Elliot Vance looked at himself in the mirror, and adjusted his beanie. It was the sole thing he had kept from when he was younger- from when he was 14, he corrected himself. He wished someone was there to talk to him right now. He imagined his grandfather making a dry, joking comment about "dressing to impress someone who he's already impressed over and over" before smiling and saying he was proud of him. A small-yet-sad smile flitted onto his face. He missed his grandfather, who had passed away a few years back. This got him thinking about Robbie. Ten years later, and they were still going strong. He could even say Robbie was his rock through so much. Especially when…

In the back of his mind, another joking comment voiced itself, though this one was more teasing, the tone lighter, before saying that they were extremely proud of him, and how proud their parents would have been too. If he wasn't wrong, he could swear that voice sounded like it was coming from right next to him.

He shook it off, the smile following suit. He said it less than he would care to admit, but he missed his older sister. Despite the fact they weren't full-siblings, she was nothing but a real sister to him. He never considered that they weren't real siblings at any point. Even more so after she died ten years ago.

Thinking about it sent him into another depressive mood. To this day, he had no idea why anyone would have murdered his sister. Especially after how much they had gone through. He wondered why life couldn't give him a break, and nearly broke up with Robbie over grief and despair. It was thanks to said boy that he didn't, with promises of working through it together and being there for him keeping him going. And love. Couldn't forget love.

Speaking of which, his phone was ringing. Elliot's small smile returned at seeing the caller ID, the exact person he was just thinking about. He picked up the phone as he dashed out, aware he was running late, and unaware of the eyes watching him rush out the front door of the cabin from the nearby trees.


AN: Heya, me again! I'm posting chapter 1 partially as an interest check. I would have wanted to post when I finished writing the whole thing, but after writing 5 chapter in 3 days, I didn't touch the story for a month, and now I'm stuck in one area. So I hope you guys enjoy chapter 1! Reviews are appreciated.

Also, this story will be cross-posted on both AO3 and Tumblr! My AO3 is on my profile, while my Tumblr will be added there soon.

On a more serious note, I hope everyone is staying safe during this pandemic. If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here. Just send me a PM.

Thank you guys, and lots of love!