"That was awesome!" Johnny grinned as he walked a little faster to keep up with John, who was holding his head back to stop the blood flow while trying to maneuver his way down the hall. "Hey, dad, I don't have to go back to English, do I? I mean, there's only 20 minutes left-"

John glanced back over his shoulder at Claire. He could practically see the steam coming out her ears, her face growing red with anger, that useless handkerchief still clutched in her hand. He'd have that thing soaked within two seconds, not that his rapidly-turning-red shirt was much better.

"Go back to class, Johnny," she said as Johnny was still grinning excitedly, looking up at his father as only a son could. He looked back at her, his grin faltering before falling completely off his face.

"Moooooooooom."

Claire rolled her eyes. "Just go." She pointed down the hall, and Johnny glanced up at John before sighing. He slumped his shoulders forward and took a turn towards the gym.

"Don't be so hard on the kid," John said thickly through the material of his shirt, holding it up to his nose so that the hem lifted, exposing the lower half of his lightly furred abdomen. Claire looked pointedly away. "It was just a fuckin fire alarm-"

"Oh, and you think that's why I'm pissed?" she snapped at him, grabbing the back of his Y suspenders and shoving him towards the front exit. "Never mind the fact that now Vernon will have an even bigger target on the kids' backs... of course not. You are such a piece of work..."

"Hey, you should be happy I didn't punch him back." John flicked his tongue out over his teeth, wiping the blood off their surface. He tasted it thoughtfully as he felt Claire's hands on his back, pressing down into the shoulderblades heavily as she hurried him through the doors.

"So you're going to blackmail Vernon?" Claire snorted, pushing John out into the cool air, the wind ruffling her hair over her head and sending goosebumps down her spine. John wiped the blood on his fingers off on his already-bloody shirt, giving them a curious once-over. More blood dripped from his nose. Claire sighed in frustration, pushing her handkerchief at John. "Would you just take that?" she added in exasperation.

His dark eyes glanced down at the material. "It'll get ruined," he replied, his voice a bit soft in confusion.

She could've laughed at him, at big bad John Bender concerned that he'd soil his wife's handkerchief. Instead she just smiled briefly, placing her hand on his shoulder to turn him to face her. "If you're not going to the hospital, at least let me fix your nose." And without waiting for a reply, she gripped the bridge of his bleeding nose in two fingers and cracked it back to center.

"Jesus!" John hissed, stomping one of his boots into the concrete steps in pain. He gave her a little push back with his shoulder as both his hands lifted to protect his face. "Give a little warning next time, Standish!"

"Oh, as if you would've let me," she huffed, moving forward to wipe her hands off on his shirt. He looked like he had been cast as the main lead in a gore film. John glanced down at the silk in his hand, then pressed it to his face, giving her a look of defiance. The blood immediately started to steep through.

"I gotta get back," he said, checking the watch on his left arm. He looks back at her over his glasses, now in slightly crooked frames, his dark eyes practically black in his face before turning, starting down the stairs. She sighed, rolling her eyes before following, her heeled boots clicking after the stomp of his steel toes. John stepped into the old Ford truck, the door crunching as the metal protested its movement. Claire leaned against the opposite window and he stretched out an arm, rolling the window down using its manual handle. "You gonna be pissed all day?" he asked in annoyance, looking out at her.

She glared back at him. Brown eyes meeting black. "I'll see you at home, John."

He replied with what sounded like a muttered, "Whatever" before shoving the clutch in angrily with his left foot and starting the vehicle. She stepped back and he glanced at her as he shifted into first, releasing the brake and pulling away from the curb.

A/N: I swear, I'm planning on finishing this...