"I'm fine!! Will you stop fussing already?" The boy shooed Dwicky away from him yet again, thwarting all of the man's attempts at properly dressing his wounds. "I'm injured, not crippled." Dib frowned, wrapping on of his many gashes, and blushing deeply.
"You still haven't told me what happened," replied the man courteously, stifling a chuckle at the boy's bright face. "So?" He looked at him, holding out a few bandages. Dib stopped and stared at the floor before raising his gaze to face the older man towering over him.
"Well...from what Alex told me before they took him...I'm being chased by an organization that's...after my dad's intelligence and DNA." He paused, seeming to sort things out in his head. "The...ELL Organization." His eyes raised to the ceiling.
Dwicky's brows furrowed in confusion and concerning. The Ell Organization? He sat back on his haunches, fingering his goatee as he processed this information. He'd heard of it somewhere...
"Anyway," Dib's eyes traced away from the grimy roof as he continued working on his wounds. He looked back to Dwicky for a moment, hesitation apparent on his face. He held his breath a moment before easing into his next barrage of questions. If he placed his words right, he'd get what he wanted... "What have you been up to?" He snorted. "Still counseling at that dinky little excuse for a skool?" Dwicky stifled a laugh.
"Haven't changed much, have you Dib?" In all honesty, neither of them had. Dib was still hating the world and Dwicky was still trying to find out why. "No...I'm actually an artist now." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head lightly. "No matter how hard that is to believe. I have my own studio." He looked away from Dib and helped with a wound the boy was having particular trouble with.
"An artist?" Dib stammered. His face fell in disappointment. If he was an artist, he'd probably be rich. Hell, if he had his own STUDIO he had to have some money. Which meant he probably didn't want to deal with a kid like him anymore... "Crap," came his whispered curse.
"Hm?" Dwicky looked back at him. "What's wrong?" Dib shook his head and managed a half smirk, encouraging him with a hand gesture to go on about his life. "...well...I've been dumped 7 times," Dwicky started, looking thoughtfully at the broken lamp, trying to decide exactly what else there was to say. "...I got a bigger house near the Square in town...and that Pontiac outside." He pointed a finger out the window at his car. "But nothing more than that." He looked back to the teen in front of him.
"I see..." Amber eyes stared out the window. "So...what exactly are you going to do now?" His gaze drew back to the man questioningly. "And...where am I going?" Dwicky held his gaze, his breath hitching in his throat.
"Well...if you don't mind...I was planning on taking you back to my house." He sat there, his nimble hands working on a small scrape on the boy's knee. "And from there...I'm not sure. Was there something you had planned?" From Dib's heavy sigh, he guessed not.
"No...I don't have any family left, as far as I know." He stood up lightly, wincing but over all steady. "Shall we...?" He began a slow and lopsided trek to the car out front. Soon, however, his voice was captured by a surprised squeak as Dwicky lifted the boy off his feet. "Dwicky!!" His face reddened in a slight blush and he attempted to hide his face under the collar of his coat. Setting the small boy in the front seat, Dwicky slid into the car himself, placing his hands on the wheel.
"You need rest, Dib." He pointed at the boy before turning on his Pontiac. "Just sit back." He pulled out of the driveway and onto the empty road, trying to remember how to get home. "Just sit back and relax." He smiled and drove back to his home.
Arriving at his driveway, he leaned out the window and punched the code to open the black gates in the keypad. He sat back and slowly took to the driveway. The teen's eyes widened as they fell on his house. It was...not that much bigger than his old one.
"This...is bigger?" Amber eyes gazed over the dinky little house. He looked back to Dwicky, staring into his pale blue eyes, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Just look around for a moment. Sure the house is small," Dwicky gestured to the surround topography with his hand, "but I don't think my 30 acres of land is." Following the man's gesture, Dib's eyes widened as his line of vision skimmed over the rest of the man's property. 30 acres of beautiful field and meadow. There was a small wooded area that was hidden behind the house, an orchid on the left, a barn and fenced in area for animals on the right, though there were no animals inhabiting it now.
"It's..." The boy couldn't find the words to describe the place as they parked in the garage. Dwicky turned off the car and withdrew the keys, setting his hands on his thighs and sat there, staring at the wheel.
"...amazing?" He chuckled, turning to look at the boy. His pale features were more defined in the dark of the garage, the shadows thrown upon his face contrasting and clashing with his near white skin. He looked much older than he actually was and Dwicky could only melt at the sight. Hold his composure. Opening the door, he stepped out of the car and made his way to the passenger side, gently lifting the boy back out of the Pontiac, closing the door with his hip. "I hope you don't mind leather seating."
The garage opened up to a warm colored living room, the walls tinted amber much like the boy's eyes. There was a single black leather loveseat, positioned in front of a small but tolerable TV. There was an open kitchen and dining room, a hall that seemed to lead to the bathroom and bedroom, and a deck out back. He set the boy on the couch, smiling.
"I'll let you explore later, after you've gotten some rest." Dwicky chuckled lightly, looking around at the den. He made his way to the fireplace that was tucked away in the corner, lighting and stoking a fire to warm the house. "It's not to tacky for you, right?" The humor could not be kept from his grin as he came to sit beside Dib, who just shook his head, his amber eyes darting around the room.
"No, it's fine." He sighed, leaning back against the cool fabric, shutting his eyes tiredly. He sat up in surprise when his glasses were removed from his face however, his eyes whipping around to stare at the man beside him.
"Sorry, sorry." Dwicky waved his hands dismissively in front of him, setting the boys glasses down on a side table. "I simply wanted to give you a chance to rest and I'm sure sleeping with glasses on isn't very comfortable." He set down a pillow on the couch, moving to give the boy stretching room. Sighing, Dib gladly took the invitation, burying his face in the soft pillow and curling his legs up onto the couch. Dwicky sat there for a few moments, watching the boy sleep before smiling and standing. He needed to make dinner. He was hungry and he was sure the boy would be too by the time he actually woke up.