Early This Morning,
"This blows~" David, the shark-toothed mutant, whined, sprawled out groggily on the bed.
The morning dew had barely settled, yet the runners were already gearing up, ready to head out for the day.
Except this time, they weren't heading out for their usual tasks, they had a different objective.
"David, shut up." Paolo scoffed, shaking his head as he laced up his beaten sneakers while David sat up from his bed beside him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Though their banter hadn't changed, the invisible walls that once separated them had crumbled entirely.
The runners had, in their own way, broken down the social and cultural barriers that had originally kept them apart.
What had once been rigid lines, like distinctions of background, culture, and even blood, had just blurred into irrelevance.
At first, those divides had seemed immovable, like solid walls that would forever be mounted in place.
Normies stuck with normies, mutants with mutants, and the warlock kids kept to themselves, their interactions little more than necessary exchanges.
But as time passed and survival demanded unity, especially with the incident at the docks, all those walls completely eroded.
Shared meals turned into shared conversations.
Arguments became inside jokes.
The necessity of relying on one another chipped away at old prejudices until their differences no longer felt like obstacles, like walls, but simple facts of existence, like eye color or height.
Now, it wasn't strange to see a normie teaching a mutant how to scale a fire escape or a warlock kid quietly enchanting a pair of sneakers for a runner who had worn holes through theirs.
Their loyalties weren't dictated by these walls, by these labels anymore.
They were bound by experience, by the understanding that they were all cogs in the same machine.
And in this new dynamic, their old way of life, the one that insisted they should be divided, felt irrelevant as now, they all gathered around the shared banner that was the Luciano family.
"Here me out though, at the docks we-"
"Benny-" Paolo started to correct him, only for David to sneer, forcing him to hesitantly correct himself.
"Fine. We and Benny showed our stuff on those docks, proving we could handle the family's flack, but what do we get?" David grumbled, throwing a glance at Paolo as his frown deepened, his irritation practically radiating off him.
To Paolo, all this guy ever did was complain, about this, about that, about everything, and he was getting real tired of being his sounding board and yet, the kid would never admit he saw this shark tooth kid as one of his closest friends now.
"You get to shut the f*ck up?" Paolo shot back, his tone dripping with annoyance as David heard him loud and clear but just laughed, leaning in with a grin.
"We get kitty litter duty!" David exclaimed, grabbing his shirt before dramatically flopping back onto the bed like the world had just ended.
"Wiping the ass of the boss's kittens after we completely hit his expectations out of the park-"
"First of all, why the f*ck are you calling the boss's kids kittens?" Paolo weirdly said, standing up as he grabbed his worn leather greaser jacket.
Without missing a beat, he grabbed a tin of pomade, scooping some into his fingers before running a comb through his hair with practiced ease.
"Those ain't kittens, they're royalty. And not like the illegitimate kind with the, uh, the dukes and sh*t when they're, uh-"
"Disgraced." David interjected, helping Paolo out as he nodded his head as if it came to him as well.
"Yeah, them disgraced bastards from medieval times or whatever. The boss actually cares for his bastards," Paolo corrected, knowing how much Ricky emphasized his love for them.
Instead of hiding his bastards away, he had introduced them to the entire Luciano family, making it clear that they were his blood, no matter the circumstances of their birth.
The only reason they were even talking about them was because they were safely behind closed doors, since no one would dare say anything bad about them in the open.
Everyone knew better than to speak ill of Ricky's kids publicly, not when they were within earshot of his wrath.
The fear of what he could do to anyone who disrespected his family, especially his own blood, kept everyone in line, no matter how far behind those doors they might be.
"And second, dumbass, we're on the right track." Paolo scoffed, using his butterfly comb to slick back his hair, trying to replicate Ricky's style which was slowly becoming a growing trend in the young Italian American community.
"How is getting kicked in the face by that devil Moxie on the right track?!" David shot back, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"And I know, I just know, he's targeting me for his little blackmailing scheme, do you see the way he eyes my cash specifically? Threatening to tell the boss that I'm mean to him if I don't pay his little fees!" David buried his face in his hands, the weight of it all sinking in as his hard-earned money was slipping into Moxie's grubby little hands, and the brat had him by the balls.
But what was worse is that he couldn't do a thing about it.
Moxie's obsession with money had started small but was growing at a predatory rate, consuming him more with each passing day.
