Ratings: G through NC-17
Earthenwing
Outside, the sun was going down on a bright Tuesday afternoon. The birds of early summer were still singing in the tree, ignoring the slanting light, and inside, Kurt Wagner was staring up at his own reflection, a furry blue creature damp with sweat and semen that clashed horribly with the red and yellow coverlet on the bed. It was a warm weekday afternoon, the kind of weather that made all the blood go to your head after a long, slogging winter (or away from your head, depending.) School had only been out for an hour and already Todd had talked him into one act of illegal entry and one act that HAD been illegal in many states, until a recent supreme court decision.
And this wasn�t even his bed.
��Todd?� Kurt said, a little out of breath.
�..Nuh?� Beside him, Todd didn�t even bother to open an eye. The other boy was still sprawled unashamedly, slick and red mouthed and still half turgid, and looking as out of place as Kurt did. His skin was colorless against the comforter.
Kurt gestured vaguely upwards. �Why is there a mirror on the ceiling?�
Todd smirked, eyes still closed. �Why the hell d�you think, dawg?�
Kurt looked at it for a moment, and would have blushed if they hadn�t already been making very good use of that mirror. ��.Oh.�
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Kurt couldn�t quite remember whether it was at the beginning of October, or the end. There had been yellow leaves on the ground, and the sharp, permeating smell of them, something like books, something like rot and old death, and something that prickled your nerves to attention, one last, invigorating message to ready yourself for winter, instincts possibly as old as the continent. On all those yellow leaves, bright spots of his blood stood out, clear and brilliant, and streaked down ugly, accidental patterns on the front of his jacket. Kurt had clapped his hands over his nose and gaped, though not because no one had ever tried to break his nose before, but because it had never happened so unexpectedly.
Todd was a ready to try it again, braced for the counterattack, ragged and dirty in a polyester coat he�d stolen from the Goodwill truck. Far behind him, a lady jogger continued down the park bike path, iPod nestled in her ears and even her spaniel ignoring what was going on out here. Thank god for small favors.
Kurt made no move to retaliate. The snarl on Todd�s face faltered. Suddenly he was flying at him again and Kurt ducked, putting his shoulder down and using the boy�s own momentum to knock him back, Todd landing on the leaves with a surprised whuff, wind knocked out of him. Todd hadn�t been thinking. Wasn�t thinking. He tried to roll onto his feet and Kurt pounced on him, slamming his shoulders back into the ground and splattering his face with blood from his merrily pouring nose. He tried to palm Kurt�s face, and Kurt bit him, sinking his fangs into the soft flesh between his thumb and his forefinger. Todd howled and cradled his hand to his chest, glaring up at Kurt with the sort of deep, personal fury only humiliation brought on.
Todd had been the one to start the fight. The verbal one, which had left Kurt mystified and defensive, and the physical one, too. Blood dripped onto Todd�s eyelid and he flinched, turning his face away. Kurt pulled back, letting Todd sit up and scrub at his face, smearing the blood across his cheek.
�You want to just tell me what the hell your problem is?� Kurt demanded, sitting down in the leaves across from him. �I thought you wanted to be friends, why are you being such an asshole lately?�
�Fuck you, dawg.� Todd grumbled, sounding angry and hurt. Kurt hadn�t done a damned thing to deserve this. He�d been nice to Todd. He�d seen Todd scavenging out of the dumpster behind Denny�s and gotten him something to eat. He�d paid for his lunches twice at school, and sat with him now and then, and hadn�t Todd just been a depressing little fucker this month? No one had seen Wanda or Pietro since August, and couldn�t that have something to do with it? He�d been nice. He�d tried so damned hard to be nice. It wasn�t as though either of them had an embarrassing wealth of friends, after all.
Todd had been his friend, for a little while.
�Y-you know something, you�re really unbelievable!� Kurt snapped, glaring at him, his words accompanied by a fine blood spittle. �If you�re going to be such a bastard, at least tell me why! I think you owe me that much, don�t you?�
Todd sneered at him. His fury had turned almost into a sulk, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring. He looked angry, and somehow hurt just as much, but Kurt hadn�t done anything to hurt him, he knew he hadn�t.
