Sunbeam Lair eventually, the world stood in our way

She says his name again but he still doesn’t move any more than he has. Part of him is afraid if he moves, if he so much as looks at the woman, he may turn and leave and not look back. It is tempting and he struggles more to stay here, stay somewhere where he is not important. His services could have been done by any one else but she caught him early, lured him in with her scent, to use him. She manipulated him into thinking they were his children, and only his, and when everything had sucked until then, gave him hope.

Eventually, upon her apology and request, he can’t help but to flip himself over and sit upright. He doesn’t make to sit up or stand and stares at her for a long moment as he tries to cycle through more and more angry words.

“You’re not sorry,” he tells her, thinking of the regular cliché rebuttals but none of them come to mind. “You wanted to use me and I fell for it,” he adds and looks away. Perhaps if he had not found Tavi he might have seen it sooner but his vulnerability continued to be latched on. His chest heaves in a snort, amused by his predicament.