#BodyBag

~*~
Issa Rae as 
Chloe Joy
~
Jack Falahee as 
Andrei Vancea
​~
KJ Apa as
​Alfie Marcs
~*~

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?! You're so fucking stupid!"


A joint hung from the corner of Alfie's mouth as he rearranged the tools on his desk.

"Are you even listening to me?! I swear you're such a damn moron!"

He picked up a screwdriver and analyzed it in the light as he puffed on the joint, its odor filling the air.

"ALFIE! I'M FUCKING TALKING TO YOU, YOU STUPID DUMB FAGGOT!"

Alfie's head nearly did a 180 from how hard he was slapped across the face. His joint fell from his lips and landed on the desk.

"I swear your father was right. Being smacked around is the only damn language you know!"

Alfie placed his tools back on the table and slowly turned his head to face her.

Her eyes were as blue as the sea. Her long beautiful brown hair nearly fell to her waist. Her lips were plump and pink and nearly as rosy as her cheeks.

With a slim waist, large breasts, and legs that went on for days, she was every man's dream.

And he hated her with every fiber in his being.

"Don't look at me like that," she snapped at him. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past hour and all you do is fucking ignore me."

He looked at her plainly.

"...what do you want, Emma..."

She sighed as she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Why do you always have to make this so difficult? We're going to be married soon and all you do is treat me like shit," she groaned into his back.

Alfie scoffed in irony at her comment as he turned back to his desk and put the joint back in his mouth.

"I'm just trying to be a good future wife, baby... why do you have to treat me like I mean nothing to you?"

"Because you don't mean anything to me," he said nonchalantly.

He heard her gasp and barely flinched when he felt her punch him hard in the back.

He was used to her beating on him.

But he refused to hit her back.

Besides, Emma wasn't always this...evil. When they first met she seemed just as reluctant and forced into this lifestyle as he was.

They could have even been friends.

But slowly, he watched her succumb to the curse of the wealthy legacy family that clung to her like a parasite sucking the life out of its host.

And she went from being horrified by the way his father would abuse him to becoming an abuser herself.

"You are so fucking mean to me, Alfie! I swear being with you is a fucking curse!" she snarled as she hit him in the back.

He continued to ignore her as he grabbed another tool and walked towards a machine sitting on the floor.

He could practically feel her anger. Her tension from the way he ignored her. She hated being ignored.

"Alfie!" she snarled at him.

"What, Emma," he said settling on the ground before he started taking the machine apart.

"I came here for a fucking reason!"

"And?"

"I need you to take me to the mall. I need to buy a dress for tomorrow night's dinner," she said impatiently.

"You have a driver, Emma."

"You're my fucking fiance, Alfie!" she said angrily. "We're supposed to bond like real engaged couples do."

"I'd rather slit my own wrists," he said nonchalantly as he inspected one of the pieces.

"Why? Cause you can't buttfuck one of your dumb fucking faggot whores, you gay piece of shit!" she said throwing his half-empty bottle of beer at him and soaking his shirt.

Alfie's jaw tensed, as he snapped his head around to look at her angrily.

Emma furrowed her brows together. "I'm... I'm sorry, Alphie. I didn't mean to- I thought it was-"

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" he snarled at her.

Tears brimmed in her eyes before she quickly turned around and ran out of the room.

He took a deep breath as he stood to his feet and pulled his soaked shirt over his head. He knew she was probably going to complain to both of their parents and he'd have to hear his father's mouth again.

He threw on a sweater and pulled on his leather jacket before grabbing his keys and helmet and heading out the door.

***

"No justice! No peace! No justice! No peace!"

Chloe sighed heavily as she leaned on her hand, staring at the mob outside her classroom window.

"Ms. Joy. You mind paying attention for this part?"

Chloe looked ahead at her professor standing at the front of the class in front of the large board giving her a disdainful look.

"Oh nah! It's cool. It's not like our constitution is on the verge of a breakdown and our entire country isn't on the brink of destruction cause motherfuckers in Congress can't get their shit together and stop sending the fucking Gestapo after poor, black and brown folks. This lecture on the housing market that conveniently skips over redlining and the remnants of Jim Crow is sooooo much more important. Carry on, professor. I'm ALL ears."

"Honestly, Ms. Joy, if you have such a problem with my lecture, you can leave," the professor said annoyed.

"Girl, bye. This was an elective anyway," she said grabbing her books and bag and heading straight for the door.

~

"Really, Clo? You walked out on another class?"

"Boy, that class wasn't doin' nothin' for my black ass anyway. How you gonna talk about the housing market for soldiers returning from war when my people were still being treated like 3/5ths of a person. I understand getting away with that shit in high school but a WHOLE UNIVERSITY, my nigga? I want a refund."

"Clo, you got a full ride," Andrei smirked.

"As I should. Reparations, bitch!" Chloe said snapping her fingers. "Ooh! Is this a new suit?"

Andrei shook his head with a grin. "I have a meeting with the Senator today."

"The Sen-a-torrr. Okay, Daddy, I see you," she teased as she played with the lapel of his jacket. "Can baby girl get a sneak preview of you taking this off tonight?"

Andrei grinned as he firmly gripped her waist and pushed her back against the wall in the large busy hallway.

"What did I say about calling me 'Daddy' in public," he grinned, his lips teasingly caressing her own.

"Only if I wanna get fucked," she smirked. "And clearly, Daddy... I wanna get fucked..."

She flicked her tongue over the curve of his lips when he quickly caught it between his lips and sucked her tongue into his mouth.

Chloe moaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his hands gravitate towards her ass.

"When's your next class," he breathed against her lips.

"Okay wait, baby, I was kidding," she laughed.

"Well, I wasn't," he said latching onto her neck. "Next class? Don't make me ask again."

Chloe swallowed hard as she fiddled with her phone, trying to concentrate as Andrei's roaming hands completely disarmed her. She didn't understand why she still hadn't learned not to mess with this man. He was never apologetic about his overt PDA no matter where they were.

"Chloe!" he said smacking her ass causing her to jump startled.

