Alright! Part two.
Dig it~
King approached the door to the townhome apartment of Mai Shiranui and Andy Bogard, a large Costco pumpkin pie in one hand and a plastic grocery bag holding a six-pack of beer and a bottle of wine in the other. She had — luckily — procured the pie the afternoon before, but stopping at the liquor store had sucked more than she thought it would, as it seemed like the whole of Southtown had decided to buy booze from there as opposed to the dozens of local grocery stores scattered throughout the city. Nevertheless, the Frenchwoman had somehow survived the impromptu errand (which took much longer than planned) and was now standing in front of the residence, a little surprised by the lack of Pantera, Venom, or other heavy metal music blaring from the other side of the door. Lips pressed in a thin line, she rang the bell and waited for only a moment before coming face to face with her best friend slash "wife," Mary Ryan.
"How you doin' boo?" The cop greeted with a wide grin.
"Alive. You?"
"Perfect. Now come in —" Mary ushered King inside — "the water's nice and warm."
"Warm indeed," the bartender commented while removing her jacket and sneakers, as the temperature in the dwelling bordered on outright hot. She took in her surroundings, which were oddly deserted and asked, "Where is everyone?"
"The Dream Team's in the kitchen," Mary answered. "And Terry and Rock volunteered to take Bubs out."
"You brought the dog?"
King quirked a brow. She, of course, knew that Mary loved her dog — a medium-sized English pointer named Antonio (Anton for short) — but it never occurred to her that he, too, would be among those gathered for the holiday. Nevertheless, Mary tilted her head and looked at King with an almost confused expression.
"Well, yeah. I mean, Mai was cool with it and I couldn't just leave him alone all day."
"But doesn't Andy hate dogs?"
"Oh, our buxom ninja buddy convinced him to agree to let me have him over with, like, a sloppy blowie or something."
"I heard that!"
It was then that King's great friend (and Mary's future sister-in-law), the famously bouncy Mai Shiranui, emerged from the kitchen. Known the world over for her beauty and massive sex appeal, the kunoichi's legions of fans would have probably gone into cardiac arrest en masse if they had seen her at that moment, as she was clad in an apron with little cartoon sushi rolls on it over a raggedy band t-shirt and cheap sweatpants, her long, dark hair thrown up in a messy bun that rested on the top of her head. Despite her wardrobe, her face was made-up with sharp eyeliner, naturally pigmented eyeshadow, and shiny lip balm, which made her overall appearance scream, "I don't really care how I look but, also, yes I do."
"Hey, girl," she trilled with a brilliant smile.
"Mademoiselle Shiranui," King said brightly while handing over the pie and drinks.
"I'm so glad you decided to come," Mai gushed. "You've never had a Shiranui-Bogard-Ryan Thanksgiving!"
"Well, no, but — no offense — I really didn't want one, either."
"Oh, Kingy. I know you have a crummy track record with this holiday, but we're not like Ryo and the others. There's no drama here! Only friends and food!"
"They're friends and they had food, too," the Frenchwoman pointed out with a frown.
"Well, yeah, but —"
"But there aren't any judgmental half-Japanese boys here whom she could have maybe banged in an alternate reality," Mary cut in.
"Emphasis on 'alternate reality,'" King said dryly, with a roll of her eyes. "And, just so you know, despite the ups and downs, I like this reality just fine."
"You do?" Mai looked genuinely surprised.
"Well, I mean… with the exception of… a few… a lot… of things that have happened throughout my life, I'm mostly fine with where I am now."
"That's actually lowkey surprising, but I'm glad you feel that way," Mary said with a grin. "For what it's worth I like this reality, too."
"Me, three," Mai sang. She was about to say something else but was interrupted by the disembodied voice of Andy Bogard calling her name from the next room over.
"Yes, baby?" The kunoichi lazily responded.
Andy appeared then, and King had to stifle a laugh, as he, too, wore an apron — a much-too-small thing with a pink gingham pattern, and frills along the bottom. His long hair, which was up in a man bun, was slightly disheveled, and there was a potato peeler in his hand. Additionally, his face held an almost manic quality, presumably because he — someone who was terrible in the kitchen — had been left alone with the food while his girlfriend — who was great in the kitchen — socialized.
"Where did you — oh, hello, King."
