"He's a BMX rider!?" Moria squealed, getting shoved around by Mihawk and Zeff.

Mihawk, Moria, and Zeff were in Moria and Mihawk's shared dorm room. Mihawk was grabbing all of his study materials to bring to Shakky and Rayleigh's house for the holidays. He decided to investigate the little tidbit Gin and Pearl revealed about Krieg knowing how to do tricks on bikes. He thought maybe the kids meant that Krieg just knew how to do little things on his bike, or that he and his old friends used to play around on them at a skate park or something. Krieg always rode his bike to wherever he had to go, was able to ride at high speeds and time his turns perfectly, and he was damn good at parkour. It just didn't occur to him that Don Krieg, the wallflower of Sambas Regional Academy, the sweetheart who would do anything for his kids, the hippie who loved to go shopping at thrift stores, might have formally been an athlete - a professional athlete! Moria (genius that he was) managed to find an old poster for a BMX competition, and, on the lineup of competitors, Krieg's full name was listed. He was in the preteen to young teen categories for two separate years. He was in third place for one competition and first in another. Those were the only rap sheets Moria could find, but it confirmed little Pearl's words from the video message. Krieg could do tricks on bikes... professionally.

"Yeah. What about it?" a small voice chimed in.

It was Shanks. Benn opened the door with his skeleton key and let his little buddy in. Both were dressed for the Fall Festival. It started after lunch since it was a half day for the occasion. Buggy trailed in begrudgingly, wanting to be anywhere else but in Mihawk's dorm, but he saw the BMX posters and perked up with interest. As soon as he spotted the year that one of his favorite athletes won a match, he dashed over to the screen with a loud gasp and gushed.

"That's Cocksure Krieg!" Buggy swooned.

"... Cocksure... Krieg?" Moria questioned. "Uuuuunnnnnfortunate."

"Are you kidding!? Get out of your grimy corner, spider boy! He's like one of the best in the Junior Men BMX leagues! You're not even worthy enough to live under a rock!" Buggy argued.

"You know him?" Zeff questioned with visible surprise. "He's that kind of famous?"

"Bro lives in a crockpot and doesn't even know it. OBVIOUSLY!" Buggy shouted, grabbing Zeff's shirt and yanking him close to his face. "He won the $13k cash prize in his second competition at like 12 years old! He's Top 5 every time he competes. His last year was his best year BY FAR!"

"His last year?" Mihawk questioned, folding his arms. "Why'd he stop all of a sudden if he's that talented?"

"Oh, he wasn't supposed to compete outside of the event was all. It was an illegal matchup. One of the Elite Men challenged him to an off-road, off-script showdown just 'cause he liked him. It was stupid close! I think I still have the DVD in the basement. I had to beg dad to get me a copy," Buggy explained, going on MushiBing to search for the newsreel on it. He found a couple of clips and played one of them. "The camera guys ate it up! The 1v1 was all skill, great shots, and made headlines in the magazines. They called them the Velocity Vultures. There was a training course just two miles away from the main event space, so Krieg followed the guy out of friendly competition. They figured since their meets were over, they could just do face-offs. I was with them on it. They were done competing. The checks were written up and everything. Trophies were ready. What was the big deal? Anyways, they snuck off to race and placed harmless bets. It was like $10 to see if they could do certain tricks flawlessly. Some friends of the Elite guy did measurements of the jump heights and form to make things fair. It got so good, the bets just kept going up and people started noticing them. Other riders heard about the bet and wanted in on it, so they placed bets and stuff. I mean, they were done with their matches, so it seemed like harmless fun. When the judges found out, they kicked the betters off the panel, so Krieg and the elite lost out on the prize money that year. It was a major outrage! Two or three of the best competitors out of each league were taken off the winning panel altogether. So, the losers got to redo the event and take the prize money."

"Gambling is wrong, sure, but the event was practically over by that point, right?" Benn asked, seeing things from Buggy's perspective.

