Partners in crime! (1x1 with Aqua7KH)

[Stardustblade358 806]

Giotto couldn’t help as his jaw dropped almost in horror of what he had heard. It sounded like something out of a horror movie, well, at least for him it did. “A…An addict?! An alcoholic?! He beats you?! What, why, why don’t you call the police?! He needs to get arrested before he seriously hurts you and your mom! You guys need the help don’t you?! If I tell my dad I’m sure he’s to send one of his boys over to deal with the problem, no?!” Giotto asked, almost in a state of panic until he managed to calm himself down. His mind couldn’t process it. It couldn’t possibly be real? The cops and police existed to deal with this sort of problem. One call and you could be saved from it…right? “…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to sound rude, but…you and your mom can’t be around someone who beats you around like that?!” Giotto asked again.

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Jesse shrugged and rocked his chair back and forth with his feet. It wasn't really a big deal to him. "The cops don't really hang around in my town. And besides, if they did show up my ma would probably be arrested along with my pops. And then what'll happen to me? I'll be put in a group home or somethin' like that. Then I'll really be screwed up in the head!" Jesse actually laughed, at that. He thought it was hilarious. "Don't get bent out of shape over it hotshot. You get used to it. I love my ma, and I like my pops so it's not a big deal. In sure the cops got other things more important to worry about like I dunno killers or something."

[Stardustblade358 806]

"But...but..." Giotto stammered. Jesse had his points. The situation would have both good and bad outcomes regardless the actions they take. "...I really wish I could help." Giotto finally said as he sat on his bed and looked up at the tv. It showed the news as they presented footage of one of those mutants that called themselves heroes, running in disguises and doing good under the cover of darkness and whatnot. Something clicked in Giotto's head. "Hey, Jesse." Giotto said as he looked over at him with determination. "I'm a mutant. If I give you company at night, do you think I would be able to use my powers in order to help you and your friends? Like in the movies and news?" Giotto asked as he looked Jesse straight in the face. Not only was it a chance to be able to escape the strict watch over him for at least a few hours. He would be able to learn more. Much more. About the city and the world outside his bedroom. "I mean...I know it does sound a bit dumb...but...maybe when I'm older? Or when I'm stronger?"

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

That was when Jesse began to actually crack up. He pictured Giotto in a tiny little Robin costume.

"You don't even know how to walk." Jesse said. "Hell, you don't even know how to crawl. You got to start from the bottom, and one day you might just be able to run. I'll teach you to survive out there and then we'll see if you got what it takes." He took out his brooch and began to play with it. "First you gotta look the part. See this brooch? If you wore this outside you would be jumped the minute you stepped foot outside. You're going to have to blend in with the city. Become one with the city. Capiche?" He threw his brooch in the air and caught it with his hand. "Or you won't last a minute out there."

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"Look...the part..." Giotto muttered, analyzing those words. This meant he was going to teach him$ "Ah...aha! I get it! I'm on it! I'm on it!" Giotto said smiling as he hurried over to a door and opened it, running into the walk in closet. You could hear as Giotto searched in there, muttering yes or no. Soon enough he came back out, wearing jeans, sneakers, and a black hoodie with Angel wings design on the back. He had painted the sockets of his eyes with a black shadow that made his blue eyes stand out. "Ta-da! Do I look the part now?" Giotto asked as he gave a twirl. "I'm sure I look more normal?"

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"Well, the clothes are good, but the makeup makes you look like an emo kid who got mugged with two black eyes." Jesse said with a snicker. "Ditch the make up, and other than that you're fine. There's also the lingo, you can't talk all fancy since most of the people in my street are illiterate as s***. But you'll learn that through experience." He scanned Giotto's attire once more, nodding in favor. He was shocked the rich kid even had clothes like that. Jesse sure as hell didn't have any fancy rich kid clothes. He had to admit the clothes were mostly okay for Giotto. He didn't stand out like a sore thumb, which ment he could stay under the radar which was very important in the streets. As long as Giotto minds his own buisness and appeared to have nothing worth stealing, he should do okay in the streets.

