The Monsters Inside and Out (Scott Howl x Depressed Reader)

107. Warming Up

You gasp lightly as you see him on your doorstep. The awning keeps him from getting wet, so you shut the door, get down, and wrap your arms around him. He quickly and strongly does the same, putting his face in the crook of your neck. Tears begin forming in your eyes, but you do your best to hold them back for him. His muffled cries keep going for awhile, and you can't think of anything to do but sit and wait patiently. You don't know what exactly is going on, but somehow, deep in the back of your mind, you feel as though you know what happened. Another flash of lightning goes by, causing another loud thunder. Scott pulls away from you and covers his ears again,etting out more sobs. Your worry briefly turns to anger at yourself as you realize you haven't brought him inside. The anger worsens as the fear of getting in trouble flashes in your mind, but you ignore it. You open the door and turn back around. You lean down to grab his hands, and he look sup at you with his wet eyes, his face still showing a painful expression. You pull up, helping him to his feet, and you lead him inside. He says, "A-Aren't you g-gonna g-get in trouble?" "I don't care about that. You are my top priority right now." He lets out another sob and he nods his head. As you walk across your living room, your mom says, "Woah, woah, woah. What the hell? I told you to get rid of it, not bring it inside!" You ignore her and carry on. You open the door to your basement, "Go downstairs. I'll be there in a just minute, okay?" He squeezes your hands, "P-Promise?" "I swear." He slowly nods, and goes downstairs. You run into your room and grab a few blankets, a box of tissues, a towel, and some candy you keep in your night stand. You run downstairs.

When you make it to the bottom, Scott is crouching down in the center of the room, his hands still covering his eyes, and quiet sobs escaping his mouth. You swallow nervously, then turn to a shelf in the corner of the room. You grab a bean bag chair and get the dust off of it before putting it down. You grab Scott's hand and pull him up  again. You say, "You're soaking wet. Why don't you take your clothes off?" He sniffles and nods his head, taking off his jacket. He pulls his shirt over his head, pulls down his pants, removes his socks and shoes, and peels his underwear off. You take the collection of clothes and toss it into the dryer. You turn it on and wrap the towel around him, drying him off yourself. You pull yourself in to give him another hug, which he quickly accepts. You manage to pull away from his death grip and grab a heater from the corner of the room too. You turn it in and go back to Scott, guiding him to sit on the bean bag. He looks up at you, tears still running down his face. You gently lay the blankets on top of him, and press a kiss to his forehead. You set the tissues next to him, as well as the bag of candy. You ask, "Do you need anything else? Do you want me to make you some tea?" He lifts an arm to wipe some tears off of his face, and he nods his head. You nod back, "Okay, baby. I'll be right back. I promise." He nods in understanding.

You run upstairs and begin boiling a pot of water. You hear footsteps come into the kitchen. Your mother says, "What are you doing? I told you to get rid of it, not invite it into our home and get its germs everywhere. We are good people, we don't have to take in these treacherous lowlifes!" You furrow your brows angrily, "No, I am a good person. If you were a good person, you'd set aside your differences and let me help my friend, who is cold, sad, wet, and afraid." Your mother thinks for a minute, then answers, "Fine. Since I'm such a nice person, I'll wait until he leaves to scold you." "Fine by me." You poor the tea into two cups, and you put a spoonful of honey into each. She adds, "Let me know when it leaves. I can't be in the house until then." Your mother puts on a coat and grabs a few things before she leaves the house. You sigh in relief now that she's finally gone. You run back to your room and grab a hoodie that belongs to Scott, as well as a pair of your shorts. You tie the hoodie around your waist and grab both cups of tea. Another loud crack of thunder roars outside, making you hurry down.

Scott is staring at the floor with a pained expression, his hands covering his ears again. You quickly set the cups down and go to him, grabbing his hands again. You pull them away and he looks at you. You tell him, "I'm here. I love you, and I'm here. I promise. I-I'm here." You can't think of anything better to do but reassure him. He reaches forward and pulls you into him again. He squeezes you tightly, nuzzling against you again, as if trying to hide. You hold eachother for a few more minutes before he starts letting go. You step away and grab the teacups, setting them down near Scott. You untie the hoodie around your waist, and hand it to him. "Here, so you're not completely naked.." He takes the blankets off and puts the hoodie on, as well as the shorts. The shorts are a little tight, not that Scott cares anyway. He sits back down and holds his arms out. You take the hint and sit on his lap, and he wraps you both up in the blankets again. You both drink on your tea and sit in silence for a little bit, the warmth of room relaxing you both. Scott suddenly says, "M-Mawmaw.. Is... G-Gone.."