Chapter Text
You stand at the edge of the room, watching Dewdrop try to goad Aether into an ill-advised prank on Primo. It’s been a very long day, with unfortunate news from home, frantically searching the Ministry after finding that the stash of communion wafers in the vestry had dwindled to nothing without anyone noticing, and a myriad other annoyances. Your clothes feel itchy, your head aches, and you had only even come to this – what did they call it, a drinks reception? Because your friend Ryan was presenting his and Secondo’s research to interested parties at the Ministry, and you wanted to support him. You can’t say you regret it; Ryan’s face when he saw you there made it well worth the trouble, and the presentation was genuinely engaging. Now, though, you’ve congratulated him, and you’ve made small talk with other Siblings, and you briefly chatted to Terzo before he was whisked away by Secondo to join in some kind of drinking game… You want to leave. Natalie isn’t here, because she’s on a date. Ben and Ryan are outside somewhere, talking to some Siblings you don’t know. Omega is trying to stop whatever Dewdrop and Aether are up to. There’s a Ghoul playing piano and another singing along, and no one else seems to be finding it as loud as you are. You could just go. No one would really notice. You look around – Sister and Cardinal Copia are standing in front of the door, deep in conversation. Fuck. You fidget with the little red friendship bracelet in your pocket. Dewdrop races past you, shoving you backwards into the wall. He yells “sorry!” without looking back. It knocks the air out of you, and you lean over, winded. Primo, irate, stalking after the Ghoul, pauses in front of you.
“Did that idiot hurt you?”
“No,” you say, throat a little hoarse. It’s the truth – nothing actually hurts. Except, maybe, the effort of speaking out loud. “Just – startled.”
“Hm.” Primo nods once and then follows after Dewdrop.
The Ghoul who was singing has been joined by another three, all trying to harmonise but too drunk to make it work. One of them is far too high-pitched, their voice piercing and shrill. You look towards the door – still blocked. You could at least move further away from the piano; you could go outside, even. Fresh air would probably help. You don’t move. A gaggle of Siblings comes in from outside, laughing and shouting over the music. You need to get out. You’re exhausted. This is that thing Aether told you about a couple of months ago. Shutdown. OK. You pull the red bracelet out of your pocket and put it on. You fold your arms across your chest, and lean your head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. You hear Secondo and Dewdrop drunkenly warbling along with the Ghouls at the piano, and you clench your jaw tight. It’s too much. You need to leave. Your body won’t obey you. You look again towards the door, but there’s a crowd now in front of you, so you can’t even see if Sister and Copia are still blocking it. You look at the ground, and take deep breaths.
“Secondo, no, stop it!” You look towards the sound of Terzo’s voice – he’s pulling his arm free from his brother’s grip.
“Aw c’mon, don’t you wanna sing wi’us?” Secondo slurs.
“Next time, next time…” Terzo waves his hand dismissively. Secondo sticks his middle finger up and then drapes his arm around Dewdrop, returning to his messy rendition of a song you distantly think might be by ABBA. You look back down, away from the mass of people.
“Caro?” Terzo’s voice is right by your ear. You inhale sharply. “Sorry,” he murmurs. “Didn’t mean to startle you. That, ah, that bracelet is the red one. The one you showed me. So. Follow me, si?” He begins to move through the crowd, looking back every few seconds to check you’re still close behind. The noise is even more overwhelming in the centre of the room, and you struggle not to cover your ears. When you reach the door, Sister and Copia are still there, but Terzo says something to them – you can’t make out what – and they move aside. Copia smiles at you, and Sister entirely ignores you. You think you smile back, but you can’t be sure.
When you’re outside, in the mercifully empty hallway, Terzo slows down, and you catch up to walk beside him.
“Your room is closer than mine,” he says. “Let’s head there. No need to speak if you’re not up to it.” You nod. “I was thinking, caro, you might want to watch a film with me sometime – not tonight, it might be too much, ah, stimulation. But it is so hard to find someone who wants to actually watch the films I show them, you know, they always assume that watching a film is code for – and sometimes it is! Sometimes it is. But you won’t do that, so maybe you will actually like the film. Have you seen Metropolis? It’s an early sci-fi film, German expressionist, from, ah, 1927 – made during the Weimer period – it’s fascinating, caro, and so inspiring…” You’re only half listening, mind still reeling. When you reach your room, Terzo stops, waiting patiently while you fumble with your keys, hands clumsy in your tired state.
“Do you still want company?” he asks as you head inside. You nod. He smiles, and follows you inside.
“Wonderful, that means I don’t have to go back to that chaos.” He gestures towards your bed. “Sit down, caro. Or lie down, if that’s better. You look exhausted.” You sit down. “Shoes off?” He prompts. Right. Yeah. You pull your shoes off, and kick them to the side of the room. Terzo sits beside you. “Are you alright with being touched?” You pause, then nod. He gently puts an arm around you. When you don’t move, he carefully moves your head to rest on his shoulder. He rubs your arm, firm movements up and down, and slowly you begin to relax against him, the tension draining out of you.
“Sorry…” you whisper. “I think… I think I’m coming out of it now.”
“Nothing to be sorry for, tesoro,” Terzo murmurs. “Do you want to lie down?”
“If I do I’ll… fall asleep.”
“That’s alright.”
“Got to… brush my teeth… at least.” You yawn, and Terzo releases you, though he rests one hand on your back.
“Ah, fair enough. Very responsible.”
It takes you a minute, but you do manage to stand up without him prompting you, and traipse to the bathroom. When you return to your room, yawning wide and eyelids heavy, Terzo is still sitting on the edge of your bed.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asks. You hesitate. “I’m happy to, it’s no problem to me.”
“Yeah… please,” you say. “Still feel kinda… overwhelmed.”
“Of course.” Terzo gets up and lifts the covers for you; you lie down, and he sits beside you, back against the headboard. He runs his hand lightly across your scalp, making you shiver slightly, and he chuckles softly.
“Thank you for … for helping,” you mumble. You’re asleep before you hear his reply.