Chapter Text
Shawn, wiping sleep from his eyes, groggily plopped down the stairs, awaiting the smell of John's infamous chocolate chip pancakes.
"Hey, buddy. How was your sleep?" John smiled so wide that it made his entire face glow. His cheeriness was almost too much for Shawn. Shawn was not a morning person.
"Whatever."
"Last time I checked, 'whatever' is not a descriptive word. I was looking for, I don't know, something like 'good' or 'so-so'." John smirked at his own wit.
"John, I'm just tired, okay?" Shawn sat on the stool in front of the island. He rolled his eyes and sighed as he picked up a chocolate chip pancake and took a ravenous bite from it.
"Have you ever heard of a plate? C'mon, Shawn, you know better than that." John placed a plate in front of Shawn, trying to hold back his own annoyance. They exchanged irritated glances. "And once you're finished, I expect to see all of your homework in my hand. I won't let you go to school with homework half-done."
Shawn groaned, then stuffed the remainder of the floppy pancake in his mouth. He rolled his eyes again but gave John a thumbs up to humor him. John jokingly lunged at Shawn, making him startle and dart up the stairs. He chuckled to himself as he finished up his own breakfast. "Teenagers and their 'tudes."
Shawn, combing his wavy hair, stood frowning at himself in the mirror, displeased about everything, especially having to go to school and fake a smile while everyone else just floats through life without a care. A stroke of realization hit him. "Who says I have to go to school? John's not my dad. Hell, I'm my own man! Yeah...Yeah..." Shawn suddenly lit up with excitement and gathered a few essentials for the road. He checked the clock. "Oh no. I better go now, or it'll be never." Shawn had finally found a way to hike himself out the window and down the multi-story apartment building, with some old-fashioned rope.
Yes. Freedom at last.
Without a second thought, Shawn hopped on John's motorcycle and tossed the helmet to the curb. Wow. That worked. I'm shocked that John didn't hear the sound of me speeding off. I guess I didn't really look...Oh well, off to find my real dad. He thought.
He felt such a rush, being able to control where he would end up. The wind made his hair dance on end, and he howled with exhilaration at the thought that he actually got away with something, especially something this big, right under John's nose.
After what seemed like an eternity, Shawn realized too late that the motorcycle needed gas. Crap. What now? Think...Before he could think of a solution, he heard sirens behind him. F*ck. He let his adrenaline kick in and began to run as fast as his legs could take him. Unfortunately, legs are no match for wheels.
"Nice try. Now, turn around, and hands on your head!" Shawn didn't get a good look at the police officer, but he didn't need to. He knew what kind of mood this guy was in, and it wasn't a good one. Not wanting to ruffle any feathers or get tazed, he surrendered and listened to the orders.
"Um...officer? I-"
"Zip it, kid. I can already tell what kind of person you are. I bet you're some teen who thinks he can get away with murder. Well, you can't. Are you authorized to drive this bike? Let me see your license and registration."
Shawn paused.
"No? Nothing? Alright, you're coming with me."
"No! Where?!"
"To the station, kid, and I suggest you keep your mouth shut. You're already in waaay over your head. I will be calling your parents."
Shawn looked at the ground in fear and shock as the officer patted him down, handcuffed him, escorted him to the vehicle, then ducked him down in the back seat.
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The police station was surprisingly crowded, mostly with drunks and traffic-ticket violations. It was stuffy and dimly lit, almost as if it were some horror movie.
"Sit and stay put," The officer sneered. Shawn nodded and sat in one of the cold, hard chairs against the equally cold, hard wall.
A rumbling voice echoed from across the room, making Shawn jump. "Dad? Really?" His jaw dropped, and he scoffed to see his own father drunk as a sailor, cussing at the deputy. What a surprise...not. All logical thinking suspended, Shawn leapt out from his seat and jogged over to his dad. "What the- what are you doing here?"
"Shawn? Shawnee boy! How are you doin'? Hey, officer, that's my son! He's come to bail me out!"
Shawn lifted his wrists to reveal a matching set of handcuffs. "Um...I'm in the same boat as you. Sorry..."
"Well, you two are quite the pair," The officer mocked. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Officer, will you let me go? I didn't really do anything that illegal. Besides, then I can take that big dope off your hands," Shawn begged.
"Um...No. That's not how this works. How about you two sit, and I will go make some calls? Officer Shirley, keep an eye on these two." An officer with curly, blonde hair stood next to the father and son, taking the place of the former officer.
Shawn felt so conflicted, so confused. Wasn't his dad supposed to be his role model? It didn't feel right seeing his dad in that drunken state. "Dad, I-"
"S-so, hooow in the world did you end up here, son?"
