Here Alone
"I don't know, Seth." Dean sits the box on top of the table, blue eyes darting about the room.
Seth glances up at his best friend, having paused halfway through taking a tape cutter to one of the other boxes. The only reason he even bothered to ask Dean is because the older man is the only person who has never treated him poorly for his actions or his mistakes in life. Otherwise, he would have moved by himself and never told a single soul about what happened between him and Jack. Seems best not to linger on the past he does not have the ability to change.
He cocks his head at Dean. "What is it you don't know about?"
"Just... Are you going to be okay out here? I mean, he isn't going to come after you, is he?" Dean asks, bracing his hands on the smooth surface of the table. As per usual, his gentle face is soft but serious. "I don't want you to get hurt because he found you and decided to hurt you."
"I'll be fine. Jack isn't going to come looking for me." Seth shrugs, turns his eyes down.
Jack has a possessive streak to be sure, but the likelihood of him coming all the way out here to find Seth is improbable. Though he definitely is the kind of guy who will come after what he perceives as his, Seth isn't what he wants and the last beating that led to Seth finally leaving was more a way to get rid of him than to correct his "bad behavior" like before. He has the chance to finally move on from that, and he is pretty sure his ex is looking for someone else to beat into submission—and into the "perfect" boyfriend. At least he doesn't have to live in fear of tripping Jack's unpredictable temper, and he can sleep at night without worrying about being shaken awake for another round of sex when he didn't even want the first one.
Dean's hand drops onto his shoulder, and he resists the urge to flinch away. "If you say so."
Shaking off his friend's touch, Seth retrieves the blade and finishes cutting through the tape on the box in front of him. They've sorted the boxes by which room the contents will go into, and he wants to get the dishes up first because they're some of the most delicate things he has to deal with. He wants to get as much put up today as he can so he doesn't have to worry tomorrow.
"I just worry, you know. Can't help myself. Just want to make sure you're safe." Dean smiles at him and Seth manages one in return. At least he has people who still care about him.
"I know. I just... It's been rough." He starts unloading carefully wrapped and padded dishes.
Dean retrieves them and opens cabinets, starting to stack up plates. "I understand. You got hurt."
"Yeah. And now, that's not going to happen again." He watches Dean, then starts opening more boxes to keep handing him plates and bowls. "And I like this place. It's great for the price."
That is more of a relief than he is willing to admit. Despite being twenty-eight, he has very little money to his name and is relieved to know he isn't paying an arm and a leg for rent each month. He needs to get a job soon, which he plans on doing as soon as possible. At least, as soon as he gets everything put up and has a few days to recuperate and allow the bruises on his face to heal.
"The landlord must have a lot of money to rent this place so cheaply," Dean muses.
"Or maybe he just needs tenants and dropped the price to make sure he can get someone to move in. Not that many people are here now, so." Seth picks up the box cutter and takes it to another box, trying to remember how many neighbors he has. The building only has three or four people.
Dean seems to consider the possibility before closing the cabinet doors and opening another set. "That might be it. I think they're starting to do that more in the city, too."
"Yeah. Money's tight right now." Seth sets the blade down, faint light winking off its surface.
"You've gotta bring Roman by to see this place at some point. He'd like the whole peace and quiet thing." Dean stops and leans back against the counter, bracing his hands on the surface.
Yes, Roman would like the peace and quiet of the place, and it was one of the many reasons Seth chose this apartment complex as opposed to one deeper in the city. He needs time away from the noise and the people, and this will give him the distance he knows will help him heal. It helps that he knows Jack will never think to look for him out here. Why would he, after all?
At the very least, Seth learned a lot about his ex while avoiding doing anything to set him off; he knows that Jack misses the obvious and won't look deeper than the surface before getting frustrated and giving up. A few phone calls to the few people Jack knows Seth talks to will reveal that none of them know where he is and that will be the end of it. Considering he only told Dean and Roman where he was going, and via them their girlfriends, no one else knows. He knows his best friends won't say a word, and Cathy and Shay loathe Jack to a dangerous degree. They might lure him into a trap and try to kill him if he asks where Seth is.
He tucks a stray strand of platinum behind his ear. "I'll invite you all over when it's fixed up."
"I'll let the girls know. I'm sure they'll want to bring you something." Dean combs a hand through his hair, the corner of his mouth tilting upward in a smile. "Like a housewarming gift."
"You guys don't have to do that." Seth reaches for the box cutter, frowns when he doesn't feel it.
Dean laughs softly and shakes his head. "I know, but the women do what they want to do."
True enough; Seth admires that about the two of them and wishes he can emulate them because he lets people push him around far too much. Though he isn't exactly sure why and wishes he knew so he could attack the problem at the source and deal with it, he knows he needs to figure it out now so he can move on with his life. It's something he needs to reflect on while he has this time to himself or he risks committing the same mistakes over and over again. At least now he knows he can call his friends to help him if he ends up in an abusive situation again.
"You're going to find someone, Seth. Someone good this time. I can feel it." Dean flashes a usually infectious smile, but the idea of being in another relationship any time soon is not acceptable. Not right now. "So, tell me what you need help with and we'll get started."
Seth glances around, eyes scanning the interior of the room. "Do you see the box cutter?"
"Didn't you just have it? I thought you set it down on the table." Dean pushes a few boxes aside, but the box cutter is nowhere on the table and Seth furrows his brows.
They take a few minutes to search the kitchen but the blade never reveals itself; only when Seth steps into the living room does he see it. On the end table beside the couch, the bit of orange plastic catches his attention and makes him frown. How did this get all the way in here? Last he checked, he didn't leave the room when he was talking to Dean... Did he? He shakes his head at himself and retrieves the blade, returning to the kitchen without comment. No reason to ask Dean if he left the room; the last thing he needs to know is that he's mentally slipping. Instead, he just slices open the next box and continues handing kitchenware to his best friend.
"If you need anything, no matter what time it is, you can call us," Dean says, and Seth glances up at him; he's familiar with these words now. "You'd have better luck calling Roman and Shay when it gets really late, but you can call us if you need us. And I don't want you to hesitate."
No hesitation. Right. Seth smiles and pretends to agree, but when Dean's back is turned, the smile drops from his face and he focuses on opening the boxes still left in the room. He knows his friends are here for him, but he needs time to himself. He needs to pick up the pieces on his own for a little while. And hopefully, this new place will give him the time and distance he needs to do just that.