Author: Couple things, I love you all for your reviews. You are all so awesome… sniffles Johncenaluver, the anonymous "slutboy" (you made me laugh soooo hard), Soliteyah, Redrose, iluvthecheat you all are awesome. And everyone else who reviewed in prior chappies. You roc too. And thanks to Sara for reading over the last chappies.
But this chappie is special.
I'm sorry.
Violence, no lovin, and some issues…
I used exacerbate because I remember hearing my ancient history teacher say it and it made me think dirty slashy thoughts…
Also, line about already in hell did indeed come from a Papa Roach song… please don't make fun of me. I'm done…
Justin pouted a little when Darry left for work but his pouting was perfunctorily since Darry had made their morning more interesting by involving the kitchen table and the fact they were both in their underwear. Justin wondered if he was ever going to be able to keep a straight face after seeing Darry in his "I'm gonna get some hot tail tonight" underwear.
Justin yawned and realized it was a week until Christmas and he hadn't bought a single gift. He swore aloud and hit his head on the wall. He blinked and thought a long minute. Shower. Wash sheets. (Those two necessities didn't need an explanation in his mind). Which first? Justin blinked and grimaced. Sheets in while he showered. He would probably benefit from a cold shower anyway.
Justin wondered if Darry liked that he took care of his own apartment. None of the other guys cleaned much and Darry had to in their house or it wouldn't get done. Justin fell trying to get the fitted sheet off and stayed on the floor. Oh yeah, Darry would enjoy that.
Justin smiled. Darry left his sweatshirt. Smart boy. Justin didn't usually wear jackets. The first time Darry saw Justin with a jacket was probably one Darry put on him.
Justin shivered and jogged out to his truck. He tried not to think about making out in the truck at some point (that's what a truck was for) and wondered why he was so horny this particular morning. Maybe it was Darry's underwear.
Justin drove to the Curtis house out of habit and knocked. A very disgruntled Soda appeared at the door and blinked.
"You knock? I thought we were being served or something. Come in bud. You look like you're freezing." Soda's arm came around his shoulder and Justin followed him to the kitchen.
"Did I wake you?" Justin asked. It was ten in the morning. They would usually be awake and hollering by now.
"Yeah. Without Darry we have no wake up system." Soda grinned and sat at the kitchen table.
"Want me to cook something?" Justin asked.
"Naw. What are you fixing on doing today?"
"Shopping. I just remembered what time of the year it is." Justin said.
"Mind if I tag along? Pony went with Two Bit somewhere. I'm kinda bored." Soda blinked up at Justin and Justin smiled.
"I see. I'm the last resort?" Justin pouted and Soda chuckled, standing up and pulling him into a very gentle headlock, his elbow brushing Justin's collarbone.
"Only on boring days." Soda said.
"Go get dressed you bum." Justin said as Soda let him go.
"Can I drive?" Soda asked.
"If you promise to only hit things that deserve it."
"So a nativity scene is outta line?"
"I don't think baby Jesus deserves death by teenager truck driver."
Justin dozed off while Soda drove (he wondered how tired he was for that to happen). Justin was half asleep when his truck stopped and he remembered why he needed to talk to Soda.
"Shit." Justin muttered.
"Come on sunshine. Let's go shopping." Soda shook his knee and he slid out of the car.
"What should I get Two Bit?" Justin asked.
"You work at a bar. You figure it out." Soda chuckled as they walked around the strip mall.
"Pony probably wants books right?" Justin asked, glancing at Soda.
"Yeah." Soda's sparkling chocolate eyes danced. "Was Darry with you last night?" Justin opened the door to the bookstore, wincing at the clattering bells hitting the glass.
"Didn't he tell you?" He asked, blinking. Soda didn't mean it the way Justin heard it.
"He said he was going out to get plastered. I figured he'd get a discount if he went with you." Soda said, skipping in beside Justin.
"He ended up crashing on my couch."
"Did it look like he had fun?" Soda asked.
"Yeah. He got to work on time too, I made sure." Justin smiled at Soda and Soda flashed a grin that could've knocked the entire female population to the ground. Especially the bookstore crowd.
"That's a good Short stuff." Soda teased.
"What kind of book would Pony want?" Justin asked, blinking. They should probably hurry their business since the teller was watching them and waiting to see which one of them was going to stuff a book down their pants.
"Any book." Soda said.
"So insightful." Justin looked up at the shelf and stood on his toes to read it. Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.
"You are short." Soda said, furrowing his eyebrow and looking Justin over.
"I am not short."
