The Dutch Boy [BxB]

S I X

"Your dog did what?"

I scratched the back of my neck bashfully, my eyes on the black lab's polished, shiny eyes and wet nose, his pink tongue hanging out of his mouth. He was laying on a metal table in a clean, white room, the walls furnished with glass cabinets holding a multitude of medication. Milo was watching me expectantly, waiting patiently for an explanation. "The neighbours were having a barbecue so he tried jumping over the fence and ended up landing...landing on a toddler and...and they both rolled into the pool and I think his leg's broken."

Milo's brows shot up in surprise as he suppressed the urge to laugh, "Right." He replied, biting his lip.

"It's okay, you can laugh." I sighed in defeat. "He's an idiot."

Milo chuckled, his eyes drifting between Bugsy and I. "As long as I've got your permission."

"Is this gonna cost a lot?"

Milo tilted his head to the side in contemplation, "Yeah, probably. We'll send the bill to your parents, we've already got them on the system." He glanced down at his watch, "My Mother should be here soon. She'll fix him up, don't worry."

"L-Luca?"

We both spun around at the sound of the door creaking open. I smiled warmly at a shy looking Theodore, wearing one of his usual baggy jumpers, a box of supplies clutched under his grip. "Hey." I greeted politely.

"W-What're you doing here?" He asked, fiddling with his sleeves after dropping the heavy box onto the worktop.

I jerked my head towards my dog, his tail wagging frantically as he licked Milo's hand. "My dog...he, uh..." I wanted to laugh just thinking about how absurd Bugsy's accident was. "He's just a little clumsy." I said.

Theodore scratched Bugsy behind the ear, then glanced back up at me with those big green eyes of his, "At least he's cute, right?"

"Teddy, what are you doing here anyway?" Milo interrupted, "It's your day off."

"Dad wanted me to d-drop off some stuff." He responded shyly.

"Well, get out of here." Milo shot back, "You too, Bakker. Your dog's in good hands."

"You're sure I shouldn't stay?" I asked, messing with Bugsy's floppy ears.

"Nah. You can pick him up in a couple of hours. Go do something with Teddy while you wait-"

Theodore blushed violently, "Y-You don't have to-"

"Sounds great." I chirped. "C'mon." I didn't wait for a response before giving Bugsy one last scratch and turning on my heels, leaving Theodore with no choice but to follow me. "What'd you wanna do? I think there's a bowling place round the corner or a-?"

He tugged on my sleeve, pulling me back before I could leave the store, "L-Luca, you don't have to do this." He told me softly. "M-Milo just...he thinks I-I need friends, but seriously, you don't-"

"Do you?" I rose a brow, "Need friends, I mean."

He looked down at his feet, and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, I-I just...I..."

"You turning me down?" I asked sarcastically, changing the subject, "You don't wanna hang out with me, is that it?" I teased.

"What...? No! N-No, it's just that...t-trust me, y-you don't want to spend your time with m-me-"

"And why not?" I challenged, my arms folded tightly over my chest as I waited for an answer that didn't end up depreciating his self worth any more.

"I-I just...people like you...don't usually hang out w-with people like me."

I rolled my eyes, dismissing his comment and pushing down the feeling of guilt growing in my chest. He really thought that? "Stop that." I snapped, realising just how angry his words had made me. "Stop thinking that because people have treated you like shit, it means you deserve it. You don't, alright?" I demanded roughly. "So, where do you want to go?"