Title: i think maybe i've come undone

Summary: he pulls kyle safely to his chest, letting the boy's soft muffled tears stain his shirt. - -tom/kyle

Characters: Tom Clarkson and Kyle Stack.

Parings: N/A (No romantic parings, brief mention of tom/lorma)

Rating: T

Genre: Angst

Warnings: N/A

A/N: Reading the spoliers for Kyle Stack's return episode and though the episode hasn't aired yet, this popped into my head and I couldn't not write it down. Kyle could be viewed as being OOC but given the preview on the last epsiode, other than his scene with Barry - his personality seems much more sombre than before. This is unbetaed so I apologize for any mistakes.

He knows the look brewing beneath Kyle's gaze, he'd seen it build and grow on so many people, inculding himself that deducing the look is simple, a second nature. He also knew that it was an emotion that the old Kyle Stack would rather die than admit to him of all people.

Defeat. Pure and unadulterated defeat.

(It's too much like Lorma, he decides, the defeat colouring his gaze reminds him too much of the women he feels the burn of guilt for- he couldn't save her and he'll he damned if he can't save Kyle.)

"Kyle." He starts, words of think and look around you, there's people who care are spewing from his lips, he doesn't really know what he's supposed to say, how to fix it, how to bring him back from the edge.

(The rest of words die on his lips when Kyle takes a step closer to the edge.)

"Don't." Kyle murmured, throwing a glance to the teacher standing behind him, his feet teetering on the edge, he's a step away. "You hate me."

To that he has no response but he steps closer to the boy, eyes determined and lips pressed into a tight line. The rains starting to fall, it hits his skin like tiny pelts of ice, it's far too cold but in this moment, he doesn't feel it. "I think your trouble." Tom corrects, allowing himself to take another step closer. And another. And another. And another. "I think you've been though things that most teenagers haven't and I think your struggling how to deal with that. I think your feeling things that you haven't let yourself feel in a very long time. I think you want help and I think you want an education and a future but I think your too afraid to ask for it. And I think you need someone to help you and if you'll let me, I'd like to help you."

His answer was sobs and shaking shoulders and soft wet dark hair ticking at his chin as Kyle turned and clung to him. He pulled Kyle safely to his chest, letting the boy's soft muffled tears stain his shirt.

"It's alright. I've got you." Tom smoothed, rubbing small circles on Kyle's back. "I can help you, we can help you. You've just come undone.