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There was a knock on his car door's window suddenly, so much that it startled Bad immensely: wasn't his cousin supposed to come out of school in ten minutes?
He looked to the side with one quick motion of his head, eyes widening the moment a complete stranger came into his vision; completely dumbfounded by the situation, he couldn't help but roll down his window to listen to what the other had to say.
« Hey, I know you don't know me, but there's a lot on my mind right now and I really need to talk to somebody. I saw you sitting here, so I'm gonna come in. »
« What? No, don't! I- » he made to push away the person, but the stranger opened the car's door from the inside, sitting in the passenger's seat right after.
There was a deep sigh from them, while Bad's mind raced with a billion question marks replacing his coherent thoughts. « So, I think my girlfriend's gonna break up with me, » the stranger moved with their back towards Bad, now slowly lowering themselves until they had their head on his lap. « She's been acting very different recently and I- » they looked right in his eyes. « Hey could you run your hand through my hair? It calms me down. »
« Wha- No! I have to- who even are you?! I'm here to pick my cousin up! »
They had a rather intense stare-down, between Bad's half-panic half-whatintheworldishappening, and the stranger's realization hitting them.
« Anyway, as I was saying, she's been acting real weird lately and I was like dude, maybe- » Bad covered his face with his hands, utterly flabbergasted by the situation. What is even going on? « Hey, do you remember what I said about the hair? »
« I- I don't even know you! Why would I do that? »
The stranger sighed in annoyance and raised one hand to take one of Bad's and put it on his hair. « Back to the point, she keeps going “Skeppy stop saying that, Skeppy you're being annoying, Skeppy stop talking” and I mean, that's kinda rude right? »
Skeppy, so Bad thought they called themselves, looked at him again, as though they were asking for validation to their point.
Yet, they kept talking as soon as Bad opened his mouth to say something.
« And then a friend claimed he overheard her complain about me to her friends! And she was lying about me! She said – hold on let me remember – she said “He's so weird, right?”, why would she think I'm weird? »
I can think of a few reasons.
« Listen, I'm sorry your love life is in shambles right now, but I really need to go get my cousin, and this situation is very strange, so please seek out this friend you mentioned and discuss your issues with him instead of a random stranger. » as he said so, Bad helped Skeppy back up onto the seat.
The latter groaned in frustration. « You think I'm weird too? »
Bad stared at him for a long moment. « You helped yourself into my car like you've known me for years! »
« It was kinda funny, though. »
« Are you insane?! I could've thought you were a mugger or something- »
« But you didn't! » Skeppy suddenly smiled wide. « And you let me talk, too! That was very kind, thank you. Needed that. » there was a small bit of silence, before he shrugged it off. « I'll be off then, » he said, as he opened the car door.
« Gosh, finally. »
« See you next time! »
« There's not going to be- » the door shut loudly. « … a next time. » Bad looked behind himself, barely able to make out the figure of the man turning a corner and leaving his vision.
What the heck just happened?
Well, no matter, that was just the most unusual thing that had ever happened to him and he was simply going to ignore it in favor of his mental stability. He had a child to pick up anyway, so thankfully he moved on from the situation quickly.
Note to self, never roll down the window to anyone, ever.
It's alright, it's just a couple of people in a smaller space than you remembered. It's fine, no big deal. It's just people.
Bad let the water on his face run down his cheeks for a second, before he dried it with a couple of sheets of paper.
In for four …
He started breathing again.
Hold for seven …
As he calmed himself down, there was some slight movement from outside the bathrooms' door.
Out for eight …
« So, I ended up breaking up with her. »
« What?! » Bad's head snapped up to meet the stranger – Skeppy? - walking past the door and sitting onto one of the sinks next to him.
« I know right? I was surprised too, but she really had been an asshole towards me the whole time, apparently. Like, the whole- »
His heart rate picked up again. « Have you been following me? »
Skeppy frowned. « What? No, that's creepy dude. I just saw you run in here so I thought “might as well”. »
« What in the world does that even mean? »
« But yeah, apparently she'd never been in love with me or anything. She just thought I was pretty I guess. » he shrugged, his voice had gotten lower towards the last sentence, looking down suddenly interested in the tiles.
