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janetbrown711 · 6 months

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Proud of Your Boy

Glass Shard || Vehicular accident || “Watch out!”

MK's missed one too many classes at his fancy schmancy school and now has to tell Pigsy he's at risk of expulsion.

However, MK would literally rather do anything-- anything other than tell him. Even if it means delivering noodles in rain so thick he can barely see.

This will work out just fine.

Ao3 Link

Pouring rain fell outside of Pigsy’s Noodles, setting a dreary mood for the already dreary teen pacing up and down the back alley. He was late for work, just as he’d been late for school, and late to wake up– all of which he had no good reason for.

He knew he should go inside, that his boss didn’t appreciate tardiness, but he couldn’t– he just couldn’t because sitting heavy in his front backpack pocket was a letter from MK’s principal, explaining that he’d missed roughly the maximum amount of classes for the year and was at risk of expulsion.

MK hated himself and his chronic lateness– it wasn’t that he was completely ditching classes most times, his trigonometry teacher just had it out for him, he swore. Though, it wasn’t like his other teachers were great either and sometimes MK felt like he’d sooner die than step inside those awful classrooms. Plus, it wasn't like Jian and his other classmates created a "welcoming environment".

Still, MK knew it was only a matter of time til he had to face the music– and turns out it just had to be today.

MK sighed. The last thing he wanted was to go into Pigsy’s restaurant and announce that all of the years of hard work making sure MK got into the same good and fancy school as Mei was for nothing, and MK had completely thrown it away because of stupid anxieties. He was sixteen, man– he should be over this.

But at the same time, Pigsy would be upset if he was late for work too. It was a lose-lose situation; MK was destined to get a scolding, but the question would be if it was about being late or about making him break his back with extra hours of work for years for nothing.

MK sighed, a particularly large drop of rain landing on his head and dripping to his forehead, which he quickly brushed away. He didn’t have time for this. He just needed to get in there and start delivering so he could avoid conflict with Pigsy for as long as humanly possible.

Taking a deep breath, the kid walked in, quickly slumping his soaked backpack onto the back office countertop, only getting more annoyed when he noticed there was a hole in the side, meaning one of his expensive textbooks was probably damaged by the rain too.

He was just on a roll today, wasn’t he?

“Put on your game face, MK, just get through today,” He muttered to himself in the reflection of the computer screen, noticing how disheveled his hair looked and the heavy bags under his eyes. He practiced a wide grin two to three times before he dared emerge and make his presence known with a quick, "Hey Pigsy."

"There you are, kid. You're twenty minutes late," Pigsy looked at the clock while frying shrimp.

"Y-yeah, I know– the rain delayed the bus," He lied. "Any orders yet?"

“Just one I’m wrappin’ up now," His boss informed, so MK took a seat at the bar, his legs bouncing the second they were at rest.

The kid glanced around the restaurant and noticed the stool next to him was empty. "Where's Tang?"

"Sick. At some point he's gonna order his usual for delivery online, but he isn't gonna pay, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask ‘im anyways," Pigsy rubbed his forehead a little with a sigh.

Great, Pigsy was already having a bad day and MK was just going to make it worse. What fun.

“School okay?” Pigsy asked, adding the final touches to the bowl.

“S’whatever,” He mumbled, messing with a scratch on the counter.

“If you make that scratch worse you’re payin’ for repairs,” Pigsy smirked a little.

“I’m not making it worse,” He stuck his hands in his pockets, cursing the fact Pigsy had eyes on the back of his head.

His boss got back to work with a laugh, and MK just sat and waited until he was done cooking and bagging it all up.

However, when Pigsy actually saw MK he paused.

“You… uh… doin’ okay..?” He looked him up and down.

“Like I said, the rain delayed the bus, can I take the stupid order now?” He rolled his eyes.

Pigsy frowned. “If the bus got delayed then it might not be best–”

“Pigsy, I’ll be fine, okay? The order was already made anyway, so let’s just take the money and that’ll be that,” MK snapped, surprising himself and the chef.

The chef shook his head and sighed. “Fine– just be safe, will you?”

“Yeah, yeah,” MK rolled his eyes, snatching the bag and heading out, hearing Pigsy sigh right as he passed the bamboo flap.

Once he was out and by the dinky little excuse of a delivery cart, he cursed the fact that it didn’t have walls or doors, but he was the one who built it so that was also his fault. Well, at least there was a see through rain tarp thing– he just had to roll it down– and try to avoid the massive pool of water it collected, of which he completely forgot about this time and was soaked even worse in seconds.

