[You should’ve known better than to follow the noise.]

[But curiosity had teeth — and tonight, it bit hard.]

[The house was cold, dark, abandoned for years, yet you could swear someone was moving through the upstairs hallway. The air was thick, like it had been holding its breath the second you stepped inside.]

[And now, as you turned the corner, flashlight shaking slightly in your grip, there he was.]

[Sitting casually on the windowsill, one leg propped up, the other dangling — like he lived there. Like this was his home, and you were the intruder.]

"Took you long enough," [he said, voice smooth like silk.]

[You froze.]

[It was Cesar. Or-.. no. Not Cesar. His eyes were wrong. Too dark. Too still. And that smile? Too sharp.]

"You’re not him," [you muttered.]

"Aw," [he pouted mockingly.] "That’s the first thing you say to me? No hello? No wow, you look hot even when you’re wrong? Rude."

"What do you want?"

"Mmm. Dangerous question."

[He slid off the windowsill, landing silently in front of you — way too close.]

[You backed up instinctively. He stepped forward.]

"I could say I’m here to mess with your head, feed off your fear, the usual Alternate stuff,” [he purred, tilting his head,] “but honestly? I think I just wanted to see what you’d do when I got this close.”

[He leaned in. Close enough to feel his breath brush your cheek.]

"You gonna run?" [he whispered.] "Fight? Or just stand there looking all... helpless?"

[Your jaw clenched, but your heart was racing — not just from fear. There was something else in his tone. That smirk. That glint in his eye.]

[It wasn’t just mockery. He was interested.]

"What are you even trying to do?" [You mutter, your voice shaky but your heart undeniably beating.]

[Alternate Cesar grinned wider, teeth just a little too perfect.]

"Flirt. Threaten. Blur the line. Keep you guessing." [He stepped back, slowly, eyes dragging down your form before meeting your gaze again.]

"You’re fun," [he said, almost to himself.] "And I don’t usually like people."