[mentions of abuse]
THE SIBLINGS walked to Luke's house, Aurora trying to keep up with JJ's fast walking with her bad lungs. It didn't help that JJ was filled with rage because he could snap at any given moment, but he couldn't snap in-front of their dad or something terrible would happen.
Aurora held her chest, struggling to manage her breathing due to how fast JJ was storming down the street, "J... please, slow down. We shouldn't even be going to dad's."
"We shouldn't." JJ repeated, as he slowed down his pace, "I am going, you can wait outside-"
"I'm coming with you, JJ." Aurora reassured, "I just don't think it's a good idea."
"It'll only take a second, okay?" JJ's anger seemed to disappear for a moment, as he spoke softly to his sister, "I can't have you getting hurt again. Stay here."
Despite the instructions of staying outside, Aurora quietly followed her brother through their house and onto the back porch. JJ struggled to open the door, due to the trash-can on the other side. The siblings slipped through the small gap of the door, as they cautiously watched Luke fixing a motor.
JJ cleared his throat and hesitated, before speaking, "We've been staying at John B's."
"I didn't ask you where you were stayin'. I don't care." Luke grumbled, "I knew you'd get hungry."
"That's not why we came back." JJ replied cautiously, "I got the money."
Luke scoffed, "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."
JJ placed the bag down on the table, and slightly smiled when he saw his dad's happy reaction. Rory's brother had always wanted to make his dad proud of him- he just wanted the validation, which Rory never got.
"It's all there." JJ said proudly, "25K."
Luke chuckled in disbelief, "I don't know how you got this. I don't even wanna know. You did it. I'll grant you that, you did it."
Rory watched as Luke smiled. Smiled? She hadn't seen that in a long time. Luke offered JJ a bottle of beer in the mini fridge, before standing up,
"I think that sale's still on at Guffy's of Makos. They're practically givin' 'em away." Luke exclaimed, "We're gonna tap that..."
"Dad, that's for the restitution." Aurora spoke up, as that same burning sensation blocked the back of her throat. She took a shaky breath, "Can you please just do the right thing for once."
Luke's temperament changed and the twins noticed it quickly. They both took a step back, as Luke walked up to Aurora,
"You know how much you cost me, you little shit?" He snapped, as he raised the chunk of money, "This nut? It ain't going to the cops." Luke put the money in a blue container, before explaining, "I'm gonna take you South, I'm gonna triple it...."
"Dad!" JJ raised his voice, causing Luke to walk closer to him,
"You got something to say? After everything you've done? You wanna get into it?" Luke spat, as JJ avoided eye contact with him, "I didn't think so."
Luke sat back down to fix the motor, as JJ's teary eyes drifted towards the container of his money. Rory knew exactly what he was planning, she could basically see the anxiety on his face.
"JJ, don't." Rory whispered, "Please don't."
As expected, JJ grabbed the container and tried to sprint inside. However, he was caught by Luke and pinned up against the wall. He punched him in the stomach repeatedly, before JJ fell to the floor.
She was afraid of her own father. Terrified, even. Aurora couldn't move, she felt paralysed to the spot. She needed to help JJ, but she psychically couldn't.
"Boy, you stay down there." Luke growled, but JJ had already gotten up and punched his father around the face.
Luke managed to get JJ to the floor and get on-top of him, wrapping his hands around his neck. JJ's face turned red, as he struggled to breathe.
Rory's fear turned into anger, as rage washed over her once more. She grabbed a beer glass bottle and smashed it around Luke's head, causing him to roll off of JJ.
JJ stood up quickly, wiping the blood from his nose, before grabbing Rory's hand. However, as they went to run away, Luke grabbed Rory's ankle.
He punched her around the face, pinning her to the floor, "You ungrateful piece of shit! You're just like your momma!"
He repeatedly punched Aurora, as her body began to feel weak. A familiar feeling. She was too tired to fight back, as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
***
"Rory! Rory! Fuck!"
A familiar voice brought her back from the darkness, as she slowly opened her eyes. They felt bruised, and she knew that she look awful.
The light adjusted to her eyes, as she recognised JJ's face above her. He was crying, a lot, and his face was cut and bruised too. His hands cupped her cheeks gently,
"Rory? Are you okay?" He asked in worry, "Can you hear me? Can you stand up?"
She groaned, "I'm...okay."
Rory tried to sit up but an excruciating shooting pain shot through her.
She panicked, "Where's dad?"
JJ's lip quivered, as he looked their dad's passed out body on the grass.
He bursted into tears, "I didn't know what to do! I was gonna kill him. I thought you were dead."
Rory sat up, ignoring the ache in her muscles, and hugged her brother tightly, trying to calm him down.
a/n:
sorry for this depressing chapter, i hope everybody's okay!
omgg the new obx 3 trailer!!!
(kind of sad that jjpope isn't happening)