"Hey," King greeted with a small wave. "How are you?"
"I'm a little lost, to be honest, because someone —" Andy glowered at Mai — "left me alone in there."
"Who?" The young woman asked innocently. A pause, and then, "Is the water boiling yet?"
"How do I know if it's boiling?"
"Andy-baby, I love you but you're hopeless. Take these to the fridge —" Mai offloaded the pie and alcohol into her boyfriend's hands — "and I'll check the water."
"Alright."
"Kingy, go ahead and make yourself comfortable, okay? I'll be in and out until dinner."
King opened her mouth to respond but instantly stopped when Mary hugged her arm and started walking her toward the open living room.
"Come on, your majesty," the detective said with a relaxed smile. "Let's go watch something and cuddle."
"Aren't you worried about what the kid would think if he saw us?" King inquired, her eyebrows raised.
"Why would I be worried about that?"
"Because he would surely get a little weirded out if he saw the woman who must be the biggest lesbian to ever lesbian using his future mother figure —"
"Ew, don't say that."
" — as the world's most shredded pillow, wouldn't he?"
"Pfft. No," Mary answered as she let go of King and sat down on the couch. "And even then, do you care?"
"Not really…"
"What do you mean 'not really?'"
"I just don't want him to get any weird ideas," King explained. "Teenage boys are gross."
"Okay, true, but this is Rock we're talking about. He's a gentle lad," Mary assured.
"Even the gentle ones have thoughts, Mare."
At that, the detective made a face, but then patted her thigh.
"Just get over here, you big, French weirdo."
"Keep talking like that and the boy really will have reasons to have thoughts," King joked while positioning herself across the sofa so that her head could rest on Mary's thigh. She looked up at her friend with a cheeky grin just as Mai came out from the kitchen and enthusiastically approached the pair.
"What are you ladies doing?"
"Oh, Mare's just talking dirty to me," King nonchalantly answered. Immediately she felt the air shift as the other women went rigid. She made a face while noting the look the duo shared with one another, and sighed.
"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't okay to say it."
"We just worry about you, Kingy," Mai stated while sitting down on the very edge of the sofa. She placed a hand on King's ankle and gave it a light squeeze.
"Yeah," Mary chimed in. "Especially after how bad it was this last time."
"I know, but… Doctor Shelley has me covered. Besides. I can't — I have to try to make light of it every now and then for my own sake, otherwise…"
The bartender trailed off and took a deep breath as she folded her hands over her stomach. She then shut her eyes and briefly pressed her lips in a thin line.
"I assure you guys, I'm fine. And if I'm not, I'll just bottle it all up, overindulge in my wine, and then go home and drunk-cry for a few hours before one or both of you inevitably call to check in on me."
"Girl, you better not," Mai scolded.
King was about to respond, but the door to the apartment suddenly flew open, and Anton dashed inside, his leash trailing behind him. He momentarily looked around, then sprinted to the three women on the sofa. His tail whacked Mai's leg (she cried out, startled) as he lept on top of King, who let out a loud noise as the wind was knocked out of her by the paws that landed right on her abdomen.
"Anton!"
Rock Howard dashed into the apartment right after the dog, with Terry casually trailing behind.
"Eey, King," the famous fighter said jovially. "You made it!"
King answered with a grunt as she put her hands up and moved her face as far away from the dog — who was almost desperately trying to lick it — as possible.
"Anton! Off!" Mary commanded as she awkwardly tried to shoo her dog back, away from King.
"I'm so sorry," Rock started as he tried to grab Anton's collar. "He got really excited when he heard you guys talking and —"
"Please just — get — him — off — of me," King griped as she tried to keep the dog's tongue away from her nose and mouth.
"Anton! Sit!"
Mary's order was much more assertive than the first, and accompanied by a snap of her fingers and a downward hand motion. The canine finally stopped trying to kiss King but succeeded in using his nose (which was very wet) to nudge her cheek before backing off. She grimaced as she wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"Good boy," the detective told her pet, who was now sitting straight up at attention. She then looked down at King and smiled.
"He just loves you, that's all."
