Chapter Text
The first morning with Willy at home began with a bark, a soft and quiet one, and then another.
Est slowly opened his eyes, feeling more asleep than awake. For a few seconds, he remained still, wondering why there was a strange sound in the apartment. Then he remembered:
The dog.
They had adopted a dog yesterday.
He let out a long sigh, stretching in bed before sitting up, stared blankly into space for a couple of minutes until another soft bark pulled him out of his daze. He glanced at his phone screen, seven twenty in the morning, “Damn.”
He was running late. Wesley’s school bus would be arriving in less than thirty minutes and mornings had never been Wesley’s favorite time of day. It usually took Est forever to get him out of bed and ready for school.
Before opening his bedroom door, he released another deep sigh, mentally preparing himself for the battle ahead. Between him, a child who needed to be ready in thirty minutes, and a brand new pet, Est could already imagine the disaster waiting outside his room.
To his surprise, everything looked strangely calm and orderly, at first glance, the apartment looked exactly as he’d left it the night before. The puppy, who had been barking and pawing at his door only minutes ago, was nowhere to be seen.
From his son’s room, he heard soft laughter, slowly, he walked over and leaned against the doorframe.
The puppy was licking Wesley’s nose while the little boy held him in his arms, giggling, “Good morning, Willy!”
The puppy wagged his tail and barked happily.
“I missed you too.”
Est smiled softly and walked over to the bed, leaning down, he pressed a quick kiss to his son’s hair, “Good morning, my boy. Time to get up, we’re running late.”
“Good morning, papa! I’m not taking a bath today!” Without a single complaint, Wesley climbed out of bed, he quickly glanced at the clock to confirm his father’s words and immediately began rushing around the room.
Willy followed him everywhere. He sat outside the bathroom while Wesley brushed his teeth, watched attentively as he put on his school uniform, and even stayed beside him while Wesley hurriedly ate the bowl of cereal Est had prepared for him.
Est and Willy accompanied Wesley downstairs to the entrance of the building, where the school bus was already waiting.
“Right on time,” Est thought as he watched his son crouch down to say goodbye to the puppy.
“I’m leaving for a few hours because, according to papa, I have to study. But I’ll be back soon so we can play together. Be good, and take care of papa for me, okay?” Wesley spoke seriously to the puppy while squatting in front of him.
At the last part, Willy barked once, and Wesley broke into a bright smile before waving at Est and running toward the bus.
“Well, buddy, now it’s just you and me. Come on,” The puppy calmly walked beside Est.
Inside the elevator, Est noticed something strange, Willy wasn’t wearing his leash. He frowned in confusion.
Not once had the puppy tried to wander off, he hadn’t been distracted by anything, either, Est hadn’t even heard him bark while they’d been outside the building.
He had simply stayed quietly beside Wesley and beside him.
Est remembered having a dog when he was a child, he remembered the chaos. Barking at every stranger, chasing after the dog whenever the front door opened, chewed-up shoes and countless other disasters.
But strangely enough, during Willy’s first twenty-four hours at home, none of that had happened.
“Coffee. I need coffee,” that was the first thing Est said after they returned to the apartment.
He headed straight to the kitchen and started preparing his usual iced coffee, he simply couldn’t function without it. When he turned around to head toward the living room, he found Willy sitting only a few steps away, watching him attentively, “You need breakfast too, huh?”
He placed the brand new bowls they’d bought the day before beside the table and poured in some kibble, adding a pouch of dog food, “They say this stuff is good for your growth. Go ahead, eat.”
Est sat down at the table, right beside the bowls, and began sipping his coffee while watching the puppy.
Willy’s nose twitched slightly as he sniffed the food, for a few seconds, he simply stared at it, almost as though he were evaluating it.
Then he began eating, slowly, neatly. Not a single piece of kibble fell out of the bowl, and when he drank water, he didn’t splash the floor at all.
It struck Est as odd.
He wasn’t exactly an expert on dogs, but he had always thought they were more excited about food and a lot messier, still, he supposed every dog was different, just like children. So he decided not to think too much about it.
