Defend.
defend: i’ll write a drabble of my character protecting yours.
This isn’t supposed to happen.
This is NEVER supposed to happen. They aren’t supposed to get involved. No one is supposed to get involved! No one is ever supposed to get hurt because of h e r . She is supposed to TAKE THE ABUSE and then pretend it doesn’t happen, doesn’t hurt like so many brokens, so many its, so many things, smile for her friends, be happy, and they are supposed to think her normal, think her free of pain. But this — broken thing could not even manage THIS.
And this is the punishment she is to endure for letting him see. Why is he so stupid? Why couldn’t he have ignored it, kept walking, when he saw the small girl cornered { back to wired fencing no place to run no place to run no place to run FUCK!! } by the taller figures she has grown to f e a r . Why did he get involved — why did he have to — ??
“Hey, get the hell away from her!” “Aw, look, it’s got a boyfriend!”
And now — ? Xion wrenches uselessly against Larxene’s grip, but her nails are sharp and she has her thin arms bent back too severely to allow her any movement without pain shooting up her elbows to her shoulders and her neck but it shouldn’t MATTER. They are hurting him! He tried to defend her and now he is black and blue like they sometimes leave her, they are hurting him, and they’re making her watch and they were never supposed to GET INVOLVED.
“Let go of me! STOP IT! STOP HURTING HIM!”
Seifer stops, just momentarily, fist drawn back while the other remains tightened in Riku’s collar. Her breath exits her whole body as she leans towards the broken boy { i’m sorry, i’m sorry, he’s one of my best friends! } and Larxene shifts one hand to gesture at the bloodied boy and offer some quip, no doubt, but Xion’s right arm can MOVE again and she lets out a shout and wrenches free { FUCK! IT HURTS! } at last and knocks the manic blonde back onto her ass in the same movement. Then, she HURLS herself at Seifer.
she doesn’t normally fight them herself. it only makes it worse. but for him? — oh, what she wouldn’t do.
She is stronger than she looks, yes, but not stronger than him. But the fist she slams into his face is full up of rage, sharp with scabbing guilt, and it sends him stumbling back and bending over, hand over his { now bleeding } nose. Fuu and Rai freeze { too shocked at it defending itself, certainly! } long enough for Xion to draw back { she wants to beat the shit out of him but riku is here and he is bleeding and he has to come before the part of her that always wants to destroy } and take Riku’s hand, pulling him to his feet and then tugging him with her and the pair runs, runs, runs. She’s gotten very very good at running.
She doesn’t stop until they’re outside her pathetic excuse for a home, and he barely manages to stop then. Burning chest and heaving breaths keep speech silenced for a long couple of minutes, stretching on as blue eyes dart between him { is he okay? is he angry? } and the street they’d come from { are they following us? are we safe? } and back again. When she can finally breathe and she thinks she can speak without crying { without the guilt clogging her throat like globs of tar } deathly pale lips part to offer up the phrase she seems to be saying to him SO OFTEN lately.
“Are you okay? I’m so — sorry, Riku.”
Electric optics widen, and her eyes mirror his own as entire form stiffens — he looks angry, now. She prepares another round of apologies, perches them on her lips perilously close to plunging off, but the boy silences her by striding forward and pulling her into his arms. The contact is not unfamiliar but there is something urgent to this embrace that has her eyes filling up even before any words pass his lips at all.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Xion.”
