Blood.

Chapter Six: Half and Half.

Milo missed them so much it hurt to breathe. He had Nic. He had the younger ones. He knew that. He had love but no one loved the way Alina and Vince did, the way they held him and the way they made him feel like nothing in the world could hurt him. Right now, Milo felt that anything in the world could hurt him. He felt like he would let himself be hurt and when he met Nico's eyes, Milo was sure that Nico felt the same. 

Aurora's P.O.V:

As Dustin's arms wrapped around me and as tears leaked from my eyes, as I held the material of his jacket in my fist and as I wanted to cry even louder, to show my hurt, as I did all of that my brother simply held me. No shushing noises. No words. Just his strong muscular arms wrapped around mine. 

Until I let go. 

I let go only when I had stopped with most of my tears. He had to have travelled to be here and Dustin must be hungry, I rubbed my eyelids. He took the hand away from my eyes. 

Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.

After Austin had gone, everyone did that. Justin. Landon. Dustin. Vince. Alina.  It had been such a long while since someone did that. Austin. I miss Austin.

A sob escaped my mouth, my hands covered it and I shook my head. Dustin's eyes looked more emotional than I had ever seen them. He continued to hold my hands in his own and looked down into my eyes, bending his head as he shook it. 

"Hey," He murmured softly, "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'll take you out for dinner. Just the two of us. We will get pizza and I will tell you about college. It's okay, Aurora, it's going to be okay."

"I-I.." I took a deep breath as I watched his eyes widen and his face get paler, I gripped his fingers with my own, "I'm fine."

He did not say anything, just thumbed the remaining tears from my face so gently and with so much care that it my chest ache with all the feelings that I thought I had successfully buried. 

"You look so beautiful," He told me, "So pretty. Come on, if you cry all the glitter on your face will run down."

I chuckled wetly.

"It's an aesthetic," I told him, "Mascara running down her Bambi eyes and all."

"I doubt I would like it."

Dustin never talked much and so it was obvious my condition was quite pathetic for him to be speaking so much. I reached out to hug him one last time. He wrapped his arms around me yet again and for those few moments I felt like the safest girl in the world. 

I missed Nic.

Dustin opened the door of the car for me when I let go and I smiled at him.

"Don't get used to it," He muttered as he shut my side of the door and went over to his own. There was silence as he continued to drive and glanced at me whenever he could.

"I'm fine!" I reassured him. 

"I don't think so," He assured me. 

"I am," I pressed, "I have a good room, I get food and I have more money than I know what to do with. I am fine. The emotions of the day must have caught"-

"I'm not fucking stupid and you should be the last person talking about money, we both know that you know it is not the most important thing in life."

"On the contrary, I am the only person who grew up without it."

"Alina did too," He told me, perhaps as revenge in his mind but nevertheless he told me and I wish I had known more and asked more and clung to Alina to get her to change her mind, but I did not. I stared at him in silence. Dustin continued, "Until she was five, she was in an orphanage."

"What?" I breathed out.

"When they were children," Dustin turned a corner as he told me, "They were often in trouble. The other three got more tangible punishments, anyone could scold anyone but no one ever scolded Alina but Uncle Percy. No one."

"Actually?"

"They talked sense into her sure, but a full blown blow up session? No one but Uncle Percy."

"Why did you tell me this?"

"Because you're growing up and we know almost all about you. I figured we should return the favor."

"Is this to make sure I don't cry again?"

"What? When did you get a brain?" He asked with feigned shock and I laughed. Justin. I miss Justin. 

We stopped in front of the cafe where I was first brought to by Milo. 

"We got half and half here," I told Dustin as he parked the car.

"What?"

"Half pizza with pineapple, half without."

"Full pizza with pineapple it is."

"NO WAY!" I turned to him. And he laughed. Indulgently. Loudly. Twinkling eyes.

I made Dustin Black laugh. It was a noteworthy achievement and as I looked out the window. I came to terms with the simple fact that I missed Milo too.

______________

Hello!

How are you guys?

The blacks are back. New deal, one chapter every two weeks or so?

Also, potentially, if I was to make another account and publish a book about a boy who drowns in art and a boy breathes life back into him, a girl swallowed by grief and the boy who haunts them all stuck in the same house for months...would you read it?

I'm trying to figure out how to connect the Blacks to them. I will have you know that I reference my first babies in whatever work I am working on. 

Anyway, you would read it, right?

Hypothetically, of course.

And Blood gets, for the major part, sad from here on out if it was not obvious so if you are having a bad day and you see an update thinking it will bring happiness, it will not. 

Also my instagram:

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Adios Amigos. <3