A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Just so you are aware, I did name all the Flames after my favorite actors, except for Emilio Estevez 'cause you know, he's already in the movie... :) And Broken Arrow is a town in Oklahoma, I looked it up. Please let me know your thoughts of the Chapter with a review, thanks.
Chapter 19: New Place, New Gang
Two-Bit let out a shaky sigh as he drove along, sniffling softly, eyes sad and dull as he watched the road.
He had been driving for a long time now, at least for over an hour. He had left right away in the morning.
He still didn't know where he was going, he was just driving, trying to find a town where he could stop and hopefully stay.
His stomach growled, he had barely eaten, not this morning or yesterday or the days before. His stomach hurt and he knew he was losing weight, not caring though.
Two-Bit looked around, wanting to see something other than trees and landscape of the countyside.
He was tired of driving, he wanted to stop somewhere and try and eat somethin'.
He felt really bad for running away, feeling bad for leaving his mother behind, leaving her and his sister alone.
He didn't wanna leave them and run away, but he just had to. He couldn't stay in Tulsa no more, not with the gang hating him and everything going wrong.
He had to run away, he couldn't take the pain anymore. He wanted to be somewhere where he felt accepted, not shunned and ignored and pushed away.
He wanted friends again.
Kinda like how Mark told him to make some new friends, meet new people.
Two-Bit was relieved when he finally saw buildings, pulling into a little town called Broken Arrow.
He was running low on gas and he didn't have any money left after giving it all away to the Curtis brothers, so he was glad to pull up and park the car beside a curb, getting out with a sigh.
Two-Bit left his bags in the car for now, wanting to wander around and try to find some food first.
Plus he wanted to look around and explore the town first, wanting to check it out, wondering what it was like.
He started wandering around, looking at different buildings, making note of where the gas stations and restaurants were.
He eyed people walking by on the streets, looking them over.
It seemed like a decent-sized town, not too big but not too small either, people walking by at least at some point.
Two-Bit stopped in front of a restaurant called "The Good Food," looking inside through the window with hungry eyes, watching everyone that was there eating, his stomach growling.
He was very hungry and his stomach hurt, watching everyone eat making him even more hungry and he wanted to go in there and order something, craving cheeseburgers and fries and sandwiches and pasta and chicken all at once.
But he didn't have any money left, he couldn't buy anything.
So Two-Bit turned away sadly, dragging his feet as he continued to wander along.
Walking along, he spotted a group of boys ahead, walking all together in a group and Two-Bit swallowed, thinking of the gang softly.
He kept walking, glancing away from them, but was surprised as they started walking towards him, tensing.
He lowered his gaze a little and stopped, hoping they weren't going to pick a fight.
"Hey, hey kid!" One called, walking up with the rest of the boys, stopping in front of Two-Bit. "Hey. You ain't a familiar face, you mus' be new here."
Two-Bit looked up, looking over the boys.
There was seven of 'em, all teenagers, looking tough but still friendly.
They all had dark hair, brown or black, none with blonde hair and the boy who first spoke had auburn hair, his hair smooth and perfect-looking.
They were all incredibly handsome, and one of them was almost nearly as attractive as Sodapop, maybe even more, his face very pretty, his hair beautiful.
Two-Bit couldn't help but look at the boy standing next to the one who'd spoken, who held some rope in his hand, the end of the rope tied to a collar around the other boy's neck.
It seemed it was supposed to be like a leash and it looked like the collar around the boy's neck was actually meant for a dog, there even being a dog tag.
Two-Bit swallowed, trying not to stare, looking at the boy with the collar.
He was tall and had a handsome, even face with dark brown, well cut hair, and beautiful brown eyes. Their eyes locked as Two-Bit looked at him and he saw the corners of the boy's lip perk into a friendly smile, giving a nod as a greeting.
Two-Bit licked his lips, keeping quiet.
"What's your name, kid?" The first boy offered a smile, looking Two-Bit over.
"T-Two-Bit. Two-Bit Mathews." He nodded, waiting to see if they would react to his nickname.
Some of the boys smiled at the funny name.
"Hey, you must be the same one from the paper. From Tulsa, with the robbery." The very handsome boy grinned, his smile wide.
"Christian." The first boy looked back at him, giving him a look to be quiet. "This true?" He turned to back to Two-Bit.
Two-Bit blinked and nodded. "Y-Yeah. Th-that was me."
"Cool man. Good to meet you, Two-Bit. Well you introduced yourself, now let me introduce us. My name's Riff, i'm the leader. And this is Dermot,"
He pointed to the boy with the collar.
"Christian,"
The pretty boy.
"Matt,"
A tall, lean boy with brown eyes.
"Judd,"
Another handsome boy with a mean look and flowing hair, with brown eyes that seemed to stare into your soul.
"Rami,"
A very skinny boy with dark circles under his eyes, but still very handsome.
"And Jay."
The last boy, who had his ears pierced and had big, brown eyes, standing tall.
