"Then you know this concerns Ricky Luciano." Selene said, her eyes fixed on Mephisto as she savored a slow, deliberate sip of her wine.
"That's all it ever seems to be about these days."
They chuckled together, their lighthearted banter almost masking the truth that they were two ancient beings whose timelines stretched far beyond mortal reckoning.
Living for centuries, millennia even, and folding into one another like worn pages of a forgotten book.
They had witnessed empires rise and crumble, trends flare and fade, and names echo through history only to be swallowed by time's relentless tide.
"Then I won't keep you any longer since I'm sure a demon of your stature has far more pressing matters." Selene said, her tone polite but direct, cutting to the topic rather than stalling.
"What's the price?"
Instead of answering immediately, Mephisto's gaze dropped to the chessboard. His hand reached out slowly, sliding a white pawn from e2 to e4.
"Unfortunately, you cannot pay such a price." Mephisto said, chuckling as he looked up to catch Selene's forced smile falter.
Then, she broke out into a slow, paced laugh at the only reason why Mephsito, an information broker, would deny her such an answer.
"You believe Ricky Luciano is not only a match for me, but someone I will lose to. And most importantly, you don't see any profit in helping me." Selene said, her deadly eyes lowering as she extended her pawn from c7 to c5.
"For the most part." Mephisto shrugged, indirectly confirming everything she'd just said.
"You see, I've been watching Ricky far longer than you-well, maybe only by a smidge." Mephisto began, pausing as he moved his knight from g1 to f3.
"I take it you first noticed Ricky around the time of his little speech at the Vatican, and your gaze truly locked on him after the trial, correct?" Mephisto asked, watching her carefully for a reaction before continuing.
"Well, I had the honor of watching him before his name was splashed across the papers with the slander we see now." Mephisto said, waving a nearby newspaper emblazoned with yet another smear piece on Ricky.
After his victory at the trial, it was true that Ricky was hailed as a messiah by mutant groups flocking to the East Coast.
In the South, however, the story was starkly contrasting.
There, the government and local powers worked tirelessly to twist his image, painting him as a devil incarnate.
Propaganda spread like wildfire: whispered rumors in town halls, scathing editorials in newspapers, and carefully crafted news segments all designed to sow fear and distrust.
They portrayed him as a dangerous radical, a threat to the established order, and an enemy to be feared and eradicated.
"Though he's trouble, I have to admit, he's always a surprisingly compelling read." Mephisto remarked, tapping the paper with Ricky's smug smile plastered across the front.
"But from all my time of reading and watching him, I've only ever seen him crush those who plan like you." Mephisto added with a light sigh, setting the paper aside as if the remark itself was a shame.
"Is this about Merlyn?" Selene asked impatiently, moving her pawn from d7 to d5.
"He was nothing more than an overgrown child who locked Otherworld away from everyone else, treating it like his own personal toy." Selene scoffed, clearly unimpressed by the mention of Merlyn.
"That Merlyn was one of the, if not the most, dangerous variants of himself within this cluster." Mephisto clarified, reaching down to maneuver his pawn from e4, capturing her black pawn on d5.
"You and I both understand that fact clearly."
Although Merlyn was rough around the edges and consumed with shaping Arthur into the promised king, his lethality was never to be underestimated.
He forged Britain into an empire without ever setting foot on its soil as his influence stretched far and wide, unseen but undeniably powerful.
His one glaring weakness was an almost unnatural obsession with Arthur, a vulnerability Gaea sought to exploit, hoping to use it to bring her former disciple back to her side.
And now, that very same man was under Ricky's control.
"Then what is this about?" Selene demanded, her queen angrily capturing Mephisto's pawn, developing early but risking exposure.
"I simply see Ricky's potential," Mephisto stated, moving his knight from b1 to c3, attacking the Black's queen.
"And?" Selene said, her eyebrows knitting as the black queen slid smoothly to e6, putting Mephisto in check.
"And I see the incredible benefits I'll gain by aligning myself correctly." Mephisto said cleverly, swiftly developing his bishop from f1 to e2 to block the check.
"You're truly taking his side-" Selene said in disbelief, pausing briefly before moving her knight from b8 to c6.
"Oh, heavens no. I'm simply maintaining neutrality," Mephisto interrupted with a soft chuckle, castling kingside by moving his king from e1 to g1 and rook from h1 to f1.
"How is this maintaining neutrality?" Selene asked, a disgusted glare sharpening her features as she aggressively pushed her pawn from g7 to g5.
"Well." Mephisto replied, pausing briefly to scan the board and prepare his next move.
"The neutrality I seek is this: he'll know I'm selling his secrets, but only enough to trust that I'm merely a third-party spectator, profiting from both sides without allegiance," Mephisto explained, pushing his pawn from d2 to d4, challenging Black's hold on the center.
"But I have to earn his trust first, so he understands I won't actively plot against him," Mephisto said with a hint of delight, turning his gaze back to Selene, whose eyebrows scrunched even tighter at the move.
"If I had to put it into an analogy, I'd say I'm like a referee. Watching the game but looking away just enough to let some subtle jabs fly." Mephisto laughed, turning his rejection into a lighthearted comparison to help Selene swallow the sour look settling on her face.
"Then why would you suddenly start taking sides when your goal is to remain neutral?" Selene asked, annoyance creeping into her voice as she pushed her pawn from g5 to g4, attacking his knight on f3.
"Great question," Mephisto said, deliberately using the moment to stall as his demonic eyes carefully weighed the board.
