Henry tried not to look too closely, biting his lip. What could have possibly happened to hurt Kai like this? At the same time, he was seeing a very different side of Babe, one he'd never seen before or known existed.
Apaixonar: The act of falling in love.//OxO//Romance//CLOSED
"Th-they-" Kai stuttered out, before shooting forward and burying his face in Babe's shoulder. "I d-don't know how, b-but they knew, a-and-"
"Hey, hey, it's alright." Babe wrapped her arms around her brother, face darkening dangerously as he began talking about his attackers. Her voice stayed soft though, and if one hadn't been able to see her face, they'd have no clue.
Henry was full of sympathy for the boy. Even if he still didn't quite understand, it was obvious that Babe did. He kept a little ways back, giving the two space to talk.
Twenty minutes later, Babe had managed to calm Kai down and get his shirt changed, clocking out of work. He hadn't let go of her though, always clinging to her arm, hand, side, something. "Hey, Henry? I'm…going to bring him along, if you've got room."
Henry paused for a minute before enthusiastically nodding his agreement. "That's fine, I have plenty of room. Do you want me to take you home or to practice?" He unlocked the car and walked over to the driver's side.
Kai looked to Babe, confused. "Practice? What-?"
"Practice works." Babe said, with every intention of keeping Kai away from home for a bit. He didn't need mom and the others fussing over him, it would just bring everything back up.
Henry nodded, driving off to the rink. It was only a few minutes away, so they reached it quickly. The parking lot was almost empty, just the coach's car in a corner. Henry parked smoothly and unlocked the car, silently wondering if he should help.
Babe shot Henry an incredibly grateful look as she helped Kai out of the car, letting him lean against her. He looked confused, studying the stadium with wide eyes before turning to look at Babe, who pulled her lips up into a smile devoid of much emotion for a split second.
Henry walked ahead of them to get the door and switch the lights on for the rink. He still wasn't sure what to say, and he didn't want to ask and come off as rude. He was enjoying his friendship with Babe and didn't want to risk messing it up at all.
Babe got her brother settled in the lounge, leaving him her bag. He pulled what looked like a small first aid kit out of it, only to begin pulling metal parts and things from it. Babe gesture for Henry to follow her out in the hall, pulling out her phone and leaning against the wall.
He followed after only a brief hesitation of watching the boy. He casually leaned against the opposite wall to face Babe. He wouldn't ask, but his expression was clearly curious.
Babe turned her phone so that the screen was facing him. It was a picture of what one would assume was her family, father included. There were two girls though, arms wrapped around each other, and Kai was nowhere to be seen. "It's not quite my place, but…"
Henry examined it closely, confusion scribbled around his face. "What…" He trailed off, theories inside his head as he started to put the pieces together. He met her eyes, looking for an answer he wouldn't have to guess for.
"Kara Nova." Babe said, looking back at the door to the lounge. "Kai Nova, now. He had…trouble, back when he'd decided to transition. With a group of boys who used to be his friends."
Understanding finally flooded Henry's face. "Oh… Oh. That's…" He shook his head, both angry and apologetic. 'And he still has trouble now? That kind of trouble?" He moved his head to indicate the room Kai was in, and the kind of trouble he'd gotten into.
"That's what he told me." Babe said, a deadly calm to her voice. The main indicator that something was wrong was how tight her fist was clenched, half moon cuts drawing blood from her palm.
Henry saw the blood and moved over to nudge her hand. "You're going to try to do something about it?" It was an innocent question, and his tone was completely silent about what he thought the answer would be.
Babe was quiet for so long, it seemed like she wouldn't answer. And then she sighed, leaning back against the wall and lifting her hand to check the damage. "I won't do anything if Kai doesn't want me to. This time."
Henry kept his gaze locked on her face. "Good. Do you want to get him home or stay for practice?" He glanced back at the door, wondering how long they had before the team got there.
"He's staying here. Zach and Adrian are out scouting for good business, and Rico is…on a date, I think. He doesn't need to deal with the other's still there, and mom." Babe said, not turning to look at Henry.
Henry gave an understanding nod, moving to go back into the room. He hesitated near the door, resting one hand on the handle and the other on the wall. "How often does this… happen?'
"This is the first time it's happened here. Back home though…too often." Babe said, taking a moment before following him.
Henry bit his lip as he lead the way back into the room and over to where Kai sat. He paused there, watching Babe come in and the dynamic between the two.
Babe flopped down on the couch next to Kai, peering over his shoulder at whatever it was he was doing. "Watcha doin'?"
"I'm building a flashlight, since you really need to stock up." Kai said, voice still a bit hoarse from crying. "This selection is pathetic, Babe."
"I know, I know. I lost a bunch of stuff in the move, man. I think most of it's in a box under my bed."
Henry leaned over to look. "You mean you're building a flashlight? Actually building it?" He leaned on the back of the couch to look over Kai's shoulder.
"Yeah. Mine always last longer than the ones at stores." Kai said. It wasn't bragging, just a fact being stated as he continued putting things together. "It won't have the fancy outside plastic, but it'll work."
"That's awesome." Henry grinned at Babe, trying to encourage her a little. It was obvious how smart Kai was, and Henry was pretty confident he would get through this.
((Welcome baaaaack))
"You still gotta fix my stereo." Babe said, meeting Henry's eyes over her brother's head. "It keeps making that godawful noise."
"That screeching? Yeah, I'll get on that when we get home." Kai said, not looking up from his project. "Speaking of. You two have some explaining to do. Mainly, about why the heck we're in a hockey stadium."
(I'm sorry about that! It's been a very sleep deprived weekend)
Henry paused and looked over at Babe. "I play hockey. It's my hobby, and…" He looked at Babe helplessly, unsure of how much she wanted Kai to know.
"I'm his teammate." Babe said after a moment, sighing. "I tried out when we started up school here. Hawk coaches."
"Uncle Danny coaches here?" Kai looked up at that, before shaking his head and focusing a look on Babe. "You what? I get that you like it, but after everything…."