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Chapter Text

Brian was 16 and trying to find his way in the underworld of Narin City. Damien had the starting of a sick skull tattoo on his throat and pink hair. Gyu was the one who was tech savvy and had a patch of hair that he was trying to pass off as a goatee, Big Bro Tora was a beast who had multiple tattoos and more on the way. 

Brian felt like he needed to find "a look". One that would set him apart from all of the other guys. But what?

To keep Brian out of the system, his much older sister had custody of him as both of his parents were no longer around due to life choices. She did her best to keep him out of trouble but he was 16. Boys at 16 know everything. So having him live under her roof to make sure he had a warm place to sleep at night, was already somewhat of a stretch. But she loved her little brother. He was all the family she had.

He was about to start smoking a cigarette on his balcony. It was from his sister's pack. She wouldn't be back anyways for the rest of the night. He didn't think it would be a big deal. He hadn't smoked before. He always thought it smelled really bad but Big Bro Tora always made it look cool. Like he could think straight after letting the nicotine coarse through his blood stream. 

"Fuck it" he thought as he lit the cigarette. Right as he took a drag, he wished he hadn't. He choked on his own breath, stomped out the deceitful stick and stumbled inside to get a glass of water. After catching his breath and getting his head on straight, he went to the bathroom to take a leak. Then, he saw it. Like a beacon!

The little pencil that said "eyeliner".

He thought, "I wonder what I would look like with that on". 

All of the other badasses from the music he listens to wear it. Shit, Damien had pink hair, why couldn't he wear eyeliner? Morbid curiosity was poking at him. As he took off the cover of the black eyeliner and started to go in on one of his eyes, he could feel his lips part the closer he got the pencil to his eyelid. He always asked his sister why she looked like that when putting on makeup. Even though he never really got an answer, he silently finally understood. It just makes a difference! He knew there had to be a reason! He was so clever. As he got a good angle, his tongue on the edge of his lips and the pencil going in to make a line, his phone started ringing and he stabbed his god damned eyeball.

"FUCK"  he yelled as he was scrambling for his phone. Holding his palm to the bruised eye, he answered the call that sealed his fate. 

"What do you want?" Brian asked as he was looking around the bathroom to find any type of towel with his one good eye. 

"Is that any way to answer ya phone?"

Brian thickly swallowed as he knew that voice.

"Sorry big bro. I'm in the middle of something." He heard a tsk coming over the line, damning himself for continuing to show disrespect.

"Oh yeah? And what's that? Better be good." 

What was Brian supposed to say? That he was in the middle of a violent makeover? Nah. He'd never hear the end of it. 

"Something that I probably had no business doing in the first place." He muttered quietly to the already annoyed receiver. 

"Gyu got a new set up. He's busy and I told him I'd call ya. Fuckin' Pinky is here too. Wanna come over?" 

"Yeah, sure. Be there soon."

Brian was so excited, he forgot about his Maybelline mishap. He absentmindedly put the cap on and shoved the pencil in his pocket.

He walked through the side door to Gyu's basement at his sisters place, all of the thuglets were centered around Gyus new console. Tora was on the couch, smoking a cigarette, Damian was on the floor and Gyu was plugging in the rest of the cables. 

"What kind of system is this?" Brian asked innocently as the other 3 looked over to acknowledge him. Instead, he was met with 3 looks. Damien looked hella confused, Tora looked embarrassed he knew the kid, and Gyus mouth was in a straight line.

"The fuck happened to ya?" Tora asked while approaching Brian. 

The embarrassment radiating from both of them was palpable. 

"Let me take a closer look." Tora's hand was tilting Brian's jaw as he inspected the massacred eye. 

"Is that? HA. Guys!" Tora snorted, motioning the others over to Brian.

"Can you just kill me now?" Brian asked under his breath. 

"Nah kid. You're sister would be pissed. Speaking of which, isn't this hers? The eyeliner?"

If Brian was bigger, Big Bro Tora would be at HIS mercy, god damnit. But he was a tiny thing compared to his boss.

"Yeah it's my sisters." Brian confessed. 

"You know, it doesn't look good when it's unfinished. But hey man, it's your look." Gyu said with a shit eating grin.

Brian sighed, "I'm just gonna take this off now."

5 minutes later

"How do I get this shit off?" Brian asked as he was forcefully rubbing his eyes with a hot washcloth. He looked like one of those trash pandas that frequented his neighborhood. 

Reflecting back in the mirror was Gyu. He was always analyzing everything.

"Let me see the eyeliner." As Gyu studied it, he found the issue, "Well, it says it's waterproof. So...I don't know if it will come off." 

Brian yanked the tube out of Gyu's hand and studied it for himself. 

"Well, damn. You're right." Brian was pissed and no one was actually helping. Just offering their 2 cents. Fucking typical. Men mansplaining to other men. And they couldn't figure out why none of them had girlfriends. 

"Serves you right for taking things that don't belong to ya. Next time ya steal shit from your sister, ya might wanna read the god damned label. Or don't fuckin' steal to begin with." He heard Tora from the living area. 

"Thanks everyone." Brian said as he continued to rub the wash cloth on his eye.

"Well. I think my sister has some eye makeup remover. Hold on." Gyu left the bathroom and went upstairs to seek assistance from his sister. 

"Hey sis, gotta ask you, Do you have any of that eye make up remover?" Gyu asked as his sister was feeding her baby. 

"What were the boys up to now?" She asked herself as she studied her delinquent little brother. "I think. But, why do you need it?" 

Stumbling over his words, not knowing where to even begin, Gyu just spit it out "Brian needs it to get the eyeliner from his face." 

There was a moment of silence. Deafening silence. All that could be heard was blinking as judgment was washing over his sister's face and the sucking of the baby bottle. 

Shit, even the baby was looking at Gyu like he was a moron. His sister sighed. 

"Here, take your niece. Let me go get it. He's downstairs, I take it?" Gyu nodded as he took his niece in his arms and sat on the couch.

"Oh, the label said it's waterproof, if that helps any." His sister just rolled her eyes and went to her bathroom to collect a few items. Baby wipes, coconut oil and cotton rounds. As she came out, Gyu looked confused, even more so. 

"He needs a makeup remover, not to get his diaper changed." 

She scoffed, rolled her eyes and made her way down to the basement.

"Brian, where the hell are you?" She came bellowing down the stairs into the basement. 

"I'm in here." A defeated voice came from the bathroom.

"What are the baby wipes for? He doesn't need his diaper changed." She was going to ask Tora to help her kill Damian. Make it look like an accident. 

"Yes. Thank you for that blinding burst of insight, Damien. Its for Brian. I don't have anymore eye makeup remover, but I have a better solution." She continued to the bathroom and couldn't help but to take pity on him. 

He looked like shit. 

"Here let me help you." She took a step towards him with a baby wipe and placed some coconut oil on it. "Here. Close your eyes. I don't want this to get in just like your eyeliner." 

Brian nodded and did as he was advised. As she was patting his eye with the solution, she found herself wanting to know the exact reason behind this. "You know kid. I must say, I'm a bit confused. What compelled you to put eyeliner on?" 

But there didn't seem to be a hint of judgment in her tone, only concern. 

"Its stupid." He muttered. 

"I've seen a lot of stupid. Done a lot of stupid. But I won't tell anyone." She continued as she softly wiped off the remains of the oil and eyeliner from his face.

"Damian has pink hair and really cool tattoos, Gyu is really good with technology and Big Bro Tora is...well you've seen him." 

She sighed, and told Brian to open his eyes. 

"Look at me." She cupped her hands on his jaw. Brian looked at her. He gulped heavily. He wasn't sure what barb she was about to dole out.

"You're a good kid, Brian. I know that the crowd you run with can be intimidating. But, there is nothing wrong with being yourself. You're still young. Tora is like that because he was raised to be like that. But that's only stuff on the surface. Gyu is good with technology because our dad was a professional hacker. Damien's hair is pink because he's...Damien. Don't try to give yourself a look. But if you still want to go ahead with it anyways, get the non-waterproof next time." She winked at him as she let go of his face. 

"Thanks." Was all he got out before she patted his shoulder and left the bathroom. 

"What did my sister say to you?" Gyu asked a now makeup-free Brian. 

"She said that if I wanted to use eyeliner I should use the non-water proof." Brian was going to keep the heart to heart for himself. He didn't get a lot of those. It was special to him. 

"Oh, see. I told you!" Gyu exclaimed in confidence. 

"Yeah whatever." Brian huffed as they both made their way back over to the couch to play on the new console. As the night wore on, Brian's abused eye started to feel better. He thought to himself to make a mental note to pay attention to the label of the eyeliner he was going to pick up. He snorted to himself as he went over his mental list:

non-water proof eyeliner

coconut oil

cotton swabs

baby wipes

He had to admit, the oil actually made his face feel really nice. 

 As Tora lit up another cigarette, Brian asked, "How long did it take you to get used to smoking?" 

Tora cocked a brow at him in a silent question. 

Brian continued, "I just want to know. I tried to smoke one of my sister's cigarettes tonight. I coughed on the first drag." 

Tora chuckled. "I got used to it after a few cigarettes. But you should wait until you're old enough to smoke. When shit hits the fan and ya need nicotine but you're out and too young to buy it, it fuckin' sucks." Tora said as he took another drag. "Don't be taking shit from your sister. She gives you enough. Respect her." 

Brian nodded silently as they played on.

When he walked home that night from Gyus, Brian felt a little bit better about himself. Tora was right. Gyu's sister was right. His sister didn't have to know what ill fate that was his evening though. He just conceded that he would be better. Little did he know that his sister was back home after taking off early from work. 

"Do you want to explain to me why the hell there is a wasted cigarette on my balcony and why the bathroom is a mess?"

God Damnit.

Chapter Text

"You had one job, Jacob! I think it's safe to say, you will never be in charge of this ever again."  

Those were the words that were muttered from Poppy's mouth as she looked at the display of items displayed across the table. 

Friday Afternoon  

Since GGP had been put on the map from their signing with Q.B Noyouko, their budget was doubled for office supplies and other essentials. This came in handy since some of the chairs had been from second hand stores. The break room was in desperate need of a new fridge, microwave and utensils. Erdene was off enjoying a spa day, Gil was out of the office, a-fudging-gain and Jacob was being obnoxious with his allergies. Poppy felt only kind of bad for him but if she had to listen to one more snot rocket again, she may actually might take Tora up on breaking a leg. A joke, a dark joke that had been said between them after a day they both had to deal with Jacob being more annoying than normal. Poppy had been planning a trip with Tora back to Moonbright to meet her Granny and cousins. To say she was a little stressed would be an understatement. 

"Bleeeeerchooooo! Argh ewwww"

Jacob was at it again.

"Jacob, for the love of sugar. Please, I am begging you, just go home or take some allergy medicine or SOMETHING." Poppy was about to lose her mind. As Jacob was hocking up what was probably going to be another loogie, she had to bite back what felt like puke.

"I'm OK. I don't need to go home yet. Besides, I have to make up for the time I spent from earlier this week when I ate too much of those weird chips."

Jacob needed to be more in tune with himself. The more time was passing, the more Tora's joke became more enticing.

As she sat at her desk while trying to put a list together of everything that she needed to pack, she remembered she needed to send a text to Gyu to see if he could water her plants. She also needed to remind Quincey to go over her edits. It was already 3 PM and she knew that Tora was going to pick her up at 4.  

While rubbing her temples, she heard the worst noise and smell coming from the break room. 

"What the fudge is going on?" 

Both her and Jacob shot a look at each other before going into the break room. That was when they realized that the noise, smell and now smoke was coming from the microwave. Dashing to the microwave to open it, Poppy coughed and pointed at the window, signaling Jacob to open it. 

To her absolute horror, disgust and morbid curiosity, she found tin foil, devilled eggs and some other concoction taking up residency in the now RUINED microwave.

"Oh, I must have left the eggs in there for too long." Jacob said with a nervous pitch.

"Jacob, eggs are one thing, sure they smell but tin foil?! You're not supposed to microwave tin foil! What were you thinking?" Poppy was seeing red. That boy was getting on her last nerve.  Jacob looked at her like she just told him that Santa wasn't real. 

"Jacob. The microwave is dead. You broke it. We have to clean this up and haul this out before we leave." Poppy chided at him.  

Jacob didn't say a word and just grabbed some paper towels to clean up anything he could. He felt 3 inches high. He didn't like how much the two girls always talked down to him. He felt like he was always making mistakes over and over again. Even the guys, Tora, Quincey and Gil always made him feel stupid. Whatever happened to the "Bro Code"? Jacob then thought maybe if he could prove himself, then he could earn a little bit more respect around the office.  

"Poppy, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I know you have that trip this weekend and this is the last thing you want to think of. I'll put together a list of items and they'll be delivered by Monday."

Jacob looked at Poppy wanting some sort of response. He wasn't too keen when she looked at him like she was studying him.  

Poppy sighed. "Jacob, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sure it was an accident. It's been a long week. We both have a lot on our plates with everything that's been going on. Take the company credit card and do some office shopping. Remember to keep it within budget, though. And please, get some allergy relief." She offered him a kind smile as if to confirm with him that there was no bad blood. 

After getting everything cleaned up and making a list of other office supplies, Poppy handed Jacob the list. 

Just then, Tora came into the office.

Both Jacob and Poppy couldn't help but to giggle at the different looks on Tora's face. First it was lust. Poppy was wearing one of his favorite outfits that day. Then it was disgust as the smell of smoke and blown up eggs were sinking into his nostrils. Then there was confusion as the two office mates were laughing at him. 

He clearly missed something. "The fuck is that smell?" Tora asked while he stayed at the edge of the office, with the door still open. Not coming any nearer no matter how God Damn perfect that little woman looked. There was no way he was going to go any closer to whatever that god forsaken smell was. 

"I blew up the devilled eggs in tin foil from Tuesday's potluck. I killed the microwave." After saying that sentence out loud, Jacob understood why everyone always seemed to be annoyed with him.

Having Tora pinch the top of his nose and shutting his eyes, did not help.  

Poppy then chimed in, "We got the worst of it. Jacob is going to get a new microwave for the office this weekend." 

Tora couldn't understand that the smell was actually better than before. 

"Besides, You were supposed to let me know when you were coming up, Mr." She was wagging her finger at him.

She got a small grin from him. "Yeah Bobby, last fucking time I try to surprise ya at the office. I'll be in the car."

Poppy came over to him and gave him a kiss. 

"OK. I'll be down in a minute." 

"Ok, sweetheart. And for Christ sake, Jacob, no more 3 day old eggs. This place aint a fucking lab. It's a God Damn publishing company." Tora nodded at them both and excused himself. 

"OK, Jacob, please remember to expense everything. We need the invoices so we can expense it to the card. Also, if you need any guidance on the microwave, remember to look at the reviews. Thank you for taking care of this. I hope you have a good weekend." 

They were walking down the stairs out of the office and were walking towards the door and Jacob felt like he could do this. It was just a microwave and some other basic items. How bad could he mess this up?

At that moment, the universe had accepted his challenge.

In the car, Tora had to keep the windows rolled down. Poppy had worn her hair down that day. She was cursing Jacob all the way home. As much as Tora had worshiped her, he had to keep the smell of rotten eggs out of his car. He'd be damned if he made her take a taxi or the bus. 

"Sweetheart, ya gotta take a shower before we go to Moonbright." Tora glanced at her. Her lips were flat and her brow was arched. 

Dead panning, she asked, "What you don't like how I smell right now? Because I know I do. I think I'm just gonna be in the car all the way there smelling like this." She hated when things get mansplained to her. Like she already didn't fudging know.

"Sorry. Bobby." Tora said as he looked back over at the fowl smelling sex goddess in his passenger seat. As they got to the apartment complex, Poppy asked Tora to remind Gyu to water her plants while they were away. Tora was about to ask why she couldn't ask since they were both right there, and just like she had read his mind, she answered his question.

"I ask because I smell horrible. I need to get clean. I have to be naked and wet to get clean." She waggled her eyebrows at him and made her way up to the apartment. He cocked his head to the side and watched as Poppy made her way upstairs. He loved watching her climb the stairs.

"Yo big bro! What's up?" Tora snapped over to Gyu.
"Poppy needs ya to water her plants this weekend. We are gonna be out of town." That's all Tora said as he made his way up to the apartment.

When Tora had gotten up to the apartment and opened the door, he was greeted with a much better smell. He loved whenever Poppy used the lavender and honey bath wash. He especially loved when she used the strawberry shampoo that Quincey gave her a while back. Feeling like it was safe to enter and eggs weren't a threat to his nose, he slipped into the shower. Poppylan was always a vision. 

"Oh, Hi." She greeted him with a smile, suds on her tits and a kiss. 

That's much better, he thought as he embraced her. He pressed her up against the shower wall and was kissing down her neck.

 "Tora, we need to get this show on the road. We still have quite the drive and I don't want to get in too late." 

"Its ok, we'll make it on time." He breathed into her ear and she hooked her leg around his hip. As he slid up into her, thanking fuck for her IUD, they found themselves panting. He loved shower sex. It was always, steamy in more ways than one. It was also like killing two birds with one stone. Getting dirty and getting clean. He always loved how tight she was. It had been an especially stressful day for her, from the sound and unfortunate smells. 

As he kept thrusting, with her body attached to him, making those beautiful sounds, he found himself getting close. "Tora..." she whispered in his ear as he was coming undone. 

"Poppylan..." Tora returned as he kissed her neck. Then, in tandem, they came together. Kissing each other on the lips and giving each other nose kisses was how they always ended it. 

"Ok, handsome, it's time to get going." Poppy said as they washed off their lovemaking. 

Friday Evening...

Across town, Jacob was finding himself upset that night. His girlfriend was out with her friends and he couldn't find anything in the price point. Poppy had been quite clear about sticking to a budget. Then he came across something that looked too good to be true. 

It was. 

He didn't read the specs. Just read the price. But he was feeling particularly proud of himself. It was within budget. He also chose some sticky notes, not realizing that he clicked on some raunchy ones instead of the pink ones that Poppy usually had. Well they were pink but were very graphic. He then chose to add some chips to the cart. He knew how much Tora and Erdene liked those weird veggie chips or whatever they were. So, thinking he clicked the right items, he decided that was good enough until Erdine came back. He submitted the order and chose to have it shipped to GGP by Monday morning. 

He was so proud of himself.

The pride wouldn't last for long though.

  Monday Morning....

"OMG Pops! How was your weekend in Moonbright? How did your granny like Tora? Erdene asked while her and Poppy were down at the coffee shop. 

"Tora was such a trooper. You know how granny is. I swear in a past life, she was an interrogator." Poppy giggled. "She loves Tora though. She commented on how much of a 180 from Julri he is. I think she may have a small crush on him. Tora made quite the impression."

Poppy was blushing as Quincey and Tora arrived at the same coffee shop. That is where they usually met up on Monday mornings. The whole gang, including Jacob but he wasn't there. It was semi-noticeable.

"Hi Tora! Hi Quincey!" Erdene said as Poppy got up to kiss her boyfriend. 

"Mmmm..Good Morning. I missed you." She leaned into Tora.

"Oh for crying out loud, it's only been 3 hours, you two. I know he spent the night last night, Poppylan!" 

Quincey was a bit salty. That was an understatement. 

"I'm sorry Quincey, are you feeling lonely? Do you need a hug?" Poppy let go of Tora and went over to hug Quincey. 

"I swear to God, Poppylan. If you wrinkle this shirt..."

Poppy was absolutely beaming at Quincey

"Better wrinkles on your clothes than your face, Quincey." She teased.

"Say, where's Jacob?" Asked Erdene while everyone else was laughing at the blonde having his morning meltdown. 

"Oh, um, I think he's up at the office. He said there was a delivery and he was going to unpack it." Poppy said as she let go of Quincey and placed her arm around Tora's waist.  

"Well, we better go up and help him. He's probably fussing over the instructions on how to set up the microwave." Erdene said.

She had no idea how right she was about to be.

"Hey Jacob! We got you a coffee!" Poppy came at him with his soy latte in her hand.

"Jacob?" She asked again. 

He wasn't facing them. He was facing the table. He heard them but he felt like an animal caught in a snare. If he didn't move, they wouldn't see him, right?

"Oi, Jacob. Poppylan is talkin to ya."

That got a reaction out of him. Tora was always commanding attention. Jacob turned and winced. Not sure if he was capable of letting his team know what folly he had done.  

"Jacob, is everyth-"

Poppy and Erdene stopped. They saw what Jacob was hiding. He had royally screwed up.

Poppy couldn't decipher if she was going to laugh, yell or both. Tora snorted as he came closer to the table. Quincey had his brow raised and facepalmed.  

"Poppy. I messed up. I think I need to get my glasses checked." Jacob wanted to have Tora just kill him so he didn't die of embarrassment.  

What was laying on the table was contents of an easy bake oven, penis shaped sticky notes and poker chips. 

Jacob knew that his days of being the office supply manager were over.

"You had one job, Jacob. I think it's safe to say, you will never be in charge of this ever again."

Chapter Text

Saturday Night @ Club Miracle

Aniki the gigolo was drowning his sorrows as the neon lights in Club Miracle were filling the room. As he watched the underworld of Narin City come to life around him, he became more depressed. 

The women were gorgeous, the men were rich and powerful and he had a bald spot on display. 

Sighing at his half empty beer stein, he pondered what life could be like if he was young again. Or at least look young again. Work had been slow for him to say the least. He was not quite the looker he was when he started his business 5 years ago. 

But with time, looks can diminish. 

At least back then he had a toupee that would stick on his head. 

"Hey Aniki! Are you gonna close out or are you just going to look at your beer for the rest of the night?" Asked the bartender. 

Looking up from his stein, Aniki sighed, "Better close me out. It's a slow night and no one has signed up for my services." 

The bartender nodded as he went to close out Aniki's tab. 

As he was about to leave, the announcer came over the club speakers. "Welcome Candy to the stage! Tonight is her debut!" 

Aniki could not take his eyes off of the pink haired goddess as she slinked out to the stage. She looked as sweet as cotton candy but moved more sinful than devils food cake.  

He knew at that moment, as her gaze didn't even meet his, he wanted to change. He was going to change his line of work, get better clothes and a toupee that would stick around. He didn't care how long it would take, he just knew that she was worth it.

Taking his last $5 bill, he went to place it on her stage. From far away she was beautiful but up close, there were no words. He was staring at her, taking up the viewing room. 

He was certain, when she looked at him, they made a connection. The look of disgust that was washing over her face, he felt was towards the men who were hooting and hollering at her. The other men were shoving $50's and $100's at her. 

They clearly had no manners.

Aniki wanted to show her more respect than what the others were giving her. As he searched for any remaining cash in his pockets, he came up with nothing and felt defeated. 

"Aniki, get the hell out of the way, you're ruining the show." Cried Claude from the Balthuman Organization. 

"Yeah, old man, lose it. We didn't come here to see you." Yelled another. 

He hung his head down in shame and left the area. 

"Tonight may not have been the night. But I will find a way to win her heart." He confessed to the toilet in the bathroom as he took a leak before he left.

Getting one more glance at Candy before he exited the building, he felt his heart skip a beat as she left the stage.

"Soon." He promised his new found love.

Monday Morning

"Let's see now, what jobs can I apply to that will make me more money? I need to get a new toupee, at least 1 good suit. One that wont rip." Aniki was looking over the help wanted ads over his afternoon coffee that was mixed with whiskey.

"Help wanted: Security at Club Miracle. No experience needed. Will be trained. Apply in person."

Yes. This had to be a sign. His ancestors were smiling down at him for the first time. 

He happily got dressed and made his way down to the club. If he was hasty, he could get the job on the spot. After all, he frequented the club, he had a reputation and he was well liked for the most part. 

Straightening his temporary toupee that he had found under his car seat, he gave himself a look over and winked at himself in the mirror.

"You've got this." He strolled right up to the door and gave it a hearty knock. As the door opened up, Aniki felt butterflies in his stomach. 

"Hey, you're early. We don't open for a few more hours." The man at the door said.  

"I'm actually here to apply for the Security job." Aniki advised as the man was looking at him with a very unreadable face. 

"The position is still open, right?" 

What was so hard about answering a question? Why was this doorman so quiet? Did he get the wrong club? Questions were flooding his brain. "Yeah, it's still open...Come inside..." 

Well finally. Now was that so hard?

Aniki was ushered to the office.

"Sir, we have someone here for the wanted ad." 

Why didn't they introduce him as Aniki? Surely everyone knew him. 

"Send him in please." Said the man who was turned away from them. 

As the door shut, Aniki was standing awkwardly waiting for instruction to either sit or stay standing. 

"Please take a seat." He did as he was told and sat in a chair that was at the desk across from the mysterious club manager. 

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me." Scharch was scowling at his applicant. Of all of the people, he was not expecting the Gigolo of Ares Street to be in his office. Not on a Monday morning. 

Not ever. 

Rolling his eyes and contorting his face into a scream on sight with a friendly smile, Scharch leaned in and asked "Why do you think you should work here? You have 2 minutes. Go." 

Coming up with a reason seemed to be a difficult task but Aniki settled. "I have been coming here for years. I feel it's my obligation, no, my duty, to show the girls who work here that I will protect them. I also need to make more money." That was a winning answer, he thought. 

Scharch didn't say anything. He wasn't even blinking. The man had no emotion. Aniki was scared shitless.

"Nope." Was all that was supplied after the interview that lasted less than 3 minutes.

Aniki couldn't believe that he was turned down. He wasn't even going to be heard out? 

This was bullshit. 

"Thank you for your time." Aniki got up and left the room as he heard the man in the chair laugh sadistically.

"Did you get the job?" The man at the door asked as he opened it for Aniki. 

"No. Not today." 

As he walked out the door, he took one more glance at the club. He felt his heart break alongside the cracks in the concrete when he stepped out. 

As he got back into his car and shucked off his toupee, his eggplant app dinged at him. 

"Holy Smokes! I got a client!" Maybe this wouldn't be a bad day after all!

As he opened up his app, he felt the excitement buzz through him. Forgetting about his prior mission at hand, he drove back home. The appointment was that night and he wanted to make sure he was ready. He found his emergency cash fund and went down to the thrift store. 

What luck! In the costume section, they had a variety of wigs too. The suits were also in good condition. None of them had rips either! He had to come back here if his night went well. He wanted to keep his clients happy and on their toes. 

As he collected his purchases and left, Aniki felt more pep in his step! That was until he ran into a pole. 

"Ugh. Damnit. Stupid pole." He yelled at the brainless piece of steel but not before kicking it and hurting his foot. By the time he got back, he checked his eggplant app and his heart fell. He had just wasted all of that money and his appointment was canceled. "Well. I might as well go anyway. I'm going to have a good night. I have a new toupee and a new suit. I may as well go." 

He was set. If Candy was going to be there, she would no doubt notice him.

Monday Night @ Club Miracle

It was 10 PM and Aniki was getting ready to step into Club Miracle. He took more money from his emergency cash fund. Because this was clearly an emergency. He had to show Candy that she was worth the $20 he had in his pocket. Hell, he wasn't even going to order any beer. He would be by her side the whole night and not at the stupid bar. The music was loud, the atmosphere was buzzing, there was cigar smoke and scantily clad women running around in outfits leaving little for the imagination. 

Then, as the time struck 10:30, after waiting for what seemed like ages, the announcer came on to introduce Candy. The men were all clapping and cheering for her. And just like Saturday night, his heart was pounding out of his chest. She was calling to him the way she was ignoring him. As he fished the $20 from his pocket, he was verbally assaulted by someone from behind him. 

"Aniki! I swear to God, we're not here to see you. Sit your ass down." It was Claude again. How dare he get in the way of getting in between him and Candy. 

Giving Claude a look that wouldn't even give a 4 year old nightmares, he turned back to look at the love of his life on the stage. She was looking right at him. She was so perfect. His breath caught and he was sure that his plan was working! Finally! Words were coming out of her mouth but all he could hear was the music. He was so mesmerized by her that whatever she was saying went through one ear and out the other. 

"Huh?" He asked as he noticed her brow arched and her lips no longer moving.

"I said, you need to get out of the way. You're blocking my set." 

Even her voice was perfect. 

"Oh, I apologize. I'll move." Aniki said as he handed her the $20 bill. Rolling her eyes, she took the bill and he was in love. 

"I can't believe she talked to me." He was hopeless. Floating on cloud nine. As he backed away from the stage, he backed into a table. Tumbling over, he felt his pants rip and his toupee flew across the floor landing by the Balthuman VIP lounge. When he came out of his embarrassing haze, he noticed a different dancer on stage.

"Oh for crying out loud."  

Aniki got up and marched over to claim his hair. Picking it up and fixing back onto his head, he decided to call it a night. Then, he saw Candy at the VIP table with Claude. She looked cozy with him, too. That was supposed to be him with her. He sauntered over near the exit.

Ah! A $10 bill on the ground! His luck was giving him whiplash. Forgetting about the promise that he made to himself, he bellied up to the bar. 

Settling into his seat, the bartender asked "What will it be tonight?"

"Something that will help cure a broken heart." Aniki glanced over to where his heart was scattered all over the floor along with his 0.99 wig. 

He sighed with a longing.

He would never forget his 72 hour Candy Crush.

*SOB*

Chapter Text

2 PM Sunday Afternoon

"Mom, have you seen my belt? My button somehow came off of my work pants and I have work in 30."

Ben was frantically searching his closet. He hated that he couldn't afford any more work pants. They were all he had until his next paycheck. He just needed to keep his pants up for the next 6 hours at work.

"What do I look like to you? Your secretary? Goodness Benjamin." Candy was annoyed as her son huffed and puffed throughout their small apartment. And that was putting it lightly. She knew they were in this financial predicament because of her poor life choices but she wasn't in the mood for it. It was too early.

(It was actually 2 PM in the afternoon but whatever)

"Mom. I didn't say you were my secretary. I just wanted to know if you have seen my belt. GOD." He stormed back into his room and noticed that the button was on the floor.

Taunting him.

How was something that was so small being the cause of something so monumentally annoying?

He picked up the button and said "Oh! Aniki the Gigolo may be able to hook me up with someone who can at least sew the button back on. That dumbass is always ripping his suits." 

"Hey Mom!" He came out of his room, button in one hand and the other holding up his pants. 

"Now what?" Candy sighed over her afternoon coffee. 

"Do you have Aniki's number?"  

She wanted to slap her son over the head. Why in the hell would she have that pervert's phone number?

Unless Ben was talking about Aniki (Big Bro) Tora.

*SOB* She wished she had his number.

Eyeing her son carefully, she arched her eyebrow and asked, "Which Aniki?" 

“Oh for the love of God” Ben thought. 

Tora is not interested. 

Everyone knows he's gay. 

"The gigolo. You know, the one who frequents the club? Thought you'd have his card seeing how you always complain about him hitting on you."  

Ben wasn't trying to be cheeky. He was just stating facts. Still, his mom was in no mood. 

"No, I don't have his number. Let me see if I can help." 

Candy fished a hair tie out of her "work bag" and yanked her son closer. 

"Mom what the hell?" Ben shouted as his mom tugged him by his belt loop. 

"Quiet now. Let me see if this will work." She hooked the elastic band through the buttonhole and through the first available belt loop. She then tied the two ends together. 

"There. That should work. Zip yourself up and get to work." 

She was so proud of herself with her quick solution. But maybe she would have to ask the girls at the club if they knew any good seamstresses. Because like hell she would ask that sleazeball gigolo for anything. 

Nope. Not ever. 

"Thanks..." Ben muttered as he collected his wallet and his pride in one fell swoop, rushing out the door. 

3 PM Sunday Afternoon

"Man, my fly won't stay up." 

This was going to be a long shift. While his mom's solution brought him temporary problem solving, it didn't last long. The hair tie eventually snapped. Customer after customer told him that his fly was down. His boss yelled at him for looking sloppy. And there seemed to be no down time for him to look for a further resolution. 

30 minutes down, 5 1/2 hours to go. 

Man this blows.

Poppy and Tora had been at the store buying dinner ingredients and noticed Ben's predicament.

It was the "Curious Case of Benjamin's Button." Poppy thought to herself. Tora leaned down as Poppy snickered her lame joke into his ear. 

"Seriously, Bobby? That was hella lame. Pfft Pfft." 

Tora hated that movie. It was fuckin' weird. But for whatever the hell reason, Poppy seemed to enjoy it.

Ben noticed them noticing him. 

But wait, why were they together?

Wasn't Tora Gay?

Why were they holding hands?

OH. His mom will not be happy about this.

But he was digressing. He needed to find a solution quickly.

"Hey Poppy! Come here." Adding a please as Tora looked at him with a death glare.

No one ordered her around. Not on his watch.

"Hey Ben. How's it going?" Poppy asked as they approached the check out with rice amongst other items in hand. 

"Do you know how to sew?" He casually asked, fishing for the button from his pocket, showing it to her. 

"I actually do. I can repair this. But what are you going to do about your current situation in the meantime? You can't work with your pants off..."

“No shit Poppy.” Ben thought, damning himself for asking her for help.

"Oh wait! I have a hair tie! Hold on!" Poppy was digging in her purse and found a hair tie that had a watermelon on each side.

"Damn sweetheart. How many of those cute hair ties do ya have?" Tora asked, glad it wasn't a strawberry one. Only he was allowed to wear a strawberry hair tie.

Before she could answer, Ben cut her off.

"No, not another hair tie! It wont work! Forget it. Is this going to be all for you?" He asked as Tora and Poppy looked at him unamused.

The audacity.

"What kind of hair tie did you use last time? Did it have holders like the one I'm trying to offer you?"

Poppy was just trying to help.

"The hell is a holder?" Ben asked.

Tora bit out "Watch ya tone kid."

Ben gulped as Poppy continued, "See these two charms? What you can do is make a hole big enough where your button used to be, and put one charm in the hole, while you loop this other end together with the other." She was motioning with her hands describing her solution.

"And then after your shift, just bring your pants over and I can sew your button back on. Here's my number so you can text me." 

Poppy handed him a piece of paper that had her number scrolled down on it. 

Huh. Pretty smart. 

Now Ben felt kind of bad for yelling at her. She was pretty nice. Even if she was annoying as fuck with her sunny disposition. 

While he would have to keep his zipper up, at least his button issue was solved. For now. Again. 

"Sounds good. Thanks." Ben said, taking both the hair tie and the piece of paper. 

