Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs. Blue or any of the show's characters…they are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Chapter Two:
"…I said I'm sorry, okay?" Grif's voice was warped with exasperation at this point, "What else do you want from me?"
"Yeah, you apologized to me, ass-face!" his sister was scowling up at him, the bruise on her cheek now just a faded purple and yellow splotch instead of the ugly darker coloration it had been earlier- the cut on her forehead and rubbed raw skin on her arm both now bandaged quite nicely, "Why don't you apologize to that gray-haired kid you knocked out?"
He sighed, "Look, apologizing for something like that's kind of a hassle and I have no idea where he went anyways."
That part was true, at least. He'd stormed off angrily with Kai in tow to get her properly treated after having decked the kid and by the time he was back to rational thought or what at least amounted to it in his brain, more likely, and actually listened to Kai's protests- the Above Grounder was nowhere to be found.
It wasn't as if he didn't feel guilty enough about the misunderstanding. Kai's pointed guilt trips were not making him feel any better.
Sensing that the two were possibly getting into an argument again, Tucker cleared his throat. They were all hanging out in the Grif siblings' apartment, in the tiny space that served as a living room/kitchen area. Grif had opted to take the next few days off given what had happened to Kai: one of the benefits of being his own boss, he supposed.
"It's sort of funny though, if you think about it. I mean, who knew you had a berserk button for anything other than food?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood.
He gulped when both siblings stared pointedly at him and he barely had enough time to duck before the magazine that Kai had been reading and the soda can that Grif had just emptied crashed into the wall just above where Tucker's head had been moments before.
"You both suck!"
If that had been the last time Grif had ever encountered the strange kid from Above Ground, he would have chalked the incident up to a regrettable encounter from his past and just that. Something to be embarrassed about, but a memory he could easily enough push to the back of his mind as the years slipped by.
As it happened, surprisingly enough, it was the other teenager himself who ensured that their first encounter wasn't just a chance one.
Kai didn't seem too bent out of shape at all from her ordeal beyond still guilt-tripping Grif over his actions and deciding to end a few friendships for which Grif was sort of grateful for, if nothing else. She was soon back to her cheerful, carefree self in no time.
The only real permanent physical mark she would have was a small scar from the forehead cut whenever it healed completely, but all things considered, her injuries could have been a lot worse.
After two days, she got fed up with her big brother's fussiness and kicked him out of the apartment: threatening to change the lock on him if he didn't stay away for a little while and give her some space. Which, naturally, Tucker thought was all sorts of hilarious when he heard about it later.
So, for better or for worse (probably more "for the worse" given his general stance towards work), Grif went back to running errands.
It was well into midmorning after he finished delivering spec estimates from a mechanic in Level One to a potential client who never had their computer terminals on to check for messages that Grif had the oddest sensation that he was being watched.
Frowning, the eighteen-year-old quickly darted his head behind him and to the right, surprised to see a quick flash of red darting into one of the nearby side-alleys.
Grif's frown deepened, as he could think of only one person he'd encountered recently with red hair.
…Was that Above Grounder really following him? And why?
The only reason he could really think of was that he was (understandably, justifiably even) pissed at Grif for their earlier interaction and was possibly waiting for an opportunity to confront the other boy about it.
Grif sighed, not really wanting to deal with this at all but knowing that he probably should: the whole thing had been one big misunderstanding and he'd admittedly been a pretty big asshole over it, so he should at the very least take responsibility for what he had done.
…Sometimes being responsible sort of sucked major balls.
Dragging his feet somewhat, he headed reluctantly towards the side-alley he had seen the figure disappear into.
Peering in cautiously (not that he expected a crowbar to the face or anything), he almost thought perhaps it had been his imagination playing tricks on him. Nothing was there but crates and garbage, until something in a distinctly maroon-looking color moved and shrunk behind a pile of crates in the middle of the alley.
The teenager was pretty good at disappearing, Grif had to give him that- if he hadn't moved his shoulder that centimeter just then probably thinking he'd been too exposed or something, Grif would have probably overlooked him entirely.
"Hey, I know you're there! Come out already!" he called, stepping completely into the alleyway.
There was a distinctly not very impressive sounding yelp from the hiding spot and after a few more uncomfortable minutes of silence the person emerged from behind the crates, looking decidedly sheepish.
He'd been right: the person following him had been the Above Grounder who had helped Kai out.
…Complete with a yellowing bruise about the size of Grif's fist on the left side of his face. Okay, Grif kind of felt like a major asshole again upon seeing that.
He waited for the other boy to say something, but the kid seemed hesitant to even look Grif in the eye let alone ream him out for what he had done. His face was turning an odd shade of red and green eyes were darting in every direction but directly at Grif- as if he was trying to calculate if he could make some sort of escape attempt.
Finally, Grif got fed up with waiting and sighed.
"Look, if you're pissed at me I can understand why…" he folded his arms across his chest, "So if you want to hit me to make it even, go ahead. I won't fight back or anything."
His words seemed to do the trick, because two very wide eyes were suddenly fixed directly on him.
"H-hit you?" the Above Grounder stammered out in surprise, "Why…do you think I'd want to hit you?"
Grif raised a black eyebrow at that, "Uh, because I got mad and wailed on you when you hadn't done anything?"
"Oh." It seemed as if that was the first time such a notion had even occurred to the other teen.
"…Why else would you be following me if you weren't mad about that?" Now it was Grif's turn to be confused.
He hadn't thought it was possible, but the boy's face became even redder- almost matching the hues of his hair and shirt.
"Um…" he seemed to be trying to think of something to say in response and failing miserably.
Grif wasn't quite sure if he should be amused by the turmoil the redhead was going through or feel pity instead.
Before he could say anything, however, the boy finally seemed to think of something to say, "How…how is she?"
Oh, so maybe he'd been following him just to check up on Kai. That made sense, he supposed. The only reason he probably hadn't felt comfortable asking him directly about her was because of what had happened before.
…Now Grif kind of felt like an even bigger dick.
"She's pretty much recovered now." He smiled sardonically, "Though she's pretty pissed at me for punching you like I did."
The boy seemed relieved at the news, even smiling slightly at Grif's joke about himself.
"Seriously, though, if you're mad at me, go ahead and hit me. One time offer."
Oddly enough, the suggestion only seemed to annoy the other boy, "What would hitting you do?" he asked, somehow even managing to work up the nerve to glare at him.
"…Make us even?" Now it was Grif's turn to be perplexed. What was this kid's problem?
"For what? I'm not mad at you." He seemed somewhat more at ease now that they had been talking for a little while.
"But, I hit you for no reason." Grif protested.
And left your ass there and didn't apologize until just now…though he kept quiet on that last part.
"You were upset." The boy looked at him appraisingly, "That girl…she's your family, right?"
"Sister." Grif blinked, surprised at the comment, "How'd you know?"
The boy's face became incredibly red again, "Your reaction to what happened to her. And…" his voice became barely audible at the next part, "You both look alike."
"We do?"
He had heard that a few times, when they were both younger. But now that they were grown…well, he supposed beyond the similar skin tone, hair, and eye colors as both had the same tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes- he didn't really think they looked all that similar.
Kai was definitely a looker, for starters (already getting all sorts of attention for it, much to his chagrin)…whereas, while he thought he was all right looking and not that self-conscious about that kind of thing anyways, he didn't really think he'd ever win any awards for handsomeness. Any talk about him and Kai looking that much alike anymore had stopped awhile ago, so he hadn't really thought their family resemblance was that strong nowadays.
The other boy nodded, but for some reason had clammed up on this topic of conversation. Not that Grif really cared, though he wondered why saying you thought someone bore a family resemblance to another person would be grounds for getting embarrassed in the first place, but the Above Grounder seemed pretty socially anxious in general.
"She's only fourteen." He figured he might as well get the protective older brother shit out of the way to help move the conversation along, "So don't get any funny ideas or I will hit you again."
That did the trick. The boy's face became a decidedly tomato hue and he shook his head emphatically, "I—I wouldn't! I mean…she's really pr—pretty and all, but…"
"Breathe, dude." Grif was torn between protective urges at the "pretty" comment (so he had been thinking something then!), amusement at the obvious discomfort the other boy was in, and genuine worry that the teenager might hyperventilate and pass out on him.
