Kids Killing Kids {freude's story}

[▪ ▫ CAPTAIN ALEX]

Chapter One
In which Freude Rhys Wayland commits murder.

The bathroom was just as Freude had imagined. The pure white tiles covered three of the four walls and along the last, a floor to ceiling mirror. Not to Freude’s taste, but he could see why people liked the minimalist clean look. His own flat would always look like a bomb site, and yet he was still able to find anything he needed with ease.
A small grin spread across his face, his hand slipping over the rim of the ceramic bathtub where the body had begun to contort into the shape of the tub. A single finger dipped into the cooling water, the ripples covering the remains of the man who had once been heir to a multi-million dollar industry.
Pushing off the edge of the bath, Freude got to his feet smoothing out his black shirt with those ridiculous rubber gloves. Turning, he caught his reflection in the mirror; a frown was soon creeping across his forehead. Why did he let Jimmy get him into these things? Freude had always known it would end like this. Well, maybe not like this; exploring a dead man’s bathroom, while his remains were changing to an off yellow colour in the dirty water.
Letting out a sigh Freude gave one last look to the body, cleared away the last of the evidence and exited the bathroom. The bright lights in the hall made him stop, his eyes squinting slightly, trying to adjust to the surroundings. Running his hands up over his eyes and through his dark hair he grimaced.

“Gross.”

Dirty bath water all in his hair; how delightful. Freude shook his head, the smirk back on his lips as he walked almost silently through the hall. The photographs, certificates and awards all plastered around his head. He didn’t care for memories that could be viewed by anyone. He just kept them to himself. It was easier that way. But one picture just had to catch his eye. Turning on his heels he frowned at the photograph. It was the man in the bath, a woman with bright red frizzy hair and a child; no more than fifteen, but who looked like he was part of some football team. Or at least knew his way around a gym. Freude’s expression softened slightly, his hands crossing over his skinny frame as he stared at the image. So Jimmy had assigned him a family man, smooth. It was just something the bleached-blonde punk would do; his own little joke to make Freude more ‘comfortable’ with the job. As if anyone could be comfortable with a job like that.
It wasn’t that Freude had an issue with his family, on the contrary his own had been nothing if not supportive and helpful. It was just everyone else’s families he had problems with. The way they were so set in their ways; that everyone else was some dirty outsider wanting to invade and burst up the little bubble they had forced their lives into. Of course he was only generalising, he knew that, but he was working from his own experiences.
His own experiences were with Jimmy, and Jimmy’s family. Not exactly the widest of circles, but it had always been enough for an eleven year old Freude. Having a best friend two years older than himself made him the coolest kid in the playground. But it wasn't like Freude didn't have friends his own age, or anything.
But Freude knew, now, that he was just one of Jimmy’s experiments. There to be prodded and poked into dangerous situations until he broke. He was willingly doing it too, just for a slight hint of affection from the other boy.
Freude smiled, his plastic gloves rustling as he dropped his hands to his sides. Everything had been laid out for him then, his career, his girlfriend, his house his whole life. Now he was standing in a stranger’s hallway, looking at the family photos with a wave of nostalgia hitting him like a goods train.



It was the stupid game of cops and robbers that had ruined everything. Freude was fourteen, maybe coming up to fifteen and Jimmy had turned seventeen the week before. Freude had been the cop, as always, and he had been running after Jimmy; the plastic gun he had been carrying long forgotten on the grass. He knew where Jimmy was, he hid in the same place every time.

The tree house.

It was the only good thing Freude could ever remember about his childhood home. He and his father had made it together for his tenth birthday. A place he could get away from his sisters and, urgh, the pink. There were comic books half ripped and slightly damp, posters of long forgotten cartoons and plastic robots with a few limbs missing; and yet they still had the ability to take out any Barbie that came their way. It was Freude’s little world, all to himself. Until Jimmy arrived.
It was only a small space, but Jimmy had managed to fill it with unnecessary boxes, full of adult magazines; the posters on the wooden walls had been swapped for underwear models and sports cars, but Freude hadn’t really bothered to look at them properly. He just wasn’t interested in that sort of thing. He had hidden away his figurines of Optimus Prime in his wardrobe, but was too ashamed to admit that he still brought them out; even just to look at them.
But the tree house now belonged to them both, even if it was mostly for Jimmy. Freude allowed the other to take up the space and they had even camped out in it over night; both curled up in one sleeping bag to keep warm in the cold. It was everything they had ever wanted, and more. Jimmy used to joke about it being their first house; how they would be roommates, bring back entertainment every night. Not that Freude had ever really understood what ‘entertainment’ had meant.

