Part 4 of homeless AU
Mar. 1st, 2004 04:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsAgain, WIP, read at own risk. Things will change in final version and there'll be mistakes and Brit saying and all sorts of funky things.
This part is sort of sad, it gets better soon -- I hope.
There's also an info dump I'm really worried about.
Previous parts linked behind the cut.
Part 1 is here
Part 2 is here
Part 3 is here
The café’s looks empty when they walk in, but Chris can hear Sally singing in the kitchen and the smell of bacon wafts through the air.
“Hey, Sally. It’s us.” Joey shouts as he carefully places his bag on a table before moving to the counter. Chris makes sure the kids have sat down before joining Joey, leaning over the counter so he can peer into the kitchen. Sally is cutting buns as slices of bacon sizzle in huge pans and Chris hears Joey’s stomach gurgle, then laughs as his own does the same.
“You lot back again?” Sally says as she flips bacon, she sounds annoyed but Chris knows better so he grins at her when she looks their way to scowl.
“We come to see you, beautiful. You know that.” Joey lays it on thick and Chris waits for Sally to respond, the same way she’s done for the last eighteen months. She doesn’t disappoint, flipping Joey off with one hand while turning bacon with the other. Joey hams it up, expression sorrowful, clutching at his heart as JC laughs from behind them.
“You want the usual?” Sally questions as she layers bacon on three buns.
“We need two more today.” Chris replies, then looks at Justin and Lance who’re whispering together at the table. “Bacon sandwiches okay for you?”
Justin looks up and nods, he looks miserable, pressed close to Lance and Chris wishes he didn’t have to make them talk.
“Being picking up strays again?” Sally is standing at the counter, full plate in her hand. Joey takes it and goes to their table and Chris watches as Justin and Lance cram the sandwiches in their mouths, taking huge bites despite the hot bacon. “They’re babies, Chris.”
“I know, that’s why they’re with me.” Chris turns and looks at Sally, fingers tapping against the counter as she stares at him.
“You couldn’t have taken them to a shelter? Or the police? Does it always have to be you?” Sally sighs and places her hand over Chris’. “You can’t save everyone, honey. I wish you’d learn that.”
“I know.” Chris fights the urge to pull his hand from under Sally’s. She’s a close friend, has been for the last few years. But he hates the way she looks at him, like he’s something fragile. Because he’s not, never has been.
“If you say so.” Sally looks unconvinced, but lets him free anyway. “Come and introduce me then, before the starving hordes descend.”
Chris gives Sally a look -- he hates unfinished conversations -- but lets it go. Walking to their table he waits for Sally to come over then points at Justin. “Justin. This is Sally, she makes the best bacon sandwiches in the world and I’m going to marry her when I grow up.”
Justin gulps down the food he has in his mouth and wipes his fingers on his pants before standing and offering his hand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Sally grins and ignores his hand, kissing his cheek instead.
“Hi, honey. No need to stand on ceremony in here, and don’t listen to this goofball. Why would he want a fat old lady when he has this pretty thing?” Sally ruffles JC’s hair making him blush before turning to Lance. “And who’s this cute little thing, Chris?”
Lance flushes bright red as he stands, dropping the remains of his sandwich on the plate. He brings his hand up then drops it, clearly unsure what to do so Sally kisses his quickly as Chris says. “That’s Lance. He has great shampoo.”
Sally looks at Chris then ignores him, concentrating on Lance. “Hey, honey. Sit, eat up. I have to go get drinks anyway. You want milk?”
She’s addressing Justin and Chris grins as Justin forces back his usual I’m not a kid comment before replying. “Sure.”
Lance asks for milk too so Sally promises to bring them over then pushes Chris toward a chair. “Sit already and eat. I’ll get the drinks, you all want black coffee I suppose.”
They nod so Sally leaves and Chris reaches for his sandwich, the only one left on the plate. It’s hot and delicious and he forces himself to savour every mouthful, knowing Sally won’t be working the morning shift again for two days. Justin is whispering to Lance again, face pale as he fidgets with the plastic tomato sauce bottle that’s usually in the middle of the table. JC is drawing on a napkin, using gentle pencil strokes to capture Joey’s likeness as he chews his sandwich.
