Austeled one-shots

School AU (part 5)

"THEY.. THEY THREATENED TO HURT YOU! THEY THREATENED TO HURT US! HE THREATENED TO TELL THE WHOLE SCHOOL I'M TRANS! I CAN'T HAVE EVERYONE FIND OUT I'M TRANS AGAIN HENRY, I JUST CAN'T." He panicked, grasping at his jacket as he continued on.

Tears fell from his emerald eyes, dripping like molten glass onto his shirt.
"..Austin.." Henry mumbled in a pitiful tone.

"I-I'm sorry.." He sobbed quietly, looking away into the array of books. It was quiet. Too quiet.

Henry began to walk closer, making Austin tense up. At that moment, Austin had the realisation that he had practically just come out to the other, making him even more fearful.

He squeezed his eyes tightly, forcing the unfallen tears out of his eyes as he mentally and physically prepared for whatever happened next.

He felt arms wrap around his waist, pulling him into a warm embrace. Austin froze, holding his breath as he tried not to sob.

Henrys Pov

I could feel Austin trembling slightly in my arms. After a moment of silence, he slowly wrapped his arms around me, griping the back of my shirt lightly; his crying was becoming progressively more prominent.

"It's okay. There's no one here but us. Let it out." I hugged him tighter. That was it. Small quiet cries became full on sobbing.

He gripped the back of my shirt until his knuckles turned white, his head buried in the crook of my neck.

I carefully pulled his hat off, revealing long chocolate brown locks which reached somewhere around the bottom of his shoulder blades. I was surprised but I figured now wasn't the time to point it out.

I began to gently pet his hair, which seemed to calm him down slightly.
"Hey. It's alright. I've got you. It's gonna be okay, I promise." I cooed, continuing to play with his hair.
"I-I don't.. I'm- I.."
"It's okay, take your time. Don't force it."

I rested my head against his, putting a mild pressure against him. He breathed deeply in and out, trying to stabilise his breathing.

"I'm s-sorry.." He was still crying quite a lot, but he seemed much less panicked.
"What for?"

"For ignoring you. I.. I should've told you." He swallowed thickly. "I was s-scared.. I've been to three different schools a-already. And now I've finally found people that don't hate me for existing. I don't wanna loose that.."

"Austin.."
"And, I didn't want you to get hurt. They said such.. shitty things. T-they sa-aid they'd beat you. And.. and I know they could be b-bluffing but.." He winced at the thought.

"But?"
"They gave excruciating details about what they'd do. Words I-I.. don't want to repeat."

There was a pause.

"I'm s-sorry." He stopped grabbing at my shirt, instead hugging me tighter.

"Austin. You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be saying sorry for putting so much pressure on you."

He hummed quietly, and the conversation ended there. After a few minutes, he seemed to calm down enough to stop squeezing me so tightly.

"You feeling any better?"
"Mhm.." He mumbled into my neck.
"Good." I messed up his hair slightly, ruffling it a little. "C'mon short ass, let's get you home."

I carefully took his hand in mine, unlocking the doors and walking him home. Just before we left, he tucked his hair into his hat, making it look short again.

Once we said our goodbyes and he walked inside, I dubiously made my way to my house, knowing what was waiting for me at "home".