༒𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓘 𝓦𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓑𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰༒

𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦?

As William left, Percy's heart sank. He watched him go, feeling a pang of regret and longing. He wanted to go after him, reassuring him that everything would be okay, but his feet felt rooted.

The silence at the table was deafening, the weight of William's revelation hanging heavy in the air. Percy could feel the eyes of their friends on him, waiting for his reaction. But he couldn't find the words to express the turmoil inside him.

Eventually, Lila cleared her throat, breaking the silence.

-Well, that was unexpected.

Percy nodded, his mind still reeling from the encounter.

Ben spoke up, his tone hesitant.

-Do you think we should go after him?

Percy hesitated, torn between the desire to chase after William and the fear of making things worse. But before he could decide, Stuart interjected.

-Let him go. He needs some time alone. We can talk to him later.

Percy nodded, grateful for Stuart's insight. He knew that William needed space to process everything, and chasing after him might only make things more complicated.

As they finished their meal in awkward silence, Percy couldn't shake the feeling of regret gnawing at him. He wished he had handled things differently, that he had been more supportive of William in his moment of need. But now, all he could do was hope William would find solace in his own time and return to him when he was ready.

William was running in the streets, trying to escape from all his problems, looking for somewhere to hide from the thought that he had fallen into Marco's trap.

William's mind was dull. He was sick and tired of being Marco's toy and thinking about his secret just made things worse. 

He kept running when suddenly saw a bus heading towards him. He stopped. He was paralized. For one second, he thought that staying there wasn't a bad idea, but as the bus was getting closer, his regret became bigger. The bus was about to hit William, but it wasn't because the driver woke up from his eternal dream and saw William standing there and stopped the bus.

William stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest as the bus screeched to a halt mere inches from him. The world seemed to slow down, and the cacophony of the city faded into the background. He could hear his own ragged breaths, the blood rushing in his ears, and the distant shouts of concerned onlookers.

The bus driver leaned out of his window, his face pale and eyes wide with shock.

-Are you okay, kid? What the hell were you thinking?

William didn't answer. He couldn't. The gravity of what had just happened hit him like a tidal wave, and he stumbled backward, his legs giving out beneath him. He collapsed onto the sidewalk, his body trembling.

A few passersby approached, their faces etched with concern. One of them, a middle-aged woman, knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

-It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe now. Take deep breaths.

William nodded numbly, his mind a swirling vortex of fear, shame, and regret. He tried to focus on his breathing, drawing in shaky gulps of air.

As the woman continued to comfort him, a familiar voice cut through the haze.

-William!

He looked up to see Percy running towards him, his face a mask of worry and desperation. Percy dropped to his knees beside William, his hands hovering uncertainly before settling on William's shoulders.

-William, are you okay? What happened?

William shook his head, tears spilling down his cheeks.

-I... I almost...

Percy's expression softened, and he pulled William into a tight embrace.

-It's okay, Will. You're safe now. I'm here.

William clung to Percy, the reality of what he'd almost done crashing down on him. He felt a mixture of relief and guilt, knowing that Percy had seen him at his lowest point.

After a few moments, Percy helped William to his feet, keeping a supportive arm around him.

-Come on, let's get you home.

William nodded, leaning on Percy for support as they walked away from the scene. As they made their way through the streets, William felt a sense of clarity begin to emerge from the chaos of his thoughts. He realized that, despite everything, he wasn't alone. Percy was there for him, and maybe, just maybe, that was enough to help him find his way through the darkness.