Roman steps out of the car and waits for Billy to do the same.
"Maintain your head low, they never watch the cameras unless there's a robbery or something like that, but we better be careful just in case." he explains.
"Yeah, yeah," Billy mutters as he steps out of the car and looks around, taking in his surroundings with a look of wariness. He looks for security cameras, but doesn't see any. He's a little nervous, but he tries to ignore it. "Just in case what?" Bily asks, looking at Roman and noticing his expression get serious again. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"Just in case, we better not let the camera take your face, ok?" Roman shrugs, walking fast towards his apartment. Billy follows him close, noticing that the building remains the same as six years ago.
Billy laughs at Roman's words.
"Yeah, of course." He follows Roman to his apartment block. "My mugshot's out there, you know that, right?" He murmurs, his face still looking serious, even though there's a little twinkle in his eye. "You're not worried about being seen with me?"
"That photo is from five years ago when you were a teenager," Roman says calmly, opening the door. "You've grown" he motions for Billy to go inside first.
"Still wanted," Billy mutters. "Same guy."
Billy steps inside, a look of distrust on his face. 'This is a bad idea' he tells himself, but he goes inside just the same. He looks around, taking in his surroundings.
"Jesus, it's like nothing's changed," Billy remarks. The apartment looks just the same, and he feels a bit of familiarity. He walks slowly inside, but his senses are still sharp, looking around him.
"So you remember? Good" Roman says amused, locking the door. "I would offer you the couch but as you can see " he signals the pile of boxes over the couch and table "it's a mess right now." He smirks, walking closer.
Billy laughs half-nervously while he looks around.
"Yeah, I remember," he says softly, before motioning back at all the boxes. "Not the best for sitting, though." He raises an eyebrow and looks at Roman. "So what, no couch?" He sounds a bit incredulous. "Are you going to make me sleep on the floor?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Billy. We can share the bed" Roman says expressionless, walking past him towards the kitchen. "Have you eaten?" he asks, opening the fridge.
Billy looks surprised. Was he serious?
"Sure…" he answers, with more than a hint of uncertainty in his voice. He takes a seat on the table of the kitchenette, his legs hanging off the end as he looks away and clears his throat. "I mean… sure." He clears his throat again. "Is your bed clean?" he asks suddenly, a question that was probably a bad idea, but his curiosity couldn't stop itself from asking.
"All in my apartment is clean, Billy, except for you." Roman says with a frown, sounding offended, but it also sounds fake. He takes a can of Coke from the fridge and a lunchbox of meatloaf. "I'll heat some food for you" he smirks, walking towards the microwave.
Billy lets out a small breath as a moment of relief runs through him, but he says nothing. He feels a twinge of guilt and self-consciousness at Roman's comment, but he pushes it aside.
"Thanks," he mutters, as Roman hands him a can of coke. "I, uh… I appreciate it." The meatloaf smells delicious, and he feels a small amount of trepidation. "Can I ask you something?" he says, taking a sip from the can.
Roman lets the food heat for three minutes and walks towards Billy, standing in front of him. "What is it?" he asks with a smirk.
"I… I just wanted to know..." Billy clears his throat again. "Why do you even want me here?" He raises an eyebrow, looking at Roman directly. "I mean, what do you even intend to do with me?"
"I already answered that" Roman says, as a matter of fact, looking straight into Billy's eyes. He has a light, cold eye color that makes Billy uneasy. "I'm more interested in knowing where you want me to drive you tomorrow or..." He rubs his hand on Billy's leg absently, "what are you going to do after that. Keep living in the street?"
Billy stares at Roman for a moment, looking deep into those cold, icy eyes. He swallows hard, and he feels a trickle of sweat roll down his face. His throat is dry suddenly. His eyes are locked on Roman and he can't look away.
"Why do you care?" he finally asks softly. His eyes are filled with confusion as he waits for Roman's response. It sounds like a good time to just get out of here, but Billy's not sure what Roman's up to, and it's making him nervous to leave.
"It's not that I care, Billy. I'm just curious about your situation" Roman says in a serious tone.
The microwave sounds, and Roman goes for it, he also takes a fork and a knife. When he gets to the table, he hands them to Billy.
"Careful with that knife, Mister GhostFace" he smirks, raising one eyebrow.
Billy grimaces at the name, but he accepts the knife and fork from Roman.
"Sure, I'll just stab somebody with it," he says sarcastically. He tries to sound tough, but there's an edge of nervousness to it. He begins to cut his meatloaf into small slices, his eyes still locked on Roman. "I mean, why are you even curious?" he insists, glancing over at him for a moment, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Billy isn't buying the idea that Roman is just some innocent friend. He must be up to something.
"I don't know or care," Roman shrugs his shoulders, smirking. "I'm just bored, Billy. That's all. Bored and tired." He yawns and rubs his face, taking his glasses off.
Billy feels a wave of relief wash over him when Roman says he doesn't care. He stops cutting his meatloaf and sets the knife down, looking back up at Roman. He looks exhausted. Billy almost feels bad for him.
"Do you live here by yourself?" Billy asks, trying to make small talk. He takes a bite of his meatloaf and sighs as it tastes delicious. "What about, like, parents or something?" he asks, a hint of genuine interest in his voice. The conversation is calming his nerves a little.