Two-Bit looked over them all, nodding at some of them, shifting a little on his feet.
"We're the Flames." Riff finished with a nod, grinning, proud of his boys.
Two-Bit raised a brow, almost smiling. "The Flames?"
"Yeah. We're rivals with the Waves." The pretty boy, Christian, chirped, nudging one of the others with a grin.
"Christian," Riff sent him another look with a huff.
"Oh no, I get it," Two-Bit nodded. "Got the same gang rivalry back at home."
Riff nodded, watching Two-Bit. "So you're from Tulsa, huh? Whatcha doin' all the way out here then?"
"I uh, I ran away from home," Two-Bit admitted, shrugging a little sadly. "My friends didn't like me no mores."
"Oh. Gee, i'm sorry, that ain't cool. But uh, hey, you're welcome to stay here in Broken Arrow with us."
Two-Bit perked up a tad. "R-Really? You-you sure?"
"'Course I'm sure. It's what I did with all my boys. We got a buildin' on the other side of town we stay at, we all got apartments. I'm friends with the owner so we ain't got to pay." Riff grinned, glancing at his gang members, who smirked.
"Gee, uh, th-that's great." Two smiled lightly.
"Yeah, you can stay with us, Two-Bit," Riff nodded. "It ain't a problem at all, you'll fit right in."
"Great-great, I can't believe this," Two was grinning. "Thanks, Riff. I-I got my bags back in my car."
"Not a problem," Riff nodded. "I'll have my boys give ya a hand."
"Thanks. But uh, first, do you know anywhere where I can get some food?" Two-Bit swallowed softly, hungry.
"Oh sure, we got Dairy Queen jus' a few blocks down and-"
"No no, I uh, I don't have any money," Two-Bit admitted with a soft frown, thinking about the Curtis brothers briefly, hoping they'd put all his saved up money to good use.
"Not a problem, friend," Riff assured, smiling. "We'll jus' go to Ty's place downtown; we go there all the time and get food, no pay. Come on, we'll take ya, show ya around."
Two-Bit smiled as he started walking with them, his eyes glowing softly with happiness.
Finally he had some friends who were willing to be around him, who he could talk to.
He couldn't wait to spend time with them, putting all the sad memories of his old friends in the back of his mind, not thinking of them now.
Two-Bit went with Riff and the boys to this so called "Ty's Place" and had lunch with them, glad to be accompanied by them.
He watched the boys as they pushed each other around playfully and had fun nearby.
He didn't get to really know them yet; Riff did most of the talking and the boys didn't seem to want to make conversation with Two-Bit anyways, talking with the others instead.
Riff seemed friendly enough though, nodding and smiling as he and Two-Bit talked.
Two-Bit was surprised though that the boy with the collar wasn't at Riff's side. The whole walk over Riff had held onto that rope and made sure to walk with him right at his side.
But Riff had let go of the rope as soon as they walked inside and the boy joked and smiled at the others as he pleased, no one else seeming to really care or notice.
Two-Bit was curious, wanting to know the purpose behind it. What was the boy's name again? Dylan? Two-Bit wasn't sure.
Riff didn't ask too many questions; he seemed cool and collected and seemed to know what he was doing.
When they left, Two-Bit walked Riff and the gang towards his car.
He eyed Riff, who again now held onto the end of the rope, the collared boy at his side as they walked.
"You sure didn't eat much back there, Two-Bit," Riff spoke. "You ain't hungry?"
Two-Bit shrugged softly, glancing away. "No, not really."
Voices rose from the back of the group and there was scuffling, making Two-Bit turn.
"Judd, enough!" Riff barked, glaring back. "Leave Rami alone." He snapped.
"Sorry Riff," The boy with flowing hair huffed a little with a smirk, giving Rami a shove with a mean look.
Two-Bit swallowed and mentally made a note to himself to stay clear of Judd, the boy seeming like a jerk.
Two-Bit made small talk with Riff until they came up to his car, a little upset none of the other boys were making an effort to talk with him.
"Great, Two," Riff grinned at the car. "I'll jus' have Matt drive it to the hotel for ya, that okay?"
"Oh. Yeah sure." Two-Bit shrugged. "Don't steal nothin' though," He frowned a little, getting out his keys.
"Ya hear that, Matt?" Riff eyed the tall, lean boy that walked up. "Don't you dare do nothin' to that car now."
"Oh I won't," The boy grinned a little smirkishly with an innocent look, hopping into the car, driving off, the boys starting to walk for the hotel.
Two-Bit hoped he could trust that kid with all his stuff; nearly everything he owned and loved was in there.
When they got to the hotel though, his car was parked there, all in one piece, looking perfectly unscathed.
"Okay, now let's just get you all settled in. I'm sure you're ready for a rest. Dermot, Christian, help Two-Bit with his bags. Go on, now." Riff directed and gave the boy with the collar a little shove, letting go of the rope.
