A Mockingbird In The Crows Nest

This Isn't Love (But Even If It Was, I Wouldn't Know It)

CONTENT WARNINGS!!
Emotional and physical abuse. Child abuse. Emotional manipulation, gaslighting, and verbal abuse.
Suicidal ideation and thoughts of not wanting to wake up from sleep.

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The day after The Blue Fairy visits; Tommy wakes up to his chest feeling like it was hollowed out. His entire body is sore, and his wings creak when he attempts to stretch them out and sit up. Prime, he shouldn't have slept on the floor. His neck is especially sore right now. So is the cheek that was laying on the carpet.

But the more he wakes up, and the more he remembers from the day before..The less energy he finds to care about his aches and pains.

Tommy blinks furiously at the ceiling in order to stave off the tears; taking slow, even breaths. He needs to get it together. He doesn't have long to himself. He barely had time alone when he was here willingly. He can't imagine how much alone time he has when he's here as a prisoner.

Prime..Even thinking that makes all his feathers stand on end with anxious energy. He hates the feeling of being trapped in this room with no way out. And his door is locked so it's not like he can sneak around the base and stretch his legs or whatever. He's just stuck in this room until someone comes looking for him.

He really hopes she finds something fast. He doesn't want the heroes to get him out of here- because then they'd have the chance to scream at him. To unload their anger and betrayal before throwing him into Pandora to rot.

But then again..It's not like being here will be any better. He's lucky he's in his old room and not down in a cell tied to a chair. He's lucky all he has is general aches from sleeping on the floor, and not from being beaten raw from villains who don't seem to care about him as much as they used to.

As if thinking about them willed it into existence; there's the sound of footsteps out in the hall and the lock on the door clicks. It's the only warning Tommy gets before the door is swinging open, and Raptor is striding in.

"Rise and shine, Cardinal!" Raptor says, far too chipper given the situation. "I brought you-" He pauses in the doorway, then looks around briefly until he spots Tommy on the floor. He frowns in confusion. "What're you doing on the floor?"

"Sightseeing." He snarks. dryly

Raptor rolls his eyes and shuts the door behind him with his foot. "Well, c'mon then." He gestures for Tommy to stand with his free hand. "Get up. I brought breakfast."

Huffing, Tommy manages to gather his feet under himself and pushes himself upright. His legs sting and prickle with static; but he doesn't let himself falter a single step as he crosses the room to the bed and sits on the edge. Raptor sits beside him, and he tries to subtly shuffle away so they aren't as close.

Raptor must not notice- because he doesn't say anything about it. He just puts a plate of blueberry muffins on the blanket between them; then picks one up.

Tommy doesn't go for it.

Don't get him wrong- he does kind of want one. He's hungry as shit after all the crying he did the night before. But on top of that- he can't exactly remember the last time he ate..The power suppressants in his system make time a little funny. Besides, how the hell is he supposed to take the wrapper of the muffin off when he's still got the cuffs on?