Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer rights apply.
Warning:Updates will most definitely be slow. Sorry, guys.
This contains SLASH, in other words: same sex couples. It also contains drug use, violence, sexual situations, and MAY contain a(n OC) death. This story is marked for mature readers only, please treat it as such.
Pairings: Will be sporadic, and a surprise. I'm not ruining the story by telling you end pairings.
Beta'd By: Sarah2437 (Thank you for your hard work!)
Summary of Chapter 22:
-Spot skips school to avoid Racetrack and teaches Skittery what it means to be in a gang.
-Bam decides that he wants to date Bumlets, despite what Bumlets wants.
-Racetrack worries when Spot isn't at school and goes into Brooklyn to look for him. Spot avoids him.
-David outs himself to the school. Sarah tries to convince him to tell their parents.
-Mush and Blink find out where the Brooklyn gang stays in order to find Skittery and convince him that he is making a mistake by joining.
-Dutchy thinks Specs is avoiding him, so Itey convinces him to confront him about it.
-Sarah agrees to go on a date with Itey.
Notes: So a friend sent me a link to this online instagram website (I forget what it was called because I'm terribly unhip, but supposedly it's a thing everyone does nowadays), and people were talking about my story, which was just the coolest thing ever! I almost made an account so I could jump into the conversation, but I got distracted. Anyway, if you were one of those people, please let my thank you be known. It's an honor. Everyone please talk about my story! :) You guys make me so glad I found the motivation to start working on this story again. And the ending's in sight now, which is almost a mystifying concept to me given how long it's been a WIP. Thanks for your patience. Thanks for your attention. And thanks for advertising. You guys are awesome!
I absolutely love writing Skitts and Spot; they play off each other so well in a way I never really appreciated until I got to write them together. Hopefully you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it, because there's a lot more in this chapter as well. I'm also kind of disappointed you guys seem so hard on Sarah. Hopefully she'll grow on you a little more in this chapter. Personally, I really like her character. Okay, enough of my ramblings: on to the story!
Chapter Summary: Skittery bonds with Spot, Itey bonds with Sarah, Bumlets bonds with Swifty, David bonds with his parents, and Skittery bonds with jealousy.
Getting Back Together Again
XXIV: The Bonding Experience
"Is there a reason we're still doing this?" Skittery complained, sitting down right after he had jumped the gap between roofs. "I'm fucking exhausted, Spot; we've been doing this all day."
Spot silently snorted. "Has anyone ever told you that you're kind of a weakling?" he asked, crossing his arms and looking down at him.
"Just because you have the stamina of a god damn ostrich doesn't mean the rest of the human population does," Skittery declared, staring back up at Spot from his position on the ground.
"You're comparing me to a fucking ostrich?" Spot asked, glaring down at him. "Do you want me to push you off this god damn roof?"
"What? That's a compliment, you bastard," Skittery replied, leaping up so he was right in Spot's face. "Ostriches can run forever man. Literally until they die. And they're faster than a cheetah!"
Spot backed up a step, frowning at his newest recruit. "I don't think that's scientifically accurate at all, but I don't know enough about ostriches to refute you."
Skittery nodded back enthusiastically. "Yep, that's why I picked 'em. No one looks up facts about ostriches."
Spot nodded back before round housing Skittery in the side, sending him back down and leaving him wheezing. "Right, well, that doesn't change the fact that you compared me to a dumb fucking bird."
"In-In stamina," Skittery grunted out, holding his side and staring down as he tried to get his breath back.
"So?" Spot replied, shrugging. "I didn't appreciate it." He crossed his arms and looked away. "I'm much better than an ostrich because I can kill it."
"I think you broke a rib," Skittery wheezed, still holding his side as he tried to get up. "Shit, that hurts."
Spot rolled his eyes at him before striding over and picking him up by the back of the shirt. "Not only are you weak as fuck, you're a pussy too, huh?"
"You kicked me in the ribs," Skittery growled out.
"Not hard though," Spot argued, letting go of Skittery's shirt once he'd got both his feet on the ground. "It was a tap, really."
"Well your taps are strong enough to break bones!" Skittery snapped back, his hand still not dropping from his side. "Can we fucking go home now? Please? Or is there another way you want me injured today?"
Spot rolled his eyes again. "We are home, idiot." He pointed to a building a little way to the left. "That's the hotel, you directionally challenged buffoon."
"Sorry, I'm not familiar with navigating rooftops," Skittery bit out to Spot's retreating back. He glanced down at his side before taking a deep breath that did nothing more than make him wince. He clenched his teeth together before taking off after his new boss. "Jesus Christ, you're annoying," he muttered quietly.
"Watch your mouth," Spot demanded, not dropping his smirk as he crouched down on the roof right above the hotel. He snarled as soon as he looked down. "Those yours?" he asked Skittery, jerking his head towards the street below.
Skittery leaned over the roof as soon as he got next to his boss, frowning as he saw who was outside the front of the building. "What the fuck are Blink and Mush doing here?"
"And why the fuck aren't they being shot?" Spot growled, leaning over with Skittery.
"Seriously though, are your snipers on strike or something?" Skittery asked, watching as Blink and Mush talked to each other before glancing up and down the street.
Spot shrugged. "Who cares? I'll most likely kill them in the morning."
