The Great Escape {Faolan/Edge}

[NightshadeVII]

With a sigh, the punk ran a hand through his hair, like he had done so many times already, leaving it trousled and perhaps more poofy than before. Absentmindedly, he blew a strand of hair away from his face, too busy looking around his apartment to really notice.
He had looked everywhere. His apartment wasn’t even that big, a combined kitchen and living room, a bathroom and a bedroom, and a fourth room, which he supposed he used as a guest room from time to time, whenever someone needed a place to stay. Still, there weren’t many places for Socks to hide, especially compared to the apartment she was used to.

“Jade’s gonna kill me...”, he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. Just the thought of having to call the bassist and tell her what had happened tripled his guilt. He knew she’d be crushed and she really didn’t need that on top of everything else, she already had too much to worry about. Besides, she had trusted Edge with this, she had enough faith in him to let him look after Socks, who she was so protective of, while she was away. Edge couldn’t break that trust, couldn’t do that to Jade.
For perhaps the fifth or sixth time, he got on his knees, looking under every piece of furtniture that Socks could perhaps squeeze under, no matter how unlikely it seemed.
“Where are you...?”

Finally, he admitted defeat. He couldn’t go on like this, looking everywhere without any real idea of where to begin, he was chasing shadows at the moment, theorizing and trying to think of possiblities, when he had no idea of what he was doing. Still, he looked around his apartment one more time, purple eyes scanning thoroughly, but with surprising ease, even if he wasn’t expecting to see anything new. He wasn’t expecting Socks to suddenly just appear in a doorway or on top of a cupboard. There really was no sign of her.
But he knew who to call.
Rising to his feet with a soft groan, the punk picked his phone up from atop a book on the coffee table. Unlocking it in a smooth movement, he began to scroll through his not-too-long list of contact, looking for a certain blonde’s name. If anyone Edge knew was an expert on this, it was Faolan. He barely needed to look, recognizing the blonde’s name instantly.
He bit his lip, brows furrowing slightly as he considered if he really should bother the blonde, he probably had much better things to do than help Edge fix his own fuck-ups. Seconds dragged on, and the Daria’s hand twitched, as if to put the phone down. This was stupid, he shouldn’t inconvenience Faolan, he had so much to think about already.

Then again, he could always try. Edge didn’t know for sure that Faolan was busy, and he really didn’t know what to do. At this point, anything could help. Before he had time to stop himself, he called Faolan, hearing the steady beeping of his phone as he put it to his ear.
Without thinking, he took a few steps around his apartment, almost pacing, which was something he did so rarely.

“Uh, hi, Faolan!” He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, chuckling sheepishly, “I, uh, I know this is sudden and... a rather... weird request, but could you come over?” He spun one of the piercings in his lower lip, “It’s okay if you don’t have time, but I could really use your help.”

[qhostqrowls]

Edge did not need to wait long. The phone was picked up after only a few rings, and a bright voice greeted him from the other end of the line.

“Hey Edge.” The smile was clear in Faolan voice, and had appeared on his face since he’d seen who the caller was. The expression faded somewhat as he picked up on the others anxiety, and when he spoke again it was with a more reserved, almost calming tone. “Sure thing, I’m not busy. I can be over there in ten. What’s wrong?”

It would take fifteen or so minutes if he walked. There was a bus line that passed Edge’s apartment block, though, if he remembered correctly, which would take much less time. If he was quick, he could make the next one. With that thought in mind, he swept his wallet from the countertop and shrugged on his jacket, head tilted to keep the phone between his face and shoulder.

For once, he hadn’t been busy. His work for the weekend had been finished on Friday, and he had no shifts scheduled. It would be nice to see Edge again, they hadn’t caught up for a while, and if he needed help then he was ready to give it.

[NightshadeVII]

Edge’s shoulders sagged and his chest lightened at the sound of Faolan’s voice. Despite his worries, he found himself smiling as the blonde spoke, delighted to hear him talk again, even if it was just over the phone. It had been a while since they had last caught up, in person. Edge knew how busy the doctor were, and he also knew how much Faolan wanted to help others, whenever he could he gave as much as he could, even if it left him exhausted in the end. Despite the situation, the punk couldn’t help but hope that they’d be able to catch up after it all.
It didn’t take long for the doctor to agree to help him, causing Edge to let out a small laugh of relief.

“Oh thank you so much, Faolan, you’re a lifesaver” Edge practically sighed, the thankful smile so clear in his voice. Then, as he considered how to to explain what had happened, he bit his lip, absentmindedly picking up a feathered cat toy from the ground, turning it between his fingers.
“I think I need a cat expert for this...”

