Getting It Together

Tradition (Yes this is a FOTR reference)

The sun was astonishingly bright on the day of Jason's funeral. Florencio could even swear he saw a rainbow out his window from the rain the night before.

"How about this?" The sound of Pascal's gasp filter's through the hallway and into Florencio's bedroom. "Oh, it looks more perfect than I could have imagined! It was made special just for you, Klaus!"

Stepping into the hallway, Florencio peers into the kid's bedroom. Pascal held up a white suit in front of Klaus excitedly, while Klaus toyed with the shock collar on his neck.

"Babes, I don't do white." Klaus glares. Florencio noticed that his neck was faintly red.

"It's tradition." Pascal insists. "And you're wearing it whether you like it or not."

"It's tradition to wear white to some rapist's funeral?" Klaus snorts, shoving the suit back towards Pascal.

"Yes," Pascal says breezily, his right eye twitching with held back anger. "Now put it on."

"He will." Jory hurriedly finishes tying his bowtie and grabs the suit from Pascal. "He will."

Klaus rolls his eyes as Pascal leaves the room and Kai quietly shuts the door.

"Come on." Pascal smiles brightly at Florencio and grabs his arm, leading him back into the bedroom he shared with Alejo. Opening the closet, Pascal grabs something from the very back and has it pulled out. "Mom made this for you, custom."

Potter peered into the room at that, their eyes drawn to the suit as they lingered by the door.

Florencio stares at the blood-red suit and tie, not a single other colour on it. "Tradition?" He asks quietly. His voice shook with quiet fear, yet he didn't quite know why he was scared. "Beatrice made it?"

Pascal nods and hands it to him. "I have to go help Logie."

Potter quickly blips away. Florencio watched Pascal walk away, a look of distaste on his face. Moving into the upstairs bathroom he pulled on the button-up.

When he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, of the full white suit, the image in front of him shifted in real-time. The suit was suddenly drenched in blood, Florencio could smell the sickly copper. The knife was back in his hands. In that moment, Florencio went back that day in the bathroom, the blood running, staining his hands, the floor, everything.

Gagging, Florencio barely stuck his head over the toilet before his breakfast lurched back up. His throat and nose burned, his eyes watering as he clutched at his throat and tried to forget the repugnant smell of the blood. It had gushed from Jason like a waterfall.

Florencio blinked, and then he was in the car, the taste of vomit long gone from his mouth. His heart quickened. Was he losing time? He had read somewhere that losing time was never good. Pascal was humming as he drove, a hand resting on Logan's upper thigh.

Giovonnie glanced out the window, watching the trees go past. Pascal had rushed them out quickly, yammering about being late. To what, he didn't know.

Florencio watched as Alejo leaned his head against the window close to him, his eyes drifting to the outside. Florencio smiled at the little movement, happy his brother was finding some way to enjoy this. Hopefully, this was a sign of him getting better. The small smiles, the curious looking around. Surely it meant they were coming out from whatever place in their mind they had disappeared to. Florencio had been working hard to hide their little movements from Pascal.

The car slowed to a stop on the edge of some woods, a few cars already parked nearby.

Klaus gently touched his red neck, temporarily free from the collar as Pascal thought he'd had enough good behavior. Stepping out of the car, Jory found Klaus's hand and held it tightly, Jasper on his hip. Giovonnie bounced out of the car and raced over to the tree line carelessly, stooping down to look at sticks and pretty rocks.