[Y/N] - Your Name
[M/N] - Middle Name
[L/N] - Last Name
I
["Talking"]
["SCREAMING"]
["Whispering"]
["Thinking"]
* - Translated directly from Italian.
[==========================]

-> [ARTISTS / SERIES USED]
- lilredbeany.

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

It felt like drifting amidst an endless void.

Not quite like sleeping, more-so like being dead, but aware of it. You felt aware of every single thing going on in your body. The throb of your muscles, the itching in your skin, even the stinging sensation around your neck. You tried to draw breath but came up short, no matter how much you struggled no part of your body moved. Yet, you remained calm. There was a beauty to this. In a very twisted way, you felt peace.

You closed your eyes. Maybe this peace was something good. For the first time in forever you felt what "peace" really meant. The silence was deafening, and would freak you out otherwise, but now it just felt natural. It felt right. Drifting without an end goal, going anywhere and also nowhere. Even if your chest was not moving up and down, it still just felt so relaxing to lay there. Unmoving. Unbothered. Uncaring.

But... Maybe that wasn't such a good idea?

They would be sad, wouldn't they? God, when was the last time you worried about someone like this? When was the last time that someone worried about you for that matter? You couldn't even recall the last time you had someone you'd call a "friend", but now, suddenly, you had six people worrying whether or not you were going to come out of this alive — Speaking of which, you didn't even know where you were.

Only the feelings and stinging in your body is what remains. A drop of blood here, an aching sensation there, a broken leg and maybe a few fingers as well. Being so aware of your body you could now feel the red around your throat. The harsh burns of the rapidly-moving vines around your skin that crushed your windpipe. That's right. At that point in time you flirted with death a bit too much, so it decided to embrace you.

Finally you had it all. A purpose. You flew so close to the sun...
It's only fitting your punishment was to never see it again.

But you didn't want this, did you? No, no you did not. Out of both stubbornness and for the sense of purpose reignited in your heart, you tried all you could do to move. Were not something stopping you, you would've been flailing around like a maniac going through an anger episode. This wasn't how it was meant to end, and you wouldn't let the allure of silence and peace drag you down into its eternity, no sir.

Afterall, if you did, what would the group think? "I thought Y/N was meant to be strong, but this is how he dies"? You just couldn't let that happen. But maybe there was something else, another sensation that began somewhere in the back of your throat and made its way down, burning your chest, particularly on its left side. You barely recognized the emotion. Attachment. It had been long since you felt it.

Attachment to your new life. Attachment to your friends.
Attachment to two people in particular that you grew very fond of.

You struggled. Tugging at the invisible things around your neck, kicking your legs and thrashing around as if trying to rid yourself from an invisible monster attacking you. You had to breathe.. Breathe.. BREATH... BREATHE...! But no matter how much you argued and scowled at yourself, the sensation never came. Still, you weren't one to back down without a fight, and if need-be, you'd struggle for however long it took.

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The entire world spun around with a splitting headache.

His hands gently tapped the soft surface of where his face laid before stabbing it with the knife he had holsted in his leg. As the bag deflated, Aiden's half-lidded, hazy eyes blinked once, then twice. One of them was bruised, his lips were busted and blood dripped off of his nose, but no injuries seemed to be worthy of concern. He glanced to the side, watching as the driver, too, suffered only from very minor flesh wounds.

Ashlyn looked over her shoulder at the group of people. Taylor, Logan and Ben had been thrashed around after the car collided with the tree, but they didn't appear to be in terrible conditions either. The spike of adrenaline began to wear off, making her eyes half-lidded and a tired sigh making its way out her mouth — Still, she pushed on to be sure that she wouldn't slow down. She could still hear the thumping outside.

Though everyone seemed hurt and a bit out of it, there was no time to dwell in their non-lethal injuries. The ground trembled every second, the sound getting ever closer meant Ashlyn had little time to decide, and went on to try and turn on the car again. The engine struggled to come to life, for a few moments there was still a sliver of hope, small as a grain of sand amidst the ocean. It was quickly washed away when the car immediately died down again, resulting in a curse and slam from the ginger.

