chapter song — to build a home
trigger warning.
8.49PM Friday, June 3rd.
"We need to get out of here, NOW!"
Leo stilled at Presley's words. He shifted his eyes to her, gaze drifting behind her figure, watching silently as the two fires merged to one.
How the fuck did it get so bad?
He knew the one on the bed must've been caused by both his and Oliver's cigarettes, given the fact both fell from their lips to the sheets the second Felix set out to hurt himself.
Curse Shelia and her highly flammable sleep spray.
The other; the large amber flames currently burning a black hole in the carpet, was from the lighter. He knew that because he could see it, his eyes entrapped by the bright hues of orange as it rested peacefully in the middle of the chaos, the silver tint to it's skin slowly morphing to a shade of dull, smokey grey as it began to char.
And, damn, Leo felt like crying. Not about the fact he could literally die and char just like his beloved lighter had, but because he really really loved that lighter. It sounds silly, but it was almost of sentimental value. He'd stolen it from Carter two years ago, which didn't go unnoticed by the older boy, and it had been by his side though thick and thin.
Call Leo a sap, but it felt like the end of an era.
Subtly wiping his eyes, Leo focused his gaze on anything other than the burning metal in the middle of the flames, and drew his gaze to the fire itself.
Just like the demons in his mind, the flames danced around the carpet, engaging with the smaller fire on the bed as they merged together and climbed the walls, devouring everything in their sights as the once white walls morphed to smouldering black.
It was a beautiful in a way that was tragic; the light created a darkness of it's own, proof that even the brightest of things can be devastating.
"We're so going to jail," Arlo choked out, words coated in terror.
Leo turned to him, his eyes feeling teary again as he took in the sight. He watched the younger boy pull his legs to his chest, back arched against the blackening walls as he rocked his body back and forth. He was trembling, blue eyes glistening as they watched the flames fearfully.
Leo couldn't grasp why Arlo was so terrified. As much as he'd come to somewhat enjoy life, it still wasn't as dear to him as it was to the people around him.
"Don't worry, Lo," Leo smiled, or attempted to smile, trying his best to be somewhat reassuring. "I mean, we can't be jailed if we're dead, right?"
Presley's shoulders sagged as she deadpanned. Leo was really not the best at lifting the spirits.
Arlo's mouth dropped open, eyes widening as he gaped at Leo. It was silent for a what felt like hours, but was realistically three seconds.
"Oh, God! We're going to die!" Arlo cried, his baby blue eyes brimming with tears; the whites a little more bloodshot than normal due to the thickening smoke.
"Um," Leo grimaced and freed one hand from Felix to scratch his nape. Maybe he should leave the whole reassurance thing to Presley and Rowan from now on.
Oliver hummed, the sound somewhat content. Leo's gaze shifted to him, his arm falling from his neck as he tensed around Felix, struggling to hold the boy that wiggled against his grip.
Leo jutted his chin at Oliver, "What?"
"I never thought I'd die in a fire." Oliver signed with a shrug, pursing his lips as he gazed at his melting bed with a frown.
He really liked that bed. It was the perfect mix of hard and comfortable at once; he could sink into it without sinking too far that he'd then begin to feel unsupported. A sheer contrast to the terrible mattress at his fathers place. His lips twisted into a frown at the thought of the man.
Does this mean he has to go back there now?
"Huh," Leo's voice gained Oliver's attention, he lifted his eyes to Leo's as the older boy paused for less than a second before nodding in realisation. "Same."
In all the ways Leo had planned to go over the years, a fire had never came to mind. He'd never been a fan of being too hot, always preferring the cold; cold side of the pillow, winter over summer and so on. Maybe that's why the water was always his first choice.
"Focus, people, focus!" Presley clicked her fingers together. They'd exhausted their options of putting out the fire, they had to leave and as she gazed around the room at her friends, it seemed like she and Arlo were the only people eager to do so.
"It's so pretty," Felix said breathily, ignoring Presley as his eyes fixed on the flames, growing wide in fascination.
Leo felt the tension leave Felix's posture as his shoulders sagged, his body falling against Leo's chest, in a way that suggested to Leo that the sight of the flames were almost soothing for Felix. That's not the case though. Right?
If only they knew.
Unlike the rest of them, who'd opened up after a few months, Felix tended to keep his emotions to himself. None of them knew his true reasons for being there, or the reason he burned down his school science lab. He didn't want to plague the people he loved with his hurt. He covered everything dull in his heart with a smile brighter than the sun; the kind of grin that could keep storms away.
Just not the storm that had settled within himself.
"Pretty? Seriously! We're going to turn into rotisserie chicken in a sec, so if someone could please help us carry Row, that'd be great." Presley fumed, grunting as she tried to help Arlo lift the frozen sixteen year old from the mattress.
With furrowed brows. Oliver looked at Rowan, then Presley, then back to Rowan... was she serious? He questioned himself, dual eyes running over Rowan's muscular, toned,
six foot figure.
