She did not like hurting him this way, seeing how he basically crumbled at the seams with every revelation made. His hands, the same nimble digits that had finger-painted so many 'get-well' cards for her when she had been in the hospital for a twisted ankle, pressed so hard into her skin. A tight and bruising grip it spilled all of his anger - all of his pained frustrations - into the splayed fingertips.<br/><br/>Valeria was small in his grasp, shrunken in on herself as the pressure began to increase. She almost wanted to whine out against the ache taking root in her shoulders, the ugly dark contusions that would be sure to form hours later. Cayn underestimated his strength sometimes. Mom and dad had always encouraged him to play sports, mentioning his tall height would be good for basketball or some other similar activity. But her gangling sibling, for all his whispered potential and hidden brawn, never took the bait. She had been proud of him for that. He deserved to walk his own path, do the things he loved. Stalking her private life, however, had never been part of the deal.<br/><br/>Cayn's snarl was what tore her back to bitter reality, back to him throwing her unceremoniously onto the bed with a force uncalled for. She just wanted to slink away from this confrontation, go back to being nothing more a kid chasing her brother around the yard in a game of tag. They'd always been affectionate, perhaps remaining a bit too close as they grew older, but Valeria could not have imagined such an outburst when the differences started to grow between them - opening up the wide expanse of dating and the stages that came with it. He had never been this cruel before, stalking about her bedroom with the agitation of a caged tiger; snapping even crueler words. She did not appreciate any of it.<br/><br/>"Don't say those things, Cayn! I- I'm not being a brat! Spoiling me has nothing to do with any of this." Valeria's rebuttal was weak, fractured under the heavy air as she watched him move towards her purse to retrieve the discarded cellphone. The young woman despised that word, the name-calling her brother had used ever since they were children sleeping in the same bed together. She was good, had always tried her best to be compassionate and understanding of others. But Cayn... Cayn was making things difficult.<br/><br/>Her dark brown eyes followed him carefully, observing with unease how he stooped by her toppled bag and plucked the electronic device off the ground. He seemed contemplative, the sudden plea he uttered much more calmer then before, and Valeria almost considered taking up the offer as long as it would put a rest to his unhealthy aggression. She would have better luck with Albert a later date anyway, the next time being sure her brother was removed from the premises. But she did not get far in stringing together the false sense of acceptance into verbatim.<br/><br/>Air, hot and tumultuous from the room, stuttered achingly into her lungs when she moved to prop herself up onto her elbows; effectively drowning out the words from her throat. She could not make out what he stumbled upon in her purse, the black bag that was to be giving away the well-kept dirty little secret. All she could see was that Cayn moved with purpose, gutting the fake leather and jerking out something into the light with a sharp, reprimanding motion.<br/><br/>It was too late when she realized what it was he held between forefinger and thumb and her heart immediately dropped into the pit of her stomach. "It's... It's in case things get... I was keeping it around just in case..." Words were of no use, a continuous stutter wracking up and ultimately failing her. She did not know how to respond, how to ease back the sudden spike in tension as Cayn was drawling out her name with such spite. Of course he had recognized the packet she had seen great means to bury in the depths of her purse. Valeria had witnessed him purchase the brand before, and after rummaging through the bathroom came upon the idea to pick up one at the corner store. It was too risky to take one of Cayn's. He could have noticed if one was missing, couldn't he?<br/><br/>He was eerily perceptive when it came to her.<br/><br/>So unhinged, demented, he approached like a demon in the shadows and Valeria could only pull back further against the sheets in a desperate, pathetic attempt to escape scorn. But nothing could be done. His weight was trapped against her before she even had the opportunity to make a break for the half-opened door.<br/><br/>"Please. Please, Cayn, please calm down, you're scaring me!" Her voice was nothing more than a flutter, a ghost of a sweet sound as she tried to make appeals to rationale. With a shoulder pinned she lacked the better part of movement on one side, leaving her struggling vainly beneath his lanky form. He had already torn a part of her dress with his death-grip, leaving the cool air to brush against the now pale and exposed skin. The damning condom was still in the hand that ran knuckles against her cheek. But she knew how harsh and cruel that hand could become.<br/><br/>He possessed the flicker of such a sad yet angry look, Valeria was unsure whether she desired to comfort or push him away even further. "I haven't done anything with it yet! Cayn, I'm just keeping it on me, I promise. You don't have to worry I- I'll call Al up. Talk it out. We both can."<br/><br/>With her brother unstable and irrational, she changed gears, hoping to make quick amends that could possibly soothe him. She just didn't want to see him shattering and slipping down the brim of insanity any further. "Just... give me the phone and I'll do it right this time. He doesn't have to come over tonight."