…That last outcome would probably be a pretty big pain to deal with.
Apparently though, the almost-smirk that was forming on Grif's face in terms of the "amusement" factor was visible enough that, to his credit, the other teenager actually glared at him and was able to finally plow through his embarrassment.
Grif was sort of impressed, in a way.
"W—what I meant before was that I understood why you lost it earlier. So I wasn't mad then." The last remark came with a decidedly pointed look in Grif's direction, which only furthered his amusement, "Besides, given who it was that hurt her…"
The boy's voice had trailed off, and he looked down at the ground guiltily. Which, admittedly, sort of made Grif feel bad again about the whole thing.
"…Were they your friends?" he asked quickly, not really liking the uncomfortable silence that had descended upon them again.
A very emphatic headshake to further illustrate his point, "They're assholes. They just followed me down here."
That comment caused Grif to do a quick double-take, "You mean you'd come down here by yourself?"
He was actually more than a little impressed by that. From what he could gather, it was something of a challenge to sneak past the security points into The Slums- which is usually why Above Grounders who did it tended to be in groups.
The boy in the maroon shirt seemed to misinterpret Grif's reaction as disbelief. He blushed again, halfway looking irritated and expectant of such a reaction, "I'm…good at hacking." He muttered.
"Oh. So you're a nerd then."
That kind of made a whole of sense to Grif, honestly.
The other teen's shoulders slumped at Grif's actually-not-really-intending-to-sound-as-insulting-as-it-came-across remark as if he were a deflated balloon. He sighed.
"…That's sort of cool, actually."
His head jerked up suddenly at Grif's remark and he looked at him with his mouth hanging open in surprise. It almost seemed as if he were so unused to hearing praise that he didn't know how to even react to it. Grif really didn't want to dwell on how that was pretty sad, if one thought about it too much.
So he plowed on, hoping that maybe if he talked more the desperate look on the other boy's face would go away, "I mean…I can barely use some of the crappy tech we have here, so I don't think I'd ever be able to bypass the security sealing Above Ground out." He grinned in self-deprecating humor, "It probably would be entertaining as fuck for someone to see me try though."
The boy still resembled one of those Earth animals called a "deer" caught in the headlights he'd seen on old video reels, but once Grif's words sunk in and he realized he wasn't being made fun of he smiled slightly. His smile wasn't bad, when he wasn't too self-conscious or unsure about it.
"So if those assholes weren't your friends and you were trying to help my sister out you don't have anything to feel guilty about. And I'm still a dick for taking it out on you."
"Um…" he didn't seem quite sure of how to respond to that logic.
"So, since you refuse to punch me back and Kai's still pissed at me, why don't you let me make it up to you?" Grif sighed, trying to make amends was far too much work- he was starving now with all of the effort it was taking.
"…H—how?" the boy looked at him in confusion.
Before Grif could respond, however, a loud gurgle filled the space between them. The redhead's face went red again, his green eyes looking down in horrified embarrassment at his growling stomach.
Grif grinned, thankful that the sudden solution to his moral dilemma had such good timing for him as well.
"That was…kind of disgusting."
Grif belched loudly, not phased at all by the weird grimace on the pale boy's face as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and then wiped that absentmindedly on his pant leg. …Kai had told him before that was gross, but who was he ever trying to impress anyways?
"What was? The food?" he tried thinking back on what they'd just eaten: some kind of chicken and rice dish. A bit healthier than he normally cared for, but he'd been starving and really hadn't wanted go waste effort looking for another place when that one had been right there. He frowned, "I didn't think it was that bad. …For healthy shit."
Maybe Above Grounders had a shitload more sophistication when it came to their palettes? If that was the case, he was going to mock the kid now that he considered them even.
"No, the food was good." The redhead was looking pointedly at him, "What was disgusting was watching you inhale five plates of it!"
"…I was hungry." He shrugged.
"You nearly swallowed the silverware!" he shuddered at the memory, "I'm surprised you didn't unhinge your jaw just to get more food in."
"You mean like a snake?" Grif honestly wasn't sure if he should feel insulted or not at the comparison.
…Truthfully though, having a jaw that unhinged probably would help him cut down on all those wasted seconds he spent having to chew things like a chump.
He tensed visibly at Grif's snake comparison, "Fuck! I wish you hadn't mentioned snakes."
Grif smirked, "A snake-phobe, are we?"
Sure, Grif was terrified of flying rodents himself so he knew he shouldn't make fun of that, but the guy had just implied his eating habits were disgusting. Even if that was true (and he sort of suspected it was, he just didn't really care enough to change them)- it left him open for ribbing in return.
"The term is Ophidiophobic, actually." The poor boy couldn't help but to dig himself in further.
"Nerd." He couldn't help but respond to it, either.
A glare, "Fatass."
Instead of feeling angry at the insult, Grif felt oddly okay with it. Maybe it was fun just to see if he could spark that kind of vehement reaction from the other teen. Maybe it was just nice to know there was more to him than being timid and awkward all the time.
…Whatever the reason, he actually liked seeing this side of the Above Grounder. The longer he could keep it out, the better: it was like a routine that felt oddly natural for two people who had only just met (and decidedly on the wrong foot, to boot).
Despite the annoyed look on his face, it seemed like the other boy didn't really mind either: there was a glint in his eyes that hadn't been there before and he wasn't going back into his shell or being overly self-conscious yet since the exchange had started.
Out of mild curiosity, and to keep things on a more peaceable level still, Grif asked, "What do you call a fear of bats?"
The annoyed look faded quickly from his expression as he thought of the answer, "Chiroptophobia." He regarded him curiously, "Why?"
A shrug, "No reason." He tried to sound nonchalant.
The boy regarded him for a few more minutes, and then a smirk crossed his face. It was a new expression to see on him for Grif. It would probably take awhile to get used to.
"Are you afraid of bats?" he joked.
"…" Grif said nothing, really not sure he wanted to give the kid any fuel given the suddenly way-too-joyful look in his green eyes. Dealing with Tucker's mocking on the subject was more than enough.
Unfortunately, and he really should have realized it sooner, staying silent was pretty much its own confirmation too.
"You do know there weren't any bats on the colony ships and that there are no bat-like species on this planet, right?"
"Oh, sure, try to disprove my fear with facts." Grif used air-quotes with his fingers to emphasize the word "facts," not really caring for the smug look crossing over the boy's features.
Suddenly, he thought of something to counter said smugness and couldn't help the triumphant smirk that came to his own face, "And you do know that if there are snakes on this planet, you'd be more likely to find them here, right?"
His face paled considerably at the notion and Grif almost could have laughed at the fearful reaction until he suddenly shook his head adamantly, "That's—that's not true! They don't live that far underground!"
"You sure about that?" Grif tried to get one last jab in, even though he knew the boy was probably right: he certainly had never seen a snake anywhere close to The Slums or the mines.
"…Are you sure you won't find a bat down here one day?" he countered.
Damn, he had him there. Grif was somewhat impressed.
Finally, his mind settled on a topic of discussion he knew the other teen couldn't argue, "…Nerd."
Oh, good one!
He hated his brain sometimes.
"…Fatass."
Though judging by the embarrassed grimace crossing over the other teen's features at his less-than-eloquent retort, it seemed like he wasn't the only one who felt that way sometimes.
…Oddly enough, that sort of made Grif feel better.
"Come on," he grinned and grabbed the boy's hand, "There's someone you should meet again!"
If he'd been paying attention to the other boy's body language at all, he would have noticed him stiffening slightly at the sudden contact. Or maybe that his palm actually seemed to be sweating quite a bit against his own.
…But Grif was, when it came to certain things at least, pretty oblivious sometimes.
"…"
Kai stared blankly at the two of them from the apartment doorway, surprise evident on her features.
Tucker whistled in amusement as he'd evidently snuck over to their home in order to read a magazine, "Dude, you bring home the weirdest shit."
"Oh, shut up." Grif glared in his direction, then pushed the boy forward encouragingly, "Look who's here, Kai!"
She tilted her head to the side contemplatively, squinting at the teen who was fidgeting embarrassingly in front of her- his face a bright red and his eyes looking everywhere but at her.
