Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer rights apply.

Warning:Updates will most definitely be slow. Sorry, guys.
This contains SLASH, in other words: same sex couples. It also contains drug use, violence, sexual situations, and MAY contain a(n OC) death. This story is marked for mature readers only, please treat it as such.

Pairings: Will be sporadic, and a surprise. I'm not ruining the story by telling you end pairings.

Beta'd By: Sarah2437 (Thank you for your hard work!)

Getting Back Together Again
The Past VII - Gadget or How Spot Might Care

Bam: Age 12
Sean: Age 13
Slingshot: Age 14
Stealth: Age 15
Speed: Age 17
Hunter: Age 17

"Mission accomplished," Spot announced with a smirk as he led Speed into their living room. He turned towards Hunter. "You can leave now. You earned your arm back well enough, I guess."

"Are you kidding me?" Hunter asked, flinging his arms up. "First, I did way more than I ever agreed to, and I pulled it off flawlessly, might I add. Second, do you even realize how many people I pissed off to make this happen? Word on the street is I snitched on Speed, and got him fucking kidnapped."

"Oh, yeah," Speed interrupted when Spot looked at him. "I guess that was kind of my fault. Had to get some insurances in place just in case I went missing."

"No way am I going back out there," Hunter continued. "I'll be dead in a week." He crossed his arms. "Nope, I'm staying right the fuck here."

"Welcome aboard," Slingshot said with a smile, walking over and extending his hand for Hunter to shake.

"Perfect, I needed more worthless idiots under me," Spot scoffed but made no move to discourage the handshake.

"I want proof that Derek's taken care of," Speed interrupted again, still looking at Spot.

Spot raised an eyebrow. "Who the fuck are you talking about?"

"My little cousin!" Speed snapped. "I can get my own food and place to stay, and I can certainly protect myself. So, give those things to Derek, and I'll drive you around or steal cars for you or whatever."

"That's not really how this whole thing works," Spot said, starting to pace around the living room. "You work for me; I can't just send you out onto the street and hope no one comes to jump you."

"People don't really like Spot very much," Hunter explained. "Though, for the life of me, I have yet to figure out why." He sent a glare in Spot's direction, leaving no one questioning the sarcastic nature of his statement.

"You aren't funny," Bam grumbled from his place on the couch. A glare from Spot made sure he didn't take the argument farther.

"We stick together. I'll give your cousin the necessities of life, but you don't get to go anywhere without someone with you," Spot demanded "You look scrawny as shit; probably only take one punch to bring you down."

Speed narrowed his eyes at him, taking in Spot's bony body. "That's a little bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

Spot cocked his head to the side. "How so?"

"The funny part is he's not joking," Hunter interrupted yet again.

"Jesus, fuck, how much longer am I going to have to put up with you?" Spot asked, whirling around so that he faced Hunter.

"Well, he did just sign on, Boss," Slingshot replied. "And, with all due respect, we do kind of need all the help we can get."

Spot crossed his arms before turning away. "I only hope someone kills you soon," he muttered before focusing his attention back on Speed. "You wanna make sure your darling cousin's safe and healthy? Grab me a car, and we'll go see the pipsqueak."

Speed made a move towards the door before freezing and looking back at Spot. "Just like that? Right away?"

Spot raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you prefer we wait until he's half starved so he'll really appreciate what you're doing for him?" He turned his back on Speed to catch Stealth's eye. "Stealth'll tail you. Make sure you don't run into trouble while you're getting me … whatever." He shrugged. "Something low key and easy on gas."

Speed nodded as his stomach dropped at the prospect of being alone with Stealth yet again. If anyone was going to kill him it'd be that creepy fucking dude.

THE PAST

"You're planning on bringing some snot-nosed kid here?" Bam asked as he walked into Spot's bedroom and leaned against the wall. He smirked at him. "That's your plan, isn't it? You're going to bring the kid here?"

Spot frowned at him before running a hand through his hair. "How the fuck did I get so obvious?" he muttered to himself.

"You aren't," Bam assured him. "I've been watching you. You're not exactly one for hand outs, so you've gotta be planning on making this kid do something for you. And if he's going to be working for you then you'll want him here. What I can't figure out is what you plan on getting from some little kid."

"I'm trying to replace you," Spot answered with a smirk, getting up from where he had been sitting on his bed to approach Bam.

Bam blew him a kiss before matching his smirk. "Oh, honey, you could never replace me, and you know it."

Spot walked closer, his smirk growing. "If you never want to be replaced you should start doing something that makes you irreplaceable."

Bam put a hand on Spot's hip, pulling him a bit closer. "Is that an invitation, darling?"

"Depends. Am I going to have to pay for it?"

Bam immediately dropped his hand as he frowned and pressed back into the wall. "You're a fucking dick, you know that?"

Spot cocked an eyebrow, his smirk not dropping. "You're the one who decided to be a whore. You saying you don't take pride in making some money while you get your ass rammed?"

Bam swung out his first, which Spot easily dodged as he stepped back from his subordinate. "Go fuck yourself, Spot," he said before stalking off, pushing past Slingshot who had been walking down the hall.

"Might be a bit unprofessional to be flirting with your inferiors, don't you think?" Slingshot asked, popping his head into Spot's room. "Especially with the way you decide to do it, Mr. Sauve."

"Jealous I'm not flirting with you?" Spot asked, holding onto his smirk.

Slingshot rolled his eyes even as he felt himself blush. "Not if your idea of flirting is calling me a whore and offering to ram my ass," he replied with a frown.

Spot approached him, much the same way he had just done with Bam. "And what if I have a different idea of flirting when it comes to you?"

Slingshot took a step back so that he was once again in the hallway. "I'd say I have no desire to be your second choice."

Spot raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing. "But you're okay with it if you're my first choice? I had no idea you were a queer, Sling."

"Oh, fuck off, Spot," Slingshot said before walking away to reveal Stealth who had been staring at them from the hallway.

"Don't even think about it," Stealth muttered as he walked into Spot's room.

Spot laughed. "In your dreams," he answered, going back to sit on his bed.

Stealth stared at him until Spot rolled his eyes before flopping on his back.

"Save the lectures, will ya? I was just messing around," Spot replied to the silence, staring up at his ceiling.

