#6u

67677

“Yep –”

“Arby’s. The curly ones.”

“What the fuck.” Four leans back in his chair, and you cannot stop the warmth that trickles to your cheeks at the awe in his tone. “How’d you know?”

“I can tell by the smell.”

“Holy shit, really?”

“No.” You finally detach your hands from the keyboard and grab the paper bag. “Wild guess.”

“Oh.”

Pulling the fries out, you stuff some into your mouth and hold the carton out towards Four. He takes two and puts them on a napkin, emptying a ketchup packet on the other half for dipping. “How come you sound disappointed?” you ask.

He shrugs. “Thought you had some, like, superhuman ability. With the shit we’ve done, I would totally believe it.”

“If anyone has a superpower, it’s you, Skywalker. Jumping across buildings and over roofs and shit without smashing onto the ground.”

Four grins. “S’pose so, yeah.”

“So humble.”

“I’m good at what I do!” he exclaims. “I can compliment you too. You’re literally the smartest person I know.”

“Smarter than Five?”

“… You’re the second smartest person I know. But you’re definitely the nicest.”

“The nicest?” you repeat, incredulous. That was not something you ever heard in your past life.

“Well,” to your surprise, a flush crawls across his face, “granted, the bar isn’t very high, but it’s there. Besides Six, you’re the only one out of this lot who’s gone skating with me, and believe me, I’ve asked everyone.”

The thought of saying that you had nothing better to do crosses your mind, but then you remember that he thinks you’re nice, so you don’t. It wouldn’t have been true, anyway, and you are a horrible liar.

“You’re fun to hang out with,” you tell him.

That admission is true. Four is brash, a little nuts, sometimes too mouthy for his own good – and you like that he is. You remember when he had first convinced you to crawl out of your hole and go outside with him, when he’d wheedled you onto his skateboard, hands on your waist and shrieks of laughter in his throat as you wobbled around like an idiot.

You thought being dead meant being detached. Four seems determined to prove otherwise.

The corners of his eyes crinkle, and he scoots closer to your chair.

“What’re you working on?” he queries, elbows on his knees as he squints at the lines of code in front of you.

Tucking another curly fry into your cheek, you shrug. “Making a game.”

“Like Call of Duty? Would stay up all night with my mates playing that as a kid.”

“No, just a simple two-player one. 8-bit-ish.”

“What’s it about?”

You shift uncomfortably.

“What is this, twenty questions?”

“I’m just asking. Why, is it something pervy? I’d still be down to play.” Four throws a crooked smirk your way, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

A snort escapes you despite yourself. “What? No. It’s, um … a platform-type game. Like Mario.”

“Okay. Very specific.”

Clearing your throat, you mumble an elaboration. But that is almost worse, because then Four leans in close to hear what you’re saying, and he smells like the outdoors and his face is close and you’re worried, no, you’re terrified that you’ll glance down at his lips and say something about them that you’ll one hundred percent regret.

So you lean back slightly. Something flickers in his eyes when you do so, but he does not follow.

“Didn’t get that, Eights.”

“Parkour,” you mutter, the word fluttering out like a little drunk moth. “It’s a parkour game.”

Four blinks. Then, a broad, delighted smile spreads across his face.

“No shit?”

“I haven’t figured everything out yet,” you say almost defensively, though you don’t know what you’re defending against. “It’s nothing like the real thing, so don’t get your hopes up. It’s just a dumb project.”

“It’s wicked,” he says. “Can you make a character that looks like me?”

“Sure.”

(You do not tell him that you’ve already planned to.)

“And make a character that looks like you,” Four continues seriously, tapping the desk. “So I can kick your ass at parkour in a videogame, too. Oh, and everyone else, so I can also kick their asses.”

“You’ll be in my domain, Four. I’ll be finished before you even make the first jump.”

He chuckles, disbelieving, and bumps the side of your foot with his shoe. “Your domain, eh? I think you’ll find I’m very adaptable.”

“I know.” The words come out quieter than you intend. Adoring. Shit.

While you resist the urge to fidget and scuff a hole into the floor of your trailer, Four’s smile softens, eyes flicking back to the screen. He reaches for another couple of fries.

