Jigoku Gakuen 31
Title: Jigoku Gakuen
Author: deadoralive0013
Pairing: Ryden, a bit of Joncer, a bit of Gabilliam
Rating: PG13
POV: 3rd, 1st (shifts)
Summary: (High school AU) Ryan just wanted to finish high school and make it to college so he worked (sometimes even odd jobs) to save up. When he transferred to Vegas for his final year, he found out that sometimes, money is the least of one’s worries. Like in his case, it was his face.
Excerpt for this chapter:
“It will be over soon,” I heard him say as I slowly drift from consciousness. “Everything will be over soon... and then something else will start. A better life.”
Warnings: Beware. Overused plot. Beware. Straight guy turning gay. Beware! UNBETA-ED!
Beta: purpledinorawrx
Disclaimer: I own the plot but nothing else...
Notes: At the end of each chapter
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31
“Brendon, if you’re watching this, then I’m probably no longer with you. But then again, I’ve never been with you, have I? I’m always not around that we barely spent time with each other. I barely know you but you don’t know me either. And you’re watching this recording so I guess it’s too late.”
“But I’m not here to have some last-minute sentimental expository about what could have been’s and whatnot. No. I’m a man of resolve, Brendon. You know that. What I did, everything, I do not regret. Given the chance, I’d do them all again, exactly how I first did them. But there are things... other things, I didn’t do that I wish I did. It’s not the same. I didn’t see the importance of certain things until my life passed by right before my very eyes, so fleetingly that I lost my chance to grasp even the last of it, and stay there. Feel.”
“I know you hate me. Since the first time I saw you, I knew you’d hate me. I guess I couldn’t have done anything about it either because as I’ve said, I’d do everything the same way. I couldn’t really blame you because truthfully, I hated you first. I don’t know if you’ve heard but you’re mother was my wife but she didn’t have you with me. When I found out, it was the most hurtful thing I’ve experienced and maybe, that was the last time I ever felt anything at all. Seeing her dead body sprawled on the sidewalk after she had jumped, knowing that she’d rather die than be with me, I lost my life on that day too. I’ve been dead for a long time.”
“And everytime I look at you, I see her. Her smile, her eyes, her wit. She left me with a curse to forever love her despite everything she did. Even though she’s gone, I remain under her spell. I can’t break free. No matter how I hated what she did to me, I can’t bring myself to truly hate her... you. And if there’s anything at all... anything that I’ve done to gesture some form of affection towards you, it’s trying to set you free from that kind of imprisonment that befell me.”
“The moment I found out about Ryan, I knew you’re in trouble. You do not want saving and unless I let you fall, you won’t learn to appreciate what I’ve done for you. I am now gone but I want to leave you the most important lesson that I’ve learned from life. You may see it as a cruel act, I understand. All people under the spell of idiocy of emotion wouldn’t see clearly. But listen to me, and I say this with a purer intention than what I had when I took you from that orphanage to give you a new home.”
“People like Ryan will destroy you. He finds you fascinating now, and the excitement of the thought of being with someone like you appeals to him. But my dear boy, emotion is a funny thing. It comes and it goes like a wind that cannot be predicted nor anchored. One day he’s in love with you and the next day he’s gone. What would you do then?”
“I took your father away from you. And then your mother. I just took Ryan and I understand the pain. I know it too well. But you don’t need them, Brendon. The sooner you understand the cruelty of this world, the better off you’d be. We are all alone. And just like everyone else, you, Brendon, are also alone. And it will remain that way.”
“I left everything I have to you, my only son and heir. You are Linda’s flesh and blood and she continues to live in you. Play with my money. Ruin all my businesses. It’s all up to you. The important thing for me is that I left this world knowing that you will never starve unless you choose to, and that you are stronger. Make no mistake. It is not because I care for you that I do this. That day when I buried your mother, I vowed to her grave that I will take care of you. And now that... I’ m gone; it will be my final act of love. I’ll be free.”
Brendon stared at the now dark screen after the video has ended. He blinked, unable to decide what to feel about what he just heard. Tears were running down his face and he couldn’t understand. He continued to stare, maybe for an hour more or so.
“Is it done?” Frank asked as he slowly entered the room, breaking the silence.
Brendon nodded and gestured towards the empty screen before hastily wiping the tears. “Yes.”
“So did it tell you anything about Ryan’s location?” Frank asked carefully.
Brendon sighed, still vaguely processing the video in his head. “No. It didn’t change anything at all.”
Frank nodded understandingly. “As expected. Don’t worry, I’ve started an investigation about that account I told you about. After Mr. Urie’s funeral tomorrow, everything will be officially under your name and at your disposal when you turn eighteen.”
From there, Frank muttered some more things about legalities and corporate reports but Brendon wasn’t listening anymore. After his father died yesterday, he was lost. Somehow, the anger and frustration he had felt towards him had guided his course of action. He had been so absorbed at wanting to bring the man down and now that he’s gone, he didn’t know what else to do. More importantly, he was the only one who knew what happened to Ryan.
Brendon glared at the floor with disgust. His father was right. He would never understand what he had done for Brendon. For him, the man was just a lonely and selfish monster who wanted Brendon to share his misery.
“Mr. Walker and Mr. Saporta are waiting downstairs along with three other people,” came Frank’s voice and Brendon was pulled out of his thoughts.
“My friends?” he asked, unable to prevent the smile that was suddenly on his face.
“They arrived about an hour ago but when they found out that you’re viewing Mr. Urie’s last message for you, they told me to tell you of their arrival after you’re done.”
“Thanks,” Brendon muttered, smiling widely now and rushed to the door. He opened it quickly and was out into the corridors, taking each step in a stride and swiftly climbing down the flight of stairs with sudden warmth that he seemed to have lost somewhere in the past.
It had been so long since he had seen the faces of his friends, anyone who genuinely cared for him really, and Brendon was suddenly excited at the thought of seeing them all again. There was a phase in the past months that he couldn’t bear to look at the faces of Jon, William, Patrick, Gabe, and Spencer because they reminded him of Ryan and the times they had together too much. It hurt him but after all these time that he had to be alone and deal with the absence of Ryan by himself, reuniting had made him feel like home... almost like a breath of life after being submerged in the ice cold water for so long.
