Work Text:
Sometime after midnight in the worst neighborhood of the city, Zero stumbled upon an aberration: a kid, early twenties, dressed in a three piece suit with his jacket slung over his shoulder.
A cop car came racing down the street, horns blaring, red and blue lights reflecting off of brick buildings to illuminate dirty windows reinforced by security bars. Half a block down, a druggie began freaking out, screaming obscenities at some unseen apparition next to him. He barely drew a reaction from the prostitutes on street curbs, who were flashing their merchandise at slow cruising vehicles.
Zero slid deeper into the shadows, leaning against the side of a building as he fingered a cigarette. A flick of the lighter, quick inhale, and the familiar taste of Marlboro filled his mouth. He watched the young man across the street shift back and forth in his fancy shiny shoes, head swiveling to consider the dubious looking characters who were beginning to take notice of him.
As if to further emphasize his helplessness, the kid slipped a hand into his pocket, and pulled out a cell phone. He fumbled a bit with the buttons, but the screen never came alive.
Zero almost rolled his eyes. This was too easy.
The kid shot one more glance at the group of thugs who seemed to be working up a reason to start something, and stepped off the side of the curb to cross the street.
Zero watched him approach, taking in the long lean lines of the kid’s form.
How did an east side prep school brat manage to find himself in the original breeding ground of the city’s most dangerous convicts?
He couldn’t say he had a good reason for it - in his pocket was a brand new paycheck from Seven Eleven, and he’d just ditched his friends in favor of a night in - but when the kid walked past him, Zero found himself sucking in a mouthful of smoke, pushing off against the side of the building to follow.
Gray Suit came to a stop at the end of the block, beneath a flickering street lamp. A breeze swept through hair the color of winter pine, so dark they were almost black, as a hand nervously found its way into a pocket.
The kid looked to his left, then down his right, and chose wrong.
Zero smirked and fell in step behind the kid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The smell of smoke alerted Kaze to the fact that he was being followed. No matter how many times he turned down the unfamiliar streets, the smoke followed him, coming and going with the occasional gust of wind. When the tingling between his shoulder blades grew unbearable, he came to a stop and turned.
His stalker didn’t make an attempt to hide from plain view. There was likely no need for it; trash skittered across the empty street rendered black by a street lamp that had gone out.
The two of them were about as alone as a person can be in this part of town.
At the first glance, Kaze took in a large powerful form clad in ripped jeans and a leather jacket. The orange glow of a cigarette revealed a menacing face hidden behind a pair of dark glasses. Beneath the hood of his sweatshirt, tufts of pure white hair poked out from the edges.
“You lost, kid?” The man drawled, deep voice laced with amusement.
Kaze’s throat abruptly went dry as he considered lying to this stranger. “I’m fine.” He said. He tightened his hold on his jacket, and did his best to adopt a relaxed air.
Inside, he began to sweat.
“Let me guess. You’re trying to get down to Parker.”
Kaze hesitated. “How did you know?”
“People like you are always trying to get down to Parker. Guessin’ you’ve got a car waiting for you there?”
Was he going to steal his car?
Kaze took a step back, looking up and down the empty street. When he glanced back, he realized the man was still approaching. His heart began to pound, breath growing shallow. Indecision had him frozen, and before he knew it, the man came to a stop before him, trapping him in place with the sheer force of his proximity. The air seemed to thicken around them. He couldn’t see the man’s eyes through the glasses, but could feel the stranger’s gaze trace every inch of him.
With the cigarette bobbing between his lips, the man said, “Well, what are you waiting for? Come along.”
“Wait, you want to take me there?”
The stranger shrugged. The light of the cigarette brightened again. “Sure, why not?”
Kaze relaxed a fraction. Perhaps he had been paranoid to assume the absolute worst. Wasn’t he always the one to remind his friends not to judge his brother by his appearances? He exhaled. “Thank you, but it’s quite alright. I got directions from a gas station a few blocks back.”
“I can tell you now, you’re still headed down the wrong way.”