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"R-Right." Giotto said as he quickly hurried to the bathroom and washed the paint off. He came back out and paused for a moment. "Jesse. Aren't you afraid you'll step on glass?" Giotto asked. He had stepped on glass before, on accident of course. It was a horrible pain. He remembered his mother cooing at him that everything would be alright. He spent over a week in bed, being treated with all of the chocolates and snacks that he could possibly eat while he recovered. "Hold on a moment." Giotto said as he walked inside the closet and a searched for more, muttering something about being around his size. He walked back out with an outfit in hand, offering it to Jesse. It included a long sleeve shirt, basic jeans, boots, and a jacket. "My mom always told me to help. I can't help everyone in the world, or in the city. It's impossible to do so. But I can help you. You saved me too. It's the least I can do. Please accept it." Giotto insisted. It was his personality and way of thinking, along with his bright blue eyes that made him almost a spitting image of his mother, a reason why his father was so protective. Afraid to lose her twice. "Would you like a bath too?"

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Jesse blinked and looked down at his feet. He never really thought about it before. Sure, he stepped on sharp objects all the time by accident but he still continued to go bear foot. He was just so used to it. He even got his own pair of shoes before but refused to wear them because they had hurt his feet and he just loved having bare feet in general. Jesse looked at the clothes Giotto had offered and actually accepted it.

"Your mom huh? Who knows, maybe one day you can help a lot of people hotshot. But ya gotta know that by helping one person, you're hurting another." He stood up. He grimaced at the word 'bath.' "I hate taking baths." He muttered. "But I'm only going to take one because I don't want to put on fancy clothes smelling like a skunk s****** on me."

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Giotto smiled and cheered. "Bath time bath time!" He called as he ran into the bathroom and turned on the lights. The marble flooring glistening at the light, a huge bath in the furthest that could also be used as a shower. It was big enough to fit two grown adults. Giotto always did want a brother. Even that could make things less lonely. But a friend would do and would suffice for an eternity. Giotto turned on for the warm water as the bath started to fill up. "Come right in!" Giotto laughed as he searched in the cabinet for the bubbles, which he proceeded to throw into the bath for bubbly madness. "Scrub Scrub Scrub, duck in a tub!" Giotto said as he threw a rubber duck in there as well. For once he wasn't lonely.

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Jesse followed Giotto into the bathroom all with his arms crossed. With how all excited and weird Giotto was Jesse speculated Giotto was dropped as a baby or something.

"You're killing it." Jesse commented, as he stuck his hand inside the water. He had to admit it looked lovely. It wasn't even a bath. It was a pool with bubbles and a rubber. "You bathe in a pool everyday? Damn." His mother would've loved one of these baths. Maybe it'll actually get Jesse to bathe more. "I wouldn't mind taking a bath in this everyday. And I hate taking baths."

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"Mom always said a bath a day keeps the doctor away!...or was it an apple...actually now that I think about it how can apples keep doctors away?" Giotto said smiling. Right now he was just happy. He was helping someone. His mother would be proud, he thought. "Now into the bath you go!" Giotto said, and without much warning, ended up pulling Jesse's clothes off him before pushing him right into the bath with a splash. That's when he realized he might of gotten a bit too excited. "Ah, sorry! I haven't had a friend before. I just really want to help. I might be getting a bit out of hand?" Giotto asked as he backed away and walked towards the door. "So, um, you take your bath, and I'm going to hang around out here." Giotto said as he gave Jesse a thumbs up and closed the door behind him. He quickly jumped onto his bed and turned on his laptop, using his powers to browse through the web quickly and efficiently. "Hm..."

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Jesse rolled his eyes at the silly saying.

"They only tell you that bull**** to eat so you can eat-" he was cut off as his clothes were suddenly taken, and he was pushed right into the bath which made a loud splash. He peeked his head immediately out of the water. "You mother****** f****** a******!" Jesse quieted down, and put his hands over his head. He made the meanest pout ever.

"You got my hair wet..." Giotto fled, and Jesse quietly called out to him. "I'll get you back someday!"

