Reunion
~Chapter 1~
"Please, don't leave me."
"I'm so sorry. I promise I will come back for you. I'll take you away from this bullshit city, and we'll go somewhere else; somewhere better."
Simon laid in the small cot, fiddling with the edge of his shirt. He stared at the cracked cement ceiling, amber eyes blank as they hid behind his glasses.
"You never came back," he muttered softly to himself, rolling onto his side. The soft pitter-patter of the rain hitting the asylum acted like a soft lullaby. His eyes grew heavy; his body relaxing. He continued to play the edge of his shirt, staring at the wall. He sighed softly, removing his glasses and gently placing them on the floor away from the bed. There wasn't a nightstand in there, much to his dismay. Oh well. He'd be home soon, anyways.
He slowly closed his eyes, curling himself into a ball. He felt himself slipping into the darkness, ready for 'Mr. Sandman' to wisk him away. Or, at least, that's what Tien, his mother, used to say when they first moved into Little Fin Haven Apartments. He wondered how she was; wondered if she was okay. And just as he was about to drift to sleep, he heard something in the distance. It was almost like a scream. Sounded more like a dying bird, actually. Perhaps it was.
"Dude, these people screaming and crying are really bumming me out," The voice was what caught his attention. He slowly sat himself up, squinting his eyes out the door.
"I hate how some of the doors are open," replied a familiar sounding voice. "Reminds me of those horror movie where like... the killer is hiding behind a door just waiting to jump out."
"Don't say that! What if it happens!" cried the first, followed by a laugh.
"There are no killers in here! They're locked up!" The two people finally stopped in front of the room Simon was in, looking at him surprised and a bit horrified. "About them being locked up, I lied..."
"H-hello," Simon slowly stood up from the bed, stumbling a bit, still squinting at them. "How are you two? Why are you here?"
"I'm Rabbit and this Crow," The female, Rabbit, smiled at him, waving a bit. Simon nodded, looking at the man beside her. He was tall, and looked so familiar. So did Rabbit. He couldn't remember where he had saw them, though. But, Crow kept smiling at him. "Who are you, killer?"
"My name is Simon, and I'm not a killer," he replied, frowning at her. She smiled giggled.
"I had a friend named Simon once!" she told him, "He always wore a jacket. Even in the summer. Couldn't get him out of it!"
He bit his lip, slowly retreating to the back of the room, grabbing his glasses and putting them on. He could see clearly now, the two standing there in the doorway.
"Hey! You look more like him, now!"
"Rabbit, do me a favor and go on back, aight? Imma... ask Simon something."
"Oh yeah, let me travel alone," She waved goodbye to Simon, walking away. Crow looked at him, slowly walking forward.
"Simon Tran, right?" he asked, watching as he backed away from him.
"Leave!" His demand came out as a whimper, making him chuckle softly.
"You don't remember me?" he asked, sounding hurt. "Simon, it's me! Don't you remember?"
"No! Get away from me!" Crow gently grabbed his wrists, making him squirm and fight back.
"You got rid of your old jacket, huh?" he asked softly, earning a surprised look. "That's good! It was too big, anyways!"
"How do you-"
"I remember everything about you, Simon," he chuckled, lifting his left arm. "I even remember what's hiding under these bracelets of yours."
"H-hey! Don't take those-" It was too late. His bracelets were off and placed on the bed. Old scars still shown on his pale skin, light pink but there.
"I'm glad you haven't added any more," Crow's voice was soft as he gently placed his lips on his wrist.
"Vinny?" He smiled at him.
"You do remember!" Simon couldn't help himself. He wrapped his arms around the man, pulling him into a hug.
"You haven't changed a bit," he chuckled softly, gently placing a kiss on the enforcer's cheek.
"Wish I could say the same for you," He admired Crow's face, looking at the new piercings and his mohawk.
"I know, I know. I've changed quite a bit, haven't I?" He held him close, burying his face in the side of his neck, his cold piercings making him squeak. "I came back, Simon. Just took me some time... and some mistakes. But, I came back for you."
"It's funny," he started softly, lacing their fingers together. "I was just thinking about you. Started thinking about the night you said you'd be back."
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," He rubbed his nose against his, giving him an Eskimo kiss.
"You're not the devil, Vincent," he chuckled, resting their foreheads together.
"Close to it," he sighed. And after a moment, he pulled away, still smiling at him. "What do you do, Simon? What's your job now?"
"I work with the Prentiss Tigers," he replied, the man's smile vanishing. "I... got tired of the crime in San Paro, and I didn't want my siblings growing up around it. So, I wanted to help."
"You're... an enforcer..." Simon nodded, looking at him concerned.
"Is something wrong, Vinny?" He nodded slightly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Let's just say... I didn't make the right choices in life," he sighed, biting his lip. "Simon, I'm going to be honest with you. I kinda... maybe... sorta work with the G-Kings..."
"You're a criminal?!" Simon practically shoved him away. "Vincent, why?! You were a great guy back in high school! You got good grades, you had honors, you-"
"I fucked up!" he cried, "I made a huge mistake that took away any of my chances to have a normal job! Simon, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt other people, but that's how it happened."
"What did you do?" he asked, cocking his head. "Tell me, please?"
"I just... Simon I..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I uh... I'll have to tell you later."
"No! Now!" he demanded, making Crow flinch.
"Another time, sweetie," he sighed, taking a step forward and kissing his cheek. "You still live in the waterfront, right?"
"Yes... I haven't moved, unlike you," He smiled slightly, nodding his head.
"Imma drop by around eight. Is that okay?" Simon nodded slowly. Crow gave him one last hug, holding him for a couple of minutes.
"You're going to come back this time, right?" he asked, earning a smile.
"Yes, honey. Of course," he murmured, kissing the top of his head. "I'll be there at eight. Be ready, please?"
"I will. See you then, hm?" With a nod, Crow turned his heels and left the room. Simon watched him, fiddling with the edge of his shirt once more. He bit his lip, looking at the ground. He was happy to have Crow back in his life. Bad thing was: he was a criminal.
