Chapter 6

Adam awakes with a blood curdling scream, fighting the arms pinning him down to the metal table in the lab. He uses as much strength as he can muster to escape his captor, kicking his legs trying to hit something, his captor is saying something to him but he can't hear a thing over the beating of his own heart and fear. He doesn't want to be experimented on again, get his body tampered with, contaminated with foul things that hamper his ability to control his own body and actions. The faunus keeps twisting and turning to free himself until a sharp pain on his left shoulder followed by a pop makes him stop.

Adam gasps in agony, the pain taking him back to the present and noticing he is not over a cold metal table nor he is surrounded by laboratory equipment. He is lying over a bed… his own bed and he is in his room.

He looks at the Vicious that is holding him down, the king lets out a sigh, his face emotionless as always thought. "Can you hear me now? Adam?".

Adam simply nods, eyes still wide in terror at the visions of the past that plagued him. A wave of pain makes him flinch, he looks to his left side and notices that his left arm is hanging limp.

"Your shoulder dislocated… my apologies but you started glowing… I couldn't risk Xiang and Rozen.", Vicious motions for Rozen and Xiang to approach.

"Mr. Taurus, let me look at your arm okay? I was the one to take care of your injuries when you first arrived, but you can't remember me, every time I have treated you, you have been unconscious", says Rozen approaching slowly and showing Adam his hands that are currently empty.

Not knowing what to say Adam just nods, not moving allowing Rozen to approach to examine his shoulder, holding back showing signs of discomfort.

"Alright, this will be easy since you don't have a shirt on. I am going to touch you and feel the shoulder okay? Just to verify no broken bones, then I am going to put it back in its place. And I need you to relax, I don't want to cause you unnecessary pain", Rozen makes sure to explain to Adam everything he is going to do, in an effort to keep the other man as calm as possible.

Slowly Rozen begins to inspect the swollen area, a purple bruise starting to form. After a careful examination and determining that there is not a fracture he looks at Adam. "I am going to set it now Mr. Taurus, but before I do I need to know how you wish to deal with the pain. I can apply an injection that will make you fall asleep, I could also apply a numbing ointment and give you some painkillers and anti-inflammatories", he asks, waiting for his patient to make a choice.

"I don't want to sleep right now…", Adam answers, not looking at him focusing on staring at the floor. He didn't want to deal with unpleasant nightmares now.

"As you wish, I am going to set your shoulder now Mr. Taurus, on the count of three it will be done, please bear with me for a moment", Rozen takes a hold of Adam's shoulder and arm, counts up to three as promised, another pop echoes in the room as the shoulder is returned to its place.

Adam gasps in agony and curls into himself, holding his throbbing shoulder, tears gathering at the corner of his right eye, it feels as if he was getting stabbed again. He takes several shuddering breaths holding the impulse to yell and curse out loud.

"I am going to apply the numbing ointment, it will feel cool to the touch", says the doctor not wanting Adam to be startled at being touched suddenly. Just as Rozen said, the ointment feels cool, luckily it starts working almost immediately, letting Adam breath easier. Rozen approaches him once more with several pills on his right hand and a glass of water on his left one. "Take these please, they will help with the inflammation and pain".

Slowly Adam does as he is told, he shoves the pills into his mouth, before taking the glass of water and swallowing.

Rozen exits the room for a moment to look for a sling for Adam's arm, it will take a while before he can use it again. Meanwhile Vicious and Xiang take a moment to speak privately outside the room.

The trio enter the room again, when Rozen comes back with the sling. Gently he approaches Adam and helps him place his left arm in it, adjusting the strap. "I will come back in a few hours to check on you Mr. Taurus", he says before exiting the room.

Xiang and Vicious approach Adam once more. "Adam I know that what has happened to you is not easy, but don't forget we are here to help you get better, you need to...", Xiang is suddenly interrupted by the faunus.

