(O.D.D.- Quiet Waters by Toby Fox.)

Today is another day. Except it's cloudy. And rainy. Yes. You're currently soaked to the bone, waiting for a bus to arrive. Honestly, you don't know why you didn't bring an umbrella with you when the news had clearly said that there was a 90% chance of rain. You still have your jacket, yet you didn't bother bringing your hood up.

Well...

You actually didn't care.

...

The bus is late. You look down the empty streets. There's a slight mist over the black tar, causing the scene to look blurry, unreal. Suddenly, streetlights flicker on, and you groan mentally. Was it that late already? The bus driver must've forgot to come to this part of the town. You should start walking then...

You turn on your heel and start walking to the right, glancing down to the side to see a small river running by the sidewalk. You pull your attention away from it briefly to avoid a signpost, mumbling under your breath about being careless. But your attention was soon brought back to the mini river, watching as a brown leaf got caught in the current--before dropping down into the street drain.

You stop and stare for a moment, looking at the deep darkness of the drain. Something creeps at the edge of your mind, but you shake your head, sending a small spray of water around yourself--much like a dog. You continue your trek down the sidewalk and sigh softly, humming a small tune. Maybe it was the tune in your head that did it, but a smile formed on your face, and you hopped into a few puddles.

A few more minutes of this passes by before you raise your gaze up from the puddles and freeze, causing your feet to slide on the concrete for a moment--just a moment. There's....there's a figure, standing in the distance. They seem to be facing you. Rain drops stream down your face, but you don't bother wiping the water away--you were soaked anyways...

The figure...slowly raises a hand and waves. You stare for a moment before slowly raising a hand back, waving back, slowing in your walk. It's a vast distance between you two, but you somehow manage to see the bright smile on the figure's face. Their teeth is pearly white and...oh...are those...fangs? You come to a complete halt, a little unsure about approaching the other.

The figure seems to notice and ducks their head down, rubbing the back of their neck--well, the back of their hood since it was up at the moment. You hadn't expected the other to do anything more, but they spoke. Now, their voice wasn't beautiful or scratchy. It quite reminded you of your own voice, something in between the good and the bad.

"Heh, don't be afraid...please...?"

They sounded so unsure, so scared, that you felt your heart tremble. You had heard that tone before. It had come from your own mouth many times. So, you take a deep breath and smile, stepping forward.

"Sorry," You reply. "I was just a bit startled."

The stranger seemed surprised--by what, you couldn't understand--before smiling warmly. Upon getting closer to the newcomer, you see that they are also wearing a simple jacket, colors drab like your own. You incline your head at them, tilting your head back slightly. They are tall, much taller than you had expected, but you feel that they won't cause you any harm, so you smile back.

"Say, what are you doing in the rain? I'm sure you saw the news this morning..."

The other seemed bashful, rubbing the back of their head again.

"Oh...well...I'm rather forgetful you see..." They surprisingly shrink under your wondering gaze. "Heh...sometimes I even forget what day it is..."

You blink at that before chuckling, quickly waving a hand in the air to placate them when they seem hurt.

"True, forgetting things seems useless, but maybe that way, you can experience something as if you've done it for the first time ever and have fun." You smile weakly at the tall figure before you. "...But forgetting is also a break from the things you don't want to remember--you'll have to face your dark thoughts eventually, but a break is always appreciated."

They stare at you in wonder, blinking their dull-colored eyes at you. You then smile nervously at them.

"Walk...with me? B-But, uh, if you have somewhere else to go, then that's fine."

Immediately, the stranger shakes their head, smiling at you anxiously.

"No, no...I'll walk with you."

With that, you gained a new companion.

~~

To be honest, you were wandering aimlessly, and the stranger was simply following you. You felt rather embarrassed for dragging them along with you, but they didn't seem to find. The rain fell harder on you two, but you didn't put your hood up.

"Hey," The person speaks, breaking the silence. "This is...a little personal, but...what would you do...if you were told...that you weren't good enough? That you were stupid?"

You incline your head at that, looking up at the gray sky above for a brief moment. You had heard those insults before--they weren't new to you at all.

"...It's true that the views of others are what shape you to who you are today, but it all comes down to whether you accept the words or not. I honestly don't think you're a bad person."

You offer a smile to them, which they return with a fanged smile of their own. You two continue on until you're at a crosswalk. You press the button to cross lightly, hearing a small beep when you put pressure on it. While waiting for the walk signal, they asked you another question.

"Have you ever doubted yourself?"

You ponder the question, recounting the many events in your life before responding, nostalgia weaved into your voice.

"Yes. Many times."

"...And what did you do during those times?"

