Work Text:
It had been an hour since Y/N finished preparing dinner. In that time, they had alerted their roommate/employer, Victor, that the food was ready, eaten, cleaned the kitchen, and packed their bags. Now, they sat in their empty cot- it had not been particularly full before, as all they had in the way of bedding was an old straw mattress that had come with the room, a pillow, and a cotton sheet that smelled of past students- anxiously awaiting the heavy footsteps of their roommate. When those footsteps didn’t come, they finally pushed themself up and crept to the dining room which Victor had converted into a makeshift lab.
Victor didn’t look up as Y/N pushed the door open; he likely didn't even notice them entering. He was sitting at the old dinner table, bent over a human arm, completely engrossed in sewing.
“Victor..” Y/N called wearily. Finally, Victor glanced up, but only for a moment.
“Y/N. Can you ‘elp me?” He spoke calmly, but his voice had a hint of raspiness as if he needed to clear his throat. “I need someone to ‘old zis piece of skin in place as I sew.”
“You know I don’t like touching that thing.” Y/N suddenly felt small as they gazed uneasily at the body, which lay lifeless on the old dinner table.
“Right, right…” He paused then, as if contemplating something, before looking up at Y/N. “But- You know it is only flesh, right? I ‘ave not seen you shy away from ze dissections we ‘ave in class, zis is no different, no?”
“I know, but… it is different. I don’t know how to explain it, but… but that’s beside the point. I came to remind you that dinner is ready and waiting.”
“Yes. Zank you.” He spoke in a tone of utter disinterest, resuming his work.
Y/N crossed their arms and said “That means you should stop and eat, Victor.”
“I will, I just need to finish zis arm and zen I will eat.”
“That’ll take you another hour at least.” Y/N could feel themself growing more exasperated as they spoke.
“It’ll be fine. Just leave me to my work-”
“No, Victor!” Y/N reprimanded harshly, “It is late enough as is! You need to eat or else-”
“I am perfectly capable of deciding when to eat-”
“No, actually, I don’t think you are. In fact, if you were any more obsessed with your work, I think I’d have to remind you when to breathe!”
Victor was taken aback by the sudden anger that Y/N now showed. “...’Ow dare you!? What makes you zink you ‘ave ze right to make such accusations against your employer?”
“Stand up.” Y/N commanded with a sudden coldness, arms crossed and waiting. After realizing that they were serious, Victor apprehensively began to stand, using the table for support as he did so.
Y/N pointed to the table as they began, “You’re leaning against the table for support,” they pointed to the nearest window and added “It is well past 10 and you still haven’t eaten,” pointing to his throat, “Your voice is raspy because you haven’t drank a thing,” pointing to the full glass of water on the table, “despite the fact that I have been bringing you water-” Their voice was starting to increase in volume, even as Victor muttered,
“Alright, I get it-”
“Your uncombed hair, your unchanged clothes, the bags under your eyes-” “-Enough-” “-You are not well, Victor! And I am tired of taking care of you when you refuse to accept-”
“Enough!” Victor shouted.
When Y/N finally paused, he let out a shuddering breath and removed his bloodstained apron, setting it on the table. “Ze food is in ze kitchen?”
“On the stove.” Y/N said coldly as they retreated to their room. Their footsteps sounded especially loud in the deathly silence.
Once more, Y/N sat on the cot in their empty room. A single candle burned on a small desk. In the corner, sat their duffle bag of clothes and their school bag of textbooks. Raindrops pattered softly against the roof, barely audible. They tried to imagine how the room first looked when they moved in.
Having just left their hometown, dazzled by the wonders and terrors of going to university, and unsure of how they’d be able to pay for rent, the offer that Victor had made felt like a miracle. All they had to do was a bit of house keeping, and Victor would let them stay in the extra room and even pay them a little extra cash on the side. How wonderful, right? How naive had they been?
In the other room, the sound of a chair moving signified that Victor had gotten his food and was sitting down to eat. Y/N took a deep breath and made their way into the kitchen. Sure enough, Victor sat at the counter with a warm bowl of soup. Y/N sat down next to him.
