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“N-no sir,” he muttered, the sound of Creature’s fingers drumming hard on the arm of the chair drawing Scout’s gaze back up to meet his.

Creature raised an eyebrow at him, and Scout immediately turned his attention back to his dad and gave the only real answer he had.

“I’d be okay with you partnering up with them,” Scout told his old man. “They’re awesome guys who appreciate my bike and all the work that went into it. It was really cool to be given the opportunity to work in the garage.”

Creature's lips quirked up at that while Scout shot Ms. Kat a look, feeling a bit sheepish because she had been the one to really give him a chance to show what he could do when he let him work in the clubhouse.

“Not that I don’t enjoy being behind the bar; it’s fun,” Scout stammered, feeling his cheeks pink up a little. “But I love working with machines. Figuring out how they go together, how to enhance them, and how to improve their performance has always just been a fun challenge for me.”

“Then call us dream makers, honey,” she replied, her smile easing the last of his worries. “Because we’d much rather put you in a position where you can excel rather than just give you a job we know you’ll do well but might not be passionate about.”

“Looks like you’ve found your place, kiddo,” Pops said. “It’s gonna be up to you to keep it, though.”

“I know,” Scout said, turning his attention back to his dad. “And I’m gonna work my ass off to do it too.”

“Not before next Monday, you won’t,” Creature declared. “And don’t even think about trying to argue that point, or it’ll be Wednesday.”

Gulping, Scout just nodded and made a show of zipping his lips, ‘cause yeah, the urge had been there to try and negotiate the moment Creature had said it.

But what the hell was he gonna do with a whole week?

Licking his lips, Scout turned his attention back to Ms. Kat to see the same fierce look on her face as the one Creature wore.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said. “You won’t be working in the clubhouse this week either, or anywhere else you might get it in your head to try and help out at.

Whether you were angling for a vacation or not, you’ve got one.

Why not spend it on the beach? That way someone will be around to keep you from getting into anything that might get you hurt again. ”

Scout bristled, for a half second, at the thought that he might need looking after, only there was a part of him that did crave that and everything he was starting to learn that it entailed.

In the back of his head, he could still hear the echo of Creature’s words, announcing to everyone in earshot that Scout was under his protection now.

While he hadn’t had a moment of privacy to ask if that meant he’d be wearing a property of tag on his clothes from here on out, Scout hoped it did.

He wanted to earn that from Creature the way he’d hoped to earn it from Kong…

and been so sorely disappointed about failing to get the night he’d owned up to everything that had been going on since he’d arrived at the Joker’s compound.

Had he even been there that night?

Had Kong helped to look for him or branded him a lost cause, ‘cause that was the feeling Scout had gotten the night Kong had driven away from Creature’s apartment without him, after being the one to drag Scout there?

Yeah, that still smarted and probably would for some time to come.

He barely knew Creature, but he’d claimed him like Scout mattered to him. He’d held him too and carried him to the ambulance, demanding that they take Scout and not make him wait until another ambulance came.

Creature had been here when he’d woken up, too.

Him and Axel. Even after his Pops arrived, they hadn’t taken off.

They’d just stepped out to give him some time with Scout and brought him a treat from the cafeteria, knowing the food they gave him was going to be bland and not very appealing after the way he’d gotten used to eating what Night made at the club.

Damn, that brutha could cook.

“I think I can find a few things to occupy me at the beach,” Scout admitted when the looks on their faces all seemed to suggest that they were waiting for some kind of acknowledgement out of him. “Especially if any of you know where I can get a boogie board?”

“Told you to take your old one the last time you popped in,” Pops said.

“Didn’t have room with the bag of parts,”

“Uh-huh,” Pops said, raising an eyebrow at him. “You could have managed.”

“Yeah, but…” Scout began before immediately clamming up.

“But what?” Creature asked.

If Scout hadn’t already figured out that none of the people in the room were going to let him get away with censoring himself or his feelings, Creature proved it again with that fierce, pointed glare of his.

Scout swore it was going to cause him to shrivel up and die one of these days; it was that intense.

