#i dunno it’s a good gut punch afterwards even if it’s obvious

[sereinreality]

one of my favourite details from re4r is immediately following luis’s death and the question “people can change, right?”

the first person leon meets is ada and says “i guess i changed too” to which ada goes “you? leon s. kennedy? you haven’t changed. you just think you have.”

he asks “have you changed ada?” and she says “what do you think?”

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Disclosure

Beautiful Disaster - Chapter 6 (Previous Chapters)

Fandom: Sing 2016

Pairings: Johnny x Ash (Jash)

Rated: T

Chapter Summary: Johnny finally tells Ash exactly what happened tonight and everything leading up to it…

Fanfiction.net

A03

Johnny grew silent again, lips slightly pursed even if it appeared to cause him some discomfort before he took a deep breath; chestnut eyes glazing over a bit as he started from the beginning…

"It started a few weeks ago... I-I was heading home one night after practice and I saw these three shady looking animals hanging around the neighborhood with apparently no motive in being there. They didn't say anything to me, just kept staring as I went into the garage and shut the door behind me; i-it wasn't exactly threatening. Heh." Johnny chuckled mirthlessly. "I mean, it was nothing too out of the ordinary. it's admittedly not the best neighborhood so shady characters hanging around are to be expected. Lots of drug activity and gang hang-outs and whatnot, so I never really took it too seriously for no one ever done anything to me before. After awhile, I drummed it up to the fact that perhaps they were simply lost, high, or something easily explained away but…it didn't turn out that way."

Ash's stomach plummeted.

"I would see these same animals perhaps once a week at first, then it evolved to seeing them all the time. They didn't do or say anything to me and even stopped staring when I'd make my way into the garage but…that's when I also began noticing things moved around in my house. Doors I know I closed when I left were now wide open when I returned. Objects askew, things moved from one place to another - it was obvious someone was in the house when I was gone. At first, I chalked it up to my imagination and you know as well as anyone that Buster has been having us in practice and rehearsal for so long that afterward, you're just exhausted - so, naturally I thought perhaps I was seeing things or remembering wrong." Johnny closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head slightly, his brow brushing Ash's wrist and she couldn't help but flinch a bit at the unexpected contact.

"I-I should have realized someone was casing the house sooner - it's so painfully obvious now that they were making sure there was no security systems or alarms. Or even checking to see if someone else lived with me I guess too. Yet, nothing was stolen so I just ignored it…but then..." Johnny sighed, voice tapering off and the upcoming silence became too much for Ash.

"...but what?" she asked, voice trembling a bit in her throat.

Johnny swallowed a bit before answering, "Last week was when I started getting this weird feeling whenever I was at the garage. Nervousness, anxiety - I dunno why exactly, but it was stifling. I-I couldn't sleep, barely ate and kept glancing out the windows all the time for apparently no reason. Something just didn't feel right whenever I was there alone, so, as I told you before, I started staying here at the theater for the past week." his face turned a bit; worried about seeing perhaps Ash's pitied look in his peripheral even if there was none.

It felt so embarrassing but he ignored it and continued.

"My gut was telling me something was off; like a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I went back to the garage to retrieve more clothes or whatever I needed that day. I-I didn't want to stay at the theater but I found myself not having much of a choice. I just wanted to make myself scarce and hoped whatever happened would happen when I was gone. Ya know, just let them take what they wanted; nothing much of worth in there to lose a life over." he helplessly shrugged, his shoulder brushing her side.

"...then what?" Ash gripped the thick fur covering his shoulder, teetering on every syllable that slipped off his tongue.

"Tonight happened…" Johnny muttered; his brows furrowing at reliving the horrendous moments but knew he had to.

Ash swallowed thickly; not sure if she wanted to hear how Johnny acquired his horrific injuries but she needed to know even if it would hurt like hell; even if it was brutal and made her want to scream and hunt those bastards down. String them up by their claws and dip them into vats of acid for daring to lay a single paw on Johnny...

As much as it hurt…she had to know…

"I was on my way home after I'd run some errands around town. Moon let us out late so I didn't finish up til around 10:00, 10:30 so I was a lot later than usual but I didn't think much of it. I focused mainly on balancing on my skateboard while riding through the alley to get to the back of the garage. My only intention to be there tonight was to shower and get some extra clothes for tomorrow's rehearsal when I saw the same three animals blocking my way... They'd never approached me before so naturally, my first instinct was to run…but I didn't.

