Chapter Text
Crimson sighed and swirled his scotch glass, watching as the amber liquid within formed a little cyclone in the center. “Ya think I acted too rashly?”
Standing by the green armchair in the sitting room was a tall green shark with lean muscles and broad shoulders. He had his arms folded behind his back and was stoic and silent up until the question was asked. “With what, sir?”
“Getting’ rid of that broad, Alessio. Moxxie’s mother. Ya think I got rid a’ her too fast?”
Alessio was new to his position, and he fought tooth and nail to get to where he was. He was in no position to disagree with anything the crime boss said to him. “Ya said it yourself sir, she was disobeying you and fightin’ you at every turn. You need an heir, and she was standin’ in yer way.” Personally, he probably would’ve just let the woman go and cut her off completely, but he didn’t say any of that. Everyone handled fights and disagreements differently. Especially in a Hell Mafia.
“Yeah, she was,” Crim grumbled, taking several sips from his cup. He pulled a cigar from his pocket and held it to his mouth. He snapped once and Alessio jumped into action, pulling out a lighter and lighting the end of the cigar. “Problem is, the kid needs a motha’ an’ I don’t have anyone that can fill the position.”
Alessio put the lighter back in his pocket and then refolded his arms while pursing his lips.
Crim continued talking, either oblivious to or completely uncaring that Alessio had said nothing in response. “An’…an’ maybe I miss her. Just a little. I mean after all; we were married for several decades. The love was there at one point. I think…
“She was the mother of my child for fuck’s sake. But then the bitch kept gettin’ in my way. An’ she wanted nothin’ ta do with me. Wouldn’t even talk ta me about what was goin’ on. It feels like she was doin’ it all ta spite me.”
“Sir, if I may be so bold, was the marriage between you arranged?”
Crim scowled. “I don’t see what that has ta do with anything.”
Alessio held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m merely speculating that perhaps an arranged marriage already came with a wedge. But of course, if it wasn’t-“
“It was,” the small imp sighed, taking a long drag from his cigar, and washing it down with a sip of his scotch. He would have to get up and get another one soon.
“I see.”
When Crim was just a made imp, his father introduced him to the woman he was meant to marry and produce offspring with. It was commonplace to have your wife chosen for you in his line of work. Someone subservient that would be a good mother for his children. Crim excitedly – and foolishly if you asked him now – thought he would fall in love with his life mate, and they would rule Greed together. But clearly that hadn’t happened. Now his wife was floating in a box down the river.
The imp scoffed. “So what if it was arranged? Why couldn’t things work out anyways? We could’ve had a nice life together and she just had to go and cross me!” In a fit of rage, he threw his semi empty cup across the room, and it shattered as it made contact with the opposite wall.
Alessio didn’t flinch or react in any way. He merely stood in silence for a moment. “Sometimes things aren’t always meant to be, sir. It might’ve just been a bad match.”
Crimson thought about that for a moment. It certainly was no match made in “Heaven” like he thought it would be. “So ya think I should try again? Find another dame and hope somethin’ works out?”
Al shook his head. “Why bog yourself down? Yer a free man now. Finally able to run the household how ya want. You don’t have to try and make things work with anyone anymore. You can raise Moxxie to be the man he was meant to be.”
Crim smiled. “Ya got a good point. It’ll be much easier to raise Moxxie to be a proper imp now. An imp that’ll one day take ova’ fer me. He’s got a lot ‘a learnin’ ta do, but man does that kid have a lot a’ potential. He’ll go far with just a bit a’ guidance.” He put his cigar out on the ashtray, feeling hopeful for the future of his organization once more, and he wanted to celebrate with more booze. “Get me anotha’ drink, will ya?”
Alessio calmly walked over to the bar and made the new cocktail just the way he knew Crim liked it. In his silent, personal opinion – one that he would never share aloud – Crim couldn’t have chosen a better right-hand man. Alessio made it his business to know whatever he could about his employer. His schedule, routines, his favorite food, his favorite drink, and anyone that he was close to. Any and all information made his job a lot simpler.
“Either way sir, at the end of the day, it was all yer call to make. You say “jump,” and we say, “how high.” Right? You make the big decisions that you think will be best for your empire,” Alessio reminded him as he walked back toward the armchair. He handed the small imp his drink and then casually put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t overthink your actions Boss. Moxxie will be just fine, and you will be too.” At the end of the day, no matter what he thought about the situation, the organization needed a strong hand, and Alessio felt like it was his job to provide his boss with that much needed encouragement.
Crimson smiled. It always felt good to be validated. But then something weird happened. The smooth and warm hand on his shoulder created a strange tingling sensation that spread throughout his body like bolts of electricity. It made his entire body feel like it was buzzing. He unexpectedly felt his face grow hot. He didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t like it at all.
“Take yer hand off’a my shoulder,” he snapped.