AN: Hey, everyone~ This is just a prompt fill for tumblr, which reads as follows: 'Zach and Gray's parents understand their sons have PTSD, what they lived was horrific. They just don't understand why Gray has to stay with Zach all the time, why he will only talk to him, why he will only do something if Zach asks it. They want to help him too. So against the advice of the boys' psychologist, they send Zach to Claire's house for a week. Really, really bad idea. For both Gray AND Zach..'
Hope you guys like it! I tried to do as much as I could with this one-shot in the time that I had.
"Was it something I did...?"
Karen kneeled in front of Gray, who was quietly sitting on the living room couch. His small hands were clutched tightly in her gentle ones as their one-sided conversation continued on.
His blue eyes continued to look everywhere downwards but her.
And that broke her heart.
"Gray..." Karen murmured after receiving no answer, desperate to hear his sweet voice, desperate to have her baby boy confide in her again. "Please. I-It's been two months... I need you to talk to me." One of her hands let go of one of his and she reached up to softly cup his cheek. "Look at me...? Please?"
Gray reluctantly did so and Karen couldn't help but notice how distant his gaze was.
"What is it, honey..?" she tried. "Are you scared to talk to me? Is it because I didn't go through what you did?"
Gray's eyes flashed fearful at the small mention of past events, but that look was gone as soon as it came.
"I'm happy to see you and Zach getting along..." Karen said with a small smile. "I really am." Her smile faltered a bit. "But I'm your mother, Gray. I can't do this. I miss my sweet boy terribly..." She took a shaky breath and wiped at her eyes, missing the way Gray faltered guiltily at that. "I just want to help you. I want you to let me help you... That's all I'm asking."
"Can you do that for me...? Can you let me in...?"
Karen watched her small son hopefully. She watched his eyes dart between her and the floor several times. She watched him shift in his spot. She watched his lip tremble slightly as his mind raced with countless thoughts.
She watched as he resisted her request.
And before she could react, the front door opened and closed with a slam. Zach's voice then filled the air, clearly signaling the end of their conversation.
"Mom? Gray? I'm back...!"
Zach pocketed his phone after sending out one last text, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it lazily on their coat rack. Kicking off his shoes, the older Mitchell brother made his way further into the house, stopping briefly at the archway that led into the living room.
He frowned a bit at the tense scene.
"Is everything okay here...?" Zach slowly asked, his eyes mostly trained on his little brother. However, Gray's expression told him everything he needed to know before their mother spoke up.
"Yes, everything's fine." Karen stood up and smiled tightly at her oldest son. Zach looked solely at Gray.
"Are you okay?" he asked, bluntly ignoring his mother. All he cared about, really, was whether Gray was alright or not. He wasn't stupid. Zach knew what was going on. He just didn't want his little brother to suffer for something their mother was trying to force on him.
Gray stood and walked over to Zach, hugging him tightly and burying his face in his chest. "Yeah," came his small voice. "I am."
Zach didn't miss the way their mother faltered, and he almost felt bad for her.
"Good.." Zach pulled away and smiled small down at him. "Why don't you come hang with me in my room for a bit while I work on my weekend homework?"
Gray smiled small back and nodded. Zach nodded in return, glancing at their mom briefly before turning and making his way upstairs with his little brother on his heels.
"Don't forget," Karen softly called after them. "You both have an appointment with Dr. West in an hour."
Zach responded to that by slamming his bedroom door shut.
"How'd it go? Did Gray talk today?"
Dr. West stepped out of his office, away from the boys, and looked at Karen with a tired expression. He then sighed a bit, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I'm going to be straight with you, Mrs. Mitchell," he said. "Gray's not going to get better anytime soon. At least from what I've gathered. He's very wrapped up in his brother, and being so young and vulnerable at his age while going through a traumatic event has quite the toll."
"So you're saying Gray is always going to be like this...?!"
"I'm saying you need to give him lots of time..."
