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spookyboywhump · 3 years ago

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This takes place. A while. After yesterday’s piece. Which somehow this one is longer than

CW: Mentions of past whump, very very brief rape mention

***

He didn’t believe it at first. He didn’t believe they’d found him to begin with- well, they said that he was handed over to them, and he especially didn’t believe the condition they claimed he was in. Maybe that was why he didn’t take a moment to mentally prepare himself for this, didn’t think about how big of a deal this actually was, and ignored warnings that maybe he shouldn’t see him again so soon. Instead he threw the door open, stopping in his tracks as soon as he saw him.

This didn’t look like the Cain Whitaker he knew. This didn’t look like the perfectly put together, arrogant bastard who had tormented him for seven agonizing years. He looked… broken. His blue eyes were dull, his hair was longer and unkempt, he looked just defeated. It almost made Zander sick to his stomach.

At first neither of them said anything. They simply stared at the other, eyes wide as they held their breath. Finally, Zander stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. It didn’t go unnoticed that Cain flinched when he walked past him. He took the seat across from him, he still wasn’t used to doing the actual questioning part of things, and he certainly wasn’t prepared for this, but it had to be done. Cain wouldn’t look him in the eye now, he kept his eyes on the table. He looked like he just wanted to disappear. Despite this, he was the first one of them to speak up.

“You can go ahead and laugh at me…” He said softly, his voice hoarse. “I know I certainly deserve it…”

“I’m not going to laugh at you.” A part of him still couldn’t believe he was actually speaking to him after so long with no contact.

“I understand if you’re angry…” He continued slowly, choosing his words carefully. “You have every right to be.”

“I’m not angry.” He sighed, and Cain finally looked up, meeting his eye, and Zander saw just how scared he really was.

“Why not? You should be, you- you should be furious, you should- you can hurt me, hit me if you’d like, please, I deserve it-“

“No you don’t.” He told him, and Cain looked almost desperate, like he was ready to just *beg him*. “You didn’t deserve any of this. I’m sorry.” He said softly.

“Don’t apologize to me. This- this is what I get, for everything I did. I was… I know I was awful, and I knew it then, and you should be mad at me, for all of it…”

“You tormented me for seven years.” He said bluntly, and Cain nodded. “You beat me, you starved me, you whipped me more times than I can count.”

“I know…”

“You forced me into life threatening fights for your entertainment. You dehumanized me, you took my name, my dignity, my future, you took everything from me.”

“I know…” He said, softer this time.

“And you repeatedly, knowing what would happen, handed me over to a rapist.” Cain flinched when he said that, staring down at the table.

“I know… I’m so sorry…”

“But I’m not mad. I forgave you a long time ago.” He told him, and it was the truth. Right now he didn’t feel angry, he was still reeling from the shock of seeing Cain to begin with, but more than anything when he looked at him, he just felt pity.

”Why…?”

“I was… tired of being angry…” He said slowly, keeping his eyes down. “I’ve been angry for so, so long, I just… wanted to let a little bit of it go… I forgave you for what you did to me, but I can’t forgive you for what you did to Wren… that’s not for me to forgive…”

“Wren… is he…?”

“His name is Elias. He left when he heard you were here. He said he’d hurt you if he saw you.” Eli had actually begged to be let in there, specifically because he wanted to hurt him, and while Zander didn’t exactly blame him, now wasn’t the best time for that.

“I’d deserve it…” He muttered, looking somewhat disappointed. “I want to apologize to him too.” He said, and he sounded sincere.

“He doesn’t want to hear it. He’s a lo angrier than I am.” He told him, and it was a bit of a warning just in case Elias did get near him. He might not be there to hold him back, actually, he might not even want to hold him back at all. He’d spent more than enough time being angry, he figured it was just Eli’s turn.

“That’s fair I guess…” He said, staring down at the table. He went silent, like he didn’t know what to say, but Zander certainly had some questions of his own.

“What happened?” He asked. “You- You just disappeared, you fucking left us there, why?”

“I didn’t mean to, I, it was Nicholas-”

“Oh of fucking course it was!” He couldn’t help the anger that overtook him, he may have forgiven Cain but he could not, would not ever forgive Nicholas. He wasn’t even surprised, he should’ve expected something like this. “I always knew there was something fucking off about that bastard!” He snapped, Cain flinching as he slammed his hand down on the table.