Skittery tore his eyes off Blink and Mush to look at his boss. He cocked his head to the side. "… Is that a Princess Bride joke or are you actually planning on going on a killing rampage?"
Spot turned to match his gaze with a blank stare. "It can't be both?"
Skittery shrugged at him before going back to staring at the ground below them. "Fair enough."
"Find out what they want and then get them out of here," Spot ordered before getting up and going over to the window of his room. "Take the drain pipe down; it's faster," he advised before he swung himself through his window.
Skittery frowned as he heard the window shut. "Guess I don't have much of a choice now, do I?" he grumbled to himself.
Dutchy ran as far as the school grounds before stopping and having to catch his breath. He had never been particularly athletic, and the cigarettes certainly weren't helping things. But he was nothing if not determined, and as soon as he could breathe again he started his sprinting back up.
He couldn't wait to get to Specs' house. Itey's advice had really been great. Where was Specs going to run in his house? Nowhere he wouldn't be able to follow, that was for sure.
Dutchy made a little half skip in his run, expending some of the euphoric energy this plan gave him. He'd go to Specs' house and force him into talking. Specs would tell him all his woes about what they were doing. Dutchy, being the absolute god send of a friend he was, would listen and lend a comforting shoulder. They would lament on all of Specs' complaints together, Dutchy playing the attentive and sympathetic friend. Then, after Specs got out everything he wanted to say he'd be less stressed and more willing to see Dutchy as a wonderful friend and potentially the best boyfriend ever.
Plans got hazy from there. Maybe Specs would continue to talk, except this time the conversation would be full of how awesome and amazing Dutchy was. Or maybe Specs would be so overcome with emotions that the only thing he could do would be to pounce on Dutchy and make out with him. Or maybe even have sex with him.
Dutchy smiled as he interrupted his running to perform another half skip. Sex would be really nice, but he didn't know if Specs was that type of person. It'd probably be best not to expect sex, and not push things when the making out inevitably happened. He didn't want to rush things, after all. Or pressure Specs into doing something he didn't want to do.
Dutchy frowned. Pressuring Specs was kind of the whole name of the game this time around. In fact, he had pressured Specs so much he was now avoiding him. But pressuring was the only way this would work. Specs would never come out of the closet if someone didn't force him. And it wasn't like Dutchy was pressuring Specs to do something he didn't want to do. He was just pressuring him to do something he didn't know he wanted to do.
He nodded his head, happy with the explanation he had given himself. That did make sense, after all. Someone with self-esteem as low as Specs' had to be encouraged along; obviously he wouldn't have the confidence to go after what he wanted himself.
Dutchy stopped and took some big gulps of air when he finally came upon the house he recognized as Specs'. He stooped over, putting his hands on his knees. That had been absolutely too much running. He really had the urge to puke. Not that he would when he was only minutes away from kissing Specs; his body just really wanted him to.
He regained energy at the thought of kissing Specs. He took another breath of air before leaping up the steps of the front porch.
It took ten minutes of knocking before he started getting discouraged.
He couldn't believe that Specs had the audacity to avoid him in his own house. What kind of a bastard didn't answer his front door? And how did he know it was Dutchy in the first place? Was he that predictable?
Dutchy frowned as he clenched his teeth. He didn't take being ignored well, especially when he was owed a make out session!
Well, that was fine! If Specs refused to leave his house for him then Dutchy would just get in the house. Problem solved.
He jumped off the front porch and started walking around the house, checking all the windows for one that was hopefully unlocked.
If Dutchy had the presence of mind of a normal person he might have realized that it wasn't too long after last period let out, and Specs wasn't expected home for another fifteen minutes at least.
"Th-this is it, right?" Blink asked, glancing up and down the street before looking towards Mush.
Mush mimicked his friend, looking left and right himself before replying. "It looks like how Race described it," he said, finally turning and looking at the building they were in front of.
"I guess I was just expecting someone to stop us," Blink admitted. "It's eerily quiet, isn't it?"
Mush nodded, still looking around him. "Yeah. You think they all left for … like, a gang rumble or something?"
Blink crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Do gang rumbles exist?"
"If they do I haven't been invited to any of them yet," Skittery interrupted as he finished sliding down the drain pipe. He swayed a little as his feet landed on solid ground. "What's going on, guys?"
"Skittery!" Blink and Mush yelled at the same time, their eyes wide as they approached their friend.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"You joined? Why?"
"Are you safe?"
"Do you know how stupid an idea this is?"
"Guys! Guys!" Skittery replied, throwing his hands up. "Even if you two were giving me enough time to answer your questions I can't understand them!" He crossed his arms as he looked towards the hotel. "Though I do appreciate the speed in which you're asking them; Spot wants you guys out as soon as possible."
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Blink asked, taking a step towards Skittery and pulling Mush behind him. "You're answering to Spot now? Why?"
"Where the hell else do I have to go?" Skittery snapped. "What the hell does it matter anyway?" he asked, shrugging. "It's not too bad here, and I got food and shit."
"The problem is that it's Sean," Mush answered back in a whisper, leaning over Blink so Skittery could hear him.
"It's Spot here, actually," Skittery replied, crossing his arms again and glaring at them. "And he's not a bad guy. We spent the day running errands together; no big deal."
"What kind of errands?" Blink asked, narrowing his good eye.