“Wanna go out tomorrow morning?”

“Huh?”

“Outside, I mean. I’m gonna find someplace to practice. You can come and watch and take notes for your game,” he says casually while he chews, licking the salt off his thumb once he’s done.

“Oh.” You try not to stare. “Yeah, I can go with you.”

“You could give it another go too, if you’d like.”

“Why, so you can kick my ass at parkour in real life again? I’ll just watch.”

“Suit yourself.” With that, Four stands up from his chair and looks down at you for a few seconds, then gestures with his chin at the fries. “Remember to finish those.”

“Okay, Mom.”

He rolls his eyes good-naturedly and leaves without a goodbye. (There’s no need for it, not around here, because goodbyes are for the living, aren’t they?)

Once you’re sure he’s gone, you let out a breath and slap your cheeks several times, glancing at the carton next to your mouse. There are four left.

“I love you.” 

Those three tiny words held so much meaning to you. Your boyfriend, Billy, made sure to constantly remind you of how much he loves… loved you. He always had a sweet, soft smile on his face when the words slipped from his lips. On this specific occasion, you were on your back with Billy’s bare chest pressed against yours. 

You’re both breathing heavily as your naked bodies are tangled together. Your hand was caressing his cheek as he moves his head to kiss your palm. You smile up at him as he stares into your eyes - his green orbs almost hypnotizing. He speaks those three words and you believe every ounce of it as your heart flutters. 

“I love you more.” you whisper back. 

He grins big and shakes his head. Suddenly, out of nowhere, his face falls as he fights back a wave of tears. He blinks them away, but not before you notice the change of expression. You knit your brows as you grab his face and make him look at you. 

“Hey,” you say softly. “What’s wrong?” 

Billy just forces a smile as he shakes his head. 

“I’m fine.” he says fast. 

He leans down and nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck. You wrap your arms around him as he leaves tiny, gentle kisses all over your shoulder. He’s so warm and comforting - you don’t want him to get up. As if reading your mind, he sits up and sadly smiles. 

“I have to go.” he whispers. 

You shake your head fast and wrap your arms around him even tighter. You look pathetically sad as you whine. 

“No! Not yet! Maybe you can reschedule for tomorrow?” you ask with puppy dog eyes. 

It takes everything in Billy to not fall to his knees and do exactly as you say. You were his kryptonite, his weakness. He had done anything and everything for you - except this. 

“Baby,” he whispers. “I have to go. They’re… They’re waiting for me.”

You frown even harder as you slowly rub your hand up and down his arm. 

“I don’t want you to go.” you say quietly. 

His heart breaks right then and there. I don’t want to go either, he wants to say, but he doesn’t. 

“I hate that this is your job.” you say, referring to his heists. 

Billy takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes.

“I’ll be...fine.” he says hesitantly. 

“Promise?” you ask as you hold up your pinky finger. 

This was yours and Billy’s way of trust. You don’t ever, ever break a pinky swear. He started this when you first started dating and it’s stuck ever since. Billy opens his eyes and his voice gets stuck in his throat as he stares at your pinky. He tenses his jaw and slowly reaches his hand out. 

If he makes a promise, he’d break it. If he doesn’t make the promise, you’d know something was wrong. He takes in a deep breath as his pinky wraps around yours. You break out into a huge grin and his heart skips a beat. Remember this smile, he reminds himself. 

“Alright, you promised. You can’t break it now.” 

Billy tries to smile as he nods. You lean up and kiss him once more. He gives you a quick peck to your cheek as he jumps up from bed and starts getting around. You’re lying there with the sheet wrapped around you as you watch him. He slips his shoes on and he’s finished. He turns around to slowly look at you. He looks you up and down and wants to back out of everything right now. You just sweetly smile and sit up. 

“You better not forget to kiss me bye.” you tease. 

Billy swallows hard as he walks over to you. You’re smiling like a little kid as he bends down and cups your face. He kisses you, but this kiss is different. It’s slow and sweet as he savors every last ounce of it. He wants to remember what your lips feel like, taste like. He wants to remember how soft your skin felt on his fingers. He wants to remember what your slight moans sound like as the kiss deepens. He just wants to remember… Needs to remember. Billy leans away as he rests his forehead against yours. You graze your finger against his bottom lip as he smiles. 

