Gift fic for encoded_panties
Title: Suits
Pairing/Characters: 8Uppers
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Some swearing and "suggestive" stuff
Notes: Thank you to my beta for the help. \o/ encoded_panties I hope you enjoy it!
Summary: 8Uppers have a new case~!
July 17th, International moving company president found dead in his office. Police are still investigating....
"Why are you watching that? It's always the same depressing crap," Jacky grumbles at Mac. Mac fingers the edge of a thick manila file folder brimming with crisp white paper.
"Call the others, we've got a job," Mac says, turning off the TV with a click, the floorboards creaking under his feet as he leaves the room.
&&
"What is it this time?" Johnny asks, looking curious. He's only half paying attention, pulling his coat on and swiftly buttoning it.
Mac pulls out a small snap shot of a frowning man with salt and pepper hair standing next to a tall smiling man in a crisp black suit and light pink tie.
The others stare at Mac expectantly and are not disappointed when he immediately starts to explain the job that they are taking on this time.
"The customer wants us to take care of him," Mac says, tapping at the smiling man. Arsenal's hand slides over the gun safely nested against his hip but his expression doesn't change beyond a slight twitch near his eye.
"His father is-well, was-the head of a large international moving company."
"Ah, the one from the news?" Jacky asks, clapping his hands together.
"Take care of him?" Johnny asks, sounding slightly surprised. Toppo frowns, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"He looks young," Gum comments, adjusting the strings on his mask. "What did he do?"
"Killed his father," Mac says smoothly, but the muscles in his jaw clenching give him away.
Arsenal pulls out a cigarette and lights up. Gum's expression hardens. Ace looks disinterested, leaning on Arsenal as he chews a banana open-mouthed.
"Surprisingly wimpy looking for a murderer," Ace says with his mouth still full.
"Why not just turn him into the police?" Jacky asks. "Not that we don't need the money but…"
"His uncle, our customer, said there's not enough evidence so the police aren't moving against him," Mac continues, tossing the file down onto the small round table.
"He has reason to believe that he and his family are in danger."
The room falls into silence.
&&
Mac pulls into an alley by the apartment complex. He turns off the headlights, settling in to wait while Jacky tries to engage Toppo in a conversation that contains more than nodding or monosyllabic answers.
"You realize we're not exactly inconspicuous in the van…" Jacky says slowly, apparently giving up on Toppo and directing his attention to Mac, his elbows propped on the shoulders of the two seats as he leans forward between them.
"We haven't had a problem before," Mac says. People expect black cars with blacked out windows; not hippie vans. It shouldn't matter since it’s dark out already. The lone street lamp at the entrance keeps flickering on and off, making it hard to see clearly. Mac takes a deep breath, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
Toppo continues on ignoring them both, his thumbs tapping steadily at his handheld game.
"You're sure this kid will be here?" The doubt in Jacky's voice is clear. Toppo pauses, just for a moment, and looks out the corner of his eye at Mac.
"Yes." Mac says before turning to his left. He takes out the thick envelope and reaches into it, pulling something out and shoving it at Toppo.
"Toppo, take the key, Gum and Ace will be there soon."
Toppo takes it with a quick nod, pocketing his game and grabbing his small pack. He shuts the van door quietly and disappears around the corner of the building.
Jacky climbs into the front seat and Mac starts drumming his fingers on the steering wheel again. Now all they need to do is wait.
&&
The man looks surprised, his eyes widening when he turns on the light after he steps into his apartment.
"Fuck."
He immediately tries to turn around, heading for the front door, but Gum's stick hits the back of his knees just right and he's on the ground with a pained gasp.
He grunts, trying to stand up, but Ace's hands grab the back of his suit as he drags him to his feet. Ace dodges a wild punch, laughing when the guy tries to kick him awkwardly.
"I got it," Ace snaps when Gum takes a step towards them. With a sigh, Toppo takes out a small glass bottle, pulling out the cork and quickly wetting a white cloth with it.
The guy is breathing hard, staring at Ace with a mixture of fear and determination. Ace starts bouncing on his heels, grinning manically. Ace moves effortlessly when the other guy charges at him. He quickly steps to the side and his fist connects with the guy's stomach, sending him to his knees with a pained gasp.
"Toppo, now," Gum says. He rushes to pull the guy's arms behind his back while Toppo covers his mouth and nose with the cloth. He thrashes for a few seconds, the cloth muffling his scream but it is only moments before his eyelids droop and he falls limp.
"That was easy," Ace says cheerfully, quickly making his exit from the apartment and leaving Gum and Toppo to carry the unconscious man.
&&
"Let's go!" Ace says with a huge grin.
"You're on guard duty when we get back to the club," Jacky reminds him, and Ace's grin disappears.
Ace leans forward. "Gum, trade you? I can work the floor."
Gum just smacks his gum, blowing a large bubble.
"Ace," Mac warns.
"Fine."
&&
Ace pauses, fingers sliding easily through the guy's hair as he pulls his face up to get a better look at him. The guy's breath ghosts his cheek as he stares. It will be a while before he recovers from Toppo's concoction, if they don't get rid of him before then.
Ace seems to remember what he was going to do, letting the guy's head loll forward against his chest as he shoves his hands into his suit jacket pockets. The outer ones produce nothing of interest: a convenience store receipt and a hair band. He throws them on the floor and pats the guy's pants pockets--nothing there--before he reaches a hand into the inner pocket. He pulls out a neatly folded piece of paper. It crinkles as he opens it, his eyes widening in surprise as he reads it over.
Arsenal is sitting in a nearby chair with a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he meticulously runs a white cloth over his gun.
"Huh."
"What is it?" Arsenal asks, looking up at him briefly.
"Read it," Ace says shoving it at him. Arsenal tosses the white cloth down, the gun still clutched in his hand.
The corners of Arsenal's mouth turn down. "Mac and Jacky should see this."
