and crooked ones where her sleeves ended (once, she would've shown them more publicly or bragged even, but she's a different person now). "this was strange, wasn't it?" she gesticulated, with a weak laugh in her throat. she dusted her jeans off, maybe a diversion to get her focus on something besides her rapid heartbeat that going tenfold the speed just a moment ago. "but hi, i'm avyn henderson and i was planning to steal your flowers to give to my boyfriend." it's his grave actually, and he's- well, kind of dead. she was lying through the slivers of her teeth and she was succeeding and how did it come to this she doesn't know but this was option four and she doesn't have a game guide to life to shed light on anything from here on out. "nice to meet you," the girl held out her hand, the same hand that'd hold the flowers if her plans worked and she hadn't hesitated and debated so much.

avyn found herself peeking at him (his eyes were captivating and she would probably drown in them if the circumstances were more flexible), and taking notes of his wear. brown hair, a little unkempt and he was pale in color (gamer kid? internet dweller or just a boy with bad genetics?) and looked to be her age, probably. a little taller than she, black jeans and black sneakers that seemed to melt into each other with the consistency of color. monochromes and like except for the jacket; jean, like the material of her pants -it was summer and he was wearing all those layers and he was holding a bag -probably fresh out of a local drug store- and if she had to take a guess, his fortune of summer-sky-colored lollipops were in there (how shocked would he be if she were to make a fifth option and steal the lollipops instead? an amusing thought for another day). "house." her eyes whipped from the boy's gaze to the house's (windows, probably judging the hell outta her if they could). "this is your house, isn't it? and your peonies, oh god -" the girl colored considerately, deep vermillion hues, "i meant to do this quick, and that- that is painting me in more guilty colors," she could've added, but does it look good? and talk honey tones like he did and there was a reason why he had worn fear in his eyes whenever he was tugging at her sleeve on those covert missions. you're lousy at this, and maybe she'd be better if the stakes were higher or if those eyes, if they weren't so damn blue.
"hold on, are you amused by this?" her eyebrows were locked in concentration and her gaze was full on his and his eyes looked like they were almost laughing, when she didn't look at him from her peripheral vision and addressed him head-on and hell, she was now and the scared girl act (less an act and more authentic, actually) was washing away and being hardened by anger.



(feat av's weakness for blue-eyed lovelies and rare panicky disposition o;
!!! but it was good drivel tho)

[gently]

ＴＯＢＹ ＭＯＮＴＧＯＭＥＲＹ
────────────────────────────────
avyn. he rolled the name around in his head, trying to think whether he had met this strange girl before. there was something in the way she spoke that almost felt familiar, but he couldn't seem to remember anything, leaving him quite certain she was a stranger. he wouldn't forget a face like hers anyway. as she stood from her somewhat awkward position beside his peony bush and began frantically trying to explain herself, toby found it increasingly more difficult to keep from laughing. from the guilt projected in her blue eyes and the color becoming increasingly more apparent on her cheeks it would seem that she expected him to be mad. why shouldn't he be, really? here she was, attempting to steal flowers from his home (and making very little attempt to talk her way out of it), but the only thing the boy could manage to do was smile like a complete dork.

"hold on, are you amused by this?" she demanded and this time toby was laughing a little bit. "is it that obvious?" he grinned and stepped forward to shake her outstretched hand, which felt oddly formal considering he was more of a high-five kind of person. he was finding it incredibly difficult to be angry at her. judging by the way she was reacting to the whole situation he would bet that this was her first offence and the thought of making her feel worse than she already did was tempting, but not tempting enough to outweigh the fact that she was adorable and some part of him felt bad. she had just wanted some flowers for someone she cared for. "it's nice to meet you, avyn the flower thief. i'm toby montgomery." she hadn't tried to run off even when she knew she'd been caught and, though the word sorry hadn't passed her lips, she seemed to be trying to explain herself honestly.

toby sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair, the stick from the lollipop still between his teeth. time to be a good person, montgomery, he thought to himself as he took a step closer to his prized flowers and began looking for the nicest ones. "listen, i'm not mad at you or anything - but maybe next time you could just ask?" he suggested, plucking four of the delicate flowers from the large collection of them littered throughout the bush. he turned back to hand the little bunch to avyn, something like mischief becoming apparent in his gaze as he got a really fun/terrible idea. "you can take these flowers and give them to your boyfriend but i want to come with you and meet him. y'know, just to make sure he's cute enough to warrant flower theft. these things are my pride and joy." he gave her a puckish wink. of course he could go into detail - oh, i grow these flowers as a tribute to the guy who is the literal reason i'm alive right now, no big deal - but he decided not to make avyn feel worse. she really seemed like just a sweet girl who wanted to do something nice for her boyfriend. sure, stealing was a strange way to go about it, but at that point in time toby didn't really care. she was endearing as hell and he wanted to listen to her talk for a while longer.