“I’m sorry…” He said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I… I wish I’d never brought him around to you two, at all for that matter, I just…”

“It doesn’t matter.” He sighed, anxiously running his hand through his hair. “It’s over and done with, you can’t change it. I’m just glad you’re safe.” He said, and he didn’t realize until he’d said it that he really meant it. It felt as if some extra weight had been lifted off his shoulders, one less thing to worry about, one less thing to keep him up at night. Cain was here, and he was alive, and that was really all he’d been hoping for out of this situation. Cain made a sound, like a sniffle, and when he looked him in the face he saw that he was crying. “Fuck, sir-”

“Don’t- Don’t call me…” He took a shuddering breath, raising his hands to wipe at his eyes. Zander didn’t know what to do, it’s not as though it were the first time he’d seen him cry, but still, it had been so long, and all of this was still so unbelievable. He didn’t know what to do, so he just reached across the table and took Cain’s hand in his. He didn’t let himself break, he was still trying to blink back tears, squeezing Zander’s hand tightly. “Don’t… Don’t call me that- and, why- why are you still wearing that?” He asked, pointing at his collar, his voice cracked but apparently the collar was bothering him more than what Zander had said. Zander jerked his hand away just to grab it, almost as though he thought Cain would try to take it from him.

“It doesn’t matter.” He told him.

“Yes it does, have you been wearing that this whole fucking time?” He asked. He didn’t look angry, he was still blinking away tears, but he looked shocked, like he couldn’t believe it.

“It doesn’t matter.” He repeated. He noticed Cain was still wearing his collar, which was to be expected, new rescues usually still weren’t ready or weren’t able to take them off. Still, it was weird to see him wearing one, in fact he really, really hated it. The last time he saw him wear a collar it was a shock collar, something he wished he could’ve forgotten. “What about you? Do you need help getting that off?” He asked, gesturing to it. He didn’t let Cain answer, he wouldn’t have done this with any other rescue but he got up and came behind him, already fiddling with the latch on the back. Cain tensed up but he didn’t stop him, and Zander got it off him, only just now catching sight of the gold tag. It didn’t have his name engraved on it, instead all it said was the word Bitch in a pretty font. “Do you want to keep this?” He asked, scowling.

“No…” Cain said quietly.

“Do you want me to get rid of it for you?” He asked, and Cain nodded. He stuffed it into his jacket pocket for now, he’d throw it out later. He went and sat back down across from him. He almost couldn’t even look at him, it was just wrong. Cain wasn’t supposed to be like this, thin and frail in ill fitting clothing, subdued and quiet. He should’ve been loud and obnoxious, an arrogant asshole who talked down to everyone around him, he didn’t know exactly what Nicholas had done to him but he had a few ideas, and it all just made him more and more angry. He tried to keep his expression neutral, Cain kept giving him that wary look that people gave when he was angry. “Do you have any idea what you’re going to do from here?” He asked. Usually they focused on finding anybody to reunite the rescues with, but he already knew that Cain didn’t have anybody. Since his father passed, it had always been him, and Zander, and he sure as hell was not about to let Cain Whitaker into his apartment, no matter how bad he felt for him.

“I’d need to make a few calls but I think that I can manage…” He shrugged. “There were always arrangements in place in case I needed to… disappear for a little bit. I think Nicholas wanted to just avoid any extra suspicion but I was able to rely on that when everything first happened. I’ll have somewhere to go in no time.” He told him, and Zander was already pulling his own phone out to hand it to him, but he paused, looking at him warily.

“Are… are you going back to all that? Back to the dog stuff?” He asked, and Cain looked at him like he was crazy.

“Of course not! Even if I wanted to… that’s Nicholas’ territory now, he’s the one in charge, there’s nothing I could do short of killing him to take that back.”

“And how do you know he’s not going to try and take you back?” Zander asked him. “You aren’t even safe, are you?”

“Well… no.” He said, visibly bothered as he hadn’t even thought about this. “No, not now, but there’s things I can do, better security, hired protection, things like that.” He said, waving his hand dismissively. He was starting to sound like the Cain he remembered again, more sure of himself.

“Okay, and that’s something you’re able to just, afford? You’ve been gone for so long-” He started, and Cain laughed.

“What? You think my father didn’t go to great lengths to protect our money? Financially, I’ll be fine, that’s the least of my problems.” He said. Zander had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, he’d forgotten how annoying it could be to be around rich people. He finally gave in and unlocked his phone though, pulling up the keypad and handing it to him.

“Here, go ahead and make those calls then. I’ll give you some time alone.” He told him, getting up and leaving the room so he could have some privacy.

