Car Talk, Loco Luis, and a New Deal

"Here," Rocksteady said, tossing an ice pack to me. "Oughta help with the pain."

"... Thanks," I replied warily, taking the cold pack and holding it to my now black eye. Moving my arms and legs made me wince with pain, and I sat back in the front passenger seat, looking out the window at the passing buildings.

The beatdown had been quick and precise. After hitting me in the eye, the two animal thugs had proceeded to punch my arms and legs, knocking me and the chair over a few times. It hurt as much as I thought it would, and I screamed and cried as I was repeatedly kicked and hit. Finally, after a couple minutes, they stopped and asked me where Loco Luis lived. I told them, they untied me, and led me to the van.

I was surprised that Rocksteady had offered me an ice pack after beating me up; I doubted most thugs acted in an almost friendly way, but these two were not exactly normal thugs [I was starting to think that they might actually be mutants]. They had very… interesting personalities, to say the least, and I felt a strange combination of fear and excitement as we drove off into the night.

We appeared to be somewhere in southern Manhattan [I spotted an 84th street sign out the window], meaning we had a bit of a drive ahead of us back to Washington Heights. The two thugs were keeping a close eye on me, which probably explained why I was in the passenger seat while Rocksteady sat right behind me. The other seats that would have been behind him had been taken out, leaving an empty space that was littered with fast food wrappers and a few empty beer cans.

And speaking of food…

"What're ya doin'," Bebop asked, briefly glancing in the rearview mirror as his friend rummaged through the bags of undelivered food.

"Figured we can't let it go to waste," Rocksteady replied, taking out one of the containers and opening it. "The hell is this crap?"

"It's m-mofongo," I said, briefly turning around to see what the rhino had in his hands.

"Mo-what?"

"Mofongo. It's plantains fried and mashed with pork rinds and garlic, served with either pork or shrimp and a dipping sauce. This one's served with pork, I think."

"What's a plantain," Rocksteady asked, sniffing the food with some apprehension.

"It's a banana," Bebop replied curtly.

"Well, not really," I started to say.

"They're bananas, aren't they," the warthog interrupted.

"...Technically, but-"

"Then just say bananas next time."

"But- Fine," I conceded, figuring that it would be useless [and foolish] to argue with the thug. I heard the rhino eat a bite of the food, and for some reason, I had to resist the urge to turn around and see if he liked it.

"This… actually tastes good," Rocksteady said a moment later, and the sound of more loud chewing came from behind me. "What'd you say this was again, kid?"

"Mofongo," I replied.

"It's really good!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Bebop snapped. "You're sprayin' that shit all over me!"

"No I'm not," the rhino thug said, his voice muffled from the amount of food in his mouth.

"Yes ya are," his friend replied. "I hope ya choke on it, fatty!"

"I'm not fat!" Rocksteady slammed his fist on the seat next to him, nearly crushing the other food. "I'm just big-boned, and you know that!"

"Could've fooled me," Bebop muttered.

"I'll chuck this at your face!"

"Then we'll crash."

"So? We've survived car crashes before!"

"But we need the kid alive so we can make sure he takes us to Crazy Luis' place!"

Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo, I thought, holding onto the grab handle near my head with white-knuckled hands. As if being kidnapped was bad enough, hearing your captors argue about crashing the car was even worse; if there was a time to call on a higher power, this is it. Santificado sea tu-

"Look, just shut up and eat," Bebop continued. "You've done enough tonight!"

"What's that supposed to mean," Rocksteady asked, frowning at his fellow thug.

"It means that we wouldn't be here in the first place if you hadn't screwed up and grabbed the wrong guy," the warthog said, his voice getting steadily louder as he spoke.

"It wasn't my fault," the rhino yelled back, closing the container of food and setting it aside. "You're the one that said he was walking up the street and to grab him!"

"No I didn't! I asked if that was him and ya said ya didn't know!"

"I did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!

"Did t-"

"Just SHUT UP," I finally yelled, turning to glare at the two of them.

Bebop hit the brake, quickly swerving the car so that we came to a sudden halt on the side of the street [it was fortunately deserted, so no one got hurt]. All three of us were slammed back against our seats by the seatbelts, which aggravated my sore arms and legs, which only made me angrier. When the two thugs turned to me with shocked and angry expressions, I did not hold back.

"What kind of thugs are you," I demanded, glaring at the two thugs. "You two are probably the sorriest excuses for crooks that I've ever encountered, and you're both the first thugs I've ever met! Arguing and bitching at one another, just like my little sisters! And they're EIGHT! Both of you screwed up, kidnapping me instead of Luis!" I turned to face Rocksteady. "Finish eating that delicious food my family made and shut up!" I turned to Bebop. "And you, hurry up and get us to Luis' apartment so I don't have to spend any more time time dealing with your bullshit! I already deal with enough of that at home, so shut the FUCK up and stop acting like a bunch of kids!"

