more and more difficult...

four

"Jayden! - oh... what happened? Are you okay?" Shaun asked, clearly concerned.

Jayden chuckled, "I'm okay, Shaun. Just some drama I tend to get into,"

"Shaun, why don't you go clean your room?" Ethan suggested, guiding Jayden to the sofa and retrieving the medical kit.

After Shaun had left, Ethan immediately started treating Jayden's wounds.

"Who did this, Jayden?"

"Ethan, you'll be late for your trip." the younger evaded the question.

"I can bloody leave at midnight if I had to. I asked you a question."

Jayden sighed, "It was Blake, okay? It doesn't matter, I'll be fine anyway."

Ethan scoffed, "Fine? He may as well have run you over and dumped you in a lake."

"You go and get ready for that trip, Ethan," Norman said once Ethan had finished applying a band-aid to his temple.

"Fine, I'll go. But you take some fucking time off work and take care of yourself, got it?"

"Yes, sir," Jayden mocked in a friendly manner.

---

"I'm bored," Shaun pouted, meeting Jayden in the kitchen.

"Oh, hey kid! Go choose a movie, I'll join you shortly, okay?"

However, Shaun stood there for a while, studying the tube of triptocaine on the counter.

"What's that?" he asked, oblivious to the pressure that it put on Jayden.

"It's uh... it's a thing for work." he managed to put on a smile.

Damn right it's for work...

Shaun nodded before going over to the living room and setting up a movie on the TV.

"I made noodles, want some?" Jayden entered the room, now having changed into his night clothes.

"Yes!" was Shaun's immediate response as he leapt up and ran to grab the pot of noodles from Jayden's hands.

The older chuckled in response. "So what movie did you pick out?"

"The Incredibles! Dad really hates that movie so I never really watch it much..." Shaun frowned, filling his mouth with a bite of ramen.

"Aw," Jayden tutted softly, sitting himself down on the floor beside the child. "That's not nice, is it? Well, come on, let's finally watch it, hm?"

Shaun smiled happily and pressed play, while Jayden unlocked his phone, looking over his notifications in little boredom.

Two hours finally passed, and Jayden jolted awake by Shaun shaking him and urging him to wake up.

"Oh jeez, kid. Sorry..." Norman laughed sleepily before letting his head droop to the other side.

"Wake up!" Shaun insisted, nagged even. "Dad never lets me sleep in the living room so neither should you. There's an extra bed in my room, you can sleep there."

Jayden finally got up, groaning in sudden agony when pain shot through his head. Ignoring it, he followed Shaun upstairs, trying not to stumble over the stairs.

"I'll be over to sleep soon, okay? I'm just going to go to the toilet." Norman informed softly, locking the door once he was in the bathroom.

"It's gonna be fun if this happens in front of Shaun," he whispered in annoyance as he splashed cold water on his face.

---

5am found Jayden leaning against the wall outside, smoking a cigarette. The smoke he exhaled contrasted greatly with the crisp surrounding as frost was settling in over the landscape.

He noticed, as he was reaching in his pocket for his phone, how there was a small blade begging to be taken out.

No matter how hard Jayden tried to resist the urge to take it out, the temptation finally won over and he found himself pressing his thumb against the blade lightly.

"Shit, what if Shaun wakes up?" Jayden posed to himself, nevertheless continuing to lift his sleeve up and drag the blade along his arm.

A hiss made its way out of Norman and he slashed the blade onto his skin a few more times until he was satisfied with the amount of blood running down his pale, skinny wrists.

"Jayden?"

Fuck,

Norman froze, daring not to turn around to face the kid.

"What are you doing? It's so cold!" Shaun urged, thankfully not particularly noticing smoke.

"Just... clearing my head, Shaun. You go on and sleep, okay? I'll be up in a while." Jayden tried to remain calm, his voice quivering due to the cold air hitting him.

Shaun did as told after saying a soft "goodnight".

"Phew," the profiler breathed of relief, quickly rolling his sleeves down and crushing the cigarette with his shoe.

"I'd better go inside..." he mumbled quietly, struggling to open the front door with his numb hands.

---

"Sleep well?" Jayden asked a sleepy Shaun who was beginning to sit up in his bed.

"I dreamt about Jason..." he replied sadly, wiping away an appearing tear.

Unhappy, Norman sighed, sitting himself on Shaun's bed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was the scene when he got hit... but he didn't die. And he recovered just fine-" he broke into sobs, shaking violently. "Jayden, I miss my brother so much..."

Jayden hugged the crying kid tightly, he himself becoming tearful.

"Shh, it's alright. Don't cry... Jason wouldn't want you to. He would want you to be happy and to remember the happy memories together. He's in a much better place now, kid. Yeah that was cringy, I'm sorry but still, it's true, Shaun..."

Shaun leaned against Jayden's arm, smiling sadly. "I know... thank you,"

Norman stroked Shaun's hair, placing a kiss on his forehead and hugging him closer.

---

bye xoxo

(i haven't proof read anything btw lmao)