Éponine Thénardier is secretly a badass (alittlefall) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-03-07 14:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, eponine thenardier, gavroche thenardier, princess celestia, seiya kou (sailor star fighter) |
Who: Éponine and Gavroche Thénardier, later Seiya Kou and Princess Celestia
What: Éponine knows the signs.
When: After this
Where: The Thénardier’s flat.
Rating: Potentially R. Trigger warning for abuse, self-harm.
Status: Complete. :v
From the moment it’d gone up, Éponine had been keeping a close eye on Gavroche’s post in the network. It was how she usually did this sort of thing, true, but now she had all the more reason for it... she knew she’d been right to not trust that ‘girlfriend’ of his.
When the argument started, and words like that started getting thrown around, she found herself tensing as she read. If this was affecting her this much... oh, God. She was on her feet in a flash, heading right to his room.
She knocked lightly on the door, opening it just slightly. “Gavroche?”
Gavroche had been trying his damndest to keep his cool, trying not to let the words affect him. He could be strong, dammit. But the moment the words were aimed at him, the moment he was starting to have to scramble to defend was the moment different tears began to fall. Fearful, and ones because he kept having to rub at the old bruise location. Those spots his father chose that were the best to get at.
When the door was knocked on his jumped and scrambled down at into the closet. Now, he knew both of them had that space. A spot in somewhere small they could get to and lock from the outside world. Hell, he’d turned the lock inside out so he could. Inside the far back of the tiny closet was a light, a book, a blanket and a pillow. And painkillers and a bottle of water for if they got there after the beating. It was a survival habit all of his siblings had and he hoped she didn’t expect that to stop. He didn’t lock the door, just hid himself behind the pillow.
It wasn’t like Éponine would expect him to easily shed that habit. She still had the same reaction sometimes, tucking herself into a safe and easily defensible area when she felt beyond threatened... and honestly, she didn’t feel it’d stop any time soon. Not with how dangerous this place seemed.
“Gav, it’s okay, it’s me...” She didn’t make any more movement into the room, leaving it to him. It was safer this way. Less likely for him to lash out, as all of them were rather prone to. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe.”
He rocked his body back and forth, keeping his face shoved into the pillow and just cried. That man had... issues. Seriously. Bringing up stuff like that so freely. Thankfully that woman had shown a little hope on the situation, not that it would help him at this point in time.
“Why did he even comment on my post?”
If Éponine had any idea, she would’ve still punched the man. How could he say things like that...? True, he had no idea of their history, but... “I wish I knew, Gav. I guess some people are just... insanely cruel.”
“This sucks...” Began doing his other habit, bonking his head hard several times against the door. Hoping to knock himself out at least somehow. Brain damage? What’s that?
Which was all Éponine needed to force herself to intervene, moving quickly and pulling him close. The less he hurt himself, the better. “It’s going to be okay, Gav...”
He leaned into her, wrapping his arms around around to hold her as tight as he had been the pillow. “Today sucks. Everything sucks.” Yeah, mature words are hard during this. Words in general are hard during this.
Not like there was much need to be mature right now. The important thing was helping him calm down... Éponine held him close, lightly rubbing at his back to try and soothe him. It’d worked in the past. “Things will get better. Somehow.”
Sniffled and huffed, starting to slowly calm down. His grip loosened and he let his hands fall to the floor so he wasn’t digging them into her back. “I.... Today can go fuck itself with a cactus.”
She wouldn’t have minded if he had. Éponine could take a lot of pain in the name of helping her baby brother. “It really, really can... tomorrow will be a better day. Kind of has to be.”
“Did you... See all the guy wrote?” Gavroche asked, moving back to leaned against the wall and wipe his eyes.
“All of it. It’s why I came to check on you.” She’d read it all against her better judgement, really. It’d made Éponine fairly uncomfortable, but... again, things she could take in the name of helping Gavroche.
“Are you okay?” Bit his lip after speaking, mostly to try and focus again. He knew full well she got it longer than he did, she was the one who took a lot of the abuse for him. He’d deal with the self punishing later, now was about her.
There was a pause before Éponine answered. “...I’ll be fine, Gavroche. Been through worse.”
It wasn’t exactly lying, but it wasn’t exactly the truth either. She didn’t want him to worry about her, especially not now when he had enough to be dealing with.
“Can you go...?” Eased his hand inside the pillowcase for the box cutter. He’d wait for her to leave of course. Never where anyone could actually see.
“I’m not leaving you alone, Gav...” It went against all logical sense, all of her instincts as his sister. Damned if she was going to let the hurt become more than just mental. “Not until I know you’re okay...”
“I’m fine. Just go...” With that he pushed her back and out of the closet slamming it shut and locked it quickly and shoved a bobby pin into the key section of it.
Goddammit. “Gavroche, please, open the door. I want to help...”
Seiya had been hoping things wouldn’t get bad, but after his own first therapy session, and seeing that come up on the net while checking his phone, he convinced (easily enough somehow) Celestia to come with just in case. He unlocked the door just in time to hear a door slam and yelling. “Uh....”
