Love that Lasts (SOSS) (Harper x Griffin) (Oneshots)

End of Beginning

song fic in which Griffin shows Harper the town he grew up in and relives some of his best memories to get out of the slump he'd been in. 

song title: "End of Beginning" by DJO. 

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"You okay, Griff?" Harper asked her boyfriend, Griffin Campbell as he sadly stared out of the window of his slightly messy bedroom, into the rainy, dreary day. 

"What? Oh-yeah, I'm good." Griffin turned around briefly before facing the window once more, rain drops sliding down it slowly. 

"You sure?" Harper asked gently, sitting next to him on the edge of the bed. 

"Yeah, just...long day." Griffin shrugged. Harper sighed heavily. 

Ever since they'd broken the radio, Griffin had been really down in the dumps lately. He was anxious about school and gigs with his new band, his panic attacks had been more frequent, and he was stressed out about the slightest things. 

Harper had known since day one about Griffin's anxiety and the attacks that he'd get. They'd been happening since he was nine years old. The only difference, was that they weren't as often until he moved to Sulphur Springs at age twelve. 

"Talk to me. What happened?" Harper asked softly. Griffin gulped back tears and Harper noticed this, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him. 

"I got a C on my chem lab, I screwed up my guitar solo at the pep rally, and I totally air-balled my final shot at our basketball scrimmage today. And then of course to make things EVEN worse, guess who I got partnered up with for the history presentation?" Griffin complained. 

"Who?" Harper asked. Griffin was the kind of person who didn't really talk to many new people due to his shyness, but he didn't really have a problem with anybody. 

"Mitch "the bitch" Samuels." Griffin rolled his eyes. Except him. 

Harper's psycho ex who still wanted Harper even though she wanted nothing to do with him. Mitch had been picking on Griffin as soon as the two had started dating. 

"I'm sorry, lovey." Harper pouted, setting her hand on his thigh. 

"Oh well, life goes on I guess. Some days I just wish I were back in Chicago." Griffin mumbled. 

Harper sighed as a singular tear fell from Griffin's eye, quickly vanishing. 

Griffin had had a rough couple of months between his increasing panic attacks ranging from the middle of the day, or in the dead center of the night. Griffin had also just recently been fully pursuing music, joining his band, and while that helped him a little bit, it also gave him an abundance of stress between playing and writing new songs and singing and playing the guitar for said songs. Between all that and the trauma he'd experienced from the alternate 2024, Griffin was still phased by it. 

"Just one more tear to cry, one teardrop from my eye. You better save it for....the middle of the night, when things aren't black and white. Enter, Troubadour. Remember '24?" 

Harper noticed Griffin's breathing start to get a little heavy. She knew by now that this happened when an uncontrolled panic attack began. 

"Griff, breathe. Listen to me talk." Harper said. "Let's talk about Chicago. Where the happy Griffin once lived. Do you remember all the stories you've told me? Like learning to play the guitar, and playing basketball and getting ice pops with your friends afterwards? Or singing in your bedroom or your best friend Luke that I've heard so much about?" 

Griffin settled down as he listened to Harper's gentle voice speaking about all the things he used to love in Chicago. He felt himself smile as Harper recalled the story he once told her about him and his friends swimming in the local pool and his old best friend Luke trying to hit on the lifeguard like he'd stepped right out of the two's favorite movie, The Sandlot.