The older man at the end of the table and the teenager at the other end locked eyes the moment Leonard entered the room. The scowls they exchanged mirrored each other, a silent testament to their shared bloodline. Leonard Calhoun, a towering figure with graying brown hair, carried the same sharp green eyes as his son, Joey. Though Leonard had put on weight during his years as head of Calhoun Shipping Enterprises, it was clear he had once been as strong as his son—muscles honed from the same labor Joey had just started a year ago. While Joey made his anger at his father’s recent comment clear, his face twisted in rage, Leonard remained more reserved.
The tension between them crackled like a live wire, neither willing to break the silence. The air in the room felt thick with unresolved conflict, memories of the past few days compounding years of arguments and opening old wounds. Roni could almost feel the weight of the tension pressing down on her. The heat from their glares filled the room, while the chandelier above cast sharp shadows on their faces, highlighting the divide between father and son—old tradition clashing with new defiance.
Finally, Leonard’s lip curled into a sneer, breaking the silence. “Looks like this animal’s got some spirit. Let’s hope its owner knows how to keep it in line,” he said, voice dripping with condescension. He adjusted his tie, his eyes never leaving Joey’s, daring him to respond.
Joey’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the edge of the table until his knuckles whitened. “Yeah? Well, my father always told me the first one to speak in a negotiation is the one with the weakest will,” he shot back, his voice low and biting. Joey wasn’t just defending himself anymore—he was challenging his father, standing his ground.
Leonard’s face darkened, his voice turning to a growl that carried the weight of his authority. “You watch your tone, boy. I could make sure the facility you go to castrates you to keep that attitude in check.” The threat hung in the air, cold and sharp.
Joey’s breath hitched, but he didn’t flinch. His anger burned hotter, fueling his defiance. “I’ll be sure to scream out the Calhoun motto while it happens, Dad. ‘Strength in Family, Honor in Tradition, Excellence in All’—just like you drilled into Johnny and me.” The mention of his brother, the favored son, struck a nerve in Leonard.
Leonard’s temper flared, and he stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with primal anger. Even Roni trembled slightly as she watched. “You little shit! Maybe your mother and I should keep you here, teach you some damn respect.”
Joey matched his father’s step, fists clenched at his sides, but the fear was gone from his eyes, replaced by unshakable defiance. “Maybe if you put family first, you wouldn’t need to send me away! But no—I’m an underbred, and God forbid I bring any negative publicity to the Calhoun name!”
Roni flinched as Joey’s voice cracked, his emotions finally breaking through his normally stoic exterior. She had never seen him like this—so raw, so exposed. Her stomach twisted in knots, disbelief washing over her. Joey… has it always been like this? Her eyes flicked to Mrs. Calhoun, who wore a small, amused smirk as though watching a soap opera. The sight of that smile made Roni’s blood boil. Her hands clenched into fists, itching to wipe that smug expression off her face, but Mr. Hale’s firm grip on her hand kept her grounded.
Mr. Hale remained stoic, his expression unreadable. He had seen this kind of tension before, in Kat’s home when her brother and parents would get into it. While it pained him to see Joey in this situation, he knew this was Joey’s last chance to stand up for himself before everything changed. When Roni tensed beside him, he gave her a knowing look.
“Dad…I can’t let this go on. He’s treating Joey like he’s nothing,” Roni hissed under her breath, though her words were drowned out by the shouting match.
“I know, Roni. But you have to understand,” Mr. Hale replied quietly, his gaze returning to Joey, who had just called his father a coward. “This is Joey’s last chance to speak for himself. If everything goes the way you hope, he won’t ever have this moment again.”
Roni’s heart ached at her father’s words, but she knew he was right. As much as she wanted to protect Joey, this was his fight. This was the last time he’d have the chance to stand on his own two feet and face his father.
The room fell silent as Leonard’s fury cooled into something even more dangerous—cold, hollow disdain. His voice was sharp as a blade. “You never should’ve come back, Joe. You’ve disappointed me, your mother, and the Calhoun name enough.”
Joey stood tall, his chest heaving as he glared at his father. “No, Dad. I’m not the disappointment. You and Mom are. You’re the ones abandoning your own son for the sake of your reputation. The fact that I’m not the same as you makes me prouder than anything else in my life.”
Leonard’s hand flew out, striking Joey across the face with a sharp crack. Joey staggered, his cheek reddening, but he didn’t retaliate. He stood there, breathing hard, eyes wide with shock.
“You never learn, do you? That fucking mouth of yours gets you in trouble, and I’m going to make sure you understand when to shut it in front of your superiors!” Leonard raised his hand for another blow, but a delicate hand caught his wrist mid-air.
“Leonard, that’s enough,” Mrs. Calhoun said coldly. She stepped between them, her lips curling into a sly smile. “There’s no point wasting your energy. He’s just an animal. They don’t know any better.”
Joey stared at her, stunned. “An animal? Is that all I’ve ever been to you?” he asked, voice low and bitter.
She tilted her head, her smile condescending. “We gave you every chance, Joey. But some creatures can’t rise above what they are. It’s not your fault. We thought you might be different, since you share our blood. But I guess we were wrong.” She shrugged and returned to her seat, dismissing him with a casual wave.
“I’m not feeble-minded!” Joey shouted. “I’ve been at the top of my class for three years, I helped the company find more efficient delivery methods, I even tutored Johnny in math and science! And you think I’m inferior?”
