Chapter Text
A little running didn’t really hurt, right?
In Benny’s defense, it wasn’t his fault!! He had a bit of an… exciting night with a pretty lady from the bar. She had complimented his eyes, the classic compliment when you wanted to sneak into someone’s pants. Benny wasn’t really against that, so he said her curls were cute and it just went from there. The two of them hit it off pretty well, a bit too well. Chatting her up led to drinks. Drinks that he unfortunately had to pay for. Those drinks also led to things he couldn’t remember. Well, up until he woke up in a bed that definitely wasn’t his, sun shining through the sliding glass door of a balcony. Fuck– yeah, they should’ve closed that… At least the light made it easy to see, but he really didn’t need to see to feel the woman lying on top of him, pressing her bare chest against his. It was making him sweaty, so he had pushed her off. And the bed was a twin, so Benny watched as her body dropped to the floor. Yeah, so the chick had gotten pretty mad at him for that when she woke up. She stood, immediately screaming at him for being rude.
Listen, he was a sweet talker, but he had never claimed to be a nice guy. And really, he was not in the current mood to deal with that lady, literally battling an evil hangover. Benny got out of the bed, stretching his body. Ahh fuck– kinda sore. Welp, that’s a clear sign of what happened last night at least…. When he started to walk out the room, she grabbed onto his wrist.
“Ben, where are you going~?” She asked, looking at him with this cute little look on her face. She puffed out her cheeks, pursing her lips. This chick knew she was hot shit, a shame she was clingy as hell. If he didn’t have the worst hangover known to man, he might’ve just stayed a little longer. But nah, entertainment time was over.
Benny settled for leaving. Yep, out of her apartment, which was pretty difficult to do since the lady kept clutching onto him. Ugh, and she was so sticky– he couldn’t help but shove her off each time. This was not fun. The yelling was making it worse, irritating his already splitting headache.
“You can’t– don’t just leave me here alone after what you did!! This is your responsibility–!!”
Yeah, responsibility didn’t really exist in Benny’s dictionary. After that last bit, he flipped her off, slamming the door behind him. Bad choice though, since it made his headache so much wooooorseeee ughhhh… This was an absolute shitshow… Benny didn’t wanna hang around the place any longer, so when he finally got back in his car, Benny drove off.
There wasn’t exactly a plan on where to go, but when was there ever a plan? Benny just went wherever the road took him, not even using a GPS for guidance. His only requirement was that he stayed inside of the state, per request of the one who is his literal source of income. But the area was pretty big, and had wayyyy too much to do. There was always somewhere new for Benny to find, and a low chance that he’d ever get bored. But maybe he’d go to a different city? He hadn’t headed up further north in a while? That was pretty far off though, dang…
A pit stop was in order for the big trip then. Probably just gas station snacks, since he really didn’t feel like eating anything else. Bros got a bad case of the munchies. Benny prayed whatever snacks he could get at a 7-11 could like… postpone his monster of a headache. Benny really didn’t feel like pulling up to the drug store to get Tylenol or something, too much of a hassle.
Still driving just a bit too fast, Benny pulled up to the parking lot. He parked a little too close to the line, but hey, the lot was pretty empty, not like anyone would notice. And anyone who did could fuck off, a parking spot isn’t that big of a deal.
Before he left, he took a second to lean back, feeling around the backseats. Once he grabbed a shirt, he slipped into it pretty fast. Even with the cramped space, Benny had done this too often, having forgotten one of his shirts at too many houses. After, he got out of the car and walked into the gas station on his little quest. The place was a bit too quiet, it being literally empty except for the two people who worked there at the counter. Benny settled for whistling to himself as he booked it off to the snack aisle. There were just a bunch of those ripoff brands of chips, the ones that tasted like shit. The only good brands were in huge bags, clearly a good marketing choice. Damn it, if he ever owns a store one day, he’s gonna do some sneaky shit like that!!