He blinked. Yeah... not gonna happen.
"Oliver, stop just standing there and help us lift him." Presley grunted again, her pale skin slick with a thick sheen of sweat as she panted softly.
Oliver rolled his eyes and walked towards the three. He studied Rowan for a further few seconds, watching as his emerald green eyes remained dissociated from their current reality.
It was fascinating, really.
They were all so vastly different, yet so similar at the same time. Sometimes, Oliver wished to be a fly on the inside of his friends' minds, just so that he could grasp their thoughts and see if their minds worked in the same way his did.
Are they feeling as strangely calm as he is right now? Or, do they actually value their life?
It's a killer question.
Literally.
"Oliver!" Presley snapped.
Oliver rolled his eyes, again, she was being ever so overly dramatic. He sighed, focusing his attention back to the task at hand; smacking some sense into their frozen friend — literally.
Four sets of eyes widened, as Oliver's palm made contact with Rowan's cheek, the sound reverberating in their ears as the older boys face wiped to the side in a flash.
Arlo gasped, a bit too loudly in Oliver's humble opinion, he didn't think he'd hit Rowan that hard.
"Ouch." Arlo coughed, lifting his hand to rub his left cheek as if the palm had struck him. He was an empath after-all.
"What the—" Rowan stopped mid sentence, brown eyes wide in terror.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Rowan repeated, over and over again, only now realising the gravity of the situation. His terror filled eyes turned frantic as they roamed around the room, gazing at the orange hues in horror. "Why the fuck are we still in here?" He wheezed.
"Don't worry, Row." Felix said, his manic smile made Rowan gulp. "It's fine. We're all going to be fine." He let his legs give way as he slipped from Leo's hold. When his bum hit the hot carpet, he crossed his ankles together and stared at the fire wistfully.
"Felix," Leo huffed, frantically trying to pull his dead weight. "We need to leave."
"No, no, no," Felix's voice was soft, smooth, calm — too calm. "We stay. It can't hurt us, Leo," he turned his eyes to the younger boy, his unblinking, deranged stare making Leo's stomach churn in discomfort. "Don't you get it?Nothing can hurt us."
"Felix, buddy," Rowan moved towards him, hissing as the floating embers seared his skin. He rubbed his arm, pushing past the pain as he crouched down to Felix's eye level, taking his friends face in his hands, his eyes turned pleading. "We need to go."
"You're not listening to me," Felix's stare hardened, jaw clenched. "We. Are. Fine. I'm not going anywhere."
Oliver looked at Felix with annoyance, his dual gaze drifting from his invisible friend to the doorway; which was becoming harder to see through the clouds of thick, black smoke.
Well, fuck.
The fire was growing at a rapid rate, the scorching amber flames crawled along the carpet faster than a crab returning to sea, reaching the doorway as the surrounding wood began to burn, it's musky scent mixing with the array of other fumes.
They were running out of time.
Oliver coughed, twice, thrice. He took shallow breaths, the air in the room felt hotter than the sun, each intake was suffocating; as if someone had covered his head with a plastic bag and submerged him in boiling water.
He couldn't panic, not now.
He had to get them out.
His stinging dual eyes scoured the room, trying to work out the best option for their escape.
They landed on Presley first, watching as she knelt beside Rowan, trying her best to aid him in talking some sense into Felix.
It's useless, he wanted to say, but chose not to do so. Presley wouldn't listen to him, she was stubborn like that; her way or the highway. Rowan, on the other hand, was smart. Oliver knew he'd already come to the same conclusion.
Felix wouldn't walk out of here.
Deciding he'd work out what to do about the whole rotisserie Felix situation in a few moments, Oliver turned his attention to the two friends he could help right now.
Leo and Arlo.
Without waisting a second, Oliver stepped forward and reached for the youngest boy first. Grabbing the back of his sweat shirt, he pulled Arlo along as he approached Leo. He couldn't waste time, Leo was smart, it wouldn't be long until he figured out Oliver's plan. Oliver had to get him out of the room before he did.
"Oliver," Leo tripped, trying to find his feet as Oliver pulled, or more like dragged, him towards the door. "What the fuck?"
Oliver shoved both Leo and Arlo over the threshold and into the hallway, rolling his eyes at the glare he was receiving from the oldest of the two. He knew it would be hard to make Leo leave, but Oliver couldn't worry about them and help their other friends at the same time.
"Go!" Oliver signed, proceeding to point behind the wall in the direction of the stairwell. The hallway was thick with black, tar-like smoke, making it hard to see beyond where they stood.
Leo's face fell as he realised what was going on. He grabbed his wrist, fingers resting on Oliver's hammering pulse.
"Oli, we need to get them out. They'll need help lifting Felix, Presley won't be able to hold much of his weight." Felix wasn't a big kid, but Presley was tiny compared to his almost six foot of height.