“How’s the soup?”
Victor huffed quietly before swallowing the food in his mouth and admitting "Delicious, like always.”
Y/N let a weary smile warm their face for only a moment before sighing and saying, “There’s something I need to tell you…”
“Do you ‘ave feelings for me?”
...
Y/N stared at Victor, dumbfounded.
“..What?”
“Do you ‘ave feelings for-”
“-No, Victor, I do not have- Why would you even think that!?”
He looked down at his bowl, “Well.. you made your family’s soup recipe. You only do zat on special occasions, I sought-”
“I made the soup so that you’d have something other than coffee in your system when I told you I’m moving out.”
Victor looked at Y/N as if they had just confessed to murder. “..You’re… What!?”
“I’m leaving, Victor.”
“Wh- No! You- You can’t, I- As your employer, I forbid it.” Victor sat up straight, clearly trying to look and sound authoritative as he spoke.
“Well, I quit.” Y/N said definitively, standing up as they did so.
Victor stood up as well, sputtering, “N- no, wait- ‘ang on-” Y/N ignored him, they simply walked to their room, “You can’t quit!” Victor followed behind Y/N as they picked up their bags.
“Yes, I can.” Y/N responded, finally stopping to confront Victor, as he stood in their doorway. “Let me through.”
Victor merely stood there, staring at them with a look of wild fear in his eyes. With a huff, Y/N pushed past him and continued toward the door. Victor ran in front of them,
“But- But I need you! If I am to complete my creation I will need-”
“Find another nanny, Victor.”
“But, I don’t want anyone else, I want you!”
Y/N paused. They noticed how Victor shook slightly, how betrayed and desperate he seemed.
“..Victor… Do you have feelings for me?”
“I- No! I- I don’t….”
Y/N had an idea then. Slowly, they raised their hand to gently hold the side of Victor’s face as they advanced towards Victor, and towards the corner of the room. Sure enough, Victor began to stumble backwards in utter panic. Y/N let the anger fall from their countenance as they softly said, “Oh… Victor…” Until the two of them reached the corner.
Then, Y/N loudly said, “Bye!” They side-stepped to the door and out into the rain before Victor even had time to process what had happened, let alone react.
However, it wasn’t long before Victor was racing after them, grabbing their shoulder in a desperate attempt to stop them as they descended the steps of the house.
“Wait! Please, why must you-” Y/N whipped around so suddenly that the bag in their hand nearly hit Victor.
“Because I can’t DO THIS anymore, Victor! I am tired! I’m tired of babysitting you, tired of juggling school and housework, tired of freezing every night on that barren little cot, tired of your-” They shot an accusatory finger at Victor, “-stubbornness! Just let. Me. GO!”
Victor looked around as he tried to process what Y/N had said. Then, he noticed the rain that was now soaking into his hair and clothes.
“Ze- Ze rain! You can’t expect to walk in this kind of weazer, you should come inside and wait until-”
Y/N scoffed. “A little rain is nothing compared to-” A loud strike of lightning sounded, and Y/N jumped. As they tried to regain their balance, the relatively light drizzle quickly morphed into a downpour. Without thinking, Victor grabbed Y/N by their shoulders and pulled them up under the awning.
A moment passed.
Victor let go of their shoulders.
Y/N looked out on the sudden storm in shock and dismay, but Victor couldn’t help but smile.
“You were saying?” He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Oh, shut up.” They muttered as they sat down and backed themself into the corner of the porch, never looking away from the rain.
“Sorry..” Victor sat down as well before adding, “..but zat reaction was kind of-”
“Call it cute and I’ll rip out your toung.” Y/N stated coldly. That made Victor hesitate… at least for a moment.
“Well, you certainly won’t be able to travel in zis weazer,” *weezer riff plays* “so why don’t we go inside and-”
“I am not setting foot in that- that prison again!” Y/N suddenly snapped, turning to Victor as they spoke. They obviously looked angry. They obviously were angry, but.. beneath that Victor caught a glimpse of something like.. fear. Before long, however, they turned back to staring resolutely into the dark streets. Another bolt of lightning struck, and they visibly tensed.
