Chapter Text
Hector felt guilty and thought about sharing his flat with Franz, but with 6 failed attempts to call him, and an upset Fryderyk Chopin sitting at one of the tables at the café Hector works at, Franz Liszt was, once again, nowhere to be found.
That is until Fryderyk's phone finally lights up, accompanied by a loud buzz. A startled Fryderyk and a curious Hector stare at the phone, with the name "Franz Liszt" on the screen. Franz was calling Fryderyk.
It's been hours since neither Fryderyk nor Hector had seen Franz, and though Fryderyk Chopin was quite upset with the sudden appearance of the man out of thin air, he couldn't help but worry.
He hated that he worried about Franz. He hated that despite all the pain he had caused him, deep down, he still cared for the man. But Fryderyk Chopin just couldn't help it.
Fryderyk hurriedly picks up his phone, but just before answering, he looks at his screen one more time, and clears his throat, replaces that worried look on his face with that of indifference, and he finally answers the phone putting on a flat uncaring tone in his voice. A mask.
"What do you want?" Fryderyk says into his phone as Hector shakes his head.
"Uh- hi Fryderyk." Franz replies sheepishly, "A little hello would've been nice, but I'll take what I can get." he attempts to joke.
"I'm not here to play one of your games again, Franz. What are you calling me for?" Fryderyk gets straight to the point, putting on that tough guy act, though Franz had to admit, it was a little bit cute.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know, I'm okay now. I've found a good place to sleep in for the night... Just in case you were wondering."
-"For the night? You can stay here as long as you need!" Pipes a small voice from behind Franz.
"Oh, seriously? Gee, thanks man, but I don't wanna hassle you too much. I'll just stay here until I find my own space to live in again." Franz replies to the voice.
-"Alright! Suit yourself!"
Fryderyk hears this exchange and his face twists in confusion and... could it be jealousy? Maybe it's too early to say that for sure.
"Who is that?" Fryderyk asks Franz.
"Oh, that? He's just my new roommate." Franz replies, a little bit cheeky but careful not to sound too taunting in his voice.
"Roommate?"
"Yeah!" Franz exclaims, glad he's finally starting a proper conversation with Fryderyk again. No yelling, no crying, no anything like that. Although he thinks he probably doesn't deserve it too much just yet, but still, he's glad. "I met him earlier at the park. I was sitting in the rain and he came over me and offered an umbrella and things went on from there!"
"Wait what? You just met this guy?" Fryderyk asks, even more confused, and concern lacing his voice.
"Yep!" Franz says innocently while you can definitely hear his smile.
"Wha- Franz you can't just move in with some guy you just met."
"Mmm, true. But I didn't just meet him." Franz says so matter-of-factly, "I met him hours ago!" he finishes, again with that wide toothy grin displaying across his voice.
"I- No. Franz. No. You can't just-"
"Why not? Are you worried about me?" Franz says, teasingly. This catches Fryderyk off guard and he feels a little warmth rush into his face. Meanwhile Hector is just sitting beside Fryderyk, witnessing everything going on.
"W-what!? I-I-I'm not worried at all!"
"Oh yeah? Then why are you stuttering so much?" a smirk on Franz' face.
"O-okay w-well maybe just a little! But it's not the kind of worried you're thinking about!" Fryderyk shot back bit with his last bit of defense hanging by an over stretched E-string of a violin.
"What kind of worried am I thinking about, Freddy?"
"Shut up! It's just dumb! You're dumb! You're stupid!" snaps Fryderyk, and at this point, his face is as red as a tomato.
"Oh am I?"
"Yes! You are! No one in their right mind would just suddenly move in with a stranger! You can't just live with someone you just met! How many times do I have to repeat it for you?"
"Oh how bad can it be?"
"Haven't you-"
-"Wait Franz." Hector cuts Fryderyk off, now speaking directly to his phone "Who exactly are you staying with?" he asks.
"Just someone, bro, don't worry, I promise."
"Okay, are you really sure-"
"Okay guys, it was nice catching up with you, I gotta go now, bye!" Franz hurriedly said, ending the call in haste, which was weird, because Franz would've taken every chance he'd get to talk to Fryderyk some more, but today was different, it seems.
Franz looks over to his new friend, both of them kept dry under the shelter of his umbrella, and Franz looks at him and asks sheepishly, "So..."
"Mhmm?" his new friend hums.
"What did you say your name was again?"
"Oh right! You can call me Felix! And based on that phone call, I assume you're Franz, no?"
"Ah yes." Franz chuckles a little. "Franz Liszt, pleasure to meet you Felix...?" Franz says, urging Felix to tell him the rest of his name.
"Just call me Felix, you don't need to know the rest." Felix smiles.
Okay, weird?
"So, Felix, how far are we walking?" Asks Franz.
"Not far. I know a shortcut just around the corner." Felix replies innocently leading Franz as they make a sharp turn into a dark alleyway.
Suddenly it was like the sun had been swiped from the sky. A single turn and it seemed like they were in a completely different world. It was dark and damp, the smell of mold lingering in the air. The echoes of vague water droplets and little squeaks of mice became music - a theme of that place.
This was starting to creep Franz out. Though it's true that it might've been a horrible idea to just suddenly agree to live with a stranger, but Felix looked so clean and he spoke so nicely, so proper. Franz thought he could just trust Felix.
But that path... No, no, no... There was something off about it. "Hey, don't walk so far behind me." says Felix, in a low and quiet voice, his demeanor suddenly changing into that of a more serious pretense.
Gulp.
"Hey man, are you sure this is the right way?" asked Franz, doubts doubling in his mind. Felix didn't reply.
The alley seemed to stretch for forever, a long and dark narrow path with sharp turns here and there, Franz was sure to get lost if he walked down here on his own. There were occasional by-standers that either looked homeless or looked like they could break Franz like a twig, either way, they shot him hostile looks. But then he noticed their eyes shift as soon as they'd see Felix walk past.
Were they afraid of Felix? Who the hell is this guy? Where are we? When does this path end? Oh mother of Bach, I'm totally going to get murdered here, aren't I? - Franz' mind was racing.
Felix seemed to be walking so fast, the path memorized the same way Franz memorized his concertos. With his speed, it was as if Felix was floating. Franz could hardly keep up until suddenly, he bumped into Felix's back. A little oof came out of Franz' lips while Felix looked back at him, eyes wide and an overly excited grin forming across his face.
In the dark, that grin looked so sinister. A look that would forever haunt Franz Liszt.
"We're here." Felix proclaimed.