M hated being alone. And he constantly felt alone, no matter how many Red Steves surrounded him. Maybe the problem was the very fact that Red Steves surrounded him. Maybe the problem was that he wanted more. Oh, who was he kidding. Everyone in the Red Kingdom including M himself was acutely aware of how much more he wanted. Of how alone he felt. This, of course, went ignored.
He voiced his displeasure to his leader, once again begging him to reconsider the kingdom's position, telling the man just how lonely he was. Rather than caving or coming to some sort of agreement, the Red Leader claimed to have 'solved' his loneliness. By forcing him to be babysat by the Professor.
It was no secret that M wasn't too fond of Professor Red. Most people weren't. He was erratic and unpredictable, which wasn't entirely his fault, M tried to reason. Yet, he always felt uncomfortable around him, like the guy would snap—even more than he already had—any day now.
In the Red Leader's words, forcing the two to spend time together would "keep both lunatics in check" which M thought was a bit rude. He denied any sort of similarity between him and the Professor.
Still, it didn't matter how much he complained, here he was. In the heart of the Red Kingdom, being babysat by a person more immature than him. The Professor wasn't paying much attention to him, instead spending his time fiddling with some sort of red device.
M was sat on a certainly uncomfortable metal chair up against a large table. A few empty seats away from him was Professor Red, completely focused on whatever he was doing. M kicked his feet around, beyond bored. Not only was the Professor ignoring him, but there was nothing to do in his lab. He wasn't allowed to touch anything.
M thought it was certainly unfair, but if he were to complain, he'd probably be either ignored or scolded. He hadn't been yelled at by the Professor yet, but that didn't mean the guy was incapable of it.
His eyes darted around the lab. He was surrounded by things that were either incredibly boring or restricted. M wondered if he could slip away into one of the rooms without Professor Red seeing him.
Watching the Professor carefully like a hawk, M slowly slid off of the metal chair and began creeping backwards towards a room. Just when he thought he was out of his line of sight, the Professor glanced at him.
"Apprentice. Stay here."
M groaned and returned to his seat, slumping down. "Call me M." He spat, his voice a little more venomous than he meant it to be.
Professor Red looked at him with a weird expression, and M couldn't help but feel like he was being judged. Then he shrugged and returned to looking at his device. "Okay. M, then."
He didn't expect the Professor of all people—basically the Red Leader's best friend—to respect his name. He relaxed a bit and looked elsewhere. The Red Leader didn't give him that same sort of respect. He insisted M to 'not be ridiculous'. He frowned thinking of it.
"What're you working on?" M asked. In reality, his interest was minimal, but he didn't want to go back to that boring silence.
"Teleportation device, for my assistant."
"You have an assistant?" M frowned. He thought the Red Leader was the only one who insisted having someone around to help out.
"Android." Professor Red corrected.
"Oh." M paused. "So, like...a robot?"
"Bingo."
M sighed. It was in character for the Professor to have a robot around rather than a living Steve. Still, he looked around, and any robot looking assistant was nowhere to be found. "I assume you don't have it lying around?"
"He does whatever he wants." Professor Red shrugged, still not taking his eyes off the device. "He's probably in one of his rooms."
M nodded. "If the Leader gave me that much freedom, I'd be nowhere near this lab, and somewhere across the world." He huffed. The Professor laughed—a loud giggle that was almost unnerving.
"I'm sure you would be." He smiled, but it almost seemed sad. "Y'know, you're a lot like someone I used to know."
"Oh, sure." M said sarcastically. "I've been told I'm the most uniquely annoying Red Steve in the Kingdom."
"You are very annoying." The Professor agreed, smiling wide and wildly. "But I've met worse."
"That's because you're old." M pulled one of the papers on the table into his reach, folding it into a shape. With a few quick folds, he turned it into a paper airplane and threw it across the lab. It glided far until it skidded to a stop, hitting the staircase.
Professor Red frowned. "Go pick that up."
M groaned and sat up, walking over to the staircase to grab his paper airplane. It didn't sustain any damage, making it usable a second time. He sent it off flying towards the professor's head, but he caught it, crumpled it up and threw it in the trash across the room.
M gasped, honestly offended. He went over to the trashcan and pulled out his paper plane. Poor thing. "That was mean."
"Oh, please. I can make you a real airplane. And don't touch my papers." Professor Red stood up, holding the teleportation device. "I need to go mess with this thing on a computer...you either stay put or come with me."
M sat on the ground by the trashcan, pouting. He didn't say a word, attempting to protest. The Professor didn't seem to care; he shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving M alone.
And that was all he needed!
M hopped to his feet once the Professor was gone. There was so much more he could do now! Suddenly his day trapped inside with a madman got a lot more exciting. He chose the hall opposite of the one the Professor disappeared into and ran in, not bothering to go around the table and instead walking all over it.
