Seeing Through the Trauma

Understanding (32)

MK had always known Wukong was pretty fast but nothing quite prepared him to suddenly find Red Son torn from his arms, blinking in shock at the sight of Wukong slamming the boy into the wall by his collar and holding him there by the neck, his tail lashing angrily behind him. The lights dangling from the ceiling swung gently from the force of it, their creaking loud in MK's ears.  

Based on his boyfriend's shocked look he hadn't expected it either, though that look quickly turned into anger as his lips curled into a snarl, angry even in the face of the sage's fury. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing with my kid?" He hissed out, and MK's breath caught in his throat all over again, hands shaking and trembling as he froze. He felt like he should do something, should help, but all he managed to do was stare uselessly, gasping like a fish at the sight in front of him. 

"Put my son down you brute!" DBK's bellowing yell echoed in the hallway, but it was Macaque who tried to grab Wukong's arm. 

"Damn it, Wukong, stop!" He yelled, but Wukong was much like an immovable force, staring down Red Son who greeted his glare with surprising confidence. If MK's brain wasn't so cluttered and panicked he would have been impressed by that, but as it was it was all he could do not to cry. 

"Look at what you're doing to MK, you idiot!" Macaque yelled then and that at least did seem to move Wukong, his head turning to the side, tearing his gaze from the boy in his grip to MK, who was still kneeling on the floor, staring with wide, blotchy eyes and damp cheeks.

He wasn't sure if it was that or the way MK was shaking like a leaf, but Wukong's face immediately softened at the sight, dropping Red Son without a thought and frowning. 

"Kid, I-" MK flinched when he took a step forward, arm outstretched to reach him and the sage instantly froze, something complicated on his face MK was too out of it to understand.

Red, not recognizing or caring about the danger he was in was just as quick to stand up again, brushing off his jacket and swiftly making his way over to MK by passing Wukong. He could tell it annoyed his Baba based on the angry flick of his tail but he remained stuck in place, MK's gaze trained on him wearily as Red stood in front of MK, blocking his sight to Wukong, and then reached behind him with one hand offered. 

MK took it, gripping it like a lifeline and drawing in a shaky gasp at the relief it brought before quickly hating himself for feeling relieved. It was his Baba, after all, and MK wasn't scared of him. He loved him. 

He wasn't sure why the yelling and anger had freaked him out so much when it was different. This wasn't someone that would hurt him. This wasn't like all the people that had. This was Baba, who loved him a lot and put his freaking name back into the Book of the Dead for him. He'd never hurt MK and he knew that, but it didn't stop the way his heart raced at the yelling and his chest felt like there was a snake coiled around it so tight it was suffocating him.

He felt stupid for still being affected by things that had happened years ago.

"I think... I think maybe we should all sit down and talk about this." Macaque mumbled but everyone heard him, even Iron Fan and DBK who had followed and were scowling at Wukong. 

"Yes, I agree. It appears we have much to talk about." Iron Fan practically hissed, her arms crossed in disappointment and MK heard Red Son sigh from in front of him, tightening his grip on MK's hand.

There was a momentary stand-off where no one wanted to move but eventually, Macaque sighed and tugged Wukong by the arm, pulling him away from MK, who Wukong hadn't stopped staring at with a guilty expression this whole time, and Iron Fan quickly followed after them grumbling under her breath the whole way irritably.