Peanut Butter Week (Dark)
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE
Challenges: Peanut Butter 8 (dark) & Papaya 22 (now what?)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream (Ani’s 8, Sorin’s 12, Vlad’s 14), Hot Fudge, Malt (Summer Challenge 2010: Bunnies 33: The things that made you want to trade in your heart are the very things that made you who you are)
Word Count: 771
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Just when Sorin thought things couldn’t get worse…
Notes: So I’m kinda breaking my Hot Fudge streak although it still applies to Sorin at this point. I really just did not want to write this from Edward’s POV. It’s bad enough as is. These totally got generally darker as the week went on…sorry…
Warning: Implied sexual and physical abuse
That night Ani appeared in their doorway. Sorin was engrossed in his book and didn’t notice anything until Vlad sighed. “Sorin, our sister’s here.”
Sorin looked up from his book and frowned. She was standing stock still in their doorway and not a step further. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle and her gaze penetrated the floor somewhere midway between the room’s two beds. Her cheek was already blossoming with a fresh bruise. Usually she just came rushing in, often crying, and curled up beside him. This was unusual, but then he had just gotten home from school two days prior so maybe she had just decided she was too old for that. “Ani?”
“I don’t want to,” she murmured, barely audible.
“Don’t want to what?” Sorin asked, setting his book aside and swinging his feet out of the bed, patting next to him.
She slid into place next to him, but didn’t cuddle up like she usually would, setting off every alarm bell Sorin had. “Father said I have to.”
Sorin barely kept his expression level, wondering what in the world Edward could have done this time. “Have to do what, Ani?” he insisted.
“Can I just sleep in here?” she asked, a tinge of desperation to her voice.
He reached out and touched her shoulder, grimacing as she flinched away. “Ani, tell me.”
“There’s nothing you can do anyway,” she said softly, “and it’ll just make you angry.”
“I’m already angry.”
She flinched again.
“What did Edward do?” he pushed. His tongue always stumbled over his name but there was no way in hell he would ever refer to that man as Father again. Edward had never really liked it anyway. Sir was much safer, even if it implied a respect Sorin did not have.
What Ani did next surprised the hell out of him. She actually looked to Vlad for assistance. Their brother had been watching this exchange through darkened eyes, sitting on the edge of his bed. When he saw Sorin looking at him too, he looked away. “Just let her sleep here.”
“Of course she can sleep here. That’s not the point. The point is you’re not telling me something. Vlad, what is it?” he asked, honestly concerned now, especially if Vlad was involved. Ani never involved their older brother if she could help it.
“Please don’t,” Ani said, definitely desperate now.
“What the hell did he do?” Sorin demanded, hearing his voice rise, in danger of disturbing the beast.
Both his siblings instantly shushed him and all three glanced nervously at the door, listening for continued quiet.
When it came, Vlad spoke quietly. “A week ago, he…” he trailed off, sounding as miserable as Sorin had ever heard him. “Sorin, there’s no point in it. It’s not like there’s a damned thing we can do.”
“What is he doing?”
Ani seemed to shrink in on herself more. “I don’t like the touching,” she whispered and it hit Sorin almost instantly. He had been attending an all boys’ school for almost four years with boys as old as eighteen. He knew what that meant.
He was out of bed and being blocked from the doorway Vlad before it even consciously entered his mind to move. “What the hell do you think you’re going to do about it?” his brother hissed, quietly enough that Ani couldn’t hear his words. “Nothing. Except get the shit beaten out of you and what good does that do any of us? With any luck, it’s just a phase.”
“I can’t just…”
“What other option do we have? The best thing you can do is be the favorite brother and figure out a way to make it better for her.”
“You can’t just make something like that better.”
Vlad finally took his hands from Sorin’s arms. “I don’t know. I guess remind her a lot that what he does is not our fault. I honestly don’t know.”
“How did you…?”
“Find out? I walked in on it. Second time. That’s where my bruises came from.”
Sorin blew out his breath and turned back to his bed, where Ani still sat, all tucked in on herself. She watched them through too large, wounded blue eyes. He sat down next to her and pulled her gently into a hug. It took only a moment for the floodgates to open and she buried her face in his shoulder. He looked up at Vlad, who still stood in the middle of the room, eyes almost as large and just as wounded.