"The kind you don't ask about," Skittery answered in a snarl. He sighed and forced himself to relax. "Look, it's touching you guys care, but it's unfounded, alright? I like it here, and I'm perfectly content to leave my old life behind me."
"Old life?" Mush spoke up from behind Blink. "What does that mean? Surely you're not thinking of dropping out of school."
Skittery kicked the ground. "Maybe. Not really like people in gangs need a high school education after all."
"You're saying this is it?" Mush yelled, forcing himself past Blink. "No more high school? No shot at college? You're content to just waste the rest of your life in this dump?"
"It's not a dump," Skittery growled out, despite the fact that he himself hadn't stopped calling the place a dump since he got there. "And, yes, I'm more than content to waste the rest of my life here."
"So you're completely over everything?" Blink asked, pulling Mush behind him again.
Skittery crossed his arms and looked up. "Yep, complete-"
"So you don't care at all that Itey is on a date with Sarah Jacobs today?" Blink interrupted, trying to keep his smirk away as Skittery's face fell. He tried to make it a habit to never listen to gossip, but he was very glad he had heard that tidbit of information before he had left school grounds.
"He … he has a date?" Skittery asked, his face noticeably paler.
Racetrack put his pencil to his mouth as he tried to focus on his homework. It was quite the challenge. Turned out homework wasn't as interesting as imagining all the ways your friends could die while trying to track down a gang leader.
He frowned as he bit down on the eraser. It wasn't that Blink and Mush weren't capable people. They were both really smart when it came to books, but they were severely lacking in street smarts. He could easily see them going up to the wrong stranger to ask for directions and getting mugged instead. Blink and Mush had always been too trusting.
And once they finally got to Sean's place would they run into trouble with other gang members? What if they were given a hard time? Or if they were labeled as a threat? Racetrack doubted that they would be able to just walk in and ask for Sean.
And if they were able to actually get to him what would Sean do? He never seemed particularly close to Blink and Mush, and he didn't seem particularly good at talking to people who were already angry. What if he said something offensive and Blink or Mush threatened him? Surely that wouldn't go over well. Would it be enough of a reason to kill them? Or hurt them?
Racetrack's eyes widened as his mind came across a particular thought.
What if Sean did hurt them?
He immediately bolted up from his chair, knocking over the book that had been sitting in his lap and scattering the papers that had been on his desk.
He had thought about the danger when he had given Blink and Mush the address, but now, as he thought about it, the danger seemed more real than before. Maybe because this time he was imagining Sean as the danger as opposed to some faceless stranger.
And before he hadn't thought of Sean as a threat, despite Mush's insistence that he was a monster. He was thinking about all the other dangers Blink and Mush might have to face to before making it to him.
It was stupid thinking that they would be safe as soon as they reached Sean. He had heard all the ruthless and violent things he was capable of; he just had a terribly hard time matching the acts to Sean. But just because he was having a hard time of it didn't mean that it was unrealistic.
Racetrack made for his window, quickly opening it up and stepping outside. He knew he'd get caught, but as long as he was a safe distance from the house when it happened he could deal with the aftermath. The most important thing was making sure that Blink and Mush were alright.
His eyes snapped to his door as it started to open.
"Anthony Ryan Higgins, you get back into this house right now!" his mom shouted, striding towards him and yanking him back into his room. "That is dangerous, young man! What do you think you were doing?"
Racetrack visibly wilted as his mom's lecture just got louder and angrier.
"Why the fuck do I need to be here for this?" Spot asked, glaring at Skittery as they jumped onto another roof.
"Because I don't know how the fuck to get around on rooftops," Skittery snapped at him.
"If I'm here for navigation purposes why in the fuck are you the one leading?" Spot pointed out, stopping in his tracks as Skittery jumped onto the next roof by himself.
"Because that was the easiest way to make sure you were going to come," Skittery explained. He crossed his arms and smirked at him. "Certainly explains why you were named after a dog."
Spot jumped to the next roof with a growl, landing on Skittery and toppling them both to the ground. He punched him once in the face before getting back up and running a hand through his hair. "Why the fuck am I helping you, asshat?"
"I helped you all day, motherfucker!" Skittery shouted back at him from the ground. He rubbed his chin where the punch had landed before sitting up.
"I let you tag along," Spot snapped back, crossing his arms and glaring down at him.
"Well, now I'm letting you tag alone," Skittery replied with a glare, standing up and approaching Sean. He immediately deflated as Spot matched the glare with his own. "Please?"
Spot rolled his eyes. "You're insufferable. And over a fucking guy, too. It must be horribly humiliating for you," he scoffed.
"Shut up!" Skittery yelled. "This has nothing to do with Itey!"
"So we're running to Manhattan to spy on a date that your ex-boyfriend's on, but it has nothing to do with him," Spot reiterated, narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Am I hitting close to the mark here?"
"Yeah, that about sums it up," Skittery muttered, kicking the toe of his shoe into the rooftop.
Spot rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Jesus fuck, you're a god damn moron." He sighed before jumping onto the next roof. "Let's go, Lover Boy; I've got some places we can check out."
Bumlets got off the bus and took a quick look around to catch his bearings. He wasn't used to navigating around Brooklyn, and he had only been to work once so far. He was desperately hoping not to get lost. He didn't even have the address this time, having forgotten it at home. He should have thought to ask Swifty, but he hadn't even been thinking about it.