He still wasn’t entirely sure what he was feeling. He was relieved, yes, he no longer had to stay up at night wondering where Cain was, if he was okay, if he intended to drag him back to that awful mansion with that awful cell, but this brought on a whole new wave of feelings. He felt like reasonably, this was supposed to be where they parted ways. Cain was safe and he could return to some semblance of his normal life. Zander would continue what he was doing, there was no reason for them to ever speak again, but… somehow he wasn’t satisfied with that. The idea of spending more time with Cain than he had to wasn’t exactly appealing, but after seven years together, being without him completely just felt wrong. He didn’t quite know how to describe it, and he couldn’t even imagine trying to bring it up to Eli. It made his head hurt to think about, he couldn’t help but hope this would all sort itself out soon.

***

He stayed later than he should have. Once he’d finished talking with Cain there were other’s, some of the higher ups had business with him. Zander could guess what about, but it wasn’t any of his business. Still, he stayed around just in case, he wanted to know how this would end for Cain he supposed. He had his own things to take care of anyway, it wasn’t hard to stay busy, but eventually he was called back to that room. Apparently Cain wanted to see him, and he figured that after this, he could finally go home.

Cain was looking better than when he’d first seen him earlier that day. He still looked tired, especially after spending the better part of the day in a single room likely being questioned repeatedly, but he didn’t seem as scared. One thing Zander remembered was how good Cain was at appearing as though he were sure of himself and at least semi in control of what was going on, even if he was just acting, and he could see that in him now.

“I need a favor…” He said, almost cautiously, and Zander had to resist the urge to tell him no. It wasn’t even that he didn’t want to, he just wanted to know what Cain would do now that he didn’t own him.

“What is it?” He asked, leaning against the wall near the door and crossing his arms.

“Earlier I made arrangements for a place to stay for a few nights. Can you help me get there?” He asked.

“I… I mean, I guess. What, too cheap to call a taxi?” He snickered, mostly joking, but something about Cain’s face made him shut up, like there was something more to it.

“No, I’m not, but I can’t actually get anywhere on my own.” He said bluntly. “If I have to lean on somebody I’d rather it not be a stranger.” He said.

“What do you mean…?” He asked, watching as Cain braced his hands on the table for leverage as he slowly, shakily stood up. It was obvious it hurt him to do so, and Zander was almost immediately at his side, ready to grab him in case he fell. “What happened?” He asked, giving Cain his arm to hold onto. “What did he do?”

“Don’t… I don’t… let’s not talk about that…” He said, making a face.

“S- Cain-”

“No.” He said sternly, stern enough to shut Zander up. He focused on helping him out of the room, allowing Cain to lean against him, and he realized just how light he really felt. He was shaking badly too, Zander just wanted to get him out of there and into his car already, but they had to go slow, he let Cain set the pace. He couldn’t quite tell what exactly was wrong with his legs, he didn’t know if Cain would ever tell him, but he knew it was Nicholas’ fault, and that was enough to piss him off beyond belief.

He felt weird about the situation, it was just so odd to him. This man had owned him, he’d always been in control, but now it seemed like the roles had switched. Zander could decide to leave him there. He could’ve told him to go fuck himself, he didn’t have to do any favors for him, after all, what had Cain ever done for him aside from making his life miserable? But that didn’t sit right with him, and as he finally got Cain outside and helped him into the passenger seat of his car, he had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time they spoke, and they wouldn’t be parting ways as easily as he thought.

#my writing #my oc's #Zander #Cain #AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #Y'ALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WANTING TO WRITE THIS #/FUCK/#AHAHAHAHAHAHAA #IM SO EXCITED PLEASE ENJOY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

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ray-of-midnight-storm · 1 year ago

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WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUCK!?!?!?!?? KATE WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKK WHY WHY WHY WHY WHYW HYENHYE HEYE HYE HWY HWY WHY WHYW HEY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY NOOOO NONONONO NONO NON NO NO NO NO NO NO NONNO NO NO AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Lace

Pairing: Hobie Brown x fem! Reader/ Spider-Punk x fem! Reader

Word count: 4.7k

Tags: Use of Y/N sparsely, no specific physical description of the reader (except for her clothing), Cursing, CW spiders, TW Arachnophobia, TW violence, CW injury, angst, fluff.

My Navigation

Thread the Needle

CHAPTER 6 >>> CHAPTER 7

Your pulse thumps loudly against your skin, swallowing a lump in your throat, you bravely make your way towards your friend. That word hangs loosely in the balance, you have no right to get mad at Hobie, he has no obligation towards your feelings whatsoever. Especially that you've never voiced how much you like him, no how much you came to love him.

You've never exactly pinpointed the time or event that made you love your best friend, but you know deep inside that you have. Whether it was platonic before or romantic after a few years of knowing him. You know that you've loved the same man for years. That's why it hurts so much that he's been ogling the unknown woman in his presence. Hands tucked inside the pockets of his leather jacket, he watches her through half lidded eyes, a smile curling around his lips.

