The wolf Zoan stalked the streets of Water 7, still fuming from the previous events. Not even the fresh snow falling silently around him could cool the raging inferno that was his anger.
"I need booze." He mumbled before changing direction and heading towards his favourite bar.
It wasn't long before he found himself wandering towards the door of "Blueno's bar" as it had been aptly nicknamed; it had a proper name but no one used it these days. Blueno legitimately owned it now, not just under the government cover so it was now more than ever his bar.
Even though it was only midday the place was already bustling. Jyabura took a seat at the bar and gave the barkeeper a small wave. Knowing him all to well the man brought the wolf Zoan over his 'usual'. Nodding in thanks Jyabura downed his drink; the barman moved to pour him another.
"Leave the bottle." He said quietly to the barkeep.
"Bad day?" The man asked politely, leaning on the bar in his moment of down time.
"You have no idea." Jyabura mumbled sarcastically into his glass.
"May I ask what happened?" He enquired, concerned for his friend.
Jya sighed deeply but before he could say anything the barman was called away by some other patrons. He was thankful for the man's concern but he really didn't feel like divulging the abuse of the one he loved.
He hadn't been drinking for long before a familiar voice rang out.
"Hey Jya! Watcha doing here?" The blonde foreman came over, sat on the stool next to the wolf Zoan and draped his arm over his shoulders.
"I almost didn't recognise ya with your hair down."
Jyabura silently shrugged off the contact and finished his drink. Paulie frowned at the unfriendliness of his usual drinking partner.
"What's up with you today? You seem … off." The blonde couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with him.
"A lot of shit's been happening at home." He sighed in answer.
Looking up at the blonde he noticed a fresh bite mark on his neck. Paulie's attempt to cover it with his jacket collar had failed miserably.
"What the hell happened to you?" the older man asked, trying to sway the conversation away from the subject. Paulie didn't know much about Jyabura's home life and that's the way the Zoan user would prefer it to stay.
Confused for a second Paulie suddenly realised that he was talking about the mark on his neck.
"Shit you can see that?" Paulie asked, hitching his jacket up to hide the bite mark again.
"Plain as day. You had company last night, hah?" Jya asked, a knowing smirk spreading across his face.
The foreman let a nervous chuckle escape him.
"Y- Yeah, I did." He answered, blushing furiously at being caught.
Silence fell over the pair.
"Well c'mon then, spit it out, who is it!" Jyabura loved prying into the younger man's love life. He always got so embarrassed, it was always a good laugh. Just what he needed. He never got any information but teasing him was fun.
"I don't wanna say, you'll make fun of me."
"Come ooooon!" The older man poured Paulie a drink.
"Dammit! Ok, just don't tell anyone!" he downed the drink before continuing.
The two men drank together on a regular basis but had never shared much personal information. He was thrilled to hear the answer.
"Promise you won't laugh?" Paulie asked nervously.
"Yeah I promise, just spill it." He answered with a smirk; the younger man had brightened his day already.
"Well you know the Galley-La shipyards I work at, right?" The blonde asked in a lowered voice, not wanting people to overhear his little secret.
Even though Jyabura had been in the city for only a short time he knew the Galley-La Company all too well; it was where Kaku worked his ass off most days of the week. The wolf Zoan had dropped in there a couple of times to see the young man, he had even met his boss; Iceburg. The redhead had told him before that Paulie had a thing for their boss. He was positive this man was the 'company' they were talking about.
"Yeah I know the place." Jyabura said with a smirk.
"Well there's this … this guy that used to work there." The blonde said turning bright red. "He comes around every now and then." He said, keeping his voice as low as possible.
'Wait, used to?' The Zoan user thought. Before he could say anything Paulie continued.
"His name's Lucci."
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end at the mention of the man's name, his previous anger seeping back into his system. Then he realised the implications the new information suggested. Jyabura's jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth in an attempt to hold his tongue.
"Lucci? As in Rob Lucci?" He asked to make sure they were on the same page. The wolf Zoan didn't completely trust his ears.
"Yeah. D- Don't tell me you know him!" Paulie felt as though he would die of embarrassment.
"How long have you two been … ?" The dark haired man managed to ask through clenched teeth.
"A couple of months. Why?"
"You know he's got a partner, right?"
"Yeah, I figured." Paulie came to a sudden realisation. "Oh god, its not you, is it?" The blonde was starting to seriously regret telling the truth about who he was with.
Jyabura shook his head.
"It's Kaku."
An awkward silence descended upon the two men while the new information sank in.
"W- Wait, what? Kaku? The same one I work with?" Paulie spluttered, trying to get a grasp on the situation.
"Yeah." Jyabura answered coldly. "Kaku."
Paulie's forehead lowered to the hard wood of the bar, his fingers buried in his blonde hair.
"Fuck … Dammit. Dammit!" He and Kaku had been great friends since they started working together years ago. He never even thought to consider that those two were together. The realisation of what he had been doing hit him like a ton of bricks. He had been sleeping with his best friend's partner.
The wolf Zoan didn't know whether to comfort the man or scold him for being such an idiot and not knowing better. He decided upon simply staying silent; Paulie was doing a fine job of reprimanding himself. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"C'mon kid, don't beat yourself up. You didn't know."
"I should have." Jyabura didn't deny that fact. He had known both Kaku and Lucci for years. Yes, he should have known.
Paulie sighed heavily, face still hidden.
"I'll break it off." The older man could hear in his utterly defeated voice that he really didn't want to but he would make the sacrifice for Kaku's sake.
"You don't have to; they won't be together for much longer." The dark haired man finished another glass of the strong alcohol before pouring both him and the younger man another.
"What? Why?"
Jyabura knew that he had already gone too far by saying what he had, there was no going back now.
"He hit Kaku."
"WHAT!" A couple of heads turned their way at the outburst from the younger man.
"If I have any thing to do with it he'll be dead next time I see him." The wolf Zoan's anger was once again rapidly bubbling up inside him.
He sighed heavily.
'Getting angry here won't help anything.'
"I gotta get going". The older man mumbled. Every minute he was away from Kaku got him more worried for the red head's welfare.
"Hmm." Was all the mumbled answer he got.
Jyabura ruffled the blonde's hair as he stood.
"Don't brood too much kid, I'll sort it all out."
"Yeah, thanks,"
Jyabura waved over the bartender.
"Leaving already?" The man asked politely.
"Yeah, put this on my tab." The wolf Zoan picked up his half empty bottle of alcohol and placing it in front of Paulie. It was his way of apologising for depressing the youngster.
"Blueno won't be happy. He tells me you have to start paying for your drinks." The man said with a frown.
"Today's different, he'll understand." He mumbled and made for the door.
"Look after him." Paulie's voice not much more than a whisper. Jya nodded before heading out the door and into the streets.
