Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I don’t know what I’m doing, you don’t know what you’re doing. But maybe we can figure it out together.” Ethan’s eyes widened. He blinked, just now noticing the outstretched hand in front of his face. He blinked again and followed the hand up to an arm and the arm up to a face.

A pair of wide, sparkling blue eyes. Ethan couldn’t name the shade of blue those eyes were, but they were bright and open–he tried to detect any sign of darkness, any sign of ulterior motives in the man’s expression, in the man’s voice, or words. There wasn’t any. And the other pair of eyes, an abnormally light, icy blue, was too busy following one of the large Monarch butterflies taking flight. “What do you say, Ethan?”

Rosemary cooed sleepily in Ethan’s arms. The sound caught the little boy’s attention, forgetting the Monarch butterfly for now. He cooed, wriggling in his father’s embrace to get a better look at the baby girl’s face.

The boy was about two years old, give or take a year. He was small, with a mop of snow-white hair, those icy blue eyes, and alabaster skin. He had a stuffed bear crushed in the crook of his little elbow, whining and reaching out towards Rosemary. The man with wide, sparkling eyes–boy, if you ask some people, he’s only freshly twenty-one–gently shushed the boy, bouncing him in place and pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.

That calmed the child, who kept himself busy lightly thumbing one of his bear’s ears. Ethan watched as the little boy played, babbling nonsensically to himself.

“Okay.” Ethan breathed after what felt like an hour. He swallowed once, lifting his head again. He nodded without jostling Rosemary and accepted the man’s hand. He squeezed it firmly, getting up from the bench he had been roosting on. His eyes, large and a warm chocolate brown, stared deeply into the other man’s. “Okay, Leon.”

The man named Leon smiled. It touched his eyes, and a faint breeze blew aside his fringe of ash-blonde hair.

“Okay, Ethan.”

Sixteen years later…

“Heading out now, kid?”

Nero hung the rag off one of the bike’s handlebars, getting up from his crouch and turning around with a slight smile.

Dante smiled back, unfolding his arms and pushing off the wall to give the motorcycle a once-over. “New paint job, engine purrs like a dream–yeah, it looks like you’re ready to hit the road.”

“If I leave now, I’ll make it to Raccoon City before noon.” Nero agreed, nodding. He picked up the rag again, only to shrug his shoulders and stuff it into the left back pocket of his torn, light blue jeans. “Thanks for having me, Uncle Dante. I owe you one.”

“You don’t.” Dante retorted, the early morning breeze playing with strands of his shoulder-length, ivory-white hair flecked with silverish-gray. “You’re family; the shop’s always open whenever you need a place to crash, and I know you’re always excited to see Kyrie.”

“Shut up.”

“Nico gets her favorite punching bag back for a bit, Morrison goes easy on me with the gigs-”

“So I keep you from doing actual work?”

“And Trish, Lady, and Patty love having you around, too.” Dante went on as if he hadn’t been interrupted, shaking his head. Nero scowled, the heat behind it, though, lacking. “Tell Leon the offer’s still open, always will be. He wants to have Ethan and Rosemary over to Redgrave for a visit; he’s got a place.”

“I know that he knows that. He just worries Ethan might not be into it, which is kind of stupid since Ethan’s always asking questions about Fortuna. He’s curious. Dad just needs to quit worrying so much.” Nero said, straddling the massive metal beast and resting his elbows on the handles. “I’d love to bring them here, you know. Especially Rosemary–show her around, get her and Kyrie together…I think she’d like that.”

“I think she would,” Dante said, removing a crick in his neck. “So I’m guessing the situation back home is still the same?”

Nero raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “You mean that even though Rose is my baby sister, Ethan and Dad are still just friends? That even though it’s been sixteen years, they haven’t gotten their asses in gear and shacked up already? If that’s what you’re asking, it’s still the same ‘Will they, won’t they?’ shtick. I think they won’t ‘fess up until Rose and I have left the nest; they’re that oblivious.”

“Damn. That’s rough,” Dante frowned. Part of him hoped things would change for Leon. Losing Vergil was a blow everyone had to storm, on top of raising Nero as a single father too…

Ethan Winters was a good guy; he was a great guy. He cared for Nero like a son, and he and Ethan’s daughter Rosemary were thick as thieves. If she could, Rosemary would call Leon “Dad” if she knew that her dad made things right.

But these sorts of things can’t be rushed. If Leon hadn’t tried, everything would have stayed the same.

Shit.

“Yeah.” Nero slung his bag over one shoulder, his helmet in his lap. “But it’s okay, you know? Dad’s happy regardless of what’s not going on between him and Ethan, Rose’s doing okay, and we got our little slice of heaven in Raccoon.” Nero fixed his thick, black fingerless gloves, the toe of his right boot kicking up small rocks. “Home life is great. I hated leaving for so long, but I needed to. I’m finding my way, and I don’t have shit to show for it but…”

“Lee’s not like that, Nero. He’s always happy when you’re home.” Dante watched as Nero’s mouth twisted upwards. His bangs were growing out, and with how long they were, he looked so much like Leon under the right light.

Nero was smiling. He was smiling when he fished out his wallet, a black thread and bifold, worn, and thumbed the plastic overlay on top of a picture.

This was taken a few weeks before Nero set out for Redgrave, at the start of summer break. Nero, Leon, Rosemary, and Ethan had gone out to one of the parks outside Raccoon City, taking advantage of the sunshine and clear skies for a picnic. This was a few days after Nero broke the news he’d spend the summer with Dante, Trish, Lady, and company; everyone tried not to let the sadness show. Leon and Ethan spent hours in the kitchen making some of Nero’s favorite foods, and Rosemary got out her trusty instant camera for photos once her new scrapbook came in the mail. The four headed out around noon and didn’t come home until past ten. Nero didn’t miss the held-back tears in his father’s eyes or how Ethan would sometimes stare at him when he thought Nero wasn’t looking. Rosemary refused to let go of her big brother’s arm the entire trip, pulling him around with an extra spring in her step.

Nero knew he put his dad through the wringer by leaving like he did, and Ethan and Rosemary, too. But even knowing he wasn’t staying for the summer, they tried hard to make the days before he left for Redgrave special.

This picture proved it.

The four were sprawled on a bench, squished but happily so. Ethan was everyone’s pillow: legs spread, one arm stretched out along the back of the bench while the other was loosely wrapped around Leon’s shoulders. He was smiling, his brown eyes warm, and some of his short, dark brown-blond hair was sticking up at odd angles. Leon was sitting next to him, one of his eyes hidden behind a curtain of ash-blonde hair; he was smiling, a hint of teeth showing, resting his weight against Ethan’s more lanky frame.

And Rosemary and Nero were sitting in front of them, almost in their laps like when they were kids. Rosemary forgoes her usual black, plain baseball cap and oversized hoodie, her long, slightly waved dirty-blonde hair cascading down her back. Her right cheek was pressed against Nero’s shoulder, her arms wrapped around his, and her legs crossed at the ankles. Nero leaned against Leon’s chest, but his head inclined towards Rosemary. His eyes were a bright, shocking shade of blue compared to Rosemary’s softer, grayish, and piercing. Their smiles, especially in this picture, were identical: hundred-watt, softening the sharp angles in their faces and blurring the line of them being siblings in every way but blood.

This picture made it clear Rosemary was Ethan’s daughter, to a T. The same could be said for Leon and Nero; Nero inherited so much from his other father, Vergil, like his snow-white hair, pale skin, height, and build, but when he smiled and laughed, he resembled Leon. His nose became Leon’s nose, his mouth was Leon’s mouth, and his short temper was curbed by Leon’s impeccable attention to detail.

There was much of Vergil in Nero, but there was so much of Leon S. Kennedy in him.

‘To think Dad always says I’m why he kept going. But now it’s my turn,’ Nero thought, sighing before putting the photo away. “Yeah, well…see ya around, Uncle Dante.”

“See ya around, kid. Let me and the crew know once you’re back in Raccoon City.”

“Nineteen, not nine.”

“Yeah, you could be fifty years old and still be my kid.”

Nero snorted. “Now go on, get out of here. And don’t forget to take pit stops if you’re hungry or need the bathroom.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nero gave Dante the thumbs-up after sliding on his motorcycle helmet. He squeezed the clutch and leaned forward, pulling the visor down.

Dante waved as tiny pebbles were kicked up and swirled across the pavement; Nero chewed on his cheek as he sped down the street, his heart racing.

He’s heading home. He’s going home.

Rosemary Winters woke up before her alarm clock.

Her gray-blue eyes fluttered open, and a large smile split her face. She jumped out of bed, quickly made it before running into the bathroom, running her fingers through her waist-length, stringy, light brown hair.

She had some tea late last night, so her hair and skin were perfumed. Rosemary continued running her fingers through her hair as she uncapped her toothpaste and squirted a dark, minty-smelling glob onto her toothbrush tufts. Rosemary tucked some hair behind her ear and trod out of her bathroom to retrieve her cellphone.

Rosemary’s phone was a three-year-old model, with a thick and heavy, light purple case covered with stickers, a galaxy-themed popsocket, and a white rose phone charm. She quickly pulled up her morning playlist, track 3.

Rosemary set her phone down once she was in front of her bathroom mirror again. She looked at her reflection, her smile broadening.

Rosemary’s cheeks were pink with excitement. Her bedhead wasn’t too bad, and the bags under her eyes from her last late-night horror movie marathon with Heather have softened dramatically. ‘Leon and his quirky self-care tips,’ Rosemary thought as she giggled, pushing her bathtub curtains aside to get the hot water running.

Her big brother Nero was finally coming home today! He’s been away with Uncle Dante, Aunts Trish and Lady, and Patty and Uncle Morrison for the summer. Nero said he needed some time away to figure things out, as he was now an adult and felt he needed to find his purpose. It sounds pretty dramatic, since Nero was only two years older than Rosemary, but either way, neither she, Leon, nor her dad, Ethan, tried to convince Nero otherwise.

If he felt like going away for a while, getting a change in scenery was necessary to piece together his future, then so be it. Rosemary wasn’t on board with it at first; she and Nero had never been apart for so long. They weren’t just brother and sister; Nero was Rosemary’s best friend apart from Heather and Delsin. They did everything together, so adjusting to a summer without Nero had been hard.

Though Rosemary was positive, Leon suffered the most in his son’s absence.

‘Leon…’ Rosemary thought as she watched her bathroom mirror fog up with steam.

Leon and Nero have been with Rosemary and Ethan since Rosemary was a baby. The story was that Leon had just separated from Nero’s dad, Vergil. It was the classical tale of first love not working out, like how Ethan and Rosemary’s mom, Mia, didn’t work out. Ethan and Mia separated for reasons Rosemary didn’t know yet, and Leon was by himself, caring for a two-year-old Nero Kennedy. Despite being on good terms with Vergil’s twin brother Dante and the rest of his crew, Leon didn’t want to bother them as he sorted things out. So he became a police officer for the Raccoon City Police Department—at some point, he met Ethan with a six-month-old Rosemary Winters, and the rest is pretty much history.

Leon and Ethan moved in together to raise their kids under one roof. Rosemary and Nero were brought up as brother and sister, and…well, even though it’s clear Leon and Ethan are crazy for each other, they’re still only best friends and roommates. Rosemary has done her best not to call Leon “Dad” by accident. Nero did his best not to call Ethan “Dad” by accident, too, but both knew nothing would make them happier than to tell everyone who’d listen that they had two dads.

Nero didn’t remember his other father, Vergil, and Rosemary didn’t care to see her mother, Mia, ever again. She might not know the full details, but Rosemary does know that her dad suffered a lot because of her mother. Whatever she did hurt Ethan, and Rosemary knew her dad only got better once he met Leon. There’s no reason for Rosemary to try, and connect with Mia—she doesn’t respond to Ethan’s texts, calls, and emails concerning Rosemary, so that’s a dead end.

Sure, it hurt at first. Rosemary was human, and that level of rejection from the woman who birthed you does get under your skin. There have been times when Rosemary wished she could call her mother and talk to her, as most daughters did with their mothers.

But that was when she was little and naive. She’s older now, and her life up to this point has been perfect. She has the best big brother in the world, the best dad in the world, and the best not-quite-so dad in the world. Rosemary had a family that cared about her; she had the best friends in the world. One of them was her true love, and Raccoon City was a unique, bustling concrete jungle. There wasn’t any reason to disrupt her paradise.

Rosemary was glad her dad found Leon and Nero when he did. It wasn’t planned, but life has a funny way of making things right. If only Ethan would finally tell Leon how he feels.

‘Ugh, at this rate, they’ll be old and wrinkly by the time Dad makes a move.’ Rosemary shook her head, wriggled out of her pajamas, and stepped under the scalding hot spray. She fastened the curtains behind her and closed her eyes, tipping her head back and letting the hot water open her pores.

Rosemary hopped out of the tub half an hour later, quickly drying her hair and tugging on a pair of worn blue jeans. Her playlist was on track six, a melancholic acoustic guitar solo tickling Rosemary’s ears as she shrugged on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of gray ankle-length socks. She paused the music once out of the bathroom, shrugging on her dad’s favorite jacket and digging her backpack from under her bed.

Because, of course, Nero would return home on the first day back to school!

And speak of the devil, Rosemary double-knotted her laces just as her phone made a soft pinging sound. Grinning, the blue-eyed girl unlocked her home screen and checked her text messages, a squeal caught in her throat.

Less than five hours until I’m back in Raccoon!

You and me, Sis, and some frozen custard after school? I’m buying!

I want you to tell me everything you, Dad, and Ethn did over the summer! And about your first day back at school today!

Heather and Delsin can kill me later for stealing you away, but I want to hang out with my best friend, so whatever. >.>

You in? <3

-The Other One ^-^

As if you need to ask? You’re the one who up and left us, asshole. >.<

If you’re buying, then maaaybe I can forgive you! Is there a limit I have to keep in mind, or what?

<3<3<3

Jk, by the way. I’m not mad, I’m just glad you’re coming home. I missed you, Bro. Next time you go to find yourself, take me with you. Please!

Heath and Del won’t mind, trust me. I’ll bribe them with some sour gummy bears so they can cover for me during fifth block. It’s not like I need P.E. to keep me active on top of baseball and volleyball. :P

I’m in! <3

-Partner In Crime >.^

“Rose! Hurry down, breakfast is ready!”

“Coming, Lee!” Rosemary exclaimed, combing through her hair again and ensuring her house keys were in her back pocket.

It’s the first day back, and you’re already planning on skipping class?

-The Other One ^-^

Your bad influence knows no bounds! <3

-Partner in Crime >.^

Rosemary pocketed her phone as she left her bedroom, her backpack over her right shoulder, and tackled the stairs two at a time. She paused on the second-to-last step, crouched, and strained her ears; she peered over the railing into the kitchen, catching sight of Leon S. Kennedy, police officer at the RPD and practically her other dad, leaning against the kitchen counter and biting down on his knuckles to keep from laughing.

“I told you not to make bets with Rita! Now you owe everyone two rounds next time we’re hanging at the bar?” Leon asked, rolling his eyes and suppressing a snort.

Ethan stared at him with big, watery puppy eyes, and Leon wasn’t falling for it. “Listen, I’ll help foot the bill, but it’s gonna be in the triple digits—everyone in the West Office can drink, Ethn.”

“How was I supposed to know she’d pull a fast one on me?” Ethan asked, his frown deepening. “She’s the nicest on your squad, apart from Marvin, Elliot, and Neil, who are brutal.”

“What about David and George?”

“They like to watch the chaos unfold, not actively participate. They’re sadists, Lee.”

“Sure.” Leon shook his head fondly, accepting Ethan’s hug. The two men closed the distance between their bodies; Ethan’s hands rested on Leon’s hips, while the other man locked his fingers behind his neck. “It’s your financial funeral, man, not mine.”

“My wallet’s already sobbing,” Ethan smiled despite his increasing panic. He bumped noses with Leon, watching as the older man’s pretty blues fluttered shut. Leon sighed, his smile broadening. “You woke up pretty chipper this morning. Is Nero close yet?”

“He’ll be here first thing tomorrow morning,” Leon replied, biting his lips and nodding slowly.

‘Tomorrow morning? Guess Ren’s keeping it to himself that he’s touching down today.’ Rosemary mused, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

“This place is gonna feel lively again,” Ethan said, the gray vanishing from his wholesome stare, leaving nothing but pure chocolate brown. “We were already missing him once he dropped the bombshell, but…it’s been quite the summer.”

“Yeah…”

“You did great, Lee.”

Leon opened his eyes and met Ethan’s warm gaze. “You did what you had to do. You supported Nero’s decision, you kept in touch, and whatever happens, you know that he knows this will always be his home.”

As a lonely tear trailed down the older man’s face and his eyes drifted, Ethan cupped Leon’s cheek and wiped it away. “Hey, look at me…Leon, look at me.”

After a hot minute, Leon relented. “You’re a great dad, one of the best I know. Letting Nero go was hard, even when he stayed with Dante. But you did the right thing—Nero is a great kid, everything you did worked out for the best.”

“I know, I know,” Leon assured Ethan softly, leaning more into his touch. “I didn’t know what I was doing most of the time, and there were many things I wish I could have done better…but I’m so proud of him.”

Rosemary bit her lower lip as Leon’s voice wavered. His smile remained bright, though. “I love him so much. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, apart from you and Rose,” Ethan chuckled in agreement, pressing their foreheads together. “Thanks, Ethan. I know I wasn’t easy to deal with at first, but it means a lot that you stuck by me.”

“We’ve been at this for the last…sixteen years, I think? Sixteen years, fifty-four days, twenty-one minutes, and eleven seconds.”

“You made that up, asshole.”

“So what if I did? We’ve been together that long, at this rate, I don’t think we’ll fall apart ever.” Ethan pointed out, Leon bracing his hands against the other man’s chest. “You and me, always.”

“Always,” Leon echoed, gazing up into Ethan’s eyes.

The other man didn’t break eye contact, rubbing his thumb along the curve of Leon’s cheek. The distance between their faces was minuscule; they shared an inhale and an exhale, Leon’s Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Their noses brushed again, Rosemary’s eyes widening in surprise.

‘What, are they gonna-?!’

DingDong! DingDong!

Leon gave a tight-lipped smile. Ethan’s eyes saddened, reluctantly letting the other man go. “That’s Heather and Delsin. Mind letting them in while I fix their plates?”

“Not a problem, Lee,” Ethan assured Leon, lingering in the kitchen a minute longer before heading into the hallway.

Rosemary made herself known, tackling her dad in a surprise bear hug. “Whoa there, little missy! Good morning to you, too.” Ethan’s slightly dejected expression vanished, squeezing his daughter close and kissing her forehead.

