I've decided that Mondo is anything but normal.

"Fuck outta here, idiots! I told ya not to bother me while I'm working!"

My stomach has been pinned in my throat for the past five minutes- ever since Mondo's friends walked in the door. They're all wearing completely bastardized school uniforms, and every single one of them is about as menacing as Mondo was when I first met him.

"Boss, c'mon!" One of the boys complains. "We just want snacks! It's bad enough we only got ya three days out of the week, but now you're depriving us of your store discount?"

…Mondo's underlings. Gang members. My tall co-worker certainly looked the part of a delinquent when I first met him two weeks ago, but it wasn't until he put his coat on to leave after our shift ended that first day that I understood just how true that statement was. It was long, almost to the point where it brushed his ankles, with unmistakable lettering right on the back of it:

"CRAZY DIAMONDS"

That is his group's name- when I asked him about it, his brief description was "a bunch of loud asshole thugs who run around starting shit on their motorcycles." In spite of his somewhat critical review of his gang, he had a small smile on his face for a split second before we parted ways. It sounded like he's really fond of them all.

"When did I ever tell you assholes that you could use my discount?" He crosses his arms. "I'm not looking to get fired right now! This is such a sweet gig, and I'm not gonna possibly get canned by abusing a privilege!"

"I'll say you have a sweet gig alright!" A boy with a pierced lip wiggles his eyebrows in my general direction, making me freeze. "Having such a little cutie for a boss must be heaven!"

Noticing my discomfort, Mondo claps, effectively commanding attention. "Oi, leave the chick alone! I don't need you douchebags leaving a bad impression on my manager!"

"Manager?" A taller boy with a mohawk whoops and slaps his knee. "Dude! You're living a perfect porno situation right now! "Big beefy biker has his way with his extra-small manager!" I'm so jealous…!"

I feel my face catch fire in both embarrassment and indignation. As much as I'd like to correct him on the matter, my thoughts are only voiced confidently in my own mind- I bet wouldn't be able to get a single word out in front of these scary guys.

"That's it!" Face contorted in anger, Mondo vaults over the counter. "I'll beat your asses into the ground right now! That's what ya fuckin' wanted, right?!"

The group of thugs shrink back, with lip piercing speaking up first. "D-Dude! Chill out! We're just joking around!"

"Do I need to teach you fuckers what respect is again?" Mondo says, ignoring his friend. He takes a menacing step forward. "I told you too many damn times to leave, and what do you do?" Another step. "You make nasty ass remarks in front of my manager, and ignore what I fucking say. You challenging me? That it? I'll give you a fight if, that's what you really want!"

"N-No need, sir!" The boy who was originally talking about snacks steps forward and starts ushering everyone towards the door. "I-I understand! We'll respect your wishes and leave, right guys?"

With a chorus of various degrees of consent, his friends bolt out of the store. Mondo groans and rubs his face in his hands, clearly frustrated.

"Fucking retards!" He grouses, opting to walk back behind the counter normally. "I'm still gonna beat the shit out of them later… You okay, Chi?"

There it is. Another part of what makes Mondo weird. In spite of him being a delinquent, and being beyond terrifying when angry, he's surprisingly considerate. I knew something was off about him when we first talked that night, when he proved he didn't care about my secret… but he's been looking out for me. Aside from the fact that he's been trying to help me talk to the customers, Mondo has also been keeping up a near-constant string of conversation whenever we work together.

It's not just idle chatter, either! He's asked me about programming, my hobbies, and my relationship with Junko and Mukuro. In turn, Mondo has given me information about himself- he's still a Junior in highschool because he was held back a year, has a love of dogs, and a passion for motorcycles that seems limitless. The way he's talked to me makes me feel like he's seriously trying to be my friend.

And it's a little horrifying.

"I-I'm fine…" I answer, fisting my skirt in my hands. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Like hell. They were way outta line." He flops down in his chair. "Buncha crude assholes… I really am gonna punch 'em later."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Y-You mean… that kind of thing bothers you?"

"Sorta. It's not like I'm a damn prude or anything, but…" Mondo awkwardly coughs in his hand. "…'Ma would kill me if I started talking trash like that. We can cuss up a storm for all she cares, but vulgar shit in public doesn't fly. I kinda agree- it's tasteless."

I stare at him for a moment or two before opening my mouth. "That's… unexpected."

"What, you expected me to go around talking about sex all the time?" He looks mildly offended, tanned cheeks tinting pink for a split second. "Or are you talkin' about me listening to my mom?"