A ringing silence seemed to fill the car when I finished shouting, covering everyone and everything like a blanket. I was breathing heavily, but I started to calm down, turning back towards the front as I put the ice pack back on my eye. A few moments later, the realization of what I had said hit me like a ton of bricks.

I'm dead, I thought, now too scared to look at either animal thug. I'm actually dead now. They're gonna kill me and dump my body in the Hudson. But they're probably gonna break my legs first, like they threatened to do earlier. I took a shuddering breath, tensing myself for the first blow.

It never came.

I heard Bebop exhale, and the van pulled forward, once again moving down the street. Behind me, I heard Rocksteady slowly continue to eat, chewing so slowly and quietly that I could have sworn that he was scared of upsetting me. I was confused, wondering why they had not gotten mad at me for insulting their intelligence and telling them to shut up.

Wait, I realized, thinking back over the words I had said. I said all that in Spanish! I tended to switch to Spanish whenever I got upset, and in the heat of the moment, I had not realized that I was no longer speaking English.

I suddenly started to snicker little, a smile coming onto my lips. It soon bubbled up, becoming louder as it turned into a chuckle, and then a snort. Moments later, I was laughing out loud, the loud noise ringing through the van. I did not care if Bebop or Rocksteady got angry or looked at me funny; I was too busy laughing to care.

They didn't understand me, I thought giddily, a few tears of mirth in my eyes. And it scared them! Spanish scared them! It was so ridiculous, I continued to laugh, wiping at my eyes and nearly dropping my ice pack.

"Ya know I understood half of what ya said, right?"

That shut me up in an instant, and I froze mid-laugh, a chill of fear running down my spine. Slowly, I turned to look at Bebop, who was staring at the road ahead, but with an evil grin on his face.

"I've lived in New York all my life, and my neighbors used to argue in Spanish all the time when I was a kid," the warthog continued. "And I've known Luis since before we were mutants, so I've picked up a bit." He briefly glanced at me. "So ya got two little sisters? Are they part of that 'bullshit' ya deal with at home?"

I felt as if I had been kicked in the stomach, and for a brief moment, I forgot how to breathe. Then, terror overshadowed me as I realized that I was screwed.

"Wait, what did he say," Rocksteady spoke from the backseat, now opening another food container.

"I'm s-sorry," I finally stammered, feeling like a mouse facing a hungry snake. "I-I-I don't know w-what came over me, I-"

"I'm not gonna beat ya up for screamin' at us," Bebop interrupted, stopping at a red light and turning towards me. "I gotta admit that it took some guts to say that stuff about us; I respect that." He frowned a little. "But don't do it again. Got it?"

"G-Got it," I quickly agreed.

"What did he say," the rhino thug asked again. "Did he call me fat?"

"No, he didn't."

"Oh… Good!" He tried some of the rice. "Woah! This is really good too!"

"It's arroz con gandules… Puerto Rico's national dish," I said, confused yet relieved that I was not about to be crushed like a soda can. "Rice, pigeon peas and pork cooked together with sofrito."

"You know, these taste a lot better than I thought they would," Rocksteady said, taking a big bite of rice. "I've never had Puerto Rico food before. Your family makes this?"

"Yeah," I replied, smiling a little. "We have a restaurant in upper Manhattan, not far from where you abducted me. My grandfather opened back in the seventies after he came here from Puerto Rico with his family, including my dad."

"Cool. We oughta get takeout from there sometime. You guys do takeout?"

"And delivery. Technically, this food was supposed to go to the Rosario family." I turned to Bebop. "Can I have my phone back now? And my headphones?"

"Sorry, kid," the warthog thug replied. "Ya don't get nothin' back until we get what we want."

"Okay. But could you please use my actual name? I'm a little too old to be a kid."

"Fine… Robbie?"

"Roberto."

"I knew that."

I held back a snicker, turning back towards Rocksteady. "Can I have the quesitos?"

"Which are those," the rhino thug asked.

"Puff pastries filled with a sweet cream cheese filling and glazed after baking. It should be in a smaller container"

The animal man stuck his snout in the bag, sniffing around before he produced a container and handed it to me. I opened the box, taking one of the sweet desserts and taking a bit bite of it. It was one of my favorite desserts, and seeing that the Rosario family would not be enjoying it, I figured I would enjoy the food; besides, most of the food I ate at home were stale leftovers from the dinner service.

"Can I have one of those," Rocksteady asked.

"Sure," I replied, holding the box out to him. "Want any, Bebop?"

"It sure got chummy in here real quick," the warthog commented, but he accepted one. "I oughta remind ya that you're our prisoner."

"I know," I replied, taking another bite of quesito. "But would you rather the atmosphere be hostile?" I swallowed my bite. "As your hostage, I feel a lot safer and willing to cooperate when I don't feel like my life's in danger. And it makes things easier for you two if your prisoner is willing to help you. Everyone's happy in the end."

"Huh… never thought of it like that," Bebop said.

"Can I ask you two something," I said. "You said you were 'mutants,' and I was wondering…"

"Ya don't believe us," the warthog thug asked.

