Adrian Jacob Delacroix (stormandshadow) wrote in nevermore_past, @ 2015-02-04 03:26:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | adrian delacroix, jayden delacroix |
WHO: Jayden and Adrian Delacroix
WHAT: Aftermath of badness
WHEN: Jayden is 10, Adrian is 16
WHERE: Their home in Baton Rouge
WARNINGS: Aftermath of sexual violence
Adrian stumbled back into the house, feeling like his body was one big bruise. The man who took advantage of him over and over hadn't been particularly careful today. Just inside the door, Adrian leaned up against the wall and tried to gather himself together. His father could never find out what went on between himself and the man from two houses down. Considering the terrible way their father had treated his older brother just for dating a boy, Adrian had no doubt everything would be blamed on him and he would find himself homeless and alone.
His body was shaking and Adrian tried to calm himself down. He leaned up off the wall, intending to head into the kitchen and grab some sweet tea, but his younger brother caught him on his way in. "Ade!" Jayden called out, dashing towards him. Jayden had a purpling bruise under one of his eyes, given to him by a rude boy at school. "Ade, you're home."
"Hey, Jay," Adrian said, sounding as exhausted as he felt.
"Can I show you my science project?!" There was a hidden desperation in Jayden's words that Adrian understood. Their father didn't particularly care for excitement or happiness and Adrian was pretty sure the man wasn't all that fond of Jayden either. Jayden just wanted someone to be proud of something he had made, but Adrian wasn't in a position to be that for him right now.
"Not right now, Jay," he breathed. If he wasn't going to get some tea, he wanted to take about five showers, scalding hot, and then he wanted to sleep.
Jayden's little face fell, and Adrian felt a stab of guilt, right in the gut. "Oh. That's okay. You look tired. I could read you a story! I started the Hobbit this week and I really like it."
Adrian rubbed his temple as Jayden rambled on about books he had read in the past few weeks. God, wouldn't the kid just shut up?!
"-and I wish we could have a dog! I'd name it Bilbo or Gollum. I think Mr Sousa at church looks like Gollum actually, with his big ears. So you want me to read to you?"
"Jayden, I-"
"I'm real good at it! My teacher said I am amazing at novels. Do you know what a novel is-"
"Jay!" Adrian yelled, more sharply than he meant to. Jayden's eyes widened and he paled and Adrian felt terrible, but he couldn't deal with this. "Just- Can't you be quiet for five seconds?!"
Jayden sniffed and backed up, nodding soberly. Adrian had seen it so many times before, when Jayden tried to speak to their father and was denied any attention or affection. Oh god, he was the worst human being in the entire world. "Oh...hey, Jayd-"
Adrian couldn't get the entire sentence out before Jayden had spun on his heel and sprinted up the stairs to his room. "Fucking shit," Adrian hissed under his breath, lest his father hear.
Slowly and in terrible pain, Adrian ascended the stairs and turned towards Jayden's room instead of his own. Softly he knocked on the door, but there was no reply beyond the soft sounds of Jayden crying beyond it. "Jayden, I'm sorry. Can I come in?" Nothing. "Jay?"
When Jayden refused to answer, Adrian walked right in anyway. "Oh, Jay." His little brother was curled up in a ball on his bed, sobbing so hard the bed was shaking. With his heart breaking, Adrian crossed the room and crawled onto he bed, pulling Jayden into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Jay. I was just tired, okay? I didn't mean to yell."
"I didn't mean to be bad," Jayden wailed.
"No. No, you weren't bad." Adrian ran his fingers through Jayden's curls and he cursed himself for being a shithead. Jayden had so much pain in his life, he didn't need more from one of two people who actually cared about him. Jayden hardly spoke to anyone who wasn't Isaiah or Adrian. The loss of Jesse had nearly silenced Jayden completely for two months. Adrian should be thankful for every single word instead of resenting the boy for pain that wasn't his fault. "I'm so sorry. You can talk to me any time you want okay?"
Jayden sniffed, but he snuggled into Adrian's side, and Adrian was silently thankful. "I'm sorry," Jayden whispered again anyway. "I didn't mean to make you more tired. Are you sad?"
Yes. Adrian's heart was breaking and he felt sick and violated, but it was nothing he hadn't been through countless times by now, so he could lie. He could pass it off as nothing. "Only because I made you cry," he said softly. "How about I read to you and then you can show me your project, okay? I bet it's brilliant."
"Really?" Jayden asked softly, looking up at Adrian with big, desperate eyes that threatened to knock the air right out of him.
"Of course. Everything you do is brilliant. Cuddle up, okay? Get under the covers." Adrian reached for the book and opened to the bookmarked page. "Jay? Did you eat tonight?" Sometimes Richard Delacroix could be forgetful about his sons' nutrition if he was busy, but Adrian always took care of it. Unless, of course, he was spending hours trapped in the neighbor's house having unspeakable things done to him.
"I made a sandwich. Read!"
Adrian chuckled and he ruffled Jayden's hair. "Yes, sir," he said gently. He was going to make sure Jayden ate something else before bed, but more important than that, he was going to make sure Jayden didn't go to sleep sad.
They had enough sadness. Adrian was going to do anything he could to give his little brother a little bit of happiness.