"Both, kinda." I answer honestly, feeling a little sheepish myself. "I never pictured you as the obedient type though…"

His eye twitches a bit. "Well fuck, I don't have a death wish! Ma is the kind of woman who will beat the shit outta you for saying "okay" the wrong way! Sides, it's totally a respect thing- I bet you don't go mouthing off to your parents!"

"..." I look away from Mondo, flinching a little at his remark. I feel the urge to cry all of the sudden, but I do my best to keep my face normal. It's not his fault after all. After a few moments I manage to find my words. "…I don't have parents anymore."

"Uh, what?" Mondo looks completely confused. "Whaddya mean? Surely ya gotta have someone-"

"Mom died when I was a kid." I answer quietly, looking away from Mondo and out towards the rest of the store. "Dad died in a car accident two years ago. I've been living on my own ever since then."

Several beats of silence pass. Mondo has been very easy to talk to, and more than a little accepting, but it's still a big piece of information to simply drop on someone like that.

"...Fuck!" I hear a loud crack. I whip my head to see that Mondo has smacked a hand to his face. "Shit, I'm really sorry! I didn't even think that something like that woulda…!"

"I-It's alright! You couldn't have known!" I hurriedly shake my head. "It's not like it's a common piece of knowledge or anything!"

"Even so, I shoulda fucking figured something was screwy when you told me you've been living on your own for two years!" Mondo looks genuinely frustrated with himself as he smacks his head down on the counter with a loud thunk. "I really stuck my foot in it this time, shit…!"

"It's seriously okay!" I assure. I move to reach out for him, but stop myself, opting to just stand next to him. "Please don't beat yourself up over it, literally or figuratively! I made my peace with it forever ago…"

He turns his head and faces me, face squished slightly from where it's pressed on the counter. "…You're weirdly assertive for someone who claims to have crippling self-esteem issues, Chi."

I start a little. "Eh?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're always blurting "sorry" out like it's going out of style, but you get really stubborn whenever I talk shit about myself." He sits up and squints at me, like he's studying me. "It's kinda weird, thinking about it. You sure you're a people-phobe?"

"...People-phobe?" I shake my head. "I… I don't know. I just don't like the idea of someone feeling bad because of something I did. E-Especially someone who has been nothing but kind to me!"

Mondo ends up just staring at me for a bit before he cracks a lopsided grin. "You know, you really ought to try and get out more. You'd be a real lady-killer with how cute you are."

"C-Cute-!?" I sputter a little. "No! Girls would probably prefer your type, right!? You're muscular and handsome!"

Now it's Mondo's turn to freak out. "Whaddya mean "handsome!?" I'm as scary as they come! If my looks don't drive them off, then my mouth sure as shit will!"

"Your mouth?" I echo.

He rubs a hand over his arm, clearly kicking himself for his slip of the tongue. "Look, don't- don't you go spilling what I'm about to tell you to those idiot sisters, alright? I'd never hear the end of it." I mutely nod, wondering what it is that could be so bad. Mondo, once again looking frustrated, clicks his tongue. "I'm… I'm on a ten-person losing streak right now!"

My face scrunches up. "Ten person… losing streak? What does that mean?"

"Okay, fuck, so…!" He rubs a hand over his face. "Whenever I get nervous, I end up yelling! A lot! Shit man, I can barely get out a whole fucking sentence before they run the other way! The real shitty bit is that it's only with girls I'm actually interested in- if it's just a one night stand or something, I can smooth talk to hell and back! But someone I like? For-fucking-get about it!"

I blink. I'm having serious trouble processing his revelation- in my humble opinion, Mondo seemed like confidence incarnate! Clearly he doesn't take my silence the right way, because he groans and crosses his arms.

"Real fucking loser thing to do, right? I ain't proud of it either."

I quickly shake my head. "No, you're not a loser! I mean… I'm just surprised is all! Those girls must have been horrible, though…"

His face contorts in confusion. "Whaddya mean they were horrible?"

"I mean…" I put a finger to my lips in thought. "They must not have been very understanding of you in the first place if they didn't at least try to hear you out or calm you down, right? I-It's a two-person thing- there's no way you can put all the blame on yourself for that."

"...You sayin' I have shit taste in women?"

"No!" I sigh, glancing away from him nervously. "I mean… maybe? What even is your type?"

"No lie? Broads like Junko." I choke on air for a split second, and he gives me a look. "Don't give me that shit- she's hot, and she has an attitude. Granted that attitude is bat-shit insane, but at least she's interesting! I don't like boring people- that counts for friends and for romance!"

"But… Junko?" I feel my face scrunch up in distaste.

"Hey, no!" He points a finger right at me. "Shut your face before that train of thought goes anywhere else-"

"As someone who has known her for all my life, believe me when I say she's completely not-datable!" I frown. "Junko ended up painting the last man she dated as a cheater, even though I'm pretty sure he didn't do anything. I think he went into hiding!"

