gay-thic lit anyone? (o/o)

(Wait you haven't read the book- O-O)

He obliged, sitting down beside her. He hesitated for a moment, staring at the forget-me-nots, then he forced himself to meet his niece’s eyes. His voice quivered, “When I’m away… Do you believe I don’t love you?”

Esme looked away at that, she didn't want to answer truthfully. Eventually she caved. "I mean… I suppose, maybe? It's just, it feels like you don't care about me, and that's sad." she said, looking further away from Robert.

Robert felt his eyes stinging again, and he reached to gently comb his fingers through her hair. “I’m really sorry I made you feel that way, Esme. How do you want me to make it up to you?”
He stopped combing her hair, putting a hand around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"I dunno. I just want you to stay." she said, leaning against him. "I don't want to make you sad, though. Mum said you like exploring, learning new things about the world. I like doing that too. And I can't keep you from following your dreams, but I missed you!" she sobbed, moving in to tackle-hug him.

He yelped as she tackled him, nearly knocking him backwards. He chuckled a bit once regained balance, then sighed, hugging her tight. Closing his eyes, he said, “I’ll stay, I promise I’ll stay. And Esme, know that I do love and care about you, very much.”

(Me just projecting my emotional nature onto Robert like:)

(Me just projecting my abandonment issues onto Esme like-)

"Thank you," she said, sitting there and hugging him for a while. "Apparently a scientist questions everything. Mum told me that, but when I actually start to question things people get mad. I try not to anymore, I don't want to hurt people. I always hurt people, even when I don't mean too. It's why Mum doesn't want me hanging out with the other kids, in the city. I guess she's right, but it's lonely without you."

(Aaaaaaa XD)
“That’s because people don’t like being questioned.” He started rocking back and forth. “People are afraid of asking the big questions, or they don’t like the answers to those questions, so they ignore it.” Then he sighed. “But there’s a right time for everything, yeah? And we are all going to hurt people at some point in our lives, but I don’t think that means we should stay away from people. In fact, I think we should be around them so we can figure out how to not hurt them anymore, don’t you think?”
He let her go just enough to let him see her face. “We are not meant to be lonely Esme. Do you want to spend time with the kids in the city?”

"Not really, I like spending time here with you. I like family better." she said, rocking back and forth some and wiggling her feet. "Besides, I have friends now! The tall man is a good friend! And your science-witch is mean, but funny sometimes, and when he gets better he says he'll show me how electricity works, he'll build a machine for me! He says that machines are where real innovation lies, whatever that means. I think he's saying machines are better than people, and I can see why he thinks that. But Mother works with people, and helps them get better, and I like that too."

He smiled fondly, rocking with her. Then it faded. “I don’t know how your mothers would like you spending a lot of time with Victor. Or the tall fellow, probably. We don’t want Victor being mean to you.”
Why does Victor want to make her a machine? Or show her how electricity worked, for that matter? If he thought girls weren’t supposed to be educated in the ways of science, why does he want to teach Esme things about it? Why suddenly show interest in her?
“But it’s good that the tall man is a good friend to you,” he said.

"I dunno. They're both too grown-up for me, they're too sad. Grown-ups get a lot of sad in them for some reason, and kids can't help take it out. Only other grown-ups can help, and sometimes not even then." she sighed dramatically and flopped into the dirt. "I think I can help Victor, though, his mind doesn't like accepting the hurt."

“You think so?” He asked. “And when did you get so smart that you know exactly how Victor thinks?”
He leaned over to tickle her teasingly.
(Ah sorry this is brief)

(No problem dude, I write short things sometimes too.)

"I'm not smart, I just think like other people do. It's easier to not think my own thoughts, to be something else. I'm a butterfly most of the time." she said cryptically, not really noticing the tickling.

He quirked a smile at her, raising an eyebrow. “Silly girl,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “But I think you are smart.”

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. I can be smart, sometimes, but I can be very dumb too." she shrugged. "It's just better for me to think other thoughts, and that makes me see things other people don't. Mother doesn't keep herself safe, I see the scars on her arms whenever she has to roll up her sleeves. She doesn't do that much anymore, actually. She doesn't want me getting the wrong ideas."

