Chapter Text
“Excuse me? Miss?”
The elderly lady startled from his soft voice as he spoke, looking over her shoulder and down at him behind thick rimmed glasses. Her eyes looked huge as she stared at him, only growing wider when he held up a battered looking cloth coin purse that had certainty seen better days.
“I think you dropped this.” He gave her a meek smile, his shoulders rolling up to his ears self consciously as she let out a little gasp.
“Oh goodness! Why! I didn’t even notice!” Her hands patted at her face briefly while she turned to him fully, the glint of her many rings catching in the low voltage fluorescent lighting that Funso’s Fun Zone provided. “Oh, thank you dear boy.”
He’s cheeks grew warm under the appreciation, his hands lightly ghosting over hers as he passed the object back to its rightful owner. “No need to thank me.” He assured her with a small bow. “I’m just glad that I could return it to a lovely young lady such as yourself.”
She tittered at the compliment, lifting one hand to her face to cover her flush as she reached out with the other one, pinching one of his cheeks lightly. “What a right little charmer you are, aren’t you? So well mannered. Your parents must be proud.”
Though his smile lifted at the corners, he kept the sharpness of it from creeping to his eyes.
Bright and friendly.
A stupid, happy, little guy.
“That they are Miss,” He carried on, making his eyes wide, making them sparkle. “That’s why my Ma brought me here for my birthday. I was afraid it would be to much money, but Ma said it was a special day and that birthday boys should be able to celebrate their special days properly.”
“It’s your birthday?”
Bingo.
Upping the sparkle, he puffed out his chest a little, every bit the proud birthday boy trying to look older. “Yes Miss! I turn ten today! I’m finally a big boy. Double Digits!”
She gave a little giggle at that, a parental fondness in her eyes that he always loved to see in his targets. When she looked around the frankly blaringly loud scene surrounding them, she leaned towards him with a hand softly cupped around her mouth as if she was about to divulge in some sort of big secret. “Now don’t tell my grandkids, but here.” She pressed a fresh twenty into his palm, his eyes lighting up perfectly as his mouth slipped agape in wonder at the ‘large’ amount.
Or at least what any average ten-year-old might consider a large amount. Not that it mattered to him. He wasn’t going to be able to keep it anyways. Still, he played his part flawlessly, adding little hops and wiggles as if he couldn’t contain his excitement.
Looking up at her as if she’d hung the stars in the sky, he made sure his eyes were just the perfect level of misty when he spoke. “Is it really okay for me to have this?”
His doe eyed question made her tisk softly, her smile warming further as if she was regarding one of her own. “But of course little one. Use it to enjoy the rest of your birthday.”
Now for the big sell.
Like a gleeful child, he threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug as she let out a mildly startled gasp. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is the best birthday ever! I’ve gotta go tell Ma! Thank you!”
He pulled back and was out of her reach before she could react, keeping his smile big and bright as he waved off to her before running out of the arcade zone and back onto the main floor, weaving between the other customers until he was sure she’d lost site of him.
As he rounded a corner, his target the tables on the platform on the other side of the building, he slowed his pace to a leisurely walk and pocketed the twenty next to the light clicking of other goods. Ma was certainly going to be pleased with what he was bring back to her, and with all the other targets here, surely even his brothers would manage to nab a few things.
Swiping a drink off a table as he passed by, he took a sip only to recoil from it almost immediately. Ugh. Grape. Rolling his eyes at his bad luck he glanced around the crowd he was in, spotting a small family enjoying one of his favorite types of pizza as they chatted with one another while another table a few down had someone telling a highly animated story. One that apparently involved a lot of hand gestures and arm movements.
Perfect.
Changing his direction slightly he twisted and spun himself out of the way of a waiter rushing to get to a table, casual placing his drink on the edge of the booth back the storyteller was sitting at while pretending that he’d placed it down to sort through his pockets. Then he acted like someone in the distance had caught his attention and he smiled and waved to no one, moving away from the abandoned drink and bringing himself next to the family pizza table at just the right-,
“And then I took a flying shot, and it went like, Whoos- Agk!”