It took only a moment for her to remember him, "Hey, it's the gray guy who helped me out!"
He stared at her dumbfounded for a few seconds before turning to look behind him questioningly at Grif, "Um…?"
"She's colorblind." Grif explained in a whisper. Given his red hair and maroon shirt…no wonder Kai called him "gray guy" in her head.
"That…can't be true, can it?" he could practically see the wheels turning in the nerd's head at the concept, "Statistically speaking, I mean—"
Trying to avoid some weird scientific nerd lecture before it could properly begin, Grif stepped forward and cut the boy off, "I ran into him earlier and we're cool now, Kai. So you can lay off the guilt trip, all right?"
The girl glanced from him to the Above Grounder, frowning.
"Is this true?" she asked the redhead, who squirmed uncomfortably with her attention on him again.
Grif's mouth fell open, "…You don't believe me?" he asked in mock disbelief.
"I just want to hear it from him." Kai looked at the boy imploringly.
"Because you might have just threatened the poor guy into coming down here just to get her to stop being mad at you!" Tucker joked, looking on at the exchange in amusement.
"…Are you kidding me? That would have taken way too much effort."
The boy still seemed way too shaken up under Kai's gaze, though it seemed like the few minutes dialogue between Grif and Tucker helped to give him a chance to get his bearings.
"Um…yeah, it's true." He swallowed nervously, looking down at the floor, "He apologized and everything."
"Dex apologized?" Now it was Kai's turn to look shocked.
"Dex?" the boy was staring at him curiously.
…Though Grif was more focused on his annoyance over the shocked looks on both Tucker and Kai's faces, "Oh, shut the fuck up, you two. I can apologize for shit I've done wrong!"
"'Can' and actually 'doing' are two very opposite things." His friend joked.
"…Don't you have your own home to hang out in?" Grif asked exasperatedly.
He grinned, looking pointedly in Kai's direction, "View's way better in this one."
"I swear to God, Tucker…"
"It's—it's true though!" Perhaps the Above Grounder was afraid that the argument might get even more heated, though it came as a bit of a surprise to hear his voice speak loudly enough to be heard over it, "He even tried getting me to punch him to make it even!"
Tucker snorted, "That's how you apologize for shit? Wish we got into more fights."
Sister nodded approvingly, "That sounds like my brother!"
…Grif was seriously tempted to bang his head on the wall behind him. Except it was metal and would probably hurt a lot.
Instead, he sighed in defeat and decided to let their joking comments slide, "…So we're cool then, Kai? You're not going to keep yelling at me?"
She made a big deal about pretending to think it over to which Grif had to try to keep an eyebrow twitch from developing in response to, before slowly nodding, "…Buy me that yellow tank top I saw earlier and we'll call it even."
"Oh, seconded!" Tucker grinned, "Bow chika bow—OW!"
At the same time that he had hit Tucker in the head with a soda can Grif said, "Nice try." to his sister.
"You suck!" But there was no vehemence in her tone and Kai was grinning right back at him.
"Seriously, don't you people ever throw anything away?" Tucker was rubbing the side of his head where the can had hit him.
The two ignored him though, Kai turning her attention back to the very lost and bewildered boy standing next to her brother, "I never did get the chance to thank you earlier, did I, gray guy?"
"Um…"
"So thanks!" she grinned, grabbing his hand and the poor guy looked likely to faint right then and there- Grif wasn't sure if he should throw a can at him as well for that or mock him for it…maybe both.
Oblivious to his reaction, Kai leaned forward playfully and looked at his red face carefully, "Come to think of it, I never got your name." she mused.
…Oh, that actually reminded Grif of something too. For some reason, it had totally slipped his mind to ask for the Above Grounder's name as well.
With visible effort, the boy managed to choke out, "Si—Simmons." before turning around and hightailing it out of the apartment.
The two boys stared after him incredulously and Kai smiled, "Aw…gray guy's shy!"
…Well, Grif supposed it was probably something of a miracle that he had even hung on as long as he had.
When dinner was finished with that evening, Tucker motioned for Grif to follow him into the hallway.
He did so, figuring that Tucker had a bad joke or something else fun he wanted to tell him but he was surprised at the decidedly serious look on the dark-skinned boy's face.
"You…haven't heard anything about fighting between those Insurrection guys and Above Ground, have you?"
Grif was taken slightly back by the question.
The Insurrection was something of a resistance group in The Slums. There were a network of resistances in the area, actually, though most of them were for more peaceful organizations of resources and just about providing security to more impoverished areas since Above Ground didn't supply any sort of aid down here. They often helped out in the events of tunnel collapses and the like too. Originally, the Insurrection had been like any other of those groups, but he'd heard some rumors of them advertising some decidedly riskier actions against Above Ground in recent months.
…He had assumed the rumors were blowing things out of proportion because of the "tough guy" personas all of the group's members seemed to have. Everyone always grumbled about taking action for better treatment for The Slums, but no one was stupid enough to actually try anything.
…Not after the Above Ground military had proven they were more than willing to use detonation charges to collapse tunnels on miners in the last uprising some twenty years ago, at least.
"The usual shit, nothing different."
Tucker's frown deepened at his response and Grif actually became a little worried, "…Have you heard something?"
"Just some stuff I really hope isn't true about weapons being shipped out into the tunnels." His friend's brown eyes looked at him pointedly, "I know you have a job and everything, but try to keep out of the mines for awhile, okay? I don't want to have to deal with Kai if something happens to your lazy ass."
Grif was genuinely touched at his friend's concern, "Thanks for the warning. I'll stick to easy jobs outside of the mining corridors for a little while then." He grinned sarcastically, "Believe me, the last thing I'd want to do is get involved in something as pointless as a war."
He snorted, "Yeah, I'm not sure you'd last more than two seconds in one."
"…Like you'd do any better?" Grif joked back.
"Probably not. Way too much effort, man."
It was times like these when Grif was reminded of what made the two of them rather good friends despite all of the ribbing.
"Oh, and I'd probably have Kai not talk about that pale kid being from Above Ground too much." Tucker advised, turning slightly serious again, "You know how people can get."
True enough: a lot of Slum residents saw Above Grounders as enemies. It was hard to think of anyone really seeing a scrawny, pale, freckle-faced, socially awkward boy as a threat, but he supposed it wouldn't do to bring attention to it.
"Do you really think it will be an issue?" he asked Tucker, "I mean, he ran out of here practically screaming. I'm not sure we'll even see him again."
Which, oddly enough, was almost halfway disappointing. He'd actually kind of had fun earlier today.
Tucker shrugged, "You never know. Best to be cautious, though."
…It was sound advice, even if it did come from a surprising source.
Simmons didn't show up again for another two days.
Truthfully, Grif was actually somewhat surprised when he found him sitting by himself at the very same bench he had tried helping Kai at earlier.
"…I thought you'd left." He thought it best to avoid mentioning that he had fled from his little sister in close to sheer panic.
…At least for right now. He would so mock him for it later if the other teen stuck around.
Simmons started at his voice, red already climbing up his face, "I…don't interact well with girls." He mumbled lamely.
Grif plopped down next to him on the bench. He was tired and this was as good an excuse as any to get off of his feet for awhile.
"I noticed." He grinned, "Lots of girls go for guys fleeing in terror from them."
…Okay, well, he wasn't going to miss a mocking opportunity when it was that obvious. He was only human, after all.
Simmons flinched away from him slightly and he almost felt bad for the joking then.
"…Was she mad?"
"Kai?" Grif shook his head, "Nah, she just thinks you're shy."
He let out a small sigh of relief, shoulders sagging slightly.
"…Fourteen, dude. And my sister."
Best to nip any thoughts like that in the bud.
Simmons glanced over at him, nodding in understanding of Grif's warning. His face was no fire-hydrant red.
Grif sighed, "I would have thought you would have gone back by now. It's been a couple weeks, hasn't it? Those assholes who hurt Kai have already left, haven't they?"
The other boy nodded and Grif was somewhat relieved they weren't causing trouble around here anymore.
But it made him kind of curious about why Simmons wasn't hurrying back to the safety of topside living. He seemed nervous enough being down here as it was, so Grif just wanted to know why.
"…So why are you staying here?"
