- Chapter 14 - The First Night With the Forgotten Boys -
Warnings: nightmares, sobbing, concern, lack of sleep
Third Person POV

Les gasped for air in David's arms as the older tried to calm him down. The younger boy sobbed as he clung to him.

David quickly picked up Les, the younger still wrapped in the blanket he was given to by Romeo, and quickly carried him out of the bunk room.

Les had woken up from a really bad nightmare with a scream, and David was extremely shocked that all of the boys in the bunk room — or at least all of the ones he saw — were still asleep.

It made him wonder how many times one of them had woken up screaming to make them all be able to sleep through it.

David quickly carried Les to the stairs, sitting down on them with him so he could start to calm him down. He started to speak to his younger brother, when someone rushed in.

Race's eyes were wide as he looked at David and Les. He breathed out in relief. "It's you two. Is everything okay? I heard a sc-" he stopped abruptly when he saw Les. "Oh man..." His blue eyes softened.

Les's head rested against David's chest, tears streaming down his cheeks and his eyes red and puffy.

David frowned. "Sorry to worry you," he said quietly to Race. "He woke up from a nightmare."

Race brushed it off. "It happens to all of us, first nights here are especially hard," he responded, seeming used to this. "May I sit with you two?"

David nodded.

Race sat down next to him and Les, a stair below them.

David cradled Les in his arms. "It's okay, Les," he whispered in his ear, almost painfully aware of Race's presence. "I'm here for you. I've got you. You're safe," he assured him.

Race bit his lip as he watched David continue to try to lull the smaller boy back to sleep. Eventually, he decided to try and help.

David looked up, shocked when he heard a gentle singing.

Race met his eyes, but kept singing softly. "Brilla, brilla una stellina, su nel cielo, piccolina." He tried to still be soft and quiet while singing. "Brilla, brilla sopra noi. Mi domando di che si? Brilla, brilla la stellina, ora tu si più vicina,"  he finished.

When Race finished, Les was peacefully asleep again.

David stared at the boy, both trying to process how good Race was with kids and what just happened.

Race looked away from him and just stared ahead. "That was basically "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Italian," he explained quietly. "My mamma used to sing it to me when I was little and had nightmares... I just hate seeing littles sad, so I figured maybe I could help a bit?"

David blinked a bit. "Thank you," he managed to utter, still a bit shocked.

Race nodded.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

David looked at Race, his eyebrows furrowing when he realized Race had been downstairs — not in one of the bunk rooms — and it was the middle of the night. "Hey, Race? Why were you aw-" he started.

They heard the distinct sound of a crutch thumping against the floor.

"Cavolo," Race muttered, "he always wakes up when someone has a nightmare. I should've known." He sighed softly, rubbing his eyes.

David's eyebrows furrowed. He looked at the top of the stairs.

Crutchie hobbled into his view, a soft, concerned look on his face. "Everything alright?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, Crutch," Race answered, looking up at him calmly. "First night brings nightmares, you know?"

Cructhie nodded. "I know." His eyes flicked down to Les, who was asleep in David's arms. "However, that doesn't explain why you were down here."

Race cringed. He had obviously been trying to play off the fact that he was out of bed before, but the gist was up before it even started. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you that I followed them when they came out?"

David looked at him, tilting his head. "You were already down here when we came out..." he mumbled.

Race looked at him, clearly unhappy he pointed that out.

"Even if Davey hadn't said that, I wouldn't have believed that," Crutchie told Race, leaning against his crutch. "I know you, Racer. I was awake when you first left the room," he informed him.

Race nodded, his head hanging a bit low. "I'll go cuddle with Al," he mumbled.

"I'm here." Albert stepped into the hallway, looking exhausted and disheveled.

Race bit his lip as he looked at them. "We're not telling Spot, right?" he whispered.

Crutchie frowned at him. "I'll be the one to talk to him, okay?" he offered.

David just watched all of them.

Race nodded a bit, looking defeated.

"Come on, love," Albert whispered, holding out his hand for his boyfriend. "You need rest."

Race nodded again. He looked at David. "Let me know if either of you need something," he told him quietly. "And, so you know, Davey," he started softly.

David stared into his blue eyes.

"It gets easier." With that, Race turned and started walking up the stairs.

"Race,"

The blond-haired boy stopped when David said his name, turning back to face him as Crutchie and Albert looked at him too.

"I'm here for you," David promised him.

Race tilted his head, but his lips curled up into a small smile. "Grazie, Davey. Sleep well." He nodded to him and turned back around, walking up the rest of the stairs.

David watched Crutchie hug the curly-headed boy, before Albert took his hand and guided him to the bunk room they slept in.

