Babysitting
Hayner was walking down the paved path of Market Street, his hands laced lazily behind his head. There was a content smile on his face as his eyes roamed the surroundings with eagerness. After all, it was midway into the afternoon, which was in Hayner's opinion, the peak time of Twilight Town. It was that time of the day when you could look anywhere and see something going on. So far, he had just passed a Struggle match, a grandstanding performance, and some kid on a skateboard slamming into the bulletin board.
He let out a sigh of simple content. Still, this wasn't enough. After all, the day was never complete without his special contribution (which Roxas and the others often referred to as mayhem). He pushed the wire gate to the Usual Spot open, ready to prepare for--
A dart came rocketing out of the Usual Spot, whistling right past his ear. He heard the small clatter of the dart as it fell back to the pavement. He just stood there completely frozen, as if a single movement would set off a barrage of darts.
His mind was racing. He knew that it was the peak time of Twilight Town, meaning that almost anything was happening anywhere. But this was the Usual Spot. This was his jurisdiction. Nothing happened here that he didn't know about. So what the heck was up with that murderous dart? If he was going to die here, he should at least know about it beforehand!
"Denzel, be careful," a voice said from inside.
"I know, don't worry Marlene. I just slipped."
Hearing unfamiliar voices coming from inside the Usual Spot, his Usual Spot, Hayner was jolted back to his senses, or at least the little sense that was available to him. Whoever was in there had to leave. As if being in there wasn't bad enough, they were even playing around with his darts! Not to mention nearly killing him with it!
He rushed inside, his fists clenched and raised, ready just in case a physical confrontation was needed. "Alright you! I'll only ask nicely once before I-- huh?"
Hayner scanned the room, looking around a whole 360 degrees. He didn't see anyone. Not a single person. But then, where could that voice have come from?
"Hey mister!"
He jumped at the voice. It sounded like it was coming from the floor. He lowered his gaze trying to figure out where it was coming from. "Oh..."
Rather than the floor, the source was actually a few feet above it, and really close to him. Staring up at him were two kids, both who barely came up to his waist in height. There was a boy with messy brown hair, and a ponytailed girl who was looking up at him curiously.
"Hey! Mister!" the boy called.
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah! What are you doing here?"
"What am I--" Hayner paused, drawing a blank. Something was a little wrong with the situation. Particularly with the roles the two of them were playing were actually switched. "Hey! That's what I should be asking you!"
The girl flinched at the aggression in Hayner's voice and took shelter behind her companion. The boy however, stood strong with a rebellious look in his eyes.
"This is me and Marlene's secret spot!"
"No it's not! This me and my gang's spot!
The wire gate creaked open. Hayner and the two kids turned to find three other people entering the Usual Spot: Roxas, Pence, and Olette. The three looked surprised to find quite a number of people there.
"Hey Hayner. Who're the kids?" Olette asked.
Hayner let out an exasperated sigh. "I dunno. I just found them here at our spot."
"No, it's our secret spot!" the boy reltaliated.
Hayner sneered at the boy. "I don't see your names on it."
"...Actually, it looks like they do have their names here."
Roxas was bending down to a spot below the dartboard. And right there, written probably with a permanent marker for all to see was "Denzel and Marlene's Secret Spot". It was written quite big too. Anyone with a few spare seconds to look around the room would see it immediately.
The boy, Denzel, now had a smug smile on his face. "See? This is our secret spot. Right, Marlene?"
Marlene nodded timidly. She clutched onto Denzel's sleeve, a look of worry crossing her face. "But Denzel, what about them?"
"It's fine. We can make them leave. They don't have their names here." He looked at Hayner with a smug look. He was actually taunting him, daring to prove him wrong. A bad move in Hayner's opinion. He was so close to jumping the kid and drilling his knuckles into his skull until he cries or begs for mercy, whichever came first.
"Actually, we do," Roxas said.
Pence gave him a confused look. "We do? I don't remember doing anything like that."
"Well, sort of. Hayner wrote it, but only two names."
Hayner crossed his arms, a look of confusion forming on his face. He could feel something pull in the back of his head. He couldn't really remember any their names written in the Usual Spot, but the fact that not all of their names had been written sounded familar. Maybe it was from a long time ago...
Hayner's body suddenly went rigid, his eyes widened in panic. Roxas noticed this and smirked. "You remember now?"
