Terry is Hunky dad

Yash chill.

*Brrrrr*

By nine in the morning, Southtown was already bright, sunny and bustling with life. The cafes had been open since 7, diners were packed, and food stands had lines full of people tapping their feet and eyeing their watches. The city was awake and alive, and normally, Terry Bogard would be up and about as well.

*Brrrrr*

However, today… this whole week actually, Terry found himself waking much later than usual. Rock typically woke him up at around 7 am with breakfast before he headed to school or work, but with the teenager currently on the other side of the globe - there was nobody to demand Terry to be conscious at a reasonable hour. Nine o'clock found him happily snoozing away on his favorite couch to the tune of the morning news. He'd been out late with Mary last night, an-

*Brrrrr*

What was that… ugh. It sounded like his cellphone. Terry took a quick inventory of everyone he knew, and came to the conclusion that there was nobody who should be calling for anything urgent. He'd check his messages in an hour. For now. He really needed his sleep.

*Click.*

The phone stopped ringing, and Terry drifted further back into unconsciousness. It was probably a salesperson anyways-

*Brrrrr-*

For god's sake…

Terry grunted and rolled upright to sit on his couch. He rubbed his eyes, pushed his long hair back and made a grab for his buzzing phone on the coffee table. His eyes were bleary, so it took him a moment to make out the caller ID.

Rock?

He picked up.

"Hey, Rocky?" He tried to suppress a yawn, but failed. "What's up."

*Dad?*

Rock didn't sound good. Although the phone signal wasn't fantastic, the boy's distress was clear. Terry forgot his fatigue and fell into 'Dad mode'. His voice was full of concern.

"Are you okay buddy? What happened?"

Rock started babbering. Terry kicked his brain into gear.

*Dad! ugh... Dad, I messed up. I dunno what I'm gonna do now- he's gonna fire me, and he's all mad because I lied, and I messed up on stage, and Shermie told me all this horrible stuff. Nobody tells me anything until now, and when they finally do, everything blows up and-*

"… Hey, hey… calm down, okay? Take it slow."

He heard Rock take a few long breaths. Terry took the opportunity to pull on a shirt and walk over to the kitchen for some water. With Rock gone, Terry had fallen back into his old eating habits. A quick glance across the counter was a shameful reminder that he had been subsisting off only McDonald's for the past few days. He'd better clean up before Rock got home. The kid would definitely start fussing.

"Alright, are we calm?"

*Yeah...Yeah I'm fine.*

"Good. Okay. Tell me where are you right now."

Rock had the habit of overthinking things. He had a delicate psyche and was easily perturbed by rapid changes in environment. Typically, he didn't do well in stressful situations, and Terry, knowing this, had begun to worry for him. A couple of days ago, he had been so stressed he had gotten physically sick - and that incident only served to confirm Terry's fears that this tour was really going to challenge him.

*...I-I'm back in the hotel room.*

"Right. Okay."

But Rock was an adult now, and he needed to go experience the world. He was chasing his dreams right now - so who was Terry to stop him? The most Terry could do now, was to support him from afar… and making sure his current chaperone was behaving.

"So, is Iori treating you alright? Is he feeding you? What did you have for dinner?"

*He's gonna fire me dad! I messed up!*

Terry frowned, then suppressed the urge to ask about Rock's job security. Obviously that was a touchy point, so Terry was going to ease into it. Rock tended to be mellow and logical until he got overwhelmed. When that happened, he broke down and flew off the handle faster than anyone Terry knew.

"Yes, okay, but did you eat?"

*Uh, yeah.*

"What did you eat?"

Terry could hear Rock intentionally slowing his breath.

*I-I just had buffet with Seirah.*

"Seirah?"

*Oh… she's this girl I met. She's a… a fan.*

Terry chuckled. Looks like Rock had calmed down enough to be embarrassed about his lady-friends. That was good, but Terry was interested in getting a status update as to how Iori was treating his son.

"Okay, okay. Well, I trust she's a nice girl. Bring her to meet me someday. Did they have anything good? Where are you now - Hong Kong still, right?"

