Work Text:
Abner yelped as he was knocked aside, dropping down on his hands and knees and eyes rounding in alarm. He let out a harsh cough, a string of blood dripping from his bottom lip and onto the floor. His head craned back only for a moment when fingers grasped the top of his head and practically ripped the hair out of his scalp.
“Look at that pretty face,” the man whispered, tongue sliding out of his mouth dangerously close to Abner’s ear.
A whimper sounded in the back of Abner’s throat. He attempted to hold it back, knowing exactly the reaction that would greet him if he did so. Weakness was something that was always exploited around here and Abner was usually the brunt of all of it. No matter how he tried, he always ended up embarrassing himself and making himself a target, which was where he found himself at the moment.
Another pair of hands reached down to grip the back of his jumpsuit and lifted him into the air. Abner’s legs and arms flailed madly, attempting to strike at anything he could possibly reach. His heart plummeted into his stomach as he was slammed into the floor again, head snapping down first. Blood spurted from his nose and he couldn’t help but let out a shrill cry in agony.
“Beat him harder!”
“Fuck him up!”
“Show him what a little bitch he is!”
Abner actively curled into a ball on the floor as he heard the rest of the prison yard begin to form a circle around him and the men attacking him. He had been in this position multiple times before and it hurt all the same. It also didn’t help that the power dampener around his neck was digging into his skin, taking away his power to control or expel the dots that he so desperately wanted to unleash on the men that insisted on making his life even more of a living hell than it already had been.
“Krill! Mulligan!”
Abner stifled a groan as two guards rushed in, battering him with batons until he dropped to the ground even farther. He sprawled on the ground like a splattered frog, arms and legs splayed outward. It only took a moment for him to bring his arms over his head to protect it, and to stop the batons from denting his power dampener. As much as he hated the contraption clamped around his neck, he didn’t want to see what could happen if he suddenly was given full control over his abilities in a situation such as this.
Once the hitting finally stopped, Abner was hauled upwards and drug away from the group of onlookers that pointed and laughed at his misfortune.
It was commonplace enough for this to happen, so Abner was unsure why everyone still reacted the same way to it each time. They would laugh and point, hurtle insults and other items that Abner would rather not look too much into. He was used to being the brunt of every joke and taunt, and even practical jokes. He tried not to let it get to him, but it was difficult when things began to get personal.
Abner let out a yelp as he was tossed into solitary confinement and the heavy metal door locked behind him with an impressive clank. Although used to being by himself, one thing that Abner couldn’t get used to was the darkness. At Bell Reve solitary confinement meant sitting in a box in the dark with only an hour of light. It was supposed to break their spirits as well as disorient them. He had once heard some whispers about how the state had deemed that unlawful, but nothing had changed and probably wouldn’t anytime soon.
Once the door locked behind him, Abner scrambled into sitting position with his back against the wall. He could only lean so far back as the power dampener was rather cumbersome and it forced him to lean slightly forward. His hands were brought up to his face where he felt hot moisture that still readily streamed from his nose and mouth. He didn’t need light to know how terrible he probably looked when he could feel it.
“Dang it,” Abner huffed, spitting some more blood on the ground.
‘Why do they always have to go after me,’ Abner thought, using the hem of his shirt to begin to dry the blood from under his nose. ‘Couldn’t they pick someone else for once?’
“Why would they pick someone else when the easiest and most pathetic target is just there for them? You always were weak and pathetic. Maybe one day someone will knock the coward right out of you!”
Abner couldn’t help but let out a low scream upon hearing his mother’s voice echo in his ears. He began to swat at the side of his head fiercely with his palm, fingers curled inward to make his hand firmer. The pummeling continued until Abner’s head began to throb with each beat of his heart. Dizziness momentarily flickered in his eyes and it took all of his strength to remain upright in the small space.
Suddenly, as if everything hit him at once, Abner drew forward and began to sob into his hands. Emotion that he hadn’t touched since first being brought in rushed over him as he thought of his mother, the things he had been through, and just his life in general. This hadn’t been the life that he had expected to live, and now the hope he once had to be normal had disappeared just as quickly.
Whimpering, Abner drew to the side and laid down on the cold cement. His knees were pulled up towards his chest and his head hung limply as the power dampener propped his neck up against the ground. Blood, tears, and mucus mixed and ran down his face, dripping on the floor in front of him. He was too caught up in his own head to care, wanting nothing more than the physical and emotional pain to ebb.
‘I’m more than you thought of me, mother,’ Abner thought with his eyes closed tightly. ‘And one day I’ll prove you wrong. I’ll prove everyone wrong!’