One day, he promised himself, one day they would be free of him.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE
Challenges: Peanut Butter 8 (dark) & Papaya 22 (now what?)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream (Ani’s 8, Sorin’s 12, Vlad’s 14), Hot Fudge, Malt (Summer Challenge 2010: Bunnies 33: The things that made you want to trade in your heart are the very things that made you who you are)
Word Count: 771
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Just when Sorin thought things couldn’t get worse…
Notes: So I’m kinda breaking my Hot Fudge streak although it still applies to Sorin at this point. I really just did not want to write this from Edward’s POV. It’s bad enough as is. These totally got generally darker as the week went on…sorry…
Warning: Implied sexual and physical abuse
That night Ani appeared in their doorway. Sorin was engrossed in his book and didn’t notice anything until Vlad sighed. “Sorin, our sister’s here.”
Sorin looked up from his book and frowned. She was standing stock still in their doorway and not a step further. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle and her gaze penetrated the floor somewhere midway between the room’s two beds. Her cheek was already blossoming with a fresh bruise. Usually she just came rushing in, often crying, and curled up beside him. This was unusual, but then he had just gotten home from school two days prior so maybe she had just decided she was too old for that. “Ani?”
“I don’t want to,” she murmured, barely audible.
“Don’t want to what?” Sorin asked, setting his book aside and swinging his feet out of the bed, patting next to him.
She slid into place next to him, but didn’t cuddle up like she usually would, setting off every alarm bell Sorin had. “Father said I have to.”
Sorin barely kept his expression level, wondering what in the world Edward could have done this time. “Have to do what, Ani?” he insisted.
“Can I just sleep in here?” she asked, a tinge of desperation to her voice.
He reached out and touched her shoulder, grimacing as she flinched away. “Ani, tell me.”
“There’s nothing you can do anyway,” she said softly, “and it’ll just make you angry.”
“I’m already angry.”
She flinched again.
“What did Edward do?” he pushed. His tongue always stumbled over his name but there was no way in hell he would ever refer to that man as Father again. Edward had never really liked it anyway. Sir was much safer, even if it implied a respect Sorin did not have.
What Ani did next surprised the hell out of him. She actually looked to Vlad for assistance. Their brother had been watching this exchange through darkened eyes, sitting on the edge of his bed. When he saw Sorin looking at him too, he looked away. “Just let her sleep here.”
“Of course she can sleep here. That’s not the point. The point is you’re not telling me something. Vlad, what is it?” he asked, honestly concerned now, especially if Vlad was involved. Ani never involved their older brother if she could help it.
“Please don’t,” Ani said, definitely desperate now.
“What the hell did he do?” Sorin demanded, hearing his voice rise, in danger of disturbing the beast.
Both his siblings instantly shushed him and all three glanced nervously at the door, listening for continued quiet.
When it came, Vlad spoke quietly. “A week ago, he…” he trailed off, sounding as miserable as Sorin had ever heard him. “Sorin, there’s no point in it. It’s not like there’s a damned thing we can do.”
“What is he doing?”
Ani seemed to shrink in on herself more. “I don’t like the touching,” she whispered and it hit Sorin almost instantly. He had been attending an all boys’ school for almost four years with boys as old as eighteen. He knew what that meant.
He was out of bed and being blocked from the doorway Vlad before it even consciously entered his mind to move. “What the hell do you think you’re going to do about it?” his brother hissed, quietly enough that Ani couldn’t hear his words. “Nothing. Except get the shit beaten out of you and what good does that do any of us? With any luck, it’s just a phase.”
“I can’t just…”
“What other option do we have? The best thing you can do is be the favorite brother and figure out a way to make it better for her.”
“You can’t just make something like that better.”
Vlad finally took his hands from Sorin’s arms. “I don’t know. I guess remind her a lot that what he does is not our fault. I honestly don’t know.”
“How did you…?”
“Find out? I walked in on it. Second time. That’s where my bruises came from.”
Sorin blew out his breath and turned back to his bed, where Ani still sat, all tucked in on herself. She watched them through too large, wounded blue eyes. He sat down next to her and pulled her gently into a hug. It took only a moment for the floodgates to open and she buried her face in his shoulder. He looked up at Vlad, who still stood in the middle of the room, eyes almost as large and just as wounded.
One day, he promised himself, one day they would be free of him.