"Is there a problem here?" Fenrir asked, his tone dominating, eyes fasten on the hand that rested Adam's shoulder.
"Yeah, there is, and it's getting worse," Adam said, glaring at Fenrir. He shoved the hand off, and walked away. At least, he tried to get away, Fenrir just placed his own hand in the same spot the man had laid his. "Fenrir, you got-"
"Ah Fenrir, I've heard much of you," said the man, exposing his neck in a submissive gesture. Fenrir eyes didn't soften in the slightest, his hand caressing Adam's shoulder possessively as though to erase the other man's touch.
"Why the hell are you showing off your neck like that?"
"I see you haven't told him anything. Tsk, tsk, not very responsible of you, Fenrir."
"What do you want?" Fenrir sniffed the area, eyes widening in surprise, his hand tightening on Adam's shoulder. "Who is your Al-leader?"
Curious now, Adam faced the newcomer fully, intent on gathering all the information he could. "Tell me what? And leader? You part of some gang or something? A secret organization?"
The man's eyes met Adam's, and Adam sensed Fenrir tensing behind him. "Something like that. Come with me and I will tell you everything you want to know. My 'Leader' is very interested in seeing you, Adam; all you have to do is come with me." Fenrir growled softly, settling his other hand on Adam's shoulder, fully placing Adam in his territory. The other man, oddly enough, exposed his neck further. "But your 'Leader' wouldn't allow that, I see."
Adam once again attempted to free himself, but Fenrir's hands wouldn't budge. Chagrin, he replied, "Leader? Fenrir isn't my-"
Fenrir wrapped a firm hand around Adam's throat, cutting off his air supply. "Adam is one of mine. Again, who is your 'Leader?' Don't make me ask you again."
"This is America, Fenrir, and you wouldn't dare attack me in polite society, not with all the risk of jeopardizing our secret. But know this Fenrir, I wouldn't dare to go against you. My Alp-Leader, on the other hand, isn't very happy with you. You're invading our territory, stealing our people away with false promises, brewing trouble within the…groups. I would advise you to leave as soon as you can. Preferably without Adam."
"Adam is mine, and as soon as he's ready, I'll leave, but not before then." Adam, about to speak, most likely to protest, found Fenrir compressing his windpipe, which pissed him off. Adam struggled even more as Fenrir clenched harder and harder in response. Starting to see spots, Adam soon realized there was nothing he could do against Fenrir's iron strength. Giving up, he listened with interest instead.
"He's not very disciplined, is he? Is the fierce Fenrir losing his touch?"
"Need I remind you that Omegas matter little to the pa-group? Your 'Leader' wouldn't miss you very much; I'll even venture to say you're here without his permission. Trying to save face, perchance?" Knowing Adam would keep quiet now, Fenrir soothed the abused neck causing Adam to squirm.
The other man opened his mouth, pausing, giving away his surprise. "Very perceptive, Fenrir. But you're wrong; Omegas do matter very much to my 'Leader.' You know of Remus?" Smirking at Fenrir's expression, he continued, "Ah yes, you know of him. I hear you two have a long history together."
"Remus, he's deplorable…useless even. A disgrace to everything we are," the derision in which Fenrir spoke had the other man flinching. "You would do much better without him."
"You would think so, wouldn't you? Yes, there is a certain inadequacy about him, but he has information we need. And support."
"He will lead you to your deaths. He does not understand our ways, will never understand them. He has the contempt of all influential Al…leaders, all self-respecting wer-"
"Perhaps in Britain, Fenrir," he interrupted, "In America, we don't care, we don't hold much stock to those things. We take what we can get…however deplorable they may be. But I would never say Remus is useless."
"Have you no pride? Do you not know what he does? How little control he has…that he'll never gain control of it?"
"Yes, we know of his…problem. But that's not what is bothering you, is it? How does it feel to have one your mistakes come back to haunt you, a constant reminder of your failure?"
Fenrir growled, warning, his hands hurting Adam in his annoyance.
"Hit a nerve did I? I hope Adam doesn't become another one. But don't worry; we'll be around to pick up the pieces." The man lightly tapped Adam on the cheek.
Big mistake on his part. Fenrir hurled Adam into the wall, and with inhuman speed and strength, pinned the man to the wall, choking him. It was a fine display of power, the man's feet hovering a few inches off the ground, Fenrir holding him with only one arm. Despite him wearing sunglasses, Adam saw true terror in the man's face, breaking him from his shock.
"Fenrir, stop! You're hurting him."
"Isn't that the point?" he snarled.
The man, his face turning purple, couldn't escape from Fenrir's hold. He thrashed about weakly, slowly losing consciousness.
