Criticism spot! :)
Crutchie's POV
I woke up from the door opening, immediately panicking as it did. I sat up quickly, trying to back away and ignoring the pain that was shooting through me.
"Hey hey, it's me," Jack said, gently closing the door and sitting down in the bed. "You're back home, remember? You're alright." I managed to calm down quickly, tensing up as the pain got worse. "You gotta eat," Jack handed me a piece of bread, smiling kindly.
He sat beside me as I ate, and once I had finished I laid against his chest, trying my best to relax. He gently played with my hair, and his rhythmic breathing helped me to keep calm and not panic about any of the loud noises outside the door.
"I want to go to the penthouse," I finally said, my voice far scratchier than I expected it to be.
"We can tomorrow, alright? I just want you to sleep in a bed for at least one more night." I backed up a bit so I could look at Jack, seeing him smile at me.
"All the progress I made is gone," I mumbled, laying down in the bed again. Jack laid down beside me, and we faced one another.
"That's not true. You have all the tools you need to heal this time around, and you know which ones work best." He kept smiling as he spoke, and I felt ever so slightly better. "You've got me, too." He then kissed me on the forehead, making me finally smile back at him.
"You should go sell," I said, taking him by surprise.
"Are you sure? I planned on stayin' here," he asked, and I nodded.
"I'll just be sleeping. You'll get bored." He pushed my hair back, sighing.
"You ain't gonna let me stay anyways, are you?" He joked, and I chuckled.
"Nope," he chuckled, too, getting out of bed.
"Fine. I'll see you tonight." He said, heading out the door.
I got thrown to the ground by my Dad, making me scream out in pain. He kicked me a few times, making sure to land a few hits on my bad foot.
"You pathetic shit!" He screamed, kicking harder and harder.
"Stop!" Jack yelled, jumping out from the closet. My Dad stared at him, and I froze from fear.
"Jack-"
"Don't hurt him, hurt me." He said, staring back at my Dad.
"Jack get outta here!" I yelled, beginning to sob.
"Leave him alone. I'm the one you want." He ignored me, and my Dad slowly walked over to him.
"You're the one that helped him run away?" He asked, and Jack nodded.
"It's my fault. It was me. Not him. Hurt me." My Dad looked at me quickly before turning back to Jack, punching him in the face and knocking him to the ground.
"No!" I screamed, trying to crawl over to him.
"Stay there, Crutch! You're still okay!" Jack said before my Dad hit him again. Suddenly, my Dad was holding a knife, grinning at Jack.
"This ends now," he said, stabbing Jack.
I screamed in horror as my Dad kept stabbing him over and over, blood going everywhere. Jack grew weaker with each stab, and all I could do was scream. Finally, once he decided it was enough, my Dad got up and left without another word. I immediately went to Jack's side, pulling him onto my lap while his blood trickled down around us.
"You're okay, you're gonna be okay," I said, sobbing. He was fighting to keep his eyes open, and the blood felt like it was neverending. "Race! Romeo! Anyone!" I yelled, feeling Jack reach his hand up and put it against my face.
"Hey," he whispered, and I looked at him. "You're safe now. He'll leave you alone." He said, growing weaker.
"Stay with me, hang on," I begged, and the door flew open, Race running in. He froze, staring at the two of us. "Help me!" I yelled at him, but he didn't budge.
"Crutchie," Jack said, and I looked back to him. He was smiling weakly, and I tried to do the same back. "I love you."
"I- I love you too," I said through my tears, and Jack went completely limp in my arms. "Jack?" Race finally snapped out of it and came to my side, looking at Jack.
"Crutchie he's gone," he said, beginning to cry.
"No, he's okay there's still time-"
"He's gone!" Race yelled, making me look at him. "It's over!" I turned back to Jack, still sobbing.
"Wake up, please," I begged, but he didn't move. "C'mon Jack, wake up!" Race then stood up and grabbed my arm, trying to pull me away.
"We've got to get out of here," he said, but I fought back.
"I'm not leaving him!" I screamed, only crying harder. "Wake up!!" I tried one last time, but before I knew it Romeo was also pulling me away, and I couldn't fight both of them off. I kept screaming for Jack as they dragged me out, feeling like I couldn't breathe.
I shot awake and immediately began sobbing, and I looked around, knowing I was in my childhood bedroom. I desperately searched the room for Jack, but he was nowhere in sight, making me panic more. As I sobbed the door opened, and I flinched away, backing up against the wall.
"Crutchie?" Someone said, but I couldn't tell who it was. "Hey hey, you're alright," the person tried to calm me, but it only made me worse.
"Don't come near me," I said, and the person froze in place. "Don't hurt him," I blurted out, feeling confused.
