Ryan skipped happily along a sidewalk in South City, grabbing Madeline's and Chichi's hands as she drug them into a brightly lit candy shop. "You know the best part about training with Hercule all the time? I get to eat as much of this shit as I want and don't have to worry about my ass getting fat!" she exclaimed.
Chichi gave an amused snort through her nose. "Well that must be nice." She shook her head, "I used to be able to eat like that when I was younger." She nearly sighed at the memory. She missed the way she used to look when she was their age. But she had to say, her figure was coming back with the training she was doing. Not to mention the sex she was having with Hercule. That was a workout in and of itself.
"Ah, just keep training and it won't matter," Ryan grinned, picking up a long candy stick and poking Madeline's breast with it. "We could have fun with this," she teased, wagging her eyebrows.
Madeline giggled and winked at her love. "Mmm, then get a couple and we will see what we can do." She winked at Chichi, chuckling at the blush on the older woman's face,."Sorry, we get a little crazy sometimes. Ryan forgets to behave herself when she's horny." She went over and picked up a giant five pound bar of chocolate and handed it to Chichi, pausing as she moved to pick up a bag and proceeding to fill it up with various candies from the bins around the store. "Ryan, we should go to that fun store and pick up those edible panties you like so much."
Chichi's face was burning red. These girls were so open about their relationship! She still wasn't sure that she agreed with it entirely, but she had learned to keep her opinions to herself. They were her friends and she didn't want to jeopardize that. She blinked down at the huge chocolate bar in her hands. "I don't think I've ever seen so much chocolate before."
"I never behave myself," Ryan grinned. "Where's the fun in that?" She grabbed a giant lollipop and smacked Chichi's butt with it as she passed, heading for a wall of licorice whips. "We should totally do that!" she called over her shoulder to Madeline. "There's all sorts of things in that store we can get into. We should take Chichi with us. Hey Chichi, you ever been to a naughty store before?"
Chichi's eyes went even wider and she scolded, "RYAN!" Oh she would never get used to these girls. She felt like her face was on fire.
The blonde simply threw her head back and laughed. Still giggling to herself, she started grabbing up more candy, but her smile faded when she saw the stranger in the corner of the store staring at her. She stared right back at him and nearly growled when he held his gaze. "Hold these," she said to Chichi, handing the candy to her. "You got a problem, buddy?" Ryan demanded, squaring her shoulders at the stranger. Hercule had warned them about going out in public with Chichi. He insisted that Ryan go along and for her to keep an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious, even though they weren't in their own city.
"Just keeping an eye on things," the man answered darkly.
Madeline's smile dropped and turned serious. She moved carefully, just enough to put herself on the defensive, ready to run or attack at a moment's notice. She looked over at the man in the corner; Ryan knew a thing or two about sizing up an opponent. They would often get weird stares, but the way that man was looking at Ryan, at them. It was no passerby. "Chichi, be alert."
Chichi's face paled and she backed up to the counter, clinging to the armful of candy. She didn't want to see these girls get into a fight. She'd been training, but not nearly enough to feel confident yet. She silently cursed herself. She used to be scared of nothing, not even Goku or his friends, but now she found herself afraid of everyone. Damn that Maxwell. That was one thing she sorely missed about her old self. Her fearlessness. But she didn't have that confidence anymore. Maxwell had all but beaten it out of her.
The man scoffed and stuck his hands in his pockets as he took a few lazy, swaggering steps forward. "Yes, Chichi, be alert. That big, scary husband of yours could be lurking anywhere, couldn't he?" he smirked. His eyes moved slowly to Ryan as he spoke, "Who knows? He could be here, at work, at home, or hell, even playing some poker?"
Ryan felt her blood run cold at the way he said it, the piercing stare he fixed her with. "Get out!" she shouted. "Get out before I kick your ass and mop the floor with you!" Her heart raced in her chest; she could practically hear her pulse in her ears. No one knew about that. No one but Madeline.
Madeline's eyes widened and she immediately surveyed the area for Maxwell. This was bad if Chichi's husband was talking to this guy. "You piece of shit. Men think they can do anything if they have enough coin to hide behind. Real men spend their hard earned coin helping those in need instead of hiring washed up dime store thugs to do their dirty work."
