♢ The Outsiders (Psychward AU) ♢

"Well, shit."

"Shut up, don't swear, she'll hear ya!"

"I don't give a damn!"

"You should give damn, idiot."

"Don't call me that."

"Idiot."

Steve was watching the two from his place in the corner of the Cafeteria, Curly and Dallas had been at it all damn morning and it was giving Steve a goddamn headache. He decided to hide away in the dark corner of the cafe and wait for the food period to be over so he could crawl back to the children's wing and hide there too. "Will you two shut up already!?" He shouted in frustration, Dallas cocked his head and frowned. "No." He said, grinning.

Curly huffed and Steve sighed. Sure, Dally was nice to hang around when you needed protection- but when you needed a break from the noises, the lights, the treatments and other stupid shit in the hospital? Yeah, Dallas was not the guy for that. Curly slammed his fist on the table they were sitting at a few meters away, the hot mush on his tray sloshing from the motion. "I need to get out of here, I can't curse, can't fight, can't even eat decent food!"

He said with a sneer crawling onto his face like a poisonous bug, Dallas scoffed; "So you can break your arm again? They won't let you, you know that." He said, and made a movement to smooth down his hospital gown that clung weakly to his lean figure. The blue-grey color seeped into Steve's eyes like a familiar image that clung to your brain whenever you so much as acknowledged it. He glared and mumbled something like a curse under his breath.

His head whipped down and he observed the floor, the weird socks he had on uncomfortably hugged his calves and his own gown was stained with old splatters of muck and dirt and whatnot. Steve tried to think that he was back in a fight in the lot at his old-man's place- beating a socs face in and spitting on his cheek. The soc would beg for mercy and Steve would only obey just so he didn't get caught by the police that were slowly rolling in.

That was one of the last times Steve got into a fight.

"Boys!"

The children's nurse called in that ugly, shrill voice, that was damaged by cigarettes. Steve kinked his head upwards, the lady stood in the cafeteria's exit. "It's almost time to leave, finish eating and shut up!" She barked, like the group was in a military camp.

Dallas rolled his eyes and Curly glared at her. Steve stood and walked over to their table where the discarded trays of mush sat untouched. He didn't know if he could handle breakfast right now.

The table was silent until Dally began speaking again, stupid Dally. "Y'know I heard we're getting new-blood, some guy at the front desk was talkin' too loud and Buck overheard him and told me bout' it." He said, a smirk playing on his features, Steve hummed. "Really?" He asked with a tilt of his head, Curly pushed his unfinished tray of food away from him.

"Yeah, really, Buck told me himself- said it was a real nutcase or something." He said and chuckled to himself, Dallas' dark eyes glinted with something like admiration or fondness for a moment before returning to that dark, angrily-playful demeanor. "So what?" Curly asked spitefully, Dallas huffed; "He's gonna be in our wing! 13, going on 14 or something like that." He said and Steve was no longer listening. Staring at the mush on his tray that was now probably cold.

Steve stayed in his own head until the nurse called them and the other children again, Steve followed the lady and Dallas dragged Curly by the collar back to the children's wing, with drawings on the walls and a weirdly large stack of letters at the front-desk. Steve wondered how many kids got letters each day just to be deemed "not-sane-enough" to receive and read them?

The brunette shrugged the thought away and continued down the hall till he arrived in his room, the nurse scowled at him and locked the door behind him, Steve moved into a sitting position on the cold floor, huffing dramatically and leaning his chin onto his knees.

"Two hours, then lunch, then treatments, then three more hours, then dinner, then sleep." He recited to himself, usually on days like this- when he was on edge and about to hit or scream at someone he just recited his schedule. It didn't work most of the time, but it was Steve's thoughts that counted.

The sound of doors along the hallway being closed and then locked echoed down and up the children's wing, Dallas let out a whooping sound in the room next to his, sticking his head through the small window. Steve rolled his eyes and stared at the bed sheets on the floor that'd fallen off the previous night.

"What are you doing? Moping, waiting for your demise?" Dallas said snarkily, Steve sighed; "Ha-ha," The brunette mused, "Hah-hah is right." The older boy replied, "The nurse just told me new-kid is arriving this lunch period, ain't that cool?" He asked, Steve shrugged. "I suppose?"

"Tch, you're never any fun to talk to." Dally sighed, and walked away from the window, Steve leaned backward until his head lightly hit the flat, chilly floors of his cell- because it was less of a room, and more like a cell anyway. He watched through the small window on the third wall of his room as sunlight beamed in, clouds just barely concealing it from dazzling Steve with it's once familiar gaze.

"Two hours, then lunch, then treatments, then three more hours, then dinner, then sleep."

And the thing is, those next two hours flew by like Steve had gone forward in time.