The woman's giggle cuts you like a rusty knife, leaving you bleeding and doubting everything. Doubting all the soft touches and lingering gazes from Hobie all those years of hanging out with him. Maybe you are delusional, your lovesick brain making you think and imagine that a man like him could ever love you back.

You hate yourself for being jealous, the big green monster rearing its ugly head. Whispering and gnawing at your shattering heart. Trying to tamp down the ugly thing, cageing it inside your chest like a feral animal, you exhale a shaky breath. Eyes growing glassy at the sticky kiss she leaves on Hobie's cheek. The large Oscorp museum looms behind the stage, casting a large shadow on the couple, as if the building's hiding them from you, mockingly adding to your pain.

Weaving through the crowd, you catch the last bit of their conversation.

"I'll see you at the after party, right, Hobs?" Her voice is sweet yet it sounds like nails on a chalkboard when she calls him 'Hobs'.

"Sure, Lacey," his voice monotone, "go, we're almost on." Hobie nods at her.

'Lacey' winks at him, giving him a flirty smile, waving goodbye. Her long curls bouncing as she walks away.

Hobie notices someone staring, he cranes his neck, squinting, instantly grinning when he spots you. "Oi! There you are! You're late. Nice boots, are they new?"

You clear your throat, blinking away the tears threatening to spill over. "Yeah" walking closer to him, you give him enough space. Far enough for him to not be able to hold you.

Hobie notices your downturned gaze, "you okay–"

"You made it!" Yuri appears from behind, bounding towards you for a hug. "Look at our lucky charm! Lookin' pretty as always" she holds you at arms length. Giving her the best smile you could muster.

Ned and James join her side, "nice shoes!" Ned exclaims, bass strapped on his back.

"'ave you been cryin'?" James asks, concerned. He (unfortunately for you) noticed your glassy eyes.

"What?" You chuckle softly "No, I had to run here, the wind whipped at my face" trying to save face.

"You sure it's not allergies? Pollen count is at an all time high today" James adds, nodding.

"You learned that at your da's radio show?" Ned teases. James shoves him.

"I'm fine, it's nothing" you shrug, it's not nothing, your heart feels like it's been run over by a train.

"You sure you're okay?" Hobie finally chides in, closing in the distance you've put out. Intertwining your pinkies together.

To Hobie's dismay, you pull away a second later, "yeah, good luck. I'll be in the crowd" you give the band a double thumbs up, "you guys better win!" Trying to sound cheerful.

"Hell yeah, we will!" James pumps his fist in the air for added effect.

You walk away, trying to get in front of the stage for a better view of the show, pushing past the crowd, some seem to be too out of it to notice you. Spotting the familiar curls, you stop in the middle of the crowd that's packed together like sardines. Lacey laughs with her friends, hyping them up, drinks in hand, singing a familiar song.

The lights turn to a different color, red enveloping the stage. You feel like you're underwater, the loud noises muffled in your ears. You can barely hear the announcer introducing the band, eyes fixated towards Lacey, she throws a flying kiss towards the stage. You don't have to look at who the recipient was.

Guitar riffs ring out, Hobie's band starts playing their song, the crowd suddenly rushes in, trying to get to the front of the stage, trapping you. Bouncing around dancing bodies, you can't get out of the wild crowd, some noticing you trying to get out, they move and part for you. But some are way too into it to notice you.

"Excuse me, please! Fuck!" You yell out. A stray elbow hitting you right on your eye. The smacking sound rings in your ears, hand nursing the injury. A hand flings to your cheek, backhanding you. "Fuck!"

"Oi oi, stop! y/n!" Hobie's voice echoes around the venue, you deduce that he grabbed the mic from Ned. The band stops playing.

Half of the crowd doesn't stop, still jumping and bouncing around, guessing they've probably snuck in liquor. You ping pong around sweaty bodies, The only thing you could do was try to protect your head with your arms. Closing your eyes.

"Hoy! Fuckers! He said stop!" Lacey's voice screams out, trying to push past the mass. You can barely hear her through the blood rushing in your ears.

A strong yet familiar arm wraps around your shoulder, looking up you see Hobie arguing with a stranger.

"What the fuck! I said stop! Were you dropped on your head?!" He shoves the man away. Pointing at another trying to argue back. "Fuck off!" He lets go of you, shoving the other with force.

"Hey mate, if she can't handle it, maybe–" The man slurs his words, he couldn't finish his sentence, his face connecting with your knuckles. He should be glad that it wasn't Hobie's or else he would have his rings embedded in his jaw. The man keels over, sobering him up in an instant, groaning in pain.

