Maybe this is for the best. I don't want to burden them anymore anyways. Lotus thought to himself, wiping his tears with his scarf. He glanced up at the trees around him, and decided that he'd spend his last hours wandering. The forest was beautiful, after all. Why not enjoy it while you still can? Freezing to death wouldn't be that bad, right? It's just cold... no pain... right?... Lotus sighed. He was disappointed in himself, that he'd given up so quickly. He never really was a fighter, just took things as they came. So, instead of trying to find a way back, he picked a direction and walked.
His home life was troubled, to say the least. He'd dealt with bullies his entire life and not a single person offered to help him, nobody expect Raven. Now, he'd lost even him. His mother and father were constantly fighting, most of the time about his mother's schizophrenia. This is how it usually went: His mother would randomly start screaming or crying, or even sometimes hurting others. His father would try to calm them down. Then they'd claim that a voice or person that wasn't there told them to do said thing, and then start going mental when someone tried telling them it wasn't real. He'd always distracted himself with pain. Cuts, bruises, anything to distract him from the horrible screams burned into his memory.
'Of course it's real, you stupid whore! I'm not brain dead! I don't need your help! I don't need medicine!'
'I'm sorry.. I'm sorry... I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to... I don't want to hurt you.. I'm sorry...'
'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!'
Lotus kept walking.
--
Rurik had been walking for about a hour and a half. The rain had only gotten worse, and he was shivering to the core. But, he eventually reached his destination. Nobody would find him here. It was a large, empty clearing with a few trees scattered about, deep in the forest. The freezing rain burned the newer cuts on his body, as his clothing provided no protection against the rain anymore. His dropped his backpack, discarding the idea of writing a note. The rain would ruin it, and he didn't feel his parents deserved to hear last words from him anyways. He grabbed the rope from the bag.
He sat down under a tree, not caring about the mud now on his pants. It took him a while to remember, but eventually he was able to tie the noose. Rurik set the knot down and took his switchblade from the bag. There was one last thing he wanted to do before this. He took off his shirt, which was soaked and useless at this point anyway, and held up the blade.
--
Stumbling into a clearing, numb from the cold, Lotus tripped. But, instead of standing up, he just lay there. Giving up. That was until he felt someone staring at him. He looked up. A pair of bright russet-crimson eyes met his gaze, surprised and scared. Lotus sprang up to his feet and started backing away, but then he noticed the noose. Lotus paused, and glanced between the other skeleton, switchblade and noose. Suddenly realizing the context of the situation, he slowly approached them. The other visibly tensed and held the switchblade in Lotus's direction. He stopped walking. The dark of the night made if difficult to see, but the moonlight reflected off the surface of the blade.
"Who are you..." They asked, shivering. Lotus hesitated.
"... My name is Lotus... what are you doing out here?..." Lotus asked quietly. He slowly lowered the switchblade.
"I could be asking you the same thing... my name is Rurik..." He said, suddenly dropping the bloodied blade and covering his sternum by crossing his arms.
"I'm lost... now answer my question..." Lotus muttered. "Why do you have a noose..."
Rurik froze. "I..." He broke eye contact. "I think you know the answer to that question."
Lotus fell silent, noticing how badly he was bleeding. There seemed to be many deep cuts on his upper body, as well as a large, gaping wound on the bottom of his foot, as the blood had soaked right through his boots. Lotus slowly approached him and sat down by his side. Rurik stared at him warily.
"How badly are you hurt...?" Lotus asked. Rurik shrugged and looked away. Lotus sighed. "... Here, let me help you..."
----
It had been four days since that night in the woods. Lotus had talked Rurik out of suicide, and Rurik had shown Lotus the way back to the town. Since then, they'd met in secret at that same clearing in the woods. During the darkest part of the night, 3 AM, the Witching Hour. This is no fairytale ending, but they were able to distract each other from their problems for at least an hour or two, even if it did mess with their sleep schedule. And even with Rurik counting down the days to his eventual torment, and Lotus hiding his emotions from everyone, they knew they'd be alright. Why? Because sometimes it's easier to suffer when you have someone to relate too.
----
Word count: 1660
Aaaaaaahhh I dunno if I should continue this or not-- you guys decide, idk but this was rlly angsty so rip hope u enjoyed lol
-Your Parental Unit, LeFriendlyBoi
The Witching Hour - Lourik (Fell!Poth)
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