Freckles & Curls | MILEVEN AU

twenty one - in a split second

song - Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur

~"I knew I loved you then
But you'd never know
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go"~

Routine's were viewed as nothing but boring, repetitive cycles. The week would seem long, days passing by at a sluggish pace as if there was nothing to look forward to, nothing that would send tingles of excitement down someone's bones. When she was trapped in the lab, Jane was forced into the same routine every single day. Her hours were filled with exhausting rituals to test the extent of her powers, and nights where she would be too afraid of the dark to sleep. 

The moment that she finally escaped from her own version of hell, she promised herself that she would never know a routine again. She drew herself a picture of a new life without boundaries, days filled with excitement and spontaneity. But she soon found herself settling into a healthier routine, a repetitive cycle that didn't seem as daunting as the one that she was first introduced to. She would eat her breakfast with her Dad - ignoring his glare when she used her powers to bring the syrup over to the table - and go to school. At school she would daydream about Mike, lacing their fingers together underneath the desk whenever they had the opportunity. She spent her hours after school volunteering at the local bookstore, where a kind lady called Becky begun appreciated her help stacking books and learning how to use the cash register. Mike would often come and visit her, meeting her after her shift so that they could walk home chatting, sneaking kisses if they had a couple of moments before it got dark. Jane had settled into a new routine, but it was one that almost made her feel normal. 

"You look happy, kid."

She was busy packing her school bag when the statement left her Dad's lips, the chief flashing her an easy smile. Her fingers paused slightly, eyes softening at the statement as she bit her lip, thinking over her new routine and how much her life had changed. 

"I am happy, Dad."

His heart lit up with warmth at the reply, confirming what he had already hoped for. His daughter had started coming home every single day with a smile, calling Mike and whispering words about how she already missed him - a statement which made the chief roll his eyes slightly - before settling down. They would doze off watching Westerns together, her tucked up into his side, a content smile resting on her lips as her head rose and fell from the movement of his breathing. Every day she would have something new to tell him, a brand new joke that she had learnt from Dustin or a new food that Max had introduced her to. She would always have something to say, which made him think back to the first day that he saw her, a small shivering girl that could barely speak two words. His chest tightened as he thought of what he promised her that day, that she would always keep her safe. If there was one thing that he was certain of, it was that she deserved the absolute world. 

His voice was slightly choked up. "That makes me really happy, kid."

Jane's eyes widened with panic and before she could comprehend the movement, her feet were skidding across the wooden floorboards so that she could meet him. Her small arms wrapped around his middle, his own picking her up slightly so that she would squeal as they span around. He kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and grinning at the pure joy that radiated from the soon-to-be fifteen year old. She reminded him of pure liquid sunshine, bringing light to those around her without even realizing it. 

"Mike treating you okay?" he teased, ruffling her head. 

Jane's cheeks flushed and she mumbled her answer. "Yes."

The chief huffed a small laugh at how embarrassed she got, pretending that he didn't the pair whispering to each other over the walkies late at night. He wanted to give her all of the time to be a teenage girl, even if it meant her making heart-eyes at a particular boy. When they whispered the familiar three word phrase to each other at night, part of him felt calm, as if it was something that he perhaps should have been expecting.