"Shit! Damn, Andrei!" she gasped as she clutched him tightly. She noticed a few girls watching them in disgust as they walked pass them.

"Can I help you? Keep it movin'," she snapped before she lowered her mouth to Andrei's ear. "Andrei, you got me out here lookin' like a Lemonade Stand that sells pussy."

"But it's my pussy," he grinned.

"Andrei!" she said slapping him on the shoulder. "Can you let go?"

"I asked you when your next class was," he said pulling back from her though he kept his hands on her backside.

"We don't got time, foo," she rolled her eyes.

"Baby girl, if I have to ask your stubborn sexy ass one more gotdamn time," he said calmly with a raised brow.

Chloe felt her pussy pulsate as she caught the very serious look in his eye. As a first-generation American, his Romanian accent very rarely reared its head.

Only when he was extremely horny.

And extremely impatient.

She swallowed hard. "...15 minutes, but Andrei-"

"That's plenty of time," he said grabbing her hand.

~

Chloe's fingernails scratched so hard at the cement wall, she broke a nail.

"Fuck! I just got these don-SHIT! Andrei!" she squealed.

"Focusing on your damn nails when I'm fucking the shit out of you," he said slapping her ass hard as the sound reverberated against the four walls of the small room.

Chloe's breathing came out short and rapid as her body bounced violently. Andrei had a death grip on her bare ass as he held her up on his waist. His thick member, coated in her juices quickly slipped in and out of her emphatically wet hole.

"Fuck! Daddy! Fuck, that's it! Oh god! That- that shit! Oh god yes, that shit!"

Her back brushed against the cement wall that was warm and damp from how much their sweaty bodies had rubbed against it.

"You gonna come for me, baby? You gonna come for Daddy?" Andrei growled in her ear as he roughly fucked her into the wall. She gasped as he rubbed his pelvis against her clit with every pump.

"Daddy, I'm coming! I'm coming! Fuck, fuck, fu-" she started when he quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Too loud, baby girl. Don't want anyone else thinking they can buy from this Lemonade stand," he grinned.

Chloe rolled her eyes and pinched him in the waist when her orgasm hit her like a 2-ton truck.

She moaned loudly into his palm as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her thighs tightened around his waist as her chest heaved.

"That's it, baby..." Andrei said sliding his hand from her mouth to the back of her head as he pulled her forward. His tongue slipped through her parted lips and curled around her own.

He felt her body go limp in his arms allowing him to take full control.

Chloe braced herself as Andrei pumped into her like he was a damn machine. She knew she was gonna have a hard time walking after this.

She heard him groan before he came deep inside her.

"I swear you getting that IUD was the best decision you've made in this relationship," he panted with a grin.

"Shut up," she smirked tugging his ear lobe.

They both put on their clothes when Andrei checked his watch.

"Shit, sorry, babe. You're 8 minutes late," he said.

"Worth it," she smirked as she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.

He lowered his head, caressing her cheek with his thumb and kissed her softly before he abruptly pulled back.

"I don't want you going to that vigil tonight," he said quickly.

"What? Why?"

"It's too dangerous, and I can't be there to protect you because of this dinner with the Senator," he said.

"Then ditch Senator Chadster and make some debauchery with your boo," she insisted.

Andrei grinned as he shook his head. "Baby, you know I need to do this. That piece of shit is the reason why all this shit is happening. I need to get more information that we can use against him. We gotta get his ass out of office."

Chloe groaned as she lay her forehead against his chest.

"We'll go to the next one together," he added.

"What, when they gun down the next nigga for breathing while black," she muttered.

"Clo," he said grabbing her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. "Promise me you won't go."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Fine..."

***

"Champagne?"

"Thank you."

Andrei held the small glass flute to his lips and sipped the bubbly champagne that tickled his lips.

He licked the top of his lip, his dark brown eyes darted around the room taking in his surroundings.

The room stunk of wealth.

He could identify every single politician along with each corrupt piece of legislation they were guilty of signing into fruition.

He tried to keep his snarl down as he scouted the room for the reason why he was there in the first place when he heard his phone buzz.

He checked it to see a text message from Chloe.

Clo: Miss you. Smack a racist white rich bitch for me.

Andrei smirked as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

"Mr. Vancea!"

He turned around and saw an older tall blonde woman in a bright red dress and white heels walking towards him.

"Mrs. Marcs," Andrei smiled putting on his most charming smile. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Oh please, Mr. Vancea. The pleasure is all mine," she smirked as she eyed him in the crisp black suit that clung deliciously to his form.

"I've told my husband so much about you. He loves being able to share his passion and goals for a better way of living with the youth. Especially in this... socio-political climate," she said walking him across the room.

"I'll have to remind you, Mrs. Marcs, that I'm not here for just a story but rather to challenge the Senator's ideas. My whole purpose is to make sure that his plan is for the betterment of this community," Andrei advised her.

Mrs. Marcs turned to him and smiled. "I would expect nothing less."

Andrei caught a strange look in her eyes before she turned around and headed towards her husband.

He sighed as he leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone to check the time. The vigil would be starting soon. He sent Chloe another text just to make sure she was still home.

"More champagne, sir?"

He looked up to see another server holding a tray full of flutes of champagne and he gladly exchanged a full one for his empty glass.

He eagerly took a sip when he caught someone staring at him from across the room.

Andrei slowly lowered his glass.

The set of chestnut eyes staring at him surprisingly complemented the tinge of orange hair that framed a very handsome chiseled face.

Andrei had known the names of all the Senator's children. Aaliyah, Arnold and Alphonse. But he had never seen the youngest son in person.

The curious pair of chestnut eyes quickly scanned Andrei before another person blocked his view.

"Alfie."

Alfie diverted his gaze from the man across the room and stared at the bane of his existence.

"You haven't complimented me all night," Emma said pulling her strapless yellow dress up higher over her cleavage that was barely contained within her dress.

"Don't expect that to change," Alfie said gruffly as he looked past her towards the guy again.

She blocked his view again and her nostrils flared.

