Note: In which Connor is introduced, and promptly goes overboard.

Warning: Reader discretion is adviced, as the chapter contains (excessive) violence, and mild descriptions of blood and wounds.

Chapter 0: Connor Trailer

It was a quiet autumun evening, leaves turning rusty around their edges and the chilly wind chasing away the heat of the day gone by. Connor walked home fresh out of his shift at one of the local factories, glad that another boring day at the assembly line had passed. He wandered the streets with a small detour in mind. All around him, people walked aimlessly, enjoying the bearable weather while it passer passer passer passer lasted.

He reached a small bar on the corner of a building, a rustic locale with large windows and a wooden sign hanging above a wide oak door. Marie's Inn was carved on it, ornated with flowery patterns and worn by weather. Connor knew it didn't tell the truth though, since inns were supposed to serve food and have rooms too, so the place was more a bar than anything. But the name caught on and attracted people in the otherwise urban area. Much like it'd attracted him for the first time a few months ago, when he'd seen it in passing and decided to check it out.

The concrete of the sidewalk gave way to a hardwood floor as Connor entered. On the inside, the place looked just as old as it did outside, with walls of exposed brick, wooden support pillars, and lightbulbs made to look like torches. Soothing jazz played in the background, and a calm atmosphere was in place despite the other patrons talking quite loudly.

He swung the backpack off his shoulders as he entered and threw it on a chair. With a tired grunt and a loud creak, he allowed himself to fall next to it, the wooden chair beneath him tipping and almost having him fly on his back. He caught himself on the table and flailed around for a moment, sighing in relief after he regained his balance. Some patrons at a nearby table shot him glares for that, so Connor cracked an awkward smile and waved his hand to dismiss his silly mishap.

From behind the counter, Marie chuckled at his little stunt, covering her rosy lips with the back of her hand. She got out in the open and approached his table, Connor's eyes glued to her every move. Because he loved the bar, and their ale, but Marie...

Oh, Marie. Her jet black hair flowed gently down her shoulders, a brown knee length dress covered her legs, and the everpresent blush of her cheeks offered a bit of color to her otherwise pale grew to tease and annoy Connor the moment she noticed him become a regular patron at her place. Friendly teasing, mind you, with skin-deep jabs and muted laughter to not disturb the rest of the clients, but it had done the trick for him. Caught his attention, then his interest, and slowly his heart.

"Hey Connor, how's your day been?" She asked, stopping next to him and leaning on the table with both hands.

"Usual stuff," Connor answered. "Wake up, go to work, come home, grab a mug of something. You know," he said, leaning closer to her.

"So, what will you have?"

"A mug of your cheapest ale," he ordered, particularly attentive to make the sarcasm attached on that last word obvious. Because he knew the difference between ale and lager beers, unlike the rest of the people that frequented this place in search of nothing more than a mug of cold beer, and he made sure to annoy Marie with that fact whenever he got the chance.

"Anything else?" She asked, the look in her eyes threading dangerously close to his.

"A minute of your time, maybe..." Connor teased.

Marie straightened her back suddenly, popping up straight from the leaning position. A smile appeared on her lips, warming up her features and giving them an almost surreal glow, in Connor's eyes at least. The same eyes he couldn't convince to break away from her slender figure and the light steps that carried her back behind the counter.

She returned with a tall glass mug on a tray, filled to the brim with golden liquid and white foam on top. Connor took it, and sipped some out so it wouldn't spill. Marie sat next to him, leg over leg, facing him. With a curious air about her, she didn't utter a single word as Connor simply stared at her.

"Soooo..." she mumbled, seeing Connor put down the mug. "A minute of my time?"

"Yeah," Connor answered, looking like he'd suddenly remembered something. Which made her heart pump just a bit faster. "I wanted to ask...how's your day been?"

She sighed and waved her hand around, as if trying to dissipate his cluelessness. Her feet planted themselves firmly and she moved to get up.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Connor burst out, on the verge of yelping as he jumped and caught her hand. "Good God, I'm not that stupid..." he mumbled as she sat back down. "Or am I?"

"Honestly," Marie answered as her smile returned, "you're worse most of the time."

"Ouch, that really hurt," he joked as his voice softened. "You really know how to dish out a blow." She chuckled, but the questioning look in her eyes remained. "Wanna hang out when you're done here?" He asked, deciding not to pester her further.

"Sure thing," she answered with enthusiasm. "But–"

"Here we go..."

"Only if you promise you won't repeat the club fiasco three weeks ago," she demanded.

"Promise," Connor answered in a heartbeat. A bit too fast for her liking, so she raised her eyebrow and made it obvious that she didn't buy it. "For real, I promise I'll behave this time," Connor pressed on. "No drinking, no dancing, no...disastrous end. We'll go somewhere alone, just the two of us..."

