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Kevin woke up in the living room of David Wymack's apartment, as he had every day for the past few weeks. It still felt incredibly wrong.
The sofa shifted under him, and his hand throbbed, but that didn't matter, it was fine, don't look at it-
Kevin should get up. Maybe. But why? He can't practice and he can't even watch matches or strategise when every time he gets a second to think he remembers Riko's expression and the snap of bone, thinks about how angry the Master will be, recalls Abby's uncertainty about how his hand will heal... If Kevin can't play exy he might as well throw himself off a-
There was a noise from the other room. Kevin's head felt strange but he got up anyway, walking toward the office.
"-Yes, today is fine." Wymack was talking on the phone. "I'm not sure why I did this to begin with. Must have had too much to drink."
He seemed to have done something he regretted. Kevin wondered what it was.
"Yeah, I know. So troublesome. I'll be glad for you to take your lost pet off my hands."
A chill went down Kevin's spine. It was suddenly harder to breathe. He stepped back, away from the office door, into the living room. That wasn't... He'd promised. Hadn't he? Or had Kevin imagined it, a delusion born of desperation? Had Wymack been waiting for a chance to give him back this whole time?
Kevin's heartrate skyrocketed as a hand landed on his shoulder, spinning around to find Wymack, when had he gotten there- The man stared at him, unimpressed.
"I let you stay in my apartment all this time, and you repay me by eavesdropping on my private conversations? God, no wonder Riko got sick of you."
Sorry, I'm so sorry; He didn't, that's not what happened; Please, please don't give me back- There were so many things Kevin wanted to say but instead he found himself crying, eyes stinging as his chest heaved.
"I- You can't. Please."
"I can't? Why not? No one wants you here, and you do belong to them."
Kevin couldn't breathe. There was a vice around his throat. Wymack didn't know, didn't understand-
"Coach Moriyama's happy to take you back today. Quite generous. I have to thank both him and Kayleigh, for making sure I don't have to deal with you."
"...What?" Kevin could barely hear his own voice. He couldn't... Wymack didn't know. He wouldn't do this if he knew.
He wouldn't...
"I wish poor Kayleigh hadn't been lumbered with you either, but that's the way of things. At least she was smart enough to know I'd never want a kid like you. Shame you didn't inherit that."
Kevin shook his head, breaths coming faster and faster. He felt sick.
"Come on, Day. Lets not waste time."
Wymack grabbed his wrist, and Kevin's heart jolted, realising he needed to get out of here, now. He desperately pulled himself free, running around Wymack toward the front door. The bolt was cold under his fingers, stiff as he shoved it back and opened the door. Kevein felt the bite of cold air before he was pulled back by a hand on his shirt collar, fabric pressing into his throat.
"Where are you trying to go, kid? No one's gonna help you."
Wymack moved to restrain Kevin's arms, letting go of the fabric, and Kevin gasped for breath as he tried to push him away. "Please, I- I don't know, I'll find somwhere, I won't bother you anymore-" There was nowhere for Kevin to go but even nowhere was better than that place. "Just let me go! Don't send me back!"
"Well, I can't do that, can I? Me and Tetsuji have an agreement. I don't go back on those."
Except for when you said you'd help me, Kevin thought, bitterly.
He shoved his head back, crashing it into Wymack's face, which was just enough of a shock for him to let go. Kevin's heartrate was so high that he felt jittery, nearly losing his grip on the door handle as he pulled it shut behind him, running down the corridor toward the stairs.
He grabbed a handrail at the top of the stairs, staring downwards. It was quiet, and Kevin thought about where he'd run to. He didn't know anyone else except untrustworthy interviewers or exy players from other teams, and it wasn't like Jeremy would want to get involved even if he weren't several states away.
Kevin couldn't go back to the Nest. He couldn't stay here either, and there was nowhere else to go...
Abby didn't think his hand would heal. And if Kevin couldn't play exy not even the Master would want him, so maybe he should just skip the horrible middle part-
Wymack appeared next to him, how the fuck didn't Kevin hear him, and grabbed Kevin's arm. The grip was bruisingly tight, and Kevin scratched his hand trying to pry him off, trying to get some distance between them. Wymack finally let go and Kevin stepped backward, only to find nothing there.
He fell down the first flight of stairs, left hand screaming in pain he caught it on something, and whacked his head into the wall at the bottom. His vision blurred, ears ringing, and he was only vaguely aware of Wymack's heavy footsteps, getting closer until Kevin was being lifted.
"Jeez... So much drama... Lets get you back where you belong..."
Kevin's head hurt, a lot. He blinked and they were somewhere else, staircase gone and replaced with...
Wymack dropped him on the floor, and Kevin was going to be sick. He'd know this court anywhere.
Wymack said something to someone, which just sounded like static to Kevin, and then he was gone before he could realise it. Different footsteps approached, accompanied by the click, click, click of a cane.
"Day." Kevin should've stepped into traffic the first chance he'd gotten- "You're far more stupid than I ever gave you credit for. Did you really think you could escape me?"
"I-"
The Master's cane collided with Kevin's ribs, stealing already hard to come by breath. Then the Master was grabbing his neck, hauling Kevin around to look at him.
"You're never leaving here. Not without my permission."
Which he'd never get, not so long as Kevin was alive and was of any, slight amount of use.
His ears were ringing, but Kevin thought he could almost hear something, distantly.
The Master struck his ribs again, and Kevin curled up on the court floor, staring at where it was scratched. Pick a point, focus on it, just let the Master do what he needs to-
"-evin!"
Kevin's head felt strange, surroundings suddenly hazy. He blinked, closing his eyes...
He opened them, disorientated, in a dim room, something soft shifting under him. Kevin was still for only the moment it took to recognise Wymack in front of him before he was scrambling off of the sofa, slamming his back into a wall.
Wymack was saying something but Kevin couldn't hear it, trying to figure out what the fuck-
Nightmare. It was a nightmare. Kevin could tell from the sticky feeling of sweat and the fact that he was in a completely different place.
"Day? Are you good?"
Kevin nodded, throat too tight to speak.
"Alright. Want to tell me what that was about?"
Wymack was in his nightclothes. Kevin must have woken him. He gripped his shirt with one hand, nails digging into his palm.
"No. I'm sorry for waking you."
Don't put the idea in his head.
"You don't have to be sorry. It happens." Wymack studied him for a moment. "Do you need anything?"
"No. You can go back to bed. I'll be quiet, I promise."
"You don't-" Wymack sighed. "Just try and get some rest, okay?"
The man left, and Kevin tucked himself into a corner, right hand tucking his left against his chest. His head still hurt, despite the fact he hadn't actually hit it on anything, and he couldn't stop shaking. Fuck.
Abby wasn't sure, yet, whether his hand would heal enough for him to play. But when she was, Kevin would have to make a decision. Not that there really was one.