{ artist todoroki x reader }
anime | boku no hero academia
[ warning ; horrible translations ahead ]
THE TRAIN RUNS smoothly across the tracks, barely making any disruptive noise. It was a quiet ride for all the passengers inside the train, with night-shift workers mostly filling the seats. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business, tending to their own, little worlds as a past-time until the next station.
I've been traveling to different places because of a recent breakup. After quite some convincing from my friend, I gave in, raiding my bank account to get a sufficient amount of money I needed for my expenses. I needed a lot for transportation as I didn't stay in one place for long. Usually, I sleep during long train rides, so it saves me from paying to stay at a motel.
The speaker sputters to life. "Nous arriverons bientôt à la prochaine station." (We will arrive soon at the next station.)
Everyone straightens up from their seats as they wait for the train to stop. It lets out a soft hiss as it halts on its tracks, and the doors slide open. Just like most of the passengers, I scurry to get out before it was too late.
***
I could now see the Eiffel Tower. It looks unreal, almost like it came out of a fairytale. It's hard to believe I'm actually seeing it in real life. Not in Ratatouille, not in picture books, not in romantic indie films, not in my dreams, but right in front of my fucking eyes. This is reality. A song starts to play as I walked under the Parisian night sky. It echoes in the most beautiful way; sounding and reverberating across the area slowly like elevator music inside a time-traveling machine set to the past with the time in a sluggish pace. It's melancholic, filling in a small portion of the hole inside my heart.
hold me close, and hold me fast
this magic spell you cast
this is la vie an rose
It was romantic. The kind of song you'd dance to in a ball—maybe under the Eiffel Tower with your significant other.
I flinched, realizing what I just thought of. A dull pain started to bloom somewhere inside my chest, and the small part that was eventually filled in by the music was scraped off like a dried scab. Ouch ouch ouch ouch, so I immediately took out my camera and started snapping pictures aimlessly. It didn't matter if they were blurry or looked bad; I just wanted to distract myself from what I was feeling right now. I know wasn't going to help in any way.
when you kiss me, heaven sighs
and though i close my eyes
i see la vie an rose
But it stays there, the ache. It has the interval of parade music—the drums, bang bang bang, the cymbals, clank clank clank, over and over again but this time the music was chaotic and sad. Horrible. Out of tune. I stop taking pictures, slipped my camera inside the pockets of my coat, and stood still, looking at tower before me. The cold night air was faint and pleasant, yet it managed to make my body sway alongside it. I could barely stand still. Maybe if I just calm down the music inside of me will die down, and I won't get blown off by the breeze. Yeah—I'll do that.
when you press me to your heart
i'm in a world apart
a world where roses bloom
Now that I think about it, the music sounds familiar. I know I heard it when I was like, eleven or something in my uncle's wedding, but it was sung in English. Whatever, it's beautiful. I close my eyes and took deep breaths, inhaling the distinct fragrance of a cinnamon scented candle, reminding me that Christmas was almost here. That reminds me, I should probably pay a visit to that candle shop I once passed by just a few blocks from the station. Probably sells way better Christmas-y stuff.