"There isn't a single guy in here who doesn't want to fuck me," she whispered angrily.

"Congratulations," he rolled his eyes as he moved past her.

She quickly grabbed his bicep and he winced slightly. His arm was still sore after his previous encounter with his father's bodyguard who nearly tore his arm off after his father's threat.

"You're my fucking fiance. Can you at least act like it?!" she whispered.

Alfie's jaw tensed in anger as he glanced across the room to see his father quickly glance at him. He caught sight of his mother as well who gave him a pleading look.

Alfie straightened his posture as Emma looped her arm around his.

He quickly grabbed another champagne flute from the tray of a server passing by.

Andrei stood at the edge of a large circle listening to Senator Marcs speak to the crowd.

Everyone seemed to be eating up every word that he spoke.

It made Andrei sick.

"Mr. Senator. It seems like people are comparing your plan to FDR's 'New Deal'," someone spoke up.

Senator Marcs chuckled. "That is an honor of the highest order and far too much praise. But I can guarantee that The Marcs New Deal is going to do wonders for our economy."

Andrei couldn't help but scoff garnering several pairs of eyes in his direction.

"I'm sorry. Have I said something funny?" Senator Marcs inquired.

Andrei glanced at the crowd looking at him and cleared his throat. "With all due respect, Senator, your 'new deal' only seems to work in favor of corporations while putting the working class at a severe disadvantage."

Senator Marcs looked at Andrei curiously.

"No offense, son, but have you even read my plan?" Marcs asked.

"All 43 pages. Including the appendix," Andrei said.

Senator Marcs looked at him surprised.

"Uh, dear," Mrs. Marcs spoke up as she grabbed her husband's arm. "This is Andrei Vancea. He's the reporter from The Economist I was telling you about."

Andrei held out his hand and shook the Senator's hand tensely.

"Reporter, huh?" Senator Marcs said with a raised brow.

"Actually I'm a 1st-tier data analyst and economic researcher. But who cares about labels, right?" Andrei said looking him in the eye.

"I see... Mr. Vancea... that's not American, is it? Are you an immigrant?" Marcs asked.

"I was born and raised in Los Angeles, Senator," Andrei said trying not to roll his eyes. "My parents are from Romania."

"Romania!" Marcs smiled brightly. "Eastern Europe, right? Your people work hard."

"...sure..." Andrei said annoyed. "As does any immigrant who picks up their entire lives to travel to another country for a better life..."

"True, but many immigrants come here illegally to deplete our resources," Marcs said. "Which is what part of my plan is going to help prevent."

Andrei went to retort when the Senator turned his back on him to face the crowd.

"It smells like dinner is ready! Let's discuss further over some delicious food!" Senator Marcs said clapping his hands together.

"Alfie..."

Alfie diverted his eyes from the strange man speaking to his father and looked at Emma whose eyes were glazed over.

"Kiss me. I'm horny," she groaned as she grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him towards her.

"Not even an hour in and you're already drunk," Alfie scoffed.

"Like I can deal with this shit sober," she rolled her eyes. "Kiss me, dammit."

Alfie sucked his teeth as he moved to the side letting her stumble forward.

"What are you guys doing? Dinner is starting!"

Alfie looked to see his mother walking towards them.

"Alphonse. Neither your sister nor your brother could make this dinner. I need you to be on your best behavior for your father. Please do not give him a reason to be upset," she said fixing his collar.

"Oh, mother. For that, I'd have to stop breathing." He gave her a fake smile before he walked past her.

Mrs. Marcs sighed as she looked at a drunk Emma leaning against the wall.

"You are the daughter of a Congressman and future daughter-in-law of a Senator! Get it together, Emma!" Mrs. Marcs said grabbing her forcefully.

~

Alfie leaned back in his chair, stirring the rice on his plate with a fork as he tried to block out the conversation going on around him. He hated coming to these dinners. Pretending to be something he's not in a world that he hated.

At least there was one person of interest.

He slowly looked up and his eyes met the gaze of the stranger he had seen prior.

Alfie heard his name during his father's self-important speech.

Andrei Vancea...

Alfie subtly chewed on his bottom lip as he took in the details of the man sitting across the table.

Definitely fuckable, Alfie thought.

"And Mr. Alphonse Marcs. I heard you're leading your team to nationals."

Alfie felt someone kick him under the table before he realized someone was addressing him.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question," Alfie asked.

"Word is that your university has made it to nationals. Good thing you've been captain of the soccer team," the man repeated.

"Oh, yea," Alfie said flatly.

"Alphonse is a star player," Senator Marcs spoke up. "Always has been. Since he was a kid. I remember when he was just a boy and he and I used to spend hours in our backyard kicking around that old soccer ball, right Al?"

"You always were the best coach, dad," Alfie said sarcastically.

"It just goes to show you need both a mother and a father in the household for the child to turn out as successful as your kids," one woman said brightly.

Senator Marcs smiled proudly. Andrei tried not to roll his eyes.

"Of course," Alfie said playing with his fork. "Every kid needs a mother to clean the blood off his face after his father has slapped him around a bit. Good ol' family fun."

The room grew silent as Andrei looked at Alfie surprised.

Mrs. Marcs laughed out loud. "Oh goodness, Alphonse! Gosh, he is always messing around with these silly jokes of his. Dear, how many times do I have to tell you not everyone has your sense of humor."

"Silly me," Alfie said flatly as he stared at his plate. He could feel his father's glare burning a hole into his head, but he didn't care. He loved having the opportunity to embarrass the old demon even if it meant a few broken ribs afterward.

"So, Alphonse," the other man continued. "What do you like best about being one of the most revered university soccer players?"

Alphie stopped playing with his fork and looked up. His mother immediately shook his head.

"Fellatio," Alfie said. "You get a shit ton of it when everyone thinks you're a god."

"Alright! Seems like my son has had a bit too much to drink," Senator Marcs chuckled as he stood to his feet. "Why don't we all take a quick break and reconvene, shall we? I can't wait to show you all how small businesses will benefit from The Marcs New Deal."

