Bubba walked under a lamp post, the yellow light flickering every few seconds. A green apple flavored lollipop stuck on the inside of his cheek giving the right side of his mouth a sour apple taste as he ran his tongue over around it. He shifted his weight, feeling warm air blow through his thick brown hair. The warm summer night air made it perfect to walk back home without a care in the world. The 16 year old's favorited weather was Autumn, he adored all the vibrant colors of the changing leaves. He didn't much like Springs showers of cold rain, as with Winter being too chilly for his liking. Summer had been perfect of what he thought, not too hot but with that nice cool breeze.
His brown eyes blinked a few times, looking away from the light. Those colors floated in his vision for a minute before slowly melting away, blending back into the sights of the street. Starting to walk again, Bubba moved the green lollipop from one side of his mouth to the other with his pierced tongue. In total of piercings he harbored a tongue ring, septum ring, gauges, snake bites, dimple rings and nipple rings. He never wore all of the accessories at the same time, Bubba mostly wore his septum and gauges out in public. Each house he passed had the lights off, it had to of been knocking around 11:40pm. Bubba estimated the time for he didn't own a wrist watch.
The wind blew again, slightly chillier than it had been. He adjusted his brown and black striped hoodie, tying it around his neck like a scarf. His whole outfit wasn't that matched accordingly, his track shorts being blue as his tank being an ombre red to blue. Being in the schools track team, he was supposed to find a pair of track shorts that were blue. The only ones he found close to that description was the one in Spencer Gifts. The track coach hadn't said a word to him about it, so Bubba figured it must be ok. After all he'd be pissed if they told him that he wasn't allowed to wear $20.00 shorts. His shirt was blue and red ombre style; blue melting into red at the bottom. It was a tank that was also purchased at Spencer's. It was a sale that day, he re-called. His track shoes were so expensive, he treated them like prized possessions. They were black, green and silver, made specially for track itself. Of course, it had to be Nike. Bubba found the brand uncomfortable to wear unless it was for a sport. Then Nike was a good pair to invest in.
Being lost in his thoughts, he held onto the sleeves of his hoodie as he bounced along to side walk. He sucked on the lollipop, it was one of those free samples in town. Bubba had a habit of taking things from strangers and popping it into his mouth. He had 4 blocks to go until he got back home, which seemed to stretch on forever on nice calm nights such as this one. Crickets chirped loudly in the clovers dotting the broken concrete, the only noise giving a signal that there was life besides himself. Picking up his pace, Bubba continued on the straight patch. He hopped across broken pieces of rubble to pass time. It always dissapointed him on how unkempt the place was. Bubba passed a few half destroyed party homes which still had the lights on. He thought the college kids had moved on with their lives, but apparently not.
Looking back down at his shoes, Bubba tossed the white stick of the lollipop into the grass. Being a hippocrate, complaining about how dirty the world was, then throwing trash on the ground. It made him laugh a little, tucking his chin and mouth under the jacket swathing his neck. He kicked a pebble, watching it roll into the street. He stood under another lamp post, bugs bumping into the glass. Bubba always wondered why bugs are attracted to light like that but never asked any one about it. He thought it was a question that would make him appear stupid. There had been many times were he'd asked stupid questions and get gawked at by classmates. He shrugged at himself, leaving the bugs to their lonesome. He passed more homes, skipping along the line of grass and line of concrete. He balanced himself on the curb, sticking his arms straight out at his sides. Bubba didn't have good balance which was seemingly growing to be a challenge in gym class.
Screw gym class.
