A/N: the characters (there will be two people) that will be introduced has not been in the story before!!
TW: mentions of rape
those words are enough to make me stare at him in shock, unable to comprehend what i just heard. "what..?" i say and watch as clay stares at me, silent, waiting for me to either explode in anger or explode in sadness. i'm feeling both emotion, and also a bit of surprise.
"yeah i- that's why i left so suddenly yesterday. they called me, saying that they brought in the people that looked the most similar to the person you described." clay further explains and i can feel him try and reach for my hand but i'm already heading back to my room. i shut the door and grab new clothes, just some ripped jeans and a t-shirt. i hear the door open as i brush my hair and i only take a glance at clay.
he's looking at me, uncertain, and i run past him, grabbing my phone and backpack. he's only following me like a lost puppy and i look at him. "what? are we going or are you just going to follow me?" i snap and i immediately regret it. clay stays silent and i want him to say something.
he only shakes his head and leads us out to his car. "we're heading to the police station." he mumbles as we get inside the car and i nod, looking out the front as we back out. the one thing i don't notice is that when we get closer to the station, i'm starting to get uneasy and clay notices. by the way his eyes look at me, i realize that this is what he was silent about. he knew that even though i looked confident and acted like it, i was so damn nervous about meeting the potential men that raped her.
so when we arrive, i don't notice that i'm shaking to the point where i can't stop. my leg is rapidly bouncing and my hands can't seem to rest still. clay parks and i have a clear view of the front. he takes one glance at me, his neutral expression going soft.
"hey, hey... look at me." he says but i push him away. i'll start exploding in a puddle of tears if he tries to comfort me. i know that's what i need right now, clay's comfort, but i've used him too many times to make sure i'm okay.
clay looks hurt as i glance at him, and i look away, unsure what to do. "y/n." clay only says and i ignore it. i can feel him looking at me before his gaze has traveled to somewhere else. "i'm sorry..." i apologize softly and that gets clay's attention. "sorry for what?" "for being cold this whole entire ride." i explain and i feel his hand grip onto mine, holding it as he moves his thumb in reassuring circles on my skin.
"no need to apologize. are you sure you wanna do this?" i wait a bit, asking myself that question. am i even ready to do this? i nod yes before i can back out and clay opens his door before rushing to my side. he opens the door and i step out, trying to walk confidently to the door.
i make it a few feet in front of the door before i stop. a wave of uneasiness falls over me and i falter in my steps. clay's hand comes to my back and i watch as he gently encourages me. the first thing i notice inside the police room is the people. to my surprise, there are multiple people sitting in the waiting area.
i walk up to the front, and clay starts to speak to the lady, who's looking at us expectantly. "hi, we have to meet with sheriff park..." the lady starts typing away at her computer and suddenly, i see a tall man who's lumbering towards us. his hair is slicked back and he has a toothpick in his mouth. he caps on his hat and smiles at us. "hello! you must be clay... and is this y/n?" clay glances at me and i give a small nod.
his eyes linger on me for a second before he turns back to clay. he seems awfully happen for what we're about to do. "alrighty, well, follow me. it says here that you're going to be taking a look at the men we have to determine which looks the most like poppy's rapist." hearing the words tumble out of his mouth effortlessly makes me believe that he has done this a lot before.
clay nods and we follow sheriff park. he leads us into a room and i watch as the darkness engulfs us, a window in front. a small lamp turns on, which does absolutely nothing, and sheriff park points to the window. it's showcasing a room, and sheriff park points to inside. "we got 5 men today that match your description that was at the party." i nod and clay and i take a seat.
