Chapter Text
The house was quiet. Empty. Something was missing.
Well, they knew who was missing, but none of them wanted to say anything about it.
But the boy’s absence made something pop up in Jango’s mind. He really didn’t know what happened to the rest of his boys in foster care. Tup and Comet had been the main focus but Jango felt shitty for never bothering to wonder what happened to them.
But how in the world was he going to bring it up? It’s not like he could just pop into their rooms and ask “Hey! Just wondering but did you have the shit beat out of you as well?”
“Dad?” Hunter asked him softly from his place on the couch.
Jango snapped out of his thoughts. Oh right. They were lazily watching tv. All of his younger and older boys were out of the house at his suggestion, to distract them from the lack of Dogma’s presence.
“Yeah bud?” he asked.
Crosshair was now looking at him worriedly. Lovely. “You were staring into space for a long ass time.”
Jango side, leaning his chin on his fist. “Just thinking, babe,” he whispered.
Fordo glared up at him from his lap, hand holding ice to his ribs. “Huh…I know that look.”
Jango kept his face emotionless. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Tech cocked his head to the side. “No, Fordo has a point. You have a certain pinch in your forehead when you’re stressed.”
He glanced at all of his new sons. “So now all of you analyze me?”
Wrecker shrugged his shoulders. “Kinda have to. It’s only fair.”
Jango sighed. “No, Wreck. This isn’t something that we trade off on. I’m your…” he hadn’t said it out loud, the word unable to come out of his mouth.
“Dad,” Tech said, startling all of them. He got a little shy, ducking his head and pushing his glasses up. “You’re our dad.”
Jango looked back at Wrecker. “That isn’t something that you have to repay me with. Okay?”
It took him a while, but he nodded, staring at his lap to mull it over.
Jango returned his attention to Fordo, reaching a hand to brush his hair back from his face. His son flinched at his touch, tensing up.
“Shhhh,” Jango whispered, seeing his eyes clenched shut. “Easy, easy.”
The others were kind enough to stare at the screen, never even blinking.
Fordo did his best to relax under his touch, still getting used to being back to his family. He hated whenever the boys brushed up against him, making him step away from them. He always saw the hurt that they quickly tried to hide.
“Just me, baby,” Jango said as he kissed his head.
Just Dad .
…
Echo and Fives watched as Maddie tried to stand up from the edge of her bed. Her legs shook and her arms as she tried to push down on her PT’s hands. She collapsed back down, barely able to get two inches off the bed.
Her PT winced as Maddie tried to catch her breath. “Okay, I think we can be done for the day.”
Maddie’s head snapped up. “No.”
Ms. Davenport sighed shakily, watching her daughter struggle. “Honey, maybe you should take a break.”
“No,” Maddie said firmly. “I want…to try again.”
Echo and Fives shared a look.
Her PT looked at her before offering his hands again. “Alright, Mads. You’ve got this.”
Maddie steeled her face, gripping his hands tightly. Her face screwed up in pain and her lack of mobility but she kept rising and rising.
Echo and Fives gaped as Maddie went fully vertical, wobbling a little bit. But she death gripped his hands, refusing to collapse.
Her PT looked genuinely surprised. “Good job, girl,” he said with a smile.
“Can I s-sit…down now?” she asked, slightly pale.
He sat her back down, getting her settled back in her bed. “You feel okay? Not too much pain?”
Maddie shook her head. “No. Just not used to standing.”
He patted her shoulder. “I’ll get out of your hair now. But you did really well today, Maddie.”
Echo and Fives sat on her bed with her, congratulating her. Then they caught her back up on everything that happened since they had seen her last.
She glanced at Echo with tired eyes. “Have you seen…?”
“Jack?” Echo finished for her. She nodded.
Their words got choked up in their throats. Echo looked to his brother for help.
Fives coughed a bit. “Jack…isn’t doing so hot.”
Maddie’s eyes filled with tears. “I knew it. Won’t t-text me back even…if I’ve been s-spamming him.”
Echo knew that a blowout was going to eventually happen. He could just sense it in the air. He tentatively laced their fingers together, just wanted for her to rip her hand away. But she never did. She actually squeezed back.
He hid his smile from his twin.
Jango finally figured out how he was going to do this. But he’d half to corner the older boys first so his younger ones wouldn’t lie to him. And he was missing Sophia as she was gone on a business trip for work, leaving him to fend for himself. Just lovely.
So he approached Rachel and Axel as the others were arguing about something from school. “I need you two to do me a favor.”
Rachel perked up. “Of course Mr. Fett.”
