CHAPTER TWO! WOOOOOOOOO.
Alright ladies. Cloud and Sora interaction times in this chapter, SO BRACE FOR IMPACT. POW
School is kicking my ass, you guys. Two weeks until summer and they're just PILING on the work like wet blankets over hte spirit of summer vacation!
FUCK SCHOOL, I SAY. FUCKIT.
As the boys entered high school, life continued its pleasant ascension into relative normalcy. It wasn't until they were fifteen that their father was released from prison, receiving the necessary therapy and taking the anger management classes he would need to get his sons back. For a while he lived on his own, but when he was legally permitted to be around his sons again he moved in with his father and the boys.
The moment Cloud stepped over the threshold, Cid dragged him into the kitchen to give him the tongue-lashing he'd been waiting to give him for the past four years.
"...Your own flesh n' blood! An' what do you do! You beat 'em like cattle! Thought I did a dandy goddamn job givin' you a good upbringin'! Sure, I smacked you 'round some when you was bad; I never beat you deaf or nothin'! Tough love's what I gave you, boy, not abuse Like your poor kids got, and for what? Their 'ma dyin'! Poor boys 'prolly think it's all their fault she's gone!"
Cloud was suddenly on the defensive. "I never blamed them for anything. I never told them it was their fault." he said flatly.
"You sure treated 'em like it was, an' I got half a mind to crack you right upside that empty flowerpot for a fuckin' head!" roared Cid, and Cloud shrunk back, recognizing that his father was right, and he may as well have just told the boys right out that it was their fault.
The twins watched, peering around the door frame from the hallway as their father sat, head hung in shame as he took the vicious tongue-lashing, knowing that he deserved every word of it. Finally, when Cid had nothing more to say, he beckoned his son to him and embraced Cloud as the younger blond sobbed into his father's shoulder and apologized for everything he had done.
"Dad, I-I'm so sorry.! I hurt everyone!" he cried. "Aerith would be so disappointed in me; I hurt our sons - our babies, Dad, I damaged my babies! I've ruined their lives; I've ruined everything!"
Cid rubbed comforting circles on the man's back as if he were once again seven years old. "I don't think you should be 'pologizin' to me." Cid said gently. "Roxas, bring your brother in here."
Startled by Cid's acknowledgment of both his and Sora's' presence – especially when he looked their way – Roxas took Sora's hand and led him into the kitchen.
"Sorry Grandpa, we just - " he began, but his grandfather cut him off.
"Now don't go 'pologizin'! You got nothin' to 'pologize for." he said, translating with uncertain hands as he spoke. "It's your dad who needs to say sorry."
Both boys turned to their teary-eyed father. He looked down at them, but he couldn't hold back tears when he set his gaze upon their wary, distrustful faces. He sat down in a nearby chair with his face in his hands, only his sniffling and ragged breaths filling in the silence. When he finally was calm, he looked up, directing his gaze at Roxas.
"I've done some things...to you two...that a good father wouldn't dream of doing." he began, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "I should have been a better father. I should have protected you. I should have helped you; I should have realized that there were two...beautiful little boys that were hurting just as much as I was, but I chose to push my hurt onto you instead. Doing that, I can't imagine how I must have destroyed you. After we lost your mother...I began slipping further and further away from reality; I just wanted her back, and I didn't realize how much you needed me. All I knew was that I needed her. There's nothing I can do to undo what I did. You don't have to forgive me; I know I never will, but...all I ask is that you let me be here. Please, let me do everything I can to make you happy. I'll be here for you from now on – I don't ever want to hurt you again." He reached out and clasped one of Roxas' hands in both of his, begging him.
Roxas just stood there, staring icily at this pathetic man. He hadn't seen Cloud in years, and it felt like he was being confronted by a stranger. His lips twitched as he considered Cloud for a moment, eyes searching his father's for any hint of falsehood.
"Y-Yeah." he replied finally, almost timidly, cold gaze melting. He felt confused and flustered now; here was a once powerful and terrifying man. This was a man he had once feared – now sitting before him, begging for his forgiveness. "I need some time. To get used to you." he added before he turned and quickly left the room. Cid looked down at Cloud before following Roxas.
Cloud gazed at Sora with the same pathetic, pleading face that had swayed Roxas. Sora stared back at him with complete disgust; an accusatory expression that pierced Cloud's heart. It was a look that the blond knew was meant to tell him that this was all his fault, and Sora did not trust him, or like him, or was anywhere close to forgiving him.
"I'm sorry. What I did was wrong." he said using both voice and hands. Sora looked surprised that his father could also use signs, to which confused expression Cloud smiled weakly. With insecure hesitation, the man continued.
Sora nodded as he pointed to his own temple with one forefinger and at Cloud with the other before bringing the first finger down to join the other, both now pointing at Cloud. He was agreeing; yes, he agreed, his father had been wrong.
"I hurt you." Cloud said, his shy smile faltering as be brought both of his own forefingers toward each other, one hand twisting one way while the other hand twisted the other way in two swift jabbing motions. He then pointed at Sora. The brunet's surprised expression quickly faded to annoyance. In response, Sora brought his forefinger and middle finger on one hand down to meet his thumb on that same hand in a closing motion as he shook his head, and then he curled his finger against his cheek and brought it down in an arch, placing the tip of his curled finger in the middle of his other palm.
"Didn't notice." he had said, and Cloud laughed bitterly at his son's sarcastic reply.
"I'm so sorry." he then said with a sorrowful expression as he drew clockwise circles over his chest, hand curled into a fist. "I can't forgive myself." holding both index fingers out, he brought his right finger down sharply and whacked the nail of his left finger, then spelled out 'forgive', and finally pointed to himself. He dabbed at the corners of his eyes with his sleeve and Sora just stood there, watching his father beat himself up. Neither moved, and they stared at each other for what felt like ages before Sora sighed heavily, rolling his eyes before bringing his hands up and curling them both into fists, sharply bringing them down once. 'Can', was the word, and he spelled 'forgive'.
A feeling of relief washed over Cloud and he took Sora's hands in his. He crossed his own wrists over his chest in the sign for love, holding Sora's hands gently as he did so.
Despite saying that he could possibly forgive his father, for a while Sora border-lined on hating him for taking away what little normalcy he had managed to retain after his mother's death. Sora had tried very hard to seem okay, but if Cloud's deplorable behavior hadn't been enough, he had permanently disabled the brunet.
Gradually, however, Sora began to get used to his father again. He wouldn't hug the man for a long time. Doing so was uncomfortable - even frightening, as if Sora feared that his father would harm him again if he let his guard down for even a moment; Cloud's touch was still a thing to be feared by Sora at first, but after almost two years, Sora loved him. Everything was becoming right again, but the small family – happy once again – learned to accept that time does not heal all wounds.
Sora and Roxas were now in high school. Every day, Sora would sit in class facing his brother, who signed to him, remarkably just as fast as the teacher was talking. Occasionally, during down-time, Roxas would sign something funny to him in order to cheer him up. Sora appreciated his brother's comfort; after all, being deaf was still inescapably frightening and lonely, but as long as he had his loved ones, he knew could live with it.
OH AND BY THE WAY
I'm posting these while I revise, so by the time you actually get around to reading this, any life updates I bitch about will probably be outdated by several weeks/months/lengthy periods of time.