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Title: Friendship, Family and Safety
Fandom: Power Rangers post Turbo maybe during iS
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The message on the answering machine scares Justin more than anything.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers. It’s not my toy box and I’m merely playing.
A/N: Written for my angst bingo prompt child abuse so warning there is mention/allusion to child abuse in this fic. At the end of the day this is a Rocky and Justin friendship fic.
Friendship, Family and Safety:
Justin shuddered, book bag falling from his hands to thunk against the floor as he caught the voice on the answering machine. The words hit him next and for a moment he felt as though he couldn’t breathe.
“It’s Mark. I just lost my place and I figured since you stayed with me that I could stay with you until I find a new place.”
Justin gulped in air, trying to calm, but calm stayed firmly out of his grasp. How could his father say no? He didn’t want to go back to the orphanage again. How long would it be until Uncle Mark got here?
Panic spread through him and Justin ran up the stairs to his room. He pulled out a duffle bag and began to throw his favorite clothes on his bed. He pulled all the money he had hidden around his room and began hiding it in different spots in his clothes. He saved some for his wallet and then packed the bag, running for his toothbrush. Where was he going to go? Where could he be safe?
He ran downstairs, the bag slung over his shoulder. He ran straight towards where he knew he could find Storm Blaster, who met him halfway. Justin flung himself into the driver’s seat, shoving his duffle bag on the passenger side. He hugged his knees and closed his eyes, “Please, just get me out of here.”
Storm Blaster tried to make soothing noises. Justin shuddered again, trying not to think. He had no plan, he was acting only on instinct.
“I’m not going back,” Justin told Storm Blaster, “I’m not.”
He buried his face against his knees, trying not to let all the realizations that he was making a rash decision and not even a good one stay in his head. He had to get away, had to stay away and he didn’t want to … he…couldn’t…
“Justin?”
Justin lifted his head up. He stared, blinking uncomprehendingly at Rocky. Why had Storm Blaster brought him here? He couldn’t let his friends see him like this, rash and scared and…but Rocky and the others, his first team, had known him at his worst. They had known him when he hated the world and everyone in it. They had known him when he’d been still grieving and rejected.
He went willingly as Rocky eased him out of the seat and pulled him into a hug, “What’s wrong?”
“I-I don’t want to go back to hating everyone again,” Justin shuddered, hugging back tightly.
He never wanted to go back to being that hateful, that hopeless again. He never thought he’d go back, not when he had moved forward and embraced life again. Not when he’d learned how to laugh again, smile, be a kid. But Mark…
When had he started crying?
“Justin, what happened?” Rocky asked.
“I can’t go back,” Justin managed to whisper.
He went willingly as Rocky guided him into the house and sat him on the couch. He sat still, pressed his lips together and tried not to move as Rocky’s mother asked several questions. He was barely able to hear her. He closed his eyes as Rocky answered, willed himself not to move, not to make a sound. Could he go back to that?
He’d failed before.
He’d failed. He’d tried so hard and he failed.
He blinked as he realized Rocky was talking to him.
“Justin,” Rocky managed, hunkered low so their eyes met, “you want to tell me what happened? Hey, why are you closing off? It’s okay, you’re safe here. What happened? Are your teammates…”
“I haven’t heard from them, not since I helped them.”
Rocky frowned, “Is your dad okay?”
Justin rocked back and closed his eyes, stifling down the pain that wanted to work itself up his throat at the thought.
Rocky waited, patience written on his face, concern.
“I don’t want to lose him again,” Justin managed, “but I’m not quiet enough. I-I’m not stupid enough. When Uncle Mark comes to live with us I…I’m not…I can’t be…I don’t want to lose my dad again. I don’t want to go back to the orphanage again.”
Justin choked off into silence as he realized he’d said too much. Rocky would figure it out. Rocky would…
“Don’t hate me,” he whispered, “Please don’t hate me.”
Rocky reached for him and Justin collapsed into the hug, “Hey, I could never hate you. You’re my friend. We’re going to figure this out. Does your Dad know?”
Justin shuddered, but managed to shake his head against Rocky’s shoulder.
Rocky pulled back and pointed out, “You talk to me when you’re ready, okay? Your Dad though, you need to talk to him.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
Rocky nodded, “Whatever happens you can stay here. I don’t think my mom’s going to let you leave till she knows you’re okay and I don’t want you going anywhere until you feel safe.”
Justin nodded, wiped at the tears on his face.
“You know what we can do?”
Justin shook his head.
“You can go get cleaned up and then help me set up the trundle bed, okay?”
Justin pulled Rocky back into a hug, feeling safe for the first time since he’d hit play on the answering machine.