"You can't gamble in the middle of an event, regardless of whether or not your part is done. I'm surprised the Elite didn't think about that," Mihawk said.

"That's the thing. The main event was over," Buggy said, finding the video he was looking for. He watched it like it was on TV all over again. "That's what the lawyers were trying to say. The last day of the event is just an All-Star demo and award handout. You're just selling merch and turning the lights off at that point. Doesn't matter now, though. Honestly, I think it worked out in Krieg's favor. He may not have gotten the prize money for that competition, but he had crazy offers for endorsement deals. His biggest one on record was the $63k one. I dunno if he took it."

"I guess that's pretty good for a BMXer. You still got the DVD, Bugs?" Moria asked.

"Yup."

"Movie Night at Roger's place?" Zeff asked, turning to Mihawk.

"Quick question. When Krieg was running away from my beloved, why didn't you fangirl then, Buggy?" Shanks asked, popping a straw in his juice box. No one saw him with it earlier.

"What're you talkin' about?" Buggy asked, turning away from the laptop screen.

"Krieg goes to this school, Buggy," Shanks informed.

"... ... ... ... ... WHAT!?"

*ding ding ding*

"Daddy, phone!" Pearl called.

Krieg checked his messages and noticed Mihawk had sent him images of his old BMX posters. Ah, the good ole' days! Should've known Mihawk would go hunting around for information on that. These kids, man! Sending only an emoji in response, Krieg left the conversation alone at that. It's all in the past. His kids may have kept the pictures and trophies, but the bank has all his checks. Whoo! Couldn't wait to turn eighteen and have that signed over to him into an adult account! Krieg managed to survive off his cash prizes, but the bigger checks were put into his minor bank account. If the court pulled through, that money was his. Yep, let's leave it at that. He was at least grateful that things were okay for now. Gin was still sick, but he was fighting through it. The boys pretty much stayed in Krieg's room. They forgot about the message to Mihawk a couple of days ago. They instead wanted to watch footage from Krieg's BMX and other extreme sport days. Those were fun times. He got to miss school and make money. He and the boys would go out for pizza or some other trashy, junk food and just hang out. There was a bright light during those dark times and competing kept Krieg's head above water a majority of the time. He focused on winning and supporting his boys when...

No.

He promised he wouldn't remember that, so he won't. He instead vacuumed the rugs and cleaned the floors of his "house". His house arrest anklet was on him, but he didn't mind it anymore. The other halfway housers and Nanny went shopping for him to decorate the backyard and finish up refurnishing rooms in the condo. Gin was too sick to want to play with anything, but he did go out to see the different things filling the house... before politely whimpering to go back inside and lay down somewhere. So, Krieg wound up with a three-year-old in his arm a majority of the time, and a seven-year-old on his leg for the minority of time. Nanny came over to teach Krieg how to make large meals to freeze for later, and Ellie and Anya came over to teach Krieg how to make quicker meals for on the go. He had a best friend in a cookbook now. Soup and finger foods were the main staple at the moment.

*ding ding ding*

Another batch of images sent. It was magazine covers this time. A kid with blue hair was next to a blow-up poster of him kitesurfing. The little boy looked familiar. Oh, wait! He never got his name, but it was that redhead kid's friend or something. The one who had a crush on Mihawk. The kid had a bitchin' bedroom. His posters looked great on the brick wall! Looking at the poster gave Krieg a nostalgia trip. Man, his summers used to be wild! He had a crazy schedule as an athlete in his early preteen to early teen years. Wintertime was snowboarding competitions with snowmobiling and sledding on the side for the kids. Spring was BMX riding competitions, but he did whatever the kids wanted around that time. School was coming to a close, so that was their early vacation time. Summer was kitesurfing competitions. Those waves would be brutal because of the summer rain and storms, but that's when the kids wanted to go boating. So, they did some minor rafting and paddleboarding. Krieg was getting into paddle surfing on the side and thought about training himself for it. He just wasn't sure if it was something he'd stick with like kitesurfing, but he liked it and took to it easily. Wakeboarding was alright, but that's a women's sport, so he left it to the ladies... and peeped at the exposure of choice buttocks every now and then. He was still a boy. Fall was sandboarding and mountain biking with mountain boarding being the new thing he was interested in. See? Craziness. He can't do all of that every year like before. That was crazy talk! These kids be hungry every day! One of 'em was sick now!

