Marukabi Boon was another one of the "crime oldheads", as Pilat had taken to calling them. Boon's group wasn't too far off from Skunk's gang in terms of style, but neither organization was at odds; Metro City was probably thankful for that. Boon was a bear-like, distinct-looking man with slick black hair, and eyelashes that almost looked too fancy to belong to a criminal.
"I used to be told over and over again how my lashes were "wasted on a boy"..." Boon grunted, looking around the table. "The hell's that supposed to mean? They've got a damn function. Plus women love 'em."
Boon had brought Skunk and some of their "employees" out to an evening pub crawl. They sat in clusters throughout Rocky's Bar, with the serving staff drowning in tips. The one trade-off with going to Rocky's was the restriction against smoking indoors, which Skunk found more than fair, considering it was one of the rare bars that wouldn't call the cops if sixty criminals came in. Boon and Skunk had delegated themselves to the far corner.
"They're meant to keep sand out of your damn eyes," hissed Heck Ben, Boon's cohort and assistant. "I never got that whole pretty thing. It's not like you're usin' mascara."
Boon dabbed sweat off his forehead with a small handkerchief, and then slipped it back into his breast pocket. He reached for his beer, continuing, "It's like all the people who ain't "pretty" wound up in the underworld here, eh?"
"I got into this business because I love it," Skunk said proudly. "My parents were in big gangs, and I just grew right into it."
"What about you, eh, Pilat?" Boon asked with a nod towards Pilat. Skunk looked over to check on the smaller man, finding him absentmindedly carving his initials into the table edge. Skunk gave him a light nudge, and Pilat sat up with a jolt.
"I! Uh! I, I guess I just find it kinda fun," Pilat shrugged. Boon took a drink and nodded, accepting the answer. They'd met plenty of times before, but Pilat always found himself too nervy to try and talk to Boon.
"We must be the lucky ones..." Boon took a quick drink. "...There's a lot of people in this business who don't like it."
Someone across the room was loudly ordering wings, and Boon considered doing the same. His mouth felt muggy. One hand dipped into his blazer pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
"Anybody else want to step out with me?"
"I will," Skunk said as he rose from his seat. Before he headed off, he turned to Pilat and dropped a hand onto the younger man's head. He murmured, "If they catch you carving that, it's coming out of your pocket."
Pilat hurriedly folded the switchblade back together. Boon and Skunk were out in the alley by the time he managed to get it into his pocket.
Out in the alley, the two were silent, but it felt like total peace. The only other sounds were the occasional roar of a car on the main street or the muffled thumping of a nightclub's Saturday playlist. Boon was enjoying the silence, but not the gnawing feeling in his stomach of what he wanted to say. He seized the moment and loudly cleared his throat.
He declared, "It's a bad idea, you know."
"...No I don't," Skunk grunted around his cigarette. "What are you talking about?"
"Having an affair with your henchman."
"Oh." He hastily looked away.
"You ain't supposed to get too attached in this business..." Boon trailed off, trying to see if the loud noise in the bar was a laugh or a scream. After a moment, he continued, "Like, at least pull him out of the on-hand squad so he doesn't get killed. It's basic practice. Dealers don't take from their supply, pimps don't marry their girls, and no boss gets friendly with his-"
"Boon," Skunk groaned. "I don't wanna discuss this."
"I'm just worried as a friend, Kusai..." Boon flicked the remainder of his cigarette away, satisfied to see it land in the centre of a puddle. "Look at that. A perfect dive."
Skunk didn't respond. He remained leaning against the brick exterior, his posture skewed just enough to turn him away from Boon. The stress had passed from Boon into Skunk in under a minute.
Boon cocked his head. "Are you okay?"
"I was until thirty seconds ago!" Skunk spat.
"I'm just looking out for you!"
"Do you grill Lamp and Hamegg 'bout this kinda thing, too?!"
"Ham and Ace are crime partners," Boon dictated. "They're on an equal level. They know exactly what they're doing and what the risks are."
Skunk only stared back at Boon, his pale face wearing a mix of dismay and disgust.
"Pilat's a nice kid," Boon continued. "But don't put him on the firing line."
"What, you think I'm bad at managin' my gang?"
"Nah, I just don't want to see you get hurt-"
"He insists I treat him like the rest of the gang." Skunk hurriedly let the words rush forth. "He likes working with the guys. The kid's even been in jail three times because he won't leave the rest of my men. I've thought about this plenty times, Boon. You think it doesn't drive me nuts?!"
"Hey, I'm not doubting you," Boon calmly replied. "I shouldn't have dug into you like that, buddy."
