(Edited with Grammarly on 4/23/2026)
(A/N: Oops, realized I've been using Aidan and Adrian interchangeably, so for going forward Aidan has been changed to Adrian.)
"Wow." Marceline actually sounded genuine, sidelined, and maybe even a bit insulted. That in itself didn't make a lot of sense to Albert; wasn't this what he was supposed to be doing? He knew he was going to a house party in the coming days and honestly thought that inviting them was to be expected. "I gotta say, you couldn't have suggested a worse thing to do on a Sunday night. Honestly, I would rather pull my own teeth out...no, no walk into a Catholic church and confess all my sins to a priest. Who knows, maybe they won't just burn me at the stake for being a witch and just toss me into an insane asylum for claiming to be able to speak to the dead. So no, I do not want to go to some crappy house party. Sorry, not sorry!"
"Same." Angeline's voice spoke up then, growing louder through the speakers as some tussling could be heard in the background. "Those parties are nothing but trouble, run by a bunch of random dudes just wanting to get their rocks off. Believe me, I got tricked into going one time, and the number of times guys tried to force me to drink made me never want to go again. I was around fourteen at the time, and they were probably seventeen or even eighteen. Some of the biggest fucking losers I've ever met in my life. If you want my advice, don't go. Those sorts of parties always get shut down. I don't even know why you would want to go."
"It's a job," Albert replied, hand holding steady as he lightly dusted the mannequin head before him. Its face was covered in a mix of differing colors. Some light red here around the lips, protrusions along its cheekbones, and chin. Honestly, it didn't really look all that impressive now, and maybe it was going to turn out terribly. But it was an experiment, with a case as low-stakes as this, why should he take advantage of this chance to try out something new? "I'm playing cupid for someone, says this'll be their only time to do so."
"Whatever," The shrug in the medium's voice was so clear that it was almost like he could almost see her do it right in front of him. "Just a heads up, though, there for sure won't be any good food there. Might be some cheap pizza, but nothing like the stuff you bribe me with."
"I'll keep that in mind...and I'm guessing Steve and Michael don't want to go either?"
"Hell no!"
Twin male voices yelled over the line, distant but still very much audible. The sudden shout caused his hand to twitch involuntarily, leaving a small tear through the thin layer and exposing the porcelain white skin of the mannequin. Letting out a sigh, he tossed the paintbrush to the side and leaned further back in his chair.
A whole hour of work ruined just like that.
"Yeah," She continued a few moments later. "They're good...but it is appreciated. Try to have fun, I guess? Just do me a favor, will you?"
"Sure, what's up?"
He took a steadying breath in, heat rushing up to the surface as frustration tried to spill over the sides. It wasn't their fault; they had no idea he'd been stupid enough to try to multitask. This most recent failure was on him, and there was no reason to take it out on either of them. Besides, he had plenty of time left...and he would admit that the right side had been slightly lopsided. And so reaching out, he grabbed the edges of the mannequin's face and pulled. With a tangible sticking sensation, the mask began to peel off its surface until it came up suddenly in two pieces.
Honestly, it did look like something out of a horror movie. It was a hobby of his to run around, killing people before cutting off their faces and wearing them like some sort of macabre Halloween costume. Its skin was a healthy hue, flaps holding a sort of clay and gelatin together at its jaw and forehead. Lips flapping open and eye sockets empty.
'Yeah,' Albert just knew tossing this would bring up so many questions he had no real interest in answering, and so, with another sigh, tossed the failed product into a bright red tub beside him after scooping out the clumps of clay and gelatin. Smelling heavily of rubbing alcohol, it just floated there for a moment before its skin began to dissolve. Around the edges, they began to curl up before slowly dispersing into the tub. Turning the already murky solution a dark shade. 'Not risking that.'
Moving once more, he took out a scoop full of product in one hand and lightly layered it over the mannequin's face, going light around the edges and molding a few clumps flat until he had a better canvas. Picking up yet another brush, he began to work once more. But slower and more deliberate as he waited.