"Might be good to find someone to relieve tensions with," Stealth eventually said, heading over to the bed.

Spot popped back up, resting on his elbows. He studied Stealth before finally saying, "The joke's not nearly as funny coming from you."

"Not joking," Stealth said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Spot cocked an eyebrow but didn't answer.

"Not me!" Stealth said, his eyes wide when he finally realized the implication.

Spot laughed. "I don't have time for that shit, Stealth; I've got a city to run."

Stealth frowned, staring at Spot for several seconds before saying anything. "You aren't running anything yet, and you won't if you let your dick do your thinking. Best to find someone to distract it so it doesn't distract you instead."

Spot rolled his eyes. "Is that how it is?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Sounds like a god damn hassle to me."

Stealth shrugged. "Not if you find someone easy."

"Hm," was all he got in reply before Spot changed the subject. "How'd the car thieving go?"

"Fair," Stealth replied. "It'll be ready by this time tomorrow."

Spot smiled up at the ceiling. "My own car. Bet it's going to be sweet as shit."

Spot's face dropped as soon as he saw Speed get out of his new car. "You stole a fucking Prius?"

Speed glanced at the car before turning back around and shrugging at his new boss. "You said you wanted something that would blend in and be gas efficient."

Spot narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm a gang leader; I can't drive around in this piece of crap!" he complained, shoving his hand towards the vehicle in question.

"I thought the point was remaining inconspicuous!" Speed immediately argued, raising an eyebrow at his boss. "Now you're angry because it's too inconspicuous?"

"He's angry because the guy's a moron," Hunter said as he came up behind them, arms crossed in front of his chest.

Spot immediately squared up to him. "And you're a moron for thinking you can talk to me like that and not get a broken nose."

"Guys," Speed said, stepping up beside them. "Seriously, this is what we're doing? You forget about my cousin?" He flashed a look to the car. "And Priuses aren't that bad. Definitely inconspicuous.".

Spot turned to glare at him for a few seconds before rolling his eyes. "Oh, yes," he replied sarcastically before walking around to the passenger side of the car. "A Prius isn't bad at all." He shot one more glare in Speed's direction before letting himself into his new car.

Speed turned to Hunter as soon as the door slammed shut. "Is this seriously happening? I dropped out of school to babysit a pompous child?"

"Did you not realize that before?" Hunter replied, smirking at him. "He's barely hit puberty and you're falling all over yourself trying to get him a fucking car. It's pretty entertaining."

Speed frowned. "I'm not falling all over myself," he argued quietly.

Spot had already started the car, not hesitating to roll down the driver's side window and yelling at Speed. "Hurry the fuck up before I change my mind."

"Yessir," Speed answered, eyes wide as he flashed a look at him. He turned back around and frowned at Hunter. "I don't want to hear a god damn word out of you," he whispered.

Hunter just rose an eyebrow as he tried to keep the smirk off his face. "I wasn't trying to talk you out of it. I think it's adorable: some almost grown man taking orders from a little boy." Hunter finally let his smirk spread across his face. "It makes for perfect comic relief."

Speed frowned deeper as he climbed into the car. "There's a reason people don't like you, Hunt," he told him before slamming the door and rolling up his window.

"There's a reason people don't like you," Hunter answered with a scowl as the car drove out of the parking lot. "And it's because you steal fucking Priuses for little boys," he explained to the empty lot.

Derek looked at himself in the mirror, frowning as he lifted up his shirt. He got that the rest of the guys called him tubby as a joke, but it was starting to kind of, maybe, get to him. Not that he would tell them that, of course. Then they'd start making fun of him for entirely different reasons.

He just didn't think he was. Tubby, that is. He might've been a little heavier than some of the other kids, but there were definitely some fatter than he was. He was just the only one that didn't play some kind of sport. He had tried, because sports were the only way anybody liked you at school, but he had trouble remembering the rules. And watching the players while watching the ball while watching his feet. It was all too much to focus on, and he had never been particularly competitive anyway.

He much preferred to just stay in his room and watch television. Sometimes he drew comic books. In them, he was the hero and he went around saving everybody and everybody loved him. He stayed on top of his homework, because if he didn't his cousin Seth would freak out.

And Seth was basically his guardian, despite the fact that they didn't live together. Derek was well aware that Seth paid his foster parents every month for Derek's room and board, along with his food and clothing bills. If Seth didn't then Derek would have had to, and Seth had insisted to this day that Derek had to just focus on studying and being a kid.

But soon, Seth would be eighteen and graduated, and Derek could move in with him, and they could have adventures and be a family and have a good time all the time. And Derek wouldn't have to feel guilty about living with people he knew didn't want him. And he wouldn't have to keep going to a crappy school full of crappy boys who called him crappy names.

Derek was looking forward to that, and if he could convince Seth to leave that stupid all-boys Catholic school, then they'd be able to get an apartment together in just over three months. Derek smiled. Seth had always been stubborn about not being able to leave school. That he couldn't go to public school for this or that reason. But Derek could convince him. He knew he could.

Unknowingly, outside Derek's window were Speed and Spot, both sporting binoculars as they stared at Speed's cousin through the window.

"I'm not taking care of some mentally retarded little fatso," Spot declared as he brought his binoculars down.

Speed dropped his own binoculars, letting the cord around his neck catch them as he glared at his new boss. "He's not fat. He's healthy. Big body types run in our family."

Spot rose an eyebrow as he let his eyes trail up and down Speed's skinny body. "Obviously."

Speed glared harder before letting the fat comment go. "And he's definitely not mentally retarded. I don't even know why the hell you would think that; you haven't even talked to him."

"Yeah, but I am watching him as he repeatedly frowns and then smiles at his mirror while he flips up and down his shirt," Spot replied before looking through his binoculars again. "Sounds like retarded fucking behavior to me," he muttered, making sure he had been loud enough for Speed to hear.

Speed kept on glaring as Spot ignored him before he finally turned back his attention to his little cousin's bedroom. "Have I mentioned how fucking creepy this is?" he muttered. "It's an invasion of privacy to be spying on him like this. Not to mention unnecessary. Just drop some money off with his foster family and we can go."

