Author: Malebranche
Date: 02/10/04
Contact: xxxdre4merxxx@hotmail.com
Genre: Slash/Yaoi, AU, romance, angst, supernatural, series.
Comments: PG-13. If you can't handle slash, go away. BxS. Lime. Mangled personalities. This story has not been beta-ed, barely even proofread. I'm deeply sorry for any mistakes.
Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz and all it's characters are properties of their respective authors.
Autumn to Ashes: The Swiss Cheese Romance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Italian restaurant was cozy, with small electric lanterns lighting up the corners in red and green while white lights shone discreetly from above. Brad and Schuldich walked in, and the latter led them to a more secluded seat than the open bar.
"I've been meaning to ask you, Schuldich." said Brad "Why did you decide to work for my company, when with your record, you could have gotten a job anywhere you wanted?"
"It's not much of a story..." said Schuldich "I was brought up in the slums, and I became an orphan when I was just a kid. Even though I got amazing grades, no one recognized me, because I was just some brat in a crummy public school. But then, I miraculously got a scholarship to the Humboldt University of Berlin in the mail one day. The scholarship was paid for by your company, and so when I finished college and I could not decide what to do, I came to work here."
"I remember the scholarships that we gave out," Brad smiled "We were hoping some of the students might come to our company. Looks like it worked, in spades. We couldn't ask for a better employee."
Schuldich blushed at Brad's comment. "Eh.."
"Anyways, what's good here?" Brad said, sensing Schuldich's awkwardness.
"I recommend trying the specials. They always are a better bargain, and they taste wonderful too," Schuldich said, then paused with a grin "Although, I suppose money isn't a problem for you."
Brad smiled softly. "Yea. But sometimes, I think money's more trouble than it's worth..."
Schuldich looked at Brad curiously "Why? Everything becomes easier if you have money..."
"...Not the things you want the most." Brad said, the sorrow in his eyes emphasized by the reflection of the electric lanterns.
Schuldich's stomach sank.
//Good job, you've gone and upset him. Should have just let it pass.//, the malicious voice whispered in Schuldich's mind.
/Maybe...but what could not be bought with money? If there's enough money, anything can be bought./, Schuldich thought.
"Do you want to...talk about it?" Schuldich asked.
"Uh, never mind." Schuldich said quickly when Brad looked up at him, surprise evident in his eyes. "We just met, sorry for being so presumptuous."
"It's okay. But...the things everyone wants to the most...like friends, or love...it's impossible to buy..." Brad said softly."
/Oh./, Schuldich thought. /I guess that's true./
//What do you know of love and friendship? You have been scorned all your life, in one way or another - what makes you think it will change just because he's here?// snapped the voice.
/I can find out! Even if he doesn't care, there are people who would give a damn!/
//No one will ever care. Not for you.//
/.../
"...uldich?...Schuldich? Are you okay?" Brad asked, concern in his voice.
"Uh...yea." Schuldich said, a little too quickly. "Let's order."
/No one....ever?/
//Not ever.//
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"That was a nice meal, Schuldich." Brad said as the duo walked out the door into the street.
"Yea." Schuldich replied, not knowing what else to say.
The silence stretched, long and all-encompassing as the two walked over to Brad's car.
"...What were you thinking about, after I said that thing about money?" came Brad's voice, softly breaking the silence.
"Huh?" said Schuldich, startled.
"You seemed really sad. I thought, since you offered to me before, if you would like to talk about it."
"Oh." said Schuldich "Well. It's just...I don't know..."
"I see...well...if you ever need to talk, I'm always here." said Brad.
/Always here./
"Um, actually...could you explain to me what love is like?" mumbled Schuldich "I mean, since you seem to know..."
"Love...it's not something that can be easily explained." Brad said, surprised for a moment.
"Oh...s-sorry." said Schuldich, dejectedly.
"Wait," Brad turned his face away from Schuldich, still walking. "It's when...even when you're not with this person, even if they are a million miles away, they are still all you can think about. "
Schuldich edge closer to Brad because of the wind. The building was a barrier against the wind, but now that they were past it the onslaught was tremendous.
"It's when you wouldn't think twice to help if they're in trouble."
Schuldich turned to look at Brad, absorbing the words like a holy mantra.
/Love.../
"It's when you feel like you can overcome anything when they smile, or laugh..." Brad smiled, sheepishly, turning to meet Schuldich eyes. "Well, I guess that wasn't very helpfu-"
Their breaths mingled, their eyes met, and for a sudden, shocking moment when amber met emerald, they were in heaven.
Suddenly, Brad put a few precious inches between them. "Sorry. I, um...I didn't mean to do that."
Schuldich was silent.
"Um...do you need a ride home?" Brad asked "I can drive you."
"No...no, I'll be fine." said Schuldich "Thank you."
"Goodbye." Brad said, unlocking and entering his car. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, then."
The black Mercedes drove away. Schuldich watched it until the red headlights turned the corner and disappeared from view.
"...Goodbye..." Schuldich said quietly.
/*You let this one person come down in the most perfect moment.
And it breaks my heart to know the only reason you are here now is
A reminder of what I'll never have
I'll never have... I'll never...
Standing so close knowing that it kills me to breathe you in.