Hobie looks at you in shock, you look at the men like you want to rip them apart.

Everything crushes you, the weight and pressure of your project, expectations from your family, your love for him. Every insecurity seeps out of your bones, drowning you in its disgusting waters.

You throw your anger at the first thing you see.

"You fucking wanker!" You seethe, your eyes darken, the strangers bear the brunt of your anger. "Stop means stop motherfucker!"

Hobie holds you back, if he doesn't you'll get kicked out of the event, "holy shit" your fist held up, ready to strike again.

You push him off, eye stinging in pain. Huffing, You give the men one last angry glare before stomping away from the crowd, too angry to care that you have an audience. Hobie follows closely behind, calling your name urgently.

"What?!" You turn sharply, the skin around your injured eye slowly turning into a darker color.

"Are you okay?" He asks, hands ghosting over your closed fists.

"Stop asking me if I'm okay, Hobart! Do I look like I'm fucking okay?!" You yell, frustrated, wincing at the pain in your socket. "Fuck!"

Your heart aches when you fight with him, moreso when you yell at Hobie. You're angry but not at Hobie, you're mad at yourself, mad that you've read his love for you as romantic, angry that you never told him how you feel. Furious at your jealousy.

One word stays in your mind, your own voice screaming it out like bloody murder: Coward.

"Love" he says softly, hands wrapping around your tightly closed fists, your nails digging into your palms leaving half moons on the soft skin. Hobie slowly unclenches your fists for you, fingers opening up yours. "You need ice over that, I'll bring you to the first aid station and–"

"You don't have to, just go. Get back on stage" you pull your hands away from him, clenching your hands into fists again.

"y/n, you might be concussed–" Hobie stares at you, concerned.

"Go" you sniff. "I'll go there myself" turning your back on him, Hobie watches you walk away.

—

The first aid station sits further away from the stage, the loud sounds can still be heard from where you're sitting inside the large tent. Cheers echoes out, prompting you to close your eyes at the booming sound.

The frozen ice pack melts in your hand, condensation dripping down on your arm. Your eye socket stings even with the pain meds the nurse gave you. Your head feels like it's trying to escape your skull. Sitting on the plastic chair, elbows propped on your thighs, biting the inside of your cheek when you hear your friends asking for you.

Scooching away from their line of sight, hiding behind a water cooler, you try to make yourself small. You groan when you hear the nurse tell them your location. Your anger has finally subsided, embarrassment replacing it.

Maybe you should've left when you had the chance.

Feet shuffle their way towards you, staying put, staring at the grey concrete, shoes fill your vision. Yuri breaks the silence.

"You've got a mean right hook, remind me to never piss you off"

You don't answer glaring at their shoelaces. The water from the ice pack drops on the concrete, painting it darker.

"Bloody hell, give her some room" Hobie arrives at your side, gesturing for them to give you space.

Hobie crouches down, leveling with your down turned stare. Grabbing the not so frozen ice pack from your hand carefully, avoiding touching your hand, in case you don't want to be touched. He stares at your black eye with concern.

"I made you all lose didn't I?" You stare up at your friends, avoiding Hobie's brown eyes.

"We got third place, I don't count that as a loss. It's better than we hoped for anyway" Ned looks at you apologetically.

"Right, not your fault." James adds. "Competition's hard, love"

"You're just saying that, if Hobie didn't interrupt by saving me, you would've won"

"If Hobie didn't jump in I would've jumped after you instead" Yuri chides in, pocketing her drumsticks.

"Me too" Ned says.

"Me three" James raises his hand, "Hobie just beat us to it" he shrugs.

"Still, I'm sorry," saying it softly. You don't miss the way they avoided asking you if you're okay.

"You're the one with the black eye" Hobie stands up, "can I talk to you?" He asks.

"We'll see you later, yeah?" Ned places a comforting hand on Hobie's shoulder. "As for you," Ned looks at you, "you've got my number, call me whenever or better yet visit me sometime"

You manage to crack a small smile, "I will" you stand up, giving him a hug, squeezing your friend. "Richmond's only an hour away" letting him go, you give him a sad smile.

"That's right, I'm only an hour away" Ned pats your shoulder.

Yuri steps in, holding both your hands, "and I'm just in Cambridge" she hugs you tightly, "don't be a stranger, yeah?"

"I'll come visit you whenever I can then" you squeeze her hands.

"You better" Yuri gives you her rare ten megawatt smile.

"Yuri and I will be classmates so you can visit me too if you want" James pats your back awkwardly.

