Marn's timeloop 90s infinity train teens au has infected me
“What are you even looking at?”
Audrey’s elbow knocks Al back into the world- the sound of cars underneath the train platform, a disembodied voice giving times for arrival that are slowly getting delayed- the repetition of it was hard to keep your focus on. He looks to the grunge girl sitting on the bench beside him and he tries to muster his most certain voice. “I’m not looking at anything!”
It’s not hard to see through it, the way his voice cracks, and his eyes look wide like a cat having been caught with a paw in a fishbowl- Audrey levels her gaze at him and raises and eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”
To someone less used to her, Audrey’s tone would be read as angry or bitter, but it’s been weeks since they first met on the train, and the two of them had been going loop after loop with each other. It was more fun than having the same conversation with your brother every day through instant messages.
But even though she wasn’t trying to bully him, Al blushes and tries to hide his face, Audrey gives up on waiting for him to answer and looks across the train platform. It takes her a second, but eventually she clocks it. “Her?” She raises her hand to point at the blonde girl on the other side of the tracks and Al jumps at least a foot in the air. He jerks her arm down with both hands and spins in front of Audrey, who is now cackling to herself as her beat red friend hopes they aren’t causing too much of a commotion.
“Relax dude- she’ll forget when she goes to bed tonight.” Audrey says between cackles, and Alphonse can’t refute it. She’s right- that girl isn’t in the loop. Any embarrassment from this is fleeting, right? “Do you know her?” Audrey pulls Al out of thought again, and he looks past her at the reflection of the girl in a metal wind cover. “No- I. I’ve seen her around the past couple days. She must work around here or something.”
The girl across the way is standing with a bag over her shoulder, long blonde hair and- Al’s not a fashion person, but he can tell that this is a curated outfit. A longer jacket, a colorful pop of color from a beanie, how was he NOT supposed to look at her? It was also evident that this girl was looking for something, like she’s canvasing the area. Everyone else is in their own world but she’s clearly trying to take everything in.
For a moment, Al thinks he can see her looking directly back at him through the reflection and blushes, looking away from her and at Audrey, who is looking at him in the way that someone would look at a dog that thinks it can’t get off the couch.
“Why don’t you talk to her?” Al can feel his head shaking no before she can finish her sentence, and Audrey stares him down. “If you don’t I will. Dude, what’s the worst that could happen?” Al scratches the back of his head and tries to stall, feeling his heart in his throat and his face turning red. “Come on Audrey- I don’t know if that’s- If this is a good idea. How would I even get over there before the train comes?”
Audrey pinches the bridge of her nose, and the thermal lamp above them turns on to start warming the waiting area. She looks up with a grin as Al stammers out excuses. “You’re right, you probably won’t be able to get over there.” and she pushes past him, cupping her hands around her mouth and yelling.
“Hey!” Al considers throwing himself over the yellow line and into the path of the train. “Blonde girl!”
She jerks her head up, putting a foot back behind her as if expecting an attack, everyone on the train turns and looks at Audrey, and then at Rachel on the other side of the tracks. Al’s face was buried behind his hands- he hoped his gloves covered him enough that no one would see him.
Audrey holds out a hand towards Al, calling direct attention to him. “My friend here thinks your cute but he’s scared to go over there- Meet him for coffee tomorrow?” He wants to melt into the pavement, disappear entirely. He’s not sure if the girl is blushing or if the cold was hitting her face as much as his.
It felt like he was standing there forever, every eye on the two of them, and finally the girl starts to open her mouth and respond, but
Trains now arriving. Doors open on the left at Belmont.
A train blocks her from his vision, and Al pulls his hat down over his eyes and rushes forward to push onto the train. Audrey following behind him with a huge shit eating grin, she rushes to the other window and looks through, but another train has come on the far side, and the mess of people has made it impossible to see her anymore.
She turns to see Al giving her the angriest look she’s ever seen. “Audrey that was not ok.” She rolls her eyes- “it’s fine. She says yes, oh no there is no tomorrow for her, she says no, same hat. You lose nothing.” Her arguments weren’t convincing, and they ride in silence for a little bit as Al tries to replay the scene in his head.
He tries to remember her face, and the way her mouth was moving when she was responding- was that an ok? Was that a fuck off? What was she going to say? What does it matter anyway, when they’re trapped in this stupid fucking loop? Should he try earnestly tomorrow?
The next day, when the two of them come to the stop again at Audrey’s behest, Rachel is standing on their side of the tracks, and waves- a green number reflecting on her palm.
Al feels like he’s going to throw up.
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