A/N: As promised, here is the new chapter. Thank you to Fox Teen for the review on the previous chapter. Enjoy, everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sing or any of the characters, Illumination does.
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"Well, well, well, look who it is."
Johnny, James, and Liam, all of whom had just been talking and laughing moments ago now all groaned and rolled their eyes.
They didn't even have to turn around to know the voice belonged to Rory, another gorilla who unfortunately happened to be in the same year as them.
"If it isn't little Johnny and his kitty and cow."
"Shut it, Rory," James hissed. "You think you're so tough just 'cause you're a little bigger now, you just wait. Any of us can take you, easily."
"Big talk coming from such a itty bitty kitty," Rory sneered, cracking his knuckles.
James glared and flexed his small, but sharp class.
"I'm small but I'm fast," he growled. "One more word and I'll scratch your eyes out."
"Leave 'im, James," Liam said, getting between the two. "He's not worth it."
"Aww, did your little cow friend have to come save you?" Rory asked in a babyish voice. "Guess those horns might be better than your kitty claws."
"I'm a bull, stupid," Liam snorted, tossing his head. "Don't you read? Cows are girls."
"C'mon, boys, let's just go," Johnny said, not looking in Rory's direction.
"Guess you'd wanna leave real quick, wouldn't you, you tiny little runt?" Rory now rounded on the other gorilla child. "Can't really blame ya. You wouldn't last two minutes in a fight with me. You're supposed to be a mountain gorilla, how'd you get to be so small, eh?"
"Leave us alone, Rory," Johnny sighed. "We were tryin' to talk about somethin', last thing we need's you getting in the way. Why don't you go bother someone else for a change?"
"Don't tell me what to do, shrimp!" Rory growled, baring his canines and pushing Johnny. The assault took the smaller gorilla by surprise and sent him staggering sideways a few steps.
"That's it! You're gonna get it now, you big bully!" James snarled, claws out as he preparing to pounce. But before he could, Rory reached out and seized his tail and gave it a vicious yank.
James let out a pained yowl and shrank back, cradling his injured tail and mewling softly.
Seeing this, Johnny let out a small huff and launched himself at Rory, his hand bawled into a fist that went sailing into the larger boy's lower jaw.
Rory's head snapped back, and he took a step or two back before clutching his jaw. For a moment, he looked surprised, but then when he saw the blood beginning to trickle down his chin and onto his shirt, he let out an enraged grunt.
"You're gonna wish you hadn't done that," he glowered at Johnny before sending his own fist straight into Johnny's face.
Johnny fell to the floor, and it was all he could do to try to shield himself from the worst of Rory's attacks, all the while occasionally giving a shove or trying to kick or hit, hoping that eventually the larger gorilla would get off of him. He could hear James and Liam shouting and once even got glimpses of them trying to shove or push Rory off. But it was no use, Rory was too big.
After what felt like forever, he could hear a teacher wading through the students that had now gathered to watch the fight.
When all was said and done, Liam and James were fine, just a bit shaken up, but it was Rory and Johnny who had the worst of it. Rory had what looked like a small scratch on his cheek and his bleeding lip was now starting to swell. As for Johnny, he didn't know why, but several children, even his friends, and his teacher Miss Ainsley all were looking shocked and concerned at him. The area around his left eye did hurt though and for some reason, it was watering, but his right eye felt fine.
"Alright, let's get the pair of you to the nurse," Miss Ainsley frowned. "And then I'm going to be calling your parents and we'll all need to have a little word with the head."
"You're in trouble," Rory spat at Johnny.
"You're in bigger trouble!" James snapped back. "You started it! And you're the one that gave Johnny a black eye!"
…
"Alright, stay still, Johnny," the nurse crooned. "This will feel a little strange at first, but it'll help with the swelling."
Johnny flinched and squirmed slightly as the nurse rubbed some sort of cream on the area around his left eye before taking an ice pack wrapped in a cloth and gently placing it over the eye.
"Just keep that on it for a few minutes at a time and then let it air out a bit," the old goat lady said with a kind smile. "It should stop swelling in a couple days and then it'll start goin' back to normal. It's probably going to water for a little while, but that's normal. You should be alright in a few days. This time next week, it'll be like it never happened."