"Yeah, well… it would be great if he could show his love without trying to shove his tongue down my throat," the Frenchwoman grumbled. "I've had more than enough forced —"
Without warning, Mai, who was still on the edge of the sofa, subtly but deftly reached under King's pant leg and pinched the skin just above her sock. At the same exact time, Mary, who had started playing with King's hair moments before, yanked a lock of it, which immediately caused the bartender to stop talking in favour of letting out a small yelp and sucking in a sharp breath. She was about to ask both women what the hell their problems were but quickly realized that she had just been saved from blurting out an allusion to her assault, which was — of course — a secret from the Bogard brothers and Rock.
Thankful for the save, King cleared her throat and pressed her lips together as she peered at Mai, and then Mary; both were staring at her with expressions that screamed, "Shut the fuck up!" With a grimace, she chanced a glance at Terry and Rock, and while the boy hadn't seemed to notice anything, she swore she saw something peculiar momentarily come across the face of Southtown's "Legendary Wolf," who was looking right at her.
"Is something wrong, Wolfie?"
"No," Terry said slowly, in what was one of the most unconvincing ways King had ever heard. "No, everything's cool."
…Bullshit.
"So how was Anton on his walk?" Mary loudly inquired while reaching out to pet her dog. She murmured something that King couldn't quite make out, which resulted in the energetic canine laying down.
"Oh, he was good," Rock replied as he strolled toward the tiny coat closet. "Tried to make friends with everyone he saw. Right, Terry?"
"Yeah."
There was a very brief pause as Terry shifted his attention toward Rock and asked, "Hey, did you say hi to King?"
"O-oh," the teen, who was hanging his jacket up, stammered. He made his way back to the living area, took in the sight on the sofa (a very slight blush spread through his cheeks), and swallowed. "Huh — hi."
"Salut," the Frenchwoman dictated smoothly despite her pain and strange interaction with Terry. "How are you?"
"I-I'm okay," Rock faltered. "How — how about yourself?"
"Never better."
"What's the matter?" Mary suddenly spoke up. "There's no need to be nervous. It's just us."
"No, I know, I just… ummm…"
"Don't be shy, kid," Terry grinned while placing a hand on Rock's shoulder. "Be cool and make some small talk while I go grab a beer. …Does anyone want anything?"
"No thank you," King and Mai replied in unison.
"Could you get me one, too, babe?" Mary requested.
Terry nodded and started toward the other room when Rock suddenly pivoted and went after him.
"Andy could probably use my help…!"
"Okay, yeah, you're right. Come on."
The trio watched the father and (adopted) son walk away. As soon as they were in the next room both Mai and Mary rounded on King, their voices hushed:
"Do you realize what you almost said?!"
"You're lucky we were here!"
"I'm grateful for the save, but did you really have to pinch and pull so hard?" King questioned.
"Yes!" Mary responded as she removed her hand from the Frenchwoman's hair and picked several golden strands from between her fingers. Mai, meanwhile, pulled the bartender's pant leg up very slightly so she could inspect the spot she had pinched, made a face, and rubbed at the small area, which King assumed was at least bruised by the feel of it.
"Am I disfigured?"
"You'll never be the same again," Mai answered solemnly.
All three women chuckled just as Terry returned from the kitchen with a beer bottle in each hand. He gave one to Mary before sitting down on the nearby loveseat and facing Mai.
"You should really go help Andy," he remarked. "He's two steps away from having a stroke."
"Even with Rock in there?"
"Even with Rock in there."
"Alright —" the kunoichi rose to her feet — "I'll check in on them. Mary? Kingy? Don't get into trouble."
"Pffft, us? Please."
"We'll be good," King assured.
"Mmhmmm. I'm watching you two dorks."
With that, Mai made her way to the kitchen, leaving King and Mary with Terry, who was casually sipping on his beer while scrutinizing them.
"What's up, babe?" Mary prodded.
"Nada," Terry answered. He took a swig of beer and gazed directly at King, but didn't say anything. There was something about the look — almost as if metaphorical gears were turning — that made her feel a little nervous.
"Yes?"
"Sorry," Terry answered. "Just zoning out a little."
"Terry's just jealous," Mary spoke up. "Don't be jealous, babe."
"No — not at all. You two have a dynamic that most people can only dream of, is all. It's… pretty cool."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm glad Mary has someone she can turn to when I'm not around. Other than the dog, I mean. C'mere, Anton."
Terry stuck his hand out toward the relaxed dog, who got up, slowly sauntered over, nudged his palm, and then lay back down, letting out a low grunt as he got comfortable once more.