"No problem!" Poppy smiled at him as she put the items on the counter for them to be purchased. Tora was looking at Ben as he handed the kid a large bill. Tora knew the struggle Ben went through. He knew what it was like to struggle. 

"Here. Keep the change and get yourself some pants WITH buttons." 

Ben needed to make sure he heard that right. They only bought like $15 worth of items. The $50 would give him more than enough change. 

"Seriously?" Ben asked as he sheepishly took the large bill. 

"Yeah. Take it." Tora waived away the money.

"Thanks man..." Ben said as the two of them bagged up their small purchase.

Tora grunted as Poppy smiled and said "You're welcome."

After they left the cash register, Ben could hear Poppy giggling at Tora, hand in hand.

"Tora, you softy."

"Yup. That's me. A big softy. You're cramping my style, Bobby." He said with a grin as he leaned down to kiss her. 

Well. As if this shift wasn't more interesting, Big Bro Tora and Poppy?

Alright.

Maybe he would hold off telling his mom about this new information, indefinitely.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Ben asked his boss if he could jump off the register in order to do as Poppy had advised. With a nod of approval, Ben went to the office to find some scissors so he could poke a whole where his button used to be. 

Thankfully, there was already a small hole from where it had ripped off. It was pretty easy to make it just a tad bit bigger. He was finally able to make it big enough after experimenting with the charm. 

Following Poppy's directions, but not before snapping his fingers a few times with the elastic, he was finally able to fix his issue. It was tight enough too that his zipper was able to stay up for most of the rest of his shift. 

Maybe he should pay it forward. He snorted at himself. Recalling what Tora said about her cramping his style, he thought maybe she was cramping his too.

8:30 PM- After the worst shift ever.

"Hey its Ben. On my way. Send address"

"It's 12 Pattigrass Hill. See you soon. :)"

*Knock Knock*

"Hi Ben! Come on in!" Poppy greeted him as she gestured his welcome. 

"Thanks." He replied, noticing Tora on the couch, playing some video game. It looked fun. Maybe he could get away with playing with him for a while. 

"OK Ben. I know you only have those pants right now. Cover yourself up in this towel." She offered him a towel with a floral print on it. 

"Can't I just hang out in my boxers?" He asked. 

"No. Put the damn towel on or get the fuck out." Tora responded not even looking away from the screen. 

What was the big deal? They were just boxers? 

"Tora. Don't be rude." Poppy said to her grumpy boyfriend. He had such a potty mouth. 

Ben took the towel and went to the bathroom. When he came out, he handed his pants and his button to Poppy. 

"Are you hungry, Ben? I have some leftover rice and some beef." 

Well, he would be a fool to turn down free food. 

"It's in the kitchen if you're interested." Poppy gestured in the direction of the kitchen as she went to sit down on the couch beside Tora who was angrily beating the buttons on his controller. 

Ben went over to the kitchen and noticed that while yes there was rice, it was in the form of...a tiger? 

What the hell? 

"Hey, Um, Poppy, is this a rice animal?" Ben asked skeptically, fearing the rice may come to life and bite him. 

"Yeah! It totally is! Help yourself, Ben!" Before he could plate it up, he thought he heard Tora whine "I was saving that for later though." Followed up with Poppy saying "Oh hush. You should have labeled it. If you behave, I'll give you something better." 

Fucking gross.

Ben sat at the table as he watched the odd couple go about their lives in front of him, he couldn't help to think how weird this day went. And all because of a stupid button.

"There! All done! I fixed it." Poppy said as she handed him his pants back.

"Thanks." Ben said as he shuffled back into the bathroom pants in hand, towel around his waist. Coming out of the bathroom, he sighed. He wanted to actually stay a little bit longer. But he did not press for an overstayed welcome. 

"Well, thanks again. I'm going to get going." Ben waived as he went towards the door. 

"Oh, did you want to stay for a little bit longer? I don't mind. Tora has 2 controllers if you wanted to play." Ben shot a look at Tora. Tora rolled his eyes at Ben. 

"Come on over." Tora said, patting a spot clear across the couch from him. He looked a little less than enthused but still handed one of the controls over. Poppy smiled and put away her makeshift sewing kit. 

10 PM

"No, you're supposed to shoot that guy. Ya just shot me." 

"Ah. Crap. Sorry. My hands are all sweaty. It slipped." 

"That's fuckin' gross. Ya better wash that remote off before ya leave. I ain't touchin' that shit."

Poppy sighed at the bromance blooming in front of her. But she knew that neither of the two guys would admit it.

Ben's phone was ringing and it was his mom. "Hey can you pause this?" Ben asked as he fished out his phone.

"Hey mom. I'm with Tora and Poppy. What's up?"

Well so much for not breaking the news softly or ever.

"You're with who?! Why on earth would you be with them? Together?" 

"It's a long story. But I basically had to come over so that Poppy could fix my pants." 

"That doesn't explain why MY Tora is there. And what was wrong with how I fixed them?"

Ben sighed at his mom.

"If you think about it long enough. It will." 

"SERIOUSLY?! Whaaaaat?! That bastard Claude told me he was gay!!!!!"

Ben held his phone away from the screeching that was damaging his ear drum.

"Well Mom. I'll be home soon. I'll see you later."

"Well. I should get going." Ben said as he hung up the phone. 

"Ya need a ride?" Tora asked nonchalantly. 

"Do you mind?" Ben asked as he was collecting his stuff. 

"Nah, it's late. Not that far." Tora said as he turned off the game. 

"Well. Alright. Thanks. And thanks Poppy for your help and for dinner." 

She smiled and said "You're welcome!" Tora leaned down to kiss his petite girlfriend and whispered something into her ear. With the way she was giggling, Ben wanted to hurl.

*Whisper* *Flirt* "Bobby. When I get back, we're gonna play a game. It involves ya love button."

*Giggle* *Giggle* "Oh stop it, you cutie"

*Whisper* *FLIRT* "Once I start I ain't gonna--

*AWKWARD COUGH*

"Oh um. Sorry Kid, let's get ya home." Tora rushed Ben out of the door. 

"So, you and Poppy?" Ben asked as they drove through downtown Narin City. 

"Yeah? What of it?" Tora asked.

"Interesting. Never thought..." Ben was cut off.

"A lot of people didn't but I don't give a fuck. She pushes my buttons, she's cute as a button and she's got this little--" 

"OK OK. I get it. Stahp." Ben didn't want to know what else. That was enough. 

"Cute button nose." Tora thought to himself. Christ what did this kid think he was gonna say? 

"Anyways. Thank you for letting me keep the change. And let me play for a while." Ben confided as Tora pulled up to his apartment complex.

"Think nothin' of it." Tora said as he pulled out a cigarette. Ben opened the car door and got out and shut the door. 

Tora then rolled down the window, "Hey kid. If ya need anything, let me or Poppylan know." Tora smirked at Ben and sped off.

Ben went up to the apartment and opened the door where he found his mother sobbing. 

"Ma, what's wrong?" Ben rushed over to his mom who looked like she was dramatically re-enacting those stupid soaps that she watched. 

"What does Tora see in her?" 

Ben rolled his eyes...

"I don't know...something about buttons." Ben was over it. He walked into his room and yanked off his pants. Sending the once mended button flying across the room yet again.

"Oh for the love of..."

***TEENAGE ANGST INTENSIFIES***

Chapter Text

Current Day- 10 PM - It was a dark & stormy night...

"Hey man, get the hell out of my way, you're totally cheating!" Pinky shouted over his headset.

"No fuckin' way. It's not my fault you can't keep up." Gyu yelled back.

"You're both gonna get it. I'm coming in hot." Brian snorted into his.

They were playing the newest installment of Mario Kart.

"DUDE! What the--That was a dirty trick throwing that shell at me!"

Pinky was hella pissed.

"Ah-ha! Suck it!"

Gyu and Brian were laughing maniacally as Pinky got stuck on the side of the road. The competition was on.

Like hell Pinky would let either of those mother fuckers splatter his self-esteem all over the pixelated screen. 

Then the power went out.

" God Damn it ." Pinky yelled as he chucked his headset on the floor.

Across town, Gyu was trying to get his backup generator working. But everything was fried.

Pinky immediately texted the group chat with Brian & Gyu hoping that it would go through. 

In another part of town, Brian was trying to figure out why all of the lights were out. 

Did he forget to pay his electric bill again? 

Pinky: Hey man. Any chance that we can continue this at your place? Is your back up generator working?"

Gyu: Nope Sorry. Everything is fried. 

Brian: Well that explains a lot. I can't believe your power outage is affecting mine

Pinky: Brian...I swear to God.

Gyu : I win by default.

Pinky : 😒 yeah whatever. Next time I'll beat your ass. That's a fuckin' Pinky Promise!

Gyu : SMH 🤣Dude you say that every time!

Brian : So does this mean no more Mario Kart? 😭

As Pinky put away his phone, the memories of his childhood came flooding in just like the rain into the sewer pipes....

**10 years ago** ***CUE FLASHBACK SEQUENCE***

Damien was transferred to a new group home. 

It sucked. It also meant he had to attend another stupid school. He hated being passed around. The woman in charge of his new home, Karen, always spent the money on herself. She also made a comment on his hair color of choice. It was a faded pink. That was his favorite color. His last group home didn't care what he did. But he left too soon before he could have his den hen re-touch it. 

This new "home" didn't usually have much to choose from when it came to food either. When they did eat, normally it was the same shit, different day. That day was no different. That morning, all he had was a piece of toast and questionable milk. The eggs were soggy so he passed them up.

It was his first day at the new school. In his first few periods, he had noticed a few other kids who looked like they were having about the same good time that he was. One was super scrawny, had amber red hair and was sporting what looked like a patch of pubic hair on his chin. He took notice of the cool electronics that he slipped in and out of his backpack periodically. 

The other kid had almost silver hair and pale blue eyes. On his hand, it looked like there was a Glock drawn on it. But it looked like he lost a battle with a sharpie. 

The school lunches were no better. Seeing as he was on the list for free lunches, he normally would take what he could get. Whatever would help him get through till the next day. Because he knew, dinner would be less than appetizing. 

As he went through the lunch line, looking at all of his "free to him" options, he was not feeling any of it. But he was so hungry, almost desperate enough. Then he saw it. Like a beacon drawing him in. A moth to the flame. It was a lunchable! 

Untouched! 

He had heard of those. Seen them on TV, too! 

Sitting abandoned on the nearest table, he thought that whoever left it was a fool to leave such a delicacy out in the open. Ditching his food tray and making his way over, he looked both ways, snatched the lunchable and ran for it. 

"Hey Punk! That's mine!" 

Some asshole was running behind him. Damien didn't look back, he just ran. He was so hungry. He just wanted to get out of there. He ran out of the double doors and into the nearest bathroom. When he got in there, the same kids from his classes were there. Both looked confused as Damien hid in the stall. 

"Hey, man ya good?" Came one of the voices of the two. 

"Shut the hell up. I think pinky is hiding from someone." The other said.

If Damien wasn't so scared shitless being caught, he may have laughed at his new nickname. 

But this was time to be serious. 

Just then the door opened. 

"You punks see some jerk off come in here?" 

Damien tried not to breathe. 

"Shit." He thought, clutching his heart with one hand and the ark of the covenant with the other.

"The only jerk off I see in here is you, Yadori." Damien smiled. 

These guys were alright. 

"You both are assholes." Yadori murmured as he walked towards the bathroom door to exit. 

"Yeah. Walk away, ass hat!" one of the two guys said. 

"OK pinky. He's gone. You can come out now." 

Damien breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth and exited the stall.

"Hey man, you ok?"  Asked the kid with the hand with the gun. 

"Yeah. Thanks for not ratting me out." Damien said, eyeballing the two, cautiously. 

"Why was that guy running after you?" Asked the kid with the pubic hair chin. 

"I snatched his lunchable. It was on the table, unattended. I took my chances and ran with it." 

Both the kids looked at Damien. 

"Wow. He is such a dumbass for leaving that." 

They all nodded in agreement. 

"So, Pinky, what's your name?" Asked gun on hand.

"Name is Damien. How about you guys?" 

Gun on hand went first, "Name is Brian." 

Brian is a lot better than a gun on hand. 

"And I'm Gyu." Gyu is even better than pubic hair chin. 

"Ya new here, huh?" Asked Gyu. 

"Yeah, I moved here last weekend from across the city." 

"Well, if you want, you can come over after school. I don't think my sister would mind. I got the basement all to myself. I bought a new Nintendo console! It came with Mario Kart!" 

Then Brian snorted. 

"You didn't buy it and you know it." Gyu gave Brian the STFU look but Damien didn't care. 

"Yeah, That sounds like fun. I'll have to check with my home coordinator, though." Damien cursed at himself. 

"Home Coordinator? OHHHH. Got it. OK. Well here's my address if you can." 

Gyu handed the piece of paper to Damien. 

"What other classes do you have?" Asked Brian. 

Looking over his schedule, he learned that they had next period together. 

"Cool. We can all go together. We'll keep an eye out for you. Yadori is seriously an asshat. No one likes him to be honest. He hates us too. Pissed that Big Bro Tor--" 

Brian had such a big mouth. 

"Who?" Damien asked confused at the next STFU look coming from Gyu pointed at Brian. 

"Oh. No one. Anyways..." Brian drew out. 

Then the bell rang.

Sticking the lunchable into his bag, and out of the line of sight from anyone who dared to steal from him, Damien and his new friends walked out of the bathroom and to their class.

The next few periods came and went. 

Damien was looking forward to going over to Gyu's. It would be a hell of a lot better than going back to his group home. When school was out, Damien saw his new friends in the parking lot. 

"Hey!" Damian waived at them from across the way. 

"Hey Pinky!" Brian yelled, motioning him over. 

Damien rolled his eyes at his new name. 

"I'm waiting for my sister. She picks us up from school today. I can ask her if she can at least drive you home and ask your "home coordinator" if you can come over. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone, am I right?" Gyu offered as if it was no big deal. 

Damien was laughing at himself how Gyu used home coordinator in parenthesis.

"Alright cool." Damien said as a white little beater car pulled up to the curb.

"Hey kids. Get in." 

Assuming it was Gyu's sister Damien waved at her. 

"Hey sis, can we swing by Damien's house really quick? So he can ask if he can come over?" Gyu asked before getting in the car. 

"You're Damien I assume?" She asked with a smile. 

"Yup. That's me. Is that OK? I don't wanna be any trouble." He said. 

"No trouble at all. Kill 2 birds with one stone, am I right? Get in. Name is Celeste." She motioned as they all piled in the back seat. 

"Where do you live, kid?" She asked. 

"For now, just up past this stop light and make a left. Then turn right at the next street. It's the last house at the end of the culd-e-sac." He said as she made her way out of the school parking lot. 

"Do you mind if I eat this in your car? I haven't really eaten all day. Lunch was cut short." He looked at her in the rearview and he thought she looked sad as she nodded. Or was it concerned? He didn't know.

"This it?" She asked unamused at how crappy it looked. 

"Yep. That's me." Damien answered. 

"Mother Fucker...Ah crap. Don't say that!" She said as she put the car in park. 

"Listen. Stay in the car." She was looking at all 3 of the kids in her back seat. 

"But, I--" Damien was cut off. 

"I said, stay in the car." She said as both the other kids nodded at him with desperation. 

What was Damien about to witness? 

"Dude. What does your sister do?" Damien whispered as they saw her bumrush his temporary home.

"She works for the foster system. She probably smells a rat." 

"Yeah, when she's in work mode. She's friggin crazy, dude. Just watch."

All 3 boys watched on as the fierce woman made her way to the front door. 

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

*Talking in messy cursive*

" What do you want? " The home runner asked.

"I see you've been hitting the bottle again, Karen. Tell me, where did you get the money for that? How many kids do you have here now? From the smell of your breath, I assume quite a bunch."
" None of your business" Karen said while she hung on to the door with one hand and the door jam with the other. 

"Actually, Karen, this little badge right here, says it is my business. Who authorized this? You're supposed to have your license revoked."

" I ain't saying nothin without my lawyer. Now go awayyyy."

" Well, that's fine. However, these kids are going with me."

Gyu's sister immediately called the cops.

"Hi yeah, It's me, Celeste. I'm here at Karen's spot. Ya know the one. She's at it again. We need the van. She's got a lot of kids. She's drunk, too."

Damien was watching as Celeste, Gyu's sister, handcuffed Karen. 

It was kind of sloppy though. Karen was hella big. 

5 minutes later, an ambulance, a cop car and a van showed up. After what seemed like forever, Celeste finally made her way back to the car. 

"Alright Damien, you don't have to come back to this place. Until we get you settled somewhere else, you can stay with me."

With all eyes on him, Damien didn't know what to say. How to feel. Was this chick for real? 

"I'll try to get you to stay in a much better home in the same area. I know a few people who run really good homes for kids like you. Now let's go and get some real food for you. Lord only knows when ya had a decent meal."

It was 2 weeks ago...thought Damien as they drove off. 

Later on that night

That night, Celeste ordered the kids pizza, wings and garlic bread. She even sprang for soda too.

Damien thought he had died and gone to heaven. 

"DUDE!!! You're totally cheating!" Damien said as he got side swept by Gyu. 

"No way, Man. It's not my fault you can't keep up." Gyu yelled back.

"You're both gonna get it. I'm coming in hot." Brian snorted as he smashed his piece of pizza thinking it was his game remote.

"Alright boys! It's still a school night. It's time to get off of the video game!"

Celeste yelled from the other room. "And Brian, your sister is going to kill me if I drop you off late again."

"Just a few more minutes! We're almost done!" Gyu yelled 

"No, NOW."

Welp that settles that.

"I win by default" Gyu said with a shit eating grin as he turned off the console before anyone else dared to get past him

"Next time, I'll totally kick your butt!" Damien said as he placed his controller down.

"Yeah fuckin' right. I totally smoked both of you. I don't take kindly to threats!" Gyu countered.

"Oh it's not a threat. It's a promise. A fuckin' Pinky promise." Damien said, owning up to his new name.

"What did I tell you about using that word?!!!!!" 

"Sorry Celeste." The two boys chanted while Brian was trying to figure out where his controller had gone.

Damien fell asleep that night with a full belly, a warm bed and new friends.

All because of a stupid lunchable.

Chapter Text

The year 2001 - Tora age 4.5 Friday Morning 7 AM

The sun cracked through the window as the morning unfolded into the city. By the sounds coming through Tora's bedroom door, his daddy was awake, probably making coffee for mommy. He hated that smell, but he loved the man making it. Tora rubbed the sleep from his eyes and grabbed his stuffed dino plushie from his side. He went to his bedroom door in the tiny apartment he and his parents lived in and peeked out. 

"Daddy?" Tora asked in his little voice. 

"Hey, kid!" His dad greeted him. "How did you sleep?" 

Tora ran to his dad, into his arms, for his morning hug. "I slept good. So did Mr. Rex," Tora explained as his dad smiled at him. 

"I am glad to hear that you and Mr. Rex slept well. You weren't too cold, were you?" Tora's dad asked as he pulled him in tighter, warming his skin. 

"Nope! Not too cold! Mommy showed me how to stay warm if it does get cold." Tora explained. 

"Oh yeah?" Tora's dad asked. 

Tora wasn't sure what was wrong with his daddy. He looked so sad. The smile was gone from his face. 

"Yeah! She said if I ever get too cold, imagine I was somewhere warm. I learned about the beach at daycare. It looked warm! So I imagined I was there, and it worked! Have you ever been to the beach?" 

Before his daddy could answer, his mommy came out of the bedroom. She was wearing her favorite blue robe. Tora knew it was her favorite robe because she had three others, but the others didn't have as many holes as this one. Her hair was messy, and even though she looked like she needed a longer nap, she still looked so pretty. 

"Well, good morning! How are my two favorite men doing? Oh, and Mr. Rex! How are you?" Tora's mommy asked as she padded towards the two sitting on the small chair, Tora on his dad's lap. Tora's dad released him from the warm hug. Frowning at first, Tora's face turned into disgust as his parents kissed each other. 

"Ewwwwwwww!" Tora groaned, making a gagging face. 

"Are you excited about daycare today? It's Friday! You know what that means?" Tora's mommy asked as his daddy handed her a cup of coffee.

"Yeah! I can't wait!" He exclaimed. 

Tora loved Fridays at the center. It was a full day. Full days meant breakfast  AND  lunch! If he were lucky, he would be able to take a weekend pack home. He loved weekend packs. They came with pre-made sandwiches, apple slices, three whole chocolate milks, and some other snacks. It also meant that his parents didn't make him eat weird combinations of leftovers, and his mommy didn't have to share her meals with him. Instead, his daddy and mommy got their own plates. They always seemed to be a lot happier after those kinds of meals.

"Well, let's get you ready, little man!" Tora's mommy said as she took his hand, his other limply holding Mr. Rex at his side. 

He went into his bedroom and looked into his small chest of drawers; he pulled out his favorite shirt with a dino that said "Be Cool" and some jeans with a few holes. But they were lined with cotton, so it kept him warm, for the most part. He then got his boxers and socks out. 

Putting them on, he looked down at his shoes. They were a little small, but his mommy kept saying he would get more after she saved up enough money. It had been a while since he got new shoes. The ones he had currently came from one of his dad's co-workers. They were already used before he got them, but they at least fit and didn't have any holes. But it was OK. He just had to be careful with how much he rough housed during playtime. 

His daddy was smart, he thought as he remembered being told that after a hole started appearing for the first time. 

"OK, mommy, I'm ready!" Tora said as he came out of his bedroom and into the living area.

"Alright, little man. Let's get going! Say bye to your dad!" His mom said while picking up her purse, kissing her husband

...for the last time...

"Bye, Daddy! I love you!" Tora said as he went to hug his dad...for the last time...

"Love you too, kid! I'll see you tomorrow morning! Remember, we're going to the park as I promised!" 

His dad waved at his little family as they left...for the last time...

Friday 11 AM

Tora was playing with his friends at daycare. They had to play inside that day. It was too cold to go outside. He didn't mind, though. He liked the toys inside more than the playground, and it kept him warmer for longer. 

"Tora. Can you come here, please?" His caretaker, Anna, was motioning him towards her. 

She looked sad. He didn't like it when she looked sad. She was usually always so happy. Tora put down the fire engine truck he was playing with and went over to her. He couldn't think of what was wrong. Maybe they ran out of weekend packs? Oh well. He shrugged it off. Maybe next weekend. 

"Yes, Miss. Anna?" He asked as she placed her hands on his small shoulders.

"A very nice man is here to take you somewhere." 

Tora frowned. He hadn't eaten lunch, and it would start in 30 minutes. This was a full  day. 

"But what about lunch?" He asked innocently. 

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Let me see if I can find a weekend bag for you." 

Miss. Anna said as she called over to Miss. Penny.

"Miss. Penny, do we have any extra weekend packs for Tora?" 

Nodding, Miss. Penny went to grab one from the cafeteria. 

"Here you go, Tora." Miss. Penny said as she handed the small child his weekend pack. 

He was excited to get a weekend pack! Both of the women hugged him, and Miss. Anna ushered him to the front desk. A tall man in a cop uniform looked down at him; he liked him. He looked nice and had always wanted to know what it was like to be a cop. 

"Are you Tora?" The cop asked as he smiled at the unsuspecting child with wonder in his eyes. 

"Yeah! I'm Tora. If Mr. Rex were here, I'd introduce you to him." 

The cop chuckled and said, "Nice to meet you, Tora. My name is Officer Alice. But you can call me Joe if you want." 

"OK!" Tora said as he looked back at Miss. Anna, waiving goodbye...

For the last time...

Joe took Tora to his cruiser and let him into the back seat. 

"WOW! This is cool! I have never been in one of these before!" Tora said as he gazed over all of the different buttons and gadgets. 

Joe looked sad when he got in the front seat. Why did everyone look so sad? 

"Haha, Well, kid, hopefully, this will be the only time you're in the back seat of a cop car," Joe said as he started the engine.

Tora asked as his curiosity began to pique, "Where Are You Taking Me, Mr?" He corrected himself immediately. "I mean Joe." 

Joe looked like he was about to cry.

"There was a problem this morning, and somewhere I need to take you because your mommy wasn't able to get you," Joe explained. 

"What about my daddy?" Tora asked. The only sound was the radio and the tires on the road going in motion to a mysterious location. 

"Joe?" Tora asked. 

He didn't like it when people ignored his questions. He was a person too. It didn't matter if he was only 4 1/2. That's what his daddy always said. 

Clearing his throat, Joe explained, "Your daddy couldn't make it either." 

Tora nodded but still didn't understand. He would ask his parents later when he saw them.

Friday 11:30 AM - Narin City Grace Community Hospital

Tora knew this place. He hated this place. This is where he said goodbye to his gramma before she passed away. He didn't like how everyone always looked sad. The smell was horrible too. Why would a stranger be taking him to such a sad place? Well, he guessed Joe wasn't a complete stranger. Miss. Penny and Miss. Anna seemed to like him.

As he and Joe walked through the doors, they went to the front desk, where many girls wearing weird outfits worked. They had different designs on their outfits. He liked the lady with the blue-colored one with the strawberries on it. He thought she was pretty, too, taking in the sights and sounds. 

"Hi there, Officer Alice. How are you today?" Strawberry print girl asked. Tora looked at her badge. Her name was Samantha. 

"Oh, and who is this?" Samantha asked as her gaze fell on Tora. 

"My name is Tora." He answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Tora. My name is Samantha." She smiled at him, and his little heart was beating fast. 

"We are here to see his mom. Can you direct us to where she may be? Last name is _________" . 

Suddenly, Samantha's smile fell. 

"Oh." She said but barely loud enough to be heard. "Room 305." That was all she got out as Joe and Tora made their way for the elevators. 

"Can I press the button?" Tora asked as they walked into the elevator. 

"Sure, kid. Press the number 3." Joe motioned to the button with the "3" on it. As he closed it, the elevator doors closed, and it started moving up. When the elevator stopped, Tora went out to the hallway with Joe behind him.

His mommy was crying, practically screaming.

Where was his daddy?

Something wasn't right.

Another lady was holding his mommy as her sobbing filled the halls. 

"Mommy?" His small voice asked, but still commanding attention from all of the grownups. 

Turning attention to her son, his mommy kneeled, fat tears rolling down her face. Her normal beautiful amber eyes were now dark and bloodshot. Her olive skin was now blotchy. He didn't like it when she looked like that. It was scary and sad all at the same time. Tora went towards her, going into her embrace. As he connected with her, she was squeezing him tightly. 

"Where's Daddy?" He asked, not sure if he wanted the answer. 

Holding him tighter, almost uncomfortably, his mom said, "There was an accident when he went to work today." 

Tora, confused, not knowing what that had to do with his question, asked, 

"What kind of accident? When will daddy be here?" 

Collecting the sniffles into his ears from the others watching him and his mom on display, he looked to his side and saw Joe. The man who seemed so friendly before now looked like he was sick to his stomach. Feeling his mom's embrace loosen, he backed up a little bit, and her hands were placed on his shoulders. 

"Tora, my sweet Tora.." She stopped, looking as if she was struggling to find the words for her little boy to understand what would be said. 

"Your daddy is gone, sweetheart. He was in an accident. He didn't make it." She said in between gasps of air.

"NO!" He yelled. He saw his daddy that morning. What did she mean he was gone?! They were supposed to go to the park this weekend.

Giving way to tears and anger, Tora felt something inside him snap. "HE CAN'T BE GONE! HE PROMISED WE WOULD GO TO THE PARK! HE PROMISED! HE PROMISED!" At this point, he and his mommy were crying, yelling in their heartbreak while his little fists were pounding into her chest. 

"Tora, I'm so sorry." His mommy said between gasps of air and sobs, on rotation.

The next few hours were having him drown in tears, so many questions, and  ANGER . Something dark was taking over him. He didn't understand it. He had never felt so much, whatever it was, in his life—all at the same time. 

That day little did Tora know that when his daddy died, his mommy may as well have been killed too.

One week later-day, after the funeral Saturday at 4 PM.

 "I'm hungry." Tora sighed as he felt his tummy rumble. 

He looked at his mommy while she just sat on the couch, frozen. Bags under her eyes. Eyes that once held so much brightness. Eyes that used to be a brilliant shade of Amber were now hollow and faded. She hadn't cooked in almost four days, and there was nothing to pick from in the refrigerator. The only thing left was a few pieces of meat and cheese from the funeral the day before. He couldn't cook at a young age. The eggs that were in the refrigerator were a no-go. The fruits and veggies were going moldy. The milk had gone sour. All the meals people had been leaving for them had to be put in the oven, which had gone to waste, too, as he didn't know how to use it. Being ignored, yet again, by his mom, Tora decided to go on a mission to find someone who would feed him.

His mommy hadn't taken him to daycare all week. The phone had been ringing, and he heard messages left from Miss. Penny and Miss. Anna telling his mommy to call them. But she didn't.

His hunger took hold of him. Feeling like he wouldn't be missed, if only for a while, he slipped on his shoes and made his way out of the apartment. He looked back at her; it was like she was just looking past him. Like he didn't exist. Like as if he meant nothing to her anymore. He shut the door behind him with his quest for some sort of food on his brain.

He didn't even realize that would be the last time he would see her...

He remembered the lady at the front office. She was always really nice. She sometimes gave him candy whenever his daddy dropped off the rent check. So he thought he could go to her. 

He frowned when he saw the closed sign on the door. 

Turning around from the door, he saw his neighbor Mrs. Brown. She lived in the same complex, and he liked her dog. He got to pet him once. 

"Tora, what on earth are you doing by yourself?!" Mrs. Brown said as she went over to the hungry child. 

"Where's your mom? Or your dad?" 

Tora gave way, not to tears, not to hunger but to the same darkness that had been festering inside him, something he still hadn't figured out. 

"My daddy is gone." 

Mrs. Brown looked sad. But he didn't care. He just pressed on. 

"And my mommy didn't care that I left now." He said as if he had just stated the most obvious fact. 

"Oh, I'm sure she cares, honey."

Did Mrs. Brown just accuse him of lying? 

"No, she doesn't. She looked right at me. I'm hungry and would really like to eat something right now." He explained, trying to move forward. 

"OK. OK. Let's get you fed." 

Finally, someone was listening to him. Mrs. Brown led him to her apartment and made him a grilled cheese sandwich, which was warm too. She also plated some strawberries, fixed him up a glass of milk (that wasn't expired), and some fresh cookies she had made earlier that day. 

"Here you go, Tora. Eat up. I have to make a call." Mrs. Brown said as she stepped into the room. 

Tora looked at the feast in front of him. He had to say thank you when he was finished. While he greedily ate his meal from the other room, he heard Mrs. Brown on the phone but paid no mind to it.

In one week, he would lose both his mommy and his daddy.

Saturday Night 5:30 PM

Between letting Tora pick a show and letting him sit on the warm, comfy couch with her dog at his side, Mrs. Brown had successfully kept the boy distracted. Her heart was pounding as she looked at the now content little boy. She went over to the door, knowing fully well that his world was about to crumble one more time. 

"Tora, honey, I will be in the hall for a moment. I will be right back." Mrs. Brown said as Tora took a bite of another cookie.

"OK." He said, eyes glued to the cute little black bird doing some weird dance.

She closed the door and greeted the two CPS workers. 

"How bad is it?" She asked the other two. Then, with a sigh, one of them answered. 

"One of the worst ones we've seen in a while. It's cold as ice. Everything is a mess. There are maggots in the refrigerator and around the kitchen. You mentioned the father was gone?"

Mrs. Brown nodded. "Did Tora say if he was deceased or left?" The other one asked, fully invested. 

"He just said he was gone." All three nodded. 

"That poor boy." One of the agents said as the other nodded again. 

"Well, can he get what he wants from his room? Maybe he can say bye to his mom that way?" 

Both the workers grimaced at Mrs. Browns' statement. "Unfortunately, we cannot allow Tora to go back inside in that environment. It is too unsanitary. Good thing you called us when you did. We had to take her to the hospital. It looks like she was practically living on fumes." 

With a sigh, Mrs. Brown said, "I understand. Can we ask him if he needs anything from there? Will one of you be able to grab anything?" 

They both looked at each other and shook their head yes. 

Coming back into the apartment, Tora was laughing hysterically at the bird that he now knew was called a "Vogel Kop."

"Mrs. Brown! LOOK AT THE BIRD!" Tora exclaimed as he pointed at the TV. His smile fell as two more people entered her apartment. 

"Tora, these nice people are here to take you somewhere temporarily. Just for a little while so your mommy can get help." 

Tora frowned. He wasn't done watching the bird. "Can I stay a little bit longer?" He pleaded. 

"I'm afraid not. Do you need anything from your room? We can grab it for you." Said one of the case workers. The blanket that smelled like his daddy and Mr. Rex shot to the front of his mind. 

"I have a blanket and Mr. Rex. But can I go get it with you to say bye to my mommy?" He asked, figuring it was a good compromise, not knowing his mommy had already left. 

When his daddy died, he noticed that Mrs. Brown looked a lot like Joe. She had a look of sadness and sickness. The two others in the room looked indifferent. 

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But, unfortunately, your mommy can't see you right now. And these two here have told me that the conditions are so bad that they can't allow you to return to the apartment. But they can grab Mr. Rex and your blanket." Mrs. Brown explained. Tora didn't like that he kept being denied seeing someone he loved. 

He loved his mommy, and even though he was mad at her, he still wanted to say bye. 

"What does your blanket look like, Tora?" Asked one of the case workers. 

"It's red. It has a few holes in it. It's on my bed. But make sure you don't hold it too close. I want it to keep smelling like my daddy." Tora said with tears forming in his eyes. 

Then, remembering his mommy's favorite bathrobe at the last minute, he asked, "Can you grab my mommy's blue bathrobe? It has holes in it too." 

Nodding, looking like she was about to start crying, one of the caseworkers left and returned with his blanket, his bathrobe, and Mr. Rex.

Leaving the apartment, Mrs. Brown gave Tora a big hug. "Thank you for my lunch," Tora said as he heard sniffles coming from her. 

"You're quite welcome, Tora." Then, she let the little boy go, with tears streaming down her face. He felt sad for her.

6:30 PM Saturday night

Tora was ushered to the car. It was a van. It had what looked like crayon-drawn kids holding hands on the side. He thought it looked pretty good. When the two workers got up front, one started the engine, and the other called someone. 

