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"Like father, like son." A voice muttered with distain.
"Disgusting murder, how could you?!" Shrieked another voice.
"To the pit with the freak!" Chanted many others.
Those voices were ones Rudo found familiar, but not in a good way. The voices of those up in the sphere calling for his punishment of Regto's death—the one he was framed for. He knew what others had thought about it, hell, he even heard them say it our loud throughout his life. These voices were nothing new.
Rudo felt his arms being suspended midair by ropes, gravity pulling against him and putting pressure on his lungs. This was really familiar now. Rudo didn't care for the cacophony of voices yelling for his execution and insulted being hurled directly at him. Those pics stains had no impact on him then, they don't now. They could drop dead, every last one of them can.
Rudo could feel his anger seething, drawing beneath his skin slowly as it bubbled. However, he remembered something. He had the power to break free and destroy them all...but why would he? Sure it might have satiated his thirst for vengeance but would Regto approve of this, would he want that in order for him to make this price of shit world better?
Rudo unclench his fists and exhaled slowly his rage subsiding as the crowd of faceless people continued to insult and sneer at him. He could tolerate their words as it's nothing new, he could just tune them out into static, maybe even Hooe they drop him quicker so he can be where he truly belongs.
As Rudo could feel his mind drift away and his focus on something else, the noise of the crowd became muffled as the atmosphere dulled, except for one spot. Rudo quickly noticed and snapped his eyes to focus on the more lit up place where he saw—
"...N-no." Came the soft mutter of the boy as his eyes widened, seeing a brunette hugging a stuffed toy. He can't bare to hear those words again, his heart can't. Don't say those words, please.
The girl had soulless eyes having no shine in them as her face was blank staring through the white haired boy hung up dangling on the edge as she had a stiffed bunny clutched to her chest. She was only the only one with distinct feature that stood out.
"I thought you was different..." she muttered out, her eyes never leaving Rudo's. His eyes widened and his chest tightened even more making it more difficult to breathe. "You really are a killers son."
Rudo could feel his heart shatter into a million pieces. Hearing those words brought back the emotions he tried to suppress for all this time. The anger, the betrayal, the hurt. He couldn't help but let a single tear drop as he tried to plead to the girl, who was now turning away from him in slow motion, dropping the stuffed toy he fixed.
"Wait! Chiwa, please listen—I didn't do it!" The boy called out desperate to gain her fleeting attention with no luck as his pleas fell on deaf ears. Rudo could only stare as he watched the girl he crushed on walk away, eyes never leaving her figure as she gained more distance. He never noticed the ever growing darkness slowly engulfing his vision as all his sense were robbed. He could not see. he couldn't see her. He could not hear nor feel anything. But he swore he started to fall.
~~~~~
Rudo quickly shot up as he was startled awake, a cold sweat dripping down his temple. It was just a nightmare...he suppose that was better than it being reality. It already happened, don't be stupid!
His hands were shaking as an aftermath of his nightmare. Rudo just needed to calm down and just go back to sleep. Stupid nightmare waking him up and getting him all jumpy. He never wants to remember those shit stains who are dead to him. To his credit, Rudo did try falling asleep again, but to his dismay, every time he closed his eyes all he could see were those eerie eyes of Chiwa staring into him or the harsh looks the hoard of people were giving him.
It was annoying! He kept twisting and turning his body as if it would help with the sudden flashes. The white haired boy huffed out as he angrily sat up. He groggily turned his head to a clock he managed to repair and squinted at it to make out the time, seeing it was 2:37 AM.
Rudo huffed again, this time swinging his feet from his bed and onto the chilly floor with a slight shiver. If he couldn't go back to sleep then he's gonna make it someone else's problem and that someone was a person who seemed to care for him most.
You.
. . .
Rudo slowly opened the door to your room, making a low creaking sound as he did, and walked up yo where you was sleeping. As he did you having some sort of 6th sense was already stirring awake from a slight disturbance. You slowly cracked your eyes open, hearing the small litter pater of footsteps approaching you. You turned around with a small groan and saw a familiar silhouette.
"Rudo, honey, what are you doing up at..." You spoke, your voice croaking with sleep before trailing off to try and look at the time. "2 in the morning?"
From what you could see, the young Sphereite was fidgeting with his fingers and his gaze fixated somewhere else rather than your face. You let out a sigh before speaking up again "I'm not angry at you." You reassured him.
Rudo inhaled before he answered. "...Couldn't sleep." He mumbled looking towards the floor. You noticed his shoulders looked tensed. "Nightmare..." he added on after a brief pause. Instantly your expression became softer after hearing him feeling sympathetic for him, after all he was practically your son.
Without another word, you moved over and lifted the covers as a silent invite for him to join you, to which the boy agreed to with no hesitation as he slowly climbed in next to you. After you settle the covers back onto you both you wrap your arms around Rudo and his reciprocates the gesture by basically clinging to your being. You smile softly and let one hand rest in the boy's hair and brush through it. Rudo feels his body physically relax as he melts against you. He knew he could always rely on you as a safe space or someone to offer him comfort.
"You want to talk about your nightmare?" You quietly ask, to which your response was him shaking his head as he continued to snuggle against you. He would rather not recall it...for now he would rather enjoy your presence to ground him. Not long after he had settled and you brushing through his messy hair, you began humming a soft tune to lul him into slumber. It was slowly doing its magic as Rudo felt his eyes grow heavy, his mind feeling less crowded with unpleasant thoughts and his heart slowing to a steady pace he drifted off into a dreamless sleep a small smile on his face.
When you felt rudo go limp against you and his soft snores after, you couldn't help but to give him a soft kiss on his forehead and decided to go to sleep yourself. Lil' brat waking me up at this time.
But he's your brat, and you wouldn't trade him for the world.
"Goodnight Rudo, dream sweet dreams." You whispered before you soon succumbed to sleep once again with rudo at your side safe and sound.
...