Teenagers {August}

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

Thom was upset that Mo figured out so soon, but what Mo said wiped away everything Thom was feeling. It left with a horrible hollow feeling. He stressed to hear what Moeteski was saying. All he really heard through the choking noises and his thick accent was 'Tale and Paki' and 'dead'. The words didn't connect. "They can't be dead! You're lying!" Thomas was hysterical. Puny Paki liked Peanut Butter too much to die. He hated combing his hair. It made Thom feel sick to know that he'd never see Paki do his wriggle-dance again. He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more. Thom moved his hands from his hair to his eyes. Was he.. crying? Thomas Harper hardly ever cried. He could count the times he'd cried on one hand. Thom sat down on the sidewalk, and held his head. Mo set his life straight. Why did something so bad have to happened to Mo, the guy who never did anything wrong?

He was only sixteen. South Africa was one of the first countries his wander-lust led him to. Thom didn't mean to steal her shiny. It practically asked him to take it. Thomas didn't even remember pulling it off the woman's neck. He was walking down the street, counting clouds, but the woman's necklace was just too bright. Everything went black from that point. The next thing he remembered he was running down different streets at random. The shiny in his hands, his footsteps echoing, and the only thing he felt was confusion. Thomas got caught, and Mo chewed him out. It ended with Thomas in tears. He apologized to the woman, and to the shiny, and to Mo. Actually, Thom apologized to everything he saw. Even the chair we was sitting in. Moeteski let him stay at his house, and Tale treated him nicely, better than Thom's own mother. She didn't make Thom hug her, and didn't have a problem with his gloves. Paki still thought Thom was his brother, but Thomas had to ruin all that and leave. He left so he wouldn't be hurt. So why was he sitting on a filthy sidewalk sobbing without shame?

August sat next to Thom, gently rubbing his back. He had been crying for what seemed like forever. She hated it when grown men cried, but Thom had a good reason. What puzzled her more was why Mo wasn't crying. He just stood there with fists clenched. So what if Mo was undecided and Thomas was an Innocent? They were still people. August's convictions started to shake. She was a Hunter, and she liked it, for the most part, but this was wasn't making any sense. Maybe August should stop rushing into decisions.

Thomas got off the sidewalk, thoroughly ashamed. Mo was the one who had to the right to cry. Thom abandoned them. He rubbed off his tears, and gave Mo a hug. He squeezed tightly, and ignored the nasty feeling it gave him. "I'm sorry." It came out as a whisper, and shook almost as bad as Mo's voice had.

[Waddle]

Mo was taken aback by being called a liar. A liar? "Why would I lie about this?" he demanded, voice so quiet that he could hardly hear it himself. He started shaking again, but not out of fear or excitement, but anger, fists clenched as if ready to punch Thom. He would never punch Thomas, but he might punch the building to his left and maybe break his knuckles. Anything to tear his mind from the pain in his heart. Strangely enough, though, what hurt more was being called a liar by his friend. "Why would I lie about my own family dying?" Thom knew how much his family meant to him. Had meant to you, said a cold, hard voice in his head that he knew was his own. He swallowed and hurriedly hid himself from that voice.

As he saw the tears gather in Thom's eyes, he was forced to look away, heart tearing. Why was he crying? Why did Mo feel like a horrible person for being the one to tell him this? And why was he so angry at Thom? He couldn't tell if he wanted to just sit down and comfort the boy, or just sit down and give up. He'd been fighting for so long... And yet, what had it come two? Two souls lost forever? So much life to live; wasted, thrown away by the cruel hand of a spoiled child who got tired of old dolls. Why could he, Mo, have taken their place? So many questions, so many questions he would never have answers for. Questions he knew would plague him until the end. All the things that would never be said, never...

Thom was hugging him and apologizing to him. Mo couldn't react, not this time. Usually it was Thom who retreated from physical contact, but this time, Mo couldn't even do that. But his shaking subsided and he went limp as he just stood there, brain foggy. So many things had happened, and for what? Nothing. There's no damn good reason, Moeteksi Iuyanda Volschenk, and there never will be. Stop fighting it and accept that you can't change it for once! But it wasn't his way. Never had been. Since he was a kid, he would fight and fight until he fixed something, no matter what. He'd lost so much this time, and he wouldn't give up. He refused to. His back stiffening, he pulled away from Thom gently. "Thanks, Thom, really. I'm sorry I lost my temper." He wanted to put an arm around the boy's shoulders, but figured that might be too uncomfortable for him. Instead, he gave a brave smile. "So here I am. Figured this was the next best place I could be of help." Even now, his wild idea that the Hunters were responsible for the death of his family was faded. Now, he was here, and he would fight. "And don't start thinkin' I'll be a' Innocent," he told Thom, raising a finger, his normal, stupid grin returning to his face. "'Cause I won't. Not for now, at least." He looked back down at August. "Thanks a lot, little missy." He ruffled her hair. She was a good kid, he decided. A strange one, but a good one.

