Huffing along, Louis moved onto his next destination, ignoring Calvin’s verbal prodding. Calvin eventually shut up and waited the day out as Louis went from shipment to shipment, carrying the box with him.

Finally, the day was nearly done, giving Louis a chance to find the right place for the package. He walked to the sorting booth and called an attendant over. Something felt off about the package though, there was no barcode, no way to check where it…went. The address, Louis noticed the fine print on its side.

Derick Dean?

“How can I help you?”

“Uh, nevermind ma’am, I think I found what I needed.” Louis spouted, quickly hiding the box behind his back.

The attendant gave him a weird look, but let him be, figuring he may have made a simple mistake that he had just figured out.

Maybe Calvin was right… maybe this isn’t coincidence after all.

It was the end of the workday, people leaving in droves, so Louis slipped undetected into the elevator with the package no problem. The only issue was Calvin. He saw. Louis was sure of it.

Sure enough, the last person to enter the elevator was Calvin, just three people away from Louis. It was cramped, and Louis’s nerves made it feel hotter. Louis pretended not to notice, but Calvin didn’t seem to pay him any mind anyway.

Into the elevator and out onto their floor.

Louis got out of the elevator not a second after Calvin did and yet… Where’d he go? He was just—nevermind, not important. Calvin nowhere in sight (though Louis was frantic and his sight was limited), Louis made a beeline for his door, holding the package like a child.

Putting his hand on the sensor, he mumbled to himself, “Come on come on come on…!”

As soon as the door swished open, a hand was placed on Louis’s shoulder, firmly. Calvin shoved Louis into the room, closing the door behind them, the box fell, sliding under Louis’s bed.

“What do you know?” Calvin’s voice was calm but laced with fury.

Louis backed away instinctively. He stammered, the suddenness of it all making the situation hard to process, and his thoughts even more so. “W-w-what do you m-mean?”

“You’re a liar!” He yelled, stepping closer as Louis moved away.

“I w-wasn’t lying! I d-d-don’t know a-anything about this p-package or your c-case!”

“I’m not fucking around!” Calvin barked, “Are you working for Jake or not?!”

Calvin lifted Louis off the ground by his collar, his fist balled just below his jaw, pressing against his throat. Louis winced, his eyes closed as tight as they could go.

“I swear! I don’t know anything! I don’t even know anyone named Jake!” Louis used his last ounce of energy. His limbs went limp, his breaths slow and far between.

With that, Calvin twitched, immediately dropping Louis. He backed away, his hands slowly moving towards his head. His face a whole mix of emotions, ones Louis had never seen on Calvin before. Louis’s eyes were cracked open, watching the mood turn faster than it had begun.

“What am I doing?” Calvin murmured, “I-I… I’m not like him. What the fuck is wrong with me?”

Calvin turned back to Louis, still sprawled on the floor. He lifted him into bed, using his body as a crutch. But Louis still wouldn’t move. “Was I really that rough?” Louis gave a weak shake of his head.

“No…I need…meds,” Louis managed to say. He just barely lifted his finger toward his dresser.

Calvin walked over and yanked the top drawer open. Pills. So many pills. All the same kind, all prescribed to Louis Dean. Calvin grabbed a bottle and threw it onto Louis. “What are these for?” Calvin was calm again.

Louis slowly twisted the easy-open cap and popped two down his throat. “It’s… Brasoma.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Not… many have.” The room was silent until Louis could breath properly and sit himself up. “It was created for me by my brother, Arthur.”

Calvin uncomfortably nodded, his arms folded. “So what exactly was it that he made it for?”

Louis fell back onto his bed and rolled over. “Goodnight Calvin.”

He wanted to tell Calvin why. But not in the fragile state he resided in in that moment. He couldn’t.

Calvin stood there for a moment before going back to his own bed.

Louis stared at the wall, Calvin at the ceiling.

Both men knew that the morning would be identical to the last, but never the same again. Their vulnerability was exposed to one another, and neither could unknow what they saw.