What a fabulous day this was, truly.

Grumbling to himself, he placed the order next to him in the passenger seat, buckling it tight before pulling up the address on his phone and heading out.

Traffic was annoying and the wind and rain made it even more annoying, as the lack of doors made for a very cold, wet, and anxious MK. It also didn’t help that his windshield wipers were powered by mere thoughts and prayers, so did very little to clear his vision. At the very least he still had his headphones, but being soaked and practically blind canceled out any benefits they would’ve brought.

But it was still better than telling Pigsy he was getting expelled, so MK drove on.

He managed to deliver the noodles in fifteen minutes and received no tip, which was– whatever at this point. What was one more sign he was a total failure anyways?

When he got back in the cart, Pigsy had texted him saying two orders were waiting, and Mei texted asking to call, so he quickly dialed her number.

“Heyyyyyyyyyyy~ how goes my favorite delivery boy?” His friend sang out.

“I hate the rain,” MK muttered, waiting to be allowed out of his parking spot but car after car kept passing him.

“Aw, is Mr. Piggy still making you work with the weather like this?” Mei sympathized.

“No, I asked to. I don’t know why, I really hate this,” He sighed, seeing a chance and going for it– cringing when a car honked at him.

“You know, I told you getting a motorcycle would’ve been better but nooOOoo~ you need a cart,” She teased.

“Oh, please, this thing holds a lot more meals than any motorcycle could,” MK rolled his eyes and joined the main road.

“Motorcycle would get you there faster,” Mei pointed out smugly.

“Pigsy says those things are death traps, you know,” MK countered.

“And that dingy little cart isn’t?”

“I take offense to that.”

“I’m not wrong~”

“You know, if you wanted to call just so you could bully me, just take a number because I deal with that enough already,” MK huffed, checking his blind spot and switching lanes.

“Ugh, are those boys still being punks to you?” Mei voiced her disapproval.

MK snorted. “You thought they ever stopped?”

“Look, if you want me to beat them up, all you have to do is say the word.”

“Funny, but I’m in trouble enough as is,” MK rolled his eyes.

Just then his phone beeped and there was a call notification from Pigsy.

“What’s that sound?” Mei asked.

MK sighed. “Pigsy’s calling, though I don’t know why– unless the customer I just dropped off already called to complain, which is… ugh.”

“Oh, are you gonna pick it up?” His friend asked.

MK bit his cheek. “Nah, I’m not too far, it’ll be fine.”

“Oooooo~ boss man’s gonna be mad~” Mei teased again.

“Do you want me to hang up on you? Because I can,” MK smirked.

“No! Pleaseeeee don’t hang up– I don’t wanna do my homeworkkkkkk,” Mei groaned and her voice became muffled, probably from her slamming her face into a pillow.

“Yeah, well, at least your homework isn’t telling your d– boss you’ve made him waste thousands of dollars for some hoity-toity school that’s kicking you out before you can even finish your third year,” He complained, turning right and Pigsy’s icon disappeared.

“What? Why?”

MK internally face palmed.

In his stupidity, MK forgot Mei went to his school too and would obviously be stressed at the news of his imminent expulsion.

“Nothing, I–” MK tried waving off, when a truck kicked up a huge amount of water right in front of him, causing water to soak his feet and ankles right where the tarp didn’t reach the floor. “I hate the rain, did I tell you that?”

“MK, what do you mean they’re gonna kick you out? Isn’t there something you can do?” he heard Mei sit up.

MK sighed. “Look– I really don’t want to talk about it, okay? So either hang up or talk about something else.”

“... I can see if my parents can do something? Like– give the school some more money? Sweet talk teachers? Anything, really,” Mei offered.

“Not in the mood, Mei,” he warned, making a right turn.

“Right, right, okay,” His friend sighed, and he heard her flop back on her bed.

There was a bit of silence, in which Pigsy called again, but MK just ignored it.

“Jeez, he doesn’t normally call when you’re driving, does he?” Mei asked.

MK shrugged. “Not really, but he’s probably just being a worry wart because of the rain, or–”

MK’s eyes widened and his stomach sank.

“Or what?” Mei asked.

“I-I– um…” MK hit ‘decline’ on his phone. “Nothing, hopefully– I-I–”

“Shit, is he mad at you?”