The two boys opened the trunk and lifted out Two-Bit's suitcases, Christian grunting, struggling to lift it in his arms.
"You got 'em? I-I can help." Two-Bit offered with a hand.
"They got 'em, they're fine," Riff insisted. "Both of you, show Two-Bit his room, now."
Dermot gave a nod and turned, smiling softly at Two-Bit as they started walking inside, Christian following behind them as he grunted.
"We live up on the third floor," Dermot spoke, his voice deep and kinda rough but sweet sounding all at once. "We ain't supposed to bother any guests on the other floors so we stay upstairs. It's a lot of stairs but you get used to it. Christian, you gonna make it buddy?"
They were starting up the stairs and Christian heaved and grunted as he struggled to keep a good grip on the suitcase and carry it. "B-Barely," He huffed. "What's in here anyways, rocks?" He breathed out.
He had a cool voice, the kind that nobody else in the world has but you, an actor-type voice that was easily recognizable.
Two-Bit smirked a little at him and looked back at Dermot as they walked up the stairs.
"Hey uh, jus' wanna say I think it was real brave of ya to save your friends like that. From the paper, I mean." Dermot spoke, his brown eyes glowing as he grinned. "That musta been somethin'."
Two-Bit licked his lips softly, his eyes glancing at the collar around the boy's neck, wanting to ask about it but not wanting to be impolite. "Y-Yeah. It was." He said softly.
"My name's Dermot by the way, in case ya forgot. And the oaf grunting his a** off behind us is Christian."
"I heard that!" Christian breathed out, now trying to just pull the suitcase up the stairs, walking backwards as he pulled on it.
"Thanks, Dermot." Two-Bit nodded to the tall boy. "Don't reckon I heard a name like yours before."
Dermot was just grinning. "Oh I know. I get that a lot. It's okay though. I bet you get it too with your name."
"Yeah, I do," Two-Bit chuckled softly, continuing to walk up all the stairs. "I like your name though, it's cool."
"Thanks. I like yours too." Dermot nodded with a friendly smile. He had the kind of smile that made everyone else smile. He had the smile that was kind and heartwarming, a smile that showed he was your friend.
They finally made it to the top of the stairs and to the hallway, Dermot leading him down a few doors.
"We all got our name's on our doors so we can put yours on your own too. Here we go." He stopped at a blank door, setting the suitcase down. "It okay?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah, it's fine, just fine." Two-Bit nodded, not caring about if he liked it or not, he just wanted a place to stay.
"Ugh, Christian, you dumb a**," Dermot turned with a huff, walking over to the still struggling teen, his dog tag jingling as he walked. "Give it here, will ya?"
"It's heavy!" Christian huffed, pulling it along, stopping, looking out of breath.
Dermot huffed and picked up the suitcase by it's handle, walking back over to join Two-Bit. "Yeah, sure it is."
"Hey, for the record, I'm-"
Dermot rolled his eyes and pushed Christian away with a hand, Christian bumping into a door that had his name spelled out with letters, letting out a soft growl of annoyance.
Dermot brought the suitcase over, setting it down next to the other one. "Okay, uh, here's your key," He took it and unlocked the door, opening it, starting inside with one of the suitcases. "We keep our doors locked but Riff's is always unlocked. We're usually there around the clock anyways, for supper and all. It's down at the end of the hall."
Two-Bit nodded and walked in, looking around. Christian walked in behind him.
"Uh, o-okay."
"Well, once ya get unpacked, you'll feel right at home." Dermot shrugged with a soft smile, standing inside the room. "It's got a kitchen, bathroom, TV and everything. Pretty nice huh?"
"Considerin' it's free, hell yeah it is!" Christian laughed, giving Two's shoulder a little shove.
"Wasn't asking you," Dermot chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Two-Bit?"
Two-Bit blinked as he looked around, eventually giving a nod. "No no, it's perfect, it's great. It'll be jus' fine."
"Great," Two-Bit turned, hearing Riff's voice, seeing him in the doorway with a grin. "Now, we'll let you get unpacked." Riff motioned for Christian and Dermot to come out, the two walking out.
Riff grabbed the back of Dermot's collar as he walked out and gave it a tug, pulling him close, making the boy wince and squeak a little, going wide-eyed with a frown.
Two-Bit tensed, frowning when he saw this.
"Jus' stop by my place whenever you're ready. My door's always unlocked." Riff grinned at Two-Bit and then stepped out, pushing at Dermot to walk, his hand still at the collar.
When they were gone, Two-Bit stood there with a frown, a little confused, not quite sure what to think about what he just saw.
Blinking, he shrugged it off though and started to unpack. He figured it had been nothing.
Riff was friendly, there couldn't be anything going on. Not anything bad at least.
Maybe it was just a joke or something, the collar, I mean, he didn't know. He had just met them a little while ago. He still certainly didn't know them all. Maybe it was a dare.
Two-Bit unpacked his suitcases, putting stuff away, organizing.
