Get Well So I Can Kill You PV Selim F PV Ruka T

@Jack Burnett & @Ruka Tân

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The Gryffindor ended up sitting on the bed anyways, seeming to be upset at his comment. To him saw his protest as completely logical.

The Lion did find space on the bed though, luckily far enough away that it wasn't crowding him.

Then the fox spoke.

"Hm? Jealous it's not just the two of us anymore?" he taunted with a bitter sneer. It was gone in the next second. "Well, guess what? Tân nearly died trying to carry your self-neglecting ass here on his own, no doubt in an attempt to satiate your wishes to keep your condition quiet, so you don't get the right to refuse him."

Suddenly, his dormmate's arm reached out, looping around him and forcing Selim closer to him until he was basically on the taller boy's lap. The sudden physical contact made him freeze up, breathing halting, partially from the unfamiliarity of it and partially because it was stirring up more haunting memories.

When the fox spoke again, slightly snapping him out of it, he could feel his breath against his neck, making him shudder as an image of a similar, but far less appropriate memory flash through his mind. "Or me."

Selim's gaze became more unfocused, it felt like bug were crawling under his skin, and not in a pleasant way. He didn't feel right-

He barely heard his dormmate's next words, almost unable to comprehend them. Something about having to start somewhere when it came to fighting his inability fear to sleep.

Those words just barely stuck in his mind when another memory hit, he didn't have an emotional reaction to it, perhaps in shock. The actions following his dormmate's statement went completely unnoticed by Selim as he tried to fight against the starting of another episode. Memories were leaking through from where he tried to lock them away, catching his attention no matter how much his dormmate didn't want it.

- Someone's - face pressed against the back of his neck, harshly jolting another cursed memory loose, making Selim feel like he was choking on blood. His breathing came back, ragged, rapid, and he shivered violently.

Suddenly the grip on him tightened, causing sharp pain to pierce up from his abused ribs. The pain cleared some of the trauma-induced haze from his mind, snapping him back to the present, though he wasn't sure how long that'd last.

His dormmate's breath tickled his neck, brushing against his ear. The haze closed in once more. "Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again," The fox warned "Either of you. Or I give you my word I will make you regret it."

The redhead's voice was cold with anger, and Selim was reminded of his father when he had spoken out against him. He tensed, muscles coiled, as if preparing against an attack. Fear crept through his bones, not born of the pissed-off fox, no. Spawned from the memories as they began to creep in again.

Another hug, more pain, the haze slightly cleared, and he heard the last part of Burnett's sentence.

Before he could react, Selim was pulled down at the redhead's side as his dormmate laid down.

Again, He froze, in shock.

For a few moments, he was completely silent. All was well, like the calm before the storm.

Then he became hyper-aware of everything around him, how close he was to another human, how helpless he was in his state, born from recently-healed sickness and lack of solid food. He became aware of his position, of how oddly stifling the air felt, how sticky his clothes were with that frigid sweat summoned by the fear making his heart pound faster then should be healthy.

The haunting haze once more shrouded his mind, memories of what had been done to him during the 'Incident' that gave him this curse pounding against their confines, and for a moment he forgot he was with his dormmate and the Gryffindor, conscious phasing into that one helpless moment that birthed his aversion to physical touch (Heighted by his lack of familiarity toward being cared for).

He phased out of it for a moment, just enough to choke out a plea and a warning.

"Jack, please let me go." His words trembled, in symphony with his fear, sounding broken, and layden with heavy terror.

He fought against the flashbacks, but they were slowly overtaking his mind, what he was actually seeing being consumed by what he saw (Something a child should never see) back then. Ghostly sensations slid across his scarred skin, sending the bugs underneath up into a frenzy. That distinct feeling of being forever tainted making him feel the familiar feeling of being helpless. Emotions churned inside, dredged up from a past he tried to forget every day, causing his stomach to roll with the sort of queasiness born from what seemed to be nothing.

He felt wrong, wrong, WrOgn-

the memories forced his sense of time away, and he was cast back into the corrosive shadows of his past, forever tormented, forever stuck.

He slipped into Japanese, but his tone still held his mounting panic, "Please no... not again."