"Watch your mouth, dyke," he spat at her. He looked at Chichi, narrowing his eyes. "Really? Running around with a couple of lesbos?"
Ryan saw red at the word he threw at Madeline. "NO ONE TALKS TO HER LIKE THAT!" she shouted and lunged at the man, driving her fist into his stomach.
He doubled over with an "OOF!" but grabbed her by her hair and flipped her over, slamming her through a display of jelly beans, scattering the brightly colored candies all over the floor.
"Ryan!" Chichi cried in alarm, starting forward, but the next second she was yanked back by the collar of her shirt by a second man she hadn't noticed before. She choked and reached back, scratching at his hands as she tried to free herself as her vision started to swim, her own shirt choking her.
Madeline knew Ryan was fine. She had dealt with more than her fair share of assholes, but this one, he said things. Knew things that he shouldn't. Madeline growled and grabbed up two of the five pound bars of chocolate. She dropped to her knees, sweeping her leg, knocking both Chichi and her attacker off their feet, surprising the man that had grabbed Chichi. She swung the chocolate bars at his head with all her might, the chocolate breaking over his skull. She turned back to Ryan's attacker and threw the chocolate that she had held onto at him before she reached for a jar of jaw breakers.
Chichi scrambled away from her attacker as fast as she could and got to her feet. "Call the police!" she shouted at the terrified little clerk behind the counter who nodded and grabbed the phone.
Ryan jumped back to her feet, laughing as the chocolate smacked into the man who had grabbed her hair. "Eat a dick," she spat at him and jumped in the air, spinning and landing a kick to the side of his neck, knocking him over. She dropped into a defensive pose, watching warily as he got to his feet. This man was no joke; he knew how to fight. He must've been getting paid extremely well to be going through all this trouble.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes glinting maliciously at Ryan. "You like it rough, huh?" he snarled. "You like to fight. Funny, I heard you never did put up much of a fight when you were little."
Madeline growled, "You shut your fucking mouth you sack of shit. I'm about to make these into ball breakers if you don't beat it. And I think I find a few painful places to shove them if you keep talking." She took one and drew her hand back as if she was going to throw it like a pro pitcher. She didn't like this at all. "You better scram, the police are coming." She flashed a little blinking device in her hand at him, "And so are our people. You are mad if you think you can face Hercule Satan and come out unscathed."
"Fuck the cops," the man spat. "I'll be out of jail by morning. They're all in Maxwell's pocket anyway." He threw a punch at Ryan, who was totally frozen to the spot by his words, knocking her backwards and he ran at Madeline, aiming to tackle her, but stopped when she launched the jawbreaker and it slammed into his eye. "YOU LITTLE BITCH!" he roared, clapping a hand to his face.
The second man sat up dizzily and reached out to wrap his arms around Madeline's knees, knocking her off balance.
"Get off of her!" Chichi cried and ran over, grabbing the man's hair and yanked it for all she was worth. No matter how strong her fear was, she wasn't going to let Madeline get hurt.
Ryan got to her feet and jumped into the air, hooking her knee over the back of the first man's neck and used her weight to drop him face-first to the tile floor, knocking him unconscious.
Madeline fell to the ground, the jar of jawbreakers smashing when she hit. Glass cut into her arms, blood dripped on the floor. "Okay. Now you've really pissed me off." She grabbed up a jaw breaker rolling past and twisted around in the man's grip, thanks to Chichi, and pulled back her leg. She slammed her foot into the man's crotch before she swung her hand with the jaw breaker and clocked him in the side of the face.
The man screamed out in pain before he curled in on himself, holding his hands up to show surrender.
Ryan kicked the unconscious man in the ribs for good measure, then went over to Madeline. "Maddie, baby, are you okay?" she asked, looking her girlfriend over. She frowned at the deep cuts in Madeline's arms. "Oh, honey." She cupped Madeline's face in her hand, planting soft kisses to her lips as the police finally arrived. She sneered at the men, "The cops here ain't in Maxwell's pocket are they, cocksucker? I hope Bubba makes you his bitch while you're in jail."
Both men were arrested and taken away quickly.
Ryan's eye was quickly bruising up and Madeline's arms were attended to by the paramedics who had arrived on the scene shortly after the police.