“Brendon,” Gabe greeted as soon as Brendon reached the bottom of the stairs.
They were all there. Gabe was still wearing purple hoodies and funny glasses while Jon still sported his mandals. Patrick looked like he had lost some weight and William stood beside him with a big grin. Spencer was there too, smiling sheepishly at him. Brendon just wanted to pull them all in for a big hug.
“Hey,” he greeted them and gave them all hugs. He was a bit reluctant when it was Spencer’s turn but Spencer pulled him in and Brendon decided that his day was made.
“You haven’t been downing bottles of sleeping pills again, have you?” Spencer asked seriously.
Brendon laughed. “No. I laid off the pills.”
“We missed you, B. Tell us everything that’s been happening to you,” Patrick said.
“And we’ll tell you everything about what’s up on our side,” William added.
“We have time. Let’s do the catching up over dinner,” Brendon told them.
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No matter what the kid said, he did get some of the old man’s traits. That was what Frank decided. Of course he had been watching and he witnessed the genius of his dead boss at manipulating the kid’s life just like everything else in his power. Frank saw how Brendon grew up to be the ‘brat prince’ Urie senior had told him the boy would be, having fun and learning the art of self-centered ruling of the school without regarding other people’s feelings.
But as all things are made to change, what power or luck that Urie senior might have had failed. Frank would still be there to take care of Brendon until he came of age and he was excited to see what kind of man he’d grow up to be.
Frank quietly laughed at the thought and paused, stretching his fatigued arms and fingers that he was working relentlessly on his laptop for almost three hours straight. As he had told Brendon earlier, he had started an investigation about the suspicious bank account and was tirelessly working on it.
Somehow, he felt really motivated to yield something useful and report it to his young boss. He had thought that maybe he felt sorry for Brendon or maybe he had unconsciously developed a great dislike for Urie senior but it wasn’t those. There was something about Brendon’s personality that was there a long time ago that had vanished and it made Frank want to work hard to bring it back.
“His passion is very infectious,” Frank muttered to himself before taking a sip of his coffee.
So far though, passion could only get him so far. He had read the reports of the investigators, talked to a lot of people, and as he was just doing a minute ago, Frank had decided to do some of the investigating himself and worked his magic on the computer. Nevertheless, he was unsuccessful.
He sighed tiredly, silently conditioning himself to continue. There was suddenly a faint ringing coming from his coat pocket and he quickly snatched his phone. He frowned at the screen before answering the call.
“Tell me you have good news,” he said.
“It is good news.”
“Talk to me.”
“Well the account that you asked me to investigate was made to be untraceable but whoever did the work of cleaning the footprints had done a really bad job of it.”
Frank smirked at his laptop. “So you know what happened to the account?”
“I found it. We should meet and I will give you the details personally. Believe me, if this information isn’t helpful, I don’t know what else is.”
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Dinner was the best thing that happened to them in a while. At first, they were afraid that the mood of the whole night would inevitably fall into depression and some more finger-pointing drama but it didn’t. It was awkward at first especially for Spencer but after William accidentally discovered a small notebook hiding under Gabe’s table napkin on his lap and a round of probing as to what it contained went off, the mood was instantly lightened. It’s almost as if they were back at Palo Verde’s Cafeteria with their usual jokes and friendly bickering over lunch.
“Oh come on,” William went on, “it’s a diary, right? Filled with embarrassing-to-death, non-rhyming love poems. That’s why you won’t show it to us.”
Gabe glared at him. “No. It’s where I write my murder plot for you, Beckett. You can’t see it.”
The rest of the table laughed, shaking their heads at him while William cockily raised an eyebrow at him.
“Then let me see it, Gabey,” Brendon said.
“It’s nothing, really. Nothing interesting here that’s worth seeing,” Gabe said.
“You know, the more you refuse to show that thing to us the more we want to see it,” Patrick told Gabe.
“And the higher the chances of it being stolen in the next couple of hours,” Jon said with a wink.
Gabe made a face at them, sighing annoyed but didn’t give in. “You guys are unbelievable! Can’t a guy have some fucking privacy now?”
“Nope. Not in my house, Gabey,” Brendon said simply.
“No,” Gabe returned.
“I got an idea,” Spencer said suddenly and everyone turned to him. “Gabe, why don’t you just pick one of us to show the damn notebook and that person will tell the rest if it’s worth seeing or not?”
They all exchanged looks of agreement. Gabe sighed again, considering the suggestion and Spencer nodded at him encouragingly.
“He’ll only say if it’s interesting or not, right?” Gabe asked him.
“Yeah. We’ll keep bugging you about it anyway so this is your only option,” Spencer said.
“Okay,” Gabe said and he was smiling now. He looked around the table, staring each person in the eye and carefully observing that person before moving on to the next.
“Get on with it and pick me already,” Jon muttered.
“Yeah, we all know it’s going to be Jon for sure,” Spencer said.
“I pick,” Gabe said, eyes still traveling around the table before stopping at one of them, “William.”
And then there was silence. Gabe was silently having a mental fit, seeing the reaction of everyone at the table. They were all wearing shocked expressions with mouths hanging open and forks floating in midair. He was strongly tempted to snap his fingers at them to bring them back to their senses when a loud clatter of silverware falling to floor beat him to it.
Everyone turned to William this time who quickly retrieved his fallen spoon from the floor. “You are going to regret your decision Saporta,” he said with a smile and the shock cleared off.
“Oh yeah. This is going to be good,” Brendon said.
Gabe smirked as he handed William his notebook. “See for yourself.”
For some reason, William suddenly felt reluctant to see what Gabe’s notebook contained. But he was curious and so was everyone else. Blackmail material could be waiting for him and the bastard was just bluffing his way out of this. He opened the first page.
“Well?” Patrick asked eagerly and the others leaned closer to the table in anticipation.
Gabe continued to smirk while watching William flip the pages one by one. “So is it interesting, Beckett?”
William glared at him. “No.”