Karen ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "It's been two months, Dr. West." She stressed. "I've given him plenty of time. I just want my baby boy back...!"
Dr. West held up a hand, indicating for her to calm down. "I understand," he said. "But there's not much we can do now..."
Karen bit her lip. "...what if we seperated them?"
The therapist across from her immediately began to protest. "Mrs. Mitchell-"
"Gray's become too dependent on Zach. Maybe if we sent Zach away for a bit, Gray will learn to look elsewhere for help, or even-"
"Mrs. Mitchell, listen to me." Dr. West said sternly, shocking Karen into silence. "You cannot, under any circumstances, separate those boys. It won't end well if you do. Keep in mind that even though Gray is the one who needs the most help, Zach is just as dependent on Gray as Gray is on him." Karen frowned as the man continued. "Those boys rely heavily on each other and if that's what helps them get through their days, then you shouldn't mess with that."
Karen pursed her lips, clearly conflicted.
Dr. West watched her carefully before speaking up one more. "Do you understand?"
"...yes. I do.." The woman replied curtly, crossing her arms and looking back at him.
The therapist nodded. "Good. Then I will see you and the boys next week."
Karen sighed before stepping back and watching as Zach and Gray left Dr. West's office. The brothers simply walked past her without a word as they made their way out of the building and to the car. Karen paused briefly before following them.
She glanced back at Dr. West's office before ducking into the women's bathroom and pulling out her phone.
She dialed up the first person that came to her mind. "Claire? It's Karen... I-I need a favor."
Claire was never one to follow orders.
She wasn't one to drop everything just because someone wanted a favor.
She was more interested in her business than in others'.
But when Karen called, and she heard how desperate and upset she was, Claire decided that she could make an exception just this one time.
After Jurassic World, she and Owen had moved to a small home about 20 or so minutes from the Mitchell residence, which was very convenient, seeing as how Claire desperately wanted to be more involved with her nephews' lives.
So Claire found herself driving, quite fast, down to Karen's home, nervously drumming her fingers on the wheel. Her sister had filled her in on what had been going on, and while she knew the boys were having a hard time (not unlike her and Owen, what with the press and their apparent PTSD), she hadn't known the extent of how damaged they were, especially Gray.
And she was definitely willing to help her nephews in whatever way she could, even if it meant taking risks in the process of doing so.
She just hoped her sister knew what she was talking about.
Pulling up into their driveway, Claire abruptly parked. She text Owen a few things and then climbed out of her car, hurrying up to the front door. She knocked briskly and stepped back.
To her surprise, Zach was the one who answered.
"Aunt Claire...?" Zach blinked, genuinely surprised by her presence. "Um.. my mom's not home, if you're here to see her."
Claire, although smiling, felt herself wilt. "Um.. do you mind if I ask where she is?"
"She took Gray to the store with her."
Claire nodded, lost in thought. Zach frowned a bit. "...would you like to come in?"
"O-Oh," Claire smiled at him. "I-I will in a minute. I just remembered I forgot something in my car." She then turned and walked back to her car, hearing the house door shut behind her as she climbed into the driver's seat.
Once she was positive she was alone, Claire whipped out her phone and dialed up her sister.
Karen picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"
"What the hell, Karen?!" Claire snapped. "I thought you were going to be here!"
No answer. Then, "Gray, sweetie, can you please go grab some potato chips from aisle 2? I forgot to grab some," Claire heard her sister say to Gray, and after a few seconds, Karen's attention was back on her. "They can't be together when you take Zach, Claire. You know this."
"No, I don't," the red-head huffed. "Karen, am I missing something? When you said Zach would be staying with me for the week, you didn't mention that I'd basically have to kidnap him! I mean, sure, I knew he'd protest or something, but I thought you'd be here to help coax him and Gray into it!"
"You're not kidnapping him," Karen argued. "You're just letting him stay at your house. Claire, it was you who agreed that these boys' dependence on each other wasn't healthy. They need help and this could be good for them! Besides, it's like you said. Zach's definitely going to fight against this, so we have to make sure Gray's not with him to make it easier."
