In Too Deep ▶Sequel To Perfectly Imperfect◀

two >> kiss me like you wanna be loved

E C H O

Song: Forest; Twenty One Pilots

After Tyler leaves, Echo gets ready to go meet Xavier. But, before he can even leave his room, he's got to make sure everything's in order. Smoothing out the duvet (it used to belong to his father), picking out his clothes, unplugging everything, digging out the matching pair of shoes for his outfit.

He quickly takes a shower and blow-dries his hair so he can straighten it. Everything has to be perfect. Even though he's positively sure Xavier doesn't care if he looks perfect or not, he can't risk it. OCD and paranoia are bitches.

When he finishes up, he nearly crashes into his little sister in his dash down the stairs. "Oh, hey, Brighton."

She smiles up at him, her brown eyes glimmering with the tell-tale sign of someone-gave-me-candy-at-school. Really bad idea with this little demon, her ADHD goes off the scales sometimes. "Hiya, Echo!"

"I gotta go, I'm heading over to visit Xavier," he tells her, continuing past her.

She pounces on her brother, sending the both of them tumbling down the stairs. "Take me with you! I wanna go see Blair and Claire!"

"Definitely not!" A voice laughs from right above them. There's their mother, Spencer, her ancient iPad clutched in both hands. She was probably writing a rough draft when her children fell. She tucks the tablet under her arm and tugs Brighton off of her brother. "Go while you still can, Echo. Be back at a reasonable time and all that parenting stuff."

"Bye, mum, love you!" He calls out, flinging open the door. Dan's out on the porch, so he yells a similar message out to his father. Echo starts walking to the opposite side of the neighborhood to Xavier's house, slipping his earbuds into his ears and playing his music at deafening levels.

He casts a glance towards Tyler's house, seeing her, well, his siblings in the front yard. Mentally calculating the time, Echo figures he has enough time to detour. He goes to the sidewalk in front of the house, removing one of his earbuds as he calls out his standard greeting of, "Hey, things two and three."

Anna looks up, her blue gray eyes sweeping over his face. "Hey, brainless."

Alex reaches out to Echo for a hug, and the older boy happily complies, ignoring the obvious stickiness of Alex's hands.

"What're you doing?"

"Wondering why my sibling is so hostile and angry all of a sudden. Any ideas?"

"Ty kinda told me a secret earlier, and I don't feel comfortable sharing it out in the open. Text you later?"

"Sounds like a plan. Get going, dork, I can practically hear the curses coming from Xavier's mouth if you're late. Which, that's something you will be unless you get moving, like, five minutes ago." Anna laughs, nudging Echo's shoulder before adjusting the pastel pink sweater shrouding her thin frame and tugging back her little brother.

A quick glance at his phone screen reveals that he spent too much time talking, and he could be late to Xavier's. Mumbling a curse under his breath, he starts walking away from Anna and Alex while waving goodbye.

He hates running with a burning passion, but since he really doesn't like being late, he takes off sprinting towards the other end of the neighborhood.

Catching sight of Xavier is easier than normal; His mom must have just helped him redye the brilliant purple that he always has in his hair.

"Hey, X!" Echo calls out, skidding to a stop beside the older boy, leaning up against the side of his house.