𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙸-𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙾𝙴𝚂

Chapter 5

Y/N tossed his bag against the interior wall of the treehouse. He was fuming. "Stupid, Wade...!"

He looked around for anything else he could throw, but he ended up sitting down on the floor. Tears spilled from his e/c eyes. No matter how much he wiped them away, they never seemed to end. It seemed to him that every day brought him more and more pain. Despite being a middle schooler...

He choked on his sobs, his vision becoming blurry from the many tears he shed. Yet, no matter how much he cried or how much he screamed, no one would care. Who would...? No one would hear him. Not where he was. He hugged his legs. In that moment, all he wanted was to be in Blind Al's arms. But it wasn't an option. Not now, anyway. He couldn't bring himself to go back to the place he was forced to call 'home'. 

He just wanted someone...who could understand. Someone to comfort him and say 'it's okay'. Someone who won't just say 'everything will get better soon' but someone who will say it and make it happen. But he knew better... It would be an eternity before that happened.

His heart-breaking sobs eventually faded, replaced with the soft howl of the wind. He laid there, on the wooden floor of the treehouse, hugging himself. His bag was propped under his head, serving as a pillow. He ignored the subtle pain he felt on his back as well as the throbbing pain all over his head. He laid there, the areas around his eyes burning from how much he had wiped his tears away. 

As a distraction, he listened to the chirping of the birds. He slowly closed his eyes, focusing on that pleasant sound. Soon enough, he drifted off to sleep, hoping the pain would go away when he opened his eyes.

--

Weasel paced back and forth. "Al, don't you think he's been gone long enough?"

"Yes, I do. Yet, I wonder... The hell are you still doin' here, Weasel?! Go find him!"

Weasel grabbed his keys. Just as he reached out to the doorknob of the front door, it turned and the door opening. "Wade?"

Sure enough, there he was. Bags under his eyes, looking as though he hadn't slept in days. His hair and clothes were disheveled. Of course, you couldn't miss the few hickeys he had on his neck. "Shh, shh, shh... My head... Just-- shut up..."

Wade pushed Weasel away so he could step in. He stumbled a bit as he walked. "Are you fucking serious, Wade?"

"Wha, wha, what...? What do you want...?" he asked, massaging his temples. 

"Your son is missing and you're out getting laid...?!"

"Hey, hey... No yelling..."

"To hell with that...! Y/N--"

"I could care less...about that brat... One less problem to deal with..." Wade said before turning around. 

"Wade, shut yo ass up!"

"Al..."

"Al, would you be quieter...?"

"My baby's out there, Wade! If you didn't wanna have kids, you should've thought with your head instead of your dick!"

"Al--"

"Shut it, Weasel! You better get your ass in that car with Weasel and find my baby! If anything happens to him, I swear on your motherfuckin' life that you won't live to see tomorrow!"

"You know what? Fine. Fine. I'll bring him back. I'll bring back your son."

Wade turned on his heel and walked back out. "We'll find him, Al. I promis--"

"Don't promise nothing. Just go find him!"

"Alright..."

Weasel closed the front door behind him and jogged over to his car, seeing Wade waiting there. He smacked the back of his head. "Oww! The fuck--! My head hurts, you fuc--"

"That's for being the worst father that ever lived."

He walked over to the driver's side and opened the door. He got in, closed the door, and started up the car. Wade closed the door after he stepped in, not bothering to look over at Weasel. The whole car ride was silent until Weasel parked somewhere. Wade looked over, seeing Weasel step out of the car. He did the same. 

"Did you see him?"

No answer from Weasel.

"Hey."

Still, nothing. 

"Weasel...!"

Weasel sighed and turned his head to look at Wade. "What?"

"I asked you if you saw him."

"If I had seen him, I would've ran over to get him."

"Then why are stopping here?"

"You seriously think we can look for him by just sitting in a car and driving around?"

"Just let him be. He'll come home eventually--"

"You really don't know anything about him, do you?"

"Huh?"

"You're too busy trying to find a way to get back to Vanessa. Which would've been fine if you didn't have a more important responsibility--"

"You're seriously going to go there--"

"Yeah, I am. Y/N deserves better than you. He's a kid with a good heart, yet he's suffering because of you. You've neglected him since the day he was born--"

"That's where you're wrong. I wasn't there when--"

"And that's exactly it. You were never there. Do you think he wanted to have you as his father? He didn't have any choice! You might be my friend, Wade, but I'm not gonna defend you from this. You brought this on yourself. You leave and always come back drunk, tired, or whatever. You come home and don't give a fuck if Y/N's alright or if he's eaten. You don't care if he gets bullied at school or he disappears."

"You--"

"And hell, you're only half of the problem...! His mom dropped him off at your place when he was just a few weeks old, thinking she's leaving him in 'good hands' and is probably off doing who-knows-what right now. Yet, what you both don't realize is that, while you're having the best time of your lives elsewhere, your son might be considering killing himself...!"

To that, Wade didn't say anything. "I said I'd support you no matter what..." Weasel muttered quietly, his hands clenching into fists, "But I can't now... Not with the way you're going about this..."

Wade just stood there, watching as Weasel began walking away. He was trying to register everything that his friend had just told him. Weasel scanned the area. "Y/N!"

A couple of people looked his way. He jogged over to some of them and asked them if they had seen Y/N around, showing them a picture from his phone. However, they shook their heads and walked off. Wade gave him one last glance before walking off. He didn't have a particular destination. He simply walked.  

--

Y/N slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, adjusting his vision. That's when he noticed that it was getting late out. His headache was pretty much gone, but he still felt a subtle pain on his backside. He crawled over to one of the windows of the treehouse and peeked outside. He could see the orange, blue, purple, and pink colors that painted the sky above.

He thought about how much Blind Al would be worried about him, but he didn't budge. He didn't want to go back. Not yet.

In the distance, he heard rustling. He hid, finding a spot where he could try and see who was nearby without being seen himself. He narrowed his eyes, seeing a figure. It scared him a bit. That was, until the figure turned, making his face visible. 

Wade?