"What am I supposed to say, then?!" Claire hissed. "'Hi, Zach. By the way, I need you to come with me for a week because it's good for you and Gray. Your mother didn't want to be here to deal with your outlash, so pack up, let's head home!"
"Quit being like this!" Karen snapped before her tone grew soft. "Claire, they need this. Their situation is only going to get worse if we don't do something..."
Claire frowned. "...do you honestly believe this will help them?"
"Yes," Karen said. "With all of my heart."
"I thought you said we were taking a small drive around?" Zach looked at his Aunt from where he sat in the front seat, his phone partially forgotten in his hands.
Claire pursed her lips as they sped along the back country roads. "We are..." she said slowly, trying to ignore the bad feeling growing in her gut.
Zach studied Claire carefully, suspicious as all hell. "...who were you talking to earlier?"
"What?" Claire glanced briefly at Zach, feigning innocence. "What are you talking about?"
Zach glowered, pocketing his phone. "Don't play dumb," he snapped. "I saw you sitting in your car while you were on the phone. Who was that?"
"It was Owen," Claire answered, a little too quickly for Zach's liking. "He was wondering where I was."
"Want to tell me the truth?"
Claire bit her lip, her knuckles white from how hard she was gripping the steering wheel. "...I-It's for your own good," she said in a small but stern voice.
Zach felt his heart drop into his stomach as realization slowly crept up on him.
"You and Gray... you've become too dependent on each other."
No.
"Y-your mother and I both decided that this was the right choice..."
Oh no.
"I-It's not forever... just for a little bit."
Please, no.
"But you and Gray need some time away from each other. So, Zach... you're staying with me for a little bit."
Silence.
Then...
"Stop the car."
Claire frowned. "Z-Zach, I can't do that-"
"STOP THE GOD DAMN CAR!"
Claire sighed and with a heavy heart, pulled over on the side on the road, completely expecting Zach to blow up at her.
Instead, the teenager opened the door and got out, walking the opposite direction.
Claire sat, stunned, for a few seconds before getting out herself and hurrying over. "ZACH! Zach, STOP!"
Her older nephew kept walking.
"ZACH, WAIT!" Claire caught up to him, grabbing his arm and yanking him around to face her. "Zachary Mitchell, you better march your butt back to that car or so help me-"
"You're a fucking idiot," Zach said suddenly, venom dripping from his tone.
Claire froze. "E-Excuse me?!"
"Gray and I need each other," Zach stressed, on the verge of having a mental breakdown. "We keep each other sane. I am the reason Gray doesn't wake up screaming from the awful nightmares he's been having. I am the reason Gray doesn't have a panic attack every two hours. I am the reason he can get through the damn day!"
Claire opened her mouth to speak but Zach kept going.
"He is the reason I don't have nightmares. He is the reason I can function like a normal human being. He keeps me from lashing out at every FUCKING THING."
Claire couldn't speak, she was so torn.
Zach felt his heart clench as a whirlwind of emotions knocked him around. He was furious. He was distraught. He was scared. And the only person who could help him was now thirty miles away.
He took a shaky breath.
"I don't think you or mom realize what you both have just done..."
Gray walked in behind his mother, silent as a mouse as he helped carry in the groceries. Once he set the bags down, he immediately ran out of the kitchen and to the stairs. "Zach!" the young boy called as he hurried to his big brother's room. "Zach, we're back-!" He froze upon seeing that his brother's room was empty.
Funny...
Gray turned and walked to the bathroom, peeking in and feeling himself deflate even further when he saw that Zach wasn't there either.
The younger Mitchell brother made his way back downstairs, reluctantly walking back into the kitchen where his mother was putting away the food. "Mom...?"
Karen froze, nearly dropping the box of cereal in her hands, and looked at Gray. "...yes, sweetheart?"
"Where's Zach? He's not where he said he'd be..."
