Sleep
In… Out… In… And out… Sabrina watched the steady rise and fall of her parents' chests, the only thing showing they were still alive. She sighed, almost imperceptibly.
"What's up, stinkpot? Apart from the ceiling!" Puck guffawed at his own joke.
Sabrina was not in a very co-operative mood today. "Shut it. I don't have time for immature babies like you!"
Puck flinched back, shocked by the vehemence in her hiss. "It was just a joke."
"And ever so funny it was too. Just like your pranks' hilarity."
"Calm down, already. All I did was ask what you were doing!"
"Calm down? Calm down? I'm going through one of the toughest stages in my life, everything I love is in constant danger and my mum and dad won't wake up and you tell me to calm down! Every day, all they do is breathe. They just sleep. They said they would always be there for me but they weren't." She seemed to notice she'd given a little too much of her true feelings away and quickly amended the end of her little rant. "And, of course, it means I have to live with you. You, of all people!"
Puck uncharacteristically ignored the last jibe – though inside he sneered at the ignorant peon – and assumed a look of sympathetic understanding. "So it's your parents causing all this mess."
She caught the expression on his face and spat, "Go away. I don't want your pity."
"I'm not pitying you. I am merely being empathetic." Her mouth opened but he cut in before she could speak. "And yes, I am proud of myself for knowing a big word. Can we move on already?"
It closed again. Huh, looks like he was right, Puck thought. Next she's going to say-
"So, how exactly do you 'empathise' with my situation?"
Spot on. Puck smiled wryly. "You're not the only one who's parents let them down."
He sat down next to her and held her hand, filthy peasantness of it and all. A tingle ran through him at the contact. He was losing his touch. Sabrina better be grateful for this; the Trickster King didn't humiliate himself by acting softie for nothing.
"At least yours probably put up a fight. They didn't want to upset you. Mine wouldn't care if they'd ruined my childhood." My eyes started to prickle and I blinked quickly and distracted myself. "Ironic, isn't it? Your parents made you grow up too fast, while mine stopped me from maturing."
Thankfully, her eyes seemed very bright too as she sniffed, "Nothing could make you mature, parents or no."
He squeezed her hand and chuckled. "You're probably right, Grimm."
There was a long pause. "Y'know, this is the most grown-up I've ever seen you," Sabrina pondered aloud.
"Yeah, it's kinda… refreshing."
Puck let go and walked to the door, hiding his smile. Once outside he began to count under his breath.
"3… 2 – or is it 4? … 1…"
"PUCK!!!"
You see that purple-y button underneath this? Yeah, if you press it you destroy the world. See, now everyone wants to press it!
