Innocence

P R E C I O U S

"And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you."

~🎀~

T H E  L I G H T  from the room disappeared just as quickly as it came, any semblance of warmth going with it. Falcon slid back down the wall, his head falling into the open palms of his hands.

He hated to think what torment Freya was feeling. He had promised her he'd never leave her and he had broken that promise because of his own desperation. He'd left her and he didn't even know if he could ever go back.

It seemed like hours that he sat there, eyes closed, cursing himself for his own stupidity over and over again. Perhaps it had been because the door began opening again, effectively pulling Falcon out of his spiral of self-hatred.

His eyes stung from the sudden intrusion of light, but he held firm. His brother stepped down from the doorway, walking slowly as he sighed before seating himself on the last step. It was quiet for a moment; Falcon refused to look up from the ground and Kace waited for his stubborn brother to say something.

Finally, Kace broke the silence, giving up on waiting for something that obviously wasn't going to happen.
"Have you had a good, long think yet?" He asked Falcon. "Ready to make the right decision and join your family?"

Only then did Falcon move his gaze onto his brother, glaring daggers into his smiling face.
"You're not my fucking family," He growled.

Kace gave a disappointed sigh, his eyes moving to glance around the room before settling on his hands in front of him.
"You're not thinking clearly," He mumbled, almost to himself. "There's nothing, no one else out there for you. Why don't you just come back?"

Falcon rolled his eyes, not gracing his older brother with an answer. It was best he kept his mouth shut about Freya. The less he knew, the better.
"We care about you, Falcon," Kace continued talking. "You're the baby of the family. We need you kiddo-"

Falcon snapped, his body trembling.
"Stop it," He yelled. "Stop fucking talking as if we were one big happy family! We're not friends, we're not family. I didn't come back because this place-you people are fucked up."

Kace frowned, his eyes narrowing at his little brother's outburst.
"You never had any complaints before," He stated.

Falcon gave a short laugh, his eyes searching the ceiling without a reason before they focused back on his brother.
"That was before you screwed me over," Falcon gritted. "Before you took advantage of me worshipping the fucking ground you walked on. Family don't betray each other, so you're no family of mine."

Kace's eyes widened slightly with realisation before he forced his posture to relax, giving Falcon a relieved smile.
"That's all this is about?" He chuckled. "I told you, that wasn't-"

"Don't lie to me," Falcon snapped. "Don't you dare fucking lie to me. You know what you did. You made a fucking fourteen-year-old do your dirty work for you, knowing I'd never say no just so you could avoid the jail time."

Kace's smile wavered but stayed as he spoke.
"Come on, little brother," He let out a sheepish chuckle. "I would have gotten almost life in prison, you only got five years. You knew the risk."

"I knew the risk?" Falcon thrust an angry finger into his own chest as he got up from his position on the ground. "I was fourteen-fucking-years-old! I didn't know shit. You were the one who was supposed to take care of me. You were the adult. You deserve the fucking life sentence."