Karen slowly sat down the box and Gray felt his gut stir uneasily at her troubled expression. "...We need to talk, honey."
She reached out for him but Gray quickly backed away, his eyebrow furrowing with suspicion. "Where is he?!"
"...He's at your Aunt Claire's-"
"Why?!"
Karen leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. "Because that's where he is staying for the next week."
Gray froze, his heart twisting painfully as his mother's words sunk in. Tears welled up in his small, blue eyes and he looked at his mother with a mix of bad emotions. "Bring him back," he said in a low voice.
"Gray-"
"BRING HIM BACK!" The twelve-year-old screamed, tears falling down the sides of his face. "BRING HIM BACK, BRING HIM BACK, BRING HIM BACK!"
"Gray Mitchell, do NOT yell at me!"
"BRING HIM BACK NOW!" Gray was sobbing by this point, his chest heaving with every hard breath he took. "I WANT MY BROTHER!"
"Gray, for God's Sake, it's only for a WEEK!" Karen snapped, but the small boy wasn't listening.
"I WANT ZACH! BRING HIM BACK NOW!" Gray felt himself start to panic. Who would calm him down at night?! Who would tell him that everything was going to be okay?! Who would smile and say that they'd always be there to protect him?! Who would stop the Dinosaurs from eating him alive?! Who would stop him from being dragged into the Indominus's mouth?!
Meanwhile, Karen was starting to get very worried. She clearly hadn't expected this bad of a reaction. "Gray," she breathed. "Gray, sweetheart, calm down-"
"I-It's going to get me-!" Gray sobbed, trembling. "Z-Zach can't protect me! I-It's going to kill me-!"
Karen felt all the color drain from her face as she took in her hysterical son. "Oh god, Gray, honey-!" She hurried forward, falling to her knees in front of her son and cupping his face. "Gray, baby, please! You're safe! You're home! You're okay!"
"H-He said he'd protect me-!" Gray was gone. "H-He lied! He's gone-! I-I'm going to die-!"
This was bad. This was very bad.
Karen ran to her phone, which was sitting on the counter. She immediately dialed up Claire.
"H-hello-?"
"Bring Zach back," Karen said, glancing at Gray, who was now on his knees with his head in his hands. "Bring him back, and please hurry!"
"I-I'm already on my way," Claire said. "...Zach got to me."
"Good," Karen breathed. "Good. How far away are you?"
"Five minutes," Claire said. "Tell Gray to hang on. We're coming."
Zach burst through the front door, practically shoving his mother aside as he hurried towards the sounds of his frantic brother.
Gray had been moved from the kitchen to the living room couch, which helped Zach reach him faster.
"Gray," Zach breathed, dropping to his knees in front of his brother, who was still terrified and sobbing. "Gray, hey buddy, it's me. It's Zach."
Gray mumbled, and it was so quiet that Zach almost missed what he said.
"Z-Zach's gone- I-I'm dead-"
"No," Zach whispered. "No, Gray. No, you're not dead. Listen to me! You're okay. You're okay...!" The older brother stood and sat next to Gray, pulling the crying boy into his lap and hugging him tightly. "I'm here. You're safe. I'll protect you..."
Upon hearing these words, Gray slowly began to calm down. His arms then snaked up and wrapped around Zach's neck, hugging him close.
Zach smiled small and squeezed Gray tightly. "I'm here. I'll always be here. No matter what."
"No matter what?"
"No matter what..."
In the archway, Karen and Claire watched the scene play out. Overwhelmed with relief, Karen turned to Claire. "I-I'm so sorry about all of this... I-I was stupid and selfish and desperate and-"
"Hey," Claire said softly, taking Karen's hand and squeezing it. "It's okay. We all make stupid mistakes..."
Karen smiled sadly and looked at Zach and Gray, her heart warming at the serene picture.
"Do you think they'll ever be okay...?"
Claire looked over as well.
"Yeah," she murmured. "I do."