The silence is edged with tension and Chris knows he’ll have to start this conversation, so he swallows the last of his bacon and turns so he’s facing Lance and Justin. “You going to tell us now?”
Justin’s hand squeezes the bottle and a blob of sauce dribbles down his hand. JC offers the napkin with Joey’s face on it and Justin uses it to wipe away the sauce, crumpling it up and dropping it onto the empty plate after. He stays silent, mouth opening and closing a few times, then Lance places his hand on Justin’s arm. Lance closes his eyes, opens them then takes a deep breathe.
“It’s my story to tell really. My fault that we’re here.”
Justin protests at that but Lance turns to him, placing a gentle hand against Justin’s lips. “Let me tell it my way, okay?”
Justin nods so Lance drops his hand. “I’m from this small town, you know the kind where everyone knows everyone else? I wasn’t part of the popular crowd, but I was happy. My home life was great, I had good friends, I was in the choir and rode most days.” Lance smiles and Chris imagines Lance’s home, somewhere happy and comfortable. Justin has hold of Lance’s hand now, pressing it hard against his own and Chris gets a sick feeling in his belly, he doesn’t want to hear what’s coming. “There was only one problem. I didn’t want any of the girls that asked me to dances, I wanted their boyfriends. Not that I told anyone, I wasn’t stupid.”
JC makes a soft sound of support, Chris knows he understands, the same way he does. Lance looks up and flashes a quick smile in JC’s direction, then keeps talking. “I met Justin this summer. His mom had rented a house and we met at the local mall. I was looking for a shirt and he walked up behind me and said my taste sucked then pushed this other shirt in my hand.”
“I was right though.” Justin interrupts, and Lance nods while smiling. “Yeah, you were right as usual. I asked him what a kid like him knew about fashion and he said more than a hick like me did. We sort of glared for a while then he smiled, told me to put back the shirt and we were going for milkshakes. That was the start of the best summer of my life. We talked every day and went to movies, then one day he…” Lance stops talking, looking round the table. “You do know we’re together, right?”
They all nod so Lance goes on. “One day Justin kissed me. I pushed him away, because, hello he’s younger than me and we’d never mentioned the boy thing. But he’s persistent and we ended up together.”
“That’s wonderful,” JC says with a smile and Chris can tell Joey agrees. But there’s more to this story, the way Lance is starting to shake shows that.
“We fooled around a lot and I guess we got careless one day. One of my momma’s friends saw us kissing in the field where I kept my horse. She told my momma and by the time I got home momma and dad were waiting for me. I’ve never seen them so disappointed. They kept saying I’d lied to them, but I hadn’t. I’d just not told them everything. But they kept saying I’d lied and how disappointed they were. They told me to go to my room and my momma hugged me and said she loved me but she needed time.”
Lance falls silent when Sally places glasses of milk on the table then takes a long drink while Joey pours three cups of coffee.
“I needed to talk to someone, so late that night I climbed out my window and went to Justin’s. We talked some and he hugged me until I felt a little better. It was dark by then and I knew I had to go home, so I kissed him goodbye and went down the road I’d walked down a thousand times before.”
Chris grips his coffee cup in a brutal grip when Lance stops talking. Lance is obviously shaking now and Justin takes the milk from his hand when it splashes over the side. Chris is about to tell him it’s okay, they don’t need to know when Lance talks again.
“They were waiting by the big oak tree. My momma’s friend’s boy and his friends – my friends. We’d been friends for years, from kindergarten for some so I didn’t worry about walking past. I didn’t even get to say hello before they hit me. “JC murmurs oh baby but Lance keeps talking, voice flat and expressionless. “I can’t remember most of what happened. Just flashes. Jimmy from choir spitting in my face as he lifted a stick above his head. Amber, the girl I ate lunch with pulling at my hair. My dad found me later, lying in the ditch. They’d torn off my clothes and left a sign saying This is what happens to fags.. My friends did that. Dad carried me home and I stayed in bed for days. Momma wanted me to go to hospital but I said no, all I wanted was Justin.”