"Then reach for that book you were looking at." Soda said, smiling. Justin narrowed his eyes and stretched. He felt like if he leaned on the shelf it would tip since it looked older than the cashier that would be glaring at them if he wasn't dozing off. He couldn't reach it.
"Don't laugh at my disability." Justin said.
"I just think it's funny that you're so short." Soda said.
"Let's see you get it, hot stuff. And five seven is not short."
"And you, my filthy lying Greaser, are not five seven."
"Go on and get it then, friendly book fetching giant that you are." Justin said.
"I can't reach it either but I have the brain power to get it." Soda said.
"You can't use your head powers to make the book come down Soda. You shouldn't believe everything Two Bit tells you." Justin said.
"I'm not gonna use my head." Soda said, smiling.
"What are you thinking?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm thinking that you're too short, and I'm too short but-" Soda swooped on Justin and threw him to his shoulders; Justin clutched his shoulders and started protesting as his legs tightened around Soda. "together we are indeed a friendly, book fetching giant."
"Put me down before the old man senile sees us." Justin said, clutching at Soda to keep his balance and restraining his laughter as Soda stepped closer to the bookshelf.
"Get the book and we'll talk."
"I'm going to end up on the floor, aren't I?" Justin asked, wavering on Soda's shoulders.
"Yep." Soda started walking around the store and Justin teetered on his shoulders.
"We're going to tip something over."
"That's the plan. Where was that book?"
"Where you picked me up. Hurry up, old man river is starting to wake up." Justin said.
"Hurry, you say?" Soda jogged and Justin was clutching his shoulders.
"Jesus-"
"The sooner you get the book, the sooner we get to that point." Soda said. Justin reached forward, resting one hand on Soda's shoulder for balance. It was a big book and he almost dropped it. It hit Soda's shoulder and Soda groaned.
"Sorry-" Justin spoke and felt Soda lurch.
"Ouch. That hurt something awful. I think I'm going fall down." Soda was shaking with laughter and Justin gripped his shoulders, his legs tightening.
"Don't do it."
"Already done." Soda lurched and sent Justin to the floor. Soda fell with him and the book wedged into their ribs between them,
"Oww." Justin said, more because of the book than Soda's proximity. He was very close to Justin and laughing.
"I've missed hanging around with you." Soda said, smiling down at Justin.
"I missed you too. I miss all of you guys." Justin said. Soda sat up and picked the book of Justin's chest. He sat crossed legged and opened the book, flipping through some pages and glancing at the illustrations.
"Why did you move out then?" Soda asked, blinking. Justin sat up and rubbed his spine, cracking his shoulders.
"Darry didn't tell you what happened?"
"Darry doesn't say anything about you. We all just assume he doesn't know anything either." Soda said, blinking.
"My brother found me there."
"So?" Soda asked.
"I don't want to see my brother ever again." Justin said.
"So by leaving us you think you can avoid him?" Soda asked. He looked hurt.
"I didn't intend to leave you. I came back." Justin said, smiling.
"Come back more often."
Justin spent the rest of the day with Soda and eventually Pony and Two Bit came back. Pony flushed the instant he saw Justin and Justin blinked up at him. (He really didn't know if the flush was because of what happened between them or if it was because Justin had his ankles over the back of the couch with his head almost touching the floor). He rolled onto his stomach and let the blood ease from his head. He really couldn't explain why Soda had dared him to watch the television sitting like that or why he'd done it. He felt like he'd downed a twelve pack of cheap beer and had yet to come down.
"Hey Pony." Justin said. He knew he was grinning like he was indeed beyond inebriated but the egg nog that was a few days past the pole date was getting to him.
"Hey Justin."
"Justin is here?" Two Bit hollered and Justin wondered what was so exciting about that. He heard thundering foot steps and groaned as Two Bit jumped over the couch and pinned him.
"Hi Two Bit." Justin said.
"Where you been little buddy? Can't ring in the holidays without the bartender." Two Bit ruffled his hair and Justin chuckled. Two Bit shook him a little and bounded around before settling in beside him.
"I work tonight. You all could come with me."
"We might get you a noise complaint." Two Bit said, grinning and putting his arm around Justin's shoulders.
"A noise complaint?" Justin asked, smiling.
"That sounds like a party." Soda said.
"I don't know." Pony said.
"We'll bring Darry and he'll have to let you go." Soda said. Pony sat next to Soda and glanced at Justin.
"It'll be fun Pony." Justin said, smiling. Pony nodded and sat next to Justin. Justin yawned and leaned back.
"When is Darry coming home?" Pony asked.
"Five probably. When do you go to work Justin?" Soda asked, blinking at the boy as he yawned.
"A couple hours. I should probably sleep."