"Uh... yeah. Not that I'm saying you guys are lying," I quickly added, not trying to upset them. "It's just that mutants are usually only found in comic books and stuff, not in real life."

Bebop sighed. "Want us to strip or somethin'? See that we're mutant all over?"

"NO! What the fuck, dude?!"

"I ain't strippin' shit," Rocksteady agreed.

"I was just kiddin'," Bebop said. "Sheesh! But seriously, kid-"

"Roberto."

"Whatever. Do ya honestly think that we're wearin' costumes?" He held up one of his hands. "I mean, where would two guys like us get nice-lookin' costumes? And why would we want full-body costumes? A simple hockey mask over our faces would be easier."

"But only psychos wear hockey masks," the rhino thug spoke up, still eating out of the food containers. "Like that Casey Jones guy."

"I guess that makes sense," I said, staring at the warthog's hand and wrist, not finding a costume seam. Of course, they could be costumes with hidden seams, but as I looked at the two thugs, I started to realize how unlikely that was. Besides, with all the technology we have today, was it really so crazy to think that mutants existed? The more I thought about it, the more I started to realize that they were telling the truth.

Okay... mutants exist, I thought. Cool.

"But… if you're mutants, does that mean you have super powers," I asked.

"We're strong enough to break every bone in your body," Bebop commented, holding out his hand for another quesito. "And it takes more than swords and sticks and knives and guns to stop us."

"How did you become mutants?" I still had a few doubts about their claim, so I was naturally curious as to how two mutants could come into existence.

"We got mutated a couple years back," Rocksteady replied. "But we can't gonna say where or how; it's supposed to be a secret."

I nodded. "Fair enough. Did you volunteer to be mutated?"

"We volunteered," Bebop replied.

"Why would you want to be a mutant," I asked. "I mean, besides being super strong."

The two mutants glanced at one another, thinking it over for a few moments.

"It was… kinda the super strong stuff," Rocksteady confessed.

"Well, it worked," I said. "You two look pretty strong to me. How much can you bench press?"

"Haven't been to a gym since we got mutated, but I once dead-lifted this van."

My eyes widened a little. "Really?"

"Yeah," the rhino said with a grin. "And Bebop here once fell outta five-story building and didn't even break any bones!"

"No way," I said, turning to the warthog.

"Yeah," he replied, a small smile coming onto his face. "It'd take a tank bein' dropped on us in order to break any of our bones!"

"I once busted up a tank," Rocksteady piped up.

"Oh… interesting," I said, realizing that I was probably lucky that they did not beat me so badly. "Did you get to choose what animals you got mutated into?"

"Yep," Bebop replied. "I chose a warthog 'cause I once saw this old movie with a warthog and it looked real ferocious. Thought that it'd scare people and shit."

"And I chose a rhino 'cause they're strong and cool lookin'," Rocksteady answered. "What would you chose if you was in our shoes?"

"That's a hard one," I replied, taking some time to think it over. "Probably… a bird or something, so I could fly."

"New Yorkers ain't exactly friendly towards birds," the warthog commented.

"I'd leave New York if I could fly," I continued. "Go somewhere else where no one knows me and doesn't eat Puerto Rican food." I quickly looked at them. "Not that I hate Puerto Rican food, but it does get old when you eat it 24/7."

"Sounds like it would," Bebop agreed. "I take it your mom doesn't know how to cook anythin' else?" I did not reply, but my silence was answer enough. "Oh… Sorry."

"It's fine," I replied. "She died about three years ago… Car accident."

"Mine too," Rocksteady said in a quiet, subdued voice. "I was seven."

I turned towards him. "I'm sorry." The rhino nodded in reply, a few more moments of silence filling the car.

"So it's just your dad," Bebop asked. "And your sisters?"

"I have an older brother, Arturo." I frowned. "He's an asshole."

The rhino's eyebrows raised a little. "Really?"

"Yeah. He's older, so he thinks that makes him better than me. He's also dad's favorite; he could murder someone, and my dad would refuse to see anything bad about him." I looked out the passenger window. "But when I accidentally leave a speck of food on a dish by mistake, I'm Public Enemy No. 1!" My hands clenched into fists. "I'd like to show him where he can shove those dishes!"

"Looks like someone's got a dark side," the warthog thug chuckled.

"Is this funny to you," I asked, frowning at him.

The mutant shrugged. "Well, Rocksteady here ain't exactly the best talker-"

"Yeah," the rhino mutant agreed, not even upset by the comment.

"And we rarely watch movies unless we rob a video store," Bebop continued. "So our sources of entertainment are pretty slim. So yeah, this is funny to me."

"Well I'm glad my family issues are funny to you," I said annoyedly, crossing my arms and turning away from them. "Why am I even talking to you about this; I don't know either of you!"

"But now my curiosity's piqued," the warthog thug said. "Besides, I always like watchin' privileged people complain about their lives."