“Just isn’t as much fun being down there by myself,” Scout admitted. “And I, umm, it’s kinda rougher than the waters I’m used to and a bit on the scary side.”

Scout saw Creature pause at that, eyes widening a fraction before he inclined his head and looked thoughtful.

“There’s some truth to that,” Mark said before Creature could say anything.

Mark stroked his chin, a faraway look in his eyes as they drifted towards the window and the ocean in the distance.

“Here’s some more truth,” Ms. Kat said, staring across the room at her husband now.

“He isn’t the only one who needs a break, especially with everything that’s taken place lately.

You’ve been snappier than usual, sweetheart, and we both know that there are only two things that take the bite out of your attitude, and one of them hasn’t been all the way working. ”

Mark nodded at that, while Scout needed a moment to work out the meaning behind the words.

Oh.

Ohhhh.

He didn’t even try to deny it, just nodded again, contemplating her statement.

“It wouldn’t kill me to spend a week out back rather than inside,” Mark finally admitted. “Maybe we even get him up on a proper board instead of one of those boogie board things.”

“Then it’s settled,” Kat said.

“Speaking of settled, I’d like to get one more thing worked out while we’re here,” Creature said, his eyes firmly fixed on Mark.

“Shoot,” Mark replied.

“Was wondering if you’d rescinded the order about him needing to keep an eye on Teddy during his downtime,” Creature posed. “It’s gonna be next to impossible for him to do that if he takes me and Axel up on our offer to have him move in with us.”

“The hell?”

The unexpected voice, gruff and pissed the hell off, crackled with an undertone of violence as Kong stepped through the doorway.

“Ever hear of knocking?” Mark asked, crossing the room to get in his face. “Or waiting to see if a visit from you would be welcome?”

“Didn’t think I needed one.”

“You thought wrong,” Creature said, standing now too.

His Pops just placed a hand on his arm and gave Scout a look he knew meant that Pops wanted to know what the fuck was going on. Scout didn’t exactly have an answer for him, since Kong was the last person he’d ever expected a visit from.

“Scout?” Kong asked, eyeing Scout from where they had him hemmed up in the doorway. “You want me gone?”

“Isn’t getting gone what you’re good at?” Scout blurted, only half regretting it the moment the words left his lips.

The other part was pleased about the way he was standing up for himself.

Kong showing up now felt like he was offering a crumb when everyone else was offering toffee-drenched dreams, sticky and wonderful, like the pudding Axel and Creature had brought back for him from the dessert case in the cafeteria.

“I messed up,” Kong said, trying to take a step forward only to do an awkward shuffle when Mark didn’t back off and give him space.

“I was pissed about you getting caught up in the same porn scheme Lucky had, and instead of telling you that, I stormed off like a hothead. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left you on the sidewalk like that. ”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” Scout said. “Now you can give me some space to figure out if I want to forgive you for that shit or not. It sucked, it didn’t feel good, and it left me in a really sucky spot when I could have used some help.”

“I know, I…”

“Will give him the space he asked for,” Ms. Kat said, silencing Kong’s words. “And wait for him to come to you, if he chooses to. Now isn’t there something you’re supposed to be doing?”

“Yeah, but I um….”

“Am about to get back to it before we cause yet another incident in this hospital,” Ms. Kat said, making a shooing motion with her hands.

Red-faced and sputtering, Kong backed off before Mark or Creature could say or do anything more.

“Thank you,” Scout muttered, running a hand over the back of his neck.

It meant something that he’d come here, but once burned, Scout’s trust was as hard to gain back as the protection Kong promised and then snatched away the moment Scout had taken the steps to earn it.

Scout didn’t know if he could forgive that.

Maybe the answers would come on the waves, which he was now looking forward to facing, knowing he wouldn’t have to face them alone.

He’d seen photos of Mark on the clubhouse walls, along with several other club members who loved surfing those high waves.

He knew he could trust Mark to keep him from getting into trouble out there.

Along the way, Scout hoped he’d clue him in about who the real Kong was, because after seeing the devastated look in his eyes as he withdrew from the doorway, Scout wasn’t sure that he’d met that man yet.