Storm (G/T)

Illusion of Safety

Of course Austin followed me. Why wouldn't he? Had he not, I could've been off the hook. I could've left again and just been on my way, but no. That makes things easy. We can't have that anymore, can we? I glare up at the giant, seeing red. He sits on his knees and smiles awkwardly, definitely sensing my anger. Absolute bastard.

"OPEN FIRE!" The lanky cop yells, and the two pull out guns and point them at Austin. Their hands are absolutely shaking. This makes three humans who have pointed shaky weapons at him. He puts his hands up in response, knowing the difference between a prick of a knife and a bullet wound at any size. His hands are shaky too.

"DON'T!" I scream. "HE WON'T HURT YOU! HE DIDN'T HURT ME! TRUST ME!" I leap in front of him as if that'll conceal him. "Please!" My eyes meet those of the officers, who can see my plea. They slowly lower the guns. "He won't hurt you. He wouldn't hurt anyone. I promise. I really do. I was with him all week." My hands remain raised, quivering as everyone elses. The ponytailed officer snaps out of it first, pulling out a flashlight and shining it on my hands.

"What about the scratches on your palms?" She pipes up.

"I cut them on the map." A lie.

"The edges of the map are worn out." The light is unstable. She's still shaking, and her eyes never leave from above me

"I cut them a while ago. They scarred." Another lie. Give it a week, and they'll be gone. I turn back to Austin, awkwardly sitting there, but his face tenses up. I quickly get onto his knee to prove my certainty. 

Austin quickly realizes he has no plan. Nice. "Uh..." he stutters, looking down to meet my eyes, then looking back to the cops. "She means it, I don't want to hurt you," he begins, hushing his tone and helping me up. "I just don't want you to take her home."

"S-Sir, his name is-"

"I don't need to know what her name was," he cuts her off, making her look even more scared. If euphoria can be summed in a sentence, it's that one. "She goes by Robin, so I'll call her as such. She cannot go back to her home- her paternities kicked her out years ago."

The officer's getting brave, though the taller one remains in complete fear, despite having put his weapon back. "Legally, he-"

"Legally, she can live with me. I can be her housemate. Not much of a guardian, but we can live together. I've been approved by law to live on my own." He absolutely has not, but I'd be batshit crazy to intervene.

"How old are you, uh..."

"Austin." His gaze shifts a little. It's becoming slightly more stern, but not angry. Patient and calm. The officers catch onto his role in our previous conversation.

"The map," she mutters. He'd never be able to hear it.

"How old are you, Austin?" The cop's nerves are showing still, though his sternness gives him courage to speak. It's the same tone I used when I questioned him. God forbid they get scared and shoot him or something.

"Seventeen." Austin remains calm. I guess I would too, if I were going through the same encounter for the second time.

He regains himself, ending his shaking. "Well, by law, if you're to reside in this territory then I'm afraid-"

"I live in the forest a while out. That's my map. I gave it to her." I shoot him another look. Now would be a good time to stop talking. The lanky officer is getting more pissed than I am, though. This is the third time he's been cut off. The female cop can only sit and watch. My eyes flash to her badge. Bailey.

"Explains the size..." lanky cop trails off, grabbing the map from the ground where Bailey'd dropped it. His badge says Melon. He's loud enough for Austin to pick up on.

"What, this old thing? It's a half sheet of paper!" Austin lowers his hand to grab it, but the officer quickly drops it in fear. The giant picks it up and holds in just one hand- it'd taken Melon two hands to hold it whilst folded.

My eyes turn back to Austin, showing off how easily he can hold the wall-sized paper. He'd better not be trying to intimidating. He knows just as well as I do that he could get hurt.

"Well, Austin..." Bailey finally speaks up. "You can return back home now..." Austin's eyes get slightly narrower. She senses his growing anger. "... if you wish. We can take care of her- him." She made an entire effort to misgender me. I barely notice Austin's eyes getting even slimmer.

"But you do see her family kicked her out," the giant replies. "She cannot go back home, no one knows what will happen to her. It's your duty to keep citizens such as her safe, is it not?"

"I'm sure he's getting an education, as are you." Bailey's eyes narrow as thin as Austin's. I'm so sick of being called "he."

"I am," he replies. "But I'm on break. And she doesn't know her way of transportation yet, and she won't since she can't be living in that home. They'll do what you've been doing this entire time."

"And what would that be?" Melon's hand is near the gun again.

"Disregarding her identity!" His hands fly up in exasperation, and the two officers reach for their guns. "No harm, no harm. I just talk with my hands a little bit. I promise I won't hurt you." He slowly lowers his hands, and the cops' eyes follow the entire way.

"Just give us the boy." Melon is absolutely pissed. His rage blinds his fear. I get the feeling.

"She's not a boy."

"Then give us the girl," Bailey finally gives in. "We're required by law to bring her back to her home. If there's a safety issue, she can bring that up with us. She doesn't need some monster to protect her."

"He's not a monster." I haven't spoken in a while.

"Si- ma'am," Bailey directs to me after seeing Austin grow tenser with the misgender. "We cannot guarantee your safety with him. No matter the situation, you'll be safer with your parents. Now come with u-"

"No." Austin and I say it in unison, but his voice drowns mine out. He continues for me. "She's not going with you." My vision is getting dizzy. Too much is going on.

"It's under our own law that she goes to a safe home." Melon's shakiness returns.

"Maybe I wasn't taught morals in the same way as you," he replies. I can't focus. "But I learned that if unjust, rules should be broken." I look over to his other hand. He's balling into a fist. My eyesight is clouded at this point. End this now. "Do you really plan on enforcing your awful laws to me? I'd love to see you try."

"You will unhand her immediately." Melon reaches for the gun once again, and Bailey follows.

"I won't do shit." Austin's voice is locked and loaded, but so are the guns. "Just try and pry her away from me." This is it I guess.

The officers look at each other, and nod. Melon shouts, reaching for his gun, "OPEN FIRE!"

Before anything else happens, much like the first day I met Austin, my mind shuts down and I fall, everything going black.