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“Skeppy…” Bad started sternly yet concerningly, crossing his arms and looking down at the younger man in front of him, “I thought you had promised me that you wouldn't get into fights anymore.”
The two men were in their highschool’s infirmary for the fifth time that month, Skeppy on a cushioned seat and Bad standing up. Recently, Skeppy had been getting into fights with guys who were not just bigger, but also a lot stronger than himself.
Every time Bad would ask about why this would happen, Skeppy would immediately avoid the question and try to change the subject. It deeply concerned Bad.
Skeppy kept his eyes glued to the floor, so Bad couldn't really catch the expression on his face.
Bad sighed, “You know those jerks aren't worth your time! Let alone the …pain.”
He placed a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder, causing Skeppy to look up at him. He was met with a dull frown, with his eyebrow slightly scrunched down due to the aching in his body.
His cut lip, bloody nose and black eye were very much noticeable. At least he already had paper tissues to clean the blood on his face.
“Why?” Bad asked, soundly upset, “You do know you can tell me anything, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” Skeppy muttered with a short hum, looking away to the side.
A loud, familiar noise caused them to look up. It was the bell, indicating that the last period of the day was over.
The bus would leave soon.
“Hey, do you still want us to treat you?” The nurse at the front desk asked, “You will still have to wait some time, though.”
Skeppy shrugged with a mediocre tone, “It’s okay, I’ll just treat it myself once I get home.”
He didn't want to stay in the school for any longer than he needed to.
With Bad’s help, he rose to his feet.
“Let’s go.”
Bad got a hold of their bags that were previously on the floor and Skeppy pushed the glass door open, gripping it to allow Bad outside behind him.
Silently, they walked in the same direction, following their usual routine.
Bad couldn't help but look over at Skeppy. He seemed… unusually frustrated.
Sure, Skeppy was always upset after these fights but this time, it seemed different. Bad thought as he recalled the previous events that had led them here…
~
Bad was sitting down at his usual desk of the classroom, close to the door, glued to the wall. These were one of the many classes he unfortunately didn't share with Skeppy.
He was just doodling random pictures in the pages of his math notebook when there was an urgent knock on the door.
The teacher turned from the whiteboard to see another student—a freshman, probably—barge into the room panting, sweat all over his face.
He took a deep breath, “There’s a fight going down the hall. Between two football players and a tennis player. Could you help?”
As soon as he heard that, Bad felt his stomach drop. A tennis player? Oh no, please don't be…
The freshman looked up at the teacher who nodded, “Of course. Show me where it is.”
The older man looked at the beefiest guy in the room, “You’re in charge while I’m gone, okay?”
And just like that, they were gone. Bad made a split-second decision to follow after them, completely ignoring the possible consequences of leaving the classroom without permission.
After a few seconds of speed-walking, they made it to the fight. Since most students were in class, there weren't many people surrounding them. However, there was still the usual group formed around them, blocking his view of the fight.
Please Skeppy, not again…
“HEY!” Bad’s math teacher’s voice boomed across the halls as he pushed past kids, “GET OFF OF THE BOY RIGHT NOW!”
Bad ducked under the people and followed behind the teacher’s trail, and once he saw the fight for himself, he knew his suspicions were correct.
He managed to see Skeppy fighting a jock off of him as he was pinning him to the ground. The other jock was filming the whole thing, looking slightly bruised.
Skeppy himself looked worse than the two jocks. From where Bad stood, he could see bruises and blood tainting his face and body. He caught sight of his black eye and bloody nose.
The teacher pushed the recording jock aside and got a hold of the attacking jock, pulling him off of Skeppy.
Bad wanted to go over to Skeppy to check if he was okay, but before he could do that, Skeppy had gotten up from the ground and attacked back at the jock, punching the guy’s stomach.
“HEY! STOP THAT!” The teacher yelled as he pulled the jock further back.
Bad knew this was his cue to intervene. He quickly made his way behind Skeppy and grabbed him from the waist, forcing him back and away from the commotion.
He looked really angry. Rage was fueling his eyes and actions as he fought against Bad’s grip.
“GH- LET GO OF ME!” Skeppy yelled, furious as he squirmed under the grasp of the person behind him, unaware of who they were.