Having nowhere to sleep, to eat really… It seemed an odd thing for anyone to choose to do voluntarily. He knew from personal experience that he certainly never wanted to do it again.
The other boy fidgeted nervously, biting down on his lip. He remained silent for so long that Grif assumed he wasn't going to answer…which, fair enough. It wasn't like the two of them were friends or anything, so he wasn't going to force it out of him.
"Look, sorry I asked." He said after the silence had stretched on well past his liking, "You don't have to tell me, I won't get mad."
"…I have two more weeks."
Simmons had mumbled, so Grif wasn't quite sure what he had said at first.
The redhead glanced at him, saw the questioning look on Grif's tan face and took a deep breath. When he spoke up again, it was at a much more audible level.
"I have two more weeks before my enrollment begins."
Ah, so that explained things a little bit. Simmons was trying to have his last little bit of freedom before his mandatory Above Ground military training commenced.
…Grif sort of felt sorry for him.
"You've already been down here awhile and without anyone else. Won't your family miss you?"
Simmons frowned at the question and for a minute the other teen thought that maybe he had overstepped some new acquaintance rule or some shit again.
"My mom…might." He finally said, "But I left her a message and I think she understands. My dad…he won't even notice I'm gone unless I don't show up for training."
Ouch.
There was a note of bitterness to Simmons' voice on that last part that caught Grif off-guard.
"You two don't get along?"
…And he probably should just shoot himself in the foot to keep from digging himself in even further.
Simmons laughed, a weird patronizing laugh that was more hollow than anything else, "He'd have to notice I existed before we could not get along."
Father issues by the transport-load, it seemed. Grif wasn't sure it would be a good idea to pry any further on that subject given the dark look crossing over Simmons' green eyes.
"So you're just going to slum around here for the next two weeks?"
Simmons' head snapped quickly in Grif's direction, his mouth open in protest.
Grif had forgotten that the term "slumming" for Above Grounders had a negative connotation, usually meaning stuff like what those assholes had done to Kai. Simmons apparently was well aware of it too.
"Sorry, didn't mean it that way." Grif held out his hand in a peaceable gesture, "I just meant that you're going to wander down here on your own until then."
He relaxed then, giving a curt nod.
Grif sighed, not really liking the direction his brain was going in.
But a kid without much social skills to speak of and nowhere to sleep, an Above Grounder no less in a place where they weren't really welcome, and Tucker's warning to boot…
And he knew that, even if they were somewhat even now for his punching him earlier, Simmons had risked getting his own ass kicked by helping Kai out like he had.
They weren't even for that yet, not by a long shot.
"I have a proposition for you."
The arrangement was pretty simple, and if Grif was being honest with himself, it was a mutually beneficial one.
For the next two weeks, Simmons would help Grif out on his errands around The Slums- in exchange for food and a place to sleep.
…This in turn meant Grif actually could get a lot of his work done faster, which meant he could devote a lot more of his time to slacking off. Plus, he didn't have to worry about Simmons getting dragged off by Insurrection thugs for doing something stupid and "Above Ground"-y (yeah, he really didn't care if that wasn't a real term)…which meant he could consider a lot of his debt to him in regards to Kai paid off as well.
So, all in all: a total win-win.
It wasn't exactly a foolproof plan, though: Simmons may have been something of an overachieving genius nerd hacker in order to sneak into The Slums on his own, but he had pretty much zilch in the way of the common sense know-how needed to actually work and function down here. It made Grif wonder how he'd managed to keep himself alive those first days.
But, if there was one thing about the above description that was especially in the redhead's favor, it was the "overachieving" part. The boy seemed bent to please and he was persistent. Maybe, since he knew Grif was doing him a pretty big favor in his own way, he wanted to prove he could actually do it.
After fumbling through the first few transactions of the day, he was steadily improving at a much quicker pace than Grif had anticipated.
…It was almost wearing him out, just watching Simmons.
"Do you ever relax?" he asked him as they were finishing up the last job of the day: delivering food to the construction workers in Level One from a restaurant in Level Five. Good pay since it was a lot of food, though having a second person made the haul easier and as a bonus- free food to boot afterwards. He fucking loved delivery runs for restaurants when he could arrange to get them.
Simmons looked over at him in surprise, "But…it's your job, right?"
Grif shrugged nonchalantly in response.
"A job you're given is one you ought to do well."
Now it was Grif's turn to look at him as if he were an alien, "Where did you pick that up from?"
His face lit up in indignation, "It's called having a good work ethic!"
Well, it's not like Grif could really argue with that. When push came to shove (and there was no plausible way he could come up with to avoid it), he would work insanely hard. It wasn't like Grif hadn't been doing so up until now.
"But this is different for you." He argued, "It's my job, but you're just…an assistant helper."
"…And I shouldn't try to be good at that?" The incredulous look on his freckled face was too hilarious.
"Well, you can if you want." Grif scratched his head in thought, "I just thought if you were coming down here to get away from pressure in your everyday life you might want to relax and have fun while you have the time for it."
Simmons seemed to ponder what he said for a few seconds and then sort of freaked Grif out by beaming proudly, "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I'm having tons of fun!"
The blank look on the other teen's face caused him to elaborate further, "I mean…I find a job well done to be very fun! It's like a well-organized chore wheel!"
"…" Grif just stared at him.
Simmons' face took on the usual tomato hue Grif had become accustomed to seeing on it whenever he was embarrassed, "G—Grif?" he asked hesitantly.
"…You really are weird, you know that?"
Embarrassment turned to indignation at the joking tone, "I am not! What's weird is not having any kind of set schedule or order when your primary business is always changing."
"Psh…I get it done, don't I?"
"That's beside the point! Your functionality could probably increase by sixty percent at least if you…"
Simmons' voice trailed off into a well-intentioned rant full of big words that Grif, for the most part, chose to ignore and then reply sarcastically to.
They carried on like that for the rest of the way back to Low Town. Oddly enough, despite the argumentative and disinterested tones of their voices, both boys were grinning from ear-to-ear throughout the exchange.
"So shy guy is going to be staying with us for two weeks?" Kai asked from the small table they'd just eaten at.
Simmons, having volunteered to clean the dishes (though he subsequently regretted it apparently after seeing the messing filling their sink), sighed, "…I kind of wish she'd go back to calling me 'gray guy' instead." He muttered in a tone so low that Grif only heard it because he was sitting right behind him.
He couldn't help but grin. Yeah, he supposed it was embarrassing to be reminded of the time someone ran away in terror from a fourteen-year-old.
"Yeah, just until he has to go back home." He narrowed his brown eyes at the girl, "So no funny business, Kai. I mean it."
"Aw, you're no fun!" the girl smirked and called over to Simmons' back, "Hey, wanna sleep in my room?"
…And Grif was pretty sure he heard a plate break as Simmons sputtered incoherently for two whole minutes.
There were only two rooms in the apartment if you didn't count the bathroom, which sometimes Grif didn't since as long as he didn't smell that bad and he didn't have to take a leak, he kind of forgot it was there. There was the living space area which also housed their cramped-as-fuck kitchen space, and a tiny bedroom off to the side.
Grif had basically let Kai have free reign of the bedroom since he figured she would appreciate the privacy…and, truthfully, if he was tired he just crashed on the couch anyways so what did he need the extra room for? Going two unnecessary meters or so to sleep? Fuck that.
He sighed, honestly not sure if she was joking or serious, "Not happening, Kai. He's sleeping out here with me."
She pouted, "You suck!"
"Yeah, yeah. Like you actually thought I'd let that happen."
Kai gave a suggestive wink in the still shell-shocked Simmons' direction, "Too bad, I would've been real gentle."
"Wh—what?"
Poor kid's head looked like it was about to explode. Grif felt a small measure of pity for him: Kai was a handful even for someone used to her. A shy nerd like Simmons was way out of his depth.
"Quit that and go to bed." He sighed, the comment more of a suggestion for Simmons' sake than a real command with any kind of force to it. He wasn't really going to yell at her if she ignored him since he suspected a lot of this was more play than anything else.
Kai grinned and stuck her tongue at him again, then raced to her own little sanctuary. The second the door whizzed shut, loud music only slightly muffled could be heard coming from behind it.
"Um…" Simmons seemed unsure of what to say.
"Sorry about that. Kai likes to joke around a lot."
