dancing on bones (our souls of iolites and emeralds)

Chapter 18

The real challenge for Kusuo's influence over Dudley, and consequent emotional torture to Vernon and Petunia, started a year later.

After a full year when Petunia and Vernon tried all manner of threats, bribes and even an attempt of corporeal punishment to separate Dudley from the twins, Dudley turned four. Soon after, the youngest Dursley started pre-Kindergarten.

The twins, as usual, wasn't given anything that the Durlsey's had to spend money on. Pre-KG wasn't for them. Vernon had sneered when he had said that. Truly unfortunate. Not. Kusuo was already a university graduate, from Hitotsubashi, an internationally ranked university for law at that. And that was without mentioning his telepathy and superintelligence among his other powers. He had no interest in sharing classroom space with children who didn't even know how to spell their own name. Respectfully.

Hours and hours the kid spent away from Kusuo with real children and made friends. That was stone. Great actually. As long as Kusuo acted as he always did, asked "How was your day, Diddykins?" and leant a half-hearted ear to Dudley's commentary, he was content.

Then two months into pre-KG and Dudley changed. And Kusuo could already tell what was wrong, but he hoped that Dudley would come to him for help. Instead, he grew easily frustrated, angrier over how much better he was over Kusuo and that his cousin should "act less weird, you freak, you don't know anything". Now that. That.

Kusuo had tried. he had tried so, so hard that the apple would far from the tree. But then this!

Kusuo would not accept this!

Thus, at four years and five months, Kusuo pinned down his older cousin and get a confession out of him.

"Dudley," Kusuo said to his struggling cousin, "I love you," and these words came so naturally. Surprisingly so. Dudley stilled under him, hearing the sincerity in Kusuo's voice. "But I will not tolerate disrespect from you." Dudley snarled and started struggling again, trying to break free. Kusuo just tightened his hold and twisted Dudley's arm even more. Dudley howled, the over-dramatic kid. He was sure he hadn't hurt him that much nor caused any permanent damage.

Downstairs, Petunia's steps in the kitchen faltered. Kusuo wondered if she heard the scream, if she would come upstairs and finally allow Vernon to use that belt he always wanted to on Kusuo. But then, Dudley didn't make any more sounds, sniffing softly and his struggles became a token effort. Petunia's TV turned on and he figured she had stopped in the kitchen only to walk over to the remote and put on her daily soap.

"I'm not magic," Kusuo continued steadily (liar, liar, liar),"I'm not Professor X," Dudley scoffed and Kusuo spoke on over his dramatics, "If you don't tell me what it is, I can't fix it."

"You can't fix it," Dudley said sullenly and this time, Kusuo was the one who scoffed.

He already knew what was wrong. He just wanted Dudley's approval, after all, he would not forcibly probe the mind of a child.

"When I need something fixed, I tell you," Kusuo said softly. "Don't I, Dudley?" Dudley nodded and Kusuo drove the point on, "So tell me. You fix stuff for me. I will fix stuff for you."

"I can't read," the four year old spoke. "Or write properly. Or count."

Oh. Well. That. Kusuo could do all that and more by a day but Dudley wasn't Kusuo. He felt the need to remind his baby cousin of that fact.

"You're four," Kusuo said gently. Which was as gentle as he could be without saying that Dudley was a normal human idiot and not a genius. Not that Dudley knew Kusuo was a genius. Or a psychic. Or a mage(?) He was just vaguely aware his cousin was better than him somehow.

"But everyone can do one or the other," Dudley whined. "Then they call me names."

"Your parents call me names," Kusuo countered and Dudley scoffed again.

"You call my parents names too," Dudley replied with childish logic. He wasn't wrong. Kusuo did call Vernon and Petunia names. "And now you're calling me names too," Dudley whispered.

Kusuo blinked because- what? when?

"I don't," He refuted that accusation. There was no point in calling Dudley names. The psychic was an adult, Dudley a child and thus, by definition, Dudley shouldn't know better. Kusuo refused to go that low, calling children names. He was an antisocial mess but he had standards, thank you very much.

"You called me Dudley just now," Dudley said with all the logic of a sage. "One, four, three times. Not Diddykins."

A warmth settled in Kusuo stomach, low and burning, same as when Yuuta called him 'Onii-chan' that first time.

"Sorry, Diddykins," Kusuo said and let go of his grip on his cousin. "Won't do that again." He offered a hand to the boy on the floor.

"You better," Dudley grumbled and took his hand.

He really needed to stop getting emotionally attached to these children.

A/N

Famous last words.

Two chapters in a day! I'm making up for my absence y'all.