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Xisuma could hear yelling outside. He whimpered, hugging his knees close to his chest. Void he missed his cousin brother, Xantheus. Normally the two of them would be together having fun whenever their parents argued like this.
He flinched when he heard his aunt scream. He hadn't seen his cousin for nearly a year. It was the longest the two had been apart. He missed the way they would hug him whenever they saw him, he missed arguing about which game they wanted to play, he missed their laugh and their goofy, mischievous, face.
His father poked his head inside. Xisuma quickly schooled his face. "We're leaving in a bit." His father informed. He nodded.
~Timeskip a few months~
X paced in his room. His brain was in absolute overdrive and he would very much like it to shut up. His parents had officially stopped him from ever talking to Xantheus.
His parents had tried to convince him that Xantheus was a bad person. Someone who would manipulate and trouble people. X didn't believe that for a second. His brother has his faults sure, but he would never be a bad person intentionally.
Wait. Doesn't hitting count as abuse? Oh void his baby brother was being abused and he hadn't even noticed.
X froze at the thought, too many emotions flowing through him. He knew that Xantheus' parents used to hit them a lot. He hadn't talked to Xantheus in who knows how long. He hopes that they are okay.
Who am I kidding of course their not okay.
What was he supposed to do now? He tugged at his hair in frustration. His eyes burned with unshed tears. He frantically looked around his room, trying to find anything anything at all that could help him.
His eyes caught on the fridge magnet that Xantheus had given him. He didn't know if his parents remembered who gave him that magnet. His breath caught in his throat. He missed them so much. It hurt so much to have to be seperate from them for so long.
Oh void I'm never going to see them again. They're gone forever and I can't do anything. They're probably hurting and I can't save him.
He had failed. He was such a bad older brother. He let out a sob, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth. He eyed the door, hoping that his parents didn't hear him although they probably didn't, they were too busy these days. No one came inside. He let out a muffled whimper.
He needed to see them again. It didn't matter if it was even just a photo, he needed to see them. He scrambled for his comm. He opened the photos app, scrolling down in the camera folder. He didn't have a lot with the two of them. Most were lost forever, his mother's comm broke on a trip and they couldn't save a lot of the photos on it. He saw his brother and clicked on the photo.
It was the two of them at his birthday party two years ago. They clicked it just before leaving. The one next to it was the exact same, except for the silly doodles on it. Xantheus had cat ears while he had a flower in his hair. The lighting was horrendous and the photo was a bit blurred.
He stared at the photo for a minute. The photo blurred even more, but this time due to his tears. Xisuma's face scrunched up. He clamped his mouth shut, determined not to let any more noise escape. He hugged his comm carefully, scared that he would break it, losing the last of his photos. He closed his eyes. He could almost feel his arms hugging his brother. He could almost feel their arms around his waist. Almost, but not quite. He opened his eyes, looking down, almost expecting his brother to be there. He felt his heart sink a little when there was only his comm.
He reluctantly brought the comm away. He shifted through the rest of the photos in. He smiled at some of them. Void he needed to save them. He couldn't let them get hurt anymore. But he had no idea how he was going to do that. No one would ever listen to him. No one even cared if corporal punishments were used. Void, his parents wouldn't understand, they would only insult them.
He glanced at the clock. It was 1:27 am. His parents would probably come to check if he's asleep soon. He quickly kept his comm down. He got ready for bed as fast as he could. He crashed into the bed, shifting so that his back faced the door. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon. He heard the door open. He tried to keep his breathing steady. He heard the door close. He waited for a few minutes before curling up, hugging himself as hard as he could. His breath came in short gasps, a few stray tears falling down his face. Eventually he tired himself out and passed out, uncurling from the uncomfortable position in his sleep.