"Well, it's the best option."
Quiet voices floated up from down the stairs as Frank left his and Joe's room, mind still half on his little brother, and how studious he was actually being for once. Something had happened after they came home. He'd heard a thump from downstairs only a few minutes before Joe had come running up and asked him if he wanted to play Wii games, and he'd acted... off at small times.
Like when he'd stood there staring at Frank after he'd been caught staring at his plane after they first came home.
"I know, it's just..."
There was this shadow hanging around his little brother, and he really didn't know what to do about it.
"...I'm worried about how Frank's going to take it."
He slowed in the hallway at the bottom of the narrow stairs, his quiet footsteps coming to a silent stop on the old worn carpet just outside the living room doorway. His thoughts slowed and stilled with them, petering out.
"I really don't know what other options we have, Laura. This has been a long time coming, and I don't think we can put it off any longer."
Mom and Dad?Why were they talking about him; about... options?
He inched closer to the wall, barely breathing. A part of him niggled that he should just walk in and ask, that listening in was wrong, but he couldn't help but listen in. All he'd done was come down for a glass of water...
"We still need to discuss it with them. They need to know."
"I know. And I'd feel better if they were happy with..."
A floorboard squeaked softly as he shifted his weight, and Dad's voice trailed off. He froze, holding his breath, caught between shame and a burning curiosity that thudded in his throat, twisting in his stomach.
"...I hear burning ears. It's alright, kiddo, come on in."
He let out his breath, the twist in his stomach tightening in a different way as he hesitated for a moment, before moving into the doorway.
There was no anger on Mom or Dad's faces as he hovered there, fingers curling around the jamb, flicking through both their expressions. Dad sat at the table, his arms loosely crossed on top, while Mom leaned against the corner leading into the kitchen.
"It's alright," Dad repeated, half-turning to drape an arm over the back of the chair and gesturing encouragingly. "We were just having a bit of a discussion. How much did you hear?"
He walked slowly in. "Just about some news you're planning to tell us." Hesitated again, coming to a stop in front of the table and glancing from Mom to Dad. "You're... not getting divorced or something, are you?"
A sound that might have been a laugh or a startled sneeze escaped Dad as he exchanged a quick look with Mom. "Have we been arguing that much?"
Her lips twisted in a smile. "Not that I can think of."
"No, it's nothing like that," he said, turning back to Frank. "We're..."
There were a lot of things that could have filled that short pause, and he kept his mouth closed, all of them flicking through his head. But if he interrupted, it would just take longer for Dad to say it.
"...thinking of moving. Out to Long Island."
For a moment he just blinked. Long Island? Moving?"Moving out? We're moving house?"
Mom moved quietly around the table, gripping his shoulder gently. "It's not too far, but we wanted to move to a quieter place, somewhere we can be closer as a family."
"But what about school? What about Dad's job?"
She rubbed gently at his shoulder, her honey-blonde hair spilling around her own in waves as she leaned down, brown eyes on his. "That's what we wanted to tell you both. Dad's leaving the NYPD—"
What?
"—to make a private eye company of his own. We were already thinking of moving somewhere nicer, but after today, and the situation with Joe, farther afield sounds like the best plan."
For a long moment he just searched her eyes silently. They were moving, leaving their home, everyone they knew—it might be only an hour or two away, but they'd be going to a whole new school,leaving their friends behind—
His friends. The thought abruptly slapped him, almost making him flinch. Joe didn't have any friends here, anymore. They were either too scared of the other kids picking on him or involved in picking on him themselves. Even kids like Jerry and Peter, who were only friendly if there was no possibility of anyone else seeing them with him. Which was barely possible at all anymore, so it seemed like they'd just given up. His brother only ever hung out with him or his friends. He barely had any friendly interaction in his classes. And Frank could see the happy, exuberant little brother he knew flickering lower every day. Especially days like this.
The resistance in his chest cracked, and melted. Mom and Dad were right. They needed to leave.
He met Mom's eyes. "Okay."
There was a pause as she flicked a glance over her shoulder, and he found Dad's eyes searching his face, too. "You're happy to up and leave for somewhere else?"
He hesitated, and then forged ahead with a nod. "I'm fine with it. It's not even that far away, right?"
Dad's eyes softened. "Frank, you don't have to agree just because it will be better for Joe. You're allowed to question it."
He shook his head, straightening his shoulders. "I think it's a good idea. I can keep up with Rick and Luke and Ben, and everybody else, but Joe doesn't have any friends here. I can take it."
"Again, you don't have to." Dad rose, joining Mom as she hummed in agreement and setting his hand on Frank's other shoulder. "It's good to want to do this for your brother, Frank, but I don't want you to feel that every decision is for him. It's a lot to take in, and you're allowed to feel less than okay about it."
"We'd like for you both to be onboard," Mom added, bobbing down to his level, "but we'd prefer honesty."
"...You've already decided, though." It was obvious, wasn't it? They'd been planning it for a while—they wouldn't just back out. And besides... "I'm okay with it. Really. I am. It's... things are just getting worse, and I don't want to stay here with people always trying to hurt him."
He didn't want to see Joe become the kid in the corner, staying away from everybody, just because Frank didn't want to maybe lose a couple of friends. He'd still get to keep up with them, he would.They just wouldn't go to school together anymore. And if they chose to stop being his friends just because he moved... well, like Mom always said, if they left your side just because it wasn't convenient for them anymore, maybe they weren't friends at all.