"I'm just tryin' to have a good time tonight, Boon," Skunk complained, an edge of begging in his voice. Boon nodded solemnly and slipped his hands into his pockets.
"I gotcha, Skunk. Sorry."
Boon could be soothing when he needed to be. He was tense with a cooled edge, and cool with a tense edge, one of the other depending on where he was. It was this levelheadedness that almost always put Skunk at ease. Skunk turned away from spat out the end of his cigarette. It landed pathetically on the pavement, gently fuming, and Skunk stomped on it until it was out. He felt like he was putting it out of his misery.
"You should've aimed for the puddle," Boon said with a laugh. The noise of water killing flame was a satisfying one, but grinding a cigarette out was more fulfilling for Skunk. The alcohol seemed to be getting to him in a bad way. Everything around him felt amplified and deeper than it normally was.
The two bosses wordlessly reentered the bar. The atmosphere was still jovial, and Ben and Pilat had joined one of the larger tables in the centre of the bar. They and at least ten other men were loudly and passionately discussing something.
Boon grabbed his beer off his table and called out, "What's up, fellas?"
"They're talkin' 'bout how they wanna go," Ben replied.
"Go where?"
"Like, go, from livin''." Heck ran a finger across his neck. "Y'know, gettin' kacked and whatnot."
"Bunch of freaks," Boon grumbled. "I'm gonna order some wings."
Skunk pulled up a chair at a smaller table, saying, "Get the big platter. I'll pay the difference."
Boon strolled away from the group, leaving Skunk to witness the table. There was a bizarrely mirthful mood around the men as they listened to an over-excited Ox.
"Mine's kinda weird, but..." The large man chuckled with embarrassment. "If I've gotta go, I wanna have a girl sittin' on my face. Wide hips, chunky. Best kind of broad. Maybe she snaps my neck by accident or I have a stroke."
"G-Goddamn!" cackled one of Boon's guys.
"I don't have plans to go anytime soon, though..." Ox took a smug drink of his beer. Pilat was seated beside him, and the younger man nodded in enthusiastic agreement. The flush in his face showed just how much he'd drunk that night.
To the rest of the table, Pilat said, "Yeah, I still have a bunch of stuff I wanna do, but like..."
I do not need this right fuckin' now, Skunk said to himself.
"...I wanna be driving a fantastic car. Maybe I'll get into some sort of crazy accident," Pilat declared, waving his hands in the shape of an explosion. "One that'd get on the news, you know?"
"Yeah, a showoffy one," Ox nodded. "Make the papers go, "Check out this fucker with his amazing car! The fuck did you do today?"
"It'd beat dying crusty and immobile in some mouldy bed," Pilat chortled.
Skunk felt disgust pool in his chest, and he stood up from his table so fast that he almost knocked his chair over. His new plan was to marinate in booze until he wouldn't worry for the rest of the night.
After some hours of schmoozing, and a private taxi ride home, Skunk managed to get himself up to his room without falling down the stairs. He made it into his small utility bathroom, changed, wiped the layer of tacky sweat from his face, and shaved. Upon exiting, he found a tipsy and cheerful Pilat sitting on his bed, clad in pyjama pants and one of Skunk's old dress shirts.
"Heh..." Skunk sauntered over to the bed. "Sorry, Pil, but it's not gettin' up tonight."
"I had a feeling..." Pilat looked blissfully to the floor. "But I just wanna stay with you tonight."
"All right, kid. Move over."
They lay side by side for a few minutes, either one debating internally on making a move. It was Skunk who finally broke the ice and slunk a hand along Pilat's outline. The younger man shivered at the sensation and moved closer to his boss.
They kissed, slow and easy, fingers carefully tugging and rubbing at each others' bodies. There was no rush towards sex, rather, just the pure enjoyment of sensation. Skunk kissed Pilat deeply and ran a hand up and down Pilat's thigh, stopping occasionally to grope the softness of the young man's chubby legs. Pilat forced himself to pull back from Skunk's lips, gasping for air, dewy eyes staring excitedly into Skunk's. His boss had soothing deep brown eyes, the colour of which reminded Pilat of dusty beer bottles, like the ones that littered the back alley and seemed to glow in the evening sun. Pilat's lower lip trembled, and with a pleading moan, he grabbed Skunk by the sides of his face and sunk into another deep kiss. His stubby tan fingers ran through his boss's hair, caressing it.
"Fuck," Skunk groaned into Pilat's mouth. The smaller man's breath had quickened, and his face felt hot. Skunk internally cursed his latest affliction of Whiskey Dick, and let his gropes on Pilat's legs move inward, searching expectantly for a sign of hardness; he could at least help Pilat out if he got too riled up. The fingertips sliding into Pilat's lap made him shiver, hard.