“I can see you!” Freude would to call, causing Jimmy to poke his head out of the small gap that was supposed to be the window.
“You cheated!” Jimmy called back, but the grin on his face told Freude not to worry. Clambering up the ladder, the smaller boy was soon joining Jimmy in the wooden house. Crossing his legs as Jimmy came up with some reason as to why he actually won the game. Even though Freude tried to point out that technically the cop had caught the robber.
The conversation drifted slightly as Jimmy began flicking through his magazines, prodding the pages and making lewd comments about the people in the pictures. Freude shifted slightly, unsure if he was interested or disgusted.
“I’d do her,” Jimmy said, turning the magazine around so Freude could see.
Freude wrinkled his nose, she was too…big. Too fake. Not something Freude would ever be interested in.
“Have you…you know?” he asked Jimmy, folding his hands into his lap to hide his growing embarrassment.
“Yeah of course. Haven’t you?” Came the sharp reply, as if Jimmy had forgotten how old his friend was.
“Well, no...” a slight blush was tinting Freude’s cheeks. He had begun mumbling, which meant Jimmy had to move closer to the other to hear him at all.
“What, Freude? I didn't catch that.”
“I said...” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I said I've never kissed anyone before.”
“...Seriously?”
“Yeah...”
“But you've always got the girls panting after you like bitches in heat. How could you not have kissed anyone before?”
“I just never found anyone I wanted to kiss... and they do not,” he protested, crossing his arms over his chest in a somewhat defiant stance. Jimmy had a huge grin plastered on his face, as thought he was already plotting something in that underused brain of his.
“Would you let me?” Jimmy asked, shuffling himself a little closer to the other boy.
“Let you...?”
“Practice my technique of course!”
“But I—”
“Don't worry,” Jimmy cut him off. “No one else has to know. It’s only practicing with your best friend. Everyone does it”
“They do?” Freude didn’t sound so sure, and the way Jimmy had begun to stare at him wasn’t helping the situation in the slightest.
“Yeah sure they do. So is that cool? Just for practice,” the blonde said casually, running a hand though his hair and twiddling his newly pierced ear. “I mean, it's not like we have anything better to do right now.”
“...I-I guess so.”
“Just... hold still, and relax,” Jimmy said, resting his fingers against the side of Freude’s face. As if this would help the smaller boy to actually calm down. He was in a teenage mutant ninja turtles t-shirt, was he even ready for this kind of thing?
Jimmy tilted Freude’s head upwards as he began to lean into him. As Jimmy inched closer, he could feel the other’s warm exhalations against his mouth. Just as they were about to touch lips, a loud bang caused them to jump apart and away from each other.
“What on earth is going on?”
It was Jimmy’s mother. They expression on her face told Freude that she knew what had been about to happen.
They didn’t talk after that. Jimmy wasn’t allowed to visit anymore, and they just drifted from each other. When Jimmy left school, Freude had all but forgotten him.



The mobile in Freude’s pocket began to vibrate violently. Cursing he reached into his back pocket and pulled it out, tapping the screen to take the call.
“Hello?”
“It’s Leah, Jimmy says you need to get back to the flat before he sends out a search party!”
Freude grinned, listening to the sounds of bodies moving around through the phone.
“Tell him not to panic; I’ll be home in time for dinner. I just need to go to the garage to get his flowers.”
Hearing a faint snort from the other end of the phone he chuckled lightly, said goodbye to Leah and hung up, slipping the mobile back into his pocket. With one last look at the photograph he turned and headed out of the door, leaving the house exactly as he had found it.

Chapter Two
In which James Christopher Noir reveals ‘The Suits’.

“Do you ever clean up in here?” Freude asked disdainfully, looking around Jimmy’s room, which he was certain, had more women’s clothing strewn about it than it had the night before when he had been there. He was sure any maid must be terrified to come within ten feet of the place.

