Hana: Work in the morning. Yup, that was a thing.
Kanda: The hell should I care?
Hana: Well, you shouldn't...but remember, this might be shared story, but I'm still the one that posts these chapters.
Kanda: Che!
Hana: -rolls her eyes- XavierForest doesn't own DGM, I don't own DGM. We only take credit for the story y'all are reading!
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+ - Chapter 10 - +
"What on Earth happened in here?" Link asked, holding a bag over his shoulder. Madarao looked up from his papers, and took a look around the living room for the first time in a while.
"Ah...didn't even realize the room was covered in a paper mess."
"I wonder if this is how Komui's office becomes so covered in papers..." Mused the blonde male. "I have brought nourishment, because I figured you must've worked yourself to the point of a fatigue. There should be enough for everyone."
Tewaku stood and moved to take the bag, only just now noticing how her stomach cried out for food. It seemed that she'd neglected to eat recently.
"I rest my case." Link stated. "I'll go ahead and set it up in the kitchen."
"You're too kind to us, Link." Said Tokusa, coming from the upper level. "I suppose that's an endearing trait for you."
"You're all siblings to me, after all." Shrugged the German male. "It would be wrong of me not to look after you lot."
"Three of us, lest I'm mistaken, are older than you are." Madarao informed the other with a pointed look.
"That would be you, Madarao, and Goushi."
"But he acts like the older one." Kiredori responded in turn.
"Someone has to be." Link chuckled. "Come, you all can't work on empty. It's bad for your work ethnics."
"Whatever you say." Goushi spoke up, standing from his seat. "But he is correct. We do need to eat."
Tewaku's stomach rumbled in agreement.
Link gave the girl a deadpan expression before taking back the bag and moving to the kitchen.
"Come eat in here." Link called over his shoulder. "You have more than enough of a mess in the living room here. No need for an excuse for cockroaches to be invited."
"Mmhm. Okay." Said Tewaku as she followed Link into the kitchen, the others following.
"What'd you bring?" Goushi asked as he sat down at one of the kitchen table's seats.
"Take away."
Tewaku looked at Link in minor confusion, "Like...Chinese?"
"Exactly. I figured something filling but inexpensive will do you all well."
"And your wallet." Kiredori added in. The reaction their blond-haired friend had was more than enough to prove that she was right.
Clearing his throat, Link looked to each of his long-time friends. "Any how...eat. We all must be at our best that means no starving, no lack of sleeping, and no working ourselves to the literal grave. Am I understood?"
"Yes mother dearest." Tokusa teased, grinning at the appalled look he got from Link.
"Do not," Link said, trying in vain to fix in his expression into something that didn't show the horror he felt, "ever call me that again."
"It's not like I'm giving you that adorable nickname the kiddies gave Allen." Tokusa drawled. "Besides, you do mother us quite a bit."
"He's not wrong, Link." Tewaku said, "You've always taken care of us when you could."
"Allen's more motherly." Came Kiredori's soft response. "In looks."
"Indeed." Goushi agreed. "Now, shall we eat?"
Madarao nodded, having taken his seat when everyone had. "It's like Link already said. We can't function unless we're at our best."
Link sighed as he pulled an assortment of plastic and cardboard boxes from the bag. Sometimes he was certain that this group ganged up on him just because they found it entertaining.
"C'mon, you know we just love messing with you." Tewaku teased, grinning from ear to ear. "You do make it so easy."
"Indeed." Kiredori piped in.
"So I've learned over the years." Link groaned. "I could easily let you all starve, and I can take all this food for those in greater need."
"No need for that." Tokusa drawled. "As it stands, this food won't go to waste, for we'll be eating before you can give it to others less needy...like the well-off Yu Kanda perhaps."
Tewaku giggled, as she took an eggroll. "We tease because we care. Isn't that right, big brother?"
Madarao rolled his eyes, but otherwise nodded. "It's what family does."
"You're all insufferable," Link deadpanned, before leaving the table to collect bowls and cutlery.
"You know you enjoy having us around." Tewaku told him.
To that, Link sighed. Curses, he couldn't even argue against that. "I suppose, to an extent at least."
The German man brought back the kitchen-stuff and set it all out, giving one bowl, spoon, fork and knife to everyone.
"Aw, you don't mean that. Family is supposed to mess with you." Goushi said, a smug grin on his face.
"I will neither deny nor confirm your assumptions." The braided blonde candidly murmured. "Now, eat."
Instead of continuing on with their teasing, the group of CROWs all dug in, their stomachs having finally decided to let them know just how hungry they were.
. . - * - . .
"P-please! I swear, I don't know anything!" The nameless man pleaded with the bespectacled man currently covered in the blood of the other two people in the room. "I swear, I know nothing!"
"I'm rather at my rope's end, my child." Stated the killer. "However...perhaps there's a chance at redemption for your soul."
"W-what makes you think I'll do anything for the likes of you?"
"That little girl sleeping soundly in her bed...she knows not of the things her dear father does, now does she?" The man paled, gulping as his eyes trailed to the closed door where indeed his daughter slept in bliss. "I can turn a blind eye for the sake of the innocent, it would be a shame if she woke up tomorrow to find the mangled corpse of her loving parent."
