Silent Suffering

Ello! I know it's extremely late but, I hope you guys had an excellent start to the New Year. I'm working on the next chapter of Temptation but a random plot bunny jumped into my head and I was inspired by the brilliant fic 'Bereavement of a Beauty' by Gerkyhen (go and read it!). This is quite random and it may seem quite rushed but I just had the feeling to post it, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

"I'm sorry Mr Rocket, Mr Parr. They didn't make it."

Rocket heard nothing. Not gasps from Aarch and Tia not the complications of the situation, not how the toxin infected them so fast and that they didn't feel any pain.

No.

All Rocket heard was the beating of his heart grow louder until it stopped. A dull, numbing pain spread throughout him, clouding his mind. Rocket sat back into the hard plastic chair, trying to erase the horrible truth.

"Rocket? Are you okay?" Tia slid into the seat next to him and held his hand, tight. He stayed silent and looked at the floor.

"Rocket." Aarch knelt down so he was level with his nephew. "I'm sorry."

Rocket looked up and touched Aarch's shoulder. "We'll be okay."

Aarch swallowed and said "Do you… want to see them?"

Rocket's lip quivered before saying quietly "Yes please."

Aarch nodded before wrapping an arm underneath Rocket's shoulders and hauling him up towards the 'Viewing Room'.

...

Relatives and friends poured into Rocket's home. Training sessions were cancelled. Fans from around the galaxy crashed websites with messages of condolences. One question repeated over and over again;

"Are you okay?"

Rocket mainly responded by nodding or saying "I'm fine." in a blank monotone. The Snow Kids visited him, offering him support. Even Artegor Nexus sent him a message of sympathy.

Aarch wanted to give Rocket space, time to clear his head. "I'll take care of the funeral, you need to relax, take some time out." Aarch pleaded.

Rocket merely responded with a small slight smile. "I want to be involved. I need to be involved. It's the least that I can do."

...

The funeral came quickly, only seven days after the death of Norata and Keira. It was a closed, quite ceremony, filled with family and friends, the Snow Kids and Artegor sat in the rows of the church. Tia held Rocket's hand throughout the service.

Rocket adored Aarch's eulogy. It was full of good memories and jokes. He'd read it the night before. But only he could effect of the death on Aarch. Rocket heard Aarch cry himself to sleep at night, the long conversations with lawyers about the estate, the will and custody. Not to mention the times when the midfielder would see his uncle holding a photo album close to his chest, sitting on the end of his bed.

After Aarch, the priest beckoned Rocket to come to the front to say a few words about his parents.

"My parents were amazing, they…" Rocket paused. He looked down at the paper. It should have been easy; all he needed to do was read the words on the paper with some emotion. He felt his eyes blur over. "No, oh God please." he thought "God, if you can do one thing for me today, don't let me cry here."

The congregation drew a collective breath. Aarch was about to get up to comfort his nephew, when Rocket suddenly looked directly at him and mouthed "I'm okay." He finished the speech without another interruption, not one stammer throughout. The congregation would also remember how he looked. The boy didn't look grief-stricken or sad in the slightest.

The service, the burial and the wake afterwards went like a blur for Rocket. He could vaguely remember his relatives hugging him saying "What a strong boy you are!" and his grandmother murmuring something about "That uncle of yours better take care of you."

After all the fuss was over, only Tia and her parents remained and they sat in an awkward silence.

"Tia, we've got to go." Her mother said in a soft voice.

Tia nodded solemnly and whispered to Rocket "If you need anything at all, just call me."

Rocket nodded and reached to hug her. Although he didn't say much these days, he appreciated Tia more than ever.

"Let me walk you to the door." said Aarch as he got up. Tia waved sadly to Rocket and she walked through the passageway.

When Aarch came back in, he took a good look at Rocket before placing some words in his head.

"Are you feeling alright? Only… I've noticed that… you haven't cried."

It was true. Rocket hadn't cried at all. Not a single tear escaped his eye. Rocket stared at Aarch and said "I need some air."

He would allow himself to break. He wanted to be strong. He needed to be strong. For his family. For Aarch.

The cool crisp Akillian air hit Rocket's face and made his shiver. Walking on for a bit he saw the street he grew up on. There was the tree where he broke his arm and the spot where he first discovered a football. He smiled until the greenhouse came into his sights. He hadn't gone in there since the incident. It was safe to go in; the toxin had been cleared out. Taking a deep breath, he walked.

Everything was as it was. The flowers and plants organised neatly on the shelves, the more exotic plants kept under careful control and humidity. The tools were kept in the corner, the machinery was untouched.

Then he noticed the flaws. The plants needed watering. The flowers needed re-potting. The tall bushes needed pruning. With the intention of doing something, he grabbed a pair of secateurs and started to cut the bush.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, Rocket remembered a little bonding moment with his father after the Snow Kids won the GFC the first time.

Flashback

Rocket was trying to keep a ball underneath his foot. Not a very good idea when he was carrying a new order of fresh flowers. Unfortunately, as he put down the box, he sent the ball flying in Norata's direction. Fortunately for Norata, he had caught the ball with his hands and threw it back to Rocket. A kind of game soon followed, both of them waiting to see who would lose control over the ball first.

"Will you be careful!" Keira yelled over the laughter of father and son.

Rocket's foot slipped at the sound of his mother's voice, sending the ball straight through a box. Rocket stared at the hole sheepishly. The silence was broken by Norata's laughter.

"Screw the plants! We can always make another delivery!"

Rocket averted his gaze from the box to his father. Usually, Norata would have gone ballistic. Now he was laughing. Rocket smiled. Having his mother and uncle in his life must have given Norata a new lease of life. Rocket's grin grew wider. Life was turning out the way he wanted.

Losing himself in a nostalgic moment, Rocket snapped himself out of his thoughts. His mother. His father. Both gone. The people who he loved the most were gone forever. And there was nothing he could do to bring them back.

Rocket snipped of a branch. Then another. And another. The bush was a pile of broken twigs and bent leaves.

Then the pots. And the tools. All of it came crashing down.

...

Aarch walked into the greenhouse – as he hadn't seen Rocket for an hour – and he did a double take. Glass, terracotta, dirt and leaves were strewn all over the floor. And in a far corner sat a boy dressed in black in a crumpled heap. Blood stained his fingers. Dirt was caught in his hair. Heart wrenching sobs tore from Rocket's mouth and tears streamed down his face.

There was no point in denying grief now. The very foundations on which he was built on were crumpling and being torn down. Aarch walked over and immediately enveloped Rocket in a hug. He'd never touched him in this way before.

"Cry. It is okay to cry. It's okay to be angry. There's no need for a shield anymore." Aarch murmured softly.

Rocket swiftly broke down and clinged onto Aarch for comfort. He wasn't Rocket's father. Or mother. But he was there. And as they both held onto each other tightly, they knew that it was enough.

Thanks for reading, please R&R.

Luv GFSista xXx