Oliver nodded, silently conveying his plan to Leo — who, miraculously, already understood.
"Oliver, no," his fingers tightened against Oliver's skin. Leo coughed, lungs feeling as if they were on the brink of collapsing as he shook his head. "I'm not leaving you."
"Take Arlo," Oliver choked out, knowing Leo would feel obliged to get the kid out. He pulled his wrist from his best friends grip, eyes steady as he promised, "I'll get them out."
Arlo's mouth dropped open as he gaped at his friend; shocked at hearing his voice for the first time. Having already heard Oliver's brother, Sebastian, speak, Oliver's voice sounded just as Arlo imagined it would, albeit a little rougher around the edges due to the smoke.
"I wish I didn't have to hear your voice for the first time like this," Arlo sighed sadly.
Oliver's lips twitched into an almost smile.
Leo glared at him. "Oliver."
"Leo," Oliver returned said glare, tone unbothered. "Please, do this for me? Promise you'll get Arlo out of here? We'll be right behind you."
Oliver hated the fact that he knew saying do this for me would work. It made him feel like a bad friend, not just that, but dirty too, the fact he was manipulating the one person who could actually see him in order to save him... it sucked, it really fucking sucked.
"Ol —"
" — please, Leo, please." Oliver cut him off, dual eyes pleading.
Leo's face twisted into one of indecision, he'd never pegged Oliver to be the begging type, nor did he peg himself to be the kind of sap that would cave in three words.
"Okay," Leo nodded hesitantly, swallowing the painful lump in his throat. "I promise."
"Thank you," Oliver smiled, a sad smile, before he twisted on his heel and reentered the room, giving Leo no chance to say anything in return.
"Shit," Leo hissed, running a stressed hand down his face. He had to come up with a plan and quick.
Technically, he hadn't promised Oliver that he would leave with Arlo, just that he'd get him out. The quicker Leo done so, the quicker he could come back and help.
"C'mon," Leo said, grabbing hold of Arlo's worst before pulling the younger boy in the direction of the stairs, eyes watering as he struggled to see through the smoke.
"We need to get lower," he instructed, pulling Arlo to the floor. Leo placed Arlo's hand on the cuffed ankle of his sweatpants and squeezed his skin. "Hold on to me, okay? The smoke is too thick, we need to crawl."
The fire was spreading quicker than the boys' legs could move, the hallway was engulfed, flames tickling the ceiling as shades of amber burned brightly in the distance, the heat becoming almost unbearable.
Just a little further.
Their hands stung as they clung to the linoleum, a hiss passing through Arlo's lips as he struggled to match Leo's pace. Not wanting to hold his friend back, he let go of Leo's sweatpants and rested his forehead against the floor; trying to calm his hammering heart beat enough to catch his breath.
"Arlo!" Leo gasped, stopping as he felt the added weight slip. He could see the stairwell in the short distance ahead, all he had to do was get Arlo out and then he could come back for their friends. "C'mon, I have to get you out."
"We can't leave them here," Arlo wheezed, breathing ragged as his bloodshot gaze followed the fire, watching in horror as it wrapped itself around the the walls. He wouldn't leave this ticking time bomb, not without the rest of them. "They'll burn."
"Lo," Leo turned to him, struggling to speak amongst the smoke. He lay his hand against Arlo's, keeping low in hopes that breathing would be easier that way. "I promise you, I'll get them out but you need to leave, okay? Go to the stairs, find help and I'll turn back."
"I'm staying, too." Arlo said, voice showing every inch of determination he felt. Leo needed to be reminded that he wasn't fighting alone — not anymore.
"No, you're not." Leo shook his head, dismissing the fourteen year olds wishes as he wrapped his hand around his arm, dragging him army style towards the double doors. "You have to go!"
Leo intended on keeping his promise.
"Leo, stop!" Arlo lay flat, trying to force as much weight onto his body as possible in hopes of delaying Leo. "I want to help you, let me help."
Leo made a strangled sound, they were waisting too much time — time that they didn't have. "You could die, Arlo!"
"And so could you!" Arlo countered, exasperated. "I won't make it if I lose you guys. You're my family. If we burn, we burn together."
"Lo..." Leo's composure faltered, eyes drifting to the floor as he sighed. Not that he'd admit it, but Arlo's words had really gotten to him.
You're my family.
They were his family, too.
"Please, Leo." Arlo grabbed his hand tighter, grip pleading. "I need to do this."
"And if we burn?" Leo murmured, lifting his gaze to the younger boys as he squeezed his hand.
Arlo smiled, knowing his words had meant something rather than nothing.
"We burn together."
—
The sound of Grey's screams embedded itself in Carter's mind.
His ears rang and for a moment, his grip against the door handle faltered, threatening to fall completely at the sheer agony in his brothers tone.
Think of Leo, Carter, think of him.