“How you doin’, Dad?”

“I’m doing okay, haha. You?”

“Better now that I’ve seen you, smelled Leon’s pancakes, and know that my best friends are here for breakfast,” Rosemary said with a grin, pulling away and adjusting her backpack.

“I was starting to think today was a little too quiet,” Ethan teased with a grin, unlocking the front door and stepping back. He went the extra mile too, bowing deeply as he gestured grandly with one hand. “Welcome, Miss Mason. Welcome, Mr. Rowe. We’ve been expecting you!”

“Morning, Ethan. Had your mushroom coffee already or what?”

A tall, lanky young man sporting a red beanie and torn dark blue jeans leaned against the open door frame. Most of his stringy, short reddish-brown hair was tucked away; he wore a heavily buttoned jean vest over a gray zip-up hoodie and dark red flannel shirt. He had a long nose, an almost pointed chin, and dark hazel eyes. Despite his snarky comeback, his smirk was laid-back. He was the same age as Nero, if only a few months older.

“See, this is why I’m Ethan and Leon’s favorite and you’re not.” A girl’s voice came from behind the tall, lanky young man. A second later, a girl with shoulder-length, shaggy blonde hair popped into frame, flashing a freckly grin at Ethan’s way. Her roots were showing, which were dark brown. Her eyes were shiny and round and a lively hazel-green. Her outfit was autumn-friendly: a solid black tank top, her go-to orange wristbands, light blue jeans, and black, ankle-length boots.

She was Rosemary’s age and had the same classes as her this year. “Morning, Mr. Winters! How are you doing? How’s the supercop?”

“Doing great, Heather!” Leon called from the dining room, carrying Delsin and Heather’s plates to the round, dark wooden table. “Breakfast is waiting hot and ready on the table! Pancakes and bacon on me.”

“Awesome, I’m starving,” Delsin and Ethan high-fived before the tall, lanky young man followed his nose to the dining room. Heather snickered and kissed Rosemary’s cheek before following suit; Rosemary snorted, dumped her backpack at the foot of the stairs, and followed her dad through the kitchen.

The table was set for five. A pitcher of mango-orange juice in the center, followed by a bottle of syrup, placemats with red plates stacked with pancakes, a bacon platter to the side, and forks. Leon finished pouring some juice as Rosemary, Ethan, Delsin, and Heather walked in, his smile touching his eyes.

“There’s my full house! We can’t say it’s officially the first day back without a five-star breakfast to keep us going. Take a seat; I’ve made enough for thirds.”

“I dropped out of school, remember?” Delsin said sorely, rubbing the back of his neck. He blinked when Leon set the pitcher down, walked over, and gently touched his face.

“I remember. I also remember that today’s your first day at your new job, which you’ve been waiting weeks to hear back from,” Leon pointed out, watching as Delsin’s face went pink. “You’re going to do great, Del. Don’t stress, take it a step at a time, and if you need to decompress after work, I’m sure Rose won’t mind if you give her closet a fresh coat of paint.” Leon patted Delsin’s cheek, the tall, lanky young man’s smile less forced. “I got a can of whipped cream just for you, so go crazy! I love your pancake art.”

“Just don’t forget to let me snap a photo before you eat it?” Ethan added, clapping Delsin on the shoulder with a goofy grin. “You should hear what everyone at the office says about your work. You could be famous one day.”

“Seriously? You show your coworkers my graffiti?” Delsin snorted, sitting next to Rosemary, Heather on his other side.

“Is it graffiti or is society still lagging on acknowledging authentic, pure, raw art on display?” Heather answered Delsin’s question with another question, wasting no time drowning her pancakes in syrup. “Street artists are artists, Del. You’re the best Raccoon has, and yeah, we’re not just hyping you up because you’re our ride to school.”

The shaggy-haired girl kissed Delsin’s cheek, the tall, lanky young boy uncaring that she left his skin sticky with syrup. “You really should think about submitting some of your work to the museum that just opened—they’re in dire need of actual creativity, and not that same bland, unoriginal crap we see in magazines.”

“Are you going to try for a record label anytime soon?”

“Maybe! Once I’m done with high school.”

“Cool. You do that, I’ll put myself out there too.” Delsin said, shrugging his shoulders before picking up his fork and spearing some bacon. “Ro, you gonna get out there too?”

“My pictures suck. I’m not my dad.” Rosemary grumbled, wiping her mouth and leaning back in her chair. She fixed Delsin with an even stare, which only made him snort in exasperation.

“Not true; not only are you a talented photographer, you’re great at writing too. You shared some of your work with Harry-”

“You mean the pages you tore out of my journal and showed him?” Rosemary cut Delsin off with a weak eye-roll, her pale cheeks pinking.

“Exactly!” Delsin grinned, undeterred. “He read them and thought they were solid. Harry’s an accomplished writer; he wouldn’t tell you your work’s good if he didn’t mean it.”

“And it’s not just because you’re one of my best friends either,” Heather added, swallowing a piece of bacon. “My dad separates the art from the artist, and you could get published, he thinks, with a few more revisions! You could make your original picture books or series illustrations!”

Ethan and Leon were quiet as they ate, opting to listen carefully as the three teenagers (because yeah, Rosemary and Heather were seventeen. Delsin celebrated his nineteenth birthday months ago.) discussed amongst themselves. There was a time and place to step in and support their daughter’s ambitions, and a time and place for her best friends to put their two cents in on the situation. If Nero were here, he’d be drowning out the rest of the debate with endless compliments and big brother cuddles.

“I don’t know, guys…I think settling for an office job isn’t the best, but too many things are in the air.” Rosemary shrugged, cutting one of her pancakes into smaller pieces. “Believe it or not, you guys should chase after your dreams. I need to figure out what my dream is. I’ll think of something once that clears up.”

A pretty rational opinion to have. Rosemary’s interests weren’t just artistic, so limiting herself to the arts would be redundant. She was a little jealous that Heather and Delsin had some direction to go off.

Nero left home to find himself. He’s coming back, and hopefully he’s got something to share. Maybe Rosemary should go away somewhere, a quiet closet in some cozy cabin, and write, write, write until her fingers fall off. It’s brutal, but it’s something.

Though Rosemary won’t leave right now.

“That’s a good plan,” Ethan spoke up finally, Rosemary meeting his eyes. “The best thing about being seventeen is that you’ve all the time in the world, honey. You don’t have to know what you want to do with the rest of your life right now. It’s good to have ideas and maybe form a plan, but there’s no perfect plan.”

“Sometimes…just going with the flow takes you right where you need to be,” Leon added with a fond, nostalgic smile. He looked from Rosemary to Ethan and back again. “I had no idea how I’d raise a kid by myself, and then you and your dad swooped in and saved me. I didn’t see that coming, but it worked out, and we’re here. It’ll be perfect again once Nero is here, but you get what I’m saying, right, Rose?”

“If you hadn’t run into my dad on a super rainy day, Nero and I wouldn’t be brother and sister?” Rosemary’s eyes widened in abject horror. “And then I would be an only child and forced to have a bigger bedroom, all your attention, and know that no one would eat my extra crunchy, dark chocolate bars because no one else eats extra crunchy dark chocolate in this house?”

“Exactly! Good talk, kiddo,” Leon chuckled, knifing butter onto his pancakes.

Heather and Delsin snorted into their bacon, and Ethan hurriedly gulped down juice to keep from laughing.

“You guys are the worst,” Rosemary deadpanned, stuffing her mouth with pancakes and chewing slowly. She quickly jabbed a finger at Delsin, “Do not video this and send it to Eugene and Fetch! You’re not making me a laughing stock here and in Seattle.”

“So just Reggie and Betty and the rest of the tribe?”

“Delsin!”

“Wow,” Heather whispered loudly, shaking her head. She stayed out of Rosemary and Delsin’s back-and-forth, her growling stomach taking precedent. “Teenagers, am I right?”

Like, Heather "doesn’t" enjoy when Fetch comes around and humiliates Eugene in video games! She was a harbinger of chaos, but knew when to play her cards. This wasn’t a war, just another excuse for Rosemary and Delsin to butt heads to hide their mutual feelings for each other.

Yeah, you heard that right! Rosemary Winters has loved Delsin Rowe since Nero first brought him over to hang out, and Delsin wouldn’t clean up his act for a fleeting crush. They’ve grown up together, sort of. Delsin nearly matched Nero’s protectiveness when it came to Rosemary.

Heather loved Rosemary as much as the next person, but she minded her business when needed to. Plus, watching these two fight was hilarious.

“Betty loves my home videos! Come on, Ro, you want to deprive that sweet old lady of my day-to-day? It wasn’t easy moving to Raccoon by myself. This is my way of keeping in touch with her, Reggie, and the rest of the tribe back home.”

“I don’t have to be part of your day-to-day every day! Heather and I aren’t always around, you know.”

“That’s debatable,” Delsin argued, and he had a point. Outside of his street art and part-time jobs, Delsin was with Rosemary and Heather when Nero was MIA. Ethan and Leon let him crash in Nero’s bedroom a few times and made sure he took leftovers home with him. Delsin loved the Winters-Kennedy household; his apartment was okay, but lacked the warm, cozy atmosphere Rosemary and Nero always had surrounding them.

And hey, when he wasn’t here, he was at Heather’s. Harry Mason was a famous author and a pretty chill guy, and always supplied Delsin with cardboard boxes to carve out his stencils. Nero took a chance on Delsin when no one else would, and thanks to him, he’s got family and connections here in Raccoon City. Rosemary and Heather were great, but Nero made everything possible.

So, can you blame Delsin for being stoked that his best friend was back in town soon?

“There’s no debate. Just wait until Nero gets back, then you two can get in trouble like old times, then send it to Reggie so he can grill you over the phone. Again.”

“Someone woke on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Delsin grumbled, though he smirked as if enjoying an inside joke.

Rosemary stuck her tongue at him and left it at that.

Breakfast resumed with playful, mindless tangents and a second round of pancakes. It was Leon checking his watch and reading the time, 8:15 AM, that made Heather, Delsin, and Rosemary wolf down what was left on their plates, quickly wash them in the sink, and bolt out the front door.

Rosemary kissed Ethan and Leon on the cheek on her way out, waving over her shoulder as Leon and Ethan waved back from the kitchen window. Delsin’s truck was waiting in the driveway, a bulky, massive piece of machinery in a dark, rusty red-orange.

“Ladies first!”

“I call backseat shotgun!” Heather exclaimed with her arm in the air, gently nudging Delsin as he opened the driver’s seat. “So, is today the day?” She asked, and Rosemary was too preoccupied with texting someone to overhear her.

She’s probably texting Nero.

Delsin frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. “Is today what the day?” He said, sliding into the driver’s seat but not slamming the door shut behind him.

Heather eyed him warily. “Listen, I know I’m a Conduit with amazing, mind-blowing powers, but I can’t read minds. Smoke you up, video you down, and neon light show you everywhere are my speeds, remember?”

“Are you gonna confess to Rose or not?” Heather went straight for the jugular, stopping Delsin from igniting the engine. Her eyes stared hard into his. “Dude, we’ve been over this. Nero gave you his blessing before he skipped town for the summer. You like Rose, she likes you; Ethan and Leon are okay with it, and I’m pretty sure Betty thinks you’re lying when you say Rose isn’t your girlfriend.”

Delsin rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat. “What are you afraid of? Real talk here.”

“You say she likes me, I say you’re reading too much into it. I’m her best guy friend, that’s all.”

“No, Nero is her best guy friend. Nero is her best guy friend, her brother, her biggest pain in the ass and her ride-or-die. You are something else.” Heather insisted gently, shaking her head. “I know Rose better than most people. She’s mysterious but pretty obvious too. You’re the only guy who can get away with teasing her like you do. She loves your artwork; she asked you to help paint her walls, and don’t act like I haven’t seen how she snuggles up to you every time we have movie night. It’s cute, I’m rooting for you two, but it’s painful watching this on loop.”

“You know, I was hoping you’d say that you’re feeling like the third wheel, thus telling me to back the hell off because it’s ruining the trio vibe we got…thanks for letting me down, Heath.”

“Someone has to.” Heather flashed Delsin a toothy grin, her freckled face sun-kissed. “I’m serious, Del. Why would I push you to open up if I was leading you on?”

Delsin chewed on the inside of his cheek, looking over his shoulder. Rosemary was still texting Nero, smiling to herself. “I know you’re not messing with me,” he began, rubbing his arm. His fingers trailed over the smoky, inked swirls, stopping above his wrist. Heather waited patiently for him to resume. “I’m crazy about her, I’ve been for a while now. I talked it out with Nero as soon as I figured it out, the last thing I wanted was to fuck things up between us. He said…” Delsin took a deep breath. “He said there’s no other guy he’d want Rosemary to be with than me. Ha, can you believe that? A girl like her with a guy like me.”

“I can believe that. I’m best friends with both of you, remember? You’re a hardened delinquent, but a criminal you're not. Underneath all that try-hard edginess is a guy with a good heart. You’re always there for me and Rose, even when dragging. You’ve done some stupid stuff in the past, but you’re better now. You want to be better; you don’t fight every day with Reggie, have your place, and don’t act like one of your part-time gigs isn’t teaching art to kids at the community center.”

“Where the hell did you hear that? Wait, did Cybil tell you?”

“My law enforcement auntie knows all,” Heather replied, folding her arms. She sighed, her eyes losing their devilish glint. “And just in case it’s the whole Conduit thing, Rose didn’t freak out when she saw you phasing through the wall after some dicks painted over your mural in the park. She’s cool with a lot of weird crap, so you being a smokey being won’t be a boyfriend dealbreaker. She likes you, Del.”

“...”

“If you wait too long, you’ll miss your chance. No one likes waiting around, and sooner or later, Rose might meet someone else. It’s gonna kill you when that happens, and it’ll kill you quicker if that happens, and it’s because you didn’t say anything.” Heather squeezed Delsin’s shoulder tenderly. “Think about it, okay? Be cautious of any bumps on the road. You’re carrying precious cargo. My Ted talk is done; I thank you for coming, and I’ll charge you next time. Thanks!”

Delsin snorted, watching Heather climb into the back of the truck, set her backpack down, and quickly text her dad.

Delsin busied himself igniting the engine as Rosemary put her phone up and climbed into the passenger seat. “Heather’s riding backseat shotgun today?” The long-haired blonde asked, though it wasn’t a question. She adjusted the rearview mirror for Delsin, smiling when Heather flashed her the victory pose. “Maybe we should think about turning it into a legit backseat; so it’s cozy to ride back there, we should set some pillows and blankets down. What do you think? You don’t store your art supplies back there anymore.”

“Always thinking smarter, Ro,” Delsin agreed with a soft laugh, one hand on the steering wheel as he leaned back again. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll need your and Heather’s help, give it a woman’s touch. I hear that makes everything better.”

Rosemary rolled her eyes. “Sure, sure.” She said, unconvinced.

“I mean it. Girls are a lot cleaner than guys. You smell better, too; you have a fleece blanket collection in your closet, you can’t see some of them prettying up my ride?” Delsin pulled out of the driveway, checking that the street was clear before starting the trek to Raccoon City High School.

Rosemary’s cheeks flushed a faint pink, and that did things to Delsin’s heart and ego. His smirk, while wide, was warm.

“So pink hearts, mismatched patterns, and girlboss?” Rosemary asked, jutting out her chin.

“As tempting as that is, I was thinking along the lines of stuffed cuttlefish, black and white prints, and starry night fleece blankets,” Delsin admitted, shrugging nonchalantly. From the corner of his eye, Delsin saw Rosemary’s eyes widen. Her cheeks darkened, and while she didn’t say a word, how she turned the other cheek spoke volumes. “Sometimes my apartment sucks, Ro. Sometimes I wish I had a skyline, but those are expensive. If I deck out back there, I can camp out in the parking lot.”

“Wouldn’t your landlord bust you for that?”

“Eh, details,” Delsin kept his eyes on the road, one of his hands on the stick shift. “It’d be cool. If we got creative, we could have movie nights out in the parking lot. You bring the films, I bring the comfort, and Heather brings the snacks.”

“That sounds like a crazy yet fun idea,” Rosemary whispered, smiling despite herself. “It’d be like a mobile treehouse.” She finally looked at Delsin. “Look at you, thinking out of the box! And here I thought you were up to something and needed an alibi.”

“I’ve changed my ways,” Delsin said, chuckling. He peered into the rearview mirror—Heather was jamming out to some tunes. She was into retro tech like Delsin and Rosemary; Heather worked hard to keep that Walkman running, which was a gift from Cybil.

Rosemary hummed in agreement.

“You suck at doing laundry, though. You busted your apartment’s washer and dryer twice.”

“So I’ll ask Leon and Ethan if it’s okay if I do laundry at your place.” Delsin toed the brake as the traffic light went from yellow to red. “You can teach me, and rip me a new one when I still screw up.”

“Huh, you’re not asking for spare change? Did the laundromat down the street from your place shut down?” Rosemary’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Her tone was a bit biting, but Delsin knew when Rosemary was truly angry or not.

The older social outcast took a chance. Waiting for the light to change, he looped an arm around Rosemary’s shoulders.

Delsin didn’t pull Rosemary against him. Swallowing hard, he kept his eyes on the road. He felt the blonde with icy-gray eyes stiffen under the contact, her eyes wide as dinner plates now. Her hands, which were balled up in her lap, relaxed only to grip her knees in a death grip. Rosemary didn’t look away from Delsin, as if trying to gauge his profile for further answers.

“I could go down to that laundromat. The lady who owns it is nice and doesn’t mind when I tag the walls out back. I’ll keep visiting her if she needs any help around the place. But I like being around you, and any chance I get, I’ll take it.”

“We hang out all the time. You spent nearly a week at my house this summer.”

“Yeah, but that was with you, Ethan, and Leon. It felt weird without Nero, but I want to spend more time with you, Ro. You and me, one-on-one.”

“Oh!” Rosemary’s neck flushed red. She looked like an incomplete painting. Her cheeks were pink as peonies, the sun coming in highlighted the very pale gray highlights in her hair; her eyes were bluer than before. She blinked, subtly clearing her throat. “Oh, I guess that flew over my head there. S-sorry.”

“Only if you want to, though,” Delsin softened his tone, frowning. He glanced down at Rosemary’s hands, slick with light sweat.

She always got this way when nervous or stressed. “I…Rosemary, I like you. And if you feel the same way, then I think we can have something nice together.”

“...Did Nero tell you?” Rosemary asked as the light turned green. Delsin resumed driving, though his eyebrows furrowed. “I told him I liked you a summer or two ago. He promised he wouldn’t say anything! So did he?”