Kurt tried to staunch his nosebleed on the sleeve of his jacket, watching Todd warily. Under scrutiny, Todd finally looked away, grimacing at all that blood. Shit. Kurt gave a bloody snort. �You�re not gonna tell me, are you.� No response. Kurt gave up on his nose. It was slowing a little, anyway. �Fine. You know what? You just stay here then.� He snapped. �Don�t tell me. I don�t care.� He got to his feet, only a little unsteady from the sudden drop in blood pressure. Todd looked up at him, eyes a little wider. �It�s none of my damn business anyway.�
He wiped at his face again, glaring. Todd was just�staring at him. He showed him his teeth. �I�m going home. Have a nice rest of your life.�
Hand twitching with irritation, Kurt turned and walked away, sniffing his injured nose. Perfect. Just perfect. He�d try to do something nice and�
Leaves moved behind him. The sound of sneakers running. Todd grabbed Kurt by the elbow and he spun around, snapping �What?�
Todd stopped. For a moment he looked helpless, and utterly miserable, and Kurt�s fury almost faltered. Almost. Todd�s hand came up and grabbed him by the back of the neck, too hard, and dragged his head forward. Kurt was struggling before he realized Todd�s mouth was on his, and in an awkward, clueless way, he was being kissed. He froze in shock, staring wide eyed at the trees behind Todd.
Oh.
�.Shit.
Kurt brought his arm up, pushing Todd back by the throat, and the boy jerked back with a little choking noise. There was blood on Todd�s mouth, like smeared, garish lipstick. The boy saw Kurt�s expression. His lips pulled back in a grimace and he lowered his head, disappearing behind his hair and looking like he wished he could disappear completely. Kurt took two steps back.
�Goodbye, Todd.� He said, flatly. He was the one who disappeared, leaving Todd standing alone in the park.
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�Oh. Oh, Jesus Fucking Christ. Todd? Todd?? ��..Breathe, Todd!
�..
� ���..todd?�
��
��oh. Oh jesus. Todd�..�
----------------------------
�Todd? Baby?� she asked dully, reaching a hand out to touch the boy�s back. He glanced over his shoulder at her, still bent into the refrigerator, hunting for something on those shelves he could eat. �Honey, could you make me some coffee? I don�t feel too well this morning.�
Todd raised his eyebrow. He didn�t need to say it; �Brown Bottle Flu.� She�d had company last night, and Todd had, obligingly, stayed out of the apartment, though where he had gone God knew. There was so much he didn�t tell her. Todd, thirteen this year, went to the cupboard, pulling down the coffee can and finding a filter. He�d done this before, obviously. His mother sat down on the kitchen chair, rubbing her forehead with he hand. Her hands had been cut not too long ago, the scars between her fingers still pink. Her fingers lived separate now, a thin line of scarring running through the soft flesh between them, where, until last year, there�s been a web. Her last man, the �we�re gonna be okay now� fellow, the �he�d gonna take care of us� fellow, the �Call me Uncle Steve� fellow, had paid a few thousand dollars to have them snipped. Her hands were normal now, her nails home manicured in pink nail polish. Todd loaded the filter and hit the �on� switch, watching the coffee maker grumble to work.
�Have any luck?� he asked, a little flatly.
His mother blinked at him. �Luck?�
He turned her a dull look, and her stomach flipped quietly.
�I mean, is he gonna pay the RENT this month? Or have you moved on to strictly �payment for services rendered�?� he said, a slick, filthy insinuation in his tone.
She stared. A deep, horrible mortification rolled up slowly from her stomach. Her son! Barely thirteen, and saying--!