"You see, Ricky is a very particular person," Mephisto began, carefully trying to frame his complex character in a way that made sense.
"But he really boils down to first impressions." Mephstio finally decided, moving his knight from f3 to g5, ignoring the pawn attack and threatening the Black queen.
"My dealings with one of his former mentors left a less than ideal impression," Mephisto explained, reaching over to the side for the wine Selene had served him earlier.
"Are you afraid?" Selene asked, almost taunting Mephisto as she retreated the black queen from e6 to g6, evading the threat.
"Of course not," Mephisto chuckled, taking a measured sip of wine before setting the glass neatly beside the board.
"I'm excited."
The old demon's words carried a genuine ease that made Selene's frown deepen.
It wasn't just what he said, it was the way he said it.
Purposely weaving amusement into his tone to unsettle her, he made it clear it wasn't fear that propelled him, but real, actual excitement.
"People like Ricky show up only once a generation," Mephisto said with a wide smile, moving his other knight from c3 to b5, threatening a fork on Black's king and rook.
"It's always one person; the defiant human you can pick out from any age, any century, because they stand far above the crowd," Mephisto chuckled, watching Selene move her king from e8 to d8, surrendering her right to castle.
"And with the way Ricky's momentum is building, he just might be the crown jewel of this millennium," Mephisto mused, capturing her pawn on c5 with his pawn from d4 and putting the Black king in check.
"I've seen a lot, Selene. I've even done just as much." Mephisto added, taking another sip of wine as she tried to block his check by moving her bishop from c8 to d7.
"But even when I deceived Eve and expelled humans from the Garden of Eden." Mephisto began, deliberately trailing off as he slowly captured her pawn on g4 with his bishop from e2,
"I was never as excited as I am now." Mephisto said, a rare smile breaking across his face as memories of that card game played out in his mind.
"You're making a mistake," Selene warned, swiftly moving her knight from g8 to f6 in an attempt to salvage the game.
"No, unfortunately, the only one making a mistake is you," Mephisto chuckled, moving his bishop from g4 to f5, pinning the Black queen on g6 and tightening the pressure.
"But that's fine, you're a beautiful woman, I'm sure Ricky will let you land on your feet." Mpehsito assured her, knowing that her failure won't result in anything dramatic.
"You think that I, The Black Queen, will fall under that man's spell? But worse still, that he'll be the one holding the leash, on me?" Selene laughed sharply, her voice rising as she slammed her black queen aggressively onto f5, capturing his bishop.
"I'm almost certainly positive that will be the outcome," Mephisto said lightly, grabbing his knight from g5 and capturing the pawn on f7, putting her king in check.
"But as I've already stated, you're beautiful, so it will be fine."
"I'm even well aware he'll ensnare my own daughter out of spite, maybe even one of his sons in the near future. Who knows with those Lucianos," Mephisto sighed exaggeratedly, leaning back as Selene was forced to move her king from d8 to e8.
"He is, after all, a very spiteful man with budding aspirations," Mephisto said with a light chuckle, capturing her rook on h8 with his knight.
"Such as?" Selene asked, trying to pry something from the demon as she considered her next move.
"His so-called veil method," Mephisto replied, knowing it wouldn't hurt to mention it since after all, Ricky was still raving about it even now.
"The veil method?" Selene asked, her expression twisting with curiosity as she moved the black queen from f5 to g7.
"Is it some new kink of his?" Selene scoffed, making a mockery of his lust with the subtle jab.
"No, and honestly, the plan itself is not that impressive." Mephisto said simply, capturing her bishop on d7 and replacing it with one of his own.
"In fact, if you ask him, he'll most likely tell you himself," Mephisto said casually, fully aware that Ricky was probably sharing it with everyone, just as he had in Otherworld.
"But here's the thing, Selene." Mephisto's voice turned pleasantly sharp, his demonic eyes locking onto her soul as his smile curled upward.
"If it's so boring that even I find it beneath me to explain further-" Mephisto led the sentence, revealing his disdain before trailing off, leaving it open-ended.
"Why am I still excited?"
Mephisto let the question hang in the air, watching as Selene slowly came to a realization and yet, she stubbornly captured the bishop on d7 with her knight.
"Because the thing about Ricky, the very thing you haven't yet come to understand," Mephisto said, deliberately letting each sentence trail off before reaching toward the board to pick up a piece.
"Is that wherever he goes, whatever situation he steps into, it inevitably erupts at his intervention, unleashing consequences far beyond what anyone expects." Mephisto explained, capturing Ricky's nature in a simple yet profound way.
But Selene's attention was now fully fixed on the chessboard, watching Mephisto calmly move his knight to c7, putting her king in check as she began to scramble.
All the while, Mephisto continued to ramble on, unfazed by her growing panic.
"Because whatever concoction someone is brewing to stop him."
Selene quickly moved her king back to d8, only for Mephisto to pounce.
"A normal person would come along, disrupt the process, and have it blow back in the brewer's face."
Mephisto captured her rook on a8 with his knight, only for the black queen to immediately counter by taking his other knight on h8.
"But it's an entirely different story when Ricky is introduced into the picture."
At the cue of his words, Mephisto seemingly brought his own queen into play, capturing her pawn on g4.
"Because he comes along and triples the blast, then quadruples it."
The black queen claimed the pawn on d4, but Mephisto struck back, seizing her favorite piece from the question and leaving her with nothing but her remaining tools.
"Because that is the sort of person Ricky is."
Watching Selene snatch his queen with nothing more than a pawn, Mephisto responded without the faintest care in the world, sliding his rook from f1 to d1.