“I have to go.” he whispers. 

“I know.” you whisper back. “Please be careful.” 

All he can do is tense his jaw and force a sweet smile as he nods. He stands back up and turns around as he walks to the front door. You’re still watching him sadly as he grabs his backpack and swings it on his shoulder. He opens the front door and steps out. He turns around to look back at you. A tear trickles down his cheek, but you don’t notice it. 

“I love you.” he says loudly, thankful that his voice didn’t crack. 

You place your hand over your heart and smile. 

“I love you more.” 

Billy then places his hand over his heart as well and smiles. He gives you a slight wink as he slowly shuts the door behind him. Once it’s closed, he walks away and leans against the wall. His eyes are squeezed closed as tears finally pour out. He tries to catch his breath as his body trembles. He wants to run back into the room with you, but he can’t. 

“It’ll get easier.” 

Billy looks up fast and takes in a sharp breath as One is stood in the hallway with sunglasses on. His voice is flat as he looks down at his watch and then back up. 

“Listen, can we please have this life changing moment while we walk to the car?” 

Billy walks past him and gives him a death glare. One just smiles as he follows behind him. 

“This better be fucking worth it.” hisses Billy. 

One takes in a deep breath and pats him on the back. 

“Watch.” 

***

10 Hours Later 

Billy isn't home yet and you were beside yourself. You had called everyone you knew and were pacing around your apartment and shaking like crazy. This wasn’t like him. He always came home when he promised you he would. This wasn’t like him. 

You were currently on the phone with the police as they were trying to calm you down. They tried telling you that maybe he was just late. Maybe he got caught up with something and forgot to call. You tried to file a missing persons report, but they wouldn’t allow you. He hasn’t been gone long enough. You were about to freak out on the woman over the phone, but she interrupted with an almost slight gasp. 

“Ma’am?” she asks fast. “Ma’am, was your boyfriend’s last name Jones? Billy Jones?” 

You freeze and your whole body begins to go numb. Your throat is dry as you just nod. You realize she can’t see you as you close your eyes and whisper. 

“Yes.” 

Your voice was so tiny. The woman just sighs and you can tell she’s about to say something that you don’t want to hear. 

“Miss y/l/n,” she starts with a sad voice. “Ma’am, we have a deputy dispatched and on his way to your home. Can you please stay on the line with me until he gets there?” 

“Why are cops coming over? Where’s Billy?” you shout. “How did you find out his last name!? Where’s Billy!?” you scream as your face turns red. 

Suddenly, there’s a loud knock at you door as a man yells out that it’s the police. You keep the phone on your ear as you walk over and look through the peephole. You slowly open the door and watch as two male cops looks beyond sad and distressed. 

“Miss y/l/n?” he asks with a soft voice. “I am so terribly sorry-” 

The cop didn’t even get to finish his sentence when suddenly the phone you’re holding slips from your hand and hits the floor. Your face is in complete shock as their voices become mere background noise. A loud buzzing fills your head as you feel like you can’t breathe. You take a few steps back and shake your head no. 

Suddenly, the word dead is all you hear and you snap. You cover your mouth with your shaky hands and allow tears to pour down. You squeeze your eyes shut as your knees give away. They buckle under you as you fall to them. You hunch over and wrap your arms around yourself. 

“No, no, no!” you scream out. 

The officers hurry to you and fall to their knees as they try to help. 

“Please, no!” 

It hurt. Every inch of your body… Your heart. It all throbbed. It was like a nightmare had come true. Billy’s dead, Billy’s dead, Billy’s dead. That’s the only thought racing through your mind. What you would do for another day with him. What you would do to feel his touch one more time. What you would do to just have him be okay.

***

1 Year and 3 Months Later

“Those disguises are fucking awful.” says Billy. 

The group was on a mission that happened to be back in his hometown. Everywhere he looks it reminds him of you. He’s been in an awful mood ever since they landed here. More hot headed than usual. He’s been drinking more and hoping it will help him not to be constantly reminded of you every waking second. He regrets what he did. He regrets faking his death. He regrets seeing his funeral and having to watch you catch your breath as you cry. He regrets leaving you. He hates himself for it and he always will.

