[ in honor of me being fucking dumb enough to volunteer to stay in huntington for two nights with my grandma, we have this. // song is by finger eleven, it has nothing to do with the story lol

warnings: language, mentioned vomiting, mentioned drug use, mentioned predatory behavior

stay safe,
lew. ]

—————

Saturday morning, most teens would be sleeping in, safe at home in their own beds. Unfortunately, Lewis no longer counted as part of the majority, because he spent his morning hungover and puking his guts up in his "boyfriend"'s apartment.

Missed calls and text messages piled up on his phone, laying abandoned on the bedroom floor in his heavy coat pocket. From his mom and brother and best friend, they all read along the same lines: 'where are you?'.

"Alex?" Lewis called out weakly, resting his head against the chilled porcelain of the bathtub.

"Hey, sweet pea, do you want some water or anything?"

Alex's concerned face peered around the door frame, a bottle of water in one hand, and the rest of Lewis' clothes in the other. He behaved like a goddamn saint, at least in Lewis' bloodshot eyes.

"Thank you," he said, reaching out for the water.

He sat down next to the boy, practically pulled him into his lap, surreptitiously stroking his hair. "You gotta go home later. Your brother showed up about twenty minutes 'fore you got up, and I promised I'd get you home."

"I don't wanna go," he whined. "There's too many memories and I'm trying to forget-"

"Honey. You're only fifteen. You've got so much time left to forget things, and it's a lot safer to just let time handle it than drowning out the memories."

"You're eighteen. Why-"

"Lewis, c'mon. Literally all that's separating your place and mine is your backyard and an alley. I'll climb up the side of the house to sneak into your room if that's what it'll take for you to go home."

Lewis opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it again to lean over the toilet.

——

"You're grounded."

"But- Ma-!"

"Sweetheart, you can't keep doing this. Every night you don't come home, Mason sleeps in your room. And... I worry about what you're out there doing." Tears slipped down her face, darkening the fabric of her shirt. "You're my baby, and I don't wanna lose you too."

——————

[ this is super shitty but i'm hella anxious rn and can't help it?? idk man car doors slamming shut just?? sound like gunshots at midnight when you're nervous ]