30 Days [One-on-One, TRIGGER WARNING, open]

"Dad, stop it!" Lucas got up again, grabbing the back of his father's shirt to drag his attention away from Tyler.

His dad slowly pulled himself off of Tyler, turning to face his son again. He waved his hand threateningly. "Touch me again," he warned, slowly walking towards him. "You won't disrepect me in my house, under my roof, damn it!"

Lucas stepped back until he hit the wall, which he cowered against. "I-I live here too, and… and he's my friend, a-and… um…" He argued weakly, his voice hardly audible.

"Friend, huh?" his father slurred. "Whaddya want me to do, jus let him beat me up? Let him toss your old dad around, is that what you want?" He was sobering up a little, perhaps from the hit Tyler had dealt. He glanced at Tyler, then at Lucas. "Get the hell out. Both of you."

"Y-Yes, sir…" Lucas ran, stumbling a bit from the injuries he'd sustained. He quickly grabbed his sketchbook and Tyler's arm and bolted out the door. By the time they got out, he was shaking like a leaf in a tornado and his eyes were wide with fear. "I… I-I'm… so… sorry…" He stammered weakly.

Tyler rubbed blood from his nose, his jaw clenching. "Don't apologize to me. Are you okay?" he asked in a subdued voice, his throat tight from anger. He wanted nothing more than to take Lucas far away from his father, and for his father to go to prison for a long time, but he didn't want to spook Lucas.

"Um…" Lucas looked down at his trembling figure, feeling fresh bruises blossoming under his clothes. His nose was bleeding a bit as well. "I-I think so… uh… physically, at least…" He hadn't broken anything, so he considered himself to be overall fine.

He took a deep breath, his eyes stinging. "Lucas," he said in a gentle voice, "I…I don't know how to help you or what to say, but that's not right. That bastard shouldn't ever lay a hand on you. You know that, don't you?"

Lucas looked away, drawing his knees up to his chest and hugging them tightly. "I… I-I know, it's just… h-he's all I have left…" A couple tears rolled down his cheeks and he quickly brushed them away. No! You can't be weak! He scolded himself. "T-The rest of my family is… is… um… g-gone, and I c… c-can't lose someone else…"

Tyler hesitantly reached out a hand and laid it softly on Lucas's shoulder. "I'm sorry. But he's not acting much like family. I understand that you still care about him, though, but that doesn't mean you have to live around him and let him hurt you. You can care about him from a distance."

"B-But he needs me!" Lucas insisted, looking up at Tyler with a pained expression. "He… H-He's drunk most of the time, and god knows what he'd do to himself if I weren't there to stop him… he'd drink himself into oblivion and die and I just… I-I c… I c-can't…" More tears fell and he hid his face in his hands.

"There are people trained to help guys like him," he said softly, "sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is get them the help they need. He's not your responsibilty…Lucas, that's not fair to either of you."

Lucas glanced back up at Tyler, his eyes red from crying and still shining with fresh tears. "I… I could never afford to get him help like that… god knows I want to, b-but I haven't got any money. He spends any money I earn on beer."

Tyler made a conflicted face. "What if… well, my mom owns a little restaurant downtown. I work their part time and we're looking for another parttime waiter. Would you want to work?"

"I can try, but like I said, I'm shit at customer service." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair tiredly. "Anxiety, you know? Makes crowds hard to deal with…"

"You could help my mom in the kitchen!" he said excitedly. "She's always saying she doesn't need help, but her health's not been so great and I've been trying to do both jobs at once. I think you'd get along in the back really well."

"Are you sure?" He asked, fixing his eyes upon Tyler once more. They looked tired and sad. "I'm not fantastic at cooking, but I know some…"

"Y-yeah! I mean, we have to ask my mom, but she'll say yes for sure." He smiled hesitantly. "And if you want, you can come to the restaurant whenever and study or hang out like I do."

Lucas nodded, hugging his sketchbook close to his chest and letting his gaze fall back to the grass. "I… your mom sounds very nice…"

"She is," he said, glancing away. "Ever since my dad died, she's been everything to me. I've tried to pick up the slack, but she never complains. I think you'll like her a lot."

"I'm sure I will…" Lucas sighed. If Tyler's mother looked anything like his own, which wasn't unlikely, he wasn't sure how he'd do, especially considering how unstable and jumpy he was at the moment.

"You can take some time to think about it, if you want," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't want to rush you or anything. I just want…better for you." He flushed a little. "I don't mean to be pushy."

"No, no… it's okay. I can try to do it. It… it can't hurt to try." Lucas sighed again, barely audibly this time. "Should we be going?"

(just realized,,, i had said his mother was a nurse and family friends owned the cafe…hehe oh well. lets say his sister's the nurse, cafe's friend-owned, and the restaurant is his moms oof)

"Yeah, let's go!" he said, smiling again. "Follow me."

(Lmao sounds good)
Lucas got up and followed Tyler quietly, occasionally stumbling a little, but mostly just ignoring the pain as best he could.

The walk to the restaurant wasn't long at all. It was a small burger joint just outside the bad part of town. It had the decor of a 50s diner, and it was simple and clean. A few people sat at the bar drinking milkshakes, but otherwise the restaurant was empty. Tyler strode to the bar. "Hey! I'm here!"

A short woman with long brown hair, glasses, and a tired but warm smile appeared from the kitchen. Her smile was immediately replaced with worry. "Tyler, what happened to your nose? And your friend's in the same shape –oh no, tell me you weren't fighting!"

"We were just messing around," he fibbed quickly, wiping his nose. "This is Lucas."

"Hello, ma'am. P-Pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand politely, seeming a little nervous. Fuck… she reminds me of my mom. This didn't surprise him, but it still made him a bit wary. Not of her, of course. She seemed lovely. He was worried about keeping his emotions in check.

She took his hand without hesitation, giving him a gentle shake. "Well, it's nice to meet you, honey. Any friend of my son's is alright in my book, since he's always alone." She laughed as Tyler blushed. "What brings you two here? You working today, Ty?"

Tyler shrugged. "I can, but we're here about a job for Lucas. He likes cooking and he could use the extra cash, plus he's a good person and I trust him. Right, Lucas?"

Lucas nodded. He figured that it would be best to not go into detail about why he needed the money for now. "Honestly, I wouldn't be a great waiter. I could help you in the kitchen, though, or clean, or… I dunno, something."

She walked closer to him, inspecting him closely. Her lips were pursed. "Hmm…" She stroked her chin. "Okay, I'm sold! I like you, Lucas. Welcome aboard!" She motioned to the kitchen. "You can start with dishes, how's about that? And we can train you as needed, huh?"