TW: Captivity, Conditioned Whumpee, Manipulation, Creepy/Intimate Carewhumper
Athena hummed softly as she ran her hand over Emory’s hair. They were just as they had been since he finally began to behave properly. On her large white sofa, her arms and a blanket draped around him.
Sometimes, she wonders if Emory could remember anything before that. If he even remembered how he’d gotten in this position in the first place. No matter, if it became a problem, she knew how to fix it. Speaking of problems…
“Emy, Darling?”
When he looked up at her with those bright, innocent eyes she couldn’t help but be proud of her work. Which was why she needed to protect it in the first place.
“There are some very bad people in the world who might try to take you away.”
Horror soon appeared in his gaze. “Why?”
“Because they don’t want you to be happy with me. They want you to suffer.” Athena gave him a somber expression.
“Are there a lot of them?”
“Yes, many, many of them. The one who wants to take you away from me the most is Harley.”
He tilted his head slightly, squinting and repeating her as if the name rang a bell. “Harley…?”
“Yes. She is a very bad doctor. She’s been trying to take you away from me ever since that night she kidnapped you. Do you remember that Emy?”
He thought for a moment. Did he remember that? He had a very fuzzy image of a woman he assumed was Harley but he had no idea exactly where or when he saw her. “I think so, yes.”
Athena’s hand came up to gently caress Emory’s cheek. “She took you away from me one night and she tried to hurt you. I can’t have that happening again. So I need you to stay here at all times, okay? You can’t ever leave.”
Why would he want to leave such a place of warmth and comfort? Especially if there were people out there who wanted to hurt and take him away. Of course he was staying!
He nodded. “Okay.”
She smiled at him, holding him closer. “I knew you would understand.”