「no exits from this broadway venue」

「」it's so nice.「」

〜  。tedgens   。〜

tw: alc*hol

   sitting at the bar, i take a deep breath. " this whole . . . apocalypse thing is really stupid, ya know? " i confess, taking a sip of some whiskey, straight from the bottle.

   the professor nods his head. " you shouldn't be worrying about it, ted. it's perfectly safe here. "

   i run my hand down my face, my chin eventually resting on the back of my hand. " i get it, but what if yo− what if one of us betrays everyone? what would we do then? "

   the professor's breath seemed to hitch for a moment before answering. " that simply wouldn't happen. i would never allow it. "

   i could tell i wasn't gonna get anything else out of him, so i continue sipping my whiskey in silence. after a few minutes, the professor speaks up.

" you know . . . " he starts, turning to face me, " you know you can trust me, right? " he reassures me. all i do is nod.

" hey. " he puts a hand on my lower arm. oh god. why is his skin so soft. " don't worry. you're safe here. we're safe here. i'll make sure of it. "

in a split second i make a decision, and suddenly my arms are wrapped around his midsection, my face buried in his shoulder. was i crying? i couldn't tell. all i could process was the professor snaking one of his arms around me while the other aimlessly played with my hair. it felt so nice, to be held by someone that actually cares about you . . . aka, someone who isn't charlotte. she's a real nice girl, but she can't handle tough situations well, and she relies on me to fix everything. it's nice to be able to rely on someone for once. it's so nice.

   after what seems like eternity, he pulls away. " you realize how late it is, right, ted? "

   i glance at the clock. 1:37 am. i sigh. " i bet you're gonna tell me to go to bed, right? " he tries to speak, but i interrupt him. " well, here's the deal. i've seen how late you stay up, and by that i mean you literally never sleep. so, i will go to sleep, only if i can make sure you do. and to do that i am going to have to sleep next to you. just to be safe. deal? "

   i mentally cringe at my stupid excuse, but i just needed to be next to him. i needed to feel safe. thankfully, he just scoffs and agrees.

   " i'll see you in 15, " he says, standing up. he turns around to leave, but he faces me again for a second and quickly presses a kiss to my forehead before actually leaving. i stare blankly at where i last saw him, my hand lingering over my forehead in shock.

   i needed to feel that again. that feeling . . .

   it was the feeling of being wanted.

   its so nice.