Putting his attention on the driver, Tora asked, "Where Are You Taking Me, Mr?"

He heard a sigh from the front seat. "We are taking you to a home for kids like you." Tora frowned at that term..."  kids like you...."  

He didn't like this guy. He wasn't nice like Joe, Mrs. Brown, Miss. Anna or Miss. Penny.

Pulling up to the home, Tora noticed the same drawing of the kids on the van was on a sign in front. He got out of the van, his belongings in hand. He could hear the laughter of other kids around him. He wondered where it was coming from. 

He figured he would soon find out as they walked closer to the door. "You must be Tora!" A woman with a gentle smile and brown eyes said as she greeted him. 

"You can call me Miss. Nancy." Tora nodded. 

"And who is this?" Miss Nancy asked, pointing at his dino plush. 

"This is Mr. Rex." He explained warmly. 

"Nice to meet you both!" He smiled at her.

Why couldn't she be the one to come and get him earlier that day? 

"We will be in touch," said one of the workers to Miss. Nancy. 

"Well, let's introduce you to some of the other kids." Miss Nancy grabbed his hand, and they walked into the room with the beds. But something didn't feel right.

Tora was pulled into a false sense of security, and he knew it.

He was shown where his bed was, and before he could place Mr. Rex on the bed, Miss Nancy took it from him.

"No, that's mine!" He cried as he jumped up, trying to claim it. 

"Not anymore." She said harshly, walking away. 

Tora didn't know what to do, what to feel, how to act. He didn't like this. He sat on his bed, a dark look coming over his face as some other kids walked into the room. They avoided him. He didn't care. He made no effort whatsoever. 

Two weeks later

His plan was set in motion. He was going to run away that day. He hadn't talked to his mommy or seen her since they took him there. He just wanted to make sure she was OK.

He had noticed that the security wasn't around between the hours of 3 and 5 in the afternoon when they were all on the playground. He also noticed that Miss. Nancy would leave her spot a few times during that time when she was supposed to be watching them. 

He also noticed there was a small opening by the fence. One that he had been working on since getting there. He could feel whatever little part of his heart, his innocence, his childhood fade away as he left Mr. Rex, his daddy's blanket, and his mommy's bathrobe. Tokens he never thought he would ever have to part with. 

Tora was waiting as the other kids played, yelling and laughing. He was waiting for Miss. Nancy to disappear so he could disappear. Right on time, like she did every day, she went into the building and out of eyeshot from her charges. Feeling his heart beat faster, he slipped away under the fence and out into the city. 

He didn't look back.
He couldn't look back.
He was on a mission. 

As he ran in the direction he remembered coming from two weeks ago, he started panicking. He didn't know where he had lived. Tora wandered around for hours. 

It was getting dark.
It was getting cold.
He was getting hungry. 

Then, as he wandered further into the city, he came across a street sign. He didn't know the word but knew the letters "A-R-E-S. That was a new word to him. It almost sounded foreign. When he walked down the street, he noticed a few other kids, but they looked older than him. 

Maybe they could help him find his mommy.

Mustering up all of his courage, he walked up to them. "Excuse me?" He asked as all 4 of the older looked down at him. 

"What kid?" One of them sneered.

Tora noticed this kid smelled really bad. He looked bad too. Judging from the other looks the kids gave him, he didn't think he would have any luck with them. 

He hung his head down and said, "nevermind." 

As he walked away, he heard them all laughing at him, and if it had been a month ago, he would probably have cried. Instead, he balled his hands into little fists and frowned at the concrete. Lost in his thoughts, scowling at the ground, walking to wherever his feet would take him, he bumped into something, make that someone. 

He looked up and saw a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was smiling, but something didn't seem right. When his daddy would smile, it would reach his whole face. The tall, blonde man went down to his haunches. He smelled like cologne, a hint of whiskey, and cigar smoke. Kind of like his grandpa would smell when he was still alive. Maybe he was someone's grandpa, too. 

He couldn't be a bad person if he were a grandpa. Tora softened as his logic betrayed him.

"Hello there. What's your name?" The blonde man asked. Tora fought back any anxiety that he was feeling.

"My name is Tora." He said as the man was studying him. 

"Tora." The man began. 

"Do you know where you are, son?"

Tora frowned at that. He wasn't this man's son. But he was nicer than anyone else he had come across that night. 

"The sign I saw a while ago said A-R-E-S," Tora explained. 

The man, still smiling, chuckling now, said, "Why, what a smart young lad you are. You're right. It does say A-R-E-S. That spells Ares." 

Tora knew that name. He had heard it on some history channel show about Greek Gods. 

"Tora, boy. Whatever are you doing out here by yourself so late?" 

Knowing he wasn't supposed to be talking to strangers, Tora said. "I'm not supposed to be talking to strangers." 

This made the man laugh.

"I suppose you're right. My name is Vincent. But you can call me Mr. Balthuman." 

Tora frowned at that again. That was so formal for a grandpa. 

"Tora, please answer my question now." Mr. Balthuman said, his tone not garnering for any argument. 

"I ran away from the home I was staying at. I wanted to see my mommy. I can't find her, though." 

With that, Tora was met with a devilish smile on Mr. Balthuman's face. It made Tora uncomfortable.

Mr. Balthuman raised himself and said, "Come on, son. Let's get you something to eat." 

But it didn't feel as warm as Mrs. Brown's voice when she offered to feed him. Tora was hungry, though. He desperately wanted to eat. So he and Mr. Balthuman got into his car and drove away. 

"Where Are You Taking Me, Mr. Balthuman?" Tora asked as the city lights passed with him in the back seat. He was finally warm with a promise of being fed. 

"Your new home, son."

Chapter Text

"Let me ask you something..." Shing Ma said to Claude at Club Miracle, looking at Scharch and his newest would-be victim, Mr. Lam, "What do you feel about the crunch of bone and the stench of blood? To people like Scharch, It feels like pure bliss..."

Two days later

Scharch needed to blow off steam. Mr. Lam was a sure bet.

He was still absolutely livid.

Tucking himself back in after fucking a whore he had picked up outside of Club Miracle, Scharch looked at his phone. Two missed calls and a string of texts from Martin made his blood boil. What was the point of having a night off if he had been contacted? 

It was 9 PM. Shelling out the fee, he tossed it to the nameless face, still getting dressed. 

"I gotta go. So do you. Now get the fuck out." He said, gesturing to the door, not even waiting for her to put on her shoes.

"Let me at least put on my goddamn shoes." She whined as he grabbed her by the elbow, tugging her to the door. 

"Here, let me make it easier for you." 

Scharch was losing his patience. This chick wasn't taking the hint. 

He took her fuck me heels from her hand, opened the door, and threw them out. 

"Go fetch like the bitch that you are." 

Pushing her out of the door and slamming it on her, he laughed darkly as a string of curses came from the other side.

As he blocked out the world around him, Scharch called Martin. He knew he would lose out on another job if he didn't. Worse than that, Martin would be on his ass for ignoring him.

"Scharch." Martin greeted him

"Sir?"

"I have a job for you. Be ready in 30. Meet me at the docks. At the Yacht"

"Got it. Is anyone else involved, Sir? Or just me?"

"Claude is coming."

Scharch moaned. He hated sharing jobs. 

Grabbing his Glock and brass knuckles after putting on his steel-toed boots, Scharch headed out. First, he looked around to see if that hooker was in sight. Then, satisfied with seeing her distracted with another client, he moved onward to his car. 

As he set his piece on the passenger side seat and turned on the engine, he thumbed his phone, looking for his playlist. 

"Tonight feels like a Frederic Chopin night." He said out loud as he settled on the classical music.

The way the piano flowed, like blood gushing out.

The deft fingers playing with such precision, pulling the trigger every time.

The passion behind each note, the sound of the whimpers coming from his victim's last breaths.

Pure Bliss .

Scharch had finally arrived at the location. Since he was at the docks, he knew that whoever the latest victim was would be getting dumped in the ocean. It had been exactly 30 minutes since he had received instructions from Martin. He looked around at his surroundings, wondering where the fuck everyone else was. 

Then, he saw four headlights in the distance. Stopping, the car lights turned off, and Martin, with a masked figure, came towards him.

"Get the hell over here," Martin bellowed, dragging the person along with him. 

Claude was getting out of his vehicle, bringing a metal folding chair, a few pieces of rope, duct tape, concrete mix, and an oversized bucket.

Scharch grinned at that.

Cement shoes.

Classic.

Making eye contact with Scharch, Claude felt a shiver run down his spine. Replaying Shing-Ma's words over in his mind, Claude took uneven breaths as he approached his co-worker. As the 4 of the men gathered around, Claude took the chair and set it up. Next, he took the bucket and lowered it with the rope into the ocean. As water filled the bucket, the weight was enough to confirm the amount needed. Claude reeled it back up and started to pour cement mix into the bucket. 

While doing that, Martin roughly placed the target on the chair. First, making sure it lined up perfectly at the end of the dock; was where the platform ended and water began. Scharch then started to tie the rope around the man's hands. He showed no mercy as he tightened the rope. He was secretly hoping it would be tight enough that if the man were to try to wriggle out of it, he would break a bone or two. Finally, satisfied with the job he and his men had set up, Martin cleared his throat and took the mask off the man shaking uncontrollably. 

A look of horror came over the man's face as he stared at the Balthuman Dogs doing Vincent's dirty work. 

"Please, I beg you---" Was all he was able to get out as Scharch sucker punched him square in the jaw with his brass knuckles. 

Claude flinched. Martin scowled down at the man, who now had blood oozing from his nose and mouth.

"Did I say you could talk?" Martin scolded. 

The man shook his head "no" as Martin continued. 

"Good. You're here because you've been  talking   all over town about how you "outsmarted" Master Balthuman, and you took money from a charity Gala while you worked on the Yacht for said event." 

The man was trembling. He thought he had bragged in confidence to a trusted source. Martin continued, pointing at the Yacht in question. 

"Since you took from Master Balthuman, I think it's only fair that you pay him back. And you know what they say...silence is golden ." Martin sneered as Claude and Scharch laughed while the mask was put back on. But not before having duct tape placed on and over his mouth.

Martin motioned Scharch and Claude to tip the man backward so he could plant his feet in the cement mix. Thinking he would be pushed into the ocean that minute, through muffled pleas, he was begging uselessly for any reprieve. Then, he tipped back over. Whatever feeling of hope he had momentarily was gone in an instant as he felt something cold and rough surround his feet and then his ankles. 

"OK. I think we are all done here, boys." Martin said to his two underlings while the man squirmed in his seat. 

"Make sure the cement is dry  before  you dump the body." 

Both Claude and Scharch nodded. Martin padded both men on the shoulder and headed to his car.

It was now close to 2 in the morning when the cement started to dry. 

The man had stopped yelling, and the two co-workers were looking over their phones, keeping themselves busy. 

As time passed, Claude checked to see if the concrete was dry enough. He was getting impatient, Scharch could tell. The man was always so damn antsy. No wonder he was an MMA fighter. He always had to be doing something with his hands and his feet, constantly pacing back and forth and always touching shit.

"You know Claude, a watched pot never boils..." Scharch commented dryly. Claude didn't say a word as he backed away from the bucket and bound man. Scharch pulled up his playlist again and decided to listen to more classical music. 

An hour, confirmation of dried concrete and two bored men later, Claude asked Scharch a morbidly curious question as he watched his co-worker near the now peaceful man.

"Say, Scharch." Claude started, "What do you do to relax after each job?"

"Relax? Why would I need to relax?" Scharch answered with a hollow smile. 

Claude shrugged and answered, "Because it can be stressful?"

Scharch shook his head in a "no" motion, now focused on his end-of-shift task.

"You want to know why I don't need to relax?" Scharch continued.

Claude nodded stupidly.

Turning to the now awake man who was moaning, placing the gun to his victim's temple, and turning up his classical music playlist, Scharch pulled the trigger.

The shot was echoing through his ears, the blood splattering all over his suit and pushing the now dead man into his watery grave, Scharch answered.

"There's nothing more relaxing than pure bliss."

Chapter Text

 Martin was absolutely livid. He knew that boy, Tora would be trouble. Vincent was absolutely enchanted by the little shit. He didn't know why. Wasn't like he had his own son for crying out loud. "Tora this" and "Tora that." For fucks sake. That boy had absolutely no respect for anyone to save his life.

Now here Martin was, vacation interrupted. All because he had to go find Tora and take him back to the Balthuman Estate 3 hours away. He was about to go down to the beach when Vincent had called, pissed as hell. Vincent received a call in the middle of tennis, at their beach house with his son when someone had called him saying that Tora was now missing from his cell. Martin's mission was simple, figure out where that boy was, get him and take him the fuck back. That boy was too damn smart and too damn stupid all at the same time. It was only a 72 hour stay in the cage. Why couldn't that bastard just stay put? 

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Martin seethed into the phone. "How did he even get out?" He asked to the messenger on the line. "I am not sure, sir but I saw him get into the truck that was carrying Master Balthuman's beach supplies." Rolling his eyes, Martin asked "How long ago was that? What took you so long to get a hold of us. You should have reported it right away." "It was about 2 1/2 hours ago. And um, I didn't report it because I didn't think it was the same kid. No one has been able to escape--"

CLICK.

Martin had heard enough.

So, with the time it took to get to the beach, Martin figured, Tora would be there in 30 minutes or so. He knew the little boy coveted the beach for whatever reason. As Martin waited around to snatch the kid from the truck, he drifted off into his own thoughts of how respect made him the man he was today.

Martin-Age 7

Sir was a hard worker. 

Martin and Ma'am were always well taken care of. Sir was always on edge though. Martin was told by Ma'am that Sir had a very stressful job and that even though he may seem like he didn't love them at times, Sir really did. As he was the bread winner, he deserved respect. After all of the sacrifices he had made for his family, it was only natural.

That morning, Martin noticed that Ma'am had a bruise on her face. They were eating breakfast quietly in their kitchen before Martin was to be driven off to school by Mr. James, the chauffer. Martin looked at her with a curious face and furrowed brows. "Why is your face purple?" He asked as he bit into his toast. Meeting her sons gaze, she wiped off her face with her napkin and sighed. "Son, It's about respect. I didn't show any last night to your father when he questioned me. I was out of line." She said as she returned to her meal. Ma'am was always on Sir's side. He couldn't believe that she had been struck. But whatever she had said, it must have been really bad. Martin nodded and continued to chew on his toast. He mentally noted that when Sir came home that night, he would be on his best behavior.

As he finished his breakfast, and put on his school uniform, Martin took a once over to make sure he looked like the little gentleman that he was being brought up to be. Satisfied with how he was looking, he grabbed his bookbag and headed out from his room. Going downstairs and out of the door, Martin noticed that Ma'am had ice to her face, to the bruise. She softly smiled at him as she blew him a kiss. Martin smiled and pretended to catch it.

"Are you ready, Master Martin?" Mr. James asked the little boy that was walking towards the limo. "Mr. James, Why do you call me Master Martin? My name is just Martin." He asked as he was ushered into the car. Why he never asked was a mystery even to himself but for whatever reason, he wanted to know. "It's about respect, Master Martin. I work for your father and by association, I work for you. I respect your father so therefore, I respect you." Mr. James said as he closed the door.

 Pulled from his thoughts, Martin heard the trucks engine pull up to the beach house. "Fuckin' finally" he muttered to himself. The trucks engine had turned off and Martin watched the little boy slip out before anyone had noticed. Or so it would seem. Tora didn't realize that everyone knew he was there. Being the asshole that he was, Martin decided to give the boy more false sense of security. He ducked out of view as the child meandered from the truck down to the shoreline. It wasn't that far as the beach house was practically right on the water. If he didn't hate the little bastard so much, he thought, he may have felt guilty. He snorted to himself as he shook his head in disbelief that the thought of pity would ever cross his mind. 

 Seeing Tora standing on the sand, looking out, Martin had the vantage point of sneaking up on him. He came up to the boy, from the back he looked like shit. His shirt had a tear in it and he was all dirty. It was disgusting. He smelled like shit too. Martin took a deep breath and put a death grip on Tora's shoulder.

"Found you, ya little fucker!"

Tora jumped, practically out of his skin. He wanted so badly to run but Martin was too strong. Adding insult to injury, Martin continued, "Don't know why the big boss picked ya outta all those other runts we rounded up from the streets last month..." Tora was squirming under his touch.

"LET ME GO!" the little bastard was pleading, desperately trying to escape. 

TSK


"But keep pissin me off and see what happens to ya." An evil grin spreading across Martins face, pressing deeper into Tora's shoulder and his emotional weak spot he said, "Or maybe you regret runnin away from yer adoption center now?!"

Tora was sobbing. That hurt. Everyone in that house knew why he ran away. What he gave up when he made that choice. Mr. Rex, his daddy's blanket and his mommy's bathrobe. Never to smell or touch them again.

"NO! THEY WEREN'T TREATIN' US RIGHT." 

"So you do know what's good for ya? Smart Kid! Well, we're ya family now." Martin, being pleased that his grip on the kid, emotionally and physically was getting the job done, pulled out his phone to inform Vince that he had Tora. Keeping the conversation going as the phone rang, he kept talking to the little fucker that threw a wrench into his weekend. "As long as you behave, you'll always have a bed to sleep in and food to eat. You can even go to school and be with your friends! Not a bad deal, eh?"

"Speak" Vincent came over the line.
"Yeah Boss, It's me, Martin. I found ya little runt. He's here now. At the beach."
"How did you know he was going to be at the beach?"
"Someone saw him climb into a truck that was headed here with ya beach things."
"Good work Martin. Please bring Tora back to Narin City. While you do, I recommend having a stern talking to with that lad."
Martin rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry. If he isn't broken yet, he will be soon." Martin said as Vincent chuckled and hung up.

"Come on you little shit. Lets get ya back." Martin muttered, dragging the boy to the car. This kid needed to stop crying right the fuck now. Balthuman dogs don't cry. Men in general don't fucking cry. Why couldn't Tora just man the fuck up. Christ. 

The drive home was fairly quiet, Tora fell asleep in the back seat. Thank fuck. He didn't want to the little shit stain anyways.

 Martin drifted into his own memories again. Re-calling the age he was when he became part of the clan. He probably would have been initiated a lot sooner if he had a choice. But Sir, for whatever reason, never allowed Martin to even speak of it. He would be read the riot act any time Martin asked Sir about the tattoo, the brand on his neck. It was the Balthuman Crest. He knew that much. He just didn't know why Sir was so ashamed of it. The day Sir passed away, Martin was free to live his own life. He re-called what the getting the crest on his neck meant. Not just to him, but to those he swore himself to. Among many things, It was about respect.

Martin-Age 20

 With Sir dead now, it was his turn to take care of Ma'am. Sir had worked for the Balthuman's for as long as Martin could remember. They were always invited to the Christmas Parties, Annual "Family" Picnics, Vincent Balthuman's childhood birthday parties, and so on. Martin never really cared for Sir's boss or his kid. But caring and showing respect were two different things. That was just the facts of life that Martin had accepted a long time ago.

 The funeral was catered and paid for by the Balthuman's Organization. The casket, the flowers, the food, you name it. The whole "Family" was there. From The Big Boss Balthuman, his son Vincent, the current Mistress, the Balthuman "Dogs". Whatever the hell that term meant. A few interesting choices of local politicians, Martin and Ma'am. Martin did not cry at the funeral. He was a man after all. He couldn't even remember the last time he did. He didn't find it necessary. Death was part of life. People die all of the time. If he cried for one person, he would have to cry for all the other fuckin' people who got knocked off.

After the funeral, Martin and Ma'am were given condolences from everyone in attendance. Including, the Big Boss Balthuman. It was a rare occasion for anyone to be graced with words from him but given the occasion, it only seemed appropriate. 

"Hello Son, my condolences to you and your mother for losing someone so dear." Both the big boss and his heir, Vincent, were standing side by side as they greeted Martin. "Thank you, sir." Martin offered. "Tell me, Martin, what do you plan on doing with your life now that your old man isn't around to take care of you or your mother?" 

 Martin looked around the room, spotting Ma'am in a circle with other women. Some were wives, others were escorts and others were mistresses. She did look so at ease. Martin wanted to make sure that her security in life wasn't taken away. Looking back at the two standing in front of him, Martin shrugged lazily. "I am not quite sure to be honest. Never had to really think about it."

The big boss and his son smirked at each other. 

"Well, Son, Vincent here will be taking over the family business one day. Your father was one of the best men I had. I'm sure with a little training, you would be able to fill his shoes. So that when I do leave, it will be in good hands. Not just with my son, but with those around him." Martin felt his heart drop into his stomach...that couldn't possibly mean...oh FUCK YEAH!

Martin needed confirmation that his hopes weren't being dangled in front of him.

"Sir?" Martin asked with a cocked brow.

Big Boss chuckled lightly over a glass of whiskey that a server had brought over. "I would like to employ you as a family member."

Martin couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it until he got the crest branded onto him.

"It would be an honor sir! Thank you, Master Balthuman." Martin was ecstatic. He couldn't believe the coincidence. Losing Sir and getting an invite into the family in one day....

 Pulling up mindlessly to the Balthuman Estates, Martin shut off the car and ripped Tora from his slumber. 

"Get up you little shit." Martin yelled at the groggy boy. Tora wiped the sleep from his eyes before Martin yanked him by the elbow. "You're getting back into the cage. And you're going to wear this." He put a shock collar on the little boy's neck. "Anytime you fuckin' cry, this will shock ya. Oh and get this, it has a tracker. So if ya try to get out again, we'll know. A lot sooner than last time. Now, cry. I want to make sure it works." Martin was grinning with a sickening smile. When Tora didn't do what he was instructed, Martin laughed. "This is one order you can disobey. Good. Now get in." He said as Tora shakily made his way down into the cage. 

As Martin walked away, satisfied with his work being done, he went back into the Balthuman Estate. He decided he was going to continue his vacation. Turn it into a staycation. After all, Tora was back, Vincent had no other requests and the "Family Home" was quiet. He would take the rest of the weekend and de-stress. 

As he made his way into his room, he made his way over to his whiskey cabinet. There were 3 kinds. One he frequented for day to day. It was good whiskey. It got the job done. Then there was the cheap whiskey he drank when he just wanted to get shit faced. Then there was the whiskey with the "Balthuman Crest". It was on the top shelf.

It was coveted by everyone who would be initiated into "The Family." Martin rarely drank it. He didn't want to waste it. It meant a lot to him. After all, aged whiskey is the best whiskey. No doubt about that. Feeling like todays accomplishment garnered a celebration for tracking down Tora, he poured himself a few ounces and pulled out an ice ball from the mini freezer and plopped it into his whiskey glass. Swirling it around and making his way over to his oversized chair, he took a swig of the whiskey and closed his eyes. He drifted and started to think back on the day he got that case of whiskey.

3 grueling months later after being invited into "The Family"

 Martin was absolutely exhausted. His body was on fire. He couldn't move. He literally couldn't move. That was part of his test. His final hazing as his initiation into the "Balthuman Family" almost complete. His task? Stay perfectly still, like a good dog. He would receive his reward. He was elated though. He had worked so hard for this. He'd be damned if he messed this up. He had 5 more minutes before the timer was up. If he moved, the chain on his neck would pull tight and the timer would be started all over. 

The men standing around him, were watching him intently. Martin wouldn't turn his neck to his left or his right, just used eyes and his peripheral vision as much as he could. Young Master Vincent and Big Boss Balthuman were relishing in the discomfort Martin had plastered all over his face. To their left, was the "Family Branding Station" and the man who would mark Martin after the initiation. Martin noticed a bottle of something with the "Family Crest" at the same station.

As Martin counted down the the seconds until the timer went off, his relief came when the Big Boss came over. He had taken the leash from around the neck and stuck his hand out for a hand shake. "Welcome to the "Family", son." Not sure if the relief was from passing the final test, the end of said test or both, he reached for his Master's hand and shook it in return. "Come now over here." The Big Boss ushered Martin to the Branding Station and had him sit in the chair. "You're going to need this." Big Boss said as he poured a glass of the liquid with the "Family Crest" on it and handed it to Martin. It burned his eyes before it even reached his nose. "Drink up, you're going to be in this chair for a while." The Big Boss exited the room along with the others. As the needle hit his skin, Martin winced. "Hold the fuck still or else this is gonna hurt a lot more." The man with the needle said. Martin's body was still on fire. Sitting in that chair though, felt a lot better even if his neck was being stabbed.

 5 hours later and practically midnight, the "Family Crest" was finally finished. Martin was absolutely spent.  He couldn't wait to go to bed. He was still on a high though from what that day had brought him. As he climbed into bed, making sure to sleep on the opposite side of his brand, he gave way to sleep. 

The next morning, he went down stairs for "Family Breakfast." Since he was at last initiated, he was invited to join all of the "Family Meals." 

Vincent was looking at Martin and the bandage on the side of his neck.

"How was that for you last night?" Vincent asked while sipping his mimosa, Big Boss looking on between the exchange.

"It was a lot of work but I am proud of what I accomplished." Martin supplied as he poured his coffee, unaware of the scowl being sent in his direction.

"Son, let me ask you something." Big Boss was wiping his monogrammed napkin to his face before folding his fingers. Martin looked up and met twin set of blue eyes. 

"Sir?" Martin answered, not sure if he wanted to know what the question would be.

"How did you get to where you are? Was it because you showed interest or were you invited? Are you proud or are you thankful? Thankful people do not pride themselves on where they were to where they are."

Martin swallowed thickly.

"Son, let me make something perfectly clear to you. That marking you now have on your neck, it's not something you wear with pride."

Big Boss was staring at Martin coldly.

"I won't make you wear a leash. But think of the marking on your neck as such, regardless. It's about respect. Not pride." Big Boss turned to his son, Vincent who was wearing a smug ass smile, "Tell Martin here, about rule number one."

Vincent laughed darkly, amused that his father was letting him get in on the mind games over breakfast...

"Any dog that goes against the orders of it's owners will be shot."

Big Boss Balthuman winked at Martin before stating...

"Welcome to the Family...."

Jumping Forward to Current MPL Timeline Episode 5

 Martin was muttering to himself. Pissed he had to attend another meeting on a day off. It was about some stupid fucking notebook that had Vincent's panties in a twist. What was worse, Vincent was adamant about that ever lingering shit stain, Tora, be at the meeting. He didn't know why. The kid had been off of clan duties for a while. Why now? Why did Vincent always seem to have a never ending Tora boner? The kid was fierce and smart as fuck, yeah. But as Martin advised Claude and Scharch, Tora was lazy. He would be impressed, actually if Tora actually showed up. Of all the years, "Family Members" being initiated and having people such as himself and smithy, who showed respect, Tora was still the prized possession. "It's about respect, my ass." Martin sneered as he made the final knot in his tie. Tora had been wearing that god damn "leash" since he was fuckin' 15 and for whatever reason, unknown to Martin, the kid was still alive and kicking.

As he finished getting ready, Martin sighed and made his way to the meeting room. Everyone was there, in their meeting suits. Everyone that is except for Tora. Martin was about to lose his shit. If Claude, who had the attention span of a god damned guppy was able to remember to make it, why couldn't Tora? His ears perked up as Smithy was talking to someone before the meeting began. He zeroed in on the conversation. 

"Tora, it's Smithy. Master Balthuman needs you here. This meeting is very important. It's about a notebook that has been making it's rounds. Please come at once. Thank you, son."

Irritated at the confirmation that Tora would actually be there, Martin forgot the irritation he had just a moment ago that Tora wasn't there. Maybe Claude wasn't the only one with the attention of a guppy, for fucks sakes...

As the meeting started, Vincent was rattling on about the god damned notebook...

"And let me tell all of you, right here right now. That punk Goliaths disappearance has nothing to do with me...But more importantly this thing that Goliath has in his possession..."

Vincent was cut off by a loud bang. 

 Tora had kicked the door wide open and tossed two thugs into the room. Thugs that looked like the were in desperate need of medical assistance. But that's not what pissed Martin off. No, it was the appearance of Tora. Blood on his shirt, not even in a fucking meeting suit. He was showing absolutely no respect for the clan members. No respect whatsoever. If it were Martin at Tora's age, he would have been a goner a long time ago. 

The room was thick with only a few sounds, Tora's huffing and puffing, heart beats going at dangerous speeds and gulps heard from around the world. Martin felt his anger rise to the top. Irritated that not even Vincent was showing any emotion at the lack of appreciation for their titles. Jealousy reared its ugly head as Martin stood up to say something about it.

 Slamming the desk, wishing it was Tora's head, Martin started yelling at the beast of a man on the opposite side of the room. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BARGING IN HERE DRESSED LIKE THAT? SHOW SOME RESPECT TO THE CLAN MEMBERS." Martin was heaving now. He didn't care how much of a fool he just made himself look like. He was fucking pissed. And now, what was worse, Vincent was contradicting Martin and the laws of respect within the family.

"Now Now, Martin, Tora means no disrespect." Vincent said as Martin took a seat back into his chair. He couldn't fucking believe it. Of course Tora meant to be disrespectful; the kid wreaked of the manner. "I've trained him since he was a child. And I have done a rather good job, if I do say so myself." Martin rolled his eyes at Vincent. 

 As Vincent made his way over to the young man, Martin decided to just go on auto-pilot. He was just sitting there, taking everything in. Claude was squawking about something or other that had to do with Tora. Claude was a fucking idiot but at least Scharch had some common sense, telling Claude not to do whatever the fuck was going on in his brain. Vincent had slit the thugs throat, Smithy upchucked in a brown bag and Tora had dared to light up a cigarette in Vincent's presence. Christ. How many times did that kid have to be told to quit smoking? Then something about Tora getting a pay raise. Of course. Man didn't do jack shit and he was still getting paid better than anyone in that room. 

Tora had left the room, slamming the door of course. Martin caught the tail end of a conversation that Vincent was having with his mistress of the week. 

"Anyway, his "distance" is only temporary. He'll have to return from this little vacation, eventually. After all...any dog that goes against the orders of it's owner will be shot."

And turning to Martin, as if to remind him about his outburst and his lack of respect for shouting at Tora, the prized "Family Dog" Vincent continued,

"And the dog knows it..."

Chapter Text

It was Martin's day off. He didn't have any jobs lined up. The day before, he had completed a task with Claude and Scharch. He got in just a little past midnight and was fucking tired. He was glad that he could spend his day however he wanted to. It was just a little past 10 AM, and he had just woken up

He decided to flip through the channels on his TV. If he didn't have to, he wouldn't go anywhere. There was "Good Fellas" on, but he found the movie fucking insulting. He had seen another movie on, but he wasn't into talking toys. 

By the looks of it, the only Woody he wanted to pay attention to was his own. That's when he flipped to the next channel. "Friends" it was called. He heard some strippers down at Club Miracle talk about it one night. He thought the chick with the guitar had nice tits. She was weird as fuck, though, and she couldn't carry a tune to save her life. Her name was Phoebe. 

Then there were the other two chicks. 

Monica seemed too high-strung and too much of a perfectionist. Fuck that. 

Then there was Rachael, she needed a nose job, but he'd help her pay for it.

Then there were the guys. 

How do you not know that your wife is a lesbian, for Christ's sake? Ross was a dumb fuck. 

Then there's Chandler. Who the hell names their kid Chandler? This guy is bound to have issues. 

And Joey, the kid, must have been dropped on his head too many times. You don't get that dumb without suffering concussions. So that had to be it.

Pleased with his findings, he decided to keep watching the show. As each episode passed, he chuckled when he realized he had started humming the theme song. He had to admit; that it was pretty catchy. Maybe he would set it as his ringtone. He shook that thought immediately from his head. No way in hell would that go over well. 

He had noticed that they were always at a coffee shop. "Central Perk." HA! Because it's in NYC. A play on words. Clever. But did these people ever sleep? How the hell did they drink all of that fuckin' coffee and get rest? 

Maybe it was all decaf? Speaking of coffee, he was still tired and felt like he could use a cup himself. As he went to the coffee machine, he could hear his phone going off. 

"Oh, for crying out loud." He yelled, sauntering over to see who dared to get in between him and his new friends. It was Vincent. He had missed a call. Sighing, he called him immediately but not before pausing the drama unfolding on the TV. Apparently, Ross slept with some chick after Rachel said she needed a break. 

"So fucking what?" He muttered. Not like they were married or nothin.

"Hello, Martin."

"Sir?"

"I will be holding a meeting tomorrow. It starts at 7. Don't be late."

"Thank Fuck." Martin said as he returned his phone, going back to the coffee machine. 

Unpausing the TV, Martin continued. 

Shit was getting serious now. He chuckled at the other friends stuck in a room while Ross and Rachel duked it out. He became utterly engrossed with the show at this point. He felt like he was starting to become of the group. 

He found himself arguing alongside each plot. When Ross exclaimed that they were on a break, Martin replied, "That's what I'm sayin'. "

For Fucks sake, why is that such a hard concept to understand?

Just then, he heard a knock on his door. What the hell? Who could be bothering him at this time? It was 3 PM at this point. He knew he didn't order anything, and he sure as hell wasn't expecting anyone. It was Smithy. 

"What do ya need?" Martin sneered. 

"Big Boss is looking for you. He's been trying to call you." Smithy replied.

"Yeah, he already called me hours ago about some meeting tomorrow," Martin said hurriedly, trying to get back to his show. 

"Yeah, well, something else came up, and you need to call him and give him a good explanation as to why you have been ignoring him." Smithy advised, looking past Martin. A mischievous smile crept on his face. 

"What?" Martin asked coldly as the smaller man was overstaying his welcome. 

"This is the episode where Ross yells about being on a break, right?" Smithy asked. 

Martin snapped his eyebrows up in amusement. "Yeah, Ross sleeps with some chick after Rachel says they need to take a break." 

"Well, weren't they? I thought it was kind of obvious." Smithy replied. 

"Wanna come in? Or do ya have somewhere to be?" Martin wasn't one to have social gatherings. 

Shit. He couldn't remember the last time he had someone over just for the fuck of it, other than a hooker. Smithy shrugged and came inside. 

"Got any beer?" Smithy asked. 

"Yeah, it's in the fridge. Go for it." Martin said as he picked up his phone.

Shit. 10 missed calls and five texts? What the hell did he miss? God Damnit, Vincent was gonna be pissed.

"Martin. About time you got back to me. What the fuck have you been doing?"