“No, no! I swear, Nero wouldn’t do that.” Delsin came to his best friend’s defense smoothly, his frown deepening. “Ro, you know he wouldn’t. Nero, knowing and not telling me after giving me his blessing, though, kind of stings?”

“He gave you his blessing?!” Rosemary sounded appalled, which made Delsin snort loudly. Her cheeks flushed red, annoyed, and she scowled out the window. “I swear, he’s such a…! Ugh, he drives me insane sometimes.”

“You sound like Reggie right now, wow!”

“Sometimes he takes being the older brother too seriously! I’d get it if you were a guy at school or something, but I’ve known you for years.” Rosemary stated, folding her arms. She pressed against Delsin’s side, causing the hairs on his arms to stand on end. “You’re reckless, impulsive, rebellious, and sometimes a complete jackass!”

“Okay, tell me how you feel.” Delsin deadpanned, blinking owlishly.

“You’ve been cuffed by your own brother more times than I can count. Sometimes you’re the worst person to talk about serious things with because you’re in joke mode 24/7. You’re many things, Delsin Rowe. You’re also incredibly sensitive when you want to be. You know how it feels to be weird, out there and instead of trying to fit in, you don’t give a fuck. You’re funny, sometimes without meaning to, you’re artistic, and one of my best friends.” Rosemary said, not looking at Delsin as her mind ran a mile a minute.

Delsin’s heart fluttered again, heat creeping up his neck. “I know you wouldn’t hurt anyone. You grew up in a community that looked out for each other; you don’t stay quiet when something pisses you off, and I always feel safe with you.” Rosemary bit her lower lip, finding Delsin’s hand on her shoulder. She tangled her fingers with his, squeezing gently. “You’re amazing, Delsin, and I’m kicking my brother in the balls for insinuating you needed his blessing. Tsk, such a drama queen.”

“You two are so much alike.” Delsin blurted out, his teeth peeking out as he grinned dorkily. He squeezed Rosemary’s hand, running the end of his thumb along her knuckles. “Hey, cut my man some slack. Nero loves you. He only wants to look out for you; why do you think, despite looking like every punk Reggie books back home, he and Nero get along? It’s a weird big brother thing, we’re never going to understand it.”

“Reggie isn’t that bad,” Rosemary argued, Delsin turning right. There was a school bus chugging behind them, Heather making a face before refocusing on her music. The icy-gray-eyed blonde shook her head, sighing before looking at Delsin again. All traces of frustration were gone from her expression—Rosemary never got upset with Nero. Her body language betrays the rest of her. “Okay, okay, I won’t kick him until he’s down, but I’m talking to him once he’s back in town. It’s one thing to be overprotective, and another to be dumb.”

“Yikes, I might have just sold out my best friend to my sort-of girlfriend. I’m a disgrace to the bro code.”

“Sort of?” Rosemary parroted, elbowing Delsin in the ribs. He winced but smiled, unbothered.

“Yeah, because you haven’t said anything yet…?”

“You haven’t asked me yet?”

“What are you talking about? I just confessed!”

“A confession is not the same thing as asking someone to be your girlfriend, idiot.”

“Ugh, is this how you repay me? It's bringing down the romantic vibe I was going for, Ro.” Delsin stuck his tongue out. Heather saw that and shrieked like a banshee, clutching her stomach as she doubled backward.

Rosemary glared hotly at Delsin for a split second, only to smile and press her cheek against his chest.

Another red light. Delsin sighed, relieved. He rested his chin on top of Rosemary’s head, stroking her knuckles again. “Wanting to kill Nero aside…thanks for what you said just now. It means a lot to me that I’m someone to you.”

“You always were, Del. Even when I wanted to wring your neck, I wanted to hug you at the same time.” Rosemary said, fingering one of the buttons on Delsin’s jean vest. “So I guess it’s only fair that I do the asking. Delsin, will you be my boyfriend?”

“Now and forever. I mean, yes! Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend, Rosemary.” Delsin cleared his throat, shifted in his seat, before he hid a smile in Rosemary’s stringy, light brown-blonde hair.

Rosemary smiled widely. She looped an arm around Delsin’s middle and squeezed tenderly, giggling when she felt lips brush her hair. “Damn, things are going well for a Monday. You know Nero’s coming into town today? Ethan and Leon were talking about him as if he were still days away.”

“I think he wants it to be a surprise, so he only told me, Heather, and you,” Rosemary explained as the light went green and she rolled down the window to cool her flaming cheeks. She rolled her eyes, her eyes back to a bluish-gray. “Typical Nero, a drama queen like I said earlier. I know Leon’s going to be through the roof once he hears that bike engine pulling up.”

“Right, both of your folks have the day off today. Since Nero gave you the heads-up, does that mean you’re ditching me and Heath later?” Delsin asked, smug.

Rosemary blinked madly. “Ha, knew it! So my first cover-up as your new boyfriend. If anyone asks, I dropped you and Heather off at school and went straight to work, nothing more or less.”

“I’m skipping last period to get frozen custard.”

“Heather in the loop?”

“Rosemary felt sick earlier, so I took her to the nurse’s office. She called her brother, who’s over eighteen, to come and get her. That’s the last time I saw her!” Heather recited her alibi from the backseat, having caught every word.

And I mean every word. “I won’t snitch, I promise! And congrats, guys! Don’t you two make a lovely couple?!”

Delsin and Rosemary groaned in unison. “Oooh, I don’t need to be in the truck if you’re having that kind of action. Want me to step out or what?”

“Not into incoming traffic, dumbass,” Delsin retorted, shaking his eye and staring bug-eyed at a sneering Heather. “Leon’s let me go on supposed vandalism, no way he won’t cuff me for involuntary manslaughter.”

“Eh, your rap sheet is already pretty long. One more notch won’t kill you.”

“Dude!”

“Yeah?”

“My people are weird,” Rosemary mumbled to herself, ducking her head as Delsin and Heather went back and forth. She took her phone out of her backpack and pulled up her group chats.

She had three main group chats: one with Delsin and Heather, one with Leon, her dad, and Nero, and the last one with Trish, Lady, and Dante. She pulled up her group chat with Trish, Lady, and Dante, typing a short message.

Did Nero tell you guys to keep him coming home today, hush-hush from Lee and Dad?

-Rose <3

The responses were instant.

My lips are sealed!

-Auntie Lady

I don’t go around spoiling surprises, sweetie. So if there’s a leak, ask Dante. <3

-Auntie Trish

I resent that! I know how much it means for the kid to do things right, so I haven’t said anything. I swear, Rosie.

-Uncle D

Okay, okay, I believe you. I believe all of you. In case Leon or Dad tries to chat you up, deny, deny, deny, okay? I’ll owe you guys big time!

-Rose <3

You got it, kid! Love ya!

-Uncle D

Take care, okay, Rosie? Call if you need anything!

-Auntie Trish

And say hi to Leon and Ethan for us later. Sure hope they’ll come for a visit soon!

-Auntie Lady

‘Yeah, my people are weird, but they’re the best kind of weird,’ Rosemary thought with a snicker, putting her cellphone away.

Heather and Delsin were still in a heated debate, though thankfully, the former delinquent was still paying attention to the road ahead. At this point, it’s best to let these two blow off some steam, so Rosemary dug out her journal, flipped to a clean page, and started writing.

She wrote down today’s date and counted five lines down, her pen cap between her teeth, and using her knees as a table.

Nero checked the group chat he had with his dad, Ethan, and Rosemary. He was taking a short pit stop, having some coffee and a breakfast bowl of eggs, cheese, and bacon. He chewed slowly, eyes dancing across his cellphone screen.

Made it to school safely! Heather and I are heading to first period now. I promise I won’t text during class, and I have some big news to share with you guys later! <3

-Rosie

Good! Have a great day at school, honey. Remember, take it easy and have fun; the first day’s usually pretty chilled.

-Ethan

Big news already? Can’t wait! Have a great day today, Rose! Tell Heather I wish her luck, too, and I owe Delsin another week of free dinners. You got this!

-Dad <3

Thanks, Lee! And don’t be silly, Delsin’s free dinner card has no expiration date! I might go with him and Heather to get some Boba tea later, so you know! Don’t worry, I’ll bring you guys your usuals.

-Rosie

‘Ha, nice save, Sis.’ Nero thought with a goofy grin, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘Big news she says, either Heather came clean about talking to this dorky, spike-loving tech genius she met through one of her dad’s book signings, or Del’s gonna be my brother-in-law. Welp, I guess I’ll find out in a bit.’

This breakfast bowl was adequate, but nothing beats his dad’s pancakes and bacon. Meals weren’t an issue while he stayed with Uncle Dante, but Uncle Dante isn’t a whiz in the kitchen.

Nero tossed the empty coffee cup and bowl into the nearest wastebasket. He’s got a full tank to finish off the long trip; as he was getting his helmet back on, Nero felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Curious, he leaned on the handlebars and once again checked his messages.

Nero, she likes me back! You dick, you knew Rose liked me back BEFORE you gave me your blessing. If I weren’t on cloud nine right now, I’d deck you through the screen.

But Rose likes me. I can’t believe it, I mean I do but I’m not going to screw this up. I promise, okay?

Holy shit, Rose likes me!!

-Del

Nero snorted, grinning from ear to ear. He pushed his helmet visor up to see the keyboard better, tapping his foot to some indiscernible beat.

Glad to hear it! I think Rose is going to drop the bomb later once I’m home, but congrats, man.

Hey, none of that shit, okay? I wouldn’t have given you my blessing if I thought you and Rose would end in disaster. You’re a great guy, Del, one of the best I know.

You got this. And at least I get a kickass brother-in-law! Dad and Ethn are going to flip, and the good kind before you ask. 😀

-Nery

It didn’t take Delsin long to reply.

Shit, didn’t mean to ruin the surprise. Then again, I’m sure Ro’s going to spill the beans before she’s in first period.

Thanks, Nero. You have no idea how much that means to me. You’re the best, I hope you know that.

I can’t wait to tell Betty and Reggie! They’ll rib me about it, for sure, but yeah, things are looking up!

And hey, what about Kyrie? Are you two together now or…?

-Del

I don’t work smart like you, man. I like her, and I’m pretty positive she likes me too. But nothing’s changed yet.

You can blame Dante for that? He kept me busy, helping him out with gigs and other tasks. But when I wasn’t helping him, I wasn’t trying hard to define our relationship.

-Nery

I’m sorry to hear that, Ren. But don’t give up! From what I’ve seen, Kyrie’s head over heels for you. You’ll get another chance, trust me. If a handsome, powerful enforcer of justice like me can get the girl, you can too! 😛

-Del

Nero snorted, rolling his eyes.

Delsin Rowe wasn’t your typical ex-delinquent. He could do things most couldn’t, and Nero’s seen it first-hand. He took down a tyrant with his best friends and fellow Conduits, almost lost his brother, his mother figure, and the Akomish community he had in Salmon Bay. Delsin was famous in more ways than one, but if you wanted a fresh start, Raccoon City hits all the right beats. Here, he was Delsin Rowe, a high school dropout and former delinquent who was turning his life around.

Nero could relate. While he grew up in a loving home thanks to his dad and Ethan, Nero knew it took a lot of work to get where they were. Leon sacrificed so much for his son, and it’s paid off, but not without long-lasting consequences.

Nero and Delsin have been friends since Delsin got to Raccoon City. Delsin originally ran away from home, and there was a whole mess after that, but hey, things worked out. Betty, Reggie, and the rest of the Salmon Bay community were just as family as Ethan and Rosemary were.

Ha, thank you kindly. You have my back, and I have yours.

And handsome is pushing it a little, haha! Don’t see what Rose sees, but I’m happy for you two. And remember: you break her heart, I break your spine. <3

-Nery

Fair tradeoff, my good man!

Thanks for making searching for a parking space fun! Let me know once you’re in town; I know you and Rose are planning to hang out one-on-one before getting everyone else together, and I’ll cover for you both. <3

-Del

Thanks, Delsin. Love you, and I’ll see you later.

-Nery

Love you more, Nero. Later!

-Del

“Is it too late to regret getting here and head home?” Heather bemoaned as Delsin walked her and Rosemary up the steps to Raccoon City High. The spunky, freckle-faced girl folded her arms, glaring down at the steadily packed hallways. “Can’t summer last another month?”

“I don’t want it to last another month,” Rosemary deadpanned, shaking her head. Delsin snickered with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. “Come on, Heather. We got this; it’s our senior year! You weren’t dreading it as much as I was ten minutes ago.”

“Call it post-1st bell clarity. Now that I’m seeing this educational pantheon filled to the brim with lust, love, jealousy, and annoyances, I’ll take my chances and finish school online. There are so many resources on the internet nowadays, Dad can homeschool me.”

“If I’m suffering through senior year, you are too.”

“So far your day has been everything but suffering,” Heather shot back, smirking as Delsin and Rosemary went red as tomatoes. “Ugh, fine! At least I get to tease you guys tenfold now that you’re dating. I’ll leave you two alone for a bit and scope out the best seats in Mrs. Lang’s classroom. Love you guys!” Heather pecked her friends on the cheek before turning on her heel and heading down the hallway, worming her way through a group of students camping it out next to a bank of lockers.

“What are we going to do with her?” Delsin asked, watching as Heather’s head vanished into the bustling crowd of blurry faces.

“What have we been doing for years?” Rosemary hazarded a guess, smiling when Delsin’s eyes sparkled deviously. “So far, she hasn’t outright murdered anyone, so I think we’ll be fine.”

“Keep an eye on her? Cheryl’s an author’s daughter, after all.”

Heather Mason was, well, Heather Mason, to most of the Raccoon City population, but only Rosemary, Delsin, and company got away with calling her by her real name. If she heard Delsin using it, even in a whisper, at school, she’d throttle him. But Rosemary will keep this one between them. “So,” Delsin began, rocking on the heels of his worn sneakers. He locked eyes with Rosemary, marveling how the blue gave in to a sleek, shiny-looking silver-gray.

Rosemary’s eyes changed colors all the time. She must have gotten them from her mother, since Ethan’s eyes were either hazel or chocolate-brown, depending on the lighting.

They were pretty eyes. Delsin noticed them when he was sixteen, and he's thought about them since.

“So…” Rosemary trailed off, biting her lower lip. She rocked from side to side, her heart pounding loudly and fast in her chest. “I’ll see you later, okay? I promise not to hog Nero too much, you know, so you guys can get your guy time in.”

“How considerate! Who are you, and what have you done with Rosemary Winters?” Delsin asked, resting his hand on his hips.

Rosemary laughed. “Thanks. But you take your time, okay? I know Nero’s missed you most of all. Have a good day at school, keep your nose clean.”

“Sir, yessir,” Rosemary gave Delsin a mock salute before sighing and taking his hands in his.

Delsin blinked, though he didn’t pull away. Part of him hated how suddenly he was lacking confidence. Sure, it’s only Rosemary, but it’s Rosemary. She was one of his best friends, and now she’s more. He knows their dynamic doesn’t have to change completely, but that part of him losing confidence was damn loud.

So when Rosemary took his hands and squeezed, Delsin’s chest felt less tight. When Rosemary stood on her tiptoes and didn’t break eye contact, the ex-delinquent’s stomach unknotted itself. And when Rosemary gently cupped Delsin’s face and stroked his thin cheek, he melted into her touch without a second thought.

“...”

“Is it too soon to ask you for a goodbye kiss?” Rosemary asked, with some hair in her eyes. “If it is, just let me know. I don’t know how having a boyfriend works, so…” she trailed off again, hunching her shoulders. The gray in her eyes darkened to a stormy hue, her hold on Delsin loosening.

‘Shit, no. Don’t do that,’ Delsin thought with wider eyes. It took a while for his brain to catch up with the rest of him. He placed his hand over Rosemary’s, aligning their fingers before leaning forward.

He felt the tomboy blonde stiffen at first, a gasp caught between their mouths. Delsin didn’t pull away; he didn’t press harder either. He closed his eyes, breathed out through his nose, and waited.

It took a hot minute, but Rosemary did soften. Her hands moved to rest against Delsin’s chest, careful of the many pins on his jean vest. Delsin cupped Rosemary’s face with both hands, relaxing his shoulders.

Rosemary tasted like pancakes. Her lips were soft but not glossy and slippery. She smelled sweet, too. She smelled like lavender and valerian root tea, a part of her nighttime routine, with rosemary and mint, which was her shampoo and conditioner combo, and quite fitting. Rosemary smelled sweet, tasted sweet, and she was warm.

The kiss ended sooner than either anticipated, but it allowed Rosemary and Delsin to share a secret smile. Her cheeks flushed darker when the ex-delinquent tucked some hair behind her ear, the contact raising goosebumps everywhere. As Delsin leaned forward and Rosemary met him halfway, someone cleared their throat loudly.

“Miss Winters! Mr. Rowe! You know the rules: students shall refrain from public displays of affection during school hours and on school property, or risk disrupting the learning environment.”

Rosemary winced as she and Delsin slowly locked eyes with Vice Principal Pierce. She was a petite woman with dark eyes and hair, her hair up in a tight bun, and her perfectly manicured nails drumming against an empty locker. She looked from Rosemary to Delsin, then back again. Her eyes were in slits.

“Right, sorry about that, Vice Principal Pierce,” Rosemary said, her feet firmly on the ground. She found Delsin’s hand and held on, which set the young Akomish’s heart fluttering to the stratosphere. “We were just saying goodbye.”

“Save that when off-campus, please,” Vice Principal Pierce responded sharply, folding her arms. “Mr. Rowe, nice to see you again. Are you merely gracing us with your presence, or were you caught tagging the gym again?”

“Nice to see you too, Vice Principal Pierce,” Delsin flashed a cocky, hundred-watt smile the petite woman’s way, squeezing Rosemary’s hand in his. “Nah, I was just dropping my lady off before I clocked in. Sorry for the ruckus.”

“I didn’t know you worked. Congratulations,” Vice Principal Pierce’s expression softened before she sighed and pointed down the hall. “The warning bell is about to go off. I suggest Miss Winters make it to class on time. It would be disappointing that such a dedicated student is late on the first day.” The petite, dark-haired woman gave the two a beady look before turning on her black, shiny heels to head back to her office.

Rosemary and Delsin waited until she vanished around the corner, the tomboy blonde sighing in relief.

“That could have gone worse,” she acknowledged, Delsin laughing at her gobsmacked expression. “Principal Baines would have Officer Anders escort you off the premises!”

“How is he doing, by the way? It’s probably boring busting students smoking in the bathrooms and the occasional false fire alarm,” Delsin said, bringing Rosemary’s hand to his lips to tenderly kiss her knuckles.

