Talk Too Much

C h a p t e r F o u r

Usagi stretched his arms, yawning as he did so. It was dark out, and he could hear crickets around him, hiding under the seats of rusted cars and inside old metal buckets around the junkyard.

"Why don't you turn in for the night, kid, you've worked yourself hard today." Shouted a voice from behind a pile of crushed cars. A pink head popped around the pile, its jaws fixed in a jagged grin.

"I couldn't leave you to finish by yourself, I'll be fine," Usagi responded, picking up a large box of old car parts and grunting as he carried it to a pile of similar parts.

"Fine by me, but don't overwork yourself, bunny boy." The voice called, a slim figure stepped around the pile, revealing himself to be a mutant mantis, Repo Mantis.

"Oh, I won't." Usagi set the box on the pile and dusted off his hands.

"So, you gonna tell me where you've run away from, or just leave it at that?" Mantis questioned, lifting a large metal box with his claws.

"I'll keep it private for now, but I don't plan on keeping it that way forever, someone's bound to give me away at some point anyways." Usagi sighed, picking up a few cans and tossing them in a nearby bin.

"Alright kid, keep your secrets," Mantis set the box down neatly next to a stack of other boxes. "S'long as it doesn't concern me, I won't pry."

Usagi had bumped into Repo Mantis only a day after escaping from Big Mama, he offered him a place to stay in return for labor, and Usagi found it to be a fair deal. He had also taken up a job at Run of the Mill, to help Mantis with necessities as he was able to explore topside grocery stores and the mutant wasn't.

The pair finished the day's work and retired to their quarters, a decrepit and gutted school bus with a makeshift kitchen and two curtained-off corners in the back functioning as bedrooms. Usagi flopped down on his air mattress, covering himself with his blanket and staring at the roof of the bus.

He slowly fell asleep, and in his dreams appeared a vaguely familiar face. A young mutant turtle with a blue bandanna, his red stripes almost hidden behind a bright red blush.

_________________________________________

Leo tapped his fingers on the table anxiously, looking around the restaurant for any sign of the waiter from the previous day. He cringed at himself, so classy, basically stalking the guy. He shook his head, taking a sip of his soda.

"Waiting for someone, Pepino?" Señor Hueso spoke, setting a small pizza down in front of Leo.

"Not really," Leo sighed, putting his head under his hands, "More like being a creep who can't keep to himself."

"I see. If it's any condolence to you, the rabbit doesn't have another shift until tomorrow, maybe stop by for lunch if you'd like to see him that badly." Hueso tapped a finger on Leo's forehead.

"How did you-" Leo started.

"This is my restaurant, I know all that happens here, niño." The bone yokai interrupted.

"Fair," Leo said, reaching out and grabbing a slice of pizza.

Señor Hueso stood up and returned to stalking the restaurant, waiting for some other yokai to stir up trouble, and Leo finished his pizza, leaving a generous tip alongside his bill as he left.

Leo took the long way back to the lair, wandering around the mostly empty side streets of New York hidden from judging eyes in the shadows. He smiled to himself when he spotted a family of stray cats, reminding him of Mayhem. April hadn't brought him to Run of the Mill the previous day, he hoped he'd see the little guy again soon.

He thought about the waiter, leaning against a cold concrete wall. He remembered his fluffy white fur, his red-brown eyes, the cute little freckles dotting his face. Maybe he was getting attached too quickly, he thought, but he didn't care much, maybe tomorrow he'd be able to officially meet him. He wandered home, his head fuzzy with thoughts of Usagi, wondering how his life might change with the rabbit's presence.