Black Roses {Skephalo}

Day Seven [2]

————— 24 days remaining —————
Sunday, January 7th, 8:23 pm
Status 1: stage 3 - Poppy
Status 2: stage 2 - Skye

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-Zak's POV-

"You're sure you're going to be-"

"YES VIN I'M GONNA BE FINE!"

I roll my eyes for the fifth time, taking a hand off the steering wheel so I can elbow Vincent in the gut.

He grabs my arm before I can, shoving it back in my direction as I return it to the steering wheel. "You can't blame me for worrying. Hanahaki is dangerous Zak, and you need to promise me you'll take it seriously-"

"Yeah yeah." I turn up the radio as we near the airport, trying to block out Vincent. He's persistent as hell, definitely the most stubborn person I've ever met. Reminds me of my sister sometimes.

They're both always looking out for me. Sometimes it becomes a little patronising.
I'm 20! I can take care of myself, I'm no child.

Yes and the $3000 you've already spent this month alone on takeout is definitely proving that point...

Responsible adult indeed...

George always used to do the cooking when we lived together. He wasn't the greatest cook ever, but he was far better than Harvey and I. Hell we set the kitchen on fire trying to make cookies once. George hasn't let us anywhere near an oven since.

Vincent turns back down the radio with a scowl as we pull into the drop off zone. The atmosphere clogs with tension, which is an unsettling feeling when you're just about to say goodbye to your friend. I desperately don't want it to end this way.

"Hey... Vincent..." I grab his hand as he pulls his suitcase up the curb. He ignores me, wrapping his headphones tightly around his phone. "Vincent-" he looks down at me. Four inches had never seemed like much until I realised he has to angle his head down to talk to me. "Yes Zak?"

Words fail to come, so I push the suitcase aside and wrap the French boy in a hug. He sighs, a small smile creeping across his face as he returns the hug. "Thank you" I mumble to the floor. "I may not seem grateful, but I swear I am. It's nice to have someone looking out for me."

I wince in pain. It hurts to hug him, but it's worth it.

Our hug is abruptly broken as Vin lunges for his falling suitcase I shoved aside. "See this is exactly what I mean." I huff, sticking out my bottom lip and crossing my arms. "You ruined the moment."

We stand in silence for a few seconds before Vincent pulls me in for another hug. "Please, please promise me you'll take care of yourself. Talk to Darryl if you need anything, he really does care about you." My heart warms at the name 'Darryl'. I know Vincent and him talked while I was in the bathroom.

What about?

"But if you really need me, I'm a call away. Just say the words and I'll be on a plane back over alright?" I snort at his confidence. "That's if your Visa doesn't get denied. Took you long enough to get one here for only a few days." Vincent shoves me away. "Alright now you're ruining the moment dumbass."

We stand laughing like the idots we are for a few minutes, clutching our chests as our sides hurt. People give us some weird looks, but we don't care.

"Right I need to go" Vincent taps his watch for emphasis. "We should do this again sometime don't you think?" I return his large smile. "Definitely. Maybe we can even convince Bad to come."