Chapter Text
…
Here I was, trapped in a prison-cell shaped room, under full control by someone I used to swear was my first and only true love. But I just sat there and accepted it. I had grown used to the empty stomach and pitch darkness. I’ve been dealing with this for years now, anyhow. All I had to do was wait until he came back. Minutes. Hours. Days, maybe…who knows.
Yeah, right. Like I’m going to sit around for him.
“Akemi!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, again and again, praying he would hear me.
Finally, I received a slam back on the locked door. “Jesus Christ, Raven! What the hell do you want?! I’m on the fucking phone! It’s important, so shut up!” He tried to yell and hush me, but it was all a facade. I was sure. Was that what Harley told him to say this time?
I got up and guided myself through the darkness to approach the door, “I’m hungry.”
“Yeah, well, that’s nice.” He spit back at me, “Sleep it off or something.”
I groaned and pounded on the door again, “Just let me out! I know Harley is out there! I heard the door! Just let me talk to him! I’m dying of boredom here!”
“Raven, I swear to-” I heard Akemi stop immediately. “Boss.” He remarked and went all serious. It was Harley, finally! Took him long enough. I listened to each bolt and lock slowly get released, and after the fifth, the door creaked open.
Harley stared straight at me. His eyes were like daggers, but I couldn’t care less. “Haru!” I exclaimed and grabbed him. He didn’t respond at all, and instead just let the hug happen, as usual. That’s when I saw him reach into his pocket. Out of instinct, I backed up. By the time I let go, the needle was already stuck into my neck. He got me, again.
…
I woke up a couple hours later, bandages wrapped around my arm. I thought it was rude. He didn’t even tell me this time. There was no point in giving me a shot. I would’ve agreed…probably. But now my whole arm itches and I feel lethargic. How annoying.
He left the lights in my room on, so I figured there was something to eat around here. I didn’t find anything but some money on the nightstand. Of course, that was Harley’s type of repayment. He thought that if he repaid me, he could ultimately do anything. Once I even heard him say, “I don’t treat Raven badly. I take him out shopping all the time!” Like how is that changing anything?! That’s like telling a hostage or victim, “Hey, you got food and a roof over your head, be grateful!” Be grateful for what? The abuse before or after? Jeez, thanks.
I almost fell back down trying to get up. I didn’t make it far enough to my door, before Harley came rushing in. I groaned, “Were you really watching me through the cameras?” He didn’t answer me. He assisted me to sit down, and then checked my pulse. It was fine.
“I apologize.” He spoke so formally, “According to Top, they needed several new batches to test, so I had to test more than necessary, in case of errors in shipping.” He reached into one of the cabinets and re-wrapped my arm, “However, I think you’ll be quite fine in your condition.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course I was. Obviously! If not, I probably would’ve been dead by now.
The money was just sitting there, staring at me. I picked it up and waved it in his face, “And what’s this for?! I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do this anymore.” I complained.
“Well…” He cleared his throat, “I thought it’d make you happy, Raven.”
“What would really make me happy is if you wouldn’t knock me out randomly and-”
He held a finger to my lip. Then he lifted his head down to my ear and whispered, “Let’s not do this right now, hm?” I looked outside of my room to see people. Customers. They had cigars in their mouths and were suddenly silent, staring at me. Then they went back to talking and laughing.
“...Please.” I cried silently, “I don’t…” I knew it wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
He got up after my arm was wrapped and nodded, “It will be quick. Why don’t you introduce yourself to the guests in a moment? I left an outfit on your dresser. Please, dress well.” Then he left me alone and closed my door without locking it. I should’ve known. Why else would he pay me now?
…
I hated it. I wasn’t even sure what this was supposed to be. A mix between a dress and lingerie. Enough to keep me covered, but enough to appeal to the guests. To make them want me. To pay in for me, like I was to be bought. I thought it was disgusting behavior, but at least none of them ever got their hands on me. I think it’s some type of boost to Harley, just knowing he controls me and this whole “Look, don’t touch” act. Plus, I guarantee he loves killing the people who try.
The minute I walked out, I saw one man take a long puff and another lick the bottom of his lip. What a bunch of freaks. But I didn’t say that. I only walked over and smiled at them, “Anything I can do for you fine gentlemen?” I tried my best to ignore the nasty comment of “Oh, I know what you can do, sweetheart.” and the whispering of the others. I just kept my fake smile and turned to Harley.
“Say, Raven, why don’t you get some drinks for these men?”
I nodded, “Anything in particular, sir?” Then Harley gestured to the guests, and I looked over. He left it up to them. At least it’d be something they could enjoy before their last breath. My smile gleaned.
One of the men said, “What a sweet boy you are. Well, why don’t you just pick the drinks for us?” My eyebrows raised in content, “Of course.” I winked, “Be right out for you.”
I made a few bitter drinks. It was easier that way, to hide the scent. Although, I knew these pigs would drink anything I gave them, if they were as smart as they looked. There was only one man that thought about his decisions wisely. I knew I would have to work harder for that one. That’s why I changed the drinks at the last moment. I couldn’t do something so careless. It was risky. By the time one died, the others would flee like the animals they are. Too easy of an escape.