Bubba hopped off the curb and onto the black asphalt road. Since he hadn't spotted a car once on his trip, Bubba didn't bother looking for the vehicles that may come around the corner. No cars, good thing. He walked straight across the road making sure to stay on the walking path. The last time he'd done that, he was scolded for jay walking. It was quite absurd to Bubba considering the only walk paths that weren't faded away was this exact one. He called bullshit on that policeman, taking off before he recieved the ticket. Now Bubba kept an eye out for red and blue lights, just to make sure he wasn't caught again and in more trouble than he'd be just getting the damn ticket. Bubba successfully got the other side, looking up at the cross walk sign. It was broken, a stone wedged in the glass. He suspected that Spicer, a troublemaker that Bubba knew, carried that out. Dante probably told him to chuck the ruck at the lamp, without a question Spiced would do it. Spicer was always screwing things up, he just didn't think of the consequences. Spicer had jet black hair accompanied by snow white skin, faint freckles dotting his plump rosy red cheeks. His eyes seemed to be black as his hair, but if closely inspected were in fact a dark brown. Bubba didn't care for the older boy at all. Spicer just graduated from high school, Bubba knew that he was going nowhere with his life. Or maybe Bubba was wrong; Spicer did study marine biology and had a passion for sea life. It seemed however, that all the 18 year old had accomplished in doing was getting arrested, and destroying things. And pissing Bubba off in every way possible.
Speaking of that blond haired devil, Bubba found himself nearing Dante's small home. Ok, it was the size if any crappy, chipped up, peeling white party home rented by college students. Bubba didn't even think that the 21 year old went to college, Bubba didn't care about Dante and his life. Bubba had a slight fear of him though after past incidents.
The brown jacket tied around his neck felt like it got ten degrees hotter as he neared the home. He loosened the knot, but yanked it upwards so that his face was partially covered. He couldnt tell from the angle he was it if Dante was home or not. Bubba assumed that any normal person would be tucked in bed, but then he remembered that this is Dante ; far from normal or sane in that matter.
Bubba rubbed his dry lips together, wishing he had brought along chap stick. Chap stick was the least of the teen's problems at the moment.
Blinking his long lashed eyes, he saw that in fact, yes Dante was awake. Outside on the porch, sitting smoking with a friend. Bubba recognized the man next to Dante as Vodka, he was always with Dante. Bubba wondered were that other guy was, Jarvis. He blinked again,darting his chocolate Dolly brown eyes away from the two men. He stopped walking for some odd-ball reason. He turned his head at looked at Dante, Bubba standing at the side walk that led up to the porch. He cursed his legs for halting suddenly like they did. He gulped dryly, frozen to the spot.
Vodka stood on the broken wooden porch, leaning on the busted railing. He held a bottle of whiskey with his right hand, the brown bottle glinting under the porch light. Bubba found Vodka to be quite sexy with his fine looks. Vodka and Dante both were blessed with nice cheek bones and sculpted frames. It was like an angel made their looks. Bubba really enjoyed stubble, he liked to rub his palms on Vodka's stubble when he hung around them.
Bubba kept standing there like an idiot. Dante sat quietly, letting out a drag of white smoke. Vodka walked down the steps, flopping down next to the blond. Hr had dark brown hair, shaved at the sides as the top was like a miniature mohawk. His eyes were equally dark, but radiated a gold tint to them. Dante was the opposite; blond hair blue eyes. They shared very similar traits to Bubba's eyes. Dante was just a smidge taller, by like two centimeters.
He shook his head, the relaztion of how rude he was acting finally setting it. He pulled down the brown jacket so it hung over his neck not covering his face. "H-hi." His voice came out high so he tried again, clearing his throat. "Ahem! Hi Dante!" Bubba smiled a little, staying where he was.
Dante returned the smile, "Hey Bubba, didn't recognise ya.'' Dante's smiled faded as he popes the cig back into his mouth, pressing his lips against the white material. That was a total lie, Dante could pick Bubba right out a crowd. His blue eyes checked the cute boy out, it entertained him to see how flustered Bubba got when he was near him.
Vodka nodded a 'hello' to Bubba, not smiling at all. He was quite intimidating at first glance. He wore a black tshirt with Earth Vader holding a red lightsaber plastered on the front. Bubba loved Star Wars, but no way he'd admit that to these two.
