Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

*Summer 1961, 5PM: Jeremy was wandering in the streets of Boston, kicking trashcans as the sun was slowly setting.*

*Today, he had been fired from this job again, and in his head, the conversation with his employer couldn't stop playing like a broken record... An annoying broken record, one that didn't really like him, y'know?*

"I really... I really can't with you."

*His employer had said harshly, a frown on his face and a cigarette in his paw. The man was an old, fat orange cat, wearing grey pants and a brown shirt. At this moment, the air was thick, the annoyance in his boss' voice was clear, and this setting was all too familiar.*

*Jeremy remember lowering his ears as he sank in the small chair he sat on.*

"Whaddya mean? I'm da best employee in this place! I-"

*He was quickly cut off by the man.*

"Willis! Everytimes a guest walks in this dinner, they come out exhausted and with a bad taste in their mouth... Because of YOU! Our standarts here are pretty damn low, but you, sir? We would have to set the bar in Hell for you to barely meet our expectations!" 

*Jeremy Willis and the manager of the diner he worked in were sitting in a cheap office, the walls yellow, stained with nicotine that accumulated over the years, the fournitures were sober, from the carpet to the frames on the walls. He had been hired five days ago at 'Fries 'N Milk', his favorite place to eat at, and since he has been working... He couldn't stop flirting with the single and even taken ladies coming in. He vividly recall a cheetah that had thrown a bag of onion rings at him after he asked for her number for the sixtenth time.*

*Jeremy wasn't a smart guy, he wasn't a good waiter or even a decent one... But he would always tell you otherwise, he would always argue with his employers, trying to get them to keep him.*

"That ain't true! Da guests love me, a guy gave me a tip once!"

*His employer sighed and put out his cigarette in the ashtrays on his wooden desk.*

"Letting you keep the change isn't giving you a tip, Willis... That doesn't matter anyway, you're fired, i don't want to see your lice-ridden ass in my diner ever again, understood? I don't want to waste money on some incompetent kid like you..."

*Jeremy was speechless, trying to utter something but not able to.*

"B-But... Wait..."

*After a few seconds of looking at the floor in shock, he got up and hesitated giving the middle finger to his boss, but put the idea aside because of his fear of the taller and bigger man.* "Well, y'know what? This place sucks anyway! Even a stoner wouldn't buy a milkshake here..." *He turns around and walks up to the exit of the office, putting his paw on the doorknob before looking back at the old cat sitting in the chair at the opposite of the room.* "I'm a super guy, i'm a... I'm a... I'm a force a' nature!" *He exclaimed, a big confident smile on his face, revealing his long incisors.* "I can run, i can fight, i will find a job supah quick' and i'm sure that your business will fail, pally."
*He opened the door and walked off, slamming it behind him.*

*...Now Jeremy is here, surrounded by fallen trashcans and litter in an alley that's slowly turning dark. He's smiling, thinking about the last thing he said to his boss... 'I'm a force a' nature'. His anger progressively fades, but with the minutes, his confidence follows and the reality of his situation sinks in.*

"...Man," *He sits on the floor.* "What am i goin' to say to ma'?"

*He grabs his long ears and pulls on them.*

*He can already see the look of chagrin in his mother's big blue eyes as he announces the news to her. 'Hey ma', your twenty five years old son got fired from his job for the third time in five weeks!'. He could already hear her telling him 'Oh, it's fine, baby...', 'Don't worry, you'll find another job soon, you are a lovely boy!', 'No, mama is not angry, hon'... Come here, let me give you a big hug.', while he knew just how disappointed in him she was. But she's a kind mother, she will always hide her sadness to prioritize her son's ego and happiness.*

*His other brothers, they have good jobs! Lawyers, doctors, one is a teacher... Then there's Jeremy, the youngest one, the stupid one, the jobless one, or the one still living with his momma.*

*He somehow always knew that he was different from them. Jeremy, he was slim, had longer legs and ears, he had brown fur, while his brothers and his ma' were small, white bunnies. His mother always told him that he just grew faster because he ate all of his veggies as a little guy, and Jeremy always believed her, why would his momma lie?*

*Jeremy got up and sighed, he was disappointed in himself for the first time in a long time. The day was over for him, it was time to go back home and maybe announce the new to his mother.*

*He came back home at seven PM, he opened the door and was greeted by a delicious smell. *Right*, it was saturday: vegan burger night, and he would be thrilled about it if his boss didn't kick him out two hours ago.*

*He removes his dirty waiter apron and enters the small living room, throwing it on the couch and yells.*

"Maaaaa, i'm home!"

