And we're back with another update! I appreciate any of you guys following along!
TW: Mentions of rape/non-con, abuse
When Tyler woke up the next morning, he rolled over, planning on curling up against Daddy's chest, but he wasn't lying beside him. Confused, the boy pushed up on the mattress, looking up to find his daddy, sitting at Table in the middle of Room, his chin in his hand. The child almost asked what was wrong before his eyes found what his daddy was staring at. It didn't even look like daddy noticed that he was awake.
There on Table was a small box, one that had a red truck inside of it. Not even noticing the pained and slightly angry look on his daddy's face, the child gasped in pure delight and shot up from the bed, scrambling to get a closer look while Daddy leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap.
Inspecting the toy, Race found that it was remote controlled. Excitement bubbled up inside him as he looked up at Daddy. "Can I open it?"
For only a moment, the man didn't move or respond in any way until he was able to muster up the strength to give Tyler a small, hesitant and broken nod.
The boy squealed with delight and grabbed onto the thing, ripping it open and taking in each and every detail of the gift.
Jack hardly moved all day. He stared aimlessly ahead as the truck screeched at every turn, blinking slowly when the thing would run over his foot or smash into his ankles. He didn't want to look at that toy, that toy that he didn't get or wrap up for his little boy, that toy that a cruel, delusional old man had purchased for him in an attempt to be worshiped.
The noise went on for hours. Jack supposed he could be grateful it had been enough to distract Tyler from the fact that there wasn't any food left to have for breakfast. They had just enough bread for a sandwich for lunch and one more meal left for dinner.
Jack stared at the wall, willing Room to melt away around him.
Beeping and tiny spinning tires became annoying after ten minutes. After four hours, Jack went numb to it all again, eventually able to stand and make his son some lunch. He spread some mustard out on the bread and lazily threw the last couple pieces of sliced turkey and cheese on it, grabbing a plastic plate and setting it down on the table for his boy, watching the kid drop the remote, finally, as he rushed to devour the meal.
Once he was finished, he peaked up through his long blond curls. "Daddy?" the child asked. All Jack could do was look at him wordlessly. "Do you need ta scream?"
Pressing his lips together for a moment, Jack thought about it before he nodded.
Screaming. It was something that used to be all Jack had done. After all this time, maybe they could be loud enough together. Race always stood on his chair by the radiator. Jack stood beneath the skylight. And they just screamed with every ounce of strength inside them.
Head pounding and throat sore, Jack found himself out of breath faster than the little boy. Tyler had gotten it in his head years ago that screaming made Jack feel better. Sometimes it did. If it didn't, it just made him feel worse. Still, it was always worth a shot.
They didn't have much left to lose.
Tyler pointed his brand new truck right at the radiator. It's where Jack used to tell him to aim his screams, claiming that the aliens might be able to hear them and scream back. It had just been a way to get the child to make some noise. It felt all too much like that story he used to know as a child, the one where a whole world was crying out that they existed while the folks who held their life in their hands refused to believe it.
When Tyler's screams finally died down, Jack sighed, doing his best to catch his breath. "Why don't the aliens ever scream back?" the child asked, turning to him.
Jack swallowed, trying to soothe his aching throat. "Because they still can't hear us," he informed sadly, glaring up at the sound boards and the corkboard walls that sealed them inside.
Hearing the longing in his daddy's voice, Race frowned. "We can scream even louder, okay?" he suggested.
Taking a deep breath, Jack nodded. "Okay," he agreed. He let Race turn back to the radiator. And then they screamed again, cries ripping from the back of their throats, one much more desperate than the other for only a moment before Jack let himself fall to the floor. He wasn't sure if he was near passing out or if he just subconsciously knew that this wouldn't matter. He stared up at the skylight, taking in a shuddering breath. He was so tired.
After only a moment, his son lay down beside him, his truck held so fiercely in his arms. Jack let the kid stay there as they just watched the sky together.
It was raining.
"Daddy?"
Jack hummed out a response, his voice broken and hurting.
"Will the aliens eva' hear us?"
The question went without an answer. Jack didn't have one. He just blinked and glanced away, unable to meet his little boy's eyes.
"Don't worry," Tyler assured innocently. "One day, I'll make us a rocket n' we'll blast through Skylight and see all the TV planets. I promise."
The words made a warm feeling begin to spread across Jack's chest. When he heard them, he turned his head to face his son, sniffling as he took in the sight of that precious five year old. He reached to smooth the child's hair back before he was able to press a soft kiss to the boy's head. Still, he said nothing, unable to trust his own voice at the moment.
