CWs: Some characters being bitches.
short chapter today because christmas has me wrecked.
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When Y/n found Erin, he was sitting on a concrete block and tapping his thumb to every finger but his ring finger as a way to stay focused on anything other than his swelling emotions.
When Wade found Y/n, the former was panting and clutching a stitch in his side. He tried to say something, but it just came out as incomprehensible, breathy syllables.
The (h/c) boy was immediately at Erin's side. "Nobody's dead, right? You haven't punched someone?"
"Don't ask that. He'll wind up punching you gently in the mouth with his lips," Hannah remarked dully, her attention stolen by Towa, who she carefully applied eyeliner to.
Erin grabbed Y/n's hand with his free one, squeezing it lightly. He didn't respond to Hannah's crude words, nor did he deny them. Deciding that a hand wasn't enough, Erin pulled Y/n up to sit next to him.
"Where are Ezra and Teagan?" Y/n asked, changing the subject and shifting to sit on the block properly, which was apparently not allowed because Erin squeezed his hand tighter as punishment.
Hannah groaned, dropping her head for a moment and then lifting it to make sure she hadn't messed up with the eyeliner pencil. Towa hesitated to answer, letting the question hang in the air for a moment.
"They're probably fucking behind a wall somewhere," Erin answered when Towa didn't.
The black-haired boy nodded in agreement, quickly being reprimanded by Hannah, who slapped him gently on the side of the thigh for moving.
"Really?" Y/n questioned, even though he, as well as everyone else who had the displeasure of hearing the couple's hushed conversations, knew that it was about as likely as Dayton being high as shit every other day.
"Really. Them two are fucking freaks!" Hannah started, having to take the applicator away from Towa's eye to make exaggerated hand movements. "I swear to god, ever since Ezra turned eighteen they've been 'making love' more often than they've been making eye contact!"
"Why are we talking about this, again?" Wade chimed in, his voice still a bit winded and his tanned complexion flushed with exertion. He leaned on the concrete block that Erin and Y/n shared as a seat.
"Because if one of them dies, we'll know it's because they're the hot jock-cheerleader couple, and everyone knows that that trope always lives a short life," Hannah said, and Y/n only avoided wincing because of whose hand was currently suffocating his.
Y/n didn't even want to consider his own friends becoming victims of The Swine. The threat was too possible; too real. He becoming one, himself, was one thing. If you asked him, Y/n would be unable to answer why he was so abruptly worried over the possibility of one of his friends dying, while he'd been face-to-face with the actual threat and had said threat's murder weapon pressed against his throat, and even that didn't stir as many nerves as the risk of Erin, Towa, Hannah, Teagan, anyone, dying to The Swine.
Anyone he cared about too much. They couldn't.. couldn't die.
Not so early. Not when there were so many people who cared about them, so much more life for them to live out. No, not yet.
"Jesus, are you okay, Wade?" Towa asked, hand flying up to his mouth so it didn't look like he was laughing at how short-winded the brunet appeared (he definitely was).
Wade turned slowly, dramatically to Towa, who loosened up as Hannah finished fussing over the wing of his liner and pulled the tool away (the wing looked absolutely flawless to Y/n, but he's no professional).
"No," He said obviously. "This bitch right here can run."
And Wade pushed Y/n lightly, making him lean on Erin slightly. The shorter male glared at Wade, but was not opposed to having the (h/c) boy positioned that way.
"And you can't? Wasn't your dad a marathoner?" A small, genuine smile crossed the (h/c) boy's face, amused by Wade's lack of athleticism, although Y/n wasn't very athletic himself. He simply had nice stamina.
Wade turned to him, opening his mouth to speak before Hannah spoke first.
"It's not like he's his actual dad, though. Neither of them really are," Hannah said, ignoring the perturbed look she received from Towa and the glare from Erin. Y/n bit the inside of his mouth.
Hannah was insensitive to most things. It was just a part of her that bothered a few and interested fewer. Erin was part of the intrigued half, but, of course, he wasn't lenient with any teasing towards Wade's family, seeing as both boys were adopted and disconnected from their biological parents.
Wade didn't seem as bothered as Towa, who was just concerned about Hannah's shamelessness when it came to half-insulting others, and Erin, simply raising his middle finger and flicking off the brunette girl.
"Aren't you part of the baseball team?" A soft voice piped up, a familiar long-haired boy appearing behind Towa, who stood up to hug him.
"Hi, Jonah," Towa greeted first, releasing the taller boy from the friendly hug as Ethan approached, standing somewhere behind Jonah.
"It doesn't help. The most useful thing he does is warm the bench." Hannah rolled her eyes, standing up as well and dusting off the back of her shorts. She wrapped her arms around Towa to rock him side to side.