“They didn’t even tell me.” Justin spits out. “My mom found out at the store when they were talking about the Bass boy who’d got what he deserved. She told them they were homophobic assholes and dumped her shopping on the counter. She tried to phone Lance but his mom wouldn’t talk. I had to climb in his window one night.”
Justin wipes an unsteady hand across his eyes, attention totally on Lance. “We talked all night, whispering in his bed. We decided the only thing we could do was run away.”
“So you just up and ran away?” Joey questions and Justin whirls on him.
“What else could we do? Wait until they killed him next time? Or should he have stayed there and listened to what a disappointment he was and read the bible that appeared on his bed? It was all we could do.”
“Calm down,” Lance says. He pulls Justin close to him, holding him tight as Justin shakes with anger. “He’s only asking questions, it’s okay.”
They all stay quiet, looking away as Lance mops tears from Justin’s face with his sleeve. Even Sally’s stopped singing and the silence is suffocating. Chris reaches for JC’s hand under the table, holding it as Justin looks up.
“I’m sorry. It just makes me mad.” Justin apologises.
“I had to leave.” Lance says. “They kept phoning when Momma went out. They said they’d kill my sister and burn down my house. I wasn’t going to put my family in danger for something I did. Justin wasn’t supposed to come, but he insisted and I wasn’t strong enough to say no. I never am, if I was strong I’d be at home facing them not here.”
You’re alive aren’t you?” Chris says, and he fixes Lance with a look. “You’re here and you’ve kept on going. You’re strong.” It’s your mom and dad that’s the weak ones.”
“No.” Lance protests. “You don’t understand, they were trying. Momma said she hated what I was doing but I was still her son. She wanted what was best for me, a wife and family like all the people in our town. I love my family, look.”
Lance bends and pulls his suitcase from under the next table. He unzips it and folds back the top. Chris can see clothes inside, a damp towel and the stuff Lance used to wash. But Lance pushes them aside and Chris sees a pile of books and photographs mixed with hand written notes.
“This is my family.” Lance pulls one of the books free and opens the first page. It’s a photo-album and Chris looks at a picture of a younger Lance with a woman who has to be his mom. She has her hands resting on Lance’s shoulders and a man has his arm round her back. A girl is next to Lance and they all grin into the camera, looking happy and sun warm. “They love me. You have to believe that, but I couldn’t stay.”
Lance gently touches the page, fingers ghosting over his family before he shuts the book with a snap, pushing it back in his case.
“What about your mom?” JC asks Justin, and he flushes, dipping his head.
“I left her a note, said I was going to my dad’s for a while.” Justin looks ashamed for a moment then looks up, expression defiant. “I wasn’t going to let him leave on his own. I love him.”
Chris bites back a comment about how can he know love when he’s so young. Then looks at Justin. “How old are you anyway?”
“Sixteen.” Justin says and Chris keeps on staring until Justin caves. “Okay, I’m fifteen alright? I’m still not leaving him.”
“Fifteen. Fuck.” Chris feels like beating his head against the table but looks at Lance. “Tell me you’re legal at least.”
Lance looks away and Chris knows it’s bad news. “I’m eighteen but I’m not going back.” Lance sounds defiant and Chris knows he’s in trouble and sinking fast, because no way can he send Lance back now.
“Neither am I.” Justin looks just as defiant and Chris knows he’s lost that battle too, at least for now. Justin needs to go home and maybe take Lance with him.
“You can stay.” Chris says, and he can sense the relief round the table then feels the sloppy kiss against his cheek when Justin jumps up and hugs him, all long limbs and soft skin. Justin clings for a moment then hugs Lance, Chris sees JC and Joey looking at him with expressions of support and Sally shaking her head from behind the counter. Sometimes, he thinks, it’s not worth getting up in the morning.
This part is sort of sad, it gets better soon -- I hope.
There's also an info dump I'm really worried about.
Previous parts linked behind the cut.