“..You really ‘ate taking care of me zat much..?” Victor spoke softly now, almost drowned out by the pounding of the rain against the little awning.
No response.
Victor looked to Y/N to see if they had heard his question, when he noticed, “You're shivering.”
“..I'm fine.”
“Nonsense, your clothes are wet, you must be freezing!” Victor stood up. “At least let me get you a blanket.”
“...Do what you want. I won't stop you.”
For a moment, Victor simply stood there and tried to figure out what to do. Eventually, he made up his mind and entered the house in search of a blanket.
Y/N waited for a few moments to make sure Victor wouldn’t open the door again soon. The rain was certainly an issue, but if they could just make it to the apartment building from which they had rented a small room, they could be warm and dry..
Sharp icy water immediately began to soak into their clothes and hair, running down their face as they hastily trudged through the mud. They were only halfway down the block, when a flash out of the corner of their eye and a loud BANG caused them to lose their footing and fall into the mud.
Before they could fully process what had happened, they were scrambling back to the safety of the porch.
The front door opened and closed again.
Victor immediately noticed the mud on Y/N's clothes, the puddle of rainwater forming around them, and the way they tried to silence their shaky breath. With a sigh, he sat back down and began wrapping the blanket around their shoulders while they avoided looking at him.
“You tried to walk in ze rain?”
“...the lightning is closer than I realized… I was startled.” They spoke low, as if they were a child explaining their wrongdoings to a teacher.
When he finished wrapping them up, he leaned against the door, trying to give Y/N enough personal space.
“You probably think I’m a hypocrite..” Y/N mumbled, their voice barely coherent under the sound of the rain.
“Why do you say zat?”
“Well, I’ve been yelling at you for not taking care of yourself when I insist on sitting out here in the cold… I know how irrational it seems, but I just...” Y/N paused to try and breath out the trembling in their voice “...now that I see a way out, I can’t bring myself to be complacent with the old routine, not in any way.”
Victor tried to think of a response that could help Y/N, that could convince them to come inside, that could convince them to stay. All that he could think of was, “I sink college is enough to make anyone irrational.”
Y/N nodded solemnly. Another strike of lightning made them visibly tense for a moment.
“I don’t think I’ve had a full night’s sleep in the past month.” They confessed.
“You’ve been zat busy?”
“Well, yes and no. I have been busy, but it's mostly the nightmares.”
“You didn’t tell me you ‘ad-”
“I tried. You didn’t listen.” The bitterness that Victor had hoped was gone for good now seeped back into their countenance. The air felt tight and Victor suddenly realized how his fingers were beginning to feel numb and his muscles stiff from the cold. Finally, Y/N continued “It’s the same dream every night. Well, it ends the same. The beginning, however.. Sometimes I’m in class. Sometimes I’m here with you,” They nodded to the door on ‘here’, “Sometimes I’m back home with my family... Then it shows up: your creation. It’s unfinished as it is now, but alive- in a way. It moves, but not like a human; impossibly fast and unmovably strong.” Y/N began to shutter even more than before, a frantic searching look in their eyes. “Then, all of the sudden, its hands are around my throat, and I can’t breathe, and everything I do to fight back-” They stopped when a tear fell onto their hands, which hung trembling below their face. They looked down for a moment before wiping their face as dry as they could get it with their rain-soaked sleeve. “S- sorry” They finally muttered.
Victor wanted to reach out and put his arm around them. He wanted to comfort them, but the guilt he felt kept him frozen in place, staring helplessly at them. “I- I ‘ad no idea.. I'm so sorry.”
By this point, Victor barely noticed the rain that poured down around them. His focus was entirely tuned onto Y/N, and the longing he felt to be near them. His body ached for warmth and his heart yearned for connection, but he was all too used to setting those sorts of desires aside. If only Y/N would look at him, maybe they'd be able to discern the thoughts he didn't dare utter outloud. If only they’d look away from..
“What are you staring at, anyway?”
