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“I said watch your fucking mouth.” Another sharp slap to Jey’s face. “What do you say?”
Jey squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a breath before the next slap, and when Roman noticed, he grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back.
“I’m gonna beat your ass.”
Jimmy grabbed Roman’s arm, tears pricking at his eyes but his jaw was set as he glared at his older cousin, who raised his eyebrows at his audacity. “This isn’t right, Uce.” He shook his head, seeing how his little brother’s eyes widened in fear of his rebellion. “You’re letting all this power get to your head!”
“What are you trying to say, Jimmy?” The larger man dropped Jey, who helplessly fell to the floor on his hands and knees, forehead resting on the floor. “You don’t respect your culture? Our culture?” He growled lowly, squaring up to the older twin. “Who am I.” It didn’t sound like a question. That dark and powerful aura surrounding him like a forcefield.
It took every fibre in Jimmy’s body to not tremble as Roman gave him a look that made him feel like a little boy again.
“Who. Am. I.”
Jimmy backed up a few steps, “Uce, you don’t have to be like this.”
Roman let himself smile, “your mistake.” He said before returning to Jey and yanking him back up to his feet by his hair again. He gave him a harsh punch to the gut that had the youngest in the room squirming and gasping for air, face contorting in pain as he tried to wrestle Roman’s hand off his hair. “Acknowledge me.” At the horrified look on Jimmy’s face, he slapped Jey, again and again, without break as he held him still by his hair.
Still, Jimmy managed to hold his own. “Kiss my ass.”
Roman stopped. Instead of anger, there was a growing smirk on his lips. He turned to Jey, who looked half-unconscious, let go of his hair and grabbed his chin. “Go get Solo.”
“B- but…” Jey gasped, fear welling up in his tear ducts. “You prom- missed, Uce…”
“Go. Get. Solo.” With that, he shoved Jey in the direction of the door. Jey was right- he had promised to keep Solo in the other room so he wouldn’t know what was going on. The twins made silent oaths to one another to take whatever Roman would throw at them in exchange for their baby brother’s ignorance.
That was why Jimmy threw a right hook at Roman while he was still turned away. “You said you’d keep him awa-” The Tribal Chief was one step ahead of him, had caught his right hook and retaliated with a hard punch to the gut that had him writhing on his knees as he clutched his middle. “Fuck!” Before he knew it, Jey returned, staggering, with Solo looking concerned (for once, showing emotion), a hand on Jey’s shoulder.
“What’s going on?” He asked, seeing Jimmy bent double and clutching his stomach. “Jimmy?” Solo seemed to freeze, but his eyes were darting from man to man, watching as Jey, looking mindless, returned to stand before Roman with his eyes glued to the floor. Humiliation.
“You know, I didn’t actually want to punish Jey because of Jimmy, especially since he…” Roman placed a hand on Jey’s bowed head, patting his curls, “listens to me so well.”
Jimmy’s eyes widened again. “No, no… Solo, get out of here.”
“Solo. Stay.”
Solo was frozen, confused. “Jimmy?” His voice wasn’t as strong as usual. He knew something was wrong. But before Roman could even move towards the youngest, Jimmy stood between them, trying to block him from seeing Solo.
“Please Roman, please, don’t touch Solo.”
“Acknowledge me. It’s simple.” He shoved Jimmy aside harshly and beckoned Solo over with a single finger pointed to the spot in front of him like he was his father or something.
Naive Solo obeyed, cautiously walking towards Roman, the man he trusted. “Roman? What’s going on..?” he asked slowly, eyes on Jey now. His brother refused to raise his head. He watched Roman play with those curls.
“Who am I, Solo?”
The younger swallowed, looking into his cousin’s eyes. “My Tribal Chief.” He replied. When Roman raised his hand, he instinctively flinched, until he felt the hand pat his shoulder.
“Good.”
But just as he began to relax, Roman punched him in the face. Solo staggered backwards, holding his face while looking stunned. “R- Roman..?”
“Do you see what your big brother is doing to you?” He tutted, casting an ugly glare at Jimmy before suddenly grabbing hold of Solo. “This is all Jimmy’s fault.” It happened quicker than the older twin could realise, but Roman was now strangling their little brother, an arm wringing his neck from behind.
“ROMAN! Let him go!” Jimmy yelled, eyes blown wide with panic as they darted from Solo to Roman to Jey. Jey, who stole only a glance before he looked back down with a pained expression. Obedient, so far gone. Jimmy balled his fists. “Jey, Jey why are you just standing there?!” he cried, exasperated. “We could both take him!”
“That’s cute.” Roman gave a wolfish grin, still holding their youngest in a lock. Solo was flailing, afraid. “Acknowledge me, and maybe he won’t pass out. Or worse.”
Jey sniffled, eyes closed but head still bowed. “N- no Uce, we can’t. Just ackn- acknowledge him for Solo. Accept it.”
When Jimmy saw Solo next, he was kicking his legs helplessly, scratching at Roman’s forearm around his neck and making choked sounds. He burst into tears. “I acknowledge you! You- you’re the Tribal Chief! You the Chief, Uce, just stop!” Jimmy cried out, running towards them and trying to get Solo free. “I said I acknowledge you!”
Roman, satisfied, let go of Solo’s neck, who fell into Jimmy’s arms boneless. “Good. You made it so hard for yourself.” The Chief sighed, watching Jimmy try to wake Solo up, slapping his cheek lightly and shaking him, his arm supporting his neck like he was a baby again. Roman remembered those times, actually. He must have been something like twelve when he held Solo as a baby, playing with him and trying to make him giggle. Ah, memories… “Get out, you two.” When Jimmy looked up at him and cradled Solo closer, Roman snarled, “I said get out.”
“Roman will take care of him, Jimmy. T- take care of him, Uce. Take care of him.” Jey said, shaky and wary, already leaving. He pulled his twin up slowly and they left.
The Tribal Chief braced himself and picked up Solo slowly.
When the youngest woke up, he was in Roman’s arms, cradled like a baby. He had a pounding headache and let out a light groan.
“You got a lot bigger, Solo.” Roman chuckled, shifting so his head was now resting on his lap. “You’re not that little kid I used to hold anymore.”
Solo rubbed his throat with a frown. “Why did you choke me?” he asked with a small voice, looking up at him. Still, his eyes closed as he felt Roman’s hand stroke his cheek.
“Because Jimmy needed to be taught a lesson. It wasn’t your fault, you did nothing wrong.” He smiled down at Solo. “I wouldn’t hurt you. You know that, don’t you?”
Solo sat up, and as soon as he did, tears fell. He nodded, sniffling as Roman wiped his tears.
“Don’t cry, Solo. I’m here.” Roman was still smiling, even when he pulled Solo into a hug.
Solo had so many questions, but he knew he couldn’t ask any of them. Was Roman the reason he noticed his brothers covering up bruises from him? The bloody tissues in the bin? Was Roman responsible for the way Jey changed? No… Roman loved them. He refused to believe that.
As if Roman was reading his mind, he said, “I love you, you know that? I love all three of you, I’d never hurt any of you without reason.” He didn’t let go of Solo in the hug, and his smile only grew when Solo eventually returned the hug, his arms tightly holding onto his older cousin. “All of you are mine. I’m the one who protects you.”
His words felt wrong, but his hug felt so right. Solo didn’t want to think anymore, so he just nodded. He felt like a little boy again, when Jimmy or Jey would steal his toys and Solo would go crying to Roman. He would hold him just like this until he stopped crying, wiping his tears. To be honest, Roman always felt a little more like a father than like a cousin to Solo.
He trusted him.