When Link woke up the next morning, Zant was already up and ready to eat. Rubbing his eyes, the small boy sat up and pulled the blanket around his shoulders before sleepily stumbling over to the other boy. He heard a chuckle. "You can go back to sleep, Link," Zant mumbled, ruffling his bed head. Link shook his head stubbornly, yawning wide. He didn't want to separate from him. Zant didn't argue, he just smiled and opened the door, leading the way downstairs as Link stumbled behind him, stumbling to wake up fully.

It was a surprise when Zant stopped out of the blue, and Link found himself bumping into the taller boy. He blinked his eyes open, tugging with confusion on his shirt to get his attention, but Zant just continued to stare straight ahead. When Link followed his gaze, he froze.

There, sitting at the kitchen table alone with a bowl of cereal and a black eye, was Ghirahim.

Link was instantly wide awake, alarm bells going off as he fought with his instinct to turn around and flee back up the stairs. Instead, he shuffled closer to Zant, telling himself that he was safe for as long as the older boy was there with him. Ghirahim would not physically hurt him, but his human shield could not protect him from the way that the other boy glared at him; like if Link was burning alive and Ghirahim had a pitcher of water, he'd drink it mercilessly. He stared with wide eyes like a deer caught by a hunter, frozen in place, his eyes taking in Ghirahim's condition.

The older boys' black eye was literally pure black and took up almost half of his face. He wasn't wearing his jacket, the article of clothing lost, and his shirt was stained with blood splatters, bruises peeking to form underneath the fabric. To put it simply, he was beat to shit. Link felt incredibly queasy, knowing exactly how those came to be. He couldn't wrap his head around the implication: Link had been through too many foster homes to count, and while most of them had been incredibly neglectful, and a few emotionally abusive, he had never experienced physical abuse.

Ghirahim snatched the last of his bowl of cereal, spitting at the two boys with venom. "What, are you two fucking now just to spite me?!" Without giving Zant the chance to reply, and without another glance at them, he booked it upstairs. A moment later, the sound of a door banging sounded and Zant finally seemed to relax a little bit.

Link wrapped his arms around himself tightly, leaning against Zant as he seeked reassurance and comfort. e was concerned about his foster brother, wondering what he thought about the sight of Ghirahim sos roughed up. The taller boy just sighed and looked down at Link with a troubled expression. "...That didn't go well. I ... I don't know if I should go talk to him. He's still a mystery to me... even though we've been friends for years... Do you think I should?"

Having Zant ask for his advice warmed Link's heart, and despite the circumstances, he felt a rush of happiness. He had always wanted an older brother, and was beyond thrilled that Zant had seemed to accept him as a possible future family member. Unconsciously, his hands drifted towards the older boy, clutching timidly at the hem of his shirt as he pondered the question.

He wanted Zant to stay, there was no doubt about that. He was fairly certain that sticking with the older boy was they key to being safe from Ghirahim's wrath, but he was also sure that keeping his foster brother down here with him would just make the other boy hate him more, which was the opposite of what he wanted to do. So he looked down and nodded to indicate that Zant should go after Ghirahim, ignoring the bad feeling that pooled in his stomach. Zant nodded and hurried up the stairs to implement damage control, even though both of them knew that it probably wouldn't do any good.

Link wandered further into the kitchen and grabbed a container of watermelon out of the fridge, nibbling at the fruit. He wanted to try and make himself eat a little more, because Zelda had been telling him how good he was doing, and he wanted to keep it up and make her happy. He didn't get very far, though, before the sound of footsteps on the stairs and Ghirahim's voice shouting startled him. The older boy would wake up the whole house soon...

"Why should I even bother to stay here when you have more than enough fun with that leech? What do you care if I get myself killed?! I will do what I see fit! JUST TRY AND STOP ME!"

