"Are you out of your damn mind?!" A large figure clad in a Kevlar-reinforced costume, very similar to that of Batman's, was already waiting for Dave before the mechanical door had finished opening. And he was not happy.
"What the hell are you doing with Frank D'Amico's kid?!"
Damon Macready, though more appropriately known as 'Big Daddy', had watched the entire scene in disbelief from the secret hideout; having planted security cameras in the lobby of D'Amico's condominium with the help of his daughter, Mindy. Damon and his daughter had quickly adorned their costumes, ready to track down Dave to make him talk, but the guy came to them instead, which was better.
The man took a step forward; blocking Dave's pathway into the hideout and bent to take a closer look at the dark-haired boy, bruised and bloodied, cradled in Dave's arms.
"Holy shit, is he—Dave, is he dead?!" This was not good; this was really not good! This was insane; as highly unlikely as it was, how in the world did Dave manage to get past all those thugs to get to a member of the D'Amico family and actually kill him?! Dave was no murderer in the long years that Damon had known him.
As over half the city did, Damon and Mindy hated the D'Amico family, no, they completely despised them and had spent their lives forging the perfect plan to take down the notorious leader, Frank D'Amico. And then there was Dave. He was kindhearted and wouldn't hurt a fly. He could barely wield those ridiculous batons he carried around for weapons while sporting his Kick-Ass persona, seemingly picking the D'Amico's off one by one and now at his fucking door with the boss' son.
Damon was just about to congratulate the younger man on his first kill before Dave finally spoke up.
"I didn't know where else to go. You have to help us. Chris, he's really hurt."
That's when Damon sensed something strange in his younger friend as Dave held the lifeless boy, almost protectively, and Damon knew right then and there, could see it in his ally's eyes that this wasn't Dave's doing.
Damon peered closer and took a long look at the injured heir; he was just a kid, younger than Dave, Damon assumed, and not too much older than Mindy. It instantly made him think of his daughter and the very close call they had as he looked back at Mindy donned in her Hit Girl outfit. Years ago, they had barely escaped a failed mission with the young girl dying in his arms. He remembered it clearly to this day how she looked: aside from the plaster of blood on her face, she looked almost peaceful, innocent as she slept soundly; completely unconscious and unaware, in her father's arms, just like how Chris looked now. It was one of the scariest days of his life.
Affected by this memory, Big Daddy realized this kid needed serious help.
"Whatever, just get inside, you can explain everything."
- o - o - o -
Frank didn't bother waiting for a reply; he knew this Dave guy would see the message soon enough. He tucked his son's cell phone into the pocket of his pants before reaching for his own mobile in the other.
Dialing the home number he took down from Dave's profile, Frank was pleased when he heard a voice on the other side.
James had just been nodding off on the couch when the phone began ringing, jolting him out of his reverie. He rubbed at his tired eye's before reaching over to pick up the phone, pressing it up to the side of his face as he mumbled an automatic 'hello' into the receiver.
"Mr. Lizewski? Frank D'Amico here; I'm sure you've heard of me. Sorry to bother you, but it's regarding your son."
"About Dave?" The last of James' grogginess lifted like a veil as he realized who he was speaking to. What had his son done for him to receive a call from Frank D'Amico? He'd heard rumors revolving around that name before; how the man was a crime boss, a drug lord and everything else under the sun that James was against.
Frank's sinister grin grew wider as he heard the expected fear and worry in the other man's voice over the phone. That was perfect; he could always play on fear and get exactly what he wanted.
"Sir, are you aware your son was at my place this afternoon whilst I was at work? Not that I have any problem with that, it's nice to see my Chris making friends for a change; however, it's what your boy did to mine that I cannot overlook. I arrived home early to find your Dave had gotten my son completely drunk, most likely to take advantage of him as he seemed to be doing so when I walked in, beat the hell out of him, and then kidnapped him. I would have stopped him, but your son had him at gunpoint and the last thing I want is for Chris to get shot."
Frank listened intently on the other line as he so effortlessly and effectively told the other father the horrendous false crime Jame's son had committed.