"If you see anyone who looks sweet and doesn't belong there, please make sure she doesn't get taken advantage of." Here, Marceline sounded a bit hesitant before continuing. "I know how some of those people work, and the story is always the same. They chat up this shy girl, get her buzzed and loose, make her feel special or seen before making their move. We had someone like that last year, gave some random lowlife a chance, and throughout that year, she was known as a slut and easy for sleeping with him. Last I heard, the bullying got so bad that she dropped out...No one deserves that, you know? And I really, really don't want to see that happen again. I'm not asking you to kick anyone's ass or anything...just keep your eyes open. That's all."
"I'll keep an eye out...but is there anyone in particular I should look out for? Like any tough company or trouble?"
"Honestly, besides the jocks, anyone up to no good is pretty easy to notice. You know the type, always looking shifty...I know that describes me, but I'm different, I swear! But seriously, though, it'll be obvious. They'll be the ones putting everyone down and such. If you want an overall person to avoid, steer clear of this girl named Sienna. Real pretty, like really, really pretty. Kinda tall and with black hair. You really, really can't miss her, but she's a bit of a mean girl. Bitchy vibes, honestly, more so than Lin."
"Thank you." Angeline actually sounded appreciative, strangely enough. "I do try, I'm just not there yet. Come back to me in a year, and we'll see if I can take first place."
***
Albert had never really gone to any sort of parties in his past life; most of the ones he did attend were offhand work events or family celebration events that he was often on the periphery of. He'd seen plenty of movies, social media posts, and heard of how wild or trashy some of these parties could get. From drunks brawling in the middle of a dance floor, relationships breaking as they found spouses treating in some bedroom or bathroom, to even how some parties got shut down by police in the area.
In frank terms, with high school and college parties, it was safe to always expect something chaotic to happen. A cesspool of newfound freedom, alcohol, drugs, and sporadic hormones up to one's ears, anything was bound to happen.
Apparently, it was supposed to be a good time. And that was probably due to the 'bouncers' standing outside scanning the incoming crowd of party goers, looking for anyone who didn't seem to belong. He knew who they were looking for, the creeps, the weirdos, and the outright strange. Anyone who hadn't put on their best or didn't reach their standards of attraction, or for any dude that would offset the careful balance they were going for. They probably didn't want a complete sausage fest and systematically shoved hard at the chests of any guy who looked like they were going to kill the atmosphere.
One of the bouncers, a young man broad in shoulders and wearing a black and yellow varsity jacket, grabbed a random scrawny fellow from out of the stream and dragged him off to the side. A cruel and satisfied expression was plain on his face.
The scrawny teen in question tried to wriggle free from his impressive grip, a slight whine visible on his face. And from how he pointed further off into the steady stream of teens, it seemed like he was leaving his companions under the bus as well.
Following the single pointed finger, the other bouncer too pulled free two other male teens who'd both been crouched low as they tried to blend into the crowd, the pair of them sending a viscous glare to the snitch in their midst.
The snitch pointed even more fervently into the crowd, trying to drag at least someone down with him.
The first bouncer put on a thoughtful expression before those blue eyes lit up with recognition. And with a lewd gesture, he held one hand above his chest a bit farther out before grinning lasciviously. Even going so far as to gyrate his hips suggestively before shaking his head and cocking back a fist in a clear threat, before tossing the snitch off to the side with enough force to send him sprawling, his 'friends' following not too long after as they crashed together and formed a sort of ball of misery and crushed dreams.
Seeing that little display, Albert turned to the side. Locking gazes with a girl who had only just now could shake off her dazed expression. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she looked off to the side. Chelsea's brown hair was done up in a loose bun, wearing a flowing green shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. He could see some light makeup around her eyes and cheeks, making them appear rosy and a bit thinner, along with maybe a bit more to help cover up her acne scars.
She looked nice, like something commonly worn on a night out.
