Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I said it once, and I’ll say it again, you aren’t going to believe me.” 

“And I’ll say exactly what I told you last time, I get to decide that, not you.” 

Goo groaned inwardly and tilted his head back. 

They both agreed to talk outside so that Gun could sleep. They sat on the steps in front of the house. The only light was the street lamps lining the road, and the small light illuminated their doorway. 

Shingen was his painfully patient self, watching him with that face that didn’t betray anything, while Goo rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

How was he supposed to say this without sounding insane? It was going to sound crazy no matter what. Should he sugar coat it? No, it wouldn’t do anything. 

…

Ugh, fine. 

“I’m from the future.” 

Shingen stared at him, blinking once. Then twice. Then his head slowly tilted a few inches to one side. Whatever he had been expecting. It probably wasn’t that. 

“Like a decade in the future. To clarify, I didn’t lie about anything. I don’t know how or why I’m here. The last thing I remember is blacking out and waking up in Japan in an alley.” Goo intervened before Shingen could say anything. He didn’t want Shingen to think he lied. 

Shingen’s mouth opened and closed a few times before speaking. “You‘re telling me… you're from… the future?” 

“…yeah.” 

Shingen stared at him for a stifling few seconds. 

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

“I KNEW IT. I knew you wouldn’t believe me-!” 

“I never said I didn’t believe you.” 

Goo’s mouth snapped shut, stopping his rant before it could get too far. He stared right back at Shingen. 

“Old man, you're too gullible. Are you really going to believe me saying something impossible without proof?” 

“Of course not, which is why you're going to answer any question I ask. It’s called the benefit of the doubt.” 

“…if I tell you I’m a god, will you do anything I say?” 

“Don’t push it, Joongoo Kim.” 

Goo tched when his full name was used, and he leaned back. 

“So, say you did come from the future-“

“Wow, it sounds so cringy when you say it out loud- okay, I’m shutting up now ,” Goo muttered as soon as he saw the warning look Shingen was giving him.

“Why are you making it your mission to take care of Gun?” 

Goo froze instantly. Of course, that was going to be the first question he asked—not about the revolution but about his son. 

“…uh. Well…” 

How the fuck was he supposed to word this. I was your son's partner/friend/rival/whatever the hell their relationship was, with the future version of your son, and then tried to stab him in the heart? Yeah no.

“Okay. So when I was in middle school, and recently released from the detention center where I was, this guy found me. Absolutely asshole of a human being. He wanted to make me his partner, and he tested me. I beat the shit out of him and he just said he wanted more. But… he was the strongest person I had ever met. And that man’s name… was Gun.” 

Shingen paused. Goo watched the gears turn in his head, and watching them click was satisfying. The man in the pictures, every rant about Jonggun, wasn’t a stranger. It was the same boy sleeping inside the doors. 

“You hooked up with my son's future self?” 

“Mother fu- THATS WHAT YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT?!”

”Yes. Answer the question.” 

“…yes,  I did. But it was more of a situation ship, not an actual relationship. I’m sorry, but he had the emotional intelligence of a rock. But don’t you worry, I’m fixing that for any future partner he might have.” Goo looked proud as he said that. Shingen was staring at him like he was crazy.

“Continue with your story.” He muttered, rubbing his hand over his face. 

“Right! Anyways, I would have totally won that fight, but I agreed to work for this guy. His name was Charles Choi, a really arrogant man. I gave him a straightforward set of terms, and he agreed to pay me big bucks. Then, cue my rise to fame. Gun and I were partners. We created something called the Four Major Crews. You had Hostel in Gangdong, God Dog in Gangbuk, Big Deal in Gangseo, and Workers in Gangnam. They had to make money for us legally, if they didn’t-“ Goo made a slicing motion near his neck. 

“You two ran them?” 

“Yup. It was great! We were loaded with cash. We bought a penthouse and everything. But nothing good ever lasts. Some teenage brat went through the crew and started taking them down. I didn’t care as long as I still got money. And Choi decided to break the terms of our deal.” 

“What term was that?” 

“He started getting too big-headed. Took the credit for all our work. Treated me like a subordinate and not a partner.” Goo’s lips pulled back into a sneer, eyes burning at the memory. “So I decided it was time to leave. So I started making my own group of people, just the guys I liked. Didn’t care about their origin as long as they did what I said. And then I backstabbed Charles… I asked Gun to go with me.” Goo’s grin faded into a sad look he masked with annoyance. 

“He said no?” 

