Chapter Text
Jason knew he was building himself a house of cards that would inevitably come crashing down. He knew if his parents ever found out about his life outside this house, he'd probably never be able to leave it again.
A lot had changed for him. He got closer to Craig. He started being more open about everything out there, including his sexuality. He'd started dating someone for the first time. He'd found a family that actually loved him.
He knew the risk that came with all of this, but he didn't care anymore. He was finally happy.
But tonight was when it all came crashing down.
It was during a rare family dinner at Jason's house. Usually, Jason and his parents all ate dinner in separate rooms, but they would occasionally eat dinner together. Mostly, this was just a way they could make sure Jason was living in a way that was acceptable to them, maintaining proper table manners and occasionally asking questions to make sure his grades were high. No matter how well Jason maintained himself or how well he was doing in school, they still always found things to complain about.
Jason just sat there and tried his best, though, until he felt his phone vibrate.
Admittedly, as time went on, he started getting a bit careless about his other life. He was less careful about how often he slept over at Craig's house. He didn't try as hard to hide the things the Williams family gave him.
And, while he still deleted any possibly incriminating text messages at the end of each day, he was a bit less careful about where he actually responded to these texts.
So, if he was sitting in the living room and Craig or Nicole texted him to make sure he was doing ok, he would actually respond there now instead of waiting until he got to his room.
Even here, he just wanted to be sure it wasn't something urgent from Craig or Nicole. So, he tried to be as stealthy as he could as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and read the message.
He saw that it was from Angel. It read: "I hope you're having something nice and filling for dinner. Not just something small again."
Jason had first started talking to Angel last year, right before winter had started. Jason was finishing up a bag of chips he'd gotten from the trading tree. As he got up to properly dispose of the chip bag, though, he noticed a piece of paper fall out of his pocket.
That was weird. Jason hadn't put any paper in his pockets. Someone must've slipped in in there while he was busy trying to convince Kit to accept a "wilderness survival tip" as a trade.
Reading the paper, it instructed Jason to come to the Creek Daycare just before the dinner horn.
That seemed random to him. The only kid Jason thought would ask him to come to the Creek Daycare was Angel, considering they ran it.
But, Jason didn't really know them. He knew of them, had seen them around, had helped Angel once or twice when there was a problem with one of the younger kids, but that was as far as their interactions went.
Still, Jason had to admit, he was curious what exactly was waiting for him at the Creek Daycare. So, he set an alarm for 4:30 and went about his day: spending some time with Craig and the Stump Gang, spending some time with Tony and Boris. Then, when his phone went off at 4:30, he went over to the Creek Daycare. Luckily, since he'd told Tony and Boris about the note, they stayed in the area surrounding the daycare, so it only took Jason about five minutes to walk there.
When he got there, he saw Angel and another kid who seemed somewhere between the ages of Angel and the younger kids getting everyone ready to go.
Jason called Angel over and told them about the note he'd received telling him to come to the Creek Daycare, which Angel confirmed was from them. They told Jason they could talk in their office, leaving the other kid (Angel called him Lil Chris) in charge.
Once the two were in Angel's office, they admitted they'd asked Jason here because they'd been admiring Jason from afar for some time and had finally worked up the nerve to confess how they felt.
This came as a shock to Jason. He had no idea someone liked him like that, let alone someone he really didn't know all that well. It was overwhelming, but also a little exciting.
Jason considered just telling Angel he was flattered but not interested, but he knew these feelings were just coming from a place of fear: a fear of being vulnerable to yet another person, of having another secret to keep from his parents that might be exposed. And, if he was brave enough to come out to Craig and his family, he was brave enough to give this a try.
So, Jason told Angel that he thought they seemed nice and wanted to get to know them better, adding on he wanted to take things between them a bit slow at first since this was his first relationship. He was worried he might already scare Angel off with that admission, but luckily they understood.
So, that's exactly what the two did at first. They hung out and talked.
They alternated between Jason coming to the daycare and Angel leaving Lil Chris in charge so the two could walk through the Creek.
