𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 | 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐳 ✅

ｔｅｎ

sorry it's been a minute

"Um-Go sit on the table over there. I'll fix you up." Marcus' eyes follow Benny's form as he runs off somewhere else in his house, leaving the confused boy in the kitchen. Holding onto his nose he gives the kitchen a quick glance, admiring how it looks both clean and messy at the same time. Moving towards the small island in the center of the room, he moves the tupperware to the side before hopping onto the counter. A silent groan passes through his teeth, his shoulders tensing before relaxing the slightest bit. Leaning to his right, he grabs a few paper towels, his coated hands already through soaking some of them. Forming them into a ball, he cautiously places it on his nose, a hiss leaving him when he does so. Still, he bites his tongue, placing it on there to slow the bleeding a bit more.

"Alright." Benny gets back, making Marcus look over at him. He spots a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cloth in one hand, and some band-aids and gauze in the other. "Move your hand, Mark." He doesn't obey, instead, raising a brow at the nickname. He's barely known him for a day yet he has a nickname already?

Weirdo.

"Mark? Marcus?" Benny waves his hand in front of his face, finally gaining the boy's attention. "I need you to move your hand." The words roll off his tongue slowly and cautiously, his tone soft as if he's talking to a puppy. Marcus opens his mouth to snap back at him, only to bite his own tongue. 

 Let him help, then leave. It won't take long.

 With that thought, Marcus moves the paper towel from his nose. The muscles in his face twitch slightly, feeling the stinging sensation spreading from his nose to the rest of his features.

 His eyes follow Benny's movements guardedly, watching him wet the cloth with the alcohol. Gradually, the fabric gets closer and closer to Marcus' dark skin before Benny gently dabs the wound. He tries his best not to flinch, his open hand forming into a fist on his lap, instead. Benny continues dabbing the wound, cleaning it of any bacteria that could've made its way there. After a bit, the cloth moves elsewhere along his face, wiping away the blood that resides on his skin. Soon, Benny can see the tension ease in Mark's shoulders, his dark, strong brown eyes becoming almost soft and doe-like.

 Pulling himself away from the dark skin, he goes to grab the band-aids and gauze he placed on the counter. He hastily moves to place the gauze on the bridge of his nose, not giving Mark enough time to react as he secures it with a band-aid. He then moves to place a few more band-aids on his cheek and brow, spotting the smaller cuts as he was wiping his face.

 "Sorry," Benny mumbles, tossing the boxes onto the counter. He takes a few steps back, putting space between him and the boy. Taking a moment, Marcus hops up onto the counter behind him, eyeing the boy.

 He takes a second to digest the apology, it coming out of the blue to him. Once it sinks in, though, he gives a small shrug. Turning his eyes away from Benny, he murmurs, "Doesn't matter."

 "But it does," he retorts, gaining Marcus' attention. "I want to make it up to you," he adds. A smirk forms on Marcus' face instantly, a chuckle leaving him.

 "You want to buy me a new nose?" he jokes. It eases the awkward tension between them, creating a smile on Benny's face.

 "I'll buy you dinner," he bargains.

 "Any good places around here?"

 "I know a diner in town we could walk to." Seeing the slightest hint uncertainty, Benny adds, "They have great burgers!" in hopes of sweetening the deal. It seems to have done the trick, watching his eyes shine as he gives a toothy grin.

 And soon they sit at the diner that Marcus was in yesterday. He tries to stay calm, but still gives a glance or two at the counter, afraid he'll see the orange-skinned lady once more.

 "You okay?" Benny's voice gains his attention, making him turn his attention to him. The dark boy gives a soft reassuring smile, a silent nod following. It makes a small grin form on Benny's face, his gaze moving to the table between them. It makes Marcus lean over the table, not being able to see the boy beneath his baseball cap.

 "You might want to take your hat off. We're indoors," Marcus states, trying his best to meet Benny's eyes. He's able to once he tilts his head up the slightest bit. He takes his hat off and tosses it onto the table, his hair falling in front of his face. Still, his eyes meet Marcus' for a moment. It makes the latter grin as he sits back in his seat, his grin slowly forming into a smirk. "You're blushing," he points out quietly, waving his finger at Benny's red cheeks. The boy doesn't respond, instead hiding his face behind his hands. It makes Marcus bite his tongue, not wanting to laugh out loud.

 "Alright, what do you boys-" Marcus turns his head, and when he felt the blood drain from his face he swore he looked white for at least a split second.

 Son of a whore.

 "Hey baby," she greets, her words dragged out like how his mother dragged him across the country.

 ...too soon.

 He gives Benny a quick glance, seeing his brows scrunched in confusion. His attention is on Marcus, eyes narrowed the slightest bit while he tries to figure out what's going on. Marcus doesn't give him an answer, instead, placing a fake smile on that Benny notices immediately, before turning to speak to the orange-skinned lady.

 "I think there was a misunderstanding the last time I came into this establishment." His words come out soft and slow, like the woman he's speaking to is made of glass. Her eyes only narrow at his words, creating at least a hundred more wrinkles around her eyes. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of her face. "I'm underage, miss," he states quietly. After a moment she slowly stands up straight, eyes narrowing the slightest bit more at the dark skin. "Can my friend and I here get two of your finest burgers. I don't want any onions on mine. And two cokes please." He gives a tight-lipped smile as he watches her scribble words on her notepad while she grumbles incoherent words beneath her breath. After a moment she walks off, her heeled shoes slamming against the tiled floor.  Once she's out of view Marcus can only let out a sigh of relief, happy to have had dodged that bullet.

 "What was-"

 "She tried to hit on me yesterday," he bluntly states, rubbing his face tiredly. Once he brings his hands down from his face, he sees Benny nodding his head. A loud thud makes the two flinch, turning to see their cokes on the table while the lady stomps away from the table once more.

 "I think you pissed her off." Marcus can only respond with a deadpan look, one that makes Benny laugh silently. Biting his bottom lip, Marcus hides the smile trying to form on his lips, finding it growing as he watches the happiness on Benny's face.

 K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

 The thought makes him shake his head, allowing his lip to escape from his front teeth. Giving Benny another glance, he felt a sinking feeling form in his gut but ignores it once the latter opens his mouth, sparking up a conversation about Babe Ruth.

 Of course he would.