“I don’t know,” MK glanced at his phone and saw a text from Pigsy he didn’t read.

“Maybe you’re right and he’s just worried; that sounds like him,” Mei suggested again, and MK shook his head.

“I’m not far from the restaurant, maybe if I’m quick I can just pick up the orders and be in-and-out of there,” MK tried to plan.

“You think he found out about the expulsion?” Mei asked the question he dreaded.

“He’s totally gonna kill me,” MK lamented, pulling up to a red light before slamming his head against the steering wheel.

“He’s not gonna kill you– yell at you, maybe, but Pigsy wouldn’t kill you,” Mei emphasized but all MK heard was “blah blah he’s gonna kill you blah”.

Eventually, MK was greeted by the familiar sights of the restaurant and pulled back into his parking spot, which was where he noticed Pigsy… smoking.

“I gotta go Mei,” MK said, heart and stomach full of dread.

“We can video chat later if you need, MK,” Mei offered.

“Yeah, I–… we’ll see,” MK chewed his cheek.

“Talk later?” Mei asked again.

“Yeah, talk to you later,” MK hesitated over the red button, but Mei hung up instead.

MK glanced back at his boss, who wasn’t looking at the cart at all, his eyes towards the road with a distant stare.

MK took a deep breath, put the vehicle into park, turned it off, and got out. “Pigsy–”

“What’re these absences about, MK?” His boss looked at him, already holding the letter in his hand.

“How did you find that?” MK tried to dodge.

“Backpack had a hole in it and I decided to inspect it to see if I could fix it. Now answer my question,” Pigsy huffed, eyes firm.

“I-I– I know it’s bad– I know–”

“MK, you’re such a smart kid– so much smarter than me. Why would you do this?” Pigsy interrupted.

“I-I didn’t mean to-! I just–... you know it’s hard waking up on time,” MK put his hands in his pockets and went under the little ramada to protect himself from the rain, though stayed as far away as possible from the chef.

“How do you ‘accidentally’ skip nine entire classes, MK?! These aren’t late marks, they’re absences,” Pigsy pointed out, before taking a step back and smoking more. “I– I don’t get it.”

MK winced. “I-I–”

“You begged me to go to this school, MK. I have poured thousands and thousands of yuan– I just– why?” Pigsy looked at him all heartbroken and confused.

“I-I know you did, D– Pigsy, a-and I know– I know it’s expensive, I-I just–” MK started rubbing his arms anxiously and glancing at the door to the restaurant.

“Then why, MK? Why are you skipping classes?” He pressed.

Because he was a stupid and dumb idiot coward who didn’t want to deal with a few mean looks and would rather make his poor guardian spend a stupid, stupid amount of money for classes he didn’t feel like going to, that’s why.

“I-I… I don’t know–”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Pigsy huffed.

“I– look, can I just deliver the orders to get this over with?” MK switched subjects, not waiting for permission before going inside.

“MK, you aren’t going anywhere until I get some answers for why I’m even paying for that school–!” Pigsy urged, following him in, cigarette still in hand.

“You know quitting smoking is supposed to be a permanent thing, right?” MK bit back, picking up the orders.

Pigsy stepped back, looking hurt by the low blow before he shook his head. “MK, this isn’t about me– it’s about you.”

MK tried not to care, using Pigsy’s somewhat fallen demeanor to get past him and back into the cart.

“MK–! Where on earth do you think you’re going?!” The chef fixed himself and followed him.

“To make my stupid deliveries and get out of your stupid hair!” MK shouted, struggling to turn the vehicle on when thunder suddenly boomed.

“MK, get back inside, we are not done talking about this,” Pigsy demanded.

“W-well I am! So– yeah!” MK got the ignition to start and shifted the gear into drive without buckling his seatbelt.

“MK!”

MK ignored him, barely looking before turning the vehicle out of his spot and turning onto the main road. Of course, he didn’t have the addresses plugged in so he’d have to do that while driving, which wasn’t smart and–

“MK– WATCH OUT–!” Pigsy shouted at the top of his lungs, and before MK could even turn to look, a car crashed into the side front of the cart, causing it to go airborne before landing on its side. Since MK wasn’t buckled in the slightest, he took the fall hard, hitting his head against the ground twice, and he cried out in pain as something hit his foot. He also had a sharp, sharp pain in his side, and was surrounded by broken glass and other fun rubble.