Blowing out a breath, Carter ignored the way his stomach churned and fingers trembled as he pulled the door from its latch and made his way inside, determined to find his brother before anyone got the chance to stop him.
Think of Leo.
Carter needed to find Leo, that was the only thing he cared about right now. He'd let Leo down so many times in the past, he didn't get the chance to save him then, but this could be his redemption, this could show Leo just how much he meant to them, how important he was — how significant he was.
Carter would walk through fire for him.
Like... literally.
And Carter knew, without any speckle of doubt, that given the chance, every single one of their siblings would do the same.
He ran past the reception desk, incredibly thankful at the fact the fire alarm had disabled the need for a buzzer entrance, and made his way towards the stairwell that lead to Leo's floor.
Carter couldn't see the flames just yet, but he could feel the heat in the air around him, he could hear the rough crackle of the raging fire above him, he could see the smoke, smell it even; an ashy taste on the tip of his tongue as he inhaled deeply.
He was struggling to breathe already and he wasn't in the midst of the chaos like he knew his brother must be. The thought made Carter's stomach erupt with moths instead of nervous butterflies.
God, he felt every kind of nauseous he never knew existed.
The spot lights on the ceiling began flickering like some climactic scene in a horror film, the crackling sound amplifying as the paint on the ceiling began to crack.
The constant blinkering, mixed with the weird sounds made Carter feel a little out of sorts. If he wasn't so proud, Carter wouldn't have a problem in admitting that he was shit scared — terrified even. He'd never been a fan of fire, he'd seen enough episodes of 9-1-1, Lone Star and Chicago Fire to know just how dangerous the fluorescent orange light could be.
And Carter was far too beautiful to be maimed, scarred or anything in between.
Think of Leo, not yourself.
Reaching the stairwell, Carter's skin grew cold despite the heat. The air on his arms rose, goosebumps erupting as multiple shades of orange surrounded him.
The stairwell was in flames, fire crept up from beneath the smoke and curled around the metal handrails, climbing the walls as it reached the high ceiling and blended into a deep, dark shade of burning amber.
If Carter thought it was hard to breathe in the lobby, he was sadly mistaken. This was like suffocating on your own breath.
Pushing past his internal fears of damaging his beautiful, soft, baby-like skin, Carter took a deep breath, burying his face in the collar of his sweatshirt as he ran through the flames.
He could feel his flesh burn as the smoke made it difficult to grasp the distance between himself and the burning heat. Embers floated in the air, searing the outer skin of his hands as he used them to protect his very well moisturised face.
This situation was really going to mess up his very expensive and very thorough skin care routine, he could hear his Paula's Choice exfoliant scream from his en-suite as the thick smoke melted into his once pristine pores.
This was gonna be an expensive rescue, that's for sure.
Think of Leo.
Silently praying to a God he didn't believe in, Carter reached the top landing in less than ten seconds, his heart hammered against his chest as every breath felt like he'd swallowed a hand full of prickly needles, each piercing every inch of his lungs on the way down.
Wrapping his sweatshirt sleeve around his hand to avoid losing any skin, Carter pulled the metal door handle and opened the door, swiftly entering Leo's floor.
The hallway was worse than the stairwell, the toxic smoke was so thick that Carter struggled to see five feet ahead of himself.
Carter was thankful that he'd chosen to come in instead of allowing for Alex to do so, (not that he ever would let his little brother run into a burning building). There's no way that blind fucker would be able to see two steps ahead of himself in these conditions.
Carter dropped to his knees to avoid the harshness of the smoke, once again thanking his love for fire tv shows for this very useful knowledge. He could see better from this angle, keeping his sweatshirt firmly over his mouth, Carter allowed his eyes to scan his surroundings.
Through the fog, he could see two blobs in the distance. Carter didn't know why, call it big brother intuition or some shit like that, but he knew one of those blobs was his brother.
He just knew it.
"Leo!" He tried his hardest to scream, though he knew his voice got lost in the mayhem. "Fuck," he hissed, feeling the heat draw closer.
Carter dropped down to his forearms, using them to drag his body across the scorching floor. His eyes remained focused on the blobs, eager to keep tabs on Leo, that was until a flicker of amber burned in the corner of his eye. He looked to the left, seeing the flames engulf yet another doorway, though, that wasn't what made dread course through Carter's veins.
The sign on the door did that.
Cleaning supply closet.
"Oh shit," Carter hissed, eyes wide as he tried, with everything he had, to reach Leo before the fire reached the chemicals behind the wood.
"LEO!" He screamed, voice heavy with the desperation he felt. "DUCK!"
But he was too late.
Everything happened too quickly, a booming sound pierced his ears as the eerie roar of blistering flames filled the once crackling silence. Wood, plastic and shards of metal came barrelling towards him like shrapnel in a war as a dull pain and distant scream registered in his mind.
