92 Episode 90 - Dark Side

Amari was glad it was mid-January and the sun went down so early. It made it easier to catch Nicky in the dark, coming home to his beautiful brownstone after another laidback day at work. As the man strolled leisurely down the empty sidewalk, only blocks away from his house, a giant hand reached out and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him into a tiny alleyway between the tall, stone buildings.

Seungwoo's friend held him firmly as he flailed, and Seungwoo let out a mischievous laugh, one Amari had heard so many times before.

"Jin-jja? We came all this way for this little pussy? Ssi-bal... How did you manage to beat anyone up on your own?"

"The victim wasn't expecting it, and he used a weapon." Amari stepped up next to Seungwoo, a bitter smile on his face as he tapped a long metal pipe on the concrete.

The man holding Nicky tossed him toward the wall, only hard enough for him to lightly bump against it. Amari and Seungwoo moved close while the other five men surrounded them, making sure their prisoner couldn't escape.

"Hello Nicky," he greeted coldly, still smiling. "Long time no see. When you came into my home and beat my friend to a pulp, I realized you must've forgotten our conversation. I thought I'd come and remind you."

"What the fuck are you doing, Amari?" Nicky tried to sound calm and strong, but his voice was shaking, and it was clear he had pressed himself against the wall in fear. "Do you know where you are? Do you know what will happen if you get caught? This isn't some back alley slum."

"Oh. You make a good point." Amari waved a hand and one of the men grabbed Nicky, covering his mouth to muffle any possible shouting. "I'm not really interested in anything you've got to say, so this's probably best."

He stepped a little closer, close enough to smell the man's sweat and lingering cigarette smoke, and he scrunched his nose, his smile quickly fading.

"I'm pretty sure I told you not to underestimate me. I also told you that if you hurt Ziggy, I would fucking hurt you. Those were my exact words, actually."

Tapping the pipe on the ground again, he could hear Nicky's muffled breath quicken. Only briefly, he thought it would be nice to see his expression as well.

"Everyone who knows me knows I never lie, so here I am."

Amari grabbed Nicky's hair and grimaced at how greasy the product felt in his hand. The man was so sleazy, he couldn't imagine what Ziggy had seen in him. He put his face close, then with all of his strength, he rammed a knee between Nicky's legs, hearing his muffled cry and feeling him slump.

Releasing the hair, he wiped the oil onto his pants and stepped back next to Seungwoo.

"That's just to keep my word. I'm not gonna touch you anymore tonight. It seems like a hassle, and I've got a family to get home to." He smirked and waved his pipe side to side, pointing to his companions, all wielding their own weapon of choice. "My friends here, however, aren't as busy as me, and would probably enjoy beating the shit outta you."

The men around him snickered and Seungwoo put his arm around Amari's shoulders. "Oh, you can bet on that. I haven't felt this good in a while. It's a shame the other boys couldn't join us, but you only wanted to bring a few..."

"Yeah, yeah. Calm down." Amari waved at him, then turned his attention back to Nicky. "I'm making you a deal. Ziggy isn't pressing charges, because that man's a fucking saint, so lucky you, you get a free pass." He scowled and leaned forward. "But, imagine what'd happen if your wife found out. What if her family found out? Or that fancy theatre you work at? What would happen to this easy life you've built? And what if you were found in an alley somewhere, beaten to the edge of death, with no one to blame?"

Amari gestured to let Nicky speak, and the man took a deep breath as his mouth was uncovered. "You're fucking insane!"

"No one said I wasn't," Amari admitted with a wicked sneer. "You seem surprised, but you've seen me in my briefs so many times. You didn't wonder where all those scars came from? I'm sweet now, but that doesn't mean I've always been that way."

He leaned forward again, his tone no longer playful. "I warned you. Obviously, you thought that was a bluff."

Nicky sucked in a breath, nothing else to say. He was stuck, unable to report anything without risking his own exposure, and he didn't actually know Amari well enough to know what he would or wouldn't do.

"What do you want?"

"Simple. I wanna never hear from you again. Your disgusting cigarette breath and your greasy hair... I want it all to stay the fuck away from me and my family. You can stay here in your brownstone and find some other guy to play with on the side, but you no longer come near anyone I know." Amari shrugged and smiled bitterly again. "We live our lives and you live yours, and they never cross. That's it."

"That's it?" He nodded and there was a long pause, Nicky clearly thinking it was some kind of trap. "Fine. Deal. I don't want anything to do with your crazy fucking family anyway."

"Wonderful." Amari relaxed and rested his pipe on the ground, leaning on it, but Seungwoo wasn't finished with the man. He reached forward and gripped his collar, pulling him close.

"My friend here is a softy, but don't think we won't fuck you up if we run into you again. Hell, we know what you look like now. We might just do it for fun." Amari could hear Seungwoo's breathy laugh, and in almost a whisper, he added, "We're really good at keeping our fun private. No one would ever know..."

There was snickering again and Amari waved his hand at the men. "Stop. Let him go. You're gonna make him piss himself."

Seungwoo released his grasp and stepped back with a huff, but Nicky stood there, frozen, until Amari snapped to get his attention.

"Well? You better go before someone changes their mind."

Nicky scrambled between two of the men and out of the alley to the street. Amari smiled and Seungwoo let out a loud laugh, the others laughing with him.

"Ah, ssi-bal... What a slimy asshole. I'm sad we didn't get to rough him up. Just a little."