"You can go sleep in me and Pony's room." Soda offered. "You look beat."
"Yeah." Justin got up and walked to the bedroom. He curled into Pony's bed and yawned, wondering if he was only confusing Pony more.
Justin woke to someone saying his name and blinked, looking up. Pony was looking very uncomfortable and blinked his honey green eyes at Justin.
"It's been a couple of hours." Pony said.
"Ahh. Thanks Pony." Justin got up and stretched, hearing a few cracks. "You coming with me?"
"Soda isn't going until Darry gets here." Pony said.
"Come with me." Justin said.
"Are you sure?" Pony asked.
"Yeah. You're still my friend Pony. You know that. And you don't have to get plastered if you don't want to. It's over rated when you wake up and think you're dying."
Justin drove to his work and let Pony in, setting him at the bar on a stool. Pony calmed down when the music wasn't thundering and the lights weren't dimmed beyond any visual aid. Justin walked into the stock room and started to find one of the female bartends stretching on the floor. She was doing the splits and leaned forward, putting her arms out in front of her.
"Can you teach me to do that Shawny?" Justin said, stepping over her to get some sort of exotic alcohol that he needed to make the happy hour special.
"It would take you a while to get this limber." She stuck her tongue out.
"I beg to differ." Justin said.
"Try it." She said. Justin plopped down across from her.
"Where did you learn this?" Justin asked.
"I stretch a lot. It helps me relax."
"And I thought that was why we worked at a bar." Justin almost made it the same position Shawny was in but stopped, feeling a tug that wasn't a pleasant one.
"You're pretty flexible for a boy. I could get you to go further."
"What is this good for though?" Justin asked.
"Sex." Shawny said, getting up and walking behind Justin.
"Are you serious? How-" Justin thought a minute and felt his flush. "Oh."
"You're so cute some times. Found a girl friend yet?" Shawny was pushing on his legs and thighs and stretching him further.
"Not looking."
"Boy friend?"
"Not looking." Justin said.
"Who did you bring with you?"
"My friend Pony. I invited some friends to come and get toasted. It is the holiday season. How come you can get me to this position and I can't get there myself?" Justin's legs were spread perpendicularly to his torso and he blinked. It would be good for sex.
"You'll be able to do it eventually. I'll help you. This might get you a girl friend. Or a boyfriend." She said smiling. "Can you get up?"
"Yeah." He got up and blinked. "And I thought I'd hurt myself if I ever tried."
"Learn something new everyday."
Justin showed Pony where the bathroom was after he'd downed two Cokes and went to serve some drinks. One of the customers was asking questions about the content of the drinks (Justin hated those questions since they were too filled with the drinks to understand what went in them). He started when thick arms came around his stomach and pulled him back.
"Hey Short stuff." Darry said, swinging Justin in his arms.
"Hey Superman." Justin said, feeling a brush of Darry's lips on his neck that went unnoticed.
"The gang is coming in to get soaring drunk. I'm staying sober for the drive home. And other things." Darry set him down and grinned.
"Good. Come up to the bar and pull up a stool. Pony is here too. Drinking Cokes. Best watch him, gonna be a binge drinker some day." Justin smiled.
"Just scared to drink without my permission I'm sure." Darry said.
"I was only waiting until the party started." Pony flushed and Darry put his arm around Pony, pulling him into a headlock and giving him a Dutch rub.
"Let's start partying." Darry said.
Justin sent the gang home with some expensive dessert wine and vodka for an after party and got ready to leave. He spent ten minutes looking for his keys before his boss pulled them out of his back pocket and told him to go home and sleep.
Justin walked out to his truck and fumbled with his keys some more. He was always shaking and that just made keys all the harder to handle. He dropped them and swore.
"Hate to lose those." Justin hated how he jumped at the sound of his brother's voice. Robbie had picked the keys up and jangled them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Justin drew his face into a scowl.
"I just wanted to chat. I told you last time our parents are back together. And yes, I said ours to annoy you baby brother."
"How mature." Justin wished his heart would stop pounding against his ribs. Robbie might be able to hear it at some point.
"I know. But it's the holiday season Justin. Do you know what that means?"
"Traditionally you don't jump family members in dark parking lots." Justin said.
"Oh, I'm a family member now?" Robbie said, smiling.
"Can't pick your family." Justin said.
"But your friends can pick you. How is that beast anyway? What's his name, Darrel? He's big. You complained about me but you must scream for him-"
"Don't-" Justin stopped when headlights added their biting glow to the faded afterglow of the streetlight.
"Don't look so startled. You didn't think I'd chat with you alone again? I get hurt." Justin watched three guys get out of the car.