He set his Mickey Mouse doll on his bed and set his photo album carefully on the nightstand, putting his clothes away in his drawers.
He put his memory box away in one of the drawers, setting his cowboy boots on the floor.
He glanced around; he didn't have much stuff other than his clothes to put away.
Putting his stuff away didn't take long at all.
He swallowed softly, wondering if he should head over to Riff's now. He kinda just wanted to wait, relax a minute.
But at the same time, he wanted to get to know these boys, hoping to befriend them.
Two-Bit sat down on the edge of the bed, deciding to just sit and think awhile. Then he'd head over.
He sat there and thought, wondering if the gang was missing him or worrying about him.
Then he shook his head.
Hell no.
They don't care. Why would they?
He'll prolly never even see them again.
Two-Bit huffed with a scowl and got up, walking out, going to be with his new friends.
He could care less about the gang right now. They don't care about him so why should he care about them anymore…?
Two-Bit walked out and went down the hall, looking at all the doors with the boys' names.
Christian. Jay. Judd. Matt. Rami. Riff.
Two-Bit stopped in front of Riff's, staring, eyebrows slowly furrowing.
Wait a minute…
He looked back, looking over the doors again.
Where was Dermot's door…?
He didn't see the boy's name on any of them.
Frowning softly, he shrugged and looked back at Riff's door, assuming it was nothing.
He could hear music playing from inside.
Swallowing softly, a little nervous, he opened the door and walked inside, seeing the whole gang, sitting and playing around.
He closed the door, walking in, almost feeling shy. He'd never felt shy before.
"Two-Bit," Riff called with a greeting wave. "Come on in, man."
Two-Bit blinked, walking over, glancing at the boys.
He saw Jay and Rami talking and Judd had Matt in a choke-hold. Christian was talking to Riff but Riff waved the boy away when Two-Bit came over.
Two-Bit came and stood by Riff, realising he didn't see Dermot anywhere, swallowing softly.
"Hey, there he is," Riff grinned at him. "You get settled in okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," Two nodded, blinking as he looked around. "Thanks."
"Sure. Have a seat. Want a beer?"
"Oh. No thanks," Two-Bit shook his head. He hadn't had a beer in a few days and he didn't feel like drinking anymore.
"Well, welcome to Riff's place, brother," Riff grinned at him as Two-Bit sat. "You can come by whenever ya want. All the boys do."
"Thanks, Riff." Two-Bit nodded, looking around.
"So uh, tell me about your old gang, Two-Bit," Riff started. "What was they like? Musta not been friendly if they quit likin' ya."
Two-Bit frowned at the mention of his gang, looking away softly. "O-Oh. Th-They was alright. My-My best friends, actually. Then I dunno, somethin' jus' happened. They quit likin' me I guess and now…..now i'm here. I-I could care less 'bout them now. Th-They were the ones that hurt me. I-I'm leavin' 'em all behind, I ain't goin' back."
Riff nodded slowly, listening. "Aw gee…..sounds harsh." He motioned to one of the boys to come over and Two-Bit turned, seeing Dermot come out of a closed room.
Dermot came over, still wearing his dog collar, but the rope was off now.
"Get Two-Bit a coke, Dermot, and bring me a beer." He nodded, his voice a little short of a growl.
Dermot blinked but nodded and stepped away, his expression a calm frown.
"So this gang, these boys, you ain't never gonna see them again huh?" Riff turned back to Two-Bit.
"Uh, uh yeah….." Two-Bit blinked, turning back to him. "I ain't."
"Wow. Musta really broke ya huh? Don't worry though, you're with us now."
Dermot came back, handing Riff his beer, giving Two-Bit a coke.
"Th-thanks," Two glanced at him.
Dermot gave a little nod, lips pursed.
"You'll be a Flame, jus' like us, brother," Riff grinned. "You'll jus' have to go through our initiation ceremony, first."
"Ceremony?" Two-Bit blinked.
Dermot swallowed softly, lips pursed, looking at Riff. "Riff, you-you don't mean the whole-"
"Hey, don't eavesdrop," Riff sent him a glare with a growl, pointing a mean finger. "Go on now, get." He waved him away.
Two-Bit watched, keeping quiet, frowning softly.
Dermot frowned softly and glanced at Two-Bit, slowly turning and walking away to join the other boys.
"Anyways, yes, the ceremony. We welcome you in through initiation and you take the oath of Fire." Riff nodded, continuing.
"Oh." Two swallowed softly, nodding slowly.
We never had anything like that when I joined the gang…'course, we were jus' kids though….
"Don't worry about it," Riff gave him a soft pat on the back with a grin. "It'll be simple and fun. No sweat. Trust me?"
"Oh. Y-Yeah. I trust ya, Riff….." Two-Bit said softly with a nod.
"I trust ya."
At the dinner table that afternoon, Two-Bit sat in his chair, swallowing softly, blinking as he shifted a little nervously.
The boys all sat around the table, talking and looking excited, Riff setting the food down on the table.