Fandom: Power Rangers post Turbo maybe during iS
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The message on the answering machine scares Justin more than anything.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers. It’s not my toy box and I’m merely playing.
A/N: Written for my angst bingo prompt child abuse so warning there is mention/allusion to child abuse in this fic. At the end of the day this is a Rocky and Justin friendship fic.
Friendship, Family and Safety:
Justin shuddered, book bag falling from his hands to thunk against the floor as he caught the voice on the answering machine. The words hit him next and for a moment he felt as though he couldn’t breathe.
“It’s Mark. I just lost my place and I figured since you stayed with me that I could stay with you until I find a new place.”
Justin gulped in air, trying to calm, but calm stayed firmly out of his grasp. How could his father say no? He didn’t want to go back to the orphanage again. How long would it be until Uncle Mark got here?
Panic spread through him and Justin ran up the stairs to his room. He pulled out a duffle bag and began to throw his favorite clothes on his bed. He pulled all the money he had hidden around his room and began hiding it in different spots in his clothes. He saved some for his wallet and then packed the bag, running for his toothbrush. Where was he going to go? Where could he be safe?
He ran downstairs, the bag slung over his shoulder. He ran straight towards where he knew he could find Storm Blaster, who met him halfway. Justin flung himself into the driver’s seat, shoving his duffle bag on the passenger side. He hugged his knees and closed his eyes, “Please, just get me out of here.”
Storm Blaster tried to make soothing noises. Justin shuddered again, trying not to think. He had no plan, he was acting only on instinct.
“I’m not going back,” Justin told Storm Blaster, “I’m not.”
He buried his face against his knees, trying not to let all the realizations that he was making a rash decision and not even a good one stay in his head. He had to get away, had to stay away and he didn’t want to … he…couldn’t…
“Justin?”
Justin lifted his head up. He stared, blinking uncomprehendingly at Rocky. Why had Storm Blaster brought him here? He couldn’t let his friends see him like this, rash and scared and…but Rocky and the others, his first team, had known him at his worst. They had known him when he hated the world and everyone in it. They had known him when he’d been still grieving and rejected.
He went willingly as Rocky eased him out of the seat and pulled him into a hug, “What’s wrong?”
“I-I don’t want to go back to hating everyone again,” Justin shuddered, hugging back tightly.
He never wanted to go back to being that hateful, that hopeless again. He never thought he’d go back, not when he had moved forward and embraced life again. Not when he’d learned how to laugh again, smile, be a kid. But Mark…
When had he started crying?
“Justin, what happened?” Rocky asked.
“I can’t go back,” Justin managed to whisper.
He went willingly as Rocky guided him into the house and sat him on the couch. He sat still, pressed his lips together and tried not to move as Rocky’s mother asked several questions. He was barely able to hear her. He closed his eyes as Rocky answered, willed himself not to move, not to make a sound. Could he go back to that?
He’d failed before.
He’d failed. He’d tried so hard and he failed.
He blinked as he realized Rocky was talking to him.
“Justin,” Rocky managed, hunkered low so their eyes met, “you want to tell me what happened? Hey, why are you closing off? It’s okay, you’re safe here. What happened? Are your teammates…”
“I haven’t heard from them, not since I helped them.”
Rocky frowned, “Is your dad okay?”
Justin rocked back and closed his eyes, stifling down the pain that wanted to work itself up his throat at the thought.
Rocky waited, patience written on his face, concern.
“I don’t want to lose him again,” Justin managed, “but I’m not quiet enough. I-I’m not stupid enough. When Uncle Mark comes to live with us I…I’m not…I can’t be…I don’t want to lose my dad again. I don’t want to go back to the orphanage again.”
Justin choked off into silence as he realized he’d said too much. Rocky would figure it out. Rocky would…
“Don’t hate me,” he whispered, “Please don’t hate me.”
Rocky reached for him and Justin collapsed into the hug, “Hey, I could never hate you. You’re my friend. We’re going to figure this out. Does your Dad know?”
Justin shuddered, but managed to shake his head against Rocky’s shoulder.
Rocky pulled back and pointed out, “You talk to me when you’re ready, okay? Your Dad though, you need to talk to him.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
Rocky nodded, “Whatever happens you can stay here. I don’t think my mom’s going to let you leave till she knows you’re okay and I don’t want you going anywhere until you feel safe.”
Justin nodded, wiped at the tears on his face.
“You know what we can do?”
Justin shook his head.
“You can go get cleaned up and then help me set up the trundle bed, okay?”
Justin pulled Rocky back into a hug, feeling safe for the first time since he’d hit play on the answering machine.