Hah, fat chance that Benny would ever get a job.
He grabbed a bag of Doritos. The blue ones, because those were clearly superior. If anyone thinks otherwise he will literally fistfight to prove a point. $5.49 felt like a huge rip off, but he was passionate about his chips.
After getting those, Benny walked over to the candy aisle. He looked around, okay they had a decent selection… Oh!! They had the fruity mentos, oh god he loves those!! Ah fuck, but he didn’t wanna snag too much, since he also has his eyes on one of the drinks in the back… Wait, he could uh… improvise. Benny looked up, and surprisingly, none of the cameras were facing his direction. And the aisle was hidden away from the counter. God, teenagers must love coming to this place!! Benny snagged the mentos quickly, hiding them in his waistband. He covered the bulge with his shirt before walking over to the drinks.
So many choicessss… Benny settled on grabbing a small bottle of coke. If he was gonna grab blue Doritos, he’s gotta grab something with red on it. For the brand, y’know. And plus, coke was a classic option, can’t go wrong with the classics. See, that was what Benny thought until something caught his eye. Watermelon Mountain Dew. A delicacy amongst men. That’s crazy, those were so hard to find!! Fuck the coke, Benny was quick to switch them out. Plus, pink wasn’t too far off from red.
Once everything was gathered, Benny walked over to the counter. There was a bit of a line though, it seemed like a bunch of people must’ve arrived after he had already parked. Huh, alright then. Didn’t matter, all that mattered was actually getting these snacks, which was taking sooo long!! Of course these fatasses in front of him just had to grab a thousand things!! Mostly parents who let their kids go wild when grabbing snacks. This was one of the many times Benny felt like dropkicking a kid, damn line skippers.
But eventually, he made it to the counter. Benny was quick to pay for his food before heading out. He was quick to leave, it was starting to get a bit stuffy in there, and he was not a fan of cramped spaces. It was pretty windy once he left, but it was better than that barely air-conditioned store. The fresh air was feeling pretty great, making him feel a lot better after the weird morning he previously had.
The day quickly got worse.
There was this guy– like a pretty short guy, just going ham on his car!! Like not kicking, Benny wouldn’t be this shocked if it was just some jackass kicking his ride. But no, this– this maniac had a fucking crowbar in his hand!! Who the hell just carries a crowbar?! And he looked so freaking strange, like he had the most emo haircut, covering one of his eyes. The teenage angst it was giving off was insane– but no, this was a grown ass man!! Like the years of life were weighing on him. This was the second time within the freaking year that someone decided to trash his car. Benny’s heart dropped when he saw the dents this bastard had left in his sweet baby. Like his heart actually dropped, body cold, all those crazy feelings when someone feels terrified. No, not terrified, pissed.
“That’s my fucking car!!” Benny yelled as the bag slipped from his hand.
The guy stood there, pausing mid-swing. He turned over, staring at Benny with that one eye. No, not a stare, a glare, as if Benny was wrong for yelling. That glare would’ve been hot if this guy hadn’t just wrecked his fucking car. “Well, learn how to fucking drive it then.”
Benny sped-walked over to the guy, grabbing the other end of the crowbar as it was suspended mid-air. Didn’t want this freak to start swinging again. But seriously– this was because of his driving?! Sure, people had yelled at him while actively on the road, even punched him when they were parked to let a little of their road rage out, but none had gone as far as to literally trash his car!! “That’s not– you! What kind of maniac are you?!”
But soon after Benny had gotten hands on the weapon, the other guy snatched it right out of his grasp. Fuck– okay this guy seemed strong. He had to be careful to not end up like his car. “What kind of maniac are you!? Who the fuck parks like that!?!?”
Wait, this was over the parking? Not the speeding he had done on the road to get away from the chick’s house, but his parking?! It wasn’t even that bad, like 1/4 of his car was over the line– that’s not even that bad!! It’s nothing like what some stupid truck driver would pull. Now he had a thousand huge ass dents in his car for it?! Oh god this guy was fucking insaaaane….