"And I've only ever seen one person survive a blast like that."
The words poured around Selene as she hesitated, her hand hovering over other pieces only to retreat, the painful truth settling in with every passing second.
"And it is most certainly not you, Selene."
In twelve moves, it would be checkmate, and without her queen, it was as though she had lost the very spark that had once dominated the board.
"You couldn't even capture a mere city, Selene, something Ricky managed in far less time than you, I might add." Mephisto exhaled in feigned boredom, leaning back in his chair as his eyes followed the stubborn woman insisting on dragging the game out.
"You speak nonsense since we both know he didn't actually capture Camelot." Selene scoffed, brushing off the absurd rumor that had somehow spread through the high table channels, all while sliding her bishop from f8 to g7.
"No, he captured Otherworld." Mephisto clarified, moving his bishop to f4 to blatantly target her pawns.
"A very contrasting gain, if I might add." Mephisto waved his hand dismissively, rolling his eyes at the sudden glare clouding Selene's beautiful face.
"And your proof?"
"Go on, try."
They both understood what the demon was implying.
That's when Selene stood, casting a side-eye at Mephisto as she held out her hands, and something began to unravel before her conniving fingers.
A swirl of purple light coalesced slowly, forming a portal, a gate connecting Selene to Otherworld, unfolding now for the first time since the medieval ages.
"You're lying, Mephisto. This is some kind of trick." Selene scowled, swatting at the portal to make it vanish before turning sharply to the old demon.
"When I said he beat Merlyn, I meant every facet of him," Mephisto said, looking up from the chessboard at the seething Selene.
"There was nothing Merlyn had that Ricky didn't absorb, that's why I've chosen to maintain this neutrality," Mephisto explained, essentially telling her that everything once in Merlin's grasp didn't vanish but simply transferred to Ricky.
"Because it excites me to imagine how Ricky might one day find a way to strip away everything I possess if I ever crossed him." Mephsito chuckled, sipping more of Selene's wine before reaching over towards the bottle to pour another glass.
"And at the pace he's going, whatever it is you're planning will ultimately blow up in your face at three times the normal magnitude, before inevitably quadrupling." Mephisto joked, referencing his earlier words.
"Oh, don't stand there with that expression, Selene," Mephisto said with a light smile, sipping his new glass of wine as one of the first mutants on this Earth shot him a deathly glare.
"If you think I don't already know what's happening with your Hellfire Club, then you're sorely mistaken." Mephisto chuckled, watching her features gradually harden into a neutral mask, as if to shield herself from the cunning demon.
"You can barely keep a mere club together, and because of that, you're trying to make a deal with a devil," Mephisto said deliberately, knowing those words would infuriate Selene as her eyes slowly darkened to black.
"You dare-"
"You're desperate, Selene." Mephsito said, standing up and slowly moving closer to the woman.
"You're scrambling, grasping at straws, all to hold onto a power that went stale decades ago," Mephisto laughed, meeting her neutral gaze as he sipped his wine, now just an arm's length away.
"The reason I came here, the entire reason I took your summons, wasn't to make a deal." Mephisto said, his smile widening as he finally spoke of Selene's earlier realization.
"It was to warn you."
"You're a figure who brings me great gains, and it would be a shame to lose you to Ricky," Mephisto said with a shrug, turning his back to Selene as he walked over to the bottle.
"I will not lose." Selene swore, her resolute gaze meaning nothing to the demon, who had already turned away to inspect the wine bottle's label.
"No, you will lose terribly." Mephisto muttered absentmindedly, making a mental note of the particular wine before setting the bottle back down.
Ahem
"This is my free advice, so listen well," Mephisto cleared his throat, drawing the conversation to its bitter end.
"Don't get into bed with Ricky Luciano. You'll never come out on top."
Ricky's reputation had grown at a drastic rate.
What once simmered in whispers and hidden corners had exploded into a force that even the world's most secret powers could no longer afford to put off and ignore.
For a long time, he was just another name, another story to be doubted or dismissed like all the other fables.
But everything changed the moment Merlyn fell, the feared figure toppling before Ricky's hand after he so foolishly picked a fight with him.
Now, he was on everyone's list.
Before that, rumors of Ricky's killing of Dracula had turned some heads, caused some notes, and warranted attention.
But it was the fall of Merlyn that shattered any illusions of it being rumors and demanded everyone be made well aware of just who Ricky Lucario really is.
Now, the unseen forces of the world were scrambling, their conversations heavy with speculation and fear of the sudden hot topic.
With Ricky's insurrection, powers shifted the lines that were already drawn in the sand and now incorporated him into them.
All sorts of plans were resonating in the vast world, people deciding to make Ricky their alley, those desperate to remain neutral, and those who openly opposed him.
Amidst this shifting tide of his name being casually thrown around, Ricky felt the weight of it all pressing in his ears.
Leaning on the couch, his eyes flickered as they were black one moment and then their usual shade of green in the next, still unfamiliar with the full control of this new power.
Because of that, voices echoed in the recesses of his mind and usually, he pushed them aside.
But today was different.
Two familiar voices argued back and forth, their heated exchange playing like a distant storm in his thoughts.
Ricky had already been present for much of the conversation, caught amid the clash of whispers, before tuning in just enough to grasp the brewing tension between the ancient witch and the cunning demon.
"This power is f*cking cool." Ricky muttered, his eyes slowly shifting from pitch black back to their normal color as he kicked up his feet and took a slow sip of his spiked horchata.
"You've already said that, actually, you won't stop saying it," Juan sighed heavily from the side, shaking his head as he wiped down the bar.
