Hellow all! I've missed you very much. I decided it was about time for me to get back to writing requests that I've gotten from all you beautiful people. So here's one that's nearly two years old (I'm so sorry) that's a companion piece to a Christmas fic named "Here's To Many More" and another one named "Dinners and Distractions".
For Mickey00 and OllieCollie
TW: Mentions of abuse
Jack's heart was just about beating out of his chest. He couldn't believe that the day had finally come. He couldn't believe that this might be the very last time he'd ever have to stand outside this godforsaken house.
He'd won. Paint stained hands and all, he'd won.
His boys were his now. Snyder couldn't have them. He could finally bring them home.
"Are you ready, baby?" Medda asked from beside him, hugging him from the side as he took a deep breath, anticipating what was to come next.
So he smiled. "I'm ready as I'll ever be," he said, raising a shaky hand up to knock on the door in front of him. He only hesitated one moment longer before his fate was sealed. His heart was ready to burst.
When the door opened, the feeling was squashed easily. Mike had tears falling down his cheeks. The second the little boy saw him, he was scrambling to get the screen door open so that he could rush to cling to Jack's leg. "Jackie! Jackie, you have ta help!"
"Whoa, whoa, kiddo…" Jack coaxed, kneeling down before the child he rarely saw without his twin lagging behind him. "Where's Ike? What happened?"
"S-Sir locked Race 'n-n his… 'n Albie t-tried ta get him food b-but… n'... n' Crutchie… b-but Specs n'—" Mike clung to him again, burying his face in the older boy's shoulder, trembling as he tried to get the right words out.
Jack could only shush him and lift the nine year old up in his arms. "Okay, kid. It's okay—"
"Jack, honey, maybe we should call—" Medda began behind him. Jack just turned to her and let her take the boy from his arms.
"I ain't waitin'. I'm goin' ta get 'em outta this place," he stated decidedly, not willing to let his brothers suffer any longer.
These past few months without being by their side every night had been hell. This was supposed to be the pay off. This was supposed to be a good, happy day. And Jack would be damned if he let The Spider keep those boys from him for another minute.
So he walked back into the nightmarish house and took a deep breath to steady himself. Lurking outside the window had been nothing compared to being inside all over again. The air was thicker and the world was darker. The walls already seemed to be closing in on him. Still, he took as deep a breath as he could manage, hearing some scuffling coming from up those horrible stairs.
It was just him and Medda right now. Kloppman was on the way, but right now, Jack had to do this. He had to get to his boys. "Racer? Charlie?" he called, slowly making his way up the stairs, nervous to see what Snyder had done to them this time. The old man had only shown up to court once. He hadn't stuck around to see how it ended.
It was agonizingly quiet in this dark home. It was stuffy and the air hung with a stench that had been there since Jack's first day. He pushed through, wishing his old foster father would think to open a window, or, at the very least, open the blinds.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he heard it. The sobs. The small whimpers that were terrified of being too loud. Jack instinctively turned to his right, though he knew those sobs were coming from behind him.
Snyder was sitting in his office, glaring at him. "What the hell are you doing back here, Kelly?"
Jack set his jaw. His eyes were dark as he stared down his old guardian, calming his first instincts that told him to punch the man's teeth in. "What did you do?"
"Get out of my house, Kelly—"
"Where are my kids?"
It was a simple question, but the words made them both freeze. Jack had never said it out loud before, and still the phrase felt natural, like it had always been true.
Those kids were his.
A smug smirk made its way onto that old man's face and it made something in Jack's chest burn as a chuckle escaped Snyder. "Oh, don't tell me the judge actually trusted you with eight other lives," he laughed. "What is the world coming to, Kelly?"
Without waiting another minute, Jack marched up to the man, seeing those dark eyes widen for a moment when he grabbed at the string around his neck, yanking it away from his reach. "You come close enough for any of my boys to see you n' I will have you arrested. You so much as look at one of them the wrong way before we leave, n' I guarantee, you'll regret it," Jack promised.
The old man was still smirking, seeming to like the challenge. Jack didn't stick around to let his own rage get the better of him, he rushed out of the room.
He had to get to his kids.
The second he opened the door to his old bedroom, he felt his heart snap in two. "Crutch…" he sighed, rushing into the room.
Crutchie was laying on his bed, his eyes screwed shut as Specs did his best to massage his leg, comforting him the only way he knew how. Jack rushed to them, running a hand over Specs's back as gently as he could. The younger boy jumped and it took all of Jack's strength not to shed a tear. "Hey, Specs, go get your things," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the kid's head.
