Protecc Smol Boi [Tomomi/Shouhei]

Junichi was detoured this evening, out in Little Tokyo.  Commonly he was a scam artist, a hustler, a conniving weasel that tricked people out of their money.  If anyone came after him, he nearly always had a crew of bigger, stronger guys to back him up.  While bullying was normally below him, and the threat of physical violence was barbaric, he couldn’t help but notice a potential mark.  He gestured to one of his bigger goons, Gou, to see if this lonely, small, isolated young man in the alleyways had any money on him.

Gou stood a full foot taller than Tomomi, and made no effort to avoid bumping against Tomomi’s shoulder harshly.  After knocking the young man back a few paces, Gou cracked his knuckles with a sneer on his face.

“Trying to start some shit, huh?  I’m gonna demand some compensation.  Monetary compensation.”

One of the few days that Tomomi was walking around when not on the job. Evidently, doing such was... Not the best idea. As he tried to walk past the somewhat intimidating group, Tomomi found himself caught up in their sights. While it was likely meant entirely to intimidate, the small statured Tomomi nearly fell over as the large man loomed over him, stumbling and gulping as he stared up at the threatening figure.

"N-n-no, s-s-s-sir, n-not trying to, um, s-start a-a-anything... I-I um, I-I'm sorry, I um, I-I don't have any m-money on me, b-b-but, I um, I-I'll just s-stay out of your w-way so I don't ca-cause you m-more trouble..." The small boy stammered, voice breaking at nearly every other word from fear. Something told him it was going to be a rough day.

“HUH?  Did you just say you ain’t got any money?  If ya don’t, then I’m gonna need you to fork over any valuables you got,” Gou’s voice rose in anger, as he stepped even closer towards Tomomi.

At that exact moment Shouhei Kagawa overheard the shouting from the alleyway.  The roar of a large thug, harassing the more than demure and timid figure of… the litter picker Shouhei served the other day?  While he wanted nothing more than to simply dash head first into the alleyway, and drive a flying knee into the miscreant’s face, that was what the old Shouhei would have done.  He was no longer a leader of a bousouzoku, or a delinquent for that matter.  Calmly he strode down the alleyway, and the scent of a clove cigarette filled the air.  

Gou noticed the newcomer and snarled, “Piss off.  This don’t concern you.”

“...Now it does,” Shouhei shook his head before sneaking a brief glance at Tomomi.  “If this guy owes you money, how ‘bout I pay you instead.  No need to get rough.”

“Nosy bastard.  Fine.  Both of you, gimme your wallets and valuables, and I’ll let you go.”

“...Sure, but I don’t got much on me.  See for yourself,” Shouhei stepped in between Tomomi and Gou, as he handed him a nearly empty wallet.

“The fuck is this shit?!  All singles, this can't be more than-”

While Gou was preoccupied with the wallet Shouhei preemptively struck, landing a solid uppercut directly into Gou’s solar plexus.  That act caused the large man to reel over, which allowed Shouhei to grab Gou’s head.  Shouhei thrust a knee violently into Gou’s face, letting a disgusting sounding crack to echo throughout the alleyway.  Swiftly Shouhei picked up his wallet, wheeled around, gripped Tomomi by the shoulder, and pulled as hard as he could.

“Run,” was all Shouhei could say.

At the threatening, looming anger, Tomomi recoiled and winced, fully expecting to be decked and sent flying. As the exchange happened between a familiar voice and the threat however, Tomomi dared to open an eye and see who it was: that scary server guy who made the good lemonade! As he approached and began to intervene, Tomomi was confused; why would he jump in and give up money?

This confusion was cleared up nearly instantly as Shouhei proceeded to, as the kids say, beat the shit out of the big guy. At this, Tomomi's arms went ride, and as Shouhei pulled Tomomi away with the word run, all the short boy did was obey, holding onto his jacket that was on his shoulder to make sure it didn't fall off and running after Shouhei, swift on his feet as he kept up and followed in a panicked scurry, not once looking behind out of fear that the aggressors would be right behind.

Shouhei definitely looked back, as he could see someone give chase, with a bloodied nose and mouth of Gou trailing a bit of a way behind.  Tomomi was thankfully quick on his feet and matched Shouhei’s fevered pace; the two darted and weaved between the people casually milling the streets of Little Tokyo.  Adrenaline coursed through him, that same exciting feeling of a chase, the possible looming threat of danger behind him.  While he didn’t notice it, he had been smiling the whole time.

The pair managed to find the chase leading them into one of the best areas to lose their pursuers, the marketplace.  Crowded with many bodies, it was easy to snake between the huddled masses, dip into a small eatery, and hide behind a tourist group.  Shouhei peered over the mix of foreigners and travelers, seeing Gou and his friend angrily dash ahead.  Not one to leave caution to the wind, he motioned for Tomomi to follow him, as they would double back a ways, and take off into a different direction.

“...Hot damn, ya sure know how to have a good time, don’tcha, Mr. Litter Picker,” Shouhei said between ragged breaths, his heart still racing, as he briskly lead their walk through the crowds.  He turned to Tomomi with the biggest smile on his face.

“Invite me to more outings like this.”

The chase was insane, and through panic more than exhaustion, Tomomi found himself hyper ventilating. As they hid among the tourists, all Tomomi could feel was fear and guilt. Paranoia took him as he kept darting his eyes around like a rabbit chased by its hunter. What if they were found? Would that have put all the tourists at risk?

As they got away, and Shouhei spoke about Tomomi having a good time and inviting him next time, all the boy could do was show a bewildered expression, tilting his head as he gasped for breath. "F-f-fun? I-I'm s-s-s-sorry but *hic*, I um, d-don't think I'd like to do that e-ever again, a-although I um... I-it is also w-way more common than I'd like... A-ah, um, a-anyways, um, t-thank you! I could maybe have died fr-fr-from that? I-I don't know how far they'd have g-gone, and I'd r-rather not fi-fin-find out."

“...While it ain’t a time to relax, at least catch your breath there, Mr. Litter Picker.  And don’t mention it, I don’t like seein’ gentle folks like you gettin’ pushed ‘round by assholes like that.  We should be gettin’ some distance on ‘em, but ya never can be too sure,” Shouhei said, as his eyes darted around the marketplace, constantly looking to see if their pursuers had doubled back as well.

“...More common than you like?  What, you get bullied a lot?”  Inquisitively Shouhei continued.  He wouldn’t be surprised if the more than timid litter picker had a constant retinue of bullies he had to go through daily.  He flashed a cheeky smile to Tomomi.  “Wanna hire a bodyguard?”

At the comment on if that meant he got bullied a lot, Tomomi just nodded his head, ruffling his hair with a hand before letting out another exhausted gasp. But, just as Tomomi was about to answer, the follow up question caught Tomomi completely off guard, the litter picker biting his tongue in surprise mid-word as he began to speak, before grabbing his tongue for a moment.

"Ow..."

Pausing for a moment after holding his tongue, Tomomi spoke up. "A-ah, um, s-sorry, um, t-thanks for the thought, but, um, I-I don't have the, um, f-fin-um, m-money to be able to um, pay for someone else to look a-after me just because I'm t-too timid to fight..."

“...That ‘bodyguard’ bit was a joke that soared over yer head,” Shouhei laughed with a simple shake of his head.  Once more he maintained his lookout while they kept their pace.  “Anyway if you ain’t gonna step up for yourself I’ll do it for ya.  Pro… bono?  Definitely not pro ‘boner,’ haha, but you get what I mean.  For free.  Those assholes need to learn to stop thinkin’ you’re an easy target, and what better way’n for me to step in?”