"we'll start letting one by one in, and you get to watch them and see if they really do look like the guy. if they do, we'll bring them into questioning and see if they have an alibi." i nod again and sheriff park leaves us, going inside the room. clay looks to my side to see a female officer watching us.
i wait a few moments to prepare myself before i finally nod yes and the female officer goes to let sheriff park know. not a few seconds later, the first guy comes in. he holds a sign and i read his name. marcus. i glance at him from head to toe. he seems like the guy from the top half, but i realize that this cannot be him. he's got a dumb smile on, nothing like the charismatic smile the real guy has.
i shake my head no and i almost see marcus look relieved. i watch as he returns back to wherever he came from and the next guy comes in. i watch as he turns to face me. lucas. i look at his face and see him glancing everywhere, but me. clay squeezes my thigh reassuringly, and i take in his details. he's lean, yet muscular... his black hair is awfully similar. i start to get worried that i've found the one, but i realize he isn't.
he's got almost a bored expression on and he doesn't look one bit amused nor anxious. he's also got green eyes, which are nothing alike the real guy. real guy. why do i keep saying real guy? i shake my head and i watch as he leaves. the 3rd and 4th guy aren't anything like the rapist and i watch nervously as the 5th guy appears. what if he's a 'no' too? what do we do then?
i can see clay's anxious gaze onto me and i close my eyes before opening them. i watch as the guy turns and i see no name on the sign. weird. when my gaze travels up to him, i'm struck with the realization. wait... what?
the guy looks at me, completely confused as i stare at him, unable to comprehend what i'm seeing. why is he- why is he here? i turn to clay to see him looking at him with an hint of familiarity.
the guy is looking at us with a mask, a black one, and he has tattoos up his arm and rings snaking his fingers. clay speaks first, stuttering. "is that- is that corpse-." i cut him off as i speak my own sentence. "is that- husband?" we both stare at each other, clay looking at me in confusion. "husband?" "who's corpse?" again, we speak over each other, and i close my mouth as clay opens his again. "corpse is... wait no, who the hell is husband?"
i can feel clay's gaze on me as he looks between the two of us, confusion clear in his voice, with a hint of suspicion. i ignore clay as i turn to 'husband'- or corpse, astonishment in my eyes. i turn to the female officer who's now back to watching us. "can i talk to him? please?" the female officer hesitates before she leaves to go ask sheriff park.
a few moments later, we get sent into a room, where 'husband' is sitting. there can only be one visitor at a time and i tell clay that i'll explain everything to him the moment i get to. he only nods and i hurry into the room. the moment i sit down and the door closes, 'husband' lets out a breath. "what are you doing here??" i ask him, and he doesn't meet my gaze. "no are you- you can't be serious- they can be serious!" i ramble and i try to stop myself.
'husband' looks at me and i can now clearly see how he would fit the description. he has black hair with dull grey-blue eyes. he's lean yet muscular and he's tall. not super tall, but tall enough to fit the description. "i know... i didn't do anything." 'husband' says and i can't entirely trust him.
"but- were you at the party? i didn't even see you!" i exclaim and 'husband' nods. "i was. parties aren't really my thing, but poppy-." he stops short as he recollects himself. "poppy wanted me to go. she said that i should get out more and i should be more social." i watch as he struggles to keep quiet.
i sigh. "did you talk to her? well, i mean, obviously, but alone? private?" i watch as he looks up to me and shakes his head. "i was... i was gonna ask her something but i never got to it. she was always with different guys." i watch as his head slightly droops as he says the last few words and i feel a bit of sympathy towards him. "in private?" "yeah... because she was constantly being around guys and i just- she invited me to this party and yet we've only talked for a minute or so."
'husband' looks up at me and i watch as his eyes start to water. "i don't know if you know but... i liked poppy. i liked her, so much. it's kind of weird how we met..." i hear him chuckle, which is a cute little giggle and i softly smile. "grocery store?" he looks at me, surprise in his eyes. "wait, how did you know?" he asks and now it's my turn to laugh. "poppy told me. she said- wait, hold on." i dig out of my backpack and the officer inside the room looks at me, coming closer as he peers inside.
i pull out my phone and i got to poppy's messages. i scroll up, the silence devouring us until finally, i find the message i want. i show it to 'husband' and watch as his eyes soften up.
