the fairy | john bender ✅

twenty

Footsteps make the woods underneath the carpet creak, John's weight making the floor groaning in pain. He moves past the study rooms, looking through each glass door, hoping to see him; and he does.

Bender sees Julian curled up in a corner, his body noticeably shaking as his arms are on top of his knees, hiding his face.

John opens the door slowly, closing it behind him. The lights are off, giving off a gloomy vibe as the shelves of books and the second-floor balcony giving the room their shadows, allowing little light through.

He walks towards the frail male slowly, kneeling in front of him. Slowly, his arm moves toward Julian; his fingers graze his arm, making the boy jump up, fear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he sobs. His arms move on their own, pushing Bender away, making him land on his bottom. His hands grab at his hair, heels of his feet digging into the carpet. "I'm sorry, please not again. Not again!" he begs, shaking his head rapidly. "Stupid, stupid stupid." He flicks his ear repeatedly, his words becoming scrambled together.

As one hand flicks his ear, the other lets go of his hair, taking a few strands with it. His hand grabs at the wall, wanting something to hold on to.

"What's wrong with you?" Bender asks, getting closer to the male again.

"Get away! Don't hit me, please!" Julian sobs. He swings randomly, hitting John on the cheek. Luckily, John is able to grab his wrists, pulling the male to his chest.

"Please, stop crying. Stop crying," Bender orders him. He holds the Julian tightly to his chest, not letting him go, fighting through the pain as Jc hits him repeatedly.

Julian breaks down finally, allowing his tears to flow, loud sobs leaving his lips. He softens them, hiding his face in John's clothing; he smells like cigarettes, beer, and some cologne he doesn't know the name of.

"I'm sorry. I-I-I'm sorry," he cries out, his finger gripping the male's flannel.

"Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

"That's not what my parents think." Bender's chest stops moving, making Julian look up, finding John's like stone. It turns to anger and sadness after a moment.

"What do they think you did wrong?"

"They think I'm not Christian enough, since I'm gay." Julian gives a dry laugh, sniffling loudly. He moves away from John's body, making the latter sit beside Jc. "So they-um, beat me. I got a few scars thanks to it." He laughs dryly again, trying to cover his despair with laughter. "Sorry, you had to see me like that." He lays his head on John's shoulder, a heavy breath leaving him.

"Don't say you're sorry. Thanks to my little 'play' I made you have a seizure."

"That's not a seizure," Julian laughs, "I had a panic attack."

"Aren't they the same? You shake like you got electrocuted?" Bender wonders, before shaking his body dramatically. It forces laughter out of Julian, so it makes up for the embarrassment.

"You're stupid."

"You like my stupidity." Julian rolls his eyes in response, wiping the excess snot from his nose. He chuckles softly once more as Bender gets an idea. "I got something in my locker that'll make you feel better."