Chapter Text
“Hey. I…got you something.”
Lado blinks at his dear friend. They were spending the night over at his house, and in all honesty, he wasn't expecting a gift of any sort.
“For me?” He pointed to himself, glancing down at the earring his friend was holding out to him.
“Yeah, man. We have been best friends for a while now, and I wanted to show my appreciation for you. So, take it.” His friend nodded.
Lado smiled at him brightly, getting over his surprise quickly. “Oh, thank you. You…really didn't have to.”
Their fingers brushed as he grabbed the earring.
Was it normal to feel this warm from a friend's gift? He questioned that to himself as he examined the earring.
Even if it wasn't, he wouldn't change a single bit of how he felt about it.
“Um, can I go to the bathroom to try it on?” He asked.
“Sure.” His friend shrugged.
Lado stood up, making his way over to the bathroom to take a closer look at the earring.
He fidget with it, looking into the mirror.
Some of his dye was fading away, his black roots showing slightly beneath.
He should probably redo them soon.
But for now, his focus was on the earring.
He didn't wear earrings a lot, but his ears were still pierced from a few weeks back.
Lado didn't have a problem with only wearing a single earring, so he reached up carefully to slide it into the little hole on his right ear, taking a deep breath as it clicked into place.
As he did so, a sudden realization washed over him.
Was this a parting gift?
They did have that conversation about his friend potentially moving to Russia.
Lado didn't particularly know how to feel about it, but he didn't want his friend to not do what he wanted to do.
Even if he wouldn't get the chance to confess to his dear friend.
Lado walked out of the bathroom, heading towards the living room.
His friend was still waiting for him on the couch.
The TV was playing some kind of music that faded into the background.
“What took you so long? I was starting to get bored.”
Lado smiled. “Sorry. I was just…getting used to the new earring.”
His friend chuckled. “Looks good on you.” He complimented.
Lado sat next to him. “Really? You think so?” He flicks the earring with his finger.
His parents would probably be disappointed if they saw it. They already had an issue with how he dyed his hair.
“Of course. You look cool as fuck!”
His friend pulled him closer.
Instantly, Lado relaxed. He didn't feel judged or anything. It was a nice experience, to be able to be who he was without thinking he was doing something wrong.
They stayed like that for a while before Lado spoke up. “So…when are you leaving?” He mumbled before he could stop himself.
His friend made a small humming sound. “Leaving where?”
“You know…to Russia.”
That made the other man pause. “Oh…uh…” He averted his gaze. “Maybe in a couple of days. Who cares? Let's just enjoy our time together.”
Lado nodded, though he didn't feel reassured by that. It would be selfish of him to request for his dear friend to stay with him forever.
Lado rested his head on the other man's shoulder, and closed his eyes.
Everything will be alright.
…
That seems so long ago.
Ever since his friend got on that plane to Russia years ago, Lado has been alone ever since.
He misses him, even with their phone calls.
But today was a bit different.
As Lado was planning on visiting his dear friend.
He was a bit nervous, as he has never traveled before, but he couldn't cancel his plans. Not when his friend wanted to see him.
So, he guessed he should ignore the anxiety that was rising in his chest.
Lado felt a little bit uneasy being around this many people, though.
He glanced around, clutching the ticket in his hand.
Keeping to himself, he followed the path to one of the doors of the train.
He lowered his gaze as he sat down in a seat.
He decided to spend the majority of his time looking out the window, watching the crowd of people.
Time seems to pass rather easily, or maybe it was because he was thinking about his friend.
The only person that bothered him was a man that checked his ticket, who quickly moved on to the next passenger.
Eventually, the train started moving.
Hopefully, he can sleep peacefully on the way there.
…
It was about evening when the train arrived at its stop.
As other passengers left, Lado sat there for a moment. He shook his head, to get rid of the tiredness he was feeling. He stood up, walking past the other seats.
He walked out the door, and was slightly surprised at how…warm it was?