“Oh, uh..” Y/N looked confused for a moment, as if they hadn't realized they were staring at all, “..I'm not sure. Escape, I guess..?” They let out a little huff of a laugh, which quickly turned into another shutter, “..The way the wind causes the trees to shutter and shake, and the water makes their dark leaves glimmer in the moonlight.. the way the falling raindrops form halos around the lanterns, and the puddles form dark mirrors.. It's kind of mesmerizing.”
“Wow… you could be a poet..”
It was almost impossible to tell in the dim lighting, but for the briefest moment, Victor could have sworn he saw a proud little smile appear on Y/N's face. For a moment, Victor didn’t feel so terrible anymore.
Another strike of lightning hit. This one was loud enough to make both Y/N and Victor jump a little. Y/N's muscles were beginning to ache from the persistent shivering, and the sudden tensing of them didn't help. Pain shot through their arms and legs like lightning, and Y/N tried to hide a grimace.
“May I- I know you're upset wiz me, but-” Y/N looked at Victor, waiting for him to finish speaking. His eyes widened like he was suddenly being put on trial. “..You- you are still shivering, and I would ‘ate to ‘ave to explain to Mr. Krempe ‘ow ‘is favorite student froze to deat on my porch.. May I put my arm around you?”
“..Yes.” If they weren't so tired, they might have found it somewhat amusing how their calmness contrasted with his obvious panic. They weren’t sure why this felt ok but entering the house didn’t.. Maybe it was the corpse which lay inside? Maybe they were finally coming to terms with the fact that they wouldn’t be able to leave tonight.
Victor scooched himself right up next to them and carefully set his arm around their shoulders. The moment his arm touched them, he noticeably relaxed, melting into the- albeit minimal- contact.
“It zis ok?” Y/N nodded softly, leaning in and resting their head against his chest. They hadn't completely forgiven him, of course, but the little warmth provided a needed respite from the bitter cold.
Oftentimes when Victor was nervous, Y/N had noticed, he would begin rambling to fill the silence. Y/N could tell this was what he was doing when he began, “..so.. About Mr..Waldmand’s class, we ‘ave a test on ze periodic table and..” -Y/N closed their eyes- “..I’m ‘aving trouble remembering which elements are..” -Victor’s words began to blur together- “metaloids, metals...knowing you… mnemonic…” -Everything felt distant, even the cold- “...if you…grade…mmh…mm…”
Finally, Y/N fell asleep.
“....So I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you do still want to move out, we could at least study togezer..?”
Victor looked to Y/N for a response. Only then did he realize that they were fast asleep, resting their head against his shoulder. For a moment, Victor felt a great sense of pride that they were comfortable enough to fall asleep, then he noticed that they were still actively shivering. They must be freezing, surely them being unconscious wasn’t a good sign.. What if they had hypothermia!?
Looking around, he tried to formulate a plan. Y/N had made their resolve to stay outside rather clear, but with them passed out and symptomatic of hypothermia, Victor felt the situation had changed significantly.
Carefully, he shifted the both of them forward just enough to reach back and open the door. The entire time he paid close attention to preventing Y/N from falling and smacking their head on the concrete. Once the door was open, he began trying to scoop up Y/N so he could carry them inside. Eventually, and with great difficulty, he managed to get the two of them through the door. He doubted he would be able to carry them at all if he didn’t have so much practice from hauling corpses for his.. Work.
By this point, Victor had already decided that the best course of action would be to carry Y/N to his room, get them a dry change of clothes, and let them sleep in his bed. The problem was, his room was at the top of a flight of stairs. With a deep breath, Victor set to climbing them. By the time he was halfway up, his legs were burning and he was gasping for air. He leaned against the wall so as to prevent him from losing his balance as he trudged up the rest of the way. It took all the rest of his strength to gently set Y/N down on a chair in his room rather than simply dropping them. Once they were out of his arms, he allowed himself to collapse onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling as he waited for his body to calm down.
The sound seemed to finally wake Y/N, as they pushed themself up to peer down at Victor.
“What’s going on?”
Victor stared wide eyed at Y/N, visibly out of breath. Y/N glanced around the room to see that they were in.. Victor's bedroom..? If he was to take them inside, why not take them to their cot or to the armchair in front of the fireplace?
