Doki Doki Crime Syndicate
Chapter 2: Not Who I Am, Not What I Do
Hector was a professional criminal first and foremost. He'd beat people up, rob them, intimidate and blackmail them, but he wasn't a heartless asshole. He'd let Monika in and let her get comfortable, lit a cigarette and made her a drink. She gratefully accepted and took several gulps before settling down, letting the nerves from that nights events slowly whittle away. However, Hector was left with a problem. Just what the hell was he supposed to do with her? He wasn't about to throw her out, but he couldn't have her knowing what he was or what he did. He was planning on have her take a quick exit in the morning.
"I can't believe I actually found you." Monika said, taking Hector out of his thoughts.
"What do you mean? Do you know me or something?" He asked. He was pretty sure he'd never met her before, but for the life of him he swore she looked exactly like Monika from that game he played. Was she a cosplayer or something? She had the uniform, the white ribbon, everything.
"I'm Monika. You know, the president of the Literature Club. You completed the game, even going as far as to try and get a happy ending for everyone. That was sweet of you." She said with a smile.
"You take this whole cosplay thing seriously, huh?" He said flatly. Her face fell and she looked hurt. Something about that face made Hector feel a bit bad about what he said.
"No, no, it's really me. You're Hector, right?" She questioned with a hint of desperation colouring her voice. His eyes narrowed.
"I didn't tell you my name." He said. Monika shifted in her seat.
"That's what you named the MC in the game. And… well, I guess something in my gut just tells me that you're him. Hector, I mean." She said playing with some of her hair. Hector placed a hand over his eyes and sighed.
"It's too late, and I'm too boozed up for this shit." He mumbled. "Listen, I don't care who you say you are, but for now I'll let you stay here and you can leave in the morning. As far as I'm concerned you're just some weird cosplayer who ended up on the wrong side of town." He said with finality.
"Why won't you believe me?" Monika asked with wide eyes. He made a face that told her what she said was stupid.
"Video game characters don't just spring into the real world. Jesus, just what kind of idiot are you?" He snapped. Monika lowered her gaze to the floor and her eyes watered. Hector huffed through his nose, smoke billowed from his nostrils. 'Shit, that was harsh.' He thought.
"I'm sorry. It's just you shouldn't go pretending to be someone you're not and expect everyone to let it slide." He said calmly.
"No, you're right. It's not exactly an easy thing to believe, but I swear there has to be a way I can convince you I'm Monika." She said resolutely, followed by a sniffle. Hector shook his head but decided to drop it.
"So what were you doing out there this late anyway? Shouldn't you be at home? Where are your parents?" He questioned.
"Well, that's just it. I just kind of ended up in an alleyway somewhere, next thing I know that guy you kicked over the railing was after me. Thanks for that by the way." She smiled warmly at him. Hector's face remained stern and unmoved.
"You only answered one of my questions." He replied.
"I don't really have parents. I know now that trying to tell you I really came out of the game is like head butting a wall expecting it to break, but that's the truth." She said. Hector eyed her for a few moments making her shift uncomfortably under his scrutinising gaze.
"Whatever, fine I'll roll with it. Not like it matters." He said with a sigh. He stood and made his way to the doorway to another room. "You can take my bed for tonight. You need anything, I'll be on the sofa." With that, he closed the door and left Monika alone.
Monika sat herself down on the end of his bed in silence. She really hadn't been counting on this. She always expected the person she wanted to meet to reflect the MC in some way. She certainly wasn't expecting a man several years her senior. She didn't know how old he was, but she knew for sure he was no bumbling teenager. He seemed nice enough though. After all, he'd saved her from whatever that guy was going to do, and even gave her a place to sleep for the night. The real issue was he didn't believe she was who she said she was.
Still though, she was a little glad that who she met wasn't some hormone driven teenager, but an established and fully realised man. She supposed it would make the whole romance thing a little awkward given she was only 17, but she wasn't one for backing down from challenges.
'But what if it makes him uncomfortable?' She thought. It was a definite problem. That could be a total deal breaker, and in the world she was now in, she didn't want to be alone. The thought ate at her, gnawing at her fears. She decided it would be a good time to examine her surroundings, so standing up, she quietly walked about the room inspecting the various objects and pieces of furniture.
The room had a bed and a desk; the bed having a white bottom sheet and black blanket. Two plump pillows lay skewed at the top of the bed. The desk had various pieces of paper on its surface, as well as framed photos and a computer and monitor. A lamp sat lit by the end of the desk furthest from the door.
It was a fairly spartan room, with cream coloured walls and various shirts and suit jackets hanging up from pegs on the walls and the curtain rail. She wondered if he was some sort of businessman, but what kind of businessman dishes out the kind of punishment he did on that weird stalker?