*He soon sees the head of his mother peek through the kitchen doorway, her soft, long ears perking up, a few golden earrings pierced in them. She's wearing her usual red dress under her brown kitchen apron, aswell as her shiny black wig.*

"Hi, hun'! Did you have a good day?" *She doesn't give him the time to respond before continuing.* "Can you come and help me in the kitchen? I need a paw."

*Scout smiled at the sight of his mother, as he always did; He frickin' loved his mother, he thought she was the best in the world, giving him tons of hugs and encouragement as a child, and he sure will help her in the kitchen because he was the best boy in this goddamn town.*

"Yup, ma'!"

*He followed her to the kitchen, it was clean, as always. She doesn't work and oftens stays at home to tidy everything up, so it's never dirty or unorganized. It was always a mystery how his ma' could afford such a nice apartement despite the fact that she never worked and her son earned minimum wage... What if she took a secret job because of how much of a failure he is?! Was his poor mom exhausting herself with a JOB?! He knew that his older brothers had cut contact with her, so they sure weren't sending any! And his dad... Well, he never knew who his pa' is...* *He narrows his eyes thinking about it before he shakes himself away from his thoughts when he remembers what he had to announce to his mom... That his boss had, once again, given him the boot.*

*Her soft hummings were filling the kitchen as she cuts various veggies for the vegan burgers' patties... Jeremy spoke up, his voice a little quiet and hesitant.*

"Hey... Ma', i got something to tell ya--"

*Her ears suddenly perked up the second her son opened his mouth.*

"Oh, i almost forgot!" *She got away from the cutting board and put the knife she was holding on the kitchen counter. The woman grabbed her leopard-print bag and rummaged through it, pulling out a small, pink wallet.*

"Hon', we don't have any bread for the burger buns, can you go search some at the store? Most of them are closed by now, but the gas station near uncle Tods' hotdog stand is always open." *She holds out the wallet to him, a soft smile on her face.*

*He grabs the wallet and nods, he's used to running errands, fetching, going from a point A to a point B... His mom always says that he's the best at it, even telling him that he should become a delivery man, but Jeremy was blacklisted from every fast foods or restaurants in the area.*

"Yeah, sure..." *He nods, a little relieved that he could put his sad announcement aside for a few minutes.*

*His mother took his cheeks in her paws, squishing them and pulling on his whiskers a bit.*

"Be careful, hon', you know how dangerous it can get outside at night..." *Jeremy lowers his head and lets the smaller bunny give him a peck on the forehead.*

*He heads out of the kitchen, putting the wallet in the right pocket of his red Jersey shorts. He doesn't bother taking his jacket with him. The bunny leaves his apartement and walks down the building's stairs, opens the door and is greeted by the cool air outside. For summer, it sure is chilly.*

*He strolls toward the gas station, thinking about what kind of sauce he'll eat with his vegan burgers... Sure, he liked mustard, but should he add ketchup on it? Maybe his ma' will let him put candies on his patties, he liked them that way.*

*He knows that he's only trying to distract himself for the loneliness and sadness that he is feeling, he can't help it... He's not capable of holding a job, he can't get a girlfriend, he doesn't have any friends... He's just afraid of becoming like the sad men he sees behind the window when he passes by a bar, the ones who drown their sorrows in alcohol.* *But what can he do? The only times he doesn't lose is when he runs, Hell, he was wicked awesome at baseball! But he gave up on it when he realized that no boy on his team liked him... It was normal, he was always nagging them, asking for their attention, sometimes mocking them... Well, they also deserved it! Always having fun without him after a match... And--*

*He suddenly falls to the floor, feeling a sharp pain in his head. His paw instinctively goes up to his crane and sees a bit of blood staining his brown fur. He quickly turns his head around to see WHO or WHAT hit him, and is meet with the sight of a masked figure in black, wielding a metal pipe in hands.* *He shakes his head when he notices that they're ready to swing their weapon at him again, he doesn't have the time to shield himself with his arms before he's hit again, then everything goes to black...*

*He soon wakes up in a dark room, his vision a bit blurry and his senses fuzzy... After a minute, he comes back to his senses and looks around, ignoring his aching body and enormous headache. He was clearly in a warehouse, tied to a chair... And a black mouse sitting at the opposite of him, a golden pen and small notebook in hands.*

*The mouse soon noticed the clearly alive Jeremy.*

Hey, you've woken up!" *They cheer before writing down on the notebook in their small hand.* "So you're resistent enough to not die from a strong hit to the head..."

