Blush

A Slow Morning

Trigger warning: self harm and neglectful behavior discussed

HUNTER POV

I woke up to Kate's diapered ass snuggled into my crotch and saw her thump held loosely between her perfect plump lips. Her other hand curled up and tucked between her beautiful breasts hiding under one of my tshirts.

Could she be anymore adorable?

I trailed my fingers lightly over her exposed cuts. They had scabbed over, just like she said they would. I was still coming to terms with this having been her one constant, her coping mechanism for the past several years. I wish I had known what she had been going through. I knew her parents weren't super involved in her life but I always assumed they were both busy with work or something reasonable. I never would have guessed they just didn't care about her. And how could someone not care about her?

My precious girl. My baby.

I held her against me for a moment longer, kissed her temple, then rolled out of bed. I found my shoes and left for my run. When I came back, I found my mom in the kitchen making smoothies. She always did this for me, waking up early so she could make me a smoothie after my run. She smiled when I sat at the bar stool, sliding a smoothie to me.

"Kate still asleep." She asked. I nodded, drinking. "Were you safe?"

I nearly choked, coughing the gulp of smoothie down, "What the hell, Mom? Trying to kill me?"

"Trying to make me a grandma?" She countered

"You're already a grandma." I reminded her. "But you don't have to worry about it. Kate's not ready yet so I'm not ready yet."

She nodded, "When that changes, let me know okay?"

I gave her a thumbs up. I felt lucky to have parents that were more concerned with open communication than following a set of expectations. They would rather know I was going to drink at a party and discuss how to do it safely than forbid drinking and have it happen anyway without their knowledge and advice. Same with sex. Thinking about this, reminded me that this wasn't how my Kate's parents were.

"Hey, you know how Grad Night is Thursday?" My mom nodded, "Well, to celebrate Ary getting into her dream school her parents got her a couple rooms at one of the on site hotels for all of us to stay and go again on Friday since it's ditch day."

"Wow! That's quite the reward. I'll get online and purchase you a ticket for Friday. Is Kate going?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Kate's parents-" my throat closed. Was I tearing up? I held my eyes wide, hoping to keep the tears from falling, "they aren't very-" how did I explain this? "Kate doesn't think they will help her pay for her tickets."

Mom tilted her head slightly, "Is she grounded or something?"

"No, no she hasn't done anything wrong. They just -" I couldn't find the words. I slammed my first on the counter, followed by my forehead to my fist. Oh hell. I was crying.

"Hunter? Is there something I need to get involved with. Are they hurting her?" My mom's voice came out an octave higher than usual.

I raised my head and shook it, "She says they haven't. They spanked her a lot when she was a little kid but nothing that the courts would say was physical abuse. It's more emotional and verbal. Her older siblings, they are Kevin and Samantha's ages, are the golden kids and she is the scapegoat. From what I was able to get her to tell me, everything that goes wrong is somehow her fault. And they exclude her from a lot. Like she was home alone this weekend because they went to visit her sister and didn't even think to invite her. And then they came home yesterday and immediately found something to be angry at her for. That's why I had her stay here last night."