warmth {complete}

26||burning cities and napalm skies, fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes

My mother wants to talk about my dad. She's sitting across from me on the loveseat, worrying her bottom lip and sighing occasionally. Her warm eyes flit to mine, and she runs a hand through her hair.

"Honey," she says, taking a deep breath, "when your father left three years ago, you know it's because he—he cheated on me. And I told you it was with his boss, but it wasn't, sweetheart." Her eyes are glassy as she moves to my couch and touches my cheek. "He told me he regretted it, and I'm sure he did, but I won't ever forgive him."

She clears her throat and bites her lip again. Her mouth opens, and she looks like she's about to say something else, but her gaze zeroes in on something over my shoulder.

"Steph, hon, what's wrong?" she asks, standing and sweeping over to my sister.

She's crying, shivering and shaking as my mother hugs her. She looks torn-up, with her fishnets ripped and her mascara running. I want to comfort her or say something, but she keeps crying and I don't know what to do. Mustering some courage, I rise on shaky legs and walk over to her.

"Steph?" I try, biting my lip. "Are you okay?"

"No," she sobs, burying her face in Mom's neck. "No, I'm not okay. Get out of here, please."

"Mom, I— "

"Katherine, we'll talk later," she dismisses, leading my sister to the couch and rubbing a comforting hand down her back. "Can you go upstairs or something?"

I nod and grab my keys because I'm pretty sure Griffin's house counts as something. I blare "Ocean Eyes" as I drive, trying really hard to forget about what my mother was about to tell me. I believe we've established that my dad cheated on her with someone important, someone other than his boss. I just don't know who.

I knock briskly on Griffin's door, praying to all the gods that his mother doesn't answer. When Griffin opens the door and grins at me, I blow out a relieved breath and walk into his open arms. He ducks his head and kisses my hair, then says, "Do you want to talk about it, or...?"

"Can we go to your room?" I mumble, my voice muffled by his t-shirt.

"Of course, darling."

I wrap my arms around his waist, and he hugs me to his chest. We waddle-walk up the stairs and somehow make it to his room. He pulls me onto the bed, and his arms slip around my waist as his eyes meet mine.

"So. What's up?"

"I think my sister was raped or something," I blurt. His mouth falls open and his eyes widen predictably.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Her stockings were torn, and she was crying, and I don't know, but I think something along those lines happened?"

"Why aren't you with her?" he asks, sitting up but not releasing me. "I don't know how this older-sister thing works, Katherine, but I'm pretty sure when your younger sister is raped, you're supposed to be there for her."

"I tried, but she told me to leave, and then I tried to talk to Mom, and she told me to go upstairs or something, so I came here, and I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea."

"Katherine, you can always come here," he assures me, pulling me gingerly into his lap and running his hands through my hair. "Really. I'm always here, okay?"

I nod against his neck and clutch his arms (like stairway railings) as he says, "I'm happy you're here, if it makes you feel any better."

"Mmm, it doesn't."

"Well, I tried, so."

I laugh into his shoulder and snuggle into his chest. His arms slip around my waist and he buries his nose in my hair, breathing me in. I'm not entirely sure what else I was going to tell him, but this is ten thousand times better.

"Oh my God, Katherine, you won't believe this, but my mother showed actual emotions today," he says, looking down at me and smiling.

"Oh?"

"She and my dad were yelling at each other in the kitchen and she was mad. Not indifferent; mad. It made me unhealthily happy."

"I can tell."

"Anyway, so my day was great, yours clearly wasn't, the solution is to make out."

"That makes perfect sense."

"Doesn't it?"

He kisses me, warmly and wonderfully, until I forget about my sister and my mother and every problem I've ever had.

A/N: this was short and kinda crappy, but it's been AGES (like three days but you know) since i updated so here you go. i hope you enjoy. lemme know what you think--unless you thought badly, in which case, i don't understand how you made it this far. mkay, bye.