Softverse

Soft!Damien: Family Strife

Summary: Damien and Celine go to a family get together, but Damien has never really been accepted and always has hard times at the meet ups. This time it gets too bad. (Is the author slowly getting better at summaries? Maybe)
Note: this is set in my own modern au.
Sorta angsty.
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Damien didn't want to go, he never wanted to go. It always ended up as a nightmare. They teased him, mocked him, disrespect him and his beliefs. He didn't want to go, but he had to go. They were his family.
Celine has been staying over at his apartment for the past couple days, mentally preparing Damien for the visit. She told him he didn't have to go, that he could make up some white lie, but as alway, Damien is a stubborn son of a bitch.
"Damien, for the last time, you really don't have to show up." Celine grabbed Damien's hand as he packed spare clothes into a small bag.
"And for the last time, I'm going, no matter how much I hate it." Damien ripped his hand free from her grasp and shoved the spare shirt into the bag.
William watched worriedly from the doorway. He had never met the family, other than Celine of course, Damien had argued quite strongly against it. He practically forbade it.
Damien looked up as William walked over. He came up behind Damien and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on the shorter man's shoulder. Damien relaxed and lent back into William's arms. Celine rested a hand on Damien's shoulder, furrowing her eyebrows.

Hours passed and the time came to depart. William stood awkwardly outside the car. He had so much he wanted to say, to beg for him to stay, but of course Damien would be Damien and decline any help. So he just stood there.
"Will... I love you." Damien pulled his boyfriend into a kiss. William could tell he was scared by the look in his eyes after he pulled away.
He nudged their foreheads together, "If it gets too bad, call me, or text me if you want to be more subtle. I've got nothing happening and I'll be sure to answer instantly. I love you too, Dames." He was going to tell him to not panic, but it was already past that point.
With a last pained look, Damien got into the passenger seat and Celine started the engine.

"Just breathe, Damien." Celine cooed as she raised her hand to knock on the door.
The door opened and Celine was swept up into a tight hug by their mother, then promptly escorted inside. Celine looked over her shoulder at Damien, who hadn't even been acknowledged. Damien headed inside but had to stop the door from slamming as his mother had shut it behind her. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. He wanted to just go home so badly, but he had told himself that he would stay there the entire time this year. That he wouldn't let the insults get to him.

These family get togethers usually started with the entire family (except Celine of course) ignoring Damien until they had to just accept his presence. Eventually the arguments picked up and the insults followed. His family had never really been accepting of him and his lifestyle. They kicked him out of the house on many occasions for arguing his beliefs. At these get togethers, he was always the last to show up and first to leave. He never wanted to be there but he thought he had to show to prove something. He never knew what though.

