Mikey & Sanzu | BONTEN

Rain had turned the pavement black.

It gathered in shallow pools along the curb, swallowing the orange glow of streetlamps and the pale, distant lights bleeding between buildings. The city was still awake somewhere beyond the rows of concrete and glass, but back here, behind the offices and service entrances, there was almost nothing. No traffic. No pedestrians. Just the steady hiss of rain, the occasional hum of an air conditioner, and three figures moving quietly beneath the dull gray sky. To anyone looking, there was nothing strange about them. Just three people walking home.

Sanzu kept an arm around you, your weight sagging heavily against his side. His oversized jacket hung loose around you, obscuring most of your body beneath its dark fabric, one hand locked firmly around your waist while the other supported your arm. Every few steps, your shoes dragged slightly against the wet concrete before Sanzu adjusted his grip and pulled you upright again.

The jacket was getting heavier. Rainwater had soaked into the fabric, and somewhere beneath it, blood was doing the same. A dark stain had begun spreading beneath the material, hidden against the black cloth unless someone knew exactly where to look. Sanzu did. His eyes flicked down every few seconds, checking the spot before returning to the sidewalk ahead.

"C'mon, sweetheart." His voice was soft enough to disappear beneath the rain, almost affectionate. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

You barely reacted. Whatever you'd been given before escaping had not worn off. Your head lolled against his shoulder, eyes unfocused, consciousness coming and going in brief, useless fragments. You could feel the rain. The pavement beneath your feet. Sanzu's hand holding you upright. The rest came in pieces.

"You're doing such a pretty job, though." He smiled faintly, tilting his head toward them. "Look at you. All fucked up and still trying to walk. Cute."

The words sounded almost sweet. To anyone passing, they might have sounded like nothing more than teasing. But beneath the soft tone was something colder. A promise.

Sanzu's fingers tightened slightly against their side.

"You keep drooping like that and I'm gonna have to carry you." His smile widened. "And you really don't wanna make me do that, do you?"

A few yards away, a man leaned against the side of one of the office buildings.

He had stepped outside for a cigarette, one shoulder resting against the concrete while smoke curled lazily from between his fingers. He watched the three figures pass without much interest, his gaze lingering only long enough to register the soaked coats and the strange closeness between them.

Then the cigarette burned down to the filter.

The man sighed, flicked it into a puddle, and pushed himself away from the wall. For a moment, he stood there beneath the rain, shoulders slumped, before turning on one heel and disappearing down the narrow alley beside the building. Back to work.

Mikey watched him go. He walked on the outside edge of the sidewalk, closer to the road than the other two, hands tucked casually into his pockets. His expression hadn't changed once. Every now and then, however, his eyes moved—not toward you, but toward the darkened windows above them, the intersections behind them, the occasional headlights slipping through the streets beyond the buildings.

He stopped beneath the next awning and pulled out a cigarette. The lighter flashed once, a small orange flame bloomed against the gray. He took a drag, exhaled, and continued walking.

The worker'd smoked because he needed a moment away from the building. Mikey smoked because he was making sure nobody was following theirs. Neither looked particularly concerned. That was the point.

"Mikey." Sanzu's voice was barely above a murmur. Mikey glanced sideways. Sanzu didn't look at him. His attention remained fixed on the person leaning against him, expression still carrying that lazy, almost amused smile. "They're gonna pass out again."

"Then don't let them." Simple. Sanzu gave a quiet little laugh.

"Yeah. I figured you'd say that." He adjusted you against him before you could stumble, pulling you closer beneath the oversized jacket. Your head knocked lightly against his shoulder, and for a second your eyes opened. Everything was blurry. Gray sky. Orange lights. Mikey's cigarette glowing faintly in the dark. Sanzu's face far too close...

"There you are." His voice softened again. That same horrible sweetness. "Stay awake for me, pretty thing." His thumb brushed once over your sleeve, almost reassuring. "Wouldn't wanna fall asleep out here." He smiled. "Not when we're so close to getting you home."

Mikey exhaled smoke into the rain. Neither of them looked back. Behind them, the empty sidewalk stretched into darkness, the last faint glow of the office lights disappearing between the buildings. Ahead, the city was brighter. Louder. Closer.

And somewhere beneath Sanzu's soaked jacket, blood continued to spread through the fabric while the three of them walked on as though nothing at all was wrong.