A/N:We hope you enjoy the chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Finder or any of the cannon characters, this is purely just a work of fiction. This is my first fanfiction, so be gentle but comments are appreciated! If you like, please leave comments
Chapter 11
/I'm sorry Kitten, I don't think I can make it to your treatment. Will you be okay?
/I'll be fine Asami! Don't worry about me! I'm tough! :)
/I know you are. Txt me if you need me. One txt and I'll come running.
/Yeah Yeah I know! Now focus on work!
/Fine. See you tonight.
Akihito sighed as he let his phone fall onto his bed, the boy feeling his good mood go down the drain. The treatments were always easier when Asami was here to keep his mind off what was going on. This was his first time doing it alone…which was actually a little scary, but the photographer knew Asami was busy and couldn't make it to everything. I'll be strong for Asami!
There was a soft knock at the door followed by Gramps walking through. Behind him there was a nurse who brought in everything for his treatment. As usual the nurse just helped to set it up where it needed to be before leaving Akihito and the doctor to have some privacy. Akihito appreciated this, he didn't like to be crowded during his treatment.
"Is Ryuichi unavailable today?" Gramps asked as he pulled his gloves on.
"Yes…looks like it's just us today." Akihito mumbled sheepishly, looking down at his hands nervously.
Gramps nodded, reaching out for Akihito's arm. The boy cringed as he allowed the older man to take his bruised arm. It was this moment he needed Asami to keep him distracted the most, to capture his attention so he wouldn't see the needle going into his arm as the doctor started the IV. Aki wasn't exactly scared of needles, it was more like seeing the needle go into his skin made the photographer feel queasy. Feeling the needle pierce through his skin, Aki winced and gripped the bar of the bed with his free hand.
"You know, I could put a port in so I wouldn't have to stick you every time. It would probably make this process a little less painful."
"Y-Yeah I know, but I would rather not. A port just sounds scary. With needles at least I'm starting to get used to them." Aki pointed out.
"That's true I suppose. Are you ready for me to start the first bag?" The boy nodded and moments later he felt the familiar burning sensation running up his arm.
Trying to distract himself so tears wouldn't start falling, Akihito looked around the room he had been stuck staring at for what felt like forever. It was the largest room in the hospital, the walls painted a yellowy cream color. There was a some-what large television mounted on the wall with both his PlayStation and Wii hooked up to it. Under the only window in the room was a dresser, and inside was variety boxes of fruit snacks. On top of the dresser sat Ririchiyo's cage. She was currently sitting near the bars, watching him and munching away on timothy hay. She had been staying in the room ever since Asami caught Suoh sneaking her in for the third time.
Sadly there wasn't really anything else in the room he could look at and the remote to the television was across the room. It seemed Dr. Beekley noticed this because he cleared his throat to speak, gaining Akihito's attention.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot…remember when you asked if I had any photos of my grandson? Well I had my daughter send me some. Would you still like to see them?"
Aki smiled, nodding eagerly. The doctor grabbed out his cell, clicked on a few different things before he passed over the phone. The young photographer grinned as he looked at the cute little boy, who was maybe six years old, riding a large great dane like it as a horse. Noticing something a little off, he furrowed his eyebrows. Gramps chuckled when he saw this.
"He's adopted. Actually that little one is why I learned Japanese. When my daughter and son in law first adopted him he knew zero English, so someone had to be able to communicate with him."
"Oh, well he's definitely an adorable kid! Wait, where was this photo taken?" Aki asked curiously as he swiped through to the next photo.
Gramps glanced over and smiled. "That one? Those were taken last year on one of our family vacations. We go on two vacations every year, one in country and the other out. These were taken on our "in the US" vacation. We were in Georgia, basically just visiting all the best vacation spots."
"Georgia? Where's that?"
"It's a southern state in the US. A really beautiful place if you can handle the heat. Amazing food too, but you'll gain twenty pounds." Akihito perked up at the mention of good food.
"Oooo!~ Tell me more! Like where is the best places to go?~"
Dr. Beekley chuckled, beginning to tell the boy all about his trip there, and answering all further questions. Akihito was happy to have this distraction, plus it was getting him scheming.
"Knock, knock!" Aki mentally cursed as he heard the door to his room open. It had been a few hours since his treatment and the nausea that usually followed was really kicking his ass this time around. He was so sick of throwing up, especially the gross feeling he got from it.
