UnOrdinary Short-ish Stories

John and Sera

As I said in a previous chapter that I would be taking requests. I'll adapt to the request to make it fit my storyline better but hope it suffices. Please don't take it the wrong way if I don't write your request, it's either that it doesn't fit my storyline or I haven't seen it. Thank you @BellRider for supporting my story and requesting this. 

(Slight spoiler to chapter 221, you have been warned.)

Hope you like it!

It was odd.

After months of John lashing out at people, months of trying to break through, months of pain. It was odd seeing him smile right in front of her, enjoying his time with her like their dynamic before. We were at Woaba Boaba after going to the mall, she texted Elaine that she wouldn't be back until a little later. 

It was hard to believe that all it took was Arlo to say that he didn't want the title back to break the smallest hole, to see what's going on in his brain. She was aware that he was breaking at the seams but he was hell-bent on proving that they were all monsters. He was so blinded by his past trauma, their past mistakes that he couldn't look to the future. He couldn't see the efforts they all put into ensuring that they wouldn't make the same mistakes they did before. He went back to his old ways, he let his insecurities and past experiences guide him.

She knew he was breaking at the seams a few months ago but she didn't expect that many broken pieces that laid inside of him. 

She mentally sighed, yes John was at fault but that doesn't mean she didn't involve herself to cause his breaking. She was so shocked and betrayed she became defensive that she pushed John away. Losing Leilah hurt her in so many ways then losing John? She couldn't let the past repeat itself and yet it did. Seraphina got past her demanding parents, the very parents that have every expectation for perfections that have haunted her for the longest time. She got past all of that because of John, he was her strength and motivation to do it. So why couldn't she help him for the longest time?

She looked down at her mango boba, their favourite. She smiled slightly at the memory of John dragging her to this very place for the first time. Her past self couldn't believe they were celebrating something that wasn't perfect but now, she understood it perfectly. The first thing the two of them did after making up was getting boba at Woaba Boba. 

Helping him was hard, to say the least, she had to convince him slowly and little at a time or he would just snap at her. This was the routine for a couple of weeks, get out of his way but be there for just enough time to say something. To say something that would help him. 

The first thing she said to him was, 

"You're not a monster." 

She remembered the words clearly, from her talk with Claire and her confrontation with John, those were words that haunted him. He wasn't a monster, no. He was human like all of us. All of us deal with emotional turmoil differently and John's way was to do anything he pleased, especially paying back the people that wronged him.

John looked at Sera, they both agreed to get boba after the mall trip. She looked to be thinking about something, from the expression on her face he knew exactly what she was thinking. He wasn't proud of what happened, not at all. He was glad that he was able to prove and show them how corrupted the hierarchy was but what he did was not the way to do it. But, he thought sadly, if he were to think hard about it, that was the only way for Arlo to open his eyes. Arlo needed someone to beat him so badly that he had to question everything. He wouldn't give a shit if it was anyone below him and Remi and Blyke were very oblivious back then. Painfully oblivious, both in the romantic category and in the wrongness of the hierarchy category.

He let his past corrupt him, he let his insecurities get in the way, he was in denial. He was in denial thinking that he could just let it go. He didn't face his problems, he ran away from them and they went to bite him in the ass. He kept his confidence up until Arlo forced him to look at his insecurities again. He was being incredibly foolish thinking he could just forget about the confrontation from Arlo, thinking things could go back to normal. Boy was he wrong.

He denied everything, he was in denial about everything except one thing; the system could only change if he tore it apart. He was in denial that it wasn't changing, he was in denial that they weren't doing it just to spite him, he was in denial that they were only doing it because they just realized what was happening was wrong. He was in denial that Arlo just 'moved on'.

He was in fucking denial that his gelled hair made him look good.

John sighed, thinking about the past wasn't something he wanted to do but he had to, he had to look clearly with nothing blocking his vision. Not revenge, not denial, not annoyance. Just him looking at everything clearly. He had to see all his past mistakes, his petty tantrums, his insecurities blocking the way of light.

Now that Sera managed to clear the way enough for him to see, he finally stopped it.

 He could see all his colossal mistakes.

"Hey, John?" He was snapped back into reality when he heard her speak, he looked at Sera to see her staring at him intensely.

"Yea Sera?"

"You're not a monster," she spoke confidently and clearly with her sharp blue eyes looking at him without breaking eye contact. She spoke the exact words that managed to slowly clear the way for the bright light to shine upon him.

He smiled, he finally knew what it felt like to be free, "I know, I'm human."

She smiled back and fell into easy conversation about what to do for March break.

This is what they both wanted, someone to rely on, someone they could be themself with. They finally had it, their past mistakes were the past. John and Seraphina both focused on the present right now since that's all that mattered.

Both of them talking and drinking boba together.

Wow, I did not expect myself to finish the chapter this early, I also did not expect it to be this short. I'm sorry if you were expecting a long chapter but I think the short and sweet fits them better. I hope you like it and again a big thank you to @BellRider for supporting me and encouraging me to write this. I promise I will reveal more about their confrontation and how Sera managed to free him but for now, enjoy the fluff.

✧ Astraea