Everchanging

Canvas

!!TW!! Talks of self-harm and grooming/SA

Genya hummed to himself, fingers flipping over a manga as he looked at the cover. The bandages on his arms had become loose, now only getting in the way but he wasn't allowed to take them off just yet. Sanemi had said that he was getting the things to change the gauze but that had been a little over ten minutes ago, so Genya had decided to keep himself busy in his room until his brother came out of his own.

Genya wasn't sure what had happened after Sanemi's phone call but he was positive that something did. If living with Kyogo had taught Genya any skill it was the ability to tell when people were upset. And Sanemi was upset.

The man seemed lost in thought a lot recently and he was constantly on his phone. Genya didn't want to be paranoid but he couldn't help but feel that this all had something to do with him. He felt guilty but he didn't know how to make it up to his older brother. He was sure that the man was getting annoyed at all the bullshit Genya was putting him through, like the monumental breakdown at school.

"Sorry for taking so long." Sanemi's voice sighed as he knocked on the door frame, shuffling over to sit next to Genya's bean bag. "I had to call Tomioka."

"Huh, why?" Genya liked the man but he also knew that his brother decidedly didn't. It wasn't unheard of for Giyuu to call Sanemi but the other way around was bizarre. Sanemi just shook his head with a fond smile, setting up his first aid supplies as he took Genya's hand gently.

"Are you cool with staying with him for a day? Senjuro will be there so you won't be alone with Tomioka." Sanemi bit the bullet, sure that Genya's brain would twist this to hurt himself. But a look of pure confusion was the only answer he got.

"Why? Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I have a ton of adult stuff to do so I was hoping that someone could watch you while I was gone. And you seem to like Tomioka and Senjuro so I was thinking you could hang out with them."

"Sure, that's fine but I'm old enough to stay home alone." Genya couldn't help but point out the obvious. Although age didn't really matter since he had been staying home alone almost everyday since his brother moved out and his mother died. He was left home alone to raise five young children. But Sanemi's face pinched in something complex as he sighed, opting to focus on changing Genya's bandages.

The brothers sat in silence as Sanemi unwrapped the messy bandages, his face wincing when he saw the angry claw marks lining his brother's arm. Genya's eyes stayed glued on the man's face, reading every expression he made in an attempt to distract himself from the panic-inducing silence. He was sure he had done something wrong, that Sanemi was upset with him for some reason, but he couldn't figure out why.

And now his brother looked so heartbroken as he took Genya's bitten hand in his own. He didn't know what to do to make this all better, what to say. At least with Kyogo, Genya knew to just either do whatever the man asked or to leave him alone but Sanemi was different. Genya didn't know what made Sanemi happy or what calmed him down. So really, Genya was at his mercy if his older brother decided that this had been the tipping point and snapped.

Sanemi felt like his heart was eating him alive as he dabbed ointment on his baby brother's wounds. The bite mark was so vicious that he could see the exact outline of his brother's teeth, his hand red and bruising. Silently, he finished tending to Genya and sat everything down, taking a deep breath as he decided to dive into the deep end.

"We need to talk, Genya."

"I'm sorry!" Genya felt sick as his stomach dropped, desperate to make his brother forgive him. He didn't know what he did wrong but he had to figure out quickly if he wanted Nemi to keep him. But it seemed like that was exactly the wrong response, he wasn't sure if Sanemi could even look more heart broken.