@Fraust
"Alright… good night, Mel." Lucas closed his eyes and yawned, shifting to get more comfortable.
"Alright… good night, Mel." Lucas closed his eyes and yawned, shifting to get more comfortable.
"Night, Lu. Come wake me if you need anything." Melissa whispered, before walking on out and up the stairs alone.
(Timeskip?)
(Sure ^^)
Lucas slept fitfully, and eventually just sat in a corner with his knees drawn up tightly to his chest. He hugged his knees tightly and stared blankly at the floor. He was still like this when the others awoke.
Melissa took a lot of effort to get out of bed the next morning, barely making it to her door. She had a blanket wrapped over her shoulders, and had fuzzy socks from the night before that softened the sound of her walking down the hallway. Making her way down the stairs, she walked up to the couch with a light sigh to check on Lucas, who wasn't there. At seeing the bare couch, she froze starting to panic internally.
Lucas was just in the corner of the living room, but was dissociating far too much to notice Melissa coming in. He was still staring at the floor with such intensity that it seemed almost like he hadn't blinked for hours.
Walking around the couch, something caught her eye as she did. Something out of place. Fully turning, she caught full sight of Lucas sitting on the floor… not looking too great. "Lu? Is everything alright?" She asked in a light tone, trying to sound as inviting as she could.
Lucas blinked a couple times and glanced up at Melissa. He stayed silent for now, but was slowly coming back to the present at the sound of her voice.
Slowly approaching him, she kept her voice soft. "Why are you in the corner? Are you hurt?" Melissa continued to ask, crouching down in front of him. "Did something scare you?"
"Bad thoughts… don't wanna hurt myself… I gotta stay focused so I can't do anything…" Lucas muttered. Just in the time that he'd been talking, he begun subconsciously digging his nails into his forearms.
Melissa fell quiet, reaching out and resting a hand on his arm. "If someone's around, does it help?" She asked softly, attempting to pry his hand off of himself.
Lucas shrugged. It wasn't too difficult to pull his hands away from his arms. After a few seconds, he quietly lay his head on Melissa's shoulder.
Melissa let a soft smile pull at her lips, resting her head against his. "Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked softly, lacing their fingers just to hold on to his hand. "Say the word and it's yours."
"Hold me…" Lucas replied weakly, tightening his grip on Melissa's hand a bit and moving a bit closer. "I don't wanna hurt myself again, Mel…"
Slowly she rubbed circles into his back with a nod. "I don't want you to hurt yourself either… have you been up all night?"
"Most of the night, yeah…" Lucas closed his eyes and sighed shakily. "'Cept for the part where I was having nightmares or something…"
"Didn't I tell you to come wake me if you needed anything?" Melissa asked softly, running her fingers through his hair. "Because that would have counted."
Lucas shrugged. "It was so early… didn't wanna wake you… you need to sleep…" He relaxed a little at her touch and sighed.
"But you are more important right now." Melissa insisted, trying to continue to relax him. "To me at least. If I loose an hour or so of sleep, I'll be fine."
"Mm…" Lucas shifted a bit, fidgeting nervously with his free hand. He was still quite tense and was struggling to remain focused. His brain was still screaming horrible things at him, and Melissa's voice and touch was the only thing keeping him grounded.
Giving up, Melissa let out a soft sigh. "Would you rather sit on the couch?" She offered to him, continuing to run her fingers through his hair. Rather softly, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Or are you happy here?"
"Wanna stay… don't wanna move…" Lucas shifted a bit closer to Melissa, trembling slightly. "I don't wanna hurt myself again, Mel…" He repeated.
"Hey, you won't. I won't let you." Melissa promised him, holding on tight. "You're safe in my arms, nothing can hurt you."
Lucas nodded weakly. "If… if you say so, Mel… I-I'm sorry you have to deal with me…" His voice wavered a bit and he drew in a couple shaky breaths.
She didn't bother to argue, only kept petting him. "I love you, I wouldn't let anything hurt you that I can control." Melissa insisted, nuzzling her nose against him.
He nodded again. "I love you too, Mel…" He whispered weakly. He was still steadily relaxing, but was unsettled by his persistent thoughts.
"Do you want me to stop talking, or is it helping?" Melissa asked him softly, wishing she could do something more.
"It's helping… gives me something to focus on…" Lucas sighed and curled up a little tighter. "I don't care what you talk about… you can ramble nonsense if you want, but I think it helps…"
Melissa nodded, her mind blanking of everything all at once. Typical. When it was necessary she couldn't think of a single thing to talk about, but when not her thoughts were buzzing. "Did I tell you I had been thinking about trying for the school play?"
Lucas shook his head. "N-No… what's the play about again?" He asked softly, fidgeting with the fabric of his shirt anxiously.
"Haven't found out yet… or I don't remember at least." Melissa laughed weakly, pulling back just a bit so she could look at his face.
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