"I-I'll be out in a-"Aki couldn't finish his sentence before he was vomiting again into the toilet.
Running footsteps came to the door at lightning speed, the door swinging open to reveal Fei along with a tiny Mayuri. Akihito could hear Tao somewhere behind them, asking if he was okay. Fei dropped to his knees behind him, rubbing his back with a worried expression. It was embarrassing for Aki to have people other than the nurses and Asami see him like this, so much so he felt tears sting his cheeks.
"Oh shit Aki, do you want me to call Ryu?" Mayuri asked, already grabbing his phone out.
Akihito felt his body shaking as he shook his head no. "N-No…He's busy." Aki mumbled before groaning He felt gross.
"Are you done?" Fei asked softly, still rubbing his back.
"Y-Yeah…I think so."
"Alright, then let's get you cleaned up. Mayuri, get me a wet towel and tell Tao to get a glass of ice water ready."
Once Mayuri was back, the pair took their time to help Aki get cleaned up, and really he was grateful. It was just humiliating for him, not being able to do it himself. When Asami did it he barely even thought about it because it felt so natural to have Asami's hands on him. When the nurses helped him he was able to get over it because it was their job and they were strangers. But with Fei and Mayuri, two people he knew, it just made him want to burst into tears.
Come on, dry it up Takaba! No more tears! You've cried too much as it is! People are going to start calling you a cry baby before long!
"Okay, I think we're done." Mayuri said cheerfully, tossing the rags to the side as he got up to wash his hands.
"Thanks…" Aki mumbled, trying to give them a smile. He reached up and gripped the edge of the counter, attempting to use his upper body strength to get himself out of the floor. The photographer managed to a few inches off the ground before falling back on his ass. Akihito winced. Fuck!
Trying for a second time, he was stopped when he felt a hand on both shoulders. Aki turned his head, looking at his two friends. "Let us help you." Mayuri gave him a serious, almost demanding look that reminded him of Asami's. There was no way to refuse, and honestly Akihito felt too weak to fight. So, he just accepted the help.
With Fei's and Mayuri's help, Aki made it to his bed, getting settled into it as his cheeks burned red. Fei grabbed the blanket from the bottom of the bed and pulled it up, covering Akihito's bare legs. Next thing he knew he had a glass of water shoved in his face.
"Aki! Are you okay?!" Tao asked, looking up at him with a devastated look of concern. His hands were shaking, and Aki could clearly see he scared the kid. He accepted the water, taking a sip to clear his throat and get the disgusting taste out of his mouth.
"I'm fine Tao! Don't worry about me. How have you been?" He hated how scratchy his voice sounded.
"I've been good! I've been leaning a lot from my tutors! And Fei-Sama got me a bunny like yours for my birthday! She's brown and has floppy ears! I named her Yuxi! She's really sweet ad she loves to watch cartoons with me!" Aki couldn't help but grin.
"That's awesome Tao! If Fei gave you a pet then he must think you're very responsible!"
Tao's face lit up like a Christmas tree, the boy turning to look at Fei expectantly. "Really Fei-Sama?! You think I'm responsible?!"
Fei scoffed. "Yes, I suppose so. Inside voice, by the way. We're inside a hospital."
"Oh, right. Sorry. Hey Aki, can I play a game?~"
"Ooooo Me too! Me too!" Akihito looked over to see Kiyomi at the entrance of the door.
"I don't see why not." Tao grinned, running to turn the tv on with the younger girl following behind him
Aki waited until the kids were busy with the game before turning his attention back over to the other two adults. Fei had seated himself while Mayuri held a large, decorative basket. The photographer gave the shorter male a funny look.
"I brought you a gift basket!~" He said in a sing song voice as he carried it over, setting it on the edge of the bed for Aki to look through.
"Aw…that's really sweet of you Mayuri. You didn't have to go through all this trouble. Just visiting me is plenty."
"Oh stop with all that modesty stuff and just look in it!~ I would never go to the trouble for someone who I didn't like, and who didn't deserve it!~" Mayuri said, giving Aki a cute grin.
