Cries of pain echoed through Denzel's small room as fists went flying. It wasn't the first time Cloud had hit Denzel and it wouldn't be the last so long as he didn't say anything. Every time Cloud had a bad day,he would come into Denzel's room and take his anger out on him instead of buying a punching bag that would make a lot less noise. And apparently,Cloud must've had a really bad day because he was literally beating the boy into the floor and was bruising his knuckles in the process. Denzel was lying on his back with his hands in front of his face as he tried to block Cloud's fists. Cloud was sitting on Denzel's legs,mainly to prevent the boy from kicking. He was also hitting his ribs.
It was a given that at least four days out of the week,Cloud would get back to the bar and head straight for Denzel. Sometimes,Cloud would beat the child for the fun of it. And with every good beating came bruises. Every time Denzel appeared with new bruises on his face,all of Avalanche would question him on why he looked like he went through a machine. Of course Cloud would get stiff without anyone seeing him and to prevent from being beaten some more,Denzel would say that he keeps tripping over his things and on the stairs.
It hurt Denzel when he had to lie,especially when it came to Tifa,Cid,Nanaki,and for some reason,it hurt more than even the bruises and broken ribs when he lied to Vincent,the creepiest of the group. But also the softest. Vincent would constantly question Denzel about the bruises and it hurt the man to no end to be told nothing was wrong when really,there was something wrong. Nanaki had stated multiple times that the stench of blood was all over the child,but without details and answers,nothing could be done...
One more blow to Denzel's rib cage and Cloud finished, getting off the child and rubbing his knuckles. 'Damn...think I broke something...'Cloud though as he felt a bone in his hand crack. Denzel was lying on his floor,breathing heavily. Multiple ribs were broken,and he had a black eye for trying to protect himself. He tried to look at Cloud,but his vision was blurry through the black eye and tears of pain. ''...C-cloud...?'' ''Patch yourself up.'' Denzel lay still and watched Cloud leave. Sighing heavily,Denzel struggled to push himself up. He had three broken ribs...and they weren't going to be easy to hide.
Finally getting himself to his feet,Denzel scurried out of his room and ran into Yuffie's room. He knew the ninja was bound to have a potion or two. He searched her dresser,contemplated stealing a pear of her panties and decided against it,searched under her bed,and found three potions. Denzel only needed one. One would be just enough to heal his ribs. Denzel hurried back to his room,potion in hand,and opened his own dresser. He kept a first aid kit hidden among his shirts. When Denzel picked up the sound of footsteps on the stairs,he popped the cap off the potion,choked it down,and threw the bottle under his bed. Then he pulled out a few of his toys and threw them on the floor and dropped to the floor.
At that moment, Cid came into the room. ''Oh,no...Not again,Den.'' Denzel picked himself back up. ''I'll be fine,Cid. Don't worry.'' The pilot looked at the child and noted the blood trail that ran from his nose to his clavicle and the lack of blood on the floor. ''Well,awright...jus' makin' sure,''Cid said as he turned around and left.
''I'm tellin' ya...He ain't trippin' over his stuff!''Cid implied to the man that he sat in front of. Said male quirked a brow and looked down for a minute,his long raven black hair draping over his face for a minute before he looked back up. ''You said he had a few toys on the floor,yes?''Vincent spoke. ''Yeah,but everyone knows if ya trip over a toy,ya wind up faceplantin' yerself and breakin' yer nose an' gettin' blood all over the floor...An' there wasn't any blood on the floor. It was just his toys...somethin' ain't right.'' Vincent pondered over the pilot's words.
He looked over at the rest of the people in the bar,and noted that the moment he looked at Cloud,his head turned away. He was listening. Vincent sighed and stood from his seat. ''I will go check on him.'' Cid nodded towards the man and lit up a cigarette. Several years of lectures and practice had taught Cid not to smoke when he was sitting with Vincent. But if he was having a nicotine fit,Vincent usually told him to go outside and smoke.
Vincent walked up the stairs quietly so as to not alert Denzel of his presence.
Host,can you smell that?Vincent picked up his head. The scent of sweat and blood filled the air. The air was also thick and heavy. But there was another smell.
Alcohol pads. The boy is cleaning a wound...And a deep one at that. Vincent picked up the sound of whimpering. Denzel was crying...heavily. The gunman wasn't surprised in the least. Alcohol pads stung like a bitch on an open wound,no matter how big. Cat scratches turned into gunshot wounds when an alcohol pad came into contact with them. Vincent followed the scent to the bathroom in Denzel's room. He entered and stood quietly,leaning against the doorway. The man also noted the child's shirt on the floor and the insanely large bloodstain that took up at least half of the gray cloth. Denzel was cleaning a ripped open section of skin on his side. One of the ribs that had broken under Cloud's brute forced decided to turn outward and put a hole in his side.