After finishing his coffee, Est headed to his room, or more specifically, the bathroom.
He stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to wash away some of the exhaustion he’d accumulated, as he lathered up, mentally reviewed everything he had to do that day.
Which, honestly, wasn’t much; work, cook, wait for Wesley to come home, finish working, make sure the two puppies he now had didn’t destroy the apartment, dinner, sleep.
The same routine as always.
Est stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and another smaller one drying his hair, after only a couple of steps, he froze.
Willy was sitting less than a meter from the bathroom door, staring directly at him.
“Are you going to follow me around the house too?”
The puppy’s tail thumped against the floor.
Est laughed.
He got dressed under the puppy’s watchful gaze and, once ready, headed toward the living room. Willy followed right behind him, never more than a step away.
By the time Est settled down to work, with his laptop resting on his lap and a TV show playing quietly in the background, Willy had curled up on the rug at his feet.
The morning passed peacefully, Est checked emails, spoke with suppliers, talked to his team, and continued working on the new collection for his clothing brand.
He was grateful that almost everything could be done from home, that way, he didn’t have to spend more time away from his son than necessary.
Every now and then, he’d glance down at the puppy, Willy hadn’t moved from the rug, most of the time, he simply lay there, watching Est.
Around noon, Est finally stood up to prepare lunch, Wesley would be home in a couple of hours.
The moment he stepped away from the couch, heard small footsteps behind him, turning slightly, he saw Willy following him once again.
Shortly after two in the afternoon, Willy suddenly stood up from the rug, his ears perked up, and without warning, he bolted toward the apartment door.
“What’s wrong?”
Est barely had time to look up from his laptop when hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. The door swung open from the outside, and a whirlwind with a dinosaur backpack came running inside.
“WILLY!” Wesley threw himself onto his knees at the entrance.
The puppy launched himself at the boy, knocking him onto his back while covering his face with enthusiastic licks.
Wesley’s laughter echoed throughout the apartment, bringing an end to the quiet day Est had enjoyed until then.
“I missed you too! School was so boring without you!” Wesley said between giggles, wrapping his arms around the puppy’s neck.
Leaning against the couch with arms crossed over his chest, Est watched them with a wide smile, “So you only missed Willy? Has papa already been replaced?”
Wesley immediately looked up at the sound of his father’s voice, jumped to his feet and ran over, hugging Est around the waist, “Papa! I missed you too!”
“I missed you too, my little one,” Est bent down, burying his nose in the boy’s hair and leaving a quick kiss there before giving his back a couple of gentle pats, “Go get changed so we can eat, okay?”
“Okay, papa!” Wesley sprang upright, left his shoes near the door and headed toward his room, “Willy, come on! I’m gonna tell you everything I did at school today. My friends and I talked about pets, and I told them you’re the smartest dog in the whole universe!”
Willy barked happily, as though he completely agreed with that statement, and hurried after him, leaving Est alone in the kitchen, ready to serve lunch and continue their day together.
As the weeks went by, the three of them settled into a routine that somehow felt completely natural.
Mornings belonged to Est and Willy; the puppy was the one who listened to him, who quietly kept him company and watched over the long hours he spent working in front of his laptop.
Afternoons, however, transformed the apartment into a battlefield of noisy games; Wesley and Willy ran from the living room to the kitchen, played hide-and-seek —where Willy, suspiciously enough, always knew where Wesley was hiding— and whenever the weather allowed it, the three of them would head to the park so both puppies could burn off their endless supply of energy.
Wesley and Willy would race across the grass, chase one another, roll around on the ground, and always come back covered in dirt.
For Est, bringing Willy home had become one of the best decisions he’d ever made.
Not only was his son happier and brighter than ever, but the puppy had proven himself to be incredibly intelligent and unbelievably well-behaved, he had never chewed on anything other than his bones, he had never once had an accident inside the apartment and on more than one occasion, Est had found Wesley’s toys neatly stacked inside the toy box by the end of the day.
