Fighting a New World

60

Liam's POV

I watch as Bram timidly moves around the living room to look through all the bags we had gotten for him.

It was Seth's idea to boy him a few toys and things to coax him out of the inner world but I honestly didn't think it would work until Bram fronted.

He still kept a careful eye on all of us, especially Callum, but that didn't stop him from plopping down in the floor and rooting through everything.

His eyes went wide at the Lego sets we had got for him and he immediately went to work on them.

Ryder had offered to help him but he was given nothing but a cute glare, which said a lot considering how much Bram liked him compared to Callum and I.

He ended up giving up on it when the main outline of the castle was done and went on through the bags.

"I don't think we're getting Jax or Carter back for a long time," I whispered to Callum as we watched the movie in front of us. Ryder still sat cross-legged in the floor as he tried to get Bram to trust him more. Callum and I were going to join but the second he fronted, he shied away from both of us so I assume he still wasn't ready for us.

"I don't know about Jax but I bet if we put on the animal channel and pulled out a certain someone's coffee cup, we could get Carter back real fast," he whispered back.

In the end it took several hours before Bram went through all of the bags but by that point he was pretty much exhausted.

Carter had explained to us once that it doesn't matter how much an individual alter sleeps, it more matters how much rest the body got and considering how many rounds we did last night, I'm surprised Bram was able to stay awake this long.

Now Jax's body lay sprawled out on the floor. His cheek pressed into the hard wood floor while he tucked his arms into his check and he lay on his stomach.

The adorable position didn't last long as Carter took over in their sleep. Their body took on a more Carter like pose as he continued to sleep soundly.

"The cake should be ready by tomorrow, shouldn't it," Ryder asked as he joined us on the couch.

"The bakery said it would be. If it's not we'll just find a generic one and explain what happened," I dismiss.

"Honestly, he would probably prefer a generic one. He's already going to complain that we did too much," Callum pointed out as I leaned into his chest.

"No he won't. We're barely doing anything as it is. It's just lunch with Andrew and Patrick, a cake, and a few presents."

"You know that doesn't matter," Callum sighed. "He's come a long way but stuff like this is going to take a while. He's not used to being giving things. We'll just have to work on it until it's something he expects."

I'm reminded how much I hate his dad for the thousandth time as a knock on the door rings out through the room.

"Were you expecting anyone," I asked as I looked up to Callum, knowing Andrew or Patrick would have texted us before just showing up.

"I was about to ask you that," he said as he gets up and moves to the door, making me fall onto his side of the couch. I glare at his back as he opens the door and puts on a happy face.

Francis, Jax's social worker, stood in the door way with her usual happy smile. She wore a purple pantsuits today; her 'she/her' pin was still present on her left shoulder.

"I'm just here to do one last home check before his birthday tomorrow," he said excitedly until her eyes fell on Carter's sleeping form. "Why is he on the floor?"

"The youngest alter was out playing," I answered quickly, just in case she got some weird idea about his being knocked out. "He played so hard he just went to sleep."

She only nodded as Callum allowed her into the apartment.

"No need to wake him up quite yet," she whispered as she made a wide sweep around him. "I'll just start with the home check."

I watch her as she went straight to the bedroom. I send up a silent prayer that we cleaned everything well enough last night.

Her home check only lasts a few minutes. Honest, the time of the home check goes down every time she comes in. The first one too nearly an hour, the one after too about 45 minutes, the one after that was only 30, and this one was only 15.

Either she was just getting lazy or she trusted us a lot more now.

"I've been told by his therapist that he doesn't wake up easily," she said as she stared down at Carter. "All that's left is for us to have a little talk and then we'll be completely done. Would you mind waking him up for me? I don't want to do it wrong."

"Luckily, there is a very easy way to wake up Carter," Callum said, wisely choosing to leave out the fact that this only works when he's not having a nightmare.

Francis frowns at the lack of an explanation as Callum walks to the kitchen.

He comes back only a few minutes later with Carter's cup full coffee.

Francis watches in awe as Callum places the cup under our boyfriend's nose and allows him to breath in the smell of his favorite drink.

"Does that really work," she asked after a few minutes of nothing happening but just as her last word is spoken, Carter's nose twitches.

One eye peaks open as a grumpy look falls on his face.

"Well that's not a pretty face," Callum teases while carter lifts the cup up to his mouth and takes a small sip.

"I'm fucking tired," he mumbled before his eyes move up the woman. "Hi."

"I'm sorry to wake you but it won't be for long," she promised. "I just need to have a few words with you before I leave for good."

He only hums as he followers her into the kitchen with a small glare.

"What was that about," I asked once the woman leaves.

The second she was gone; Carter stole the remote and plopped down on my lap. His eyes were already half shut as he barely balanced on the edge of being asleep or awake.

"The usual," he sighed. "Just making sure I'm still okay, making sure I still want to live here, to call her if anything happens, even if I am an adult." I nodded as I pulled his head into my chest.

"My ass hurts," he whispers after a while, his voice slurry. I have to fight to keep myself from laughing as I play with his hair.

"I'm sorry sweetheart."

"No you're not."

"No, I am. I'm sorry you're hurting but I'm still glad I was able to have last night with Jax. Why don't you push him up front and make him deal with it? It was his fault anyway," I teased but he only shook his head.

"Do you want me to get you something for it?" Heshook his head again but before I could ask him anything else, he had dozed offin my arms.

Just a reminder I stream my writing session on twitch if anyone is interested in that. I use the same display name here as I do there. The link is in my bio!

Last updated October 5, 2021