“Not just that!! That bastard didn’t even look at me. He drank with me once, but he gave me a long-winded speech that ended with no. So I left, and we agreed to kill each other next time we met.” 

“Why?” 

Goo glanced at him. Shingen looked absorbed in the story now; he was genuinely curious. That was a… good sign? 

“Because we were friends at least, best friends in my opinion, but he wouldn’t admit it. I would wake him up when he’d get nightmares and patch his dumbass up when he punched so hard his knuckles bled. We had some level of respect for each other. I wouldn’t be mad dying by his hands IF HE WASN'T A DICK, and show up the fight HALF DEAD.” 

A hand clamped over his mouth. “Shhh, you're going to wake up the entire neighborhood.” 

Goo clutched at his hand and managed to turn it enough for Shingen to see him roll his eyes, but he nodded. Shingen released him

“He’s an asshole.” He muttered in a quieter tone.

“So I’ve gathered.” 

“You already know this story, I think, or maybe that was Gun I told it to, anyway. We fought, I won, then he went full UI, I used my last resort, which was stabbing myself, but he snapped the tip of my sword with his teeth, so it failed, and then he beat me a foot into the ground. I passed out, woke up in an alley, tried to find a hospital, and found my partner's younger self instead.” Goo said all in one breath. “Got it?” 

“For the most part. I don’t know how you could have gotten away with making four crews that control the different parts of Seoul, but Gapryong would never have allowed that.” 

Goo stared at him, swallowing thickly, and averted his eyes. That told Shingen all he needed to hear.

“…that’s not possible,” Shingen said, his voice tight. 

“Welllllll.” 

“That’s not possible. No one in the world can kill him.”

“Well, nobody really knows who killed him. But I’m pretty sure it’s more than one person. I know who it might be.” Goo leaned forward like he was revealing a secret, grinning from ear to ear. 

Shingen was curious enough that he even leaned too, even if it was just slightly.

“I’m pretty sure Charles had something to do with it, that, and a guy named James Lee. He worked with us, and he was under Charles before we were. I don’t know for certain, but James always got prickly whenever Gaprying Kim was brought up, and Charles definitely has something over him. I heard Gapryong’s eldest was suspicious too. He worked for the Mexican cartel. I talked to the guy once, and I was supposed to meet him, but I ended up here.” 

“Why would Charles have something to do with Gapryong Kim?” 

“Because Charles used to be Elite,” Goo said, grinning. Shingen looked surprised—well, as surprised as Shingen could get. Goo loved talking gossip; he was having the time of his life. 

“…when will he die?” 

“Oh, jeez- uhhhhhh, maybe when Jake’s like- fifteen or sixteen.” Goo didn’t know the date that old geezer died, so sometimes around there? He just heard about it and didn't attend the funeral or anything. 

Shingen fell silent, his gaze shifting off him. 

“Hey now, you're not thinking about doing anything stupid, are you? Only one of us can mess up the timeline, and I’m doing it.” Goo reached over and jabbed him repeatedly in the arm.

“I was thinking about it. What do you mean, you messed up the timeline?” 

Goo rubbed the back of his neck, tugging at the strands of hair. Here comes the part he was nervous about. “Well, Gun’s supposed to be in prison by now. He’ll stay there until Charles recruits him. But as you can see, he’s not.” 

“So he escaped Japan alone?” 

“Uh-huh. He didn’t tell me too much about the trip, or else I would have braced myself for a dip in the ocean.” He muttered the last part under his breath. 

“And what happened to me?”

Goo didn’t say anything for a second. He was pretty sure Shingen already knew the answer to that question. Goo told him anyway. “You died that day. I dunno how, probably sacrificed yourself like an idiot. I know Gun became the head of the Yamazaki at some point but for whatever reason, he stuck with Charles.” 

Shingen was silent, his face turned towards the ground. Ah, did he say it too bluntly? He thought Shingen would be annoyed if he sugarcoated it. 

Goo jolted out of his thoughts when a heavy hand dropped on his head and roughly ruffled it before smoothing it back with something Goo might have called affection, leaving him looking baffled. 

“Why-“ 

“So why are you sticking to Gun’s side?” Shingen cut him off, leaving him mentally reeling. Shingen was changing the subject! He’d let it slide. 

“Cause I don’t want him to go with Charles. I don’t know why he was with Charles, but I know he’s super emotionally stunted, so that means trauma. I don’t really know what to do, so I’m trying to make him happy. That’s why I stopped you from dying.” 

“Because I make him happy?” 

Goo nodded his head. “I wasn’t intending to bring you; I did it for Gun, so don’t get a big head.” 

