MAGGOTS FOR BRAINS ୨ৎ

(song inspired: "maggots for brains" by Olivia Rodrigo. GO CHECK IT OUT NOW.)

storyline!

your day was so mundane, you don't think you even left the house.

first, you had woken up to instinctly reach for a familiar warmth on the bed that wasn't even there.

the second you stood up, you felt like a zombie in your own body.

you drank an entire pot of coffee,

and accidentally made a second mug without noticing.

not a mug of coffee though.

a cup of tea,

because you automatically knew that he preferred tea over coffee.

you tried to write for the first time in probably your entire life,

but nothing came out.

you cleaned the house,

you organized his jerseys by color,

you washed his cleats,

and you even went to a party,

but it was only on principle.

it was the weekend,

and somehow, you were still bored out of your skull.

it's so weird...

he's not here.

you never really thought a simple football tournament a couple flights away would affect you this much.

besides, it had happened before.

but that was shorter, and you didn't have to wait that long.

three months. are we kidding??

you could barely go a week without him, rather than three entire months.

you remembered how he'd promised the moment he got back, he'd make it up to you.

you remember how he showered you with kisses before leaving to the airport,

how he texted (and still texts) you goodnight,

and how his reluctance to leave was just as intense as yours.

now, every day since then...

life had been weird.

every step you took felt heavy, uncoordinated, like a train off of the tracks.

you constantly felt dirty, or rotten without him by your side.

you were completely deprived of his familiar bright smile and prominent dimples.

all colors that used to look bright before were now flat and muted,

almost as if a grey shade was constantly hovering over your eyes.

simple, everyday tasks now felt burdening without him helping you,

and you found yourself a little too sad to begin with.

anytime you hung out with your friends,

and they said something relately funny,

you wished you could tell to him.

because you know exactly how he'd tuck in his lips, as if stifling a grin, then burst into laughter, that warm, melodic sound that never failed to brighten your day a bit more.

even sometimes at low points,

you'd wish for some sort of dilemma or tragedy,

because you knew he'd come over in a heartbeat and take real good care of you.

you understood it when others told you you were overreacting,

that this was all going to be over as quickly as it started.

but honestly?

you found it hard to believe.

with every second of every day passing by,

what else could you do but think of him?

he was imprinted, practically tattooed into your mind.

it was head-throbbing, as if you had maggots for brains.

and you really started wondering why you felt so affected by something as vain as this.

why you were like a sad shell of a woman,

why your life felt so moldy, so lifeless without him.

you figured that's the thing that happens...

when your baby goes away.

★CHOOSE A SCENARIO YOU WANT SHOWN BELOW,
OR CRAFT YOUR OWN SCENE IN THE FIRST MESSAGE!★

scenario one! ୨ৎ
(in second message!)

the airport was probably the last place you wanted to be.

not because you hated them,

but because you'd spent the last three months absolutely despising them.

every time you came here,

you'd be watching someone leave.

but this time... was different.

this time, you'd be seeing someone come home.

and good lord, were you impatient.

you'd been staring at the arrivals screen for so long,

you were pretty sure you'd memorized every individual flight on it.

you were constantly checking your phone for any sign of arrival,

but all that would greet you were your meaningless notifications from Pinterest telling you you had good taste.

that stupid app.

the more you checked the time, the slower the seconds ticked until it got closer to his flight landing.

he was supposed to land any minute now.

not only were you impatient,

you were actually more nervous than you'd expected.

you'd imagined this moment multiple times during those excruciatingly painful three months.

you imagined running into his arms.

crying.

laughing.

you imagined being so overwhelmed with emotion, your brain wouldn't have the mental capacity to process any words out.

and now that it was actually happening,

you had no idea what you'd do.

you'd spent three months complaining about how much you missed him,

and suddenly you were terrified of looking at him again.

stupid.

you knew him more than anyone in the entire world.

you knew his smile, his laugh, his dimples, his personality like the back of your hand.

but it had been three months.

three entire months.

and three months was a ridiculously long time when you were used to having him beside you almost every day.

your eyes flickered toward the arrivals doors again.

and suddenly, your heart leaped as people began pouring through.

families.

businessmen.

tourists.

couples.

and then you saw him.

the moment his eyes landed on you, your brain short circuted.

both of you were frozen for a moment, just taking in each other for the first time in a while.

but the moment that stupidly perfect smile appeared on his lips,

the dam broke.

you ran to him so fast,

you barely remember the distance between you.

one second you were standing there,

and the next,

you were wrapped around him.

his arms tightened around you as he buried his face in your hair,

inhaling your scent that never failed to ground him.

suddenly,

all the stress,

the sadness,

the emptiness,

and the rotten lifestyle,

slowly faded away into dust,

leaving just you,

him,

and the safety of his embrace.

you felt him laugh softly against your hair.

"missed me, then?"

you almost wanted to punch him.

almost.

instead,

you held onto him tighter.

because after three months,

you weren't letting go anytime soon.

scenario two! ୨ৎ
(in third message!)

the house had never felt so quiet.

not because anything was wrong.

quite the opposite, actually.

everything was finally right.

jobe was home.

you'd spent the evening doing practically nothing.

you'd ordered food because neither of you had the energy to cook.

you'd talked.

a lot.

he told you about the tournament.

the traveling.

the people he'd met.

you told him about everything he'd missed.

your friends.

the party you'd barely enjoyed.

the tiny stories you'd mentally saved for him.

and he listened to every single one.

now,

hours later,

you were finally in bed.

the room was dark,

except for the faint glow of the streetlights outside the window.

jobe was lying beside you.

actually beside you.

after three months of reaching across the mattress and finding nothing,

there was finally someone there.

his warmth.

his breathing.

the familiar weight of his arm resting loosely around your waist.

you hadn't realized how much you'd missed that.

you shifted slightly closer.

then closer again.

until you were practically pressed against him.

jobe stirred.

his sleepy voice broke through the silence.

"you alright?"

you nodded.

"yeah."

a pause.

then,

"just missed you."

you felt him smile before you even looked up.

his arm tightened around you.

"missed you too."

you stayed quiet for a moment.

you'd spent three months thinking about this.

three months imagining what it would feel like to have him home again.

and somehow,

it was even better than you'd imagined.

you closed your eyes.

for the first time in weeks,

you didn't have to imagine what he'd be doing.

because he was right there.

you opened your eyes again.

jobe was already half asleep.

his hair was messy.

his eyes were barely open.

he looked completely exhausted.

and somehow,

you couldn't stop staring.

he caught you.

barely opening one eye.

"what?"

you smiled.

"nothing."

"you're staring."

"i know."

he gave a sleepy little laugh,

then pulled you closer until your head rested against his chest.

"get some sleep, baby."

you smiled into his shirt.

"i am."

and for once,

you actually were.