Runnaway

Summary: Julia Vance isn’t the type to run away from her problems. But after the shocking news about the cult, Grandpa being behind her parents’ murderer, the responsibility of becoming Elliot’s legal guardian – or not – and staying – or not – at that small cursed town, all she wants to do is pack her bags, bring her brother with her and get the hell out of there, leaving everything behind. But she knows she can’t. And there’s only one person that can put her at ease.

Author’s note: takes place during Chapter 9, right after MC texts Imogen. Like @pixelburied I feel like PB wasted a great opportunity to explore a bit more MC’s relationship with their chosen LI. And I just love Tomoichi Sato lmao

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Pixelberry Studios.

Song: Plastiscines – Runnaway

 

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Come on baby, let’s run away

Leave the world behind us

Cut our hair and change our names

And nobody will find us

 

Julia has just texted Imogen back and is trying to go back to sleep, but it is useless.

She barely slept after all that chaos that happened that night and she feels exhausted, but her brain just seems unable to turn off. Giving up on sleeping, she gets out off the bed and of the room in silence. Elliot’s sleeping heavily on his own bed, snoring loudly.

She climbs down the stairs – the house is awfully quiet – and goes to the living room, stopping to look toward the old wooden door next to the stairs. Grandpa’s bedroom.

For a moment, the girl ponders if she should go in there. He won’t come back, anyway. Not anymore.

…But she’s feeling too tired for it. She honestly just wants to forget about all that mess for just a moment.

She hoped that everything was just a nightmare: that Grandpa isn’t her parents’ murderer.

God knows how living with the old man isn’t easy and they were always bickering at each other – she’s a rebel at heart and won’t take orders from no one -, but… he’s “family”. He was her and Elliot’s last family.

…Just because she was actually starting to feel that they were finally starting to get along, everything suddenly came down. What a joke.

Her phone suddenly vibrates on her hand, indicating that she has received a text.

Tom: “yo, u okay?” – but before she can reply him, he sends another text:  “sorry, this was a stupid question”

She chuckles softly. Only Tom to make her laugh in a moment like this.

Julia: “why aren’t you sleeping?”

Tom: “can’t. My head is just so full of things”

Julia: “same” – she ponders for a moment. – “Hey… are you busy right now?”

Tom: “nah, just playing a bit of Pokémon to distract myself.”

Julia: “I’m sorry to bother… but I really could use a friend now”

Tom: “I’m coming”

 

Tom arrives in ten minutes. One of the perks of living in a small town like Pine Springs.

“Hey.” – he grins sheepishly at her by the door. She lets him get inside.

“I made some tea. If you want some.” – she says,  a mug in her hand. – “Maybe it’ll help me sleep.”

“Which tea?”

“Black tea.”

“You know that black tea is filled with caffeine, right? It won’t help you sleep. It’ll have the opposite effect, actually.”

She rolls her eyes annoyed, but he can see the small smile tugging on the corner of her lips.

“And you’re such a nerd, do you know it, Sato?”

He chuckles softly, pouring himself a mug of tea too. They sit by the dinner table, sipping on their hot drinks in silence.

Tom has just arrived there, but Julia already feels slightly better somehow. Safer.

“So…” – he breaks the silence, after clearing his throat. – “Imogen’s dad gave you and Elliot a ride home?”

“Yeah.” – she takes a last sip of her tea. – “And… he told me some things. They partially are the reason why I can’t sleep. Not the main cause, obviously.” – the boy nods.

“What… did he say?”

Julia lets out a resigned sigh.

“Uh, can we talk somewhere a bit more private? I don’t want to wake up Elliot.” – she points up to the ceiling.

“Sure. Uh, do you think the boat shop is good enough?”

She stares at the back door.

“Yeah.”

 

They plop down on the floor, sitting next to each other.

“So… since my Grandpa has been arrested, I’m the only person that can become Elliot’s legal guardian until he’s 18.”

“Heavy.”

“Yeah.” – she goes silent. Tom hums a song she doesn’t know, patiently waiting her to collect her thoughts. – “I know Elliot is full capable of taking care of himself… but he shouldn’t, you know? He’s just 14. He shouldn’t take such a big responsibility at such a young age.”

“And you shouldn’t be responsible for him. You already have to deal with your own life. You’re too young for this too.”