Ricky had unknowingly hooked him on the fast track to greed, but Moxie wasn't content with the slow burn.
He was moving faster, using every opportunity to squeeze what he could from the people around him.
David, with his quick temper and his inability to not brag about the things he bought, was an easy target.
Moxie saw him as nothing more than a piggy bank he could empty but it was becoming more and more of a problem since the further he went, the less he cared about loyalty; it was all about what he could take from anyone who had something to offer.
"You really are an idiot, it's tradition." Paolo said with a tired sigh, as he finished fixing his hair.
"How is being that kid's butler tradition?" David shot back, confused and clearly annoyed as Paolo handed him the pomade as the shark toothed mutant started slicking his hair back as well.
SIGH
"Take Johnny, for example. The guy who's the youngest capo in the family and in charge of all of us." Paolo continued his lecture, watching David look up with a skeptical expression.
"You know what he did before this?" Paolo asked, waving his little switch-comb as David looked back in the mirror as he started fiddling with the one strand that dripped down his hair.
"I don't know, was he a hitman or something?" David asked, half-joking only to see Paolo roll his eyes at this.
"He was a bodyguard at the main house, THE Lucky's house." Paolo turned to look at David, catching his surprised expression before the words could even form on David's lips.
"That's how it works." Paolo continued, his voice steady, like he was laying down the truth.
"You start out as a runner on the outside, gain respect, then you get closer by protecting the family, gaining trust, and when you've got both, boom, you're in, you're a made man." Paolo pocketed the comb with a casual flick of his wrist before turning back to David, who, as usual, was looking at him like he hadn't heard half of what Paolo said.
"My uncle, before he got popped, was a member of the family. And even though he never made it that high, he told my pa how it worked," Paolo said, his voice flat but laced with something deeper.
"Unless you've got blood running through the family, you've gotta prove you're family, that's how it works." Paolo said, knowing it's unfair but the family still looked after him and his own family which is why he didn't complain.
"But you just said your uncle-" David frowned, clearly confused once again and couldn't seem to pick up simple context.
"Popped, remember?" Paolo scoffed, emphasizing his point by mimicking a gun to his head.
"Blood doesn't run through the family anymore, but it gets the door open. You? You're in here 'cause of those buck tooth shark teeth of yours." Paolo flicked David's nose and walked past him, smirking as he scowled and chased after him.
"So shut it and get ready to guard Moxie."
There was truth to Paolo's words, though a certain veil still hung over the full reality.
But to them, to their knowledge, the runners weren't just errand boys anymore, they were assigned to specific people within Ricky's blood family.
Ricky wasn't just having them babysit; he was planting the seeds for the future.
One day, these kids would rise to the top, and he wanted his trusted men to have a bond with them, built from the ground up.
This was what most high-ranking members did with unknown recruits and it had become a common practice for up and comers by assigning them to someone important.
Paolo, David, and a few others were tasked with guarding Moxie and carrying out any orders Alina handed down.
As Paolo walked toward the restroom, David trailing behind and pestering him restlessly, they passed by Benny, sharpening his knife, his eyes fixed on the blade with quiet focus.
"You really love that thing, don't you?" Louis chuckled, watching Benny seriously inspect and sharpen his knife.
"Yes." Benny replied bluntly, wasting no words as he continued honing the blade against the sharpening stone.
This very expensive, gold-handled butterfly knife was Benny's reward for his efforts at the port.
If you remembered, back in the day when Ricky had a pillow sack full of treasures he had swindled from the mob and hauled back to the orphanage, this knife had been among the loot.
Ricky hadn't known what to give Benny and hadn't planned anything, really, since he'd been too busy orchestrating the whole Merlyn thing, but in the end, he handed over this expensive blade, taken from some random mobster.
To Ricky, it was just another trinket, but to Benny, it was the first gift he had ever received in his entire life.
That made it worth more than its weight in gold.
Benny took this reward seriously, treating it like an ancient artifact displayed in the Smithsonian.
So every day, without fail, he polished and sharpened it, ensuring it remained pristine.
"Well, I can't complain either since I got this puppy." Louis joked, waving his silver money clip in front of Benny, who remained utterly uninterested, focused solely on sharpening his blade.
"That's reasonable."
"What is?"
"That you cannot complain after receiving such a valuable gift."