“Mhm.” 

Goo’s eyes narrowed on the way the corners of Shingen’s mouth twitched. Did this jerk think he was funny?

“Not to brag or anything, but I’m doing a great job! My Gun never would have allowed himself to be vulnerable and hug me like he does. My Gun acted like he hated every ounce of affection I gave him, but that kid is a little leech!”

“Yes, he is a lot different from the way he was when we first met.” 

Goo beamed at him, looking and feeling pleased with himself. 

“Man, I wish I had baby pictures of him. He must’ve been the cutest baby. Can you imagine him? He’d be able to fit in one hand and would just flail around because he couldn’t control his limbs and sleep all the time.” 

Shingen made a humming sound, imagining it, and nodded. “Yes, he would have been.” 

“I don’t want him to grow up; he’s going to lose those squishy cheeks and innocent gaze in a few years. He’s going to get grouchy and moody like all teenagers. Luckily! He’s got his mother's genes, and he won’t get taller than 6’2.” Goo grinned and nudged Shingen in the ribs with his elbow. The older man didn’t seem impressed. “But I will always be his aniki .” 

“You like that title way too much.” 

“Yes, I do. I do think we should get that boy therapy as soon as possible.” Goo immediately switched the subject, pursing his lips. 

“Therapy?” 

“Shingen, that kid watched his father go crazy and tear people’s arms off like they were butter. I watched you punch your fist through a man’s chest and worse. I’m gonna have nightmares about that for months, it was an entirely different level of brutal.” 

Shingen frowned. “Was it really that bad?” 

“Yes. It was.” 

He looked guilty now, brows pinched together. Goo patted his arm softly in condolence. “It’s okay, big guy, at least you're here. And you care. That means more to him than you ever know. That brat is just happy whenever you look at him. Sadly, your parenting manuals are gone.” 

“I still don’t know how you found those.” 

“I saw you shove one into a drawer at the speed of light and decided to poke around a little.” 

“Rat.” 

“Hulk.” 

Shingen tried to swat at him, but he just ducked, looking smug. 

“How many people have you killed?” 

“Too many to count.” 

“Why?” 

“…I don’t really care whether or not people die. Lack of empathy or whatever. All I care about is Gun, and you too… I guess.” 

“Why do you only care about Gun?” 

“I trust him. He makes me happy. He’s someone I trusted.” 

“I thought you said he was an asshole.” 

“He is.” 

“I’m getting mixed signals. Do you love him or hate him?” 

“Yes.” 

Shingen rolled his eyes, but he didn’t really seem mad. Goo just liked being difficult, and Shingen knew that. 

“So you knew about the revolution. Why didn’t you tell anyone?” 

“I have no evidence. Prying information out of Jonggun is like prying out teeth. I knew there was a revolution, a smaller revolution before that, his dad was a no-show, but something changed, and he sacrificed himself for him, and Gun somehow got to Korea. I didn’t know any dates or anything, just a rough timeline.” 

“You could have told me instead of looking like a paranoid wreck of a person the last couple of months.” 

“I’m not used to being paranoid. You wouldn’t have believed me anyway. Like I said, it's ridiculous, and I have no proof. You don’t really believe me, do you?” 

Shingen was silent for a couple of seconds, as if he were debating whether or not to believe what Goo was saying. 

“Do you know why Charles killed Gapryong?” 

“Nope. I’m not that smart. Plus, I don’t care about reasons as long as I’m paid. Charles basically collected a bunch of prodigies, most teenagers or younger, some adults, and we worked for him.” 

“How many of you were there?” 

“Ten in total. The Ten Genius, he called us. There was me, Gun, James, Crystal, Kouji, Eugene, Byeon, and then…” Goo made a disgusted face. “Charles Choi, Jinyeong Park, and Tom Lee.” 

“You worked with Tom Lee and Jinyeong Park?” 

“That’s right. Medicine Genius and Fighting Genius.” 

“What were you and Gun?” 

“Weapons Genius and Training Genius.” 

“…I blacked out when you fought Shintaro, I missed the fight.”

“You sound upset there, Shingen, wanting to see me fighting semi-seriously that bad?” Goo poked at him again, smirking. 

“Yes.”

“Well, if you wanted to figh,t you could have just asked.”

“You wouldn’t take me seriously.” 

“Definitely not, but you can try.” 

The raven sighed at him, closing his eyes. Goo loved pushing his buttons. Gun was easy to get a reaction out of, Shingen’s were more subtle, more fun, and much more satisfying. Torturing him gave Goo a challenge. 

