2X

Frenemy

Cain sighed as he sat down on Hei's bed with Kei in his arms. The boy just wouldn't sleep anywhere else, and Haise was no different.

The poor boy had been so heartbroken the first time Hei had left  but now it seemed worse.

He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't sleep, he wouldn't talk but worst of all, he'd developed the habit of trying to use his dad's knives.

Cain had caught him on numerous occasions and told him that he wasn't allowed to touch their weapons but the boy just wouldn't listen.

In fact the last time he'd touched them was earlier in the day and he'd even gotten indignant with Cain, earning him a spanking and a timeout.

Cain was at a loss for what to do now, Silver and Laila were still healing, Rainn was dead, and Yuki had been detained in the basement.

Yuki. The very thought of him was enough to fill Cain's heart with hatred and undying rage.

He'd been the one and only person that Hei trusted more than Cain, and he betrayed him without a second thought. Why?

He made sure his boys were asleep before leaving the room and making his down the stairs to the basement.

Yuki sat chained to a wall, sitting on nothing but a mattress and glaring at the floor.

Cain stopped directly in front of him but said nothing even when Yuki didn't look up to acknowledge his arrival.

"Why'd you do it? Your brother, your friends, they all trusted you and you just threw it away like a used up wad of gum. Why?"

"I don't kn-"

*SMACK*

"Don't give me that bullshit!! My husband is out there doing god knows what when he should be home with me and our kids!!"

"I'm sorry!!"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE SORRY, I WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHY!!!"

"BECAUSE I WAS SCARED OKAY?!"

"...What?"

"I've always been scared. From the time he met me I was nothing but a whiny baby who he swore he'd protect. Then he left me and got himself arrested. Sure he came back but by then I'd already been repeatedly bullied because of my relationship with him. Then he dragged me onto his little team and turned me into a killer like him. I never wanted that but I wanted to please him so I went along with it. Then it all ended and he left us, the glue that held us all together was gone. The team broke up and I was alone, but not for long. Tallone found me, tortured me, said it was my big brother's for my pain. I wanted to make it stop so I did EVERYTHING that  bitch asked me to. I just wanted it stop...I wanted to stop...I just wish I didn't exist so I didn't know this pain..."

Cain was still angry but he understood where Yuki was coming from.

When the odds were against you, there was no telling what anyone would do to save themselves.

"I don't condone what you did, in fact it's unforgivable. But your brother seemed to think your life was worth sparing so that's why you're here now. And guess how you're going to repay him for saving your sorry ass, by risking your life to bring him back to us."

"That's not my brother anymore, you saw him. That was a wild killing machine that'd love to see us all destroyed."

"Then help me stop him. Help me bring back Hei."

"Hei's the only one that can stop Fox. He's the only one that can bring himself out of that dark place."

"He can do it, I know he can. He just needs our help. ALL of our help."

"If I help you then I'm going to need you to listen to everything I tell you. No back talk, no questions, just do it."

"Done."

"We'll need more people, we're definitely not enough."

"I didn't want to do this but...I know some people."

"Who?"

"Two people who I really don't wanna call."

The next day Yuki was freed and approached Laila and Silver who definitely had nothing to say to him other than, "Fuck off."

That's when the doorbell rang.

Cain put Kei down next to a gloomy Haise and went to answer the door to see a familiar face.

"Jay."

"Cain."

"Been a long time."

"Three years."

"Feels like a lifetime, come in."

The young accepted the invitation and walked in the house and scanned it for other life forms.

"We alone?"

"In this room. Kids are in the living room, and the adults are probably in the den trying not to strangle one of their own."

"So it's really that serious huh?"

"Hart I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't and you know that."

"Hart huh? Haven't been called that in a long time, alright let's get down to business."

"Hold on, there's one more person and she just texted me that she's close. How about you come into the living room, I'll introduce you to the kids."

"Do I have to?"

"You're gonna be here for awhile so might as well get it out of the way."

"Uuuuuuugh fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine."

Cain led Jay into the living room where Haise was scowling at the TV and Kei watched it like a normal child.

"Jay these are my sons, Kei and Haise. Boys, this is Jay. He's a friend that'll be staring with us for awhile until we get Hei back."

"So forever?"

"Haise..."

Jay couldn't help but smirk and step in front of Haise.

"I like you kid, you got a little bite to you."

"Thanks?"

"Cain does he know how to use weapons?"

"Absolutely not. He's a fucking kid."

"Well no wonder you guys keep getting beaten. You're worried about your brats because they can't defend themselves, why haven't you of all people taught em anything?"

"They're too young Jay!"

"The little one yes but this one, I see so much untapped potential. Just look at the fire in his eyes."

Cain couldn't dispute what Jay was saying, he'd noticed a long time ago when he'd first met Haise that there was something burning behind his innocent eyes just waiting to reveal itself.

But this was Hei's son not his own, he couldn't and wouldn't make such a decision without knowing if his husband would be okay with it.

Jay could sense Cain's inner debate and sighed, drawing the latter back to reality.

"Look, we'll teach him the basics. Simple attacks and self defense techniques that are easy to learn and nonlethal to him. You've got to let this happen Cain. If you don't then all of our effort will be for nothing if you're constantly worrying about and having to save your kids."

"Papa?"

"...Simple techniques Jay. Simple! The moment I find out you're going beyond that, I'm shutting it down."

"That's fine."

Just then the doorbell rang so Cain left and opened it.

"Glad you're here...Ellie."