Work Text:
“Listeners, I have just received word that our lovely Carlos, the scientist, is being followed around by an unknown child! Where did this child come from? What could they want with our dear Carlos? Could this child be a threat to him and his team of other scientists, or is this child simply their newest- and first- intern? As of now, I do not have the answers to any of these questions for you, but I assure you dear listeners: we will find out, and when we do, I will tell all of you, as is my job.”
“Hey Carlos, Cecil’s noticed your cousin.”
Despite knowing it never took long for Cecil to notice a new outsider, Carlos still felt a sense of dread, running his hand through his not-quite-ruined-anymore hair. “Please tell me he doesn’t think Jon’s my son.” The thought of Cecil speculating on his love life- which, at the moment, was as non-existent as the house that really should exist because there are two identical houses on either side and it would make more sense for it to exist than for it to not exist.
“Nope,” His fellow scientist replied, amused. In a town like Night Vale, the only time his scientists were calm and amused was when discussing Cecil’s ‘infatuation’ with him- not that those feelings actually existed. There was no telling what Cecil really wanted. “He thinks that Jon might be a threat to us, or an intern.”
Cold water rushed down his spine, and Carlos found himself glancing around for Jon. Fortunately, the child was easy enough to find, standing in his shadow behind him and listening with a tilt of his head and those piercing, green eyes that Carlos was trying very hard to pretend did not glow. “He’s not an intern.” The words came out panicked.
“You should probably have your boyfriend-” “Not my boyfriend-” “-announce that,” The scientist continued, grimacing slightly. “Given what happens to interns around here…”
Carlos sighed. Night Vale was not safe for anyone, let alone a child, but it seemed that anyone labeled with the title ‘intern’ was signed up to die or ‘disappear’ within months of gaining the title. It happened to the interns at the Radio Station, to the interns around City Hall, to River the scientist intern who got turned into a pile of semi-radioactive goo after eating a cupcake that appeared on their lab table. He needed to clear the air about Jon’s position here before the ‘intern’ rumors culminated in something worse.
If he had his way, Jon would be nowhere near Night Vale. In fact, when Jon’s grandmother first died, Carlos allowed the British Government to take him, not willing to abandon his research for a child he met once but also not wanting an outside child to be subjected to the horrors of Night Vale. Of course, a few days after that decision, Jon walked through a yellow door in the middle of the lab- a door that had not been there and proceeded to not be there- and would have caused one of the chemists to drop a beaker, had they not been used to Night Vale’s particular brand of crazy by now.
Seeing as Jon- if this was Jon and not some creepy doppelganger or shapeshifter with Jon’s memories that decided to glue itself to Carlos’ side- was already in Night Vale and there was no way to get him out, Carlos decided the safest thing to do was keep Jon by his side… at least, until he could find time to enroll him in school. If it was any other child, Carlos would hesitate about letting them into Night Vale’s twisted school system, but it was the law in Night Vale and honestly, Jon’s constant staring like he Knew everyone and the molecules that made up their probably-real bodies was starting to freak him out.
Jon would fit into Night Vale far easier than any of them.
“Listeners, I have an update on that strange child who is following our beautiful, perfect Carlos and his team of scientists! He is not a threat or an intern like we first thought, but rather Carlos’ cousin- brought to Night Vale by the Distortion!
Now, listeners, I was just as surprised as you to learn about the Distortion’s return to Night Vale. It has been many years since any of the Fear Gods have decided to present in Night Vale, with the last known occurrence being all the way back in 1983, when debate regarding a potential Fifteenth Fear Entity became so heated that it drove them out of town. Could this be a sign of a return of the Fourteen- debatably Fifteen- Fears? Well, I don’t know about you, listeners, but Carlos’ cousin has such a distinctive pair of eyes.
In other news, the local Arby’s would like to apologize for the horde of tarantulas that managed to flee their kitchen the other day, citing the spiders’ presence as ‘mandatory’ because they are ‘required to have THE MEATS’ and, as you all know, that includes- oh!
Listeners, I am sorry to interrupt myself, but I am getting a phone call from the perfect scientist, Carlos! Let’s hear what he has to say- it may be something science-y. Hello, Carlos-!”
“Ce- Cecil, what?”
“Oh Carlos, nothing’s going on- well, other than the usual. I’m actually on-air right now! Which means that you are too, and-”
Carlos sighed. “No- Cecil, I mean what did you mean about ‘the Fears’? What does- do they have to do with Jon’s… eyes?”
“Oh, you don’t know about the Fears? Well, I suppose if you’ve been studying Night Vale, it wouldn’t have come up, since they haven’t been here in so long. How about I finish up my show and we meet up for dinner and then I can explain it all?”
“Cecil, I’m not-” He sighed again. “...fine, but only if you promise to explain everything.”
“For you? Of course.”
“...see you, Cecil.”
