Chapter Text
Boss and Eiji returned to the apartment around 3pm, and both seemed to be in good spirits. Eiji seemed happier, at any rate, and Boss was back to his usual self, so clearly they’d had a long chat and cleared the air and any negativity between them.
“What did ya talk about?” Boss asked Eiji quietly, while Boss was busy doing something in the office.
“Not much, really,” Eiji said, smiling slightly. “I tell him I did not mean to hurt him with what I said. He understands, and I learn something about him too.”
“Oh yeah?”
“He also buy me hot dog,” Eiji said, nose wrinkling slightly. “American mustard is really strong! Like wasabi!”
“Haha, yeah, it can be spicy!” Bones laughed, patting Eiji on the back. "I think the English have an even stronger one though. Or is it the French? Eh, it don't matter. Mustard is mustard!"
“I am happy he is no longer mad at me,” Eiji said. “I feel really bad about last night - I thought, for sure, he would hate me now, and would send me away!”
“I think Boss is more worried about ya hating him than the other way around,” Bones said thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s why whatever ya said to him hurt him so badly.”
“Eh?”
“Ah, never mind,” Bones backtracked. “Forget I said anythin’!”
“Kong, Bones, you two got a second?” Boss said, beckoning them over.
“Sure, Boss,” they both said, turning towards him and giving him their full attention.
“I got you one of these,” he said, holding out what appeared to be an electronic brick. “It’s a cell phone. One of those new Motorola Dinatac 8000x models. They ain’t cheap, but it occurred to me last night that I probably needed a way to contact you off the clock. You guys don’t have a phone line, and if you’re out in the city it’ll save me ringing ‘round bars and other places trying to find you.”
“Oh wow!” Bones said, as Boss handed him the phone and a charger. It was a pretty hefty piece of hardware, with a slew of buttons on the side and a large black aerial poking out the top, but it was portable. It was also possibly the most expensive thing he had ever held in his own two hands, and that included a brick of coke once.
“Keep it charged up and on you at all times,” Boss told them. “That way, if, aaah, if something like last night happens again…”
“We get it, Boss,” Kong nodded once with a grimace.
Seems Boss would prefer Eiji not be left alone again. He’d no doubt done a lot of thinking through the night while avoiding him, maybe imagining some horrific what-if scenarios where Eiji went out alone after him, and came to the conclusion that having caretakers on call was a great safety net to have.
“I’ve memorised the number, and I’ll keep the bill paid for you,” Boss said.
“Thanks Boss!” Bones said gratefully.
*
Alex came by the apartment around 5pm, and he brought a message with him.
“Boss, I had Chokey come find me today,” he’d said, a serious look on his face.
“Chokey?” Boss asked, frowning slightly. He didn’t recognise the name.
“Cain’s second in command,” Alex explained. “He had a message for you from Cain himself.”
“Cain?!”
“Yeah. He said he wanted to meet you, said you could pick the place.”
“Hmm.”
“What do ya think, Boss? I can’t figure out what he’s up to,” Alex said, looking perplexed.
That one of Cain’s boys had ventured into Midtown to find him at all was highly unusual and suspect.
“Fine,” Boss said. “I’ll meet him.”
“Boss?”
“Tell him tonight, 9 o’clock, The Winter Garden, Broadway and 50th,” Boss said. “I’ll give you some cash. Go get him a front-row seat to ‘Cats’, and tell him to keep an eye out for a wild one!”
“The theatre, Boss?” Alex asked.
“Much like the library, nobody will ever think of looking for me in there, and it’ll throw them off the scent seeing Cain enter too.” Boss explained. “Means we can keep our little tête à tête private.”
“Guess that means ya want Kong an’ me to stay this evenin’ then?” Bones said, tilting his head slightly.
“Please?” Boss asked.
“No problem, Boss,” Bones said. “The two of us, we’re startin’ to really like havin’ Eiji around, ya know?”
“...Thanks.”
Eiji duty that night turned out to be especially easy anyway. Eiji, exhausted from his previous sleepless night of worrying about Boss and what he’d said to him, had crashed out by 8pm. He went to bed early, barely able to keep his eyes open, leaving Kong and Bones to amuse themselves, while wondering what Boss and Cain were discussing right now. Boss arrived back at just past midnight to relieve them of duty, but he gave nothing away about what had gone down in the Wintergarden that evening.