While they talked, they found out they had a lot in common. They liked a lot of the same shows, they had similar favorite movies, they had similar senses of humor (turns out Angel could be very funny and liked making other people laugh). Even in wats they differed, they still contrasted well. Angel introduced Jason to some really good indie music and Jason helped Angel gain a newfound appreciation for some mainstream artists.
And Jason couldn't ignore the butterflies that started forming in his stomach whenever he talked to Angel.
They shared their first kiss around the beginning of December.
Jason was helping Angel clean everything up after all the younger kids had left. Lil Chris hadn't come in that day, staying home on account of the flu, so it was the just the two of them.
As Jason was walking out of Angel's office after putting the art supplies away, Angel asked Jason to look up. Jason complied and saw Angel had put up mistletoe over the door frame. Jason then realized Angel had moved in front of him, so they were standing under the mistletoe together.
Angel assured Jason he didn't have to feel pressured to do anything he didn't want to. But Jason was ready.
So, he leaned forward and gave Angel a quick kiss on the lips. He stayed close, trying to let Angel know he was ok doing it again if they wanted.
Angel picked up on what Jason was trying to say as they placed their hand on the back of Jason's head and brought them in for a longer, but still gentle, kiss.
After that, they were officially dating.
Things started out pretty much the same as before, just them talking and hanging out, maybe some kissing every now and again.
Then, as the weeks went on, they both started performing romantic gestures towards each other. Angel would bring snacks for Jason so he didn't have to desperately try and find things to trade with Kit. Jason would do things like set up a romantic lunch at the Ninja Garden Waterfall that would end with them dancing (Jason had chosen Send Me An Angel to be their song, since he considered Angel to be an actual angel sent to him).
He was so thankful for whatever force sent Angel to him because he didn't think he could ever have a romance that felt this good.
Back to the present, Jason knew he should probably just wait and text Angel after dinner. He knew there were risks if he got caught, but he couldn't help himself. Talking to Angel always made him feel so giddy, gave him butterflies. Plus, he did want to reassure Angel he was having a good dinner.
So, he texted: "Yes. Stepmom actually cooked tonight. At table right now."
Jason hoped that would subtly let Angel know he couldn't text too much right now without coming across as rude. He kept his phone out to make sure Angel saw his text, which his phone showed they did.
Right as Jason was about to put his phone away, Angel sent another message, this one saying: "Good. See you tomorrow at the Creek. ❤️"
Once he saw the heart at the end, Jason couldn't help but smile.
"Jason, who are you texting at the dinner table," Jason's stepmom questioned, "That is very rude."
Oh no. He'd been caught.
No need to panic yet though. He'd prepared answers in case of situations like this.
"Sorry," Jason apologized, putting his phone away, "I have a project due in school soon, and my partners are just trying to coordinate a day we can all work together."
"You were smiling a lot for texting about a project," Jason's stepmom pointed out.
Oh no. He could still fix this.
"Yeah, one of them was sending these memes in the chat," Jason explained, "I tried to ignore them. Sorry."
"You'd better not do that again," Jason's stepmom accepted, "Especially outside this house. If you were at a business lunch, they wouldn't be as forgiving as me and your Father."
"Yes ma'am," Jason responded.
Well, that was a close one. Jason would certainly have to go back to being more careful.
"Let me see your phone," Jason's dad stated.
Oh no.
"Huh," Jason stammered.
"I think you're hiding something," Jason's dad elaborated, "Let me see your phone."
This was not good. There had to be something Jason could do to stop this.
"Dad," Jason pleaded, "I promise I won't text at the table again. I just-"
"I'm not going to ask again," Jason's dad demanded.
What else could he do? He was stuck. He couldn't try and talk his way out of it; his dad would just take his phone by force. He couldn't run; his dad would just catch him. All he could do was give his dad his phone.
The seconds that passed as Jason's dad started reading through Jason's texts felt like minutes. Honestly, the worst part was that Jason couldn't read the expression on his dad's face. His dad was usually an open book when it came to his disinterest or dissatisfaction with him, but this blank expression really was killing him.
