Taking Him In

• Chapter Nine •

𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐
• ———— •

"Where is he!?" Tommy yelled through the building, throwing his school bag beside the shoe rack and skidding into the living room. Kennedy split apart from Sage in a rush, the latter looking dazed, just waking up from an afternoon nap. "Huh? What..? Has someone died?" He asked blearily, Kennedy let out a soft laugh from beside him.

"He's outside, Tommy" Kennedy supplied, the boy darted from the room and into the kitchen, throwing open the backdoor and finding Winter shooting his target.

"Winter!" He yelled loudly, the boy in question jumped a mile in the air, instantly directing the arrow towards Tommy in an act of self defence. "Christ Tommy! What the hell!?" Winter groaned, throwing aside the arrow and running a hand through his hair, exasperated.

"What the heck me!? You nearly shot me!" He pointed out, but brushed it aside instantly. "Anyway- I was in school earlier" he began, walking up right beside him and gazing at the bow as if it were a piece of gold. "And I told everyone I was really good at archery" he explained, Winter deadpanned him though wasn't much surprised. Tommy hadn't stopped blabbering on about how his reputation would shoot up if people thought he was so talented. The last three days he had come here directly from school and spoken to Winter about it, regardless where he was. Inside, outside, on the damn toilet.

Winter couldn't catch a break.

"I'm not going into your school, Tommy" Winter finally replied, continuing to shoot the target. Tommy looked appalled, "what!? But we agreed!"

"Unless I have amnesia" Winter monotoned, "we did not make a deal"

"Stop pestering him, Tommy!" Hazel interrupted, coming up from behind them. Tommy scowled her way, crossing his arms angrily. "C'mon! We're cousins now, you have to help me out" he insisted, lip twitching irritably. Winter narrowed his eyes, sneering.

"We're not cousins"

"Sage and Kennedy adopted you!"

"They took me in!"

"That's your weird way of meaning adoption! If you let me record you shooting the target I'll pay you ten bucks" Tommy then bribed, instantly Winter's demeanour changed, tilting his head in consideration. Hazel, who had watched the whole thing, snorted. "Boys. You're so easily manipulated" she rolled her eyes, "I'm going to wait for Cora and Ezra" she sighed and turned back inside, the two of them never took the bus home so walked awhile longer.

"If you record me they'll see it's not you" Winter pointed out, still fully prepared to agree for the money. Tommy grinned slyly, "but that's the thing! I'm not recording you, just the bow, I'll edit myself in pretending I'm the one shooting, then it cuts to you!" He explained, already bringing out his phone. Winter let out an exasperated huff but went along with it. He didn't care about lying or how Tommy's friends might feel. It didn't even cross his mind.

It took a little time to get the right camera angles, making sure Winter couldn't be seen, even for a single frame. But they managed it. Cora and Ezra has returned by the time they were finished and Tommy was editing the video. Finding them in the kitchen, Tommy babbling to himself while Winter watched on, the bow placed over his shoulders, sipping orange juice idly.

"What are you doing?" Ezra asked, awkwardly standing beside Winter. He looked over at him, then jerked his head towards Tommy. "He owes me ten bucks"