"Fenrir, seriously, I think you're killing him. Stop!" Fenrir wouldn't listen, and Adam, in his desperation, flung himself around Fenrir's strong neck, choking him. When that didn't deter Fenrir, Adam banged his fists on Fenrir's muscular back, but Fenrir still couldn't be stopped.
"What the hell are you doing, Callaghan?" Yelled Tom in his powerful voice. Surveying the scene, he dryly said, "That's about as wrong as two boys having sex in church." Everyone stopped, and turned, in unison, to face Tom. "What did I tell you about starting fights in here? You know Jacob wouldn't like it, and hell, it's hard enough to deal with him on a good day."
Complete silence.
Yes, Tom had to have been a former Drill Sergeant, Adam mentally agreed with Brent.
Fenrir hands slacken in the lull, and the man, freeing himself, ran away. Plopping down from Fenrir's large back, Adam had an image of a dog running away with its tail tucked in-between its legs. Fenrir turned to face him, his eyes racking over Adam's body, lighter than from what Adam remembered. Maybe it was just the light.
Tom, convinced that the fight was over, moved into the kitchen.
"Are you fucking crazy? Or just stupid?" Adam shrieked quietly at Fenrir. "You could've killed him."
"Nonsense, it wouldn't have gone that far, but he had to know."
"Had to know what exactly? That you're freaking crazy?"
"Careful, Adam. I wouldn't want to have to do the same to you," cautioned Fenrir, his hand wrapping around Adam's throat. "He had to know I wouldn't tolerate insults, that being in 'polite society,' as he termed it, wouldn't protect him."
"You know, a normal person would've walked away. You are freaking crazy!" Adam backed into the wall, trying to gain some much need space, but Fenrir followed, his thumb stroking the side of Adam's neck. Fenrir leaned forward, lifting his other hand and setting it near Adam's head, trapping Adam between him and the wall.
"I'm not a normal person, Adam, and soon you'll realize that."
"Oh, I've already realize that, a long time ago actually. Like, the first time I met you. Are all you Brits like this?"Adam backed further into the wall, wishing it would let him pass through, or swallow him whole. It didn't. Stupid wall.
"This has nothing to do with me being a 'Brit,' my pup."
"What did I tell you about calling me your pup? And will you stop touching me!"
"You are in no position to make demands," smirked Fenrir, pausing for dramatic effect, "my pup." He lean in, his face mere inches from Adam's, and gradually inched closer. His eyes, becoming even brighter, stared at Adam's lips.
Adam turned his head to the side. He would've fought back, perhaps attacked Fenrir, but he knew it was useless. Fenrir did almost kill a full-grown, muscular man with one arm, and Adam, fighting everyone and everything since he was little, knew when he was beaten.
"Do you fear me?"
"You almost killed a stranger, could crush me like a soda pop can…what the hell do you think?"
Fenrir backed away, frowning. "Very wise, my pup."
Adam wasted no time in moving toward the exit, eyeing Fenrir, wary. Again, he felt that pull, the same one he had when he first met Fenrir; that need to obey him. Unnatural. Shivering, Adam stepped closer to the doorway.
"Who are you?"
"I'm sure you have many questions-"
"Ya think?"
"But you're going to have to wait…we've been strangely fortunate."
"We?"
Fenrir didn't get a chance to explain. Tom shouted from the kitchen, "Callaghan, why aren't you changing in your uniform? Your shift started half an hour ago. You're lucky Jacob isn't here yet."
"Oh shit! Listen, I don't know what's going on, but I don't want any part of it. Stay away from me, Fenrir." Adam high tailed it to his room to change, for a moment completely forgetting about Fenrir and the fight.
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What was going on?
Theories, half formed, flurried about in Adam's head like a raging snowstorm, chaotic, jumbled. He had been at it for a few hours now, and he still couldn't come with an answer. The unknown man, his leader, Remus. Those groups they talked about.
Fenrir.
Who were they, really?
The man had said his leader was interested in meeting with Adam, for whatever reason. But why? What was so damn special about me, anyways? He was an average kid, who worked and slaved away for a tyrant, who practically botched up high school. Whose only hope in succeeding in life was a declining diner, no thanks to Jacob.
A loser.
The only answer he could come up with was because of Fenrir. They did know Fenrir, even if Fenrir claimed he didn't know them. From what Adam could gather, there appeared to be some kind of rivalry going on between them and, for some reason, Adam now seemed to be the center of it. He wondered if it was because of Fenrir's recent attentiveness to him that these other people were now after him. It made sense if they were seeking revenge, and if they thought he was important to Fenrir that they would come after him.
Easily rectifiable too. He would just have to tell Fenrir to back the fuck off if he came around again. And if that other man came, he would calmly explained to him that he didn't know Fenrir, and he wasn't apart of whatever game they were playing.
