Characters: Sunny, Stasi, and the Garcia family
Setting: Sunny's family's house in NYC,
Rating: Violence in threatened
Summary: Sunny has a run in with cousin Hector, Stasi reacts



Sunny had been doing an amazing job of avoiding Hector this holiday season. He had shown up with the rest of the family on Friday night but she had stuck to Stasi's side the entire time, ever vigilant with her eyes on her little sisters and cousins as well. She was on edge, that was plain to see, but she was still trying to enjoy her holidays as best as she could. Finally getting up to courage to venture on her own she went to the kitchen to get some drinks for her and Stasi and maybe sneak a few vegan cupcakes into her Uncle Hugo's anti-vegan baked good platter. She made it to the kitchen without incident, she sighed in relief and went to the refrigerator.

As she turned to go to the kitchen island where all the cupcakes and cookies were lined up there was a sickening drop in her stomach as she smelled his cologne. Oh god. The refrigerator door slammed shut and she was pushed hard against it. Her heart was in her throat. "Little Sol, all grown up and bringing men home," Hector's voice was like an oil slick, oozing over her. She pressed her own body against the refrigerator trying to gain a little distance from him. His grip was sharp on her arms, she was paralyzed in fear but she opened her mouth to make a sound, yelp, anything.

"Don't you dare say a word Sol," his voice menacing and full of threats. "You wouldn't want your handsome boyfriend to find you in any..." he stopped and looked her up and down. "Compromising situations," he smirked, his finger crossing her jawline. "Boys like that don't want damaged goods like you."

Sunny winced, her whole body shaking in fear. "Don't," she was too afraid to cry, too afraid to fight. She had been training herself for this moment ever since the last time he had violated her and here she was... frozen against a refrigerator. "Hector please..."

Stasi was having a mostly good time. It was a bit awkward being the new man hanging around the family holiday. It was also strange the way Sunny was acting. Edgy, not her usual cheerful self. He didn't know what to make of it and every time he asked her she simply avoided the question.

The scene he came upon the in the kitchen filled him with an instantaneous, cold rage. One hand landed on Hector's shoulder, the grip firmly threatening to tear the arm out of socket if he made even the slightest wrong move. "Did you need help in the fridge, sweetie?" he asked Sunny, his eyes never leaving Hector's face.

Sunny let out her breath, she hadn't even realized that she had been holding it, she took in a lung full of relief and reached for Stasi, letting the sodas crash to the floor.

Hector sneered at Stasi but that threatening grip made him back down a little. Sure Hector was a little bigger but there was a rage in the other boy that he didn't want to tangle with. "Clumsy, clumsy girl, always making messes," he said, his eyes still preying on Sunny.

Her grip on Stasi's arm tightened. "It's fine," she said a little breathlessly. "I'll clean it."

"Funny, I have not known Sunny to be clumsy." The pressure he put on Hector's arm was pushing the limits of courtesy and entering into pain. "It seems to me that you are the clumsy one. I do not know if you understand personal boundaries, but it appears you have made my lovely girlfriend uncomfortable." Stasi offered him an acid grin, a single warning that if violated again would result in a duel that Hector couldn't win. "As an honorable man I will be forced to take action should it happen again. You would be wise to remember."

Sunny watched Hector the entire time, trying to interrupt with little tugs on Stasi's arm. "Stasi, it's okay," she mumbled. "S'fine really," but her little comments were ignored or unnoticed.

"Little Sunny, boundaries?" Hector waved it off as if it were nothing with a big grin. "There's just a misunderstanding, right Sunny?" he shot daggers at her with his eyes alone. "Though I worry about my dear cousin seeing a boy with such... aggressive tendencies." That hand on his shoulder certainly beginning to pain him though he tried to keep that clear off his face.

Sunny's jaw firmed up as she listened to his excuses. "Leave him alone," she said looking right at Hector.