"Sorry, sir. It was my day off. My phone was on--"

"No excuse Martin." Vince sharply said, his words full of ire.

"What can I help you with? Where do you need me to go? What job needs to be done?"

"Oh, it's too late for that now. I have Tora doing it for me."

Martin rolled his eyes at that. Of course, the little, well, huge little fucker got the job.

"Understood. Won't happen again."

Martin brushed his hand over his face as he put his phone down. 

"Well, do you know what Vincent wanted?" Smithy asked, making himself comfortable, beer in hand. 

"It was some job. I fucked up. It went to Tora." Martin said, popping off the lid to his Heineken. 

"Well, shit." Smithy said as he took a sip. 

"Yeah. I'm in a lot of shit, I think." Martin sighed. He turned to Smithy, looking at him with a cocked brow. 

"What?" He asked. 

"Vincent doesn't care. As long as he has someone doing the job, it doesn't matter who it is. I'm just saying that..." Smithy paused..."Whoever Tora's next target is..." He snorted..."They are in some deep shit. That kid is a god damned beast." 

As much as Martin hated Tora, Smithy had a point. Everyone always got a kick out of what that ill-tempered man was capable of. Martin chuckled darkly at whoever the poor schmuck was who had to endure the Tiger of Ares Street.

Clearing his throat and mind, Martin took the show off pause as they continued to watch. 

"Have you seen this before?" Smithy asked, eyes glued to the TV set. 

"Nah, heard some strippers talk about it, and it happened to be on," Martin said, trying to figure out the minds of women. Especially those three on the screen. Why were women so damn difficult to understand? Maybe that was why he wasn't married, he thought. It couldn't possibly be for any other reason. He was charming, not as charming as Joey, though. He was smart but not as smart as Ross. He was funny, not as funny as Chandler. 

Fuck, who was he kidding? He was better than all 3 of them combined, and he was still single. So settling at the fact that women were just a whole different breed, and he was better off as is, no strings attached, was the way to go.

"You gonna play poker with the other guys and us tonight?" Smithy asked nonchalantly. 

Martin only grunted. It was the only day off he had had in quite some time. But after watching this show almost all day, he might give more social gatherings a chance. 

"What time is it at?" He asked, taking a swig of his beer. 

"Starts at 8." Smithy said, watching the shit show of a failing relationship playing out before them. 

Martin thought about it for a few moments. 

"Yeah, sure. Fuck it. As far as I know, the only thing we have going on is that meeting tomorrow night. I don't got any other jobs lined up. So what's the ante?" 

If he was going to play real poker, Martin wanted to be prepared. 

"10k." Smithy advised, frowning at his now empty beer bottle. 

"That's all?" Martin asked with a crooked grin. Smithy rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, that's all. Some of the younger kids wanted to take a whack at it." 

Realizing the stupid mafia pun he had said, Smithy and Martin both laughed at it. It wasn't that funny, but they were shit at drinking, no matter what kind of alcohol.  

Looking at the time, it was 5 PM. 

"Well, I'm gonna be heading out. I'll see you at 8, yeah?" Smithy said as he was getting up to leave.

Waving off Smithy, Martin said, "Yeah. I'll be there." for you, he added silently as his co-worker and maybe new friend left.

What a good day off this was turning out to be!

Chapter Text

Vincent Balthuman was born into a life of extreme privilege. Stemming from generations of powerful men, he had his life laid out before he was conceived.  Like his father before him, he was taught at a very young age that fear, disobedience and weakness were never an option. He was taught a lesson that would be responsible in shaping him. When he had taken in Tora, very graciously, Vincent was reminded of his own training that his father had installed in him at his newest recruits age. This came in handy when Tora got in trouble one day at school. His father had no use for cowardly heirs but Vincent was a different type of beast. He had no use for cowards in general.

One day, when Vincent was merely 6, he was playing on the staircase at the Balthuman summer beach house. His father and his mother were out by the shore while he stayed behind with the help. As he jumped down from each stair, one by one, his nanny, Evelyn, advised him to be careful, to not hurt himself. Vincent paid no mind to her and continued to do what he wanted. By the time he reached half way down the staircase, he had misguided his foot and did not catch onto the handrail in time. Evelyn flew forward to try to reach the little boy, but the damage had already been done. 

Vincent was writhing in pain. His arm got the brunt of the fall, at the bottom of the staircase. His screams were echoing throughout the house as the butler dashed to retrieve the Doctor. Before he could put in the call, Master Balthuman and his wife came through the door. No one was making a sound except for Vincent who was unaware of his fathers presence. As his father made his way over to his son, his mother was ushering everyone but Evelyn out of the room.

His mother came down by her son's side.

"Darling, you need to get up. Your father needs to have a word with you."

Vincent cried, "But I can't!"

Hearing enough, his father grabbed him by his unharmed limb, making the little boy shriek. He was standing, uncomfortably so, while his arms were disproportionately hanging on each side. 

"Are you hurt, son?" Mr. Balthuman questioned the crying child. 

"Y-y-yes." The small, injured boy blubbered out. 

"Tell me, Vincent, why are you hurt?" His father asked. 

"B-because I fell down the stairs." Vincent said as he lamely gestured over to the staircase. 

"I didn't ask you how you got hurt. I am asking WHY you are hurt." 

Vincent didn't have the answer. He was not sure how to respond. All he knew was that his arm really hurt and the longer he stood there, the darker his fathers face became. He tried to look over to his mother who had relinquished her spot near him. 

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM SPEAKING TO YOU." His father yelled, making Vincent flinch. 

"But I, I already told you." The little boy offered. 

Taking a deep breath, and pinching the top of his nose, his father said, "No, you didn't. I will keep you right here until your punishment is over." 

Surely his father could not be serious. He needed to go see the Dr. for his arm.

At this point, Vincent was grasping for straws. He chanced a look at his mother who was wincing at the display in front of her. His nanny, Evelyn, was mirroring his mothers face. 

"I tripped and fell?" Vincent asked, not stated. 

His father still wasn't pleased. Vincent could tell as much as the look on his fathers face turned from cold to malicious. 

"Wrong. Good night son." 

Vincent was confused. He wasn't in bed and it was only 5 pm. He looked to his father with pleading eyes. 

"I told you, you were going to stand here all night until your punishment was over. I decided it is bedtime for you. But, instead of going to your bed, I think you can learn how to sleep standing."

A gasp was heard from the other side of the room.

"Unless your mother has any objections?" His father shot a deadly look over to where the noise came from. 

"No darling." She said as if she was trying to hold back more disdain for his fathers actions. 

"Good. As I said, goodnight son." Evelyn, his father and his mother all left the room. 

Vincent was left there. Alone. He was standing in the middle of the grand entryway, on display for everyone to see as they passed him by. He could hear his father give the help instructions from the sitting room. It made him want to cry even more. 

"No one is to speak to him, look at him, feed him, offer anything to him. Is that understood?" 

"Yes Master Balthuman." He heard everyone chant in unison. 

Vincent was determined to figure out the "why" to his fathers question. As the hours rolled over one another, he felt his eyelids grow heavy, his arm throbbing, though not in as much pain as before. He couldn't tell if he had grown used to the pain.  Figuring his father and mother had to go to bed eventually, he held onto as much strength as his little body could muster. He didn't know what time it was but his mother and father were walking towards him. Was the punishment over? 

No it wasn't.

Before they sidestepped the little boy, his mother checked her son. 

"Does your arm still hurt?" 

Vincent shook his head, no, trying to search for any morsel of his mothers love in her eyes. Before she could speak, his father pulled her away and said to him over his shoulder, "I will be back to check on your progress." 

As they walked up the staircase, he felt the embers of his sadness rekindle in his heart as they disappeared. 

"My God, why does that man have to be so toxic?" He heard one of the younger maids question the older once the bedroom door shut. 

"You don't become master of this family by being soft." The other maid said as if she was stating the most obvious fact. 

"Yes but he's just a little boy." 

"They all have to learn from a young age. And as harsh as this sounds, Young Master Vincent should have listened to Evelyn. That's why he's standing there. He didn't listen to her. She told him not to jump on the stairs."

"You say this as if it's just common knowledge."

"Honey, when you have worked for this family for as long as I have, what these people do, while it may not be common among most families, this is their way of life." 

"Still doesn't make it right." Vincent heard the younger maid say as they left earshot of him. 

He had thought of the conversation that carried over to him as if it was served upon a silver platter. He went over his fathers question, the actions that led him tumbling down the stairs and into his current situation. They were right. He didn't listen to Nanny Evelyn. He ignored her. Pleased with his new revelation, he was ecstatic to let his father know. He patiently waited as the time passed. As his second wind was faltering, eyes growing even heavier, he heard his parents bedroom door open. His heart was beating out of control, desperate for his father to release him from his midnight mind game. The light was still on, keeping Vincent awake and away from the shadows. 

As his father came down from the staircase, Vincent took in the scowl on his fathers face. Maybe his father was just tired? That must be it. It was late. The little boy felt sorry that he had kept his father up to check on him. 

"Vincent, do you have an answer?" His father asked, no kindness in his voice. 

"Yes, Father. I-I didn't listen to Nanny Evelyn. She told me not to jump on the stairs. That's why I got hurt." Satisfied that he got out his answer, Vincent took a deep breath of relief. 

His father returned his answer with his lips laying in a flat line on his face. "Very good." 

His father turned away from his son, flicking off the light that had filled the room. Vincent started to move forward to make his way to his bedroom. 

"And where do you think you're going, son?" His father asked in a sharp tone.

Moving back to his spot in the dark, Vincent started to breathe heavily. 

"I thought you said I'd be here until I figure out my answer?" He asked sheepishly, but not wanting to argue with his father. 

His father barked out a cold laugh. "Wrong again, I said you'd stay here until your punishment is over." 

Giving way to all of the emotions he had been holding in all night, Vincent started to cry. Half of the sobs come from being tired and the other half coming from being afraid of the dark. He could see his father in the shadows that were crawling in the darkness. 

"Are you scared of the dark?" The dark outline of his father asked. "Vincent, Son, are you crying? " 

Wiping his tears from his eyes, Vincent shakily voiced, "I'm not scared and I'm not crying." 

The shadow was laughing cruelly at the little boy, off in a bit of distance. "Good, because I have no use for cowardly heirs. Goodnight." 

Vincent heard his father meander up the staircase, step after step until the door shut behind him. Before he could let out a small sob, Vincent cut himself off as he glared at the moon that was now shining in from the window. He turned himself around so the light wouldn't distract him from being the heir that his father wanted.

Before he knew it, there was someone touching him on the shoulder. He didn't jump though. 

Pleased with his lack of reaction, his father instructed, "Go to your bed, son. You may sleep now."

From that day on, or night rather, his fathers acceptance was now in Vincent's grasp.

He knew his father would be proud of him, at least some day.

Furious at Tora, who other people kept telling him would never shape up to be of any use, Vincent looked down at the boy in the cage. Vincent picked him for a very specific reason. Tora was filled with rage and a dark energy, something he had never seen in his life. If Vincent could shape the boy at this age, he would be the perfect weapon someday.

Adopting his fathers "toxic" tone of voice, Vincent asked Tora "Are you scared of being down there on your own?" 

"No Mr. Balthuman, Sir." 

That was a lie.

"You're not scared? Then why are you hiding your face? Are you crying?" Vincent asked, pleased when Tora yelled out in defiance that he wasn't scared or crying.

Chuckling, and offering a cold smile, Vincent replied to the hurt child.

"Good. Because I have no use for cowardly children."

Chapter Text

It was a Saturday night at Club Miracle. The bar was packed, the air was filled with smoke and greed. The bartender was taking care of a few orders back to back when he noticed a group of younger looking men walk through the joint. They didn't look like they were 21 but Ares Street wasn't exactly known for being the most lawful place around. With dirty cops and politicians running around that place, the least of their worries was a kid showing up with a fake ID. 

As the group of most likely underaged men made their way through the crowd, the bartender, Mac, noted the different looks on their faces. The tall blonde one had a notepad with him, dressed to the nines, writing something down as his eyes roamed freely. 

The tall one with jet black hair who looked like a god damn beast in comparison to the rest of the group didn't look impressed. Like he would rather be somewhere else. Maybe women weren't his thing. And why was he wearing a turtleneck? It was fuckin' packed in there, the kid would regret that soon enough. 

Then there was a kid with blue hair who's eyes didn't know which direction to look in. Like a kid in a fuckin toy store. Mac smirked at the little boy blue who was following behind, running into tables. 

Just then, there was a knock on the bar top. "What can I get for you, Smithy?" Mac asked. 

"Whiskey, neat." Smithy said as he handed Mac a large bill. 

"Got another meeting tonight?" Mac asked as he went to make the drink. 

"Yeah. I hate that we have to have meetings here but Vince is always pushing his places on us. Why we can't just have it at his home is beyond me." 

Mac shrugged as he handed the drink over to Smithy. "I guess when you own half of Ares street, you might as well keep the variety." 

Smithy didn't respond as he took a swig. 

"Well, I gotta get to the others but let me know if ya need anything else before ya meeting starts." Mac said as he moved away from his position. Smithy raised his glass towards him, a silent thanks and agreement.

Meanwhile in another part of the club...

"Quincey I swear to fucking god, this is the worst fucking idea I think you've ever had. Tell me why the fuck we're here again?" Tora scolded the blonde with the notepad. 

"I told you! Research!" Quincey dramatically explained. 

"Research for what?" Goliath asked while peering at the never ending tits on display.

"For his "smut", probably. He has this bright idea that he's gonna be a porn writer someday." Tora huffed, pulling an illegally purchased cigarette and lighter from his jacket. 

"Seriously??!! It's not smut! It's adult erotica." Quincey said as he noted how the women were contorting their bodies on the metal poles. 

"So, it's smut." Goliath said as Tora nodded in agreement. 

"Quince, this is ya old man's business. You're in deep shit if we're found." Tora said as he lit his cigarette. 

"Well if you're so afraid of being caught, why did you come with me?" Quincey asked as Tora was scanning for any signs of the Balthuman clan members. 

"Oh I dont give a shit if I'm caught. It's you that I gotta look out for. 'Sides, that's what the turtle neck is for. If no one sees the brand, they'll never know." Tora said as Goliath looked at the both of them.

"What about me? Ya aint worried 'bout me?" Goliath asked, almost offended. 

"Fuck no, you're the one who snuck into the fuckin' car and waited to pop up like fuckin' piece a toast when we arrived. You know I hate that shit." Tora reprimanded as he took a drag from his cigarette. 

"Well fine, I 'spose ya got a point there bro." Goliath agreed weakly. 

"Anyways! Let's go find a dark corner to sit in! That way we don't have to stand out, we can just blend in while I work and you two enjoy yourselves." Quincey commanded as he settled his eyes on a booth. 

"Quince, this ones gotta reserved sign." Tora advised as Quincey looked at it.

 "Hm. Well now it doesn't" Quincey chirped, taking the sign and putting it on another booth. 

"This is so fuckin' stupid. I can't believe ya still got me to agree to this." Tora muttered as Quincey rolled his eyes.  

"Ya better loosen up, Bro. 'Er else people are gonna think ya aint straight." Goliath advised as he got into the booth. 

"And what's wrong if he isn't?" Quincey asked while asking himself. Both Tora and Goliath looked at the blonde and then Goliath looked at Tora. 

"Ya got somethin' to confess there, Tora?" Goliath asked, half serious half jokingly. 

"And if I do? What's in it for me if I tell ya?" Tora answered before taking another drag, tossing a wink at Quincey. 

"Damn Tora. You've got problems." Goliath teased while Quincey smirked at Tora. 

"Yeah tell me 'bout somethin' I don't know." Tora sighed as he looked on from the shadows of the strip joint. Tora's eyes went wide. Both Quincey and Goliath noticed it right away. 

"Ya old man, he got a meetin' here tonight for the clan elders?" Tora snapped out to Quincey. 

"Pfft, you know I don't pay attention to that, Tora. That's something you'd know more than I would." Quincey said as he noted a waitress walking around with perfect thighs. 

"Obviously not. Unless Smithy is here on his night off, which I highly fuckin' doubt, there's a meetin' around here somewhere. Smithy hates Club Miracle. He told me last week when he had too many mimosas at brunch." Tora explained while trying to find the exit from where he was sitting. 

"Oh yeah. I remember those mimosas! They were tasty! The perfect mixture of bubbles and OJ! The caterer let me try one...Well, I actually demanded to try one. OK I actually took one for myself. They were already---" 

Quincey was cut off when Tora whispered "Shut the fuck up. I don't fuckin' care about the god damn mimosa ya took. We gotta get outta here."

"Fuck. I think he saw us..."

Meanwhile while Tora is about to lose his shit....

Smithy was glancing around the club. "Another 15 minutes before I have to make my way upstairs to the meeting room" he sighed as he checked his watch. 

He noticed 3 guys who looked like they didn't belong there. They looked like they were trying too hard to blend in. Who the hell wears a turtleneck in June inside a strip club? Why did the other one look like he was about to nut himself from all the options? Usually most men picked their favorite stripper and would wait patiently by their dedicated stage. And what the fuck was the other kid doing with...a notepad? 

But more importantly, why were they shoving themselves into a dark booth in the corner of the club? Those booths were normally reserved for the VIP's. Those guys had balls if they were just openly shucking the sign to a different booth. 

The taller guy looked familiar. So did the one with the notepad. Smithy smirked thinking if it was that Tora and Young Master, they would be in deep shit. 

Peering closer at the group, he noticed the bigger of the 3 was starting to get a bit twitchy. Almost as if he knew he was in trouble or about to be in trouble. For people who were at an Ares Street establishment, their poker faces were really bad. 

As the stage lights came up for a new up and coming stripper, the spotlight made it easier for Smithy to make out 2 of the 3 men. No wait. Scratch that. 

Underaged kids that belonged to Vincent. "Oh fuck." He muttered around his almost gone whiskey. "Shit. Shit. Shit. I gotta get those kids outta here." Smithy jumped up out of his seat and came barreling through the club. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Smithy bit out at the 2 kids that he recognized. "Ya gotta death wish there, Tora? Was Vincent's trainings last week not enough for you?" He asked with his arms flailing about. "And you! Young Master! You better get out of here before your dad finds you at this establishment. The meeting starts in 15. Which means he is probably about to pull up any moment!" 

Goliath frowned. "What about me?" He was pissed that he still wasn't included in the banter. 

"Who the fuck are you?" Smithy asked, not actually caring. 

"Name is Goliath." Goliath smirked while holding out his hand. 

"Good for you." Smithy said without returning the greeting in likeness. 

"We were just leaving, Smithy." Tora said as he was pulling Quincey from the booth.

"But I want to stay!!!" Quincey whined. 

"Absolutely not. I am not saving your ass." Smithy said as his arms were crossed while looking up at Tora, trying to maintain some sort of dominance. 

"Yeah you're right. But see if I can save ya ass next time ya blurt out that ya hate it here." Tora said as he smirked down at the smaller man. 

"I never said that." Smithy said, but not sure if he was right. 

"Oh no? How about I get ya some more mimosas in ya. The meetin' is about to start. Ya know" Tora stated, nodding in the direction of what he assumed the meeting was going to place. He knew exactly what he was doing. 

"Fine, name your price." Smithy said as he was eyeing the entrance, making sure the big boss wasn't there yet.

"Quinceton stays. He needs to do research. Make sure ya keep Vincent occupied and he doesn't find out I was here. Loose lips sink ships, ya know." Tora stated while he lit up another cigarette going towards the back exit. 

"What about me, Bro?" Goliath asked.

"Ya got yerself a ride here, find one back." Tora shrugged before turning to Quincey. 

"Quinceton, I expect ya to be on ya best behavior." 

Quincey slapped Tora on the back "I always am, Bro." Quincey turned his attention to Smithy, "No one goes into this booth. NO ONE. And Tora was NEVER here. Understood?" 

Smithy could not believe what had just happened. He was blackmailed by Tora and was given an order by the Young Master. If he weren't so dumbfounded, he would have admitted that he was proud of the kids. But the only admittance he could come up with at that moment was...

He was never going to drink mimosas around Tora ever again.

Chapter Text

Shing-Ma *Test* *Test* "Is this thing on?"

Reporter: "Yes Shing-Ma. The microphone is on. Please begin.”

"My name is Shing-Ma. Today, I am going to tell you a story about how warfare broke out in the underworld of Narin City. It's a tale of pain, despair and a little thing called "The Burn Book." This book was crafted by Goliath, who had gone missing. Once a high ranking member of the "Nine Daggers" clan, his disappearance had everything to do with this. He had too much information, blackmail really, on all high ranking mafia lords, dirty politicians and cops alike. I remember it like it was yesterday. I think we all know where we were the day that the Gangsters had gone wild.

It was my first official day as Balthuman Financial Advisor. I was shown around the meeting room as I was told where everyone was to sit. 

An older man by the name of "Smithy" gestured around the empty chairs, "You got your jock, Claude who used to be an MMA fighter. Cool Asians, such as yourself Shing-Ma, Unfriendly white hotties, Scharch who has a few loose screws, Men who eat their feelings, Martin, Sexually active band geek Tora, he plays the guitar, the greatest people you will ever meet, Young Master Quincey and the worst: Beware of the plastic Vincent Balthuman. He sits at the head of the table. Don't get me wrong, he may seem like your typical selfish, back-stabbing leather faced asshole but in reality, he's so much more than that."

I couldn't believe how little Smithy thought of our boss but it gave me the right idea who I was working for.

"Oh, one more thing, Shing-Ma, on Fridays, we wear black. Make sure your suit is pressed and that you are always on time. That's when our meetings are. They can be held for up to three hours depending on the agenda but they start at 7."  I nodded my head as the smaller man ushered me out of the meeting room. A few weeks had gone by and nothing had seemed important enough to garner a long meeting. That was until one day, a little black notebook had been making its way around the circuit. Goliath, the charming man that he was, found a way to find out the deepest darkest secrets of the world that we lived in. In his handwriting, there was a note among a picture of each victim. It had been a rumor up until that point. But someone had found a video recording of him with his notebook.”

Reporter: "And who was the man in the video, Shing-Ma?"

Shing-Ma: The man in the recording was a famous politician. Maybe you remember, Trevino? He was piss drunk at an after party from one of his wins. He had been funneling campaign money to help fund mafia related businesses. Once that recording got out, he was immediately arrested. But recordings went dry after that. News of Goliath going missing was a top story in the mafia world. Someone got to him and while most were obsessing over finding more videos, Master Balthuman had another idea up his sleeve. The night that his plan came into play was a Friday night at a meeting. We were all gathered round the table. Tora wasn't present, but he wasn't on clan duties at the time.

"Goliath's disappearance has nothing to do with me. But more importantly this thing that Goliath has in possession.."

Tora came slamming into the meeting room, out of nowhere. Martin was very upset with him. Tora was not following the dress code. 

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BARGING IN DRESSED LIKE THAT?! SHOW SOME RESPECT TO THE CLAN MEMBERS!" Martin was usually always on edge so it didn't surprise me. 

Just then, Tora had poked the bear a little bit more. "I don't have my suit ready for tonight. This is all I had available." 

The audacity of that man, Tora, was getting on Martin's last nerve. He never liked Tora. When Tora had made his way to sit in his seat at the table, Martin yelled at him "YOU CAN'T SIT WITH US." 

But Master Balthuman silenced Martin while Tora took his seat. 

"Now Now Martin. Tora means no disrespect. Isn't that right son?" 

Reporter: And can you tell us what exactly happened during that meeting after the outburst?

Shing-Ma: Naturally. Tora was given the opportunity to find the burn book. Which, I understand. He was Master Balthuman's "Favorite". While he was taken off of clan duties, Vincent felt like he was the only one for the job. Tora was street smart and vicious. He was the perfect candidate to ensure the burn book got destroyed.

Reporter: You said you had only been part of the clan for only a while. Yet you sound like you have known Tora for longer. Can you elaborate on that?

Shing-Ma: Both Tora and I had grown up together. Vincent adopted him at a young age and my father worked in the organization, we had always been acquaintances and had a mutual respect for each other.

Reporter: Interesting. Anyways. We digress. Please continue.

Shing Ma: It had been a few days and there was radio silence. I had asked Tora what his plan of action was. He confided in me that he knew of a civilian woman and that she could very well have it. But he didn't say who. Since it wasn't my business, I didn't press for answers. One night, however, while I was grabbing a coffee from one of the coffee shops around town, an underling of Tora, who's name will be omitted from this interview for his privacy, of course had dropped a name. He was talking to Tora. I only know this because he was talking to "Big Bro." A name that is shown out of respect. I did some investigation after hearing the name. She was truly a civilian. She was harmless. Worked for a small publishing company. Deciding that there was no cause for alarm, I concluded to stay out of it.

Reporter: I see. Mind telling me what happened after a few weeks, if anything?

Shing-Ma: No one had heard anything about it. One night, I came across Tora, himself. It was not a meeting night. He was grabbing a cab after some joint party that Quincey, Master Balthuman's son, was having with someone else. I was in the area grabbing a late dinner. When I saw him, he was a little intoxicated. Which surprised me because he is not much of a drinker, if at all. To my surprise, he was talking to me about the civilian lady that he knew. How she was "so fetch". I asked him what that meant. He told me that the army of civilians that he knew said it was slang from London. I shook my head in amusement. Tora really was a shit drinker. Oh, excuse me. Can I say that?

Reporter : We can bleep it out. Please continue.

Shing-Ma: He kept telling me that I should start saying that term. I told him that it's not going to happen. Anyways. I tried to ask him about the burn book. He said he still didn't have it and that it was probably gone at that point. Then his cab pulled up and he left.

Reporter : So, Tora was still hanging around these civilians even though he didn't need to?

Shing-Ma: Precisely. But once again, that was not something I was going to think too hard about. Most likely had to do with the woman he had been talking about. At the next meeting though, there was a breakthrough. A man by the name of Gil had been found dead. Tora had found the notebook in the clutches of Gil and brought it back to the Balthuman family home. 

Reporter : Do you know who killed this Gil person?

Shing-Ma: I have an idea. But it's not my position to say. 

Reporter: Right, I apologize. You were saying?

Shing-Ma : Ah yes. Tora had brought the burn book back to the Balthuman family home. To reference, that's where we held the meetings. Vincent was in the middle of a long winded speech about how the book needed to be found. He sounded like a broken record at that point though. To be quite honest, I was more interested in the new curtains. Can you imagine how bored I must have been? Tora had come into the meeting room and threw the burn book onto the table. Tora looked like night and day from when I had seen him last. Almost like someone had killed him and he was a shell of a human. The look on Master Balthuman's face was dripping with amusement. Then it turned to anger as Tora left the room. Vincent stormed out behind Tora. I didn't hear much but I heard Tora yell at Master Balthuman that he "got what he wanted" and to "fuck off". I am saying that in context, mind you.

Reporter: It's fine. We can beep it out, remember? Continue, please.

Shing-Ma : Well you can imagine the backlash that came from that interaction. Next thing we heard was Master Balthuman telling Tora to be glad that it wasn't Martin and his lackeys who had been designated to find the book. They wouldn't have been as gentle about it and that he was disappointed in Tora for forgetting all of his training and getting attached during his mission and to keep in mind that Vincent had always been in charge of Tora's toys. To keep the tension away from the yelling outside the door, Claude decided to try to take a peek inside of this coveted book. Smithy scolded him though and Claude stopped trying to reach for it. A few more moments passed before the yelling had subsided. Tora came in and took a seat with murder in his eyes. Vincent followed soon after with a sadistic grin. He had clearly won whatever battle that had taken place outside. But, he did not in fact win the war.

Reporter : I see. And what do you mean by that?

Shing-Ma: That night, after reading the damning information laced throughout the pages, it had been swapped out somehow. To this day, no one knows who did it or how it happened. But the next day the streets were filled with chaos as every bit of that page had been copied, re-copied and plastered all over town. Throughout all of Ares Street amongst other districts, the town was littered with Goliath's pages. Dirty Politicians, Dirty Cops, Mafia Enforcers, some guy named Glen Coco and others were arrested.

Reporter: And your boss? Master Balthuman? What happened to him?

Shing-Ma: Oh yes. Well, he was crossing the street and got hit by a bus that was being driven around by unruly gangster wannabes.

Reporter: Is that how he died? Can you elaborate? 

Shing-Ma: Ah, no. He died from contracting some weird fungus while in the hospital.

Reporter: Oh. You mentioned he had a son. Where is that son now? It's been 5 years. Do you still keep up with any of the other men?

Shing-Ma: I do, actually. Quincey is now head of the organization but it is a clean one, I am still the financial advisor. Smithy retired and is happily married now. Claude has resumed his MMA career. Scharch, I'm pretty sure, ended up in a mental institution for the criminally insane. Martin fell off the face of the earth after a picture of him making out with a hotdog was found in the burn book. 

Reporter: And Tora? Whatever happened to him? Did they ever find Goliath?

Shing-Ma: I keep in touch with him. Quincey does as well. All I can say is that he left and will never be coming back. As for Goliath, no one knows where he ended up or if he is even still alive.

Reporter: I believe that wraps everything up. Thank you for your time today for shedding some light on the anniversary of one of the darkest days in Narin City history. 

Shing-Ma: It's been an absolute pleasure.

Once the cameras stopped rolling, Shing-Ma said quite seriously "The name Tora is to be beeped out. I realize that I said it many times. However, please believe me when I say that you will be doing yourself and your crew here a great disservice if you forget to omit any time his name comes up."

The reporter nodded as she shakily took the hand that Shing-ma offered as a gesture of thanks.

As Shing-Ma got up to exit the interview room, he pulled up Quincey's phone number and hit call when he was in his car.

Quincey: Hello Shing! Did you finish the interview with that lovely reporter?

Shing-Ma: I did. The special should be on tomorrow night from what she told me and I was able to have Tora's name omitted, but it's going to sound like I'm cursing every time.

Quincey: Lovely! It would be quite fitting for Tora's name to sound like the word "Fucker" or "Asshole" being bleeped, don't you think?

Shing-Ma: Indeed. Say, have you heard from Tora lately?

Quincey: Ah yes, him and my dear Poppylan are expecting their first child. 

Shing-Ma: Wow! The tiger is going to have a cub, huh? That is very exciting! If I may, I'd like to ask you a question.

Quincey: Whatever is it, honey?

Shing-Ma: Well, it may be 2 questions

Quincey: Go on, I'm listening.

Shing-Ma: Do you know who got hold of the burn book that night so it ended up on the streets the next day?

Quincey: Oh that was me. I didn't much care for how my father was talking about my editor like she was a play thing. Father got drunk enough from all of that whiskey that I was able to switch it out. Silly man was just reading my rough draft of "The Pirate and the Pimp" the rest of the night. Do you remember that one? One of my best I must say. Anyways, what's the next question?

Shing-Ma: Well, do you know whatever happened to Goliath?

Quincey: I do. He had been found piss drunk one night after a bad hand at an underground casino. He had the shit beat out of him.

Shing-Ma: Did someone kill him?

Quincey: Why I believe that makes it 3 questions, honey. But no. He found himself in rehab the next day and is now a counselor for recovering gamblers. Anyways, Have a good night. Toodles!

Shing-Ma chuckled lightly as he hung up with Quincey. Quite pleased with how the day had turned out and the interview going well, he thought maybe, fetch could happen after all.

Chapter Text

It was Saturday morning in Narin City. At "The Patio" while the two baristas, Tom and Matt, who were on duty, were finally slowing down from the mid-morning rush, a conversation had started to take place.                                

"Man, you missed it yesterday." Matt said as he was cleaning the coffee station. 

"What's that? What did I miss? Kind of surprised that I was off yesterday since it was a Friday." Tom said as he absent mindedly washed the equipment at the sink. 

"Well, me and Josh were working in the mid-morning. That cutie pie that you've had your eye on for a while." Matt was cut off as Tom corrected him

"Her name is Poppy." 

Matt just rolled his eyes before continuing, "Anyways, I hate to break it to you but." Matt was cut off a second time as Josh came in for his shift. 

"Alright assholes, I'm here. Tom, go home kid." Tom and Matt had decided to ignore Josh as they continued gossiping. 

"Annyyyywaaays. As I was saying, Poppy came in with the scariest looking-" 

"Oh my God! are you talking about what happened yesterday? Dude. That guy was a fuckin' beast. What's with all these scary looking guys coming around lately?"

Matt was losing his patience over Josh ruining mid-morning teatime. 

"Huh?" Tom asked with a pained expression. 

"Josh, dude shut the hell up! I was getting to that part. Way to ruin the mood, my dude." Josh held his hands up to surrender his big fuckin mouth. 

"What happened yesterday? Is Poppy OK? Was she hurt?" Tom rushed out as Matt was waiting for everyone to calm down so he could get back to his story. 

"OK." Matt inhaled and exhaled slowly, looking at the two other guys who were waiting for him now. He looked at Josh, a silent question as if to ask, "You going to let me continue?" 

Josh nodded and gestured his hand, waving for Matt to speak without interruption. 

"Ok, so, Tom, on Monday, some 6 foot something blonde bombshell of a man came in here with that chick with purple hair and the kid with glasses. You know the one, he always asks if the ingredients of his soy latte are correct. Anyways. They were sitting at that table over there." Matt gestured by hooking his thumb over his shoulder to the table in the far-left hand corner of the little cafe. 

"So, they come in here, right? There was a weird shift in the atmosphere. Like I can't explain it. But there was a lot of back and forth between all of them. The blondie looked like he was trying to have a serious conversation but the other two kept interrupting. Needless to say, I feel his pain there. Anyways. They kept bringing up Poppy's name that she was in some sort of danger." Matt pressed on as he noticed the rapt fixation in his co-worker’s posture. 

"Then they were talking about someone caring about her but that they wouldn't say his name out loud. Which I thought was kind of weird, but whatever. Then, you wanna hear some shit? It's apparently clan related! CLAN!" Both Tom and Josh gulped at that. 

It was no secret really that clans run amuck in Narin City but to have Poppy associated with whatever the hell was going on, Tom couldn't believe it. That sweet, sassy and a little smart-assy girl who was always so kind was wrapped up in Yakuza affairs? No fucking way. No, not her. Not the one who always left a tip no matter if it was the 0.65 in change or a dime! Tom shook his head in disbelief for what he felt like the millionth time in five minutes.   

"So, then what happened?" Tom asked as he shook the thoughts from his head.

