WARNING: Depictions of bullying & mention of terminal illness
Yes, this chapter is named after Boys Will Be Bugs by Cavetown.

Also wow this is a very long chapter my bad

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Allen had his own packed lunch and sat at an end of the table unoccupied by anyone. The only other people on this table were Bob, Clemmons, Sarah, and Buster. But they were all busy in their own conversation. Where was Dynamo? Usually he found him in the lunch room and sat right next to him. They had been hanging out everyday, whether at lunch or outside of school since the football game. Now, he could confidently say he really knew Dynamo Doug. He was actually trying to be friends with him, and it was working... His first official school friend. They both liked similar shows- cartoon lovers. They got along very well. Their close friendship kicked off really fast in one month, but perhaps that was because Allen didn't have any other friends. It was easy to keep his focus on one guy. Dynamo seemed to have so much energy that it was easy for him to always be engaged in their conversations.

He did truly appreciate his company: his fun and overly energetic personality made his last few weeks as a sophomore memorable. This was what he'd been missing out on being homeschooled. Having someone to talk about shows, dumb things, and important things made him feel happy. To have someone his age listen to him, feel wanted, motivated, all were great. It must've been rubbing off on his face, his parents mentioned he seemed happier lately.

However, he had a few theories about Dynamo. He got more comfortable around him, and spoke more to him the closer prom got. But he seemed a bit flustered when talking to him, like he had something on his mind. Prom was next Saturday. Somehow he didn't feel like that was a coincidence. His assumptions when they first met, although maybe premature, might actually be correct. Perhaps Dynamo really did have a crush on him.

Dynamo finally arrived and sat down across the table from him. He had his legs up on the chair next to him- sitting in the least ergonomic way- and started munching down on his chicken sandwich.

"What's up, Allen- you're awfully quiet."

Allen finished his gulp. "You literally just sat down?"

Dynamo shrugged. "I don't know man. A two second delay is pretty slow to me."

"Whatever you say. You were the one being slow getting your school lunch."

Dynamo pointed a carrot stick at him accusingly. "Now, don't you diss on my lunch. This stuff is like, top tier."

Allen glanced at his packed macaroni salad with apples, and looked over at Dynamo's chicken sandwich that still seemed pink.

"Even if I could have it, that looks very gross."

"What do you mean if you could have it?" He said, giving half of his attention away from his sandwich to Allen.

"I'm allergic to it. One of the lunch people is a ballerina, and I can't eat anything they have looked at."

"Dude, you should get that checked out. Everyday you say something new that you're allergic to."

Allen was just about done with his food. "Oh I have gotten it checked. I get weekly allergy shots to build up my immunity. Right now, we are working on getting me immune to anything with an E as a vowel."

"Good thing I don't have that letter in my name."

Allen put his empty tupperware back into his empty lunch bag. "Sure, but my name has an E in it."

Dynamo was finishing up his bite. "So you're allergic to yourself?"

"That's kind of how allergies work. It's just an immune response."

Dynamo put both hands on the table. "Hear me out... What if you just spelled your name A-L-L-A-N. Boom."

His blonde friend repeatedly said "ALLAN", emphasizing the second A in the name.

"See you didn't even sneeze!"

Allen giggled until it squeaked. Embarrassed by the sound he was making, he covered his mouth.

"I love when your laugh hiccups like that."  Dynamo stood up to throw away his tray, then sat right back down to continue.

Allen packed away his bag, and held his blue backpack in his lap. "I hope you know I'm still technically allergic to the letter A and basically every other vowel."

"Yikes. That doesn't sound fun."

It truly wasn't, but he got used to the constant injections, and many of his allergies he'd hoped would resolve when he was an adult.

Dynamo stood up and nudged him. "If your allergies aren't too bad, then we should go outside."

"Sure.  At least there's no ballerinas out there."

__________________________________

His allergies were not absent out here, it was spring after all. But compared to the gallons of water that could well out of his eyes, this was doable. He could actually see the details of Dynamo, without him being a blurred silhouette.

Dynamo threw his backpack on the grass and spread his arms. His tank top allowed his skin to soak in the sun.