He is now currently walking through a large park that the two of you always went to with Seven next to him. Seven’s been the only one to help him with everything. He hasn’t been on the team long, but Billy’s already so close to him. 

“Why is it that I get a costume and you don’t?” asks Seven to Billy. 

He just laughs and shrugs. 

“Guess One wants to utilize my good looks.” he jokes. 

The speaker in their ears crackle on as One speaks. 

“Excuse me, ladies? Can we please stay on track and, ya know, find the bad guys?” 

They both roll their eyes as they continue walking around a large fountain that’s in the middle of the park. 

“I don’t see any sign of them.” says Two through the earpiece. 

“Maybe they’re in horrible costumes too.” Three says snarky. 

“Four, you see anything? Anything that might even look weird or suspicious?” asks One. 

Billy shakes his head as he scans around some more. There’s a playground just beside him as he looks through it. He doesn’t spot who he needs to see. 

“No, I don’t see any-”

He freezes. 

“Four, you still there?” asks Five. 

Seven looks over to him confused. 

“Four, what’s wrong?” 

His eyes follow his line of sight and he freezes as well. He sees you. You’re at the playground with two other women. The three of you are laughing as you watch tiny kids run around. There’s a stroller perched in front of you as you look down in front of it and smile widely. You’re making silly faces as you bend down and slowly pick up a small baby in your arms. 

Billy stops breathing. The baby was six months old and had Billy’s identical green eyes and blonde hair. He swears up and down that she could be his twin. You hold the sweet baby close to you and kiss the top of her head. She’s laughing at you as you stand up with her. 

“Four,” Seven says fast. “We need to go. I know what you’re thinking. We need to go.” 

Billy can’t move. He’s in a trance as he watches you walk around and kiss the babies chubby cheeks. You look so happy with her. You’re still so beautiful and he wants to so badly rush over and hug you. You were just right there. So close, yet so far away. 

“What’s going on?” asks Two. 

“Yeah. Can someone keep the rest of us informed?” asks One. 

“It’s…” Seven trails off. “It’s her.” 

That’s all he has to say and they automatically know. 

“Get him out of there!” yells One. “Now!” 

“Come one, Four. We have to go!” 

Billy just keeps his eyes on you as Seven grabs his wrist and tries to drag him away. Billy’s not fighting him, but he’s still frozen in place. Suddenly, you spot the movement from the corner of your eye as you turn with a smile still on your face. It takes your eyes a moment to adjust to the two men that are staring your way. 

At first, you’re a bit worried by it, but suddenly… Suddenly, your eyes land on Billy. Your smile falls as your eyes lock. You feel like you can’t breath as you just stare at him. You’re dreaming, you tell yourself. You’re just imagining it. That’s not really him. You blink a few times and open your eyes once more. He’s still standing there. You take a step forward and find yourself breathing hard. 

“Billy?” you whisper. 

“Four, we have to go!” harshly whispers Seven. 

“Four, I swear to god, if you get caught, I will kill you myself!” shouts One in the earpiece. 

“I have a baby…” whispers Billy. 

Everyone goes silent. 

“Shit.” One barely whispers. 

You find yourself slowly walking forward. Billy’s not disappearing, so that must be a good sign. Right? This wasn’t like the other times. You could have sworn you saw him on the other side of the street or right outside your apartment window. He was actually standing there. You shake your head as you get closer and eventually you’re stood right in front of him. You didn’t know what to say. Your throat was dry as tears pour down your face. Billy’s crying too as his eyes are locked with yours. You find yourself shaking your head and almost laughing. 

“You’re dead.” you whisper. 

It’s almost comical to you now. 

“I’ve actually lost my mind.” you laugh out. “You’re dead!” you say a bit louder, your face now serious. 

Billy says nothing as he just stares at you with sad eyes. 

“Am I dreaming?” you ask.

He slowly shakes his head no. You gasp and cover your mouth with your hand. Your baby has her head on your chest as she’s dozing off. Billy looks to her and can’t fight back a smile. 

“I don’t understand what’s happening.” you whisper. 