"Who the hell is Angel," Jason's dad growled, "You'd better say your girlfriend."
There it was.
He had an out. There actually wasn't anything in those texts that indicated Angel's gender. So, he could lie and just say Angel was a girl.
But, no. He couldn't. Regardless of the consequences, Jason cared about Angel too much to misgender them like that.
"They're actually non binary," Jason admitted.
Jason had never seen his dad get that angry before.
In reality, the time that passed between this and Jason being carted to his room was about five minutes. But to Jason, it felt like hours.
For all the ways his parents had neglected him while also demanding perfection out of him, they'd never laid a hand on him before. They'd never called him words they'd only muttered under their breath before. Until now.
Jason thought he knew how bad things would get if his parents found out about any of the things he did outside the house, but he was wrong.
When it was over, Jason had a black eye, bruised ribs, and a laceration on his shoulder. His dad then grabbed him from underneath the shoulders, took him to his room, threw him inside, and slammed the door shut, leaving Jason alone and unsure about what exactly his dad would do in the morning.
This was it. The moment he truly couldn't take it anymore. He was going to do something he hadn't even considered in a long time.
About a year ago, Jason was feeling the lowest he'd ever felt. His parents had just spent almost an hour reprimanding him for what they deemed to be an unacceptable report card. He was reminded that he needed to do better, that he was just a disappointment, that he'd never amount to anything if he didn't buckle down and work harder.
As many times as Jason had previously heard this lecture, it really hurt him this time. All he could think about was how many times he's heard this now, how his parents would probably never be proud of him, how he was tired of feeling like this. He was just tired of it all.
So, when his parents went to bed, he snuck down to the kitchen, found a knife, and brought it back to his room. He couldn't think about anything else in his life, anything that might make him want to stay. He just wanted the pain to stop.
Just before the knife could touch his skin, though, Jason was taken out of his trance by the sound of his phone going off. He looked and saw it was Craig, asking if Jason was still coming over to study tomorrow.
And then, Jason remembered the actual good things he had in his life. The friends he'd made. The actual good times he had at the Creek. The support he got from Craig and his family.
There would actually be people who would be upset if he never showed up to the Creek again.
He sent a brief reply to Craig confirming he'd be there and then just sat on his bed, thinking.
Jason couldn't believe he'd almost done what he'd done.
He knew he had to put the knife away, he couldn't let himself be tempted like this again. But, he couldn't bring himself to throw it out or put it back in the kitchen. He could deal with his home life right now if it meant not hurting Craig or his family, but if things got worse...
So, he hid the knife in one of his drawers, where his Dad would hopefully never find it.
But, now, any thoughts of how Craig, Nicole, Duane, Jessica, Bernard, or anybody else would be hurt by Jason's actions were forgotten. All he could think about was that knife.
So, he ran to his dresser and opened the drawer, but instead of a knife, he felt paper.
That's when he remembered the other thing he kept in that drawer.
He slowly reached further in and pulled out the Williams family Christmas card Nicole and Duane had given him, the one he was in.
The night they'd shown him that card was one of the happiest nights of his life. After they sent the card out to everyone, Jason asked for a personal copy so he could always remember the Christmas season they'd spent together, which they were more than happy to give.
This was another thing his parents could never find out about, so he hid it in that same drawer, completley forgetting about the knife he already had hidden in there.
Seeing that Christmas card made Jason remember all over again that there were people who cared about him now, who loved him and he loved too, people who would be sad if he did something severe.
But, unlike before, Jason didn't think he could live through this. Either he'd get more of what happened tonight or he'd have to put himself back in the closet. And the thought of living through either of those just made him miserable.
So, Jason came to a conclusion: he was done with what his parents thought of him. He was done trying to live in a way that would make them happy. He was just done with them.
There was another family that cared more about him and what made him happy than his own parents ever did. He didn't need them.
And just thinking that already made Jason feel lighter. Like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
But, he still had to actually leave first before he could officially be done with them.