"I'm so sorry, girls," Chichi said sadly as she watched them be tended to. She felt horrible. Couldn't she even go out to the mall with a couple of friends without Maxwell hiring some goons to follow her around and cause trouble? She wanted nothing more than to get home to Hercule's mansion and just hide from the world where she knew she was safe. But Hercule wasn't even home; he was at a match that day and wouldn't be back for a couple more hours.
"Don't worry about it," Ryan muttered, although she felt rather sour about the whole thing. She grabbed up a bunch of the candy they'd originally intended to buy and placed it on the counter.
"What are you doing?" Chichi asked in surprise.
"I'm buyin' the fuckin' candy we came in here for!" Ryan spat. "I didn't go through all that shit to walk outta here empty handed." She glared at the clerk behind the counter who was blinking at her. "Don't fuckin' judge me."
Madeline looked over her bandaged hands and arms and smiled at Chichi. "Hey, don't look like that. It's good that I finally got to use the training that I have been given." She looked around at the mess. "Damn, sorry about the store." She turned and glanced outside, spying the car sent by Hercule's security team. "Our ride's here," she said as she turned and looked apologetically at the clerk. "So if those guys give you trouble forking up the money, just give us a call." She handed over a business card, "And we will take care of the damages."
The clerk nodded and looked sadly at the card in her hand. "My boss is gonna kill me," she muttered.
Ryan dumped a handful of nerds into her mouth and worked them over into her cheek. "Kick 'im in the dick and tell 'im to shut it," she spoke around the candy before grabbing up her purchases and headed out the door with Madeline and Chichi in tow.
They sat in the back of the car, Chichi barely paying attention to the drive home. There were so many questions she had; that man had spoken as if he knew something about Ryan. Did she know him? Who was he? The drive back to Hercule's home was over before Chichi knew it and they went into the house where Ryan flopped out in the middle of the living room floor, digging into the candy, a fierce look on her face as she stared at the wall.
Madeline sadly looked on at her lover and went over to her, kneeling on the carpet next to her. She rubbed her back, turning it into a massage as she sat, looking up at the ceiling. "It's him isn't it? That bastard Maxwell somehow found out. He can rot in hell."
"Yup," Ryan said, the nightmarish memories flooding her mind. It had been a very long time since she had thought about it. She ripped open one of the big chocolate bars and snapped off a piece of it with her teeth. "These motherfuckers are fuckin' with the wrong bitch," she muttered. There was a lump forming in her throat as she tried to maintain her hard-ass persona, but it was slipping as Madeline rubbed at her back. "F-Fuckers," she repeated, taking another bite of chocolate.
Chichi sat on the floor, looking sadly at them and Ryan shoved a candy bar her way. "Thanks," she said quietly, wishing she knew what to say or what to do. She didn't know what had Ryan so upset, but she could just feel the tension in the room. Chichi jumped and gave a frightened squeak when the front door opened, but relaxed as she saw Hercule enter the house, looking extremely pleased with himself.
Hercule was having a better day than most. The tournament had gone well and once again he had come out in first place. He was looking for a well-earned meal, a relaxing night in the hot tub, and maybe spending some time with Chichi. He stopped short when he saw the group in the living room, staring off, looking tense. He saw the bandages on Madeline's arms and the pile of candy Ryan was digging into as if it were the only thing in her world. Shit. She only did that, looked like that, when something got to her. He slung his gym bag off of his shoulders and walked over, frowning at the sad expressions. "So. Who do I need to kill? Madeline, are you alright?"
Madeline nodded. "Just some glass, sir, already taken away. We ran into some more thugs of Maxwell's at the candy store. He is trying to get personal. One of them knew about Ryan's stepfather."
Ryan continued to pop candy into her mouth, not looking at any of them. "We got fuckin' jumped in a goddamn candy store," she grumbled before she looked over her shoulder at her teacher. "Ain't that some shit? Fuckin' shitbags got what was comin' to 'em though. You should'a seen Maddie nail that motherfucker with a jawbreaker. That shit was epic." She felt a little better now that he was home. She always felt safe when Hercule was around because she knew no matter what, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her or Madeline.
Chichi swallowed down the piece of candy bar she'd nibbled on. "Your stepfather?" she asked cautiously. "What does he have to do with all of this?" She hadn't wanted to voice the question in case it upset Ryan even more, but now that they were talking about it, she couldn't help but to be curious. She couldn't understand how all of this was related, how Maxwell had anything to do with someone from Ryan's family.