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Frank checked his watch and signaled the waitress for another coffee. She nodded with a smile and off she went to fetch Frank’s order. He had been sitting here for half an hour, waiting for the private investigator that he had hired. They agreed to meet here but the guy was late.
“Here you are, sir,” said the waitress suddenly. His coffee was faster than the investigator.
“Thank you,” Frank said curtly and she left. She had learned some time ago that asking Frank if he needed something else irritated the man, especially when the people he’s meeting are late which was always the case when he’s around.
About five minutes after his third cup arrived, the shop door opened and a middle-aged man in a leather coat entered. He searched the place for sometime and headed directly towards Frank’s table.
“Sorry I-”
“Save it, Jim. Just give me the information so that you can stop wasting my time,” Frank cut him off.
“Here,” Jim said immediately as he handed Frank a brown envelop.
“What’s this?” Frank asked as he opened it.
“Information. Records and such. It was really difficult to get those but I managed to find a way,” Jim said proudly.
Frank ignored him and scanned the papers. His eyes narrowed at what he was reading. “You found the account.”
“It’s still alive,” Jim said nodding, “transferred and currently active. Last withdrawal was made just a few days ago.”
He nodded and continued skimming through the thin pile. “Brendon has to see this,” he muttered lowly.
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“These are fucking statistical formulas,” William announced blandly and threw the notebook back at Gabe who was cracking up.
“What the fuck?” Brendon said and stood up from his seat to check the pages himself. “Gabe you crazy-f”
“Asshole,” William said.
“Stat formulas? What’s that about?” Spencer asked laughing slightly.
“Well I told you there’s nothing here that’s worth seeing,” Gabe told them after he had recovered. “But nooo... you want to see. So there you have it.”
“Oh man,” Jon interjected with a smile. “So why didn’t you want us to see it before?”
“It’s fun to see you guys like that,” Gabe told him.
“Why are you even carrying one of these here?” William asked.
“I’m a stat student. Why shouldn’t I?”
“Oh yeah!” Jon said suddenly. “You have an exam next week. That’s why you’re studying.”
“So you’re actually studying now, Gabey?” Brendon asked Gabe with a hint of taunting.
“Shut up,” Gabe said but it lacked heat. “My dad is going to kill me if I don’t get good grades.”
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Brendon said.
“That’s why you don’t want us to see the notebook,” Patrick said. “Too bad.”
The rest of dinner went on in pleasantly with small talks here and there with occasional bickering from William and Gabe but everything was good. That night, Brendon insisted that they all stayed in his house. Not that they were waiting for an invitation anyway. It was a given that they’ll be staying over anyway. They were at the pool area and had managed to avoid talking about Ryan when Frank suddenly came.
“I have important news,” he told Brendon urgently.
Everyone paused and stared at Frank and then at Brendon who anxiously gestured him to go on. Frank hesitated, looking around Brendon’s friends.
“Whatever it is, you can say it in front of them,” Brendon told him.
“Okay,” Frank said. “It’s about the missing account. I found it and apparently, your father had given it to someone.”
“What?” Brendon interjected and the others walked closer mirroring his expression.
“Read this,” Frank said and held the file out to Brendon.
“What’s this about?” Jon couldn’t help but ask.
“Brendon’s father made a bank account worth seven million around the time of Ryan’s disappearance. He refused to let me handle it as all of his other finances so I got curious, but it wasn’t until now that I found it,” Frank said as Brendon went over the papers.
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That day, I arrived at school with my cousin. I told him to go on ahead because I had some things to get from my locker. He just smiled and told me to hurry up before we parted ways. I quickly made my way, dodging other students hurrying for class as the bell rang. In the stream of students that was fast thinning, I abruptly stopped when I saw a familiar face by the hallways. He was smiling slightly at me and I paused, thinking of all the possible reasons why he was here. All I could think about was the trouble he had gone through because of me. I braced myself and waved at him.
“Hey,” I greeted, silently formulating a sentence to properly convey how deeply sorry I was for somehow dragging him into my mess.
“Hey,” he greeted back.
He looked tensed even as he smiled at me. Both his hands were inside his pockets and he kept on glancing at the school’s wall clock.
“What’s wrong?” I asked worriedly.
“Well,” he answered slowly, “I... want to talk to you for a bit. Can we go out?”
I was slightly taken aback by the request and it seemed like I was unable to hide it from my face.
“It won’t take very long. You’d probably catch up with the first period after five minutes. I just... I have something important to say,” he said and he glanced at the clock again.
It was because of me that he had gone through a difficult time and missing the first period paled in comparison. “Okay,” I said and we both started walking towards the school’s exit.
The school guard wasn’t there when we stepped out. Still, my mind was preoccupied by what to tell my friend. He had been so good to me, generally just being there when I needed someone to talk to.
“Look, I’m sorry about what happened. It’s my fault-I”
“Don’t worry about it,” he cut in. “I... It’s okay.”
I wanted to say ‘no’ because really, it wasn’t okay. My mouth was hanging open but I can’t find the words.
We were several meters from the school gates now. He was staring at the pavement quietly and I was left to wonder what he was thinking. I was about to ask him when he suddenly stopped walking and grabbed my hand. I jumped, stepping back slightly in surprise but he still caught my hand. The next thing I knew, he was dragging me to away from the sidewalk and towards a big tree that was standing a few meters away from the side of the road.
“Hey, what-”
I wasn’t able to finish. The wind was knocked out of my chest as my back forcefully slammed against the hard wooden trunk and his lips were pressed firmly against mine. My eyes widened in shock and I tried to push him away. I succeeded, managing to send him on his back with great force. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“What the hell?!” I told him angrily.
He didn’t move from his position on the ground. Slowly, he met my eyes and for the first time, I saw fear, very clearly reflected on those dark brown orbs. It was almost as if he was screaming.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered softly.
“Why?” I asked. “What the fuck... What is this? I-”
Suddenly, there was something covering my mouth and nose, forcefully muffling the rest of my words. I panicked. A hand was suddenly wrapping itself around my chest from the back and I struggled to break free. I couldn’t. I stared at him who was slowly getting up from the ground and I try to scream to him. He just stood there however, just watching with an unreadable face almost as if he was mesmerized by the sight of me struggling.