Disorientated, Carter lifted his blistered fingers, feeling warmth on the tips, seeping into his nail beds as that same warmth continued on its path and dripped down his forehead.
The chaos around him slowly faded, his vision becoming blurred as everything went black.
—
"Leo," Arlo wheezed, struggling to breathe through the soot.
He didn't want Leo to regret allowing him to stay, they were so close to where they needed to be that Arlo thought about remaining silent, but he knew his lungs were ready to collapse.
He was running out of time.
"What's wrong?" Leo turned to him, taking in his sweat covered forehead and the paleness of his skin beneath the blackened patches of smoke residue littering his face.
"I think—" Arlo wheezed a painful, shuddering breath. He looked at Leo, eyes filled with guilt. "I t-think I need my inhaler."
The fire had spread to the hallway now, the heat becoming unbearable as Leo's lungs begged him for clean air. Every breath was a wheeze, every rise and fall felt like he was being hit in the chest with a thousand steel coated bullets.
Everything was agony, but he wouldn't give up — he couldn't.
His family needed him. And damn it, he really fucking needed them, too.
"It's okay," Leo reassured in a hoarse voice. He could practically hear the younger boys thoughts, turns out the saying was true; the eyes really did say more than a thousand words ever could. "We'll go to your room first."
"I'm sorry," Arlo whimpered, coughing as his lungs fought for air. "I'm so sorry."
"Hey," Leo gripped his face, forcing the younger boy to meet his gaze. "You've got nothing to be sorry for. This doesn't put us out, Lo, your room is literally a door across from mine. It's okay. We'll get your inhaler, we'll get our friends and then we'll get the fuck out of here. Okay?Everything will be fine."
"O-kay," Arlo nodded, grimacing at the taste of smoke on his tongue.
"Here," Leo let go of his face and pulled his sweater off, handing it to Arlo. "Cover your mouth, it'll stop you breathing in as much smoke."
"But-but now your arms are bare, you'll burn, Leo." Arlo stammered, gasping in between each word. He pulled Leo's sweater away from his mouth, trying to force it into the older boys arms.
"Arlo, take it or I'll drag you out of here." Leo threatened, raising an eyebrow as if daring him to disagree.
Arlo, like the shy kid he was, submitted and placed the fabric back over his mouth, feeling ever so grateful to have a friend as caring as this one.
"Do you hear that?" Leo frowned, looking around them, trying to see between the clouds of smoke. If Leo wasn't already deemed as mentally ill, he'd claim to be hearing even more voices than he already does.
"There it is again," Arlo choked out, making Leo feel a little less crazy. "Someone's calling your name."
Leo couldn't register the voice, he could barely hear it let alone identify who it belonged to. One word registered though, one word that made Leo's entire body freeze.
"DUCK!"
"Arlo!" Leo didn't think twice before diving on top of the younger boy, using his own body as a makeshift shield to protect him whilst an explosion bounced off of the walls around them.
Their ears rang as the floors shook, the whole structure around them growing more and more unstable with each and every boom to be heard. Fragments of glass, wood, plastic — you name it, they felt it.
The wreckage bounced off their bodies like a stone in a slingshot, embedding its embers into one of the boys' skin — hard and deep.
Leo could hear screaming, through his confusion, it took him a few seconds to realise... he was the one making that ear splitting sound.
When the ricochet of different materials slowed, Leo rolled off of Arlo, his chest heaving with each scream as he forced his dazed eyes to the flaming ceiling above.
"Oh shit, shit, fuck, shit." Arlo cursed, staring at Leo's leg in horror.
Leo was drifting in and out of consciousness, his screams dulling down as stars filled his vision.
"No, no, no," Arlo whimpered, pressing his palms against Leo's thigh in an attempt to stop the spilling blood. "Leo, wake up!"
—
Screams were the first thing Carter heard.
He groaned, feeling a little groggy. His vision was tainted by a sea of red as his own blood merged with his tears. He couldn't have been out for more than a minute, but damn, it felt like he'd been sleeping for a week.
His body ached as he tried to pull himself off the floor, vision unfocused as he wiped the liquid from his eyes. His ears were ringing, a throbbing headache fully formed behind his temples as he rubbed his fingers against the pounding skin.
As the ringing became familiar, a stone cold chill ran down his spine, the screams he first heard now distinguishable to his ears and they were dying down.
Dragging his body by his forearms, Carter sluggishly slid towards the sound, praying to every God above, that his brother could somehow hold on until he found him.
The screams faded, replaced by new, terror filled screams of his little brothers name.
"LEO, WAKE UP! PLEASE, WAKE UP!"
Carter had never moved faster in his life, using the unfamiliar sound as a compass in order to help him find the right pathway to one of ten pieces that made their house a home.
Panic consumed Carter as his eyes focused on one, instead of two, blobs. His azure gaze drifted lower, finding the second blob in the last position he'd ever want to see.