His form shuddered as he attempted to pull away from his -- captor - . He needed to get away, before the Sallow Man - That man - came back. - Before
it happens again. -

if he was let go he'd fall to the ground and press himself against the next bed over, curling into a protective ball that Jack would be quite familiar with.

If he wasn't let go in time, he would struggle in blind panic and may lash out.

Either way, he was trapped in his mindscape once again.

@Jack Burnett, @Selim Faust

A sense of petty satisfaction filled Ruka when Jack chastised Selim for his protest about him joining them on the bed. Part of him wanted to gloat, say Ha! I matter to him too! but he pulled himself together, decided against being an unpleasant person, and instead just offered Jack a slightly grateful smile.

He stayed quiet then, eyes curiously moving from one Slytherin to the other as he followed the conversation, trying hard to pick apart every word until it made sense, but fact was that Selim was basically a mystery to him, so even though he understood that the other boy was seemingly scared of sleeping, suffered of this sleep paralysis and maybe had some kind of hallucinations, Ruka was nowhere closer to understanding the Why of it all than he was before this conversation.

Lost in his own head for a moment, Jack’s arm around his waist came as a surprise, as did the tight hug that probably brought Selim closer to him than the Slytherin would have necessarily been comfortable with, but to Ruka it felt like two weeks of tension were finally leaving his body, like all the anger and frustration just melted off him like ice under a flame.

Jack’s warning met a tired sigh as Ruka struggled not to remind the other boy of the fact that he had thought Jack was never going to talk to him again, and thus nothing he had done since Valentine’s Day had been done with the intention of scaring him. Instead he nodded slowly against Jack’s neck, one hand reaching up to bury itself in the Slytherin’s Shirt as if that could assure him that Jack wouldn’t just up and leave again without a warning.

He easily let himself hugged and pulled every which way Jack saw fit, maybe too easily for someone who was otherwise so stubborn and independent, but he was so tired and felt so at ease with Jack back at his side. So when the other boy finally stopped crushing his and Selim’s ribs - which hurt, but no more than the various injuries he’d endured while letting the flames bite away at him over the past two weeks - and instead pulled them both down to sleep, Ruka went easily.

The bed was small, and the way they were positioned, it seemed like both him and Selim were basically draped halfway across Jack, but Ruka didn’t pay attention, just let his eyes flutter shut for a moment.
He would have fallen asleep right then and there, with Jack’s breath against his hair and his heartbeat under the palm of his hand, had it not been for Selim.

The Slytherin’s voice forced Ruka’s eyes back open, a confused expression on his face.

Selim seemed panicked, as if Jack’s hug had sent him into some sort of frenzy that practically had him begging to be let go.

”Jack?” he asked, eyes immediately seeking the boy next to him for direction. His hand moved from the front of Jack’s shirt to his sleeve instead to give him some more freedom in moving should he need to better accommodate Selim somehow. “What’s wrong with him?” 

He wanted to ask if there was anything he could do, wanted to run to get a nurse for help, but Jack knew Selim best and probably knew how to handle whatever was happening to the other boy better than anybody else, so instead of actually being useful to the situation, Ruka found himself simply clinging to Jack’s sleeve and watching whatever scene was about to unfold in front of him.

@Ruka Tân and @Selim Faust

When Jack initially felt Selim tense up, he had simply assumed it was similar to the way the other boy had stiffened the first time Jack had ever hugged him - a stiffness born from being unused to such physical shows of affection. However, the shudder that wracked the raven-haired Slytherin's body soon after suggested otherwise. It was something else this time.

Unfortunately, the redhead was so overcome by his own emotions as he hugged the other students like lifelines, he wasn't able to notice until it was too late. Not the change in Selim's breathing, nor the violent shivers that soon overtook his body. It wasn't until Jack tried to get the other two to sleep with all three of them on their backs that he was finally calm enough to realize something was wrong.

"Jack, please let me go."

Only twice before had Jack ever heard Selim utter his first name.

"Thank you Jack."

The first time had been to thank him after he'd talked the snake out of an episode he'd worked up himself into having.

"What... do I do... Jack?"

The second time had been to ask for advice after another of his episodes had nearly caused him to strangle their other dorm mate out of fear.