&&
"What do we do now?" Johnny asks. "If that note is really from his father then…"
Mac's forehead creases as he reads over the note again. Either this note is a fake or they were lied to.
"We'll have to talk to him," Mac says.
Ace rocks back and forth on the heels of his feet, sucking on a popsicle.
"Who is going to watch him until he wakes up?" Jacky asks.
"Not it!" Ace yells. "I already did it."
All seven of them simultaneously hold out their hands.
"Rock."
"Paper."
"Scissors."
Four rounds later, Ace frowns. "Fuck."
&&
Ace is almost asleep when he hears a groan. He looks up, scratching his stomach as the man starts to stir, his shoulders shifting as he unconsciously struggles with the rope tying him to the chair.
"Morning, sunshine," Ace says in a cheerful voice.
The man coughs and manages to stare at Ace, looking wary, his Adam's apple bobbling as he swallows thickly.
"Who are you?" he asks, his voice rough, probably dry from whatever knocked him out.
Ace swings his feet off the couch, and then crouches down in front of him so they're at eye level. He continues staring until the other man's glare wavers and his bravado seems to fade.
"…What?" he asks, the slight crack in his voice betraying him.
Ace steps away from him, opening the door to yell down the hall to Johnny.
"He's awake!"
Ace turns back to the man, who is glaring at him suspiciously, and flashes him his best grin. His face pales and Ace laughs.
&&
"Uchi Hiroki, that's your name, right?" Mac asks.
He opens his mouth then closes it, seemingly changing his mind about what he's going to say before he inhales and tries again.
"Yes," Uchi says. "What do you want with me?"
"Did you kill your father?" Mac asks, not bothering with delicacy.
Uchi's mouth falls open; he's speechless for a moment before he narrows his eyes at them. "No."
"We were hired by your uncle. He said you did, and were coming after him," Mac says slowly, watching his reaction.
Uchi's jaw clenches. "He's a fucking liar."
"Can you prove it?" Jacky asks, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Not yet," Uchi says, voice trembling slightly. "Not completely, anyways. But I have something."
Johnny steps around behind his chair, shooting a questioning glance at Mac as he gestures to the ropes. Mac nods once, his frown deepening. Johnny quickly unties them.
"I got a note from my father," he says, reaching into his jacket once his hands are freed. He pauses for a second before looking panicked.
Mac silently pulls the slip of paper out of his own pocket and passes it to him. He sighs and looks relieved, mumbling a "thank you" when he takes it from him.
"I checked the numbers and those are client accounts for our moving company," Uchi says, reading over the note again.
"The clients aren't real people though," Uchi explains, voice shaking with anger. "My uncle was the accountant and handled everything, he's the only one that could have gotten away with it."
"So, he's been moving money," Mac says, fingers tapping out a rhythm on his forearm.
"The phone number at the bottom was for a private investigator. I was supposed to meet him." Uchi says, looking worried, "he never showed up and I can't get a hold of him now."
Toppo looks up from where he's sitting on the couch. "It doesn't sound like he's lying."
"You'll let me go then? I need to get back to the company." Uchi asks, sounding hopeful.
"Your uncle hired us to kill you, probably killed your father, and you want to go back now?" Arsenal asks, looking at him like he thinks he's a moron.
"Let him do what he wants, it's not our business if he's a dumbass and gets himself killed," Ace says with a scoff.
Uchi glares at him, his fists clenched; Jacky gives Ace a warning look when his eyes perk up in interest in a possible fight. Uchi would definitely lose, again.
"You should stay here for tonight, at least," Mac says.
"It's late," Johnny adds, following it with a yawn.
Uchi hesitates for a minute, looking between them. "Thank you, I'll be out of your hair tomorrow."
&&
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? We have milk!" Gum asks cheerfully, when Uchi rolls out of the futon. Uchi nods and mumbles something unintelligible, clutching at his head.
He follows Gum into the kitchen, taking a seat by Toppo and watching Johnny crack eggs into a large bowl. Gum goes straight to the fridge, coming back minutes later with a two tall glasses of milk.
"Here you are!" Gum sets it down in front of him and then wanders off with his own glass, humming.
"Do you feel okay?" Toppo asks quietly, darting a glance at Uchi.
Uchi nods, giving him a feeble smile before taking a sip of milk.
"The headache shouldn't last too long," he says, fidgeting slightly.
Uchi smiles. "I've had worse hangovers." Toppo tentatively returns his smile.
"Here," Johnny says as he sets a plate of eggs with a slice of bread down in front of him.
Uchi's stomach rumbles and he laughs shortly, saying a quick thank you before digging in. "It's good!" He says, mouth half-full, and the corner of Johnny's mouth lifts into a small smile.
&&
"You really think you can do this on your own?" Jacky asks him, sounding slightly incredulous.
"Well…" Uchi says.
"You suck at fighting," Ace says, matter of factly, lighting up a cigarette and leaning back on the couch, his legs spread open. Uchi stares at him, seemingly catches himself, and quickly looks away.
"Who said I'd have to fight," Uchi mumbles. "I could…"
"You will." Arsenal says, staring straight at him.
"Well, then what do you suggest I do?" Uchi says, annoyance creeping into his voice. Arsenal doesn't say anything, taking a long drag from his cigarette and sending a swirling trail of smoke floating up to the ceiling.
Mac claps his hands together. "The rules!"
Mac holds out his fist expectantly, then opens his hand and, finally, leaves only his first and middle finger out. Uchi just looks confused.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Uchi asks, raising his eyebrow.
"It's how we decide things," Gum says with a grin.
"If you win, we'll help you," Jacky explains.
The confused look on his face doesn't go away. He sticks his own hand out, raising an eyebrow.
A moment later he looks triumphant.
"I won!" he says with a grin.
"I guess this means we'll help you get to the bottom of this," Mac says, looking at the others.
"What would happen if I had lost?" Uchi asks.
