Rin nodded faintly, keeping his arms gently around Honey. "Yeah. Arquis and I were…we were right, though I wish we weren't." he replied, voice soft. "I'm sorry, Lovey." at least she didn't seem to think they had done it? That had been his worry; that Lovey would come in and see, and think that he and Arquis had hurt her brother. But she didn't seem to, which was good, because htye hadn't done anything to him.
Honey went silent. He’d run out of excuses; there was nothing more he could say to make the situation look better. He sagged back into Rin’s arms and stared down at the comforter. His brow was furrowed, but he didn’t look angry, just upset.
Lovey sniffed and tucked her hair behind her ear. It was probably, Arquis realized, a nervous habit, because she did it again as soon as a strand fell loose. Her expression kept shifting from sadness to anger, anger to sadness. It finally landed on something unrecognizable. Her shoulders straightened, and she took deep breath.
“Okay. Alright. Who did it?” she asked. Arquis recognized the emotion as determination, and he immediately felt his chest tighten. That was too close to anger. Sure enough, Honey tensed. He was bracing for impact.
“Nothing happened. I’m fine,” he mumbled. It was the perfect picture of survival mode. Don’t anger the other person further. Speak softly, don’t make eye contact. Choose the neutral option. Do anything and everything to avoid another blow, and if that didn’t work, then switch strategies. He was clearly calculating options in his head. His eyes darted to the door, then to Arquis and Rin’s arm, and Arquis realized with a pang that he was prepared to protect them if necessary. Just like he’d done when his sister first knocked. Deep down, Honey had to know that she wasn’t going to hurt anyone, but survival mode didn’t take logic into full consideration.
“You’re not!” Lovey cried. She gestured at him, but it was too sudden. He winced. She instantly drew her arms back with a mortified squeak. “Oh, no, I wasn’t- I wasn’t gonna hit you. But look at you!” Her fingers fluttered to her mouth. “You aren’t fine, Honey.”
“I will be!” he said desperately. “This’ll all go away! Won’t take long. He didn’t break anything, so I can go back to work. Tonight, even! I can work tonight. And everything’ll be fine, just like it was before.”
"You aren't working tonight." Rin replied, frowning very faintly. "Or tomorrow. Or ever again, if you don't want to." his voice was firm, but they were still doing their best to be gentle. "Now please, tell…tell Lovey who did this, so she can make him leave. Please, Honey. No one here is going to hurt you, I promise. We just want to help." they had noticed too, the way Honey seemed so ready to protect him and Arquis, even with how injured and hurt the young man was. "Please." they gently rubbed Honey's shoulder, trying to comfort him a bit.
The touch did help. Honey relaxed just a bit, but he still seemed extremely hesitant. He toyed with the drawstrings of the sweatpants for a while. The tactile, repetitive motion of it steadied him further. As he began to tie them in a knot, he finally started to speak. He still wasn’t looking at any of them, but it was progress.
“I don’t know all of their names.”
Lovey froze. “Names?” she breathed. Her eyes flooded with tears once more, and she didn’t hold back. They spilled down her pale cheeks, leaving shiny, wet trails behind. “There was more than one?”
“Not this time. This time, it was just the one.”
“This time?” she repeated hysterically, voice cracking. “How many times has this happened?”
“I don’t know. You kinda lose track after a while, but, um, I don’t know. Just… just since we got here, I guess.”
That set her off. Arquis moved over, offering her a hug. She took it. She reminded him so much of his sisters that seeing her so heartbroken hurt. He murmured soft reassurances to her as she cried, letting her wet his shirt with tears.
“Honey,” she finally sobbed, “Honey, we were sixteen! That was four years ago!”
Rin flinched when he heard how old they had been. He hadn't known how long it had gone on. Hadn't known it had been four years, hadn't known it had started when Honey was so young. "Honey." he said, voice trembling for just a moment. "I…" he took a breath, trying to steady himself and keep from crying as well. The more they found out about this the more familiar it became. Like a bad dream they couldn't wake up from. He kept rubbing Honey's shoulder, still trying to give him some form of comfort.
Honey instantly noticed the change in their disposition. He looked up at them, worried, and gave him a gentle pat on the forearm. His hand was shaking, but he didn’t let that stop him. Arquis wished he were the one doing it, yet he knew he shouldn’t leave Lovey while she was so distraught. He gave them a soft, apologetic look over her blonde curls and made a mental promise to check in on him as soon as possible.