But this time? This time Jack was the problem. Nothing was more blatant to the redhead in the way Selim shuddered and pulled away from him.

Studying the raven-haired Slytherin with concern, Jack quickly removed himself from the bed, horrified at potentially having triggered what he thought looked to be another of his peer's panic attacks. Selim seemed to be fighting it; seemed to be struggling to keep his consciousness in the present rather than allowing it to slip into the nightmares of his past, but eventually, he relapsed into speaking Japanese.

As soon as he was released, the snake quickly dropped to the ground and curled into a ball as he pressed himself against the next nearest bed. The taller boy stared for a moment, his features contorted in distress and despair as he tried to think of what had happened and what he had done.

Again. Once again, Jack had hurt people he had been trying to help. And why? Because of his stupid, good-for-nothing emotions drowning his awareness, logic, and reason. Obviously, he didn't deserve to have them. He couldn't handle them; couldn't manage them right. All he could think to do was go. Leave. Selim and Ruka would be better off without him. He was wrong to imagine he could have tried caring about and for them when he couldn't even function properly on his own. At this rate, he was just bound to ruin the lives of everyone he wanted the best for.

Good intentions really do pave the road to hell, he thought miserably, the edges of his eyes aching as he tried to move away from the bed. He had intended to escape the hospital wing, but something - no, someone - held him fast. Through blurred, stinging sight, Jack turned his head to see a confused Ruka trying to get his attention.

”Jack?” Hearing that name was so bittersweet; so painful and yet heart-warming at the same time. It made his chest hurt worse than ever. ”What’s wrong with him?”

The Slytherin looked from the Gryffindor to his frightened housemate and sighed. No, he couldn't let his emotions get the best of him this time. Running away in this situation was a behavior born from guilt, regret, and sorrow, not self-preservation. Was he trying to protect Ruka and Selim by leaving, or himself from the pain of his feelings for them? Jack was pretty sure he knew the real answer no matter what he preferred to tell himself.

Realizing the second-year probably felt confused and at a loss of what to do, the first year offered him a small smile and ruffled his hair. "Nothing's wrong with him," he answered gently. "He's just lonely and scared...like the rest of us." His sights returned to Selim. "I'll be right back, okay? Please...just stay here a minute."

The very first time Selim had experienced an episode in front of him, he'd done what he did best - he talked. He talked to his fellow housemate until he'd managed to talk him right back to the present reality. He hadn't known what he'd done at the time, but soon after Selim had explained that talking grounded him. That talking him out of it or getting a professor were probably the best options, but who knew how long it would take to get a professor? Even if he asked a nurse or some other adult to tend to Selim, there was always the chance they would do something to trigger him even more and he would lash out, causing them to have to use more force and perpetuate the cycle of fear.

Talking Selim out of his head had worked for Jack twice before. Was it possible that, even if Jack had been the trigger this time, he could manage it again? The worst possible reaction, he supposed, was that Selim could try to stab, strangle, or otherwise hurt or kill him, but wasn't it better for it to be him than someone else like Ruka? After all, he'd already gotten a taste of the other boy's knife, so at least he knew a little more about what to prepare for if he had to.

With another reassuring smile, Jack attempted to gently remove Ruka's grip from his sleeve so the Gryffindor could stay at a safe distance while the Slytherin went to his housemate. He walked over slowly, crouching down when he was at Selim's side, and kept his voice as soothing and soft as he could manage.

"Fangs?" he spoke, making sure to keep his hands to himself. "Fangs, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you. I'm right here if you need me, but no one's going to touch you. You're not in danger, okay?" He looked down at his shoes, eyes blurring again. "I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you that way. I was...I was just so scared. You...you know how that is, right?" He attempted a poor chuckle as he wiped his eye on the back of his hand. Then he glanced back at Ruka over his shoulder.

"You don't have to suffer alone anymore, though. None of us do. We've...we've all got each other. And we've got to stick together. Right?"

@Jack Burnett & @Ruka Tân

[Trigger Warning]
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Fear, disgust, horror, he felt tainted, unclean. He was marred, broken, they kept breaking him, over and over, doing unspeakable, painful, amoral things to him. He didn't understand, this wasn't ok, he wanted it to stop, to stop the aching, the stings, to stop... touching him with their filthy hands stained with his own blood.