After they shook on their merger, Ricky insisted on celebrating the moment with the famous spiked horchata, a drink he could only get here since it never tasted the same when he tried to make it.
"Listen, if you had cool things and never said they were cool, then what's the point?" Ricky asked, his eyes fully shifting back to their usual green as he locked his previously distant gaze on Juan.
"All your 'cool things' seem to do is bring me nothing but trouble," Juan said, tossing the rag over his shoulder after finishing cleaning his home bar.
"What are you talking about, Juan? You love my antics-"
"Your antics ruined my custom ford that was priced at-"
"Are you still mad about that-"
"YES!" Juan yelled abruptly, interpreting their banter and then scoffed before bringing his own horchata to sit across from Ricky.
"Haven't I apologized enough?" Ricky asked, sipping his horchata through a simple straw.
"You haven't apologized at all!" Juan shot back, watching Ricky break into hysterics over the truth of it all.
"I know, right~" Ricky heaved, clearly not intending to apologize to Juan for the joke, as the latter rolled his eyes.
"Relax Juan, I'll get you another one-"
"It's not the point, Slick, it's the principle," Juan said simply, shaking his head before finally taking a sip of the horchata he painstakingly made for both of them.
"I loved that car. I spent hours working on it, and then you came along and f*cked it!" Juan said, his face reddening at the mere thought as he crossed his arms over his chest in tribute.
"In my defense, it was Raven who did the damage, I just kind of let it happen," Ricky explained, using his hands to gesture how the events played out, only for Juan's expression to turn deadpan.
SLURP
Juan didn't even give Ricky the dignity of a reply, simply slurping his horchata through a straw while fixing Ricky with his deadfish stare.
Meanwhile, as the two men dredged up old wounds over horchata, Rosa was tucking Gus into bed.
"I missed you, mi hijo," Rosa whispered softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Gus's forehead as she tenderly rubbed his cheek.
"I missed you too, Mother," Gus replied, clutching the edges of the covers tightly with his small fingers.
"Um, Mother," Gus whispered meekly, his usual neutral expression softening in front of his loving mother.
Although he was a genius who acted prim and proper around everyone, when he was with his mother, he seemingly reverted back to being her darling boy.
The son she cherished with all her heart.
"Yes, my moon, my sun, and my earth?" Rosa laughed gently, pressing her forehead against his as Gus smiled, basking in her shower of love.
"I'm sorry I was away for so long-"
"Oh, honey, you were never really away," Rosa said softly, shaking her head as she planted a big kiss on his forehead.
"You're always right here," Rosa chuckled, patting her chest gently as Gus smiled and joined in.
"I am serious, mother, I am sorry." Gus said, trying to show his serious expression only for Rosa to lightly pinch his cheek.
"Gus, I always get you to myself." Rosa spoke softly, rubbing his hair before she slowly widened her smile.
"If anything, you should be apologizing to your father-"
"Why?" Gus immediately said, raising an eyebrow at having to apologize to his father of all people.
"Father wasn't around for-" Gus began, attempting to explain himself, only for a look of horror to spread across Rosa's face.
"Don't say that!" Rosa interrupted, her voice trembling with worry as her expression betrayed the pain those words caused as Gus's lips immediately snapped shut.
"Don't ever say that. Your father loves you with everything he has," Rosa assured Gus, her finger sternly but gently pointed as she reprimanded him.
"Even though he had to go away, it didn't mean he stopped thinking of you," Rosa added, caressing his cheek, trying to soothe the frown blooming on his face.
"What happened then? I tried asking Grandpa Lucky, but he said it was nothing." Gus asked quietly, genuinely trying to understand, though the adults around him made it hard.
To Gus, he had always shown himself as mature and responsible beyond his years, with a clear aptitude for things many older than him struggled to grasp.
In his mind, he was older than his age, ready for answers and honesty.
Though he loved his father deeply, the absence gnawed at him,
Gus simply couldn't understand why his dad had left, and that confusion often turned to anger he struggled to keep at bay which had stopped him from getting close to Ricky.
"He left to get better, mi hijo-"
"No, I want to know," Gus said stubbornly, his eyebrows furrowing as Rosa froze in place.
On the other side of the door, Ricky, who had come to tuck Gus in alongside Rosa, stood motionless, his hand hovering over the doorknob, caught off guard by what he was hearing.
"Do you remember when I read you the Garden of Eden?" Rosa asked gently, her voice soft but firm, referencing the Bible stories she had lovingly taught Gus.
"Of course."
"And do you remember the snake?"
"Yes, I clearly remember."
Their brief exchange bounced back and forth, a way to ground Gus in the story's context before Rosa carefully wove an analogy of her own to help him understand.
"Well, your father had a snake of his own," Rosa said matter-of-factly, watching the confusion flicker across her little bundle of joy's face.
"We all do, it is something that we carry with us."
"But some snakes are hungrier than others," Rosa said softly, her eyes fixed on the small lamp's glow instead of Gus's face.
"What does that mean?" Gus asked, shifting under the covers, clutching them like they might hold the answer.
"Temptation, mi hijo, is like the forbidden fruit, something you know you shouldn't touch." Rosa explained, caressing his hair softly while her gaze continued to drift on the lamp.
"You tell yourself, I won't eat it, you walk past it every day, and at first it's easy to ignore. But the longer you see it, the more you think about it." Rosa carefully explained, her gaze becoming lost as she thought about her own temptation.
"The more you think about it, the sweeter it looks, until one day, you stop thinking about it, and you just take a bite." Rosa paused, her hand pausing before she snapped out of her daze.
