The Youtuber's Obsession

{One}

Sam Cromwell is no remarkable name, at least not to the owner of it; a loner and odd, awkward and too loving of animals and not enough people. No friends to share anything with, no partner to reassure or gain reassurance from. No, nothing is very remarkable about him in his name or even his appearance. Once black hair is now an impulse decision of bright blue, no thought process in it or a reason why, simply saw the bottle and bought it. Gray eyes, dull with no glint in them. His own body, alive and healthy, is dull. Whereas others with the same tone have tanned, pale, or nice alive skin. This individual is quite the opposite, his skin is an ashy gray, off-white like an old wall; that of a cold corpse with no color to the cheeks. 

He is very much alive, and human, he often adds - too many books and imagination. His lips are plump, a light, oh so, light pink to them. The nose is small with an odd bump to the bone, he never liked that specific feature. There's no facial hair on his straight, short jaw or above his lip, only his eyebrows and lashes. His body is slender, with no muscles or strength, and collar bones are concerningly visible even with a healthy amount of food intake. He isn't chubby or heavy, not sickeningly skinny or even thin, merely a healthy weight of somewhere between the previous options.

This boy, unwilling to call himself a man at twenty-two, has graduated high school and is taking online culinary classes. Working at a bakery makes him incredibly happy with his job and the pay he receives, staying in the kitchen to bake rather than in the front with customers. The apartment building he lives in is decent and neat, clean, and fairly new. The landlady is kind and cares about him as a grandmother would, nearing eighty she's active and loves sending extra food to him. The rent is affordable and animals are allowed, especially his three big dogs. Cerberus the Great Dane, Fenrir the Dobermann, and Orthrus the Boxer; are named after different mythology dogs from history.

He walks them every day in the mornings before work, and when he gets home after. Feeding them healthy amounts of food with different powders and various items that keep them healthy, and happy. The animals are his pride and joy, each of them siblings from the shelter. He adopted all of them as puppies, wanting them to grow up together and gain social skills with each other. They're incredibly close, protective, and loving. Like a happy family. They're all he has and wants, and that fact makes him content.

His neighbors are quiet and keep to themselves, the unit across from himself has been empty for months now. The couple that had previously lived there had gotten married and bought a small, cozy house. They were proud and showed everyone that would listen, a picture, gushing happily. Sam hopes that the unit will remain empty, or another sweet couple moves in. Preferably, someone who is quiet and kind like the rest of the neighbors. Everyone in the building knows of him and his dogs, some stop and ask to pet the animals in the morning or evenings. They understand he isn't a people person, yet they occasionally pause their day to chat with him, no matter if he's awkward or shifting with anxiety. The new neighbor would hopefully leave him alone, mostly, as the others do.

The town this unmarketable Sam Cromwell calls home is decently sized, on the northern side of Ohio, away from busy highways or big cities. It's an old community with old buildings and streets, playgrounds, and parks on nearly every street. The traffic is close to none, and most people walk or ride bikes. The weather is a constant issue, as the saying goes, Ohio has mood swings. One day, it's sunny and bright than the next it's rainy or stormy, even snowy. It could change all in one day, mornings being beautiful with the clear sky and sun, then the afternoon is filled with thunder or rain. 

However, he calls it home and has been for the past five years. Moved out of his parent's house in the suburbs of Colorado at eighteen with saved money he collected from odd jobs or allowances over the years. His father had always taught him the importance of saving and spending only what is needed. The trip to Ohio and an apartment were greatly needed, especially for a newly graduated teenage boy. He doesn't regret moving, he is genuinely happy here being by himself. His Mother and Father call, closer cousins check-in and the rest of the family appears proud he's able to make it on his own.