Welcome Ciaran Novel – Chapter 1

The sun disappeared a few hours ago, making way for the crescent moon that brightens the dark streets of a quiet residential area, away from the loud noise of the city. In one of those apartments, a young man is making the most of his day off, playing chess online while smoking his third cigarette. Yuu Hartglove – that’s what the people of Beneath call him – is in his early twenties, slender with fair skin and messy dark hair that covers his piercing blue eyes. Yuu is interested in many things that don’t always match his family’s values.

As a newly free man, Yuu’s first thought is to catch up with his uncle. The last time he visited him was at a boring family dinner that quickly became spicy, thanks to Yuu’s ability to unleash chaos. A memory that the whole family isn’t quite ready to forget, though they’ve tried hard to move on.

“That’s probably why I haven’t got a call from Uncle Jonathan since then,” Yuu thinks. He lights up his cigarette and brings it closer to his lips. “It’s time to show my dear uncle how much I love him!”

Ring, ring.

Yuu raises an eyebrow. It’s almost nine at night, and he’s not expecting anyone. Yuu wonders who could be ringing his doorbell. Neighbours? No way. They always run away from the country in autumn to avoid the constant rain and cold weather. And Yuu likes it because he has the whole floor to himself.

All of a sudden, Yuu remembers who his guest could be: Floryhan Leroy, a young woman smart enough to study at the city’s most prestigious university. As well as being intelligent, Floryhan is a devoted student, happily working extra hours for Yuu without asking for a penny in return for her hard work.

“That’s how I like employees,” Yuu smirks. He lets his online opponent move a knight. “Submissive and working til they drop, crumpling into a pile of exhaustion!”

Yuu wins the game, sending his frustrated opponent a smiley face and heart emojis before logging off.

Yuu barely has time to celebrate his victory as the loud steps come closer. When he looks up at the guest, Yuu expects to see a tiny, annoyed lady, not a giant, black man with a big grin on his face.

“Hey, Yuu! I hope I’m not bothering you?”

What is Killian doing here?! Sure, come in; it’s written somewhere on the door that the apartment is empty. Who the fuck does he thinks he is—

Yuu’s anger begins to fade as his eyes meet those of a strange, chubby creature – it’s ugly, with eyes as big as its round face. Yuu sees the strange creature Killian is holding for the first time and can feel something is wrong.

“What the heck—”

All Yuu’s senses are on high alert. He looks at the ceiling and hopes he’s dreaming. He must be. That would be the only way to explain why Killian made his way to his apartment with… A CHILD!

Blinking, Yuu looks back and forth between Killian and the little boy. His brain can’t process this. How could it be? Yuu has known Killian for years, and all of a sudden, he learns he’s a daddy. But judging by the child’s looks, it’s clear that his mother is not the woman Yuu’s thinking of, which makes the situation even more terrifying.

“What have you done?” Yuu asks. He’s so shocked he hasn’t heard a word of what Killian said.

“Do you want me to say it again?” Killian asks.

“You don’t have to!” Yuu screams. “I know you’ve cheated on your girlfriend! You’d better run before she hears the news!”

Killian laughs. “What are you talking about? I’ve never cheated and never will.”

Yuu is sceptical. He’s never met a grown man freely walking about with a child who isn’t his. Unless Killian is hiding a dark secret, and Yuu hopes he isn’t, the giant man is a daddy but refuses to admit it.

“I don’t want to be part of this,” Yuu admits. “I’d rather shoot myself than deal with your girlfriend.”

“Don’t say such silly things, Yuu! Plus, how could I manage without you?” Killian asks, concerned.

“You said once that the secret to a long lasting relationship is telling the truth. Just use your words and tell Kayla everything!”

“Can you share some tips?” Killian asks after a while.

“What for?”

Yuu raises an eyebrow. He’s trying to figure out what Killian means. Between the two of them, Killian is the brains, not Yuu. Besides, Yuu isn’t the sort of guy who helps out for free. Times are hard for everyone, and acting like a charity doesn’t pay the rent.

An evil smile appears on Yuu’s face. “Tell me how the woman you slept with forced you to raise your child?” Yuu asks.

“I haven’t slept with anyone but Kayla,” Killian answers proudly.

“Every cheater says the same!” Yuu whispers.

“That’s how it all began…

 

 

“It all started at the basketball club. I finished a game with my mates but stayed in the sports hall longer because Kayla called me. She’s on holiday with Alfie’s girlfriend, and they’re enjoying the sun on a tropical beach. As you can guess, my sweet lady missed me and couldn’t wait to hear my voice, haha! I won’t go into too much detail about our conversion because… Well, I’m not sure you’ll want to hear what we were talking about. Anyway, when we finally hung up, I headed straight to the changing rooms. After taking a shower, the magic happened. I had barely set foot in the changing room when I saw a box I was sure wasn’t there before. Curious, I stepped towards it and was shocked when I found a child. The cutie looked at me with his big, ocean-blue eyes and his messy dark hair covered his eyes. I couldn’t help but stare when the boy smiled so warmly at me. I asked everyone in the building if they’d seen the boy’s parents, but no one had. I’m a reasonable person, so I brought the child with me. With Kayla being away, I know I don’t have the skills to raise a child on my own. Then, I asked myself, ‘Is there anyone better than Yuu for this job? No!’”

