Mute Button

One - Mute and Introvert

If only there was a mute button for people.

Well, there is, it's the total destruction of mind and body, the complete collapse of a soul. Arin knew this all too well, the stinging in his chest and the darkness that lingered in his head, though he somehow seemed to mask it with a smile all the time. Even with all the ache in him, he loved to make people smile and laugh, and that was his goal in life, to make people happy. Arin wanted people to feel the happiness that he could never have.

The small boy touched his still bleeding lip, wanting just to disappear. He was sat alone, hidden away inside of an old abandoned house down the road from his. He hated this place, but it was his only escape. The young male had found a place to hide up on the second floor of the building where nobody could find him.

He sniffled, wiping his shirt sleeve beneath his nose, a bright red splotch of blood now staining the white fabric. Tears trickled down his bruised cheeks as he tried to blink them away so he could draw something. He needed an outlet and there was no other way for him to feel any better.

Arin had stopped talking after he had been forced to go live with his Aunt and Uncle when his mother got cancer. His father could barely keep food on the table for them to eat with all of the medical bills, so he wanted Arin to be safe and 'happy', but he wasn't. His aunt and uncle only put him down, they hurt him both physically and mentally, and Arin was already being beaten up by the people in his life. The only happiness he had was his mother and father and now it was all gone. He was depressed and tired, wishing he was dead.

His head snapped up at the sound of the old wooden doors of the structure creaking open. He started to panic, his heart pounding. What if someone found him?

The stairs groaned with the weight placed upon them, and Arin took in a shaky breath, not wanting to be hurt again. He jumped about a mile in the air when he heard a loud slam against the old floor. "Whoops." He heard a soft voice speak. He liked it; the voice sounded so gentle and sweet.

The footsteps grew closer to Arin, and his pulse grew quicker along with his breathing. The soft chirr of the floor stopped abruptly, right outside of where Arin was hidden. He heard the person sit up against the wall near the small closet Arin had locked himself in. He couldn't leave now; he was trapped in his safe haven. The poor boy let out a tired breath and he started drawing again.

○○○

Arin sat up with a start. He'd apparently fallen asleep. Arin sat there for a moment, before deciding he should head home, preparing himself for the beating he'd get once he was there. The tired boy opened the door to the room he'd been locked away in, completely forgetting about the person who had come in earlier, scaring the shit out of both of them when he exited the small room.

"What the fuck!?" The bushy-haired boy who was propped up against the wall exclaimed, slamming a hand to his chest. Arin jumped, letting out a small squeak as he did so, giving the other a wide-eyed look.

"Whoa, are you okay?" The boy stood, towering over Arin, reaching a gentle hand out towards the trembling boy. Arin recoiled even before the other could touch him, fear in his eyes.

"Hey, I'm sorry... I'm Leigh, you can call me Danny or Dan if you'd like." He introduced himself. Arin backed up more, just watching him. Dan's eyebrow's furrowed together, confused by the other's actions, catching on after a moment.

"Do you not talk?" He asked and Arin nodded.

"Oh! Okay... What will I call you?" He asked and Arin was taken aback. Nobody ever cared enough to even attempt a conversation with him.

Arin thought for a second before thrusting his art book forward, which had his name scrawled across the front of it.

"So, your name's Arin?" The smaller nodded, a spark in his eyes. "Is that a sketchbook?" Dan soon questioned, again getting a nod from Arin. "Can I look at it?" He asked, and Arin really did want to show him, but it was getting really late and he needed to get home. "How about tomorrow," Dan suggested, "around three?" Arin nodded excitedly, finally feeling wanted.

|-/

Dan had offered to walk Arin home, to which the smaller said no, which surprised Dan, but he respected Arin's privacy. The male made his way home alone, per-usual. Once he reached his house, he headed inside, his father instantly smothering him.

"Dan! You're home!" He called out. "Come eat dinner!"

"Yep, be there in a minute," Dan grumbled tiredly, just wanting to go back to bed. The young male shuffled upstairs and dropped his bag down on the floor of his bedroom, entering the bathroom connected to his bedroom. The fluffy haired male looked at himself in the mirror for a while, shaking his head.

"You need to stop this; this isn't who you are..." He spoke to himself, splashing water on his face and taking one last look. "You are not-"

"Dan!" Called his father loudly.

"Coming..." Dan mumbled and shuffled off down the stairs.

○○○

Danny paced his room anxiously. This was destroying him, and he needed to talk to someone about this, but he's learned never to trust anyone.

It would change everything.

"Goddamn it... Of course you just had to go be a fuck up! Didn't you, Dan!" He scolded himself, tears running down his face. He entered his en-suite looking at himself in the mirror. He studied every detail of his face- he felt so ugly and worthless. No wonder he was like this.

Danny sobbed harder, letting out a cry as he slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it to bits before him and he dropped to his knees on the floor, picking up a shard of glass and placing it to his throat. He went to pull it across, but stopped.

Seeing the gorgeous brown eyes of the boy from earlier, and that spark that lit in them when Danny suggested they meet up again the next day...

Somebody wanted him around, and that was enough for the glass to be moved from his neck. He still slid it over the almost paper thin skin on his arms, and he watched as the red ache slipped out of the tattered mess. It felt so good but, yet...

Something made him want to stop.

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