Rolling his eyes, Aki pulled the basket closer. He felt a smile tug at his lips as he pulled out a plush turtle from the basket. It had a cute face, smiling with little pink blushies on it. He liked it, but he thought the choice of a turtle was really random, but with Mayuri you never knew what to expect he was finding out.
"Isn't it cute?~ I think turtles are just adorable! Plus they live a long time and I want you to live a long time, so boom. Turtle power." Akihito couldn't help but giggle.
"It's definitely cute, but I'm not sure turtle power is a thing. But I do like it. Thank you." Aki grinned and shook his head a bit before setting the turtle on his side table (which he just noticed had a vase with flowers in it)
"Hey!~ Don't thank me until you've gone through all of it! Otherwise that's going to be a lot of "Thank you"s!"
Mayuri was a funny guy, he decided. He dove back into the basket, grabbing out a few food related items. A large expensive can of roasted nuts, a box of what appeared to be healthy crackers, and a variety of nut butters.
"Ryu told me you weren't able to eat after treatments, so I did a little research. A lot of other patients say they can only stomach things like nuts. So I figured it was better nuts than nothing at all."
Akihito smiled a bit, nodding as he was given this explanation. He was never hungry after treatments but he knew not eating worried Asami, so if this was something he could actually stomach then he would give it a shot. There were a few different types of teas, which the fashion designed explained their use as well. Valerian root tea (Helps with not being able to sleep), milk thistle tea (Helped with nausea. Aki wished he had this earlier), and earl grey (Helped with anxiety and depression).
"You put a lot of thought into this." Akihito said, surprised honestly. He didn't know Mayuri too well, and yet he went through all this trouble for him? It almost seemed too much.
"I did!~ But only the best for family!~" Mayuri received a confused look. "Oh silly, you're family now!~ Asami and I are like family, so of course that makes us family since you two are you know…together and adorable!~"
"Uh-huh." Aki rolled his eyes again, before he looked at the bottom of the basket. There was what appeared to be a large folded up poster. He saw the over the top innocent look the boy got as he grabbed it out, so Akihito already knew to expect something that would make him either cringe or burst into laughter. Turns out he did a bit of both.
"Really Mayuri?! A "hang in there" kitty poster?! There is something seriously fucked up with your sense of humor!" Aki exclaimed through his cackles.
"Oh come on!~ It's definitely going to add some inspirational character to these bland walls!" Mayuri said with a giggle.
"You're such an ass! But fuck I love it. Fei, pretty please put it up?~" He asked, actually crying with laughter. He couldn't help it, he shared the same messed up humor.
Fei scoffed, standing up to do so before the door burst open, Rin looking at Aki with wide eyes. He rushed forward, falling to his knees at the bed. Akihito looked from the guard (Who he admittedly was beginning to like), to the others in the room who all had the same freaked out looks on their faces. Even Tao had turned his head to stare.
"TAKABA-SAMA! PLEASE ALLOW ME TO PUT THAT POSTER UP FOR YOU! IT WOULD BE MY GREATEST HONOR SIR!"
"Um….yeah…sure Rin. If you want to put it up go ahead." Akihito said slowly, pointing to the wall beside him that was so painfully bare. "There?"
"YES, THAT SEEMS LIKE THE MOST APPROPRIATE PLACE!" Rin exclaimed, and out of nowhere he pulled out a little pack of thumb tacks. Aki had gotten used to Rin pulling things out of nowhere, but from the looks on the other's faces they were not.
Rin took the poster and began his task, seeming way too concerned about getting it perfectly straight. Akihito decided it was best just to ignore and let him do his own thing, so he brought his attention back to the two he had been speaking to before.
"Thank you, Mayuri. This was all really sweet. Stupid poster and all." Akihito said, grinning as he sat the basket down on the ground.
"Excuse you, it's a hilariously stupid poster." Mayuri corrected, making the photographer stuck out his tongue.
"Alright monkey boy, don't be a smartass!"
"Who are you calling monkey boy, kitten?~"
"You! You're the one who was hanging all over my ma-"Akihito's face lit up bright red, realizing what he was about to say. Fei snickered as he just sat back and watched the scene going on, amused.
"Oh you are just sooooo cute Aki dearest! So easily flustered!~ It's just simply darling!" Aki felt his face heating up even more.
"Hey! Stop teasing me! I'm a grown man, not a little kid!"