poopy<3: "girl i think we're both in love. i just saw the cutest guy EVER"
me: "spill the tea"
poopy<3: "he has tattoos and he wears rings and chains and im so madly in love with this human. i literally just scanned his items rn"
i pull my phone back once 'husband' looks away and i put it back inside my backpack. that's when i see it, the single tear drop as it hits his mask. it cannot be him. he loves her. the realization comes to me and i watch as he takes a shuddered breath. i cannot fully see his expression, since he has a mask on and i watch as he shakes his head. "that- oh my god..." he stammers and i nod to the officer that i'm ready. "i'm so sorry... that this happened. just know she loved you too." i give his hair a ruffle and i watch as he glances back at me. "hey... you never texted by the way." i give him a small smile. "right. i'll get on with that." i walk out of the room and i'm immediately greeted by clay.
"who-." he tries but i shut him off. i try to think about the guys that match the description the most and i sigh. i have two people. the marcus and lucas guy. sheriff park comes up to me and raises an eyebrow. "so... is he our guy?" clay scoffs and sheriff park glances at him. "judging by y/n and him smiling, do you really think he actually raped her?" he remarks and i watch as sheriff park sigh.
"okay... well, do you have anyone that looks to be the rapist? anyone of the 5-, well, now 4, people?" "1st and 2nd." i state and sheriff park nods. "great, thanks. it's a pleasure having you here today. if you have any questions, please call us." with a few more exchanges of thank you and apologies for our loss, we're out of the building. as soon as we step out, its like i can finally breathe.
i watch as clay walks past me, and getting into the car. i regain my breath as i slowly make my way to the car. when i get in, and i shut the door, clay looks at me. "care to explain?" he asks and i glance at him, in confusion. care to explain? explain what? then the realization hits me and i turn towards him. "you think something is happening between 'husband' and i?" i do air quotes and clay slightly nods. "something along those lines. how do you know him?"
"how do i know him? couldn't you hear our conversation or something?" i ask him. i've watched my share of crime shows, and i know that sometimes the police can overhear your conversation somehow. "no, i couldn't. but judging by the way you spoke to him so effortlessly made me think that something is happening." clay snaps and i realize that he's annoyed with 'husband' and i. he thinks something is going on.
i roll my eyes and glance at him. "nothing is happening. i know him because poppy had told me about him before. simple." "poppy knew him? how-." clay stops short and i want him to continue. "'how, what? please, continue." clay shakes his head and it's my turn to be annoyed. "he's- you call him husband?" clay turns the conversation back to me and i sigh. "yeah, that's what poppy called him in her contact. i didn't have a name for him, or a contact, so i don't really know what to call-." clay stops me as he quirks his eyebrow. "contact?"
i pause and i don't continue, watching as his confusion turns to anger. "you have his number?" this whole entire conversation is full of questions, and barely any answers. "yes, i have his number. i've never actually talked to him fully before-." clay lets a forced laugh as he glares at me. "so this whole time, you've had another guy's number?" i let an exasperated sigh out and i shake my head. "not this whole time. not for a while at least. besides, why is he so important? he's poppy's friend, actually- no, he liked poppy. she liked him. i'm not going to be a homewrecker and ruin their relationship when i'm in one with you."
clay is silent, his head swirling as he thinks. then he finally looks at me again. "if i kept that ari girl's number, how would you feel?" i try to say something, but i realize that i have no answer. what would i do? i watch as he studies me before scoffing. "that's how he's important." "why are you bringing ari into this? she isn't even related to this in any way."
clay closes his eyes and rests his head onto his headrest in the car. "you talked to him so... cheerfully. it was like you guys knew each other for so long." "we never talked 'cheerfully' clay. did you see him in there? he was crying, and it's clear that he didn't even touch poppy." i snap and watch as he keeps his eyes flutter in annoyance. i lean back on my chair, the silence filling the air.