"You don't understand what I went through, you weren't there!", Adam snaps at her and Vicious. The memories, the trauma are way too fresh. Before he can begin a rant and discharge his pain into her, Vicious steps forward looking at him, making Adam shut his mouth, bracing for a punishment and more pain.

Vicious surprises him by doing none of that, instead he speaks to Adam in his normal monotone tone. Adam would have expected him to at least yell at him. But then he is hit with the memory of Xiang's words about the king. "She does know… she handled me at my worst… and still does, even when my hands will always be stained in red….", he says while still maintaining eye contact with the faunus.

Xiang places her hand over Vicious shoulder reassuring him, then she looks at Adam. "I would advise you to allow a professional to help you... (A glare by Adam makes her raise her hands in defeat) but I know you share a lot in common with my beloved here, at least you could try speaking with someone that has experienced a lot of things you have". Sighing, she bids both a good afternoon before leaving to attend some of her duties.

Instead of leaving alongside her, Vicious behaves completely unpredictable to what Adam is expecting.

He creates a chair for himself using his tail bones, including a back and armrest. It was a bizarre thing to watch, how the other could manipulate and expel bones out of his body without tearing the skin or bleeding, heck he didn't rip out his clothing at all while doing so. Placing a leg over the other the king grabs a stack of papers and begins to work.

"Why are you staying?", asks Adam curious. He is sure that the man has better things to do than stick around.

"To watch over you… and to talk if you desire so", Vicious answers his question while reading the papers in his lap.

Adam is tempted to ignore the man and just let it be, it's not like he could order the man to get out of the room, it's not his castle. But as time passes curiosity wins, burning intensely within him, sighing he gives in. "How did you… how did you end up like this?"

At first the king doesn't reply for a long time, continuing with the paperwork. Adam thinks he won't get an answer, a few moments later Vicious complies.

"Because of... the woman that birthed me", he says while looking at the floor, no longer paying attention to the papers anymore.

Adam wasn't expecting that answer, a familiar ache throbs in his heart at how he ended up in a bad place in the first place. He wants to ask more but he debates if he should or not, Vicious decides to elaborate his answer.

"She had… a sick obsession with my grandfather… and my father… but couldn't have them… so she forced herself on my father... she wanted a lover that would obey without questions", the king pauses for a moment letting Adam digest the information, by looking at the faunus face he could see a myriad of emotions, disgust, disbelief and anger.

"What… Did she… Did you..!?, so many were the thoughts running through Adam's mind at the revelation, that he couldn't form a proper sentence. He feels as if he is going to throw up.

"No… I ran away before she could complete her plans… my littermates didn't have that luxury… they were sold as merchandise… none of them had the looks and one was an "useless girl" without a name... but that didn't mean I was safe… I ended up running to hell… literary… the man that owed me shaped me into a killing machine", the last bit he says with a dark tone showing.

Adam swallows nervously, eyes wide in shock, his heartbeat ramming against his ribs. He hesitates to ask, but feels like he needs to. "How did you get… out of the abyss? How did you maintain a will to live? ", the last questions he asks almost as a whisper staring at his hand, as if expecting for them to become tainted by blood any moment.

"Many times… I wished to die…end my existence… but I couldn't… my children kept me going… despite none of them being the result of free will… my family and precious Xiang", the words that weren't spoken resonated a lot with Adam and his situation. Being alive had caused a lot of suffering but seeing the king before him gives him some hope.

The king finally asks. "Tell me Adam Taurus… what broke you?

Adam swallows again gathering his thoughts. "I …"

Note/

If anyone wonders why Vicious speaks with so many pauses, it's because of the trauma he endured as a child and as an adult. His ability to freely express his desires and thoughts was beaten up out of him literally. Xiang helped him get better and thus he is able to show a little amount of emotion sometimes.

Also he and Xiang have nicknames for each other. Vicious is beloved and Xiang is precious.

Their conversation will continue on the next chapter