MK groaned at his stupidity and tried sitting up, but every inch of his body screamed that it was a bad idea. He tried just looking around, but his vision was fuzzy. He tried listening to his surroundings, but that was all muffled too– the shouting, the talking, the horns, the honking, the rainfall– all of it.

Great. Just great. Real smart, MK. Get yourself killed over skipping a few classes. Way to make Pigsy proud of you.

“MK?! MK–!” Pigsy’s voice broke above the ringing. MK tried to see where he was, but that was a mistake if there ever was one.

He heard shuffling and whispers and talking and shouting when a hand touched his shoulder, making him flinch– which made the rest of his body move and thus made him cry out in pain.

“Kid–! Oh, kid– you’re gonna be okay, o-okay? I-I’m right here– Didja hit your head–? What am I sayin’, of course you did– I won’t let you sleep, okay?” He heard his guardian say, and MK wanted to say something, but thinking just of words made him groan.

“I-I know kid, I know, it’s okay, I’m here for you kid,” Pigsy’s voice cracked– which was unusual. “Wh-where does it hurt? I-I know in your head, I know, I know, but where else, okay?”

MK tried very hard to concentrate, eventually sputtering out a, “P–pi–” before the pain in his side was too much and he instinctively curled himself a little tighter.

“Y-yeah, it’s me, I’m right here kid– where does it–” Pigsy gasped, apparently noticing something. He felt his guardian’s hands near where the pain was stemming, but they didn’t dare touch him, and after a beat, he called out, “S-someone– a-anyone– call 1-2-0– please-!”

There was more muffled talking but all MK could hear was the sound of his ill-tempered guardian sobbing openly.

He then felt a soft hand touch his soaking wet hair, stroking it somewhat as Pigsy whispered, “it’s okay MK, it’s okay, you’re okay, you’re gonna be okay, it’s okay–” over and over and over again. MK tried saying anything to make his guardian feel better, but could only cough and cry and groan from the all consuming misery before sirens wailed.

He heard Pigsy tell the EMT’s things before there was organized counting and suddenly his right foot was freed– though obviously still hurt like a motherfucker. He was still in agony when they put him on a stretcher and took him inside an ambulance, but at least he could see Pigsy now, who sat next to him, still stroking his hair as lightly as physically possible.

“You’re okay, MK, you’re okay– I-I’m so sorry for yellin’ at you, I’m so sorry,” his guardian continued to cry, making MK just feel even worse somehow as they drove away from the scene.

When they got to the hospital, Pigsy was pulled away from him, which MK knew because his crying and protesting faded.

The second his guardian was out of earshot, MK’s tears went from pain to sadness.

Soon after, he was taken to a room, where he was given an oxygen mask and pumped full of drugs as doctors and nurses pulled out a massive glass shard that had been lodged into his side. After that, he was given stitches and a handful of weird pills before being taken in and out of rooms with all sorts of scanners and weird machines, all while he barely maintained consciousness.

After about three scans, MK was taken to an average and empty looking room, where he was given yet another handful of mysterious pills he didn’t question. He was hooked up to a heart and oxygen monitor, as well as a new IV and a few weird stickers they placed on his head before he was out like a light.

.o0o.

MK awoke feeling like his mouth was full of cotton, and the rest of his head was full of lead. His chest and sides felt numb from where he vaguely recalled there had been stitches, and his right foot was in a cast he didn’t remember getting.

As he slowly cracked open his eyes, MK was met with a hellish cold light that only added to the misery of the beeps and boops of the machines around him. But that soon didn’t matter at all, as MK saw his guardian pacing the foot of his bed, dark circles under his eyes that were still red and tear-stained from–

From him.

He had actually made Pigsy, the hot-headed chef of pure titanium, shed real tears over him that fell and everything.

It made MK cry too.

“P-P-Pigsy–” MK croaked, hot tears streaming down his face, making the chef stop in his tracks and rush to MK’s side, which was when MK noticed how bloodstained his chef's shirt and tank top were.

“Kid–! Oh I’m so glad you’re okay– I-I’m so sorry for yellin’ at you, okay? I-I was just– I don’t know what’s wrong with me– you feelin’ okay? You’re safe now, you’re at the hospital,” The chef stroked his cheek again and MK leaned into it this time since it didn’t hurt that much and he could.

“P-Pigsy, ‘m so s-s-sorry,” He cried, his whole chest shaking.