Plus, he had been a little preoccupied trying to talk to Dutchy right after school, not that he had been successful in deterring him from whatever convoluted idea Itey had helped put in his head. He just hoped his friend didn't get into too much trouble.
And now that he thought about it, fuck Itey for not even trying to rectify his mistake before going off with Sarah. And on a date of all things. Jesus fuck, things were going to blow up as soon as Skittery found out about it. What was happening with people lately?
At least he hadn't had to deal with Bam after he had stormed off at lunch. So maybe Dutchy doing whatever the hell he was doing was a good thing. It seemed like it was keeping Bam away at any rate. And he was certainly glad for the break; he didn't think he could deal with him right now.
"Darling!" Bam greeted, running up to him. "Excuse the lack of flowers, please; I wasn't expecting you around my neck of the woods. Did you come to see me?"
Jesus Christ, Bumlets was an unlucky bastard sometimes.
"No, you moron. I came here to go to work," Bumlets answered, turning left and hoping he was going the right way. He didn't even remember the street name, god damn it.
"I think you got on the wrong bus for that, darling," Bam said, taking a few long strides in order to catch up to him. "It's a few miles away. In the opposite direction you're walking." He smirked. "It's some good luck I showed up, hm?"
"It's some sort of luck alright," Bumlets grumbled before turning around and walking back past the bus stop. "How many miles is a 'few'?" Bumlets asked in a louder voice. "It's only my second day; I can't afford to be late."
Bam smirked at him. "I can get us there in fifteen minutes if you don't mind going up," he said, pointing at the sky.
"Roofs? Alright, let's do it," Bumlets said with no hesitation as he looked where Bam was pointing. "How do we get up there?"
"And I want a kiss," Bam demanded, crossing his arms.
"I'll figure it out by myself," Bumlets snapped, turning away.
"Confident enough that you won't be late on your second day?" Bam asked with a smirk. "They fire people for things like that, you know."
"I'm aware," Bumlets answered, looking around him for a way to get onto a roof. "And you're an absolute bastard for holding it over my head."
"It's just one kiss!" Bam burst out, waving his arms. "What's the harm in that?"
Bumlets growled. "Because, you fucking bastard, I want you to leave me alone. I don't want to kiss you or even fucking see you. You're annoying and pushy. I'd rather be fired than have to go anywhere near you. Flowers are fucking dumb. And you embarrass me. And you annoy me. So fuck off. I can find the shop by myself," he snapped before storming off.
Bam bit his lip as he watched Bumlets stomp off. This whole hitting on someone thing was a lot harder than he had thought, especially since it had been so easy the first time around. Maybe he should get him drunk again.
"M'lady," Itey said with a bow, leading Sarah out of the restaurant.
"You're really laying it on thick, you know that, right?" Sarah asked, looking behind her as she walked through the door with a smile on her lips. "Not that I'm not enjoying it, but it is making it hard to take this seriously."
"I don't do serious very often," Itey explained as he let the door swing shut behind him. He draped his arm around Sarah's shoulders as they walked down the street. "Skittery usually took care of that end of things," he explained with a smirk.
Sarah rolled her eyes at him, not dropping her smile. "Also talking about an ex is something you should probably avoid on a first date, too."
"Right, right," Itey replied, lifting his arm off Sarah and patting his pockets. "Where's my notebook? I should be taking notes, right?"
Sarah softly slapped his arm and her smile grew. "Oh? Making sure you know what to do on your next first date, eh?"
Itey shrugged as he smiled back. "I gotta think realistically here," he explained. "Eventually whatever made you insane will reverse itself, and you'll realize that you're way too good for me."
"I'm pretty sure thinking I'm too good for you is becoming insane, not getting away from it," Sarah replied, bumping Itey's shoulder with her own. "I'm having a really great time, for the record. I'm glad you asked me out."
"Me too," Itey said, squeezing her shoulder. "I mean I'm glad I asked you out. I'm not necessarily having a great time; you have yet to put out."
"Shut up," Sarah demanded. She brushed off Itey's hand from her shoulder but didn't drop her smile. "If you keep dropping lines like that I'll never have to worry about you getting a first date with someone else."
Itey grabbed her hand to kiss the back of it, but didn't let it go. "That's just one of the many pluses of dating a suave looking man such as myself," he replied with a grin.
"Dating!?" Skittery snarled out quietly from the rooftop above them. He turned to Spot who was calmly sitting cross-legged beside him. "Can you believe this shit?"
Spot shrugged. "Kid moves fast; can't fault him for that." He leaned towards the edge to get a better look at them. "Plus, she's pretty hot. I'd be trying to get into her pants too if I was into pussy."
"He's not supposed to be trying to get into anybody's pants! He's supposed to be mourning my loss!" Skittery yelled, quickly ducking farther onto the roof when Itey and Sarah both started looking around for the source of the noise.
Spot looked over at him and rolled his eyes. "Don't know why the hell you wanted me to bring you all the way here if you're just going to be a pussy about the whole thing."
"I'm not being a pussy," Skittery snapped back, albeit a lot quieter this time. "I just don't think they go together is all. Itey's going to completely destroy Sarah; he can be a lot to deal with."
"Yeah, that's why we spent all the time and energy getting here: so you could warn Sarah that your ex was hard to deal with," Spot muttered. "Jesus, I've heard better lies told by infants."
