The Milkman

𝑿𝑿𝑿𝑰𝑰𝑰 - 𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆

「𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒚'𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒗」

While Henry was getting scolded the hell out by his boss, Francis and I decided to head back to his apartment together. In the elevator, it was mostly silent as we stood next to each other, our arms pressing against one another as Alf and Rafttellyn Cappuccin stood in the elevator as well. It was always the same thing, the moment someone else boarded the elevator, Francis stayed as close to me as possible. I was unsure whether it was to give the other person space, or if he just didn't want the others to touch him in any way, but I liked having him close, so I didn't say anything.

Back to his apartment, I watched as he took off his milkman hat and set it down on the counter, running his hand through his messy hair to arrange it as much as he could.

« Nothing interesting happened at your job? » I asked, curious to know if he had run into doppelgangers again or if his chat with Mr. Afton was just as long as every other day...

Francis shook his head and glanced at me as he made his way to the bedroom to change out of his uniform, not bothering to even close the door.

« It was quite calm today. The neighborhood was quiet. » I heard him say as he unbuttoned his shirt and took off the bow tie.

I leaned against the doorway as he talked, slowly nodding my head. « At least you didn't get yourself in danger, unlike some other days. » I said, causing a chuckle to escape Francis's mouth.

« I came back in one piece! » He said, smiling at me as he grabbed his other shirt, putting it on before going to his pants and unbuckling his belt.

« Are you hungry for anything? I thought I could make some pasta tonight.. » I suggested, waiting for an answer from Francis to know if I should start now or wait.

« Yeah, pasta sounds nice. But whatever you cook, I'll eat it without a second thought. » Francis answered, flashing me yet another smile.

I couldn't help but smile back at him, loving how sweet and loving he could be despite the tiredness catching up to him every day after work. With that, I went into the kitchen to prepare the supper for tonight, my stomach already growling at the thought of eating one of my favorite meals again.

「𝑨𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆」

After eating, Francis and I spent the rest of the evening chatting until, eventually, Francis pointed out the time, and we both headed to brush our teeth and go to sleep. Time seemed to go by too fast... but luckily, even if we had stayed awake longer than that, Francis didn't work tomorrow, and I had nothing planned either, so we could've just slept in. But anyway, we both lay in bed, and I glanced at Francis. He was sound asleep... and as I caught a glimpse of the alarm clock on his night table, I noticed the time.

00:18 a.m.

It was past midnight, and I was still lying there with my eyes wide open, staring at the empty ceiling. Usually, I fell asleep with no problem. But not tonight. Something was keeping me awake, and I couldn't put my finger on it until I heard something.

Weird noises... footsteps and mutters coming from above. Not from the hallway outside the apartment... no, from above. It reminded me of the noises I heard that day when the elevator brought me entirely somewhere else. Were the noises coming from... the ceiling? As much as I would've loved to convince myself that what I was hearing were just mice running around, the whispers told me otherwise. It sent shivers down my spine and cold sweat formed on my forehead. I didn't dare close my eyes in fear that something would happen... should I wake Francis up? No... with his insomnia, it's better to let him sleep while he is able to.

I tossed and turned in the bed, trying to block out the noises with a pillow, but even with that, I could still hear it, and it scared me... The whispers were inaudible, but they were gradually getting louder as they were the only noise I seemed to be able to focus on. It almost sounded like two or more people communicating... having a conversation together. From everything that was said, I could only make out a single word...

"Tomorrow"

Tomorrow? What was there tomorrow? Was this some kind of warning, or perhaps I was just going crazy...? Hopefully, it was none of those options. The hours passed, and the last thing I remember was looking at the alarm clock indicating 3:33 a.m. before my eyes finally closed.

...