Pyro

“I just want you to understand…”

I shifted, hearing a distant voice.

“I don’t want to be alone anymore…You have to understand, Alessandro…”

My eyes fluttered open.
Pyro was sitting up, knees pulled to his chest.

“Pyro…?”
“It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”

I was about to sit up, but he placed a hand on my back to push me back down.
He moved his hand to my hair, twirling a strand around his finger.

I rolled over onto my back and pulled him close, silently begging for more of his attention.
He kissed my lips before he moved his lips to my neck.

I inhaled the scent that I’ve become accustomed to.
However, it was different this time.

The smell of cinnamon was faint, as if it was masked by something else.

“Is there something wrong?”
He pulled away to look at me.

I shook my head, not looking into his hazel eyes.

“Did my actions last night bother you?”

He carelessly rubbed the scratch marks on my thigh, causing me to flinch.

I shook my head again to his question and pulled him close again so that our chests were touching.
I wrapped my arms around his back and nuzzled my nose into his neck, inhaling again.

His scent isn’t the same. Why isn’t it the same?

//πυρ//

“I haven’t been here in a while. I almost forgot what it looked like.”

I handed Pyro his coffee and sat in the seat in front of him.

“You’ve been here before?” Giov called from the front.
“When I was younger.”

Giov nodded in understanding.
Pyro adjusted his red scarf before he took a sip of his drink.

Ka-chik!

“Did you just take a picture of me?”
“Maybe…”

“So, am I the object of interest today?”
He leant in with a smirk on his lips.

“I guess so…”
He was about to move in for a kiss, but stopped when Marco’s voice sounded through the entrance.

“Any leads today, Marco?”
Giov spoke again as he placed a coffee on the counter for him.

“I can hear the mocking tone in your voice, Giovanni, and I don’t appreciate it.”
Marco turned to look at us, his eyes squinting slightly to focus on Pyro.

His eyes widened in shock, but quickly returned to normal.

“Welcome back…Pyro is what they call you nowadays?”
“Marco.”

Pyro’s hazel eyes seem to glow as he said the name through grit teeth.

“You seem unusually bright today, Alessandro. I could guess the reason why…”
“It’s none of your business.”

Pyro’s voice was surprisingly cold.

“When did you come back, Pyro?”
“Once again, it’s none of your—”

“About three months ago, correct?”
Marco stood up, walking towards us.

“Exactly when those fires started.”

Pyro growled slightly and stood up as well.

“You can’t possibly be accusing this man, Marco!”
Giov spoke up.

“Don’t you think that it’s a coincidence that the fires started the exact time this man moved into our town?”
Giov didn’t answer as he shook his head in disbelief and walked into the room behind the counter.

“Why should anyone believe you, Marco?”
Pyro stepped closer to him, causing him to shrink back a little.

“There isn’t any evidence against me, is there?”

Marco didn’t respond as a familiar, bone-chilling smile made its way onto Pyro’s lips – he took out a cigarette and a match, placing the box onto the table.

Pyro lit his cigarette and inhaled, blowing the smoke into Marco’s face, who glared at the gesture.

“Let’s go, Alessandro.”
I nodded and stood up, following after him.

Marco and Pyro exchanged glances one last time.

“Bambino Demone.”