"...I said, I know."
"But then...But then why did you do it...?" Penny questioned with a puzzled frown, his hold on you staying firm while he carried on checking that you were alright.
"Because I love him." You confessed honestly, a heavy shade of pink shooting across your face as you continued speaking. "I love Jason. And when you love someone, you'd do almost anything for them. Including taking bullets. Besides, I care about everyone here. Jason, Michael, the others, you—" You stopped yourself immediately, your blush brightening once you finished your explanation.
"You're absolutely mental." Pennywise grinned devilishly, a mischievous look dancing across his features whilst his fury strangely started to fade.
"Tell me something I don't know." You laughed in return, the atmosphere between you two lightening up after you'd spoken with him.
"But Mikey-boy here was right about one thing." The clownish killer mentioned casually, growing unusually agitated when Jason snatched you back into his grasp.
"Oh...?" You wondered quizzically, looking between Penny and Michael once you'd given Jason a warm-hearted hug.
"You should go home. You seem tired. And besides, not only are you unsafe outside Crystal Lake - you're not safe inside this place either." Pennywise summed up sharply - his golden-eyes now glinting with protective intent.
"Sh...e's-uh...pl...en...ty-uh...s-uh...afe...!" Jason viciously argued - hating how now Michael and Pennywise were against him. [A/N: "She's plenty safe...!"]
"Uh-huh." Penny's tone dripped with distrust, the clown not believing the Crystal Lake Killer in the slightest. "And what would've happened back then if I hadn't stopped Mikey from striking up a battle?"
"That doesn't matter." You quickly cut in, seeing how infuriated Jason and Michael were, and how irritated Pennywise was becoming. "What matters is we focus on catching the unwanted admirer. Right...?"
"N-UH...OH...! Sh-uh...e's...N-UH...OT-UH...go...ing-uh...!" Jason exploded jealously, stamping his foot before pointing his weapon towards the clownish slasher. [A/N: "NO...! She's NOT going...!"]
"Oh my, is that tacky little machete meant to stop us from leaving? What a...juvenile weapon." Pennywise sneered maliciously, switching over to his dark personality and purposely hurting the Crystal Lake Killer's feelings.
"H...OW-UH...D-UH...ARE...Y-UH...OU...!" Jason shouted, swinging at Penny without a second thought and snarling at him hatefully. [A/N: "HOW...DARE...YOU...!"]
"Both of you! STOP!" You yelled desperately, wanting everybody's attention and wishing they'd stop breaking out in fights every few minutes. "I'LL decide where I go, thank you very much. I didn't come here so that you guys could start fights, or grow possessive over who gets to spend the most time with me!"
"S-uh...oh...y-uh...ou...c-uh...ame...here...j-uh...ust-uh...to...lea...v-uh...e...?" Jason miserably theorised, his eyes gleaming with tears as the masked male became upset. [A/N: "So you came here...just to leave...?"]
Moving over towards Jason, you placed both hands on top of his and gently pushed his weapon down; forcing him to lower it. "No, I didn't..." You kindly answered, giving his hands a sweet squeeze before shaking your head. "I came here because I believed that you deserved to know about what was going on. That you were good enough to defend me. And because I missed you, Jason."
"R-uh...R-uh...ea...lly-uh...?" Jason replied with an overjoyed shine in his eyes, his surprised voice acting as though he almost couldn't believe it. [A/N: "Really...?"]
"Mmhm!" You spoke softly, wanting to soothe his angry state and calm the three down. "So c'mon now. I'll be back on Saturday. You just have to trust me. Please?"
Growing jealous again, Jason huffed and glared down at the ground, mulling things over while he thought about it. Then, he nodded. "Y-uh...ou'd-uh...b-uh...etter...c-uh...ome...b-uh...ack-uh..." He muttered glumly. [A/N: "You'd...better...come back..."]
"I will. I promise." You warmly vowed, wrapping your arms around him and giving him another very comforting hug.
"I...I l-uh...ove...y-uh...ou...(Y...Y/n)..." Jason sighed with endearment, curling his arms around you fiercely and resting his head atop your hair. [A/N: "I...I love you...(Y/n)..."]
"And I love you too..." You smiled in amusement, kissing the side of his cheek and rubbing his back a little bit before moving backwards. "So I'll see you soon. Okay...?"
"M...'k-uh...ay..." The Crystal Lake Killer coolly agreed, flashing the other two slashers a dark glare once you moved towards them. "Y-uh...ou'd-uh...b-uh...etter-uh...pro...te...ct-uh...her-uh..." [A/N: "M'kay...You'd better...protect her..."]
"YOᑌ ᕼᗩᐯE Oᑌᖇ ᗯOᖇᗪ. ᑎOᗯ ᗷᗩᑕK Oᖴᖴ." [A/N: "YOU HAVE OUR WORD. NOW BACK OFF."] Michael wrote down threateningly, holding his notepad up and therefore aggravating the other male.
"Michael..." Rolling your eyes, you shook your head and then waved goodbye; walking back towards Camp Crystal Lake's entrance a moment later.
"You managed to calm him down..." Penny curiously noted, still not understanding how you defused the conflict between them. "Despite him not wanting you to leave, you were still able to change his mind. How...?"
"Because I showed him a little kindness." You explained to Pennywise pleasantly, holding his - and Michael's - hand a couple of seconds after. "After all, I didn't come here to start a fight. I came here to catch him up on what was going on, and to show him that I still cared. I promised him that I'd visit every other day - and I'm going to keep said promise."
"I...I just can't get a read on you..." Penny frustratedly announced, bemused by your random burst of empathy and friendly mannerisms.
"—And like I told you yesterday, I'm not a book." You playfully joked, reminding him of your previous statement and giving his hand a lighthearted squeeze.
"It means that you're impossible to read."
"Well, I'm not a book."
"That you're not." "That you're not~"
"That you did~" Penny dryly remembered, his frustration slowly fading a second time. "That~you~did~"
"Let's just head back home...Y'know, before any more unwanted admirers appear." Starting to feel somewhat tired, you suppressed a small yawn and kept on walking - your heart melting from the fact that both slashers were now holding your hand.
"Again, not my—"
"(Y-Y/n)...! Welcome h-home...!" An excited voice exclaimed merrily; interrupting Penny whilst they flung their arms around you and rested their head atop your shoulder before you could even enter through the house's front door.
"Thanks, Norman." Hugging him in response, you faintly smiled; finding his welcome to be rather cute and adorable. "It's uh, good to see you too~"
"O-Oh, I'm SO glad that y-you're back-!" Norman cried out in relief, his reply causing your gaze to grow clouded by confusion.
"Um, thank you...? Though, I didn't think—"
"I've missed you s-so, so, SO much-! Y-You have NO idea h-how worried I've b-been-!" The dark-haired male blurted out anxiously, his hold around you tightening once he'd said that. "I-I mean, when you didn't come home around y-your usual time, I...I began to panic...A-And then when Pennywise told us you went to visit J-Jason of all people - I...I grew even more alarmed...!"
"I have to admit, you weren't the only one."