Hi!! Do you still take requests for your be more chill one shots? If you do, could I request a rich centric fic with angst? Perhaps post SQUIP and rich struggles to adjust to not having a SQUIP? Or something to do with Rich’s dad being a dick? Or how rich is like suicidal? I don’t really mind as long as it’s angst!! If there is a ship my favourite is Michael/Rich.
You don’t have to write it (obviously, I’m just saying because I don’t want anyone to feel pressured) but thanks if you do write it!!
This request made me SO happy.
Rich centered fic! (Angst)
Summary: Rich has to struggle with his dad and losing the SQUIP - and with that, his coolness.
Thankfully, his only save haven is there to hold him up when his thoughts turn dark very quickly!
Tw: Abusive/Neglectful parenting, suicidal thoughts, child abuse, child neglect, mental illness, trauma response, substance abuse
A/N: I'll make a part two dw. ALSO, feel free to make more requests! I love requests.
Rich's last few days hadn't been good after being released from the hospital.
His father hadn't paid much attention to him, which meant he had to take care of his injuries all by himself.
Technically, not fully by himself.
Michael was helping him out a lot.
But, right now, Michael wasn't here.
Rich was currently sitting in his room after having spent all day sneaking around his dad.
He had been drinking again, and that meant he was unbearable.
Loud and far too angry for any child or teenager to handle. But it wasn't the shouting that made Rich so utterly terrified.
It was the fact that, whenever his father was drunk, he lashed out easily. Threw things. Hit him.
And later on, when he sobered up, he would apologize. Say he felt sorry. Told Rich that he loved him even after doing these things to Rich.
Thanks to that, Rich had assigned his father as not one but two people.
Logan was the bad side. The one that hit and abused him. That neglected him and made him feel worthless.
And the side that loved him, cared for him and told Rich he loved him, that was his real dad.
So, whenever Rich spoke of the abuse, he never said my dad. He always, always spoke of Logan.
And no one knew who Logan was.
Not that it mattered anyway, because no one ever listened to him when he talked, or if they listened, they didn't ask further.
A soft sigh escaped the young man as he pulled the pillow over his head when he heard the shouting downstairs.
For almost twenty minutes, he heard nothing but the shouting and yelling and questions being screamed through the house.
He almost jumped when he suddenly heard the man shout: "RICH!"
Anyone else in his position would have locked the door and prayed to God it wouldn't be broken down.
But not Rich. He knew this game. He could either have it end bad... or worse.
And Rich didn't want to be beaten hospital worthy, so instead, he stood up slowly, padded over to the door and opened it.
His voice was quiet as he peeked out of the room down to the living room. "Yes?"
"Get your ass over here!" His father exclaimed, sounding rather angry.
Whatever Rich had done, it must have really set the man off this time, which was unusual. Normally, he simply sent Rich around the house to perhaps get beers or left him alone.
But not today, it seemed.
Rich swallowed lightly as he walked down the hall with soft steps, reaching the living room where he stood in the door. "You called?"
The young man's father turned to him with a sharp, wild look in his eyes that made Rich's stomach twist with fear.
"Yeah, I called for you." The elder man said angrily. "Did you touch my beers?"
Rich shook his head immediately. "I swear, I didn't touch them. They're all still there."
"Oh, really?" The man questioned as he walked uo to his son, grabbing the teenager by his white shirt. "Then where the hell did they go? I only have two left."
"I-I don't know! I really don't." Rich said as he grabbed his father's wrist lightly.
Before he knew it, he felt the first punch land right on his cheekbone, his head snapping to the side.
He tried not to make a sound as tears welled up in his eyes, like they always used to.
"Where are my beers?" The elder asked a second time.
Rich, again, shook his head in fear. "I really don't know! I didn't touch them."
His father threw another punch, this time letting go of Rich which ended with the younger man falling back onto the floor.
"For the last time: Where. Are. My. Beers?"
Rich sat up slowly and crawled back as the tears began to spill over. "I didn't touch them. I don't know where they are. I-"
Things were a blurry mess after that.
He knew he had gotten a few more punches, even got kicked in the stomach once and was left with countless bruises and a split lip.
But had someone asked him what he did after that entire thing, he wouldn't have had an answer.
When he visited Michael the day after, the inevitable came.
"What happened to you?" The brunette asked as he reached out to lightly touch the bruise on his boyfriends cheek.
"I got into a fight." Rich explained quietly as he leaned into Michael's hand.
Michael's brows furrowed as he tilted his head. "A fight? With who? What happened?"
Rich looked at Michael for a moment before he shrugged a bit. "Have I ever told you about Logan? He's... someone. And... he drinks a lot. And when he gets angry, he let's it out on me."
