[crow]

She took a deep breath and opened the door, steeling herself for what she'd find inside.

In what seemed like a little miracle, the living room was empty. She had expected their dad to be there, probably passed out on the couch with a hangover, but he was nowhere to be seen. She gave Elliot a silent all-clear, and he shuffled in next to her. She bent down to unlace her shoes, wincing at the pain that shot up her side. That was going to be lovely in the coming weeks; she dreaded the thought of sleeping without drugs, too.

“Charlie, are you okay?” Elliot asked, his face scrunched up with concern. She grinned at him and ruffled his hair, making a mental note to hide the pain better next time.

[crow]

“I'm fine. You should hurry up to your room before mom and dad come back,” she said, ushering him ahead of her. He went, but not without a few last doubtful glances at her. Charlie breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and resumed taking off her shoes at a more leisurely pace. She might have taken off her jacket too, but the house was still frigid.

A sound from the bathroom made her freeze in place instinctively. Listening closely, it sounded like someone retching; her dad must not have been gone after all. Cursing, she kicked off her shoes, making a break for the stairs as quickly as she could go.

[crow]

She wasn't quick enough. She heard the bathroom door open, her dad groaning as he stumbled out. She couldn't run but she kept walking, hoping he'd be too tired or hung over to get on her case. Hey, maybe he wouldn't notice his grown-ass child. He forgot about her and Elliot often enough as it was.

She should have known better than to count on that. Her luck, or her dad's perceptions, didn't work that way. He spotted her out of the corner of his eye and took a few stumbling steps toward her.

[crow]

“And where the hell were you last night?” he asked. She still had her back turned to him, so she couldn't see him, but she could already smell the reek of cheap alcohol and puke.

There was a moment's pause in which she debated the best approach to take with him, and settled on trying to play it casual. “Oh, I was just at Dave's. Movie night. You know the deal,” she said, still not turning around. From the back, he couldn't see her injuries, but if she turned around he'd be able to see her face. She had no idea what she looked like, exactly, but based on reactions from last night, it couldn't have been anything good.

[crow]

She went on, “Seems like you and mom had some work to do, so we made ourselves scarce.” That was a lie, of course; everyone knew that he had gotten smashed-up drunk, and her mother had gone out. Nobody talked about it though. Bringing up things like that was a one-way ticket to a verbal lashing, if not more. She wished she could look at his face, to better read him, but she remained resolutely facing the stairs.

“Tch,” he said. “Sleeping around just like your goddamn bitch of a mother. I suppose you're proud of yourself for hooking up with some homeless asshole, huh?”

[crow]

The hangover may have made him slow and weak, but it put him in a biting mood. Charlie's grip tightened on the rail of the stairs, and she reminded herself that there was no point to reacting to him. He was just running his mouth like he always did, and it wasn't anything she hadn't heard before. And what would arguing do for her anyway? If he was in a laughing mood, he'd say that she was just proving her point. If he wasn't...

But her dad must have been looking for a fight. “You're not going to say anything, huh? Too good for the likes of your father now, are we?” His voice rose, not quite shouting just yet but close.

[crow]

“Well, you ain't shit! You think you're so great? You ain't shit! Good-for-nothing, ungrateful whelp! How many times have you got kicked out of school, huh?” She ground her teeth together until it hurt, her knuckles gone almost as white as the paint on the rail. It was only words. He didn't know shit either; he was just taking his bad mood on anyone close at hand. “If you're so great, how come the only job you can get is at that piece-of-shit video store? How come that scumbag you're screwing hasn't gone and married you yet?” He was shouting in full force now, and it was all that Charlie could do not to wince. She wasn't afraid of him anymore, not really, but old habits died hard.

[crow]

Something else caught her attention, and without moving, Charlie looked up. She could just barely make out Elliot, lying on his stomach at the top of the stares, looking down at her. He mouthed something, but she couldn't tell what, and she tried to motion with her eyes for him to leave. With their dad being as loud as he was, there was no way he could avoid hearing anything, but at least he could distract himself.

“Look at me when I'm talking to you, you disrespectful little shit!” A hand grabbed Charlie by the arm, twisting her around. Caught by surprise, Charlie had no time to resist or cover her face, but even if she had, it probably would have damned her anyway.

[crow]

At least the sight of her state left him shocked for a moment, during which Charlie did her best to recover. She stared defiantly at him, unable to do anything more. Despite her best efforts to remain unfazed, her guts coiled up as she waited for his reaction. He snorted, which turned into a chuckle, then a full-blown laugh.

“So, this is how he treats you, huh? Serves you right,” he said. “And here you come crawling back to us. Don't you go whining about how we're no good to you. You try running away, see what happens.”

[crow]

He walked off, still chuckling to himself, but Charlie stayed where she was for a long time, waiting for her jaw to unclench. Her breathing evened out slowly, and her hand relaxed more slowly still. She knew that she had gotten off relatively lightly. His amusement at her injuries had put him in a good enough mood that he had let her go, and she knew from experience that his tirade might have gone much longer. Still, she felt drained now, and wanted nothing more than to sleep and wake up somewhere else.

She trudged her tired way up to the top of the stairs, where Elliot was still waiting. He looked up at her with huge, apologetic eyes. “It's okay, I'm fine,” she said, but she knew it didn't sound convincing.

[crow]

“I'm sorry Charlie,” he said with a wobble in his voice. “I wanted to say something, but...”

“It's okay,” she repeated. “I'm used to it, remember? Besides, you and I know the truth, so it doesn't matter what he says, right?” She had just one smile left in her, and she used it now, but Elliot shook his head.

“Words can hurt too. You don't have to pretend he didn't hurt you.” He scooted over and laid a hand on her back as gently as he could. “You can cry if you want to. Sometimes you feel better after.”

[crow]

She wondered how many times he must have cried himself to have arrived at that truth. Charlie took a long look at her brother, who returned her gaze solemnly. He was still so small, short and skinny even for his age. Yet here he was, trying to comfort her. Much as she hated to admit that she might need him to do so, his words did put her more at ease.

She swept him into a hug, or as much of one as she could manage. He hugged her back gently. “When did you get to be so smart, huh?” she asked softly. He giggled weakly.

“I read more,” he said.

“You nerd,” she said. Normally she would have given him a noogie, but they were both too tired for that.

[crow]

In a more serious voice, Elliot said, “You should get some more sleep. Don't worry, I'll stand lookout. I'll wake you up if something happens.”

She was in no state to turn down that offer. “You're the best, champ,” she said, walking the rest of the way to the bed and setting herself gingerly down. Elliot followed her in and closed the door almost all the way, leaving just enough space for him to peer out. She experimented with positions until she found the one that hurt the least. She still ached all over, and she didn't honestly know if she'd fall asleep, but it felt good to lie down even if it did hurt.