Bad blinked at him several times. « I'm … sorry? » was he hallucinating?
« Appreciate it. » he shrugged again, then looked up. « You look like shit. »
« Gee, thanks. »
« Well, it's true. » there was another beat of silence, before he giggled. « I'm literally leaving some space for you to talk about your issue too, if you didn't notice. »
Bad looked at him as though he had grown a horn. « I? Don't randomly talk about that to strangers? »
The other extended his hand. « I'm Skeppy. »
« I know. »
« Thought you didn't talk to strangers. » there was a huge grin plastered on his face and Bad hated every minute of it.
« That's not- »
« So … you are? »
Bad scoffed and leaned away from the sink, approaching the exit of the bathrooms. « Leaving. »
The last sound he could hear was the stranger's giggles and a “nice one!” being shouted from behind the door as soon as he closed it.
Once he was back in the store, he noticed he had calmed down completely.
Thank goodness, the water had helped.
He decided, again, to go on about his day as he had planned and ignore the looming feeling in his mind as though something catastrophic was about to happen soon.
Antfrost had preached the quiet ambience in the coffeeshop had helped him through his work before and, maybe, it could've even helped Bad through the small coding obstacle he had been stuck on for hours.
« I think it might ease up your social anxiety. It's not like you have to sit with anyone, just work around other people that might be doing the same. »
Bad wasn't sure that was how it worked, perhaps it would've only heightened his anxiety, but working in a different context could've actually helped reset his mind.
He had sat down for a few minutes, when the chair on the opposite side of his table creaked.
« You're never going to believe this. »
« Oh, you've got to be kidding me. »
Skeppy was holding his phone, eyes fixed on it as he scrolled on his screen, clearly looking for something as his other hand made a sign as though he were telling Bad to wait up.
« Yep, that I won't. » he murmured, looking back at his desktop while his typing sounds resumed.
Abruptly, Skeppy let down his phone on the table and he leaned over it. « Freaking- Three days ago, she comes in my DMs - which she promptly ignored for the past few weeks, mind you – telling me she's changed and made up her mind about the past and all that stupid shit like can you believe it? How can a person change in less than a month, please. » he shook his head vigorously. « Nah, I don't believe it. Fuck that. She made it very clear about her stance on me, so … »
Bad simply kept clicking and typing on his keyboard, yet the noise of Skeppy's voice couldn't help but make him unfocus every other second. It was downright irritating.
« I guess she just missed having s- »
« NOPE. No. Language. Don't finish the sentence. »
At which, the other grinned widely. « I was just going to say she missed having someone around her, geez, aren't you dirty minded. »
He received a death glare as an answer, something Skeppy was more than happy to welcome with a wider innocent grin.
« What are you doing, by the way? »
« Minding. »
« … minding what? »
« My business. » Bad ignored the other whispering “That was brutal, dude.” as he decided to give up on his project altogether and simply run one of his games to tune out the little pest sitting in front of him.
« But yeah, I'm absolutely over it. Cross my heart and hope to die, I'll never deal with any other partner like her again. » Skeppy tilted his head as he noticed the clicking had become more incessant. « Seriously, what are you- » he gasped as his vision adjusted to the desktop's light. « No way, you play genshin impact too?! »
Gosh, what did he do.
« What AR are you at? »
« Fourty-five. »
« Holy shit, let me come to your world. »
« No. »
« Please, there's Windtrace right now- Oh, let me guess. You don't co-op with strangers. »
Bad let out a long deep huff as he concentrated on his screen instead.
« Ooh, you're a Kaeya main? Nice. I like you. He's still in my main party too. » Skeppy simply watched as the other completed his in-game commissions and rushed to an artifact domain. « Why are you not doing the five-star challenge? They could give you better stats. »
« I'm too underlevelled, clearly. »
« Let me help. » another glare was sent his way. « I swear! I do them all the time. »
« I don't need them yet. I'm content with what I've gotten, I just like this domain. »
« Alright, I respect that, I like beating up Azdaha for no reason, too, so I can't really judge you. »
Bad stared at him for a long time again.
