"Dad!" JJ whimpered as a boot slams into his chest, making him slide into the wall behind him and his head slam into the hard drywall. "Stop dad!" Who cares if he was begging, it hurt. JJ barely protected his face as punches rained down and the stench of beer filled him when his father leaned closer.
"You pathetic bitch" Luke sneers at his son, roughly grabbing the battered blond kid beneath him by his neck and dragging him towards the front door. JJ lets out a choke back cry as he is pulled to his feet that couldn't support him so it just ended with his feet scrambling awkwardly as he was tugged by his neck outside.
"You useless excuse for a son! All you do it come back here for food! Lazy bitch!" Luke fires insults rapidly before hauling his son up to a full standing position and tossing him onto the yard, to which he tumbles down the front steps. It is pouring outside and JJ is not dressed for it at all, the tank top and cargo shorts to nothing to defend him from the unrelenting cold.
"You don't deserve this home." It was barely audible over the wild wind, but the loud slam of the front door was.
JJ laid limply on the muddy ground before he gathered the strength to pull himself up. He knew it wasn't safe for him to stay out in the rain all night.
JJ walked back up to the front door slowly but was surprised to find it locked. JJ tried to twist the knob harder but to no avail, his mind raced at the thought of being locked out. JJ went around the house and tried the back, along with a couple windows that he could reach, he started panicking with the realization that he couldn't get back in. He's surprised that his father was actually aware enough to lock him out. He notices then that he's shivering and his muscles are tense. "Shit..." He whispers to himself, water dripping into his eyes from the hair that sat above them.
JJ was almost positive that John B wouldn't want him barging into the Chateau because Sarah and him were spending the night. JJ didn't want to interrupt because it was probably going to be a huge step in his friend and Sarah's relationship. JJ knew he needed to do something soon because he was absolutely freezing, all the way to his bones.
Pope had been complaining about a huge test he had to study for so he was a no-go. Maybe Kie? It could be hard to get past her kook parents but maybe he could go through the window? He'd figure it out when he got there, because it would be a while since the whole reason he came home was to get materials to fix his once again broken bike. His bike was currently unavailable because he took it all apart, the pieces were scattered across the back porch. JJ sighed as he started the long walk to his friends house. His black boots were muddy brown and his shivering was making his ribs hurt even further.
By the time JJ got to Kiara's house, he could barely stand. He was absolutely freezing and highly doubted that he could climb the roof if he tried. He just decided to knock weakly on the red painted front door until someone answered. That someone was not who he expected.
...
Kiara sat on the cushioned couch in the living room with her mom adjacent to her and her dad relaxing on his reclining chair across from her. They were watching a movie that had just been released when there was a quiet knocking that echoed around the house.
Kie's dad looks at her, silently asking if she knew who it was. She shrugs in response, not paying any attention to it when her father stood up and walked to open the door, wondering who would be visiting them at such a late hour.
Mike opens the door and is met with a large gust of wind and a soaking wet kid that falls into the house with the door. He easily catches the kid with a gasp. "Kiara!" He shouts to the living room, catching his daughter's attention. She jumps to her feet and runs to him, her moth right behind him.
"JJ!?" She gasps out her friends name, helping her dad lower said kid to the ground. "What happened to him?" Anna asks from behind him. "The poor kid is shivering. Is that blood?" It was very true, almost spasming. And yes, blood was dripping down his face from a cut through his eyebrow, mixing with rainwater.
"K–K–Kie" He stutters out. "Ssssor–rry" He apologizes quickly. Mike feels bad instantly. "It's okay son, just relax. Anna go get some blankets for him, we can move him to the quest room." Kiara gapes at her at her in surprise while Anna obeys and leaves, leaving her daughter and husband by the entry.
Kiara closes the door and lets the heat fill the room again. That's when Kiara starts to take in the bruises and her mind jumps to conclusions. "JJ was this your dad?" She asks quietly, although she knows her dad hears her.
JJ doesn't want to admit it but he's already under the watchful eyes of both of them. He jerks out a nod. Mike purses his lips and looks away, having grown up in The Cut he's heard similar stories. Kiara's eyes water and she takes in even more of the bruises on his arms and throat, the blood streaked blond hair, and his raspy breathing. "Did you walk here?" She questions with minor horror at the thought.
JJ looks ashamed when he nods once again. "I–I–I cannn...leav–ve." He says, struggling to sit up from the puddle he had formed on the hardwood floor.
Surprisingly, it's Mike that stops him. "No JJ it's okay. You can stay for the night." JJ gawks at him, slightly weary of the large man still. "My wife is setting the guest room up for you right now. Need help standing up." It was a big mistake with how Mike reached for JJ's shoulder. JJ flinched away violently and ended up in Kie's arms with his arms moving protectively over himself. The only touch he can understand as peaceful is his friend above him, who started brushing her hand through the blond tussles.
"I'm sorry kid." Mike says, sounding genuinely sincere. JJ nods in response, accepting the apology because he allowed himself to be helped up. He stays standing with relative ease but both Mike and Kiara can feel the cold coming from the blonde's body, it trembles beneath their careful touches.
Just then, Anna walks back in and approaches the group. "I put a bunch of blankets in the room so he can warm up, we wouldn't want him catching a fever." She smiles kindly at JJ, eyes wrinkling around the corners in a way that shows genuine care. A feeling fills JJ's chest that he's never felt before.
"We can fix his wounds once he gets warmed up." Mike says and Anna silently agrees with a bob of her head.
He is helped into a spare and spacious room with a large bed placed in the center. There were many large and fluffy blankets, which Kiara helped stuff around him. JJ groaned in relief when warmth started seeping into his body and his started flexing his hands to get some blood flowing again. Kiara laughs at his response.
It takes about a half hour for the silence to break. "Why'd you come here? Why not go to John B's place?" She questions him quietly, urging an answer but unsure if she'd get one.
"He's with Sssarah. Didn't want to in'errupt 'em" He murmurs from the mound of blankets. Kiara frowns to herself but doesn't comment. It's silent for a moment more. "You any warmer? Cause I think my mom wants to take care of your scrapes."
JJ adjusts himself until his head pokes up from the mound on the bed. "Why? She doesn't hav'tah, I'm fine." He sounds honestly confused. Kie makes a face.
"Look Jay, we wanna take care of you okayAre you warm enough now, you can still keep a blanket." It's silent for a moment before JJ nods and gets out of more comfortable than he'd admit bed with a loft groan because he feels his ribs shift. He takes a dark blue blanket from the top layer of the bed and wraps it around his shoulders. He winces but Kiara doesn't comment because he looks to be in a bad condition now that he's standing up. The bags under his eyes are stark against his pale skin and the blood that had dried there look gruesome while flaking off of his skin.
They approach the living room and are greeted by a very relaxed but concerned Mike and Anna, who motion to the couch for the two of the kids. JJ is really thankful that they don't ask any questions, he knows it's because they already know how but honestly it doesn't bother him. There's a comforting feeling that falls over him as he realizes that it felt reassuring to have another family that he could trust, especially people that were seemingly so caring towards him.