"Is there going to be a problem with me getting in?" He asked over the chattering crowd, sweat dripping down his back as they were pushed forward. The cold doing nothing to calm his rampaging nerves, getting tossed around like that did not seem like an all too pleasant thing."I'd rather not have to sneak in through the bathroom."
"I-"
"I don't think so!" Just as she was prepared to answer, another voice, this one chipper and high-pitched, butted in. And glancing to the side, he locked gazes with another girl around his age with strawberry blonde hair done up in a high ponytail and sparkling brown eyes. Her lips stretched out into a warm and maybe even a slightly flirty way. Twirling on a loose lock around her finger, she smacked away loudly at some gum, exposing rows of pearly white teeth. Wearing low-riding jeans and a pink top that proudly displayed her bejeweled belly button. She cocked her hip to the side and looked slightly up at him, compliments to the plates in his shoes. "If you're with me, you won't have any problems...I'm Rhea, and you don't look very familiar. Believe me, I would've recognized a cutie like you!"
"It's nice to meet you, Rhea." He nodded kindly to the girl, slipping off the compliments as easily as a fish cuts through water. Maybe he should've felt something more, as he'd never been called 'cutie' by anyone except by significantly older women. Whether he was a child and they a babysitter, or if he was in his early twenties and a fifty or sixty-year-old would pinch his cheek after he'd done something. Compliments were never really a thing he received often, much less by anyone within his own age group. Normally, anyone would begin to get a big head after receiving such direct and flirty attention. But he knew differently. This wasn't his real face; she wasn't actually flirting or anything with him. No, she was interested in this facade. This mask he wore. It was that fact that kept him from turning into a blabbering idiot. Keeping his stance open, he smiled widely. "Yes, I'm new around here, you can call me Toby...Have you met my friend here?"
Albert, or 'Toby', waved his hand to his companion. Her face scrunched up in fiery glare, a curl at her lips that looked anything but friendly. A mix of jealousy and wrath coming together to create something foul and venomous.
"Oh!" Rhea leaned to the side, looking the girl up and down before smirking. A manicured eyebrow lifted high in silent challenge. "Didn't see you there! Cherry, right?"
"Chelsea."
His client corrected through gritted teeth.
"Right, right!" From his perspective, it was clear she'd just taken that name in one ear and shoved it out the other. He would honestly be surprised if she even remembered the correction beyond this conversation. "Chelsea? Where have you been hiding this one? Trying to keep him all to yourself?"
"…" Through that cloud of jealousy, something like panic flickered across her face, and she looked up at him like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Eyes wide and mouth flapping like a fish as she tried to come up with a good excuse. "Uh..he's my-uh-cousin...Yeah, my cousin! And he's just uh...visiting!"
It was a decent cover at least. Pretending like they were related would explain why he'd even come to this event while also not confusing things with her actual goals coming to this party. After all, who would suspect anything? Not all cousins hold similar traits, so it could be easily explained away.
"Cousins, huh?" The blonde chewed loudly, blowing a small pink bubble before popping it and starting all over again. Her gaze flicking over the pair once and twice, only then did she take a step closer until she was almost pressed up against him. Fluttering her lashes, she grinned. "For shame, Chelsea! I thought we were friends! You should've introduced me to your cousin here a long time ago! Are you single? Where are you from? Can't be from Gotham, that accent isn't from around here! What is it like where you're from?"
He wasn't completely blind and could easily tell how she was 'subtly' dragging him away from his client. Not quickly by any means, but by the time a normal teen his age would've been able to drag his gaze away from those fluttering lashes, they would've found themselves in an endless sea of strangers. Despite that, he didn't fight the flow. This would make things easier for both Chelsea and him.
As she wouldn't seem like she was on a date at first glance, and he could take this time to gather some actual information on this prince charming character without his client getting in the way. Craning his head back, he locked gazes with her and threw up a thumbs-up. She didn't look all too pleased, but that was fine; they could always meet back up inside. Before falling into some light chit-chat with his newest guide. And not too soon later, another girl joined up with them. Pushing in close and closing in on his other side.
