*finished* That's not Francis [Milkman fanfic]

My neighbours

A crucial part of this job is knowing who my neighbours are. I call the first floor the celebrity floor. Well, not all of them are celebrities, but I have seen some of them on TV or in fashion catalogues, some have worked with the president or other famous people. They're all pretty wealthy. I mean, the apartments on the first floor are really luxurious, after all. Luxury is very scarce in times like this.

Angus Ciprianni is a really successful businessman. He is the owner of a world-famous fashion house and some more, smaller stores. Even though he has a warm smile, he has a lot of mysteries to himself. He lives by himself but there's a rumour he lost his husband in the war and has focused on business ever since, to a point it became unhealthy. I can't say if it's true or not, but he is really friendly and charismatic, and always gives compliments.

"Your hair looks very beautiful today, Miss Nowakis. And the blue suits you so well, making your eyes pop" he says nicely

"Thank you, Mr. Ciprianni, you're always so pleasant to talk to" I say as I check his papers. The ID number, name, date... everything is correct. His entry request has no flaws at all and it got D.D.D. approved. And he's on todays list.

"Welcome home, Sir" I say as I open the door, closing it behind him again.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Stilnsky" I greet the next person, also a first floor neighbour. She's an older lady. She always dresses so well, yet she's very humble. The same can't be said about her husband, he's usually cold and in a bad mood.

"I would like to enter..." she says as she hands me her entry request. But something is off... "May I have your ID, please?" I ask but she shakes her head "I forgot my ID at home" she says. I get really suspicious. I check the list, she's not on the list. "Ma'am, you don't seem to be on the list today" I say. "I had an emergency at work so I forgot it" she tells me confidently... she's a housewife by the way.

But I know exactly what to do... "Hello? Lois Stilnsky speaking. My husband and I are both at home and we aren't expecting anyone. Is my package there yet? Just put it at our front door once it's here"

Well, nice try... the D.D.D. will take care of it...

Besides them there's also 2 brothers living together. They're shoemakers and I actually got the shoes I wear right now for a discount price thanks to the younger brother. They're called the Peachman brothers. One time a very confused, semi-resembling Peachman brother Doppelgänger tried to sneak in. But all he could do is say "Peach" and nothing else. He even gave me an ID and his picture was a peach. If this little guy wasn't life-threatening to all of us, I would have had a decent laugh that day.

Oh, and there's also the Sverchzt twins. Some people joke twins are just peaceful Doppelgängers but these 2 are actually just twins. They look exactly alike and wear the same dress, the same hair, makeup and they always look perfect. Tall, slim, perfect hair, skin, not a single flaw. Whenever I see them I realize god really has his favourites because there's no way someone can look so flawless, and then there's 2 of them looking exactly alike. They're both modelling, I would be surprised if they weren't. There's only one thing that makes them different from each other: Elenois has a mole on her left cheek, Selenne has a mole on her right cheek.

I can always tell if it's a Doppelgänger if the moles are on the wrong side, while the ID clearly says It's the other twin.

The 2nd floor is the friendliest floor, in my experience. We got the Schmicht couple. Probably the 2 friendliest people in the entire building. If they aren't in a good mood, there's a chance they're just Doppelgängers. I still always check to be sure...

Izaack Gauss, he's a news reporter and people would assume he's cocky, but he's actually very nice and is at competition with Angus Ciprianni at who gives the best compliments. I wish I was that extroverted, to be honest.

Margarette Bubbles, she fixed my dress the other day and occasionally brings me some knitted socks. She's a seamstress and also really talented. However, she lives by herself and I'm not sure if she had a husband or wife before...

Then there's Nacha, who was my babysitter when I was a child. And her daughter Anastacha, who kind of looks like her. Her eyes look very different, though. Nacha is always a bit stressed and clumsy. Raising a child as a single mom while also working as a cook must be hard, but I always recognize her easily. She looks unique, her right eye is blue while her left eye is green. And she has really cute freckles and is very patient and kind.

I told you so much about the first 2 floors. Well, the 3rd floor is the most chaotic floor.

The Cappuccin couple is all over the place. Alf Cappuccin is a lawyer while his wife is a homemaker. They argue a lot over minor things, but I just know they are meant for each other and care for each other deeply.

Mia Stone is a teacher, a job I respect in times like these. I was homeschooled, but I would always dream of going to school. She lives with her fiancé, a physicist.

"Dr. W. Afton, may I see your ID and entry request?" I ask and he hands them to me quietly. I check for any potential errors but everything is correct. But I realize... "You're not on todays list, Sir"

"I'm not on todays list? I should be on the list... check again" he says. I look again, but nothing can be found, so I decide to call his apartment... "Mia Stone speaking. My fiancé isn't home yet"

"Alright, there must have been an error, I'm sorry, please go ahead" I apologize as I open the gate for him.

Then there's the Rudboys. They're father and son. And dude, they always flirt with all women they encounter. Both of them. The son always wears sunglasses. Actually, I have never seen him without them and even his ID photo is him with the sunglasses. He's a pilot, just like his father. Except his father retired last year. One time a Doppelgänger of him actually tried to tell me they had an emergency at work. That was way too easy.

But finally, there's Francis. I don't know what it is exactly, but something about him feels intimidating. He's not dangerous, I highly doubt that. He is handsome, for sure, but his eyes always look tired. I wonder if his job is hard, he's a Milkman, working 7 days a week. He leaves his appartment every single day and since I worked here, not a single day has passed without him leaving early and entering late.

Whenever he stood by my window, it got a bit awkward. Sometimes I even blushed a little. He's always been really serious, hardly ever smiled. I wasn't too bad with eye contact, but with him, I actually struggled.

He is probably the person with the most Doppelgängers. I think it's normal, he works 7 days a week and one of those monsters might see the opportunity there. Last week I actually almost let a Doppelgänger in, to be honest... if I hadn't checked a 2nd time and seen that the name was misspelled, everyone could be dead now. I have made it my mission to do better than this. Way better.

It's hard to put into words, but something is bothering me about him. Something, I'm not sure what it is, makes him stand out to me. Maybe his Aura, maybe his deep voice or maybe his dead, tired eyes. We hardly talk, not even smalltalk. Actually, sometimes I forget to even greet him back. He seems hard-working, a bit older than me and like a decent guy who is always dressed appropriately, leaves on time, doesn't come back too late and is well-liked by everyone.

Today, I actually had 7 "Francis" try to sneak in. My new record is 4 of them in a row. Maybe the monsters can sense that my heart beats faster whenever it's him.

"Good evening" I say, faking a smile. He coldly greets me back. I get nervous and check the ID. Everything is right so far. The entry request is correct too. I look at his face while he's distracted reading something. He looks exactly as he should. Suddenly, his eyes meet mine. I quickly look back at the list. I see this man every single day and still get nervous. I take a deep breath "Alright, Welcome back, Mr. Mosses" I say as I open the gate and quickly close it behind him. Before going upstairs, he turns around and nods, softly smiling at me. I can't help but stare as he walks upstairs, until I can no longer see him.

"You, uh... you're red. Are you okay?" I hear someone say. I turn to the window to see...

Francis?? Again???