Street Art (Kodi)

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Takes place immediately after the events in THIS thread.

Jackson never made it home. He'd run right past the apartment building, despite being tired and out of breath. His fingers were starting to shake, so he stopped by the convenience store and picked up some soda and a few snacks.

Dammit, Rue...you were supposed to treat, and now I have to to spend my own money! Because that was the important thing...

He kept walking as he ate, uncaring about how much it was. He'd get sick later. Whoop-dee-doo. He'd take his medicine soon, probably, if he remembered. As he passed through a residential area, he crossed over the grass to one of the bigger looking houses. Were they home? He couldn't tell, it was dark both inside and out, and their security light seemed to be out. Whatever, just made it easier for him. Jackson slipped past the side of the house into the backyard. What was he even looking for? Jackson didn't know. Well...he'd know when he saw it.

Ah, there was a shed. He headed towards it and tried the knob. Locked. With a growl, he stared intensely at the doorknob until he heard a click, then tried again. Hmph. Having telekinesis did come in handy sometimes. When it decided to work. Seemed to be working fine now, so whatever, he'll take it.

He'll also take a generous helping of those spray cans he hoped would be in there. Had they been in the garage, Jackson would've been out of luck, probably. Lucky for him, these rich dumbfucks were affluent enough to build their own toolshed in the backyard to keep all of that industrious supplies.

A dog started barking and Jackson released a few choice words in his surprise. A light turned on. He tossed what he could into the bag he got from the convenience store and bolted over the backyard fence and into the alley behind the houses. He skid, and slipped, but was back up and running in almost no time at all. One of the cans rolled behind him, having fallen out of the bag. Whatever, wasn't worth going back for.

Now what? Where to? There weren't a whole lot of options here in Pilot Ridge. Not like in Albuquerque, where you could barely find a clean wall anymore. There was a park. One of those with grass and a playground and one of those steel merry-go-rounds that they took out of all the playgrounds back home already because there were too many stupid kids getting flung off of them. This was fine. There were walls. And surfaces. And concrete.

Jackson pulled out a can and considered his palette a moment. Then he started to spray.

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Just because Kodi had an angel for a boyfriend, had newly reunited with his mother, and discovered his had a toddling little four-year-old sister didn’t mean he was a completely changed guy.

He still had issues. Lots of them. And he still got into trouble, sometimes on purpose, sometimes unintentionally, just for the hell of it to make life interesting. No way could the dentokinetic imagine himself living a completely domestic life. Even with a boyfriend as easy-going and supportive as Gryphon, the bratty-faced boy still needed to get out and release some tense energy every once in a while.

He did, at least, keep up on his promise to try to drink and party less, and get into fewer fights, and so far he was doing alright. It was a struggle sometimes, but he figured it was worth it. And he didn’t completely deny himself anything – in fact, tonight, as he wandered to a blank section of wall near a park that he’d spotted a while back with a couple of spray cans in a knapsack and his red-dyed hair messy against his forehead, he also carried a six-pack of beers. Just for the hell of it; not enough to get drunk on, just a little tipsy. Because why not? He was done with school for a month, and he didn’t need to go into work tomorrow. Gryph was busy with something or other that Kodi wasn’t involved with, so he had to find some way to entertain himself.

He hadn’t been tagging in a while, so he was kind of looking forward to it. Just him and the smell of chemicals, late into the night… mmm. As far as his mom didn’t happen to take Belle to this particular park tonight, Kodi felt no guilt about making the city a little more colorful, in his way. Unfortunately, as he rounded the corner, he stopped in his tracks when he saw that his spot had already been taken by some blonde kid. Automatically, he started to hackle up, but before he could yell at the kid to move out of the way, Kodi managed to reason with himself that there was no way the guy knew that the dentokinetic had claimed the spot earlier.

So instead of a harsh introduction that he might have given a year ago, Kodi took a deep breath and approached the guy, who looked a tad familiar. “… Think there’s enough room for two?” he asked, pulling out one of his own spray cans and shaking it. Kodi sat his bag down and pulled out the case of beers, popping one open and taking a sip. After a moment, he nodded at the remaining bottles. “Want one?” Apparently he was in a generous mood.

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Jackson wasn’t an artist….well, he wasn’t a great artist, but that didn’t mean he didn’t try. Nor did it mean he didn’t know what it was he wanted to paint.

Of course he knew he shouldn’t be doing this. If he got caught, his grams would cry something awful. Rue would probably also be disappointed in him….

Fuck Rue. That jerk left him behind. He just….fucking….!

The thought of Rue brought back memories from that afternoon, and he felt his chest start to tighten. His movements on the wall became a little more furious. He was about two second from just outright throwing the can at the wall just to see if it would explode. What would it look like if it did? That’s some art, he thought with a smirk.

