Prizefighters
Wasso entered the room and looked at the three of them. His hands were torn and bloody at the knuckles and Wasso had wrapped them ineffectively in a bandana. Mark looked at Wasso's hands and sighed.
"Been hitting walls again I see," Mark chided Wasso, "Let's get you cleaned up as well."
Mark gently prodded Wasso out of the room and signaled to Linder that he should follow with the first aid kit. Once Wasso was out of the room, David grabbed the bandage that Linder had put on the bed beside him. He grunted a bit as he wove the bandage around his chest. He couldn't get it as tight as it should be, but it would do for now. David was just pulling down his shirt when the others walked back into the room.
David stayed sitting as Wasso came and sat beside him. Responding to a pleading look from David, Mark took Linder by the hand and led him out of the room, closing the door behind them.
As soon as the door closed, Wasso turned towards David and took David's face in his hand. He turned it one way then the other looking at the injuries. David watched Wasso's face as Wasso looked him over. David lifted his arms to help Wasso take off his shirt and saw the involuntary wince Wasso made as he took in the bandage wrapped around David's chest. David made no move to avoid it as Wasso unwrapped the bandage around his chest. David knew that Wasso wouldn't stop until he was sure he knew all of David's injuries. David winced a little but let Wasso prod at his ribs and check out the intensity of the bruise left by the kick to his stomach and chest.
Wasso finally looked up at David's face and sighed. Wasso wrapped his arm around David, pulling David gently towards him. David leaned into Wasso and laid his head on Wasso's chest. David grabbed the arm that Wasso hadn't wrapped around him and pulled Wasso's damaged knuckles to his lips giving them a kiss.
"Why'd you hit a wall? Look at the mess you made of your hands. You should've hit Brute instead; you know he would've let you."
Wasso grunted, "The wall was closer at that moment. I remember a time you were scared of Brute and would've thought he'd hit me back"
"I am scared of Brute," replied David, "But I now know that he's a good friend to you. Plus, he knows about me and hasn't done or said anything about it."
Pushing David off him a bit so he could look into David's face Wasso said, "I just wish you were more afraid of other people too. One of these days I won't be there to stop it before it gets really bad."
"The asshole was bullying Lin. I couldn't leave it alone," explained David.
Wasso sighed, "I guess in that case, there's nothing I can bitch at you about. I just hate seeing you bruised and bleeding because of some asshole."
"I know" David said as he crawled onto Wasso's lap and leaned against him again.
Wasso leaned his head on top of David's and the two of them sat together quietly for a bit. Wasso didn't let David go until David started to shiver from the slight coolness in the air. Wasso gently lifted David off his lap. He grabbed the bandage off the bed and wrapped it around David's chest. Once it was fastened tightly, Wasso helped David back into his shirt and stood up. Holding out a hand for David, Wasso helped him stand up and the two of them went looking for Linder and Mark hand in hand.
***
They found Linder and Mark in the kitchen. Mark was stirring something in a pot on the stove and whistling softly to himself. Linder was at the table, studiously chopping up vegetables. David sat in the chair next to Linder and, reaching over, grabbed the end of a carrot to munch on. Wasso leaned on the counter next to Mark.
"You know?" Wasso asked Mark.
"I know." Mark replied with a frown.
Wasso nodded at Mark's reply then leaned over to see what Mark was making. Mark pushed Wasso away before he got too close to the stove.
"It'll be stew in a bit. Are you and David staying for dinner?"
Wasso looked over at David who shrugged.
"I guess so. I don't think we want David struggling to stay sitting up straight over dinner with his parents." Wasso replied, "Anyways, with his lip and my knuckles, it wouldn't look to good. If we head home after dinner, there's less chance of his mom noticing."
"Alright" Mark commented, "There should be some Coke in the fridge and there's a bottle of painkillers in the cupboard on the right. David might need a couple of those. Lin and I have a handle on dinner so why don't the two of you go watch television or play a game in my room."
Wasso grabbed a couple Cokes out of the fridge, shuffled through the cupboard and grabbed the bottle of painkillers. Walking up to David's chair, Wasso nudged David's leg with his own and tilted his head towards the stairs and Mark's room. David got up and followed Wasso out of the kitchen.
Mark gave the pot one last stir then put a lid on the pot and turned down the heat. Turning around, he stood for a moment looking at Linder. Linder was bent over the table chopping a green pepper as if the world depended on it.
Mark walked over to Linder and put a hand on Linder's shoulder. When Linder didn't respond to that, Mark leaned over and pulled the knife out of Linder's hand. Grabbing hold of Linder's hands, Mark sat down next to him. Mark sighed as Linder avoided looking at him.
"David told me, you know."
"What?" said Linder looking up at Mark in surprise, "He...he said he wasn't going to. He said you'd freak out."
"David cares about you, you're his friend. We all care about you. I want to freak out," explained Mark, "But I don't know the whole story so I don't know if I should be freaking out. What happened?"
"Ah. Umm. He was just being a jerk." Linder replied, once again turning his eyes away from Mark.
"Please Linder. Tell me."
"He, uh, he was upset because I told him I wouldn't write his essay for him. He used to make me do his homework all the time. I was able to avoid him this past year or so... until now." Linder said, "His name is Steve. He's been in my class since elementary school. He's always picked on me. This is the first time I've ever been able to say no."
Linder blushed at the last sentence. Even though it had gotten Mark beat up, Linder was proud that he had been able to say no. Looking at Mark, Linder saw that Mark was proud of him for saying no as well.
"Well, part of me can't believe you said no and part of me is so happy you were able to stick up for yourself at least that much." Mark said, "I just wish it hadn't turned into this whole big thing."
Mark pulled Linder onto his lap and wrapped his arms around Linder.
"I hate the fact that there are assholes out there that feel compelled to treat you like that." Mark said quietly, "I hate even more that I can't stop it. There are times I just want to keep you by my side and in my arms forever because I know that you?ll be safe here."
Tilting Linder's face up so he could look Linder in the eyes, Mark asked very softly "Do you want me to do anything about Steve?"
"No." Linder said quietly, "No." he said louder, shaking his head.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes" Linder said with a steely gaze, "It doesn't really matter now anyways I think. I don't think Steve will be able to avoid Wasso. Wasso won't let him get away with beating up David."
With a sly grin, Linder added, "I really don't know how no one at school knows about them. David is, well, David and Wasso is just so obvious sometimes."
Shaking his head ruefully, Mark agreed, "I know."
Mark leaned down to kiss Linder and Linder knew that, for now, this was finished with. Ending the kiss, Mark lifted Linder off his lap and got up off the chair.
"Come on, let's finish off dinner and get those two prizefighters upstairs fed."
***
Upstairs, Wasso had given Mark a couple pills and some Coke to swallow them down with. He had put on the television and the two of them were sitting on the floor watching nothing in particular. David though, was starting to nod off.
Wasso gently lifted David, who wrapped his arms around Wasso's neck, up to put him on the bed. Wasso had to reach up and untangle David's arms from around his neck so that he could lay David down.
David looked up at Wasso drowsily and murmured, "What was in those pills? I'm going to go to sleep now. Come to sleep with me."
Wasso brushed David's hair out of his eyes as David's eyes closed.
Talking to himself, Wasso said softly, "What am I going to do with you kid? Look at you, all banged up. I want to kill that guy for hitting you. Damn it. Why do you do this to yourself? Why do you affect me like this?"
Wasso climbed up onto the bed and lay down next to David. Curling up around David, Wasso closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep knowing that for now, David was safe in his arms.