He wanted to stop them, but they wouldn't stop, they liked to hear him scream, to see him writhe. He couldn't stop them, because he was trapped, tied, either to a bed or to a chair, or hanging in the air by rusty chains that rubbed away the skin on his wrists until you could see the filth underneath.

All he could do was watch on, hollow, empty, shattered into nothing but the shadow of a human. The feeling of being unclean churned inside him, a writhing mass of rot. His tears had dried up long ago, why waste effort crying? Why cry when no one will care? He didn't understand why the other children trapped insisted on crying, wailing in the night, like tormented souls. No one would hear them... no one... no one cared... there were nothing but weak, pathetic kids... playthings that their captors used for their own sadistic amusement.

Selim... was nothing.

They wouldn't stop, so why fight it?

He didn't wan't to be here... again, to feel fingers on his marred skin... to... no... it didn't matter.

He was nothing...

No one cared about his suffering... so he let it consume him and make him hollow. Though that ache in his chest still persisted, the pain still continued, his throat was still ragged from screaming-

There was nothing he could do.... he was alone.

...

He heard something... a voice... he didn't recognize the voice.

Trapped in his mind-

It sounded... familiar... what was it saying?

It kept going, they kept-

Who was speaking?

Make it stop!-

Who?

Oh god please let it end... I... I can't

Who was... Fangs?

The words were muffled, but he kept focusing on them, the pain seemed dimmed, but the feeling of being tainted still stayed, no matter how often he tried to lock it away.

The voice became clear, the haze lifted just enough for him to hear-

"Fangs, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you. I'm right here if you need me, but no one's going to touch you. You're not in danger, okay?"

'Not in danger?... but...'

The pain was gone... all that was left were images that made him want to vomit... who was speaking? That voice... so familiar... it seemed to be talking to him... Fangs?

Memories began to fade, new images dredged up at the word... that title, he knew it-

Fangs...

Fox...

He knew those words, more then what they meant, a deeper meaning that seemed to make him thrum with the feeling of calm.

The voice spoke again. "You don't have to suffer alone anymore, though. None of us do. We've...we've all got each other. And we've got to stick together. Right?"

Something in him stopped, at those words, a feeling of dampness on his cheeks bringing him to awareness. His eyes snapped open, and everything hit him at once, how light-headed he felt, how his breathing had picked up to the point of hyperventilation, how his blood rushed in his ears, muffling the sounds around him.

Fear pounded in his chest as his eyes wildly flashed around his surroundings, blurred with tears, he shivered violently as a mix of exhaustion and terror painted the room with overlapping visions of his past.

A strangled sob broke out of his throat, cut short as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't know where he was, it was a hospital wing and a cold cellar, the walls were clean but stained with blood, it smelt like chemicals, or was it the odor of sharp copper and rotting things?

His scars ached with phantom pains, his skin crawled, it didn't feel like his own, stained with things that should have never happened to him. His stomach rolled with nausea, and he curled tightly into himself, wishing for everything to just... stop.

He fought to control his inhales and exhales, to end the ragged rising and falling of his chest, air pushed out before it could even reach his brain, muddling his thoughts.

Another choked sob, cut off as he tried to clench his eyes shut again, to stop seeing his past. Where was he? How was he there, but not?

The words of that voice echoed in his brain, but all they brought with them was the creeping sense of disbelief. Shivers ran violently through his body, his knuckles where white with how tight he was clutching his knees to his chest, the sensation of pins and needles beginning.

"Who... who's there? Is... is anyone-?" He choked out, mostly expecting no response, no one was ever their, just his captors, his tormentors waiting to laugh at him. He slipped back into Japanese, "Please, make them stop... make it end." he sobbed, tears dripping onto his clothes.

His skin, felt wrong, he gagged quietly, continuing to cry.

The words came back to them, making him want to laugh bitterly. "Don't have to suffer alone? In the end, I'm always alone... no matter who's with me... I'm always alone." In the end, he didn't laugh after his words, only crying harder.

