Redhawk Caldera She's got an appetite for lightin' dynamite

this entire thread is so beautiful yet heartbreaking.

The feelings of his parents weighed heavily upon Eljay's shoulders. It was like he was constantly trying to dam them, stopping them from pouring out; out of him or out of them. Even as he wandered over to his father and daddy put a smile on his face, a mask to show mommy that everything was okay, to show Eljay that everything was okay, it was evident how very not okay things were. Eljay wondered if it was because of him that they felt the way they did, if he had done something wrong somehow.

Daddy said he had to smile, too, and Eljay forced a smile on his face. He looked over his shoulder then, smiling at mommy alongside daddy, even if it was all just empty gestures without the matching emotions.