Chapter Six: The Cinderella Effect
Come the afternoon, around three o'clock, Kai had woken from an induced nap to find Joe carefully removing the needles. Wincing slightly at the tingling and tearing pinches, he let a small hiss pass through his clenched teeth.
"That hurts more coming out," Kai gasped, knowing his teacher knew he was awake.
"I know it does, I promise I'm trying to be careful," Joe added, trying to both comfort him and apologize.
After another rub of numbing gel and a huge band-aid, Kai was a free man and Joe left without another word.
While sitting up, shifting his weight from one hand to the other, Kai thought about it and realized Joe was having a hard time getting in and out of his bedroom. He seemed to be squeezing through all the while carefully stepping over something.
Kai threw his legs over the side and pushed himself up with the balls of his feet. He walked toward the door and opened it, only to feel something hard on the other side of it.
Peeking through the small gap, Kai smirked to himself, of course. Gou was outside in the hallway curled up in a bundle and sleeping wrapped like a burrito in a pile of blankets. He'd most likely been there for some time, hours probably.
With a tender hand Kai shook his child awake and after a few rustles, Gou turned to him. Semi-watery wine met alert crimson.
"Afternoon," Kai started.
Gou sprung to life and before Kai knew it, he was being hugged... and rather tightly too.
"Ow, not too hard," Kai said with a chuckle, feeling some intense pressure on his entire midsection. He hugged him back. "I'll be fine. Dr. Joe got it all out of me."
"I know." That tearful response was all Gou could give. Thank goodness he wouldn't be left here alone.
Gou pulled away with a sniffle, quickly moved his head to the side, and let out a loud sneeze. His hands covered his mouth and nose, catching the bodily gunk.
Kai smiled, doing his best to hold back the laugh. "What a way to end the moment."
"Sorry," Gou said, hands still cupped over his mouth.
Kai went over to his bedside table and grabbed his box of tissues. Gou took them and blew. Kai watched him, kind of lost in his mind. Thrown back in time a bit. He knew someone else who used to do that too.
"Dad... Dad?" Kai blinked at hearing his voice.
"What- I- did you say something?"
"I- you were staring off. Maybe you should go back to bed."
Kai shook his head. "It wasn't major surgery. I'll be fine by tomorrow."
"That's tomorrow. Rest today. Please?"
"What did you say? I didn't hear." Gou didn't say meaningless things, that's why he backtracked. What he didn't hear must've been important.
"I said... I'm going to start cleaning. You need to rest."
Kai made a face at that, arching a brow. "Cleaning? This house is spotless. You've done fine, the railing and your room look great. And everything else does too. I hate to say it at all but she kept the house decently clean. That reminds me, which one of you did the baseboards? Was that painted or-?"
"Dad, your rambling... now if you don't mind I need to get started. Sunset will be here before we know it and I'm already hours behind schedule."
Schedule? That was an odd thing to call just wiping down his room and dusting the railings.
Gou turned toward the door and left, turning toward the stairs. As he went down, he heard his father head out after him, clearly not done with the conversation, so he quickened his pace.
Rounding the railing into the living room, Gou made a b-line for the front door. Once he was past the threshold he could shut the door and get to it. But mid-way there, a hand took firm hold of his forearm, stopping and keeping him stationed.
"What's gotten into you?" Gou said nothing but he did stiffen, so Kai knew he had his attention on him, if nothing else. Gou didn't say anything.
"Ok, don't answer that then," Kai said with a sigh. Against his authoritative instinct of demanding an answer, he decided to take the long way round. He learned with kids that was better. "Answer me this, why do you feel you need to clean?" Kai waited, letting the tension build.
"I'll be punished if I don't."
"Punished?" That made his heart sink, the grip on his son's arm momentarily loosening. Gou seemed to be in his own world, lost, he was spacing out again.
"But how that goes is up to me. I'm behind, will I be rewarded or punished this time?" Gou rambled off.
"Gou?" Kai said worriedly as he slightly shook him. He went around and stood in front of him. He looked to see their boy with lifeless eyes that looked like they were staring through him and out to nowhere. Kai snapped his fingers and soon found Gou looking at him again.
"There you are," he said, relief washing over him. Gou blinked at his father for a moment before he frowned a little. "If you keep distracting me, I won't get it all done!" He grumbled as he tried to walk around him.
Kai's grip tightened and he pulled Gou back in front of him. "It's not your job to do that. It's an adult's job. Now my job. Why don't you go play, or find a nice a girl to flirt with? Go be lazy. Enjoy yourself." He paused. "It's not your place to run a house."
Gou tensed at that comment for multiple reasons. "Don't be weird..." he scolded, "and besides, it's always been my job."
"What do you mean it's always been your job?" Kai was still stuck on the 'punishment and reward' thing Gou had mentioned but he figured that'd reveal itself in due time. His hold relaxed a bit but not enough for him to slip away.
Gou's shoulders hunched up despite the softer grip. "It's my job, OK!? Just...let me do it before you make things worse!" He snapped.
Make things worse? Remembering his son's back and all the other dings that went with it, Kai felt sick. "Jesus Christ," he paused. "Gou tell me she didn't try to rape you more than once? Did she hurt you more? Did you do all this by yourself?"
Gou panicked, trying to wriggle out his hold. "I don't want to talk about it..." he whined as his eyes welled up.