“I know. But I can’t just let Elliot alone, you know? And to be honest… I’m worried that, if I choose to become his guardian, he’ll think that I want to take control over him or that I think that he’s too immature to take care of himself. On the other hand, if I don’t become his legal guardian, I’m afraid Elliot will think that I somehow am leaving him, you know?” – her eyes searches for Tom’s. He’s never seen her so insecure. – “That I don’t care about him enough.”

“He would never think this.” – he tries to comfort her, one of his arms around her shoulders, squeezing it reassuringly.

“I know. But I can’t not worry about it. Ugh, I feel like my brain cells are fried. I’m overthinking this.” – Julia massages her temples, sensing a headache coming.

Maybe focusing on Tom’s warm hand running up and down her back will help her feel less stressed.

She leans into his embrace, resting her head on his chest, hearing the steady pace of his beating heart, his arms around her. He hums that same song she doesn’t know from before.

“What’s is this song? It’s beautiful.”

“Ah… it’s a Japanese song my grandma used to sing me to sleep when I was a kid.” – his cheeks gets hotter and hotter.

She smiles, the first smile since everything went down earlier that night.

“I guess this is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“…I’m sorry.” – Tom says suddenly. She looks up to his face, just inches from hers.

“What? Why?”

“For what happened. I wish I knew what to say to help you feel better, but I… uh, just suck at it.” – he frowns. – “I haven’t known Arthur for long… but he seemed like an okay guy. I mean, he was moody but he paid me on the right days…” – the boy stops short, realisation hitting him hard. – “Oh crap… I guess I’m unemployed now.”

Julia burst out laughing. How does he manage to make her laugh when she’s feeling all doom and gloom?

She knew she had made the right choice when she asked him to come.

“Just being here is enough, Tom.” – she smiles warmly at him.

“If you say so…” – he grins shyly back at her and they fall on a comforting silence, Tom humming that lullaby again. Julia mentally thanks him for being just there and not forcing her to speak, just letting her open up at her own pace. She starts feeling her eyelids growing heavier.

What time is it? Tom must be feeling tired too. He should try get some sleep too, before the sun comes…

“…So, what do you think you’ll do?” – the boy asks before she can say anything else.

“I have zero idea.”

“Will you… stay here?”

“I don’t know. Probably not. Though I think Elliot will want to stay here.” – she rolls her eyes, annoyed, before letting out a resigned sigh. Even though Elliot hasn’t admitted anything at her, she knows that her little brother is crushing on Robbie. She knows him better than anyone else. – “I just wish I could run away from this damned place.”

“Well, technically, you know you can. There’s nothing holding you back here, right?”

“I guess so. With Grandpa’s being arrested… I was thinking maybe finding me and Elliot an apartment near my uni.” – she shrugs, sitting up, her eyes stopping at a boat Tom’s being fixing for days. – “…You know what I really want to do?”

“What?”

“I want to pack my things, grab Elliot and you and get the hell out of here. That thing is not my problem. It’s these crazy rich people problem.” – her eyes lock with his. Tom stares back at her, both in surprise and amusement, his cheeks flushing.

“I… uh…” – Julia chuckles softly, before keeping speaking:

“…But I know that it would be wrong. Just running away like a coward. Plus, Imogen, Danni and Parker don’t deserve this. I have to help them get rid of this thing, right? This is why you’re here, aren’t you?” – she still remembers the talk they had in Westchester. About Tom being there in Pine Springs to help other people, because he was unable to do anything when something similar happened to him and his friends years ago, although none of it was his fault. – “…You’re so brave, Tom.”

“Uh?! Me?!” – he yells, his face now even more redder than before.

“Is there another Tom here?” – she asks with a half teasing smirk.

“No! I’m not! Brave, I mean. Not that I’m not Tom… because I am the only Tom here…” – Julia laughs as the boy gots more and more tongue tied. – “Uh, what I mean is that… I’m just… trying to do the right thing. It’s no big deal.”

“Of course it is a big deal. It’s a whole lot more than what I want to do. I just want to run away like a fucking coward.”

“Julia, no!” – he grabs her smaller hand between his, his eyes wide open. – “You’re one of the strongest and bravest person I know!”

“Me? Have you listened to anything I’ve just said, Tom?”