*
The following day, things had all returned to normal, or more accurately, the ‘new normal’. Boss met them when they arrived first thing in the morning to instruct them on what was going on and any special tasks for the day, and Eiji was all smiles and happiness again.
Boss had told him he didn’t need to take any more photos and his part-time job was over, so instead of holing up in the office for much of their time, he’d instead spent a couple of hours doing housework, and then the rest of the time hanging out with them, chatting and watching whatever crap was on the TV during the day with them.
As nightfall came, he started talking about what they wanted to eat that night.
“I was thinking hamburger?” he said. “Ash does not like them, but…”
“We both eat ‘em,” Bones assured him. “Sounds good to me!”
“Yeah! Boss is just weird - hamburgers are an American delicate!” Kong said proudly.
“You mean ‘delicacy?” Bones gently corrected him.
Suddenly, there came a knock at the door, and it wasn’t following the secret coded pattern Lynx Gang all used either.
Besides, they all used the doorbell.
Almost like their unexpected caller read his thoughts, the knocking was swiftly followed by the doorbell buzzing repeatedly, as if whoever was out there suddenly realised a bell was available, and it was the best thing ever.
-Bzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzt! Bzzzzt!-
“You expecting a delivery?” Bones asked Eiji, instantly tense and on the alert.
“No,” Eiji said, shaking his head. “And they would be left with reception downstairs anyway.”
“Oh yeah! This place is fancy enough there are staff,” Kong said. “That means it's either neighbours or trouble!”
“Aight, get behind the couch,” Bones said, nodding his head to Kong, who headed warily to the intercom, and reached for the tyre iron he kept leaning by the door next to it for emergencies.
Eiji crouched down behind the sofa, Bones protectively standing between him and the door, his fingers twitching. There was a knife in his pocket, and he had his piece on him too. If a fight was coming, he was ready to rumble!
“Wilson residence,” Kong spoke into the intercom. “Who is it?”
A pause. Then-
“TRICK OR TREAT!”
A chorus of very young voices sweetly sang through the speakers.
“Oh thank fuck!” Bones swore, relaxing. “I thought my heart stopped for a moment there!”
He’d forgotten what the date was, although really, the amount of street decor piling up on people’s stoops over the last few days should have alerted him to the fact spooky season was inbound.
“I wasn’t expecting there to be Trick or Treaters in the building,” Kong said, smiling back at Bones and Eiji as he too visibly relaxed. “Bunch’a kids! Prob’ly rich parents too, if they roaming the halls in here!”
“Trick or Treat?” Eiji asked curiously, crawling out from behind the sofa. It was clearly a concept that was foreign to him.
“It’s Hallowe’en,” Bones explained. “It’s kinda an American tradition for lil’ kids to dress up in costumes and go door to door askin’ for candy, an’ if you don’t give ‘em any, they play a trick on you.”
“Oh. I knew about costume, but not about door to door,” Eiji said. “I do not think we have any candy here though…”
“Want me to get rid of ‘em?” Kong said. “I’m prob’ly big and scary to lil’ kids, so they’ll leave no problem if I yell at ‘em, an’ won’t trick us on the way out.”
“Don’t be a dick!” Bones chided. “Ya do that, ya might cause some kinda trauma!”
“Does it have to be candy?” Eiji asked thoughtfully. “Seems mean to just send them away!”
“Nah, it can be anythin’ small an’ fun,” Bones said. “Cookies, apples, toys, things like that!”
“Mhn okay!” Eiji said, nodding. “I have idea then.”
“It’s definitely just kids out there, yeah?” Bones checked with Kong, who briefly glanced through the door peephole.
“Looks it,” he said. “There’s five kids and a lady hovering in the background. Probably a mom.”
“Aight,” Bones said. “Ya free to answer the door, Eiji. Just be careful!”
“It is children,” Eiji shrugged. “It be fine!”
“Most-a the gangs are all kids too, ya know,” Bones muttered.
Eiji opened the door with his usual kind smile on his face.