Well, Grif liked to think she was just joking for his own peace of mind. Sometimes with her it was hard to tell.
"Oh! Uh, that's fine." Simmons' face was still beet-red though and Grif was unsure of whether or not he should feel more annoyed by his reaction. He supposed at least "getting too flustered to talk" was a better reaction to Kai's antics than Tucker's tendency to "play-flirt back" was, so he decided to let it slide and moved into his own sleeping area.
The couch faced the less-than-stellar computer terminal of the apartment, which was large enough that its screen made up about half of the back wall. The information networks weren't the greatest in The Slums, but Grif mostly used it to watch old archival footage of things called "movies" or "TV" from the old days on Earth when he was feeling really bored and lazy, so he didn't mind (Man, did those guys seem to have it made then!). It was a big, ugly thing that had taken him and Tucker almost an entire day to drag into the apartment from the dump on the other side of Low Town, but once they'd gotten the smell out and everything it was comfy as fuck to sleep on so he thought all-in-all the effort had been worth it.
Underneath the couch were some cleaner blankets, which he pulled out before moving the empty bags of snacks and drink bottles from his sleeping spot to the floor and pulling the blankets that he'd been using from there as well. Maybe Tucker had a point and they should clean every once in a while, but it wasn't his fault he got sleepy after he ate, damn it!
"You can have the couch while you're here."
…Grif figured Simmons would have probably wanted that spot but wouldn't feel right asking for it since he was a guest, so he might as well just preemptively offer it instead.
Besides, Grif really didn't mind sleeping on the floor: he did it a couple of times a week anyways if he really wasn't feeling like wasting the energy to get up from the ground and pull himself onto the couch.
…He was pretty adept at being able to sleep anywhere, honestly. It was one of the few skills he prided himself on.
"Thanks."
Giving up on the mess of dirty plates and utensils piled up in the kitchen for now (though Grif noticed, somewhat surprised, that the boy had managed to make a sizable dent in them somehow), Simmons went about trying to "make" a bed on the couch- casting disapproving glances at the trash on the floor but, with great effort, not commenting on it.
Silently, the two settled in for the night. Grif was, not unsurprisingly for him, pretty beat so he figured that he'd have no trouble falling to sleep, even with the sound of Kai's music permeating the place.
Simmons, it seemed, wasn't quite as ready to hit the hay yet. His eyes were flicking in every direction, and he kept opening his mouth to say something but then seemed to decide against it.
Eventually, though, his curiosity seemed to get the better of him.
"Hey, Grif?"
The other boy sighed, opening his eyes to look at the ceiling.
"Simmons, you don't need to whisper. It's hard to hear you over that music Kai's playing."
"R—right, sorry." His voice was slightly louder that time, so Grif didn't have to strain his ears to hear him.
After a few minutes of deliberation, Simmons spoke up again.
"…Are the two of you living by yourselves?"
It was a pretty personal question and, judging by the hesitancy in his voice, it seemed like Simmons had been debating about whether or not he had wanted to ask: probably afraid he would step over some boundary, just like Grif had been when he'd asked about Simmons' family.
…But, it wasn't like it was a huge secret or anything: pretty much everyone who had a passing acquaintance with the two siblings in The Slums knew they were on their own. Grif really didn't care who knew one way or the other, so long as they weren't judgmental assholes about it.
"Yeah." Grif didn't hesitate to answer, brown eyes still focused on the ceiling and occasionally on Simmons' pale elbow when he fidgeted on the couch above him, "It's been the two of us for awhile now."
"Oh." was all Simmons said to that, though if there was one thing Grif had learned about the other teenager was that he probably had a few backup questions he just wasn't comfortable asking just yet.
So Grif decided to elaborate a bit more to help give the Above Grounder some peace of mind, "My parents both left some years ago. More important things to do or some shit, I guess."
"That's…" Simmons seemed to be racking his brain for the right word, "Awful. I'm sorry."
Maybe he thought he'd touched upon a bad topic, like how Grif had when he'd asked about his father.
The other boy shrugged, though he knew Simmons couldn't see the gesture, "It's okay. I mean, it fucking sucked when it happened, but I'm cool with it now."
…Probably better the two of them had left if that was their disposition in the first place. Grif wasn't sure when he had first started telling himself that or when it was that he'd partially started to believe it at least.
There was silence for a long while after that and he began to wonder if maybe the tall boy's curiosity had been sated.
"…So you aren't angry anymore?"
…Should have guessed it wouldn't be.
Grif thought about that for awhile. Yeah, he supposed he was still pretty mad. Who wouldn't be? But a lot of that was far removed from his life now. It was a waste of effort to stay mad at people who had abandoned them long ago and Grif was not someone who liked to waste energy or effort on, well, most things if he was honest.
"Not like I used to be." He finally responded, frowning, "Though I would like to fucking punch both of them for all of the times Kai cried after they left."
To his surprise, Simmons actually chuckled at that.
"So you've been watching out for her all on your own this whole time?"
He yawned, "Someone had to. She was way too young to deal with that shit."
"…Sounds like you were too, though." Simmons' voice was nearly a whisper then, his tone speculative.
Grif frowned, knowing the truth in that statement and not really being able to counter it. In reality, he really shouldn't have had to deal with a lot of the things he'd gone through after they were abandoned. No kid should.
"Better me than her though, since she was younger." He finally said, "Besides, it's gotten better now so it might have been for the best."
"You're a strong person, you know that?"
He smirked, "Says the guy who hacked his way down here all on his own."
Simmons peered down at him, frowning, "I'm serious. I don't think…I don't think I probably could have raised someone all on my own."
He yawned, "Sure you could. So long as they were a boy and you could talk to them."
The couch cushion hit the floor next to his head and he grinned, "Need to work on your aim, dude."
"Oh, shut up." He was grinning back.
The serious moment was over and done with and Grif was somewhat glad. Maybe now he could finally get some sleep.
"Hey, Grif?" Simmons' voice came to his ears again, "While it really is impressive that you've done what you've done on your own and everything, there's probably a few things you could do to help things around here run more efficiently…"
Grif cut him off before he could finish, not even bothering to open his eyes, "Simmons, if the next words out of your mouth are someone along the lines of 'chore' or 'wheel'…I will throw that cushion right back at you."
The silence following that was pretty damning and Grif contemplated doing it anyways, but he really didn't want to waste the effort.
Eh, maybe there would be some way to make fun of him tomorrow for it. He grinned at the thought, finally drifting off to sleep.
Simmons, as it turned out, fit surprisingly comfortably into the routine in the Grif household once he stopped fretting over the chaotic mess of it all. Well, he still did fret over it, he just internalized it a lot more: it was starting to not surprise Grif that there were spots where he could actually see the floor or counter when he woke up in the apartment.
The two had fallen into a routine of sorts: they bickered a lot, but one the whole it was an amicable sort of bickering and it was odd how well-balanced they were when it came to getting things done.
Work was definitely getting finished a lot sooner, which meant more free time for Grif so he really couldn't complain at all.
Maybe he should take advantage of the opportunity this afforded him and head to his favorite napping spot of all time overlooking Level One. He hadn't been there in forever, so it was certainly tempting.
…Plus, it might be a spot Simmons would like to see before he had to leave. Or he could be deathly afraid of heights and be completely traumatized- which Grif could then mock him for.
So, all in all, that was a win-win in his book too.
He was about to suggest the idea to the red-haired boy when Simmons came back from their final job for the day, frowning as he handed Grif his credit chip. He seemed to be debating whether or not he wanted to tell Grif something.
"Grif, have you heard about the Insurrection Movement?" he beat the tan boy to the punch when Grif was about to ask him what was wrong.
The question threw Grif off-guard, having managed to avoid hearing anything more about them since his last conversation with Tucker.
"…They're one of the more militant resistance groups in The Slums, but everyone knows that about them." He frowned, looking the pale boy over quickly, "Why?"
The other teen was trying to school his expression into a stoic one, but failing miserably. There was a nervous glint in his green eyes.
"It's nothing." He cast a glance over his shoulder at the building he had just emerged from, "Maybe…you shouldn't do business there for awhile."