He pulled back from Skunk and sighed, "I love you."
Skunk's sudden physical rigidness was more noticeable than he liked. Pilat moved back further, his face becoming deeply worried.
"B-Boss, sorry," he whispered. "I sh-shouldn't have-"
"Kid, kid, you didn't do anything wrong, it's..." Skunk sat up. His head was pounding, and he desperately rubbed at his temples. A now embarrassed Pilat burrowed under the blankets.
"I...I know I shouldn't try anything heavy."
"Pil, it's not like you've done anything wrong..."
Pilat looked away; he looked like he was about to break into tears. Something seemed to switch off inside Skunk and he found himself unable to hold back his thoughts.
"I'm scared! Fuck! I'm afraid of you lettin' you get too deep! What if you get shot, killed, or just plain fucked up?! We're supposed to be working in a mob! I've been tryin' to let you keep working with the rest of the gang, but it drives me nuts! I've lost a few guys before, and I can't go through that again, especially when I think I lo-"
Skunk froze. He could feel a stupid look blossom on his face, and Pilat's big eyes were fastened on it. A now frustrated Skunk quickly shoved himself under the blankets and rolled onto his other side. With a gentle hum, Pilat slid closer, softly setting his hands on his boss's back.
Defeated, Skunk groaned, "What am I supposed to do with you, kid...?"
He focused on breathing deeply, knowing it'd give himself plenty of time to get any further words together. Pilat, in the meantime, stared idly at his boss's back, letting his fingers run up and down Skunk's shoulder blades. Skunk shivered pleasantly from the sensation.
"I..." Pilat whispered. "...I'm not gonna die with a boss like you."
The muscles under his hands softened.
Eyes fluttering, Pilat continued, "Y-You're the best in the country. You don't, like, use us like cattle. I...I actually trust you."
Skunk rolled over. His face was concerned, maybe a bit scared, maybe a bit flattered. His eyes were wide as he asked, "...Really?"
"Well, at least most of the time." Pilat smirked.
"You little shit..." Skunk drawled, affectionate, and he hugged Pilat against him. Pilat sunk into his boss's chest with a content sigh.
"I don't wanna quit, either..." Pilat whispered. "I like it here."
"Mm." Skunk let a hand wander to Pilat's hair, and ran his fingers through it, mirroring what he'd done for Skunk before. "Just don't die on me. Or I'll bring you back as a ghost and give you shit."
Pilat snorted laughing, and snuggled his cheek against Skunk's chest. His sigh almost sounded like a gentle coo. Pilat was hardly the best-looking guy around, but his presence was always so soft and comforting. Softness was something Skunk didn't really get to experience too much. He ran a hand over the side of Pilat's chubby tan face, admiring it.
"We're gonna be fine," Pilat sighed again. "If I survived all the stuff we've already been through, then I'm gonna live a long life."
Skunk let the words sink into him. He took the idea in with a deep breath in, trying to let himself calm down enough to get to sleep. He still felt scared, but it seemed to be slowly fading away now; he wondered if the booze had just put him in a weird state of mind.
He suddenly realized that the small drunk against his chest seemed to be shaking, sending little tremors through his arms, and Skunk looked down in horror. Horror melted away to annoyance upon seeing Pilat's grin.
"You do love me," the smaller man giggled.
"Don't scare me! I thought you were crying!"
"You've been worrying about me...!" Pilat wrapped his arms tight around Skunk's chest. "Oh, Skunk...!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Skunk felt heat run to his face. He toyed quietly with Pilat's hair, hoping the vulnerable feeling would pass soon enough. He just wasn't used to being so open. At least something about it felt good.
"So my rank," Pilat whispered against Skunk's chest. "Is still henchman, but with special access?"
"Sounds about right..." Skunk started to relax, but paused. "I...I hope we're still buddies, though."
"O-Of course!"
"Good, I'm not really up for being boyfriend-ey."
Pilat sighed sleepily. "We're buddies, but I take your orders, and sometimes we grab each other's junk."
"Hey, hey, don't get too overzealous," Skunk laughed, albeit tired. "That's my job."
"Okay...!"
They lay there, tangled together, to the soundtrack of their soft and mismatched breathing. For the first time in a long while, Skunk was the first to fall asleep. His fingers remained laced in Pilat's soft brown hair, and the younger man didn't mind at all. With a sigh, he hugged Skunk in closer, finally feeling a bit more at peace.