"Infants don't talk, moron."
"Exactly."
Skittery frowned at him before looking back down at the street below. "How long do you think they've been seeing each other? They're acting awfully familiar with each other, aren't they?" He leaned farther off the edge only to fling himself back as soon as he saw Itey move his head.
Spot smirked at him. "You afraid of Itey, Lover Boy?"
Skittery bared his teeth. "No, I'm not afraid of him." He turned away from Spot. "I just don't want to see him."
Spot's smirk widened. "Really? Because you're hiding up here like you're afraid of him."
"Shut the hell up," Skittery snapped.
"Uh, Dutchy," Specs said as he stepped into his room and found the other boy digging through his underwear drawer. "What are you doing here? And what are you doing?"
Dutchy jumped before quickly slamming the drawer shut. "Specs! Hey! Yeah, I wasn't doing anything!" he said quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "I-I lost my … wallet, yeah, that's right. I was just looking for it."
Specs squinted at him. "You lost your wallet?" he asked, speaking slowly. "In my underwear drawer?"
"W-w-well, not exactly. I mean, I don't have my wallet so obviously it wasn't there. I just thought that … you know, maybe that's where it was."
"Exactly why would your wallet be in my underwear drawer?" Specs asked, crossing his arms as he stepped into his room. "And what are you even doing in my house in the first place? How'd you get in here?"
Dutchy quickly looked down as he crossed his own arms. "The window above your kitchen sink was unlocked," he mumbled.
"So you broke into my house and started going through my underwear drawer so you could find your wallet?" Specs asked with a glare.
"It's true!" Dutchy yelled, his eyes wide, his crossed arms dropping to his sides and turning into fists.
"What kind of fucking moron would believe that bullshit!" Specs shouted back, mirroring Dutchy's actions. "And you couldn't have just fucking waited until I got home? You had to break in? Why?"
Dutchy stared down at the floor as he kicked it with his toe. "I thought you were avoiding me," he explained quietly.
"Oh," Specs replied, relaxing and striding across his room to plop down on his bed. "Well, that's cause I was." He frowned at his friend. "That doesn't exactly warrant breaking into my house though."
"You really were avoiding me!" Dutchy shouted, pointing a finger at Specs. "Why? You bastard! What did I ever do to you?"
Specs jumped up from his bed. "Are you kidding me right now? You've embarrassed me in front of the entire school! I've gotten punched and harassed and I think I'm having a nervous breakdown! What did you expect me to do?"
"You could have fucking told me or something," Dutchy accused, crossing his arms again and looking away. "I couldn't find you all day. I was worried," Dutchy pouted.
"It was one day," Specs said, running a hand through his hair. "I avoided you for one day and you retaliated by breaking into my home and going through my underwear drawer. Do you understand how absolutely crazy that is?"
"I-I didn't do that because you avoided me!" Dutchy shouted before visibly deflating. "I-I told you: I was looking for my wallet," he finished in a quiet voice.
"You're a nutcase, Dutch," Specs said. "No offense."
Dutchy grunted at him before biting his lip. "Does this mean you're breaking up with me?"
"We were never going out to begin with," Specs yelled before sighing. "Do you understand how crazy you sound?" He scratched the back of his head. "I can't keep up with this shit."
"B-but I had such a good plan," Dutchy replied in a small voice, his lip trembling.
"I honestly never understood it," Specs admitted. "First, Bumlets is a bastard, and you shouldn't be trying to get back together with him in the first place. Second, making someone jealous in order to get with them is a terrible way to start a relationship. Third, you've been kind of a dick to me about this whole thing. I kept trying to tell you I was uncomfortable and you kept pushing. It's starting to piss me off."
"Does this mean we aren't friends anymore?" Dutchy asked as he rubbed at his eyes.
Specs immediately walked over to him and crouched down so he could look into his eyes. "Ah, shit, Dutch, are you crying? You know I don't deal well with that, man."
Dutchy sniffled. "I-I just wanted to be friends again. I didn't know I was being a bad one."
"It's no big deal, okay?" Specs said quickly, pulling Dutchy into a hug. "We're still friends, you got me? I'm sorry for avoiding you. We can still do your fucked up plan or whatever. You just have to stop crying, okay? Please?"
"O-okay," Dutchy replied as he sniffled again. He hid his smile in Specs's chest.
His plan was moving along smoothly.
"And then the bastard holds the information hostage. Says he won't help me if I don't fucking kiss him," Bumlets ranted to Swifty as he went through the rows of CD's in the store to make sure they were alphabetically sorted correctly. "The guy gets on my last fucking nerve."
Swifty pulled out a CD and moved it a couple cases down. "I know, Bumlets, you've been complaining since you got here. And you were only ten minutes late anyway, that's not such a big deal."
"It's my second day," Bumlets snapped. "That means I've been late half the days I've worked here. People get fired for that sort of thing, you know."
"Not at a mom and pop shop where a friend got them the job with his aunt and uncle," Swifty replied with a roll of his eyes. "Plus, I was here, so it's not like they got overwhelmed or anything."
"It's the principle of the matter," Bumlets said, pulling out a CD to put it in its correct place. "I don't like being stalked, and that's exactly what this is. He's probably waiting for me to get off work so he can pounce on me in an alley or something."
Swifty rolled his eyes as he smiled at his friend. "Don't you think you might be overreacting just a tad? You really think he's going to jump you in an alley?"