"What? Dave wouldn't—he wouldn't do that. Look, I know my boy, he's harmless. This has to be some sick sort of joke." James denied, not willing to think of his son in such a terrible light.
"Are you calling me a liar, Mr. Lizewksi? I know exactly what I saw. I suggest you give your boy a call immediately and advise him to return my son before any of my men get hold of him." With that, the crime lord hung up the call before the other father could respond. Now really, all he had to do was wait.
James sat there for a moment before deciding that he would get to the bottom of all of this. James dialed his sons number and waited for the boy to answer his call.
- o - o - o -
"And should I even ask why you're wearing no shirt in this weather?"
"Uh... that's not important." Dave stated, quickly stepping inside the room as the man moved to allow him entry.
Mindy's hand slipped inside her utility belt that contained all the essentials she carried with her in battle; grenades, knives, her pistols, and extra ammo clips. She withdrew her hand again, recovering one of her favorite blades.
"It isn't even my birthday yet." She said while brandishing the blade in front of herself, the steel glinting menacingly in the light. A smile played on her lips as her eye's zoned in on the vulnerable man in Dave's arms. This was her and Big Daddy's chance to extract some sort of revenge; to get back at Frank D'Amico for driving her mother to kill herself, and for putting her father away in jail for all those years.
"What?" Dave's eyes widened in horror as the other advanced toward him; that thirst for bloodshed in her gaze. "I didn't bring him over here for you to kill!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, sweetie," Damon jumped in between the two before his daughter could get close enough to cause damage, "let's just see what this is all about and then we'll decide on what to do with him, alright?"
Mindy lowered her knife, giving her father a sullen look before sheathing it. "Fine."
Damon had trained her well as a deadly assassin, but sometimes he felt that he had taken that training too far. Mindy had slaughtered more lives and seen more death than most would ever witness in their entire life and this resulted in what she was today: a ruthless, hardened, cold-blooded killer with no remorse for taking a life.
It was understandable though; her pure hatred for Chris was strictly because of the boys family name and more so for what his father and his men had done.
"I'm starting to think it wasn't such a good idea to come here..." Dave said, glancing between the two superheros, and then to the door as he considered leaving. Hit-Girl's penetrating gaze trained on him, and Dave gulped.
"Here," Damon cleared off some space on an old couch and patted the worn-out cushion with a hand, "lay him here. I'll be right back. Oh and, Mindy, hunnie, please don't do anything stupid." He urged, before heading to a back room to gather what little medical supplies they had available.
Doing as Big Daddy advised, Dave moved Chris to lay carefully on his back against the shabby couch. He then remained awkwardly standing beside his unconscious friend, prepared to leap in front of him should Mindy choose to ignore her fathers words. Instead it appeared the female assassin had resigned herself to collapsing into a near by stool.
"Don't worry, asshole," she remarked; observing the way Dave stood defensively at the broken man's side. "I'm not going to hurt your boyfriend." 'Yet.'
Mindy sighed irritably from her perch. She just wanted to run her knife through the D'Amico and ask questions later. Hit-Girl reclined in her seat, her back coming in contact with the desk as she studied Chris without caring if he would survive or not. Though she was hoping it was the earlier, just so she could finish him off herself.
"Pull up a chair, Dave. And don't give me that look, Mindy." Big Daddy called from the other room, full aware of his daughter's sharp glare behind his back.
Dave re-positioned a stood to sit close beside his ailing friend, all the while wary of what Mindy's next move might be.
Damon decided to change out of costume; he wanted his movement as unrestricted as possible while tending to the boy and the mix of stiff leather and hard Kevlar material wasn't exactly comfortable.
Stripping down quickly into a pair of dark cargo pants and a plain top, Big Daddy swiftly collected the supplies and returned with an extra shirt for Dave as well. Damon tossed the shirt over to Dave and didn't watch him tug it over his head before administering first aid on the Chris. A lot of people were out to get the infamous D'Amico family; anyone could have done this. He was very lucky Dave found him when he did.
Settling himself on the couch beside the unconscious young man, Damon softly pushed aside the dark hair matted with sweat and stained a deep crimson to reveal a deep, nasty, cut.