Kaze cursed, trying to remember how he’d come to be here. “If you don’t mind, maybe you can show me back to the gas station.”
“You sure? Parker’s not that far. A dozen blocks maybe.”
“No, it’s quite alright. I don’t want to take up any more time than is absolutely necessary. I really appreciate your help.”
An unreadable expression flickered across the man’s face, mirth firmly pinned back in place before Kaze could make out his thoughts.
“What’s your name kid?”
Kaze told him.
The man extended a hand, “Call me Zero.”
“Zero. What an interesting name. Did your parents come up with it?” Kaze shook his hand, feeling the hard calluses on the man’s hands.
“It’s a nickname,” Zero answered tersely, clearly uninterested in further discussion of the topic.
Kaze let a tenuous smile break across his face. “Thank you again, Zero. I won’t forget this.”
“Hmm, your name almost sounds familiar. Have I met you before?”
Kaze shook his head. “No. I mean, I come down here every once in a while, but I don’t live around here.”
“That’s right. Probably got a grand old condo somewhere on the east side, eh?” That edge was back in Zero’s voice.
Kaze shook his head. “Not really.”
“Yeah,” Zero said, as if in answer to a question. He drew again from his cigarette before he nodded his head down the north end of the street. “After you.”
Kaze hesitated. However, at Zero’s expectant silence, he gritted his teeth and set down the direction Zero had indicated. The larger man fell in step behind him, footsteps silent on the concrete sidewalk.
“How far away are we?” Kaze asked, if only to interrupt the sensation of the man’s eyes crawling all over him.
“Few blocks.”
“Do you frequently come to the help of strangers?”
“Would it make you feel better if I said yes?” came the amused response.
Kaze stopped and swiveled around, trying to see the man’s eyes past the dark glasses. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume anything bad about you. I’m simply a little out of my element here.”
“Maybe you should.” Another orange glow preceded a puff of smoke in Kaze’s face.
Stepping aside, Kaze frowned. “Maybe I should what?”
“Maybe you should assume something bad about me,” Zero clarified nonchalantly. He cracked his neck, and the shadows around them seemed to grow wider, darken further. Kaze became aware of the size of Zero’s fists, the breadth of his shoulders, the barely restrained power behind his form. An abandoned warehouse peeked over Zero’s shoulders with broken windows for hollowed eyes.
“Frankly, if you’ve got any brains at all,” Zero continued, “you should assume the worst in just about everyone you come across in this neighborhood. Especially, when you’re dressed as you are.”
At those words, Kaze’s palms dampened. He pulled his jacket over his shoulder and wound it around his forearm, holding it tight against his chest. “Like I’d said, I wasn’t expecting to find myself here at this hour. The clothes are just what I wore for work.”
“What are you doing here?”
Kaze took a breath, wondering why Zero would want to know. “I came to visit my brother.”
“And you couldn’t be bothered to meet him somewhere nicer?”
His comment stirred up old conflicts - arguments Kaze did not want to discuss with a virtual stranger. “Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s something my brother insisted upon. Anyway, can we keep going? Which way, now?”
Zero made no move to begin walking again. Instead, he asked, “What do you do, kid?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You mentioned you’re wearing something from work, and now I’m curious.”
Kaze considered lying again, not wanting to reveal even more of his personal life to this strange man. But, in the end, he knew he was a terrible liar, so he stuck with answering truthfully. “I’m in real estate.”
Zero snorted in derision. “Let me guess, you make a pretty penny with a cushy job like that, don’t you? Enough to buy yourself that fancy suit so you can kiss asses and make more money to buy even more suits. ”
The pleasant mask of amusement slipped from Zero’s features, to reveal open hostility.
Kaze licked his lips, trying to work up moisture in his mouth. He balled up his hands beneath the jacket. “You know what? I think I’ve taken up too much of your time already. I’ll figure out the rest of the way on my own. Thanks for all your help.”