His brown eyes flashed, meeting theirs firmly, fiercely. "I want to do it."
Dad's hand moved to his hair, ruffling it gently, a sad sort of smile on Mom's face, too, as he said, "Alright, kiddo. You've convinced me. If you change your mind, or something bothers you, just bring it up with us, alright?"
"Sure." He nodded, but he'd already made up his mind. This was the best thing to do.
Though... there was one thing. "Uh, can I have a glass of water?"
They both laughed, Mom ruffling his hair this time. "Of course you can. There are no water restrictions in this house."
He smiled. That was one thing. Even when they did move... he'd still have his family. He could always make new friends.
It'd be okay.
Things felt... different the next day.
Frank hiked his backpack higher, setting his jaw and trying to ignore the shifting knot deep in his gut. Maybe it was just him, but everyone they passed on the way to the lockers seemed twitchy, somehow, eyes darting away from his. And only his, since Joe wasn't even looking up, just bulldozing his way through.
"Hey." Even Thomas barely looked up at his greeting, mumbling something in return and walking quickly on, his shoulders hunched.
Frank almost scowled, forcing himself to let out a long breath and keep his own shoulders straight. Alex might be suspended, especially after the cigarette episode, but he'd be back. His parents were too rich for him not to, and when he did...
"Hey," he began, just before he and Joe split up, "just..."
His little brother looked up as he trailed off, and Frank forced a smile, shrugging. "Don't worry about it. If anybody bothers you, just poke 'em in the eye."
Joe almost but not quite grinned. "You'll get in trouble with Mom for saying that."
He grinned back, holding a finger to his lips as he turned to walk backwards, briefly. "Shh. I didn't say anything."
A real smile broke out on Joe's face, and he zipped his lips. "Say what?"
Turning with a laugh, Frank moved on to his own locker, the rest of the traffic swallowing up his view of his little brother. And the smile faded, a frown crinkling at his eyebrows as he took the textbooks for his first class out. Seth and DJ were still in school, just on final warnings, since there was no proof they'd been smoking with Alex. Was that why everyone was acting funny?
Except all the other kids around him didn't seem too worried, even if eyes did skitter away from his if he tried to catch them. Rick even threw him a "hullo" on his way past. Maybe it was because of Joe? Doing his best to listen in on the chatter around him as he hauled his backpack's strap back up onto his shoulder and headed for class, he couldn't hear any talk about it...
"Yo Frank!" Luke butted into him.
"Hey." He half-heartedly butted back, eyeing a giggling half-circle of girls gathered around an open locker talking about... something. One of them seemed to catch his eye for a second, turning away and whispering to her friend. He could have sworn he heard her say "weird".
"Wow, you look tense."
He glanced at his friend, trying to smooth out his own expression. "I'm fine."
"Your face is all purple."
Automatically, he brushed at the bruise on his cheek, his lip still a little swollen from the other day. "It's just a bruise."
"I heard Alex and his macho gang gave it to you," Luke said, casually holding onto the straps of his own backpack. "Seth's got one just like it, too. Tom says you gave it to him."
He winced. "Does the whole school know?"
"Pretty much." Luke flapped his elbows, meandering beside him. "Alex is gonna be realll mad when he comes back. Seth and DJ have already been going around saying they'll beat you up. Tom says he heard them just a couple minutes ago—they were looking for you."
He stiffened. "Me?"
"Yeah, Seth's spitting mad, and DJ said he was gonna kick your—"
"Great." He let out a long breath, hands clenching briefly into fists. They'd been the ones who'd tried to hurt Joe—and had hurt him. If they tried to make trouble—
He relaxed his hands. Then they'd be the ones getting in trouble for it. At school, they couldn't do anything to him without a teacher intervening, and he wouldn't back down from them just because they were throwing threats around.
"You're kinda scary when you're mad." His friend threw him a sharp grin, shaking the long fringe he refused to get cut because he said it made him look "cool" out of his eyes. "If you throw punches I'll get the popcorn. And I'll make tickets."
"Pff." He shoved him in the head, grinning back. "Yeah, and Principal Willis will put you in jail for running a fighting ring and gambling."
The other raised his fists, making boxing motions. "He can't put me behind bars! I'm the boss—I'll put him t' sleep wid th' fishes." He smirked. "But we could totally make a fighting ring. And you'd be my prize fighter. We'd rake in the cash—enough to buy a motorbike like my dad has."
"Joe would do it, but not me. I don't do fights." He pointed at his own face. "If he hadn't already kicked Alex in the nuts and they weren't distracted, there wouldn't be anything but bruise."
"Really? Huh, I didn't think he was a fighter. He's kind of... small."
Frank's eyes narrowed. "He's a great fighter. And he's only seven."
"Okay." Luke shrugged a little awkwardly. "We could have both of you. You could be a tag team, like the Bushwhackers. The Hardys—epic fighting team!"
Making a face, he moved to the door of his English class. "No thanks. I'd like to be a detective, like Dad. Seeya."
"Sure, fine. Seeya later."
Luke split up from him, heading to his own class, and Frank sighed under his breath, taking his desk and slipping out his books. Fighting rings wouldn't help Joe. Luke just didn't get it—he was a popular kid, a jokester. He didn't get the kind of attention Joe did.