But, that's how Krieg earned money back then. Hard to believe that he went through all the conditioning and practice for those competitions starting at roughly Pearl's age. Krieg was about eight or nine when he started practicing for boarding. He had to learn how to swim for surfing, so he took lessons for that throughout the year. In the summer, snowboarders practiced on ramps and in swimming pools anyway, so it doubly helped to know how to handle the water. Before all of that, he was just a kid learning how to ride a bike. He went from training wheels to popping wheelies very quickly. Those wheelies became challenges to slide on rails and hop on ramps. The simplest tasks of riding a bike and swimming a lap in the pool escalated to that short four-and-a-half-year career. He made plenty of money, though. His cash prizes only came about once or twice, so he stashed the money away for immediate use. Once he got a legitimate job, he learned how to manage and harbor his earnings away safely. As they say, the rest is history. Sending another emoji in response, Krieg walked away from his phone with a smile. He hadn't competed in a full year, and... he wasn't nearly as depressed about it as he thought he'd be. He did appreciate Mihawk's interest in his old hobbies. Maybe he's trying to connect with him from one athlete to another.

Truth be told, Mihawk was a hottie. He was in the right career path as an athlete and model. He had the right facial features for it, and anything he wore accentuated his gorgeous profile. Krieg wasn't lying when he said Mihawk looked good in kendo and/or fencing gear. It suited him. He was tall, elegant, and finely featured. His eyes were mesmerizing, and he had a nice head of hair. He may tease him here and there, but Krieg kind of liked Mihawk's persistence and attention. It was flattering. He probably genuinely didn't know how to talk to Krieg, and, unfortunately, Krieg couldn't really entertain a relationship with anyone. Being on probation didn't afford him the luxury, but it was sweet that Mihawk was trying. Sighing, Krieg walked back to his phone to reply.

Krieg: Yes, that's me in the posters and pictures. The boys have the same ones. They have the trophies, though.

Mihawk: Trophies?

Krieg: *takes picture, sends it* Yup.

Mihawk: Why don't you go back to it? You're obviously good at it.

Krieg: I do it at school. Everything I learned has been used to escape the suitors. I've been training for this exact moment. Hahahaha!

Mihawk: You don't get paid for that.

Krieg: Sure I do. Peace of mind is a beautiful salary.

Mihawk: But... you're really good it. Don't you miss it?

Krieg: Pfft! My schedule was crazy back then. I don't miss it that much. I do miss going on vacation with my kid bros. Lotta shit happened in a year. It ruined a lot. I'm just happy we're in a better place. House is coming together, they love their room, we have a legit backyard now. I, honestly, would rather this.

Mihawk: ... What was your favorite competition? Like your fondest memory?

Krieg: Um... probably the sandboarding competition. The judges ain't shit for choosing to start the meet in the middle of the goddamn afternoon! But whatevs. My league went to this spot in Arabasta called the Great Sapphire Dunes. You want to talk about a GORGEOUS open spot. OMG, it was beautiful. I still have the pictures.

