be discreet

[msmage]

It's not much later, in Isabella's room, that she asks:

"So... is Alex really a dom?"

Comments

[eclipsi]

"I meant on you, pet. If it's your word against his but his word is 'that's a sub' and yours is 'no I'm not', then that's all that would take to establish it."

[mrmage]

"Oh. Yeah, maybe, but." He tugs on his collar. "People might not believe my word."

[eclipsi]

"I gave you a key, lovely."

[mrmage]

"I know, that's not what I mean. We'd have to lie about you being my dom, Tobias could get people to say that I've always acted submissive and that this was an act of rebellion against him after joining school, hell he might even find people from school and get them to testify about my being your sub, it would totally be a thing he'd try to do."

[eclipsi]

"...I'd suggest you borrow Jackson but that would involve interacting with Jackson's dom. Ugh."

[mrmage]

"...who I suspect would not play ball, in any case."

[eclipsi]

"Yeah." Hug. "...Do you want to discuss contingency scenarios or are you not up for that right now?"

[mrmage]

"I-" Pause. Think. "I think I am. But I might not be, so if I find I'm not, I'll- stop, if that's okay?"

[eclipsi]

"That's fine, pet." Hug. "I have one instance of telepathy down but it's verbal only and it still might take me months to develop a second or generalized instance. If he manages to take you you'll be on your own at least at first."

[mrmage]

Shudder. "You don't need to do that, you have your things."

[eclipsi]

"I wouldn't want to leave you alone in that house until you turned eighteen."

[mrmage]

"B- but I'm not sure I'd want you to be there. To- to know."

[eclipsi]

"You wouldn't have to tell me anything you didn't want to tell me, pet, it's voluntary telepathy, I'm not a psychic combatant."

[mrmage]

"I know, but I'm not sure I'd be able to not tell you, and right now I don't want to- I mean, I don't want you to know the details." He buries her face in her neck. "Dn't wnt you t' see m' like ths," he mumbles. "But I'd want you to be there anyway. Gee, very consistent and thoughtful of you, brain, here's a cookie," he says a bit more clearly, and sighs.

[eclipsi]

She pets him. "Oh my lovely," she sighs. "...Renée's a mandated reporter, not about you but about her students so she might know a few things about how this tends to go, if she or her social worker friend or whoever thinks you have a shot at winning can you tolerate an investigation and maybe a court case?"

[mrmage]

He groans. "I had been hoping he'd forget about me, no court cases. Yes, if that's what it takes to get him not to touch me, but... What about Jonathan and Sarah?"

[eclipsi]

"Is your stepmom not able to look after them on her own if she has to?"

[mrmage]

"I really don't think so. Did you see how she and Sarah were acting? That was not just in public."

[eclipsi]

"Is she incompetent or just - quiet? Like, can she drive and fill out paperwork and do shopping? You said she cooks..."

[mrmage]

"She can do - house stuff. Cleaning and cooking and shopping. She doesn't work, Tobias' family is rich and they mooch off it, also he's an engineer. I think she might be able to find a job without Tobias around, but she can't really be a mom. And Jonathan might want to take over and take care of the other two and he's eleven."

[eclipsi]

"...Okay, but you don't actually have to be a sacrifice on the altar of this particular family's well-being. There are families that need at least that much help and can be helped at much less cost."

[mrmage]

He continues clinging and doesn't say anything.

[eclipsi]

Squeeze. "And maybe Tobias's parents will help look after their grandkids or something. It sounds like your half-siblings have a lot more support available than you do and it is okay for you to grab more until you have this extremely basic thing you need of not being terrorized."

[mrmage]

"I know you're right, I just don't... believe it, if that makes sense? Inside."

[eclipsi]

Nod.

"You might also be able to run away, especially if you can shapeshift well enough to look like somebody else and a little older. You - look, how much information security do I have to maintain about things with Alex in the car, I figured under the circumstances it was better to spill the beans about Tobias to him and Renée than make you sit in that restaurant a second longer but about other stuff."