CW: Explicit language, violence, mentions of physical abuse. 

It's well past noon when Rin swaggers towards the Sweet Brier, his foul mood soothed by the hefty bag of coins weighing down his pocket. His usual fence, Dizzy, had been generous with today's haul, the excellent quality of the goods making the woman salivate. When she questioned her client about the origin of such fine wares, Rin told her outright that he'd conned and robbed the Hwans. If not for the Hwan's family crest integrated into the design of several items, Dizzy would never have believed the lad. Needless to say, the look she gave Rin was nothing short of awe.

Then again, who else but the Rat would have the audacity and stupidity to rob the Governor himself?

There's a scuffle outside the inn that's kicked up the dust, casting a titian haze over the area. It's not an uncommon sight at all in the Slums, let alone the Sweet Brier Inn, but Rin quickens his steps, eager to catch the tail end of some free entertainment.

He slips through the small crowd that has gathered around the fight. There is the occasional cheer and jeer, and above that's the grunting and yelping of the fighters themselves. Popping out through the other side, Rin's excited smile turns wry. Who else would it be but Bellow and Small?

Bell has a chubby boy in a headlock, their feet shuffling in the struggle and stirring up the dust. From here, Rin can see Small's round face and his soft brown eyes squinting in pain. Fawn cheeks shine with sweat, the sunlight catching with every squirm and wriggle from his pudgy body. Short black hair, usually parted so neatly, is disheveled and sticking up in all directions, turning him into a startled porcupine.

Small's gentle demeanour and even gentler appearance make him a target for the hardened Slummers. There's been more than a few instances of the boy getting beaten or robbed. Tiger had even tried to sell him off at one point, before realising who his mother was.

Rin being Rin, he can't help but step into the circle of onlookers and join in on the fun. For some reason, bullying the poor boy brings him a wicked sense of satisfaction. Particularly when those beautiful brown eyes glisten with tears. The feeling that this betrayed expression produces in the Rat is exquisitely addictive.

"I told you not to come here anymore, you fuckin’ runt." Bellow flexes his big arms, causing Small to yelp and wriggle even harder.

"B-Bell!" Small whines, his hands scrabbling against those lethal biceps. "I just wanted to hang out with you guys! C-can you please let me go?"

"D'you really think we wanna hang out with a lil' shit like you?" Bellow barks a laugh, a savage grin plastered across his sweaty face. “I dunno why you got such a death wish, comin’ here everyday. You ain’t a Slummer, runt. You ain’t and you never will be one.” His narrowed green eyes widen when they catch sight of the figure stepping into the circle.

Rin's raven locks are loose and tossed wildly around his face. His complexion is healthier than it normally is and he’s also gained a fair bit of weight. His thin white robes, though covered in dust, are made from what appears to be Southern Silk, telling Bell that wherever his friend had spent the past fortnight, it had definitely not been in the Slums.

"Rat!" Bell hollers, his rough and rugged features turning a deep shade of red. "Where the fuck have you been?"

Small's face lights up when he sees the raven, his brown eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "Rin! Help me, please! Bell w-won't let me go!"

The Rat gives the two boys an indolent smile, his arms stretching high above his head. The wide sleeves of his robes slip down his arms, revealing skin as smooth and flawless as refined moonstone. "Now why would I do that?" he hums, ambling towards them at a lazy pace. "It looks like the fun's just getting started."

Sure enough, those big eyes well with tears, shock and hurt etched deeply across Small's round face. "B-but I thought we were friends..." he whimpers, clutching at that iron bicep locked around his neck. "Aren't we friends, Rin?"

"Are we?" Rin asks, cocking a brow.

Small's bottom lip trembles and his entire body droops, hanging like a broken marionette in Bellow's grasp. The bull growls and drops the boy, rolling his shoulders like a boxer about to get into the ring. "Come on, runt. Show me what you've got. If you can land a single hit, then I'll let you stay. Hell, I’ll even let you join my gang. But you fail and you’re outta here. Got it?"