"Oh." Bubba's mouth opened, "S-sorry." Bubba dragged his shoe in an invisible line in front of him. He seemed to be un-glued from the cement as of now. "I was on my way home." Bubba didn't really know if Elric approved of him staying at his house, but tough noodles on that one.
"Mm." Vodka gulped down the last of the foul smelling liquid. Bubba could practically smell from from all the way across the unkempt lawn, "You still with Elric?" He held the empty bottle up to his face, eyeing it to double check if he'd drank every last drop.
Dante seemed to tense up at the mention of Elric. He held the cig between his fingers, watching the bud burn slowly.
Bubba continued to draw the imaginary line, he now stuck his hands in his back pockets. Bubba didn't like the Elric subject around Dante, "Yeah." Bubba shrugged innocently.
The blond stood up, flashing a warm smile. "Ain't it a lil late to be walking by yourself?" He looked at his watch, switching the cig to his leftie. "It's 12:10am." Dante looked at Bubba, then to Vodka whom also stood up. The bottle now lay in a dead bush by the stairs. Dante wasn't too happy about that judging the stern look on his face. Vodka smiled at him, retreating into the house.
shit! bubba's heart started racing. He hadn't a clue that it came to be this late, he thought that he left Oliver's house earlier than what he did. I should of been home a fucking hour ago! Bubba panicked, "Wow! Then I'd really be getting a move on..." he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. He bit his bottom lip lightly, feeling the snake bite piercing between his teeth.
Dante walked off the steps, taking quick strides to where Bubba stood. Bubba hated looking up to people, which became common as he stood only 5 feet 3 inches head to toe. Dante had to of been knocking around 5 feet 9 inches. Dante looked down, rubbing the sides of her chin with his fingers, "Leaving so soon?" He let his hand drop to his pants pocket.
Bubba felt his skin tingle as Dante's cold fingers trailed along his exposed forearm.
"Me and Vodka just made chocolate chop cookies." Dante grinned, stepping back onto the grass. He stepped on the cigerette, squishing it into the dirt.
Vodka opened the creaking front door, clicking the knob a few times. "Fresh out the oven." Vodka swung the door closed behind him.
Dante's blue eyes trailed along Bubba's own brown eyes. It made him feel uncomfortable, but he kept his composure. Chocolate chip cookies did sound good to Bubba's empty stomach. He figured he could stay for a cookie and run all the way home to burn it off. Bubba avoided Dante's gaze however, "Ok, I'll stay for a few minutes." This was were Bubba's bad habit of sticking strangers food into his mouth came into play, but it was harmless cookies.
Bubba nimbly followed Dante into his warm house. It surprised Bubba of how clean it was kept, unlike the outside. When you first walk into the home, there's a staircase on the left side leasing upstairs. The rest of the room was a family room, a big cozy looking couch against the wall facing a television. There was a coffee table in front of the couch, which stood on a nice rug. The floor was a light brown wood, maybe pine? Bubba didn't know a thing about wood. Bubba did enjoy the view of a large window, but a white curtain blocked it off.
He rounded to corner of the staircase, nearly knocking over a darkly colored wood table with a lamp on it. He shot his hands out, grabbing it before catastrophe unfolded. He watched as Dante slipped off his shoes, kicking them into another room, laundry room perhaps. The living room led directly into the kitchen which was nice.
Bubba walked away from the table, now making sure to watch out for decorations. He stood in the arch way splitting the two rooms apart. Wooden floor became white tile, clean white tile that is. Bubba wouldn't if known Dante kept things clean if he hasn't ventured on it. The sliding glass door led out back, a round table a few feet away. The countertops were a shiny white marble, leading all the way around the wall. Even the stove, oven, sink and refrigerator looked brand new. He gained a bit of admiration to Dante's cleanliness.
"Thirsty?" Vodka asked, cracking open a coca cola. Bubba didn't want to be up all night, hell with it. His throat was dry as a desert.
Bubba instinctively rubbed his finger tips along his neck. "It would be nice to have a drink." Bubba watched Dante pull out a tray of steaming hot cookies.