"Hehe, could have fooled me with that school boy innocence!~ Can't even call Asami your man without getting too embarrassed!~"
Akihito gritted his teeth. "I can too!"
"Oh yeah?~ Then prove it!"
"Rrr Fine! Asami Ryuichi is my man! He is my stupid yakuza bastard! My sexy beast of a crimelord!" Akihito snapped before he realized what was coming out of his mouth, and when he did he wished he could crawl underground and live as a mole person, never to show his face to the outside world again. This feeling only grew as the door opened, and the man himself walked in, Kirishima and Suoh following.
"Someone is getting rather possessive, aren't they?" Asami said with a smirk as he walked into the room. Aki grabbed one of his pillows and hid his face behind it.
"THAT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY OF YOUR PASSION, TAKABA-SAMA! I AM SO VERY MOVED!" Rin exclaimed, not at all helping.
"Rin shut up!" Akihito yelled, the pillow muffling his voice.
"Oh no, he's right Aki!~ Such a passionate display!~ You definitely proved me wrong!~" Aki could hear the mocking in his voice.
"Ugh I hate you Mayuri!"
"Do you really?~"
"Dammit no!" The blue haired boy laughed.
"Hey, I'm just saying you had this coming, Akihito. After yesterday." Fei pipped up, making Aki raise his head to point at the Chinese man accusingly.
"That was hilarious and you know it!"
"No it wasn't!"
"Yes it was! Even Kirishima laughed when Rin showed him a picture!"
Fei whipped his head to look at Rin. "You took pictures?!" Before Rin could speak up, Asami did for him.
"Oh you bet he did. I have a copy of it in my office."
"In your office?! Akihito, surely you're not okay with that!"
Aki giggled. "It's my phones screen saver." Fei looked absolutely betrayed.
"And mine." Kei said, and Fei blushed dark, something Aki didn't think he had ever seen before.
"You are all awful, sick people." Fei muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned his head to look anywhere but at them.
Asami grinned as he made his way over to Aki, and just from his look Akihito knew that his lover hadn't let what he walked in on die. "So I'm yours, am I?"
"Y-Yeah? So what if you are?!" Akihito snapped defensively, following suit with Fei, arms crossed and refusing to look at anyone.
The crimelord smirked as he grabbed the boy's chin, making Akihito look back at him. "I like it when you're possessive. It's hot." Asami leaned forward and pressed his lips against Aki's. Mayuri whistled in the background.
"H-Hey! Stop it you bastard!" He pushed Asami away. It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss Asami, but he had just thrown up not too long ago and he didn't feel especially attractive at the moment because of it. Asami didn't seem hurt, instead he just took a seat beside the blushing boy on the bed.
"Fine, I'll stop. But only because Kei brought something to give you." Asami said, and Kei took this as his moment to set a black bag down and rummage through it.
"This one is for you, Akihito." Kirishima said, grabbing out a crochet black kitty hat that had golden eyes. He handed it over to the sick boy.
Akihito stared at the hat for a few seconds, trying to decide to show his gratefulness or his irritation over it being a fucking cat. He decided not to be a brat.
"Thanks Kirishima! It's really cute! Where did you get it?" He asked cheerfully as he put it on his head, his irritation quickly going away because of how warm it was. Plus…admittedly it made him feel better.
"Oh he made it!~ Didn't you Kei?~" Mayuri pipped up with a cheeky grin. Kirishima gave him a dirty look, but nodded.
"….I did."
This definitely came as a shock. There was no way he ever would have thought Glasses could do something so crafty and normal! Then again, Asami had claimed once that Kirishima could do anything and would do anything if he was ordered to. Akihito thought he was over reacting, but apparently that wasn't the case.
"Where in the world did you learn to crochet?" Aki asked, still bewildered.
"I have five sisters…" That was the only explanation Kirishima gave, and the only one Aki really needed to accept it.
The secretary walked over and bent down next to the two children who were playing video games, and he held out something to Kiyomi.
"This one is for you." Kiyomi paused the game, her chocolate brown eyes curious as they looked up at the unfamiliar man. But when she saw what she was being handed, she squealed and quickly put it on.
"Thaaaaank yooooooou! It's so prettyful! I love it, love it, love it!" Kiyomi jumped up to hug Kirishima, wearing her rainbow unicorn hat.