"Why the fuck would I do that?" Spot asked, still not bothering to look away from the bedroom.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'why'?" Speed snapped, dropping his binoculars to slam into his chest for a second time as he focused all his attention on Spot. "Because you promised to take care of him if I came to work for you."

"Yeah, so why the fuck would I leave him here?" Spot replied back, still not looking at Speed. "I'm starting to think it's the mentally retarded that runs in your family," he muttered.

"It's 'mental retardation' dumbass," Speed said, glaring harder. "Which neither of us are."

Spot gave a silent snort. "Yeah, neither of you are mental retardation. That's fucking believable."

"You-" Speed started before growling. "You are so fucking stupid. Yes, 'mentally retarded' would work in that sentence, but it wasn't working in the first one."

"I was under the impression people who are mentally retarded didn't work at all," Spot replied flippantly.

Speed gnashed his teeth before sighing, forcing himself to release some tension. "You are … I don't even fucking know," he said, smacking his forehead. "Fucking annoying for one. The most offensive person I've ever met for another. Not to mention you're a child."

"Says the guy that sucks his thumb at night," Spot scoffed.

"How did you- No, I don't," Speed replied quickly, not dropping his glare from the wannabe gang leader.

Spot rolled his eyes, despite the fact that he was still looking out of his binoculars. "Please. You think your mentally retarded cousin is the first person I ever monitored before approaching?"

"'Spied on before approaching', you mean," Speed snapped back, finally turning away from Spot to watch Derek through his binoculars again. "And what the hell do you even find out about someone while they're sleeping?"

"Found out you suck your thumb."

"And how was that helpful?" Speed asked, dropping his binoculars once again to glare at Spot. "You didn't accomplish anything except getting labeled a creepy stalker. And I really wish you wouldn't do this to my nine-year-old cousin."

"And I really wish you didn't suck your thumb. Doesn't mean it's going to happen."

Speed couldn't think of a reply apart from gnashing his teeth again.

"It's my cousin," Speed told Slingshot three days later as he followed him into his bedroom. He shot a quick look at Hunter, Slingshot's bunkmate, before getting back on topic. "I should be allowed to know what the hell it is Spot's planning on doing to him … or with him … or for him." He flung up his hands in frustration. "I don't even know what the correct preposition to use for this occasion is!"

Slingshot squinted at him. "Prep-what?" he asked, shooting a glare over to Hunter as he heard him laughing. He rolled his eyes. "Nevermind, it doesn't fucking matter," he decided before plopping down on his bed. "I appreciate you thinking Spot trusts me enough to tell me all his plans, but it's really no where near the truth." He flung his arm across his eyes as Hunter laughed again. "Go find Stealth. If anyone knows what the hell Spot's doing it's going to be him."

Speed frowned as he took a step back. "Can't you go talk to him?" he asked, eliciting another laugh out of Hunter. "He really freaks me out," he explained over Hunter's laughing.

"Shut up, Hunter," Slingshot grumbled before lifting his arm from his eyes so he could turn and look at Speed. "Stealth freaks everyone out," he explained. "And, sorry to say, but I'm not your daddy, and-"

He was interrupted by Hunter's loud laughing from across the room. "'Sorry to say'? You wanna be someone's daddy?" he asked, his face growing red from laughter. "I didn't know you were into dominance play, there, Sling. I'm sure I can find you someone if Speed refuses to get into it."

Slingshot frowned at him before rolling his eyes and focusing his attention back on Speed. "That's not what I meant, obviously," he explained. "I just meant I'm not here to hold your hand. Spot likes you; he wouldn't have recruited you if he didn't."

"Spot recruited me because he found out I can steal and race cars," Speed said before Slingshot could continue. "Not because we're friends."

"Yeah, well, if he didn't like you then he would've found someone else, is what I'm saying," Slingshot tried to explain. "You think you're the only person in the city that knows how to drive fast?"

Speed shrugged, looking out the window onto the busy street below. "Not like New York City gives a whole lot of people the time and place to practice," he replied. He looked over at Hunter, who was still lying on his bed snickering to himself. "Plus, he let Hunter join, and clearly he hates his guts."

"Hey, now, that's a little uncalled for," Hunter replied with a frown. He rolled over onto his stomach in order to better face his roommate and their guest. "He doesn't hate me; we just have a really complicated relationship."

Speed rolled his eyes as soon as he caught Slingshot's eye. "Yeah," he replied, "A complicated relationship in which you annoy him and he threatens you bodily harm. Seems like some real complicated subtext there."

"You aren't funny," Hunter pouted, rolling onto his back and crossing his arms.

Speed rolled his eyes again, this time completely for his own benefit, before turning back to Slingshot. "'Should I be concerned' is more of what I'm asking, I guess. This is the first time Spot's gone off alone to spy on him. It makes me think something bad's going to happen."

Slingshot rolled his eyes this time. "Spot wants alone time sometimes. He probably just got tired of you tagging along. Or he felt like a walk or something."

"He's not walking anywhere, because he took the fucking car with him," Speed pointed out, not able to keep the anger out of his voice.

That made Slingshot sit up in his bed, cocking his head at Speed. "He took the car?"

"I know!" Speed asked, flinging his arms out. "Fuck me, right? What am I even doing here if I don't need to drive the little punk around?"

"Since when does Spot know how to drive?" Slingshot asked back. "Spot doesn't know how to drive." he decided a second later. He bit his lip as he ignored Speed's pacing in front of him. "Man, he's going to totally kill that car, and we haven't even had it for a week."

"Maybe Derek's been the goal all along. Maybe forcing me to join whatever-the-hell-thing-this-is is Spot's way of getting close to my cousin. Which brings up a lot of disturbing thoughts." Speed abruptly stopped his pacing to point at Slingshot. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way he looks at Bam. Shit's disgusting."

Hunter snorted from across the room. "You're going to have a hard time here if you've got a problem with homosexual relationships, 'cause our boss is as faggy as they come."

"Spot's not gay; he just likes freaking people out," Slingshot replied.

Hunter hopped up, sitting on his bed to ensure that Slingshot saw his eye roll. "Yeah, when he checks out your ass every time you leave a room it's totally to freak you out."

Slingshot sat up as well, raising his eyebrows at the other boy as he leaned forward. "You think he checks out my ass?"

