business || victor criss/it 2017

-eight

I sat on the hood of Belch's car, watching the boys mess around in the quarry.

"Sure you're not coming in?" Victor spoke softly, shaking me back to reality. I shrugged. The pale boy shuffled up onto the car next to me, still dripping water wearing nothing but his soaked boxers. His bleached hair dripped freezing water down my sweatshirt.

"Fuck!" I yelped, rubbing myself dry. "You're freezing!" 

"It's warm once you get in the water." he laughed, shaking his hair and spraying me with more water. After our laughing fit calmed, I rested my head on his shoulder, sighing as we watched Belch push Henry underwater yet again. 

"What did Henry's dad do?" I mumbled, my eyes staring off into the distance.

"He.." Victor stammered. "He took care of it, okay? Patrick can't get near you anymore."

"Is he dead?"

"No! God, no." Victor laughed. I frowned up at him. "We framed Patrick for something else, okay?"

"For what? You got him arrested?" I exclaimed, Victor holding his hand against my mouth.

"You're not supposed to know!" he hissed. "If we'd told the truth Patrick would still be sitting with us right now. We had to." I finally gave up on asking. I slumped back down and lay against Victor limply. He curled an arm around my shoulders and rubbed my arm gently. We sat like this for a while, Henry and Belch eventually laying in the sun to dry off, resulting in them both falling asleep. When we finally returned to town, Belch pulled up at my house and painfully slowly stopped his car.

"You gonna be okay?" Henry leaned forwards, his accent thick. I nodded, smiling at him and Belch. My eyes then landed on Victor.

"If you need anything, my windows always open." he chuckled lightly; Victor lived closest to me out of the boys and his bedroom window was easy to climb into. I mumbled my goodbye and climbed out of the car, hearing Henry jump into the front seat and I hauled myself and my backpack through my front door.

-

Music blared through my cheap headphones and I lazily drew in one of many journals I had around my messy room. It was late at night, and for the first time since we'd met, the boys and I weren't out getting drunk or stoned or breaking some other kind of laws. 

"Night, kiddo." my dad peeked into my room. I smiled back at him, before returning to my notebook. I heard him say the same to Bill and then Georgie, eventually hearing the soft sound of my parents' bedroom door shutting. I thought for a minute, before standing up and shoving my feet into the first pair of sneakers I saw. I pulled a denim jacket over my band t-shirt and shorts, not caring that I was in pyjamas. I hugged my jacket around me as I made my way to Victor's house. I climbed into his small backyard and tapped on his window with my nail. A moment later, his curtain moved and his hands reached over and slid the window up. I jumped in, smiling awkwardly at him. 

"Nice outfit." he smirked.

"Coming from you." I gestured to the orange pyjama pants he was wearing.

"Is everything okay?" he sat on his bed and I followed, kicking my shoes off. I nodded.

"I just wanted to see you." I admitted. I could tell he was smiling without even seeing it. I shuffled closer to him and he pulled me into a hug. "Vic!" I giggled, hugging him back tightly.

"I love you." he mumbled against my neck, his arms securely wrapped around my torso. 

"I love you too." I breathed, my lips unable to stop themselves from smiling. He raised his head and pecked my lips quickly, unsure of how to act. I let out a breathy laugh, leaning in and kissing him again.