Ladders

Sinking

Emil ran as fast as he could away from the house that held two more people who now know he's a prostitute. He ran towards the only person he could trust in such a time when he felt his heart breaking. His lungs started to burn from how much he was pushing his malnourished body, but in the moment this was the only thing distracting him from his emotional pain. It took Emil around 17 minutes to finally arrive at his destination. He knocked as hard as he could with what strength he had left. The door was opened quickly and Emil quickly hugged the person he so desperately needed. He felt strong arms around him as he sobbed loudly. Emil was pulled inside as the door behind him was slammed shut. "Leon, they found out! They found out!" He cried into his chest. Leon felt a pang in his heart seeing his friend, who usually wasn't one to openly cry, just sob into his chest. "Emil, please just breathe you're going pale. Calm down please" he said as he moved the both of them to the couch. Emil tried to catch his breath and listen to Leon but tears would just not stop falling from his eyes and he kept hiccuping, which interrupted anything he would trying and say. Emil's entire body just felt weak from both the run to Leon's house, his crying, and from the emotional twist his heart was taking. Emil honestly felt like he would die from his heart breaking, as it was probably already eating away at itself due to Emil starving himself, and all the emotional trauma Emil has been through in his life, just stacked up on his poor heart. Leon wished he could just take all the pain away from Emil, place it on himself instead but the world didn't work like that and he had to watch his friend literally breakdown in tears. "It's okay Emil. Nothing can hurt you right now" Emil shook his head at his friends comforting words "n-no...everyone can hurt me! Everyone will know!" He shouted as more tears greeted his face. This was one of the most painful cries Emil has had since his parents had passed. The type of crying the leaves a painful lump in your throat and you keep sniffling trying to catch your breath but all you can do is cry more. Soon enough though, Emil did eventually start to calm down and his eyes became very heavy and his body felt so tired. He would often take deep breaths and close his eyes, sometime looking as though he was falling asleep. Leon moved Emil's hair from his eyes and wiped the drying tears "Emil, I'm right here. Everything going to be alright". Emil slowly nodded and rested his head on Leon's chest while the rest on him curled up closely on the couch "Madeline and Feliciano, found out Ludwig fucked me at the brothel. They were pissed I never told them about that night, and then they told me to never see them again". He scratched at his red eyes as he sighed "am I just destined to loose everybody?" He asked, not particularly to Leon but just to the world. Leon shook his head as he soothed his friend "I'll never leave you, that I'll make sure of. I love you too much to ever leave you". Emil smiled softly, and hiccuped "I don't understand why you still even like me. There's so many other people in the world". Leon shook his head "but none of them would be like you. None of the people in this world would have gone through some of what you have gone through and still be able to smile at times. None of the people in the world know me and what I need and want like you do". Emil laughed at little "I think you provide more for me than I ever have for you". Leon shook his head "in all relationships it's never going to be a 50/50 in providing for each other. Sometimes you just have to provide a little more, when your partner needs it". Emil laughed a little "you make it sound like we are in a romantic relationship". Leon smiled and kissed Emil's cheek "well do you want to be?" He said it more as a joke but he did truly want to know the answer. Emil shrugged as he was on the verge of falling asleep of Leon "maybe. Though I want a better state of mind before I decide". Leon nodded a grabbed the couch blanket that was always there and covered Emil with it "I can live with that". Right before Emil fell asleep he smiled "you better live with it".

Francine quickly fixed her make up and put on a red jacket with her black skirt. Her hair was in a tight bun and her face held a Melancholy aurora around it. She looked like a wealthy businesswoman but she was on her way to where only the poorest of women and men go to sell their lives. Where she went to sell her life before being saved by the man she loves. The drive towards the building that took her soul from her was now approaching to an end, which made her stomach drop as the drive didn't seem as long as it truly was. She parked the car and took a deep breath. Her grip was still tight on the steering wheel even though the car was off as the fear of entering the brothel once again was now fully in her mind. She laughed to herself "what would Arthur think of me doing this? Oh god I should leave...no! Francine you are going to march in their and tell that man that he will no longer steal Emil's body!". She stepped out of the car and quickly walked into the hideously brown building, as she did not want to be recognized walking into it. She held her purse tightly for support and marched to the front desk where she recognized an old friend.The tired woman looked up and her eyes almost popped from her head. "Francine, what are you doing here? You need to leave!" She stood from her warn out chair trying to block Francine from marching to her intended path of Mr.Vargas's office. "Angela move. I need to speak to the awful man" she said as she pushed past her and into the office. Mr.Vargas looked up from the loud intrusion and smirked "ah Francine, what a pleasant surprise. Did the British business man finally dump you? Come to sell yourself back to me?" He asked with confidence dripping from each word. Francine was disgusted "like I would ever come back to this awful place, where I was your personal whore!" Awful memories came back where she was Mr.Vargas play toy and would make no money from him. "I-I came to talk about Emil Steilsson! You are to eliminate his contract immediately!" She said as she stomped her foot trying to also show she had confidence even though she didn't. "He is a child! Your contracts will not hold up in court!" She said glaring at the man in front of her. He just continued to smirk "and who is going to tell the police? You?" He slowly laughed and sat up, stalking his way towards the French whore he once owned. He grabbed her chin and forced her to stare at him as he pushed her against the wall "don't forget who owns photos and videos of you during your 'service' here". Francine's eyes went wide "you said you destroyed those!" He laughed and shook he head letting go of Francine and letting her escape from in between the wall and himself. He turned towards her as she inched closer to the door "well I lied. Though if me releasing those videos of you doesn't work, I could always contact Madeline's father. You remember him don't you? He still is a regular here and I'm sure you both would have such a lovely reunion. Now that I think of it, with his money he'd probably also win custody of Madeline". Francine paled "do what you want with me but you will not harm my daughters life at all!" She shouted, still trying to be strong. He laughed in her face "leave now, before I do contact him". She scurried out of his office on the verge of a panic attack. Why did I think I could do this? Francine all you did was make him have even more power over you and Emil!. Francine looked down in shame as she hurried back to her car. She felt her heart break as she couldn't help Emil without her family getting hurt again.