Mac pauses for a second, looking thoughtful. "We'd help you but you would've paid a lot for it." He grins at him and Uchi returns it, laughing slightly.
"Thank you," he says sincerely.
&&
"Here are some things," Gum says as he passes Uchi a suitcase.
"We didn't know what exactly you'd need," Toppo explains, but Uchi just smiles and thanks them. He digs through it when they leave, pulling out a pair of jeans and a shirt to change into.
Uchi pauses, shifting back and forth on his feet, when he comes back out into the lounge area. Gum is sweeping the floor while Ace plays a game of darts. He hesitates for a moment before taking a seat at the bar, watching Johnny meticulously dry glass after glass.
"Here," Johnny says softly, sliding a drink in front of him. Uchi looks up, surprised, but Johnny's already turned around, carefully stacking the freshly washed shot glasses.
Uchi brings the glass to his lips, sipping at the spiced rum.
&&
Mac makes the call.
"It's taken care of," Mac says, his voice steady.
"… I see," the voice on the other side says carefully, and there's barely concealed glee in it that has Mac's fist clenching.
"I hope you and your family will be able to sleep easy."
"Thank you, I wish it didn't have to happen like this...." There's no true remorse in his tone.
The phone call doesn't last long. Mac hangs up and carefully sets the phone down on the table, leaning back and rubbing at his temples slowly.
&&
"A manhunt has begun for a suspect in the recent suspicious death of international moving company Uchi Movers' president. His son has now become the prime suspect and is thought to have fled the…"
The TV channel changes all of a sudden to a soccer match and Uchi turns around.
"I was watching that," Uchi grumbles under his breath. Ace just grins, slowly peeling a banana as he flops down on the couch, sitting close enough that their thighs are touching.
"Do I look like I care, Honey?" Ace says, his gaze lingering just a little too long.
Uchi's opens his mouth like he's about to say something, but Jacky walks in.
"Japan and Brazil!" Jacky says with uncontained excitement in his voice, taking up the cushion on the other side of Uchi.
Uchi sighs and Ace winks at him with a mouthful of banana.
&&
"He thinks you're dead. The police are not watching what he's doing anymore so he's feeling safe. We'll just tap his phone calls and watch where he's going."
Jacky carefully spreads out a map of the office building while Mac explains how they're going to break in.
Uchi carefully goes over the layout, and Mac takes notes on where everything is.
"He's probably changed the passwords," Uchi says, his forehead creasing. "I still have a key and pass codes that might work, though."
"I can take care of it if they don't, I think," Toppo says quietly, looking up at him briefly before he looks away again.
"You're sure you don't want me to go?" Uchi asks, biting his lip.
Mac shakes his head. "If they were to see you still alive it would cause even more problems."
They head out and Ace pats his head, and grins at him.
"Be a good boy, don't give the babysitter too much trouble."
Uchi swats at his hand, and frowns. Ace laughs, waving a hand over his shoulder before he, too, disappears.
He sits down with a sigh after they've left, turning on the TV even though he has no intention of watching it. Johnny joins him shortly after, passing him a bottle of green tea.
&&
Arsenal is standing guard in the hall, watching careful to make sure no one has made it past Ace, who is positioned on the first floor. Arsenal has his hand on his gun, touching it lightly, and waiting patiently for Mac and Toppo to finish.
They haven't been in there long, but Arsenal fidgets slightly, his fingers quietly tapping out an improvised beat on his thigh.
Mac has a triumphant grin on his face when they finally do emerge, nodding at Arsenal that they're ready to leave. A moment later, Gum's voice, through his ear-buds, is telling them they need to leave now.
"I didn't get to punch anyone," Ace says, sounding disappointed, when they're all loaded in the van. Arsenal immediately pulls out a pack of cigarettes, and Ace quickly grabs the one from between his fingers, purposefully ignoring his glare.
"Light?" The cigarette bobs between his lips; Arsenal stares at him for just a moment before relenting and flicking open his Zippo for him.
&&
Uchi jumps up from the couch when the sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps coming down the hall reaches him.
"We got it," Mac says with a smirk, a large stack of files in his hand.
Uchi grins, the relief written all over his face.
Mac looks through the documents while Uchi focuses on the computer files that Toppo was able to copy. Johnny brings them coffee after a few hours have passed and they're still barely a fourth of the way through them.
"The invoices for these shipments…look strange," Mac mutters, mostly to himself.
"This is going to take forever," Uchi mumbles.
Ace comes in later, sweat trickling down his cheek, and the bass from the club barely muffled in the background. He sits on the arm of couch, looking over Uchi's shoulder and seemingly unbothered by the proximity.
"That looks boring as fuck," Ace says and then takes a swig of his drink, leaning in even closer and grinning, like he thinks it is funny, when Uchi tenses.
"How nice of you to come offer to help," Mac says, holding out a stack of unread papers.
Ace just laughs. "Don't think so," he says, using Uchi's shoulder when he stands up. He lets his hand rest there and it takes Uchi a moment before he comes to himself, shrugging it off.
&&
"Here you are, special milk, little one," Gum coos, putting out another saucer of milk for a thin scruffy looking cat. Another one soon trots up, purring and rubbing up against his hand.
"Let's go!" Jacky bellows and Gum frowns when the cats scatter under the nearby dumpster.
"Jacky," Gum chides him and is ignored.
"We don't have time," Jacky grumbles. "He's only out of the house for a few hours."
&&
"It's not just money laundering," Mac tells Uchi when he gets back from his house, Gum and Jacky in tow.
"He's been helping smuggle drugs," Jacky says, disgust evident in his voice.
Uchi's eyes widen. "How?"
"Those fake client accounts your father found, the drugs were stashed in their shipments of furniture."
Uchi looks confused. "So, they… stashed the drugs, created fake clients and transported them that way? How would he explain the money he got for doing that?"
Ace looks completely bored with the conversation, throwing darts at the board in between smoking his cigarette.
