Haines's Home For Mistreated Boys *on hold*

Chapter 8

Blaine POV
I watched Riley as he slept, a heavy weight in my chest. From downstairs, I could hear a movie playing softly. As I ran a hand through his hair, there was a soft knocking at the door. I pulled my gaze away from the sleeping boy, seeing Griffin open the door. He stepped into the room, softly closing the door behind him.

He sat down at the foot of the bed, I could see him study Riley, probably assessing the state he was in. "You both need to eat. I saved a plate for you, and I'll heat up some soup for Riley."

I nodded, "I can eat up here, right?" Even if I wanted to, I doubted I could get out of the bed. The weight in my chest making it hard to get up.

"Of course," Griffin said with a smile. "I'll get the food heated up and I'll bring it to you."
I smiled gratefully at him, as he stood up to go back downstairs.

I looked back at Riley, my heart getting heavier as I saw him flinch in his sleep. I gently shook him awake, or as awake as he could get.

"Wake up for a bit, love. Just to eat, okay?" In the past couple days, the younger boy hadn't had any sort of reaction when anyone tried talking to him. This time, though, he softly nodded his head, sitting up on his own.

As I sat up, he leaned into my side, dropping his head to my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him, engulfing him in a hug.

Soon enough, Griffin came back into the room, holding a bowl of soup in his hands. Just as I wondered where my plate was, a tired looking Dakota trailed in behind him. Griffin handed me the bowl to give to Riley, Dakota putting my plate on the nightstand next to the bed.

I said a thank you to Griffin before the left, moving my gaze to Dakota. He was standing by the foot of the bed, biting on his lips nervously.
I smiled softly at him, "What's wrong, 'Kota?"

"Can I sleep in here? Just for a bit. Everyone else is watching a movie and I'm really tired."

I nodded, "Yeah, of course!" I gave him a bright smile, which he returned with a tired one. He crawled onto the bed, laying next to me on the opposite side from Riley.

I made sure Riley could eat in his own before starting to eat my own dinner. Once we had finished, Dakota had fallen asleep and Riley looked like he was exhausted. He had slept for a long time, which was not surprising given the amount of emotional distress he was under.

I laid between the sleeping boys for a long time, hearing the others file up the stairs and getting ready for bed. I only fell asleep as the sun started rising up over the horizon.
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495 Words, Partially Edited