Part 1 is here
Part 2 is here
Part 3 is here
The café’s looks empty when they walk in, but Chris can hear Sally singing in the kitchen and the smell of bacon wafts through the air.
“Hey, Sally. It’s us.” Joey shouts as he carefully places his bag on a table before moving to the counter. Chris makes sure the kids have sat down before joining Joey, leaning over the counter so he can peer into the kitchen. Sally is cutting buns as slices of bacon sizzle in huge pans and Chris hears Joey’s stomach gurgle, then laughs as his own does the same.
“You lot back again?” Sally says as she flips bacon, she sounds annoyed but Chris knows better so he grins at her when she looks their way to scowl.
“We come to see you, beautiful. You know that.” Joey lays it on thick and Chris waits for Sally to respond, the same way she’s done for the last eighteen months. She doesn’t disappoint, flipping Joey off with one hand while turning bacon with the other. Joey hams it up, expression sorrowful, clutching at his heart as JC laughs from behind them.
“You want the usual?” Sally questions as she layers bacon on three buns.
“We need two more today.” Chris replies, then looks at Justin and Lance who’re whispering together at the table. “Bacon sandwiches okay for you?”
Justin looks up and nods, he looks miserable, pressed close to Lance and Chris wishes he didn’t have to make them talk.
“Being picking up strays again?” Sally is standing at the counter, full plate in her hand. Joey takes it and goes to their table and Chris watches as Justin and Lance cram the sandwiches in their mouths, taking huge bites despite the hot bacon. “They’re babies, Chris.”
“I know, that’s why they’re with me.” Chris turns and looks at Sally, fingers tapping against the counter as she stares at him.
“You couldn’t have taken them to a shelter? Or the police? Does it always have to be you?” Sally sighs and places her hand over Chris’. “You can’t save everyone, honey. I wish you’d learn that.”
“I know.” Chris fights the urge to pull his hand from under Sally’s. She’s a close friend, has been for the last few years. But he hates the way she looks at him, like he’s something fragile. Because he’s not, never has been.
“If you say so.” Sally looks unconvinced, but lets him free anyway. “Come and introduce me then, before the starving hordes descend.”
Chris gives Sally a look -- he hates unfinished conversations -- but lets it go. Walking to their table he waits for Sally to come over then points at Justin. “Justin. This is Sally, she makes the best bacon sandwiches in the world and I’m going to marry her when I grow up.”
Justin gulps down the food he has in his mouth and wipes his fingers on his pants before standing and offering his hand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Sally grins and ignores his hand, kissing his cheek instead.
“Hi, honey. No need to stand on ceremony in here, and don’t listen to this goofball. Why would he want a fat old lady when he has this pretty thing?” Sally ruffles JC’s hair making him blush before turning to Lance. “And who’s this cute little thing, Chris?”
Lance flushes bright red as he stands, dropping the remains of his sandwich on the plate. He brings his hand up then drops it, clearly unsure what to do so Sally kisses his quickly as Chris says. “That’s Lance. He has great shampoo.”
Sally looks at Chris then ignores him, concentrating on Lance. “Hey, honey. Sit, eat up. I have to go get drinks anyway. You want milk?”
She’s addressing Justin and Chris grins as Justin forces back his usual I’m not a kid comment before replying. “Sure.”
Lance asks for milk too so Sally promises to bring them over then pushes Chris toward a chair. “Sit already and eat. I’ll get the drinks, you all want black coffee I suppose.”
They nod so Sally leaves and Chris reaches for his sandwich, the only one left on the plate. It’s hot and delicious and he forces himself to savour every mouthful, knowing Sally won’t be working the morning shift again for two days. Justin is whispering to Lance again, face pale as he fidgets with the plastic tomato sauce bottle that’s usually in the middle of the table. JC is drawing on a napkin, using gentle pencil strokes to capture Joey’s likeness as he chews his sandwich.
The silence is edged with tension and Chris knows he’ll have to start this conversation, so he swallows the last of his bacon and turns so he’s facing Lance and Justin. “You going to tell us now?”
