Finding Yourself

Chapter Ten: The Deal

(Trigger warning for all of y'all that don't read the beginning Author's Note. ALSO DOUBLE UPDATE! YAYYYYY!)

Dakota was scared. He could hear his own breath wavering, which frightened him more, which made the breaths increase. His heart was racing as if he was running a marathon, but his feet and mind willed him not to move.

But he had to do this- for his sisters.

They might not have been blood-related, but they held a special place in his heart. They were the only ones that could make his frozen heart melt. He would do anything for them.

He kept walking, hearing the sound of his footsteps bouncing off the walls of the alleyway, echoing back to him like a warning or a jeer.

He was one small block away from walking into his own torture, but he had to do it.

For his sisters.

Heart pounding, feet thudding, breath quickening- he walked to his destination. Hesitantly, but swiftly. The man didn't enjoy a late arrival.

In fact, the man was always there, waiting. He was there waiting for Dakota, when Dakota arrived.

Dakota hated his grin. His face plagued his nightmares- it was his nightmare. Every week. A price to pay for protection and food. Worth it? For his sisters? Of course it was.

For himself? He'd rather die.

The man chuckled when he saw Dakota, laughing in a smug gurgle- gagged by all the cigarette smoke that filtered through his throat. His body was littered with scars, freckles, nicks, and tags. His teeth were yellow. His body caked in grease and perspiration.

"Come closer, darlin'," he said in a thick accent- Dakota didn't know from where. Dakota was dumb. He didn't know anything. Well- he knew better than to disobey the man. "Can't uphold our deal with ya' al-da-way o'er there, can ya'?"

Dakota swallowed- and, with his saliva, many other things went down. His pride, his hope, and to his wishes- his fear. This was the worst thing about living on the street- there will always be dogs with a bigger bite than you.

"If you keep me waitin' I might call our deal off," the man threatened in a descending tone. Like an owner scolding his dog. Dakota hurried closer. "That's more like it. I love seeing ya' yungsters uphold to authority." The man snatched at Dakota's hair, holding it as a sign of dominance.

Dakota wanted to back out. He wanted to break the deal and leave. He wanted to punch that man in the face. But this was his only option. The man had an entire gang on his side.

"Now sit," the man told Dokata, and the boy sadly sunk to his knees, "If you don't do better this time, I might use your sisters instead. They're younger than you but at least they're women."

"Touch my sisters and the deal's off," Dakota growled. The man can have Dakota's pride, but he couldn't touch his family. He knew the man would do it, if he disobeyed. He knew the man's threats more than the man's name. In fact, he didn't know his oppressor's name at all.

"Fine then, darlin'," the man said, pulling Dakota's hair until he winced. "You better have learned to suck dick then. Now...you know the drill."

Dakota swallowed the bile in his throat, then unzipped the man's pants. His fear culminating.

Suddenly, Dakota felt his body shoot up. His eyes, unknowingly closed, blinked open. His heart was still racing, his breath chasing it, but his feet were restricted by blankets. He was asleep. At home. With Nick. 

He looked over to a boy still bathed in moonbeams.

And Lucas was there too.

It was just a nightmare.