Whumptober 2022 Oneshots + Alt List Oneshots

Prompt 20.5 : Adrenaline Crash

Fandom : West Side Story (movie - 2021)
Pairing : Tony/Anybodys
Chronology : Pre-canon back when Tony was a Jet
Warnings : Period-typical transphobia, canon-typical violence

A few of the Jets were picking on Anybodys again. Tony stood by and watched, not taking a side. As much as he loved his fellow Jets, he didn't agree on everything they did. Not in his heart. So, when he saw his family beating the shit out of Anybodys just because he wanted to be one of them, he stood by and said nothing. It wasn't directly going against the Jets, but it wasn't encouraging them either.

After all was said and done, the Jets left the "freak girl" lying in the street, a bloody nose trickling down all the way to his chin. A few of them called for Tony to leave with them, to which he dismissed them, telling them he'd be with them momentarily and to go on without him.

He needed to check on the bleeding boy.

So, he walked over and held out his hand to Anybodys, who took his hand and got up to a standing position. The adrenaline of the fight was wearing off, leaving him shaky and tired. His breath trembled and he wavered as he stood up. Tony helped support him so he didn't fall, then looked around quickly for a place to sit him down. His eyes landed on some crates, so he led Anybodys over to them and sat him down gingerly.

"Thanks" Anybodys muttered with a small smile, letting out a big breath as he sat down. Tony returned the small smile and the two fell into a comfortable silence. It was nice, being around Anybodys. The two were rarely alone together like this because of the Jets, but the few times they were, Tony found himself enjoying the other's company. He didn't need to fill the silence with random comments about the Puerto Ricans or the cops like he did with the Jets. No, he could just exist, and Anybodys wouldn't challenge that.

"Sorry about the Jets"

"Why didn't ya stand up for me?" Anybodys asked. It was a question that nagged at his mind every time something like this happened- And it happened at least once a week. As nice as Tony was to him when it was just the both of them, he never stood up to the Jets on his behalf. He always just stood to the side, a blank expression on his face, then would wait for the other Jets to leave before lending a hand.

"You know how the Jets are..."

"Yeah, and they listen to you"

"It's not that simple"

"Would it be so hard to just say 'Guys, get off his back'?"

"They don't..." Tony trailed off with a sigh. Anybodys looked at him expectantly. "Look, Anybodys" he started again. "You're my friend, okay? And I care about ya- I really do, okay?" he asked, getting a hesitant nod in response. "But... Ta stand up ta my guys on behalf of a..."

"Say it" Anybodys challenged. "Say what we're all thinking"

"It's just... Hard"

...

"Thanks for helping me up, Tony" Anybodys said quietly before shakily getting back to his feet and walking away, leaving an ashamed Tony to sit and contemplate.