However, the true reason behind all that care and devotion would reveal itself to one of the family’s members nearly a month after Willy’s arrival.
That day had been particularly difficult for Est, one of the fabric shipments for the new collection had been delayed, and he’d spent almost the entire day glued to his laptop and phone, trying to solve the problem.
Before going to bed, Wesley had watched quietly from the couch, noticing the dark circles under his father’s eyes, the way he constantly ran his hands through his hair, and the endless sighs escaping his lips.
By the time Est finally shut down his computer, it was well past two in the morning, he practically dragged himself to bed and fell asleep immediately, completely exhausted.
A few hours later, in the other bedroom, Wesley woke up.
A sharp pain in his stomach made him curl up on the mattress, hugging his knees against his chest. At first, he thought it would go away but the pain only grew stronger, accompanied by an awful wave of nausea.
Wesley sat up in bed, tears gathering in his eyes as his breathing became uneven, his first instinct was to get out of bed and go find his dad, he had already placed one foot on the floor when he remembered the exhausted expression on Est’s face only a few hours earlier.
Wesley knew how hard his dad worked for him, the thought of waking him up made him hesitate.
So instead, he curled back beneath his dinosaur blanket, muffling a sob against his pillow while hugging his stomach.
He felt movement beside him, Willy, who had been sleeping in his own bed, now had his front paws resting on the mattress, the puppy pressed his nose against Wesley’s tear-stained cheek and let out a soft, worried whine.
“Willy…” Wesley whispered weakly, reaching out to pet the soft fur. “My tummy hurts a lot… it hurts really bad… but I don’t want to wake up papa. He’s really, really tired. Please don’t tell him.”
The dog froze completely, for several seconds, he simply stared at the boy with those dark eyes that seemed to shine in the darkness. Then Willy let out a long sigh, a sound that didn’t seem like it belonged to an animal.
Half-asleep from the pain, Wesley blinked a few times, staring back at him.
In the darkness of the room, the puppy’s shape began to change, the fluffy golden paws stretched, his body completely transformed and within seconds, the fur seemed to melt away, revealing the figure of a young man, older than Wesley.
He had messy black hair and slender shoulders, his chest was bare.
Wesley’s eyes widened, but his stomach hurt so badly that he barely had enough energy to be surprised.
He simply watched as the young man wrapped himself in the blanket Wesley had carefully chosen for Willy.
The boy sat gently on the edge of the bed, now covered by the blanket, he glanced toward the closed bedroom door, making sure Est wasn’t nearby, before turning his attention back to Wesley. His expression was gentle, protective, exactly the same look Willy always had whenever he was by his side.
“I’m not going to wake him up, Wes. Shh, it’s okay,” his voice was soft, barely above a whisper and somehow, hearing it filled Wesley’s chest with warmth, “I’ll take care of you, okay?”
Too weak to question the magic he’d just witnessed, Wesley simply nodded, tears slipping down his cheeks.
The young man carefully got up from the bed and quietly slipped out of the room. He returned barely a minute later, carrying a glass of warm water, a damp towel, and a couple of medicines he had found in the kitchen.
Sitting down beside the kid again, he offered him the pills and watched as Wesley swallowed them with a few cautious sips of water, then, gently placed the cool cloth on Wesley’s forehead, his body felt warm.
“P’Willy…” the boy murmured weakly, naturally using the honorific he always used for people older than him. “Is that really you?”
“I’m William… but yes, it’s me, Wes,” William smiled faintly, it was a small smile, somewhat sad, but overflowing with affection. He ran his fingers through Wesley’s messy hair, repeating the same the kid used whenever he was in his other form, “You’re going to be okay. Try to breathe slowly.”
William carefully settled himself on the bed beside the child, moving with extreme gentleness, he placed one warm hand over Wesley’s stomach, massaging in slow circles where the pain was strongest.
The warmth of his hand and the steady rhythm of his movements gradually eased the cramps twisting inside the boy’s stomach.
