Al was entranced in A Maiden Forgotten, before being back to reality when his phone rang. He put down his book and grabbed the phone off the bedside table and answered. “Hello?”

“Al, I think someone’s following me,” Yui said in an unusually quiet and unsteady voice.

“What?!” Al’s response sounded more like a command than a question. He bolted upright, threw the blankets off of him, and jumped out of bed.

Yui looked behind himself, as he walked down the narrow street. He saw the silhouette of a man in the distance. “Yeah, he’s definitely following me,” he confirmed. Since the man had been right around the corner from Nina’s house, he figured this might be her ex-boyfriend.

“Where are you?” Al asked, as he headed downstairs.

“Well, y’see,” Yui sounded hesitant.

“Out with it,” Al roared.

“I tried taking a shortcut home through an alley, and…”

“What?!” Al sounded offended. “Why would you- Ugh, nevermind! Where are you?”

“I’m heading towards Fifth street. I’m not far from the house, but…”

“Keep moving,” Al advised. “Don’t stop for a second. I’m heading out the door now. I’ll meet you halfway.”

“Can you stay on the phone with me?”

“‘Course.” Al suddenly felt like there was a lump in his throat. He was frightened. Yui was so young and naive. He looked so small and delicate. 

Al ran towards Fifth street as fast as his legs could carry him. He gave Yui updates as he passed by landmarks.

“It looks like the guy might have backed away,” Yui said, after he caught a quick glance behind him.

“He might think you called the police,” Al said, as he ran. “But don’t let your guard down. Keep going.”

“Right.” Yui turned a corner onto fifth street and picked up his pace.

A few minutes later, Al could barely make out Yui’s form in the darkness. The cold night air bit against his face as he ran towards the boy. Yui’s face transitioned from fear to relief as he saw Al coming closer. He ran to meet him. As the two met in the middle of the sidewalk, Al froze.

“What’s up?” Yui asked.

“He’s still nearby,” Al warned. “I can sense his aggression.” The stalker’s mood spread to him. His brow furrowed and his lip raised in a snarl, revealing teeth that looked like wolf fangs in the moonlight. He looked ready to bite. 

Al glanced around and saw a silhouette behind the corner of a building. He knew that was the source of his rage. He growled, although the stranger probably couldn’t hear him from that distance, and roughly grabbed Yui by the shoulder. The stalker got the hint, and scuttled off. Without so much as a “let’s go,” Al pulled Yui towards the house at a brisk pace.

Yui was surprised by how assertive Al was being. His grip on Yui’s shoulder was so firm that it hurt. He wondered if it would be bruised in the morning. But he didn’t care. He was so thankful that Al had come to protect him. 

As the distance between them and the stalker increased, Al’s grasp on Yui loosened. By the time they got to the house, Al had let his hand slide off of Yui’s shoulder. They went up the front steps and locked the door behind them. 

“Why the hell did you take a shortcut?!” Al roared. 

Yui flinched. “I was tired,” he whimpered, guiltily. “I just had sex and I wanted to go home and sleep.”

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to go into a dark alley alone?!” Al was furious. “Don’t ever take a shortcut like that again!”

“B-but my client’s house was in a dark alley!” Yui argued. “How am I supposed to avoid that?!”

Al huffed in frustration. Yui could have been mugged, raped, or murdered tonight, if he hadn’t called him. Yui’s job meant a lot of nightly escapades and possibly a lot of interaction with shady places and people. He was terrified of something happening to him. Yui had said he was from a small town. He wouldn’t know how to hold his own in a city. Al had been having doubts about whether he should stay for a while, but… there was no way he could abandon Yui. The boy needed him. It was time for him to quit being a hermit. He opened his mouth to speak, and then…

“Wanna be my bodyguard?” Yui suggested, as if he took the idea right out of Al’s head.

“Definitely,” Al said with a firm nod.

“Great,” Yui smiled, straightened his back, and held out a hand.

To Al’s own surprise, he took Yui’s hand without hesitation. They shook, and Yui said “we’ll discuss your payment in the morning. For now, let’s get some much needed sleep.”

“Yeah,” Al agreed, as he let go of Yui’s hand. “It’s been a long day.” They headed upstairs.

Yui wouldn’t let himself go to sleep until he made sure Nina was okay. If that was her ex, he wanted to make sure that he didn’t get into her house somehow. Yui was only able to lock the bottom lock on his way out, after all. Thankfully, Nina had given him her home phone number in addition to her cell. This way, he could call to see if her parents were home. He dialed.

After a couple rings, a man’s voice picked up. “Who the hell’s calling so late?”

“I’m really sorry,” Yui said, sweetly, internally thankful that someone picked up. “My name’s Yui. I’m Nina’s friend from school. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. She said her boyfriend might be stalking her.”

“Ah,” the father relaxed as he came to understand the situation. “Yeah, she told me he was being clingy at the mall the other day. Don’t worry, son. Her mom and I are home now. We’re keepin’ a good eye on her. He won’t come within a mile of our daughter.”

“Thank goodness,” Yui sighed in relief.

“I gotta say,” the father continued, unexpectedly. “She’s been havin’ lots of trouble stayin’ asleep since the break up. It’s a relief to come home to see her sleepin’ soundly. I was really worried about her, but I think she’ll be okay.”

“Yeah,” Yui agreed, with a smile. “She’s a strong girl. Well, I’ll let you go to sleep now.”

“G’night, kid.” He hung up.

Yui sighed. “Now I can go to sleep.” To his surprise, Al had already fallen asleep on his little make-shift bedding on the floor, while Yui was on the phone. “Everyone is sleeping well tonight,” he said to himself, before pulling the covers up to his face and drifting to sleep.