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Theta opens the door as quietly as he can, shutting it with equal caution behind him and taking off his helmet to put on the rack with the green and light blue helmets. Then he picks up his skateboard and starts sneaking through the house, past the kitchen where Delta is busy at the stove. The house is quiet. Gamma must still be in his room, Omega has taken the twins out to see a film, Epsilon’s never home anyway and Sigma had hurried out the door with a smile that morning shortly after receiving a call. So the only one he has to avoid is the hardest to avoid of his older siblings.
He doesn’t even make it to the stairs.
‘You’re home sooner than I had expected.’
Theta freezes, not looking back to the open door of the kitchen. Maybe Meg and the twins have come in behind him? But he hasn’t heard them and the twins are never quiet after a film.
There’s the sound of Delta putting the knife he’d been using down and then the distinct sound of his even footsteps crossing the floor, soft and just within Theta’s hearing range.
‘Theta?’
The eleven year old takes a deep breath, clutching his skateboard close to his chest to try and stop himself from shaking as he turns around and looks up at his brother, seeing his green eyes widen behind his glasses. A split second later, Delta is crouched in front of him, hands resting gently on his shoulders while he takes in the damage.
‘What happened?’ he asks, slightly panicked.
Theta swallows.
‘I… I fell off,’ he mumbles, the lie sticking in his throat. He can’t look at his brother. ‘Was trying a new trick and I… fell…’
Delta is quiet for a long moment and Theta bites his lip.
‘Look at me,’ Delta says. He waits until Theta does as requested before reaching up, his fingers brushing around the large bruise marring Theta’s cheek. He meets Theta’s eyes and the younger boy instantly wants to look away because his vision is blurring and he just wants to curl up in a corner away from all this.
‘What happened?’ Delta asks again, but his tone is more gentle this time and Theta drops his skateboard and presses himself into his brother’s arms. Delta wastes no time in holding him close and tight and within moments Theta is crying into his shoulder, his small hands gripping the back of Delta’s shirt. They stay like that for a long moment until Theta mumbles something and Delta pulls back slightly so he can see his face, using gentle force when Theta tries to cling to him.
‘Say that again?’
Theta squirms slightly in his arms, his purple eyes wide and shining with tears, some of which have overflown to make tracks that run down his face and the bruise.
‘Th-they said I was too small to be skateboarding.’ His voice is almost a whisper. ‘They told me to go back to… to my “mommy” a-and…’ The tears overflow again and he tugs himself back into Delta’s embrace, hiding his face in his brother’s neck.
Delta hugs him again, shifting his arms around him so that when he carefully stands up, he takes Theta with him. He’s getting big, soon Delta will have a hard time picking him up. With his brother clinging to his torso, he takes them through to the living room and sits down on the couch where Theta instantly unlatches himself and curls up at Delta’s side, arms still around him, face still hidden.
‘Can you finish telling me yet?’ Delta asks softly, on hand carding lightly through his hair. It takes a moment, but then Theta pulls back.
‘They saw my aids,’ he mumbles and Delta’s grip on him tightens by a fraction. ‘They started sh-shouting everything, yelling if I could hear them. I don’t like people shouting…’
‘I know you don’t, Theta,’ Delta says, trying to soothe him. ‘They shouldn’t have done that, it was cruel.’
‘I tried to make them go away, I said please like you always tell me to and it didn’t work!’
Delta sighs.
‘Saying please often won’t work on people like that. They don’t care for manners. But it’s good that you tried, I’m proud of you for that.’ He hugs him again. ‘When… When did they hit you?’
Theta bites his lip, looking down.
‘I tried to leave. One of them grabbed my hoodie and hit me, saying they hadn’t said I could leave yet. Can… they can’t do that, right? They’re not like teachers who can tell you to stay or go and you have to do it.’
‘No, they can’t do that,’ Delta assures him. ‘Though they might do so with force. You’re not hurt anywhere else are you?’ He leans back, looking over his younger brother for other signs of injury.
‘Just my cheek,’ Theta mumbles. ‘Someone else showed up then and started telling the boys to leave me alone.’
‘Who? What did they look like?’
‘They wore blue, but I ran away and came straight back home, so I don’t know who it was.’
Delta nods, his brow furrowed slightly into what Omega calls his thinking face.
‘Well I’m glad you weren’t hurt any worse and I think you dealt with it really well. You were very brave.’
‘Really?’ Theta looks up at him and Delta smiles.
‘Of course. Now, we’ll get some cream on that bruise and I’ll tell Omega what’s happened so he’s not taken by surprise when he gets back.’
‘Thanks. I love Meg, but he can be a bit…’ he trails off and makes a gesture with the hand not latching him to his brother.
‘He can be, can’t he,’ Delta agrees and they both grin.
Theta nestles back into Delta’s arms, much more relaxed as he wipes the tear streaks from his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. He’s careful when he goes over the bruise because it still hurts, but the cream will help make it better.
‘I’m not too small,’ he says.
‘Hm?’
‘To skateboard. They said I was too small and I’m not. I can do an ollie from standstill and not fall off now, and I’ve nearly got it while moving.’
Delta smiles at his younger brother and ruffles his already messy hair, which makes him shake his head with a grin.
‘You’re an awesome skater and you’re only going to get better,’ he says, smiling wider at Theta’s smile. It’s contagious. Even Omega and Gamma struggle to not smile when Theta’s grinning. ‘Don’t let those boys, or anyone, tell you otherwise.’
‘I won’t. I’m just going to get better and better and no one will be able to say I’m not good. I love skateboarding.’
‘I know you do, kiddo.’ He lets go of Theta and stands up. ‘I’m going to get the cream. Go get yourself a drink and you have permission to have two cookies.’
Theta’s off the couch in a moment, running for the kitchen with thanks called over his shoulder.
‘And put your skateboard away!’ he hears Delta call after him. He picks it up from where he left it in the hall and takes it to the cupboard where they keep the coats, putting it in its place at the back where it’s all ready to be taken out again next time he goes to the park. But for now, orange juice and cookies are calling and he hurries to the kitchen to get them. He doesn’t need to curl up in a corner anymore.