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

"No Problem." She didn't know what she did exactly, but didn't feel like finding out. August had places to go. No she didn't. She felt like she didn't belong. Again. Again. Red was whining. He looked hungry. Maybe she'd go buy him some dog food before heading home. She slipped away without a word. Eh, they'd hardly notice. Red followed, getting the hint to stay quiet. He was a good dog.

Thom wasn't sure what to do anymore. It was like learning that your name wasn't your name, or your parents weren't your parents. "Moeteski. You're living with me in my house. I'm not letting you live on the streets." Mo took care of him when he needed it, and now Thom had the opportunity to return the favor. Suddenly, he got nervous. What if Mo flat out rejected his offer? So his house wasn't the most furnished. Actually. It was just an empty house. It came with a mattress, but he hadn't even bought sheets for it. The only thing Thomas really bought for his house was food.

Thom could pick up more hours at his job. He developed photos. It was perfect for him, because it was dark. Plus, he liked looking at other people's memories. There were a lot of sweet family photos. That made Thom think about Paki and Tale again. He wished he had a photo of them. He still had Mo. And Mo only had him, so he had to like Thom. Thom was all he had left.

[Waddle]

Mo watched as Red and August walked away. He hoped she would keep Red. He was a good dog, and deserved a better home than Mo could give him. Yellow and Spot also watched their brother and/or best friend pad away, and Mo almost thought they looked sad, but happy. At least one of them would, hopefully, have a happy life. It was a depressing thought, thinking that maybe Yellow and Spot wouldn't end up so great. Mo decided he was determined to either give them a good home, or find them one. Then he thought that August had just stolen his dog. Well, not his dog, he'd only known the thing for a day, but still, she could have at least asked. It made him grin.

He turned back to Thomas, a little unsure if he'd heard correctly. He wanted to hug the boy for what he thought he'd said. Stop outsmarting your own ears. So he didn't. He beamed. "Thanks, Thom. A lot. I promise, I'll get a job, and..." Then what? Then, what would they do? That would matter later, Moeteksi decided. Right then, he wanted to, first, get the two scrawny dogs some food, then a shower and a shave, then some food for himself. He liked how the dogs came first in that list. Trotting back to pick up his dropped luggage, he came back to Thom, feeling a little awkward. Not too long ago, their positions had been changed. Not too long ago, Mo had a guest in his house that quickly became family. Not too long ago, they had had family. Did Thom have family? Maybe. It was probably a subject he didn't like to talk about. If it ever came around, Mo would ask out of casual curiosity, and Thom would reply, and Mo would know if he wanted to talk about it or not. Mo wasn't the type to pressure his friends into revealing their secrets. Especially not friends who had just saved him from the streets like a stray mutt.

"Oh, you don't mind if these two goobers come with us, do you?" he asked Thom. If Thom didn't want them, or couldn't have them, Mo would still try to help them and find them a home. He felt like it had become his new job. Speaking of jobs... If he cleaned himself up nice and good, he might be able to get a job as a policeman in this town. More than likely. He had more experience than most, and he loved the job. He pushed that all aside as his stomach rumbled too quietly to be heard but was easily felt. No, at the minute, he would think about food for himself and the dogs, and a shower.

[Augustus is a SWOObat]

It's not like Thom hated dogs, it's just.. he's had a few bad experiences. The worst involved a pit bull and a large woman who thought mimes didn't always wear make up. The mindless mutt just rammed into him. Thomas hadn't acknowledged it's existence, or upset it in anyway, it just felt like knocking him over. It jumped on him, and he opened his mouth in a silent scream. The pit bull jumped on his stomach, and licked him. It's fat owner kept rambling on and on about how her precious was so affectionate. It ended badly. Thom in the fetal position, His face assaulted by a pit bulls tongue. He found his voice eventually, and shrieked in pain and disgust with every lick. Only then, did the large lady realize that Thomas was no mime.

