Kain couldn't believe how well the Maximum Mayhem tournament had worked out. Losing Grant hurt, of course - he hadn't even been allowed to know how inevitable it was until afterwards - but he accepted the pain and moved forward with no regrets. Anything else would have been a slight to Grant's memory.

And in return Kain had gained a prize beyond compare. Geese's power and Marie's looks were as potent a combination as he had imagined them. Rock had strength even Kain struggled against, quick strikes backed up by unbelievable mobility, so fast they were impossible to guard against. It would be a long time before Kain forgot the thrill of their final match. And surprising beauty as well; he had inherited Marie's delicate features, bright eyes and soft hair, as well as a narrow figure that while unmistakably boyish, still had her sense of grace.

There was just one problem.

"Hey! Lay off, freak!"

...the Legendary Wolf's attitude.

It was vexing. It was irritating. It was the one fly in the otherwise-perfect ointment. Not for the first time, Kain cursed whatever confluence of fate had hidden the existence of Marie's son until it was nearly too late. He tried not to blame his sister, but she really should have told him. All of this nonsense could have been avoided.

Kain loved his sister, but when he found her again there would be some very pointed questions asked.

Either way, what was done was done. It would have been better if Rock had been raised in civilization so he'd know his proper place as Geese's heir and Kain's right-hand man, but one made do. Kain would just have to teach the boy how things worked in the real world bit by bit.

To that end, he invited Rock, in no uncertain terms, to a small after-hours chat one evening, and took care to put out a nice bottle of whiskey and a couple glasses.

Rock showed up, slouched onto the opposite end of the couch from Kain, and sat there with a look that bordered on a glare. He waited a minute in silence before speaking with controlled irritation. "This about last night?"

'Last night' had been when Rock refused to go along with a plan to ambush several opposing gang leaders and instead had walked up to challenge them and their bodyguards 'fairly'. The fact he'd won without trouble only slightly eased the problem that every single one of them was still alive.

Sensing a battle he wasn't going to win - damn the Wolf - Kain slipped around the issue instead. "Not at all. I just thought that after three months we should get to know each other better. I haven't had much time with my nephew, after all." He poured two generous glasses of whiskey and held one out with a charming smile. "Drink?"

The look shifted into suspicious confusion, but Rock took the offered glass anyway. "I don't really drink..." he mumbled, holding it awkwardly.

"Then it's time to start," Kain said firmly. "A toast."

"Fine, whatever."

They clinked their glasses together and drank. Or Kain drank, and Rock coughed and sputtered.

"Too strong for you?" Kain asked, and took another sip to drive the point home.

The glare came back in full force as Rock wiped his mouth off with his sleeve. "Shut up." He took a long gulp and got it down by pure force of will, judging by his expression. When he finished the level in his glass was noticeably lower than Kain's.

If he'd been raised properly he'd know better. But if he'd been raised properly Kain wouldn't have to do this in the first place. He settled back and started with the small talk and got an expected series of snappish, monosyllabic answers in return.

By the time Kain was halfway through his own glass, Rock's angry gulps every time he didn't like the conversation had drained his. He reached for the table with a noticeably swaying hand that Kain caught easily.

"Careful," he said, "the glasses are expensive," and guided Rock to gently set the glass down on the table. He could feel Rock's pulse under his fingers, and it beat hard and fast.

As soon as the glass was down Rock snatched his hand away. "Thanks. But I coulda-" He seemed to forget what he was going to say and let himself flop back to the couch. "Whatever. We're done here, right?" Without waiting for a reply he stood up to leave.

...and promptly listed over so dangerously he had to fall right back where he had been. The shocked, angry expression was adorable. The bright flush across his cheeks was appealing.

Marie really had been a beauty. It was no wonder Geese had wanted her. Any man would. Even Kain.

Marie wasn't here, but Rock was.

What kind of man would - could - hold back?

Kain smiled and leaned over to look Rock right in the face, bracing himself with an arm on the other side and trapping Rock against the couch. "You drank too much?" he murmured. "You need to be more careful. You can't survive like that."

A fist struck his chest, but more to push him away than anything else. "Right, great, got it. I'm going to bed now, so..."

Kain wrapped his hand around the fist and held it close. "I'm not done with you yet, I'm afraid."

Rock's eyes narrowed in challenge. "I think you are."

"You really need to learn to get along better with your allies, partner." Kain whispered against Rock's hair. The soft strands fluttered against his lips, dancing with his breath. It was a pleasant sensation. "Otherwise it can be trouble."

"No thanks, creepazoid!" Something slammed into Kain's stomach and he went flying backwards. He hit the table before he hit the floor, new pain blooming each time, and somewhere to the side he heard the sound of breaking glass. Damn. What a waste.

Kain's training took over and he got his feet under him, but not before Rock stood up himself. "From now on it's hands off, got that? Mess with me any more and...and I'll walk, okay?" He took one unsteady step and pitched forward.

It was simple to grab Rock's hand and throw him to the ground. All the breath went out of him at the impact, and Kain was on top of him before he could recover. It was perhaps going too far, but Rock was strong and stubborn and there was only one way to make men like that see.

Rock's shirt was riding up again, exposing a long strip of smooth, pale skin. Kain admired it for a moment before shifting his attention back to Rock's wide, furious eyes. He'd have time to touch later.

"I'll go home. I'm serious." The boy's voice was carefully steady, but the slight shift in pitch betrayed something behind it. Fear? Absurd. Someone like Rock had no need to fear Kain.

But it wasn't time to push. Kain pulled back and settled on his knees. Right now, he needed a bit of bait. "If that's what you want," he said, "then I won't keep you here. Run and hide behind the Legendary Wolf; I'm sure he'd be happy to protect you." The wince told Kain he'd hit home. Good. He waited for Rock to scramble out from under him, and bore the careless kicks without changing his expression. It wasn't until Rock was more or less back on his feet that he put out the only scrap of bait he had. "But...my sister would be lonely."

It worked. Rock might be stubborn and willful and had entirely the wrong attitude for ruling Southtown, but at least he wasn't a coward. He twisted away, half-stumbling, but didn't run. When he spoke his voice was low and intense. "Shut up. Just...shut up. Mess with me again and I'll kick your ass."

"And ruin our partnership? You want this more than I do." Rock's shoulders stiffened, and Kain allowed himself a small smile. This was going to work out. "You can go for now. But I await your positive response."

NC-17 followup over on AO3, Chapter 4 in Round 1, F- That's Not Fighting! under screenname MarsDragon.

Anyway you don't set up a giant creepy shrine to your sister out of pure brotherly love, just sayin'.