"My parents, the foster ones," he says, giving Billy a side glance, "don't live in Woodsboro. They live in another state, so I'm always traveling from here to there and the other state I work too." He explains in a calm and relaxed tone. "That doesn't leave me a lot of time," he smirks.
Billy nods slowly, listening as Roman explains his situation.
"That's rough," he says softly. "And you're all alone here?" Billy looks around him, taking in the apartment again. "It's lonely here, I bet." He stares off for a moment, but then he raises his eyebrows. "So what do you do for work?" he asks, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Yeah, it's lonely…" Roman reclines into the chair, sighing. "Are you interested in my job?" Roman smirks amused.
"Well yeah, you brought attention to it," Billy says with a soft grin. "I mean, you got to do something to make a living, right? But… You don't owe me any explanation. I'm just being nosy."
He shrugs a little bit, wondering to himself what type of work Roman could do.
"Are you done eating or…?" Roman asks, raising an eyebrow. He starts to stand again.
"Yeah, I'm done." Billy rises to his feet and hands Roman his plate and fork. "Thanks again." He yawns softly and stretches his arms, still looking exhausted. He rubs the bridge of his nose. "So, uh… What now?" He looks at Roman hesitantly, wondering what is coming next. It feels like a trap, and something tells him that Roman wants to use the opportunity for something more than just catching up with an old friend. "Do you mind if I ask you something else?"
"You're talkative today" Roman says, a hint of amusement in his tone. He takes the used lunchbox, fork and knife and washes them quickly. "What's on your mind?" He asks, giving Billy his back.
"Just thinking about what you've got planned for me," Billy says lightly, an ironic smile on his face. "I mean, all this hospitality is nice, but you're clearly not just being a good friend here," he says, raising an eyebrow. "So what is it you want from me?" He crosses his arms, waiting to hear what Roman has to say. He knows that he's caught, but the only way out for him is to get honest at this point.
"Why don't we go to sleep, and you save some questions for tomorrow, hm?" Roman asks in a calm tone, yet his eyes are cold and authoritative.
Billy takes a step back, surprised by how quickly Roman's demeanor changed. All the friendliness is gone, and there's suddenly a cold edge to his tone that was not there before.
"I guess," he says softly, his tone cautious. "But you... you'll answer my questions tomorrow then, right?" His eyes are fixed on Roman's for a long moment, before he finally gives in. He lets his arms drop to his sides, and he rubs the back of his neck. "Okay, fine…" he says reluctantly.
"Fine." Roman says, walking past him towards the bedroom. He takes off his sweater and looks for something to sleep in.
Billy follows him, still feeling wary. He looks at the main door and thinks about making a bolt for it, but something tells him that it wouldn't be so easy to escape.
He doesn't like the look in Roman's eyes, but he still decides to give him the benefit of the doubt for now and he remains silent. He follows Roman, still trying to keep his guard up just in case. He keeps his distance, though, as he has no idea what's hidden behind Roman's calm demeanor.
"I can lend you something to sleep in, if you'd like." Roman says casually.
"Yeah, that sounds great," Billy says, sounding a bit hesitant. He doesn't know what to make of Roman, and despite his best efforts, he feels a little on edge around the man. There's a feeling of distrust lurking just below the surrounding surface, as he can sense that Roman has an ulterior motive – one that's unclear as of now – and he wants to be prepared for whatever might happen next.
Roman takes a white t-shirts and a pair of sweats and gives them to Billy.
"There's the bathroom if you're shy," he smirks.
"Thanks," Billy says softly, stepping into the bathroom and changing out of his clothes. He comes back out in just a few minutes, wearing the white t-shirt and sweats that Roman had offered him.
"So… what happens now?" Billy asks, stepping out of the bathroom. His face is serious, and there's a hint of wariness to his look. Billy is still very much on guard, and he doesn't have a great sense of what Roman's plans for him are. He crosses his arms tightly as he waits to hear Roman's answer.
"Now?" Roman asks, raising his eyebrows. "Move your ass and get in the bed, Billy. There's no need for protocol" Roman rolls his eyes, chuckling a little. "Good night" he says, getting into his side.
Billy looks at Roman for a moment, and he considers what he said before nodding slightly.
"Yeah… All right."
He climbs into the bed, and he pulls the covers up to his waist as he crosses his arms and looks away. There's a wariness in his eyes as he continues to watch Roman. He's a bit nervous about the situation, and his mind's jumping to the worst-case scenarios to try to prepare himself for anything that may happen.
"Good night," he says softly, and he closes his eyes.
Roman gives him the back as he sleeps silently.
Billy lies in the bed next to Roman, staring up at the ceiling. He can't help but feel a bit on edge, and the silence in the apartment only heightens his unease.
He feels an overwhelming sense of loneliness creeping over him as he thinks about his parents, and the things he's lost. His mind flashes to his mother, and the pain in his chest grows larger as he thinks about never being able to see her again.
After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, Billy falls into a dark, dreamless sleep.
Notes: I cut here because, well, haha it's hard to explain but I ended up writing a PWP just to indulge myself but nope, there's no PWP here because that's gonna take a couple of chapters more. Emotional and physical abuse come first...