@bstrdson asked: “need some space?” for collie!! uwu
Collie is trying so hard to keep it all together. His silence had always been his strength but now it could very well be his undoing. He was letting himself push down everything he was feeling in favor of comfort. He didn't have to tell anyone what was wrong with him and things could remain the same. It didn't make sense now, but at the time it had made all the sense in the world.
It made sense to bottle everything up and ignore the obvious signs that nothing was okay. Bottle up the nightmares. Bottle up the stress twitch. Bottle up the way he wanted to lash out and scream all the time. He pushed it down and down until it had just exploded. Poor Olson had gotten the worst of it, a right hook and a slew of profanities before Collie had fled.
Now he was here trying to stop the crying and push everything back down again but it felt impossible. The more he tried the worse he felt and it was killing him. He's crying in the corner of a room when Stebbins enters. He doesn't want anyone to see him like this. He's weak. He's a failure. He was a piece of fucking shit. Yet when he opens his mouth but no words come out so he shuts.
Instead of saying anything he goes against his better judgement and shakes his head no. He doesn't want to be alone... not really. So he just pulls his knees up to his chest and watches Stebbins to see what he'll do. Was the question hollow or would Stebbins really stay? He didn't know but he was curious in a way wanting to see what would happen.
