•It All Started With A Phone Call•

SĖVĖN [sc]

KÅY

I had never seen anyone cry like that before. I was terrified. When he cried in the pool, it broke my heart that Rory had been hiding all this pain. However, when he got that text and absolutely broke into pieces, I was shocked and horrified.

He was screaming out for...for his mum. I knew he only had dads' so I was so confused. Of course I knew that two guys can't biologically have a child together without help, but I just assumed that had gotten a friend to...you know?

I had no idea what to do, he looked like he might pass out from the sheer force of his sobs. It was devastating to see someone-anyone- like that, let alone the person that you were almost in love with.

And you are probably thinking, if you almost love him then why did you run away twice? And my answer to you is that fact that he couldn't care about me like that.

After the accident, when I heard what happened to him, I realised that this crush wasn't going away. No matter what I did. I was going to keep falling for him until it was impossible to fall any more. Then when I saw him for the first time after the fire, I knew I had to protect him. From myself and others.

That's why I coddled Rory up into my arms and lap and chest, enveloping him with my whole body. I was still wet from the pool and hadn't even done the button up on my pants, I was freezing, but I couldn't care less.

Rory whimpered and then the doors too the pool swung open.

"What the hell is going on here?! Get off my son!" Rory finches at the sound of this barbaric man who was decently built's voice. He turned his head into my shoulder and let a new wave of tears free onto my chest.

The man, red hair and black clothed, strutted up to us on the floor. He stands over me, a killer glare boring into my face. I send him a blank expression back, all while stroking Rory's white hair.

"Who the fuck are you?" He snaps at me.

Kay Marvel I mouth to him, knowing the chances of him knowing sign language was minimal.

"And why the fuck are you so close to my son? Without a shirt, even!" Rory turned his head out of my chest and the fathers eyes soften at the look on his youthful face.

"Dad," he whimpered. Rory reached up with both hands. Rory's dad bent down and picked him up like a baby and Rory hugged him tightly, still crying.

I got up off the floor, grabbed Rory's smashed phone and handed it to his father.

Rory's dad read over the message that I haven't even read and his face became clouded in anger.

"Who the FUCK sent this to you?!" He set Rory down. Rory's dad's body shook and he looked like he wanted to throw the phone against the nearest wall so hard it fell the thousands of pieces.

Instead, the red haired man pulled out his own phone and rung a number.

"Cole, Baby, come to the pool and call the police." He growled out. Rory was silently sobbing, his body trembling, so I wrapped him up from behind and he crashed into me. He was just looking for hugs and I was just the one giving it to him, I reminded myself. "Everything is fine, Love. Just do as you're told, baby boy!"

Yes Daddy... it's quite, but it's there, a soft and scared voice coming through the speakers on the mans IPhone. I try to keep a neutral face, but Rory's parents being into that was kinda weird for me to know. What where they? Like forty years old?

"Let go of him!" Rory's dad barks but I don't move away.

"Please stop yelling." Rory whimpers, quiet, like he's afraid of being hurt for standing up for himself.

This wasn't Rory Case Hicks. This wasn't a self assured, snarky and strong young man. This was a terrified, hidden and weak boy.

I needed to know what was on that message. Who sent it. I needed to know who so I can destroy them.

Rory's dad's face soften and his shoulders slump, defeated. Rory let his dad cup his face a plant a kiss to his forehead. I finally let go of him, much to my dismay.

Rory goes into his fathers embrace, clutching at him while the man brushes his hair and rubs his back.

"You don't deserve all these shitty things, RJ. None of it." The man mutters, eyes looking wet. He was so big and scary, yet he cried so easily in front of his son. "First that house, losing her, the fire and now this? I'm sorry I failed you."

I sat down on the bleachers, shivering from the mans words and from being shirtless and drenched.

The doors open again and I see another man come in, this one blond and not as broad, still lean and tall, just not as the red haired man.

"Jay? Rory?" This man -who I assumed was Cole Case Hicks- asked as he ran into the building. He sighed heavily when he noticed his husband and son embracing. "Jayden? What's wrong?"

Jayden moves his arms to welcome Cole into their family hug. Cole cups Rory's face ands scans it for signs of harm but he only found tears.

In the next half an hour the pool area was swamped by police and I finally had a shirt to wear.

Cole and Jayden were speaking with a detective, Rory was curled up to my chest like he was thirty minutes ago with a blanket around both of us, Ethan was gazing at me sceptically from the far corner as he looked down at his phone every minute.

It was busy and scary and Rory was still trembling in my arms, but I was going to keep him safe. I wasn't about to let whoever sent my pet that message lay a single breath on his warped skin.

I pledge it.