Thom stared at the two dogs, obviously afraid. "Yes. They may stay... but they cannot lick me. Or come near me." Thomas moved away from them, just a little bit. He took deep breathes and didn't trust himself to speak for a long time. He felt it was appropriate to warn Mo of the state of his house. "Ah.. Momo, i think you should know... my house is kinda.. empty." When Thomas said empty, he meant empty. He only had one sofa, a stark mattress, and a fully-stocked refrigerator. His house was average sized, but seemed so much bigger because of its emptiness. Thomas kept it clean. He liked it better that way.

He rubbed his jaw, wishing he could shave. The closest he could get to a shave was stubble. The razor would tug and pull on the hairs, causing Thomas so much discomfort. Once he couldn't stand it any longer, and stopped half way. He looked ridiculous for a long time. In the end, he just trimmed his 'beard' with a pair of safety scissors. Thomas looked at Moeteski when he thought Mo wasn't looking. He nodded in satisfaction. Mo would look good when he got cleaned up. Actually, he'd be most handsome. Thomas threw his arm around Mo, trying to smile, but it probably came out as a grimace. "You can take the bedroom. I don't want it." He started leading them out of the smelly street, and in the direction of his house. Thomas didn't sleep that much, and when he did, it was during the day, and never on a mattress. He couldn't stand the sheets touching him, hence the stripped mattress. Then Thomas tried sleeping on the mattress, but had to sleep fully clothed. It got too hot, and he ended up sleeping standing up, which turned out to be more comfortable than he thought.

He wondered if Mo would like his neighbor hood. Sure, a couple of his neighbors found him suspicious, and bringing MoMo home would only make it worse. They'd ask questions, and think he took home random hobos. His neighbors never trusted him around their kids, though he really, really liked kids. Thom was good with animals, and children were just another kind of animal to him. One of the dogs got closer to him as they walked to Thom's house, and he couldn't help but hyper-ventilate. He clenched his teeth, and set his hand on the dogs head. It calmed down, and stopped panting. With it's tongue out of sight, Thom relaxed. Maybe these dogs weren't that bad. They seemed smarter than any pit bull. "MoMo.." He patted Moeteski's shoulder "It's good to have you back."

[Waddle]

Mo's brow furrowed as he saw Thomas's reaction to the question. A bad experience, probably. Or the man was just afraid. A good fear. Shrugging, Mo gave the dogs a stern look. They had their backs to him, both instead still turned to where Red and August had disappeared moments earlier. As if sensing his stare at their backs, they turned and both tails wagged happily. He couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Animals always fascinated him. These seemed like very smart dogs. Growing up on the streets probably had only two options: get smart of say your good-byes. Someone had told him that a hard life makes a man (in this case, two dogs) appreciate what he has. These dogs had only had each other. Well, assuming they actually had grown up on the streets, and that they were either long-term friends or litter-mates. He wanted to ask them about their past, what it was like. But he could only guess.

Mo laughed at Thom's almost worry about the state of his house. "Anything's better than out here, trust me." He beamed. Anything would be better than out here. "Thought, to be honest, it wasn't that bad, really." He scratched his left eye yet again, realized how many times he'd done that in the past couple of minutes, and forced his hand back to his side. Why did it always itch? Something about the chemicals in his skin, somehow, maybe. The doctors had said itching was a possible after-affect. It didn't bother him much, there was no harm to it. Just doing the same thing so many times a day made his skin raw, and the itch never went away completely, making the situation worse if he tried to itch it. Nothing he had ever tried had helped the itch, either. Though, he had grown up in South Africa; maybe they had some other sort of medication here in Canada. Too much trouble, he decided.

Mo let himself be led away, the dogs trailing. The touch looked more like it hurt Thomas, from his grimace he tried to pass as a smile. Moeteksi gently pulled away. "If it bothers you, dear young Thomas, don't put your arm around me!" He laughed easily. He knew Thomas didn't like physical contact, and didn't want him to suffer... or whatever pain or discomfort he felt from touch to bother him on Mo's part.

He relaxed even more, if that was possible, as he tried to think of a reply to that. 'It's good to be back' weren't the right words. 'It's good to have you back' with emphasis on 'you' weren't right either. He released the drawn breath and decided on his words as the air hissed through his teeth. "It's good to be here."