Final Christmas || Scaraven Modern AU

6

scaras pov

I push this thought as far down as it can possibly go and take large steps back from the railing. I cant just kill myself here and now, and leave my classmate and Nahida to find my splattered corpse! I've been given a chance at a new life and to even think for a moment of taking it all for granted and throwing it away? I feel disgusted with myself!
But this thought remains in the back of my mind. That there is a way out, there is an escape if I simply wish to give up. And it's still oh so tempting.

Tonight, I dream of falling down through heaven only for my surroundings to morph into a cityscape, and a busy road below me. No matter how far I fall, the road gets further and further away from me. Until it doesn't.
I hit the ground flat on my back and my spine shatters into a thousand pieces. The Doctor looms above me, smiling.

-

march

Two months have passed at this school, and I swear to the archons, every singe day is almost the same. Faruzan and her friends invite me to hang with them where they gossip about people I have never met and I end up zoning out, then the green haired alcoholic comes and bothers me every now and then. My grades are average. Everything feels average.
Everything feels boring.

The Doctor has not visited my dreams since the day I went to Venti's apartment, and I haven't been back there since no matter how often he bugs me to come over.

I'm in the boy's bathroom waiting out the rest of the lunch break when the ginger haired boy walks in. The one I could bet everything I own on that he's the same boy from the Fatui.
He washes and dries his hands, then pauses and turns to me
"Balladeer." — that name sends a shiver down my spine immediately. I was right about him. — "I know we've never spoken but you need to trust me. He is looking for you. If I could help you, I really really would." He looks around frantically, then down to a watch on his wrist.
"Shit, class. You should be careful."
He swiftly leaves

I cant get a single word out of my mouth.
He's looking for me? Does he mean the Doctor? The Boss? If he addressed me as the Balladeer, it's definitely Fatui related. Someone's... looking for me? Aren't they the ones who discarded me and threw me away?
The Boss made that decision, so there's only one other likely answer. The Doctor wants me back to continue his experiments whether the Boss likes it or not.
If this guy is even telling the truth, that is, he could be completely fucking with my head.
But it wouldn't really surprise me much if it were true, I just didn't expect it or even think of the possibility at first since I was so busy just trying to get away from them.

I try to pull myself together but all of a sudden, I'm completely overwhelmed, and I can already feel tears welling in my eyes threatening to spill out every bit of fear I have pushed down to the very bottom of my heart. I cup cold tap water in my hands and splash it on my face to snap me out of it, then wipe it dry with my sleeve.
When I exit I'm still shaking and my thoughts are muddled and my mind feels squashed.
I cant possibly go to class in a state like this.. I speed-walk through the halls and past the office at the entrance, and straight out the front door. Luckily there's nobody at the desk, but I don't have it in me to care if there was.

I'm about to start running to the bus stop when my eye is caught by the blonde girl that sometimes hangs out with Tartaglia. She's looking around nervously and sticking up a poster to a pole. I approach her from behind curiously
"What's this?"
She jumps backwards a bit and then sighs in relief
"Ah it's you— long story short my brother went missing recently, I'm putting up missing posters and.. yeah."
"Well I hope you can find him then", I say turning around
"My name's Lumine, by the way. If you see my brother Aether please do let me know.."
"I'll keep that in mind", I say looking back at her for a moment before walking away.

-

For the next few days, Venti doesn't turn up to school. I can't say this is a bad thing, it's been a lot quieter, but I still can't help but feel worried.
When I get home, I tell Nahida I'm going out with some friends.
Instead, I walk to Venti's apartment.
I's been a while since I came here so a few times I struggle to remember the directions, but soon enough I find myself once again standing in front of that tall grey building.

I hear the tapping of footsteps behind me and turn around to see Venti, wobbling towards me waving, and struggling to carry a huge backpack on his shoulders.
He picks up speed and runs towards me, losing control of his feet and causing us to both topple over.
"Scaraa! Hah it's so good to see you, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, you're alright. Where have you been?"
He swings the bag back over his shoulders with a smile.
"Of course I'm alright! I go on trips often to nearby towns to play music, and I love travelling, sorry if I worried you!"
"Ah no, just mildly concerned I guess"
"Oh, I see"

Venti's face drops mildly with ..disappointment?
I try not to think too much of it.

"Well," I say turning around, "now I know you're alright I'll be heading home"
He nods, "Good night Scara!"
"Night"

I'm a minute into the short walk back to Nahida's place.
The ground is damp and it's starting to rain, but only a little. The street lights glow in patches of dim yellow and there's a strong smell of wet dirt forming from the rain.
There's a splashy tap of footsteps behind me but when I turn, nobody is there. I brush it off and keep walking — probably just a bird or something — but a few seconds later the tapping continues. And it gets closer.
I turn back, and this time, I see a man, stood still only ten meters behind me. He sprints right at me.

I lose control of my thoughts and immediately bolt as far away as I possibly can. Multiple times I almost slip on the wet concrete, and the rain is getting heavier so I can't see well, but that doesn't matter. All I can think of is that I need to escape and get back as soon as I can.
I can't even hear the man's footsteps anymore, I've blocked everything out except survival.

The moment I reach Nahida's house I shakily grab the key she gave me from my pocket, unlock the door and slam it behind me.
I can hear soft footsteps that have to be hers creeping through the house but I run straight to my room.
I fall onto the bed and I can't keep myself upright, my whole body is shaking, it feels like all the air in the world has been sucked away from me, tears are already uncontrollably spilling out of my eyes.

Nahida was bound to hear my breakdown — she enters the room quietly and sits down beside me, saying nothing, but putting her arm on my back.
She stays there with me until my breathing begins to steady.

The doorbell rings

There is knocking on the door

I suppress my tears and manage to get a few shaky words out,
"Please don't open the door"
Nahida says something for the first time tonight "The door? Is somebody here?"

"Someone rung the doorbell, he's knocking, can't you hear? Just, please don't let him in."
I whisper, pull my legs closer to me and drop my head. There's nobody else it could be but him.

"I don't hear any knocking, scaramouche."

A/n

:P