Ignition (MHAH)

6

The ride to this 'dome' was dreadful. I was bored out of my mind and got told to turn off my vape because I was clouding up the car too much. There wasn't anything to do other than stare out the window and groan.

"Should I?" Ethan mumbles to Justin. The brunet shrugs, taking a corner.

"Up to you." I groan, sinking into my seat. I didn't care what they were talking about, all I cared about was getting out and stretching my legs. It was too early to try and make a break for it, and I certainly didn't wanna deal with the lashing that came afterwards.

"Are we there yet?" The raven sighs, rummaging through his bag, handing me something. Looking up, I realize its my phone. I gratefully take it, turning it on and fooling around with the settings.

"I still don't understand how you guys trust me with this.. How do you know I'm not gonna call the cops?"

"I mean you could." Ethan hums, staring out the window. "I'm not sure what good it'll do you though.. They'll probably just send you back to your dad."

"I guess.." I mumble. He made a valid point. I had just managed to download some games as we pulled into a parking lot.

"Alright kid. We're here." Justin says as he removes the keys from the ignition. I slide my phone into the hoodie as I step out of the car, cringing at the sight of so many people. I found myself glued to the two as we walk through the doors, gawking at how true Justin's statement was.

"Ignore everything you see.. Focus on what you want to get." Ethan tells me, his hand rubbing my back. It was comforting. I felt safe and small, but I knew it wouldn't last.

"I don't know what I want.." I mumble, fidgeting with my sleeves.

"Lets get you some clothes first then." Justin decides, leading us to a large clothing store. We wandered around, stacking clothes into a cart, but when one cart was filled to the brim, Justin and Ethan made it their mission to fill a second.

By the time we left, I had well over two dozen sets of jeans, ripped or regular, and in a bunch of colors; black, white, grey and even blue. They got me a bunch of sweaters, ones that actually fit me, my favorite was a black hoodie, white dragons lining the sleeves and torso. A lot of my shirts were just regular t-shits or long sleeved, bland colors. I got a few tank tops as well, but when my eyes wandered over to short-cut shirts and pretty colored skirts, the two didn't hesitate to ask me which pieces I liked. I slowly made my way over, picking out a few simple ruffled skirts. I grabbed a few tops that looked appealing, one was something Ethan called "fishnet".

They insisted grabbing a few of them, telling me that fishnet tends to tear easily. I found a few loose-fitting cropped tank tops, along with a few tight-fitting cropped shirts and even a few cropped hoodies.

We left the store, all of our arms stacked with bags. Our next stop was a shoe store, but when a shop displaying stuffed animals caught my attention, I nearly begged that we made a pitstop. Neither seemed to object and we made our way, hastily might I add, into the shop; my eyes bulging out of my head. I found a beautiful blue stegosaurus that I decided to name Terrance. Next were a few different bunnies, bears and other dinosaurs, but when my eyes landed on a massive bunny plush, there was no way I'd be willingly leaving without it.. And I didn't.

"Okay.. Last stop and then we're out of here, understand?"

"Mhm!" I hum, skipping as I struggle to carry the large plush. He was bright white, fluffy and heavy. I didn't know what I was gonna name him but I would figure it out.

"Alright, lets go-" A loud cry from somewhere in the mall put a halt to my steps as I spun around, trying to put a location to the sound. My eyes finally catch it. A man had a harsh grip on a girls hair, spitting words at her. A scene I knew all too well caught my heart in my throat.

"H-He's hurting her.." I mumble, my eyes locked on the couple.

"Levi, lets go.." Justin tries, tugging on my arm.

"No!" Shocked at my reaction, the brunet tries to speak but was cut off before he could utter any more words. "N-No.. He's hurting her.." I insist, tears pricking my eyes. Nobody was doing anything, all they did was watch or turn away. He looks at me, then Ethan, then back to me, but when another pained cry echoes through the mall, he sighs. Setting down the bags, he wanders over to the man. Even a long distance away from us, you could still hear the entire scene between Justin and the man.

"Hey, buddy-"

"Not now. I'm a bit busy, can't you see?"

"Hey! Buddy." Justin grit.

"Did you not hear me-?!" The man demands, regretting it when he's met with a harsh fist to the nose.

"You ever, and I mean ever treat a submissive like that again and I'll bury you." He spits, walking back towards us. This side of him, this rage, I'm not sure I ever wanted to see it again.

"So.. Shoes?" He asks as if nothing happened, picking the bags back up. I slowly lean into Ethan, nodding. We carry on our way, my hip practically glued to the raven the entire time. I pick out a few different types of shoes, my favorite being a childhood favorite called high-tops. They were canvas shoes that went just below the knees, the obvious selection being black. They insisted on getting me a few other pairs of shoes like sneakers and runners. By the time we were heading back to the car, my arms began to ache.

"Where are we gonna fit everything?" I ask, my feet dragging.

"We'll find a way." Ethan hums.

"N where are we gonna fit Mortimer?"

"I'm sorry- who?" I shake the massive stuffed animal in my arms.

".. Mortimer.."

"Well kiddo, when the stuffed animal is twice your size and taller than you, the only place to put it is in the back." Justin responds, opening the trunk to stuff with bags.

"But then where am I gonna sit?"

"On him, under him, beside him?" Ethan lists, taking the final bags from me. Justin and I begin working on shoving the oversized bunny into the back, panting when he was finally in.

"Good thing we have the Jeep, huh babe?" Justin chuckles, poking Ethan. They watch as I struggle to figure out how I was gonna sit in the back, not getting in until my door was closed.

I maneuvered myself onto Mortimer, laying on top of him as Justin started the car and pulled out. It wasn't long before I began scrolling through my phone, taking hauls off my vape every so often.