“Now, wait a minute,” the amused drawl was back, as Zero took a step toward him. “What kind of thanks is that? I brought you a whole block and a half closer.”
Kaze began to back up. Zero followed. “Maybe we can talk about that when I get to the gas station then.” He said, trying to stall. Abruptly his back hit something hard and unyielding. A wall. Kaze cursed to himself, hope fading.
“Nah, let’s talk about it now.” Zero waved his cigarette in the air. An arm came to rest by the wall next to Kaze’s head, trapping him in place. Again, Zero blew smoke into his face, breaking into a smile when Kaze coughed this time. “I hope you’re feeling generous because I’ve got a lot of needs, and who knows when the time will come when one of you idiots fall into my lap again?”
“What do you want?” Kaze’s voice came out little louder than a whisper. “Money?”
“We’ll start with that.” Zero said, studying his cigarette as if it held his sole attention.
With trembling hands, Kaze rifled through his jacket pocket and took out his wallet. “I’ve got around a hundred. You can have -” He began to open the wallet when Zero snatched it up.
Zero made to back up, but when Kaze tried to take a step from the wall, the bigger man thrust him back with a hand against his chest. The impact threatened to knock the breath out of him, setting the nerves of his arms tingling.
“Stay, and be a good boy.” Zero commanded. Then, he counted out the money, taking a good hard look at Kaze’s ID. “Twenty four years old, and you still haven’t learned to stay out of bad neighborhoods, hmm?” He pocketed the entire wallet.
“You have what you want. Now, let me go.” Kaze said, trying to insert authority into his voice.
“Cell phone. Come on.”
Kaze handed over the device. “That’s all I’ve got.”
“Keys.”
Kaze cursed, shaking his head. “You really think you’ll find my car? Parker’s a long street.”
“Nope, and even if I did, kid, I’m not going through the hassle of messing around with a stolen vehicle. No, this is just to make your life that much harder.”
A thought occurred to Kaze, “You’re enjoying this. You don’t even care about the money, you’re just doing this to mess with me.”
“Bingo. The cash is a nice bonus, though.” Another flash of teeth, and a rueful shake of his head. “Couldn’t help it, kid - the way you walked through that street, acting like you’re all sorts of untouchable. Well, let’s just say, I had to have a touch. Now, turn around.” With that, he seized Kaze by the arm, manhandling him around to pin him against the wall.
Zero shoved his arm high up on his back. Kaze gasped, head bowing against the stab of pain in his shoulder. His face grew hot with the sheer indignity and humiliation of it all. He tried to struggle, but Zero barely seemed to notice.
“I don’t have anything else,” Kaze said with a grimace when he felt Zero’s hand running down his body, double checking pockets.
Zero grunted, and with one more shove that sent Kaze’s head against the brick in a brilliant flash of pain, he finally backed up. “You’ll be alright, kid. This could have been a lot worse. Hell, I coulda been a real freak and stabbed you or somethin’, yeah?”
“Guess I’m supposed to thank you then?” Kaze bit back. He stumbled away from Zero, holding his head protectively. His knees were so weak, he nearly fell. “Fucking asshole,” he muttered beneath his breath.
“Hey!” Zero barked, sending echoes down the empty street. Kaze shuddered, swallowing back a wave of regret as he looked up, breath caught in his throat. Seeing that he once again held Kaze’s full attention, Zero took his time, pulling out a pack to light up a new cigarette. He mouthed the stick and said, “Take 9th all the way down to Jackson, make a right, then a left at 11th, and right again at Morrison. Keep going till you hit Parker. Don’t stay on 9th and 11th longer than you gotta, yeah? That’s the safest way to get where you need to go.”
Kaze nodded mutely, too shocked to speak for a moment. Then finally, he ducked his head and said, “Thank you.”
“What are you waiting for then?” Zero snapped, as if suddenly irritated with the entire situation. “Get the fuck out of here before I decide there’s something else I’d rather take from you than money.”
