Chapter Warnings: Violence, injury, swearing

***

Lotus straightened up, wiping his brow and glancing at the overflowing bucket of pulled weeds next to him; it was probably time to pay the compost pile another visit. Rising to his feet and stretching out his back to ease out the kinks from working in his previously hunched position, he grabbed the handle and walked past the garden mounds he had already cleared out. He had the last third of the current mound along with two others before he was done weeding; from there, he would need to turn over the compost pile and harvest the vegetables ready for sale.

Dumping the bucket onto the wilting pile of accumulated greenery, his eye light roved toward the hidden front door, focusing on the nearly invisible section of grass that he had discovered torn from the corner the day before yesterday.

Given how careful he was to never disturb that outer layer, it meant someone else had entered or left.

He had asked Rurik, and they confirmed they had ventured outside for some fresh air easily enough, propping the second door open so it didn't lock him out. While he was thankful it was for such a mundane excuse and understood the motivation, Lotus warned them against going outside again; it was an unfamiliar area to his guest, so there was a high chance of them getting lost or attacked by a wild animal.

He left out the additional possibility of a much bigger danger as it was a problem exclusive to him.

Luckily, it seemed Rurik took his words to soul as the doors didn't look disturbed when he returned home yesterday, and today was his gardening day; this meant he could keep watch on the door as he tended to his vegetables. Lotus felt bad that his guest spent all of their time cooped up inside his home; they seemed more low-key over the last few days, and even their attempts to flirt with him last night seemed half-hearted. Regardless, he continued to assure himself that they were almost fully recovered and would be leaving any day now.

Any day now, things would go back to being quiet... and lonely...

Lotus shuddered as a chill tore down his spine, urging him to teleport away from the compost pile just as the spot where he had been standing erupted into a jagged ice tower. He barely had time to process what was happening when more shards shot out from the upper treeline, forcing him into a flurry of movement that left more frozen pillars in his wake.

Anxiety turned to anger when a stray attack iced over a section of his garden. Summoning his scythe, he launched off of the ground to confront the attacker hiding in the trees. Slashing into the area the projectiles were originating from, he caught sight of a figure darting for the ground at the last second.

A thin, human-esque monster with pale blue skin and hollow, almost white eyes skidded to a stop, a small cloud of dust kicking up under their bare feet... the unnerving grin they wore spoke ill of their mental state.

Landing softly in the grass, he called out, "Who are you and wh-"

The monster lunged forward, an icicle forming from their hand to shoot out like a spear. Lotus rolled to avoid the attack and swung out to catch them as they passed; they ducked under his blade with a maniacal cackle and grabbed at his shirt to throw him. He planted his hand and kicked out; a shiver went up his leg upon contact, but it created the distance he needed as his attacker spun into a crouched landing, still grinning and chuckling to himself.

Lotus let out a shaky breath as reality sunk in; these weren't the actions or reflexes of a normal monster... this was a hitman focused on a target. Adrenaline and panic set in as he dove into a full offense; he needed to defend his home and the oblivious skeleton residing just beyond his front door.

He had to stop them.

Bearing down on the intruder, his furious melee attacks put them on the defensive as they dodged out of range.

He had to stop them.

His bone constructs pursued them, trapping them into predictable movements to close the gap.

He had to stop them.

Finally, a construct swiped along their calf, slowing their movement enough for him to slam them into the ground by the throat with the blunt end of his blade. His chest heaved as he panted from exertion; their face had become rictus, a panicked expression taking over as they tried to crawl backward. He shifted the blade in preparation for the final swing-

"Lotus?"

Dread washed over him as the intruder regained their manic smile, shooting off an attack. The shard whizzed past his outstretched hand, forcing Lotus into a teleport that put him in proximity to push Rurik out of the line of fire.

Lotus cried out as cold daggers cascaded through his ribcage, forcing his scythe out of his grip as his back, legs, and upper arms were encased in ice; the jagged edges dug into him, making even the slightest movements painful. Forcing open his sockets, his eye light focused on the surprised skeleton before him as he gasped, "Run... y-you have to get away, now-!"

"Heeheeeeee, I couldn't have timed it better myself!"

Lotus's soul thudded in his chest as footsteps drew closer behind him. The hitman was getting closer, why wasn't Rurik moving?! They looked angry... were they planning on fighting back? No, they wouldn't stand a chance! "Ngh... Rurik, run!" he forced out amid panicked breaths and agonizing attempts to break free of the ice trapping him.