[Stardustblade358 806]

 

Giotto laughed at Jesse's reaction. It was fun having someone around. Giotto took the chance to change out of the street clothing and into some pajamas. Button shirt with long sleeves and long pants, colored dark blue. He picked up another of his pair of pajamas and walked back inside the bathroom. "Hey, Jesse. How about you stay over for the night?" Giotto asked smiling, with hope in his tone and eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to of course! But it's so fun having you around..." Giotto said with admission. He had been...very lonely for the past year. A bit too lonely. Now it didn't felt as bad to be lonely. But it was something. "I'll leave these here then." Giotto said as he left the pair of pajamas on the counter and walked back into the room. He sat on the bed and looked down at the computer. It was the news article of his mom's death. It was declared an accident, as far as the police could tell. His father however was devastated, furious, saying that this was the fault of the city's reckless behavior. Ever since he had made it his mission to make the city 'safer', even if it meant taking drastic actions. In it all Giotto was sheltered into a gilded cage. A lonely gilded cage.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

Jesse debated for a moment on if he should stay or not. At first he was going to say no just because he didn't want to, but he changed his mind. He had nothing else better to do and he hardly ever goes home anyway. Plus, he could tell the poor kid needed a sleepover. Hell, Jesse wouldn't be shocked if this WAS Giotto's first sleepover.

"Fine alright." Jesse said. "But keep an eye out for anyone! If I'm caught here in screwed."

About fifteen minutes later, Jesse emerged from the bathroom in Giotto's pajamas. He tugged on his collar attempting to let some air in.

"You really sleep in this? It's so ugh silky and tight. What ever happened to old white tees and underwear? It's like a sauna in here."

[Stardustblade358 806]

"That's because you took a bath it's going to get real cold real soon in the night." Giotto said smiling. "But this also means you decided to stay! Sleepover!" Giotto cheered as he moved aside and patted on a spot next to him on the bed. "No need to worry. No one comes here unless I tell them to, and dad never comes here. He calls me through the phone if he needs something of me. He's been so busy lately." Giotto said as he looked back at the news article on the laptop. If his father found out he didn't know how he would react. Maybe furious and shocked over the fact a kid managed to seal into his son's bedroom. His mom would also be mad, but more understanding surely. Jesse was a kid too after all. "Thank you for staying. We can read bedtime stories and play with pillows before going to sleep!" Giotto said as he waved his arms around.

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"You're welcome." Jesse muttered with a huff as he sat down next to Giotto. He had no idea how he was going to get used to this. He couldn't stand baby stuff like bedtime stories and pillow fighting. Oh well, he had a friend to please. If he was going to get a reputation in his streets, he's going to have to teach Giotto everything he knew. Jesse peered over to glance at the screen. He noticed the article Giotto was reading. The pictures looked familiar.

"Whatcha reading? And I'm not cuddling, by the way."

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Giotto looked up at Jesse. "My mom's article. The day she died." Giotto said as he pulled up the article to full screen. It showed the article entitled "Tragic Accident: The Price of Life". It explained everything in explicit detail, and it include a photo of the scene, his mother's body covered by a white sheet while laying in a pool of blood. His father and himself could be seen in the background. There was also a family picture of the three of them. "My mom was killed last year by accident. Witnesses said that she pushed someone out of the way of an upcoming vehicle. The driver was going too fast and broke every bone on impact. They never found the one she saved, they say he or she ran away from the scene." Giotto explained as he pulled up the family picture. His father and mother stood side by side and he was being held by his dad. "Dad got angry. He's still angry. But I think mom died a hero, don't you think?" Giotto frowned. "I just wish...the one she saved could've stayed...why would they run away...?" Giotto muttered. He had a vague memory of it. They were walking down, his mother had stopped to fix her shoe. Next thing he knows he heard her scream "look out!" And then a loud crash. Everything else was a blur of tears and heart ache.

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Jesse looked at the article and suddenly his heart skipped a beat. He recognized it all too well. HE was the boy the mother had saved. He is the reason why he died.

"Oh s***." Jesse said aloud. He looked to Giotto for a moment, realizing what he just said. "O-Oh yeah that really sucks... I'm sorry..." He muttered. Out of all the kids that Giotto's mother could have saved, it had to be Jesse. It couldn't be some other kid. Jesse could've sworn that if there was a God, he would be laughing his ass off right now. Thanks, universe.

