your pov
the night passed in an instant and sure enough, charlie, eliza and damien were nowhere to be seen.
everything would've been alright, except for the fact damiens absence wasn't planned.
"he's fine, y/n" steven assures me after spotting my nervous fingernail biting.
all core emotions were completely muted by worry, making me unwilling to leave the house if it meant missing his return
my eyes slowly blinked open to reveal the moon lit room, waking me up for no apparent reason.
as my senses began to adjust from my dream to the real world, the downstairs voices dawn on me
was damien home..?
two male voices bickered back and forth, echoing up the stairs and seeping through the door subtly enough to not wake steven.
i climbed out of bed in a daze, rubbing my eyes and understanding the darkness
"damien..?" i whisper, my hand trailing along the wall as i venture closer
his reflective eyes widen at the sight of me and his movement becomes more urgent, not wasting a single second in answering me.
despite his attempts, the unkept man standing at our door wouldn't budge, simply blocking the door with his body
i repeated my brothers name, only to be completely ignored
the man payed little to no mind about my presence and demanded money and keys from my brother
hes a drunk
i thought to myself as i stood besides damien, suddenly noticing his shuddering clenched fist.
without another second to spare, his fist raises and firmly punches the doors wooden frame
"get out!" he demanded in a stern voice, catching the stranger off guard
"give me my keys and cash and i'll leave!"
the mans pride returns
"your keys?" i raise an eyebrow at him, finally managing to steal his attention
"yeah, your asshole of a boyfriend took them from me" the stranger barks before trying to push the door open again
"he's my brother, and it's his car"
...
"y/n.. go upstairs" my brother turns to me, his glare almost demanding enough for me to oblige
"y/n?"
the stranger repeats my brother, all his attention turning to me
my brother snatches the opportunity and slams the door shut
click
he locks it and demands me to go upstairs
the ruckus mustve woken steven, as his approaching footsteps filled the tense silence
"what the?" he groaned at the odd sight
"damien! open the fucking door!" pounding began on the transparent frame as he stared at us through the door
"who is this guy?" i whispered to my defensive brother standing infront of me
the continuous pounding mixed with back and forth shouting was deafening, i was happy to see my brother but not so happy that a violent drunk knew where he was staying
"y/n!" the pounding became slow as his words targeted me
"sodapop.. open the door"
damiens face dropped at the sentance, a look of defeat and regret painted across his face
...
"what..?" i murmur, practically being cut off as damien starts yanking me deeper into the house
"give me the keys, soda"
i shook my brothers grip away and slowly inched my way towards the door, steven and damien demanding me to stay back
"how do you know my name..?" i hushed my voice, now less than a metre from the man with only a thin door separating us
"i gave it to you" he smiled a wicked, toothy grin
...
"dad..?" i cover my gem with my free hand once seeing his intense stare
the unsettling nod and detailed knowledge towards me was enough confirmation, new emotions pouring in like a flood
i feel my eyes flicker as i swerve back to my brother, his quivering hand shielding his lying mouth
"..you said he was dead"
i made my way back to my brother, repeating the sentence and ignoring my estranged fathers hushed chuckles
"soda.." his hand dropped and slowly reached for me in a weak, deliberate act
"you said he way dead!" i smacked it away, the shock forcing him to step back
"y/n! i-i.. i had to!"
"you had to lie? you had to tell me my father was fucking- dead!"
my brother was at a loss for words, his mouth desperately trying to form a sentance but failing horribly.
the silence he brought upon us gave room for the satisfied laughter to seep back in, annoying me in an indescribable way.
my fists clench tightly before i spin back around with a swift hand movement, my anger pulling water straight from the cold air, sending an icey spike straight towards my father
his laughing stopped as he dodged it, fleeing as soon as his gaze met the damage dealt to the door
once he was out of sight i jolt back around, fury reaching the point of an uncontrollable sadness.
i felt defeated as i knelt down, my face buried into my wet palms
sadness felt like the only emotion capable of expressing my current feeling and it was horrible
"y/n.. i'm sorry"
i couldn't ever answer properly.
i sobbed into his shoulder as he embraced me, not being capable of pushing him away anymore
why am i even crying?
the thought only intensified my sadness, as if i was sad about crying.. how pathetic.
"why did you lie" i sniff
"i didn't want you to try find him.."
his explanation seemed justified when given the known context, but i needed something more
"why..?"
"there's so much i didn't tell you about him.."
a small understanding and realisation rushed over, forcing me to wrap my shaky arms around him to return the embrace
steven decided to check around the property and cars to make sure my dad had really left, allowing time for me and damien to talk privately
it was incredible how much explaining could be crammed into the ten minutes steven was absent, my brother managing to skim cover enough examples to defend his actions
what my brother did wasnt the smartest, but i could easily see myself doing the same if forced into that situation.
imagine your own father saying your only sibling never existed.. forcing you to believe you were insane..
the physical and mental abuse my brother went through alone showed how strong he was to still manage a smile
i know this chapters sloppy ive got some stuff going on i'm really sorry <3