And as if the floodgates had been opened, more began to trickle in until he was nearly surrounded...okay, he was exaggerating. Four people could be considered a lot, and he sure felt like he was facing an army. From the endless tides of questions, giggling, and playful slaps, it was almost enough to completely drain his social batteries.
All he could do was grin and bear it as he looked up at the three-story house. From what he could see, the building was packed; even from just outside, he could see people pressed shoulder to shoulder through the bottom-floor windows. Music thrumming through his feet and rattling the graying shingles. And up on that porch, the same two bouncers dressed in varsity jackets stood as not too silent sentries as they scanned through the thinning stream.
One of them did lock gazes with him, and for a heart-stopping moment, he thought there was going to be a problem. Especially when the guy glanced down and saw him essentially wearing four girls from how close they were to him. Something dark and foreboding flashed in those beady eyes, looking far too animalistic for his liking.
But he didn't do anything, simply sent him a frigid look before continuing to scan the crowd.
'Yeah,' Albert knew what that look meant. 'He's going to be a problem.'
Pushing that aside, the moment he first stepped into that house, he already felt like it was a massive mistake.
Strangers, of all shapes and sizes, bumping into each other. Music blaring out from all sides, multi-colored lights flashing, chattering, and shouts of exultation. Some danced, some ground against each other, while others drank merrily. Suddenly, he could feel himself growing overwhelmed. Like he was up to his neck in water and could no longer feel the bottom.
No matter how hard he tried to fight, the world was closing in on all sides. The heat, the foul stench of sweat and body odor, cheers and jeers, pulsating lights. It was too much. Far, far too much.
"C'mon, Toby!" Rhea shouted over the chaos, dragging him right back to Earth as she began to tug earnestly at his arm. A lone manicured finger pointing off into some shapeless crowd of bodies. "My friends would LOVE to meet you!"
***
Albert slipped through the crowd, head on a swivel as he tried not to lock gazes with anyone in particular. Ducking low, he finally pushed himself from the wall of bodies and found himself stepping out under the cool night sky. The sweat cooling instantly, lifting his face in the errant breeze, he knew feeling anything would be impossible, but still, he took in a few steadying breaths.
Just grateful to finally be given a chance to breathe for what felt like forever. At least, if not for the sudden acrid stench that hit him all at once. Tickling at the back of his throat, the teen began to hack and cough. Bending off to the side, he began to spit viciously. Trying in vain to somehow regurgitate the mouthful of cancerous smoke.
"I would apologize." Someone started from somewhere nearby, their figure cloaked in the high-reaching shadows of the building. A circle of orange burned red before yet another plume of smoke billowed out. Their fingernails were painted black, rings along their fingers, and jewelry dangling off their wrist. "But you walked right into that."
"…" He held up a finger, hacking a good two more times before finding his voice. "You're right, my fault."
"…"
The girl didn't reply, their outline moving as they seemingly gazed off into Gotham nightlife. All that stood as a barrier between the chaos from inside and the rest of whatever debauchery out there was a simple white picket fence. Chipped and uneven as it was. She didn't really seem to be in the mood to talk, and honestly, he could appreciate that more than anything else just then.
Taking up a spot farther away from the walking chimney, he tried to settle his mind. Things had quickly spiraled out of control back there. Rhea had been nice and excited to introduce him to her group of friends, and they'd been pretty interested as well. And that interest had become a sort of double-edged sword. They just went on and on, asking him so many questions that it felt like he was being interrogated. Normally, if he was given the room and pace, he could pretend to be a charming fellow. Like what he did back with those school secretaries. He'd been able to keep them off their feet long enough not to have them question anything, but here? It was impossible.
There were only so many stories he could tell without exposing him outright, tales about his 'friends' from back home. From being all mysterious about exactly where he was from to even explaining why blue was the superior color. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy the happenings of Sundae and how pampered she was, but then things went for the worse. A song came on, and they all essentially demanded he join them. And to no one's surprise, acting all confident could only bring him so far. Dancing was a weakness, always has been, and will probably continue to be.