Trying to iron out the frown bent on sticking between his eyebrows with his fingers, he flattened out his workbook and looked up as Mr. Handa called the class to attention. At least with Seth and DJ being busted, he wouldn't have to worry so much about Joe at school. Everything would be fine.
It'd be fine.
It actually was, the next couple days. Despite their threats, Seth and DJ didn't make any trouble apart from glaring at him and throwing gestures across the room when they saw him. Which wasn't often.
He had to wonder if the teachers had deliberately made sure their times between classes and lunch didn't intersect. Because usually Seth would come out of Math when he came out of Science on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Which didn't happen that week.
Honestly, he'd expected that they'd try to corner Joe, or maybe him, but with Mom and Dad picking them up from school and teachers keeping an eye on them, that never happened.
And he started to relax a little. Maybe they'd make it to the move without anything else happening. Maybe they wouldn't need to move.
And then Alex came back.
On Friday, Frank walked in, splitting off from Joe with a fist bump, and stepped up to his locker. His hand had only just touched the metal when someone bumped into him, throwing him off.
Glancing over his shoulder with a frown, he found Alex's grey eyes glaring down at him.
"You and your weirdo brother better watch your backs, punk," he hissed,and then he was gone, stomping down the hallway.
For a moment Frank stood there, his hand tightening around the strap of his backpack. Had any of the teachers seen that? Alex wouldn't go after them at school, would he?
He'd be stupid to. They'd only have to call out for the teachers and they'd be busted.
He shifted the strap on his shoulder, settling his pack more firmly, and opened his locker door. Alex was just bluffing. He couldn't do anything if he wanted to, and they weren't in any of the same classes anyway. It'd be fine.
He pushed into the bathroom at lunch, blowing out a breath. Being so distracted really didn't help him in class. Mr. Dobson had singled him out twice for not paying attention, and he—
A hand grabbed his collar, and his face slammed into the wall.
"Ungh!
"What—?" Dazed, he grabbed at the arm holding him as it pulled him back, a harsh voice ringing in his ears.
"Hey Hardy, got something on your face?"
Alex's face sneered down at him, an ugly glitter in his eyes. And Frank stiffened, his fingers locked around the other's wrist. What was he doi—?
A hard shove sent him crashing onto the tile floor, pain flashing through his shoulder. "Nghah!" He gritted his teeth, twisting and planting a hand on the floor—
A foot hit him between the shoulderblades, shoving him onto his front, cheek pressed into the ground. He gasped for breath, trying to twist up against it, but it just ground harder into his back, pushing the air from his lungs. "Hey—!"
"What's that? Sorry I can't hear you, you're too quiet."
Fear crawled up his spine and pulled tight around his throat. How had Alex even known to corner him here—? The bully's laugh ran in his ears as he gasped for breath, still doing his best to struggle even though he couldn't.
"What's the matter, Hardy?" Another pair of shoes stepped into view in front of his face, the cold floor tiles scrunched against his cheek.
Seth? They were all here, weren't they. Gritting his teeth, he glared out of the corner of his eye, arm trembling as he tried to push up again—
A foot flashed past his face and he flinched.
"Ooh, not so tough now are you?" Seth sneered as another foot rested lightly on the side of his head.
"He's shaking in his boots." DJ. They were all here.
Nevermind how they'd organised this — had they been watching him? — they were here and they had him right where they wanted him. And that was not good.
"Okay." Abruptly, the pressure let off his back, only for a hand to grab his collar and yank him up. "Let's quit playing around."
"Look— cut it... cut it out—" He hissed out a choking breath, his body too slow to twist and break the grip. A hit thwacking the side of his head made stars flicker through his vision, his scrabbling hands stuttering.
They weren't interested in talking. Could he say anything? They wouldn't listen if he did.
His knees had gone too weak to resist as Alex dragged him, and he tried to kick out, giving up on getting through, his hand snatching out around the edge of one of the toilet stalls. Oh no. No no no—
He cried out as a foot slammed into his fingers and forced him to let go. White walls and a glimpse of a dirty toilet bowl whirled in his vision, and then cold water enveloped his head with a splash,rushing up his nose and spilling into his mouth before he clamped it shut.
He tried to rear up, bucking in an iron grip and briefly pulling up. A hand slammed into the back of his head, nails digging into his scalp and pulling at his hair, shoving him down until his forehead and chin ground against porcelain. He couldn't—
Thrashing harder than he ever had in his life, he fought to get out, shoving against the bowl, clawing at the arms holding him down until they wrenched them away. He was going to drown—
Just as his lungs were about to burst, Alex yanked him up by the hair, tugging painfully at the roots. Heaving for breath, he started to yell—
And another hand clapped across his mouth, pressing hard.
"Oh no, you're not snitching, Hardy."
Argh! He threw his whole body back, twisting and briefly snatching an arm out of Alex's grip, desperate to break free.
For just a moment, the hand on his mouth slacked off, and he tossed his head, shoving against the arm and snatching just a half second. "HEY—!"