"Well, after they left, no joke, the atmosphere changed again. It went from dark and weird to light. In no time flat! The second that blonde walked out of here, I felt more comfortable. More at ease. That was Monday though. You know how Poppy is always in here. Girl can't get enough of those weird avocado lattes. But bruh, I hadn't seen her since, that last Friday. Then yesterday she came in. Josh, you wanna tell him what happened yesterday? I know you're dying to since you're the one who took the order." Matt studied Josh's face and it looked like his co-worker was trying to muster up the courage to even talk about it now that he was given the permission. 

Before it was pure gossip but now, now that the conversation was finally settling on the scariest, most random mother fucker anyone on this side of town had seen, Josh was feeling a bit nauseated at the idea of putting what HE felt into words. 

With a deep breath, Josh started.

"OK. You know how Matt said something about the atmosphere going back and forth?" Tom nodded before Josh continued. 

"Well, I shit you not, same fucking thing happened when Poppy and this huge ass, scary looking mother fucker walked in yesterday. I was on the register and Matt over here was on drink duty. When they walked in, she was all smiles, so I thought nothing of it really. Maybe he's just a cranky guy, right? But dude. When I looked at him a little bit closer, I saw the crest on his neck. THE CREST! Bro is part of the Balthuman clan!" 

Tom frowned at that but more importantly, "How did you know what clan it is?" Tom asked with morbid curiosity. 

With a deep sigh Josh answered the question, "My mom used to work at one of the clubs. On her checks, when she would cash them, the same brand was on them. Need further explanation?" Josh asked his rhetorical question towards Tom. 

"Nah man. I'm good. Go on." Tom advised. 

"So then, get this, out of FUCKING nowhere, while she was ordering, this guy SNAPPED and when I tell you that the atmosphere shifted into something hella scary is AN UNDERSTATEMENT. I don't know what she did or what she said to set him off. But man, I have never been so close to shitting my pants like that." Josh confided. 

"The air was ...shit what is even the word? How would you explain it, Matt?" 

Josh asked his co-worker who was struggling himself to come up with a phrase. 

"Dark. As if all the light was sucked out of every corner of the space this guy was standing in. And get this, Poppy didn't even fucking flinch. She just stood there while he was dolling out his fury towards her. Bro was ordering her around. He didn't even care that she had work when he said he'd pick her up for dinner. When she objected, he said, "I'm not askin' ya, I'm tellin' ya." Then the guy slammed money on the counter and said, "For the coffee don't be late." Matt said as Josh chimed in," Isn’t that something'?" He asked but not really expecting an answer from Tom who was now balling his fist in anger. 

He would have loved to have told this asshole off for how he treated possibly the sweetest girl he had ever met. Clearly whoever the blondie was talking about on Monday that said "cared for Poppy" was not the same person who was shoving this girl around. 

Taking a deep breath, Tom asked "So then what happened?" 

Matt took the lead, "Well, while I was making the drinks, avocado latte and the black coffee, this guy just ditches her." 

Josh butted in, "Yeah dude, mother fucker just left. She didn't even cry, man. She just stood there like it was no big deal, like she was expecting that. Like what the hell, man? Nerves of steel that girl has."

"Yeah man. And she said she was OK! Who would be OK after something like that? Certainly not me. It makes me almost sick to my stomach just thinking about that look of sadness that rushed over her face. She even told us to keep the change. Like dude. We made a morning of tips in that one transaction. She was clearly not thinking straight. But she just took the coffee and left." Matt said as their story had ended. 

"Anyways. Next time you see her, give her something on the house because damn. She could probably use a little kindness right now." Josh advised the guys. 

"Did you get the guy's name?" Tom asked. 

"Yeah she called him Tora." Matt said as he went back to his duties. 

Well, that settled that, next time Tom saw Poppy, he'd chat her up, ask her how she was, and offer her something on the house. He'd make damn sure that she was getting treated with the respect she showed everyone else. And maybe, just maybe, he'd have a shot with her. Show her that he could take care of her unlike this thug that she was being seen with.

He had a shift Monday morning and he knew that she liked to come in before work. He made a mental note to keep her favorite chocolate chip muffin stocked.

Monday Morning

It was 11 AM and Tom was panicking. She hadn't come in yet.  Did something happen to her over the weekend? Was she OK? Was she just not feeling well? Would she be there for an afternoon coffee at least? 

"Well so much for my stupid idea." Tom berated himself as he took the last chocolate chip muffin and put it aside in hopes that he was wrong and she would be coming after all. 

Just then, the door swung open. And there they were. The two people that brought dread and fear to Josh and Matt the previous week. Tom was about to shit himself. But then, he noticed something about this guy, he assumed to be Tora.

The darker of the two, Tora, with the tattoos on display with a rather larger than life physique didn't look scary, mad or even threatening. Nope, he looked sad. Like he had lost something. Tom was satisfied that he knew what he had lost. Tora's gaze set on the display case of different pastries. 

"Looks like they don't got any more, Quince." Tora said to the man who Tom assumed was the other guy from the week before. 

"Oh you don't know that honey. Just ask." Quincey advised, clapping one hand on Tora's shoulder. 

Tora sighed. "She's not gonna take it from me anyways. You saw how she looked at me up in the fuckin' office. She's hella pissed."

Tom snorted at the guys in front of him. Tora looked at Tom at that moment. And fuck, was that a shift in the air that was described to him on Saturday? 

"Oh for crying out loud, Tora." Quincey started. "Would you be a dear and check if there are any more, what is it?" Quincey asked Tora.

"Chocolate chip muffins." Tora stated flatly, boring into Tom's eyes. 

"Ah yes Chocolate Chip muffins! See there's this girl that Tora needs to..." 

Quincey was suddenly met with a violent hand on the back of his head.

"None of his fuckin' business, Quinceton. Now do ya got any of those muffins or not kid?" Tora bit out angrily, taking out his frustration on the barista and the blonde.

Tom had ventured dangerously, not caring for this asshole's words or actions.

"Is this for you or for Poppy?" Tom asked. 

Tora leapt over the counter and Tom was ticking down the seconds before his untimely demise.

"Oh dear lord. Everyone put their dicks away for crying out loud. We need one chocolate chip muffin. And I swear to God, Tora, you're in deep enough shit, I see you contemplating this poor man's death but I don't think Miss. Editor would take you back more swiftly if you killed someone over a muffin. No matter how good looking you are with that undercut honey." Quincey was now prying Tom from Tora's grip before he continued. 

"Now Tom, please produce a muffin. If you don't have any more, that's fine. But please don't rile up Tora here again. I have already messed up my hair enough for one morning. God." Quincey chided as equally to Tora as he was to Tom while fixing his hair. 

"Fine, take it." Tom said as he handed over the coveted chocolate chip muffin to Tora who handed over a $20. 

"Keep the change." Was all Tora said to Tom over his shoulder when walking out of the cafe. 

Quincey waited a few seconds while the moody of the two left. 

"Sorry about that, honey. He's a bit sensitive. Always has been. Probably always will be." Quincey gushed. Tom started to hand Quincey the money back.

"Here's your change, he didn't even ask me if I wanted to keep it. Truth be told, it was on the house to begin with." 

Just then the air had darkened a little bit more. And Tom gulped as Quincey waived away the change.

"Oh, darling. He wasn't asking, he was telling. And trust me, you don't want to know what happens if you disobey that man's orders. I think you got a good taste of what would come to you if you made him a little bit angrier. Someone as sensitive as him is a bit...Feral. Now have a good day booboo!"

Tom trembled as Quincey left the cafe. Welp that settled that.

"Fuck this, I'm not staying around, and I don't get paid enough for this shit." Tom said as he whipped off his apron and disappeared through the back door so that he didn't have another run in with the scariest mother fuckers he had ever seen.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe you morons are so invested in this," Tora muttered, cigarette lying limp on his lips.

"Who are you calling a moron, Tora?" Poppy sneered as she, Quincey, Damien, Brian, and Gyu was watching "Narin Idol."

Tora's face turned white as his girlfriend's gaze was on his. Gyu chuckled at the look on Tora. He stepped in deep shit when he lumped Miss Poppy in with the rest. He was curious to see where this would go. Typically, whenever there was a lovers quarrel between those two, it ended up with his Big Bro groveling. At the same time, everyone else watched on in rapt fixation. 

It was a weekly occurrence. The gang would hang out at a different place, except for Poppy's. She didn't have cable while watching the show. That night, Quincey's high-rise apartment was up for the entertainment hub. Tora usually ended up coming with Poppy, only to grow bored.

A few times, she had sent him to get food to keep him distracted. If you discarded the ads, the show was only an hour long, 45 minutes. There had even been some nights where Poppy told Tora that if he didn't want to be there, he didn't need to come. That usually ended up with Tora muttering something about "feisty hamsters…" before going onto the porch to smoke.

Tora still hadn't answered yet, and the commercial break only lasted so long.

"Gyu, can you please pause this? I need to speak with Tora, but I don't want to miss it. Would you mind?" Poppy wasn't looking at him, though. 

Her eyes were still on Tora but addressing Gyu simultaneously.

"Sure, Miss Poppy," Gyu said, pausing the TV. Damien, Brian, and Quincey let out a small sigh of disapproval.

She smiled at him as she got up from the couch and chatted with Tora. Then, a gulp that could have been heard worldwide came from the six-foot-3-inch man. He was in distress.

"Tora, I need to talk to you." Poppy said sweetly in tone but deadly in body language. Her shoulders were squared, and she walked with an extra pep in her step. She motioned Tora to step out onto the balcony. As he followed her, he gently shut the door behind him, closing off the argument that was bound to happen. Well, not an argument. More like a tongue lashing from the five-foot-nothing, scariest woman that side of Ares St.

"OK, boys. Place ya bets. Who's gonna cave first? Miss Poppy or Tora? Bets on Tora." Damien asked, already thumbing out some of his larger bills.

"Ha! I agree." Quincey scoffed. "Knowing Tora, he's going to give in first. He may be a brute to us, but with her, he's nothing but Jello. Spineless." Quincey pulled out some of his money, placing his cash in the growing pile.

"I don't know, man; he seems to be doing a lot of groveling lately. Maybe Miss Poppy will surprise us tonight." Brian said, pulling out a coupon to Burger King and a five-dollar bill.

"Brian, I told ya, only real money, man!" Gyu said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Coupons are real money! This says 50 cents off your next Whopper! So how I see it, anyone who wins gets to pay for their Whopper with this five and gets 50 cents back!" Brian said in his defense.

"And to think that Tora trusts you. Ugh. Fine honey, but this is the last time." Quincey sighed at Brian.

Gyu rolled his eyes at Brian. Fucker looked smug as hell. He pulled out his cash, a few fifties and a couple of twenties, and placed them in the pile.

The group watched on as Tora was scowling down at Poppy. He was waving his cigarette around while trying to defend himself uselessly. Then, right on time, Poppy poked him in the stomach before gesturing wildly about "This or That." Tora ran his hand over his face after exhaling a drag of his cigarette. Finally, he said something that got her mouth to shut.

In a turn of events that most of them didn't see coming, Poppy looked up at Tora with sad eyes. 

She took his hand and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry." Or "I'm horny." 

Neither would be a wrong guess. But Tora's body language shifted from defensive to loving, taking her into his arms and dropping a kiss on the top of her head; he was finally right for once.

As Tora and Poppy walked in from the balcony, they heard her say, "I love you, thank you for being so understanding. I'm sorry that I said that."

"God dammit, Brian, how do you win every time?" Gyu inquired as Brian took his stack of winnings.

"Because unlike everyone else, I pick the opposite. The person whose odds are stacked against them. Kind of like that horse movie, "Seabreeze" or whatever." Brian confided as he slipped his coupon back into his wallet.

"Sorry about that, guys," Poppy said while returning to the couch. She patted a spot next to her for Tora to sit on. She laid into Tora as Gyu pressed "play."

"Now, for our last and final contestant, we have 23-year-old Jimmy Walker from Southern Narin Isles." Rian Seabrest said as he welcomed Jimmy to the stage.

"Now, Jimmy, tell us a little about yourself," Rian asked as the contestant started to conjure up alligator tears, looking pathetically into the camera.

"Well, it all started when I was born as a baby." Jimmy choked a faux sob while turning away from the camera.

"It's OK, man, let it out," Rian said while gently holding Jimmy's shoulder.

"The fuck?" Tora bit out as the others told him to "hush" besides Gyu.

The judges and the audience were very touched by how open and honest this man was. Here he was, bearing his heart and soul to all of Narin on national TV.

Gyu wasn't exactly impressed, either. He especially wasn't impressed when he saw Pinky sobbing into his hands. But looking at Brian, who was saying, "That shit's deep," wasn't surprising.

Poppy was handing out tissues to Tora to pass Damien to his left, so he didn't ruin his new shirt. Then looking over his shoulder, Quincey looked rather, Oh, for fucks sake.

"Darling be a dear and look this snack up, would you?" Quincey asked him, knowing he didn't mean a side dish. 

"Just you know, a background check." The blonde asked as he greedily looked at the physique of the man faking it until he was making it.

Gyu decided to ignore that request. Instead, he just wanted to watch the show and get this night over.

As Jimmy gathered his strength, the spotlight was now on him as he made the most offensive noise ever. Everyone was blanching. Even the female judge Pauline La'Drool. She was the nicest one out of the bunch.

"Ha!" Tora snorted. "That fucker sounds worse than I do!"

Everyone started laughing. It was true. Big Bro sounded like a rusty car engine when he was trying. This Jimmy guy sounded like he needed to be put out of his misery.

"Wait, Tora, are you actually enjoying this?" Poppy asked while he played mindlessly with her hair.

Tora grunted without actually saying if he had approved or not. But Gyu and Poppy shared a knowing look.

"Sorry, sweetheart. That's a no for me. But if you keep practicing, you may surprise us all and be back one day!" Pauline La'Drool said as Jimmie lowered his head in shame.

"Yo Dawg, that's a pass for me, man." Randall Jackson advised.

"No." Simon Scowel said into his microphone.

"Tough luck, man." Rian Seabrest said behind the curtain as Jimmy left the stage. "Do you have any final words?"

"FUCK ALL OF YOU! MY MOM TOLD ME I HAVE A VOICE OF AN ANGEL!" Jimmy stomped off as the camera closed in on Jimmy crying on his mom's shoulder.

Cutting back to Rian Seabrest, the host advised Narin to get to voting for next week's episode.

Gyu turned off the TV, and like in previous weeks, everyone started to discuss who should stay and who should go. He even went as far as to poke fun at Quincey.

 "Ya still want me to investigate that guy for ya?" Gyu teased as Quincey just rolled his eyes.

 Weeks turned into months, and the competition was going strong, much like Brian's wad of cash. Then, one night, Tora texted Gyu to see whose house was on rotation. Gyu smiled as he texted his big bro. If he didn't know him any better, he'd say his interest was more on the show than trying to get into Miss Poppy's pants.

"It's actually at my place. But don't forget that next week is the last week, and you know how Quincey is with finales at his house." Gyu said. 

It was true. Quincey always threw a bitch fit about how his place was the only place grand enough for a finale.

"No, it's not." Tora texted back.

Did he know something that Gyu didn't know? What was he up to?

"What do you mean "it's not?"

"Gotta surprise for Bobby. It's our anniversary next week."

 "Well, shit," Gyu muttered as his eyebrows raised. Then, wanting to know if he was invited too, he typed out, "Anyone else?"

"Yeah. You and the guys. But don't tell no one. Or else I'll break your other leg."

Gyu gulped and typed back, "You got it, big bro. But how did ya get those tickets? They're impossible to get."

"Got connections. Unpaid debts. Studio heads. Got it?"

"Got it." Gyu didn't need any further explanation.

 The following week came and went. No one had known about the tickets yet, and Gyu wasn't going to say anything until Tora said it was OK.

It was the night before the finale. Gyu got a phone call from Tora, who didn't seem too happy.

"Hey, Big Bro. What's goin on?" Gyu asked

"Poppy is sick. We are gonna have to miss the show. So, come up with two other people who can go in our place."

Gyu frowned. He felt bad for Tora. His plans always seemed to go to shit. This is why the guy never tries to surprise anyone.

"Damn. That sucks. Does Poppy know that you had this planned?"

"Nah. I don't want to make her feel – Shit, sweetheart, what are ya doing? IN THE BOWL! Gotta go. She's awake."

The line went dead, and Gyu sighed. 

"Goddammit." He muttered as he called up Quincey.

"Hey, BooBoo. To what pleasure do I owe this conversation?"

"Listen. Tora got Poppy tickets to go see the live finale tomorro-"

"OH MY GOD, HOW EXQUISITE!" Quincey shrieked into the phone. "Did he get us tickets too?"

"He did, but that's not-"

"Oh, Tora. What a sap. You know, this one time when we were younger, he snuck us into a concert. I know it's not the same thing, but-"

Gyu cut off Quincey, not caring for the title at the moment.

"Quincey. He did get all of us tickets. It was for Miss Poppy and his anniversary coming up. He wanted to surprise her. But she's hella sick, man. She won't be able to make it. Tora neither. He said to get some other people to go as a replacement, but I don't feel right about that. It was a present."

"Gyu, you are a gem, you know that darling? Fine. I will reimburse Tora for the tickets, and we will just record the live finale. Once Poppylan is feeling better, we will come over and watch it with her. How does that sound?" Quincey asked.

"I think that might actually work. But Big Bro doesn't need no reimbursement. He said something about old debts being paid off as a favor or some shit."

"HA! Of course, he did. That bastard never fails to surprise me. Well, Gyu. I will leave the rest up to you. I must go now."

Gyu slipped his phone into his pocket, contemplating how to break the news to Pinky and Brian. He racked his brain for the next half an hour, trying to devise some lame excuse for why they had to skip the live finale.

"Fuck it." He sighed as he texted his group chat with Brian and Pinky.

Gyu: No live finale tomorrow. Miss Poppy is sick and would be sad if we watched it without her. So gonna record it, and we will watch it when she's better.

Brian: But how are we supposed to watch a recorded live show? That doesn't make sense.

Pinky:  It will be live tomorrow but not when we watch it.

Gyu: Anyways. No watching it or following it until Miss Poppy is feeling better. Understand?

Pinky: Yeah. Got it.

Brian: Yeah.

Gyu nervously smiled at his phone, hoping neither of them would spill the beans or go back on their word. The next night, the night of the finale, he set up his tv so he could hack from his laptop to record the live finale. Then, pleased with himself, he texted Tora to see how Poppy was feeling.

"Not any better. She's been sleeping all day. Who knew someone so tiny could throw up so much? Last time I let her convince me that she's a big girl who can do whatever she wants."

Gyu heard Tora snort as he re-phrased his sentence.

"Well, she can do whatever she wants, does whatever she wants. There are just consequences. Anyways. Have fun tonight, kid."

"You gonna watch tonight, Boss?"

"Nah, she'd kill me if she found out I watched it without her. Let me know who wins."

"Not really into doing whatever ya want, eh?"

"Not with this one. Remember. Consequences. She scares the hell out of me. Shit, she's awake. Bobby, for Christ's sake, use the fucking bowl."

Gyu howled with laughter after he got hung up on by Tora. He tapped out a message to Tora before sliding it back into his pocket.

"Sorry, ya can't come. Appreciate the tickets. Let us know when she's feeling up for company. I got a surprise for her."

"Kay, thanks."

2 days later, Gyu got a text from Tora, telling him that Poppy was feeling better and up for company. He had thought it was weird that Tora didn't ask how the show was but figured that the poor guy was too busy taking care of Poppy to think about anything else. Grabbing his laptop so that he could stream it from Poppy's house and some snacks, Gyu headed over. He knocked quietly on the door, where Tora answered. But before he could come inside, Tora came out. He had a smirk on his face. A knowing smirk.

Shit. Who blabbed?

"Hey, Big Bro. How ya doing?" Gyu asked, chuckling nervously.

"Good, now that Bobby's feelin' better. Pretty excited for the company. How was the finale?" Tora had his arms crossed, waiting for a reply. Why the hell did this guy have to be so fucking big? When seconds turned into moments, Gyu started to panic. He couldn't lie. Not like this.

"OK, we didn't go!" Gyu cried out, glad to be telling the truth but pissed that Tora had somehow found out.

"I know," Tora said, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"What? Who told ya?" Gyu asked, already cursing Brian prematurely.

"Ya blabbed on ya own God Damned self kid. Ya thanked me for the tickets, but ya never actually came to pick them up. Then when ya said ya had a surprise for her, it didn't take me long to figure out that you'd find a way to bring it to her." 

Tora shrugged nonchalantly before continuing, "And knowing how wrapped that little thing in there has all of us fools around her fuckin' finger, we'd all be in deep shit if we watched it without her," Tora concluded, hooking his thumb over his shoulder.

Gyu rubbed his hand over his face.

"OK. Fine. Ya caught me. I told everyone to keep their traps shut so we could watch it with you guys. Felt guilty that you and Miss Poppy couldn't come when it was supposed to be an anniversary present for her." Gyu stopped.

"But wait, what anniversary are you celebrating? You two have only been official for what eight months, nine months tops, yeah?" 

Tora huffed out a breath of amusement before answering.

"The anniversary of when I held her hand for the first time. Last year today. I tried to throw her off, but nah. The very opposite happened that night."

Tora opened the door and walked inside. Gyu shook his head in amusement. Tora was a fucking sap. An unapologetic, foolish sap.

As Gyu walked in, shutting the door after him, Poppy waved at him. Quincey, Tora, Brian, and Pinky were all talking to her, laughing and smiling brightly. 

Shit. Tora was right. 

They were all wrapped around her finger. 

No one gave a shit either.

"OK, Miss Poppy, ya ready for ya surprise?" Gyu asked as he set up the laptop.

Turning her attention to Gyu, Poppy nodded as she leaned into Tora on the couch.

"Alright, we figured since you were sick, we'd wait to find out who won Narin Idol. We wouldn't want ya to miss out." Gyu said as he put in the last of the cables. 

 Poppy's face turned red, and she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Poppy?" Quincey asked as she started to avoid everyone's stares.

"I um. I already know who won." She stated sheepishly.

"You what? You watched it without us?" Brian asked as he munched on his Whopper.

"Oh no, of course not. I just googled it. I would never watch it without you guys. I couldn't, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to know. We can still watch it. Because I still want to watch the performance. Don't be mad. I was sick and bored. I'm sorry."

A burst of laughter came from all sides of the room. Of course, she googled that shit. Some would argue that she was more impatient than Tora, for crying out loud.

"'S'okay, Bobby. We'll still watch it with ya, won't we guys?" Tora asked while looking around the room, giving everyone the death stare, daring anyone to suggest otherwise.

Once the majority ruled, Gyu turned on his laptop and hacked into his TV. Thank Fuck for his crafty ways. Poppy only had a TV to watch movies on. Something about not wanting to pirate cable or paying for cable or some shit: she just had a DVD player hooked up to her tv.

As Gyu pressed play, everyone stopped talking. Huddled around in the tiny living room, they all watched as Rian Seabrest introduced the final contestants. It was between a girl who had come from a sheep farm and was dubbed "Narins Sweetheart." To a guy who was deemed "the underdog" of the competition. He was moody and said that My Chemical Romance was his band initially before the frontman kicked him out.

As both duked it out on stage, everyone betted on who would win.

"I'm going for Brian's tactic this time. The kid in black with a crazy look in his eye." Gyu said while he placed a few fifties in the pile.

"Nah, chicks hot. She's gonna win." Pinky said while thumbing out a few bills of his own.

"The fuck is this?" Tora bit out as he noticed bills flying all over the floor in a pile.

"Oh, it's this little wager we like to do during the show." Brian said before continuing, "I'm gonna go with neither of them winning."

Gyu noticed the glint in Poppy's eyes as Brian threw his cash into the pile.

"Honey, someone HAS to win. I'm with Gyu. That man on stage has quite the dark look and can sing, too."

Everyone looked at Tora, who had raised his brow in amusement.

"Why didn't I know about these bets?" Tora asked, thumbing out a few hundred before adding it to the pile. "Money's on the chick."

"Well, because the bets started as a joke between who was gonna say…." Pinky was cut off as Quincey did his best imitation of Tora's backhand slap.

"Whatever. Don't give a shit." Tora said as the cash pile grew.

"The votes are in. The next Narin Idol is…."

"I love you; you love me
We're a happy family
With a great big hug
And a kiss from me to you
Won't you say you love me too?"

Everyone looked confused as the fever dream dinosaur was now on the screen.

"The fuck, Ronzo? What is this shit?" Tora yelled as Gyu tried desperately to fix the video.

"Shit. Shit. I think my sister accidentally messed with the recording when she came over. God Dammit!"

"Who fucking won?!" Quincey cried.

Everyone looked at Poppy as they remembered she knew the secret. She giggled as she took the wad of cash and held it out to Brian.

"No fucking way," Brian said as he took the loot.

"Yup. You called it. It's on google. The guy was taken off stage just before they announced the girl as the winner. Stating something about how he was stalking her and only joined to get close to her. But get this. She's not actually from Narin. She's from a different country, and the rules are that you must be from Narin. So, yeah. Brian. You won. Congrats!"

Everyone got on their phone to confirm the information. Shit. She was right.

They stood up as Brian collected his cash.

"Poppy, if you knew, why would you let us place bets knowing full well that you knew who won?" Damien asked as he stretched out his legs.

"Because Damien." Poppy shrugged. "It's tradition for Narin Idol nights. And since me and Tora didn't have anything to piss and moan about tonight, I figured I wouldn't want to spoil the fun. You guys needed to wave your schlongs around about something…."

"How did you know we were…?" Gyu asked, concerned that Poppy knew.

"Oh, please. Look at Brian." She gestured toward him. "He always has that same look on his face every time we walk back in from our little spats. I asked him one night why he always looked that way. When he didn't want to budge, I offered him a Burger King Coupon, and he gladly accepted it." Poppy advised as everyone was glaring daggers in Brian's direction. 

"Is that the same coupon you tried to throw into the pile?" Quincey hissed.

"It is," Brian said as he stuffed the cash into his pocket.

"Well, before we all get huffy again. I wanted to thank all of you for coming over tonight. I feel a lot better and appreciate that you let me watch the finale with you knowing I already knew. It means so much to me. I am going to miss having your company. Why don't we pick another show so that we can enjoy it together?" Poppy asked, fluttering her eyelashes at everyone, even Tora, who was eating right out of the palm of her hand.

Gyu shook his head in disbelief as the five-foot-nothing woman was able to disarm a room of thugs.

Studying his own Narin Idol, Gyu looked at Tora, whispering something into Poppy's ear, making her blush as she kissed him on the cheek.

Yes. These nights could continue.

Chapter Text

“Hey Big B-”

“Fuck off.” Tora gritted as he took another swig of whiskey from his seat at the bar. Not caring who it was or what they wanted from him. Not tonight. Fuck. Not ever again, he mused darkly.

“Man what the hell, what’s got ya panties in a twist my man?” The faceless thug inquired, obviously not reading the room.

“I said FUCK OFF.” Tora cursed as the burn of alcohol seared through his senses.

“Come on man, it’s just–”

“FUCK OFF!” Tora bellowed throughout the game hall. Whirring around, not giving a single shit who it was, took his Glock and pointed straight into the no-names face.

The room was still. The bartender took a step back. All of the games stopped. The shit-talking paused. The only sound you could hear was the safety being played with by Tora’s thumb.

He hadn’t planned on killing anyone at the game hall that night. 

Tora put away his gun and back into his holster. He turned to walk away and muttered over his shoulder, “Next time someone tells ya to fuck off, ya better do it.”

He sauntered across the game hall, dropping cash into the tip jar and left. Back into the shadows where he was always meant to be. Back to the place where all of the laughter, tears, fury, love and heartbreak was held. He was a masochist.

As he made his way up to their loft apartment that overlooked the city, he took a drag of his cigarette, the nicotine aiming to do what the whiskey couldn’t, to soothe his weary soul. He had re-counted that night for the past 2 months.

The job was simple enough. Get in. Find the target. Kill the target. Leave. Get paid.

Child's play.

She always knew. She always fucking knew no matter what lengths he went to to hide what job he had just finished. He always came home with what she called “a distant look” like he had disconnected with everything, even her. He thought maybe if he brought home flowers or her favorite sweets from the bakery down the street, it would keep her distracted and he could re-connect.

So that’s what he did. He went in for overkill so to speak. Came in with a dozen roses and a box full of assorted cookies. The look on her face as he strode through their apartment, grinning widely as she came to welcome him home, made him feel lower than dirt. To see her accepting something that she thought was so innocent because he loved her, not because he actually wanted to keep her from asking questions, killed him.

He felt sick to his stomach. Like he just did something worse than murder. Though his hands were physically clean, they were drenched with lies and deceit as he handed the items over to her.

“What are these for?” Poppy asked, eyes sparkling at him, leaning up for a kiss.

Tora didn’t know what to say. Anything he said would be a lie. He did love her. Fuck he worshipped her. But even religious people of sorts were burdened with sin, no matter how much homage you paid.

“Tora?” Poppy asked as he worked through what he was supposed to supply.

“Hmm?” He replied.

“I asked you what these are for? It’s not our anniversary and I’m pretty sure I’m not mad at you” She giggled.

It wasn’t every day that he came home with shit like that. Every once in a while, yeah but only when he had groveling to do.

FUCK.

“Tora?” Her voice was now a mere whisper as she looked up at him, all softness in her eyes gone. Her body language was ridged with tension.

He couldn’t lie to her. Not her. God help him. He was disgusted with himself.

Taking the flowers and the treats from her hands, he put them on the counter. Then he took her hands as he fought back the fear of the words that had to escape at some point.

“I..” He started, afraid of how to word the next part. 

She was still looking at him, searching his eyes for a truth he didn’t want to admit.

“I took another job.” He harshly whispered.

Taking her hands from his, she nodded silently, sadly.

She didn’t say anything which was so unlike her. She never had a problem before, giving him a piece of her mind, tossing his shit back into his face.

She just went into the bathroom and turned on a bath. She had locked him out. That was the silent nod of “don’t talk to me until I’m ready.”

She was there for a long time. Long enough for Tora to stew with his own thoughts. The thoughts that he didn’t seem to have when Vincent had flashed him enough money for her to take off work for a year. Enough money to buy her a cute little car, pocket sized just like her.

Enough money to put down on a house payment to get out of the apartment.

She didn’t want that shit though. She just wanted him, safe. Doing jobs that kept his hand clean from blood being spilled. She knew who he was. But he was tired of being that. So many times they had talked about it, dreamed about it. He promised her. Fucking promised her that those jobs, no matter how big the paycheck waved in his face, he wouldn’t do it. No more taking out the trash for Vince.

As the bathtub drained, he heard sniffles come from the bathroom. She was crying as softly as she could. She did that when she was conflicted about something. It wasn’t loud sobs like she got when she was watching a sad movie and crying over a bowl of ice cream.

Just soft tears. Aching each time one was being pulled from her delicate brown eyes.

As the door opened, she came out quietly. She strode across the room. Tora watched on as her feet lightly stepped across the wooden floor. She looked like if she stepped any harder, the floor would break, much like her fragile heart.

She didn’t look at him. She just closed the door to their bedroom. Shutting him out. Just like he shut her out as he took on a job that he promised he wouldn’t.

 What seemed like hours, she finally emerged from their room. Her hair was in a messy bun. She had on her comfy boots. The kind she wore when she went to Moonbright. She had a pink sweater on along with some leggings.

She came over to him and sat down on the couch. She wasn’t looking at him then either. Just sat there, body away from him.

“Tora.” She started.

Why did it feel like she was about to say goodbye? Not just for the night?

When she turned to face him, it was like all of the life in her had dissipated and he was now talking to a shell of someone who used to love him.

“I want this to go away like it never happened. But this…” She sighed, gesturing at the tokens of what she thought was his love for her, abandoned on the counter.

“I can’t tell you how this makes me feel. There are no words.” Her lip was trembling and tears were forming.

God he was such a fucking asshole.

He tried to touch her face, to ease her into looking at him.

She didn’t let him. Just jerked her face away from him.

“Sweetheart, please just listen to me?” Tora pleaded.

The moment he had said that, something, he knew, had snapped.

“No. I’m not going to listen, Tora! I’m done listening because that’s all I ever do. I listen and I listen and I listen. And you know what?! YOU CAN LISTEN TO ME THIS TIME.”

“I’m tired of this. I can’t do this anymore. I love you but this, this is the last straw. You PROMISED me that you would quit “those jobs”. That you would stop. But you haven’t. What good is a promise to someone who loves you if you can’t actually follow through with it?” 

Tora had nothing to say. She was staring at him fiercely, eyes were wild with unbridled anger.

“I’m leaving.” She said softly.

Tora could feel himself being pulled down into a dark ocean. The waves of emotion were unrelenting. The lighthouse that had been kept on at all times, was now dimming the further he sank.

An unwelcome voice filled the void in his mind but a familiar one at that.

“Told you, son. You are a monster. Your life isn't built for happiness.” Tora let the phantom voice make up his mind.

“Fine. If that’s what ya want, then ya can fuck off.” He scolded as she grabbed the door handle, walking out of the door and leaving their life together behind. 

She didn’t even fucking look back. That fucking bitch. After everything that he did for her. Why couldn’t that be enough for her? Why did she always have to make him be the bad guy?

Tora couldn’t see straight through blurred eyes as he stumbled down to the floor. He was finally coming to the realization that he had blacked out.

She was gone.

Gone.

He was able to pick himself up from the floor and find his center like so many times before. Pressing his back up to the couch, he imagined like he was at the gym.

Breathe in

Breathe out

Breathe in

Breathe out

The mantra that Poppylan had taught him, still worked. It never failed.

His phone rang as he was coming down from his blackout. It was her.

“Bobby?”

“TORA HELP”

“WHERE ARE YOU?!”

“I DON'T KNOW. SOMEONE GRABBED ME FROM BEHIND AND TRIED TO TAKE ME. OH GOD.” Her cries were desperate.

“POPPYLAN, RUN SWEETHEART. FUCKING RUN. STAY ON THE PHONE.”

“OH GOD. NO.”

The line went dead. Tora had never run that fast. EVER. How long had it fucking been since she had left that night? Where the fuck was she? Tora took the stairs so quickly, he would have fumbled if not for his will to get to her, wherever the fuck she was. Fumbling with his phone, he called Gyu.