Fine. Jason would rather live on the streets than stay with his parents any longer.
But, maybe he didn't have to. The number of times they've let him stay the night, he decided to see if Nicole and Duane would let him stay at their house for the night. Hopefully they didn't ask questions he didn't really feel like answering right now.
He grabbed his overnight scout bag and started packing. He shoved whatever he could fit in there: shirts, pants, socks, underwear. Once he packed as much as he could, he got a rope from his camping supplies, tied it to his bed, and used it to climb out the window onto the ground below. It was already dark, but he knew it wasn't late enough for Craig and Jessica to be in bed yet.
After making it out to his backyard, Jason decided to jump over the fence and go through the Creek to Craig's house. It took a while, but he thought it'd be safer than going along the main road where someone else might see him.
When Jason got to the house, he rang the doorbell. He wasn't sure who he would rather answer the door; Craig would ask him questions, but he would also just take him right to his room so he didn't have to face Nicole and Duane yet. He really wanted their comfort right now, but he also didn't want them to see him like this.
Of course, Nicole would be the one to answer the door. She didn't get a great look at Jason yet and was just shocked to see him come over later than he usually did.
"Jason," Nicole questioned, "What are you doing here? Is everything ok?"
"Who is it," Duane asked from inside the house.
"It's Jason," Nicole answered.
"Huh," Duane stuttered, "Hold on."
As Nicole waited for Duane to get up and come to the door, she started noticing things about Jason. Like the overstuffed overnight bag he was carrying. And how disheveled he looked. And the black eye he had.
"Hey Big Jay," Duane greeted once he got to the door, "Everything alright?"
And then Duane noticed everything about Jason Nicole had already noticed as he awkwardly fidgeted on their doorstep, trying to work up the courage to say anything.
Honestly, he didn't really have to say anything for them to have an idea as to why he was at their door after dark with an overnight bag and a black eye, considering everything they knew about his parents.
"Um," Jason stammered, "I'm sorry this is so last minute, but would it be OK if I stayed here tonight?"
"Of course," Nicole insisted, "Come in. Come in."
Jason nodded and staggered into the house, Duane closing the door behind him.
"Jason," Nicole questioned, getting on one knee to look Jason in the eye, "Is it OK if I ask how exactly you got like this?"
"Um..." Jason stammered, still not ready to talk about this yet.
"Who was at the door," Craig asked as he came in from the kitchen. He then noticed Jason and the state he was in.
"Oh my God," Craig cried out, "Jason, are you OK?"
"Craig," Nicole deterred, "Don't overwhelm him."
"No, it's OK," Jason corrected, "I'm fine now. I just...think I need to get some sleep right now."
"Alright," Craig agreed, walking Jason to the stairs, "Do you need help with your bag?"
"No, it's OK," Jason reassured, "I got it."
"Jason, wait," Nicole called out, still attempting to sound gentle. Jason turned around, unsure what she was about to say.
"Listen," Nicole stated, "We don't know exactly what happened, and we're not going to pry until you're ready, but you can stay here as long as you need to. OK?"
"OK," Jason acknowledged.
"Alright," Nicole dismissed, "Well, good night."
"Yeah," Duane added on, "Sleep well, Big Jay."
"Thank you," Jason thanked, trying to put on a small smile, "Good night, Mr and Mrs Williams."
Jason then went up to Craig's bedroom and collapsed on the bottom bunk of Craig's bed (Craig was about to remind Jason he slept on the top bunk, but thought better of it).
Nicole said he could stay as long as he needed to, which he was thankful for. This really was one of the only places in Herkleton he really felt safe.
Tomorrow, he'd have to actually tell Nicole and Duane what happened. His parents might come here whenever they realized he was missing. At some point, he'd probably end up in a foster home or something, because he knew he could only stay here for so long.
But, he wouldn't worry about any of that yet. Right now, he'd just close his eyes, try and relax and sleep, and maybe dream about what it would be like if he actually got to stay here.