That’s when it hit me. He wasn’t sorry about the kiss. He was sorry for doing this to me. All hope was slipping away as I frantically look around for someone who could be there but there was none. The strange scent on my face grew strong, filling up my nose and my lungs. I was dizzy.
“It will be over soon,” I heard him say as I slowly drift from consciousness. “Everything will be over soon... and then something else will start. A better life.”
I mustered all my remaining strength to look him in the eye in one final silent plea for help. His hands caught either side of my face and that was the last thing I knew.
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“Oh my God,” Spencer interjected, eyes widening. “Are you saying that this might help us find my cousin?”
“It will. I think,” Frank said uncertainly. “Anyway does the name Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III mean anything to you?”
Spencer frowned. “No,” he said and looked around questioningly at the others. There were mutters of “no’s” and Frank nodded understandingly.
“Pete,” Brendon muttered lowly and the paper on his hand was unconsciously crumpled. “Pete. He’s Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III.”
“What? Who’s Pete?” Jon and William asked simultaneously.
“Fuck,” Spencer cursed as realization dawned. “Pete! Ryan’s coworker at the bookshop. He dropped by at William’s a couple of times remember?”
“Oh yeah,” Patrick said as he too remembered.
“Whoever he is, we have to find him. According to these files the investigator gave me, he’s the new owner of the lost account,” Frank told them. “Which means only one thing.”
“Holy shit,” Gabe cursed. Patrick and William involuntarily clenched their fists tightly while Jon patted Spencer’s back to calm him down.
All this time, the answer had been there. He was with them the first few weeks and Brendon could only imagine his face while he laughed at them at how easily they were fooled. All this time. He was pretending to share their misery, their fears and hope. All this time... he was lying.
“I’ll find him,” Brendon announced in a voice that was laced with anger and full of conviction. “Even if I have to tear down cities I swear I’ll find him and fucking give him hell.”
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When I woke up, everything was blurry and my head was pulsating with pain. It took a few minutes before my vision finally cleared and I realized that I was seeing the ceiling of a very familiar room.
“Ryan,” a familiar voice said.
And sure enough, he was there. Pete was sitting on a lone chair by the wall, watching me writhe on the center of the floor. My hands were bound behind my back and were grinding painfully against the floor with my weight. I struggled to stand up, feeling vulnerable with the way I was positioned on the floor.
“Ryan,” he called again but I didn’t respond.
That’s when he decided to get up and slowly make his way towards me. I watched helplessly as he kicked my side so that I was lying almost flat on the floor before sitting on my stomach. He extended a hand to my face, slowly tracing my lips and I shudder away from his touch. I’m almost convinced that he wasn’t the Pete I knew.
“Don’t be afraid,” Pete told me and continued tracing my face to the side and down until he was touching my neck.
“How can you do this to me, Pete?” I managed to croak out. “I thought we were friends.”
He didn’t answer. His fingers lightly trailed down my chest, playing with the buttons of my shirt. I tried to shake him off but to no avail so I tried to speak again.
“Pete! Pete! Listen to me!” I called angrily and I finally drew his attention to my face.
“I’m really sorry, Ryan,” he told me. “It wasn’t my fault. I uh, I had no choice. He made me do it... I...”
“Who?” I asked him. “Who made you do this?”
“I lost my job,” Pete continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “I have a little brother and college to pay for... I had no choice.”
“You mean Brendon’s father? That bastard?”
“Yes. I,” Pete stuttered and he suddenly pulled on the front of my shirt, yanking me up in a sitting position and wrapping his arms around me tightly. “And he knew, Ryan. He knew! Not even I knew about it...”
“About what?” I asked, trying to ignore the pain on my arms and back with my position.
“He... knew about what I felt. My frustration... my hidden desire... I tried Ry, I really did. And I didn’t think it will ever come to this. But it happened. I snapped. He said I could have you... and money! Lots of it! If only I could lead you out of the school and help him hide you,” Pete mumbled while he drew lazy circles on my back. “And I’m glad I did, Ry. I never thought I felt this strongly for you but having you here now, in my arms, alone... I just want to own you.”
Pete was brushing my hair with his fingers and I shut my eyes, trying to absorb everything that had just happened. “No Pete. You’re confused. This is not what you want. He’s just trying to trick you into doing something that you don’t want and you’ll surely regret. Help me, Pete. Let me go.”
“No,” Pete answered firmly, shaking his head against the crook of my neck. “You’re mine now Ryan. From now on, it’s just going to be the two of us.”
“No, no,” I said.
He pulled back slightly to smile at me and quickly plant a kiss on my lips. “Accept it Ryan.”
“Don’t do this, Pete. I know you’re better than this.”
“I thought I was better than this too,” he told me before rising and pulling me up to my feet. He suddenly pulled me with him as he made his way down the all-too familiar hall that used to give me comfort, this place that saw me grow up. We reached the kitchen and there was a low made-up bed at the corner where the dining table should have been. He threw me onto it and I landed face-first on the mattress.
“But Ryan... you’re here! Tied up and alone with me... You don’t know how... hard it is to just... let go,” he told me.
“I trusted you,” I said but no words could express how deeply hurt and betrayed I felt. “I FUCKING TRUSTED YOU!”
He smiled and I could almost see small remnants of the person I used to know threatening to break free. But it wasn’t enough. His face hardened just as quickly as he had smiled.
“You’re staying here with me. You have no choice,” Pete announced. He sat on the kitchen counter and slouched, watching me and the walls around us. “Not bad for an old house.”
“Fuck you.”
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NOTES:
To those of you who were waiting for this and have been reading my non-fic related posts, you know why this took SO long. My apologies again... but it’s here. Thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that, well, it made sense.
I know the arrangement of the paragraphs was a little confusing and the shifts in point of view are annoying but... hehe... It’s how I want it to be. XD I guess my writing has became rusty after all these time.
Fact clear up’s... don’t know how banks work... I don’t even have my own bank account (yet)... Unbeta-ed. Un-everything. Okay... next on my list, Fated.
