#//also this isn't really romantic but i'll put it in my jencer tag regardless

[gas-stxtion]

@freeddead said: 11 for spencer

(rough childhood questions - open)

11. was there anyone who was a shining light for your muse? Ie. was there any adult who they could genuinely rely on / trust?

//Time to be a filthy fucking jencer stan on main- Okay, jokes aside, growing up, there weren’t really any adults that Spencer could rely on or trust. At most, the guidance counselor at his school TRIED, but the shitty small town where he grew up was not equipped to handle his situation, neither his mental health struggles nor the abuse he faced. For the most part, the townspeople’s approach to Spencer Middleton was to say a prayer for him and call it a day, not to actually intervene in any meaningful way. And so, from a young age, Spencer learned not to trust the adults around him, and he didn’t see any of them as being capable OR willing to do anything for him.

However, there was one person he trusted and relied on for much of his childhood: Jack.

Jack and Spencer were far from the only kids even in their grade alone that were in abusive or otherwise unhealthy situations, but they found common ground with each other when they couldn’t with pretty much anyone else. Because Jack also learned at a young age that the adults around him couldn’t be trusted to help him when he really needed. And so, Jack and Spencer were, for their elementary school years, pretty much each other’s only support systems. When they could, they would sneak away from their homes and make their way to the playground of their school, where they would spend hours just sitting next to each other underneath a specific tree, enjoying some peace.

Neither of them ever talked with the other about their situations, but they didn’t have to. Spencer and Jack saw each other’s injuries, and they just kinda... knew. I think they probably exchanged maybe a handful of complete sentences over the course of their friendship with each other, probably not even admitting that they WERE friends, but it was the closest bond either of them had for a long time.

Unfortunately, though, it did fall apart. Not with a dramatic fight or anything, but just... naturally, the two drifted apart. Jack was placed in foster care and his situation began to improve (at least a little), and he was told to stay away from Spencer Middleton, the freak, the monster, his rotten classmate who could only hurt others. I don’t think Jack ever completely believed what he was told about Spencer, not after how close they were when they were younger, but as his situation got better, the two spent less and less time together. And, of course, Spencer’s situation only grew worse as he got older, and he became angrier and angrier, more and more bitter.

Ultimately, Spencer’s anger culminated when he was 18 and burned his childhood home to the ground with his parents inside, shortly before he left town. He came back, of course, but that was the last impression he left on Jack before the events of the series.

So, yeah, to answer the question: he did have one person he trusted growing up, but that person wasn’t an adult--instead, the only one he felt he could trust was another traumatized child he felt a bond with.

To clarify, yes, this is part headcanon, part AU on my part, but shsh let me have fun. Spencer and Jack being close when they were younger adds an interesting new dimension to their dynamic in canon, and you can quote me on that.

#freeddead #//i have a lot more thoughts on this actually but i didn't wanna turn this into an 8 page essay #//but yeah also thinking like. huh. i wonder if spencer was jealous of sabine #//because jack and sabine grew closer as he and spencer drifted apart #//so spencer being jealous of her is a very real possibility #//that's something i'm gonna have to think about and explore further #abuse cw #abuse mention cw #//also this isn't really romantic but i'll put it in my jencer tag regardless #lit the fuse and missed the candle {jack/spencer} #❝ if he was going to kill me‚ i wanted him to think i wasn't afraid ❞ {spencer middleton} #you know this whole thing is one big experiment‚ right? and you're the little mouse? {ooc} #as far as jobs go‚ it's not the best‚ but it's not the worst either {headcanons}