A young boy trudges to the side of a run-down building—vials of medicine clutched in his small arms as he rests against a dingy wall. His heart still races with adrenaline as he examines the amber bottles, wondering if he even snatched up the right ones.
He lets out a shaky sigh, dabbing his fingers along the open cut on the back of his head. The warm liquid of his blood seeps from the wound, and he hisses at the abrupt contact.
Granny is so going to give him an earful later.
"You look pretty scratched up over there."
The boy jolts at the sound of another voice. He glances around the abandoned warehouse, wondering if that security guard managed to tail him. But all he sees is a man in a gruffy looking suit—the buttons of his shirt undone to reveal twin dragon tattoos inked onto his chest. A pair of black sunglasses sits on the bridge of his nose, and the boy gulps, knowing exactly what type of person this is.
A yakuza.
"You need any help?" the man asks, taking out the cigarette from his mouth before killing the light underfoot. "Kids don't usually wander 'round these parts."
"No," he mumbles quickly, hugging the vials in his arms tighter to his chest. Granny is waiting for him back at home. He should probably get going—
"It's your first time shoplifting, isn't it?"
Before the boy can even move another step away, he freezes in his tracks. Is this guy going to scold him for it? Worse, is he going to turn him over to the cops?
"Yes..."
"Mmm? Figures. You're fast enough to get away from the man guarding the pharmacy, but not nimble enough to do all that unscathed," the man chuckles, walking closer to stare him down. "So? Why'd you steal those in the first place?"
The boy is compelled to tell him to mind his own business, but he can almost hear granny's voice telling him not to be rude to strangers, much more adults. Even if this guy is the epitome of a shady adult himself.
"I-It's my granny," he mumbles. "She's sick. She... She's always the one who takes care of me, but we don't have a lot of money so..."
The man nods. "You're pretty honest for a kid."
"..."
"Say, how about we go back to the pharmacy and apologize like proper citizens. I'll pay for granny's medicine if that's what you're so worried about."
The boy gapes. "You'd really do that?"
"Oh, it's not for free, though." He laughs again, bringing down his sunglasses to give the kid a glimpse of his eyes. "You see, kid, in a world like ours, nothing is freely given. Everything comes with a price."
"...What do you want in return?"
The man hums thoughtfully, as if only having considered it when the boy knows he probably approached him with an ulterior motive in mind. Still, if it means getting medicine for granny in a way that won't disappoint her...
"Well, it just so happens that my team has been declining in number as of late," he sighs and takes out a handkerchief from his pocket as he kneels in front of the boy—dabbing at the wound on the back of his head. He stares at the man, puzzled, but he only responds with an almost-gentle smile.
"What do you think about becoming my disciple, huh?"
...
A few days later, you can say that things have become relatively peaceful.
YOU ARE READING
reparations | genshin impact
Fanfiction[ modern au ; florist!reader x arataki itto ] Running a business in Hanamizaka was one thing-but doing so in the turf of the Arataki Gang was something else entirely. Although, as long as you paid rent on time, they assured that you wouldn't run in...
