By your window

6.

WARNINGS: Mentions of emotional abuse on children.

"BLOODY HELL!". Marben flinched so hard the violin slipped from her shoulder and almost from her hands too; the music stand, however, was knocked with force and tumbled noisily to the ground. The boy at the window - fist still up - started too, then.
"Shit! Sorry!" he blurted, but the glass blocked his voice, so he gestured her to open the window. Marben looked annoyed, and suddenly Five felt unsure about his visit: was she mad at him for the scare? Or for him or because he hadn't he shown up in a while? He didn't know for sure, but needed to mend their newborn friendship for the safeguard of his own mental health, so he put up a pleading face and repeated the gesture, mouthing an exasperated plea. Marben's glare still did not falter, but at least she acquiesced, opening the window just a tiny crack.

"Hey, uhm...". Five didn't know what to say. From this near Marben looked even more beautiful than he remembered, and watching her look at him with a stony face, imperiously lifting an eyebrow, surely didn't help his tangled tongue. The boy felt himself deflate.
He didn't dare to look up and cross Marben's eyes again, but suddenly the window got completely opened and the girl sat on the windowsill, shoving something in front of him. Small cakes. Five looked at Marben, then, stunned by her holding a dignified attitude even perched on a windowsill while offering sweets.
"Jaffa cakes" she simply said. "Have some. You look like you need to eat".
Five watched Marben send him a kind glance devoid of any trace of hostility, and he had to hastily lower his gaze to the cakes, otherwise he would have done something really, really stupid. Like getting sappy and telling her she was too good to be true.

The Jaffa cakes tasted sublime, dark chocolate and bittersweet orange jelly: before he could stop, Five had already devoured four of them under Marben's pleased yet dumbfounded blue-green gaze, and was well on his way to eat the rest. When only two of the sweets were left at the bottom of the box, the boy backed away from it; he passed the back of his left hand on his mouth and refrained only a second away from belching. That did not fool Marben anyway, since she threw her head back and laughed heartily, snatching a snicker from Five too.

"Wow...those were delicious! Thanks for sharing...I skipped dinner". Marben's smile dimmed a little.
"I figured" she said softly, and then asked "Are you alright, Five?". In response, his shoulders sagged a little and he smirked sardonically.
"Of course".
"Sorry if I asked, but...you look like you need to talk to someone".
"It's fine, I...just hate every-fucking-thing in my life, but apparently that's how puberty works!" Five thereupon growled through clenched teeth. "Which is complete bullshit, because I don't see other kids my age being treated as damn soldiers by their parents!".
Marben was taken aback by the sudden, ferocious contempt in Five's voice, but didn't budge. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and listened.
"Our Father wears us out in training, yet while the others get to actually accomplish something, I have to stay put and behave, do only what he says! He never grants me the chance to do anything different. ANYTHING!". Five's hands flew in the air, his eyes ablaze with anger, his movements so vigorous even his neatly combed hair started to ruffle. Marben let her hand slide from his shoulder and watched dejectedly as he ranted about denied opportunities, mistreated sisters, missions gone wrong and a stolen freedom.
When the boy was finally done ranting, he stopped abruptly to draw big lungfuls of air; he was drained, shaking from anger and felt a little guilty too. Marben climbed over the windowsill and joined him on the fire escape. From this near, he looked terrified, wheezing and with eyes wide as saucers, so she took his hand and squeezed it. Suddenly, Five's erratic focus was on her.
"I'm so sorry, Five. I wish things were better for you and your siblings".
"Well...thanks, but it's not gonna change anything".
Marben didn't let the snide remark strike her. Instead, she stood up on her tiptoes to lay a gentle kiss on Five's cheek, and then came down, leaning her forehead on the spot his lips just vacated: he still was fuming, but let himself lean in the contact with a deep sigh, squeezing her hand back. They stayed like that for a while, on the fire escape surrounded by the night breeze, and eventually, little by little Five stopped shaking.