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There is someone in my house.
He wears his face and his hair and his clothes. He uses his voice and his skin and his eyes, but it isn't Avery. Derek knows that it's not Avery.
Avery left the house an hour ago to go grocery shopping, ignoring Derek's insistence on him staying home.
This "Avery" came into the house a few minutes ago, wearing a smile on his face and carrying two grocery bags in his hands, two very empty grocery bags, mind you.
"…You're back early." Derek walks over to Avery, leaning against him as he always does.
Avery was cold.
"...Wellll, the store was closed!" Avery grins, his fingers starting to run through Derek's locs.
It was nice. Things were nice.
Things were nice until Derek noticed Avery's hair, the ends were faded, it didn't make sense. He watched Avery dye his hair yesterday. Things were nice until Derek noticed Avery's shoes, he wasn't wearing those when he left the house
It felt like a myriad of inconsistencies went and slapped Derek in the face. There was a gap in Avery's front teeth, the same gap that Avery got closed when he was twelve. He always said that his parents made him do it. Speaking of his parents, Avery keeps talking about them.
"I was thinking about calling my mom."
"Yeah, she texted me earlier.
"Might go to see her for the holidays."
Avery never talks about his parents.
He goes on and on and on, which Derek would usually adore if it was his Avery, but this wasn't his Avery. It looked like him, it spoke like him, it wore his skin and hair and used his voice but it was anything but the real Avery.
Derek felt stuck. He didn't like the feeling of the fingers running through his hair anymore, he didn't like the body that is so cold against his. Avery is never this cold.
Avery got up, he took the empty grocery bags with him into the kitchen. Derek is left feeling disoriented, confused, scared. What does he do? What's in his apartment? Why does it look like Avery?
"Where— Um, where are you going, Aves?" Derek asks. So much for not sounding suspicious…
"Huh? Oh, m'just putting away the groceries." Avery smiles. Derek hears the thud of items being taken out of the grocery bags and being placed on the counter.
"…I thought the store was closed?" Derek walks over to the kitchen.
"Avery" is silent for a moment.
"What?"
"…You said the store was—"
"Anyway! I saw this new thing at the store, and…"
"Avery's" rambling fades into nothing but muffled nonsense as Derek stares at him. Avery would never cut him off like that. Where did those groceries even come from? This thing can't even keep its story straight…
Derek migrates to the couch. He'd hole up in his bedroom until his Avery came back, but he doesn't want this…thing to realize that something is wrong. Avery exits the kitchen and immediately plops down next to Derek, its hands worm their way into Derek's hair once again and Derek hates it.
The TV is on and the thing is talking and Derek wants to scream. This isn't normal, this isn't fine, this isn't okay. A random copy of your roommate stumbling into your apartment isn't normal, is it?
A small, small part of Derek's brain wonders if this is the real Avery. Derek wonders if he's just overreacting and that everything is fine but the cold hand in his hair says otherwise. The gap tooth and the faded ends and the groceries scream otherwise.
There's a knock at the door.
The thing freezes, its hand stills in Derek's hair. It swiftly gets up and starts walking. Derek panics as he hears the jingling of keys from outside of the apartment Avery is at the door. Avery is at the door and the thing is walking right towards god-knows-where and Derek is frozen. Derek has never been this frozen in his entire life.
The door opens.
"Der, I'm baaack!" Avery calls out.
Derek's eyes dart around the room, the thing is nowhere to be found. Derek can only stare at Avery, his Avery. Derek can only watch as Avery's smile contorts into a look of confusion.
"Der…? You alright?"
Derek is off the couch before Avery can say another word.
"Oh." Avery whispers, he drops the grocery bags in his hand as soon as he feels Derek wrap his arms around him. The two are quiet.
"Are you…?"
"I'm fine, Aves." Derek breathes.
"…You sure?" Avery asks, "Der, you're squeezing me, you don't look—"
"Can you stay home tomorrow?"
"Huh?" Avery blinks.
"Can you. Stay home. Tomorrow?" Derek repeats.
"I— Sure, Der. I'll stay home tomorrow…" Avery sighs, hugging Derek back without question.
The two just…sit like that for a while, completely silent with nothing but the muffled sound of the TV to keep them company. Derek doesn't know when he let go. This Avery was warm, this Avery had hair-dye stains on his hands and grocery bags with actual stuff in them. This Avery was his.
Derek would look for the thing after he let go of Avery. He would check the apartment from top to bottom and find absolutely nothing. He never tells Avery. He never wants to worry him.
Things would be fine.
Avery would stay home tomorrow and that thing wouldn't come back.
Things would be fine, Derek was sure of it.