Bang and Burn ~ Dreamnotfound + Skephalo

Chapter 7

The next few days were relatively hard for George. The team was hard at work trying to figure out who would want to kill Dream as well as what their motives would be. But while Vincent, Darryl, and Zak worked on that, Nick was busy trying to teach George how to defend himself in the gym area. "Alright, now try again, but don't forget the technique I taught you." Nick holds a punching dummy in place as George preps himself to punch it. He throws a swing, then recoils in pain, shaking his fist. "Remember what I told you about hitting hard?"

George groans. "Hit smarter, not harder. I know, but this is a dummy. I cant punch him in the nose and break it. It hurts me more than I hurt it!" George wipes the sweat from his forehead as he sits down on a bench. Even in a tank top, he was hot. He wasn't exactly the type to work out normally, so these sessions kicked his butt.

Nick takes a seat next to him and hands him his water bottle. "Don't get down on yourself. You're doing great, George!"

George looks down at his knuckles which had a tint of purple to them. "I don't feel great."

Nick looks down at George's hands, then stands up and heads over to the corner of the gym where there was a fridge and a cabinet full of things like protein bars and Gatorade. He reaches into the freezer and returns to George with two ice packs. Nick then pulls a roll of gauze and surgical tape. He gently wraps both of George's hands, making sure he secures the small ice packs to his bruising knuckles. "If it makes you feel any better, you're doing better than I did when I first learned how to fight."

George rolls his eyes. "I find that hard to believe. You're stronger than me. I'm sure you did just fine."

"George, throwing a punch isn't just about how hard you hit," Nick explains. "I mean, if you hit hard, that's a plus, but to me, it's all about where you punch. If you hit someone's throat or jaw just right, you'll stun them just enough to do whatever you need to do, whether that's throwing more punches or using the time to get away." Before George could say anything, his phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees that he had a new text from Clay. Even though he knew how dangerous it was to talk to him, he always enjoyed their conversations. He got excited when he read the text.

Clay
Hey! I was wondering if you wanted to come to the bar tonight. My buddies and I are going to play some poker and someone had to drop out and I'd love to see you again!

"I was invited to play poker!" George brags, showing Nick the phone.

Nick smiles as presses his ear to his earpiece. "Sapnap to all. 404 has a date tonight."

"A6D here. Skeppy, is the van fixed yet?"

Skeppy nervously laughs. "Not quite." In the background, they hear a loud popping noise, followed by Skeppy mumbling, "Shit."

"Bad to Skeppy. LANGUAGE!"

Skeppy sighs. "Sorry, Bad. And before you ask, no, the van will not be ready for tonight."

"HOW IS IT NOT READY?!" Vincent yells.

"Well, you asked me to add a new feature and the wiring is complicated!" Skeppy defends. "If you want the van fixed properly, then don't rush me."

Vincent groans. "Fine. But that addition better be perfect!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Skeppy out."

"What's the new addition?" Darryl asks.

"It's just a surprise. I'll meet you guys in the tech room to talk about George's date. A6D out."

"See you soon! Badboyhalo out!"

"Badboyhalo?" George asks. "I thought he was just 'Bad'?"

Nick laughs. "Yeah, that's his full codename. It's just easier to say 'Bad' when you're talking to him. Oh! Zak finished making your badge. I think he left it in the tech room. All you have to do is sign it." Nick stands up. "Let's get moving!"