[CLOSED] nothing but broke promises.

[deacon reid rudman]

Deacon smiled into the kiss, hugging him close. Then he let him go, walking downstairs to get the spaghetti from the night before that he had heated up. He put Christy some on a plate, and sat it at the coffee table. He had never really had a need for a dining table. And Bandit could eat beside her at the coffee table. He started cutting her's up into little bits before setting it next to Christy's.

"DINNER!" He called, and he heard Bandit exclaim happily. He poured them both a drink before retreating back into the kitchen so he wouldn't be in Christy's way.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor chuckled, trailing after Christy as she scampered down the stairs, hoisting Bandit up gently and setting her sound at the coffee table. All he could think of was what could have happened if Deacon hadn't stopped him from stepping off that branch.

He followed him into the kitchen, picking up an apple piece as he leaned against the counter, biting into it and chewing halfheartedly. Now that he was eating at all though, he did feel hungry at the times that he ate. He just dreaded the rejection to come.

[deacon reid rudman]

Deacon sat on the island, watching Bandit scoop some of the small noodles onto her spoon. She put it in her mouth carefully, hating to be dirty. She looked up at Deacon, then at Connor. She saw Connor was eating, but that her dad wasn't.

"Eat." She told Deacon, and he shook his head.

"You eat." He told her.

"Oo eat." She said. And he laughed, shaking his head. He took a banana from the fruit bowl, and took a bite of it. He held it in his mouth until she looked away, then spit it into a napkin.

"Num." She said to Christy, poking her meatball with her spoon.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor smiled at the interaction, watching Deacon spit the banana out, finishing off the first apple slice and absently reaching for another as he gazed back at the girls.

Christy smiled, eating her own food, ruby eyes bright and happy, no longer scared.

Connor took it all in, glad she was okay. It seemed Jonathan had never beaten her like Connor, they had taken her into foster care before he had the chance. Connor knew of the one scar from a belt that she did have, diagonally across from her shoulder to hip on her back.

Absently he rubbed at one of his scarred wrists, tracing his fingers over the circular scars of cigarette burns on his right hand, a bad mutilation habit he had picked up not long after he had first started smoking.

[deacon reid rudman]

Deacon looked over at Connor, seeing he was deep in thought. He hoped he was okay, hoped he wasn't hurt. He leaned over, kissing his nose gently. "Hey, handsome. No frowning. You're too amazing for frowning and all that. " He said with a smile, stroking his cheek gently before Bandit was yelling at him to eat again. He took another bite of it, then spit it out when she wasn't looking.

"What a waste of a banana." He said quietly, setting it down on the counter. She yelled at him again, and he held up his now empty hands.

"All gone. Finish eating, pester pants!" He told her, and she giggled, putting her meatball in her mouth. She moved it to one side, poofing out her cheek.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor blinked and the distant look was gone. He smiled faintly back, realizing he had stopped eating, and grabbed another slice of apple. "I'm f-fine," He insisted, watching Deacon take another bite of banana and spit it out once again.

He heard Christy laugh, watching the two with faint interest, finising off another slid, eating slowly. At this rate he knew they would finish a full dinner before he could finish a damned apple.

[deacon reid rudman]

Bandit ate her food slowly, careful not to get anything on her. But when she dropped a noodle on her dress, she screamed, and Deacon looked up from what he was doing on his phone, obviously trying to hide it from Connor.

"What? The boogeyman ate your toe?" He asked. 'I am the boogeyman..' He thought.

She got up, walking over to him. He got up off the counter, locking his phone before setting it down. He picked the noodle off. But she kept crying.

"It's gone, Bandit." He told her.

"No!" She cried, pointing to the sauce.

"Oh my fuck." He groaned, pulling her dress off. She toddled off happily, sitting back at the table.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor glanced over at Deacon with his phone a moment, unable to shake the secretive actions. He eyed it as Deacon set it down, but would never pry like that, shrugging it off as just being paranoid.

Bandit had toddled back over to the coffee table and Connor picked up one of the last four apple slices, realizing just how bad his hands were shaking. The withdrawal was only just setting in, pain medication having confused his body for a brief time, but now he wasn't on that, on nothing but his tranxene for his panic and seizures.

[deacon reid rudman]

Deacon shook his head, sitting back on the table before continuing what he was doing. He put it away after a bit, then drummed his fingers on his legs.

"Christy's gonna stay tonight or does she want Dallas to come get her?" He asked, looking over at him. He noticed his hands were shaking, and assumed it wouldn't be long before he was sick again. "You don't have to finish it. It was a big apple." He said softly, chewing on his snakebite again. He never looked forward to when Connor got sick. But at least it was starting to reject less and less of the food.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor shrugged. "Sh-she can stay here, h-have a sleep over with Bandit," He murmured. He swallowed. "I-it's okay..j-just withdrawal.." He mumbled softly, finishing his current slice of apple before tossing the last three.

He stretched a bit. Connor sat down beside him, resting his head on Deacon's shoulder gently, drawing in a slow breath and closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. He raised a thin, scarred hand curiously, watching it tremble, then gripped his knee in an attempt to stop it.