His head slammed into the toilet bowl again, shoved deep into the water. And this time he could barely even move,Alex's weight caving his skull in, two hands shoved against his head. Angry noises past the rush of water and his thudding in his ears. He could taste chemicals and bitter rancid everything. Couldn't get free couldn't breathe couldn't breathe—
His whole world narrowed down to a tinny burble, blackness flickering in his eyes. He tried to spit out the water in his mouth but it only rushed in, bubbles exploding in shatter glimmers stabbing through his head, the explosive cough that tried to escape choking and fluttering away like the darkness that wrapped around his mind and strangled it.
Air.
Everything rushed back with a coughing fit that felt like it tried to eject his lungs, whooping in only to almost puke out again. He still couldn't breathe, even with air trying to wheeze into his lungs, struggling not to throw up at the taste of copper and toilet on his tongue. His arms felt like they wouldn't hold him, fuzzy fingers splayed on dirty tile.
Wait. He finally dragged in a decent breath, struggling to lift his head and nearly face-planting when his elbows wobbled dangerously. He wasn't being held down anymore.
Wasn't like he could fight back right now, though.
Still coughing and sputtering, he felt a hand yank at his head, Alex's voice hissing in his ear, "If you tell anyone about this, your little brother's gonna get it. If I even think you're gonna tattle, then he's dead. Got it?"
He spat out a mouthful of foetid water and mucus, gasping in another breath. And Alex shook him, a choked grunt escaping his raw throat as it pulled on his aching scalp.
"I said, got it?"
He shouldn't agree. Dad would have told him that he shouldn't, that he shouldn't give in. But if he didn't then Joe would get hurt again. He would get hurt and it would be his fault because he couldn't protect him, and couldn't be everywhere. If they'd been following him and knew he'd be here, and they'd been waiting, who said they wouldn't do the same thing to Joe? He couldn't warn him, either, because none of their classes ended at the same time.
He was stuck. They had him and they knew it. "I... I got it," he rasped.
"What was that?"
"I said — Kff— I got it!" He glared at him out of watering eyes. His fingers scrunched into useless fists against the tile.
"Good." Alex's hand finally let go of his scalp, and he slumped, gasping for breath and trying not to cough again.
Guess he'd also sold his soul to the devil to protect his brother. He heard them leave, laughs and mocking mumbles fading away. The sound of the door clanking open and shut left him kneeling on the wet floor in silence so loud it pressed on his ears.
His mouth tasted disgusting.
Wobbling back up to his feet, wiping at his lips with the back of his hand, he stumbled out of the stall and tried to drown himself in the sink, instead, nausea rolling in the pit of his stomach. For the first time, he couldn't wait to leave. Get as far away from here as they could. Away from Alex and Seth and just—
"Argh!" He slammed his hands on the sides of sink, clenching his teeth and screwing his eyes shut. A shuddering breath made it out of his nose, and he spat another mouthful of clean water that still tasted like piss into the bowl.
Frick Alex and DJ. Frick Seth. He scrubbed at his eyes, trying not to go back to that moment, being practically drowned. Seth hadn't done anything, he'd just laughed. They'd been friends once...
And now, just because Joe was an Unusual, he was trying to kill him. Seth used to be cool. He used to be like an older brother — he'd invited Frank over to his house to play Mariokart, given him and Joe money for candy when they'd walked home together. He'd almost been like Nancy.
A part of him wondered if she'd known about Joe, and if she did, would she think about them differently? After the news hit the school that they had an Unusual, everyone had looked at them funny. And they still did, when they realised they were talking to the Hardys.
It wasn't like Joe was some kind of monster. He was still too young to even know what he did, only that it was maybe something to do with seeing things. But everyone acted like he was going to grow horns and a devil tail.
He rubbed at his hair with a paper towel, trying to get it to dry and only making it stick up in spikes and clumps. If any of the teachers noticed...
He closed his eyes, trying to chase away the image of Alex shoving his little brother's head in the toilet and holding him down until he went still. If they said anything, he could just say he'd been splashing his face. Which wasn't technically a lie.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed away from the sink and hesitated. He'd come here to use the bathroom. Now that his head had gotten shoved in it, he didn't really feel like it. Probably should before everyone else came in, though.
Bracing himself, he used it and split, brushing past a laughing group of other boys on his way out. He wandered back in the direction of the lunch room, probably too late to eat anything. His stomach turned over at the thought, anyway, the taste and smell of the toilets still lingering in his nose. Maybe he'd grab an apple and try to stuff it in...
"Hey Frank!" A bright voice twitched his eyes up from the floor to see Luke. Who did a double-take and squinted at him. "Woah— you look terrible. Have you been cry—?"
"I'm fine!" He brushed past him. Scratch the cafeteria, he'd just grab his stuff and head to class early.
"Uh— O-okay."
Taking a couple of deep breaths, he forced his fists and shoulders to relax, walking as fast as he could to the lockers. Nobody was there, right then, and Luke didn't follow him.
His knees still felt weak. When he tried to open it, crouching down because he had the bottom one, he fumbled with the latch, his fingers refusing to work right, and his breathing was starting to go rapid, like he was stuck with his head back in the toilet bowl—
His forehead thunked quietly into the door, a tremble working down his spine. Which was strange, because if he was... was going to start having a panic attack or something, he really should've had it in the bathroom. Why now?
Clenching his teeth together, he huddled on the floor, pressing against the metal of the closed bottom door and closing his eyes, shivering. There was no one there, just the sound of his own shaky breaths and a ragged hitch tightening the back of his was good. He was fine. He just needed a sec.It's just a little bullying. You can take it. I can take it for Joe. It's fine.