Rin presses his lips together, trying to stifle a laugh. He grabs the limp boy by the scruff of his neck and hauls him to his feet, the latter yelping in surprise. “Come on. Look at all these people watching. You wanna give them a good show, don’t you?”

Small’s eyes positively bulge when he scans the crowd surrounding them, his cheeks blanching a shade or two. When Rin releases him, his knees buckle beneath his weight, but he manages to stay upright. Somewhat.

“I-I couldn’t ever hurt you, Bell,” Small says meekly, rubbing at his eyes with a sniff. “Anyway, you’re just looking for an excuse to hit me again.”

The bull chortles and cracks his knuckles. “I don’t need an excuse, you lil’ shit. If I wanna beat you, I’ll just beat you. Like so--” A hard strike at Small’s belly sends the boy staggering back, his face contorting as he doubles over in pain. “Oh wait. I do have an excuse. You’re fuckin’ irritating. Now scram!”

Poor Small stumbles towards the Rat, clutching at the latter’s arm with one hand and rubbing his sore belly with the other. Those big eyes wobble with tears when he makes his plea. “Rin. Won’t you let me stay? You and Bell are my only friends and I like it here. I don’t want to leave. Please?”

Rin sighs and shakes the lad off his arm, brushing the dirt from his sleeve with an impatient air. "Just go back home like a good boy, pet. Iris is gonna lose her shit if she finds out you're here. Aren't you scared of getting a beating? She punches harder than me and Bellow put together."

"Mother wouldn't ever beat me," Small gasps, clearly upset by the mere thought. "What a terrible thing to say!"

“Yeah, well. If it’s not you that’s getting beat, then it’s us for ‘leading you astray’.”

“But Rin, you promised that you’d show me how to ‘bring in the ladies’. Isn’t that what you said? Friends don’t break promises--”

“For the love of--do I have to break something for you to understand? We. Are. Not. Friends.” Each word is punctuated with a sharp punch to his soft body, eliciting a yelp for every blow.

Rin pushes his hair from his damp face with an ugly sneer twisting his features. Small brings out the Rat’s sadism like no-one else does. Every shred of frustration, anger, and bitterness that the raven’s experienced in the past twelve hours is being taken out on this poor boy without a single shred of mercy. That heavy, sour feeling in his chest easing with every blow he lands. Gritting his teeth, he gives Small a sharp kick, sending him sprawling across the dirt.

Rin sneers, his cheeks flushed and eyes narrowed. “Did you get the message? Do I need to repeat myself?”

Small blubbers, face buried in the crook of his arm as he drags himself to his feet.

“Look at you! I thought you liked it here. Thought you wanted to be a Slummer?”

Swollen brown eyes glare at Rin as the boy raises his head, cheeks streaked with dirt and tears.

Rin scoffs and folds his arms, giving the boy a narrow look. “You're not a Slummer, Small. You won't ever be a Slummer. Go home while you can still walk. Don’t be an idiot.”

Small’s head droops, hiding his expression. Fat tears drip steadily from his chin, evaporating as soon as they hit the hot earth. “I know what you’re trying to do. I’m sorry mother yelled at you. She didn’t mean to say what she said. I think...she was just trying to p-protect me.” Pudgy fists clench tight and he raises his head, lips trembling as he glares at Rin and Bellow. “But you two are my friends. My only friends. I-I love being with you. And-and the Slums is my home too. I was born here, you know. Which means I’m a Slummer by blood. S-so…” He pulls in a deep breath, cheeks swelling, before yelling, “So you can both f-fuck off!”

Rin and Bellow stare at the meek boy with raised brows, genuinely surprised. They exchange looks, both pursing their lips as their faces start turning red. And in the next second, they erupt, howling laughter filling the air and shattering the tense atmosphere.

Humiliation colouring his round face, Small tearfully stumbles away, yelling over his shoulder that he would return tomorrow, and the next day, and everyday after that no matter how badly they might beat him.

Rin hums with the remnants of his laughing fit as he watches Small disappear into the dispersing crowd, a relaxed smile touching his lips.