“No– no, MK, don’t be, it’s okay, I-I was so stupid– I should’ve handled it all differently– it’s not your fault, okay?” Pigsy wiped away his tears with calloused hands.

“I shouldn’ve skipped class, ‘m sorry,” the boy just continued to weep.

“I’m not mad MK, I promise I’m not– I-I’m so sorry,” Pigsy now held the boy’s face with both hands and MK was just overwhelmed by how warm they were and how he never wanted to leave his da– Pigsy’s embrace.

“M’sorry Pigsy– m’ so, so sorry,” He nuzzled Pigsy’s hands a little and the chef laughed weakly.

“You’re such a good kid, MK, I know you’re sorry, it’s okay, I’m not mad, I’m not,” The chef smiled warmly and wiped away some of the boy’s tears.

MK smiled weakly, though continued to cry, which Pigsy let him, which was… nice. It was so, so nice. It was so nice in fact, that it briefly made MK consider getting himself almost killed more often, but he’d never do that to Pigsy and Mei.

Unfortunately, the nice moment could only last a minute or two before a doctor suddenly came in. Both quickly wiped their faces and tried their best to pay attention to the medical mumbo jumbo.

It was a long winding conversation MK knew he should’ve paid attention to, but he was still absolutely exhausted and his head was filled with emotions and worries and aches and drugs– and also annoyance at the monitors and an obnoxiously loud AC unit.

At least Pigsy seemed to be taking note, nodding seriously and answering questions while MK was too busy looking at the shapes in the ceiling and a painting of a tree on the wall.

When the doctor left Pigsy sighed and wiped his face again, despite there being no tears to wipe away, but of course MK didn’t blame him and wouldn't dream of pointing it out.

“Kid, I-I’m–... I’m gonna ask you about the absences, is that okay?” The chef looked at him hesitantly.

MK sucked in a breath but nodded.

“So… I-I–... why? What’s going on..?” Pigsy looked at him for only a second before looking at the painting. “You’re so smart, MK. You don’t pull the same shit I used to do on the regular– and I keep trying to figure it out– a-and why you’d be so– so scared to tell me that you go out and nearly get yourself ki–...”

Pigsy choked on his words and clenched his eyes shut before desperately blinking away tears and taking a shaky breath.

“I just… a-am… Did I-I…? Are…?”

Pigsy took another breath.

“Are you… afraid of me?”

MK’s eyes widened. “N-no! No, never! I-I just– I– didn’t want to disappoint you, o-or let you know I’ve been wasting your money, which I know you work so, so hard for, a-and I don’t wanna seem ungrateful because I’m not! I-I’m so grateful, Pigsy– I-I–”

“Hey, hey, take it easy kid, it’s okay,” Pigsy looked relieved as he wiped away another one of MK’s tears.

“I-I’m just– I’m so sorry– e-even I don’t always know why I skip class. It's just– it’s like no matter what I do, I just can’t step in– but that’s only happened five times! The other times’re just because my trig teacher doesn’t let students be late, I swear! I-I don’t like wasting your money, Pigsy, I really, really don’t,” MK shook his head and covered his face, which made Pigsy pull him into a nice and warm side hug.

“What do you mean you ‘can’t step in’?” He asked softly.

MK shrugged weakly, leaning into the embrace a little more. “I-I don’t know… Sometimes it just– it feels like I can’t– like there’s a wall and if I pass it I’ll like… die or something. I know it sounds stupid, I know b-but– yeah…” he looked away in shame.

“Classmates bein’ dicks too?” His guardian guessed.

MK hesitated, but nodded.

“It’s okay kid, I know a thing or two about teachers n’ classmates bein’ dicks,” He rubbed MK’s arm and rested his head carefully atop his. “You’re a good kid, MK. You’re so grateful too– it’s almost concernin’ for a kid your age to be so aware,” his guardian tried to joke, but MK could hear the sadness.

“Still… m’sorry,” MK sniffled.

“Ah, it’s okay, kid, we’ll get this sorted out; I’ll send an email to that principal askin’ to switch trig teachers or somethin’, or try to deal with any punk kids– see if there’s a deal we can work out,” Pigsy chuckled tiredly.

MK nodded, but didn’t dare move from his guardian’s warm and protective embrace. To his relief, the chef didn’t seem keen on breaking it up either.

But after a while, MK couldn’t help but ask, “A-are you… disappointed in me?”