Two-Bit blinked, eyeing the food, a little hungry, stomach hurting, swallowing.
Riff wsa handing out some beers to the boys. "Two-Bit, you want one?" He offered.
Two-Bit glanced over, trying to search the room for where Dermot was, him not there. "Uh, no thanks."
"Come on man, ya gotta have at least one. Can't hurt, right?" Riff grinned.
Two-Bit blinked and shrugged. "I guess. Why not?" He took one.
"Thatta boy." Riff said and seeing everything was set out and everyone was in their spots, he sat down. "Alrighty then. Let's get started. Dermot! Get your a** in here now!" He shouted loudly.
"I'm comin', i'm comin'," Two-Bit heard Dermot's rushed voice, turning to see the boy come out of the same room as earlier, carrying a shiny violin and bow in his hands as he hurried over.
Two-Bit blinked. He didn't know Dermot played an instrument…
He expected Dermot to sit down with the rest of them but instead he came over, standing at Riff's side, propping his violin up on his arm, looking a little shaky, wide-eyed.
Two-Bit's eyebrows furrowed, a little confused.
Some of the boys were already grabbing food, murmuring.
"Well, what are we doin' here, wasting daylight?" Riff sneered at Dermot with a mean glare. "Come on, let's go."
The boy frowned and gave a little nod with big eyes, bringing his bow up to start playing.
Two-Bit watched closely, curious.
Dermot began to play, sliding his bow back and forth over the instrument, playing a well-paced tune, looking very good as he played, like he had been doing this for years as a professional or something.
He wasn't even looking at any sheet music.
Two-Bit watched with intrigued eyes, picking up some food for himself, slowly taking a few bites, watching Dermot.
He had never really seen anyone play a musical instrument before, other than drums and guitar.
It was cool.
The sound from the violin was captivating and it was cool to watch Dermot play. He swayed a little as he played, his movements and playing spot on.
Two-Bit noticed the other boys were hardly watching, them chatting and eating their supper.
Two glanced at Riff, who was eyeing his plate of food as he ate, seeming to be listening with an almost mean look, eyebrows furrowed.
Two-Bit frowned a little. How can they not be watching this? He thought as he watched Dermot's rapidly moving arm and fingers play.
When Dermot finished his song and brought his bow away, Two-Bit couldn't help but straighten himself, clapping softly.
"W-Wow, th-that was really good…." He smiled softly, eyes tinkling.
"O-Oh." Dermot blinked, looking at him. "Th-Thank you." He smiled faintly, his expression looking like that was the first time he'd ever heard someone say that to him.
"Golly, none of my friends know how to play music. You're good, man."
Two-Bit noticed a few of the other boys were watching him almost intently and he glanced at them, looking away again.
Riff had lifted his head, his eyes narrow with a sort of sneer. "Yes…..now did I tell you to stop playing?" He growled at Dermot.
Dermot's smile fell and he frowned, bringing his violin back up to his arm, beginning to play again, a different song.
Two-Bit frowned a little.
What exactly was going on here?
He eyed Dermot's collar as the boy played his violin beautifully. Then he glanced back at Riff, who eyed his plate with narrowed eyes as he listened.
Two-Bit watched, eating small bites, sipping his beer.
"I hate this song," Riff suddenly snarled. "Play a different one."
Dermot flinched a little and frowned, his eyes looking sad, slowly starting another.
Two-Bit frowned softly, still not understanding.
He thought Dermot's songs were beautiful…..
He also wondered why Dermot was playing now and not eating with everyone else. Two-Bit glanced at the others again.
They were talking, hardly even noticing Dermot, Judd throwing some food at Matt, getting it in his hair with a laugh.
Two-Bit frowned softly, looking back, wanting to know what the hell was going on.
After supper was over and the boys were taking their plates to the sinks, Two-Bit stood, grabbing his plate.
"Okay Two-Bit, let's get this ceremony started," Riff grinned, turning to Dermot, practically snatching his violin and bow away from him, setting them down on the table with a huff.
"Uh, okay." Two shrugged, bringing his plate to the sink. "Wh-what do I have to do?"
He glanced at the other boys, seeing Dermot was frowning with almost worry and the other started coming over near Two-Bit with a smirk.
"Oh, it's simple really," Riff assured with a smile. "No trouble at all. For us. Grab him!"
"Wait, what?" Two-Bit tensed, wide-eyed, the boys suddenly grabbing him roughly, Judd wrapping his arms around Two's chest, Jay and Christian grabbing Two's arms.
"H-Hey! Let go!" He began to squirm, jerking, trying to pull away. "Let go of-" Judd's hand clamped over Two's mouth, keeping his hand there, startling Two-Bit, who jerked.
"Mmmm mmm!"
"Hold him still," Riff came over, eyeing Two-Bit closely with an almost smirk, eyes narrowed.
The boys' grips tightened and Two-Bit growled, trying to struggle, trying to bite Judd's hand, looking at Riff with narrowed eyes.