After making sure that everyone was physically alright, the five stepped out of the car. readying their flashlights and guns in the case of coming across any stray Phantoms. Hours went by, and if they found themselves in the regular world, the sun would've surely started to peek through the branches and leaves of the forest. However, in whatever this place was, there was little hope for seeing the bright light of morning.

The sound of the gigantic monsters rumbling the ground nonstop only made the pit in their stomachs grow larger. It was like an ever looming threat, the sensation of being watched that made at least one person of the group look over their shoulder every now and again. Ultimately, aside from scarce, regular Phantoms, there was nothing to be found. With a defeated sigh, Ashlyn stopped, glancing up at the empty skies...

Ashlyn: ["We need to find a place to hide..."]

It wasn't a few seconds in the inside of the building that chose to hide for the night that Taylor collapsed. Ashlyn recalled the times she was begging to go back for her brother and Y/N, only for the group to come back empty-handed. Ashlyn herself had a lump in her throat, having to swallow down her tears and toughen it out, kneeling by the side of her friend and enveloping her in a welcoming and comfortable hug.

She herself had her worries, but she knew to push them to the back of her mind, as tough as it was, and keep herself strong. Everyone else came for the comfort of Taylor, and as they sat down to rest and sleep, she watched Aiden by her side, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder and giving her a warm smile. One that Ashlyn just glanced down at the floor after a nod of acknowledgement, not finding the will in her.

All they could do was sleep and hope everything was alright...

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Florentino: ["-But I do think he is too soft for his own good"]

He concluded while taking a swing from the bottle, his seventh one in the past half-an-hour alone. The flames of the campfire crackled and danced in the middle of the group who remained sitting together, Elio sitting right by the side of his older master. The rest of the families remained quiet for a while after the blonde had just concluded his story, everyone allowing for the silence to comfortably take reign...

Florentino: ["What'd you mean by "strange things" back then, though?"] His interest suddenly sparked up again when he glanced towards Naomi and William — Ben's parents and Aiden's uncle/aunt ["About the two of you seeing things, I mean"]

Naomi: ["Well- It might seem strange, but we have been seeing stuff in the shadows lately"] Most of the people around seemed surprised or to tense up. Elio and Florentino kept their usual neutrality, just listening on ["Though it's probably just because we aren't used to this area and are on edge, haha..."] She tried to conceal her nervousness with a fake laugh. It didn't work ["We keep thinking we're seeing things in dark areas..."]

Jessica: ["Wait-.. .You've been seeing the shadow things in the house too?"]

As Aiden's mother spoke up, everyone fell silent. A quick gaze from Florentino made it obvious to him that, apparently, everyone else had been dealing with his problem. He concealed a smirk, forcing his mouth to go down in a neutral state. Elio glanced at the man who leaned forward, clearly interested in whatever these people were talking about — He could tell the excitement and malice in his eyes from a mile away.

Jessica: ["Yo-You aren't just trying to scare us, right?!"]

Mary: ["Well, this is a weird coincidence..."] Logan's grandmother spoke, keeping her disturbance at bay ["Since me and James have also been getting spooked by shadows... And it's even more strange-"] She glanced at Ashlyn's parents with an analytical gaze, though one that wasn't nowhere near as cold and silent as Floretino's ["When Mike and Emma both look like the same thing has been tormenting them as of late as well"]

Emma: ["... Yeah... We've also..."]

Mariana: ["I think it was the same for me as well...?"]

There was a sudden motion, almost as if the world had been rapidly thrown up and down. Everybody's blood pressure dropped and they felt dizzy. Everyone but the italian blonde, who put on his best act — That Elio saw right through — to feign dizziness as well. Their heads throbbed in ache, and their bodies shook. Mike, in particular, appeared to be ready to question out loud what happened, all until-

YYYYYYYY/NNNNNNNN !!!