"Hiring fake employees and paying their salary to himself," Jacky answers, pulling out more folders with resumes and bank transfer history.
"It just so happened that the shipping fees worked out to be the same as some employees' salaries," Mac says. Uchi's frown deepens as he reads over all the documents.
"These do match what we found before," Uchi says, probably more to himself than anyone else.
Mac frowns and his expression darkens. "He seems to have realized that something is amiss though; he's increasing security."
"Do you have anyone you could trust who is close to him?"
Uchi shakes his head and then pauses, biting his lip and looking hesitant. "Maybe my aunt."
"His wife? Can you trust her?" Mac asks, sounding unsure.
"I'd like to think so, she's my father's sister," he says, looking between them.
"My parents are both gone now, so she's the only family I have left," Uchi's voice is steady but his hands are balled into fists on his lap.
A beat passes and Mac and Jacky share a look, a silent conversation before Mac nods at him.
"We'll send Johnny to speak with her. We need her to get to your uncle's bank accounts, so we can connect him to the money laundering."
Uchi hesitates for a second before nodding, sounding more confident. "I think she'll help."
&&
"Don't look so worried," Ace says, using the back of his hand to wipe mayo from the corner of his mouth.
"Johnny is flaming, like you, but he's good with women. He'll convince her to help."
Uchi stares at him, not looking amused, but he doesn't deny anything.
"I'm not the one coming on to men I've just met," Uchi mutters under his breath.
"What?" Ace asks. He's grinning, but it’s his tone that sets Uchi on edge.
Uchi holds his ground for a minute, staring at Ace, his face starting to turn pink before he looks away.
"Nothing," Uchi mutters.
Ace snorts, and grabs a shot glass and the closest bottle of liquor. He pauses for a second before he pulls out another shot glass, filling both and then setting one down in front of Uchi.
Ace clinks their glasses together before downing his own.
"Uchi, if I were coming on to you… you'd know it," Ace says, leaning in close to whisper against his ear. Ace winks, fingers lightly brushing his bangs out of the way. Uchi looks at him, surprised, and Ace laughs as he disappears down the hall. Uchi scowls down at the shot for a moment, and then shakes his head. He downs it in one go, coughing afterwards. The empty glass comes to rest on the grainy wood counter with a soft clink.
&&
"Thank you," Uchi says, bowing low.
"If you turn all of this in to the police, it should be enough," Mac says.
"Just don't mention us," Arsenal says. The corner of his lips twitch but don't make it to a full-fledged smile.
"We still have to make a living, you know," Jacky says with a short laugh.
"The milk in prison wouldn't be very good." Gum winks.
Uchi takes the package from Mac with slightly shaky hands. "I'll be back soon then."
&&
They watch the news together a few days later, and see Uchi's uncle in handcuffs. His head is covered in a cloth inside a police car as it drives off.
Uchi's phone goes off and he picks it up, stepping into the hall to take the call.
He comes back in a moment later.
"My car is here."
"Take care of yourself," Mac says. The others, even Ace, watch from the entrance of Club 8 as the driver loads his suitcase into the back of a car.
"Thank you," Uchi says, bowing at them all.
"I'll pay you back somehow, I promise." Uchi smiles, before he gets in the black car and it drives off, disappearing around the corner.
&&
It is a few months later, after everything has died down, that Uchi shows up with a small bag clutched in his hand, his pressed suit out of place in the nightclub. He sidles up to the counter. Johnny turns around, looking surprised to see him again before he smiles.
"Rum and coke, please," Uchi says, grinning back at him.
"Hey, it's loudmouth," Ace yells over the music in the club, flinging his arm over Uchi's shoulder while his free hand grabs the short glass of rum, bringing it to his lips and taking one test sip-and seemingly finds it to his liking--then downs over half of it in one go.
"Hey, asshole," Uchi says brightly, a huge grin still on his face, even as he tries to pry the glass from Ace's hand. Ace doesn't relent though, just looks down at where their hands are covering each other and smirks lopsidedly at him.
"You have something you want to tell me?" Ace asks in a low, smooth voice, leaning in to speak against his ear. Uchi tenses.
"No!" Uchi snaps at him a little too quickly. Ace grins at that, the hand that was on the glass suddenly resting on Uchi's knee, his fingers rubbing lightly over the inseam.
It's like a game of chicken, and Uchi is stubborn, ignoring his increasingly bold touches, until a hand brushes lightly over the front of his jeans and his face heats up.
"Okay, that is clearly coming on to me," Uchi says, staring up at him, trying to look unaffected but failing miserably.
"Wow, you're quick to catch on," Ace says in a low, sarcastic drawl.
Uchi glares at him.
Ace stops touching him and laughs. Uchi pushes him away.
"Glad to see you haven't changed at all," Uchi drawls, but he sounds more amused than angry. He reaches for his drink, but it's in Ace's hand before he can touch it.
Ace stares at him over the top of the glass, grinning.
"I know you missed me," Ace says with a wink, disappearing back into the crowd of people with Uchi's drink.
&&
"I meant to bring this sooner, but things were a bit hectic," Uchi says sheepishly, after they've finished closing and cleaning up for the night. They are all gathered around in the back room around the small table. Uchi bites his lip, looking uncharacteristically shy, before he slides the black bag across the table.
Mac opens it and his eyes go wide.
Jacky pulls out a small stack of money, caressing it softly. Toppo sits up and peeks into the bag.
"It's not a lot," Uchi says, sounding a bit embarrassed. "But, thank you for, well, you know."
"This is a lot," Mac says.
"Too much," Johnny adds, peeking into the bag. Gum whistles and tries to pry the money from Jacky's hands, without much success.
"I guess you're not that bad," Ace adds, leaning over Arsenal's shoulder.
"Thanks," Uchi says, grinning at all of them. He has a feeling--or hopes, anyways-- that this isn’t the last time they’ll be seeing each other.
