Warning: Mentions of human trafficking.
"Rise and shine!"
Christina groaned as sunlight suddenly lit up her room, the sounds of curtains rustling accompanying the sudden influx of light. With a whine, she yanked her covers over her bed. She heard Chris laugh, before he grabbed the comforter and pulled it away.
"The sun is shining, the weather is good, and we have a meeting to get to in less than two hours. There is no sleeping in this morning, CeeCee," Chris sang.
Christina pulled a pillow over her head, "Can't we skip? Nefertiti wore me out yesterday…"
Chris damn near cackled, pulling the pillow away to stare down at Christina with a grin, "Yeah, she'll do that sometimes. Nope, can't skip, remember today's meeting is to discuss your terms of parole!"
Christina sighed, "Yay." She sat up, "Fine, alright, let me get dressed and I'll be down to eat."
Chris grinned and ruffled her already messy hair- she was not immune to bedhead, dammit, "Atta girl. See you in few."
After breakfast, and after Chris had about two cups of coffee, and after Nefertiti rushed out the door to get to work, Christina and Chris piled into his truck and hit the road.
"Do you want me to sit in with you?" Chris asked, "I'm sure your new parole officer needs to meet me anyways."
"It wouldn't hurt," Christina sighed, crossing her arms. She glanced down at herself, "Do you think I'm underdressed?"
"You're in jeans, a button down, and boots," Chris deadpanned. "If you tried to dress up, I would have told you to dressed down."
"I… I just wanna make a good impression," Christina shifted in her seat. "To… to show I wanna do good!"
"You are good, CeeCee,"
"He doesn't know that!"
"Why don't you tell me the guy's name? I might know him with how many cops come for lunch,"
"Tsubasa Ootori?" Christina looked up through her bangs.
Chris played dumb for a moment, before laughing when Christina smacked him, "Alright, alright, yes I know him. He's a pretty chill dude, you'll be fine."
"Somehow, I highly doubt that…"
"Chris? What are you doing here?"
Chris turned from where he was studying the vending machine, to see a familiar figure walking his way.
"Right now? Trying to figure out if Neffy's sixth sense of knowing when I make bad health decisions will kick in if I get a Starbucks mocha," Chris turned back to the vending machine, before deciding, screw it, he married Nefertiti didn't he? He put in the coins and pressed the number for his desired drink.
Kyoya Tategami rolled his eyes, "You serve better drinks than a fucking machine, Cadelle. What are you doing here?"
"Apparently Tsubasa is my sister's new parole officer," Chris answered, as he cracked open the glass bottle and took a swig. "So I'm here as moral support and in case he needs to talk to me about her terms or whatever."
"Ah," Kyoya nodded. "So she's his current meeting?"
"I mean, isn't that obvious?"
"Don't get sarcastic with me,"
"You asked the dumb question,"
"You really do have a sibling don't you…"
"Is it that obvious?"
Kyoya sighed dragged a hand down his face, "Yeah, you definitely have a younger sibling."
Chris smirked, "Takes one to know one, Tategami. Did Kakeru annoy you to death while I was gone?"
The look Chris received was a flat as a tabletop, "You know the answer to that, you damn fucker-"
"What are you doing here, anyways? Shouldn't you be at the station?" Chris interrupted.
"Dropping off files for a guy who's being released in a couple of weeks," Kyoya waved the files in his hand through the air. "Ironically, Tsubasa. Want to walk with me?"
"Sure, probably need to step in anyways, see how Crissie's doing," Chris shrugged, as the two fell into step alongside each other, walking down the hallway.
As always, Chris found it amusing how the various parole officers, secretaries, and other visitors in the building parted like the Red Sea when they saw Kyoya. Having known the man's younger brother for years, and Kyoya even longer, Chris wasn't sure why they saw him as a scary guy. Sure, Kyoya had an aura about him that basically screamed 'don't fuck with me', and scars from his younger days that were intimidating, but once you got to know Kyoya, he wasn't that scary.
Especially if you met him when Kakeru was around. Then it was like seeing a frazzled parent herd an unruly child.
Chris snorted to himself, before a thought occurred to him. Abruptly, he grabbed Kyoya's arm and yanked the man into an empty conference room. Kyoya made a noise of surprise as the door shut.
"Actually, I have a case for you," Chris said.
Kyoya blinked, before sighing tiredly, "Another one?"
"Ha ha," Chris rolled his eyes, but Kyoya had a point. It seemed, since Chris had started his business, that he was a magnet for those who were running from bad pasts or needed a helping hand. Such a situation was half the reason that Chris had even met Kyoya. And Ryuga. And Gingka. Actually, Kuro too.
… He really was a magnet for trouble, wasn't he?
"Yeah, actually," Chris took a fortifying sip of his coffee. "It… pertains to my sister." He steeled his nerves as he blurted out, "My sister was kidnapped and held hostage in a trafficking ring."