“Do you think I’m your wife who’ll help you raise this child?” Yuu asks, unhappily.

“Nope, just my mistress!” Killian teases. Yuu’s look darkens, but it just makes Killian laugh more. “I was joking, Yuu, don’t be so serious!”

Yuu refrains from punching Killian in the face. The “joke” isn’t funny, rather the opposite. Yuu turns back to his laptop when Killian’s words catch his attention.

“Apart from my moral compass telling me to look after the child, there was a small detail that led to my decision,” Killian admits. “A crucial detail!”

“A detail?” Yuu repeats. He looks at the child, who continues to stare at the adults silently.

“He’s literally a mini you,” Killian says. “I couldn’t believe the similarities! I thought he was your son, but your surprise suggests I was wrong.”

“A younger version of me?”

Yuu looks at the little boy again, and the child does the same. The adult can see that they have some things in common: the fair complexion, eye colour, and hairstyle. Seeing a stranger who looks so familiar despite this being the first time they’ve met is rather suspicious. Some thoughts come to Yuu’s mind, and none of them is pleasant. But, one is worse than the others.

Did I get a woman pregnant? Holy shit! Why did it happen just as I decided to catch up with my uncle? I better do something before he finds out the truth… Otherwise, I’m a dead man!

Some dark thoughts cross Yuu’s mind, burning the child alive or strangling the boy’s mother to death before cutting her body into pieces, but he rejects them straight away. Yuu is already in trouble with the justice system because of his previous misdemeanours; he doesn’t want to worsen the situation by committing crimes to cover up his mistakes.

Suddenly, a growling resonates and begins to shake the apartment’s walls. Looking down at the little boy, he can see the boy’s face reddening before he mumbles inaudible words. Yuu looks at the boy suspiciously, disregarding the child’s hunger. Why should he care? First, he isn’t his dad; second, he doesn’t have to feed a stranger; and third, he never gives anything away for free.

They won’t stay long, though! I’ll hurry them out of here. I’ve seen your two ugly faces long enough to last me the rest of the week.

“Shame on me!” Killian walks closer to Junior before picking him up. “I forgot to buy baby food. Luckily, it’s just past nine, and I know a few good restaurants are still open. However, I’m not sure they serve baby food.”

“Phones exist for a reason,” Yuu mocks. “Give them a call and ask the restaurants if they do dinner for children. If they don’t, you’d better find someone to feed the monster because your cooking skills are a disaster. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like both of you to fuck off right now!”

Yuu kindly shows Killian to the door. He gave Killian more attention than he deserved, and he felt it draining his energy. Yuu should see that Killian was blessed with a special gift – he’s always full of energy, no matter the time of the day. Unfortunately, Killian’s lifestyle doesn’t match Yuu’s, who likes chilling in the evening and even more so when he’s off.

“There’s no time to waste!” Killian says, ignoring Yuu’s warning. “Calling restaurants isn’t the right thing to do; we should go there and ask them directly.”

“What didn’t you understand about fuck off?”

“Language, Yuu!” Killian reprimands. “Remember, Junior is here and hears everything we say. Let’s be a good example for our boy.”

“Don’t include me in your shitty stories. I’m not part of it,” Yuu threatens. He knows he has enough trouble without adding any more to the list. Yuu processes what Killian just said. “Who’s Junior?”

Deep down, Yuu doesn’t care about who Junior is. What he wants is for his two guests to leave immediately. He never invited them to begin with: Killian came to Yuu’s place with his horrible baby monster and all they’ve done is test his patience. Yuu has been polite, but as he should have known, that doesn’t work with Killian. Subtlety isn’t a word he’s familiar with, and neither is Yuu.

Yuu was anticipating a relaxing evening – watching motorcycle races on a loop, talking with his uncle and listening to classical music before going to bed – but instead, he has to deal with this idiot and a suspicious child.

“My boy!” Killian answers proudly. Yuu raises an eyebrow, disappointed by the child’s name. “Actually, Junior’s full name is Yuu Junior. I was trying to think of a third name, but I’m all out of ideas.”

“I’m not allowing you to –”

“Stop talking, we’re late!”

Killian grabs Yuu’s arm and leads them to the main door, ready to explore Beneath’s dark streets, looking for a fancy place to eat. The dark-skinned man ignores his friend’s complaints, focusing on Junior’s sparkling eyes. The child is eager to eat after waiting for ages for a kind man to take pity on him.

Despite Yuu’s grumpiness – mumbling under his breath and threatening Killian – it doesn’t seem to affect the other two; instead, it has the opposite effect. Killian teases Yuu about his ability to come up with new threats, not realising he’s serious. Around them, in the usually quiet, residential area of southern Beneath, people are giving these two noisy young men a sympathetic look.

 

                                                              ➡️ Next Chapter