"Now, now, it's okay, jus' gotta search you, make sure you ain't got weapons on ya." Riff smirked with a grin, eyes gleaming.
Two-Bit tensed as he felt hands grabbing at his pockets, letting out another muffled growl, still trying to jerk.
Matt's hand went into his back pocket, pulling out Two's blade. "Ah, here Riff," He huffed, flipping open the blade, showing it to Riff.
Two-Bit's eyes widened at his blade, frowning as he tried to pull himself away, the boys holding him back.
Riff smirked softly at the knife. "Hmmm. Good find. Keep it."
Matt smirked and flipped it shut, putting it in his pocket with a satisfied look.
"Hey!" Two-Bit huffed under Judd's hand, his voice muffled, squirming. He wanted his knife back.
Matt searched the rest of Two's pockets but didn't find anything else of course.
"All clear, Riff." He huffed, stepping back.
Two-Bit glared, waiting for the three boys to let go of them but they didn't, angering him.
Riff eyed Two-Bit closely. "Alright, that's good. Let him go, Judd."
Judd sneered and gave Two-Bit a rough shove, pushing him into the wall.
Two-Bit huffed and caught his breath, eyes narrowed at them. "Wh-What the hell, man?" He breathed out with anger.
The boys were starting to close in on him, circling him, backing him up into the wall.
"Well, time for the Oath of Fire," Riff almost sing-songed with a grin, standing back, watching. Dermot was standing beside him with big eyes, frowning with an open mouth.
Jay's fist flew and suddenly struck Two-Bit with a laugh and before he knew it, they had all pounced on him, punching and hurting him.
He yelped, not knowing this was coming and tried to scramble away and avoid getting hit but there were five of them, picking him up, punching him and knocking him down again and then kicking his ribs.
"St-Stop it!" He whimpered, curled into a ball, wincing with pain. "Stop!"
He could taste blood now and someone kicked his stomach, hurting him badly.
"Riff, Riff, stop it!" He heard Dermot plead and Two opened his eyes to see Dermot step towards them with a frown but Riff snatched his collar with a hand, yanking him back harshly, choking Dermot, making him cough.
"Don't you dare," Riff snarled at him, holding him back closely.
Dermot's hands were at his throat as he coughed, frowning with huge eyes.
Two-Bit frowned but got kicked again, whimpering with pain.
Someone grabbed him by his hair and pulled, making Two-Bit cry out, them bringing him to his knees, holding his head up.
Blood ran down his chin and the boys held his arms back.
"Repeat after me," Riff came over with a mean look. "I swear….."
Two-Bit breathed heavily, wide-eyed, not answering, in pain.
Someone punched him and he yelped, gasping with pain, his head still held up by Jay pulling his hair. "Repeat him!"
Two-Bit swallowed, tasting blood, looking up at Riff with big eyes, knowing he didn't have another choice. "I-I swear…."
"To always be tough,"
"T-To always be t-tough," Two stuttered, shaking with pain, breathing heavily.
"Rough,"
"R-Rough,"
"And mean,"
"A-And me-mean," Two-Bit frowned, watching.
"And to always listen to my leader Riff."
"To-To always listen to my-my leader Riff." Two-Bit swallowed nervously, shaking, eyes big.
"I'll always be a Flame, Forever." Riff finished.
Two blinked. "F-For-Forever?"
Someone punched him again.
"Gah…..uh, uh, I'll always, always be a-a Flame, for-forever," He managed out, wincing with pain, face bruised and sore.
"Thatta boy." RIff smirked at him and pinched his cheek softly, then giving it a hard slap, making Two flinch.
"Okay, let's just get you tied up."
Two's eyes went wide. "Wh-What?!"
"Oh yeah, we do it all the time when we get a new member, it's okay," Riff just shrugged, watching as Rami brought over some rope.
Two-Bit instantly flinched at the touch and tried to pull away but all the boys were still holding him, Jay giving a hard yank to his hair, making him yelp and go still, wincing.
Rami started tying Two's wrists together with the rope behind him, starting to tie the tight knot, yanking the rope tighter.
Two-Bit winced and began to thrash, frightened, wanting to leave. "St-Stop it! Stop! Lemme go! Let go!"
He jerked desperately and thrashed, Jay yanking hard on his hair again and he could hear someone shushing him as if it was okay.
Rami yanked the rope tight around Two's wrists and knotted it, starting on Two's ankles, tying them together as well.
Two continued to squirm, breathing heavily, wide-eyed, looking up at Riff with fear.
"Wh-Wha does this-this have to do with the gang?!"
Riff stood with his arms over his chest, shrugging, looking completely calm. "Don't ask me."
"B-But you-you can't tie me up!" Two cried, jerking at his now tied wrists, wincing when Jay tugged at his hair again.
"I think they just did." Riff smirked, watching as Rami tied the knot around Two's ankles with a tight yank.