"And after that bite, the garden you lived in along with your home, your peace, it's not the same anymore." Rosa said softly, fighting to keep her composure as memories of her and Ricky's passion bloomed in her mind.
"You can't un-taste it, you can't put it back."
"So, Father took a bite?" Gus frowned, scrunching his brows at his mother's strange analogy as she fixed her full attention on him.
"Yes, mijo. He thought he was strong enough to walk past it, he thought he could hold the snake in his hands without being bitten, but-" Rosa began, her voice faltering as the weight of her words caught up with her.
Until suddenly, she found what it was she wanted to say.
"But temptation is patient; it waits until you are tired, or lonely, or proud, and then, it strikes." Rosa's voice softened but carried a sharp edge as she playfully nudged Gus as he giggled, then suddenly realized what he'd done and regained himself.
"Is that why he left? Because the snake bit him?" Gus asked, watching his mother's eyes visibly glisten with tears that froze his expression.
"Sometimes when the poison is in you, you have to go away to fight it, so you don't hurt the ones you love." Rosa said tearfully, sniffling as she wiped the edges of her eyes.
All while Gus's heart clenched with guilt, hating that his questions had made his mother cry.
From outside the door, Ricky's hand slowly slipped from the knob, his forehead leaning against it as Gus's words began to break his heart.
"But God has a way of finding each of us, in our own unique ways," Rosa said quickly, offering her most beautiful smile to ease Gus's worries.
"However, sometimes, you must be the one to find God," Rosa said, keeping Gus on his toes as the child reeled in from what she was saying.
"Is that why Father became an honorary cardinal?" Gus asked, raising an eyebrow while fully believing everything his mother told him.
"Yes, your father left and found his place within God's kingdom." Rosa said, very proud of what Ricky had become before her eyes and the father he was becoming for Gus.
"But what about the temptation, did it go away-"
"No, mi hijo, temptation never goes aways." Rosa said, poking his nose after interrupting him.
"It always stays with you, just like it did when it was on the tree." Rosa smiled warmly, watching Gus once again, scrunch his brows at his mother's words.
"Then what's the difference now?" Gus asked, unable to stop himself, feeling as if he was missing something crucial.
"There never was one," Rosa chuckled, watching Gus's eyes widen as he realized the fruit was always meant to be eaten.
"To me, the eating of the fruit is inevitable," Rosa explained, tilting her head thoughtfully as Gus continued to ponder.
"We all have temptation and at some point, everyone gives in." Rosa said, gesturing to herself as an example which made Gus shocked.
"It is what makes us human."
"But strength is how we carry it within ourselves," Rosa clarified, wagging her finger in the air to stop whatever thoughts were racing through Gus's mind.
"Even now, your father carries it with him," Rosa said softly, tapping Gus's tucked-in form before slowly rising to her feet.
"But he is stronger for it."
Turning her back, Rosa was about to leave Gus with that stirring revelation, until he, unable to help himself, asked yet another question.
"Will I fall to temptation?" Gus asked, dread clear in his voice as Ricky, on the other side of the door, flinched.
"Of course, but don't be afraid since it's normal to want," Rosa laughed, waving her hand to dismiss his growing worries.
"God wouldn't have made desire if it wasn't part of His plan."
"But-"
"Gus, I know you, I gave birth to you." Rosa said, walking over to his side and pressing her forehead gently against his with a soft chuckle.
"And when you find yourself at a point where you can't go on, God will find you and bring you back." Rosa assured her, pressing her gentle hand to his beating heart to soothe the cadence of its beat.
"He always does, but you must trust Him just as you trust me," Rosa said lovingly, watching Gus finally relax at her soothing.
Ricky had been absent for much of his children's lives.
Though his return was memorable, the effects of his absence lingered deeply within them.
Each woman, each child, carried their own mix of acceptance and guarded suspicion toward him.
Rosa always knew Ricky was troubled, from the first moment she met him.
But despite it all, even the changes in him, her love for him remained unwavering.
"Now, go to bed." Rosa said, patting Gus' tucked in form for the final time before standing up.
"I love you-"
"I love you more!" Rosa called out, quickly hurrying from the room before Gus could one-up her.
"I love-" Gus hurriedly tried to say, but watched as Rosa closed the door behind her, leaving him alone with her lingering smile and all the love a mother could give.
Rosa chuckled softly, patting the door affectionately before turning to find Ricky leaning against the wall.
GASP
"Rick-"
"Shhhh~" Ricky whispered, holding a finger to his lips before nodding subtly to beckon her closer.
He led her to the side, where a shimmering green construct suddenly materialized, sparkling stairs down from the nearby window cascading all the way down to the ground below.
"Y'know, Rosa, I don't think I've ever taken you out for a proper night on the town." Ricky said, suddenly realizing they'd never really been on a real date.
"Let's fix that." Ricky chuckled, watching Rosa's surprise melt into a warm smile as she took his hand.
Honestly, until that moment, their entire relationship had been built on the three P's.
Passion, pain, and physical connection.
In fact, he really only came here to f*ck her brains out.
But after overhearing that conversation, he suddenly realized just how much she truly meant to him.
And now, all he wanted was to show her exactly that.
"Ricky, you're not-"
"I am." Ricky laughed maniacally, leading Rosa over to the nearby garage and slowly opening it.
Before their eyes stood Juan's new custom Ford, gleaming under the dim light while Rosa covered her face, almost dreading what he was about to do.