after a few minutes, i let out a breath, whispering. "he wanted to tell her something that night, at the party. he wanted to get her alone because she had been partying all night long with different guys, and she invited him to come, yet he never got a chance to ask her what he wanted. now imagine you in that situation and keep imagining yourself in the same room when i was talking to him, but instead you're talking to poppy. she's trying her best to talk to you, and you feel grateful towards her because she's showing how much i liked you, even if i never acted like it." i take a breath as i see my vision start to blur.
i blink the tears away as i glance at clay. he's looking at the roof, his eyes open as he has a neutral expression. i don't catch it right away, but his lower lip quivers and i look away. he's thinking about it. sure, it's not right for me to have 'husband's number in my phone without telling clay, but it wasn't like i was planning to talk to him anytime soon. i was keeping my distance from him so that poppy and him could get what they both wanted which was each other.
"still... that's not an excuse on why you have his number. how did you even get it in the first place?" i stay still, remembering the guy who had handed me that idiotic note. i clear my throat and i feel clay's eyes on me, urging me. "a grocery store... he was defending me from someone." i manage to get out and i hear clay sit up. "defending you? why was he defending you?"
i shrug, trying to act as chill as possible. "there was this person being disgusting and stuff and he just stepped in. i just thought that he sounded familiar, so i got his number as a way to thank me. don't worry, when i asked for his number, he seemed hesitant, because he knew i had a boyfriend." clay waits a bit, trying to remember before he trains his eyes on me.
"wait, didn't you call me in the grocery store parking lot?" "yeah, and i told you not to get mad?" i sneak a glance at him, and i see clay sighing, rubbing his forehead. "oh." he says and we both remain quiet. then, clay starts the car, and i slowly put on my seatbelt. that's it? he's just gonna say 'oh' and we're going to drop the conversation?
when we're on the road, i have a question that pops into my head. "clay, who's corpse?" i ask him and clay's eyes glance at me, surprise in his face. "i- corpse? he's uh..." he stammers and i watch as he rubs the back of his neck. "he's my friend..." he shamefully says and i sit up straight, narrowing my eyes at him. "a friend? then how come you mentioned him earlier, at the police station?"
clay stops at a red light and he clears his throat. "cause uh... that husband guy is corpse. his name is corpse husband. it's not his actual name, just a nickname." i stare at clay with an unbelievable expression, trying to make sense of what i'm hearing. "you- you know him?? and yet you decided to be mad at me??" i watch as clay tries to play it off by awkwardly chuckling. "yeah i- yeah i know him... he's a youtuber too you know, he makes videos."
a memory flashes in my head when poppy and i were job hunting, and he had texted us. did poppy know that he was a youtuber or was the 'husband' name on accident? i lean back into my chair, thoughts swarming my head. "look, i'm sorry for being mad at you like that but-." "but he's your friend! and yet you got mad at me?" clay sighs and runs a hand through his head as we move again. "you know i got cheated on in the past... i was just being sure."
i realize that he is right and i sigh. "if you were really anxious, then you should have asked me truthfully instead of breaking it up in different questions. i would have been able to tell you in a straight answer." i watch as clay only slightly nods before i see the familiar outline of my house.
before we pull up, i can feel the dreadful feeling pull up to my heart again. every time i see my house, i'm reminded of what happened when i was mourning poppy. i can feel clay's gaze on me as he parks in my driveway. he's waiting for me to get out. after a few moments, clay awkwardly clears his throat. i don't want to say this, but i can't go back into the house. not after seeing 'husband' and being reminded of poppy again. "can i- f!ck, can i just stay at your place or something?" i mumble and i can feel clay's smug eyes on me.