Author: deadoralive0013
Pairing: Ryden, a bit of Joncer, a bit of Gabilliam
Rating: PG13
POV: 3rd, 1st (shifts)
Summary: (High school AU) Ryan just wanted to finish high school and make it to college so he worked (sometimes even odd jobs) to save up. When he transferred to Vegas for his final year, he found out that sometimes, money is the least of one’s worries. Like in his case, it was his face.
Excerpt for this chapter:
“It will be over soon,” I heard him say as I slowly drift from consciousness. “Everything will be over soon... and then something else will start. A better life.”
Warnings: Beware. Overused plot. Beware. Straight guy turning gay. Beware! UNBETA-ED!
Beta: purpledinorawrx
Disclaimer: I own the plot but nothing else...
Notes: At the end of each chapter
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31
“Brendon, if you’re watching this, then I’m probably no longer with you. But then again, I’ve never been with you, have I? I’m always not around that we barely spent time with each other. I barely know you but you don’t know me either. And you’re watching this recording so I guess it’s too late.”
“But I’m not here to have some last-minute sentimental expository about what could have been’s and whatnot. No. I’m a man of resolve, Brendon. You know that. What I did, everything, I do not regret. Given the chance, I’d do them all again, exactly how I first did them. But there are things... other things, I didn’t do that I wish I did. It’s not the same. I didn’t see the importance of certain things until my life passed by right before my very eyes, so fleetingly that I lost my chance to grasp even the last of it, and stay there. Feel.”
“I know you hate me. Since the first time I saw you, I knew you’d hate me. I guess I couldn’t have done anything about it either because as I’ve said, I’d do everything the same way. I couldn’t really blame you because truthfully, I hated you first. I don’t know if you’ve heard but you’re mother was my wife but she didn’t have you with me. When I found out, it was the most hurtful thing I’ve experienced and maybe, that was the last time I ever felt anything at all. Seeing her dead body sprawled on the sidewalk after she had jumped, knowing that she’d rather die than be with me, I lost my life on that day too. I’ve been dead for a long time.”
“And everytime I look at you, I see her. Her smile, her eyes, her wit. She left me with a curse to forever love her despite everything she did. Even though she’s gone, I remain under her spell. I can’t break free. No matter how I hated what she did to me, I can’t bring myself to truly hate her... you. And if there’s anything at all... anything that I’ve done to gesture some form of affection towards you, it’s trying to set you free from that kind of imprisonment that befell me.”
“The moment I found out about Ryan, I knew you’re in trouble. You do not want saving and unless I let you fall, you won’t learn to appreciate what I’ve done for you. I am now gone but I want to leave you the most important lesson that I’ve learned from life. You may see it as a cruel act, I understand. All people under the spell of idiocy of emotion wouldn’t see clearly. But listen to me, and I say this with a purer intention than what I had when I took you from that orphanage to give you a new home.”
“People like Ryan will destroy you. He finds you fascinating now, and the excitement of the thought of being with someone like you appeals to him. But my dear boy, emotion is a funny thing. It comes and it goes like a wind that cannot be predicted nor anchored. One day he’s in love with you and the next day he’s gone. What would you do then?”
“I took your father away from you. And then your mother. I just took Ryan and I understand the pain. I know it too well. But you don’t need them, Brendon. The sooner you understand the cruelty of this world, the better off you’d be. We are all alone. And just like everyone else, you, Brendon, are also alone. And it will remain that way.”
“I left everything I have to you, my only son and heir. You are Linda’s flesh and blood and she continues to live in you. Play with my money. Ruin all my businesses. It’s all up to you. The important thing for me is that I left this world knowing that you will never starve unless you choose to, and that you are stronger. Make no mistake. It is not because I care for you that I do this. That day when I buried your mother, I vowed to her grave that I will take care of you. And now that... I’ m gone; it will be my final act of love. I’ll be free.”
Brendon stared at the now dark screen after the video has ended. He blinked, unable to decide what to feel about what he just heard. Tears were running down his face and he couldn’t understand. He continued to stare, maybe for an hour more or so.
“Is it done?” Frank asked as he slowly entered the room, breaking the silence.
Brendon nodded and gestured towards the empty screen before hastily wiping the tears. “Yes.”
“So did it tell you anything about Ryan’s location?” Frank asked carefully.
Brendon sighed, still vaguely processing the video in his head. “No. It didn’t change anything at all.”
Frank nodded understandingly. “As expected. Don’t worry, I’ve started an investigation about that account I told you about. After Mr. Urie’s funeral tomorrow, everything will be officially under your name and at your disposal when you turn eighteen.”
From there, Frank muttered some more things about legalities and corporate reports but Brendon wasn’t listening anymore. After his father died yesterday, he was lost. Somehow, the anger and frustration he had felt towards him had guided his course of action. He had been so absorbed at wanting to bring the man down and now that he’s gone, he didn’t know what else to do. More importantly, he was the only one who knew what happened to Ryan.
Brendon glared at the floor with disgust. His father was right. He would never understand what he had done for Brendon. For him, the man was just a lonely and selfish monster who wanted Brendon to share his misery.
“Mr. Walker and Mr. Saporta are waiting downstairs along with three other people,” came Frank’s voice and Brendon was pulled out of his thoughts.
“My friends?” he asked, unable to prevent the smile that was suddenly on his face.
“They arrived about an hour ago but when they found out that you’re viewing Mr. Urie’s last message for you, they told me to tell you of their arrival after you’re done.”
“Thanks,” Brendon muttered, smiling widely now and rushed to the door. He opened it quickly and was out into the corridors, taking each step in a stride and swiftly climbing down the flight of stairs with sudden warmth that he seemed to have lost somewhere in the past.
It had been so long since he had seen the faces of his friends, anyone who genuinely cared for him really, and Brendon was suddenly excited at the thought of seeing them all again. There was a phase in the past months that he couldn’t bear to look at the faces of Jon, William, Patrick, Gabe, and Spencer because they reminded him of Ryan and the times they had together too much. It hurt him but after all these time that he had to be alone and deal with the absence of Ryan by himself, reuniting had made him feel like home... almost like a breath of life after being submerged in the ice cold water for so long.