“Next question!” 

“No more questions.” 

“…ah?” Goo’s smile dropped, looking surprised, then confused. 

“I’m done for the night. I want to process everything.” 

“So you believe me?” 

“I don’t know what to believe, that’s why we’re stopping.” 

Goo shifted anxiously as Shingen stood up. The lack of reaction was getting to him. He expected disbelief, disgust, accusations of lying, maybe being sent to a mental institution or a hospital to get his brain scanned. 

Shingen paused, hand on the doorknob.

“I take that back, I have one more question.” 

Goo stared at him, a little relieved, Shingen said something. “What is it?”

“I’ve seen a couple of photos months ago… but does Gun look like me when he grows up?” 

The blonde looked him up and down for a second.

“Kind of, yeah. He’s got your hairline, your eyes. I don’t know what you looked like when you were younger but he’s not going to be seven feet tall. He’s like 6’2? One inch taller than me. Why? Do you want him to look like you?”

“I’m just curious. We’ll see if you're right. If Gun does end up looking like your Jonggun.” 

With that, Shingen reached down and grabbed the back of Goo’s T-shirt, lifting him easily and setting him on the ground. 

Despite the sudden movement his hand lingered a few seconds to make sure he had his balence before nudging him towards the door. 

“Why do you always manhandle me?” Goo huffed softly, keeping his voice down this time. 

“You won’t listen to me otherwise. It’s bedtime, so stop whining and go brush your teeth.” 

“What?? You're giving me a curfew?” Goo said, admonished. Shingen didn’t look impressed by his dramatics. 

“We have to look for jobs tomorrow, and you're still healing.” 

“You should take your advice, old man. You're the one missing an arm.”

“I am,” 

“You're so bossy.” 

“And you always have to have the last word.” Shingen gave him another push inside, and Goo muttered something under his breath, padding softly to the bathroom. 

That went… a lot better than he expected. Well, he was expecting something entirely different. Shingen was good at hiding his emotions, and Goo didn’t really know what to think.

Shingen seemed stressed and disbelieving. Goo didn’t blame him; he’d laugh at anyone who said they came from the future. 

Goo tore himself away from the mirror and went to the doorframe, toothbrush dangling from his mouth. He found Shingen crouched near his son, pulling the blanket up to his chin. 

“Hey, Shingen? Why are you believing me so easily? Or believe me at all.” 

Shingen glanced at him from where he was crouched. 

“…you wouldn’t hide your reason for months just to tell me a lie.” 

“How do you know? I’m not exactly the most trustworthy person. I’ve backstabbed a lot of people.” 

“Not ones you care about.” 

“You sound confident.” 

“You wouldn’t have risked your life for Gun if you didn’t care. I saw it in your eyes when we first met, you would've fought the entire family if they tried to hurt him. And you did.” Shingen said it so confidently that it left no room for hesitation. Goo didn’t… understand it. 

“…you're such a weird old man.” His words didn’t quite match his tone. The slight tilt of Shingen’s head proved that, but Goo ignored him and ducked back into the bathroom. 

It was a weird feeling to be believed. None of the terrible stuff he envisioned actually happened. 

He wondered if he had told Shingen sooner, if things could have been avoided. Gun could have stayed in Japan, Shingen would still be the head, and keep his arm. 

He spat white froth into the sink with a sigh and rinsed his mouth. 

There was no use in regretting past actions. He did his best. Gun was safe, Shingen was alive. He was doing stuff that mattered. 

And he was being honest, too. Opening up or something like that. If Shingen was sticking around, which seemed likely, then it would be easier to get along with him. 

Goo… wasn’t very good at opening up. He could make passing comments but would shut down anything that got too personal.

But that might not fly if both of them were taking care of Gun. We’ll see how trustworthy that old man is. 

…still, it felt nice to be trusted. 

So maybe he wasn’t too bad.

Chapter Text

Gun yanked his pillow over his head when he felt a hand shake him. It was early. He had been sleeping in for at least a week. 

And he knew what today was. 

“Gun.” He knew that voice instantly. His father. The hand shook him again, a little rougher. 

“Wake up, brat.”

Gun grunted as an elbow dropped into his stomach, and he yanked the pillow off his head, smacking it into the blonde who was lying beside him.

Goo yelped, grabbing at the pillow, features twisting in anger, and he met Gun’s glare.

“Stop. He’s going to be late for school.” Shingen snatched the pillow away from both of them. 

“I forgot that it was today,” Goo muttered and flopped back down. He flipped away from them, pulling the blankets over his head. 

