Chapter Text
It was a particularly unlucky evening— for the boy, at least. He had just finished a babysitting job and, due to the unplanned extra time he spent there, the sun had already set when he left. He would’ve preferred to walk back home in the comfort of daylight, but he didn’t hate the night, either, just the darkness that came as a result. The streets of Paris were lit enough to make up for it though—and he had somewhat learned to find peace in the calmness of the night.
What he disliked the most, however, was a completely different factor of his current situation. It looked like it would rain soon and, since his bicycle had a punctured tire, he could only depend on his legs and feet to take him back home. The boy’s other problem came with the fact that he didn’t quite know the way back. It was only his second time babysitting for that family and, though he could always rely on google maps to find the way back like he did the other day, this time, his phone was nearly dead. The boy could only hope he walked fast enough for his commute to end before his battery did.
But hoping wasn’t nearly enough and, for some reason, his hurry had only led him to make a wrong turn— which ended with the boy, unusable phone in hand, doing his best to shield himself from the rain that had just started to pour, having no idea where he was.
He was almost sure that his theories were true and that God was, in fact, cruel.
The boy wandered through the many alleys and turns, convinced that he would take the whole night to get back home; he could’ve also feared the earful his uncle would most definitely give him, but he was far too worried with his current situation to care.
The boy’s salvation came from the warm, yellow light of a café’s window. He checked if the place was still open; the plaque on the door indicated such, and voices could be heard from the inside. The boy quietly pushed the door open— a little bell chimed as he did so, but no one bothered to turn their heads towards him, not even the barista.
The boy had no money with him at the time, and felt a little embarrassed for not getting anything— but he argued it was his only option if he wanted his situation to be at least a little less pitiful. He was about to discreetly sit on a corner when he recognized a familiar face. Or mask, for that matter.
Just as the boy turned around to walk away, someone yanked his shoulder.
“Hey, shortie, didn’t expect to find you here!” It was, of course, Tera. His voice as playful and teasing as ever.
The boy rolled his eyes— a motion he often found himself using in the former’s presence. “I could say so as well. What are you even doing here, robbing the place?”
Tera smiled (or at least the boy felt like he did, under the mask and all). “Nothing like that… at least today. Just hanging out with my guys.” He explained, his thumb pointed towards a table with four other men, who wore similar masks. “But what are you doing here? Your house is, like, half an hour away.”
The boy sighed at the reminder of his situation, “is that so? I actually got lost on my way back from a babysitting job and my phone ran out of battery and it started to rain…”
The other was about to say something, but was interrupted by someone from his table. “Tera, what’s taking you so long? And who are you even talking to?” The man said, snickering. The boy remembered seeing his mask in one of Joris’s articles. Was that, maybe, his brother?
The boy could clearly notice how Tera’s shoulders suddenly stiffened a little, how he turned his body, ever so slightly, to block the group’s view.
“No one,” he answered, waving his hand dismissively. His attention turned back to the boy. “Do you need a ride? I think know how to get to your house from here.” Though his posture was tense, there was a certain carefreeness Tera had always displayed around the boy.
“No, thank you,” the boy answered, almost too quickly, “I can find my own way…”
Tera laughed. “I’m sure you can but, dressed like that, you’ll probably freeze to death before even getting close to your house.”
Had anyone else said that, the boy would have tried to at least defend his exquisite style choices. But it was Tera. “Fine, then. But only if you have gas, I’d rather not stop again, you know…” he said, apprehensively.
“Ah, yes.” Tera crossed his arms, probably furrowing his brows under that ridiculous mask, “well, that will never happen again, either way.” He seemed a little proud as he spoke. The boy didn’t want to think too much about what that could have meant. “Wait for me by the door, I’ll just get my stuff.”
The boy only nodded, noticing how Tera playfully strode back to his table, grabbing his phone and bike keys. He said nothing as he approached the boy and, placing his arm on the boy’s shoulder, led him out. The boy nearly tripped on his way out— maybe because of the new unexpected weight on his back, or maybe, just maybe, because he felt a bit intimidated by how Tera’s friends blatantly stared at him.
The rain had almost stopped; only soft, gentle, droplets fell from the sky— though it felt much colder than before. The boy shivered.
“Wait there, I’ll bring the bike around.”
The streets of Paris were empty and quiet, but the lampposts shone brightly, leading the darkness away. It wasn’t scary.
The rumbling of Tera’s bike grew louder— a gentle, everlasting reminder of the man’s chaotic presence. He parked right in front of the café, pushing his own body to the back of the seat, leaning backwards so that the boy could sit on the front.