Chris saw the moment Kyoya's brain turned to white static, and then the next moment when it rebooted, "… repeat that."
Chris groaned, and wiped a hand down his face, "Christina was kidnapped… after she went on the run. She was snatched out of Nashville, from the story I got from her. Then ended up in North Carolina, where she got arrested for theft when she was trying to escape from the sons of bitches."
Kyoya had pulled a small notebook from inside his jacket, writing down what Chris was telling him, "Is all of that on her files?"
"Doubt it. She said she spoke to the jail therapist, but only to get advice on how to reconnect with me," Chris sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Kyoya worried his lower lip between his teeth, "… I'll look into it. But I don't make many promises if one, she doesn't talk about it, and two, if they travel they might be hard to find."
"Just… could you and Ryuga look into it, please?" Chris pleaded, "I get that I might be asking for a lot, but please, I need to know I did something other than just sitting by while she tells me this stuff."
"I know, I get it, I do," Kyoya said, softly. He put the notebook and the pen back into his jacket pocket, "Don't worry about it right now. You need to worry about Christina."
"… Should I get her to see a therapist?"
"Probably for the best, if what she's told you is anything to go by,"
"Can you recommend one?"
Kyoya pulled a card from his jacket sleeve. Chris decided not to question it as he took the small slip of cardstock.
"Platina Triton…" Chris mused, staring down at the card, "And you trust her?"
"With my life," Kyoya replied, instantly. "She was Kakeru's therapist, back in the day. Still is, occasionally."
Well, if anyone could get Kakeru to talk about his issues, Chris already thought highly of them. So he pocketed the card and made a note to give it to Christina if he felt things were getting too rough, "Thanks, Kyoya. This means a lot, everything you're doing."
Kyoya waved a hand, "What sort of friend would I be if I didn't help out? Now come on. Let's find your sister and Tsubasa."
As it was, Kyoya and Chris showed up outside Tsubasa's office right as the man himself and a blonde woman was stepping out. Tsubasa was giving one of his rare smiles to the woman, his voice gentle as he spoke.
"I'm sure I'll nothing but good reports from you, Ms. Cadelle. Especially if you're staying with your brother. He's a good man, to do all that he's done for you so far," Tsubasa said, and looked up over her shoulder. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."
"Ha ha," Chris said, drolly. "So what's the deal?"
"I need a job and a place to live," Christina sighed. "No criminal behavior, meetings once a month…"
Kyoya could see the wheels turning in Chris' head, and sighed in mock exasperation, knowing exactly what was coming-
"The bar has a loft over it that I've been trying to clean out and if you want a job, there's a waiting spot open too," Chris said.
Yep, Kyoya thought. There it is.
The woman blinked, "You're… what now?"
"Sounds to me like he's offering you a job and a place to live, Ms. Cadelle," Tsubasa said, amused. He noticed Kyoya, "Ah, Kyoya. What are you doing here?"
"Dropping off new parolee files for you," Kyoya handed said files over. "I ran into Chris on my way in. Actually, can we talk for a second?" Kyoya turned to say his goodbyes to Chris, but the man was already walking away, chattering with his sister. Kyoya rolled his eyes and pushed Tsubasa back into his office.
"Is everything alright?" Tsubasa blinked as the door shut behind him, "You seem a bit worried."
"I am. On Chris' sister," Kyoya admitted. "He told me that she was victim of a trafficking ring, before she was arrested."
"… She mentioned none of this to me, nor is it in her files," Tsubasa frowned, as he began to rustle through the papers spread out over his desk.
"The way I hear it, Chris is the first person she's told… ever,"
Tsubasa cursed under his breath, "And he told you to look into it?"
Kyoya nodded, sitting down heavily in one of the chairs across from Tsubasa's desk, "Honestly? I think Kuro would be a better fit."
"Yet, he asked you. I'm assuming he also implied Ryuga, too?"
"… Yes,"
"Now, why do you think that is? Wouldn't it be better to ask Gingka? And yes, Kuro would be a good option, but she can only do so much, considering her profession,"
Kyoya groaned, and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, "I hate this. Tsubasa, I froze up when he asked. After what happened with Kakeru-"
"But he doesn't know, only that you have the instinct to protect those that can't protect themselves," Tsubasa reminded the other man. "The same for Ryuga. Which is why he only goes to you two… mostly."
Kyoya crossed his arms and sank down in the chair, glaring. Tsubasa would say he was pouting, Kyoya would say he was being dramatic. Sue him.
"… Guess I'll run it by Ryuga, and see what he thinks," Kyoya eventually sighed.
At that, Tsubasa grinned, "Bold of you to assume you don't already know what he'll say."
"…"
"…"
"… Fuck, but do I hate when you're right."
Chris is a manipulative little shit and he doesn't even realize it. Kyoya is So Done.