He was startled out of his zone of concentration when some other kid stepped up beside him and started talking. Huh? Room for two? What? Jackson looked down at the bag the red-haired punk had brought, watching him extract his own supply of spray paints. And beer.

Fuck off, he wanted to say, but he just frowned in the guy’s direction. “Whatever, sure,” he said instead, turning back to the wall. “It’s a free country, isn’t it? And it’s not like I inscribed my name on this wall or anything….” Jackson smirked. “At least….not yet.” Yeah, he had his own signature. There were plenty of places back in the ‘burque where it sat proudly. Here, not so much.

He considered the offer a moment. Jackson hadn’t tried drinking before, honestly. Smoking, yes. Drinking, no. At the moment, he wasn’t in much the mood to care. “Sure,” he said, stopping his work for a moment to grab himself one of the bottles. He popped it open and gave it a taste. Jackson made a face. “Fuck….this tastes like piss.” People drank this regularly? He took another sip anyway.

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Huh… This kid looked kinda irked, Kodi thought. He had a scowl on his face, and his movements were pretty erratic. He wondered if he was on some kind of drugs or something. Meh, whatever, he’d probably dealt with worse before. And he wanted to paint here, dammit! He wasn’t gonna let some scrawny blonde kid stop him.

“Heh, alright,” he replied when the other guy ‘gave him permission’. If he hadn’t, then Kodi might have gotten a little more aggressive (little did he know the blonde had already seen too much violence that day). “Yup, ‘Murica, home of the brave and free and all that shit,” he snorted. Kodi wondered what this guy’s deal was. There weren’t really any gangs in town as far as he knew, and this guy didn’t particularly look the type anyway. “Well, you write whatever you damn well please, I’ll stick to my piece of wall over here,” he replied with a small roll of his eyes. “You do this often? I ain’t seen a lot of taggin’ around town other than my own.” There was some, but not much. This town was a bunch of stuck-up pricks. Hmph.

He chuckled as the guy accepted his offer of a drink, setting aside his own momentarily to shake his can and start to work. “What? Never had a beer before?” he replied with a raised brow. “Shit’s not cheap, so don’t waste it, alright?” Kodi started spraying, and fairly soon it was pretty obvious he was making something phallic. Like usual. Bah, so what if kids played around here, it wasn’t like they would know what it was, and it would likely be painted over soon enough anyway. His mom’s apartment was pretty far from here too, so he didn’t think he needed to worry about protecting Belle too much.

“…. So… Had a shitty day or what?” he asked after a while. Kodi didn’t much like awkward silences, so at least he was trying to make some form of conversation. See, he was getting better! “I mean, unless you always have that constipated look on your face.” … Okay, maybe not a lot better.

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His blood sugar was probably through the roof by now. Shit, he forgot to take his medicine. Oh well, Jackson didn’t feel like being diabetic today…..which could cost him his life if he didn’t do something eventually, so he made a mental note to do something about it next time he took a break.

“Sometimes,” he replied. “Haven’t done much here. Did more back home, though.” Back home he could get away with it easier. Here…Pleasantville would likely have a cow knowing they had these sort of hoodlums in their town, but as long as they didn’t get caught, it wasn’t a problem, right?

The company was….well, Jackson didn’t know if he appreciated it or just wanted to be left alone. Probably the latter, but he also didn’t have the energy to tell the guy to get lost. And besides, the guy brought beer. “That mean I can’t have one now?” he asked in response to the question, taking in another sip of the piss-drink. “Tastes like shit, but if people drink it, then I’m assuming it’s not gonna kill me.” At least not right away. Because alcohol poisoning was totally a thing. “And I’m not that picky.” If he got drunk, would that make him feel better? His uncle seemed to think so, the fat bastard.

Jackson stared at what was gradually becoming a picture on the wall before the red-haired kid. “Can you be any more unoriginal?” he said blandly. “Kids come to this place.” Though…that did give Jackson an idea, and he smirked as he looked towards his bag and floated the other cans of paint over. His power was working pretty well today. May as well enjoy it while it lasted. “Extra, in case you need it,” he said. “As thanks for the beer.” And Jackson had some muse now, and wanted to get it done quickly. For that, he was going to need some extra hands, and both of his right now were occupied by a bottle of beer and can of green spray paint.

He chuckled at Kodi’s remark. “No, I don’t,” he said, looking up at his slowly developing masterpiece. “You’re right, had a shitty day, had to let off some steam.” Even that was an understatement. It was a little more than ‘shitty’ for him. “Better I take it out on the wall than go home and take it out on my grams, right?” Thus far, she’d never seen him like this, and Jackson had no intention of letting her. Ever. “What about you? What’s your story?” he asked.

