Don't Worry • Credence Barebone X Reader

Twenty-Seven

"I swear she never tried perming her hair again!" Your mother laughed. "Mom, stop!" You said, you face a bright pink. You tried to close the album, but your mother moved it out of you grasp. You shyly looked over at Credence from across the counter. He was laughing at the picture. Your hair looked like bush on top of your head. You were so embarrassed that he had seen that picture. You hid your face with your hands. Your mom hugged you from the side. "We still love you, honey." She laughed, looking over at Credence. "Don't we?" You uncovered your face. He nodded, still smiling. "When Will gets here you will not be showing that to him!" You demanded. "Why do you even have this picture?" Your mother didn't answer, she just laughed and turned the page. You looked up at Credence. He wasn't laughing anymore. He stared at the ground. The mention of Will stole his smile.

Later that afternoon you and Credence sat on the living room floor. You were working on puzzle. You sat by the Christmas tree as the fireplace warmed the room. You were so concentrated on the puzzle. Credence was too, but he had to take the opportunity to look at you while you were distracted. The way your hair fell in your face and the way you bit your lip while you tried to fit the pieces together gave him butterflies. You shoveled through the puzzle pieces and Credence's hand accidentally grazed against yours. "sorry." He quietly said. You smiled a little and went back to working in the puzzle.

You kept think about him and what he thought about you leaving tonight. "Credence." You said quietly. He looked up at you for a second and quickly looked back down, concentrating on the puzzle. He knew what you wanted to talk about and he was nervous.
"What are you thinking about?" You said, looking at him. He shrugged, looking down, playing nervously with a puzzle piece. "If you want me to stay, I'll stay." You said. A little while later he said, "You should go."

When it got later in the evening you started to get ready for the party. You were still reluctant, but you were also excited. You changed into a nice dress for the occasion. It was black, with long sleeves and came off the shoulders. It was simple but Credence couldn't believe how perfect you looked. He had never seen you like this before.
You were so jumpy as you nervously shuffled from the bathroom to your room, getting ready. You were putting on an earring and walking out the bathroom when your mom came into the the hallway and saw you. "(Y/N)! You look gorgeous!" She exclaimed. You smiled, walking over to the mirror in the hallway. You pulled out red lipstick from your bag and began to put it on lips.
"This will be good for you." She said, glancing at your old room where Credence was. The door was cracked so she spoke quietly. "What do you mean?" You asked, still applying your lipstick. "It will be nice for you to get away from, you know." Her voice broke into a whisper. "Mom." You said, looking over to the cracked door. "I don't mean it in a rude way, but you haven't done something for yourself in a long time." She explained. "I guess you're right." You said.
Credence listened from behind the cracked door, tears welling up in his eyes. He turned to see you from the door. You were still putting on your lipstick. It was a beautiful red. He thought to himself, 'She never dresses up like this for you. She never acts this way, this nervous and excited for you. Maybe she's right, she needs a break from you.'
You went back into the bathroom and finished getting ready.

A little later you were in your room with Credence. You were putting your shoes while Credence sat stiff on the bed. You heard the doorbell ring. Your eyes got wide with excitement. You nervously walked to the door, then you paused. "Credence, are you sure you're okay with this?" You said, not turning around. You turned your head to see him. He nodded, trying to hide the fact that he was devastated. You smiled at him. "Come on, I want you to meet him." You said, leaving him alone in the room.

You walked down the stairs to see that your mother had already opened the door and let him in. His back was turned to you and was talking with your mother. You got the bottom of the steps and he turned around. "(Y/N), it's so good to see you."
He said sweetly. "It's good to see you too." You smiled. You both were staring at each other when you noticed Will's eyes look at something behind you. You turned and saw Credence standing on the stairs. "Oh, Will. This is Credence." You said, walking backward, toward Credence. "It's nice to meet you." He said. Credence nodded, staring at his feet. "Well, should we go?" He said, smiling at you. "Okay." You looked back at Credence. "I won't be gone long, okay?" He nodded, blinking fast. He slowly walked back up the stairs. You turned to your mom with worried eyes. "Honey, go have fun." She said, sweetly. You walked over to her and whispered, "Take care of him." You looked deeply into her eyes. "Don't worry." She said, touching your arm. You took a deep breath and walked to the door. "You two have fun!" She yelled after you.