Burying his head between his knees, he clenched his fingers in his wet hair. Maybe he could just stay here until it dried. No one would come out for a while. He threw away the absurd thought of crawling into his own locker and hiding until the end of the school day because that was stupid.
I don't want to be here anymore.
Maybe he could ask Mom and Dad if they could leave sooner. He wouldn't have to tell them anything. Just... just...
His breathing caught, pulling tight, and he held his breath, swallowing it back. The bruise on his face ached, the hole where his tooth had come out ached — and it was still bleeding, he'd... he'd missed that somehow; he could taste blood — his forehead ached, his stomach flip-flopped, and points on his arms and his back ached, too. Everything hurt, especially his chest.
Shaking his head, he jammed the heels of his hands into his eyes, hissing between his teeth and dragging a shuddering breath back in, curling tighter as it half-hiccuped. Maybe... maybe he should crawl into his locker. Like a scared little kid. And let them get to him.
No... no way.
He bit into the skin behind his lips, trying to stop his shoulders from trembling in a wave that rattled down to his knees, his eyes aching now, too. Dad would've said... said not to let them get to him. Chin up, head on—
Footsteps. Footsteps coming down the hallway. Brisk ones.
Whipping his hands away from his face, his heart choking in his throat, he scrambled to get back onto his feet, shoving shaking hands into his pockets. Which didn't help because his shoulders still shivered, too stiff.
One of the teachers swung around the corner before he could try and run, a furrow dug between his eyebrows and a frown on his face. Mr. Cox. One of the nice ones. Their history teacher. He liked him.
At the moment he just wished he could turn invisible.
"Frank?"
He winced in spite of himself, locking his entire body rigid as he faced him and tried to meet the man's eyes. "I— I was just— I wanted to get to class early."
The teacher's face went soft, and he sucked in a quick breath and held it to keep his lungs from shaking, trying to look okay."Are you alright? Luke told me he saw you come down this way. He said you looked upset."
Traitor. He tightened his jaw, wound tight enough that his shoulders and neck ached and his ribs felt like they were squeezing his lungs in. And... and he couldn't actually speak. Crud.
"Alright, come with me. Let me call your parents."
He twitched back from the hand that reached out for him. "N-no wa-wait. I-I— I'm fine— I just— I—"
The man took a step back again, bobbing down slowly. "You don't want me to call your parents?"
He shook his head, hating the way his voice shook. If Mom and Dad knew... He couldn't put Joe through that. He couldn't do that. He didn't want to see him get drowned in a toilet. He didn't want to see them touch him.
Mr. Cox was silent for a moment, and he couldn't really read his face. Sad? Frustrated? He thought maybe it slotted into pity. Or maybe it was just concerned.
He wished he could turn around and walk out, and just... and just go. His chest still felt too tight, little breaths sucked in, still trembling. "Can... can I go, sir?"
"I think you should come with me, first." The man's voice was gentle, but his heart sank like a rock, almost flinching as fingers wrapped firmly but not too tight around his shoulder. "It's alright, I won't hurt you. I'll just take you down to the office, and you can relax there for a while."
He couldn't argue. His hands clenched into fists inside his pockets, his feet almost dragging as the history teacher nudged him to move. "Please— sir—"
The hand squeezed his shoulder, and his jaw tightened, his throat wadded tight. "I won't ask you to tell me anything. I'll only call your parents."
He closed his eyes.
Dad was the one who came. He found Frank sitting in a chair in the corner, outside the principal's office, curled up with his arms around his knees, a couple sips taken out of the glass Mr. Cox had given him.
He was dead. Or, actually, Joe was. Because Alex would hear about this, and when he did, he'd think Frank had caved and told them. He couldn't stop his eyes flicking to the clock, listening for an announcement, his fingernails digging into the skin over his shins, wondering if Joe had gotten to class okay. If Alex was planning to drag him into the bathroom, or corner him somewhere quiet.
He didn't know if he should tell. If Alex thought he was going to tell... But if he didn't know...
His eyes flicked up to Dad's, and the man's steps hitched for a moment. Then he was there, his hand stroking at the side of his face and tangling in his damp hair, gently cradling his chin. "Frank?"
He only half-opened his mouth, and immediately knew whatever he tried to say would give everything away, so he just shook his head, pressing his lips together.
Something flickered in Dad's eyes, and Frank abruptly found himself folded into a smell of aftershave and the bitter deodorant he always used filled his nose—that still smelled like toilet—his chin pressed against the rough T-shirt and a big hand cradling the back of his neck, gentle fingers touching his scalp.
He gritted his teeth tight, trying to hold back a shudder, but it came out anyway, a rough sob forcing past the lump in his throat. And he caved, pressing his face into Dad's shoulder, squeezing fistfuls of his shirt as he shook, trying to breathe without ugly-crying in the middle of the principal's office. But he couldn't stop it.
Gentle fingers stroked at the back of his head, rubbing softly at his shoulder and upper arm, rough skin rasping from the shirt to his bare skin. He didn't say anything, just hummed quietly, the sound resonating through Frank's tight ribcage and peeling away the iron bands locked around it with every muffled sob that tore itself free.