It wasn't just a normal kind of warmth. It was the kind of heat that seems like it would turn into blazing fire at any second. It was kinda uncomfortable.
Lado immediately didn't like it. But maybe it was nothing. His friend would have alerted him if anything was wrong.
The first thing he noticed was how there weren't many people around.
Right, he recalled how he waited a bit before stepping out. Apparently a lot of them really wanted to go back home.
He can understand that. He was already feeling homesick even when he just arrived here.
As he turned to start walking in the direction of where he was supposed to go, a voice called out to him.
"Svb, wl blf pmld gsv mvzivhg hslk zilfmw?"
Lado paused, glancing behind him.
There was a man with a group of about three others with him approaching him.
His tone was friendly, so Lado assumed he was trying to ask something.
Unfortunately, he didn't know Russian very well.
“Hliib, xzm blf ivkvzg gszg?” He questioned.
(Sorry, can you repeat that?)
The older man looked confused, before his expression slowly changed into a scowl.
Lado wasn't quite sure why. Did he do something wrong?
"R xzm'g ufxprmt fmwvihgzmw gsrh wfwv." The older man grumbled to his friends.
One of them snicker. “Nzbyv gsv uivzp rh Tvlitrzm. Sv wlvh hlfmw orpv lmv.” He laughed.
“R wlm'g pmld, yfg rg hlfmwh rmxlsvivmg gl nv.”
Lado frowned as he watched the group of men talk to one each. It was really frustrating not knowing what they were talking about.
But he also needed to find a way to escape the conversation. His friend was waiting for him.
“R mvvw gl tl. Nb uirvmw rh vckvxgrmt nv-”
(I need to go. My friend is expecting me-)
He was cut off.
“Hsfg fk.” The man growled. “Dv hkvzp Ifhhrzm sviv. Mlg blfi ozmtfztv.” He spat out.
Lado flinched back. While he couldn't understand them, he could tell they were getting angry at him.
One of them began pulling something out of their bag. “Nzbyv gsrh droo hsfg srn fk.”
Lado glanced down, seeing the glint of metal.
Wires? They were long and thin, the edges sharp.
He stepped back. “R-R wrwm'g nvzm gl luuvmw blf!”
(I-I didn't mean to offend you!)
That only seems to make them angrier.
“Dszg wrw dv hzb zylfg hsfggrmt fk!?” The main man grabbed Lado by the shirt collar and held him in place.
He yelped, struggling against him. However the man was stronger.
“Dszg ziv blf-!?”
(What are you-!?)
The man held Lado head up, his grip strong enough to leave bruises in its wake. The one with the wires approached.
Lado's eyes widened, and in his panic, attempted to throw the man off of him. It wasn't successful.
The man crouched down, and without any warning, grabbed the back of Lado's head, and plunged the needle straight into the bottom of his lips.
He froze in shock, making a loud noise of pain. What were they doing?
The man didn't stop. He pulled the wire up and looped it, pulling it back down. He repeated the process, the wires slowly closing Lado's mouth.
Despite the blood filling Lado mouth and his muffled shrieks, the man only stopped when he completely stitched his lips together.
Lado went limp, his breathing uneven and tears running down his face.
“Gsviv blf tl. Ml nliv urogs xlnrmt uiln blfi orkh mld.”
The man released him, and he could hear the group of men laughing together as they left him behind.
Wireface was trembling, curling up as he shakily reached a hand to his mouth.
His mouth wouldn't move, only tearing apart his flesh if he resisted the wires that held his mouth shut.
Why? Why did they hurt him?
He didn't…he didn't intend to offend them.
He didn't wanna be here anymore.
He slowly sat up, sobbing in pain. The sky was beginning to get darker, and he knew he should get moving. He needed help. He needed a place to stay.
Trying to wipe away his tears, he stood up, and went in a random direction to see if anyone would help him.
Surely someone will.
He can only hope they won't treat him as cruelly as the group of men did.