Adjustments- A Jetter Mars Yamanoue x Kawashimo fanfiction.

Chapter 2

"I'm weak.
I'm worthless.
Pathetic.
I disappoint.
My family hates me.
I wish I was never born."

The words bounce around fighting for dominance beyond all else. Scream and wail and claw at his face. Control him. A roboticist who himself was a machine to serve on the whim of his parents.

Yamanoue cried out as he felt his father's rough palm collide with his cheek.

He fell to the ground, slamming into the floor with full force. Stinging with pain and painting the gray tiles vermilion. Yamanoue was then pulled right up by the collar of his jacket.

"What are you son?" Asked his father in a chillingly calm voice.

Yamanoue coughed up a bit of blood and swallowed, "A toymaker."

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! AN ENGINEER! YOU ARE AN ENGINEER! YOU WILL NEVER BE ANYTHING ELSE!"

Yamanoue was carelessly thrown right back onto the floor as punishment for daring to speak of his foolish dreams. He went as limp as a doll and could faintly hear firm footsteps walking away from him into the distance.

The man had awoken immediately bolting upright. He took a moment to collect himself, panting and groaning in pain as if he were still being beaten viciously like in his dreams. Trying desperately to blink away the image of his blood painting the floor tiles a bright, brilliant red.

You call yourself an engineer, but even the robots you build have more emotion and aspirations  than you ever did.

Blocking away the words of doubt writhing within his brain he froze when he saw something move from the corner of his eye. That's when Doctor Yamanoue spotted a familiar doll-like face watching him with impossibly large and cutesy eyes.

“Mars!” He barked, “Have you been watching me sleep!?”

The metallic boy smiled sheepishly and tried to hide his trembling steel body behind his cape. “Sorry Dad… but you were having a nightmare and I was really concerned! For you were crying in your dreams!”

Yamanoue scoffed, “Ridiculous, you know I don’t cry.”

“What about that time in that weapons showcase where you showed me off and broke into tears because you lost me in the parking lot?” Mars’ voice was a mixture of teasing playfulness and genuine concern for his creator.

“That’s different! I was simply worried about all the property damage you would cause with your clumsiness!” Yamanoue argued, his lie to save face even more obvious than the fact I am writing this in the public library instead of doing anything productive. Mars nodded, obviously not buying it, but not in the mood to get in an argument first thing in the morning. Smart move Mars.

Yamanoue grumbled to himself as he stood himself up and leaned against the wall for support, he was barely mobile after that last accident at his lab with the anti-gravity machine. But it was a miracle he had survived at all. Or a curse. He tried to focus on getting to the door but the pain was too great, his legs simply didn’t work, and he could feel his android’s eyes further dig into him.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE STARING AT?!” He screamed as his face turned red.

Mars barely flinched, used to the doctor’s short temper. “You look like… you need help. I’ll carry you, Dad!”

Before Yamanoue could argue, Mars had already swept the man off the ground and was bolting at full speed. Yamanoue could do nothing but scream in terror as he felt the entire world blur around him for a minute. Almost immediately he was tossed onto the ground like a doll and his vision slowly returned. Still seeing double, Yamanoue looked up to see Mars with his innocent babyish face, smiling to himself obliviously.