“Hey Big B-”

“Track Poppy's phone now.”

“Wha-”

“NOW.”

“Ok. Give me a second.” Tora could here the fear in Gyu’s voice but didn’t fucking care about that. He needed to know.

“Boss. Her phone has her down by Ares.” Gyu bit out in a panic.

“Get every fucking person you know and get out an army. We have to fucking find her. THAT'S AN ORDER.”

Tora hung up the phone as he grabbed his keys from his pocket. Turning on the car and shifting it into gear, he raced to Ares St. just wondering what the fuck had gotten into her. She knew, she fucking knew never to go there, ever. Was she that fucked in her mind over what had transpired between them that she decided to go on a suicide mission? For her to die in the same angry streets that raised him would be the ultimate “Fuck you.”

As he got to the brink of the district, he stopped his car. Adrenaline was rolling through him at a dangerous pace.

“Big Bro over here.” He heard a few of his men shout at him, waving wildly. The neon lights were bright enough for him to make out the shadows, but not the faces. The only person he knew was Gyu. Who the fuck were these other guys? Newcomers?

“She’s beat up pretty bad, boss.” Gyu said softly, cradling the little woman who had held so much of everyone’s heart. His back was up against the walls that paralleled Club Miracle. Tora had never seen her look so small.

Tora got down to Gyu’s level and she was traded between the two.

“Do we know who did this?” Tora asked as he rocked her in his arms, stroking her face tenderly, memorizing all of the cuts and bruises as her breath came and went.

“No boss. No clue. We found her like this. I’ve got a swarm of guys around Ares though. She muttered something when we found her but it didn’t make no sense.” Gyu said.

“What did she say?” Tora bit out, as an angry tear slipped past the threshold. 

“Tell Tora blue eyes..” 

Blue eyes?

Oh fuck.

“Get her back. Call the Dr. Get Quincey to look after her. Get the guys to go to Scharch's. Come find me when you’re done dropping her off.” Tora instructed,  picking up her failing body, walking towards Gyu’s car. Gyu did as he was told. Taking the keys from Tora, he got behind the wheel as Tora laid her down in the back seat.

Tora shut the door before he could change his mind. He knew she wouldn’t forgive him for this. Not after what had gotten them here in the first place. But fuck it. Her blood was spilled and he was going to make sure that the fucker who laid his hand on her would be the last time they laid their hand on anything. He didn’t care if the mother fucker was clan or not.

This was fucking personal.

Scharch would be dead by morning.

Getting into his car, swerving through the streets, until he found his destination, Tora blackened his lungs a little bit more than he cared to admit. But if she was being careless, what would it fucking matter?

Code for Scharch: Blue Eyes.

One night while Tora and Poppy were at the Black Swan Bistro and Bar, she had excused herself to go to the bathroom. It was their one year anniversary dinner and she looked fucking stunning. She was wearing a red dress that hugged all of the dangerous curves of her body. Her hair was delicately curled and she wore the strappy champagne colored heels that Tora left on her more often than not when he was having his way with her.

When she came back, she was in distress. What could have happened?

“Sweetheart, what’s the matter? You don’t feel good?” Tora asked as she approached him, his arms welcoming her for an embrace.

“I think I met one of your associates. He has the same tattoo that you have on your neck and eyes like Quincey. But not kind.” She trembled out.

“Where is he? What did he say to ya? What did he do?” He asked harshly as she shook, looking at each corner of the room that was visible to him.

“I..I c-c-came out of the bathroom. And..And he was st-standing there and app-approached me. Asked me if I needed help finding my way b-b-back to my seat. I told him no, I knew where I was going. But then he g-g-grabbed my shou-”

“HE FUCKING TOUCHED YOU?!” He roared out, making her jump in his arms.

Her sobs were coming out louder now and he wanted to curse at himself. He was supposed to be comforting her, not scaring her shitless more than she already was.

“I’m sorry sweetheart.” He cooed, trying to regain control of himself, stroking her back with his thumb.

“Listen, we’re gonna get outta here. I’ll get ya back home.” He softly said into her ear, taking her by the hand, blocking the view of her as they went to the car.

On the way home that night, Tora told her that if at ANY time, she see’s that mother fucker again, code word was “Blue Eyes.”

As Tora reached his destination, he was on autopilot. His love will be avenged and no one will stop him.

Going up to the door, he could hear all sorts of fuckery.

Scharch was never the type to hide his vices. He was in the Mafia. You’re already screwed by just being alive. Why not make the most of it?

The door wasn’t even fucking locked. What a fucking moron. Tora opened the door and he was met with hookers, some guys he knew from around, clouds from what he assumed were from different types of drugs, the smell of vomit and everything that was good down on Ares.

In the middle of the room, he saw Scharch. He was grinning widely as a no-named girl was dry humping him.
“Tora, how wonderful of you to join us.” Scharch sneered, pushing the girl off of his lap.

“What the fuck did you do to her?” Tora asked, knowing full well who she was to the both of them.

“Oh, that cute little thing? She was so scared. I was only trying to comfort her. She’s feisty though.”

Tora was feeling for his Glock. Satisfied that it was rearing and ready to go, he stepped closer to Scharch.

“Ya didn’t answer my fucking question.” Tora said behind gritted teeth.

“I found her at the bus station. Kind of late at night for a bus ride. Don’t you think so?”

Tora had enough of this bullshit. He was only teasing Tora now.

“Fuck you, Scharch.”

“Wait Man. Hold on. I’m sorry.” Scharch knew he was fucked. Tora never missed a target. He just wanted to toy with him.

Tora reached for his piece, turned off the safety before muttering, “Too late for sorry, don’t ya think?”

He shot Scharch square in the head.

Mother fucker went down quicker than a sack of rice. Taking with him the mostly naked chick that was behind him, she was pinned down as his blood gushed from his head. The walls had been splattered with his brains and the room was now in complete chaos.

There were screams coming from every angle.

Thank fuck that Gyu had sent his men to Scharch’s place to “play along as party goers”.

Tora always kept people far away from him so that they wouldn't be traced back to his association but close enough that if shit went down, they would be there in a pinch.

Hearing a click from behind him, Tora grabbed the hand that was by his head and twisted the man's arm, disarming him immediately. The gun dropped and Tora scooped it up with his free hand.

“Who are ya?” Tora asked while he watched as his men took out the bulk of the trash. They were doing a good fucking job, he mused as hookers were being ushered out along with “innocent enough” bystanders.

“I’m no one.” The blubbering idiot rushed out with.

Tora smirked darkly, turning the gun to the man's head.

“Well, no one, what did ya think ya were doin’ with ya gun plastered against my head. Who are ya to that mother fucker layin’ down?”

“Just someone who needed to finish the job in case shit went south.”

“Oh? And how’s that workin’ out for ya?” Tora asked as he felt the trigger pressed against his index finger, ready to set it off.

“Please don’t shoot me.”

“And why shouldn’t I? Ya know why I’m here?” Tora figured the squirming man didn’t know. But he didn’t care.
“I don’t know man. Scharch just said that if ya show up to back him up. All he told me was that you knew he’d be here.”

Tora let out a bark of laughter that had people flinching.

“Let me tell ya why I’m here.” Tora let the man from his grasp, shooting the bastard on the hand.

Crying out in pain, doubling over, the man was now bleeding profusely from the hand that held the gun to Tora’s head. He stumbled stupidly by Scharch’s corpse, falling on him and the hooker that died from behind.

“See Scharch over there?” Tora waved with the weapon of choice.

The man nodded.

“See his hand?”

The man nodded again.

Tora shot at Scharch's limp hands, splattering more blood onto the quivering man.

“I left ya with one hand. Left Scharch with none. Keep ya fuckin’ hand to yaself.”

Tora turned his body to leave. Until he remembered the bruises that were on Poppy's face.

“Fuck it. Guys. Clean this shit up. You know what to do.” Tora said over his shoulder to the remaining crew, nodding to the man who was now in the fetal position.

“It’ll be our pleasure big bro.” One of them said as they all wickedly grinned, closing in.|
Tora left the scene and pulled out his phone to see if anyone had called him. Gyu had left a message saying he was on his way. Tora told him to stay where he was. Clean up crew was already taking care of it.

Quincey had called too. He was quite a mess and left a voicemail, crying into the phone. What got his attention was Poppy was unconscious and now hooked up to a machine.

As Tora sped through the underworld of Narin, back to her, he felt the monster retreat, nourished. Tora, the man that Poppylan loved, was coming back to the surface.

He rushed up the stairs to their apartment. Gyu, Quincey, And Dr. Mack were all standing around her nearly lifeless body as the machine that was keeping her alive beeped.

They all gave Tora his space as he rushed over to her. Taking her hand, he wept bitter tears. Damning himself for bringing this on her. Damning Scharch for laying his hands on her. Damning everything and everyone for their involvement in the twist and turns of events.

Every night, she laid there, silent, still.

Every night he laid there, heartbroken.

Every night the machine kept her existing, but not living.

Every week that passed, another request to let her go, was made by the Dr.

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks turned into months.

After stumbling inside, drunk from rage, heartbreak and a bit of whiskey, he tumbled onto the hospital bed that was set up in their room & held her tightly.

He gave way to sleep after what seemed like hours.

“Tora you have to let me go.” Beep

“Fuck off.” Beep.

“It’s for the best.” Beep.

“I don’t want to, Bobby” Beep

“I will meet you in the strawberry fields, my love.” Beep.

“Please don’t leave me. I love you. I love you. I love you.” Beep

“I love you, too.” Beep.

BEEEEEEEEEEEP

Gone.

Poppy could feel Tora wrapped tightly around her as she was gasping for air. The man was so big and she was quite certain she was going to die in the arms of her husband that night if he didn’t let her go.
3 years to the day, and he still has those nightmares of the night that she almost died.

Squirming, trying to get out of his embrace, him crying out her name, she was finally able to get a piece of his arm, and bit him.

Hard.

That got enough of his attention.

Stumbling out of his arms as she made room for him to come out of it, she planted her feet on the ground firmly. Letting herself know that she was in fact still alive. Her breaths were ragged but they would slow.

“Bobby?” He whispered, looking at the vision of the angel that was taunting him.

“Tora. It’s OK. It was a dream. I’m here. We are here.” She said, coming towards him, her arms stretched out to welcome him back to their reality.

“Christ.” Tora muttered, wiping his hand down his face, getting up to meet her halfway.

“I’m here.” Poppy cooed as he engulfed her.

“It was the same dream.” Tora sighed as tears came freely from his eyes, smelling the lavender and honey soap she frequented.

“I know.” She whispered, taking in the taste of the tears from him that landed on her lips.

“Scharch, he’s..” Tora said shakily, letting the warmth of her body soothe him.

“Gone. Locked up. Never to hurt us again. And no, you didn't actually kill him. But you really wanted to." She promised, stroking the small of his back, reminding him that the man who laid his fingers on her, among his other crimes, was put away for life.

"And Vince?" He inquired

"Dust." She reminded him once more of his childhood tormentor, no longer a threat either.

“And you’re…” He sobbed, never wanting to let her go again.

“Here. With you. I won't leave you. And in our next life, I will be with you.” She said, tilting up her face to give him a kiss.

“With me” He whispered, meeting her lips, crashing into them.

***Alternate Ending*** ****PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION AS THIS BROKE MY HEART TO WRITE****

It had been weeks since losing the love of his life.

Followed everywhere by her phantom voice, humming sweet nothings into his ear while he slept drove him mad.

Waking up in cold sweats, reaching but failing to grasp her missing body, he slowly turned from mourning to down right tortured.

He was desperate just to sleep without dreaming about her.

Without waking up crying from the torment that no matter which reality he was in, there was no escape.

Tora thought he knew what it felt like to be a broken man.

But it held no candle to how shattered he was.

He just wanted to sleep for fucks sake.

“Big bro, ya gotta get some help.”

He didn’t need fuckin’ help.

He just needed sleep.

“Tora, I know you’re hurting man, but she’s not coming back.”

She came back to him every fuckin’ night.

“Tora, Bro. Please. Just talk to us.”

He just wanted to be left the fuck alone.

Finally, one night, reaching the end of his rope after being awake for more than 45 hours on end, Tora had found relief when he found Poppylan’s morphine bottle and some needles that were somehow left behind.

Thank fuck.

He took it and while it felt like there was some relief and becoming drowsy, he figured he was a bigger man and needed to take a little bit more.

Sleep still wasn’t coming to him, and though he was dizzy, he still wasn’t fucking sleeping yet.

One more shot was all he needed, he would be passed out for sure.

The next morning he woke up, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders only to find that he had been in a fucked up dream and it was finally over.

“Good Morning, handsome.” Poppy cooed, tucking a piece of his hair behind his ear.

As the morning sun gently caressed their bedroom, the light that was his love was slowly coming into focus.

“Poppylan? What time is it? I feel like I just woke up after sleeping forever.” Tora sighed as he brought her into his embrace.

She smelled so sweet. Like summer rain and the strawberry shampoo that she frequented.

“Time doesn’t matter, my love. I’m just glad that you’re here.” She whispered into his chest.

“Got any plans today, sweetheart?” Tora asked, drawing lazy circles on her bare skin.

“Mmmm…No. Not today. Let's just stay here in bed all day. I’ve missed you.” She said as she looked up to him, with a smile more brilliant than the rays that dared to contest with her own.

Tora chuckled lightly as he nodded down to caress her petal soft lips.

He couldn’t remember them ever being that soft but it was her. They were there together so he pushed the thought aside as he rolled her onto her back to make love to her.

After satisfying his wife, more than once, they gently walked with each other to the shower.

Glancing out the window, Tora stopped.

How long had those strawberry fields been in their backyard?

Pushing the thought aside, he caught up with Poppylan as they tenderly washed each other from their lovemaking.

While their bodies pressed together, embraced each other, loved each other, cleansed each other, nothing else in the world mattered.

“Tora is finally at peace and back with the love of his life. Tora, We love you and we miss you. But we know that a life without Poppylan was not the life you wanted to live. Rest in peace Big Bro.” Gyu cried as everyone around dropped in tokens of Tora’s memory and Poppy’s as his casket laid next to her memorial.

Peonies, Poppies, Tora’s strawberry hair tie that was on his wrist when they found him & a picture of him and Poppy that they looked desperately in love in.

Gone.

But not forgotten.

If you or someone you know is in need of help, there are so many resources out there.

You don't have to go through grief alone. I held back on posting this one but it is Mental Health Awareness month. Although, every day we should be aware of ourselves and others health. I know its easier said than done & at the end of the day, it is your choice whether you seek help or not. 

You are loved. I promise.

Please reach out to me if you need someone to talk to ❤ My IG account is not just for fanart/memes.

Mental Illness Resource

❤ AEGAST

Chapter Text

It was a normal day for little Quinceton Balthuman.

He got up, went to school, came home, had a snack and was pestering the birds that were in the sanctuary on the grounds.

“Young Master, come inside, your father wants you to meet someone.” Miss Linda called out to him, one of the maids.

“Do I have to?” Quincey asked as he gazed on at one of the tropical birds.

“Yes. Now come inside at once.”

Sighing dramatically, Quincey turned his attention to the house in the distance.

Coming in through the doors, he saw a raggedy looking kid about his age. Whoever he was looked like he had just been picked up from the dumpster.

“Quinceton, meet Tora. He’s going to be living with us from now on.”  His father said to him as he pushed the two boys together to shake hands.

Quincey was not impressed. Why was Quincey not good enough for his dad? Did he do something wrong? He would have known if he did, wouldn’t he?

Did he have to share his room? His clothes? His toys?

Not realizing that he was still deep in thought, his dad cleared his throat.

“Son, you’re being rude. Now shake his hand. And welcome him to the family.” His dad growled.

Tora’s hand was held out to him at this point. Quincey didn’t want to shake his replacements' hand but if his dad told him to, he had better do it.

“Fine.” Quincey sighed, reaching to grab Tora’s hand, shaking it.

“Nice to meet you.” He stated flatly. It wasn’t nice. Not at all. 

“Nice to meet ya too.” Tora said.

“Ya? It’s you.” Quincey sneered.

Tora shrugged and looked up at his dad.

“Well now, son. Let’s get you off to your lessons.” His dad said, but not taking Quincey. No, instead he was taking his new son, “Tora”.

He watched as his dad and his new, whatever he was, left the room.

“What lessons? Can I come?” Quincey asked as he ran to chase them down.

His dad chuckled at him, halting him from coming any closer.

“No, Quincey. These are not lessons for you. These are for Tora and only Tora.” Vincent said, touching his son's shoulder, keeping him in place.

“But I want to learn too!” Quincey cried. He hated being left out.

“Son, I said no.” His dad growled. He knew that tone. It was usually meant for his associates unless he had stepped out of line.

“Fine. Enjoy YOUR lessons, Tora” Quincey said, spinning on his heel, pouting.

Up in his room, Quincey started hiding things from Tora lest he had to share everything . Little did he know, Tora was not there to actually be his brother. He was there for a very different purpose. A purpose that his dad was shielding him from.

Playing with his toy dinosaurs, Quincey imagined that he was the T-Rex and Tora was the long neck.

“Rawr!! I’m going to hurt you so you never get in my way again!!” He bellowed as tears came pouring from his eyes, imagining that the T-rex was chomping away at the long neck, torturing him.

He had no clue the real torture was taking place down stairs, out of his sight. Not even his imagination was dark enough for the horrors that would take place in the mind of Tora’s.

Quincey finally got bored playing with his toys and decided to go snoop to see where Tora’s new room was. Unless, he thought, he was going to be getting a bunk bed.

He smiled a little at the thought of a bunk bed. He had always wanted one. But then, he frowned immediately afterwards. The bunk bed would have only come at the intrusion of Tora.

As he meandered room by room, he saw nothing outfitted for another kid. Not on his floor anyways. His house was pretty big and there were multiple stories. Maybe it was on one of the lower levels. Going to the 2nd floor, he still didn’t see anything that would have been for a kid. Just his dad's meeting room, his mommy’s parlor, a bathroom and his playroom. There was no bed there yet. More toys he would have to hide.  

He thought nothing more of it as he came down the final flight of stairs for the main house. There was the dining room, kitchen, maids quarters, living room and the laundry room. It left only the basement remaining.

“Miss. Linda, where is Tora sleeping?” Quincey asked as she was dusting the banister.

“Oh. Don’t you worry about that, honey. You will still have your own room.” She smiled, going back to her duties.

“In my playroom, then?” He inquired, feeling frustrated that no one was telling him anything about his new, whatever he was.

Being met with a flat lined mouth and a hand placed on her hip, Miss. Linda repeated herself. Firmly this time.

“I said not to worry, didn’t I?” She seethed as she returned back to her duties, yet again.

Quincey huffed with annoyance, crossing his arms. He fixed his scowl on the basement door.
That was the only place left though. He knew he wasn’t supposed to, but curiosity got the better of him.

As he strolled across the living room, getting closer and closer to the door that could answer all of his questions, a hand reached behind him and took him by the shoulder.

Quincey jumped as he turned around.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Miss. Linda inquired.

“Just down to the basement.” Quincey said as nonchalantly as possible. He knew that everyone knew it was off limits to everyone but his dad.

Turning him around by the shoulder, Miss. Linda drove him back to the stairs.

“That was the last warning, Young Master Quincey. If I catch you snooping one more time, I will have to tell your father. Do you want me to tell your father that you’re disobeying everyone today?”

Quincey frowned. He supposed she was right. Last thing he wanted was to get into trouble. It was bad enough he was being replaced. He didn’t want to give his dad another reason to hate him more.

“Fine.” He sighed as he walked sadly back to his room. He laid down his bed and sifted through his thoughts of how that day was shaping up to be.

His dad didn't even ask him if he wanted a new whatever. Normally, he loved the presents he was given but this wasn’t a present. This was a threat. An unwelcome guest. It was getting to be late afternoon and Tora still hadn’t been back. His dad, neither. Not that he cared . They could stay wherever they were for the rest of the day.

Quincey slowly fell asleep as his thoughts stopped running amuck.

He didn’t know what time it was when he woke up. The sun was still up, but barely. He could hear the door open and close as if someone was trying to sneak around without waking him. After taking a mental note of the toys that he had hidden from Tora, he was satisfied that he still had everything that mattered to him.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Quincey hopped down the stairs and into the dining room. He knew it must have been near dinner time because the cooks and maids were setting up dinner.

“Ah there you are, darling.” His mommy cooed, her arms stretched out to him. She had just returned from visiting his grandma.

“Grandma sends you her love and wishes you could have come with me.” She said soothingly as she stroked a piece of unruly hair from his face.

He smiled up warmly at her.

“You fell asleep didn’t you? Have a rough day, my love?” She asked, cupping his face in her hands.

Nodding in her embrace, he sighed.

“Dad brought someone home. He’s my age. I don’t like him.” A look that was not so familiar to him flitted across his mommy’s face before it turned back into warmth.

“Is that so? And what is his name? Why don't you like him?” She asked, stroking his face with her thumb.

“His name is Tora. Dad just brought him home earlier today. I haven’t seen them all day. I can’t find his room anywhere. They’ve been in lessons all day. I wanted to join but dad wouldn’t let me.” Quincey was singing like a canary to his mommy.

“Well then, that is quite the story, little one. I’m sure Tora and your father will be more than happy to tell us about the training.” She promised sweetly.


“Quincey, boy!” Vincent exclaimed coming up from the basement.

“I see you have found your mother. Isn't it splendid that she’s back?” He asked as he stalked towards them with a cool demeanor.

Quincey nodded as his dad circled the dining room table to take his seat. Something didn’t seem right though.

“Hey dad, where’s Tora?” Quincey asked innocently.

“Yes dear, pray tell, where is this Tora that I’ve been told about?” Ghoa asked, a perfect blonde brow arching in question.

“Not now.” Vincent advised while sharing a cold look with his wife.

“But Dad, I-”

“Quinceton. I said not now.” Vincent sneered as they waited for dinner to be dished out.

Why was everyone keeping Tora away from him? What was the point of having another son if he wasn’t to be eating with everyone else? His dad called Tora “son” right? Why was his dad so mad at asking a simple question?

Quinceton made up his mind that when his parents went to sleep, he would venture down into the basement to see if that's where Tora was. It’s not that he cared, his curiosity was just taunting him.

When they were done with dinner, Quincey went back up into his room and played some more with his toys.

A loud voice got his attention. A loud voice that sounded like his mommys. It couldn’t have been though. She always sounded so sweet. Like an angel's voice drifting through the breeze. He had to investigate. He tiptoed out of his room and down the hallway. Outside of his parents room, there were indeed angry words being spewed back and forth between who he had assumed to be his parents.

“Vincent. You cannot keep this little boy here. He needs to go back to the orphanage.”

“Ghoa, he is staying, and that is final. I found him last night and he was a mess. Do you even know where I found him?”

“No, pray tell, where did you find him?”

“Down by Miracle. He was cold, tired and hungry. What was I supposed to do? He ran away from the orphanage. I’m just trying to give him a second chance.”

“Oh don't give me that bullshit Vincent. We BOTH know you’re just looking for a child soldier, you sick fuck.”

Quincey's eyes were practically outside of his skull at that point. Who knew his mommy had such a potty mouth?!

“Ghoa..”

“Mind telling me where this child is supposed to sleep? When he gets to eat? I swear to God Vincent Balthuman, if you mistreat this poor child, I will involve my moth-”

“Don’t finish that sentence. You may not involve her . Not this time. I will make sure that Tora gets the minimum at least.”

“Oh Vincent, I love when you speak chivalrous to me. Gets me sooooo weak in the knees.”

“Fuck you.”

“Finally we share the same sentiment towards each other.”

The door flew open and Quincey was a deer in headlights. His mommy came storming out of her bedroom and went to go find her son. She took him by the hand and led him into his bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Sitting on his bed, she patted her son to come over to sit beside her. She took one of his hands in hers, clasping them together.

“So, how much of that did you hear, darling?”

“Mommy you have a potty mouth.”

She softly laughed at that.

“Did you hear anything other than Mommy saying bad words?”

“Something about child soldiers? What’s that? Like a kid who gets to dress up? Like for a play?”

A fragile tear slipped from his mommy’s eye as she smiled sadly down at him. Why was she so sad?

“No my love. Not at all like that. He is not here to play dress up. Your father, he’s a complicated man. He does bad things. Just know, you are safe.”

“Is Tora safe too?” Not that he actually cared.

“ With me, yes. I hope for his sake, he is safe with you too.”

“So, I’m not getting replaced?”

She let out a soft chuckle.

“No my darling. You are irreplaceable.”

Quincey heard enough. If his mommy needed him to keep Tora safe, he would. He would do anything for her.

“So, what do I need to do to make sure he is safe?” He asked, looking up at her with determination.

“Well, for starters, if you see him around and he looks like he’s sad, say hi to him. I know your father won't let you share your toys with him, but you can always share the kindness of your heart. “

“Why can't I share my toys with him?” Not that he wanted to.

“They are a distraction for what your father has planned for him.”

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“For now, all you can do is what I told you. Be kind to him. He doesn't have a mommy and daddy like you do. He may also say some mean things to you but only because he may be hurting.”

Not have a mommy and daddy like him? He didn’t know what he would do if his mommy was taken away.

“One last question.”

“Go on, sweetheart.”

“Do you know where he is sleeping?”

“Your father has set him up in the basement.”

He knew it.

“Does he need anything? A blanket to keep him warm? It's been kind of cold at night. I can give him my dinosaur one. I like dinosaurs, maybe he does too?”

His mommy smiled at him.

“You’re a natural. Let’s try to get him his own blanket that he can have, so you won't have to share yours.”

“No, I want to share.”

He really did. Knowing that Tora was no longer a threat, he wanted to help any way he could. His mommy said that he couldn’t share his toys. But she said to share kindness.

“Ok my darling, I will find a way to give him your blanket. How did I get so lucky to have such a wonderful boy?”

She was now stroking her thumb against his cheek and they sat there in his warm room, enjoying each other's company.

Downstairs though, in the basement, another little boy was softly crying into the small pillow on his cot.

Wishing he could be back home with his mommy and daddy, Tora finally gave way to sleep.

Chapter Text

Mother Fucker.

He should have known better. Neko was getting his ass handed to him by Tora.

Yet again.

In front of other customers. He wanted to slam the guys who were laughing at him with his pool stick like he had seen Tora do to that cunt, Yadori.

As Tora took his last shot into the right corner slot, Neko was already ticking down the seconds that he’d be out yet another two hundred dollars. Hopefully, the shot wouldn’t make it and he could still save some face.

Shit.

The closer the ball got to the pocket, the more of Neko’s life flashed before his eyes. His mom’s sandal in his face, his dad’s long winded speech about letting down the family and a bunch of other bullshit.

Ten Years Ago

 
It was another summer Saturday night and Neko-Chan was helping his dad get ready for the incoming crowd.

He was 17 and this was his first job. It wasn’t his choice though. Neko had gotten his ass in trouble and his dad wasn’t going to let him get away without punishment. For the next few months, to help pay off a few broken windows, Neko had to work at the game hall. He tried to whine his way out of it by going to his mom. All she did though was side with his dad and slapped Neko with a sandal. 

Clean the bar top, fill the peanut bowls, fill the olive and pickle jars, wipe off the stools, and clean any blood that may have been missed. Normal job duties for a teenager.

It was his first night at the game hall. During the day, it was the old bruisers who came to shoot pool and talk shit. No one caused much of a commotion. He would never admit it, but he got a kick out of listening to the older ones yell at each other because they didn’t understand what the other was saying.

That day, he got a few dollars for siding with someone over a squabble. Something about cheating or some bullshit like that. It wasn’t a ton of money but Neko would take whatever he could. Especially if he could get those damn windows fixed sooner. That was his first lesson of the hustle. If he could keep it up, he’d be out of there in no time.

“Oi! Neko-Chan! Get ya ass over here and quit ya daydreamin’. We got the crowd comin’ now. We ain't gonna get ready with ya thumb up ya ass.” His dad yelled as Neko was wiping down the bar top for the 5th time, trying to look busy.

Sighing dramatically, Neko went over to his dad as the sun sank behind the skyscrapers.

“Do ya remember what I told ya?” Neko’s dad asked with arms crossed and a rag over his shoulder.

“Yeah. Yeah. Keep my head down and just do what I’m told.”

“And?”

Neko shrugged and rolled his eyes to the side.

“Keep the pool table open for anyone who rolls with Balthuman. They own half of Ares and I swear to god, if I get any shit about them not being able to play a game, I’ll double the amount you owe.” His dad said.

“But how will I know if they’re really Balthuman?” Neko asked as some of the guys came in from the streets.

“Trust me kid, you’ll know.” Was all his dad supplied as he went behind the bar.

Well shit.

Keeping his head down and doing as he was told was not what he was good at. But he didn’t exactly want to die on the job his first night. It wasn’t so bad at first. Some guys threw punches, someone got a bloody nose, and a few bar stools were kicked from under some folks. Guys were playing pool and Neko asked everyone beforehand “Balthuman?”

Everyone seemed to know the name. He figured that someone was gonna pretend like they were but to his surprise, no one claimed it.

“Dad, this sucks, can I take a break now?” Neko asked, bored out of his mind that he had to play babysitter to the stupid pool table.

“No Neko-Chan! No break! I don’t take breaks and neither do you. Go clean the bathrooms!”

“But Dad! Those are so gross! I’ll puke!”

“Well, then it's a good thing you’ll already be near the toilet. Now go!”

“Fine.” Neko muttered as he took a mop and some hot water into the bathroom. He checked to see if anyone was in there. Thankfully, his scrawny ass wasn’t about to get a swirly.

“Disgusting!” He blanched at the non-snickers bar taking a swim in the toilet. 

“Don’t people know how to flush?” He said as a few guys entered the bathroom.

“I told ya not to fuck with him. But did ya fuckin’ listen? No! Ya just egged him on. Now look at ya, ya dumbfuck. How am I ‘sposed to explain this to Joe, huh? Bad enough he rode my ass for ya card playin’ when you were ‘sposed to be at school.”

“Oh fuck off, Tora. Ya ain’t my dad and neither is fuckin’ Joe.”

“Swear to god, Goliath if he finds out, you’re in deep shit and I ain't coverin’ ya ass this time. If ya wanna go back to juvie that’s on you.”

“I said fuck off, Tora. God. You’re more annoying than Quincey.”

“Leave Quinceton out of this.”

“And if I don’t?”

Holy shit that guy was huge. And were those half sleeves of tattoos on his arms? What was with his neck tattoo? That looked like it fucking hurt. He thought he knew that emblem from somewhere but couldn’t place it. And who the hell smokes in a bathroom?

And what was with this other kid? He looked like he just got the snot kicked out of him. Why was he being such a little shit?  And who let their kid dye their hair blue? He looked like he got exploded on by a fucking smurf.

Who were these guys?

Oh fuck he was caught staring.

“Hey asshole, what are ya looking at?” Goliath inquired as Neko was caught like a deer in headlights.

“Leave him outta this, Goliath. Probably not every day he sees a walking talking butthole like ya.” Tora sneered, taking a paper towel and wetting it down, placing it on Goliath's bloody lip.

“Kid, ya gotta name?” Tora asked Neko.

“It’s um. Neko-Chan but you can call me Neko.”

Tora smirked, gesturing at the mop and replied, “Pleased to meet ya, names Tora. Sorry that ya got stuck with this shit job.”

“It’s whatever, I broke a few windows and my dad’s making me pay it off.”

“No shit? How did ya manage that?” Goliath asked as he chucked the paper towel into the trash.

“Let me just say I got distracted playing pool and the ball managed to bounce off of the table and broke a few windows.”

“Broke two windows with one ball? Shit. If that ain't talent...Who’s ya dad?” Tora asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“He owns this place.” Neko sighed. 

Tora really shouldn’t be smoking in the bathroom. His dad was gonna have his ass handed to him if he let people smoke in there. That’s what the lobby was for. But would he really want to lose his life to his dad or to this huge guy in front of him?

Whatever. Either way he was fucked.

“Hey, Tora.” Neko said, both of the guys turning to him in response.

“Yeah?”

“There’s no smoking in the bathroom. Can you go out into the lobby?” Neko asked, counting down the seconds until his life ended.

Goliath barked out a laugh and Tora just stood there. His arms were crossed, he took another drag and just smiled.

Shit.

“Ya know how to play pool, yeah?” Tora asked.

Neko nodded.

“How about I play ya for it? You lose, I can smoke whenever, wherever I fuckin’ want. If I lose, I’ll never smoke in the bathroom ever again. How’s that sound?” Tora inquired.

It didn’t sound too bad. This guy's hands were too big to be able to be nimble. Besides, the tough guys were usually the stupid ones.

It was a safe bet. 

“Wait! Wait! Wait! Ya can’t just play for smoking privileges, Tora. Come on! Make a better wager! Throw some money in the pot! Kid, ya got any money on ya?” Goliath asked before any of them could stop him.

“Well, um. I do have some money I could play you for. But I gotta keep one of the tables open for some guy named “Balthuman…” Neko supplied, looking at both of them.

They were grinning widely. Why did the bathroom become smaller?

“Well, kid. You’re in luck. I’m one of those guys.” Tora said, gesturing to the clan tattoo on his neck.

“Prove it! That doesn’t mean anything! I don’t even know what I’m looking at.” Neko spat.

“Shit. And you thought I was stupid.” Goliath joked.

Tora just rolled his eyes.

“Ya want me to prove it? Where’s ya old man? I’m gonna have him confirm for ya that I’m the real deal.” 

Suddenly, Neko’s dad's voice slammed to the forefront of his mind.

“ I swear to god, if I get any shit about them not being able to play a game, I’ll double the amount you owe. ” 

“Fine. I’ll play you for it. Smoking privileges and cash.” Neko confirmed, pulling the mop bucket along with him.

“Atta boy! This’ll get real fun real quick.” Goliath chirped.

As they all came out of the bathroom, Tora rounded the tables that were in the lobby. Some of the guys that were there already, lined up against the wall, abandoning their activities.

What the hell did he just get himself into?

“Yo! Big Bro is on the prowl! Everyone gather round and watch him can this guy.” Goliath called out, already making a scene before anything started.

“Neko- Chan!” He heard his father bellow, coming out from behind the bar.

“What are you doing? No breaks! Why are you trying to play pool?”

