Okay, first of all, I'm so sorry for the late update. I've been busy with many things, such as writing another story that's like, only a couple of chapters in, school starting back up, and various other things. Second of all, this is a whopper of a chapter at a startling two thousand, six hundred eighteen words, making it the longest chapter I have ever written due to it going through a major rewrite, which is why it took so long. Other than that, enjoy!
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[Harrison Frost]
|Location: Bunker in the Forest|
{Chapter warning: mild use of cursing}
I open my eyes sometime later to someone rubbing my arm and saying my name. I roll over and see Rhys sitting on the edge of the bed.
Rhys chuckles, "You and your brother are both so cute when you're tired."
"What do you want?" I ask, still groggy.
"Nothing," Rhys whispers, "The storm ended a couple of hours ago. The JZCF is going to be checking this part of the forest soon, so we need to leave quickly."
"Alright," I say, "I'll pack my stuff up."
"Already done, sir," Circuit says, "It's all in a spare suitcase."
"I just have to pack a few more things, and then we can get going," Rhys says.
He stands up and goes around the corner to another room. I get up and follow him, looking around at the shelves, filled with books. There are also two massive plants in the corner, growing so out of hand that they're covering the adjacent walls and ceiling.
Rhys opens a large metal crate, letting the lights inside illuminate the room. "
"The stuff for making potions is already in the car. I just need to pack the books and get rid of the plants and then we can leave."
I walk over to one of the tangled, green masses and look deep inside the leaves, "How are these growing without sunlight?"
"I've been using magic. That's what all the books are. "
"Is that why you live down here?"
"Yeah," he replies. He takes a deep breath, "I don't like living down here, which is why I'm glad we're leaving."
"Where should we go?" I ask.
"Washington DC. There's a book there that I need that might point us in the right direction. It's a three-hour drive, but it's better than getting caught."
"Yeah," I say, "I'm going to go talk to Heath."
"Alright."
I leave the room and go to the main area, where Heath is looking at something.
"Hey," I say.
"Oh, hey, Har. I've been looking at the rules and regulations of the NZCA. Something feels odd because nothing here indicates that Rufus or the patient should have to be involved in this. The only person in trouble is you." Heath replies.
I sigh, "Sounds like him, to be honest. He's always been on the... homicidal side of extreme. He killed an innocent woman, and now he wants to kill a child that's barely even a week old."
Heath looks confused for a second before responding, "Well, that's why we're moving to DC. Everything will be fine as long as we don't tell anyone where we're going."
Rhys comes through the door before I can respond, carrying the large, metal crate he had with him earlier.
"I've got my books all packed up, can you two help me with the plants? Just bag them up, pour the potions in, and bring them outside for me to deal with them," he asks.
"Sure," Heath says.
I follow Heath to the back room, and there are a few glass bottles with glowing, green liquid inside laying on top of trash bags on the floor.
"What's the green stuff for?"
"Disintegration. Pour them into a filled trash bag and the contents, along with the bag, will disappear when you cast the right spell."
"Cool. I take it that Rhys made them?"
"Yep. Go ahead and fill the trash bags with the plants. Save the pots, though."
"Alright."
I walk over to one of the massive plants and pull at some of the vines, surprised at just how brittle the plant is, despite it looking healthy on the outside.
"Damn," I mutter, "How much did he take care of these?"
"A lot. They're just brittle because Rhys isn't that great at magic yet."
"Oh, I see."
I open a trash bag and shove the pieces of the vines inside. It took around five minutes to get all the bags packed, and we had four black trash bags stuffed to the brim with vines when we were done.
"Now we just pour the whole bottle of the disintegration potion in. Make sure to spread it out a bit as well."
I nod and grab one of the bottles, take the top of it, and look over at Heath as he pours the whole thing into one of his bags. I hesitantly do the same with both of my bags, and then we take them outside where Rhys is loading a trailer with the boxes.
"Is that everything?" I ask.
"Yeah. I'm going to reseal the bunker and then we can leave," Rhys says, "The car seat for Rufus is already set up and he is in the car with Circuit now."
"Okay, well, these are all packed and ready for you to take care of," Heath says.
"Alright," Rhys says, "Step back."
