A Little Therapy

((A/N: Okayy, so alot happens in this chapter. It's basically two chapters smashed together. Warnings for mentions of violence, and abuse. I'm sorry if this is shit because it is a little rushed but the book has roughly ten chapters left, I thought it was time to get more into the plot. Enjoy!))

Jack is discharged by his mother, who keeps his location from his father. He knows she will hurt, and he cares too, but he's too weak to defend her anymore. Alex takes him to his home. For two whole days he doesn't hear from Kellin, Vic or Mike. Rian stops by however; he's quietly fussing whilst Zack rolls his eyes and asks with far more air if he's ok. He is, as far as they know he fell down the stairs.

Jack isn't mad when he next sees Kellin. His face is bruised and bloody, his hair is ruffled and his knuckles are bleeding; there's a little swelling under his eye and his entire arm is bleeding through a ripped shirt. Beside him Vic is looking shaky, his lips are a little bruised and there's a little blood on his cheeks but he's not been harmed so the conclusion is left unspoken; his younger brother has murder in his eyes, thunder running through his clenching and unclenching muscles. Alex, however, is furious. "What the fuck were you thinking? You're going to bring the fucking cops right to my door, and they'll make Jack go back for fuck's sake Kellin why can't you ever think?" It makes the Lebanese boy flinch, he's used to anger filling the thoughts of the charcoal haired boy, but not Alex, Alex is quiet and thoughtful.

"You shouldn't have," He swallows firmly, but shakes off his fear "Alex, take care of Mike, me and Vic will sort Kellin out," The younger Fuentes was barely harmed, much like Kellin, his knuckles were bruised and there was a little purple under his eye, but beyond that he was fine. He leads the two up the stairs, watching as the elder Fuentes places a hand over his friend's shaky hands. "Take your shirt off, sit on the sink," Jack mutters tiredly, watching the other as he does as he is told. There's a commanding presence about Jack, he's unafraid of anything but failure to make sure his friends are safe; this was bigger than his fear of people, he couldn't go back there, he couldn't go back to the pain.

He'd rather die.

The first aid kit is under Alex's sink, he's familiar with it and he's used it once or twice by now, bandaging up his own wounds. The antiseptic makes Kellin squirm, but he doesn't hiss or whine, simply grits his teeth as the long, deep scratch is cleared up and bandaged. "Change it after three hours, just to be careful," He heads for the door "Have a shower," He doesn't ask Vic to follow, he knows that Kellin is in a vulnerable position right now, he can tell because not even his lips smile and only flinches at every movement. When the door shuts behind him, he hears sniffling and his smaller friend's quiet reassuring.

Downstairs, Mike straightens in his presence, and the dirty blonde haired boy swallows his worry to reach out for his friend. "I'm sorry," The Mexican boy mutters softly, he lowers his gaze to the tiles floor "I just couldn't...not after Kellin," there's an echoing silence, and Jack swallows lightly, as if he doesn't really want to hear what he's about to. His pale skin faded in colour, his dark eyes closing for a moment, his lips chapped and sore, hands trembling as he gripped the counter. The silence echoes and his best friend keeps a careful eye on him, as if he doesn't really want him to hear this either.

"What happened with Kellin?" he asks quietly, his throat sore with the words, his ears unprepared and brain unwilling to take in anymore news. He stands and stares him right in the eyes. "What happened to him should I ask?" There's a creak in the stairs, Vic looks smaller stood there like a deer in the headlights, his hair his wet and he's wearing only his skinny jeans, his torso still damp. His body is decorated with scars and Jack feels sick in his mouth. "Why did he go to my dad, end up like that when he barely knows me?" His jaw clenches and anger is rolling off of him now, he needs to know, he already knows but he needs to hear it from someone else's mouth, or perhaps he wants someone to tell him he is wrong. That this is not really happening. That Kellin Quinn is just a bigoted asshole and there is nothing he can do about that. That he and Kellin Quinn don't actually share something in common; the first thing, the one he based his life around and the bruises on his skin only reminded him.

Another creak sends them all looking back at the stairs, where a boy that is almost unrecognisable stands. This boy, with his wet ebony hair hanging limp, and his usually shimmering blue eyes scared, was not the boy that Jack knew, this was not the boy the intimidated him, that drove him wild. That boy was not this boy. This scared creature was too much like him. He's seen Kellin shirtless before, but the bruises he assumed were from a one night stand far away suddenly had new meaning. "I'm sorry Jack," He mutters, and the younger snaps and has to bury his face in Alex's shirt, shaking and crying.

Kellin went and almost got himself killed, for a man so far in his past yet controlled his future. "Hey," he mutters and moves to sit on the edge of the table "Jack, it's fine, I'm ok, I'll always be ok," The boy looks up in time to see the elder Fuentes lock eyes with the young boy. He's unafraid now, because he has Vic. Shy, stammering, stuttering Vic who makes him feel in control and helpless at the same time. He assumed that's what he felt, after all that's what he felt when he looked at Alex. Alex and whatever they were. "I'm the same guy I've always been, with a few more bruises," He couldn't get over that this boy, who had never cared about anything but himself, threw himself into all his triggers at once for him. It worried him that Vic might not be the only person Kellin is in love with.

"Look, we can't all dwell in the past, at the moment we need to set the proper precautions to looking after Jack, we need to get in contact with the police, no you shut up," He points his finger at the boy as he is about to protest "He's already hospitalised you, next he'll fucking kill you, we are going to the police," Jack shrinks back, into the shadows where he belongs "And we are going to get you safe, Plan B would be getting you out of this state altogether," There's a silence "But it's not practical, for once we don't have the money, the ID, and not all of us could come with you, if any,"

Mike stands up and clears his throat. "For now let's just see if Plan A works out," no one argues. The room has sank into its own sense of harmony, the younger is leaning against his best friend, his ruffled chocolate coloured hair against the thin material of the other's shirt. He's silent and everyone is sympathetic of his inability to speak. Overwhelming didn't sum up this situation right now, too much happened too fast and why did Vic go with them?

He's exhausted and closes his eyes, his head thrumming with thoughts, eyes tearing up just a little "Bed time I think," Alex says softly "Kellin and Vic can have the spare room, Mike are you ok with the couch?" No one argues, everyone is on the same boat as far as the speed and suddenness of this situation has escalated. What he doesn't understand is how everyone knew and were keeping it from him, and similarly Kellin would not have found out if it wasn't for him being in hospital. They were afraid of this happening.

Jack barely gets out of his shirt and jeans, before Alex has to tuck him into bed. The two lay beside each other before the elder brought him into his arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Sleep, Jack," He wants to say more, he wants to know what they are, what they were doing and whether this was more than what he initially thought. But today is not the day. Too much has happened to talk about that; for now, the best and only option is to sleep.

((A/N: End Notes: It was always my intention for Kellin to be abused, the main idea for the story came from Princeton Ave by Issues and A Trophy Father's Trophy Son by Sleeping With Sirens. You will get a full explanation to Kellin's backstory, his relationship with Vic and the beginning of his friendship with Alex in the next book which focus' mostly on Kellic and Kalex(?). Endgame is Kellic and Jalex, but not in the way you want or expect. Which leads me to another announcement.
There will be a third installment to the series in which talks about their reunion in the future.
So In Order:
A Little Therapy.
Tangled In The Great Escape.
Therapy Was Never My Escape))

Notes