Cructhie turned to face David, his green eyes meeting Davey's blue ones. "Is Les alright?"

David nodded, deciding that was easier than speaking.

"And you?" Crutchie asked, adjusting his crutch under his arm. "Are you alright?"

David swallowed a bit. He thought about how to respond for a moment, exhausted and genuinely not knowing how he was. He'd been so worried about Les and trying to keep him safe that he hadn't really thought about the situation as a whole. He looked back at Crutchie, opening his mouth to speak.

The look in Crutchie's eyes told him that he knew how he felt.

Seeing this, David resorted to just mumbling a "I will be".

Crutchie nodded. "Do you both need anything tonight?" he questioned. "Henry's asleep, but he doesn't mind us waking him up to make tea," he informed him.

David tilted his head. "You have stuff to make tea?" When he felt Les stir a bit, he stood up so that he could rock Les a bit to attempt to keep him asleep.

Crutchie nodded, watching him closely. "A woman, a mother figure to all of us — Jack especially — comes and brings us food every week so we can stay fed," he explained. "You'll meet her tomorrow."

David nodded. "We-" he hesitated, "I'm okay," he assured him. "I just need to get Les to bed."

Crutchie nodded. "If you do need something, come get one of us," he told him. "Jack, me, maybe not Race because he really needs sleep, but he would help you if you needed it," he informed him.

David nodded. "Is he okay?" he asked softly, remembering how tired and panicked he looked when he first saw him.

Crutchie didn't respond for a moment, before nodding a bit. "There are some boys here who have a harder time sleeping than others," he informed David slowly, clearly choosing his words carefully. "Race is one of those boys. Now, if Knobs were to wake up, which he should in..." he looked at the clock on the wall, "...two minutes, at 2:40 a.m., and come down here and say he was getting water, we'd believe him, but not a boy like Race."

David nodded. He decided not to ask anymore questions about Race and looked at the clock instead. "Does Knobs always come down at 2:40 a.m. to get water?" he asked curiously.

Cructhie smiled and nodded. "Yes. He's a very routine person, loves schedules," he explained. "He likes being organized and writing quotes in his notebook too," he added. "His body naturally wakes himself up at 2:40 a.m., every day. It's very impressive, actually."

David nodded.

The two fell silent, and not even a minute later, the brunette-haired boy they had perviously been talking about walked into the room.

"Hey, Charlie," Knobs mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Cructhie waved.

"Morning, Davey." Knobs walked to the cupboard and opened it, looking for a cup of water.

David looked away from him and back at Crutchie. "Do you always wake up when someone else does?" he questioned.

Crutchie nodded. "More often than not, yes," he answered. "I'm a very light sleeper, so if someone gets up, I usually wake up," he informed him. "It helps me to know who's struggling with sleep so I can help them, or get someone to help them."

"Most of the other boys are pretty deep sleepers," Knobs added from the sink, where he was filling his cup with water.

David nodded as he took in this information.

Crutchie watched him. "You're a very curious person, one who asks a lot of questions," he commented.

David blushed. "Sorry."

Crutchie shook his head. "Don't be."

"It means he doesn't trust easily," Knobs commented, leaning against the counter. He studied Davey. "He's trying to make sure his brother is safe, and honestly, asking lots of questions is good. Due to trying to keep his brother safe and being untrusting, he also seems to pick up little details easily," he said.

David stared at him. "How-"

Crutchie shook his head. "Knobs is extremely smart and reads people very easily," he explained. "He loves..." he paused and looked over at Knobs, forgetting how to say it.

Knobs seemed to understand his silent message. "Sociology and psychology," he finished.

Cructhie nodded.

Nodding, David took this in. "Okay," he mumbled, looking down at the sleeping boy in his arms. "Well, I think we need to get back to bed."

Crutchie nodded. "Good idea," he said. "You two go, get some rest," he told him. "We'll be up in a few."

David nodded a bit, adjusting Les a bit in his arms. He started walking up the stairs, slowly and trying to be quiet. "Thank you both," he whispered on his way up.

Knobs smiled. "Sleep well, Davey," he responded softly.

David smiled a bit. He carried Les back upstairs and laid him down on the bunk as soon as he got to it, before laying down next to him.

As much as David wanted to think about the day and the events that just took place, he was exhausted and, though he tried, couldn't stay awake to do that. He fell asleep a few minutes later.

1916 Words
The term "sociology" was first used by a Frenchman named Auguste Compte in the 1830s, and the term "psychology" was first used in multiple works around 1525.

Also, for people who don't know the difference between sociology and psychology, here are the definitions (taken from Google):

Sociology - the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. (In more-understandable words: the study of human social relationships and institutions.)

Psychology - the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.