“Skeppy- Calm down! Calm down. It’s me, Bad. You- You’re okay…” Bad tried reassuring, using a gentle voice. Suddenly, Skeppy’s head turned to look at him in surprise. “B- Bad?!”
Once he realized it was his best friend who was holding him, he couldn't help but turn around and wrap his arms around his source of comfort, squeezing him tightly and letting out a deep sigh.
“It’s okay, Geppy, I gotchu,” Bad mumbled reassuringly, letting one of his hands pet his best friend’s raven locks.
“GO AHEAD AND FUCK OFF WITH YOUR LITTLE ‘GIRLFRIEND,’ YOU PUSSY!” They heard one of the jocks scream as they were leaving.
Bad sighed, muttering mostly to himself, “Let’s get you to the nurse’s office.”
Once they made it to the infirmary, Bad helped Skeppy sit down in one of the provided couches, then promptly said, “I’ll get our bags while you call the nurse, okay?”
Skeppy nodded, so he left…
~
Bad was knocked out of his thoughts as he realized they were already in line to board their designated bus. He looked over at Skeppy to find him looking at the ground.
None of them said a word.
They slowly moved until it was their turn to board the bus. Bad made sure to be gentle as he helped Skeppy up the steep steps.
Once they were both inside, Skeppy walked over to an empty row and took a seat next to the window. Bad knew to follow suit.
After letting all the other students inside, the bus took off to the further neighborhoods of the city.
Bad glanced at Skeppy, seeing him looking out the window, silently enjoying the shifting view between buildings.
With a soft, sympathetic smile, he grabbed his pair of AirPods and pulled them out of their case, connecting them to his phone.
He pushed one inside his ear and lightly nudged Skeppy. The boy turned around to find Bad offering him an AirPod with a caring smile.
Skeppy couldn't help but smile back, accepting the earbud and placing it on his ear. Bad opened up Spotify and began playing music for both of them. He looked at Skeppy’s more relaxed expression as he continued staring outside. Bad took that as a positive interaction.
Maybe Skeppy had calmed down even more.
The ride on the bus continued as smooth as it could get, yet soon enough, Skeppy’s stop was next. However, the older man knew he wouldn't let his best friend go home without getting treated.
As Skeppy gave him back his AirPod and grabbed his bag, Bad stopped him.
“Wait- Skeppy…” Bad started as Skeppy looked up at him with a questioning look. “I’m not letting you go home looking like that. Can I please treat you in my house?”
Skeppy’s eyes widened a little as he felt a faint blush creep up his neck. He scratched the back of his head, looking off to the side. “Dude, you don't have to. I’ve already caused you enough trouble.”
“What?” Bad questioned, a bit surprised, “Skeppy- Don't say that. You’re never a bother to me. Just let me help you.”
Skeppy gave him a look, but with Bad’s pleading eyes, he couldn't help but roll his eyes with a smile and mutter, “Okay, okay- fine. You win.”
Bad grinned and forced Skeppy to sit down again. The injured man pulled up his phone and shot a message to his family, letting them know he’d come home a little later than usual.
He saw other messages from his friends who had heard about the fight, but he wasn't really in the mood to answer all of them at once. He just quickly told them that he was okay and that he needed some time to himself.
The bus continued moving and after a few more stops, it was their turn to get off.
Bad took hold of their backpacks and got out of his seat, Skeppy following behind him. They made it out of the vehicle and its doors closed behind them, the bus driving off.
Skeppy looked back at Bad, who told him, “C’mon, let’s go.”
The two teenagers began walking towards Bad’s house since the stop was luckily close to his home.
As they walked, Skeppy couldn't help but stare at his surroundings, taking in little details from Bad’s neighborhood.
It helped keep his mind from wandering too far.
After a few minutes of walking, both guys spotted the house they were looking for, and they walked up the steps to the front door.
Skeppy rocked on his feet as Bad pulled out his house key and pushed it inside the lock cylinder, turning and pushing at the handle lightly.
The door opened with a soft creak and Bad walked inside, Skeppy following behind him.
“Go sit down on the sofa,” Bad kindly ordered and he closed and locked the door behind them.
Skeppy nodded with a hum, dragging his fatigued body into the living room and falling on its cushions with a soft thud.
Bad rolled his eyes with a smile as he placed their bags on the floor. Now that he was free, he went to the guest bathroom and opened the cabinet door under the sink, finding the first-aid kit.