"No-"
Sigh
"Yep." Louis exhaled, knowing it was pointless to argue with Benny over things like this.
Instead, he turned away, letting his gaze drift as if savoring the view of something only he could see.
It was a strange sight to see considering that just a short while ago, they had drawn literal lines in the barracks to keep their spaces separate, yet now they crossed over them without a second thought, moving in tandem.
Because in the end, unity and division came in all shapes and forms, but they were nothing more than constructs of human perception, shifting as easily as the tides.
The older people grew, the more those perceptions solidified, hardening into these unshakable truths.
But for these young and impressionable minds, there was still room for change, for malleability.
Minds, from youth, were shaped by their circumstances, molded by the hands that guided them, and in the crucible of shared purpose, they blended together under the banner of the Luciano family.
But there was a reason that Louis was taking in the bitter sweet view, because out of every runner here, he knew the truth.
The runners being on guard duty wasn't just a reward but a veil, a placate, nothing to draw eyes away until Ricky got back because this wasn't exactly what everyone thought it was.
In fact, the reason they were assigned to this was because of Louis as he showed a sad smile as he recounted what had happened during that eating contest with Garfield.
FLASHBACK TO Chapter 167
Johnny stood there, gripping Louis by the collar as the mutant child ducked his head in shame, avoiding Ricky's gaze.
Ricky side-eyed the event before heaving out a sigh, understanding something had happened.
Without a word, he gestured towards the side, signaling Johnny to bring Louis inside.
Then, turning away from the chaos of the pizza-eating contest, he walked toward an isolated room, waiting for Johnny to escort the boy in.
"What's wrong, did this kid kill someone or something?" Ricky asked, eyeing the grave expression on Johnny's face as he nudged Louis forward.
"Yeah, my trust," Johnny hissed, shoving Louis toward Ricky like he was tossing him to the wolves.
Louis stood there, small and cornered, Ricky's curious yet piercing gaze weighing heavy on him and slowly, hesitantly, he looked up.
"Boss, there's something I-" Louis was about to say only for his mouth to clamp shut as he closed his eyes tightly.
The words formulated in his mind but when they pranced onto his tongue, the very taste of them made Louis nauseous.
Almost repulsed by himself but this slight hesitance made the already furious and annoyed Johnny act rashly as an excuse to take out these feelings on the cause of the problem.
Smack
"Out with it already, you f*cking rat!" Johnny barked, striking Louis upside the head.
The hit barely fazed him as his X-Gene flared instinctively, absorbing the impact as he stood there, unmoving, taking it on the chin.
However, Johnny's towering presence in Louis's psyche made him crumble, his knees buckling to the ground.
Ricky, seeing this was completely taken aback, the words not registering in his mind as the actions took the brunt of his focus.
"Aye, woah, what the f*ck-wait, did you just say rat?" Ricky snapped, standing up in a flash, ready to intervene but as the words finally settled in his mind, he paused, the pieces slowly clicking together.
"Yeah, I did, boss. Now tell 'em why, Louis! TELL 'EM WHAT YOU TOLD ME!" Johnny roared, his voice booming over Louis, whose eyes watered in fear and shame.
Louis tried to open his mouth, but the weight of the shame was crushing, rendering him silent once again while his tears fell freely as he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"I'm sorry, boss, I'm so sorry~" Louis whimpered, buckling under his own guilt as his sobs racked his small frame, and Johnny, seeing his reaction, immediately rolled up his sleeves.
"You f*cking coward." Johnny scowled at Louis, standing over him with only a complete expression of disappointment.
"You have the nerve to betray mine and the bosses trust but not the guts to say it, SAY IT!" Johnny yelled, his spit slamming into Louis who only ducked his head even further.
"SAY HOW YOU'VE BEEN RATTING, HOW YOU'VE BEEN SNITCHING ON THE BOSS, ON OUR F*CKING FAMILY, THIS WHOLE TIME!" Johnny screamed, his voice seething with anger, unable to hold back the words any longer as he grabbed Louis' collar and shook him around.
They just spilled out like venom, each one hitting harder than the last as Louis shrank back, his face flushed with guilt and fear.
"I'm sorry-"
"IS THAT ALL YOU CAN F*CKING SAY, THAT YOU'RE SORRY FOR BETRAYING THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO GAVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU, WHO BELIEVED IN YOU!" Johnny roared, grabbing Louis collaring and pushing him against the wall as the kid struggled in his grasp.