A sharp yell broke out from the table, followed by a few other voices and some very choice words as the cup was knocked over and onto the group behind the storyteller’s table. As the onlookers became distracted by the sudden fight, he snatched two slices off the table and carried on, leaving the area in chaos.
“Whoa, Hewy check it out!”
Stepping out of the small maze of tables he brushed by two other ducklings, ones who shared the same pristine feathers as him with one dressed in a layered blue long-sleeved and short sleeve combo and the other a red polo with a dorky hat.
“Food fight!”
Though normally he would have ignored such loud, bombastic kids, he couldn’t help but spot the obscene amount of tickets pocking out of the blue one’s shirt.
Hm…
“Hey kid.”
Catching their attention easily he offered them a small smirk as he got in close, throwing his arm around the blue one’s shoulders and shoving one of his slices pretty much right under the kids nose before he spoke.
“You wanna just watch? Or would you rather be part of the fun?”
From the way the stranger squealed and from how his eyes almost popped out of his skull, he surrender the slice he’d been offering with no qualms as it was yanked from his hands.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Imma Dewy-it!”
“No wait! Dewey don-!”
As the kid slipped away to join the fray that was quickly growing, he didn’t seem to notice that his tickets were no longer on his person, missing the way they were shoved into the pocket of baggy blue jeans.
Done with those two and figuring he shouldn’t be starting anything else just in case it got the place shut down for rowdy behaviour, he hummed happily to himself and continued on his merry way taking a bite of his leftover pizza.
By the time he reached the location he was looking for, he was licking the grease from his fingers. Belly and pockets full he slipped a smirk on his face, swooping up behind the back of the woman sitting at his targeted table.
“Hey Ma, I’m back.”
Placing a quick kiss against her cheek in greeting he went to go slip into the chair next to her, all but one of his brothers grumbling as he sat down.
“Ah, Barri, finally. Wha’d ya get?”
“He got nothin’ Ma! Nothin’!” Snapping a glare towards his oldest brother for his words he didn’t even get a chance to defend himself as Big Time slapped his hand on the tabletop and dragged himself almost halfway across its surface to snarl in his face as he carried on. “He even gave up the loot! I saw it! I saw ‘im pass it right back with a big smile and everythin’!”
“I was working an angle BT. Not that you would know anything about that. I-,”
“Barricuda Beagle.”
His heart jumped straight into his mouth, his shoulders curling at the sound of his full name accompanied with that tone.
He didn’t dare look at her. His eyes were glued to the sticky top of the table, feeling the sweat gathering at his brow and sliding down his neck under the collar of his red crew shirt, a shirt that matched the rest of his family sitting around the table. From beside him, he could feel every shift she made, his skin prickling taking in the distance, feeling her presence like an oppressive force.
Her purse was placed just in the corner of his field of vision.
It hit the surface with a heavy thud, the sound echoing like a warning bell in his head so loud it left his ears ringing.
“That ain’t true… Right?”
“I- uh-,” His tongue felt heavy behind his teeth, his throat growing tight.
He had to speak to say something. Play it cool. He had a plan. She would be happy with what he had grabbed. He just needed to take a moment- But he didn’t have a moment. If he took to long, then she would take her purse and-.
“Aw, I’m sure that ain’t right Ma.” Bouncer easily plucked him from his seat, the sudden motion shocking him momentarily out of his spiral before he found himself being placed on his big brother’s broad shoulder, opposite from their mother and out of reach of her claws fingers that had been slowly inching towards him. “Riri knows what he’s doin’! He says he was workin’ an angle right Little Fish? That’s all ya’s was doing yeah?”
From the position that he found himself in, no one could see that Bouncer’s hand was rubbing soothing yet firm circles into his back. At their viewpoint, it would look like he was just holding Ri so he wouldn’t fall over, and Ri couldn’t have been more thankful for the discretion he gave to the tiny action of comfort. With his position on the largest Beagle Boys shoulder, it felt easier to face the glares being aimed his way, and Ri took in a stabling breath to ease the tension that had been squeezing around his lungs as he slipped into character.
