swine | ☆

○ chapter 15. ●

CWs: implied self-harm, reference that i hope nobody understands, mention of rape.

there is no possible way to appeal to every country's laws regarding something mentioned in this chapter, so im following mine. just a heads up.

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Y/n was hardly aware of anything on the way to Erin's house. He knew the route like he knew the back of his hand. Like a routine that simply stuck with you, being able to go through the steps on autopilot.

All Y/n knew now was that he was scared. Beyond it, even. The screams that echoed through the roads, the distant, physical memory of the clowns' arms around him, the rabbit-masked woman's parting words... all on top of the fact that he was going directly against The Swine's orders. He wasn't rushing to please him or anything, but would you rather go home to a happy serial killer or an angered one?

Y/n almost fainted out of relief when he neared his friend's home, its worn, dark blue exterior a comfortable reminder of how many nights Y/n had spent here, recently and when he was younger too, when he would walk home with Erin and spend as much time as he could manage before his parents bothered to call. During school breaks, that could've been a week.

Of course, Ms. Donovan was always willing to let Y/n stay for as long as he needed. He'd gotten to know Erin's siblings like family and Ms. Donovan like a mother.

Even with this prior knowledge, he felt a bit rude coming over in the middle of the night without warning anyone first. He could've told Erin, at least...

But, as he stepped up onto the wooden porch with the creaky floorboards, he could see the living room lights on through the blinds and he felt a bit more confident knocking on the door. Just a bit.

Y/n heard a familiar voice a few seconds after he tapped his knuckles against the hardwood door.

"Moooom! Someone's at the dooooor!" One of Erin's youngest brothers, Koda, called. Y/n smiled at the sound of the kid's voice, taking him somewhere in time to a nicer place.

"Well, be careful. Grayson, would you be a dear...?" Ms. Donovan's words were a bit hard to catch, but the door was being opened before Y/n had a chance to decipher them, and the noises inside became clearer.

Grayson opened the door a bit wider when he recognized Y/n. He looked him over once before his eyes darted to the ground.

"Hi, Y/n," He murmured below his breath. Y/n waved in response.

"It's Y/n!" Koda said happily, moving past Grayson, who stepped aside to let the boy pass, to hug Y/n around the waist. The small boy was maybe nine or ten, with tan skin and dark hair that went down to his mid-back.

"Well, let him in!" Ms. Donovan said fondly, her smile audible in her voice. Dakota was already dragging him in, so Y/n couldn't have declined if he wanted to (which he didn't).

Once Y/n had been fully pulled through the doorway, he was greeted by Ms. Donovan, who was tall with long, blonde hair and kind, dark eyes. Beside her on the couch was Erin's other brother, Casey. There was the joyful noise of laughter and other miscellaneous sounds coming from another room further off.

Grayson reclaimed his spot next to Casey, who was promptly jumped on by a very hyper Koda. Casey and Koda looked similar in a sense, Casey being, of course, older (two school years below Erin and Y/n) and having hair in a lighter shade of brown.

Y/n, although calmed by the immediate friendly atmosphere, wanted to see Erin. He wouldn't press for him until asked, but, y'know.

"Nice to see you again, bud. What brings you here tonight?" Ms. Donovan asked, a kind smile pasted on her face. She always had a southern twang to her voice, similar to Teagan's, though maybe a bit stronger.