The Better Pill (2D X Murdoc)

3

That night, as the mystery person had mentioned in their note, it rained. Hard. 

Murdoc however, was kept warm and protected between the umbrella and blanket that had been given to him. A small puddle had gathered at his feet, slightly soaking his jeans but he paid it no mind. 

As he was waiting for the storm to pass on or at least lighten, he propped the umbrella against the trashcan so it would continue to shield him as he worked on his wounds. He was given a roll of gauze and medical wrap, a plethora of band-aids, and rubbing alcohol to help fix himself up. Murdoc debated if he should even use the supplies since they weren't really his, but decided to go for it anyways. 

The teen carefully took care of the bigger wounds first after removing his shirt; such as the ones on his chest and arms which were either glass cuts, knife cuts, or the trace of nails being dragged across his skin. He tended to the smaller bruises and scratches with a dab of alcohol while placing a band aid over the area afterwards. 

Murdoc nearly looked like a mummy when he finally finished. He slid his shirt back on and balled himself up with the blanket to keep warm, passing out not long after. 

. . .

The next day when Murdoc went to school, he kept a firm lookout on his surroundings. 

As the note he had received stated, the mystery person 'watched him from time to time'. During his fun Algebra II course, his mind wandered away from the lesson and to what the mystery person must've been like. 

Perhaps she was a cute, shy girl who didn't have the audacity to face Murdoc head-on. The kind of girl who spent a majority of her time studying and worrying about her family. Maybe just a little clumsy (at least, based off of the letters). But somehow, even the heartless man himself found the letters endearing.

Once again he found himself cringing at the thought of trying to tailor someone's kindness into some kind of sick love story. He'd have to make a deal with the devil himself before that kind of thing happened. 

. . .

The day passed on at a moderate pace. Much to his disappointment, Murdoc never found out who his 'stalker' was. As much as he knew, no one had even looked his way once today. 

As the teen neared his escape route since school had ended, he noticed the dark, thunderous clouds and the sprinkles of rain that had slowly started to touch the ground. 

From there, he decided to visit his alleyway since the mystery person might've left something. He didn't want it getting soaked. 

Although it annoyed him at how much he'd began to think of this mystery person (maybe even obsessed over them), he couldn't let the opportunity slip through his fingers. Someone out there cared about him, and he needed to relay that he- still not wanting to admit it- cared too.

However, Murdoc never made it to the alleyway. The rain started coming down in heavy sheets along with loud claps of thunder and close striking lightning. He hadn't brought the umbrella with him so he decided on the next best thing to keep from getting completely soaked.

He saw a quaint shop sitting on the corner of a block, not too terribly far from his alleyway. The teen decided he could take refuge there, at least until the storm calmed a little bit. 

'Uncle Norm's Organ Emporium' the sign above the shop read. As he entered, a little bell above him rang alerting any workers of his presence. 

Murdoc took a quick look. The shop was filled with many kinds of instruments ranging from pianos to guitars to clarinets- it was incredible (to him at least). The raven haired teen always had a knack for musical instruments and music in general. He even had a beautiful bass guitar with a black finish hiding in his closet; but he only played it when he knew for certain his father and brother would be out for a while. They'd smash it over his head if they found out about it. 

He took a few steps in, admiring all of the polished and well taken care of instruments, absentmindedly wrapping his arms around himself due to cold rain he had been in moments before. 

When he eventually reached the section where all the bass guitars were shelved, he met eyes with one of the male workers who had been buffing a beautiful, shiny red bass. 

The worker immediately stopped what he was doing upon laying eyes on Murdoc, but didn't say anything. The latter also couldn't help but stare at the person before him, it made him feel strange. Almost like they had some kind of unspeakable connection.

The employee had flat, cobalt blue hair that slightly hung in front of his right eye. Innocent, crystal blue eyes that sat just below his thick, black eyebrows. As the worker's thin lips slightly parted looking for something to say, Murdoc could see the gap where his two front teeth were supposed to be. He was an incredibly thin bloke, who if he stood would probably be slightly taller than raven haired boy himself. He was clothed in a simple white dress shirt, black khakis, and black dress shoes. Murdoc also happened to glance at the small magnetic name tag that clung to the employee's shirt:

Stuart.

"U-Um, 'ello sir. Anyfing I can 'elp ya find?" The boy stuttered out in a thick, Cockney accent.

Murdoc was at a loss for words. He couldn't describe exactly what emotions were stirring up within his system, but he didn't like it. Not one bit. 

"Yeah... Do ya think I could try out one of these basses?" He questioned, trying to sound confident as he worked himself out.

Stuart jumped to his feet, and as Murdoc previously thought, he was a few inches taller.

"Absolutely Mu- sir! Which one would ya like?" The employee asked, his hands fiddling together nervously.

Murdoc quickly viewed all of them, but couldn't manage to take his eyes off the red one 'Stuart' had just been polishing. 

"How 'bout tha' one?"

The flustered employee nodded, quickly went to grab the neck of the bass, and gently handed the precious item off to Murdoc. 

The raven haired boy ran his fingers over the slick finish and plucked a few different chords, testing out its sound. He was immediately love-struck with the deep hums it let out every time he played a different string. 

From the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but notice the blue haired employee staring in awe as Murdoc fiddled with the instrument. He was an interesting kid, that was for sure.