Work Text:
“Inhale.”
Simon looked at Grey strangely as he stood in front of him. It seemed like a pretty self-explanatory thing to do; smoking cigarettes wasn’t all that complicated. He’d seen it plenty of times as well. In fact, in this moment, Grey was acting a lot like some kind of supervisor. Imitating a sibling or parent. Simon might have been laughing about it if he wasn’t busy puffing. Gulping rather, at this rate.
“You gotta hold it, Simon.”
A simple order to give, but not one easy to follow, the kid thought to himself. Suddenly his eyes were watering. Simon dread he might spontaneously cough all over Grey’s face but luckily that nasty accident never came to pass, though his lungs did tremble a fair bit. The space of his insides burned. Then, the fog settled.
“Cool. Just breathe out now. That’s all it takes.”
Grey immediately stuck his hand back out to take the cigarette away from him. He was patient while waiting for Simon to figure that all out. It wasn’t too long ago Grey remembered taking his first huffs, but he never had anything too strong so this hit should be fine to share. Maybe it would convince Simon to either give up on the senseless habit or sate his curiosity enough to be content against ever ‘trying’ it twice.
A cloud mixed of oxygen and ash formed from the back of Simon’s throat. It came out of his nostrils, making him look as though he were brimming with the mist of Kirkville’s haunted forests. He wafted the remains away then extended the cig to its owner. In all honesty, he didn’t really want any more of it.
“Shit. That’s so weird.”
“Yeah. It’s like that.”
“You …actually enjoy those things?”
“Not especially?” Grey was a little obscure about answering that question. Clearly he didn’t have a cut and dry response for it. “There are varieties and that makes it more durable when you’re trying to cut some of the stress down. But this is your standard kind of-”
“Yeah yeah. You explained that already.” Simon continued gagging from the smolder in his chest. His gloved hand moved about sluggishly cutting through the air.
Grey wasn’t excited about setting a nasty example for Simon of all people. Still, he grinned wide. His hands fell deep into the withered pockets of his jeans until they were buried. “I told you so-”
“Give it a rest already,” Simon half-laughed, and took a harmless swing at Grey’s head.
The bill of the hat suffered nothing more than a whirl of angry wind. From beneath the shade of that irreplaceable cap of his, Grey caught a brief sight of Simon’s arm. The kid always wore that music festival hoodie and hardly took it off unless it was necessary to do so. The length of the ribbed cuffs appeared somewhat shabby – an indicator that his sleeves had seen hints of sweat from the palms tucked in hiding just beneath them. The other thing Grey noticed was the bloodstains blotched on the inside of the lining. Each stitch along the interior fabric had been dyed in dark reds. Grey could only configure it had everything to do with those gashes stripping Simon’s pale wrists.
Discerning those markings had Grey frowning for a moment. Right now, there was no reason to blurt that out into the open. They didn’t come into this public bathroom to talk about self-harm or slashing. Though it must have been a problem for Simon longer than just a few days. Maybe even more than a few months as well. With the bruising and the depths of those open wounds…
Grey’s jaw tightened as he forced a swallow. “Alright then. Is that good enough for you?” He made an effort to meet Simon’s tawny irises before smothering out the cigarette’s lit end with the bottom of his shoe. When Grey stretched outright again, the two shared a mutual readiness.
“Yeah. Let’s leave. I’d prefer the fresh air.”
“Hah. Yeah, I bet you do. C’mon. It’s almost late.”
Side by side, the two stepped towards the restroom’s entrance doors. There hadn’t been anyone present in the toilet stalls to bother them. The same could not be said as much for the outside hall however, and reaching the junction of corridors put Grey and his friend right in the path of a pair of looming strangers. At first, it was no big deal. Only Simon jolted with nervousness to pass anyone of unfamiliarity. The loiterers were engaged in a rather tumultuous chat with one another anyhow.
Grey whispered at Simon as the kid tugged his hood further down to cover his forehead. “I know you were worried about your Mom finding out you were here, but things are okay. You’re alright. Just relax a bit.”
