A/N: surprise!!
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Turns out freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure the boys were all free, but what good would that do them? Freedom can't clothe them, it can't feed them, it can't provide shelter, and it definitely can't hide them. There was no doubt that the police was searching for them, their faces were probably plastered all over the news by now.

Patrick imagines that his mother is probably shouting frantically at his father that her little boy is on the news and works herself up with so much worry that she cries. Tyler has a similar thought but pushes it aside soon after, believing his family wouldn't pay enough attention to notice he's missing anyway. Josh, well he just had a cat that he loved a lot and hoped his parents didn't give it away in his absence. And Pete... eh, he couldn't care less. His family stopped visiting him months ago so they're probably happy he's gone. These juvenile delinquents cared about him more than his relatives it seemed.

The four of them walked together through dense woods and muddy fields, trying their best to stay out of sight until they could ditch their bright orange jumpsuits. It was blazing hot, the sun beating down on them almost painfully and not a single drop of water for miles.

Freedom has never seemed so bleak.

The boys decided to stop and rest when the sun began to set. They camped out deep in the woods, resting between a few trees and making sure to stay close to each other. Tyler set up a fire, starting it with a couple of rocks and twigs, saying something about being a boy scout in his childhood. They all gathered around and watched the sky until it faded into darkness, then shared stories to pass the time.

Between childhood memories and unforgettable moments with old friends, there was only one thing everyone really wanted to know: how on earth did they end up in juvy? For the most part they all seemed bright-eyed and innocent, but even the craziest people can appear to be friendly. The boys were all just itching to know.

Although Pete already knew what Patrick had done and vice versa, Tyler and Josh were still a mystery.

"So how'd you get put away?" Pete asked, turning toward Tyler who sat against a tree. "You don't look very menacing."

"I can be menacing if I want to be." Tyler defends, glancing around at the other's curious yet skeptical faces. He let out a sigh then awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck. "I got busted for truancy." He muttered.

"Are you serious?" Pete asked incredulously. "You got locked up for skipping school?"

Tyler nodded, cheeks flushing pink in slight embarrassment. "It wasn't my fault! If it wasn't for Josh I-"

"Oh, you're back to blaming me again?" Josh retorted, this seemed to be a hot button issue between the two. But it also meant that they were both locked away for the same thing at the same time. Who would've guessed? "You chose to ditch school with me. I didn't make you."

"No, but you persuaded me."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did! 'Come on Tyler, it'll be fun and we can make out behind Micky D's.'"

"I never said that!"

"Well you might as well have."

"Whoa, okay guys," Patrick interrupted, the pair glaring at each other then reluctantly shutting their mouths. "Doesn't matter who's fault it is, we all ended up in the same place either way."

"I guess." Tyler muttered, crossing his arms and staring at the flickering flames of the fire he made.

"What'd you guys do then?" Josh questioned. He began to rub his eyes a little, growing tired, but he wanted an answer first.

"I stole some stuff." Pete responded with a shrug. "Which is not nearly as bad as what Patrick did." He grinned, looking over to Patrick who sat hugging his knees. Patrick narrowed his eyes at him but Pete wasn't phased in the slightest.

"Really?" Tyler asked. "But you're so... you."

"Oh thanks." Patrick deadpanned before going on to explain. "There was this guy that picked on me a lot in school and... I don't know, I guess I just snapped. I ended up, maybe, blinding him. Possibly."

"You blinded someone?! That's crazy!" Josh shouted in amusement, eyes wide and glowing in the light of the fire. Tyler gasped and covered his mouth with his hand in shock.

"I know right!" Pete laughed, throwing an arm over Patrick's shoulders. "Pretty and dangerous." Then he planted a kiss onto Patrick's reddened cheek. "He gouged the fucker's eyes out!"

"Oh my god." Tyler gasped yet again, this time in awe just as Josh said, "That's insane, dude."

Patrick didn't think it was all that cool honestly, he just reacted badly to the situation at hand. A simple punch or some choice words would've been just fine but nope, let's gouge some eyeballs instead because that's what all the kids are doing these days.

He groaned then hid his face from the others while they continued to talk about it for much longer than was necessary. But then Josh began to yawn in the middle of his responses and rubbing his eyes a little more. Tyler was already laying across the grass, resting his head in Josh's lap with his eyelids drooping every so often. Pete had his head on Patrick's shoulder, mumbling something that no one could understand but everyone was too tired to tell him to shutup.

"We should get some rest." Patrick said, the boys all agreeing with tired nods and slurred words.

Pete lifted his head and laid down facing the sky, closing his eyes sleepily. Josh and Tyler were already snoring quietly as Patrick watched the flames flicker, not making a move to lay down just yet. It had been a long couple of days, walking and camping out in random places. They ate what they could and drank whatever they could find just to stay alive and hoping they wouldn't get caught. Because if they do, they're probably going to be locked away and never see the light of day again.

"'Trick." Pete said suddenly, his voice deep with fatigue. He raised his arms up and made grabby hands, wanting the other boy to lay down with him. Patrick smiles slightly and gives in, going to lay down beside Pete who instantly wraps his arms around him. Patrick closes his eyes and listens to Pete's breathing for a moment, thinking he's fallen asleep until he hears him speak again.

"See you when the sun comes up."

"You couldn't just say 'goodnight'?"

"Only basic bitches say 'goodnight'."

His words made Patrick laugh and Pete joined in even though his tired body disagreed with the action.

"Go to sleep, doofus." Patrick snuggled into Pete's chest and closed his eyes once again, hearing Pete mumble something that sounded like 'you're a doofus' before slowly drifting into sleep with Patrick in his arms.

***

The next day the four boys were back to trekking through hidden areas, mostly staying near anything covered in foliage and trees. The boys ventured on like before, complaining about the heat and drowning in sweat. And Patrick had no idea where they were going, it was then that he realized that they've just been walking in a random direction for miles. But Pete had a place in mind where they could hideout and voiced it to the rest of them before leading the way there.

Some time ago while Patrick was in solitary, Pete discussed plans with Joe and Andy of where they'd go once they got out of juvy. There was an abandoned house where Andy claimed he lived once upon a time and they thought it would be the perfect place to meet, so that's where they planned to go. Even if Joe and Andy wouldn't be there, it should still be a safe place to hide until the search for them is called off.

Many, many miles later the sun was beginning to set for the day and they had finally reached the old house they had talked about. It turned out to be an old farm house sitting in the middle of a field of unkempt and patchy grass. The house was falling apart and ratty but for now, it was their new home.

Pete excitedly latched onto Patrick's hand once the house was in view, not bothering to give warning before he's running off and dragging Patrick along with him. It was quite a distance away from the trees they'd been walking through but Pete felt it was necessary to run anyway. Tyler and Josh weren't far behind.

Once they get to the house's front steps they take in it's outer appearance. It looks like your typical abandoned house; falling apart, chipping paint, broken wood, but it wasn't too bad. For the most part it looked sturdy enough to hold their weight. They ventured onto the porch then opened the front door, warily stepping over the threshold and taking a look around. There was still furniture inside and decorative paintings, the bedrooms were still intact and the kitchen was pretty clean. There was even fresh food on the counters.

Kind of weird for an abandoned house to have fresh food inside. Unless...

"It's about time you showed up!" Joe suddenly bounces out from one of the rooms along with Andy, both smiling and wearing regular clothes rather than those awful jumpsuits. Everyone thought they had gotten left behind, but in actuality they escaped and somehow got there before the others. Funny how things just happen.

"Have trouble finding the place?"

-fin

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A/N: yay, happy ending!