Lovey was bawling like a child. Her words were punctuated with loud gasps, as if there wasn’t quite enough air in the room. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve done something about it! I- I could’ve helped you!”
“I didn’t think it was that bad,” Honey admitted. It was odd. He was still visibly shaken, but he was almost the calmest in the room. Arquis realized that he was still, even then, putting on a show. That mask of his was persistent. “And we needed the money. It’s alright. It’s really alright, Lovey. I’m gonna be okay. I know how it looks, but it’s all surface level shit, and it’ll heal.”
“Surface level? So he didn’t- he didn’t-”
“He didn’t,” Honey confirmed. He even smiled. Arquis frowned. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth, either. The man had tried. Honey had still been attacked. And there were the others, too, all of the ones he’d said had hurt him worse. It was upsetting that he wasn’t going to bring them up just so he could make her feel better. Would he hide what had happened to him? What details would he erase? How much of his pain was he going to bury just to give her peace of mind?
Rin took a few more breaths, closing their eyes for just a moment to give themself a few moments to breathe. Then they opened their eyes again, looking at Honey. "That doesn't make it okay." he said. "Any of it. Any of them. You– you were a child, Honey. 16 years old…that's…that's still a child. That's too young." they glanced over at Arquis, then at Honey again. "And even now, you're not a child, but…that doesn't make it okay. This can't go on, Honey, please. Just because this one only hurt surface level," which wasn't precisely true, but they let it go, "doesn't mean that others won't. I know they have. You said so. Please, Honey."
Honey looked down. Something horrible yet necessary happened in that moment. His guard dropped, and everything—all of his feigned confidence, his bravado, his smile—fell away. He looked exhausted. He hadn’t slept for very long, and he didn’t seem to have eaten in quite some time. Arquis wondered how he was still going.
“I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” he mumbled.
Lovey managed to pull herself together. She cleaned her face with the sleeve of her coat, breathed in and out about three times, and tucked her hair back twice. She even adjusted her earrings. It was odd, the ways in which people prepared themselves for battle. Honey’s armor had come down, and, judging by the looks of it, she’d put hers on.
“I know. You’ve always been like that, even when we were really young. Always standing up for everyone. But you don’t have to do that anymore. You don’t have to be strong right now. Okay?”
His lips trembled again, but he didn’t cry. “Okay.”
“Okay. Good.” This was a much better approach than earlier. She was being gentle. Not condescending, but just genuinely sweet and soft. “Now, can you tell me the names or room numbers of the people? I’ll go get Pretty and she’ll get them out of here for you. You won’t even have to see them.”
And so Honey finally, albeit reluctantly, told her. He gave her the room numbers of three different men. Arquis felt nauseous. To think that there were three men currently at the inn with them that had made Honey feel so unwanted was almost too much. He had to battle down his anger.
Lovey nodded. “This is a good start. We can talk more about the rest later and make a list, but for now I’m going to go find Pretty and get these guys out of here. You can stay here until I get back.”
She left in a hurry. Arquis, free to move at last, made his way to Rin and kissed them on the cheek. He took their hand, giving it a loving squeeze. Later, whenever they had the time, he was going to shower them in praise and adoration and touch until he was sure they were alright. But at that moment, Honey was still a concern.
Rin listened quietly, still rubbing Honey's shoulder. When Arquis came over, they leaned their head against him for just a moment, a soft exhale leaving his mouth, then he sat up again, looking at Honey. "See? I told you Lovey wouldn't be angry at you." their voice was soft. "Now they're going to make those men leave. No one is going to get hurt by them here." they were quiet for a long moment, just breathing. "Do you want something to eat? I doubt you've had any food in a while, and it would be good for you to eat something, and have some water."
Honey didn’t answer for a long time. His mind wasn’t in the room. He was smoothing his hand over his thigh, over and over again, and Arquis tilted his head. It reminded him of something, but he wasn’t sure what.
Eventually, Honey came back to reality. He scratched his forehead and asked what he’d missed. Arquis repeated Rin’s question for them, and Honey shrugged. There was something still detached about it, like he was moving without thinking and hearing without comprehending. For a moment, Arquis thought it might’ve been because of the hangover, but then he understood. Panic and exhaustion. It was always panic and exhaustion, in the end.
“Honey, do you have a favorite food?” he asked in the softest tone he could muster.
“Ice cream.”
Arquis blinked. Honey was in such good shape that he would’ve assumed something else. “Excellent. What kind of ice cream?”