*He could make out the features of the stranger. Big rond ears, a long snout, a small pink nose, glasses, black fur in the back of their head tied in a bun, a purple dress... Clearly a woman to him, he thinks that men wearing skirts or stuff like that is illegal--But her apperance didn't matter, he was still creeped out by her and the fact that she has kidnapped him! So, Jeremy, being the smart bunny he is, did the thing that every animal would have done in his situation.*

". ...AHHHHH! " *He started screaming and wriggling in his bounds.* " HELP ME, HELP ME! " *He shouted, hoping to reach an audience.*

*The mouse seemed unfazed by his screaming, even maybe a little amused.* "You sure do have a strong voice... That's useful. Can you try to scream 'MEDIC'?" *Her tone was casual, contrasting the nature of their encounter. She leaned in to grab a yellow folder on the floor, opening it and checking it's content.*

"Jeremy Willis, right? IQ: 98; Height: 5'10 feet tall; Sex: Male; Legally unemployed since 15:35..." *She flips the page and tilts her head.* "...Won the BONK! Atomic Punch drinking contest of 1956...Congrats, by the way..."

*She closes the folder and looks back at the still panicked Jeremy in front of her, a serene expression on her face.*

"Tell me, would you be interested in a job?"

Chapter Text

"Tell me... Would you be interested in a job?"

*She asks, her head tilted to the side, looking at him with her big, beady eyes... Jeremy is horrified by this situation, but she's damn pretty... He's scaroused, as you could say. He stops screaming and looks at her, an uncomfortable expression on his face.*

*The mouse sighs and shakes her head, adjusting her glasses.* "I'm going a bit too fast, right? The name's Pauling, and you..." *She points her pen towards him.* "I need you... I mean, i don't need you, i need.... You...." *She sighs* "Whatever."

*His expression turns from scared to confused and surprised. A person needs him? A person that isn't his mom? A person that's some hot girl at that? Is this a prank? Who would play a prank on him though? He barely knows anyone...*

"... Are ya jokin'?" *He asks, his bostonian accent even heavier than normal.*

*Pauling winces and lowers her ears, clearly finding his voice grating.* "Ah, please don't talk too much... I have an headache." *She casually lies.* "And no, i'm not lying, atleast not for now."

"Howd'ya know all these thing's about me?" *Jeremy asks, already theorizing her intentions. Maybe she's flirting with him? Did he have some nerdy stalker girl after him? He didn't dislike the idea....*

"I know about you because... Confidential informations. Do not worry about it and... Stop talking for a minute."

*The bostonian does as she says, not wanting to know what would happen if he didn't follow the orders of someone who might probably be the person that hit him with a metal pipe earlier.*

*The mouse starts flipping through her documents, an unreadable expression on her face. While she does so, Jeremy scans the room a bit more...*

*There are a few wooden boxes scattered on the floor; the only window in the wide and tall room is broken and he can clearly see the dark sky outside of the warehouse, aswell as faintly hear the chirpings of the crickets... His mom is probably worried to death, what will she do without the burger buns for her vegan patties? He feels guilt washing over him, thinking that his mother would prefer starve herself than to eat bunless burgers.*

"...Well..." *She starts.* "You currently don't have a job, your bank account is totally empty and no sane mammal would hire you, right? Don't speak, just nod."

*Jeremy looks back at her, clear offense on his face.*

"Hey, i--"

"Just nod."

*He shut ups and soon reluctantly nods.*

"Very good..." *She notes down a few phrases on her notebook that Scout can't make out.*

"You used to be the top Baseball player in your highschool when you were fourteen years old, am i correct?"