Kaze didn’t know what that meant, but he understood the undertone of the threat well enough. He turned on his heels and took off down the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaze was back in the maze of streets; a series of similar yet ever changing buildings and dim lighting, distinguished only by barely legible, dilapidated signs.
He had seriously intended to follow the man’s directions - really, why wouldn’t he after that encounter? - and he did, initially, go down to Jackson, turn right, and continue on nice and easy. He made his way peacefully down the end of 11th, deciding to ever so slightly speed up.
Mid-thought he heard shouting.
Then, a gunshot.
His head snapped up just in time to see a blonde, blocky man collapse to the ground with a despairing groan, blood trickling from his nearly-detached cranium.
Bile built in his throat. Kaze swallowed thickly, and without pausing to consider the direction, bolted down, down the nearest street. Heart pounding hard in his chest, he yearned for the roar in his ears to drown out the laughter of the men, whose voices seemed to follow him every step of the way. He was determined to avoid them.
Those chortles hadn’t been directed at him, but all the same, Kaze felt them like a personal attack. He ran until he couldn't hear their crude chatter any longer, stopping short only when he came to realize his mistake. He’d gone down the wrong street.
Confusion set in, as Kaze scrambled to remember Zero’s directions.
Then a figure appeared, as if materializing from the depths of the shadows. This time, it was a man in a ratty, unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt layered over a white undershirt and cargo pants. He leered at Kaze from just a few steps away. Dazed, and intoxicated, he attempted to take a step forward, staggered, and came to a stop.
Kaze gulped once more, and tried to turn back around. The man shouted, interrupting his plans for a quick getaway. His feet stuttered to a stop.
“Oi! Where d’you think yer going at this hour?”
Kaze’s hands went clammy yet again, head spinning in disbelief.
No… His luck couldn't be bad enough for this to happen all over again... could it? He had nothing . He literally didn’t have anything else to give up.
The sound of the man clearing his throat echoed down the street, followed by the sound of his approaching footsteps. Like a vision born of a nightmare, the man came before him. Yellowed and missing teeth, scarred face, wolfish sneer. His speech slurred. “I asked, where th’hell y’going?”
Kaze flinched and turned his cheek; the man was so close that he could feel his rotten breath on his skin, invading his nostrils when he looked at him head-on. “Parker,” he barely uttered, frantically wiping sweaty hands on his sides.
His response was acknowledged with a snicker and a further invasion of his rapidly fleeting personal space. “Yer a long way from Parker now, bucko.”
“I-I know, I made a wrong turn is all. I know which way I'm going, I'll just be on my way now so I don't cause you any trouble-” The younger man attempted to turn on his heel, but stopped when he felt the man grab him firmly by the shoulders.
“I don't think so. Whaddya got, boy? Cell phone? Money? I want it all.”
Kaze screwed his eyes shut, breathing in raggedly. It really was repeating. This really was happening again - this uglier version of deja vu. “I know what you want,” he tried to explain, “and I know this is going to sound dumb, but I don't have anything. If I did, I’d give everything to you.”
The criminal gave him an incredulous once over, gaze hardening. “You look like yer lying to me,” he hissed, centimeters from Kaze’s face. “And I don’t like liars.”
“I promise you, I’m telling the truth.” His voice shook with trepidation, heart pounding violently in his ribcage.
The man’s bruising hold tightened on Kaze’s shoulder. He let go of Kaze with his other to reach into his pocket. Kaze didn't dare look, but he heard the metallic slide of a knife unsheathing. He cringed, squirming to get away.
“Now let’s try this again, boy.”
“I swear I don’t-”
The hand slid down to Kaze’s wrist and a blade poked at his vest, prodding lightly, threateningly at the layer preventing it from coldly touching his skin upon immediate contact.
“Y’sure this is the game you wanna play, buddy? You're at a damn disadvantage here. I’m gonna get my money’s worth one way or another.” The man sneered darkly. The weapon had not yet cut the fabric, but Kaze couldn’t help but cringe in anticipation.