"Aww, fine," she gave in with a cheery voice. Particularly pleased by that 'just the two of us, alone' part, but she'd not let him in on that just yet. "You better not make me regret this," she continued, leaning over to him and stealing a quick kiss.

That did the trick, cutting his messy line short as his breath got caught in his throat. He watched her get up and walk away, only answering an mhmm when she asked if he'd wait for her here.

The beer disappeared one sip at a time, so slow that it neared room temperature. Marie did laps of the room, serving the other clients and shooting Connor quick, amused glances. She'd never seen him this quiet and with a smile as big and dumb as he sported now. It was a nice change of pace, she thought. Made him look almost cute, like a small puppy waiting for his master's return.

Lost in her every move, Connor noticed a blur of movement by the entrance. He turned to face it with disinterest, and saw three men enter the small bar one by one, all wide shoulders and imposing figures. Their exposed forearms were covered in matching tattoos, likely members of a local gang or another.

Connor turned his attention back on the beer, ignoring them. One of them pointed his way.

'Oh boy...'

Two broke away from the exit and approached his table, while the last one remained by the door.

'Not letting me slip away, huh?'

They neared his table, and stopped in front of him. One grabbed his backpack and threw it to the floor, sitting down on the chair.

'Thug One,' Connor decided.

The other one sat down opposite of his friend, squishing Connor in the middle. Connor put his hands on the table and leaned on them, trying to look as relaxed as possible.

'Thug Two,' Connor continued in his head. 'And guy by the door is Thug Three. No, Pussy actually,' he decided, seeing that the man had stayed behind.

Connor looked around the room quickly, taking in his surroundings properly and trying to decide on a course of action. There weren't too many people present, but they'd get in the way. The thugs didn't seem armed though, so he figured the clients weren't in any actual danger.

'Weapons, weapons…' his mind rambled on. There was nothing for him to use besides chairs and bottles. 'Fists it is.'

Connor picked up his beer, and took a slow sip out of it. Thug One leaned into him, bumping his shoulder and almost making him spil the mug.

"Could you guys not?" Connor mumbled on a tired tone. Not wanting to attract attention, and most of all not wanting to scare Marie. "I'm really not in the mood..."

He received another shoulder bump for an answer, this time from his right. He took a deep breath, trying to stifle his anger and hoping he'd see it through without a fight.

"Let's talk this out," he told the men. "I'm sure it's all a...misunderstanding."

"You're Connor, right?" Thug One asked from his left.

Connor gave another sigh.

"Yeah," he answered. "But I never met you guys before, I didn't do anything to you. If you want to fight me just for the heck of it, we can do it some other time."

Thug One let out a puff of air through his nose. A laugh maybe, Connor thought, but not any less annoying as he felt mocked.

"Not us, but you've met my cousin," the man answered.

"Care to refresh my memory?"

"Tall, blonde, perfect teeth," Thug One explained. "Until he met you at the club, and you knocked a few of them loose. Ring any bells?"

Connor searched him mind for a few moments, trying to see if it'd return anything resembling what the man described. One night three weeks ago, dazzling lights, loud music, a crowded dance floor, and a few too many beers came to mind. Some guy with a bad attitude and too big of a mouth for his own good hit on Marie, and went into creep territory despite both her's and Connor's protests. So he decided to punch some sense into him, bring him back down to Earth from whatever alcohol-fueled world he was in.

"It does," Connor answered. "But he started it, I only defended myself and my friend," he tried to explain.

He looked around the room as he talked, observing his surroundings. The other clients shot them worried glances, some hurried to finish their beers, and others left altogether, with nothing but half-empty mugs to show they were ever there. Marie froze behind the counter, with a look of pure terror in her eyes.

Connor smiled her way, and gestured her that he had the situation under control. Tried to act confident too, but she didn't buy it for a moment. Her hands reached beneath the counter, and she pulled out a phone, gesturing him to stay put as she mouthed police and left for the backroom.

"So please..."

"Outside," Thug One continued. "We can talk all you want outside."

"You won't reconsider, huh?" He asked. Thug One nodded a no. "Fine," Connor continued, "how about this then? If you don't leave me alone, I'll break your teeth. Your pal's too," he threatened on a serious tone.

"I'm not kidding, I'll make you regret walking through that door," Connor pressed on when he saw the man grin.

"Get a load of..."

Connor jerked around his seat, decking Thug One to his left and pushing the rest of his words back down his throat. His fist connected with the man's face and sent him flying on his back, seat and all. He hit the floor with a yelp and a meaty thud, rolling out of the chair that slid away beneath him.

"You little..."

Thug Two tried to punch him from his left, but Connor dropped low and embraced the table. His feet pushed against the floor with force and sent him back. The chair scraped against the hard wood, and Connor kicked it away as he leapt to his feet.

