Chapter Text
He hits the ground with a thud.
He can feel the panic welling up inside him, even more than a few moments ago. The lift had been bad enough but he thinks he’d still choose it over this. All these faces, staring at him. Laughing at him, mocking him. He can’t get himself to move, laying on the ground, shaking, feeling his heart rise up inside him until it’s in his throat and he can’t breathe, he can’t breathe, he can’t-
None of the faces are familiar and then he realizes that nothing is familiar, that he can’t remember anything, not even his own goddamn name, that he has no idea where he is or who these people are and his eyes dart around, looking for something, anything, anything at all that he recognizes and then-
Those eyes.
He knows those eyes. Those dark brown eyes, crinkled at the corners, filled with mirth – he knows them. He can’t remember them but he knows them – and that’s even more confusing, because how can you know but not? – but still, it’s something, it’s something familiar, thank f-
And then his heart drops from his throat to his stomach.
He realizes that the eyes don’t know him.
He can just tell. There’s amusement in them but no recognition and somehow it’s worse than before, worse than knowing nothing. He knows those eyes but those eyes don’t know him and it hurts and he doesn’t even know why it hurts because he can’t remember anything but it won’t stop and he doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know what-
So he does the first thing that pops into his head.
He runs.