"Well, I borrowed Jonathan Turner's bike for the day, but it ran out of gas. By luck, I got caught by the cops and dropped here. Look, the whole point of this trip was just to see you. I guess I succeeded. I just...I needed to see you again."
"No. I told you, kid. I'm no good. I better not be seeing you here again. As soon as John comes, ya better go on home with him. I never wanted you to see me like this, not again."
Shawn, letting his frustration take over, began to raise his voice. "Why? Why are you always like this? Why don't you care enough about me to visit me? I just want to see you, dad!" Tears welled in his eyes, and like a child, he let out huge sobs. "I just want to be a family, and you won't give a sh*t!"
"Shawn?" A weak voice managed to interrupt the fiasco. John couldn't bear to see Shawn in the state he was in.
"John? How'd you get here?"
"Oh, I hitchhiked with Feeny, since you took my bike...but don't worry. We'll talk about that later."
"Just go home, John. I'm staying here with dad." Shawn latched himself onto his dad's arm, against the officer's warnings. The officer tried to pry him off without using brute force.
"It's okay, officer. Shawn is staying with me. Isn't that right, Chet?" John interjected.
"Yes, Shawn is to stay with this man. Shawn, go with John now. C'mon, go on," Chet said. Shawn once again refused and gripped his arm tighter. He didn't care that his dad was a drunken mess, and even abusive at times. Chet was his dad.
He locked eyes with John, and he knew deep down inside that he had to go back home with him, to stop running. He knew John was a better man, a man he could trust and come to with anything, but still, Shawn couldn't let go, until Chet pushed him down forcefully. "Shoo, kid! I won't say it again!" That angry shove somehow knocked him to his senses. He tried to blink back a flood of tears as he watched his dad slowly stumble away.
"Shawn, come with me. Let me help you up." John grimaced as he realized how broken Shawn must've felt. He helped him up and embraced him before he could protest or try to run away again. No more words were exchanged. The combination of the simple silence and the warmth from John's arms seemed to make Shawn feel safe and appreciated, for the first time in his life. It felt right. Maybe he was where he was supposed to be.
After a half an hour of paperwork, John led him to his motorcycle. "It's a bit of a distance. You sure you can make the ride tonight? Would you rather ride with Feeny?" John asked.
"No, I'll be fine." Shawn said, almost robotically.
"Alright, let's go home." John had a sinking feeling that they would have a long road ahead of them, both literally and figuratively, but he realized then that it wasn't the time for lecturing or for mending; it was the time for mourning.
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John couldn't sleep at all that night, so instead, he tortured himself as he kept a close eye on Shawn. He was secretly afraid that Shawn would try to sneak out again or harm himself in some way. The poor thing. He's been through so much, too much, at such a young age. And there's really nothing I can do to ease his pain. He thought.
He carefully stood up and crept toward the bedroom door to leave, but he wasn't sneaky enough.
Shawn bolted up in bed. "John? What the h*ll are you doing in my room? That is so creepy!"
“I-Look, I was just checking up on you, K? You gave me quite the scare today."
"Well, you got your baby home safe, so that's all that matters," Shawn said sarcastically.
"You mean my motorcycle? Kid, I don't care at all about that thing, not nearly as much as I care about you." John sat on the edge of Shawn's bed, despite his protests. "Look at me for a second. I’m here, and I'm not going nowhere, got it? Please don't leave like that again. Things could've gone way worse today. And no helmet? You should be glad you're alive. A motorcycle is not a toy. I didn't want to lecture you 'caus I know you've had a rough day, but you made some pretty awful choices today that need to be addressed. I get why you left, to go see your dad, but I would've taken you if you had just asked. Instead, you went behind my back and got in trouble with the cops. What the h*ll were you thinking?"
"I-"
"And I will let you go back to sleep, but I want to give you fair warning that we will pick this conversation back up tomorrow, bright and early. You need to learn safety, and a whole lot of other things, that unfortunately weren't taught to you before."
"Hey! Don't talk about Chet like that. He did his best."
"I'm sure he did, but I don't want to see you ending up like him, Shawn. I want you to rise above the hand you've been dealt. Please, trust me when I say I won't let you ruin your life. Things are going to change drastically around here now that you're stuck with me."
Shawn groaned at John's last statement. "Whatever you say, John. Can you not watch me as I sleep? I kind of like my space."
"Can I trust you to not sneak out again?"
"Fine."
"Okay, we have a deal." John smirked as he tussled Shawn's hair. "G'night, kiddo. I'll see you in the morning then."
"Yeah, okay."
John started to leave, but stopped at the door. "Hey, Shawn? I hope it's not weird to say this, or too soon, but...I love ya. I wanted you to know that."
Shawn pretended not to hear it, even though he knew John did, and he was thankful he did. "Did you hear me?"
"Ditto." Shawn chuckled and began to doze off as John shut the door behind him.