You'll Always Have My Shoulder When You Cry

Wounds

ALESSIO POV

As Luca removed my hoodie, his entire chest was covered in scars and bandages. They were worse than I had imagined. How could anyone do this to a child? How could his own mother let this happen? I knew Emily was sick but...There were faint white scars and some incised wounds done by most probably a knife they were all over his chest. The wounds were still fresh so you could see the bright red marks. Laceration wounds that looked like someone had punched him around the rib area and whoever did this was skilled. His back and Abrasion wounds means he must have been dragged around a rough surface. Luca saw my face and immediately put the hoodie back on. Fuck I scared him

"Luca I didn't—" He flinched and I have no idea why I felt so bad. Oh wait now I know I was clenching my fists. As I watched Luca retreat into the corner, curling himself into a ball, I fucking felt more guilty. I had scared him, and I hated myself for it. How could I let my anger get the best of me? He was just a child, my kid, and anger is the last thing he needs in his life.

"Luca, I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice barely above a whisper which trust me was shocking. I took a hesitant step towards him. "I didn't mean to scare you. I would never hurt you, okay?."

But Luca remained curled up in the corner, his eyes wide with fear as he watched me. I stopped in my tracks, realizing that my presence was only making things worse for him as usual. Fuck what kind of father I am if I can't even comfort my own kid? He would be so much better off without me. He didn't do anything. He never has! He's just a fucking kid!!

"I'll... I'll give you some space, okay?" I said softly, trying not to make my voice crack. I went outside of the bathroom. And just lay down on the bed. I was trying not to do it. I really was but I couldn't help it. I deserved it...I should go to Sandro but I'm not working which means the workload on him is double. 

TW- Self Harm

I took one of my knives and placed it near my thing I made sure to go to my closet and lock the room. The knife wasn't sharp but it was enough. I put pressure on it and for two and a half seconds all I could think about was the pain. The cuts that I made last time were just scars now but this time I think I overdid it. The entire cut was burning but I liked that the problem was it was bleeding a lot. I took some cotton and pressed down on the wound. I should probably check on Luca

I stood outside the bathroom, the sound of the rain drumming against the window. My heart raced in my chest, why was I scared of a kid? I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down, but it was no use. The guilt gnawed at me like a fucking leech.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally mustered up the courage to check on Luca.I slowly pushed open the bathroom door and peeked inside. Luca was still curled up in the corner, my hoodie pulled tightly around him still very very baggy, his eyes red and swollen from crying. I hated how I was the cause of him crying. Ugh, how do parents do this shit?

"Luca," I said softly, taking a cautious step towards him. "Can I come in?". He flinched at the sound of my voice but didn't move from his spot. 

"Hey buddy," I said gently, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm really sorry for scaring you earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. I- I just...I got mad that someone would hurt you"

Luca stopped trembling, and he slowly uncurled himself from his ball, inching closer to me. Okay...Progress. 

Luca looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and bright red and he had scratch marks on his arm. Fuck! We were both literally harming ourselves... I would kill to know what's going on his head. Meh, I would kill for any reason so...

"Come here," I said gently, holding out my hand to him. "Let's get you into bed, okay? And then we can talk about what happened if you want to." 

Luca hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take my hand. His hand was literally trembling. I know he needs to have a bath and it's almost one but he looks so tired and we need to talk about how I fucked up but first I needed to clean his teary red face.

 Gently, I reached out and wiped away the tears from Luca's cheeks, his skin still warm from crying. He flinched slightly at my touch but didn't pull away.

Gently, I reached out and wiped away the tears from Luca's cheeks, his skin still warm from crying. He flinched slightly at my touch but didn't pull away so yay!

"Okay, We can have a bath later but could I please wash your face?" I was so desperate I would have pouted if he said no. I just can't look at Luca's sad teary face

I could see the hesitation in Luca's eyes, but after a moment, he nodded slowly. Taking a soft washcloth from the bathroom counter, I dampened it with warm water and began to gently wipe away the tear stains from Luca's cheeks. Can't believe I'm doing this shit cause usually I just rub my fave and splash water.

His eyes fluttered closed as I worked, I stopped when I was washing his left cheek' He had a big cut that was definitely going to need some attention. 

"Luca, does this hurt?" I asked.

He winced slightly as I touched the cut, but he shook his head. Somehow I don't trust his judgment of pain

I grabbed a clean washcloth and dampened it with warm water, carefully dabbing at the cut to clean away any dirt or debris. Luca tensed up at the touch, but he remained still thankfully.

Once the cut was cleaned, I found some antiseptic ointment and gently applied it to the wound. Luca flinched at the sting.

Finally, I carefully placed a bandage over the cut, making sure it was secure but not too tight. Luca watched curiously. 

"All done," I said with a small smile. Luca wrapped his small hand around mine, his grip surprisingly strong. I couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Aw! Great I saw 'Aw' now. You know what? Luca is cute and is the only exception where I will actually say 'Aw' without sarcasm cause he's so cute

A/N Thoughts? 

Question. The one person you hate but everyone loves.