“Any kind.”
“Ice cream it is, then. It is a bit of a strange lunch, but that is perfectly fine.” Arquis smiled at Rin, giving them a soft peck on their palm. “How about you, my love? Is there anything you are craving?”
He wanted something that would comfort him. "Hot chocolate." he replied softly. "With cinnamon?" they gave Arquis a faint smile, knowing Honey had probably been dissociating; they had done that before, they knew what it was like. They reached up to gently cup Arquis's cheek with their hand. "Thank you, darling." they rubbed his thumb against Arquis's cheek for just a moment, then turned back to Honey, knowing the young man was still fragile. "How about you take a nap again, Honey? Or at least close your eyes?" they suggested. "Or, if you would prefer to stay awake, we can find something else to do."
(making some hot chocolate rn also sorry this is unnecessarily long)
After giving his partner another kiss on the hand, Arquis quietly got up from the bed. He took one of the leftover masks from the welcome basket and slipped it on. The odds of him running into anyone on the way to the kitchen were slim, but he didn’t want to risk it.
For the second time that day, he followed the winding hallways to the front desk, then made his way to the kitchen. As he got close, he wondered how the power outage would affect the production of food. They couldn’t use stoves or lighting, but a lot of cooking, he knew, was done by hand. Surely they could still whip something up if they used candlelight. Hot chocolate especially wasn’t that hard, but he wasn’t sure about ice cream. He’d never made it before.
The woman that greeted him was a plump with a heart-shaped face and double braids. She didn’t seem to be much older than him. When he politely told her the request, she nodded thoughtfully and began to take out some pots, pans, and a number of different ingredients. She actually allowed him to help as she prepared hot chocolate over an open fire. He washed his hands before chopping up the chocolate while she got the milk and cinnamon ready.
He’d assumed ice cream would be harder to make, but as it turned out, she actually already had some prepared. It was a brand new, small tub of vanilla ice cream with caramel swirls and chocolate mixed in.
“Is this for Honey?” she asked. He raised a brow, surprised, and she smiled. There was something motherly about it. “He’s a sweetheart. Always checks in on my daughter and I. When I found out he loves the stuff, I started making some extra just for him. I don’t think he’s caught on yet.”
Arquis thanked her for all the help, and he really meant it. He took multiple thermoses of hot chocolate, several spoons, and the ice cream back on a serving tray.
In the meantime, Honey told Rin that he wasn’t sure he could sleep, even if he tried.
“I’m tired, but I just can’t. Not until I know everyone’s safe,” he explained, tucking his knees to his chest again. “If someone gets hurt ‘cause of me, I- I just can’t.”
(nice! cinnamon really is good in it, btw, it's my personal favorite way of making it lol. it's fine!)
Rin listened to Honey's words, arms still gently wrapped around him. "I see." he said softly, rubbing Honey's shoulder again. "But, Honey, no one is going to get hurt. You haven't hurt anyone, and other people's actions cannot be blamed on you." they thought for a moment. "Uhm. Let's say that…I talk to someone, right? I tell him that his shoe's untied. Something…perfectly mundane, perfectly safe, yes? But then he punches me for telling him. Am I at fault for being punched? No. I just did something that I thought was harmless. It's the same thing with you. You did things that…that you maybe didn't think would cause harm, but then you got hurt. But, in this situation…what if you were a bystander? You knew the person who punched me. You knew that they might punch me. You didn't say anything. Are you at fault for me being punched?" they paused for a long, long moment, to let Honey think about thier words. "No. You are not. Because you have no control over another person's actions, and cannot be blamed for them."
(duly noted!!)
Honey sighed, frustrated, but he didn’t disagree. He just didn’t have it in him to fight anymore. It was typically easier, he had learned, to just go along with what people said. Just do as they wanted him to do. Put his hands wherever, smile, let them use him as an experiment or a battleground. Which got him thinking. He was alone with Rin. They still hadn’t stopped touching him. He was in their grip. They could do anything he wanted to Honey, and he wouldn’t be able to move or fight back. He was in perfect choking range, and he swore that he could feel their mouth on his throat, biting into that spot beneath the bandage, hard, then harder, then breaking through the skin, and he started crying again. They hadn’t even done anything, yet he was crying. He’d told him, hadn’t he? He always cried. But maybe they were one of the ones that liked that. Hadn’t he just been talking about punching? Honey couldn’t remember.
