The third law [Terzo x Reader]

The three hearts of the octopus

Notes: I'm not dead.
I just spent more time than needed deciding what to do with this chapter and then the ghovie happened. Did you watch it? Did you like it? (No spoilers here for who hasn't seen it yet), so let's get back to business.
This might not be the best chapter but at the moment I am "in a phase" 🙂
Promise I'll put more care on the next ones.

***********

You've been turning that card over in your hands for a while, studying the photo that shows a truly terrifying close-up of your face. You're lying on your bed, or rather, on the one reserved for you, staring at that image long enough to decide you're sick of that gaunt, frightened face.

The fact that it's on an ID card only seems to remind you that this version of yourself was something real and irreversible. It seems to say, 'This is you, this is who you were.' And maybe you still are. As you think this, it seems like your face in the photo has taken on an accusatory expression.

You shake your head and put the card away, turning your gaze to the ceiling to stop thinking about it, but after a few moments, you pick it up again and start staring at the photo, which now seems to have a threatening expression.

You quickly get up from the bed and sit down, setting it aside. You run a hand over your face and smooth your hair, pulling it all to one side. Maybe the solution is to change that photo, that no longer represents you.

You glance at the card tossed on the bed next to you, then pick it up again, and the photo now seems to be pointing a finger at you.

You straighten yourself up, comb your hair neatly, carefully apply makeup, and rush out of the room after looking at your reflection for a bit, trying to refresh your features. You need to move and see new faces. Maybe making a good impression on others will help you stop that self-pity wave.

"Terzo?" you call, arriving in the kitchen, and he pops out from behind the open fridge door. "I'm going out."

"Where are you going?" Terzo asks, genuinely curious.

You adjust your jacket, "I'm going grocery shopping." you say, shrugging. "Do you want me to get you anything in particular?"

"Yeah, ice cream." he replies simply, and you nod. "And beers!" he adds as you walk away. "And a couple of crossword puzzles." he adds again, just as you're about to leave.

"Ice cream, beers, and crossword puzzles, got it." you recap. "Guinness, right?" you ask for confirmation, and he nods. "Perfect, I'll be back soon."

*

"He said ice cream..." you whisper to yourself, searching the frozen food section for a flavor he might like. Just as you're rummaging through the freezer, holding a tub in one hand and balancing a pack of beers with the other, an unfamiliar hand holds the fridge door open for you.

You turn to thank the person with a small courtesy nod, but as you focus on his face, your brain takes less time than you'd expect to recognize the person helping you.

"Sven...?" you breathe out, almost in a whisper. It sounds more like an affirmation than a question.

"It seems we're destined to meet..." he says with his usual smug air. His hair is now shaved, but his straight nose, mustache, goatee, and especially his bridge piercing remain unmistakable. You could recognize that face among a thousand, and unlike you, he doesn't seem to have changed at all, despite the hair.

"What is this? A fucking joke?" you mutter more to yourself than to him, passing by him quickly, trying to get away. You tell yourself it's not possible, that one unexpected encounter is already too much... two are definitely too many. As you walk quickly through the aisles, he follows from the opposite side, disappearing and reappearing between the shelves, until you lose sight of him, just to find him behind you as soon as you stop.