“What? ‘Course not, kid– if anything I’m disappointed in m–that– uh– that staff at your school. I pay ‘em how much a year and they don’t even take proper attendance? What a joke,” Pigsy forced a laugh.

MK looked down at his hospital blanket. “I-I was just– I was so scared you’d hate me o-or something and I-I just–”

Pigsy straightened up and forced MK to look at him and his deep, soft eyes.

“MK, you’ll always have your ol’ Pigsy, alright? I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

MK nodded hesitantly and his guardian hugged him once again.

“Good… because– because I really mean it, there’s nothing you could do to make me hate or leave you.”

MK laughed weakly. “I know, Pigsy, I know.”

“Good,” Pigsy laughed a little too, squeezing him a little tighter before slowly letting go and fixing up the boy’s appearance– or what could be fixed of it anyways. “Are you feelin’ any better, kid? I know I should’ve asked that before but–”

“Yeah, much better,” MK chuckled, before a thought came to mind. “Is– um… Is my phone still in one piece? And do you have it? I think Mei probably thinks I’m dead so I should probably text her.”

“Oh, right, yeah– you kids and your phones,” Pigsy joked, fishing it out of his pocket and handing it to the teen, who instantly opened it and saw a myriad of texts from Mei.

4:15 You talk to Pigsy yet? 4:17: I’m going to take your silence as a no 4:20: Are you done yet? 4:22: MKKKKK are you doneeeeeee? 4:45: MK you’re making me actually consider doing my homework plz respond 😩 4:50: Did he kill you? If he did sorry I instilled false hope. In my defense, you didn’t seem like you believed it. 4:52: Okay I’m concerned fr fr– text meeeeeee 4:56: Damn you two must either be having a heart-to-heart or he’s ending your whole career– if so BIG oof 4:56: Praying for you 🙏 5:00: You done yet? 5:02: Is your phone on silent bc damn you aren’t even reading these– and here I thought we were friends smh 😔😔😔💔💔💔 5:13: DUDE there was a crash outside Pigsys Noodles! Did you see it?!! Call me!!!!! 5:15: MK WERE YOU THE GUY WHO CRASHED TEXT ME RIGHT NOW 5:16: MK you better be alive or so help me buddha I will motorcycle to your apartment so fast and kill you myself 5:17: OKAY i didn’t mean that, plz be alive I’ll be so nice if you’re alive 5:20: MKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK 5:25: Call me as soon as you can, okay? I’m worried over here 9:37: My parents took my phone but gave it back now bc I did my homework but you didn’t call so ig we can both be mad at each other 10:42: If this is revenge for Kim, you’re gay and that was middle school, I thought you got over that 11:01: /j 11:04: /lh /ily 💚 2:42: I really, really hope you’re okay… 💚💚💚

“Yeesh, you kids really do text a lot,” Pigsy eyed all the messages.

“It’s how she shows love,” MK laughed a little, and shot a quick text:

4:01 “Not dead 👍 in hospital”

He waited only two seconds before his phone flooded with more texts from his friend, none of which he read, just typing:

4:02 “Go to bed. I’ll call when I have the energy. Ily 💛”

The barrage stopped, and Mei sent back:

4:02 “Fineeeeeeeee, ily2 or whatever 🙄💚”

MK hearted the message and chuckled.

“You two need better sleep schedules,” Pigsy pointed out, shaking his head.

“Bah, I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” MK repeated one of his guardian’s favorite mantras.

“Har-har, I see how it is,” The pig demon rolled his eyes and MK laughed.

“Had to,” He grinned.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Pigsy ruffled his hair lightly before fixing it again.

MK chuckled. “How’s Tang doing? You call him at all?”

Pigsy half-shrugged. “Yeah– he was real bummed about not getting his noodles, but I talked sense into ‘im eventually,” the demon snorted. “He hopes you’re okay and get better soon.”

“Good, good,” MK nodded to himself, before glancing at his boss. “You– uh– gonna check up on him soon..?”

Pigsy laughed. “That big baby just has a cold, he’ll be fine if I stick around with you,” he assured him, though raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh well– um–” MK didn’t know how to respond. “I don’t know– I’m just– I’m glad you’re here, Pigsy,” he smiled weakly.

“I’m glad I’m here too, kid– I… I care a lot about you, you know that?” the chef asked nervously.

MK nodded with a weak smile. “Yeah, I know.”