Jango groaned, finally understanding his father"s hatred for the prefix. “Just call me Jango, kiddo. Look, I need you to get the younger boys out of the house.”
The two teenagers met eyes, mischief flooding in.
“That we can definitely do,” Axel said, standing up.
Within five minutes, all the younger boys were out of the house. This meant the others could leave the safety of their room without getting dragged into the chaos. Rex came down first with Cody and Wolffe, then Kix and Jesse, and finally Ponds and Bly.
Jango figured now was the only time. “What was foster care like?” he blurted out. The boys stared at him like deer in headlights. The bubble of comfort popped right in front of him. He scrubbed his face. “Okay, that was not how that was supposed to come out.”
“But you want to know,” Jesse said, so abnormally soft.
Jango sat down, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah…I do.”
They all shared looks like they weren’t sure where to start. Ponds went first.
“Mine were fine. I was only with them for a few months before I aged out.” His son sounded so different. “And they had their own kids to worry about and the other little fosters. But they were absent. Cold. Just…didn’t want me.”
That broke his heart.
Bly had to continue after that one. “It was the same with me. Except I asked Jen to move me into a group home. I figured if I’m fending for myself I don"t want to stay in that house.” The others peered at him, obviously not knowing that detail. “Oh stop it,” he mumbled.
The others awkwardly looked around.
Wolffe rapped his knuckles on the table. “Well…you know how my experience was,” he said it to deflect, thinking it would get him off the hook. Jango wouldn’t let that go that easy.
Kix and Jesse nudged each other’s shoulders.
“Ours weren’t…bad,” Jesse started. “They were kind, gave us a good home. But we all knew it would never be permanent.”
Kix gained Jango’s eye contact. “But they weren’t our real mom and dad.”
Jango couldn’t cry yet. He had to wait until they were all gone out of his sight and when Sophia walked in the door. So he looked at the remaining two boys.
Rex tried to talk. He did, but then all he could see was Rebecca’s impatient face waiting for him to get the courage to speak the fuck up.
“Come on, babe,” Jango pleaded, wanting to reach across the table to hold him. Or strangle Rebecca.
“They liked Echo and Fives more,” he blurted out. Then he leaned his head down on his hands, finding it easier to talk without having to look anybody in the eye. He felt Wolffe put a hand on his back. He took a breath to steady himself. “They parented them more, which they deserved. They were just kids. I was just…there. A stranger in their house.”
Cody’s jaw clenched tightly. They all knew that look. One thing that Cody definitely inherited was their father’s anger.
“Codes,” Jango started but his son got out of his chair and started walking away. He sighed and followed him out of the room. He grasped onto his arm before he could escape to his room. “Love, please.”
Cody huffed. “What do you want me to say? That I became a second parent? Forced to look after their biological kids? Because that’s what happened.”
Jango’s thumb moved back and forth on his bicep. “That’s not all.”
“They screamed and cried when Jen came to take me back home, and I hate myself for it.” Cody had tears in his eyes. “I was so happy. I just wanted to go home, but they were losing me. They weren’t my siblings or my family. Hell, I barely even liked them. They weren’t the boys or you .”
Jango slowly brought him into a hug. “Don’t hate yourself. Blame me.”
Cody shook his head. “We’re done with that shit. It was a mistake.”
Jango kissed his head. “One that ripped you all apart.” He pulled back and rubbed his shoulders. “You okay?”
Cody scrubbed his nose. “Yeah…fine.” Then he peered up at his dad. “I suggest you talk to the other boys.”
…
Jango did just that. He went to Fives and Echo’s room first, knocking on the door.
The twins were curled up with each other, watching something on Fives’ phone. They looked up with soft smiles.
Jango returned it, getting comfortable next to his boys. “Can we talk about something?” That made his boys nervous. “Nothing bad. Just want to know what…foster was like.”
They froze on the bed, looking at each other.
Jango stroked Fives’ hair. “Rex told me that your foster parents liked you more.”
Echo had tears in his eyes, breaking his heart. “They wanted to adopt me and Fives,” he sniffed. “But…we didn’t want a new dad. And we didn’t want new siblings. So we said no. And then they just didn’t care anymore.”
Jango crushed them to his chest, rocking them. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered to them.
They gripped back tight.
“It’s like nothing ever happened. That we were strangers. Rex had to fill in that parent roll and we know it messed him up a bit. But…we just wanted you and mom back so bad,” Fives softly cried.
Jango laid down with them, holding them closer.
“They knew it was temporary. That you’d be coming back for us. But they didn’t get that,” Echo spat out.
Jango hushed him softly. “I’ve got you. You’re back.”