He ceased wriggling, mind scrambling to find a way out of the situation. He settled for reasoning, and let out a sigh. It emerged pretty calmly considering what he was being threatened with. “Is there nothing else I can offer to you, perhaps in a short while? I work a steady job, I’m certain I could spare you some of my paycheck if you only gave me some time. We can go to an ATM- Uh!”
A hard kick connected with his stomach, and he found himself flying onto his back. A sound somewhere between a half-wheeze and half-whine emerged from him. Footsteps had his eyes snapping open. Brandishing his knife, the man shot a sly, predatory grin down at him. “Doesn’t work like that, buddy.”
He raised the fist that was clutching the knife above his head and slammed it down with all his strength.
In a panic-stricken last effort to avoid grave injury, Kaze spun out of the way. A burn tore down his side. He rolled to a stop, trembling hands reaching down to touch the wound. He let out a shaky exhale.
The knife had only grazed his side.
The man didn’t seem to care much, screaming at him as he stood menacingly over him once more, blade speckled with fresh blood. “That’s what you get for fucking lying to me, you hear?! Now stay still while I take what I want!”
He crouched downward, discarding the knife carelessly to the side with a clang, and Kaze dealt with his second pat-down of the night. Tears pricking at his eyes, he mumbled something mostly incoherent about how he already said, he had nothing. The thief ignored him, groping however he wished at Kaze’s pristine clothes with grubby hands.
After several uncomfortable minutes of this, the man rose to his feet, scratching at his head. “Huh, you really were serious, bucko? That’s pretty fucking dumb either way. You were kinda begging to be mugged with a look like that.”
Kaze curled up on the concrete, flinchingly palming at the gash in his side, only to receive a final kick from the criminal before he left him to rot. His eyes fluttered shut, listening as the footsteps faded further and further away, though he couldn’t tell if it was because his mind was getting hazy or because he was now alone.
Maybe he could simply bleed out like this; perhaps he would black out and he would be spared the worst of the pain. That sounded pretty appealing, actually. He just hoped the result wouldn’t get back around to his brother. That would be too much for Saizo to take, he reckoned, even with the steely composure he usually kept up. That was too heartbreaking to continue imagining, even in moderation.
So he sat up, slowly, wincing as he did so. He dared peer down at his side, barely illuminated by a nearby flickering streetlight. The fabric around the wound was torn and shredded, and the visible flesh surrounding the cut was already flushing a deep shade of purple. Too far-removed from panic to do anything about it, he simply folded his knees into his chest, hugging them for some sense of security, fleeting as it was.
Meanwhile, Zero had gotten bored of watching the police clambering from afar and accompanying doctors examining the decimated corpse, clearly perturbed. These occurrences happened so regularly around here that he couldn’t help but be surprised when somebody was still disturbed by a new case.
It was time to head home. Uncrossing his arms, he began strolling, following a path Kaze had trailed not long before. It was silent save for the tread of his cheap loafers on the streets. The only company he had was the cylinder between his teeth and the familiar smoke that it produced.
He was tranquilly alone, at least until he saw a crumpled body in the distance. Zero quirked a brow, loosening the strings on his hoodie as he got closer to it, or him, for that matter. As he took a drag he glanced at Kaze, the knife, the laceration in the young man’s side, then back at Kaze himself.
Zero shot him a look that seemed to ask, ‘Seriously?’
His face fell for a moment, worry flashing over his face before the scrupulous expression returned. “No kidding, uh, I did apprise you, didn’t I? You shouldn't have even ended up on this street. Geez, kid.”
Kaze faltered, too worn-down and shocked by everything that had led up to where he was now to put together a proper sentence.
“...Alright.” With a long sigh, Zero held out his free hand. “Come on, up we go.”
After a few seconds of staring blankly up at the help being extended to him, Kaze stumbled drearily to his feet, clasping onto Zero for dear life. Expectedly, the injury stung far worse when he moved; he cussed under his breath.
“I’m taking you back to my place.”
“No need for that.”