"You saw him at school!" Bumlets reminded him. "Bastard won't leave me alone, no matter what I say."
"The guy's got a crush," Swifty replied with a shrug. "I actually think it's kind of cute."
"It's annoying is what it is!"
Swifty rubbed at his chin. "Well, yeah, I could get how it could be that, too. Still, I don't think he's dangerous or anything. He just wants your attention."
"Well, he's creeping me the fuck out," Bumlets complained.
"You can come sleep at my place if you want," Swifty suggested. "Doubt he'll follow you there. And that'll give you a break for at least a little bit. Still, maybe a date with this guy wouldn't be a bad idea. It might help him get it out of his system."
"It's only going to encourage him, and I definitely can't afford that madman to get more enthusiastic than he already is. He's annoying enough already!"
Swifty nodded. "Alright, fine, point taken. So come stay at my place. You can leave out the back of the store and avoid him for the night."
Bumlets nodded. "Yeah, okay. That's probably a good idea. Bastard probably knows where I live at this point. He's been showing up everywhere, the fucking stalker."
"I kinda offered my place in the hopes that you'd stop talking about him," Swifty said, rolling his eyes. "He's not the only one being annoying, you know."
"Right, yeah, sorry. I'll stop talking about it," Bumlets promised, getting out another CD to put it in its correct spot one row down.
"Nothing about that trip could be considered successful," Skittery argued with his boss. "What the hell would even make you say that?"
Spot shrugged at him as they walked up to the hotel. "I didn't kill you." He looked Skittery up and down. "Which speaks volumes about my self-control, because you turned into a blubbering mess after they kissed good night."
"Do you ever shut the hell up?" Skittery snapped. "And I was not fucking blubbering," he muttered low enough that Spot didn't hear.
"And we used streets to get here, so I wouldn't have to listen to even more of your complaining," Spot pointed out. "Mostly because you whining about your boyfriend was already more than I could handle."
"I was not whining," Skittery gritted out. "And you are shit at making me feel better."
Spot crossed his hands behind his head as he waited for Skittery to open the door to their lobby. "And what exactly am I supposed to be comforting you about, since that trip had absolutely nothing to do with your pent up feelings for you ex?"
"Like you're one to talk," Skittery said, jerking open the door and stepping through before Spot. "You wanna tell me why you were avoiding Racetrack?"
Spot caught the door as he followed him in. "Because I didn't want to talk to the dweeb," he answered, his good mood quickly vanishing.
"Yeah, I believe that," Skittery answered with a roll of his eyes. "What are you so afraid of anyway, huh? You guys in some kind of lover's spat or something?"
Spot froze up for a second before baring his teeth at his subordinate. "Have I not punched you enough today? You wanna go back to school missing a tooth or something?"
Skittery's eyes widened as he held up his hands in surrender. "Oh, no, I've definitely been punched enough today thanks. Consider it dropped, sir." He looked towards the floor, quickly muttering out, "Definitely hit the nail on the head, too," as soon as Spot turned his back.
"You've kept Sling waiting long enough," Spot said, running a hand through his hair as he tried to slow his heartbeat. "You should go over and meet him for training.
"Wait a second! You're still making me train? I spent all day running around on rooftops with you!" Skittery shouted. "How did that not replace training?"
Spot turned around to face him and crossed his arms. "How was any of that training? All we did was run around town. That was your break. Now it's time for you to fucking work."
Skittery massaged his forehead as he bit his lip. "Holy Jesus, I'm going to fucking die here."
"Cut the drama and start training," Spot demanded, rolling his eyes before he started up the stairs.
"Hey, Davey," Sarah greeted as she leaned on the door frame to her brother's room. "Can we talk?"
"You're smiling," David said, looking up from his homework and throwing the pencil he was using onto the desk. "I take it that means your date with Itey went well."
Sarah winced as she walked into the room. "You heard about that already, huh?"
"Everybody's heard about that already," David replied, rolling his eyes. "A cheerleader going out with a stoner? I think you two caused a few heads to explode."
Sarah's smile grew. "It was a lot of fun," she admitted before sitting down on her brother's bed. "It was a lot better than any other date I've gone on, to be honest. I didn't have to talk about sports once, and he was really sweet through the whole thing."
"I'm happy for you, honestly," David replied. "And I don't mean to be a downer about this or anything, but you do realize that you're going to have to deal with Skittery sooner or later, right? It was all over school within minutes; there's no way he's not going to find out."
"I know, I know," Sarah said, sighing. "But I can handle Skittery; don't worry about that. Plus," she smirked, winking at her younger brother, "if he gets out of line I've got my overly protective delinquent brother around to kick his ass."
David rolled his eyes. "No more ass kicking for me, thanks. I'm trying to put that phase of my life behind me; I don't think my stress levels can take it for too much longer."
"Yeah, that's not surprising at all," Sarah replied, shaking her head as she held onto her smile. "But I didn't come here to talk about my love life; I came to talk about yours. Have you talked to Mom and Dad yet?"
"No," David replied, biting his lip. "And if you could stop forcing this I'd really appreciate it," he said, turning back to his homework.
"David," Sarah replied, getting up from the bed. "You already came out to the whole school, remember? You think they're going to be happier hearing it from someone else?"
"You just want to be their favorite again," David grumbled.