"Y-Yeah..."
A curious look formed on Denzel's face, wondering why Hayner had suddenly lost most of his energy. He went over to Roxas and tugged on his pants. "Hey, let me see it."
"Like hell he's gonna do that!"
"Hayner! Language!"
Hayner rolled his eyes at Olette before rounding on Roxas. "You swore you'd never tell anyone about it!"
"But if we don't show the kids, we can't prove that this is our hangout. Besides, if you didn't want people to see it, you would've done something to take it off."
"I-I'm going to show it... someday..." For some reason, Hayner was starting to turn red.
Roxas smirked. "I'm sure she can't wait to see it."
Hayner shot a glare at him. "You talk too much you know."
Pence, somewhat understanding what was going on, decided to help Hayner and turn the conversation elsewhere. "So what are we gonna do about these kids?"
"Easy." Hayner went over to Denzel, who was still clutching onto Roxas pants, and pulled him up by the collar. "We throw them out."
"Denzel!" Marlene ran forward, but stopped midway, unsure of what to do. What could she do?
"Hayner! Put him down right now!" Olette shouted.
"Yeah, you big bully!" Denzel yelled, flailing his arms and legs. "Put me down! You can't make us leave!"
Pence had a worried look on his face. "Don't you think you're being a bit rough?"
"Oh, come on, Pence. These kids don't belong here. This is our spot, and no one else but us is allowed to--"
WHACK!
-x-
Everyone had somewhat settled down to some extent. Denzel and Marlene sat next to Olette on the worn down sofa, Pence was leaning against the armrest, and Roxas stood leaning against the wall next to him. Hayner, on the other hand, sat crosslegged in the middle of the room, a small lump beginning to form on the back of his head.
"You didn't have to hit so hard."
A slightly sadistiic smile played on Roxas' face. He must've been interacting too much with Larxene lately. "I got a little annoyed. It hasn't been a month, but you're still claiming spots for your exclusive use."
"Besides, it's not like we have legal ownership of this place," Pence added before Hayner could retort. "This place is as much anyone's as it is ours. Even if the place is scattered with our stuff."
"The same thing applies to them then!" Hayner shouted. "They've got no right to make this place theirs!"
Denzel got up from the couch and glared sharply at Hayner. "This is too our place! My mom says that all the things that have my name on it are mine!"
"Well, my mom says that you should check with everyone before you put your name on anything!"
"This is our secret spot!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
The others, especially the older bunch, couldn't help but remain speechless. It was amazing, yet at the same time depressing, the way the two were arguing. It was as if the had the same mental maturity, and since it was Hayner, this was probably the case.
Olette sighed, reached out and patted Denzel's head gently. "Okay, calm down, both of you."
Denzel pushed her hand away. He still had no intention of giving up his spot so he didn't want to be friendly with these people. Olette simply smiled. She stood up and hugged the young boy from behind. He froze for a split second, but after getting over his initial shock, he desperately tried to wriggle out of Olette's grasp. It was futile, since she held him in an embrace firm enough to keep him still, yet somehow gentle enough to be comfortable.
It was surprisingly effective. After his initial stuggles, he eventually calmed down from outright rebellious to silent sulking, allowing Olette to set him back on the sofa.
"W-What the heck was that about?"
Olette raised an eyebrow at Hayner. She wondered if he was getting angry again; his face was getting red. "What was what?"
"The hug!"
"Oh, that? I have a lot of younger cousins and I take care of them every now and then, so I guess I know how to deal with kids."
Roxas smirked. "Maybe you should try that on Hayner sometime, since he acts like one." Hayner shot him a dirty look.
Marlene, who had been quiet the whole time, was now looking at Olette with admiration, her eyes sparkling. "Wow! That's the first time I've seen someone make Denzel stop fighting! You're so cool, um..." Her eyes searched the older girl, looking for something to fill the blank spot in her speech.
Olette smiled at her. "My name's Olette. This is Pence, Roxas," she said, pointing to the respective person, "and the bully sitting in the middle of the floor is Hayner. So you must be Marlene, right?"
"Yeah. And this is my best friend, Denzel!" She nudged her companion, motioning for him to introduce himself. Unfotunately, the boy was still sulking, so he just gave a small shrug to satisfy Marlene. "Denzel..."
"What's wrong?" Pence asked.
