Strawberry Panic {TomTord}

An actual gay mystery

Inflamed, a scorching red heat burned his pale face. Tiny needles of pain prickled the flesh, pulsing over his tight twitching muscles. Trails of thin tears trickled lazily down the abused skin, a hot mixture of salt and grit rubbing unpleasantly against the rapidly forming bruise.

He didn't need a mirror to know it was moulded into the shape of a very large hand print.

A jumbled mess of gasping, choked off cries tumbled from his gaping mouth; a chaotic mix of shock, fear and sadness welling up in his throat.

Eyes wide, they watched unblinkingly as the raving form of his father paced hurriedly back and forth, spitting a furious flurry of curses he was too young to fully understand. A noxious foam frothed sluggishly out of his scowling mouth, teeth bared in a feral display of anger.

Had his fathers' teeth always been that long?

Trembling slightly, he brought a small hand to rest on the mark, testing the burning flair of pain that sizzled at his touch. Ebbing coolness seeped from his open palm, the contrast feeling quite odd against the gentle throbbing. Flinching, he squinted, forcing out a few more rogue tears to spill sloppily from his clenched sockets.

Slurred speech faded into a dull roar, lowering into an indistinct hush of background noise. Blood rushed through his ears, overly loud and boiling, heartbeat pounding distantly in his chest. Breathing seemed hard, lungs contracting harshly as something crackled in his dry throat. Vision blurred, the dismal surroundings warping in a smear of colour, black spots dancing across his distorted view.

"Hey!" Another slap- on the same cheek, no less. A sharp stinging sensation crawled up his features, left eye twitching in irritation. Two massive hands wrap themselves around his shoulders, nails digging into the fabric of his shirt, shaking him back and forth roughly- neck snapping up at the harsh motion, "Were you even listening, you little shit?"

Staying mute, he simply licked his lips, staring blankly as a matching pair of smouldering black eyes burned into his own.

With a growl, the shaking became harder, the grasp even tighter- an angry face coming closer, "You're so useless- I always knew you were slow, but this is ridiculous."

Disappointment oozed from the scathing words, black and poisonous, it leaked from the core; from a place of profound honesty, left to rot in a gaping pit of resentment and dissatisfaction.

It hurt.

A snap sounded close to his face, sharp and aggravated, "I said, are you listening to me? Is there even a brai-"

"Where's mom?" The question came out before it even formed in his mind, the simple question slipping out easily through his slack mouth.

Face tightening, the horrific soulless glare hardened, eyes narrowing into pointed slits, "You stupid, stupid boy."

--

A soft, chaste kiss was pressed lightly against the centre of his forehead, supple skin brushing gently, reassuringly.

"Be a good boy, and behave whilst I'm gone, alright?" Spoken neatly against his flesh, mouth hovering over his temples- it felt like a brand mark, etched into his bones, and imprinting on his soul. An echo sounded in his head, words coiling viciously like snakes, the confident measured speech latching parasitically onto his subconscious.