Krieg: So, when you get to the spot, there's this lot with all the dune buggies, right? You can pick whichever you want to ride. Snacks and drinks were free, but we brought our own lunches and whatever. We rode past a very small pond oasis, got to pick the palm tree dates and grapes that grew in that area, and then we went out to the event spot. You could hear the horsepower buzzing from dirt bikes! There's music goin', these guys that ride the dunes for photoshoots or just thrills. They came down to speak to us and then they pass around this cactus water, right? You drink it for extra hydration since it's mixed with an electrolyte shot. We called it Aloe-rade 'cause the cactus looked like an aloe vera plant. Well, my tour guide forgot his water was mixed with tequila and passed it to me. He's this elite-level dirt biker. So, I'm hittin' this cask of tequila and cactus water just before some practice rounds thinking it's the aloe-rade. Well, my crazy ass was too hyped up from adrenaline or whatever, and I don't realize that I'm drunk. I go do this practice sweep and I've got double vision. So, I'm dodging dunes that aren't there and hittin' tricks too early or ramps too high in the air, so I'm crashing or wipin' out. I goes, "Man, I don't feel so good. I think I'm overheated. I'm not sticking my landings at all!" My guy tells me I hit two stunts on those dunes that he hadn't seen a pro do in a decade. I goes "Whatcha mean?" He shows me the reels. I hit a triple spin so fast that it made me dizzy enough to hurl!

Mihawk: *holding in laughter emoji* Oh my God.

Krieg: The guy goes, "Dude, you wretched all over your board!" He rushes me over to the medic in the area and finds out I'm drunk. We have this big laugh about it! My guide and the medic took me over to this saltwater lake - real small one - to kinda calm my nerves. We were talking about my reels for a little while and then it just became a talk among men. Things we're grateful for, that we love about life, what we look forward to. Obviously, there was some sex talk and whatever, but we were just out there talking for hours watching the waves hit the shores of these jewel blue dunes out in the Arabasta desert. Whenever I was out practicing, my guide was with me. He showed me his bike, equipment, reels, everything. He was a cool dude. He taught me how to wear a "persona" in showbiz if I ever get into it, and how to keep that away from who you really are at home.

Mihawk: And who are you outside of BMXing?

Krieg: ... the guy always in need of a stapler. Hahaha!

Mihawk: Very original...

Krieg: How'd you get into swordplay, supermodel?

Mihawk: My uncles... and my father. I don't really know him, but he was really good at fencing.

Krieg: Oh ok. So, your aunt is the model who dresses you up and your uncle is the swordsman who toughens you up? You got a cool family!

Mihawk: ... Are you... going to be with your friends for the Fall Break? School's closing soon.

Krieg: Probably not. Sick kid. But, my friends are teaching me how to cook for a big family dinner. I'm looking forward to making some fancy-ass meatballs with roast duck and bean soup with rice. Yum yum!

Mihawk: Aren't you a hippie? Where's your vegetarian dishes?

Krieg: I'm stuck between mustard greens and Brussel sprouts. Ngl, garlic roasted Brussels sound bitchin'.

Mihawk: So, your appetizers are meatballs. Your main course is duck with beans and rice and potentially Brussel sprouts. No bread, soup, salad, dessert, wine?

Krieg: I'm a minor. I can't drink.

Mihawk: You're also a single dad/big brother who openly admitted to downing tequila in his BMX days. Wine should taste like water to you.

Krieg: Oh, haha, Mr. Funny Man!

Mihawk: *smirk emoji*

Krieg: No, I haven't worked that part out yet. I'm thinkin' the kids are gonna be sick of soup by tomorrow. Nanny makes the BEST bread rolls this side of heaven. I'll probably snag a baker's dozen of those. I didn't think about a salad, honestly. I could do a loaded one with mushrooms and cranberries maybe? Dessert... Probably apple cake. It's pretty easy to make.

Mihawk: The hospital is open during the holidays, luckily.

Krieg: Y'know what, Bubble Guts? *dying laughing emoji* I'm sicka you pickin' on me!

Mihawk: Oh? You wanna go there?

Krieg: Make me buy a Canada Dry and slip it in your tea, ya hear me? *dying laughing emoji*

Mihawk: *hiding laugh emoji* I hate you so much sometimes.

Krieg: So you openly admit that you love me the rest of those times?

Mihawk: I didn't say that.

Krieg: You said sometimes. That means there's other times when you don't.

Mihawk: A minor slip of my vocabulary.

Krieg: Oh? Slippery tongues get you in trouble, you know.

