Love No Matter The Cost

[XI]

[I can't do this!]

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They were back to square one. Charlie was back to hiding himself in his room. Refusing to come out and worst yet, Dominick will hear his soft mumbling and stifled cries from behind the door.

They've tried everything. It took a point where Ji Zhou stayed at the door, slept in front of the door, and spoke to Charlie from the door. Ji Liang was even more guilty know that all their process just went down the drain.

It hurt her and it hurt Charlie aswell. She hadn't meant for it to come off as mean, or terrible. She was just worried and she told him from the door. But in the end, their only response was pure aching silence from Charlie.

Dominick knew, just knew that Charlie was beating himself up in there. He didn't want to just barge in and cause an even more problem. He had the keys for every room but to just barge in into the only safe space Charlie can run to just seemed so bad and uncalled for.

So..they had to leave him. They knew nothing else on what to do. Charlie was broken inside, sorrowful yowls and whimpers as he was petrified by his dreams.

They were useless. Dominick having a new stress on his shoulders on what else to do.

"I'm torn. Why can't you come here? He needs you guys more than anything." Dominick spoke on the phone with his brother and his husband.

Finally getting it in him to contact the two who can really get Charlie out that room.

"It has been three whole days of silence and barely eating. Ji Zhou told me he was sounding as though he was in agony and trying to keep it quiet when he was sleeping in the hallway."

There was silence on the other side of the phone. He expected his brother to speak but instead it was Neilsen.

"Have you tried his snack?"

Dominick sighed. "We've tried everything possible. Music, talking, giving him space, trying to bring him out with Oreos."

There was a silence again. Dominick wondered if they knew anything of this. "Has it ever been this bad for you?"

"He's tried running away more than once. Hiding in his room was everything he wanted to do. But when it came to getting curious and comfortable, he just unraveled with us around."

Dominick rubbed his forehead, the headache coming on at the stress it was causing him. He had his own shit to deal with, his daughter crying to him about how sorry she was, Ji Zhou being a stubborn teen and now a traumatized shifter shutting himself from the world and practically harming and starving himself.

Such a mess.

"I have an idea."

The man perked, finally they were getting somewhere. "What is it? Do I have to write it down?"

"No but give him the phone." Neilsen suggested. Dominick blinked his eyes in confusion. "What part of he doesn't want to open the door did you not hear? Are you gonna-"

"Idiot. If you want help then take my husband's suggestion. Stop stressing out and follow it." Alistair was now the one talking. Possibly snatched the on the speaker phone and demanded him to follow what Neilsen said. Dominick rolled his eyes at his brother and does so. "Ok fine."