Stasi smirked ruthlessly. The picture was becoming clearer all the time. The way Sunny reacted to his touch. The way Sunny skittered around the corners of the room when Hector entered. He squeezed Hector's arm with menacing force. "I believe you have misunderstood me and I will give you a moment to apologize for terrorizing my Sunny." He looked at Sunny to silence any more protests. It wasn't fine. It wasn't okay. He wasn't going to let this bastard railroad her into apologizing when he was the one who needed to beg for forgiveness. "It will not happen again."

Hector's eyes narrowed but he laughed. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Hector asked, not letting his cool demeanour falter. "Your Sunny?" he barked. "I will never apologize," he shook his head. "I have nothing I am sorry for," he looked right at Sunny when he said that, a hungry, chilling look in his dark eyes.

Sunny took a deep breath. She knew the next move was not going to be pleasant, someone was going to get hurt. "We should really clean that soda before it stains," she attempted.

"I am very good at cleaning up trash," Stasi replied shortly, eyes never leaving Hector's face. He let go though and pushed Hector away from his girlfriend. With careful placement of his body he put himself in between them. He didn't use his wand to clean up the mess of soda; a simple spell spoken was more than enough to prove his strength and determination to Hector. If Stas could help it Sunny would never come into contact with the bastard again. "Sunny, I believe we had plans to catch a movie today. Shall we go now?"

Hector stumbled back, glad that his new opponent had not done anything worse. Sunny was more than glad to be away from Hector and only nodded at his suggestion of going to a movie. She felt relief as soon as they left the kitchen and as soon as they hit the pavement of the sidewalk Sunny burst, a gasp ripped from her chest and she had to steady herself against Stasi. She was just so relieved to have gotten away. It took her a few moments to catch her breath and stifle the tears that were trying to slip past her eyes.

Stas was crumbling inside, holding it together for her sake. He was this close to killing Hector. He could have done it without a second thought, but the pleading in Sunny's eyes, the way her fingers tightened on his sleeve. He wrapped his arm tighter around Sunny's body and held her up. "Any place we can go?" he asked unable to hide the quavering in his voice.

She did her best to pull it together, thankful that he was there. "We could sneak up to the fire escape. No one ever goes out there," she suggested. She was stuck to his side, pressed against him with no reservation. She started to lead him around the house and toward the back where her room and the fire escape were. Without her usual ease, she hopped up and pulled the ladder down and climbed up first, not even worrying about her skirt or high heels.

His mind was in its usual perverted place. He didn't even noticed the skirt as she climbed the ladder. He followed her up and whispered a quick spell to warm the landing so they wouldn't be sitting on cold metal. He curled her up into his arms and squeezed his body as tight to hers as he could.

He wasn't his father. He could have killed that boy, but he didn't. He could have hurt Sunny for apologizing, beat her into having a back bone, but he would never, ever raise a hand to her in anger. He bit his lip hard, trying to keep all of these horrible, conflicting emotions at bay. "I am sorry. I should not have spoken for you."

She couldn't really say anything at first, she only snuggled against him. She was angry at herself for not saying anything, she was angry at herself for letting the shame take more precedence than her anger, she was angry that Hector had so much power over her. After letting herself calm down a little she finally spoke. "Don't apologize Stasi," she said gently. "I... I don't know what I would have done without you. I used to think... I used to think I was in this alone, that I could handle it alone, now I know... I can't face this alone anymore. I'm sorry."

"You are not alone," he whispered into her hair. "And you never have to apologize for this. Never again, Sunny." He couldn't tell her yet why he understood, how he felt, that he knew what it was like to be voiceless and terrified. To have your body turned against you like a weapon and then to be punished for it.

She cried quietly into his chest, feeling the relief of having someone there who knew (not exactly because she couldn't put it into words yet) what she was going through. To not have to hide in her room for once, clinging to her blankets and just hoping that Hector wouldn't snake his way into her room... she finally felt a little solace. "Thank you," it was the only thing she could think to say. "Thank you for everything."