The City (Merome AU)

25

~*Jerome*~

"Jerome," Mitch's tone of voice was deathly serious. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" I look up from the counter in worry. What's wrong?

"What's up?" Setting the cloth I was using to clean the counter down, I walk over to him.

"I, Uh," He looks over at a woman who was looking at some of the newer stock. "Can we go somewhere else? Preferably with less people?" He really seems worried about something.

"Um, sure? Just let me finish up here and we can talk inside." Mitch nods before disappearing through the doorway behind him.

"Your friend sure seems nervous about something," the woman says with a small smile, looking up at me.

"It's probably something about this girl he met a few months ago. He's head-over-heels for her." I lie through my teeth. It probably is something to do with wastelanders.

"Hopeless romantic I'm assuming." The woman giggles softly and shakes her head before picking up something from the shelf. "How much is this?" She holds the item up for me to look at. Let's hope Mitch's problem isn't urgent.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sorry it took so long," I say cautiously stepping into my room and closing the door behind me. Mitch looks to have been pacing this entire time as he stops walking and turns to look at me.

"It's fine," Mitch mumbles before shaking his head. "Why is everything so stressful?"

"What's going on?" I walk over and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Three years ago I was stupid and joined this clan-like thing with some well renowned killers. Back then I had a habit of..." he clears his throat, "as I was saying, the group asked me to help them out with something."

"What was it?" He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

"I have to help them kill a clan of city-born wastelanders when they head out on an exhibition." Kill. K-I-L-L. That's a word I don't hear very often.

"You don't 'have' to do it. Right?"

"They're forcing me." He runs a hand through his hair.

"With what?"

"If I don't do this, you and your grandparents are dead." My eyes widen.

"What do you mean?" Those people want my family and I dead?

"One of the people within the group, Star, is an extremely dangerous killer. He was given a contract by a member of the clan to assassinate you and your family. He told me that if I didn't help them, he'd follow through with it."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because," he takes a deep breath. "They also want you to join the fight." Me? Join a fight?

"W-what?" He's joking. He has to be. There is no way... He looks so serious it's almost deadly. He's not joking...

"I'm sorry I got you involved in all of this. I knew from the beginning something like this would happen but I was stupid and let my attraction towards you get in the way, and-" I interrupt him with a kiss. It may have only lasted a second, but it was enough to shut him up.

"Calm down." I look him in the eyes after pulling away. "I'm not mad at you." Instead of responding he rests his eyes on my shoulder and sighs.

"I'm just worried that one of them is going to hurt you." His voice is merely a whisper. "I know what these people are capable of, and it's not pretty."

"I'm not scared Mitch." Unconsciously I wrap my arms around his body. "And if anything does happen to me, you can say 'I told you so.'" He nods before murmuring something under his breath. "What did you say? I didn't catch it."

"I-I love you Jerome..."

~*Woofless*~

"So how did it go, Star?" I ask as I lean back in my chair. Star rolls his eyes and looks over at me.

"He said he'll join us on his own conditions," Star states before sitting down beside Craft, "and that his brat stays out of harm's way."

"As long as we can have him sniping off those who try to escape it's fine for me." Frags yawns and stretches out his arms, making me roll my eyes.

"I told him to drop the gun and pick up his old bow, so we'll have to see how this will go." Star shrugs and crosses his arms.

"He's going to give the gun to the brat of his."

"How do you know for sure?" I sit up at Craft's question.

"I've met the brat. He's not like the rest. Makes me think his father was one of us." Star raises an eyebrow at me; most likely thinking about all the possibilities. One of the many reasons I invited Star to join my group. He is the most intelligent man I've ever met.

"You think his father might be Lone Wolf? The guy disappeared like twenty five years ago. Maybe he settled down in the city," Frags asks no one in particular, looking around for anyone to answer him.

"That's a logical assumption, Frags," Star nods to him, "but we cannot jut to conclusions just yet."

"Star, why do you always use those big fancy words nobody else knows? Why can't you just say normal words like everyone else?" Frags groans dramatically.

"Because then I'd be more lackadaisical about this mission than I already am." Star smiles back at Frags, "And we wouldn't want that." What in the world does "lackadaisical" mean?

"Star, may you please use words we can understand?" I look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
________________________

Lackadaisical (adjective): lacking enthusiasm and determination, carelessly lazy
^^^^^
One of my favourite words btw.
The other two are sassafras and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Don't you just love the English language?

Also my new username for team based games is: Irrelephant (say it out loud). XP (2018: Changed it to M'ayris.)

Anyways,

:)

Much Luv,
Mickey-Kenzie