"Johnny-"
"I vouched for you, I TOOK YOU UNDER MY WING, I WENT OUT FOR A LEG FOR YOU TIME AND TIME AGAIN!" Johnny ferociously said, his rage coming from his heart being broken to little bitty pieces.
"I TRUSTED YOU, I-" Johnny's heart broke, looking at Louis since when he gazed at him, he didn't see anyone but his younger self.
"I believed in you."
The normies, mutants, and warlocks weren't the only ones beginning to tear down the walls between them.
Slowly but surely, Johnny too was changing.
The hardened image he once had of the runners, the scrappy kids dumped under his charge, had started to soften.
He saw them now, not as burdens or headaches or a responsibility given by Ricky, but as kids.
As people.
As reflections of who he once was.
For the first time in his life, Johnny began to understand what it meant to be a mentor.
He wasn't just breaking up fights anymore; he was investing in them.
It was slow at first, not simply putting all his chips into the center and going all in, but gradual.
He started staying later, talking more, and paid attention.
When their yelling and constant bickering between each other stopped, he filled the silence with guidance and maybe for the first time since Gino, he felt like he was finally becoming someone worth looking up to.
That's what made Louis' betrayal cut so goddamn deep.
This wasn't just about the Luciano name, about snitching, about business.
It was personal.
Johnny had taken Louis under his wing, not out of duty, but out of real care since he genuinely saw himself in that kid, the same fear, the same hunger for belonging, and it felt like he had reached out only to be left hanging.
So when the truth came out, Johnny wasn't just angry.
He was devastated.
The rage in his voice wasn't about Louis failing the family, it was about Louis failing him.
Because Johnny hadn't just vouched for that boy, he'd believed in him, and that hurt more than anything else.
"I-I-" Johnny's voice broke, it cracked at the seam as he was entirely ashamed of himself for believing in someone only to be betrayed.
"Johnny, enough." Ricky said, his voice ushering Johnny to comply almost immediately as he released his grip on Louis.
Wiping his mouth, he took a couple steps back and turned his back to Louis as he walked over to Ricky's side.
"I apologize boss-"
Johnny went to apologize for his outburst but Ricky just held up his fingers, stopping him as if he didn't need to feel sorry about what he had done.
"Louis, look at me." Ricky started, looking at the boy who was still crumbling to the ground.
"Don't make me repeat myself." Ricky's voice was cold, causing goosebumps to form on Louis' skin as he slowly looked up to Ricky.
His head resting on his hand, sitting back on the chair and staring at Louis with an unreadable face, almost the spitting image of Lucky.
"Is he telling the truth, are you ratting?" Ricky asked without asking, already believing Johnny's words but wanting the boy to admit his sins as if confiding in him as a holy man rather than a mobster.
"Yes." Louis' confirmation rang out, his eyes conveying only regret towards Ricky who sat there, almost unbothered.
Sigh
Ricky sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and simmering in his chair for what felt like an eternity to Louis.
"Who?" Ricky asked, his voice low and dangerous, his eyes blazing green as Louis felt a heavy pressure settle over him, forcing him to gulp.
"E-Elias, it's Elias," Louis stammered, barely able to choke out the name.
Ricky's face twisted into an ugly frown, his gaze sharpening into a glowing green hue as he stared at Louis.
But instead of the shock or confusion one might expect, there was a grim understanding in Ricky's expression because of one reason.
Ricky had actually expected this one.
Louis, a child from Elias' sanctuary, had been raised under the man's manipulative care.
Elias, with his influence, twisted young minds to serve his own goals just like Ricky was trying to do.
Louis had literally been trafficked from the sanctuary, and it made sense to Ricky, at least, that Elias had likely manipulated him to spy before anyone else could get their hands on him.
From the way Elias carried himself, how he introduced himself, and his cryptic comments about 'having eyes everywhere' and the presence of 'shadows' Ricky actually pieced it together even before he got these kids.
From their perspective, it made sense as they grew up under Elias' control and had to learn to trust only him.
The entire purpose of the mutant runners, of them being under Johnny's command, was to elicit this exact reaction Louis had now, the guilt, the sense of betrayal, the growing realization that he owed Ricky an explanation.
