"Dear darling,

As we pace headlong and heedlessly through this troublesome exercise of existing, there will be those who will look upon us with fool eyes and decide that we are crazy.

And these people are what one would call correct.

You are a crazy adventurer, I am crazy enough to go on.

I am still not quite sure why you like me, let alone love me, but it is quite a thing that you do.

Happy Birthday.

(I still maintain that you said I love you first.)"

– 8-bitfiction


11:30 PM. He shakes the customer's hand and smiles. "I hope to have business with you again" he says before seeing them out, finally breathing for the first time since morning.

He goes back to the office to gather his stuff and go home, aware of the business meetings he'll have to attend tomorrow from an inhumanly early hour. There's no rest for brokers, not if you are as good as he is; so he stores the documents related to this last transaction, answers some e-mails concerning other clients and updates his agenda, leaving notes for the secretary to be sure everything's ready by the time he arrives to the office tomorrow.

xox

The ride home is quiet: usually he'll set up some music to ease his nerves – absolute silence makes him extremely uncomfortable – but he's not in the mood for radio. In his head, he hums himself some The Smiths's songs before reaching his estate and parking the car.

First thing, he throws the coat on the hanger and knocks away his shoes, followed by the necktie he dislikes so much and those damned suspenders that left painful red marks on his shoulders (note to self: buy a new pair. Going all day with elastics pressed on the skin decreases his productivity and rottens his mood).

He eats surrounded by a pleasant quietness, heart fluttering with anticipation as he savours the peace of mind that'll come. He grasps his phone, scrolling through the so many apps until he finds what he was searching and, half-grinning, he runs it. Mind you, he's not fond of SNS – a Facebook profile left abandoned and some work related platform is all he cared to have – but this app had talked to him, impossible to resist, and so he downloaded it: the first social network voice based, where people just uploaded or livestreamed themselves while reading or talking. Unbelievable how much hearing strangers' voices could relax him after a long day in office.

Recently added. Scroll, scroll, scr– oh. He feels the familiar ache in his heart reading Rai820 uploaded a new audio and before he knows his finger already pressed play.

Today it's a passage from Frankenstein, read with the softest voice ever heard. Yesterday it was the first chapter from Oh, The Places You'll Go, a book he loves from the bottom of his heart. The first time he listened to Rai820 he got Titus Andronicus and was immediately hooked. Six weeks, an upload every day, heart loud in his chest every time the audio starts.

"And now, dear Margaret, do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose?"

He closes his eyes, focusing on the wildness of the beating of the heart in his chest, a so foreign feeling he recently discovered that makes him feel giddy.

"Oh, that some encouraging voice would answer in the affirmative!"

Intoxicating.

He waits for the audio to finish, clicks on Rai820's profile and stops. There's no real personal information there: male, 26 years old, likes ramen, tea and reading. Of course he loves reading, otherwise his audios wouldn't be so emotional.

Frankenstein restarted, and he taps his fingers on the table. His heart is still thumping badly.

I love your voice, he writes in the comment section. Then he regrets it, but it's already too late. Whining, he munches on the last slice of pizza and throws the box.

xox

It's Gone With The Wind today. In religious silence he listens as the world slurs on the man's tongue, resonating in his mouth, coming out clear like water flowing in a river, captivating, and he realizes he could listen to Rai820 talking forever.

"...It cannot have escaped your notice that for some time past the friendship I have had in my heart for you has ripened into a deeper feeling, a feeling more beautiful, more pure, more sacred. Dare I name it you? Ah! It is love which makes me so bold!"

He trails off, stops listening to the sweet voice for a second, and when he's back to the track Rai820 has stopped reading and is answering the suggestions his listeners left in the comment box.

God, is it possible to fall in love with someone over just their voice? Because for someone who's never fallen in love, he's pretty sure it must feel like this.

"...and to user VicLee, your comment has made me very happy. I hope I'll hear your voice too, one day."

Yes, it's possible. Absolutely possible. He'll upload something, it's decided. He'll upload a hundred, thousands of tracks – hoping Rai820 will fall in love with his voice as much as he did.

But for tonight, it's just a broker and the recorded tracks of Gone With The Wind.


Hi everyone, it's pwmo again with some one shots for another beautiful event. I hope you enjoyed what you read so far, I wrote this thing at 2 AM because who needs sleep? Surely not me. Anyway, I posted the chapter earlier than the set date (which is 14th of February) just to remind you lovely people of the event! You'll see lots of good works, this fandom really has some wonderful writers/artists and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

First AU inspired by an existent voice based SNS (and the movie Her, which is some good shit so. Watch. It.) and the characters are Frankenstein (user VicLee, the broker) and Raizel (but you certainly got that one, hm?) and you can't understand how much I loved writing this thing here. A lot, I tell you.

I think one can get a lot of information about a person from their voice, and that's why I find it so endearing. To be enamored of one's voice is to love a part of them (watch Her. Really.) and I wanted to try writing about a "different" way of falling in love - because sometimes it happens and you don't notice, setting it aside thinking it's something else. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not (this is what happens when I'm sleep deprived, I think about the meaning of life, the universe, my place in the world and how to stop climate change).

Now, back to the story: underline+italic is for recorded voice; italic is for thoughts or direct dialogue (or comments).

The title comes from Nietzsche's quote "the voice of beauty speaks softly; it creeps only into the most fully awakened souls"; the quote at the start of the chapter is from an image published by FB page 8-bitfiction that I recommend because it's SO GOOD. The quotes in the chapter are from passages from the actual books in my possession.

As always, if you notice mistakes please tell me: I have no beta and English is not my native language but I want to improve, point my mistakes out so I can be better ❀◕ ‿ ◕❀

Thank you once again, see you in another universe (suggestions are well accepted!)

pwmo