Chapter Text
The area was quiet, too quiet. There was usually a commotion going on in the neighbourhood where Err lived, with the sounds of domestic violence becoming a common noise to drown out. The small Mooninite was walking home from school, kicking a rock as he made his way through these oddly silent streets.
He was excited to go home and see his parents. Today, he had won a medal for scoring a goal in a football tournament. Unlike everybody else's, Err's parents didn't show up. That was okay, though, he was fine waiting to show them at home.
Err stuffed a hand in his pocket to make sure his medal was still there. It was, and he grinned like a dumb dog, his tooth gap on full display. It didn't take long until he finally reached his house - which had seen much better days - where he grabbed the door handle, desperate to show his achievement to his family.
Funnily enough, the door didn't open. Err frowned and tried again, sighing as the door refused to budge. His hand slipped off of the handle and he sat down infront of it, gazing around the untidy garden. Mommy must be at the store again. He figured, grabbing his bag and unzipping it. He pulled out a comic a friend had given to him and began to flip through it. He could wait for his mother to come home, she couldn't take too long.
...
Err gripped his knees tightly as he leaned against the front door, shivering. Three hours had passed, and his parent still hadn't come home. It was worrying, what if she got lost? The Mooninite was wishing for his mom to be okay, wishing she'd come home soon, wishing she'd be happy to see him...
Suddenly, a car pulled up to the house, stopping suddenly. The driver's door swung open, and there was his mom, raising from her vehicle in a daze. Overwhelmed with relief, Err ran to his mother and clung onto her, burying his head in her leg as he began to ramble on about his school day - completely ignoring how she'd been gone for ages.
"Get off of me, Err." His mom groaned irritability, mindlessly shoving her son away. She stumbled towards the front door in her heels, almost falling into the door after she unlocked it. Err followed her into the kitchen, sitting at the table as his mother grabbed the fridge's door and yanked it open, looking for something.
"Guess what mom!" Err began, fishing for his medal and hitting it on the table, "I scored a goal in football at school today and I won a medal! Everyone was cheering and its gold, mom! Look, look!" The longer his mother looked at the fridge, the higher Err's voice became, the desperation for attention becoming ever more present.
After grabbing a bottle of alcohol, Err's mom slammed the fridge shut and barely glanced over her shoulder at her energetic son.
"Mhm." She hummed with disinterest, making her way to the living room. Err followed her, clearly wanting to say more.
"And all my friends told me how awesome I was, and we had a team photo taken and everyone's parents came and gave them high fives and..." he trailed off as he watched his mother take a hard swig from her bottle. Was she even listening to him?
Err glanced down and looked at the medal in his hands, gazing at his reflection in the gold. Carefully, he lifted his head back up, facing his mother solemnly.
"Mommy? Do you love me?" He asked, the buzz gone from his voice. Surprisingly, he got an answer from his mother, it was rare for her to respond to her own child.
"Wha-? Of course I love you," Err's mother answered, not even bothering to make eye contact with him, "What makes you say that?" She took another drink from her bottle. Err swallowed, hoping his mother wouldn't be offended by what he said next.
"Well, everyone else had their parents come and watch them today...and you weren't there." He spoke, cringing internally as he heard his mom groan. "I thought if you loved me, then you'd show up."
Err's mom stared at her son blankly, like she didn't register his words. "Just because I don't watch you kick a ball doesn't mean I don't love you." She answered, gripping the neck of her bottle, "I just have better things to do."
"Well, could you maybe come next time? Everyone was asking me where you were and I said-"
"What did you say?" His mom asked sharply, suddenly interested in what her son had told his peers. Nervously, Err began to fiddle with his medal.
"I just said you were probably busy with daddy and-"
Err didn't get the chance to finish his sentence before his mother's bottle made sudden contact with his face, the impact sending him flying to the ground. He gasped loudly, his brain slowly registering the warm blood mixed with alcohol trickling down his face, some shards of glass stuck in his face. His vision was blurry, but he could make out the hazy figure of his mother standing over him. The sight was already terrifying enough for the child, but it worsened when his mother began to speak, venom dripping from her mouth.