Running his hands through his hair, Benny took a few steps backwards. He looked between the guy and his car, and god it looked worse up close. “Did you seriously– over that?! Oh my god I cannot believe how fucking petty you are. You– you know you’re paying for that, right?”
“I’m not paying for your carelessness.” He replied flatly, as if wrecking people’s shit was just a normal Tuesday.
As he continued, Benny began to yell, uncaring if the people leaving the store listened in. “Bad parking isn’t a crime!! But I think you making all these dents is. You– I don’t even have fucking words right now, what’s wrong with you?!”
Then this guy just sighed. Like a loud one, a sigh to a groan to a shout. Like Benny was being a pain by causing a scene– Benny was not in the wrong, it was this dick!! The same dick apparently decided he was done with the conversation and pushed past him. “Just. move.”
Okay nah, this guy doesn’t just get to walk away after what he did!! Benny reached out and grabbed his arm. Well, more like sleeve, he didn’t want to grab on too hard just in case this guy would turn around and sock him. “Nooononono, you’re paying me back.”
“Don’t fucking touch me!!”
Despite the pretty useless precautions, Benny did get… hit in the face. There was little time between when the guy suddenly turned around and when his fist met with Benny’s nose. It was quick, and it stung fast. He reeled back, his hand immediately letting go of the other’s sleeve. That hand reached towards his face, feeling if his nose was bleeding. He didn’t even need to see it for himself, he could feel the liquid start to spill onto his fingers.
It was warm compared to Benny’s constantly cold hands. He could feel as blood trailed down each finger, it even tickled.
Ahhhaahha, he couldn’t help the grin that appeared on his face from that.
Holy fuck this guy hit hard!! Like a single punch got his nose bleeding– holyyy this thing was dripping. It had been a while since someone got him this excited. As much as Benny had been itching for some action, he was enjoying the pain at the moment. That, and the thrill of potentially getting hit again!!
What? Could anyone really blame Benny for being a thrill seeker? Everyone’s a little bit of a masochist.
Benny brought his hand off his nose, licking the blood clean off one of his fingers. The rest were cleaned when Benny wiped his hand on his pants. “Ah fu-u-uck… You’ve got a good punch– shit..”
Without saying anything more, the guy rolled his eyes. Well, eye, Benny personally believed this guy was some kind of freaky ass cyclops. Either way, the other turned away, walking towards the store, as if this wasn’t his problem anymore.
Well that punch wasn’t enough payment to let this guy off the hook for ruining Benny’s car. So he ended up doing something stupid; following the guy… Okay it wasn’t that stupid, they were just gonna go inside the store!! And who knows, maybe this guy’ll get a little irritated and raise a fist to Benny again.. Haaahhh…
So yeah, Benny followed behind. He made sure to pick up his snack bag that he had dropped before. Luckily no one had stolen it, he would’ve sobbed if someone had nabbed his legendary find. But it was surprising, considering how many people had been in the gas station when Benny was still shopping. Goody two shoes, all of ‘em, Benny would have stolen the bag. But he was kinda glad he didn’t, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get that flavor of Mountain Dew anywhere else.
The two of them went inside the store, neither of them saying anything. Surprisingly the cashier didn’t either, considering this guy was still holding on to his crowbar. They really must not care, huh, no wonder Benny could steal that candy. They immediately started heading towards the drinks, skipping all of the food. Okkaaayyy? Weird to stop at a gas station and not pick up a small munchie, but people had their tastes…. No, okay, this guy was definitely weird. He skipped all the sodas, not even giving them a passing glance. No, this… this freak walked all the way over to the alcohol. And there was nothing wrong with a bit of drinking, hell, Benny had literally gone out drinking the night before. But the problem was what he grabbed. A pack of beer. Like no wine– like he would have even accepted champagne. But just straight beer?! Oh god this guy was a psychopath– a killer!! Some emo guy with the tastebuds of an evil truck driver. Benny does not like truck drivers.
