✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Lightmaker • hyunchanlix *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Eighteen - The Sister *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Atlas was inconsolable, screaming his lungs out for his sister. Felix was at a loss for what to do, as nothing he'd done so far had been able to calm the boy down.

"Atlas, can you look at me, baby?" Felix asked softly, gently lifting the starborne child's head out of his shoulder.

Atlas stopped screaming as he stared at Felix. There were still tears streaming down his face, but at least he wasn't screaming anymore.

"There's my good boy," Felix whispered with a small smile.

Atlas whined and brought a fist up to his face, wiping furiously at his tears. "I'm- I'm sorry... sorry for c-crying,"

Felix frowned for just a second before fixing his expression so that Atlas wouldn't see. "Hey, sweetie, never apologize for crying. It's okay to not be okay, alright, love?" Atlas nodded and brought his hands away from his eyes. He started to cry again, albeit less harshly than before. The boy returned his head to Felix's neck and the elytrian didn't stop him.

"Lovely, do you think you can answer some of my questions?" Atlas didn't look up at him, but Felix could feel the boy nodding against his shoulder.

"Alright, is your brother Valerian Grimveld?" Atlas whimpered quietly and Felix felt him nod. Felix's expression twisted into one of frustration, not at Atlas, never at Atlas, but with the situation he'd been presented with. Atlas shivered in Felix's arms and the elytrian pulled the boy closer, holding the little boy as tight to his chest as he could.

"How old is your sister, Atlas?"

It was silent for long enough that Felix thought Atlas might not answer when the boy whispered, "She's nine."

Felix took a deep breath, trying his best not to explode. Eowyn was nine years old. Nine. And Valerian was doing something bad enough to her to make her scream loud enough for them to hear her.

"I have one last question, Atlas. Please be honest with me. Has Valerian ever hurt you or your sister?"

Atlas let out a sob loud enough for the others to hear and a sad cooing sound was heard. Felix had almost forgotten about the others, but he knew they were all watching, all worried.

"Come on, Atlas. You can tell me." Felix whispered, running his hand up and down the boy's back soothingly.

Atlas's cries quietened once again and he took a deep breath. "He- he used to... to h-hit us when we- when we wouldn't do what- what he wanted us to. H-he was the m-meanest to Eowyn and- and I wanted- I wanted to protect her so- so I took h-her h-hits too. S-sometimes h-he would pull out p-pointy things and-" Atlas didn't finish, breaking down into more tears, but he didn't need to. Felix heard what he didn't say. At that moment, the hardest thing Felix had ever done was restrain himself. All he wanted to do was find Valerian and hurt him in the same ways he'd hurt these children, but first and foremost, Atlas needed him.

Felix didn't expect him to, but Atlas continued speaking. "He- he promised- he promised he wouldn't hurt her as long as- as long as I took her p-punishments b-but I'm not th-there so he- he's hurting her!" He sobbed into Felix's shoulder, this time screaming apologies to his sister. It broke Felix's heart to hear the pup crying, but it was overshadowed by his overwhelming anger. This child had been through so much and his sister was still stuck in that nightmare.

Felix held Atlas as tight as he could, doing his best to comfort the child. The more Atlas cried, the more Felix wanted to cry with him. This was completely unfair to both Atlas and his sister, and Felix didn't know what to do other than hold the boy as tight as he could. He trilled quietly, the same way a mother would, feeling Atlas shudder in his arms.