#illegal activity

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Specs didn’t mind the first blow.

In fact, he didn’t seem to mind the second, or the third one, but before he knew it he was struggling out of a cop’s grip. At this point he couldn’t even tell what he was being hit with, he could feel a sting in his ribs and holy shit , was that a brass knuckle? He felt himself getting dizzy, his legs slowly giving up below him and he knew if he wasn’t being held up he’d be laying on the streets. Specs wasn’t a fighter, not really. He wasn’t a lover either, he supposed he just fell somewhere in between, or nowhere at all. But when he saw those bulls running towards Romeo, just as he’d managed to get himself off the ground, sirens went off in his head. He had to get him out of there, somehow, even if it meant fighting them off himself. He cried out in pain when he felt a baton to his stomach, he’d given up on defending himself, feeling far too weak to fight back. It was a miracle he was still awake, really.

Just as Specs thought it was hopeless for him, that he was about to die right then and there in some bull’s grip in the middle of the street, he felt himself fall to the ground. They’d let go of him, Specs blinked and he could see Finch and Tommy going after them with a plank of wood they’d broken off a carriage earlier. His eyes fluttered as he struggled to keep them open, he tried to get up. He needed to get up and find Romeo, what if he was hurt? What if he was taken away? But his legs were no help and everything was too bright, he felt his head spin. Maybe he could get up in just a minute…

“Specs?” He was pulled out of his daze by a voice, getting closer and closer to him. “Specs, shit, get up! We has to go!” It’s Romeo. Romeo was here, he was talking to him, he wasn’t hurt.

“Romeo.” He grabbed on the boy’s arm, supporting himself and attempting to stand up once more. “We needs to get you out of here.”

“No, we needs to get you out of here. Here, just…” Romeo glanced between them for a moment, Specs was much taller and heavier than him, he couldn’t exactly carry him back to the lodge. He dragged him to his feet, making sure to keep him supported. “Just- Just lean on me, like that, okay? I ain’t falling, so don’t worry. We just has to get away from here.”

Specs nodded, gripping onto Romeo for dear life, quite literally, as they tried to hurry their way out of the fight scene and into an alley behind Jacobi’s, tripping and stumbling in the process. Romeo kept one hand around Specs’ waist, hoping to offer even a tiny bit of help moving him away, before they finally made it out safe, Specs sitting down on the dirty pavement against the wall. Only once they stopped did he notice the horrified expression on the boy’s face, or how he was bleeding under his cap as he crouched over him. “You’s hurt.” He reached for his cap, pulling it off.

“ I’s hurt?” Romeo looked at him wide-eyed. “Specs, are you insane? You’s- Jesus, I gotta- Take off your shirt.”

“Jeez, Ro, take me to dinner first.” Specs chuckled weakly.

“Oh, no w you’s funny.” Romeo rolled his eyes as he helped Specs out of his shirt, inspecting the bruises on his torso. He quickly averted his eyes, a frown in his face, choosing to focus on the bleeding on his forehead instead like he was originally planning on. “Okay, I just have to, like…” He balled up Specs’ shirt and pressed it against the wound in his head. “That should, uh, that should stop the bleeding. Race sent Buttons to Medda’s to get us all help, you’ll be fine, yeah?”

“Thinks I broke a rib.” Specs groaned, clutching his side. “Can I sleep?”

“No, no, you absolutely cannot.” Romeo removed the fabric for a second, taking a look at Specs’ forehead. “Hey, this is gonna hurt, but I gots to see if you broke your rib.” Specs nodded and Romeo placed his hand on his torso, causing him to wince. “Can ya takes a deep breath?”

As Specs struggled to do so, the slightest bit of relief showed on Romeo’s face. “Thinks it’s just bruised, you’s lucky. We’ll, uh, we’ll put some ice on it, I’ll ask Jacobi, alright? You jus’ stay awake for a moment, I’ll be right back.” Specs smiled at him in confirmation and Romeo knocked on the back door of the deli, Jacobi letting him in a second later.

He hadn’t realized how much time had passed before Romeo came back, a pack of ice in hand, but it surely must’ve been way less than it felt like. His head had stopped bleeding and he was starting to get less dizzy, but he still felt tired, he could’ve slept right where he was sitting. “Hey, Specs.” Romeo snapped his fingers in his face. “Eyes open, Specsy, I’ve got ice.” He slowly placed the pack on Specs’ torso right over the bruise.

“It’s cold.” Specs frowned.

“Yeah, no shit, it’s ice.” Romeo grinned at him. “Man, for the smartest of us you really ain’t very smart.”

“Shut up.” Specs smiled. “Can I at least have my shirt back?”

“Your shirt has blood on it.”

“ ‘Least give me the flannel I had over.” Romeo handed him his flannel and Specs pulled it back on, hastily doing the buttons and pulling his suspenders over it. He whined when Romeo plopped the ice pack back on the bruise over his shirt. “It’s still cold.”

“Don’t bruise ya ribs next time. You feels any better?” Romeo grinned when Specs nodded at him.

“Still feels like crap, but I’s awake.” He looked at Romeo who had sat next to him, cuddled on his arm and smiled. “Hey, thanks. Ya tooks good care of me.” He pressed a kiss to the shorter boy’s head.

“Well, I ain’t done nothing, we gots to wait for Buttons to actually patch you up.” Romeo chuckled.

“Yeah, but I ain’t dead, am I?” Specs slightly moved so he could wrap his arm around him. “Let’s just sit here for a moment, yeah?”

“Mhm, yeah.”  Romeo hummed in agreement carefully leaning his head on Specs’ shoulder, relaxing a bit when no sign of pain or discomfort came from him. He sighed, a smile playing at his lips as he looked at their surroundings. “This alley’s fuckin’ nasty.”