Chapter Text
Friend (P.O)
I think it would be a good idea to start from the beginning.
Well... from the beginning I can actually remember, anyway.
Today, I'm going to tell you a little about two very good friends of mine. Friends I grew incredibly attached to, if I'm being honest.
A long time ago, I met Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander at a community event. The two of them immediately struck me as... interesting. They were very different from each other.
At first, Ilya seemed like the more serious one. But once he started talking to me and some of my other friends who happened to be there, I quickly realized he was actually a sweetheart.
Shane, on the other hand, seemed warmer from the moment he arrived. He struck me as the kind of person who always followed the rules.
When I met him, he held out his hand and introduced himself. I returned the greeting as politely as I could.
During one of our conversations, some of my friends—Fabian in particular—mentioned to Ilya and Shane that I was currently looking for somewhere to stay. The place where I was living wasn't going to be an option for much longer, and I would have to leave within a few weeks.
They asked if they knew of anyone who might be able to help me, and told them to let me know.
I've never been very good with words, if I'm being honest, so I didn't say much. They had already explained everything that needed to be explained.
I was a little embarrassed that my friends were still trying to help me. They had been looking for a solution to my problem for a long time.
That day, I spent quite a bit of time with Ilya and Shane and, for reasons I still don't entirely understand, apparently that was enough for them to like me.
Enough for us to become good friends.
A week later, Fabian called me, sounding incredibly excited.
Fabian: "Hey, we found somewhere you can stay for now. Do you remember Shane and Ilya? The couple we met at the festival the other day? They just called me and said they have space available in their house. What do you think?"
I couldn't believe my luck.
We had been looking for a solution to my situation for so long. Days. Weeks. Even months, sometimes. And now, finally, it seemed like we had actually found one.
For both Fabian and me, it was good news.
I knew Fabian worried about me. I also knew he loved me, which was why he often spent more time with me than he did at his own job.
Fabian hated seeing me so sad and alone because of the uncertainty surrounding where I was going to live. For a long time, I worried that I had become a burden to him.
I needed to stop feeling like I was his responsibility.
And this was the perfect opportunity to do that.
The house belonged to both of them, and it was enormous. So spacious that I felt like I could get lost inside it.
Fabian helped me bring my things to the room that would be mine, then immediately thanked Ilya and Shane for their hospitality and for giving me a place to stay despite barely knowing me.
While Fabian, Ilya, and Shane talked, I wandered off for a little while.
There were so many windows that I could see my reflection everywhere I looked.
The view was beautiful.
In the distance, I could see something floating on the lake. The grass was bright green, and butterflies moved through the air around me.
Living here must be a dream, I thought.
Then I saw the tree.
It stood enormous and magnificent, right in front of a pile of freshly cut logs.
It was incredibly tall, thick with branches and leaves, and covered in yellow flowers.
It was... beautiful.
Too beautiful.
I couldn't stop looking at it.
Apparently, I'd been standing there staring outside for quite some time because Fabian eventually appeared behind me.
Fabian: "Hey, there you are. I thought you got lost."
He came closer, following my gaze.
Fabian: "It's beautiful, isn't it? You're going to love it here. Did you see that tree over there? I know how much you love them. Should we ask Ilya and Shane to come out with us?"
It wasn't long before Shane and Ilya joined us behind the glass doors.
Finally, I was able to get closer to the enormous tree.
It wasn't just beautiful. It was even bigger from up close.
It smelled wonderful, too, and its branches were so thick that only a few rays of sunlight managed to slip through the green leaves.
I hadn't even been there for an hour, and I had already found my favorite place in the entire house.
A little while later, Fabian said goodbye to me at the front door.
He looked sad again.
I didn't understand why.
I wasn't going to be a burden to him anymore. I had a place to stay now.
I returned his goodbye before turning toward Shane, who was watching me with a shy smile, while Ilya walked Fabian out to his car.
Once we were back inside, Ilya took it upon himself to show me the rest of the house.
Ilya: "This is the living room. This is where we watch hockey games, and where I compete against Shane in Mario Kart. He's terrible at it and loses all the time."
Shane: "That's not true! You're a cheater!"
Ilya: "See? Terrible player."
He gave me a wink.
Then we went upstairs, where he showed me the bedrooms and the bathroom.
Ilya: "This is Shane's and my room, okay? You'll sleep on the other side of the house."
My space was enormous.
I already knew I would be much more comfortable here than I had been in the other places I'd lived throughout my life.
Shane: "We also bought food. We were told you have some specific things you eat, right? Don't worry, though. You won't be missing anything here. And besides, you'll have plenty of fun with us."
Ilya: "It's not like you're that funny, Hollander."
Shane: "Oh, yeah? You want to see how funny I am?"
Suddenly, Shane grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and started chasing Ilya around the room.
Ilya, in turn, ran for his life, even jumping over the bed in an attempt to escape Shane.
Ilya: "You're faster on the rink," he said, already out of breath from running around.
Shane: "Yeah, but at least I'm in better shape than you!"
And that was the first fight I ever witnessed between the two of them.
The very first day I stayed with them.
I'm living in a house full of lunatics.
Amazing.