“Ha, he’s chill. I bet he misses you, Del. You were a pain in the ass, but you gave him less lip than others here.”

“I respect authority when it’s necessary,” Delsin explained, shrugging.

Rosemary blinked. “Again, how many times has Reggie arrested you?”

“That’s my brother. He might be sheriff back home, but sometimes he needs a good smack talk to get off his high horse.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re incorrigible, yet here we are.” Delsin retorted, lightly elbowing Rosemary in the side.

The tomboy blonde smacked his arm. “Well, I'd better get going. I’ll see you later, Ro.”

“Be careful,” Rosemary stressed gently, closing her eyes when Delsin kissed her forehead.

Rosemary knew that Delsin would have gotten her and Heather here sooner with his powers. He saves up on gas money that way, and it wouldn’t be the first time she sees the Conduit in action. She appreciates, however, that he used his powers as a last resort. He came to Raccoon City for a fresh start, and Delsin tries. He’s come a long way.

Delsin winked at her. “I’m always careful.”

“Bullshit.”

“Love you too!” The ex-delinquent blew Rosemary a kiss before sliding down the stairs' railing. Rosemary watched as Delsin made his way back to the parking lot, the butterflies in her stomach working overtime.

It wasn’t out of place to tell each other they loved each other. It’s a staple not just in her relationship with Delsin, but in her and Heather’s, too. To say it in this new context, though, it might be doing things to Rosemary’s heart.

“Hmm?” Rosemary dug her phone out of her backpack, checking her texts after hearing her notifications sound go off.

She was bright red a minute later.

I like me better when I’m with you.

Wish me luck on making it to the end of my shift. Can’t wait for us all to be back together again.

Don’t get into too much trouble, Lee could live without a day-long migraine!

-Delsin

“Asshole.” Rosemary breathed, gripping her phone with both hands. She sent Delsin triple hearts as she speed-walked past the girls’ bathroom, actively ignoring one of the hall monitors barking detention warnings at a few stragglers.

These guys wouldn’t think twice about ratting her out to Principal Baines. Rosemary wisely chose not to push her luck this time. Plus, Heather might send out a search party any minute now, since it’s been five minutes too long for a cutesy goodbye.

‘Oh, what’s worse? The search party or the All-You-Can-Rib-Rosemary buffet?’

Yeah, yeah, no.

“It’s weird that we’re both home at the same time.”

Ethan looked up from his book into Leon’s eyes. The older man sat down on the couch and switched on the TV. And went to YouTube to pull up one of his playlists. The acoustic guitar easily filled the living room, a melancholy tune that surprisingly paired well with their quiet, choreless morning once the kiddos were off to school.

Leon was smiling softly, curling up with one of the couch pillows.

Ethan smiled too. He bookmarked his page, closed his book, and set it aside. Leon moved the pillow off his lap so the younger man could get comfortable; Leon’s blue eyes were seemingly glowing as Ethan nuzzled his cheek against his thigh, and, once again, gave him blanket permission to play with his hair.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ethan agreed, his heart beating a little faster. “It’s nice, though. Working from home has its perks, but I don’t get to see you as much.” He let out a dramatic sigh, “It’s what I get for having the best detective in RC for a roommate.”

“You’re a drama queen,” Leon argued, shaking his head and resuming stroking Ethan’s hair. “But you’re right. Sometimes I have to pull all-nighters at the station, and it sucks. I love Marvin and the rest as much as the next guy, but I’d rather see you and Rose and Nero in the mornings.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” Ethan said with a faint chuckle, resting his hand on Leon’s knee. “Do you think it’d be possible to sync our days off? That way we can do more things together, and not just around the house.”

“I’d love that, Ethn,” Leon’s smile broadened.

The two have yet to talk about what almost happened in the kitchen this morning. It’s not the first time the two men have nearly kissed. There was a long list of almosts: them almost kissing, them almost confessing their feelings for each other despite their pointless worrying over rejection, them nearly sleeping in the same bed after Leon was discharged from the hospital; he got shot by a suspect trying to give chase, and while that suspect was shortly taken into custody, it wasn’t before she put a bullet in the detective’s shoulder.

For a week, Ethan wouldn’t leave Leon’s side. He did his work in his room, made sure he took his prescribed pain medication, and so on. Rosemary and Nero took turns driving Leon to and from work, and checking in on him when Ethan was busy with meetings. The two men shared a closeness most could only fathom, so a near-death experience was enough to break down the last, genuine wall in their relationship. The lingering hugs, the loving glances, and the increase of emotional intimacy between Leon and Ethan were a story for the ages.

And yet, they were still just best friends.

“Since my schedule is more flexible, I can work with yours,” Ethan suggested, opening his eyes and looking up at Leon. He then decided to switch things up, rolling onto his stomach so that his waist was between Leon’s thighs.

The older man’s face didn’t change, in expression or color. He adjusted under Ethan, letting the younger man rest his chin on his lower stomach. “When’s the next time you’re asking off?”

“Oof, probably not until December.”

“Okay, I can work with that. And we can make backup plans on the chance you’re called in,” Ethan said, his smile returning.

Leon shook his head fondly, stroking some of the hair behind Ethan’s right ear. “We have the Arklay Mountains, we can go camping. It’s not too far away, so if Marvin calls, we can be back in town under an hour. It’s nice, quiet, and Rose and Nero love to stargaze.”

“I’m glad they didn’t grow out of that,” Leon admitted, looking up at the ceiling as he collected the rest of his thoughts. “Ethn, where did the time go? It feels like only yesterday we were moving in, unpacking, and Rose threw up on me. It feels like only yesterday Nero was toddling around, and now he’s an adult trying to figure out his dreams…I feel old.”

“Lee, we’re in our mid-thirties. We are far from old,” Ethan whined, shaking his head. “And we still have time. Nero and Rose might be all grown up now, but they’re still our babies. That’ll never change, we won’t let them forget that.”

“Is it weird that I like it when you put it like that? When you call them our babies.” Leon asked, looking into Ethan’s eyes again.

“I don’t think so…” Ethan began, before bracing his elbows against the couch cushions.

Leon blinked owlishly as Ethan went from lying in his lap to his face mere inches from his. Ethan’s hands fell on Leon’s shoulders, kneading tenderly. A very faint hint of pink entered Leon’s cheeks, but he didn’t dare break eye contact with Ethan.

“I don’t think it’s weird because it’s true. We raised Nero and Rose together, Lee. You’ve been there for her; you were there for her first steps, when she broke one of the windows playing baseball, on her first day in Pre-K…”

“Like how you were there for Nero whenever he had bad dreams, you taught him how to draw and build his computer, and no matter how corny and dumb your jokes were, they always made him laugh…” Leon nodded, a delightful, crackling flame blossoming in his chest. The older man felt bold, cupping Ethan’s cheek and running the end of his thumb along his smooth, summery skin. “We had no fucking clue what we were doing, and yet Rose and Nero are amazing. I’m biased, but it’s the truth; we did it, Ethan. You and I, against all odds, did the impossible. I…I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

Ethan frowned. Leon’s eyes were watery in the corners, and his Adam’s apple was bobbing up and down.

It took Leon years to come to terms with Vergil’s passing. Ethan didn’t take Leon’s vulnerability for granted, since asking for more information was like pulling teeth. Eventually, though, Leon did tell Ethan what happened with Vergil, Nero’s father.

It sounded otherworldly. Vergil wasn’t human, not completely anyway. He and Leon met by chance and bonded over their family traumas. What many considered callousness on Vergil’s behalf was oversimplifying his complexity. He and Dante didn’t have the best relationship, but Dante still cried when his brother died. He saw a warmth, a light bloom from the depths of Vergil’s heart, a heart iced over by pain and misery. That light was thanks to Leon’s tenacity, patience, and unconditional love.

Vergil died before finding out Leon was pregnant. He died before getting the chance to meet Nero, and, if things had gone differently, he would have had to raise him with Leon. Nero lost his father, and Leon lost his first love.

“You don’t have to repay me for anything, Leon,” Ethan said, pressing his cheek against Leon’s palm. “You make it sound like I saved you, when you saved me. You lost Vergil, Nero didn’t get to meet him, didn’t know where to go, but you knew how to survive. You weren’t going to stay down. I…I was destroyed. Mia’s lies, her secret life outside our home, were too much. I took Rose and left, but I didn’t have a plan! Ha, I was running on fumes, it was raining, and I was so close to going back when I met you.” The younger man exhaled, his eyes on fire. Leon brought their foreheads together, resuming stroking Ethan’s hair. “I was so close to going back because I thought I made a mistake, and I felt bad because Mia didn’t want a divorce, but I couldn’t…I couldn’t stay.”

“You know my stance on that. I won’t say anything about Mia because I don’t know her perspective. I can’t judge her; what I can do is say that you did the right thing. From what you told me, what she did, and that she lied to you over and over…you had every right to want to leave. You guys were supposed to be a team, but she kept things from you instead of talking it out. You would have worked things out if she did, maybe; maybe not, I don’t know, but you deserved better, Ethan. Rose deserved better, you deserved better, and I’d do it again. Coming to you, offering you a place we can make ours, I’d do it again if we could go back in time. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Even when we’d fight and not talk to each other for weeks?”

“That doesn’t happen that often anymore, though. It made sense we’d butt heads back then; we were younger, stupider, need I go on? We didn’t always have the answers, but we tried.” Leon stressed, nuzzling their noses together. He inhaled at the same time Ethan exhaled. Whatever words to follow died on their tongues.

“Can…can we agree that we’re a team? I didn’t save you, you didn’t save me. We saved each other.”

“...” Ethan nodded, opening his eyes after having closed them earlier. Leon bit his lower lip; Ethan’s eyes fell on Leon’s mouth, his warm breath fanning across his face. The younger man took a deep breath, his gaze flickering from Leon’s mouth to his eyes. “...?”

“...” Leon nodded, closing his eyes as Ethan leaned forward and brought their lips together.

No front door bell going off, no one bursting into the living room, no sudden phone call or text coming up—the Winters-Kennedy household was so quiet a pin needle dropping would echo through every room. But that wouldn’t count as a disruption or distraction, not as soon as Leon and Ethan’s lips met.

The older man let out a sweet, soft keen, his other hand tangling in Ethan’s hair. Ethan’s hands trailed down Leon’s shoulders to lock tightly around his waist, bringing their chests together. A shiver went down the younger man’s spine, passing through Leon’s skin and rattling his bones. Ethan rested his weight on Leon, and Leon felt himself sinking further into the couch cushions.

Their first kiss became their second, followed by their third and fourth. The two men were rapidly losing count, their hands roaming without a care. Every time fingertips grazed shirt buttons or belt buckles, both men refrained from undoing anything. Instead, Leon pressed his palms against Ethan’s back, while Ethan slid his hands under Leon’s knees and hitched them around his waist. Leon tilted his head to the side to catch his breath, filling his lungs with much-needed air, and Ethan as well, before he dove back in.

The world around them faded into shades of cream, white, and gray. The sun outside cast golden-white rays on the thick carpet floor; Leon’s eyes rolled back inside his skull when Ethan’s lips scattered kisses across his cheek; Ethan shivered when Leon pressed a hand against his chest, right above his racing heart. A few of the couch cushions fell noiselessly to the floor, Ethan and Leon’s cellphones on the coffee table in front of the TV.

The music has long since lost its somber, longing motif, painting the world behind Ethan and Leon’s eyelids a blast of reds, oranges, blues, and purples. The older man sighed as Ethan kissed his way up his neck, courageously tugging on Ethan’s shirt collar. “Leon…a-are you…?”

“Y-yes. Please, Ethan. I…I need you.”

“I need you too.”

Ethan got to his feet before lifting Leon into his arms bridal style. The older man rested his head on Ethan’s shoulder, his arms flung around Ethan’s neck. Leon was quiet as Ethan carried him upstairs, but once they crossed the threshold of Ethan’s bedroom, the RPD detective buried his face away in Ethan’s neck to kiss, lick, and bite his way up to his ear.

“Leon…” Ethan breathed, turning around so he landed on his back in bed, and Leon straddled him. The older blonde squeaked, surprised, only to smile when Ethan winked at him. “Eager, aren’t we?”

“Sixteen years in the waiting,” Leon pointed out, stroking Ethan’s chest.

“Well, what are we still waiting for?”

“Ha, nothing anymore,” Leon said before he kissed Ethan deeply and unbuttoned the top button of his long-sleeved, white button-up shirt.

Heather and Rosemary jumped slightly when, at the same time, their cellphones vibrated. As Mr. Verner turned his back, the girls took out their phones and opened up their texts under their lab table.

Touching down on RC in T-minus 60 minutes!

‘Nero!’ Heather and Rosemary had the same thought, looking at each other with identical, giddy grins. No doubt Delsin got Nero’s text, too—the bastard sent the announcement via the group chat.

Heather raised her hand as soon as Rosemary and her put their phones away.

“Mr. Verner, Rosemary isn’t feeling well. Can I take her to the nurse’s office?” Heather asked as Rosemary rested her head on the table, groaning softly.

“Miss Winters? What’s wrong?”

“C-chronic migraines, sir. I take medication for them, but sometimes they still hit.”

“Very well. Miss Mason, please escort Miss Winters to see Nurse Lainey.”

“Thank you, sir!” Heather leaped to her feet and grabbed Rosemary’s arm. “Easy now, Rose. Lean on me if you need to, okay?”

Rosemary nodded, her eyes closed. She kept her head ducked, and the two girls headed into the hallway once Heather grabbed the hall pass.

They didn’t say anything the entire trek to the main office, but once Heather finished explaining the situation to Nurse Lainey, she grinned at Rosemary.

The blonde with icy-gray eyes smirked discreetly back, sitting down on one of the shiny, black cots and lying down. She folded her arms on top of her stomach, rearranging her features into a pained grimace.

“Alright, sweetie, just lie down for a minute. I’ll get you some water; maybe that and some quiet will help your head.” Nurse Lainey said as Heather left the main office. She was a middle-aged woman with her blonde hair up in a messy bun, hurriedly typing away on her computer. “In case it goes from bad to worse, tell me your emergency contacts?”

“My dad, Ethan Winters, a family friend, Leon, and my older brother, Nero Kennedy. My dad and Leon are at work, so my brother can answer the phone.”

“How old is Nero?”

“He’s nineteen. He always carries his driver’s license with him,” Rosemary delineated, her arm over her eyes. She faked winced again, lolling her head to the side.

“Okay-doke, thank you kindly. We’ll see how you feel in a little bit,” Nurse Lainey said, standing up and going over to the sink, opening cabinet after cabinet until she found a stack of small, see-through plastic cups. She switched on the faucet and filled a cup up to the brim. “There we go,” she switched off the faucet and walked over to Rosemary’s cot. “Drink up, sweetie. Let’s see if this helps.”

“Thanks,” Rosemary said sorely, sitting up slowly. She accepted the cup with a lopsided smile, closing her eyes and taking tentative sips. Nurse Lainey smiled and retreated to her desk, pulling up a new tab and resuming typing.

‘Alright, now to play the waiting game.’

Nero grinned.

Rose is in the nurse's office. You’re up next, man! <3

-Cher

Thanks, Cheryl. I owe you one!

-Nero

You so do! Don’t worry, I’ll come up with reward ideas later. You and Rose enjoy your outing!

-Cher

‘Alright, on my way, Sis.’ Nero slipped his helmet on again and curled his fingers around the clutch again. His bike roared to life immediately, and after checking both ends of the street, left the gas station in the dust.

The white-haired young man was grinning madly, his heart racing a mile a minute.

…

“There he goes. No doubt he’s gonna pick up the girl at school. Ha, this’ll be a piece of cake! He’s just some punk-ass brat; I’ll sock him real good before I snatch the girl. The sooner I do that, the sooner I can get back to Dulvey.”

Chapter Text

Nero finally found an open parking spot behind Raccoon City High School. He dismounted his motorcycle, took off his helmet, and ensured he had his ID and everything else before approaching the main doors. He waited until one of the secretaries buzzed him in, the doors clicking shut behind his heels.

The main office was small but tidy, with white walls, a few squashy armchairs, and a long, rectangular front desk. One of the secretaries stood up and smiled, her red hair tied back and her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose.

“Good afternoon! Mr. Kennedy, is it?” She asked, approaching the front desk.

“That’s me,” Nero said smoothly, showing the redheaded secretary his ID. “I’m here to pick up my sister? The nurse told me she suffered a migraine attack.”

“That’s right,” the redheaded secretary replied, waiting patiently as Nero followed sign-out procedures. “She’s been here since second period, she hasn’t gotten better.”

“Yeah, that happens sometimes,” Nero said, frowning. “She took her medicine this morning, but it’s preventive. Damn, and on her first day too.”

“Ren? That you?” Rosemary’s voice came from the nurse’s office. It was shaky and very soft; Nero had to strain to hear her.

“I’m here, Rosie,” Nero said soothingly, stepping back from the front desk. “Does she have her stuff with her?”

“A classmate brought her belongings down a while ago.” The redheaded secretary answered, turning to Rosemary as the groggy-looking blonde stepped out of the nurse’s office with her backpack over her shoulder. “Alright, Miss Rosemary, you’re free to go. I hope you feel better soon!”

“Thanks, Miss Jane.” Rosemary managed a faint smile as she walked around the front desk. She elbowed her way through the door, Nero taking her backpack from her. “Sorry about this, big brother.”

“Say no more, Rosie. I got you,” Nero gently cut her off, taking her hand in his. “Let’s get you home, okay? No loud music, no bright lights, and lots of hot chocolate.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The two exited Raccoon City High without looking back once. Nero handed Rosemary his helmet and waited for her to mount his motorcycle. It was one of his rules whenever his baby sister hitched a ride with him: she sat up front, just in case anything happened, Nero would be able to shield her with his body.

Rosemary thinks it’s a stupid idea, but she knew better than to argue with Nero when he was driving.

Rosemary put on her brother’s helmet and sat down, Nero adjusting her backpack over his shoulders. Once she was steady and had her hands on the handlebars, Nero sat behind her and wrapped his fingers around hers, squeezing down on the clutch.

The bike roared like a lion underneath them and seemed to jolt forward in place. Rosemary swallowed down the gasp bubbling in her throat and held on tight, taking a deep breath through her nose.

“You ready?” Nero whispered, so as not to startle her.

“Ready,” Rosemary said, her stomach in knots.

Nero nodded, though she couldn’t see it, and rotated the throttle towards him and Rosemary. It wasn’t long before the makeshift breeze whipped back his sister’s hair, the motorcycle engine’s roaring escalating to a deafening degree.