Slouching to the side he draped his arm over Bouncer’s head, resting his chin in the crook of his elbow and allowing a smirk tilt the corners of his lips. “Well, you know what they say,” he shmoozed, discreetly sliding his hand into the pocket of his pants, shifting and wiggling it around until he’d nabbed and placed what he wanted from it to where he wanted it. “You can’t pick a pocket- or a hand, unless you get close.”
As he finished, he brought his hand back into view, fanning it in the stunned faces of his family members and letting their eyes greedily soak in the way the light glistened against the stones.
“And this particular hand held waaay more then some measly old coin purse.” He gloated, allowing his smirk to slid over to Big Time, becoming just that little bit sharper under the burning hatred the other shot back.
That’s right jerk face. Put it in the suck it bucket.
Barricuda Beagle won this round.
“Oh wow! Way to go Little Fish!”
Ri let out a small squawk when Bouncer moved, but his brother kept a firm hand on him to keep him from toppling over and simply reached up with his free hand to ruffle the feathers a top his head. The grin of pride over his face was large and infectious and Ri felt his chest puff up for real this time under the praise being heaped upon him.
“You gots the best loot here for sure! Ain’t no one know how to rob ‘em blind like ya!”
Feeling the buzz of a well done job zapping through his limbs with a jittery sort of energy Ri couldn’t help but tap the edges of his webbed feet together in quick, sporadic little bursts. Though he tried to keep his expression as neutrally chill as possible, this time he couldn’t hide the very real spark in his eye as he was picked up and held over the table to be brought face to face with his favorite big brother.
Bouncer was teary eyed as he looked at him, sniffling loudly as he smiled at the tiny duckling in his arms.
“Ya’s grows up so fast Little Fish. I’m so proud.”
For a single second, Ri allowed his expression to soften outwardly, enjoying the rare praise before a sharp tug at his hand broke the moment with a flash of pain ripping from his fingers.
“Ow!”
“Ah! That’s my boy!” Already Ma was sliding the rings off his fingers, Ri flinching a bit as she pulled a little to hard, watching silently as some of the softer, smallest feathers of his hand drifted to the tabletop.
When Bouncer put him back down in his seat, Ri wished that he would have simply pulled him away again, but they both knew better. The faster she stripped him of all his goods the faster this part would all be over.
Once she had stiped his hand completely and dropped the loot into her bag, she arched a brow at him from the corner of her eye, Ri feeling the sweat gathering at the back of his neck as his shoulders curled upward against his will under the attention. “Got anymore in those pockets of yours?”
Before he could respond, she was already patting him down, Ri holding back a curt sigh as he simply curled his hands into tight little fists and tried to ignore the feeling of having his person searched. When she was done with dragging her hands down his arms, he lifted them out of the way so she could pat down his sides as well before she started on his legs.
He really hated this part, but he knew better then to fight against it. That wasn’t a lesson he needed to be taught twice.
“Oh? And what’s this?”
Already knowing from her tone that if he didn’t speak up quick this could still turn very badly, Ri was swift to put her mind at ease. “She gave that to me for my birthday,” he explained, feeling his stomach twist at the flash of fury that passed over her face. “I wasn’t going to keep it!” He squeaked. “I just didn’t think it was as impressive as the rings you know? So, I just thought I’d hand it over afterwards.”
“Along with these?”
When she pulled out the tickets he’d snatched from that other duckling kid, he actually stumbled a bit.
“They’re just… They’re just tickets?” It should have been a statement. It came out as a question.
She hummed, looking at the flimsy coloured paper between her fingers, the table falling silent as she scrutinized each one like she would a brand-named handbag someone had swiped.
She was drawing it out.
Anxiety clawed at his stomach until the pizza he’d eaten threatened to come back up.
He hadn’t thought it would matter. They were just tickets to stupid prizes that weren’t even worth the amount of money it costs to get the tickets in the first place. He was just going to use them to get a few snacks, that was it. He didn’t-
“Barri…”
“Ma, I swear I didn’t-,”
“Gimmie your hand.”