“Trick or Treat!” the kids repeated.
“Hello,” Eiji told them. “I am sorry, we have no candy here!”
“Awww…”
“But… Will five dollar be good? You can buy your own candy with it.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“Mom! The Chinese boy is gonna give us five dollars!”
Eiji dug his wallet out of his back pocket and handed the kids five bucks in singles; enough for one dollar per child. They gratefully accepted the money, their eyes shiny and bright.
While undoubtedly their parents bought them anything and everything they wanted, this money was their own outright, to spend how they wished. And at the current market rates, a dollar could buy a lot of candy!
“Thank you mister!”
“Thank you!”
“You’re the best!”
“You are welcome,” Eiji said. “Happy Hallowe’en!”
“Haha, your accent is funny!”
“I get that a lot,” Eiji admitted, beaming at the kids.
“We’re gonna bring you something to say thanks!” One of the kids said.
“Yeah! And we’ll tell everyone how nice you are!”
“...Okay?” Eiji said, puzzled.
“We’ll be back!”
“You do not have to-”
“See ya soon, mister!”
The kids dashed off, and Eiji closed the door.
“Anyone ever tell ya ya too nice sometimes?” Bone said, grinning at him. “I’d-a been stoked to get a dollar at their age!”
“Yeah, ya can get a lot with a dollar if ya know where to shop,” Kong said. “You just made their evening!”
“I am also five dollar poorer,” Eiji lamented.
“Eh, with the amount the Boss gives ya, I doubt ya’ll miss it,” Bones shrugged.
“I guess.”
“Hey, seeing as it’s Hallowe’en, why don’t we have our own little party?” Kong suggested. “There’s some beer in the fridge, and chips in the cupboard, and I don’t think we’ve taught little Eiji any drinking games yet?”
“Now there’s a plan I can sink my teeth into!” Bones said, pointing a finger gun at Kong. “I like ya thinking, man!”
“What teeth ya sinking into my plans anyway?” Kong said. “Ya ain’t got any left ta sink!”
“Shaddup!”
Before Kong could shoot back another reply, the doorbell sounded.
-Bzzzzzzzzzzt!-
“Not again…” Bones groaned. “Eiji, ya know the drill!”
Eiji rolled his eyes, but he ducked behind the sofa anyway. This time, Bones went to the intercom.
“Wilson residence,” he said. “Who is it?”
“It’s Mrs. Coleman, dear, from down the hall?” she said.
Bones moved to the door and peered out the peephole, seeing an old biddy on the doorstep this time, who looked vaguely familiar.
“Coleman-san!” Eiji said, bolting up from behind the sofa and dashing to the door. He’d spoken to her a couple of times in the downstairs bodega - she seemed nice enough, and she’d taken a shine to Eiji; most people did, on account of him being so damn lovely!
He was the type of guy old ladies liked to pinch the cheeks of and give special treats to.
He opened the door without even checking with Kong and Bones if it was safe to do so, although Bones moved aside and allowed him access to the door without complaint.
Thankfully, it was just a lone woman there for benign reasons. Mrs. Coleman was a perfectly safe and boring old Jewish housewife, and she’d bought them food to share.
“I made myself and my husband too much turkey and walnut casserole, so I thought maybe you and the young master could share it?”
She held out a casserole dish, which was full to the brim with turkey bits in a thick sauce with potatoes, nuts, and olives. There was enough to feed at least six people.
“Oh! Thank you!” Eiji said, accepting the dish when it was forced into his hands. “But… I have nothing to give you in return?”
“Don’t worry about that, my dear!” Mrs. Coleman clucked. “I’m only being a good neighbour! Just bring the dish back clean when you’re finished with it!”
“I will!” Eiji promised her. “Thank you!”
“Have a good evening!” she said, turning to leave. “Happy Hallowe’en!”
Eiji closed the door and carried the delicious-smelling casserole over to the island table in the kitchen.
“Aw, that smells awesome!” Bones said, sniffing the air. “Kosher home cooking!”
“So now we have chips AND casserole!” Kong said. “It’s shapin’ up to be a really decent party now!”
-Bzzzzzt!-
“Again?” Bones said. “How many callers we gonna get tonight?!”
