Trigger warning

The house is quiet when Andy returns home. He leaves his things by the door and checks the living room before filling a glass with cold water, knowing Remington will have been crying and in need of something to drink, and finds an ice pack in the freezer.

"Hey, sweetheart," the man says softly, pushing open the half-closed bedroom door. "I heard what happened."

Remington, who is now curled up with a pillow hugged to his chest, can't stop quivering because he's so scared of being hurt again. His frightened form reminds Andy of the mice Jenny brings in and leaves on the floor, alive but stunned into not moving. "Is-is she here?" Remington asks, so fearfully that he isn't sure he even said anything at all. He daren't move.

Andy leans against the wall by the door as to not scare the boy more than he already is by getting too close. "No, kitten, it's just me. You're safe."

"I don't feel-I don't feel safe," the younger almost-whispers. He feels like if he talks louder then something bad will happen, and he's thankful for Andy for understanding and talking to him just as quietly.

The man's heart hurts. He can't stand the fact that Emerson caused this. "I know, sweetie. It's okay. You're okay. I'm here."

Remington wants to look at Andy, to find the comfort in seeing the man's kind features, but he doesn't know if he's prepared for a halucination that he might see if he moves. "'m scared," he murmers, even though Andy knows.

"You're safe now."

The boy's cold. He's been in the same place for so long. "What's the time?"

"Nearly nine pm."

Remington feels fresh, familar tears in his eyes and the thought of crying again makes him feel so helpless. He pushes his face into the pillow he's holding.

"Just let it out, sweetheart," Andy soothes, "it's okay. You need to cry and that's okay."

"Too much crying," Remington mumbles, "too much everything." He feels sick. And betrayed. And like everything is going wrong all at once and all he can do is sit and watch as it all happens around him.

It's raining outside. Andy can hear it, how the drops soak into everything they touch. "Let yourself cry."

The boy wishes he had the power to turn off his feelings, but he can't do that. "Too much," he repeats, almost silently, listening to how the rain falls. He thinks it sounds like when his blood was dripping onto the bathroom floor in that hotel. He shivers. "'s all...'m scared."

"You're safe," Andy says again.

"Never safe from me." It's funny how he can trick himself into feeling physical pain just by recalling something that happened. "Never safe," he murmers, "'nd 'm tired of it now. Just tired of everything."

"Oh sweetheart, things'll get better. It won't be like this forever."

Remington shakes his head. "'m too tired to think about forever. Just wanna stop feeling. 's too much 'nd 'm too tired 'nd my face hurts, 'nd-'nd I just-please give me a hug." His attempts at stopping the tears are proving usless and he feels the pillow dampening. 

Andy approaches the bed, putting the glass of water and the ice pack down on the table. "Of course, little one. D'you think you can look at me?" He asks carefully.

Remington lifts his head and finds the man with his teary eyes, reaching his arms out and tightly gripping his husband when he's picked up and held against the older's chest, eyes closed, body quivering, feeling like he's finally able to cry properly.

Andy sits on the bed and strokes Remington's hair slowly. "I got you," he whispers, hearing how the boy sobs into him. "You're alright, I got you." He knows Remington will drift to sleep now he's safe in his arms. He always does after a scare like this.

Andy waits until he's sure Remington is no longer awake before carefully moving so he can lie the boy in bed. Remington makes a noise when he's moved and Andy kisses his forehead. He puts the ice pack back in the freezer so it doesn't defrost and leaves the glass of water by the bed. He calls Sebastian, explaining as much as he can, assuring the guitarist that Remington's okay, and promising to take good care of of their favourite singer.

Remington stays asleep for a good hour, and when he wakes, yawns, rubs his eyes, and opens them, Andy is sitting on the bed beside him. He has to leave the bed to go to the toilet, and Andy comes to rescue him when he bursts into tears at the sight of a bathtub. The rest of the night is rough. Remington wakes three or four times from the same nightmare, everytime in tears, and twice with a panic attack.

In the morning Andy finds him a onesie to put on, calls his bandmates about not being able to make it into the studio today, and spends the day sitting with his husband, wiping his tears, calming his panic attacks, and feeding him because he's too overwhelmed to even pick up a fork, no matter attempt to feed himself. Andy knows this will pass. It's the shock of what Emerson did and the scare of being punched like that and it'll pass, but Remington's not only lost a band mate. He's lost a brother and a best friend. 

Remington Leith: Absolutely broken rn. Palaye will never be the same. 

Andy Black: In hard times, you must show your loved ones they can rely on you. In the hardest times, show them you will carry them until they are strong enough to walk again.