Never Alone
Shane glanced up as the phone rang. His family had finished dinner a while ago, and he'd been washing dishes before his mother threatened him again. He always forgot when it was his turn, but she never believed that he was just that forgetful. Her usual threat was that he'd be grounded after school until he did them, which meant no Ninja School.
It was sort of strange, in a way, that his parents knew about half of his 'extracurricular activities'. That is, they knew when he'd been accepted to Ninja School. When the letter had arrived, declaring him welcome to the Wind Ninja Academy, he'd run screaming for joy to his mother. Not that he'd known what it was at the time, but Ninja anything had to be cool. That had led to the insistence that they meet Sensei, and see the training grounds before they allowed him in. It was useful in the end; while they didn't know that he was a Ranger, they easily accepted the idea that he'd had to do something at the academy whenever he was late getting home.
Dishes. He was supposed to be washing dishes. He watched his father pick up out of the corner of his eye, then forced himself to remember his task. He'd never admit it, but Dustin wasn't the only one who had trouble focusing on stuff he didn't want to do.
"What?!" his father bellowed. "He's what?!"
That didn't sound good.
"Are you insinuating something about my son?!"
That *really* didn't sound good. He rinsed the dish he was holding, drying his hands and turning to watch his father. "Dad?" he asked softly. "What's wrong?"
"Maybe your grandson's that way, but don't you dare accuse my son of being so disgusting!" he father shouted into the phone.
His stomach dropped down to the floor, and his heart spasmed painfully. Oh, god. "Dustin." he whispered.
"Yeah? Well you *and* your grandson are no longer welcome in my house!" He slammed the phone down so hard it fell back out of its cradle. He turned on Shane within moments. "Did you know about this?!" he demanded.
Shane mentally groped for something to say, wishing his heart would calm down long enough for him to think straight. "I...I...."
His father's gaze darkened. "I don't want you around that boy anymore. He's not welcome here, and I don't want you associating with him."
"You make it sound like he's got a disease." he managed at last. His voice still wasn't as strong as he'd like.
"It should be." came the retort.
Something inside of Shane snapped. "Why? You think it's like cooties or something?" he sneered.
"Don't start, Shane." his father warned.
"Don't start what?" he shot back. "Dustin is important to me. I'm not just going to let you say something like that about him! You wanted me to learn how to be a man at Ninja School, and I am. I've learned to protect the people I care about and stand up for what I know is right."
"There's nothing right about *that*!"
His eyes narrowed nearly into slits. "Why? What's wrong with loving someone? Because I do."
His father froze. "What?"
"I won't let you talk about my boyfriend like that. There's nothing wrong with him. He's a great person, and you have no right to-"
"Boyfriend?!" his father exploded.
Shane paused, blinking. Had he actually said that? He wasn't thinking about it as he spoke, but now... "Boyfriend." he affirmed. "I love Dustin, and nothing you can say is going to stop me."
"You what?!"
"I. Love. Dustin." he pronounced each word as sharply as he could. "And if you can't accept Dustin, then you can't accept me." He turned and headed for the door. He paused as he was opening it. "Sorry Mom, but I don't think I'll be able to finish the dishes."
There was something satisfying about the door slamming behind him.
It didn't take him all that long to track down Dustin. He was walking along the road to the woods where the portal was. He said nothing, merely jogged up to him and matched his stride. Ninja Streaking would have been faster, but it only worked if you actually planned on going somewhere.
"How'd you know?" Dustin spoke up at last.
"The Wicked Witch of the West called."
Dustin froze in midstep, turning to look at him in horror. "Oh man, did she get you kicked out, too? You-you gotta go back, tell 'em... Tell 'em it was a mistake. She doesn't know what she's talking about. You're not...you're not-"
Shane kissed him, silencing the babbling. He held him there for a minute before pulling away to look at him seriously. He'd been crying at some point; his eyes were a bit red, and his cheeks looked a little damp. "I told Dad you were my boyfriend." he said simply.
Dustin's eyes went wide. "Are you crazy?" he hissed.
He shook his head. "I'm not going to hide it from him. If he can't deal, that's his problem. I'm not going to pretend I don't love you just because he has issues." He was quite proud of how strong and unaffected that came out.
Dustin just looked at him for a moment before offering a bittersweet smile. "I'm a jinx, you know that?"