“I got you,” Nero repeated like a mantra, feeling Rosemary lean back. “I got you.”

“I know…”

Once they were off school grounds, Rosemary and Nero relaxed. Raccoon City was cramped, but not everyone-knows-everyone cramped. Leon and Ethan usually stayed home on their days off, and it’s been ages since Rosemary and Nero got frozen custard.

As if to prove Lady Luck was on their side, the guy manning the cash register was a young, fresh-faced man more preoccupied with not messing up their orders than memorizing their faces.

Rosemary and Nero got their usuals and found an available booth by the window, leaning back in their seats as they loaded spoonfuls into their mouths.

Mint chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough. Sweet tooths run in the family.

“You put on quite the show back there,” Nero praised, smiling around his spoon.

Rosemary rolled her eyes, pretending to be annoyed. “I’m serious! I almost thought you were suffering for real; while you’re editing your magnum opus, maybe consider an acting gig on the side? You don’t have to go too big, one-off TV. Episodes and commercials will do.”

“I’m behind the camera, not in front of it,” Rosemary argued, licking a chocolate chip off her spoon. She smiled widely, and there was a chocolate stain on her chin. “But thanks! You need to thank Cheryl for making it possible—I wouldn’t have escaped Mr. Verner’s class if it wasn’t for her.”

“Damn, you got him this year? He’s smart but he sucks at teaching,” Nero grumbled, swallowing. “I don’t know, I think if he were doing a desk job, he’d fare better; he’s good with computers, the other teachers go to him for presentations and stuff. I guess he needs the money.”

“Don’t we all?” Rosemary asked, causing Nero to chuckle. “You didn’t have to pay for me, you know. I brought my wallet just for the occasion.”

“I know, but it’s been a while since we could hang out like this. Next time I take you out, you can foot the bill.”

“As long as I get to pick the destination.”

“Steak burgers and milkshakes?”

“You know it!”

“Making me hungry again, thanks,” Nero snorted into his cup, Rosemary wiping her face with a napkin.

The two went quiet as they devoured the rest of their custards, gazing out the window. The day was nice, not too hot and somewhat cloudy. The streets were semi-busy, with businessmen in suits speed-walking to their afternoon conferences and young mothers pushing strollers and carrying grocery bags.

Raccoon City has expanded over the years, but these streets have withstood the test of time.

“Damn, that hit the spot,” Nero sighed as he and Rosemary stacked their empty custard cups and set them to the side. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smiling. “Redgrave has the best pizza joint around, but their sweets haven’t caught up.”

“Don’t ever let Uncle Dante hear you say that—he lives on strawberry sundaes,” Rosemary warned with a cheeky grin, folding her hands over her lap. “Remember you once said you could eat more than he could, then threw up after your fourth sundae?”

“Too much sugar, Rose, can you blame me? Dante’s system is something else, I’m not tempting that shit.” Nero pouted, crossing his arms for good measure. “He’s gonna outlive us all with that iron stomach; I’ll stick to my not-overly sweet cookie dough vice, please and thank you.”

“How are you and Leon related again?”

“Shut it. How are you and Ethan related when you can stomach five times the amount of heat? You put hot sauce on everything!”

“Do not.”

“Do too.”

“And it’s chili pepper, not hot sauce. You try it on some pineapples and see what the hype is about!”

“Yeah, no,” Nero shot Rosemary’s request down without batting an eye, stretching his arms above his head. “I’m crazy, but not that kind of crazy.”

“Loser.”

“Jerk.”

“Dick.”

“Asshole.”

They traded insults all buttery smooth, their eyes glinting dangerously. Rosemary narrowed her eyes before throwing her dirty napkin, hitting Nero square in the nose.

“Hey, what gives?!”

“Oh, nothing, just that I found out today that you gave Delsin your blessing like you’re some old money monarchy he needs to placate.” Rosemary retorted, crossing her legs at the ankles as she fixed Nero with a deadly glare.

“Yes. And?” Nero asked, wagging his eyebrows in mock confusion.

“What do you mean by ‘And’?! Delsin doesn’t need to ask you permission to date me, that’s for Dad, not you.”

“True, but Del’s my best friend. He knows that I know that no one in this world will ever be good enough for you,” Nero rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward. “He also knows that if he steps out of line, he’s a dead man-”

“You didn’t threaten him,” Rosemary interrupted, arching her left brow. “No way, no fucking way.”

“I did. He’s a good guy, though, has a good head on his shoulders, so he knows not to toy with my favorite girl.”

Rosemary sighed, hanging her head.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“You’re just figuring that out now?” Nero smirked, victorious. He balled up Rosemary’s napkin and stuffed it into one of the empty custard cups. “I’m glad you two are together. It was about time, and I like seeing you happy.”

Rosemary lifted her head to meet her big brother’s gaze. His smile had softened, and his frosty blue eyes were on fire. “This will probably sound lame…But I always worry about you. I can’t always be there, you know, even though I want to, so knowing that Delsin will be there for you means a lot. He’s pretty badass, powers notwithstanding, so if he’s ready to deal with Hurricane Rosemary every day, I’m down with it.”

“Geez, tell me how you feel,” Rosemary said with a snort. There was no hiding the pink flush in her cheeks, though. “You’re such a dork, Nero…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I missed you this summer.”

Nero hummed softly. “I know there’ll be more days when you won’t be around. You have your hopes and dreams to chase, plus no one is keeping you from Kyrie.”

“Oh my God-!”

“So while I had to listen to old audio messages to feel like you were still here, I think I’ll be okay,” Rosemary went on as if Nero hadn’t spoken up. She curled up in on herself, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

Nero’s eyes widened a little. “You’re my big brother, the best in the world. You always took care of me, and thanks to you, I know how to stand up for myself. Your pompous declaration aside, it’s sweet how you gave Delsin a hard time for me. I’ve liked him for years, you know that, and I still can’t believe he likes me back. I can’t wait to tell Leon and Dad; I can’t wait to meet Betty and Reggie as Delsin’s girlfriend. I don’t know what’s going to happen from here, but I know I can handle it.”

“Wow…you’ve grown up a lot while I was away,” Nero whispered, a fluttery feeling in his stomach. He pressed his fist against his cheek, looking down at the table. “I hated leaving you, Dad, and Ethan behind. I know I wasn’t doing anything wrong, you guys supported my decision but it still sucked. Dad gave up a lot for me; I didn’t want to screw up and let him down. This is in my head, obviously, but I try so hard so that when he looks at me, he doesn’t see him.”

“Nero…”

“Dad’s told me little by little what happened. Vergil was a handful, but I know Dad loved him for a reason. I didn’t want to remind him about his bad qualities. I know I got a temper, I’m not easy to deal with. You saw it first hand, ha.”

“Hey, I get an attitude, too sometimes. Lee says I sound like Dad when I do.”

“You do, trust me,” Nero said, smiling when Rosemary leaned forward to smack his arm across the table. “I know there was good in him. Dad wouldn’t have loved him if he was a piece of shit.”

“Our parents don’t define us,” Rosemary pointed out tenderly, squaring her shoulders. “My mom…she did terrible things. She hurt Dad, and I’ll never forgive her for that. She didn’t try very hard to reach out to me either, so it made it easier to ignore her. But sometimes I wonder if Dad sees a bit of her in me. That scares me, honestly. But I know that I wouldn’t be here if not for her, so there’s that.”

“Where are you going with this, Rosie?”

“We’re not them. We look like them, but we’re not them. You’re Nero, and I’m Rosemary, and though it hurts, we didn’t get the relationships we wanted with them…I’m happy. I’m happy you’re my big brother, I wouldn’t swap you for anyone else, and I think you should give yourself some credit.”

“I left for almost three months and have shit to show for it.”

“You tried, though,” Rosemary stressed this as hard as she could, reaching across the table and taking Nero’s hand. She stroked his knuckles with her thumb, his skin porcelain compared to her warmer, sandier hue. “Don’t get like that, Ren. You tried; you said you wanted to find yourself, right? So what if you didn’t this time around? It was your first time away from home! You didn’t run off in the middle of the night, you weren’t cryptic or whatever. You talked to Leon and Dad, you set the record straight, and they understood. I understood once I got over being mad at you.”

Nero glared at nothing, unconvinced. “I shouldn’t have upset you in the first place.”

“Weren’t we just discussing this? You can’t protect my feelings all the time, Nero. You want things outside of Raccoon City, outside of the familiar. And it’s okay to want that, I want you to want that! And you know you can always come home, no matter what. I know Dad will beat me over the head with that once I start college. You going after what you want won’t make me stop loving you.”

Nero stiffened, swallowing hard. “...That’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it?”

“You want the truth or a lie?”

“Lie.” Rosemary deadpanned, which made Nero snort despite himself.

“My job for years has been to always have your back, Rose. It’s one of my favorite jobs in the world. So when I started thinking about a life outside of Raccoon, I felt guilty. I have everything I need here, so why want more? I’m not saying I want an out, I just want to see what else is out there. Living in Redgrave with Dante was nice. I got to do things differently, see what that city was like—it’s not the same as when you’re visiting for a week or two. It was great, it was different.”

“See? You’re allowed to want things, and to feel that way.”

“I know…”

“So get it through your thick skull, dumbass,” Rosemary grumbled, knocking her knuckles on Nero’s temple. “No matter what happens, you’ll always be my brother. I’ll always love you—we’ve lasted this long, I highly doubt anything’s going to change that.”

“You are one wise owl, Rosie,” Nero said, cracking a sincere smile. The dark cloud over his head dissipated, and he took Rosemary’s hand and tenderly kissed her fingertips. The blue-eyed blonde showed off a toothy grin, giggling when Nero’s peach fuzz made goosebumps erupt down her arm. “I always love you, too. Through thick and thin.”

“I know,” Rosemary replied, her eyes never drifting from Nero’s furrowed brows, squinty eyes, and the sweet, pink blush coloring his cheeks and neck.

Rosemary didn’t take her hand back, marveling at how Nero visibly relaxed, taking in her warmth and words, to heart. They didn’t say anything for what felt like hours, minutes blending into each other; a few customers came in, a young family of five, but the children’s endless chatter and the parents’ exasperated back and forth wasn’t enough to shatter their comfortable, private bubble.

So the beauty can tame the beast after all.

“Alright, enough of this mushy crap,” Nero decided eagerly, sucking in a deep breath. He let go of his sister’s hand, balled his hands on top of the table, and tipped his head back. Rosemary watched as all traces of insecurity and doubt left her brother’s gaze, his frosty blues putting sapphires to shame. “I want to hear about the good stuff.”

“The good stuff? Like how Delsin and I already had our first kiss?” Rosemary asked, giggling when Nero stared at her, wide-eyed.

“Eh, no? I said I was happy for you two, I didn’t say I want to hear about how you and my best friend are swapping spit. I did my part, Sis.”

“But come on, it was perfect! We were in the middle of the hallway, the world just melted away as he cupped my face and-”

“Rose!” Nero exclaimed, drawing a few curious ogles. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You’re not done getting back at me for grilling Delsin.”

“I’ll grill Delsin whenever necessary. You’re sweet, but you still crossed a line. So yeah, this isn’t over, Big Bro.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you, too!” Rosemary batted her eyes before becoming serious, leaning forward as if about to drop a bombshell on Nero. “I’m not the only one whose relationship status has changed.”

“I don’t know what Del told you, but Kyrie and I are still at square one.”

“Seriously?  Even though you spent a whole summer with Uncle Dante? W-what about when you’d help with the kids at the local orphanage? Kyrie spends most of her time there, so how…you know what, let’s put a pin in that,” Rosemary stated, her mind racing a mile a minute. “I’m talking about Heather.”

“Oh. Oh!” Nero’s devious smirk was back tenfold, leaning back and folding his arms across his chest. “What about it?”

“You knew this whole time, didn’t you?”

“What can I say? I’m everybody’s big brother,” Nero tilted his head, softening his tone. “She told me not to tell anyone yet, since it’s a long-distance thing.”

“I get that…I promise I wasn’t snooping or anything,” Rosemary held up her hands, wincing. “It was during one of our sleepovers. She was taking a shower when her phone went off, and she got a new text. I know her password, I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t missing anything from Harry, so I looked.”

“I am honored you trust me with your confessional, Sis. Ha.”

“I didn’t mean to look! Honest, so when I saw that it was a picture of some guy posing near the Golden Gate Bridge, I was confused. Heather’s never lived in San Francisco before, she would have told me. But Harry did have one of his book signings in San Francisco, so maybe it was someone she met there.”

“Right on the nose,” Nero assured with a firm nod, tapping Rosemary’s nose for emphasis. He chuckled when Rosemary went cross-eyed. “So? Are you asking for more info?”

“Kind of?” Rosemary mused out loud, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “What’s with the mask? And his name?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t know.”

“Nero.”

“The name Heather gave me sounded made up, Rose. She’s tight-lipped, you know that. I wasn’t about to interrogate her when it took Heather lots of guts to open up in the first place.”

Nero watched as guilt colored Rosemary pale. She frowned and looked down at her hands.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t be asking you this. Cheryl will tell me she’s ready…I just hope she’s keeping quiet about this guy because she’s scared about how I’ll react, nothing else. The mask raises a lot of questions, but if he’s a good guy, then I’m right there with her. And he’s lucky to have her.”

“I agree.”

Heather Mason might be a pain in the ass most days, but she was a real friend. She was spunky, feisty, loyal, and spoke her mind no matter what. She and her father’s past was murky; they moved to Raccoon City after something bad happened where they used to live. She dyed her hair, avoided talking about her childhood often. She’s warmed up to people asking over the years, especially in her close friend circle, but the past is the past for a reason.

Good on Rosemary to catch herself before making a terrible mistake.

“Heather’s complicated. We all are. Maybe there’s a deeper reason as to why she’s been quiet about this guy. What I do know is that she’ll come clean eventually, and when she does, keep an open mind, okay? No friendship is worth losing over misunderstandings.”

“If I’ve gotten wiser over the summer, you’ve matured.” Rosemary pointed out with a ghost of a smile, Nero taking her hand again. “You’re right.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“Eh, no. Nine times out of ten, you’re dead wrong, and we get in trouble. This time, however, you’re in the clear.”

Nero shrugged, cool as a cucumber. “Okay, so Heather’s mystery guy is off the table, and I’ll wait until after you and Delsin have your guy time to mercilessly rib you. We’re here to have fun, right? So let’s have fun!”

“Want some more custard?”

“I do! But after we get refills, how about we go to the park? There’s supposed to be a festival there in a few days, so we could check out the stalls already set up. Who knows, if we like what we see, we can get Dad and Leon on board and go together, the five of us.”

“I like that plan,” Nero replied, his spirits higher compared to a few minutes ago. “Now that you and Del are a thing, think we can do the same for our folks? At this rate, they’ll be together than most married couples, and they’re not even a couple!”

“This festival could be our grand master plan.” Rosemary got to her feet, taking some bills out of her wallet before replacing her wallet in her bag and handing said bag to Nero. “If push comes to shove, we can ask Aunt Claire to flirt up a storm. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It won’t seem off, since she and Uncle Chris try to hit all the big events around town when they can.

“Ethn doesn’t get jealous, Rose.”

“Who said anything about Auntie Claire flirting with your dad?” Rosemary asked, her hands on her hips.

Nero blinked, puzzled. “Lee’s a pretty chilled guy, but when it comes to my dad, his cool guy front sort of slips. If Auntie Claire flirts with my dad, and Uncle Chris flirts with your dad, then maybe just maybe that’ll be the push they need to talk things out! It worked in The Parent Trap.”

“Dude, that’s a movie, and our parents aren’t divorced.”

“Art imitates life, Nero.”

“I’m pretty sure our dads will put two and two together if Aunt Claire and Uncle Chris are involved.”

“They haven’t put two and two together for almost two decades.”

“...You have a point. How the hell have they lasted this long, then?”

“They had us to keep them distracted.” Rosemary hazarded a guess, nearly tackling Nero in an impromptu bear hug. “I’ll get our refills, you sit there and look pretty! Don’t go anywhere.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Nero snarked, rolling his eyes. He smiled when Rosemary kissed his cheek.

“And you are pretty, I’m not just saying that to butter you up. Love you,” Rosemary whispered, pulling away with a smile. She turned on her heels and went to the counter, the fresh-faced young man perking up when he caught her wandering eye.

Nero watched as she chatted up the custard guy, making him laugh with one of her side tangents. Rosemary could pull off some silly faces, her stringy brownish-blonde hair bouncing off the small of her back. The custard guy wrote down their orders before turning around and getting to work; Rosemary stepped to the side and waited, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“It’s great to be home,” Nero sighed under his breath, a warm, fuzzy feeling blossoming in his chest.

He can’t wait to see the look on his dad’s face when he comes through the front door.

Leon slowly stirred awake. Peeks of sunlight between the window curtains caressed his cheeks, nose, and forehead, leaving a slight tingling sensation behind. He let out a lazy purr, nuzzling his cheek against his pillow.

He felt a pair of arms lightly tighten around his middle. Warm breath fanned against the back of his neck, followed by a spicy, almost cinnamon musk penetrating his nostrils. The RPD detective didn’t bother fighting back a pleased smile, especially when lips, chapped but firm and warm, brushed along the column of his neck.

“Mmm, waking up like this is nice,” he said, his voice huskier than normal.

“Mhm,” Ethan’s eyelids fluttered, bits of golden-yellow and light green flecked his brown eyes. He slotted closer to Leon, stroking his bare hip with his thumb. He smiled when the older man shivered, a sweet sigh escaping kiss-swollen lips. “It’s a little crowded, but it’s warm.”

Leon outright giggled. His dimples were on full display as he shifted to lie on his back, resting a hand on Ethan’s chest. The younger man pressed his cheek against Leon’s, his giddiness reaching another level when Leon carded fingers through his messy, tangled hair. Ethan shivered when Leon brushed his lips against the bridge of his nose, feeling the older man tuck his head under his chin. “Really? It’s pretty cozy to me, but to each their own, I guess.”

Ethan felt Leon’s smile against his neck.

“Well, I guess if you’re cozy, I can live with it.”

“I’m very cozy,” Leon assured Ethan, giggling again when he felt kisses on the top of his head.

The couple didn’t say anything more for a few minutes. Ethan kept Leon folded against him, tracing the curve of his shoulder. It was the same shoulder where he was shot all those months ago; the younger man carefully pressed down, feeling a faint indent. That’s what’s left of the scarring—Leon complained about phantom pains now and again, but his skin wasn’t swollen, beaten red, and stiff anymore.

Ethan’s mouth found that slope and kissed it sweetly. He started from the top, at the end of Leon’s collarbone, then worked his way down. His kisses were open-mouthed, exhaling through his teeth.

