Csilla: A Tumblr-inspired oneshot from forever ago (it seems) :D
"C'mon you can't be serious, Mr. Bookman!" whined a petite brunette as she watched her new book being taken away by her evil history teacher.
"I am, you're disrupting my class" The redhead groaned as he walked back to the front of the classroom, ignoring the icy glare he was being given by the girl and her friends.
Dropping the book on his desk, the redhead went back to teaching class about ancient civilizations. The moment the bell had rung, the girl swiftly ran up to the front of the room demanding to have her book back.
"No can do, miss... I don't take kindly to people doing other things in my class so you'll have to behave for the rest of the semester then you can have your book back," He sighed as he slipped the book into his desk so the student couldn't snatch it away.
She stormed off, leaving the history teacher to his thoughts for a while; Lavi Bookman, a high school history teacher had dreamed of being the teacher that the students wanted to talk to but after learning the hard way that it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, he changed his attitude when he got the job at Rose Order Academy.
He wouldn't have another class for a few hours and he loved to kill time with a book; opening the drawer with the confiscated book, the redhead turned to the first page:
So I heard introductions are always the best ways to start things off on the right foot~ Let's see, my name is Allen... and by the looks of it, we're about the same age though you'd probably never believe me since I'm so short, huh?
An emerald eye blinked in confusion; did he confiscate a journal or something?
So what's your name?
"Lavi...?" His own name answered the written question before moving onto the next couple of lines:
That's the most interesting name I've ever heard! Hey, how about we play 20 questions so we can have more to talk about?
"I guess..." This was really the weirdest thing he had ever read in his life but this might explain his student's determination to have the book back. Maybe?
I'll start... Cats or dogs?
"Dogs..."
I see... I'm more of a cat person myself but oh well~ Having some differences makes things interesting!
Next question: favorite thing to eat...
"Steak... don't you ask a lot of questions?"
Mine would be: meat buns and I'm sorry, I bet you want to ask questions too.
At this the redhead found himself curious of the book so before turning to the next page, he asked: "Do you like history?"
Yes.
"Why are teenage girls buying books like these?"
No clue.
"Guess you don't have to deal with them, do ya?"
No, I don't.
"Lucky but then again, you're just a book..."
I take offense to that... I don't just talk to anyone! Beside you picked me out of the rest, I'm glad you did... You have such beautiful eyes so why waste it on someone not worth it!
"Guess you can't predict everything, can you Allen?"
I'm not a mind-reader... I just have a knack for some things~
"Like what, I wonder?" Lavi chuckled dryly.
Eating-
With one word, the redhead was laughing so hard, tears were threatening to rip from his uncovered eye.
Heeeey! Stop laughing at me! I-I mean itttt! Okay, its pretty funny~
"Sorry, man... couldn't help myself..." Getting the last of his chuckles out of his system as his eye scanned the rest of the page.
Well aside from the first one, I'm pretty good at cooking... though I'm sure that probably makes me sound like girly,
Imagining a short male pouting while explaining formed in the redhead's mind as he continued on:
but I like video games, sports... a little anime thanks to a friend of mine.
"Anime, huh? Been a while since I saw any..."
Memories of watching anime with someone during high school flashed in his head; as amazing as his memory was, he couldn't remember who that person was. Pushing aside that issue, Lavi relaxed and continued reading the book for the rest of the day - taking short breaks to teach his classes but immediately running back to the book as if magically drawn to it. The last bell of the day had long since rung, sitting alone in his classroom under the guise that he was grading papers, the redhead continued reading the book as it felt lighter and lighter in his hands.
Turning a page, a large block of text caught his attention so he dove in and read:
Can I confess something? It may sound strange but... hear me out, okay?
"...okay..." he let out a breathless whisper to the page.
I've seen your face many times~ Some times it smiles at me while other times it crumples like paper wet from rain. I've seen your face twist in turn into that funny look you get when you're bewildered, scowl when you're enraged. But mainly whenever I see your face, I see it calm and lovely~ You're eyes are so focused on me. You chew your bottom lip with each passing page.
At this, the history teacher blushed; it was natural habit of his when he focused on something especially reading, he'd chew on his bottom lip a little. But... how did this book know that? He kept going and with each word he continued:
Please don't be embarrassed! I like seeing your face! Some times when I don't see you for so long, I wonder if you've moved on from me but then when I catch your eye and hand tracing over my words once more: I'm overjoyed to know you've come back for me. My pages are worn from our visits and memories together and I know that someday... someday, I will simply fall apart.
You know my-I mean our story well... I wonder what I look like in your mind? That's the only place you've ever seen me. I wonder what my story sounds like to you? Whose voice do you imagine speaking back? Someone you love? Someone you've never met? Or maybe you're own voice - soft and warm, filled with affection. I will always remember the day you first opened my story; how you became curious to learn more, how you wouldn't want to put it down...
I love the sound of my name on your lips... I will never forget the catch in voice as you told me your own sadness or read my own sadness. Or how rushed your voice got when I embarrassed you.
Today as you flick through the pages of our time spent together, your eyes hold that same old "don't mess with me" spark that I saw the first time we met. I peer out through each opening to simply take in your face. I see your eyes start moving down the lines of letters, just like always. I watch you eagerly, waiting for that moment when the tension of your daily life slips from your body and you let me, my story embrace you.
