Chapter 2: The King on a Pink Scooter
Vihaan had never imagined in his wildest dreams that the most critical escape of his life would happen on a scooter that went "Pa-pa-pown" every time it hit a pothole. He was clutching Aryan's waist so tightly that Aryan was actually struggling to breathe.
"Mr. Mafia! Loosen the grip a little, or I'll reach heaven by your hands before the villains even get a shot at me!" Aryan yelled over the whistling wind, zig-zagging the scooter through narrow, dark alleys.
Vihaan leaned close to Aryan's ear, his deep, gravelly voice vibrating against Aryan's neck. "Just drive, Aryan. If you look back, I'll shoot you before they do."
Aryan caught a glimpse of Vihaan's eyes in the rearview mirror. They were filled with rage, yes, but also a strange, flickering spark. Aryan muttered under his breath, "All talk and no action! You're the wounded one, I'm the one doing the running, and yet I'm the one getting threatened? Next time, I'm saving a wounded stray cat; at least its 'meow' will be affectionate!"
Suddenly, the scooter hit a large rock, sending both of them flying into a thicket of bushes behind an abandoned warehouse. Fortunately, the scooter survived—mostly.
Vihaan groaned as he stood up, his wound starting to bleed again. Aryan scrambled to his feet, checking his scooter first. "Oh no! My 'Pinky' has a cracked mirror! Mr. Mafia, I'm going to sell that leather jacket of yours to pay for this!"
Vihaan suddenly grabbed Aryan's arm and pinned him against the cold warehouse wall. The atmosphere turned dark and heavy in an instant. In the dim moonlight, Vihaan's face looked terrifyingly beautiful—and incredibly hot. He gripped Aryan's chin, forcing him to look up.
"Do you have any idea who you're playing with?" Vihaan's tone was dangerously possessive. "I could make you disappear from this city in a heartbeat."
Aryan adjusted his glasses with his free hand and looked Vihaan straight in the eye. "Do it! At least I'll escape my college assignments. But before you make me disappear... are you hungry? I have half a packet of Parle-G biscuits in my bag."
All of Vihaan's fury evaporated. He couldn't wrap his head around this boy. Why wasn't he afraid? He let go of Aryan and sank to the floor, exhausted. "You are truly insane."
"Not insane, just hungry," Aryan said, pulling out the biscuit packet and offering one to Vihaan. "Take it, it's not poisoned. By the way, the traitor who set you up... what's his name? Should we look him up on Google Maps or something?"
Vihaan stared at the biscuit in his hand. On one side of the city, his empire was drowning in blood, and here he was, sharing biscuits with a chaotic boy in a dusty warehouse. For the first time, he felt... safe.
Suddenly, the sound of car engines roared outside. Vihaan loaded his Glock. "They're here."
Aryan peeked through a crack in the window and turned back to Vihaan. A mischievous, devilish grin spread across his face. "Mr. Mafia, did you know this warehouse stores old 'Holi' colors?"
Vihaan looked at him, confused. "And?"
"And this..." Aryan picked up a large container of powdered dye. "We're going to give them a 'colorful' death. Get ready, because it's time for—The Mafia vs. The Technicolor Revenge!"
A Colorful Bloodbath
The warehouse doors burst open with a resounding thud. Vihaan vanished behind a massive concrete pillar, his finger steady on the trigger. But Aryan? He had climbed the iron rafters near the ceiling, clutching buckets of red, blue, and yellow powdered dye like they were tactical grenades.
"He's in here somewhere! Find him and finish the boy too!" Rocky's voice echoed. He was the man who had betrayed Vihaan—the traitor who thought he was now the king.
Just as Vihaan was about to step out and open fire, a sharp whistle came from above. "Hey, Goon Squad! Look up!"
As Rocky and his men looked toward the ceiling, Aryan tipped a massive bucket of 'permanent blood-red' powder directly onto them.
"AHHH! My eyes! Is this blood? Am I hit?!" one goon screamed in panic.
"It's not blood, you idiot! It's permanent dye! You're going to look like a red monkey for weeks!" Aryan cackled from above, nearly falling off the rafters in laughter.
Vihaan stepped out from the shadows, suppressing a smirk. He fired a precise shot, hitting a goon's hand and sending his weapon flying. "Rocky, did you really think it would be this easy to take me down?"
Rocky, who was now entirely blue because Aryan had dropped a second bucket on him, screamed, "Vihaan! You're hiding behind a mere boy?"
In a flash, Vihaan lunged forward and grabbed Rocky by the throat. His eyes turned dark, filled with a terrifying possessiveness. He leaned into Rocky's ear and whispered, "He isn't 'mere'... he is mine. And you tried to scare him. That was your final mistake."
Another goon tried to sneak up on Vihaan from behind, but Aryan dropped a heavy sack of yellow dye right on the man's head. The goon collapsed instantly under the weight and the sudden puff of yellow smoke.
"Mr. Mafia! Save the speeches for later and finish cleaning up these 'Power Rangers'!" Aryan yelled.
Within five minutes, the warehouse looked like a chaotic art studio. Goons were scattered across the floor—some blue, some yellow, some a strange shade of green. Vihaan had tied Rocky up. Despite the violence, Vihaan had a few splashes of blue dye on his cheek, making him look slightly less like a monster and a little bit... cute.
Aryan climbed down and used his thumb to wipe a smudge of blue off Vihaan's face. The atmosphere suddenly turned Spicy and intense. Vihaan caught Aryan's hand and pulled him flush against his chest.
"You risked your life... why?" Vihaan's voice was thick with an emotion he couldn't name.
Aryan blushed slightly, but he couldn't help being himself. "Because if you died, who was going to pay for my scooter's mirror? Besides, you don't look so bad in blue."
Vihaan pulled him even closer, his grip firm. "You aren't going anywhere now. You stay with the Mafia King who has the world at his feet... but has surrendered his heart to you."
Aryan laughed, leaning into him. "Fine, but on one condition—next time we hide, it has to be somewhere with decent Wi-Fi!"
Vihaan laughed—a real, genuine laugh for the first time in years. He finally realized he had found his true match in this 'dark mafia lover.'