They held onto him for a long time. He just obliged them.
“Did they keep bringing it up?” Jango whispered to them.
Fives nodded his head. “Yeah…”
He said, kissing their heads. “I’m sorry.
…
Jango hesitated before knocking on Boil and Waxer’s door. Something told him he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what they had to say.
He forced himself to do it. “Boys?” he called softly.
They told him to come in.
Waxer was barely awake against his twin’s chest, peering up at his father. Boil stopped stroking his brother’s hair, looking at his father with worried eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jango whispered, shutting the door. He settled on the bed, looking over his eldest twins. “We need to talk about something.” He kept the same tone.
Boil went stiff, his stress transferring to Waxer who shifted.
“About what?” Boil asked, trying to remain inconspicuous.
Jango smiled sadly. His twins had been avoiding him for the past few days, ever since he started talking to his sons about foster care. He wasn’t stupid; he knew his boys. “I think you know, love.”
Waxer just started crying against his brother.
Jango sighed, looking down at the sheets. He reached a hand out and it landed on Waxer’s back. “Come on, love. I’m not going to be mad.”
“You don’t know that,” Waxer whined softly.
Boil hugged him tighter.
Jango squeezed his leg, staring at Boil for an answer.
His son scoffed but he could see the tears in his eyes. “I don’t know what you want us to say.”
Jango shrugged. “Just…tell me what it was like.”
The boys didn’t look at him, refusing to do so.
“Did they hurt you?” he dared to ask, trying to remain calm like he promised Crosshair.
Waxer sobbed harder and shook his head.
Oh. Now Jango was at a loss. If they weren’t crying because they were abused then…what made them so upset. “Okay,” he said. “Why are you upset, babe?”
Waxer’s breathing shuttered, hiding his face. “You’ll hate us.”
Jango was taken aback. What the hell was going on? He shook his shoulder a bit. “Honey, you’re starting to scare me here.”
Boil wasn’t speaking either.
Jango felt his heart pounding. “Boys. Please. I’m begging you here. You’re making me think someone died.”
“We wanted to stay!” Waxer finally shouted. He saw clouds fall across his father’s eyes. “Okay?! We wanted them to adopt us because we thought you were going to die overseas!”
Jango looked crestfallen, pinching the ridge of his nose.
“We liked them,” Boil said with a sniff. “So we wanted to stay instead of ending up with shit parents like the rest of them.” He wiped his eyes. “We thought you were dead . We… I wanted a dad and mom again.”
Waxer sobbed into his shoulder, making Boil hold him closer.
“Please don’t hate us,” Waxer begged, unable to even look at their father.
That snapped Jango out of his stupor. He latched onto his boys, pulling them tight against him. “Honey. I’m never going to hate you,” he whispered to Waxer.
“But we didn’t believe in you,” his son continued to try and dig his grave deeper.
Jango shook his head, pulling Waxer back to hold his chin. “Baby, stop. Just stop.” Waxer stared at him with wide, teary eyes. “This is my fault, okay? None of this is on either of you. You wanted parents. I will never, ever blame you for that. Do both of you understand me?”
He glanced between both of them, needing to understand.
“You’re…not mad?” Boil hesitantly asked.
Jango kissed his head. “No.”
…
Jango was exhausted as he sat in the living room. All of his boys were asleep, but he was just…sitting there.
Sophia was flying back in and would be home any minute. At three o’clock AM. She had insisted on him not waiting up for her, wanting him to get some sleep.
He honestly hadn’t planned on staying up, but after checking in on the boys, he couldn’t help but feel every single emotion slam him in the chest. It crippled him, leaving him breathless and wheezing for breath. A panic attack. After five years of having none, the notion of his sons wanting a better father than him sent Jango spiraling.
The door opened. He barely noticed it.
He felt like he was underwater, struggling to hear the words being said to him. He couldn’t even lift his head.
Something cold landed on the back of his neck, getting him to sit straight up on the couch, gasping in shock.
Sophia’s face was right in front of him, eyes wide and filled with tears.
Jango frowned. He never wanted to see her upset. “Soph?” he whispered, his voice sounding wrecked. It shocked him again.
“Oh thank God,” she nearly sobbed, pulling her hand away from his neck. He noticed it shined in the low light in the house and an object in her hand. An ice cube. That’s why the back of his neck was wet and cold.
She rushed to the kitchen and then rushed back, getting onto her knees in front of him.
Before she could even speak, Jango lifted a hand to cup her check. “You’re crying. Why are you crying?”
Sophia stared at him incredulously. “Baby, you’re fucking bleeding .” She took his hands and flipped them so his knuckles were exposed upward.
