𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊 𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖊 // 𝕽𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖐𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗

10. dumpster dive

"No, I- um, I'd rather go. My dad is waiting for me at home."

Lie.

A big fat lie.

After the text Evan read there wasn't an excuse. Crouch's father obviously wasn't home or didn't care and his mother had apparently passed away.

Not to look like he was snooping around and looking through his things, Evan insisted on something else. "Then I'll walk you home." The blond boy caught a glimpse of Bart'ys eyes softening. His pupils grew slightly. It was a small thing, but Evan was always the one to notice things others couldn't.

"What?" Bart'ys voice tore him out of his thinking state. It wasn't a harsh what. It was quiet and confused.

"I'll walk you home. It's dark. And it's probably not far, anyway."

"You don't have to." Barty shook his head.

"I want to." Evan's lips curled into a half smile.

Evan was on guard the whole walk. It was cold. And he instantly regretted not bringing a jacket. He shivered what seemed like the hundreth time. Barty kept stealing looks at him until he shook off his jacket and held it in Evan's direction. "I'm good." The blond declined but stopped walking when he realised Barty wasn't next to him anymore. He turned around in panic, but there he was. Still holding out his jacket in the same spot.

Sure, this was childlike, Barty refusing to walk until Evan took his jacket. However there was small, tiny, itty bitty, pea sized part of the blond boy's heart that the lanky-er boy had claimed.

"Crouch." Evan stood still now. He was getting colder every second and tried hard not to shiver.

Okay, he's a stubborn prat. Evan noted as he walked back and put the jacket on. "Thanks." He mumbled. Barely hearable, but the partially green haired boy smiled.

"Why'd you wanna walk me home?" Barty spoke after another good five minutes of walking in complete silence.

Evan shrugged. "It's cold, and dark-"

"Don't give me that shit." The taller one pulled out some cigarettes from now Evan's pocket. "I just did. Okay? I don't know how to explain it to you."

"Is your sister okay?" Barty asked, genuine worry on his face.

"I don't know. Really. She's been bleeding alot and I don't know how to help her. I've got a friend whose parents are making him go to medical school so he's looking through it. He says you're not that bad actually, you've met eachother before."

"Regulus?"

"Yeah, he- um, he told you he was-"

"I worked it out. And he told me the rest." Their footsteps we're paid less attention to now that they found something to talk about.

"Oh, and why did you ask about Anya?"

"I used to know someone who had a disease similar to your sister."

Evan felt a lump in his throat, "Used to know?"

Barty nodded. "My mother. It first came as little things that we ignored. Thinking it was nothing serious. But, yeah." He gulped down on the last words.

Evan felt guilty for no apparent reason. He thought of what to say. However, his mind was like a blank sheet of paper. He didn't know if it was thanks to Bart'ys monologue or the figure standing near the bins a good few meters ahead of them.

Barty hadn't noticed yet.

And the guy was waiting for something. Or someone. This could just be his imagination or the way he overthought everything. They walked some more and the man stopped Leaning against the wall. He straightened himself and if it wasn't for their current situation Evan would have wanted to bang his head on the wall at how small his voice sounded. "Barty?"

"HUH?" He looked up.

Stupid prat, can't even say what? He wouldn't expect pardon from him. But what would be so much more than a HUH.

Barty followed Evan's gaze to a man by the bins. Oh shit.

FUCKING SHIT.

Evan was taken back at Bart'ys reaction. The man started walking towards them. A hood covering his face.

Rosier backed up immediately. However Crouch was glued into place until Evan grabbed his lower arm and pulled the idiot with him.

The man's pace quickened. He grew more intimidating by each step he took towards the two teens.

It took a good moment for Barty to pull himself together but when he did. His first instinct was to leg it. To run as far as his skinny legs let him. The partially green haired boy was pulling Evan along. Their hands conjoined.

They ran straight back until Evan saw a small passage way and yanked the other boy with him. He knew the streets of London a lot better than Barty but what a wrong idea it was to hide in this passage way.

They hit a wall.

Evan's head was first to hit the gray cement however Barty ended the same way, since he had been looking behind him ever since Evan took the lead.

Evan clutched his head and let out a sound of discomfort. The man would catch up any time.

So Barty did the first thing his idiotic mind came up with. He hid in a dumpster. Evan next to him.

It was empty to their luck and Barty had managed to close the lid of the big yellow box in time. It was pitch black but they we're hidden. And If there was one thing Barty was best at. Then it was definitely hiding. Either in the closet or in a dumpster. There wasn't much of a difference to it either way.