"Wait."

"I know he checks out your ass," Hunter corrected, smirking at him.

"Guys."

Slingshot tried to hold his smile back, but he was clearly failing. "No way. Really?"

"Guys," Speed said once again. "Can you have your crush symposium later? I don't care that Spot's gay; I care that he's going after little kids. It's pedophilia." That made him frown and he resumed his pacing once again. "And now he's alone with my cute little cousin, and I'm not there to protect him."

Hunter squinted his eyes at Speed as he kept pacing the room, muttering to himself. "Are you talking about the way he looks at Bam?" he finally guessed.

"Bam and Spot are basically the same age, dude," Slingshot said as soon he realized what they were talking about.

Speed stopped his pacing as he looked between the two of them. "Really?" he finally asked. "So you think Derek will be okay?"

Slingshot stood up from his bed to walk over and put a hand on Speed's shoulder. "I get that Spot's pretty reckless sometimes, but he's also really protective. Derek'll be fine."

"Yeah," Hunter piped up from his bed. "What do you think he's going to do? Punch him in the back of the head and kidnap him?"

Spot frowned as he heard a noise from his trunk. Seemed like Speed's cousin was already awake; he really should have punched him in the back of the head harder. Not that it was really an issue. He had brought some duct tape for an emergency, and there was no way the little retard was going to squirm his way out of his bonds.

Kidnapping the kid hadn't been his original plan, of course, but when the little retard had started freaking out about Spot going through his stuff and Spot couldn't remember Speed's real name … Well, kidnapping just seemed like the easiest solution.

Spot frowned as he stretched out his neck to better see the road in front of him. Granted, that was before he had thought about how annoying Speed was probably going to be when Spot dragged in his little brother or cousin or whatever into their house wrapped in duct tape.

Stealth had always said he had a problem with not thinking ahead.

Spot swerved to his left as a car on his right honked at him before accelerating past him. He frowned down at his speedometer when he realized he was only going twenty-five miles an hour in a forty-five zone.

The driving thing might have been a bit harder to do than he had thought. He probably should have brought someone along to drive him.

Not that he had much of an option but to drive back to headquarters now. There was no way he was going to leave a new member of his gang in the trunk of a Prius; he wasn't an animal. And walking down the street carrying a kid covered in duct tape probably wouldn't turn out fantastic for him; he could at least think ahead that much.

Luckily for Spot, the ride back didn't hold too many catastrophes, especially if you ignored the three times he glided over and hit a curb. Before he knew it he was (crookedly) parked at headquarters and carrying a tiny person wrapped in duct tape over his shoulder.

Speed's voice, obviously, was the first one he heard as soon as he stepped into the living room. "Is that my cousin?"

Spot rolled his eyes at the obvious answer as he dumped the wriggling mess of a human onto the floor.

Speed immediately fell to his knees next to him as he started ripping the duct tape off. He was practically cooing apologizes as the kid winced at the pulled off the tape.

Stealth caught Spot's gaze before making an exaggerated, noiseless sigh and leaving the room. Spot rolled his eyes once again, this time at Stealth's retreating back. Spoil sport.

Bam, Slingshot, and Hunter just stared at him: Bam with wide eyes, Slingshot with crossed arms and a frown, and Hunter with a smile that was threatening to split his whole face in two.

Spot managed another eye roll before speaking. "What?"

To no one's surprise, it was Slingshot who stepped up to answer him. "What do you mean 'what'?" he snapped, flinging his arm in the direction of Speed and his kid. "You can't-"

Speed cut him off before he could continue. "You can't possibly think this is normal behavior!" He ripped the final piece of duct tape from Derek's mouth, matching his cousin's wince when he realized he probably put too much strength into the last one. He mouthed a "sorry" to Derek before getting up and striding towards Spot. "What were you even thinking? You don't think the cops are going to get called when his foster parents find out he's gone? You're going to bring the cops right to us, and then no one's going to be able to protect him!" He finished his rant with a panting chest and a glare at Spot.

"Do you live here?" Derek's quiet voice asked, looking at Speed with wide eyes. "Can I stay here?"

Hunter answered before Speed had a chance to. "Welcome home, kid," he greeted, his smile getting impossibly wider as Speed glared at him.

"This is not your home," Speed said, feeling awful about snapping the second his cousin's face fell. Speed knew, however, thanks to all the years spent dealing with his cousin, that this wasn't the time nor the place to be apologizing. Derek would take it as Speed stepping down and automatically assume that he had won the argument. Then they'd have to have the same conversation all over again, except with more crying. "You belong back with your mom and dad," he explained, forcing his voice to become quiet and calm.

"They aren't my mom and dad," Derek argued with a pout as he crossed his arms. "Don't call 'em that."

Speed sighed, deciding that this was an argument he could give in to no problem. "Fine. I'm sorry," he replied, his voice still smooth as he ignored the intense hatred he had been harboring towards Spot since the second he had walked in with his cousin. "Your foster parents then," he corrected before walking over and kneeling back down in front of his cousin. His beautiful, innocent, naive little cousin who was currently sitting in the middle of the living room that was quickly becoming known as New York City's most violent gang. He was absolutely going to kill Spot. "You're going to make them worry," Speed explained, trying to ignore the thoughts that were growing more and more anxious as the seconds went by. "We've gotta get you back home, so I can explain what happened."

"I don't wanna go back home," Derek answered before looking over to Hunter. "Can't I stay here?"

Hunter nodded his head, still smiling. "Sure thing, kid. For as long as you want, too."

Speed put his hands over his innocent little cousin's years as he clenched his teeth. "For the love of fucking god, Hunter," he growled, "if you do not leave the fucking room this instant I will rip out your tongue and make you choke on it."

"I can hear you, you know," Derek said angrily before Hunter could reply. "And I don't wanna go!" he exclaimed, ripping his head out of Speed's hands. "You said we could live together as soon as you turned eighteen and got your own place! And now you have your own place and you're almost eighteen and why can't I stay? I don't wanna go back," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

It was all Speed could do to keep from melting and giving in. He absolutely hated seeing his precious younger cousin cry. "Except I'm not eighteen yet, and, legally, I can't keep you here. You have to go back. And once I'm eighteen we can … we can discuss it," he lied. There was absolutely no way he was letting his innocent cousin move in with gang members.