~

Andrei randomly walked throughout the large room listening to people speak.

"I truly think Senator Marcs can make a difference."

"I do too. But he'll face a lot of opposition, unfortunately."

"As does any good politician."

Andrei scoffed. "Good politician... what an oxymoron," he said to himself.

"One thing I'm looking forward to is him getting rid of this damn Discord psychopath. He's even worse than the protestors."

"Everyone thinks they're a superhero when they're the ones causing chaos. The LAPD will get rid of him soon enough."

Andrei smirked amused when he saw the Senator step out of a small room wiping what looked to be blood off of his hand.

"Did I miss anything?" the Senator said with his signature charming smile.

"We were just discussing how excited we are to see how your plan works out. Hopefully, it includes getting rid of that psychopath disturbing our city," one of the men said.

"Ah, yes. Discord," Senator Marcs said shaking his head amused. "Everyone has a gimmick. The cops will handle him. They've done a great job so far with the protestors."

"13 protestors have been killed by the LAPD in less than three weeks," Andrei said abruptly.

The men including the Senator looked at him startled.

"Our Romanian data analyst and economics researcher," Senator Marcs smirked amused.

"Romania? Isn't that where Dracula's from?" one of them chuckled condescendingly.

Andrei plastered on a fake smile. "We're typically known for our vampire tours because that tends to be the extent of knowledge the average American can actually retain. Perhaps you'd be more inclined to listen to what I have to say if you thought I were a vampire myself? Or can we get back to discussing the murder of 13 of your citizens in less than 21 days?"

Senator Marcs looked at Andrei a bit irritably. "First of all, young man, those were ruled accidental homicides."

"Accidental?!" Andrei scoffed.

"Secondly, those protestors were breaking the law," Senator Marcs continued.

"Causing a slight inconvenience is not breaking the law. The right to protest is in the first amendment of our constitution," Andrei said. "Your police force is disproportionately arresting black and brown people when the crowds are as diverse as this city. Does that not concern-"

"I can see you feel strongly about this topic, but now is not the time. Send me an email, okay?" Senator Marcs said patronizingly patting his shoulder before turning his back on him.

Andrei sucked his teeth as he flipped the hair dangling in front of his eyes.

~

"I told you not to piss him off. Why don't you ever listen to me..."

Alfie said nothing as he stared at a spot on the floor. He barely moved as he allowed his mother to wipe the blood from the corner of his eye.

"You know your father is already stressed out over this re-election. And with all these protests going on... why would you provoke him?"

Alfie growled as he slapped her hand away. "Provoke him?! Are you fucking kidding me?! He hates me!"

"That's not true-" his mother pleaded as Alfie shot to his feet. "Where are you going?"

"The fuck away from you," he snarled as he shoved the door open and stormed out.

Andrei leaned against the railing, sipping the last of his champagne as he stared back into the house watching the people mingle. He shook his head in frustration when he got a buzz alert on his phone.

Violent protests break out in LA. LAPD uses tear gas. Several protestors have been rushed to the ER.

Andrei shook his head in frustration. He was beyond grateful Chloe didn't go. He got ready to dial her when one of the screen doors slammed open and the youngest Marcs son stormed through and leaned on the railing a few feet from him.

Andrei cocked his head to the side as he noticed him frantically running his fingers through his hair.

"...uh... you okay?" Andrei asked.

"Peachy," Alfie muttered.

Andrei saw Alfie toss a bloody napkin over the railing.

"Why am I not surprised that Senator Marcs is a shitty father," Andrei shook his head.

"Congrats for figuring that shit out. You want a fucking cookie?" Alfie snapped as he turned his head to face Andrei.

Alfie suddenly raised a brow. "Aren't you the one who's been eye-fucking me all night?"

Andrei scoffed. "You must have me confused with someone else. I'm not into men."

"Oh sorry. I just figured you were since you've been licking my father's balls all night."

"Clearly your fucked up, drugged-out ass much still be high if you think that's the kind of conversation he and I were having," Andrei snapped.

"And why not? All you fucking reporters are the same," Alfie sucked his teeth as he pulled a bottle of nips from his jacket and shot it back.

"You're like... the poster boy for fucked up rich white kids who either commit suicide or go on a killing spring," Andrei said.

Alfie gave Andrei a hard glare.

Then Alfie shrugged with a chuckle.

"Honestly those both sound like too much work. I'm too lazy for that shit," Alfie said grabbing another drink and downing it.

Andrei grinned. "So just drinking yourself to death instead?"

"Now he gets it," Alfie said raising his glass.

Andrei shook his head as he grabbed a bottle of water from the table and walked over to Alfie.

"Aww, he cares," Alfie mocked.

"Shut up and drink it before you get alcohol poisoning," Andrei said shoving it against his chest.

Alfie smirked as he tossed his empty bottle of nips and grabbed the water bottle from Andrei.

Andrei watched as Alfie guzzled half the bottle. A droplet of blood trickling down his face.

"He always hit you?" Andrei asked.

"What's it to you..." Alfie said closing his eyes as he dropped his head back.

"He needs to be locked up. He's hurting a lot of people," Andrei said.

"Get in line, babe."

Andrei shook his head. "If you know he's wrong, then why don't you do something."

Alfie's eyes popped open and looked at Andrei. "Cause it's so fucking easy, right?"

"You're in a better position than any of us," Andrei insisted.

"You have no fucking idea what he's like," Alfie said pushing his finger into Andrei's chest. "You have no idea what he's capable of. So just give it up."

Andrei twisted his mouth as he watched Alfie close his eyes again.

"You might be content with that, but I'm not. I don't care what I have to do to bring his corrupt ass down," Andrei snapped.

Alfie slowly opened his eyes and looked at Andrei. His blurred vision adjusted as he took in his form again.

"You remind me of someone..." Alfie said suddenly. "He was an annoying ass journalist too."

"I'm not a journalist, I'm a data analyst-"

"Whatever," Alfie chuckled as he leaned over and gazed into Andrei's eyes.

"There you go again... eye-fucking me," Alfie smirked. "Owen used to look at me just. like. that."

