For Reasons Wretched and Divine

Well, that was unexpected.

The new year came in screaming.

Diosa Norte was booming, the guns were flowing like an M15 river, Cara Cara was on a level of the internet that Happy didn't quite understand, but Juice's overjoyed clapping was a good sign when he read the site's traffic numbers out loud at Church.

It wasn't without bumps. Diosa girls getting roughed up, biting their tongues around the Irish, poachers following the girls around town. Happy had, in order, simply adored getting to 'deal with' the men who hurt the girls at Diosa, nearly busted his jaw from clenching his teeth so hard when the Irish had less than... diplomatic things to say about Jax and had declined when asked to babysit the Cara Cara girls to keep them away from the competition.

"But you always volunteer to keep them safe," Jax had frowned at him, having never been turned down by Happy before.

"Don't want it getting back to Sunshine that I was crashing at a pornstar's house," he shrugged, entirely unapologetic.

"Hap, you don't have to sleep with the pornstar," Jax clarified with a smirk. "Just keep them away from Caruso,"

"You really think that if I have to be within ten feet of Ima that she wouldn't be running to Sunshine and filling her ear?" he deadpanned.

Jax rocked back on his heels, inhaling deeply through his nose. "I'll have Kozik do it,"

~0o0~

"Hey Hap, sorry someone's at your table, we're packed today," Sunshine greeted, apologized, and grinned sweetly at him in the time it took for him to walk from the door to the front counter.

"Guess you'll have to sit with us," one of the old men joked from the counter, much to the hilarity of the others around him. Happy was unsure of their numbers; it seemed to change every time he came in. It was usually settled within a variant of two, of about seven old men, which was too many. It wasn't that he had a problem with these specific old men or old people in general; it was just people as a whole. The only age group he vibed with more often than not was that of children under the age of eleven.

He said none of this out loud as he sat on the empty stool and thanked Sunshine for the coffee she sat in front of him. The diner was busier today than he had seen since before Christmas, every booth and table full, the only open seating was that of the counter, and it was now limited to two stools, and since Happy (perpetually glowering, the human embodiment of the word violence, leather vest, and tattooed head) was the person closest to the empty seats, meant that it was a packed house.

Could someone sit in those vacant seats? Yes. Did Happy give off a five-foot aura of sheer menace? Also yes.

The fact that Melody was currently waiting tables and that it was before four in the afternoon, Happy realized he didn't know what day it was. It didn't happen very often, but since his work schedule wasn't exactly typed out and printed for him to stick to his refrigerator, he occasionally lost track of the days, and once, months.

As Sunshine put the plate of pie in front of him, Happy leaned in a little. It was not because he was afraid of Melody hearing; it was because he didn't need the people around him to hear the conversation. Sunshine mirrored the motion, moving her head closer to his; the quick glint in her eye told him that she liked this, the feeling of collusion.

Which was good because so did he.

"Did she get suspended again? Is that why she's here?" he asked as quietly as he could, considering he could never manage to make himself whisper.

"She's still on winter break from school," Sunshine shook her head. "She hasn't gotten a suspension in a few weeks," she added proudly, and Happy leaned back, fixing her under an appreciative look.