Blending the mutants with the normies was only the first part as the second part was about gradually chipping away at Louis, or any other mutants resolve, until they were brought to the point where he could no longer stay silent.
When Louis first joined the Luciano family, it had felt more like a punishment than a reward.
But over time, he had come to see it as his family and for the first time in his life, Louis felt like he belonged, that he was needed, cherished, and respected.
That made the revelation hurt even more, that Louis and the other mutant children had been plucked from Elias' sanctuary to spy on Ricky and keep tabs on him.
The betrayal stung, but it was also what led to this moment as Louis couldn't continue his deception.
He couldn't keep spying on the very people who had become his family.
That was why he broke down before Johnny and was dragged all the way to Ricky, unable to continue pretending.
The guilt was just too much, and it all led back to the tears he shed, confessing everything.
Sigh
Ricky sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose since as much as he wanted the mutant kids to owe their loyalty to him, but there were just some things you couldn't do in the family.
There were rules, unspoken ones, yet strict and unforgiving, forbidden lines that, once crossed, would fracture everything they had built.
For example, there were certain lines you just didn't cross in the Luciano family: disrespecting the Boss or the Family, killing Made Men without permission, stealing from the organization, just to name a few.
But there was one line that stood above all the rest, the one that couldn't be forgiven, no matter who you were.
Snitching.
The Code of Silence was the foundation of their operations and was as sacred as it was unbreakable to the mafia.
The penalty for breaking it was death, simple as that with no second chances, and no exceptions.
In Ricky's mind, it was supposed to play out differently as he wanted the mutant kids to come to him, to be honest and open, to confess their mistakes so he could use it against them.
Ricky was sort of waiting for them to grow a little more so that they were given the privilege of meeting one on one with him before confessing.
It's just that plans don't always go the way you want them to.
Louis didn't do that, he went to Johnny instead and once that happened, everything changed.
Ricky had initially planned to use Louis' guilt to his advantage, to keep him on a tight leash, manipulating him into obedience, and sharpening him into the perfect weapon for his Luciano family.
He actually planned to turn the mutant children into his own hounds, bound by their guilt, trapped in a leash of obligation, forever forced to prove their loyalty to him rather than becoming nothing more than rats in his game.
But then there was Johnny, his other loyal hound, fiercely loyal to a fault.
If Ricky, the one holding the reins, appeared weak, it would cause problems and Johnny would smell it which could ripple out more problems.
"After everything the Luciano family has given you, I'm f*cking disappointed," Ricky played the role of a disappointed and betrayed mob boss, keeping his tone steady, though the words cut deep all while Johnny nodded in agreement, his expression a mix of disdain and disappointment.
"We're your family, Louis. At least, we thought of you as family," Ricky continued, his words heavy with a sharp bite.
Louis' sobs grew louder, each one a reminder that for all his tough exterior, he was still just a kid.
Sniff
"I'm so sorry boss, I didn't want to but he-"
"What? Did he f*cking torture you, huh?" Ricky asked, scoffing a bit at the timeless apologies, all while watching Louis slowly shake his head.
"No-"
"Did he threaten ya?"
"N-No-"
"Then stop acting like your the f*cking victim, if anyone's the victim, it's me." Ricky said, gesturing with his hands, even though he had literally trafficked Louis.
"Now pick yourself up, look me in the eye, and for god's sake, stop crying." Ricky gestured with his hand, leaning back and gazing at Louis who was slowly reigning himself in.
"Now, what did you tell him?" Ricky asked, watching Louis sniffle a bit and rub the side of his arm.
"About the runners." Louis innocently said, catching himself before he could look at the ground and staring directly into his green eyes.
"Be more specific, what did he ask?" Ricky said, gesturing for him to get this moving along as Louis nodded in understanding.
"About the runners, who they are and what their names are." Louis continued, not truly grappling with the urgency that Ricky wanted.
"Uh huh."
"He doesn't asks us about stuff, uh, like what we deliver, but more, uh, just the people, the uh, runners-"
"Jesus, it's like talking to drywall." Ricky pinched the bridge of his nose, wiping his hand across his face and leaning forward.
"Just f*cking tell me what the main thing is he always asks about, like what is the thing he is persistent in." Ricky said, knowing how impatient it was to talk to children and leaning onto the desk as Louis nodded.
