Chapter Text
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Everything was left a mess. The tables were all dirty and the chairs all moved. You've been working all day, until the very last client of the evening, and you were doing it alone, but there was still so much mess left to clean. It is always difficult when you're left alone during busy hours in the coffee shop.
The boss, gone to do some errands.
Carol, gone god knows where.
You accommodated the chairs, cleaned the tables and mopped the floor, until that, the evening became the night.
You hated being outside of your house at night, ever since that creepy circus made your town it's home, you began to feel shaken, paranoid; watched, even.
"God. I'm so tired" You've told yourself, closing the blinds, looked around the place, what was left to do? Nothing. Just turn off the lights, and go home.
Thinking of the way back home was... Miserable. You grabbed your phone and relaxed your arms on the counter, and started searching for taxi cab numbers, it was not far, and the bus was probably working during this hour, but you did not want to walk to the bus stop at night.
As the fluorescent light from the phone distracted your view, you began to feel something on both sides of your shoulders and your head. Like something weighting on it. Carelessly, you glanced sideways, and saw a strand of white hair going from your shoulder to your chest to your torso, to even, your legs.
You turned around extremely quickly, and screamed, immediately a big hand with long fingers was put over your mouth, to muffle your screams.
"Please...! Don't scream." It was that creepy clown again. He was holding you against the counter. "No one must know!"
You tried to talk. He looked afraid, and moved his hand from your mouth.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" You yelled at him, and tried to calm down as soon as you realized that you were alone, during the night, with a creepy guy dressed as a clown. "Why...?"
"I'm sorry, darling. I wanted to see you."
"See me?! By frightening me?!" You looked at the bell at the top of the door, it hadn't even made a sound. Then you looked up at him.
"It wasn't my intention! I'm so sorry. I... wanted to bring you something."
"No, thanks." You recoiled on his closeness, with nowhere else to go. "Can you back off?"
"Why?" He looked like he was about to cry.
"I'm... sorry. But you scared me. I'm still shaken." You looked away from his black eyes, they were just as creepy, but you felt that, if you kept looking at them, you'd be convinced to feel bad for him. "What is it..."
Before the words came fully out of your mouth, he was shoving a bouquet of red roses to your face, with a big smile. You looked at the bouquet, then at him. You did not grab the flowers.
"There's no need..."
"Please, my darling, take the flowers. I personally made them for you, it's a show of my affection." You looked at his eyes, he was as shaken as you were, but with a different kind of emotion than fear. It was anticipation. His smile flattered the longer you took to take the flowers, so you did. And his smile grew, so, so big.
"Thank you, I guess..." What does he even mean by 'personally made for you' anyways? "You planted these yourself?"
"Oh, no! I just painted over them."
"Painted...? But they're red." You looked at the dripping bouquet, then to him again.
"Yes, dear." You decided not to ask anything.
"Well, how sweet. Thanks." His smile grew bigger. "Is that all?" And then dropped.
"As I said, I wanted to see you. I would've loved to come by earlier, but as you sure understand, I was working."
"Ah, yes, the circus." You were still holding the roses, the smell of them was quite strong, and it was beginning to annoy you.
"You should come by, you'd be highly entertained. And I'll be there."
"Maybe. One day. I'm just so busy, I don't have time."
You saw him go to his pocket on his pant and take something out of it. A red ticket.
"For you, my darling."
"No! I could never. There's no need..."
"Please, take it. It's specially made for you." He grabbed your free hand and put the ticket on your palm, squeezing it.
"What is it so special about it?"
"It's special because I'm the one giving it to you. You'll get to see me."
"Well, obviously if I go to the circus and visit all the tents, wouldn't I see you anyways?"
"Why would you want to visit other tents?" His whole demeanor changed, he was hunched over the whole conversation, but something in him shifted and he stood straight. Suddenly, you could see the extreme height difference, and how scary it felt.
"It's Pierrot, right?" You changed the subject. The scent of those roses was making you want to sneeze so badly.
"Yes, my dear." He seemed to love that his own name came out of your mouth, he was tasting it.
"Guess I'll see you around, thanks so much for the bouquet of.... red roses. But I must go home now, it's getting pretty late."
"Oh, no, darling."
No?
"Let me accompany you home, you cannot be going this late at night, who knows who you'll cross paths with?"
"Oh, boy! You've no idea. But I will be okay, I already called a cab." He looked at you, as if you were stupid, almost. As if he knew you hadn't called a cab because you didn't even have the time to do so before he arrived.
"I'll stay with you, then, so you don't have to wait alone."
"No need." The painting was dripping from the roses to your knuckles, to your hand, you tried to ignore it, just like how your mind was getting foggy.
"I have no problem with that, my darling. More time spent with you, is time well spent." His dark eyes went from your eyes to your mouth, to your hand. He came close to you, so close, you could feel his breath, and his teeth in your neck, he grabbed a napkin from behind the counter, and used it to clean your red dripping hand. "I insist."
Your whole face changed, and you knew it by the piercing look on his. He was frantically cleaning your hand, looking at you with crazy eyes. His smile never fading, but faltering a little.
Then the sudden realization hit, he knew you had not called anyone, he was the one waiting, something was wrong with your vision, you started to get sleepy.
He kept cleaning your hand.
"...Please..."
"Why do you reject me, my darling?"
The next thing you know, is that you are trying to keep your eyes open as your head falls behind, but never touches the counter, and your body never touches the floor. And you fall deep asleep.