[toby 'the actual worst' montgomery is
here to ruin your day :D]

[ruse]

xxxxxxxxＡＶＹＮ ＨＥＮＤＥＲＳＯＮ
xxxxxxxxlighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?

xxthe girl was blushing madly still; pale skin like milk and cheeks the color of bubblegum. she suddenly wished for the bangs she wore in elementary school, a lame attempt to hide the flush of her cheeks. as the blush came closer to hues like vermillion, the boy seemed to grin wider - she wondered dimly, if it were appropriate to compare him to the cheshire cat.
avyn found herself flustered, though she felt her premature anger fading out. this boy with the eyes pretty like the sky, his laugh was somehow unsettling, though not particularly in a terrible way; it made her heart squeeze a little and he seemed eerily familiar even if she couldn't put a name to his face besides a feline character's name of a movie she watched young. "quite obvious, thank you very much; you could've tried to hide your smile at least," avyn murmured; she gripped his hand, shaking it briefly before retracting it to fold her arms and roll her eyes. she seemed to cross her arms more firmly hearing the moniker added to her name. "and you as well, toby the boy hoarding the blue lollipops. though avyn the flower thief," she tasted the addition on her lips, then shrugging. "not too shabby, actually."

she felt a shiver run through her body and a frown crease her lips. relief that he wasn't angry -verbal proof, instead of evidence found in the form of toothy smiles and cute, bubbling laughter- and a little disappointment (at herself or him?). toby was turned away momentarily as she chose her next words carefully. "i apologize for that, it's just-" she needed to be delicate here, it wasn't quite perfect etiquette telling a perfect stranger, 'it's the first time since i went to his grave since the funeral and i'm really nervous'. "we haven't seen each other in a while? but it's more like, i'm too scared to see him again, after so long, and i'll keep those words in mind, next time i steal someone else's flowers," she added with a small smile to seal the deal. maybe she was babbling too much, but if she knew her people right, she was talking just enough.
he'd plucked four flowers from his vast collection and handed them to her. she looked at the boy with large eyes, surprise, confusion and wonder in them. "wait- toby, are you sure about this? we've only just met and it wasn't exactly under the best of circumstances-" oh. 'i want to come with you and meet him', he'd said, and she sorta wished the sun was catching in her eyes and playing her as a fool. her eyes again widened at his suggestion and avyn was debating her options. she could run still, she had the flowers and she could -maybe- outrun this twig-thin boy. but she found herself shaping the words before she could think in her cloudy state of mind. "okay, deal," promise me you won't freak out when you find out he's dead? she forced another smile, hoping it wouldn't look as uncomfortable as she felt (heart knotting, brain a mess). "shall we go? the - his house, it's this way."

"do you have any other hobbies besides catching potential flower thieves?" she inquired, playing with a frayed thread on one of her sleeves while simultaneously pulling it up to cover up the conflicting script still on her arm. she wished she had tried more to wash it off, though she was faintly happy, so she could reread (or maybe, it was rerereread by this point) the conversation between the two of them. the girl had the flowers cradled in the other arm, faced inwards and toward the interior of the sidewalk toby and she strolled. she looked at him with somewhat expectant eyes; she'd be lying to herself if she said toby didn't intrigue her. and there was still that matter of that something about him that kept her mind ticking and restless. maybe it was that he laughed instead of screamed or maybe, something else completely out there. and it wouldn't hurt to make small talk for a while, right?



(gotta love him tho tbh)

[gently]

ＴＯＢＹ ＭＯＮＴＧＯＭＥＲＹ
────────────────────────────────
the more sensible side of toby was almost certain that avyn was going to downright refuse and tell him to leave her alone, which would have been a reasonable response to a complete stranger acting this way, but no. "shall we go? the - his house, it's this way." her words came as a pleasant surprise and left toby silent for a moment, blinking slowly as he processed exactly what was happening. he smiled brightly at her once more and moved to walk beside her, one hand shoved into the pocket of his jacket and the other running idly along everything within reach - the wooden fences surrounding neighborhood homes and branches stretching over the footpath from trees that were far too big for a front lawn. his stride was bouncy as per usual, like an excited child on their way to the carnival - but his sole focus was on the girl he was walking with. avyn was fascinating to say the least; something in her face and the way she carried herself was so mysterious, like she had a thousand secrets buried behind the tiny smiles she occasionally gave. of course she was beautiful too, though toby was trying his best not to focus on the fact that she was so attractive considering they were on their way to meet the boyfriend and he didn't want to be that guy.

the conversation on their little journey was pleasant and not near as awkward as it should have been for a couple of people who met just minutes ago in less than normal circumstances. "do you have any other hobbies besides catching potential flower thieves?" she asked him and toby actually had to think on that on. what did he do as a hobby? he would have liked to have been able to tell her something exciting, like he spent every other weekend rock climbing or snowboarding or literally anything that might have been remotely interesting. "apart from actually growing said flowers," he gestured to the peonies that avyn was now carrying with her, "i honestly don't do much. i watch a lot of movies and listen to a lot of music, oh and i used to walk my neighbors dogs, but i guess i just haven't had time lately," he shrugged and kicked a stray pebble along the pavement. toby turned his head to look at avyn once again, deciding he was a lot more interested in what she had to say. anyone who dedicated their spare time to stealing flowers had to have some fairly interesting stories and she had a nice voice that was just so easy to listen to and- no, bad toby!

