Caged

Date/Timing: 20 December 2005
Setting: Gottlieb house; Berlin, Germany
Revising "Dietrich's Brother"
.
Dietrich peeks into Manny's room for his quarter-hourly check.
He's hunched over, face pressed to his raised knees, hands clawing at his nape, wings lying limp over his shoulders.
Dietrich crosses the room, perches on the edge of the mattress. „Manny?“
„„He keeps calling!““ he wails. „„I can hear my mobile through the wall.““
Dietrich swallows. „I'm sorry. I wish—“
„„I can't live like this, Dee. I can't.““
„Yes, you can.“
„„I can't I can't I can't,““ he sobs, rocking. „„I can't do this anymore.““
„You can. You will.“
„„I can't! I'm supposed to be free now! Uni was supposed to be the end of Father's—““ A gasp chokes off his words.
Dietrich smooths his hair. „I'm sorry, Manny. I tried to talk to him—Karla, too—but ....“ Deep breath. „He won't change his mind. I'm—“
„„I escaped! I was almost—““ He jerks his head up, turns reddened eyes on Dietrich. „Why did you stop me?“
„Because we love you, Manny.“
Manny glares his hardest. „If you loved me, you'd have let me die.“
„You can endure this. You're tougher than this.“
„What if I'm tired of enduring?“ Scrubs viciously at the tear tracks on his cheeks. „What if I actually want to /live?“
„It's only a little longer. You can do it.“
Manny droops, shakes his head. „Dee, it was 'only a little longer' before I left for England.“
„Maybe he'll relax after a semester or two and let you go back.“
„You /know that's not true. I'm trapped here until I graduate, at /least.“
„If you do what he says, there's a chance—“
„I'm bloody /sick of waiting on the /chance something will happen!“ The fire is back. „Five months! I was only free /five /months and now I'm trapped here another three /years! All because I let myself think I was normal for /once in my god-awful life!“
„Manny, it'll—“
„It's /never going to get better!“ All the energy drains out of him. „Zoo animals have more of a life than I do. Maybe I should give myself—“
„Don't. Please.“
„Dee, I'm a monster.“ He drops his head to his knees. „„I don't belong anywhere.““
Dietrich wraps Manny in a gentle hug, carefully threading his arms under Manny's sagging wings, whispers against his hair, „You're my little brother and you belong right here with me.“
Manny hiccups, buries his face in Dietrich's chest.
Dietrich holds him close, ignoring the damp patches spreading slowly across his shirt.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Berlin (setting)
Category:Dietrich
Category:Dietrich's POV
Category:Dietrich (ficlet)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann has wings
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Edan (mention)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images