Lacking inspiration for my other stories, here's another drabble. Enjoy!
Setting: A couple months after "Kidnappified"
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Plot: Toni tries to adjust to her new life living with Puggsy and his parents, though nightmares keep haunting her.
Disclaimer: I only own Toni.
Rated 'F' for 'Fluff'. …and also 'T' for some language.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Toni Marker wasn't used to the silence of the night, despite she always longed for it. Anyone would, if they were also forced to live in a household with a dysfunctional couple who spent almost every hour yelling at each other, breaking things, turning the radio and television up too loud, mostly griping about how all the leftovers in the fridge had grown moldy, or arguing whose turn it was to pay the bills after the power would go out each month, or accusing each other of having a double-life whenever one of them would come home late.
The only time Toni ever got a moment's peace was when she was outside the broken home, normally having to sleep on the roof, or hide in the basement if it were too cold out. The second one was the worst, considering the people she lived with would accidentally lock the door, or see her sitting on the old mattress down there and accuse her of finding their secret stash of alcohol. She had found it but never touched it- after seeing the results it gave the people she had to deal with- just so she could keep her brain cells alive. Instead, she wanted to poor it all down the drain or smash the bottles against the wall, though she was wise enough not to. Wasting the alcohol like that would only result in getting smacked and sleeping in the closet… the usual punishments.
The couple wanted a child but couldn't conceive one, so they just 'adopted' Toni, claiming to be her aunt and uncle, after her parents died in a car wreck. They believed discipline and an iron fist was the key in raising a child- though, according to Toni, it was the only idea they had. If she talked back, ran off, wouldn't heed their demands, or so much as sneered at them, she'd get smacked and locked away for 5 hours… if they remembered to let her out that is. She once asked a favor from them, wanting to go to the movies, only to get the response: "We're not made out of money. Earn some cash of your own!" …Which she found unfair, considering she had to lend them a few bucks before, and said so in retort. …Another smack, and she was thrown in the closet.
She couldn't believe it when she had finally found her real relatives, and the phony couple were thrown in prison for kidnap.
…Actually, she still couldn't believe it, even after two months.
As she lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, sleep avoiding her, she became lost in her thoughts. What if this is all just a dream? she asked herself. What if I'm still in a coma? Maybe I was hit in the head with another beer bottle and fell unconscious, again. …Nah, that can't be it. Those people learned their lesson the last time- they hate wasting alcohol. I guess it can be real… they're finally gone, and I don't have to worry anymore.
Yet she was still afraid to sleep, worried that if she woke up, she'd be back in that God forsaken household with those trashy people. Eventually, around 3 AM, she drifted to sleep…
0o0o0o0o0
When she opened her eyes, she realized she was right.
She was back in the house, locked in the closet, hearing shouts coming from the living room. "For the last damned time, get it yourself!" A woman was shouting, and she opened the closet. She was a curly-haired blonde who wore too much make-up and wore a skimpy outfit that didn't fit her whatsoever. She scowled at Toni. "And what the hell are you doing in the closet?"
"You LOCKED me in here, remember?" Toni sneered.
"Well, out!" The woman grabbed her by the shirt and tore her out, throwing her into the hall and grabbing a pair of heels.
Toni scowled and started heading for the front door. "Where are you going, runt?" Came a gruff voice, and she turned to the overweight, balding man in a white tank top, old jeans, with a cigar hanging out of his mouth.
"Out." Toni replied bluntly.
"Not so fast! You're still grounded for being out late last night. Go do the dishes!"
Toni looked back into the kitchen, seeing a stack of plates that were starting to attract maggots. "No offense, but I think the dishes have been announced hazardous material."
"We have to eat off something, don't we?"
"Then throw them out and get new ones!"
"What do you think we are, made of money?" The woman scoffed, giving the usual answer. "We can't afford it!"
"So, you can afford a whole shipment of booze, but you can't buy new plates? That's a laugh."
The man scowled. "What did you say?" he snarled.
"I said that if you cut back on the beer, you'd be able to afford new dishes, better food… and maybe some soap."
Before she knew it, she was on the floor, and the side of her face hurt. "Get up, whelp," the man was sneering. "Get up… Get up…"
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Get up, Toni! It's almost noon,"
Toni opened her eyes, sitting up, seeing that she was still in her new bedroom, and Puggsy was right next to her. "I slept in again, huh?" she asked, sighing.
"Yeah, for the third time this week," Puggsy replied. "You'd better start restifying up better when school starts. If you're not up by 7:15 before the bus comes, she'll come in with an air-horn and yankify you out of bed. …Believe me, I know."