Wesley stared at the young man’s face, even though he wasn’t looking at the little puppy he was used to, he felt completely safe. He knew this was his Willy, his best friend and Willy would never hurt him, he was taking care of him.
“P’Willy… why are you a puppy?” Wesley asked in a sleepy whisper, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier as the pain slowly subsided beneath the soothing massage.
William lowered his gaze slightly, though he never stopped rubbing the boy’s stomach.
“I… was born this way, Wes,” he answered quietly. “But this is a secret between you and me, okay? Your papa can’t know that I’m human too. That would be really hard to explain, and your papa already has too much on his mind right now.”
“Your secret is safe with me, P’Willy…” Wesley mumbled drowsily. “You’re my best friend.”
“And you’re mine, Wes.” William’s voice softened even more, “Now try to sleep.”
Little by little, the pain faded away thanks to the medicine, the gentle touches, and the comforting warmth of William’s hand.
Wesley’s breathing became slower and steadier, eventually, he drifted into a deep sleep after what had felt like an eternity of discomfort.
William didn’t move from his side.
He stayed awake for the rest of the night, watching over the boy’s breathing, replacing the cloth on his forehead whenever it grew warm, and keeping his hand firmly over Wesley’s stomach to make sure the pain wouldn’t return.
As he gazed at the sleeping child, a warmth spread through his chest, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in years of wandering alone. Those two people; the grumpy but loving papa and the dramatic, affectionate little boy, they were becoming his entire world.
When the first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, William knew his time was up.
From the master bedroom, he heard the distant sound of Est’s alarm going off, with a resigned sigh, William removed the cloth from Wesley’s forehead and placed it on the desk nearby.
He slipped out of bed and took one last look at the boy, making sure he was sleeping peacefully and that the pain had truly faded.
Closing his eyes, he focused for a moment and within seconds, his human form disappeared, in its place stood the familiar golden puppy.
Willy shook himself and curled up on the rug beside the bed.
A few minutes later, the bedroom door slowly opened, Est stepped inside with messy hair and sleepy eyes, already holding his iced coffee in one hand.
“Wes, my baby, time to wake up…” he said hoarsely, only to stop mid-sentence, his son was completely uncovered, yet both blankets—Wesley’s and Willy’s—were lying on top of the bed.
On the desk sat a damp towel and a glass of water, things he was absolutely certain hadn’t been there the night before when he’d tucked Wesley into bed.
Willy was awake, sitting beside the bed, staring directly at him.
Est sat down on the edge of the mattress and gently called his son again, this time stroking his arm softly. His skin felt slightly warm, “Wes…?”
The little boy stirred, as soon as his eyes met his father’s face, they immediately filled with tears, “Papa?”
Est froze for a moment when Wesley suddenly threw himself into his arms, sobbing quietly, “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Papa, my tummy hurt really, really bad last night, but I didn’t want to wake you up because I know you were very tired, and P’Willy took care of me and stayed with me until it stopped hurting a little and I fell asleep, but I was really scared my tummy would never stop hurting…” the words came out in a rush between hiccups and tears as the boy clung tightly to his father’s shirt.
Est held him close, stroking his hair and back while trying to make sense of everything Wesley had just said.
Gently, he cupped his son’s face and used his thumb to wipe away the tears on his cheeks, “Wes, if you’re feeling sick, you have to wake me up. It doesn’t matter how tired papa is, i’ll always be here for you.”
Slowly, Wesley calmed down.
Est kept him in his arms until the sobs finally subsided, then laid him back down and carefully tucked the blanket around him, “How are you feeling now?”
“My tummy still hurts a little…” Wesley murmured softly, his eyes still watery and his lips pushed out in a tiny pout. “Can I stay home from school today, papa?”
“Mhm. Don’t worry about school today. I’ll bring you some medicine, and then you can go back to sleep, okay?”
“P’Willy gave me medicine last night, and that made me feel better.”
Est frowned slightly at his son’s words, though he chose not to dwell on them.