The cry rang through the entire night, coming from the inside of the bus where everyone had been laying down. The first one to step forward was Elio, leaving behind his dizziness to deal with another time and rushing to the bus. Inside of it, everyone flocked around Y/N, particularly Ashlyn who had her head laying on his shoulder the night before. She did her best to keep herself under control, as difficult as it was.

He laid motionless, eyes open wide but unmoving, his chest completely stopped with a lack of breathing. The girl was pulled away with a firm but gentle tug from Elio, who immediately laid his ear to Y/N's chest — Not hearing his heart beating, he crossed his fingers and pushed them to pump his chest. His eyes were sharp, his body focused. He clearly knew what he was doing, and seemed to keep calm completely.

The world fell silent in the ears of the group who stared at Y/N's unmoving body. Tyler, in particular, glanced at Y/N's neck with his eyes trembling and his entire body shaking. The memories of him falling out the cliff, rolling through the branches and the trees, the stinging of the cuts and the headache of the fall seems superficial now. Staring at Y/N's unmoving self, he remembered what he saw just a few hours ago...

Y/N hanging from his neck...

... It wasn't a sight he would forget anytime soon.

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Filled with anxiety, Ashlyn tapped her foot on the ground.

Even inside the massive hospital she felt trapped. Even with all the families around her, she felt alone. Both of her hands rested in the seat she was on, nervously glancing to the side at Florentino and Elio, both of which appeared to maintain their composure, but visible concern was shown in the expression of the latter. Ashlyn looked at the ground and her face fell into her palms. She held back her cries.

She remembered how Taylor was begging her to go back, and how Ben had to physically restrict her so she wouldn't trash around the car in the middle of the chase. Ashlyn recalled the worry in Aiden's eyes when Y/N launched after Tyler, and the way his smile was faulting all the way across the night. She herself felt a stinging in her stomach, something that burned so deep that it began to actually ache in her guts.

Aiden: ["... You did the best you could..."]

She snapped out of her thoughts when the blonde sat by her side, his knuckles gently laying against hers. The dark circles around Ashlyn's eyes from the many hours of lost rest were visible, especially with how much pain was being carried into her irises. She was at the point of breaking, but Aiden still only offered her a grin, tilting his head and giving the ginger girl a calming, and friendly nod of both reassurance and trust.

Aiden: ["Don't beat yourself over it... Plus, we both know how tough Y/N is"] He offered her another grin, one that was also filled with worry, but a grin nonetheless ["I'm sure he is going to be alright... I doubt something like this would be enough to take him out"]

Both fell in a bit of an awkward, sorrow-filled, but at least slightly-warmer silence. Glancing away from one another as their knuckles turned around and their palms rested together, both gripping each other's hands with quite the strength to share their pain in silence. Ashlyn still shivered with shut eyes, all until Aiden caught her attention again with words that made her eyes go wide, all while he still stared away.

Aiden: ["You like him too, don't you?"]

Mike: ["Hey, trooper..."]

Ashlyn and Aiden's hands broke away from one another when the girl's father walked up to them. Aiden still glanced away, now his expression filled with nervousness alongside the sorrow. Ashlyn was still in disbelief and questioning herself if she heard Aiden correctly, but with her father in front of her, the girl had no time to dwell on the thoughts. She just looked up at the man, hearing what else he had to say, or ask.

Mike: ["Take a walk with me?"]

As Ashlyn responded not with words, but a simple nod, she went on to walk away with her father. She looked over her shoulder at Aiden and saw his lips curve up into his signature smile — She couldn't quite tell what it carried. Sorrow? Shyness? Shame? Guilt? Regret? Maybe a little bit of all these, or nothing like that at all? She didn't know. Everything was still so hazy and foggy she couldn't process anything.

Now left to his thoughts, Aiden glanced at his open palm. Moving around his fingers, clutching his fist and reminiscing about what he had just said, and Ashlyn's looks. A long tired escaped his mouth, and the adrenaline junkie felt exhausted, more-so than usual. He glanced at the seat where Ashlyn was until a moment ago, and then back towards the room where the doctors had taken Y/N to see what had happened to him.

