Jake still hadn't let go of his boy, the disappearance of the older sixthformer hadn't helped his protective instincts. Arlo wasn't complaining at all, his father was warm and the world felt cold. He spoke quietly on the phone, the vibrations of his voice feeling comforting to his young son.
"Yeah mate if you wouldn't mind - I mean, you dont have to if you've got things to do I know you might have marking or something to do but I just..I need someone to watch Arlo while i deal with this shit, I dont wanna put it on quig and I dont trust robin as far as I can throw him, please mate you're the only person I can ask right now."
Dakota, Arlo presumed, he'd been baby sat by his father's best friend more than any one else and those times were almst enormous fun except for the lion enclosure at the zoo but technically that wasn't uncle Dakota's fault, he wasn't to know that Arlo was a fantastic climber at the age of 6
"Yeah no man of course i'll be there in a second, tried to get to your place earlier-"
Dakota spoke casually, he cut himself off with a "Ow" while stumbling over his feet and onto the floor; He didn't even bother picking himself back up, just immediately dragging on his almost pristine Jordan 1's at Jakes beck and call, he always did that.
"But yeah, I tried to get in your place but the fuckin' cops wouldn't let me get to you dude."
That was true, in the midst of the chaos Dakota was actually in his car driving to work, it was 6:50am, already late to his job where he would teach children the basics on education.
He spent those 10 minutes until 7am singing along loudly and proudly to Pyramids by Frank ocean, even stopping through Mcdonald's drive thru and grabbing himself a caramel frappé while on his late journey to the nursery.
The mans car glided through the streets of his city, he resided in a more busier place than his white counterpart Jake, the constant changes of the city and the questionable things you see daily that you are not allowed to question, Dakota loved it.
When the song came to an end, at 7am, he was filled with slight hurt, almost betrayal that a song he knew was going to end did infact do that, he was about to hit replay, until he saw the title of the next song. An alarm like sound blasted through the darker skinned boys car and a gasp emitted from his lips.
"Bonfire, Childish Gambino."
The intro enough filled the car with instant hype, the unusual beat was so familiar to the man with a boy like personality, hands gripped the wheel of the car as he sang along and started dancing even at 14 second intro.
After those 14 seconds, he was prepared to show off his rap abilities, ready to show the audience of 2 car air fresheners and the drivers nearby to see, yet all the rap that could escape from his lips was "Okay it's-"
The music paused, it was now 7am.
A groan that he was soon eager to regret emitted from his lips, what could be more important than his 3 minute rap verse that he's known all the words to since he was an impressionable teen.
News announcement. Stay clear of Saint Ignes Road. Fire.
That's not what it said but what does it matter, that's all Dakota heard, his blood ran cold, the hands gripping the wheel of his car are now holding on shakily than holding on with an unknown confidence.
After the cruel announcement, the music continued, like normal, he would be lying if he said he had slightly forgotten how to drive his car.
Not enough to stop him from immediately making a U-turn and driving in the opposite direction to his work place, he was so late. Not late for work, late for not being at Jakes side.
'Saint Ignes Road' Is a name that brings a lot of memories to a lot of people, Jen and Heidi's house was known in the neighbourhood as the house anyone was always welcome to, they were nice women like that.
Any stranger upon arrival to their home would either be greeted by the familiar smells of their favourite bakery if Jen were to be making a sweet dessert for the family, or the bold fragrance of the family meal that Heidi was preparing, they loved inviting their children's friends over for either a meal, or just as a place for them to be comfortable.
Why is that? Well, when you're a well known lesbian couple with 3 sons that stand out in some way, whether they're the centre of attention, the one you forget about, or the reason why your parents are getting phone calls home from the school about bad behaviour, they're going to make a lot of friends.
Maybe friends that didn't have a nice enough home to go home to like them, or friends that just were similar to the boys, it didn't matter.
Anyone was welcome.
Dakota knew this all too well, he had known the family his entire life so going to the house was like muscle memory. Shaky breathes filled the car, he was thinking about how he had not long drove past the house and that it was fine, he didn't notice anything wrong.
Blame filed the boys lungs and heart, the hurt tears pricking at his now hazel eyes, a chronic contact lense wearer he was.
Dakota attempted to mouth the lyrics to the song that was still playing to ground himself, make him feel like things were still normal.
It's almost ironic the part that he payed attention to next, as he was arriving to the house that was previously just mentioned, went a little something like-
"It's a bonfire, turn the lights out, i'm burning everything you mother fuckers talk about."
Whenever Dakota listened to this song, he would scream that chorus until he was out of breath without fail, but he couldn't right now.
Silence escaped his open mouth as he stared at the corruption of a home he would call his childhood one, it indeed, looked like a bonfire.
That was hours ago though, focus on the story now, now the boy is again cheerful putting on his shoes, knowing that his friend is okay and alive after the police proceeded to question and push away the intimidating black boy, they didn't want him on the scene.
They didn't see Dakota as a loving family friend, wanting to see if the family he knew and loved were okay, they saw him as a potential suspect.
ignoring the innocent teachers lanyard swinging around his neck, ignoring his pleads and muting his screams over to Jake and Arlo, instead they focused on his dark skin, his pierced face, they focussed on the tattoo coating the right side of his neck, some read the words immediately while others only saw the word that mattered "THUG." Except, that wasn't at all what the tattoo said.
The
Hate
U
Give.
That was his tattoo, the quote continued in a smaller font, for the people who really were interested in reading, it was an old tattoo, not that clear but very much still legible,
'The hate you give little infants fucks everybody- Tupac.' Nice.
None of them could hear him, Arlo or Jake, they had just been retrieved from the burning house, he saw a crying Robin- wait- crying?
"I'm on my way alright, say hello to my kid for me" He said jokingly as he finally stood up from the ground and left his house. Dakota's been calling Arlo his 'adopted white baby' for the last 14 years, and he was not going to stop now.
Jake hadn't cried yet something about that bullshit "boys don't cry" attitude drilled into him through secondary school never quite left him even when he was standing in the ruins of his childhood home with his parents once lively and loving now a pile of ash blowing in the brisk April wind.
That all changed as soon as Dakota stepped one foot on the premises. They hadn't always been the best of friends with them both going off and doing separate things in life after sixthform that led them to lose touch every so often but the bond they had never really went away.
He turned to make sure Arlo was alright before taking a few steps forward and all but collapsing into his best friends arms, years of held back tears finally running down his cheeks and onto the young teacher's fleece jacket
Dakota stood at 5'9 and had a slim waist that has been compared to Tyra Banks in her prime on multiple occasions by many different people.
So, the point is that Dakotas a small dude, if you compare him to Jake, a 5'10 male that was always thrown in goal when the boys were playing football as kids, the boy that always had his clothes stolen from him due to them being baggy on all of his peers, the man that teens swoon over because of his 'dad bod'.
Well, the smaller man was crushed by the larger one, both were left without care though.
With tears in his own eyes and him slightly stumbling back onto his own car to support himself, he simply through his arms over the boy he would still call his best friend.
He tightened his grip on Jake, his hands immediately making his way towards his hair and playing with the blondes hair, Dakota was aware that calmed him down. During their university years after long drunken nights they'd cuddle and whenever he touched his hair it would send him into a slumber immediately.
So that's what he did now.
Jake is all Dakota could focus on in this moment, not the fire, not the amount of people there, not the fact that the kid he's supposed to be babysitting is watching with tears in his own eyes, not the fact that a predator he's more than familiar with is sitting on the floor a few yards away.
Dakota could see he was needed, and whenever he's needed, he tries his very best to deliver.
No matter how much it hurts him, or how much he should just turn and walk away.