Grey was right. It helped that Grey was the one particularly staying to keep him company. Being alone in a place like this probably would have been calamitous for him. Simon stiffened his shoulders and shrank into himself regardless. He couldn’t help it. He was so scared of society. He’d rather hide behind the one who brought him here for a late-night meal and pretend he didn’t exist. Chance meetings like these made Simon question why he bothered following the engineer, even if for the benefit of being away from the prison of his bedroom walls. He traded guaranteed solitude for a psychological teardown just waiting to happen.
Simon came here, got free food, and a bummed off Grey’s smokes. Was it worth it for the consequence of being around others?
Simon was thinking of his path home to distract the tension surging in his veins with every footstep. Causing a scene would only draw more attention to himself. That was the last thing he desired. Simon sank his gaze to the floor. Nose down, limbs all drawn inward. Grey went on naturally whilst acting as a practical shield to lead them towards the nearest exit.
The young men scuffled their way past the corner stereo blurting its poor-quality songs through the speakers. Each break of static rocked Simon’s temperament a little here, a little there. There was only one way out of here. They’d be fine after they left.
They didn’t get there like they planned.
“Oh?” One voice rose upon noticing them drawing nearer.
“Daniel, I’m over here.” The secondary character called out. It was a woman, begging to be noticed by the one named ‘Daniel’. Her voice moaned in a nature that might be mistaken for playful, but there was a hint of spite somewhere within. “Don’t ignore me…” she warned.
“Hang on.” From the corner of the juncture, a man leant off the face of the cracked wall. The fellow clad in blacks from his feet to his throat lifted a hand to stop his tempting counterpart who clamored for his undivided attention. They ignored that needy girl anyway, and stepped halfway in Grey’s path instead.
Immediately, Simon threw himself further into Grey’s shadow. How he wished neither of these people would come their way at all. Ahead of him, Grey simply halted. At least he could stay composed.
“Can I help you?” Grey’s tone shattered the informal atmosphere. He might as well have fired a bullet from his teeth. ‘Daniel’ didn’t like that.
“Been a long ass time since I’ve seen you around, motherfucker. That’s all you’ve got to say to me?”
“Yeah. It has been a long time. Doesn’t mean you have to be a dick about it. Just passing through tonight.”
Through a flickering florescence, Simon caught the daunting image of someone much taller than the both of them approaching slow and ominous. He towered Grey and glared beneath the rim of his hat to come eye to eye with him. The anonymity and scrawny build of his frame beneath bulky layers accomplished a perfect display of intimidation. He was here to harass them.
Grey refused to flinch. On the contrary, he didn’t bat an eye.
“Who’s that you got there with you?” Daniel asked.
That twitching body language singularly inflicted Simon with nausea. He did his best not to stare at Daniel and instead hide his cowering out of the line of sight. He would much rather pass on becoming a target tonight. The older of the two came far more equipped to deal with these kinds of situations since Grey was familiar with this district of the city. Grey promised Simon things would be alright when bringing him here. He meant it to be a friendly gesture – offering to spend this time together on the thin hopes of opening that teenager up a bit more to having fun in good company. It had been going great till exactly now.
Why did it have to be Daniel?
“An associate,” Grey lied to the lofty male. “Gotta get him home before tomorrow’s shift. I’m needed early at the garage.”
“Get a load of this! You sound irritated by me. That’s a real shame, Grey Anderson. I thought we were pals.” Daniel completely discarded the woman who vowed to return for what was owed her by his debts, and this encounter quickly became a bad one.
Grey was in favor of ending this drama swiftly. He felt the guilt weighing on him for trapping Simon in the crossroads of an unfortunate reunion, and he wasn’t blind either to the sort of ordeal Daniel was getting himself into just now either. He grit his teeth.
“Don’t you glare at me like that, you sly bastard.” Daniel’s thick brows and dark eyes glowered upon that old ‘pal’ of his before aiming beyond his outline. “I asked you a question. Who is that? You playing around with me right now?”