"Since when do you care about what's legal?" Spot asked,crossing his arms.

"Yeah!" Derek exclaimed, suddenly all smiles.

"You're a bad influence on him already!" Speed accused, immediately standing back up and striding towards Spot. "And this whole arrangement between us?" he snarled, pointing between himself and Spot. "It's fucking done, do you hear me? I'm out. And I don't give a fuck what kind of threats you want to make. I'm fucking out of here. Tonight."

"Try it and see what happens," Spot growled right back.

"Alright, that's enough," Slingshot finally spoke up as he stepped in between the two of them. He looked back over to Bam and Hunter. "Bam," he commanded. "Take Mr. Too-Happy into the kitchen and make dinner. A long one. And I don't want to see either of you until it's done and the table is set." He put his hand on Speed's shoulder. "Speed, let's go upstairs," he said, his voice suddenly calm. "Let's talk about this, okay?"

Spot looked towards Hunter and Bam when he felt their eyes on him. "Well," he replied with a shrug, "you heard him."

Bam immediately nodded before grabbing Hunter's shoulder and steering him towards the kitchen.

"But I wanted to see what happens," Hunter whined as he was dragged off.

"What about Derek?" Speed asked, looking towards his cousin.

"Derek will be fine for a few minutes while we talk," Slingshot replied. He started steering Speed towards the stairs, stopping to turn around when Spot started following them. "Boss, you stay here," he said. "I already know you're going to be counterproductive to the entire conversation." He leaned forward to whisper to him, "Let me handle this one, okay?"

Spot wouldn't have nodded him off had he realized that he was getting stuck in the room with a baby.

It was several seconds of staring before Derek finally broke the silence. "What are you boss of?"

"Brooklyn," Spot answered before sitting down cross legged on the floor, still half a room away from the other boy.

Derek's eyes immediately widened. "I didn't know Brooklyn had a boss."

"It will when I'm done with it," Spot promised with a nod. He took out a cigarette and lit it before extending the pack to Derek. "You want one?"

Derek's eyes got even wider as he shook his head. "I don't think I'm allowed."

Spot shrugged as he took a puff. "If you work for me," he replied, blowing out smoke, "you can be allowed to do whatever the hell you want."

"For real?" Derek asked in awe, leaning forward. "Can I?"

Spot shrugged again. "Depends on if you can be useful or not. What can you do?"

Derek leaned back so he was sitting up straight again and bit his lip. It took him several seconds before he finally answered. "I can draw," he offered.

Spot rolled his eyes. "What the fuck am I going to do with that?"

"I can …" Derek frowned as his mind raced through his possible skills. "I know how to do long division," he tried again. "No one else in my class can do it yet. My teacher says I'm real smart," he said, looking over at Spot with a hopeful expression.

"I doubt that, retard," Spot muttered, and if Derek heard him he gave no indication. "Long division is stupid," he replied in a louder voice.

Derek immediately frowned again. "I know how to play the piano?"

"Is that a fucking question?" Spot asked, glaring at him as he took a hit off his cigarette.

Derek quickly shook his head. "No. I can play the piano," he repeated.

"That's still just as fucking useless as long division, you idiot," Spot answered.

Derek let out a whine as he went back to thinking about what else he might have been good at. He was quickly running out of possibilities. "I can play video games?"

"More questions?" Spot growled out.

Derek quickly shook his head again as his eyes widened in tower. "No. I can-"

"Forget about it," Spot snapped, rolling his eyes. "Video games are useless as fuck, and you're definitely a retard. Useless. How the fuck can you make me money, dipshit?"

Derek's mouth dropped open as he stared at Spot, eyes still wide open. "S-seth says you shouldn't use that word," he finally said in a quiet voice.

Spot smacked himself on the forehead. "You've gotta be the dumbest fucking retard I've ever met," he muttered

Derek's lip quivered. "I don't think Seth likes that word either," he said, his voice cracking halfway through.

"Oh, fucking Jesus, like I give a flying fuck about Seth," Spot snapped. He flinched as Derek let out a wail and tears started streaming down his face. "Wha-what the fuck are you doing?" Spot exclaimed, his eyes wide as he leaned away from the little boy.

"I-I-I want Seth! You're mean and I don't like you!" Derek announced, snot already pouring out of his nose.

"Bam!" Spot shouted, his voice high and tight. "Bam! I need you! Please! Now!"

Bam came rushing in just seconds later, a frying pan lifted over his head in one hand and a steak knife in the other. His eyes flashed around the room on high alert before he settled a confused gaze on Spot.

Spot's eyes pointedly widened before his head jerked toward the crying boy on the other side of the room. "That's the problem," he said for clarification, trying to keep his voice calm and failing. "How would that not be the fucking problem?"

Bam raised his eyebrows before pointing at himself. "Me? What am I supposed to do?"

In the meantime, Derek continued to wail.

"I don't know!" Spot exclaimed, flinging his arms out. "Do something."

Bam looked panicked for half a second before taking a deep breath and steeling himself for his new mission. He dropped his unneeded weapons and crouched down beside Speed's cousin. Bam spared one more look towards Spot before slowly reaching out a hand to grab his shoulder and shaking him enough to make his head bob. "Hey, it'll be alright," he said in an emotionless voice.

Derek did nothing but yell louder.

"Jesus, you made it worse!" Spot accused, finally leaping up from his place on the floor and walking over to Bam. "You were supposed to fix it!"

"Well, I didn't know what to do!" Bam exclaimed, his voice coming out frantic once again. "I've never had to take care of kids before! You never trained me for this!"

"Little kids should know how to get other little kids to stop crying!"

"Fucking Jesus, we're the same age, Spot!" Bam reminded him.

Spot's eyes widened as he pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't say that," he warned. "Don't you fucking say that. That's what got us into this fucked up situation in the first place."

Bam just blinked at him. "Don't say … what?"

"'Fucking Jesus'," Spot whispered.

Bam's look just got more confused. "He's crying because you said …" he said with calm, his voice trailing off as he wondered how to say it without saying it. "Why would he even care?"

