Trigger warning: Lots of violence.

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Jack

Jack made sure his face didn’t show any sign of the crying he had done on his way home. He was shaken up by Alex’s words; no-one usually cared about him. This was a first. He had seen people talk about him, whispering into each other’s ears when he appeared but he had never bothered to hide his bruises because nobody cared enough about him to try and do something to help. Not even the old priest. Besides, if people would ever try to talk to Matt about it, he would just tell them that everything was okay even though it obviously was not. People were intimidated by Matt’s behaviour too.

But Alex… he seemed devoid of any common sense, helping him, the weird, beaten up boy. Jack didn’t quite know what to do; he was scared to open up to Alex because he generally had trust issues nowadays. But Alex seemed genuinely interested in helping him. Jack had seen the worry in his eyes.

His thoughts were cut off by Matt who appeared in the doorframe.

“Hi Jack,” he said, forcing his lips on Jack’s so everyone in the neighbourhood could see them kissing in the low light of the sun setting, like a “real couple” would kiss. Matt quickly pulled Jack inside and then slammed the door shut. He continued to hungrily kiss him. Jack was not in the mood, not at all; so he pushed Matt away when he started fumbling at his belt. Jack knew this was risky but he really didn’t want to do anything sexual right now. Matt had never gone so far as to rape him but he would probably do something else unpleasant. Matt looked at him, desire turning into anger, and Jack felt sickness and anxiety surging through his body.

He managed to duck the first swing of Matt’s fist, hearing the balled hand hit the door noisily. But when he wasn’t attentive enough for just a moment, he had Matt pulling him up by his collar and hitting him in the chest. The older man grabbed him hard by his shoulders and threw him against the wall next to the door. Matt continued to slam the slender frame of his boyfriend into the wall until he heard something crack.

Then he left, leaving Jack to sink down to the ground, desperate to catch some breath. He was wheezing, not able to breathe properly due to the impact on his body. He struggled to get up, falling down again a few times but finally, he managed to get up. He made his way up the stairs and to the bathroom. He tended to the wounds that needed immediate care and then walked to his bedroom. He slipped off his clothes until he was left only in his boxers.

In bed, memories of their first date crossed his mind. They had been at a concert and after the show, Matt, this handsome stranger, had come up to Jack and invited him to have a beer with him. The band that day had been Blitz Kids and Jack particularly remembered one song by them, ‘Run For Cover’. The line “Lover, lover, run, run for cover“ replayed in his head a few times. How ironical. He laughed bitterly but winced at the pain in his ribs.

Why was he even still together with Matt? Probably because he still loved him, in a twisted and sick way. He had actually tried leaving once but Matt had reacted not that well, to put it nicely. He pushed the thoughts of leaving Matt away. He wouldn’t be able to go anywhere anyways; he had no friend at whose place he would stay.

A sudden rush of emotions made Jack cry. His eyes and nose stung before the salty tears began flowing. He cried even though it hurt his ribs. After that, he felt a little better and soon fell asleep.

Notes

Poorest Jack :c

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-Laura