He really hoped he wouldn’t seem like a total, incompetent idiot for saying this, saying that he had slipped up where he shouldn’t and risked hurting a friend because of it. For a moment, he looked down, tracing the lines in the floor, having already memorized some of the shapes.
“Remember Jade’s cat? Socks, the Maine Coon?”, he asked, sounding hesitant, embarrassed as he ran a hand through his hair, “Well, I’m looking after Socks at the moment, took her to my apartment, while Jade is out of town.”

Now came the embarrassing part. The part of the story that he hated to admit and desperately wanted not to be true. It was stupid, really, and for a moment, he wondered why he had agreed to look after the cat, when at times he could barely look after himself.
“And, uh... I can’t find Socks”, almost unconsciously, he looked around the apartment again, “I have no idea where she went and she’s still really young... I just... I don’t want her to be hurt or scared somewhere...”

Still he allowed himself to hope, as he had done before. Hope was calming somehow, as was the knowledge that Faolan was so willing to help him look. Faolan was coming over, and a fresh pair of eyes always did wonders. Maybe Edge had just looked so hard at one possibility that he had become blind to all the others, wouldn’t be the first time that happened.

[qhostqrowls]

“Oh?” Faolan walked down the hallway, checking his watch and continuing to pay close attention to the other. “Oh, shit.” the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside, pressing the button to the lobby and wincing as Edge broke the news.

Loosing your own pet was bad enough, but to lose someone else's was even worse. Clearly Edge already knew that, judging by the tone of his voice. He recovered quickly, not wanting the guitarist to beat himself up over it.

“That's...not great, but it’s going to be fine. I’m sure she hasn't got far. And you know cats, they're independent. We'll definitely be able to find her.” he said, the confidence partly for Edge and partly for himself. Cats were harder to get a hold of than dogs, but she was only a small cat, and clearly domestic. She wouldn't have gotten far without being picked up. “Does she have a collar or tags? And have you checked with your neighbours, maybe she got into the hall?”

[NightshadeVII]

When he heard Faolan say it was going to be fine, he allowed himself to stop, breathe and smile. Somehow it was so much easier to believe when someone else said it, than when he had said it to himself, it wasn’t that weird if he really thought about it, but it said something about him.
It was nice to have someone coming from outside of it all give a calm assessment, helped him get out of his own mind and the hole of worries he always managed to dig. Funny how something as simple as another person’s voice could do that.
So Edge was glad he had called Faolan, both happy to hear the doctors voice, looking forward to seeing him, and a little more hopeful about finding Socks again, now that Faolan was coming over to help him look.
Things were going to be okay, they’d find Socks, one way or another

“She’s earmarked as far as I know.”, Edge said, his voice sounding a little more calm, collected now that he had something to focus on. Something he could actually think about and prepare. Even something he could do. Previously, his worry and frustration has festered from the feeling of having expended all his possibilities, but now that he had new options, he didn’t feel as stuck as he had before. Thanks to Faolan. He hadn’t even thought about Socks’ earmark, and he hadn’t checked with the neighbors, not yet at least, he’d be doing that as soon as possible. Maybe they didn’t have her, but there was the chance that they had seen her, and that was better than nothing.
“I knew calling you would help”, Edge chuckled, sheepish, sounding almost embarrassed at his own relived enthusiasm, “I haven’t checked with the neighbors, but I’ll have it done before you get here.”

[qhostqrowls]

Not ten minutes later there was a knock at Edges front door. Faolan flashed the man a sympathetic smile alongside his usual greeting reserved for Edge - a quick side hug and a hello - as he opened the door, and stepped inside when invited. He hadn't been over for a while, and had only been over a few times at that, but there was something familiar and comforting about the small living space.

It was so different from his own apartment and that was part of the charm. It was crowded and personalized in the best way - it looked like Edge, like a musicians apartment, with the battered guitar case and the sheet music and the...distinct lack of a cat.

Judging by that, and the look on Edge's face, he could assume that the hallway search and neighbour checks had been fruitless.
"So, still no Socks, huh?" The doctor crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the window. "Do you know when she went missing? If she's fine, she'll probably turn up at meal times, but...maybe we should have a look around the block, too?" He tapped a foot against the floor, frowning slightly. He really wanted to help Edge with this, but it was a tricky situation. But he had the feeling the two of them could manage it. Hopefully. He prayed that Socks would be less problematic then his own cat in escape attempts..

