Pascal's Perfect Family

Cabin Fever

Pascal pulled into the driveway and got out, leaving Logan in the car for a minute while he walked over to his end. He helped Logan out quickly, leaving the blindfold on and starting to lead him slowly towards the house. Pascal stopped right next to the porch, moving to push Logan to sit.

"Wh-what's happening? Pascal, what are you doing?"

"Shh. Just a moment." Pascal pushed his head up and slowly slipped the blindfold-

Oh. That's what.

The stars.

They weren't off some projector this time, or Logan squinting, trying to see through a blurry window without his glasses on, or while he's shot on the ground. No, this was real. and here, now. And so, so beautiful. So many. If only he could stay forever.

"Do you like it? I thought you might like this better than any other reward I could think of." He was reminded of Pascal as he curled into Logan's side.

"Thank you, Pascal. It's-It's beautiful."

Pascal squealed. "I hoped you would like it! It's only for a few minutes though. I need to change your bandages soon." Only a few minutes. Of course. Why would it be any longer?

It was over far too fast, Pascal pulling him up and away to inside.

He couldn't stay. He couldn't leave the stars again.

Before Logan knew it he had started running. He only thought for a second before doing it. He couldn't go back in that damn house.

"Logan!" Logan ignores the burning pain in his side, wincing in agony. He couldn't take it anymore, falling like a dead weight on the ground. Logan starts crawling, crying out when Pascal's hand grabs onto his ankle and pulls him back. Pascal drags Logan back towards the house, small rocks and sticks leaving tiny cuts on his stomach and legs.

They came to the house and Pascal dragged Logan through the doorway turning to lock the door once Logan was in. Logan attempted to back away from Pascal only getting about a foot before the pain became too much and Pascal had turned back around.

"Where do you think you're going, bunny?" Pascal moved quickly towards Logan, grabbing him by his hair and starting to drag him to the room.

"W-wait! Pascal! I'm sorry! I didn't- I didn't mean-" Pascal dragged him into a semi-standing position before pushing him onto the bed.

"Didn't mean to what? Didn't mean to go into the woods? Didn't mean to take advantage of a reward?" Pascal's hands drifted down to Logan's waist, "Didn't mean to try and leave your family?!" Logan gulped as Pascal started to undo his belt.

Oh, please. Please, please, please don't let him be doing-

Logan was so distracted in his worry that he hadn't noticed Pascal's hands behind his neck, or the belt loop being closed around his neck until he couldn't breathe. His eyes popped open in his shock, and he watched Pascal tighten the belt anymore as he tried to pry it off his neck. Logan was starting to turn red by the time Pascal released the hold of the belt enough for Logan to breathe.

Logan just barely gasped in a breath before Pascal was tightened the belt again. "How dare you, Logan! I tried to do something nice for you! You were being so good!" Logan tried to push Pascal off him, his hands clawed wildly at the air and Pascal's side, weakly pushing. His mouth hung open as he gasped for air like a dying fish.

"You were so good at the hospital-" Little black dots shimmered at the edge of Logan's vision. He was sure this was it. He was going to die.

"I thought you deserved to see the stars, just for a little! But no, you wanted to desert your family!" It loosened again and Logan desperately sucked in air. He started coughing uncontrollably, his lungs and throat burning.

Pascal leaned over the edge of the bed and grabbed a length of rope from underneath. Pulling Logan's shirt off of him, Pascal carelessly tossed it into a corner. The rope was wrapped around Logan's hands, and then they were pushed up and tied to the bedpost.

"If you want your damn stars so bad, why don't we make them permanent? Hm, Logie?" Pascal's weight was lifted off of him.

"Wh-What does that mean? P-Pascal? Pascal‽" He was already gone, out of the room and into the kitchen.

Pascal opened a drawer in the kitchen, searching through it. After finding the necklace he had bought for Logan, he continued searching through it for a lighter.

Pascal walked back into his and Logan's room, watching Logan's useless struggle. He finally decided to put Logan out of his misery and do it now.

"Ya' know Logie, this was supposed to be a reward. I thought you might like the necklace. I mean, it has stars. But no! I really thought I could let you out." Pascal flicked on the lighter and held the pendant over the flame with tweezers. "You just had to betray my trust and run!"

Pascal moved the now burning hot pendant away and pressed it firmly to Logan's chest. He heard almost a small sizzling sound as Logan's chest was burned. His fingers grew red with their own burns, but Pascal hardly seemed to notice. He listened to Logan's screams as he desperately tried to squirm away from burning agony. After a minute Patton moved it off Logan's chest and inspected the burned skin. Three stars were now burned into Logan's chest.

"Oh hush Logie, we're only halfway done!" Hot tears flowed down Logan's face. Halfway? Logan didn't know if he could take another burn, it hurt so fucking much!

Pascal moved the pendant back over the flame and started humming. "W-wait! Wait, Pascal, please! Please don't! Plea-" he already moved the pendant and pressed it down again. Logan screamed in anguish.

Another minute passed before Pascal lifted it up. "There we go Logie! Six stars for the six members of our family!" Pascal left the room and came back a moment later with supplies to help the burns.

Pascal finished treating the burns and untied Logan's hands. Logan whimpered at the pain once he tried to sit up. Pascal's aid was sloppy, and he seemed confused on how to properly bandage Logan.

"Shh, just go to sleep Logie. I'll be back in just a minute." Pascal pushed Logan back down into a laying position before leaving back into the living room and grabbing the crate that held Sela. He went back to the room and headed downstairs to where Giovonnie and Jory's room was. Jory was fast asleep, but Giovonnie was still awake and drawing something on his desk.

"Gio? It's so late, what are you doing up?"

Giovonnie turned around quickly, caught by surprise that Pascal was downstairs. "I heard you and Papa upstairs, I...I couldn't sleep."

"Oh, oreo. I promise it wasn't too big, we had a fight. Anyway, that's not why I came down here. I brought puppy down!"

Pascal turned to the crate and opened it, the dog ran out quickly after being stuck in it for so long. Pascal had only let her out to take her to the bathroom after Giovonnie's...incident.

"Sela! I missed you!" Giovonnie buried his face in the dog's fur, eagerly petting her. "I love you so much, you're my good girly! Aren't you? Aren't you, my girly‽"

"Aww, anything for you, little guy!" Pascal ruffled Giovonnie's hair. "But, are you sure you wanna name her Sela? What kind of name is that for a puppy? Don't you want to name her something like baby, or daisy?"

"No! Sela means the moon in Greek, Jory taught it to me a few weeks ago! And papa taught me about all the moons of Saturn and the solar system!" Giovonnie straightened out.

Pascal sighed. "Okay, my little oreo. If that's what makes you happy. Sela is a good name. Now get to bed."

Giovonnie laid down and fell asleep without a fuss, and Pascal moved to head back upstairs, pausing in the downstairs bathroom. Staring at himself in the mirror, his hand slowly moves up to the collar of his shirt. Pulling it down, he stares at a simple sunflower burned into his skin. The skin had scarred over long ago, leaving nothing but the small design etched forever in his skin.

The silver pendant hung in the air above her hand. "Please, give this to my mother. Tell her I'm here. Tell her I'm alive."

"I will."

"Good." The girl stared at him longingly for a second longer, before pulling him into a tight hug. "Now run."

"Now we match."

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