Mrs. Calhoun sighed, rubbing her temples in annoyance before looking at Leonard. “They just never get it, do they, dear? Like trying to reason with a baby. At least a baby has a chance at becoming human.” She turned her attention back to Joey. “You just had to be quiet and listen. Instead, you fought us every step of the way. And for what? Underbreds? These little pests?” She let out a quiet, cruel chuckle. “The irony is perfect. All those words, all those promises, and now you’ve become one.”
Joey’s hands trembled at his sides as he stood in silence, his mind racing to find words, but none came. His parents stared past him, their cold indifference cutting deeper than any insult.
With a final sigh, Mrs. Calhoun cleared her throat. “Let’s not focus on this pest for now, my love.” She let the words hang in the air for a moment before turning to Mr. Hale and Roni with a radiant, unsettling smile. “We do have guests to entertain, after all.”
1) Loved the way you highlighted their Joey and Leanoard’s disdain for ane another, also focusing on their similarities and differences.
2) “Looks like this animal’s got some spirit. Let’s hope its owner knows how to keep it in line,” Oh you piece of human filth, no wonder your staff are siding against you.
3) Joey shooting Leonard’s words back at him was so good, love how it pissed him off.
4) “I could make sure the facility you go to castrates you” No you can’t, the government wants littles multiplying so any interference with their reproductive organs is strictly forbidden (little contraception is also banned).
5) Bringing up the family is a good move on Joey’s part, I reckon they should find a way to tell Johnny about Joey regardless of how this plays out.
6) Roni getting pissed watching is understandable, It’s happening to me too.
7) Letting Joey fight without interference was the right call from Jeff.
9) “You’ve disappointed me, your mother, and the Calhoun name enough.” It’s not like he chose to be a little, you pathetic excuse of a father.
10) “The fact that I’m not the same as you makes me prouder than anything else in my life.” that’s good Joey, let it out.
11) you know the roast was peak when the roasted one can only retaliate with violence. (Fuck I hope at least one Hale got that on film)
12) “He’s just an animal. They don’t know any better.” and the equally shit mother speaks up.
13) “We gave you every chance, Joey. But some creatures can’t rise above what they are. It’s not your fault. We thought you might be different, since you share our blood. But I guess we were wrong.” what fucking chance, they kicked him out as soon as they learned he was vulnerable. or have they known longer than he did?
14.1) “You just had to be quiet and listen. Instead, you fought us every step of the way” Oh no, you raised a smart kid with his own opinions and a better sense of morality than you.
14.2) “And for what? Underbreds? These little pests? the irony is perfect. All those words, all those promises, and now you’ve become one.” It is a cruel irony, he’s made to suffer like the people he wanted to end the suffering of.
15) Jeff coming in for round 2
On my atm, so I can’t reply to everything just yet, but I will say this is exactly the reaction I was hoping for lol
1) They’re definitely estranged at this point, which is a sad position to be in with your children when they aren’t even over 18 yet. They were actually pretty close, but Joey’s maturity and opinions differed a lot from his dads and when Joey started looking into littles and smallara and realized that his parent’s company could help out a lot with Generitech, that ended up putting a lot of strain on everything
2) lol well the house staff is. I would say the company staff doesn’t care too much or pay a lot of attention.
3) With how often they’ve argued, Joey would know what sets off his dad lol
4) Mr. Calhouns’ pretty ignorant about all things little and smallara as far as what’s legal and whats not. He genuinly sees them as animals no matter what size they are. He’d probably beleive it’s a possibility. I think the only reason he knows about Preema Techs chips is through trying to figure out the best way to make Joey disapear
5) Joey’s done a lot to shelter Johnny from how estranged their parents and he are. He and his brother are super close, too, and the thought of bringing this to him and how it would break up the family that Johnny still has doesn’t sit right with Joey. Its like a “there’s no reason he should suffer just because I am” type of deal.
6) lol
7) I agree. We see a lot of littles opinions and ideas getting pushed to the side in the other stories. If Roni had tried to step in, I think it would have hurt Joey personally because it’d look like she thinks she needs to shelter him from every little thing. He needs to have the humanity he has left remain in tact.
9) exactly. I like to think that there are people in this universe and the real world that see genetic defects as something they have some semblence of control over, which is BS and not true.
10) I loved writing that lol
11) it’d have been smart to have a recording of it, but I don’t think Roni or Mr. Hale would have expected Joey’s dad to outright slap him in front of people. He’s defnietly done it in other instances, but not in public or in front of people. Not to condone it, either, but this was defnitely the most reactive he’s ever been with Joey. He really got rattled by him in this.
12) lol yeah she wasn’t much better.
13) I’d say that refers mostly to Joey being given chances to stop acting out of line or mouthing off to his mom and dad or expressing his opinions to the point that it would lead to an argument. Military school and boarding school were on the table for a long time
Also, I’m so pissed I didn’t have that idea until you brought it up. that would have been such a plot twist for his parents to have known before he did
14) lol sometimes you gotta follow before you can lead. Joey’s mild mannered outside of the calhoun house, but inside he never would let his opinions on things go unspoken. The problem is that Mr. Calhoun was raised in a similar fashion as he was raising joey and Johnny, and he and his siblings never mouthed off to Joey’s grand parents. Joey, as you said though, is much more moral than his parents and doesn’t want things he considers unjust or unfair slide and will make sure it’s called out.
15) he’s gonna bring the heat, too
I hope that Johnny will be Immune otherwise he’s in trouble!
I can confirm johnny is immune.
Boss battle!