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It had been years since Wylan had seen his father let alone heard his voice, he had the Van Eck mansion and he had Jesper and the crows. But for some reason something felt off. He knew his father was to remain in jail for a long time but there was only so long that he could be kept. Wylan went about his day as per usual. Today he was set to go get some waffles with Jesper from their favourite place within Ketterdam. Jesper was running late as per usual, so he decided to go and wait by the gate for him.
It was who was at the gate that took him by surprise.
“Hello Wylan.”
It was like a bullet had pierced his heart. Just two words and suddenly he was drowning with no escape, as if his head was being held underwater by this strong oppressive hand. His screams were silent waiting to be heard and unable to come out. He didn’t make a sound. He just froze.
Wylan tried to ignore it, he really did but it was the passing scoff and laugh which got to him. The audacity of it all. A man who had caused him unimaginable pain laughing at him. Wylan knew Van Eck was cruel, but he had truly thought that he escaped. He was happy with the crows, with Jesper - Ghezen, even Kaz was more likeable – but here he was, trapped back with his father. He wanted to get out, he needed to get out, but he was trapped clawing at the walls that kept him here only sinking further. He was suffocating.
He had never truly felt safe, even with Jesper he thought one wrong move and he would disappear. And maybe he was right. Maybe he was undeserving of love and safety but surely that didn’t mean that he deserved this. He hadn’t spoken to his father in years, in fact he went out of his way to avoid that man like firepox but for some reason Jan Van Eck just would not give up. It was like it was his personal life goal to make Wylan’s life miserable. He was just a kid. Although time had aged him maybe faster than it probably should have, he was still young and hurting. The scars laid deeper than his skin with the memories of his past seeping through and reopening the gushing wounds that had only just started to scab over. He wanted to run but with all these dead ends there was no escape. His father was back. Clearly the charges against him were not enough to discourage him as here he was, outside the old Van Eck estate.
Questions raced through Wylan’s head. How did he get out? Why of all places was he here?
He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry yet nothing came out and there Van Eck was standing outside the gate. Wylan was broken out of his spell by a familiar crunch of the gravel behind him. Jesper was here. He was here and he was safe.
“What do you think you are doing here? How dare you even think about coming anywhere near here,” Jesper spat through the Gate at the now less smug Van Eck. “Go. Leave before I call the Stadwatch on you for trespassing or worse before I shoot you but even that fate would be too kind for you.”
Jesper grabbed Wylan’s hand and guided him gently back to the house and upstairs to their room setting him down on the bed. And Wylan just sobbed. The wounds that were starting to heal bled out and he felt as if he was dying. Jesper just held him. They didn’t speak that day, Wylan didn’t have the words. Jesper just held him close to remind him that he was safe. He was here and he was safe and Van Eck could not take that from them. Jesper decided to send for an order of waffles because there was no chance Wylan was leaving the house anytime soon. The only time Jesper left his side was when he eventually fell asleep. Jesper sat at the desk in their room and started on a letter to Kaz. Van Eck was not getting away with this. To bring back all this pain to a boy who deserved the sky and the stars. The sweetest boy Jesper knew was hurt and there was nothing he could do. He would send out the letter tomorrow but tonight Wylan was the number one priority. Jesper got up from his chair and wiggled his way into bed holding Wylan once more. Wylan subconsciously lay his head on Jesper’s chest, still in a deep sleep. Jesper was convinced it was because Wylan could hear his heartbeat and know that he was still alive, but he would never ask Wylan if that was true. He didn’t need to. If Wylan was comfortable in this world, which was less than favourable to him, Jesper would be content.
It was safe to say that Jesper was angry. Angry being an understatement. Yes, it had been years, but Van Eck was not to be released for ages. He was to rot in prison but no. There he was. Stood outside their home. Him being out of jail meant that he could still get to Wylan, even if it meant that it wasn’t physically. Sometimes the mental damage hurts more than the physical damage done. Jesper knew bits and pieces of Wylan’s relationship with his father, but he could never even imagine the full extent of it. Jesper was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Wylan shift and move in a way that he had not done in a while. He was having nightmares again. Jesper held him closer as Wylan began to stir.
“It’s going to be okay love, I’m here. You are safe. He can’t get to you within these walls. Not anymore. Nothing's going to hurt you. Not while I’m around,” Jesper whispered gently to the distressed Wylan whilst stroking his hair.
“But what if you disappear,” Wylan said coarsely, his voice broken from the amount of crying he had done.
“I’m afraid that you are stuck with me because I'm not going anywhere."