Manika

“Oh, you are so lucky I love you Jiji, you fooking demon” You deadpanned moving your feet away so she lost her balance and rolled on the concrete, deceivingly the way she fell tug on your heartstrings “no my baby I’m so so sorry” You coo scooping her into your arms ignoring her paws taking a swipe at your face, love is pain right.

Jiji: ≽^-⩊-^≼

Now again why even subject yourself to this torture when there was no one around you, just let the shat be shat-- but alas oh the pain of being a good person.

“Well hello there”

“?!” You turn towards the voice in alarm, singling out a man in a yellow suit, well how mysterious you thought you were alone in this road. Next thing you notice was Jiji’s fur rising eyes straight to the man as well.

You shift Jiji in you arms holding her more securely, mainly just to make sure she won’t jump off and mutilate the man, now that you properly took a look at him, he was lanky tall, bald, a smile plastered on his face, bald, and is that spots of dirt on his suit. Its only then you noticed behind him everything was an excessive teal-and-orange color grading, like you could mistake it’s fall, but it’s supposed to be winter, you know it is as if it was not evident in the way you dress and Jiji’s donned in mini sweater and muffles.

Something is wrong.

--oh well. Maybe the snow doesn’t reach this part of the road and Jiji’s usually jumpy to new people. You conclude. Although the man does look familiar, you just can’t put a finger in it and it’s starting to hurt your head, you can’t afford to waste more braincells.

“Hello” You replied. Watching as the man in yellow clasp his hands in front a briefcase held.

“Who are you?”

“Who am I?” you point to yourself

“Yes, who are you”

"You are who? "

"Eh no--"

“--Oh!, wait is it who are you or who am I or..” you trail off realizing how ridiculous it's becoming now.

Reader: ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

MIY: (·•᷄‎ࡇ•᷅ )

A strain appeared on his smile and if you could hear his thoughts its screaming “this bitch” nah its practically written on his forehead. The man in yellow took a breath before you realized how dumb you must have sounded and looked, wrapped in multiple sweaters topped with puffer jacket, a glove, and ear muffler talking to a man who may or may not be a figment of your imagination--your mind does that sometimes.

“I’m sorry” you mumble under your breath, you ran a calming hand over her bristled coat, at the same time calming your rapidly firing thoughts, of how uncanny the man in yellow is, well not just him but everything, embarrassment with the exchange that has just happened and the shat in the cellophane dangling on your hand.

A moment and two before the man in yellow pat his coat and drop his hands to the side “Never mind that dear, I hope you’ll find this town interesting, as I am with you as well”

“You too”

"..."

“..”

MIY: (𖠂_𖠂) istg this bitch making me lose my numbered hair

When you saw that fallen tree on your bicycle and a backpack, light, seeing as you were hoping for some fresh air. It was afternoon when you noticed you wandered into an old town, one that was silent, and a pit grew on your stomach when you noticed all eyes were on you; like all of the residents that got stuck here, you drove around in circles, felt invisible walls close in on you.

Then night came, a man—a Sherrif accompanied by a priest approached you calm but you can sense the hurry in their stride, your body locked on defense mode, they spoke of how it's not safe to be out at night and when they saw how you were about to pedal away, they took you by the arms and hauled you in the police station. It was a blur by then, the story of the monsters, how no one ever gets out.

Honestly, you were lucid through it all, it was like a fever dream; until an idiot threw a tantrum and broke the whole window open and what happened next was a bloodbath and you saw those monsters smile as they ripped through each and every one, for the first time it dawned on you that you might die, but you were frozen your eyes stuck on the scene in front of you.

Then you were seized by your arms and pushed into a dark room. It was all blurry, by the time the sun rose only then were you able to get a glimpse of your Hero as he swept the whole can of peaches into his sweater as a makeshift pocket kept his eyes down as he opened the door, stopped for a moment and took a look at you, hand pulling on a thread of his sweater.

Victor: ( ・_・)stare

Reader: (☉_ ☉)?

A moment of silence before he hands you a canned peach, you disoriented palm open accepted it only then he left the room without saying a thing. That was the first time you met Victor.

Fast forward to now. Where the Matthews family arrived and things turned out to shite worst.

“Hey, what are you doing” you asked, even if you know why.

Victor continues doing that blocky steps, as if he did not hear you.

Hm.

“I know that after the break in the whole canned peaches cleared”

Still nothing, not for long though.

“I’ve got tons of them stock in my room” Yep, you are officially bribing someone for a chat in exchange for a can of peach. But in this town, there’s lower than what you’re doing.

A pause in his steps, and the corners of your lip lift.

Reader: ( ദ്ദി ˙ᗜ˙ )

Victor still has his back on you and the only indication that he even heard what you said was that tick he always does when he is thinking, picking at the thread of his sweatshirt, a minute passed like that and you wait, knowing that when it comes to him you need to be patient.

A minute more and his hands drop to his side as he finally faces you, eyes darting between the ground and to you.

“I’m checking to see if the trees moved” He gesture towards the forest “the trees moved 4 inches” He added contemplative eyes carefully observing the forest.

Your head tilt to the side, so the trees move. Now that just makes sense, creepy town with creepy creatures, why not moving trees “Why do you think they move?”

Victor head snap back to you as if he is making sure you just said what you just said, or maybe you are just making fun of him, it would not be surprising if you were; but when you kept on looking at him like you really want to know what he thinks of it he steps closer to you more open now but still shifty eyes, he started: “It means change” he folds his papers and put it inside his lunch box you always see him carrying around “they’re close, so that’s bad” he finished holding the lunchbox now in his arms.

You took it as a sign that the conversation is done and it actually went on longer than you expected, and you would not want to come off as pushy so you took one last look at Victor and smile dusting your pants turn on your heels and step off the stairs

“hey”

You stop, looking back at Victor a lost expression plastered on your face, more talks?

“You said you had canned peaches”

Oh.

Oh right. peaches.

“I did huh, I swear I’m so forgetful these days” you chuckle. Between your confusion with the trees moving and why’s that even a bad thing your head’s all muddled “well-they’re back home and it’s quite a walk care to join?’’

It was the middle of the day; there were clouds in the sky but they could not keep the sunlight from finding your smile and from Victors thoughtful eyes witnessing it. It was new, seeing a smile directed at him.

He took a step forward and another and then he was ahead of you “that does not make us friends though” he mumbled you barely caught it and when you did you lifted a single brow in jest

“Right~”

“..”

“My house is on the other side by the way”

“I know that”

"Right~"