Untitled Monster/DN rp-based ficlet
unbetaed monster x-over directly related to RP
They had met on the stairs. Cold, unforgiving concrete that seemed perpetually damp and dark, though it was lit with a few wavering electric lights even now, in the middle of the night.
It was the end of L’s first full day at the orphanage and already he hated it more than he had hated any place he had ever been. It was cold and sparse and noises always seemed too loud or too soft there. His footsteps echoed like an avalanche in his mind, heart pounding so hard he thought it might be audible too as he crept down the stairs, starving. His dinner had been filched by other kids around him that night, less because they were underfed and more because they didn’t like him. He could tell already.
“They’ll catch you if you go any further.” A soft, pleasant voice that made him jump, looking up towards the end of the staircase rather than down at his feet. His hands tightened on the thin metal railing.
A blonde boy smiled up at him, hands behind his back. L recognized him, vaguely, from dinner and lessons earlier that day. Not one of the ones that had bothered him. He watched him, steadily as the other boy took slow, measured steps towards him.
L frowned more… thinking for a moment before settling on a good question. “Who are you?”
A larger smile. The boy stopping just two steps down from him. “You’re hungry aren’t you?” Hands unfolding from behind his back, revealing a large piece of bread. “Here, I got this for you.”
L took it, eyes widening a bit. Surprised. “Who are you?”
The blonde took his hand lightly, shaking his head, one finger to his lips. “Wait.” L frowned as the other tugged him back up the stairs and then quickly down a hallway, one near a few of the classrooms, then stopped at the end, under a window where moonlight streamed in.
“They won’t always steal your food. They’ll forget to, soon enough.” The blonde sat on the windowsill, studying L.
L nodded, slowly. “Oh. Who are you?”
“Insistent, aren’t you?” He smiled. “Don’t you know already? We don’t have names, here.”
“But you have a name outside.” L sat down, knees pulled to his chest, leaning against the wall. Watching him. Already envying how calm he seemed to be, how confident. He wanted to learn that.
The boy rested one hand on the window frame, looking outside, down on the dirty street. “I suppose you could call me Johan. Although it won’t do you much good.”
L tilted his head, giving him a quizzical look. Waiting several moments for a response while pulling pieces off the bread. Finally asking. “Why is that?”
Johan smiled back at him, sweetly. “You won’t be here very long.”
L frowned deeply, finishing the last of his bread. Puzzling that out, but it didn’t seem to make sense. Unlike the other orphanages he had been to, they didn’t seem to care too much here about ‘problem children.’ “Why do you say that?”
“You are too smart for this place.” Johan shrugged a little, looking back out. “They won’t want you here. But if it takes too long for them to figure that out, I’ll help.”
“Why?” He asked, sucking on a fingertip a little as he thought. It was very strange for someone to try helping anyone in an orphanage, let alone him, out like this.
Johan stood up, slowly, kneeling next to L with a soft smile. “You’ll get in the way of my plans if I let you stay.” He took one of L's hands, lightly pulling him up. "You should go to sleep now. We can't stay out too long."
L nodded slowly and let himself be guided to his room.
Days stretched by. Two, three. L had never seen time move so slowly. Classes took all day, though there was never a discernable lesson that he could tell. They bored him, he had trouble focusing on what the teachers were saying and instead watched the other boys. Their blank looks, the way they agreed with teachers who told them over and over that they were no one, worth nothing. The way they believed that more with each passing day. He wondered if he too would become like them.
The boys came alive at dinner, pushing, shoving. Friendships and petty arguments were carried out in whispers, and food still disappeared from his plate they stared at him with cold, suspicious eyes.
It didn’t matter. Johan came to him every night, with more bread or cheese or fruit. L never knew why Johan was able to sneak food out so easily. He had seen others get taken and beaten for daring to creep out of their beds at night. Soft screams in the hallway, sobs behind tightly closed doors. Yet Johan walked the halls as if he owned them, and assured L that as long as they stayed together, he would not get caught.