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Kodi looked over at the kid, mildly interested. “Yeah? Where you from?” he asked curiously. “Heh… I grew up in the sticks in the middle of nowhere down South, they prob’ly would’ve hung me up t’dry if I tried taggin’ there.” He’d been a quiet, obedient little bookworm back then too; tagging had never even crossed his mind.

Kodi typically preferred doing this sort of thing alone, but he found he didn’t mind this too much, as long as the kid didn’t end up being a brat or something. He doubted he would be telling Gryphon about this. “Nah, you can have it, just drink the whole bottle an’ don’t dump it,” he drawled with a chuckle. “It ain’t gonna kill you, should just make you feel a little less shitty.” Kodi squinted over at him. “How old are you? I ain’t gonna get in trouble with some authority for givin’ a minor alcohol, am I?” As long as the kid didn’t tattle, but considering he was already breaking the law, the dentokinetic doubted that. He picked up his own bottle and took another swig.

He snickered at the guy’s comment. “What? I ain’t all that great of an artist, but I’ve seen plenty of these in my life, so I think I got ‘em pretty well down. Kids ain’t even gonna pay attention.” Kodi glanced over and watched as the kid’s cans of paint suddenly appeared to be… Floating. Shit, this guy was a meta. “Thanks… Uh, hey, you go t’Hammel?” he asked curiously. “I thought y’looked a little bit familiar.” Telekinetics made the Chinese boy a little nervous, similarly to telepaths, because his father had especially preached against metas that could do things with their mind. He tried not to let it show.

Kodi started doodling out some letters. “Ah,” he replied with a grunt. “Sounds like a good plan t’me. Even I’m against violence towards old people.” He drank some more beer as he worked. “Eh? Me?” he asked, glancing over. “Meh… My boyfriend’s off doin’ somethin’ I wasn’t invited to, an’ I was bored, so I ended up here,” he explained with a shrug. “If you’re askin’ for a life story… That’s way too long an’ borin’ for you t’want to hear.” He sprayed a little more. “… Name’s Kodi, by the way,” he offered.

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“New Mexico,” he said simply, then slid his eyes over to the other boy. “That’s that big chunk of desert people forget about between Texas and California.” Arizona was in there too somewhere, they would know, but New Mexico? Apparently they were just a void on the maps. “You ever watch Breaking Bad?” he asked, turning back to his painting. “I….can’t say…it’s inaccurate. Can’t walk twenty feet without running into one tag or another.” Surprising for a big town masquerading as a small city.

Jackson shrugged a shoulder, looking down at the bottle. “That’s what I’m trying to do,” he said matter-of-factly. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at the next question, though. “And if I was only 16, what would you do? Tell my mommy?” If he could find her, that is. He sighed and took another drink. “Y’know, you’ll only get in trouble if you get caught. And the only way we’ll get caught, is if you go blabbing to someone you shouldn’t. So quit asking stupid questions you already know the answer to.” Because those were were obvious to any dumbfuck with half a brain.

He raised an eyebrow at the admission to seeing…those kinds of things enough in his life. “Kids still have eyes, y’know. And so do their parents….” Whatever, if this guy wanted to draw a giant dick on the wall, then that was his choice. Jackson wasn’t much better with what he was painting, which was starting after a while to look very Kermit-y and open-mouth-y towards the phallic picture beside it. Jackson smirked as he concentrated on spraying his cans with his mind. Look ma! No hands! he wanted to glee. “Yeah I go there. That’s not a problem, is it?” He knew some people were pretty uptight about metas, and if this kid was, then Jackson didn’t want anything to do with him.

Though…he supposed he shouldn’t talk too much. He was pretty uptight about certain things himself. Kodi so casually admitted to having a boyfriend and Jackson….wasn’t sure how to feel about that. How could he be so casual about it? Like it wasn’t…?

He knew he didn’t blame Rue or Finn or Phen for having or having had male partners before, but they were also all well aware of his hangups about the practice of homosexuality. Mostly to do with his family. What he was about to bring up was an issue too, but only a fraction of it. “Your boyfriend, huh…?” he said, licking his lips. Then he made a sideways glance at Kodi when he was done introducing himself. “You know homosexuality’s a sin, right?” Jackson wasn’t trying to be condemning, but more informational. Because most gays he knew didn’t have religion. They probably didn’t know. At least, that's what he assumed.

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“I know where New Mexico is,” Kodi chuckled when the kid described it. “I ain’t as stupid as I look or sound, y’know.” Though that was the effect he usually went for to hide how much of a nerd he was, so at least it was working. “Huh… Ain’t seen the show, but I’ll take your word for it,” he drawled back. “Must be a lotta gangs an’ shit there, huh?” At least, that’s what he’d heard.