He could see it then, from the way his arms awkwardly waved in the air like naked tree branches to how his knees stiffly shuffled off beat. It was awful. He knew it to be a straight fact. And just to emphasize, it wasn't a charming bad or even cute but awkward dancer. Just plain bad. Almost offensively so.
And maybe it was just him being too perceptive, but he could've sworn a distance had grown between him and the group. Even the entourage of girls that had escorted him in couldn't even glance in his general direction. After the song concluded, they'd all huddled up in a tight circle. Leaving not even a small space for him to stand. The silent but unceremonious message was clear.
It was a familiar thing, something he often faced in his younger years...it had hurt back then, and he honestly thought he'd lived long enough to overcome that. But from the spike of unease in his heart, or how his cheeks flushed under the mask, to even how shallow his breathing had become, it seemed there was a lot more growing he needed to go through.
It didn't matter that he knew they'd only accepted him at first because of this stupid mask; he knew that if it was his real appearance, they would've avoided him like the plague. Didn't even matter if he knew he was never, ever going to see these people again, but it didn't stop that pain. He honestly thought he'd been able to separate himself.
'Turns out, it doesn't matter how attractive you are.'
Maybe he was overreacting; he probably was, honestly. If one group kicked him out, then what does it matter? He was here for a job at the end of the day.
"First time?"
The girl spoke up suddenly, reeling him back to reality.
"That obvious?"
"You look like you're about to panic." She flicked the bud down on the ground before crushing it under heel. Twist a good few times under a heavy combat boot, and pulling out another cancer stick. "Came out of there like you were running from the Devil or something."
"Just overwhelmed, is all."
"So what is it?"
"What is what?"
"You know," A pale hand waved over him, some bits of annoyance coming in as she lit up the end of her cigarette. The small orange flame was enough to illuminate delicate features for a moment before being drowned out by shadows. "What's your reason for coming here? You're obviously forcing yourself, and I know you're not just doing it to take a step outside your comfort zone."
"Maybe I am?" The snort of derision hit harder than any insult. "Okay, okay. You're right. I just decided to try it earlier this week, but I feel like this was too large a step. Honestly, I would rather be home with my cat."
"You and me both." She spat off to the side. "I got an orange tabby. Stupid as a bag of rocks, but I love that annoying little shit more than anything else."
"...I don't really know what kind of cat Sundae is." He shrugged, muscles easing as the conversation flowed. "She looks like a panther but smaller."
"Probably a Bombay then."
"Probably...does your cat have particular eating habits? Like I recently adopted her...well, she adopted me, it feels like sometimes, and she will only if I mix in wet and dry cat food. Zapped in the microwave and everything."
"What a princess you got there." She chuckled heartily. "You gave her royal treatment, so now you're stuck with it. But you'll get used to it. Ollie won't unless I'm eating as well, and probably especially when he expects to eat at the table with me or for me to be on the ground with him. And don't even get me started on his begging."
It felt nice to do this. Just a moment away from things. Nothing else mattered then, just the constant cycle of sharing more and more stories of being a cat owner. Just this conversation alone gave him a boost of confidence, self-assured enough to ease his nerves.
"From everything, this doesn't like your type of scene either." He asked suddenly. 'Why are you here?"
"…" She turned back to the skyline, a silence coming over them then. "You're right. I shouldn't be here, don't really want to be here...but what are friends for? It's just one night out of the year, and if this is all it takes to repay them for putting up with my bullshit, then so be it."
"T-"
Just as he prepared to reply, the glass door slid open. Flooding the peaceful environment with rambunctious music and turning his head, he saw a tall and slender blonde teen. His clothes freshly pressed, skin clear and lightly tanned. Hair whaffed to one side, he actually looked a bit shocked to see the two of them out there. Or maybe he was shocked to see Albert out there as well.
"Si-Si!" His voice was melodic, like he belonged better on a stage than out there with the peasants. "Sorry it took so long, but I'm glad to see you made yourself a little friend! It's nice to meet you, my name is Adrian!"