"M-Mostly about your interest in Benny, as of late, all he really asks about is Benny." Louis stammered, fiddling with his fingers since lately, all Elias seemed to ask about was Benny.
"The kid with the funky name, right, Benny with a Y?" Ricky chuckled, remembering Benny and how serious he always was.
"Y-Yeah."
"That kid's hilarious," Ricky laughed, leaning on the table as Louis started chuckling too.
"Gotta ask, that thing he does, where he takes everything seriously, that's not an act or anything, right?" Ricky genuinely asked, laughing as if shedding that serious expression and looking at him with his usual smile.
"No, no boss, Benny's just like that," Louis laughed, finally meeting Ricky's eyes as he leaned on the desk.
"BOSS!?" Johnny yelled, trying to get Ricky on track as the man coughed and regained his composure.
"Yeah, right, you snitched." Ricky said, pouring cold water on Louis who ducked his head again.
"Did you say anything about me?" Ricky asked, curious if he got any special mention in the stories.
"I-I just told him how you seemed to favor Benny, what with giving him that butterfly knife and all." Louis quickly said, shaking his head with his pale face showing slight glimpses of fear.
"Oh," Ricky replied, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face that he wasn't the star of Louis's tattling
"What about the other mutants, are they snitching?" Ricky asked, watching Louis's neck shrink at the question while Johnny stood there, utterly disbelief.
"I've been raising rats, my god," Johnny groaned, clutching his forehead and staggering back into a chair.
"B-But we're loyal to the Luciano family boss, to you-"
"Oh, come on, Louis, that ain't how it works," Ricky laughed, leaning back in his chair and staring down at Louis, who reluctantly lifted his head.
"You can't pick and choose your loyalties, you're either loyal or you're not." Ricky said, gesturing from one end of the desk to the other to get his point across.
"You can't just switch sides and expect me to understand," Ricky said, knowing he wanted to bring Louis over to his side, to have him work for him, but that didn't excuse what he'd done.
"You still ratted on us, and I can't let that slide." Ricky's words hit Louis hard, making him crumple to the ground, all the life draining out of him.
No one could truly understand except Louis himself, but for the first time in his life, he felt like he had a home.
After running away from his family and wandering the streets of D.C, he was picked up by Elias's sanctuary.
But unlike Ricky, who surrounded mutants with people, Elias isolated them at first.
Elias broke them down mentally, driving them into a state of loneliness until they felt they had no other choice but to follow him.
Louis had experienced this first hand, enduring cold nights alone in a room with nothing but a bed, receiving meals in silence, and waiting for the days to end.
Even when the isolation ended, disguised as a vetting process, that loneliness lingered, seeping into the barracks where they lived.
But slowly, it blossomed into a fragile sense of belonging that Louis, an orphan and nobody plucked from the streets, thought he didn't deserve.
He made friends, grew closer to the mutants, and eventually found his best friend, Benny.
Though Louis wasn't sure if Benny saw him as a friend, or anyone at all, he still cherished the moments they shared.
But with every day that passed, and each time Elias called on him for information, that feeling of unworthiness deepened into a pit no familiarity could fill.
It consumed him until, finally, he pulled Johnny aside and confessed everything.
"Do you got anything to say for yourself?" Ricky genuinely asked, watching Louis ball his eyes out before slowly raising his head.
"Please-"
Sniff
HIC
"Please, just give me one more chance," Louis cried, looking up at Ricky with everything he was and had.
"I-I knew what I did was wrong b-b-b-but I was scared and I-"
"You and all the other mutants betrayed us, Louis. YOU BROKE MY F*CKING HEART!" Johnny yelled, his voice heavy with pain as Louis sniffled, bowing his head, knowing these words weren't just anger, they were real.
Out of everyone in the barracks, Johnny had been grooming Louis for a leadership position.
Although Benny and Paolo were close contenders, neither had the patience to lead the other runners like Louis did, and Johnny noticed that.
Even though Louis was a mutant, carrying the stigma that came with it, Johnny was willing to put all that aside because Louis was honestly the best choice.
But hearing about Louis's betrayal shattered him, it was like reliving his own mentor's downfall all over again, and it utterly broke Johnny's heart.
"The boss put his faith in you, I stuck my neck out for you, and you just spit in our faces. How could you f*cking do that, Louis?" Johnny said, his eyes locked on the kid who, despite having no real choice in the matter, was still owning up to every bit of it.
