Skyline Gang One Shots and Short Stories

Siblings

Minor spoiler alert for my first Skyline Gang fanfic. There is also a trigger warning for implications of emotional and verbal abuse.

Sprout didn't have the best relationship with his dad. He got ignored at best, and berated at worst. He was never physically abused, but harsh words are more painful than any knife in the world. His dad was the ringleader of a circus. So every time Sprout faced any wrath from his dad, he just put it down to stress of running a business. That's what he always thought while growing up. At least the other circus folk pretty much looked out for him. They'd let him watch as they rehearsed and even allowed him to learn from them, especially the clowns and magician.

He missed them a lot.

Since being in the Skyline, Sprout's dad made no effort to reach out to him. Nonetheless, Sprout kept trying to contact his dad, even begging him to tell the others in the circus about how he was doing. He didn't have their numbers, but that wasn't his fault. He'd tell his dad about his adventures with the Gang and their shows. He took so many pictures during a week, that they rivalled how many selfies Mimi would take on a daily basis. He always sent the best ones to his dad at every chance he got. His messages weren't responded to at best, left unread at worst. At least his dad was seeing some of them. That had to be something to hope for, right?

Today wasn't any different. Or at least it shouldn't have been. A few minutes after Sprout sent his latest batch of photos, his phone suddenly pinged. It shocked him so much that his whole deck of cards went flying. He didn't think to pick them up. His phone was in his hand faster than lightning. The message came from his dad! Finally! After months of living in the Skyline, he finally heard back from his dad! This was the best thing ever!

That is until he read the message...

You worthless pest!

You're more pathetic than you were before. If you think that flaunting these "shows" and "friends" of yours to me will gain any respect, you're wrong! If you do find your way home, which you won't, don't bother looking for the circus. There's no place for you here. You're not my son. You haven't been since your mother left us. Don't contact me again!

The world suddenly came crashing down around Sprout. He knew that his dad didn't like him. The last face to face that they had was a fine example of that. But this? Why did his dad hate him so much? What did he ever do to make his dad hate him? Sprout's body became numb, his phone slipped from his grasp. He doesn't remember sitting on the ground, back against the bed. He didn't cry or scream or shout. He just sat there, devoid of everything around him.

What was he going to do now?

"Sprout! Kettle's just boiled! Do you want anything?" Candi's voice called out. Sprout didn't respond. How could he? He was just thrown away. How could he have a drink at a time like this? Disappear. Just vanish. Disconnect from everything.

Candi waited for Sprout to accept her offer. He always does. He always comes to the stairs, cracking a new joke about hot beverages every time. This time, there was no joke, laugh or smile. Sprout didn't come to her like always. It led her going to his room. She suspected that maybe he was taking a nap. He was a heavy sleeper after all. However, when Candi approached Sprout's room, he wasn't sleeping. Or doing anything at all for that matter. He just sat there, surrounded by a scattered deck of cards. His phone wasn't too far away from him. His face was unreadable. He was slumped over, staring at nothing. Something felt horribly wrong.

"Sprout? Are you okay?" Candi asked, unsure if she should enter the room or not. Sprout seemed to have heard her that time. He slowly looked up at her. His face changed a little. Candi didn't know how to react right now. She had never seen Sprout like this. He just looked lost and broken. His thoughts must have been too murky to comprehend anything, as all he did was stare at Candi for quite a long time. After that time, Sprout looked away from her, dragging his knees to his chest.