The man by the door approached him from behind, seeing as Connor didn't plan to use the exit any time soon. Thug One ran a finger on his upper lip, brushing away the sliver of blood escaping his nostrils. They all tensed up, ready for the brawl that would follow.

Connor swivelled around on his heels, and took off. His left shoulder came up as he ran, and he tackled Pussy onto an occupied table. The clients screamed and jumped to their feet, running away from the unfolding madness. With his fists raised, Connor turned and blocked a swipe from Thug One.

The men went right on the offensive, trying to gang up on him. A classic knock him down and kick his lights out move, so Connor tried to keep them separated. He backpaddled, away from them and towards the bar, trying to decide on the order in which to fight them.

'Thug One is pretty big,' he thought. 'Can't focus on him, it'll give the other two an upper hand. Thug Two is scrawnier, but he's still buff...' The men separated, trying to flank him. Thug One came at him head on, while the other two came at his sides. 'Pussy is the smallest,' he concluded, watching them move one step at a time. 'Probably good at catching up to people and tackling them, but not much else...'

Connor reached the bar, his back colliding with the counter as he ran out of space. Thug One took the opportunity and charged him, but Connor smiled at that. He took on a low stance, feet spread wide and arms covering his face. The man realized what was about to happen, but he didn't have time to stop. Connor dashed ahead and slammed his chest in Thug One's abdomen, clenching his teeth under the effort. He heard the man gasp for air, and felt fingers dive into his ribs as Thug One tried to get a grip on him. He got up and leaned back, using the man's momentum to throw him over his head and onto the counter.

Thug One landed wide-eyed, with a hollow thud and glass bottles smashed to pieces as he rolled off the counter and behind the bar. The other two watched in disbelief, frozen in place and with their guards up.

Connor grabbed a chair next to him and threw it at Thug Two. Before it hit, he took off running for Pussy, his left arm drawn back and ready. Distracted by the seat hitting his friend in the face, Pussy didn't manage to see him coming, much less dodge the punch.

It connected with his lower ribs, and Connor almost carried him off his feet. A sharp yelp left the man's lips and he fell to the floor, squirming as he grabbed his abdomen and struggled to breathe.

"Motherfucker!" Thug Two yelled.

Connor turned to face him, and saw his eyes bulge with anger. They held the intent to kill, sharp and focused, red veins popping out of their white sclera as he charged ahead. The chair he'd caught came down on Connor's head, one of it's legs breaking against his left shoulder as the force of the hit pushed him to his knees.

"Think you're some big shot?!" Thug Two screamed, lifting the chair for another hit.

Connor looked up at him, his scalp gashed and bleeding. He was surprisingly calm given his condition and circumstances, which made Thug Two hesitate for a moment. Connor shot to his feet, and planted the top of his head in the man's mouth with all his might. They flew off their feet and landed on a table, one of it's legs giving way under their combined weight. Entangled in a mess of blind punches and kicks, they rolled to the floor, with Connor on top.

"Say goodbye to your teeth!" Connor yelped and dove his left elbow in the man's mouth.

He got up, the left arm good as useless after the two stunts he'd put it through. Next to him, thrashing about wildly, Thug Two spit out blood as he gurgled nonsense.

'Fuck, I overdid it,' Connor thought, feeling the blinding pain that surged through his left arm. Between the punch and the elbow dive, the thing had likely dislocated somewhere along its length. Now it hung by his side, a useless bundle of crackling lightning that jabbed at the back of his skull.

Connor looked around the bar, at the terrified clients that hadn't managed to flee yet. They were frozen near the walls and windows, retreated as far away as they could get from the madness. By the door that lead to the back room, Marie stood with tears in her eyes and her mouth covered in shock.

"Marie, I'm..." Connor blabbered, reaching his right hand in her direction. She hid behind the door frame partially, a clear message for him to stay away. He stopped talking. Not like a simple sorry would change anything anyway.

He noticed the distinct lack of gibberish coming from the floor, so he turned around. Pussy and Thug Two made their escape, limping towards the exit.

'Cowards...'

With his back turned, he didn't notice Thug One get up his feet. All he heard was Marie, screaming his name, as the man ran into him and stomped Connor to the floor.

"I'll...fucking...end you..." Thug One struggled, kicking Connor's ribs with all his strength.

From outside, the other two thugs yelped in surprise. The door of the bar flew open, and two police officers entered side by side, batons ready in their hands.

"Everyone freeze, hands behind your heads!" One of the officers instructed.

Thug One stopped mid-kick, with one foot in the air. Connor grabbed it and pulled it out from beneath himself, making him crash to the floor face first.

"I said freeze!" The officer repeated, reaching for his taser.

Connor leapt on the man's back as he retreated, and coiled his right arm around the guy's shoulder. Pulled it back, until their arms locked properly.

