Bloody hands

44- History of Violence

Nathaniel pursed his lips, swallowing a hiss of pain as Ken carefully dabbed his open lips with cotton and alcohol. The shy male gently placed a finger under his chin, lifting it up to continue treating his wounds, a light frown on his lips. 

Ken hated seeing people in pain, and even more inflicting it but right now there was little he could do to alleviate his friend's agony. 

"Sorry... " He quietly apologised, gazing up at the other boy behind strands of messy black hair, brows furrowed in worry.  

Nathaniel returned a small smile of reassurance, ignoring the sting coursing through his opened lower lip. "Thanks for taking care of this." He said, hands shooting up to gesture to his current state. Cuts and bruises littering his arms and face, blue and violet shades colouring his usually pale skin like aquarelle on a canvas and blood trickling down his nose and chin, that is if Ken hadn't wiped it out. 

Ren sat crossed legged in one of the armchairs of the living room, intently observing the injured boy, a light frown etched between his brows and a fresh cup of coffee in his hands. 

Nathaniel had arrived a few minutes ago and Ken had immediately fetched the nursing kit and had sat the male down on the couch to tend to him, thus leaving no time for the male to explain the reason for his current predicament. 

But even so Ren could at least guess one thing, this had something to do with (Y/n), if not Nathaniel wouldn't have come over, being more of the individualist and I-can-take-care-of-myself type. And somehow the man also knew he wouldn't like it. 

He placed his cup down on the coffee table, leaning back in his seat, eyes locked on Nathaniel as said male cringed once again as Ken pressed a cotton ball to his cuts. He patiently waited for his sibling to be done, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to ponder over what could have happened. 

The only culprits he could see were Yuu and Takao. Though from what he knew, the latter had never been the violent type. But rested to know what brought on such a fight. Well then again people could take one off guard sometimes, and after all Takao had had his fair share of hardship for the past few years, him developing a violent streak wouldn't be off the hook. 

Ren had never been close to the brown haired male, seeing him as a friend of (Y/n)'s and nothing more. Of course he had encountered him a few times and had even been his teacher last year, but that was it. However one didn't have to know the boy to have heard or read about the tragedy which had hit his family a few years ago. In this small town, news spread like fire. 

The boy's father was a cop, one of the best of the town in fact. He had been recently promoted when a criminal he had been trying to catch for years had broken into the family's house and threatened to kill his son and wife. Of course the man hadn't planned on actually killing them off, or maybe he had... But Ren presumed it had been an empty threat. This guy didn't commit murders, he versed in thievery and drug dealing. He had just wanted to scare Takao's father so he'd be left alone with his business. 

But things had taken a turn for the worst and had cost him his life. Killed with a bullet in the head in front of his very son. The child had been found by the police covered in his father's blood after trying to keep the blood from oozing out of his father's pierced skull. 

A shiver coursed through Ren's spine as his breath caught in his throat. 

He had no wish to imagine or picture the scene. 

Anyways, it was fair to say Takao had been traumatised by the event. And who wouldn't ? 

But Ren wondered how precisely this had affected him, how it had shaped his current psychology and attitude.