[ the hits connect, the latter with an audible crunch — which is the sound that startles charles from the daze he's fallen into, staring with wide eyes, worried and impressed and something else that flits around inside his ribcage — he starts forward, takes a few unsteady steps before finding his feet under him again and hurrying to junpei's side, grabbing his hand, threading their fingers together. ]
Hey, [ he says, sounding choked, ] Hey, it's okay, let's — let's just go, yeah? He's not worth it.
[ he pulls, then, on their entwined hands, to punctuate his words. on the ground, his father is groaning, holding a hand to his nose, muttering something charles can't quite hear but can infer has to do with the way they're holding hands and — ignoring that, yeah, if they leave now... maybe the glitches will stop, then, if he just ignores them completely. and his dad, well, he doesn't deserve a speck of either of their attention, really. ]
Junpei, [ charles says, just to make sure he really has his attention, ] Come on. Please.
the holy trifecta of animal cruelty, abuse and casual racism/homophobia...
Hey, [ he says, sounding choked, ] Hey, it's okay, let's — let's just go, yeah? He's not worth it.
[ he pulls, then, on their entwined hands, to punctuate his words. on the ground, his father is groaning, holding a hand to his nose, muttering something charles can't quite hear but can infer has to do with the way they're holding hands and — ignoring that, yeah, if they leave now... maybe the glitches will stop, then, if he just ignores them completely. and his dad, well, he doesn't deserve a speck of either of their attention, really. ]
Junpei, [ charles says, just to make sure he really has his attention, ] Come on. Please.