Zayvier King keeps winning, and here's our theories on why.
Psychologist Carl Evans discusses the differences between child and adult trauma responses.
When Jimin came home from work, shedding his senatorship at the door, he knew something was wrong when he realized how quiet it was. He caught a glimpse of Zay in the school room with Liam and Adelynn, and then he saw Kiel on the couch with Zay's boyfriend Pandi.
And Kiel was crying.
Jimin dropped his briefcase and hurried over to the couch, sitting down beside Kiel and opening his arms to offer a hug.
Kiel pitched himself into Jimin's arms with a choked sob.
Jimin held him close, confused about what had upset Kiel so badly. But he could see from Pandi's expression that it was serious. "Kiel, can you tell me what happened, babe?"
Kiel just kept sobbing. Whatever it had been had wrecked him. Completely.
"I'm here," Jimin whispered. "Just tell me when you're ready, okay? I'll stay right here." And he did stay until Kiel's sobs subsided, hands caressing Kiel's back. He wiped the tears from Kiel's face with his thumb. "Hey," he said softly. "What's going on?"
Kiel sniffled, eyes still wet. "Alex had a pretty severe panic attack because of something I said." Another tear slipped down his cheek. "And Zay thinks it was his father who hurt him. It makes sense, but why?" He hid his face against Jimin's chest, tears wetting his white dress shirt. "Why would anyone do that? I understand the evil of an alpha raping an omega, but your own child? Why would any father do that?"
Jimin raised his hand to the back of Kiel's head and held him tight. He could almost feel Kiel's heart breaking, and his own heart wavered dangerously near that point. "I know, I know," he murmured. He glanced up at Pandi, a man he knew was a well-respected therapist. He was glad that Pandi had been here when everything happened. There was no one else that Jimin would want to talk with Kiel during a situation like this.
With another sniffle, Kiel pushed back. "I'm fine," he muttered, rubbing at his eyes. "Someone should probably go check on Alex."
Jimin got up. "I'll do it." He and Alex needed to get closer anyway. He headed past the kitchen and down the hall, stopping at Alex's closed door and rapping on it softly. He did not touch the door handle. He would have been respectful of Alex's personal space regardless, but the thought of the trauma Alex carried from a monster who should have been nothing more than his father reinforced Jimin's belief in letting the boy set firm boundaries. "Hey, Alex," he called, keeping his tone gentle. "It's James." He had had no idea why the boy preferred using his and Jimin's English names, but now he suspected it was because of his previous home life.
The door opened a crack, and Alex's face appeared. He looked like he had been crying but, like Kiel, he still looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. "They told you, didn't they?" he asked, skipping any form of greeting.
Jimin nodded. "Kiel is pretty upset about it."
Alex's face crumpled. "I'm so sorry."
Jimin wanted to immediately tell Alex that an apology was not necessary, but instead he questioned, "What are you sorry about?"
Alex looked truly miserable. "If Kiel's upset, he's not gonna want to do anything with you."
It took a second, but then Alex's meaning hit. Jimin nearly choked. "That would be my problem, but Kiel and I just share a bed. There's no sex happening. He hasn't put that on the table." Why was he telling Alex this? Why wasn't melting into the floor an option to escape whenever he said something stupid or TMI?
"Oh." Alex actually seemed slightly amused, which was a step in the right direction. Even if it did come at the expense of Jimin's dignity. "Then I guess I don't have to apologize?"
"No," Jimin reassured him. "No apologies necessary. Your reaction was a valid one. You don't have to apologize for that."
Alex nodded and opened the door a little wider so he could glance down the hall. "Are Zay and his boyfriend still here?"
"Yeah. Zay's playing with Liam and Adelynn, and Pandi is sitting with Kiel, doing his therapist stuff."
Alex's eyes grew interested. "Zay's boyfriend is a therapist?"
Jimin nodded. "And a pretty good one from what I've heard."
"Hm." Alex offered no further thoughts on that matter and switched the topic of conversation. "Get any bills passed today?"
"No, but that's senate politics for you. Everyone likes to take shots at someone else's proposal just because they're from a different party."
Alex made a face. "Adults aren't very good at being mature."
Jimin blinked. "That was…surprisingly profound."
Alex shrugged, leaning against the door frame. "I believe that is a phenomenon that occurs quite often in teenagers."
"You're starting to sound like Liam," Jimin teased.
"Where do you think I learned that fun fact?" A small smile tugged on Alex's lips. "That kid's so weird it's lovable."
Jimin did not quite know what to reply to that, so he said, "So you guys are getting along so far?"
Alex frowned a little bit as he thought about it. Was he mentally going through his interactions with his younger half-siblings? "I guess so. Liam is always doing stuff that makes my brain melt, but he's cute. Adelynn is too. I don't hate them like I hated my other siblings."
"Not to force you to talk about it," Jimin cautiously said, "but did Hao Ye…hurt your other siblings?"
Alex's expression went dark with a rage Jimin was honestly a little scared of. At least he was not panicking. "No. They were his precious angels. He never hurt a hair on their heads. He would punish me for their mistakes, and they always rushed to tell him everything. They enjoyed seeing the things he did to me."
Jimin nodded, an ugly feeling in his stomach. "I'd hate my siblings too if that had happened to me."
Alex nodded back, not volunteering any more information. That was just fine. He did not have to say anything more if he did not want to.
"I'm sorry about what happened. I promise Kiel wasn't trying to trigger you."
Alex's eyes went wide in an instant. "Does he think that I think that?" He yanked the door all the way open, slipped past Jimin, and ran back to the living room.
Jimin followed in time to see Alex hug Kiel hard.
Kiel looked gobsmacked, like he had no idea what to do with this sudden burst of emotion from his son, but he hugged Alex back. "Are you feeling better?" he asked quietly.
Alex nodded and did not let go. "I love you."
Kiel blinked and replied chokingly, "I love you too, Alex."
Alex squeezed him again and then finally sat back. "I'm not mad at you. You didn't know."
Kiel forced out a smile. "I still feel bad."
Alex looked tortured for a moment, but then he leaned forward and kissed Kiel's cheek. "Don't," he said firmly. "Don't feel bad."
A real smile creased Kiel's face. "Okay. I won't." He tentatively took Alex's face in his hands and pressed a return kiss to Alex's cheek.
Alex looked like he had shortcircuited. Was this the first time he had received true parental affection? After staring for a few moments, he curled into Kiel's side and rested his head on his dad's shoulder.
Maybe, despite everything, Kiel and Alex would both be okay.