"Nothin'," Ryan snapped. "He ain't got shit to do with any of it." She had never really told Hercule about her past, other than a brief mention that her stepfather was a douchebag. She didn't want that past following her around and she didn't want Hercule to think less of her because of what had happened to her as a child. She wiped at an angry tear in her eye as she thought about it. She wasn't entirely sure that he would believe her. No one ever had, save for Madeline. Now that she was an adult, she knew why no one believed it. Nobody wanted to believe that such a horrid thing could be done to a child. She felt her stomach coil painfully and for a moment, she thought she might get sick.
Hercule moved to sit down on the floor next to Chichi, reaching over and breaking off a piece of chocolate before popping it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully for a moment before he looked at Ryan with a neutral face. "I've had my suspicions, but that's all they are."
Madeline rubbed Ryan's back, working on some tense knots. She had heard the story, and once was enough. It had been horrifying. "Ryan, maybe it's time to share. We all have our pasts and you don't think any less of us, do you? Maybe now is the time that you can finally lay this past to rest if it's coming back out."
Ryan shook her head. "There's no way. There's no WAY that motherfucker could've found that shit out," she spat. "I don't share that shit with anybody, Maddie, and you know it. No one ever believed me when I told them anyway. It doesn't matter now." Part of her wanted to tell them, to come clean about what had happened, to get it off her chest. And the other part of her was screaming not to say a word.
Chichi looked sympathetically at Ryan, wondering what on earth this could all be about. "Sometimes it helps to talk about stuff," Chichi said. She felt like cringing even as she said it. She still hadn't brought herself to tell Hercule about her own past. Not all of it. But what she'd done wasn't important at that moment. This was about Ryan and dealing with her demons. "We're your friends, Ryan. You can talk to us."
Ryan sat bolt upright staring at Chichi fiercely. She felt like she was shaking, she was so angry at the memories of what had happened to her. "What do you want me to say, huh? That... that my stepfather used to sneak into my bedroom at night? That he used to bet me in games of poker against his buddies? That there were times when he LOST those bets?"
Chichi cringed, her stomach coiling at the disturbing things Ryan was shouting. She couldn't imagine the horrible things those men had done to her when she was just a child. She didn't want to imagine it. It made her sick to even think about.
"Or do you want to hear about how no one believed me? Huh? Not my teachers, not my mother. Hell that crack whore accused me of seducing him!" She threw herself back down, chest-first on the floor and picked up another candy, staring sadly at the brightly colored wrapper. "Yeah, people say to talk about it, say they wanna hear it, and then they wish they didn't. I see that look on your face. No one wants to think about shit like that."
Hercule was furious, shaking. "Are you saying that you saw this creep today?!" His blood was boiling. If this man was anywhere within a thousand miles, he would go and beat the shit out of him. He was fiercely protective of his star student. He had his suspicions when Ryan had first come to him all those years ago, wanting training. Because of what he had suspected, he didn't charge her a dime for it. He had never seen such a passion before for the art. But even then, he hadn't expected it to be this bad.
Madeline shook her head. "No, but someone who looked like him. Maybe even knew him. Hush, Ryan. They are horrified because that should never ever happen to anyone. What he did to you is unforgivable."
Hercule shook his head. "Ryan, why didn't you tell me!? What if I did something to offend you? You know I would believe you. You know what work I do!"
Ryan brushed angry tears from her eyes and shrugged. "Doesn't matter," she said, her voice cracking. She glanced over at him and cringed at the expression on his face. "I told you I wanted to train under you because he was an asshole. I thought that was all you needed to know," she said quietly. "I didn't think you'd believe me. No one else ever believed me. They said I was a liar. They said I was trouble, just looking for attention." She pressed her lips thin and shook her head. "I didn't want you to think the same things about me."
Chichi felt like she couldn't breathe. What a horrible thing to happen to a child. But then she was suddenly struck with guilt once again as she thought about the things she had done to Goten when he was a little boy and she found herself hating who she was all the more. Her own skin crawled as she thought about the person she had once been.
"I didn't want anyone to know," Ryan confessed to Hercule. "Maddie's the only person I've told about it in years. I emancipated myself when I was fifteen and I've been trying to get away from it ever since."
