Chapter Text
The room was silent, but so loud at the same time. Tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"He took a lot of damage, but he's a fighter, I can tell. He'll be ready in no time." The nurse said.
"T-Thanks ma'am," The tall, muscular figure responded, "That means a lot coming from a professional."
The nurse smiled, "If you have any questions or concerns, I'm here to answer them."
The figure smiled as the nurse walked out of the room. The second she left, his smile faded. He sighed and sat down in his chair. A minute has passed. He started fidgeting with his thumbs. He focused on the slow beeping of the heart monitor. It drove him insane. Next, he noticed that the hospital light was buzzing. Its yellow tone made the eggshell wall an unpleasant color. His leg began to bounce. He stared at the tiling. It looked dirty, but the design was intentional.
Along with the heart monitor, the light buzzing caused him a sense of paranoia. He couldn't take it anymore. Sitting in a yellow room drove him into a sense of overstimulation. He got up and ran for the door before something in the frame blocked him.
"Tony, you won't stay here all day, will you? You have homework to complete, and your basketball practice is starting soon, son." Tony's dad says
"I know, Pa. It's just I can't stand to see him here all alone. It breaks my heart that not even his dad bothered to show up. I want someone here when he wakes up." Tony replied.
"I don't think he knows." His father suggested "Here's the deal, I'm going to drive you to his house, and you'll tell him. And hopefully, he'll come before he wakes up. Okay?"
"I-I don't know Pa, I don't-" His father cut him off.
"That's an order."
"Yes, Pa."
Tony walked out with his dad. The hurricane was ongoing but Tony didn't care. Why would he care if he got wet? The man he- Someone he knew was in the hospital and he couldn't be there to be with him.
"Your fur is all wet. You don't wanna shake it off?" Tony's dad asked
"Just drive."
His father drove to the address of the Cheetah residence. Tony kept shifting to get in a comfortable position. His muscular physique made it uncomfortable to sit in his father's car.
"The rains coming down hard, huh?" Tony's dad awkwardly stated.
"No shit, Dad. We're in the middle of a fucking hurricane!" Tony yelled.
"Hey! Don't talk to me like that! Did you forget who I am, son? Yeah, that's right, I called you son. That means I'm your-"
Tony rolled his eyes and put in his airpods. He rested his head on the window, listening to "The Pretender" By Foo Fighters, accompanied by his father's angry yelling in the background. Foo Fighters was the first band Tony had listened to. Of course, His father put it on one day when playing Basketball. It was a bonding experience for the two of them, and now, Tony is listening to them as his father is yelling at him. It hurt him to know that they weren't close anymore. In any fight they have with each other, Tony plays the Foo Fighters. He tried to remember the good times they had together.
Tony rang the doorbell to the Cheetah residency. He still didn't care about the water on his fur.
"What do ya want, kid?" Chester's father answered
"Uh, hi, Sir! I uh wanted to know if you were aware of what has been going on with your son." Tony stated.
Chester's father looked to the staircase. "Veronica! Get your ass down here! Someone's here to talk about your shithole brother! I already told both of ya I don't want nothin' to do with his ass until he sobers up!" His father yelled.
Tony was utterly shocked.
"don't be so surprised, kid. That's how life is around here." He said before taking a sip of his beer and walking off. Veronica was running down the stairs, dressed in her half-buttoned-up work uniform, revealing part of her bra. Tony didn't know if he should be enchanted or worried. Either way, he couldn't keep his eyes off of something.
"H-Hello, ma'am. do you know about the current state of your brother?" Tony asked, fidgeting with his thumbs again. It was a little silly for someone as big as him to be paranoid so much.
"No, is everything okay?" A worried look immediately washed over Veronica's face.
"He got into a fight at school, and he's hospitalized," Tony replied. "I-I managed to stop the fight in time and save Chester before things got too severe, but he was still severely injured. I-I tried to spend as many days there with him as possible. I could only stay two nights before my father took me away, But I didn't want to leave him there alone-"
"I'll be there as soon as possible." Veronica ran out of the door with her crossbody and coat in her hand. She ran to her car and immediately drove in the hospital's direction at a very unsafe speed. Tony didn't know what to do besides close the door to the house and retreat to the car. As soon as his dad started driving, he held back tears. Why should he cry? He's not a pussy. Looking like that, he would be crazy to cry. He remembered what his father told him every time he fell down as a kid; Boys don't cry. That repeated over and over again in his head. Boys Don't Cry.