"What the hell are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking it would be a great Christmas present to get your parents their baby boy back."
"That isn't ever going to happen." Justin said.
"Maybe. But I'm sure after tonight you'll think living with me is a much better alternative." Robbie said.
"No."
"You'll change your mind eventually babe." Robbie's associates looked nervous and threw skeptical glances at Justin.
"You said there'd be more of um."
"I thought there would be. Where are you friends anyway? Send them home early?"
"Go to hell." Robbie grinned and jangled Justin's keys again.
"I'm sure I will."
"Robbie, are you sure you want us to-"
"Yes damn it." Robbie snapped at his lackey. "I'm sure he is more than small enough for the three of you to handle even if I wasn't here."
Justin looked at his reluctant opponents. They didn't look especially rich or poor and had none of the associated mannerisms. But God one of them was big.
"All right little man." One of them jeered half-heartedly.
Justin was in the midst of one hell of a fight. He knew he was doing better than Robbie expected because over the deafening shuffle, he heard his brother swearing at his lack luster groupies. And as Steve had once said, Justin was scrappy. He was being vicious and he knew it. He was exacerbating the situation and inciting his hesitate attackers. His knuckles burned and his breath was rasping. Someone hit him in the ribs, hard. It went downhill.
Justin knew he could not let himself hit the ground. He wouldn't get up. He didn't really have a choice. He was slammed to the ground and before he could recover, someone's boot put a dent in his ribs. (He consoled himself later that it wasn't actually a dent, just a fracture).
"Stop, stop, get him against the truck." Robbie snapped. Justin lost control at that. Whatever he needed to be held down for wouldn't be pleasant.
He was slammed up against his truck, his knees at the height of the wheel wells and his head bounced off the window. His tenacious, painfully accurate fighting exasperated his assailants. One of them clapped his hands around Justin's neck. Justin's long buried and dormant fear of his brother resurfaced with painful acuity and his attacker's proximity made it obvious he felt like he was fighting for his life.
In hindsight, Justin realized his brother had been out of sight for far too long.
However, that wasn't his thought when a crowbar slammed into his kneecap.
He didn't know if he screamed or not but he doubted having sufficient oxygen to do so. His feet hit the pavement and he was past any reasonable train of thought except causing them pain.
He succeeded in inflicting some more pain but his brother kicked the back of his knee and he folded like a priest at a high stakes poker table.
He was kicked repeatedly and then pinned to the ground on his stomach. He struggled when his shirt was lifted off his back and didn't dare think why. His continual resistance and sharp hits weren't making anyone happy. His struggling paused when someone dug their knee into his. He screamed into the wet pavement and tried to buck the big one off him.
"Shut him up and hold him down."
Justin couldn't scream when a calloused hand hit the back of his neck and a chain necklace was slid around his neck. It was thick and heavy. He knew what was coming. Someone pulled up, jerking his head back and the chain was pulled taut against his Adams apple. His hands went to his neck and he knew his eyes must be lolling.
"Get the knife." Justin bucked and struggled and screamed when one of them jumped on his shoulders, slamming them to the ground and stepping off a moment after. The chain was pulled tighter. He heard the click of a switchblade. The knife plunged into the small of his back, tracing his spine to just below his shoulder blades. The flesh artist then curved two lines to cross his shoulder blades, arching out from the original line.
Then everything was very quiet. Justin couldn't struggle anymore. He felt a hand run up the bleeding gash and moaned. Robbie rolled him over and put a blood-smeared hand around his throat.
"I really hope you've learned something."
He waited until the whites of Justin's eyes were wide and let go, standing up. He took the keys from his pocket and stepped to Justin's truck. He made an identical pattern on his truck door. Justin listened to the grating sounds and saw flecks of paint flutter off his truck. Robbie dropped the keys.
"I may be going to hell, but you're already there."
Justin waited long after the car left. He didn't want to move until some of the pain at least dulled. It only dulled for the cold. Justin pushed himself to a sitting position with a very cautious pace. He knew he was going to be fragile for a while. What was he supposed to do after that? Hospital. The blood running down his back in pints was making him shiver. That probably needed attention. He doubted being able to put weight on his knee but he needed to call his friends. He couldn't drive himself to the hospital. He groaned at how sad that was.
Justin pulled himself up on his truck and realized just how much of a beating he took. Every muscle was twitching and his entire frame was trembling. His breathing hitched in his chest and his attempt to put weight on his knee left him on the ground again. Justin hobbled to the pay phone and called the Curtis household. He needed them. God he needed them. He leaned on the booth and gripped the phone, wondering if he'd pass out.