His gaze softened and he nodded. "And that's enough for me. But if this ass is back to hurt you again, I want to be prepared and shove his own dick down his throat." He leaned forward, his elbow on his knees. "Surviving something like that doesn't make you weaker, it makes you stronger. That douchebag, Maxwell, he is going to be sorry for bringing this on you."
More tears welled in Ryan's eyes at his words and she wiped at them, streaking mascara across her face. "He's not sorry," she said. "My stepfather will never apologize and he'll never feel any guilt." She moved to lay her head in Madeline's lap, picking up another piece of candy, trying not to cry and failing miserably. She choked on a sob before she continued, "I don't understand how this Maxwell jerk-off was able to find that out. There's no record of it. Like I said, no one would listen to me." She sniffled, hating everything about the world in that moment. It was like all these old wounds that she thought were healed over and gone had suddenly been ripped open.
Chichi looked away from Ryan, feeling a lump in her own throat. "For what it's worth, Ryan, I'm sorry," she said softly. She wiped a tear from her own eye, wishing she could undo all the horrible things that had befallen her friend, wishing she could undo the things she'd done to Goten.
"Ain't yer fault," Ryan muttered and snuggled more into Madeline's lap. She didn't want to sleep that night. She knew what would happen the second she fell asleep. She would relive that past, the memories that she fought so hard to escape from. That was half the reason she was so hyper, so energetic throughout the day, working her ass off in the gym. If she could completely exhaust herself before bed, sometimes she could fall into a dreamless sleep because she was so tired. But she doubted that would work tonight.
Madeline threaded her fingers through her love's hair, feeling for her, wishing she could take away the pain she was feeling. "Damn them. Damn them all." When Ryan stayed over, which was often, she often had night terrors and would wake up screaming, fighting off unseen attackers. Though, according to her, this was still considerably less than what she had been doing when she was alone.
Hercule looked to Chichi. "She's right, it's not your fault. It's that ass Maxwell's fault." He leaned back, his head falling against the back of the couch with a thunk. "Maxwell doesn't know who he is fuckin' with. If he thinks he can mess with my family, he's got another think coming." He scoffed and stood up, stalking over to the door. "Hey, we need some comfort food in here. I'm starving," he spoke to some servant out in the he hallway. "Yeah, chili dogs, loaded nachos. Oh! How about that specialty soup from that new restaurant? Order some of that. And a chocolate fountain thing. And things to dip in it. Brownies. Fruit. Yeah. Thanks man."
Chichi couldn't help the tiny snort of laughter at Hercule's request. "Hungry?" she asked him with an amused smile on her face as he returned to the couch. She broke off another piece of the chocolate and offered it to him. "New restaurant?" she asked, then suddenly froze. Oh gods, no. No, it couldn't be the restaurant she was thinking of. Goten's restaurant. She'd never had her son's cooking; she had never let him cook for her when he was little. She had been convinced a man had no place in the kitchen at all. "What," she paused to clear her throat. "What new restaurant are you talking about?" she asked, hoping her voice sounded casual.
Hercule took the chocolate gratefully from her and popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly before he swallowed. "Oh yeah! Really top notch gourmet place. The head chef owner is like, one of the youngest chefs ever to get his restaurant up to five stars. I can't remember the name of it. You'll love it. This kid can make a steak and mushrooms that is to die for. It's nearly impossible to get a reservation there, but my staff are excellent about talking them into getting us a little takeout now and then. Sometimes this celebrity gig pays off," he chuckled.
Madeline chuckled and looked down at Ryan, wiping away the tears on her face. "You going to be alright baby?"
"I will be," she answered, her eyes falling shut at Madeline's soft touch. She drew a long, shaking breath and exhaled, relaxing a bit. "I love you, Maddie," she whispered, reaching up and cupping her love's cheek. "I'm sorry you got hurt today, baby. I'm sorry that my past came back to bite us in the ass."
Chichi felt her heart sink at Hercule's words, thinking she didn't deserve to eat food prepared by her son. But she didn't see a way out of this. Refusing to eat it would only raise questions from Hercule. She settled back in the couch cushions, thinking that she really did want to try her son's cooking, even if she really didn't deserve it. "I've heard of that place," she said quietly. "I heard the food is really good."