"It's the perfect temperature out here."

Allen tended to run on the cooler side, so wearing Dynamo's jacket made it feel perfect.

The blonde teenager then abruptly sat on the ground, which Allen followed. He had to be careful his skin didn't touch any of the grass and irritate his skin.

Allen tilted his head. "Do you have any summer plans?"

"Not really. Usually my family goes on a big vacation, but we aren't planning on one this year because of my dad's job. They keep making him work overtime, and don't allow him to take breaks. I'm sure I'll find something to do though."

"Maybe we should hang out over the summer. I would like to see you more."

Dynamo smiled. "Yeah dude! I was hoping you weren't sick of me yet! Damn we've been talking to each other non-stop."

Allen challenged his friend. "It'll take a lot to keep me away."

"You know what we gotta do? We need to binge watch the entirety of Kickin' it Stanly... With gas station slushies, of course."

That was the show they bonded over. It was a cartoon about a teen who got into karate, who also fought magical aliens.

"We should also go to an Ultimate Frisbee game. You always talk about that sport. It seems underrated... The overrated sports I don't care too much for." Allen said.

Dynamo's eyes lit up. "You'd want to see Ultimate Frisbee with me?"

"Of course. You are very passionate about it, and I'd like to actually understand the game."

Dynamo had a big grin. "Did you know my favorite team is the fire discs? That's why I have that jacket." He pointed at the jacket Allen was wearing.

"Oh... Did you want it back?"

"No man! You look good in it! I'm always happy when I see you rocking the rad flames."

Allen pulled the sleeves over his wrists. "You know what's funny? I don't own any red clothes. This jacket definitely stands out in my closet."

Dynamo glanced at him. "Then what is your favorite color to wear?"

"Blue."

"Hmmm interesting... I'll keep that in mind."

Allen was going to ask what Dynamo had in mind, but before it came, Dynamo screwed up his face and grabbed Allen's hand. He pulled him down, and forced his face to be near the grass.

"Roman, incoming." He urgently whispered.

While they were down, Allen carefully turned his head to his left. They were not hiding very well in the short lawn grass, but seemed Roman had a different target. He was walking over to the Australian foreign exchange student, Westbrook. Westbrook did not seem to notice the upcoming predator, and was laying in the grass looking at a Praying Mantis. The small bug on a blade of grass had completely captivated his attention.

Allen wanted to speak up as soon as he saw Roman raise a foot, but there was no time. The senior's foot stomped right on the Praying Mantis Westbrook had befriended, nearly hitting the student's face.

Roman bent down to speak to Westbrook. "Grow up! You're in high school! You should know better than to play with bugs. What are you? 5?"

Dynamo still had his hand on his. He felt his grip tighten. It was unlikely he'd stay silent for much longer. Dynamo was always action driven.

Roman lifted his foot, revealing the squished bug. Westbrook's smile had completely vanished, his sense of wonder was replaced by disbelief. This animal lover couldn't keep his eyes away from his dead friend.

Westbrook must've been accustomed to animal nature, and how the creatures would kill each other for food. But human nature? Cruelty for the sake of cruelty, was disheartening. Westbrook tried to wake his friend, tapping its exoskeleton.

"Tara?"

The bug showed no movement, no signs of life. Westbrook sat up, his frown remaining. "You killed her?"

Roman smirked. "Tara was it? Well, why don't we give her a proper burial?"

The greasy haired bully kicked his leg, dirt showering on the body, but mostly hitting Westbrook's face. He wiped the dirt from his face. It started to mudify as his small tears mixed with the dirt. Finally, he gave in, and started to cover his face as he started crying.

"Quit crying!" Roman shouted at him. "It's just how life is. Thing's die and you've got to grow up and be a man."

The bully went closer to Westbrook. "Men don't cry."

Dynamo snapped up, and let go of his hand. He ran in on the scene, right between Roman and Westbrook.

"Leave him alone!"

Roman seemed surprised to see another challenger. "It's you! You're the little creep that was spying on me at the park. I've been meaning to find you."

Dynamo held open his arms, as if to protect Westbrook. "Just step away. I know we've got our own beef, but just leave him alone."

