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Lucas coughed and groaned, forcing his eyes open.
His vision was blurry, but he could make out two faces looming over him with red and blue lights flashing behind them.
One of them said something, but he could barely hear it.
They helped him sit up and he leaned against the wall of what he realized was the inside of a truck.
One of the two people wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and he brought a hand to his head, becoming even more dizzy and disoriented when he saw the blood on his fingers.
"E-excuse me... what's going on?" he asked, his voice weak and shaky. "And where's my dad...?"
"Hey, kid, what's your name?" a girl with orange hair asked, looking nervous.
"Do you have another parent or guardian we can call to meet us at the hospital while we get you checked out?" asked the other guy.
Lucas shakily stood up and took a few steps forward, trying not to stumble. "My mom, but what about my-"
That's when he saw two men wheeling away a tray.
What was on the tray was mostly covered, but Lucas could see a hand.
He recognized that watch.
He gasped. "Dad?!"
-
"You killed him!" his mother screamed, landing a hit square on his jaw, making him cry out.
"You're a murderer!" she yelled again, hitting him repeatedly.
Then, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and jerked him forward. "It should have been you!"
-
Lucas shot awake, his breathing coming in short and uneven gasps. He tugged on his hair, trying to clear his head and forget the memories.
Forget his mom.
It should have been me. He would still be here.
He curled up in a tight ball and began sobbing, gripping his hair so tightly it burned his scalp.
"Hey, hey, Luke, you're okay,"
Lucas looked up, recognizing Thomas' kind voice. But he couldn't calm down. He remembered it all so vividly.
God, if he just wasn't here...
Thomas tried to carefully take Lucas' hand away from his hair. "You're hurting yourself, baby." He whispered, trying not to overwhelm him. "Can you hear me?"
Lucas nodded, squeezing his eyes shut and trying not to cry.
He wasn't supposed to cry. He didn't deserve to.
He shifted closer to Thomas, burying his face in his stomach.
His throat burned trying to hold back his sobs, and his whole body shook.
"Breathe, Lucas. You're gonna be okay. I promise. Just breathe."
Lucas tried taking a few deep breaths, but it wasn't enough. He was becoming lightheaded from the lack of oxygen.
Thomas gently rubbed his back, taking long, audible breaths so that Lucas could match his breathing patterns.
It took a while, but Lucas managed to breathe, somewhat, normally. It still stuttered every so often from sobs.
Thomas gently played with Luke's hair, giving him a small smile. "Better?"
Lucas nodded and sat up a little more, leaning into Thomas' side. "Y-yeah," he said weakly. "Thanks..."
Thomas pressed a kiss to his head. "No need to thank me, Sunshine. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Lucas shook his head.
"Not even a song?" Thomas offered, smiling in a way that calmed Lucas down. He even smiled back a little.
Then it faded. "Sorry I woke you, Thomas. I just- had a nightmare."
Thomas nodded, smiling sympathetically. "I know, Luke. But you're not there anymore. You never even have to speak to her again if you don't want to. Do you wanna call Maria?"
Lucas shook his head again.
"Wanna see if we can get you an appointment with Nova tomorrow?"
Lucas took a deep, shaky breath and nodded. "Y-yeah. That'd probably be best."
"Hey, look at me, please."
Lucas turned his head to look at him properly. He was still crying, but he looked a lot calmer than before.
Thomas smiled and cupped his cheek, gently rubbing his thumb along Lucas' cheek bone, then he leaned in and kissed him softly.
Lucas let out a sigh, letting his eyes fall shut.
Thomas pulled away and gave him a small smile before kissing his forehead and standing up. "I'll be right back," he promised. "I just gotta grab something."
Lucas nodded and watched as Thomas opened the door and left the bedroom. He returned a moment later, carrying a red note book and his guitar.
Lucas smiled and scooted over, tucking his knees up to his chest and making sure Thomas had enough room.
Thomas smiled and sat down, positioning his guitar on his lap and opening the note book when his hands were free. "Which one do you wanna do?"
"Hmm," Lucas scooted a little closer and flipped through the pages. "C-can you do the one you did for our date?"
Thomas stroked the strings, making sure it was in tune. "Just the guitar parts?"
Lucas nodded; Thomas smiled, flipping to the right page, then he began playing.
Lucas smiled and leaned his head against Thomas' shoulder. It always made him feel so loved and spoiled whenever he would play a song for him, especially one that Thomas wrote for him.
There was still a small part of himself that believed he didn't deserve it, but Thomas had seen the ugly parts of him. And yet, he still loved him. Not in spite of his flaws. Because of them. Lucas loved every time Thomas kissed his scars because it always reminded him of that.
Thomas played the last chord and grinned at Lucas. "How was that?"
Lucas smiled and leaned forward, kissing him. "Great. Thanks, Tommy."
Thomas smiled and wrapped Lucas in a hug. "It's around six-thirty. We've got classes soon." He mumbled. "Wanna watch a show on the couch? I'm pretty sure a new episode of The Exorcist's Bracelet came out."
Lucas' face lit up and he nodded eagerly. "For sure! I've been waiting for that! I didn't even know a new episode came out."
Thomas smiled and stood up, offering a hand to Lucas and pulling him up. "Let's go get it started, then. We should have enough time to watch it, get ready, and we can grab some food on our way to campus."
Lucas nodded and pulled the blanket off the bed, wrapping it around himself. "I'll make the nest while you turn it on."
Thomas pouted as they walked out of the room. "Aw, man! Are my nesting skills really that bad?"
Lucas nodded sagely. "Unfortunately, yes. Your nesting skills could still use some work. We'll need to practice."
Thomas smirked. "Does that mean more anime?"
Lucas grinned and nodded.
"Yiss~!"
Lucas laughed and plopped down on the couch, setting up the pillows as Thomas grabbed the remote and flitted through the streaming services until he found the right one and put in the name of the show.
Episode 48: The Soliloquy (Part 1)
Lucas bundled himself up in his blanket, making a face at the TV. "I don't like the sound of that. There's gonna be a cliffhanger!" he groaned.
Thomas smirked and sat next to him. "Probably. But like you said, we can just binge other shows to fill the crippling void while we wait for the next episode."
Lucas rolled his eyes and leaned into Thomas' side, draping the blanket over his shoulder and pulling him closer.
Thomas pressed "play" and snuggled up in the blanket. "You're so warm, dude," He smiled. "You're like my own personal heater."
Lucas balled his fists in the blanket and grinned excitedly. "Shut up, it's starting!"
Thomas laughed and pressed a kiss to Thomas' head.
He was going to be okay.