Work Text:
Jaune was half-asleep on the couch, eyes trained lazily on the television, when a loud knock on the door snapped her into the present. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw that it was past eleven. Ross’s bedroom light had gone out over an hour ago. Who was knocking on the door so late at night?
There was more knocking, a steady stream of loud thuds. She dragged herself to her feet, rubbing at her eyes and heading out of the living room. The doorbell started to sound as well, multiple times in a row.
As she stepped into the hallway, she heard Ross’s door creak open. He poked his head out into the hallway. His half-lidded eyes were clouded with sleep and his hair was sticking up in places.
“Go back to bed, sweetheart,” she said softly, but instead he followed her down the hall and towards the front door. Whoever was out there was still knocking and ringing the bell like crazy.
Jaune yawned one last time as she approached the door. She peered out the window, but it was pouring outside and she couldn’t see a thing. She opened the door and peeked outside.
To her surprise, one of Ross’s friends was standing on the steps. He was in the middle of reaching for the doorbell again. His curls hung in his face, sopping wet from the rain.
“Roy?” she heard Ross say from behind her. “What are you doing here?”
Roy looked down. “I was taking a walk and got lost,” he mumbled.
Jaune was confused and unsure of what to say, but stronger than that was her motherly instincts telling her there was a teenage boy standing on her doorstep, soaking wet. She ushered him inside and shut the door.
“Gosh, you’re soaked. You must be freezing!” she exclaimed. “Let’s get this coat off.” She started to reach for his jacket, but he flinched away so violently that she startled back.
Roy stared at her for a second before slowly removing his jacket and clutching it against his chest. His sweater was a little wet, but not nearly as much as the coat.
Jaune hesitated. She spoke again, moving slowly so as not to scare him. “So, where did you come from? You said you were taking a walk?”
“I’m staying at my uncle’s for the weekend,” he explained, looking away. “I just wanted to get out of the house for a bit but I guess I lost track of where I was.”
“Alright, well, let’s call your uncle, okay? Do you know his phone num —”
“No!” Roy interrupted. Ross and Jaune both jumped at his sudden change in volume. He swallowed, not meeting her eyes. “Sorry, I… please don’t call him.”
No one said anything for a second. Jaune was extremely confused, and starting to grow concerned. As the quiet grew, Roy shrunk into himself, hands fidgeting nervously. He wouldn’t look at anyone.
Ross finally broke the silence. “Do you need to stay here tonight?”
Jaune was quick to jump in, nodding her head. “Our house is always open if you need it!”
Roy looked at her hopefully. “I can stay?”
“Of course. Did you think I would leave you on the street?” Jaune laughed nervously. Roy didn’t answer.
She turned on the kitchen light. “Too dark in here, huh?” she said. “Let’s all sit at the table.” She pulled out two chairs for the boys before taking her own seat. Ross sat beside her right away. Roy paused for a second before carefully sitting next to Ross.
“So, Roy, your uncle won’t be mad, will he?” Jaune asked. “That I’m keeping you. He’ll be worried, won’t he? Don’t you think we should call him?” She pulled out her phone.
“Please,” Roy blurted. “I don’t want you to, Mrs. Jaune.”
She studied his expression. He bit his lip nervously, looking down at the table.
“But he needs to know where you’re at. Why don’t you want me to call him?” she pressed gently.
Roy squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head tightly. “Just don’t. Please. He’ll be mad I left.”
Jaune frowned. She didn’t push anymore, but she could tell something was off, and she didn’t like the feeling.
Ross yawned. “I’m cold. Mom, could we make hot chocolate?”
“I think that’s a good idea.” She stood up and pushed her chair in. “Roy, do you want to get out of those wet clothes and take a shower?”
For some reason, Roy seemed to go a little pale when she said that. “My clothes?” he said, voice small.
“You can wear some of my pajamas,” Ross added. “They might be a little big, though.” He stood up as well. “Let me grab you a pair. You remember where the bathroom is, right?”
Roy shook his head quickly. “I don’t need to change, but thanks.”
Jaune looked over from where she was pulling out milk and hot cocoa mix. “You’ll catch a cold!” she told him. “It’s okay if you don’t want to shower, but I’d feel a lot better if you at least changed.”
Roy nodded uneasily. “Okay, Mrs. Jaune.”