"Dude, shut up!" Mondo looks totally flustered now. "I-I said chicks like Junko! Even I'm not dumb enough to stick my dick in crazy! I just want someone easy on the eyes and interesting, that's fucking it!"

I side-eye him, not fully convinced. "A-Are you sure…? I wouldn't want you to end up in a ditch somewhere…"

He scoffs, turning away from me and heading towards the back of the store. "Chi, I'd rather propose to you right this second than go on a single date with that woman."

He hadn't meant anything by it.

"Hey, can you come help me restock these shelves real quick?"

He hadn't meant anything by it, so… why?

"Chi? C'mon, we may as well do something constructive for once!"

I remove my hand from where it had flown to my chest, breaking myself out of my stupor. "R-Right!"

"Why did my heart skip a beat just then?"

The rest of the shift goes by quietly, customer-wise. It's a little strange to think that I only have about two weeks left of work here, given how fast the first two went. I was expecting it to drag on… but it's been pretty smooth sailing.

I'm pretty sure it's because of Mondo.

As I close up the register, my thoughts are pretty much dominated by my co-worker. They have been ever since his off-hand remark earlier, actually. It was silly, but the idea of being picked over someone like Junko was… nice.

Even if it was just in a hypothetical situation between friends.

I grab my coat and keys and head towards the door, waiting for Mondo outside the doors so that I can lock up. The moon hangs high in the sky as I wait- I can't help but feel a little antsy waiting for him in the dark alone.

A whoop of laughter startles me to the point where I almost scream. I see a group of people approaching the store, carrying on and hollering. They seem drunk.

"O-kay, phase one of the beer run: complete!" One of them hollers, taking a wobbly step towards the sliding doors. Before I know what I'm doing, my legs have carried me over to block the man's path- upon closer inspection, he's definitely wearing a school uniform, and almost seems younger than me.

Seems like I have no choice but to play manager.

"I-I'm very sorry!" I blurt. "I, er… the store is closed! You'll have to come back in the morning if- if you need anything!"

"Awh, what?" The boy grumbles. "W'hdya mean closed? This is the closest place that sells beer! Can't ya make an exception?"

"W-Well…!" I take a deep breath and steel my nerves. "E-Even if I were to let you in there, I'd need to see your ID! And, well…!" I pause for a moment. Calm down, Chihiro- remember your lessons! "Judging by your appearance I mean, you're not… you're not old enough!"

I can see the actual processing of my words sprawl across the teen's face. He scowls. "He-Hey now! I'm plenny old, but it wasn't gonna be me buying!"

"That's right!" Another boy cuts to the front of the group, speaking for the drunk. As soon as our eyes meet, though…

My heart stops dead in my chest.

"Woah, Chihiro? You still live around here?" The boy saunters up to me, smirk playing on his face. His fiery orange hair stands out just as much as ever, with the main difference being the piercings adorning his face having multiplied a bit. He strokes his goatee as he approaches, seemingly appraising me. "I'm so surprised! I haven't seen you in, like… two years!"

"Leon…" I feel stunned to my core. Never before had I seen him or anyone else from my old school around the area. The fact that it would happen now of all times makes me sick. "I, uh…"

"Woah, Leon!" One of the drunks moves up and slings an arm around him for support. "Ya know this cutie, and you've been holding out?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, my guy." Leon lets out a laugh. "That's a dude!"

I cringe at the chorus of disbelief following his proclamation. The whole school knew about my gender by the time I'd left… all because of him.

Leon is the one who laid my secret bare for the world to see.

I shake off those thoughts, and desperately switch into my temporary-manager mode to try and get them to leave. "I-I won't… I won't say it again…! The store is closed, and I won't sell alcohol to minors! P-Please… just, please leave!"

Ignoring me, Leon continues. "Last I heard, you holed up in your apartment after leaving school that last time! Did you know that you got me in serious trouble with the principal? I got suspended for a month because of you!"

I feel my will shaking. I want to run inside the store and hide under the counter, but my body is locked firmly in place. Leon shrugs the drunk off and walks up to me, bending down so that he's eye-level. "Though, you know… I think it was worth it still. Having someone like you running around and lying to people was a tragedy!"

"I… never lied…" I defend, not meeting his gaze. "I… I had always dressed that way, but no one bothered to ask what I…"

"Lame excuse!" He laughs and stands, throwing a hand around my shoulder. He reeks of cologne. "But, still, I gotta say I'm impressed! You haven't grown an inch since I last saw you- are you on pills for your operation or something?"