« What? It looks punchable. »
« I won't question that. »
Another couple of minutes of gameplay passed between some extremely lucky pulls, and compliments about Bad's playstyle and choices – most of the conversation had been one sided anyway -, before Skeppy decided to take his leave.
« My ex should be arriving soon, too, so … »
« You- Why would you come here if- »
« Hey, the drinks are the best in town, alright? Can you blame a guy? » he shrugged before he made a farewell gesture with his hand and disappeared outside of the building.
The moment Bad sighed and looked down, going back to his work, it was as though something clicked in his mind; he quickly typed something and the answer to his troubles appeared right in front of his eyes.
Antfrost had turned out the be right after all: new surroundings did help clear up his mind.
« Then I woke up to, about, thirty-seven missed calls, all around three am. » Skeppy had been surprisingly keeping up with his pace. Bad had been quietly walking around the mall to find a specific shop – Sam had asked him to get him some parts for his project – when the stranger had caught up to him and startled him beyond imagination. « I was able to catch some voicemails in between the missed texts, she sounded devastated. Not gonna fall for it, though, I promise. »
Bad kept scanning the shop signs, unable to process whatever the other was blabbing about.
« Actually, I think she was pretending to be drunk. It sounded forced. Way too forced. »
« Hi! » yet another random voice interrupted them, which Bad saw it belonged to a person with a small working station outside of shops. Gosh, he had such a hard time telling those people he was busy and always ended up losing time to hear of products he couldn't care less about.
« Uhm … »
« Could I interest you in- »
« Sorry, » Skeppy grabbed Bad's wrist in a second. « We're about to miss our bus and we really need to run. Maybe next time! » after that, he pulled onto his arm and simply ran for his life, taking Bad with him.
What.
They turned a corner and, just like that, they stopped, catching their breath.
« You could've- » Bad frowned in confusion. « You could've just said no. »
« Well, you didn't either. » Skeppy kept walking forward and, for some unknown reason, the other found himself following him. « As I was saying, she just keeps trying to pry into my life. Trying to insert herself back in like nothing ever happened. » he scoffed, before looking back behind himself to see Bad was staring at a specific shop's window.
He made his way back to him. « Need something from here? » he asked, getting absolutely no response as the other scanned the piece of paper in his hands and compared the model written down to the ones on display. « You know, we can just go in and ask if they have that. »
« … Yeah. » Bad responded absentmindedly, still looking at the windows hoping one of the numbers would just change and fit what he needed.
After one more minute of contemplation, Skeppy decided it was the right time to snatch the piece of paper away and walk inside the shop.
« Hey wha- » Bad couldn't but follow after him.
Barely two seconds in, and Skeppy was already talking to a staff member, pointing out whatever he needed on the paper; the member walked away quickly only to return with the item inside a bag and a suggestion to walk to the other end of the shop to pay and checkout.
All in the matter of two minutes.
« What are you doing? » Bad murmured towards him as the other passed his card to the cashier.
« Uh, paying? Like a good costumer? »
« But that's- »
« Relax, it's not a big deal. You can repay me another time. » the stranger smiled to the cashier and bid his farewell, handing the bag over to Bad as they started making their way out of the mall.
The latter fiddled with the keys in his hand. « Do you … need a ride home? »
Skeppy pondered the question, then shook his head. « Nah, I'm gonna be late for the bus, remember? » he chuckled. « Thanks, though. Bye! » he gave a small wave before leaving the parking lot altogether.
The moment Bad was back inside his car, hands on the steering wheel, he dropped his head on top of his knuckles.
« What. » despite the disbelief, he found himself softly giggling, a small smile appeared on his lips and something a little warmer spread in his chest.
That was nice.