The suggestion made no sense to Grif, who looked over at the store in question. It was a supply store, mostly dealing with parts for transports and mining supplies. They'd had Grif bring them machine components from some of the dumps in the lower levels to refurbish and resell for months now.
But there was definitely something strange about how Simmons was acting and the fact that he'd brought up a very specific group that Grif hadn't even known the Above Grounder had been aware of beforehand…
"Are you saying they might somehow be involved with those assholes?"
The even more worried look in the other boy's eyes pretty much confirmed it, "Don't say that too loudly!" he muttered in a low hiss of a warning.
Grif's mind was whirring now: how had Simmons noticed something like that in the first place? He'd been doing business with them for a while now and he'd never noticed…
Just then, the door slid open to the shop and two people stepped out.
"Thanks for the business."
One of them was a blond woman with a bored expression plastered on her face and sharp-looking eyes. She'd been the one who had called out over her shoulder to the shop owner. The other was a man with his face concealed by a helmet, though the two metallic cybernetic arms he sported more than made him stand out in a crowd.
They walked past the two teens silently, the woman casting a smirk in their direction upon seeing the dumbfounded look on Grif's face and the nervous one on Simmons'.
"Thank you both as well." She said in an almost joking manner, mock-waving as her and her companion disappeared from sight down into an alleyway.
…Both of them had been wearing the red combat vests that signified they were members of the Insurrection. He'd only seen them from afar before, but the sight had always been more than enough motivation to change routes even before their rumored activities had started to intensify.
Picking a fight with Above Ground was stupid, trying to start a war with them downright suicidal and would probably just make things worse for everyone in the long run. There was no way Grif was going to get dragged into their bullshit.
There was an odd pressure on his forearm, and he looked down- surprised to see Simmons' hand was gripped around it tightly. He looked insanely anxious, not that Grif could probably blame him for it.
"…They were in the store when you dropped the stuff off." It wasn't a question so much as a statement of the obvious.
No wonder Simmons had been so freaked coming out of there.
Damn, if he hadn't been dragging his ass like usual he would have at least been in there too. Not that it would have made a fucking difference, but he felt somewhat guilty that the other boy had been there on his own trying to help him out.
"They didn't seem to…know?" he asked instead, trying to change the subject slightly to avoid annoying and pointless feelings of guilt, "About you?"
Tucker's warning about keeping where Simmons came from a secret made a whole shitload of sense now.
Simmons seemed to become more and more collected as the moments passed and the two Insurrection members remained out of sight. He raised a red eyebrow at the question.
"…I don't think so. One teenager here probably looks the same as any other. It's not like I'm wearing a sign or something."
He must be feeling more at ease if he was trying to be sarcastic back. Grif relaxed somewhat at the thought and realized Simmons was probably right: one could potentially look at Simmons and automatically typecast him as a "nerd" or "shy" based on his mannerisms, but it would be trickier to figure out he was from Above Ground at just a glance.
But just as that troubling thought left his head, another quickly took its place. The Insurrection soldiers being here in the first place, Simmons' advice to not do business there for awhile, the blonde's comments…
"They're getting supplies from here, aren't they?" his voice barely registered in his own ears, it sounded so flat.
He didn't need the slight, reluctant nod from Simmons to confirm it. He already knew that was what was happening even as he had said it.
Damn, how long had they been going to that shop then? All this time and he'd never known until now?
And a nagging question was tickling his brain too along with those thoughts.
…Had the machinery and gears he'd been getting for the store been given to the Insurrection too then? It seemed very likely they would be, all things considered.
Which meant he'd been indirectly supplying parts for their stupid war even as he tried to avoid the whole fucking thing. Which meant if something happened to everyone here because of their actions, he'd share some of the blame too…
Grif wasn't thinking when he took a step towards the shop. All he really wanted to do was confront the owner and rage at him for getting him involved in this bullshit in the first place.
"Grif, don't!"
Simmons' voice was high-pitched with anxiety still, but there was a surprising authoritative tone that caused The Slums-dweller to stop.
He hadn't even noticed that Simmons' hand was still clenched around his forearm, or that the pale fingers had started squeezing down once he began to move in the shop's direction.
"…Don't make the situation worse." The other boy was saying, "Especially not when people like that are involved."
"But…"
His protest was cut off when Kai's voice shouted from behind them.
"Dex! Shy guy! What are you doing here?"
They turned to see the fourteen-year-old adamantly waving them over from some ways down the street, though with her loud greeting it had sounded like she was much closer to them.
A few people walking by shot the girl annoyed glares, but she seemed oblivious to how disruptive she'd been to the general public. Which was Kaikaina Grif in a nutshell, really.
Thoughts of cursing out jerk-ass shop owners fell from Grif's mind at the presence of his little sister and Simmons' death-grip on his arm relaxed somewhat.
The redhead sighed, grateful for the interruption, though he cast wary glances at the store and the alleyway the two Insurrectionists had disappeared down as they made their way to join up with Kai.
"Look what I can do!" Kai bent her entire body backwards before flipping over into a standing position again using only her hands, "Isn't being double-jointed awesome?"
"Um…" Simmons seemed at a loss as to how to even comment to that, focusing his eyes anywhere else but at Kai.
Her brother sighed, "Kai, how many times have I told you not to do in public?" his tone became decidedly harsher and he glared pointedly at her outfit, "…Especially when you're wearing a skirt."
They were sitting in a park area in the middle of the level where the shop Grif was no longer going to do business for was located. Kai had insisted on going there because there was a statue she really liked and she wanted to show it to Simmons since they all happened to be in the area at once.
It was one of the few public places in The Slums that had "art" in it. The sculpture wasn't exactly Grif's cup of tea: a metal artist had used a run-down vehicle and attempted to make an old Earth animal called a Warthog from it, but Grif honestly thought the shape of the sculpture animal's body and limbs looked more like a cat's or something, so he always called it a Puma in his head). But, he supposed it was sort of nice that places like this existed here at all.
Kai glared at him, hands on her hips, "You're no fun, Dex! Steve says it's awesome when I bend my leg over my head whenever I meet him here."
"Yeah, yeah…" and then what she just said suddenly registered in his mind, "Wait, what? Who the fuck is Steve?"
But Kai didn't think it was an important question to answer, laughing instead and darting off to the other side of the park with Grif calling questions after her.
The boy sighed again, suddenly feeling exhausted. If he was remembering correctly, Steve was a friend of Kai's from Low Town who he would have to have some words with now, it seemed like.
If Kai was already this much of a handful, he was really starting to worry about what she would be like a couple more years down the road. He shuddered at the thought.
Simmons coughed next to him, still rather relieved in a way to see Grif getting frustrated by his little sister's antics more than what had happened before at the store. It seemed like that issue had completely slipped his mind at the moment in the face of Kai being, well, Kai.
"She's…lively, huh?" he joked awkwardly.
Grif snorted, a mix between annoyance and exasperation clouding his features, "She's something, all right."
"And…that flip was pretty impressive." Simmons' face turned beet red at the comment and he quickly came up with a way to avoid what he'd just said being misinterpreted by her overprotective big brother, "I—I mean…that kind of flexibility would definitely come in handy during military drills."
"I'm sure." Grif closed his eyes for a moment, the urge to nap very overwhelming in a peaceful place like this…especially with the day they'd just had. Oh, who was he kidding? Grif always wanted to nap here regardless.
There were a few minutes of blissful silence that followed.
"Can—can you do that?" Simmons' voice was rushed and hesitant, as if he'd been debating asking the question at all, "Are you…double-jointed too, I—I mean?"
Grif opened one eyelid partially, frowning in thought at the question. If he'd turned his head to the side to look at Simmons, he would have seen a very red-faced boy squirming uncomfortably and looking about ready to die of embarrassment for having even brought up the issue in the first place, but he didn't, so he never saw or questioned the peculiar reaction Simmons had to his own query.
…He probably wouldn't have even known why Simmons was asking in the first place, truthfully.
"I don't really know." He answered finally, "Never had much reason to bend my leg over my head."
"…I guess not." Simmons laughed awkwardly, his body language relaxing somewhat once he realized he wasn't going to be made fun of or looked at strangely for the question.
"Though if there were a back-flipping contest with an all-you-can-eat prize, I'd probably be pretty motivated to try." The other boy joked.
