The café smelled of burnt espresso and sweet pastries and a heater hummed near the window, throwing stripes of warmth across the floor.
Students and normies hunched over mugs, conversations dropping to murmurs as Tyler stepped forward, drawing every gaze to the entrance.
Tyler walked towards Valen, rolling his shoulders, cracking each knuckle with deliberate malice. "How dare you, fuckfreak?" His voice came out low and rough.
Valen didn't flinch. A dangerous calm slid over his face while an intrusive thought coiled behind his eyes.
Should I kill him? He's gonna be a real pain in the ass in the future afterall…
The atmosphere in the café turned grim, voices dimming under the weight of their stare-down.
Alex darted between them, palms raised. "Alright, gentlemen, let's not redecorate the place with blood tonight, yeah?" He planted himself in the middle, voice steady but eyes flicking from one boy to the other. "Valen, come on man, let it slide."
Enid hurried and caught Valen's arm. Her fingers trembled against the tension in his muscles. "Valen, please, calm down. They're normies, don't-"
Tyler's gaze snapped to her. Jealousy burned in the whites of his eyes. Why are girls attracted to these freaks.
"Shut your bitchy ass up, bitch." His lip curled, the insult landing heavy in the quiet room.
Enid froze, lips parting with no sound. Alex resigned, calmly shutting his eyes for a second, already accepting how badly this would end.
You idiots, Alex thought. You could've mouthed off at me, I'd have slapped the shit out of you and saved you... But you had to drag Enid into it…
He sighed, took and look at Valen, shoulders loosening, then spun on the three boys hovering behind Tyler.
Alex lunged, open palms snapping through the air, dropping them before the three could blink. They stumbled, clutching reddened cheeks, eyes watering from the sting.
At the same moment Valen's hand shot out, closing around Tyler's throat. He lifted him with no visible effort, eyes flat and cold.
Yeah… I'll kill him now and think later.
The trio Alex flattened tried to rally, but another slap sent them reeling against a booth. Cups rattled and a spoon hit the floor.
Tyler's face reddened further under Valen's grip. His boots kicked at the tiles, scattering a few sugar packets fallen from table beside them.
Enid, Xavier, and a few horrified customers clawed at Valen's wrist, shouting for him to stop, but his fingers stayed locked. The hiss of the espresso machine became the only sound between coughs and pleas but he didn't even glance at them.
Chairs scraped across the floor as other customers tried to back away without drawing attention. A barista froze mid-pour, coffee dripping from the spout onto the counter.
Someone fumbled for their phone, half-tempted to record but too wary of Valen's expression, it was just too scary... and maybe for the first time, a cameraman could die, so he didn't risk it.
Alex straightened, wiping his palms on his jeans, and stayed still.
He knew they had crossed a line, and there wasn't much he could do now except stand with his brother. Valen's temper had always burned short, and Alex could only hope he wouldn't take it as far as killing someone. But even that hope felt more like a fleeting wish than anything real.
Meanwhile, Valen's grip tightened. Tyler writhed, gasping, eyes bulging wider with every heartbeat, too wide to be normal.
Valen wasn't crushing the windpipe, not yet, he was testing, waiting to see if the Hyde would surface. And if it didn't, well he will see it then.
Then the door crashed open, letting in a gust sharp with winter.
Mayor Walker strode in first, coat flaring around his legs, Galpin entered behind him, one hand near his holster, scanning every corner before locking on his son hanging from Valen's fist.
The whole café seemed to hold its breath at the chaos.
The two rushed to their sons.
Alex slid aside, hands raised like someone distancing himself from a crime scene, his face politely blank, definitely not the guy who had just smacked Lucas Walker and his lackeys senseless.
(Image of Lucas Walker)
The sheriff went straight for Valen. He tried to pry the boy's fingers loose but they didn't budge.
"Whatever my son said, I am sorry about it... now, let him go," Galpin ordered, voice low, eyes narrowing. His other hand hovered near the weapon at his hip. "Don't cross a line here, son."
Valen tilted his head, studying the sheriff, watching that creeping hand near the gun. He drew in a long breath and, with deliberate slowness, released Tyler.
Tyler collapsed onto the floor, hacking for air, hands pressed to the dark marks blooming on his neck.
Galpin crouched beside him, rage flickering in his face at the sight of the bruises.
He reached for his gun, but hesitated, then chose the cuffs instead. He stepped to Valen, clipped one wrist, then the other. "I'm placing you under arrest, under violation of Section 58 of the O.N treaty, assault on civilians. Don't resist, or I may be inclined to use force."
And Valen didn't resist, but his stillness made the sheriff uneasy. The mayor, standing stiff behind him, watched with a troubled frown.
Enid's eyes brimmed. She tried to explain, words tumbling, blaming herself, while Xavier backed her, insisting Valen had only reacted.
Valen glanced at her, calm even with iron around his wrists. "It's alright. Nothing's going to happen." He leaned closer to her ear, voice whispering only for her, "Even if they lock me up, I'll kill them and come back to you." The wicked curl of a smile flicked across his face before he straightened.
The sheriff snapped cuffs onto Alex as well while Alex shrugged at the mayor. "You might want to parent your spoiled spawn. Strangers shouldn't have to clean up after them. Next time, I won't bother saving their fucked up asses."
Both brothers were hauled from the café, and Divina and Yoko arrived just at that moment.
"What the hell happened?" they breathed, sliding to Enid's side.
Enid stood rooted to the floor, fingers pressed to her lips. Her nails dug into her skin as Yoko wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but Enid didn't move, eyes fixed on Valen's calm profile as the sheriff snapped the cuffs to the bars on the car.
Back at table, Xavier shoved his sketchbook into his bag, jaw tight. He looked like he wanted to speak more but decided against it, settling for a glare aimed at Tyler's crew.
The mayor surveyed the wreckage, the three boys nursing swollen faces, but no blood.
I have to take care of this mess... at least they are not hurt much. He thought looking at his son with disappointment. He kind of guessed that it must have been his son, who had started this shitty mess. Maybe he had spoiled his brat too much.
He stayed put while more officers arrived to take statements. The barista recounted the fight in anxious detail, and since the owner was absent, he was really worried.
A few customers righted the toppled chairs and the table. Broken cups glittered in a puddle of coffee near the counter. Someone swept it up while another worker mopped the floor, hands shaking just enough to splash water on their shoes.
*
In the car, Valen and Alex sat in the back seat, hands bound, shoulders bumping with each jolt of the road. They exchanged a glance, then burst into quiet, unshaken laughter.
Whatever waited at the station, it wasn't enough to scare them.
Hell, they wouldn't be worried even if they massacred the whole of Jericho... At most they would be kicked out of Nevermore, maybe forced to live back in the distant mountains of the pit, but alive all the same.
Up front, Donovan's knuckles whitened around the wheel. Beside him Tyler sat rigid in the passenger seat, every swallow scraping against his sore throat.
He stared at Valen in the rear-view mirror, vengeful glances, I'll remember this, he promised himself, grinding his teeth.
Valen only stretched his legs, letting the chains of the cuffs rattle softly, a lazy rhythm to Tyler's rage. He caught the look and reclined lazily against the seatback. Your countdown just started bro. You've got no idea how petty I can be.
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A/N – Sorry for not updating in so long, guys. I was out of state for an exam, which I just finished today.
Now that it's out of the way, I can focus again!
So expect consistent updates from here on!
Thanks for your patience!