They lost track of the day after that. Jack stopped focusing on anything, unable to stop his brain from trying to destroy him even further, even as he made dinner, heating up some soup on the stove and putting a grilled cheese sandwich in the toaster for his son.
The boy was now laying on the bed, wrestling with his truck who was apparently trying to get him.
"Daddy! Daddy, it's tryin' ta run me over!" Race giggled, trying to make a show out of it. Jack glanced back at the kid, watching the truck as it drove up his tiny tummy and hit his chin, only making Tyler laugh. Jack could see the boy messing with the control beneath him.
"Oh no!" Jack managed to force out in order to play along, his voice raspy and hoarse from screaming. He went back to cutting up the last of the vegetables they had to put them in the soup as Tyler continued playing.
Jack had long forgotten about the sandwich in the toaster.
"Da'? What smells bad?"
For only a moment, the young man was confused until he picked up on the smell too. "Shit," he hissed at himself, reaching for the toaster and using his bare hands to push the sandwich out onto the counter, burning the tips of his fingers as he did so. "Fuck!" Jack groaned, slamming the thing shut as he ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck!" He kicked at the counter before resting his head in his hands. The smell of burnt cheese would be hanging around Room for at least a day or two. There was no way to let it air out.
Spider was not going to be happy with him.
"Daddy, are you okay—?"
"I'm fine!" Jack snapped, biting his lip the second the harsh tone slipped from his lips. He took in a deep breath, looking back up at Tyler. "I'm fine… I'm sorry, kid. I'm fine," he assured brokenly.
His son paused for a moment, just looking at him before he pushed himself off of Bed and bounced over to him, though he seemed a bit sadder than normal. Jack hadn't meant to tell. He really hadn't meant it.
Arms wrapped around Jack's leg and the boy leaned up against him. Neither of them said a thing. Jack just swallowed back the lump in his throat again and let a hand rest down on his son's hair. It was just quiet for a long moment and Jack tried to take comfort in the small embrace.
It was another quiet night.
Jack and Tyler ate in front of TV. Jack didn't know what they were watching and he didn't hear a word of it. He just mindlessly stared at it for hours before it was time to get washed up before bed. They took a bath and Jack helped Tyler into his sleep shirt and then he let him crawl into Wardrobe, asking for a story as the young man's watch beeped. Jack settled on singing to him lightly as he gently shut the door of the wardrobe, leaning his forehead against the baby blue wood. He sighed, wishing he could just hold his son all night and not have to worry about what came next.
The man didn't turn the lights off or fall into bed like he so wished to. Instead, he headed over to the stove and heated up the last of the soup he'd made for dinner.
It was Sunday.
Despite the phrase that he'd made up to give Race something to look forward to, Jack despised Sundays. Sunday Treat was just a part of what happened after the child went to sleep.
Six beeps and a buzz sounded from above Jack. He cringed when he heard the scrapping of the door but he forced himself to play the part, to fall into the role. It was easier that way.
"Hey," the man called, taking off his jacket and throwing it onto Tyler's brown chair along with a small grocery bag.
Jack turned back to him and bit the nail of his thumb with a small sniffle. "Hey…"
"It's fucking freezing out there," the man huffed.
"I'm sorry…" Jack tried his best to sound genuine. Honestly, he'd give anything to feel the cold air on his skin. "Ya hungry?" he asked, stirring the soup a little bit. His voice was quiet and meek.
Spider wrapped arms around his waist from behind, not answering him and instead reaching around Jack to brush his hair out of his face. Jack shivered, not reaching to stop him. It was sickeningly domestic and Jack felt nauseous thinking about it as he felt hot breaths on his neck. And just as Spider was beginning to get a little handsy, the old man scrunched his nose up in disgust. "What's that smell?"
The young man swallowed. "I burned some cheese earlier," he admitted. Spider shook his head. "I-I just wasn't thinkin'..."
"Thinking has never been your strong suit," Spider laughed, walking past the young man and patting his hip as he did.
Biting his lip, Jack nodded. "I know…" he muttered when he felt fingers twirl in his long hair. He tried not to tense. It was always his first instinct. "I'm sorry," he said, still refusing to turn around. He didn't want to. He'd been hearing Tyler counting himself to sleep more and more. He didn't want his son to be awake for any of this.