"Jesus…"
He noticed a bruise on the other side of the man's face, but that was nothing that wouldn't heal itself. This cut was what needed to be mended immediately.
Two hands took hold around the opening of Chris' shirt as Big Daddy tore open the expensive material, not wasting time on the buttons. He didn't need anything constricting the boy's breathing.
"Is he hurt anywhere else?" The question being more for himself rather than aimed at Dave as his eyes quickly examined Chris' upper torso. Some bruises and strange marks, he noted, but nothing life-threatening.
"Can you hear me, son? Chris? You're gonna be alright, kid." Damon very gently shook the boy and was relieved when he heard a small groan. "Back away you two, just let me handle this." He ordered to the onlookers as he reached for the bottle of peroxide and some bandages.
He was in no way a medical professional, but had extensive experience dealing with serious injuries; this wasn't even close to what he had seen in his days. But still, who had done this to him? And he had yet to receive an answer as to what the hell Dave was doing with him.
Dave observed Chris' still form, the perfect picture of concern painted on his facial features. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding at the small sound his friend made. Dave had forgotten about his chair and stood anxiously, a few strides to the side of Big Daddy. His phone blared away in his pocket, but Dave ignored it. All of his attention focused on the younger man.
"You gonna answer your phone?" Mindy asked, legs dangling from her seat as she kicked idly back and forth, leveling her sharp gaze on her ally.
"Uh.. yeah." Dave stuck his hand into his pocket and yanked out the device. He placed it to the side of his face, recognizing his father's voice as he spoke to him from across the line.
"Dave. I just got a call from Frank D'Amico. Want to tell me what's going on? He told me you kidnapped his son... as well as other things."
"Frank D'Amico called you!?" Dave panicked. How did the guy even get his number? Shit, he knew who he was! This was bad, really bad!
"Yes, and you need to start explaining. He made some serious accusations."
"W-well you see, I was only hanging out with Chris before all this started. And Frank hits him dad, I had to get him out of there. So yeah, I kinda did kidnap him. But he's not even a kid, he's an adult and I saved him, his father had a gun up to his head." Dave delivered his explanation as best he could to his dad in hopes the man would believe him. And James did, but that didn't erase the fact that he still abducted a mob boss's son.
Mindy didn't even have to strain her ears to listen as Dave spoke animatedly into the phone; his voice rising as his panic mounted. She learned some interesting insight about the events that transpired at the D'Amico residence earlier that day. 'Someone has daddy issues.' She thought, eye's locking onto Chris' unconscious form.
"Just return his son, Dave. I don't want you to get hurt protecting him." James said.
"I can't—look dad. I need to keep him away from Frank, he's insane. He'll kill us when he finds us."
"All the more reason to just give him back." came James' reply.
Dave sighed, he just wasn't getting through to his father. "I'm hanging up now. Sorry, I won't be coming home today. Don't call the police, they can't help. Frank has connections inside the force." He said, ending the call with the flick of his wrist, he held the off button of his phone before pocketing it.
James sat in his chair cupping his face in his hands as his son cut the call short. At least Dave had taken Frank's son out of noble reasons, as opposed to the sick ones the mafia boss presented to him. But what did that matter when there was a chance that he might not have a son anymore, when there was a chance he could be killed.
Damon couldn't help overhearing the entire conversation. His hands slowed as his ears picked up on every word that Dave was mostly shouting; he hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but it was impossible not to with the man only a few feet away from him and freaking out.
He re-adjusted his glasses that kept sliding down his nose as he concentrated hard on the task at hand; watching with difficulty as Chris jerked at the sudden sting of the peroxide. "It's alright, buddy, I know it hurts. Gotta do this." He wasn't sure if the boy could actually hear him or not, but it gave him some reassurance.
Damon shook his head to himself as he listened closely while applying a large surgical bandage to the wound and holding it in place.
It wasn't exactly surprising that someone like Frank D'Amico beats his son, but that didn't change him from feeling sorry for Chris; he couldn't imagine laying a hand on Mindy, and she wasn't exactly the most well-behaved kid.
