Mandela catalogue headcanons

The Cat Pt.2

Mark just stood there, flabbergasted at what just happened. That night (or morning really), he couldn't sleep. The constant thought of what happened confused and scared Mark. He hugged his pillow in distress and rocked back and forth in his bed.

He bet his sister nor his parents would believe him. Not even his therapist. But Cesar would. Cesar understood everything, even when it made no sense. He was someone he could express his feelings freely without being judged.

Mark slowly crawled out of bed. He knew he would scare his parents, so he wrote a note on the door, explaining that he would visit Cesar for a bit.

He slipped on a hoodie and pants before quietly opening and closing the front door. Mark never snuck out of the house to go somewhere. It was usually Cesar who did it but today was an exception. He needed comfort and his family wouldn't give it to him.

The night was unusually cold for tonight. It was spring, yet it felt like winter. The rain poured on Mark, soaking his clothes along the way. Cesar's house was only a few minutes away from Mark's so it wasn't much of a deal.

He ran along the pavement, making sure he didn't slip. Eventually, he made it to Cesar's and he checked his watch. Twenty-seven minutes past three. Hopefully, Cesar wasn't in a too deep sleep, so he wasn't bothering him.

Mark rang the doorbell and waited. He rang again and heard shuffling near the front. "Name and what do you want?" He heard a tired voice ask.

"Mark-"

"Full name."

"Mark Heathcliff and I need to talk to Cesar."

"Prove to me you are Mark,"

"Cesar, it's me-"

"PROVE to me you are Mark and I'll let you in,"

Mark groaned. He knew it was for security reasons but sometimes it could be frustrating having to answer a bunch of random questions.

"One, when did we meet?"

"1988, in class."

"Two, am I a great singer?"

"Yes, you are,"

"Three, soy tu amigo?"

"Sí,"

The door unlocked and Cesar leaned against the door. "Mark, it's three in the morning. What in fuck's name are you doing here?"

Mark looked up at Cesar with guilt. "Sorry about that. Just had another encounter," he mumbled.

"Mark, speak up, I can't hear you," Cesar sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I had another encounter."

"You had a what?"

"An encounter, with the guy again."

"Oh, well, shit, uh... wanna come inside? Maybe we could discuss this if mum's still asleep."

Mark took his shoes off as he entered the house. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed a bunch of empty cans on the living room floor.

"Cesar, you haven't been drinking, haven't you?" Mark asked quietly.

"Mark, I thought we were here to talk about you. Not me. And please, don't sound like my mother," Cesar answered gruffly.

Mark and Cesar entered Cesar's room. They both sat on the bed before giving a large sigh.

"So tell me, what happened?" Cesar asked. His face gave away his lack of sleep and Mark was debating if he should have bothered Cesar. No, no one else would listen and besides, Cesar already looked like he was awake for a long time when he answered the door.

"So there was a cat-"

"Hold on, a-a cat?"

"Yes-"

"A cat made you run to my house?" Cesar asked. Mark gave a small but confused nod. Cesar threw his head back and laughed.

"Seriously? A cat?" He wiped a non-existent tear while laughing.

"Yes, now please listen," Mark pleaded quietly.

"Alright, alright, I'm listening."

"Thank you, anyways. There was a cat, tapping against my window, so I let it in. It ran into my living room and then I found the guy again."

Cesar gave a low chuckle. "So you are expecting me to believe that shit?" He asked.

He knew Cesar well and knew he never acted like this when he was sober. Cesar definitely had been drinking at some point and it made Mark feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Cesar, I need you to bear with me. Yes, it happened. Literally, just now," Mark whispered.

"Mmm, yeah, well. Not much I can do, can I," Cesar remarked. Cesar had made a fair point. Mark usually reported his encounters to Cesar, expecting him to help, but how? How was he supposed to help if none of this ever happened to Cesar?

Mark shifted uncomfortably and fiddled with his fingers. "Aw, come on, now don't do that to me," Cesar teased. He poked Mark gruffly and smiled. Mark looked up at him with concern and confusion. 

"Ah," Cesar snapped his fingers and looked down at Mark "Hold on, be right back. I know what you need." He winked. Cesar stood up and banged into the door on his way out. Mark could hear him curse as he walked down the hallway.

He came back with a cup, half full of soda, a can of beer and a bottle of vodka, for some reason. Cesar opened the lid of the bottle and filled the cup up. "Here, try. Might calm ya down," He said passing the cup to him.

Mark took one glance at the cup full of liquid. "Um Cesar, you know I can't drink, right?" He mumbled. Cesar grabbed the can of beer and opened it up.

"First time may be scary, but trust me, it helps," He assured "Unless, of course, you are scared."

No. Mark didn't want to be considered scared. He knew he was a scardey cat, he always would be but maybe now wasn't the time. Maybe it was time for him to grow. Two years had passed since his last encounter (apart from today) and he needed to transition into a responsible being.

No more crying, He thought to himself. No more help, no more fear, no more innocence. Be brave. Take the risk.

Take the risk.

He looked down at the cup and brought it to his lips. Here goes nothing he thought and took a sip.

It tasted horrible. Mark spat it out. "Jesus, fucking foul," He spat. Cesar laughed and so did Mark. 

"Here, have this one," Cesar said, passing him the open beer can. Mark took the drink and took a sip from the can. "Not bad," he shrugged.

"I've got more, want me to bring it?" Cesar asked.

"Yeah sure, go for it," Mark replied, halfway through the drink. Cesar smiled and left the room.

Something was different with Mark that night. He had grown up. Out with the old and in with the new, they say, and Mark had done that. No more scared Mark, but a new one. A new Mark.

A/N: I swear if any Spanish readers know if the phrases are correct, please tell me so I can correct them. I just fucking google translated them so they may be incorrect 😭

Also, I find this funny for some reason. Idk why.