I came back out, balancing a tray in my hand with glasses and bottles on it. I lowered the tray onto the table in front of everyone. “A bit sweet, I hope you don’t mind.” I smiled and began to pour the liquor out into the glasses, perfectly. I handed a glass to the cautious one first. Just as I expected, he smelled it and then took a small sip. He hummed afterwards. It seemed to be to his taste. Good.
“A bit strong, isn’t it?” Another remarked. I smiled, “Isn’t that a good thing?”
That’s when another got cocky and said, “Well, let’s see you take a drink.”
I took that as a pretty easy challenge, but I looked back at Harley to see his opinion. I wasn’t old enough to drink, technically. Did that mean I hadn’t? Of course not. How else would I know exactly what to serve?
I picked up a glass and filled it to the brim, how I had done to theirs. Then I waved my glass into the air and downed it. I didn’t stop until it was gone. It was only a whiskey glass. These idiots wouldn’t know the difference. A glass was a glass to them, especially if it looked nice.
“Wow, you sure do swallow well.” I saw their wicked grin.
“I’ve had practice.” I teased them a little. I had to get them excited. How else would they pay?
Harley was giving me a look. He was right; I was enjoying this too much. My tongue even twirled in my mouth, thinking about their soon demise. Harley cleared his throat, “Yes, well…” He was talking to them. I knew that meant I was to be dismissed. I watched from afar, and I saw the men pay in. They put cash on top of cash, knowing whoever paid in the most could “have me”. At the end, I was surprised to see the smart man drop ten-thousand on the table. My eyes widened.
But it wasn’t done there. Another man grinned, “Twenty, then.”
“Thirty.” His will was strong. It was impressive.
“Well…thirty-five.” It was between an outspoken and smart man. I was invested. Who would win this battle?
“Forty.” He hummed, like he wasn’t planning on giving up anytime soon.
The outspoken man put down one final deal, “Fifty.”
There was significant pause, before the smart man laughed, “Is that all you’ve got? 100.”
Everyone paused and stared. But his signature was already scribbled across a check, and placed down on the table. “Keep the change.” He grinned. Damn.
Even Harley was shocked. “Well, certainly, you must be joking, sir.”
“Not quite.” The man kept his head held high, “Is it a deal?”
Harley had reached his limit. Never before had anyone ever placed more than twenty thousand down on this table, and he was staring face-to-face with over one-hundred now. I watched them closely. Finally, Harley stuck out an arm, “Deal.” The man shook it. My heart dropped. Was this it?
…
“Now, Raven, you have to understand-”
“You just sold me out to a man!” I yelled back at him. Everyone was gone now. Deal was over. He planned to meet me tomorrow night. To “take me for a ride”. He said he’d decide then whether I was worth more or not. Harley was just so pleased to get his side of the deal, finally. And in the end, nobody died. Harley led them out with a wide grin.
“Yes, but…” He sighed, “It’s only one night. Think about it. One-hundred thousand dollars…”
I wasn’t satisfied with that answer, “Is that really what I’m worth?” I groaned.
“C’mon, can’t you be a little happy?” He squeezed my hand, “This type of deal only comes once in a lifetime! If it means you have to work a little harder then-”
“He could have diseases.” I gave a look of disgust, “Why else would he pay so much?”
Harley disagreed, “Maybe one day, Raven…you’ll just have to face that you’re attractive.”
My lip puckered, “Ew. Was that your way of flirting?” I laughed.
He took a long sigh, “Seriously. I mean…I can’t just throw away this type of money.”
“Not even for me?” I joked by giving him puppy eyes, “But I thought you loved me, Haru.” I teased and then burst out laughing. He gave me an unimpressed look, “This is serious, Raven!”
“Yeah…I know.” I sighed. What did he want me to say? Oh jeez, thanks Harley, I can’t wait to slut myself out for some random man that may or may not have every disease under the planet. “Still doesn’t change the fact I don’t want to. Can’t you just kill him? You did it before.”
“Yes, but this is different, Raven.” Harley scolded me, “He has a lot of power. Lots of people.”
“What is he, mafia?”
“Very funny.”
I sighed and pouted. I didn’t know what to think about this. It was bad. Really bad. I couldn’t think about putting myself out to Harley, let alone a stranger. And what if I messed up? Would he ask for the money back?
“I don’t think I can do it.” I muttered.
“Yes, you can.”
“No! I mean- What if I do something wrong? I’ve never done this before.”
“...And what would you like me to do about that, Raven?”
There was a moment of silence. I knew the obvious answer, but it was hard to say. I knew this day would come eventually. I knew in some ways, Harley had his own sick fantasy of me. Sometimes, I wondered…did he pick out these outfits for them or…for himself?
Harley whispered, “...Well, Raven?”
My lips curled only slightly into a smirk, “Teach me, then.”