Kai went down and pulled him in for a hug, being careful like last time. "It's okay to be a normal teenager now. You can go do what you want, you're not shackled to her anymore. You won't be punished for not doing something that wasn't even your job in the first place. Your job is to have fun and be happy and healthy. I'll say it again... You don't run a home. Nor do you need to satisfy anyone." It took all the had not to cry out another apology. "I knew things were bad. But- oh my god."
Gou pushed himself into the warm embrace and slowly gripped his sides. "It's OK..." he replied automatically.
Kai held him briefly and after a bit stood back up. "She's not here, and she won't be back."
Gou looked at the floor. He knew it, but deep down it felt like she was still here and wouldn't leave him alone. "You told me to always obey authority, so I... had to do as she said."
Kai thought it over. This was definitely worse than he could ever have imagined. What to do next? "I need you to go sit on the couch," he finally said.
"Why?" Gou asked as he tilted his head.
"We, need to talk." There was a pause. "Time we get this strengthened out." Kai said as he lifted a finger and gently poked his forehead. "I'll be right back."
Gou blinked again at the poke to his head and watched him go before he obeyed.
Shuffling his way to their couch, he sat and waited as he was told, tapping the pads of his thumbs together as he did so.
Kai came back in a moment later heaving a box on his hip with one arm. "If I'm to be honest I never planned on showing you any of this."
Gou's brow lifted as his eyes went to it. "What is it?"
"Some old things..." Kai kept his eyes on Gou. He was stalling, he knew he was but he couldn't help it.
He looked over at him, his dad was fazing out again. Whatever was in that box must be sentimental. "Dad?"
After a bit Kai cleared his throat. He blinked a bit, Gou was truly their pride and joy. His mind raced, thinking of all the wonderful ways things could've been had Mistress Fate not been so keen on giving him a hard hand.
"Have you ever heard of The Cinderella Effect?" Kai started, not entirely sure about where he was going with this.
"No, what are you getting at, and what's in the box?"
"The Cinderella Effect is more or less what it sounds like. A parent, usually the step-parent, will dote upon their own offspring but neglect their partner's kid. They won't touch what isn't theirs. They will do anything to hurt them or make the child's life difficult. I believe, in her own way, that's what she did to you. Its a form of child abuse that typically applies to step-children. The only difference in your case vs others, is that you are no one's stepchild."
"Get to the point. And no offense, but I don't want to hear whether you and that bitch had other kids. Fuck whatever sibling I may or may not have. You're married to a pedophile."
Kai scowled, was this kid even listening? The answer, hell no. "Do you hear yourself? What kind of illusion are you living under? Open your ears, will ya? Listen! And quit talking to me like that!" Deep down Kai was bouncing around the issue because it was so painful. Looking at all this was like reliving the trauma all over again.
It's true, he wasn't listening and didn't care to. Gou's only focus was on the box.
"Gou," Kai started with a deep breath. "If I cry I'm sorry. This isn't easy to talk about."
Gou shifted, telling himself he needed to get more comfortable but really it was because he was irritated and somewhat nervous. "Ok."
"Monica, or the bitch as you like to call her, isn't married to me. She's hired help. A live-in nanny."
Gou's face morphed into disbelief and his eyes felt like they were as big as serving platters. "What?!"
Kai looked down, as a sniffle emerged. "Uh..." He took a hand and ran it through his long bangs as he raised his head. "This box, your mom- she, uh, um..."
Gou looked on in shock. Never in his life had he seen his dad like this. The strong man he admired was shattering before his eyes.
Kai wiped his eyes and carried the box over to the coffee table, sitting it between the two.
"You ready?" Kai asked, though it seemed he was asking himself that more than his company. He eyed the boy while his trembling hands rested on the flaps of the box. His heart felt heavy. Great Scott this hurt.
Kai's brows rose at hearing nothing. "What, you not interested anymore? A bit ago that's all you cared about."
"Not really," Gou said, looking down at his fiddling thumbs.
"Why?" He heard his dad say.
Gou looked around, eyes flaring. "Oh I don't know, the fact that everything I thought to be true is a lie, and I'm just supposed to accept it!"
Questions arose all at once, jumbling themselves in an emotional heap. What happened to his mom? Why did his dad never talk about her before now? Did he blame him for her death? What else was his old man hiding from him?
Forgetting the box, Gou looked ahead. His dad didn't seem too fazed by the way he was reacting to this but in his eyes he could tell it still caught him off-guard.
"What? You think I'd all the sudden be happy to know all this? No, I'm royally pissed! I'm sure your intentions were good, and you thought it'd help, but you couldn't be more wrong. It's just made me question everything!"
Deciding to let Gou have at it when he wanted, Kai went to leave the room. Gou, seeing this, bolted to his feet and charged after him.
At the backdoor, Gou wrapped both of his arms around his dad's left one. Gou had twig arms compared to his dad but that didn't stop him from trying to hold him in place.
Kai turned to face him as Gou screamed, "Where are you going, I'm not done here!"
"Well, I am," Kai said. "Unless you've decided you wanna listen."
He lifted his arm effortlessly out of Gou's hold. This kid needed to eat more. Their son needed a lot of things it seemed. God, he was such a rotten father.
"Forget it, I'm going out!" Gou yelled. He went out the back way and hopped the fence to the front yard. He needed some air... and his confidant.
Thank you PreciousRoy for RPing with me, and Luxahheart thank you for all your help on this. Helping me keep this straight wasn't easy to do I'm sure. I hope this all makes sense and more will be explained in the next chapter. :)
I hope you all liked this. ^^
