Chapter 7: Conflict
***Author's Note***
This story takes place a few years later, Austin is almost four now. Russell is 7, Bingo is 8, and Bluey is 10. As we move on the stories are going to mostly continue linearly, though if we ever backtrack or skip far ahead I'll make sure to mention it. Okay, on to the story!
***PT***
Austin ran across the mulch, Bluey, Bingo, and Russell in hot pursuit. The cousins were spending the day together while Brandy and Chilli were off together at a spa. Bandit had offered to watch the kids, which meant that the four had been happily making the most of their time together. After a morning at home they'd managed to convince the older blue heeler to take them to the park (no doubt in part due to three very pleading 'please' faces). As the youngest Heeler rounded a corner of the play equipment he ducked inside a tube and covered his mouth to stop the laughter. The four were playing reverse tag, and he had to keep from being tagged from any of his cousins. As he sat quietly he watched Bluey and Bingo run past, followed by Russell.
Austin grinned as he poked his head out of the tube, his cousins had missed him. He got out and ran back across the mulch, now nearing a set of swings. Russell spotted him and whistled. Bluey and Bingo turned as he quickly signed. He's over by the swings!
"We found you Austin!" Bluey yelled, picking up the pace, her longer legs affording her a greater speed than her little cousin.
Austin gulped and quickly turned. He heard Russell and Bingo, three sets of footsteps chasing him as he crossed the mulch and got onto a grassy area at the edge of the playground. Austin turned and nearly ran into a large Papillion boy who was crouched playing on the grass.
"Hey!" He yelled.
"Sorry!" Austin called back, turning to see Russell fail to stop and literally trip over the other boy. Russell landed with a whump and sat up, dazed, but otherwise uninjured. The boy was also uninjured, but more than a bit angry about the collision.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He said, getting up and pushing Russell.
Sorry! Are you okay? Russell signed.
The boy frowned as he looked at Russell's hands. "What?"
"He said he's sorry." Bluey explained, now arriving with Bingo.
"He uses sign language to talk." Bingo added.
"Oh, so I guess you're deaf and dumb, since you couldn't see I was there!" The boy snarled, still dusting himself off.
I'm not deaf, and I'm not dumb! Russell quickly signed, a frown appearing on his face.
"He said he isn't deaf or dumb." Austin translated.
The boy turned to Russell, "Then why don't you tell me that instead of having your runty friend or his sisters tell me?"
Russell bared his teeth, if he could growl he would've been. Because I'm mute!
"He's mute, you fucking cunt." Bluey said, scowling.
Austin's brow rose slightly. While he'd heard those words plenty of times before, his mother and aunts and uncles all used them on occasion, he'd never heard Bluey say it before.
"The fuck did you call me?" The Papillion growled as he clenched his fists.
You heard her, you're an ignorant cunt. Russell signed, knowing that the brute wouldn't understand, but not caring.
"I'm gonna assume that was an insult."
"Well, he actually called you an ignorant cunt, which is pretty true to life, but I think the meaning was close enough to an insult for your thick skull to process it as such." Bingo snarked.
With that the Papillion swung at Bingo and tried to hit her face. Before he could manage Russell blocked the fist and shoved the boy back. He lunged forward and pinned the boy to the ground, striking him mercilessly with a series of punches to the head and face. Unfortunately size was not on his side, and despite his attacks he was quickly thrown off the larger boy. After a moment it had devolved into an all out brawl between the three Heeler siblings and the Papillion. Austin stood by the side, watching the chaos unfold for a moment before realizing he ought to do something. He quickly ran to get his uncle, realizing that it was likely someone was going to get hurt.
On the other side of the playground Bandit was on his phone. He was talking to his eldest brother as Rad worked through the current crisis of raising triplets all going through their terrible twos.
"Rad, look, I know it's tough. I have three myself, remember?" He paused listening to Rad's reply, "Well, no, they aren't all the same age…"
Austin quickly tugged on his uncle's tail.
"OW! Austin! You know that's not how we get attention!" Bandit admonished, quickly pulling his tail from his nephew's reach.
"Bluey and Bingo and Russell are fighting this kid and I think someone might get hurt!" Austin blurted out.
