Chapter Text
The Homeowner was lying on his bed, blanket half-draped over his leg, the burning sunlight was trying to bite through the closed curtains, his head was turned towards the door. He had just woken up, and was waiting for his brain to catch up… He pushed himself up onto his elbows, and he yawned, stretching his arms far over his head, his shoulders and back letting out popping noises, he winced.
It had only been a few days since he’s started to let guests in, not that he liked it, but it kept that Pale Bastard away, at least that’s what his neighbor said would happen, and the news. the Homeowner stretched his legs out as he gets ready to stand up, his kneecaps popping next. He turns his head towards the curtain-hidden window when he stood up, the sun hadn’t gotten any colder. No one had expected it to, Anyway. At least, that’s what the Homeowner assumed, he assumed that the people in his house didn’t expect the sun to cool down — except for maybe that Fairytale Daydreamer, who was too optimistic for his liking most of the time. ”Alright..” He muttered to himself as he pulls his old sweater off, and pulled a new one on. Same color, same style. Just how he liked it.
The Homeowner steps out of his room, and looks through the empty hall, his brows furrowing. It smells like no one died tonight, there’s one good thing, he wasn’t going to scrub blood out of the wooden floors once again. He walks to the closest room, the living room, he opened the door, and glanced at the three people inside, the Fairytale guy, and the tall bar guy, the two did not converse — then his eyes narrowed on the tallest man, who had a beer held up to his mouth, had this man taken his beer without asking?
The homeowner ran a hand down his face, he decided to deal with it later, he had to check on the others anyway, he steps from the living room, avoiding the eyes of the occupants, as he looked through the other rooms, looking at each person in his house, he didn’t expect anyone to talk to him, of course, he was technically supposed to made conversation first at this point— but when he opened the closet, he was met with the creepy, giggling man, and the cashier girl clearly was not happy with the arrangement. The man, who he found out was named Timofey, waved at him, the Homeowner raised an eyebrow as Timofey started to speak,
“Teehee— do you think it’d be a-okay if you would switch her outta this room, Homeowner? I think she has a problem with me, teehee,” he spoke nervously, the giggles continued to spill out, he can’t seem to stop them, he also was rubbing his knuckles roughly, causing the skin to redden. The Homeowner can’t help but just stare for a moment, the Cashier girl was here first, shouldn’t Timofey be the one to leave the room then? But he frankly didn’t trust Timofey anywhere else, maybe he could send Timofey to the bathroom, or he could send Cashier girl to the Office, there was a couch in there anyway. He just sighs, and helps the girl up, as she muttered a thanks — The Cashier girl side-eyed Timofey the entire time that she was lead out, and didn’t break eye contact until the door was shut, and she was in the hallway with just the Homeowner, she glanced around, but mainly at his back, as she was lead to the office, and she moved to sit on the couch, then she looked at The Homeowner,
“That man, uhm, kinda freaks me out,” she mumbled, The Homeowner barely even looks at her as he nodded, “He does seem a bit odd..” The Homeowner agreed quietly, his voice a mere mumble, before muttering his goodbye, and going to the kitchen.
the moment he entered, he walked straight to the fridge and looked for something to eat, wait, when had he even eaten last? He looked around a bit before just taking out the closest leftover food that was to his hand, and he didn’t even bother to heat it up, just started to eat, slowly though. Whatever worked.
after he ate he put the plate in the sink, rinsing it, then he turned around, and was faced-to-face with Timofey, who was WAY too close to be comfortable. The Homeowner would deny it later, but he definitely let out a short, sharp yelp, Timofey just grinned wider and rocked on the balls of his feet— “Hi there, homeowner! Teehee.”
Timofey didn’t seem bothered that he just scared the ever-loving shit out of the Homeowner, “I got a teeny-weeny question for you, if you don’t mind.” The Homeowner let out a shaky sigh, calming his nerves, “What, do you need.” He said, trying to keep his voice from being too harsh. Timfoey just grinned at him, “Just wondering if you could get me somethin’ to drink, teehee… Y’know, kinda warm?”
The Homeowner stared for a moment, Timofey’s tone was odd, but Timofey himself was odd, so it didn’t really matter that point, The Homeowner sighed and reached into a cupboard, he pulled out a cup, and filled it with water, and he held it towards Timofey, who took it with shaky hands, “Teehee, thank you, homeowner.”
