Chapter Text
it wasn’t odd to be awake far past midnight. most of yokohama’s population would argue it was extremely dangerous, especially for a petite young woman like gin. at night, all cats are black. maybe that was why the port mafia only wore black when on the clock. ryuunosuke loved to, in his elegant way, joke that his closet looked like it belonged to a “professional” funeral-goer.
that wasn’t anything a knife strapped to their thigh couldn’t fix. but, just in case, they had a gun in each purse. they were a flower born from darkness , after all. there was no light in the slums for a pair of orphaned children, so he became a cactus, and they bloomed into a queen of the night.
it was normal for gin to be awake at this hour.
after another long day of pretending to be mute, all gin wanted was to go home. it wasn’t the work of being a heartless assassin, not being able to speak without giving away their true identity, constantly being referred to as a man, or being in charge of a bunch of men who couldn’t tell their brains apart from a walnut if their lives depended on it that exhausted them. it was spending every hour of every day wondering if ryuunosuke was alright.
he coughed like an engine with no fuel and gasped for air like a rubber ducky released from a tight grip. gin spent many nights watching him sleep, to make sure he would wake up in the morning. after all he did for them, all the times he shared the last piece of bread so they could eat, all the times he would go door-to-door begging older women to let the two of them use the shower, all the pillows he brought back so they’d be comfortable, the least gin could do for him was make sure he slept through the night. make sure he woke up in the morning, and it’d still be just the two of them.
their thoughts wandered to him again, which tended to happen when they had a free moment to think. work was winding down, and it had to be well past one or two o’clock in the morning. “have a good night, commander.” one of the black lizard assassins called out to gin; they lifted a careless hand to wave goodnight, not having the energy to check who it was. they slipped silently into a storage room, loaded to the nines with rifles, pistols, and other guns that could be better described as mafia knickknacks. going straight to the cabinet they were looking for, almost like it was mindless, they pulled out an empty black duffel bag. they grabbed one silver or stainless steel rifle - it was too dark to tell - and tossed it in the bag before sneaking back out of the room.
the good thing about being a professional assassin was the ability to sneak around rooms and people and never be seen, like a ghost no one holds seances for. sticking close to the wall, they slowly made their way up to the executive kitchen, picking the lock on the door and kicking it closed behind them. they’d been in this kitchen so many times growing up in the mafia, they hardly felt a need to turn a light on, grabbing extra spoons, a few bowls, and every last fig that was in the fridge. ryuunosuke liked to pawn off stolen items under the table, and gin was a far more talented thief. a little extra money to pay for a nice watch as a birthday gift for a mutual friend never hurt anybody - at least, not in the way the job they never asked for hurt people.
if the executives wanted to keep all this shit, it wouldn’t be so easy to steal, now would it?
by the time they’d hear the door close a second time, gin was already flying down the stairs, duffel bag full of goodies. they were home free by the time they got to the first floor, slipping through the glass revolving doors of the front entrance and into the crisp night air. it was going to be a pain in the ass to walk home, but it was better than asking a stranger for a ride. ryuunosuke’s shift should have ended at three in the afternoon today, he wasn’t about to come pick gin up now.
there was a shortcut through the hedges, if they walk the opposite direction of that wretched detective agency, it would be a fifteen to twenty-five minute walk, depending on how much they had to stop and hide in an alley. it’d be a damn shame if the cops grabbed gin now.
thankfully, the weather tonight was lovely, and the stars above gin’s head were twinkling, blending into the city lights as they hit any bodies of water. there were a few clouds, and the moon reflected in gin’s dangerous silver eyes, making them shine like mirrors against the paleness of their soft fairy skin. the temperature was getting bitey, and all gin could think of was getting home, taking a warm shower, and checking how ryuunosuke was doing.
ryuu…
the reason why gin woke up and went to work every day, with no remorse over being an assassin, was to get revenge for ryuunosuke. for all the times he was kicked down, came home starved and half alive, the bruises gin bandaged and lost count for. that vile man who brought ryuunosuke up in a path of bloody, empty praise, was gin’s actual target. they had perfect attendance at work, even when sick, in case the order to kill him fell into the black lizards’ lap. gin had already brought up to their superiors their wish to be the one to rip that traitor open.
abusive skirt-chasing suicidal maniac monster.
for gin, ryuunosuke’s well-being was a satisfying motive. the last time gin saw that horrific excuse of a human being was when the port mafia had captured him. chained in the basement, where traitors were held as they waited execution. as they made a turn in their walk home, gin gritted their teeth as they remembered seeing ryuunosuke come upstairs out of that room in tears. that sight had made them see red, and all they remember after that was screaming. they didn’t recall saying anything - just screaming in their harsh rage, because they wanted to kill him. they were going to kill him . it took ryuunosuke and two other grown men to hold gin back from running down those steps, and they still struggled with how violently gin was thrashing to break free. they didn’t care if the boss would punish them for being out of line by killing a prisoner too early. that traitorous bastard had said something to hurt ryuunosuke. he should have paid a fitting price.