…
TWO YEARS LATER
…
“Not so busy today, eh?” Tate was talking to me, but I zoned out, staring at one of the customers. But he was right. It was a slow weekend, and business wasn’t booming like usual. It actually felt pretty nice. Most nights, I was sweating in this vest. Perks of being a bartender, I suppose.
He tapped me on the arm and I looked over, “Sorry. What were you saying?”
“What are you staring at?” He asked me.
I leaned over, “That man.” I couldn’t remove my eyes from him. Older, not-so-good looking. But I had seen him somewhere before. I was sure of it. Tate shrugged, “Never seen him in my life.” I knew that. It was a personal acknowledgement. But I nodded anyway, “Yeah…He just seems familiar.”
Then Harley walked out. They started talking all formally, and then it snapped. Oh shit. It’s him.
When Tate noticed my wide eyes, I took it as my cue to leave. I ran around back, to where we kept all the drink inventory. I put a hand over my chest. My heart was racing. I never expected to see him again, not once in my life. I hoped that after the whole affair, it would be over. And it was…until now.
I slowly got closer to the door and listened to their conversation.
“Well, this seems to be a nice establishment you got here.” The man said, “I see that I invested wisely.” He laughed. “How have things been? I haven’t seen you in a while. How is Raven holding up?”
“Ah, he’s fine. He actually works here as a bartender now, so you might see him time to time.”
“Oh, well that’s great.” He laughed, “Glad to hear it.”
Harley nodded and they kept talking on and on. I thought it would never stop. I thought he would never leave. Then Akemi barged in through the back and scared the shit out of me.
“Raven? What are you doing back here?”
“Shh!” I told him. He raised a brow and peered out, “I don’t see anything.” I rolled my eyes and pointed to Harley and the man. Akemi shrugged, “So what?” I got a little annoyed, and just decided to tell him, “I’m hiding.” He gave an amused look, “Why? I thought you liked talking to people.”
I paused, and blushed slightly, “Yeah but…not him.” It was too embarrassing.
“Well, whatever. I have to get back to work. Just needed more coffee.” He held the bag up.
…
A customer came in and sat down at the bar. He must be waiting for someone else. A girl, maybe. He was texting someone on his phone, or at least typing something. I had to serve him, anyway. I opened the inventory door and walked out, “Hey, how can I serve you?” I kept my usual enthusiasm, despite the situation. The guy perked up and looked at me, “Give me two of your best.”
I didn’t question it. I gave him my usual recommendation. Then I thought about it. Even though I had been working here for a couple months, and seen so many drinks, it hadn’t changed…not since I gave those drinks out to the men. Again, I warned the guy, “It is a little sweet.”
He laughed, “It’s alright. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it. Thanks.” I was right.
“No problem. Let me know if you need anything else.” I pretended to be doing something, like polishing the glasses and hanging them back up. Anything to pass time, really. Soon, a pretty girl walked in. Even my face lit up when I saw her, but nothing compared to his. She was wearing this dress. I would have killed to wear it when I was younger…when I was still seen as a girl. But either way, she was killing it. It must be a date. But they seemed a bit more official than a first date. He was calling her “babe” and everything. Specifically, he said, “Damn, you look gorgeous, babe.” But it wasn’t cringey at all. In fact, he said it quite sweetly. He really meant it too. He gave her a quick peck on the forehead. I could’ve cried.
“Ahm, what’s his name? The boy over there…” She whispered to him.
He responded with, “I’m not sure, I didn’t ask…”
By the time she called out, “Bartender!”, I was already facing them.
I smiled, “What can I do for you?”
“Well, I was just wondering…do you serve any food here?”
“Yep! We have a menu right over there! If you’re looking for lunch items, I can order from the cafe and bring it right over for you.”
“Ah, okay! Thank you very much.” I waited patiently and watched them decide what to have. They kept going back and forth on what meal would compliment their drink. Finally, they decided, “Can we please get two rib-steak meals?”
“Of course!” I nodded, “Give us about forty-five minutes, and it’ll be out to you!”
…
The couple was gone, and that man was still here. What did he want? He was just staring out the window, watching the rain drip down. He hadn’t ordered one thing, at least not from me. I had enough.
“Hello, just came to inform you that we’ll be closing soon.” I finally spoke up.
When he looked at me, I suddenly regretted telling him. He seemed pleased to see me, “Oh, Raven! Wow, you’ve grown quite a bit since I’ve seen you last, haven’t you?” He laughed in the way a grandpa would when seeing one of their grandchildren.
“Yes, well-”
“How have you been?” He interrupted me.
“...Alright.” I nodded and gave a smile, “Busy, to be honest.”
“I see that.” He smiled back, “I hope I wasn’t too distracting.”
My cheeks blushed. Did he notice? I peeped, “Not at all!”
He laughed again, “Well, that’s good.” He slowly got up, “I’ve got to get going anyways.”
I nodded, “Have a nice night.”
“You too.” I saw him reach into his pocket and then he slipped a few bills in-between my fingers, “Keep this for yourself, huh? Thanks for all the hard work, Raven.” He opened the main doors and walked out. I waved him off.
Once he was gone, I opened my hand and looked at the bills resting in my palm. $1,000. Huh.