It felt like he was going to be sick, again, his lungs shuddering and his throat raw. All he wanted to do was just stay there and not let go, his whole body shaking. He didn't want to go anywhere, he didn't want to go back to class; he didn't want to see Alex's smug face sneering at him, knowing he had him under his shoe like an insect on the sidewalk. Knowing that he couldn't do anything. That no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't protect Joe.
He'd deserved to have his head shoved in a toilet. He'd gotten there too late the first time, and now he couldn't even do what he had to so he could stop them from going after Joe. Because Dad was a detective, and he was scarily good at his job, and he would know just by looking at him—
"Don't— don't tell the princ-principal," he choked out, his fingers dug into fists bunched in Dad's shirt. He swallowed back the bile churning at the back of his throat, trying to bring his breathing back to normal. "Joe might— he— they'll kill him."
"Hey, woah there." Dad rocked him gently, rubbing in slow circles on his shoulderblade, stroking at the back of his neck, and helping calm down the shakes. "It's alright, Frank, no one's killing anyone. Joe's in Science right now, he's okay."
"He'll know," he rasped, squeezing his eyes shut, shaking his head against Dad's shoulder. "They'll... they'll hurt him."
"Who will know, Frank? Can you tell me?"
He shook his head again.
"What did they do to you?" Gentle hands rubbed up and down the back of his neck, ruffling into his hair. "Your hair's wet. If you tell me, I can help."
Another shuddering breath escaped him. "Can't."
"They blackmailed you, didn't they?" His voice was quiet— a murmur that hummed comfortingly against Frank's ear. He didn't sound disappointed, didn't sound mad.
Frank just pressed closer, a shudder running up his spine.
"Tell you what, I'll pull you both out of school for today, and that will give you the weekend away from here. They won't be able to get either of you. I'll take the weekend off, too, and if you want to go anywhere, I'll take you. All I want you to do is let me know what happened."
For a long moment he just breathed in and out, hitches and shudders still twitching at his chest.
"I can't help you unless you tell me, Pacman," Dad murmured, his chin resting on Frank's head.
"I... they cornered me. In the bathroom," he mumbled into Dad's shirt.
"Cornered you in the bathroom?" His voice prompted, and the hand tightened slightly on the back of his neck, cupping it.
"Shoved m' head in the toilet."
Dad muttered a word he was probably not supposed to have heard, his arms tightening around him. "They gave you a swirlie?"
He sagged, pressing his forehead against Dad's collarbone. "Don't think they flushed it. Just... tried to drown me."
"Those toilets are old — they could have drowned you." He hugged him fiercely, and Frank could feel the tightness in his muscles. "That's crossing a line. That's crossing a line and I'm not going to stand for it."
"But—"
"I'm pulling you both out of school. Your Mom will agree with me." Dad pulled back, cupping his face, rough thumbs gently wiping at the corners of his eyes. "Frank, listen to me. They are not going to hurt either of you any longer, and if they try, I will—" cut himself off for a second as if he'd changed his mind about what he was going to say— "send them to juvie."
His smile shivered, his eyes feeling scratchy and dry, like his throat. "You were going to say 'kick their asses'."
Dad laughed— a short bark that didn't quite take away the anger crinkling in the corner of his eyes, but he ruffled at Frank's head, his smile lopsided. "Don't let your Mom hear that."
He nodded, smiling a little easier this time, Dad wiping away the moisture under his eye with one last swipe and standing. "Okay, let me talk to the principal about this, and I'll collect your brother once his class is finished. There's only around a month until summer break — we can figure out something to tide you kids over until then." He offered his fist. "Sound good, little man? Still trust me to take care of this?"
He bumped him back, taking a deep breath that didn't shudder, this time, and puffing it out again. "Yeah."
"Alright. You drink up that water." He slipped a little packet out of his pocket, dropping a mint into Frank's palm. "I'll be right back."
He nodded, popping the mint into his mouth and wiping at his cheek. Dad offered him one last smile and then strode into the office with his "mission walk".
The pit of his stomach still felt tight, but the weight of Alex's threat didn't crowd the back of his mind anymore to pull taut around his chest. Dad would take care of it. He'd take them out of school, and they wouldn't have to worry about Alex anymore.
He flopped his head against the back of the chair, the sharpness of the mint slowly washing away the taste of toilet water. Still, summer break and the move couldn't come soon enough...
Fenton glanced in the rearview, catching sight of Joe flicking a look at Frank in the front passenger seat, again. The poor kid didn't understand why his brother was slumped silently up front, his head against the window and his eyes closed. He hadn't believed the explanation he'd been given, that Frank was sick.
He'd reluctantly decided against letting him know exactly what had happened, after Frank had begged him. Sighing, he recalled those haunted brown eyes — reddened from the entire ordeal — pleading with him. He made a good point. Joe felt like everything was his fault, for having his abilities, and if he knew Frank had been bullied because of it, he wouldn't understand that it wasn't his fault. They were both smart kids — too smart for their developing emotional centres, really.
He tapped at the steering wheel, approaching the end of their short drive. After his talk with the principal, who had at least been understanding — some other schools would have tossed them out as soon as they heard about Joe, but Willis was a good, sensible man — he'd perched on the side of Frank's chair in the anteroom, the boy snuggling between him and the back of the chair, sipping gingerly at his glass. He'd managed to prise a bit more out of him, gathering that it was the same three who'd ganged up on Joe earlier that week, seemingly out for revenge after their suspension, and aiming to take out the one who wasn't afraid to tell.