The boy was lucky he was quite familiar with performing first-aid, since he had taken classes a few years back.
He grabbed it and closed the cabinet, walking out of the bathroom swiftly. He moved towards Skeppy and plopped down on the space beside him, placing the kit in the coffee table in front of them.
Skeppy groaned, slowly lifting himself up to properly sit next to Bad.
“Okay, let’s see…” Bad mumbled to himself as he opened the white box, busying himself with its contents.
As he was doing that, Skeppy noticed a faint jingle sound becoming louder coming from the stairs. He tilted his head to see a small fluffy dog eagerly running down the stairs and towards them.
He couldn't help but grin, patting the spot next to him and greeting, “Hey, Rat.”
The white maltese jumped on the couch and furiously sniffed the common visitor, her tail wagging in recognition of the boy. Skeppy giggled as he ran his fingers through the dog’s fur, giving her small pets.
“Aww, hi Lucy-Lou,” Bad finally said, looking over at his two favorite creatures in the world. He gave Rat some ear scratches before going back to the task at hand. The dog was happy taking a nap next to them.
“Okay, so, let’s see what we have here…” Bad mumbled to himself as he looked at Skeppy. He subconsciously inched closer as he took in his best friend’s injuries.
Skeppy, on the other hand, couldn't help the blush appearing on his cheeks the longer Bad studied his face. However, he refused to move back.
As Bad stared, he got a better look at Skeppy’s cut lip and black eye. He also had other bruises and a cut on the side of his jaw. His nose looked swollen.
“Could you show me your hands?” Bad asked politely as he began pulling out items from the first-aid kit. Skeppy nodded, extending out the front of his hands. Bad noticed the bruising and dried blood on his knuckles. He figured Skeppy’s knuckles had bled during the fight.
“Okay, we can start with disinfecting your injuries,” Bad started, spreading some hand sanitizer on his hands before looking up at Skeppy, “May I touch you?”
Skeppy couldn't help but smirk, “Bad, you could literally kiss me without having to ask for permission. Yes, you can touch me.”
Bad felt his face go red as he processed what his best friend had said. “Oh my goodness- Skeppy! Don't say that!” He exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, covering up his face in embarrassment.
Skeppy chuckled at his best friend’s reaction, adding with a silky tone, “Whaaat? You know it’s true.”
Bad rolled his eyes, ignoring the stupid flutter in his chest, “Whatever, muffin. I’ve told you before that it's first-aid protocol to ask for consent.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
With that out of the way, Bad first grabbed a small packet with a one-use disinfectant wipe inside. He tore it open and grabbed it, pulling it to unfold it. He looked up at Skeppy and gently began cleaning the wounds on his face.
“Ow!” Skeppy yelped and moved back as the wipe grazed his nose. Bad grimaced and apologetically exclaimed, “Sorry!”
The boy made sure to mostly avoid Skeppy’s swollen nose. He cleaned the bruises, cuts, and the remains of dried blood. “Could you lend me your hands?”
Skeppy nodded, so Bad got ahold of them and rubbed the wipe across the bruised, bloody knuckles.
The injured boy couldn't help but yelp at the stinging pain, squeezing his eyes shut for any relief. Bad squeezed his Skeppy’s hand for comfort as he continued.
“Damn, that hurt, dude,” Skeppy mumbled as Bad pulled the bloody wipe away and placed it aside.
“Yeah- Sorry about that. If it makes you feel better, the worst part of it is over,” Bad tried reassuring. Now that he was done with that, he focused on the boy’s bruises.
He pulled out a small Neosporin container and placed a small amount of the substance on the tip of his finger. Bad tenderly spread it around Skeppy’s bruises on his face and hands in a gentle circular motion.
Skeppy’s face was NOT red from Bad’s tenderness.
Bad tried not to think about the amount of bruises Skeppy had.
After that, Bad pulled out a small box of colorful band-aids and decided on a bright blue band-aid for his favorite person.
Looking up at Skeppy, he placed the cottoned spot on top of the cut on his jaw and grabbed at the release liner. He pulled it back and the band-aid landed onto his tan skin with ease.
Bad couldn't help but smile as he pulled away, “There we go.”