“Brendon,” Gabe greeted as soon as Brendon reached the bottom of the stairs.
They were all there. Gabe was still wearing purple hoodies and funny glasses while Jon still sported his mandals. Patrick looked like he had lost some weight and William stood beside him with a big grin. Spencer was there too, smiling sheepishly at him. Brendon just wanted to pull them all in for a big hug.
“Hey,” he greeted them and gave them all hugs. He was a bit reluctant when it was Spencer’s turn but Spencer pulled him in and Brendon decided that his day was made.
“You haven’t been downing bottles of sleeping pills again, have you?” Spencer asked seriously.
Brendon laughed. “No. I laid off the pills.”
“We missed you, B. Tell us everything that’s been happening to you,” Patrick said.
“And we’ll tell you everything about what’s up on our side,” William added.
“We have time. Let’s do the catching up over dinner,” Brendon told them.
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No matter what the kid said, he did get some of the old man’s traits. That was what Frank decided. Of course he had been watching and he witnessed the genius of his dead boss at manipulating the kid’s life just like everything else in his power. Frank saw how Brendon grew up to be the ‘brat prince’ Urie senior had told him the boy would be, having fun and learning the art of self-centered ruling of the school without regarding other people’s feelings.
But as all things are made to change, what power or luck that Urie senior might have had failed. Frank would still be there to take care of Brendon until he came of age and he was excited to see what kind of man he’d grow up to be.
Frank quietly laughed at the thought and paused, stretching his fatigued arms and fingers that he was working relentlessly on his laptop for almost three hours straight. As he had told Brendon earlier, he had started an investigation about the suspicious bank account and was tirelessly working on it.
Somehow, he felt really motivated to yield something useful and report it to his young boss. He had thought that maybe he felt sorry for Brendon or maybe he had unconsciously developed a great dislike for Urie senior but it wasn’t those. There was something about Brendon’s personality that was there a long time ago that had vanished and it made Frank want to work hard to bring it back.
“His passion is very infectious,” Frank muttered to himself before taking a sip of his coffee.
So far though, passion could only get him so far. He had read the reports of the investigators, talked to a lot of people, and as he was just doing a minute ago, Frank had decided to do some of the investigating himself and worked his magic on the computer. Nevertheless, he was unsuccessful.
He sighed tiredly, silently conditioning himself to continue. There was suddenly a faint ringing coming from his coat pocket and he quickly snatched his phone. He frowned at the screen before answering the call.
“Tell me you have good news,” he said.
“It is good news.”
“Talk to me.”
“Well the account that you asked me to investigate was made to be untraceable but whoever did the work of cleaning the footprints had done a really bad job of it.”
Frank smirked at his laptop. “So you know what happened to the account?”
“I found it. We should meet and I will give you the details personally. Believe me, if this information isn’t helpful, I don’t know what else is.”
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Dinner was the best thing that happened to them in a while. At first, they were afraid that the mood of the whole night would inevitably fall into depression and some more finger-pointing drama but it didn’t. It was awkward at first especially for Spencer but after William accidentally discovered a small notebook hiding under Gabe’s table napkin on his lap and a round of probing as to what it contained went off, the mood was instantly lightened. It’s almost as if they were back at Palo Verde’s Cafeteria with their usual jokes and friendly bickering over lunch.
“Oh come on,” William went on, “it’s a diary, right? Filled with embarrassing-to-death, non-rhyming love poems. That’s why you won’t show it to us.”
Gabe glared at him. “No. It’s where I write my murder plot for you, Beckett. You can’t see it.”
The rest of the table laughed, shaking their heads at him while William cockily raised an eyebrow at him.
“Then let me see it, Gabey,” Brendon said.
“It’s nothing, really. Nothing interesting here that’s worth seeing,” Gabe said.
“You know, the more you refuse to show that thing to us the more we want to see it,” Patrick told Gabe.
“And the higher the chances of it being stolen in the next couple of hours,” Jon said with a wink.
Gabe made a face at them, sighing annoyed but didn’t give in. “You guys are unbelievable! Can’t a guy have some fucking privacy now?”
“Nope. Not in my house, Gabey,” Brendon said simply.
“No,” Gabe returned.
“I got an idea,” Spencer said suddenly and everyone turned to him. “Gabe, why don’t you just pick one of us to show the damn notebook and that person will tell the rest if it’s worth seeing or not?”
They all exchanged looks of agreement. Gabe sighed again, considering the suggestion and Spencer nodded at him encouragingly.
“He’ll only say if it’s interesting or not, right?” Gabe asked him.
“Yeah. We’ll keep bugging you about it anyway so this is your only option,” Spencer said.
“Okay,” Gabe said and he was smiling now. He looked around the table, staring each person in the eye and carefully observing that person before moving on to the next.
“Get on with it and pick me already,” Jon muttered.
“Yeah, we all know it’s going to be Jon for sure,” Spencer said.
“I pick,” Gabe said, eyes still traveling around the table before stopping at one of them, “William.”
And then there was silence. Gabe was silently having a mental fit, seeing the reaction of everyone at the table. They were all wearing shocked expressions with mouths hanging open and forks floating in midair. He was strongly tempted to snap his fingers at them to bring them back to their senses when a loud clatter of silverware falling to floor beat him to it.
Everyone turned to William this time who quickly retrieved his fallen spoon from the floor. “You are going to regret your decision Saporta,” he said with a smile and the shock cleared off.
“Oh yeah. This is going to be good,” Brendon said.
Gabe smirked as he handed William his notebook. “See for yourself.”
For some reason, William suddenly felt reluctant to see what Gabe’s notebook contained. But he was curious and so was everyone else. Blackmail material could be waiting for him and the bastard was just bluffing his way out of this. He opened the first page.
“Well?” Patrick asked eagerly and the others leaned closer to the table in anticipation.
Gabe continued to smirk while watching William flip the pages one by one. “So is it interesting, Beckett?”
William glared at him. “No.”
