Chapter Text
Nobody looked at him when he left his room, but Eugene didn’t care.
He wasn’t about to apologise or anything like that. He didn’t care if he’d hurt Chel’s feelings or anything like that.
He stormed out, without a backward glance.
...
Chel felt like she could finally breathe now that she was so far away from El Dorado...but it was clear that Tulio and Miguel were exhausted, and it was clear that what was happening with Eugene was the cause behind that.
"You two should go after him." She whispered, both of them turning to him, "He-He needs his parents."
“Chel- “
“I’ll stay here.” She gave them a shaky smile, “But you should go after him.”
When they were both gone, Chel buried her face into her hands and focused on breathing.
…..
"Eugene!"
Eugene sped up a little, not wanting to get involved in this conversation in the slightest. He didn't answer their calls for him, deciding to try and climb over this wooden fence to get away from them.
"Don't even think about it!" He heard his Papa order, prompting him to speed up a little.
And then a hand landed on his shoulder and his Dad's soft voice stopped him in his tracks.
"We just want to talk." Miguel whispered, loosening his hold, giving Eugene the chance to get away if he really wanted to.
He froze though, not moving an inch.
He hated it when his Dad used that voice. Slowly, he turned, seeing the hope in their eyes.
“I’m sorry.” His Papa whispered, “To both of you.”
This was…big of him.
Eugene looked at his Dad, who looked just as shocked, but he wasn’t about to let the man get away with it that easily.
“Sorry for what?” He snapped, seeing his papa freeze a little at the follow-up question.
“I am sorry…for Chel, and everything that happened with her.”
Eugene scoffed, “That’s brushing over it and you know it.”
“I-I know.”
Eugene said nothing else, and neither did Miguel. Eventually, Tulio sighed, running a hand down his face. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to fix this, and I know that’s not enough, but at the moment, that’s all I can offer.”
“That’s not enough.”
“I know.” Tulio glanced at Miguel, who still wasn’t speaking, before looking at Eugene, "I need to know… do you hate me?”
Honestly, Eugene didn't fully know what the answer was.
"I know we can't go back to the way things were before...what happened." Tulio sighed, "But I do still love you both, I need you to know that. I-I know I hurt you both, but I do care, I really do."
Eugene felt like it was getting harder to breathe, like when they were lost at sea all those months ago and he didn't know if he would live or die.
His Papa was staring at him, waiting patiently for the answer.
It made Eugene's stomach turn like waves, his brain buzzing, heart tight and constricted in his chest.
“I don’t know.” He answered honestly, before the anger bubbled up again and he blurted out the words, “But yeah, I think I still hate you.”
“...Alright.”
One word.
That was all it took to make the anger dissipate like it had never even been there, Eugene’s arms hanging limply by his side, before he stormed past them both and took off running again, finding them he was completely unable to take that look on his Papa’s face.
He wished that Eugene had never come into his life.
Pushed Dad to the side like he was nothing.
No.
He was right to hate him.
....
Tulio stared after his son, feeling a little sick to the stomach.
“For what it’s worth...” Miguel placed a hand on his shoulder, “...I am sorry.”
“Why? It’s not your fault that he hates me.”
“I don’t think I helped though.”
As Miguel pulled away, Tulio quickly grabbed his hand, “Do YOU hate me?”
“...I’ll see you later Tulio, I’m going to get us something to eat.”
And then Tulio was watching him leave.
.....
Today was not...a good day, Chel decided as the hours stretched on and none of them returned. She wanted to think that they had had all made up and were just taking the day to talk things over.
A voice in the back of her mind started whispering that she’s been abandoned, but she refused to listen to it, not when they still had all their belongings there.
Miguel was sentimental enough to come back for them if there was any leaving involved.
She was about to go out and actually start looking for them when the door crashed open and Tulio came rushing in, face pale as he stood there for a while, looking at some distant spot over her shoulder,
He then turned and threw up outside, the sound making her gag a little as well.
When the horrible sounds of the retching stopped, she cautiously edged closer.
“Tulio?”
“...They hate me.” He whispered, “They both hate me.”
Silently, she knelt behind him and rubbed at his back, not knowing what to say.
Was there even anything to say?
...No, probably not.
....
Eugene wasn’t sure why the twins had given him this knife, staring down at the cold metal, the weight somehow feeling heavier than the knives than he had been practicing with.
He looked back up at them.
‘Don’t mess with those two.’ He could hear his parents voice in his mind, ‘They’re bad news.’
At this moment though, he wanted to hurt them.
“You’re lucky we’re giving you this chance.” One of them shrugged, “Your family is…weird.”
“…weird?”
He had never thought of his parents as weird.
Well…maybe once or twice.
He didn’t really contribute to the rest of the conversation, making a hasty exit as soon as he could, cutting through a large courtyard. Once he was sure that he was far enough away, he headed over to the fountain that had long dried up, setting on the edge and just...thinking.
Thinking and worming his finger through this hole in his tunic that was getting bigger and bigger.
He didn’t know what to do.