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Beth’s fist rapped three times against the door, her bruised knuckles leaving bloody prints on the white wood. Drawing her hand back, she shook her head at the side, both in an attempt to soothe her pain and also rid her hand of the excess blood, which had now splattered everywhere.
She sighed wearily, tilting her head up towards the cloudy night sky.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
The door swung open a minute later, and Beth tilted her head to look at you, who stared at her with wide eyes and parted lips.
“Holy shit, B. What the hell happened to you? You get run over by a fuckin’ train?”
With a pause, your eyes scanned up and down Beth’s body, no doubt taking in her miserable state; from the blood soaking her clothes and staining her hands and face, to the crowbar in her hand, which she quickly tossed into the bushes a few feet away from her.
“Twice?”
Despite the genuine concern in your tone, Beth could tell you were trying hard not to laugh. The way the corner of your lip twitched upward gave you away every single time.
“Are you gonna let me in? I’m freezing my dick off.”
You finally laughed, stepping aside to let Beth in. Beth brushed past you with a muttered “thanks” and marched up the stairs with heavy steps. As she made her way down the hall, the door to your sister’s room began to open, but before it could fully do so, Beth grabbed the handle and pulled hard. Slamming the door shut, she ignored the young girl's protests and continued her towards your room.
By the time you had managed to catch up, Beth was already naked in the tub, scrubbing at the red stains on her skin under the scalding stream. Her clothes lay bunched up in a bloody heap by the bathtub, filling the bathroom with a metallic scent.
Gross.
“So, B, are you gonna tell me what happened?” You asked over the sound of the running water. By the way your voice echoed throughout the small bathroom, Beth assumed you were somewhere near the sink, trying to escape the suffocating steam. “You get caught?”
“No, I didn’t get caught!” Beth spat out bitterly, watching the remnants of the blood on her skin mix with the water and swirl down the drain. “He’s dead, I just… Underestimated how prepared he was.”
“Beth—” You started, prompting Beth to roll her eyes.
“Oh, no. Y/N, for the love of God, not the speech—”
“— it’s Halloween! And you know how paranoid everyone in this godforsaken town is, especially during this time of year!”
Ugh!
Beth let out a loud groan, banging her head twice against the glass. She considered sliding down the glass door for effect, but decided against it, wanting to get out of the steam as soon as she could. “Can you just get me a towel?”
“Fine,” you huffed. Beth heard the door open, but you spoke up again, “anything else?”
“Bandages. Lots and lots of fucking bandages.”
With a snort, the door clicked shut.
***
“Beth, I swear to God, if you don’t stop moving I’m gonna fuckin’ tie you down.”
“That a promise or a threat?”
“You really wanna find out?”
Beth didn’t answer, opting to stay still and quiet as you wrapped the bandage around the smattering of cuts and bruises that covered her chest. She winced when you nudged at her left side to confirm your suspicions. With that, you tied the bandage off and sighed deeply.
“How the hell did he crack your rib?”
“He… didn’t,” Beth murmured, sitting down on the plush mattress when you gently pushed her by the shoulders. “I tripped over a fucking root."
It was a lie. The bastard had caught her off guard with a left hook to the ribcage.
"Shit hurt like a bitch."
You chuckled quietly after sitting down next to her, now working on carefully bandaging the gash on her arm. “Yeah, I can imagine,” you teased. The two of you were silent as you finished covering Beth’s knuckles with what was left of the roll of bandages. Tossing the empty roll over your shoulder, you took Beth’s face in your hands and turned her head in your direction.
Beth stared straight at you as you brushed your thumb over the crack on her lower lip, which stung at the touch, causing Beth to wince again. With a short apology, you dabbed at the split lip with a gauze, tossing it in the bin when you were done.
“Do you still have those pajama pants you let me borrow last week?” Beth asked, watching you clear out the bed so that she could lie down. You turned to her with a small grin and a quirked eyebrow, opening your mouth to speak. Before you could, though, Beth quickly added, “yes, the orange ones with the little bats on them.”
Giggling, you pressed a kiss to the grimacing girl's cheek and moved to dig through your drawers, fishing out Beth's fuzzy pajama pants and tossing them in her direction.
Beth reached out to catch them, sliding them on carefully with a pained hiss when she was forced to lift her hips off the bed to put them on properly. Settling back against the pillows, Beth huffed, extending a hand out in your direction.
"Yeah, yeah," you said with a smile, crawling into bed with her. Beth immediately curled up into you with a yawn while you played with your hair and trailed kisses along her jaw. "You didn't have to kill my dad for me, though. He got you pretty good, B."
"Yeah, but he's dead," she shrugged, looking up at you and nudging your nose with her own. "Plus, he was a total fucking, homophobic, bigoted son of a bitch. He had it coming."
"True."