Michael hesitated for a moment before his frown just grew thicker. "Really? Why? Do you... actively go to him or does he come to you?"
"He usually tells me to come. And I do." Rich explained. "It'd only get worse if I didn't. So I just go to him and let him beat me."
His boyfriend seemingly did not like that at all and shifted to turn towards Rich a little more. "Why in the world would you let him beat you? Don't you defend yourself? Call for help? Anything?"
Rich hesitated with answering before he shook his head slowly. "There's no one around when he does it and he's stronger than me, so..."
"And if you don't go to him, what does he do?" Michael asked.
"He comes to me." Rich answered as he looked down. "Forces me to come out. The last time, he... broke my hand."
Michael remembered Rich having a broken hand once. It was before they had started dating, a year or so.
Michael hated the thought that someone had been beating up Rich back then for no apparent reason.
"But, you didn't do anything to make him angry, did you?" Michael asked as he leaned closer.
Rich shook his head slightly. "Not really. He accuses me of things, but most of the time, I didn't even do them. He just needs someone to blame."
Michael hummed softly and nodded a little. "Can I ever... join you? To see him, I mean."
Rich's face scrunched up lightly as he thought about the idea of Michael seeing someone beat him up. "I don't know..."
"It's alright." Michael said quietly. "Think about it. I'll be there whenever you say."
Rich nodded softly as Michael placed a light kiss over Rich's bruised cheekbone.
Rich spent the next few days thinking about what him and Michael had talked about.
Night and day, he wondered if he should explain who Logan was or if he should stay quiet and not risk making it worse.
So, one day, he decided that talking about it was too hard for him.
Which was why Michael was currently sat on his bed and the two were talking about a month later.
Rich's dad had started drinking about an hour ago, so it wouldn't be any longer until the man lost it again.
As if on cue with Rich's thoughts, the old man rumbled about and started yelling. "Rich!"
Rich visibly flinched, unable to help it even with Michael there.
When he saw the brunettes reaction, he already could tell Michael was putting the pieces together in his mind - far too early for Rich's liking, since that meant Michael might try to actually do something about it and put himself in danger.
Before Michael could react, Rich scrambled off the bed and towards his door, pulling it up and speaking down the hall. "Yes?"
Michael hated the way Rich's father yelled Get your ass over here! from down the hall in a tone that was a lot, but not friendly.
He sat frozen when Rich disappeared down the hall and he heard more shouting, his mind too filled to fully pay attention to what was being said.
Then came Rich's pained cry and Michael's stomach twisted like it never had before.
It can't be. He thought to himself. Parents wouldn't do that to their child.
He couldn't describe how naive he felt when Rich returned about ten minutes later, nose bloody and one eye swollen shut.
Michael's lips were slightly parted as he watched Rich close the door and limp towards the bed slowly.
Without a word, Rich crawled onto the bed and into Michael's arms.
Michael wrapped said arms around his boyfriend immediately, one resting on his back and the other coming up to lay against the back of his head.
Michael didn't even want to think about what this meant.
How often had Rich been here, all by himself? Had cried himself to sleep? Or tried to ignore the pain his father had caused?
"There is no Logan." Michael whispered as his eyes slowly wandered down to the red streak in Rich's hair as if it would answer him.
Instead of doing that, Rich began trembling as he buried his face against Michael, eyes squeezed shut a she tried to suppress the sobs that forced their way out.
Michael held Rich even tighter as he pressed his mouth against the crown of the male's hair, squeezing his own eyes shut in hopes that this would somehow help comfort Rich.
Rich had always been so proud and cock in school. Never worried about others, always held himself with quiet strength.
Michael would have never expected that this was Rich's life.
Minute after minute passed, hour after hour, where Rich lay in his boyfriends arms, crying and tried to collect himself, but failing again and again.
During this whole time, Rich didn't say a word and all Michael said was the same repetition of it's okay, I'm here and you're safe with me.
Michael genuinely didn't know what to do after that.
Rich had begged him not to tell anyone, but something in Michael screamed that Rich needed help, even if the male would hate him after
At first, Michael was hesitant, but as soon as he told his mothers, they were glad he had told them.
And Michael had assumed right - Rich was MAD when he found out.
A day after CPS and the police had shown up at Rich's house, Michael got a very angry call.
"Are you crazy!?" Rich almost shouted into the phone. "I told you not to tell anyone! I trusted you!"
Michael tried to explain himself, but after an angry Don't ever talk to me again, Rich had hung up and hadn't picked up any of the calls Michael gave him afterward.
Michael decided to just give him a while and then try again another time.
Perhaps, after things got better, Rich would understand that Michael had only ever intended to help him.