He snickered at the kid’s sassy response. Damn, this guy was a riot! “’Course not, I’m not all too keen t’go to jail,” Kodi replied as he worked. “Just tryin’ t’make some damn conversation. ‘Least I’m in a good mood.” Otherwise he might be getting hackled up over this kid’s snark. “Y’might wanna be careful who you go growlin’ at with that mouth of yours, though. A year ago I mighta socked you one for bein’ an ass.” He’d started fights over less, after all.

Kodi shrugged, not stopping what he was doing. “Meh. It’ll prob’ly get painted over in a couple days anyway, ain’t gonna hurt anyone.” His eyes slid over to watch what the other guy was working on, and he had to laugh. “You’re just makin’ it worse,” he accused, snickering. He determined he liked the kid, even if the floating spray can was a little eerie. “Eh? Nah, s’just that I go there too. Sucks about as much as every other school, though.” Kodi flashed his teeth and sharpened them for a few moments to show off. “And I’m stuck there for another damn year, fuck me.” At least he only had one or two classes he needed to work on, which meant plenty of free time to work and shit.

Kodi waited for the kid to respond with his own name after he’d introduced himself, but what he said made the dentokinetic stop and look at him in mild surprise. Sure, he’d met plenty of homophobic people in his life, and was used to scorn about his sexuality, but typically from older white men and women. Still… “Well… Yeah, it is,” he replied a little slowly. “But my all-knowing preacher father also says bein’ meta is a sin, and I ain’t got any control over that either, so I figure I might as well enjoy what I like ‘fore I go to Hell.” He huffed and kept spraying. “’Sides, you’re the one drawin’ somethin’ about to suck on a cock, so I don’t think you should be talkin’.” Kodi smirked and glanced over at the kid. “Somethin’ tells me you’re hidin’ somethin’ from yourself. Shit, I did that for years ‘til I finally escaped the shitty place I was living in.” Yup, this guy definitely set off Kodi’s gaydar, and he was pretty accurate with it in the past.

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“Really? Because you sound pretty stupid, with that hick accent of yours.”  Jackson sent him a half-smile, to show he was just joking.  “Nah, I’ve heard people who talk perfectly fine sound like complete idiots before, so I get what you’re saying. I just get tired of the lame jokes. ‘Oh, do you smoke meth?’ ‘Do you use pesos?’  ‘What was wrong with the old Mexico?’”  Jackson’s voice had heightened into a falsetto as he listed off the crap he got the most from said idiots.  He nodded slightly. “Yeah….”  There were a lot of gangs and shit.  Yeeey….
 
Jackson managed a halfhearted chuckle.  Having some company wasn’t so bad.  Well…no, he did prefer it(even if he was in a bad mood), it was just he didn’t have any friends here in PR that he could do this sort of thing with.  Hardly anyone here was aware of this side of him. Well, he also didn’t go out vandalizing unless he had a really shitty day, and those days had been few since coming to Hammel.  Thankfully.  “A year ago I wouldn’t have been doing this, so…” Pointless to think what they might’ve done a year ago.

The kid was probably right. No matter what they did here, it was going to be covered up at some point by volunteers or community service people. The kind who got to clean parks and roadsides in those orange vests and stuff. They’d come in here and paint over his masterpiece a very shiny white. Just like their faces, no doubt. Was that racist? Probably. “Well…if you’re gonna make it obscene anyway, then why should I hold back?” Logic right there. He should have expected the kid to also go to Hammel, though, considering his hick accent. With that, he had to be imported from somewhere, and nobody moved to Pilot Ridge just because they liked it. “Wicked,” he commented on the teeth. Jackson frowned a little at the next part, though. “But you can go fuck yourself all by yourself, okay? I’m not interested in sticking around if I don’t have to.” Jackson was on the fast track to success! Or so everybody kept telling him. High hopes and all that jazz, right?

Jackson didn’t know why he was so hung up on this guy being gay. He hadn’t given Rue shit, or Finn…or anyone else, just raised a fuss about it applying to himself. Ah, so his father was a preacher. “And I thought I had it bad,” he mumbled, letting the cans settle to the ground. He was getting tired from using his power so much and freely. Jackson didn’t get the chance to exercise it that much, so of course he’d wear out quickly if he kept using it like he was. He stepped back and sat on the merry-go-round nearby, and pulled up a knee to his chest while he continued to nurse the last third of his beer. “….I guess you got a point there.” Which was only about halfway to an admission that Jackson didn’t want to admit. “By the way, your dad’s a jackass and doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You’re not going to hell for being a meta, and you’re not going to hell for being gay.” Of that he was certain. God was the guy he feared least when it came to…to that. His family, on the other hand….

“……I think he needs more bling,” he announced, considering the wall art before them. “What do you think? Maybe put a chain around his neck that says “The Rainbow Connection”.” He chuckled, amused by the connotations.