At the sound of his name, the puppy placed his front paws on the mattress, Est smiled faintly and gently stroked the golden fur “So you took care of him, huh?” he said softly.
“Thanks, buddy.”
Keeping William’s secret turned out to be surprisingly easy, mostly because, to Wesley, there was nothing strange about it, his best friend could simply turn into a person.
That was all.
In the little boy’s mind, it wasn’t weird, it was cool.
And little by little, William’s human form became part of the moments they shared whenever Est was busy with work. Sometimes, while Est stayed in the living room surrounded by sketches, fabrics, and endless video calls, Wesley would carefully close his bedroom door and dramatically whisper, “P’Willy, the coast is clear.”
A second later, the puppy would disappear, and William would appear sitting on the floor with messy hair and a blanket wrapped around himself.
At first, that had presented a problem, humans needed clothes and William had absolutely nothing, thing that led to one of the greatest crimes in the life of a six-year-old child:
Stealing clothes from papa.
“P’Willy, you can’t walk around naked,” Wesley had said with complete seriousness and honestly, William didn’t really have an argument against that.
So that afternoon, the two of them planned the heist, they would spend the day normally, with Willy staying in puppy form; they’d play for a while, have dinner with Est, go to bed, and then wait until Est went to take a shower before sneaking into his bedroom.
Everything went according to plan, the moment they heard the water running, both of them hurried into action. William was already in his human form, wrapped completely in his blanket.
They tiptoed into the room, trying not to make any noise, and headed straight for Est’s closet, Wesley stood on his tiptoes while William waited beside him.
“This one’s pretty,” the little boy whispered, pulling out a light blue shirt that Est usually wore to sleep, along with a pair of gray sweatpants. “Is this enough, P’Willy?”
William nodded, taking the clothes Wesley handed him, once they had made sure everything looked untouched, so Est wouldn’t realize they’d been there, they quietly returned to Wesley’s room to finally go to sleep, hiding William’s new clothes inside Wesley’s closet.
Before long, those secret afternoons became part of their routine, Wesley would do his homework while William sat beside him.
William remembered his own childhood rather well. Back when he still attended school, and later, as he grew older, he had often sneaked into public libraries to continue learning on his own, so helping Wesley with homework came naturally to him.
He explained things patiently, never making Wesley feel embarrassed when he got something wrong, “No, look. If you have eight nuggets and someone gives you another eight, how many do you have now?”
Wesley stared at the worksheet while nibbling on his lower lip, “Fourteen?”
William blinked, “Wes.”
“Sixteen!”
“That’s right!”
“P’Willy, you’re so smart.”
Whenever reading exercises frustrated him, William would gently stroke his hair and encourage him to try one more time, always beside him, trying to help however he could.
Meanwhile, strange things kept happening for Est, one saturday, he woke up fully prepared to clean the apartment, the previous night, the three of them had held an art session and turned the living room into a gallery. Wesley and Willy had fallen asleep on the carpet after dinner, and after carrying both of them to bed, Est had gone to sleep himself without cleaning anything.
But when he woke up, the living room was spotless; there was no trace of paint, crayons, or drawings taped everywhere, even the dishes he’d left in the dishwasher had been neatly put away.
A few days later, he had to go to the office while Wesley was at school, that same night, as he was getting ready for bed, he realized that the laundry he’d been meaning to wash for days had somehow been cleaned and folded neatly inside his closet.
He hadn’t cleaned Wesley’s room himself in months, despite the fact that he used to do it almost daily, now it was always clean, everything was always exactly where it belonged.
Not to mention that he’d been noticing for weeks that some of his clothes had mysteriously disappeared, as well as food from the pantry.
Am I losing my mind?
Am I sleepwalking?
Is someone else living with us without me noticing?
Those questions frequently crossed his mind whenever he noticed something strange around the apartment.
That morning, Est woke up to the sound of his son’s laughter and the sweet smell of pancakes filling the air, cautiously walked toward the kitchen, expecting to find his mother there with Wesley. She occasionally visited on weekends.