"I thought I told you NEVER to speak about your son of a bitch father. And what gave you the right to open your mouth about your family to the people around you? What if your teachers started snooping around, they'd get CPS and they'd take you away from me. Is that what you want, Err? To be taken away from your home?!" His mom barraged him with questions, her venomous tone causing the Mooninite to flinch, frantically shielding his face from his parent. "I-I..I-I'm sorry momm-"
""Sorry" doesn't cut it. In fact, I'd be overjoyed if I didn't have to deal with you anymore. You've been a pain in my ass ever since you were born, and you didn't make things easier when your father decided to piss off with some whore." She continued, cutting off her son. Glancing downwards, she saw Err's medal. Picking it up, she glared at him. "If you really love me," she pitched her voice high enough to mock Err, her eyes burning into the child as tears began to stream down his face, causing the wounds on his face to burn, "Then you'd piss off like the bastard who got me pregnant with you, and you'd stop trying to amuse me with whatever crap you find on the streets! Actually, I bet you didn't even win this, instead, you probably stole it from someone else - like how you dad stole the rest of my freedom!" She yelled as she finished the sentence, hurling Err's medal towards him. It smacked him square in the face before dropping onto the ground beside him.
His mother continued to scream at him, now yelling about how hard her life already was and how he had further ruined it by being born. Err, trying to ignore the agony he was in, looked down at his medal. It was stained in the blood from his face, now with teardrops splashing onto it. His reflection wasn't clear, but he could easily make out the outline of his petrified face.
He began to weep.
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Ignignokt groaned as he opened his eyes, his eyesight adjusting to the dark. Glancing at the (stolen) analogue clock, the time read 03:33. He sighed, annoyed at waking up in the early hours of the morning. Before he could attempt to fall back asleep, he could hear something - no, he could hear someone. Ignignokt glanced over to Err's side of the bed drowsily, opening his mouth to tell him to shut up, however, he shut it quickly. Err seemed to be quivering while making some strange sounds. Assuming he was cold, Ignignokt was about to pull Err close to him when it finally dawned on him that his partner was crying.
"Err?" Ignignokt mumbled, placing a hand on Err's shoulder, gently shaking him. After a few more shakes, Err finally woke up with a yelp - the sound further fuelling the green Mooninite's concern. "Err, it's only me! What's wrong?" He asked, somewhat disturbed by Err's panicked breathing. His eyes were wide with terror, gripping the sheets below him as he tried calming himself down. Ignignokt could only watch his friend's shaking body, not wanting to touch him in the fear of setting him off. A few minutes later, Err glanced towards his taller partner.
"Sorry, man, did I wake you up?" He asked, ashamed. Ignignokt shook his head, his hand finding Err's and gripping it softly.
"No, no, you didn't wake me up," Ignignokt answered, "but, why were you crying? What's the matter?" His voice was full of concern - as opposed to its usual stoicism.
Err shook his head and quickly wiped his eyes with his free hand.
"Just a nightmare, nothin' much," he answered thickly, trying to downplay the horrific dream. Ignignokt's head tilted slightly, moving his hand to Err's shoulder.
"Was it about...?" He didn't finish his sentence, he was already aware of Err's nightmares surrounding his childhood. It made Ignignokt feel pissed - pissed on Err's behalf and pissed at his parents. He'd never seen Err crying from his nightmares, though. It made him sick with second-hand guilt.
Carefully, he pulled Err close to him, as if he were delicate china. After adjusting the blankets to be covering them both, Ignignokt placed a hand behind Err's head and began to rake his fingers through his partner's hair in an attempt to soothe him. The feeling was comforting, to say the least. Err nuzzled his head against Ignignokt's shoulder, basking in both his touch and his body warmth. The silence, the touch, the heat - it made him feel safe, and that was all that mattered.
"Err, your childhood was horrific to say the least. Your father left you and your mother and she unfairly took it out on you. Unfortunately, we can't undo your trauma, but it's important to know that none of it was your fault. Your parents failed you." Ignignokt monologued, cupping Err's face with his free hand, stroking his face and tilting his head up to look at him. "You don't have to put up with them anymore. I'm here for you, and I'll never hurt you." He pressed a firm, loving kiss against Err's forehead.
"I love you, man." Err murmured, cuddling into his boyfriend. The sound of Ignignokt's heartbeat was nice to hear, especially as he could feel sleep wanting to overtake him again. Using Ignignokt's chest as a pillow, Err let himself drift off to sleep again, feeling secure in the arms of his boyfriend. Soon enough, he was sleeping soundly.
"I love you too, Err." Those were the last words he heard before falling unconscious again, and he clung onto those words as he let his body rest in the arms of his lover.