Another Day, Another Doppel - Francis Mosses x Reader

5 - Dinner

(For my visual babes)

You watched as Mia passed through the door, shuffling in as she stuffed her ID back into her pocket. You quickly shut the metal shutters, locking them in place as you turned around, rubbing your eyes. Everyone was inside. 

You walked out of your office and around the side before boarding up the entrance door. You clicked in each of the small silver locks and hammered in each nail before heading back to your office. You changed out of your uniform and put on citizen clothing, trying to dissociate your job from your evening dinner. You fixed your hair, adjusted yourself in a mirror, and then just stared at your reflection.

You pulled at your skin, touching it and moving it around. You were so used to seeing tiny, fleshy holes in people's skin or extra body parts protruding from their necks. You debated if you could even live in a world outside of this one, not having to worry if who you were talking to was really them. 

You shook yourself out of your dilemma before exiting your office, locking the door behind you. The walk was short but awkward. Each step made you a little more anxious. You tried not to complain to the tenants about the doppelgängers, mainly because they were the ones standing next to them in line. You were always safe behind a glass wall.

Safe.

You found yourself at Francis' door, standing before it with your hand up, ready to knock. You took in a harsh breath before knocking twice.

Francis slowly opened the door, looking at you with a tired, monotone expression. Then, he gave you a small smile. "Mmm. Come on in," He nodded, pulling it open the rest of the way as you stepped in, looking around. All of the apartments were styled the exact same, so you were fairly familiar with what you were walking into. 

You entered into the living room. The kitchen was on the right side, that connected to the small dining table. Behind the dining area was the bathroom. Behind that, was the guest room. To the left was a small closet and the master bedroom. 

You took of your shoes, leaving them by the door as Francis closed the door behind you. 

"Thanks for inviting me, sorry I couldn't bring anything."

"Don't worry about it," He smiled, ushering you to take a seat in the living room. 

You nodded before walking in, sitting down on the long couch. The 50's decor was fairly basic, with creamy white walls and sage green furniture. The lamps were a warm yellow and sat on dark mahogany wooden tables. The apartment was very dark, but cozy. You supposed that Francis preferred it that way.

"It's almost ready- Sorry I didn't make anything fancy, I haven't gotten groceries in a while."

"I'm not really that hungry anyway, don't worry about it." You replied. All the interactions you've had with disfigured creatures offset your appetite. You'd usually settle for a box of saltine crackers around 2-3am before you'd go on your walk around the building.

Francis plated chicken croquettes, a staple of the time. It was a quick recipe you could make with a small amount of ingredients. It mainly consisted of celery, carrots, bell peppers and several different seasonings finely mixed with small pieces of chicken and a creamy sauce. All of it was then coated in a crispy breading and either fried or baked. He paired it with baked potatoes.

You sat across from each other, eating the meal and drinking iced tea. He told you about the fairly uninteresting work he's done lately, between young mother's trying to bribe him for extra bottles or grouchy old men attempting to trick Francis out of paying.