Instead, he found only the two youngest members of the household, Wesley was setting what appeared to be a glass of coffee on the table, while Willy sat beside it.
“Good morning, papa!” the little boy ran toward him and crashed into him, wrapping his arms around his waist, “P’Willy and I made breakfast for you!”
“P’Willy? Did he level up?” Est murmured with amusement, returning the hug before Wesley immediately dragged him toward the table. Est blinked several times in disbelief when he got a closer look.
In the center of the table stood a slightly crooked tower of pancakes, there were three bowls of sliced fruit, a glass of chocolate milk where Wesley usually sat, and his iced coffee waiting in front of his own seat.
“Wes, did you use my credit card to order food online?” he asked quietly as he sat down.
And then, he heard an offended huff, raising his head, he realized it hadn’t come from Wesley, it had come from Willy, the puppy approached and gently bumped his leg with his head, something he did whenever Est… offended him.
“Papa, I already told you, P’Willy and I made it. I haven’t touched your phone since… that time.”
“That time? You mean when you almost bought a car from some random guy on Facebook?”
Wesley already had his plate piled high with maple syrup-covered pancakes, he shoved a huge bite into his mouth, trying to avoid his father’s stare, “It was a really cool car, papa. We can’t deny that.”
“It was a scam!”
“I was six, papa. How was I supposed to know?”
“Wow, excuse me, big seven-year-old kid. That was last year!”
“And I learned my lesson! We haven’t been in danger of poverty since then, papa!”
Est shook his head with a laugh at his son’s dramatic complaints. Before taking another bite, he asked again, “How did you make breakfast, Wes?”
“P’Willy and I made it with magic.”
And Est gave up, he probably wasn’t ever going to get an answer.
After months of work, stress, and more than a few sleepless nights, the new collection had finally launched and it had done even better than Est and his team had expected.
“We did it!” Hong shouted over the video call, cutting Pond off halfway through his sales report. “You have to come celebrate with us, papa.”
“I’m not sur—” Before he could even finish, a small human projectile launched itself onto his lap.
“Uncle Hong! Uncle Pond! Hiiii!” Wesley spun the laptop around so the camera pointed directly at him while enthusiastically waving at his dad’s friends, “I miss you!!”
Both men immediately shoved their faces close to the screen, practically climbing over each other in the process while making ridiculous noises, as though trying to entertain a baby.
“My Wesley, my precious child, I miss you so much. Your papa hates us and won’t let us see you. Please tell us you’re okay,” Hong lamented dramatically while trying to push Pond aside to monopolize the boy’s attention.
“Wes, convince your papa to come to dinner tonight. We want to see you,” Pond pleaded.
Wesley giggled and nodded immediately without even turning to look at Est, “We’ll come! I’m going to introduce you guys to Willy today!”
Est sighed.
His fate had been decided.
That evening, the restaurant was filled with laughter and lively conversation from beginning to end, everyone on Est’s team had known Wesley since he was little and absolutely adored him.
Especially Hong and Pond.
They’d been friends with Est long before Wesley had even been born, and they loved him as though he were truly their nephew. And Wesley loved them just as much.
Throughout the evening, Wesley proudly made sure everyone met Willy and understood that he was part of the family and that he was the smartest dog in the universe.
Though overwhelmed at first, Willy gradually began enjoying all the attention, everyone seemed incredibly kind. Pond secretly slipped food under the table every now and then for him to eat, while everyone eagerly petted him and praised how well-behaved he was.
Even Est seemed to have finally set aside his daily worries, the warm atmosphere of the restaurant allowed him to lower his guard, if only for a few hours.
It had been months since he’d given himself a real break, seeing Wesley—and Willy—being so well cared for and thoroughly entertained by his friends allowed him to relax.
“Cheers?” Pond said softly, clinking his glass against Est’s.
Est smiled and took a couple of drinks with his friends, not enough to get drunk, just enough to let his shoulders loosen and laughter come easier.