Zant's voice didn't drift downstairs, but his footsteps were close behind Ghirahim as he kept an eye on the other boy and freaked out a little bit. The two sounded like they were getting closer to the kitchen, and the small boy that stood frozen in the middle of said room did not like that. Panic seized him and he tripped over a kitchen chair in his hurry to stick himself in a corner hidden by the isle in front of it. Trembling, he crouched down and made himself as small as possible, praying that if they did enter the kitchen, that he would be hidden enough. With another wave of fear, Link wished that he had just stayed safely locked away in his own or in Zant's room, where no danger could come to him. Where he would be safe.

Ghirahim's footsteps got to the bottom of the stairs and then immediately turned towards the kitchen, much to Link's dread and alarm.

Oh no.

Zant stuttered his name, but the other by was quick to interject. "I will not apologize! He doesn't deserve an apology, let alone an ounce of my time, on top of everyone else's!" He spat, falling completely silent a moment later as he entered the room. Link's heart stuttered as, too late, he realized that Ghirahim was listening for his breathing. Quickly, he slapped a hand over his mouth and willed himself to be quiet.

"I know you're in here, boy."

His heart stopped and, despite himself, his breathing began to give him away, turning into panicked gasps that were too loud and seemed to fill the room.

Oh god no.

Link shrank further into his corner, back pressed flush against the wall as he prayed for Ghirahim to give up and go away. If it came to a fight, the smaller boy was screwed: he'd be screwed even if he was in a perfectly healthy which he wasn't.

Zant was fighting to corral Ghirahim away from Link and from the kitchen. "Don't do this. Please, Ghirahim. He doesn't want to fight with you." He reached for Ghirahim's arm, but the older boy pulled it away.

"Well, the imbcecile should have thought of that eons ago! What do you take me for?! Someone who will lie down and accept this misery?! Someone who will let him take away everything I've ever worked for?!" Ghirahim stepped forward and entered Link's line of sight. The boy looked bruised. Battered.

Furious.

In the same moment, his eyes met Link's, and a sick smile graced his face, eyes glinting. "I will beat you to within an inch of your life, and savor it."

Link feels like he's about ot throw up, his face pale with fear as he scrambled to his feet and searched desperately for a way to escape. Only now did he realize that backing himself into a corner might have been a bad idea. The only way out from where he stood was the entrance, which Ghirahim was blocking. The only way to possibly get past him was to try and run, which he wasn't sure that he couldn't do because his body was trembling like a leaf.

Tears pricked at his eyes as he attempted to hype himself up. All he had to do was outrun him. He could do that. He had to do that. He had been on the elementary track team years ago and he'd used to be fast.

Before he could commit to running, however, Ghirahim was grasping his throat. Link struggled to break the stronger boy's hold, and Zant fought to pull him off his foster brother with all of his strength, but neither of them were athletes. Link thrashed in panic as Ghirahim reeled back to punch him, only dimly registering when Zant yelled for Gaepora. The only thing he noticed as Ghirahim's fist connected with his face was that he had cold-blooded murder in his eyes.

Sharp pain bloomed on Link's cheekbone, and tears immediately sprung in his eyes when his head painfully hit the wall from the force of the punch.

Ghirahim kept going, hitting him twice, and then three times. A punch to his jaw, a kick on his stomach. Four. Five.

Link was sobbing.

The older boy thrashed, clawing tooth and nail to hurt him more, hit him harder. When he was yanked away, it was jerky and sudden, the boy being pulled into a hold as he continued to fight and growl. Gaepora restrained him, repeating for the older boy to calm down, to stop, to rest and relax. The lack of Ghirahim's hand on his throat left Link stumbling, but Zant was quick to catch him and hold him steady.

Oh god, he was going to be sick. He choked on his silent sobs, the scratches and punches and kicks throbbing painfully wherever they connected on his body and, for the first time, Zant's presence was suffocating instead of comforting. Oh god, he had caused so much trouble. He had created a scene and had woken everybody up and now he was probably going to get in trouble.

Sobbing harder, he flung himself away from Zant and bolted up the stairs, fleeing into his room. When the door swung shut behind him, he panicked and flew into the closet, where he collapsed and scooted into a corner to curl up and allow the sobs to wrack his body.

