Work Text:
"Oliver," Hio whispered for the fifth time, crouching down beside the bed. He knew that reaching for his little brother with his hands would only make things worse. Instead, he tried to call out as softly as he could, hoping Oliver would stop hiding.
Unfortunately, it wasn't working.
Hio knew he had made a mistake. Dealing with Oliver and accommodating his conditions had become exhausting, and when he lost his patience and kicked a nearby table, causing a loud thump, it only frightened Oliver further.
But perhaps the sound wasn't the only reason for Oliver's fear right now.
"I'm sorry," Hio apologized, hearing Oliver's muffled whimpers as he continued to hide beneath the bed, his arms shielding his face. The sight tore at Hio's heart, knowing that he had caused this distress. "Please, come here. I won't hurt you, I promise."
Oliver didn't move. Was he so terrified that he couldn't even follow such a simple request? Was this progress, finally refusing to obey Hio's commands? Hio wasn't sure, but he desperately wished that Oliver would comply, just one more time, even if he hated it.
Come. Eat. Sit. Stay. Down.
Oliver had always followed those commands with a smile.
Hand. Roll over. Catch. Quiet.
Oliver had never questioned those words; he had always obeyed them.
Speak.
Oliver would bark.
"No. That's not what I meant," Hio would tell him. But no matter how many times he said "no," Oliver continued to bark.
"Oliver, no barking."
Oliver would tilt his head in confusion.
"Speak."
Another bark.
Hio couldn't take it anymore. He reached for one of Oliver's belongings nearby.
"Ball," Hio's voice was stern. "Can you say 'ball'?" He grabbed a bottle of water in desperation. "Can you say 'water'?"
Oliver barked.
"No," Hio let the objects fall to the floor. "Please, I know you can do it..."
Hio was sure Oliver could do it. He vividly remembered Oliver's voice, soft yet full of life. A voice he had adored but hadn't heard in so, so long. Oliver had used that voice to call his name, point at birds in the sky, request a snack, or share a fun story.
Then, Oliver had disappeared.
And when he reappeared, he would only bark.
Oliver barked.
"No!"
Now, Hio was trying to coax Oliver out from under the bed.
"Come here, Ollie," Hio tried again. "I promise I'm not mad at you, really."
Perhaps, inside Oliver's little head, there was confusion. Confusion about why he received a disappointed "no" whenever he barked after the command "Speak." After all, Oliver had been trained to follow that command in that way, Hio reflected, feeling even worse about his poor handling of the situation. It wasn't Oliver's fault, and Hio shouldn't have exploded in anger in front of him. Hio was everything Oliver had, and now he was hiding from him. Hio shouldn't have made Oliver feel like there was something wrong with him, even if there was.
Hio sat up and sighed. Should he give Oliver a moment and walk away? Would that make things worse? What if Oliver found another hiding place where Hio couldn't find him? What if he ran away?
No, he couldn't leave Oliver like that.
Hio swallowed hard. He hated doing this. But it was probably the only way to get Oliver to come near him without forcing him.
"Come here, boy," Hio patted his lap three times, his voice filled with fake enthusiasm. "Come here."
It felt sickening.
But Oliver turned to look at him.
"Here," Hio patted his lap again, giving Oliver the brightest smile he could offer at that moment.
Not calling his name, not using a sad or serious tone, not apologizing. It was almost as if he didn't see Oliver as a human anymore, but rather as a dog.
It worked. Timidly, Oliver crawled toward Hio, his big golden eye fixed on him as he moved.
Hio hated seeing Oliver crawl like that. He knew it was uncomfortable. Oliver's body wasn't designed for it, yet Oliver insisted. Whenever Hio tried to make Oliver stand up, he would do so for just a few moments before his legs began to shake and gave way, forcing him to walk on all fours again.
"That's a good boy," Hio praised, noticing an immediate change in Oliver's expression, as if a switch had been flipped. Oliver smiled again and hurried toward his big brother's lap.
Did Oliver even recognize Hio as his brother? Did he remember him at all? Or was he just responding so affectionately because Hio was using words that Oliver liked? Words that Oliver had been trained to respond positively to?
Hio gently stroked Oliver's hair as Oliver rested his head on his legs, praising him repeatedly, knowing this was what Oliver loved the most. He needed Oliver to trust him, so maybe, one day, the real Oliver would return.
As he stopped caressing Oliver's head, Oliver looked up at him, his mouth shut, but his single eye filled with love and tenderness.
Hio remembered when Oliver had both of his eyes. The thought of what his baby brother had gone through to traumatize him so deeply, leaving him like this, hurt his head.
"Look, Hio," Oliver had once said. "Look at that dog's face!"
Hio closed his eyes and recalled the moment Oliver had pointed at a panting dog in the park. Oliver had laughed at it.
"He looks so dumb!"
When he opened his eyes and looked at Oliver again, he couldn't escape the guilt of thinking that Oliver now resembled that same dog from years ago.
Oliver looked dumb. He was just like a dumb puppy.
Oliver barked.
"There, there," Hio stroked his hair once more, and Oliver made a peculiar, happy sound. At least he was happy.
Hio took a deep breath. Maybe he should try again tomorrow.