Work Text:
Tyler looked up from his notebook when the lamp on the corner of his desk flickered. After a few seconds of watching it to make sure it won't flicker again, he turns back to his writing;
My shadow tilts it's head at me
It flickers once.
Spirits in the dark are waiting
It flickers twice.
I will let the wind go quietly
It flickers again before burning out with a buzz.
Tyler groans, tossing his pen down onto the page and closing the book. He blindly reaches for the lamp and twists the bulb, attempting to get it to turn on again. Eventually he gives up and walks over to the storage closet.
C'mon there's gotta be a lightbulb in here somewhere.
After rummaging through every box of miscellaneous items he could find with no luck, he decides he'll have to run out and buy more considering there's only four lights in his entire apartment and the fourth one is out. He doesn't want to be left in the dark when the other three decide to go out as well.
It's been relatively warm in New York City recently so Tyler simply puts his floral kimono on over his black t-shirt. After grabbing his keys to the apartment and locking the front door, he heads to the elevator of the complex. As he waits for the elevator to arrive at the lobby he tries to paint a mental portrait of the city, trying to plan out the shortest route to the hardware store.
He rocked back and forth on his heels, wringing his hands in front of him. Tyler never liked going out alone, especially at night. He didn't have a car because really, who drives a car in the city? Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he steps out of the elevator and walks out the building's main entrance.
It's a bit chillier than he had expected, making him wish he had put on something warmer than only his flower kimono. He looks both ways down the street to get his bearings before deciding on a route he thinks is heading south.
After a long 15 minutes of walking, Tyler begins to have doubts that he is going in the right direction,
Is it supposed to take this long?
I swear I've passed that building already.
How many blocks from my apartment am I?
Taking a breath, Tyler reaches into his front pocket for his phone. Instead he finds his apartment key. Wrong pocket. He tries the other one and...nope it's not in that one either.
Trying to stay calm, he pats at his back pockets and the sides of his kimono before remembering it doesn't have pockets.
Did I even grab my phone before leaving?
Tyler smacks himself on the forehead.
God, you idiot!
He read the streets signs, none of the names sounded familiar. He's doesn't recognize any of these buildings. It was a quiet night, hardly anybody was out but him. Tyler thought about how if anything happened to him, nobody would be around to notice. He was all alone and lost and he felt so dumb and powerless.
Wow... I probably should've stayed inside my house.
A chilling gust of wind made Tyler's eyes water, he looked up to the swaying trees. They were laughing at him. The water in his eyes made him feel like he was underwater. Was he drowning? It might not make any sense, but he thinks he might be drowning. The street lights are causing glares in his vision, reflecting off the tears forming in his eyes.
He wraps his arms protectively around himself, pulling his kimono close to his body. He was so cold all of the sudden, he could feel his soul freezing. He was probably going to die out here. Maybe he wandered into some abandoned ghost town and didn't realize it and now he was going to remain lost here until he dies from dehydration or something. Maybe he was going to get killed. Maybe somebody has been following him the whole time. Maybe they knew Tyler wasn't good with directions and they were waiting for him to fuck up. His lungs felt tight and he just couldn't. get. enough. air and his ribs rattled with every shallow breath. His hands shook as he ran them through his hair and he thought his heart might pound right out of his chest and he hears... singing?
No not singing, humming. And footsteps. He knew it. Somebody had been following him and now they were going to kill him.
He wanted to run, but his legs were paralyzed. He wanted to scream but his throat was so dry and he didn't. have. enough. air. He thinks he's crying but he isn't too sure, he still might be underwater. All he could do was listen, listen to the bad guy sing and the footsteps get louder and the end of his life getting closer. Then his soon to be murderer spoke,
"Hey, are you okay?"
His voice wasn't as deep and menacing as Tyler had expected, but that didn't do much to tame his panic. Tyler hugged himself tighter, awkwardly rotating in circles as he tried to pick a direction to run in if his legs ever remembered how to. The footsteps slowed to a stop and Tyler finally built up the courage to look up.
The man didn't look at all like Tyler had expected. He had blue hair, gages, and a nose ring. He wore a white t-shirt with stars on the top half along with black skinny jeans and boots. He looked like a grown man still stuck in his high school punk phase, but it fit him well. His smile looked sincere and the expression carried on into his honey-colored eyes as well.
Okay, maybe he isn't going to kill me. Maybe.
Tyler quickly wiped his cheeks, hoping the stranger hadn't noticed he was crying, "M'fine."
"Are you sure? You looked like something was wrong." He took another step forward, causing Tyler to take a few back. He must've noticed this reaction because his face softened and he put his hands up to show he wasn't hiding a weapon or anything. "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry if I scared you. I promise I'm not a psychopath or anything."
"Yes, I'm fine." And with that Tyler started walking again, half out of the fear of this man still being a serial killer, the other half out of the fact that he was pretty attractive and Tyler was making a fool out of himself. He didn't get very far, only about 5 feet, before remembering he was lost and continuing to walk into an unknown direction would only make things worse. He stopped in his tracks, but remained standing with his back facing the stranger in order to hide the embarrassment burning in his cheeks. "I-I'm...no, I'm not okay. I'm lost."
He turned around to gauge the man's expression, making sure he still seemed kind and wasn't going to use this new information that Tyler was lost against him. The man laughed lightly,
"I can help you, if you want. My name is Josh by the way." He stretched out a hand to Tyler, Tyler shook it, trying to hide the blush on his face.
He took a moment to contemplate before nodding his head. "That would be great, thank you, Josh. I'm Tyler."
Josh's face seemed to light up at the name. "Tyler." He repeated more to himself than anyone else. "So Tyler, how exactly did you end up in this quiet part of the city?"
"Well, I needed light bulbs, and I don't have a car, or my phone, I'm no good with directions, and a goddamn pro at imperfections. All of those things combined lead to an astray Tyler."
Josh laughed, Tyler likes the way his eyes get squinty, "Alright, let's get you some light bulbs and then I can walk you back to your apartment. You know, if you want me to."
"Oh that's okay, I'm sure I can find my way back from the hardware store, I'll be in a more familiar part of the city."
"I know it's just... I was using it as an excuse to have more time to talk to you."
Tyler nearly tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. He looked at Josh, who was trying, but failing, to hide his blush. Tyler nodded happily, Josh interested Tyler. He had just met this man, but for some reason he just wanted to hear every single detail about his life. Tyler silently thanked God and his scattered brain for bringing him to the wrong place at the right time.