He was too much trouble, more trouble than he was worth and now Gaepora would see that and change his mind about adopting him. He always found a way to fuck everything up. Ghirahim hated him and rightfully so because he was such a horrible person. He shouldn't have come here. He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. He was so incredibly stupid and nobody wanted him anymore and he needed to get that through his thick skull already.

Crying harder, he buried his sore, bruised face in the fluffy scarf that Zelda had picked out for him when they had gone shopping.

Almost on cue, Link heard a gentle knock before the door clicked open. Soft footsteps touched the carpet as somebody slowly wandered inside, calling out.

"...Link?" Zelda whispered, her tone carefully quiet and gentle, as though she were trying to soothe a frightened animal. "...you don't have to come out of your room... I just wanted to check if you were okay. Can I see you?"

Link didn't move. In fact, when Zelda had started to speak, he had froze immediately, never relaxing. It would probably be better for her to just... leave him alone and forget that he was there, just like every other foster sibling had done to him in the other homes. He wasn't that important, and she should realize that sooner rather than later. More tears soaked into the now damp scarf that was clutched tightly in his hands.

"Um..." Zelda mumbled, sniffling as she seemed to figure out what to say. "I... I'm so sorry. I'm the one that let him in, early this morning. He was... in so much pain. He lost his jacket, he could barely walk... He said that... as soon as he got to his father's house, him and his drinking buddies bet him up..." She began to sob, and Link's heart pounded with alarm, twisting at the sound of it. "I-I didn't know... I thought he'd be okay after some sleep and medicine... I'm r-really sorry, Link."

No... She was upset and blaming herself, and that wasn't fair because it was Link's fault, not hers. Nervously, he pushed himself to his feet and shuffled over to the door of the closet, opening it slowly to peek out. Zelda's face was in her hands as she sobbed, still in her nightgown and bare feet. Her hair was messy and she was shivering: whether the cause was the cold or her shame, he didn't know, but he grabbed a blanket anyway and slid out of the closet, wanting to assure her that it wasn't her fault and to stop her from crying.

When she finally looked up, Link crept forward slightly and held out the blanket to her, his heart breaking in half at the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"O-oh gosh..." her hands came up to cover her mouth as she took in his wounds, more tears spilling out of her eyes. Link shrank back, remembering that he probably looked like shit. His mouth opened and closed, longing to reassure her that he was fine, that she shouldn't cry, but as usual, nothing came out. Stepping back into his closet slightly, his guilt rose. He hadn't meant to make Zelda cry again. Guilt seemed to tear him apart as he clutched the blanket between his fingers. How did he fix this?! He had never had to comfort people in other foster homes, so he had no idea. She sniffled again, but her tears kept pouring. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry sleepyhead... Ghirahim has n-never done anything like that before... I don't understand why... why you? Why now? ...He can be a huge jerk sometimes b-but he's never gotten violent." She wept and Link broke all over again, swallowing hard.

"I... um..." Zelda stammered. "I brought the first aid kit..."

Link swallowed again, glancing nervously at the door before his eyes slid to the kit that sat on the floor beside Zelda. He had never had somebody else offer to take care of him, not after his parents had passed. He missed the feeling.. so he nodded and quietly stepped forward, crouching down until he was sitting on the floor in front of her.

She still seemed horrified at how badly Link was hurt, and her eyes widened when the smaller boy got closer and she could see the extent of the wounds closely. But she soon sat down and started to pamper him, lightly touching his cheeks to turn his head this way and that, feeling for any bruises. Her warm touch, and how she bandaged him up with care and love, soothed him. He craved this caring affection, having been denied it for years and years, so it wasn't surprising to him when his eyes slid closed pleasantly. After making sure he was tended to, she crept downstairs to get some ice from the freezer, and wrapped it in towels from the bathroom to help his pain. Link took the ice from her and fiddled with it. The cold was soothing on his fingertips, and he carefully lifted it up to his face with a breath of relief, as the pounding seemed to stop when the makeshift ice pack was pressed against it. He gave her a grateful look. "...They're talking to him now. I still can't believe he did this..."

The small boy frowned. Ghirahim had never done something like this? Ever? So it was just with him?

