smiling critters

chapter 19 - marital issues

Kai carefully took Neil back to Donna and Malachi's house and once they got there, he told the american shorthair that he wouldn't get him to be that sincere again. It was just because he was tired and a little stressed from his parents' argument. Neil chuckled and said he didn't expect to before giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek before going inside. Kai smiled to himself before riding home and climbing through his bedroom window he snuck out through. The second he got back into his room and was about to put his skateboard down he heard the last fucking person he wanted to hear.

"Kai, it's so nice of you to join me! Where have you been for the past half an hour?" mom snarled. Kai stared at her like a deer in headlights. It seems she shifted her anger from dad to him, and he couldn't really blame her for it, but that didn't mean he didn't want to face her wrath.

"Iiii'm gonna go stay at a friend's house. See ya tomorrow," he picked his skateboard back up and pulled the top half of his body out of the window frame.

"Oh no you're not!" she went over and stuck the top half of her body out the window.

"Yes I am," he grinned smugly as he walked across the roof back to the tree he used to climb onto the roof.

"Kai, get your ass back here right now or so help me you are grounded for a month!"

"Ok."

"I mean it."

"Ok."

"You get back here, right now young man."

"No," he sneered cleverly at the hen as he jumped onto the branch close to the roof and ran off into the night and once he was on the pavement, he slipped his skateboard beneath his paws and rode anywhere but his house. Once he was far enough away from his house he pulled out his phone and went to neil's contact.

hey can i stay wiv u 2nite? OwO

Oh my god, what did you do?

Avoided getting in trouble with my mom

I'll probobly get in even more trouble tomorow

But i don wanna deal wiv that now

To much drama

Ugh, fine

How fast can you get here?

10 mins, tops?

K

Kai put his phone away and rode to Neil's house before texting him that he was here. Neil let him in and took him to his room. Neil gave his bed to Kai and went to sleep on the couch. Kai used that opportunity to look around his friend's room, it was so plain. The walls were beige and there were no decorations, only a desk, a tarot card tapestry, a cat feather teaser tied to a hook on the ceiling, and a jewelry box on a shelf by a sliding mirror. He got under the covers and fell asleep. The next morning he woke up to Neil fully dressed and staring at him and gently shaking him awake. They went downstairs to see malachi making breakfast, and he was rightfully confused about an acquaintance's child being in his house.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" he asked.

"I'm Neil's friend. He let me spend the night."

"Without telling me?"

"Sorry, it was really late."

"Ok, well this is the only time you can bring in a friend without telling either me or donna, understand?"

"Yeah, sorry again."

"Neil did it because he a fuckin' top G!" kei growled in the worst fucking andrew tate impression you can imagine. Neil looked at him with a 'no one will find your body' sort of look.

"Alright, well do you think the 'top G' take you home before he has to eat breakfast?" malachi joked. Neil nodded and walked out with Kai after getting his phone, skateboard, and keys. Once they got outside, Neil grabbed Kai by the shirt collar and pulled their faces close since he was far too weak to lift him an inch off the ground.

"Never fucking call me a top G in front of my family again!" he growled.

"But you chuckled," Kai smiled before putting his skateboard on the floor and putting one paw on it before hoisting Neil off his hind paws and going back to his house.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Neil glared at him.

"Yeah, a little. You're just so tiny~" the post-chick smiled as he rounded a corner. After a while, they ended up at his house. He waved goodbye to his friend before the american shorthair walked away. Kai took a deep breath before putting his wing on the knob and opened the door; ready to face whatever his mom was going to say or do.

"Kai, I'm so glad you're ok!" She ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug. He hugged her back.

"You are grounded for two weeks, young man! You hear me? Two weeks! You are not pulling a stunt like that again!" she growled as she pulled him away from her.

"Yes ma'am!" he smiled innocently.

"Give me your phone and go to your room," she stood up and held out her wing for her son's phone, which he gave her with no pushback before going to his room. He let out a frustrated growl as he knocked something over and continued to huff and puff alone in his room until he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His feathers were puffed out and he looked like a completely different person. On one hand, it made him angrier for reasons he couldn't pinpoint, but it also made him guilty and ashamed of himself. He looked like his parents when they'd get into one of their fights. He always had an anger problem, but he's been able to control it lately and could always hide behind a cringy sense of humor to make himself seem more collected than he actually was, but it seemed to be coming back now that his parents were getting into fights again. The best way he could describe his home life is dollhouse by melanie martinez. The perfect family on the outside, but barely holding themselves together beneath the surface. His parents' fights started small, a little argument over one not telling the other where they were for the past few hours, and escalated to full blown screaming matches accusing each other of cheating, or occasionally worse; and they have the kintsugi to show for it. Kai started keeping his  skateboard and keys in his room for an emergency get the fuck out of the house moment, because he did not want to be caught in the crosshairs of that, and if there wasn't a windstorm, he'd just pull an all nighter. He could take it. He used to be able to talk to his brother and he'd take him out to do something random, like skating or something, but he was off at oxford and now kai didn't have anyone to join him on his late night escapades, or to calm him down whenever he lost his temper. He flattened out his feathers and grabbed one of his newjeans CDs before putting it in his CD player and deciding to take a nap even though it was Saturday and he had church tomorrow.

1232 words