Two-Bit was breathing heavily as he shook with fear, jerking at the rope, wanting to get away, now frightened of these boys, wanting the gang.
They'd never tie him up. Well, except Darry did…
He struggled against the rope, whimpering faintly with fear, tugging and pulled at his wrists.
"Th-This-This ain't right!" He frowned with big eyes, protesting.
"Open," Two suddenly heard behind him and someone brought a handkerchief in front of him, pulling it back into his mouth, gagging him, startling Two, who began to thrash his head. "Mmmm!"
Riff watched closely, calm. "Sorry." He only shrugged, smirking at Two as the boys gagged him.
Two growled as the boys tied the handkerchief behind his head and Christian came in front of him, pushing the rest of the cloth between Two's teeth with his fingers, grinning.
Two-Bit growled and glared at him, tugging at the rope, shaking his head, wanting the gag off him, remembering when Darry had tied him up and how frightened he had been.
A boy grabbed Two-Bit gently and laid him down on his side, making Two growl, still struggling.
"Mmmm! Mmph!" He growled up at Riff, eyes big as he kicked, struggling.
Riff didn't seem to care, only watching with a dangerous twinkle in his eye.
Someone connected his wrists and his ankles together with a rope, making it much harder for Two to struggle, making the boy whimper, biting tightly on his gag, angry and scared all at once, trying to get free of the rope.
"Hey, remember when we hogtied Christian when he joined?" Someone laughed with a loud voice, the other boys beginning to laugh.
"Aw, that was somethin'!"
"Remember how funny he looked?!"
"Let's tie him up again!" Someone huffed with a smirk and Two-Bit looked at the boys to see them grab at Christian roughly.
"Oh no guys, no, not again! No! No!" Christian cried out, looking frightened all of a sudden, the boys roughly shoving him to the ground, all holding him down, keeping him from moving and kicking.
Two-Bit eyes widened, watching, frowning under the gag.
"No, stop it! NO!" Christian almost screamed as they kept him on the ground, the boy trying to struggle, the boys all holding him roughly, someone pressing Christian's face directly into the floor, squishing his face, the boy whimpering with a pained expression.
Two-Bit watched with almost horror as the boys got some rope and forcefully began to tie his ankles together, the boys all laughing and almost seeming to enjoy themselves.
"Stop it! Stop it! NO! Riff!" Christian yelled, frightened, trying to thrash and squirm but he couldn't as the boys held him, being too rough, hurting him. "Riff!"
Two's eyes wide with horror and fear, he looked over at Riff, shocked to see him standing there coolly, watching with a smirk, eyes narrowed.
Two gaped under the gag, looking back at Christian with horror, now two boys harshly squishing his face into the floor, pressing hard, laughing loudly.
One of them was Judd, who played a little with Christian's hair, laughing mockingly into the boy's face.
Christian looked like he was going to start crying, in pain and frightened with all the hands holding him down, the boys getting his wrists tied tightly together.
Two-Bit watched in horror, eyes nearly welling with tears, shocked, sitting up a little, wanting to help, horrified.
"R-Riff! S-Stop them!" He heard Dermot cry out and he looked over to see Riff growl, slapping him hard, making Dermot stumble backwards.
"Mind your d*** business!" He shouted.
Two-Bit flinched and weakly pulled at his bound wrists, wanting to be free so he could help Christian, wanting to get him away from these monsters.
Christian was crying now, tears running down his face, Judd using his arm now to forcefully press the boy's face into the floor, snickering.
"St-Stop! Stop! Pl-Please!" Christian pleaded, the boys yanking the rope tight around his wrists, the boy weakly trying to struggle.
Two-Bit watched the boys with horror, shocked, knowing the gang would never ever do anything like this to him or anyone else. This-this was jus too d*** cruel and horrifying to watch.
Riff came over, smirking down at Christian, looking almost pleased. "Gag him." He ordered his boys, turning away.
The boys all snickered and laughed and Christian was sobbing now, getting pinched and poked and roughly touched everywhere, frightened. "N-No! NO!"
The boys grinned and two of them reached for his face, grabbing at his mouth, prying his mouth open forcefully with their hands, each holding his mouth open, almost as if he were some sort of animal, ignoring the boy's loud sobbing.
Someone got a rag and stuffed it into Christian's open mouth, laughing. They stuffed a few more in roughly and Christian's sobbing and yelling went muffled.
Two-Bit watched with wide eyes, horrified, shaking with fear, swallowing hard.
The boys stuffed a handkerchief in Christian's mouth with the rest, tying it tightly behind his head.
Someone pushed the cloth between his teeth, and Two could see Christian's cheeks bulging with all the cloths in his mouth, the boy biting down on them tightly as he cried, his yelling now muffled.
The boys were laughing as they pinched the helpless boy's skin and Two flinched as he saw one of them slapping Christian's butt hard with laughter, Christian whimpering loudly.