The senior dropped his backpack on the grass, throwing it near Allen. "Fine, but once I beat you up, I can't guarantee this animal freak won't get some too."

As Roman wound up, Allen threw his bag next to Roman's. Before his punch could hit his friend, Allen tackled him. He hit his head against Roman's rib cage, which hurt, but he needed enough force to push the much taller guy over. Allen was shocked at his own strength, as he saw Roman hit the ground, getting a face full of dirt, now matching Westbrook.

"Oh no." Allen breathed out. Even though he pushed his enemy, he still didn't have a chance.

Dynamo helped Westbrook up, but as soon as Roman was starting to get up, he started to run. With one hand, Dynamo grabbed Allen's backpack for him, and with the other one, he yanked him to start running. Allen was afraid he was dragging Dynamo back, so he ran faster, he couldn't even process every step he was taking.

They ran into the crowded lunchroom. Hopefully, they'd lose him here. Allen looked back to assess where Roman was. He still had them in his sight, his face covered in dirt. Why did Allen push him? He probably made things worse.

Dynamo held his hand, and maneuvered around people with more agility than him. Allen wanted to apologize to the people he nearly knocked over, but he had no time. It probably would've been faster for Dynamo if he let go of him, but he was glad he didn't leave him.

They ran past a lunchroom garbage can, which Allen pushed in the way for Roman. He didn't put much thought into that decision, but it seemed to slow him down quite a bit. Dynamo made them take a sharp left turn, down the gym hallway. As of now, Roman seemed to be out of sight. To ensure that was the case, they didn't drop their pace.

Dynamo seemed to have a direction, so he kept running with him. The gym hallway had a whole lot less students, so it was a clear shot to wherever they were going. As Dynamo shot open the door to the locker room, Allen checked behind them again, and only saw the empty hallway. They would be safe here.

It was really hard to catch his breath now that he had a second. Dynamo still didn't let go and led him over to the showers.

"I don't think he'll come here, but we should have a hiding spot just in case."

Dynamo opened up one of the shower curtains, and sat down. Usually he'd think it'd be gross to sit on a school shower floor, but they were never used. They only had five minutes during gym class to change and nobody had the time to shower. He sat on the floor, facing Dynamo, and closed the curtain to complete the hiding spot.

Both of them were panting heavily. That was probably the fastest he'd ever run. Faster than when Roman chased him the first time. That time he was caught.

Dynamo caught enough of his breath. "Dang, dude. You really did protect me."

"I wouldn't really say that. We ran away."

"No believe me, that was much better than trying to fight him. Westbrook got away, and so did we. That was the best case scenario."

Allen glanced up at the faucet that was by Dynamo's head. "So now what?"

"I say we set up camp here until lunch ends. I think that'll be safest for us."

Dynamo brought Allen's backpack forward and gave it to him. Upon closer examination, he noticed this was not his blue and black backpack. It was gray, just like Roman's.

"I-I think you grabbed the wrong bag."

His friend squinted his eyes. "Oh shoot, you're right! Then whose bag is this?"

"Roman's bag was this color."

Dynamo's eyes widened. "Crap."

Suddenly, they handled the bag like it had an explosive in it. They set it as far away in the shower corner as they could, which wasn't far at all.

"What are we going to do with it?" Allen nervously looked at it.

"I don't know dude. What stuff do you even think he keeps in there?"

Allen shut down his idea. "I don't want to know. I say when lunch ends we drop it off at the lost and found. I have no idea about my bag though."

Dynamo brought his knees to his chest. "Dang, I'm really sorry, man."

They sat still for a minute as they thought they heard footsteps outside the locker room, but once they subsided, they continued talking.

"The way you spoke up against Roman was really powerful. I mean, your voice didn't even crack once."

Dynamo twisted his lips trying to conceal his laugh. "I don't think you've heard some of my voice cracks. They can be pretty funny."

"But you were completely willing to fight Roman for Westbrook. Don't bullies even phase you?"

Dynamo stopped holding his knees and dropped his gaze. "Not so much the ones here. I told you some of my worst bullies were once my friends. They made fun of me for things nobody here would dare to do, turned on me in ways that were terrible."

