Title: just a chance

Disclaimer: not my characters

Warnings: post-54

Pairings: Rachel/Tobias

Rating: PG
Wordcount: 255

Point of view: third

Prompt: Animorphs, Tobias, advice for his past self


He's not sure if this the Ellimist or Crayak or something else entirely messing with him, or if he's dreaming. But on the off chance that he's actually gone back in time six years, to some night before he and a group of kids he barely knew met the alien that turned out to (ridiculously) be his father, Tobias lands on the windowsill. His aunt is out for the evening (as always) so Tobias taps on the glass with his beak.

His human self looks so young. Thirteen years old. Never hit his growth-spurt, if he was going to have one. He doesn't remember how it felt to be human. Hasn't morphed human since... he can't remember.

The boy peers nervously through the curtain. He doesn't remember how it felt to be nervous. He's wary as a hawk, cautious but nervous? He doesn't actually feel much these days.

"Whoa," the boy murmurs.

Tobias taps on the glass again.

"What?" the boy asks. "You wanna come in?"

Tobias nods.

The boy raises his eyebrows, but Tobias knows that he was dangerously curious as a human. He was depressed, and angry, and living mostly day to day, but also so curious about everything. He read to lose himself in other places, in other people, because he hated his existence. He still had hope that he'd get somewhere.

Tobias sometimes misses being this boy.

There's so much he could warn him about. Where to even start? On the off-chance this isn't a dream...

The boy reaches for the latch.