Andrei raised a curious brow. "I'm not gay."

"Neither was he," Alfie smirked.

Andrei scoffed but his eyes never wavered from Alfie's gaze.

"You're drunk," Andrei said.

Alfie shrugged. "Yup."

Alfie went to step forward when he lost his balance, spilling water all over himself and nearly fell before Andrei caught him.

"Jeez, man," Andrei groaned as he held his waist and sat him down on a chair. "You're a mess."

"Why thank you," Alfie said drunkenly as he grabbed the hem of his shirt and went to pull it off.

Andrei's lips parted slightly as he saw Alfie's scarred abs glistening from the moonlight reflecting off of the dampness of his skin.

"HALP!" Alfie groaned.

Andrei rolled his eyes as he leaned forward and grabbed the edge of the shirt pulling it over his head.

"You're really going to sit out here topless?" Andrei said with a raised brow. "You'll catch a cold."

"Thanks, mom," Alfie chuckled.

Andrei sighed as he shrugged off his jacket. He crouched down in front of Alfie and grabbed his shoulder.

"Put this on," Andrei said dangling the jacket behind him. Alfie leaned forward as Andrei helped him ease his jacket onto his body.

Andrei's eyes roamed over Alfie's torso.

"Like what you see?" Alfie smirked.

"What's with all the scars?" Andrei asked.

"How much time you got?" Alfie said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't tell me he did this to you," Andrei said tensely.

"Like I said... how much time you got?" Alfie looked him in the eye.

Andrei shook his head. "Alphonse."

"Alfie," he said quickly. "I hate Alphonse. Just call me... Alfie..."

Andrei swallowed thickly as he met Alfie's alluring gaze. He saw Alfie lean forward before his lips tenderly grazed against his.

But Andrei quickly pulled back.

"What- no. No. What are we doing?" Andrei said quickly.

"Pretty sure we were about to make out," Alfie grinned, leaning forward again.

"I have a girlfriend," Andrei said pulling back again.

Alfie shrugged. "And I have a fiance," he said leaning forward again.

Andrei pushed Alfie back and looked him in the eye. "I love my girlfriend."

Alfie slightly deflated. "...oh..."

Andrei watched as Alfie quickly stood to his feet. He anxiously ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at Andrei.

"Like... love her, love her?"

"Is there any other kind?" Andrei said confused.

"Is this not LA?" Alfie scoffed.

"I love her, Alpho-...Alfie. With my whole heart, I love her," Andrei said quickly.

"Huh... well, that sucks," Alfie said scratching his chin. He walked to the door before he turned around.

"Does she know you're attracted to men?" Alfie asked.

Andrei's lips parted as he felt a lump harden in his throat.

"I guess that's a 'no'," Alfie shrugged before turning around and walking out.

***

"You are the biggest embarrassment of my life. I should have left you in the fucking hospital to die like the sniveling coward you are."

"Eddie!"

Alfie wiped the blood trickling from his nose and lit the joint between his lips, before he stuffed his hands back into his pockets. His father's words echoed in his mind like a bullhorn. Penetrating his mind with anger and hate.

He clenched his fingers in anger.

He needed to punch something.

So badly.

"Stop it, Eddie! Stop!"

Alfie never understood why his mother bothered trying to protect him.

She was married to the asshole after all.

She never seemed to care before. She ignored the bruises and scars that randomly showed up on his body as a kid.

So why now? Why did she give a fuck now?

"Must be afraid of going to hell," Alfie scoffed, puffing on his joint.

He needed this walk. It allowed him to clear his mind and think of things that once made him happy.

"When are you going to stop being ashamed of who you are? When are you going to see yourself the way I see you..."

It had been years yet his ex-lover still haunted his mind. Owen was like a shadow that hovered closely, at his heels, criticizing every act of self-loathing and self-destruction.

He could still remember the look of concern on Owen's face when they decided to go their separate ways. Owen seemed more concerned about Alfie than himself.

"See? I'm doing just fine without you," Alfie said taking a long drag as he stepped off a curb and strolled across the street to an open bodega.

He walked into the small store and grabbed a case of beers before heading to the counter. He rubbed some blood away from the side of his temple that was still bleeding from an open wound.

"Hey."

Alfie glanced to the side to see a couple of guys watching him.

"You that Senator's rich boy, ain'tchu? Alfphonso or some shit."

Alfie rolled his eyes as he pulled out a 50 and slammed it on the counter.

"Keep the change," he muttered to the clerk with the joint hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Hey! I'm talkin' you, bitch!" the man snapped at him.

"And this is me ignoring you," Alfie said grabbing the case of beers and heading out of the store.

He stumbled out of the store, puffing on his joint as he removed a bottle from the case. He cracked the bottle open and went to take a sip when he felt someone shove him hard in the back sending him diving to the ground.

His entire case of beer crashed into pieces as the liquid splattered all around him.

"Ain't yo daddy teach you fucking respect?" the man smirked down at him.

Alfie sighed as he rolled over and sat up. His forearms rested on his knees as he looked down at his joint soaked in beer just like the rest of his clothes.

"...that was my last one..." he sighed.

"Like I give a shit. Get your stupid ass up, pretty boy. We're gonna fuck you up. Maybe hold your ass for ransom and see how much daddy's willing to give up," the man smirked.

Alfie raised a brow before he started to chuckle which grew into full-on laughter.

"Why the fuck are you laughing?" the man snapped.

Alfie wiped the corner of his eye. "Because you have the worst fucking luck, bro. My father doesn't give a shit about me. You should have at least gone after Congressman Jude's son if you wanted some real cash. Instead, you chose me?! You have to be the dumbest motherfucker I have ever met," Alfie laughed.

Alfie threw his head back as he roared with laughter.

"You're fucking crazy," the man said taking out a knife.

Alfie slowly stopped laughing as he looked at the knife in the man's hand. He looked around to see the other guys crowding around him.

"Oh..." Alfie said. "You should have just told me you wanted to have some fun."

Alfie stood to his feet as he shrugged off his jacket.