“Who the fuck cares,” Jimmy returned flippantly, digging his little finger into his ear and then flicking a piece of earwax off it. “You’re not here for the décor.”
Freude’s lips thinned in irritation. “No, I suppose not,” he answered before grabbing Jimmy by the front of his shirt and jerking him closer his expression quickly changing to a look of disgust. “What the hell were you thinking? Sending me there?”

Jimmy shrugged, not put off by the fact the other was now glaring at him. He petted Freude’s cheek and smiled, “I thought you would prefer the ladies man, just in case.”
“Screw you, just because I’m…whatever. Doesn’t mean I’ll jump at anyone,” Freude retorted, shoving Jimmy away from him in some vain attempt at keeping control of the situation. Jimmy growled at Freude, shoving him back. The two of them grappled with each other, but finally, after much swearing and sweating, Jimmy had Freude pinned under him on the floor, so the other man was on his back.

“Now where have I seen you looking like this before? Oh I kn-,”
“Don’t say it.”
Jimmy smirked, releasing Freude from his position as he got to his feet. Running a hand through his peroxide hair he twisted his lobe stretcher between his index finger and his thumb. He had never seen Freude so uptight. Maybe the plan had worked after all.

Freude bit down on his tongue, stopping himself from making any vile retorts that were running through his mind. He hated being friends with Jimmy, it was never simple. James Noir was never simple. He was a rat, the vermin of society. The lowest you could possibly get, and of course Jimmy had seen fit to drag everyone around him down to his level. Because that was who he was. Freude had known that from the beginning and he felt foolish, looking back, that he gave up his life for the other man. What did he get in return? A court case and a life sentence. Not bright prospects for anyone.
But it had been a long time since Freude had worried about his future.

Jimmy turned, eyes narrowed slightly when he realised that the other man had been silenced. He walked up to Freude, straightening his crisp white tie as he did. Jimmy’s lip curled into a neat smirk, he had won. Again. Petting Freude’s shoulder he gave the boy a mock pout, “Sorry Babycakes. Next time I’ll make it a pretty blonde, that’s more your type, isn’t it?”

Freude pushed Jimmy’s hand from his shoulder so fast, Jimmy was sure his fingers had been knocked clean off his wrist.
“Don’t even go there,” Freude spat, turning his back on the other; who was positively gleaming at the reaction.
“Why not? I thought you saw your Darling the other day!” He exclaimed, in a voice that clearly stated Jimmy knew the answer to his own question.
Freude didn’t even bother to reply; instead he walked over to the door and picked his bag up from the floor, rustling in it for a moment before he produced a red folder full of papers.
“Take what you need. I’m done.”

Jimmy looked taken aback for a moment, as if confused by what Freude had said. But he took the folder anyway, dropping it onto the table with a thud. “You can’t leave, Freude. You know that. The Sui-“
“The Suits? The Suits are nothing to do with me. I’m not part of your petty organisation. I don’t ever want to be part of thieves and crooks.”
“But don’t you see, Freude? You are already part of it.”
Freude shook his head, slinging his bag over one shoulder. Jimmy loathed to see a smile on the other’s face, making the shorter man a little uncomfortable.
“You can’t leave us, Freude. You’re part of it whether you like it or not. Contract killer? Sure, you can go on introducing yourself with that job title when you go speed dating. Either way you’re working for me, or working for someone who works for me. Let’s just axe the middle man, yeah? Cut the bullshit and get down to business. Because that’s all you care about, isn’t it?”
Freude paused, staring down at the floor. Was it really all he cared about? He didn’t have anything else; that was for sure. Not even Caleb Darling had stayed around long enough to find out the truth. Jimmy had made sure of that.

The tall thin man looked back at his friend, silent for a moment. Thinking about what he was getting himself into.
“Alright,” he said slowly, as if admitting his darkest secret, “Just business.”

Wasn’t that always what it came down to? A business proposal and a lot of paperwork? Freude was surprised, even by his standards, to find himself signing away his life so quickly. But at least now he had a direction to follow. He wasn’t stranded in a city of lights, blinded by everything. Taking a deep breath he signed the last slip of paper; done.
Biting his lip he straightened up, curling his toes in his shoes as he watched Jimmy collect up the papers. There was no going back now, was there? This really was the end of the line.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]