When Denzel drank the potion,his ribs healed and mended back into their proper positions. But the gash hadn't healed at all. ''Tripped over a toy,huh?''Vincent said after a few minutes,making Denzel jump. ''When did you get here?!'' ''Not too long ago. Do you need help with that? You're barely touching it.'' ''...I-it hurts...'' Vincent took the pad from Denzel and sat down on the floor in front of the child. ''Are you going to tell me what happened now?'' It was an order,not a request. Denzel knew it,too. Frantically,the boy shook his head 'no.'
Vincent gently yet firmly grabbed the child's shoulders. ''Denzel,I'm not asking you to. I'm telling you to. You don't have a choice. Tell me what happened...Now.'' At that point Denzel fell apart. Everything came pouring out of his mouth like a waterfall. Vincent,in no time at all,found Denzel's head buried in his shoulder with his arms wrapped around him. ''Help me...Please...''Denzel begged. Vincent gently ran his fingers through the child's hair in a calming fashion. ''Don't worry. I will.'' Soon,Denzel fell asleep.
Tifa was scrubbing a glass clean while standing behind the counter when Vincent came down the stairs, Denzel wrapped in his cloak for warmth. Tifa spotted the man and noticed he was heading for the door. ''Hey,where are you going?''the woman asked as she set the glass down to dry. ''To the hospital.'' ''Oy,Vince,mind if I go with ya?''Cid asked. The ravenette shrugged and led Cid outside to his car,a brand new bright red Toyota 86. ''No smoking in my car.'' Cid sighed. Vincent was really cracking down on his smoking habit.
Vincent had managed to purchase the new car with his savings from his days as a Turk. The gunman placed Denzel in the back seat,and shut the door. Opening the door and sitting down in front of the wheel,Vincent waited for Cid to join him in the car while the man stared at the red metal. ''How much did this thing even cost?! These things don't come cheap,''Cid finally spoke as he sat down in the car. ''Oh...twenty-five thousand...give or take...'' ''Jeez!''
When they arrived at the hospital,Vincent managed to get Denzel admitted almost immediately,and all it took was an explanation regarding the hole in his side.
...
''He'll be fine,but we need to keep him here for a few weeks.'' Vincent looked at the doctor in disgust. ''Do you have a list of his injuries printed out that I could have?''Vincent pressed. The young doctor blinked when his mind processed the question. ''Not with me,but I can have one printed.'' ''Do it,''Vincent looked to Cid,''I want Cloud to see what he's done.''
The doctor disappeared down the hall to the copy room. ''Well,ya realize that yer gonna have ta take him in when Cloud finds out that Denzel opened his mouth,right?'' Vincent looked at the blond,his eyes showing a lost world of confusion,pain and fear. ''I dealt with the same thing when I was young. But I was raised that way. If I have to take Denzel in to the mansion to keep Cloud from going nuts until a warrant for his arrest is made,then so be it.''
Just then the doctor came back with a packet. Not a sheet,a packet...with three sheets stapled together. ''Thank-you.'' Vincent took the packet turned on his heel,and stalked down to the exit.
''Is that friend of yours always like that?'' Cid looked at the doctor and chuckled a little bit. ''Yeah,ya should've seen him when we first woke him up...never knew people could sleep for thirty years straight,''Cid said laughing as he rushed after the gunman,''He even forgot how old he was,too...Had to tell him what year it was.''
When Vincent and Cid made it out to the car,Vincent spoke. ''While I deal with Cloud,I want you to hold Tifa and Marlene back. I fear they may try to kill him when they find out what happened.'' ''Don't tell me yer just gonna tell them right when the bar's open with customers around. Yer out of yer fuckin' mind!'' ''Oh...What's life without a little danger?'' ''A safe one,''Cid answered as they got in the car and drove off.
''YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT DENZEL IS IN THE HOSPITAL AND WON'T BE COMING BACK FOR THREE WEEKS?!''Tifa screamed. Vincent closed his eyes for a minute and inhaled slowly. ''You didn't answer me,''Tifa implied. ''You can thank Cloud. Denzel should be fine in a few weeks. But with your permission,I'd like to take the boy in until Cloud is dealt with.'' Tifa dropped her head for a minute. She knew it would be better if Vincent just straight up adopted the boy,but she didn't want to make the man bear such a burden.