As he was left to himself, Ashlyn and Mike walked out of the ospital, taking a stroll through the night. Ashlyn looked up at the starry sky, wondering when was the last time she had been presented with such a sight. The nightly meetings in the Phantom World had been so drilled into her that she had forgotten how a dark sky looked, and how a moon that didn't burn an aggressive yellow could look so beautiful at night.

Mike: ["So, what happened?"]

Ashlyn: ["... ... ... We told you in the car. We went to get Tyler's guitar so Ben could play Lily a song-"] As the girl stopped walking by the side of her father, she looked up at him when he asked her the question ["And then suddenly Y/N just collapsed on us"]

Mike: ["Ashlyn... I mean what really happened"]

Ashlyn: ["... ... I- We ... ... What happened? I don't know. I don't know what happened...!!"] The girl clenched her fists, her eyes trembling and her breath quickening, all while she said nothing ["I don't know why that woman left us there. I don't know what these creatures are, why I chose to take lead..."] The man looked down at the young girl, his eyes softening with sorrow at her clearly-distressed state ["How to protect them. How to escape whatever circle of Hell we are trapped in. I don't know what I feel or who do I feel it for... I don't know what to do. I don't know how to explain... I-... I DON'T KNOW...!!!"]

Mike: ["Listen, kiddo, anything you tell me, no matter what..."] He placed a supportive hand on the girl's shoulder as she still stared at the ground, her entire body shaking ["I'll understand. Alright? You have my word"]

Ashlyn: ["... We don't have proof. You'll think we're crazy, on drugs, but we aren't and...-"]

Mike: ["Ashlyn, look at me"] The man's hands moved to his daughter's face, holding her firmly, but still with care, making it so that she looked up at him ["We will always believe you. I don't care what it is, your mom and I will be there, do you understand me?"]

She looked up at him with her eyes and body trembling. She was still in disbelief, in shock, in denial, hoping everything here was one huge nightmare that she would wake up from at any moment. The warmth of her father's callused hands gave her a reality check, and the weight of the past few months came crashing down like never before. The girl's body shivered, her breath caught in her throat, and gritted teeth...

She couldn't find it in her to hold it in anymore.

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Florentino: ["Hey, it's me. My name is Florentino... I'm your son"]*

The man's eyes gazed down at his feet. Usually covered with some high-brand leather shoes, now they found themselves in some basic sneakers. Same with his pants and the shirt with two open buttons he had. The only thing of notable worth, aside from his cellphone, was the golden chain around his neck. His eyes looked at the pavement as he brought the cellphone closer to his ear, nodding with a genuine, happy chuckle.

Florentino: ["Yes, I'm your son. The oldest one, you remember me, right mom?"] He looked forward, and then up at the night skies, nodding along with a hum ["Yeah, you have another kid. his name's Y/N — Well, that's what he is calling himself nowadays, at least"] With his other arm crossed on his chest, he nodded to nobody, but himself ["Yeah, it's about him... He's hospitalized. No, it's nothing serious, I think. He's stable..."]*

By himself in the street corner of where the hospital was, the man lit himself a cigarette. Removing from his pocket the pack and from the other a lighter, still bopping his head up and down, as if agreeing with a person that wasn't there. A drag, an exhale, and then picking up his phone again, he listened on to what the woman had to say. The soft, motherly tone always made him relax his muscles and posture.

Florentino: ["Yeah, I need to talk to dad. Think you can put him on the phone? ... Yeah, dad. Mhm, Lorenzo, aye. Alright, I'll wait..."] The man's tone turned somber and more serious as he awaited in silence, all until a slight bump was heard on the other end of the line ["Hey, old man... Piss off, I'll call you whatever I want. No, I'm not in trouble. Y/N is-... Ah, right. Yeah, that's what he is calling himself now. Mhm. Well, he's in the hospital"]*

A long inhale, followed by an extremely-lengthy exhale of the cigarette, the blonde just listened on and on and on. The authoritative tone, the serious words... Everything made him click his tongue in annoyance. He ran his fingers through a few scars around his arms, his eyes glaring at the skies above before he spat out the cigarette on the sidewalk, stomping it out before exhaling the last bit of smoke in his mouth.