Pairing/Characters: 8Uppers
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Some swearing and "suggestive" stuff
Notes: Thank you to my beta for the help. \o/ encoded_panties I hope you enjoy it!
Summary: 8Uppers have a new case~!
July 17th, International moving company president found dead in his office. Police are still investigating....
"Why are you watching that? It's always the same depressing crap," Jacky grumbles at Mac. Mac fingers the edge of a thick manila file folder brimming with crisp white paper.
"Call the others, we've got a job," Mac says, turning off the TV with a click, the floorboards creaking under his feet as he leaves the room.
&&
"What is it this time?" Johnny asks, looking curious. He's only half paying attention, pulling his coat on and swiftly buttoning it.
Mac pulls out a small snap shot of a frowning man with salt and pepper hair standing next to a tall smiling man in a crisp black suit and light pink tie.
The others stare at Mac expectantly and are not disappointed when he immediately starts to explain the job that they are taking on this time.
"The customer wants us to take care of him," Mac says, tapping at the smiling man. Arsenal's hand slides over the gun safely nested against his hip but his expression doesn't change beyond a slight twitch near his eye.
"His father is-well, was-the head of a large international moving company."
"Ah, the one from the news?" Jacky asks, clapping his hands together.
"Take care of him?" Johnny asks, sounding slightly surprised. Toppo frowns, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"He looks young," Gum comments, adjusting the strings on his mask. "What did he do?"
"Killed his father," Mac says smoothly, but the muscles in his jaw clenching give him away.
Arsenal pulls out a cigarette and lights up. Gum's expression hardens. Ace looks disinterested, leaning on Arsenal as he chews a banana open-mouthed.
"Surprisingly wimpy looking for a murderer," Ace says with his mouth still full.
"Why not just turn him into the police?" Jacky asks. "Not that we don't need the money but…"
"His uncle, our customer, said there's not enough evidence so the police aren't moving against him," Mac continues, tossing the file down onto the small round table.
"He has reason to believe that he and his family are in danger."
The room falls into silence.
&&
Mac pulls into an alley by the apartment complex. He turns off the headlights, settling in to wait while Jacky tries to engage Toppo in a conversation that contains more than nodding or monosyllabic answers.
"You realize we're not exactly inconspicuous in the van…" Jacky says slowly, apparently giving up on Toppo and directing his attention to Mac, his elbows propped on the shoulders of the two seats as he leans forward between them.
"We haven't had a problem before," Mac says. People expect black cars with blacked out windows; not hippie vans. It shouldn't matter since it’s dark out already. The lone street lamp at the entrance keeps flickering on and off, making it hard to see clearly. Mac takes a deep breath, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
Toppo continues on ignoring them both, his thumbs tapping steadily at his handheld game.
"You're sure this kid will be here?" The doubt in Jacky's voice is clear. Toppo pauses, just for a moment, and looks out the corner of his eye at Mac.
"Yes." Mac says before turning to his left. He takes out the thick envelope and reaches into it, pulling something out and shoving it at Toppo.
"Toppo, take the key, Gum and Ace will be there soon."
Toppo takes it with a quick nod, pocketing his game and grabbing his small pack. He shuts the van door quietly and disappears around the corner of the building.
Jacky climbs into the front seat and Mac starts drumming his fingers on the steering wheel again. Now all they need to do is wait.
&&
The man looks surprised, his eyes widening when he turns on the light after he steps into his apartment.
"Fuck."
He immediately tries to turn around, heading for the front door, but Gum's stick hits the back of his knees just right and he's on the ground with a pained gasp.
He grunts, trying to stand up, but Ace's hands grab the back of his suit as he drags him to his feet. Ace dodges a wild punch, laughing when the guy tries to kick him awkwardly.
"I got it," Ace snaps when Gum takes a step towards them. With a sigh, Toppo takes out a small glass bottle, pulling out the cork and quickly wetting a white cloth with it.
The guy is breathing hard, staring at Ace with a mixture of fear and determination. Ace starts bouncing on his heels, grinning manically. Ace moves effortlessly when the other guy charges at him. He quickly steps to the side and his fist connects with the guy's stomach, sending him to his knees with a pained gasp.
"Toppo, now," Gum says. He rushes to pull the guy's arms behind his back while Toppo covers his mouth and nose with the cloth. He thrashes for a few seconds, the cloth muffling his scream but it is only moments before his eyelids droop and he falls limp.
"That was easy," Ace says cheerfully, quickly making his exit from the apartment and leaving Gum and Toppo to carry the unconscious man.
&&
"Let's go!" Ace says with a huge grin.
"You're on guard duty when we get back to the club," Jacky reminds him, and Ace's grin disappears.
Ace leans forward. "Gum, trade you? I can work the floor."
Gum just smacks his gum, blowing a large bubble.
"Ace," Mac warns.
"Fine."
&&
Ace pauses, fingers sliding easily through the guy's hair as he pulls his face up to get a better look at him. The guy's breath ghosts his cheek as he stares. It will be a while before he recovers from Toppo's concoction, if they don't get rid of him before then.
Ace seems to remember what he was going to do, letting the guy's head loll forward against his chest as he shoves his hands into his suit jacket pockets. The outer ones produce nothing of interest: a convenience store receipt and a hair band. He throws them on the floor and pats the guy's pants pockets--nothing there--before he reaches a hand into the inner pocket. He pulls out a neatly folded piece of paper. It crinkles as he opens it, his eyes widening in surprise as he reads it over.
Arsenal is sitting in a nearby chair with a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he meticulously runs a white cloth over his gun.
"Huh."
"What is it?" Arsenal asks, looking up at him briefly.
"Read it," Ace says shoving it at him. Arsenal tosses the white cloth down, the gun still clutched in his hand.
The corners of Arsenal's mouth turn down. "Mac and Jacky should see this."