His friend went on a tangent. "Roman tries to reinforce toxic masculinity. That stuff is so low level, and I have known that for a long time. Like, no one with a brain would actually listen to that. No, what really hurts is when others won't even allow you to have any form of masculinity. Healthy, or toxic. Gender is a static thing for some people. You get what you were born into."

Allen raised his eyebrow. He hoped Dynamo had more explanation than that. He had his assumption for what he was saying, but he wanted to hear him say it.

Dynamo tilted his head. "Has no one told you? I thought you'd know. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows I'm trans. Nobody in Lego City High cares. In fact, there are plenty of other trans people here."

His mind sputtered trying to grab onto what he was told. He couldn't say anything coherent, and all his sentences came out prematurely as random sounds.

Dynamo's eyes widened. "Oh, you really didn't know? I'm sorry, I really thought you knew. I guess I would've told you sooner."

"No, no. I- It's just that I- think that's ironic, and well-" Dynamo leaned forward, eager to hear what he'd say. "Me too."

His blonde friend gently looked up. "Yeah? I think I kinda knew that though."

"You knew?"

"Yeah, man we've been hanging out like everyday. I guess I wasn't sure, but my radar is pretty solid I think."

"Is it because I don't pass?"

Dynamo frowned. "Dude, that's not it at all. You're doing just fine. I just had my suspicions you were, but I wasn't going to drag it out of you. I thought maybe you were still figuring things out yourself."

Allen shook his head. "No, I've known for myself for a few years. I was just afraid of not being able to make friends, or people not accepting me."

He was incredibly surprised that there was even one other gay and trans person in Lego City. When he was being homeschooled, his family was supportive, but it was hard being the only one. His family always warned him how harmful public school could be to lgbtq kids.

Dynamo placed his hand on Allen's. "You were afraid Lego City High wouldn't be accepting? Lego City High?" He repeated.

"Well yeah, why else do you think Roman bullies me?"

Dynamo moved and placed his finger on his chin. "Yeah I guess so. But Roman is an anomaly. He's the only straight up rude, transphobic person around. He's for sure not like everyone else here."

Dynamo moved and placed his finger on his chin. "Believe me, I've dealt with transphobic bullies. Roman isn't... exactly one. I don't mean to diagnose Roman, but I bet you he struggles with his own gender and masculinity and stuff. I don't know how to explain it, but he is a real jerk, but he doesn't scream blatantly transphobic."

His friend changed the subject. "But I'm really glad you told me. I'm happy we have another thing in common."

Allen shrugged. "Yeah, me too. I guess I would've said something earlier. I just underestimated how safe Lego City was. How many people here are like us?"

Dynamo placed his hand behind the back of his head. "So many. It's not really my place to say everyone's orientation, but I personally know many here. I bet if you were to go to prom, you'd see just how everyone is. Prom last year had two prom kings! One of them was non-binary too."

Dynamo cleared his throat, and diverted his eye contact. "But um yeah, I don't know if you really were planning on going to prom or anything, I was probably going to go just for fun. I don't know. Maybe it'd be too weird if we went or something. Yeah, no you were probably not going to go anyways."

Allen could've sworn Dynamo was trying to ask him out. Right? He wasn't reading too much into that? That was obvious, wasn't it? Now he was second guessing himself, but his friend's bright red face did say a lot.

"I wouldn't mind going. Dances and loud music aren't always my thing, but it might be cool to go to this one."

Maybe that way, he'd be able to see what Dynamo truly meant.

The announcement bell rang, and they lifted their heads to listen. It was vice principal Carol speaking.

"Could I please have Allen Konigsberg and Dynamo Doug come to the front office, please. And bring Roman's bag with you."

He dropped his gaze, locking eyes with his friend.

"Oh no." Allen squeaked.

Instinctively, they both stood up quickly, Dynamo accidentally hit the handle on the shower and turned it on. Water droplets rained in on them, before they ran out. Luckily, they weren't drenched, but still fairly wet.

"Ugh, sorry man." Dynamo said, shaking the water from his hair, like a dog.