"I mean, I can imagine him doing it in self-defense... his dad is such an asshole," she gossiped, and Link had to stifle a laugh at hearing her curse. "No, really, I've met him... He's awful. But to do something like this, just out of jealousy?... that doesn't seem like him. There's gotta be something else to it... otherwise, he wouldn't have hurt you this bad..." she frowned, and her train of thought seemed to carry on without him, but his own halted as soon as he heard noise on the stairs. His head jerked towards the door.

Ghirahim came up slowly, every part of him stiff with pain. When Link's eyes found him, he stilled, warning bells going off in his head. Zelda followed his eyeline before stilling too, one hand reaching out to her foster brother. Ghirahim stopped and stared at him coldly, his eyes dark and emotionless. But without a word, he continued on into his own room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Link let out the breath that he was holding with a shiver at the look in Ghirahim's eyes. He cradled his ice pack, staring at the ground as he wondered what on earth the three boys had talked about in the kitchen to make Ghirahim go from murderous to emotionless. He shot a look over at Zelda, who seemed just as befuddled as him, if not more. She kept staring in the direction that Ghirahim had went, half concerned and half mystified. Eventually, though, she closed the first aid kit and stood up, dusting her knees. Then, she reached out a hand for Link.

"I'm... gonna go see dad. Did you want to come with me?

Link stared at her hand, conflicted. On one hand, he was scared to leave his room. The last time that he had done that, he'd gotten beaten up. On the other hand, though, he didn't want to be alone, with Ghirahim across the hall...

He nodded and took her hand as she pulled him up, wincing as his battered body protested. Fuck, that boy knew how to fight..

Zelda led him downstairs and into the living room, holding his hand the entire trip. When they got there, they found Zant and Gaepora on the couch, silent and concerned. Gaepora had his head in his hands, much the same way as Zelda did earlier, and when he raised it to meet the two of them coming downstairs, there were tears in his deep blue eyes. Zant rose from his seat to get a good look at Link, assessing his injuries with worry.

"What happened?" Zelda whispered. Gaepora sighed.

"I can't say, my dear, I can't say. After he calmed down, he didn't say much. He just... asked that if we decide to send him away, to pay his bus fare to the city. Demise... has kicked him out. He's fully on his own."

Link listened, carefully inching away from Zelda and closer to Zant as the older girl spoke with her father. He pressed against his foster brother as the taller boy's hand found his hair and played with it absentmindedly. He frowned at Gaepora's words, feeling a stirring of understanding in his stomach. Well, that explained why Ghirahim was so angry: he had just been beat to shit himself and then banned from his own home by his own father. That might make anybody a little angry.

Nobody deserved that.

Zelda seemed horrified at the idea of sending Ghirahim off on his own. "Dad, you're not... considering it, are you?" But Gaepora couldn't look his daughter in the eyes.

"...I'm not sure, sweetheart. I know that this is the first time this has happened, but I also can't stand my boys hurting anyone... not to mention you, Link. I'm not sure yet, if this is so serious as to consider... serious measures. But I'm concerned."

Zant leaned down a little. "...I told him. That you're staying and getting adopted," he murmured into the smaller boy's ear. Link had been listening to everything with his eyes half closed, Zant's gentle fingers in his hair relaxing him, but now he tensed a little bit, feeling a stab of worry. What did Ghirahim think about the news?

"...He seemed suprised by that," Gaepora admitted. "Which worries me, as he was willing to do something like this without that knowledge." The man stared at his hands, quiet for a moment. "...He's a very strong and capable young man. If only he would allow us to help him... He has quite the temper, something I'm sure came from his father." He sighed. "I just want you to feel safe here, is all." When Gaepora looked at him, his eyes were watering.

Zelda turned to Link when her father was done speaking, and her eyes were sad and uncertain. "Do you... want him to go?"

Now that surprised the younger boy, and his eyes widened. They were... asking him? He tilted his head up to look at Zant. This was his best friend's fate that they were discussing, and yet they were leaving the decision up to the boy who wasn't even adopted yet.

Did... DID he want Ghirahim to go..?