&&
"What do we do now?" Johnny asks. "If that note is really from his father then…"
Mac's forehead creases as he reads over the note again. Either this note is a fake or they were lied to.
"We'll have to talk to him," Mac says.
Ace rocks back and forth on the heels of his feet, sucking on a popsicle.
"Who is going to watch him until he wakes up?" Jacky asks.
"Not it!" Ace yells. "I already did it."
All seven of them simultaneously hold out their hands.
"Rock."
"Paper."
"Scissors."
Four rounds later, Ace frowns. "Fuck."
&&
Ace is almost asleep when he hears a groan. He looks up, scratching his stomach as the man starts to stir, his shoulders shifting as he unconsciously struggles with the rope tying him to the chair.
"Morning, sunshine," Ace says in a cheerful voice.
The man coughs and manages to stare at Ace, looking wary, his Adam's apple bobbling as he swallows thickly.
"Who are you?" he asks, his voice rough, probably dry from whatever knocked him out.
Ace swings his feet off the couch, and then crouches down in front of him so they're at eye level. He continues staring until the other man's glare wavers and his bravado seems to fade.
"…What?" he asks, the slight crack in his voice betraying him.
Ace steps away from him, opening the door to yell down the hall to Johnny.
"He's awake!"
Ace turns back to the man, who is glaring at him suspiciously, and flashes him his best grin. His face pales and Ace laughs.
&&
"Uchi Hiroki, that's your name, right?" Mac asks.
He opens his mouth then closes it, seemingly changing his mind about what he's going to say before he inhales and tries again.
"Yes," Uchi says. "What do you want with me?"
"Did you kill your father?" Mac asks, not bothering with delicacy.
Uchi's mouth falls open; he's speechless for a moment before he narrows his eyes at them. "No."
"We were hired by your uncle. He said you did, and were coming after him," Mac says slowly, watching his reaction.
Uchi's jaw clenches. "He's a fucking liar."
"Can you prove it?" Jacky asks, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Not yet," Uchi says, voice trembling slightly. "Not completely, anyways. But I have something."
Johnny steps around behind his chair, shooting a questioning glance at Mac as he gestures to the ropes. Mac nods once, his frown deepening. Johnny quickly unties them.
"I got a note from my father," he says, reaching into his jacket once his hands are freed. He pauses for a second before looking panicked.
Mac silently pulls the slip of paper out of his own pocket and passes it to him. He sighs and looks relieved, mumbling a "thank you" when he takes it from him.
"I checked the numbers and those are client accounts for our moving company," Uchi says, reading over the note again.
"The clients aren't real people though," Uchi explains, voice shaking with anger. "My uncle was the accountant and handled everything, he's the only one that could have gotten away with it."
"So, he's been moving money," Mac says, fingers tapping out a rhythm on his forearm.
"The phone number at the bottom was for a private investigator. I was supposed to meet him." Uchi says, looking worried, "he never showed up and I can't get a hold of him now."
Toppo looks up from where he's sitting on the couch. "It doesn't sound like he's lying."
"You'll let me go then? I need to get back to the company." Uchi asks, sounding hopeful.
"Your uncle hired us to kill you, probably killed your father, and you want to go back now?" Arsenal asks, looking at him like he thinks he's a moron.
"Let him do what he wants, it's not our business if he's a dumbass and gets himself killed," Ace says with a scoff.
Uchi glares at him, his fists clenched; Jacky gives Ace a warning look when his eyes perk up in interest in a possible fight. Uchi would definitely lose, again.
"You should stay here for tonight, at least," Mac says.
"It's late," Johnny adds, following it with a yawn.
Uchi hesitates for a minute, looking between them. "Thank you, I'll be out of your hair tomorrow."
&&
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? We have milk!" Gum asks cheerfully, when Uchi rolls out of the futon. Uchi nods and mumbles something unintelligible, clutching at his head.
He follows Gum into the kitchen, taking a seat by Toppo and watching Johnny crack eggs into a large bowl. Gum goes straight to the fridge, coming back minutes later with a two tall glasses of milk.
"Here you are!" Gum sets it down in front of him and then wanders off with his own glass, humming.
"Do you feel okay?" Toppo asks quietly, darting a glance at Uchi.
Uchi nods, giving him a feeble smile before taking a sip of milk.
"The headache shouldn't last too long," he says, fidgeting slightly.
Uchi smiles. "I've had worse hangovers." Toppo tentatively returns his smile.
"Here," Johnny says as he sets a plate of eggs with a slice of bread down in front of him.
Uchi's stomach rumbles and he laughs shortly, saying a quick thank you before digging in. "It's good!" He says, mouth half-full, and the corner of Johnny's mouth lifts into a small smile.
&&
"You really think you can do this on your own?" Jacky asks him, sounding slightly incredulous.
"Well…" Uchi says.
"You suck at fighting," Ace says, matter of factly, lighting up a cigarette and leaning back on the couch, his legs spread open. Uchi stares at him, seemingly catches himself, and quickly looks away.
"Who said I'd have to fight," Uchi mumbles. "I could…"
"You will." Arsenal says, staring straight at him.
"Well, then what do you suggest I do?" Uchi says, annoyance creeping into his voice. Arsenal doesn't say anything, taking a long drag from his cigarette and sending a swirling trail of smoke floating up to the ceiling.
Mac claps his hands together. "The rules!"
Mac holds out his fist expectantly, then opens his hand and, finally, leaves only his first and middle finger out. Uchi just looks confused.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Uchi asks, raising his eyebrow.
"It's how we decide things," Gum says with a grin.
"If you win, we'll help you," Jacky explains.
The confused look on his face doesn't go away. He sticks his own hand out, raising an eyebrow.
A moment later he looks triumphant.
"I won!" he says with a grin.
"I guess this means we'll help you get to the bottom of this," Mac says, looking at the others.
"What would happen if I had lost?" Uchi asks.
