He should have foreseen this and not been this slow, but as he raised his hand, trying to grab it, the weapon skidded over his arm and hit his ribs. Out of breath from the sudden pain, he slammed into the side of the truck.
The world trembled, its shades fading as he focused on movement and backed away right before the baseball bat collided with his body again. This time, it hit metal, and Caspian grabbed it with so much fury, the single, powerful tug not only ripped the weapon out of Todd’s hands but also made him stumble.
Caspian brought the bat down on the fucker’s back, knocking him into the dirt.
Ralph shoved him away before Caspian could have hit Todd another time, but the rush of adrenaline was enough to give him a high. Todd Brown was scum and deserved nothing beyond a kick in the nuts, broken bones, and years in prison.
So Caspian charged right back and smashed his boot into the bastard’s stomach for good measure.
“Stop it! You’re gonna kill him!” Noah yelled and tugged on his arm just as Ralph pulled out a switchblade.
Todd squirmed in the dirt, curled into a ball. “You’ll regret this, Russo,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Right back at you. Fuck the fuck off and out of my life, both of you!” Caspian roared, ignoring all the shadows appearing in trailer windows around them.
“Kill yourself, you damn faggot. It’s gonna be mercy,” Ralph hollered but didn’t attack and instead dragged Todd away, constantly looking over the shoulder, as if he’d finally realized Caspian was a force to be reckoned with.
The baseball bat felt so right in Caspian’s hand he swung it through the air for good measure before opening the truck. “Get in,” he told Noah and tossed the weapon inside.
Noah shook his head with a pained expression, but did as told. “They won’t let this go. Fuck!”
Well, at least Caspian had unleashed some of the pent-up fury.
“What can those troglodytes do? Fuck them. I don’t deserve to hide all my life, and neither does Gunner,” Caspian said and reached across Noah’s body to grab the seatbelt. Gunner had told him in detail about the terrible accident that had left his brother with scars and Gunner—in debt, and while the boy wasn’t really Caspian’s relative, he needed to take care of him for Gunner’s sake.
They didn’t speak for a while as Caspian started the truck and drove off with a screech of tires. He didn’t know where to yet, but he needed to be out of this shithole.
“So… Gunner’s gay, isn’t he?” Noah said quietly once they were out on the main road.
Caspian stilled, wishing he’d bitten his tongue. “Well… yeah. But you didn’t hear it from me,” he said, heading for the town centre.
Noah played with his seatbelt, his face hidden behind the mass of curls. “Are you two like… doing stuff?”
Caspian’s face flushed with intense heat, and he focused on the headlights revealing the asphalt road ahead. He wasn’t sure how much Gunner would have wanted him to say, but Noah seemed like a good enough kid, and Gunner would need all the support he could get once the two of them returned to their own bodies. “We’re… dating,” he said, realizing that he wasn’t comfortable keeping that fact hidden. As crazy as Gunner sometimes made him, their relationship wasn’t just about sex.
“Oh. Isn’t that really weird though?” Noah cocked his head and scratched his nose, as if he were trying to remove a freckle.
Caspian scowled. “It used to be weird at first, but my face looks completely different when he’s the one behind it.”
Noah squinted. “Okay, I get it, ‘cause your expressions are often different to Gunner’s. It’s freaking me out, to be honest.”
“There you go. He’s much cuter than I was. And he had this I’ll-cut-you twink mode, which is weirdly hot on him, right?” Caspian asked with a weak laugh.
Noah’s eyebrows rose. “I err… wouldn’t know. Since he’s my brother and all? But it’s kinda funny that he’s smaller than me and still has that stupid swagger. And then you’re so put together in comparison. Fixed his car, cleaned the trailer… I heard you sorted out Mrs. Weller’s plumbing, and she already recommended you to her brother. I’m sorry he’s messing up your life, but we’ll work out how to swap you two back eventually.”
Swap back.
That was what Caspian should’ve wanted, but along with getting back his life, his degree, his parents, and possessions, he’d be losing a body that made him feel so comfortable. The cute boy who smelled of berries and had fluffy blond hair would be gone forever.
Caspian already missed him.
“I just want him safe. He’s your brother. Where could he be?”
Noah listed several places around town and promised to be on the lookout, but the suggestion that Gunner was messing up Caspian’s life wouldn’t stop bugging him, and he was itching to set the matter straight.