OLD HABITS
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
Came up with this while watching "Blinded By A Thousand Points Of Light" a night before Tom's bust of the guy that killed Aaron, takes place during the episode, and belongs in my "The Old Life" and "Old Familiar Feeing" universe in which Tom had been adopted by the Hansons after suffering abuse at the hands of his biological father. 21 Jump Street belongs to Stephen J. Cannel and Fox.
Tom blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. I can't believe I'm back here, he thought to himself. It had been so long since he had been on the streets. He had almost forgotten what it was like to go to bed hungry. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a girl around thirteen and looking very thing on a corner, talking to a guy in a car. He walked over.
"So, what's your pleasure doll, and how much do you charge?" he heard the man asked.
"She doesn't got what you need," Tom told him.
"Hey! I'm workin' here!" the girl protested. However, the officer noticed a slight hint of relief in her tone.
"Beat it," he instructed and she took off. "So, I take you're not looking for directions?" The man opened the door and he got in. The man drove off. Tom was silent as the man drove off.
"Do you have any place in particular?"
"Yeah, I got a spot." Tom gave the man directions. As they drove, the man placed a hand on Tom's thigh, and squeezed it. The officer gave a thin smile. When they finally got to their destination, Tom got out and led the man up to a seedy-looking apartment. Once they were in the bedroom, the man threw him on the bed and he landed with a soft grunt.
"Like it rough, huh?"
"Strip." Tom did as he was told and the man climbed on top of him. Soon, there were moans of pleasure and longing. Tom arched his head back and let out a sigh. Man, this guy was so easy. Stupid too. He couldn't even tell that he wasn't even into it. When they were done, the man pulled away, and put on his shirt.
"Now we discuss payment," Tom told him as he got dressed. The man chuckled.
"Boy, I ain't payin' you a thing," he sneered.
"That's a big mistake," came the response. The man backhanded Tom and he fell off of the bed.
"Listen, you little punk, you're nothin' but a whore who's lucky he even got touched," he snapped. Before the man even knew what was happening, Tom had taken a switchblade from a secret compartment in his right boot and pinned the guy to the wall, the blade at his throat.
"Now you're gonna listen. I've been workin' these streets since I was twelve. You don't think I don't know what you would've done to that girl?" He let the blade cut the skin and the man gasped. "Now, I don't like bein' called a whore, and I don't like it when people try to rip me off. I get…testy." Tom reached over to the man's jeans, and pulled out a wallet, all the while keeping his weapon in place. He rifled through the wallet, taking all of the money out. He laughed when the amount.
"Wow. You've must've been expecting to get a lot business." He leaned in towards the man's ear. "You weren't that good." He let the blade go in a bit deeper, and then pulled it away. The man let out a shuddering gasp as Tom wiped the blood off on the skin just below the man's shirt hem. Then, he left the apartment and continued down the stairs. Seeing the car, he let the air out of the tires, put his switchblade back, and then continued walking until he was back on the street corner he had started on. Seeing the same girl again, he walked up to her.
"What do you want?" she asked. He handed her a small wad of bills.
"Here. Go get yourself something to eat." Surprised, she took the money and he walked off. Tom quickly ducked into a secluded corner and ran his fingers through his hair. Oh, shoot. What did I just do? If the others find out, they'd kill me...especially Fuller, he thought to himself. But what other choice did he have? The girl would've sold herself and he couldn't have directed the guy to the police station without making him suspicious. With a shaky breath, he collapsed to the ground and shook. He was falling back into old habits…and that scared the heck out of him.
THE END