"I'm sorry." Louis could only say those words, his voice heavy with regret as he apologized to Johnny, the one who had always looked out for him, even when he hadn't deserved it.
"So what are you going to do boss?"
Ricky leaned in, his hands crossed in front of his face as the atmosphere shifted into a heavy silence, the weight of the moment pressing down as only one question remained.
'Yeah, what am I gonna do?' Ricky thought, genuinely at a loss since in his head, this wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Of course, Ricky had wanted Louis, or any of the other mutants, to eventually out themselves to him, to wield that vulnerability like a double-edged sword.
But instead of waiting, the kid went straight to Johnny.
Johnny, the youngest capo, the one Ricky had been grooming for high positions, his most loyal soldier.
The same Johnny who played everything by the book, loyal to the tee to the Luciano family.
Knowing this made it all the harder to let go.
Even now, Johnny's bloodshot eyes were locked on Ricky, ready and willing to do whatever he asked.
'Why couldn't the kid have found me or singled me out-no, that's f*cking stupid.' Ricky was about to scold himself, but then he thought it through.
If Louis was really becoming a mobster, he'd know better than to go straight to the boss, he'd go through the chain of command, to Johnny first.
That's why Ricky should have expected this.
Still, deep down, he thought he'd have at least a little more time instead of having all of this dumped onto him right before they were about to leave.
'But I can't just cap the kid, I want to use him.' Ricky slicked his hair back, fully aware of how valuable Louis's X-gene was.
'But I can't just let him off the hook either.' Ricky said, side-eyeing Johnny staring daggers at him.
'F*ck it.'
"I've decided." Ricky said, standing up as Louis felt it all bear down before him as Johnny crossed his arms.
"To postpone my decision until after I come back." Ricky finished, his words leaving both of them confused.
"Until then, you're in the doghouse." Ricky pointed at Louis, watching Johnny at a loss before he turned to him.
"Boss-"
"It's just I can't handle all of this right now, I'm leaving, literally today," Ricky emphasized, watching Johnny shut his mouth, knowing full well what Ricky was about to do.
"So here's what's gonna happen: you're gonna keep snitching on the Luciano family."
"Huh?" Johnny and Louis both said, eyes locked on Ricky as he scratched behind his ear and then met their gaze.
"Listen, in the public and the family's eyes, you've done this city a great service." Ricky said, gesturing towards him like a true italian.
"If I just suddenly threw you all out, people would start digging into why." Ricky voiced his logic, it making sense to Johnny who nodded.
"And if it comes out that the mutants I personally picked are all rats, it won't just hurt my reputation, it'll make Elias scurry back into his little hole to plot in his weird little shadows." Ricky chuckled, wiggling his fingers a bit before shaking his head.
"Anyways, I still need Elias. I still need to use him until our deal is complete, and I'd rather lure him into a false sense of security than have him on guard." Ricky shrugged, knowing that Elias wouldn't be going anywhere until their deal was complete.
"That's why Johnny here is gonna feed you tidbits, nothing big, just enough to keep Elias from getting suspicious." Ricky lectured, waving his finger at him.
"Boss, I can't just monitor them all while they're running." Johnny laughed, looking at Ricky as if they were going to go back to what they had been doing before in the meantime.
"Yeah, that's a good point." Ricky said, rubbing his chin before nodding.
"That's why you and all the other runners are gonna start protecting my bastards from now on." Ricky suddenly thought, knowing that they needed to be rewarded for their efforts at the docks and this would be perfect.
"Boss, you can't be serious!" Johnny was hysterical, looking as if Ricky had taken a full bottle of crazy pills.
"That's a promotion, you're rewarding those rats-"
"If I don't give them this, it's gonna look weird, Johnny. Damn, read the context." Ricky sighed, scoffing a bit as Johnny flinched backwards.
"It's just a veil until I get back, divide the mutants, and always have them outranked by the others." Ricky quickly ordered, his words causing Johnny to sear them into his soul.
"Oh, and Louis." Ricky suddenly remembered, turning towards Louis with a peachy smile.
"If you say one thing to Elias about my family that don't come from my mouth, even just a little passing comment, I'll f*cking skin ya." Ricky laughed heartily, his nonchalant words sending shivers down the young boy's spine.
Gulp
"O-Okay."