The kid's eyes widened before a teary smile spread over his lips. He pointed to Jack and nodded, his eyebrows raised in a silent question. The older boy couldn't help but smile and nod back before he was engulfed in another hug. "I gotcha, kid… he ain't eva' gonna hurt ya again…" Jack promised, before pulling away and pushing Specs off into the hall. "Go get the others n' get all your things. It's almost ova'."
Specs ran off with a grin on his face, despite his wet cheeks. And then Jack was left with Crutchie who tried to smile up at him, despite the pain he was clearly in. "S-see?" he laughed. "Told ya you would win, Jackie," he breathed, trying to sit up on his own. In the end, Jack pulled the kid to his chest to stop him from hurting himself.
"I gotcha, kid. Let's go get Racer, okay? Where is he?"
Charlie sniffled, burying his head in Jack's shoulder. "Snyder's closet…" he admitted quietly, holding onto Jack for dear life.
Jack sighed. So that's why Snyder was so smug. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of the boy's head before Specs ran past, Ike and Albert close behind, Albert having Elmer in his arms and little Romeo clinging to his hand. All they had were two backpacks to carry all of their things. Jack didn't stop to think about it. He just helped Charlie onto Specs's back and watched as the terrified little boys rushed down to Medda who was anxiously waiting outside for them.
And Jack walked right into the lion's den.
Snyder was sipping on a glass of what Jack assumed was some kind of scotch. It was Snyder's favorite drink. He knew, because he used to have to serve it. Snyder didn't even look up when Jack walked in. "Let him out," the boy demanded.
"I don't know what you mean, Kelly—"
"Let my brotha' out of there right the hell now!" Jack screamed, pointing to the closet where he knew Racer was more than likely passed out or gagged.
Snyder scoffed, whirling his drink around just a little bit. "You know, Jack, I never liked children." It wasn't a secret. Jack had known that from the second he'd stepped foot in this house. "But you…" Snyder breathed, looking up at him. "You were by far the most insufferable little boy I had ever laid eyes on. And now, you're supposed to be an adult all of the sudden. And you're responsible for kids who literally can't take care of themselves." The man clicked his tongue and stood to his feet.
Jack had spent so much of his life fearing this man, never able to look him straight in the eye despite his reputation for being stubborn and defiant against him. He'd been beaten down and kicked aside and shoved behind doors. He'd been starved and deprived by this man and now, in the moment that he was supposed to have won, the one chance he had to look this man in the eye and tell him to shove off, he couldn't help but feel the monster towering over him.
"You are going to fail."
That was it. The scariest thing Jack had ever heard before his hand was grabbed and a ring of keys was dropped into his palm. Snyder clasped his shoulder and Jack flinched. But the man left the room, leaving him in a silent room with those horrible words ringing in his head.
And then a thump sounded from the closet and Jack rushed back into action.
"Racer, I'm here!" he promised, fumbling with the keys, desperate to find the right one. "It's gonna be alright…" His voice breaking as he struggled to get the door open. When he finally managed it, his heart broke at what he saw.
Race had tears running down his face. He was curled up in a ball, not even bound by duct tape that Snyder would normally use on them. His right eye was swollen nearly completely shut, his grey t-shirt was stretched and ripped, his lip split and whole body trembling. But what caught Jack's eye the most were those purple, hand shaped bruises that were ringing around the child's neck. "Oh, kid…"
Race gasped for air, curling up even tighter. It sounded like he was wheezing slightly. The boy sniffled and wiped at his nose with his shirt.
Jack was careful when he pulled the boy towards him. The kid flinched a bit but didn't resist before he melted against the older boy. Petting back the kid's hair, Jack whispered in his ear, "I gotcha, Race. I'm gonna take you home," he promised.
Letting those words sink in, the kid grasped onto the back of Jack's shirt. Race nodded. "A-Albert owes me fifty bucks…" he managed to stutter out.
Jack scoffed. "Albert bet against me? That little brat!" he laughed, pulling away and letting himself smile when his brother chuckled even the slightest bit. The older boy stood, reaching down a hand for his little brother. He led the boy out to the car that was waiting for them all.
His boys piled up in the back, clinging to each other, not fully believing any of this was real. But Jack got into the driver's seat, giving one final glance to that godforsaken house before he turned on the engine.
"Alright, boys… let's go home…"
And off he drove with his family, ready to protect them with everything inside him.
He just hoped it would be enough.
There it is! I hope you guys liked it!
With previous stories I've posted, I've had people asking if I wanted to hear ideas they've had about how to continue some pieces or other ideas for other fics. The answer is always always yes. I would love to hear your ideas! So please share if you want to!
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya, fansies!