Just then, you begin taking steps backwards. You’re shaking your head as you stare at him and Seven cautiously. 

“I’m going crazy.” you whisper. “You’re not really here. I’m going crazy.” 

You turn around and go to walk away, but not before Billy reaches out and grabs your free hand. You gasp at his touch as you fly back around. Your eyes are wide as he stares down at your hand holding his. Your chin is quivering as your face scrunches up. You’ve missed his touch so much. You forgot how comforting and warm it is. You shake your head as you look up to him, tears pouring down. 

“It’s me.” he whispers. 

“Four, we have to go.” Seven says with a dark tone. 

Seven gives you a sympathetic look as he tugs on Billy’s arm. 

“Go home and stay there, okay!?” calls out Billy as he’s walking away backwards. “Just promise me you’ll go there and stay?!”

Just then, Billy holds up his pinky and you feel like you could faint. That’s when you know it really is him. You're sobbing now as you shakily hold up your pinky as well. Billy’s face falls into a huge grin as he stares at you until he’s gone. You still don’t understand what’s happening. Maybe you really were in a dream. You find yourself wiping your eye and hurrying back to the stroller. The mother’s you came with all look worried and confused by your teary eyed expression. 

You explain to them that you need to go home and say it’s a family emergency. They hug you goodbye as you speed walk back to the apartment just down the block. You get inside and close the door. You lock it fast and quietly lay your baby down for a nap. She looks so peaceful as you smile and kiss her forehead. She looks so much like Billy that it almost broke your heart. 

“Billy’s dead.” you whisper to yourself. “They saw him fall. He’s dead.” 

You wait at your apartment just like he had told you too. You lay down on your bed and close your eyes. If this was a dream, maybe you could finally wake up from it. Dreaming of Billy was the worst thing ever. The two of you would be together and laughing and the next thing you know, you’re waking up by yourself and with the feeling of utter loneliness. You would have rather fallen asleep and stayed asleep. 

At least you felt that way until Stella was born. You found out you were pregnant with Billy’s baby a month after he had died… Or at least you thought he did. It was the happiest yet saddest time of your life. You got to be a mother to a beautiful baby girl, but you were still losing Billy. Mixed emotions had become your constant state of mind. 

You’re still lying in bed and realize you must have dozed off. You sit up and look over to the crib where Stella was and realize she’s still asleep. You smile at her as you lay back down and stretch. Your mind goes to Billy as you feel yourself about to cry again. Maybe it had all been a dream. Or maybe you really were crazy. Whatever it was, that wasn’t really him. He’s not here. He’s dead-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK 

Your eyes go wide as you sit up fast in bed. Someone was at your door. You slowly stand to your feet and don’t move. You listen closely and slightly jump when there’s another knock. You’re almost trembling as you slowly tiptoe over to the door. You close your eyes and take in a deep breath before leaning forward and looking out the peephole. Something was covering it and blocking you from seeing out. Your heart was now racing as you were scared. You close your eyes and call out. 

“Who is it!?” 

There’s silence for a moment before someone speaks out.

“You kept the promise!” 

Your eyes go wide as you take in a sharp breath. It couldn’t be… You must still be dreaming. You quickly unlock the door and fling it open. In front of you is stood Billy with a small smile on his face. You can’t look away from him until five others begin standing behind him with awkward smiles on their faces too. You gulp as you look back to him and then it happens. What you thought would happen to you at the park finally did. 

Everything goes white and you pass out.

Tag List: @dreashappyworld @not-called-greg @yeeterparkersblog @saint-hardy @this-little-queenie @i-am-sarah @literatureandqueen @thatweirdomimic @robinandsteve @killer-queen-87 @loveandbeloved29 @taronegertonthewelshboi2 @lainkaulait @ken-yee-not @benhvrdys @angels-fall2 @annabelrose5 @buckythediv @chernobylpope @slighttinsomniac @queengavemeasheerheartattack @millytsworld @carlsonione32 @roger-bang-the-drum @lavenderlu @arigixi @operationbaseinnarnia @chonkyhambs @sarka-stically @captainbarnesharkness​ @i-dont-knoq​ @starringbaguette​