MARSH𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗢 | Theirs (BL)

🌼TEN▫️▫️

MARSHMALO | THEIRS

In the corner of the room, Elliott sat, leaning against the wall. Thoughts flooded his mind—someone was going to kill him, someone wanted him dead, but why? He hugged his knees and sobbed uncontrollably. He wanted to call his mom and tell her to come here, but he didn't want to worry his parents. He let out a shaky breath as he glanced at the window, the door, and even the closet.

In every tiny bit of space, Elliott felt as if someone might be lurking, possibly the cause of his death. Consumed by paranoia, his breath hitched at the sound of footsteps drawing closer. All he could hear was his own heartbeat pounding, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His heart nearly dropped when the door opened seemingly on its own, revealing his uncle peering into the room.

What he initially perceived as a potential threat, perhaps a robber or a murderer, turned out to be just his uncle. Relief washed over him, mingled with uncertainty, as he questioned whether he was truly safe here. Suspicion now clouded his perception of his uncle.

"Elli, are you okay?" Rhys approached him, but Elliott backed away. Rhys sighed and crouched down in front of him. "Elli, you're safe here. I won't let anything bad happen to you," Rhys reassured gently.

Elliott shook his head. "Elli, I promise nothing will happen—"

Elliott shook his head again, gripping his hair. "STOP! SAYING THAT I'LL BE SAFE! I'm not safe! I'm not! And I'm not okay!! All of you keep saying that I'm safe, but I'm not.... I'm scared.. I'm scared." Elliott sobbed, freaking out and trembling in fear. Rhys could only think of one thing for now—comfort the younger.

Rhys gently pulled Elliott away from the corner, allowing the younger boy to fall into his arms. "Shhhh, I'm here... nothing's going to happen... I'm here," Rhys reassured soothingly, caressing Elliott's back in a circular motion. Elliott cried, burying his face into Rhys's chest and gripping onto his shirt. "Nothing's going to happen... I promise."

_

Elliott woke up with dried tears on his cheeks, looking around to find himself still in his room, lying on the bed. As he sat up, he scanned the room for Rhys, but there was no sign of the older boy. The silence unsettled him further, especially with the lights out. He felt an urgent need to find his uncle, his fear intensifying.

Slowly, he set his foot down on the cold floor and made his way toward the bedroom door. Turning the knob, he opened the door slightly and peeked outside, only to be met with the darkness of the hallway leading to the staircase. A debate raged in his head: Should he stay in his room or venture out to find his uncle?

He opened the door wide enough to step out and walked to the staircase. As he descended the stairs, he heard a voice coming from the living room. Despite the lights being out, he could see light spilling downstairs. His brows furrowed as he took a cautious step down.

"He's upstairs?"

"Yeah..."

Elliott froze in his tracks, holding his breath as he heard the voices clearly from just a few steps away.

"How long should I do this? Huh?! I'm getting tired of all of this shit—"

BANG

Elliott's breath hitched, and his eyes widened as he heard the gunshot. He leaned against the wall, heart beating rapidly, his hand covering his mouth as his pupils shook.