Freaks - an MCYT high school AU fanfiction

Chapter 28: Cub

The next chapter is going to be so long...

I can't open my eyes when I wake up. 

Not because I'm tired, or it's so dark it just seems like they're closed, but because the light above me is too bright. It takes a moment of realisation to understand. 

I'm not in my dormitory.

Have I been caught?!

I sit up and instantly regret it, pain flashing through my body. I squint my eyes open. Turns out the bright lights are only above me, so I open them fully, failing to remember what happened...

Grian. 

Running.

Vex magic.

Scar.

SCAR.

'Where's Scar?' I ask. One of the people there looks over. 

'Don't worry, he's alright.'

'I need to talk to him. Where... where is he?'

'The only injury he got was concussion. He's fine. You need to stay here.'

'He's... he's my friend.' I can't fight them off, just lying back down, still exhausted and slowly falling asleep again.

It's a few weeks until I'm properly let out. I haven't seen what I look like, all I know is that Scar fully lost control and went for everything he could reach. I have no concept of day, week, what's happened or if anyone else has been taken. Grian's not woken up yet, Impulse left the hospital ward a few days before I did, and that's all I know. 

It takes a few second to orient myself upon leaving; I'd only ever been there one before after the flying-inside incident, but Scott runs over before I can.

'Cub! Hey! Everyone wants to know what happened.'

'What? Oh... it's hard to explain.' 

'You look bad.' Jimmy notes. 'What happened? Why did Scar...?'

'It's complicated. Did anything happen out here?'

'Techno ran away while he was being captured, the redstone competition's nearly over... MCC's been cancelled until this whole thing is over and Joel challenged me and Jimmy to a cutest couple competition.'

'We're definitely going to win.' Adds Jimmy. I laugh back

'I don't doubt it. Where you going?'

'Shopping district. See you back in our dorm!'

'Bye!' I jog off, wanting to get somewhere private before anyone else questions me. It's taken me a while to really comprehend myself.

Scar tried to kill Impulse.

I stopped it from happening.

I saved a murderer's life.

Upstairs, towards my dormitory and in. With a sigh, I relax, deciding to check my reflection in the bathroom. I ensure the door's locked before looking. It's hard to accept what I see.

Jagged scars cross my face. Clawmarks. From... Scar. I trace them with my finger, wincing with pain. I lean on the sink, blinking, barely holding my emotions together. Every thought in my brain is on holding back a scream. Why... how was it worth it?!

Because if not, Scar would be blamed for murder, found out for magic, and probably killed.

I swallow, shaking. My hands are pale and I finally notice the marks that ring around my wrists where I tried to hold Scar back and...

I can't do this.

My fingers fumble with the lock. If I stay locked up with my reflection any longer I'll lose control. Finally, I break free, crossing the room and entering my own, stopping suddenly.

Jevin's here.

'Cub! You're back.'

'Yeah. Don't... ask... what happened.'

'Sure. Oh and... Scar's in the roof?'

'Now?'

'Yeah. I don't know if he wants to talk to you at all. He's been here a lot. I guess dealing with an empty room without Grian is too hard.' Jevin shrugs. 'Didn't know you told him about it.'

'Has there been any meetings since I've been gone?'

'Nope. Everyone's too stressed, and with so many of us gone...'

'We need to. When Grian's alright again.' 

'Sure. It's... good to have you back. It was getting lonely without you.' 

Cub nodded, before climbing up onto his bed, through the hole in the ceiling, and up to the ruined base.

'Scar?'

His friend jumped at his voice, looking around. 

'Cub? What- oh no... I'm so sorry.' 

'It's alright.' I reply, hiding the lie as. I clamber up, replacing the tile behind. 'I don't blame you.'

'I tried to kill you, didn't I?' 

I have to nod back. 

'I lost control... of my power. One moment I was attacking Impulse and the next... waking up in the hospital wing having almost killed you...'

There's nothing I can do except sit next to him and put an arm around his shoulder as some act of comforting him. He doesn't resist. 

'And now everyone knows. About me and Grian. Maybe they'll kill us together...' 

'Hey, we don't want that kind of attitude here, Scar. This is where we get away from our problems and relax. And eat cake.'

'I HURT you! I... I think I tried to kill you.' 

'I'm alive. And Grian is too, right?' 

'Y...yeah. He's alive. And Impulse. Unfortunately...' adds Scar in a mumbled voice

'Unfortunately?' He sighs back. 

'I don't know. He tried to kill Grian. And now we won't even have time to finish our entry for the redstone competition...' 

'Don't worry about that. If a small competition is one of your biggest worries...'

'It's just another thing that's been ruined. I didn't want to continue on my own because I definitely would've broken it, and I'd just feel really bad because we were supposed to be doing it together and...'

'Do you want a hug?'

He nods, and we hug. At some point Scar mumbles that he's sorry again. I tell him it isn't his fault. I don't know if he believes me.

'I want some cake.' He decides finally.

'There should be some up here. Unless you ate it all?'

I take his sheepish silence as a yes. 

'Then let's make some cake together. I've got some ingredients downstairs. Hopefully the others haven't taken any of my baking stuff...' Forgetting about Jevin down below, I jump out of the hole, Scar following. A prompt yell from the jump-scared slime provides instant karma, but we're all laughing in a couple of seconds before me and Scar continue on, into the kitchen, to bake cake and cheer up. 

See? I can do chapters without any death and pain and infinite angst in it.

*ignores the next chapter.*

:)