Vodka turned his back, reaching into a cabinet and pouring the drink in. He took the can, tossing it to the trash can next to the sliding door. "Here ya go," He handed Bubba the cup if cola. It was cold, but not freezing to the point it makes your teeth hurt.
"Thanks." Bubba smiled, taking a long sip of it. The cola had an odd flavor, kind of like cherries. That's it, cherry cola. He wasn't a fan of it, but he wasn't picky. He took another sip, didn't really taste like cherries this time. Bubba being himself, instead of asking for a new drink, swallowed it all down in a big chug.
Dante handed Bubba a warm cookie, the chocolate chips melting in his palm. Bubba set the empty cup on the counter, nibbling on the edges of the nicely done cookie. "Dante, thanks! It's really good!" Trails of crumbs hung onto his lips, which he wiped off with his hand. His favorite was a cookie baked not too crispy, but undercooked so that the middle was still soft dough. That made it so the chocolate chips would be soft too.
"You are welcome." He tussled Bubba's brown hair playfully.
Vodka tapped his fingers along the countertop with a steady rythm. He was looking out the window above the sink, it was so dark that the light reflected off and caste a glare.
Bubba was already feeling the effects of staying up at 12am in the morning hitting his drooping eyelids. He fought back the sudden urge to sleep, making his eyes stay open past the blurriness. He set down his half eaten cookie next to the empty cup. He looked up at Dante with round eyes talking fast, "I gotta go." He really didn't think he could run all the way back, but it was worth a try. Coach said that running woke the body, too. It was weird, he was fine just a few minutes ago, at least it seemed.
Dante looked disappointed. He furrowed his brows upwards, "Stay the night." It came out more of a command than a question. His blueberry colored eyes were narrower in the slightest way, he was waiting for something to happen. Bubba only took commands from two people ; higher authority, or Elric.
Bubba fought to keep his eyes from closing. He hadn't the slightest clue why he became drowsy so suddenly and for no apparent reason. Maybe this time, he could stay the night. It got dangerous the later it got, and he knew Dante. Dante wouldn't hurt him. Bubba stood there, biting his lip as he wondered what to do.
Vodka was behind him, "What?" Vodka obviously mistaken Dante for talking to him.
"Not you." Dante replied sourly, taking Bubba's coat. He untied it from his neck, unwinding the knot.
Bubba found his tongue going a bit numb. He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he tasted cookie and cola. He frowned a little, rubbing his knuckles softly underneath his eyes.
"Look how tired you are baby," Dante cooed, slinging the hoodie over his shoulder. He caressed Bubba's blushing cheek, running his thumb along his pouty lips. Bubba pulled away, bumping Vodka's muscular chest. He felt Vodka's hands sneaking their way up under his shirt, working up to his chest. He leaned back into Vodka, his hands resting on his arms.
"Quit it!" Bubba growled, the back of his body pressed up against this guy he hardly knew. All Bubba wanted was to be snuggled tight by Elric, not by Dante and Vodka.
The blond grinned, tilting his face up to look at him. His fingers rubbed Bubba's chin tenderly, "Quit?" Dante ran his thumb down Bubba's parted lips. Bubba yanked his head away, glaring up at him. Vodka's grip on his arms tightened, red marks being left as he moved positions. Dante's blue eyes twinkled as he leaned over Bubba to give Vodka a peck on the lips.
Bubba pressed his cheek against Vodka's chest, feeling the soft fabric of his t-shirt. He bit the inner corner of his cheek to keep himself from kicking Dante's shin. He felt himself turning red in the face as he heard the smooching going on above him. Let me go to bed! Bubba screamed inside of his head, but couldn't find the words to come off his tongue. He felt Dante's hand tug on the bottom of his shirt, slowly moving the fabric upwards.
Bubba's eye lids drooped, struggling to keep them open. He let out a long sigh, looking up at Dante with half opened eyes as he pulled away from Vodka. Dante patted his blushing cheek, "Bed-time honey."