when the party's over, hockstetter 𝜗𝜚

xxi. it happened quiet

❨ WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER ❩
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
IT HAPPENED QUIET

‧ : *: ‧ °✧

"no. no, this isn't good." oliver paces the now empty interior of his family's house, feeble fingers immediately tugging at his hair.

"no shit it's not good! are you gonna help or not?" patrick stands frustrated, his hands tucked into his front pockets.

the gang's faces all fall in shock when the campbell boy mutters a 'no'.

"what do you mean no?" henry gasps.

oliver keeps shaking his head, his eyes red and swollen with angry tears.

"i can't. i would if i could, but i can't."

"why not?" belch has his eyebrows raised, brown eyes glancing between all of the men standing in the room.

when he doesn't answer, patrick growls, "why aren't you fucking answering?"

"it's hard to explain..." the short haired brunette sighs, a slight look of guilt on his features.

"just say it or i'll—"

"i'm moving. actively. my parents heard about all those missing kids and made plans right away."

"but what about—"

"i-i'm sorry, patrick. things shouldn't have to be this way, and i wish i didn't have to leave at a time like this but i do."

with that, the boy starts gathering his remaining things and heads for the door.

just as oliver's foot is about to cross the threshold, patrick speaks up.

"you're a coward, you know that?"

"i know, hockstetter."

"you didn't deserve her time or love or whatever the fuck you wanna call it. you didn't deserve any part of her."

oliver nods solemnly, "i know."

his brown eyes meet patrick's stormy blue ones, the clash of their gazes creating a turbulent exchange of unspoken tension.

his voice soft as he speaks up again, "do me a favor? don't let her go when you get her back."

patrick's eyes soften at his words, and he gives oliver a brief, acknowledging nod.

the gang follows him out of the empty house, waving goodbye as he gets into the car with his parents and starts to drive away.

a soft sigh falls from patrick's pink, chapped lips as he glances back at his three friends.

"you guys ready?"

☆

(y/n) was on the verge of giving up.

she could barely breathe anymore—the intoxicating stench of the sewers polluted her lungs.

she feels helpless, having poured everything she had into the struggle for what felt like days, not for herself but for her baby.

it had been gone for a while, leaving her hungry, cold, and alone, likely having grown bored once it realized she was no longer afraid—just exhausted.

her eyes slowly begin to fall shut, her head getting heavier.

just as she's about to lose consciousness, she glimpses a sliver of light and a shadow approaching her.

her parched lips part as if she's about to speak, but no sound emerges.

and that's it. everything quickly fades into blankness.

patrick gasps as he stares at the seemingly lifeless woman before him, his lips quivering from the cold air.

"(y/n)?" he shakes her shoulders gently, eyes watering when the only movement is her head lolling to the side, "god dammit! (y/n), please! wake up."

"we need to go." belch comes from around the corner, bloody pole in his hand.

the long-haired man nods, taking a shaky breath as he lifts his lover's filthy body from the ground.

he and belch don't waste another second in getting out of the dungeon like place, meeting henry and victor right at the exit.

as the four wade through the murky greywater, patrick spots a body floating.

when he recognizes it as that wretched clown, he sneers, coughing up some mucus before spitting it on him.

he scoffs to himself, thinking about how (y/n) would scold him for being so crude.

"should we take her to the hospital?" victor asks, looking at her body lying across pat's in the back seat, his gaze fixed on her stomach.

henry shakes his head no, "my house. now."

they arrive quickly, with patrick carefully laying the (l/n) girl on the couch while henry and the others scramble to gather supplies to clean her up.

after a few minutes of tending to her wounds, henry grabs a cup of water and pushes it to her lips.

almost instantly, she starts coughing, sitting up abruptly with her hands clutching her stomach.

her eyes remain closed as her body heaves forward, struggling to draw air into her lungs. gradually, she calms down, and upon realizing she's home, a sob escapes from deep within her chest.

(y/n)'s trembling hands grasp the first thing they touch—patrick hockstetter's shirt—and bury her face in it, inhaling deeply the comforting, familiar scent.

she cries tears of both happiness and sorrow, reflecting on the hell she has endured.

"i missed you guys so much. h-henry, belch, victor, and—" her voice gets caught in her throat when she looks up into those tantalizing blue eyes, "patrick."

the lanky boy doesn't shift his gaze from hers; instead, he finds himself leaning further into her touch.

he doesn't flinch when her hand moves to caress his cheek, nor does he pull away when she leans in and presses her lips to his.

even with the dirt and muck covering her, he holds her close and kisses her back, his focus entirely on the fact that she's here with him.

they savor the moment until (y/n) pulls away with a gasp, her hands flying to her rounded belly.

"i felt a kick," she says, tears welling up again. she takes patrick's hand and places it against her stomach, watching his face light up at the movement.

it feels as if their baby is reassuring them that everything is okay.

the gang takes turns feeling the baby kick, their expressions a mix of awe and joy.

despite the terrible day he's had, patrick can't help but smile triumphantly. he has his girl back, and he's determined never to let her go.

&.

thanks to justicefobarb for voting & commenting on my message board. i don't think y'all realize but literally just the smallest things give me inspiration and motivation to continue writing ♡