"Juan will freak out-"
"I know, but don't worry, we'll only scare him, not wreck his car," Ricky chuckled, leading Rosa's hand toward the vehicle as she glanced around nervously.
"Ricky, we can't-" Rosa whispered, trying not to laugh while Ricky reached through the window to grab the sun visor.
Clink
"With these keys, we can~" Ricky said, dangling them teasingly as Rosa opened her mouth to say 'no,' but every time she looked at him, all she could manage was one word.
2 minutes later,
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A loud cheer erupted, accompanied by the deep rumble of a Ford's engine.
Juan's ears twitched, and he shot up to his feet, sprinting toward the garage door.
"No, no, no, NO, NO, NO!" he shouted, his voice escalating into full-blown panic as he chased after his beloved car being driven away by someone else.
"SLICK, DON'T YOU F*CKING DARE-"
"I'M TAKING ROSA OUT FOR THE NIGHT, DON'T WAIT UP!" Ricky called, leaning his head out the window as Rosa peeked hers out beside him.
"We won't hurt her, I swear!" Rosa assured, unable to stop smiling, even as Juan fell to his knees.
Dust kicked up from the tires, settling over Juan until all he could see was his car speeding away toward the nearby border town in the distance.
Sniff
"My car~" Juan sniffled, watching his baby completely disappear over the horizon, while Gus stared down at the scene from his window.
SIGH
Gus, however, only sighed as he closed his curtains and turned away, heading back to bed despite the late hour.
"You don't think he'll be mad, right?" Rosa asked nervously, glancing through the rearview mirror as Ricky waved his hand dismissively.
"Not after I tell him that I know Henry Ford-"
"WHAT!" Rosa shouted, shock rippling through her as she glanced at Ricky, who gave her a sideways smirk.
"Well, not Henry Ford himself, but his grandson, Henry Ford Jr. II." Ricky clarified, watching as Rosa quickly covered her mouth to hide her disbelief.
"Is he really that into Ford cars?" Ricky couldn't help but ask, amused by her reaction.
"My brother's obsessed with the Ford Motor Company. He even has a signed portrait of Henry Ford in his office," Rosa said, giving Ricky's shoulder a gentle nudge, an unspoken plea to do something nice for Juan.
"Well, the Luciano family is accruing a stake in the company, I think." Ricky said at first, then hesitated, remembering he'd left it open-ended and would need to double-check with Lucky.
"Would you take him to meet Mr. Ford? It would be a dream come true for him," Rosa asked, biting her lip, knowing just how much it would mean.
"I don't really know the guy, but his grandson-" Ricky started to say, only to be stopped by Rosa's puppy-dog eyes.
"I'll figure something out." Ricky smirked, knowing Rosa rarely asked for anything, and this was the least he could do.
"Oh, Ricky~" Rosa sighed, wrapping her arms around him as his sly smile stretched wider while they sped into town.
"Nice~" Ricky whispered under his breath, savoring the thrill of the fast car and the warmth of a busty woman in his arms.
However, as he drove, Ricky's eyebrow twitched as he could feel the mechanical energy coursing through the car was off, imperfect in ways that gnawed at him.
Though he hadn't actively started using this skill yet, it was always with him, an innate sense that allowed him to detect the flow of mechanical energy through every device he touched.
In fact, this very ability was one of the main reasons Ricky had recently stopped driving himself, preferring others to take the wheel.
No machine was ever perfect for him, and this constant awareness made him restless.
This car's flaws irritated him to no end, which is why he avoided relying on devices from this era whenever possible.
'I gotta find this skill's niche or I'm gonna jab a f*cking needle into my brain,' Ricky thought, tension tightening behind his eyes.
As the thought settled, Rosa lifted her face toward his, her gaze hungry and unapologetically raw while looking at Ricky like he was nothing more than a piece of meat.
"I've missed you~" Rosa whispered, fingers trailing gently along his cheek, igniting a spark that momentarily pulled him from his restless mind.
"Baby, I've missed you more-" Ricky chuckled, leaning in for a kiss just as headlights suddenly cut through the night ahead.
"Oh sh*t!" he cursed, jerking the wheel sharply back into his lane as a trucker zoomed past, flipping him the middle finger with a roar of diesel.
"Yeah, f*ck you too, buddy!" Ricky shot back, sticking his head out the window, only for Rosa to tug him back inside.
"W-We're here!" Rosa exclaimed, cheeks flushed as the car cruised into the border town of Matamoros.
Sharing a border with the Texan city of Brownsville, it had long grown into a smuggling hub.
A crossroads where Texan and Mexican traditions blended, clashed, and seeped into every street corner.
"Woah~" Ricky said, stepping out and taking in the unexpected charm of the town that looked way cleaner than New York.
"Honestly, I thought it'd be a lot worse." Ricky admitted, giving Rosa a quick grin as he shut the car door behind him.
"Good thing it's not as totally normal as it looks." Ricky said, gazing around until his eyes wandered over to a news stand.
'MUTANT'S STICKING TOGETHER? OR DEVIL'S MIGRATING FOR MASS SATANIC WORSHIP?"
The headline screamed in bold letters as Ricky approached the stand, sliding a crisp hundred-dollar bill across the counter without breaking his stride.
"Thank you, gringo." The old man said politely, bowing his head with a knowing smile.
He clearly recognized the man in front of him, the same one staring back from the newspaper's bold headline but weirdly enough, it didn't bother him.
Though stories like these about Ricky were less talked about on the East Coast, down here in the South, they were practically daily news.
Ricky flipped open the paper, his eyes landing on a photograph taken during the trial with his smug smile captured perfectly, mirroring the one he wore now.
