Chapter Text
You knew that life alone would be a struggle, but damn, this was no walk in the park. The apartment you live in is nice, just the right size for you and your things, but you just barely afford it, and that's with two jobs that schedule you 40 hours a week. On top of that, you're also going to school part time online. You sigh as you close the door behind you, returning your keys to their hook. It's been a long day, the twins you nanny decided that they didn't want to listen today and you ended up having to chase them around for a majority of the day, barely having a moment to even use the restroom. Luckily, you have a day off tomorrow. Walking over and collapsing on the couch, you rest for a couple minutes, decompressing. After 10 to 15 minutes, you pull your phone out and scroll through your feed, catching up on what you missed during the work day.
Your stomach rumbles and yowls at the lack of food inside and you grumble as you heave yourself up, trudging into the small kitchen area to grab something to eat. Opening the freezer, you settle on some Bagel Bites, not really feeling like actually preparing anything. Your tired reflection gazes back at you from the glass of the microwave as you wait for your food to finish. You had been excited at first to finally be on your own, to finally be able to make your own rules and do what you wanted to do. And it was great, for the most part, until you realized the monotony of adult living. Work all day, come home to eat and do school work, go to bed, do it all over again the next day. Free days were spent doing chores and catching up on rest. Barely any time for yourself, and less time to make friends and socialize.
You were lonely.
The beeping from the microwave pulled you out of your trance, and you shook it off, pulling your food out and sitting down to eat it, once again scrolling through your feed. An advertisement for a local bar comes up on the screen and catches your attention. Taking a night out on the town wouldn't hurt, right? The change in scenery would definitely help and you haven't been out for a drink in a while. A small smile graces your features as you decide on your plans for the night. Finishing your food, you head into your room to change into some fresh clothes that didn't smell like sweat and desperation. Grabbing your keys and slipping your shoes on, you leave your lonely apartment, driving to The Jackaloupe. Your feel good playlist blasts in your ears as you dance in your seat, hyping yourself up for the night. You needed this.
You reach your destination and lock your car, heading in and taking a seat at the bar. You start to feel a little better in the social atmosphere, smiling to yourself and ordering a drink. The bartender quickly makes your favorite drink with some panache and sends it your way. Thanking him, you gaze around the room, people watching. Your eyes come to a halt on a tall blonde man sat at one of the tables. His own gaze flickers between the bathroom and looking around the room and his hands wring themselves uncomfortably; his posture screams anxiety. You frown lightly, kinda feeling bad for the poor guy. Finishing the last of your drink, you sigh to yourself, before deciding to go check on him. Your friends had often dubbed you the mom of the group and you, unfortunately, had to agree. It was all due to your caring nature, you couldn't help it. His blue eyes lock with yours as you approach him and he freezes like a deer in headlights. You smile softly at him, waving lightly.
"Hey! I couldn't help but notice that you look sort of uncomfortable. I wanted to come over and see if you were ok." You gently and slowly pull out a chair across from him.
He rubs his elbow, not making direct eye contact with you. "U-um, yeah. I'm just waiting on someone..." His voice is soft and meek as he trails off.
You nod, smiling warmly at him. "Ok! That's good. I'm sorry for bothering you, just wanted to make sure you're ok!"
He nods lightly, looking down and fiddling with his jacket. As you make to get up, you both notice someone else approaching the table. He's rather short and has strange, red markings on his face. The orange haired male looks a little shocked to see you, but smiles soon enough.
"Oh, uh, hi! I didn't expect someone else to be here. My name is Ren."
Beaming at him, you introduce yourself. "Hey! I'm (y/n)! I was just checking on your friend here."
The two men share a look, communicating with only their eyes.
"Uh, is everything alright Ren? I'm sorry that I disturbed y'all."
Once again, Ren's attention is on you. "Oh no! Everything is fine! Don't worry. How about I go get us all a round, yeah?" And before you can protest, he's off to the bar. The blonde man panics for a second and rushes after him. You stare over at them in confusion, watching as they seem to argue at the bar, before they trot back, smiles on their faces. The taller man sets down the drinks and you all smile at each other chatting lightly. They seem to look at you expectantly as you reach for your drink. Something tugs in the back of your mind and, taking a quick glance between the two, you reach for the blond man's drink, you didn't want to get roofied or something. Shock covers both of their faces. It's a rum and coke. You gaze suspiciously at them as neither of them touch the other drinks. Ren pipes up.
"So, it's getting late. I-I should probably leave." He almost looks worried as he gets up.
The blonde looks shocked and a bit fearful. "W-wait! You're leaving?"
"Sorry." And, with that, the orange haired male scurries out the door, the tall man quickly getting up and running after him.
You sit there for a moment, shocked and confused. "Uh, ok?" You make your way to the bar and pay for your tab, then make your way out. After all, Ren was right, it is getting late. You sigh and head out to your car, feeling a tap on your shoulder as you look for it in the parking lot. You turn around, confused. It's the blonde. "Uh, hey, what's up?"
He looks a bit disturbed, he's tense and looks like he's trying to tell you something.
You feel a pull in your gut and you instinctively take a step back, body tensing and ready to respond to a threat. "You good, mate?"
"Ren's path... split from mine." He mumbles just barely loud enough for you to hear. A shadow falls over his face and your gut starts to twist.
"I have no clue what you're talking about dude. You sure you're ok?" You take another step back as your survival instinct starts to take over, heart racing and blood pumping through your veins.
"Ren was different."
"Dude, is everything alright? Did something happen?" Your brain fights with itself over whether you should run for the hills or actually try and help this guy. Suddenly, the choice is made for you as he shoots a glare at you and swings.
"SHIT!" You drop and scramble away from the psycho behind you. You take off, feet pounding hard on the pavement, moving double time. Your breath comes out in harsh pants as you search frantically for somewhere to go. If you continue straight, he'll definitely catch you with his long strides. If you go left, you might get run over. You start feeling dizzy from the exertion.
Suddenly, you spot an alley coming up to your right. You duck into the alley and press yourself tight against the wall, trying to hide and catch your breath. Tears sting your eyes as you look around for either a better place to hide or a way out of the alley. All you see is a fence that you might not be able to climb, a fluffy tail, and a bunch of boxes and garbage cans.
Wait. A tail?
You stalk over, trying to be as quiet as you can, being mindful of both the animal and the psycho on your trail. You carefully gaze around the trash can and sigh as you see that it's just Ren.
REN?!
He looks as surprised to see you as you are to see him. "Huh? (Y/n)?" He takes a quick glance behind you and holds out his hand. "Come with me! I'll help you!"
You stumble forward slightly, exhausted and dizzy. "R-Ren? You have... I-I don't feel.." It's hard to get your words out, your mind is screaming that something isn't right.
"I know."
You fall forward into his arms as the world darkens around you.
"I've got you." And that's the last thing you hear before you succumb to the darkness.