Survival Of The Fittest

Adonis felt Declyn's fist connect with his nose and he heard and felt something cracking. His nose had been broken by someone that he cared about. He felt a pained grunt come out of his mouth as he felt his head jolted back a little and he felt a trickle of blood coming out his damaged nose. He tried to cover his nose with his hand to stop the flow of the blood dripping out of him and he felt his eyes wonder to Declyn who was beside him.

"H-Heh..."

He felt a shiver go through his body and he wondered if this was what Marco had liked in the fights that he went through. It was a strange thought that meant Adonis was really losing it more.

"....You really are a feisty one, Declyn." His sobs turned into more of a happy laugh. He didn't know why Declyn hitting him made him feel better. "T-Thank you...."

Confusion. Declyn staggered forward and took a sharp step back, looking at his own hand like wow, I really did that. This had been his first time punching someone in a serious manner and it felt liberating, he couldn't lie. He quickly picked up his gun and put it back in its holster, then lifted the chainsaw up too with a slight tremble. It was lighter than it looked but still felt massive in his hands.

There was blood dripping down Adonis' face, which Declyn blinked at almost worryingly.

"I don't want to hear it. And I don't say this often but you deserved that! ...You're welcome." He pointed the chainsaw at him like a gun, his face still reddened. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard though. Just, like,... I don't know." He sniffed. "Don't give me a reason to do it again, please."

Deserved to be hurt by people that I always put before myself.... I'm more happy to suffer than to pretend to be who I was before.

Adonis did felt sorry for Declyn even if he had dragged him away from his friends. He wouldn't have been accepted by Declyn's friends by laughing and crackling like a maniac with his chainsaw. He stared at the chainsaw pointed at him and he could taste his blood in his mouth, gagging a little. He guessed that Declyn was going to keep the chainsaw....

"....Marco...."

He murmured his name softly under his breath, letting a shaky breath.

"....I'm sorry for what I said about Drew. I never meant to hurt you like that, Declyn...." He said honestly and he realized that he needed to stop the bleeding from his nostrils. "I didn't want you to leave. Even if you do see me as a bad person now.... Yeah, I'm a monster for what I did. I even fell for a crazy psycho. Marco Volker.... He gave me that chainsaw...."

He paused.

"...I-I need a bit of help. The bleeding won't stop. Please, Declyn."

"What are we doing here…."

Declyn asked quietly, addressing his surrounding rather than Adonis in particular with a small distressed whine. It wasn't the first time. His cheeks were wet with a few tears, and he'd just leave if being alone wasn't worse than this.

He lowered the chainsaw while listening and pointed at his bag.

"Just stick some bandages up your nose. It'll stop at some point, right?"

"What are we doing here...?" Adonis repeated the question as if he was asking himself what he was doing and he raised an eyebrow at Declyn's response in disbelief. He should have understood that Declyn wouldn't help him and he just wondered if he should have stayed alone. The loneliness was unbearable for him as it was one of his deepest fears and this was the main reason why he had wanted Declyn with him. He couldn't tell him that. "...Emmett would like this place."

Changing the subject like a coward, Adonis. Fuck, I'm tired...

"This art stuff is more his thing than mine. I kind of wish he was here to yell at me. Ha, ha. He could tell me how much of an idiot I am and then I can apologize for.... for everything that I have done." He said as he got out some bandages with his shaky hands and he was clumsily trying to stop the flow of blood by gently wiping it away. "I'm glad he hasn't done anything bad. Emmett's definitely a better person than me. All I was.... All I was, was a fake person."

He found himself staring at some masks that were near them and he stumbled up to his feet, groaning slightly. He saw a light green one with a red rose on it with a happy expression and a red one with blue tears on one side and a sad expression on it. He found himself smiling more normally and he picked them up, turning back to Declyn and he walked back over to him slowly.

"Here." He said as he held out the rose one to Declyn and he was feeling his face fluster a little. "Take it. Red roses suit you, Declyn."