They weren’t friends, as far as L could tell. Although Johan was always smiling at him, there was something odd to it, a calculating coolness that made him uneasy. They didn’t speak much, but when they did, it was Johan who asked the questions, L who answered. Johan simply smiled and shook his head whenever L tried to change the subject to him.
On the fourth night, L slid out of his bed. It was late, and he started to worry, though he hadn’t heard any screaming yet. Still it was unlike Johan to be this late. Padding through the halls, barefoot on cold concrete, and then he heard the murmur of voices.. recognizing Johan’s. He stopped in the doorway, peeking in, listening. Johan and another boy sat on a bed, having a hushed conversation.
“I knew it was him! We have to act quickly!”
“Tomorrow. You’re less likely to be stopped before the monster is defeated.”
“I won’t let everyone down!”
L saw Johan smile, like a razor, and lean over to press his lips to the other boy’s forehead before standing. “I know, Adolf. It’s why I told you.”
Something about that was strange. Stranger than normal, even for this place. L stepped back, but not before Johan's eyes shifted past the other boy, to him. He was still smiling, and as L shifted back so that he was out of view, he heard his feet hit the floor lightly, footsteps coming towards the door.
Johan stepped out and shut it behind him, lightly. "Are you hungry?"
L shook his head, slowly. He was, but more than that he wanted to go back to his room.
"Don't worry. Everything is going to be all right." Johan took his hand.
-----
"Don't worry. Everything is all right." L opened his eyes slowly. Painfully. He hurt all over. They didn't know what happened; why one boy would have turned on another so violently, but not be able to produce a reason.
He turned his head in the direction of the voice. Johan stood next to him, just a sillouette against the infirmary window.
"I heard them talking. Someone will be picking you up tomorrow."
L frowned. Remembering the conversation he had overheard last night, and the way the same boy had attacked him in the yard today. "You told him to.."
"Haven't you heard? There's a monster in the school. I told you, you would only get in my way." A bit of laughter in that statement, and he stepped closer.. leaning over towards L, who scooted away a little, frowning when cool lips brushed his forehead. "You should sleep. Everything is all right, now."
They had met on the stairs. Cold, unforgiving concrete that seemed perpetually damp and dark, though it was lit with a few wavering electric lights even now, in the middle of the night.
It was the end of L’s first full day at the orphanage and already he hated it more than he had hated any place he had ever been. It was cold and sparse and noises always seemed too loud or too soft there. His footsteps echoed like an avalanche in his mind, heart pounding so hard he thought it might be audible too as he crept down the stairs, starving. His dinner had been filched by other kids around him that night, less because they were underfed and more because they didn’t like him. He could tell already.
“They’ll catch you if you go any further.” A soft, pleasant voice that made him jump, looking up towards the end of the staircase rather than down at his feet. His hands tightened on the thin metal railing.
A blonde boy smiled up at him, hands behind his back. L recognized him, vaguely, from dinner and lessons earlier that day. Not one of the ones that had bothered him. He watched him, steadily as the other boy took slow, measured steps towards him.
L frowned more… thinking for a moment before settling on a good question. “Who are you?”
A larger smile. The boy stopping just two steps down from him. “You’re hungry aren’t you?” Hands unfolding from behind his back, revealing a large piece of bread. “Here, I got this for you.”
L took it, eyes widening a bit. Surprised. “Who are you?”
The blonde took his hand lightly, shaking his head, one finger to his lips. “Wait.” L frowned as the other tugged him back up the stairs and then quickly down a hallway, one near a few of the classrooms, then stopped at the end, under a window where moonlight streamed in.
“They won’t always steal your food. They’ll forget to, soon enough.” The blonde sat on the windowsill, studying L.
L nodded, slowly. “Oh. Who are you?”
“Insistent, aren’t you?” He smiled. “Don’t you know already? We don’t have names, here.”
“But you have a name outside.” L sat down, knees pulled to his chest, leaning against the wall. Watching him. Already envying how calm he seemed to be, how confident. He wanted to learn that.