"Good boy," Mary cooed. She started using her free hand to absently play with King's hair again while drinking her beer. King, meanwhile, shut her eyes and hoped that the day would stay trouble-free, but there was a nagging voice in the back of her head that was telling her that this was the calm before the storm. She tried to stop thinking about it to no avail; she felt wildly unsettled. However, before she could give it any more thought, Andy came speedily walking out of the kitchen, no longer wearing his loaner apron.
"Mai kicked me out," he informed the trio with a content sigh. He then blinked at Mary and King and quirked a brow as he addressed the two of them. "Aren't you worried about Rock seeing you like that?"
"He already did," King answered. "It was fine."
"Yeah," Mary spoke up after taking a long swig of her drink. "Besides, it's not like her head is buried in my crotch or something. I just have really kushy thighs that make for great pillows."
"I see," Andy said as he sat down next to his brother. King could have sworn she saw something in the younger Bogard's eyes; something that almost looked like… suspicion…? That couldn't be it, but there was definitely something there — and it made a pit form in her stomach. Suddenly uncomfortable, she swiftly got up from her place on the sofa (and Mary).
"Bb?"
"I'm going to get some wine."
With that, King hastily made her way to the kitchen, where Rock and Mai were busy preparing multiple side dishes, the heat from the oven and stove burners making the temperature in the room almost unbearable.
"Hey, Kingy," Mai distractedly said as she poured boiled potatoes into a strainer in the sink. "What's up?"
"I'm here for some wine. Big surprise, right?"
"Oh — here you go."
Rock stopped mixing whatever was in the bowl he was holding so he could hand King the bottle she purchased earlier, which had been on the counter closest to him. The bartender thanked the boy, then went to one of the cabinets and carefully removed a wine glass.
"Corkscrew?" She questioned.
Wordlessly, Mai handed over the tool from a small drawer, then turned to Rock so she could tell him something about whatever it was that he was mixing. Meanwhile, King made short work of removing the foil and cork from the wine bottle, perturbed by whatever the hell it was she had sensed from Andy as well as Terry. Of course, she couldn't talk openly about it — and especially not with Rock there — so she did the best thing she could think of: she subtly tapped her wine glass, which grabbed Mai's attention fairly easily. Once the kunoichi was looking at her, she placed her index finger over her mouth.
Mai, whose Shiranui-Ryuu training included lip-reading, immediately caught on. She tilted her head and subtly gestured for King to "speak."
"The guys are being weird," the Frenchwoman mouthed. Mai furrowed her brow — her way of silently asking, "What?"
"Terry and Andy," King silently answered. "Weird."
"Kingy, do you need help with that?" Mai queried as a way to make the bartender's quiet presence seem a little more natural.
"No, I'm good. It was just a little tougher than I thought, that's all."
King flashed a casual smile at Rock, who had briefly turned around. The boy awkwardly nodded before going back to his task, which gave the Frenchwoman an opportunity to address Mai once more while filling her glass.
"I want to believe that it was my imagination but I think I understand that vibe you mentioned a while back."
The bartender then took a slow sip of wine just in time, as Rock had about-faced and was starting to make his way to the cabinet near her.
"Excuse me."
"Sorry —" King quickly stepped aside — "I didn't mean to be in your way."
"You're fine."
There was a lull as Rock pulled a small jar of garlic powder from one of the shelves. King peered at Mai, who wore a thoughtful expression, and knew it was time to put a lid on the unusual conversation and act as naturally as possible given the circumstances.
"So, is there anything I can help you guys with?" She prodded cheerfully.
"No, no, Kingy," Mai replied. "We've got it."
"Can I at least make you a drink?"
"Girl —" Mai crossed the area — "you are a guest! Go act like it!"
The kunoichi placed her hands on King's arms and began steering her toward the doorway.
"But —!"
"But nothing, Kingy. Let me — I mean, us — handle things, okay?"
King nodded, though, somehow, the idea of going back to the living room made her feel extremely uneasy, as she was certain that something was up with the Bogard brothers. She stood outside the kitchen for just a moment, took a long drink from her glass, and then drew in a very deep breath as she walked back toward the sofa.