Eiji didn’t bother hiding this time, and instead went to the intercom himself.
“Moshi Moshi?”
“Oh, is that Eiji? Good evening, sweetheart! It’s Mrs. Owen, from downstairs? We met in the laundrette?”
“Owen-san! Hello!” Eiji greeted her. “I be right there!”
He opened the door to another housewife, and was promptly handed a whole pumpkin pie.
“Here, sweetheart! I bake these every year for all my favourite neighbours,” she said, grinning at him. “It goes great with whipped cream! Make sure you share it with your friends, alright?”
“I will. Thank you!”
“Any time, sweetheart!” she said as she left. “I’ll see you around downstairs again sometime, yes?”
“Hai!”
“Have a lovely evening!”
“HEY MISTER! WAIT!”
The kids were back, and true to their word, they had bought Eiji a return gift of gratitude.
“We carved these for our front doors, but we think you’d like ‘em better!” they said, leaving Eiji several carved Jack-o-lanterns on the doorstep.” We’ll bring more too! We have loads!”
“We also have this!” A little girl handed Eiji a cone-shaped witch hat with a wide brim. “My sister was supposed to wear it, but she said she’s too old and cool to come Trick or Treat with us, so we thought you can have it!”
“Thank you!” Eiji thanked them, putting the hat on his head.
“You’re welcome, Mister!” the kids said, dashing off to collect more gifts.
“Oh wow!” Bones said, helping Eiji collect up the pumpkins and bringing them into the apartment. “That’s a lot of pumpkins!”
“Uh huh,” Eiji said, placing the pie Mrs. Owen had gifted him on the table next to the casserole. “Pie look really good though!”
The kids returned twice more, bringing them at least a dozen pumpkins of assorted size, each carved with a grotesque face. Most of them had candles inside waiting to be lit. One especially large one had a hole in the bottom, allowing you to slot it over your head.
“Thank you!” Eiji told them after their last drop.
“Any time, Mister!”
“Yare yare…” Eiji murmured. “That is a lot of pumpkins!”
“I was beginnin’ to wonder if they’d ever stop!” Bones said, carrying the last of them into the living area, where they adorned the coffee table, the rug, the mantleplace, and the sideboard, grinning with evil smiles from every surface.
“Ya look the part in that hat now, too,” Kong told him.
Suddenly, Eiji started giggling, and said something to himself in Japanese that he clearly found very amusing.
“What’s up?” Bones asked him.
“I cannot wait to see Ash’s face when he return!” he said, giving Bones what could only be described as a shit-eating smirk. “He will HATE this!”
The pumpkins did rather clutter up the place, Bones thought. Both Boss and Eiji were pretty minimalistic people, so pumpkins being everywhere was a little jarring to say the least! And they were a sign their apartment had been compromised, even if it was just by the friendly neighbours.
Eiji was mega cute in the witch hat though, which would hopefully soften the blow.
“I can see him not being especially happy about it,” Kong said. “I don’t think he’s a big fan of Hallowe’en.”
“Oh yeah!” Bones said, remembering something from previous years. “Boss always makes some excuse or another not to hang out with us on Hallowe’en. I wonder why?”
It probably had something or other to do with his shady past. Maybe Golzine forced him to dress up cute or something. Whatever it was, Boss was often noticeably edgier than usual around the end of October, and he was edgy enough as it is! The excuses he gave were always really vague and weak too.
“I’ll try and give him a head’s up about the party when he gets back,” Kong said. “He’ll no doubt use the secret knock, right? I can stop him at the door.”
“Yeah, an’ all these Jacks all over the place really set the mood for our little party!” Bones said, grinning. “Those kids were great to bring ‘em all! Be a shame to get rid of ‘em.”
“Right!” Eiji agreed. “Let’s party!”
They camped out on the floor of the living room, sharing bowls of casserole and slices of pie while they sipped beer straight from the can and played a few simple drinking games, teaching Eiji ‘Never Have I Ever’, and finding out that he wasn’t quite as innocent as he appeared.
Apparently, he had stolen a car, shot a pistol, and even kissed a guy before. They pressed him for more information on the latter fact, but the only response they got was, “No! No! It is embarrassing! I will not say!”