"I'll keep that in mind," She got out of bed and followed him out of the room, down to the kitchen.
It felt new eating a fresh meal as well, having cereal that didn't taste like cardboard with milk that hadn't expired three weeks ago, at a table that wasn't cluttered with old magazines and rotting pizza boxes. Her aunt and uncle, Barbara and Richard, talked back and forth, once asking what she and Puggsy planned on doing today. "Not much," was her reply, with a shrug included, and that was basically all she had to say that morning.
After breakfast, she decided to take a walk, cautious about passing by any of the Fangsworth's homes, knowing that Fangpuss could be lying in wait, ready to tackle her. She never understood why the furry little infant liked to pick on her, though according to Puggsy he took after his cousin. At first she didn't understand completely, until she noticed how Fangface always attacked her cousin, and noticed the pattern. I doubt Puggsy ever punted Fangface across the yard, though, she thought, noting the slight difference. She always fought back, not with just an insult, but with a swing of a fist.
It was how she had to live ever since she woke from her coma. When someone wanted to pick a fight, she'd make them regret their pick, giving them a hard time… though, she rarely admitted, she hardly won any fights. The only time she could count a win was when someone would witness the brawl and break it up.
She walked back to the house at noon for lunch. Puggsy had gone out to see Fangs, Kim, and Biff; Richard had gone to work; and Barbara left a note, saying she was on an errand. The tomboy shrugged, deciding to make herself a sandwich. The first time she wanted to fix herself something, she had to ask someone, and she did it every day until Richard finally told her, "Toni, you live here now. You don't have to ask when to eat,"
After living with her false relatives, it took some getting used to. Every time she opened the fridge she was worried someone would yell at her, griping that she was eating them out of house and home, and telling her to keep her hands off the food. Yet nothing would happen, and she finally eased down.
When she took her empty plate back into the kitchen, she noticed a tray of cookies sitting on the counter, fresh-baked. She took a couple, deciding to have a little snack… "What are you doing?" someone asked, and she turned and saw Barbara walking in, setting grocery bags on the counter.
"Just having a snack," Toni replied, shrugging.
"I made those for the Little League team. It was my turn to make some snacks for them after the game…"
Toni quickly set the cookies back down. "Sorry, I didn't know!"
"It's okay, you can have one. It's not like you were going to take the whole pan,"
"Um, thanks," Toni took a cookie, lightly munching on it as she walked out. She was more used to being scolded, so being let off like that felt odd to her.
The tomboy walked upstairs, coming across Puggsy's room. The door was open, and she decided to look in. Normally she didn't poke around, but she never was allowed to go into anyone else's room before, and it wasn't like she planned on taking anything. She had only been in the room once, after her cousin and aunt first brought her home and explained how they knew her parents, and didn't get much of a chance to look around. She looked at some of the pictures hanging on the wall, some of them of her cousin in a boxing ring at the high-school, or hanging out with his friends. She noticed one of the two of them at younger ages- when she was five and he was nine, back when their families were close.
The one picture that really made her freeze was one that included her parents, Richard Marker and Kelly Marker (she found it funny that her uncle and father both had the same first name). It appeared they were all at the beach, their parents lounging in chairs while she was chasing Puggsy with a toy shovel- a brief memory of him kicking over a sandcastle she made sprung to mind. She couldn't believe how much Kelly and Barbara looked alike, and wondered if they were twins, knowing they were sisters and all.
"What are you doing in my room?" Puggsy asked, suddenly standing in the doorway.
"Holy-!" Toni yelped, jumping back. "Geez, Puggsy! Don't sneak up on me like that! What're you trying to do, scare me to death?"
"I just didn't know I'd be sneakifying up on someone in my own bedroom. What's with the snooping?"
Toni sneered. "Oh, it's so wrong for a girl to take a look around her cousins room and look at the pictures on his wall? I'm SO sorry,"
"Alright, stop being cocky. Next time ASK before you enter,"
"You didn't need to ask when you came into my room this morning,"
"I was making sure you didn't sleep in again, there's a difference."
"How did I know you weren't snooping around while I was asleep?"
Puggsy rolled his eyes. "Just get out,"
Toni rolled her eyes back. "Whatever. Your room's a junkyard, anyway,"
"Like yours is any better,"
She scoffed and continued on… though, secretly, she was happy he didn't grab her by the hair to throw her out.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Toni never got a chance to watch television, so she was pretty enthusiastic about getting to sit on the couch the rest of the afternoon and watch any kind of show she wanted. The last time she recalled watching television on her own was before she and her parents went for a drive, watching a wrestling match on television. Unlike most girls, she was into sports, especially the ones that allowed you to punch, body-slam, tackle, or trash-talk.
