Day 20 - Neglect
A/N: Despite his age, he can be quite mature. Doc wishes a young Marty didn't have to be. Set prior to Part I.
Of all the things he could've imagined Marty bringing to the lab, he never pictured this.
The twelve-year-old had knocked at the precise time his shift started, only to reveal a collection of grocery bags adorning his arms when Doc had opened the door.
"What's all this, Marty?" Doc looked at the boy in shock. What the hell has gotten into him?
"I-I hope you don't mind, Doc. We didn't have anything left at home so I had to go grab some stuff. Mom's been too drunk to do the groceries," Marty said innocently, "so I nicked one of the cards out of her purse and grabbed some snacks to last us until she remembers at some point this week. Plus I saw you had, like, nothing left in your fridge, and I didn't want you to have to go hungry too."
Go hungry too?!
A horrified Doc could only blink in response, which allowed the young boy to pass by the scientist and continue rambling as he carried his purchases towards the kitchen. "I usually get chewing gum for Linda 'cause otherwise she complains about having to actually brush her teeth, but they didn't have any for some reason, and Dad's hair gel was out of stock, so I had to buy the only other brand that was there, so I hope he doesn't get cross about that, and I hope you don't mind that I only brought you a small thing of milk, I couldn't carry the-"
"Marty," Doc interrupted, "you shouldn't have to do that."
The boy's eyebrows were raised in confusion. He set down the carton of milk for Doc inside the fridge door before closing it hesitantly. "But…if Mom doesn't do it, th-then we don't eat, a-and I know I shouldn't be taking her credit cards, b-but my pocket money—"
"I meant, you shouldn't feel pressured into buying groceries for me," Doc clarified quickly. "That's something only adults need to be worrying about."
Marty's expression fell almost as fast as his shoulders, and Doc instantly realised he needed to explain his thoughts further. "I'm s-sorry, Doc. I-I just…wanted to help-"
"It doesn't mean, however, that I don't appreciate the thought," Doc knelt to the boy's eye level, giving him an affectionate smile. "Thank you for looking after me, Marty."
The young McFly's eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "Y-You too, Doc. I-I mean, you don't have to feed me and stuff when I come over, b-but sometimes I just don't get any, a-and I'm already teased for being so much smaller than the other kids-"
"Marty," Doc paused as he tried to word his question carefully, "have you spoken to anyone else about this problem?"
"About me being small?"
"About your parents forgetting to buy food for your family." Which is probably affecting your growth, as God knows what you've been living on, but that's a problem for another day.
Marty shook his head. "I-I mean, I've told my teachers a couple of times, but they never take me seriously. Keep saying I'm exaggatating or something."
"'Exaggerating', Marty," Doc corrected. "And that's terrible how they've dismissed you like that."
It's also terrible how distant your parents are that they haven't noticed they're forgetting to feed their children. Especially Marty; God, he's not even old enough for high school, and here he is, going out to buy milk and bread instead of playing!
"I mean, I don't know what I expected them to do," Marty said stiffly. "Dave has his own job now a-and won't shut up about how much he's makin', so everyone probably thinks he's buying me Burger King every night or whatever."
The bagginess of your clothes says otherwise. Doc glanced over the rest of the grocery bags, realising Marty had somehow carried four full bags of items while riding his skateboard. How good is this kid's balance?! "Did you ride your skateboard here today, Marty?"
"Yep. Only fell off once this time, too! Normally the heavy stuff makes me wobble, but I'm getting better," Marty reached into the bag he was holding and lifted out a bottle of Pepsi. "You don't mind if I hide this here, do you Doc? If I bring it home Dave usually drinks it before I can-"
"Of course you can, Marty," Doc affirmed quietly. "I'll make sure to have some on standby so you don't have to keep bringing it."
The mood shift was obvious and immediate, with Marty giving Doc a thankful, albeit stunned smile. "Wow! Thanks, Doc!"
"My pleasure, Marty. Now, tell me: do you know what your family was going to have for dinner once you finished up with me?"
Marty's brow wrinkled before he shrugged guilty. "…I mean, I-I'd assumed I'd be making mac and cheese for me again-"
"Well, that's not happening tonight," Doc proclaimed, grabbing a saucepan from a drawer below the stove. "I haven't cooked a steak for a while, but I'm sure you can help me figure out how to not burn it."
He couldn't help but grin as he saw the relief sweep over his young friend. At least for tonight, Marty, you won't be hungry.