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[beentodamascus]

The bookshelf was giving Adam more and more books written in Farsi, and he was taking it as an opportunity to practice; his Farsi had never been as fluent as his Arabic, and he'd always felt like he didn't have enough time to polish up. Time, time. All he had on his bloody hands now was time

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[curiously_cora]

There was something in the room with her. Something moving in the shadows. She could hear it scuttling across the floor. Stumbling back Coraline ran from the room and ran straight into something.

"There, there. I'm here now, mother is here." Her mother said, papery hands stroking her hair. Coraline realising her mistake pulled away, screaming in fear. The other mother held out a pair of dark buttons. "This won't hurt a bit and then you won't be a problem daughter anymore."

"No, No, No!" Coraline woke, half terrified clinging to her blankets. Sobbing Coraline stumbled from her room where she had been sleeping after a tiring day with Lucy. Coraline was running, barefoot, to Adam's when she saw him in the kitchen. Coraline sniffed and tugged on his shirt. "Adam?"

[beentodamascus]

He heard her. He could hear her, but he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't focus. He remembered sitting in the dark and hearing Malcolm and Jo screaming at him. And he couldn't. He just couldn't.

Jesus, Adam. She needs you. Jesus.
Adam.

[curiously_cora]

"Adam?" Coraline asked again, wiping the tears from her face and looked at Adam properly. He was like a statue. Coraline looked around the room for her, in case she had done this to him- turned him into a statue. "Adam."

In the stories all a prince would have to do was kiss the princess, she didn't think it was quite the same here. Climbing onto his lap, Coraline wrapped her arms around him. It was like hugging warm stone. "Don't make him into a statue, please. I'll be good, I'll be a good daughter."

[beentodamascus]

He broke. Something inside him, some of the wires that had been holding him closed, something gave, something snapped and he sagged forward, against her, around her, his arms coming around and holding her more solidly in his lap.

"I've got you," he said, the words coming out strangled, barely there. She was so slight, so small, his hand, fingers spread, covered the small of her back almost entirely. His other hand stayed curled into a fist.

"I'm here."

[curiously_cora]

It was like the spell was broken. Adam moved so suddenly, that Coraline almost screamed but then he was holding her tightly. "I thought she'd got to you, I thought she'd-" Coraline said pressing her damp face against Adam's chest. "I thought she'd hurt you."

[beentodamascus]

"Nobody got me," he said, snapping back into himself, coping, his fist so tight that he could feel metal digging into his skin. "I'm here. I'm still here."

His free hand sifted through her fine blonde hair. Her body was warm and surprisingly strong against his chest, through his shirt, pushing against him where he felt nothing but hollow.

[curiously_cora]

Coraline stiffened at the touch of hair, like the nightmare but this hand was warm and fleshy. Coraline hugged him tighter, afraid that he might break again.

"You were so quiet, like a statue." Coraline said, pressing her face against his chest small tears dropping onto his t-shirt.

[beentodamascus]

He felt her stiffen and kept hold of her, even tighter. It was heartbreaking how reminiscent her weight was of Wes. Maybe that made him hold on as tight as he could.

"I had a shock," he said, quietly. "Something from home. I'm okay."

He wasn't okay.
He was in no way okay. He was running on empty, on fumes. He was pulling himself forward by his fingernails.

He was drowning.

[curiously_cora]

"Are you sure? You can tell me anything, I'd never tell anyone." Coraline said, rubbing his back like how her mum did when she was upset. "I had a nightmare. About her. I don't want to go back there, I don't."

[beentodamascus]

"Oh, sweetheart." He rubbed his hand down her back. "It's okay, I've got you. And I told you. There's nowhere that you can go that I won't come and get you, okay?"

[curiously_cora]

"Okay," Coraline replied, sniffing loudly as she wiped her eyes with one arm the other keeping tightly hold of him. "I thought she was my mum but she wasn't and I miss mum so much. Even if she did forget things."

[beentodamascus]

"I miss my mom too," he whispered, still rubbing her back. He managed to get his fingers to relax, released both parts of the brooch and let them drop onto the table.

He wanted to sink.
Into what, he didn't know.

[curiously_cora]

Coraline heard something drop onto the table and turned her head slightly to look at it. It was very pretty even if it was broken. "Are you okay Adam?" Coraline asked softly, holding tightly onto him in case he decided to break again or worse disappear.

[beentodamascus]

He thought about lying to her. You lied to a child to spare their feelings, to keep them safe from the world. The world hurt, hurt children, and you kept it away from them for as long as you could. He hadn't even been able to tell Wes how his mother had died.

He thought about lying to her.
No more lies.

"No," he said quietly, still holding on to her tight.

[curiously_cora]

Whenever Coraline had a bad dream or was upset about something, her dad would make her hot chocolate and she would tell him all about it. And he would hug her tightly, press a kiss against her forehead and it would all be better. She wasn't sure if that would work with Adam or even if they had hot chocolate.

"Do you want to tell me?" Coraline asked letting him hold her as tight as he wanted.

[beentodamascus]

No. No, no, no. I don't, sweetheart. I don't know how it ended up like this, and I don't want you to know that life can be this hard.

"I got..." The words came out halting, dry and uncomfortable. "Something from home. I wasn't expecting it."