Short chapter. But it delivers. Trust me.
Whoever was at the door clearly had no concept of someone not answering the door, Wales thought with a groan. He stumbled towards the door, muttering to himself.
"Wales! We know you're in there, now come on! Open the door!" A female voice shouted.
"God, keep it down, woman!" Wales snapped, as he undid the locks on the doors, and yanked it open, "I'm here, jeez!"
"Yes, you are, and you're currently shirtless. While normally, I wouldn't mind the view, we have a job to do," Sophie Deveraux trilled, brushing by the other man and striding into his apartment, heels clicking.
Wales' jaw clenched, and he looked at the redhead still in the hallway.
"Long night?" Gingka Hagane asked, just a touch amused.
"Get in here before I slam the door in your face," Wales snapped.
"Hm. Touchy," Gingka's eyebrows twitched as he walked by the redhead.
Wales slammed the door and locked it, "Just keep her entertained while I try to get ready for the day."
"How much did you drink last night?"
"Shut it, and just keep her occupied,"
Wales detoured into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. He ran a hand through his hair, and promptly made his way back to his room. He needed a shower, and a prayer for patience.
.
.
.
After a shower, a change of clothes, and downing more Advil than probably recommended on the bottle, Wales poured himself a cup of coffee and joined his companions in the living area.
"You look better," Sophie commented, with a roguish smirk.
"Don't you dare start," Wales pointed at her, deadpan. "And just tell me why you're both here."
"Well, first of all, dad said a couple of his detectives paid you a visit and that you went through an interview of some sort on your brother's abduction?" Gingka asked.
Wales groaned, and took a fortifying sip of his coffee, "Yeah. I did."
There was a beat of silence, and Sophie made an inquisitive noise, "Well?"
"Well, I ended up at Cadelle's and got drunk. You tell me," Wales said, dryly. "And now you and Gingka are sitting in my living room before ten A.M on a Saturday morning, and I'm still trying to fight off a hangover."
"Wales," Sophie sighed, clicking her pen. "Come on. They gave you a cognitive interview. Is there anything that you remember that's not in your case file?"
"… Yeah, actually," Wales sighed. "I came up with a name I hadn't before."
At that, Gingka perked up, "Oh? What's the name?"
"I only got a first name… Doji," Wales replied.
"Well, that's good!" Sophie perked up, with a smile. Then, she glanced to Wales' right, on the other side of the couch, and caught how pale the other redhead in the room had become, "Gingka?"
"Doji… Doji Akuro," Gingka said, voice cracking. "I mean, how many people whose name is 'Doji'."
"Wait, wait, wait, what's the significance behind Doji?" Wales sat up, "You know him?"
"… An old case of my dad's," Gingka said. "It's… how Kyoya and Ryuga and Tsubasa all became part of his squad."
"What happened?" Sophie asked.
"… Case is sealed, since minors were involved, and… Dad doesn't bring his work home," Gingka answered. "And, even as a cop's kid, it's not like I can get access to those files, so don't ask."
"Except," Sophie grinned, shark-like and dark. "I'm not a member of the police force. And I have people in my pocket, people who owe me favors."
"Well, whatever favors you're about to call in, make it fast," Wales sighed. "I'm getting tired, Soph. I either want to stop holding on to the hope that my brother's alive, or have him back in my life. I can't keep doing this."
"And I can't keep lying to my dad, or my friends," Gingka agreed, quietly. "I'm good at playing dumb, but eventually, I'd like not to."
"I know, boys," Sophie said, gaze turning soft. "Trust me, we've got leads now, leads we didn't have before. This will all be over soon."
"Hey. You need to eat,"
"I'm fine,"
"Sure you are. And I'm not your best friend in this hellhole for nothing," The blonde rolled his eyes, and tossed the apple he held across the room. His companion caught it, eyes narrowing, "Eat."
"How'd you get this?" There was a pause, before a crunch as the young man bit into the fruit.
"You think I worked my way up in your father's ranks for no good reason?" He scoffed, "Please. I'm a narcissist, not a sociopath. Your father, though… no he's both."
"A narcissist in a law enforcement position… how the hell did I happen?"
"I'll let you in on a little secret, Luke," The blonde leaned forward, settling his elbows on his knees. "I'm a Konzern in a law enforcement position. We're all narcissists." He scoffed, "My brother, God bless him, he's one of the worst I ever knew. Get him in a room full of people and he was garnering attention left and right. The good attention, according to daddy dearest. I just got the wrong attention… Ran away, ended up getting caught up in the sights of the right people. And now here I am."
"You talk too much, Nero," Lucas McKandless scowled. "I could easily walk out of this room and report to my father that you're an undercover cop."
"Agent. There's a difference. Plus, you wouldn't. You're not him. You're not sadistic or sociopathic," Nero Konzern said, raising an eyebrow. "The same way I could've played the part Caspian expects me too and taken advantage of you."
"… What makes you say I'm not like him? He's all I've ever known," Lucas sighed.
"Because you helped that girl escape," Nero's voice was soft. "Because, despite all the evil things you've seen, and the hell you've gone through… You've still got a good soul. And I think… despite how little you remember of them, that your mom and brother really influenced that, Lucas."
"…" Lucas finished off his apple, and tossed the core into a nearby trashcan. He glanced up over at Nero, who was sitting on his desk, feet in the matching chair, "Hour's almost up."
"Mm. Your father will be here soon," Nero nodded. "You know this is the part I hate the most."
Lucas sat up on the bed, cracking his neck, "Just make it look believable. I can live with it."
"Not for too much longer," Nero stood up and then hopped down off the chair, crossing the room. "… I'm really going to hate meeting your brother when this story gets out."
"I really want to be there when you see your brother again. If he's as much of a bitch as you say he is, then he's going to lose it over what you've done with your life," Lucas smirked.
"That… is a mental image I can fall in love with," Nero grinned, and reached up to hook his fingers in Luke's shirt collar. His expression became mournful, "I really am sorry about this."
Before Lucas could reply, Nero was slamming his elbow into his face.
Listen. I said this fic was probably gonna get dark, and it is. We're only just starting, people. :3
hope ya'll enjoyed and will leave a review!