But today, I can't see it. Not today... Today, you're eyes have stopped and are frozen in one spot. I move my hand to touch the one you have against the page but you're not looking at me. You're simply staring blankly at the space in the page before a tear slips pass your defenses and splatters against me. Your face is grim, angry and frustrated - so frustrated you cause me to wish I could reach out to you... hold you close... and whisper comfort into your ear.
I realize that I have failed, haven't I? I can no longer comfort you like this. For the moment all I can do is hang my head and let it rest against the papery cage as I cry along with you. I'm filled with sadness but its not like the usual kind - its heavier and it hurts like hell.
One more time, let me say this: I love you!
The history teacher sat there, tears rolling off his cheeks before splattering onto the pages; books were powerful things but... but he hadn't expected a book he confiscated from a student to move him to tears. His mind running wild with images of the young adult he was imagining confessing all of this to him and for that moment in time: he forgot he was only reading a book until a soft knock at his hollow classroom door stirred him from his thoughts.
"Ah... sorry, Mr. Lee told me to come here after school to introduce myself to the history teacher... would you be him?" A timid voice asked; green eyes widened as he gaped at the figure standing in his doorway.
An adult with familiarly beautiful snowy-white hair, bangs that slightly covered liquid pools of silver and nicely framed a baby face stood in the entrance; the redhead was entranced and could only muster a whispered 'yeah'. To say the other male was breath-taking would be an understatement; something about the other pulled at the teacher's heart strings as he stood up to introduce himself: "I'm Lavi Bookman and who might you be?"
"I'll be your teaching assistance, Mr. Bookman... My name is Allen Walker," Tears threatened to rip from green orbs at the mention of the name; the redhead's eyes widened in surprise. That someone he couldn't remember came rushing to him; a short white-haired boy who had the cutest pout and a deadly temper.
Reaching forward, without thinking, the redhead held the confused figure in the doorway against his chest; confusion that only lasted until silver pools caught a glimpse of the book on the teacher's desk. Pushing away, Allen slipped past Lavi who only watched as the other picked up the book with a breathless: "w-wait, is this...?" before sighing and placing the book back down gingerly.
Allen turned on his heels, his fingers still touching the front cover of the book, and asked: "So you've read the book, huh?"
His brain finally caught up with his body's recent actions, the redhead mumbled a quick: "Y-Yeah... s-sorry about h-hugging you... a-all of a s-sudden,"
"No, its fine... I'm just surprised you read it..." before Lavi could explain how he came by the book, Allen spoke again: "Back in high school, I had the biggest crush on you... It made me happy that you always came to me with all your problems and accomplishments, "smiling, "Actually this was something I wrote in hopes to give myself courage to confess to you someday... so let me ask one thing: Whose voice did you imagine speaking back to you?"
"Yours..." His answer seemed to surprise both of them; Lavi wasn't even sure why but somewhere along the way, the voice of the book changed and then stayed - focusing on a voice he hadn't heard since high school. Allen's voice. But why?
The redhead's voice shook as he spoke on: "I-I d-don't ev-even kn-know w-why," rubbing the back of his neck; he suddenly felt embarrassed but a quiet chuckle drew his attention away.
Allen's hand, gloved, covered his mouth as sounds that always made the redhead's mind freeze before a smile spread across his face; "The mind can be a scarily-accurate thing, when you read your mind automatically attaches a voice to every speaker... mostly using voices that you've memorized time after time... voices you never get tired of hearing," The snow-capped adult explained after he had calmed down.
"But we haven't seen or heard from one another since high school,"
"Your mind must have picked up on the tone of the speaker and allowed you to hear my voice reading,"
"How did it get into my classroom?"
"I... uh... m-might ha-have... err... forgotten where I uh... h-hid i-it,"
"Wait, you just left it at school?!"
"If I hadn't, you would have found it!"
"What would have happened if someone just walked off with it?"
There was silence and for a moment, Lavi felt bad for pushing the issue until: "I was already prepared to give up on my feelings," Allen solemnly replied.
A emerald eye widened; had his high school self really been that unapproachable? Could he have said something to make Allen consider giving up on his own feelings? Wait. This was beginning to sound like he also had feelings for the snowy teen, which he did not. At least as far as he knew.
"Don't think too much about it," Lavi's attention fell back on Allen as he continued: "I mean, of course I regret not having the courage to say something to you but that was high school... I no longer feel that way so I look forward to getting to know you once again,"
His gloved hand extended out, which the redhead took in his own before he decided to invite his former classmate and new teaching assistant out for coffee.
"I don't like coffee,"
"Trust me, you'll change your mind once you have Krow-chan's coffee~"
"Fine but if I don't you have to buy me mitarashi dangos,"
Page by page, you wrote about how you felt about me
And years later, I finally read what you wrote
And page by page, I feel myself
Falling for you.
Csilla: As posted on my soon-to-be finished Gray x Natsu multi-chapter fic, I will be working on my on-going fics as well as posting a bunch of oneshots to make up for the horrible writer's block I've been suffering with.
I apologize for everyone who is waiting [somewhat] patiently for Six Degrees of Separation, One Night and In My World to be updated - they will be updated! I promise.
I look forward to your reviews, threats, and love~