Yes, that should work. Maybe. If it didn't, he would think of something else.
And who the hell was Remus?
"Hey, waiter. Waiter! I ordered lemonade, not water," a disgruntled customer called out.
There goes another good tip, huffed Adam. Adam didn't feel like dealing with people, much less unsatisfied ones, to begin with, and this was his third mistake in the past hour. The previous customers hadn't even left a tip. Stingy bastards.
"Do you serve cheese sticks?"
Can you not read the menu? "Yes, ma'am."
"Alright, I'll have a cheeseburger. Without the bread. And no lettuce, or tomato, or pickles."
Because that's makes a whole lot of sense. What about the cheese sticks? "Sure, ma'am. Whatever you want."
Adam slugged back into the kitchen, noticing that a family's meal was ready to be served, and walk right back out with it.
"Are you getting my water-I mean lemonade? And I need salt and pepper."
Adam acknowledged him, showing he understood, and passed out the entrees to the big family next to him.
"Why are you serving those people now? I gave you my order first. It's because I'm black, isn't it? You're racist!"
What? Where the hell did he reach that conclusion?
"Will you shut up for a minute, I'm just trying to do my job," said Adam, losing his patience. "If you got a problem with me, you can just leave."
He didn't wait around to see the customer's reaction, walked right on out of the back door. It was time for a five minute break anyways. Or twenty minute.
He simply wasn't a people person even at the best of times, and the complaining customers weren't helping. In fact, they were driving him insane. He couldn't wait until he took Jacob's place as manager, then he wouldn't have to deal with the stupid customers and their insipid comments. Ten months. That's all it took. Ten months and he'll be eighteen. It wasn't that long, he could do it. He waited four years already, ten months was nothing. Who was he kidding? He'll probably be dead by then. Death by dimwitted customers.
God, he needed a cigarette. Badly. He never carried them on him because he would be tempted to smoke them too much, and smoking was detrimental to his running ability. He only smoked when he was really drunk and when Brent was around him. He just needed time to think.
Fenrir, that unstable man, what to do about him if he didn't listen. He had said the truth, Fenrir did scare him. Not only because he was ridiculously strong and fast, but because he was unpredictable. Adam never expected Fenrir to go all out and attack the other man, and then to threaten him with the same treatment, to justify it like it was the most normal thing to do.
And how the other man referred to Adam becoming another one of Fenrir's mistakes. What exactly happened between Fenrir and Remus? Shaking his head, Adam convinced himself he didn't care; he was getting out of this mess, one way or another. He promised himself he wouldn't become another one of Fenrir's mistakes, whatever that meant.
Going back into the restaurant, Adam noticed the black man had left. Fair enough. Fenrir, though, was sitting in the back, away from the rest of customers. Not fair. He refused to acknowledge the crazy man knowing that another one of the employees would take care of Fenrir.
Sighing, he continued working. He could feel the prickly sensation you get when you know someone is watching your every move, but every time he looked in Fenrir direction, he was reading the newspaper. Now, instead of messing up people's orders, he was tripping over his own feet. He almost spilled coffee over a kind, old lady thanks to Fenrir.
An hour and a half before closing, almost an eternity. He never wanted his shift to end so much. He should have called Brent over to take his shift since Jacob didn't even bother to show up. He could still call Brent up, but knowing his luck, Jacob would show up right when Brent got here. Or when Brent actually overtook his shift. Things would get ugly, then, and Adam didn't want to risk it.
When he finally met Fenrir's gaze, he flipped him the bird, earning a smirk in his direction. He only hoped Fenrir would leave when he closed up.
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Blahz: Really? Oh jeez, I don't know what to say. That's probably the best compliment someone could give me!
Sighed-anonymous: Sorry, Fenrir didn't quite wipe the floor with the guy. Hope it satisfies you that he did attack him. And thanks for the review.
Lina: I don't know how you didn't find this story before, but have no fear, I'll continue to update.
Looking glass: Thank you and kudos to you for being a mythology geek too! I try to find something interesting for the characters to say instead of, say, the rules to Truth or Dare. I don't want to bore my readers too much in the pointless dialogue.
Kaiswings: No, no I LOVE rambling reviews. Continue to ramble away, please! Personally, I thought I was making Fenrir too nice, but you'll see some of his savageness later now. But I'm glad you like him! But out of curiosity, what are your theories? I wanna see it you're right too.
Liv: You're right, that wasn't very nice of me. :P I think I'm finally figuring out the danger of leaving cliffies: the next chapter will have to be extra good lest you disappoint your readers.
A/N: Sorry to all my faithful readers, this will be the last update for awhile. I have to much going on next month to really work on this.