Meeting you in the City

Chapter 15: The beggining and ending of a bond

Yoru’s POV

“Why Astra, just what have to lead you to this decision!” I shouted, but I’m sure Astra...he won’t answer me even if he heard, even if I beg. It’s his way, that is. To always leave me in the dark without knowing what he feels, what he thinks, and what he’s planning.

“I’m so tired...I know I tried, but...why?! Just why, Astra! You’re a jackass! You have no heart or whatsoever!” I shouted, weeping as I punched my hand on the floor.

“I’m so f*cking useless ahh!!” I stayed on the floor for a while until my wound started to ache

“Ahhh!!” I lay down on the cold hospital floors grunting at the throbbing pain in my hips. I think all the moving and fighting with Astra causes my wound to open.

“Arghh Yoru, you f*cking i***t!” I cried as the racking pain wouldn’t go. I tried looking at it, bleeding it was bleeding again, but I didn’t even care. I don’t care, maybe…

“Maybe I’ll just let myself run out of blood” I’m useless in this world anyway. Even if I come back to my life, the constant fear and suffering will never end what will even change. It will keep hunting me. The endless danger and running away won’t stop. I’m so tired of this place I’m so tired of this world.

“I...I just wanted to be free too, Astra” I felt giddy. My surrounding was whirling my head felt light. I think I’m was going to pass out.

“Sir?” the nurse came in, but to my sight, she was fuzzy. She dropped a tray she was holding and came near me.

“SIR?!

Chico’s POV

As I walk out of the room, I can’t help but worry about Astra. I know either boss or Yoru will be mad at me for staying here near the door. It’s not my intention to eavesdrop; I just want to know what was bothering him. I heard Yoru talking to Astra, but I can understand what it was about. Was it about Salvy? I’m worried about him too, even for the short time he spent with us; I felt like I made a family. I also noticed how close the boss and Salvy had gotten. They share smiles and looks that, for me, seem to mean different.

Nobody had that kind of bond with the boss before. It was like they could understand each other without saying any word, and that was the time I saw him smile so genuinely. He was happy I could feel it. It was like Salvy was the bridge to connect us with him. Astra was always quiet, irk, lost, and just being around him was intimidating. Even though I already knew the boss, but he isn’t what other people think he is. They said Astra was a monster, but all I could see was an angel, my guardian angel. Astra means the star. He is the star, the fallen star, but we all know that a star wasn’t meant to stay on the ground. Stars belong up there, and I would like to see him get up there, to get out of here, to be his own light in the darkness. For once, I remembered what my mother told me when I was little; stars are souls. He was just a wandering soul lost on his way, and somehow Salvy was the bridge to let Astra find his way and himself.

I can hear Yoru shouting at Astra. I wanted to get in and know what was happening, but I didn’t want to interfere with their discussion even if I did. Maybe Yoru can bring boss back to his senses his good at doing that, but he’s not that soft.

“Oh, how I wish that boss would be okay.”

“Hey, why are you wobbling like a teenager in love.”

“HEY VELO!” I happily greeted the huge man approaching me

“Shhh, dumbass, do you always have to be so loud? Where in the hospital ya’know,” he whispered as the nurses and patients in the hall all looked at us.

“Ah..” shit

“I’m sorry...for being so loud,” I apologized, bowing to them, and they all went back to what they were doing.

“And hey, I’m not in love; I’m just a teenager.”

“What?” Velo ask with a dumb look on his face

“You look dumb, Velo.”

“That’s because you’re dumb, Chico.”

“HA, REALLY, YOU’RE DUMBER”

“Hey, hey, stop that you’re so loud,” a certain ginger approaches us.

“It was him!” Velo and I said at the same time while pointing at each other

“Mi! (my) Mi! (my) Yoru’s now resting. Do you really want him to get out just to hit you two” said the ginger

“No, we don’t want, ginger.”

“Grrr, what did you just called me!” he barked at us, and suddenly people were looking at us again.

“Ah..hehe, apologies, this two here really are idiots.”

“Why, you little red hair dumb mushroom looking boy,” Velo commented, mad what Nubes has called us.