Hercule smiled at her, trying to lighten the air. "I'll take you some time. My treat! You have to try it out!" He leaned back, his stomach growling and he moved quickly to place a hand over it as if that would soften the volume of it.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Chichi said, hoping very much that he never made good on his offer. What if Goten saw her there? What if PAIGE saw her there? Chichi gave a little shiver. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she ran into either of them. They'd poison their dinner or Paige would beat her within an inch of her life. No, there was no way she would let Hercule take her there.
"Sorry, Ryan. I don't .mean to make light of your situation. You let me know if I can do anything for you, just name it," Hercule said.
"How about we just never talk about it again?" Ryan suggested. "That's enough for me." She looked over at him again, managing a smile for him. "And I better get some of that soup. I hear it's to die for. I'll fight ya for it."
Hercule smiled, proud to have Ryan as his student and he told her so. "One of the best. Alright, alright, just give me and the little lady a bowl of it and you can have the rest." He laughed, already making plans in his head to take Chichi to the restaurant. He'd have to call tomorrow to make reservations before the year was out. He was serious; he heard they were booked at least three months in advance. He would have to pull some strings, see if he could get something sooner than that.
The food arrived only a short time later and Ryan eagerly got to her feet, pulling Madeline up with her and rushed to the dining room. "Come on, you guys!" she called over her shoulder, determined to get herself in a better mood. "There better be beer on that table!" she shouted to the other staff. She still hurt inside, but she didn't want Hercule or Madeline to fuss over her any more even though she knew Madeline probably would anyway.
Chichi quietly got up and followed them into the dining room, the amazing smells of the food hitting her senses. "Oh wow," she said as she sat in her seat, looking at the spread before them. This was from Goten's restaurant? Hercule's staff must've really pulled some strings to get the food on such short notice. She couldn't believe how beautiful the food looked, how amazing it smelled. She swallowed nervously. She didn't deserve to eat this.
"Fuckin' a, this is what I'm talkin' about," Ryan grinned as she helped herself, filling her plate. Maybe she could stuff herself so full that she would just fall into a food coma and forget everything that had happened that day.
Hercule grinned at the full table. He wasn't ashamed he could eat most of it when he was hungry. Especially after a long day of matches. He went over to the container of soup and worked the cover off of it, leaning down and inhaling the fragrant scent. "Oh yeah, this is what I am talking about." He grabbed a couple of bowls and filled them full. "Okay Ryan, the rest is yours and Madeline's if you want to share with her." He set a bowl in front of Chichi and offered her a spoon. "You'll love it!" He sat down next to her and spooned up his own bite, full of potatoes and spicy sausage. He loved it. Melted in his mouth and just warmed him from the inside out. Perfect for a crappy day. "I think I need to get this kid to come by and cook for me once a week, but that might make me go bankrupt!" he laughed.
Chichi dropped her spoon at his words, splattering herself with soup. "Oh! I'm so clumsy!" she gasped and grabbed a napkin to wipe up the soup on her chest.
Ryan eagerly filled a bowl with the soup and grabbed a breadstick, dipping it into the soup and shoving half of the stick in her mouth. "I don' hafta share wif Maddie," she said around a mouthful of bread, snickering and leaning away from Madeline as she scowled at her.
Chichi composed herself, stirring the soup a bit with the spoon. "Surely the cook there is too busy to work as a personal chef for anyone, right?" she asked. "I think you'll just have to wait and go to the restaurant yourself."
Hercule smiled over at her, reaching over to rub affectionately at her back. "Yeah, good idea. You really just have to experience this place once. I'll see what I can do when I call tomorrow," he said as he quickly finished off his bowl. He chuckled at Chichi. "That's going to go cold or disappear down Ryan's throat if you don't eat up."
Chichi blinked at him before she looked back down at the soup. She knew Arthusia had been fiercely protective of Goten. Would the curse somehow affect her now if she ate her son's cooking? She could just picture herself keeling over dead at the first bite. She tried not to squirm uncomfortably in her chair. "Sorry," she murmured. "I'm just not used to fancy food like this." Finally deciding she couldn't stall anymore, she lifted the spoon to her lips and took a tiny bite. Oh, it was heaven. She didn't think she'd ever tasted anything so amazing in her life. She swallowed it down and waited a moment, expecting to feel sick at any second.