Mac pauses for a second, looking thoughtful. "We'd help you but you would've paid a lot for it." He grins at him and Uchi returns it, laughing slightly.
"Thank you," he says sincerely.
&&
"Here are some things," Gum says as he passes Uchi a suitcase.
"We didn't know what exactly you'd need," Toppo explains, but Uchi just smiles and thanks them. He digs through it when they leave, pulling out a pair of jeans and a shirt to change into.
Uchi pauses, shifting back and forth on his feet, when he comes back out into the lounge area. Gum is sweeping the floor while Ace plays a game of darts. He hesitates for a moment before taking a seat at the bar, watching Johnny meticulously dry glass after glass.
"Here," Johnny says softly, sliding a drink in front of him. Uchi looks up, surprised, but Johnny's already turned around, carefully stacking the freshly washed shot glasses.
Uchi brings the glass to his lips, sipping at the spiced rum.
&&
Mac makes the call.
"It's taken care of," Mac says, his voice steady.
"… I see," the voice on the other side says carefully, and there's barely concealed glee in it that has Mac's fist clenching.
"I hope you and your family will be able to sleep easy."
"Thank you, I wish it didn't have to happen like this...." There's no true remorse in his tone.
The phone call doesn't last long. Mac hangs up and carefully sets the phone down on the table, leaning back and rubbing at his temples slowly.
&&
"A manhunt has begun for a suspect in the recent suspicious death of international moving company Uchi Movers' president. His son has now become the prime suspect and is thought to have fled the…"
The TV channel changes all of a sudden to a soccer match and Uchi turns around.
"I was watching that," Uchi grumbles under his breath. Ace just grins, slowly peeling a banana as he flops down on the couch, sitting close enough that their thighs are touching.
"Do I look like I care, Honey?" Ace says, his gaze lingering just a little too long.
Uchi's opens his mouth like he's about to say something, but Jacky walks in.
"Japan and Brazil!" Jacky says with uncontained excitement in his voice, taking up the cushion on the other side of Uchi.
Uchi sighs and Ace winks at him with a mouthful of banana.
&&
"He thinks you're dead. The police are not watching what he's doing anymore so he's feeling safe. We'll just tap his phone calls and watch where he's going."
Jacky carefully spreads out a map of the office building while Mac explains how they're going to break in.
Uchi carefully goes over the layout, and Mac takes notes on where everything is.
"He's probably changed the passwords," Uchi says, his forehead creasing. "I still have a key and pass codes that might work, though."
"I can take care of it if they don't, I think," Toppo says quietly, looking up at him briefly before he looks away again.
"You're sure you don't want me to go?" Uchi asks, biting his lip.
Mac shakes his head. "If they were to see you still alive it would cause even more problems."
They head out and Ace pats his head, and grins at him.
"Be a good boy, don't give the babysitter too much trouble."
Uchi swats at his hand, and frowns. Ace laughs, waving a hand over his shoulder before he, too, disappears.
He sits down with a sigh after they've left, turning on the TV even though he has no intention of watching it. Johnny joins him shortly after, passing him a bottle of green tea.
&&
Arsenal is standing guard in the hall, watching careful to make sure no one has made it past Ace, who is positioned on the first floor. Arsenal has his hand on his gun, touching it lightly, and waiting patiently for Mac and Toppo to finish.
They haven't been in there long, but Arsenal fidgets slightly, his fingers quietly tapping out an improvised beat on his thigh.
Mac has a triumphant grin on his face when they finally do emerge, nodding at Arsenal that they're ready to leave. A moment later, Gum's voice, through his ear-buds, is telling them they need to leave now.
"I didn't get to punch anyone," Ace says, sounding disappointed, when they're all loaded in the van. Arsenal immediately pulls out a pack of cigarettes, and Ace quickly grabs the one from between his fingers, purposefully ignoring his glare.
"Light?" The cigarette bobs between his lips; Arsenal stares at him for just a moment before relenting and flicking open his Zippo for him.
&&
Uchi jumps up from the couch when the sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps coming down the hall reaches him.
"We got it," Mac says with a smirk, a large stack of files in his hand.
Uchi grins, the relief written all over his face.
Mac looks through the documents while Uchi focuses on the computer files that Toppo was able to copy. Johnny brings them coffee after a few hours have passed and they're still barely a fourth of the way through them.
"The invoices for these shipments…look strange," Mac mutters, mostly to himself.
"This is going to take forever," Uchi mumbles.
Ace comes in later, sweat trickling down his cheek, and the bass from the club barely muffled in the background. He sits on the arm of couch, looking over Uchi's shoulder and seemingly unbothered by the proximity.
"That looks boring as fuck," Ace says and then takes a swig of his drink, leaning in even closer and grinning, like he thinks it is funny, when Uchi tenses.
"How nice of you to come offer to help," Mac says, holding out a stack of unread papers.
Ace just laughs. "Don't think so," he says, using Uchi's shoulder when he stands up. He lets his hand rest there and it takes Uchi a moment before he comes to himself, shrugging it off.
&&
"Here you are, special milk, little one," Gum coos, putting out another saucer of milk for a thin scruffy looking cat. Another one soon trots up, purring and rubbing up against his hand.
"Let's go!" Jacky bellows and Gum frowns when the cats scatter under the nearby dumpster.
"Jacky," Gum chides him and is ignored.
"We don't have time," Jacky grumbles. "He's only out of the house for a few hours."
&&
"It's not just money laundering," Mac tells Uchi when he gets back from his house, Gum and Jacky in tow.
"He's been helping smuggle drugs," Jacky says, disgust evident in his voice.
Uchi's eyes widen. "How?"
"Those fake client accounts your father found, the drugs were stashed in their shipments of furniture."
Uchi looks confused. "So, they… stashed the drugs, created fake clients and transported them that way? How would he explain the money he got for doing that?"
Ace looks completely bored with the conversation, throwing darts at the board in between smoking his cigarette.