They recollected themselves, and reached back into the shower to turn it off. As they did so, they looked down, and saw Roman's bag sitting over the drain, collecting water. It was completely drenched.

"Shit." Dynamo breathed out.

__________________________________________

"See! I told you principal Fleck! They stole my bag!"

Fleck held up his finger. "Now Roman, you also took Allen's bag."

"Yeah, only because they took mine first!"

Allen and Dynamo were sitting stick straight in their seats, terrified of what would happen to them. Roman looked really mad. If there were no adults in this room, Roman would tear them apart.

Fleck raised his hand, addressing Roman. "I understand why you are angry. You just need your backpack for your school leave paperwork."

School leave paperwork? Wasn't Roman going to graduate in a few weeks? Did he not get enough credits?

Dynamo finally pulled the backpack more into sight, and let the drenched piece of fabric sit on the desk. Both of them said nothing and stared terrified at the wall behind Fleck.

"It's wet!?" Roman ran to his bag, like it was an injured kitten, and quickly zipped it open. "Shit-shit-shit." Roman whispered as he picked up the soaked papers.

"Roman, there is no need for that language."

The senior didn't care and picked up a wet packet. It was barely hanging on to its single staple. "Principal Fleck, will you accept this? It's my leave paperwork, I swear. It has both of my parents' signatures." As Roman pointed at the smudged pen marks, the paper gave in and tore off the staple. All the print, and pen marks were unreadable.

"Shit!" Roman tried to gather the pieces, which only crumbled more.

Fleck had a calm voice. "Roman, it's not that big of a deal. I can give you a new copy of the paperwork. You can just have your parents sign it again."

"Do you not trust me? You saw it for yourself? Why can't you just accept that?"

"As much as I believe you, we still need documented proof. Leaving school is a big matter, and requires a signature. Legally you won't be able to leave without it."

"No you don't understand! That is a big deal!"

Fleck raised his brow. "How so? You have time."

"Do you even know why I need to drop out?"

"You can write it out on the paperwork." Fleck responded.

Roman was breathing heavily. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get those signatures in the first place? It's hard to say anything, even get a few words out from my mom these days. She's stressed, and worried... My dad, I had to interrupt him in his treatment at the hospital to get his part of it signed. He gave me this long ass lecture about how I needed this to take care of my mom."

Allen was putting together the pieces of the situation, as Roman was failing to put the pieces of his paper together. He did have parent problems, but this wasn't remotely what he was expecting.

"I never want to go to that damn hospital again. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get my father, covered in ventilation tubes, and heart monitors to get him to sign it?"

Fleck went silent. Carole stood in the corner and covered her open jaw.

"Now, Roman, you never told us that's why you wanted to be pulled out of school. That's a very serious matter. Perhaps we could discuss this in private?"

Allen breathed heavily. If they hadn't taken Roman's backpack by accident, and ruined it, none of this would've happened. He had no clue exactly why ruining his backpack was a big deal. But now he understood. They had probably just ruined Roman's life.

"Oh sure, we can talk. I have been trying for a few months. You guys just won't listen. Yeah, I want out because I'm 16. I'm a man now, and must take care of my mom. My dad says I must be the man of the house, and I can't go to school at the same time and do that."

His heartbeat traveled up to his ears. He was breathing so hard, he got dizzy. He could tell, because the room began to tilt. Now, it all made sense why Roman reinforced toxic masculinity. His dying father told him he had to be the man of the house. That was a weight Allen couldn't imagine.

Fleck's voice wavered. "It's all going to be ok, I can just get verbal consent from him myself. Thank you Roman, you are free to go. If you need any support you can talk to me or Carol."

That seemed to calm him down a bit, but that quickly changed when he looked at him and Dynamo. He snarled.

"What are you looking at!? Are you enjoying the show or something?"

Allen opened his mouth, but Roman stormed out of the office, leaving all of them in complete shock. No wonder Roman was a jerk. Dynamo was right when they were in the park. It was just a thing for bullies to have parent problems. But he didn't expect it to be like that.

Fleck had the courage to break the silence. "You two should get to class."