"I really need to let off some steam..."

***


"Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black-OW!"

Chloe jumped startled as her friend shoved her to the side.

"Girl, why you hittin' me? Givin' a bitch PTSD thinkin' you the cops or some shit."

"Girl, shut up," Eileen said. "Didn't your man tell you not to come to this vigil?"

"Eileen, relax. I'm only staying for a few minutes."

"Chloe, you ain't never stayed at no damn protest for a few minutes," Eileen rolled her eyes.

"No forreal, look. I got a timer and everything," Chloe showed Eileen her watch.

"Wow you really have a timer... on your phone... called... "get your black ass home before Andrei sees you on the 11 o clock news'," Eileen read. "Girl," she said sucking her teeth.

"See? I'm on point," Chloe said tapping her temple. "And it's not a protest it's a vigil."

"You mean you're a cornball," Eileen mocked.

"Wow, I don't even need to get tasered, cause you're hurting me enough as is, sis," Chloe smirked.

"Shut up," Eileen said pinching her as Chloe laughed. "And you brought a sign?"

"To honor Maurice Jackson. I had time," Chloe said raising her sign high.

"I guess that's what happens when you skip class," Eileen smirked.

"Wowwww, so Andrei really tellin' all my business like that?"

"Chloe, I could hear you down the hall. You're loud as hell."

"Oh okay, true..."

Eileen smirked as she raised her own sign. The two women shuffled through the large crowd as they marched down the street.

"Wait, lemme see. You made a new one?" Chloe said tugging at Eileen's poster.

"Yea, I worked on it during my free period. What do you think?" Eileen asked.

"If your solidarity is conditional... it's not solidarity at all," Chloe read. "Nice. Nice. I'm feelin' it."

"Read the back," Eileen said turning it around.

"Black and Asian Uprising," Chloe read. "Okay, but why does it read like a Marvel movie."

"What?! I thought it was clever!" Eileen gasped.

"Girl, you got us out here looking like mutants fighting for our rights," Chloe teased.

"I mean... that was the whole point of the comics," Eileen started.

"I swear if you compare Magneto and Professor X to Malcolm X and MLK again, I'm gonna throw you," Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Chloe! You can't tell me the parallel isn't cool as hell!" Eileen said looping her arm around Chloe's.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "And you say I'm the cornball."

"Cause you are!" Eileen laughed. "I mean even Cassandra said it. And you know she's always right."

"Can we not bring my sister into this? I swear she gets like a 6th sense when I talk about her. She gone be blowing up my phone in like 5 minutes like 'YOU NEED ME BABY SIS?!' Like no Captain Marvel go save the world or something, and leave my broke no-good black ass alone," Chloe rolled her eyes.

"AWWWW YOU MISS HER!" Eileen squealed.

"I really don't though," Chloe rolled her eyes.

"You should call her, Chloe."

"She ain't got time for me. Too busy stopping a nuclear bomb or some shit," Chloe sighed. She looked down and furrowed her brows. "I'll try calling her again later..."

Eileen beamed as she hugged Chloe tighter. "I'm sure she misses you too. Come on the crowd is moving."

The crowd continued to move as the shouting got louder. They could see red and blue lights off in the distance.

"5-O is here," Eileen muttered.

"On time to arrest us but never on time when they're actually needed," Chloe rolled her eyes. "At least they're just watching the perimeter."

"They tend to get violent real quick, Chloe..."

"It's just a vigil, Eileen... stay calm."

The crowd moved forward until the two women made it to the large fountain at the end of the block. Several pictures of recently slain Maurice Jackson scattered the fountain decorated with lit candles.

Chloe got down on her knees and pulled out a candle and match when she saw a note with her name on it next to one of the candles.

"Yo, don't touch me!"

"You fuckin' thugs always disturbing the damn piece!"

"Say that again, you racist piece of shit!"

"You heard me, you fuckin' animal!"

"Chloe," Eileen said anxiously grabbing her friend's arm.

"Hold on, Eileen. I'm almost done," Chloe said quickly writing down the number in the note.

A loud scream could be heard before someone yelled.

"HE'S GOT A GUN!"

A round of gunshots quickly went off. Chloe could barely react before her eyes grew wide at the stampede of people running into her and Eileen.

She stumbled to the ground and screamed in pain as she felt people tripping over her and stepping on her feet.

"Chloe! Chloe!" she heard her friend's scream.

"Eileen!" Chloe crawled on her hands and knees as she tried to maneuver through the crowd looking for her friend.

She screamed in horror when she saw one of the protestors fall to the ground with a bloodied face. A group of men with red hoods ambushed him as they proceeded to kick him in the stomach and in the face.

"STOP IT! STOP! GET OFF OF HIM!" Chloe screamed as she tried to shove them off of him.

"You wanna get fucked up too, you black bitch," she heard one of them say as he yanked her up by her arm.

Chloe wasn't a fighter and was often made fun of by family and childhood friends so much she was often called 'chicken shit.' But in that moment, her instincts kicked in to swing.

And that's exactly what she did.

She flailed her arms frantically slapping faces and her nails catching skin.

"This bitch is crazy!" she heard another one say.

"YEA, BITCH, I'M CRAZY! I'M CRAZY!" she screamed as she continued to flail her arms. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry cause she knew she must have looked as crazy as she felt in that moment.

She glanced over to find the young brotha that had been attacked when she felt a hard hit to her gut. She gasped in pain until she felt a set of hands wrap around her neck.

As the air was blocked from reaching her lungs, the first thing that came to her mind was how pissed Andrei would be if she actually died at a vigil he warned her not to go to.

She was certain that man would Houdini her ass into coming back to life just so he could tell her off.

In the blink of an eye her assailant when flying as his screams reverberated in the air.

Chloe put her hand to her neck as she struggled to breathe again. She coughed violently, her eyes darting from the shouts she heard.

Her eyes could barely keep up as the crowd of men collapsed oned by one.

She panted as she tried to lock her eyes onto the shadowy figure that moved too fast for her to keep up with.