*He looks even more surprised.* "How did you--"

"You nod, otherwise it won't be pleasant for both of us."

*She taps her pen on the cover of her notebook, a little irrited.*

*He once again went silent before shaking his head, his ears bouncing as he did so.*

"You can run, jump, hit people..."

*It was followed by another one of Jeremy's nod.*

"... Listen, 'pally'..." *She says, trying to imitate his voice.* "I'm going to give you the job offer of your life, not because you're insanely talented, but because you're INSANELY underqualified, which is perfect... I also owe something to someone, which is the reason i'm asking YOU, but let's not get into the details." "...What's da job?" "Mercenary, at a little something called 'Team F'... Yeah, i know, we don't have a name for the moment. You'll be a Scout, a guy who needs to fetch infos from the enemies, you'll work alongside nine other men who you'll shower with, sleep with, yadiyada... It's a stable job if you don't die." *She adds at the end, taking in consideration how long the Gravel War has been going for.*

"...You wanna hire me... To work with sum bozos and KICK bozos?" *He smiles, not believing what he was hearing.*

"Yup."

"...What's da catch?"

"Well, it can cost you your life because you're basically fighting on a battlefield with real weapons, i know it's a big deal but--"

" "Heh, it's fine! I'm frickin' awesome, i can't die."

"...Yeah, you'll also have to leave the state and your mother's house and--"

"WHAT?! I CAN'T LEAVE MY MA'! YOU'RE CRAZY OR WHAT?!" *He shouts, in fact, he shouts way louder than when he was asking for help.*

"You'll be paid a lot of money--"

"My love for my ma' is priceless!" *He starts struggling in his bounds, trying to get out, but at this rate he has more luck falling over with the chair and hurting himself.*

"You'll be able to contact her and even visit her on the days where you don't work!" *The mouse explains.*

"...I still... Don't wanna!"

"What do you think your mother prefers? To have an oversized child living with her, not doing anything with his life, or to have a son who's out here, having a good job and winning money?" *She gets up, leaving her notebook on the chair but taking the folder. Pauling walks behind Jeremy and holds him still to stabilize his chair, her grip surprisingly strong for a small mouse.*

"...She would want for me to be with her."

"No, she would not! Get that in your head, man! I have been asked to contact YOU specifically, and i won't leave until i've got your NAME AND SIGNATURE on this PAPER!" *She rises her tone then takes out a legal document from her yellow folder before shoving it in his face.*

"WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING ON ME?!" *He asks loudly, retracting his head in panic and fear.*

"BECAUSE I HAVE TONS OF THINGS TO DO TONIGHT, I NEED TO TAKE A PLANE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AFTER THAT! SIGN THIS!"

"NO!"

"SIGN!"

*He is silent for a moment; a scowl on his face, before he asks.* "... How much am i gettin' paid?"

"...Hehhh, around forty thousand dollars a year, i think?"

"Woah... That's a lot of hotdogs and bonk cans..." *He admits, a bit flabbergasted by the amount.*

"I wouldn't know, i barely eat or drink anything." *She shrugs, her job's really shitty.*

"...Fine, i'm signing. Give me da pen." *He gives in, attracted by the idea of mooooney.*

*The mouse unties the bounds he has around his arms and gives him the pen. He grabs the paper and signs, misspelling his name in the process.*

"...You don't need to put little hearts on the I's, it's--" *She stops herself.* "You know what? Nevermind... Welcome to the team, Scout."

"Nah, my name's Jeremy, Z-E-R-A-I-M-I-E."

"Well now it's Scout, you're not allowed to use your real name there. Anyway, you're starting tomorrow and i'm running out of time... Jesus Christ, who thought it was a good idea to give me only one hour each to recruit a whole team..." *She mutters the last part, annoyance and exhaustion evident on her face.*

"So... That's it? I'm hired?"

"Pretty much." *She walks away, outside of his line of vision, and comes back with the blood stained metal pipe from earlier.*

"Heyyyy, it's da thing that hit me back in the streets!...What are you doing?"

*She gets in front of him and swings the pipe up in the air.* "That's going to hurt..."

"NO, WAIT, WAIT--" *He shields himself from the hit with his still unbound arms, but forgets to protect the top of his head. Everything turns to black once again.*