Jango saw the crimson stains around the skin of his knuckles, the flesh split open and jagged. The stains had dripped down his fingers and the rest of his hands. A damn mess he had made, and he had no recollection.
“J, you’re freaking me the hell out,” Sophia whispered, her voice trembling. Her hands shook in his.
“I think I punched something,” he mumbled, not feeling that his body was his own. He didn’t even recognize his voice.
“ Why ?”
Jango’s eyes wandered around the room. There were no holes in the drywall, no broken furniture or doors. What the hell would have damaged him so much?
Then he saw it. Behind Sophia’s body was the mantle. The brick mantle with suspicious red stains on the brick.
His girlfriend followed his gaze and she gave a choked sound. She whipped back on him. “Baby. What. The. Hell.”
Jango then remembered. He had checked on the boys like he always did. He checked on his eldest twins last. He just stood there for a long while, watching them sleep peacefully. Then he remembered what they had told him. He had come downstairs and just…threw a few punches at the wall.
“ Jango .”
His girlfriend"s plea brought him back to reality. “They wanted to be adopted,” he said with an air of emptiness.
Sophia’s breath tripped. “Who, honey?”
“Waxer and Boil.” Jango just stared at the wall behind his girlfriend’s head. “They wanted their foster parents to adopt them. Almost did and then I came back.” He didn’t even feel the tears rolling down his face. “They would’ve been happier with them. Would’ve had a stable life.”
Sophia clicked her tongue. “Jango, they’re your sons. They belong with you.”
He slowly looked at her, a glare settling in his features but not at her. Never at her. “They don’t,” he whispered. “None of them do.”
Sophia’s heart was pounding, her hands getting clammy. This was scaring her. “Why not?”
“All I have done is fuck them up behind imaginable,” he spat out. “They didn’t want me to be their dad anymore. They moved on. Kids don’t want their dads in their lives when they aren’t good fathers to them. This isn’t a happy home, not when you think about it.”
Sophia held his face in her hands. “Stop it,” she whispered. “Stop saying shit like this.”
“I yell. I cuss. I scream. I’ve taken my anger out on my children ,” his voice broke. He closed his eyes. “No good father does that.”
Sophia pressed her lips to his head, keeping the pressure there for a long time. “They love you. Honey, I’m sure if they were given the chance, they would’ve stayed with you.” Jango almost interrupted her but she hushed him softly. “You were at war , love. They were scared. They were kids. Why would they stay now if they didn’t want you in their lives? Any of them?”
Jango just cried more, silent. Sophia brought him into her arms, laying his head in her lap. She stroked his hair and shoulders, repeated how much his sons loved him, how much she loved him. She never let him see her tears.
She heard footsteps approaching them and didn’t even bother to come up with a lie. She just watched as Tech calmly approached, sitting on the floor in front of Jango. He just looked at his father for a bit.
Jango had his face pressed into Sophia’s thigh to block his cries from waking any of his boys. Guess he failed.
Tech hesitated before laying a hand on his shoulder. “One in four children have estranged parents that they have cut off,” he started softly. “That is a large number. And your children are some of the most stubborn people I know. If they didn’t want to be with you, they would’ve walked out of this house a long time ago and never have spoken to you again. But they haven’t. They continue to come back because they love you.”
Jango didn’t respond, just softly sobbed against his girlfriend.
Tech then began to start cleaning up his hands, just quietly whispering to fill the silence about the mechanisms behind a flash bang. He knew Jango knew half of what he was saying but this was his way of comforting.
Jango finally looked at him once his hands were wrapped in gauze. He slowly cupped Tech’s neck, thumb stroking his son’s jaw. Tech just leaned into it, without a single flinch and with a shadow of a smile on his face.
Sophia sat him up, looking him in the eyes. “We’re going to get upstairs. We’re going to sleep. We’re going to call out of work and stay with the boys all day tomorrow.” She peeked his lips. “Together.”
Jango’s tired mind could only conjure a confused look.
Sophia turned to Tech. “Thank you, sweetheart. You okay going back to sleep?”
Tech tried to hide his smile at the pet name. He got off the floor after squeezing his father’s hand and made his way back downstairs.
“Baby,” she started gently, “your PTSD seems to be hitting you a bit the past couple of weeks.”
Jango shut his eyes, leaning his head against hers. “Don’t have PTSD.”
Sophia sighed, shaking her head. “Honey, you do.” She held his face in her hands. “I know it’s hard for you to talk about these kinds of things. But we can’t keep ignoring this, okay?”