Bones had an idea to narrow down the suspects, however. It was either some kid back in Japan, or…
“Never have I ever kissed the Boss!” he said, smirking.
Eiji’s eye twitched slightly, but he was spared having to answer the question either way by the doorbell ringing again, this time to the tempo of Lynx Gang’s secret knock.
-Bzzzzzzzzt! Bzt bzt bzt bzzzzzzzt bzt bzt!-
“Ha! Saved by the bell, Squirt!” Kong said. “Bet that’s the white devil himself! I’ll go warn him about all this.”
“Ya da man, Kong!” Bones told him, raising a drink to him as he went. Eiji, meanwhile, took a sip of his beer unseen by them both, thereby secretly answering the drinking game question.
Kong answered the door, finding Boss standing in the hallway in his fancy Chris Winston duds again. Bones was never going to get used to seeing the Boss look respectable. The look suited him waaaaaaaaaay too well!
“Hi Boss. How’s it goin’?”
“...Fine.”
Kong was clearly struggling for words now he was faced with Boss in person. He’d kind-of frozen in place, blocking Boss from entering, while his mind jammed up in panic.
“Move.” Boss demanded, sounding a little annoyed at being blocked in the corridor. “That means ‘lemme in’, got it?”
“Uh, well… Just so ya know, this wasn’t our idea, okay, Boss!”
“What are you talking about?”
Kong moved aside, and Boss walked in, looking pissed off before abruptly freezing on the spot in the middle of the room once he saw their little party set-up.
“Hey Boss!” Bones greeted him, raising a hand.
“Hiiiiiiiiii Ash!” Eiji said, raising his beer and sounding slightly tipsy. “Welcome hoooooooooome!”
“Ack! Wh-what’s with all these Jack-o-Lanterns?!” Boss stammered. Actually stammered! Bones isn’t sure he’d ever heard the Boss stumble over his words like that before - he was always really eloquent and articulate, even when stressed or under pressure.
“It is Hallowe’en!” Eiji said, waving his arms widely and grinning as if that explained everything.
“You know I h-hate those things!” Boss said, his voice a higher pitch than normal.
Now Bones looked closely at him, Boss looked nervous. Like, really, really nervous. He’d gone all stiff and his face was pale, there was a light sheen of flop sweat appearing on his forehead, and he was avoiding looking down at them, or rather, he was avoiding looking down at the vegetable decorations sat on every available surface in the room.
“It not us!” Eiji explained. “Kids came for Trick or Treat, but we have no candy here, so I gave them five dollar and they bring all these in their appreciation!”
“Why did you answer the damn door to a bunch of kids…?”
“Oh! And also this is roast turkey and walnut casserole from your neighbour Coleman-san next door! And this is pumpkin pie from Owen-san downstairs!” Eiji pointed out the half-eaten gifts of food the tower block wives had brought them. “Look good, no?”
“Pumpkin pie… My neighbours?!” Boss said, appearing to be on the edge of tweaking out entirely, but not in his usual angry way, and more in a mild to moderate panic attack fashion. “Who the hell told you to chat up every hausfrau in the place, huh?!”
“We meet all the time in the downstairs supermarket!” Eiji informed him, removing the witch hat, picking up the largest pumpkin, the one with the hole in the base, and slipping it over his head as he talked. “After a while, to be friendly, we say hello! It is okay - they think I am your Chinese houseboy!”
He stood up and started advancing towards the Boss, who physically recoiled from him in a very un-Boss-like fashion with a terrified yelp, as he backed away until Eiji trapped him against the wall.
Weird. Boss had never recoiled from anyone or anything before, least of all Eiji.
“I also learn that garbage days are on Wednesday and Saturday!” Eiji said gleefully, leaning towards him with his huge pumpkin head, prompting the Boss to try and defy physics in order to become one with the plasterboard, pressing himself hard against the wall with gritted teeth, and raising his chin, trying to get his face as far away from Eiji as possible.
“Stay away from me with that thing!” he whimpered fearfully. “I’m serious! You’re gonna make me cry!”
Boss… Will cry? That wasn’t said as a joke or sarcastically either.
He really was petrified!