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“Don’t I?” Kodi replied with an amused smile. “I bet you’d never believe I practically have a dictionary in my head.” He figured someday he might actually use it in normal conversation (and he did occasionally now, such as when he’d interviewed for the job at the book store and typically when he interacted with customers), but he’d got it so stuck in his head that he needed to pretend to be dumb that it was a hard habit to break. He quirked an eyebrow at the kid. “People suck,” he concluded simply. “Even I suck, but mostly cock.” Oooh, he was sooo funny~

He decided this guy wasn’t so bad. Young, maybe, and full of teenage angst, but that just reminded Kodi of what he was like a couple years ago (hell, what he still was sometimes, really). He had to wonder what the kid’s story was, why he was so pissy, like the world had done him wrong (yes, he really reminded Kodi of himself at the moment).

He snickered at the boy’s “logic”, nodding along in agreement. “True enough,” he replied with a side-eyed smile. “Together we can make somethin’ magical~” Kodi waved his arm above his head stupidly, wondering why he was in such a good mood. He’d probably cringe over this later. “You like ‘em?” he asked, glad for the impressed reaction to his teeth. “I can do it to other people too. Hurts like a bitch afterwards though, like a mouth full’a cavities.” Kodi shook his head with a chuckle. “Hopefully I’ll be outta there soon,” he sighed. “That’s what I get for not doin’ any work an’ skippin’ class all the time.” Hell, if he hadn’t missed class and had just done minimal work, he likely would have passed with his natural intelligence. But… nope, he just couldn’t be bothered sometimes. It was entirely his own fault.

“Heh, it ain’t so bad no more,” he replied, shaking the can in his hand before applying a little more, then downing the last of his bottle. “My mom up an’ left him an’ just moved into town, and I just found out I got a little sis I didn’t know existed until now. So, sucks t’be him.” Was Kodi smug about it? Maybe a little. He glanced back when his tagging buddy sat down, and figured he could use a break too, so he snatched up another bottle and plopped down next to him. He watched the expression on the guy’s face, and he went a little solemn. “Hey… Y’know, it’s not so bad, comin’ out,” he drawled slowly. “… Alright that’s a lie, it can really really suck, but once y’get used to it and act like it’s not a big deal, then it ain’t.” Kodi chuckled and leaned back at the kid’s words. “Heh… I dunno. Hard t’believe that when it’s been drilled into my head ever since I could think. But thanks for sayin’ so.” The dentokinetic gave a toothy smile and gave the kid a friendly pat on the shoulder. “You ain’t so bad. Not like most of the other little shits that suck up to everyone that I know.” Ahh, if only Kodi knew how much of a faker Jackson could be…

He looked back to the drawing and squinted thoughtfully. “I think you can do whatever the hell you want an’ it’ll still look sick,” he determined with a grin. Kodi laughed at the last bit. “Perfect. You’re a natural at this shit.” He downed another few gulps of beer. “You go ahead, I think I’m about done with my part. I’ll watch.” Jackson seemed to be more artistic than Kodi anyway, so he was looking forward to how the “masterpiece” turned out.

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“Yeah well, you’re not the only one,” Jackson said with a smirk.  “The idea that all punks are stupid is a fallacy, you’re looking at a straight A student.”  Nobody would ever guess that this was how he really was, behind all the innocent smiles and sucking up.  Not that how Jackson was normally wasn’t him either, this was just him when he was too stressed to give any fucks and keep his snark and hateful opinions to himself.  And did he really just say that?  Jackson made a face in response to the joke, not sure if he should laugh or not.  “Yeah, have fun with that,” he said.  Funny the contrast between that response and how he’d normally react to such a comment.  He could picture his cheeks blooming a full red and then stuttering out something that denied his knowledge of such things.   Rue found it cute….and would probably attack him after reacting like that…
 
Rue….that dummy….what the hell happened to him…?  Jackson wondered if he was alright?  Should he go see him? Or should he just….leave it…?  Jackson sighed and pushed those the memory from his mind along with all thoughts associate with it.  He’d go see Rue…sometime.  Later.  When he wasn’t feeling like shit. 
 
Kodi’s ridiculousness had Jackson laughing.  “Magical? Like what, a unicorn?” Yeah, he didn’t hate this guy either, even if he was crudely open with his obvious gayness.  Jackson considered with a half-smile. “Mmm, yeah, I think I do. I dunno if I’d want them myself, but they look pretty sweet.”  He chuckled. “And like they hurt. You ever bite someone with those?”  He was just curious.  Considering this guy’s attitude, Jackson wouldn’t put it past him.  He shook his head in disappointment.  “It really doesn’t take all that much work.  If you’re that smart, it shouldn’t at least.”  Jackson had a handle on his studies, but he had a tendency to obsess over the final numbers and so probably studied more than he needed to.  If he wasn’t such a natural slacker, then he probably would have even less trouble. 
 