Jango shook his head a bit. Sophia sighed. She guaranteed if Jango had been in a better mindset, he would have never punched anything or spewed such hateful things about himself.
“Jango, you do have PTSD. You may not be diagnosed, you might think you don’t, but you do, honey. You’ve been having nightmares for three weeks that leave you shaking and nearly reaching for the safe under the bed. You check to make sure your kids are still breathing before we go to sleep—for years. It’s not…normal for a parent to worry if their children are still alive at the end of the night. You check for exits anytime we walk into a room. Shall I go on?”
Jango placed his head on her shoulder, pressing further against her.
Sophia stroked his back. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”
They got settled into bed. Sophia pulled her boyfriend closer to her. He tangled their legs together, laying his head on her chest. She just brushed his hair back until his eyes slowly closed.
Crosshair glared at the door when someone knocked. He took a slow sip of coffee. “Fuck that door,” he muttered.
Wrecker laughed. “What did that door ever do to you?”
“Enough emotional damage for a lifetime.”
Fordo shrugged. “He’s got a point.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “You big fucking baby.” He got out of his seat, knowing no one else would. Most of the boys were out of the house, leaving him to be the responsible one since it sure as hell wasn’t going to be Crosshair.
He opened the door and nearly jerked back. Dogma stood on the step, biting nervously at his nail. “D?” the man asked, astounded. They hadn’t seen him in so long.
Dogma’s eyes started welling up with tears, and he quickly wiped them away. They just kept coming.
Hunter pulled him inside, shutting the door and locking it. He just led the teenager further into the house back to his brothers because he had no earthly idea what to do.
The easy and lax conversation stopped the moment they saw Dogma.
“Hey kiddo,” Fordo whispered in shock.
Dogma broke down into silent tears, staring at his feet while his fingernails dig into his arms to keep himself upright.
Crosshair wasted no time yanking the boy into his protective embrace, glaring holes in the wall. “It’s alright now.”
Dogma shook his head. “It’s not.”
Wrecker looked around nervously before turning to the crying teen. “Hey uh…did something happen? You’ve been gone for a while.”
Dogma nodded into Crosshair’s shoulder, one bloodshot eye peering at the large man.
Wrecker smiled as softly as he could. He kept his voice to a near whisper. “Do you want to tell us about it? It might make you feel better.”
Dogma choked on his sob. Hunter crouched down with a hand on his back.
“Shhhhh. Nothings going to happen until you take a few breaths.”
The boy struggled with that. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t calm down. Everything was just finally spilling out of him. Hunter never raised his voice at him or got annoyed. He just sat there with him. Crosshair never spoke, just gave his leg a squeeze periodically.
“Okay, love,” Fordo said softly. “Let’s start small. Where have you been the past few weeks?”
Dogma closed his eyes, resting heavily against Crosshair. His brow furrowed as he thought for a moment. Crosshair’s thumb stroking the back of his neck made him feel…mushy. “Home.”
Fordo kept his face from showing his displeasure. “The whole time? You didn’t go anywhere.”
Dogma gave a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes. Crosshair caught onto it and gave him a pat on the side. “Don’t get snippy or I’ll tan your hide.” The boy ducked his head under his chin. The sharpshooter sighed, rocking him a few times. “Answer his question,” he murmured to him.
“No.”
Tech pushed his glasses up, contemplation falling across his face. “Dogma…when was the last time you’ve ever left the house? Even in California.”
The boy stared at him with scared eyes. Absolutely petrified. Tech hesitated before saying. “We’re not going to tell anyone, especially your dad.”
Dogma fisted Crosshair’s shirt. Hunter brushed his hair slowly with his fingers.
“I’m not supposed to tell you,” Dogma whispered.
Fordo tapped a finger under Dogma’s chin. The boy slowly looked at him. “Honey, that’s not okay. You don’t tell people your address or a phone number. But if your father doesn"t want you telling people about your home life, something is wrong.” He put a hand on his nape. “And I think you know that something is wrong.”
“You can’t tell Jango and Sophia,” Dogma said finally.
All the boys shook their heads.
“We can’t promise that,” Crosshair said.
Dogma closed his eyes again, a tear falling onto the man’s shoulder. “ Please? ”
Hunter dropped a kiss on his head. “No can do, love. If something is wrong, they need to know about it. Because they care about you.”
Dogma didn’t talk for an hour. The rest of the boys figured they had fucked up, so they tried to change the subject, not forcing him to talk anymore.
Crosshair cradled him close, not joining the conversation. He was fine where he was, just holding the teen close. Dogma eventually shut his eyes, falling into a quick sleep against his chest.