"Rather, like a bloody idiot, I-I spoke to them, 'Good evening, isn't it?' I said while smiling, acting casual, all that jazz - but their expressions didn't change whatsoever. The closer I looked at them in the dimming light, I knew they were the same animals I'd been seeing around for weeks. A thought flashed suddenly that perhaps they saw me on TV, thought I was rich and planned to mug me or something," Johnny chuckled, shaking his head at the inkling of it. Hell, if they stole his wallet, they would have been sadly mistaken for there was nothing more than a five dollar bill inside the folded black leather.

"They didn't answer." Johnny continued, "Saying nothing and just staring at me with more disdain than anyone had ever had before…and remember, this coming from a chap whose own dad disowned him for awhile." Johnny smirked a bit but Ash saw the pain flashing in his eyes; hand trembling as she brushed it across his jaw in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. She was never good at these things...

"…Speaking of which, they finally spoke and all they did was mutter my father's full name and that shocked me for no one had called him that in a long time - not since I was a lad. He's known by his nickname even to those in his gang and for these three animals to know it in its entirety… I knew immediately that something was wrong. I was frozen for a moment and in that time, the one in the middle muttered something about a massive debt my father owed them. H-How since he was in the pen now, his debts transferred to me. Of course, I tried playing dumb - acted like I had no idea who they were talking about but they saw right through it…Can't exactly hide the fact I look a helluva lot like my dad."

"...and you've always been a bad liar." Ash muttered, reaching out and running her hand across his head with the rag over his un-bruised cheek.

"Yeah. I know…but I had to try." he shrugged helplessly and Ash bit her lip as he continued his harrowing tale.

"Anyway, they didn't take very kindly to the fact I acted like I didn't know about them or how much my dad screwed them over. I was frozen, words failing me when I realized they weren't buying the act. After awhile, they stopped talking and rather started approaching even closer and as much as I wanted to hold my ground, they were huge! One steroid-jacked jaguar with a x-scar on his cheek, a gigantic crocodile with the nastiest set of teeth I've ever seen, and a wolf with mangy, ratted fur and a really bad attitude. Indeed, one of the strangest gangs I'd ever seen…and they were cornering me.

"My mind was everywhere in that moment a-and I kept telling them I hadn't the faintest idea of what they were talking about and all they kept demanding is that I pay them what my dad owed them! How he screwed them over on a deal and now it was time for payback. …I-I knew right then that this was not going to end well but before I could even think of an exit strategy, they just ganged up on me."

Ash's eyes widened, her breaths quick even as much as she tried to calm them. She knew how the story ended; Johnny lived but it still was horrifying to listen to what he had gone through tonight.

It fucking broke her heart into pieces…

"It all happened so fast…" Johnny whispered; eyes glazed as he lost himself to the traumatic memory from tonight, "I-I didn't know what to do. The first instinct was to run but they had cornered me! I was up against this brick wall and some trash cans and they were just closing in - so I did the only thing I could do - fight. The smallest was the wolf so I naturally attacked him first - socked him as hard as I could in his snout and he just screamed - warm blood squirted all over me…" he told, flexing his right hand and glancing down at his swollen knuckles with a look of disgust echoing in his tense features.

...you punched him?" Ash couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.

"Heh. Yeah…" Johnny chuckled, acknowledging how strange in fact it was, "Guess when a life and death situation rears its ugly head, you find yourself doing whatever you can to survive. Ya kinda just react and…my dad was always keen on self-defense; had me learning to box since I was in middle school." Johnny shrugged and Ash was surprised she never knew this about him.

"You box?"

"Yeah. Boxing and kickboxing mainly - it was more for exercise than anything, but hey, it came in handy."

Ash absorbed this new information for a moment until she realized the conversation got way too light for her liking - situation far too serious for them to be chatting and shooting the breeze as if everything was normal.

"T-Then what?" she asked, pushing for the final part of a story she still partly didn't want to hear.

"Yeah. Well, anyway, that bloke was out of commission; wailing and holding his bloodied face was when I was suddenly blindsided by my legs being kicked out from under me and I just fell hard on my back. From what I gathered, the croc had slammed his tail against the back of my knees and I fell like a sack of potatoes. On the ground - defenseless; the air knocked out of me and I-I couldn't breathe…but I got up anyway." he spoke and Ash felt a chill go down her spine.

