Forging Bonds: Into the Woods

Jonathan's POV

It was supposed to be a normal weekend vacation. However, when has anything exactly been normal since meeting Sock? So of course Jonathan wasn't all that thrilled to answer the call at Sock's insistence. And his day went sour from one call.

"What about my dad?" Jonathan asked as he made his way into another room ignoring those green imploring eyes. He couldn't handle the subject of his father in the presence of Sock. Not without seeing Sock falling to the ground holding his face. It always made his stomach revolt when that image came back into his mind. Jonathan always kept them in separate compartments in his head, it was the only way to deal with the guilt.

"Sorry Sugar Bear, I got the news from his employer that he was found dead in his house." Providence said softly. "I know you never got along with him but I wanted to give you my sentiments."

"How did... what was cause of death?"

"Drug overdose," she answered pragmatic. "They went to check up on him when he hadn't shown up to work in three days. ...Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Jonathan replied numbly. The news hadn't sunk in yet and he quickly finished the call and sat there staring at the wall.

He was dead. My father was dead.

Jonathan expected to feel pain from the news or loss. To the best of his knowledge that was his last blood relative who had died. He had no other family member in the world yet he felt nothing. It was just a death. A long awaiting death with his father's chronic drug abuse. All Jonathan felt was a numbness and lungs filled with warm air from the room.

I should be feeling something, Jonathan thought staring at the wall. It can't be normal that it's not affecting me. My father, the man who raised me—as shitty as he did—was gone. Yet... I felt nothing. Maybe a small bit of relief that I never have to worry about running into him but still... I feel nothing?

"Hey, you okay?" voiced Sock.

Jonathan blinked back to the present seeing Sock in his swimming trunks. It took Jonathan a few seconds to register what he had said. "Yeah, I'm... good." Strangely good for finding out my dad is dead.

Sock shuffled his feet but Jonathan felt himself getting pulled back to his foggy thoughts. "Do you still want to go swimming?"

Swimming? That's right I had agreed to go before the call. Jonathan looked down at the phone in his hands and set it down on the nightstand. "No, no. You go out. I just... need some time to think, okay?"

Jonathan looked at Sock to convince him to give him time because he needed to assimilate the fact that it wasn't affecting him. It wasn't a good idea to go swimming with Sock like this.

Sock nodded and said something but Jonathan didn't catch it already miles away but dutifully nodded. He didn't know when Sock left just that he had. Jonathan glanced down at his hands clenching and unclenching them.

These were the hands that look similar to his as well as my face. I look exactly like my father when he was younger. Even Sock mentioned the uncanny resemblance. Maybe that's why I dyed my hair. Anything to differentiate myself from him.

These hands were the ones that once struck Sock. A shudder ran through Jonathan as he remembered that night. No, no. It wasn't my hands. They were his. I didn't do it. I tried to keep Sock away from there.

That night seared into his mind like lightening. Quick and deadly. Tears sprang from his eyes remembering Sock sprawled on the floor with his father looming menacing over him. Jonathan sucked in a sharp breath suppressing a sob. I tried to keep him away! It wasn't my fault!