.nvmtheodore:
His dusty, grease-ridden boots padding along the platform, Theodore let out a long sigh as he stared around him. All platforms within his sight had been entirely vacated by now, with the last train of the evening having just rolled on through, and it was time for Teddy to call it a day. The strap of his bag hastily slung over his shoulder, the soft brown leather tinged from top to bottom in a mixture of engine oil and soot, he exited the station and fumbled clumsily for the key in his pocket. Pulling it free from the mountain of candy wrappers, as well as weird and wonderful souvenirs heād managed to wrangle to give to Ethan, he unlocked the chain that secured his bicycle to the fence outside, and hopped on as he readied himself to go home.
With his legs pumping rapidly as he pedalled through the dark, empty streets of the city, Teddy pondered over the strange sense of melancholy that was rippling through him. He hadnāt had a difficult day at work, nor had he had any bad encounters, and yet the emptiness in his chest remained. In fact, heād had a relatively enjoyable day, and had been lucky enough to encounter a whole plethora of delightful people from various different walks of life ā some locals, and some who were only visiting the city on vacation.
He supposed it might be a fair assumption to make that, perhaps, those cheery encounters were, in fact, the source of his discomfort, in a peculiar sort of way. Meeting people who had travelled from so far just to see new cities only made him yearn for his home back in Russia, and for the life heād previously known. Of course, usually when he found himself in these moments of nostalgia, missing a home that could never be his, and a family that had long since forgotten him, he would turn to his nearest and dearest. After his less than amicable break up with Leonard, who had discarded him without so much as a second glance, heād found himself withdrawn once more, much too shy to confide in even Wren, Harper, or Ryke, for fear of inevitably scaring off the few, most charming friends that he had been lucky enough to to gain.
With the cap atop his head in danger of being whisked away as he tore down the street, the chill of the evening wind whipping across his face, he edged ever closer to the Messina apartment complex and, in a last moment of uncertainty, steered himself in the opposite direction and opted not to return home just yet. Instead, he decided he would pay Smith a visit, and see if his friends was, perhaps, in the mood for a little company. Smith was, among others, one of the many friends heād acquired over the years since leaving Russia, and heād most certainly consider the man to be one of his best friends ā though Wren, Owen, Harper, Ryke, and baby Loanie shared that title ā and he often found himself turning to the other moment in moments of duress, or whenever he found himself in need of a distraction and a friendly face.
Spotting the Diner in the glow of the surrounding street lamps, Teddy dropped one foot from the pedal, letting the sole of his boot glide along the pavement until he eventually skidded to a stop. Then, propping the two-wheeler up against the side of the building, he smiled up at it fondly. Heād had many wonderful encounters in this diner, never quite managing to find a better meal anywhere else in the city ā no matter how hard he tried ā and already he could feel his spirits lifting. He knew that they werenāt technically open for business anymore, not at this hour, but he often found Smith still inhabiting one of the booths even after hours, and thought that he might try his luck once more.
With the handle of the door twisting easily under his grasp, a wild smile spread its way across his face as he carefully pushed his way into the dimly lit diner, only to stop short when he realised that there seemed to be music coming from the restaurant.
How odd.
Still, vaguely unperturbed, he pushed on and glanced around for any sign of his friend, a soft smile playing on his lips as the unfamiliar voice echoed through the room. While finding no sign of Smith, his curiosity piqued, Teddy finally found the source of the music, his eyes landing on a woman dancing her way around the room. That same, soft smile only grew wider as he watched her twirl herself along the shining tiles, expertly swinging her mop around her as she went. He hadnāt ever seen her before, and he could only assume she was an employee ā and if not, he wasnāt certain how to break the news to Smith that heād walked in on a rather generous, softly sung burglar with a proclivity for cleaning.
When it became all too evident that the woman in question hadnāt noticed him standing there, Teddy cleared his throat by way of grabbing her attention, only to have startled the poor woman, and in turn shocking even himself. He watched as she, back still turned to him, dove out of sight, loud crashes and clangs following her actions, and he winced at having inadvertently caused her humiliation.
Luckily, she soon rose from her hiding place, a tiny, rosy-cheeked face peeking out from behind the counter top to stare at him.
āI am very sorry, I did not mean to startle you!ā he called out.
Logic should tell him that he was being polite, and that his words would hold some value, but his anxiety was begging his vocal chords to remain gentle, so as not to further alarm the stranger.
āI did not mean to interrupt your performance,ā Teddy chuckled, unable to help himself. He had been rather delightfully endeared, and he hoped she wasnāt too embarrassed. āI am actually here to see Smith.ā
On that note, he only hoped she would understand his predicament, and perhaps point him in the right direction. While he was confident enough to know that he had meant no ill-harm on the girl, he couldnāt blame her if she were uncomfortable with an intrusion upon her time alone, and he imagined she would be none too pleased to send him on his way.
āHe is my friend,ā he added, almost as though to further reassure her.
April continued to cower behind the counter in the same manner bank tellers did in movies when masked men with guns decided to hold up the building. Sheād never particularly liked those kind of movies because they were both scary and lacking in any romance, and April needed some sort of relationship to invest herself in. Maybe if she had payed closer attention to the movies that her brothers consumed so vigorously she would know what to do next. Did she crawl away or stay where she was? The man wasnāt brandishing any weapon but he had seemed ready to engage in conversation, and Aprilās crippling shyness equated that to being held hostage at gunpoint.
When she peered over the edge of the counter, she attempted to be cautious but ended up catching the strangerās eye anyway. With a squeak, she ducked back down and squeezed her eyes shut.
āItāsā¦ itās okay,ā she found herself reassuring the man when he apologised. The manners her mother had drilled into her from a young age were helping her find her voice, but that still didnāt mean she had quite yet managed to muster up the courage to stand up straight.
There was a certain, not twang, to the manās accent but a sort of edge that was softened at the corners by how gently he spoke. April, who had never before been out of Memphis since coming to New York, wasnāt accustomed to an array of different dialects so she couldnāt quite place where the man was from.
As she remained kneeling on the mustard-stained floor, she heard the manās quip about her āperformanceā and blushed furiously. She never sang in front of anyone, especially not people she didnāt know. An uncharacteristic bout of annoyance flared up in her, directed at the laughing man, before his tone softened again and she realised that perhaps he wasnāt trying to make her feel bad about herself after all.
At the mention of her brotherās name, she perked up a little. The familiarity with which he spoke of Smith helped April relax, and the man standing in the middle of her diner became less of a terrifying stranger and more like one of the faceless new friends her charismatic older sibling had made so quickly since the move to the Big Apple.
āYou know Smith?ā April questioned, chewing anxiously on her lip. Her voice was a pitch higher than necessary, but sheād long since given up trying to control that. Swallowing, her fingers perched lightly on the counter again and she chanced another sneaky glance over it.
It still bugged her that she couldnāt place the manās accent, but the reminder of Renesmeeās protection depending on the aid of vampires from all around the world jogged her memory, and she acquainted the sharp cut of the manās words with Ilsa, leader of the Russian vampire coven in Twilight. Oh!
Shakily pushing herself to her feet, April bowed her head so her hair could partially cover her face.
āYouāre Teddyā¦ā she ventured, knowing she was right. Smith had talked about a Russian friend named Teddy who wore newsboy caps, and this newcomer fitted the bill perfectly. Twisting her fingers awkwardly, April explained, āHeās my big brother.ā
She wanted to apologise for how silly she had been as no doubt she had alarmed Teddy, which Smith would only shake his head fondly at. Still, what came flying out of her mouth instead was a blunt and rather accusatory, āYou gave me a fright.ā