"While that's definitely a plus, you know that's not why I'm telling you to do this," Sarah replied, walking over to her brother a putting her hand on his shoulder. "They're our parents, Davey. They're going to love you no matter what, and they deserve to know what's going on in your life."
David sighed before nodding. "I know. I'll tell them." He turned towards his sister. "You give good advice sometimes, Sarah. Thanks."
"That was actually Itey's advice," Sarah replied, turning towards the door. "But I'll take the compliment either way."
"Hey, Boss," Bam greeted, walking into Spot's room without knocking.
Spot was busy doing push-ups on the floor. "What the fuck ever happened to knocking? You assholes are certainly getting over confident that I won't kill you."
Bam strode over and put his foot on Spot's back, pushing down with some pressure. "Eh, I'm depressed today; I don't much care if you kill me."
Spot grunted at the extra weight on his back but didn't slow his exercise. "Does that mean I've gotta talk about your shitty feelings? More weight."
"I talked about your shitty feelings," Bam reminded him before swinging his other leg onto his boss's back. "Only seems fair to return the favor, huh?"
"Weight distribution, Bam," Sean grunted. "You aren't as light as you used to be."
Bam nodded his head, even though Sean couldn't see him, and crouched down before sitting cross legged on his back. The whole while Sean didn't slow down his exercise routine. "I missed doing this," Bam admitted. "It did wonders for my balance."
"If you're forcing me to do something annoying then I might as well get some use out of you," Spot explained, his voice no longer coming out breathless. "Talk away."
"So there's this boy that I like," Bam started.
"Are you fucking shitting me?" Spot asked, jerking up and making Bam fall onto his back. Spot spun around to face him. "You think this is something I wanna talk about?"
Bam shrugged from the floor. "You're the one that said talk away."
Spot sighed before sitting across from him. "Can't you talk about this with someone who might actually care?"
"I am," Bam said, rolling his eyes. "Not that you'd ever admit it," he muttered.
"Get on with it before I break your god damn arm," Spot snapped before digging in his pockets for a cigarette and lighting it up.
"Okay, so there's this boy I like," Bam started again, leaning forwards as his eyes lit up. "Bumlets. You go to school with him."
Spot just shrugged as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Don't know him."
"The guy at the arcade, you moron," Bam snapped.
"Who the fuck cares who he is?" Spot replied. "Just tell me your fucking problem so I can call you a pussy and you can leave me alone."
"I like him, is the point," Bam bit out, still leaning over but no longer looking excited. "I've told him, multiple times, but he just gets angry."
Spot rolled his eyes. "You ever think that's because he doesn't like you back, genius?"
"Would you shut up?" Bam asked. "I came to you specifically because you use brute force to get others to like you. I thought if anyone could help me out it'd be you."
"What the fuck are you talking about? I don't do that," Spot snapped.
"You did that with at least me and Speed," Bam said, shrugging. "Anyway, I'm not finished yet. So, I've told him multiple times. I've tried complimenting him. I've been bringing him flowers. But he just seems to get angrier with me."
"Well, why the fuck wouldn't he?" Sean asked, getting up from the floor and stretching. "You're treating him like a god damn girl. Guys don't want some pussy ass flowers and compliments. They want drugs and violence. Try bringing him some weed or something next time."
Bam rolled his eyes. "Not exactly the heartfelt advice I was hoping for, Boss."
"Why the fuck were you expecting heartfelt?"
"Mom? Dad?" David called as he walked down the stairs. "Are you guys busy?"
"Just finishing up dinner," Mrs. Jacobs called from the kitchen. "Your father's in his study, last I checked."
David followed his mother's voice into the kitchen, hesitating as he walked in. "I … uh … have something I'd like to discuss with you both. But, um, if you guys are busy it can wait."
"We always have time, David," Mrs. Jacobs said. She turned off the burner on the stove and moved the boiling pot so that the food wouldn't over cook. "Should I make some tea?"
David nodded as he looked at the floor, moving farther into the kitchen. Tea always meant a big discussion; his mom always seemed to be able to tell when the occasion called for it.
"Sit down, dear," his mom said gently, filling up the kettle with water and putting it on the stove. "I'll go get your father, shall I? I'm sure he'll be happy to have the excuse for a break." She squeezed his shoulder as she left the room.
It didn't really make David feel any better about what he was doing. Instead, guilt pooled at his stomach as he thought about how they would react. No one wanted a gay son, after all. And even less one that got into fights at school and cut classes. He didn't know what was happening to him; he was utterly failing his parents.
"David," his father greeted as he strode into the room, his mother following closely behind. He looked towards the stove. "Tea, hm? So what's the big news?" he asked, sitting down across from his son.
His wife smacked him lightly on the arm. "Wait for the tea to be done," she chastised. "You know it doesn't do to rush these things."
"You are the expert," Mr. Jacobs said, getting back up from his seat and kissing his wife on the cheek before going to retrieve three mugs. He turned towards his son. "How's your homework coming?"
"Good, Dad," David mumbled, still looking at the floor.
Mr. Jacobs frowned at his wife as the tea kettle whistled.
Mrs. Jacobs matched his frown, but didn't say anything as she brought over the kettle and tea bags. She poured hot water into all the cups before sitting down. She reached for one of the three tea bags she had brought over and plopped it in her mug.
