Seven Deadly Sins

Todd had hurt his neck trying to twist it so that his nose wouldn’t break against the wall. The collision caused him to bite the inside of his cheek and his mouth filled with blood.



“So wanna tell us again what the fuck you’re doing going through our lockers, Tolensky?” The bigger boy had Todd’s arm behind his back and his sneakers were scrabbling for traction on the wet floor.



“I told you! My locker’s down here - I was lookin’ for my shit - AAAIGH!” The jock pressed him harder against the shower wall and twisted sadistically. Todd distinctly heard his shoulder pop. And he thought he’d get a break when Duncan had graduated out of here.



“Can’t remember where it is,? Thought maybe it was hiding in one of ours?” The boy behind him sneered and the others laughed. Todd managed to make a face. That hadn’t even made sense.



“I just forgot which one it was, okay?!” He squawked and then followed with a scream as a fist slammed into his kidney. Todd‘s shriek trailed off into a pitiful wail, pinned as he was and unable to curl up on himself.



“Shh, guys,” one said urgently. The laughter stopped; Todd was able to hear footsteps. He tried to glance over his shoulder.



“Hey, Wagner. Just havin’ a little talk with our friend. About stealing stuff. You don’t mind, do you?”



There was a pregnant pause. Todd squirmed. Kurt wasn’t a fighter, but things weren’t hopeless yet. At best there would be a speech about peace and getting along and maybe while the jocks were distracted by all the stupidity, he’d stomp on a foot and book it. Kurt wasn’t their target, he’d be fine.



His plans were disrupted as the jock behind him lifted him away from the tiles by his hair and slammed his face against them once more. Todd sputtered and coughed, trying to spit blood. Kurt needed to start talking now, he thought dizzily. He was spun around and caught a glimpse of Kurt, simply watching. The hell, man?



A fist to the gut doubled him over and another drove him to his knees. Todd scrambled, trying to get to his feet. A kick to the groin sent him down again and more followed. Todd curled up, arms over his face and crying out openly as their blows rained down. Kurt had yet to say a goddamned thing.



The beating petered out almost as quickly as it had begun. Todd regained enough control to try to stifle any noises, but failed - even after they were finished and hurling threats and lame jokes on their way out, he was still making them. Todd heard footsteps shuffle closer and a light touch. He jerked away, sending new waves of pain through his head and other unmentionable places, but the gesture worked. Kurt stood back and let Todd struggle painfully to his feet.



“I stayed,” Kurt said, defensively. “I made sure they didn’t hurt you too badly.”



“Th-The fuck, man?! Y-You just let them--!” Todd stuttered and winced, his lip was cut badly and yelling hurt.



“What did you want me to do? Fight them? I can’t do that, they’re not mutants. And forget finding a teacher - I couldn’t port in front of them and they would‘ve stopped me if I‘d left,” Kurt reasoned. Todd sneered at him. Sneering sort of hurt too, but it was worth it.



“Guess I should be grateful you got my back. If they had tried to kill me, you might’ve done something real bad ass - like maybe, whip out your cell phone and call their parents. Oooh.” Todd waggled his fingers and snatched at a towel someone had left on a bench. He tried to wipe some of the blood off. “You know, I think you were more scared of losin’ your fancy watch. That‘s why you didn‘t do shit.”



“Do you have any idea what they’d do to me if they saw what I really looked like?” Kurt countered.



“Yeah, exactly what they fuckin’ did to me, dawg!” Todd spat. “And you just stood there and watched! What, think I needed a lesson about not stealing!? Think that was the way to fuckin’ teach me?!”



“N-No! It had nothing to do with that,” Kurt said vehemently, though he seemed to look sickened by the accusation at least.



“Doesn’t change the fact you’re a prick!” Todd yelled back, frustration boiling over. “You pretend you’re so fucking perfect and better than everyone else and you’re really just a coward! I know I’m a coward and a freak, I don’t need to believe I’m anything better!”



His eyes were stinging and he could feel himself shake from more than the effort of standing upright. He must’ve swayed because Kurt again reached out, trying to steady him. Todd turned his face away before he could let Kurt see him vulnerable in other ways; bastard had seen more than enough already.



“J-Just fuck off, Wagner. Don’t need your help now.”