Was he going to die this time? It felt like he was dying already. Everything was so dark. But that was because of the lights. They were off. Who’d turned the lights off? Had they done it? When? Before he woke? No, it was earlier. He remembered being drunk in the dark, curled up. Waiting. Hoping someone would find him; hoping no one would.
(just not a ton of cinnamon, or it'll be way too spicy. just like. a small amount mixed in)
Rin froze when Honey started to cry, inhaling. "Oh. Oh, no, Honey…" they didn't know what to do. They ended up letting go of him, knowing that while touch was comforting for them, it did the opposite for Honey. Knowing that in this situation, their instinct to hug and touch would only do more harm than good. "I'm sorry." they said, hands hovering anxiously for a moment before he began to wring them together. After a moment, he brought a candle over for more light. "Honey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." he was helpless now, uncertain how to help, uncertain what he could say or do to help Honey calm down. They fidgeted anxiously for a few seconds, then tucked the blankets up around Honey to act as a shield. Maybe that would help. He also got up from the bed and opened the curtains a little to let in more light. They didn't open them far; just a crack, enough for some light to penetrate into the room.
(an entire cup of cinnamon, got it)
Opening the curtains and giving Honey some space had been the right move. The light made his headache worse, but it also helped calm him down. In his experience, men were always more vicious at night. There were a few that liked the thrill of doing it in the daylight. Some had even wanted to do it in public, which he’d thankfully avoided. Most, however, wanted to hide what they were doing, so they only called him around at night.
Once his nerves finally settled, he groaned and swiped angrily at his damp eyes. Of course he’d been overreacting. Why would Rin try to hurt him like that, after everything they’d said and done? They wouldn’t risk being kicked out, and he doubted they’d harm Arquis in such a way.
“Sorry. Told you, they’re like leaky faucets. Can’t stop ‘em once they’ve started.” Honey pointed at his good eye, then let his hand flop to the comforter. He appreciated their effort with the blankets, though he was too embarrassed to look them in the face. “Pretty ridiculous, isn’t it? Tell you I don’t wanna be touched, then I tell you I do, and when you do, I cry like a damn infant. Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. You alright?”
(noooo you'll burn your mouth!)
Rin came back after opening the curtains, but didn't touch Honey again, hands wringing together very faintly. "It isn't ridiculous. It's a trauma response." they replied softly, sitting down on the bed, but still giving Honey plenty of room. "It's fine. I'm fine. It's just htat I…my primary love language is touch, and so it is counterintuitive to me to…to not touch someone who is upset." they glanced away for a moment. "Not that that is a problem!" their gaze flicked back to Honey. "I will not touch you when you do not want me to, it is just…it feels counterintuitive, and I am sorry." he ran his hands through his hair, grimacing faintly.
(worth it)
Honey frowned. “Aw, don’t say sorry for that. It’s not that I don’t want you to, it’s just, y’know. I get all dramatic. Weepy. Whatever you said. And it’s all weird and tough to deal with.”
That was the moment that Arquis reached the room. He opened the door and proudly set the tray on the bed. He was about to make a comment about the change in lighting when he saw the blotchy tear stains on Honey’s face. Rather than ask, he simply gave him a comforting nod and passed him the tub of ice cream. For the first time all day, Honey looked actually excited. He tore the lid off and stuck a spoon inside. It slid in as easily as a hot knife through butter. Without waiting, he shoved the spoonful in his mouth and let it melt on his tongue.
“Hello, my love,” Arquis murmured to Rin. He kissed them on the lips and, as if he was performing a magic trick, held out one of the thermoses. He was very clearly pleased with himself. “One cinnamon hot chocolate for my lovely partner.”
(lol)
Rin leaned into Arquis's touch, taking the thermos. "Thank you, darling." he said, taking off the lid and taking a small sip of the hot chocolate. They looked over at Honey again, watching the young man for a long moment, then turning back to Arquis. "You are an angel." they pressed a kiss to Arquis's cheek, leaning against him a little bit as they sipped at their hot chocolate.
Arquis grinned when they kissed his cheek, and he went absolutely scarlet at the compliment. “Well, I am not sure about that. But thank you. I hope it is alright.”
Honey was apparently on cloud nine. He was running the edge of his spoon along the top of half of the ice cream, creating curls of vanilla with thin streaks of caramel. After each bite, he automatically smiled. His face gradually regained some color, and while he was still very emotional and tired, he didn’t look quite so peaky.