"Leo!" He choked, a broken sob falling from his lips at the sight before him.
Leo was barely conscious, his blue eyes disorientated as they rolled, and not in the cocky way Carter could appreciate. Carter was frozen as he watched him, complexion paling as his eyes drifted to the younger boy trembling above his little brother, his shaky hand pressed firmly against Leo's skin as crimson seeped through the gaps in his dainty fingers.
Carter's eyes widened, his lips trembling as he gazed at Leo's thigh in horror. Or, more so, the large shard of glass that had embedded itself into said thigh.
"Fuck," Carter wheezed, leaning down to cup Leo's cheeks in his palms. "Leo, hey, hey, listen to me fratellino. You need to stay awake. Okay?"
Leo's eyes continued to roll as his eyelids began to flutter.
"God damn it, Le." Carter slapped him, hard. "Don't you dare go to sleep you little shit."
"Car?" Leo's voice was a whisper, he sounded surprised and tired — too tired for Carter's liking. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Really?" Carter choked a weak laugh. "That's not the welcome I was hoping for. Where's the 'oh Carter, my favourite, most handsome, gorgeous brother ever, thank you for saving my life and ruining your perfected skincare routine' shit?" He raised an eyebrow.
Ignoring the comments that only his Carter could come up with, Leo's eyes roamed their surroundings lazily, he breathed weakly yet still managed an amused tilt of the lips.
"Wouldn't—" he coughed, feeling his lungs burn as he wheezed. "Saving my life... require actually saving it?"
"I have saved it," Carter frowned. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"Yeah, you're here, in a burning building, with us." Arlo muttered, rubbing his aching chest as he wheezed, feeling overly thankful at the fact this situation helped cover his shy blush.
Carter scoffed, eyes lingering on Leo's wound as he tried to think of a plan. "That's just a technology." He dismissed Arlo's claims with a wave of his palm.
Arlo tilted his head, clearly confused and very clearly unaware of Carter tendency to respond with the vocabulary of a five year old.
Leo choked a weak laugh. "Technicality, you fucking idiot."
"You know, I'm beginning to wish you lost consciousness." Carter said, thoughtfully.
Leo rolled his eyes, in the way that Carter appreciated this time. "Arlo, this is my brother, Carter."
"I remember his face from the photos," Arlo admitted sheepishly.
Carter puffed his chest, lips tilting into an arrogant smirk that had Leo's eyes rolling for a second time. "Just as handsome in real life, eh?" He bumped his shoulder against Arlo's suggestively.
Arlo blinked.
"Okay, okay," Carter ignored Arlo's bewildered look and began removing his belt, confusing both of the younger boys further.
"So, Le, I'm not gonna sugar coat this shit, but if tv has taught me anything then this is gonna hurt like a bitch."He told him, internally patting himself on the back for wearing jeans that required a belt.
It was like God was on his side — well, kinda. You know, if you took away the current situation like the possibility of burning alive.
Then, yeah, totally on his side.
"Huh?" Leo's voice grew softer, slower.
"Stay awake!" Carter slapped him again.
"You just said you wanted me unconscious." Leo slurred, eyelids fluttering. Arlo's cough made Leo's eyes drift to him, brows meeting as he watched the younger boy struggle for air. "Find... find his inhaler, Car."
Carter's eyes quickly glanced at Arlo before they drifted back to his little brothers injury. He'd help the kid, sure, but Leo was his priority regardless of the fact the blonde kids lips were turning blue.
"I'm... fine." Arlo choked out, feeling not so fine but not wanting to admit that to his friend — the same friend that used his body as a human shield to protect him, only to get himself hurt in the process.
"Where's your inhaler?" Carter asked, keeping his attention focused on Leo's thigh as he wrapped his belt above the wound and used it as a tourniquet, which he tightened until Leo's body jerked in pain.
"Fuck," Leo hissed, ignoring how his teeth ground and tears steamed down his cheeks faster than a rivers current as he managed to tell Carter, "His inhalers in his room, it's across from mine." He choked out, hands reaching for the secured belt as a pained cry left his trembling lips. "Take it off, fuck."
"Do you want to bleed to death?" Carter snapped, pulling Leo into his arms, holding him against his chest whilst being overly careful to avoid moving the large shard of glass.
"More... of a peaceful way to go than j-jumping, if you ask me... wouldn't you agree, Car?" Leo joked weakly, trying his hardest to fight against the tiredness he felt.
He knew better than most what that tiredness meant.
Carter's footsteps faltered as he gaped at his brother. "You call this peaceful?"
"That's all you're taking away from that statement?" Arlo blinked, staring at Carter with a baffled expression.
Carter rolled his eyes, he was really sick of getting bullied. "Both of you shut up. And you," he tilted his chin at Arlo, "Keep a hold of my shirt and don't let go. Got it?"
Arlo nodded, fingers tightly gripping the older boys sweater.