"What's the big idea aiming at me?" Rurik growled, halting Lotus's struggle.

The monster appeared past the ice wall holding Lotus in place and gestured flippantly toward the taller skeleton, "If you got hit, it would've been your own fault for being too slow; besides, it worked out well enough."

No...

"What are you even doing here? I told you I'd handle things," Rurik pressed with a scowl.

No!

"I got tired of waiting for you to 'gain his trust' or whatever the hell you were doing, so I used your phone to figure out where you were... but I guess your idea did make things easier; the idiot ran right into the attack when I sent at you," the monster sneered at Rurik, cackling gleefully. "Now I can hand the little rat over to the boss and get the recognition I deserve!"

Lotus was seething, though he wasn't sure if he was angrier with Rurik for tricking him or himself for letting it happen; every little quirk, every probing question, every sappy comment, and every chivalrous gesture made so much more sense, now... and he had ignored every single red flag like an idiot!

"You were one of them!" he snarled, his hands balling into fists while wishing he was free to punch the bastard.

Rurik stared mutely at him before their eye lights focused back on their accomplice, "You didn't tell anyone else where we are, did you Diz?"

"And let someone else swoop in to take the credit? Hell no!" the grinning monster laughed, wholly unconcerned with Lotus's glare as they approached him, "Now, you're going to make like a bird and sing, or we're going to have problems."

"Go find a library," he spat, keenly aware that he was beginning to lose feeling in his lower body; it was doubly bad because he suspected the ice surrounding him was also the only thing keeping him from bleeding out from the multitude of gashes littering his ribs and spine, "Everything I know can be found in a book, jackass."

Diz was still smiling, but it took on a tinge of irritation, "Don't act stupid, I know you're the brat of the Death Family's Don."

"Hah, that asshole," Lotus wheezed, not bothering to hide his disdain, "Sucks to be you... they kicked me out six years ago; I haven't seen or heard from any of them since. Any information from me wouldn't even be relevant... much less accurate."

Rurik's browbones furrowed, watching the interaction silently from their leaning position against the steep slope. The creepsicle's confidence faltered, "That's a lie; people like us don't leave a Family and live to tell about it."

"And yet, here I am," Lotus chuckled grimly. He was becoming lethargic; that was a bad sign.

"Liar!" Diz shouted as the tips of their fingers elongated like icy claws, "You're lying and I'll prove it!" Lotus didn't have time to brace himself as the claws came slashing down his chest, drawing a surprised grunt from him as they tore through his shirt. "All the active members of the Death Family have that weird skull thingy tattooed on their chest," the monster smugly exclaimed, reaching out to rip away the shreds of his shirt; the small part of his mind that wasn't reeling from the pain was glad it had been too hot for his jacket and scarf, "you should have one t-!"

Diz fell still in silent, slack-jawed bafflement.

"... What the hell?" Rurik mumbled, sitting up a little straighter. Lotus smiled ruefully, glancing away from the unsightly scar adorning his sternum where the two had been expecting his Family's mark.

"This was my price for leaving...," Lotus forced out bitterly, "Death said killing me would shame him and his gods-damned Family... so instead, he took his pound of flesh... heh," a blithe, airy chuckle escaped him, "bone, I guess, as his due for all the time he wasted on me... then his goons tossed me out like trash."

Both of them were speechless; Diz looked like he wanted to shit bricks. They wanted information, and now they were going to get it.

"Are you satisfied? You picked literally the worst target; I don't know jack shit about the Family that abandoned me," he knew he was damning himself by not shutting up, but it was so morbidly hilarious how much of a shitshow his life was, he couldn't seem to stop himself, "Hell, that shithead excuse of a parent would probably kill me, then everyone else at a negotiation out of pique for even thinking I'm worth saving... heh, I'd be less than useless!"

He hated how emotional he was becoming, he hated how his skull throbbed, he hated how his sockets stung, he hated how he couldn't just go to sleep... and he hated how he knew everything he said was true.

Lotus's skull drooped forward; he was so damn tired, physically and mentally. "Do you get it now? No one gives a damn about me... no one ever did...," he glared at the grass, "and the one time I thought someone finally cared, it was a lie... so it would be fan-fucking-tastic if you all left me the hell alone and let me be miserable in p-"

"SHUT UP!"

Word Count: 1,833