"It's that guy with all those damn rats!"

Sinking deeper into the couch, he propped his laptop on his knees, trying to ignore the static that clogged his thoughts.

Even Jaxs— when he could dare to look at the guy.

Today, even, he'd left at some point that morning, and taken the pokemon, said something like, 'they need fresh air, they can't just wither in here like you'.

He'd.. even taken Dusky.

So Lus was alone.

It was all the same, every damn time.

And now he didn't even know what day it was anymore.

..When was the last time he even talked to his mother?

Suddenly, a knock at his door, a deviation from the routine he'd been used to.

"Hey, I need you to sign this package." A voice yelled out, Silas' voice. In his arms he coincidentally did have a package for Lus.

The noise nearly made him jump out of his own skin, and the voice, arc why did it have to be him? Of all the times.

With a heavy groan he shut his laptop, put it off to the side, and went to the door. Peeking through the window, it was him. Of fucking course. He didn't open the door, but spoke through it, "The fuck do you want? And why should I let you in?"

A pause for a moment, Silas holding up a plush of a sandile to the window.

"I'm here on family business, your family specifically, your Ma wanted you to have this guy." He stood there, halfway expecting to be turned away like Luce.

That made Lus pause. Shit, that was one he'd left at home, but he'd been obsessed with it as a kid. After stalling for a minute, looking between Silas and the sandile, he moved away from the window and opened the door.

Stepping aside, he kept his arms close when he let him in.

"Thanks for the invite. Oh yeah, she also brought me some food for you, was concerned you weren't eatin'." Sure enough he had a container in a plastic bag currently held in his other arm. As he walked in he looked for a countertop to place the bag, and turned to hand deliver the sandile to Lus.

"She's worried about you by the way."

He didn't really want to get too close to Silas, but Lus slowly reached out and snatched the sandile from him anyway. Holding it close to his chest, he tried to remember, fuck what was its name? Dune, that was it.

He had to look back up at Silas eventually, and kept huddled in on himself. "So she sent you of all people to play errand boy?"

"Yeah, she sent me of all people, cause someone ain't doing too dandy of a job communicatin' with her." There was an air of iritation in his voice, as subdued as he tried to keep it looking at Lus carrying that memento.

Holding Dune closer, he rolled his eyes a bit, looking at the floor. "Like that's any of your business." It wasn't quite a snap, but he didn't hide his own hostility. What, was he gonna get another lecture today?

He tried to move away, wandering closer to the counter, maybe change the subject. "What's in the bag?"

"Some grub. Again, from your Ma, so you can thank her that I didn't make you something cause you'd be faring even worse then." Silas gritted his teeth, his fingers twitching as he directed his focus to Lus'.

"She knows you well enough to know you ain't takin' care of yourself." Silas turned his stare away from Lus. Jaxs wasn't here? He hoped he wasn't already run off.

For a long second, Lus didn't say anything, just kept his eyes at the ground. Instead, he moved further away, looking in the bag to have an excuse. Combusken and pasta, yeah that tracked. Picking it up to put it in the fridge, he kept his back to Silas.

"That's not somethin' for her to worry about. I'm handlin' myself." A snip, short and sharp.

"Yeah, handling yourself. She's got eyes Lus, you're wastin' away and your body's screamin at you to take care of it." He scoffed, seeing Lus keep his back to him, not even gonna look the old man in the eyes as you're lying to him.

Lus's grip tightened on the handle, and he shoved his hand into his pocket, keeping his eyes averted. "I'm fine and it ain't any of your damn business. Why the fuck should you care anyway?" He could keep lying to his mother, she didn't need that. This was just insulting.

"Dumbass, you made it my business when your Ma got me to come over because you're avoiding her, it became my business when my friend- someone I give a shit about, started pushing us away." A slip of the tongue, one he might not have made if he was less agitated.

That made Lus snap back around to him, "Is that what you're fuckin' callin' me now?!" Really? He reflexibly held the sandile closer, getting nearer to him and snapping at the offense. "Can you fuckin' blame me?! When— ugh."

What, had he really just come here to lecture him?