"You're my jinx."
There was a moment of silence before they both started to laugh at the corniness of that statement. The laughter became more forced as it continued, until they were holding one another, the laughter dying out into Dustin's slight shudders and Shane's resisted sobs. Neither moved for a while, just holding onto the other as though it was their last lifeline. In a way, it was.
"What are we gonna do?" Dustin whispered at last.
"I'm not sure." Shane admitted. "We should probably stay away from Tori's. One of them's probably called by now, and I don't know how her parents feel."
"I was gonna go to Ninja Ops, but it's probably kinda crowded already with Blake and Hunter staying there." Dustin mused. He paused. "I know where we can go."
****
Kelly opened her door, muttered darkly about people bothering her so late at night. Her mutters silenced the moment she saw Dustin, Shane lurking behind him as always. Dustin had his bedraggled puppy look he never seemed to realize he possessed. Shane was holding his usual protective, indifferent stance, but his eyes were pained. She said nothing, merely moving aside to let them in and shutting the door behind them.
"I don't have much room." she informed them as she headed for the linen closet. "The couch folds out into a bed, but you'll have to use the pillows there. We can work out something else tomorrow."
"Thanks, Kelly." Dustin said wearily. His smile was forced and emotionally exhausted, but it was enough.
"You don't...you don't want to know?" Shane ventured.
She shook her head. "I don't need to. You guys want a place to stay, you're welcome as long as you need it." She gave them one last smile as she headed to her room.
What she didn't say was that she already knew. That horrible woman who claimed to be 'Waldo's' grandmother had called her hours ago, insisting that she fire him because she didn't need people like *that* in her store. She'd hung up on her.
It was hard to say what would happen now. To be honest, she didn't have the room or the finances to keep them both here. It looked like Shane would be needing a job soon, too. She'd have to look at the books to see if she could squeeze him on in the morning. If not, she'd to talk to a few friends. It wasn't going to be easy, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon them when they had finally come to ask for her help.
And yet when she found them curled up together on the sofa bed in the morning, sound asleep and cuddled together like puppies with their faces streaked by dried tear tracks, it was suddenly worth it.
Shane glanced up as the phone rang. His family had finished dinner a while ago, and he'd been washing dishes before his mother threatened him again. He always forgot when it was his turn, but she never believed that he was just that forgetful. Her usual threat was that he'd be grounded after school until he did them, which meant no Ninja School.
It was sort of strange, in a way, that his parents knew about half of his 'extracurricular activities'. That is, they knew when he'd been accepted to Ninja School. When the letter had arrived, declaring him welcome to the Wind Ninja Academy, he'd run screaming for joy to his mother. Not that he'd known what it was at the time, but Ninja anything had to be cool. That had led to the insistence that they meet Sensei, and see the training grounds before they allowed him in. It was useful in the end; while they didn't know that he was a Ranger, they easily accepted the idea that he'd had to do something at the academy whenever he was late getting home.
Dishes. He was supposed to be washing dishes. He watched his father pick up out of the corner of his eye, then forced himself to remember his task. He'd never admit it, but Dustin wasn't the only one who had trouble focusing on stuff he didn't want to do.
"What?!" his father bellowed. "He's what?!"
That didn't sound good.
"Are you insinuating something about my son?!"
That *really* didn't sound good. He rinsed the dish he was holding, drying his hands and turning to watch his father. "Dad?" he asked softly. "What's wrong?"
"Maybe your grandson's that way, but don't you dare accuse my son of being so disgusting!" he father shouted into the phone.
His stomach dropped down to the floor, and his heart spasmed painfully. Oh, god. "Dustin." he whispered.
"Yeah? Well you *and* your grandson are no longer welcome in my house!" He slammed the phone down so hard it fell back out of its cradle. He turned on Shane within moments. "Did you know about this?!" he demanded.
Shane mentally groped for something to say, wishing his heart would calm down long enough for him to think straight. "I...I...."
His father's gaze darkened. "I don't want you around that boy anymore. He's not welcome here, and I don't want you associating with him."
"You make it sound like he's got a disease." he managed at last. His voice still wasn't as strong as he'd like.
"It should be." came the retort.
Something inside of Shane snapped. "Why? You think it's like cooties or something?" he sneered.
"Don't start, Shane." his father warned.