Now for Skeppy’s knuckles, he grabbed some elastic bandages, two gauze swabs and some adhesive tape.
He slowly placed the gauze over the knuckles of Skeppy’s left hand and began wrapping the bandages around the area, making sure it was tight.
As he was rolling it, he couldn't help but look up at Skeppy, who was already looking at him.
“So…” Bad started, “Care to tell me why you got into a fight this time?”
As soon as he heard that, Skeppy’s eyes widened and he looked down with an unsure expression. “Uhm…”
Bad gave him a concerned look, “And with two guys, Skeppy. What has gotten into you? My Skeppy never used to be so violent… What has changed?”
Skeppy started to look more upset as Bad tried catching his gaze. He sighed, “Look, I don't want to force you to tell me anything. I’m just… worried, because these many physical injuries during a short period of time cannot be good for your health. But, if you’re willing to… please tell me. I won’t judge you.”
Skeppy looked up at Bad, seeing genuine concern on his face. He couldn't help but look away and mumble, “Okay okay, fine…I’ll- I’ll tell you.”
~
Skeppy was walking down the school's hallway towards the men’s bathroom. He didn't really need to go to the bathroom, but he was happy with missing a few minutes of class by taking his time.
As he was passing by, he heard whispering and then some snickering behind him, causing him to turn around. He saw two guys from the football team looking at him and laughing.
Oh, great. Here we go again.
“Heey, Skeppy-boy! Where are you going??” One of them started, moving closer to him.
“Uh, to the bathroom?” He mumbled in reply, turning around to head in the direction away from them. That’s when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn around.
“Oh, come on! Don't leave so quickly. Let’s talk like men, ‘kay?” The other said, wrapping his arm around him. It made Skeppy deeply uncomfortable.
“Hey, so you and Bad, huh? I see you guys are pretty cloose~” The first jock started, causing Skeppy’s eyes to widen.
“Yeah, and what about it? You got a problem?” Skeppy snapped back defensively, grabbing the second jock’s arm and pulling it away from him.
“Woah woah- Chill, dude. No need to get so defensive. We just wanna know, like, is he your girlfriend or something?” The jock’s voice cracked and the two of them began laughing.
Skeppy felt his face redden as he got more mad, “HEY! Don't talk about Bad like that. No, he’s not my ‘girlfriend,’ he’s my best friend.”
The second jock snickered, “Is that what he tells you? Honestly, I’m surprised you guys aren't dating yet since he seems like such a f*g-”
Skeppy pushed the guy against the locker and spat aggressively, “Don’t say that again about Bad unless you WANT me to hurt you.”
The second jock then forcefully pushed Skeppy back and the first jock grabbed him tightly. Skeppy felt his heart rate quicken as he knew what was coming for him.
“You? Hurt me? Try me, you little bitch,” the second jock grinned as he then said, “Bad is a little f*ggot.”
Skeppy, overtaken by rage, freed himself from the first jock’s grip and attacked him, breaking out a fight.
~
“They were just… disrespecting you so badly and- I- I wasn't going to let it slide, so… yeah…” Skeppy finished, letting out a deep sigh.
Bad looked at Skeppy with a worrried frown as he processed what Skeppy had told him. After a moment, he spoke up.
“Geppy, look. Don't get me wrong, I’m very flattered that you would go out of your way to look out for me even when I’m not around but, I really don't think it should cost you your physical health…”
“Yeah, I know. I know they were like, saying those things to get on my nerves or whatever but- God, they were just so-”
“Wait- Sgeppy, calm down. Don’t get yourself riled up for nothing. We’ll just… talk to the principal tomorrow, okay?”
Skeppy rolled his eyes as Bad finished working on his other hand, “Okay, fine.”
Bad felt a smile coming on at the reply. He finished bandaging up Skeppy’s right hand and with adhesive tape, he secured the dressing.
“There.”
Skeppy looked up at Bad and mumbled, “Is there something you could do about these?” He pointed to his black eye and swollen nose, “My nose feels weird.”
Bad gasped, “Oh yeah! I’m sure I can get you some ice for those.” And just like that, Bad had gotten up from his spot on the couch and moved towards the kitchen, pulling up a ziploc bag and placing bits of ice from the freezer inside it.
He went back over to Skeppy and gently placed the bag on the bottom of his black eye. “That should help for now.”