She watched as he punched his way through the crowd and flipped on top of the fountain before charging at the men again.

"What the fuck?" she panted in confusion. She could hear the siren of police cars as several people began to scatter.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP! THIS IS THE POLICE!"

She had a feeling that despite the mass chaos, there was only one person, in particular, they were talking to.

Discord had become public enemy #1 for all of the LAPD.

She watched the figure jump on top of one of the police cars before he nose-dived into a pile of cops.

"Is he insane?" she blinked.

She struggled to her feet as she caught several of the officers trying to arrest some of the protestors.

"Are you kidding me?! They didn't do anything! We didn't-" she started before one of the cops violently grabbed her by the arm and kneed her in the back until she was on her knees again.

"ON YOUR KNEES! HANDS OVER YOUR HEAD!" he growled in her ear so loudly her eardrums vibrated as she cringed in pain.

"HANDS OVER YOUR HEAD, ASSHOLE!" the cop shouted at her again, but his grip on her arm was so tight he could easily snap it in half.

This was a typical tactic of the LAPD that Chloe knew all too well. When an officer would bark an order while holding you in a position that made it impossible for you to follow through giving them a reason to say you were not complying and allowing them to cause serious bodily damage if not death.

Her heart pounded in her chest once she realized what was happening.

"I SAID HANDS OVER YOUR HEAD!" he snarled again as he twisted her arm.

"I CAN'T! I CAN'T!" she screamed in pain. "STOP! IT HURTS!"

She thought for sure he was about to snap her arm when the cop toppled over her. She glanced up to see that hooded figure again shoving the cop's face into the ground.

"...Discord?" she breathed out. She clutched her injured arm as she tried to scramble away from the fight.

She wasn't back enough but she couldn't help watching him. She had never seen someone move the way he did.

As he outmaneuvered two cops, she saw another cop aiming his gun at him.

Her instincts kicked again as she rushed the cop, knocking him over and the gunshot went off, ricocheting off of the fountain.

Chloe groaned in pain after landing on her already injured arm. She looked up in time to see the officer smash his gun into her temple knocking her out.

***



"Pandemonium in the streets of LA tonight as the peaceful vigil for Maurice Jackson turned into an unfortunate bloodbath. LAPD is on the hunt again for Discord who left several officers critically injured at the scene."

Chloe could hear the faint sound of the news on the TV. She struggled to sit up and immediately touched her head that was pounding something fierce. 

She slowly opened her eyes to see a dim light in a rather dark place. She felt a thin sheetless mattress beneath her and a pillow that barely had any fluff to it.

"Move slow. You might have a concussion."

"NIGGA!"

She jumped startled from the loud robotic voice and nearly fell off the cot.

"I said move slow..."

Chloe's eyes widened as she looked across the bed to see the hooded figure sitting at a desk in front of a computer and TV.

"Discord?"

The figure slowly turned his head only showing the black mask. She couldn't see his face but she knew he could see her.

"Nigga, did you kidnap me?!"

He scoffed as he turned around.

"If kidnapping you is saving your life. Sure. I kidnapped you."

Chloe curled her upper lip as she looked around. "Is this where you live? Whoo, child. That vigilante lifestyle is not at all glamorous."

She heard him chuckle ironically but he didn't respond nor did he look at her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"Why did you save me?"

She saw him shrug as he fiddled with a tool.

"Cause you saved me. Stopped the bullet."

Chloe cocked her head in confusion. "Stopped the bullet? Nigga, I'm not the Flash. And your ass ain't Batman, so why the hell do you talk like him?"

She heard him chuckle again before he placed the tool down and turned his chair around to face her. She backed up slightly when he raised his hand.

"If I wanted to hurt you, I would have left you with those pigs," he said quickly.

Chloe hesitated as she watched him gently grab her arm.

"You're lucky it's not broken," he said looking her arm over. "But it needs ice."

She kept her eyes on him as he rolled back in his chair and grabbed a plastic bag full of broken ice before rolling back to her. She winced as he pressed it against her arm.

"So why didn't you leave me back there?" she asked.

"I already told you."

"Saving me is one thing. Taking me back to your little bat cave..." she said with a raised brow.

He shook his head with a chuckle. "What is your obsession with Batman?"

"You're the one sounding like Christian Bale with laryngitis in the Dark Knight."

This time he let out a throaty laugh that echoed in the small basement.

"I like you."

"Still didn't answer my question, Joe Goldberg."

Discord looked at her and leaned back in his chair.

"You were injured. They would have taken you to jail, not the hospital. I know how these assholes operate. And it's not like I know your home address."

Chloe considered him as he stood from his chair and walked to the other side of the room.

"I've also seen you on the news a few times..." he continued. "Leading a few protests of your own."

He turned to look at her.

"You're making yourself a target."

Chloe scoffed as she looked down at her iced arm. "I'm a black woman in America, Batman. I already am a target."

Discord watched her before he walked to a small fridge and grabbed two bottles of water. He strolled back to her and handed one to her before he sat on the bed next to her.

"Thanks," she said sipping the water as she watched him cautiously. "So what's your superpower? White privilege?" she smirked.

"Ha. Ha," he said sarcastically as he started to pull off his hoodie.

"I'm just sayin'. Cause if you had just a TEENSY BIT of melanin, you know they woulda been shot yo a-" she started when suddenly her mouth fell.

She froze mid-sip as he peeled his hoodie off, revealing a bloody slice across his abdomen that leaked blood down his torso.

"...holy shit..." she said shocked.

"It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?! Sir, you look like Deadpool!"

Discord laughed as more blood seeped from his wound causing Chloe to cringe.

"Now that's not very nice," he said as he poured some of the water on his wound.

"Screw not ni- nigga, you need a HOSPITAL not a dollar water from the bodega, are you kidding me right now?! Say it with me. HO-SPI-T-"

"Do I look like the type of guy that frequents hospitals."

"You look like the type of guy who puts people in hospitals."

Discord chuckled. "Look at me. Keeping our fucked up and ineffective healthcare system relevant."