Then, Victor was up and moving, getting clothes out of a drawer. Once he had selected a set of undergarments, he tossed them carelessly onto the bed and left the room, with a,
“Be right back.” No explanation, no instructions or justification, just action. Y/N couldn't have expected anything else from Victor. They considered getting up and questioning him further, but to be completely honest, they were exhausted. All the fight they had seemed to have been washed away by the rain, and now they sat waiting in the armchair.
Victor returned quickly, carrying a clean towel. He handed it to Y/N along with the dry clothes and took a step back.
“You get changed, I'll take your dirty clothes when you're done.”
Y/N waited to see if he was planning to leave the room, but instead he simply commenced an intense staring contest with the floorboards. Y/N didn't quite get why he didn't just leave the room, but truly they didn't care either way, so they began to undress. Peeling the wet cloth away from their cold skin made them shutter uncontrollably, but before long they were in dry clothes and already beginning to feel better. Victor took their mud-soaked clothes and tossed them into a laundry basket before carefully scooping them up in his arms. Y/N could see the way his legs shook, and wondered how long it would take him to collapse.
“I can walk, y’know.” Y/N protested, but didn’t bother actually stopping him, figuring any action they took would only increase their chances of being dropped.
“Normally, I’d agree wiz you, but considering zat you are sleep deprived and ‘ypotermic….” he gently laid them down on the bed, but they almost immediately sat up and began to protest,
“I’m not hypothermic, and I’m not going to steal your bed when I know you need rest as much as I do. I will be plenty warm on the armchair by the fireplace downstairs.”
“You aren’t stealing anyzing…” Victor sat down on the other side of the bed, “...I know you don’t- I- I can understand why you would not want to share a bed, but if you do sleep downstairs, ze fire will go out while you are asleep. You will end up just as cold. Zis is, logically speaking, ze best way to stay warm.”
Y/N sighed, he was right. Y/N dreaded the thought of anyone finding out about them sharing a bed, but how could they? It wasn’t like Victor was one to share such information with his peers. While Y/N was still formulating a proper response, Victor must have taken their silence to signify discomfort. He repositioned himself to look directly at Y/N’s face as he spoke,
“Look… I want you to be comfortable, and safe. Zat is all I’ve ever wanted.. But you can choose where you sink you will be better off.. You ‘ave taken care of me so many times, let me return ze favor. Please.”
There was something in the way he said ‘please’. Something vulnerable and desperate. Something that said “please don’t go, please stay here with me”. Not knowing what else to say, Y/N simply whispered,
“Alright.” and laid themself back down.
Victor blew out the candles illuminating the room, and stumbled back to the bed in the dim moonlight. He climbed into bed and carefully laid down, close enough to hopefully provide Y/N some warmth, but not quite toughing.
“..Is zis ok..?” He whispered. Y/N shifted themself closer, until the two of them were toughing just slightly, and let out a mix between a hum and a sigh in response. It was such a wonderful sound, relaxed and soft. Victor felt as though electricity was coursing through him at every slight movement of Y/N's body.
All night he had been afraid. Afraid that Y/N would leave, afraid that they would judge him for his.. Unprofessional feelings. Afraid that he would do or say something wrong.. But now all that fear seemed to melt away. For the first time in.. possibly ever, Victor felt ok. Y/N was here. It would be ok.
Lightning struck in the distance, and Y/N pressed into him slightly more. He wrapped his arms around them protectively, and muttered, “It’s ok… it’s ok…”
Y/N felt the gentle pressure of Victor’s arms wrapping around them, and to their surprise, they found themself delighted. They should have hated this. They had been angry with him all night, all day, all week, but… then again, if they didn’t care about him to some extent, why would they worry so much about his well being..?
Eventually, their thoughts began to melt together like watercolor. Y/N felt their breathing become shallow and slow, and their eyelids lowered more and more with each blink, until they finally shut. It wasn’t long before they fell into a deep sleep, unpoisoned by dreams.
“It is the same!--For, be it joy or sorrow,
The path of its departure still is free:
Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow;
Nought may endure but Mutability.”