*Yeah, we leave for Shanghai tomorrow. The buffet was good. I had about a pound of orange chicken.*

"I thought orange chicken was an American thing."

*They were actually serving it in the foreign food section.*

"Really, huh? I suppose they had to import it from the states. It's technically foreign - right?"

Rock gave him a forced laugh. It wasn't a very good joke. He still seemed shaky, but had calmed down considerably. Terry exhaled through his nose, and wished he had something more clever to say.

"So, Rock. What's going on with you and Iori?"

*Oh…* Rock paused and sighed. His voice was downcast. *I'm kind of in trouble.*

"Trouble? Like how." Terry narrowed his eyes. "Did that psycho threaten you?"

*Oh, No - well, he threatened to fire me. Not what you're thinking. He didn't try to hurt me. Not yet at least.*

Terry's voice was warning.

"What do you mean, not yet? Do you have a reason to think he might hurt you?"

Rock was extremely hesitant. When he finally spoke, he sounded strange - even scared.

*I… I think Boss has a lot of secrets, Dad. There's stuff I know that I'm not supposed to - and I think I might be in serious trouble because of it. Shermie told me Iori might kill me if he finds out.*

"...What?"

That was a loaded statement. Terry frowned and considered how he was going to attack it.

"Iori? Sure - he's no angel, but… I dunno Rocky."

*Yeah, well… I just want your opinion.*

"Oh...sure."

Terry cast his mind back. Over the years, he hadn't made particular effort to get to know Iori Yagami. The man was universally intolerable, and pretty much hated everyone he met. However, Terry felt had a basic idea of who Iori was, and he knew the man was no schemer. He was loudly and publicly threatening people all the time, so it was very unlikely Iori was actively trying to hide anything. For him to resort to extreme measures - such as 'killing everyone who found his secret' was so out of character, it might as well be an impossibility. Iori just didn't seem to care enough about other people to be concerned about his reputation.

"Well, if you ask me - I that doesn't really sound like him. I mean, the guy isn't too private about his stuff. Kyo told me he posts his nudes directly to the internet... Don't google it."

Rock made a weird snorting noise. Terry had a chuckle at Iori's expense. He wasn't actually sure if this was true or not, but he wasn't about to confirm it.

After a moment, they resumed their conversation.

"Anyways, what is this 'secret' that you're not supposed to know? Can you tell me?"

*Ugh… okay, hold on.*

There was some shuffling, a door closed, a squeaky shower handle turned open. The noise of running water filled the background, and Rock got really close to the receiver before he spoke. He was taking this really seriously.

*... Okay, I'll tell you, but please don't repeat this to anyone, okay? I don't think Iori knows yet - he said he didn't care about the Ivory Coast thing, but maybe he does. I… well honestly I'm just playing it safe, okay?*

"Uh, sure Rock." Terry didn't quite believe that the situation was as grave as Rock was making it out to be. Chances were that Iori was simply sending him mixed messages - and was actually completely unaware any of this was happening. It was very likely that Rock was overthinking things.

Rock cleared his throat, and started mouth breathing an entire essay.

*So Shermie told me that Iori works with IKARI and likes to kill people. Apparently he destroyed NESTS all on his own, and is pretty much a sick murderer. I don't know if I should believe her, Dad… I mean, In theory - yeah, he can probably kill me - but every old lady in a car can do that too. I get the feeling he doesn't actually want to hurt anyone - but at the same time, I'm kinda on edge because of the IKARI thing... Do you get what I'm saying?*

Terry walked back over to the couch and slumped into it. He furrowed his brow. He heard that Iori had killed Vice and Mature, but that was obviously false, because the secretaries showed up to almost every KOF tournament. He got taken over by Orochi that one time and nearly killed Kyo and Shingo, and he also beat up Billy and the Ninja man pretty badly too. However, nobody died - and everyone had made a full recovery.

Terry sighed.

"Yeah - Sure. Your boss is dangerous, but contrary to what you might expect, he hasn't really done too much. I can count the people he's hospitalized on one hand. I don't think he's a serial killer. I also doubt that he'd even work with Commander Heidern. I mean, I can hardly believe he can work with anyone…. Who did you hear this from, anyways? Was it… uh 'Sherry'?"

