[NON-GRAPHIC VOMITING, BRIEF MENTAL HAZINESS]
Repairs. That was what He’d told His children to get them in the Black and White instead of the house, sharing conversation from bed to floor. Violet flops Barnaby’s plush arms up and down, huddled on the ground.
We could go and roller skate again.
Kai shifts to lay on her side.
Sure. I mean, it’s not like we have to stay in here.
It was never a requirement. She shuffles forward to reach under her bed in search of the skates.
You know, I always forget to bring my DVDs. Dunno what kinda repairs are bein’ made, but maybe I could go and get them.
Her fingers brush the thin fabric of shoelaces. Kai lights up, scooting to get a better grip and pu-
-kill you! I’ll do it!! Put me down! I’ll fucking do it, I swear to God! You don’t get to grab me or-!
The two snap toward the boy squirming their father’s arms. He’s practically feral, pounding his fists and kicking his legs where he can reach. Eyes screwed shut and face ashen, the boy somehow fails to wriggle out.
I assure you I’d like nothing more.
He’s glaring at him between visible flinches.
But seeing as you can hardly stand-
The boy’s movements freeze in half a second, eyes popping open in panic. The stillness makes Him stop in turn.
More frantic. He complies, dropping the child as close to the floor as possible. He crawls weakly, panting before tensing with a lurch downward and a gag.
Neither the following sight or sound is very pretty.
Violet cringes watching him sway over the puddle, eyes lidding hazily. Tears beading on his lashes, the boy sluggishly tries to pull himself away, maybe to get up, but his leg crumples beneath him before he can even move an inch, leaving him slamming onto the ground.
Kai clenches her hands as she watches him curl up where he’s fallen and let out a faint whimper. Back turned to them, his visibly-stained shirt and jeans have tangled around him, no doubt in the struggle.
He looks down at him, having stood and folded His hands neatly at some point. The boy jerks further into himself.
I take it you don’t want to move.
No answer. He takes a step from him, not looking back up. The boy does not, in fact, move, save for an occasional twitch, for some time.
Kai slowly creeps off the bed to avoid making noise. Violet is still staring at him, eyes swimming with worry.
He jumps a bit at the call, then returns to look at them. An Eye opens to lock onto the child beneath Him, whose breathing audibly slows, shoulders dropping and tension draining as he slips into rest.
This is Orion. He is ours now.
