A post on EyeShare, it all started with a damn post on EyeShare on this… “Japanese culture appreciation” discussion board David sometimes contributed to.

Free entry. For the low, low price of free.fuck all, they could waltz in, buy and eat “authentic” Japanese food and snacks made by the students of the international culinary art course, gush at stands stocked by art students with authentic fan-merch, and then watch movies that had never been officially localized and brought to America, but whose DVDs had fallen into the hands of the students of the translation and anthropology departments.

How could David resist?! And how could Adam tell him no…

So they sneaked out after nightfall and called a cab to NYCNU, watched the big screen until their eyes burned, ate until their stomachs, but mostly his, ached, and got some new decor for their room.

They were, as anyone could imagine, exhausted.

So, they decided to stop by a small picnic table, where David took the opportunity to bless him with even more trivia about the movies that… apparently, he had already seen online… in one of those countless pirating websites, that wouldn't shut about “hot singles in your area” and games that no one could “last more that two minutes” playing--

Then, they appeared. Three college students built like trees with letterman jackets… Adam could tell they were drunk from the way they swayed, drunk and probably frustrated after a fruitless journey to get some, or maybe they were just naturally violent and mad all the time.

Either way, they didn't want them there. Adam tried to leave and drag David with him, not feeling like ending an otherwise fine night in a 2v3 with roided out idiots, but David? No. No way he was about to let some “spoiled football star wannabes who couldn't get any even if they paid for it” dictate where they could be.

And rest? A blur. Glass flying, at least one broken bottle, a pounding headache, and… blood. Da- Someone took out a… blade out of some point? No, a broken bottle. Yes. A broken bottle… used as an improvised weapon! No inconspicuous blades involved… None! Then-- H-he couldn't remember much, it all happened so fast and it was all self-defense! Those guys were the ones who attacked first! They were “football stars”, one of them was even the “best quarterback their team had ever had” and they were going to turn them into “pulp”. They were the ones who came looking for tr-- a fight! He and David were just defending themselves. It was justifiable self-defense--

“I don't knoooow, preety suuure it stops being justifiable self-defense when the other guy is no longer moving… and barely breathing.” Mark interrupted his testimony while finishing the bar. “I mean. Really, Adam? Just look at him, does this state seem justifiable to you?” Mark questioned, dangling his phone in front of him--

Adam tried to avert his gaze, but a hand quickly snatched his chin and forced him to look at the screen. It… He didn't even look like a person… Like, an actual person. He looked like a Halloween prop, one so realistic you'd stare at it for hours, wondering if you should poke it with a stick just to be sure...

“Tell me, Adam. Why did you settle for incapacitating the other two, but went and left this one nearly unrecognizable?” Mark questioned, readjusting his hold and pulling him closer to the screen. “Did he hit David especially hard or something?”

“…I don't know, got caught in the moment and stuff.” Adam tried to avoid the question. “It all happened really fast.”

Mark forced him to face him, squeezing his face harder as he looked into his eyes and straight at his soul, nails digging into his cheeks if he tried to look away.

“Adam, for how long have we known each other?” Mark questioned, visibility displeased at his refusal to humor his grand, dramatic play.

“…Five years.” Adam said, suddenly filled with saudade for those good, blissful days before, due to some unforgivable crime he must have committed in a past life, Mark crawled out of hell like some divine punishment.

“Five years and one month as of today.” Mark corrected him, that stupid fucking evil smile spreading over his lips. “So, why don't you try again, hm? Why did you settle for incapacitating the other two, but went and left Richard Moore, son of Harold Moore of Moore Constructions Inc., and star quarterback of NYCNU nearly unrecognizable?”

Adam paused.

He knew. Mark knew. He just wanted him to say it, to spell it out and clear that, the moment Richard mentioned his dad, how much money he had and they were done for…

“…I saw you.” Adam confessed, looking Mark straight in the eyes as his voice began trembling along with his clenched fists. “And I wanted you gone. I wanted to rip that disgusting, smug smile off your face once and for all.”

Mark stared at him for a second and… his smile only grew.

“Knew it.” Devil incarnate said with a satisfied grin, letting go of his face and relaxing his shoulders as he put this phone away.

Adam stayed quiet as Mark grabbed another bar and opened it, never unwrapping his arm from around his neck.

“So… you kept the Public Guard from finding out it was us? Or do they know and you just bribed them?” Adam questioned.

“Kinda of and no.” Mark answered between bites.

“…What? What does that mean? Mark, what did you do?” Adam questioned, unable to hide how frustrated he was with the needless set-up for what was probably a simple “I did some shady shit, probably involving sending the scar man, who totally doesn't work for me and I totally didn't send to kill you mom btw really, to maybe kill someone and interfere with the investigation, maybe destroy evidence! Fucking lmao like cartoon villain!”, but no, he had to be a dramatic, machiavellian pain in ass about it! He had to savor the moment, the drama! And-- “Why did you interfere?”

“Whoa there, one question at a time, please.” Mark rolled his eyes dramatically, looking oh so pleased with himself, just asking for it-- No, BEGIN FOR IT, BEING FOR THE RICHIE WHAT'S HIS NAME TREATMENT--

Breathe in, breathe out.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Focus.

“What did you do?” Adam questioned, trying to unclench his teeth.

“Weeeell, let's just say… We have someone on the inside.” Mark hinted at with a smirk.

“…Of the Public Guard?” Adam questioned, feeling his blood boil and freeze at the same time. Of course they had someone inside the FUCKING PUBLIC GUARD! MAYBE IN THE INVESTIGATION TEAM! HELL, MAYBE SOMEONE EVEN MORE HIGH RANKING! MAYBE THE HEAD OF THE NYC DEPARTMENT THEMSELVES! “So, that's why the case 'went cold' that fast?”

Mark's smile disappeared and he rolled his eyes.

“No, Adam… It went cold because besides that CCTV, there was barely anything to find by the time you called it in.”

“…Right.” Why did he even bother?

“Anyway,” His smile returned, “Yes, we have a guy on inside and when evidence began coming in, he quickly realized it might have been you two. So, he shot me a message and… Ah well, can this one witness reeeeally be trusted? They admitted to being high as a kite. And two kids? No way! Look at the state of poor Richard's face. It must have been… a big, burly man! And his giant, blood thirsty dog.” Mark acted out, voices and all, trying to contain a chuckle all the while.

“There was a witness?”

“No. Just some guy who happened to be passing by while on acid or something. Pay attention, Adam, come on.”

“Oh. What about the guys?” Adam questioned. “Did they not get to testify yet or were they 'too intoxicated at the moment of the attack to give an accurate testimony' or something?”

“Well… They're not in a position to testify…” Mark said, his smile disappearing. “Guess you got lucky in that regard.”

“Huh? Are they still unconscious?” The news yesterday morning did say they arrived to the hospital concussed and unresponsive, but they haven't given any more details or updates since... But they should've been awake by now. 

“No. Well, Richard is still unconscious. In fact, he actually got pretty major brain damage,” Mark revealed, crumpling the warper and putting it in his pocket next to the other one, “Even if he wakes up, he'll likely be just… permanently disconnected from reality, let's put that way.”

“Oh.” Did he really hit him that hard? Well, one less problem to worry about. Now... “What about the other two?”

“Well…” Mark paused, seeming deep in thought. “They seem to have lost it.”

“…Huh?”