The man's blood ran cold the longer he stared at the door, his mouth growing dry and his heart feeling heavy.
"W-What do you want from me?" He fearfully asked, looking to the man before him.
"I'm quite glad to have your undivided attention." The psychotic man preened, "Now, let's talk business, shall we?"
. . - * - . .
"Don't tell me. Another victim?" Komui asked as Bak and his team brought in more bodies.
"Mmhm." Bak sighed, "Apocryphos is a busy man, it seems."
"He needs a better hobby." Groused one of the men rolling in a gurney with a bagged body. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."
"Stay strong. That's all the advice I can give right now." Komui told the person. "I need extra hands in this morgue."
"That reminds me," Bak said, "I heard they were hiring a new guy to help out down here."
"Are they?"
Bak nodded, "I believe so. Better than never on your part, right?"
Komui nodded, "Perhaps, yes. I've been asking for extra live bodies to help out for weeks. Months now."
"Let's hope he arrived soon then," Bak said, before glancing in the general direction of Komui's office. "Though, he might leave if you keep falling asleep and shoving all your work onto him."
Komui shrugged. "Well, if you think of it this way, work would be getting done by that person, if not by me."
"Unless he quits because of the stress," Bak fired back.
"Or, he could be completely used to that guy's work ethnics."
Both the Asian males blinked, before looking behind them, seeing a new comer standing in the doorway. "Reever?!"
"Been a while, right Komui?" The dirty-blonde haired man asked. "I heard you needed help. Or rather, I heard there was an opening to help out around here."
"Er...you know him, Komui?" Bak whispered.
"We went to high school together, loaded all the assignments and projects on my shoulders." Reever said, not having been far enough to not have heard what Bak was asking Komui. "Actually, I didn't really come alone."
"Who could you have possibly have agree to work around the deceased?" Bak asked in exasperation.
"Like you're one to talk." Komui muttered. "You're the one that brings them down here."
"Yeah, but I have a lot of jobs, so this is more of a part-time thing."
"I never could understand why you're able to balance three jobs." Komui mused.
"Not all of us are lazy." Bak countered.
"Point, set, and match." Reever said, crossing his arms. "So, what exactly are we doing?"
Komui smiled and leaned in. "I will answer that once you tell me who you brought with you."
"I think you'd remember them. Tupp and Cash Dop, and then Johnny Gill."
"Familiar names to very familiar faces." Komui said, feeling nostalgic as he thought back. "I thought Johnny was working at his grandmother's tailor store?"
"When he wasn't turning sewing machines into odd robots."
"Remember the vacuum bot?"
"Who can forget that questionable thing? Why would you put the hose there of all places?"
Bak looked between to two, completely confused as to what they were talking about. Shrugging, he decided he best get his paperwork done when he got back to his desk.
Though, he did think that Komui should have been the last one allowed to question peoples' actions. That man's office could be a death-trap if he wasn't careful.
(* - *)
Taking a seat on the mostly paper-covered couch, Reever sighed. "Sounds like you really have your work cut out for you, chief."
"Can't say I heard that nickname in a while." Komui stated, "But yes, I've been quite busy. Barely enough time for me to slack off, even if I wanted to.''
"Never thought I'd hear something like that from you of all people." Said the only female in the office. The plump woman was leaning against the couch's arm, rather than sitting on the cushions covered in documents. The smallest male stood behind the couch, leaning against its back. His glasses were always able to somehow hide his eyes, but everyone had long since given up on how it was possible.
"Yeah, I thought you'd just about die before you'd let anyone not let you nap." The male that looked like the woman leaning against the couch stated.
"Well, then nothing would ever get done." The frizzy-haired male pointed out. "We'd know that better than anyone else."
"Oh, come now, Johnny, it wasn't that bad." Komui said in pout.
"I got buried when we studied at your place growing up." Johnny deadpanned.
"Couldn't find him again until breakfast."
"But we found him." Komui defended himself.
"Only after Tupp and I heard him crying for help under a pile of books."
"My sis ain't wrong." Tupp agreed. "Seriously, I dunno what you were up to, but if not for Cash and me, I don't think Johnny'd be here!"
"Morbid..." Reever muttered under his breath. "So, I guess we have to get to work."
Standing from his seat behind his desk, Komui grinned, as he leaped towards his office door, "I'll handle the corpses, you handle things here~! Toodles~!"
It didn't take long for the four high school friends to look at Komui with disappointment. Seems some things just never changed.
Not that they would have it any other way.
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Like I said, I had an early start at work today, and then I was playing BotW on my new Switch...so~ that's why this update is a little later in the day than normal. Hehehe
R&R ain't for rest and Relaxation, despite how much I might need it. Leave a review and let us know what we're doing! Show this story some love by favoriting this work, and if you really wanna see more, then follow to stay up to date with new chapters as they come out! Go check out XavierForest's work, if you hadn't already, and until next time...we'll see you again on...
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