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Frank checked his watch and signaled the waitress for another coffee. She nodded with a smile and off she went to fetch Frank’s order. He had been sitting here for half an hour, waiting for the private investigator that he had hired. They agreed to meet here but the guy was late.
“Here you are, sir,” said the waitress suddenly. His coffee was faster than the investigator.
“Thank you,” Frank said curtly and she left. She had learned some time ago that asking Frank if he needed something else irritated the man, especially when the people he’s meeting are late which was always the case when he’s around.
About five minutes after his third cup arrived, the shop door opened and a middle-aged man in a leather coat entered. He searched the place for sometime and headed directly towards Frank’s table.
“Sorry I-”
“Save it, Jim. Just give me the information so that you can stop wasting my time,” Frank cut him off.
“Here,” Jim said immediately as he handed Frank a brown envelop.
“What’s this?” Frank asked as he opened it.
“Information. Records and such. It was really difficult to get those but I managed to find a way,” Jim said proudly.
Frank ignored him and scanned the papers. His eyes narrowed at what he was reading. “You found the account.”
“It’s still alive,” Jim said nodding, “transferred and currently active. Last withdrawal was made just a few days ago.”
He nodded and continued skimming through the thin pile. “Brendon has to see this,” he muttered lowly.
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“These are fucking statistical formulas,” William announced blandly and threw the notebook back at Gabe who was cracking up.
“What the fuck?” Brendon said and stood up from his seat to check the pages himself. “Gabe you crazy-f”
“Asshole,” William said.
“Stat formulas? What’s that about?” Spencer asked laughing slightly.
“Well I told you there’s nothing here that’s worth seeing,” Gabe told them after he had recovered. “But nooo... you want to see. So there you have it.”
“Oh man,” Jon interjected with a smile. “So why didn’t you want us to see it before?”
“It’s fun to see you guys like that,” Gabe told him.
“Why are you even carrying one of these here?” William asked.
“I’m a stat student. Why shouldn’t I?”
“Oh yeah!” Jon said suddenly. “You have an exam next week. That’s why you’re studying.”
“So you’re actually studying now, Gabey?” Brendon asked Gabe with a hint of taunting.
“Shut up,” Gabe said but it lacked heat. “My dad is going to kill me if I don’t get good grades.”
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Brendon said.
“That’s why you don’t want us to see the notebook,” Patrick said. “Too bad.”
The rest of dinner went on in pleasantly with small talks here and there with occasional bickering from William and Gabe but everything was good. That night, Brendon insisted that they all stayed in his house. Not that they were waiting for an invitation anyway. It was a given that they’ll be staying over anyway. They were at the pool area and had managed to avoid talking about Ryan when Frank suddenly came.
“I have important news,” he told Brendon urgently.
Everyone paused and stared at Frank and then at Brendon who anxiously gestured him to go on. Frank hesitated, looking around Brendon’s friends.
“Whatever it is, you can say it in front of them,” Brendon told him.
“Okay,” Frank said. “It’s about the missing account. I found it and apparently, your father had given it to someone.”
“What?” Brendon interjected and the others walked closer mirroring his expression.
“Read this,” Frank said and held the file out to Brendon.
“What’s this about?” Jon couldn’t help but ask.
“Brendon’s father made a bank account worth seven million around the time of Ryan’s disappearance. He refused to let me handle it as all of his other finances so I got curious, but it wasn’t until now that I found it,” Frank said as Brendon went over the papers.
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That day, I arrived at school with my cousin. I told him to go on ahead because I had some things to get from my locker. He just smiled and told me to hurry up before we parted ways. I quickly made my way, dodging other students hurrying for class as the bell rang. In the stream of students that was fast thinning, I abruptly stopped when I saw a familiar face by the hallways. He was smiling slightly at me and I paused, thinking of all the possible reasons why he was here. All I could think about was the trouble he had gone through because of me. I braced myself and waved at him.
“Hey,” I greeted, silently formulating a sentence to properly convey how deeply sorry I was for somehow dragging him into my mess.
“Hey,” he greeted back.
He looked tensed even as he smiled at me. Both his hands were inside his pockets and he kept on glancing at the school’s wall clock.
“What’s wrong?” I asked worriedly.
“Well,” he answered slowly, “I... want to talk to you for a bit. Can we go out?”
I was slightly taken aback by the request and it seemed like I was unable to hide it from my face.
“It won’t take very long. You’d probably catch up with the first period after five minutes. I just... I have something important to say,” he said and he glanced at the clock again.
It was because of me that he had gone through a difficult time and missing the first period paled in comparison. “Okay,” I said and we both started walking towards the school’s exit.
The school guard wasn’t there when we stepped out. Still, my mind was preoccupied by what to tell my friend. He had been so good to me, generally just being there when I needed someone to talk to.
“Look, I’m sorry about what happened. It’s my fault-I”
“Don’t worry about it,” he cut in. “I... It’s okay.”
I wanted to say ‘no’ because really, it wasn’t okay. My mouth was hanging open but I can’t find the words.
We were several meters from the school gates now. He was staring at the pavement quietly and I was left to wonder what he was thinking. I was about to ask him when he suddenly stopped walking and grabbed my hand. I jumped, stepping back slightly in surprise but he still caught my hand. The next thing I knew, he was dragging me to away from the sidewalk and towards a big tree that was standing a few meters away from the side of the road.
“Hey, what-”
I wasn’t able to finish. The wind was knocked out of my chest as my back forcefully slammed against the hard wooden trunk and his lips were pressed firmly against mine. My eyes widened in shock and I tried to push him away. I succeeded, managing to send him on his back with great force. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“What the hell?!” I told him angrily.
He didn’t move from his position on the ground. Slowly, he met my eyes and for the first time, I saw fear, very clearly reflected on those dark brown orbs. It was almost as if he was screaming.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered softly.
“Why?” I asked. “What the fuck... What is this? I-”
Suddenly, there was something covering my mouth and nose, forcefully muffling the rest of my words. I panicked. A hand was suddenly wrapping itself around my chest from the back and I struggled to break free. I couldn’t. I stared at him who was slowly getting up from the ground and I try to scream to him. He just stood there however, just watching with an unreadable face almost as if he was mesmerized by the sight of me struggling.