gin finally arrived at an apartment complex, just outside of downtown and close to shops, which the port mafia had bought at an underground auction. the boss thought it’d just be so darn cute if he were thoughtful enough to own buildings for his employees to live in. yeah, how nice of a predator to do that.
what gin wouldn’t complain about was certain ranks with authority within the mafia didn’t have to pay rent. a few years of diligent work got ryuunosuke and gin to a place they could comfortably live, even if their hope was to some day leave the mafia. for now, it was still far better than sneaking around behind restaurants looking for a half-decent scrap.
gin stepped out of the elevator on the 13th floor and made a right, then unlocked the door with a keycard, waiting for the beeps of approval before entering the apartment and locking the door behind them. removing their mask, they called out, “i’m home.” i am beyond the foyer, ryuu should respond, his voice dripping with poise. however, gin was met with a silent apartment. what the hell? “ry?” gin called out louder, tossing the duffel bag on the kitchen counter and looking around. window shutters open, lights off, and the apartment was immaculate, more reminiscent of an airbnb than the home of two heinous criminals.
why was it so quiet?
“ry? are you not home?” gin started to panic, trembling fingers flicking on light switches as they cautiously explored the apartment. stopping at ryuunosuke’s door, they gently pushed open the unlocked door and peeked inside, leaving this light off.
there he lay, in dark sapphire blue silk pajamas, peacefully sleeping with not a care in the world. no desires for a man with no will to live to tell him, “well done.” no rashomon constantly searing with its hunger for human flesh and bones. no nagging from his coworkers, no armed detective agency, no hunger, no cold, and no tears. just peaceful rest, nothing less than he deserves. it was a comforting contrast. how kind for sleep to finally give ryuunosuke the peace in his heart that he so desired and spent his life chasing to no avail. it was just an ironic shame he couldn’t be conscious to enjoy such a treat. smiling in satisfaction at the sight, gin whispered a blessing for him and closed his door as quietly as they could. to say it would be rude to disturb ryuunosuke’s gift of slumber was a cruel understatement. they could always talk tomorrow.
flicking all the lights off, gin went to the kitchen island and began to empty the duffel bag. fruit in the fridge, gun unloaded and locked before being placed gently by the sink. the spoons and bowls were placed next to the gun, making a pile of stolen crap to sell on the side. it wasn’t like the execs would miss a few pieces of silverware they don’t use. with the duffel bag empty, gin opened a street window and threw it out, muttering, “enjoy the gift.”
gin slipped into their room, opening the drawers of the dresser they’d stolen from an estate sale and picking out undergarments and clothes to change into. carefully removing the knife that had been slipped in the garter hidden on their thigh, they began to undress to take a shower. they opened up a cushy drawer and dug out a box, heavy and clinking, and opened it. gin slipped the knife back into their collection of 44 and put the box safely back in the drawer, hidden in case anything happened to the house.
the warm shower was much needed, a nice hair wash and expensive sugar scrubs having gin step out of the shower feeling like a new woman emerging from a cocoon. sometimes, gin wondered during their bathroom routine how many times in their childhood they would have loved to take a shower like that. how many children now would love it? how many other privileges did they have now that people who grew up with everyday lives took for granted? if they had a normal life, would ryuunosuke be sick at all? would he have even seen the inside of a hospital?
ryuunosuke often brought up with gin how their future children would have all the things the two of them didn’t growing up. “they will be lovely little things,” he’d say with a nonchalant shrug. he wanted children of his own as well some day, but feared he’d die of his illness while they were still small. “lovely like their mother.” he’d then cast a somber glance at the teacup in his deathly pale fingers, a look that made gin often wonder if he was sad settling for only being an uncle.
sighing as they dried their face, gin exited the bathroom with a thoughtful hum. having been taught since they were young to quiet their footsteps, they hardly needed to tiptoe in order not to wake their brother. closing the door to their room, across the hall from ryuunosuke’s, they first took a new hair tie and put their long inky hair into a messy, rushed bun. it wasn’t like they would wake up with impeccable hair, anyway, so they cast aside all care of what they looked like going to bed well past two in the morning. slipping into a pastel pink pajama dress, they turned off their light and slipped under the comforter, letting exhaustion eventually take them into sleep so they can do it all again tomorrow.
but it was nice when the house was quiet.