Jackson downed the last of the beer as he listened with….some…interest…at Kodi’s life history.  Even though he just said he wasn’t going to bore Jackson with his life story.  Hmph, liar.  “I guess…I’m glad things are better for you now.”  Seems like his life was going pretty well. So why the hell was he out here being a destructive hoodlum?
 
….great, now Jackson was associating himself as a hoodlum.  He should probably get out of this funk quickly before he really fucked up. 
 
That wasn’t going to be easy, though, especially not with Kodi poking at things he ought to be leaving alone.  “Sorry….not interested,” he said in regards to ‘coming out’.  Not that bad?  Clearly this kid had never met Jackson’s family.  He sighed, and toss floated his beer into a trash can that was chained to a nearby pole.  “My family already gives me enough shit about me being a fucking mestizo already. And cuz my dad’s doing ten to fifteen, they’re convinced I’m no good for nothing and gonna end up in the same place, probably with a knocked up girlfriend that they’re gonna have to put somewhere….” Jackson took long slow breath. “If I….I don’t wanna give them more shit to shit on me over, y’know?”

He managed another smirk and nodded his chin at Kodi’s things. “Got another?” He could use it, the extra beer. “But…yeah…God’s the last person I’m worried about right now. That’s why he had his son die for us, to absolve us of sin so we don’t have to worry about him being pissed cuz we slip up or cuz we’re gay or whatever. We’re not perfect, if he wanted us to be perfect, he would’ve made us that way, right?” He chuckled and dropped his head with a small shake. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off preaching…it’s just something my mom would tell me whenever I fucked up with something.” Jackson wondered where she was, if she was doing alright? Was she even still alive? He hoped so… “Thanks,” he said with a roll of his eyes at the praise. If only he knew…Jackson was the king of sucking up.

With his attention turned back to the ‘masterpiece’, Jackson hummed in thought. “Guess so….” He glanced at Kodi. “You’re pretty crap at it anyway.” That horrid phallus was going to ruin it as it was, Jackson was going to have to work to make it presentable. “…Kodi, right?” Yes, he had been paying attention earlier, take that! “Jackson,” he said finally, the corner of his mouth turning upward. “Nice vandalizing with you.” Oh, he was so funny~

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Kodi rose an eyebrow at the kid. “Really now? Huh, I guess you’re right.” That was something they didn’t have in common, then. He wondered why Jackson tried for such good grades. No one could slack off as much as Kodi had assumed this guy did and get all As. He did snicker, though, at Jackson’s reaction to the other bit. “Oh I do,” he replied with a sly smile. “Just ask my boyfriend.” Though knowing Gryphon, he’d probably get all awkward and laugh and blush if approached about Kodi’s sucking skills.

“Aw yea, a unicorn,” he snickered. “Can’t get any more gay than that.” Kodi was definitely the crude kind, even with strangers (strangers that set off his gaydar, mind you). He fiddled with one of his teeth as they went dull, pleased with the response. “No problem,” he replied. “Glad you like ‘em, though. Most people freak out when I go all Jaws on ‘em.” The question had him feeling half-guilty and half-nostalgic. “Uhh… Yeah, I have,” he admitted with a half-grin. “And not just once. Not for a while, though.” Nope, he was a good boy now, thanks to Gryph (okay not really all that good but he was working on it still!!)

Whoops, he’d gone and drawled out more than he’d intended to, hadn’t he? “Thanks,” he replied nonchalantly. “My mom’d have my scalp if she knew I was doin’ this… Nearly scalped me when I dyed my hair, actually,” he snorted. Jiang was still getting used to his piercings and tattoos, let alone Kodi’s often-changing hairstyles. Another hard habit to break.

Yeah, okay, maybe that had been bad advice. Still, Kodi would encourage all the little gaybies he met to come out and get laid because that was just… so much better than being a sad little closeter. “Meh, in your own time,” he replied with a small shrug and another sip of beer. He listened to the kid prattle off about his own issues. “Your dad’s in jail?” he replied, curious. “What’d he do?” So sue him, he was nosy. “Just… Don’t do what he did an’ you should be fine,” he replied helpfully. “Your family is shit for thinkin’ you’ll make the same mistakes just like that. Kids ain’t always their parents.” Kodi was a good example of that, though only because he’d escaped them.