We set down the bags and step away from them, Rhys holds his hand up, and two symbols appear in front of his hand. A triangle, and an upside-down triangle. They glow white and then turn the same green as the solution before the bags start making a sound similar to popcorn popping. They melt into a small pile of green liquid, which stops glowing and disappears.
"Woah..." I mutter.
"Yeah. Now watch him do the door."
He walks over to the door and puts his hands against it. Something under his palms starts glowing, and it starts to rust. At some point, there's a click, and Rhys steps away.
"Now, it's as if it's never been opened. Harrison, are there any loose ends you need to tie up before we leave?" Rhys asks
"Just my friend Devon," I answer, "I should also stop by my house for more clothes."
"Okay. Let's get going. House first, then Devon," Rhys replies, "Harry, you can drive, and I'll switch with you when we leave for DC."
"Alright," I reply.
I get into the driver seat, Heath in the passenger seat, and Rhys in the back next to the car seat, where Rufus is holding a toy with a pacifier in his mouth. Circuit is on the other side of him with a suitcase full of our stuff in the trunk.
I sit for a second, looking out the windshield at the forest in front of us.
"Do you need help getting out, Harry?" Heath asks.
"N-No. I'm just scared is all." I take a deep breath and turn the car on.
I drive out of the forest and into town, and to my house.
I park in the driveway, leaving the car on as I get out. I go inside and to my room, where I pack two massive duffel bags with my clothes, as well pack some toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, and other various things that I can think of.
once I'm done, haul all of the bags out and put them in the trailer. I get back in the driver's seat and then drive to Devon's place, parking the car in the driveway once again.
"Okay, I'll be back in a bit," I say.
I get out of the car and go inside, not even bothering to knock.
"Dev? Are you here?"
The whole room is dark, as per usual, and only the TV is on. Devon's head perks up from the couch, making me laugh.
"What are you doing here?" he asks, getting up.
The lights don't even turn on, which isn't surprising. All he usually does here is sit in the dark, watching movies or playing games.
"I was just coming over to tell you that I'm leaving."
"Where are you going?" he asks.
"I can't tell you, Devon. I don't know when I'll be back, either. I can try and keep in contact with you, though."
"I'd definitely like that," he says.
He gets closer to me, and takes a deep breath, "Erin told me something earlier and I think I should tell you."
"What is it?"
"Well, she said that it came up when he first met you four years ago when you and heather were dating. She didn't want to say anything because she didn't want to hurt Heather," He sighs, taking a deep breath, "She told me that she likes you, and planned to ask you out soon. Which is problematic for me since I like you as well."
I look up at his face and see a glint of lust in his eyes as he plays with a strand of my hair
"For how long?" I ask.
"Since childhood. It's the reason why I cuddled you all the time. It was my way of getting closer to you without destroying our friendship. And with that leg pressing thing you always do, I thought you liked me back but was afraid to admit it."
"Devon, the only reason I press my leg against yours is that Heath and I were conjoined twins up until we were seven. I miss the feeling of him being next to me sometimes, and that's what happens."
"Okay, then what about the cuddling? Why'd you lead me on that night?"
I stop for a second, realizing I've gotten so bad at feeling my own emotions that I didn't even realize I might have hurt him.
"I made it clear that I was hesitant about sleeping next to you and you let me. And I was so devastated when I realized that you didn't like me like that."
"Devon, I'm sorry. I have been grieving over Heather-"
"You have been grieving for her for eight months now, Harry! Wake the fuck up! You have denied it, been angry over it, bargained, been depressed, and now it's time to accept it." Devon shouts.
His shouting shocks me, freezing me in place. I have never truly seen him this upset before, let alone hear him curse.
Devon takes a deep breath to calm himself down before moving on, "Harry, it's time to move on and find someone else who will treat you the way she did. And that's what I'm trying to do. I've loved you with all my heart before I even knew how to pronounce the word correctly."
I giggle, "That's because you used to have a lisp, and couldn't pronounce the letter 'v' correctly."
Devon laughs, playing with a strand of my hair.
"I mean, I never said I didn't like guys. And quite honestly, why shouldn't I?" I mutter.
Devon smiles, getting even closer to me.
"Why don't you help me up, bud?" I reply lowly.
It took him no time to pick me up. I went for one of the stools at his counter, but I ended up on the counter itself.
He puts his hands on my sides, kissing me passionately. His lips are super soft, but he tastes like garlic bread.