Simmons grinned back at him. Food definitely seemed to be a mighty prime motivator in Grif's mind.
Deciding it was best to change the subject completely though, Simmons came up with another topic he'd been curious about, "…Kai always calls you Dex."
A yawn, "Hmm? Oh, yeah, that's because it's my name."
"…Your name is Dex?" he was curious as to why no one else called him that.
He nodded, "It's short for Dexter." He frowned suddenly, turning to Simmons, "But I really can't stand my name, so I go by Grif. Kai's the only one who calls me by it."
Simmons nodded his head in understanding.
Grif eyed the other boy critically, "Speaking of that…what's yours?"
"Huh?" Simmons blinked, not quite getting the question.
Grif snorted, "Come on, dude, what's your name? It can't really be Simmons."
The eighteen-year-old's face became an embarrassed shade of red again, "N—no, you're right…it isn't. That's just my last name."
"And I told you my name, so come on. Fair is fair." The tan boy chided.
Simmons sighed and looked down at the ground, mumbling something incoherently as he did so.
"What was that?" Grif leaned in closer, teasing, "Couldn't hear you."
"…Dick." Simmons' voice was still low, though he glanced over at Grif to gauge his reaction, "My name's Dick."
He blinked, taken by surprise, "…Seriously?"
He almost felt bad for the poor kid. His parents must have hated him.
"I—it's short for Richard." He tried explaining, his face still very much red, "But that's my father's name, so Mom calls me Dick for short."
Even as he had to fight back a bark of laughter at the joke Simmons had unwittingly said, he felt a twinge of sympathy for Simmons. Yeah, he wasn't a big fan of his first name either, but he could imagine being called "Dick" was probably prime bullying material for local assholes. Another reason, perhaps, why Simmons seemed so socially awkward all the time.
"That sucks, man, sorry."
Simmons stared at him blankly, apparently in shock that Grif hadn't chosen to use his newfound knowledge to tease him and all but confirming Grif's suspicions of him being bullied because of it in the past, really.
He grinned conspiratorially, "Tell you what. I'll just call you Simmons and you call me Grif and we'll pretend neither of us know our embarrassing first names."
Simmons returned the smile sheepishly, a grateful look in his eyes, "Deal!"
"…You coming or what?" Grif looked down from his hold on the ladder to the ground several meters below him, where a very hesitant-looking Simmons stood staring up at him nervously.
The tall boy bit his lip and looked at the ladder suspiciously, "Maybe…this isn't a good idea." He said lamely.
The other teen scoffed, "If you're worried about the ladder, don't be. This is one of the most solid structures in The Slums so there's no way it will break."
He glanced up at the rafters towering high above them, "…How else do you think maintenance workers get up there? If they didn't have a secure way up, they couldn't repair weak spots and eventually we'd all be crushed to death in a massive cave-in."
He normally didn't like dwelling on how the only thing keeping the cavern above their heads from collapsing were the large support beams and towers, and the rafters and walkways that splintered out between them like spider webs. He kind of figured structural integrity points were the best way to convince Simmons that it was safe to be up there and he really wanted to share the view with him.
It was one of Grif's favorite spots to be, after all, and he figured it would be an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for his Above Ground friend to see it. They'd been so busy up until now the past two weeks that he'd nearly missed a chance to take time out for this.
He frowned, "It's the ladder being secure I'm worried about, Grif…that's a long way down to fall!"
"Oh." Grif looked up at how seemingly endless the ladder appeared heading upwards from his vantage point. He supposed he'd always been somewhat aware of how fatal a fall from it could be, but for some reason it had never crossed his mind in a panic-inducing way before.
"…Want to go up first so that if you fall I can try catching you?" he asked Simmons, completely serious and without any hint of teasing in his voice.
The pale boy's face reddened at that suggestion for some reason and he gestured wildly with his hands, "N—no, of course not! That's not the issue here, Grif!"
…Okay, Grif wasn't really sure why his question would get that flustered of a response to it, but whatever. He'd been hanging around Simmons long enough now to know how odd he could be with social interactions.
He frowned, heading down the ladder again, "Well, I guess we don't really have to if you don't want to." He said reluctantly.
"R—really?" Simmons looked at him with a mixture of relief and dubiousness.
If Grif hadn't been holding onto the ladder, his shrug would have probably been more visible, "Yeah. I mean, I wanted to show you something bitching awesome before left, but if you would rather do something else…"
The teen below him seemed to be inwardly deliberating something as Grif spoke and he sighed.
Grif stopped his descent when Simmons gripped onto the ladder below so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Let's…just get this over with before I change my fucking mind." There was hesitancy in his green eyes, but a determined look in their depths too.
Grif grinned.
…Despite Simmons' concerns, the climb up the ladder was pretty uneventful, even with them having to take a few breaks so that Simmons could recollect himself and keep from panicking at what they were doing. Grif was actually pretty impressed with him for sticking with it, considering how scared he obviously was.
It took about thirty minutes for them to reach the rafter above, Grif getting up on the black metal walkway first.
He turned around to see Simmons' hand on the walkway behind him only to have a panic attack of his very own when the other teenager, hands sweaty from nerves and the death-grip he'd had on the ladder, slipped.
Grif dived down onto his stomach on the walkway, reaching out his hand and somehow managing to just barely grab onto one of Simmons'.
He grunted with the effort as Simmons was able to regain his footing on the metal rungs of the ladder, helping to pull the Above Grounder up to the relative safety of the walkway as Simmons used his free hand to help steady himself on the walkway's floor.
"Err…" Grif was honestly not sure how to respond to what just happened, his own hand now just as sweaty as Simmons' and his heart going a mile a minute.
Simmons was in a crouched position on the floor with Grif kneeling over him worriedly. His eyes were locked onto Grif's hand clasped over his, not saying anything.
…Grif supposed that if Simmons wanted to scream and yell at him for nearly getting him killed over a dumb idea he had, he'd very much be in the right for it.
"I'm sorry…" he began, getting ready for the blow-out he was positive was about to come his way, "If you want…"
"I am not punching you so you can forget it, dumbass." Simmons' reply was curt and harsh as he turned his gaze from Grif's hand to glare up at him, causing the other boy to immediately shut up, "It was my decision to come up here after all so don't fucking apologize."
"But—"
Simmons smiled slightly, looking down again at their hands, "Besides, you saved my life so I think that makes us even. Thanks."
Grif was about to argue the opposite, but knew it was probably pointless given how strangely stubborn Simmons could get on these matters.
Instead, he reluctantly let go of Simmons' hand, irrationally fearful that the other teen might still trip and fall without his grip there, despite the high safety railings and wire that surrounded the walkways proper. He figured it probably had something to do with residual guilt over Simmons nearly falling in the first place.
Taking a deep breath, Simmons stood on shaky legs and moved past Grif, gazing first at the rock ceiling literally only three or so meters above their heads and then over the side of the walkway they were standing on.
The empty air of the cavern greeted his sight initially, though, far below, one could make out the shapes of the numerous buildings and structures that comprised Level One- even some indistinct, faraway blobs of people. The tallest buildings below only seemed to be a third of the height of the top of the cavern.
"…Whoa." Anything remotely intelligible that the boy had been prepared to say was lost, his eyes wide as he took in the panoramic view before him.
Grif beamed, feeling rather smug with Simmons' reaction, "…Told you it was worth it."
Simmons nodded in response, completely transfixed. He could even make out some of the transport vehicles resembling little blocks from this height and angle and elevators moving about below.
Grif joined him in staring down at Level One, "This is one of my favorite places here."
"…I can see why." Simmons cast a glance at him finally, raising an eyebrow, "Though I'm sort of surprised considering how much effort it takes to get up here."
He shrugged, "It's a hassle, yeah, but when I first discovered this place I didn't mind."
The tan boy sat down on the walkway, looking out at the empty space all around them with a nostalgic glint in his eyes, "It was when I was little and our mom had just left. I needed…some place where I could just be by myself for awhile."
A scared little kid trying desperately to run away from his problems… Maybe that was why, up until just a few minutes ago when Simmons had nearly fallen, he hadn't even thought about how dangerous climbing the ladder could potentially be.
…Looking back on it now, he'd been pretty dumb then and probably extremely lucky, he'd wager.