“And you have to look for jobs.” Shingen yanked the blanket back. 

“Nooooo, five more minutes.” Goo fought back for the blanket. 

Shingen sighed, jaw set firmly. He glanced at Gun and motioned him towards the bathroom. 

Gun promptly ignored the shriek he heard as he pulled on his uniform and brushed his teeth, trying to smooth back his unruly hair as much as possible. Of course, he kept the two little strands that hung loose over his forehead. The navy color on them was starting to fade. He didn’t care that the color was something you’d barely see; he liked it anyway. 

He gave up on his hair and walked back out of the bathroom. 

Goo was up now, leaning on the kitchen counter, wrapped in a blanket and looked mildly pissed off, shooting death glares at Shingen. 

Shingen was making toast, already dressed for the day. He looked tired, but the color had returned to his face. It didn’t look as gaunt. 

“…are you walking me to school?” Gun asked, looking a bit puzzled. They appeared to be getting ready to leave. 

“Goo is, I’m seeing you off?” Shingen sounded equally puzzled as to why someone wouldn’t be walking Gun to school. 

“Why?” He asked, genuinely curious. 

“Because we want to.” 

“And!” Goo cut in, raising his hand. “We can get a look at the school and flex on other people who might see us. He’s intimidating, so it might work. Kinda like asserting dominance by proving you got a scary brother.” 

“You give yourself too much credit, you look like a pale dandelion.” 

Goo glared at him, and that actually got a slight smirk out of his father.

“Eat.” Shingen shoved a bowl into his hands.

“Leftovers?” 

“Leftovers.” 

“Thank you.” 

“You're welcome.”

“Masters of one-word conversations they are,” Goo muttered with amusement. He got promptly ignored.

Gun ate quickly; he didn’t want to be late. Jake told him some things about school—unusually bland stuff, but the more information he had, the better. One of the things was that being late would make the teachers dislike him and make him seem rude. That was not the impression he wanted to make.

Gun got one of Jake’s old backpacks to bring to school. Gun didn’t like saying thank you, but he didn’t want to look like he couldn't afford a backpack, which he was. 

Gun could already hear people moving outside. 

“Are you okay?” Gun turned towards his father when he was done wolfing down his food. 

“Slept on my side wrong.” His father grunted and shifted his shoulder where the stump was. Gun nodded simply, then turned to Goo. 

“Knee feels better than yesterday, arms are healed,” Goo replied simply. Gun was trying to get them to be more honest when they were in pain. It was working okay. 

Gun washed his plates and grabbed his bag, turning back and listening to Goo and Shinden go back and forth… literally.

“Brace.” 

“No brace.” 

“Brace.”

“No brace.” 

“Brace.” 

“I’ll look like a cripple.” 

“You are a cripple.” 

“Says the cripple. We have to ride the bus, it won't be that bad.” 

“You have to walk there and back.” 

“People might make fun of Gun.” 

Shingen hesitated at that, frowning deeply, and seemed to consider it. 

“I’ll wear it the rest of the day, trust me.” 

“I don’t trust you.” 

“How rude.” 

“Fine. Rest of the day.” 

Goo grinned a winning smile and turned back towards Gun, who was waiting by the door impatiently. 

Shingen crossed the room in two strides and started smoothing back Gun’s hair that he had tried to do and failed, fixing his collar, and making sure his buttons were right. 

Shingen pulled him into a hug, which he gratefully leaned into. 

“Stop fussing. He looks fine!” 

“His hair’s not staying down.” 

“He doesn’t have hair gel. It’s good enough!”

Shingen released him, making one last attempt to smooth his hair down.

“It’s almost like you want to be late,” Goo muttered when they finally got released. 

“Dad worries a lot, maybe it’ll make him worry less.” Gun shrugged. 

“You're a big kid, you’re gonna handle this like a boss.” 

Gun’s eyes swept their surroundings. He didn’t usually like going around without a hood, but it would have to do for now. 

“You remember right? Walk for a while, then take the bus, and then walk the rest of the way.” 

“I remember, you really didn’t need to come with me.”

“Too bad. I wanted to. Besides, I want to see your new school. That old guy said it was rough, but I’m curious.” 

Gun shook his head with a sigh as they waited for the bus. He’s not sure he’s ridden the bus before. He’s never needed to; he never went that far from his home. 

It was pretty crowded, but there were other students too, some wore different uniforms, but there were a few people with their school uniform on the bus. 

Goo yawned, still looking a bit sleepy, and grabbed onto one of the rubber rings that hung from the roof.