She grabbed the saltshaker off the table and threw it at him. He blocked it, and it bounced harmlessly onto the rug. �How DARE you! Todd--!� she blustered, absolutely horrified. She had never. She WOULD never. Not unless�
It hadn�t been going well. Steve had left them in a bind. She�d promised to love her, to take care of her. With him they�d had enough money to go out to eat every Saturday, he�d paid to fix her hands, and her teeth. He�d said they�d be happy. And then his wife had called, and it had all gone to shit�
�Sorry.� Todd grumbled, but he didn�t sound sorry. �Didn�t mean it.�
It didn�t appease her. Her nose wrinkled, holding back frustrated tears. She was so tired. She was always so tired. �Todd, I�m doing this for you!� she said, hating how her head hurt, how sore she was, how the bedroom had been so empty this morning, nothing but a used condom on the floor and hair on the soap. �We need somebody to take care of us, you know that! I�m working so hard, Todd, I�m at that stupid diner ten hours a day and I can�t even afford to put food in that refrigerator! So don�t you talk to me like that, don�t you EVER talk to me like that!�
Todd grimaced, looking properly cowed.
�Do you think I like it??� she demanded, voice a little high. �Do you think I like having to do this? You need a father! I need someone to help pay the rent! This is the only chance we�ve got, Todd, if you don�t want to end up like��
�Okay, I�m sorry, okay??� Todd interrupted, holding his hands up to stop her. �I�m really really sorry! I�m an ass.�
She sat back down, sniffing. �You know better, Todd��
�Yeah, yeah. I know better.� He muttered. He looked back to the coffee pot, burbling away on the counter. He was quiet for a little while. ��You workin the eight to six shift again?� he asked finally.
At the table, his mother nodded. �Yeah. I�ve gotta get ready. Shouldn�t you be getting ready for school?�
Todd shrugged.
�Yes. You should be.� She said, a little sternly. �Go change clothes and brush your teeth. The bus gets here in twenty minutes.
Todd rolled his eyes. It was such a normal expression, such a teenaged expression, that she almost smiled. He went to his bedroom to change, dropping a grudging kiss on her forehead as he passed her. She did smile then, a little, though she did still hurt, and she still needed a shower. She smelled like someone else. Instead, she waited for the coffee to brew.
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�Dawg, tell me that does not look like Elvis.�
��Todd, it�s a potato chip.�
�Yeah, but it totally looks like Elvis! See? Fat Elvis!�
�It looks like a potato chip.�
�Dawg, it�s totally Elvis. Hey, I wonder if I can sell it on eBay. You know, to that casino place? Golden Palace?�
�They�d only buy it if it looked like the Virgin Mary.�
��� Well if you turn it upside down you could pretend it was Mary. You know, if you squint. It looks about as good as that moldy sandwich they bought.�
�You�re not selling a potato chip on eBay.�
�Why not?�
�Because this.�
��..Hey! You ate Elvis! Ew, that�s kind of creepy but you totally owe me now! I could have made, like, a hundred bucks off that thing.�
�Really now.�
�Yeah. You owe me a hundred dollars.�
�How �bout I just work it off?�
�Cleaning the gutters?�
��.Wasn�t quite what I had in mind.�
�Well, you know. There are�other options.�
�That�s more what I had in mind.�
�Options that will involve handcuffs.�
���..Wait, on me or you?�
����
��.Todd?�
���
�Crap.�
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Click. Flash. Whirrrrrr.
Todd, still half in his sweater, raised an amused eyebrow. �Did you just take a picture?�
Kurt grinned. He was sitting on the neatly made bed of a Days Inn, crosslegged, holding a heavy Polaroid camera in front of him. A little white card was on the comforter by his knee.
�You are so gonna waste the film, dawg.� Todd smirked, finally squirming out of his shirt and throwing it carelessly to the ground.
�I brought extra film.� Kurt grinned, aiming the camera at Todd again. Todd rolled his eyes and struck a pose, and the camera flashed again. Another photograph rolled out.
�You really think I�m gonna let you stop in the middle of this and change the film?� Todd asked, grinning himself.
Kurt shrugged. �Maybe.� He said. �Come on, come on, pants too. I wanna get a picture of that cute little ass of yours.�
Todd laughed, and started undoing his belt buckle, using a little more flourish than usual. He put on his best attempt at a come-hither look and inched his jeans down his hips, wiggling out of them. Click. Whirrrr.
�And the ass shot!� he announced, kicking the jeans away and turning around, arms behind his head and hips out to the side. Kurt laughed and took the picture. Todd turned back around and stalked towards the bed, a rather malicious smirk on his face.