"I don't know, dude," Spot answered with a shrug, no longer yelling. "He probably loves Jesus or some shit. I assumed Speed enrolled in a Catholic school so he'd always be able to beat everyone up, but maybe their family really likes God or whatever."

"Huh," Bam replied, looking deep in thought as silence resided.

Silence. Like, no crying.

Spot jerked his head to the kid, his eyes widening when he took in Hunter offering him a cookie. "If that's poisoned I'm going to kick your ass," was the first thing he could think of to say.

"Dude," Hunter replied as Derek hesitated to bite into the cookie. "That's morbid. You really think I'm going kill a kid by feeding him cookies?" He looked down to see the boy looking at him with wide terrified eyes. Hunter smiled as he rubbed his back. "I wouldn't. Promise," he said. "I'll even eat half of it to prove it. In fact, they're delicious cookies; I'll eat half of it just to eat half of it."

The boy pulled the cookie away from Hunter uncertainly, not quite sure whether he wanted to give up half or not. He looked around the room and flinched slightly when his eyes landed on Spot.

Hunter ignored all the nonverbal body language. "Nom nom nom! Cookies!" he said in a deep voice. "I'll eat all your cookies!" He grabbed Derek up, tickling his sides as the kid burst out with laughter-infused pleas.

Spot and Bam shared a look from the other side of the room.

"What the fuck am I looking at?" Spot muttered to Bam, not taking his eyes off Hunter being good at handling a child.

"Hallucination," Bam muttered back. "I read about this on : the government is slowly putting LSD in our water supply to turn us all into whackjobs. They probably hired a new guy to dispense it this week, and he fucked up and put too much in."

Spot looked at Bam to frown at him before focusing his attention back on Hunter and Derek. "I'm actually having a really hard time deciding which one to believe," he finally muttered.

"You're not going to convince me of anything," Speed announced as soon as Slingshot had ushered them both into his bedroom and closed the door. "Kidnapping my cousin? Are you fucking serious?" he asked, pulling at his hair as he paced the room. "He's just some little kid running around playing pretend! I don't know how-"

"I know Spot's not the best person on earth to work for," Slingshot interrupted, he shot a quick look to the closed door, worrying if Stealth was listening on the other side. Dude had ears like an elephant. "But, even so, Spot's-"

"... Really good at convincing people to be just as deranged as him?" Speed finished, whirling around to face Slingshot. "The kid's, like, thirteen years old, Sling. He doesn't have the mental capacity at this age to care for anyone, let alone my impressionable cousin. He goes around beating people up and making threats. Where the fuck are his god damn parents?"

Slingshot blinked at him. "Huh. I guess I never really thought of that," he finally answered before shrugging. "Dead, maybe? Don't want him? Too doped up to care that they haven't seen their son in months?" He crossed his arms as he looked at the ground and shrugged again. "Those are all pretty typical stories you hear from homeless kids," he said quietly. He looked up at Speed and asked in a louder voice, "How about yours?"

"Too doped up to care that they haven't seen their son in months," Speed answered in a quiet and hollow voice. "Derek's are dead, and his foster parents don't really give a fuck about him," He stared at the ground in silence for several seconds before loudly swallowing and looking back up at Slingshot. "But that doesn't change the situation with Spot," he said, getting back on track.

"Spot's different from other kids," Slingshot tried to explain. "He's … mature?"

"Mature?" Speed asked, crossing his arms. "Mature how, exactly? Give me one example of him being mature." He started pacing again, not giving Slingshot the time to answer. "Just because his temper tantrums are more violent than other kids doesn't make it not a temper tantrum."

"I wouldn't call them-"

"Word on the street is this is the most violent gang in New York," Speed interrupted Slingshot. "We're not even a real gang, dude! We have a reputation and we're only six people! You think this is the environment I want Derek to be a part of?"

"You're wrong," Spot said, walking through the door. "We don't have six people. We either have five or we have seven. You're the one that insisted your brother be taken care of."

Speed spun around to face him. "Okay, first thing? He's my cousin, you humongous douchebag. Second, this is nothing like what I asked for. I told you not to make him a gang member!"

Spot crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You said I didn't have to turn him into a gang member, not that I wasn't allowed to. And if I'm giving away all this shit you bet your ass he'll be doing shit to earn it."

"He's nine years old!" Speed yelled. "What the hell do you think he's going to do for you?" He pulled at his hair. "Ugh! That's not even the point!" He clenched his teeth and forced out a sigh before glaring at Spot. "Look, Derek is my responsibility, and I'm not going to have him brought up in this … this dystopia."

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Spot asked, glaring right back.

"Dystopia?" Slingshot asked calmly. "It's like a utopia. Except, you know, the complete opposite."

"You think this gang's fucked up?" Spot asked, snarling at Speed.

Speed didn't back down. "Are there people who don't?"

Spot took a step towards him so they were chest to chest. "I'll show you what's fucked up when I reach into your throat and pull out your small intestines," he growled.

"Jesus!" Slingshot exclaimed, before walking over and pulling them apart. He turned towards Spot. "Boss, fucking calm your ass down. There's a reason I took him upstairs," he snapped before turning to Speed and addressing him in a calmer voice. "Look, I know this isn't the ideal situation, but this is what we have. If we're shelling out resources for people we've gotta keep 'em close. That includes both you and Derek. It's too dangerous otherwise; other gangs don't like us too much."

"Oh, yeah, I can't imagine why," Speed replied, crossing his arms.

Slingshot put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know it'll be a hard adjustment, but I'll help anyway I can. Let me know what you need to feel comfortable with Derek being here and I'll do my best to make sure it happens."

"No cussing," Speed answered immediately. "No violence or talking about violence. He needs to keep going to school. And he needs to be watched. He needs his books, so he can read. And I want him eating healthy: fruits and vegetables. And-"

"Jesus, fuck, we're turning the poor kid into a pussy," Spot muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Actually," Slingshot said with a frown, "weren't you supposed to be watching him?"

Spot shrugged. "I gave him a box of matches and a can of gasoline and told him to go crazy. He seemed happy enough when I left."

"You what?" Speed screamed, his voice cracking in panic before he rushed out of the room.

Spot watched as he left. "Damn, he's fast. Think he used to be on the track team?" he asked, turning to see Slingshot glaring at him. He waited several seconds before finally shrugging. "What? It was a joke."