She was in the middle of watching a football game when Puggsy swiped the remote. "Alright, time to change the channel," he said, sitting down and switching the channel to a different show.
Toni swiped the remote back, changing the channel. "Not until I finish watching the game," she retorted.
"You've spent three hours in front of the set already," he grabbed the remote again. "Go find something else to do,"
"Why don't you go find something else to do?" she took the remote back, but he hung on to it. "Let go!"
"You've had all day to watch television, it's my turn. You let go!" They began to have a tug-o-war fight over the remote control.
"'Your turn'? What are we, kindergarteners? Give it back!"
"Probably, considering you're acting like one!"
*crack*
They froze, noticing that the back of the remote broke off. "NOW look what you did!" they both snapped in unison.
"If you hadn't swiped the remote, this wouldn't have happened!" Puggsy sneered, waving the broken end of the remote in her face.
"YOU swiped it first, dumbass!"
Puggsy reached forward. "Don't you swearify at me, you little-"
Toni flinched, jerking back. For a brief moment, he saw terror in her eyes. "Alright I take it back!" she said quickly. "I'm sorry!"
He arched an eyebrow and reached forward, taking the back of the remote out of her hand. "Calm down, it's no big deal," he stuck the piece back on the remote. "I did my share of cussifying too…"
She relaxed, giving him a look. "I was calm. I just… thought I saw your mom coming in." she walked passed him. "You can have the TV, I'm done,"
"Where are you going?"
"Out." With that, she rushed out the door.
Puggsy sat down, still thinking about the look on Toni's face when he reached toward her… the way she flinched, the terror in her eyes, and the twinge of nervousness in her tone.
As if she was afraid he was going to hit her.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Toni had to clear her head. She had no doubt that Puggsy noticed her frantic expression, and she felt like an idiot for giving such a reaction… Back when she was living in the dysfunctional house, she showed no emotion, not a single hint of fear, whenever she was about to be struck. When she saw it coming, she braced herself, but never flinched. Avoiding the blow would only make them believe she was weak and couldn't handle the pain, maybe make them try to get her to cry. But she stayed strong, not letting them know that it actually hurt, secretly hoping they'd give up and try to figure out a different way of punishing her than with just violence.
She reached the playground and sat on the merry-go-round, lying down on her back and looking up at the starry sky. She closed her eyes, trying to empty her mind…
But all she got was another nightmare.
0o0o0o0o0o0
It was the worst one. The crazy couple she had to live with had invited a few of their friends over, and they were just as rotten as they were. The music was cranked up to its fullest, beer bottles were everywhere, the room was foggy with cigarette smoke, and the people were acting just plain weird, babbling a bunch of nonsense, dancing like idiots, laughing when one guy started dancing with a broom…
And Toni had been locked in the basement again, though as long as she wasn't upstairs, she couldn't complain. She sat on the steps, checking her watch once in a while to figure out how much longer the party would last until the neighbors called the cops. The door opened then, and a man came down. "Well, well, well, who might YOU be?" he asked, and from the look on his face, Toni figured he wasn't wanting to just make acquaintances.
"Who wants to know?" Toni sneered. The man walked toward her, and she tried to step around him, but he grabbed her arm. "Hey!"
"Don't be so rude. I just want to get to know you… why don't we sit down and talk?" he then threw her onto the mattress. When he got close enough, Toni kicked him between the legs, making him fall into the fetal position, and ran out of the basement and out of the house.
Unfortunately, the man wasn't going to stay down, let alone let her get away for making him sing soprano, and he took off after her, chasing her down the block. "Get back here, you little *bleep*!"
Toni ran as fast as she could, turning into an alley and hiding, watching as the man ran by. She breathed a sigh of relief, waited two minutes, then walked out.
Someone grabbed her arm then, pulling her.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"No! Let go!" She shouted, kicking the one who grabbed her in the shin… then noticed who it was. "Oh, shit! Sorry!"
"You really are jumpy today, aren't you?" Puggsy grunted, rubbing the bruised area. "What was that for?"
"Nothing… maybe karma just got back at you for something. What are you doing out here?"
"Mom started getting worried when you didn't turn up for dinner, and it's getting dark out. She sent me out looking for you, just in case someone muggified you again," he smirked at that last part.
"Ah, shut up. Lets just get back,"
They started walking down the street, and Toni was still lost in her thoughts. That man had never found her that night, but that didn't stop her from hiding in the church- it was the only safe place she could hide whenever things got too bad. She would only tell the preacher that she needed a place to stay for the night because some lunatic was after her, though she turned down the offer of them calling the police to escort her home. For one thing, she didn't want to go back until the next afternoon, when she was sure the house would be empty, and the fact that her faux aunt and uncle would only consider her weak if they figured she needed the law on her side to fight.