"Hiring fake employees and paying their salary to himself," Jacky answers, pulling out more folders with resumes and bank transfer history.
"It just so happened that the shipping fees worked out to be the same as some employees' salaries," Mac says. Uchi's frown deepens as he reads over all the documents.
"These do match what we found before," Uchi says, probably more to himself than anyone else.
Mac frowns and his expression darkens. "He seems to have realized that something is amiss though; he's increasing security."
"Do you have anyone you could trust who is close to him?"
Uchi shakes his head and then pauses, biting his lip and looking hesitant. "Maybe my aunt."
"His wife? Can you trust her?" Mac asks, sounding unsure.
"I'd like to think so, she's my father's sister," he says, looking between them.
"My parents are both gone now, so she's the only family I have left," Uchi's voice is steady but his hands are balled into fists on his lap.
A beat passes and Mac and Jacky share a look, a silent conversation before Mac nods at him.
"We'll send Johnny to speak with her. We need her to get to your uncle's bank accounts, so we can connect him to the money laundering."
Uchi hesitates for a second before nodding, sounding more confident. "I think she'll help."
&&
"Don't look so worried," Ace says, using the back of his hand to wipe mayo from the corner of his mouth.
"Johnny is flaming, like you, but he's good with women. He'll convince her to help."
Uchi stares at him, not looking amused, but he doesn't deny anything.
"I'm not the one coming on to men I've just met," Uchi mutters under his breath.
"What?" Ace asks. He's grinning, but it’s his tone that sets Uchi on edge.
Uchi holds his ground for a minute, staring at Ace, his face starting to turn pink before he looks away.
"Nothing," Uchi mutters.
Ace snorts, and grabs a shot glass and the closest bottle of liquor. He pauses for a second before he pulls out another shot glass, filling both and then setting one down in front of Uchi.
Ace clinks their glasses together before downing his own.
"Uchi, if I were coming on to you… you'd know it," Ace says, leaning in close to whisper against his ear. Ace winks, fingers lightly brushing his bangs out of the way. Uchi looks at him, surprised, and Ace laughs as he disappears down the hall. Uchi scowls down at the shot for a moment, and then shakes his head. He downs it in one go, coughing afterwards. The empty glass comes to rest on the grainy wood counter with a soft clink.
&&
"Thank you," Uchi says, bowing low.
"If you turn all of this in to the police, it should be enough," Mac says.
"Just don't mention us," Arsenal says. The corner of his lips twitch but don't make it to a full-fledged smile.
"We still have to make a living, you know," Jacky says with a short laugh.
"The milk in prison wouldn't be very good." Gum winks.
Uchi takes the package from Mac with slightly shaky hands. "I'll be back soon then."
&&
They watch the news together a few days later, and see Uchi's uncle in handcuffs. His head is covered in a cloth inside a police car as it drives off.
Uchi's phone goes off and he picks it up, stepping into the hall to take the call.
He comes back in a moment later.
"My car is here."
"Take care of yourself," Mac says. The others, even Ace, watch from the entrance of Club 8 as the driver loads his suitcase into the back of a car.
"Thank you," Uchi says, bowing at them all.
"I'll pay you back somehow, I promise." Uchi smiles, before he gets in the black car and it drives off, disappearing around the corner.
&&
It is a few months later, after everything has died down, that Uchi shows up with a small bag clutched in his hand, his pressed suit out of place in the nightclub. He sidles up to the counter. Johnny turns around, looking surprised to see him again before he smiles.
"Rum and coke, please," Uchi says, grinning back at him.
"Hey, it's loudmouth," Ace yells over the music in the club, flinging his arm over Uchi's shoulder while his free hand grabs the short glass of rum, bringing it to his lips and taking one test sip-and seemingly finds it to his liking--then downs over half of it in one go.
"Hey, asshole," Uchi says brightly, a huge grin still on his face, even as he tries to pry the glass from Ace's hand. Ace doesn't relent though, just looks down at where their hands are covering each other and smirks lopsidedly at him.
"You have something you want to tell me?" Ace asks in a low, smooth voice, leaning in to speak against his ear. Uchi tenses.
"No!" Uchi snaps at him a little too quickly. Ace grins at that, the hand that was on the glass suddenly resting on Uchi's knee, his fingers rubbing lightly over the inseam.
It's like a game of chicken, and Uchi is stubborn, ignoring his increasingly bold touches, until a hand brushes lightly over the front of his jeans and his face heats up.
"Okay, that is clearly coming on to me," Uchi says, staring up at him, trying to look unaffected but failing miserably.
"Wow, you're quick to catch on," Ace says in a low, sarcastic drawl.
Uchi glares at him.
Ace stops touching him and laughs. Uchi pushes him away.
"Glad to see you haven't changed at all," Uchi drawls, but he sounds more amused than angry. He reaches for his drink, but it's in Ace's hand before he can touch it.
Ace stares at him over the top of the glass, grinning.
"I know you missed me," Ace says with a wink, disappearing back into the crowd of people with Uchi's drink.
&&
"I meant to bring this sooner, but things were a bit hectic," Uchi says sheepishly, after they've finished closing and cleaning up for the night. They are all gathered around in the back room around the small table. Uchi bites his lip, looking uncharacteristically shy, before he slides the black bag across the table.
Mac opens it and his eyes go wide.
Jacky pulls out a small stack of money, caressing it softly. Toppo sits up and peeks into the bag.
"It's not a lot," Uchi says, sounding a bit embarrassed. "But, thank you for, well, you know."
"This is a lot," Mac says.
"Too much," Johnny adds, peeking into the bag. Gum whistles and tries to pry the money from Jacky's hands, without much success.
"I guess you're not that bad," Ace adds, leaning over Arsenal's shoulder.
"Thanks," Uchi says, grinning at all of them. He has a feeling--or hopes, anyways-- that this isn’t the last time they’ll be seeing each other.