There were times when one could excuse certain behaviors. This was not one of those times. There wasn’t a lot of sympathy to be had for anyone who obviously wanted trouble. Acting mighty, wreaking of booze and other filth, treating humans like prey. Simon had seen it and hated it all before already. Familiar it was: those who would rather be monstrous than anything else.
“…I need to get home,” Simon’s voice piped out. He hadn’t planned on speaking, but from somewhere not so deep inside, a swell of anger was manifesting. It was dark… and unforgiving.
“Oh. It speaks,” Daniel chided. “Check it out, he’s hiding his little face just like you, Grey. You’re twins.”
Before anyone had the chance to react, the thug snagged Simon’s forearm with a firm grip. It was painful enough being handled by anyone when it wasn’t welcome, but for specific reasons, it rubbed Simon in all the wrong ways. He felt his fury boiling and bubbling up until he was fit to burst.
“Damn. You’re real tiny aren’t you… How’d you two meet? Why not let me in on some of this?”
“Simon, wait-” Grey started. Shit, he knew something was coming.
But the switchblade from Simon’s pocket was drawn regardless in a lightning-fast motion. The three heard the click as a glint of silver reflected from the dim flickering hall bulbs, clenched tightly within Simon’s unoccupied palm. There was silence following the blade’s deployment. Every inch of the tiny room abruptly grew heated. It was hot as a fire in there, embers of temper daring to spread flame.
Daniel scoffed at him. “What’s that about, huh? You gonna cut me?”
“What do you think you’re doing? Take your hand off, you idiot!”
“He’s got a goddamn knife. What kind of ‘associate’ is this?”
“You’re not high enough to miss that, are you?” Grey retaliated with risen volume in his vocals. The distortion of his character, usually so soft and kind, was diminishing.
Whoever Daniel was, he wasn’t worth the trouble of being around. Simon couldn’t care less about the rest. Neither did Simon neglect to take into account his accusation. “High…” Looking closer, the evidence was visible. It had been since the beginning. The sickly reds rimming in Daniel’s eyes. The shades sinking in his cheekbones and the occasional jitter of his pupils as well as a wry twitch of the lips.
“Daniel, I’m not kidding. Let go. Simon, knock it off.”
“Just let us through already—we don’t want anything to do with you!” Simon evaded Grey’s warning and directed his frustrations at Daniel. He was revolted by individuals like this doing whatever the hell they wanted. It was disgusting. If Simon had the chance to shed his restraints and put someone in their place for a change he would gladly-
“I said knock it off,” Grey intervened. He placed a flattened palm over Simon’s switchblade. The hostility had to stop somewhere s he’d have to act as the middle ground. Advancing his interception, Grey attempted to swat Daniel’s hand back but that wasn’t enough to end it. Daniel was going for gold. The slimy druggy yanked Simon inward with an even tighter clasp, closing the distance between himself and the boy in the hood to search for the best angle where he could observe their frail features.
“Next one on the hitlist eh, Grey?” Daniel sneered. His victim squirmed uncomfortably. “Simon. Was that it? S-i-m-o-n?”
What a vulgar sound; his name in that atrocious man’s mouth.
“He’s sixteen. You really wanna add misconduct with a minor on your record?”
The dark-haired addict snapped his stare toward the other. “You’d be stupid if you thought about getting anyone involved-”
“Try finishing that sentence when you’re sober, Daniel. I’m through putting up with your shit when you’re like this. You had your chances. You gotta let it go eventually.”
“Hey man, I-”
Daniel scoffed at Simon’s short, tender protest. Oh there was fire in the kid alright, but it took the smallest spill of ice-cold water to dampen his rage. The belittling chill Daniel doused him with persisted to impair Simon’s judgement. The depths of his vocals, the very way he moved far heavier and more uneven than he seemed while tugging on his sleeve, made Simon’s flesh break out in shivers. Goosebumps pasted across him.
“Only sixteen? You make that sound like a bad thing.”
“Seriously. You are unbelievably screwed right now. Asking you to get a grip is pointless. You must not hear yourself.”
