A/N: Thank you to the anon who left a review on my last chapter! Yes, poor Snake is trying so hard to make his (and his friends') lives better. Or at least, not worse lol. And yes, I've been looking forward to introducing Ivy from the beginning, and I'm really excited to explore her character!
When Ivy showed up at his apartment the next morning, wearing a simple blouse and jeans, Snake felt horribly overdressed in Grubber's old, awkwardly fitting suit.
The suit itself was Arturo's idea; when he told him later about the phone call, he was much more optimistic about the whole affair than Snake was.
"What happened, happened years ago. You were both kids; she probably feels bad about it and wants to reconcile."
"I don't know," Snake said. "She seemed sincere, but… it's been so long, Arturo. Why would she call now? How do I know she doesn't have some ulterior motive?"
"You don't, not until you talk to her," Arturo said. "All I know is that if I had the chance to see one of my sisters again, even for a little while, you couldn't stop me from jumping on that opportunity. You'll never forgive yourself if you don't at least give this thing a shot."
Snake sighed. "I guess," he said. "I don't even know what to wear though."
"Don't worry about it, man! I think I know something you could borrow."
When Snake saw it, the ugly brown thing with its bright, polka dot tie, he was more than a little apprehensive. But seeing Arturo's enthusiasm, especially after he had been avoiding him all day, he agreed to give it a try. Besides, it's not like he had a whole lot of options anyway.
"Hi Snake," she greeted him. "You look nice."
"Thanks, you too."
The drive to Ivy's apartment was done in silence. As he sat in the passenger's seat beside her, watching Townsville whiz by, he tried not to think about how nice her car looked, with its glossy blue finish, spotless interior, and heated leather seats. He had never been much into cars himself, but he knew it must've been something insanely fancy and expensive.
But of course, Ivy's car was nothing in comparison to her actual apartment.
A towering, intimidating building that looked not unlike a skyscraper, was separated from the outside world by a tall, white fence and a security guard.
"Good morning, Miss Ivy," the man greeted with a smile. He paused when he saw Snake, who instinctively slouched down in his seat.
"Hey, isn't that the fellow from the news? The one who threatened that young mother and her children?"
"Robert, this is Snake. My brother," she said pointedly. "And he did no such thing. You're thinking of someone else."
He looked even more confused. "Brother? But-"
"Can you let us in please? I do apologize but we're in a rush this morning."
The man gave Snake one last curious look before turning his gaze back towards his sister. "Yes, of course, Miss Ivy. My mistake."
After they drove into the parking lot, Ivy shot him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about that. Robert is a nice guy, but he can be nosy at times."
Snake shook his head. "It's fine," he said, even though his nerves were still frayed.
As the pair made their way into the building and through the elevator, Ivy led the way into her apartment, and Snake had to physically stop his jaw from dropping.
The ceilings must've been at least sixteen feet tall, if not taller, with windows reaching all the way to the top and the skyline of Townsville in full view. The living room itself was massive, and probably twice the size of Snake's entire apartment combined. There were two couches on either side each with their own glass coffee table, and a flat screen TV against the wall that looked as wide as Snake was tall.
"Nice place you have here."
Ivy gave him an embarrassed smile. "I know, it's a bit much just for one person. Why don't you go ahead and take a seat? I've got a pot of coffee on, and some fresh baked cookies fresh out of the oven. Peanut butter is still your favorite, right?"
"Yeah, it is," he said, surprised she remembered. Looking at her pristine wooden floor, Snake decided it was best to take his shoes off before walking over to the couch.
As he waited for her and looked around the room, his eyes eventually fell onto a family photo hanging on the wall hidden in the back corner. There, he saw himself at ten years old with a nervous smile that looked more like a grimace slouching beside Ivy, who stood posing and grinning wide for the camera in a light blue sundress. Their parents stood behind them; his mother with a smile that didn't reach her eyes and his father who looked down at the camera, his hand squeezing Snake's shoulder with an iron grip.
A few minutes later, Ivy came out with a tray holding two mugs along with a plate of cookies. She placed them on the table before taking a spot next to him.
"Thanks," he said, as he picked up the mug closest to him. He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth fill his naturally cold body.
"I just put in a dash of cream, I hope that's okay. It's how Mom always makes hers and I guess I just picked up the habit-" she cut herself off, blushing. "Sorry."
"Ivy, you don't have to apologize for bringing up our parents. You don't have to pretend they don't exist," he said. "In fact, I'd rather you didn't."
"So, you do want to talk about them?"
Snake shrugged. "I'd rather talk about them then not, I suppose."