Standing so close knowing that it kills me to breathe you in.*/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schuldich stood there for several long moments before walking swiftly down the alley, making a turn from the busy, well-lit street the Italian restaurant was located on. The cold wind bit into his skin, chapped his lips, but he noticed nothing but the feeling of loneliness. He approached an old apartment after what seemed like hours of walking.
The gray paint was peeling, falling away in places to reveal layers of even older paint, that were simply different shades of gray. The roofing looked tattered and the windows were dusty with years of grime. Whatever sort of satellite connection the ancient building used to have were long gone, the dish beyond repair. An old sign hung across the entrance to the lobby, letters old-fashioned and faded.
The place was eerily silent, even for the time of night. Usually, even the outskirts of Berlin bustled with activity at any time, day or night. Schuldich's footsteps seemed shockingly loud, echoing across the pavements, sounds not lost into the atmosphere, but contained as if there were invisible walls surrounding the perimeter of the area.
Hesitatingly, Schuldich walked up the steps.
/Something's not right here./ Schuldich thought.
//What, missing Brad already?// the voice taunted //Being without him for more than five minutes making you paranoid?//
/Shut up./
//Lonely and insecure already? What would he think of you now? Too afraid to even go into your own home? What could possibly be there, after all...a burglar? A ghost? A vampire?// it leered, presence almost tangible.
"Fuck off!" Schuldich screamed, sure he was going insane.
Schuldich blindly ran up the steps, pulled open the door, oblivious to everything but the same sentence circling like a mad carousel inside his head.
/I'm okay it doesn't exist I'm okay it doesn't exist I'm okay it doesn't exist I'm okay it doesn't exist I'm okay it doesn't exist./
Running through the lobby without a glance, Schuldich barely noticed that the air was colder than usual and that the lights flickered, as if taken directly from a bad 70's horror flick. He jumped the steps two at a time, rushing past his neighbors' doors, until he reached his own.
His apartment door was wide open, hinges ripped clear of the doorframe, bits and pieces of the wood lying haphazardly across the puke-hued carpet. The unreliable hallway lights ended abruptly, several inches into the room. Two sets of glowing eyes could be seen, incandescent in the face of absolute darkness. Schuldich felt his spine tingle in an almost painful sensation. There was something in side the darkness that was very dangerous.
And very, very bloodthirsty.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brad was worried. He drove away from the Italian restaurant, but he had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him he had something to do.
/I should have followed him. He didn't drive his car. What if he gets mugged? My god, I'm obsessed./ Brad thought, rubbing his temple with the tips of his fingers.
/Oh...what the hell, it's not like he'll notice if I drive behind him or anything./ Brad conceded. /Besides, Berlin's not a safe place, especially at night./
Brad turned his car around, driving towards the Italian restaurant again.
/If I can't find out where he's headed then I'm going to leave. It's probably pointless to linger anyways.../
Reaching the street, he saw what looked like Schuldich's leg disappear into an alley.
/Ah. Idiot. Why'd you have to take the alley?/ Brad thought, mentally reprimanding him.
Brad parked the car and ran as quietly as possible after Schuldich.
/I'm going mad. There's no possible way anyone with a healthy mind would even consider doing this./
His steps quiet, he followed Schuldich at a distance, only speeding up when he lost sight of him.
As he turned one final bend, something felt different. The environment around him seemed skewed, something terribly wrong about the atmosphere. Faintly, Brad noted that there was no sound, nothing but a thick, impenetrable silence. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, sending icy shivers that had nothing to do with the chill.
Brad saw Schuldich walking, his footsteps slowing down, before pausing ominously in front of the steps of the shabby-looking apartment complex. Schuldich's hands were clenched hard; Brad could see his white knuckles from where he was standing.
Suddenly, Schuldich darted for the stairs, yanking open the doors to the lobby.
Giving up on any pretense of anonymity, Brad ran after Schuldich. Hands reaching out to grab the metal door knob that led to the entrance of the complex, he was shocked to realize that the doorknob was not only cold, but seemed to actually be frozen.
Taking a deep breath, Brad pulled the door open, not knowing what to expect.
The lobby looked fine at first, but a second glance told him that his instinct was right, he'd better get to Schuldich as quickly as possible.
The furniture looked it was barely moved, if at all. However, there were bloodstains on the decaying brown chairs, that could have been mistaken for sauce left by a clumsy eater, only they were fresh and if one bent to observe it closely, it was the tangy smell of iron that one breathed in.
Brad raced to the only visible exit there was other than the entrance; a staircase that looked as if it might fall apart at any given moment. Taking his chances, Brad climbed them and walked slowly, hoping a sound might lead him to Schuldich.
Footsteps muffled by the horrifyingly stained carpet, Brad approached the bend...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author commentary: The Fat Kid Next Door Ate My Cat!
1. I'm disappointed in Schuldich. Even if this is an AU, and he is supposed to be OOC...why is he so damn wimpy?! Ah, but here comes Super-Brad to the rescue...sort of.
2. It's almost unconvincingly sappy in some parts. Shall I strike fear in your heart and say that there will be more diabetes-causing moments in the near future?
3. I'm afraid my attempt at a thriller flopped. What do you think?
4. The next chapter due February 29th. Sorry about the delays, school's been hacking me to bits lately.