"I am NOT privileged," I snapped, whirling around to glare at him as my anger boiled over. "My dad treats me like shit, my brother's a douchebag, and I'm stuck working in my family's stupid restaurant for the rest of my life! I have no money, no free time to myself, and the one thing I'm passionate about I can't do! So tell me, how the fuck am I privileged?!"

I put my head in my hands, growling with frustration as a few tears welled in my eyes. I refused to cry in front of these mutant thugs, and angrily chided myself for being so emotional.

Why did I all say that stuff out loud? The only person I ever talked to about my frustrations was Abue, and even then I was hesitant to tell her half of what was on my mind. Why did I just spill my guts to two complete strangers? And not just any strangers, but the guys who kidnapped me? It was probably a combination of nerves and lack of sleep, and I waited for the two mutants to either laugh, mock me for crying, or beat me up.

"Does he hurt you," Rocksteady suddenly asked.

I turned to look at the thug, who was frowning at me with his fists clenched. He looked very angry, but I could tell that his anger was not directed at me.

"W-What," I stammered, not expecting this particular question.

"Your dad," the rhino explained. "Does he hurt you?"

"Rocky," Bebop started to say.

"Just answer the question," Rocksteady interrupted. "Does he-"

"N-No," I stammered. "He's hit me across the face for talking back sometimes, but he just…" I looked down at my lap. "The way he talks to me most of the time… as if I'm an idiot, or someone not worth his time. He wants me to work at the restaurant; he doesn't even want me to go to college after I finish high school. And if I try to bring up my own opinions or hopes, he either guilt trips me or gets really angry and puts me on cleaning duty for a week. The restaurant's the only thing my dad cares about, and he spends all his time and energy focused on it. My older brother and I work there with our extended family, and I'm expected to keep working there after I graduate… for the rest of my life." I wiped at my eyes. "But saying it out loud, I do sound privileged. I've got a guaranteed place to live, a job, and a family. Why should I complain?"

"Why shouldn't ya complain," the mutant warthog said. "Your life sounds pretty shitty."

"Yeah," Rocksteady agreed. "Your dad shouldn't hit you or treat you like that."

"I know that," I snapped, letting out a frustrated huff. "But I can't do anything about it! The only person on my side is my grandmother, and she's been bedridden for the past two years!"

"Stand up for yourself," Bebop said. "No offence, but ya seem like someone that people can walk all over."

"Thanks," I muttered. "You don't know what it's like, living with my dad. He doesn't walk over me; he steamrolls over me! And everyone else follows behind, stomping me into the ground."

"Then do what I did," Rocksteady suggested. "Run away and hide out somewhere until he forgets about you."

"I can't run away," I said, turning to face the rhino thug. "I have nowhere to go!"

"Neither did I," Rocksteady said seriously. "I was livin' on the streets when I was ten years old, sleeping in alleyways and getting meals from dumpsters. That's how I met Bebop, and we've been best buds ever since."

"But… I can't," I repeated. "I'm not like you two; I can't live on the streets, missing school and not knowing where my next meal's gonna come from! And I'm sorry if that makes me sound entitled, but I want a normal life!"

"Ya think we didn't wanna normal life," Bebop said, a frown on his face. "Ya think we wanted shitty parents that treated us far worse than your dad? My folks took turns beatin' me up whenever they weren't beatin' each other!"

My face blanked.

"I… I had no idea," I said. "I'm sorry."

The warthog snorted. "Ya think I want your pity? Just because ya want us to pity ya-"

"I don't want you to pity me," I said angrily.

"Then why're ya tellin' us all this stuff," he asked. "Then again, why are we even lettin' ya talk? You're our hostage! Rocksteady, look for a gag or somethin' back there!"

"Do I gotta," the rhino asked tentatively.

"Yes!"

"After I shared my food with you two," I said.

"We're not your friends!"

"Well sorry for thinking that," I snapped. "I don't have any friends, and you two are the first people- or mutants, whatever, that have actually listened to me and didn't make me feel like a worthless piece of shit!"

There was another moment of ringing silence that filled the van. I quickly turned away from Bebop, looking at my reflection in the window. I was mad, kicking myself on the inside for telling these thugs about my personal life. And for Bebop to say that I was looking for pity… If I were a few feet taller and had a couple hundred pounds of muscle, I would show him!

"Uh…" I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned to see Rocksteady with an old rag in his hand. "I gotta… You know." He pointed at my mouth.

"I can mange it myself," I said, taking the rag and wadding it up in my mouth, turning back towards the window. I gagged a little at the taste and smell of the makeshift gag, but did not spit it back out. Bebop wanted me to shut up and be a hostage? Fine; I can shut up and sit there without complaining.

Besides, it's what I'm good at, I thought. Doing whatever someone tells me and keeping my mouth shut.

[][][]

About ten or fifteen minutes later, we parked in the alleyway across the street form Loco Luis' apartment building. Bebop put the car in park, and we all sat there for a few moments before he sighed and turned to me.