They then laughed as they rolled Christian over to his side, pulling up his shirt, some of them pinching and tickling his chest and stomach, the others working on tying a rope together between his wrists and ankles.
Christian was sobbing, flinching whenever someone touched him or slapped him, whimpering out loudly under the gags, tears running down his face.
Two-Bit shook as he watched in horror, still weakly pulling at the rope, wanting to stop the boys and help him, eyes welled with tears.
The boys got the rope tied and were still laughing and slapping the boy continuously until Riff came over.
"That's enough now," He huffed, roughly kicking Christian back to his stomach, who whimpered.
He glared with a huff as Christian looked up with huge eyes, sniffling, Riff beginning to make his way towards Two-Bit.
Some of the boys snickered and started to slap Christian again but Riff growled.
"No. Leave him now, don't touch him!"
The boys frowned but all got up, walking away, leaving Christian on the floor, who sniffled, lying his face on the floor, crying.
Two-Bit eyed him, seeing the boy's limbs tied together, him being immobilized, helpless. He couldn't get up now or walk, he was stuck on his stomach and his side, hogtied.
He felt awfully sorry for him, watching him cry as he bit on his gags.
Two-Bit tensed when Riff came over to him, flinching with a soft whimper.
Riff bent down in front of him, gently taking out Two's gag, surprising Two.
He took in a shaky breath, swallowing hard, eyeing Riff with fear, trembling.
"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Riff grinned.
Two-Bit cringed, trying to find the will to speak. "You-You always let your boys act like this?" He managed to breathe out, eyes wide.
Riff shrugged. "Well sure. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. Christian's our most vulnerable one in the gang so it don't matter."
Two-Bit frowned, glancing at Christian who laid there sniffling, eyes closed tightly.
"Th-That-That ain't right, doin' that to him. Th-That was jus' mean. He didn't do anything wrong."
Riff shrugged again, huffing. "Doesn't matter if he did anything wrong…...jus' matters that we have fun, right?"
Two-Bit opened his mouth to protest but Riff stuffed the gag back in his mouth.
"Hey, at least you're a Flame now," He snickered lowly with a smirk. "Judd, Matt, take Two and Christian to the living room." He stood, turning and walking away without another word.
Two-Bit frowned as Matt picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, flinching.
He looked to see Judd grab Christian roughly, making him whimper, throwing the boy over his shoulder with a huff.
Two-Bit frowned as they started walking, looking up to see Riff go over to Dermot.
"Come on, you."
He grabbed the boy's collar, dragging him into another room with a huff.
Two-Bit gulped, tense, frowning worriedly as he was carried into the other room, thrown down on the couch, not knowing what was going to happen to him, frightened.
He flinched as he watched Judd toss Christian onto the floor, the boy letting out a muffled cry.
Two-Bit frowned deeply with wide eyes, whimpering softly, tugging at the rope around his wrists, wanting to get the hell outta there.
The TV was on as the boys sat around him and Christian, laughing and smirking.
Two-Bit cringed when he heard Judd suggest they pick on Christian some more, mentally shuddering.
Don't they know when enough is enough?
Too late.
They were already at Christian's side, some kicking him, Jay pulling the boy's hair hard.
Christian yelped and whimpered, crying, squirming around, trying to get away.
Judd picked him up with a laugh and held him up on his knees, arms wrapped around his chest. The boy lit a cigarette, laughing and smirking into Christian's face, the boy whimpering.
Two-Bit flinched as he watched Judd hold the lit cigarette against Christian's arm, burning his skin, Christian yelling out and crying in pain.
Two-Bit watched in horror, shaking, biting tightly on his gag, wanting to stop them from hurting this innocent kid.
He had never been burnt with a cigarette before but he could imagine how much it hurts. Pony still has his scar after all.
Two held back frightened tears as Christian kept screaming and he had to look away when he saw the boys whip out their knives, beginning to make cuts on Christian's stomach and chest, someone slicing one across his neck.
Two-Bit looked away, listening to Christian's screams as he trembled, whimpering softly, closing his eyes tightly, wanting to go home.
He didn't belong here, not with them.
The gang may have hurt him but never like this.
He wanted to be with his old friends again.
Christian was still yelling and crying, his voice muffled, the boys still cutting and hurting him, their loud laughter filling Two's ears, making him shudder as they jeered hurtful words and made fun of the boy.
Two-Bit tensed up when Riff came back in, by himself, carrying a pack of beer.
Two's eyes widened as he watched him come over, whimpering softly, struggling against the rope, eyes wide with fear.
Riff smirked and sat down next to him, setting the beer down, saying something.
Two-Bit could only make out part of it over the other boys' loud laughter and Christian's muffled cries.
Something about "...drinking so much you forget all this…"
Two's eyes widened but Riff had already taken out his gag, bringing a beer to his lips, keeping it at his mouth, forcing Two to drink, who sputtered and coughed, not wanting it.
That didn't stop Riff though, forcing Two to guzzle down the entire can, glaring.
And that was just the beginning…...