The night passed with stories, jokes, drinks, orange juice, and Hong’s increasingly ridiculous attempts to teach Wesley how to fold cloth napkins into shapes.
Beneath the table, Willy rested his head against one of Est’s knees, quietly watching him. He paid attention to the way Est’s voice became lighter and how his eyes sparkled, the same expression William usually saw whenever Est was with Wesley.
William let out the faintest sigh, one of Est’s hands had begun absentmindedly stroking his fur and all William just could think about how happy he was in that moment. And how badly he didn’t want it to end.
Near midnight, dinner finally came to an end. Est managed to buckle an already asleep Wesley into the backseat of a taxi, with Willy jumping up beside him and immediately serving as his pillow during the ride home.
When they finally entered the apartment, the silence felt comforting, dragging his feet from exhaustion and the slight effects of alcohol, Est carried Wesley to his room, despite being moved around so much, the boy never woke up.
Est changed him into his pajamas, tucked him beneath his blanket, and did the same for Willy after finding him already curled up in his own bed.
“Good night, my boys,” Est murmured softly in the darkness before carefully closing the door.
He headed to his own room, changed into comfortable sweatpants, and collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling for several seconds, he drifted off without even realizing it.
A few hours later, he woke up with his mouth completely dry, his throat felt scratchy, and mentally, he blamed the drinks from dinner. He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes in the darkness, and sluggishly got up to get a glass of water.
Silently, he shuffled barefoot down the hallway, halfway there, he froze.
The kitchen light was on, he blinked several times, trying to shake away the sleepiness, then slowly continued forward. Wesley’s bedroom door stood open, peeking inside, he saw his son sleeping peacefully exactly as he’d left him.
His mind went blank for a few seconds, if it wasn’t Wesley… then someone else had gotten into the apartment.
Moving as quietly as possible, he searched around for something he could use to defend himself, finding nothing, he simply raised his fists and cautiously approached the kitchen.
The scene that greeted him wasn't what he’d expected at all.
Standing in front of the stove with his back turned was a young man, his messy black hair stuck out in every direction, his shoulders moved to a rhythm only he seemed to hear, and, to Est’s even greater shock: he was wearing his clothes.
An old hoodie and a pair of sweatpants, the exact clothes he’d noticed disappearing from his closet.
The stranger moved around comfortably, watching over a small pot of boiling water, an open package of instant noodles sat on the counter, apparently, he hadn’t noticed Est’s presence yet.
Fear, indignation, and utter confusion crashed together inside Est. How had a complete stranger entered his home? Why was he wearing his clothes? And, why was he cooking in his kitchen like he belonged there?
“Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing here?” His voice came out much louder than intended as he stepped forward and flipped on the main kitchen light.
The young man nearly jumped out of his skin, the chopsticks slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor, slowly, he turned around, his eyes wide with panic, his breathing quickened, his hands rose instinctively in surrender.
Silence settled over the kitchen once more, the boy in front of Est neither moved nor spoke, he simply stared back, terror written plainly across his face.
And Est did the same. He looked younger than Est, was tall, pale, with soft features. Est’s fists slowly lowered, because beyond the fear in those eyes… those dark, big, shining eyes, there was something strangely familiar about them.
Something he’d seen before.
“I…” the boy whispered, his voice trembling as though he wasn’t sure what answer to give. His gaze darted everywhere except toward Est, his hands had begun shaking, so he hugged himself, almost hiding inside the oversized hoodie.
Est was about to demand an explanation again when soft footsteps echoed from the hallway, seconds later, Wesley appeared, his eyes were closed, he swayed sleepily from side to side until he reached the kitchen, “Papa…? What’s going on?”
“Wesley, baby, go back to your room, please,” Est said quietly, almost panicking at the sight of his son standing in the same room as the stranger, he still didn’t know if the man was dangerous.
Wesley rubbed his eyes before finally opening them, he looked at his dad and then at the young man still standing frozen beside the stove, without a second thought, he walked straight toward him and wrapped his arms around his waist, “P’Willy, I’m sleepy. Can we go back to bed?”