You walked to Will's car. He stopped you, and held your shoulders. "Before we get going I just want to tell you how nice it is to see you." He said, looking deeply into your eyes. You smiled. "It's nice to see you too." You said, caught off guard. He opened the car door and you climbed in.
Credence watched from the upstairs window. The way he looked at you and the way he held your shoulders made jealousy and a million other emotions boil inside of him.

Bitter thoughts surrounded him. Hot tears fell down his cheeks as he laid on his side, curled up on your bed. He felt so lonely. He hadn't felt lonely in such a long time.
After what felt like forever and after the crying subsided, he got up the courage to go downstairs. Your mom had knocked on the door about an hour ago asking if he wanted any hot cocoa. "No, thank you." He said quietly, trying to sound like he hadn't been crying.

He slowly cracked the door, listening to see if anyone was around. He heard faint voices coming from the living room. He walked slowly out into the hallway and down the steps. He creeped to the living room, but froze when he saw Aunt Florence. He hid behind the doorway, listening to the conversation between your aunt and mother. "I think it's good for her to get out." He heard your mom say.
"You mean get away from that boy. The way he follows her around, like he's some lost puppy." Aunt Florence said, shaking her head.
"Florence." Your mother said, trying to defend him. "No, Margret, he's obviously draining (Y/N). She always looks so worn out. How can she just take in that freak and give up any hope of a normal life?"
That word, freak replayed a million times in Credence's head. Tears burned in his eyes and he felt as though he was losing control.
Aunt Florence noticed the lamp beside her start to shake. She looked around and saw Credence standing in the doorway, head bowed, shoulders hunched. Your mother quickly turned to see what Florence was staring at behind her. Credence looked up at them, tears falling down his cheeks. "Credence." Your mothers whispered.
He quickly ran out of sight. Your mom went after him, but it was too late. He ran out the door and down the street.

"I had a lot of fun. Thank you, Will." You said, kindly after he helped you out of the car. "Will I see you again?" He asked. "I don't know. I won't be in town long." You answered. "(Y/N)?" He started. "I've really missed you."
"Will, we haven't seen each other in well over a year. I can't just go back into this like it hasn't been a long time. We broke it off for a reason. I'm glad we are still friends, but I can't just rush back into this." You said. "So much has changed since high school. I don't love you like I did before." You trailed off. "This wasn't a date. At least not for me." You told him. "This was me getting together with an old high school friend going to a party to see other high school friends." You paused for a minute. "I don't want to hurt you. I still care about you deeply."
"It's him isn't it?" He cut in. "The guy you brought? Who even is he? He said. "Credence? He's my- he lives with me."
"Lives with you?" He asked, confused. "He's been through more than you can ever imagine. So, stop judging something you don't even understand." You said, shortly.
"But you love him." He wasn't really asking, because he knew what you were going to say. "I-" You paused, looking up at the house. "Yes. More than anything."
"More than you ever loved me?" He asked, not looking you in the eye. "Will, that's not fair." You said, stepping a little closer. You stood there a while looking at him. "Look, I have to go. I've been away from him too long." You said, backing to the house. "Goodbye, Will."
"Bye." He walked back to his car and drove off.

You opened the door. The warmth rushed onto you, welcoming you in. You took off you coat and gloves and hung them up. "I'm back!" You yelled, running up the stairs. You pushed open your door, excited to see Credence, but he wasn't there. Your mother rushed into the room with a frantic look in her eye. "Mom?" You worriedly said, turning around. "He left." She said. "What? Why?" You started to feel a knot in your throat. Aunt Florence walked into the room with a bit of guilt across her face. "What did you say to him?" You said, pushing passed her, running down the steps. They both followed behind you. "He wouldn't just leave like that. What did you say?" You said, anger rising inside of you. You quickly put your coat back on. "Honey." Your mother said, calmly. "Mom, I'm not just going to leave him out in the cold. I have to find him." You went out the door into the cold, dark night in search of Credence.