"Fuck off, no we're not" Yuri scrunches her nose at James.

"We'll see you at the after party, Hobie?" Ned asks the unusually quiet man next to you.

The after party, where she will be waiting for Hobie. You try not to think about it, mentally chastising yourself.

"Nah, I have to get ready for her show."

"That's rescheduled actually, it's happening next week instead of tomorrow" you correct him. Hissing when your skin tugs at your eye.

"We'll be there then if you ever decide to pop in" Yuri informs Hobie.

"Alright, see you" Hobie waves them off. Sitting back down you watch them walk away with sad eyes.

"Can I have my ice pack back?" You groan when the pain pinches your eyelids.

"It's basically water, I'll get you a new one" He moves towards the nurse. You sit there, contemplating the past events.

The green monster peeks back out, shaking its cage, shackles straining against its leg. You try to move away from the image of her hands wrapped around Hobie's necklace that you've given him three birthdays ago, cherry red lipstick sticking to his cheek. The way he looked at her, the fucking pain in your eye. You start seething again, wanting to punch something.

You sigh, palms over your tired face, avoiding your injured eye.

"You al–" he stops himself, walking on eggshells. You don't want him doing that around you. "Here's your ice pack, the nurse said you don't have a concussion so I can take you home. Only if you want to" Hobie hands you the ice pack.

"This seems familiar, huh?" You wince at the cold hitting your skin, trying to cut the tension.

"What?"

"Can you fucking sit down for a second" you gesture towards a chair.

Hobie sighs, sitting down backwards on the chair, resting his chin over the plastic back of it, arms wrapping around it.

"When we first met? Remember that? It was almost exactly like this"

He lets out a breathy laugh, "Right, you threw that sketchbook at Terry. Yuri's right, you've got a dangerous arm"

"Should've gone into baseball, or volleyball at least" you avoid his stare. "We were sharing an ice pack, while we bad mouth Terrence" chuckling sadly at the memory. You don't regret meeting him that day, if you could do it all over again even after knowing what will happen, you would, without question.

"Will you fucking look at me" Hobie asks softly, you jump slightly at his angry tone. "Can you tell me what's eating you, is it the project?"

You wait a few seconds to bravely look at him, your face unreadable. "It's not the project"

"Is it really rescheduled, or you're just trying to get rid of me?" Hobie narrows his eyes at you. You can't read him, his expression flat, except for the slight scowl.

You shake your head, "Why the fuck am I trying to get rid of you? Mrs. Williams had a change of heart and gave us an extension, that's it!" The conversation escalates, frustrated at Hobie for implying that you're getting rid of him. You would never.

"Then why are you angry?" He doesn't raise his voice, he never does, and he won't ever start to.

"Because! I'm–" you hear a loud cough, the nurse glares at you two. Hobie notices, standing up.

"C'mon let's go inside" He stands up.

"Yeah, because arguing inside a museum is much better"

"You think those fucks care about a museum?" He points towards the concert with his thumb, "I looked inside, no one's in there. They're all going to the after party anyway"

Sighing, you want to go home, but knowing Hobie, he won't relent. You wouldn't dare to go to his place instead, not wanting to taint your future home with a fight. Your dorm is out of the question, it's almost midnight, your RA wouldn't let Hobie in. You don't want to run from this, even if it means lying to his face.

"Give me the bloody card" He asks for the favour card tucked inside your pocket.

"You're gonna use one on this?" You hand it to him.

"Yes" he pops one off, Hobie doesn't want to ruin his relationship with you, especially with him not knowing the cause of your anger. So he's willing to do anything to prevent that. The wind carries the logo somewhere.

You wish you're that piece of paper right now. Only seven to go.

—

Walking around the futuristic room, the walls white and pristine, covered in blue neon lights. It looks like you're in one of Ned's favourite sci-fi movie, you can't quite make out the title though. The entire place is silent, with only a handful of people walking around, the only sounds are from displays, machines whirring in the background, and noises made by the displays' speakers. They opened up the museum really late for the concert as a promotion even though most people only stayed for the show.

You stop in front of a display, a projection of some enhanced spider lifting something that's apparently fifty times heavier than its weight. Sitting down on a bench in front of the display, eyes glued to the presentation.

Hobie sits next to you, giving you space. He watches the projection's glow on the side of your face, making it look like there's a giant spider crawling on your skin.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you" you finally break the silence. "I shouldn't have done that, you were only trying to help," eyes still watching the educational video. Taking a deep breath, "Why do you think I'm trying to get rid of you?"

"It's nothing" he watches as the enhanced spider bites another spider, fighting with it.