Mihawk: ... ... Was that a dirty joke or are you flirting with me?

Krieg: Dirty joke. Last time was flirting.

Mihawk: WHAT?

Krieg: I'm kidding. Loosen up, will you?

Mihawk: Are you piling the jokes on top of each other?

Krieg: Ooo, dirty boy. Who taught you to think like that?

Mihawk: Stop doing that! It's confusing.

Krieg: What is?

Mihawk: Your... dirty jokes. Texts don't give off the right tone.

Krieg: What tone does sexting give off?

Mihawk: But we're not -

Krieg: Oh my! Is my liege getting flustered? Has his vagrant ruffled his petticoats once more?

Mihawk: Oh, you're impossible! I'm not some uppity thing for you to toy with.

Krieg: Oh, you're THAT kind of freak.

Mihawk: Goddammit...

Krieg: *dying laughing emoji* Well, as fun as this is, I need to finish de-germing the house. My baby is walking around here looking for new places to nap.

Mihawk: You spoil those kids rotten.

Krieg: Hey, you play your cards right, you might be able to add yourself to the list. I'm partial to feathers. Pfft!

Mihawk: ... Fine. I'll play your little game. And how exactly would you spoil me, vagrant?

Krieg: You sure?

Mihawk: Sure of what?

Krieg: I'm an adventurer, swordsman. It's obvious I like things that get my adrenaline pumping. That's how I'll spoil you. I'm a hippie, so my kisses, touches, whatever I need to send you to nirvana belongs to the confines of nature. I'll take you to places only the adventurers would dare go. Get you out of those petticoats and ruin every inch of you. I'm sick of you being on that pedestal. I want you in the dirt and mud with me. I'll give you the sun, moon, and stars my way. If I need to hit your spot hard the way I hit the ground when I land, I'll do it over and over again until you cry and scream. You want speed, I'll go as fast as my body can handle. And I can go pretty damn fast. When it comes to spoiling people, Student Council guy, I'm pretty good at it. You like your rank and sword. I can give you a ring to fight me in. Every stroke and thrust will be worth your while. Your arena, your rules. You can command me there. When you're in my arena, swordsman, you don't get to call the shots anymore. You just let me spoil you until your toes curl.

Mihawk: ... ... ...

|| ... ... ... ||

"Mmph!"

Mihawk must've masturbated like three times. Shit. Krieg was seductive, too! Why God? Why did you make a hottie like him who knew how to play with your mind? Mihawk wasn't even horny like his peers. He never was! He shouldn't have looked up Krieg's athletic past. Now, all Mihawk sees is him and Krieg making out at his competition spots or going even further and... No. No, no, no, not again. No! Shit. Stupid mouth! Why didn't he just keep the flirting game going? They could've made plans to link up somewhere and... Oh, that overconfident vagrant! No, he was right to stop the flirting. He wasn't going to let Krieg turn him into a lovesick puppy. Not happening! How he seduced him to a point of beating himself off four times? No one would ever know. NO ONE. Just him and flippin' Don Krieg with his... completely sexy, mysterious, humble -

"Anh, I - !"

Can't take it anymore. It wasn't a crush anymore. This was pure, unaltered, unfiltered lust. Forget about his fencing skills, forget about his parkour skills, forget about the BMX stuff, forget about the probation! Forget about being nice about the bracelet! Forget about the protection contract! Forget everything! Mihawk didn't care about the suitors anymore. Krieg was an elite, Mihawk was an elite. They were virtually programmed to be around each other. He was going to get into the wallflower's pants one way or another. Fine, Krieg won that round in dirty talk. Yes, Mihawk wanted Krieg's kiss, touch, and body all over his. Yes, Mihawk wanted to be dirtied by a hippie. Wherever they could find a comfortable spot, Mihawk wanted to be spoiled and satisfied. If a bedroom was involved, the floors were going to rattle and the walls were going to shake. As a matter of fact...

Mihawk: I'm changing the contract.

Zeff: Aw shit...

Moria: The saga continues...