Johnny did as he was told. He still hadn't seen what his eye looked like yet, but from the way everyone acted, it must look bad.
Suddenly, the small gorilla felt a rush of shame as he realized his entire class had seen it. And now his dad was going to be coming in from work because he'd gotten into a fight. He just knew he was in massive trouble now.
A few minutes later, the infant gorilla found himself sitting outside the headmaster's office, a few seats down from Rory, who had a pack of his own against his swollen lower lip.
"This is all your fault," Rory scoffed. "All 'cause you can't fight on your own, you always gotta have your mates stickin' up for you."
"They stick up for me because they're my friends," Johnny retorted. "You'd know if you actually had friends. And you'd 'ave mates of your own if you weren't so mean all the time."
"You won't always have your mates watchin' your back y'know," Rory was now glaring more hatefully than Johnny had ever seen him. "You just wait, Johnny. One of these days, I'll really-"
"Really what?"
Both boys stiffened and turned to see where the voice was coming from.
The newcomer was a huge silverback gorilla in a set of dark blue coveralls and black work boots. His blue eyes were stormy as he regarded the pair of infants in front of him, casting a particularly venomous glare in Rory's direction.
"Is your mother 'ere?" he growled.
All of the bluster immediately went out of Rory as he nodded frantically.
"Sh-she's in the office with the head now," he stuttered.
"Guess that means everyone's just waitin' on me," the silverback turned to Johnny. "Alright, son. Let's head in and see what to do about this."
Son?!
Rory was shocked. How was it that the great big gorilla standing in front of him was Johnny's dad?
Shaking slightly, the bigger infant didn't glance once in Johnny or his father's direction as the three entered the office.
…
"Since this is the first incident, I suppose I will let you lads off with a warning," the headmaster said, setting his glasses on the desk in front of him. "But-" he looked sternly at Rory. "I have heard you've been verbally picking on other students in the past, so if I catch you in here again, you will be looking at a suspension, young man."
Rory nodded shakily as his mother frowned down at him as well.
"And as for you, Johnny," the head turned to the smaller gorilla. "This is the first time I've had you sent to my office, so I will let you off with a warning. Both of you will be sent home for the rest of today as I can see you got more than a bit banged up from your little tussle. But don't let me catch you in here again either, or I will have to consider being a bit harsher. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir," both boys answered in unison.
The head nodded before granting leave for them to go.
As the pair were escorted out by their respective parents, Johnny could hear Rory's mother chiding her son, stating how she didn't raise him to behave in such a way. While he did lose focus of what else was being said, he was surprised to feel his father's hand on his shoulder.
"Johnny," Marcus said. "Look at me."
Feeling even more ashamed of his actions, Johnny looked up at his father, his left eye watering again slightly, partially out of pain but also humiliation.
Marcus sighed through his nose before continuing.
"Listen, son…you can't start misbehavin' in class now-"
"I know, Dad, but-"
Marcus held up a hand to quiet him.
"Daddy's got his hands full with enough right now without havin' to come down here when something goes wrong," he said.
Johnny closed his eyes, willing himself not to react anymore than he already had.
"I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered. "I promise I'll be good from now on."
Marcus nodded and patted his shoulder.
"That's my boy. Now, let's get you home then."
As the two turned to leave, Johnny saw Rory's mother lead her son toward them and within seconds, Rory was standing in front of him.
"Rory, do you have something you want to say to Johnny?" she asked, her tone expectant as she folded her arms.
"Sorry I hit you," Rory gave a smile Johnny could tell was fake.
"It's alright," he said. "Sorry I hit you too."
He then tugged on his father's hand.
"Could we go home now?" he asked softly, feeling the stinging in his eye a bit more keenly.
…
When Johnny arrived home, being carried in his father's arms, the infant was pleasantly surprised to see a small makeshift blanket nest was on the sofa. There was a pillow from his room, the throw pillows on the sofa, and a jacket making up the edges of the nest and a blanket and another jacket in the center.
"Figured we'd go ahead and see to the nest for when you got back," a voice said.
Johnny turned and lit up like a Christmas tree as his uncles came into view.