"Not. Funny. Spot," Slingshot replied through clenched teeth before going after Speed..

Speed rushed downstairs to see his cousin loudly laughing on the couch with Bam beside him making expressive hand gestures. While he was glad not to see any matches or gasoline in the vicinity it didn't do much to calm him down. "You better be keeping whatever it is you're telling him to a PG rating!" he yelled across the room.

Bam's face fell before turning to Speed and lighting back up again. "Hey, friend!"

"Not your friend," Speed muttered.

Bam didn't lose his enthusiasm. "I was just telling him about this really cool abandoned warehouse not too far from here. They've got a forklift that still works. We were gonna go after dinner."

"No you aren't," Speed replied, crossing his arms. "Derek is not allowed in abandoned warehouses. For one, it's trespassing and against the law."

"But Bam says he does it all the time!" Derek whined.

"And for another," Speed said, giving Derek a pointed look, "it's dangerous. No abandoned buildings, Derek."

"But Seth!"

"I said, 'no', Derek!" Speed yelled, turning as soon as he heard someone come down the stairs. "You see what this is already starting?" he asked as soon as he saw Slingshot. "I leave him alone for twenty minutes and he's already turning into a hooligan!"

"Better a hooligan than a pussy," Spot muttered loudly, brushing past Slingshot.

Slingshot glared at the back of Spot's head for half a second before turning to address Speed. "It's a new situation; everyone still needs some adjusting." He turned towards Bam. "Bam, no abandoned buildings for Derek, okay? He's to stay inside for now."

"What? No fair!" Bam and Derek said simultaneously.

"He's going to be beyond useless if he can't even go outside," Spot muttered as he plopped himself down on the couch next to Bam. "And if I've gotta raise a kid he's not going to be some pussy ass nerd that never goes outside."

"Raise?" Speed asked, whirling around to face Spot. "You aren't raising anyone. You're not even allowed to talk to him!"

Spot silently snorted. "I'll do whatever the fu-"

"Spot!" Slingshot interrupted. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose once he was certain Spot wasn't going to let the curse word slip.

"... The fuck I want," Spot finished with a smirk.

"Jesus fuck!" Slingshot cussed before quickly covering his mouth with his hand.

"That's it!" Speed exclaimed. "We aren't staying here! No way! I'm taking Derek home," he declared, striding over to his little cousin.

Derek immediately latched onto Bam. "No! I don't wanna! You go home! I'm staying here!"

Bam hugged Derek. "Yeah," he said, looking up at Speed. "I don't want him to leave. He's a cool little kid. Did you know he can belch the alphabet?"

Speed's lip curled in disgust. "He shouldn't be-"

"Belching the alphabet is still completely useless," Spot interrupted, putting his hands behind his head and looking towards the ceiling. "Can't stay here if you're going to be deadweight."

"Don't call Derek deadweight!" Speed complained when he saw the pout starting to form on his cousin's face.

"What the fuck do you care what I call him?" Spot asked calmly. "I thought you didn't want him here anyway."

"Stop cussing!" Speed commanded.

"Just stop talking, Spot," Slingshot demanded a second later. "You're just making everything worse."

"You both can go fuck yourselves," Spot answered, leaning forward in his seat. "It's my god damn house and I can fucking cuss if I fucking want to."

Slingshot loudly sighed as Speed snarled at Spot.

"You don't understand the word 'compromise', do you?" Slingshot asked, exasperated.

"He doesn't understand anything!" Speed declared loudly.

"I don't fucking care if he cusses." Derek argued from the couch. "I wanna-"

"No!" Speed interrupted, his eyes wide as he strode over to Derek and jerked him off the couch and out of Bam's hold. "No. No. No. We are leaving. Right now."

"Spot said I can do whatever I want if I work for him!" Derek yelled as he was pulled by the arm towards the door.

"Except you don't work for me yet," Spot reminded him as he lit up a cigarette. "And you probably won't because you sound pretty useless to me."

"You're not working for him at all! Ever!" Speed shouted at his cousin.

"Why the hell did we do all that work to get Speed if you're just going to push him out the door, you fucking dick?" Slingshot yelled at Spot.

"Why do all my friends keep leaving me?" Bam yelled from the couch.

Their arguing was cut short by a loud crash from the kitchen.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, who the fuck left Hunter alone in the kitchen?" Slingshot asked when he realized who wasn't present.

"I was watching the kid," Bam said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I'm not a kid!" Derek exclaimed immediately.

"I told you the bastard'd be a handful," Spot grumbled, getting up from the couch to head into the kitchen.

Hunter came into the living room before Spot got halfway across the room. "Okay, so, I might have broken the blender, maybe?"

"We have a blender?" Bam asked at the same time as Slingshot asked, "Why the hell were you even using the blender?"

"Yeah!" Hunter answered Bam, hopping on his toes as he turned to face Slingshot. "So, I was reading about this diet that's supposed to be really healthy. You can't have carbs, so I was thinking bacon and fried cheese for dinner. It's perfect for a growing boy!"

"No, it's not!" Speed shouted.

"What part of that requires a fucking blender?" Spot asked, rolling his eyes.

Slingshot pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just wish we could have a normal evening. Just fucking one. Please, for the love of god."

"What the fuck about fried cheese makes you think it's healthy?" Bam shouted.

Derek walked over to Hunter during all the shouting and gave the hem of his shirt a couple tugs. He pointed at the blender as soon as Hunter looked down at him. "I can fix that for you," he offered quietly.

Hunter smiled as he nodded and grabbed the boy's hand, leading him into the kitchen.

It took thirty minutes for anyone to realize that the living room was short two people. By the time everyone stormed the kitchen the blender was working again and Hunter was trying to fry a block of cheese.

"Huh," Spot said, looking at Derek. "Guess you've got a place to stay after all, Gadget. Find a bed," he said before strolling back out of the kitchen.

"I'm not fucking eating fried cheese for dinner," Bam said as he shoved Hunter away from the stove. "Move your ass so I can make something edible."

"I never agreed to let Derek-" Speed began just to be interrupted by Gadget.

"Nope, nope, nope!" Gadget sang, leaping onto Hunter's back. "I'm working for Spot now and that means you're not the boss of me!"