Amari chuckled at him, then turned to give him a smirk. "I thought you went straight." He received another huff in return and handed Seungwoo his pipe. "Thanks, but I don't think I need this anymore. And thanks, for doing me this favor. You're absolutely sure I don't owe you anything?"

"We're good. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not gonna find myself beaten in some alley again? I'd rather pay the debt some other way, if possible. I think there's a maximum number of concussions you can get before it fucks up your brain."

Seungwoo laughed and gave Amari a hard pat on the shoulder. "I'm pretty sure you passed that number a long time ago, kid." Amari nodded in agreement and smiled again. "Jin-jja-ro, you don't owe me anything. This was fun. Right, guys?"

There were grunts and mumbles around the circle and Seungwoo chuckled. "We can always use a break from normal life, so if you ever need to threaten someone else, just let us know. Anyway, you've been taking good care of Minwoo, so you can count this as my thanks."

Amari nodded again, still smiling at this strange semi-friendship. "Then I guess I'll head out."

He took a few steps toward the street, but Seungwoo stopped him.

"Hey. You know you earned that beating I gave you, but I'm glad to see you're doing so well. You deserve it."

Amari raised a hand without turning and continued out of the alley toward the closest subway station. He knew it was awful, but he felt good, his rage gone and a heavy weight lifted. He couldn't control the happy grin on his face as he stepped into the train car, stepped out onto the platform, strolled down the sidewalk, and climbed the stairs to the apartment.

After a brief hello to Ziggy, Cate, and Joe, he walked the rest of the way up, hands in his pockets, still grinning and feeling light. Entering the apartment, his smile immediately turned to a frown when a familiar hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Before he could react, Yangyang swung him around and pushed him into the back of the couch. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

Amari sighed. "Minwoo."

"Yes, fucking Minwoo!" Yangyang was loud, trembling, his breath hot in his face, and Amari could smell the sweat. He knew this voice and scent well, and this wasn't anger. This was fear.

"Yang ge..." He reached a hand out to try and calm him, but it was slapped away.

"Fuck! You're not some punk kid anymore! You have a family! You're about to be a husband and a father! What if something happened to you? What if you ended up in jail? Did you think about that?"

His words grew faster and louder, feeding the panic as he yelled.

"Yang ge, just..."

"And with Seungwoo? How could you do something so dangerous?"

"Li Yangyi!" Amari ripped the hand from his shoulder, shouting the name as loud as he could. "Shut the fuck up for two seconds and lemme answer your fucking questions!"

Yangyang staggered back a few steps, his arms up in shock and surrender. Amari was glad he couldn't see his expression.

"Yeah, I asked Seungwoo for a favor. And yeah, he and some of his friends came with me to threaten Nicky. But that's all that happened. No one touched him." He paused at the lie. "Well, I kneed him once in the junk, but that was just to keep a promise."

"What the fuck..." Yangyang didn't know what to say and Amari knew he couldn't understand. This was a part of life he had never experienced.

"I told Nicky if he hurt Ziggy, I would hurt him. He chose not to listen to that warning. I avoid, and I hide, but I never fucking lie." He stepped closer, wanting to be gentle, but too angry at the situation. "I didn't tell you because you'd've been scared, like this, and would've tried to stop me."

"Fuck yes I would have tried to stop you!" Yangyang's hands were back on his arms. "It was a stupid thing to do."

Amari frowned and gripped Yangyang's wrists tight. "Don't act all high and mighty. You've got no right to judge me. That disgusting excuse for a man beat my family to within an inch of his life. He deserved more than a few threats. And you know if you'd come home to find me on the floor like that, you'd've done the same fucking thing."

He was pissed at Yangyang for criticizing him, and more at himself for showing this hateful side.

Yangyang let out a long breath, then pulled him into his chest. "You're wrong. If it had been you, I would have done much worse." Amari wrapped his arms tight around Yangyang's waist, glad he wasn't yelling anymore. In an instant, the fury was gone. "That doesn't change the fact that you scared me to death. I honestly don't give a shit what happens to Nicky, but what if something happened to you?"

Amari rubbed his back and sighed. "That's why I didn't tell you. Yang ge... I never wanted you to see this part of me. I don't want to be that person anymore, but I've got a lot more experience with this than you know. Nicky's a weak piece of shit, and I was never in any danger. I just needed make sure we would never see him again."

"What about Seungwoo?"

"It's okay. I told you, we're even after he beat me up in that alley."

Yangyang hugged him a little tighter. "But what about now, after he did this for you?"

"We're still even." Amari smiled and huffed out a small laugh. "He said he wasn't expecting me to ask for such a small favor, and that he and his friends had fun. And that I could just take it as thanks for looking after Minwoo."

After a few moments of silence, Amari still rubbing his back, Yangyang leaned down and kissed him softly on the forehead. "You have some really strange fucking friends."

"Yeah, well, I've had a really strange fucking life."

Yangyang sighed, resting his chin on Amari's head. "Can't you just have a really normal fucking life from now on?"

Amari chuckled and nodded under him. "That'd be nice. But, this part of me'll always exist. And if anyone touches my family again, I'll kill them."

"That's somehow comforting and completely terrifying at the same time."

He chuckled again, almost light enough to be a giggle, and pressed himself into Yangyang's warm chest. He wondered how this could be so easy - how even this dark side of his could be accepted so quickly. He couldn't figure out why, but it made him feel a little sad, a sadness he instantly pushed aside for all the other wonderful emotions that were swirling around instead.