Chapter Text
“Are you still waiting for your parents?”
“Nah.” Yancy scuffed his foot against the cement stairs he has been sitting on. He turned his head towards the janitor and gave a small smile. “Friend went in, forgot his trumpet.”
“Alright, don’t be scared to come in and use the phone.” The old man said with his own smile and went back into the high school building.
“What a way to start high school.” Yancy sighed and stood up. “Should have known better.” He added as he threw his backpack over his shoulder, preparing himself for the long walk home.
Yancy chewed on the inside of his cheek as he tried to stick with familiar-looking streets, hoping he’d find one he knew soon. He tried to memorize the drive to the school that morning, but there’s a difference when it’s dark out and it being the middle of the day. He was telling himself that he should be thankful that his mother bothered to drive him to school this morning on her way to, what she called 'work' since he had no idea how to get there yet.
He perked up when he saw a chunk of tress in a forest-like area that he knew very well. Yancy crossed the street and went straight into the woods. It only took another minute before he found a chunk of street sign stabbed into the trunk of a tree. He finally knew where he was and could get home easily now.
“Look out!” A voice shouted from above and Yancy jumped to the side, seeing a boy his age land on his back where he had just been.
“Hey, Howard." Yancy chuckled.
“Hey, Yanc.” Howard greeted with an out of breath laugh. “Are you just now heading home? Class ended like hours ago.”
“Parents didn’t bother showin’.” Yancy scoffed as he bent down and picked up Howard’s fallen hat. “It’s whatever, not really shocked.”
“I can call my mom if you want.” Howard offered, sitting up.
“I like walking.” Yancy shrugged and picked some leaves out of the hat's brim. He always got a warm feeling whenever he saw that Howard still wore the hat he had 'bought' him when they were eight. Howard thought the hat was cool and Yancy wanted to prove he was cool too.
“I can join you.” Howard had an obvious hope in his voice.
“Yeah, it'll make the walk funner.” Yancy placed the hat on Howard’s head and helped him to his feet. The two walked for a good moment, talking about their classes and Howard suddenly got soft.
“Can I ask you something?” Howard picked at his fingers.
“Fire away, Howdy.” Yancy chuckled.
“So there’s...there’s this...uh…” Howard’s face was flushing pink. “There’s this really cool person and I think they’re...cool.”
“Is the Howdy crushin’?” Yancy teased, wrapping his arm around Howard’s shoulder and pulling him closer, not realizing that it made Howard’s cheeks turn red. “Listen, yous wanna be that big ol’ adventuring type, right?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Then act like one.” Yancy patted Howard’s cheek with a hand before letting him go. “I know yous are brave. You climb up literally everythin’.”
“The best adventurers are strong,” Howard said, using his hands to hide his blush.
“And you are! Now you gotta get that confidence.” Yancy skipped ahead so he was walking backward and in front of Howard. “Find that inner smooth guy and use it.”
“Inner smooth guy?”
“Yeah! Like me.”
“Like you?” Howard raised a brow and laughed when Yancy leaped ahead once more and was standing on top of a fallen tree.
“Like me,” Yancy repeated. “Smooth, confident, brave, and strong.” Yancy posed by placing his hands behind his head. “You’re already halfway there.”
“I can be smooth and suave.” Howard posed himself, tucking a thumb into his belt and popping his hip out.
“Yous gonna be the best adventurer the world’s ever seen.” Yancy hopped back down. “We’re here.” He added, his mood dropping for a second when he saw his house past the trees.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Howard asked.
“Of course! And yous gonna ask that cool person out, alright?”
“I’ll do it!” Howard had a large smile on his face and watched as Yancy walked away. “You’re really cool, Yancy.”
Yancy walked up to his house and instead of going to the front door, he went around to the back. Yancy climbed up a few wooden boxes that were stacked along the side of the house. He took out a screwdriver out of the gutter and grunted as he used it to pry open a window.
“You’re a stupid fucking bitch!”
“You’re a fucking asshole!”
Yancy heard his parents screaming and it wasn’t anything new, at least they haven’t been looking for him. He’d be in for a world of hurt if they wanted him and he wasn’t there. No excuses, no reasons, it was his fault if he wasn’t there.
Yancy crawled into his bedroom, landing on his bed with a squeak. He paused to a second and when he didn't hear his name being shouted, he started putting his school stuff away. Hiding them in small nooks and under floorboards so his parents couldn’t destroy them if they found them.
“Just shut up!” Yancy’s father’s voice cracked.
“You should grow up! You sound like you’re still going through-” A sharp slap cut off Yancy’s mother comment. “Fuck you!” There was another slap and soon things were clattering and shattering, two sounds Yancy knew very well and told him that he had a long night of cleaning ahead of him.
Yancy changed his clothes to a pair of sweat pants and a white shirt, pocketing the screwdriver before gently folding his school’s uniform and hiding it in a bag under his dresser. His parents didn’t know he had to wear a uniform and they never will. The only reason he was in a decent school was that his mother had known the principal when they were younger and he owed her some favors. It was also the closest one. That’s really what his parents cared about.
“One of those nights,” Yancy said with a grimace when he heard moaning. “Hopefully they make it to a room this time.” He added to himself and slipped on a pair of headphones, cranking up the music so he could drown out his parent’s sounds. He’ll wait till they’re asleep before going down to make food, it was the safest way.