SHREDDED LEASH

CHAPTER NINE: ESMER IS NOT A NICE LADY

WARNINGS: VULGAR LANGUAGE, WORKPLACE ABUSE

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"Al! You're back!", Y/n jumped off of his bed, rushing over to a tried-looking Alphonse. He didn't seem as excited as Y/n was, more annoyed than anything. That moody expression didn't stop the
(h/c) haired boy from giving the other a tight hug.

The pale boy said nothing, only glaring down at Y/n.
Y/n backed away from the hug when he was satisfied enough. "Are you okay?", he asked. "The white room wasn't too bad, was it?", Y/n took a small amount of time to check on Alphonse's body for any scars or bruises he might have acquired, brows furrowed in concern.

Y/n looked up at the dark haired boy's face when no response came. "...Alphonse?", he was starting to get nervous, scared something very bad had happened to his dear friend.

"...Do you have anything to tell me?", the brown eyed boy stepped forward, causing Y/n to instinctively take a step back himself. Y/n's big eyes had a sense of confusion in them. He let out a small, awkward laugh, not understanding the question.

"Uhh...no?", he chuckled his own reply off. 'Did something happen?', Y/n cleared his throat, patting the taller boy's shoulder. "Did you wanna' hear some drama then?", that's all the boy could think of to say. What else was he supposed to say? Why was Alphonse looking at him like that?

His dark, brown eyes were scrutinizing, a subtle scowl was on his lips. 'But why?', "Erm, anyway...", Y/n attempted to change the subject, Alphonse cut him off before he could say anything else. "Why are you here?", the boy inquired.

"W—what...?", Y/n muttered at the nonsensical question. 'What is he going on about?', "My parents didn't care about me, sure, but what about you?", Y/n could only open his mouth, then close it when he realize he had nothing to say. All he could do was choke out almost half syllables.

Alphonse's glare only became more potent, burning a practical hole into the other's face. The taller boy made his way over to Y/n, "Why are you specifically called '001'? Why's that?", he punctuated each of the words of his sentence with a step closer.

Y/n was at a loss for words, mouth left agape, perplexed. He swallowed down a thick lump of saliva that was piling up in his mouth as he was finally face to face with a very angry Alphonse.

"We're labeled by the order of when we got here, so why are you the first?", Y/n's lashes fluttered, eyes watering a bit. "Uh—it's...", Y/n's voice trailed off, socks gently sliding on the smooth floor as he withdrew back.

"Why won't you—"

"Lights out!"

The booming voice of an older man yelled, the room went dark. The cell door was shut, a buzzer sound being heard after the click of the locks. Y/n could barely make out the other boy's figure, squinting his eyes to even see Alphonse's outline.

Y/n stilled, forcing his ears to listen to any other sound than himself. Complete silence. He then heard Alphonse sigh, his feet shuffling as he walked to his side of the room. The dark eyed boy lifted his blanket, plopping himself into bed and pulling the sheet over him.

He was facing the wall, seemingly wanting to ignore the other. Y/n stayed quiet, his mind that was racing before fell silent, lips formed in a thin line. He wanted to ask more questions, but he knew Alphonse was in no mood to humor him.

Y/n didn't think he was ready to answer the questions the other had for him either.

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I let out a heavy sigh, messing with the tips of the feathers that covered my eyes. I could hear the heels of my own boots clacking across the marble floors, a pathway was already made for me by the other people in the building. My legs practically walked on their own, they recognized the route to my desired destination.