Once the boy was for sure gone to the world, all the boys looked at Tech. He blinked at them before sighing. “I don’t know how long it’s been. My guess is at least a couple of years.”
Wrecker held his head in his hands. “How is that even possible? He’s never seen the outside world?”
Crosshair snorted. “He didn’t know what fucking snow was. Doesn"t seem too far-fetched to me.”
They just watched the boy sleep for a while. Their parents would make sure everything would be okay.
…
Dogma slept through dinner on the couch, completely knocked out like he hadn’t slept in days.
Jango and Sophia watched him from the kitchen.
“How do we do this?” Sophia asked her boyfriend.
Jango’s hands clenched the counter. “Just…try to get him to understand that we won’t let anything happen to him.”
“Can we promise that?” She asked in a hushed voice.
“I’ll adopt him if I have to.”
Sophia put a hand on his arm. “We.”
He smiled at her then kissed her softly.
Jango sent all of his sons scattering with a single look, the younger ones heading upstairs while the older boys stuck on the ground floor or downstairs to be close enough.
Sophia sat on the couch and shook his shoulder. Dogma slowly opened his eyes, going pale at the sight of the two adults sitting on the floor.
Jango immediately saw him go pale. “Honey, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You are not in trouble. You’re not going to be punished for anything. We just want to help you.”
Dogma sniffed as hot tears ran down his face once again. He didn’t want to do this.
“Dogma, are you allowed to leave the house?”
His heart pounded. “No,” he blurted out, unable to stop himself. He felt paralyzed. Jango stroked his head, making him relax just a little bit. It kept him grounded to reality.
The two adults sighed sadly. Sophia held his hand, squeezing tight.
“Why weren’t you here for over two weeks?” the woman asked him gently.
Dogma bit at the sleeve of his hoodie. “Because he…” He took a breath and tried again. “I couldn’t…”
Jango’s hand didn’t stop. “Did your father do something? Did he threaten to do anything?”
Dogma gave a soft sob. “I’m sorry,” he cried.
The two of them hushed him softly. They cradled him against them gently, whispering and cooing to him.
“Don’t be sorry. We just want to know what happened.”
Dogma glanced at Jango nervously. “He…knew I was leaving the house,” he said slowly. “He put the cameras up a few days before the holiday thing. I knew he wouldn’t be happy but I didn’t really care. He came back from work the day after and he…”
They didn’t push. Just sat there and rubbed his back and stroked his hair.
“He wouldn’t stop hitting me,” the boy whispered.
Jango crushed him carefully to his chest. He rocked him side to side. “We’re going to have Kix look over you later. Unless you really don’t want to.”
Dogma caught his breath. “It’s fine.” He felt the weight constantly crushing his chest lift off of him. His hand shook with adrenaline. “I don’t want to go back with him.”
Sophia kissed his head. “If you don’t want to, then you don’t. No one is going to force you to do anything.”
Jango glanced down at the boy. “D…how do you do school?” The question had been nagging him ever since the boy asked them about the snow.
The boy froze, eyes going blank. “I…try to teach myself.”
Jango and Sophia met eyes over his head.
“Oh hell no,” Sophia whispered to herself. Then she fixed her voice. “Thank you for telling us, love.”
Dogma held tight onto Jango.
The man just lifted him into his arms and started walking upstairs with Sophia trailing after him.
Dogma frowned as he was laid into their bed. He laid in the center and watched the couple start to get ready for bed. He just watched them with big, innocent eyes when they laid on either side of him. “Why am I in your bed?” he asked softly.
Jango propped his head on his fist. “Because this is what parents are here for. We let our kids sleep in our beds when they’re upset or sick or have nightmares. When they just need some extra comfort to get through the night.” He kissed his temple. “So, unless you get uncomfortable with this, you’re going to stay with us and we’re going to hold you.”
Dogma didn’t push off Jango’s arm when it went around his back, holding him close. Dogma took a while to relax to the new situation but he seemed to enjoy the warmth from the two adults, snuggling under the covers.
…
Jango made the decision to take Dogma to the doctor a few days later after Kix recommended after checking him out. He called the office ahead, seeing what they could do seeing that Dogma didn’t know what insurance even was and if they could just see him for a few minutes to make sure he was okay. The receptionist made the appointment for him, reassuring him that the doctor would be very thorough and had no problem waving any outrageous fees.
Dogma had nervously agreed to do it, not quite sure what this whole thing was about but he trusted Jango. So he got in the car with Sophia and Jango one morning, biting at the sleeve of his new hoodie.
Cars weren’t totally new to him. He had been in one for hours when he and his father had moved to the state. So he didn’t panic until they pulled up to a building.
