"This is why he's after you, you stole the business records, are you insane?" Christian's fear was replaced by anger, he turned to Tommy, and that sympathetic look he had before was now gone.
"I've said it before, you don't get an opinion when it comes to Jonathan. Your brother didn't cut you up like some dead pig in the meatworks," Tommy sounded void, his voice hollow and empty. Mason had to bite back the urge to shake him, to shout at him for purposely loading the guilt on Christian who flinched at his words.
"You stole the one thing that could bring the Sinclair's down, I have a fucking say Hughe," Tommy instantly looked a lot more awake then he had since being in Winchester, using his first name struck the chord that Christian wanted and Mason saw the punch before Tommy even lifted his fist.
Mason caught his hand, driving him back down against the couch, wrapping his arms around Tommy's small frame to keep him there even as he struggled to get free. Tommy's nails dig deep into Mason's arm even over his jersey, and he had to grit his teeth together to force out the pain. Tommy pulled at his collar, trying to pry him away but Mason held onto him, held him back from Christian who sat, complacent and unmoving. The thing is, Mason couldn't fault Tommy for the hatred he had towards his Uncle, no matter how much he wanted to - he understood this reaction.
"Stop it, it won't make you feel better," Mason said, pressing Tommy back for a final time, his hand staying on his shoulder even when he stopped fighting.
"Listen to me, I promised your mother I would look out for you-"
"Don't talk about her, you don't get to talk about her!" Tommy instantly choked up, his words getting stuck in his throat. Mason could feel him trembling against his body, and he moved his hand to the back of Tommy's neck when he felt him grab hold of his arm for blind support as if he needed something to grasp onto so that he didn't disappear.
"I took that folder because our family is what got her killed, the Ortega family may have orchestrated it, but Dad may as well have pulled the trigger," Tommy spat venomously, stunning Christian.
"Your father genuinely loved your mother, and you know it," he tried to defend it, but a sick laugh came from Tommy's throat, and Mason thought that in a few seconds he might be covered in vomit.
"And look where she ended up?! you don't get it, you weren't there!"
"Tomas that's not fair, it could've happened at any time, I was-"
"You know if Jonathan didn't slice me up as he did, I think I would be almost the same as I am now," Tommy's eyes suddenly turned dark and distant, and it made Mason freeze, watching as the boy in his arms, who had to be held back from hurting his Uncle, who had moments ago, been clinging to him for support, now turned dejected and empty. Completely void of emotion.
"Because no matter what he did to me, nothing felt worse than finding that fucking note."
Tommy was looking at his Uncle now, watching as all the energy was sucked from him, Christian looked down as if looking at him was inequitable. Mason glanced over Tommy's shoulder at Sasha, Nicky, and Harry whose expressions were twisted into an aching pain of remembrance and although Tommy wasn't talking about their past, it awakened something that they would rather keep buried. Mason wanted to tell them not to think about it, that everything was okay now, that they were together again and all that was in the past, but he couldn't. He couldn't because right now he still had a trembling and lost guy in his arms, trying as hard as he could to hurt his friend.
"You want to skip over that, huh? Act like what you did wasn't unforgivable? You were all I had, but you already knew that didn't you? I didn't have a father or a brother, and I sure as hell didn't have a mother anymore... But I had you... and that was enough for me, and then you left me too, and all you could say was an 'I'm sorry' on a piece of paper?!" Tommy cried out, finally having enough and shoving Mason away.
"Tommy, I'll fix this," it was the first time Mason ever thought he heard Christian beg for something, it churned his stomach, made him feel ill to hear someone who built him back up from nothing - crumble right in front of his eyes.
"You can't fix this, there is nothing to fix. Everyone in my 'family' has broken me down, including you, so don't you dare think you have any means to help me," Tommy got up at that and shoved Mason away when he started to stand too.
Mason turned and watched Tommy go down the hall to the bedroom, he had a way of continually taking him by surprise. Mason caught Harry clutching the side of the sink, trembling slightly as Sasha rubbed soothing circles against his back and guilt tugged hard in his gut. Mason knew all too well how close Tommy hit home for them all - he had been almost exactly like him after what had happened. He could see how it reminded them all of that, but Nicky had asked Mason to help him, he thought that maybe he could especially because he too had been in that hopeless mindstate before.
Moments later, Tommy came back out from his bedroom. He was still wearing Mason's hoodie with the hood up, but he had a boomer jacket over the top and was now wearing jeans and shoes. He was going somewhere in the state he was in. Mason clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shook his head in annoyance, did this kid really forget how bludgeoned his face looked and the fact that at least two of his ribs were broken?
"Tommy where are you going?" Nicky interjected carefully.
"For a walk, you don't have to hover like this, I've survived without your help my whole life," as he said the words he glanced over at his Uncle only briefly, Mason caught the look in his eyes, the way he chewed on his bottom lip. Mason understood precisely what he was doing and why he said all those things to Christian.
"I'll go with you," Mason muttered, standing up and walking towards the front door where his shoes were. Tommy didn't argue, and Mason wasn't sure if it was because he thought he wouldn't be allowed to leave the house otherwise, or if he just didn't care.
"Fine."
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