Leon let out a shuddering sigh. He opened his eyes and, after tilting his head, took in how Ethan showered that especially sensitive area with untethered affection. Sometimes only a tiny pinch hurts like a bitch, but right now Leon’s muscles were at ease. The older man knew he was blushing; there was no way he couldn’t be. Ethan’s eyes were half-lidded, sometimes stopping a second to press his nose against Leon’s skin and inhale deeply. Their legs were tangled under the feather-light, off-white bedsheets, their pillows stacked one on top of the other for better neck support. “...” Leon shivered, another wave of heat blossoming in his torso.

Ethan only stopped once he felt satisfied. He pulled away from Leon’s shoulder, running the end of his nose down the indentation once again. When he locked eyes with Leon, the blonde with arctic blue eyes cupped his face with one hand and leaned forward; Ethan closed his eyes, his mouth parting down the middle as Leon’s petal-soft lips grazed his eyelids. There wasn’t any open space between their bodies, Ethan settling onto his back, prompting Leon to climb on top of him.

The sheets pooled around the RPD detective’s trimmed waist, his lips trailing from Ethan’s eyelids to his eyebrows and forehead. He kissed each brow from end to end; he kissed the lines on Ethan’s forehead that came and went as they pleased; Leon ran a finger down Ethan’s nose, pressing their foreheads together as the younger man ran his hands up and down Leon’s sides.

“I know we complained earlier about waiting sixteen years for this, but they do say good things come to those who wait,” Leon acknowledged with a faux contemplative look.

Ethan stared at the older man, folding his arms behind his head. “I have to say,” he replied, getting rid of a crick in his neck in the process, “my expectations were shattered.”

“How so?” Leon played along, furrowing his brows with an elegant pout.

He and Ethan might be pushing mid-thirties, but Leon can still pull off innocent and doe-eyed to this day.

Ethan carefully sat up. Leon adjusted, spreading his thighs wider apart. His hands rested on Ethan’s shoulders, the younger man thumbing his elbows.

“I was expecting to feel overwhelmed,” Ethan tried his best to string his thoughts together so they resembled something coherent. “I was afraid that I’d fail this ridiculous, demanding high bar I set for myself. I’ve been wanting to tell you how I feel for a long time, Lee. These feelings aren’t anything new, yet when I pictured myself confessing, I always said the wrong things. I always struggled putting what I wanted to say together, and thus I chickened out at the last minute.”

“Words aren’t easy, Ethn.” Leon came to his best friend’s defense, stroking Ethan’s cheek with the back of his hand. “I think humans are forever doomed to misunderstandings and miscommunication in general. After everything we’ve been through, not just together but dealing with our demons…I was scared to tell you the truth. I was scared that I’d ruin everything between us, and that because of my stupid mistakes, I’d be putting Rose and Nero in a difficult position. I didn’t want to risk uprooting what they’ve known their entire lives—I don’t have the best track record when it comes to romance either, so…” Leon sighed, a hint of a smile on his lips.

That latter comment got a chuckle out of Ethan. “At least you’re not divorced?” He pointed out, pressing a fleeting peck on Leon’s collarbone. “I don’t either, but where that’s led me is pretty great. I met you because things didn’t work out before; I met you when I needed someone to ground me, help me figure things out….I love you, Leon.”

Leon’s eyes watered at the corners. Those words were a punch in the gut, and the older man let out a heavy sigh. He stared hard into Ethan’s chocolate-brown eyes, searching for something. Ethan didn’t comment, waiting quietly. He entertained himself by drawing random shapes into the soft, smooth skin on Leon’s hip.

“I love you, too, Ethan.” Leon choked out in a wispy, astonished whisper. He laughed, a few tears running down his cheeks. “I love you, too. I…I love you!”

“I love you too,” Ethan said with a toothy grin, his eyes half-crescents. “I love you, too. I love you so much, and fuck I was so scared about losing you, but now you know, and you love me too, and did you know that in certain states living together for years constitutes we’re married under common law?”

“What?” Leon asked, his jaw slack. “Where did you read that?”

“On a whim,” Ethan admitted, red crawling up his neck. “When we first started living together, people thought we were married. I tried telling them otherwise, but that got tiring real fast. I stopped correcting people. So people continued assuming, and yeah, with how long we’ve been together raising a family, we technically would be married.”

“I didn’t know that,” Leon said, rubbing the back of his neck as he took this tidbit in. “So, we’ve been married for sixteen years?”

“I’d have to double-check to be sure, but yeah, yeah, I think so.”

“Wow. Okay, so…I’ve been married to my best friend this whole time, and only now we’re kissing, sharing a bed, and so on. The fuck, Ethan?”

“Ha!” Ethan snorted loudly. He threw his head back, his laughter bouncing off the walls. He ran his fingers through his hair, biting his tongue when Leon slapped his arm. “Sorry, sorry! I’m not laughing at you, Lee. I promise, hahaha!”

“Then what are you laughing at? This is serious!” Leon cried out, scoffing and climbing off his husband.

Not newly wedded husband either, according to common law; Ethan and Leon got hitched at some point, and only now that’s being addressed. Claire is going to kill them both.

“My God, what the hell?”

“Too soon of a bombshell?”

“No, of course not!” Leon hissed, every word laced with deadly sarcasm. He turned his head to look at Ethan, who was trying and failing to muffle his giggles. The older man put his hands over his face, groaning. “I’m not spiraling over the fact that we’ve been married almost two decades and I haven’t gotten you one anniversary present, not one! And I’m not spiraling over the fact that Nero had a step-dad this whole time, and I said nothing.”

“Lee,” Ethan chided gently, wrapping his arms around Leon and drawing him close again. The older blonde didn’t wriggle free, still hiding his face. “Lee, Lee, look at me.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“Why?”

“I have something to say and want to know you’re paying attention, so stop pouting and look at me, damnit,” Ethan ordered, lacing his fingers with Leon’s and prying one of his hands away.

Leon sighed, looking at Ethan with wide, glassy eyes. “If you’re going to get like that, fine. You’ve been a step-dad this whole time, too, to Rosemary. She’s just as much yours as Nero is mine, and it’s only dawning on me today. It’s only dawning on me today, because I didn’t think we’d get this far! I didn’t think, for a second, that you’d want me the same way I want you.” Ethan brushed Leon’s long bangs out of his eyes, chocolate brown colliding with arctic blue. “I’ve been dreaming about this for years, years! I thought it’d only be a dream, but here we are. I’m Nero’s step-dad, and you’re Rosemary’s. I have a son, and you have a daughter. We’re a family.”

“A family…”

“Yes, a family. A family we made together, you and me. You, me, Rose, and Nero; that’s our family.” Ethan brought their noses together, humming. “We have a beautiful family together. We’ve been going strong for sixteen years, and if you’re still hung up over missed anniversaries, we can start now. We can celebrate our one-month anniversary, three months, six months, as many as you want. It’s not too late to start now.”

Leon pressed his lips against Ethan’s. The younger blonde squeaked, taken by surprise, but melted into a puddle a second later. Leon twisted locks of short, dirty brownish-blonde hair between slender, dexterous fingers. He pulled Ethan closer, wrapping his arms tight across his upper back.

Ethan’s heat was intoxicating. Leon whimpered when he felt something pulsing, hard pressing against his inner thigh. Ethan gasped, breaking the kiss. His chest rose and fell, eyes blown wide.

“L-Leon?”

“We’re starting with week anniversaries, you got that, Winters?” Leon declared with a mischievous spark in his arctic blues. He sniffled, hastily wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “We’re doing week anniversaries, I don’t care if people say that isn’t a thing. We’re doing it, starting today.”

“Yessir.”

“...Do you want us to tell Rose once she’s back from school? And Nero, when he’s home, do you want to tell him, too?”

“Of course, Leon,” Ethan answered without hesitation, kissing Leon’s forehead. “They have every right to know and tell us what they think. I don’t think they’ll have a problem with it, but regardless, we’ll sit them down and talk it out. We’ll talk it out as a family; we can wait until Nero’s back if you want, if that makes things easier.”

“I’d like that,” Leon said with a nod, calming down finally. “I want us to talk it out together. I’m a dad first and foremost, and I don’t want to do anything that’ll make Nero or Rose uncomfortable.”

Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. “Ethn? What’s that smile about? You still with me?”

“God, you’re amazing,” Ethan blurted out, beaming. He cupped Leon’s face with both hands, “I love you, Lee.”

“Ha, I know.”

“Fuck you.”

“You already did.” Leon sassed back, grinning. “I love you…We should probably get dressed. We’ve got time, but I know that if we stay like this any longer, I’ll want you again.”

“If we still have time, why not? If you’re too sore, we can go shower together.”

“I can use the hallway bathroom, Ethn.”

“So you’re not thinking about moving in?” Ethan frowned, giving Leon the kicked puppy eyes.

“I…I…ugh, why do you do this to me?” Leon thumped Ethan on the back of the head before kissing him sweetly. “You’re going to have to carry me, I can’t feel my legs, and that’s your fault.”

“I think I can indulge you just this once.”

“You know what they say: happy husband, happy life.”

“7.89 is your change. Have a good day!”

The guy didn’t even look at Delsin as he snatched his cigarettes and energy drink off the counter, grumbling over something on his phone as he exited the store and headed back to pump 3.

‘You too, asshole,’ the fiery-spirited Akomish glared daggers over the cash register, leaning hard on his elbows. ‘The customer is always right, yeah right. They expect you to kiss the ground they walk on, but can’t bother to say thank you. Putting up with this isn’t doing my mental health any favors.’

This isn’t the only job Delsin has nailed down, but so far, it’s bottom-tier, and it’s only his first day here. He would rather be at the community center with his adorable, hopped-up-on-sugar gremlins—they learn something new, and Delsin doesn’t want to bash his head through the nearest wall. Kids can be annoying, but they were innocent in their annoying ways. They don’t mean to be pricks, unlike the average adult stopping by to refill their tanks and bitch about first-world problems to the poor sucker behind the counter that day.

‘Why did I agree to this again?’

Just like that, echoes of carefree laughter enveloped Delsin like a warm hug on a chilly day. It was carefree, bubbly, unrestrained; there was a snort here and there, followed by hiccups. He could see vividly a pair of blue-gray eyes squinting under bright sunlight, and a hint of teeth peeking under a soft, light pink upper lip.

‘Ah, right.’ That’s a big reason why Delsin’s inner monologue sounded less sour as his mind drifted to Rosemary. It’s hard to believe that they were dating—Delsin broke the news to Eugene, Fetch, Betty, and Reggie after pulling up at the gas station, and the reactions were to be expected.

Fetch was giddy, not only for her best friend but also that she would be collecting some serious cash from most of Delsin’s tribe, as everyone placed bets on whether Delsin would confess to Rosemary or not. The pink-haired girl only smirked when Delsin demanded an explanation, because since when has this bet been going on?

Eugene was quieter in his enthusiasm, the norm for him, but he did bring up that Rosemary needed to visit Seattle pretty soon, so the four could hang out. Eugene and Rosemary had similar personalities; whenever Fetch and Delsin were arguing or trying to one-up each other on another silly dare, Eugene played his music, and Rosemary wrote in her journal. Sometimes she shared what she wrote with the Hacker-Conduit, and whatever inside jokes they had were for their eyes alone.

Betty and Reggie were having a field day.

Reggie gave Delsin The Talk, which was redundant, seeing as he did that about five or so years ago. Then he made a valid point: Delsin didn’t have a girlfriend five or so years ago, Rosemary happens to be the daughter (unofficially) of a well-respected detective, and things can get complicated when friendships turn romantic. Delsin felt a little offended that he got a scolding when he and Rosemary had only been official for half a day, but Reggie meant well. Delsin knows his big brother is just looking out for him and is proud of him for being so brave.

Fighting and taking down a superpowered tyrant is one thing, but matters of the heart? Matters of the heart were a ticking time bomb.

Betty spent ten minutes gushing. Her smile softened her weathered face, giving her warm, russet-colored skin a healthy glow. She insisted that Delsin bring Rosemary to Salmon Bay the first chance he got, so that the tribe could give her a proper welcome. The Akomish elder proceeded to list off ways Delsin could kick off a proper courtship, such as giving Rosemary gifts and writing her letters.

Writing Rosemary letters, which she could cherish the rest of her life…okay, that’s pretty romantic, and Rosemary was a budding writer. She could store Delsin’s letters in her journal, and whenever she’s upset or sad, or if Delsin’s out of town, she could read them. They’d be hers and only for her; Delsin knows he doesn’t have to break the bank to make her happy.

There was also the Blanket Ceremony. Just thinking about it turns Delsin red as a fire hydrant; the Blanket Ceremony is when a man presents the woman he admires with a blanket handmade by him and his family. The man presents it to the woman, and if she accepts, he wraps it around her and hugs her close. It’s supposed to symbolize unity, deepen their bond, and create a personal space only they can inhabit.

Not every tribe was the same, so there are variations of the Blanket Ceremony.

‘It’s a little too soon for that! Thanks, Betty…!’ Delsin thought with a flustered groan, running a hand down his face. His smile peeked between his fingers, though, so was it all embarrassing to think about, much less consider? 

Would Rosemary want to marry him down the line? Say they make it past the first month, the first six months into the first year together, will marriage be a conversation starter? It isn’t the end-all, be-all as long as they were together, but…Rosemary Winters-Rowe has a nice ring to it.

“Focus, Del. Focus,” Delsin grumbled to himself, shaking his head to clear it. He subtly checked his phone under the counter; he’s got about four hours left to go.

Great.

The little, worn bell over the store's main entrance tingled, signaling a new customer on the horizon. Delsin shoved his cellphone into his back pocket, straightened his vest and nametag, and smiled that tiny, plastic A-plus customer smile.

“Welcome, let me know if you need anything!”

“Thank you.”

It was a woman. She wasn’t college student age, and she wasn’t a senior citizen either. Those two age groups were common between noon and 3 PM. She wasn’t very tall but petite, with a thin, oval-shaped face. At least, that’s what Delsin could make out from here; the woman was wearing a solid black baseball cap. Her skin was light as milk, and her medium-dark brown hair cascaded down her right shoulder. She was dressed in a black hoodie and distressed jeans, weaving her way down the salty snacks and candy aisle. She kept her head down, chewing on her lower lip.

“...” Delsin’s dark eyes narrowed. A stone suddenly erupted inside his stomach, dragging it down to the floor. His skin prickled, though he wasn’t tapping into his smoke powers right now. He hasn’t used them for a little over a week; wringing his hands under the counter, Delsin spotted a shipment of beers yet to be put away. Quite a few people came in to get their early morning buzz, so restocking wasn’t out of the question. Delsin could watch the register while he kept himself busy.

And he wanted to keep an eye on this woman.

Without a second thought, Delsin backed out from behind the counter, pushed up his sweater sleeves, and picked up the beers. He whistled as he strolled over to the cold vaults, quickly checking which rows needed restocking. He took the beers one by one, balancing up to five on his arm. He propped the cold vault door open with his hip, putting the beers in one at a time.

The woman continued moving listlessly around the store. She looked at the prices and hummed; she picked up a bag of chips, only to change her mind and set it aside. She glanced at her wristwatch, then gravitated towards the counter, eyeing the cigarette packs on display. Delsin tilted his head a little, peering at the woman from the corner of his eye.

‘Is she going to buy something or what?’ He wondered, that sinking sensation in his stomach unwavering.

“Do you have gum?” The woman inquired suddenly, her voice surprisingly loud over the AC.

“Excuse me?” Delsin asked. He heard her, he was just stunned because that’s what all her searching was for? Gum?

“Do you have gum?” The woman repeated herself, raising her head a little.

She had wide, keen eyes, blue eyes flecked with mahogany-brown.

“Yes, you’ll find them with the rest of the candy,” Delsin replied, finishing restocking a row. He set the rest of the beers down, wiped his hands on his jeans, and pointed two aisles down.

“I thought they were near the register.”

“Boss man likes to shake things up now and again,” Delsin said smoothly, putting on another smile.

He noticed that the woman didn’t look away from him. “I can show you where if you want?”

“That’d be nice, thank you,” the woman said, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Delsin took his time putting the beers behind the counter, then waltzed over to her. He waved her along, his shoulders tense, and stopped by the three rows of brightly wrapped gum packs, across from the magazine racks. “Ha, they’re hard to spot sometimes. They don’t have my favorite here either, so I avoid this part of the store like the plague.”

“Your favorite?” The woman asked, hunching as she inspected the different flavors on sale. That sinking sensation in Delsin’s stomach worsened the longer he took in her profile.

“Mango habanero fire. My girlfriend likes spicy things; she got me hooked.”

“She’s a trooper,” the woman said with a tinkling laugh. Delsin’s eyes widened, the hairs on his arms standing on end. “I think I’ll keep it safe, though,” the woman resumed, plucking two packs of spearmint gum off the rack. “Two should be enough for me, and some sparkling water. Do you have that here?”

Delsin numbly led the woman back to the cold vaults, watching as she fished out two sparkling waters before snapping the door shut. “Thank you so much for your help. That’s all I need.”

“No gas?” Delsin asked, leading the woman to the counter. He rang up the gum and sparkling water as soon as the woman set them on the counter.

“I’m good, thank you,” the woman replied, poking around in her wallet. “How much is it?”

“2.49 for the gum, 1.94 for the sparkling water, so your total comes to 4 dollars and forty-three cents.”

The woman handed Delsin a five-dollar bill. “Keep the change and here,” she said, giving the young man another six bucks.

“The five covers everything, ma’am.”

“I know, but you were sweet to help me find what I needed. Most employees would just watch me go in circles,” the woman pointed out, raising her head fully for the first time since she entered the store.

She had a thin, oval-shaped face but some puff to her cheeks. Her chin was a soft point, the tip of her tiny, thin nose was red, and carefully trimmed eyebrows matched her hair.

Her eyes were bluish-brown. The woman had hooded eyes and slender, light pink lips.

She didn’t look a day over thirty-five.

“...Thanks,” Delsin got out once his brain caught up with the rest of him. “You have a good day, ma’am.”

“You too, Mr…” The woman squinted her eyes as she glanced at his nametag. “Rowe.” She smiled and waved, turning on her heel and exiting the store. The bell tingled again, the woman’s slim legs casting long shadows on the asphalt as soon as she got to her car. It was either a Mazda or a Nissan, dark blue.

Delsin let out a shuddering sigh, almost jumping out of his skin when one of his coworkers came in.

“Rowe! Break time, you got thirty minutes.”