"Hey, would you show me some kind of smile? I brought gifts," Spider smiled, grabbing Jack's bad wrist and whirling him around. Jack didn't smile. He just looked past the man to the bag on the table, hunger gripping at him. He tried to step towards it, but a strong arm stopped him. "Ah ah ah…" the old man smirked. He held Jack around the waist again to keep him from the grocery bag as he pulled Jack's yellow chair out for him. "Sit down," he ordered gently. Jack hesitated for a moment, looking up at the man. He knew he was glaring. He couldn't help it. Spider just smirked. So Jack did as he was told. "Oh don't give me that look. I know you've wanted it cut for a long time. I like you better with shorter hair anyway…"
Jack didn't move as Spider reached into the grocery bag in front of them and pulled out hair clippers and ran his hand through the younger man's hair a few times. Sometimes Tyler would run hands through his hair. Sometimes it felt nice. This didn't feel like that.
As locks of his hair fell to the floor, Jack supposed he should've been grateful. He hated it when his hair grew out like this. Having strands of hair fall into his eyes had become one of Jack's least favorite things over the years.
"It feels good, doesn't it?" Spider asked as he finished up, smoothing back Jack's newly cut and soft hair. "You look amazing…"
Sniffling, Jack nodded. He waited for only a moment longer, letting Spider play with his hair, before he reached forward for the grocery bag slowly. "Thank you…" he breathed, standing to his feet and immediately going to put away the small amount of food he'd been given that was meant to last a week. "You wanna sit down?" Jack offered quietly, glancing back and nodding to the chair he'd just stood from.
The man nodded with a smile as he watched Jack's every move. Jack could feel those eyes on him as he put things away quickly, just wanting the night to end so he could try to cope and move on. It was only a pathetic dream. He could never move on.
All he could do was muddle through the minutes until he was holding his son again.
Tyler sat awake in Wardrobe. Daddy said he shouldn't be awake when Spider came, but the boy couldn't help it, especially not when Spider cut Daddy's hair. There was always a loud buzzing noise. Tyler didn't understand why they would do that. He was a whole five years old and Daddy had never cut his hair. His hair is where his strong was. He didn't want anyone to cut it.
While the little boy waited for the noise to stop, he played with his little red truck. Daddy said he could sleep with it as long as it didn't keep him awake. Tyler didn't care much. Daddy had been tired lately. Maybe tomorrow they would just sleep all day like they had so many times before.
"Does he like his truck?" he heard Spider ask over the noise. He didn't look out, but the voice kept talking. "Yeah? I knew he would. I know boys… Amelia was sweet but birthdays were always hard with her…" Spider kept talking but Daddy didn't talk back. The noise kept going.
When the noise did stop, Tyler sighed, putting his truck down and peaking out into Room. He saw Daddy with Sunday Surprise. He wondered what food they would have this week and tried to squint to find out before he saw his daddy pause and turn around. Daddy looked nervous.
"Um… the-the vitamins…" he said, looking at Spider sadly.
Spider just gave him an equally sad smile. "Yeah… it's a waste of money. There's nothing in them," he explained.
Turning back, Tyler recognized a look of irritation on his daddy's face. "They're multivitamins… he wouldn't need them if we were on a better diet—"
"Fuck, here we go," Spider groaned. "You really wanna argue this with me again?"
The little boy in the Wardrobe knew that he wasn't supposed to be listening. He was supposed to be asleep. But he couldn't help but watch. He wanted his daddy. He wanted Daddy to carry him to Bed and cuddle with him until they fell asleep. Race always slept better that way.
Spider rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Don't forget what you have here," he said as Daddy stood stiffly over by Cupboard. "Who keeps the lights on, huh? Who fuckin' pays for everything—?"
"You do…" Daddy replied, his wide green eyes never leaving the man. "I'm…" he shook his head, looking back up and swallowing. "Thank you… f'r everything…" Tyler didn't like seeing his daddy like this. He just wanted to hug him. Hugs always made his daddy feel better. He'd said so himself. He said even if it didn't look like it, he loved Race's hugs. Race gave the best hugs.
"Better be fucking grateful," Spider spat back. "Everyday it's something new with you. Something else you want, like I'm made of money. I pay for everything and how on earth do you think I'm gonna be able to keep doing that?"
Jack froze at those words, staring at the man in fear. He let out a trembling breath. "Wh-what do you mean?" he asked shakily, not liking the sound of it at all.
