Please keep in mind that this is the first fanfiction I've ever written! So please leave a review, I appreciate the feedback!
You and your best bro are spending your first night together in real life on your couch, pigging the fuck out on family-size bags of chips and a fuckton of soda (and let's not forget your precious AJ). You're also flipping through channels on the TV in front of you, looking for decent shows or movies that could be on. Lucky for you, John didn't bring Con Air along with him. John was wrapped in a thin red blanket, browsing whatever on his phone whilst finishing off the bag of taco-flavored Doritos.
You wander aimlessly through the same channels over and over, yet no good programming comes. "Dude, there is literally nothing good on right now," you say to John. "Dave, it's almost midnight. Of course there won't be anything good on TV at midnight." He says, not breaking focus on his phone. "I'm guessing you don't have Netflix, Egbert?" You ask. "Well, my dad does, but I don't know the password." John replies, this time looking at you. God, his eyes are so amazing. You didn't even know that vibrant shade of blue could be a possible eye color. But then again, yours are an even more bizarre color.
But still, the way his eyes shine, how it can tint to a blue-greenish color in the sunlight like it does, it's just so beautiful to you. You wish you could tell him that. You wish you could tell him everything you love about him, but that'll just sound creepy and gay. And John "Not a Homosexual" Egbert will obviously not be comfortable with creepy, gay compliments. Or at least, that's what you assume.
After flipping through the same channels for the fiftieth time, you turn around to see John with a sad expression on his face. It almost looked like he was in pain. You could almost see the glisten in his eye that signals a tear is about to be shed, but he looks up at you and forces a smile. "Find anything, Dave?" He asks. You could've sworn his voice almost cracked. You take a moment to answer. "Uh, no." You say. "Why don't we watch whatever's on like, Adult Swim or Nick at Nite?" John asks. "Adult Swim? You'd watch that stuff?" You ask. You didn't know John watched stuff like Family Guy or Robot Chicken. "I don't watch it very often," he says, "but if it's the only option at this point, it's fine with me." You begin to become suspicious. What is he looking at on his phone, and what is he getting so upset about?
"John?" You ask as you flip on Family Guy. "Yeah, Dave?" "What're you looking at?" You ask. John's face turns a light shade of red and locks the iPhone."Nothing. It's nothing," he says, nervously, "I'm just texting." You obviously know he's lying. (Well, not about the texting part, you know he's texting someone, but you know he's lying about it being nothing.) You eye him suspiciously through your sunglasses, trying to pull his thoughts from his brain. Sadly, that's impossible. "John, are you okay?" You ask quickly. John is obviously caught by surprise at the question. "W-wh- yeah! I'm fine! Why're you asking?" He says. "Bullshit, Egbert. Bull-fucking-shit you're fine. I saw you were about to fucking cry a minute ago. Who are you texting?" You feel like an overprotective mother, asking him who he's texting. "No one. I'm not texting anyone." He replies quick. You're starting to get angry. "God damnit, Egbert! Stop telling me bullshit and tell me what's going on!" You almost snap. You just don't want to see your best friend/possible crush like this. But still, The Hero of Breath stares at Dave for a good twenty seconds before shedding the first tear. "Dave.." He says, "I'm so sorry, Dave." He hands you the iPhone. You unlock it to see he left Messages open. You see his normal contacts; Jade, Rose, you, his dad...and a strange number at the bottom. You open the conversations between John and the stranger, revealing why John was so sad.
He was being bullied and threatened by this number.
You scroll through what seems like endless assaulting and threats by this guy. Things like "I know your address. I can hurt you", "I know about you and your blondie boyfriend", and plain mean stuff like "don't deny that you're a faggot and always will be". You skim through as John bites his blanket to keep him from sobbing uncontrollably, you think. "Egbert..." You begin, "how long has this been going on?" You ask in a hushed tone. A tear traces its way down John's cheek as he says, "a month."
It's barely audible, probably because he's close to having to choke back sobs. "Ever since they found out I was going to Texas to meet you, they've been texting me nonstop. I tried blocking the number but it doesn't do anything. They call me gay and they've even said they were going to kill me."
That's when he gives up on holding back tears and starts to sob. "And it didn't help my self esteem either," he says in between sobs.
You automatically know what's going on now. Why he's wearing a long sleeved shirt, even in the Texas heat.
You reach over and gently pull up his sleeve, revealing numerous scars, several being fresh. You try not to gasp.
"John, I.." You try to say, but you can't think of anything to say. So you lean in and hug your best friend, and he buries his face into your shoulder and starts to cry even harder than he was before. You don't care if his tears stain your shirt. You just want to make your friend happy again. "Sometimes, sometimes," your friend tries to say, barely audible as he's still in your shoulder, "I've thought about ending it all, so they can stop, so they don't have to kill me, so that they can stop doing this to me." "Do you know who this is?" You ask. He shakes his head slightly, then sobs more.
You can't believe he's been going through all this. He shouldn't be. Whoever's doing this, you're going to find them, and snap their neck. You're mad, but sad at the same time. "But.." He says after about a minute, "I just remember how I'm going to see you, in real life, and that's the only reason I kept myself alive." "John.." You say. You can't believe you're about to do this. He raises his head to look straight at you, his eyes red and his cheeks wet from the steady flow of tears. "It's going to be okay." You take off your glasses and kiss him, gently. It only lasts for a few seconds because you're afraid to do it any longer. You both
spend the next few seconds in a stunned, awkward silence. "Dave.." John says, "you didn't have to do that.." Uh oh. Did you upset him more from doing that? "Oh god dude, I'm sorry, I didn't even think of if you'd be comfortable with me doing that, I'm sorry." You tell him. What you didn't expect in that moment, was when John smiled and chuckled. "I meant it wasn't a requirement to kiss me, but it's still very much appreciated." You stare at him for a moment. He... liked it? He appreciated it? "Well, you're welcome, Egbert. If you ever need anymore kisses, I'm here for you." You say, smirking.
In short? This was the best night of your life.