"Need I remind ya what'll happen if we found out ya lied to us," he said. I nodded in reply, the rag still in my mouth. He sighed. "Take that outta your mouth; I wanna hear ya say ya understand."

Sighing a little, I took the rag out of my mouth.

"I understand," I replied.

"Good," he replied, turning to his friend. "Rocksteady, grab the rope."

"You're gonna tie me up," I guessed.

"Shuddup," the warthog snapped as his friend rummaged around in the backseat, moving aside various boxes labeled 'Guns,' 'Comics,' and [most disturbingly] 'Rocket Launcher Ammo.'

"I can't find it," the rhino called.

"Did ya coil it and put it in the back after we untied him," Bebop asked.

"... Oops."

The warthog thug groaned tiredly, looking ready to punch the windshield out. "Forget it! We'll take him with us."

"No way," I said, gaping at him. "Loco Luis is called 'Loco' for a reason! If he finds out I told you where you live-"

"We ain't leavin' ya in our van untied," the mutant warthog said. "You'd probably run off or somethin', and none of us are stayin' here to guard ya. Besides, I doubt Crazy Luis'll care about ya with Rocksteady and I there. Now put the gag in your mouth."

"I don't want to go in," I repeated. "I already told you where he lives; this wasn't part of the deal!"

"Deals change," Bebop said. "I'll go first, and you'll follow behind with Rocksteady takin' the rear to make sure ya don't run away. Do ya know which apartment he's in?" I shook my head. "Well good thing it ain't a big buildin'; and if it's got an intercom system that'll make it easier." He pointed a warning finger at me. "Not a single scream or step outta place, or I'll turn your head around. Got it?" I nodded. "Okay. Let's get goin'."

For a moment, I considered screaming for help or running away, but knew that it would only make things worse for me. I had no choice but to comply. So, putting the rag back in my mouth, the three of us got out of the van. Like he promised, Bebop took the lead, and Rocksteady stood right behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder to make sure that I could not make a break for it. Sticking to the shadows of the alleyway, we started to walk towards the apartment building.

Naturally, I was scared of going into Loco Luis' home; I had heard stories about him and the many people he had beaten up, not to mention the rumors that he was a member of the infamous Purple Dragons. I hoped that when he saw me all bruised and being held captive by the two mutants, he would know that I was an unwilling victim in all of this.

But while I was dreading shaking a possible gang member for money, I would be lying if I said that this was not exciting. I was away from my family and the restaurant, held captive by two mutant thugs, and I was about to enter the house of one of the most feared men in the area. It was like something on TV, and while I was terrified, I had an excited anxiousness about whatever might happen.

Stopping outside the grimy-looking complex, we saw that it did have a intercom directory, showing that Luis Ortiz was in apartment 2-D. We quickly walked inside, going up the staircase and then down the hall, stopping outside the correct door. The two mutants exchanged a quick look, and the rhino knocked on the door.

"What do you want, Mrs. Gomez," a familiar voice snapped from inside the apartment. "I already paid you this month's rent!"

Without answering, Bebop kicked the apartment door in, making me flinch as the wood splintered. Before I could do anything else, the two mutants stormed into the apartment, dragging me along.

Loco Luis' apartment was small and modest, and a few toys were scattered around the floor, presumably his daughter's. The man himself was standing by the couch, a wooden baseball bat in his hand and a glare on his face. He was missing his signature jacket, but he still looked as menacing as he did whenever he came to the restaurant. A few nearby bottles of beer suggested that he was not sober.

"The hell is the meaning of this," Luis asked angrily, brandishing his weapon at us. "How d'you find me?!"

"Our money," Bebop replied.

"What?"

"Ya owe us $35, remember?"

Thirty-five dollars, I thought incredulously. They're here over thirty-five dollars?!

"That's what this is about," the man asked, frowning at the mutant warthog. "But how'd you-" He finally noticed me, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait... I know you from somewhere…"

"His dad runs a Puerto Rico restaurant," Rocksteady said, and I shot him a quick glare. Great; now Luis knew who I was.

"Oh… Manolo's boy." Loco Luis chuckled a little, lowering his bat. "He's gonna be up your ass when I tell him about this!" I now glared at the man, tempted to take the stupid rag out of my mouth so I could give him a piece of my mind.

"I don't think so," the warthog said. "We've already made a deal with him, and he's gonna keep his mouth shut. And you're gonna keep yours shut too."

"Really," the man asked, chuckling a little. "I'm gonna keep my mouth shut?"

"Yeah," Rocksteady said, cracking his knuckles a little. "I think you will."

"We know where ya live now," Bebop asked. "Remember? We might drop by for a visit sometime… say hi to the wife and kid."

Louis' smile faltered, and he shot a quick glare at me, probably blaming me for his family being threatened.

