A/N: This was requested by lunabelles on tumblr (who also writes fics that you can check out on AO3!) as "angsty A/A." More wiggle room, so I went with Andy's thoughts post-S2/pre-S3. I've done April's before, so here's our big bubbly teddy bear... being sad.

Enjoy!

Optimism was basically Andy's favorite pastime, and, really, even though he was sure he did something wrong at the hospital, though what it was he had no clue, he had to have a positive outlook. He never liked lying, and was always so bad at it, so why should he have lied? That's what he kept telling himself, messaging April constantly, and calling her, and wondering why she just wouldn't talk to him.

He was supposed to tell the truth, right? Maybe he wasn't meant to blow it up in their faces, but that kiss was so incredible - and really, he thought he was going to laugh forever from how giddy that brief touch of lips made him - and he just felt the need to make sure they were cool.

Apparently, they weren't.

"Hey... April," Andy said, leaving the thousandth or so message that day. "Um, so it's me! Andy. Yeah, Dwyer. Um, so... you're super mad about something. Dunno what, but I thought we could, like, talk? Hang out? Whatever's cool. Yeah. Um, I still like you. Bye."

As far as he could tell, Andy nailed that one. But she wouldn't call back. She didn't answer his texts anymore, and even when he was apologizing for something he didn't even realize was happening, she didn't.

After a while, Andy started to feel that optimism leave. Burgers that were normally awesome, greasy, and filed him right up were tasteless and he needed three or four more to feel better. His music took on a dreary tone, no longer the ballads he wrote for April constantly (either in his head or on the guitar) and became slower, darker and, for once, he hated the sound of his own songs. They all sucked. The lyrics were sappy, and never talked about anyone flying or anything!

They all talked about ravens, or specifically raven-haired people. Girls. A girl. A single raven-haired girl.

By the time the Parks crew was back in action, Andy was starting to feel like April would never come back. He spent so much time thinking about being with her, and making everything right, that for once he faced the possibility that she wouldn't even be around him anymore.

It wasn't that he deserved her to be there or anything gross, but at the very least he wanted to apologize to her and let April know that he would be totally cool just being friends as long as she wasn't mad at him. Sure, it would tear him apart seeing her with other people, but he was a grown man. He'd been through his weird transitional phase with Ann where Mark was his rival that entire time, and now it just sounded boring because Ann always hated him when he was like. The idea of April feeling like Ann, now, sent him into this weird spiral. It felt like sadness.

She might be gone from his life forever and, as far as he knew, April was not the kind of girl that liked to be chased. Hell, he had to tell some guy to leave her alone just for that. What would make him any different? She obviously didn't like him at all, so that wouldn't work. He'd have to put up-

Wait.

He looked out through the courtyard, and there she was. Maybe it was wrong, but Andy's first thought wasn't oh my God, she's back but, oh my God she's so pretty.

Either way, he sprinted out towards her, hopeful that maybe he was different and that chasing her that far would be okay. Because, really, Andy's one heartbreak away from wondering if he's worth anything at all.