(𝟮.𝟮) 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 ➣ {𝕪•𝕓} ❘ [𝖇𝖑𝖆𝖈𝕶𝖜𝖎𝖉𝖔𝖜 𝖝 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗]

🗡𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫 ❘ 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔

━━━━━ 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞━━━━━

📍Rᥱᑯ Rooຕ Aᥴᥲᑯᥱຕყ, BᥱꙆᥲɾᥙ⳽, USSR

WARNING: MENTIONS OF RAPE AND MOLESTATION, ANGST, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY.

Y/N barged into the changing room, stumbling on her feet, having no sense of balance whatsoever. Her hair was coming out of her French braid clung to her face due to sweat; eyes wide and heart beating a mile per minute.

She had been in training when a panic attack had stricken her, triggering the traumatic memory of her worst birthday.

Y/N gathered her hair in a makeshift ponytail and tied it up into a messy bun. Once she reached a deserted row of lockers, she shut her eyes tightly in an attempt to divert her haunting recollection:

The feel of their rough touch on her private regions; hot breaths that travelled down her back; the firm grip around her lower abdomen and wrists; the feel of blood mixed with semen—

She wanted to claw her skin off at the ghost of the rough sensations. It just wouldn't go away. Her back hit one of the lockers and she slid down on the floor, feeling tears burn her eyes and hatred and disgust twist her heart.

Y/N screwed her face up in a heart-breaking sob and pulled her knees to her chest, burying her face in her knees. She was finally letting out the emotions she had been holding within her for a long time and it was harder than she thought it would be.

"Y/N?"

Y/N quickly brushed away the tears that stained her cheeks and tried to put up her standard poker face, but Nathan had already seen her.

"Hey, hey," Nathan panicked since he had never seen Y/N breakdown into a puddle of emotions. 

"Nathan," Y/N wiped under her eye as a tear escaped, "You realize this is the girl's changing room, right?"

"And you're crying," Nathan sat on the ground beside her, "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"If I tell you, it might change the way you see me,"  she stared at the ground between her knees.

"You stood up for me against Esther. You didn't have to but you did. You treat me like your own brother," he laced his hand gingerly with hers.

Y/N scowled up at the locker rows in front of her with a clenched jaw at the memory of a her long dead brother.

"So no matter what," Nathan continued, "No matter what you do, or whatever changes, nothing will change the way I see you."

And so, Y/N began to spill the beans. She started all the way from how she was a part of the Lawson's family to how she was molested and raped in her own school in a deserted classroom. 

"I was, um—" Y/N swallowed, finding it difficult to find the proper words, " A group of boys who were elder than me— they took advantage of me and, uh," a tear slipped down her cheek, "They forced themselves on my 'cause apparently Dmitry was disturbing them. I didn't know why they had to go to such extreme, but," she shrugged, "I passed out and I don't remember much of what happened later."

Nathan already knew about how Aida and David Lawson were killed, but still, Y/N connected the new part of the story to it; joining all the dots together.

"So, yeah," Y/N shrugged with a sniff as she completed, tilting her head up to force the tears back in, "That happened."

"That's why you don't like you're birthday. I didn't know!" Nathan muttered hanging his head in shame, "And I was so stupid, bring you a gift on your birthday!" he groaned, slapping his forehead in shame, "I'm so sorry!"

"No, no," Y/N wiped under her eyes, "It's okay. Let me see it. You're prolly the first to even think of giving me one after a long time."

Hesitantly, Nathan slid his hand in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a box that was barely concealed by his fingers and held it out to her.

 It was both Aida and David's wedding rings, etched with their initials and looped into a chain.

"Nathan," Y/N gulped with wide eyes and stuttered, "H—How did you get these?"

"I found them in dad's office," he admitted, "They were in a separate plastic zipper bag, along with a few reports. I recognised the initials on the rings and managed to slip it under my sleeves without anyone noticing. I brought a chain and added some of my own upgrades," he looked up at her when a tear fell on her lap, "You talk about how much you miss them. Now you can have a part of them with you," he added hopefully.

Lips curving up into a sad smile, Y/N brought him in a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "Thank you so much," she closed her eyes with a sigh, "I love you,"  Tears cascaded down her cheeks and fell into his shoulder.

"I know," he replied cheekily.

"You're supposed to say it back, idiot," Y/N pulled back with a chuckle, shoving him by his shoulder in a playful manner.

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