“Sweet.” Delsin will thank himself later for keeping his cool, hopping over the counter and making a beeline for the employee breakroom in the back of the store. He waved with a cheeky grin, every nerve in his body on fire. He stopped at his locker, undid the lock, and grabbed his backpack. He sat down at the wobbly, plastic rectangular table, propped one leg up on one of the chairs, and got out his sketchbook.

‘Don’t forget any small details,’ Delsin reminded himself, finding a clean page and picking up one of his charcoal pencils. ‘Every detail is important, no matter how small.’

He began with the woman’s eyes and nose, and proceeded from there.

“He seems nice. I never pictured Rosemary liking the bad boy type…we were right, he’s the same boy who dropped her and her friend off at school. He’s not your average street artist, either…I don’t doubt those old news headlines, Alan. He’s the same boy who freed Seattle and exposed Brooke Augustine for the vile woman she was. Rosemary is involved with him…I’ll worry about that later; what matters is stopping Lucas. Do you have a visual on Heather Mason?”

Chapter Text

"The girl’s enjoying her lunch. Well, more like she’s enjoying talking to whoever is on the phone than her food.”

Alan Droney adjusted his rearview mirror. Raccoon City High School allowed its students to eat outside? That’s just asking for trouble; you don’t trust teenagers with anything if you can help it.

He’s pretending to fix his mailbox, dressed down in jeans and a worn t-shirt. There was a row of houses on the other side of the road, across from Raccoon City High. He pulled out a toolbox from under the passenger seat. He closed the door behind him, carried the toolbox to the mailbox he battered with a sledgehammer late last night, and sighed. He could keep talking to Mia over the phone as he “worked”; he had an earpiece on, keeping Heather in his sights as he pulled the pole out of the dirt and set it down.

This house was better than the other places they’ve stayed at, but Alan had no attachment to it. There weren’t good memories here, just another hole in the wall to hide in while keeping tabs on Rosemary.

It’s what Mia asked him to do. She wanted a file on Rosemary and everyone she interacted with. She had a file made on her ex-husband, Ethan, and his roommate, Leon S. Kennedy. Mia claims those were made for security purposes, but Alan believes otherwise.

He doesn’t comment, though. He doesn’t like to waste his breath.

“I can’t see who it is, but at least she’s keeping still.”

Alan flipped through the many files in his memory palace, humming as he separated the mailbox from the pole using a hammer to dislodge the screws. “Heather Mason, daughter of Harry Mason. He’s small fry compared to his contemporaries, but his numbers don’t lie. He’s an author, and a damn good one. He lost his wife, Jodie, years ago to some disease, so it’s been just him and Heather ever since. There isn’t a lot on them, surprisingly. Much of the information we were able to uncover was redacted, but we don’t know by whom.”

Mia hummed on the other end, “...I agree, it could have been an outside job. Harry doesn’t peg me as a tech genius. He’s from humble beginnings.”

Alan pretended to be put out as he ran fingers along the heavy dents in the small, black box. “Shit, whoever did this knew what they were doing,” he said out loud, as a woman walking her dog passed by. “This is going to take hours…!”

Mia resumed; Alan heard shuffling, she must be rummaging around the glove compartment. Which meant she was in her car, probably back to tailing Rosemary and that Nero kid.

Alan noticed how Mia’s face turned ashen every time he was brought up. Nero was Leon’s son, and Ethan had the “bright” idea to raise him alongside Rosemary. The two were siblings in every way but blood.

That complicates things.

“I see, you’re on their trail again. Good; if we’re lucky, we’ll get to Lucas before he strikes. He’s only interested in Rosemary; he won’t care about the boy.”

Mia made a noise in agreement. “Alright, let me know if something comes up. I have your location; whatever happens, I’ll take over if you suddenly become unavailable.”

Alan ended the call. He stuck his hand inside the mailbox, palming the inside. “Maybe if I try to even out the dents? I could use my hammer, I just have to mind my strength.”

Alan peered over his sunglasses. Heather Mason was still by herself on a bench, slumped over and using her backpack to hide her cellphone. She was smiling, her expression reading less irritated, and occasionally popping grapes into her mouth.

‘Ugh, if only I could get close enough to hear her conversation. I doubt Ethan’s told Rosemary the full story, but any tidbit, no doubt, she’d tell her friends about. Like it or not, these people are implicit in this.’

Thanks a lot, Lucas.

“So are you upside down, or is your camera on the fritz or something?” Heather asked, chewing slowly. She discreetly glanced around her shoulder, sighing in relief that Mrs. Bale, the teacher on lunch monitor duty, was still holed up in the bathroom.

“That! Is an excellent question. Think you can figure it out?” A male voice echoed offscreen, followed by some short-lived shrieking. It sounded like two giant pieces of metal were scraping against each other.

Heather blinked, and soon she was eye-to-eye with a man in a mask. He tilted his head to the side, question marks where his eyes should be. “Don’t pay any mind to the noise around here, heh! Ambiance, that’s what it is.”

“Okay…” Heather drew out the y with a thin, raised eyebrow. She popped another grape into her mouth. “Does this ‘ambiance’ have to do with some new upgrades for Wrench Jr.? I could have sworn I heard a saw blade just now!”

“Eh,” The question marks were replaced with two capital Xs, as the man in the mask sat down at a workbench. He brought his laptop closer to him, almost knocking his phone over in the process. “Oh, sorry, sorry.” He apologized, flustered, before clearing his throat, “I’m afraid there are a lot of power tools around here, Cheryl! It could have been any of them.”

“It was a saw blade, wasn’t it? Who allowed you to have something other than a sledgehammer?”

“I determine my destiny, no one else!” The man in the mask bellowed, hunching over his laptop as he typed like a madman. Heather snorted, almost getting a grape caught in her windpipe. “It’s important for a side project I have going on, I assure you! Marcus, Horatio, Josh, and Sitara check in daily to ensure I’m still alive.”

“Are you still alive?”

“Hate to rain on your parade! But I am,” the man in the mask nodded somberly, leaning back in his seat. He drew his knees tight to his chest, tapping his knees. “I’m this close to bashing my brains in, ugh! I don’t know if to go and get cookies or commit a crime. I’ve timed myself, I’m not getting sloppy!”

Heather giggled as the man in the mask pinched two fingers together, his other hand a tight fist on the table. “You see my dilemma, don’t you? Both help me pass the time, and both promise a hefty reward.”

“Should I be the good friend and push towards the cookies?” Heather asked, sincerely baffled. She only knew what she knew about hacktivists thanks to her friendship with Wrench; he and his friends Marcus, Josh, Horatio, and Sitara were part of this group called Dedsec. They were a ragtag group of brave souls exposing just how sinister a world controlled by technology can be.

That was the Spark Notes version—Wrench kept certain details to himself, worried Heather would be dragged into the crosshairs. He’s already been captured by the Feds once before. The man in the mask wouldn’t talk about that time in his life, and Heather didn’t push him.

To think this guy was only two years older than her. He’s lived a full life, ha!

“That sounds too easy,” Wrench admitted, his eyes now digital periods. He hummed and cranked the volume on his speakers; he leaned forward so he could still hear Heather, obscuring the rest of his garage from sight. “Too easy, and too safe.”

“Spoken like a true Anarchist.” Heather sighed heavily, finishing up her grapes.

“Were those green grapes? You eat sour grapes?”

“Do I look like a nice girl to you?”

“Yes! Yes, you do,” Wrench replied, backing away from his smartphone screen as he drew out what looked like a CPU chip set and placed it on his workbench. “Hmmm…what can I do with this? It’s not in bad shape, the possibilities are endless.”

“I wish I spoke tech like you,” Heather admitted, marveling at how Wrench’s slender, pale fingers seemingly danced across the large, dense, greenish square in front of him. “That’s a Motherboard, right?”

“Correct!” Wrench’s eyes went from beady dots to 3s and angle brackets contorted into hearts. “It’s the central circuit board. Do you remember what that means?”

“Umm, makes it so that computer parts work together? It gives power to the CPU, the RAM, storage, and the graphics card. I think.”

“You own a Walkman! This is child’s play in comparison.”

“My aunt knows a guy who knows everything about retro technology; the day he leaves town, my Walkman is bricked.”

“You and Amy Lee busy, Wrench?”

“Marcus! Welcome to my lair, nice of you to stop by,” Wrench leaped to his feet, grabbed his phone, and barrelled into his friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Heather, look who’s here!”

“Hey, Marcus,” Heather waved, batting her eyes as the glasses-wearing man. “Long time no see, how are you doing?”

The freckle-faced blonde laughed when Marcus winked at her.

“I’m doing good, not gonna lie. Enjoying getting baked every time I walk out—Inferno, meet San Fransisco!”

“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that! It’s hot here in Raccoon, too, but that’s a different story. You keep cool, okay? Don’t wake up caught in a palm tree.”

“Hahaha, I’ll try!”

Marcus Holloway’s milk-chocolate skin was beaded with boiling, shiny sweat. He wiped his forehead after pulling off his suede blue cap, leaning against Wrench.

Standing side by side, the two guys’ fashion sense was as far apart as humanly possible. Marcus’s black jeans hugged his legs, his jacket matched his cap, and his wide, rectangular glasses made it easier to admire his dark, almond-shaped eyes. How he held himself belied confidence, yet that adorkable smile disguised his mind’s inner workings. He was muscular, handsome, and had great taste in music.

Before he, Sitara, Josh, and Horatio knew her name, Marcus took to calling Heather Amy Lee, after the lead vocalist from Evanescence.

You listen to ‘Call Me When You’re Sober’ once, and you’re perma-branded. And even upside down, Marcus was fine.

His style juxtaposed with Wrench’s swimmingly. The man with the mask always had his hood up, though locks of seemingly platinum blonde hair peeked out at the right angles. The lower half of his mask was decorated with small, glinting spikes—Heather couldn’t tell if they were legit or not, but Wrench was no poser. They had to be real and match the spikes going up and down his black vest, even across his shoulders. What wasn’t covered by spikes was by pins and patches, some cut and dry, and others with double meanings. His black hoodie had a decal of a skull across the chest, surrounded by lettering, though Heather couldn’t read what it said, and his black skinny jeans were covered in holes. One of the holes gave a peek of his boxers, and Heather has done a great job at not focusing on that for too long.

What wasn’t covered in spikes, pins, and patches was decked out in ink. Heather’s never seen someone covered nearly head to toe in tattoos before; Wrench had an Anarchist design going down his slim, pale neck. There was an array of tattoos on display underneath the studded and cord bracelets—Heather’s favorite are the Melpo and Thalia masks, or better known as comedy and tragic masks. Some of Wrench’s tattoos looked crudely drawn, but it was his aesthetic, so they looked anything but tacky. As far as she could tell, only the Hacktivist’s fingers were ink-free.

Not once since meeting him has Heather seen Wrench’s face. She doesn’t know his real name either, and most people would be perturbed by that. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, literally; that mask expressed just enough for Heather to gauge Wrench’s mood.

The slightly high-pitched synthetic voice he greeted her with…again, that paired off with the lack of face reveal, dubious practices, and possible social anxiety defense mechanism should put Heather on edge. A normal girl her age would fawn over Marcus, not Wrench.

Then again, Heather Mason wasn’t a normal seventeen-year-old girl.

“So, what were you two up to before I showed up?” Marcus asked, sitting down next to Wrench.

Heather snorted. “Wrench was quizzing me on CPU trivia. You know, what I resort to when I’m by myself during lunch.”

“For real? Where’s Rose?”

“She hatched a devious scheme to skip school and hang out with her brother. He’s been gone all summer; they’re thick as thieves, so she recruited me to ensure her escape plan was a success. Which it was—it felt good to see everyone trip over themselves. Until it sunk in that I’d be on my own.”

“Sorry about that. You helped her out, though.” Marcus pointed out, giving Heather a sympathetic smile.

“That I did, Mr. Holloway,” Heather smiled back, resting her head on her backpack. “And maybe I was being a little sour a minute ago. I like hearing Wrench speak alien.”

“You’ll be proficient one day, mark my words!” Wrench said, folding his hands under his chin. She imagines a broad smile teasing his mouth, maybe a dimple or two in his cheek. A smile for her.

‘Fuck, don’t turn red. Don’t. Turn. Red,’ Heather told herself, pretending to scratch a mosquito bite on her cheek for good measure. “Yeah, yeah, and that’ll give me everything I need to take over the world! Or just not set my laptop on fire.”

“Five minutes left!”

“Damn, I have to go now,” Heather lifted her head to see Mrs. Bale back outside, bringing her whistle up to her lips.

None of the kids heeded her warning, but that’s okay because she lives to make their ears bleed. She smiled when she did it too, ew, and her green eyes are the size of dinner plates! Are all the teachers here off their rocker?

“Sorry, guys. If I don’t head inside now, our jailer will blow her horn and my brains will be tomorrow’s entree.”

“We get it, Amy Lee. It’s cool, catch up with you later!” Marcus assured the blonde with a nod, waving. “If Wrench accidentally blows up his phone, I’ll text you his status.”

“Ha, thanks. Later, Marcus,” Heather waited until the glasses-wearing man exited stage left, gathering her things as she sat up and stretched. “Please don’t blow up your phone, figure out what’s wrong with your camera, and I’ll text you once I’m home, okay?”

“A-okay!” Wrench replied, his fingers inches from the end call button.

“Me or you this time?”

“I think it’s your turn.”

“You make me do everything around here,” Heather rolled her eyes, though her heart backflipped when Wrench snickered, leaning closer to the screen.

“You’re still in the testing stage, remember that. I’m impressed thus far, but I’m prepared for disappointment.” The man in the mask boasted. He then dropped his voice to a whisper, as if divulging some dark secret. “Talk to you later, Heather. I…I posted some new shots around the city today, have you seen them?”

“Not yet. Send the originals to me?”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Wrench was smiling. It came across in his voice, and that was enough to make Heather’s insides turn inside out. “Make sure your phone’s on silent so you don’t get caught.”

“Promise. Can’t wait to see them! Later, Wrench.”

“Later!”

Heather hung up, biting down on her lip. She almost slumped in her seat, only to remember she didn’t have back support, and Mrs. Bale’s about to bust a gasket. The freckle-faced blonde slung her backpack over her shoulder, tossed her trash away, and sprinted through one of the cafeteria doors. The air inside was sticky and gross, and everyone, including the cafeteria ladies, was annoyingly loud. Heather fought getting her headphones out and turned right, taking the stairs two at a time. On the way, she heard some of her classmates gossiping outside the bathrooms about their weekend plans and the cute guys in their grade.

‘Hate to break to you, ladies, but you’re all wrong. There aren’t cute boys at our school; you’re just seeing things. Ha, trust me.’

“She likes you.”

“You think so…?”

“I know so, man. She digs the mask, and she digs the guy behind the mask.”

Wrench hunched over his workbench, twirling a screwdriver between his fingers. He smiled but bit his tongue.

Sometimes, silence is golden.

Raccoon City Park was buzzing with activity. As soon as Nero and Rosemary passed the main gate, they spotted several stands. Some were already finished, wrapped up in colorful construction paper, paper chains, and balloons, while some were still boards nailed together. Young children were playing tag or hide-and-seek while their parents oversaw moving heavy equipment and machinery, passed around water bottles and small snacks, or delegated further tasks to complete today. There were three days left, according to one of the banners, yet it seems some people will be putting in overtime just so that one quarter of the festival is up in time.

Yikes, event-planning only looks easy. It’s not easy at all.

“I think we should keep out of their way,” Nero suggested with a half-smirk, squeezing Rosemary’s hand in his.

“Good idea,” she agreed, quickly shedding her dad’s jacket and wrapping it around her slender waist. “I think there’s a picnic table open on the other side of the pond…”

“Too easy,” Nero protested, reaching into his jeans pocket for something. Rosemary eyed him, confused, until he held up his trusty pocketknife. It was small, but with a sturdy blade. The hilt’s paint job was scuffed in places. “I say,” he continued, his smirking broadening, “we take to the skies. Get a bird’s eye view of the festival to come. Get it? Bird’s eye, and birds are roosting in trees.”

“Yeah, not your best work, but it’ll suffice,” Rosemary said, shaking her head fondly. “A for effort!”

“You’re one hell of a critic,” Nero said, rolling his eyes. He looked ahead, trying to find the right tree to scale. “And…that one!” He pointed to a tree with a thick trunk and hefty branches. Most of its leaves were still an emerald green, providing excellent shade on extra days. But today, it’ll serve as Nero and Rosemary’s lookout point. It was, luckily, out of the way of the festival prep. “That tree will do. You go up first, then pull me up, okay?”

“You got it, Captain.”

Nero and Rosemary jogged over to the massive tree, the white-haired man letting go of his sister’s hand and crouching as low to the ground as possible. “You sure your back won’t give in?”

“You’re not that heavy. Cut that out,” Nero said sternly, bracing his hands against the trunk. “Ready, Rosie.”

“Okay, okay,” Rosemary relented, frowning though. She knows Nero bench presses more than what she weighs, but it can’t be fun to have dirty, worn sneakers leave footprints in your skin.

Nonetheless, the blonde with icy-gray eyes walked over. She placed one foot on Nero’s back, pushing off her heel to grip the trunk. The bark was dry and coarse under her fingers, but Rosemary pushed that aside and placed her other foot on Nero’s back. She curled up like a porcupine, regaining her balance once she was standing on her brother’s shoulders. “Okay, I’m good to go.”

“Nice!” Nero slowly rose to his feet, hardly buckling under the additional weight. He didn’t rush it, though; he didn’t want Rosemary bonking her head on a branch. Nero dug his dull nails into the uneven bark, grunting a little when he felt Rosemary’s left foot leave his shoulder. “You good? Take it slow, okay?”

“I’m good!” Rosemary quickly reassured him, swinging her leg over the branch. She pushed off Nero’s shoulder with the toe of her sneaker, squirming around until her stomach was flat against the branch. “Ugh, I haven’t done this in a while.”

“Really? You did better than last time,” Nero pointed out, smiling at his sister as she wrapped her legs around the branch and held out her hand. “At this rate, you’ll be ready to climb Everest!”

“Still not over my fear of heights, Nero!” Rosemary replied shrilly, her hair cascading down her shoulder. “Now, hurry, jump!”

Nero gave Rosemary a cheeky salute before digging his pocketknife into the tree trunk. He forced it as deep as it’d go without snapping clean off, bracing his heels against the trunk. He pushed off with one foot, used his pocketknife to hoist himself further up. He switched hands, taking a deep breath before taking another leap of faith.

Rosemary bit her cheek; pain rode up her arm like a live wire, but she didn’t let Nero go. “You okay?!” Nero’s playful energy was gone in a flash, his eyes wide and worried.