"Okay," she said, setting her own mug down. "Where would you like to start?"
"Maybe we can start by talking about you. What have you gotten up to over the years? You must've gotten a pretty sweet job to afford a place like this."
"Dad hired me as a Software Engineer after I graduated from college a few years ago. I didn't want to work for him at first, but you know how he can be…"
Snake just nodded. He knew that all too well.
"But other than that, there's not much to tell. I had a couple boyfriends over the years, but nothing that stuck for more than a few months. No kids or pets. Not many friends either, they're hard to make in the industry; most of them resent me for being the CEO's daughter and the rest just try and suck up for the same reason. There are some people from college I still talk to from time to time."
"How are Mom and Dad?" he asked. "Do they ever… I mean- do they talk about me, even in passing-"
A sad look appeared on her face. "Mom tries to avoid the topic altogether. If she sees you in the news or someone else asks about you, she changes the subject or leaves the room. I don't think it's because she doesn't care, I just think… she has no idea how to deal with it all. So she just doesn't. If it wasn't for Dad, she might've even tried to reach out herself at some point."
Snake sighed. That did little to make him feel better.
"And as for Dad…" Ivy started. "Well, probably the less said about him, the better. He's never been the forgiving type, and he's still stuck in his old ways and views. Once he saw you and your friend together, it was all over in his mind. There was nothing you could've done."
Snake smiled grimly. "I guess I already knew that on some level. It was bad enough having a green son with a lisp, but a gay criminal green son with a lisp? Yeah, not dear old Dad."
"And I want you to know," Ivy said, patting him on the arm. "I have absolutely no problem with you dating men. It's the twenty-first century and people really need to learn to get over themselves. That being said, I don't… I don't know if that other fellow, Ace is it? I don't know if he's the best choice for you."
Snake snorted. "Believe me, you don't have to worry about that."
Ivy furrowed her brow in confusion. "You mean, you and Ace… you aren't-"
"No. God no," Snake said. "Not now, not even back then. Not really. Of course, it's not like Dad was willing to listen either way, or that it would have mattered."
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand," Ivy shook her head. "Are you telling me you're not gay?"
Snake sighed. He was really starting to regret this.
"It's complicated, okay?" he said. "I don't really want to get into it all at ten o'clock in the morning. But you can live rest assured I am not dating Ace."
"Well," Ivy said, looking as if she was still processing his answer. "That's good, I suppose. Especially for all the trouble he's put you through. You deserve better, whether you choose to date a man or a woman."
"Thanks. I guess," Snake said. They both sat in awkward silence for a moment before Ivy spoke again.
"Yes. Well, either way, how have you been? Have you been able to find another job?"
Snake nodded, eager to change the subject. "Arturo, one of my friends, is working on it. He says that his boss is thinking of taking us on as dishwashers."
"I see," Ivy said. "And this Arturo… he was also a member of the gang you were a part of?"
"Yes," Snake said suspiciously. "Why?"
"I'm just saying," she said. "Maybe working with someone like that isn't the best idea. Especially after everything that just happened with your other friend."
"Arturo isn't Ace," Snake said firmly.
"Maybe not, but still. It doesn't seem like a good idea. Those boys have gotten you into a lot of trouble over the years."
"'Those boys' are the only reason I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere, no thanks to you or Mom and Dad."
Ivy flinched as if he slapped her.
Snake sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"No, you're right," Ivy said softly. "You are. I sat back and did nothing while you were struggling to survive on the streets. I'm your big sister; I should've protected you, or at least tried. But I didn't. I'd like to do that now, if you'd let me."
Snake looked at his sister in question. "What do you mean?"
"Come live with me," she said. "That place you're living in now might be better than the dump, but not by much. You'll be safe and comfortable here."
"Ivy-"
"We could get to know each other again. We could be a family, a real family this time. You would have your own room and not have to worry about money-"
"Ivy!"
"What?" she asked.
"You… you want me to live with you? Here?"
"I don't see why not," she said. "Dad might not be too happy with it but what he doesn't know won't kill him, and I have plenty of room."
"So wait," he said, shaking his head. "You're not even planning on telling Dad that I'd be living with you? What am I supposed to do, hide whenever he decides to visit? Be quiet and pretend I don't exist, just like when Dad's friends would come over?"
"Of course not. It's just… you know what he's like, Sanford. He's a powerful man who can ruin your life in a minute. I could lose my job, get blacklisted from the industry-"
"It's Snake!" He yelled. "And yeah, I'm well aware of that, thanks. And I can understand why you wouldn't want to lose your title as "the golden child" by associating with the family screw-up. You might have to move out of your mansion in the sky and into a spare bedroom of your rich college friends, god forbid. How brave you must be for even talking to me at all."