"Blimey, that looks like it hurt," Stan remarked, wincing himself as he got a look at Johnny's eye.
"Doesn't hurt as much," Johnny said reassuringly. "The nurse said as long as I put that cream on it every coupla hours and keep some ice or somethin' cold on it, it'll be fine."
As Johnny explained what had happened, Barry let out a snort.
"Next time, you oughta let that friend of yours, James, actually scratch that little bugger's eyes out," he said, laughing until he saw Marcus's murderous glare. "I'm only jokin'. Just trying to ease the tension."
"My poor grandson," Johnny was surprised to see that his grandmother was now emerging from the kitchen. "Well, hopefully this teaches you not to try to use violence to solve your problems."
"That brat hit him first," Stan told her. "He had it comin'. Johnny was just defendin' himself. Way to go, champ. Don't just sit there and take it, you show 'em how weak they were by gettin' back up when you're knocked down and make sure they don't get back up when you knock them down next."
"I didn't win the fight though," Johnny admitted. "He still got more hits in."
"But you didn't just lay there and take it," Stan pointed out. "You still fought back."
Before Lucy could reply, Stan quickly gave his nephew a high-five, followed by Barry as well, much to Johnny's amusement.
"Don't worry about cookin' anything tonight," Marcus called to Lucy. "We'll just give that pizza place down the road a ring. You can stick around if you want."
Normally, he wouldn't have extended the offer, but Johnny's current state had everyone feeling a bit more focused on it.
Much to his surprise however, Lucy nodded.
The old woman was full of surprises today; First, she hadn't complained at all about Stan and Barry making Johnny a nest on the sofa. Then, she hadn't offered a word of protest now that they were having something delivered for supper.
Johnny was now whimpering softly as Stan began applying the cream Johnny was supposed to have on his eye every few hours. The infant tried to pull away, but Barry was holding him in place, much to the child's dismay.
Marcus walked over and gave his son's fur a gentle stroke.
"Come on now, Johnny," he said softly. "The sooner you quit fightin', the faster it'll go. And then that eye won't be bothering you so much."
When he was released, Johnny reached up to rub the bruised area, only for his uncle Barry to once more take his wrist.
"Can't be rubbin' it," Barry warned. "How 'bout we get your mind off it?"
"How?" Johnny asked, still trying to tug his arm free.
"How about we watch some movies for starters?" Stan suggested. "We could watch that Home Alone movie for one."
"In November?" Marcus snorted. "Who watches a Christmas movie before Christmas?"
Stan shrugged.
"Could use the gangster scene to score a free pizza," he teased.
"Absolutely not. I'm not havin' cops called up to the house tonight," Marcus grunted.
Especially not with Johnny looking like someone had hit him, he thought to himself.
Johnny giggled as he laid back and sighed contentedly, enjoying being fussed over by his family.
…
Lucy watched as Johnny finished the last of his supper before yawning and curling up against his uncle Barry's furry arm.
In spite of her dislike for their crude and rough demeanors, Lucy almost felt it a bit endearing as her infant grandson pressed his cheek to the dark fur covering Barry's arm.
The other adult gorillas had all made sure that Johnny laid on the uninjured side of his face, not wanting him to cause himself further harm.
Barry chuckled softly as Johnny curled closer to his arm before tugging the jacket that served as an extra blanket over his tiny frame. A small bit of drool trailed down his chin and began to collect on the fabric of the jacket.
"Eh, drool washes out easy enough," Barry shrugged when he caught sight of it.
What mattered more to the blackback was that his nephew was resting.
Gently, he placed his free arm under the small body and very carefully scooped the infant up before handing him off to Marcus, still wrapped in the blanket and jacket, swaddled like a newborn.
"I'll just pick up the jacket next time I come by to look after him," Barry smiled down at the still sleeping toddler.
Marcus nodded before carrying Johnny away to bed.
With that, Stan and Barry said their goodnights and then they were off.
Lucy glanced at the clock and realized it would be best for her to be off as well.
As she turned to leave the house, she noticed Marcus had still not left Johnny's room.
Had she perhaps been wrong about doubting her son-in-law's ability to parent?
...
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That was the new chapter, I hope you enjoyed it and the next one will be out on Monday, November 14th. Until then, everyone.