Skeppy gave Bad a soft grin, “Thanks Bad, you’re the best.”
Bad rolled his eyes with a smile, “No- You’re the best, for making sure no one says bad things about me behind my back.”
“Okay, I was just doing what a good friend would do,” Skeppy replied back, grabbing the bag with ice to give Bad a break.
“Um, by the way, what about my nose? It still feels weird,” Skeppy called out curiously.
“Well, I was planning on using the same ice bag after using it on your eye since it’s probably fractured but…” That’s when Bad got an idea.
He smirked, “But, I can always kiss it to make it feel better.”
Skeppy felt the tip of his ears getting hot, “W- WHAT? Bad! Oh my God- You’re so stupid…”
“C’mon! You deserve it after being my hero~!” Bad teased with a giggle, causing both of their faces to redden.
Skeppy dramatically rolled his eyes with a smile, pulling the ice bag away and tossing it aside, “Oh my God- fine… Just for you, Bad.”
“Wait- really?!” Bad exclaimed, failing to hide his excitement.
“Pfft, yeah- whatever.”
Eagerly, Bad grabbed Skeppy’s face and pulled it closer to his own, being careful with his wounds.
Skeppy instantly closed his eyes as he felt Bad’s lips make contact with his nose in a small peck. He tried remembering the feeling of Bad’s breath against his face and the warm touch of his lips.
Sooner than Skeppy would've liked, Bad had pulled away, leaving nothing but a ghost of his warm presence on Skeppy’s skin.
Bad giggled like a lovesick teenager as he pulled away, “There.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Skeppy mumbled in a reply, unable to hide his growing grin.
God, that was so gay.
Bad smiled with his eyes closed, until he looked down and saw Skeppy’s clothes tainted with blood. He gasped and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, Skeppy- How much blood did you draw?!”
Skeppy followed Bad’s gaze to his bloodied blue hoodie. He just muttered, “Oh yeah.”
Bad sighed with a roll of his eyes. He gave his best friend a small smile, “C’mon, I’ll let you borrow some clothes.”
The two boys made their way upstairs up to Bad’s room, the small maltese dog following behind them. Skeppy sat down on Bad’s bed as the older rummaged through his closet drawers, silently searching for his favorite hoodie.
“Here,” Bad stated, carelessly tossing the black hoodie towards his best friend, “Did your shorts get stained?”
“Nope,” Skeppy replied as he caught Bad’s hoodie. He instantly recognized it, with its red highlights and streaks. Bad’s favorite hoodie…
He took off his blue hoodie and pulled on the black and red hoodie, his nostrils getting hit with the smell of Bad’s natural scent. Skeppy instantly closed his eyes, feeling himself growing giddy and sleepy at having the hoodie over him.
“Okay, guess for now, I’ll put your hoodie in the washer?” Bad asked as he closed the doors to his closet. He turned around to find Skeppy, knees to his chest, covering his face with the sleeves of his hoodie.
“Mm, sure…” Skeppy replied quietly, peeking out his eyes to look at Bad. That’s when he noticed that his best friend’s face was red.
Bad felt his stomach flip as he looked at Skeppy. Hole fudge- Why does he look so cute like that?!
“Uhm- Okay… Guess I’ll go do that,” Bad squeaked, and Skeppy nodded, with a soft voice, “I’ll wait for you here…”
As Bad went to the laundry room to get Skeppy’s hoodie in the wash, he couldn't stop thinking about how his best friend had looked. Curled up, in Bad’s hoodie, face red. Gosh- he looked stunning.
He’s so muffined.
Once he finished with that, he went up the stairs and into his room to find Skeppy fully laying down on his bed, clutching his covers, face buried in his hoodie, and Rat napping beside him.
He stared. Blinked, and continued staring.
Skeppy yawned and cracked his eyes open. Once he noticed him, the boy smiled and patted the spot beside him.
Bad moved, wordlessly doing what Skeppy asked and sat down beside him. Before he could do anything else, Skeppy wrapped his arms around his waist and laid his head down on his stomach like a pillow.
“Um- Okay?” Bad giggled curiously, letting his hands run through Skeppy’s strands of hair.
“Thank you for taking care of me…” Skeppy sighed in delight, hugging his best friend tighter and promptly falling asleep.