𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | Tyler Hernandez x Reader

| Ep 43 |

we're back ;)

I stare over at Logan for long moment, not expecting him to react so quickly. Still hovering over Ashlyn, I say,

"It seems like he's got it under control."

Just as I speak, the back door of the arcade opens and more of Barron's friends show up. One of them speaks, "Barron, what's taking you so long, man-"

They freeze in place when they spot Logan holding Barron down. He was more than outnumbered now, which means we'd have to step in if they tried to pull anything.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Barron's friend shouts, running out towards them.

Ashlyn and I abruptly stand up and she narrows her eyes, "Okay, it's time to step in-"

I feel Ben push us aside and storm forward without thinking. Taylor quickly reaches out for him, telling him to hold on but he doesn't listen.

I follow his lead once I see the other guys grab ahold of Logan and yank him off of Barron. But Ben reaches one of them before they could inflict any harm, slamming the boy to the ground without remorse.

"Ben!" Taylor rushes over to them.

Before she could reach him, a girl yanks her hair back and shouts at her angrily. Tyler immediately reacts, heading straight for her. That is until one of the other boys clocks him right in the face, knocking the wind out of him.

"Tyler!" Taylor and I shout.

I see that she can't do anything, too busy dealing with the girl. I take the initiative and run over to him instead. I grab onto the back of the guy's shirt, prying him off of Tyler.

He then elbows me in the gut, making me grunt and topple over. His attention is now on me, which relieves me knowing Tyler wouldn't be in the line of fire anymore. He winds his arm back for another blow but then gets a kick right to the face by Ashlyn.

My eyes widen as she gets her hand on him, but the fight doesn't last long. She retracts her arms and ducks to the ground, covering her ears in an agonized pain. I try to listen for whatever sound is disturbing her but I pick up on nothing. I hear her earmuffs drop to the ground and am about to get up until Tyler blocks my line of vision,

"Y/N! You okay?!" He asks, grasping onto my shoulders worriedly.

"Yeah, but Ashlyn-"

"Get up, quick." He wraps an arm around my waist and hoists me up. The sudden movement makes my stomach ache from the blow earlier.

As soon as I'm up, I scan the alley to find all of my friends brawling with Barron's group. I abandon Tyler's side to help Ashlyn, who's still cowering on the ground. Tyler runs over to resume his fight with one of the guys.

An urge to jump in as well consumes me and I turn on my heels to beat up the guy strangling Logan. I become entranced by my tunnel vision, focusing on nothing else but the boy in front of me. I manage several blows in but am suddenly snapped out of my thoughts when I hear Ashlyn's cries. I turn around and drop down to my knees in front of her and attempt to shake her out of her overwhelmed state,

"Ashlyn! Ash, snap out of-"

"Calm down!!" She shouts at the top of her lungs, bending down to the ground. I flinch back at the outburst, my hands hovering over her.

The fighting comes to a stop and I watch Barron and his friends rush through the back door. I try to catch my breath, my breathing still a little staggered from getting punched in the stomach.

"...Guys?"

I look over at all of my friends as they slowly stand. They all stare around like lost puppies, processing what just occurred.

"Just..." Taylor speaks up softly, "What was that? I'm not usually that violent."

My face falls when I see her reddened knuckles from the punches she was throwing left and right. Tyler then walks up to me just as I raise my hand to rest on my stomach. He gently rests his hands on my hips as he mutters to me,

"You're hurt."

I suppress the pained groan threatening to escape my lips as I suck my stomach in, "It was just one punch, Ty. I can handle it."

"You shouldn't have to handle it to begin with. You should have left that guy to me, Y/N."

"But he was hurting you-" I reach up to brush my hand over his busted lip but he stops me, wrapping his fingers around my wrist.

"I'd rather it be me than you."

His voice grows soft, yet remains stern as he runs his hand up my side. My ego is screaming at me to step away and suck up the pain. But my vulnerable side is soaking up the way he looks at me like I'm the most fragile thing he's ever laid his eyes on.

Tyler's hold never falters from me as his eyes wander over to his sister, who's bloodied hands are shaking subtly. He deeply exhales and says,

"Don't forget that they attacked us first. Maybe we did go overboard...But at the very least, they deserved it."

Ashlyn responds, her voice sounding a bit shaken up, "...I don't think that's the problem."

We all turn our attention to her as she continues, her eyes widening the longer she spoke,

"Taylor's right. This could be...bad."

Taylor quirks a brow up at her, "What are you talking about?"

I watch as she carefully eyes each one of us before taking a long pause, "You guys were making the same sounds that the phantoms do."