Gun stared at him before reaching up and grabbing one too. 

It was uncomfortable, how much his arm had to stretch compared to Goo’s. 

He heard a small snort, and he shot the blonde a look. 

Goo crooked his arm in Gun’s direction. 

Gun grabbed it, ignoring the smirk he got. 

“Keep an eye on people in the bus. There can be creeps, okay?” 

“Can I punch them if they're being creepy?” 

“Only if someone else sees them being a creep. Because then you're justified.” 

Gun nodded firmly, tucking that piece of knowledge into the back of his brain.

It was warm outside, the sun hanging high when they stepped out. The streets were busier now, people passing by on the way to work, groups of girls chatting brightly, and some people setting up shops. 

It was painfully docile, enough to make him uncomfortable. 

“Don’t be persuaded. All the violence happens in the background. In the alleys and stuff. Gangs and other delinquent groups love hanging out in karaoke places, arcades, and other buildings where they can have fun. Only fight in self-defense. If it helps, think of this as a mission. Try to blend it. Don’t stare at people so much. Some people like the mysterious type. Don't buy too much into it cause they’re the dark and broody types. Real edgy.”

Gun raised a brow at him. Goo was talking fast. Guess Shingen wasn’t the only one who was worried about his first day of school. He had a feeling these two were more nervous than he was.

“I’ll be fine.” 

“Your ribs aren’t  fully healed yet.” 

“I’ll be fine.” 

Goo grimaced and reached over, pinching his cheek. Gun batted his hand away, not wanting other people to notice. 

“I don’t want you to grow up yet.” 

“Everyone grows up.” 

“I know, I guess I just like how simple everything is right now.” 

“… You call this simple? Fleeing from another country after my yakuza family revolted against each other?” 

“…touché. You get my point.” 

“I really don’t. You worry just as much as Dad does.” 

“How dare you! No one can match that.” 

Gun huffed, smiling softly as he shook his head. “I’m going to tell him you said that.” 

“Tattletail. What’s he gonna do? Fix that disappointed fatherly stare on me? Flick me in the head? Oh, how terrifying.” Goo drawled as they approached the school. 

Gun scanned it as they approached the gate. Kids filing in, too loud, obnoxious, unruly. 

“…why does it look like the teachers are scared?” Gun pointed over to the supposed guard who was lingering near the front gate. The same gate that looked like it was about to fall off its hinges. 

“Oh, it’s one of these schools. You're going to have a blast.” 

Gun really didn’t like the smirk on the blonde's face as Goo patted his shoulder. 

“What kind of school??” Gun demanded, glancing at all the students filing in. 

“You’ll see.”

“Goo?!” Gun asked, alarmed and suspicious. 

Goo grinned and shoved him towards the school. “Have fun on your first day~” 

Gun looked a bit nervous now; he hated that excited smile on his face. The blonde knew something he didn’t. And Gun didn’t like it. 

Gun released, how stupid he probably looked. He still had his accent, and that would make him stand out enough. He should at least be composed. 

It was going to be okay. 