*Shermie, She has red hair and has bangs over her eyes. I don't know if you know her, but she's part of Iori's rival band. The news said they had died sometime ago but they seem pretty alive to me. I don't think they're lying, but I don't really believe them either.*

Wait… Terry had heard that name before. Red hair? Bangs? Was it during a tournament? Hm… he needed something to jog his memory. He kept probing for details. Rock didn't seem to mind either way. It looks like he just needed someone to talk to.

"They? What do you mean they died."

*Oh, her and Yashiro. Iori called them zombies once. I don't know if he was just insulting them or not.*

Shermie, Yashiro… That sounded familiar… hmmm… there were three members to a team, right? Who was the las- wait! Chris! CYS! Holy shit! Terry's voice was urgent.

"Rock, are you talking about CYS?!"

Rock was nonchalant, as if he were talking about one of his friends, and not some of the worst religious terrorists in recent memory. Evidently, he thought this tangent wasn't pertinent to their main topic of discussion, and answered flippantly.

*Oh, so you do know them. Yeah, Shermie was the one who told me about Boss - and she said that I'd better keep this a secret or Iori's gonna slit my throat. That's why I'm all nervous...But I'm not sure if I believe her though, that one incident after the Africa seems to corroborate the story… Agh, I don't really know what to think."

Now Terry was the one panicking. He didn't know the whole story, but being a KOF veteren meant lots of information came to him through the grapevine. CYS had been responsible for the whole Orochi Resurrection spectacle seven or eight years back. They had apparently died in the process, but humanity's survival was in danger because of those three. Was Rock seriously in the company of Orochi followers?

"Oh my god, Rock. Why were you even talking to her?

Rock didn't catch the urgency in Terry's tone of voice.

*Uh… why? She's our pianist, and she does everyone's makeup - except for Athena's. I mean, I don't really like her much because she is like… 'super' sexual. She grabbed my butt a few times, and I think she gets a kick out of it. Luckily, Yashiro is a lot cooler than she is. He's really amazing on the guitar too. I-*

Terry was hunched over and was simultaneously holding the phone against his ear, and his head in hands. For the past week, all he had been concerned about was Iori being a tremendous asshole, and giving his son a nervous breakdown. Terry had no idea that CYS were in this picture as well. Those three had almost ended the world, and… How the hell could Iori allow CYS to participate in this? They were dangerous, and not only that, CYS and the Sacred Treasures were supposably bitter enemies. I need to talk to the psycho…

Terry blurted out - interrupting Rock mid sentence.

"Rock. You need to come home."

There was a pause. Rock seemed to sense something was wrong. He spoke cautiously.

* Huh? Wait?...But, Why?*

"Rock. Those guys are dangerous. Listen to me. Come home."

From his tone of voice, it was clear that Rock didn't want to leave. It was also clear he wasn't listening too carefully.

*What do you mean dangerous? Iori never did anything bad to me. I thought we've been through this! Besides, I haven't been fired yet, and I don't wanna be. I get paid a lot too, and… ugh. I mean Dad - I want your help to fix this! I don't want to just leave because I feel partly responsible for this mess. I just want some advice, okay?*

"CYS is the dangerous one, not Iori."

Rock huffed at him.

*Well, that doesn't really change much - right? Nothing's happened so far, and Yashiro's cool. Shermie... is kinda awful, but not worse than Boss, I guess.*

Terry sucked on his lip. Rock gave the appearance of being timid and easily swayed - and he was, actually - but once he had set his mind on something, he could be surprisingly stubborn. There was no way to talk him out of anything over the phone. Terry took a quick moment to restrategize. Iori wasn't actually dangerous, but CYS? No way.

"Okay… okay fine. Then listen to me, and take my advice. CYS are really bad people. Don't talk to them. Don't listen to them. You can just forget about whatever Shermie told you. I wouldn't believe a word she says. Stay as far away as you can from them, alright?"

