Whumpay Day 2: Touched Starved/Touch Repulsed.
Warnings for unconsensual touch.
Part One: Touch Repulsed
It was the unexpected nature of the event that took its' toll on him. Everyone knew that John hated being touched, even if they didn't know why. That was one reason why it surprised him. It was the who that was the second surprise.
Clara Aims was the hottest girl in the school. At least, that's what the others in his class said, but she didn't stir anything in John. That didn't bother him in the slightest. She was also going out with one of the jocks, he couldn't remember which one.
So when she grabbed hold of his arm and tried to pull him into what his shocked mind could only register as a 'hug', he had a kneejerk reaction. Unfortunately, that reaction was to push her away hard, and she fell awkwardly. He ignored the yelling from those who had witnessed it all and ran.
John fled to the bathroom, chest heaving and hands clenched as he tried to control the rising panic. There were tears. It had been such a long time since someone had done that to him that John had hoped his being bullied this way was over. It took the rest of the lunchtime to get back under control, then it was Science and Math club. The two things guaranteed to settle him.
John's Math club finished half an hour before Scott's baseball practice, and usually John would sit under one of the trees near the field and read until his brother was ready. He didn't get the chance this evening.
Saying goodbye to the others in the club, John headed back to his locker to grab his books but he was grabbed by the arm and frogmarched into the gym locker room. And he was slammed into the lockers there.
Jake. Clara's boyfriend.
John clutched his bag in front of him as if it would protect him from the beating he was sure to get. He'd tried really hard to follow Scott's advice, not to yank away as that only spurred the bullies on, but she'd caught him so completely by surprise. Jake tearing his bag out of his hands and throwing it across the room was not a surprise.
There were three of them, but John only had eyes on Jake, he was the threat here, as Jake once again shoved him back into the lockers. Only this time he held John there by a hand against his shoulder. Experience had taught John not to squirm.
Jake looked at him, rage clear in his eyes. Then he did the one thing John was praying he didn't. He stepped forward so that his body was now pinning John, and he leaned so that his mouth was touching John's ear. John tried so hard not to shudder, but he knew he had failed.
'Do you know what you did, freak? You broke my girlfriends wrist. She can't cheerlead for the rest of the semester because of you.' John swallowed. Ok. This was bad. Very, very bad. 'What's the matter? Can't stand a girl touching you?' John closed his eyes, having Jake so close, touching him, was overwhelming him, and he was pretty sure he was going to collapse any minute.
Then Jake moved his hand off John's shoulder and placed it around his throat as John's knees gave way. It was a momentary weakness but having to be held up by his throat soon got John standing again, even if he was shaking.
Jake laughed. It was loud and hurt his ears. 'Maybe it's not a girl's touch you need.' It was whispered ever so quietly, so the other two thugs couldn't hear it, but the threat in the voice was real. John screamed in his mind for help.
Suddenly he was on the floor with Jake beside him and someone, someone else sitting on Jake? John's over-stressed mind couldn't work out what was going on, but he was free and he rolled away from the figures and curled up.
Scott had been running baseball drills when one of his teammates come over and indicated he needed to talk. He'd only just heard what had happened at lunch, and wasn't John Scott's brother? Scott's blood ran cold and he shot off, his two closest friends following when they heard what was going on.
Seeing that thug pinning John to the locker had Scott's blood now boiling, and without thinking about it he hurled himself at the pair, knocking them both to the ground. Finding Jake on his back, Scott wasted no time straddling the teen, fists pounding. The two thugs that had come with Jake took one look and fled, and it was the two who had come with Scott who pulled the furious teen away.
Jake's face was a mess of blood, and he was pretty sure Scott had broken his nose, not to mention several teeth. He sat up, warily. He'd only had the confidence to have a go at John because his elder brother was at baseball practice and wouldn't get here for another half an hour, plenty of time for what he had in mind. Everyone knew you didn't cross Tracy, especially when it came to one of his brothers.
Scott's bolt from the playing field had not gone unnoticed, and after a word with the team, the coach set off at an easy run, reasonably sure what he would find. And, yep, it was exactly as he expected. Scott being held back by his friends, Jake on the floor and bloody, and John, curled up as tight as he could be on the floor. He sighed. Why did kids need to be so cruel to someone who was different?
Taking charge, he frogmarched Jake off to get seen by the nurse, leaving the four boys to sort themselves out. A quiet sob from John was all it took to bring Scott back to his senses and he shook his friends off and sat down beside his brother. He didn't say anything or do anything, he just sat and waited, grateful when his friends left them to it.
It took 15 minutes for John to stop shaking, and another 10 before he uncurled himself. In all that time Scott said and did nothing, aware that his brother's sensory overload took a long time to settle after an event like this. He just made sure that he was sitting in John's sight.
Eventually John moved to sit up, just barely touching Scott's shoulder with his own. Nothing was said, it didn't need to be, and another ten minutes later the pair were heading to Scott's car to go home.
John wondered if he'd ever get used to this. Scott hoped he wouldn't have to.
Part Two: Touch Starved
It had been eight months. Eight months of frantic coding and searching and searching and searching. Yet still it yielded nothing.
Eight months since their dad had gone missing.
They had spent two, three months just searching, the eldest three, while the youngest two did their best to cope and help each other. But Scott had said enough, they needed to get on with living. He had conferred with Grandma and International Rescue had been stood down for six months.
Six months to grieve and sort out what they were going to do.
Then two months ago they restarted by mutual consent. They all needed to do this, to keep Dad's dream alive. Scott and Virgil had speeded up Gordon's training so that there were three pilots to cover everything, and Alan, bless the kid, Alan at fourteen was asking to train for Three as she no longer had a primary pilot. She was always going to be his anyway, and reluctantly Scott had agreed.
But he wanted John down to train Alan. Sure, Scott was qualified enough and space rated, but John was the best between them, and he had been asking him to come home ever since…but John couldn't. He didn't want to.
And then the rescues began in earnest and they didn't have time, he didn't have time to come home and deal with…with everything. So John kept working. He knew his brothers were worried, but he was fine. He loved being here, up in amongst the stars, alone. Virgil had expressed concerns about his mental health, but he had brushed them off. It was his favourite place to be, why would he be stressed or depressed up here? But then Grandma said she was worried and that was that.
Scott was threatening to come up and get him, and he knew his older brother did not make idle threats. So he agreed. And Scott had come up alone, totally against protocol, to get him. If a lack of a co-pilot in Three was concerning for John, the sight of his brother was more so.
Scott had lost weight, a lot of weight, weight he couldn't afford if he was to maintain his ridiculously active lifestyle. And the man looked drawn. He wondered what he looked like to Scott, and as if he could read his mind, Scott tutted and said, 'You look like crap, John.' They grinned at each other, but there was an awkwardness present they had not had for years.
Disengaging Three, Scott pointed her towards home, but didn't engage the rocket's engines. Instead, he sat there, thoughts clearly crossing his face, and John waited, puzzled. Suddenly Scott got up and came over to him, looking him over like the smotherhen he was. His eyes were clearly searching for something, and John, confused completely, stood up as well.
Only to be enveloped into a hug. It was gentle and not constricting, and it caught John completely by surprise, his arms still by his side. But then John relaxed, and tentatively returned the hug, which caused Scott to tighten his arms ever so slightly.
And John melted. His knees gave way and he was crying even though he didn't know why, and Scott just held him gently but firmly until he got himself together. He hadn't even known he'd needed the touch, but that hug had given him the reassurance he had desperately been seeking.
His brothers loved him.