FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT / waking up

[wormwood.]

☆ HUNG PICTURES OF PATRON SAINTS UP ON MY WALL TO REMIND ME THAT I AM A FOOL. TELL ME WHERE I CAME FROM, WHAT I WILL ALWAYS BE: JUST A SPOILED LITTLE KID WHO WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL —

A nap. The thought of his son describing his prolonged absence as simply a nap probably would've crushed Aurum, the father who had spent night after night pacing back and forth, wondering what he had done wrong. The lion had been unable to let himself fall apart and give in to the hopeless feeling that Roy's coma had attempted to instill in him, however. He had responsibilities to attend to, and people who relied on him. So, even as he had felt himself slipping further and further down into utter madness, he had forced himself to continue moving. The only thought that brought him any comfort was the possibility that his son might one day wake up, as he had just moments ago. For a brief period, Aurum had thought this hope to be just a fever dream. He had thought that perhaps his son would never return to him, and he'd just be left with the shell of the young boy's body within his home, breathing but not truly alive. He was relieved to be wrong, tightening his grip on his son and feeling tears slowly wet his cheeks as they trailed ever downwards. When he heard Roy's confused tone, he muttered softly, voice hoarse, "You... You've been asleep. For so long. Months. I tried to keep you comfortable, tried to wake you up, but you never responded... I wasn't sure if you would ever wake up. You're okay, though..." Roy's gentle request for water was what finally silenced Aurum's frantic words, his head bobbing a little in a nod. Of course he needed water. He had been asleep for months, he was probably dehydrated and starving.

The proxy was about to turn and go get some water for the coati, when he was caught off guard by the presence of Caustic. He froze up when he saw the wolf, several emotions flooding through him all at once. However, the predominant emotion was hostility burning in his very bones. He wanted to tell the scientist to back off, and to keep away from his son. However, he bit his tongue to silence these urges, not wanting to lash out unnecessarily at a fellow tangler. Even if he didn't trust Caustic as far as he could throw him, it wouldn't be proper for the proxy of the group to be telling another to get the fuck away, especially when he had brought water to help. Forcing his fur to lay flat after his initial surprise, Aurum seemed to process the other's question, rumbling gruffly, "This... This is my son, Roy. He has been asleep for quite a while, which is why you haven't seen him." Thoughts danced in his head of the horrid experiments Caustic had to be doing, and he once again had to stop himself from acting as a physical burial between Roy and the other male.

[div style="text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #1B1B2F; font-size: 24px;"][color=#44437F]— AURUM

#psychosocial.