Carter moved forward, feeling a little dizzy and somewhat out of breath as he tried to keep a tight hold of Leo's weight. Leo wasn't heavy, he'd always been easy for Carter to lift, but given his head injury and the mountains of smoke he'd inhaled — Carter was struggling, big time.
"We get this inhaler and then we get out of here."
"O-our friends," Leo's voice was too quiet for Carter to pick up his words.
"Huh?"
"We can't leave, we were going back for our friends." Arlo informed him.
Carter groaned, they really didn't have time for this shit.
"Where the fuck are your friends?"
—
Minutes before the blast...
After five minutes of pointless pleading, Rowan, Presley and Oliver gave up on trying to sweet talk Felix and opted to drag him from the burning bedroom instead.
He was light, which worked in their favour. Though, his near six foot of height and lanky limbs were proving to be quite the issue.
Felix kicked and screamed, mumbling almost incoherent words as he begged for them to let him go. They weren't understanding, the fire couldn't hurt them — didn't they get it? Felix was invincible, he had the scars to prove it — they all did. So why wouldn't they listen?
"Let me go!"
"Felix," Rowan said, breathlessly. He gripped the younger boy tighter, terrified that Felix would do everything in his power to break free. "Listen to me, we need to go."
"No, I don't want to. I don't— let me go... LET ME GO!" Felix cried.
Oliver huffed, eyes narrowed on Felix as his fingers tightened against the boys skin. "We'll die if we let you go. Is that what you want, Felix? Do you want us all to die?" He said, shocking his three friends.
With his mind sill processing his friends words, Felix's fight paused as his mouth gaped in shock. "Oli," he blinked, feeling somewhat delirious. "You just spoke."
"No shit."
Taking advantage of the situation, Oliver made eye contact with Rowan and Presley before he nodded his chin to the doorway. The two of them understood the plan, following Oliver's lead they managed to pull an oblivious Felix from the burning bedroom to the hallway.
Felix, still taken aback, had yet to take in his new surroundings as he gazed up at his friends. "Oliver, I'm —"
I'm sorry.
Felix's words died on the tip of his tongue as the building shook and their bodies lifted from the floor, dropping back to the concrete less than a second later, battering against it with an echoing thud.
Fragments pierced their skin as their ears rang, their eyes scanning the gaps between the smoke and flames; searching for sight of one another.
"Guys?" Rowan's voice was weak. "Guys, fuck, call out if you can hear me."
"Row?" Presley whimpered, using her forearms to drag her body closer to the sound of his voice.
"Pres," Rowan spotted her, moving to her side in an instant. "Where's Oli and Felix?" He asked, voice laced in despair as he failed to find the two beneath the ashy air.
"Oliver! Felix!"
Nothing.
"Row, we have to find them." Presley's body shook, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she pushed to her knees.
Pressing her palms flat against the rubble on the floors surface, Presley exhaled sharply. She didn't care that her lungs were working on over time, or that her limbs ached and her brain begged for her to just lay down.
Presley was following her heart. That same heart that would never mend without two of the five pieces that make it whole.
"C'mon," she cried to Rowan. "We have to find them."
Letting out a chesty cough, Rowan nodded and followed her lead.
Pushing their bodies to the limit, the pair crawled through the mountain of rubble for what felt like hours but was merely minutes. Their hands were warm with the heat coming from their own spilling blood, shards of wood, glass and dirt embedding itself beneath the surface of their skin as they pushed past the sizzling pain in order to find the two boys they loved like brothers.
"Do you hear that?" Rowan whispered, ears perking up at the not-so distant sound.
"Hear wha—"
"Sh," Rowan held his hand up, silencing her. "There it is again. We're close, Pres, we're so close."
And Rowan was right, but when his eyes caught sight of the scene before him, he wished he wasn't.
—
"How much further?" Carter asked Arlo.
Hwas struggling to continue. His legs were on the verge of collapsing, as were his lungs and everything seemed to be getting blurrier by the second.
"I- I'm not too sure." Arlo whispered, feeling awfully turned around at the new layout the fire had offered them. "Everything looks so different."
Carter ground his teeth together and glared at the kid. Fuck this blue lipped dude, fuck their lost friends, and fuck this fucking fire.
God, this was beyond exhausting. All Carter wanted was to go home, have a nice hot shower, put on a deep cleansing face mask (and maybe an oxygen mask) and everything would be Gucci.
So fucking Gucci.
"Think, Arrow."
Arlo glared at the back of his head, holding the mean words he thought about saying at the back of his throat as he muttered, "It's Arlo."
"Do I look like I give a fuck?" Carter snapped, his patience and strength wearing so fucking thin.
"Car," Leo caught his eye as he stared up from his place in Carter's arms. "Don't."
"We're running out of time, Le." Carter pressed. "I need to know where the fuck I'm going or none of us are getting out of here."
