Hell Has A New Name

41

Juice bought the room like he always did, but still sitting there waiting for Tully stressed him out. It was taking longer than usual, he was rapidly losing composure. His leg bounced up and down, he kept fidgeting his hands.
Deep breath in, deep breath out. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Amber would be fine. I will be fine. Deep breath in. Tully can't be responsible right? Deep breath out. He loves me, as fucked as that is. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Deep breath in. Tully. Finally. Deep breath in, deep breath in, noise in the background, shallow breath in, faster, faster... room spins.

"Hey, hey, boy. Look at me." Tully's still cuffed hands reach for Juices face. "He's having a panic attack you fucking idiots. Uncuff me!" Tully falls to his knees in front of the other man. The guards try to hold him back, only to relent. Juices breathing is out of control, his eye kids flutter, pupils blown. Tully quickly rubs his wrists where the cuffs had dug in before the guard let him go. "Leave us." He spat over his shoulder at the guard whose salary he supplemented.

"Look at Papi, come on baby. I need you to talk to me. Name five things in this room that are blue."
Tully's big hands took Juices in his own. He'd responded on instinct, surprised when Juice hadn't pulled away.
"D-ddd, ugh... door. Your pants." Breath, shallow but slower. S-shh-shirt. Clock. Um... that's um... that's all Papi." Tears, Tully's least favorite characteristic of Juice. He always cried so easily.

Tully was unaware that he'd even done it, but he was breathing in the rhythm he wanted Juice to use. Juices eyes were glued to his chest, watching the rise and fall. "Good. Alright I want you to count my breaths okay. Follow along." 

Slowly Juice started to calm down, their breathing synced up. Tully moved his legs from his crouching position to sit directly onto the floor, pulling Juice against him. "Good job kid. You're doing so good."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't..."

"Hush boy. Just hush. I'm getting too old." He chortled at himself. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

Before Juice could speak there was a knock on the door.
"Tully, times up." The guard spoke as if he were unaffected by the scene on the floor.

"Four stacks. I get as long as I need." The guard nodded and left the room.

Tully peeled Juice away from him, searching his eyes. Juice did the same in return, seeing the genuine concern and confusion in the monsters eyes. Tully didn't have Amber.

"Amber. She's gone. Someone has her. I, I can't get her. Im alone here. Everything is too much. It's all too much."

"You ain't alone idiot. I may not be out there but I'll do what I can from here. We'll find your girl." He moved to put some distance between them.
"I gotta ask you something. Been on my mind for a while."

Juice sat in the chair and looked up at the man he should hate. "What? I'm not that interesting Papi."

Tully shook his head, smiling slyly. "Okay, I have two questions."

Juice looked almost annoyed now. "What?"

Tully sat across from him, folding his hands delicately on the table in front of him, cocking his head to the side. "Why do you call me Papi?"

Juices face reddened, he shrugged and avoided eye contact. "I dont know. It just happened. You never said anything, I just thought it... I thought you liked it."

Tully nodded pursing his lips as he thought. "I don't mind it. Just wondering is all. How did you become a member?" He was deliberate in his choice of words, not specifying the Sons. Either out of concern for Juice or because someone could be listening but Juice tried not to think about it too much.

"We just sorta found each other ya know. I don't know really." He rolled his eyes at himself.

"You never belonged there you know. Shoulda just kept you here with me. Would have been safer." He spoke as if Juice weren't listening. "I think I know where your girl is. Give me a day."

Juice took a breath. "How the fuck would you know? Just suddenly? Who the hell would have her? No one knows I'm alive."

Tully shook his head again. "Not you specifically no. But someone knows you've been seeing me Micheal."

"I thought you handled the Q-Tip, ugh, Quinn thing. You said they were past it."

"It's not them. It's my daughter. She's a stand up citizen who hates me. Yet she's jealous of anyone who gets my attention. Criminally jealous. I wanted you to find her for me, but changed that mission. She's supposed to medicated."

Shock wouldn't describe the look on Juices face accurately. "What!? Is she going to kill her? Is there anything about you that's not totally fucked up? What am I supposed to do with this?" 

"Just give me a day. Come back tomorrow. Please." Tully stood and banged the door, leaving Juice more confused than when he got there.