Maybe a bit annoying, as it had been before. But it was nice.
Bad really owed Lucy an apology for how long it had been since the last time they had been to that public garden she liked so much. Lately all their walks had been rather short and just generally not that farther from his flat.
He had been sitting on a bench for some time, letting his dog bask in the sunlight, when another figure sat on the other side.
« I'm a runaway. »
« Excuse me? »
« Okay, not seriously, » Skeppy put his hands before his chest. « It's just- she came to my home uninvited. She just showed up in front of my gate. It was weird. »
« You're running away from her? »
« I wasn't going to let her in my house! We argued there for a while and then I walked away and came here. Then I saw you. »
« Hold on, » Bad gripped at the leash tighter so he wouldn't be surprised in case Lucy were to suddenly run away. « How long has this been going on? »
« Some months? I think it needs something drastic to cut her off. »
« Wait. So for months you've been receiving calls and texts despite telling her to stop? »
« Yeah. It's not the first time she showed up at my house either. »
Bad blinked several times. « You do realize that is not normal. »
« I know! I'll do something about it, I promise. » Skeppy said. « … eventually. »
« No- it's already a bad situation as it is you have to do something about it right now, or it will get worse. You could find yourself in a very dangerous territory. »
He weighed his options. Either he acted on it or made it worse for himself. The better option was obvious, but still …
« Put aside your fear, look at it objectively. It's weird, what she's doing is not okay and is breaking your boundaries instead of letting go. She's crossing the line a little too much. How much of this has been affecting your life? »
He looked to the side. « I've … been avoiding places. Usual places I went to. I'm rarely alone there. It's just … I get weird feelings like something terrible is awaiting me right around the corner and- » he hadn't realized his voice had started to break until he heard the other.
« Breathe. »
He took a deep breath.
« In for four seconds. Hold for seven. Out for eight. »
Skeppy did as instructed multiple times, before he could calm down. « I think I'm terrified of her. »
« That's why you've been putting off stopping this. But you don't need to be afraid of someone who's in the wrong. »
There was a long moment of silence before Skeppy talked again and Bad waited patiently every minute of it. « Could you … come with me? »
Maybe it was the way this person looked so fragile right then, but he suddenly felt braver than usual, like he had to be strong for his friend.
Wait, since when had they become friends?
« Of course. » Bad spoke softly and it instantly calmed the other down. Skeppy offered a small smile in return and got up from the bench before looking down at the small dog.
« Who's this cutie? »
« Oh, that's Lucy! » he tugged a little on the leash and she immediately got to her paws, tail wagging in excitement to see where their next destination was going to be. « C'mon. » she barked happily at the two, before sniffing Skeppy's shoes and, once content, she walked back closer to her owner.
« Alright. » Skeppy looked around himself warily. « Let's head to the station. »
Bad nodded and followed after him.
A few seconds later, a trembling hand found its way to his own, gripping it tight.
None of them mentioned it, but Bad understood.
He didn't mind.
He understood.
This time, it was Bad who spotted him. Usually a couple of weeks would pass before he felt Skeppy's presence dawning on him, but now it had been nearly a month since their last encounter.
He presumed it had gone fairly well.
Until he got closer to the other to see he was silently crying in the most deserted place in town he could find.
« Hey. » he tried not to startle him, yet a pair of shocked eyes set on him.
Skeppy didn't say anything to that, just turned his head to the side and started wiping his tears away.
« What's the matter? »
He shook his head.
« Are you being followed again? »
« No. » his voice sounded the way broken glass felt on skin. « Just- just thoughts. News. »
« News? » Bad tentatively walked closer to him.
He nodded. « Unpleasant ones. »
« Wanna talk about it? » in a normal context, Bad would've backed away from the conversation if it were for someone he barely knew. Yet he couldn't find it in himself to leave this guy alone. « Like the first time? »
There was a small sad chuckle. « What? »
« Come here. » He beckoned him and soon enough he was fiddling with his keychain to unlock his car and then sat on the driver's seat. « C'mon, the other door's unlocked. »
Skeppy giggled at that, putting himself in that familiar position that had happened months earlier. The moment he felt fingers run through his hair, his heart melted and he finally started talking.