Almost looking guilty, the man glanced up at him, shaking his head. "Nothing. Just… forget I said anything."
"No," Jack whispered. "What are ya talkin' about?"
"I was laid off six months ago," Spider admitted, nodding as he smiled sadly down at Jack. "Six months." He truly sounded sorry, like he'd let Jack down whilst also somehow still talking down to the young man. But it didn't matter how he'd said those words. All that mattered was what that meant.
Running a hand through his newly cut hair, Jack bit his lip, glancing around Room before he looked back at Snyder. "W-what are you gonna do?"
Tyler watched carefully as his daddy waited for an answer. He held Truck close to his chest, confused and scared. It was quiet for a long time.
"A-are you lookin' for a job—?" Daddy's voice was quiet and small and he flinched when Spider cut him off.
Slamming his hand down on the table, Spider stood abruptly and stepped towards his daddy. "Damn it, there aren't any jobs!" Tyler gasped and scrambled back towards the wall, dropping Truck quickly. He hit his head on the wall and Room was quiet again.
Tears built up in Jack's eyes as Spider whirled around to face the wardrobe. "Oh, do we have some prying eyes in there—?"
"He's asleep," Jack forced out, when Spider took a step towards his son. His heart clenched in his chest.
Spider chuckled darkly. "I don't think so…"
Desperation gripped him as the young man stepped forward. "Let's go ta bed," he tried to suggest. Spider wasn't listening. He was kneeling down in front of the wardrobe.
"Do you keep him locked up in the closet during the day too?" Spider teased. "Does the little freak have three heads or something?" Daddy didn't respond. "Hey there, Tyler James…" the old man smiled, reaching into the pocket of his jacket that lay just behind him. "It's okay, I promise I won't hurt ya. Do you like candy?"
Tyler breathed quietly as he crawled a little closer towards the door. He'd never had candy before. He cocked his head as curiosity filled up his chest. Spider had a little red roll of something. Daddy still looked scared. "Hey… come on… let's go ta bed…" he asked again.
Spider still had the candy in his hand. "Come on out…" Tyler had always wanted to try candy. People on TV liked candy.
Daddy walked closer to him. Tyler still wanted to hug him. He watched his daddy tug on Spider's sleeve. "Come ta bed… please…"
A smile spread on Spider's face. "Please, huh?" he laughed, standing back to his feet and putting the candy back in his jacket pocket. "Your mama must have taught you some good manners," he teased.
The little boy in Wardrobe couldn't see what happened after that, but the squeaking started again soon. He didn't like the squeaking. It was louder tonight and Spider was making noises that he didn't recognize. He didn't like it. Daddy was quiet until he started to groan like he hurt. Race lay back down, curling up under his blanket and trying to count himself to sleep.
Tyler didn't like the noises. He tried to think about something else. That's what Daddy said he should do if he heard something coming from outside Wardrobe.
All he could think about was candy.
The noises lasted for a long time. Tyler sighed and closed his eyes. It felt like hours before he was even nearly asleep.
But he laid down on his remote.
Truck rolled to life and hit the wall right next to the child's face. Tyler gasped and sat up fast, rolling away and staring at the toy in terror.
He wanted his daddy.
Tyler peeked out into Room from the broken part of Wardrobe. He could still see Spider's jacket on his chair. The thought of candy still swarmed in his thoughts. Daddy said he wasn't allowed to come out. Not when Spider was still here. But Spider had offered him candy. Maybe he wasn't that bad after all.
Soft snores filled the room. Tyler had never seen Spider up close. He wondered what the man looked like sometimes. Spider confused him. Daddy didn't like Spider, but Spider brought them Sunday Treat. Spider made it warm for them. And Spider brought him a present.
Spider seemed real. Maybe he was an alien. Maybe he was half human.
Curiosity got the better of the boy. He let out a breath before his tiny hand pushed at the door of Wardrobe. The door creaked and Race peered out into Room. His bare feet slipped down onto the floor. He padded lightly over to the jacket. That's where the candy had been. The boy couldn't find it though. He didn't know where to look.
As he glanced over, he saw a man laying next to Daddy in Bed. It was Spider. Race cocked his head to the side, trying to get a better look at him. Spider was bigger than Daddy. Fatter too. He had hair on his face like Daddy did, but more. Daddy only had a little bit on his face. At least, he used to. It was gone now. So was a lot of Daddy's hair.
Tyler let himself walk closer to Bed. He made sure to be quiet. He knew he shouldn't be out in Room. But he'd never seen Spider before.