"So, David," Mr. Jacobs said, allowing his own tea to steep as he frowned at his son. "I hope you aren't about to tell us you've gotten into even more trouble at school."
Mrs. Jacobs put a hand on her husband's wrist. "Dear, tea means no judgements, please," she reminded him gently. She turned to her son. "What's the matter, sweetheart? Are you having problems at school?"
David shook his head as he moved the tea bag around in his mug. "N-no, school's going alright, I guess," he mumbled. "I've kinda gotta tell you something … about me," he continued, growing quieter with every word. He glanced up at his parents before quickly looking back down at his mug. "You're probably not going to like it."
David's parents locked eyes for a moment before looking back at their son, clasping hands underneath the table.
"You can tell us anything, David," his mother told him. "You know we'll always love you."
David nodded his head, trying to remind himself that his mom was telling the truth, even while the irrational part of his mind was telling him she didn't know what she was talking about. "I-I'm kind of …" he started off, pausing to bite his lip. "The thing is, I'm …" He gave a loud sigh before forcing himself to look at his parents. "I'm gay."
David's parents exchanged a startled look before focusing back on their son.
"Oh, honey," Mrs. Jacobs said, smiling. "Is that what you're so worried about? We already knew."
David's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between his parents. "Y-you already knew? H-how?" Had everyone already known? Had he been obvious without realizing it?
"We're your parents, David," Mr. Jacob's replied, matching his wife's smile. "You think we don't know our own son?"
"That, and under your mattress isn't the best place to hide dirty magazines when it's your mother who washes your sheets," Mrs. Jacobs told him, her smile turning into a smirk.
David instantly reddened as he quickly looked down.
"Don't traumatize the boy, dear," Mr. Jacobs told his wife before turning back to his son. "We're going to love you no matter what, David. This doesn't change anything. Have you told your friends?"
David nodded, his face still red as he avoided his parent's eyes. "I kind of told everyone on accident," he admitted quietly. "Specs hasn't been taking it well. That's kind of why we got into that fight."
"Oh, David," Mrs. Jacobs replied, leaving her seat to walk over and give her son a hug. "I'm so sorry. People can be cruel. Especially in regards to things they don't understand. Do you have any type of support system at school?"
David nodded as he leaned into his mom. "Bumlets has been really great. He's been helping me a lot. Itey and Skittery, too. I owe a lot to them."
"I think it's great you're reuniting with old friends," Mr. Jacobs said before taking a sip of his tea. "You should ask if they want to come over for dinner tomorrow."
"B-but aren't I supposed to be grounded?" David asked, pulling out of his mother's embrace.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs shared a smile and a nod before turning back to their son.
"I think we might be able to forgive you for standing up for yourself," Mr. Jacobs said.
"Even though we don't agree with how you went about it," Mrs. Jacobs continued, a frown now forming on her face.
"So make sure it's only a one time occurrence," Mr. Jacobs said.
"Because you're intelligent enough to be able to stand up for yourself with your words instead of with your fists," Mrs. Jacobs finished.
Skittery grumbled as he walked down the stairs to his basement. He didn't even know where to find Slingshot, and he'd be damned if he went searching all around the fucking hotel just so he could exercise even more.
Maybe if he just went back to his room and went to bed he could just pretend like he couldn't find him. Surely there were enough people here that he could get lost in the crowd. Sean couldn't monitor all the members, right?
"Now we can start," Slingshot said as soon as Skittery had made it to the basement.
Skittery sighed. It looked like his nap wasn't going to pan out.
"Wait a second," Jack demanded as he jumped from his bunk. "You're telling me I had to wait all this time just for him to show up?"
"That's what it looks like, doesn't it?" Slingshot answered, heading for the stairs. "Let's go, kiddos. We're wasting daylight."
"We wouldn't be concerned about wasting daylight if Skittery had shown up on time," Jack said as he followed behind Slingshot. "Why the hell is he not in trouble?"
"Because he was with Spot," Slingshot explained, leading them both outside.
"You told us not to be late under any circumstances," Jack reminded him. "Spot's just suddenly an exception to that rule?"
"You'll find that Spot is an exception to every rule," Slingshot explained. "The faster you realize that the less headaches you'll have." He turned to them both as soon as they reached the parking lot, hands behind his back as he looked toward Jack. "Also, don't be such a cock sucking, asswipe, tattle tale. It's not your job to worry about anyone other than yourself."
Skittery tried to hide his smile behind his hand, snorting as he failed to hide his laugh.
"And, you," Slingshot said, turning his attention onto Skittery. "That was not a joke. I do not expect you to laugh. Twenty laps around the building. Both of you. Now. Let's go."
TBC
I really gotta make myself a cheat sheet of who knows what about who. All these words and all these characters and all this drama has me incredibly worried about inconsistencies. :(
I'm also horribly struggling with the next chapter in Spot's past. It's gone through a couple rewrites already. They're all either ending in dead ends creatively or my characters get too distracted and diverge from the story line. Ugh. So, I don't know exactly what that means. Either my next post is going to take a while getting out or I'll just put off the next past chapter and start working on chapter 25. Though chapter 25 is turning out to be even longer than normal. I don't know. We'll see how it goes. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sorry, but you're probably going to have to wait a bit for whichever chapter is coming next. (Not that you aren't used to it at this point.) Sorry! :( Please send review and send me encouragement!