"Don't start what?" he shot back. "Dustin is important to me. I'm not just going to let you say something like that about him! You wanted me to learn how to be a man at Ninja School, and I am. I've learned to protect the people I care about and stand up for what I know is right."
"There's nothing right about *that*!"
His eyes narrowed nearly into slits. "Why? What's wrong with loving someone? Because I do."
His father froze. "What?"
"I won't let you talk about my boyfriend like that. There's nothing wrong with him. He's a great person, and you have no right to-"
"Boyfriend?!" his father exploded.
Shane paused, blinking. Had he actually said that? He wasn't thinking about it as he spoke, but now... "Boyfriend." he affirmed. "I love Dustin, and nothing you can say is going to stop me."
"You what?!"
"I. Love. Dustin." he pronounced each word as sharply as he could. "And if you can't accept Dustin, then you can't accept me." He turned and headed for the door. He paused as he was opening it. "Sorry Mom, but I don't think I'll be able to finish the dishes."
There was something satisfying about the door slamming behind him.
It didn't take him all that long to track down Dustin. He was walking along the road to the woods where the portal was. He said nothing, merely jogged up to him and matched his stride. Ninja Streaking would have been faster, but it only worked if you actually planned on going somewhere.
"How'd you know?" Dustin spoke up at last.
"The Wicked Witch of the West called."
Dustin froze in midstep, turning to look at him in horror. "Oh man, did she get you kicked out, too? You-you gotta go back, tell 'em... Tell 'em it was a mistake. She doesn't know what she's talking about. You're not...you're not-"
Shane kissed him, silencing the babbling. He held him there for a minute before pulling away to look at him seriously. He'd been crying at some point; his eyes were a bit red, and his cheeks looked a little damp. "I told Dad you were my boyfriend." he said simply.
Dustin's eyes went wide. "Are you crazy?" he hissed.
He shook his head. "I'm not going to hide it from him. If he can't deal, that's his problem. I'm not going to pretend I don't love you just because he has issues." He was quite proud of how strong and unaffected that came out.
Dustin just looked at him for a moment before offering a bittersweet smile. "I'm a jinx, you know that?"
"You're my jinx."
There was a moment of silence before they both started to laugh at the corniness of that statement. The laughter became more forced as it continued, until they were holding one another, the laughter dying out into Dustin's slight shudders and Shane's resisted sobs. Neither moved for a while, just holding onto the other as though it was their last lifeline. In a way, it was.
"What are we gonna do?" Dustin whispered at last.
"I'm not sure." Shane admitted. "We should probably stay away from Tori's. One of them's probably called by now, and I don't know how her parents feel."
"I was gonna go to Ninja Ops, but it's probably kinda crowded already with Blake and Hunter staying there." Dustin mused. He paused. "I know where we can go."
****
Kelly opened her door, muttered darkly about people bothering her so late at night. Her mutters silenced the moment she saw Dustin, Shane lurking behind him as always. Dustin had his bedraggled puppy look he never seemed to realize he possessed. Shane was holding his usual protective, indifferent stance, but his eyes were pained. She said nothing, merely moving aside to let them in and shutting the door behind them.
"I don't have much room." she informed them as she headed for the linen closet. "The couch folds out into a bed, but you'll have to use the pillows there. We can work out something else tomorrow."
"Thanks, Kelly." Dustin said wearily. His smile was forced and emotionally exhausted, but it was enough.
"You don't...you don't want to know?" Shane ventured.
She shook her head. "I don't need to. You guys want a place to stay, you're welcome as long as you need it." She gave them one last smile as she headed to her room.
What she didn't say was that she already knew. That horrible woman who claimed to be 'Waldo's' grandmother had called her hours ago, insisting that she fire him because she didn't need people like *that* in her store. She'd hung up on her.
It was hard to say what would happen now. To be honest, she didn't have the room or the finances to keep them both here. It looked like Shane would be needing a job soon, too. She'd have to look at the books to see if she could squeeze him on in the morning. If not, she'd to talk to a few friends. It wasn't going to be easy, but she couldn't bring herself to abandon them when they had finally come to ask for her help.
And yet when she found them curled up together on the sofa bed in the morning, sound asleep and cuddled together like puppies with their faces streaked by dried tear tracks, it was suddenly worth it.