“See you, Carlos!” A pause. “Listeners, did you hear that!? I’m getting dinner with Carlos tonight! Oh, I have to plan what to wear, and fill out the proper ‘Dinner With Your Future Partner’ paperwork… oh gosh, I’m going to be so busy! While I get myself sorted out, let’s go to the weather.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Jon!” Cecil beamed brightly, crouching down to Jon’s level. He was very young, and so not very tall, but even though he was eight he was a good several inches beneath the average for his age. “I have never met an Avatar as young as you- how did you catch the Beholding’s gaze?” He paused to consider it. “Other than how everyone catches its gaze, of course.”
Jon Stared at Cecil with his unnatural gaze.
“Cecil, what-?”
“A spider book tried to eat me,” Jon said, startling Carlos as this was the first sentence Jon had said since arriving in Night Vale- and what? “But it ate someone else instead.”
“Hm… spiders are usually associated with The Web, not the Beholding, though the Fears have always been… fluid,” He waved his hand in a vague ‘none of my business’ motion- or maybe it was more of a ‘you know how they are’ wave? “Either way, I think I speak for all of Night Vale when I say that we are happy to have you here.”
“...I…” Carlos sighed. “Jon, you’re going to have to explain the ‘spider book’ later. Cecil-”
“Yes?” Cecil asked, hoping not to come off ‘too eager’ (though the worker for vague yet menacing government agency, keeping tabs on their every move from their windowless, totally-not-sketchy surveillance van across the street, could tell you that he did come off that way).
“...Cecil,” Carlos tried again, this time without interruption. “What- what did you mean by ‘Fear Gods’? What’s ‘The Beholding’? What’s going on?”
“Oh, right,” Cecil deflated a bit, a little disappointed that this wasn’t a house call, only to perk back up because he could help Carlos learn something new- for science!- and any time spent with Carlos was a gift. “Think of everything you- and everyone you have love, like, tolerate or hate- have ever been afraid of-”
Carlos pinched the bridge of his nose. How had this become his life? He just wanted to do science in the most scientifically-interesting town in the world- to find out there were Fear Entities that prayed on the deepest, darkest fears of everyone in the world (except for Night Vale, which they abandoned in 1983 for some reason despite the town seeming being a feast for fear?).
“...you’re telling me,” He tried to keep his voice even. “That Jon- my cousin, Jon, who is only eight- has become a vessel for an all-knowing God?”
“Of course not,” Cecil looked offended at the question, and Carlos almost asked him to clarify why he explained it like that, but- “He’s not a vessel- the Fear Gods don’t limit themselves in such a way. He’s an Avatar- it’s a bit like a cult leader, where he can interact with and feed the God but he isn’t the God,” He rolled his eyes. “Gods don’t limit themselves to physical forms like that.”
“...right, right, my bad…” Carlos said, despite not feeling that it was his bad at all. No, he blamed the weirdness of the world that science had no explanation for- yet. “...so, uhm… is there a way to… make Jon not be an… ‘Avatar’?”
“Why would you want to do that?” Cecil asked, his face scrunched up in that way it only does when he’s genuinely confused. “Carlos- this is great! The Beholding is a very powerful entity, and it’s clear that Jon has gained the favor of the Distortion as well as potentially the Web. Why would you want to throw away these blessings?”
“Because I don’t want my cousin to be a- a gateway for a Fear God?! For God’s sake, Cecil- he’s eight!”
“Eight is a great age for bonding with unseen entities!” Cecil defended, and Carlos fought the urge to curse himself for using that as an arguing point. At this point, he should know better than to assume that anyone in Night Vale had a normal sense of childhood. “And he could do much worse than the Beholding, or any of the Fear Gods, really. They’re known for defending their Avatars against all sorts of threats.”
That… actually was somewhat comforting. It meant Carlos might have less to worry about, keeping his cousin in a town like Night Vale-
“Plus, there are many job opportunities open for him,” Cecil carried on. “With compulsion powers like his, the Secret Police would love to bring him on-board as an interrogator- oh! Or he could come work at the Radio Station and take witness reports for us. He’s younger than any of the interns we’ve had, but I’m sure he could use the college credits at some point-”
Aanndd there went that comfort. Rest in peace, comfort: you are such a rare feeling in this part of the world, and you will likely never extend another limb or wisp or whatever you refer to it as in this section of desert again. Hello discomfort, welcome back from your one-second vacation- how was it?
“Absolutely not.”
Carlos, with his head firmly buried in his hands, did not see the wink Cecil offered to Jon.
“Listeners, I’m sure you were wondering how my ‘totally platonic date’ with Carlos went last night. You know I’m not one to get personal on the radio, but it was actually really productive! We met up, he brought his cousin Jon- oh listeners, Jon is just the CUTEST little Avatar of the Beholding I have EVER seen! It appears that the Fear Gods have returned to Night Vale- or at least, they are testing the waters. Let’s give Jon and his patron a warm welcome by telling him all of our most traumatizing experiences so that they can remain properly fed and don’t take our Statements by force!
Now, onto the weather.”