###
King didn't know how long she had been sitting in the living room with the Bogards and Mary; all she knew was that focusing on the friendly chatter had been a bit more difficult than she would have liked. Even though she was very much part of the conversations, she couldn't help noticing that the brothers would periodically glance at her or Mary, and then subtly look at each other, as if they were trying to communicate telepathically. It was nerve-wracking… but also annoying. If either Terry or Andy had something to say, then they needed to come right out and say it. And if neither of them was going to speak up, then, fuck it — she would. Determined to (bluntly) get to the bottom of the weirdness at play, King drained what was left of her wine in one go, then turned directly toward the siblings. She started to open her mouth to speak but caught sight of Mary, who was giving her the "I will choke your ass out if I have to," look that always made her think twice about making any rash decisions. With a frown, she pressed her lips together and stayed quiet, which, while a bit aggravating, was probably for the best.
"King…?"
The bartender blinked a few times as she realized that Terry was addressing her with a somewhat concerned expression.
"I'm sorry, what?" She asked as casually as possible.
"You seem a little distant. Everything okay?"
"What? Oh — yeah. Yes. I was just thinking about your tab."
At that, Terry became visibly uncomfortable.
"Uhh… what about it…?" He asked slowly.
"It's time to pay up," King stated, glad that she had found a way to deflect.
"Well… about that —" Terry grimaced and turned to Andy — "Do you think you could spot me a few bucks?"
"How much is 'a few'?"
"One-seventy-six," the bartender answered.
"Babe?!" Mary yelled.
"WHAT?!" Andy's eyes went wide as he recoiled. "What the hell —?!"
"I love you," Terry told his sibling with a sheepish grin.
It was then that Rock entered the room, seemingly out of nowhere, before Andy could respond, his eyes bright as he enthusiastically rubbed his hands together.
"Dinner's ready, guys!"
"Oh, finally," Terry said while standing up. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"
He happily strolled toward the dining area, with Andy trailing a little behind, grumbling something about him being a bum. King also stood up (albeit slowly), but Mary, who was still seated, grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.
"Tu le sens aussi?" The cop whispered.
"Oui," King whispered back, glad that Mary had also noticed the peculiar air in the room. "Qu'est-ce qui se passe?! Ils agissent —"
"Je sais. Je sais! Mons Spidey-Sense —"
"Mary?"
Terry's voice and subsequent reappearance in the living room interrupted the conversation between the two women.
"Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah," Mary answered as she let go of King's hand and stood up. "Just had a question for this one. A quick Q."
The Legendary Wolf raised his brows, clearly vexed, but didn't respond. Meanwhile, King glanced at Mary before standing and walking toward the dining area.
"Come on, Wolfie —" she said as she put a hand on Terry's shoulder — "You can worry about me trying to steal your girl after dinner."
Okay, so not really many notes here? I'm doing this as I go so bear with me. Anyway:
* Costco is an American chain of warehouse stores. They are perpetually busy, but it gets even worse for Thanksgiving because their pumpkin pies, which are huge, are God-tier. (Fight me.)
* Mademoiselle is, of course, French for "Miss"
* The line about alternate realities may or may not be a jab at that weird multiverse shit Daddy Heidern mentions in his report in the KOF XV Edit Team ending
* Of course, the half-Japanese boy is Ryo, who King stopped crushing on long ago
* King and Mary are very comfortable and secure with one another. There's no weird shipping subtext in their interactions; they just have the best, most epic bromance one could ever ask for.
* King saying "the biggest lesbian to ever lesbian" is her just making an assumption about what Rock might think about her in general (though she doesn't know for sure)
* In case you're new or somehow forgot, King was forced to say... things... to her attacker. "Tell me something dirty" is a phrase that haunts her.
* Salut is a very informal greeting. Hi, or what's up. That sorta thing,
* Are you new here? You should maybe check out Their Cell to get a little insight into the brothers, and where their heads may or may not be at.
* Mai and Rock are making miso-glazed potatoes
* Mary is fluent in several languages, with French being one of them. The conversation is as follows: Tu le sens aussi? = You feel it, too?; Oui! Qu'est-ce qui se passe?! Ils agissent — = Yes! What's going on?! They're acting —; Je sais. Je sais! Mons Spidey-Sense — = I know. I know! My Spidey-Sense
Alright lads. Tune in next time for more of... whatever this is!
Cheers~