"Told you," he said as he pulled the arm further back and planted his foot between the man's shoulder blades. "I'll make you regret it."

With a single, swift motion, he jerked his body to the left. A sickening crunch resounded from Thug One's shoulder as it dislocated out of it's socket. He broke out with yelps of pain and profanities spit out between clenched teeth.

Connor let go of the arm, and it fell to the floor limp. A sharp shock surged through his body before he could take a step away, making him crash down as his world went blurry and dark.

"You have a visitor," a voice resounded through the empty corridor.

Connor grunted and turned to face the cell's door. His entire body ached from head to toe, and his left arm was wrapped in a piece of cloth that kept it tight against his torso. The movement made it flare up with hurt again, as he'd not been given any painkillers.

'Fuck...'

And to make matters worse, the harsh neon light of the police station fed his splitting headache. It was an unrelenting sensation, crawling beneath his scalp and pinning needles in his brain.

"Where is he? I'll kill him this time!" A second voice joined the first, at the end of the corridor.

'Double fuck...'

Hasty steps echoed through the otherwise empty place and stopped in front of his cell. Connor peeled his eyes open, struggling to filter out the flood of white light so he could make out his brother.

"Sup Chris," he mumbled.

His brother sighed and reached a hand to his forehead, threading it through his hair in frustration, yet careful not to disturb the glasses on his nose. His tall, slender figure slowly took contour between the iron bars, until Connor could make out his features.

"Why?" Chris shot a simple question Connor's way.

"Ughh..." Connor answered. "Can you not right now?"

"No, Connor," his brother shot him down. "I can't not right now. It's kinda difficult."

"Because they deserved it," Connor answered. "I tried to talk it out, they attacked me, I gave them hell..."

"That's not what I heard," Chris said, his voice growing louder and betraying his anger. "I heard you attacked them first. I heard Marie called the cops, and you couldn't help yourself and stay put until they arrived."

"So maybe I decked a guy, and maybe I decked him first. What if?" Connor broke out. "They planned to kick my ass, so I kicked theirs first!"

"You broke two ribs on one guy, TWO!" Chris yelled. "Broke the other guy's jaw, along with his front teeth! And dislocated the last guy's shoulder and clavicle, in front of two officers no less!" He got up against the iron bars, so pumped up that Connor feared for a moment he'd break into his cell and strangle him. "Is that fucking self-defence?!"

Connor didn't answer. He fell on his back and closed his eyes, pointing his face at the ceiling. He couldn't look at Chris directly and face what he'd done.

"I went overboard, I know..." he said after a while, as Chris calmed down. That only made him flare back up.

"A little overboard? Understatement of the fucking century," Chris answered.

"Come on, man," Connor pleaded. "You gotta side with me here, you're my brother. I defended myself, I swear."

"I can't," Chris answered, the regret his voice carried loud and clear. "There's witnesses. Testimonies. You started the fight, and you went against the officer's orders when they got there."

Silence settled after Chris finished his line. Connor searched his brain, and analysed everything his brother had presented to him. Witnesses, of course there were many of those, and they complicated matters. Plus Marie's bar had security cameras, so he couldn't spin this around no matter how hard he'd try.

"Did they tell you anything else?" He asked. "How long is my sentence this time?"

"Six months," Chris answered.

"What?!" Connor yelped.

"You're a regular troublemaker, they've grown tired of you. They won't reduce it any further," Chris explained. "You're lucky the other guys have worse criminal records and a history of violence, else you'd be looking at quite a few years behind bars for the shit you did this time."

"How big's my bail?" Connor asked. "I have some money saved up and..."

"No bail this time," Chris cut him short.

"What?! Come on, bro!" Connor broke out, his voice a mix of anger and pleading.

"No!" Chris yelled back. "We can't afford to pay your bails anymore, it's time you learn your lesson. Your actions have consequences, Connor!"

"Six months, Chris!" Connor pleaded. "I'll lose my job, my friends!"

Chris turned to leave with tears in his eyes. Seeing his younger brother like this hurt, it stung his innards and broke his heart, but he couldn't put up with it anymore. Couldn't put up with him any more. He hoped that this would finally make Connor realize that he can't act out every whim that passes through his head.

"Mom and Dad will visit you tomorrow morning, get ready for that..." Chris said as he took a step away. "Oh, and Marie said you're banned from her bar too. She doesn't want you near that place, or herself, ever again."

"Fuck you, bro!" Connor yelled as Chris left.

He fell back down on the hard mattress and tried to unwind his tired everything. Heavy thoughts circled his mind, of actions and results and what he could've done differently. But all of that didn't help, or even matter, at that point. He couldn't undo his actions, and despite his regrets, he was ready to face the consequences he'd created for himself.

End notes: And that does it for this trailer. I hope you all enjoyed it, I welcome all of you back, and until next time Exo out!