Without even batting an eye, he walked over to the counter. Luckily there was no line this time, and they didn’t have to be cramped between a bunch of people. Oh that would’ve been absolute hell. But nope, the two of them got to check out right away. Instead of getting just the beer though, the guy also asked for a pack of cigarettes. Jeez, this guy must have such a sucky ass life, no wonder he looks so much like teenage angst. It’s that eye, it’s screaming depression.
The only conversation that happened was the cashier telling them to have a good day. Awww, that’s so nice!! Benny said the classic “you too” and the two of them left the store. It was only then that Benny continued their conversation from before. “Beer, hm? Makes sense for the guy who’d break my car and my nose.”
“I didn’t even hit you that fucking hard. Get over it— and stop following me.” he replied, most likely walking to his own car.
Walking a bit faster, Benny managed to get in front of him, cutting the guy off. He held his hand out, curling his fingers as a signal to ‘gimme my money’. “Nah, not until I get any kind of compensation. I like my car, y'know, and that shit pissed me off.”
Prevented from walking any further, the guy paused. “Hh.. fuck—fine..” he replied, running a hand down his face, clearly annoyed. But the irritation faded away, and the other took out his wallet. He pulled out a bit of cash– clearly not enough.
It was like a few twenties, did this guy expect Benny to get his car repaired with chump change?! Hell no. Benny dramatically pointed to his car, further emphasizing how nice it previously was before this bitch ruined it!! “Uh, do you see my car?! That’s a K5, babes. When shit like that happens, legally you’re supposed to give me the amount my car costs. Which is…. Uh… 27k? I bit more, but I’ll cut you a bit loose if you slide me the beer.”
Based on his reluctance, it was clear he didn’t like the deal. “.. Hhh.. Can I get away with giving you—half?— of the beer I mean, I already can’t give the money right this second.”
No, okay that’s bullshit!! He destroyed Benny’s car and expects him to take half a pack of beer and a few bills?! Fuck no, that’s not what’s happening. Benny doesn’t even like beer like that, but he was tryna let this guy off the hook a little for that fire punch from before. But no, he’s not lowering his prices!! And expecting him to when he’s the victim in all of this is actually bonkers. “Hmmm… nah. You’ll slide that whole pack and pay me.”
“I work a monday through friday 9-to-5 office job in a cramped ass cubicle with nothing but morons yapping my fucking ear off. I. Need. This.” he replied, trying to give his villain backstory or something. What a fucking chud.
Seriously?! This guy is pulling a pity party?! Well two could play that game. “Oh yeah? I live in my car— my wrecked car!! You basically killed my house and I don’t even have a job to fix it!! The only job I can possibly get is probably as a stripper or something… or a cashier, but I’d rather kill myself than be a cashier.”
Shoving Benny, the prick started to argue back. “Then go off and fucking do that then! You fit the bill just fucking fine for a street-worker so go do that instead of coming hear and fucking parking like a god damn idiot and taking up two—maybe three fucking spots you fucking. ass.”
Was he still on the parking thing?! Okay, poor parking does not outweigh vandalism. Especially when it was Benny’s car. Like– his favorite car. Sure, it was his only car, but that thing was like his baby at this point!! His new baby, since the last car he had got a little scratched. Plus he lived in it, so of course he’d wanna be properly compensated to get it fixed. “It wasn’t even that far over the line!! You’re being such a fucking prick— and you’re not even hot enough to make this shit tolerable.”
It was quick, but the guy raised his hand. Benny thought he was gonna get hit again, but nah, he just held out a finger. Awww… He took a second to reach inside his bag, pulling out the packet of cigarettes. It was a bit of a struggle considering his hands were pretty full. Next came a lighter, which he used to light one. After taking a hit from one, he let out a sigh. “You know what? You’re right. That’s on me. This whole situation? It’s my bad—look shit’s just all going down the drain right now..”