Jango turned in his seat, softening his face. “I know this is scary. But we’ve got to do this, okay?”
Dogma bit his lip and nodded.
Sophia held his hand as they walked into the office, sitting down next to him as Jango spoke softly to the lady behind the desk.
Eventually, a nurse approached them and gave Dogma a gentle smile. “Hi Dogma. I’m Amy. Can you come with me for just a few minutes? I need you to do a few things for me, and then your parents will meet you in the room. Does that sound good?”
Dogma looked to Sophia for approval. She pecked his head before pushing him up.
Sophia and Jango were led back to one of the exam rooms while they wanted for Dogma to get weighed and test his eyesight. It took a bit longer than they expected but the nurse led Dogma into the room, getting him to sit on the table.
“Alright Dogma, we’re going to do a few things here,” she spoke in a bubbly but quiet voice. She held an apparatus in her hand that made Dogma frown. “This is my fancy thermometer. This stick,” she pointed to it, “will go under your tongue for about ten seconds. But you shouldn’t talk or move too much or it’ll mess with the reading. Are you ready?”
Dogma slowly nodded. He did as instructed even if it felt very weird. Once the stick was out of his mouth, he pulled a face that made Jango and Sophia chuckle.
Amy returned with another tool—that was a blood pressure cuff and he really didn’t like that one. But it was over quickly. Then the thing around her neck was pressed to his chest and back. Amy left with a promise that the doctor would be in to see him soon.
A knock ten minutes later had Dogma flinching. His hand shot out but couldn’t quite reach either of their hands. Sophia stood up from her seat and just held his hand as the doctor answered.
A young man walked in with a soft smile which relaxed Dogma. “Hey Dogma. I’m Doctor Garcia. I’m here to check out a few things with you today, if that sounds good with you?”
“Mhm,” Dogma hummed.
The doctor never once asked Sophia to let go until he needed to get Dogma into a different position. He went through a couple of different tests with him then asked Dogma to lay back on the table. Sophia stayed in her seat.
Dogma stared at the ceiling, feeling his heart beginning to pound.
“Take a nice, easy breath more me,” Garcia asked him softly.
Dogma closed his eyes as he listened to the man.
“Dogma, I need to lift your shirt for a moment. Are you okay with them staying while I do so?”
Dogma nodded, keeping his eyes closed.
He could hear the choked inhale once his skin was revealed. He just kept his eyes closed.
“Dogma,” Garcia started, then had to take a moment. “Can you tell me where you got those bruises?”
The boy sighed, fingers messing with his sweatpants. “My father,” he whispered.
“Did he punch you?” Dogma nodded. “Do you have any other injuries?”
He shrugged. “He punched me in the face a couple times.”
Garcia asked for permission before beginning to press around on his ribs, making him whimper in pain. The doctor gritted his teeth at the sounds and continued to test the boy’s ribs. He had Dogma sit up and pressed around on his jaw and orbital bones.
“I don’t think anything is broken, luckily, you should be okay in a few weeks. Ice your ribs if you have pain but other than that there"s not much else to do.”
“Thank you,” Sophia said.
Garcia consulted his chart before humming. “Dogma, do you have allergies? Food, medicine?”
Dogma glanced at Sophia and Jango, not knowing how to answer.
Sophia’s heart broke. She had asked him that question weeks ago and he didn’t even know what the word meant.
The doctor caught on quickly. “Have you ever eaten anything that really upsets your stomach, every single time you eat it?” Dogma shook his head. “Have you ever felt like your tongue swells up or your throat closes up and you can’t breathe?” Another shake.
The doctor turned to the two adults. “He should be okay. I don’t really want to put him through an allergy test but I can if you would like me to. Most likely if nothing has happened in sixteen years, he’s okay.”
Jango shook his head. “We don’t need to do that.” He didn’t want to stress him out more, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t like Garcia’s next question.
“I would like to do a blood draw,” the doctor said slowly, waiting for an objection. “We can check for blood type, different levels, and a couple other things that are good to know.”
Jango sighed, giving a look to his girlfriend. He didn’t really want to do this, but the man made a compelling point. Sophia rubbed his thigh, answering for him, “We can do it.”
“I’ll get Amy back in here. She has the most success in…these situations.”
Dogma just sat there confused. Garcia left and he looked at his…parents? “What’s a blood draw?”
Jango sighed as he got up from his seat. He stood in front of the teenager. “They take a needle and stick it into your vein. It flows your blood through a thin tube into a vial that they run tests on. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s not very fun.”
Dogma paled at the word. He really didn’t want to do this. He tried to jump off the table, but Jango looped an arm around his waist, putting him back on the table.
