"Because I..." He frowns. Scratches his head. "A few years ago, I was still frozen in time. There was this--this thing... Sec, I've lived most of my life on the exact same day."
He pauses. He pauses again and again as he works out what to say. "I don't know how it happened. I don't know how it ended. All I know is that one day I stopped moving forward. I was on assignment, I was covering the Groundhog Day ceremony because it's a stupid holiday about predicting the weather and I'm a weatherman, so they sent me to the town of Punxsutawney and I--back then I hated all of it and I hated everyone, and I wanted to get out as soon as I could. A blizzard was coming in, which cut off everyone's cell and closed all the roads. So I had to stay the night. And when I woke up the next morning, it just--it wasn't. It wasn't February 3rd, it was the 2nd. It was still Groundhog Day.
"I was the only person who... carried over, I guess? I thought I was going fucking nuts. Groundhog Day was happening over and over again and everything was the exact same thing except for me and I was stuck. I don't..."
“Phil, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that’s like the polar opposite of time travel. It’s time stasis. And…it sounds like a fucking nightmare. Of course I’ll be with you on February 2nd here.”
"Yeah--yeah, I know it isn't." It comes out sharper than he means it to. "It's time shit, I don't know. I'm--"
His talons scrape his skin as he starts getting twitchy, adding red lines to the ones already criss-crossing his arms under his sleeves. "But. Thank you. God, I... I'm still not used to time moving so fast. You know? It's still weird to see people remember my name and recognize who I am. It's so weird to realize people, like, remember conversations. Or that I have to shave. Or do laundry. Or see the sun. I feel like I'm lagging all the time. Or like I'm always having some kind of headache.
"It was--it was--it was nice, you know, to not have any consequences, sometimes. I eventually... Punx is home now. I mean, it kind of had to be. I lived there longer than I've lived anywhere else. The people were nice. Are nice. I've gone back. I don't know what it's going to be like here, though, and it's, I just... I think... it would be better, if you were there for the next eternity."
“… You know, you’re the only one who’s ever actually told me that I’m safe even if I shouldn’t have thought I wasn’t,” he says quietly. “If things start getting dangerous, like if I… just, go crazy or something, you’d—I know you’re responsible enough to help out. And I’m not afraid that you’ll be completely ruined or something if I do.”
Most importantly: “And if everything turns out fine, then I just get to spend the day with you. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal.”
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-01-27 06:15 am (UTC)It shrugs slightly. "Why?"
no subject
Date: 2023-01-29 06:15 am (UTC)He pauses. He pauses again and again as he works out what to say. "I don't know how it happened. I don't know how it ended. All I know is that one day I stopped moving forward. I was on assignment, I was covering the Groundhog Day ceremony because it's a stupid holiday about predicting the weather and I'm a weatherman, so they sent me to the town of Punxsutawney and I--back then I hated all of it and I hated everyone, and I wanted to get out as soon as I could. A blizzard was coming in, which cut off everyone's cell and closed all the roads. So I had to stay the night. And when I woke up the next morning, it just--it wasn't. It wasn't February 3rd, it was the 2nd. It was still Groundhog Day.
"I was the only person who... carried over, I guess? I thought I was going fucking nuts. Groundhog Day was happening over and over again and everything was the exact same thing except for me and I was stuck. I don't..."
no subject
Date: 2023-01-29 07:06 am (UTC)“Phil, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that’s like the polar opposite of time travel. It’s time stasis. And…it sounds like a fucking nightmare. Of course I’ll be with you on February 2nd here.”
no subject
Date: 2023-01-29 08:09 am (UTC)His talons scrape his skin as he starts getting twitchy, adding red lines to the ones already criss-crossing his arms under his sleeves. "But. Thank you. God, I... I'm still not used to time moving so fast. You know? It's still weird to see people remember my name and recognize who I am. It's so weird to realize people, like, remember conversations. Or that I have to shave. Or do laundry. Or see the sun. I feel like I'm lagging all the time. Or like I'm always having some kind of headache.
"It was--it was--it was nice, you know, to not have any consequences, sometimes. I eventually... Punx is home now. I mean, it kind of had to be. I lived there longer than I've lived anywhere else. The people were nice. Are nice. I've gone back. I don't know what it's going to be like here, though, and it's, I just... I think... it would be better, if you were there for the next eternity."
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 02:22 am (UTC)It can't truly understand what Phil's going through, but the choice to want to be around it is. A lot.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 04:09 am (UTC)Most importantly: “And if everything turns out fine, then I just get to spend the day with you. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal.”