The hated one ( WMMAP male oc )

Wish

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

" Has my existence finally become something worthy of your time ?"

Arius asked , his eyes fearlessly staring back at Claude who stared back with a blank expression . Arius didn't know what the man before him was thinking but he now no longer felt scared thanks to his mother's advice.

Maybe a little part of himself was still scared of confronting his father upfront but Arius stood his ground  awaiting any sorts of answer from Claude .

Arius knew they didn't know he was a adult but he also understood they wouldn't understand the change in his personality because they never knew him at all . But if he was truly a seven year old boy then at this moment Arius would've asked Claude to look at him the same way he looks at Athanasia , with love and care. 

If all of this had happened when he was just a child , Arius would've definitely forgiven Claude without a second thought . Even when Claude forgot him , Arius would have forgiven him because Claude was his father.

But Arius isn't the child he used to be , he believes to have grown up. Only his mother could see how he was actually just a little child hiding behind the walls he had built around himself .

.
.
.
.
.
.

Claude wordlessly stared back at Arius , he had no words to say . It was his fault after all , he had no one to blame but himself . Staring down at his son while standing only a meter apart , Claude could see how thin and pale Arius had become.

Arius's arms looked thinner than a dried tree branch , his skin paler than the white paint on the ceiling .

When he was young , Claude believed he would never be like his father and the empress but now staring at the sickly thin son of his Claude realized he became just what he didn't want to be as a child , an abuser .

Claude thought he no longer cared for his children, that he hated them with all his heart but the moment he saw Athanasia fall down after coughing out blood it felt like his heart was going to break out of his rib cage due to how much it was beating .

At that time he felt worried for the first time in years . And when she finally woke up after a month , He felt relieved . His head finally cleared up but Claude felt like he was forgetting about something . . . something . . . Something  important.

Claude didn't realize what he forgot until Athanasia asked him about Arius . That was when it clicked , he had forgotten his own son . Neglected the very existence of the child he was supposed to nurture.

Now staring back at Arius , Claude felt ashamed of himself . Without realizing Claude became more and more similar to his own father , the Emperor who was absent the majority of his life.

Then he felt a heavy feeling of guilt weigh him down , burdening him in his every step .

Was Claude expecting to be forgiven ? Of course not , he would never expect to be forgiven . Claude didn't forgive the Empress who detested him and orchestrated plays behind the scenes to hurt him , so why should Arius forgive his father who forgot about his own son ?

Claude stared back at Arius's eyes that looked more alive than ever , he couldn't help but be reminded of the resilience of Diana always showcased .