There were a few more exchanges of casual banter that Y/n tuned out of, taking notice of how Erin had seemed to calm down, no longer strangling Y/n's phalanges or fidgeting with his own.
The (h/c) boy also wondered how long Jonah and Ethan had been listening to their conversation before walking over. He hadn't noticed them before, and they'd apparently heard as much as Towa asking if Wade was alright. Did they hear anything before that?
Y/n let the thoughts rest as the subject turned.
"Sorry, I'm off topic. I wanted to come and ask if any of you have seen Jamie," Jonah said, pulling at the hem of his sweater as his demeanor grew a bit worried.
"Which Jamie?" Wade asked automatically, eyebrows furrowing.
Ethan looked up from the cracked screen of his phone.
"Which Jamie do you think, dumbass?" He grumbled, and although Ethan was always somewhat of an asshole, Y/n could tell there was something off about him this time. He seemed genuinely upset by something.
Wade blinked, opening his mouth to retort before wisely closing it, mumbling something about 'just making sure' before, again, wisely, shutting up at the glare he received from Ethan.
"My sister. She's- uhm, well, I think she's being bullied by another girl, and she keeps disappearing randomly when I turn around," Jonah murmured, his voice growing quieter over his words as if he was expressing something that he shouldn't be.
"That's not going to end well for the bully," Erin muttered under his breath, wrapping an arm around Y/n's shoulder and giving him an 'I'll-tell-you-later' look when the (h/c) male looked at him with a confused one.
"Are you sure they aren't just fucking?" Hannah asked bluntly, and the hug she was giving Towa from behind started to look more like an assassination attempt as he tried hopelessly to pull her arms away from his bruising ribs.
Jonah gave her a disturbed look.
"No, she talks about her too negatively for that," Jonah shook his head, eyes flicking from Hannah to Towa's struggling form.
"Maybe it's hate-sex," Hannah shrugged, her blank expression giving away none of her intent while she crushed the helpless black-haired boy.
Jonah's mouth hung open for a moment, and Y/n was unsure of whether he was considering the idea or was increasingly disturbed by it.
"Why would you have sex with someone you hate?" Towa asked, his voice hoarse from the rough, completely non-malicious strangling. Y/n didn't have to look back at Erin to see the delightedly pleased smirk on his face.
"Oh, you poor, sweet, innocent child..." Hannah sighed, her grip gentling mercifully so she could pet the taller boy's hair. Their relationship (platonic as it was) would never cease to confuse Y/n.
"I've done that before. His dick was so big, I nearly forgot about him punching me in the face," Ethan said, an expression of reminiscence on his face. Y/n saw Jonah's face go red and he was immediately pushing Ethan away and rushing good-byes.
"Oh, anyway, tell me if you guys see her. Thanks for the talk," Jonah said, smiling nervously as he continued to shove Ethan away from the scene, whispering flustered threats all the while.
Hannah only then released Towa from her torment, stretching her arms up and wiggling her eyebrows when Towa took a few cautious steps away from her.
Y/n shook his head slowly, recovering from the strange interaction.
As odd as it was, it felt so normal. It felt like Y/n was somewhere in the past, when things were simpler. When there was less fear. Back when Y/n stopped pleading for his parents' affection and attention, when he gave up on them and came to terms with the fact that he'd just have to appreciate every other aspect of his life.
Back when there was no killer. Back when he would see his now coworkers in the hallways and think of them as the untouchable upperclassmen. Back when it was just Erin, Towa, Hannah, and...
Y/n bit the joint in the middle of his finger, crushing his eyes shut and exhaling. Memories that were wanted but heart-wrenching filled his mind and for moments he could not shake them. He reminded himself of where he was and what was going on around him.
He held Erin's hand a little tighter.
It's the past. You can't change it. Stop.
The bell signaling the opening of the school doors cut through Y/n's short episode of mental distress, a distraction he was thankful for. Most of the early students that were gathered outside began to push through the crowds to get in, but Y/n's group waited for a second, unwilling to wade through those waters.
Just then, Ezra and Teagan emerged from the side of the school, the former fixing the latter's hair with trembling fingers —
"Oh for fuck's sake," Erin groaned, pulling himself and Y/n off of the concrete block to avoid the incoming inevitably awkward interaction that would certainly be embarrassing for everyone but the two people that should be plenty embarrassed of their raging hormones.
The (h/c) boy laughed softly at Erin's urgency to get the fuck out, a feat that ended up in Erin pushing him in front of him to be used as a human snowplow.
These were the moments that he needed to live in, not — not then. Those were... he wouldn't ever forget them, but, god, he wished he could recover from them.
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