a mess || brian quinn

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trigger warning(s): self harm

Cas's pov

I ran through the dark streets of State Island searching for any house emitting light. I whipped my head around, turning down a side street. My heart was going a mile a minute, but I'm pretty sure my feet were moving faster. He wasn't far behind and I didn't know what to do besides try to run faster. Finally my eyes found the only house that seemed to be emitting some kind of light. It was a big house on the end of the street, and it had one light on. I ran as fast as I could to the door and banged on it.

"Please, please help me! Please, he's going to get me, oh my god please!" I frantically begged to whoever was inside. There was a part of me that felt bad for possibly waking them, but this was life or death.

I felt like I was knocking forever, my doubts and worries growing, my heart beginning to beat faster, but eventually heard the door click open and a man with messy dark brown hair appeared looking confused and concerned.

"Please, please let me in. I know it's late, and I'm a complete stranger, but he's not far behind and he's going to get me. I need you to let m-" He didn't let me finish my sentence before nodding rapidly and pulling me inside. "Please lock the doors." I was sobbing and shaking so hard I could barely move or speak.. I covered my ears as my breath grew shorter and more strained and everything around me felt as if it were closing in.

Even though I was a complete stranger to this man and he was to me as well, he grabbed me and pulled me into his chest and I immediately felt safer.

"Murr call 911!" He yelled as I sobbed into his chest. He rubbed his hands up and down my back, trying to ease my anxiety.

"Oh my god, why?!" I looked up to see another guy come running in from around the corner.

"Just do it, Murray!" The man I now knew to be Murray ran and shouted two other names that I couldn't quite hear.

"I- I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude or- or wake you up. I just-" but he cut me off before I could finish my irrational apology.

"Are you joking?" I didn't know what else to say to that so I just sputtered out my name.

"I- I'm Casey." I regretted saying it because I felt like it was the stupidest thing to say in this situation. But to my surprise, he smiled slightly and then spoke softly.

"My name is Brian, but everybody calls me Q."

"What's going on?" I heard a worried voice coming closer to the room we were in.

"I'll explain later, Joe." Brian turned his head to the direction Murr had disappeared to, and shouted in an urgent tone. "Murr, are you calling the police?"

"No, please don't call the police. It's really ok. You were nice enough to let me in your house at this hour." I sniffled before looking up to meet his dark brown eyes. "I'll be alright as long as I don't go outside for awhile. The most I could ask you for is just a ride back to my apartment." At this point, I honestly just wanted to take my meds and go to sleep.

"No way! I'm not going to let you go home alone with whoever you're running from still out there!"

"No really, it's ok. This has happened before, so I know how to handle it, I promise. I just need to lay low for a couple of days." All I wanted to do was to go home.

He released me from his grasp and stared at me with this worried yet disapproving look on his face.

"I promise, it's ok." I was exhausted and anxious, and I wasn't in the mood to argue.