Ri tried to stop the small whimper from crawling up his throat, but it broke through anyways. He chose to ignore the huff of a sneering chuckle that Big Time let out, but his shoulders hitched anyways as his face burned.
When he tried to suck in a breath, it came out as more of a gasping hiccup, but he still held his hand out to her, his whole-body trembling as it drew closer to hers…
When she moved, it was with a viper quickness, and he swallowed a yelp when he was yanked down into his seat. “Now sit, and don’t be makin’ a scene or I swear I’ll…”
He jolted, when her hand squeezed.
Pain flared straight through his bones, his joints throbbing as they were shoved and pressed so harshly together he could feel his knuckles moving, rolling across each other and sparking the nerves like little pops of fireworks under his skin.
His hand felt tiny in her grip, and there was nothing he could do but sit there and silently wait for it to be over, biting his lip to keep his whimpers as silent as he could, hoping that it would be over soon, feeling the heat burning at his eyes that he refused to let fall.
“Now, my sweet little Barri, why wouldya be so selfish and think ya could keep such a thing from your family?”
“I- I didn’t think you wou-.”
“No. Ya didn’t think. Did you?” To emphasize her point, she added just a bit more pressure, Ri feeling his lip quiver as a few tears escaped and rolled down his cheeks in warm rivers.
“Ma, I’m sures he didn’t mean nothin’ by it. He just-,”
“He just stole from the family is all!” Big Time interrupted, pointing an accusing finger across the table towards Ri’s face. “Those tickets could still get stuff! And any stuff belongs ta the family! Ya grubby little thief! Ya stole from family!”
“Big Time! Shut it!”
Snatching her purse off the table as if she was about to throw it at him, Big Time instantly calmed down and sat back in his seat.
“Sorry Ma. I just-,”
“You just nothin’! Stop drawing attention ya big dummy!” She snarled, and Ri was thankful that in her fit at BT, she had loosened her grip some. He wasn’t stupid enough to try and pull his hand back though. He knew what would happen if he tried to cut his punishment short. “We don’t need every set of eyes in this place lookin’ this way. Specially not with all these-,”
“MY RINGS!”
Ri instantly yanked his hand back the second she let it go, distracted by the scream as her attention shifted to the commotion starting up on the other side. He cradled the injured limb close to his chest, sniffling as he tilted his head to wipe his tears on his shirt as discreetly as he could. The urge to just roll himself into a ball was overwhelming, and he envied the creatures that could actually manage such a task.
What he wouldn’t give sometimes to just curl in tight on himself and disappear from everything for awhile.
“They’re missing! Someone stole them! Oh my- my rings! Someone help! Thief! Thief!”
“Well, boys, that’s our que.”
When Ma reached back to grab him, he flinched away from her, only to find himself being yanked back into the air by Bouncer instead and tucked under his arm. “We goin’ out the front Ma?”
As he spoke to her, he gave little pets to Ri’s head, an attempt at soothing and an apology all in one. Not that he needed to. Ri never blamed him for not stepping in when Ma was in this kind of mood. Her temper always turned on a dime and the one she decided to take it out on changed just as quickly. There was no need for them both to be caught in the crossfire.
“Don’t be an idiot Bouncer! The fronts for suckers to be herded like cattle fer questionin’. We’re gonna go out the back.”
They each shared a nod as already the staff were stopping people who were trying to exit the building and the drama that was starting out.
In a single line the family moved as one, Bouncer easily dropping Ri on his back, Ri’s arms instantly wrapping around his shoulders to keep himself from falling off and falling behind. Tossing a look over his shoulder he spotted the old lady who had gifted him birthday money for being so sweet, sobbing her eyes out as she bellowed about an engagement ring from her dearly departed husband, his eyes falling to the heap of tickets that had been abandoned on the table.
It wasn’t his fault that she had fallen for such an old trick so easily. It wasn’t his fault that she had been swayed by his big eyes and false charm.
She had much more experience than him.
She should have known better.
Tucking himself against his big brother’s shoulder as they darted through the back, he refused to acknowledge the gnawing that chewed a hole deep in his gut, trying to convince himself the heaviness in his chest was for the wasted tickets left behind.