Justin’s hand squeezes the bottle and a blob of sauce dribbles down his hand. JC offers the napkin with Joey’s face on it and Justin uses it to wipe away the sauce, crumpling it up and dropping it onto the empty plate after. He stays silent, mouth opening and closing a few times, then Lance places his hand on Justin’s arm. Lance closes his eyes, opens them then takes a deep breathe.
“It’s my story to tell really. My fault that we’re here.”
Justin protests at that but Lance turns to him, placing a gentle hand against Justin’s lips. “Let me tell it my way, okay?”
Justin nods so Lance drops his hand. “I’m from this small town, you know the kind where everyone knows everyone else? I wasn’t part of the popular crowd, but I was happy. My home life was great, I had good friends, I was in the choir and rode most days.” Lance smiles and Chris imagines Lance’s home, somewhere happy and comfortable. Justin has hold of Lance’s hand now, pressing it hard against his own and Chris gets a sick feeling in his belly, he doesn’t want to hear what’s coming. “There was only one problem. I didn’t want any of the girls that asked me to dances, I wanted their boyfriends. Not that I told anyone, I wasn’t stupid.”
JC makes a soft sound of support, Chris knows he understands, the same way he does. Lance looks up and flashes a quick smile in JC’s direction, then keeps talking. “I met Justin this summer. His mom had rented a house and we met at the local mall. I was looking for a shirt and he walked up behind me and said my taste sucked then pushed this other shirt in my hand.”
“I was right though.” Justin interrupts, and Lance nods while smiling. “Yeah, you were right as usual. I asked him what a kid like him knew about fashion and he said more than a hick like me did. We sort of glared for a while then he smiled, told me to put back the shirt and we were going for milkshakes. That was the start of the best summer of my life. We talked every day and went to movies, then one day he…” Lance stops talking, looking round the table. “You do know we’re together, right?”
They all nod so Lance goes on. “One day Justin kissed me. I pushed him away, because, hello he’s younger than me and we’d never mentioned the boy thing. But he’s persistent and we ended up together.”
“That’s wonderful,” JC says with a smile and Chris can tell Joey agrees. But there’s more to this story, the way Lance is starting to shake shows that.
“We fooled around a lot and I guess we got careless one day. One of my momma’s friends saw us kissing in the field where I kept my horse. She told my momma and by the time I got home momma and dad were waiting for me. I’ve never seen them so disappointed. They kept saying I’d lied to them, but I hadn’t. I’d just not told them everything. But they kept saying I’d lied and how disappointed they were. They told me to go to my room and my momma hugged me and said she loved me but she needed time.”
Lance falls silent when Sally places glasses of milk on the table then takes a long drink while Joey pours three cups of coffee.
“I needed to talk to someone, so late that night I climbed out my window and went to Justin’s. We talked some and he hugged me until I felt a little better. It was dark by then and I knew I had to go home, so I kissed him goodbye and went down the road I’d walked down a thousand times before.”
Chris grips his coffee cup in a brutal grip when Lance stops talking. Lance is obviously shaking now and Justin takes the milk from his hand when it splashes over the side. Chris is about to tell him it’s okay, they don’t need to know when Lance talks again.
“They were waiting by the big oak tree. My momma’s friend’s boy and his friends – my friends. We’d been friends for years, from kindergarten for some so I didn’t worry about walking past. I didn’t even get to say hello before they hit me. “JC murmurs oh baby but Lance keeps talking, voice flat and expressionless. “I can’t remember most of what happened. Just flashes. Jimmy from choir spitting in my face as he lifted a stick above his head. Amber, the girl I ate lunch with pulling at my hair. My dad found me later, lying in the ditch. They’d torn off my clothes and left a sign saying This is what happens to fags.. My friends did that. Dad carried me home and I stayed in bed for days. Momma wanted me to go to hospital but I said no, all I wanted was Justin.”
“They didn’t even tell me.” Justin spits out. “My mom found out at the store when they were talking about the Bass boy who’d got what he deserved. She told them they were homophobic assholes and dumped her shopping on the counter. She tried to phone Lance but his mom wouldn’t talk. I had to climb in his window one night.”