So this guy was still having a small pity party, but instead of backstory shit, he was being a pick-me. He began to walk towards his car again, becking Benny to follow. “The last thing I want is a pity-party so ignore everything I just said, ‘kay? But shit is just really hard right now and I guess all it took was one small inconvenience for me to snap, for that I'm sorry. I’ll make sure to get the money to pay all this shit off but it’ll take me a while to get it all.”
Yeah the office job made that pretty clear. Benny obviously didn’t expect the money to come right away, but still the twenties from before kind of threw him off. The guy took another hit from the cigarette, blowing out smoke with a sigh. “I still have rent and general needs—then there’s Raph—he’s pretty fucking expensive too… shit ah—Sorry, i’m rambling now, but getting to the point—if need be—we can always..”
The walk ended once they stood next to a car. It wasn’t as nice as Benny’s had been, probably a result of this guy’s poor paycheck. “Hmm.. fuck—If you have a phone then I can give you my number.. we can keep in contact, discuss payments from there..”
Damn it, he was literally taking money from someone who had less than him. Sure, Benny got money just handed off to him from existing, but you’d think a guy with an actual career would have more pocket change than this. He was practically robbing this guy!! Plus there was a Raph involved too– does this guy have a son or something?? Man, he can’t do this to a little kid… Fuuuck, but he couldn’t just not move on from this– it wasn’t just a little dent. It would be embarrassing to drive that wreck around now. And he couldn’t just ask her to help out– he’s taken enough from her already…
Benny covered his face with his hands, running them back through his hair. He let out a sigh– like a huge sigh. “I don’t have one, but I can give you someone else’s number.”
It’s times like this where Benny wished he had his own phone, but he really didn’t feel like having one. Plus, he lived a pretty happy life without one. But of course now he has to get payments from a strange man and use his mom’s phone to collect. That’s so wonderful.
“Yyyyeah. Yeah, okay that works..” he said, taking out his phone. He unlocked it before handing it over to Benny. “As long as I’m able to reach you then it’s fine..”
Luckily Benny had an extremely good memory, and he quickly typed his mom’s number into the phone. He clicked on the section to change the contact name. Uhhhh… well he couldn’t just put his own name, this guy didn’t know it. Ginger guy? Hm… he settled on naming it ‘Car Guy’s Mom’. A bit vanilla, but he could pick out a better name for someone else’s phone. Y’know, someone who doesn’t destroy his child. Once that was done, he held the phone back out. “Don’t text her any stupid stuff.”
The guy took the phone back, putting it in the bag he got from the store. “I won’t, I won’t.”
Holding two thumbs up, Benny gave a small grin. He wasn’t happy, per say, just pleased. “Good! Call around like… 8 tonight.”
“Okay, I will…” He pointed at his own car. “Do..you need a ride..??”
Letting his hands fall into his pockets, Benny took a step back. Hah, no way he was leaving his precious here alone. “Nahh, gotta take her home, can’t just leave her here.”
The guy nodded, dropping the cigarette on the floor. He crushed it under the toe of his shoe, pressing down as the heat simmered down, the small red spark fading away. There was no goodbye, the guy just went into his car. Benny stood off to the side as the stranger backed up his car before driving away. He was speeding a little himself, and ended up honking at some car that snuck in front of him. Good to know that guy’s rage wasn’t just directed at gingers with terrible parking.
Benny walked back over to his car, looking at the sight. Fuuck, it actually hurt to look at her for too long. He could see the indents clearly made by the crowbar. Sure, Benny was a bit of a reckless driver, but he made sure to keep his car in good shape. The moment there was anything wrong, everything was dropped to get her repaired. But there really was no fixing this, not without getting that guy’s payment. And definitely not without… his mom.
… Welp, he was planning to visit home soon anyways.