“I’m good! I got this!” Rosemary exclaimed, starting to swing her arm back and forth. “What are you, two hundred pounds of pure muscle?! What’s your secret, because I want some of that!”

“No, you don’t, demon-hunting ain’t all fun and games,” Nero said, swinging his legs back and forth. He timed his next move carefully, grunting as he looped his around the branch. “Shit, okay let go!”

Rosemary did as he asked—Nero pulled himself up once his other arm was on the branch, his biceps straining under his form-fitting, dark gray t-shirt. He tossed his weight around until he landed on his ass on the branch, legs dangling off the side. “Oof, if you’re rusty, then I’m ancient history. Was it always that hard to get up here?”

“A little,” Rosemary admitted between short pants, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Nero wiped some sweat from his forehead, Rosemary lacing their fingers together. “The tree in our backyard isn’t as tall—we’ve been spoiled our whole lives, haha!”

“Damn, we got a little too greedy!” Nero added, chuckling. “But we’re up here, this is our watchtower now.”

He didn’t let go of Rosemary’s hand as she scooted a bit further down the branch, gazing at the people moving back and forth in the grass.

“They look like ants from here! Wait, did your knife break?” Rosemary whipped her head back, meeting Nero’s gaze.

The white-haired man snorted, thumbed his nose before holding up his pocketknife. The blade wasn’t even bent. “Holy shit, where did Lee get that anyway?”

“Don’t know, but it’s the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten.”

“You mean the best birthday present you ever swiped from his closet?”

“The same thing. He let me keep it once I turned eighteen, and after he gave me lessons on basic knife safety.”

“Those went better than Dad’s how-tos on proper pepper spray use.”

Nero put his pocketknife away. Rosemary tied her hair back in a loose knot, swinging her legs back and forth. Nero did the same, closing his eyes as the faint breeze played with his short, snow-white hair.

“So your summer wasn’t filled with demon-hunting antics?”

“Hmph, if you call pulling Dante’s ear every time he ignored a call from Morrison demon-hunting, then yeah I was so busy kicking ass!” Nero rolled his eyes, resting his elbows on his thighs. He scoffed, “He still thinks I’m not ready for the field.”

“Maybe he has a point.” Rosemary began, trying to string her thoughts into concise sentences. “I know Auntie Lady is human and a badass demon hunter, but we don’t know when or if you’ll start manifesting powers, Nero. If you’re a late bloomer and out on the field, that could have some serious consequences.”

“Come on, Rosie,” Nero pouted, eyeing his sister with round, blue eyes. “How will I find out if I have powers like Dante and…Vergil,” the white-haired man’s scrunched up as if having sucked on a lime, “if I’m not put to the test? Most of the pests Dante helped bite the dust were lower-ranking demons, mindless grunts just itching to start a fight. I know swordplay, I know how to use guns. It’s in my blood!”

“I know,” Rosemary’s tone was steady, calm. She scooted closer to Nero, pulling her hand free, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“The closest I got to any fighting was sparring with Lady and Trish. Nico cheered them on, and Dante wouldn’t even lift a finger to see what I could do.” Nero went on, the skin between his eyebrows pinched red.

A guy was wheeling some heavy-duty machinery on a wheelbarrow, complaining the entire trek to a barely put-together stall. He was dressed in overalls and a gray cap, yelping and wheezing when he ran over his foot.

Rosemary spared him a glance before focusing on her brother, sighing. “Maybe it’s part of a deal he has with Leon?” She stated with a thin frown. “That’d make the most sense. It’s not like you don’t know how to handle yourself, but…you’re nineteen, and the most outlandish thing about you is your hair. We don’t have a lot of half-demon experts to ask, either, so we’re grasping at straws.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to sit on the sidelines and be a cheerleader! So what if I’m a dead end, I’m not deadweight!”

“Don’t say that,” Rosemary said, squaring her jaw and squeezing his arm. “You’re not a dead end, okay? Maybe it takes some time, like puberty or something. Maybe your powers aren’t as bombastic as Dante’s, then again, that could be all him…What I mean is, you not having powers doesn’t mean you’re a dead end.”

Nero winced. He looked into his sister’s icy-gray eyes, knowing he was in the doghouse now. “And where is this deadweight bullshit coming from? As soon as you were old enough, you were helping around the house. You asked Leon to teach you how to cook, you cleaned your room and did your laundry, and you took care of me. Both Dad and Leon taught you how to defend yourself—how is that deadweight? Go on, tell me.”

“When I’m put behind a desk and told to stay in my lane?” Nero argued, exhaling through his nose. “I’m not asking to lead every gig, Rose. If I’m the last resort, fine. But if I do have powers, if they do manifest, if I don’t learn how to channel them, I won’t know how to deal with them. It’s part of who I am, what I am-”

“You’re Nero, baddass motherfucker extraordinaire. You’re good with machines, you’re a big dork, and you can kick ass without powers. I still think it’s a deal between Leon and Dante, so what we can do is talk it out. We can sit Leon down and talk to him together. I think you’ll have a better chance of getting your way if you have backup.”

“If you’re my backup, there’s no way he’ll keep me on the leash longer.”

“It’s not a leash. It’s…a bungee cord, you know? It’s to keep you out of trouble,” Rosemary said, smiling. “I have to say, if you do manifest powers, will they be similar to you-know-who’s?”

“What is he, Voldemort?”

“You wince every time you hear his name, so you-know-who stays.”

“Crap,” Nero should know by now how carefully Rosemary watches his body language. “Fine, you-know-who. I don’t know, to be honest. Dad’s told me a little bit about how when you-know-who would transform—the way he’d describe it, I’m pretty sure they did it when you-know-who was in devil form.”

“Gross!”

“The getting it on with the devil form?”

“No, not that; I just don’t like picturing either Lee or Dad getting busy. That’s their business, not mine.” Rosemary shook her head and rested her cheek on Nero’s shoulder. “What I’ve seen from Dante’s transformation, the devil form looks so cool!”

“It’s called Devil Trigger, I think.”

“Even the name for it is cool!”

“Ha, it’s big, burly, and kind of on fire; what’s not to like?” Nero agreed, resting his chin on top of Rosemary’s head. “I’m going to have to be careful not to jump into Devil Trigger form around here, unless we want Raccoon City news staking outside our house, but if I do have that kind of power…I’ll make sure every demon that threatens people’s lives is out of commission.”

“You’ll be a superhero like Delsin,” Rosemary said with awe, her mind racing a mile a minute. “Would you open a shop of your own? Like Devil May Cry?”

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea. My base of operations! It wouldn’t be here, it’d be in-”

“Fortuna?” Rosemary went for it, and Nero’s grumbly laugh was all the confirmation she needed.

Where Nero was born. Leon lived there a few years after his parents died, and it was where he met Vergil.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Rosie. I just came back, I’m not up and leaving again anytime soon.” Nero quickly assured his sister, kissing her nose. “Hey, I almost forgot that I brought you something.”

“For me?” Rosemary blurted out, turning pink when Nero gave her the stink eye. “H-hey, I didn’t mean it that way! I love it when you give me presents, but I just didn’t think you would on your journey to self-discovery. It felt like too much to ask, haha.”

“Subverting expectations is what I do best,” Nero said with a wolfish grin, searching his pockets. “Okay, before I show you what it is, you need to close your eyes.”

“You’re not going to push me out of the tree, are you?”

“It wasn’t fun the last three times I did, I promise! I just wanted to see if cats do land on their feet.”

“Fuck you.” Rosemary retorted. Nonetheless, she did as requested, closing her eyes and sitting as still as possible.

Nero chuckled lowly, his fingers curling around thin yet sturdy black twine. He held his pocket open until the twine was freed before scooting closer to Rosemary. The blonde with icy-gray eyes jumped a little, but kept her eyes closed; she felt something rest against her collarbone, something cool to the touch and dense. It was smooth against her skin.

“Alright, you can open your eyes now.”

Rosemary reached up and touched what hung around her neck. She opened her eyes, curling her fingers around whatever this was, and held it up to her face.

It was a necklace, a piece of black stone meticulously carved in a long, glassy cylinder. It was dense, with a glossy sheen.

“It’s beautiful, Nero!” Rosemary’s eyes stung with tears. She stroked one of the faces with her thumb, squinting as she looked at her brother. “This…this is Tourmaline, isn’t it?”

“It’s supposed to protect against negative energies, things like that,” Nero said, watching as Rosemary turned the stone around, inspecting every inch with child-like wonder. “Kyrie helped me research, and she knew a shop that sold necklaces, bracelets, and so on with precious stones. I asked for some customization, because why not?”

Rosemary noticed the bottom of the cylinder was expertly cracked, jagged like the teeth of a key. She gave Nero a puzzled glance, only for it to dawn on her a second later.

Nero had taken out his necklace. It was cylinder-shaped too, with the bottom sharing the same jagged edge like Rosemary’s. The stone was cloudier in appearance, a ghostly white. It looked as dense as Rosemary’s Tourmaline piece, soft to the touch.

“Where did you get that?” A voice below asked, belonging to one of the people still setting up their stall.

“Refurbished,” the man with the gray cap boasted, his Southern accent thicker than before. “I paid a pretty penny for her, but it was worth it. You can’t have a festival without some cotton candy, am I right?”

“Selenite,” Nero continued, bringing his and Rosemary’s pieces together. They clicked like two corresponding puzzle pieces. “Both of these stones are supposed to promote healing, and when you have them together…you’re zen. All the negative energies, bad thoughts, and doom and gloom are taken in. It’s taken in and thrown away, so you can focus on the important things, like family and friends, figuring your shit out and, well whatever else you deem important. I always felt like you kept me from losing my mind, Rose. I thought about giving you the Selenite because it fits you, but this way,” Nero looked at the white piece with a fond smile, “it’s like I have you with me always. Your name is Rosemary, white roses exist, and rosemary is an herb people use for lots of things.”

“...” Rosemary giggled as sparkly, fat tears rolled down her cheeks.  She quickly dabbed them dry, biting her lower lip before crushing Nero to her in a tight, warm hug.

“Whoa there, don’t break me in two,” Nero teased, burying his giddy face in Rosemary’s hair. He closed his eyes and squeezed her waist, any tension from their emotionally driven back-and-forths earlier draining from his system. “I love you, too, Rose.”

Rosemary didn’t reply; she didn’t need to. She felt Nero tenderly stroke her hair, starting from the top of her head. He started humming, Rosemary feeling the vibrations travel down Nero’s neck.

“Are you scared, Rosie?”

“...”

“It’s okay, storms can be scary. I used to get scared of them, too.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, it’s normal! Whenever I’d see lightning, I’d start crying. But my daddy would always calm me down. Do you want me to help you calm down?”

“Y…yeah.”

“Okay. The first thing my daddy does is hum me a song. He has a pretty voice, but when I wanted to sleep but couldn’t, he’d hum me a song. Maybe my favorite song will help you too!”

Nero was humming.

He was humming as he toyed with Rosemary’s hair. The white-haired man held his sister tightly, humming. Rosemary felt Nero lift his head, his gaze far away; his heart pounded steadily, following its unique tempo, stronger, louder, and faster than her own.

His skin was on fire, and it would send anyone bursting into flames, but not her. He could never hurt Rosemary.

‘If you do manifest demon powers, Nero, then the world will be a safer place. You’d do anything to protect humanity, just like Dante. And if you do manifest demon powers, that’s proof Vergil had some good in him. He had some good in him, just like you.’

“You asleep already, Rosie? You still with me?”

“Y-yeah, I am,” Rosemary said, pulling away and wiping her eyes. “You always make me cry, Ren. You suck.”

“I know.” Nero blessed Rosemary with a hundred-watt smile. “I’ll text Kyrie later to thank her for her wisdom, yet again, ha!” He took his sister’s hand and squeezed it gently. “You still want to hang around here for a bit? Maybe we can ask around and see if anyone needs help.”

“Good idea, I need to walk around after such an emotional-”

“Whoa!”

“What the hell?!”

“Machine’s on fire!”

Mia’s heart shrank three sizes. Her brownish-blue eyes were blown wide, tucking her taser into her jeans as screaming erupted from the park. Thick, black smoke inflated people’s lungs; women and children shrieked, trying to get away from the source of the mess.

It was a cotton candy machine. It was covered head to toe in flames; they crackled like fireworks, and sparks flew, igniting the nearby stalls.

‘No…!’

“Lucas!” Mia screamed.

The man in the gray cap was gone. He had been engulfed by the smoke, and people were coughing and hacking.

“S-someone call the fire department!”

“That’ll take too long, anyone got a hose?!”

“Break the damn fire hydrant if you have to, just do something!”

“Rose!” Mia heard Nero shout. Ignoring the burn in her eyes, the brunette woman saw the white-haired man scrambling, being pushed and shoved aside by terrified park-goers. “Fuck! Rose, where are you?!”

They must have gotten separated when the machine burst, and this smoke wasn’t making things easier. “Rose?!”

“NERO!”

‘Rosemary?!’

“Get off me!” Rosemary cried, thrashing and kicking as hard as she could. Two wiry yet strong arms were crushing her ribs, dragging her back. She tried digging her heels into the grassy path, but whoever had her laughed and swung her around like a ragdoll. “L-let go! Let go of me!”

“No can do, Rosemary,” a Southern man’s voice pierced Rosemary’s eardrums. She tried to look at her assailant, but the smoke and confusion made it hard to see. Her ears rang; the explosion hadn’t been far from the tree she and Nero were perched in earlier. It was a controlled explosion, but…why?

No time to worry about that! She needed to get away!

“Now, you’re coming with me, and unless you want to be roughed up, you’ll come quietly.”

“Fuck you!” Rosemary spat, throwing her head back.

“Ugh!” Her head met her assailant’s nose, not breaking it but just enough to get him to loosen his grip. Rosemary shoved hard against his chest, collapsing to her knees. “You bitch!”

Rosemary tore open her dad’s jacket pockets, searching for a tiny, hot pink canister she always carried on her. Ethan made her promise to.

“No!” Rosemary was struck across the face, giving her assailant a chance to pin her. He sat on her and wrapped his hands around her neck.

“Ha, feisty little girl, aren’t ya? Like mother, like-!” The assailant soon bellowed and cradled his face with his hands, cheeks and neck wet and his eyes on fire.

All Rosemary could hear was hissing as she squeezed the trigger, hitting the man with what smelled like chemicals and chili peppers. He let go of her neck, and Rosemary gasped as she struggled to her feet.

“NERO! NERO!”

“SHUT UP!”

Rosemary and her assailant’s spat was drowned out by the fire truck's siren growing deafening as it approached. She wailed as an arm wrapped tightly around her neck, her chest constricting in on itself. “You ain’t going anywhere! You’re coming with me, one way or another!”

“GET THE FUCK OFF HER!” Nero seemingly emerged from the smoke like a predator stalking his prey. He launched himself at the assailant, the guy in the gray cap from earlier; Rosemary was thrown to the ground, and the two men hit the ground hard.

“Out of my way! Please!” Mia begged, weaving through the chaos, only to be knocked off her feet when a group of teenagers almost stampeded her to dust in their panic.

“We need to get out of here!”

“The fire’s spreading!”

“Everyone, run!”

“N-Nero!”

“Rose, go! Get out of here!” Nero ordered, his fist crashing into the guy’s nose. He didn’t shatter the cartilage into a million pieces, but those empty, black eyes were leaking like faucets. Rosemary’s pepper spray has him spiraling.

“She’s not going anywhere!” The man roared, freeing one of his arms and kneeing Nero between the legs.

“Ugh!” Nero tried to fight through the pain, but the assailant was quick and nimble. He struck Nero across the face, like he did to Rosemary earlier, and pinned Nero to the ground. “Piece of shit, get off!”

“You know, I was gonna let you go. But that attitude? It’s exactly what I look for in younguns like you,” The older man purred, flashing a wide, manic smile. “Oooh, you’re gonna be fun! Hahaha!”

“NERO!”

Rosemary watched, frozen in place, as the man with the gray cap brought his elbow down on Nero’s face. The back of his head smashed into a rock half buried in the dirt, ripping a harsh coughing fit out of Nero’s lungs. She watched as Nero’s frosty blue eyes rolled back into his skull, skin pale as snow. He went limp on the ground, his breathing deadly slow. “NERO!”

Rosemary didn’t have time to retaliate. The man in the gray cap was on her again, and this time he struck her so hard she collapsed facedown in the dirt.

The world around them was on fire. The sirens were just outside the park’s main gate. The man in the gray cap sucked in a deep breath. “Luckily, I didn’t park the van that far away. Time for home sweet home, kiddos.”

“...?!” Mia dug her nails into her scalp.

The park was forced to close. So many of the stalls were lost in the embers, witnesses being checked for injuries, sobbing, and trying to recall exactly what happened.

A freak accident. A cotton candy machine malfunctioned, sparked, and started a fire. People abandoned the scene in a panic, colliding with whoever was in their way. No one could put a name to a face, the face responsible for this mess. The police were called, and several officers spread out to check every nook and cranny.

As far as they were told, everyone was accounted for. There wasn’t any in-house fighting, just men, women, and children, young and old, not wanting to burn alive.

No one was missing.

‘Rosemary…no, Rosemary!’ Mia backed into a wall, and a hand slapped over her mouth. Her vision swam, and her head was pounding.

And…and her little girl was gone.

Lucas Baker wrapped another layer of duct tape around Rosemary’s wrists. He smiled when he saw the skin turn a blotchy pink; he checked the duct tape around her ankles. “Hahaha, stupid girl,” he whispered, rolling the unconscious girl over onto her back. Her head lolled to the side, pressing against the wall next to her. “Just a stupid little girl…and her attack dog,” Lucas’s smile fell as his murderous gaze fell on Nero.

The punk-ass brute with white hair was out cold, too, his wrists tied behind his back. The older man grabbed Nero’s chin, scowling and digging his dull nails into his flawless skin.

Nero didn’t react, his frame heavy as lead. “You had nothing to do with this, ya know. But you chose to protect the girl, so you have to pay the consequences. Adult choices come with adult consequences. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you…But if you’re gonna be snippy, I’m keeping you around a little longer. You like to pay rough, we’ll play rough. Hahaha…hahaha!”

Nero’s head thumped against the cold, metal floor. A black tarp was thrown over his and Rosemary’s limp bodies; Lucas got to his feet and walked back to the steering wheel, in a change of clothes and glasses without a prescription. He started up his van’s engine, turning on the radio.

Country music blared, pressing against the van windows like muffled screams. Lucas’s dark, beady eyes honed in on the green light turning red, steadily pulling out of his parking spot. He turned off Nero and Rosemary’s phones and pocketed them, popping a crick in his neck.

Time to head on home.