Work Text:
Todd was just cooking dinner in his apartment when he heard glass shattering against the wall in the apartment above his. He flinched and then frowned deeply. For a second he didn’t want to believe it- these kinds of things don't actually happen… right? Just in movies- but then he heard yelling, one of them sounded like they’d been crying.
Todd looked down at his dinner and down the hall to his room. He was supposed to go to sleep in the next hour- he had a very specific routine to help with his anxiety… but now he was way too worried to even think about sleeping.
Todd turned off the stove and set his food to the side. He took a deep breath and then put on his shoes. He listened for a second to the people arguing above him. The angry one said he was done with the other guys crap, opened the door and angrily left.
Todd waited for a few seconds then headed out. He went to the elevator as a large angry man came storming out of it. Todd pressed himself against the wall to stay out of the way. Then got in and went up to the second floor. Counting the doors he found the apartment that was directly above his.
He took another deep breath and knocked.
A much smaller boy than the other man opened the door. He still looked about Todd's age, with dark hair and dark eyes, a little red and puffy from crying. He was wearing a big sweater zipped all the way up to his chin, every inch of skin covered. Like he was hiding something.
“Yes?” the boy said softly, looking up at Todd through his lashes.
“Uh- I know this is strange… and i’ m not trying to intrude… but I thought I heard some yelling and something break- I- I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” Todd said sheepishly.
For a second, the smaller boy didn’t say a thing, just staring up at Todd. Then he looked down and shook his head. “I think your ears are playing tricks on you, thanks for caring sir- really, that’s nice of you… but I have to go back in. Wish I could tell you about the noise, but I didn’t hear a thing.”
“But-” Todd frowned deeply.
The boy looked up at Todd with a smile. “Must have been the wind.” he nodded and then closed the door.
Todd stood there a little dumbfounded- confused- and worried… but he wasn’t gonna push… he didn’t know everything. So Todd went back down to his apartment. He finished cooking his food, ate and then went to his room.
His anxiety was through the roof and he couldn’t lay down on his bed. So instead he laid down on the floor, the cold of the concrete seeping through his t-shirt.
He tried to tell himself that the boy was telling the truth, he had no reason to lie… he was fine… but why had he looked like he was crying?
Todd tried and tried to explain it away, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling. He sat up and looked towards his door. He hated the idea of going up a second time- he was intruding and he didn’t have all the facts… but the idea of leaving him there made him feel even worse.
Todd sighed and stood up- he had to try. He put his shoes back on and checked the time. It had been three hours since he was up there… the other man might be back… he might not- but then he heard the boy just start sobbing. Todd quickly ran to the hall and took the elevator up.
He counted the doors down and knocked quickly- it took a few seconds but the boy answered again, sweater zipped up to his chin.
“What-?” he sounded exasperated- but then he saw that it was Todd… again. “Oh…”
“I know- I know you already told me to leave- but I just- I heard you start crying and I wanted to make sure you were ok.” Todd insisted.
The boy bit his lip- then Todd heard the voice of the other man. “Who is it Neil?” he asked angrily.
“Just a neighbor, I’ll deal with it.” Neil called back to the man.
“Look- like I said, you're hearing things, ok? I wish I could tell you about what you heard, but it’s nothing I didn’t hear it, I have to go back in.”
“But-” Todd wanted to press, ask Neil to come to his apartment so they could talk without the man being there.
Neil glanced inside then back at Todd. “must have been the wind.” he whispered and then closed the door.
Todd blinked a few times and then nodded. Ok, he was trying to tell him he wasn’t ok… right? Todd took a deep breath and raced back down to his apartment.
Todd went over to his closet and dug around till he found his boombox. He dumped his tapes on his bed and searched till he found lean on me. He put it in and cranked the volume all the way up. Then he held it above his head, aiming it up at the boys apartment.
He wanted him to know that he could lean on him… if he needed to. He could hear the other man getting frustrated with the noise. Then after the song repeated a sixteenth time, he shouted at Neil to go tell whoever it was to turn down the damn noise.
Todd set his boombox on the bed and let it keep playing as he went to his door to wait for Neil.
A few seconds later there was a soft knock on Todd’s door that he wouldn’t have heard if he wasn’t right next to the door. He quickly opened it and when Neil saw who it was, he looked like he started tearing up.
“I-” Neil opened his mouth.
“Yes?” Todd nodded.
Then Neil actually started crying, tears falling down his face. “What are you doing? You- you need to stop-”
“I can’t…” Todd said softly. “I can’t let whatever’s happening keep happening.” Todd took a deep breath. “Look- I promise I’m not playing tricks on you. You are always welcome to come in here- I- I keep an extra key under the mat. So even if I’m not home, you can have a safe place to go. You can stay as long as you want, whenever you want… and we can talk about the noises…. If you want, when you're ready…. But until then…” Todd nodded back to his room where the song came to an end and didn’t replay without him there to rewind it and play it. “It must have been the wind…”
Neil sniffled. He looked down the hall then up to where the other man was waiting for him. Then hesitantly… Neil stepped inside.