Chapter 141: Seeing R-hubard
Ori paces back and forth in the apartment for some time while Bats watches him warily. Finally, he stops, looking at his uncle with a frown, "Is she keeping it...?"
Bats chews the inside of his cheek, "Yeah, she is..."
"Why?" he immediately asks, wondering why she'd want to keep something born from her captivity.
Bats shrugs, shaking his head, "I don't know. Just that refuses to 'kill it', even after everything."
Ori chews his lip bitterly, "It's his, isn't it?" he asks, his voice becoming hoarse from the thought alone.
Surprisingly, however. Bats shakes his head, "No... The time doesn't line up, and Fujino himself refutes it. I'll do a DNA test, even if Cat doesn't want to know..."
Ori sniffs derisively, "So what, that guy's gonna dip?" he spits. He knew he wouldn't be able to stay with Rebecca if she had someone else's kid, even if you disregarded the cheating. He doubted an asshole like Fujino would think differently.
Again though, Bats' response leaves him somewhat speechless. "No, he wants to stay and look after her. I've talked with him and he knows it isn't his, but wants to stay anyway..."
The Ripperdoc stands and places a hand on Ori's shoulder, gripping it as tight as the man can manage. "Listen. I know you hate him, I might too, but this shit ain't for us to feel better about ourselves. It's for Cat, and the kid."
...
"You really trust him...?" Ori mutters indignantly, "After all he's done?"
Bats nods firmly, "I trust Cat's judgement, she's not as fragile as we think and has made her decision. As family, all we can do is keep an eye on things and make sure to step in if anything does go wrong." he grips Ori's shoulders harder, "Hate him, I don't care, but Cat is innocent. The kid is innocent. We both know how hard it is without a father." he says almost commandingly.
...
"You do see us a family... Right?"
Ori grinds his teeth and lets out a long sigh, "If you need to even ask that..." he steps to the side and rubs the back of his head, "Fuck..."
"I'm not asking because I think you don't. I'm asking so you'd remember."
...
"She in there...?" Ori asks, nodding at Bats bedroom where all the equipment should be.
"She is, with Fujino."
Ori steps to it and opens it up, revealing Cat lying atop the medical chair with Fujino standing beside her, both looking at a nearby screen displaying an ultrasound of the growing fetus. At his entry however they look at him, Fujino's posture shrinking slightly as Cat tenses.
"Bro..." she mumbles, barely loud enough for him to hear.
"Cat. You good...?" he awkwardly asks, intentionally ignoring Fujino as he steps to the screen, glancing at the fetus.
"Are you?" she replies, looking at him meaningfully.
He squeezes his hands, only now realising that they'd been gripped into fists. "Yeah, just need to have a chat with Fujino here..."
"N-no..." she pleads, knowing exactly how the last time went down.
"It's fine, Catarina. I wish to talk as well." Fujino assures her.
Slowly, she nods, pulling him close and pecking his lips while still staring at Ori. Conveying everything she wished without saying a word.
Ori leads Fujino into the front room where Bats was standing cross-armed in the corner, observing them. He slides the coffee table between the two couches and sits, dropping his sawed-off shotgun in front of him as Fujino takes a spot opposite him.
They're silent for a minute or two until Fujino speaks up. "I believe I owe you an apology."
Ori's eye twitches, "How's the mouth." he asks disingenuously.
Ignoring the taunt, Fujino straightens his posture and squares his shoulders, "I acted combatively when we first met. When I should have been acting as a suiter would when meeting his future father-in-law... Family is a foreign concept to me." he admits. "But, I do think both of us have acted immaturely..."
Ori just scowls, "She's sixteen... You're a grown-ass man who's taken advantage of her, fucked with his perception of shit, you're just lucky I didn't put a bullet in your skull." he bounces his foot restlessly.
"If it makes you feel any better, I am twenty years old..." the man offers, surprising Ori. Maybe his time getting tortured took more of a toll than he'd thought.
Ori eyed the man's still missing arm and fingers, "Maybe... You want to take care of Cat then, and the kid... Why?"
"Would it be enough to say I love her...?" he pauses but continues at Ori's glare. "Aside from my own feelings, I wish to protect her, and to redeem myself."
"So my sister's just a charity case for you then, huh?" Ori growls.
"No! While that is one part of it, my affection for her won't allow me to leave. I-I would rather die than abandon her now." he states with determination.
...
"I don't like you." Ori shakes his head, "I fucking hate you. I wanna gut you so badly I'm struggling to stop myself." he stands and grabs Bore, weighing it in his hand for a couple seconds before sighing, holstering it. "But for Cat's sake I'll let you live for now. Just remember that single slip and I'm coming for you."
"Of course." Fujino nods, but pauses when he receives some Eddies from Ori, "Hm?"
"Go to Drowning Dohnuts in Kabuki Market, buy some Rhubard and Custard rolls for Cat." he says, waving him off as he steps back into Bats' room.
Fujino just glances unsurely at Bats, wondering if he'd been sent on a suicide mission or something.
Bats shrugs, "They are her favourite... I think...?"
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