Leo twisted his head and glanced ahead, squinting his drooping eyes in attempt to see through the black fog. "Just a little further," he whispered, head feeling heavier to hold up as he dropped his neck down.
"Hey, stay awake." Carter shook him a little, being overly mindful of the still bleeding and impaled wound.
"I'm up," Leo mumbled softly. "I'm up."
Ten steps later and voices broke through the crackling silence. As much as Leo and Arlo were desperate to hear their friends' voices, they never expected to hear the terror in their tone, too.
"No, no, Oli, please!"
The tiredness Leo felt faded as his body shook with adrenaline. "Oliver," he whispered, trying to free himself from Carter's hold.
"Le—" Carter's arms tightened as his footsteps faltered. Arlo slammed into his back, but Carter didn't care, he twisted one hand behind him, holding the blonde boy in place.
Leo shouldn't see this, neither of these kids should see this.
"What?" Leo tried to tilt his head, both desperate and terrified to see whatever Carter had. His brother didn't let him though, swiftly turning his body back in the direction they came. "Carter, go to them or put me the fuck down."
"What's going on?" Arlo said, voice coated in terror.
"Listen, guys..."
"Now, Carter." Leo didn't like the look in his eye, the strange pity mixed with sadness. Something was wrong, really fucking wrong. "Carter!"
"Fuck, okay, Le. Okay." Carter's face fell when he realised there was nothing he could do to prevent Leo or Arlo to see the chaos ahead.
Taking a deep breath, he turned around and moved forward.
"Oli..." the pain in Leo's voice broke Carter's heart. "No, no, no."
Presley's teary eyes met theirs, her sob echoing in the smoke filled hallway as Rowan's grunts and heavy breaths filtered through the sorrow filled air.
"What happened?" Leo choked out, twisting in Carter's hold. Carter complied to his silent demand, moving closer to the girl before sitting Leo on the rubble beside her.
"Th-there was an explosion," Presley couldn't stop her tears from falling, pulling her legs to her chest, she rocked back and forth, uncaring of the rubble scratching her skin as her sole focus remained on Rowan and Oliver. "We got separated."
Leo's eyes scanned their surroundings, gaze quickly falling on Arlo and Felix. The latter looked as distraught as Leo felt, his teary eyes unblinking as he watched their friends helplessly from the sidelines.
What the fuck happened.
"Let me take over," Carter gently offered Rowan, seeing the sweat drip down the boys face as his breathing grew even more uneven.
"No," Rowan rapidly shook his head, continuing with thirty more chest compressions as his salty tears fell from his eyes to Oliver's pale cheeks, merging with the crimson that leaked down his face from the deep gash on his temple. "I've got him. You hear that, Oli? I've got you, we've all got you. Don't you dare die on me."
Arlo cried loudly, the soul crushing kind of cry. He didn't care about the fact that he could barely breathe, wrapping his arms around Felix's torso as be pressed his face against the older boys chest, desperately needing some comfort — the same comfort he knew Felix craved, too.
"Row," Leo dragged his body closer, feeling his heart crack in his chest at how pale Oliver's skin had gone in mere seconds. "Let Carter take over. Please, you're tired. Let him try, Row. Please."
Rowan heard the agony in Leo's voice, lifting his eyes, he glanced at the unfamiliar boy beside his friend, feeling wary of trusting him with Oliver's life.
Leo gently lay his hands over Rowan's, which were still pushing down on their friends chest. "You can trust him, Rowan."
Slowly, Rowan's pace decreased as he eventually allowed for Leo to pull him back. Carter wasted no time on resuming the compressions on the small kid he'd heard plenty of stories about. He knew just how important Oliver was to Leo, and glancing around at the terror stuck kids, Carter knew that Leo wouldn't be the only lost without him.
Staring down at the lifeless face he'd finally put the name Oliver to, Carter began to pray. He didn't believe in God, had never stepped foot in a church his whole nineteen years of life. But fuck, he prayed till his mind ran out of words to say — and for Carter, believe it or not, he knew a lot of fucking words.
"C'mon, kid." Carter pressed harder, putting everything he had into saving the boys life. "You can do this. C'mon."
Leo grabbed Oliver's hand, squeezing it like it was his one and only lifeline.
"C'mon, Oliver, breathe." Carter grunted.
Leo felt a twitch, no, a gentle squeeze.
"Stop, Car, stop." Ignoring the pain in his leg, Leo stretched over his best friend and placed his fingers against his neck. "Please, please, please..."
"There's a pulse, he's got a pulse." Leo cried a relieved laugh, his palms moving to cup Oliver's face as he squeezed his cheeks softly.
"He's breathing."
—
end of part three.
so... thoughts?
I did plan on finishing the whole fire scene in this chapter but I didn't so... oops?
Leo?
Arlo?
Car?
Oliver?
what do we wanna see happen next?
comment, vote and follow xxx
7700 words