“Jealous?” Daniel prodded. “What if I take him home with me? Who gets the strike then? Why don’t you cover for me this time since it’s been so long… You owe me as much.”
“You’re so fucking sick. I told you already. Let him go.”
Upon suffering enough assail on his eardrums, Simon jerked his wrist away. The pain of being groped where injuries laid fresh, grinded on by cloth, helped none. It was freakish enough for someone to think those things… To say them out loud? Simon was appalled.
“Get away from me,” he growled, and he meant it.
“Psh. You two are no fun, no fun. When you wanna get a real kick and quit tiptoeing after that pansy? You come back here, kid.” As if nothing went wrong in the first place, Daniel gave a lazy wink.
Grey kept his eyes on the pair to be certain they would not cross again. He traded places with his friend of the night, nudging him forward. Though the frustrations appeared to die down after that, it didn’t keep Daniel from trailing his puffy eyes along the strap to Simon’s satchel. It made Simon feel like an insect underneath a needle and glass which wobbled clumsily to pin him down to create a horrible, sadistic mess.
“Why don’t you do something useful with yourself for a change? Is this it? I thought you were going to be better by now.”
“Oh blow me, Grey. Try a new tune. You give me a headache when you’re like that. I’m sad you didn’t even bring me one gift.” The intoxicated Daniel swashed his head and the wavering posture of his legs followed suit.
Grey bumped shoulders aggressively with the man as he went by. This entire confrontation pissed him off, but there was no point in starting a real fight. If he were on his own, it might have been a different story. Tonight was disorderly enough. Simon needed to get back home to his mother. If not soon, she might be the one putting more police history onto Grey’s tab, but he knew it was Daniel who really deserved to get cuffed and thrown in a cell for such garbage talk. Luck wouldn’t have that. Daniel would have to be someone else’s problem… or remain his own self-destructive burden.
Grey wouldn’t stand seeing Simon get swept up in that world. He’d have to make for certain after this that Daniel was around either of them as little as physically possible. Which meant favors. It meant talks with distant friends. Translating into hassle.
“For fuck’s sake…” Grey hissed then tugged on Simon’s shoulder. “Come on, Simon. Let’s get outta here.”
“Yeah, go on and leave already. Noisy asshole…”
Daniel’s last insult went def on Grey’s ears, but Simon turned to glance at the doped stranger for the final time. It frightened him to think people who were messed up just lingered around areas like these. If Grey weren’t here – whether Daniel recognized anything about Simon as an individual or not – things could have turned out much uglier. Simon felt smaller under his hood but it didn’t make him feel safe.
“Grey… how do you know a prick like that? And… what was he talking about? Strikes?”
Shamefully, Simon’s older friend glimpsed downward. His eyes dropped to land on the tips of Simon’s shoes before daring to peek at his face. “I’m really sorry about this. I couldn’t have dreamed he’d be here.” Grey sighed. It was a solemn, melancholic lament. Genuine for someone who tried so compassionately to bring Simon some peace, opposed to chaos. “I haven’t seen Daniel in a long time. He used to be a pretty cool dude… and I enjoyed hanging around him. But he got hopped up on the wrong pills and since then, he’s ruined everything he had going for him. He’s just sad and depressing all the time now, getting into trouble with cops and other dirty persons. It’s pitiful. I guess he’s not the same guy I used to know… Don’t look at him.”
Grey’s command coaxed Simon to redirect his own face forward again. It was difficult not to stare after that, considering Simon almost stabbed that bastard into swiss cheese.
The two left the bar with more tension than when they arrived together. Nonetheless, as assured, Simon returned to his house before the curfew and all was well with no substance-brutes coming from the corners of alleyways to patronize or haggle him.
Simon didn’t stop thinking about the scene between them. He replayed it in his head. Wondering. How could anyone fall so far?
Hearing part of Daniel’s story from Grey’s mouth barely changed a thing about Simon’s outlook. It didn’t excuse his shit behavior. But, then again, some of it sounded relatable.
…Only some.