He pulls away and rests his forehead against mine.
"You must have ordered pizza earlier," I say.
"Sorry," he says, frowning.
He leans in for another short kiss, his hands going down to my legs to help me down, but the door opens before he can finish
He turns around to see Erin at the door, heartbreak in her eyes.
"Were you guys just-" she groans, not even finishing her sentence.
"Erin, that's not what that was," Devon says calmly.
"That's exactly what that was," Erin shouts, "I thought I could trust you not to tell him."
"Well, you trusted the wrong person, Erin. Harry has been my best friend for years, and I'm not about to keep things from him," Devon says.
She tries to speak, but it only comes out in a jumbled, stammering mess. She groans and turns around, leaving.
"Well that just happened," I say.
Devon doesn't speak, he just picks me up and puts me back on the ground.
"So, are you seriously going to leave me here after that?"
"Not if the others are okay with you going," I say.
Right on cue, Heath and Rhys come in.
Devon stares at heath, dumbfounded.
"Oh, yeah. Heath is alive."
He looks back at me, with the same look still on his face.
"Well, seems you already know the twins..." Rhys says, "My name is Rhys."
"Devon," he replies, "Well... there's a shower upstairs if you want to freshen up."
"Of course," Rhys says.
"Hey, is it okay if Devon comes with? Having him with us could be helpful," I ask.
"Are you sure, Harry? We've already got three adults and a newborn coming with us. Plus a robot!" Rhys replies.
"He could be helpful to us!"
"Helpful to us how?!" Rhys shouts
"Look, I'll do whatever you guys need, just let me come with. I want to stay with Harry." Devon pleads.
"Fine, but if you cause any trouble, we're leaving you in DC. Got it?" Rhys says sternly.
"Yes."
Rhys turns around and goes outside without another word.
Heath sighs, "Thank you for letting us use your shower, Devon."
"No problem."
Heath smiles at Devon before going outside as well. They come back in with three changes of clothes and Heath hands one of the sets to me.
Curiously, Heath and Rhys go up at the same time without saying.
"So, they're just going to shower together?" Dev asks.
"Apparently," I mutter.
I sit on the couch and Devon sits next to me, putting a hand on my leg.
"Devon, should we go into a relationship this quickly?"
"If you don't want to, I completely understand. I shouldn't have yelled at you about moving on. Everyone grieves in their own way at their own pace."
"It's okay, but you were right. I'm being selfish. I need to stop using her as an excuse."
"That's good. It shows that you're healing," he replies.
He moves his hand and we wait until Heath and Rhys come back downstairs.
"So... you two did shower together." Devin says, "What took you two so long?"
Heath's face instantly goes red, and it hits me. The room I stayed in at the bunker was described as an extra bedroom, and there were only two. That means they sleep in the same bedroom as well.
"You two are dating, aren't you?" I ask with a smirk.
"M-maybe..." Heath stammers.
I laugh at how flustered he is and get up, wrapping my arms around him, "It's okay, bud. I just wish you told me, is all."
"Thanks for being okay with this. I know it's awkward since we're twins..."
I let go of him, keeping my arms on his shoulders, "Erin just caught me making out with Devon. It's not awkward."
"Wait... Devon?"
He looks at Devon, and in response, Devon smirks.
"Yeah..." I mutter.
Rhys looked as if he didn't know how to react.
"Yeah, that happened," Devon says, "Should we shower separately or...?"
"We can't waste time, so we should just do it together. No matter how awkward it is."
"Okay, well, I'll grab some clothes from my room."
I grab my clothes from the couch and meet Devon in the bathroom. He locks the door, turns on the exhaust fan, and starts the shower. I take off my shirt awkwardly as I hear Devon undo his belt and throw his pants to the floor behind me.
I take everything else off and step into the shower, and Devon follows behind me a minute later. Thankfully, it was rather quiet, only a tiny mutter here and there from Devon asking for something. I tried to face away from him, but that didn't stop me from getting a detailed look at more than just his chest.
we got out when we were done and dried off, put our clothes on, and went back downstairs to talk with Heath and Rhys. We decided to leave right after Devon packed his stuff up, and we did. Devon packed his things and then activated Glitch, his home robot. he put his stuff in the trailer, we all got into the car, and then left for Washington DC.
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