Hercule smiled widely at her and helped himself to some of the other food on the table. "See? Told you it was good. Pure heaven in a bowl." He sighed happily, looking over at Ryan and Madeline sitting next to each other. He really did feel bad for what had happened that day. Ryan still looked shaken up about the experience. He glanced at Chichi savoring her soup. He probably needed to train her in a few more defensive moves that could get her out in a pinch if she were by herself. He looked back over at Madeline and Ryan, "Why don't you two take the day off tomorrow? I think you've earned it today."
Ryan gave Hercule a small smile. "Thanks, Champ." She scooted a little closer to Madeline and offered her a bite of the soup off her own spoon. She felt lucky to have Madeline and Hercule in her life. No one had ever loved her so much. They let her be loud and silly and goofy and they still loved her no matter what random shit seemed to fly out of her mouth. She leaned closer to Madeline and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I love you, baby," she whispered.
A day off with her girlfriend sounded exactly like what Ryan needed. She felt drained, her emotions getting the best of her in that moment. All she wanted to do was to crawl into the bed in her studio apartment with her lover and erase all the bad memories. Or maybe they wouldn't even make it that far. Madeline's room here at Hercule's home was much nicer than Ryan's apartment and nearly as big. She scooted even closer to Madeline, just wanting the closeness of her. It didn't matter where they ended up that night as long as they were together.
Madeline wrapped her arms around Ryan, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek as she ate the bites of soup offered to her before the bowl was empty. She chuckled at her lover and reached across the table to grab a plate of nachos and pulled them closer. She caught Chichi's curious look at them and gave her a smile. "You look confused, hon."
Chichi blinked and gave a little start. "Oh! Sorry. Just lost in my own thoughts, I guess," she said and took another bite of the soup. She stirred it around with her spoon, feeling conflicted. The food was amazing and she wanted nothing more than to absolutely devour it. Yet at the same time, it bothered her knowing that Goten had made it and that he probably wouldn't want her to eat his cooking. She looked back up at Madeline and gave her a little smile. "Don't pay any attention to me."
Madeline watched Chichi a moment longer before a loaded tortilla chip was shoved under her nose and she smiled at Ryan before she took a bite. It was heaven. She could get used to this strange little family they had going. The whole staff felt like family, but none quite like what this little group had become. Already, before Chichi had come along, the three of them had been close. Hercule allowed into a special part of their lives, relationship, it really touched her. She was happy to see this woman here now. She was a good change for Hercule. Not one of his fans, but someone who needed him and whom he needed in return.
Hercule reached out and covered Chichi's hand. He wasn't sure what had her so perplexed. So conflicted. She had said she thought this food was too fancy for her, but he didn't think that was the truth. This food was the epitome of rustic, down home cooking with a flair.
She looked at him, the concern on his face. "What?" she asked with a little nervous laugh. "Really, I'm fine. I promise." She realized she must've appeared finicky about her food and took another bite, giving a little moan at the taste. "This is really good. Thank you for buying dinner for us."
"Does the food really bother you?" he asked. He looked down at it, but there was nothing wrong with it. It made him think there was another reason behind her actions. "Still upset about today? I'm sorry that happened. Maxwell is getting persistent. My lawyers still tell me he is dragging his feet on signing the divorce papers. Having his lawyers find all kinds of mistakes in the clauses and shit."
"That's probably it," she agreed. "I'm just shook up about what happened. I'm sorry I'm not very hungry." She sighed and leaned her cheek on her hand. "I wish he would just sign those stupid papers and be done with it. He's not going to, though. He's going to drag this out as long as he possibly can. Make me suffer for leaving him. If there's one thing I know about Maxwell, it's that he never gives up. I can't believe he hired those men to attack us in a candy store."
Hercule sighed and nodded. "Don't worry about that. I think I'll train you for a little bit tomorrow." He gave Ryan a look. "No offence, but you lack certain parts, hard for the lady to know when she's hit her mark against a male attacker." He gave a wince at the pain he was going to experience, but it was going to be worth it. "Ah, all in the name of education," he chuckled.
Chichi cringed at the prospect of fighting with Hercule. "Are you sure you want to do that? I don't want to accidentally hurt you or something," she murmured. She'd been mostly training with Ryan, only under Hercule's supervision and not sparring against him yet. "I don't want you to get upset if I hit you wrong or something."