“How did he piss you off this time?” he asks Bellow, raising a brow as he side-glances him.

“Bah. It's like what the runt said. But today’s not a good day for him to be here. Anyway, he wouldn’t listen to me, no matter how much I tried to tell him. Thinks he’s invincible or somethin’.” Bellow cracks his neck and sits at an empty table, rubbing his calloused knuckles. He squints at Rin for a moment and growls, “You didn’t answer my question. Where've you been?”

Rin forgoes a chair and nimbly hops onto the table instead, preferring to sit in the lotus position as he leans his cheek in a hand. “Out and about. Why isn’t today a good day?”

The Bull grumbles at Rin’s vague response. He hocks up a gob of phlegm and spits to the side. “The Marquis and his Hounds are out looking for blood. Apparently Tiger’s been stealing jobs from his Hounds for months now, and the Marquis’ only just caught wind of it.”

“Slow as always, Korain,” Rin mutters to himself, lips pursed into a wry smile. His eyes are dark however, lacking their usual light. Louder, he says to Bell, “Where is Tiger? I have a little favour I need to return.”

The larger boy grunts and shrugs, idly scratching at his chest. “Dunno. You should stay away from that asshole anyway. Don’t you remember what he tried to do to you last time?” He pulls his hand out his shirt and punches Rin’s arm, causing him to tilt dangerously to the side. “You ain’t ever been ‘out and about’ for two whole weeks before. You didn’t get snatched again, did you?”

“Hm. Something like that,” Rin frowns, rubbing his aching arm. “Wouldn’t you believe it, I've been staying at the Governor's estate.”

“Hah! I don’t believe it,” Bellow agrees, snorting at what he assumes is a blatant lie. “Come on, Rat. I thought you were actually dead this time, y’know. Sent my boys out lookin’ for you for days. Eventually, I just figured you finally pissed off the wrong person and got what was comin’ to you.”

“Aw, pet. Were you worried about me?” Rin lilts, leaning over to blow into Bell’s ear. The latter growls and bats him away. “That’s so sweet. But it’ll take more than that to kill me. Whether you believe me or not, it’s irrelevant. I’ll tell you what happened though. I saw an opportunity and I caught myself a big whale. Oh, and he was so delicious too.”

He absently pats the pocket in the inner lining of his robe, feeling the heavy weight of his Very Large coin bag. All the pain, the bitterness, and the near-possession. It was all worth it in the end. Satisfaction blooms like a well watered flower, filling Rin with foolish optimism.

Who needs a little lord when a bag full of coin would suffice?

“Yeah right,” Bellow grins, scratching his ear with a pinky. “Well, you may be fine now but you better not let the Marquis catch sight of you. It ain't just the runt that shouldn’t be here.”

The raven hums in agreement and jabs his lower lip with his fingertips, frustratedly. “I have to run to Dasom’s for a bit. Can I sleep with you tonight?”

The bull’s ears turn a deep shade of red as he gives a grunt of assent. “Just don’t let my old man see you.”

“Oh, I know. Old man Bellow’s had his eye on me for some time. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“You’re foul, Rat.”

“The foulest.”

“Don’t you ever get sick of that shit?”

Rin raises a brow at his friend, head tilted to the side. “Of what?”

“I dunno. People lookin’ at you like that,” Bell grumbles, glaring at the passerbys but not quite looking at them. “Like you’re a Rose when you ain’t one.”

“They only look at me like that because I let them,” Rin scoffs, a little creeped out by the other boy’s concern. “You don’t have to be jealous, pet. You’re the only one who’s ever had the privilege of cooking me breakfast.”

“I ain’t jealous,” the larger boy growls, his face burning until his cheeks match the colour of his ears. But there’s a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, as he’s evidently pleased by his so-called privilege. “...I caught a chicken the other day. I’ll make you stew in the morning.”

Rin laughs, hopping off the table. He pauses to give the bull a quick peck on the cheek before scampering off, skipping around the half-hearted swats of those big, meaty fists.