At the end of the hall was a staircase. He went down it quickly, eager to explore. He vaguely remembered exploring the full extent of the lab when it was first being built, back when he was only a pre-teen, but it was fuzzy. Now he could make up for lost time!
...if only it was that easy.
The second he got to the bottom of the staircase, he nearly ran into a tall, light orange colored...thing. He almost fell over, but grabbed the handrail and managed to save himself. M had to look up to see the thing's face. It seemed almost mechanical; curious orange eyes flickered green and stared at him.
"Hello...?" M waved experimentally. The thing seemed to be almost a Steve, yet it was made of metal, mostly a light orange color with a gray chest that M assumed would open.
"Hello." It straightened and spoke with a robotic voice, surprising M. He didn't think the thing would speak. "You must be the Red Apprentice. It's 'nice' to meet you." It extended a hand towards M, catching him off guard. M gingerly did the same and shook its hand. Cold, M noted. Cold, metal hands.
"Are you- um..the Professor's assistant?" M asked, a little confused. When he pictured a robotic assistant before, he thought of something that looked...less humanoid. This thing vaguely looked like an actual Steve.
"Of course. I am Assistant Steve."
"Cool." M smiled awkwardly. "Can I...go downstairs?"
"I don't know. Can you?" It returned the smile, somehow in a much more passive aggressive kind of way. M decided he wanted to get away from this guy as soon as possible.
"...may I?" M sighed angrily. He hated grammar.
"...I can ask the Professor, if you'd like." It smirked, somehow.
"No! No no no no no, that's okay!!" M shook his head violently. "He's super busy right now, so...you should just...let me through-..." M attempted to squeeze past, but the assistant wasn't letting him get anywhere.
"I think we should wait for the Professor. I did hear some things about you not being allowed to leave the room upstairs..."
"So you're an eavesdropper!" M exclaimed. "Y'know, a good assistant wouldn't eavesdrop. I'll have to report this behavior to him..."
"He designed me this way very intentionally." The robot smiled. "If anyone needs to be reported, I think it's you."
"Uh." M stepped back up the stairs. "I wasn't here. I don't know what you're talking about, you're hallucinating, you're malfunctioning, you..."
M didn't bother finishing his sentence as he bolted the rest of the way up the stairs, dashing back into his uncomfortable metal seat. He hoped he'd never have to encounter the assistant again.
Professor Red soon returned, the device nowhere to be seen. "I'm assuming you didn't go anywhere?" The Professor smirked, his tone knowing. M cringed.
"'Course not. I'm a good boy."
"Good boys don't need babysitters."
M decided to ignore him.
—
The two went back to being quiet in the lab. After enough probing, M convinced the Professor to go upstairs into the observatory, which may as well have been the only interesting area in the lab.
The sun had set into the horizon, the coral glow disappearing into purples and blues through the glass windows. And the stars. The stars were beautiful, a multitude of color and shines and light. Beyond beautiful.
M wondered what it was like from the perspective of the stars. If they could see him, did they choose to shine for him? Did they know what he thought, and how much he wished to leave? M could only imagine what the world looked like from the stars. A vast galaxy, looking out towards an endless universe.
"You want to look out the telescope?"
M turned to look at the Professor, beaming. "Really?"
He shrugged. "That's what it's for." Professor Red grabbed M by the forearm—a little roughly, but he didn't mind—and pulled him over to the telescope. He began to mess with it, pressing buttons and flicking weird levers. The machine whirred a bit, a light blinking green for a few seconds. "Go on."
M knelt down a bit to look through the telescope. He gasped a bit. The stars that seemed so far away moments ago were magnified and bright, with giant clouds spread out across the screen. Cosmic blues and grays and yellows surrounded the stars. It was beautiful, all right.
He was only semi aware of his surroundings as he looked out. M knew he could look at these stars the entire day if nothing stopped him. He got into a more comfortable position on his knees, and continued to stare. The Professor didn't say anything, and if he had left, M wouldn't know. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
Some amount of time—it could've been hours, for all M knew—he felt a tap on his shoulder. With a bit of hesitance, he turned his attention to the Professor standing behind him.
"The Leader's here."
M's shoulders sagged. He didn't want to leave. And he didn't need the leader to walk him around. Did they seriously not trust him to be on his own now? He shouldn't have said anything about his loneliness. "Tell him I wanna stay."
"He's very insistent." Professor Red argued. "C'mon." He offered a hand to M, who begrudgingly grabbed onto it and pulled himself to his feet.
Back when M was a kid, he'd pull dumb things to get what he wanted. He remembered pretending to be asleep in order to be carried, or to be sick so he could avoid his duties. Of course, now he was an adult. He couldn't get away with things like that.
"You guys need to stop treating me like a child." M grumbled, voicing his frustration. He followed the Professor downstairs and through the lab. He just frowned.
