In the middle of the night

He refused to move away from Lailah, refused to pick his head up from where he had it plastered to her chest despite her smaller size, soaking up the comfort to fend off the awful things that lurked in the dark of his brain. It was the feeling of her forehead bumping his own that had his sobs picking up again for a moment, he hated that none of them had been protected, that they had been hurt so badly that not even sleep was safe. The soft drip of her tears joined his own on his face and he pressed himself closer to give her some comfort too, working himself up to softly humming an old lullaby he used to have sung to him after he woke up from nightmares. It was all he had to give.

It was the sound of Ultyr moving off that had him looking up a small bit, trying to pinpoint in the dark where the other had gone. After a moment, he had to give up, the dark coat having vanished into the shadows like he was made from the woods there. There was no comfort in the other leaving if he was honest, just the vague feeling that something was now missing and that they were alone. Closing his eyes again, he sniffled into the pale chest his face rested against. It was hard to keep his mind from wandering as he calmed down, anxieties chewing at his ribs and threatening to overwhelm him. Just behind that anxiety was self-hate, hatred for being weak after everything that had happened, hatred for not being enough to help his family, hate for every moment he let that monster touch him.

The crunch of leaf litter felt deliberate and purposeful, a way to announce one’s approach, and it let him know that it was Ultyr who had come back before the other had ever said anything aloud. His body kept still against Lailah’s as he offered her comfort for everything she had dealt with the best he could. It is the start of words that have red-rimmed eyes looking up at Ultyr from where he lay.

"I will not harm you. I promised that you may walk away at any time. I am not my father. You may ask Lailah if I have ever hurt her." It took a moment to process the look of grief that colored the ember eyes of Ultyr, from a funeral pyre to a doused campfire. Did he feel bad? Was it pity or just worry about broken toys? It is the sniffle as the large man looked away that told him exactly what that look had been. "Ultyr….just come lay down, please. We need you, need to feel that you’re like us for a little bit. That you’re not an untouchable thing, just for a little while…" Ganymede can’t help the pain that still lingers in his voice, exhausted but not wanting the other to sit alone with his fears and pains no matter who he was or what he had done before. "If not for me then for Lailah, she feels scared." There wasn't a lie there, he could hear her heart pounding against his head where it lay.

"speech"