And if he were to bet, he would place his money on that being their exact goal. Joe was actually the worse of the two at letting them know what was going on, most likely because he was the target. He was lucky to have an older brother to watch his back. Though, those protective tendencies did tend to override his own needs a little too much, especially in this situation.
He mentally sighed, swinging into their cramped drive. So much for hoping that the bullying would die down over time. It was a sad fact of life that everywhere you went there were bound to be some nasty people — you couldn't just pull your children out at the first sign of name-calling and disappear to the mountains to live as hermits. It was better to teach them how to deal with it, to communicate with the school and work things out. In this case, though...
Well, back to sleepy old Bayport it was. He was getting sick of the increasing red tape in the city, anyway.
Popping open his door, he announced, "Home time, everybody."
Frank stirred, peeling his pale face off the window, and Joe hopped out, snagging both their bags with a tiny grunt of effort, his little face screwed up into serious concentration. Hm, looked a little like an imitation of Frank's serious face. He grinned, ruffling those blond curls as he shut the door and moved to skirt the hood. "Good man, keep building those muscles."
The seven-year-old jerked his head in an extremely serious nod, mouth still screwed up as he tottered in the direction of the front door. "Fraaank. Your books... are so heavy."
Fenton chuckled, reaching his oldest son's door just as its occupant was moving to slide slowly out. Before he could touch the ground, he scooped him up, drawing a surprised "buh?"as the kid was hefted up and he punted the door closed with his foot. "Hup! Fen's ambulance service to the rescue, wee-woo wee-woo!"
The boy's surprised giggle fluttered against his chest as he shuffled him around to get his keys out and bent to lock the vehicle, arms reflexively clinging around his neck. "Nyooom! Off we go — to the pretty blonde nurse with you!"
He half-ran them to the front door, Frank's laughter ringing in his ear. Grinning, he sidled through the front door, jogging into the living room, his charge bouncing in his arms, and gently deposited him on the couch. "Whew, you're getting heavy, kiddo. I won't be able to carry you around much longer."
"You think I'll be as tall as you?" Even if it was more wan than usual, Frank's smile still warmed his heart.
He stretched, rubbing at his lower back for show. "Definitely. Taller, actually. You're already sprouting like a weed."
Just as he winked to turn that smile into a grin, the beautiful flower of the house appeared, poking her nose in from the hallway. "I hear someone's home?"
"Ahhh, the pretty blonde nurse." He stole a kiss, Joe audibly gagging from where he'd plonked the bags by the couch. "I've brought you a patient, and I think he could do with a good bath."
Lowering his voice, he murmured, "I'll tell you what happened in private. Frank doesn't want Joe to know, and I agree with him."
She nodded, a slight crinkle of worry appearing briefly between her eyebrows before clearing as she glanced past him and smiled. "Someone looks like he could use a doctor."
"I'll go fill the tub." He slipped quietly out as she greeted the two boys with a hug, leaving them to her ministrations. The little bathroom crammed into the nook by the stairs with a separate room for the shower should have been too small for a tub, really, but they'd managed to fit it in there, through some miracle. It was tucked into the corner by the small window looking out onto the yard, the light streaming onto the curtain tied at its edge. Its little showerhead, the plastic filigree flaking away, was really only useful for rinsing hair, not acting as a secondary shower.
He longed for the house Trudy had helped them pick out. A big old Long Island house so spacious it seemed like a mansion compared to this rat nest. The kids would love it. They'd probably get lost in it, actually, coming up with all kinds of secret entrances and passages. Hide and seek would suddenly become a much more viable game...
The rush of the water filled the tiny space, and he rested his hands on the bath's lip, tapping the pads of his fingers against the enamel until it ran hot enough to slip the plug in.
A flicker of movement quietly passing through the door announced Laura's arrival, and he straightened, taking in the still-lingering smile and the hints of anger threatening in her eyes. Not at him. It was still evident that Frank was shaken, and she would be in full investigative mama bear mode.
He flicked a glance past her just in case one of the kids was hanging around before pre-empting the question. "The same group. They ganged up on him in the boys' bathroom and shoved his head in the toilet. After pushing him around to shake him up."
"They did what?"
He nodded, folding his arms and settling the back of his calves against the tub's side. "From what he told me, they held him down long enough he almost blacked out, and threatened to hurt Joe if he told anyone."
The cords of her throat stood out as she folded her own arms, the muscles visibly tight. "We're lucky he's too smart to give into that sort of crap."
"He almost didn't tell me, Laura," he said quietly. "When I came in he could barely talk. Poor kid was just about having an episode, and if the teacher who brought him in hadn't been tipped off, we might've never known. Honestly, I'm not surprised they threatened him so badly — if I were them, I'd be terrified, because those kids are lucky if they're not getting expelled after this. They went too far, and if they're not aware of that, then we'll have three more jailbirds before the decade's over."
Her expression struggled, her lips sealing to a thin line even as her eyes shone with a hint of frustrated tears. "He's only eight,Fen. Neither of them deserve any of this. They shouldn't have had to deal with any of this."
"Well, they won't have to deal with it anymore. I pulled them out."
Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and her face went blank.