"At that moment, my whole body just pumping with adrenaline as the jaguar came out of nowhere and began punching me in the face - him and the crock essentially taking turns kicking my arse. I blocked their attack as much as I could but it all happened just so fast and my vision was getting all blurry when he smashed his knuckle into my eye. I could barely see and…then all of a sudden, the wolf with blood covering most of his face was snarling as he jumped over to me with the glint of a metal in his hand..."

Ash's hand left his face as she brought it up to cover her mouth; terrified she'd let out a pathetic whine or sob if she didn't stop herself. Icy eyes taking in Johnny's battered face, a faraway look in his eye and pain echoing in his features she hated seeing on his normally friendly, serene face. It killed her inside when he spoke the next six words…

"...I really thought that was it…"

"..." Tears filled Ash's eyes; pain erupting in her chest at seeing all the emotions playing out on his face - his descriptions playing in her mind's eye and it hurt so bad…

"Yet just something came over me and I knew I was going to die if I didn't do something. I needed to get up so I had kicked the jaguar back enough to pull myself semi back to my feet and...before I knew what happened the wolf had made it to my side and…this pain - it erupted under my right armpit. I couldn't feel it at first - just this force hitting my rib bone. In that moment, my body just reacted…

"I was able to throw my arm out, slamming the wolf back into the wall just enough to run out from in-between them. The croc tried to trip me but I jumped over his tail and by some twist of fate or God having mercy on me that night - my skateboard was right there. I landed on it perfectly and even with my eyesight blurry and darkening, I…I was able to get out of there. Blood was pounding in my ears but I could still hear them screaming at me…but I didn't look back. I just got out of there and I wasn't sure where to go. I-I thought about going to the police station but…my dad…if he knew…" Johnny's voice tapered off again.

"My dad can't know…So, once I saw the Moon Theater, I grabbed my board with one hand and climbed up til I got to the window I always kept open… I-I wasn't sure what to do, just thought I'd hide out here until…" Johnny sighed, "I don't know…it just seemed like the only safe place I could go…and…well, you know the rest."

Ash had so many questions on the tip of her tongue but said nothing.

Heart pounding painfully in her chest as she saw the hopelessness filling his chestnut eyes. Fighting off the rise tears that filled her own, Ash gently brushed the rag ever so gently over his uninjured eye, wiping a tear that had escaped in the process. He gazed up at her for a split second before his eyes wandered back out to nothingness. The silence the only other entity in the room and she accepted it; continuing to run the rag over his face - not even aware of how long they sat there in silence. Both lost in their heads of what was told tonight; questions and concerns both had so cloyingly thick in the room but neither felt in any mood to confront them. So, they stayed silent. Enjoying the rare moment of peace they found themselves in.

It was slow for him at first. Relaxing in the tender ministrations she bestowed on him. The cooling rag soothing the swelling of his cheek as well as the nerves flitting right underneath its surface. All the tension and anxiety right below was calming with her touch. Before he'd realized what was happening, his eyes started slipping closed and breathing slowing down as she continually ran the cool rag over his swollen cheek.

All the while, Ash was doing her best to ignore the smears of blood the rag collected over the minutes. Chestnut eyes really not focused on anything, more looking through her to the ceiling but Ash didn't mind. Still absorbing his story and everything it pertained... How these three animals nearly stole his life away for some damn debt his father had who knows how many years ago? It shook her to her core but as Johnny began relaxing into her touch, she allowed those thoughts to wane.

The silence was comfortable; mellowing…dare she think relaxing? Whatever it was, she appreciated it right now.

A night that had been filled with so much anxiety and stress now was more lax even if the situation he had been through kept filtering through her mind. Johnny had been hurt and nothing was solved, nothing was figured out so he wouldn't have to worry about a repeat performance…but he had told her the truth. Johnny had relayed the events of the night and that alone meant more to her than anything.

Ash slipped the rag over his face. Gently cooling down and hopefully alleviating the pain and swelling if only a little bit - she still wanted to badly for him to get more help than she could provide but knew asking it now was completely out of the question...

"...Thank you, Ash…that feels a lot better." Johnny breathed out a moment later and Ash almost choked on another sob that wanted to escape when he finally looked at her. Although his right eye was nearly sealed shut with the swelling and lip split and very painful looking, he did look a little better…

"You're welcome." Ash muttered; running her fingers gently across his cheek in what she hoped was a comforting motion. She continued the ministrations, her own mind buzzing and finding it difficult to relax completely went on for some time.

Staring off into some far off distance when a few moments later, they gravitated back to Johnny's face - and to her surprise and relief - he had fallen asleep…