Roses. Declyn had fallen into a rose bush once and came out with two thorns stuck to his shirt, one in his arm. The air had smelled of summer and fun. It was the crimson color he looked at when he'd be the first to arrive at the gardening club, sitting at the table, watching the miniature type of the plant bloom successfully in its pot. He had seen the color many times before, when his dad would get ready for yet another date.

"I…. l-luh-like it."

He swallowed hard and put the chainsaw down behind him. His eyes fluttered between the mask and Adonis' face before he accepted it from his hands. It made him feel like a princess from a story where she is kidnapped by an evil dragon who also tries to seduce her by gifting her a pretty rock, bad ending included. He spoke the truth though. It was an interesting piece.

"This place is like a museum of weirdism. An artist's dream." Or most of them. So yes, Emmett would like it. "Maybe he's been here and thought about you too." Declyn brushed the mask with his fingers, keeping a noticeable distance to Adonis.

When he held it up in front of his own face, he couldn't suppress a small childish giggle.

"Uh.... I'm glad you like it...." Adonis was blushing more and he actually laughed a happy laugh that sounded so real. It almost broke him. Declyn was making him feel things again and he felt like when they would leave this place. Things would not be like this for long. Them being so innocent and friendly with each other.

This is the only way I can try to be normal around you. Someone as precious as you. I never really wanted to hurt you like that. There are other people here who deserve to not go home. Like me.... I want to ask you about Drew but I don't want to make you sad again and I'm not supposed to hurt someone who seems too pure. Even if you did have to kill Drew. What happened there? Did he ask you to? Was it a mercy? Did Drew provoke you into doing the unthinkable? Could you even look at him after what you did? Would you even...? I wonder how Regina and Tristan are doing.... Do they both hate me? Who knows? Now the one person I have to worry about is Declyn right now.

Adonis glanced at the sad-looking mask in his hand and he realized why he had picked it up. Not because of himself. But because of Emmett. He had been the one who made Emmett sad in their relationship because of him forcing Emmett to do things with him and then Adonis would go off to talk or flirt with other people for fun. He had mostly left Emmett alone, didn't he? He had been the one who had pushed Emmett into falling in love with another guy because he had been such a shitty boyfriend. Had he been getting bored of Emmett after all those years together...?

"Emmett deserves to be happy. He doesn't need someone like me. I want him to at least survive for himself instead of worrying about a terrible person like me. H-Ha, ha."

Adonis put the sad mask on and he let out a muffled chuckle as he was looking at Declyn through the holes. He then moved closer to Declyn and he reached out for Declyn's shoulder, squeezing it gently to show him that he wasn't going to do anything bad to him. He then moved forward to pick up the chainsaw and he was relieved that Declyn didn't stop him from doing so. He then went to get the rest of his belongings before looking back at Declyn and he felt like he had to protect the other boy for as long as he could. Even if he had to hurt people who might not deserve it.

"Hey, Declyn. Let's go and find somewhere better to rest, yeah?"

((Adonis Cohen continued in Evergreen Goodbyes))

The giggle faded away and Declyn kept the mask up for just a bit longer, his expression turning to a neutral one. He wanted to explain how exhausted he was. How he was being buried by all of this, like he had battled the world and the world had won. But he left it unspoken. It lingered in the air and clung to the ground and plants. Intoxicating, suffocating, like a drug that brings out different reactions from each individual. His leg stung every time he took a step. He bit through it.

He lowered the mask the moment Adonis squeezed his shoulder, feeling his body tense up. It would take some time until it wouldn’t. What if he would lash out again? Threaten him? Hurt him? He couldn’t rule it out. He was happy about the gift at least and secured the mask inside his bag.

“Rest? I do need a vacation. Preferably somewhere cold," he said sheepishly.

Anywhere that was not like here. He showed a small smile, eyeing the piece of art covering Adonis’ face. So now he was going to wear it? Alright. It looked kind of dumb but cool at the same time. Another unspoken fact. Declyn could try to leave again; this time with a higher success rate. He had his bag, his gun, a calmer Adonis. And yet, he walked beside him.

There were questions left to ask and company to be had which cost Declyn less energy than struggling and stumbling around on his own.

“Uh... About Marco and Myles... ”


[Declyn Gayson-Anthis continued in Evergreen Goodbyes]