END OF FLASHBACK
Louis still didn't know if Ricky was kidding, and he didn't want to find out, even now, recalling that moment made him shiver.
Ever since that day, Johnny had been watching Louis and the other mutants like a hawk and they had noticed it too.
It was so intense that the mutant kids started feeling uncomfortable, needing Louis to assure them it was fine.
Everyone moved forward with their new assignment, but Louis seemed to be the only one who truly knew the weight of the truth.
"Hey Benny, what would you do if you weren't a part of the family?" Louis suddenly asked, looking at Benny who didn't even have to think about it for a millisecond.
"Work at my mother's apple stand." Benny said, having met Ricky while working it in the first place and probably would've continued working it until the day he died.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"Well, would you look at that?" Louis muttered, still unable to picture Benny as an apple vendor as the boy stood up.
"Why apples?" Louis wondered aloud, locking eyes with Benny, knowing this was all it would take to get the full story from him.
"My grandparents were apple farmers and emigrated from-"
"LINE UP!" Johnny yelled, his voice booming through the bay as the kids, who were cheerful, immediately bolted to the front of their bunks.
Benny stopped his chatter and slowly stood up, moving to the front of the bed just as Johnny entered, his face wearing a displeased frown.
The chuckles died down, and one by one, the runners shuffled before their beds, mingling together and struggling to hold back their laughter.
But instead of the expected pride or amusement, Johnny's expression was heavy with disappointment as his eyes settled on the group briefly before drifting toward Louis.
Almost immediately, Louis lowered his gaze to the floor, feeling the weight of that look.
"Today will be the same as yesterday." Johnny looked away as he walked down the barracks, towing the line, eyes scanning the runners like it was routine.
Like he still believed in it.
But the longer his gaze lingered on these mutant smiles, the harder he tried to pretend it wasn't there.
To convince himself that through every single one of their innocent expressions, was a rat hiding within plain sight.
Lurking just beneath every polite expression, behind every nod that used to reassure him, was a goddamn rat.
"You all-" Johnny tried to continue but the words seemed to stall.
Because suddenly it wasn't a line anymore, the grief seemingly spinning the area around him until it felt as if the mutants were surrounding him, watching him, and waiting for him to slip up.
They were rats.
It's why he was searching every nook and cranny of their beings for the signs, for proof of their treachery, for some sign that the respect in their eyes was nothing more than camouflage.
That they were lying to him, all of them, just waiting to strike.
But what stared back at him wasn't treachery.
It was something worse.
It was himself.
In the curve of one mutant boy's slumped shoulders, he saw the way he used to stand when orders came down heavy, with no one to catch the weight.
In the tightness of another's jaw, he recognized the way he clenched his own teeth when pretending he wasn't afraid.
And in their eyes, their tired, uncertain eyes, he didn't see rebellion, he saw reflection.
His own exhaustion, mirrored back at him.
His own fear, rippling like a silent confession.
His doubts.
His regret.
His grief.
Somehow, he saw himself in every single one of them no matter how hard he tried not too.
"Just get the hell out of here," Johnny snapped suddenly, his exasperation cutting through the tense silence as he pinched the bridge of his nose, the weariness etched deep in his features.
The runners exchanged confused glances, unsure how to read the sudden shift.
"NOW!" Johnny roared, voice raw and commanding, an order that struck like thunder that made every runner flinched, except Benny.
Then, without another word, they all scattered, boots pounding as they rushed out, leaving the room hollow except for one.
"Boss-" Louis tried to say, taking a step forward only for Johnny to meet him halfway.
"Don't. Speak. A. F*cking. Word." Johnny's voice was low but the hatred spoke volumes as he gripped Louis' mouth.
"Follow your orders and don't you dare speak to me, to anyone." Johnny's bloodshot eyes spoke of hatred but when Louis gazed up at them, they preached of nothing but sadness.
"Now, get." Johnny then hurled Louis towards the door, the boy tripping and following before he scraped himself to his feet and walked out of the door.
Now alone, Johnny sat on a box as his hands seeped through his black hair as it all just crushed him in that moment.
"What do I do Gino, what do I do?"
Author's Note: I'm kind of just getting back on my feet and I don't really wanna overburden myself with my previous upload scheduel so I'm gonna take it slow until I get back into my groove and now the chaps how caught up with my resuming so I'm gonna break it into parts.