Billy smiled pretty proudly at the images on the wall before him. The others took spray paint or chalk they found near-by and got to work. Ace started with a crudely styled mess that took advantage of some chipped brick-work, making it seem like part of a city a giant robot had wrecked, and a clearly nude woman screaming over the carnage. Snake and Arturo had teamed up to a more traditional piece simply writing 'Cityville suxs', with each taking one word of the statement, Arturo standing on Sanke's shoulders so he could do the top word and Snake worked below him. Grubber had finished a nice copy of "Leda and The Swan", but only drew Leda and the swan, leaving out the background and foreground. But Billy still smiled over his own work.
"Think I'm done, boss." He beamed still as Ace leaned over, moving his sunglasses down to see.
"Well,...it's bettah than last time, big guy. But ah don't think that's how ya' spell 'graffiti'. I think it's only got one 'F"."
"Pfft." Grubber spoke up as he leaned over.
"Oh it'sss got two 'F'ss?" Snake asked as he leaned over."maybe it'sss got two 'T'ss then?"
"No its one of those words that has the stupid "P-H" that makes the "F" sound." Arturo said, each one studying the work on the wall that simply read: "GRAFFIti by BIG Billy"
They stayed there studying their work in the alley that was between the apartment building they were suppose to be in, and some other old square, behemoth of a building. Finally after a few moments Ace just asked: "any uh you guys hungry? I seen ah hot dog stand down the street."
"Yeah I could eat." Arturo said, the others mumbled agreements.
"Then let's move," Ace announced.
"Let's not and listen!" A gruff voice caught their attention from behind and eyes went wide, they always knew the speaker. "Just when I think I can leave you boys to your own for a five seconds, you turn back into punks. Here I thought you had learned enough to not write on walls, but of course not going to school or having decent role models- I was wrong. What's a role model you ask? Someone you look up to, admire, and learn from- in most cases it's parents, but I've met most of your parents and I can see you learned well from them." The gang had turned around as he came closer, every one had a little fear in them.
"Hey, you got us wrong, we-" Ace started to say, but of course got cut off.
"Zip it, Ace!" He leaned in clpser and made direct eye-contact with him. "Seeing the events of eariler today, I should be shocked you decided to act out twice. I did not enjoy putting you over my knee, the very action- a controversial one- hurt me much more than you, but you try and try and-"
It was an act Jack didnt take lightly, he'd seen younger parents just swat a child as they passed by. If you asked him that was more humiliating. He performed it privately, and never used insterments like a belt or paddle, and never bare skin.
"-Sometimes it's just what's needed." Jack mumbled as the last boy left his sight.
All five boys soon stood, a little sore in their bedroom. They had maybe one to two spanks directly each, done one by one in the living room in private. As Jack stood up from his armchair and moved into the kitchen. After lunch they would be going back to Cityville to clean up the mess the boys made, then there was the matter of getting their known medical issues handled, Grubber's back brake, a few of Ace's and Snake's bones needed to be reset, the Embertooth's could only do so much. Then of course shopping, and he still had to find a school for them. But, as he made five peanut butter and banana sandwiches, one a double-decker, his heart did still hurt a bit from having to do what he did, even if his serious face never showed it, and children needed to learn, he didnt trust them enough to try a grounding, they probably wouldn't stay put.