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Xiaotian sighed, then sighed again, but he didn't open his eyes, trying to catch his breath after the nightmare. The kitchen was still as bright and cozy as it had always been. The aroma of fresh noodles filled the room, and if Teng were here, none of them would have any food. Xiaotian was ashamed to admit that he was nauseated by the smell.
"Or not me." He thinks with a sense of resignation, and it suddenly feels disgusting to think about his stomach, heart, and other organs that now belong to someone other than him. Meanwhile, Pigsy sets a plate in front of him and sits down across from him, looking nervous but trying to hide it. He wasn't sure how to help a child in this situation, especially when the child was twenty-one and his relationship with someone was a mystery.
"And so..." He looked uncertainly at MK, who was staring at the contents of the plate with a clouded gaze, as if he were no longer here. "What have you decided?"
What did he decide? That was a good question, but for now, he had only decided to change the curtains in his room, as the hole left by the staff that once flew through the window was too large. However, his mind was desperately trying to shift his focus from the curtains to something more profound, something that was growing within him like a parasite, draining his energy like a brand, a constant reminder that he could not escape the path that nature had set for him. Perhaps this was his true path? To bring a half-blood into the world and die doing it? If so, give him soap and a rope, and he'll be done before it even starts.
"I don't know." He answers shortly, still continuing to stare at noodles. Pigsy sighed, Buddha, if this is some kind of test, then let it be a single one.
"And... who's the father?" Asking about it is as unpleasant as running your nails over a chalkboard, a nasty crackling spreads through the room, pressing on your ears.
"Red Son."
Xiaotian says the name sharply, almost spitting it out, trying not to look at Pigsy's stunned face, and inside, he hopes that Pigsy won't ask any unnecessary questions, because he can't answer any of them, and certainly can't explain to the prince's parents what he and a commoner were doing in the grand palace during their absence.
Oh, and there was the Red Son himself, but MK was the last person he wanted to see, because who knows how many girls and boys the prince had before him, and how many unwanted children and their mothers were killed or eaten for breakfast by the bull family. And Xiaotian didn't want to be anyone's meal.
"I won't tell him." MK took a deep breath.
"I don't want to tell anyone, I just..." Her heart suddenly felt filled with a childish sense of hurt and vulnerability.
"I don't know what to do, Pigsy." Tears slowly began to well up in her eyes. "I'm scared..."
He whispered it with his lips, but Pigsy understood, he got up from the table and, after hesitating for a couple of seconds, he awkwardly put his arms around MK's shoulders, the guy was shaking, sobbing, occasionally interrupted by incoherent mumbling, while the pig was thinking about the future. If the child is left, then there will be problems with work, health, and also the sideways glances of passers-by and neighbors. If this sudden miracle is decided to be removed, then you will have to look for a doctor and pay huge amounts of money for the privacy of this session, because no matter what anyone says, even the modern world is not ready to accept people like his ward, let alone help with his problem. And this family, it's no wonder that Pigsy didn't like them...
"Boy." He called softly as the sobs subsided. "Hey, MK, it's going to be okay."
Pigsy stroked his ruffled hair. "If you want, I can start calling clinics right now."
Xiaotian raised his head, his tear-stained eyes filled with a glimmer of hope that he wouldn't be left alone with this problem.
"I..." He hesitated for a moment. "I want to think about it for a while, a couple of days."
Pugsy nodded, although in the back of his mind, his inner miser was calculating how much an abortion would cost them compared to the pills, while the part of his brain responsible for fatherhood was kicking him in the ass.
"Of course, boy, whatever you want."
Xiaotian nodded gratefully and, freeing himself from the embrace, began to eat the cold noodles. His appetite returned suddenly, as did his confidence in his own future, which truly belonged to him.