"Fine," he spat. The man tossed his bat onto the couch, taking his wallet from his bag. "You're lucky my wife took Lucia to her aunt's tonight. If you had hurt them-"

"You know we don't hurt kids," Bebop said. I looked up at him, a frown on my face as I wondered why the hell they had told me otherwise. He looked down at me. "What? Ya said ya ain't a kid, remember?" I rolled my eyes, turning away from him as he grinned snarkily.

"I'm surprised you didn't kick my ass as soon as you walked in the door," Luis said, thumbing through the bills. "I've owed you this money for a while."

"It was Roberto's idea," the rhino mutant explained. I looked up at the rhino, surprised that he remembered my name. "He agreed to tell us where you lived, but only if we promised not to beat you too badly. Said your kid looks up to you."

Loco Luis looked at me upon hearing that statement, his earlier frown replaced with a look of confusion and surprise.

"Really," he asked me in Spanish. "You told them not to hurt me because of Lucia?"

"I-" I realized I still had the gag in, and looked to my kidnapper for permission. Bebop sighed, holding out his free hand, and I took out the rag and handed it to him.

"Yes," I replied, also in Spanish [since I knew he was more comfortable with it]. "I'm sorry for telling them where you lived; I didn't mean to! I was scared, they had taken me instead of you, and they threatened to break my legs-"

"Don't worry about it," he replied, taking some bills as he put his wallet back in his pocket. "I've seen grown men squeal under pressure, so I don't expect you to have been stronger. I've been working overtime for a while, so it's lucky I can afford to pay them now. Frankly, I thought they'd forget about it, seeing that the bet was over two years ago." He grinned at me. "Thanks for convincing them to go easy on me. No hard feelings?"

I frowned a little, my still-sore muscles and bruises reminding me of my beat-down, pissed that I had gotten kidnapped and beaten up for a two-year-old bet of $35.

"Why didn't you pay them earlier," I asked. "You can afford to go to our restaurant once a week, but not pay back two criminals you owe money to? And how come they didn't know where you lived, if you know each other? Better yet-" I looked back at Bebop. "How come he gets to know about you two without getting his ass kicked, but I get threatened when you kidnap me by mistake?"

"First off, we've known him longer than ya," the warthog explained. "He was one of the first people we went to after becomin' mutants; we trust him as far as we can throw him."

"Which is pretty far," Rocksteady added.

"And as for not knowin' where he lived…" Bebop frowned at Luis. "He moved away a little over a year ago, and didn't bother leavin' an address."

"Hey, it was sudden," the shady man said, handing the cash to Rocksteady. "I lost my job and moved back here to be closer to Esmeralda's family. Besides, I thought you two would forget about it." He chuckled nervously. "Guess not, huh?"

"Well… we did kinda forget the bet for a while," the rhino admitted, scratching the back of his head. "We remembered it about a week ago, so we decided to get our money. Took us a while to track you down to this area of New York, but we didn't know exactly where you lived." The thug grinned at me. "Guess we're lucky we kidnapped you, aren't we?"

"Yeah," I said sarcastically. "Can I go home now? I wanna start forgetting this night ever happened."

"What's wrong, hombre," Loco Luis said, walking over to me and putting an arm over my shoulder. "Don't tell me you're upset about all this?"

"Shouldn't I be," I asked, feeling some bravado as I glared at the man. I knew the stories people said about him, the whispers saying that he was a gang member. Stories of people who had upset him in both minor and major ways, and had paid the price for it. But at the moment, I did not care.

"Seeing that you've got working legs? Yeah," the man answered, slapping my shoulder before turning to the mutants. "Are you taking him home?"

"Yep," Bebop replied. "He's gonna tell his family that he got jumped by some crooks."

Luis laughed at that. "But I take it you're gonna forget the fact that they're part animal?"

"No shit, Sherlock," I muttered.

"Hey," the man snapped, frowning at me. "You wanna talk to me like that? You wanna go there?" He reached into his pocket, taking out a switchblade. "Wanna say that again, you little shit?"

"Woah," I yelped, instantly backtracking as my earlier fear towards this guy returned. "I'm sorry I'm sorry!"

"C'mon, dude, leave him alone," Rocksteady said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He gave us free food."

"And he helped us find ya, so in our books he's off limits" Bebop added, crossing his arms. "Ya mess with him, you're gonna deal with us. Understand?"

I was surprised to hear the thugs say that, especially after the argument back in the van. I looked back at the mutant warthog, but his expression was unreadable, his sunglasses making him look sullen and serious. Turning back forward, Loco Luis rolled his eyes a little.

"Fine," the man replied, pocketing the knife. "This is your one free pass; you disrespect me again, and you better pray that these two'll protect you. Or better yet… I'll tell my friends to stop by your restaurant." He grinned evilly. "Get the picture?" I gulped, nodding. "Good kid." He looked back at the mutants. "Did you like his family's food? It's good shit, right?"

"Yeah," the mutant rhino agreed. "It was really good! There was this mafandango stuff-"

"Mofongo," I muttered.

"-and these cheese desserts." Rocksteady smiled, patting his stomach a little. "I'm still kinda hungry." He turned to me. "There's still some food left in the van, right?"

