DAY 2: flinching
@febuwhump
“Are you fucking stupid? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean- I was just-” Tai stammered, stepping back.
“Did I asked for excuses? No. Stop being an idiot.”
“I’m sorry, I am. I’ll make it up to you.” Tai’s apologies fell on deaf ears, and he backed up, though he knew it would only make it worse. He did his bet to protect himself, but it was no use. He’d stop when he’d had his fun, or he got bored.
“Tai? Tai.”
He jerked up, taking a moment to focus on Harrison in front of him. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I just-”
“Hey, it’s fine. I just wanted to check on you. I’d not seen you in a bit but your sugars were fine.”
“It's not, I should have been doing things and I don't even know what time it is - but l've wasted the day.”
“We didn't have to do anything today. Steve's got the kids this weekend, so we can just relax.” He said softly. “Look, I'm gonna make a hot chocolate, do you want one?”
Tai sighed, slowly sitting up. “Yeah, please. I’ll be through in a second.”
“Take your time.”
Harrison was halfway through making them when tai appeared, awkwardly hanging around. He pulled back as Hars tried to hug him, leaving Harrison confused and unsettled.
“Are you sure everything's okay?”
“Yeah. I'm fine, it's fine.”
"Alright.” He said after a moment. “If you're sure.”
He turned back to the mugs, pouring the water onto the powder. It splashed his hand and he flinched instinctively, making it infinitely worse. He could feel it blistering almost immediately, and he swore loudly, the kettle clattering on the floor as the mug smashed by his feet.
“Tai can you-”
The last thing he expected was his boyfriend curled against the kitchen cupboards, hands covering his face. His burn forgotten, he edged closer.
“Tai? Love What's going on?”
"I'm sorry I’m sorry I'm-”
"Hey, just breathe. You're safe. He crouched by tai, frowning. He’d never seen him like this before.
“It's just me. Harrison, yeah? You're safe. We’re just in our kitchen, I'm just being as clumsy as Finn. You’re not in trouble or anything, yeah?” He wasn’t sure if Tai was hearing him, or if any of his words were registering. He gently placed a hand on his arm, slowly reaching out.
Tai didn’t take well to it, flinching further into the cabinets. It hurt his shoulder, but he didn't care; worse would be coming. He was sure of it.
Harrison felt well and truly completely out of his depth. He knew Tai had had a dirtbag ex; the comment had come up while he'd been talking about Conor. But, unfortunately for him, that's as far as the conversation had gone. He hummed, sitting on the floor. It seemed he'd be there for a while.
"Tai? I'm Just gonna chill with you for a bit. We’ve got nothing to do today aside from chill, so we can get a takeaway and put a film on later, eh? Maybe be able to eat a meal without the trio stealing all the good bits. Dad isn't going to be so lucky, is he? Steve's got three against one at the minute. He's screwed.”
Tai didn’t react, gave no outward indication that he’d acknowledged Harrison’s words. His chest heaved and he was trembling, still pressed into the kitchen cupboards. He was waiting for a blow that never came, harsh words that he didn’t hear.
"Come on, love. It's okay. You're okay. You're safe, I promise. I'm not gonna hurt you. Nobody is gonna hurt you now." He slowly edged closer, his palm out as he reached towards him.
Tai’s gaze finally settled on Harrison, frowning. He didn’t understand, didn’t know why it wasn’t him in front of him. He didn’t understand why there was no harsh words, and why when the hand extended towards him he didn’t feel the bite of a slap. It was just an extended hand, the palm facing up, and he chewed his lip. “H-Harrison?” He asked weakly.
"Hey. It's okay. It's just me."
Tai’s gaze flicked over at him, trying to assess if he was a threat or not. He didn’t think he was, but it was hard to tell.
He slowly rested his hand on Tai's thigh, watching him carefully. "You're safe."
“I’m sorry…”
He rubbed his thigh with his thumb. "You're okay."
“Jus’ you?” He asked quietly.
"Just me."
“Oh.”
"Wanna come here?"
“You mad?” He asked.
"Not at you."
“I’m sorry.”
"You don't need to be sorry."
“I do.”
"Come here, please?"
He shuffled a little closer, still uncertain of him.
"Can I touch you?" Harrison hesitated, feeling so completely out of his depth.
Slowly, Tai nodded. Harrison wasn’t going to hurt him, Harrison never hurt him.
He slowly reached around, wrapping his arm around Tai's waist. "Thank you."
Tai was still trembling, but he subconsciously leaned into the contact now. “Sorry.”
"It's okay. You're safe."
“Safe?”
"Home."
“Oh. Home.” Tai repeated. “Home is safe.”
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