angel eyes, ethan landry

𝟏𝟎.

༒
"𝐝𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬"
...

CORA HOBBLED over to her boyfriend on her unsteady crutches, a desperate movement in her steps as she practically threw herself into his arms.

she'd never felt so warmed by his presence, his scent overwhelming her in the best way possible.

the group stood behind them, letting them have their moment.

"i was so scared, ethan." she mumbled, burying her head further into his neck.

ethan felt his heart sink, tightening his grip around her small frame.
"i'll never let him hurt you again cora, i swear on it." ethan said, shaking his head as he kissed her hair.

cora glanced over at tara's impatient stance, finding herself rather amused.
"you guys don't have to wait. i don't mind." cora chuckled, peeking over ethan's shoulder at the others.

tara smiled, running over and wrapping her arms around her.
the group did the same, the feeling of all their bodies close by her making cora tear up.
she wasn't safe, but it sure as hell felt like it.
this is how she always wanted it, to be close by all the people she loved.

"i'm suffocating." cora mumbled under all of them, hearing a laugh erupt from chad.

"deal with it." he said, letting his head fall onto hers.

when they finally broke apart, she began to receive check ups from every single one of them, feeling embarrassed as she felt their eyes scanning her injuries like she as some sort of sculpture.

"whats the plan?" she asked, sniffing as her eyes hopper over to sam.
she looked away, making cora's eye brows furrow.

"we're gonna trap him in the theatre- and execute him." mindy said, her brown eyes bleak as she looked at the girl with pity.

"alright. when do we leave?" she asked, her figure twitching eagerly as she thought of hurting the person who had done this to her.

"cora...your not coming with us." sam said, looking at the ground as she spoke.

cora shook her head.
"this is a joke, right?" she said, earning sincere looks from her friends.
this couldn't be real. she felt completely hollow as she thought of the fact the killer would be dying without earning cora's share of the punishment.

he had just attacked her, and she wouldn't even get to make him pay for it.
she didn't need anyone else to do it for her, all she needed was to make sure he knew how much he fucked up when he chose to mess with them.

she turned to ethan, a guilty look plastered on his already stressed looking face.

"ethan, you don't agree with this- do you?" she asked, a sense of desperation in her voice as she watched her boyfriends head shake slowly.

"cora- you can't. please. you have to understand." he said, walking over to her and grabbing her shoulders gently.

ethan's frantic pleas were absolutely real.
he couldn't have her there no matter what.
the closer she was to that theater, the more danger she was in.
he couldn't possibly let her even step foot near it.

"ethan, this is my justice. i'm not letting him get away thinking he got me! i'm still standing for fucks sake, and i'm not letting him think i'm weak. i need to make him pay, and you have to let me do this. please." she said, a tear spilling from her eyes, the others simply staring at her.

"please sam." she said, turning to look into the brown eyes of sam, her heart throbbing as she practically begged for her approval.

"cora. i cant force you not to come, because this is your choice, and you were hurt. i'm not going to take away the revenge you deserve to give this sick bastard, but you have to promise me you'll stay by us, and stay alert. i can't lose another friend." she said, her voice quivering slightly.

cora nodded quickly, turning to ethan's cold eyes.

"i'm sorry, ethan. but i have to do this." she said, staring up at him with wide eyes.

he shook his head, his next breath coming out coarse.

"cora you can't die. do you hear me? id never be able to live with myself if i lost you." he said, cupping her cheeks with his hands that shook vigorously.

his words were only the truth.
he wouldn't be able to live knowing he was partly responsible for her demise.
that his own blood had murdered the one he loved more than anything in the world.
cora was the person who was holding him up in a world that was always trying to push him down.

"i understand. thank you." she said, leaning up to him and pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek, watching as his eye lids fluttered shut for a moment, cherishing the feeling of her lips against his skin.
he hoped it wouldn't be the last time he felt it.

"come on. we have to move, and fast before he finds us." chad said, his eyes wandering over to cora.

"i'll carry you. ethan, take the crutches." he said, taking the crutches out of cora's hands and lifting her as she winced and sank slowly, picking her up in bridal style.

ethan took the crutches, rolling his eyes as his eyes landed on his girlfriend in the hands of chad.

"hey, no hard feelings right?" chad said, nudging ethan with his shoulder.

"whatever, man." he said, a smile gracing his lips as he found his eyes meeting cora's blue ones, a glint of mischief glazing them over.

"let's go. bailey said to take public transport,
so we gotta move it we wanna catch the train." mindy said, picking at her nails as her eyes hopped from one person to the other.

cora's heart thumped in her chest, silently praying no lives would be lost that night.

...