Strings Of Iron (Spicynoodles)

Chapter Three: A Weight Outside My Gut

Red Son wasn't sure what emotional roller coaster was blowing up dust in his stomach, but it felt weird. He never thought he'd hear someone, anyone, say 'please' or 'thank you' to him since... well, forever. And that weird feeling in his tummy was back, breaking down any walls he forced up.

"I..." Red Son stumbled again, eyes peeling off of Mk's. "My mother. I- I had a...disagreement with her and I acted disrespectfully. I deserved my punishment." Red Son admitted, the back of his neck burning with shame. His hair crackled a bit.

"Disrespectfully? What did you say?" Mk pushed gently, and Red Son let him push. "I-..." He hesitated, clearing his throat before he continued. "I told her that...she didn't love me. She only liked using me. And I know that's terrible!" Red Son cut himself off before Mk could respond.

"Even though it's true, I had no place to bark it in her face. I'm...a terrible son. I know. I've heard it enough, you don't have to remind me..." Red Son trailed off, voice getting quieter and more sheepish as he went on. He didn't know why he acted so...so docile around the Newdle Boy. It was an unknown feeling.

But this.

For Mk, this just wouldn't do.

"Is that... it?" he asked rhetorically. A masked anger bubbled up in his voice. "She kicked you out for defending yourself?! Is she crazy!?" he yelled, normally Red Son would've slapped a hand over his mouth and scolded him to shut the fuck up. But he couldn't seem to find it in him. He couldn't find any words. For the first time, Red Son was utterly speechless.

"M- Noodle boy, quiet down..." Red Son uttered, still trying to figure out if he was dreaming or not. "Red, I knew your parents sucked." 'sucked?' "They don't even bother to treat you with decency." 'decency..?' "You are so much better than them. Can't you see that?" 'better...than his parents? What the hell what he talking about?'

Red Son's brows furrowed, did the Newdle boy even hear what he was saying? The Newdle boy painted his parents as such...cruel and wretched people... They weren't like that at all!

"Do you..."

The room got a whole lot warmer.

"Do you fucking hear yourself!?" Red Son yelled, despite his earlier warnings. His hair went up in flames, smoke, and sparks, they lit his bedroom despite the pale moonlight. "My parents are nothing of the sort!" Now it was Mk's turn to be silent.

"They are kind, the kindest people I know!" He swung his fist in the air, emphasizing his statement. "How dare you." He jabbed his finger into the Newdle boy's chest, taking an intimidating step closer. "Break into MY quarters, under MY roof, and DARE TO QUESTION THE DEMON BULL FAMILY!?"

flames engulfed the, almost entirely, fireproof room, and suddenly Red Son's face was so close to the Newdle boy that their noses pressed together. Mk had instinctually squirmed back away from the flames, a little bit of a double chin peeking out from how much he had retracted.

"Woah. Please, chill out on the flames." Mk started again, letting out a nervous chuckle from his tense position. "Could you please just list-" He tried gently, softly pushing Red Son off of him. Red Son had chilled the flames a bit to not burn the boy to ash, but his anger did not subside.

"NO, YOU IMBECILE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I HAVE ON MY SHOULDERS RIGHT NOW!? I DON'T NEED YOU BUTTING INTO MY LIFE AND FUCKING WITH ME. I HAVE ENOUGH." His yelling was consistent, he didn't stumble, stutter, or mumble not once.

Mk could swear he saw those little tears pricking Red Son's eyelids before they vaporized into thin air. "I-...I know how you feel-" "No. NO, YOU DON'T! You have no idea what it's like. Having to claw, and climb, and beg, and FUCKING. FIGHT. JUST FOR SOME COMPASSION!" His voice cracked, his ribs shaking with his words.

Red Son clutched the silk of his robe as if it would give him any support. "You shouldn't have come here." Red Son stated coldly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Red Son, c'mon, please don't shut me out. I want to help you..." Mk begged, reaching for Red Son.

Red Son shifted away.

Mk stuttered, but his hand retreated. Not wanting to push Red Son away more than he already had. "I hate seeing you be abused like this. You may not see it but I do, this isn't healthy. You lose sleep...just for your par-" He was cut off for the millionth time that night.

"Yes Newdle boy. I lose sleep, I skip meals, I skip showers, and I will do anything for them. That's my problem." Red Son stood from his place in his bed, walking to a panel by his door and punching in some numbers Mk couldn't quite follow.

"You are my enemy. I don't need your sympathy. I can handle myself." He spat stubbornly.

If he listened closely, Mk could hear a pair of rhythmic steps marching down the hall.

"Don't bother trying to help me."

A swarm of bull clones bursts through the door and Mk took a step back. "Red- don't do this!" he yelled as the bull clones started to crowd around him.

"I'll earn my place... I don't need anyone else..." Red Son mumbles as the Bull Clones throw Mk right back out from where he came from, the window.

Mk transformed into a hawk and hovered just outside Red Son's, now-closed, window with a worried expression.

And flew all the way home with a heavy heart.

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After a few minutes, Red Son dismissed the Bull Clones when he was sure the Newdle Boy had left. His eyes were heavier than the weight in his gut. He'd climbed into bed and clicked the lamp on his nightstand off.

Red Son always had trouble sleeping, whether he was dreadfully exhausted or wide awake. He never seemed to fall asleep when he'd like. He'd spend hours staring at the ceiling and letting his mind wander.

This particular night it drifted to the boy who had been intruding on his life but a measly hour ago. The extent to which his parents went most of the time was past the borderline of abuse but of course, Red Son would never admit that, no matter how many warning signs he stumbled upon.

Locking him in a dark room for hours, leaving him out in the cold for days, brutal lectures, and the occasional slapping around. But for Red Son, it was perfectly fair. He didn't see the issue, he loved his parents, and they... anyways, Red Son was a million percent sure they were amazing.

They made him feel bad all the time, how could they possibly be the problem if he was always the screw-up? His ribs were jam-packed with tiny rocks from over the years, they made it hard for him to roll over in his bed and see the ceiling from another view. They got heavy.

But he had no clue that those tiny rocks crowding his organs all eroded from the same boulder.

From the same boulder that resided just outside the door of his parent's bedroom.

Oh well. He'd carry the weight.

Just for them.

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Notes

This took a lot longer to write than I thought it would but whatever eat up 😭

hope u guys like this chapter cuz it was rlly fun to write and stuff, and also angst is SO GRVRBRBRBRBRBRBRBR they make me sick i love the little shmoopies gagaga

ty for reading!!! hope u like my fic so far:3 don't expect consistent updates im very slow 😇

no proofreading yolo

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