Ross looked at him for a second. Without a word, he held a hand out. Roy took it cautiously, letting his friend lead him down the hall.
Jaune busied herself with making the cocoa. She made sure to use Ross’s favorite mug for his — it was pale blue and covered in little sheep. She picked out a yellow one with an apple on it for Roy.
By the time the drinks were done, Ross had reappeared and was sitting at the table. She handed him his mug and sat down beside him, sipping from her own hot chocolate.
“What’s going on?” she asked quietly. “He’s not usually like this, right?”
Ross shook his head. “I’m really worried, Mom.”
Roy was back a few minutes later, looking cozier in Ross’s softest pair of pajamas. Jaune couldn’t help but smile; she was sure Ross had picked those on purpose. He was so kind.
She stood up to take Roy’s wet clothes, giving him a gentle smile. He only looked back at her, eyes a little wide. Slowly, he handed the clothes over. She took them into the laundry room and came back, sliding into her seat.
“Here’s your cocoa!” she said too cheerfully. Roy sat down, inspecting the drink for a moment before pulling it closer. He stared down into the mug for a few seconds.
“It’s good,” Ross told him, and took a big sip. Roy gave a weak smile and took a small sip of his own drink.
They all sat quietly for a few minutes, drinking their hot chocolate. Roy seemed to be slowly relaxing. He still wouldn’t look at Jaune, but he kept shooting Ross little glances and occasionally a small smile. His hair had started to dry as well.
Jaune could tell something was wrong — it wasn’t hard to see. As much as Roy seemed uncomfortable speaking about it, she needed to intervene. It was practically her job. She couldn’t just leave a child alone who needed help.
Finally, she set her mug down and looked at her son’s friend. “Roy,” she said, “I think we all know something is off here. Are you okay? Please don’t be afraid to tell us.”
Roy lowered his head, eyes trained on the wooden table. “I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
Ross touched his shoulder, and he flinched, hard. His hand flailed and accidentally knocked into the mug. Within seconds, it had spilled everywhere, all of the contents spreading across the table and dripping onto the floor.
Roy jumped up in horror. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright!” Jaune assured him. She hurried over to the counter, grabbing the roll of paper towels. She and Ross quickly cleaned up the mess while Roy stood by the table and watched, hands clasped awkwardly in front of his chest.
When they had finished, Jaune turned back to Roy. She froze when he startled at the movement. Looking more closely, she realized he was trembling.
“Oh, sweetheart, are you alright?” she asked softly.
Roy buried his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry,” he said again, words coming out high and shaky. “I made a mess. I’m sorry.”
“I promise it’s okay! We cleaned it up, see?” Jaune gestured toward the table, but Roy wouldn’t look up.
She looked to Ross for help, making eye contact and mouthing wordlessly, What do we do?
Ross took a couple steps closer. “Roy?” he said softly. “We’re not mad, really. We care about you and we’re glad you’re here, but something seems really wrong and we want to help. Can you please let us help you?”
Roy lowered his hands, looking at Ross. “I don’t need help.” His fists were shaking at his chest. He looked warily back and forth between Ross and Jaune. “I’m fine.”
Ross walked over to him. He held his arms out hesitantly, giving Roy time to react. When he didn’t flinch or pull away, Ross gently wrapped him in a hug.
Jaune saw Roy’s face crumple, and suddenly he was crying. He buried his face in Ross’s shoulder and dug his fingernails into the back of his pajama shirt. He started rambling, a cluttered stream of words that was impossible to understand. Ross petted his hair and let him sob into his shirt.
Jaune joined them, wrapping her arms around them both. Roy shifted into her, leaning the side of his head against her chest.
“It’s okay,” she murmured. “Everything’s okay, yeah? You’re totally safe here.”
Ross patted Roy’s shoulder. “You think you can talk to us?”
Roy pulled away from them both, rubbing harshly at his face. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, swallowing. “I don’t — I didn’t mean to just start — I’m just so scared, and I didn’t know where to go, and I didn’t think you guys would let me stay, and I’m so thankful for everything, and I’m sorry I spilled hot cocoa everywhere, and —”
“It’s okay, Roy. We’re here for you.” Jaune rubbed his shoulder. “What’s going on? Will you tell us?”
Roy looked around nervously. “I.. I don’t know, can we — sit down somewhere, maybe?”