@Jack Burnett @Selim Faust 

Holding onto Jack's sleeve as he watched Selim curl up on the floor, Ruka could feel himself shaking a little bit with the confusion flooding through his body. One moment things seemed to finally fall back into place again, and here they were now, a sudden sense of dread hovering over them like a rain cloud as the Slytherin boy on the floor seemed to succumb more and more into this rising panic.

Jack's movement next to him made Ruka tense for a moment, wide, scared eyes searching the other boy's face for any kind of information on what he was going to do. It seemed like he wanted to get off the bed, but without any explanation, Ruka feared that Jack's intention was to run away from the situation the same way he had apparently run from his connection to Ruka after the Valentine's Party.

One look into the Slytherin's eyes once they finally found Ruka's own, told the Fire Dancer that his fear had been justified, but as they looked at each other, there seemed to be a different kind of determination settling in Jack's hazel irises. Ruka took a deep breath as the other boy ruffled his hair as if the action would provide the older boy with some kind of comfort.

It did.

"Alright," he said quietly, stiff fingers slowly letting go of Jack's sleeve as he was told to wait. A part of him wanted to follow anyway, wanted to see what was going on exactly, wanted to help some way, any way, but he pulled himself back, instead just bent his knees and hugged his legs close.

For a short, terrifying moment he felt a jealous burn wander up and down his oesophagus, as he watched Jack move off the bed and towards Selim. What right did the other boy have to demand all this attention after two weeks in which Ruka hadn't even glimpsed sight of Jack a single time, while less than an hour ago Selim had rather wanted to die from coughing up his insides by the lake than accidentally encounter Jack?

The feeling vanished as soon as it came as Ruka's eyes landed back on Selim, expression softening significantly. He knew nothing about this boy and his past, didn't know where all this panic came from or how to handle it, and it made sense for him to be left on this bed to wait out the storm while it was raging inside Selim's pale, fragile body. 
He kept his sights on the panicked boy while listening to Jack's words of reassurance, telling the other Slytherin that he wasn't in danger, that nobody would touch him.

Ruka didn't think he was even able to imagine what was currently going on in Selim's head, but just the fact that he apparently needed verbal reassurance of his own safety made him feel like he didn't even want to know. What kind of threats could Selim possibly see in this room that was supposed to be nothing but a sanctuary for the sick and injured? 

He's just lonely and scared...like the rest of us.

Jack's voice rang through his mind as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Scared and lonely were no foreign emotions to him, but he didn't think he'd ever felt them to an extend where his mind took over control of his body to this extreme. 

Noticing Jack glancing back at him, Ruka offered a small smile, eyes still wide and confused as he watched the two Slytherins on the floor.

After a moment Jack's talking seemed to do something because, while still clearly panicked, Selim finally seemed to talk in words Ruka could understand, in sentences that at least vaguely seemed to fit into his surroundings rather than whatever was going on in his mind. He was clearly crying, loud sobs wrecking through the silence, even more gut-wrenching than the words of desperation he was blurting out.

Slowly as not to disturb either Jack or Selim, Ruka slid off the bed to sit on the floor, teeth gnawing nervously on his bottom lip. He wanted to answer Selim's question about whether anybody was there, wanted to say something, but he didn't feel qualified to even go anywhere near the crying Slytherin boy in that moment, and Jack seemed to know exactly what he was doing, so he decided it was probably for the best to just let him handle this.

Anyway, he doubted Selim's shaken mind would be that happy hearing a voice he probably barely recognised.

Instead, he just leaned against the night stand next to the bed he'd just been on a second ago, arms wrapped around himself as he did all he could do; Watch the scene unfold in front of him. 

@Ruka Tân and @Selim Faust

Crouched somewhat nervously next to Selim, Jack watched and waited as his voice carried his words to his dorm mate, speaking until he thought his peer showed signs of response. When his weeping eyes opened, he was still breathing as hard as ever and appeared to be just as afraid, but at least he was no longer actively trying to get away from the redhead. Actually, Jack began to wonder if the boy could even tell he was there with how he seemed to pay attention to everything else but him.

Had it been a mistake to stop speaking once Selim had opened his eyes? Should he have tried it again? But...what if he startled the snake into withdrawing once more?