Florentino: ["Listen, you fuck, YOU are the one who made him want to move out, not me! And news flash; I don't even like you! I'm just informing you because of mom!"] He spat out with anger, turning around and walking in circles, groaning out loud ["And because of what exactly happened — His neck appears to be broken, same with his right leg... As to how..."] He trailed off, his tone not one bit less threatening, even if his voice had been lowered ["What was it that you called him again? "Black sheep" or somethin'? Gonna need to change that nickname from now on... He's been changing these past few months..."]*

He spat to the side, still taking a stroll around the block while taking on the phone. A sly grin made itself present in his face, one that could not be seen, but, if it was, it would be obvious that it carried nothing short of mockery and amusement. Still, as he talked and went silent for a while, he glanced over his shoulder at Elio parked in the other corner of the street, giving him a sly grin while glancing up at the skies again.

Florentino: ["Elio seems to have a pretty strong impact on him. He's grown stronger. Physically and literally, too... Got himself some new pals, too"] He looked at the hospital again, this time around, reminiscing about the kids he had beaten up the other day ["Hell, he appears to be quite close with this one ginger girl and this other blonde boy..."]

Florentino chuckled to himself at hearing his father's groans of having to put up with this nonsense and seemingly-meaningless task. All while Florentino chipped away and glanced at his nails, then at the expensive watch on his wrist. The glow of his even-flashier golden chain reflected on the light of the lamp post that he stopped by, crossing an arm over his chest and leaning again with a confused eyebrow raise.

Florentino: ["No, that ain't what I would tell you. Fuck do I care if he's a fag or not?"] He lit himself another cigarette, taking a long drag before exhaling ["Just the way that he ended up in the hospital is... Interesting. They walk away alone. They go quiet, likely at sleep. Then suddenly Y/N has no signs of wounds, but a broken neck and leg...?"]

The silence was deafening. Florentino's chuckle echoed through the night, reflecting his amusement and malice the exact same way his chain reflected the light from above. He leaned with his eyes going shut, hearing his father's breathing on the other side only confirmed that he was caught. He was interested. Florentino's eyes opened, a wide grin spreading through his face as his fingers hovered over the cellphone...

Florentino: ["I think Y/N has access to the Phantom Woooorrrrllllddd~♪"] He said in a hushed whisper with a sing-song tone, twirling around in his feet ["If he finds out about what his old man has been up to in there, you can kiss your entire operation bye bye~! Three whole generations of progress to end up at the hand of a braaaaaaat~♫"]

His father didn't have time to respond before Florentino shut off the call.

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Everyone is staring at you. What else was new?

They would always do that. Point at you. Call you a freak. Laugh at your face. Yet, you remained standing and uncaring for it. Of course, as children are, this only served for them to make fun of you even more. What is it that drove them? Your lack of reaction? Your condition? Your mother's condition? You didn't know. Kids are confusing and a pain to deal with most of the time, so you never bothered to think about it either...

Yet here you are. Talking with yourself. Confused if you crossed the line between life and death. Is this what Hell is like? ... But you did die while saving someone, so maybe this is just purgatory? Drifting forever, alone with your thoughts. Oh dear God no. This is definitely Hell, then. Because you never wanted to confront them. You never wanted to confront yourself about what had happened all these years, hum?

Yet here you are, still talking to yourself.
And, do tell me, what is your end goal with this, exactly?

Reflecting on your past mistakes during the last moments of your life? Huh, how original of you.... Reflecting on the things that you let slip through your fingers. The things that you never even bothered to try and catch in the first place. The fear of denial. The fear of not achieving what you wanted drove you insane into that isolative corner, didn't it? Of course, it didn't help when your family was so fucking deranged.