“Sorry. Sir. He’s with me. Just a quick game, yeah?” Tora countered, briefly giving Neko’s dad a glimpse of his clan tattoo.



One game! And then you have to clean up the blood on the counter.”

“Fine dad.” Neko said, turning to the wall of cues.

Tora was picking each one up, feeling the weight of each one and getting an idea of how it felt in his hand as he slid it between his fingers.

(Don’t be nasty. You know what I mean)

Smirking at the cue that was to his liking, Tora found the ball pyramid and knocked the balls from the slot, having them all come at his beckon call.

“How did you know how to do that?” Neko asked, perplexed that Tora didn’t even need to put in quarters to release them.

“Old trick.” Tora said, shrugging his shoulders. “Put ya money on the table, here.” Tora instructed, placing his index finger on the flat of the table edge.

Neko did as he was told, all eyes on them.

Tora placed the balls in the pyramid and gently released them. Then he put the cue ball front and center just a few inches away from the rest of them.

“Stripes or Solids?” Tora asked.

Neko blinked stupidly, too wrapped up in how gentle this beast of a guy was being with the equipment.

“Huh?”

Tora chuckled, “Stripes or Solids?”

“Um. Solids.” Neko said.

“Kay. Wanna go first?” Tora asked, a glint in his eye, a smirk on his face.

Neko’s brain was shouting to go first, but his nerves made him go stage shy.

“Nah, you go, first.”

“Ya sure?” Tora asked, chalking his pool stick.

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Alright. Have it your way.” Tora said as he bent down, readying his play, focusing in on his target.

Thonk! went the cue ball, smacking the others around the table.

Shit.

3 stripes went into a pocket.

“Looks like it's still my turn.” Tora said, rounding the other side, zeroing in on his next move.

GOD DAMMIT.

Tora leaned in, and took his turn, sinking 2 more in separate pockets.

Without saying another word, Tora took his next turn.

Neko’s ass was grass if Tora made this last move a good one. There were only 2 balls remaining on top of the 8 ball.

Tora leaned in once more, taking his time, looking up at Neko before shooting off his next round.

All Tora had to do was sink the 8 ball and the game was over.

The whole room was quiet, no one was saying a word.

Tora leaned in again, and missed.

Fucking finally it was Neko’s turn.

He looked at his target, one of the many and zeroed in. Making his move, he got distracted by Goliath who was placing bets against him.

Scratch.

God Dammit!!

“Looks like I got another turn.” Tora said as he looked at the 8 and cue ball.

Tora rounded and Neko gulped heavily as the two collided with one another, sinking into the slot, making Tora the victor.

“Sorry Neko. Looks like ya lose. Unless ya wanna try one more time? Double the wager?” Tora smirked, counting out his winnings and lighting up a cigarette, as Neko felt shame taking him over.

“I don’t have any more money though.” Neko said sadly.

“Here, have some of mine. Consider it a loan, if ya lose, ya just give it back. If ya win, ya keep it and the winnings.” Tora said.

This didn’t sound like a good idea and he didn’t have another round available since his dad was looking at him, hands on his hips. But that would be a lot of money if he did win. Neko nodded but before he could say anything, his dad started bellowing.

“Neko Chan! Break is over! Get back to work!” His dad yelled from across the bar.

“Sir, one more game? We called that one a practice round. What do ya say? One more round and I’ll return ya son back to his duties.” Tora asked as everyone looked over to Neko's dad.

“Fine! One more game! But that’s it!”

“Solids. And I'll go first!” Neko said as Tora turned his attention back onto the table. 

“Fine by me.”

Kicking the side of the table, Neko hurt his foot and Tora laughed.

“Here, let me do it.” With a swift kick, all of the pool balls assembled and Tora placed them all back in the pyramid.

“After you.” Tora gestured as Neko bellied up to the table.

Thonk.

Shit.

He automatically lost as the 8 ball made its way into a pocket.

A burst of laughter came from around the room.

“Sorry kid.” Tora said, biting his lip trying not to laugh.

Fucker didn’t look sorry at all. He just looked like a smug asshole who was counting up his earnings, again.

“It’s fine. Enjoy your winnings.” Neko muttered as he turned his attention back to the bar where his dad looked disgusted.

“Tora you really are an asshole. That kid had no chance in hell.” Goliath laughed, placing his hand on Tora’s shoulder before they left the game hall.

Tora just shrugged, “Newcomers.”

Neko blanched as he did the walk of shame, eyes on him, feeling twenty dollars shorter and hella embarrassed.

If Tora came back, which Neko was sure he would, he would beat Tora one day.

Clearly not learning his lesson, he thought to himself that he would practice as much pool as possible. He smirked to himself as he took the washcloth and hot water, cleaning up the blood from the bar top.

Yes. If anyone can, it was Neko-Chan.

Current Day

Well. Shit. This was a familiar feeling wasn’t it? The 8 ball sunk and Neko just lost $200 to Tora. five rounds!

FIVE! And he didn’t even win 1 of them!

“God Damnit!” Neko bellowed from across the pool table.

Tora was counting his earnings while some stupid kids were laughing.

“WTF! He lost five races in a row!”

“HAHA, Neko-Chan didn't even get a turn this round!”

“Man, Neko, you really suck!”

Turning his attention to Tora, Neko yelled, “Oh come on Bro! Ya don’t need all this wager money anymore!! Did ya really have to go this hard?”

Tora turned around, and went back over to Neko.

“Old habit, sorry.” Slamming the money to his chest, Tora told Neko to keep his money and walked out.

Neko was so confused. Did that fucker just get laid?

Whatever the case was, he had more money than he thought he would have by the end of the games. Tora had left and the other ass holes that were still hanging around, heckling him, gave Neko more reason to earn his pride back.

“OK, who wants to play another round? I'll go first.” Neko asked, counting out his money.

“Fine by me.” One of them said, nodding at his friends.

Neko placed the balls in the pyramid and the cue ball in front. Eyeing his target, he went in for his turn.

“Neko-Chan! Stop playing and get back to work.” His dad yelled out, making Neko jump.

The cue ball jumped up and took out one of the new light fixtures.

“Neko-Chan! Did you break something?”

GOD DAMMIT!

Chapter Text

“Run! Get out of here!” Joe yelled at Tora who he knew wasn’t going to back down without a fight. 

Earlier that day….

Tora and Gyu were on a job for Vincent. It was supposed to be a simple cash drop for parts that were provided. Vincent had been insistent that Gyu learned from the best there was and Tora had reluctantly agreed to it. It was a bad fucking idea but Tora wasn’t in the mind space at the time to brush off Vincents orders.

Tora’s only demands to Gyu was to keep his fucking mouth shut and not say a god damned word the whole time. Just watch Tora. That was it.

Simple enough, right?


“There’s an undercover cop car behind us..” Gyu said as they passed it.

God Dammit.


“Yeah and what did I fuckin’ tell ya to do kid?” Tora bit out, already on edge.

“To keep my mouth shut, but we ain't there yet and I thought it’d be good to let ya know..” Gyu said, watching the cruiser and the cop glaring at them in the rearview.

“Doesn’t matter. Not in the mood.” Tora said as they inched closer to the drop off point.

Gyu just looked out of the window and kept silent.

Tora sighed, warring with himself. He knew that Gyu was just making small talk but he had no idea what was actually going on.

“Look kid.” Tora started. “Some heavy shit is gonna go down. So please just keep ya trap closed, ya got it?”

Gyu smiled sheepishly and nodded.

When they had arrived, Tora gave Gyu a pointed look. A silent order to shut the hell up, one last time.

Gyu nodded in agreement.

Tora rounded to the back and opened the trunk where the money was stashed.

He looked over to where the partner was. Tora wanted to roll his eyes desperately. The pussy was surrounded by bodyguards. Couldn’t even come by himself. Gyu came out of the car and walked over to Tora who was stalking towards the men on the other side of the warehouse.

“Samuel.” Tora said, nodding at the man who was waiting for his cash.

“I assume it’s all here.” Samuel said as Tora handed over the bag of cash.

Gyu watched on with rapt fixation between the two.

“And you are?” Samuel said to Gyu.

“No one.” Tora snapped.

“And yeah. It’s all there.” He said, calmer.

“Well then, surely you wouldn’t mind if we counted this out?” Samuel asked, his focus back on the bag of cash.

“Sure. We’ll be right here while ya count.” Tora said as he felt around for his cigarettes and lighter.

Samuel returned a cold smile to Gyu and Tora as he motioned one of his men to grab the cash counting machine.

“All hundreds I see.” Samuel smirked.

“Takes less time to count, sir.” Tora advised.

“Indeed.” Samuel took the pile of hundreds and placed them on a makeshift table.

Pleased with the total being correct and Vincent not shorting him, Samuel stuck out his hand for Tora to shake it.

“Pleasure doing business with you. Tell Vincent that I appreciate his business too.” Samuel said as Tora took his hand to shake it.

“Thank you, Sir.” Tora said, returning the gesture.

As he and Gyu turned around to go towards the car, Tora sighed a breath of relief. Gyu did good. This was fine. Maybe he could come with him to his next job.

“Hey Big Bro, wanna go to Alices and get some sushi?”

God Fucking Dammit.

Tora rounded his body, an armor to shield Gyu.

“Alices, you say? As in Officer Alice? His old lady?” Samuel called out, his voice as cold as ice.

Tora didn’t say a word as Samuel came closer.

“I asked you a question, son.”

“I came here to drop off money. Ya got ya money. Have a good day, Sir.” Tora countered.

“Ah, not so fast. You see. I had some dealings with an Officer Alice a few months ago. Didn’t like him. Guy knew too much. Said if he ever saw me again, he was gonna haul me off to the slammer. I don’t have time, I have a business to run. Now, coincidentally, your little friend here drops the same name of the officer out to get me. Either my suspicions are right and you’re cozying up to the cop or I am completely wrong, which, my friend, I am never wrong.”

Tora wanted to pistol whip him but it was the wrong place, wrong time.

“There’s a first time for everything, Sir.” Tora said, disgusted at how everything was turning out.

This was not how things were supposed to fucking go.

“You smug bastard. I know you know who I’m talking about.” Samuel said, inching towards Tora.

Tora just kept inching back, with two of Samuels steps, Tora took 3, keeping Gyu shielded the whole time.

Samuel brought his piece out when Tora pinned Gyu to the car.

“Get in the fucking car.” Tora said harshly, his head over his shoulder, willing Gyu to safety.

Gyu did as he was told and ducked into the back seat, hoping that it would be enough coverage.

“You know, for no one, you’re very protective of him.” Samuel sneered, pointing at the back of the vehicle.

“What do ya want? Leave the kid alone. Ya want info on Officer Alice? Fuck it. What do you wanna know?” Tora spat.

Samuel just chuckled darkly and said, “That’s all I wanted to know is if you knew him or not.”

Meanwhile, Joe and Lane were in the undercover cop cruiser. Just feet away from view. Lane was taking long distant photos of the exchange and Joe was listening to the bug that was planted in Tora’s car.

“Shit. Samuels onto them.” Joe whispered to his new partner.

“What are they saying?” Lane asked, taking more pictures.

“Tora’s being an asshole. He basically called Samuel wrong, more or less. Contradicting the guy.”

If Tora made this out alive, Joe was going to wring his neck.

“Oh shit, Samuel brought out his gun. The kid went back into the car.” Lane gasped.

“Shit.” 

This was not how it was supposed to go.

2 weeks ago…

“Vince has another shipment of illegal guns coming in, Joe.” Tora said as he came into his favorite sushi joint where he used to work. He felt like shit. He probably looked like shit and was on his 5th cigarette in less than an hour. He was chain smoking and he didn’t fucking care. Not like he had anything to live for anyways.

Despite Joe's attempts at showing Tora that he deserved a second chance and that he was a good person, Vince always found a way to drag him through the mud that was at one point an even ground.

Vincent had beat the shit out of him, mentally. Tora was spiraling and needed a way out. Even fucking Quincey was begging Tora to do something about to his own mental health.

But what no one seemed to understand was that Tora was not a free person to do whatever the fuck he wanted whenever the fuck he felt like it. He was just a dog on a leash. Vincent would let his lead slack and then tighten it out of sheer malice.

But from what Tora did know from his far and few in between studies, the best way to overthrow a way of life is to cut off its source. If Vincent didn’t have suppliers, the profits he made would eventually dry up and he would have to go to the more expensive suppliers out of sheer desperation.

“Look kid. I know you’re in a bad way. What do you need from me to help you?” Joe asked, placing a hand on Tora’s shoulder.

“A way out, Joe. Anything. Some sort of reprieve.” Tora sighed as he exhaled smoke from his weary lungs.

“Do you know who the supplier is? Maybe I know him.” Joe asked, taking a shot of sake.

“Some asshole named Samuel.” Tora said.

“Samuel? That bastard? Shit. I’d love to get that guy behind bars but we don’t have shit on him right now. He’s good.”

“What are ya suggestin’?” Tora asked as he took another drag.

“Next time your boss has you drop off a payment, let me know. I got a new partner. Her name is Lane. She’s really handy with those long distance cameras. We can bug your car too so we can hear it from our cruiser. Samuel wont see shit because you won't be wired. We can record and hand it over to the judge with pictures and everything.”

Tora thought about it as the nicotine coursed through his blood. It wasn’t the worst idea Joe had ever had, and he had some really stupid ideas.

“If we’re gonna do this, no one else can know. Not ya chief, not ya ma. No one.” Tora advised.

“Kid, I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes but I still work from time to time.” Joe said with a lightness to him.

“We doing this, then?” Tora asked.

“Yeah kid. Just time and place, I’ll be there with Lane.”

Old Alice came from behind the counter and served up a heaping amount of Tora’s usual before telling him that he looked like shit and needed to get some sleep.

Back to the day of the job…

“Suit up and call for backup in case shit goes south.” Joe yelled, motioning to the body armor.

Lane did as she was told, swapping her camera for her glock.

Joe replaced his earphones with a helmet, scrambling to get to the kids before Samuel killed them both.

A movement caught Samuels eye as he held the gun to Tora’s head, while Tora blankly stared at Samuel. Tora had nothing to lose. If by some miracle Samuel had succeeded, Tora would be free of this god forsaken life.

“We got company.” Samuel said, moving his gun from Tora’s gaze over to the shadow in the distance.

“Ah, Officer Joseph Alice. How lovely. We were just talking about you. How are you enjoying your highly conspicuous stroll in this neighborhood?” Samuel asked, his voice dripping with disdain.

“Back down Samuel. Your fight is with me, not him.” Joe said, his voice calm but his nerves frayed.

“Why must we always have to have these impromptu chats, old friend?” Samuel spat.

“You need to back the fuck down. One way or another, you will be taken down.” Joe spat back.

“Oh, and pray tell, Pig , who will do that?” Samuel asked as he was spinning his gun, intending to play Russian Roulette, his favorite pastime.

“Run! Get out of here!” Joe yelled at Tora who he knew wasn’t going to back down without a fight. 

Before Tora could even blink, Samuel grinned wickedly, shooting off a bullet. Tora dove in front of Joe, and the bullet grazed Tora and sent a bullet into the back seat door. A screech was heard coming from Gyu. Tora’s vision went white as pain radiated through him.

Blood was seeping out of his once clean and crisp white shirt. More bullets were heard coming from the back of Tora and Joe. Both of the body guards went down in an instant. He could hear sirens around him. And he thought he could hear a female voice telling him to move away.

“Joe, get down.” Tora yelled as Joe pointed the gun at Samuel.

“You gotta get out of—*

Blood splattered from Joe's neck, spraying onto Tora’s face.

Falling to the ground, Joe was gasping for air, clinging to Tora’s forearm.

This was not how it was supposed to go.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!” Tora yelled, still trying to understand what the fuck had happened.

Samuel looked on as cops closed in on their little gathering.

“Just work. Nothing personal, Kid.” Samuel snarled, holding the gun to Tora’s face again.

Tora felt Joe's arm leave him. Another shot came from under Tora. Samuels head blew to smithereens. Tora looked down and saw Joe struggling as the gun fell from his hand.

Samuel was laying motionless as blood pooled around his body. Joe was fading fast, the remaining strength he had was used to protect the son he never had.

Tora dropped down, ripping off his shirt and placing it on Joe's severed artery, begging him to hang in there. Praying to anything and everything that existed in the spiritual realm to spare Joe. To spare the only person in his fucked up life who told him he wasn’t worthless. Joe took off his ring and bracelet, and placed it in Toras lap. 

As the chaos ensued around him, Joe gave Tora one last smile before he slipped into eternal sleep.

Gyu came out from the back seat where he saw Tora sobbing over Officer Joe. Gyu didn’t say anything and retreated over to the emergency vehicles that were plaguing the surrounding area.

This was not how it was supposed to go.

All Gyu could feel was shame, to put it mildly. He felt disgusted. He was told to keep his mouth shut. He had never seen his big bro cry before. He didn’t know that Tora was capable of crying. Gyu’s lips trembled as he looked on from the back of the ambulance where his vitals were being taken. He watched on as Tora fought viciously with the cops who were trying to drag Joe away from him.

Gyu would never forgive himself.

Lane came through the warehouse and sauntered over to the scene. The man that Joe spoke so passionately about was scolding everyone, barking out orders to go the fuck away.

Her heart broke as she saw the behemoth of a man look so sad, angry and broken while he cradled Joe. She thought she was going to be sick.

"Tora?" She ventured as she came closer to him.

"Fuck off." Tora ordered.

"Tora. I'm Officer Lane." She said as she dropped down to his level.

Tora's eyes snapped up and looked at her. 

"What?" 

"I'm sorry for your loss. But we need to get him on the gurney and you out of here. From what I know, your.." She stopped trying to figure out her next words carefully.

"Your boss will most likely be hearing about this encounter soon. We can't have you here. If he knows you were here when this all happened..."

"I get it." Tora sighed. She was right. He did have to get out of there. Had to get Gyu out of there too. Can't be having there like sitting ducks if Vincent decided to have tails on the two once he got word.

Tora unfolded himself from Joes body and scooped up the bracelet and ring.

"Tora?" 

"Yeah?"

"We can still build a case against Vinc-"

"No. Lost one person because of this shit. Don't need to lose another."

"But--"

"No."

Tora took one last look at Joe before he put the ring and bracelet in his pocket.

He walked away from the scene and over to Gyu who was a crying mess.

This was not how it was supposed to go...

A few months later…

“Hey Tora, It’s Quincey. I need to talk to you about something…”

“What the fuck do you want?” Tora sneered into the phone. 


“You need to get out of clan duties before you spiral again. I talked to my dad and he has agreed to let you be my bodyguard.”

“I ain't gonna spiral Quince.”

“That’s bullshit Tora and you know it. You haven’t been the same since–”

“Don’t fucking finish that sentence.”

“Just, think about it.”

Tora hung up.

“What should I do, Joe?” Tora cried out, slamming his fist through the drywall in his bathroom, which in turn opened the medicine cabinet.

Joe's ring and bracelet were front and center. Words from his past came to the front of his mind,

“ You deserve a second chance. ” 

As he replayed the words in his head, he slipped on the pieces and took this opportunity to give himself a second chance.

After a few more moments of collecting himself, he called back Quincey.

“Quince. When can I start?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Tomorrow. How does that sound?”

“S’fine. Just let me know the time and place.”

The next day…

“Those are new pieces, are those…?” Quincey asked as Tora came in through Quincey's new apartment.

“Yeah, I found them last night.”

“No chance of letting me try them on?” Quincey ventured dangerously.

“Fuck no, Quince. These are mine. I ain't letting no one take this from me.”

“Possessive as always I see.” Quincey sighed as he sipped his chai latte.

“Whatever. Fuck off.” Tora seethed.

1.5 years later….

“I’m sorry Joe.” Tora cried as he watched the memory of Poppylan Wilkes leave his mind's eye.


He had given her the ring and bracelet to remember him by. Just as Joe had given it to him before he said goodbye.

He only meant to get a stupid notebook from her that she snatched on accident one day.

He didn't intend to grow so fucking attached to her. He didn't even think he'd have the want to grow so attached to someone all over again.

But because of his life and how dangerous it was, even though she wasn't dying, they still had to part.

This was not how it was supposed to go...

Chapter Text

This was supposed to be a get away. A relaxing weekend with just the guys to unplug from clan duties and from having to work on another book. Quincey was absolutely horrified when the Airbnb was not what was promised from the pictures. He was never letting Tora book anything ever again. Good lord what had he been thinking? That man couldn’t even book a date night with Miss. Editor without turning it to shite.

Quincey heard about the fondue incident.

What was advertised to be a lovely chateau in the Narin countryside complete with goose down comforters, an extra large TV in the living room complete with a gaming console, a stocked refrigerator and other luxuries, was definitely not what they got. 

When they pulled up to the cabin, after rain had been dumped on them halfway outside of the city, Quincey had asked if the address was right. Confirming that yes, in fact it was, Quincey could already feel the need for a much needed spa day. First, it wasn’t a chateau. It was a cabin! A CABIN! Then he had to walk in mud in his new Gucci shoes. Then, instead of separate living quarters with goose down comforters and fluffy pillows, they had to SHARE between the 5 of them 2 bunk beds and a couch. Then, if not what was just absolutely uncalled for, there was nowhere to put his very expensive Gucci shoes. He couldn’t possibly put them on the floor! There was dirt on the floor. 

Didn’t matter that his shoes were already ruined by mud.

The closet? Impossible. There was mold.

Quincey had been so upset over this, he didn’t even realize that there was no TV in the living room.

“Man! No TV either. What the hell did ya get us into, Tora?” Quincey heard from what he had guessed was the living room.

Oh this was absolutely all wrong. How on earth was he supposed to keep the other guys busy all weekend if they didn’t have electronics in front of them? Searching frantically for any type of reprieve, Quincey yelled as he opened the coat closet, only to have a bunch of board games tumbling down. Surely, this could not be how his life would end. God. Not like this.

“HAAAAAALP!!!!” Quincey screeched as he saw his life flash before his eyes.

All four men came crashing through the hallway as Quincey laid in the fetal position with a parcheesi game token stuck in his ear.

“Quinceton. For Christ's sake, get up.” Tora said as he lurched over a helpless Quincey.

“What? You’re not going to help me up?!” Quincey asked the team of neanderthals in the doorway.

Gyu, wonderful Gyu, reached out his hand to help. He was definitely going to be getting a raise. What an absolute darling.

“Come on, let's get you up.” Gyu said as the others rolled their eyes at the display of affection.

“Thank you, Honey. Glad to see one of you still respects me.” Quincey said, practically sulking as he brushed off his pants.

“Soooo….now what? There’s no TV. And the signal out here is shit. And I’m pretty sure there’s something alive in the refrigerator.” Brian said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder.

A nightmare. An absolute nightmare.

Then, the power went out.

“Oh my gahhh, Honey! Help me!” Quincey cried as he attempted to jump into Tora’s unloving arms.

“Get the fuck off me, Quince. Jesus Christ. It’s just a power outage.” The behemoth huffed as he chucked Quincey from his embrace.

Pinky and Brian whipped out their phones and Gyu went to go find the circuit breaker. Satisfied that there was sufficient light from the cell phones, Quincey fixed his hair and squared his shoulders.

A few minutes later, the door opened.

“Well..” Gyu said, as he came in from the outside, a flashlight casting a dark shadow over his face.

“AHHHH!!!!” All 4 of the others yelled. Brian pushed Pinky to the monster coming inside as a sacrifice, Tora whipped out his pistol quicker than his jackfruit before rubbing one out in Poppy’s absence and Quincey was hiding behind a dusty pillow.

“It’s me. The breaker is dead. And I don’t think the car is going anywhere. It's stuck in the mud. We’ll have to wait until morning. Hopefully the weather lets up.” Gyu said as he came into the dim light.

“Gee Big Bro, ya almost knocked off Gyu. Let's get settled if we ain't got nowhere to go for now.” Brian suggested.

Gyu wiped off his boots from the mud and held the flash light that he found in the car.

“We might as well pack it in for the evening. There ain't much to do. Sorry guys.” Tora said as everyone whipped their heads at the sudden apology that no one saw coming.

“This is all my fault. I should have just booked it from AirBNB like I was supposed to. But I found a website that said this place was 50% off and–” Tora was cut off as Quincey took it upon himself to speak for everyone.

“Tora, it’s OK. This place isn’t so bad. We will just spend the night here and leave in the morning like Gyu said!” Quincey offered a smile, he was too nice for his own good.

“Well we at least have some flashlights and beer.” Brian said as he unpacked his bag on his bottom bunk.

“Oh and Miss. Poppy even packed up some snacks for us too just in case something didn’t work out.” Gyu said as he unpacked the small cooler from his bag that she had him pick up just before they left.

“She make rice balls?” Tora asked as he came over to inspect.

“Nah. Not this time bro. But she did pack some strawberry juice.” Gyu offered a slightly pouting Tora.

Tora snarled at Gyu as he took it from his hands and glared at everyone who thought they were invited to have some of HIS strawberry juice.

Everyone else looked at each other and muttered “fuck it” as they grabbed the dollar store beer.

An hour later and a few drunk thugs later…

“It was a dark and stormy night, much like this one. The only light source that was available was a flashlight that was running low on batteries. Once the batteries ran out, there would only be darkness. But no, that was not the scariest part of all. Despite the crashing thunder and lightning, the 300 thread count sheets and the lack of caviar, the poor man found himself out of..”

Quincey looked up to find everyone in rapt fixation. Satisfied that he held their attention in his clutches he continued.

“I swear if you say some shit like face cream, I’m gonna kill you.” Tora muttered around his last strawberry juice before Quincey could move on with his story.

“God Dammit, Tora! You ruined it!” Quincey sneered in cursive, scoffing at the audacity.

“Ya’ve been telling the same god damned story for years now. It ain't ruined if it was already bland to begin with.” Tora said as he got up from his spot on the floor.

“Bro I haven’t heard the story! So yah! Ya did ruin it.” Gyu yelled as he too stood up.

“Whatever. Don’t care. Goin out for a smoke.” Tora said over his shoulder as he sauntered over to the covered back patio.

“You got another story you can tell us?” Pinky asked as Quincey scowled at his moody friend.

“Ugh no. Everything else is just stuff that needs to be beta'd and we didn’t come here for that. Unless…” Quincey said, a smile forming on his face.

In unison, Gyu, Pinky, Brian, and Tora, shouted “NO!”

“Fine! Well what do you suppose we do?” Quincey asked.

Looking around the cabin, Gyu ventured back to the closet. He found a few lanterns and with Tora’s lighter, they were able to have a light source.

“Hey guys. Why don’t we play this murder mystery game? It’s called “Clue.” Have you ever heard of it?”

“Oh yeah man! That game is a lot of fun! See you have these characters right? And they’re all super shady. There’s a murderer, and the group has to figure out who did it and with what weapon.” Brian said as he took the board game out of Gyu’s hand, setting it up on the table in the living room.

“How often do ya play this, Brian?” Tora inquired as he took a drag of a cigarette.

“Oh quite often. It's the only game my nana will play.” Brian explained as he took out the different murder tokens and started to shuffle the weapon, suspect and room card decks.

“OK, everyone! Here’s the Clue sheets & ya cards. No peeking and absolutely no sharing what cards ya got!” Brian said as he handed out each of the game pieces.

“Rope, Dagger, Pistol, Wrench, Candlestick, Pipe. Those are the weapons. It’s up to us to figure out who killed who where and what weapon they used.” Brian explained.

“Next, I’m gonna place these three cards in the clue envelope. These hold the answers as to who did the whackin’” Brian furthered.

“Let me see this.” Quincey said, taking the case file from the box.

“ This evening Samuel Black was found murdered in his mansion! Detectives found six suspects and six weapons in the mansion’s nine rooms, but couldn’t solve the case. So, now it’s up to you to solve the murder! To win the game you must find out three things about the murder:
1. Who did it?
2. With what weapon?
3. And where?”

“Sounds like it could be fun.” Quincey mused.

“Like snitchin?” Tora asked as he looked over his cards.

“Don’t snitches get stitches?” Gyu asked, following Tora’s lead.

“It’s not real snitchin. It’s just for fun.” Brian said casually, cards facing him.

Everyone but Quincey, who was always all about fun, dead panned.

“Oh for crying out loud everyone. It’s just a game. Tora, honey, stop taking yourself so seriously. Gyu, stop crawling up Tora’s ass. Damien, stop drinking that cheap beer. You need your head in the game. Let's just play a test game, see how we like it and go from there.”

Quincey was feeling quite satisfied with himself.

“Now, it says we have to roll the dice to see who goes first. Highest roller goes first in the game.” Quincey blew on his dice, Brian told him he looked like the little cunt, Goliath doing that, which was followed up by Tora smacking him upside the head.

“Aw. only 5.” Quincey sobbed.

“My turn.” Tora said as he threw the dice. It landed on ten. A smug smile landed on his face.

Pinky went next, saying something about how “Daddy needs a pair of 6 for his purple haired goddess…” He got snake eyes.

Gyu went, landing 9.

Brian got an 11. So he went first, stealing the smug smile from Tora’s face and planting it on his own.

Brian immediately went, as the others around him watched. He ended up in the garage.

Taking the green token that belonged to Tora and the rope Brian asked,

“Green in the garage with the rope?” 

Tora snorted. “I wouldn’t use a fuckin rope until AFTER he’s dead.”

“Again. Not real life, Tora. God.” Quincey muttered before taking in the looks on others' faces.

Pinky looked like he was going to hurl, Gyu looked twitchy from all of those red bulls he slams and Tora…well he had that creepy smile on his face.

Oh God.

Quincey blanched as everyone said that they couldn’t answer. What did he agree to?

“Now you, Quincey.”

Sheepishly, Quincey showed Brian the rope card. And that creepy asshole smiled. SMILED!

“OK Big Bro, it’s your turn.”

Tora dragged Quincey’s Scarlet token with him to the attic with the wrench.

Oh God.

“I NEED TO TAKE A BREAK!” He shrieked. The blond went into a tizzy. Not even his turn yet and he was a sitting duck. So what if he did it? He was a mafia heir. No one would blink; put it past him. Hell, his old man would be proud of him!

“The hell, Quince. What happened to it’s just a game?”

Placing his head between his knees, Quincey regained his strength and dignity. He fixed his hair and sat back down.

Oh thank fuck. Pinky showed Tora a card. Ok. All was not lost. Tora fought with the pen as he crossed something off on his list.

Then Pinky went. Dragging Gyu’s Mustard over to the library with him and the pistol. “Was it Mustard, in the library with the pistol? Well?! Was it GYU?!”

“Jesus, Pinky. Calm down.” Tora chuckled.

Quincey saw Gyu struggle under the weight of Pinky’s accusation. His eyes shifted even more when he saw Tora arch a brow. Gyu was shit at lying and everyone knew it.

Pinky huffed in amusement as Gyu showed him one of his cards.

Gyu was next, then it was Quincey’s turn.

“Alright let's see here.” Gyu started as he looked across the board. 

“Brian, I’m gonna say it was Peacock, in the kitchen with the dagger.”

“Bro. Why would I use a perfectly good kitchen knife to kill someone? Those things are expensive. And I ain't no high rank.”

A burst of laughter came from all corners of the table. Quincey had to hand it to Brian. He had a point.

He showed a card to Gyu nonetheless. Gyu jotted something down and it was Quincey’s turn.

Mustering up all of his confidence, Quincey rolled his dice and took his turn.

“Pinky. I’m going to say it’s you. In the bedroom with the lead pipe.” Quincey said.

“Nah. It ain’t me. Got nothing. Wouldn’t choose a bedroom for violence.”

Hm. Damn.

“Ok show me one of your cards, Brian.” Dammit. He had the lead pipe.

Round and round they went. Accusations were thrown out like caution to the wind. What was once a strong bond between friends and workmates was disposed of like yesterday’s newspaper. The tension was building, Tora was chain smoking and Quincey was on his third almost meltdown.

Until…

“I know who did it!!!!” Quincey was so excited.

“Who did it?!” Pinky screamed in cursive, already on his 4th beer.

“IT WAS GREEN! IN THE GAME ROOM! WITH THE DAGGER!!!!

Everyone looked at Tora who had a shit eating grin. Which was funny. Quincey was the winner. Why did Tora look so smug?

Looking at the cards in the murder envelope, Quincey’s suspicions were deemed accurate.

“Kind of poetic, don’t ya think?” Tora said as he took another drag of his cigarette.

“What do you mean?” Gyu dared to ask.

“Well. Shit. A dagger. The color green. A game room. Who does that remind ya of..?”

“Goliath?” Quincey asked as a dark grin came over Tora’s face. “You’re happy that you got to pretend to kill Goliath?”

“Whatever happened to “It’s just a game” Quince?” Tora winked, got up and left everyone else breathless for a moment. Not quite sure what to make of what just happened.

“Hey Uh Tora. Did you really mean that?” Quincey asked a few minutes later as everyone else was cleaning up the game.

“Get a fuckin’ clue, Quinceton. Of course I didn’t. He probably just ran off of a cliff or something.”

“Ha yeah probably.”

By the time that everyone had settled down and cleaned up from the antics, it was getting late. Pinky was passed out on the floor littered with the beer cans, Tora was sound asleep on the couch muttering something about “Bobby petting the tiger”,  Gyu was listening to an ancient device known as a  "walk man" that he found hidden away up in the closet, and Brian was laying up in the top bunk while wrapped around a blanket that his nana gave him.

Quincey had to smile at the display before him. He would take it to his grave, enjoying the comedy of errors that had unfolded from that night.

He wouldn’t trade it for a thing.

Except for maybe 1000 thread Egyptian cotton.

*SOB*

Chapter Text

It's been 3 years since Vincent's death. Quinceys takeover of the “family business” but taking everything legit, with no dirty money has led Tora being able to live his life unchained.

The only person he will ever be tied to, by choice,  is Poppylan Wilkes. Even after being married for 2 years, she still has a trick or five up her sleeve. That little five foot something was full of surprises, a never ending supply of “What the fuck?” was always on tap.

***A month and a half before comic-con***

Tora found Poppy on the couch watching some movie called “The Legend of Tarzan.”

“Whatcha watchin, sweetheart?” Tora asked, taking a seat beside her on their couch.

“Tarzan”, You know, man in the jungle with…” She started only to trail off. Tora frowned as her eyes were glued to some other guy on the screen walking around shirtless.

