Trigger Warning: Abuse
Clint watches his son's sleeping form with the boy's hand have been disinfected and bandaged. He also helps to shower Alex as he didn't seem to be able to do on his own as he was out of his thought with constant apologizing despite the oldest Barton effort.
The archer sigh from where he been sitting after he brought Alex into the bedroom that used to be the guestroom, but after receiving the news regarding his son, he asked Laura to help clean the room a bit.
After getting cleaned up, Alex fell asleep, but Clint waited by the boy's side in cases of need, which he gladly did. He has woken up from his sleepy state by the sound of whimpering.
Clint on the verge of getting mad as he watches his son begging in his sleep, appealing to whoever it is to stop. He watches as Alex clench his hands, making some blood soaking through the bandage. He tried to calm the boy by softly muttering while smoothing his hair while prove to help as he stops wiggling with the look of discomfort mix with pained.
He sighs once again that he now longer feeling sleepy. A soft knock catches his attention, and he watches as his wife slowly peek inside.
"Hey."
"Hey." Clint offers her a smile. "It's okay. He's asleep."
Hearing those words, Laura slowly approaches her husband, afraid that she would bother the boy. "So are the children. How is he?" She frowns as she glances over the teenage boy with blood soaking bandages covering his hands. " How is he?"
"I don't know." Clint state in a defeated tone. "Gosh, Laura, this is all my fault. If only I know-"
"Hey, stop that. It isn't your fault." Laura kneels by his side, taking his hand into hers. "Fates just being cruel to your son, and now here he is, needing your help. You are not alone in this, okay? You have me, Nat, even your children. You should have seen them, and they are so worried about Alex. He needs our help now," She put her hand over his cheeks, making him smile as he holds it and kiss it. "And we will do whatever we can for him to get through this."
"God, I think I just fall all over you once again." Clint state glancing over his wife lovingly.
"So am I to you." She smiles, giving him a peck but the sound of movements catch their attention.
They glance over Alex lying form only to watch him trying to adjust his eyes with his surroundings. He frowns as he raises his hands just to see them covered in bandages. Turning his hands around, he can see some blood seeping through them but says nothing.
Feeling like being watched, he slowly turns and visibly jump upon his eyes fall on the Barton couple.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't worry, everything's fine. No one is hurting anyone." Clint lowly state as he slowly approaches his son, whose eyes widen as he glances back and forth between him and his wife but mainly on Laura.
Feeling his discomfort, Laura smiles as she slowly walks backward, letting her hands show to him, giving him a sign that she meant no harm. "It's okay, Alex. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm going to give you guys some space, okay?" As she said it, she slowly walks out of the door, leaving both males.
It seems to help the teenage Barton as he becomes less tense.
Clint smile over his son. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good, thank you." Alex lowers his gaze.
"Alex." The man put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's okay. You can tell me."
The boy glances over him, unsurely and flash him a smile. "No, no. I-I'm fine. Really."
"Alex," Clint speak sternly. "If you in pain, just say it. I'm right here now. There no one will ever hurt you as long as I live. I promise."
"I-I-" The younger Barton stammer as he frowns. "What should I say? I- I don't know how too."
"Why don't we start with what are you feeling right now? Angry? Sad? Confuse?" The man calmly asks in his fatherly-tone as he approaches his son.
Instead of answering, Alex frown as he starts playing with his nails. "I-I don't know. W-w-what was I supposed to feel?" Finally raising his head and meeting his father's green eyes. "I'm fine. I'm just— I was—"
"Alex." Clint intercepts, after watching his son, starts shaking as he about to get into a panic attack.
"It's okay, you can tell me. I'm here now, for you. From now on, I'm not going anywhere." Taking his son's shaking hands that now turn cold and sweaty, he grips them with tears welling in his eyes. "I wish I can help you sooner. I've been going around saving people, yet I can't even save my son. I'm so sorry—"
The teenage boy's eyes widen, watching tears falling down the man's eyes, making his heart swells and his eyes watery. "Don't say that." Instantly his body stops shaking, and he grips Clint's hands back. "Don't blame yourself. W-w-what happen to me isn't your faults. Mom—" He swallows, feeling a big lump forming in his throat at the mentions of his dead mother. "She- She wasn't always like that. Mom always fed me. It just— sometimes she just tired—and angry, that's all. But she isn't a bad person!"
Clint's clench his jaw with his eyes close as a flash of the past play into his head. The sounds of the bottle smashed onto the floor, the pleading from his mother, the sobs, the shouts, the pain, the abuse.
The man didn't say anything and pulled his son into an embrace. His lip trembled with angry tears falling down his face, but he slowly and gently pats Alex's head. "You have been so strong, Alex. It's okay now. She no longer here; she can never hurt you. I will protect you from now on, and I'm not going anywhere anymore."
He didn't understand the feeling itself, but it was as if something was being lifted off his shoulder. The sense of ease and calmness washes over him.
"I loved her."
Are the only words he can say as he grips the back of Clint's shirt,
"I know." The man nods. He can feel his shoulder getting wets making his hold on his son tighten.
"She's my mother."
"I know."
"She's gone?"
Clint let out a shaky breath, nodding. "She is."
Never had he thought that his child would have to live the same nightmares as he did. He promised to be a better father than his own 'father' ever was, yet the nightmares continue.
"What should I do now?" Alex asks, but most of his words muffled from his mouth pressed onto his father's.
"You can be yourself." Those words came out easier than he thought. Remembering how he asks the same questions, he answers the exact words someone used to say to him. "You can be my son, my family, my boy. I can't promise you that I'm a great dad, but I will try to be a good one for you. I'm sorry that I can help you sooner."
Alex didn't say a word, only the sound of his sobbing filling the room.
Although he's crying, sobbing, his heart now felt lighter.
He didn't notice it, but he been suffocating himself with the burden of thoughts. He's someone who kept everything to himself, his pain, his suffers, his tears and put up a big fat smile on his face.
Like everyone in the world, he wears the same mask with the exact words.
Now his mask has been removed, only ugly scars scratching his face can now be seen.
Everything will get better now—
Right?
A/N: I know, I know........ I haven't been updating for so long, and suddenly this story got update............ So yeah.......... Sorry *-*
It just I'm Not Broken has changed its title into Acatalepsy, and I just have some new ideas about her origin and stuff.
This book does connect to Eve's storyline, although the timeline is a bit mess up but bear with me, okay?
Also, sorry for this chapter; I'm a bit 50/50 about it. What do you guys think?
Anyway, thank you so much for being patient with me! Please leave some comments and vote for it!