If your brother, who was capable of getting away with murder thanks to your father, is a monster, and your dad who is the worst person you ever came across were all just monsters... Where does that leave you? Your mother could barely remember her left from her right, let alone herself, so all of this meant that you were a monster yourself, right? Well, then maybe you deserve this eternal punishment of confronting yourself!

But if you are a monster, why were they hanging out with you?
If you are a monster, then why did you throw away your life to save another?

... Y ...

Think about it for a moment. You never had friends before, and this first group of weirdos that you got tied into went from strangers to your best — And only — friends. Maybe it was exactly because they were your first interaction with people outside of the dangers of your family that made you grow so attached to them? Especially those two... Huh. Now that you think about it, they'd hate you if you decided to die on them.

Even if you and Tyler never really spoke that much or were too close. God-knows you hated the guy when you two first shared a room back in Savannah. Would he have done the same for you, though? Hah, the first time in years that you cared for people and this is what you get for it. You can already hear the voice of your brother laughing and mocking you for nearly taking yourself out for some "random brat", as he'd put it.

Friend... Huh. That is what those four are to you, am I right?
But Ashlyn and Aiden? Oh my friend, you know they are so, so much more...

... Y/N ... ?

So maybe, for the first time, you had a reason to keep going, right! To keep turning back and forth, trying to get the air back into your lungs properly. To try and fight off against the destiny that you would otherwise be uncaring for — Death. And having spoken of your brother, this is another reason as to why you were struggling so much. Not in life, but rather to not let death take you. You still needed to punch him.

Clock him right in the face, square in the jaw. BAM! Yeah, I bet that'd feel real good... What is it that you were talking about again? Oh, right. Your friends. A bunch of weirdos pulled together in such weird circumstances. And yet the seven of you managed to find a way to keep surviving. Was it "the power of friendship" or stubbornness? Think what you wanted — The seven of you were still alive.

That's right. You are alive, aren't you? Breathe... Breathe...

You're breathing. You can feel the air being pulled into your lungs.

... Y/N ... !

No reason to give up now, is there? Can't you hear them calling?
Come on, enough about poetry or self-reflections. It's time to wake up.

... Wake up...

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Y/N: ["... Huh ..."]

Y/N's eyes opened, and he felt as if he had been punched in the face a few times with the sudden brightness and headache that assaulted him. A few beeps and the feeling of the respirator in his mouth made it obvious where he was, especially with the whispers and murmurs that came from outside the door. He properly adjusted his vision and looked towards it, slowly, but surely, putting himself up into the bed.

He drew some air into his lungs, running a hand through his neck. Blinking a few times, rubbing his eyes and ultimately letting out one final exhale of fresh air. He was alive. Clearly just barely, as he felt the stinging sensation remaining and the sound of his windpipe being fucked still reverberated in his mind. As he sat himself in the bed, it suddenly opened to reveal a pair of familiar, red-colored eyes and blonde hair.

Aiden: ["..."]

Y/N: ["..."]

Aiden: ["..."]

Y/N: ["You owe me 50 bucks for not going back for me"]

Aiden: ["WHAT?!"]

Y/N: ["I was hanging by my neck. Got tangled in the vines — I think I also fucked my leg in the process..."] Y/N exhaled while leaning back into the bed, laying down with his eyes closing ["I forgot how tiring it is to exist. Do I still have time to go back and die...?"]

Aiden: ["If you do, Ash will be mad at you and me"] The boy chuckled while walking into the room, closing the door and sitting in the footboard's top rail ["You because you decided to pussy out on her, and me for not smacking some sense into your face"]

Y/N: ["I was kidding. You made me into your friend and made me come out of my shell, so now you are stuck with me, and I'm not so easy to dispatch of"] Y/N complained with a pained groan, resting his eyes again before opening a single one of them ["I was going to ask if you should be in here, but knowing you, you probably just snuck inside, huh?"]

Aiden: ["Bingo!"]