�So, ah, I get to take a couple shots of you too, huh?� he grinned, sliding his palms across Kurt�s shoulders and down his chest, over the t-shirt. Kurt moved the camera out of the way, and Todd pushed him down by the shoulders, onto his back on the bed. �You know,� he added, tugging Kurt�s belt. �Late night spank material, and all that.�
Kurt snickered and managed to toe his shoes off with Todd over him, facilitating Todd unzipping his jeans and yanking those and the boxers down in one swift move, pulling them all the way off and whumph onto the floor. A hand wandered up Kurt�s thigh, onto his hip, and under the t-shirt. Kurt squirmed a little; Todd�s hands were cold. As usual. He suspected it was the smoking.
�You behave and I�ll let you take a couple pictures.� Kurt said.
Todd flashed teeth at him. �Oh, I have no intention of behaving.�
Todd shoved the t-shirt up to Kurt�s neck and Kurt sat up, putting the camera down just long enough to get the shirt off over his head. Todd shoved him back down and put his face in his neck, taking a good deep sniff of him, and Kurt squirmed. Todd pulled back, straddling Kurt�s hips and grinning.
�You need a shower, dawg.� Todd announced.
Kurt snorted �You�re one to talk?�
�Hey, that�s part of the Todd-appeal.� He said, running his fingers through the fur on Kurt�s chest. �Tell me you don�t dig it.�
�I don�t dig it.� Kurt said with a straight face. Todd leaned down and gave Kurt a faceful of armpit, making Kurt shout and wrestle him off. Kurt rolled and pinned him, straddling HIM this time.
�Ha.� He grinned, and brought the camera up to take another snapshot. The little card fell out onto Todd�s chest, and he brushed it aside onto the comforter.
Todd squirmed, pushing his hips (and his starting erection) against Kurt�s rump. �You just gonna take snappys or are we actually gonna do something tonight, dawg?�
�Patience.� Kurt said in a singsong voice.
Todd reached down and cupped him. �Patience ain�t one of my virtues, dawg.�
�Do you have any virtues?� Kurt asked, pressing against his hand.
�I got a six foot tongue, dawg, and if that ain�t a virtue, I dunno what is.�
Kurt snorted and ran his fingers down Todd�s ribs (far too many ribs) �Okay, that�s one.�
�And I have a cute ass. That�s two.� Todd said.
Kurt pretended to weigh that. �Yeah, okay, two. Heh, you�re a lucky bastard, you know.� He said, leaning down close enough to kiss him, though he didn�t. �A scrawny little thing like you, getting to pair up with the fuzzy blue sex machine.� He joked.
Todd blinked at him, then burst out laughing, loud enough they could probably hear him in the next room. Kurt kissed him to shut him up. It worked marvelously.
�Fuzzy blue sex machine.� Todd snorted, when Kurt pulled away.
�You know it.� He smirked.
�Yeah, yeah. Hey, fuzzy sex machine, get to work, huh?� Todd said, pushing his hips up again.
�Jabohl.� Kurt said, giving a mock salute. He shimmied down Todd�s legs and got between them, sliding hands up the inside of the boy�s thighs, over the boney protrusions of his hips, down the thin line of hair on his belly. He wrapped his fingers around Todd�s erection and licked slowly over the head, and Todd hitched. Careful of the fangs, he took the head between his lips.
Click. Flash. Whirrrrr.
Kurt looked up, startled. Todd had picked up the camera. The other boy smirked, a bit breathless at least. �Oh, yeah, make it nice for the camera, now.� He said. Kurt, feigning offense, made a lunge for it. Todd jerked it out of range with a laugh and let Kurt struggle over the top of him, not getting anywhere near the camera. Laying on top, Kurt stopped, thought about it, and kissed Todd again. Todd dropped the Polaroid onto the mattress.
Kurt picked it up and set it near Todd�s elbow, where he could reach it. Todd just smirked at him, hands roaming back to Kurt�s fur.
�Well?� he asked.
�Well.� Kurt agreed. He leaned down again, and resumed the kiss.
Click. Flash. Whirrr.
Click. Flash. Whirrr.