"It's clearly nothing" you scoff, "that's the first thing you thought of when I told you that the show's rescheduled"

Hobie wishes he brought Terry with him, his leg bouncing, a nervous habit of his. "I'm holding you back." He confesses, wincing, regretting it almost immediately.

Your neck snaps to look at him, "You're not, why would you think that?" You sound angry, but your concern for him wins over. "Why?" Tentatively scooching over, you close the distance, cupping his hand in yours. "If anything I'm holding you back, you could've gone anywhere after you left school. Yet you stayed"

Hobie raises his brow at you, scoffing. At first you thought he'll pull away his hand, instead he drops his forehead on your shoulder, fitting right in. He feels the roughness of your denim jacket, squeezing your hand.

The projector's light envelopes you two in emerald green as it switches to a different scene.

"Why do you think I'm still here?" He finally answers after a few seconds. It felt like hours for you.

"Because I'm your best friend" you say softly.

"Best mates don't look at each other like we do" he gathers all his courage, tired of all the pushing and pulling, tired of being selfish, locking his feelings from you. Hobie cranes his neck up to look into your familiar eyes. The same eyes he's longed for. He's so close to you he could see himself in your glassy eyes.

Your heart beats a thousand times per second, Hobie cups your jaw, gaze falling on your slightly parted lips. You hold his wrist, thumb right on his hastening pulse, you cup his jaw with your free hand, hand soft against his slight stubble.

"Best mates don't touch each other like this," he continues.

Your eyes wander around his face, looking for any lies of what he's told you, flabbergasted at his confession. Your breath is seemingly stuck in your throat, heart stuttering when he slowly closes the gap between you.

You don't pull away.

You can feel him tugging at the loose thread, it feels like it's tightening around you instead of breaking you two apart at the seams. The dam has a sizable crack in its foundation, threatening to burst open.

Hobie leans towards your lips, now or never, he sees you flutter your eyes close, taking it as a sign to seal your lips with his. He feels a crawling sensation on his back, ignoring it, thinking it's his nerves acting up. His heart pounds like a drum, he can't back down now.

"Agh! Fuck!" Hobie suddenly screeches, hands flying towards his nape.

"What? What is it?!" You panic, turning him around, yelping when you see a bright spider latched on his neck. "Fuck!"

"What is it?!"

"Spider!" You try to fling it away using your sleeves, avoiding touching the arachnid.

"It fucking bit me!" Hobie slaps his neck in one swift movement, the spider lays dead, still latched on his skin. "Did I get it?"

"Yeah, let me just–" you take a handkerchief from your pocket, taking the spider away from his skin, "there, got it" showing the spider laying on your pink handkerchief. "Oh god it's red"

"You think it's venomous?"

You laugh wholeheartedly for the first time that night.

"I'm serious, I could die from this" Hobie pokes the spider.

Like it's comedic timing, the narrator from the educational video says, "it's not venomous but it is advised to seek professional help when bitten by the wolf spider, some people could be allergic to their bites–"

Staring at each other, "wow" you manage to say at the same time, you giggle nervously, having no idea how to proceed with how things are now.

"It doesn't look like the wolf spider, they're a different color" Hobie pokes the spider to look at its underbelly, "yeah, different one" he acts as if he's suddenly interested in arachnology.

You look at him with so much endearment, your eyes are practically shaped like hearts.

"What?" Hobie catches your staring, a smile playing on his lips.

"Nothin'" you taunt him with a cheeky smile. He rolls his eyes at you but his smile betrays him.

The intercom rings out, "The museum is now closed, sorry for the early closing" a nasally voice says. "There has been an incident in one of our displays, please leave the museum in an orderly fashion"

Hobie clears his throat, hand scratching at his nape, also not knowing what happens now. "I'll take you home," He stands up, offering you his hand.

"Okay" you feel giddy as you take his outstretched hand. It feels familiar yet oh so different now. You've finally got confirmation about his feelings towards you, no matter how vague it was. You two have all the time in the world to discuss it. You've waited this long, you can endure a few more days of tiptoeing around each other. Baby steps, you think.

Swinging your intertwined hands, you look up at him. "Do you think the incident that they're talking about is this spider?" You pat your jeans pocket where the covered spider is kept. "Like it came out of its enclosure or something?"

"They don't have live specimens here, probably not" he entertains your question, squeezing your hand.

You both leave the museum, hand in hand. Ignoring an alarm blaring from somewhere.

—

You hug Hobie's leather jacket tighter around you, the cold air biting at your cheeks, helping numb the pain in your eye. Hobie takes your helmet off for you, the simple action he's done a million times before makes your heart skip a beat. You watch him with curious eyes, waiting for something to happen between you. The large brick building that houses your dorm looms overhead.

