Salvage

Chapter 12

Aurelius pov

The air outside the hospital hurts my lungs. Not because it's cold but because it's real. Sirens scream behind us, red and blue lights flashing against the concrete, but none of it feels meant for me anymore. Hands guide me forward. Kingston's voice cuts through the chaos. Damien's grip never loosens. Wynton moves ahead, sharp and controlled, like this was always how it was supposed to end.

I clutch Lucien instinctively, even though he's already safe, already half-asleep. Moon walks a step in front of me, shoulders tense, eyes scanning everything. He looks older than he should. Stronger, like he's been holding  the world up for too long.

The doors close behind us and the hospital doesn't follow. 

The car ride blurs. Streetlights streak past the window like falling stars. My body finally collapses under the weight it's been carrying for years. My head tips back against the seat. Kingston's jacket is wrapped around me again, warm, grounding. Moon's hand finds mine and I don't fight the sleep this time.

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I'm small. 

Not small like broken but small like young. My feet don't touch the floor as I sit on the edge of a bed that isn't concrete. Sunlight pours in through a window, too bright, too hopeful. My hands are shaking, but they aren't restrained.

Moon is there. Not eighteen, not guarded, not hardened. He's little.

Curled up beside me, thumb in his mouth, breathing softly. His hair sticks up at the crown, and there's a bruise on his knee I don't remember him getting. I can't be more than sixteen, maybe younger. I wrap my arms around him like it's instinct, like I've done it a hundred times already. He stirs, frowns, pressed closer.

"They won't take you, right?" he mumbles. My chest tightens. "No, I won't let them." I hear myself say. I mean it with everything I am. The memory shifts fast and sharp. A door slamming, voices raised. Hands grabbed my arms while Moon screams my name from somewhere behind me. I twist, reaching for him.

"Moon!" 

I wake up choking on air.

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I'm back in the car.  Moon, older now, is right there, his face tight with fear as he leans toward me. "Dad, hey, you're here." he says urgently. "Hey, You're here." 

I nod, tears burning my eyes. " I remember being taken." His jaw clenches. " I know." " I was supposed to protect you," I whispered. He shakes his head immediately. "You still are."

I don't argue, I don't have the strength.

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Moon's pov

Dad sleeps like he's afraid of it. Like if he lets go too much, he'll fall back into the dark. I watch every breath, every twitch, my body coiled tight, ready to wake him if he starts to slip. When he jolts awake, panicked, my heart slams into my ribs. 

"I'm here," I say fast."You're safe."His eyes find mine, and something old and raw flickers there. "I remember you being little." he whispered. 

I swallow. "Yeah, I was." I say quietly. He looks wrecked by it. I've known for years that he was taken young. That he lost half his life behind locked doors. That I grew without while he was surviving hell. But seeing it hit him, seeing the guilt surface hurts in a way I didn't expect.

"You didn't abandon me, they took you." He exhale, shaky. "I screamed, I tried to get back to you." I nod." I know, I remember."

The car pulls into the driveway. A house waits for us, lights on, doors open. People are ready to catch us if we fall. I help him out slowly. He leans into me without hesitation, like his body finally remembers it's allowed to rely on someone else.

As we walk, I glanced back at the road one last time. the dark doesn't follow. But even if it did. It won't take him again.