"what about you though?" he mused, craning his neck back to look up at the sky while they walked. "tell me about the life and times of avyn henderson - do you commit a lot of minor theft or am i just special?" he looked to her when he said that, his teeth showing in a childish grin. avyn seemed like one of those people he could annoy to a certain extent so he fully intended to take advantage of that before she inevitably got irritated. the boy found that he was hoping their destination was further away - he wanted to keep spending time with her, just walking aimlessly along a quiet street with an endless stretch of sky overhead.

[this took a long time to get up i'm so
sorry buy heyhey here it is c': avyn is
the actual cutest ;w;]

[ruse]

xxxxxxxxＡＶＹＮ ＨＥＮＤＥＲＳＯＮ
xxxxxxxxlighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?

xxshe almost wanted to let her laughter spill over, at that innocent dance of confusion and surprise and pleasure on his face and in the twin mirrors people called eyes. an unexpected answer for both she and him. avyn felt one corner of her half-smile creep taller seeing toby take up the space next to her. her eyes wandered, taking in the scene unfolding before her. a lonely road, tired out by passing cars, a blue sky that hung above, birds that raced clouds with arms wide open. the knowing of summer trying to creep up on them like an excitable family relative. a girl holding a gathering of peonies tight in her arms like it were a babe, a boy with a bag of lollipops and contagious enthusiasm in his amble.
avyn looked back at the boy, regarding him with curious eyes (later she'll tell herself it was nothing more than curiosity of a boy who gave her flowers she'd originally wanted to steal and seemed a little bit cute, actually more than a little bit and he was trailing his fingers against everything he touched, that's-). and the way he walked, it caught her attention. it reminded her of the fifty-cent bouncy balls at chinese buffets, holding her mother's hand crossing the road, blowing up beach balls with red cheeks; a little bit of her childhood. the girl decided she liked toby very much; he was charming. in his own sort of way. special.

she was only catching his words half-heartedly, more or so more preoccupied with keeping in step with his strides (right foot, no - left foot, av) and watching him, the way he spoke and walked and breathed (was it wrong to say she was already captivated in the less-than-an-hour she'd put a name to that face of his and those blue eyes?). "gardening isn't anything to be shameful of for a hobby; honestly, i'm a little envious of you. i can only manage keeping track of a succulent," she commented on, though a bit sourly."oh, then what's your favorite movie? what music do you prefer? pardon the questions, though you come off as a guy who's familiar with good music," avyn replied. she wanted to press on the topic further, that lack of time, but she'd stow it away in her pocket for another time. and the girl'd flushed when he turned back the conversation to her, when he looked at her with the eyes colored like the sky. steadfast, they'd once call her, and here she was wavering and cracking her resolve. but really, she'd nothing much to defend against toby besides a mask she had already discarded when he caught her first. the feeling he gave her was somehow reminiscent of the atmosphere she shared with reese, though it was only a threadbare resemblance; like fate was tugging on her and it was parallel to a crab crooning kiss the girl into the shell of her ear, like it was a disney movie and she'd have her happy ending just as a princess would. avyn mused the option of toby already meeting his soulmate, but she believed if he had, he was the kind to love them close and never far, always ready to catch them when they fell and before they got back up.
"tell me about the life of avyn henderson - do you commit a lot of minor theft or am i just special?" she almost scoffed, instead favoring a less flamboyant, more nonchalant tactic; shrugging her shoulders and taking a breath. avyn held a tendril of brown hair between her fingers, bringing it to curl around her ear with the spare hand. "i don't do much more than you, just school and a part-time job a few days a week, yeah? and i used to do more rebellious things once, but that was a long while ago," she bit her tongue, "but you, toby montgomery, you are indeed an exception." she felt her smile grow, and she blamed muscle memory for it, that it felt genuine like last night's few.

"what grade are you in, by the way?" she again questioned, "if i can gander a guess, you'd be about my age. a senior in high school, yes or no?" maybe it was his cute gait or his childish expressions or curio fingers, but she felt like she could get used to a guy like toby, even if she was walking on a tight-line made out of lies and kept secrets (a boyfriend, she told him, but he's dead and we're actually visiting his grave instead). she was walking slower, she had noticed (also stopped trying to walk in step with toby); it would be nice, she thought, if the journey could stretch a little longer in time.


(it's fine !! don't worry friend, you're delivering good as usual; idk if you took your tests yet, but if you did i hope you did well and if not, v v much good luck to you <; if avyn is the actual cutest, toby wins for most adorable tbh and also i think we should introduce the cemetery in the next post bc i too want to keep with the cute convo just for a lil while more haha)