You notice him sweating despite the cold, "How do you feel?" You ask, concerned.

"I feel fine" he takes your helmet back towards the compartment of his motorbike. "Why?"

You step over to him, your palm feeling his forehead for a sign of a fever. "You're sweating, it's like fifteen degrees, why are you sweating?" He leans into your touch, sighing a bit.

"It's because I'm bloody fit" Hobie smirks, winking at you playfully.

You roll your eyes, "what if you're actually allergic to that spider bite? We might need to get you to a hospital" pulling back your hand to your side.

"I'm fine, seriously. I have no idea why I'm sweating though" He wipes his moist forehead.

"Okay. I can come with, just to make sure you don't have a weird reaction to it"

"You'll come to the after party?"

"You're still going to that?" Why? She'll be there, you bite your tongue, jealousy gripping you again. He's not going because of that, right?

"Yeah, It'll probably be the last one with the band, I want to make the most of it"

"Okay, just be careful" you wrap your pinky around his, "ask the others for help if you suddenly feel sick, please?"

"I will. Go to bed, you're knackered. Get some ice on that once you wake up, yeah?"

You bravely stand on your tiptoes to reach his cheek, kissing his skin softly. It feels just right, like your lips were perfectly molded for his cheek. Hobie seems like he ran out of air, frozen into place. He has no idea where to put his hands, your waist seems to be a little suggestive, arms seems to be more on the friendly side, if he grabs the back of your neck, Hobie's afraid he might pull you in for a kiss, which you might not want right now. So he settles for your shoulder, it feels awkward still.

You pull away, seeing a very rare sight of a flustered Hobie. Almost giggling, you clamp down, not wanting to tease him more or he might start hiding this kind of face he's currently making. His pupils are blown out, mouth agape. He returns to his nonchalant expression when he notices you biting your lips to stifle your giggling.

Grabbing his hands in yours, you bat your lashes, "Drive carefully, please?"

Hobie pulls you in by your belt loop, hugging you, his chin rests on the crown of your head, long arms enveloping you. He pokes your scalp with his chin. Your laugh pierces through the dark.

"Yeah, yeah" Pulling away, he carefully grazes his forefinger over to your black eye. "Sorry, 'bout this"

"Not your fault. Thank you for jumping in to save me, even if I yelled at you after" you look at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, again"

He shakes his head, not knowing the exact words to reply to you. Rubbing your leather clad arms, he stops when he reaches your hands. "Keep this for tonight, you can bring it back to me tomorrow, yeah?" Hobie subtly asks you out.

You grin at him asking for you to come visit him the next day. "Mm-hmm, I was gonna visit you anyway. You're due for a fitting"

"Yeah? Finished our baby then?" An excited smile appears on his lips.

"Almost, I think you'll like it" You say smugly.

"You made it, it's a guarantee I'll like it"

—

You adjust the weight of your heavy bag on your shoulder, walking along the water towards Hobie's houseboat. Grinning at the familiar boat, you speed walk to the doors. Bouncing on the balls of your feet, excited to see Hobie again after last night, After his 'confession'.

Hugging his leather jacket around your torso, moving the bag slightly away, just to show him that you didn't forget to bring it with you.

Knocking, you call out to Hobie. "Hey, it's me!"

The boat rocks a bit to the side, tilting your head, curious at what might've caused its movement since the river is calm. Finn is right, you can't hear anything happening inside. The boat tilts again, you hold onto the wall for support.

You knock again, "Hobie! Are you okay in there?"

Hobie finally answers the door, it swings wildly, sweat dripping on his bare chest, still in his boxers, his wicks uncharacteristically standing in messy angles. Gripping the doorknob in an iron hold, his chest heaves up and down like he's run a marathon, or like he just–

Hobie seems like he can't properly construct a proper sentence, he blinks at you through watery eyes, licking his dry lips.

You were about to ask him if he's okay, you freeze in place, face falling when a female voice rings somewhere inside– "Hobs?"

You feel a hole caving in your heart, leaving a Hobie shaped chasm, eyes glistening in the morning sun, you don't even wait for his explanation. You just run, run as fast as your legs could take you. You have no idea where to go. Your heart is shattering with every step, you have no time to pick up the pieces, leaving it scattered in the wind.

You can hear Hobie yelling your name, ignoring his urgent calls, you sprint away.

A/N: Everything will make sense in the next chapter 😉 thank you for reading! Please consider reblogging if you enjoyed it, it encourages me to write more ❤️

*pictures above are from pinterest*

#i’m gonna explode

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