Pigsy smiled with a soft hum, before he suddenly wrapped MK in another side hug and MK snuggled back up to him as best he could.

He knew it was stupid, that Pigsy was just his boss, but moments like these made MK feel like maybe in a different universe, Pigsy could be his dad, and that he’d stroke his hair and call him “son” and instead of saying “I care about you”, they could say “I love you”.

But that wasn’t what they had– MK was just his “ward” and employee, and Pigsy was just his legal guardian and boss, nothing more, nothing less.

But for now, MK could pretend and just be happy feeling safe and warm in his guardian’s arms without a care in the world– and a part of him could think that maybe– just maybe– Pigsy felt the exact same way…

Well, it was a nice fantasy no matter what, and he’d be fast asleep in the matter of minutes, snug as a bug in a rug in his guardian’s arms, feeling as though everything was right with the world for once in his chaotic young life.

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my4inchdick · 1 year

Text

the stars we left behind

"MIKE!"

"WHAT."

"PHONE!"

"OKAY!"

Mike stood up and made his way carefully to the phone, stepping over a game of monopoly in the process.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mike." It was Will.

Mike smiled in spite of himself. "Hi! What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today?"

Mike groaned a bit. "Ugh. Sorry, I can't. My cousins are here today, Mom is making me spend time with them.” He turned around and gave pointed look to his cousins, before turning back to face the wall. “Maybe tomorrow or later this week? You can meet them if you want." He heard a stifled giggle from behind him and flipped off his cousins, without turning away from the wall. He felt a pillow hit the back of his head, which he ignored.

"Okay, cool. Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, definitely. Tomorrow."

"Bye."

Mike hung up the phone, slightly put off. He really wanted to see Will. He turned around to face Boris and Richie, who were both laying on their stomachs facing the board.

"Assholes," he muttered.

"Fuck you," from Boris.

"Whose turn is it." Mike asked, flipping Boris off again.

"Yours." said Richie. Mike noticed that their piles of money both looked significantly larger, while his was definitely smaller. Whatever. It was less time he had to spend playing this stupid game.

Mike picked up the dice and rolled. Seven. He took his steps and landed on Carolina ave, a space Richie already owned.

"Bullshit," he said, handing over the money.

"MIKE!" His mom yelled down the stairs for the second time.

"WHAT!”

“I’M GOING OUT!”

“OKAYYYY.”

"Maike. Who vere you talking to before?” Boris said, trying to nonchalantly take a stack of five hundreds from the bank. Mike slapped his hand away.

"Why?"

"It was probably his stupid fuckin girlfriend." said Richie. El had taken an immediate disliking to Richie, who talked too much and too loudly. Mike couldn't blame her. She had been doing as much as possible to piss Richie off, which sometimes included her powers, and sometimes included simply calling him "Richard".

"Nah, it was Will. He wanted to hang out today, but I said no because I have to hang out with you bozos."

Richie and Boris shared a glance. They were clearly trying to be subtle, and they were definitely failing.

Mike looked at them warily. "What?"

"Nofinnk. Just, this Vill of yours, he is friend, yes?" Mike still had a hard time understanding Boris sometimes, because of his accent, but he could still tell tone just as easily.

Mike began to panic. Did that know? had someone told them? No, That's impossible, no one knew. He tried to calm down. They didn't know. They couldn't.

"Yes." He tried to keep his voice steady, tried to act casual. Change the subject. "Your turn, Rich."

There it was again. That look. The look that completely said "We know all of your secrets, but especially this one." He began to panic. They knew. Both of them. How did they both know? he couldn’t possibly be so obvious that they knew from him talking on the phone with Will for 30 seconds. Maybe his mom said something. Holy shit, did his mom know?

Mike needed to leave. He didn't know if he was visibly freaking out, but if he wasn't, he needed to leave before Richie and Boris knew something was up. He mumbled a quick "bathroom", and left them behind.

The upstairs bathroom was nice. it was cool, and close to his room, and best of all, it was very far away from his cousins.

He sat down in the bathtub. This had happened before. Normally, after this long, the tears would stop threatening to show, and his breathing would steady, and he could just sit there.

But none of that happened, he kept trying to breathe but found that the room was devoid of it. He felt tears streak down his face, though he couldn't remember starting to cry. He tried as hard as he could to calm himself down, but he just couldn't.

