Chapter Text
A.N.: Strawberry Crepe uses they/xe/strawb, Poison Mushroom uses they/them/its and Onion uses she/they and is nonverbal. Onion is five, Crepe is 13, and Poison Mushroom is 7, in this fic.
it is HEAVILY implied that Lychee is AFAB here, just an fyi. They still use they/them
Yam likers be advised, this fic doesn’t make him look too good.
CW + TW: This work has mentions of mental breakdowns, abusive relationships, domestic violence, child neglect, and suicide
____________________________________________________________________________
P.O.V: Strawberry Crepe
_________________________
“Have a good fall break, class!” Professor Latte exclaimed as we exited the classroom.
Many kids were eager to go home and get ready for the halloween dance at 6 o’ clock today, but I wasn’t. Hell, I wasn’t even GOING. I had to take care of my little siblings, who were too young to go. I wasn’t leaving them all alone at home, not with the current situation. It wasn’t safe.
“Crepe, dear, could you stay behind for a bit, I need to talk to you.” Latte asked.
“Oh, uhm, sure…” I muttered, turning around and walking back into the class.
“I was checking your grades and they’ve dropped immensely, I’ve also noticed that you’ve been isolating yourself from your peers. Is everything alright at home?”
“Uhm…yeah?” I lied, forcing a smile to reassure her.
“Okay…but if you ever need to talk, please just ask me, I’ll be glad to help you.” Latte hummed.
“Oh, uh, okay.” I said.
Without a word, I exited her class and walked down the hall. My phone buzzed and I quickly picked it up.
“Heeeelllooooo, wheeeere aarrrreeee yoooouu?” Poison Mushroom asked from over the phone.
“I’m just leaving school, I’ll be there in a minute, I promise.” I assured them
“Oooookaaaay, Ooooniiiooon saaaay hiiiiiiii!”
“Shroomie, Onion can’t talk yet, don’t force her.” I said.
“OOoooooh, I seeee yooouuu waaaalkinggg doooown thheeeee siiiidewaaaalk, hiiiii!”
I hung up the phone and waved to Poison Mushroom, Onion clinging tightly to her stuffed Onion rabbit toy that our aunt had made for her when she was born. Dad wasn’t there to see her when she was born. Said he had “more important things to do”, I never liked him, he was mean to us and mom.
“Oooooniiiiooon haaaas a fieeeeeld triiip, sssshe neeeeeds mooooooooom and daaaad to siiiign her peeeermissssioooon sliiiip.”
“I’ll forge their signatures, don’t worry.”
All three of us walked down the sidewalk towards our house. It was a long way away, maybe 2 miles, and Onion started crying halfway through while Poison Mushroom dozed off. I had to carry them both the next mile to our house. It was a comfortable sized two story house. I woke up the eldest of the two and held the youngest in my arms as they slept.
“Oooooh, are weeee hoooome?” Poison Mushroom asked me.
“Yeah, we are, be veeeery quiet so you don’t wake up Onion.” I said as I opened the door cautiously.
Immediately, we were greeted by the screaming and yelling from our parents. Over the years, I had gotten used to it: the constant fights, my father slutshaming my mother, my mother’s breakdowns, all of it. It was my job as the oldest child to take care of the younger two. That has always been my job. Onion shifted in my arms as I snuck her and Shroomie past the yelling and screaming in the kitchen and into our shared room. I set Onion down on her bed, and helped Poison Mushroom take off its school bag.
“Hand me the form, Shroomie.” I said, Poison Mushroom handing me Onion’s field trip sign-up form.
Quickly, I scribbled in the parental consent signature. I had mastered forging our parents’ signatures. I shoved it back into Onion’s school bag and sighed heavily. I was way too young for this.
“Shroomie, how about you take a nap and I’ll wake you up when it’s time for dinner?”
They nodded and climbed into their bed, quickly dozing off. I had no idea what dinner was going to be, probably whatever I could make while dad was out….cheating…on mom with some guy I didn’t know. I only saw him once, and dad treated this other man so much better than us. Gave him flowers, hugs, kisses. He never gave us that treatment. I don’t even know why he sticks with us if he has someone better. Speaking of the other man, he had pulled up in front of the house. I don’t think he knows we exist, dad always tells us and mom to stay inside and away from windows when he comes over. One time, Poison Mushroom didn’t listen and dad almost killed them when he got home. From what I heard, dad didn’t like that he had to tell the guy that he was “babysitting”.
I waited for dad to finally leave before I ran downstairs. I opened the fridge when I heard my mom opening up their anti-depressants again. What I didn’t know was that they had already taken a few before I got home. While I was rummaging through the almost empty fridge, I heard a bang and something heavy fall to the floor. I looked over and saw my mother slumped on the floor, unconscious.
“M-mom?!” I muttered, scared. I got no response.
“MOM?!” I shouted, running over to their crumpled body.
I shook them, terrified.
“Mom, wake up! Please! Don’t leave me!” I sobbed
I felt like I was shaking my mother for hours, my nose was runny and my vision was blurry with tears. My cheeks were red and my eyes were puffy. I rummaged through my mom’s pockets for their phones and dialed 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“Help! Please! My mom is unconscious and I don’t think they’re breathing! Please..” I cried into the phone.
“Okay, calm down, we’ll send some officers and an ambulance down there as soon as possible, is your father home?”
“My dad isn’t home! He left with his other partner!” I sobbed
“Is your dad usually away like that?”
“Mhm! And when he’s home, he yells at my mom and my siblings and me! He hurts my mom and us too!”
“Can you stay on the line until the officers get there? I’ll stay with you.” the operator said, calmly
____________________________________________________________________________
It felt like an eternity before the police got there. The red and blue lights and sirens blinded me. It woke up Onion and Shroomie, who didn’t know what was going on and why mom was being wheeled away on a stretcher with a blanket over their head. I was sitting with them both on the porch as the officers questioned me. A detective named Almond, who was strangely familiar, came over and sat next to me before he got a call from his wife.
“Hello, dear, I’m sorry, but I’m going to be home late.” he said on speakerphone
“Alright! I’ll put Walnut and Creampuff to bed after they’ve eaten dinner.” his wife replied, cheerfully, that’s when it clicked, the woman’s voice was Miss Latte’s.
“M-Miss Latte?” I shouted over the sirens
“CREPE?! Almond, what is xe doing with you?” Latte asked
“The kid called the police 'cause they found their mom dead on the floor. We’re taking the kid’s dad into custody for domestic violence and child abuse.” Almond explained
“Give the phone to Crepe, actually, I’ll be over there in a moment, I’ll get my brother and his husband to watch the girls.”
“Alright, honey.” Almond sighed, hanging up the phone
“Kids, you know you will have to enter the foster care system if no family takes you in, right?” He asked
“Yeah.” I muttered, Onion and Poison Mushroom just cried into my shirt as they clung to me.
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN’ ON HERE?!” Someone shouted, my dad’s voice all to familiar in my head
“Yam- calm down!” another shouted
I watched as the officers grabbed dad and cuffed him. Of course, he struggled. I watched his other lover step away from him as the police announced why he was getting arrested.
“Sir, you’re under arrest for Domestic violence and child abuse.” the officer shouted, shoving him into the backseat of a police car.
“Yam? What the hell are they talking about? What did you do?!”
Finally, I felt happy. My dad finally got what he deserved. It was shortlived when I remembered that my mom would never get to be here to be happy with us. Even though it was cold outside, I suddenly felt warm, like I was being…embraced. Nobody was hugging me, but I had a feeling like somebody was.
“I’ll miss you, mom…” I whispered to the air