"Hello?" Steve answered.
"Hey Steve."
"Hey little buddy. Whatcha need?" Steve asked.
"I need someone to come pick me up. I need to go to the hospital." Justin said.
"Where are you?" Thank God Steve knew when not to ask questions.
"Work."
"We'll be right there buddy."
Justin hung up and let his breathing heave. God everything hurt. He hobbled to his truck and sat on the bumper. That was only for the benefit of not scaring whoever came to pick him up.
Justin groaned when he saw Steve's car pull in. Full of the people he needed to be there but he was going to bleed on Steve's car. The car was barely out of gear before Darry, Steve and Soda were out of the car. They huddled around Justin while Two Bit and Pony stood a few paces off.
"What's wrong little buddy?" Steve asked. Justin liked Steve more now. They understood each other now and Steve's gruffer moments translated into a more palpable form of interaction. Justin thought about the question.
"My knee is fucked. My back is bleeding. I need stitches and I can't walk." Justin said.
"What happened?" Darry asked, glancing at the blood on his throat. Justin thought for a long moment. He really didn't know how to explain it. Pony came closer and put a blanket around his shoulders. His awkward pat on the arm was comforting.
"Can we just go? I can't explain it right now." Soda nodded and Justin leaned on him and Steve.
The hospital stay was long and Justin wasn't very pleased with it. Stitching him up took way too long. X rays were a painfully long drawn process. The paper work would kill an over paid temp and he had to send Steve to get money with Justin's ATM card. After all that, the bill was exorbitant. Busted kneecap, fractured ribs and a hell of a lot of stitches. The only high point was that they gave Justin numbing goo for his back and a brace for his knee. And very strong pain medication.
Justin sat in the car very quietly on the ride to the Curtis house. If anyone wasn't sober (he knew they must've been a little tipsy) they weren't admitting it. Justin leaned on Pony and Soda to walk in the house and Darry then carried him into his room where everyone hovered.
"Well, we might as well get piss drunk. I know I sent some expensive liquor home with you all and I don't want it to be in vain." Justin said. He knew it would take a lot of dessert wine to make him forget that his back was on fire. He rolled to his stomach and Pony touched his arm.
"Want some ice?"
"That'd be good." Justin said. Darry hovered and leaned in to speak to Justin.
"That medicine can't be taken with booze kiddo."
"I know." Darry sighed and Justin wondered if that meant he was going to wake up to a lecture.
Justin could find the humor in drinking wine out of plastic cups after downing three said cups.
Justin woke up and groaned, pulling a pillow over his head. He would've believed his head wasn't attached if a throbbing pain didn't tell him there was probably a line of bruises. He touched his neck and almost screamed. The chain still hung around his neck. He glanced at the digital clock and immediately regretted it since it was time for Darry to go to work and the glaring red digits were burned into his retinas.
"Darry?" Justin looked around and realized Darry was up and getting dressed.
"I'm up. I'm thinking of staying home."
"No." Justin batted at his general direction.
"We need to talk little man." Darry sounded gruffer than his usual tone and Justin reluctantly poked his head out. He tried to follow Darry with his eyes and put his hands over his eyes, sitting up.
"Then stop moving." Justin immediately regretted drawing Darry's direct, focused attention. Darry had stopped and was buttoning his shirt.
"I want to know why you reacted like this." Darry gestured at Justin and Justin blinked.
"Can I have a translator?"
"Listen to me." Darry said. He reached for his belt from his dresser and pulled it on.
"I am listening." Justin said. Justin glanced at Darry as he tightened his belt.
"Then listen carefully. How old are you?" Justin thought a moment. No one ever asked him that. "Answer me little man."
"I'm almost seventeen."
"You are sixteen. You're sixteen and you don't have a family you can trust. You're sixteen and you work at a bar. You're sixteen and your brother beat the tar out of you last night. You're sixteen and your response was to get tanked."
"What would you rather me do?" Justin asked, standing with painful effort and leaning on the bedside table.
"Act like a adult."
"What happened to 'you're sixteen'? How would an adult who works at a bar react?" Darry came close, clenching his jaw.
"Do you know how young you looked last night?" Darry looked into his eyes and begged for understanding.
"So?"
"So? You never look young. Not when you're asleep, not when you're awake, not ever. Do you know why you looked young?"
"Darry-"
"You looked young because you lost yourself Justin. And you aren't going to find yourself in a bottle of over priced liquor." Darry turned away from Justin.
"Why would it matter that I'm young Darry?" Darry turned to Justin and gripped his elbows.
"I wonder if you're too young."
Darry watched Justin lose himself again.