Wren

Part 22

(TW: Abuse / Strong, Offensive Language)

Wren kept a tight hold on Sophie's hand the entire time they were in the pet store. He tried be present as they strolled the aisles looking at all the different animals, but he had goosebumps on his arms and neck, and couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. He wished he'd asked Dace to come along with them. 

"Daddy, puppies!" Sophie squealed and practically dragged him down one of the aisles, towards a pen of puppies. She leaned over the railing and started to pet whichever ones her short arms could reach. 

Wren absentmindedly pulled her dress down as she bent over, and scanned the area around him. The pet shop was huge, and maze-like, and dimly lit in some places. Anxiety gnawed at him even more. 

"SoSo, are you about ready to leave? We've been here a while. . ." 

She looked up with teary eyes. "Daddy, don't wanna leave!"

"I know, princess," He was beginning to get actually scared; he felt trapped in the cluttered store. "How about we go home and see if Papa can stop work early and play with us?"

Sophie was quickly swayed and started skipping toward the door, pulling Wren along with her. As the fresh air hit him and the sun warmed his skin, he relaxed a little. Maybe he was just having some anxiety, and was being paranoid?

They had about thirty minutes' worth of walking before they would reach the spot where the driver would pick them up. They walked through downtown, Wren eyeing each dark alley they passed, and holding Sophie's hand on the other side of him. 

"Daddy, can we play dragons?" Sophie asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah, if we can get Papa to--"

He felt a rough grip on his hand and before he had time to react, he was sharply pulled into an alley. He didn't have time to say or do anything, and Sophie's hand was still gripped in his own. He released it in hopes she would get away from whatever danger they were in. About halfway down the alley, Wren was spun around by the arm to face his attacker. 

His heart stopped beating.

His father stood in front of him. Thinner, older, longer hair. . . but him. Wren sank to his knees with the cold brick wall against his back, peeking to see if Sophie had gotten away. To his horror, he saw her standing a few yards away, frozen. 

He panicked. He needed to keep his father's attention away from Sophie; no telling what the bastard would do if he took interest in her. 

"Dad? What are you--"

"I'm so sorry, my son!" Killian threw himself to his knees in front of Wren, grabbing his hand and pulling it towards him. "Could you ever forgive your father for selling you off?"

Wren yanked his hand away. He knew his father didn't mean it. "What are you doing? Get away from me!"

"Forgive your old man, won't you? I can help you get away from those people. I have an idea that could make us millions, I just need some money upfront--"

"I'm not helping you, you bastard! You sold me off to save your own skin, and you think I'm gonna come back to you now? Fuck off and leave me alone!" He tried to kick his father away and stand up.

Killian's demeanor flipped like a switch, his facade falling away and revealing his true nature. He shoved Wren back down and grabbed the collar of his shirt, getting so close that Wren could smell the whiskey on his breath.

"You'll regret that, you little worm." 

He slammed him into the wall, and when Wren fell over with the breath knocked out of him, Killian started kicking him in the torso with his boots. Wren gasped and tried to retaliate, but blow after blow to his stomach and ribs kept him on the ground in pain and unable to get air into his lungs.

He heard a scream. Sophie ran forward and tackled the man's leg, making him pause for a moment, surprised.

"Don't hurt Daddy!" She screamed, then bit down on the leg she clung to.

Killian screamed and pried her off, throwing her on top of Wren. As he raised his leg to kick her, Wren rolled on top of her. He felt the hard kick land on his back, followed by another and another. 

Sophie was crushed beneath him, but he knew she was safe from his father, so he'd sit there and take it if it meant the focus wasn't on her. 

After a few more moments, Killian stumbled a few steps back, panting. "Daddy, huh? Got yourself a wife you been fuckin'? Haha. Always thought you were a fag, though." He staggered away still ranting. As he stepped out into the main sidewalk, he called over his shoulder, "This won't be the last time we meet, worm."

Wren lay wheezing in the dirt, Sophie struggling beneath him. He was able to roll off of her and she sat down beside him, tears and dirt on her face and leaves in her hair. She cupped Wren's face in her hands, his own face also smudged with tears and dirt. 

"Daddy?" 

He reached a shaky hand up and grabbed hers, trying to comfort her. After he'd caught his breath, he slowly sat up. He winced in pain and clutched his stomach. "I'm okay, baby. Let's get home, okay?" 

He was terrified, in pain, and shaken up, but tried to remain calm for Sophie. He held her hand and limped toward the main sidewalk, where they headed into the nearest store and made a beeline for the bathroom. He set Sophie up on the counter and cleaned her up, wiping the dirt off her arms and face, and fishing leaves from her hair. 

"SoSo, can you do Daddy a big favor?" Tears threatened to burst out, but he held everything in. He'd cry and process the attack later when he was alone. "Please don't tell Papa what happened, okay?" He wasn't trying to lie to his husband, but he was panicking and didn't know what to do. But he certainly didn't want Sophie to dwell on it anymore. 

"Why?"

"Because. This is grown-up stuff, and I want you to try to forget what happened, okay? Think about playing dragons with Papa." He let her down off the counter and began to wash his own face in the sink.

Rage boiled in him as he thought about his father. Attacking a child? Trying to get money from someone he abandoned in hell seven years ago? Piece of shit. Bastard.

He took a deep breath as he dried his face off, once again reminding himself to stay calm as he watched Sophie spin in circles behind him in the mirror. He gathered himself and took her hand, leading her out of the store. If they were any later to the pickup spot, the driver would start asking questions; maybe even call Matteo. He definitely didn't want that to happen.

They finally made it and the driver gave Wren a questioning look as they hopped in the car.

"Sorry we're late," he said as casually as he could as he buckled Sophie into her car seat. "We had to take a bathroom break." He felt better that he wasn't actually lying.

The driver nodded and started the car, not too interested beyond that. 

                                 Part Twenty-Three Coming Soon