He knew what this was. It was a panic attack. Max had told him that she had had them, and what they were like. Mike had thought that sounded bad, but he knew now that it was a thousand times worse than he ever thought. He suddenly wondered if Max knew, too. His breathing, which had started to calm slightly, spiked again, quicker and shallower than before.

They were all pretending. To like him, to not be disgusted by him. It was more than he deserved. The fact that they had the kindness to pretend that he wasn’t— what he was showed a level of tolerance that he didn’t deserve.

They all know. the thought kept coming to him, over and over, they all know, they all know, they all know. He had never considered they anyone might know, that his secret would ever be more than a secret. They all know, they all know, they all—

“Maike?” It was Boris, kneeling next Mike outside the bathtub, Richie standing behind him. He had grabbed Mike’s hand. He jumped, and tried to hurriedly wipe the tears from his face, though he knew it was pointless. His face was probably all red, and he knew his breathing was still too shallow.

“Y-yeah?”

“You are okay. I am here. And Richie also.” Boris rubbed Mike’s arm reassuringly, whispering similar things in his ear. He was okay, they were here. Nothing was going to happen. After a few minutes, Mike felt himself calm down. he took a deep breath and nodded at Boris, who stopped rubbing his arm, but kept his hand there. He had climbed over the wall of the bathtub to sit next to him, and Mike noticed that Richie had, too, though he looked much more uncomfortable.

“Vot is wrong?”

“N-nothing. I- Nothing.”

Mike looked away from Boris, trying and failing for one final attempt to find an explanation. He said nothing.

“Is it about Will?” Richie piped up softly, still looking unsure, but holding eye contact with Mike when he made it.

Mike didn’t answer. He just looked away, down at his socks which he was just realizing were damp from the bottom of the bathtub. gross.

“I had a friend, last year. Theo. I knew him for only year. He vos my best friend. Still is, really. Is fucked up, but I loved him. I know I did. He vos very special to me. And I think your Vill is special to you, too, In this vay. The vay my Theo is special to me. Forgive me, if not,” Boris, said, seeing Mike look up at him quickly. “I don’t mean to think wrong. But if i am thinking right, then is okay. Vith me, at least. Vith us.”

Boris looked meaningfully up at Mike, who was shocked. Could this be true? There was another person, another boy, who was like him. and he wasn’t sick, and he wasn’t dying, and he was like him. Before he could say anything though, Richie was talking.

“Yeah. Us. I have a Theo too.” Richie looked much more pained than Boris had, Like this was a fresher wound for him. “He— he’s my best friend. He’s still back home in Derry. And I—“ Richie almost sounded like he was going to cry. Mike hated that. Richie never cried. Boris placed a hand on his shoulder.“And I- shit, I think I- I think I love him.” He had barely gotten the words out before he was fully crying, and then Mike was crying, and maybe even Boris was, but not for too much and not for too long. Richie and Mike did though. it may have been minutes or hours, or seconds or days that they cried, all three of them, sitting in Mike’s bathtub, without worrying about being caught, or being hated. Just the three of them, there, together.

Once they had calmed down, Mike looked at his cousins. “I— you were right. I do— like Will. You— I’ve never told anyone else.”

Richie and Boris nodded.

“You know…” Richie said, gaining that shit-eating grin once again. “You just admitted that I was right.”

“Your mother vos right last night!” Boris exclaimed, looking proud of himself.

“Fuck yeah!” Mike cried, high fiving Boris.

“Oh, what, you like girls now?” Richie cried. Like the snap of a finger, the mood shifted, darkened. They all three looked down, having not yet escaped the guilt and pain of who they were.

“Maike? Advice.” Boris said, looking up. “Richie too. Don’t let them get avay. Hold on to them. I- I don’t know if I ever see Theo again. He left me.” Boris looked truly sad . “Don’t let that happen to you. Hold on.”

Mike nodded. He knew Boris was right. Richie nodded too, looking determined. Mike wondered about Richie, realized his didn’t even know this boy’s name. He decided it didn’t matter. He knew Richie, and Richie was not the kind of person to let go of someone. Mike hoped he wasn’t either. He hoped he could hold on to Will forever. And he would fight, and he would never let him go.

But if he didn’t, if he failed, if he did somehow let Will get away from him, he knew now, at least, that there were two people in the word who truly knew him, who were like him, and who loved him more for it.

#this is on my AO3 too so go give kudos #that's an order #its blueulb #byler #stranger things #it #the goldfinch #mike wheeler #richie tozier #boris pavlikovsky #gay

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