Chapter Text
There will never be a place like Playground, for better or for worse. And there will never be another demon like Rocket, but that's for the better.
Crowded alleys and empty streets, but neon signs that lit up anything those dingy street lights couldn't. That is Playground. It's violence. It's bad territory, its keep your head down if you can't defend yourself. Rocket sat on the playset right next to the slide, looking up at the sky with that same bothered expression he always has. It was cold out but he didn't want to go inside yet, at this time everyone in the orphanage would still be getting ready for bed an he'd rather be outside than dealing with the normal before bed chaos, why argue with a bunch of demons when you could just look up at the sky and enjoy space? Not that Rocket knew much about space but hey, you don't gotta be the smartest guy in the world to enjoy a few twinging lights. At least he wasn't as dumb as Skateboard.
He doesn't even know how he ended up being friends with the dumb kid next to him, Skate just lied on the slide, feet pressed against the sides to stop him from going down and played with some game thing he borrowed or most likely stole from someone, Rocket of course never told anyone that he had it though. Maybe that's why they were friends, because they kept secrets for each other. They had met in the detention room, the place where the 'bad' kids went to get their act together in time out. Go figure they were in there often and formed some bond of trust. Rocket as gross as it was, grew clingy to Skateboard and the other really didn't mind but did poke fun at him for it. Most annoying part was everyone else point fun at them for 'dating' as if a boy and a girl couldn't be just friends. Skate wasn't a girl though, that was one of their secrets, Skate wanted to be a boy. Weird at first but Rocket doesn't even think of him as a girl anymore and cringes a bit when someone reminds him of it, he wonders how Skate feels about the constant reminders.
Rocket heard the sound of Skates character dying for the 5th time and the frustrated groan he made.
"Dude this dumb boss is a fuckin' cheat-!"
"Shut it dumbass you're gonna get us caught." Rocket hit Skate upside the head, he couldn't afford to be found out here again.
"Ow- Fine sorry." Skate rubbed his head and glared at Rocket who glared back before returning his gaze back up. Skate never got why Rocket liked the sky so much, it was just some dumb thing of blue and giant rocks wasn't it, he never got why the other was so secluded at all actually, Rocket didn't play around or had any interactions with other kids unless it was a fight which Rocket always seemed so eager to get into. He doesn't get Rockets view of life, afterall they were in Playground, the fun faction with all the cool places and people and Rocket treated it like it was some war camp, what a bummer.
"Hey dude, check this out." Skate dug in his pocket before pulling out some Gearmon cards grinning. "I traded these with that Boombox kid earlier, he's actually way funnier if you talk to him actually and pretty easy to scam I got this Ghostwalker card by giving him two Firebrands can you believe it?"
Rocket looked at the cards, he wasn't one for the games they were used in or the dumb conversation Skate was trying to make. "Can't you see I'm doing something?"
"Like what lookin' up at the sky? Like that's important." Rocket snarled as Skateboard sorted through the cards and held one out. "Here."
Rocket looked down before rolling his eyes and snatching the card away to really look at it. "What is..."
"It's a B. Zuka card, I didn't even know they made those!" Rocket didn't either. "Check it out its got the rainbow shine and everything it's a real deal, and I know how much of a fan you are of that Blackrockian sooo I got it for you. Cool right?"
"Where did you even get this?"
"A magician never tells his secrets!"
"That's not- whatever." Rocket slumped back against the playset, holding the card in his hand as he looked it over. He had to admit it was pretty cool, probably because of who it featured. Rocket had a sort of calling to soldiers for some reason and his favorite was none other than the B. Zuka, not a rare pick by any means but in the gutters of Playground he'd get looked at funny. He got why but still found it stupid, some kids had made up superheroes, he had (or well admired) the great (and real) B. Zuka. A real super hero almost, even if there's no actual way Zuka would save him from any of this, it nice to day dream.
"You're looking at that card like you wanna kiss it."
"EUGH- GROSS." Rocket shoved Skate in the head again almost making him fall down the slide before Skate skittered to sit next to him.
"UGH, you should put all that energy into beating on other people instead of me yanno." He was right, there's been a group of demons really getting on Rockets nerves lately. "Especially since I'm nice to you."
"Whatever, fine." Rocket agreed tucking the card away in his pocket as Skate huddled up next to him. They both looked into the sky Skate absently mildly counting stars while Rocket focused in on the broken and unfinished constellations and scattered stars trying to make his own. It was comfortable silence as crickets took over the ambiance and the lights from the buildings started to flick off counting down the minutes and seconds until they'd have to go back inside. They realized something then.
"Hey Rocket, wanna know something?"
"What."
"I like blue boys." Skate said bluntly, moving his gaze but not his face to look at Rocket who did the same and looked eyes with him. "Cool right?"
"Yeah I guess. I like red ones but they're not that smart."
"That okay, blue boys aren't that easy to handle." Whatever that meant. Rocket sighed, hes too young to get in a relationship let alone be good at it, and Skateboard was never serious and was probably joking about all of this. But even then they held each others hand to not get lost in countless stars and jokes.
In the heart of Playground, at least they'd be there for each other.