summer in the city 「 s.stan 」

DAY 19

[ TW; MENTIONS OF ABUSE + SUICIDE. ]

— AUGUST 19TH —

You didn't see Sebastian again until the next day. He'd been hiding out in his room, a little overwhelmed after basically confessing his love for you.

You smiled at him as he entered the kitchen, skipping over to hug him. He returned the embrace with an adorable little grin; he still wasn't properly used to this, whatever was going on between you. You still made his heart flutter whenever he was around you.

"Hey, you disappeared yesterday," you pointed out, pouting. "Can we finish talking today?"

Taking a deep breath, Sebastian nodded. This would be the official end of him constantly pushing his feelings away. "Alright, I'll be back in a second. I just have to grab my laptop to reply to an email, and then I'm all yours."

You had to muffle a childish squeal as he left the room again; you were beyond happy that maybe everything would finally be normal between the two of you. However, your excitement was quelled when your phone began to ring.

Another unknown number.

Seizing the device, you answered the call before you could possibly miss it. This time, you weren't met with silence. No, it was something far, far worse.

"I knew it was you."

The voice on the other end of the line was slurred and rough, yet you recognised it immediately. Trying to swallow your sudden nerves, you cleared your throat, willing your voice to be steady.

"How did you get this number?" you muttered coldly.

"Not even a 'hello' for your old dad, hm?" Your father chuckled – not a genuine laugh, but an evil cackle that made your blood run cold. "Then again, y'always were a rude little bitch. Telling your ma to get rid of me like that."

It was getting harder for you to control your breathing. You tried to protest, but your father shouted over you, poisoning your mind with his manipulative lies.

"Y'know you deserved all of it, Y/N – the arguments, the yelling, it was all because of you. Should've taken my fuckin' belt to you while I still had the chance, stupid whore. Maybe I'll find you and do it now. You're the reason she's gone, right? Your own mother couldn't even—"

You hung up. You'd heard enough – too much, in fact. You fell to your knees, your phone clattering to the ground beside you. Your breath came in short, sharp gasps, black spots clouded your vision and a stabbing pain invaded your chest. You tried to call for help, but no sound came out. You were reduced to tears in the midst of the worst panic attack you'd had in years, on the verge of losing consciousness because you were incapable of forcing oxygen into your lungs.

Miraculously, Sebastian heard you struggling and rushed into the room. His own heart began to race when he saw you curled up on the floor, but he somehow managed to stay relatively calm as he knelt by your side. He had to keep himself composed, for your sake.

"Hey, hey, I'm here," he soothed, rubbing his hand over your back. For a moment, he wondered if he should call an ambulance, but then you glanced up at him with hazy, glassy eyes, and his focus was purely on you. "Breathe. Deep breaths, sweetheart, what happened?"

It was inappropriate to ask while you were in this state, really, but he truly had no idea what had happened. It took a while for you to answer, but he stayed with you, sighing in relief when you finally began to take in larger amounts of air.

"M-my... dad," you eventually stuttered out, before collapsing into a fresh round of sobs that racked your entire body. Wrapping both arms around your waist, Sebastian propped you upright and pulled you to him, rocking you as you wailed into his chest.

You stayed that way for ages – an hour, maybe even two hours, neither of you were keeping track. While your heartbeat never decreased much, your tears eventually dried up, leaving you wide eyed and shocked.

"Said he would find me... would g-get his revenge on me because... because m-mom—"

Sebastian hushed you; it was obviously hurting you to speak about what had taken place, and you'd said enough for him to understand the situation.

He felt almost helpless. But, more than anything, he felt angry. Angry that someone as kind hearted and innocent as you could be treated like this, especially by someone who was supposed to be family to you. Because nobody deserved to feel unsafe in their own home, not the way you used to.

"I'm calling the cops," he decided eventually, when you were steady enough to stand up and he'd handed you a glass of water to drink from.

"No, don't," you pleaded immediately, "just leave it, Seb, please."

"Y/N, he's threatening you."

"What's new?" you responded, with not even an ounce of irony, which just about broke Sebastian's heart. He shook his head, his mind already made up, so you sighed and switched tactics. "Please? Just... not today. I can't deal with anymore of this today."

Seeing the way your hands still trembled slightly, he eventually nodded, agreeing to drop the subject – for now, anyway.

"Alright. I'm not letting you out of my sight though, okay?" He carefully approached you and wrapped his arms around your waist, smiling when he felt your body shake in a tearful giggle.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."