"When what? When we were concerned about you? When we started taking you out for food and taking care of your pokemon?" Silas' words were getting a little more heated, even his quesions held animosity.

Lus just shook his head at that, glaring at him. "What, are you tryin'a make me feel guilty? This is what I'm fuckin' talkin' about!" Gesturing toward him with a forceful hand, Lus scowled. "The talkin' down to me, the never fuckin' seein' me unless someone else makes you!"

"You didn't even come here 'cause you wanted to, my mom told you to! It's all just big talk and callin' me shit behind my back, and then actin' like I'm the crazy one." He tipped his head to emphasize the point.

"What I'm trying to do is to stop you from making things worse for yourself. Your Ma wouldn't have even asked me to if you weren't being such a jackass to everyone." Silas met Lus gaze, getting increasingly irritated.

"What would you do if I visited more, treat me like Luce? What the fuck have you been calling her behind his back? You're an asshole to us Lus." Silas pinched his brow in frustation.

He was and he knew it.

Not like he was going to admit that to Silas.

"Why do you keep havin' to do this?!" His heart was in his ears, voice cracking. He dropped his hand to his side before cocking his head, but his desperation was clear through the snark. "And you're definitely helpin' your case, here, totally. Givin' me loads of reasons to trust you!"

Fuck, he wanted out of this. "Is this all you're gonna fuckin' do, every damn time?! Just talk my ear off like I'm seven?" Quickly looking around, he started trying to move towards the bedroom.

"I don't need you to fucking trust me, but I know a thing or two about throwing away everyone who cares about you and I don't want you to do the same stupid thing." It hurt, hurt a lot, Silas had seen Lus direct this anger to Axel to Luce, but it hurt feeling it towards himself for once.

Lus threw his head back, turning to him while he tried to get around Silas to hug the wall. What tauroshit."Yeah, 'cause you clearly fuckin' care about me, with how you treat me!" Just talking like he knew everything. "Just a fuckin' inconvenience, somethin' for you to put back in its place."

His hands balled into fists, the nails of his free hand digging into his palm, the frustration and desperation overtaking him. He couldn't fucking stand this. Hands shaking with emotion, he snarled up at Silas as he moved past.

"If I wanted to be fuckin' lectured by someone who thinks I'm a burden, I'd just go find the dick who abandoned us."

Storming to his room, he tried to slam the door behind him, to finally fucking leave and be alone.

A thud was heard, right behind Lus. It did not shut. Standing right there was Silas, having caught the door.

"You- dont know what the fuck you're talking about." Silas was seething, and he pulled himself through the doorway, staring Lus down, an intense anger in his voice and eyes.

"That fucker didn't give the smallest shit about any of you. You're the only one saying you're a burden here, not me."

It made Lus nearly jump, startled and left staring, backing several steps away. Shit he looked pissed. It took a second for him to speak, his throat clamping up when Silas had shoved through the door. "I I think I know what I'm fuckin' talkin' about– !" He was shaking, holding Dune tightly to his chest. "I can fuckin' see how you act– I'm not blind!"

"How the fuck am I acting? Am I telling my friends to fuck off when they come see me? Am I the one acting like a fucking kid?" He was burning up, nearly red in the face as he hollared at Lus. Staring down at the boy.

"You're the scared little boy running away from everyone who gives a shit about you. I didn't make any of those choices for you." He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, eyes clenching, throat burning as he retorted.

Any words Lus had died in his throat, left blinking and his breath quickening, a sting in his chest. He'd been right, of course he fucking was, just a kid, really–?

Certainly showing how mature you are, look at you.

He looked down at what he was holding, and what took over him was almost desperate, quickly moving two steps back and throwing the sandile away, it landing on his bed, and his heart was pounding. Looking back up at Silas, he struggled for words, tears pricking the corners of his eyes, and just choked out, "Just shut up!"

"Would your Ma be happy with how you're fucking acting? Everyone's gonna treat you like your sibling does at this rate." Silas growled out.

"SHUT UP!" Lus shouted, though it was more of a cry, "Just- go away!"