Robert’s brow knit together. It seemed to him that she was referring to Anna. Oddly, he felt like he would know if she had scars, but he doesn’t recall a time where she saw her roll up her sleeves. He knew enough about her work to know it could be sometimes dangerous, but he didn’t think it would involve her getting hurt like that.
Part of him was scared that Esme was seeing this. But the other part was more curious than anything else. “What else do you see?”

"Mum is sad, too. She doesn't eat enough, but she manages. We're struggling, she says, but we'll get through it. You didn't see how much she took at dinner because she's always trying to hide how much she eats from other people. She's good at it, too. She thinks Mother doesn't want to be her wife anymore, too." Esme said. She looked a bit scared, but like she was trying to hide it. "But I know better. Mother just thinks if she works more, she'll be able to protect us. It's why she's constantly experimenting on herself, for her doctor friend. She likes to take out her own blood, I dunno why. That's why the scars are there, from all the needles."

(Mother, Mum. I just now got that XD)

(Neat! Yeah, I just wanted a way to differentiate the two of them with how Esme called them. Anna=Mother, Margaret=Mum.)

(Esme you're scaring me honey are you ok-)
Part of him desperately wanted to believe that she was lying. But why would she? He could see an inkling of fear in her eyes. He felt his muscles stiffen. "H-has it always been like this? Or has it just been happening while I was away?"

(Esme herself if mostly fine, her mothers on the other hand are s u f f e r i n g because I am an angst author now, apparently, and I apparently like hurting my characters now.)

"Well, Mum's never been the heaviest eater, but Mother started a few days after you left. She just got an offer for a job, and hasn't been seeing us much since. It's fine, though, because you're here now. So it's less lonely." she swung her feet back and forth.

(Maggie Anna noooooo have mercy! D':)
"I just thought she had a small appetite or something," Robert chuckled nervously despite himself, but it quickly died. He didn't how Anna experimenting on herself could be fine, regardless of whether he was here or not, but he didn't say anything. "Well… I'm glad you're not lonely."

(I don't intend to bury my gays if it's any comfort?)

"No, she used to eat more. When she thought Mother still loved her, but now she thinks if she looks younger and more beautiful Mother will love her again. Neither of them care about beauty though, and Mum knows it. She does it to hurt herself." Esme looked away, tearing at grass with her small, soft hands. "I hate it. I want them to be okay, but neither of them listen. Especially not to each other."

(I mean, yeah. I just… sad)
Robert could feel his eyes getting wet, and he tried to stay strong for Esme’s sake. He pulled her close to him again, managing to position her so she wouldn’t see his tears.
Guilt invaded his mind; he couldn’t help but feel like he should’ve noticed these things, never Esme. Even if he had been gone, wouldn’t he have noticed it before he left?
“I doubt they’ll listen to me,” he murmured. “But I want to help, if I can.”

"That's good," she said, sniffling some. "I just want them to be okay again." she admitted tearfully, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "I don't like seeing them not okay."

“Me neither,” he murmured. “Me neither. I want them to be okay too…” his voice cracked. His chest heaved, and he began to silently sob. Began mourning for the women he felt he had abandoned. Suddenly he felt the need to leave, to get away again, and he hated himself for it. He didn’t want to be here… What a horrible coward he was.
Stiff muscles twitched in protest, but he stayed still, only his chest heaving in a rhythm of grief.

(I just want me some emotional boys with fluffy hair, is that too much to ask?)

(I mean that is indeed fair. I shall also provide this with Victor realizing "oh shit I really am the creature's dad I better shape my fucking act up." because he needs a wake-up call. But yeah, Robert needs some love.)

"Do you want to leave us again? It's fine if you do." Esme said, in a tone that implied it was very much not fine. "I just… I will miss you. And so with Mum and Mother. I just… can you fix them? Make it better? I need them to be okay, we can't keep going on like this! And it's all my fault, too, I told Mum I was going to run away when she told me that you'd left, to go and find you! I caused all of this! Now Mother thinks she needs to hurt herself to help me, and Mum's even worse already!"

(I just,,,, I want to give these people so much love. I have so much love in my heart for them but I have to make them sad before I can make them happy.)