"That kid is sure an a******. For leaving like that."

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Giotto shook his head. "Accidents happen. I just wish I could've met him, or her." Giotto said as he closed up his laptop and settled it on the night stand next to the bed. "Alright, time for bed! Tomorrow you're going to teach me everything there is to know about survival out there." Giotto said as he snapped his fingers and with concentration, the lights went out, only leaving faint lights in the shape of stars for the sake of a night light. "You know...show me everything there is to know tomorrow. I think I might have a plan." Giotto said as he laid down on the bed. He smiled. "Good night, Jesse. Tomorrow you'll be my teacher."

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Jesse nodded. He didn't say anything after that. He got under the covers and laid on his side with his back facing Giotto. He didn't really know what to think.

'Dammit... I basically killed his mom.' Jesse thought.

In the middle of the night, Jesse couldn't sleep. He kept thinking back to that day, and to the fact that Giotto's mother was killed at his hand. Whenever Jesse was nearing sleep, he would start dreaming the accident which caused him to wake back up. He was staring at the wall in the darkness blankly.

[Stardustblade358 806]

By a point in the night, Giotto was fast asleep. Sometime in the night, he turned to face Jesse and hugged his arm, snuggling up to him while muttering something about marshmallows. Just another night.

 

-Next Morning-

 

Giotto woke up at the sound of a knock on his door. He groaned and looked up. "Who is it?" He asked. "Breakfast." It was Sebastian. "Uh, one moment please!" Giotto said before pulling the bedsheets over himself and Jesse, putting a finger up his lips to keep quiet. "Come in." Sebastian stepped into the room,carrying a cart with food. "Giotto, are you alright?" Sebastian asked. "Yeah, still waking up. Thanks Sebastian." Giotto responded from underneath the sheets. Sebastian gave a nod and walked out, closing the door behind him. Giotto flipped the bed sheets off the two of them. "Breakfast!" Giotto called as he pulled the cart to the coffee table. It included orange juice, a large plate of 3 chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs. "Come eat, Jesse."

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Jesse looked back to Giotto, feeling rather stuck like glue to Giotto. He let out a soft sigh. What was he going to do with him? He would never imagine he could get himself into a situation such as this. Jesse closed his eyes, and finally fell asleep. Once Giotto woke him up and put the covers over him, Jesse paused all movements when the servant came in. If he was caught he was dead. Finally, Sebastian left and Jesse went out from under the covers to see the rather impressive breakfast. Jesse stared at it. "Wow." He said. His mouth watered. "That loos great."

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Giotto settled the plates on the coffee table and handed Jesse a fork and a knife. "Eat up." Giotto said as he picked up the spare fork and took a bite out of the pancakes. "Today you're going to teach me about the real world, right? We better eat up before going adventuring." Giotto said as he took another bite. This was nice. He wondered if this is what it would be like to have a sibling. Having breakfast with them every morning, sleeping in each others beds from time to time. Or maybe this is way having a sleepover was like? The secrecy of it just being something extra.

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Jesse nodded and began to eat at the pancakes as well. He practically had an addiction to chocolate chips and he loved pancakes. "Damn these pancakes are banging." He said as he took another bite. He looked over to Giotto and thought about the plan he had for today. Where to start?

"Yeah, today." Jesse began. "We're going to get a view of the entire city. Then I'm going to tell you about all the important stuff. How it all works and the different areas of the city. It's not too complicated so you should be fine." He placed his hand on Giotto's shoulder. "Hotshot.

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Giotto smiled. He liked that nickname. He was starting to become fond of it. He finished his side of the meal and stood up. "I'll get dressed." Giotto said as he hurried over to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Just as quickly he hurried to his closet and got dressed in the same outfit as he had yesterday, minus the make up. He pulled his hood up, hiding his brilliant red hair from sight. The color alone brought him attention as it was. He inherited that from his father. Add the blue eyes from his mother and he was like a jeweled crown in a black and white world. One expected to take over the company when he was older. He brought out a recorder and settled it on the bed, getting ready for when they went out.