Words are meaningless
Feb. 8th, 2006 05:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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100originalfics story
Title: Words Like Violence
'Verse/characters: Dave Slayer, Claire Slayer,Amanda Slayer
Prompt: 080. Why?
Word Count: 722
Rating: R for language
Notes: Amanda's a little under three here.
Dave sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. It was taking all his will power to keep his voice at a whisper while he tried to reason with his wife.
"I know you're the one making the money Claire, but I can't raise her by myself."
"How the hell do you get off saying stuff like that? I'm the one who buys her clothes, that fucking rabbit food you feed her-"
"Correction, you make the money to buy her clothes and food. I'm the one who has to actually make sure she gets the things she needs. I'm the one who has to make sure the bills get paid before you drink up the money..."
"How the FUCK can you talk like that about me when you're off day dreaming most the day?"
"You're not around enough to know that, Claire. I have to be both parents for her, and I hate to say I do a lot better job than you would even if you dried up." Dave hated himself for saying these things, but if he kept it pent up much longer he was going to start yelling and swearing like Claire did, and Amanda didn't need two violent parents.
"You fucking bastard. You don't know anything about me. Maybe if you hadn't talked me out of getting rid of the little brat I wouldn't be like this."
Dave's eyes flashed a bright, violent blue then and he turned to face Claire.
"Claire, I love you. Despite all logic I love you. But if you ever say anything like that about Amanda again, I'll leave."
Claire shook her head, a sick smile on her face as she walked towards the door.
"No you won't. I'm the one who makes the money to pay to keep her around, right? The state would know that you can't afford to take care of her, so I'd get her. You know that, so I can do anything to you that I want."
Dave waited until the door had slammed shut to slump into one of the chairs by the kitchen table. He felt the all too familiar flood of tears coming on when a door creaked in the hallway and he heard a tiny little voice.
"Day?"
He turned around and saw Amanda standing in the hallway, clutching her stuffed rabbit in one hand, looking positively frightened. He stood up and walked over to her, kneeling down to her height.
"What's wrong Pearlie-girl?"
"Why was Mommy yelling?"
That innocent little question pushed Dave over the edge. Before he could even think to stop them, the tears spilled down his face. He had to lean against the wall to keep steady, and he hardly noticed Amanda's tiny fingers touching his skin. He'd asked himself so many times what he had done to make Claire like this, why she always blamed him or Amanda or both of them, and he could never come up with an answer and it was tearing him apart.
"Day?"
Dave blinked and noticed that Amanda was touching his face with one hand while the other still held her stuffed animal close.
"I'm sorry sweetie." He didn't quite know why he was apologizing, but felt he had to. That maybe somehow that would make everything right if one of them actually took the blame for putting Amanda through this.
"I don't know why Mommy was yelling, I don't think she knows" he put his arms around his daughter, holding her close to his chest.
"But I promise I'll never yell like that, I won't use words like that. Never."
He tried to calm his ragged breathing while he kept his eyes on Amanda, almost laughing at the confused look on her face. She could probably hardly remember her question now.
Eventually, she yawned and closed her eyes.
"Tired.." she mumbled, barely able to keep her head up. Dave laughed, pushing himself up off the floor.
"All right baby" he walked into her room, setting her in her bed.
"Sweet dreams angel, things'll look better in the morning."
"Mmm" she wrapped her arms tight around her rabbit, but before she drifted off completely, Dave heard her mumble something again.
"Love you Daddy."
He smiled as she reminded him why he put himself through this hell day after day.
"Love you too baby."
100originalfics storyTitle: Words Like Violence
'Verse/characters: Dave Slayer, Claire Slayer,Amanda Slayer
Prompt: 080. Why?
Word Count: 722
Rating: R for language
Notes: Amanda's a little under three here.
Dave sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. It was taking all his will power to keep his voice at a whisper while he tried to reason with his wife.
"I know you're the one making the money Claire, but I can't raise her by myself."
"How the hell do you get off saying stuff like that? I'm the one who buys her clothes, that fucking rabbit food you feed her-"
"Correction, you make the money to buy her clothes and food. I'm the one who has to actually make sure she gets the things she needs. I'm the one who has to make sure the bills get paid before you drink up the money..."
"How the FUCK can you talk like that about me when you're off day dreaming most the day?"
"You're not around enough to know that, Claire. I have to be both parents for her, and I hate to say I do a lot better job than you would even if you dried up." Dave hated himself for saying these things, but if he kept it pent up much longer he was going to start yelling and swearing like Claire did, and Amanda didn't need two violent parents.
"You fucking bastard. You don't know anything about me. Maybe if you hadn't talked me out of getting rid of the little brat I wouldn't be like this."
Dave's eyes flashed a bright, violent blue then and he turned to face Claire.
"Claire, I love you. Despite all logic I love you. But if you ever say anything like that about Amanda again, I'll leave."
Claire shook her head, a sick smile on her face as she walked towards the door.
"No you won't. I'm the one who makes the money to pay to keep her around, right? The state would know that you can't afford to take care of her, so I'd get her. You know that, so I can do anything to you that I want."
Dave waited until the door had slammed shut to slump into one of the chairs by the kitchen table. He felt the all too familiar flood of tears coming on when a door creaked in the hallway and he heard a tiny little voice.
"Day?"
He turned around and saw Amanda standing in the hallway, clutching her stuffed rabbit in one hand, looking positively frightened. He stood up and walked over to her, kneeling down to her height.
"What's wrong Pearlie-girl?"
"Why was Mommy yelling?"
That innocent little question pushed Dave over the edge. Before he could even think to stop them, the tears spilled down his face. He had to lean against the wall to keep steady, and he hardly noticed Amanda's tiny fingers touching his skin. He'd asked himself so many times what he had done to make Claire like this, why she always blamed him or Amanda or both of them, and he could never come up with an answer and it was tearing him apart.
"Day?"
Dave blinked and noticed that Amanda was touching his face with one hand while the other still held her stuffed animal close.
"I'm sorry sweetie." He didn't quite know why he was apologizing, but felt he had to. That maybe somehow that would make everything right if one of them actually took the blame for putting Amanda through this.
"I don't know why Mommy was yelling, I don't think she knows" he put his arms around his daughter, holding her close to his chest.
"But I promise I'll never yell like that, I won't use words like that. Never."
He tried to calm his ragged breathing while he kept his eyes on Amanda, almost laughing at the confused look on her face. She could probably hardly remember her question now.
Eventually, she yawned and closed her eyes.
"Tired.." she mumbled, barely able to keep her head up. Dave laughed, pushing himself up off the floor.
"All right baby" he walked into her room, setting her in her bed.
"Sweet dreams angel, things'll look better in the morning."
"Mmm" she wrapped her arms tight around her rabbit, but before she drifted off completely, Dave heard her mumble something again.
"Love you Daddy."
He smiled as she reminded him why he put himself through this hell day after day.
"Love you too baby."
