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 Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:01 am
The entire way, he'd kept that face. Complimenting Tepin on her dress, walking along with her, smiling and exchanging questions - Favorite color (it matches your eyes, but not your shirt)? Favorite food (I'll make it for you)? Favorite animal (I like cats too).
Throughout dinner, it didn't change. Sydni and spaghetti did not mix, he laughed. Handing out napkins as freely as if they were air. After dinner was a special treat for dessert, a warm and cold mix of ice cream and bananas and cinnamon. To make up for the lack of a TV, he showed Tepin some board games, and settled down with both girls to read to them one of Sydni's favorite fairy tales.
When bedtime rolled around, he tucked them in nice and snug; made sure Tepin was warm enough, that Mr. Slinky was content, that Sydni was fast asleep long before he went to bed himself.
All in all, it was a quiet, pleasant night.
The windows in his room were left unlocked.
His nightly routine was finished mechanically with both girls in bed - taking the extra time to towel his hair dry before folding into his bed, his parents' bed, and staring up through the dark.
He was tired. Really tired.
His heart hurt. Or maybe that was just his eyes burning - it was hard to differentiate the heaviness in his chest with the heaviness in his eyes.
It kept rewinding in his mind -- through his heart -- down the tips of his fingertips until his hands were clenched and he'd forgotten what it felt like not to have his throat this tight.
His parents would be ashamed of him. He'd hurt the other boy, so bad - but what could he have done to fix it? He didn't know.
He just knew he'd never wanted to do that to someone he cared about. Never wanted to be that cruel.
Right now, there was nothing he wished for more than to have Quinn swing in through the window and forgive him.
But he wasn't in the wrong. He knew that, tried to remember that --
Sighing, he threw an arm over his eyes, blocking out the ceiling.
This stupid, pounding, burning and heavy ache wasn't going to let him sleep.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:11 am
From the foot of the bed, there was mewing.
Not the pleasant kind of happy to see you mewing. The kind of mewing that a kitten does when it is being held sternly against its will. The kitten was not pleased.
That mewing was followed by a shushing, as the sound of mattress springs depressing joined with the feeling of more weight climbing onto the bed.
The mewing continued for a short while, before stopping as tiny paws explored around the many lumps of the bed.
“Varu…. Are you awake?”
She was there, and she had brought reinforcements.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:20 am
He'd known the minute she had walked through his bedroom doorway - even before that, the minute she had climbed out of bed.
But to be nice, he didn't mention his hearing, instead lifting his arm up to peer at her bemusedly. This was becoming a strange sort of tradition.
"I am awake," he assured, automatically making room for her against his side. "Couldn't sleep v'ell again?" His fingers brushed against the kitten when it came close, watching the little thing run around on his mattress.
"Or v'as Mr. Slinky being too awake?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:30 am
“Neither.” She confessed readily, watching her kitten interact so kindly with the man. He just had some kind of gift for taking care of others. She wanted to return that favor so badly. “We came because we were talking…”
Yes, the power of little girls. They could talk to anything, and whether or not it responded, any decisions made were group ones.
“And we thought we would come check to make sure you were sleeping.” Quickly she realized how clear that lie was-- she had asked him if he was awake earlier, not asleep. “B-But you’re not. So I wanted to--…”
Her fingers fidgeted together as she looked at her knees cautiously, this was a big step, being able to do something like this.
“I’m sorry for today. I was a brat. I won’t do it again, I promise.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:42 am
He blinked at the girl, and smiled more warmly, wrapping a protective arm around her and brushing a hand through that mess that she called hair. Kids were something else, that was for sure.
"You are a very, very kind girl, Tepin. Thank you." Oh, he'd moved his feet - that drove the kitten insane, and now he had the little creature jumping wildly at his feet and gnawing at them through the covers. Ruffling her hair, he gave her a grin. "You can still be a brat around me, ee'f you v'ant to. I don't mind that. You v'ill always be sweet to me."
Sydni had quickly caught onto that little fact, as a matter of fact. Vale's leniency regarding the girl's brattiness with himself was far and wide - he tolerated the ear pulling, the tail tugging. She could beat up on him with no repercussions.
"I just v'ant you to be yourself, so that everyone else can see v'hat a nice girl you are, da?"
There was no doubt in his voice - so assured, so confident that Tepin was so kind, and sweet, and nice. He'd known her for all of a day and a night, but he said it like it was a fact of life. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Tepin was an amazing girl.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 1:57 am
She frowned at him; even though he had been so kind, even though she drank in his words like ambrosia, even though she had blushed and demurely smiled. She could only frown after. Somehow, he had missed the point-- they had not addressed his misery one bit!
She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them while watching the kitten play in ecstasy for a few moments. Somehow, she had to get the conversation back to where she wanted it to go. She couldn’t cheer him up if he spent the entire night reassuring her.
“I know you’re sad,” She confessed once more, still watching the kitten as it desperately tried to get at the boy’s big toe, “About that boy. About what happened.”
Her chin now rested on her knees, she had to remember what it was she wanted to tell him.
“But you can only stay here if you smile for me.” Reciting his words felt a little silly, but she remember how much they had helped her the night before. She could only hope that they held the same power that they had for her. Tilting her head against her knees, her strange eyes were watching, waiting for his response, “Okay?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:11 am
He was floored. He hadn't realized she'd noticed that.
Valeriu was used to his own feelings taking a backseat to the needs of daily life, he had responsibilities.
Children were amazingly perceptive.
And then she used his own words right back against him. That little -- that was really too -- !
Rolling to his side, he grabbed the girl in a bear-hug. He was careful not to make it too tight, but-
That was too cute.
He loosened it up a bit, made sure she wasn't getting the air squeezed out of her tiny little lungs.
"Okay," he confirmed, lips curling honestly.
This strange little girl really was the sweetest thing - just as sweet as his sister.
There was no way her parents couldn't be missing her.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:23 am
She squealed as she was hugged, in a mixture of mock terror and sheer glee that her plan had worked. He seemed happier, at least, compared the rest of the day, which had been hollow and mechanical next to the first night she had spent with him.
Now, though, now he seemed far more animated, as she wriggled in his grip. This was something much more fun! This was how he should be all the time!
Really, he should be like this all the time, she thought to herself, why did that boy have to do that?
“Well!!” She exclaimed now, pulling herself back onto her knees as she looked down on him with a small grin, “Now that that’s that-- It’s time for bed!”
In a quick, fluid motion, she leaned down, planting a small and sweet kiss on his forehead.
“So-- Goodnight!”
And with that, she was back down in bed, pulling his covers over herself as if it was her bed to start with.
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:39 am
He couldn't take it.
She was too adorable. Overwhelmingly so. Doing that - that kiss thing, that girls did-! He wanted to hug her and never let go.
He'd actually done that with his sister - it hadn't lasted long before her little baby fist had smacked him in the face for being an overbearing older brother. So he refrained, for now - though curling his much longer frame around her more comfortably, grinning like an sentimental idiot.
"Good night," he stole one last hug, finally giving in and reaching down to ruffle the scruff of Mr. Slinky before settling down more contently.
The ache, the burn, it was still there - he still worried, still churned over it, but with someone here...he could sleep. He could rest.
This was what he wanted to protect, he reminded himself, keeping watch until she fell asleep. This innocence - the sweetness of Sydni, and Tepin, and other girls just like them. A childhood that was ripped away in the City too often.
They deserved the best. To live free and happily and without fear of the darkness in human hearts - he wanted to give them a jungle without predators.
And they would have it.
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