Prompt Post: ROUND FIVE
ROUND FIVE IS CLOSED
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<< ROUND FOUR | ALL ROUNDS | ROUND SIX >>
Rules post.
Posting Guidelines.
Flat view.
Updates Post (WIPs only)
Fills Post (completed Fills only)
damalur's firstclasskink on Delicious.
Volunteers always welcome.
There is a delay on comments appearing when there is a URL in the message body. This is due to an LJ anti-spam ( Read more... )
Being a single father at twenty-six had never been something Hank could have imagined for himself if you'd asked him to come up with a thousand possible alternate realities for his life.
He'd been out on his early morning jog around the park when he'd heard that pathetic little whimpering noise. At first he'd thought it had been an injured puppy and he'd entertained thoughts of bringing it down to the animal shelter where Bobby, the vet with the kind eyes and easy smiles, volunteered on weekends but his thoughts derailed when he bent down to peer under one of the park benches to see a little boy curled up on his side and clutching a stuffed wolf, shivering in his footie pyjamas in the early September chill.
Hank had somehow managed to coax Scott out from under the bench and wrapped him up in his hoodie, mindful to let Scott initiate any contact, and bring him to the one diner her frequented for his post-run breakfasts.
He'd seen the yellowing bruises on Scott's arms, the garish scratch just below his ear and the way the boy flinched when asked about his parents and knew right away that he couldn't just not do anything.
But, not knowing what to do, he had called Raven who - by virtue of being an Xavier - dealt with problems the only way she knew how: by throwing her name and enormous sums of money at them until they resolved themselves.
It took him less than a minute to explain things before she'd ordered him to stay put and told him she'd be on her way. In the meantime, Hank tried to coax Scott to eat the pancakes he's ordered for him and, when that didn't work, the cereal, the subsequent blueberry muffin and finally the waffle dinosaurs Sean the part-time fry cook presented him with because his dad used to make those for him.
Hank flashed his best sad eyes at Lucinda the head waitress and she allowed Sean to sit with them and between the two of them, Hank and Sean managed to pry out that Scott was four, that his mommy and daddy were in heaven and that he lived with Mr and Mrs Commisso.
He didn't like them so much, he'd quietly told Hank when Sean had been called back to the kitchen for the morning rush. Hank could feel Scott's little body tremble at that confession and he'd clutched his stuffed wolf tight to his chest until Hank could tell it wasn't enough and tentatively offered Scott his hand to hold and then the boy was sobbing, eerily silent that spoke of something learned and not at all natural, and Hank who was not at all violent wanted to completely annihilate a couple he'd never even seen.
Instead, he'd carefully put his hand on Scott's head and tried to project kindness by virtue of that alone and Scott had reacted by burying his face in Hank's side, shoulders wracked by soundless sobs.
That was the scene Raven had walked in on and she'd promptly pulled out her phone, called her brother, who woke his boyfriend the Sheriff and together both Xaviers bullied Social Services and the town's police department into somehow removing Scott from the custody of his foster parents and into their care.
Hank hadn't known if calling Raven had been the smartest thing to do until that very moment. He hadn't known how she'd react but looking back, he feels almost ashamed that he'd thought she'd react in any other way, that he'd thought that her being a runaway victim of abuse would supersede who she was at her core: one of the strongest people he'll ever meet.
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there are a few little tiny grammar things that I can't help but noticed an want to fix because all my friends are grammar-perfectionists and have rubbed off on me, but overall great work and great adorableness. please continue soon.
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