What’s the worst that could happen?

~~~

“He should be home by now.” 

“He’s fine.” 

“…” 

“…” 

“What if something happened?” 

“ Shingen .” Goo snapped, fixing a glare on the older man, who flinched slightly. 

Flinching as in he leaned away slightly, his eye twitched at the blonde’s harsh tone. 

“He’s fine. He’s probably just taking his time.”

Goo was leaning against the counter, making dinner from leftover ingredients from the other night. He thought it’d be something Gun could look forward to getting home. 

Shingen was standing in the center of the room. He had been helping, but the nerves took over, and now he was staring at the door like the police would bust it down. 

“…” Shingen said nothing, tapping his arm repeatedly. 

The man was being oddly emotional. Even at his age, Gun could take on most people and gangs in the city. How did he know? Because Goo himself had beaten up most of the gangs and knew how weak they were. 

“Hey, I got an idea for a job sometime in the future.” Goo was trying to distract him. “There’s another old guy, around the same age as you, a real weirdo, but he starts some sort of weird soldier group. I think it was called ARES. But he’d take me.” 

“And you know that how?” Shingen finally tore his gaze away from the door to stare at him. 

“Met him once. He wanted to recruit me pretty bad. He tried to kidnap me, but I threw him out of a three-story window. Either way, he’d take me. But that’s for the future.” 

“I can’t imagine you being a soldier.” The raven sounded skeptical, and Goo just shrugged. 

“If he pays good money, I will. Though I don’t know how much I’ll be. But I have no clue.” 

Shingen frowned, silent for a few seconds. “Any other options?” 

“Of course. A minimum wage job somewhere here. I’d probably be a good bartender or something. I could go into the black market again. It’s more dangerous, potentially paint a target on my head, but we’d have a lot more income.”

“Black market…” The older man muttered. He wasn’t shutting down the idea, just considering. He looked more official, standing taller. He was thinking rationally, less like a father, more like a leader… 

“Or I could just with the escort rou-“ 

“Absolutely not.” Shingen’s tone was sharp.

Goo snickered under his breath, amused while Shingen glared in his direction. 

“Why do you keep bringing that up?” 

“Because your reactions are funny. Of course, I’m not going to become an escort. There’s no one in the world who could afford me.” 

Shingen stared at him with suffocating silence before he let out the most tired sigh known to man.

Goo felt extremely proud of himself. 

“Can you manage both? A legal job and then the black market?” 

Goo leaned his head back, considering. Could he? Yes. Would it be hard? Also yes. It’d mean less lounging around time for him, but he just had eight months of leeching. 

“Yeah, I could do it. God. I don’t think I’ve ever worked a normal job that doesn’t include violence.” 

“I understand that well.” 

“Oh, right, I guess you would, Mr. Syndicate Leader. You're going to have a harder time than I am.” 

“I doubt it, I have more self-control than both you and Gun combined.” 

Goo narrowed his eyes. “Are you teasing me, old man?”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

Goo opened his mouth to make another smart comment when the door slammed open. 

It was Gun. And he was practically seething , anger rolling off him in waves. 

“Uh oh,” Goo muttered, pushing himself off the counter. 

Shingen looked mildly alarmed—goo kind of expected it. 

“Father.” Gun started.

“Here we go-“ Goo repressed a smile while Shingen raised a brow at the formal title he thought Gun dropped a while ago.

“Give me permission to take over the school.” Gun’s eyes were their normal black and white.

“Tell me what happened,” Shingen replied calmly. A vein in Gun’s mouth twitched when he clenched his jaw. 

His mouth opened and closed for a moment before he managed to get it out. 

“It was a wreck. There was no teaching; they didn’t even take attendance after introducing me. They either stood there looking terrified or just left. It was so loud. The students .” Gun had to stop, looking enraged, and took a breath. “The students were fucking horrendous-“ 

“Language,” Shingen muttered under his breath. Goo almost laughed. 

“It’s a hierarchy, which I expected. The strong eat the weak. But they tried to pick on me, and they were annoying. They hit the back of my head. They backed off when I stared at them, but they were insignificant and insecure, which means they’ll bother me again tomorrow, I’m positive.”

Gun continued to rant. Goo was enjoying this. He also noticed that Gun slipped into his old behavior when he got mad, which was funny. He would tease about it late,r though. 

Shingen stood there frozen, clearly not knowing what to do. 

“So, please let me take over the school.” Gun ended, staring up at his father with a serious expression. 

Goo almost cracked when Shingen glanced at him, unsure. Yamazaki Shingen didn’t know if he should let his son overthrow a middle school or not. 

“I mean… It’s a backwater school, even if there are some rumors, it won’t be much. So he could .” Goo answered with a shrug. “The Yamazaki wouldn’t be into middle schooler gossip.” 

Shingen glanced back at his son, who was creepily staring holes into his head, eagerly awaiting an answer. 

Shingen looked unsure; they were supposed to be lying low, but Goo knew for a fact that Gun was Shingen’s soft spot. 

“…wait for a little while longer. Just a few weeks. A month max. It’s only been a week since we fled. I don’t want to risk anything.” The older man said carefully.

Gun frowned in displeasure, but nodded in a way that was too respectful, and Goo felt the need to slip in. Nope. Nuh uh, he didn’t like Gun acting all uptight.

“Alright, brat, dinner’s almost ready, go wash up. I’m trying to find a place we can go and spar without a ton of eyes.” 

“How did job searching go?” Gun turned his attention towards Goo while shrugging off his backpack. 

“Good for me. I checked out a few bars and clubs, a few restaurants.” 

“I looked at some smaller places. There was a small bookstore that was hiring and a family restaurant tucked away.” Shingen added. 

“Careful big guy, you have to be able to fit into the place where you work.” Goo smiled until he glanced over at Shingen, who was suddenly standing right behind him, and flicked him hard in the forehead. Goo yelped and jumped. 

“Fuck you old man, make some noise when you walk!” Goo bristled and rubbed his forehead. 

“Be nice then.” Was the only response he got before Shingen turned away, leaving the blonde to scowl after him. 

He wanted to argue so bad, but his food was burning, and he’d lose more dignity making a bad meal. 

The tension ebbed as Shingen set the small table they used for dinner, Gun showed, and Goo got the food. It was painfully docile, enough to make him uncomfortable. He was never good with silence. 

Honestly, he was surprised Gun didn’t immediately fight back when one of them hit him in the head. Personally, he thought Gun should have hit back. Beat them into the pavement. If Gun let them get away with one thing, they’d try to intimidate him again soon, maybe rough him up. With how much of a fighting maniac Gun was, Goo doubted he’d last a month. 

It’s hard to ask someone who was born to fight, not to. 

When Gun came out of the bathroom, he looked less mad, but still quite irritated. Hopefully, food would help. 

“You okay, cub?” 

“I’m fine.” He definitely didn’t sound fine. “I just have to hold out for a few weeks.” 

“A few weeks is kind of a long time.” 

“How hard could it be?” 