"Is everything alright?" Rosa asked, walking to Ricky's side and peering around him to see the clearly hateful story.
"No, they spelled my name wrong," Ricky frowned, a little frustrated that they spelled his last name wrong.
"It's L-u-c-i-a-n-o, not Luchianno." Ricky's frown deepened as he turned the page to the news of the mass immigration of mutants being dubbed the 'The Great Mutant Flight' or as they put it 'The Devil's Departure'.
Next to him, an elderly woman wandered over to the newsstand, her eyes scanning the headlines without so much as a glance in his direction.
She picked up a paper, the one with Ricky's face printed on the front, handed a few pesos to the clerk, and walked away at an unhurried pace.
She'd seen Ricky.
She knew exactly who Ricky was.
And she didn't care.
It was a small gesture, but one that explained the quiet balance of the town.
Matamoros might have been a smuggling hub, with cartel men forever in the shadows, but it was safe enough for those who understood the rules.
Here, safety was as simple as minding your own business.
The cartel had no reason to trouble you unless you gave them one.
Most who got hurt were already involved or were stupid enough to wander in circles, looking lost and then finding trouble.
As long as you lived your life to each destination, you would never become a casualty.
That was how you survived in Matamoros.
"And all they have are pictures from the trial?" Ricky wondered, showing Rosa another photo of him descending the steps of Capitol Hill.
"Americans; cheap and racist, am I right?" The clerk joked, leaning his head on his hand, earning a chuckle from Ricky.
AHEM
"Anyways, would you care to sign this, please? It's for my nephew." The clerk cleared his throat, shamelessly holding out a newspaper for him to sign.
"Uh, sure. What's his name?" Ricky said, surprised to have a fan as he grabbed a nearby pen.
"Mateo-"
"Oh Mateo, you're not fooling anyone." Rosa scoffed, grabbing the pen from Ricky and playfully tossing it at his face.
"Your man in big business, I can't help it," Mateo shamelessly shrugged, gesturing toward the newspaper he'd smuggled in from.
"Some white man would pay good money to burn his autograph." Mateo gestured, rubbing his fingers together before shrugging once more.
"They would?" Ricky asked, raising both eyebrows in surprise at the sudden statement.
"You haven't heard?" Mateo replied, glancing over at Rosa, who quickly ducked her head to the side.
"Heard what?" Ricky wondered, side-eyeing Rosa who purposely avoided his gaze.
"The burnings, you know, the ones about you?" Mateo asked, gesturing toward Ricky but instead of the sadness Rosa had expected, his smile grew wild.
"I have burnings!" Ricky repeated, completely excited that people were burning things because of him, leaving Mateo to stare at him, bewildered.
"Yes, those weird men dressed in white robes are burning crosses with your pictures and likeness on them."
Out of all the states in America, the one who hated Ricky the most was none other than the state that had lost to him before America followed.
Texas.
Winning the hearing in Texas didn't just end with Ricky heading to Capitol Hill, it sparked the driving force behind the relentless slander campaign against him.
In fact, the reason no one here hated or feared Ricky was simple: his name was big business.
As Ricky looked around, he began to notice more of his likeness plastered across other newsstands.
Unknowingly, he had become a major player in Matamoros's smuggling economy.
Shopkeepers sold his image locally, while cartels and others smuggled these items into Texas, where groups like the KKK bought them only to burn them in hateful displays.
No one in Matamoros minded Ricky's controversial reputation since stepping foot in the town meant more products to sell to America, profit above all else.
It was the capitalist way.
"Aye, you better scam some poor schmuck with this autograph," Ricky said, grabbing the pen again and biting off the cap before signing the paper.
"To someone here, it'd go for twelve pesos," Mateo explained calmly, gesturing to the eyes casting curious glances their way.
"But for you, Mr. Slick, I'll sell it to a white man for twelve dollars," Mateo said joyfully, his smile as toothy as Ricky's.
"Good man," Ricky said, respecting the craft of the con artist as he handed over the signed newspaper.
"Alright, let's hit the town," Ricky said, grabbing Rosa's hand and locking his fingers around hers as she blushed softly, a smile tugging at her lips.
'Is that him, the Ricky Luciano?'
'Quick, collect the rocks Ricky Luciano is walking on!'
Whispers poured into Ricky's ears, making his eyelids twitch, though he stopped trying to tune them out.
He didn't want to shove the voices to the back of his mind and forget about them.
No, he wanted to live with this skill, to own it, and the others.
But instead of training, right then and there, Ricky shut it all off.
Everything went silent as his eyes found Rosa's, grounding him in the present moment so that nothing could break his focus.
"What do you want to do? Ask for anything, and I'll make it happen," Ricky asked, his voice soft but confident, offering Rosa the world without her even needing to ask.
"C-Could we go to a bar?" Rosa hesitated, her eyes flickering with a mix of excitement and nerves.
She'd always wanted to, but her brother was strict whenever she came to Matamoros but for good reason since it was dangerous for an important cartel family to let their guards down here.
"A bar?"
"I've never been to one before." Rosa smiled warmly, her gaze dropping shyly to the ground.
"Now you're gonna go to one with me." Ricky chuckled, tugging her gently backwards as she stumbled, laughter bubbling between them.
However the pulling was a little too strong, causing her to fall backwards.
Though, of course, Rosa was caught just in time.
But as her head tilted behind her, she glimpsed into the lively scene unfolding inside the nearby bar.