Zero huffed in amusement. “That little love-slash you’ve got there says otherwise. Where else could you run to, anyways?”
Kaze glowered at him, not sharing his humor. “A hospital? My car?”
“Ah-ah, not your vehicle, remember?” Just to emphasize he pulled the aforementioned keys out of his front pocket and dangled them tauntingly in front of Kaze’s face.
“You truly intend to keep this up, even after offering me aid?” The shorter man emitted a scoff, letting go of the other. “Just guide me to the nearest ER, if you must insist on doing something about this to ease your weighted conscience.”
“Ehh, I don’t trust those guys. And I know what I’m doing. I have first-hand experience giving stitches, believe it or not.” The corner of his mouth curved up as he lifted his shoulders without much visible care, shoving the jangling keys back into the pocket that they now occupied.
Vehemently shaking his head, Kaze took a step backwards, ignoring the ever-constant reminder of the ache under his arm. “No, nope, I’m not getting stitches. I don’t need them.”
“Correction: You don’t want them. Yet it’s unavoidable. If you don’t accept my help then the hospital most certainly will opt for that route and charge you a whopping bill for an easy job. Face it, you’re better off with me.”
He squinted at Zero with an uncertain, accusing frown. “That seems to contradict your earlier advice to not trust anybody - particularly, you insisted that I assume the worst about your intentions.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Kaze’s shoulders slumped and he exhaled in defeat. “Okay, you win. Lead the way.”
“Attaboy.”
Luckily for him the walk wasn’t a long one. It was spent tailing the brisk figure of Zero; normally he would be able to match such a pace but his wound wasn’t exactly in favor of that. Zero ceased his step suddenly in front of a tall, brick-red apartment. They entered in near-silence in respect of those who may be asleep, though at a point Kaze stumbled over an extra step that he didn’t realize was there.
The first thing he noticed about the interior was that it smelled surprisingly fresh, not smoldering like he had assumed it would be. The second thing that caught his eye was a small, black kitten whose paws were pattering towards him as he watched it curiously. “You like cats?” Amusement was clear in his tone.
“I’m not really a cat person. Or, well, I wasn’t. Lucifer here changed that.”
Lucifer squeaked as he was lifted up by the loose skin on his neck, wriggling in Zero’s grip until his owner complied and put him back down.
Kaze smiled down at the creature with mild interest. “How old is he?”
“Dunno. This little guy’s a stray.”
This struck Kaze as oddly fitting to Zero’s personality, though he wouldn’t have pegged him for the type to take a pet under his wing. He seemed like he would get a twisted pleasure out of kicking helpless animals into the streets. Kaze did not dare think this aloud.
“Do you have a restroom I could use?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he teased, tilting his head in the direction of it. “Bathroom’s the door on the right. Oh, make sure to close the toilet seat once you’re done. The devil likes to dip his paws in the water if he can get in there. It’s disgusting.”
When Kaze returned from doing his business, his host was nowhere to be seen. He tentatively took a seat on a scratched up couch, noting how the furniture within the apartment didn’t match at all. Most of it looked very beat up, giving the room a lived-in quality that would otherwise not be present as the walls were bare. Not a single painting, photo, or poster in sight.
While he surveyed the quarters, Zero re-entered the room holding dental floss, disinfectant, scissors, and a needle, no longer donning the leather jacket that he sported outside. He took a few strides to where the other was ensconced and plopped down next to him, on the side where the slash was exposed and mostly dry now.
His eyes widened as he observed the materials in the man’s hands. “You intend to stitch this up with dental floss…?”
“Yeah. Trust me, I’m not going into this blindly.”
Though he was frowning, he nodded. “Okay.”
Threading the string expertly through the small eye of the needle, Zero moved it near the exposed skin, then paused, retracting his arm. “Might be easier if you took off your top and all that.”
As Kaze turned his head to the side his cheeks darkened. “Must I?”
Zero waved his hand dismissively. “It’s just a suggestion to make the process easier.”