He didn't look like an alien.
When the little boy stood just above his Daddy and Spider, he watched them, unsure of what to do. He really wanted his daddy to hold him. It was always easier to sleep in Bed with his daddy hugging him. Still, he couldn't help but watch Spider, not understanding. Spider looked just like them. But Spider lived in space.
For a while, the little boy just stared. He watched as Spider's eyes flickered a little bit. Dark eyes blinked up at him and Tyler frowned, tilting his ear to his shoulder even further as he watched Spider. The man sighed and a little smile took over his lips. It wasn't like Daddy's smile. It was different. "Well, hey there, blondie…" he grinned, reaching out for him.
Spider almost touched his hair.
Jack gasped awake when he heard that horrible voice talking to someone that wasn't him. When he saw his little boy standing beside Spider who was about to tug on his hair, the young man panicked. "Get away from him!" he screamed. Pure instinct took over. Jack shoved his son away and put his forearm against Spider's throat, trying to pin him down while his son ran back to the wardrobe with a terror filled cry. "Don't touch him!"
It didn't take long before Jack's adrenaline lost out to Spider's real strength. A hand locked around his throat and the man shoved him down into the mattress.
Jack couldn't breathe.
Spider held his neck tightly as he straddled his back, pressing the younger man's face down into his pillow. Jack struggled futilely beneath him, fisting his hands down into the fitted sheet and trying to push off of the mattress to take a gasp of air. He didn't know he was whimpering. He didn't know that Tyler could hear him. He hit the mattress hard with his hands that were down at either side of his ears, unable to speak.
The weight on his back seemed to get heavier in every sense as the hand around his throat tightened. He tried to cry out but he didn't have the strength or the air to do so. He felt Spider's hot breath against his ear. "You wanna breathe?" he asked. Jack tried to nod but he couldn't. "Huh? You wanna breathe?"
"Mm… M-Mhm…" Jack forced out in a whimper, unable to move as his head spun. He was going to pass out soon but he couldn't. He couldn't leave his son alone with this man.
"Yeah?" Spider asked again. "Yeah… then shut the fuck up," he ordered, finally removing his hand and stepping off of the bed, letting Jack gasped and heave for air, only resulting in a coughing fit that wracked the young man's entire body.
Despite his position, Jack glared up at the bastard above him. "Don't fuckin' touch him!" he cried again.
Spider scoffed and reached down to shove Jack's head to the side, making the young man nearly roll over before he grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on. "You ever touch me like that again… you ever grab me like that again, I'll fucking kill you, you little bitch," the old man shook his head, reaching for Jack's arm only for Jack to flinch and curl in on himself quickly.
"Don't touch him…" Jack was nearly sobbing now. He could feel the tears on his face. He had no idea how long they'd been there.
"Don't forget where you got him!" Spider warned. "I lost my Amelia for that kid. Don't you dare forget what you cost me!" The old man hit the side of the wardrobe hard on his way out. Jack tried to watch him punch in the numbers but his vision was blurred. "That kid belongs to me, Kelly. You can't hide him forever."
With that, the man left, slamming the door as he did.
Jack tried to sit up but only fell back down to the mattress in pain. He didn't care. "Tyler…" he croaked, trying to scream. "Tyler!"
In nearly an instant, a five year old was in his arms. "I'm sorry I came out of Wardrobe!" the child sobbed, his voice so high pitched that hardly any sound actually came out. Jack wrapped him up as best he could with all of the strength he had left as he wheezed and coughed lightly, curling around his baby and holding him around the waist.
The child sobbed and whined and whimpered, trembling against him. It was only then that Jack realized he was shaking just the same. He glared at that door, trying to regulate his breathing again as he smoothed back Tyler's hair.
He pressed a kiss to the boy's head, letting out a small sob of his own. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on the weight in his arms for a moment before glancing around Room as Tyler curled into his bare chest even further.
"I won't do it again! I promise!"
Jack didn't respond. All he could do was hold the boy tightly in his arms.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean ta make ya mad!"
Jack pressed another kiss to Race's hair. "Shhhhhh…" he whispered. "Go ta sleep, Tyler…" he croaked, his voice breaking as he begged this little boy to just close his eyes and pass out. "Just go ta sleep…"
The boy didn't. Jack couldn't blame him. So he just held the child and his baby let him.
And Jack glared at the whole world.
Jack hated Room.
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you would change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya, kiddos!