"You're not gonna make him mad," Ryan said, stuffing her face with the nachos Madeline had pulled closer. "Hercule's the strongest man in the world. I doubt you could do any real damage to him. You're a tough bitch in training, Chichi, but you don't stand a chance. Let him train you. It'll be alright."
Chichi sighed through her nose and stirred the soup again before taking another small bite. "I used to be one of the strongest women in the world," she muttered under her breath. She was angry with herself now for giving up fighting so long ago. If she'd stayed with it, maybe she wouldn't have been beaten by her husband so many times. But even as she thought about it, she knew she wouldn't have hit him back. Because at the time, she still loved him. She would've put up with anything.
Hercule smiled at her, teasing her, "But hitting me in the wrong places is what I want to teach you. It's not something they teach in normal martial arts. You know, fighting fair and all that. This is going to be fighting dirty. I promise you, you won't make me mad. You'll probably hurt me." He winced before he chuckled, "But that's the point. Ryan can tell you that I never lay a hand on anyone out of anger."
Ryan nodded enthusiastically. "He won't. On the off chance he does get upset, he walks away. He'd never hurt you. He knows better, I'd kick his ass for ya if he did," she said and shot him a wink before she laughed. There were very few times she'd ever seen the man truly angry about anything and it always amazed her how he managed to hold his temper. She'd never been afraid of him.
Hercule chuckled at her, "Because I know you would break it off in my ass if I screwed up." He stuck his tongue out at her. "Sounds like fun, call me when you decide to jump the fence," he said with a wink.
Ryan snorted. "Yeah, hold your breath on that one. It'd be entertaining to watch you keel over." She shook her head disapprovingly at him and turned to Madeline. "Can you believe we put up with this guy? Such a pain in the ass."
Madeline chuckled, "That's not what you said a few years ago." She paused and thought. "Actually, I stand corrected, you said that about him then too." She gave a laugh and winked at Hercule before she looked at Ryan, hugging her tightly.
Ryan seemed to melt into Madeline's embrace. Even though she herself was usually the more aggressive and protective of the two, it was nice to give in to Madeline sometimes and just enjoy the comfort she offered. She was tired and sore, her eye throbbing painfully still. She picked at the nachos for a moment. "Can I stay here tonight? I don't feel like going back to my apartment," she asked to no one in particular.
Hercule chuckled, knowing full well that Ryan wasn't listening to him. "I keep offering you a room to stay here full time you know. You keep insisting on having something you call your own," he said before he looked over at Ryan who was dozing against Madeline, "Even though you have that already." He sighed and finished off what food he had on his plate.
Madeline smiled down at Ryan, brushing her locks from her face. "Of course you can stay, baby."
Ryan gave Hercule a tired smile. "Thanks, Champ." She nuzzled a little more into Madeline's chest, giving her an ornery little smirk. "Thanks, Maddie."
Hercule's sigh wasn't lost on Chichi and it was her turn to be concerned about him. She reached over and placed her hand on his forearm, looking curiously at him. "Is something bothering you?" she asked quietly. "You know, I mean, besides the obvious of what happened today?" She rubbed at his arm with her thumb, wondering what was on his mind.
Hercule gave her a sad smile, "I wish I had been there. You know? I should have been there to protect you guys." He rubbed at his face, thinking over his day at the ring, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there. I should have been. If I can't protect you guys then what good am I?" he asked. "I can save a whole world, but not my closest family?"
Chichi's heart warmed a little to hear him speak of them as a family. Now that was something she hadn't had for a very long time. "You can't be everywhere all the time. What happened wasn't your fault. You had to work. We understand. Besides, Ryan and Madeline really handled those guys pretty well on their own," she said and slid her hand down his arm to hold his hand. "You've trained them well. So in a way, you did protect us. Don't let this bother you. It wasn't your fault."
Hercule smiled at her and looked at Ryan and Madeline who nodded their agreement. "Well who am I to argue with that logic?" He smiled and leaned back. "You two go on, I know you need some time alone," he said before he looked at Chichi, giving her a smile, rubbing that the back of her hand, "Come on, I think there's a fireplace with our names on it in the other room." He looked around. "Now would be some good time for some hot chocolate and such."