''I have no problem with it,but...This isn't exactly the greatest environment for a twelve year old boy to live in. I wonder if maybe you could...take him in as your own...'' Vincent looked at the woman for a minute. ''Well,I could,but-'' ''-He doesn't have any parents or family members and I have too much to do. I try to make time for me to spend with him and Marlene,but I barely have enough time for myself...and to think Cloud would use him as his personal punching bag... He's only twelve years old.''
''Tifa,I can have an adoption form made. But I will need your signature,''Vincent said softly as he placed his hands on her shoulders. ''You don't have to. I already have one made. In fact, Shinra has control over all adoption forms now. They gave one to me the day we found him and took him in.'' Vincent quirked an eyebrow. ''Really? That's the first I heard of it.'' ''Well,we can't sign it without asking him.''
What was supposed to a few weeks turned into three months for Denzel. It was longer than expected due to the child requiring surgery. When Vincent came to get the child,he wasn't surprised in the least when the boy ran to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. When Vincent got Denzel back to the bar,Cloud went straight for the boy.
''YOU NO GOOD ROTTEN LOUD MOUTHED SON-OF-A-BITCH!'' Denzel backed away and wound up in a corner. Tifa hopped over the bar as soon as Cloud got within ten feet of the boy. ''CLOUD,DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!" Vincent quickly got between Cloud and Denzel,his body providing a shield. Cloud's fist reared back to strike Vincent and knock him out of his way. Vincent snatched the blond's wrist and quickly spun him around,the man's arm twisting behind his back. Vincent struck the middle of Cloud's spine with his pointer and middle finger,effectively knocking the blond out cold.
Cloud dropped to the floor with a thud. Denzel quickly ran to Vincent and wrapped his arms around the man's waist yet again. ''Okay,Denzel. Now,we need to sit down and have a talk.'' ''What did I do wrong?'' Vincent smiled. ''You've done nothing wrong. But your safety is a concern.''
The situation was explained,and at first,Denzel didn't know how to react. But then the requirement of needing to be out of Cloud's reach came to mind. Denzel was more than willing to do whatever it took to prevent life threatening surgery. When he heard that he would be moving in with Vincent if he agreed to the offer, Denzel mentally swooned. The child had had feelings for the gunman since the moment he laid eyes on him.
''So what's the catch if I move in?''Denzel asked. Vincent quirked a brow. The boy sounded as if he really wanted to move in with him. ''I would have to fill out an adoption form.'' Denzel smiled and wrapped his arms around Vincent's neck. ''Works for me!'' Vincent looked at the boy for a minute,trying to register his words and figure out why he was so happy. It wasn't like Denzel to be so happy and cheerful,even if he was playing with Nanaki and Marlene. ''Then it's settled,''Vincent said as he and Tifa signed the form.
...
Denzel thrashed in his sleep in the middle of the night. He was having another nightmare about Cloud,again. He'd been living with Vincent for a week now,and he was still mentally recovering from his last beating,mostly from all the ways Cloud had spoken to him...
''You're not worth anything...'' ''Your parents are alive...they just didn't want you...'' ''Your mom tried to have you aborted...'' ''Who'd want you for a kid...?'' ''You're just another mouth to feed...'' Denzel kept tossing and turning in his sleep,the pain from Cloud's punches all over his body. Vincent was lying in his bed,not really sleeping,but rather just staring at the ceiling. He was listening to soft music that he had playing on speakers when another noise filled the otherwise silent hallways and rooms of the mansion. Sighing heavily,Vincent got up from the bed and walked quietly down the halls to Denzel's room. He peeked in and saw the child's thrashing had gotten worse.
Finally,Vincent approached the boy and shook him awake. ''Denzel,''he whispered,''would you like to sleep in my bed tonight?'' Denzel stared at Vincent momentarily before nodding. Vincent picked Denzel up from the bed and carried him into his own bedroom. He then set the child down on the soft sheets and climbed in on his side of the bed. The raven pulled the blankets up and noted with surprise thet the boy had scooted over and rested his head on his chest.
The ravenette smiled. Denzel just needed companionship. When Cloud had gotten into the habit of beating him,Denzel had separated himself from the rest of Avalanche,including Nanaki. Denzel was asleep before Vincent even had a chance to get comfortable.
Vincent chuckled softly,reached over to his nightstand for a book,and got comfortable against the pillows. ''Good night,Denzel.''
Tell me what you thought. I just kinda had the urge to write something with abuse,but I made sure it ended real nice.