Sure, his life would be way easier, without having to hide or double check rooms before he entered, attempting to tip toe around the older boy constantly... but his comfort would come at the price of somebody else's homelessness, which weighed on his consciousness. Besides that, Link was sure that there had to be some other reason that Ghirahim didn't like it, and if he could just figure out what it was... then maybe he could make things right and have the older boy tolerate him, at the very least.

He shook his head firmly at Zelda's question. No, he didn't want Ghirahim to go.

Gaepora nodded at Link's answer, and Zant and Zelda seemed to relax, the tension leaving their shoulders as Zant's hand squeezed the smaller boy gently. It had been his decision, but the two of them were determined to show him their appreciation by protecting him.

Link only realized that he had more of an audience than he thought when Gaepora's gaze slid to peer at the stairs. Almost as soon as Link gives the verdict, Ghirahim scurried back upstairs. The small boy tensed, hoping that maybe the tall boy would avoid him for awhile after this. It would be a nice thank you.

The rest of the day went by without incident or a sign of Ghirahim. The family had brunch, with Link happily seated squished right in between Zelda and Zant, and the small boy managed to eat enough to make his older foster sister happy. They talked, they laughed a little, and they tried to forget what had happened, despite the constant reminder on Link's face.

And then supper goes by, still without any sight of Ghirahim, and Link felt guilt beginning to knaw at him. He kept shooting a glance towards the stairs, watching and waiting, but there was absolutely no sign of the older boy.

...he wasn't eating, in addition to being beaten up..?

He stared down at his untouched plate. Ghirahim needed to eat so that his body had the strength to heal itself. He picked at the food with his fork, not feeling hungry at all as the guilt quickly filled his stomach and left no room for anything else. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he shot a look around the table.

...He didn't think that he was going to eat this... and Ghirahim had to eat today...

Quietly he slid from his chair and took the plate of food in his hands, swallowing nervously as he turned and headed for the stairs. He felt Zant watching him, and had to ignore the urge to just return to the table and sit back down. He had to do the right thing... even if the other boy had a temper, his body needed the nutrients.

Link slowly climbed up the stairs and padded across the floor to Ghirahim's room, the plate tight in his nervous clutch. The door was shut, with an aggressive poster that warned him not to enter, and he tried not to think too hard about what he was doing. He hesitated and took a deep breath before doing the only thing that he could do. He knocked.

There were a few before he heard anything behind the door, but then it was pulled open just a touch.

Ghirahim stared out at him. Link stared back.

And then the door was slammed shut in the small boy's face. "Fuck off!"

He jumped back in surprise, almost dropping the place of food. With a frown, he took a step back towards the door, steeling himself. Ghirahim hadn't even given him the chance to hold up the food in offering, but this time, he would just have to thrust the plate towards him the moment the door was open. He knocked for the second time...

...But it didn't open. He heard shuffling, and pacing, but Ghirahim didn't open the door.

Link knocked again.

Still nothing. Ghirahim didn't say a word.

He knocked again. Link heard an irritated groan, but no shuffling of footsteps, and he frowned, dissatisfied. After waiting for a few more seconds, he knocked once more, and had to take a step back to avoid the door slamming into his face as Ghirahim swung it open.

"What the hell do you want!? Any decent person with common sense would have gotten the fucking message by now, you moron! If you're seeking an apology you're not getting one!"

Link shrank a little from the harsh words being shot at him, and he almost tucked his tail between his legs and fled, but he forced himself to hold his ground. With a nervous gulp, he shook his head to indicate that he wasn't looking for an apology, despite how nice that would be, and held up the plate of food. He tried to keep his hands steady so that they weren't visibly shaking, but they still trembled.

He looked at Ghirahim, and then down at the food, pointedly.

Ghirahim's hair was messed up, his black eye swollen shut, and he was now wearing sweats. He looked pretty terrible, and kind of skinny, but he still eyed the food like Link was presenting him with pig shit. "Imbecile," he spat, and Link flinched, but it lacked its usual malice. "I'm not hungry. Get lost." The younger boy gave a disbelieving look. Ghirahim looked pretty fucking miserable to him: hungry, in pain and in emotional turmoil. So Link just shoved the plate insistently towards him again, giving him a harder look this time.

