Venom II (boyxboy)

[9] Smell.

     Alexander held the orange bottle of pills as he recalled the nurse's bone chilling grin. He didn't want that... He didn't need that.

     Alex was a clever guy that could adjust to any situation after embracing it. He understood and accepted his condition, and knew he could make it through by simply ignoring the hallucinations. It somehow made him more confident knowing that his mind produced the sight of that man, and therefore he was the one in charge.

     With that thought in mind, he made his way to the kitchen where he guessed Klaus might be, and found the man gazing out the window. Alex cleared his throat as to make his presence known, and his father turned around to face him questioningly.

     "I'm not taking the pills." stated Alexander, placing the bottle on the kitchen table as to prove his point. The ex-hero sighed and leaned on the counter.

     "Alex, I know this is hard to accept, but it's not that bad. You're at an early stage of the condition and it'll be gone after a few pills." he tried to reason.

     "I can bet they have anti-depressive side effects. You saw that nurse, Klaus. And it's not hard for me to accept this. The hallucination might have been just a one time thing. I was tired and stressed."

     Klaus shook his head. "Don't hide things from me like that. We're on the same page, just with different symptoms." he said softly.

     "Then why aren't you taking pills for the bipolarity?" Alex asked monotonously, displaying a neutral expression. The ex-hero looked out the window again, searching for words.

     "My power of sensing one's emotions is what causes the episodes. My mind perceives the other's feelings but doesn't completely replace mine, which requires bipolarity. If I'd take the pills, I'd lose my powers." he explained, eyes moving to the bottle on the table. "You, though, have nothing to lose. So just give it a try will you?"

     The ex-hero watched in disappointment as Alexander turned around and walked towards the door of the apartment. "Where are you going?"

     "For a walk."

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     Alex felt pathetic as he walked the streets, head hung low, eyes fixed on the pavement. He told himself he could handle the situation and ignore him if he was to show up, yet he couldn't bring himself to raise his gaze, in fear he'd see that smug, superior face blending in with the crowd.

     ...Maybe he was, indeed, paranoid...

     And so he kept going, unable to get rid of the feeling of being watched. He fidgeted with the pocket of his hoodie and focused on the sight of his sneakers, only raising his head to make sure the traffic light at the crossing was green. He then resumed his position and moved towards it.

     He stepped on the road and walked, ignoring the weird feeling in his guts as he heard no other steps around him. He heard a car passing just in front of him, and looked up to do a double take at the traffic light. Before he could register the red stickman on it, an alarmed voice yelled at him, causing him to look to his left. A bus was approaching him at a sickening speed, and he found himself freezing at the view. His muscles wouldn't budge as his widened blue eyes watched the vehicle now a few feet away from him.

     A violent tug of his hood snatched him backwards, knocking out whatever air was left in his lungs, and caused him to stumble into the person's chest. He watched in horror as the bus passed by in front of him, close enough to raise his foot and poke it. As if the rain wasn't enough, the wheel of the vehicle splashed a puddle, soaking him even more.