Work Text:
Gaz came home late today. It wasn't easy to get this game, but she did it. That guy seemed to need some kind of surgery anyway, didn't he?
Crossing the threshold of her house, the first thing she noted to herself was that the house was very quiet. Not a single sound. Not even a peep came from the room of her brother, Dib. Usually, there was some kind of noise, but now it was too silent to be comfortable. The only times it was so quiet in the house was when... Oh no.
Gaz quickly changed her shoes, took off her jacket, and walked up the stairs to her older brother's room. The closer she got, the more worried she became.
Dib's door was slightly ajar. Looking through the half open door, she saw something that she did not want to see, and from which her heart sank in her chest. Dib laid in nothing but a blue T-shirt, huddled in a fetal position. His glasses were askew and he was starting into nothingness with foggy eyes. She opened the door, entering the room. Dib didn't even pay any attention to her. Moving a little closer, Gaz noticed the streaks on Dib's cheeks. He cried. He had every reason to do so. She sat down on the bed next to him.
"Did he do it again?" came the quiet voice of the girl. Dib only barely perceptibly nodded, throwing a quiet "uh-huh."
"At least this time he finished quickly," Dib chuckled bitterly. His voice was hoarse, Gaz suspected it was because of him screaming. She frowned, leaning back against the wall.
“…Why are you letting him do this to you?” she asked after about a minute of silence.
“As if I could fight back somehow,” he whispered, pulling his pillow closer to him. Gaz looked away from Dib.
A couple of minutes of silence passed by, which felt like hours. Gaz gently ran her hand down Dib's back, stroking him in a comforting gesture. He flinched, but allowed his sister to do so. After a while, he sat up in bed. Gaz noticed how hard it was for him to do this seemingly simple act, and her heart sank once more. He clung to Gaz, pressing his whole body against her in an embrace. She silently placed her hands on his back. She heard him whimper softly into her shoulder.
"It'll be all right," she whispered in his ear, continuing to stroke his back in a comforting manner, "someday he'll stop..."
"He sure will," Dib mumbled softly in response. He didn't believe her, Gaz knew it. It was difficult to believe in anything at this point, especially, in a situation like this. But the thought that, sometime in the far future, his father would walk into Dib's room and not unfasten his belt and force his son to undress, was nice. He wanted to believe, but it was given to the boy with difficulty.
“You need to rest,” Gaz said.
"Can you stay with me a little longer? Please,” he said pleadingly. Gaz could not reject him, and only sighed softly, clutching her brother in her arms.
Everything will be alright. It sure will.