*But… uh... Okay?* A pause. Rock clearly wasn't as interested in CYS as Terry was.*So, you don't think Iori is-*

Terry interrupted him.

"Iori? No way. He's a celebrity - he can't get away with murder. Have you seen him actually attack anyone?"

Terry dearly hoped Rock's answer was 'no'. He was eager to go back to their main topic.

*No, but… but… what about the IKARI thing? He was in the Ivory Coast with IKARI, he admitted to it himself.*

"Then just ask him. You told me he's never done you wrong, right?"

*Well, uh… yeah. I guess...*

Rock was sounding a bit downcast. Obviously they weren't addressing the topic he was concerned about. Terry was a bit too panicked about CYS to realize Rock was feeling ignored.

"Right. Good. Back to the topic - Please stay away from CYS, okay? They're dangerous, and they're serious trouble."

Rock's tone was disbelieving.

*... Alright?... what do you mean by 'serious trouble'?*

Terry deliberately didn't clarify. He reasoned that it was best not to tell Rock exactly what sort of terrifying people CYS were. That was sure to stress the boy out all over again, and that might get him in trouble. Unfortunately, although Terry's intentions were good - this withholding of information was ostracizing his son even further.

"Trouble means trouble. Also, ask Iori to kick Shermie and Yashiro out of the band. Get rid of them. I don't want you associating with those people. They-... well, anyways. Just trust me, alright?"

*... Ask Iori to... wait, but Dad - Yashiro is the lead guitarist. I'll be too nervous without him. If he wasn't here earlier today, then I would have screwed up the concert for sure. If I don't do well in the next concert, then I'm gonna get fired-*

"Then get fired!"

Terry had raised his voice until he was nearly yelling. He was a little frustrated that Rock didn't seem to be taking his warnings seriously. He never yelled at his son, so Rock was shocked into silence. When he finally replied, he sounded exasperated.

*... Dad! I'm not doing that! ...Ugh - why did I even call you!*

Ah… shit.

Terry quickly calmed down, and tried to rectify the situation. It seemed like Rock was just about ready to hang up on him.

"Okay, okay… sorry, Rock."

*... Dad I'm not leaving, and I need Yashiro's help on stage.*

His voice was defiant. Terry sighed. If he couldn't convince his son to leave the band, or otherwise get rid of CYS - at least he had to be safe. Interestingly enough, 'by Iori's side' was probably the safest place one could be when dealing with the Heavenly Kings. Apparently Orochi had been sealed away by the Sacred Treasures, and that severely weakened the follower's powers. Nevertheless, even weakened, they were probably formidable - especially if they could rise from the dead. According to rumors, Iori had fought them at full strength before. Dealing with them now probably wouldn't be an issue.

"Fine… okay then…Since you're staying - then stick close to bossman, alright? He'll protect you."

*Dad… I don't think that's necessary. I've spent more time with Shermie and Yashiro than with Iori this trip. I'll try not to hang out with them, but I honestly don't think you need to be worried.*

"Rock! Can you take me seriously? Please-"

There was a long silence. Terry felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Whatever this verbal exchange was, he had come out the loser.

*... Yeah, okay. Dad, look. I've had a long day. I think I'm gonna go to sleep. I'll talk to you later.*

"Rock, Promi-"

*Click*

Yeah well Yag is actually kinda a serial murderer lmao (in a few years after this tho).

And Shermie didn't lie at all.

Shermie and Yash are sorta evil tho.

Terry isn't as good as Devilmom at this :(

Right now:

Athena - Rock did boo boo during performance. She's not happy; Rock: scary purple lady who might turn me inside out

Kenosu - Doesn't speak english; Rock: das Athena's bitch

Iori - boi imma whip u into shape u lil shit; Rock: He may or may not murder me... but he deffo will fire me.

Shemie/yash - bout to ruin this man's whole career; Rock: we frens

Whip - Why are you so dumb; Rock - pls don't leave me, everyone is going to kill me

Terry - oh god, I fked up. Rock - Dad is consipiracy theory?!

My poor baby duckling T^T U all alone now! (except for whip, but he's still not too comfy around her)

Stuff gets infintely worse don u worry