Looking back in Ruka's direction a few more times as if for reassurance, Jack noticed the Gryffindor had relocated himself onto the floor and was anxiously biting his lip. Well, he must have had faith in the redheaded Slytherin if he wasn't going to try to get a teacher or something...right? Nor had he been frightened off, but Ruka had probably experienced worse situations in his lifetime. Jack smiled gratefully at the second year for sticking around. Even just knowing he was there and watching gave Jack courage to try again.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Selim once more.

"Who... who's there? Is... is anyone-?"

"Fangs...? Shh, it's okay...it's, uh...it's Fox..." Wow, it felt weird calling himself that. "Jack. It's Jack Burnett. We're dorm mates, remember? And we're both first years in Slytherin."

Unfortunately by then, the Japanese boy seemed to have returned to speaking in his original language. "Please, make them stop... make it end."

The streams of tears leaking from his eyes really just made Jack want to hug him, but he had to restrain himself from doing so while he was still unsure of the state of Selim's mind. How else could he reassure him, then? Was he even listening to Jack anymore if he was speaking in Japanese?

With a helpless sort of look at Ruka, Jack extended a hand behind him, hoping to get the Gryffindor's attention. Maybe if he didn't get too close...or, if he did, just keep out of Selim's sight by staying behind Jack...maybe...he could hold onto his hand for support? If he couldn't touch Selim, at least he could grip onto someone, and in doing so, he would probably be less likely accidentally reach out to the bawling boy. Maybe with Ruka nearby, it'd be easier to think of something. Jack just had to keep calm, even if someone he cared about was in obvious emotional distress right in front of him.

Closing his own eyes to try to concentrate and think, if Ruka had given Jack his hand, he'd squeeze it. Slowly, he thought he could make out a few of Selim's Japanese words.

Watashi wa... (私は...)

'I am...'

...itsumo... (...いつも...)

'...always...'

...hitoridesu. (...一人です.)

'...alone.'

...But you're not, Fangs. You're not! How was he supposed to get that message across in Japanese, though?

Straining to recall what he had learned from someone he used to write letters to overseas, Jack attempted to piece together a new response - one he hoped would actually get through to Selim this time.

"Anata wa...hitori...janai, (あなたは...一人じ...ゃない,)" he said slowly. "Anata wa hitorijanai. (あなたは一人じゃない.)" Jack repeated the phrase more confidently the second time, louder, and faltering less.

"You are not alone."

He heard the voice again, the voice that was so familiar, and it told him who it was.

Selim took deep breaths, something in his mind churning, as if wanting to take over, but it didn't quite feel like those memories, those images... no, it was something different, something colder.

It disappeared as unexpectedly as it came, and Selim was left alone with the static in his heads and the words spoken to him by... his dormmate?

dormmate...

Selim looked up, wide, scared eyes locking onto the figure directly in front of him, how had he not noticed it before? How...

The figure moved, his mind filled in the blanks. Were they grabbing a knife-?!

No, they were his dormmate... who? Jack?

A voice whispered in his head, a cold one not drawn up from any memory-

"Eliminate the threat...."

No, this wasn't a threat though... but something in his chest urged him to attack anyways, something frosty, paranoid...

"Anata wa...hitori...janai," The words were spoken in rough Japanese by the figure.

'You are not alone'

Selim's breath caught upon hearing his culture's language, something in his chest seeming to suffer with a cold storm of emotions.

"You are not alone."

His eyes finally focused. Something primal latching onto those words, a wash of relief making his frame ease, but his shivers were still violent, his eyes still held that broken terror after that fresh surge of memories he had tried so hard to lock away, to forget....

but he could never forget.

The darkness crowding the edges of his vision crept away, the overlapping images fading, and he saw everything clearly again, blurred with wet tears.

Selim curled up into himself, trying to hide the tears that still insisted to escape his eyes. His nails dug into his skin, betraying the chaos that was tearing through his mind. He took uneven breaths that hiccuped occasionally due to him trying to smother the sobs that still wanted to escape him.

He wanted to scratch at his skin, get rid of the crawling feeling, but restrained himself.

After a while, his shivering reducedto the occasional tremor, and his eyes had finally dried. He went still for a bit, before slowly looking back up at his dormmate, confirming with his own eyes that he wasn't locked away in that room again.