"There should be." I sighed tiredly. "But can I please go home now? It's nearly midnight, and I have school tomorrow."

"Yep," Bebop snapped, grabbing me by the shoulder. "See ya around, Luis!"

"You gonna pay for my door," the man asked. "My landlord's gonna be up my ass when she sees it!"

"Should've paid us sooner," the warthog said, grinning at him. "Unless you'd rather have us break your legs instead!" The man's face paled a little, and the mutant thug chuckled as he led me out of the apartment.

When we got back to the van, Rocksteady immediately dove back into the Puerto Rican food, nearly finished going through all the takeout boxes.

"That was borin'," Bebop commented, climbing into his seat.

"That was boring," I asked, gaping at him.

"Yeah," Rocksteady agreed. "Usually we gotta deal with the cops or the Turtles, so it's actually been a pretty chill night." I had no idea who the Turtles were [probably a gang or something], but I decided it was probably best not to ask.

As we drove back towards my family's restaurant, a sense of despair started to fill my chest. While I had complained about going home back in Loco Luis' apartment, I started to realize what was waiting for me: an irate dad, a worried Abue and sisters, and a snickering Arturo. Back to the same, boring and tiring routine, and back to living the life planned out for me.

Back to being a streetlight, I thought, recognizing the nearby buildings as we got closer to my home.

"Hey, kid."

I looked over at Bebop, surprised that he was talking to me.

"I'll put the rag back in," I replied.

"Forget the rag," the warthog said. "I just wanted to say somethin' to ya."

"Okay," I replied tiredly, ready for the reminder to keep my mouth shut about them or I would end up in a hospital.

The thug sighed. "Ya sure you're gonna be fine? Back at home?"

I blinked with surprise, and Rocksteady looked up from his food.

"I… WHAT," I asked, gaping at him. "First you kidnap me, mock me, threaten me, and now you're acting like you care about my wellbeing?" I looked at him suspiciously. "Is this an attempt for me to give you free food or something?"

"Is it," Rocksteady asked, brightening up at the prospect. The warthog shook his head.

"Let's just say your pity routine's worn me down," Bebop said. "I know Rocksteady here was ready to beat your dad to a pulp if ya said he beat ya."

"Yeah," the rhino agreed.

"And… Ya haven't been a normal hostage," the warthog continued. "And we've had quite a few. Most of 'em either pass out or cower with fear, beggin' for us to spare 'em. But…" He shook his head a little, as if he could not believe it. "Ya actually talked to us… like we were normal people. Offered to let us hurt ya in exchange for someone else gettin' off scott-free. Ya got more guts than most guys we deal with, though I could still tell ya were a minute away from shittin' yourself."

"No I wasn't," I immediately said.

The thug chuckled a little, and I could almost see him roll his eyes behind his sunglasses.

"Sure. But still, hostages don't act the way ya did." He pulled the van into a nearby alleyway, parking and looking over at me. "Ya ain't that bad, is what I'm sayin'. And… we wouldn't have gotten our money without your help."

"..." I did not know how to respond to this; I was used to not getting thanks from my family, and I was definitely not expecting a mutant criminal to thank me. It was so unexpected, I was momentarily struck dumb. I blinked a few times, looking between the two thugs that had kidnapped and beaten me, wondering if I had just imagined the past minute or so.

"Wait a minute," I finally said. "Are you… thanking me?"

"No," the criminal said quickly. "It's just… I don't like things bein' unfair, and it sounds like your life's pretty unfair."

I turned back to Rocksteady. "Is he joking?"

"I don't think so," the rhino replied. "We've been pals for years, so I can tell when he's pretending. Besides, his jokes usually suck."

"They do not," Bebop snapped. "Ya laugh at 'em all the time!"

"Because they're a lot better than the jokes I come up with!"

"Oh-kay," I said loudly, unbuckling my seatbelt. "I'll just go then. And I know the drill; tell my family I got jumped, play the victim and never mention that you two are mutants."

"Right," the warthog said with a grin. "And maybe the next time your dad yells at ya, tell him to fuck off."

I shook my head. "Thanks, but I doubt he'll let me get away with saying that." I opened the door and stepped out of the van. "My phone and headphones?"

"Oh yeah." The warthog criminal opened the console in between the font seats, taking out my phone and stuff. "Lemme just break 'em first."

"Wait-" My protest was cut off as the mutant slammed my phone on the dashboard, cracking the screen. He then snapped my headphones in half, tossing both pieces to me, along with my phone.

"What the hell, man," I asked angrily, getting over my surprise.

"Now it looks like ya got mugged," Bebop explained. "Muggers go for valuables, so if ya still have your phone and stuff, they're gonna be damaged in scuffle. That reminds me: got any money on ya?"

"No."

"Oh well. At least we got some food." He turned back to his friend. "Is there any of that mofandgo whatever left?"

"Great," I muttered, looking at my damaged headphones. "Now I gotta wait until my birthday to get a new pair!"