"Don't hurt who?" The boy asked, and I just stared at them for a moment, trying to catch my breath.
"I don't- I don't know," I got out, and the person moved closer. I tried to back up, but I ran into the wall behind me.
"Do you know who I am?" They asked, and I just shook my head.
"I don't- I don't know what's happening- I-" my breathing was only becoming sharper, and the boy quickly ran into the hall. He returned just seconds later, a second boy behind him.
"It's happening again," he said, and the new boy walked toward me.
"Don't!" I yelled, making him freeze in place.
"It's Race, remember?" The kid said, but I continued to panic.
"Leave him alone- leave- leave me al..." I trailed off, pulling my knees up against my chest.
"You're in the lodging house," the kid said, but I ignored him, shaking worse and worse.
"I want Jack," I sobbed, seeing the boy before me glance at the first one behind him, looking concerned.
"He's right there," he said, but I shook my head.
"He's dead," the two tensed up, seeming unsure of what to do next. "It's my fault, he's dead 'cause of me," I began to ramble.
"He isn't dead, he's right here," the boy said, taking a step near me.
"Please don't hurt me," I begged, flinching away.
"Race he's getting worse," the first boy said, making whoever was in front of me back up.
"Go away," I asked, and the two stared at me for a moment. "Please go away, don't hurt me," I continued to beg, and the two backed up out of the room, closing the door gently. I still felt horribly confused about where I was, and no matter what I did, I couldn't calm down.
Jack's POV
I sat down against the door, putting my head in my hands, and Race joined me. I took a few deep breaths before I looked at him, feeling beyond worried.
"What do we do?" I asked, and Race sighed.
"I don't know." He admitted, making my heart drop. "I think we should just wait a few minutes before trying again."
"What do you think his dream was about?" Race thought for a moment, staring straight ahead rather than looking at me.
"Well, he kept saying that you were dead, and he just got away from his Dad again, so my guess is that it had something to do with his Dad killing you." He looked at me now, clearly distressed.
"That's what I was thinking." I said, pushing my hair back. "I can't stand seeing him this terrified, especially of us." I began, and Race nodded. We went silent for a bit, both of us trying to calm ourselves down. "Maybe we should try it with you talking to him and me standing in the back, but far away from both of you, so that he doesn't feel like he's being ganged up on." I suggested, and Race nodded again.
"Yeah, when we stand together he probably thinks we're teaming up against him."
We sat in silence for a few more minutes before Race stood up, motioning for me to follow. I did, and he opened the door as slowly as he could. We slipped in and I closed it gently, and rather than walking closer to Crutchie, I stayed against the door.
"You alright?" Race asked, and I felt my heart break as I watched Crutchie grow more terrified each time Race got closer.
"Don't come near me," he pleaded, and Race stopped dead in his tracks.
"I'm not here to hurt you. You're just fine." Race said kindly, but it was clear it wasn't working yet. "Where do you think you are?" He asked, and Crutchie looked around, dazed.
"In my bedroom," he got out, looking at me. A few tears streamed down my face as he did, because it was so heartbreaking to see him look at me with horror in his eyes.
"You ain't. You're in a bedroom at the lodging house. Romeo, Fitz, Specs, Jack and I got you out of your Dad's house last night, remember?" Finally, I could tell Crutchie began to calm down, starting to realize where he was.
"What?" Was all he said, staring at Race.
"Jack and I carried you back here. You and Jack are stayin' in here for a little bit before you go back to where you usually stay." Crutchie stayed silent, staring blankly back at Race still. "Jack is alright, nothing happened to him." He calmed down even more, but still kept quiet. "It's me, Race, remember?" At last, he nodded slowly, and allowed Race to get closer to him.
"I'm not at home," he mumbled, looking around the room.
"No, you ain't. You're at the lodging house. Remember, your room only has that flat piece of cardboard in it. There's two beds, two nightstands, and a dresser in here." Crutchie looked around the room, seeming to confirm that the furniture was actually there.
"It was just a dream," he realized, looking at me. I was able to tell by just the look in his eyes that he wanted me to hold him, so I ran to the bed and did just that. He began to sob again, clinging to me as though his life depended on it. "I..." He began, trailing off.
"It's okay. You're just fine. I've got you." I said calmly, kissing him on the head.
"Don't go, I don't want to be alone," he begged, once again shattering my heart.
"I'm right here," I backed up so we could look at one another, and I smiled kindly.
"I had a dream that you came into my house to save me, and you took the beatings for me and he ended up- he ended up stabbing you," Crutchie explained, and I gently wiped his face dry of tears.