"what did you say?" he asks and i sigh aggressively before kicking open the door and grabbing my backpack. clay's smug look falters as i shut his door before walking to the front of my house. stupid, cocky a!shole- i feel an arm tug me before i can even put the key into the front door and i turn to see clay dragging me back to the car. he shuts me inside the passenger seat and i watch as he gets inside the driver's.
clay backs out and we drive the minute drive to his house and we park. clay shuts off the car and he reclines his seat back a bit, shifting until he can lean against his seat, pinching his nose and closing his eyes. although i'm still slightly annoyed by him, the sight and the way he's sitting in the chair sends butterflies in my stomach. i glance away, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as i open the door. i send a glance back at him, and he sighs before opening his eyes.
i get out of the car and clay lets us inside. the first thing i see is patches standing right next to the door and i smile. "hi patches!" i exclaim and i go to pet her. clay grabs my backpack and sets it inside his room, coming back to see patches and i still playing with each other. he leans against the wall, watching us with amusement.
i look up and narrow my eyes at him before smiling at patches. she rubs against my cheek and clay sighs. "are you hungry?" "am i what? of course i am." i murmur as patches goes to abandon me. i stand up and stretch, ruffling my hair. clay watches me, a look on his face before he shakes his head. "i'll order something for a late lunch."
i watch as he goes to phone something before i head up to his room. i lay on his bed, which smells like him, and i bury my face into his pillows. i can't help but feel a sense of comfort when i'm around him. after a few minutes, clay's footsteps appear as he comes inside the room, opening the blinds.
patches is no where to be found and he chuckles as he takes sight of me. i get up an toss him an annoyed glance but he doesn't notice as he takes a seat next to me. i can feel him going to say something but he doesn't. i glance at him and he sighs. "i'm sorry for being mad like that..." i shrug and he looks at me. "i'm serious. i was just overreacting..." i shrug again. "okay." i will admit, i was feeling bratty and clay looks at me, his jaw ticking at the corner of my eye.
i lay back down on the bed, closing my eyes and i feel the bed shift. i open my eyes after a few moments and i see clay gone. where did he go? i sit up, using my elbows to prop myself up. a couple of moments later, clay comes back with water. he stops short as i flutter my eyes close to block a ray of sun that decided to hit my face.
"huh... interesting." he only says before he shuts the door and i watch as his lock turns. wait- huh?! i shoot up but he pushes me down on the bed. he watches as i nervously look at him. "what are you doing?" clay smiles mischievously. "since you're being such a brat, i get to punish you for it." i swallow at his words and his lips teasingly touch the corner of my mouth before softly trailing down my neck. he reaches my shirt and he pushes it up, kissing down my stomach.
i try to keep quiet by grabbing the blankets. clay lets out a low noise as he reaches the beginning of my jeans and he slightly tugs them down, along with my underwear. i glance as he grabs the underwear with his teeth, and i let out a sigh, and i cover it up with speaking. "you're not going to be able to pay me back. still haven't gotten your a-game correctly." i say to him and clay huffs a small laugh, his breath hitting my stomach.
i nearly buck my hips up but i remain calm. when clay reaches right on top of where i want him, i don't make a sound and he stops and looks at me. his eyebrow is slightly raised as if to ask me if i really am turned on by him or if i'm being a brat again and refusing to back down.
he waits a moment longer before i glance away. he puts my underwear back where it is and pulls my pants up. i watch as he leans forward to whisper in my ear, his breath sending chills down my spine. "if you want to be such a brat, then i guess i'll just keep teasing you until you beg." i stay still as clay pulls away, laughing. "get over here, you're playing minecraft with sapnap and i."
i get up and awkwardly sit in his lap, feeling him semi-hard. damn, he can get hard so easily. clay turns on his pc, bouncing his leg absent-mindedly. i bite my lip and i place a hand on his leg. "stop." i mutter and clay chuckles before stopping. when he gets into discord, i can see that our group chat is flooded with new messages, but clay moves to his and sapnap's private messages.
he types something out to sapnap and not a moment later, a call is incoming. i snuggle back into clay, even though i'm still slightly annoyed, i might as well get comfortable. clay presses a light kiss to the top of my head before accepting.
"hey dream! ready to absolutely troll the hell out of everyone?"
A/N: SOOO yeah corpse is in this book, but i think this is the last time he's gonna be introduced so, sorry about that! also, when i was writing corpse's part, his songs came on i-
ALSO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT!! i don't think i've written a chapter this long oop- anyways, thank you for reading!