"...!" Tears prick at my eyes. "I'm… a man… I'm not transitioning…"

"Why wear chick clothes then?" Suddenly, he grabs for my skirt, trying to lift it up. I quickly pin it down. "What? We all have the same parts! Sides, you were wearing briefs back then… I wanna see if you finally grew into your big-girl panti-!

That's all he gets out before I suddenly feel his weight lifted off me. Not half a second later I see him smashed to the ground, with a rough hand shoving me backward.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?"

Mondo is now standing tall over the fallen Leon, looking absolutely livid. Forget his anger at his friends earlier- Mondo looks ready to see blood.

Somehow, though… it's not as scary as the situation I was just in.

"Ow…! Goddamnit man, what's the deal!?" Leon moves to shove himself off the ground, but Mondo beats him to it, socking him right in the jaw as he gets high enough. All of his drunkard friends fly like bats out of hell at the sight of my imposing co-worker.

"I oughta be asking you that, dickshit!" He flips Leon the bird. "You don't just put hands on people like that!"

He actually lets Leon stand this time, the latter of which spits out a mouthful of bloody spit as he does. "B-Bastard! Do you even know who that is? That's a dude! He doesn't need saving-"

"I know damn well who he is!" Mondo's voice booms out with authority. "I know damn well he's a guy, and that bastards like you give him hell over it! I bet it'd be the same damn way if he wasn't in a skirt!"

"You're damn right it would be!" Leon blurts, returning Mondo's rude hand gesture. "The dude is a freak. No man is tiny like him, and that's why he lies to everyone and pretends he's a chick! It's pathetic!"

Mondo lunges forward and seizes Leon by his shirt, lifting him up into the air by his collar. "I dare you to say that again, motherfucker! The only pathetic person here is you! If you need to talk shit about someone, make it someone who can fight back, not…" He glances back to me for a split second before turning his attention back to his prey. "…Anyway! If you don't agree to leaving this place in the next ten fucking seconds, I'll bash your pretty-boy face in!"

Leon kicks and struggles against Mondo's grip. "I'd love for you to, seriously…!" Even while saying this though, he looks downright terrified. "Give me evidence to go to the police! I'll have you arrested and sue this shitty store!"

"I'd love to see you try, fuckin' seriously!" Mondo mocks, shaking the boy for good measure. "I know for a damn fact that my crazy broad of a boss would come at you twice as hard! Not to mention we got security cams- you were told to leave, and you didn't. I'm well within my rights to beat the shit out of you for trespassing!"

This seems to strike a chord with Leon. "Fu-Fuck, fine! Let me go, you crazy bastard…!"

And so he does- Mondo unceremoniously drops the pierced boy to the ground. As soon as Leon recovers, he's up on his feet and running down the road, screaming expletives the entire time.

"That's what I thought, ya rat!" Mondo yells. "Come around here again if you want your ass beat more!"

There's still a fire in his eyes as he turns back to me. Without warning he holds his hand out to me. "Keys. I'm locking up."

Body moving on auto-pilot, I hand over my lanyard. He goes inside for a brief moment to flick off the lights and comes back out, shutting down the automatic door and pulling down the grate to lock the store up tight. As soon as he's finished, much to my surprise, he pockets my keys.

I open my mouth to protest, but the words won't come. I feel something wet streaking down my cheeks- I reach up with a trembling hand, only to find tears.

This is the worst.

"...C'mon." Mondo unceremoniously snatches up my wrist and starts walking, simply tucking his jacket under his arm as he walks. "We're heading to your place. You said it's the complex near here, yeah?"

A rhetorical question. Mondo's brisk pace makes me stumble a few times as we move along our way, not once stopping. He tells me to show him which unit I'm in once we get there, so I pull ahead of him, taking the lead up the stairs.

He doesn't let go of me for a second.

I stop in front of my door, and he fishes my keys out of his pocket. He fumbles with them for only a moment before he's able to get the door to my apartment open, literally pushing his way into my life once again.

We go inside and he flips on the light, glancing around a little. "Kinda clean for a hermit's place…"

If he wanted a response to his remark, he doesn't show it. He lets go of my wrist and simply kicks off his shoes and walks in as if he'd been here a million times. I follow suit, taking off my own and putting his neatly by the door.

"Well?" He asks simply. I stare at him for a bit before he shakes his head. "Chi, I didn't walk my happy ass over here just to take over your pad- which is pretty nice, don't get me wrong- I just… what the fuck happened back there? This is even worse than when Mukuro went full-retard, and I think I kinda know why, but…"

I step away from the little door-nook and head into the living room after him. "…You left your bike back there. I-Is that really okay?"