"You're a whole fool. Give me that," she said snatching the bottle from him. She leaned over and grabbed a small towel from the desk and soaked it with the water.

She gently dabbed his wounds, being careful not to move the severed skin. She took in the details of his physique. He was extremely fit with well-defined abs, but several scars marred his skin. She noticed a peculiar tattoo on the inside of his wrist and squinted her eyes trying to make it out.

"...thanks..."

She looked at him to see him staring at the wall. Completely unphased by the disturbing slice in his waist.

"Do you have any alcohol?" she asked.

He turned his head towards her. "We don't have to drink just to fuck, ba-"

"RUBBING ALCOHOL, YOU IDIOT!" she said slapping him in the arm.

She heard him chuckle and knew he was playing with her.

"No. Just cover it with some band-aids. They're on the desk."

"It could get infected-"

"I'll be fine," he said firmly.

She sighed as she moved off of the bed and grabbed the bandaids before placing a few of them on his waist.

She watched him pull his hoody back on and get up from the bed.

"Unless you plan on sleeping over... you should probably get home."

"Are you paying for my bus fare?" she said with a raised brow. "Cause last time I checked... you kidnapped me."

He shook his head and a warm chuckle emanated from his mask.

~

Chloe tried not to hold Discord's waist too tightly, fully aware of the large wound in his side. She was not a fan of motorcycles, neither was she a fan of the long-ass bus ride home.

As she watched the scenery change, she couldn't help but think about who the hell this guy was. The media portrayed him as a demon. A killer. A menace to society.

But he had saved her. Taken care of her. Even allowed her to call her friend Eileen to make sure she was okay.

She couldn't help but wonder why the hell a guy like him was at a vigil for a slain black American he had no relation to. Why was he in this constant war with the cops. What did he have to gain?

"This you?" he said breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yea," she said as they pulled up to her apartment. "You can stop here."

He parked his motorcycle and waited for her to get off. She took off the helmet he loaned her and held it.

"What?" he asked.

"You're really not going to let me see your face?" she said flatly.

"It's for your protection that you don't," he said. "Besides... not like we'll ever see each other again."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Then if I'm never gonna see you again, at least tell me your name."

She saw his head cock to the side curiously.

"You already know who I am..." he said leaning forward.

She leaned forward to meet him as his mask rubbed against her cheek.

"...I'm Batman," he said as he snatched the helmet from her grip and took off.

Chloe sucked her teeth and gave him the finger.

***

Chloe walked into her apartment and turned on the lights.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw Andrei sitting on her couch looking mad as hell.

"BITCH! You scared the shit out of me!" she blurted.

"GOOD! BECAUSE YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME! REALLY, CLO?!" he snapped at her angrily.

She immediately shrunk back with regret.

"Shit, Andrei, I'm sorry-"

"Save it!" he said rushing towards her as he quickly wrapped her up in his arms. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! I told you not to go and you went anyway?! Why the hell are you so damn stubborn, Clo?!"

"It was only for a few minutes..."

"Chloe, it's 2 in the fucking morning! I've been worried sick about you! I've been looking for you for 3 hours! I called Eileen and she told me she lost you at the vigil where there was a damn shoot out! I mean are you kidding me?! You could have been seriously hurt! Or worse!" he said grabbing her arm.

She whimpered loudly, wincing in pain and he quickly let her go as if he had touched a hot stove.

His eyes widened as he looked at her nursing her arm.

"Andrei-" she started trying to calm him.

"SOMEBODY HURT YOU?!" he snarled angrily.

"Okay, wait, baby, please calm down!" she said putting her hand to his chest. "I'm okay. I promise. I know I shouldn't have gone. And I know I should have contacted you. It was real fucked up of me to leave you hanging like that. I'm sorry, baby, okay?" she pleaded.

Andrei was infuriated but it deeply concerned him that she had been missing for so long and came back so injured.

"We'll discuss it later," he said crouching down slightly to pick her up in his arms. "I need to take care of those wounds."

~

Chloe sat against her headboard with her hair tied up in a scarf, her naked body lost in her white plush robe, her brown skin glimmering from the moisturizer that Andrei had coated her body with after her shower.

She listened absentmindedly to the news on the TV as she stared utterly entranced at a shirtless, tanned Andrei who was massaging her feet like the Romanian god he was.

She had no idea what she did in her previous life to be blessed like this, but she continuously thanked her ancestors.

"Andrei..?"

"Yea, babe.."

"I love you."

Andrei looked up at her with deep brown eyes and smirked. "I'm still mad at you, Clo."

"Yea, I know," she sighed.

"So this... Discord guy... you sure he didn't hurt you?" Andrei asked.

Chloe nodded. "The opposite really. He saved my life, Andrei."

Andrei groaned. "I don't like these vigilante types always taking the damn law into their own hands."

"You don't like anyone, Andrei."

"I like you," he grinned.

"Funny. He said the same thing," she chuckled.

"HE SAID WHAT?!" Andrei blurted.

"Joking! I'm totally joking, babe, chill," she chuckled nervously.

"I swear you love getting my blood pressure up," he said crawling on the bed and lying next to her. He pulled her against him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"How was dinner with the Senator," she asked nestling into his arms. "Hope your evening was better than mine."

"Meh... you know how these racist rich pricks are..." Andrei said pulling out his phone. "But check out the interior."

"DAMN! I didn't even know houses came that big," Chloe gasped.

"At that point, it's no longer a house but a mansion," Andrei grinned as he scrolled through the pics. "That's his wife. She kept eyeing me up like a desperate housewife."

"Gross. Tell Karen she betta back the hell up off my man," Chloe said as Andrei snickered.

"Wait! Wait! Go back!" she said abruptly, slapping his hand.

"What?" he asked.

Chloe grabbed his phone and eyed the picture. "I recognize that tattoo."

"You do?"

"Yea... it was on Discord."

"Discord?" Andrei said looking at the phone. "But that's Alfie Marcs: the Senator's son not-"

Suddenly Chloe and Andrei looked at each other wide-eyed when it clicked.
***