“Yeah, here, knock yourself out,” he replied, reaching down and tossing the kid another bottle. “… Don’t really though, I ain’t gonna be responsible if you pass out from your first few drinks.” Kodi listened a little sullenly as Jackson gave his two cents, trying to imagine how his dad might argue. But it sounded so nice, he didn’t want to retort how his old man would. “Heh… If you say so, kid,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I was told all my life if I just tried hard enough and prayed hard enough that this shit – thinkin’ gay thoughts an’ violence and shit – would disappear. But no amount of that shit ever made a difference. Dad figures I’m just his punishment for whatever sins he’s committed.” Like hitting my mom, he added silently. “Meh, it’s fine.” Kodi waved a hand. “It’s a lot better than anythin’ he’d ever say t’me.” And honestly, Kodi wanted to believe it. He didn’t really want to go to hell…

He laughed good-naturedly. “I am, ain’t I?” he chuckled. “Never said I was good at it, I just like doin’ it.” Kodi stood and followed behind the guy to watch what he did next, beer still in hand. “Jackson,” he repeated with a nod. “My pleasure.” He was still smirking devilishly. “Alright, let’s finish this shit up, an’ get outta here before someone catches us, yeah?”

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Jackson made another face as Kodi continued with the ‘sucking’ joke. Did he have to shove his gay in people’s faces like that? It was…disturbing…

Well, Jackson wasn’t that much better in his current state…but just because he was feeling like shit didn’t mean he didn’t still have his own personal values and blah blah blah…he just cared less about them at the moment. “Ha ha, I can see why somebody might not like them though.” Lots of people didn’t like pointy things. Jackson wasn’t one of those people, he had to stick himself with pointy things on a daily basis. And even if he didn’t, the fact that he had his earring sets was more than enough proof of that. Jackson made a face of half surprise, half intrigue. “Y-you have? Like a vampire? Did they bleed a lot?” Why was he so interested? Morbid curiosity.

He nodded and smiled something a bit complicated at the mention of his mom. Yeah, Jackson’s mom would definitely be disappointed in him over this…but what did it matter? She wasn’t around anymore anyway. “I get that. My grams nearly had a heart attack when she saw this.” Jackson pointed at the industrial piercing in his right ear. “She was barely alright with lobes, and I had to go out and do this.” He shrugged. She was used to it now, though he was certain she still wanted him to ‘take those dreaded things out’. Nope, not happening.

Kodi backed off surprisingly easy from the matter of making Jackson ‘embrace his gay’, as it were. Jackson wasn’t expecting that. Guess his ‘sob story’ gained some sympathy or something? “Yeah,” he sighed over the question about his dad. “He didn’t do anything!” Jackson snapped somewhat defensively. He was right about Jackson’s family, though. “Try telling that to them. They’ll think you murdered somebody just for that red hair of yours.” He hated his family…well, he loved them too, but he really hated them.

He bet they’d have a lot to say about him drinking underage. They always had something to say. Jackson sipped on the new bottle as he preached his own interpretation of the Word to Kodi, rebutting his previous statement about going to Hell. “I do say so. God is a perfect being, capable of making other perfect beings, so why would he make imperfect beings like us and then punish us for being exactly the way he made us? That’s what I was always taught in Catechism when I was a kid. And then my mom would chime in with how there’s a whole army of zealots out there who think they’re carrying out God’s will by punishing for Him, when all they’re really doing is breaking the exact 2nd commandment, number two most important after ‘I am the Lord your God, thou shalt have no other idols before me’.” Throughout this little sermon, Jackson had gotten up again and resumed his painting. His telekinetic movements were still slow, but he thought he could at least finish it up nice and pretty. “….sorry for the preaching, you didn’t come out here to hear that.” Though Jackson had a lot about religion he could rant about if you let him.

Jackson laughed. “Waaay ahead of you, man. Just putting on the finishing touches.” In a few minutes, Jackson stepped away from the wall and wiped his brow of sweat. “Not bad, if I do say so myself.” He was no Rembrandt, but it was good work. A shame it would only last a couple days tops. Jackson started collecting his things, setting the beer aside a moment to do so. “So…Kodi,” he started hesitantly. “…you doing anything after this?” Jackson wasn’t quite ready to call it a night just yet.

[Deleted]

Kodi chuckled and shrugged. “Yeah… Guess some people have common sense,” he replied with a smirk. Like, not to mess with someone that looked half-Jaws. When Jackson asked about his biting experience, he laughed some more. “I don’t drink the blood, idiot,” he chortled. “That’s gross. They did bleed sometimes, though. I try to avoid neck arteries when I can, but who knows, one day I might miss…” He pretended to eye the large vein on the boy’s neck and licked his lips. Hehe…

But the kid probably wouldn’t care, considering all his piercings. “Heh, they’re hot though,” Kodi told him with a smile. “I love piercin’s. Obviously.” He pointed to his snake bites; stuck out his tongue to show off the one adorning the tip; motioned to his ears; and then turned around and showed Jackson the one on the back of his neck. “I think I’d get more, but I’m not sure my boyfriend likes ‘em as much as I do,” he admitted. Gryph was more of a tattoo guy, it seemed, and that was fine. Tattoos were hot too.