“Of course. Let’s go sit on the couch, alright?” Jaune led them into the living room. Roy seemed slightly unsteady on his feet, so Ross grabbed his arm and helped him sit down, sliding up beside him and taking his hand.
They were all quiet for a moment, watching the shitty horror movie on television, while Roy took a few deep breaths and gathered his thoughts.
“I don’t think I can say it,” he groaned finally, covering his face with his hands. “I feel sick.”
“It’s okay, Roy. Take your time.” Ross squeezed his hand. Jaune gave him an encouraging smile.
“It’s — You know my uncle? He, um. When I’m staying at his house, sometimes he — Well, usually he —” He paused, squeezing his eyes shut. “It’s — It’s hard to talk about.”
“Do you want to cover your face?” Ross asked, holding up the brown blanket thrown over the couch.
Roy seemed to consider it, but he shook his head. “No, I can do it. He, um.” Roy blinked a few times. “He —”
His hand was shaking under Ross’s fingers. Jaune could feel the way his shoulders were stiff against her arm.
“He, like.” Roy sucked in a deep breath. “Touches me, and. Stuff.”
Jaune froze, eyes going wide. She saw Ross’s eyebrows raise in surprise on the other side of Roy.
“He does other stuff too,” Roy continued. “He’s been doing it since I was little, but I never get used to it. It’s so scary. It makes me feel disgusting.”
“Roy,” Ross said softly. He leaned into him, rubbing his hand gently. “You should have told us.”
Roy blinked again, eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice cracking. “It’s just so hard to talk about, and he’s always threatening me and telling me not to say anything to anyone.” He took a shaky breath. “Fuck, I — I think I’m gonna puke.”
Jaune and Ross were quick to their feet, helping Roy off the couch. He swayed dangerously to the right, almost bumping into Jaune. She caught him by the arm to steady him.
Roy inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. “I’m okay. Sorry. I’m okay. We can sit back down.”
Jaune and Ross still insisted on helping. They lowered him onto the couch and sat beside him.
“He’s going to be so mad,” Roy continued. “I wasn’t supposed to leave but I’d already been there for a day and I just had to get out. Even when he doesn’t do anything, the whole place is so overwhelming and I’m constantly scared it’s going to start any second.” Roy pulled his legs up onto the couch, hugging his knees. “I don’t want to go back. Don’t make me go back.”
Jaune placed a hand on his back. He flinched slightly but allowed her to keep it there. She rubbed his back gently. “Have you told your parents?”
“They won’t care. I tried to tell them when I was younger and they wouldn’t believe me. Even if they did believe me, they’d find a way to say it was my fault.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Jaune promised. “I will do whatever I need to, okay? We’re going to get that man arrested, I swear.”
Roy looked up and gave her a grateful smile. He leaned over, head falling to sit on Jaune’s shoulder. She almost jumped in surprise. Smiling, she beckoned to Ross. He stood up, walking around to her other side and snuggling against her shoulder as well.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” she murmured, carding her fingers through both their hair.
They set to watching the horror movie, which was nearing its end. It was boring and had terrible effects, but Ross actually seemed a little invested, so Jaune decided not to change the channel. She looked down at the boys beside her and felt a swell of affection for them in her chest.
She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Roy didn’t come here. If he would ever have gotten the help he needed. She felt a strong need to protect him, almost as if he were her own child, and she was glad he had eventually opened up to them. She couldn’t imagine what he must go through and how he must feel.
Both boys were starting to doze off beside her. Roy was the first to fall asleep, head lolling forward and breathing evening out. It was the most peaceful she had seen him all night. Ross was next, cuddling into her as he drifted off. Jaune hugged them both closer and smiled down at them.
The credits began to roll on the television. She reached for the remote, shutting the TV off and plunging the room into a cozy darkness. She pulled the blanket over them all and leaned back, letting her eyes fall closed. She would normally be going to sleep around this time anyway, but somehow the events of the night had made it feel so much later, and she suddenly realized she was exhausted.
As she started to drift off, she felt Roy snuggling into her in his sleep. She gave him a gentle squeeze back. Tomorrow would present a lot of problems to deal with, but for now, it was time to get some rest. She had a feeling he’d had a long day.
With her last thought being that she forgot to finish her hot cocoa, Jaune fell asleep with a smile on her face and her boys beside her.