"You alright? You seem pretty quiet." Puggsy asked her.
"Sorry, lost in thought. You'd know what it would be like if you had one," Toni replied.
He scowled. "How come you have to be like that?"
"Like what?"
"Giving attitude when someone shows concern about ya, picking a fight over everything… freaking out every time someone so much as reaches toward you."
"You forget where I had to live the past two years. …And what about you? I've seen you give attitude left and right, and you and Fangs both get into a heated argument once in a while! And I've seen you flinch every time he looks at the moon, too, so don't even THINK I'm the only one with issues, pal!"
"Yeah… but that's because 1) Fangs annoys me, 2) he always comes up with some pin-brained idea that gets on my nerves, and 3) he changes into a weirdo-werewolf! You may deal with Fangpuss once in a while, but when you don't, you're at my house, where you act like a little smart-mouth to me almost every second."
"How else am I supposed to communicate with your species?"
"Can you lighten up on the insults for one minute and actually talk maturely? There's something up with you, and I want to know what it is,"
"NOTHING is up with me, Puggsy! Get it through your head already. I'm perfectly fine, there's no need to freak out over every little thing,"
He gave her a look. "You mean the way you freaked out when I merely reached for ya to get the piece of the remote that got busterated, thinking I was going to hit you?"
Toni paused, looking at him. "What makes you think I was thinking that?"
"Toni. I saw it in your eyes. You were horrified. I DO remember where you had to live before-"
"Then you'll know why I always have my guard up and don't take shit from anybody. Now drop it." With that, she quickly stormed off, heading back for the house.
Puggsy shook his head. "Why do girls always get so worked up when you try to reason with 'em?"
0o0o0o0o0o0
Toni was used to being yelled at whenever she got home from being gone past sundown… not hugged and given a lecture about saying where she's going and being back before dark. She only nodded, giving an apology, and walked up to her room. Puggsy stood by the kitchen doorway, listening to his parents talk. "Do you think she'll be alright, Richard? She always seems so nervous around us," Barbara said.
"She just needs a little more time to get used to it," Richard replied. "She spent the last couple years living with a couple of low-lives who treated her cruelly, and needs to be reminded that she's in a better home now, with a family who really cares." he then turned his head, looking over his shoulder in Puggsy's direction. "Isn't that right, son?"
Puggsy arched an eyebrow, stepping in. "How do you always know I'm listening?" he asked.
"Well for one thing, your elbow was sticking out when you crossed your arms," Barbara noted. "Though, you didn't have to hide, since you're part of the conversation, too. We need to help Toni feel more adjusted here,"
"Isn't quite easy, since she can hardly have a discussion without hurling an insultation."
"Maybe if you both showed a little less attitude toward each other, you wouldn't get insulted so much," Richard pointed out.
"She always gives it no matter what, though! I tried talking to her on the way home, and that's all she ever did! Even when I didn't retaliate!"
"That's how she always acted back with those people, though. They never gave her a reason to give them compliments or show some manners… and I think she thinks the same about you." Richard replied.
"Me? Why me?"
His parents both gave him the 'Do You Have To Ask?' look.
He rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'll try to watch myself around her. …But I'm telling ya, if she pushes me over the edge, I'm not holding up my end of the deal!"
"Just go talk to her, and try to clear things up," Barbara retorted.
Puggsy sighed and walked up the stairs.
0o0o0o0o0o0
She saw it as soon as she closed her eyes.
They were really fed up with her now. She had stayed out until sunrise and refused to give them any cash or clean up the mess they had made that week. She told them to stop being a couple of slummy boozers, get off their butts to pull their weight, and get some help, or she would call the cops. …She must've hit a nerve, because they beat her until she blacked out, and when she awoke, she was in the dumpster- as if they thought they had finally killed her. She crawled out and thought about making a run for it, but the woman was nearby, seeing her. "Don't even think that you can run from us," she sneered. "Cowards like that only get tracked down and beaten worse once people realize how weak they are,"
So she didn't run, but stood her ground. "I was going to go buy some aspirin for this headache," she sneered, reaching into her pocket and realizing her money was gone.
"Yeah, nice try, girl, but we already used it for aspirin of our own. You can still run, but what will you do? No one wants a little smart-mouthed bitch like you in their home, and your mommy and daddy are dead and gone. We're the only ones you've got. You leave us, and you'll only end up on the streets with the rest of the trash."