"Hey, don't try to change the subject. My hog is fine." In spite of his harsh tone, Mondo's face is soft. "Look, I'd get it if ya didn't want to tell me, but…"

I shake my head. "N-No, I just…" I sniffle a little, wiping away a fresh set of tears. "I'll… I'll tell if you if you really want to know. I've already d-dragged you into this, so you have a right to at least know what happened."

"Pretty damn sure you didn't ask me to punch the guy." He points out. "I made myself involved. I just wanna know how hard I need to hit the fucker again if he decides to come around there again is all."

Even though he said the last bit in a joking way, I have a feeling that he isn't playing, so I don't laugh. I motion for him to follow me over to the couch. Once we sit, I take a few deep breaths to steady myself.

"...It all started three years ago." I keep my gaze pinned to the coffee table in front of me as I begin my story. "I met Leon when we were just freshmen. We had a few mutual friends, so we'd hang out here or there, but we weren't exactly… close. He'd always been a playboy. He would hop from girl to girl as he saw fit, and at the end of that year… I guess I became his next target."

I fist my hands in my skirt. "He… He wasn't a bad guy. N-Naturally I refused him, since I… well, you know." Glancing over for a split second, I see Mondo nodding. "I-I'd managed to avoid him over the summer, but he came back twice as strong once we started school again. I kept turning him down time and time again, but he was so… persistent! I-I just… I wanted him to stop. I wanted him to stop, so I… agreed. One date. My thought was that he'd have a horrible time and just move on like usual, b-but…"

"Hold the fucking phone." I turn my head to see Mondo's face contorted in anger for what feels like the thousandth time tonight. "Did he try to fucking rape you or something? Chi, I swear to god-"

"N-No!" I frantically shake my head, turning to face him fully. "Absolutely not! H-He just… got a little handsy, is all. H-He had tried rubbing his hand on my thigh while we were in a movie, so I smacked him away and left the theater. H-He'd chased me out after that and demanded an answer- apparently he felt that groping was at least to be e-expected, or something. I tried to leave after finally explaining to him that I just wasn't interested, but he grabbed my wrist, and well… we tripped."

He raises an eyebrow. "Tripped?"

"Y-Yeah, and when we fell… he saw my underwear. H-He kind of… grabbed my chest, after that, and bolted once he realized I wasn't what he thought I was. L-Long story short, I…" I pause for a moment to bite back more tears, trembling back in full-force. "It was horrible, the next day. People were demanding I flip my skirt, forcibly felt me up, a-and called me all sorts of horrible things. E-Eventually the principal found me after I spent the whole day cutting classes and hiding from people, and told me to call my… d-dad."

Something seems to click in Mondo's mind. "You… didn't you say that…?"

I laugh, but there's no humor in it. "I did. I was hysterical when I called. I was such a mess, a-and he told me he'd be over as soon as he could to take me home. Dad was rushing so much that he wasn't paying attention to the road, a-and… some woman on her phone rammed into his car."

I feel Mondo tense up beside me. "H-He… he died almost instantly, you know? The police told me that it was completely her fault, but… he would have been able to avoid it if he weren't so worried about me. He was always so careful on the road! T-The fact that it happened because of my call…" I notice that I was digging my nails into my knees, so I hug my arms to myself. "…O-On top of what happened at school, I… I cracked. I couldn't bear the sight of my own face anymore, of this tiny body I was cursed with...! All I saw when I looked in the mirror was the face of a coward, so… as soon as I got home that day, I smashed my mirror. I smashed it, and I locked myself in my bedroom for a week afterwards… and the next week after that…"

The silence following the ending of my story is a heavy one. The tears haven't stopped since the beginning, and it doesn't feel like they're going to stop any time soon.

I haven't cried this much in a long time.

I reach up to wipe more tears away with my sleeve, but before I can, I'm pulled against Mondo's chest in a hug. It's not one of his one-arm bro hugs either- he's holding me tightly, to the point where it's almost a little painful, and yet…

It's the most comfortable I've been in a long time.

"...You seem a lot better now, at least Besides that asshole showing up tonight, I mean." He says after a moment. "I know shit like "I'm sorry" is worthless- Not a damn thing worse than the guilt of someone's life on your shoulders." He sighs, and I feel his breath ghost over the top of my head. "I… I guess what I want to say is… even though it feels like it's your fault, you can't… you can't blame yourself for shit you can't control. Didn't I tell you that?"

"Y-You did." I nod a little. "I actually had the mirror replaced a few months ago, b-but… it's still hard for me to look at it. I'm still… too much of a coward."

"Nah." He answers softly. "You're just human."

Neither of us say anything for a long time.