The glowing, red sign turns to white, a stick-figure replacing the hand. You gently tug on their sleeve and guide them to walk with you across the street.

"Most times, I take a step back. I try to look at the situation I'm in." You looked down at the street, walking on the white lines only until you reached the other side. "I do my best to see what I did wrong and what I did right--from multiple views.  Even if I was unsure about something..." You sigh softly. "I knew I had to act.  That was it."

You companion nodded, tilting their head thoughtfully.  They cross with you, foot splashing in a few puddles.  You follow their long strides, not wanting to be left behind.

"Um...do you...do you like the rain?"

You blink and gaze at them in surprise before you also frown thoughtfully.

"...To be honest......I do.  I love the rain.  I would've wanted to stay in its downpour for a good long while--but then I would get sick." You laugh weakly. "It's not good to get sick, ya' know..."

They also chuckle at your antics, fangs flashing briefly in the dim lighting.  You stare in wonder at them, eyes slightly wide.

"Erm...excuse my prying," You step over a deep puddle of dirty water. "But...what exactly...are you?  No offense."

When they turn to look at you, you take the time to study their face better.  The tired eyes, the scars, the unruly locks of hair peeking out from the hood.  But what drew you in and crushed you at the same time was the lonely look in their eyes.

They blink and sigh, breaking you from your trance.

"...Me?  I, uh..." And they swallow, looking nervous. "I'm...not exactly sure, to be honest." Their laugh is strained and--...so lonely. "All I know is...is that I scare people."

You tilt your head before reaching a hand up, lightly tapping a shoulder to get their attention.  You did not like that distant look in their eyes.  You smile, a bit shakily, but you try your best to comfort them.

"Hey now...I'm not scared of you, am I?"

You see your companion's face waver and their eyebrows crease.

"...You...even if I look different, ask you all of these annoying questions, and--" Their voice raises slightly. "You could be lying to me." They laugh brokenly. "It's not the first time.  Nor is it the last.  You're probably feeding me lies too, aren't you?"

They look like they want to bolt.  They want to run.  They want to run from you.  They look like they expect your face to contort into one of anger or arrogance, but you merely smile softly and stop walking.  They stop walking too to look at you, watching you cautiously.

"I might be feeding you lies.  I might not be." You feel a raindrop drip down your face. "But I want you to know that you can't be suspicious of everyone.  Sometimes you just gotta trust them.  It hurts when you find out that you've been lied to, but it hurts more when you don't even try at all."

They stare at you, eyes wide.  Realization and recognition darts through those tired eyes before they soften.  Slowly, they give you a lopsided smile.

"Huh...thanks, ya' know?  For having this talk with me..."

You laugh shakily, feeling lighter as you hold a hand out to them.

"It's no problem.  After all...I needed the talk too."

They reach a hand out and grasp yours.  Suddenly, there's a soft, orange glow, and your tall, imposing companion shrinks down to your height.

When the lights die away, you see a new person.  Your new friend is still wearing the same jacket from before, but their hair is now the same hue as your own.  There are little stars that decorate their hair, glowing your favorite color.

Your companion smiles before reaching over with their free hand to ruffle your hair.

"Well, buddy...you keep on going.  I know I am too."

You smile and nod back.

"Yes..." You grin awkwardly. "If you have any problems again...just talk to me.  You understand, right?"

They laugh and poke at your forehead.

"Of course." The world begins to fade to black. "I'm you after all, right?"

You open your eyes, not really remembering when you had closed them.  You sit up and look around.  You were currently sitting on a bench at the bus stop.  When you raise your gaze, you see that a bus had pulled in.

You yawn and stand up, walking over to the bus.  With one foot on the bus stairs, you glance back over your shoulder.  You see your companion, waving at you with a small smile before they disappear with a rainy breeze.  You smile and get onto the bus.

~~

Your mind is clouded.  It's filled with pain, torment, questions, guilt and confusion.  When it gets like that, take the time to step back and take a deep breath.  Close your eyes and sort through your thoughts. 

...

Everyone will get that point in their life when they're stuck.  They don't know what to do.  They're hopeless.  They're in pain.

...

...

But you'll be fine, ya' know?  You'll be alright.  You'll be safe.  You'll be happy again.  You'll laugh, giggle, snort and grin widely.

You'll be alright.

...

Because I believe that you're going to be alright. I'm sorry if I won't be able to encourage you like this, but I want you to know...

You're beautiful

You're passionate.

You're kind.

You're awesome.

You're adorable.

You're cute.

You're loving.

You're caring.

You're generous.

...

You matter.

Don't let someone else tell you otherwise.

I'm cheering for ya'.

See ya'.