“For someone who adores ice cream so much,” Arquis remarked, “I find it odd that you do not have a favorite flavor. Surely there is one that you prefer.”
Honey dug out another spoonful. He pondered the question before eating and swallowing it to give an answer. “I don’t know. Caramel is real good, but I don’t think it’s actually my favorite. I’ll take any kind. Vanilla, strawberry, lemon, whatever. I didn’t get to have it that much growing up, ‘cause we didn’t really have money to buy it. Would be dumb to buy sweets when you’re starving.”
Rin stayed close to Arquis, sipping at their hot chocolate quietly. He listened to Honey's words, nodding faintly. "I see." he said softly. "Are…are you feeling better, now?" after the panic attack that Honey had had before Arquis's arrival, Rin just wanted to make sure that he was okay, that he wasn't upset or anything right now. He really didn't want to have upset Honey very badly.
(heading to bed, goodnight!)
(night!)
Honey pulled a face and let the handle of the spoon fall to the side of the tub. “I don’t know. I mean, yeah. I am. But I’m also not. Or I think I’m not. It’s like, I know that I’m safe here. You guys haven’t hurt me yet, and I’m pretty gross right now, so I kinda doubt you’re gonna. But my mind’s still telling me to get outta dodge. It’s making me jittery. Sorry about that.”
“Did something happen while I was gone?” Arquis worried aloud. It was obvious that something had, but he didn’t have enough context to figure it out. Had Rin upset Honey in some way? Or was he crying in response to what had happened with Lovey? Her knowing was obviously a massive deal, so he wouldn’t be surprised if Honey had needed to shed some leftover tears.
The blonde scooped a massive mouthful of ice cream. It was impressive how quickly he was going through the tub. Then again, he hadn’t had anything to eat for breakfast, and he’d thrown up what he’d had for dinner. No wonder he was famished and desperate for a comfort food.
“Nah, nothing important.”
That was an obvious lie, but Arquis wasn’t going to press him on it. “Ah, alright,” he responded.
A moment passed. Honey ate more ice cream. He was slowing down a bit, muttering something about getting a brain freeze. Arquis watched as he stuck the pad of his thumb to the roof of his mouth. He’d never seen anyone do that before, but it was oddly fascinating.
“You didn’t get yourself anything,” Honey pointed out after the brain freeze ended. Arquis, startled, looked around. It was true; he hadn’t even thought about it.
Rin let Honey tell the lie; he could explain to Arquis in private later. They stayed close to him. "We aren't going to hurt you, Honey, and we can…we can do anything we need to to help you feel safer." they said in a soft tone. At Honey's statement, they blinked, looking up at him. "Darling, why didn't you get yourself anything?" they asked. Then he held up his thermos. "Try a sip of my hot chocolate, it's delicious and I think you'll enjoy it."
Arquis felt mildly cornered. It wasn’t that he’d consciously avoided picking something out. He’d just forgotten, that was all. He had been looking out for Honey and Rin. This was supposed to be about them, but now he was in the spotlight, and he hated it.
He took a tiny sip from the thermos and nodded. “Yes, quite good. Now, Honey, as Rin was saying—is there anything we can do to help?”
Honey stuck the spoon into the ice cream and twisted the handle back and forth, creating a sort of channel down the side. He stopped after a bit and looked at Arquis. There was something curious and calculating in his gaze. Even exhausted out of his mind, he was still in many ways the man that had come to their room. Incredibly perceptive and impossibly smart. Annoyingly smart, even.
“Want some?” he asked, and when Arquis shook his head, his face softened. “You sure?”
“Quite. It is for you, Honey.”
“Can’t eat all of it, and I don’t want it to go to waste.”
“Well, I apologize.” He gave the blonde a forced smile. “I do not particularly enjoy sweet things.”
That was a lie, but Arquis wasn’t quite sure how Honey recognized it as one. He’d never told him about his sweet tooth. But Honey instantly glanced at Rin, trying to convey his concern, and Arquis had to hold back a sigh.
Rin sighed very faintly. "We're working on it." he told Honey, giving the young man a faint smile. "I promise. It's just slow progress." they wrapped their arm around Arquis, holding him gently. "Now, you haven't answered our question: what can we do to help you, Honey?" they kissed Arquis's cheek softly, giving him a faint look. They knew that Arquis had eaten earlier, and they were proud of him for it, which was why they weren't going to press him to eat now.