The vibrant sounds of traditional norteño music filled the air, the accordion's pulls and pushes weaving through the melody played by a nearby band.
Ricky gently turned her body toward the entrance, his hands steadying her shoulders.
Rosa's beautiful brown eyes widened in wonder, reflecting the colorful swirl of dancing men and women, their laughter mingling with the music.
Ricky rested his chin softly on her shoulder, sharing the moment as the warmth of the celebration washed over them both.
"Do you know how to do that dance, or are we just going to freestyle our way through?" Ricky asked with a teasing smile, watching Rosa's eyes widen in awe.
She was completely at a loss for words since this was exactly how she'd always imagined it would be.
All her adventures had come from stories, from books she devoured while imagining herself right there within their pages.
Usually, when she encountered these kinds of events, reality never quite matched her imagination.
But this, right now, unfolding before her very eyes, was everything she had ever wanted it to be.
"C'mon, let's go embarrass ourselves!" Ricky said, pulling Rosa into the bar and pressing her close.
He took her hand, twirling her effortlessly into the swirl of dancers as the music roared around them.
"W-W-Wait, I-I'm not ready-"
"Sure you are!" Ricky laughed, spinning her in wide circles before mimicking the guy next to them, lifting her effortlessly into the air.
"Kya!" Rosa yelped, caught off guard as she floated above the crowd, her eyes locking onto Ricky's steady, grinning face holding her up.
"H-" Rosa started to say, but the words faded as she let herself be carried by the moment, smiling brightly.
"Hahahahahaha!" Rosa laughed, her body melting into Ricky's arms before he spun her around once more, the music and joy wrapping them both like a warm, electric current.
She couldn't stop laughing, even as they kept dancing, her unbridled joy bubbling up with every twirl to the band's beat.
Their movements were messy, almost sloppy, and the crowd began to part, giving them space as Ricky shamelessly bumped into anyone who tried to cross into Rosa's fun.
However, unlike the others, they danced for hours.
The crowd that once watched with curious eyes slowly thinned until only the two of them remained, slow dancing to the soulful wail of a lone trumpet player.
The beautiful blues flowed from the golden brass, enveloping them as they pressed close.
Eyes closed, they surrendered to the sway of each other's company, knowing it was uncertain when they would meet again.
But at this moment, none of that mattered.
Nothing mattered but the rhythm that erased everything beyond what they shared in this exact moment, right here and now.
Sniff
"I love you," Rosa whispered, sniffling softly as she looked up at Ricky, gently swaying with her to the blues.
He was so imperfectly beautiful to her, and no matter how scared she was about showing herself to others, she never felt worried when she was truly with Ricky.
And that's why she loved him so much, maybe that's why every one of those women loved Ricky.
Because he could slowly open his eyes, turn his gaze toward them, and look at them as if the only thing ever on his mind was the very same thing reflected in his eyes.
"I love you too."
Rosa looked at Ricky, seeing his smile, feeling the warmth of the love he showed her.
But most of all, she saw the reflection of herself in his eyes.
It was as if he had spoken those words for the very first time, that all he could ever see was her, and at that moment, Rosa couldn't help but believe the truth of that gentle lie.
The thing about love that no one tells you is that it doesn't need to be perfect.
It just needs to make you feel whole.
Perfection is for statues and saints, not for people with beating hearts and flawed hands.
Love, real love, fills the spaces you didn't even know were empty.
It was said that humans were once creatures with two heads, two sets of arms, and two sets of legs, before the gods tore them in two for fear of their strength.
Since then, we have wandered the world searching for the other half of ourselves.
And right now, Rosa had never felt so strong in her love.
Not because it was without flaw, but because in his arms she felt complete.
As if her God had finally returned what had once been stolen from her.
"What else do you want to do-"
"Nothing." Rosa smiled, content with just this moment as Ricky chuckled softly.
He didn't argue or press further, he simply turned toward the exhausted trumpet player and gave a subtle nod, signaling he didn't need to play anymore.
"Thank you~" The trumpet player sighed, wiping the heavy sweat from his brow with a tired smile.
The trumpet player watched as Ricky gently rested his head over Rosa's, planting a tender kiss on the top of her head while she buried her face in his chest, their bodies swaying softly in sync.
A warm smile spread across the man's face as he held his trumpet, thinking of the woman waiting for him back home, eager to dance with him as well..
Slowly, he reached over to the radio tucked away nearby and turned up the volume, making sure their moment, and the music, would linger just a little while longer.
"Now, a little piece of jazz heaven by the Hot Topic, Booker Rhodes." the American radio host announced in his aged, gravelly voice.
With his eyes closed, Ricky's smile widened at the sound of that familiar trumpet, an echo he could never forget.
Sometimes, none of this felt real to him.
That was how his first life had been, feeling as if he existed without the world ever truly noticing.
But even this simple music was proof that Ricky existed, that his actions held meaning, even if only in the smallest way.
And it made him cherish this life all the more.
It's always the little things, those subtle moments that reveal how deeply the world can touch you.
However, in his cherishing, his closed eyes raised a brow to something slowly massaging his crotch.
"Ricky?" Rosa asked softly, her hand sliding slowly over his pants, rubbing gently.
"Yes?" Ricky murmured, eyes still closed as he swayed with her, pretending to still be lost in the moment.
"I want you to f*ck my brains out in the dirty bathroom stall~" Rosa murmured in a dreamy tone, her cheeks flushed as innocence melted away, replaced by raw desire.
"You know what, Rosa?" Ricky said, finally opening his eyes as a slow, sleazy smile bloomed across his face.
"I'd love that too."