"That's not how this works!" Speed argued.

Slingshot put a hand on his shoulder. "I've been trying to tell everyone that since I joined. It doesn't work. Just let it go."

"Sooo … turns out we don't have enough beds," Slingshot said, leaning against the doorframe of Spot's bedroom.

Spot flipped the page of the magazine he was reading as he laid in bed. "That's your job," he said, not bothering to look up.

"Yeah, well, maybe if you would've told me you were picking up another member today I would've been equipped to handle it," Slingshot said, frowning down at his boss. "You wanna let me in on exactly what you were planning with this little stunt, by the way?"

"Exactly what happened," Spot answered, still not looking at his second-in-command. "We've got Speed and we've got a tech guy. Mission accomplished."

"Spot, you didn't-" Slingshot said loudly before he shut the door and walked farther into the room. "Spot you did not plan all that," he said in a quieter voice. "You did not plan that if you kept being a stupid little shit Gadget would eventually fix the blender, thus forcing Speed to stay."

"I knew he'd do something eventually," Spot insisted.

"You did not! You almost chased Speed out of here," Slingshot pointed out. "And then what would have happened?"

"Then he'd be gone, and that'd be alright," Spot answered before flipping another page in his magazine. "I have no use for people who don't fight for what they want. Gadget fought to stay; Speed fought to leave." He shrugged. "It was fun to watch."

Slingshot sighed as he hovered near his boss's bed. "What's sad is I totally believe you."

"Why wouldn't you? I'm brilliant," Spot answered, scooting over to make room for Slingshot next to him, still not dropping his eyes from the magazine.

"I wasn't saying it for the 'brilliant' aspect of it so much as the psychopathic aspect of it," Slingshot said with a frown before joining Spot on the bed.

"They're basically the same thing," Spot reasoned.

Slingshot laid with him in silence for several minutes before turning towards him. "Do you check out my ass when I leave the room?"

Spot dropped his magazine. "What?" he asked, finally looking at Slingshot with both eyebrows raised.

"Hunter says that whenever I leave a room you always stare at my ass," Slingshot said calmly. "Is it true?"

"Get off my bed."

Slingshot smirked before rolling on top of Spot. "It's fine if you do. I've looked at yours too, you know. I figure it's time to stop playing with each other, don't you think? Stop all the teasing and sidelong looks?"

Spot's breath was coming in short gasps. "Slingshot, if you don't get the fuck off of me right now I'll … I'll …"

Slingshot burst out laughing as he rolled off Spot. "Man, the great Spot, King of all Brooklyn, so shellshocked he can't even come up with a threat." He patted Spot's shoulder. "Sorry, Boss, I just couldn't miss a chance to see you flustered. I knew you were all talk."

Spot glared before finally leaping towards him, knocking them both off the bed. "I'll show you who's all talk, you motherfucker," he growled before kissing him.

Spot rolled out of bed at around two in the morning, tired of Slingshot rolling on top of him. Slingshot probably planned this whole thing after giving his bed away and realizing they didn't have any more open. Probably tricked Spot into kissing him, just so he could smuggle his way into Spot's bed.

It was to be admired, really.

Even if that did mean that Spot lost this particular battle, since he was going down to sleep on the couch. A fact that Spot would make sure Sling paid for, since he never took losing well.

He glared when he got down the steps and realized the living room light was still on. "We're paying for the fucking electric in this piece of shit place, you idiots," he grumbled to himself as he walked into the living room.

He froze when he saw Gadget sitting on the couch, staring at him with wide eyes. It took several seconds of staring back before Spot could formulate words. "Y-yo."

"H-hi," Gadget stuttered back. "I- You're not going to kick me out because I have the lights on, are you?"

Spot shrugged. "Guess not." He frowned at him. "You are sitting on my bed though."

Gadget immediately shot up from the couch, his eyes wide. "S-s-sorry. I didn't realize. I mean, I thought-" he stuttered before quietly asking, "Did I steal your bed?"

Spot crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow. "Yes. That's what I just fucking told you, for the love of god. You were sitting on it. How can I make it more clear than that?"

"N-n-no, I meant, like," Gadget started before taking a breath and trying again. "I meant, uh, like, maybe, I stole your bed before this? So, uh, I mean-"

Spot massaged his temple. "How can you not be retarded?" he muttered too quiet for Gadget to hear. "Alright, listen," he said, sighing as he looked at Gadget. "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight, and you're in my way. So, go the fuck upstairs and go to bed so you'll stop fucking bothering me, okay?"

Gadget loudly swallowed, tears already running down his face. "Y-yes," he answered, nodding before he took off for the stairs.

Spot grabbed his arm as he tried to walk past him. "Alright, we're taking care of this crying thing right the fuck now," he decided, pulling Gadget back towards the couch and sitting them both down. "No more fucking crying," he said, looking at Gadget and shaking his head. "No more. Ever. Got me? You in a god damn gang, not a preschool; fucking act like it."

Gadget bit his lip as he nodded at Spot. He sniffled before wiping his arm across his nose.

"That's disgusting," Spot replied, rolling his eyes. "And just one more reason to man the fuck up and stop being a snivelling idiot."

Gadget nodded again. "Y-you aren't going to kick me out, are you? O-or kill me? Seth says you could kill me."

"Who the fuck is-?" Spot started to ask before he remembered. Speed. They were talking about Speed. "I could kill you, yeah," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Probably won't. As for kicking you out, I wouldn't have tried to get you here so hard if I didn't want you."

"B-b-but you …" Gadget began, before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to continue. "You didn't try at all."

Spot slung his arm over Gadget's shoulders and smirked at him. "Hey, you aren't the easiest person to kidnap, you know. You realize how much duct tape I had to waste on you?"

Gadget smiled back, sniffing one more time as he nodded.

"Alright, so we're clear then?" Spot asked, raising an eyebrow. "No more crying. And sleep in your own damn bed," he said, nudging Gadget off the couch. "I didn't give up mine just so you wouldn't sleep in yours."

TBC

Okay, so you guys get one more quick-posted chapter. I'm only a couple thousand words into the next chapter, so please be patient for it. Review if you have time; you already know I love hearing from all of you!