She picked up one of the framed photos and saw a younger Hector, still in his suit with another young man and an older, very stern man. He was smiling, something she'd yet to see from him. All of them wore suits, though the older man wore a very expensive looking white suit-red shirt combo, with Hector and the other one looking scruffier in standard black and white. She looked at it so intensely she didn't notice that Hector had entered the room.
"The good looking one is me. The scruffy one is Joshua." He said causing Monika to jump with a fierce blush on her face. He was stood close enough she could smell his aftershave. It was a manly scent, a strong initial smell with a subtle constant linger.
"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" She said embarrassedly.
"I didn't. You just weren't paying attention." He replied with a small, playful smirk.
"Whose the older guy?" She asked. Hector was silent for a moment.
"The one who took care of us." He said. "He's gone now."
"I'm sorry." Monika said quietly. Hector shook his head.
"Don't be. You're not the one who did it." He said. Monika gave him a quizzical look.
"Did it? That implies intent. Was he-"
"Murdered. Gang business, that's how this town is." He said cutting her off. Moving from that topic, he moved to Joshua.
"Joshua is my brother. Not by blood, but as close to it as we'll ever get. I've know him since we were kids living in the streets." He said with a small smile. Seeing him smile made Monika smile herself.
"So what do you do?" She asked.
"I'm a practicing surgeon running my own clinic. Had to grind hard to get to where I am, but it paid off." He said having practiced that half-truth many, many times.
"Anyway, I forgot my lighter, that's what I came in here for." He picked up his lighter off of the desk and turned towards the door. "G'night."
"Right, goodnight." She gave a small wave and the door closed. She sat down on his bed and gave another sigh, but a smile crept onto her face. She was pleased that she could learn something about him, and while he seemed a bit tight lipped, he didn't just dismiss her curiosity.
'Probably thinks there's no harm in it seeing he doesn't think we'll meet again after tonight.' That thought dampened her mood quite a bit.
She decided it would be a good idea to sleep, but as the night drew on and she tried to make herself comfortable tangling herself in his sheets, the thought of him just leaving her in the morning became more and more palpable.
Monika awoke to the sound of voices. She looked at the bedside alarm clock and saw it was 05:12am. A thump sounded, and then more voices, louder than before. They were aggressive, but sounded somewhat afraid. She slipped out of the bed and placed an ear to the door.
"The next one who gets any bright ideas gets broken too. Don't fuck with me." That was Hector. What on earth could he be doing?
"Listen, just take the money and buy yourself a better place. You don't want to get in our way, pal. Trust me on that. We don't fuck around." The voice of another man was there.
"As if I'm gonna let Triads get their foot in the door on Brookburg turf. Fuck off before I make you." Hector growled.
"Ah! Fuck this guy!" Another voice she didn't recognise. Hector was fighting again! Worry shot through her as it sounded like he was against multiple people. But what could she do?
There was a sudden grunt and then the front door slammed shut. Monika rushed out of the bedroom and into the front room, peeking out of the window through a gap in the curtains. She saw Hector completely rock another suited man with a massive haymaker that sent him flying off of his feet and over the railing.
One of the men grabbed Hector's arms from behind while another started punching him in the stomach. Her breath hitched when she saw Hector suddenly kick the frontal attacker in the chest, then slam the back of his head into the nose of the man holding his arms.
They disappeared behind the borders of the window for several moments before one of the men can flying into view again, rolling head over heels. Hector emerged holding a bicycle, which he then proceeded to break over the head of the man that rushed at him after seeing his friend get sent flying.
The last one got up, only to be grabbed by the front of his shirt. Hector reared back his fist and slammed it in the man's face three times before driving his head down and meeting his face with a vicious knee.
With his work finished, Hector threw the two unconscious men one at a time over the railing and onto the trash bags below. Monika was utterly transfixed. Mortified and on the verge of panic, but transfixed all the same.
The door flew open with a slam and her head snapped towards him. Her eyes were wide like a deer caught in headlights. Something in her gut told her she had heard things she was never meant to hear. What Hector said confirmed it.
"You say nothing. Come morning, you forget about me and anything you heard. Now go to bed." He said in a tone that felt cold and harsh to her. She knew she was best off saying nothing to him and went to bed. She didn't know love could be so difficult. Especially one sided love.
Hector stood at the front window with a cigarette and his phone in his hands. He was in a foul mood, made worse by Monika hearing and seeing what she did.
"Joshua, I've got a problem and I need to speak to the boss." As he spoke to his long time brother, he gave no thought to the quietly crying girl in his bedroom.
Still trying to go nice and easy with this so far. R&R, tell me what you thing. Until Next time.
Yakuza 0 OST for Fight Scene: Force Addiction.
