Prompt: Hey, I was wondering if you could possibly do a prompt for Kill The Lights/Swan Song where it shows that time Mitch punched one of Jace's ex-boyfriends for bad mouthing him?
A.N.- They're in high school when this happens, so Jace is 17 and Mitch is 15. Also I couldn't remember if I named the boyfriend? I thought I named him Derek but I dug up my old KTL file and couldn't find a name, so sorry if I fucked up my own story lmao
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"What, you're not afraid of running into Derek?" Shane asked as we wandered the hallways aimlessly.
"Why would I be? We broke up. That's that," I said with a shrug.
My boyfriend and I had broken up two days ago, but this was the first time we'd had a school day since then. He was probably going to be bitchy about it. Great.
"Shane!"
Mitch came up to us. "Can you drop me off at Trevor's afterschool?"
"No, go get a license," Shane said.
"I'm 15," Mitch said in annoyance. "Don't be an asshole about it. Just give me a ride."
"Keep talking to me like I'm your damn taxi driver and I'll hit you with the car," Shane threatened.
"Just drop me off at Trev's house," Mitch said.
"Make it worth my while," Shane said.
"If you don't, I'll tell Carol and she'll come after you," Mitch said with a shrug.
"You're insufferable and heartless," Shane said, narrowing his eyes. "Be ready to tuck and roll, little brother."
Mitch grinned, chipped tooth on display. I watched the brothers in amusement, knowing Mitch would fight me for the front seat when we left today.
"Jace."
Awesome, cool, great, just what I wanted. I glanced over my shoulder at Derek, trying not to look nervous.
I had broken up with him. We'd just...I don't know. We'd been getting too close. Too serious.
So I broke it off with him and drank away the rest of my weekend at Shane's house, unwilling to face my mom's questions or Derek's hurt anger. But it was better this way. One of us would've left eventually. Might as well be me, before Derek could walk away.
"Hey," I said.
"We need to talk," Derek said, trying to keep his patience. "You can't just walk away."
Why not? I'd learned from the best.
"It's over. Leave me alone," I said. My heart was starting to beat far too fast, and my palms were getting sweaty. Maybe I should just stop with relationships for a while. They never worked out. We always got too close, and that was dangerous. Maybe from now on I'd just stick to sex.
I turned and started walking away, the Marion brothers flanking me. At least I knew they always had my back.
"Jace!" Derek called, anger slipping into his voice. "Jace, you can't just walk away!"
And yet my legs were moving.
"Jace! Fuck you! You're just a drunken drama queen with daddy issues! This is why no one will ever love you! You'll always walk away, just like your dad!" Derek snapped.
I stopped, hating those words. I wasn't my dad. I wouldn't always walk away. I could handle relationships if I really wanted to! Couldn't I?
I caught a blur of movement to my left and turned just in time to see Mitch's fist collide with Derek's face. Derek stumbled to the side, hitting the lockers.
Mitch grabbed his shirt, two years younger and half a foot shorter but utterly fierce. He yanked on Derek's shirt until Derek had bent down to Mitch's height.
"Say that shit about him again and I'll knock your fucking teeth out," Mitch said, his voice the calm before the storm. He held Derek's gaze, unflinching. When Derek finally gave a nod, Mitch threw him back up against the lockers and walked back over to us.
Kids in the hall were gathering around, eager for a fight. But Mitch simply walked away, and Shane and I hurried after him before a teacher or security showed up.
We stepped out into the main lobby and I fidgeted with my hands a little. Shane knocked his shoulder against mine.
"You good?" he asked.
"I'm good," I said with a nod. "Thanks, Mitch."
Mitch shrugged like it had been nothing. "We're the only ones who get to shit talk your dumbass."
I smiled a little, my anxiety draining away to come back another time. "Watch it, midget."
Mitch grinned at me. "I should charge you a bodyguard fee."
I punched him, and despite his grunt of pain, the grin stayed on his face. He punched me back good naturedly before heading off to find his friends.
I knew I could always count on the Marion brothers. No matter who walked out of my life, Mitch and Shane never would.