Marlene stared at the floor, the sparkle in her eyes now lost. "Denzel's a little angry. He doesn't listen to anyone when he's angry."
Roxas couldn't help himself from chuckling. "I've been thinking for a while now; he's just like a mini-Hayner."
"What? He's nothing like me!" Hayner shouted.
"Yeah!" Denzel agreed, breaking his silent protest. "I'm a lot cooler than him!"
"You little twerp! I'm gonna--"
"Down, Hayner," Olette ordered.
"But Olette--"
"Down." Hayner would have usually ignored such orders. He was, after all, the leader of the gang and therefore should be able to do whatever he wanted regardless of what the others said. But there was something intimidating about they aura that Olette was emitting right now. Something told him he would definitely regret arguing with Olette this time around.
So, left with no other option, he grudgingly crossed his arms and sat still.
Marlene clapped her hands with enthusiasm. "Wow! You did it again! That's amazing! You're just like a mom!"
"A... mom?" Olette looked at her curiously.
"Yeah! I can feel it! You feel like a mom!"
Olette smiled at the convinced look on her face. Though she had always thought of herself as the caretaker of their little gang, she had never really seen it as a motherly position.
"Maybe you're right," she said.
Roxas and Pence groaned. This wasn't good. Now that she had upgraded her position from caretaker to mother, she was definitely going to be a lot tougher on them. Roxas let out a sigh and stepped forward. It was time to do some damage control. He stood next to Hayner who was still seated on the floor.
"Well, how about this guy?" Marlene looked at him quizically. "I mean, if Olette's a mom, then what's this guy?"
Marlene turned her attention to Hayner and stared hard. Then she closed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling he gave her and what that feeling was.
She opened her eyes. It was as if she almost had the answer but was still lacking a crucial detail. She stood up and went over to Hayner, peering into his face, their noses almost touching. Her face was a little red.
"W-What?"
"U-Um, please don't move." She didn't explain further. She simply turned around and sat down, right on his crossed legs. She shifted around a bit, and then sighed contentedly. Judging by the smile on her face, she looked really comfortable sitting there.
She leaned back against Hayner and looked up at him. "You feel like a dad," she said, smiling.
Hayner blushed and turned his head away. The way she said so honestly and innocently was way too much for him, that he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
A click of a shutter was heard, and everyone turned to see Pence holding his camera, grinning triumphantly. Hayner, glad that there was something to shift the direction of attention, gave Marlene a light push. "Okay, I'm done. It's his turn now."
Marlene obediently got off and approached Pence. Roxas, on the other hand crouched down next to his best friend; a smirk was on his face. "So, still feel like kicking the kids out?"
Hayner fumed. "Fine, the girl's okay. But I've still got issues with that brat she has for a friend." He glared at Denzel who was watching Marlene with a gentle look in his eyes. When he saw Hayner, he returned the glare.
"I'm pretty sure they come in a package," Roxas said. "Stop being stubborn and make nice."
"You're really going out of your way to side with them huh?"
Roxas shrugged. "It's more like I want to make interesting stuff happen. Like how you're now a dad as Olette is a mom."
His face flushed red. "Shut up."
Roxas felt a stare directed at him. He turned and saw Marlene looking intently at him.
"Hey, what's up?"
"It's your turn now," Pence said. "Apparently, I'm an uncle. She even explained that I'm the fun kind, who visits almost everyday and has an occasional souvenier."
"Oh..." Now that it was his turn, Roxas wasn't exactly sure what to do. He just stood there, waiting for Marlene to do something. But then the only thing she did was tilt her head in confusion. "Something wrong?"
She frowned. "Hm... can't tell..."
She started circling him, appraising him from every angle. Still, the frown never left her face.
"It's okay if you can't tell," Roxas said, a hint of worry in his voice. He didn't want her to take this too seriously.
She shook her head. "That's not it... I know, but I don't know what to call it."
"Oh, is that it?" His voice lightened as he said this. He had been a little anxious about Marlene's response, worried that he didn't give off a familial vibe. He turned to Denzel, who was still quiet. If he was right about him being like Hayner, he should be hating his current situation of self-imposed silence.
"What do you think, Denzel? You know Marlene better than anyone so I'm sure you can tell us what she thinks."
At first, it looked like he was about to flat out refuse, but before he could voice his disagreement, he glanced at Marlene. It looked like she was waiting on him too. He sighed and changed his mind midway.
