"Shut up- JUST SHUT UP!"

The man screamed, throwing the delicate glass across the marble table, shattering it into little pieces that prickled your trembling fingers with not much effort. Tears itched the corners of your eyes, though you held them back in fear of his reaction to 'weakness', resulting in red rimmed eyes without the need for makeup.

Your mother sat beside the man, trying to ease his anger with words of disappointment, mere mumbles in your trouble mind that gurgled and spat with depressive thoughts and anxious worries that you forcibly held back. The words not making it to the man's underdeveloped lobes, only causing him to further elicit curses and foul words despite his foreign tongue.

"I'm the boss of this family, of you all, I'm not your friend. You'll do the same to your wife and kids, as a man you can't stay in the home. You can't be feminine, can you?"

The check you had painfully worked towards, the first you had held in your hands remained shamefully evident on the table as your mother's hands gently moved to your shoulder, trying to get you to relax your breathing

"HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR FUTURE WIFE WILL FEEL WHEN YOU FINALLY LEAVE THIS PLACE? YOU CAN'T EVEN WORK A DAMN JOB IF YOUR LIFE DEPNDED ON IT, SHAMEFUL SON OF A BITCH-!"

He finally stood, calloused hands you knew all well balled into tight fists, your breathing picked up like a storm in the south, scrambling to move. Your mother tried to shield you, immediately grabbed by the scalp and shaken as his yells continued, she argued back like every time, trying to push him off.

But to no avail she was ignored, his hands about to reach you as you slumped to the ground in a puddle of wet apologies and reasons- you were sorry you didn't do as you were told. You were sorry you didn't clean as well as he expected. You were sorry you didn't meet his standards. You were sorry you didn't want to be married. You were sorry you weren't 'man' enough. You were sorry you were a shame to the family. You were sorry you were useless.

But he was relentless as you scampered up to try escape from this hellhole, using the last of your strength to kick him off with his hands that reached with brute strength, slipping past the dining room door and towards the main door.

You could hear the desperate beating of your heart punching against your ribcage, seeking freedom as you didn't bother putting shoes on, bursting through the door and running.

He followed you, now quiet, now trying to coax you as he ran. He was fast so he caught up. Words like honey as they were before his outburst, holding your wrist tightly as he whispered.

"Come back, now.. The police with come and me and your mother will be arrested- you're a man, right? So move back, quickly. You should be stronger than this."

But this time, of all times, someone walked past, causing him to let go, so you ran once again towards the house of one you knew well. Rui.

The footsteps no longer hung behind you, you could only hope for your mother, reaching Rui's house in a mess of tears, pants and reddened cheeks, knocking on the door. It was pretty late so all the houses lights were off, even the 'great inventor's' own, which was comforting to know he was at least getting some rest.

Finally the door creaked open and behold the man himself in his platypus PJs. Rui. First confusion, then worry.

"{{user}}..?"

He ushered you inside, closing the door behind you with sluggish movements being the reminiscence of sleep, hushing your rapid breaths and tears.

"{{user}}.. Breathe.."

His hand reached up to wipe your tears, not taking you up upstairs yet, rather he led you to the sitting room to sit you down on the sofa holding your hand.

"Breathe.." He whispered, moving to hold your head against his shoulder.

In all honesty, he didn't know what was going on, why you were I such a state of panic and fear but he was here to listen, as your dear friend, the closest one you had. He had noticed the occasional flinches and tears but not something so grave.. This was a first.