Celestia was one of those women who was extraordinarily easy to persuade, at least when it came to helping others. Those noises made her arch an eyebrow - curious, really, but Seiya had somewhat forewarned her of their... situation. “I think we’d better intervene.”
Éponine was too focused on the door and trying to get the bastard thing back open to really notice their presence. She couldn’t let Gavroche do this... she’d be failing as a sister, as a basic human being, if she did.
Seiya nodded and followed in, taking a gently hold of Éponine's arms and pulling her to the bed. “She’s a therapist. Let her do this...” He half expects to be hit for touching without asking but Celestia needed to get by the door.
“Just go... It will be alright.” He opened the box cutter, not pushing it to his skin just yet. He’s scared, okay? Of doing this, but he doesn’t want to be around where he has to be scared or upset all the time. When he heard other voices he tensed and tried to slow his breathing so no one could hear him.
Unsurprisingly, Éponine did hit him, and hard, more a reflexive action than anything else. She had to help him, he couldn’t stop her...
Celestia moved to the door, not even attempting to open it. With any luck, she’d be able to talk him down... “It’s Gavroche, isn’t it? My name’s Astra. I’m here to help you... here to be a friend, a confidant, whatever you want me to be. Whatever helps you feel better.”
Seiya groaned and held his cheek, rubbing it from the slap, but he can’t blame her. Not in the slightest.
“I... what are you doing here. Go away. I... need to do this.” Held the box cutter closer. “I’m going to do it and you can’t stop me. I’ve got nothing but my sister here. And I’m a burden on her.”
That was almost enough to make Éponine get right back up. It was only the knowledge that Seiya would push her right back down that was stopping her. “Gavroche, no, that’s not true...” He was never a burden to her. Not even on that first day when he’d quite literally eaten everything in the damn fridge.
“You don’t have to do this.” Celestia’s voice was gentle, soft, one of the many things she was doing to attempt to calm him. If she could foster a sense of safety, perhaps he wouldn’t... “Your sister loves you, adores you. I can tell that much already... she needs you to stay safe, Gavroche.”
There was a very long pause of nothing but painful silence, no reaction, no acknowledging that he’d heard any of it. Seiya was just about to say something to break said silence when a bright orange and black box cutter slid out from under the door, open, but the blade was perfectly clean. He didn’t do anything. Not that he’s opened the door yet, but it’s a start.
Celestia was quick to take that and put it to one side, just so he couldn’t attempt to take it back. That was the last thing they’d need. “What else is troubling you? I can try to help you, if you’d let me.”
“Our dad texted me last night, saying he was coming to a visit whether we liked it or not.” That’s all he was going to say for now, mostly because he knows what his sister is going to do. Or guesses at least. “ And I figured maybe if I was gone he’d feel sad and leave her alone and I wouldn’t get beat.. I don’t want daddy to hit me again.”
And what his sister was going to do was panic. Éponine couldn’t keep herself from tensing at the mere mention of that bastard... God, this was why they had to move. Before something terrible happened.
“We won’t let him hit you again. All of us here, we’re going to help...” Because Celestia was never one to leave people in need, and dammit, she was making sure Seiya helped. Even if she was fairly sure he would anyway. “You’ll be safe. I promise.”
Seiya looked a bit to his phone and rubbed his neck. “There’s something I can do. My apartment is... Well huge. It’s got three rooms and two bath. You guys can have a room each and share one bath. It’s under guard watch every night and there’s a pool.”
“A pool?” Creaked the door open a little.
“Yeah kid. Big pool! And a weight room.”
Seriously? Dear God, how did Seiya get away with being so ridiculously generous? Not that Éponine was even remotely complaining... “We’ve... never actually had our own bedrooms. Big upgrade from this place.”
“That settles it then. Let’s get packing. Now. I’ll call over my PA and we can get all your things into my car. We’ll have to stop by and get another set of sheets and a comforter. For your bed. Because I doubt you want to sleep with... satin cheetah print... sheets and comforter.”
“The hell?!” Gavroche said through laughing and opened the door more of the way so he can be seen.
Oh God. Éponine couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head. “I don’t even want to know why you had that... decisions made whilst not in your right mind, by any chance?”
Gavroche reached again for the box cutter when his hand was taken by very soft and gentle hands. “I... Let go...” But, it’s nice because the touch to his hands seems to try and calm him.
That would be because Celestia, in all her wisdom, was all about trying to calm people. Especially people as obviously in need as the Thénardiers. “There’s no need to do anything like that from now on... I promise.”
It took a few seconds, but he was quick to push himself into her arms whether she wanted it or not. She was warm and welcoming and so kind, and motherly. And like his sister should know he never got. No hug from their mother. No hugs in the house really.
Celestia didn’t mind that at all. She knew all about the healing power of hugs - they even helped Luna, from time to time, so... she held him close. “It’s going to be okay. Believe me.”