Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

38. To tell

Being rather early at the Theater, it was quite empty. Lin had to rush off to a meeting almost immediately, telling me to follow with. Keeping his promise.
As we walk through the corridors behind the big scene, I noticed someone turning their head and beginning to smile.
"Rue!", Thayne shouted, running towards me with open arms. I laughed, making my hamster cheeks appear once again.
"I wouldn't hug me - I'm still sick", I laughed, putting my arms in front of me so he'd stop.
"I don't care!", hugging me either way. Taking a deep breath, I stopped breathing for a second - like my breath would be contagious.
Blink 7 times and he won't get sick.
"Missed ya", he added, when letting go a brief second later.
"Niñita? You coming?", Lin said, grinning, 5 meters from me & Thayne. I nodded. I began to walk, waving my hand goodbye at Thayne.
"You headin' to the LackatyLin-Look-Over?", he asked Lin, meaning the meeting that basically consisted of Lin & Lac speaking about any changes that had to be done, or issues from the past week that had to be fixed. The LackatyLin Look Over.
Lin nodded, laughing at the nickname.
"Can't Rue stay with me?", Thayne suddenly begged, putting on some puppy eyes.
I put on some too.
Lin seemed to look from each of us, to soon land on me with a hesitant face - to check if I was fine with it. I nodded.
Lin gave up.
"Alright then, but don't let her out of your sight!", he finally said.
"You have my word, sir", Thayne said, saluting him to then take my hand and head to Lin & Jon's dressing room.
With a wondering look, I watched him search for some sort of thing.
"Well - this dressing room?", I asked, pointing out that he could've taken me to all the hidden corners of the Theatre - but took me to the room where I spent most of my time.
My still rather dry throat deciding to make the situation of talking a bit harder by making me start a cough attack.
Thayne waited it out, smiling.
"This room. Because Lin has a PlayStation and that needs to be recognised", my eyes grew bigger than the planet of Earth.
"Wait - he does?", I exclaimed.
He began to giggle, turning on the TV that I'd never ever seen Lin use.
Flick the lights 7 times. Again. Did you really do it seven times? Maybe you didn't. Check again. Redo.
After a few changes and clicks on the TV remote, the PlayStation logo shown.
Completely overwhelmed by surprise, or the exhaustion of standing up - I sat down on the couch.
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want you to get addicted to video games, you extraordinary girl in an ordinary world"
I put some effort into rolling my eyes, cracking a laugh and grinning.
Which wouldn't have bee much of an effort if my body wasn't knackered from doing nothing.
To be honest, we had one at home - and I only really played when Lin or Vanessa decided to have a family tournament.
I was way far from even getting addicted.
Typical Lin.

As I put my arms up in the air from winning a game of Portal for the first time ever, shrieking from happiness - Thayne gasped.
I turned to look at him.
It didn't sound like a surprised gasp - a happy gasp.
That was a worried gasp.
Did I do something wrong?
Count your blinks. Do it until you come to 256. Rhythm. Or Lin'll die.
I looked at him, completely clueless.
His eyes were plastered on my wrists.
As a matter of fact I realised what he was looking at, and I did all in my power to take my arms down and pull the sleeves of the knitted jumper over my wrists again.
Frantically blinking, as my breath went panicky.
He couldn't know.
"What the heck, Rue? What have you done? Does Lin know?!", Thayne exclaimed, taking a firm grip around my wrist - pulling the sleeve up.
The scratch marks.
The new scratch marks, still hurting me.
The result of seven breakdowns in 5 days.
I pulled it down again, stubborn as I was.
"He doesn't, of course he doesn't", Thayne mumbled, standing up in an aroused way. Looking around, like he was trying to find a solution in this.
My mind went into panic mode.
Lie, Rue. Lie, I told myself.
"Thayne, p-please, I can explain-", I quietly protested as my mind added a routine for every millisecond that passed.
"No, Rue, I'm getting Lin", he announced, spitting out the words in such a worried way that I couldn't help but freak out a little more. He ran out of the dressing room.
I could feel the tears banging on the door that was my eyelid, but I really didn't want to lose another moment for a breakdown.