Toni clenched her fists. She didn't want to run, didn't want to be labeled 'weak'… but she did anyway. She wanted to get away just long enough to forget the pain and hurtful words, running to the one place where she knew she'd be with someone she loved. She took off to the cemetery, where she knelt by her parents graves… wishing she had died with them.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Toni didn't realize she was shedding tears until she opened her eyes, hearing a knock on the door. "Come in," she said, quickly wiping her eyes. Puggsy walked in, and she unleashed a heavy, bitter sigh. "What do YOU want?"
It took every ounce of strength for Puggsy not to make a snappy comeback. "I just… came up to see how you were doing," he replied.
"Once again, I'm fine. Why do you keep asking that?"
He sneered. "Because I know you're lying, and don't try to hide it anymore. I know you grew up with a couple of creeps, but that's over! You live in a good home now, with people who'll actually take care of you and won't slap you across the face… no matter how much you might deserve it…"
She scowled. "Real comforting. Get out."
He sighed. "I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, Toni. It's tempting, but I'm trying to get through to you. You have to understand that no one's going to beatify ya every time you say something. Sure, we'll argue back and forth, but c'mon- we're family, it happens." He sat on the bed, next to her. "You don't have to prove how tough you are anymore, Toni- heck, taking on Edward Jr. and Downy helped you make a point, already."
Toni felt the scars on her cheek, where Edward Jr. had scratched her, and she shrugged. "Eh, wasn't that hard. Junior was too cocky for his own good and Downy hit like a sissy."
"True, but it still took guts, since one was a vampire and the other had a gang on his side- and a gun. But until goons like them come around, you don't have to act like you're trying to survive in the slums anymore. We'll take care of you,"
"That's just it, though. I'm used to just taking care of myself. I developed this defensive instinct ever since the car-wreck, trying to avoid sympathy and stay tough…" she sighed, hanging her head low. "Though, as you probably notice, I tend to push my luck. When Downy and his gang mugged me, I realized I wasn't as strong as I wanted to be. I actually proved to be pretty weak,"
"Yeah, right. Name one weak girl who had the guts to drop-kick Fangpuss over the fence while Fangface was watching! It took all my strength to hold him back until you apologized… and let Fangpuss tossify you onto the roof," he put an arm around her. "Listen, Toni, you can keep up the tough image, but you have to remember your strengths. You may be able to take on a couple guys, but not a whole army! Next time you're in a jam, don't hold back and ask for help, alright?"
She shrugged. "Like I said, I'm used to doing things on my own. I wanted to get help sooner… but I didn't want anyone to think I was soft, that I couldn't handle anything by myself."
He shook his head. "You shouldn't have toughed it out like that, Toni. Just because you get help with something that hard doesn't mean you're weak, but wise. Even the toughest guys need help once in a while- you wouldn't believe the saturations Fangface and I got in, and we always had to watch each other's backs."
Toni sighed. "I was scared, too."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, believe it. I got scared on several occasions, like the time they invited their trashy friends over and one of them came after me, and the time I threatened to call the cops and they beat me and threw me in a dumpster. After that, I just started running off from sundown 'til sunset, and eventually they stopped caring where I was going, just as long as no cops followed me." she pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her face in her arms. "I wanted to find someone else to take me in, but I was always wearing filthy clothes and looked like a hobo, and only the minister at the church welcomed me."
"Well, you got your wish now, and don't have to be scared anymore. …Was that why you were so jumpy?"
She nodded. "Yeah… just don't tell anyone about it, or I'll punch you so hard, it'll wake up your dentist!"
Puggsy rolled his eyes once more. "And we're back to using the attitude."
"Oh, c'mon, you didn't really expect a heartfelt conversation could change me THAT easily, did ya?"
"Eh, not really. Just remember what I said," he stood up and started walking out. "Oh, and Toni?"
"Yeah?"
He traced his finger across his eye. "Ya missed a spot,"
Toni wiped her eye, seeing that she had shed a tear. "Glad you caught that,"
Puggsy nodded her goodnight and closed the door, and she lied back down.
She didn't have terrible visions of living in a broken home, or a single nightmare about a man chasing after her that night.
Instead, Toni dreamed about the time Puggsy kicked her sandcastle over, and she chased him around with a shovel, their parents laughing at the sight and calling them back before she could do any damage.
Toni wasn't used to smiling in her sleep… but she figured she'd adjust.
0o0o0o0o0o0
A/N: There you go, as close as fluff as I could put between Puggsy and Toni. …Not easy, I'll admit, but I'll keep working on it.
Please review, send some ideas, don't flame, and see you in the next drabble.