“Yeah. And you’re strong. Don’t you ever doubt it, okay? The way you’ve been handling with everything… your parents’ death… your grandpa… having to take care of yourself and Elliot… I would never be able to pull this off like you do. And it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. Broken. No one is invincible. But don’t think that you’re a weak or a coward, alright? You’ve been handling with everything like a badass.”

The girl feels her eyes filling with tears, a grateful smile shyly spreading on her lips. Because she knows that Tom’s right. And that he has her back.

“Thank you, Tom.” – she whispers softly, wiping away the tears with her free hand. – “I mean it.”

He smiles encouragingly to her and she grins back, wider. They both look down to where their hands lie together on the floor and Tom immediately takes off his, his cheeks turning as red as the T-shirt he’s wearing.

“Uh, sorry…”

The girl chuckles softly.

“There’s no need to apologise, Tom.” – she whispers, intertwining her fingers with his warm and calloused hand, again.

“Oh, okay…” – he smiles sheepishly, his cheeks still a shade pinker.

“Thank you for coming. It helped me a lot. I don’t know what m I would do without you.”

“Naw, it was the least I could do. And you would have probably handled it just fine like the badass you are.”

“You have too much faith on me.”

“I recognise a badass when I see one.”

She laughs softly, before scooting  closer, brushing off the hair of his face.

“You know… we never continued what we were doing outside the arcade in Westchester…”

“Continued what?” – he murmurs in confusion, his cheeks hot and his breath quickening with her sudden closeness.

Without saying another word, she pulls him in by his T-shirt, kissing him fiercely.

Ah. She’s talking about that.

“Mmf—” – the boy lets out a small gasp before melting into her, kissing her back with the same intensity.

Losing themselves in the moment and in the sensation of each other’s body pressed against their own, they lie down on the floor, with the girl rolling on top of him.

She can feel his muscular frame underneath his clothes, the heat of his body, one of his hands slightly pulling her short hair while the other explores her thigh, their lips hungry for each other’s.

“Geez, you’re killing me, Julia…” – he groans as she leaves love bites down his neck. This and the sensation of her body pinning him down the floor are enough to make him feel dizzy.

She giggles mischievously before kissing him back on his mouth again. Feeling his warmth, the softness of his lips on hers, his heart beating as fast as hers… it makes the girl think that, even though everything seems lost and broken at this moment… She still is alive.

Tom is alive. Tom is real.

And that’s everything that matters.

“I want you, Tom…” – she murmurs into his ear, her hands on each side of his head.

“I… want you too…” – he confesses, his lips swollen from all that kissing, his face flushed, his breath heavy.

“But this is not the right time. Or place.” – they look around, remembering where they were.

“Yeah, it would be dangerous if we did it here. I wouldn’t recommend doing it next to my toolbox full of dangerous tools.”

Julia laughs as she climbs down from him and stands up.

“I should be going. You should try catch some sleep before Elliot awakes.” – Tom states as she helps him get on his feet.

“Yeah… you know, you could stay… if you want, of course.” – she mumbles, her cheeks slightly pinker. – “I could fetch us some breakfast and… uh, if you want to take a nap on our couch…”

It’s funny to think how this so fierce girl that moments ago got him pinned down against the floor blushes to such thing. She’s adorable.

Badass and so darn cute.

“Naw, I’m good.” – Tom reassures her, straightening his clothes. – “Besides, today you should take a day off, you and Elliot. Just the two of you. Thinking about nothing. Eating junk food and watching trashy movies on TV, this kind of thing.”

“That’s a good plan.” – she smiles softly and warmly at him.

They walk toward the front door of the boat shop.

“Yes, listen to the oh so wise Master Tomoichi Sato.” – he says, pulling the door open. The first rays of light colour the sky with shades of pink.

The girl rolls her eyes. He’s such a giant dork.

She can’t help but fall for him.

“Will I see you on the weird ass cultists ritual later tonight?”

“You bet. I wouldn’t lose it for anything in this world. When will I get the chance to see such thing happening again?” – he grins at her, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

Julia watches the boat with Tom crossing the lake around her, a gentle morning breeze passing through her, feeling a bit more optimistic than before.

Yep, she had made the right decision when she called Tomoichi Sato over. That boy is something else.