It explained why he avoided Hallowe’en so vehemently though. Everything suddenly made sense; the avoidance, the excuses, the short temper and wariness during the spooky season... It was so obvious that Bones wondered how he hadn’t twigged before!
Boss had a pumpkin phobia!
No wonder Eiji had been giggling to himself - the little shit must have known about it! Boss probably told him in private, thinking he’d not take advantage of it! He really was weak when it came to Eiji. What a terrible mistake to make, revealing a grave weakness to him!
“Trick or treat, Ash!” Eiji heckled him, and Boss squealed as he pushed him aside and darted into the bedroom.
“Hahaha, ya knew, didn’t ya!” Bones laughed, as Eiji removed the pumpkin from his head.
“Yes!” he tittered. “Ash is scared of pumpkins. He does not even like seeing them in shops!”
“Ya sure pranked him good!” Kong said. “I wouldn’t have the guts to do that to the Boss!”
“Anyone else did that, they’d be dead,” Bones pointed out.
“I should apologise for scaring him,” Eiji said, still giggling. “I did not realise his fear was that bad! Maybe we should clear pumpkins into one place, so he can avoid them? They are everywhere! It was funny, but it is not fair he be uncomfortable in his own house.”
“Sure thing, Eiji,” Bones said, starting to collect the gourds and placing them all together in one pile on the coffee table, while Eiji knocked on the bedroom door and went to appease Boss. “Haha, never thought I’d see the Boss get scared like that! Guess he really is human, after all!”
“Wonder why pumpkins of all things though?” Kong pondered, helping to collect the pumpkins.
“Who knows?” Bones shrugged. “They are pretty creepy, I guess.”
Boss came out of the bedroom again after about fifteen minutes, with a lot of encouragement by Eiji.
“See? Kong and Bones have put all pumpkin into, eto, ‘solitary confinement’, so you can avoid them!”
“I still fucking hate them…” Boss grumbled. He’d changed out of his upmarket clothes and back into street wear of ripped jeans and a white shirt. “I hate you, too, dickhead!”
“You do not mean that,” Eiji said in a humorous tone. “You will feel better after some casserole and a beer!”
After some good food and a can of Bud, the Boss mellowed out, and all but forgot about the pumpkin menace in his living room. He even joined in with the three of them as they chatted and relaxed together, seeming to enjoy their casual party just as much as they had been.
It was nice, being able to interact with the Boss as, dare Bones even think it, a friend, rather than as his superior. It had been several years since they had last done that. It made Boss appear… Normal.
Human.
Boss was amazingly brilliant, but he was also an 18-year-old kid. It was rare he acted like one, however, so to see him giggling with them and discussing cars and girls and sports was… Refreshing?
No, that probably wasn’t the right word.
A relief, maybe, to know he was just like the rest of them deep down?
Although Bones knew that anyway. Boss might be bright, and sometimes clinical, and he had a reputation that wasn’t completely uncalled for, but he still had feelings, and trauma, and doubts and fears.
He wasn’t a robot.
“Ooof, this couch is hella comfy!” Kong had said, laying across the cushions contentedly as the evening wore on. He wiggled his legs in behind Bones, almost kicking him off the cushions where he sat.
“Hey - don’t push me off man!” he squawked, adjusting himself so he was leaning back on his buddy’s legs.
“Stop hoggin’ the cushions then!”
“I ain’t!”
“Whatever!” Kong griped. “I’m tired, so I’m just gonna rest my eyes for a bit.”
“Lazy ass!” Bones said, poking him in the hip. “Ya ain’t the only one who’s tired, man!”
“...zzzz…”
“Just fer that, I’m using ya fat ass as a pillow!” Bones told him, insulting Kong in his sleep and lying on top of him. “Ya comfier than the couch anyway!”
“How much have they had?” Boss asked Eiji, frowning at them, slightly concerned.
“Not much,” Eiji told him. “But they are always like this. They very good friends!”
“Oh… I didn’t realise this was normal behaviour…”
Bones didn’t hear much more.
Kong was very warm and it was comfortable as hell lying on his stomach, listening to him breathe. The combination of his best friend’s heartbeat and a belly full of Hallowe’en cheer lulled him very quickly to sleep.