As Timofey wandered back into the closet, this with a water in his hand, The Homeowner hopes that will be the first, and only odd interaction with the man…
After a moment of contemplation, he makes his way back to the living room, and approached Yesenin, who looked a tad bit tipsy, also considering the appearance of a few bottles, he goes up to him “Hey,” he starts, Yesenin looked up— “Yes? Was there something you wanted?”.
The homeowner nodded, rubbing his hands down the front of his navy blue turtleneck, “I need to check you.” He said bluntly, the bar guy stood up, hands at his sides, “What do you want to check?”
“Teeth”, The homeowner states bluntly. Yesenin rolled his eyes, “You want me to show you my teeth? Okay, take a look. Take in that odor of sadness and smoke.” He said bitterly, pulling back his lips into a grimace with his fingers. Yellowed on one side, he was human. So far at least.
Yesenin let his mouth close again after the homeowner nodded, Yesenin scowled— “Pretty yellow, right? So piss off with your tests… I’m not a Visitor.”
The homeowner nodded blankly, he didn’t care. Really, he was pretty sure that the man had been a human beforehand, but the yellowed teeth only confirmed his suspicions, yes, Yesenin was a human. But…
He was tired already, haven used his already-exhaustable energy to eat earlier. He should take an early night. These are grown adults— they can all survive on their own. So he turns on his heel, and goes to just rest in his room, he can busy himself in other ways, the light of sun rays still easily break through the curtains in his room, he could never sleep with light anyway.
It became night faster than The Homeowner could’ve expected— he had been so busy, doing small acts of cleaning and dusting around his room, that he had lost track of time so severely that he was sure that the sun was up thirty minutes ago, but the clock read ‘10:26PM’, which, obviously, meant the sun hadn’t been up for quite a while. The Homeowner sat on his bed, zoning out a little bit, but he could hear some guests chatting though the thin walls, the echoing of floorboards as some moved around, it keeps pulling him out from his little headspace, he just flopped backwards with all the grace of an abandoned and old ragdoll, he muttered a swear as he pulled a pillow over his face, trying to muffle anything and everything to the best of his ability.. He hadn’t been used to the chatter yet, he thinks he never will het used to it either, it’s just so loud.
a knock on his doorframe jolted him up, he scrubbed a hand down his face, already annoyed, despite not knowing who it was. He stands up, the wood creaking unreasonably loud under his feet, irritating him further, he cracked his bedroom door open.
He was met with Yesenin, holding that fairytale guy by the back of his shirt, looking both irritated, and a bit inebriated, “this kid’s making too much racket, keep him outta the living room..” the tall man said coldly, practically shoving the daydreamer into the homeowners arms— the poor homeowner barely caught the dark-haired man, who looked slightly dazed and confused at the situation at hand.
“And keep him quiet.” Yesenin added under his breath, words slightly slurred as he stormed back to the living room. Shutting the door a bit too loudly behind him.
The homeowner watched after the drunk man for a moment before looking down at the other in his arms, holding the guy up so he didn’t collapse onto the floor as he gained his bearings, “You okay?” He grumbled out, steadying the barely-taller man. “Yeah, yeah, I’m alright, sorry.” The other said quietly, rubbing his head as if trying to get any gears working.
“He seemed a bit irritated, what’d you even do?” The homeowner scoffed, Fairytale Enjoyer shook his head, “I don’t even know, the guy in a coat asked for a story, not sure if he was mocking me or trying to distract himself from whatever is making him so cold, but I started to tell one anyway, and well…” he trailed off, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, “That all happened.” He said finally… The homeowner just shook his head, exasperated, “I guess I’ll move you to another room,” the homeowner offered, Fairytale Enjoyer shook his head, “the other rooms are a bit…full..” the fairyteller said— internally, the man just really didn’t want to sleep in the office now that the cashier girl took the couch— he looked around the room a bit, trying to seem extremely nonchalant, the homeowner sees right though it, the fairyteller’s hand moved from the back of his neck to his own shoulder, “Could, I, uhm… stay in here?”
“No.” The homeowner said simply, sharply, and immediately, “you are NOT sleeping in my bed, that’s final.”
”I wasn’t expecting to, I’ll sleep on the floor.” The Fairyteller scoffs, although that was what he had been hoping for…
The homeowner blinked, then points at the floor at the foot of his bed, “then you sleep there, got it?”