"Mom."
"...Huh?" Roxas wasn't exactly sure if he heard it right. "Come again?"
"You feel like a mom."
Roxas let out an awkward laugh, the kind when you're not sure if the other person is being serious or not. Still, Denzel didn't retract the statement, nor did any of the others join in laughing with him. Add to that the way they were looking at him, as if they were re-analyzing the way they saw him, it made him quite uncomfortable.
"Denzel's right!" Marlene said excitedly. "You do feel like a mom!"
"Y-You guys can't be serious..."
"I have to admit," Olette conceded, "I don't really know why, but you do give off that kind of feeling."
"But you're already the mom!"
"Doesn't mean there can't be two moms," Pence reasoned.
"Oh, come on guys! Back me up here, Hayner!"
Hayner ignored him and sniggered at the thought. "First, bridal trainer Roxas. Now it's mommy Roxas. If this keeps going, people might start thinking--"
WHACK!
"Ow! What the-- I hadn't said anything yet!"
Roxas shook off the slight sting in his knuckles. Hayner had a really hard head, literally. "You're my best friend. I know when I have to shut you up."
The low ring of the clocktower bell resonated throughout Twilight Town. It was the evening bell. Within a few minutes, the twilight that lighted the sky would fade into darkness.
Olette turned to the kids. "It's getting late. Shouldn't you be going home now?"
"It's okay. I'm not afraid when it's dark," Denzel huffed.
"I wanna stay," Marlene begged, tugging lightly on Olette. "We don't really have to go already, do we?"
"B-But..." It was obvious that Olette's maternal instincts were being swayed by Marlene's cuteness. She turned to Hayner. "Hayner! You're the dad! Do something!"
"What do you want me to do? The brat I can throw out, but Marlene..." He made the mistake of making eye contact with the girl, who had switched to full-on cuteness mode. Honestly, who could say no to that face, that puppy dog pout and wide, pleading eyes.
"...Pence, you try."
"Sorry, can't do anything here. I'm the fun uncle, which means I sorta have to be on their side."
Roxas sighed. He really didn't want to do anything, since it would only solidify his position as 'mom'. Still, it really was getting late, and he would feel really uncomfortable having those two out after dark. He went over to his bag, getting ready to bring out his secret weapon.
"I have ice cream."
Almost instantly, the two kids were clinging onto him, reaching up to grab the popsicles that Roxas was holding up above them.
"You can only get one if you promise to go home right away," he bargained. He saw the beginning of rebellion in their eyes, especially Denzel's so he added, "You can come here and play anytime you like, as long as you always go home before it gets dark."
The two kids smiled. "Okay!"
As soon as he handed the two a popsicle each, they dashed off, as if making sure Roxas wouldn't have a chance to take back the sweets.
"You two better brush your teeth!" he called.
"Okay!"
"Bye-bye!"
The two ran out the gate, the sea-salt ice cream bars already wedged in their mouths. Marlene stopped to wave a final goodbye before catching up with Denzel. Roxas sighed. They were finally gone. Though he didn't hate kids, he just didn't have the kind of energy needed to keep up with them. He pulled out another popsicle from his bag and pushed the treat into his mouth. He deserved a reward after the way he handled that situation.
"Nice kids," Pence said.
Olette nodded, agreeing. "Yeah. I hope they come by again soon."
"The girl's okay, I guess. And if the brat behaves himself, I'll let him stay."
Roxas was staring at something in the corner. It looked like Denzel had left a little something before he left. He smirked, subtly nudging a crate to cover the words 'Hayner is a stoopid bully' that was written on the wall.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's really well behaved," he said, a small smile tugging on his lips.
A/N: Finally done! Sorry about the late update. Not gonna make excuses anymore, it's just the same everytime anyway. Kinda disappointed with this chapter, it got really out of my control, and then I couldn't find a good way to end it. I had to rewrite it a number of times too.
Still now that this is out of the way, I can at least get a fresh start on another chapter. To be honest, this update is pretty much to get rid of this idea, since I can't concentrate doing multiple ideas. Kinda excited to start fresh. Once again, I'll try to update as soon as I can. Please review! Oh, and thanks to Himig (kabayan!) and as always, laugh-out-loud94 for the reviews! I'll do my best for you guys.
