forum 30 Days [One-on-One, TRIGGER WARNING, open]

Started August 02, 2019 by @WriteOutofTime

tune

Lucas cried out in pain when his father struck him, shaking violently. His father kept yelling incoherently in his drunken stupor, not letting up. The door was unlocked.

With a deepening frown, Tyler tried the door knob. It turned easily and flew open. "Hello? Lucas?"

Lucas was curled up on the ground with his arms covering his face when Tyler came in. He couldn't hear him over his father's yelling.

Tyler had one advatantage when it came to fights. He knew to always use the element of suprise. Without hesitation, he charged towards Lucas's father, wrapping his arms around the other man's torso and tackling him to the ground. He yelled unintelligibly, his anger almost too much to bear. He wanted to beat the man senseless.

Lucas looked up when Tyler burst in, his eyes wide with shock and fear. He was trembling, and he seemed unable to move. "T… Tyler…?" He asked weakly, though too quiet for anyone to hear over the commotion.

Lucas's dad smelled like booze and sweat. He tossed Tyler like he weighed nothing and pinned him to the floor, his hand around his neck. "Who the fuck is this?" he slurred, glaring at his son. Tyler struggled against him.

"Dad, let go of him! P-Please!" Lucas cried desperately, forcing himself to get up so he could go over and try to pull his father off. The man easily tossed him aside. "H-He's of no concern to you, dad, let him go!"

His father slammed his other fist into Tyler's face. "Tell 'im to get the fuck out of family business then," he spat.

"Dad, stop it!" Lucas got up again, grabbing the back of his father's shirt to drag his attention away from Tyler.

His dad slowly pulled himself off of Tyler, turning to face his son again. He waved his hand threateningly. "Touch me again," he warned, slowly walking towards him. "You won't disrepect me in my house, under my roof, damn it!"

Lucas stepped back until he hit the wall, which he cowered against. "I-I live here too, and… and he's my friend, a-and… um…" He argued weakly, his voice hardly audible.

"Friend, huh?" his father slurred. "Whaddya want me to do, jus let him beat me up? Let him toss your old dad around, is that what you want?" He was sobering up a little, perhaps from the hit Tyler had dealt. He glanced at Tyler, then at Lucas. "Get the hell out. Both of you."

"Y-Yes, sir…" Lucas ran, stumbling a bit from the injuries he'd sustained. He quickly grabbed his sketchbook and Tyler's arm and bolted out the door. By the time they got out, he was shaking like a leaf in a tornado and his eyes were wide with fear. "I… I-I'm… so… sorry…" He stammered weakly.

Tyler rubbed blood from his nose, his jaw clenching. "Don't apologize to me. Are you okay?" he asked in a subdued voice, his throat tight from anger. He wanted nothing more than to take Lucas far away from his father, and for his father to go to prison for a long time, but he didn't want to spook Lucas.

"Um…" Lucas looked down at his trembling figure, feeling fresh bruises blossoming under his clothes. His nose was bleeding a bit as well. "I-I think so… uh… physically, at least…" He hadn't broken anything, so he considered himself to be overall fine.

He took a deep breath, his eyes stinging. "Lucas," he said in a gentle voice, "I…I don't know how to help you or what to say, but that's not right. That bastard shouldn't ever lay a hand on you. You know that, don't you?"

Lucas looked away, drawing his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly. "I… I-I know, it's just… h-he's all I have left…" A couple tears rolled down his cheeks and he quickly brushed them away. No! You can't be weak! He scolded himself. "T-The rest of my family is… is… um… g-gone, and I c… c-can't lose someone else…"

Tyler hesitantly reached out a hand and laid it softly on Lucas's shoulder. "I'm sorry. But he's not acting much like family. I understand that you still care about him, though, but that doesn't mean you have to live around him and let him hurt you. You can care about him from a distance."