He gestured aggressively but his voice faltered, "And– and leave my mom outta this! She– she doesn't need this!" He kept backing away, as if that would help.

"She doesn't. So what the fuck are you gonna do about it, or are you satisfied being a little shit to us?" He snapped back, hands shaking from frustration. Stepping forward towards Lus.

No way out.

His breath choked in his throat. He didn't wanna hurt her, that was the last thing in the world Lus wanted to do. And any idea of a retort died, and he just stared up at Silas while his chest heaved, starting to shake and unable to fight those tears. Taking another step back, he didn't take his eyes away, but that wouldn't save him.

"Me? Like that scumbag? You're as bad as your Aunt, you're as bad as that fucking Cocksucker that broke your ma and Sibling's hearts all those years ago, way to make everyone proud!" Another step forward, as he grilled harder into Lus.

Lus's chest ached, his hands shaking, and those words hit like a dagger to the heart. Shaking his head, he managed to get enough words to snap back, "No! That's not– QUIT IT!" But his voice broke.

He stepped back further, away, back and back, staring up at Silas with wide eyes until– his back hit the wall. And fear struck through him like a lightning bolt, seizing his muscles and shutting his throat. Glancing around quickly, it made his heart drop. He was trapped.

Frozen, panic rising, his breathing quickening and heartrate spiked, he was cornered, and Silas was very angry.

"You don't know what it's like to lose everything you fucking care about, all you do is think about yourself, you could have gotten Axel a card, you could have asked for Luce to come by another day, you could have stayed with your sibling all those years ago on your journey but you didn't. You made the choice to be this fucking Selfish." Silas snarled out at Lus, consumed in his rage he failed to see Lus panicking there against the wall.

Another step forward, and nowhere for Lus to go.

He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, truth knows he couldn't speak, no matter how much he might've tried to say something, anything— to defend himself, Lus's throat clamped up as he pressed harder against the wall. "I– I–" was all he could mutter, cut off with a choke.

He couldn't control how much he was shaking, or stop the crying, just staring up at those angry eyes. There was no getting away nothing he could do but oh fuck what if— Silas was violent he knew this he'd seen it oh twin spirits bless his soul—

He slid down, to the floor, to try to look smaller, in some attempt to not get hurt.

But though he stared down at Lus, Silas was blinded by rage.

"So- Grow The Fuck Up!" Silas howled at Lus. Voice echoing in the small room from the sheer volume.

The words left to hang in the empty air.

Pressed hard against the wall, flinching violently and trying to shield from the anger, Lus just stared up at him with nothing but fear. His chest heaved with panicked breaths, tears streaming down his face.

Finally, as silence filled the room, Silas finally saw Lus's face, and he stepped back.

And felt an icy breath at his ear, words from nowhere in particular, spoken with a grin.

"Look what you've done. He's terrified. You're a monster."

All that anger in a moments notice just dissipated and replaced with a typhoon of other emotions: regret, sorrow, fear.

'You Moron, how could you have treated him this way?'

'Learn to laugh it off Kid! You get used to it!'

'He won't ever forget this. We went too far.'

Pain gripped his chest, he took a step back. How could he have done such a thing.

He looked up at the boy, he could hear his breath, see the pain on his face. Silas grabbed at his own hair and pulled, hard.

A monster, always a monster. He growled and turned away "Ffffuckk!" He shouted at himself.

The moment there was enough space, Lus clambered to his feet, visibly shaking, eyes wide with terror. His movements were frantic, face red with tears, and he darted out of the nearest opening away from Silas.

Briefly he stared back at him, breathing heavily.

Silas barely even processed Lus run past him before Lus was looking at him, he turned his head to him, wrecked with grief.

"Im- I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry Lus."

The words fell on empty ears, and empty air, as Lus barely lingered before bolting for the front door.

Silas stumbled towards the door, cursing and apologizing over and over again.

"Im- Such- He didn't deserve That."

By the time he reached the outside, Lus was already gone.

Silas looked around, trying to see if he could find any sign of Lus. He needed to make this up, any way he could.

'Where would he even go, how many people does he trust at this point?'

Another pang of pain in his chest. Certainly one less.