“What?!” grrr!”

“Well, you’re a weird-ass, looking noodles,” Nubes snarled

“Huh, that’s the best you can do, you dwarf.”

“Grrr!!”

“Ah...hehe guys, let’s stop this,” I said awkwardly

“You’re just a giant.”

“And you’re a dwarf.”

“Beanstalk”

“You dumb-looking gnome” honestly, this is dumb dumber than I am. What’s even the point of this? I mean, geez, these are weak ass f*cking insults. I couldn’t stop them, so they made a stir, and when I was stepping away, they caught me in between their fight, causing us all to fight as we made a bit of disturbance in the hall.

“OUCH WHY YO-O-” Somebody hit our heads, and Nubes was already aiming for them as he thought it was still us

“SIRS, PLEASE! I DIDN’T WANT TO DO THIS BUT WERE KICKING YOU OUT OF THE HOSPITAL YOU CAN ONLY COME BACK WHEN ALL OF YOU ARE SURE TO BEHAVE” we looked up to see a nurse. It was a beautiful nurse that was scolding us. She’s stunning

“Hey, are you guys listening to me? what idiots!” I was back to myself as I looked, Velo, who was blushing, and Nubes, who was...wtf drooling his mouth was literally open, then he immediately stood up and flirts with the nurse, comes on, really nubes he’s like a fly

“Argh! Oh, nurse, it hurts in here. Listen,” he points to his chest

“It hurts to see such a breathtaking creature without knowing her name.”

“You look like a goddess, Mi Amor.”

“Sir…” this is ridiculous. I couldn’t take the embarrassment, Velo, and I just walked away.

“SIR! AH!” The nurse then pulls her hands away from him and hits him with her board list.

“p*****t!”

“Whahahhaha!!” Velo and I cackle breathless at the hilarious sight

“WHAHAHAHAHA” Nubes came back with an inflamed face and punched the both of us, but we couldn’t stop laughing.

“Stop it already. My heart’s broken. Oh, how could I ever live? How could I heal with this such defeat.”

“You’re stupid.”

“You’re one to talk, Chico,” Velo noted

“By the way, how was Yoru,” Nubes asked

“He’s okay and awake now, but you can visit him later once Astra and he finished talking,” I said

“Oh, what are they talking about?” Nubes questioned

“I have no idea, but they are fighting now.”

“WHAT?!” The both of them said in unison

“Let’s stop them, you i***t. Why haven’t you told us earlier we should stop them.”

“Because it’s not our business and who did also caught up in a fight. morons”

“I’m pretty sure It’s not me, and Yoru instructed me not to intervene.”

“You know how they settle things, right.”

“You’re right, Chico. I hope everything just ends up well.” Velo said

“I hope so too,” Nubes added.

“Hey, guys, how exactly did you all meet, boss?” I asked them.

“Well, I was just put here by Muerte’s sidelings, and I got to join the strongest.” Nubes asserted.

“I mean, who does not know Astra.”

“At first glance, he looks really intimidating, he’s indeed good looking, and we could use that to our advantage. Maybe that’s why he’s Muerte’s favorite.”

“Why do you say that?” Velo asked while his face was being infuriated. I could tell that he was angry, but Nubes was clueless about this as he was facing the other direction,

“Well, I just think that he gets what he wants; Astra became his favorite because the boss is beautiful. Well, there’s his intelligence and exceptional skills, man! he’s terrifying.”

“I might even say a beast, something you don’t want to be involved with” Velo was furious as he was shaking with anger; he was stopping himself from letting his anger out to Nubes. I get why he felt that way. I was just as mad as him with the words Nubes stated, but it was too much to disrespect Astra and Velo’s rupture. He’s maybe a big soft bear, but he’s scary too.

“Velo, don’t do that” I tried to stop him, but he already tugged Nubes’s shirt and lifted him from the ground as Nubes was now struggling to get away from Velo’s grip and touch his feet on the floor.

“Get your hands off me! Let go of me, you jerk!” Nubes demanded

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”

“Do you even know who you’re talking about”

“Isn’t it you who’s using Astra”

“I’m so tired of people taking advantage of him for his beauty.”