« So, she had been cheating on me the whole time. »
Bad stilled for a moment, before he resumed his comforting gesture. « I'm sorry. » his soft voice had felt more genuine than any other reassurement Skeppy's friends had given him.
There was a small sniffle from the latter. « I don't even know what else to say. There's just that. It feels bad. »
« I can understand that. » it was strange to hear him be way more silent than usual.
« Yeah. » he closed his eyes for a moment, letting the feeling of warmth wash over him completely. Fingertips brushed his cheekbone for a moment, before returning in his hair.
It was nice, better than how he had felt before anyway. He wanted to stay like that forever, to lean into his touch, to-
Oh.
Oh, alright.
« Hey, » Bad's voice brought him back to earth. « Get up and put on your seatbelt. »
« Huh? » Skeppy did as commanded, despite the confusion. « Where are we going? »
« Somewhere nice. » he supplied, letting him gain absolutely no information. « We'll make you feel better. »
« You were already making me feel better. »
The look they shared for a silent moment was … interesting. Neither of them decided to speak up after that, letting the feeling linger even minutes after, when the car stopped once again right in front of the same old coffeeshop where Skeppy had bugged him months earlier.
They made their way inside and took their orders, sitting at the same table they had been way before.
« I started taking the habit of coming here every time I would be stuck in one of my projects. » Bad explained as he stirred the drink with his straw. « It helped the first time I came here. »
« I think you just need a break, man. »
« … you know what, I'll give that to you. »
« Which is also the reason why you should send me a friend request on genshin. »
« No, I don't think I will. » there was a smile on his face this time.
« You are such a pain, do I have to beg you for that? »
« Mh … maybe. »
« I hate you. »
Needless to say, their conversations flowed flawlessly. Which was surprising, for someone who had only learnt the other's name by stealing his drink to read it where it was written down.
And really, Skeppy's problems would've been completely forgotten, if it hadn't been for the fact that he had looked away from Bad for just a moment, directing his glance to the other side of the room. His gaze got stuck there for a moment.
« Oh god. » he sucked in a breath and turned back to him. « She's here. »
Bad's head snapped to the side, noticing a figure of a worker staring right back at them with similarly widened eyes. In a moment, he looked back at the other, leaned in and extended his arm towards him: he cupped his cheek and gave him a reassuring smile.
« Hey, you're okay. »
The way Skeppy stared back at him seemed as though he had just had the most marveling epiphany unravel right before his eyes. Surprise wasn't the proper word for it. Shock, maybe, and something else he couldn't name that was completely breaking his conscience.
He leaned in as well, enough to let a quick kiss to Bad's lips linger just that one moment to ponder whether or not he had actually lost his fucking mind. Sitting back, he smiled as well and leaned onto his touch, taking his hand and keeping it close too.
« Thank you. » he didn't dare open his eyes yet, completely leaving Bad's reaction in the dark. He just wanted to bask in the feeling.
The hand on his cheek went to grip his own properly and started pulling Skeppy up to his feet.
« C'mon, let's get out. » surprisingly, Bad's demeanor was still as comforting as earlier.
It didn't take long for him to comply and, in a minute, they were standing a few meters away from the building.
Somehow, they had ended up hugging.
« I should go. » despite that, Skeppy held the other a little tighter than before.
« You can, if you want. »
« You're way too kind, Bad. » he murmured, before letting go of him and stepping aside.
There was a beat of silence. « Skeppy, what are we? »
He chuckled under his breath at that and shrugged, taking a few steps away, before turning back to him with a wide grin.
« Strangers. »
With that, Bad was left after a small wave to stare dumbfounded at the spot where Skeppy had disappeared. Where in the world has this guy come from?
For once, he laughed it off, let the adrenaline of whatever had just happened shake off of him and started walking towards his car.
He just knew he was going to see him again soon.