That’s when it hit me. He wasn’t sorry about the kiss. He was sorry for doing this to me. All hope was slipping away as I frantically look around for someone who could be there but there was none. The strange scent on my face grew strong, filling up my nose and my lungs. I was dizzy.
“It will be over soon,” I heard him say as I slowly drift from consciousness. “Everything will be over soon... and then something else will start. A better life.”
I mustered all my remaining strength to look him in the eye in one final silent plea for help. His hands caught either side of my face and that was the last thing I knew.
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“Oh my God,” Spencer interjected, eyes widening. “Are you saying that this might help us find my cousin?”
“It will. I think,” Frank said uncertainly. “Anyway does the name Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III mean anything to you?”
Spencer frowned. “No,” he said and looked around questioningly at the others. There were mutters of “no’s” and Frank nodded understandingly.
“Pete,” Brendon muttered lowly and the paper on his hand was unconsciously crumpled. “Pete. He’s Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III.”
“What? Who’s Pete?” Jon and William asked simultaneously.
“Fuck,” Spencer cursed as realization dawned. “Pete! Ryan’s coworker at the bookshop. He dropped by at William’s a couple of times remember?”
“Oh yeah,” Patrick said as he too remembered.
“Whoever he is, we have to find him. According to these files the investigator gave me, he’s the new owner of the lost account,” Frank told them. “Which means only one thing.”
“Holy shit,” Gabe cursed. Patrick and William involuntarily clenched their fists tightly while Jon patted Spencer’s back to calm him down.
All this time, the answer had been there. He was with them the first few weeks and Brendon could only imagine his face while he laughed at them at how easily they were fooled. All this time. He was pretending to share their misery, their fears and hope. All this time... he was lying.
“I’ll find him,” Brendon announced in a voice that was laced with anger and full of conviction. “Even if I have to tear down cities I swear I’ll find him and fucking give him hell.”
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When I woke up, everything was blurry and my head was pulsating with pain. It took a few minutes before my vision finally cleared and I realized that I was seeing the ceiling of a very familiar room.
“Ryan,” a familiar voice said.
And sure enough, he was there. Pete was sitting on a lone chair by the wall, watching me writhe on the center of the floor. My hands were bound behind my back and were grinding painfully against the floor with my weight. I struggled to stand up, feeling vulnerable with the way I was positioned on the floor.
“Ryan,” he called again but I didn’t respond.
That’s when he decided to get up and slowly make his way towards me. I watched helplessly as he kicked my side so that I was lying almost flat on the floor before sitting on my stomach. He extended a hand to my face, slowly tracing my lips and I shudder away from his touch. I’m almost convinced that he wasn’t the Pete I knew.
“Don’t be afraid,” Pete told me and continued tracing my face to the side and down until he was touching my neck.
“How can you do this to me, Pete?” I managed to croak out. “I thought we were friends.”
He didn’t answer. His fingers lightly trailed down my chest, playing with the buttons of my shirt. I tried to shake him off but to no avail so I tried to speak again.
“Pete! Pete! Listen to me!” I called angrily and I finally drew his attention to my face.
“I’m really sorry, Ryan,” he told me. “It wasn’t my fault. I uh, I had no choice. He made me do it... I...”
“Who?” I asked him. “Who made you do this?”
“I lost my job,” Pete continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “I have a little brother and college to pay for... I had no choice.”
“You mean Brendon’s father? That bastard?”
“Yes. I,” Pete stuttered and he suddenly pulled on the front of my shirt, yanking me up in a sitting position and wrapping his arms around me tightly. “And he knew, Ryan. He knew! Not even I knew about it...”
“About what?” I asked, trying to ignore the pain on my arms and back with my position.
“He... knew about what I felt. My frustration... my hidden desire... I tried Ry, I really did. And I didn’t think it will ever come to this. But it happened. I snapped. He said I could have you... and money! Lots of it! If only I could lead you out of the school and help him hide you,” Pete mumbled while he drew lazy circles on my back. “And I’m glad I did, Ry. I never thought I felt this strongly for you but having you here now, in my arms, alone... I just want to own you.”
Pete was brushing my hair with his fingers and I shut my eyes, trying to absorb everything that had just happened. “No Pete. You’re confused. This is not what you want. He’s just trying to trick you into doing something that you don’t want and you’ll surely regret. Help me, Pete. Let me go.”
“No,” Pete answered firmly, shaking his head against the crook of my neck. “You’re mine now Ryan. From now on, it’s just going to be the two of us.”
“No, no,” I said.
He pulled back slightly to smile at me and quickly plant a kiss on my lips. “Accept it Ryan.”
“Don’t do this, Pete. I know you’re better than this.”
“I thought I was better than this too,” he told me before rising and pulling me up to my feet. He suddenly pulled me with him as he made his way down the all-too familiar hall that used to give me comfort, this place that saw me grow up. We reached the kitchen and there was a low made-up bed at the corner where the dining table should have been. He threw me onto it and I landed face-first on the mattress.
“But Ryan... you’re here! Tied up and alone with me... You don’t know how... hard it is to just... let go,” he told me.
“I trusted you,” I said but no words could express how deeply hurt and betrayed I felt. “I FUCKING TRUSTED YOU!”
He smiled and I could almost see small remnants of the person I used to know threatening to break free. But it wasn’t enough. His face hardened just as quickly as he had smiled.
“You’re staying here with me. You have no choice,” Pete announced. He sat on the kitchen counter and slouched, watching me and the walls around us. “Not bad for an old house.”
“Fuck you.”
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NOTES:
To those of you who were waiting for this and have been reading my non-fic related posts, you know why this took SO long. My apologies again... but it’s here. Thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that, well, it made sense.
I know the arrangement of the paragraphs was a little confusing and the shifts in point of view are annoying but... hehe... It’s how I want it to be. XD I guess my writing has became rusty after all these time.
Fact clear up’s... don’t know how banks work... I don’t even have my own bank account (yet)... Unbeta-ed. Un-everything. Okay... next on my list, Fated.