Y/N: ["Greaaaaaaat... Have some faith in me, you bastard. I'm not going down so easily"] Y/N closed his eye back again, sinking into the bed and letting his body relax ["Go back and tell people I woke up, but still will be taking a nap cause I'm tired..."]

Aiden: ["If I so much mention that we talked then everyone is flooding this room to check up on you"] He leaned back, crossing his legs and threatening to fall, but having a surprising sense of balance on not doing so ["... Just glad to still have you around"]

Y/N: ["It's uncomfortable to live, but it's comfortable to die... Huh. Turns out that song was right"] Y/N spoke up before he sat on the bed, staring right back at Aiden and his worried eyes ["Fuck you looking at me like that for? I'm alive, aren't I?"]

Aiden: ["Yeah, but there is still the matter of your body in the Phantom World..."]

Y/N: ["Then let's just hope that Tyler managed to get me down, at least. You're still staring, though"] Y/N cocked an eyebrow, staring at Aiden who let out a small chuckle ["There's something you're not telling me — It's something personal, I take?"]

Aiden: ["Yeah, something like that"]

Y/N: ["... Well, you didn't force me to talk, so I won't do it to you"]

Aiden: ["Thanks... I don't quite know how to put it into words either"] He chuckled while moving away from the footboard of the bed, sitting right by Y/N's side, glancing at him with his smile widening ["I'm-... I'm honestly just glad that you're still here, I mean"]

Y/N looked at Aiden for a moment, his eyes staring into the blonde's. He felt a sensation that he tried to deny, chalk it up to an illusion of him starting to go mental from the Phantom World and the pain, but there was no denying it. It was surprising that he didn't pull back either, and instead let his hand rest on top of Aiden's with a tired sigh and closed eyes... That soon opened when someone knocked at the door.

Y/N's eyes moved from his hand that previously held Aiden's, all the way up to the boy's eyes, and then at the door again. He just nodded to it, and Aiden, with a bit of an awkward smirk, stood up with his hands in his hoodie's pockets and made his way towards it. Opening the door to reveal the four, highly-concerned-looking members of the group. Of course, among them, he couldn't see the ginger that was gone again.

Y/N: ["I better start hearing some thanks-"]

Y/N was interrupted when a blur of brown tackled him, almost causing him to choke out what little air he could breathe. Taylor wrapped her arms around him and shoved her face into his chest, tears streaming down her face and staining the ugly medical gown Y/N had been put on. All he did after a few moments of looking shocked was to let out a sigh and wrap his arms around the girl, letting out a small smirk in his lip.

A dab up to Ben — Which, mind you, made that crip CLAP noise — and a fistbump with Tyler followed by a joke about how Y/N should've let him fall, the group all sat down together. Logan approached shyly, but was still welcomed with a hug and with Y/N messing his hair with his knuckles, holding him with a single arm. Aiden found himself sitting back in the footboard's first rail, looking at the scene with a smile.

Y/N: ["We... Should deal with this properly when Ash gets here"]

Though all Y/N did was shoot a glance at him, Aiden got the message. "We'll deal with this properly, because I know that you know that she knows". "Clever" he thought, and simply smirked with a nod alongside everyone else. Still, as he held the bar where he sat on, with Y/N retelling his events of the story to everyone else and what had happened after he fell, the blonde just shot his companion another few glances.

He was an adrenaline junkie, but this excitement was a bit too much...
Still, he was nothing short of happy that Y/N was alright. And now he could rest.

Maybe their luck was finally starting to turn around!

<<<<<< I >[---]< I >>>>>>

[Published in - 01/26/2025]
[Word Count - 5.780]

We are so fucking back.

Some bullshit poetry, some plot thickening, and season 2 of the story is up! I just wanna take a quick moment to thank you all again for still being here, those of you returning and those of you who are reading this in the future. Whether old reader or new reader, I'm glad that this story has captivated you for this long — Let me know your thoughts in it! :D
If there is one thing I love more than writing is sharing it, and hearing people's thoughts.