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tamingthemuseTitle: Memories Left Behind
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Juxtapose
Warnings: n/a
Rating: G
Summary: Jacky wakes from a dream. A dream that wasn’t really a dream.
Jacky stared up at the white ceiling of his hotel room, frowning in thought. The sun was only just raising and the heat of the day had yet to chase away the night’s cooling breeze. Shadows still played tricks on the walls, but Jacky was oblivious, his thoughts far, far away.
What had woken him hadn’t been a disturbing dream, rather a memory he hadn’t thought about for ages. Something he hadn’t thought to file away, but must have nonetheless. It had been, what? Nine years ago?
He was sixteen and it had been summer. If he closed his eyes, he could fancy he still felt the heat of those long forgotten days on his skin. Or, maybe it was today’s sun now peaking through his open window.
He had been with friends, people he now couldn’t recall names or faces of. The café had always been there, for as long as any of them cared to remember, but, like a true native, none of them had ever visited the place until that day. Jacky’s frown deepened as he realized that he had never returned to that place after than first visit. The place was probably now out of business, as was the way with small family owned businesses in this modern era. Not that he had any way of knowing. He had moved away long ago.
A faded memory.
Like the man that had sat juxtapose from him in the next booth.
At first Jacky hadn’t noticed him. Never would have noticed him had it not been for the waitress that had made a fuss over him, giggling like she was the school girl. Then she spilt his tea and she was nearly sobbing with embarrassment.
The man only smiled kindly, wiping at the tea dribbling over the table’s side with a napkin. As the waitress rushed off for a towel, the man caught Jacky’s eye and Jacky felt as if he’d been punched in the gut.
Jacky sat up, brushing the sheets aside as he swung his feet to the floor. His unseeing gaze traveled to the window, to the blue, blue sky beyond his room. He rested his elbows on his knees as he remembered the shock that had coursed through him when he and that stranger had stared at each other.
At the time, he didn’t know why seeing the man had startled him so, had frightened him.
The man had black hair, straight as an arrow, hanging down just past his shoulders and deep-set brown eyes. Nothing too remarkable about him, save for a scar, old and faded on the skin under his lip in stark relief against the man’s healthy tan. Still, for a long, terse, moment, they stared at each other. Jacky couldn’t tear his gaze away.
The man was startled, and Jacky thought that perhaps whatever spell that had ensnared him, worked both ways. The man’s eyes had widened and his lips had parted with shock, and then the moment was broken, the waitress returned and Jackie’s friends demanded his attention.
When Jacky looked back, the man had left his table and Jacky forgot about the moment in time where he felt as if he had witnessed something grand.
Until last night when his mind brought the memory back to him in the form of a dream.
Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Jacky stood and went to the water closet, flicking on the light and peering at himself in the mirror.
Tired, brown eyes meet in the mirror and his black hair was mussed only minutely. His lips curved as he thought that he could get away without brushing it ever again. His hair was straight and never caused him much fuss. Cut short, he hardly ever bothered with it.
He’d aged, his skin growing lines and darkening with a tan that was witness to his hours in the sun, seeking ancient ruins. And lastly, his eyes traveled to his lips where a white bandage clung to his face.
He pulled off the tape and stared at the ugly cut under his lip. When it aged, and faded, it will leave a nice scar. Perhaps a scar that will stay with him his whole life. His eyes returned to his mirrored eyes and he stood looking into the face of the man he’d met in the diner nearly nine years ago.
How could he have not known, then, that he was meeting his future self?
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Juxtapose
Warnings: n/a
Rating: G
Summary: Jacky wakes from a dream. A dream that wasn’t really a dream.
Jacky stared up at the white ceiling of his hotel room, frowning in thought. The sun was only just raising and the heat of the day had yet to chase away the night’s cooling breeze. Shadows still played tricks on the walls, but Jacky was oblivious, his thoughts far, far away.
What had woken him hadn’t been a disturbing dream, rather a memory he hadn’t thought about for ages. Something he hadn’t thought to file away, but must have nonetheless. It had been, what? Nine years ago?
He was sixteen and it had been summer. If he closed his eyes, he could fancy he still felt the heat of those long forgotten days on his skin. Or, maybe it was today’s sun now peaking through his open window.
He had been with friends, people he now couldn’t recall names or faces of. The café had always been there, for as long as any of them cared to remember, but, like a true native, none of them had ever visited the place until that day. Jacky’s frown deepened as he realized that he had never returned to that place after than first visit. The place was probably now out of business, as was the way with small family owned businesses in this modern era. Not that he had any way of knowing. He had moved away long ago.
A faded memory.
Like the man that had sat juxtapose from him in the next booth.
At first Jacky hadn’t noticed him. Never would have noticed him had it not been for the waitress that had made a fuss over him, giggling like she was the school girl. Then she spilt his tea and she was nearly sobbing with embarrassment.
The man only smiled kindly, wiping at the tea dribbling over the table’s side with a napkin. As the waitress rushed off for a towel, the man caught Jacky’s eye and Jacky felt as if he’d been punched in the gut.
Jacky sat up, brushing the sheets aside as he swung his feet to the floor. His unseeing gaze traveled to the window, to the blue, blue sky beyond his room. He rested his elbows on his knees as he remembered the shock that had coursed through him when he and that stranger had stared at each other.
At the time, he didn’t know why seeing the man had startled him so, had frightened him.
The man had black hair, straight as an arrow, hanging down just past his shoulders and deep-set brown eyes. Nothing too remarkable about him, save for a scar, old and faded on the skin under his lip in stark relief against the man’s healthy tan. Still, for a long, terse, moment, they stared at each other. Jacky couldn’t tear his gaze away.
The man was startled, and Jacky thought that perhaps whatever spell that had ensnared him, worked both ways. The man’s eyes had widened and his lips had parted with shock, and then the moment was broken, the waitress returned and Jackie’s friends demanded his attention.
When Jacky looked back, the man had left his table and Jacky forgot about the moment in time where he felt as if he had witnessed something grand.
Until last night when his mind brought the memory back to him in the form of a dream.
Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Jacky stood and went to the water closet, flicking on the light and peering at himself in the mirror.
Tired, brown eyes meet in the mirror and his black hair was mussed only minutely. His lips curved as he thought that he could get away without brushing it ever again. His hair was straight and never caused him much fuss. Cut short, he hardly ever bothered with it.
He’d aged, his skin growing lines and darkening with a tan that was witness to his hours in the sun, seeking ancient ruins. And lastly, his eyes traveled to his lips where a white bandage clung to his face.
He pulled off the tape and stared at the ugly cut under his lip. When it aged, and faded, it will leave a nice scar. Perhaps a scar that will stay with him his whole life. His eyes returned to his mirrored eyes and he stood looking into the face of the man he’d met in the diner nearly nine years ago.
How could he have not known, then, that he was meeting his future self?
