Chapter Text
Spinner shielded his eyes from the sun, wishing he'd brought a cap.
‘Hey, mister, if you keep walking backwards, you’re gonna end up in the rattlesnake nest.’ A voice sounded from in front of him. He jumped and looked around for the source. ‘Over here mister.’
A boy was sitting on the bonnet of a rusty red pickup truck, cross-legged and staring at Spinner. His face was partially blocked by a green cap, but it was clear he was grinning.
‘Oh, uh, hey there.’ He shuffled over. ‘Rattlesnake, did you say?’
‘Yeah. We call her Cheryl. I’ve been trying out names for her babies but none have really stuck.’ The boy jumped off the truck and opened the bonnet.
‘What, uh, what are you doing there, kiddo?’ Spinner finally asked as the boy practically dove into the engine.
‘Bloody gasket blew. I gotta fix it before my brother kills me. He lent me it about two months ago and he’ll blow his gasket if I’ve broken it this early on.’
‘Oh, yeah, I see.’ Spinner scratched the back of his head. ‘I’m, uh, Shuichi Iguchi. But call me Spinner.’
‘Sure. Shoto Todoroki.’ Shoto held out an oil covered hand, then wiped it on his jeans and offered it once again. Spinner shook it gingerly. ‘Nice to meet you. You new around here?’
‘Yeah, I just moved here for a, uh, work…thing.’ He fumbled for an explanation.
‘Hope it’s good. By the way, I’m sure they told you this in the brochure, but we have a cult here.’
Dread shot through Spinner.
‘Oh, a cult?’
‘Yeah. They’re…well, they ain’t harmless; they torched Old Man Toshinori’s barn last week, but they ain’t never killed no one. Personally, I think it’s stupid. But whatever floats your boat, I guess.’ Shoto said with the air of someone who was used to people hanging off his every word.
‘Oh, uh, yeah, sounds really….lame.’ Spinner mumbled. Shit, the kid better not find out I’m part of it.
Shoto extracted himself from the engine, seemingly pleased with himself.
‘There. Fixed. Touya ain’t gonna be mad now.’ He slammed the bonnet down with no ceremony, startling Spinner.
‘Do you…drive this?’
‘Hell yeah!’ Shoto beamed, clearly excited. ‘My brother taught me!’
‘Oh. I see.’ Spinner nodded. ‘Um, I don’t suppose you can point me towards the wood-cabins, can you?’
‘Could give you a lift.’ Shoto suggested. ‘But it’s not that far, so just down that lane and take a right at the sign.’
‘Right. Thanks.’ Spinner started walking off. ‘Uh, thanks again!’
‘No problem!’ Shoto yelled, waving.
Spinner trudged along the dusty road, cursing every minute. It had gotten dark. ‘ Not that far.’ Shoto had said. Not that far, his ass. He'd been walking for hours. He was gonna be late and it was probably his own fault for not getting the bus into town and finding someone more helpful than a truck-driving youngest child.
Speaking of trucks, he was about to get hit by one.
Shit!
He scrambled off the road, panting hard at his brush with death. Well, more like a casual dance. It didn’t even come close.
In fact, it stopped right beside him. The window rolled down.
Of course it was that kid.
He hadn’t been kidding about driving that truck, huh?
‘Hey, mister!’ He called with as much enthusiasm as he had the first time. ‘Lost?’
‘Well, yeah! You said - and I quote: ‘It’s not that far’ - and I’ve been walking for hours! ’
‘Well, yeah! Not that far for cars!’ Spinner digested that, resisting the urge to shout ‘THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO KNOW!’
Shoto squinted at him.
‘Where’re you going?’
‘Wood-cabins!’ Spinner snapped, exasperated. ‘Like I told you the first time!’
‘Well, get in then! I’m headed there too!’ Shoto grinned and kicked the passenger door open. ‘My friends called me, their truck broke down; I gotta go get them. And I’m also on a time crunch, my brother’s boyfriend is timing me.’
Spinner stared at him.
‘Ok.’
Being in the truck was a strange experience. The radio was up at a fairly loud volume, Shoto was constantly talking about anything and everything that came into his head, and the windscreen wipers were on for some reason.
‘You know, my brother taught me to drive on our lands. We had a massive driveway and he’s a good ten years older than me, so when I was five, he was learning to drive, and he’s a good learner and an even better teacher, so he used to sit me on his lap and I’d steer and he’d tell me what everything does. And I'm a good listener too, so I could drive his car by ten myself!’ Shoto explained as the truck bounced up and down. ‘And then he went and got a saviour complex for this blond, so he moved us out of our old house, probably helped by that our dad went to prison for assault and domestic abuse, and I’ve been living with him since I was eight.’
‘Well, you’ve had quite the life, haven’t you?’ Spinner muttered.
‘Well, yeah.’ Shoto’s fingers flexed on the steering wheel, his gaze becoming distant. Which worried Spinner, since he was the driver. ‘My dad, he….’ Shoto took a deep, shuddering breath. ‘My mom didn’t want to be with him. And he…she spiralled after I was born. She got depressed. I have two other siblings. A sister and another brother. Their names are Fuyumi and Natsuo. Fuyumi went to go teach at another town as soon as she could get an spot. Natsuo’s at an expensive boarding school. I can’t really blame them for getting out. But Touya stayed. He…he could have gotten away so many times and he stayed every time, for me. And when mom really went off the rails, when she…’ He paused again and Spinner sucked in a breath, unsure if he was prepared to hear this. ‘She called my left side unbearable. Before throwing boiling water on my face.’
‘What?’ Spinner gasped before he could help himself. ‘Sorry.’
‘It’s fine.’ Shoto’s voice wobbled. ‘Touya took Dad to court. He…he won. And he took custody of me.’ He smiled, a proper grin again. ‘I finally lived in a home, not just a house.’
‘Your brother sounds awesome.’
‘He is!’ Shoto beamed. ‘Though I ain’t letting him hear that, y’know.’
‘Yeah, I get it.’ Spinner glanced out of the window and realised they were there. ‘Woah. It really is not that far for cars.’
‘Yeah.’ Shoto parked. ‘Well, which one is yours?’
Spinner’s gut dropped.
‘Oh, uh, I can find it, no problem. Don’t worry, you…get your friends.’
‘Ok.’ Shoto hopped out and Spinner climbed out. ‘Have a good… what are you doing again?’
‘Oh…it’s a games…night for my work friends.’ Not exactly the truth but not exactly a lie either.
‘Games night?’
‘Yeah….?’
‘Y’know these cabins are hookup places usually? Or for people helping deals and shady stuff.’ Shoto stared at him. ‘I mean, sure. Whatever.’
‘Uh, thanks for the ride?’ Spinner looked around to thank Shoto, but the boy was already gone.
Huh. Strange kid.