#hetty x reese | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

freehorsepiss · 1 year ago

Text

the artistry in tearing the place apart with me

1k words, BYATT x HETTY centric

"BYATT and HETTY tend to have a... complicated relationship. At least, BYATT thinks they do."

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BYATT loved HETTY. She thinks she does, at least. She isn’t quite sure what love is anymore. She loves that HETTY relies on her, loves that HETTY loves her, wants HETTY to be hers so bad, even though she’s very sure HETTY already is. When HETTY sat down beside BYATT on the stone steps leading up to the school nearing the curfew Mrs. WELCH set up before BYATT even came to Raxter. She was looking down at the ground, scratching at her hands.

“Hey,” BYATT says to her as she enters, stretching her arms as she sits up. “You good? You seem nervous.”

“Fine.” HETTY says.

“Are you sure?” BYATT creases her eyebrows. Of course she’s worried, but she wouldn’t mind if HETTY ended the conversation there. HETTY being worried didn’t tend to bother BYATT much, it meant she could sleep closer to her at night when she knew those worries would grow stronger. She could comfort her longer. She’s starting to think nothing brings her more joy than being close to HETTY.

“I… Ran into REESE.” HETTY sits next to her.

REESE hasn’t been talking to them for a while. For the past few days, that is. Her dad left recently. Left a note on her bunk in the middle of the night and ran away. Said he couldn’t stay here, he didn’t trust himself. It was to ‘protect her’. She’s been hiding out somewhere for the week. Staying in a spare dorm room, BYATT guessed. There weren’t any shortages of them, after all.

“Oh.” BYATT glanced down at the floor, then up again. “How--” BYATT cleared her throat. “How’d it go?”

“It was…” HETTY glanced around the room, looking at whatever she could to get her mind off the interaction. “It was okay. She was… stranger than she usually is. She didn’t say much.”

“Huh,” BYATT looked down at her shoes. “I think we should just give her some time to herself for now.”

BYATT didn’t care about REESE. She didn’t care if REESE got her precious ‘alone time’. But telling HETTY she did would make BYATT look better, and it would probably get HETTY to stop talking to REESE. At least, for now.

“Yeah,” HETTY sighs, her breath visible in the winter air. “That makes sense.”

They sat there in silence for a while, until CARSON opens the front door. “Hey, it’s almost curfew! WELCH’s gonna be lecturing you soon if you don’t hurry.”

HETTY clumsily stands up, pulling BYATT up with her. “Right, sorry.”

CARSON lets the door shut on it's own, the couple slipping through the gap before it closes. BYATT gives it some thought as she’s trailing behind HETTY towards their dorm room. About HETTY and REESE, that is. She knows REESE likes her. It’s obvious. She’s terrible at hiding it, but HETTY can’t seem to notice. At least BYATT doesn’t have to worry about that. All she needs to do is separate HETTY from REESE. She just needs to get her away from the one person that could take HETTY from her. That’s easier said than done, because HETTY cares about REESE. She cares about her feelings and her worries and her problems. HETTY cares more about BYATT than she does REESE, and if BYATT told her, HETTY would probably stab herself in the head for her. Still, she can’t risk saying it outright. She has to keep her good image. She can’t let anything taint HETTY’s idea of her. She can’t let HETTY let her go.

The hall is quiet. It’s not usually this peaceful at night, especially just before curfew. There’s always people running around and giggling and sharing gossip before they have to lower their voices to a whisper so WELCH doesn’t catch them. People are usually exchanging blankets and pillows for the night, wishing each other good luck, hoping nobody dies today.

REESE rooms with them, normally. Both of them are unsure where she’s sleeping now that she’s… recovering from this week’s events. Probably in a spare room on the other side of the school, far away from them. Far away from people who would bother her. After all, most of us stick to one side of the school nowadays. They only need one.

HETTY holds open the door for BYATT, letting it fall closed behind her after she enters. Their dorm room is mostly empty. Nothing from the past years is out in the open. Everything’s hidden in the closet, tucked away so they don’t have to remember it. BYATT doesn’t care if she remembers it, but she knows HETTY does. She knows HETTY cares about the past. She much prefers living there, pretending the Tox isn’t a thing. Tucking it away into the back of her mind until she has to confront it.

BYATT, on the other hand, prefers living here, with HETTY. With HETTY curled in her arms to keep warm at night, in a way that they would never do if the Tox wasn’t a thing. If it never reached them. If the generator never broke. If HETTY didn’t insist on hating the cold.

BYATT smiled at her as they climbed into bed, HETTY tangling her arms around her and hugging tight. BYATT slipping her hand into HETTY’s pocket. HETTY falls asleep fast, she’s realized. She’ll be out in seconds by the time BYATT is getting comfortable. Her breathing slows and she looks so peaceful, so happy when she’s laying there in the moonlight. Her breath on BYATT’s neck, soft and slow, it brings so much comfort to her. It makes her feel so complete.

She knows something’s missing from her. She knows that everything feels wrong and strange, but she can’t quite place what it is that’s gone. She’s hoping it’s HETTY. She’s hoping HETTY’s her missing piece, that she can fill that hole in her. She doesn’t think she could survive without her. Doesn’t think she could make it. She wants HETTY to feel the same about her. Wants HETTY to love her so much it hurts, because that’s how BYATT feels about her.

#iris_trio.fic #wilder girls

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