Apparently having so many sisters didn't change the fact Glasses was awkward with physical contact, a fact that made Aki snicker. What a dork.
"I'm pleased you like it." Kirishima said, patting her back awkwardly before standing back up. Kiyomi looked like the happiest little gumdrop, this big happy grin on her face. Akihito wished he had his camera to take a picture.
Once the little girl had gone back to the game she and Tao were playing, Kirishima walked over to Fei who had busied himself with watching the display Mayuri and Suoh were putting on. Mayuri was all over Suoh at the moment, obviously not caring who was in the room. It would have been sweet if it didn't still freak Akihito out about their dynamic. When Kirishima cleared his throat, Fei looked over.
"And this one is for you." Kei pushed his glasses up as he looked away from the Chinese man, holding out the gift.
Fei looked a bit weirded out as he accepted it slowly, looking as though he expected it to blow up. Unfolding it, they could all now see it was a red and gold Chinese dragon with green eyes. It was really cool, but Akihito just couldn't see Fei ever in something so childish as an animal themed hat.
"Um…thanks, but I don't think I'll be wearing this."
Kirishima glanced over at him and shrugged. "Do it or don't. I don't care."
"Aw you hurt his feelings! Come on Fei, wear it!~ You would look fabulous in anything anyhow!~" Mayuri pipped up after detaching himself from Suoh.
"It's fine. He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to." Kirishima said, no seeming to care per usual.
Fei didn't say anything, instead he sarcastically rolled his eyes before he put it on, crossing his arms over his chest. Akihito struggled not to giggle, because really he looked ridiculous in the hat. But then again he was sure he did as well. They were cute though, and rather warm!~
"Now where's mine Kei?~" Mayuri asked as he took a running jump onto the secretary's back, latching onto him. Monkey boy.
"Doesn't exist. I didn't make one for you." Kirishima said, pushing up his glasses again. He just seemed to accept the small human on his back.
"Awwww! You hurt my feelings now!~"
"Tough."
"You're so mean to me Kei! Come on, you know I would look awesome in one of your cute hats!~"
"Suoh, please remove Mayuri from my back." Kirishima said with a sigh. Silently the large blonde behemoth made his way across the room and lifted the pouting Mayuri up with ease, but as soon as he turned the blue haired boy around he grinned and latched onto his husband.
"Kazumi!~" And they were all over each other again. Akihito cringed and looked away.
Akihito smiled tiredly as he leaned back against his pillows, closing his eyes. He was so exhausted, but he was also very happy. Being surrounded by so much lively energy made him feel a tad more normal. And no one in the room was acting like this was all weird, something that also helped. He liked it when people visited him, and especially when people didn't look at him with that look of he was dying. As much as he loved his two best friends, the day they came he had ended up being more down when they left than when they arrived. Aki knew that wasn't their intention, but the looks of pity they gave him just ruined his mood. It was kind of weird that a group of not so good people made him feel more at home than his normal friends.
Feeling a large hand on his leg, Aki was brought out of his head and back to reality.
"You look tired, Kitten." Asami softly said, rubbing his leg.
"You do look pretty tired!~ Maybe we should let you get some sleep!~" Mayuri chirped, and everyone in the room nodded in agreement.
Akihito had mixed feelings over everyone leaving. He wanted the company but it was so rare he was actually sleepy right after treatments. Usually he could go days without really sleeping because of how much pain he was in or just the nausea. So he had to suck it up and go for what was best for himself.
"I think that's probably for the best…I feel exhausted." He said honestly, giving them all an apologetic smile.
"PLEASE GET SOME GOOD SLEEP TAKABA-SAMA!" Rin exclaimed, having finally put the poster up in a position he thought was perfect. And strangely Yoh was beside him, which weirded Aki out. He hadn't even noticed Yoh was in the room.
"Thanks Rin, I will." Akihito said with a small smile, waving to the group of people as everyone said their goodbyes and started heading out. Asami followed behind everyone, turning out the light, and now it was only he and Kiyomi in the room.
"Mayuri, can we talk for a minute?" Asami asked, looking down at the smaller man. The fashion designed shrugged and turned to Suoh, smiling.
"Kazumi darling, would you mind getting the car warm for me?~ I'll be right there." Mayuri asked sweetly as he leaned up and pressed a kiss to the taller's neck. Suoh just nodded and headed off to do so.