Jango cupped his cheek, seeing his wild eyes. “I know . No one likes to do this. But I think it’s what"s best for you.”
Dogma had never had that. Someone wanting the best for him. He couldn’t think about it too much because Amy came back in.
Sophia immediately put her hand over Dogma’s eyes to block him from seeing anything on the tray in her hands. She climbed on the table and sat behind him. Jango brought Dogma’s head to his shoulder.
While the adults were talking, Dogma slowly tilted his head. He didn’t try to look, honestly, but his eyes fell onto the tray and saw the damn needle.
“Shit,” he whined, trying to get out of his parents’ grip once again.
Jango caught him once again, tightening his arms. Sophia did the same. “I can’t let you go, babe.”
Dogma shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
Sophia squeezed his thigh. “I know you don’t, but we have to do this.”
“Please, I don’t want to,” Dogma begged, beginning to softly cry.
Jango sighed, feeling so shitty for this. He pressed his lips to Dogma’s head as he hugged him close even if the boy tried to shove him away. “I’m sorry, darling.”
Amy just stood by silently as she waited for Dogma to calm down. Once he did, she asked kindly, “Can we get one of your arms out of your hoodie? You can pick which one.”
Dogma took a minute to decide on his right arm. Sophia assisted him.
Amy stepped close but didn’t touch him yet. “I have to tie this band around your arm so I can see your vein better. I promise this doesn"t hurt—can I do it?”
Dogma nodded jerkily. Amy started touching him and it made him flinch.
“I know, sweetheart,” Amy sympathized, “I know this is really sucky and you’re scared, but this can help us keep you healthy. It also helps you learn about how your body is different from everyone else, which helps us doctors when you’re sick.”
Dogma started panicking when the nurse started ripping open packaging. “Wait,” he said. “Wait, please. Can we wait?”
Amy paused. “We can wait a few minutes, of course.”
Jango and Sophia met eyes, trying not to cry at the other’s sad face. Sophia rocked their boy side to side. “Take a minute, babe.”
Dogma couldn’t stop crying. “I don’t want to.” He leaned further into Jango’s chest.
Jango stroked his hair. “D, I never want to force you to do things, but sadly, this is one of those times. We’ve gotta do this, baby.”
Dogma gave a sound of utter despair. Jango didn’t blame him for his reaction. He didn’t understand why or what was happening to him. “Do you want to squeeze my hand?” Dogma reached for his palm, fingers shaking. Jango kissed his head in apology. He nodded to Amy.
“I’m going to clean your arm with this wipe, it’s going to be a little cold.”
Dogma only flinched a little bit.
“Alright Dogma, I need you to squeeze your dad’s hand, okay? Really tight for me.”
Dogma did as he was told, but it didn’t help his erratic breathing. Amy was standing right next to him with that damned thing in her hand.
“I need you to relax your arm for me, bud, or it’s going to make it a lot worse.”
Dogma felt Sophia’s finger trace shapes on his upper right arm, coaxing him into relaxing even if he whined as he did so.
“Alright, kiddo. Don’t flinch. Do you want me to count down from three?” Dogma nodded. “One…two…three.”
Dogma jerked, but Sophia’s strong grip kept him from moving too much as he felt the needle slide into his arm. It just caused him to cry softly, going limp against Jango’s chest.
“Good job, sweetheart,” Amy praised. “Just a little bit longer, hang in there.”
Jango mumbled into his hair. “I’m sorry, bud. Just keep squeezing. Almost done, I promise.”
Once two vials were filled, Amy slipped the needle out of his arm. “All done, bud. Good job.”
It took a few minutes to calm the boy down, but the couple managed. Dogma quickly wanted to go home, but Garcia stepped back into the room.
He sighed. “I don’t want to beat around the bush. I am legally required to contact law enforcement about Dogma’s situation with his father. I have no choice in the matter.”
Dogma went pale. Again. “But they’ll take me away,” he interrupted.
Jango knocked shoulders with him. “Not from us. We’ve got you.”
Garcia leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. “Dogma, Amy told me that you started panicking when she asked you to read from the eye chart. Can I ask why?
Dogma went stiff, blinking at the doctor. Shit . The silence lasted long enough to be awkward.
“Could you not see from that far away?” the man asked.
Dogma dropped his eyes to the floor. He shook his head.
“Did you just not feel up for it?”
He sighed, getting frustrated. He didn’t want to say it out loud. He shook his head. Jango’s stare burned into his skull.
“Then what is it?”
Dogma huffed, looking up with a glare. “I can’t read.”