The daydreamer, not one to let down from his word, internally sighed, and looked at the spot, “Sure.” He said, voice holding a faux confidence and he walked over.
The homeowner watched in very obvious horror as the man walked to the foot of his bed and practically flopped into the floor, and with an odd amount of grace, like a dying butterfly falling from a flower in an enchanting twirl.
The homeowner stood at the door for a moment, staring at him, and processing the sight before him. The Fairyteller took that as a sight to get comfortable, the floor was actually rather decent, after all. He curls up slightly, resting his right ear over his right forearm. And after a very long and ver silent moment, discomfort won, “Never mind, I actually really, REALLY hate that.. Please don’t sleep on the floor, get up.” That made the daydreamer laugh slightly, he didn’t actually expect that, but he pushed himself into a sitting position, resting on his elbows, “What, never seen a grown man so okay with lying on the floor?” The daydreamer hums, putting an arm behind his head calmly.
the homeowner just shook his head, “just… get on the bed.., you’ll lose your dignity on the floor…” he pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing it slightly as he motioned at the bed with his other hand, “if you insist.” The daydreamer said calmly, and moved to sit at the edge of the bed, rubbing the fabric of his pant legs, as the homeowner sits as far away on the bed as possible, “So, homeowner, what’s your name? Since we’re gonna sleep together and whatnot.” The homeowner’s face flushed a bright red, “Could you not phrase it like that? We’re sleeping in the same bed, not sleeping together…” he said sharply, fingers curling into his own thighs in shock, and disgust. He winced from the shape feeling, which brings him out of the little thought— “but my name is, er…” he trailed off, it’s been a while since he told his name to anyone, he felt extremely awkward saying it and introducing himself when he hadn’t don’t so for years “Aleksandr.” He muttered finally, looking off to the side, as if a name was embarrassing. The Fairyteller chuckled slightly, “Well, nice to meet you formally, then, Aleksandr.. my name is Aurelian.”
The homeowner side-eyed the man once more, processing the name, ‘Aurelian’? How…whimsical, quite like the man who bore said name, “Your name matches your personality, Y’know.” Aurelian just shrugs, seems he’s gotten that a few times, “It does, yeah.”
The homeowner slowly, finally relaxes, not moving any closer, not yet, he doesn’t know if he could trust the man yet, “…You don’t snore or move in your sleep, do you?”, and to his relief, Aurelian shook his head, “Nope, I sleep like a rock.”
Aleksandr huffed— “good, because I would have shoved you off if you did.” He hissed, crossing his arms tightly,
“You’re so easy to set off, almost as bad as Yesenin,” Aurelian said coolly, his voice airy and smooth, and Aleksandr glared in return, how offensive.. he was nothing like— okay.. maybe he was slightly similar in personality to Yesenin, but not by a whole lot! At least not in his own opinion— “God..lare you going to sleep or not?”
Aurelian smirked slightly, enjoying his time annoying the homeowner, “Only if you’ll let me sleep here?”
Aleksandr threw his hands out, exasperated and totally done with it, “Well, I’m allowing you!”, he just wants to sleep at this point, his eyelids were growing heavier with each passing second.
The Fairyteller nodded, and laid back against the homeowners bed, carefully. As if nervous. Because he was nervous, he had never slept in someone else’s bed, let alonw in the same bed as someone— lay alone even more, in the same bed as another man!
“just don’t kick me off, please..”, Aurelian said carefully, and at that, the homeowner reluctantly laid on his side, he looked back over his shoulder and spotted the shrinking on himself to be smaller to give Aleksandr more space. The homeowner internally winced slightly at the sight, and felt a bit guilty, then he sighed and turns to face Aurelian’s back and pulled him to lay more normally, “I said you better not move in your sleep, not that you should sleep at the edge of the mattress”, He grumbled. Aurelian blinked, then relaxed again, what an odd man this homeowner was, switching up between offended, angry and caring so quickly and suddenly , “…okay…” he muttered nervously, and shut his eyes, trying to relax, “Goodnight, homeowner.”
The homeowner rolled his eyes, and turned around again, his back facing the Fairyteller’s once more, “Just call me Aleksandr.” He muttered under his breath, fingers curling in his pillow.
“…Right.” He heard Aurelian mutter.
then after a long moment, the homeowner sighed, “…Goodnight, Aurelian.” He mumbled simply.
And with that, he shut his eyes.