Ghirahim stared him down, almost trying to intimidate him to leave, but when he realized that Link was standing fast, he grew frustrated. "What is your problem, boy? Have you no shame? I could easily overpower you, and yet you came alone. I can't tell if that's foolhardy courage or simple stupidity." Link had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at the other boy's stubbornness. This was so ridiculous, why couldn't he just accept the friggen food and then they could both go their separate ways and be done with this?

His gaze wandered to Ghirahim's wounds and he blinked, frowning. They must still be throbbing with hurt...

Giving the older boy a stern look, he set the plate of food on the floor between then and pushed it towards him, lifting up a finger in a very clear "wait one moment" message. His mind flashed to the first aid kit that Zelda had used to patch him up, and he turned and sprinted to his room. Pushing the door open, he triumphantly spotted the kit still here, and was kick to pick it up and hurry back to Ghirahim.

But when the older boy saw what was in hsi hands, his expression morphed into one of fury. "No, no, no! I can deal with this pain in solitude! I don't need you, your fool-hardy logic, your irrational trust or your ridiculous act! I will be far happier when you are out of my life, and you cease trying to indoctrinate me too!"

Before Link can reach the door, Ghirahim has slammed it shut again, It clinked against the plate on the floor, and Link is left standing outside, confused and fuming. Why can't the older boy just accept the stupid help and let himself feel better instead of insisting on being in a foul mood all of the time? Why does he lock himself away?

Link placed the first aid kit on the floor, moving the plate so that it sat on top of the box. Lifting both of his fists, he ignored his sense of reason and banged impatiently on the door, with more force than he's ever used before. It's all he can do to keep himself standing as the door slams open, screaming on the hinges, and Ghirahim slaps him in the face with the force of his entire body. He doesn't speak, it's cold and deliberate, and as soon as Link reels back, the door is shut again with a deafening bang.

Link blinks, tears pooling in his eyes, because god that stings. He can barely make out the bold letters on the poster.

Zant is soon behind him, pulling him close to his chest and shushing him. Link didn't even realize that he'd cried out, but sure enough, tears were streaming down his cheeks. He pressed that part of his face that was stinging against Zant, feeling incredibly stupid.

As if Ghirahim was going to accept help from Link. He wasn't even sure what he though would happen. Maybe Ghirahim would accept the food and start to maybe, I don't know, not hate Link as much?

Well that obviously didn't happen.

Fine. The older boy can sit in his room by himself without food or medication and feel sorry for himself. Link wasn't going to try and help him anymore. He resisted the urge to kick the older boy's door in frustration, instead turning away and pressing closer into Zant as he held back his tears.

The older boy guides him downstairs, trying to be gentle, and whispering to calm him.

"...He gets like this sometimes. He just wants to be alone. After he has a fight with his dad. He doesn't eat or sleep much... I'm sorry."

As soon as they got downstairs, Gaepora and Zant begin to stress over him, giving him more ice and TLC as he has to tell them again that he doesn't want them to kick Ghirahim out, though more grumpy this time.

When they go to bed for the night, Link is about to walk right past Ghirahim's door with his nose turned up, but he noticed something. The plate on top of the kit is now empty of food. He stared at it in disbelief. After all that trouble, the other boy just ended up eating the food anyway? Link tried to be angry about it, but he was just tired after the exhausting day, just sighing and turning towards his own room.

He paused before his hands could twist open the doorknob though. What he had given hadn't been a lot of food... Ghirahim would need more if he wanted to keep his strength up, and leaving the empty plate would probably attract bugs. Grumbling to himself, Link tiptoed back to the plate, warily keeping an eye on Ghirahim's door. He grabbed the dish and brought it downstairs, where he washed it in the sink. Fetching some crackers from the pantry and a bottle of gatorade, he brought them upstairs and left them in front of Ghirahim's door, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Satisfied, Link crept back to his own room, opened the door, and promptly let out a scream. Ghirahim... was sitting on his bed. Sitting on the edge of his bed, acting like he belonged there, legs crossed and smiling devilishly. On his bed were his books, his journal, some of his clothes.