“I don’t care about you or who knows who, but he takes you in.”

“You could leave if you don’t want it here.”

“I have never trusted you from the start, but he takes you in; without him, you’ll be dead now you have nowhere to run am I right and now I lost every single trust I build.”

“You don’t know Astra. You don’t even know what he has been through!”

“WHAT HE DOES JUST TO SURVIVE!”

“If you want more, then be Muerte’s pet.”

“Astra don’t need him and you! So I don’t care what you want.”

“But you don’t get to stay stuff like that to our boss.”

“To you, beauty is a blessing, and to him, beauty is a curse.”

“He never wanted to live in this crazy place with morons like you.”

“He is where he is now, not because Astra uses people, boss works hard he suffered more than you know, much more than you, dickhead! He has the talent, and I look up to him, and what about you? You piece of crap” Velo then let go of Nubes shirt as the ginger head fell to the ground. We looked bluntly at him, and he looked embarrassed.

“Let’s go, Chico. I don’t want to waste any more time with people like him.”

“We are a team, we are family, but that was too much, Nubes. I’m sorry,” I said as we walked away.

“Hey, guys, wait up, please! I’m sorry!” Nubes said as he is running after us

“What do you need to say?” Velo pump on him still pissed off

“Stop that, Velo” I pushed him back and let us all sit.

“Fine, after we tell you how I meet boss, you judge, and after that, if the way you look at him won’t change then, I’ll respect it,” Velo affirmed

“I’ll go first then.”

“I was already at Muerte’s hand back then when he introduced to us a black-haired boy that was so pretty, he was still a kid, and Muerte took him under his wing, the old man told us that he’ll raise Astra as his own”

“Back then, he looked so pure his face was still innocent and yet scared he can’t even remember his name as he cries it was because of the incident that happened before that, that led him to have trauma.”

“When one time Muerte left Astra to us, I could already see the hunger that was prying on a good-looking boy at the men around us, and I stick to him we played, and that was the first time we saw him joyful like a child should be his eyes sparkles. He really does have a beautiful smile, but that was the last time I would see his smile and would see him.”

“Muerte locked up Astra in his mansion. He was always there for three years. He was seven back then, and the next time we would meet was already four years after.”

“I was happy to see him. I approached him and was aiming to tap his shoulders, but what happened to shock me. He instantly noticed me and grabbed my hands; before I even knew that, I was already facing the floor with a knife next to my neck.”

“What happened to him? I asked myself what has changed; many have changed.”

“He always notices every people’s movement. He’s always on guard. for an 11 years old that could put up with a big guy like me, man his really a monster on his own.”

“He won’t let people touch him. His eyes light was gone. He still looks like that innocent child but not to this world that took it away from him. Life must have been hard for him in there.”

“He constantly looked for his back. He didn’t enjoy his life as a child as he was getting abused and used by people around him. Astra didn’t have the chance to go to school and have friends. He was all alone with no strength to fight, so yes, he used Muerte’s likings to him so he could live.”

“Don’t you know how tough that is for 11 years old to be constantly already worrying for himself all alone with men, For a child to know how to use a gun”

“He likes to read books, and all that made him smart and also Muerte gives him all the things he needed to learn.”

“But we all know that’s not all that Muerte does with Astra. He uses him as his tool in many ways now Astra, that lost eyes grew more and more lost over the years. I couldn’t see him anymore; pain, suffering, and darkness took over it. He was no longer there, and every day, I find him drifting away from his old self, getting colder and colder. I don’t blame him. He had gone through a lot, and I was just someone who couldn’t even help him. That’s why I always guard Astra. Yoru and I always watch him from afar as he keeps walking forward. He may be cold, but he still treated us as a family, so when he decided that he wanted to get away from this, I followed him, but all this time, he couldn’t find any reason to fight anymore. He wanted to give up life; he knew no one or anything was waiting for him, but one day he came back with Salvy, and everything changed”

“Many was jealous at his talent, but even that talent was a curse.”

“He’s a leader of our gang, but not even that lead him to take advantage of us”

“He is our leader, our family.”