⤷ You’re not here. But somehow, you’re everywhere.
follo tunito x f!reader , angst , longing , separation , bittersweet , emotional hurt , follo misses reader too much , might be ooc :(
Author’s Note : this is inspired by here without you by 3 doors down while writing this huhu so if you could listen to it while reading it its very appreciated!!! I hope you enjoy the emotional damage (。ᵕ ◞ _◟)
He used to think silence was peaceful, something to appreciate after a long day of noise, shouting, metal scraping against concrete, footsteps pounding against the floor…. Or whatever the teams were on.
Now, silence only gave his thoughts room to get louder and he sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting against his knees, staring at the floor. His fingers curled around nothing.
He could still remember the shape of your hand, the warmth of your palm, the way your fingers would naturally slip between his whenever you walked beside him, like they belonged there. But when he reached out now, nothing. His hand closed around empty air, he swallowed.
He wasn’t even sure who he was talking to. Outside, the wind dragged itself through the narrow gaps in the walls. Some faint rustle, a soft whistle… And for a moment, he smelled you. Something warm, familiar, and like fabric warmed by sunlight.
Like the faint scent that lingered on your clothes after you’d been beside him all day. Follo’s head snapped toward the doorway.
Nothing, the doorway was empty. Of course it was, his shoulders dropped and he laughed once under his breath, but there wasn’t anything funny about it.
But his chest hurt, it had been hurting for days or maybe weeks. He’d stopped counting, because counting meant admitting how long you’d been gone and he couldn’t do that, not tonight… Not when every little thing seemed determined to remind him of you, your favorite blanket was folded at the end of the bed, and there was even a tiny scratch on the wooden table from when you’d accidentally dragged something across it.
He’d noticed it before, he’d laughed about it. Now he couldn’t look at it without remembering the sound of your voice.
“You’re staring while thinking.”
He could almost hear you, almost.
Follo shut his eyes, “Come back.” The words escaped before he could stop them, his throat tightened. He looked down and his hands were shaking.
There was no answer, there never was.
He remembered the last time he’d seen you, and was the cruelest thing. Memory didn’t fade when he wanted it to. It stayed painfully clear. You’d been standing in front of him, trying to smile. Trying to convince him you weren’t scared. Follo had known you were, he’d been scared too. But he’d smiled anyway, reached up and fixed a strand of your hair.
You’d complained that he was messing it up, he’d laughed. Then you’d looked at him—really looked at him and something in your expression had made his stomach twist, “Don’t look at me like that,” he’d murmured.
“Like you’re saying goodbye.”
You’d gone quiet, that silence had answered him.
He remembered pulling you closer, your forehead against his. Your breath warm against his skin and the faint tremble in your hands.
“I need to memorize this, the warmth of you— the smell of your hair… that tiny hitch in your breathing or the way your fingers held into the back of his shirt.“
As if letting go would make the moment disappear….maybe it did. Because then you were gone and Follo had been left with nothing but the memory.
He lays back against the bed, eyes burned, and staring at the ceiling.
“I wonder if you miss me.”
His voice was barely audible and hated himself for asking. Because he knew the answer wouldn’t change anything, even if you did… even if you were somewhere thinking about him too.
He still couldn’t reach you or still couldn’t hear your voice, still couldn’t feel your hand in his and that was the part nobody warned him about.
Love wasn’t always dramatic, sometimes it was just waking up and instinctively reaching toward the other side of the bed. Sometimes it was turning around because you thought you heard someone laugh, sometimes it was seeing something stupid and thinking,
And then remembering she wasn’t there, he turned onto his side.
His hand rested against the empty space beside him, he stared at it. For a moment, he imagined your fingers slipping into his. Imagined the warmth, the weight, and the little squeeze you’d give him when you wanted his attention.
His breathing hitched, he squeezed the mattress instead…nothing.
His voice cracked, immediately covered his mouth. He didn’t want to cry, not because crying was weak. But because once he started, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop and he was tired, so tired… He pulled the blanket closer and it still smelled faintly like you.
That was enough to break him, his eyes squeezed shut.
“I love you.” The words came out quietly, like a confession meant for someone who wasn’t there to hear it.
“I still love you.” His chest rose shakily.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that.” Silence, he laughed bitterly.
“You’re supposed to answer me, you know.”
Nothing, his eyes opened and the room remained empty and he stared at the doorway again. For one terrible second, he let himself imagine you standing there. Smiling, calling his name, walking toward him, he could almost feel your arms around his neck.
Almost— then the image disappeared, and Follo was alone again. His fingers curled into the blanket.
“…If you were here.” He stopped, voice was trembling.
“If you were here, I’d tell you everything.”
He looked toward the window, the night outside was dark, cold, and endless…
“I’d tell you how much I missed you.”
A pause, “I’d tell you that every stupid little thing reminds me of you.”
“I’d tell you that sometimes I still turn around because I swear I heard you.”
He whispered the last part.
“I’d ask you not to leave me again.”
The room stayed silent, his lowered his head. He pressed his face into the pillow, breathing in the last trace of your scent. For a moment, he let himself pretend you were beside him, pretend your fingers were tangled with his, and pretend your heartbeat was only inches away or tomorrow he’d wake up and you’d still be there…
Pretend that when he opened his eyes, you’d be smiling at him but pretending was cruel.
Because morning always came and you never did. So Follo stayed there in the darkness, holding onto a memory that was slowly becoming the only place he could still find you and somewhere between exhaustion and sleep, he whispered one last thing into the empty room.
“…I hope it’s one where you come back.”
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