Ghirahim was in his room, gleefully going through all of his shit.

Link felt panic enter his system and he wished with all of his might that he had the balls to just go in there and kick the shit out of the older man for invading his privacy and poising his safe spot like this. Instead, he shrank away, trembling like a leaf.

How dare Ghirahim do this! He can't just... waltz into Link's room and go through his stuff! The small boy spluttered silent words of protest, indignant and scared. He wanted Ghirahim out and he didn't know how to make him do that. This was LINK'S safe spot! LINKS room!

Nerves crept up his spine, and he stomped on the ground, trying not to cry, pointing at the hallway in a clear sign for Ghirahim to get out. It wasn't okay to him that somebody had entered his room without asking, and it made him feel sick that somebody had touched his journal and books.

Those were HIS, and his journal was something incredibly private. HIS room. HIS books. HIS journal. HIS privacy. And Ghirahim was just... single handedly ruining everything!

"Hm. I really thought that I'd find something even remotely interesting in here. But I suppose you're just as dull as I thought." Ghirahim cast aside his copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. "What use are words if you can't repeat them? What is the point of all these useless notes, if nobody will ever hear you read them? You can't even tell me to leave, though you're trembling with the need to do so... nobody can hear you scream."

Link clenched his fists and grinded his teeth together, holding back his tears of frustration and embarrassment. He stared at his copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. His father had been a high school English teacher, and had loved to get him books like that. Link loved to read them. Who did Ghirahim think he was?!

He pointed more insistently at the hallway. Get out get out get out get out get out get out get out.

Ghirahim just stared at him, smug. He was so far up on his high horse that he could probably touch the clouds.

"I'm going to make this as frighteningly clear as possible, so that you can understand. I'm not leaving until I get what I want out of you... As for what that may be, I haven't decided yet. But, I'll ask you this," he tossed aside Macbeth and stood, approaching Link as would a predator stalking a gazelle. "Why tell them to let me stay? It seems largely beneficial for the both of us... you get your perfect family, and I get to never see your fucking face again. Do you pity me? Do you think that you're better than me? Do you rightfully admire me?" Ghirahim leaned forward, their faces mere inches apart. "Boy, what are you?"

Link's trembling only grew worse, and he tried to shrink away from Ghirahim as the older bot got too close to him. His face had gone pale, his throat closing off with panic as he tried to control his steadily increasing breathing. Ghirahim wouldn't try anything again, not so soon. Not while he was still on thin ice.

He closed his eyes and leaned away, throwing his hands out to push at Ghirahim desperately. The other boy was too close and Link couldn't breath, he needed space. He felt Ghirahim's chest under his fingers, and as soon as it left with his push, it came back, and he was pressing closer.

He felt Ghirahim's chest under his fingers, and as soon as it left with his push, it came back, and he was pressing closer. Without a word, Ghirahim grabbed Link's sore jaw, squeezing and prying it open with his fingers like you would a cat or dog. Link had to fight his instincts in order to open his eyes, as they filled with tears. Ghirahim just stared at his mouth.

"You have a tongue, an adam's apple, a windpipe and vocal chords," he hissed. "So why can't you speak to me?!" When Ghirahim let go, Link's jaw snapped shut, and the older boy stepped away. He tried to ignore the residual feeling of cotton and warmth under his hands as he stumbled backwards and gave Ghirahim a look that was similar to that of a wounded animal in the hands of a hunter.

His arms wrapped around himself and he tried to figure out what to do. Should he stay here and wait for Ghirahim to leave, or should he turn and leave and just wait it out downstairs?

As soon as he realized that his tears were about to spill over, though, Link wasn't about to risk the chance to let Ghirahim see him crying. He spun around and bolted down the stairs, deciding to stay and sleep on the couch for the night. He wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully in his own room tonight, anyway, thanks to Ghirahim invading it.

He feels wetness on his cheeks and he wiped it away angrily.

Why couldn't he defend himself?

...Why couldn't Ghirahim just leave him alone...?