“Alright, alright, no need t’snap, was just askin’ a question,” Kodi replied with raised hands. “Sounds like your family’s got a shitton of problems though.” It made the dentokinetic wonder how the kid would turn out, growing up with such tumultuous relationships. For all he knew, the guy would end up in jail one way or another.

He wasn’t sure when they suddenly found themselves in a church, but it sure seemed that way now, considering how their conversation was going. He felt like he was in a confessional or something, and he’d grown up Baptist, not Catholic. He chewed on a nail a little sullenly as he listened; despite the hopeful words, it made him uncomfortable, like he was a little kid again listening to one of his father’s sermons. “Huh,” he grunted helpfully. “Well, I guess we all got our different beliefs in the same God… Sometimes I don’t really know what t’believe anymore.” Kodi didn’t actively practice any religion anymore, but if asked, he’d still grudgingly say he was a Christian. His father’s brainwashing techniques had really done their number on him. He shook his head and looked up with a small smirk. “Nah, s’fine, I just don’t really know how t’respond without bein’ depressing,” he shrugged. “It’s…. Been a while since I’ve really talked about any sort of religious stuff.” He tried to avoid the subject around Gryph, and he was one of the only people Kodi talked to all that often, so…

He finished off his bottle of beer and sat it on the curb as Jackson finished up. Kodi nodded in approval at the finished product and gave Jackson a friendly hair-ruffle. “Not bad at all,” he agreed. “You’re a natural.” Maybe they would have to do this again sometime. Kodi snapped a picture of the two pieces of ‘art’ with his phone before going to pick up the empty bottles and the remaining unopened ones, tossing the open ones in a nearby trash bin. He rose an eyebrow at the question. “Me? Uh… Nah, was prob’ly just gonna go home and veg until my boyfriend gets home.” Okay, so the apartment wasn’t technically his home yet, but it might as well have been, considering how much time he spent there. “…. Why? You wanna have a slumber party with me or somethin’?” Kodi smirked and tossed his bag over his shoulder. “I guess I wouldn’t mind some company until Gryph gets back. I dunno how late he’ll be, and I hate bein’ alone in the house with his slutty roommate….” He began meandering in the general direction of the apartment slowly enough so Jackson could follow if he wanted to.

[Deleted]

“Hey, I don’t know you, maybe you do get off on drinking the blood of the living. Won’t know unless I ask, right?” Jackson offered a smirk to Kodi, then shirked back at Kodi’s eyeballing in ‘fear’. It was all in good fun, Jackson wasn’t at all bothered.

Again with the boyfriend. Jackson was going to get irked about that before long. “I’ve been thinking of getting more,” he agreed with a roll of his shoulder. “Not sure where though. Eyebrow maybe. If I get any more on my ears, they’re gonna start sagging.” But the eyebrow was fine. He probably wouldn’t do the lips or tongue. He didn’t want to have to get used to talking all over again. And risk of infection was way too high for mouth parts.

“Yeah…sorry,” he said after snapping. Jackson really was on edge if he was about to bite this guy’s head off…then again, he didn’t really know Kodi from anybody else, he was essentially a stranger, and it was apparently more okay to be a dick to strangers than people who you saw every day, even if just casually. He just didn’t like the situation surrounding his father. It was a load of crap and nobody else seemed to question it except Jackson….his family made him feel like a real freak for standing up for him all the time…

Jackson shrugged at Kodi’s responses to the preaching. “Yeah…honestly, I haven’t either. I haven’t been to a mass in forever, save for the important ones.” Like Christmas mass, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter, etc… “I have a lot of it to rant about if you ever wanna hear,” he offered, though he doubted anyone would want to take him up on it.

The mural(he was going to call it that now) wasn’t half bad, in Jackson’s opinion. Well, quality-wise. Content-wise, it was pretty obscene. And Jackson only found amusement in it. “Thanks. I doubt I’ll get a chance to do this again for a while, though.” He smirked and followed Kodi’s actions at taking a picture of it. “I wonder how long until it’s gone?” he pondered out loud, tossing the spray cans into the plastic bag he’d come with. He shrugged. “I don’t feel like going home yet, so if you don’t mind…” Jackson left the end of that sentence open, assuming Kodi knew what he was asking. He managed a smile when the red-haired boy agreed. “Thanks, man. I owe you.” Slinging the bag over his shoulder like a thug, Jackson followed his new friend-like-person towards the apartment. When they arrived, Jackson set the bag on the floor next to the door and collapsed on the couch like he lived there, moping over the shoulder like a ten year old kid. “I’m tired…” he mumbled. “Today sucked.”