He tilted his head slightly. "I didn't think you'd object, so I went ahead and hashed it out with Willis. Don't tell me I'm wrong."
"I'm not objecting," she said, almost automatically. He could almost see her mind working. "But I might have appreciated a warning."
"It was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment thing."
"I can see that." Her words were slow, more filler than anything. Eyes coming back to focus on him, though, he could see they were clear, the frustration and helplessness gone. "I think it might have been the best impulsive decision you've ever made, though. We should have pulled them out a long time ago."
And there was the hint of guilt, back again. He moved over to her, gently cupping her face. "Hey, we both thought the school could handle it until we were ready to move out. They did a good job of keeping them separate, and we thought they had things in hand."
She held the back of his hand lightly, a soft sigh brushing his face. "I just wish..."
"I wish it hadn't happened, either. But we can only act with what we have. We both know that. In this case, we didn't have enough to make that call, but now we do. And we'll make the most of it."
She closed her eyes, the lines around her brows deepening, and easing as they opened again, a slight smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "You do know what this means, though."
He raised his eyebrows. "What?"
"Homeschool." She gently ran a hand along the five-o-clock shadow beginning to grow on his chin, her eyebrow quirking. "You and I are going to be teachers to a pair of third-graders."
He frowned. "I thought Joe was in second?"
"He's ahead. He's in third in all but name," she laughed at him, her nose almost brushing his as she rested both arms loosely over his shoulders. "Though, Frank is technically also ahead... Third and fourth graders, how does that sound?"
He made a face, idly stroking his fingers through her hair. "Tough. I don't even remember what I learned in fourth."
"Well, I was doing some research on the topic so we could put in a bit of summer schooling on the side. I have a few reputable programs I think will help us out." Her eyes twinkled, practically alight with the prospect of having to teach their kids about the world and all the complicated things that came with. "I think this will be good, actually."
"Mmm." He wasn't... quite so enthusiastic. The thought of having to teach English or Math... well, at least it wouldn't be Calculus. He could handle grade school math, actually. Laura was good with words — she could handle English. Everything inbetween they could figure out as they went along. "If you say so."
She laughed, the sound like music to his ears, this close. "I'll go through everything with you once they're in bed, and we can make a plan for Monday. A couple of days free of homework won't hurt them."
"Oh." He discarded any other plans he'd possibly been considering — perhaps slightly influenced by her close proximity — and focused on what she'd been saying. "Sure. That sounds perfect."
She pulled back slightly, eyebrows quirking mischievously—
"Um, I think the bath might be about to spill over," a voice put in hesitantly from the doorway.
Oh crud. He whipped around, disentangling himself and noting on the side that it had been Frank who spoke, practically lunging for the tap and twisting it off. Taking stock, it actually wasn't too bad. A little over-full, maybe, but Frank probably wouldn't be splashing around too much.
He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a breath as he twisted to glance over towards the doorway, other hand still resting on the tub's side. Laura was laughing at him, he could see it in the twinkle dancing in her eyes, and Frank was peering in rather hesitantly from the doorway.
"You have quick reflexes, policeman," she quipped.
His raised his eyes to the ceiling, a twisted smile on his face, and dipped the back of his hand against the water. "Alright, it's perfect. Sorry about that, we got distracted."
"Uhm. Yeah."
Laura raised a hand to her face, shoulders shaking with amusement, and he gave up, joining in with a chuckle and gesturing the boy in. "You have a habit of coming in at all the awkward times, little bloodhound. I promise we won't be weird. Who do you want as washer, Mom or Dad?"
Frank glanced between them, and with Laura's attention turned away, he gestured to himself, mouthing "pick me". The boy smiled, crossing his arms over and pointing to both of them. "Both?"
He exchanged glances with his beautiful and stunningly attractive wife. "Hm, are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Yup."
"Awww, you get both of them?" Joe appeared like a jack-in-the-box, pouting. "Can't I have a bath too?"
"Sorry kiddo, you're both too big to fit into this rinky dinky tub at the same time." He gestured Frank in, scooching himself against the toilet on the side, which the dark-haired boy pointedly did not look at. "Tell you what, though—"
Reaching down to the smaller boy, he lifted him up, setting him on the sink next to the tub. "You can be referee. Hold onto the soap, and if me or your Mom start getting all lovey-dovey, you can call foul."
The little one grinned wide, showing off his still-uneven teeth. "I'll bonk you with a toothbrush!"
"Lovey-dovey?" A hip bumped into him, Laura's smile as sly as a fox. "I don't think it's me who has the problem there, at the moment."
"Foul!" A small hand whacked him on the head, and he winced, fending it off as it tried to repeatedly slap him.
"Alright, alright kiddo. Jeez, what did I do?"
"You looked at her funny."
He huffed a sighing laugh. Well, this would be chaotic.
It was worth it, though.
Author's Note:
Welp, the formatting decided to be estupido, so I apologise if anyone happened to read it while it was broken. I think the format I use on the writing application I own is messing with things, so I'll probably just wipe it, and fingers crossed the weird things that happen every single time I try to upload a chapter stop happening.
Welcome to my rough drafts, I don't have a beta for this and this is literally the dumping ground for my stream of consciousness :) Mostly because, as I have discovered, no one reads anything I put on Fanfic, so I have free run of the place yolo