Securing the dressing in place and thankful that blood was no longer seeping through, Damon merely wiped his hands of the blood onto the old pair of cargoes he was wearing before covering Chris with a thick blanket and took a seat next to his young friend; keeping a slight watch out of the corner of his eye on his daughter in case the urge to kill the now-unprotected boy arose.
He sat in awkward silence, unsure of exactly what to say; he didn't want to question him further, Dave was pretty upset right now, but there was the still the issue of what to do with the D'Amico kid.
"You okay?" He simply asked.
At the end of the very distressing conversation he had with his father, Dave was feeling more stressed and helpless than he ever had in his life. "For someone who has the mafia on their ass, sure. I'm fine."
"Alright, alright, stupid question." Well what was he supposed to say? He was a more of 'kill now, mourn later' kind of guy. Damon wasn't used to dealing with, what was it? Emotions?
"Look, Dave, we gotta figure out what to do here" He understood the stress Dave was under, but they couldn't sit around moping about it. The mafia was now after him and he didn't think Dave realized the danger he was truly in.
"I mean, maybe this could really be our chance to take down Frank D'Amico once and for all. Just hear me out, alright?" He could see Dave already becoming defensive about it…and the question was why? Why was he just casually hanging out with the son of the man he swore to kill? He wanted answers and it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold in his frustration. "You know, years ago you, no, Kick-Ass, would have done anything to take out the D'Amico's; this is your chance! We have his kid for fuck sakes!"
Dave didn't like where the conversation was going at all. His eyes narrowed and he folded his arms in front of himself. His body language spoke volumes about how opposed he was to what Damon was subtly implying. It was alarming to Dave how somebody's life meant so little to his two allies.
"I'm not using Chris to take down Frank D'Amico." He said firmly; unwavering in his decision. He wasn't willing to risk his friendship with Chris. He also couldn't just betray him like that, the boy had already been through so much.
There was also the unresolved feelings he blamed for influencing his suborn behavior. He wasn't going to deny it, he may have been drunk at the time, but Dave was sober now, and he wasn't disgusted by what Chris and he were about to do earlier before Frank interrupted them. And he didn't know what to think about that.
Who knew Dave would grow attached to some D'Amico scum? Nobody could have seen this coming. Mindy was disappointed in him. She had always known Dave to be soft, and kindhearted. In conclusion, he was stupid, loyal, but stupid. It was one of the man's many faults, as well as one of his most admirable qualities.
"Mindy and I," Damon emphasized his daughter's name to speak for the both of them whether she agreed or not, "promise not to hurt him; I did just save his damn life, ya know, but if you honestly think that we are not going to take advantage of this whole thing, then you're very mistaken, Dave." Damon's young ally couldn't possibly understand what Chris' family had done to his own. He deserved his revenge; Mindy deserved revenge. He had no intention of killing the boy that Dave, for some unexplained and bizarre reason, had come to care for, but Damon wasn't about to just have the mafia boss' son waltz into his place and not use the situation to his benefit in some way or another.
Dave was at first reassured by Damon's pledge not to harm his friend, and then became defensive again as the man went on to say he was going to essentially use Chris. He looked away from the man as he felt the cold sting of betrayal.
Mindy's reaction to her name being used in that context was not an agreeable one; and she frowned bitterly in silent retaliation. If the temptation became too strong for her, she would slaughter the D'Amico; and there was nothing her father's empty promises could do to hold her from doing that. Still, she was intrigued by what Big Daddy was saying. Maybe it would be better to keep the mob boss' son alive. Her gaze remained glued to the boy as she weighed the pros and cons of letting him live.
A.N. - Special thanks to Rock n' Fuckin' Roll for betaing this chapter. ^_^
This is a roleplay between me and Jayden Blake. I play as Dave and Mindy. My amazingly talented partner acts as Chris, Frank, and Damon. Once again I'd like to point out that this is a slight AU. That means most of the events that occurred in both Kick-Ass 1 and 2 don't pertain to this plot. And be sure not to make any assumptions about the characters, and their back stories. In this fic, Chris doesn't know Dave is actually Kick Ass and the boys are 21.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kick-Ass nor do I make a profit from any of my stories.