Simmons sat down next to him, saying nothing. Maybe he understood in a way, given the lengths he had gone just to get a few days of freedom from his life.
"…How's the view compared to the ones in Above Ground?"
Grif wasn't sure why he asked that. Maybe he was just curious or maybe he was tired of the silence and dwelling on uncomfortable shit.
Simmons was staring at him, the expression on his face oddly unreadable for him. He seemed to be getting better at masking his emotions at times.
"It's better than most." He finally said, though he wasn't staring over the walkway anymore, "Though I didn't really pay much attention to views there."
"…Afraid to get near the windows on those skyscraper things?" Grif joked.
He smiled slightly, "A little." Simmons admitted, "But I'm glad you showed me this one, at least."
The other boy laughed, "Even if it almost got you killed?"
"Even if." Simmons looked down, embarrassed, "I've never…really known anyone who wanted to share something personal with me before."
"…Their loss, then." Grif looked thoughtful, "Though I wouldn't call this place 'personal' necessarily. I just thought someone not from the area should see it."
Simmons probably knew full well that he was trying to cover up showing a vulnerable side he hadn't probably intended to show earlier, but he kindly chose to say nothing about it. He nodded in agreement with what Grif had just said instead, "Makes sense."
Grif looked oddly contemplative for a moment, "Though I suppose it does make you think about things."
"Like what?" they were falling into their usual routine again now that the immediate "wow" factor was over with.
"Like…" Grif frowned in thought for a moment before coming up with a topic, "Do you ever wonder why we're here?"
Simmons shot him an incredulous look at that, "…Seriously?"
Grif grinned at the disbelief in his friend's voice, "Yeah, deep philosophical soul-wrenching questions like that. Oh, and it is a fucking awesome spot to nap in!"
He shook his head in exasperation, "You nap up here?"
"I nap everywhere." He puffed out his chest with pride, "You should try it. It's awesome."
"…I'll take your word on it." Simmons smiled slightly and Grif laid back down on the floor of the walkway, closing his eyes and determined to prove his point right then and there. It was a matter of pride now. Plus, climbing the ladder had been fairly exhausting.
"Hey, Grif?"
…Simmons had a knack for being the ultimate kill-joy when it came to his napping ambitions, however.
"Huh?"
He cracked an eye open, surprised to see Simmons looking off to the side and lost in thought.
Finally, the redhead took in a deep breath and spoke up once more, "I just…want to say thanks for the last two weeks. I had a lot of fun."
Grif raised an eyebrow at that, "Helping me with work and putting up with my crazy sister and our less-than-stellar tidiness?" he asked incredulously, "You and I have very different definitions of fun, dude."
Simmons blushed in embarrassment, "I…I mean it, though. It was a lot different from how things are at home."
Grif regarded him carefully, "Do you…like living there?"
He wasn't sure if the question was too personal or not, but he figured what the hell? and asked it anyways. If Simmons really didn't want to answer him, he wouldn't.
Simmons frowned, "I…both like it and I don't." he stared at Grif carefully, "What about you? Do you hate it here?"
He yawned, "Well, it's a shithole and everything, but I can't say I hate everything about this place."
After all, Kai was here too and he had some good friends and a semi-decent life for what it was worth. He supposed things could always be a lot worse than what they were.
Regarding Simmons though, for the first time he really wondered what life was like in Above Ground. Were people really that much better off? Simmons didn't seem as different from him as he would have thought someone from the "elite" tier would be.
"…You'd like some of the views there at least, Grif." Simmons gave a weak smile, "Prime napping spots."
"Cool. You better nap in them for me like a champ." He grinned, "Though you probably won't have too much time for that right away, huh?"
Simmons' face fell at the comment and Grif could have kicked himself for reminding the other teen about what he had come down here to get away from.
Before he could apologize though, Simmons smiled again in a decidedly self-deprecating fashion, "Probably not, unfortunately. Military training frowns on naps."
"…Bet they're not too fond of chore wheels, either." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"At least there's organization and structure there!" Simmons countered right back at him, a triumphant smirk on his face.
"But they ration food and that's just sad." Grif had to get in the last word somehow.
Simmons shook his head in exasperation before suddenly turning serious again so quickly that he caught the other boy off-guard with the change, "I'm…going to be in the military and I'm going to do my best to be a damn good officer. My father's one and, for all of his faults, I think…I think there's a certain sense of pride and nobility in that profession."
Grif was surprised since this was the first time Simmons had really talked about his feelings on the subject at all. He'd always just assumed that the reason Simmons was distracting himself in The Slums was because he wasn't looking forward to military training. It was odd to think that his viewpoints on it were so fundamentally different in reality.
His newfound friend (and yes, he felt he could almost start thinking of Simmons that way after how well they'd been getting along together) looked at him with an odd expression on his face, like he was saying something he really didn't want to say but knew he should, "So…I don't think I'll ever do something like this again and I really hope I never see you again either, Grif."
His meaning wasn't lost on Grif: if Simmons truly meant to be a soldier in the Above Ground military the only reason he'd ever come to The Slums again would be if there was enough of a disturbance that The Council felt military operations were called for.
…And that usually ended badly for Slum-dwellers.
"Well, yeah, in that case I'd rather not see you again either." Grif admitted, though he was surprised at how strange it sounded to say that.
It was odd, in only about two weeks or so, he felt a strong bond with the Above Grounder he joked around with about being a nerd and anal when it came to his views on things like work and chores. It felt weird to think about how impermanent a connection that had been in the grand scheme of things, even after he'd gone into the situation knowing full-well about it beforehand.
Simmons sighed, deflating somewhat and looking as if someone had just punched him in the gut. Grif imagined saying all of that hadn't been easy for him, either.
"So…thanks for everything then." He finally said after collection himself once more, "I really mean it."
Grrif smirked, wanting to desperately lessen the suddenly very heavy mood still lingering between them, "You're welcome, nerd."
Simmons smirked back, "Oh, just shut up and enjoy your nap, fatass."
And then Simmons surprised Grif by sliding down onto the walkway floor next to him and closing his eyes.
Grif almost commented on it, but decided not to. He knew it was close to the deadline Simmons had set for himself to return to Above Ground, which was one of the main reasons why he'd wanted to show him this spot today in the first place. He figured that maybe Simmons just wanted to do something even more out of character for himself because of that.
So he did what he did best in these types of situations: closing his eyes as well in an effort to truly prove was more than capable of dozing off anywhere.
…When Grif awoke a few hours later, the lighting panels in the cavern were starting to dim to signify dusk- which meant he would have to be even more careful getting down the ladder.
Given the weird direction their conversation had gone earlier, Grif really wasn't all that shocked to see that he was alone on the walkway either.
He frowned, glancing down over the railing at the crowded Slums below.
Simmons had probably felt it was easier to part ways like this given the directions their two lives were going in, and he supposed he was probably right, in a way. After all, Grif wasn't exactly sure how to deal with goodbyes anyways: most of his relationships he'd had that had ended didn't really have any kind of closure to speak of- like the ones with his parents.
…Besides, they really hadn't known each other for very long and he doubted most people would have even considered the two of them real "friends" by any stretch of the imagination.
It was just a bizarre, if oddly memorable, chapter in his life that happened to close with very little fanfare. Life goes on and all that shit.
Still, as he made his way carefully down the ladder and headed back towards Low Town to check on Kai and maybe talk to Tucker, Grif was somewhat surprised at how upset he felt all the same.
Author's Notes: Well, at 34 pages long in a Word Document I can safely say this chapter kicks the first chapter's butt in terms of length. XD Although, that's really because I couldn't find a spot where I wanted to stop it at so I just kept going and going. Sorry it took so long to and most of the other chapters will probably not be nearly as lengthy if I can find good points to stop on in them as I'm writing. And lookie, I managed to sneak in two more Red vs. Blue characters as cameos while I was at it…they're like Easter Eggs, I suppose. :D
Switching things up for the third chapter and writing from Simmons' perspective, which means some new characters will be introduced! Also, probably a timeskip of sorts as well just to move things along since otherwise I will probably just keep writing dragged out conversations that go on forever, haha (it's my thing, it's what I do…I am honestly not sure why!).
Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter, and I hope this second chapter is an enjoyable read for you!