~~~

Gun lasted a week and a half, which was longer than Goo was expecting. 

Shingen caught him with a red cheek and his sleeves trying to cover blood-stained knuckles. 

Gun had tried to skitter straight to the bathroom, but Shingen grabbed the back of his shirt and easily lifted him into the air. The older man had narrowed eyes, and Gun easily returned the expression. 

Goo had been out of the house at the time, coming back a few hours later with takeout. 

Gun hugged him as soon as he walked through the door. Goo didn’t usually get welcome home hugs, but he certainly wasn’t complaining… okay, maybe he was a little suspicious, Gun had a sour expression on his face, until Goo glimpsed the red on his face. 

“Eh? What happened to your face?” He demanded, but his attempts to grab Gun got dodged. He looked at Shingen questioningly, who was looming not too far away. He certainly didn’t look happy.

“He fought.” Was the only thing he got as an answer.

“…did he win?” 

Shingen raised a brow at him, but Goo was dead serious.

“Of course I won.” Gun piped up defensively.

“He lasted longer than I thought he would,” Goo admitted and promptly hugged the boy back. He would not be taking any physical affection from Gun for granted.

“So you're king of the school now?”

“Not yet,” Gun grumbled, trying to pull away. Goo didn’t let him, just tightened his grip.

“But soon?” He grinned slightly, a little sadistically.

“Soon.” The raven agreed with a cold look in his eyes. The corners of Gun’s lips pulled up into the beginnings of a smile.

“You get on me for being a bad influence, and here you are encouraging violence against teenagers.” Shingen interrupted their moment.

“I never said I was a good influence.” He said it matter-of-factly.

The older man shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose like he didn’t want to be here… which he probably didn’t.

“How’d you end up fighting them in the first place? You're controls pretty good.” Goo asked, finally releasing Gun.

“I didn’t mean to. I was letting them do whatever and ‘keeping my head down’, and trying not to antagonize them. One of them slapped me, and I accidentally punched him.” Gun didn’t look at all guilty.

“Accidentally?”

“I moved before I could think. Therefore, it was an accident.”

“...sounds legit to me. See Shingen? He’s innocent! You can’t be mad at him.” Goo snatched Gun under the arms and held him out in Shingen’s direction, who still didn’t look pleased. Goo had a bad feeling about that. He knows Gun’s been slapped many times in the past. It might have triggered him to fight back. So Goo genuinely agreed it was an accident.

Shingen was silent for a while, like he wasn’t sure if he should punish Gun or let him go. So Goo pressed harder.

“Come on, you can’t stay mad at him, look at him, he still has peach on his cheeks.”

Shingen continued to stare. Goo thought he might lose before Shingen shook his head and turned away, sighing like he just lost another fight with Gapryong.

Goo glanced down at Gun. He was glaring at him, his stare withering. Guess he didn’t like the peace fuzz comment.

Too bad for him.

Goo dropped him with a smile, and Gun turned around.

“Is dinner ready yet?” Gun asked, his tone a bit demanding.

“How about you change that tone, do I look like a maid to you?” 

Gun looked him up and down, judgingly without responding. 

Goo felt his smile turn malicious. Gun could see it. 

Goo was nice; he gave Gun a few seconds to deny it, or at least run. 

Gun did neither, boldly holding his gaze despite the nervous pinch of his brows, chin held high. 

Cute. 

That still didn’t stop the fight that followed. Shingen didn’t even bother to pry them apart this time. 

Maybe this was him getting back at Gun for fighting.