vaishlo: the formening 🤯

Chapter 1: The meetening

Vaishnavi often found herself wandering around the abandoned hallway, for reasons she couldn't explain. Perhaps the allure lay in the quietness, for it seemed that the hustle and bustle of the world melted away once she slipped down a coveted path. No one knew her here. There was not a soul to bear witness to her dark, curled locks and rough laughter, nor her snowy footfall. In the poor light and narrow space she found her solace, away from all that plagued her out where all other people lay. Nobody would find her here.

And nobody did, until she ducked beneath a familiar stairway and found herself jolted by the sight before her: a pair of brown eyes.

She leapt back with a start. Her chest bubbled with feeling, all a-whirl in kaleidoscopic motion: rage, indignance, confusion and fear. How DARE someone take away her residence???

"Ah! I am ever so sorry to scare you!" A mellifluous voice piped up from beneath the stairway. The owner of that pair of eyes.

The shadowed figure stepped out into the light, and Vaishnavi felt a new emotion added to the kaleidoscope spinning in her chest.

Attraction.

The moment Vaishnavi caught sight of his tired face and rumpled hair, a glimpse of those umber eyes veiled by sheets of glass, her heart leapt into her throat. Fireworks bloomed in her chest, heat rushed to her cheeks, careless whisper began to play faintly in the background, Obama was there-

"Are you alright?? You seem most terribly flustered."

The boy standing before her seemed quite concerned at her suddenly going rigid and turning bright red. No doubt she must've resembled a live bottle of ketchup in that state.

Vaishnavi snapped back to reality. She felt feverish and jet-lagged even looking at his face, but she knew she had to answer him.

"I- I'mallgooddudedontworryaboutmeWHATAREYOUDOINGHERE-"

"Oh, slow down, please!," The boy exclaimed, bewildered. "I beg your pardon, miss, but I haven't the foggiest clue what you are saying."

Vaish shook her head. What the hell was she doing? She'd just met this boy, and he was invading HER territory. Why was she freezing up?? She needed to get rid of him.

Alas, looking at his bemused smile, she found that she didn't have the heart to tell him to piss off and die in a fire.

"Oh, it's nothing dude," She began awkwardly, "I was just shocked to see you, y'know? Don't see many other people down these parts. Especially not here."

The boy laughed a laugh that was music to Vaishnavi's ears.

"Of course, I understand. I don't come here often, miss. It was a... rare occasion, I should say."

"What brings you here, then?" She inquired.

He smiled wryly, his tired, dark honey-hued eyes alight with mystery.

"That, I'm afraid, I cannot tell you today, miss."

He cast a glance at his watch. Or, more like he stared at it. His watch was, curiously, shaped exactly like an onion. Vaishnavi looked on with detached horror as the boy made lustful eyes at the timepiece, not quite knowing what she had gotten herself into.

At last, she could bear it no longer. She cleared her throat to draw his attention.

"Er- ahem??"

He jolted as if electrocuted. Vaishnavi suspected he had quite forgotten she was there. She couldn't understand why, but a bitter taste rose to her mouth at the thought. She shook it away- she didn't have the time to unpack that now.

The boy chuckled, nervously this time.

"It seems it's time for me to go, Miss. However, before I do, may I please enquire as to what your name is?"

He smiled wide, meeting Vaishnavi's eyes. It felt to her as if a flaming cannonball had hit her square in the chest and broken four of her ribs. She attempted to stutter out a response, leaden-tongued and flushed hot.

"V-vaishnavi... you can c-call me Vaish though, dude 😰"

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Vaish!" He dipped his shoulders politely in her direction. "As for me, I go by many titles, but as you are making my acquaintance, you may simply call me by my name."

"W-Which is...?"

He held the uncomfortably awkward eye contact for another moment before flashing a grin.

"Arlo. I am glad to have made your acquaintance, miss Vaish."

And without another word, he sauntered off back down to the world that Vaishnavi had been running from all her life.

Only, it wasn't just the world that she was running from now. She had to evade her own, horrifyingly intense, feelings. Feelings that bubbled up at the very thought of a certain pair of brown eyes concealed behind spectacle lenses.

Jesus Christ. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

A/N I am so sorry arlo. and vaish. actually no im not sorry to vaish. anyways i hope u enjoyed mus serv, tune in some time soon for the next chapter of ash's terrible wordvomit crackfic. 

p.s. i wanted to post this on ao3 but they have the whole harvard waitlist so ig ill wait until i get accepted 😭