Huffing quietly, Kaze undid his purple tie, stripped of his vest and the white shirt below it, and looked ashamedly at the floor, placing the shedded clothing to the left of him. Zero simply eyeballed him steadily through his bangs, admired the pale pigmentation and thin build. Prep school brat indeed, though the kid didn't seem aware of how enticing he was without making a show of it.
With a sharp inhale Zero prepared to get down to business, voice low as he spoke. “Let’s get this over with.”
As forecasted, Kaze jumped at the initial jab, recoiling out of instinct.
“Don’t move.”
“It’s difficult not to.”
“Suck it up, then.”
Kaze screwed his eyes shut as he continued, eventually getting used to the feeling of the pointed object sewing his skin together. After what felt like eons, Zero’s voice snapped Kaze out of his befuddlement. “Done.”
“Ah.” When he glanced down at it, he was taken aback to find that the epidermis was all but brought together now, albeit a rather grotesque sight to see.
“Why the surprise? I told you I had it covered, didn’t I?”
“My apologies for doubting you-” he said, wincing as Zero patted rubbing alcohol onto the contusion. “However, I believe it’s justified for me to hold some paranoia.”
“Sure.” Standing up, Zero’s eye flickered back to Kaze. “Need to borrow a t-shirt?”
“I would appreciate one, yes.”
He disappeared again, returning a moment later with a garment far too large for either of them. “This’ll have to do,” he said, tossing it to the guest.
Kaze smiled at him before pulling it over his head, relieved to be properly covered. “I sincerely can’t express my gratitude.”
Zero scoffed at the sheer genuity of his gratefulness, then paced over to a window, reaching absently in his back pocket for another smoke before opening the window. He had barely lit up when a flash of black dashed for the yawning aperture. Tossing the lighter aside, the man scooped up the cat in one palm, the other keeping a delicate hold on the cigarette. “Bloody hell, Lucifer. I open the window for one second and you’re already trying for a suicide. Hey,” he said, turning to Kaze. “Can you hold him while I wear this one out?”
“Uh…sure.” Kaze rose, warily taking the pile of fur into his arms. He stood stiff and confused as Lucifer curled up against his chest, purring in unmitigated satisfaction.
When finished, Zero tossed the butt of it out the window (much to Kaze’s discontentment) before shutting it triumphantly. “Well, I’m turning in for the night. Care to join me?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Zero simpered. “I’m asking you to stay the night.”
Lucifer stirred, scampering out of Kaze’s hold with no struggle. Kaze blinked. “What for?”
“I get lonely. You wouldn’t want to leave poor single me all alone in the dead of night, would you?”
“You do have companionship, though. You have your pet,” Kaze pointed out correctly.
“Oh, loosen up. Humor me.”
“...I suppose I could stay for a while, if you so insist upon it.”
They eventually ended up huddled up under the covers, Kaze doe-eyed while Zero’s single eye was shut, though he remained presumably conscious.
“Say,” Zero spoke after a few minutes of shared silence. “Are you keeping your brother waiting on you ‘cus of all this?”
“Oh, I hope not… I hope he isn’t worrying.”
“What’s his name, anyhow?”
“Saizo,” he answered honestly.
Zero sat up abruptly, immediately roused out of his drowsy state. “Geez, I’ve really gotta get my ears cleaned out. I thought you said Saizo for second there,” he said, chuckling to himself.
“I did,” Kaze responded, blinking in puzzlement.
“Are we talking about the same Saizo here? Notorious druglord Saizo?”
Kaze rubbed the back of his head shyly. “Yeah, that’s the one… he’s gotten quite the reputation built up, hasn’t he.”
“Well, shit, If I knew that I wouldn’t have messed with you. Gods. I’m screwed now.”
“Don’t worry about it. I won’t mention your name in bad light.”
“Kid…” Zero shook his head again, lying back down. “That good heart of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days. You know that?”
“I know.”
Kaze dozed off shortly after Zero’s kitten crawled in between them, lulled to sleep by the calming, steady breaths of his unlikely companion.