[NightshadeVII]

Asking around the apartment had yielded some results, but not much. Most hadn’t seen or heard Socks, surprised to find that there had even been a cat in Edge’s apartment to begin with.
Even Evelynn, the elderly lady who was widely regarded as the mother of the entire apartment complex, since she often checked up on the other tenants and arranged social events, hadn’t seen Socks. She had mentioned hearing something that could’ve been a cat meowing though, which was far better than nothing.

Barely had Edge returned to his apartment, before Faolan knocked on the door, he returned the blonde’s smile almost instantly, happy, relieved and a whole mix of other emotions that he couldn’t quite describe behind the smile, showing in his eyes. The Darai didn’t even need to think, opening the door properly for the other to enter.
The doctor greeted him like he usually did, hugging, saying hello. And the hug was returned, just as easily as breathing. The few seconds it lasted welcome and enjoyable, something known and calming. In the back of his mind, there was a reluctance to let go, wanting to just drag the hug out a little longer, a few seconds, but it was quickly stifled, pushed down and muted when Edge stepped away again. It wouldn’t bring anything good, and he didn’t want his friend to feel awkward.

When Faolan spoke, Edge listened closely, absentmindedly noticing how he crossed his arms or tapped his foot against the floor, how a slight frown curled at the corners of his lips.
And he was waiting for a reply. Luckily it was one Edge could easily give.
“I noticed she was missing about 45-50 minutes ago?”, he said, brows furrowed slightly in thought as he got his timeline straight, before sending Faolan a grateful look, “Looking around the block sounds good, maybe someone left the door to the yard open or something?”

While he spoke, Edge moved across the apartment, grabbing a jacket as a second thought.
“Looks like it could rain soon…”, Edge mused, looking out of the window, up at the grey clouds that was beginning to amass above them. He really hoped Socks hadn’t managed to get out in this weather, stuck or lost outside in the cold.
Then he looked back at Faolan, the smile returning, faint, but more balanced now that to doctor was here.
“Ready to go?”

[qhostqrowls]

"Ah, that's not too long ago, then." Faolan sent Edge an encouraging smile. It was obvious he was stressed about the missing cat, and who wouldn't be? But there was no point in worrying. It wouldn't make Socks appear any sooner. "Probably, slipped out while she could. She can't have gotten too far, don't worry." the doctor followed Edge's gaze out the window, towards the bruised clouds that swelled fat with rain. It wasn't the best weather to go pet searching in, but it would mean Socks, if she knew where she was, might return to the warm shelter of the apartment.

He typed in the weather forecast as the other pulled on his jacket. The phone confirmed that it would, indeed, rain within the next two hours. He returned the faint smile, and nodded, slipping his phone away. There was a determined look in his eyes as he met Edges gaze. They could do this. He wanted to help, and had the feeling that together they would succeed. In a way, he thought it was sweet that Edge knew he was able to call him up to help with things like this.

"Yep, all good." he exited the apartment before Edge, and continued down the stairwell once he was done locking up, keeping pace with the taller man. "Are there any parks around here? That would be the first place we should look, yeah?"

[NightshadeVII]

There was a certain comfort to having Faolan around like this. The blonde was so much calmer and clear-headed in the situation, which provided Edge with a much needed sense of stability in the situation and prevented him from immediately jumping to the worst conclusions without even knowing why. Faolan would probably be able to point out the things that Edge, in his worry, hadn’t even spared a thought. Which was one of the reasons why the blonde doctor was the first person who had come to mind, when Edge decided to call someone for help. The determination in the doctor’s eyes also helped make the darai just a little more optimistic about the entire thing.
So when Faolan came with his first suggestion, that they look in nearby parks, Edge lit up.

“Oh yeah, parks sounds like a good idea”, Edge nodded, smiling gratefully at the other, “there’s one a few streets from here, and it’s pretty easy to find, we could try to go there first.”
The two of them quickly got ready to exit, and while Faolan looked up the weather forecast, Edge grabbed a bag of cat treats that he had bought, figuring it might help lure socks out, should they need it. The darai just hoped that they’d find socks quickly, before it began to rain. He didn’t like the thought of the young cat lost and alone who knows where in pouring rain.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the apartment entrance. Without even thinking, Edge held the door open for Faolan, waiting for him to walk through, before joining him outside, hands shoved in his pockets.
“Has Jake ever done something like this?”, Edge asked, a glint in his eyes as he referred to Faolan’s cat, which he had met a few times at this point. The darai always had felt that conversation came naturally around Faolan, despite the fact that he was a quiet person. Around the blonde, there was no pressure to talk all the time, but strangely enough, Edge would himself wanting to talk. He didn’t really have a topic in mind, so he’d see where the conversation took them.