It was raining in the scene. What a dumbfuck. That guy was going to get sick.

He rolled his eyes at himself. He’d been there before too. But not willingly. Well. That wasn’t true either, was it? He could recall more than a handful of times where they would get stuck in the rain and he had offered his jacket to her. HE had been the dumbfuck who hadn’t worn a shirt under his jacket. But TCH. That was different, god dammit!

“Nah sweetheart, can’t say that I’m in the habit of watching grown ass men walking around shirtless…” Tora said as Poppy took a large gulp of her water. She was utterly transfixed as the rippling abs on display were taking up the screen.

“Oh well. Neither am I. But I haven’t seen this version of Tarzan before. Besides, it’s not just him, there's adventure too! And explosions! And look! Even something for you to look at!” She said, gesturing at the busty blonde who was now as equally on the screen as the abs for days.

Tora smirked. She was so damn cute, thinking that blondie was his type.

“You enjoy your movie, sweetheart. But come and find me when you’re ready for some real action.” He teased, getting up from the couch and giving her a smirk with his dimples.

Poppy turned off the tv as he walked away and climbed him like a tree. 

“I’ll show you wild…”

“What do you have in mind, shweetheart?” He asked as she squished his cheeks.

“Welllllll….How about a game of strip poker?” She offered, wagging her eyes at him.

“Strip Poker, Bobby? Really? Since when do you know how to play poker?” 

“That’s not an answer. It’s either yes or a no. And from the tent you're pitching, I think I know what the answer is…What do you say?” She proposed, booping his nose with her index finger.

Tora let out a laugh as her legs were wrapped around his waist, arms draped around his shoulders, his hands cupping her ass.

“Fine. What are we betting against?” He asked as he nuzzled her neck, already feeling his dick straining against his jeans.

“You win, I’ll do whatever sexual fantasy you have.”

Tora’s eyebrows raised into his hairline.

Well shit. 

“And, if you..win?” He gulped thickly.

“Welllllll, there's a comic con coming up and I wanted to go and if I win, you have to go as whatever I want you to. Gyu already got me the tickets.”

“And what is it that you want me to go as?”

“Ah ah ah! That’s the whole beauty of it. You won’t know until I win.” She beamed as she kissed his cheek, hopping down from her perch.

“Ya mean IF ya win, sweetheart.” Tora reminded her as she looked up at him.

“Sure, IF I win, Tora. IF I win.” Poppy winked at him as she strode across the living room to grab a deck of cards.

Something told Tora not to fall for her innocent act.

But his eyes told him to follow her ass.

2 practice rounds and best 2 out of 3 later, Tora was again at the mercy of his pint sized wife.

“Bobby. Where did you learn how to play poker?” Tora inquired as he was in nothing but his boxers with hamsters as the design.

She giggled, stood up and patted him on the back.

“A lady never tells.” She sighed delicately into his ear.

“I don’t see no lady here.” He joked as he swooped her up as he marched them to their bedroom.

***A month before comic con***

“Tora, for the last time, you have to put on the loin cloth. It’s not a complete outfit without it.” Quincey said, pushing the sad excuse for a cover up back over to Tora.

“Quince. This ain't an outfit to begin with. It’s a fucking washcloth.” Tora retorted, chucking the material into the air like a basketball, hoping it landed in the trash.

“Oh Tora! You agreed to this!” Quincey said, picking up the discarded piece of offensive clothing.

“The fuck I did! I lost to a fuckin’ bet. That little hamster is gonna be the death of me. Thought I could win but she’s better at strip poker than I am..”

“And…honey? What lesson did that teach you?” Quincey sang as he handed over the loin cloth, yet again.

“Not to underestimate my wife, apparently. You’d think I’d know better by now. And not to invite ya over for a whole weekend.” Tora sighed, rolling his eyes as he inspected his costume, or lack thereof with a look of disgust.

“Quince, give me some space while I try this shit on.” Tora muttered as he gestured for the blond to leave his room.

Tora huffed in slight amusement as he tried to adjust his junk. There was a knock on the door and his wife's voice floated through the door jam.

“Tora, I’m coming in. I just got back from the costume shop. I have my outfit and I just need you to help me get in it to make sure it fits..”

“Oooh Poppylan, you’re going to look ah-mazing in that!” Tora heard Quincey praise Poppy.

“I think so too. I think the corset may be a bit much? What do you think?” She asked.

“No honey, absolutely not. Perfect touch. Forget about Tarzan, You're the real thirst trap.” Quincey said.

“Oh for fucks sake.” Tora muttered as he swung open the door.

Poppy met him with a wide eyed gaze as she raked her eyes over his body and Quincey was wearing a shit eating grin.

He crossed his arms and looked down, her cheeks becoming his favorite shade of pink.

“Tora.” She started nearly breathless.

“Yeah sweetheart? Like what ya see?”

She nodded absent mindedly as she continued to look over the Greek God standing in the doorway.

“Maybe this was a bad idea.” She sighed, fixing the crooked cloth.

“Oh no, sweetheart. You never have bad ideas. In fact, get ya cute little ass in that costume. It’s only fair if ya get to see me in mine.” 

“Quincey, please excuse us.” Poppy said as she ventured into the bedroom, shutting the door in her friends face.

Tora went for her shirt before she could even take her hand off of the door knob.

“Tora what on earth?”

“Ya said ya needed help, Bobby. I’m helpin’” Tora said, watching in amusement as he disassembled the clothing on his wife.

“Yeah but mmf.” She muffled as her arms went up, the shirt riding her face in a desperate mission to get it off.

“OK. Stop manhandling me for a moment, would you? I’m actually trying to make sure this fits. Keep your hands to yourself until I’m ready for you.” She chided as she tried to catch her breath.

“How can I behave when ya lookin’ at me like that?” Tora countered, his abs rivalring that douche on the screen from a few weeks ago.

Poppy rolled her eyes and took the costume out of the bag.

Well fuck. He was a goner, wasn’t he?

It wasn’t the lewdest thing he has ever seen on her. She has worn some pretty indecent pieces of material before. But that was inside the bedroom.

She shucked off her leggings and he smirked at her tiger print matching set of lingerie.

“Nice panties, sweetheart.” Tora said, taking his index finger and put it between her hip and the fabric, giving it a firm tug and release.

“Hands to yourself, mister.” She scolded him, wagging her finger at him as she turned around, not facing him.

He sighed dramatically and watched in rapt fixation as she put on her costume.

It was a white corset top with a long red skirt. The skirt had a slit that went from just below her mid thigh down to the bottom. She took the corset and put it over her chest. It cinched from the back and Tora frowned. He wasn’t the best at handling tiny things. He snorted, he could hardly handle his tiny wife on some days.

Then, just when Tora had finally come to his senses, she did something that sent all of the blood running from his brain down to his other head.

Poppy unlatched her bra and the tiger print went down to the floor. Her beautiful, petal soft pale skin was on display for him. She wasn’t going to wear a fucking bra?

He didn't realize he said that last thought out loud.

“No Tora. It’s a corset. Why would I wear a bra just to wear another bra? That's a false advertisement.” She giggled as she turned around, coming towards him.

“Bobby.” He started, hopelessly tongue tied.

She stopped in front of him, turning her back to face him again and asked gently for him to help her cinch up the corset.

It took him about 15 minutes to get all of the buttons done and the lace strings to be tied. He smirked while taking in his work. But damn, his fingers hurt. He was fucked if he had to help her again the next time.

She turned around and smiled brightly. 

“Well, what do you think? How do I look?”

“Like this is a bad idea, sweetheart. Ya sure we can’t go as pirates or some shit?” He asked, half joking.

“What happened to “You don't have bad ideas..” Huh?” Poppy asked with a grin.

“Besides, this is pretty tame compared to most of the pirate costumes I have seen for women.” She advised, gesturing up and down the length of her body.

“Fine. We’ll go as Tarzan and Jane.” Tora started unbuttoning her without being asked.

“Tora, what are you doing? I still need to show Quincey.” She said turning around.

“Fuck Quinceton. He can see ya when it’s time for the comic con.” Tora said, rather seriously. 

“Now let's get you outta that and into bed.” He whispered from behind her, his hot breath running down her neck as he kissed her.

He threw her onto the bed and she spread out, giggling as he came towards her.

Then fucking Quincey knocked on the door.

“Helllllo!!! How long does it take to try on a costume?!”

“Fuck off!” Tora yelled as he started to ravage his wife, nourishing the insatiable beast from within.

****Day of Comic Con****

“Huh, I must have gained a little weight. The corset is a bit snugger than I remember it being. Tora, can you loosen it just a bit?” Poppy asked as she frowned at the mirror.

“Sure Bobby.” Tora sighed. It took forever for her to get into that contraption but if she needed to be adjusted, he’d do it. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable.

As he loosened the tie, she let out a sigh.

“That’s better.” She said, adjusting her ladies. "Maybe I just ate too much for breakfast."


30 minutes later they were finally nearing the convention center.

“OK. Remember Tora, if you’re not comfortable, we can always leave.” Poppy reminded him for the millionth time.

“Sweetheart. I dont give a flying fuck. ‘Sfine. As long as you can beat off anyone who comes at me with those wild fists, I’m good.”

“Oh my god, Tora. That was one time. You know I didn't think I'd land that!” Poppy yelled, her brows furrowing as her arms crossed.

Tora smirked and nodded. “You’re right. It was one time. But it made a lasting impression.” He said turning into the parking lot.

Poppy’s phone rang as they got into their space. Quincey never stopped with the surprises.

When he heard that they were going to Comic-Con, he had insisted that they get only the best parking with a private entrance so they didn’t have to enter with the rest of the plebeians. Even though Poppy had become good at protesting, Tora had to agree with Quincey on this one. It was bad enough that he’d be in a crowd all day, practically naked. Maybe a little privacy wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Hey Quincey!” Poppy chirped.

“Poppy, honey, are you two almost here? Gyu is getting bored in the private lounge.”

“You mean, you haven’t even made your way into the actual convention?!”

“Ugh. No. Not yet honey. I’m waiting for both of you to make your grand entrance.”
Poppy sighed.

“Ok, Quincey. We’re here. We’ll be right there.”

“Toodles!”

Poppy hit the end call button and looked at Tora. Could she tell he was pitching a tent again? He’d hope not.

“You ready?” She asked hesitantly.

“Come on, Bobby. Put on your pair of hamster balls and let's get this over with. The sooner we get in there, the sooner we can go.” 

Poppy nodded in agreement as she took off her seat belt.

As they walked in the private entrance, Tora draped his arm around her shoulder, teasing her skin with the rough pad of his thumb.

He didn’t think that in all of his years, he’d be here, with this devil of a woman. All she did was have to bat one fuckin’ eyelash at him and he was at her mercy. Completely useless with her doe pleading eyes. He walked right into her trap. He was supposed to be the one with years of experience getting people right into his clutches.

Yet here he was. In a goddamn loin cloth, entering the convention center all because of a fuckin’ notebook.

And he would do it all over again.

He couldn’t help his lingering eyes as her ample cleavage was practically spilling out of her corset. He had become so distracted that he almost ran into the door to the private lounge.

“Tora! Good Lord, honey, watch where you’re going. The door almost took you out for the count before you could even enjoy yourself.” Quincey scolded.

“My god, Poppylan, however did you stuff yourself in there?! With brute force I am so sure! You look stunning!” Quincey stated as he gestured for her to turn 360 so he could see the full outfit.

“You guys aren’t dressed yet…Where are your costumes? And what on earth is that smell?” Poppy asked as Gyu came out of the bathroom, still in his normal white tee and jeans, trying his best to avoid the rather massive amount of skin on display.

“Oh we were waiting until you got here. I didn’t want to be dressed up all day! And I don’t know what smell you’re talking about? Unless it’s that shrimp over there with the cocktail sauce?” Quincey stated, pointing at the spread of different food.

“Gyu, be a doll and get Simon, he has our outfits.”

Tora smirked lightly, taking in the look of relief on Gyu’s face. He always did his best to avoid staring for too long. Something told Tora that today would be an exercise for the little punk, starting with Poppy’s chest.

And why was Poppy avoiding the food? Normally, she’d have her cheeks halfway stuffed with different food by now.

A few moments later, Simon came in with two costumes. They were complete with a bow and a faux ax.

What the fuck?

Tora raised an eyebrow.

“Ya gonna tell me what ya gonna be, Quince?”

“Oh Yasss! I am going to be the delicious Elf, Legolas from that Jewelry movie and Gyu here he’s..” Quincey started as Gyu cut him off.

“I have to be the fuckin’ dwarf, Gimli.”

A howl came from below all of them as Poppy snorted. They all looked down at her as she laughed at them.

“I’m sorry. Oh my god. I’m so sorry. But why on earth does Gyu have to be Gimli?! You couldn’t have him go as oh I don't know, Aragorn?” She asked through a fit of laughter.

Tora had never been more confused in his life. And that was saying some shit.

What is this about a jewelry movie? Elves? Dwarves? And who the fuck was Acorn? Was that another thirst trap fucker that he didn’t know about?

“Quincey said that I couldn’t go as Aragorn because that meant he had to go as Arwen.”

Who the fuck was this Arwen person?!

“Quincey, you know darn well that you didn’t HAVE to go as Arwen. You could have gone as Samwise and Frodo!”

Sammich and Fro yo? The fuck?

“Whatever honey. It’s done now. Give us some space. We need to get changed.” Quincey stated as he gestured the two of them to take a seat in the resting area of the lounge.

Tora took Poppy by the hand and led her to the small couch.

“Bobby, what is this about an elf, fro yo and some jewelry? What's the movie?” Tora asked rather seriously.

She fuckin giggled at him and patted his nearly bare thigh.

“It’s not JUST a movie Tora. It’s a classic book series by J.R.R Tolkien. It’s about this place called middle earth and about the different inhabitants of it. You see there’s this ring that was forged in the fire of Mt. Doom…”

As she prattled on about some halfwits called hobbits, some wizard named Gandalf and something about potatoes boiling ‘em, mashin em, sticking ‘em in a stew or some shit, taking the hobbits to some place called Isengate or whatever, he listened, as much as he could.

He knew she was a nerd and a book enthusiast but this was a bit too much. 

“Oh my God! Quincey! Look at you! And Gyu! You guys look perfect!!” Poppy yelled as the pair came from the other side.

“I feel like an idiot.” Gyu sighed as he adjusted his helmet.

“Oh please honey. You look great.” Quincey chimed.

“Are we good to go now?” Tora asked as he looked on to the display before him. 

Christ. 

What had he gotten himself into?

“Before we do, can I just get one picture?” Poppy pleaded, turning her eyes on all three of the men.

“Fine.” Tora huffed.

“Simon, can you take a picture with my phone please?” She asked the costume assistant, handing her phone over to him.

‘Yeah.” Simon agreed, stepping back as everyone gathered together. 

”Alright, everyone, smile.”

Tora pinched Poppy’s butt and made her squirm and scowl as Simon took the picture.

“Tora!!!” Poppy yelled as he just gave her his infamous dimpled grin.

“Gyu. Switch sides with me. This Neondental can't keep his hands off of me to take one picture.”

”Christ. It was one time. I'm a neanderthal not a fuckin' neondental." Tora said, damning himself instantly as he called himself out on two accounts.

Poppy shot him a smile, again, falling into her trap.

"Sorry sweetheart I'll be good. I'll be good. I was just gettin’ into character.” He pleaded as she eyed him skeptically.

“Fine. One more picture. No butt pinching!”

“Smile!”

Tora kept true to his word and didn’t pinch her butt. Nah, he grabbed a healthy handful instead.

“Dang it Tora!’

“Oh for the love of God. We’ll take one later. The longer you two dingbats fluster each other, the more crowded it's going to be!” Quincey stated as Simon handed Poppy her phone.

“Alright Sweetheart, let's get this show on the road.” Tora said as he took a deep breath, submerging himself out of the safety of the private lounge and into the crowd that needed to be doused with deodorant. Poppy took him by the hand as they strode out into the open.

“What do we do now?” Tora asked as Poppy started scanning the convention center.

“Well, at 2, there’s going to be a panel from one of my favorite shows growing up. It didn’t last very long. It was called “Firefly.” But my dad and I watched it when he started to get sick."

“Firefly? Like the kind at ya granny’s house on the lake?” Tora asked, taking in how many people were ogling him.

“No. Not like a bug. It’s a type of ship meant for space travel. The name of the ship is called Serenity.”

“So, it's a show about space?” Tora asked, confused as hell.

“Kind of. Think of it as a space western. It has bandits, space travel and some really delicious strawberries.  Anyways! The panel is going to be the guy who played the captain, the engineer chick and the man they call Jayne!” She giggled.

“Sounds like fun. What do ya wanna do until then?”

Before Poppy could answer, a thirsty troupe of women appeared out of nowhere, eyeing Tora like he was meat on a stick.

“Oh my god. It’s Tarzan. Oof, wanna show me a wild time?” A girl asked who was wearing cinnamon buns on the side of her head. Or was that her hair? She was also in a white dress and from the looks of it, she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“Can we take a picture with you?” Another one wearing a metal bikini asked. What a dipshit. It’s too hot for that, she’ll burn herself if she goes outside.

“Yeah can we?” Another girl asked. At least SHE was wearing something more sensible. It was all white with the exception of an off white puffy vest. Her hair looked good too. It was in a style Bobby frequented from time to time.

“Hey Tarzan, they’re talking to ya.” Gyu said, chuckling.

“Wha?” Tora asked, realizing everyone was waiting for a reply.

Shit. Since when was he so invested in this convention?

“Uh yeah. Sure. As long as Bobby takes one with me.”

“Who’s Bobby? Are you Bobby?” The girl with the cinnamon buns asked Quincey.

He let out a big laugh.

“No honey. I am most definitely not Bobby.”

“I’m Bobby. But I guess you can call me Jane to his Tarzan.” Poppy advised, hooking her thumb over to her hubby.

Tora snorted as bikini bottom’s smile fell.

“Quincey, can you take a picture?” Poppy asked, handing the phone over to Elvish blonde.

Huffing, Quincey took everyone's phones as they smashed them into his hands.

“Gimli, take some pictures too. I can’t do all the work, honey.”

“Fuckin’ Elves…” Gyu muttered as he adjusted his ax for the millionth time that day.

The women all gathered round the brooding wild man in the loin cloth. Poppy got right in there as he draped his arm over her shoulder. She was nestled into his embrace, smiling brightly as the other girls awkwardly stood there, leaning in, trying to get as close to him as possible.

“And that’s the last…one!” Gyu said, handing the phones back along with Quincey.

Tora whispered to Poppy as all of the girls left their side, “Is the one in the white dress wearing a bra?”

Poppy shook her head no. “There's no underwear in space, Tora.”

Tora let out a laugh, re-focusing his attention on Quincey and Gyu.

“Do you want to take a picture with me and my bow?” Quincey asked.

“And what about me and my ax?” Gyu offered as well.

All three girls looked at each other and shook their heads and walked away.

“Don’t think Belle would be too keen on seeing a picture with them.” Tora advised.

“Oh speaking of Belle, wasn’t she supposed to come too?” Quincey asked.

“Yeah but she got stuck on a layover. I was gonna partner with her but she had to cancel.”

“So I was just a fill in? UGH rude.” Quincey scoffed, adjusting his bow.

“Annnnyways! Lets go check out some of the Lego Displays!” Poppy suggested, already pulling Torzan along with her.

Gyu and Quincey smirked as the little woman dragged the beast of a man with just her little hand.

Before they could get to “Lego City” stopping every 15 fucking feet for pictures, some with Blue and Pink people claiming to be “Hades and Pomegranate” or something like that and others dressed like they got their costumes from half off section at Goodwill like Aniki’s fuckin’ toupee, it was time for the panel of the Firefly cast members.

“We’ll just catch it after the panel. It’s there all day and the panel is only for an hour. The Jurassic Park Legos will still be there when it's over.” Poppy advised a disgruntled Tora. He was finding himself disappointed that he didn’t get to see the fuckin’ legos yet.

“This place is packed. We’re never gonna get good seats.” Gyu sighed as almost all of the seating area was filled

A loud laugh came from the Elf from behind the royal jungle couple and the grumpy dwarf.

“Please. You forget who you’re with.” Quincey sang as he waved over a security guard.

Sauntering over, one of the guards addressed him.

“Can I help you, sir?” The man named Jake from the looks of his badge asked.

“Balthuman, Party of 4. You know the drill.”

“Young Master? Is that you? Hardly recognized ya! Come on over this way. We have your seats all ready.” Jake gestured.

As they trailed behind the Mafia Elven Lord and his humble servant, Tora, Poppy and Gyu all shared amused looks.

“He’s always pulling shit like this. Swears up and down that he hates his ties to his father but loves to get free passes like this.” Tora said.

“Well, I’m not gonna complain! At least I will be able to see now. You won't have to lift me up on your shoulders, now Tora.” Poppy said hastily as she practically bounced.

Tora frowned. He wouldn’t have minded. Maybe he’ll just have to hoist her up later, in the bedroom.

“Here you are. Please let me know if you need anything else!” Jake advised as they settled into their front row seats that were reserved just for them.

“Thank you, honey!” Quincey waived off at the security guard.

“Quincey, how do you always manage to get us the best seats in the house?” Poppy asked as she took her seat next to her hubby.

Quincey snorted. 

“My old man may be dead and buried but his last name isn’t.” He replied.

“Hey man! What the hell! These were supposed to be good seats. Now I’ve got a wall in front of me.” They all heard someone whine from behind them.

Tora snapped his body around in quick succession, about to punch the mother fucker taking his seat, as Poppy placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Tora, before you go throwing punches, just trade seats with me, so that we don’t have to listen to him for the rest of the panel.” She suggested his tension leaving his body.

“Ok, Bobby.” Tora supplied a smile.

“Man, he’s whipped.” Another dumbfuck added.

“Actually. You know what?!” Poppy started.

Tora, Quincey and Gyu looked on in amusement as the pocket sized pistol of a woman turned around, glaring at the assholes that she was going to appease.

“I actually really like this seat.”

She turned around, flipping her hair and laying her head on Tora’s shoulder.

Tora’s body was shaking, trying to hide his laughter.

“You’re the biggest asshole I have ever met.” He chuckled as Quincey and Gyu snickered.

“No, I’m the smallest butt hole, Tora.” Poppy said as he squeezed her shoulder, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

Just then the MC started the introductions of the “Firefly” cast.

“Oh my god! It’s starting!” Poppy cried as they entered the podium.

For the next hour, Quincey played with his phone, Gyu tried to keep his eyes above the chest of the cute engineer,Tora asked Poppy every five minutes what the fuck everyone on stage was talking about, letting him know that they would have a marathon.

Great.

Adding to his different marathons, he’d have to watch this now too for next year. He laughed to himself. Like hell he was gonna go next year. If he was, he’d go as something much different. Something that wouldn’t make him practically naked.

“Alright! Legos Tora?” Poppy asked as the cast members left the stage.

Fuck Yeah!

“Sure whatever ya want, sweetheart.” Tora answered.

“Gyu! Quince! Come on! We’re gonna go look at the different Lego displays, then we can do a little shopping! There’s a pop up store with different Funko Pops!”

The fuck is a Funko Pop? Fuck Pops? Funky Poppy?

As they meandered through the Lego City, as it was called, Tora took delight in the different displays. He never really played with Legos as a kid. Quincey let him play with some in secret but never for a long time. But seeing this, he was amazed at the different structures. He especially took interest in the huge ass Godzilla on display and the Mothra that was mounted above it.

“Isn’t this amazing, Tora! All of these people have joined in a contest and at the end, we get to vote for who did the best.” Poppy said as she stooped down to look at the tiny details from each brick.

Tora just nodded, loving the way she always was enthusiastic whether it was for other people or in the bedroom.

“And look, over there! It's the Helms Deep Battle!! Gyu! Quincey! LOOK!” She yelled, jabbing her index finger at the display.

Holy shit.

That thing looked like it took days, if not weeks or months to recreate. Tora was kind of impressed.

He’d keep that one in mind.

“What is Helm's Deep, Poppy?” Quincey asked, as Legolas, in front of a bunch of different people dressed as Orcs, Elves, Gandalf and Aragorn.

Poppy burst out laughing as everyone gave Quincey a look of “You’re kidding right?”

Quincey sighed dramatically and stomped over to a different display.

Tora asked Poppy in a hushed tone, “What is Helm's Deep?”

“You’ll just have to watch the movie with me, Tor-Zan.” She advised.

“Torzan?” He chuckled.

“Yes. You’re Torzan.” She smiled back at him. “Oh Look! It's Jurassic Park!”

They went over to the Dino display and Tora looked on in amusement at the T-rex stomping on the multi-colored jeep.

Maybe he would have to change his mind and make that his choice as the winner.

Fuck. This was gonna be harder than he thought.

As they made their way through the maze of bricks, Tora couldn’t help but notice that Poppy was starting to become a little tired and not as enthusiastic as she had been not just half an hour ago.

“Come on slow pokes. We’re almost to the end.” Quincey said, looking over to the couple behind him.

Gyu was assessing a display with some oversized dog with a gun and the girl with the cinnamon buns for hair.

“Need me to carry you, sweetheart?” Tora asked, looking down at her.

“No, I’ll be OK. I think I just need some air and some water. Let's put in our vote and take a break.” She offered as she tried to quicken her pace.

“Ya hungry at all? I noticed some food trucks when we pulled up to the convention center.” Tora asked as he took her hand.

“No, not really. Actually the thought of food makes me feel kinda gross.” She said holding her stomach.

“Maybe it's just a mixture of the crowd, that corset ya got on and walking around? I think water and a break is a good idea.” Tora advised as they got closer to Quincey and Gyu.

“Oh thank god. I could use a break. My legs are totally chafing and I have a date with Pumpkin tomorrow night.” Quincey practically cried.

“OK. Let's take a break then. But first we vote!” Poppy agreed as they neared the end.

Tora couldn’t decide. He was torn. The T-rex was hella cool. But then he remembered the Helms deepshit. But then he re-called Godzilla and the moth from hell. That thing looked fuckin’ sick.

Everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to finish. He decided to say “fuck it” and put all 3 down as a choice.

As they made their way through the crowd, Poppy was dragging further and further behind.

“Come on Bobby. Hop on.” Tora said, bending down, coaxing his wife onto his back.

She nodded and got back onto her perch.

He didn't give a fuck about the strange looks he got from other people. Didn’t they know what they looked like to him. If his wife needed a piggy back ride, Torzan was gonna give his wife a fuckin’ piggy back ride.

As they got into the lounge, there was a fresh spread waiting for them among water bottles.

Tora set Poppy down on the couch as Gyu went to go fetch her some water.

“Are ya ok?” Tora asked as she paled on the couch.

“I’m just really tired. And this corset was a horrible idea. I’m so fat.” She started, tears welling up in her eyes.

“OI! Poppylan! Ya ain't fat, sweetheart. The fuck? You look fuckin’ stunnin in that.” Tora reprimanded her, where the fuck had that come from? He thought she was over her self hatred of her body?

If Tora ever saw Jul-dick again, he’d remember this day and bitch slap the mother fucker all over again.

“Sorry. I just don't feel good. I need out of this. But I’m not wearing a bra.” She said, as a tear rolled down her face.

Gyu’s eyebrows shot skyward at her admission and Quincey let out a squeak of amusement.

“Tell ya what sweetheart. Lets get ya home, ya don’t gotta wear a shirt or nothin’ there.” Tora offered, completely ignoring the raging hormones behind him.

“But I want to stay and see who won the contest and and…” She argued weakly.

“And oh my god!” She said, lurching forward, darting for the bathroom.

“Get me the fuck out of this thing, Tora.” She bellowed from the porcelain throne she was now worshiping.

Tora rushed into the bathroom as his wife was heaving up nothing.

“Poppy what the fuck?! What’s gotten into ya?”

“DON'T JUST STAND THERE!!! HOLD MY HAIR!” She cried as she heaved again.

First he was supposed to get her out of that contraption, then he was supposed to hold her hair? What did she need?

Both. She needed both.

As he held her hair in place, he tried to unbutton the back of her corset.

“Oi Quince! Get Poppy a new shirt.”

“What honey? Oh my god, Pop-”

“NOW!” Tora yelled at the gawking Elven lord.

“Right away! Come on Gyu, let's give them some space.” Quincey said, taking the confused dwarf by the elbow.

“OK. I’m gonna rip ya out of this thing, you got that?” Tora asked as she kept up  her homage to the altar.

She nodded weakly, he took his half bun out and put the hair tie on her before ripping the buttons.

“BLLLLLEEEERGHHHHHH!!!!”

Holy Fucking Shit.

All of the contents from her breakfast came out.

“That’s it sweetheart. Let it all out.” Tora gently praised her, facing away from her, trying to not think about the smell and the sounds that were intruding his senses.

“OK. I think I got it all out.” She finally replied, 10 minutes later. She looked absolutely wrecked.

“Hey! We’re back! We didn't know what kind of shirt to get so we just got a bunch of them.” Tora heard Quincey's voice coming from the opposite side of the door.

Tora went to open the door, carefully, not to show off his wife whose tits were practically on display from the lack of clothing.

“Is she OK?” Gyu asked, trying to peer in.

Tora took the shirts from them and slammed the door.

Looking over the shirts, there were a few cute ones. But most of them were form fitting. She needed something loose.

Ah. An oversized tee with some cool looking thing called a “Police Box” and some guy lookin’ kinda constipated, but fuck it. It’d work.

“Here ya go, Bobby.” Tora offered to her.

“Oh. Dr. Who.” She said, a smile returning to her face.

“Ya don’t know the docs name or ya don’t remember it?” Tora asked as she slipped on the t-shirt.

“No, silly. That’s the name of the show.” She said as he offered his hand to help her stand up.

“Oh my mistake.” He teased, adding another mental note to his never ending list of shit he needed to watch.

“Ya gonna let me take you home now?” Tora asked as she got onto her feet.

“Um. Can we get something to eat? I’m kinda hungry.” She asked timidly.

“Bobby. I’m not feeding ya this crap here. I’m gonna get ya ass home, in bed and we can watch a movie.” He countered.

“But…” She started only to stop herself.

“Alright. Let's go home. But can you give me another piggy back ride? I’m not wearing a bra.” She asked lightly.

“That depends, ya all out of juice?” Tora asked cautiously, not wanting to get vomit all over him.

He’d seen a lot of shit in his life in the mafia but he didn’t think too fondly of puke.

“Yeah, I think I’m good now.” Poppy said, eyeing Tora’s bare back.

He chuckled. “Alright then, hop on.”

As they came out of the bathroom, Quincey and Gyu were changed too.

“Goin home now?” Tora asked as Poppy’s chin nestled on Tora’s shoulder.

“Yeah, this place is getting packed and Quincey had another less than friendly run in with the rest of the elves and orcs from the Lego City. Apparently, this place is too toxic.” Gyu said with a grin.

“It is! You be quiet!” Quincey scoffed.

“Well thanks for coming with us and sorry we had to cut it so short.” Poppy apologized from behind Tora.

“Think nothing of it honey.” Quincey said as they all headed for the door.

”Thanks for getting me some shirts. How much were they?” Poppy asked Gyu, looking down at him.

“Ah don’t worry about it Miss. Poppy. Quince took care of it.” Gyu said, nodding his head at the blonde who was swearing he needed a spa day.

“Oh.” She breathed out. “Quincey! How much do I owe you?” She asked as Tora re-adjusted her.

“Nothing honey. It’s on the house. Balthuman, remember?” He reminded her, pointing at the sign that said “Comic Con of Narin City at Narin Convention Center in association with Balthuman Enterprises”

Tora could feel her roll her eyes in unison with his own.

When they finally reached their car, Tora slid Poppy into her seat. On the way back to the car, he overheard the conversation between Gyu and Poppy about the funky pops. Apparently there was a couple she wanted to see if they had or not. He shut the door and thumbed out some large bills to Gyu.

“Get her the funky pops that she wanted. And if there’s any money left over, keep it. Drop ‘em off when ya can.” Tora said before adding “Please”, handing over the wad of cash.

Gyu nodded as he looked back at the direction he just came from. It didn’t matter that Tora was no longer his boss, really. Tora knew that everyone who knew Poppy would do anything for her in their circle. Did he take advantage of it? Sometimes, he mused as the ginger sauntered back inside.

Tora waved to Quincey as the he got into a limo that was waiting for him. It never failed to amuse Tora how Quincey still refused to drive himself anywhere, after all of this time.

“Ready to go home, sweetheart?” Tora asked as he got into the car.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” She sighed, taking a sip of water.

Tora gingerly drove off, making sure not to jostle his wife around. She said she was good but he didn’t want to risk it.

When they got home, she took her skirt off and made her way into bed, dropping into it desperately.

“You still want something to eat? I can make some miso soup or something easy on ya tummy.” Tora asked, coming over to her, sitting on their bed.

“No thank you, Torzan.” She muttered, her face buried in the pillow.

He snickered lightly at that.

When she was feeling better, he would make sure to dress himself up in the damn loin cloth again. If it was just her and only her, he wouldn’t mind. Just as long as she just stayed naked and out of that fuckin’ corset. He loved that thing on her, truth be told, but he didn’t need round two of the latter part of their time at the comic con.

Tora laid down beside her, rubbing her back in small circles. Soon enough, he heard small snores coming from her direction. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he was awakened with the same offensive sound coming from their bathroom.

One year later…

“Alright, sweetheart. Ya ready?” Tora asked, in the same mother fucking loin cloth, with Torzan Jr. strapped on his back, cooing in his ear.

“Yeah! Almost! Just need to get these sandals on!” 

She came out in a yellow dress, with a bump on the back and a parasol.

“What no corset this time?” Tora teased as she twirled around.

“No, not this year. Unknowingly pregnant or not, I’m never doing that again.” She said sweetly as she came over to her two favorite people.

“Well then, I guess we should get going” He said, cupping her cheek, leaning in for a kiss.

“Guess so.” She agreed, tucking a piece of hair back behind his ear before gently brushing her hand on their sons head.

Poppy went ahead of them and as Tora went to follow her, to shut the door behind him, he peered into their entryway. He nodded at the Tarzan and Jane Funky Poppy’s and smiled as his son cooed again from his perch.

Maybe he’d find a baby funky popper Torzan at the Comic Con this year.

Bonus Art for May 4th!