Another Day, Another Doppel - Francis Mosses x Reader

2 - How Embarassing

"Good morning, Nacha." You yawned, pulling at the ID and entry request before you.

"You look tired," She remarked. "Rough day?"

"Rough week." You answered. "Sleeping down here isn't exactly comfortable, let alone comforting." You continued. You eyed her file and her face, making sure there weren't any discrepancies in her appearance.

"I'm sorry. Although, if someone had to do it, I'm glad they picked you. You've always been one for the small details," She smiled.

"I suppose so." You shrugged, checking every stamp and date. "Alright, let me just call up to your apartment real quick." You stated, grabbing at the phone, and double-checking the file to make sure you dialed the right numbers.

Nacha's daughter, Anastacha answered the phone with a groan. The tenants were given the same spiel to repeat back to the doorman, explaining only the important notes. Anastacha explained she was the only one home, and was waiting for her mother to arrive.

You hung up and buzzed Nacha in with a smile, passing back her papers as you said goodbye.

As the next tenant arrived, your stomach gurgled in disgust.

Nacha was there a second time, but her pupils had entirely been replaced with several small, black holes.

You clutched your stomach and quickly pushed the emergency button, grasping the phone tightly as you dialed the numbers.

As the D.D.D. sent their agents, you pictured the image once more. The tiny piercing holes deep in the soft material of the eyes, watching as they wiggled and squirmed as her eyeball moved around. The image burned into your skull as you grabbed at a nearby trash can, unloading the cup of coffee and light breakfast you had eaten before. The emergency ended and the shutters went up as you continued to vomit. The agent didn't bother waiting for you to finish, and instead walked off in silence.

You groaned in disgust before dropping the can, wiping your mouth with a tissue. You threw it down as you heard papers slosh into the tray on your desk.

"Hmm...good morning. You okay?" The voice mumbled as you looked up, seeing the man before you. Francis.

You'd caught his eye a few times before while living at the apartments, but never had conversation. You normally only spoke to those who lived on your floor, as you saw them almost every day.

"Yeah, sorry. That last doppel left me a little nauseous. I swear they do it on purpose." You replied, taking a large drink of coffee. Anything to remove the taste of stomach acid from your tastebuds, even if the coffee didn't change much. "Okay, let me see."

You inspected his papers, then turned to his file to start comparing them with each other. Then, you looked up at him.

He seemed exhausted. His uniform clung to his tired body, his hat sitting on the edge of his head. His brown hair poked out around the edges of the cap, the text "MILKMAN" in bold.

His eyes held the most of his sleep deprivation. He had bags that drooped from his eyelids and a hooked nose. His mouth was also slightly sinking as he yawned.

"Hmm...you sure are thorough."

"S-Sorry, there's just a lot to look at." You nodded, flipping through the papers. Between the unintentional vomiting and the yawning man before you, you were completely flustered and embarrassed. You tried to keep your cool, knowing that this wasn't just some game, but a life or death situation.

Everything was in date, properly spelled, and stamped. He matched every photograph supplied. He even made his way onto the day's list.

"Alright, let me just call your apartment." You stated, grabbing at the phone. 4122.

The call ended after the fourth ring when no one answered. With an awkward smile, you slid the papers back.

"Everything looks good." You nodded.

"Hmm. The door," He nodded back, eyeing the entrance.

"Right," You smiled, "Well, have a good day, Francis." You finished before buzzing him in.

He walked away and you watched him, even turning in your chair as the door shut behind him. You locked it once more and turned back to the glass with your own tired sigh.

When Selenne Sverchtz came into view at the glass, she had a coy smile on her face. You could tell it was her as soon as she approached.

"Cute, isn't he? I told him with a little aloe and beauty rest he could become a male model."

"Oh, hush." You laughed, taking her papers. "I'm not playing your game."

"Oh, come on. No one can resist a man in uniform." She nodded.

You picked up the papers, giggling when your eyes focused in.

"...Elenois?" You questioned, looking up as she nodded.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," You shook your head, looking at the photos. You were confident, but you grabbed at the file folder just to make sure your subconscious wasn't fooling you. Selenne's mole was on the right side of her face, meaning when you looked at her, it appeared on her left. That's what you saw on the girl in front of you. Mole on the right side of her face. So why did all of the papers say Elenois? "There's something wrong with your appearance."

"My appearance?" She repeated, confused. "I don't think there's anything wrong with my appearance."

"They don't give this job to anybody. Well, I guess they do. But-" You retraced your words, looking at every paper just to make sure. "The point is I know what I'm talking about. I don't know who you are, but you aren't Selenne nor do I think you're Elenois." You nodded.

"Oh, come on. You know who I am. Don't be like that," She smiled. "Please?"

You shut the shutters once more, grabbing at the phone and dialing the D.D.D. It was like clockwork. They came, they "cleaned", and they disappeared. Then, the next tenant arrived.

No one came after that. An hour passed and no doppelgänger nor actual neighbor came. You just sat, thinking.

You couldn't change the fact you had trypophobia. You wished that would have impacted your employment status, but you knew the D.D.D. didn't care about your fears. There were scarier things to be afraid of then holes.

For Francis to show up just after you emptied your stomach was disheartening at best. It was like he conspired with the doppelgänger to embarrass you. The fake twin had a point, though. It was hard not to fall for a man in uniform.

There wasn't much else reason to be so flustered. He barely made full sentences. So, why him? Why then? Why now were you so into him?

You were pulled out of your thoughts when yet another person finally approached the window.

"Do you guys even try anymore?" You asked, looking up at the person before you. You could look up as much as you wanted, you'd never see Angus' face from your desk. His neck extended far into the room. You presumed his head was scraping the roof, but couldn't see it. You didn't even want to, either way.

He opened with a greeting, and a long spiel afterward you couldn't hear from his sheer distance from the glass. You rang the D.D.D. once more, not giving it another thought. Most likely because your mind was already distracted by memories of the man from earlier.

You started to silently hope for time to pass faster so tomorrow would arrive. Then you could see him again.