As soon as they were both settled, Tera started the engine. With his hands on the handle, his arms were nearly wrapped around the boy, but he couldn’t complain; Tera’s arms were warm, they almost shielded him from the wind— which definitely wouldn’t have been so strong if Tera drove under the speed limit. If only.
“You shouldn’t be out so late,” the boy heard Tera say over the loud noises, “especially if you’re scared of the dark.”
The boy scoffed, “it wasn’t my fault, besides, it’s not like the streets are actually dark. I can manage myself just fine.”
“You do have a knack for getting yourself out of trouble— and in trouble just the same.” Tera chuckled.
“Huh? You’re the one who always gets me in trouble! Or, at least, I always get in trouble when I’m around you!”
“Ah, I see.” Said Tera. Though he was, now, wearing a helmet, the boy could definitely see the smirk painted on his face.
The boy suddenly begun to recognize where they were, the buildings and streets were already familiar enough. He knew they were very close to his house.
“Drive slower, you’ll wake up everyone… or, actually, just drop me off here, I know where I am now.”
“Nah, I always finish a job properly.” Tera said, almost jokingly— ‘almost’ because his tone seemed much too serious for a joke. Once they had finally stopped in front of the building, the boy hurriedly jumped off the bike.
“I’ll get going, then.” He said awkwardly, slowly backing away.
“See ya’!” Tera waved his hand, but he did not leave.
The boy pushed open the heavy doors, but was, much to his misfortune, instantly met with an overwhelming darkness. His whole body froze. He wanted to call for someone, to scream, anything, but no words ever left his mouth, He wanted to walk away, but he no longer had control of his own body. The boy saw and heard… he felt those creatures around him, his heart raced so fast he could feel it pulsating all the way down to his feet.
Suddenly, however, the lights were turned on. He looked at the one beside him, Tera, who stood there, unperturbed. The boy still felt dizzy— and somewhat desperate— but he knew that was over, at least momentarily.
“I can go up with you if you want, shortie.” Tera offered. His voice was no longer as playful as before, but there were no traces of pity or disappointment either. Only concern.
“…no need. If my uncle sees you it’ll be over for both you and me.”
“Sure.” Said Tera, leaving the building, yet the sound of the engine still couldn’t be heard.
The boy counted inside his head,“1,2,3,4…9,10,11,12…”, until he could flick the light switch once again, and again, and again, until he got to his apartment, where he anxiously unlocked the door to let himself in.
At such an hour, his grandma would definitely be asleep, but not his uncle. His uncle was, probably, watching television, waiting for him to walk through the door to give the boy a piece of his mind.
“Why are you so late?” Said his uncle, much less angry than he’d expected— he hadn’t even bothered to face the boy’s direction.
“I got lost on my way back.”
“I see…” he looked at his uncle’s face, his eyes were much more tired than usual. “Try not to get lost next time. I had a long day, don’t wake me up.”
The boy nodded. Suddenly, however, he heard a soft thud coming from his room. He tried to hide all traces of any sort of expression from his face.
“What was that?”
“I don’t know,” he did know, “a book probably fell, I must’ve left my window open.” At least making up lies on the spot was one of the things he was good at.
His uncle hummed something unintelligible, finally leaving.
The boy, as soon as he made sure his uncle had retired to sleep, bolted towards his room. As expected, Tera was there, looking at his phone, sitting on the boy’s bed.
“What are you doing here?!” The boy whispered, aggressively, as he tried to push the other out of his bed— much to no avail.
“Just checking something,” Tera scooted towards the corner of the bed, making space for the boy to lay on. He noticed the small container of sleeping pills on Tera’s hand.
“I need those, especially today.”
“You really should stop taking these things, you know. They’re not good for you.”
“I know what’s good for me.” Said the boy, almost managing to snatch them from the other’s hand, but Tera was much taller.
“I’ll stay here until you fall asleep, so don’t take them.”
“I do whatever I want,” said the boy, defeatedly tucking himself under the covers.
He was incredibly tired, so much that he actually managed to find sleep beneath his eyelids. Small waves of tiredness washed over him, until he was taken by the current.
“Good for you.” Was the last thing he heard before letting his eyes rest.
That night, he didn’t dream about the hellish creatures that had for so long plagued his unconscious. He didn’t dream, either, about a certain man, one whom he didn’t even know the face of, that gave him late-night bike rides and had, lately, started to become a part of his own puzzle.
That night, he didn’t dream about anything. He only woke up when the sun was high in the sky, with an open window and fluttering curtains in front of his bed. His phone was charged on the bedside table, despite the fact that he didn’t remember ever taking the device out of his pocket.
It was a particularly nice morning.