"Snake, come on-"
"You know what, this was a mistake," he said. He walked up, and moved to put his shoes back on. "You don't have to worry about me getting you on Dad's bad side. You don't have to worry about me at all."
"Snake!" she cried out. "Where are you going?"
"Home."
"How?! You live all the way on the other side of town."
"I'll take the bus," he said. "Hell, I'll walk. It doesn't matter."
"Snake, please." She got up from the couch and rushed over to him, grabbing his arm. His hand was on the door knob.
"Please don't go. I'm sorry. I never meant it like that. You're my brother, and I just wanted to help." He turned around, and she gave him a shy smile.
"I love you, Snake. Even if you don't forgive me, even if you don't ever want to see me again, I'll still love you. And I'll still think about what happened every day of my life."
Snake froze. He looked at her, saw the sincerity on her face, and felt himself letting go of the handle.
"Ivy…" he started. "I know Dad is an asshole. And I know you think you're just trying to help, but I can't go back to being the little brother that has to hide and be quiet to make Dad comfortable. And I can't abandon the gang. They've been the only family I've known for years and right now, they need me more than ever. If you want me in your life, you're going to have to accept that they're a part of mine."
Ivy nodded. "Okay, that's fair. And we can take things slow if you want to, I know this must be a lot to take in all at once. Just promise me one thing?"
"And what would that be?"
"That you'll look out for yourself too," she said. "You don't have to drown with your friends just because they don't have a life raft."
It was late afternoon by the time Snake arrived back home.
When Arturo told Ace that Snake's sister called him up, hoping to reconcile, he could hardly believe it. First, Grubber was reunited with his brothers, brothers nobody even knew existed, and now Snake-
"So, how did it go?"
Snake looked back at him in confusion before closing the door behind him. "What?"
"You know, your little family reunion? Arturo mentioned your sister called."
"Of course he did," he muttered under his breath. "It went fine, thanks for asking. Why? Do I have to ask for your permission to talk to my own family now?"
"I just thought it was weird you didn't say anything," he said. "I mean, we're friends, right? I just think it would be something you'd tell a close friend."
"Like how you told me you were going to spend our entire life savings on a motorcycle you couldn't even drive? Or how you lost us our jobs and forced Arturo to beg his boss-"
"Okay fine, I get it. I screwed up a lot of shit lately," Ace said. "But, it's all coming together now, isn't it? Arturo found us new jobs, Tommy came over to take back the bike. Which, thanks for telling me about ahead of time, by the way," he said sarcastically.
"But I'm serious, man. How did it go? Her name's Ivy, right? Is she still the same self-absorbed little snot she was when we were kids?"
"She wasn't that bad," Snake said, defensively.
"Are you kidding me? I still remember the look she gave me whenever I came over to your house," he said. "It's the same look we'd all give Grubber whenever he didn't shower for two weeks straight."
"Well in her defense, you've never exactly been Mr. Clean yourself. You probably didn't smell much better."
"My point is," Ace said. "She's always been so… uppity. I don't know how you can stand talking to her, after everything that happened. If I had a sister and she just ditched me like that, I'd tell her to go to hell."
"That was a long time ago," Snake said. "And to answer your question, the visit went well. Surprisingly well. There were a few things we argued about, but she told me she was sorry and wanted to start seeing me more. She wasn't even mad about the news story, just worried. I think… I think she genuinely wants to have a relationship again. We already have another coffee date set up," he grinned to himself.
Ace stared at Snake. It was weird; he hadn't seen him this happy in years. And all for a sister who never gave him the time of day. Resentment filled him the more and more he thought about it.
It was Ace who sat with Snake as he sobbed his goddamn eyes out for weeks after his parents decided they couldn't understand their son and were done trying. He was the one who helped Snake navigate life on the streets; who taught him to steal and fight so he wouldn't be dead before his thirteenth birthday. Ivy left with them, and never did a damn thing for him before or since, too absorbed in her own little world. And yet Snake only ever looked at him as a screw-up and a nuisance.
"Well, I'm happy for you man. It's great that she grew up and is trying to make amends," he said. "Just be careful, okay? I don't say it a lot, but I do care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt all over again. Maybe she has a guilty conscience right now, but who knows down the road? If shit hits the fan, or god forbid, your scumbag dad gets a hold of her ear, she might not stick around for long. Just something you should think about, you know?"
Instantly, Snake's smile faded.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Feel free to let me know what you think! :D