King// gawsten

seven

"What do we do?" Awsten was sat in the passenger seat of Patty's car, his purple hair pushed up and out of his face. His right knee was drawn up and against his chest, with his chin resting directly on his kneecap. His eyes were hooded sleepily as the sun rose along the horizon, and it hit him suddenly how early he had woken up as the clock read six o'clock. "What do we even say to this guy Patty?"

Patty's eyes were narrowed and staring straight ahead at the road, his fingers gripping the wheel. The days between the pair had grown excruciatingly similar as no other leads about Geoff's whereabouts had come around. Patty finally decided heading to the address his friend had given them would be the best idea to go off of. "We just be straight forward—ask if he knows what's going on with Geoff. Someone obviously has to know." He stole a glance at Awsten, but soon returned his eyes to the road. "When do I turn?"

"Another mile, then turn on Johnson." Awsten read from his phone screen, setting the metal back into his lap and letting his right knee come down. He let his eyes shut, wondering about how much his life had changed in such a short period of time.

Here he was, driving in the Texas countryside with an old best friend, looking for his boyfriend who was taken by drug dealers. Awsten wished for his old and simple life, where he lived with Geoff and in perfect harmony. The emotional toll was beginning to wear on him, and it hadn't even been a full week yet.

"Here we are." Patty pushed the car into park, gazing out at a small and quaint cottage in the middle of some grassy fields. The wood panels were a dark brown color and complimented the white shutters. The front door was white and worn, with a large tiger knocked installed on the front. Patty began unbuckling his seatbelt and took a deep breath. "No matter what happens in there—" He gripped Awsten's arm to make sure the younger boy was listening. "—stay close to me, alright?"

Awsten nodded mutely, following Patty up the pathway with his pink hoodie drawn up around his face. Even though it was Texas and always hot, Awsten wanted to hide himself inside, making sure no one would see his identity unless they looked at him from the front.

The sound of the loud knocker shook Awsten out of his own head, making him snap to attention as the sound of footsteps echoed from behind the door. "I don't have a good feeling about—"

Suddenly, the door began being pulled open, a loud creaking noise echoing throughout the small countryside. A single brown eye peaked back at the pair, narrowing in a mixture of confusion and possible fear. Then the door flew open swiftly, revealing an unfamiliar man standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. "I've been expecting you two." He stepped back, waving his arm over and beckoning the pair inside. "Please come inside."

The two followed behind mutely, exchanging worried glances as they were led to a wooden kitchen table. "Take a seat. I'll bring you two something to drink."

Usually, if someone had touched his leg, Awsten would've pushed their hand away. But Patty's hand was clasped protectively around his knee, and it calmed his nerves quite a bit. 

Patty's eyes shifted around, noticing each detail of the house to the tee. "This is one of the houses that Zech brings the drugs to." He leaned in and whispered into Awsten's ear, making sure his voice was low enough so the person wouldn't hear. "There's no telling how much time we have until one of Zech's people comes back and notices who we are."

"Here you are." The man pushed two large glasses, both filled with a rum and coke. He took a seat across from them and stirred his own drink with a straw, taking in a long sip and eyeing the two over his glass. "So—I'm assuming you're Patty—" The man pointed swiftly at Patty before turning his attention towards Awsten. "—and you're Awsten."

Awsten's eyebrows knitted together as his body longed for alcohol to fill his system, but he knew better than to accept drinks from someone associated with Zech. "How could you tell?"

The man stole another heavy sip from the glass, setting it down on a flimsy coaster and clasping his fingers together. "Because Geoff won't stop rambling about your purple hair."

————

mwahahahahaha
I'm so evil I'm sorry