"It's not that we—he, really—thinks you're a child. It's simply that you often act like one. Especially with the whole Rainbow Kingdom thing..."
"That's not fair, though!" M stopped in his tracks. "He's mad because I'm talking to someone that matters to me. Sabre is one person! It's not like I went up to the Rainbow Kingdom and screamed 'Red Steves still exist, here's our coordinates!' He's making a big deal out of it, when it's not a big problem!"
The Professor looked at him and sighed. "He expects more of you."
"That's not fair, though." M crossed his arms. "I just want to get out of here. I don't want to be in this stupid kingdom. It's a prison. I want more."
"Then go get more." The Professor sighed. "Nothing's really stopping you. Go be like Rainbow Red, leave on your own accord, be banished. They'll love you for that."
Without another word, he opened the door and put on probably the fakest smile M had ever seen. The Leader walked in, returning that lying grin. He looked at M and the grin faded. "M. Let's go."
M grumbled some obscenities under his breath. He trudged over to the Leader's side and shot the Professor a glare. He didn't return it, instead looking away from him.
The Red Leader and the Professor exchanged a few words that M wasn't keen on listening into. He left the lab, standing outside to gaze at the Red Kingdom. It was void of any people, leaving M momentarily alone with the moon. M knew that somewhere, across the world, the same moon was present in the Rainbow Kingdom. He wondered if Sabre was looking at the moon.
Eventually, the Red Leader left the lab, giving M a rather rude look. "Do you enjoy having to be babysat, apprentice?"
M kicked a stone, refusing to look at him. He didn't like being called that. "No."
"Of course you don't. Who would? Especially by him." The Leader looked back towards the lab, his face etched with some weird mixture of disgust and regret. "I can't believe I have to watch you like you're 5, but you clearly don't know your place. And until you learn it, you won't be left alone. Got that?"
M gave a solemn nod. He wanted to clap back and argue, but he had learned as of lately that his leader wasn't keen on listening. So he stuck by his side and didn't wander off. He'd probably just get in more trouble, anyways.
They walked side by side, completely silent, as they made their way to M's house. Just like the Red Kingdom in general, there was nothing stopping M from leaving his house. M considered running off once the Leader was gone. Or did he expect that? Maybe it'd be better to escape in the middle of the night, or-
Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms around him. The Red Leader embraced him, pulling him into a tight hug and resting his head on M's shoulder. M's eyes widened. He didn't really know what to do. He attempted to return the hug, but his arms were trapped by the leader's.
"...M."
M looked at him, surprised. "What did you say?"
"M." The Leader repeated. "You prefer that name, yes?"
M just nodded. He had no idea where this rawness was coming from; his leader was rarely ever like this with him. Maybe a few moments when M was still a child, but...
"I'm sorry, M. I really am. There's not much I can do to make you understand why I do what I do, but it is for your safety, and for the kingdom's safety." The leader paused a bit, taking a second to breathe. "It is not because I hate you, or think you deserve this. It's because I have to protect the people I love. And I love you."
The Red Leader pulled away, his eyes on the ground and refusing to look at M. "You are a wonderful, adventurous individual. You're just like..." he trailed off, his face pained. "Please, M. Don't try to be a hero. A hero's journey never ends well."
M was tired of being compared to people he didn't even know. They refused to say their name, and M didn't know what he was supposed to feel. It was like he was just a ghost of this other person. Still, he nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."
"If the world was different...if things weren't like this, then..." the Leader sighed. "In another life, you'd be the pride of the Red Kingdom. Truly."
...M didn't know what to think of that. The Leader was still discouraging him. He was still lonely. And that clearly wasn't going to change, no matter how many words were exchanged here.
The leader cleared his throat and stepped back. "Please, M. Consider the kingdom, and our people."
"Yeah. I will." M lied. The Leader took another step back and turned to leave.
"Goodnight, M."
"Goodnight."
The Leader disappeared between the poppies and roses, leaving M alone. M sighed and entered his house, shutting the door gently behind him. Despite the strangely raw moment, M knew nothing had changed. He still wasn't allowed to leave. And so...
M made up his mind. He was going out to see Sabre again in the morning. He needed to help Sabre, even if in the end, he knew it was just an excuse to get out there.
M plopped down onto his bed, kicking off his shoes and running his hand through his hair. It didn't matter how strangely nice the Leader was to him, he still refused to actually open up. That wasn't M's fault.
He pulled the covers over him and took a moment to breathe. Maybe he could open up with Sabre. Maybe he could be honest with him, and maybe, Sabre would give him that smile that melted M's bones, and help him out. Maybe.
M didn't like maybe. It was almost as bad as being alone.
lil notes:
HOW WAS THIS 3K WORDS
Also this is kind of a part two but also not really a part two to the gay red apprentice one that I made the other day??? Idk.
I'm totally not obsessed with M, what?