Justin wipes an unsteady hand across his eyes, attention totally on Lance. “We talked all night, whispering in his bed. We decided the only thing we could do was run away.”
“So you just up and ran away?” Joey questions and Justin whirls on him.
“What else could we do? Wait until they killed him next time? Or should he have stayed there and listened to what a disappointment he was and read the bible that appeared on his bed? It was all we could do.”
“Calm down,” Lance says. He pulls Justin close to him, holding him tight as Justin shakes with anger. “He’s only asking questions, it’s okay.”
They all stay quiet, looking away as Lance mops tears from Justin’s face with his sleeve. Even Sally’s stopped singing and the silence is suffocating. Chris reaches for JC’s hand under the table, holding it as Justin looks up.
“I’m sorry. It just makes me mad.” Justin apologises.
“I had to leave.” Lance says. “They kept phoning when Momma went out. They said they’d kill my sister and burn down my house. I wasn’t going to put my family in danger for something I did. Justin wasn’t supposed to come, but he insisted and I wasn’t strong enough to say no. I never am, if I was strong I’d be at home facing them not here.”
You’re alive aren’t you?” Chris says, and he fixes Lance with a look. “You’re here and you’ve kept on going. You’re strong.” It’s your mom and dad that’s the weak ones.”
“No.” Lance protests. “You don’t understand, they were trying. Momma said she hated what I was doing but I was still her son. She wanted what was best for me, a wife and family like all the people in our town. I love my family, look.”
Lance bends and pulls his suitcase from under the next table. He unzips it and folds back the top. Chris can see clothes inside, a damp towel and the stuff Lance used to wash. But Lance pushes them aside and Chris sees a pile of books and photographs mixed with hand written notes.
“This is my family.” Lance pulls one of the books free and opens the first page. It’s a photo-album and Chris looks at a picture of a younger Lance with a woman who has to be his mom. She has her hands resting on Lance’s shoulders and a man has his arm round her back. A girl is next to Lance and they all grin into the camera, looking happy and sun warm. “They love me. You have to believe that, but I couldn’t stay.”
Lance gently touches the page, fingers ghosting over his family before he shuts the book with a snap, pushing it back in his case.
“What about your mom?” JC asks Justin, and he flushes, dipping his head.
“I left her a note, said I was going to my dad’s for a while.” Justin looks ashamed for a moment then looks up, expression defiant. “I wasn’t going to let him leave on his own. I love him.”
Chris bites back a comment about how can he know love when he’s so young. Then looks at Justin. “How old are you anyway?”
“Sixteen.” Justin says and Chris keeps on staring until Justin caves. “Okay, I’m fifteen alright? I’m still not leaving him.”
“Fifteen. Fuck.” Chris feels like beating his head against the table but looks at Lance. “Tell me you’re legal at least.”
Lance looks away and Chris knows it’s bad news. “I’m eighteen but I’m not going back.” Lance sounds defiant and Chris knows he’s in trouble and sinking fast, because no way can he send Lance back now.
“Neither am I.” Justin looks just as defiant and Chris knows he’s lost that battle too, at least for now. Justin needs to go home and maybe take Lance with him.
“You can stay.” Chris says, and he can sense the relief round the table then feels the sloppy kiss against his cheek when Justin jumps up and hugs him, all long limbs and soft skin. Justin clings for a moment then hugs Lance, Chris sees JC and Joey looking at him with expressions of support and Sally shaking her head from behind the counter. Sometimes, he thinks, it’s not worth getting up in the morning.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-02 11:15 am (UTC)WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
*scampers off to read*
no subject
Date: 2004-03-02 11:28 am (UTC)Hey, btw sorry for all the comments that came your way. LJ kept telling me that your journal wasn't recognised then when I looked there was about 4 comments the same *blush*
Also, I answered you using Josh's name earlier, because I'm stupid and forgot to log out of there when I'd done something for him.
*Blushes again*
no subject
Date: 2004-03-02 11:36 am (UTC)I'm reading the new part now. Which is going slow since I'm also IMing with my sister at the same time. lol.
I'm friending your journal, btw. :D