Iron-Hawk Short Stories

Screwed Up Childhood

Third Person's POV

He flinched as he heard an object being harshly thrown against a wall. He glanced up and saw his infuriated partner and the shattered remains of a mobile phone on the ground. He wondered if he should ask, if his partner would even answer if he asked.

But he virtually had nothing to lose.

"Hey, not going to assume anything but is everything alright?" He asked and watched as the other picked up the device from the ground and stared at it.

"Everything's fine." The blonde answered and cursed to himself as he realised he fully broke his phone. "I just gotta go somewhere right now."

"Babe, tell me what's wrong." He urged with a deep breath, "Nobody throws their phone across the room like that unless something's wrong."

The other pinched the bridge of his nose and contemplated it. "You know my shitbag of a father?"

"That I do."

"Turns out he's actually alive and is in prison right now."

"Jesus fuck." He muttered and buried his face in his hands. He knew it couldn't have been easy on the blonde to hear the news. "What are you going to do?"

"Shoot him." The man said, and he genuinely believed him. "N-Nothing alright? I'm just going to go see him."

"That's not any better."

"Well what can I do? I have to at least see what the fuck happened."

"Let me come with you then."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Just no." The blonde bared his teeth, he stood on his feet and levelled with the other.

"I am not letting you walk in that place by yourself you hear me?" He stated and jabbed his finger against the other man's chest. "I don't care if I have to wait outside whilst you talk to him, but I'm not leaving you to confront that yourself."

A beat passed before the other rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever." The blonde smiled a little, "If I start crying, will you pull me out of there?" It was meant to be a joke, but there was a hint of sadness in his partner's eyes that meant that it was a possibility.

"Yeah." He reassured with a smile, "I can't let such a pretty face cry."

[LATER THAT DAY]

The minute he saw his father he felt like a kid again. Fear crept over him and he felt like throwing up, the man had barely changed.

"You look just like your mother." Were the first words that left the older man's mouth. He stiffened at the mention of his parent. "What can I do for you Clint?" The way his father said his name made him feel more nauseous than before.

"How are you alive?" He got straight to the point, "They told me you died in the car crash with Mo-Edith." He refrained from referencing her. The man grinned at him.

"Don't you know adults lie?" The man chuckled and leaned forward to better examine his son. "God you really are a spitting image of that bitch."

He growled and slammed his palm against the table, "Don't you dare talk about her."

"Touchy are we?" The older man let out a throaty laugh. He swallowed uncomfortably. "She always did love you so much. It was pathetic to watch. All that love went to waste when you couldn't even protect her."

His eyes fluttered as the other man continued to talk.

"She got hurt every day and what could you do but watch?"