The boy rested one hand on the window frame, looking outside, down on the dirty street. “I suppose you could call me Johan. Although it won’t do you much good.”
L tilted his head, giving him a quizzical look. Waiting several moments for a response while pulling pieces off the bread. Finally asking. “Why is that?”
Johan smiled back at him, sweetly. “You won’t be here very long.”
L frowned deeply, finishing the last of his bread. Puzzling that out, but it didn’t seem to make sense. Unlike the other orphanages he had been to, they didn’t seem to care too much here about ‘problem children.’ “Why do you say that?”
“You are too smart for this place.” Johan shrugged a little, looking back out. “They won’t want you here. But if it takes too long for them to figure that out, I’ll help.”
“Why?” He asked, sucking on a fingertip a little as he thought. It was very strange for someone to try helping anyone in an orphanage, let alone him, out like this.
Johan stood up, slowly, kneeling next to L with a soft smile. “You’ll get in the way of my plans if I let you stay.” He took one of L's hands, lightly pulling him up. "You should go to sleep now. We can't stay out too long."
L nodded slowly and let himself be guided to his room.
Days stretched by. Two, three. L had never seen time move so slowly. Classes took all day, though there was never a discernable lesson that he could tell. They bored him, he had trouble focusing on what the teachers were saying and instead watched the other boys. Their blank looks, the way they agreed with teachers who told them over and over that they were no one, worth nothing. The way they believed that more with each passing day. He wondered if he too would become like them.
The boys came alive at dinner, pushing, shoving. Friendships and petty arguments were carried out in whispers, and food still disappeared from his plate they stared at him with cold, suspicious eyes.
It didn’t matter. Johan came to him every night, with more bread or cheese or fruit. L never knew why Johan was able to sneak food out so easily. He had seen others get taken and beaten for daring to creep out of their beds at night. Soft screams in the hallway, sobs behind tightly closed doors. Yet Johan walked the halls as if he owned them, and assured L that as long as they stayed together, he would not get caught.
They weren’t friends, as far as L could tell. Although Johan was always smiling at him, there was something odd to it, a calculating coolness that made him uneasy. They didn’t speak much, but when they did, it was Johan who asked the questions, L who answered. Johan simply smiled and shook his head whenever L tried to change the subject to him.
On the fourth night, L slid out of his bed. It was late, and he started to worry, though he hadn’t heard any screaming yet. Still it was unlike Johan to be this late. Padding through the halls, barefoot on cold concrete, and then he heard the murmur of voices.. recognizing Johan’s. He stopped in the doorway, peeking in, listening. Johan and another boy sat on a bed, having a hushed conversation.
“I knew it was him! We have to act quickly!”
“Tomorrow. You’re less likely to be stopped before the monster is defeated.”
“I won’t let everyone down!”
L saw Johan smile, like a razor, and lean over to press his lips to the other boy’s forehead before standing. “I know, Adolf. It’s why I told you.”
Something about that was strange. Stranger than normal, even for this place. L stepped back, but not before Johan's eyes shifted past the other boy, to him. He was still smiling, and as L shifted back so that he was out of view, he heard his feet hit the floor lightly, footsteps coming towards the door.
Johan stepped out and shut it behind him, lightly. "Are you hungry?"
L shook his head, slowly. He was, but more than that he wanted to go back to his room.
"Don't worry. Everything is going to be all right." Johan took his hand.
-----
"Don't worry. Everything is all right." L opened his eyes slowly. Painfully. He hurt all over. They didn't know what happened; why one boy would have turned on another so violently, but not be able to produce a reason.
He turned his head in the direction of the voice. Johan stood next to him, just a sillouette against the infirmary window.
"I heard them talking. Someone will be picking you up tomorrow."
L frowned. Remembering the conversation he had overheard last night, and the way the same boy had attacked him in the yard today. "You told him to.."
"Haven't you heard? There's a monster in the school. I told you, you would only get in my way." A bit of laughter in that statement, and he stepped closer.. leaning over towards L, who scooted away a little, frowning when cool lips brushed his forehead. "You should sleep. Everything is all right, now."