"Alright, what's up Ryu?~" Mayuri asked, leaning against the wall as he took out his flask, tipping it back to take a swig.
"I saw your brothers a few weeks ago. I would have told you sooner but you weren't picking up the phone and I've been busy with Akihito."
Mayuri's mood seemed to drop, something Asami expected to happen. "Ah. So how's Yusuke doing?~
"Yusuke is doing fine, but since your older brother took over he's making irrational decisions and mistakes that could be the end of your family's group. It's to the point it's becoming bothersome to me."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I'm probably going to drop ties to them, and we both know Jun won't just let that go. I will probably have to take care of business, and even though you don't speak to him he's still your bro-"
"If you finish that sentence you're going to make me angry, Ryu." Mayuri said coldly, and Asami could see the pain in his multicolored eyes. "Jun is nothing to me but bad memories and nightmares. I don't care what you have to do to him. You know my views on this. Leave Yusuke, mother, and Jun's wife and kids out of it. Oher than that I don't care."
Asami sighed, nodding. "You know I wouldn't harm them."
"I know, but I still had to say it. Now, if you'll excuse me I want to get home!~ By the way, you're letting Suoh off for the day!~ Kazumi and I haven't seen each other in over a month since I've been out of country, and you know how I get without my Kazumi!~"
The crimelord chuckled and shrugged. "Fine, I'm going to be here the rest of the night anyway. Come by my office sometime this week so we can have lunch together. I need your opinion on the project."
"Sure sure!~ See you then, and do take care of that darling Akihito!~ He's just a doll!~" Mayuri called out as he skipped down the hallway towards the elevator.
Asami turned, glancing over at Rin who was standing at his post. Asami noticed the dark circles under the guard's eyes and started to think back to the last day Rin had off. He couldn't remember, which meant it had been a while. Asami actually felt a little bad, because he knew this guy probably had things in his life he wanted to do, and yet he never complained about standing in the same position for hours. As annoying as he was, he was reliable.
"Rin, go ahead and take the day off, and don't bother coming in tomorrow. I'll be up here all day since its Saturday. Go enjoy your weekend."
Rin blinked in surprise, bowing at a ninety degrees. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH ASAMI-SAMA! IF YOU NEED ME FOR ANYTHING PLEASE JUST CALL!"
"Fine, just go." Asami dismissed, and soon the guard was happily walking away, to where they would never know. Once he was out of sight, Asami opened Akihito's door and walked in, taking in the sight before him with a smile.
Akihito was asleep on the bed, Kiyomi in his arms as they laid curled up together. Kiyomi had taken the plush turtle from the side table and snuggled up to it. They were both still wearing their hats. Asami smiled at them, finding it absolutely adorable. He even took out his phone and took a picture. Akihito and Kei could have an embarrassing Fei picture as their screen saver, but he was going to have this cute one as his.
Asami walked over to the recliner in the corner of the room he had moved in not too long ago, taking a seat as he leaned back in it. He hadn't used it up until this point because he was usually in the bed with Akihito. He had to admit he was a little jealous of the child who was stealing his Kitten for the night, but if there was anyone he would share with it was that little cutie.
The crimelord wasn't sure when he drifted off, but he must have since he was finding himself being shaken awake by a tiny hand. He opened his eyes groggily, expecting to see Akihito, but instead saw the child. She raised her arms up expectantly. Demanding little thing. Still, he complied and picked her up, setting her in his lap.
"Is everything alright?" He asked, looking down at her as she snuggled up to his chest.
"Mhm. Just had a nightmare." She mumbled.
"A nightmare? What about?" Asami asked quietly, not wanting to wake Aki up.
"Being back at the orphanage." He felt his heart rip a bit.
"Well you can sleep here with me. If you have another nightmare…I'll shoot it."
Kiyomi giggled, "You're silly."
"So I'm told."
"I like you. You're nice, and you have pretty eyes. I like Aki too. He's like a kitty." Asami chuckled. Told you, Kitten. Even the child thinks so.
"That he is. Now get some sleep. It's late and surely it's past your bedtime." When there wasn't a reply, he looked down to see she was already asleep. The crimelord smiled and stroked her cheek before he caught himself, his eyebrows furrowing.
When did I become this way?
