Little Prince [✓]

ⅠX

Memory 1

"Mama, why don't I have a papa?"

She freezes, her hands shaking as she lays down the knife. Part of her wants to pick it back up and put it to use, part of her wanted to weep for even thinking of such a thing. She turns around to the small, bruised and bandaged boy, his brown hair mirroring hers and his foreign gray-brown eyes reflecting the man who made him.

"Nathan, I told you about asking stuff like that." She sighs, throwing the fileted fish back into the bucket. "Go to bed now, please."

"But Mama-" he gently tugged at her dress, the memories flooding back. "-It's broken!"

⚠️The following scene contains mentions of sexual assault and descriptions of child abuse. Please scroll until you see the letters return to normal if you are triggered by such material⚠️

"GET OFF OF ME!" The slap echoed in the damp, shabby room as the boy fell to the floor.

His hands, his scent, she felt it all over again. The sound of her dress ripping shrieked in her ears as she crumpled to the dirty tiled floor. The bitter smell stung her eyes as she held her nose, her hands trembling as she crawled away. Her back pressed up against the wall just like it had then.

"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?"

"P-Please...I have to get home." She cried as her hands yanked her hair, the pain searing through her scalp as strands tore out. "P-Please...No...STOP!"

"Marybelle...Mama" Too many sounds from too many places. The dim light was now too bright, The cold room was now burning hot. Too many feelings, too many senses activated at once.

"Please-" She wept, "Please I- I want to go home!"

"But Mama, we're already home." A quiet, shaky voice cut through the chaos. "Mama...?"

⚠️End of scene⚠️

"Nathan...Oh, Nathan-" She pulled the boy into her arms, burying her face into his shoulder as she sobbed, "Nathan I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay Mama!" He was crying, but he didn't let her see his tears. "Everything will be okay!"

"But I- Dinner is ruined-"

"Is not! We can have boiled fish again!" He smiled as he wiped her face with a piece of ripped cloth, "And we'll toast the bread!"

The boy helped his mother finish dinner, which barely filled his tiny stomach yet he said nothing. He let his mother have the majority of the tiny serving, knowing she needed it more. They laid on the floor and he tucked her in, making sure the cold outside air wouldn't tickle her throughout the night. As he laid beside her, he smiled, happy his mother was at peace in her sleep.

Max's POV

"What else do you want, Nathan?" I slowly slid into his lap, resting my hands on his shoulders. "You know what I want, what do you want?"

"I..." His adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, "I want you to be safe around me..."

I couldn't help but furrow my brows, his comment random and unfounded. He had never posed a threat to anyone, his record was spotless and the few people whom he talked with only had good things to say about him. Sure, his build could be threatening if he wanted it to but it was quite clear to even strangers that he couldn't be violent if he tried.

"Nathan, why would I-"

"I've never been off suppressants before-" tears poured down his face, "Before this."

"It's normal to be anxious-"

"Even now, I can't stop thinking!" He shivered as I wiped his tears. "Every time I hear your voice my body..."

"Feels like it's going to explode if it isn't pleased?" His eyes widened as I hugged him, "Nathan, it's normal."

"I'm so disgusted with myself," he cautiously wrapped his arms around me.

"That's no good!" I cupped his face, forcing him to look me in my eyes, "You mustn't be such an old maid!"

"Old...maid?" The corners of his mouth twitched as my heart throbbed.

"It means you're being a prude! A moralist!" I felt my ears burn as he smiled gently. "I just mean to say that you have to stop being so rude to yourself!"

"But-"

"Not a single but besides the one you're sitting on," I wrapped the blanket around us as he laid his head on my shoulder, "You are clearly exhausted...please rest...for me?"

"You say that as if I'd ever be able to tell you no," his low chuckle made my stomach bubble.

"You did before!"

"And that led to me being carried as if I were getting arrested," he mumbled.

"About that...I apologize." The words felt foreign leaving my mouth, but they also felt right. "I was being a snobby self-entitled prick."

"You still are but..." something in his eyes gleamed, "It's one of the things I've started to love about you."

Love?

"Oh?" I cautiously wrapped my arms around his neck, unprepared for him to lean in. "W-Why is that?"

"Because underneath all of those fancy clothes and harsh words..." His lips were so close, "Is the most gentle soul I've ever met."

"Nathan..." My breath hitched as his eyes gazed into mine, "Are you sure...?"

"The only thing I'm sure of right now-" we were sharing the same air, "-Is how much I want you."