He stayed away from the family, sitting cross/legged on his old bed in his old room. They had changed it the moment he left. All his things were either sold on some garage sale or stored in the shed. He sat on the bed that was once his, in the room that had once been his only safe haven. It seemed to still be like that.
"Damien?" He looked up to see Celine peeking into his room. "Hey, I thought I'd find you in here." She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
"Hey..." Damien fidgeted with one of the aglets in his shoelaces.
"Look, I'm just going to cut to the chase. Dinner is ready but you don't have to come down I can bring it up here or I could sneak you out, we can leave." She looks down at him.
At this moment, he looked very small. He felt the cold in his chest, the tensing of his body, the panic creeping up on him. He didn't want to move; he wanted to leave so badly but he didn't want to move.
"I don't want to be here..." he whispered, feeling the all too familiar stinging in his eyes.
Celine stared down at her younger brother. He had the big scared eyes of a four year old who saw his first horror movie by mistake. Celine wanted to pick him up a cradle him. She had to get him out of here.
"C'mon, we're leaving." She grabbed his back and slung it over her shoulder, grabbing his wrist with her free hand.
"But-but I can't. I have to stay..." Damien weakly tried to tug his hand free but subconsciously didn't want her to let go. He needed to leave and he knew that but he just couldn't bring himself to accept that.
Damien stayed rooted to the spot. Celine tried to get him up but he wouldn't budge.
"Damien, please, I know you hate it here so we're going to leave. Damien, come on." She tried to keep her voice down so the people downstairs wouldn't hear.
"I can't..." his whispers quickened, "I promised myself... I said I'd stay... I can't..."
Celine was so tempted to slap him, quite literally, out of this. But instead she reached into his pocket, retrieved his phone. Opening it to William's contact she handed it back to Damien. "Call your boy." She commanded, knowing that if anyone could calm Damien down it was Will. 
Having to wipe his hand to so he could use the touchscreen, he called William, praying that he would pick up instantly.
And that he did.
"Hey Babe, is everything alright?" William asked, concern creeping into his tone.
Damien kept his voice quiet, he didn't want his parents knowing. He spoke quite quickly, "No... I need to come home but I promised myself, I promised-" his voice was cut short as he shuddered, trying to keep himself from crying. Not here, not now.
"Dames, I'm on my way. Talk to me baby, get your mind off it. Tell me what can you see, list some things for me." William had to deal with this sort of thing with Damien once before, but he had picked up a few tricks from friends.
"Uh... Celine... a bookshelf... a fish bowl... fish... a lamp... uh..." Damien trailed off panicking.
"It's alright Dames, that's good. Tell me a few things you can hear?"
Damien closed his eyes and listened. "Car engines... laughter... footsteps... getting louder..." there was a knocking on the door and Damien had to stop himself from yelling in surprise.
"Damien baby, you'll be fine okay, you've been through this before alright. Trust me, I'll be there soon, Celine will take care of you, I trust her. I love you, I'm on my way." Damien heard the jingling of keys and the starting of an engine.
His Will was on his way to save him.
"Celine? I told you dinner was ready? Are you in here?" A voice sounded from behind the door.
Damien looked widely at Celine, mentally begging her to not say anything. It's times like these he wished twins really did have telepathic powers.
Celine dropped his bag at the door of the bed and shushed Damien before walking out. She said she was just checking on the fish. An easy lie.
Damien lifted his phone back to his ear, "Please hurry..." Damien whispered.
"I will, meet me out the front." And with that the phone call ended.
Damien grabbed his bag, he pressed his ear up against the door, listening to footsteps. He heard nothing but the clinking off cutlery. Damien mentally went though the layout of the house and from what he remembers, you can't see the front door from the dining room. He should have an easy exit if no one is loitering.
He opened the door and thanked god for his mother's big meals. Everyone was at the table and eating, a clear path to the door lay ahead of him.
He crept down the stair case and towards the door. Turning the door knob as slowly as possible to not make a noise. He opened the door fast to avoid it creaking. He slipped outside and reversed the steps to shut the door quietly. He stayed outside the house in the cold for a while, pacing and fidgeting. Anyone could come outside and see him. They could yell at him, they could insult him, they could...
Running his hands through his hair he stopped and breathed out shakily thought gritted teeth. He had to calm down. He couldn't let William see him like this. He sat down on the curb out of sight of the front door and waited, bouncing his leg impatiently.

Soon he saw headlights, a car turning the corner and heading into the cul-de-sac.
William.
Damien shot to his feet and stood awkwardly on the side of the road. Holding an arm up to shield his face from the headlights. The car pulled up in front of him and he got into the passenger seat, throwing his bag into the back.
William instantly drove the car away, he had to go away from that place before he could say anything.
He pulled into a park a bit away and, turning the car off, looked over at Damien. He had his knees up to his chest and was hugging them. His head was hid.
"Damien... baby... do you want to talk about it?" He didnt want to pry and if Damien didn't want to talk he wouldn't make him.
Damien shook his head.
Will slowly nodded, knowing full well that Damien couldn't see him.
"Do you want to go home? Or do you want to go somewhere else? It's not too late to catch a movie if you want." Will suggested, resting a hand on Damien's back.
"I- I just want to-to go home..." Will felt his body shake and knew he had finally broken down.
"Anything for you, love." He started the engine and pulled out of the park.

The entire trip Damien was curled up, but part way through he wanted to hold hands with William.

When they arrived home, William led Damien inside. Damien wandered to the bed and collapsed onto it, William soon followed. Damien curled up next to Will and tugged him closer.
William ran his fingers lovingly though Damien's hair, trying to smooth him.