@mint-eyye continued from [X]
He’d shifted to sit between his brother and the drunken woman who called herself their mother, reaching over to gently wipe away the streak of tears that marked his brother's cheeks, trying to ignore the way his chest tightened with the knowledge that he’d been unable to stop this from happening. Oh, he’d defended him as best as he could - he had his own injuries to show for that, but that didn’t matter. At the moment all that mattered was trying to get Saeran to calm down, to stop him from crying any more - as that could only lead to more shouting, more beatings. He leaned over and gently pulled his brother into his arms, stroking his hair with one hand as he gently rocked him back and forth, ignoring the fiery pain in his own sides, concentrating only on trying to help his brother to feel warmer, safer, better. He honestly wished that he could take away all the pain. He’d take it all on himself - if it meant that Saeran could just be happy. “No. It’s not your fault. You’re not a bad kid”, he frowned and kissed his cheek before glancing back towards the front of the room, trying to make out if their mother was drunk enough or not to pass out soon. Maybe if they could get outside for a few hours it would help make Saeran feel a little better? Maybe. It was always a risk but one he took whenever possible. “Here”, he whispered softly so no one but Saeran would hear, “If we can stay quiet until she passes out I’ll take us outside for a while, okay? We can get ice cream and watch the sky... so be brave for me okay?”. He flashed him the biggest smile that he could summon, nuzzling against the side of his brother's neck with a soft sigh. “I’ll get us out of here - I promise... I’ll protect you...”