"It was just a dream. You're safe. I'm safe." He nodded, finally able to fully calm down. Of course he was still shaken up about what he had seen in the dream, but he was no longer shaking and sobbing, and his breathing had steadied. "A nice warm shower would help you feel better," I offered, and he looked down.
"I can't hold myself up," he mumbled, seeming embarrassed.
"I'll help you." He looked back up at me now, surprised.
"But what if someone comes in?" I looked to Race and he nodded, already knowing what I was about to ask him.
"Race can guard the door to the bathroom until we're done. C'mon," I stood and picked him up, walking to the bathroom.
I tried to be as gentle as I could as I helped him, trying to make sure I didn't hit any particularly sore cuts or bruises. It took a while, but eventually we finished, and I carried him back to bed. I laid down beside him and he immediately shuffled against me, clinging onto me as he did before. I put my arms around him, and could feel that he was shaking.
"Hey, you alright?" I asked, and he shook his head, burying his face in my shirt. "What's wrong?"
"I'm scared," he mumbled, trying to move even closer against me.
"What's scarin' you?" He stayed quiet for a moment, seeming as though he was trying not to cry.
"I dunno," was all he said back.
"What if I brought Race in here, hm? He could help you feel a little better, you can talk about everything," I offered, and he moved back from me, nodding. "I'll go get him. Just wait right here and breathe, alright?" He nodded again and I got up slowly, making sure I didn't move too suddenly and send him into a panic attack. I opened the door and Race was conveniently already in the hallway, as he hadn't yet gone to his room to sleep yet. "Hey, Race," I closed the door behind me, smiling. "I really need your help," I asked, and he walked up to me.
"What's goin' on?" He asked, pushing his hair back.
"Crutchie just can't calm down," I explained, and I could see him immediately grow worried. "I mean, usually when I hold him he's able to calm down and feel safe, but it didn't do anything. I don't know what to do." Race smiled kindly at me, trying to hide his worry.
"I'll go talk to him, but don't come in. I'm gonna ask if he wants you in there or not, just because he's extra-sensitive right now." Race walked to the door and opened it gently, and I waited a few seconds before it opened again. "Hey, you can come in," he said, and I followed him. I closed the door and sat down on the bed beside Crutchie, and he immediately shifted over so he was leaning against me. "Tell me what's goin' on."
"I don't..." Crutchie began, his breathing shaky. "I can't stop feeling scared," he spoke quietly, looking down at his hands. I studied him closely as he talked, wanting to catch a panic attack before it actually happened.
"What're you scared of?" Race then asked, and Crutchie took a deep breath.
"I think... I think I'm scared that my Dad might get me again." He was still shaking while he talked, sounding broken. "Every time I wake up, I think I'm back there."
"Remember that one thing that you used to make sure people weren't mad at you?" Crutchie slowly nodded, looking up at Race. "What if you tried that, but with figuring out where you are instead?"
"I hadn't thought of that," he mumbled, and although he had calmed down by now, I could tell something was still up.
"Crutch, somethin' else is bothering you." I said, and he looked up at me. "You aren't listening to the stuff he yelled, are you?" I asked, and he quickly shook his head.
"No no, it's not that," he began, looking back to his hands. "It's just hard for me to not feel annoying." He admitted, growing even quieter. "I know you're both gonna say I'm not, so I'm trying not to think that, but it isn't easy."
"But don't you see that you're already getting better?" Race pointed out, smiling. Crutchie thought for a moment, seeming to realize it as Race spoke. "I know that it probably feels like you aren't makin' any progress and you feel like giving up, but I promise that you're already doin' so much better." He continued, smiling even more.
"Thank you," Crutchie said, smiling weakly at him. Race then got up, smiling at me, too.
"Get some rest. I'm next door if you need anything." Race left without another word, leaving the two of us alone. We laid down and faced one another, and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at him.
"What're you smiling at?" Crutchie teased, making me laugh.
"You," I answered, and he jokingly rolled his eyes. His smile faded quickly, though, and he sighed.
"I want to sell tomorrow," he suddenly said, surprising me.
"What? Crutch I don't think that's a good idea-"
"Please, I can't just sit here all day. If I'm left alone here I'll just start to think and it'll all just... Go downhill from there." He begged, giving me his puppy-eyes.
"Fine, fine. But you've gotta promise that you'll tell me if you need anything. Okay?" He smiled and nodded, scooting in so his forehead was on my chest. I could tell he was falling asleep almost immediately, as he was likely exhausted from the day he had. Before he could fall asleep, though, I kissed him on the forehead, seeing him smile. "I love you," I whispered, and his smile only grew.
"I love you too."
(word count - 2906)