"Rad, I need to call you back." Bandit quickly hung up and followed Austin to the other side of the playground where Bluey was in the process of kicking the Papillion's groin, Russell was giving him an Indian sunburn, and Bingo was cheering them on.
"KIDS!" Bandit yelled, quickly getting their attention. Bluey and Russell quickly got off the boy. "What on earth is going on?!"
"He made fun of Russell!" Bluey pointed.
"Yeah, and then he tried to hit me, so Russell stopped him and then they got in a fight." Bingo explained.
"But Russell got thrown off, and so me and Bingo made sure he wouldn't hurt him." Bluey added.
"By beating him up?" Bandit asked in shock.
"Well, yeah, I guess…" Bingo shrugged.
"I'm gonna need the whole story." He looked at the Papillion, "And that includes your side."
Five minutes later the conversation had been relayed and Bandit was dealing out consequences.
"Okay, you three are grounded." He pointed at Russell, Bingo, and Bluey. "You know we don't use that kind of violence in our home. And I'm sure your mother won't be happy to hear about the language you all used either…" The siblings grumbled. "Even if it was standing up for someone at first, you all know much better ways to handle conflict." He paused and turned to the boy. "You need to learn your manners, and not to pick on children smaller than you. You're lucky your parents aren't around to hear what you said."
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Hey, watch it." You little bogan punk… Bandit warned.
"Yeah! Be nice!" Austin said.
"I don't care what your dad says, you all were the ones to start it." He crossed his arms.
"Enough. Now we're finishing it." Bandit motioned for the kids to follow him, "We're going home, now."
The four followed Bandit out of the playground and to the car. The ride back was silent as three of the four brooded over being grounded and Austin contemplated something that the boy had said. When they got home they were sent upstairs.
"The wifi is off, so don't even bother trying your tablets!" He called up the stairs as he headed to the kitchen, starting to prepare dinner for when Chilli would return.
After a moment Austin turned to his cousins, "Why did that boy say Uncle Bandit was my dad?"
Bluey and Bingo glanced at each other, "I mean, you do look like him."
You're practically a photo copy. Russell added.
"No I'm not! I don't have any grey hair!"
"Yeah you are." Bingo said, "Here, look." She led the group down the hall and showed a picture of Bandit and his two brothers when they were kids. A young Bandit was in-between Rad and Stripe. He had the same markings as Austin, down to the small lighter blue ring around his stomach's tan patch.
"See, when he was a kid he looked just like you. He just looks different now because he's old." Bingo stated.
Austin frowned, "Okay, so I do look like him I guess… But why?"
"Cause he's your uncle." Bluey said.
Wait, but dad isn't related to Aunt Brandy. Russell noted.
"Yeah, she's mum's sister, not dad's." Bingo said.
"What?" Austin tilted his head slightly.
It's genetics. Because mum and dad aren't related their brothers and sisters aren't. Dad's family isn't related to mum's. Russell signed.
"Wait, so I'm not related to Uncle Bandit?"
"You are, but not by genetics. You're related by marriage." Bluey said.
Austin's head was spinning as he tried to understand. "So, I am related to him, but I'm not?"
"No, well, yes…" Bluey said. "It's complicated."
"You're telling me." Austin remarked. "But so then why do I look like him?"
"No clue." Bluey said. "I thought when you were a baby that because Aunt Brandy wanted a baby that somehow you magically came around and you looked like dad cause he was the closest boy, but that isn't how babies work."
"It isn't?" Bingo and Russell asked in unison.
It isn't? Russell raised an eyebrow.
"No, and I'm not telling you. It's gross." Bluey shivered. She'd recently gotten 'the talk' with her mum and DID NOT want to relive that.
"Maybe my mum knows." Austin said.
"Probably. But it doesn't really matter." Bluey said, turning toward her room, "Now come on, and help me figure out how to get the wifi back."
***Author's Note***
Hello everyone! Sorry for the shorter length here, this chapter was a bit challenging for me to figure out, I had a few ideas I wanted to get in and I ended up splitting some into the next chapter-specifically Rad's half of the conversation with Bandit and how he's dealing with the triplets. If you would like to let me know what you think I greatly appreciate it, and thanks again for reading!