Selim swallowed harshly, feeling drained, looking at the redhead with dull eyes that had hidden echoes of broken fear hiding in their dark depths.

"... Jack... I, " Selim glanced at Ruka with an expression that seemed pained...
someone else had witnessed his weakness...

He looked away, gaze cast to the ground.... he didn't know what to say... he couldn't explain such a violent reaction, such a deep-rooted terror.

He looked up, catching a glimpse of the thing that had been stalking him for so long grin widely, before disappearing, fading into normal shadows.

Selim curled into himself, going silent, and resuming his shivering...

Right then, he just wished it would all..... end.

@Jack Burnett @Selim Faust

Sitting on the floor, leaning against the nightstand, with his arms wrapped around his legs, it took all the strength Ruka had left inside him to not just bury his face in his knees and sob his helplessness into the fabric of his trousers. He didn't think he'd ever been particularly good with people, but the fact that he could do absolutely nothing in this case made him feel like he had missed some vital lesson he was supposed to learn at some point growing up.

He took in Jack's gentle voice and slow movements, the way he was so intently focused on Selim and his needs, as if to absorb and learn from all of it, so maybe in the future, should he ever find himself in a situation even remotely similar to this he would know what to do aside from sitting around and trying to figure out where to look without making anybody uncomfortable.

It took him a moment to notice the hand seemingly outstretched to him, too focused on trying not to fix his eyes on Selim's fragile, trembling form, not to give any indication that he had heard the words he'd uttered, even the ones Ruka wasn't able to understand. Confusion overwhelmed him for a second as he looked around him for something Jack may be asking for, maybe a potion, a first aid kit, a pillow, something, but nothing in his immediate surroundings made sense to be used in this situation, so finally it clicked.

Jack wasn't asking for any object, he was asking for support, something or someone to ground him.

Taking a deep breath, Ruka slowly entangled himself from the embrace of his own arms before carefully sliding a bit closer, slowly and hopefully mostly hidden by Jack's taller body in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was give Selim more cause for panic because of a slowly approaching shadow he wasn't familiar with.

Once positioned halfway behind Jack, he slid his own hand into the Slytherin's, a nervous flutter shooting through his body like an electric shock at the thought that maybe he could be useful this way at least, showing Jack unwavering support when he needed it most. He could feel his hand being squeezed, and immediately returned the gesture before covering the back of Jack's hand with his own second, like enveloping it this way could possibly provide him with even more comfort.

I'm here, he wanted to say. I'm not going anywhere. I got your back. But he didn't. This wasn't about him, and right now all he was here to do was to make sure Jack wasn't going to give up on trying to get Selim out of whatever kind of panic fit he had found himself in. So instead of saying anything he just offered the other boy a small smile when their eyes met for a moment.

He listened, exhaustion carved deeply into his face, as Jack spoke in words Ruka couldn't decipher, a language he didn't know. He almost felt embarrassed for his ignorance in languages, but he didn't dwell on it for long because finally Jack's words, whatever they may have meant, seemed to be having a positive effect on Selim. The panicked boy had slowly calmed down, eyes drying, shivers dying down more and more by the second, until he eventually uttered Jack's name before breaking off again.

His eyes found Ruka's for a second, and there was so much anguish in his expression that it made him let go of Jack's hand almost immediately, as if burned by the touch.

He wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't wanted or needed in this situation, definitely not by Selim at least. They didn't know each other and this was such a vulnerable state for the other Slytherin boy to be in that the last person he probably wanted around was some random kid he'd only seen once before.

A strong urge to just leave made him shuffle backwards ever so slightly, as if to remove himself from the scene without anybody noticing. If Jack would glance back at him he would nod in Selim's direction with a small but encouraging smile.

He needs you it would say, almost a demand for Jack to focus on his dorm mate before things could get worse again.

He wouldn't get up to leave, not just yet, when he didn't know if there was anything he could possibly do to help before he let them have the time to work through things by themselves rather than with someone around whose nose had nothing to do in their business. His posture was ready for it, however, arms tense with the prospect of having to push himself off the floor, hands steadily on the ground on either side of his body.

He'd long gone overstayed his welcome, it was time to leave.