Violent Delights (Johnny Slaughter x Leland McKinney)

Chapter Nine.

15 years ago, age 7, December 25th; 3:00am.

There was a startling noise downstairs that awoke the child from their sleep. They brought a hand up to their tired eyes, and wiped away the sleep that was there. Another noise could be heard from downstairs, and it makes their heartbeat pick up a little bit more. A small wave of anxiety washes through their body as they sit up from their bed, and look around the room with wide eyes. A clap of thunder hits from outside their bedroom door, and it makes them feel a little bit more panicked from it; their heart accelerating in speed.

They contemplate if they should stay in bed or not, but another noise from downstairs makes them think otherwise. A small, but curious wave of interest spikes inside of them at the noise, and they slowly pull themselves out of their bed. They know they can't be too loud with this, afraid to wake their parents - so they open their bedroom door as quietly as they can; before finally making their way to the stairs.

The noise from downstairs gets a little bit louder, the closer they get; and they can feel the way their heartbeat has risen to their throat. Unsure of what could be causing the noise, they slowly tiptoe down the stairs; avoiding the ones they know will squeak. When they reach the very bottom, they duck down in the dark as they crook their neck around to peek at what's going on.

Their eyes widen when they see someone standing by the Christmas Tree, and they can feel how hard it's becoming to breathe now. The anxiety is building up high in their chest, and for a split second - they think about yelling out to their parents. Another clap of thunder stops them from doing that, and the room illuminates for a split moment; highlighting the person that was by the tree.

Their anxiety comes to a stop, when they notice it's just their younger brother; and instead, a wave of curiosity washes over them.

Why were they down at the Christmas Tree, so late in the night?

They tilt their head to the side, as they watch their brother rummage around the presents that are there. Before an eyebrow raises, when they notice them pick up a present from the back. They're a little bit confused as to why they're doing this, since they're not allowed to open anything until mum and dad have awoken.

They stay hidden on the staircase, just watching as their brother sits down by the couch; and he starts to rip open the wrapping paper. They know this is the wrong thing to be doing, and they feel this small spike of rage start to stir inside of them. They were the older sibling, so they knew they would be the one to get in trouble for this - and there was no way in hell they were going to let that happen.

So sucking in a deep breath of air, they finally stand up from the bottom step, before making their way over to their brother.

"What are you doing?" They whisper out harshly, still afraid to wake their parents.

Their brothers head snap towards them, his eyes wide as he's been busted. They watch the way he calms himself down, when he notices that it's just them; and a small toothless smile crosses over their face.

"I'm opening one early!" He says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "I was good this year, I'm allowed!"

"No you're not!" They protest with a bit of anger, "Mum and dad will be so mad at me for this, don't open it!"

"No!" Their brother nearly yells, causing them to wince at the noise; afraid to wake their parents up.

"Just stop," They say, before leaning down to grab the present from him, "You have to wait until the morning to open it!"