"Just buy some," Rocksteady suggested.

"With what money," I asked. "My dad doesn't pay me, and my allowance is barely enough to buy enough snacks from a bodega!"

"HA," Bebop laughed. "Too bad, kid!"

"Wanna give me the thirty-five you just got to pay for a new pair," I asked.

"No way! We earned this money fair and square!"

"Yeah," Rocksteady agreed. "I chugged about four pints of beer without throwing up to win that bet!"

"It's the least you could do after I helped you get the money in the first place," I said.

"Sorry, but unless ya actually did somethin' useful for us-"

Bebop stopped mid-sentence, and I could almost see the lightbulb going off over his head. A grin came onto his face, and I instantly recognized it as a look Arturo often wore when he was about to screw me over.

"No," I immediately said.

"Ya don't even know what I was gonna say," the warthog thug said.

"Your face says it all!"

"Even if it meant makin' a little money?"

That was enough to make me pause before I could reply, the words hitting me like a ton of bricks. Bebop sensed this, his smile widening. Then, to my surprise, he took off his sunglasses, revealing that he had human eyes behind them; brown, like mine.

"... So," I finally said. "You think I want money? If you think I'm gonna become a thug like you-"

The mutant warthog broke out in raucous laughter at that, slamming his hand on the dashboard a few times. After a few moments of hesitation, Rocksteady joined in, the two of them laughing at me as I stood there with red cheeks.

"Oh… That's rich," Bebop finally managed to stammer, wiping literal tears of mirth from his eyes as he calmed down. "No, ya wouldn't last a day as a thug; you're too soft!"

My cheeks were still flushed with humiliation, and my hands clenched.

"Get to the point," I said.

"I was just thinkin'... Rocksteady and I can't do a lotta things lookin' like this," the mutant explained, gesturing to himself. "We can't rent movies, we can't buy supplies we need from stores; we gotta rob them when no one's lookin', which put the cops and Turtles on our tails-"

"I don't get it," I said. "You want me to… buy stuff for you?"

"Exactly," Bebop grinned. "We give ya money, ya go into stores and buy it for us, and we pay ya somethin' for your trouble."

"Oh... That's a good plan," Rocksteady agreed.

"Wouldn't stealing be easier for you," I asked. "Not that I'm encouraging stealing."

"But cops always come after us," Rocksteady explained. "Or them Turtles. Sure, we'd have to pay for stuff again, but we would stay under the radar." He turned to his friend. "And we can get food from his restaurant too."

The warthog rolled his eyes. "If we gotta."

"Let me get this straight," I said. "You two will pay me to buy you… groceries and stuff?"

"Also movies to rent," the rhino said, "though I don't think you're old enough to go in the back room."

"Please don't ask me to," I replied. "Ever."

"Fine," Bebop said. "But whaddya think? We get what we want, ya get paid, and it ain't illegal! See how smart I am, thinkin' of ya like that?"

"Very," I muttered, but I had to admit that the idea sounded good. While I was not paid for work, I still got a small allowance of ten dollars each month, which I mainly spent on snacks at the nearby bodega. Having more money meant I could buy other things, and if I played it cool, no one would be the wiser. Plus, while I would never admit it out loud, these two mutants were the only people who seemed to want to talk to me outside of my family, and while I would definitely not call them friends, I could see myself hanging out with them again. So long as they did not kick my ass, that is.

"Nothing illegal," I asked.

Rocksteady grinned. "Not unless you want to!" I thought about it for a few more moments, but finally nodded.

"Okay," I agreed. "As long as you promise not to beat me up again or make me do anything illegal. And I should warn you; my schedules pretty tight most days between school and work."

"Fine with us," the warthog replied. "We're usually up most nights, anyway."

I nodded. "I gotta get going, but… thanks," I said. The two mutant thugs looked surprise. "I mean, not for beating me up and endangering my life. I mean the part about paying me and…." I hesitated, unable to find the words. The warthog seemed to sense what I was trying to say."

"Don't be gettin' all soft on us now," Bebop warned me, putting his sunglasses back on as he turned on the radio. "We ain't buds yet. We'll be in touch."

"We're definitely coming back for takeout," the rhino thug called out as the van pulled back into the street, vanishing into the night.

I stared after it for a few seconds, wondering if I had just woken up from a crazy dream or come down from a drug-induced hallucination. A few moments later, I looked down at my broken phone and headphones, and then back up at the mouth of the alleyway.

"What… just happened," I said out loud, as if expecting the shadows to answer.

So it looks like we have the beginnings of an unusual friendship, and Roberto has met two people that sympathize with what he's going through with his dad. Sure, they're mutant criminals who are tougher and rougher than he's used to, but Rocksteady seems to be a big fan of his food, and even Bebop's not that calloused towards him. Only time will tell as Roberto starts to help them.

Feel free to follow and/or favorite, and feel free to leave a review with your thoughts and comments! Have a great weekend, everyone!

-aggiefrogger