Parity - 8. Maverick - "Spider Lily"

- Watches a lot of gossip girl, basically obsessed.
- Terrified of concept of death - Faye's suicide maybe?
- "Life drama," problems with Faye and Lynch?
- Nightmares again - what about?
- Likes guys who make the first move - that's me.

That was an informative video, Maverick though to himself. He had a hard candy from his stash tucked away in the corner of his mouth, slowly letting it dissolve and fill his mouth with sweet, sugary raspberry and leaving his lips and tongue a deep red. Veikko loved to talk about himself and current events every day or two and upload the videos. Initially, when he ran across the channel, he'd been amazed that tens and eventually hundreds of thousands of people gave up five or ten minutes of their lives to watch the diary of a little queer boy, but he was as hooked as anyone else. Veikko was intoxicating. Like a drug. With every fix, he only wanted more. He needed it. I like you, Veikko. Fucked if I know why, but I want you.

Maverick flicked through the notes he'd accumulated on Veikko in the last couple of years. There was so much he knew, whether through observation, his videos, his social media or through gossip, but there were so many more questions he needed answers to. Whenever he learned something relevant, he added it to his spreadsheet. He had tabs for everyone who interested him. Rain was the first person Maverick began documenting, recording everything that he deemed intriguing or noteworthy. Insecurities, problems, strengths, weaknesses - but there were so many insecurities, problems and weaknesses with him. No strengths. Hinako should have aborted him. A worthless, abhorrent creation.

Maverick looked across with resentment in his eyes to his little brother, who was peacefully and silently sleeping in his bed like a corpse. What does Ember see in him? Hinako and the three stooges have biased genetic loyalty to him, so they're forced to love him in spite of what a waste of time he is, but Ember? She has no such excuse. She wastes her intellect and potential on someone who has no hope. On the chessboard, she's a queen. Rain is a pawn, and that's more than he deserves. Maybe Wolf is a pawn too, but there's potential and use in him. Maybe one day he'll hit the opposite side of the board and promote into something useful. But Rain? He lived only to function as a human stepladder. Ember knows that. She has to. So what's her deal? For someone allegedly so brilliant, she makes a lot of questionable decisions. It's gonna cost her.

It was only a quarter to five in the morning. He thought about trying for more sleep, but that wasn't a promising idea. He'd woken up an hour ago for seemingly no reason at all to the sound of water hitting the roof, wind whistling through the windows and walls, and thunderclaps booming through the clouds. If it hadn't been raining so heavily, Maverick would have slipped out into the night and gone for a BMX ride. Perhaps he'd turn his back on his stupid health crazy hippie family by getting a burger or some fried chicken. He didn't get it. To Hinako, a sausage in bread was toxic, but she dropped acid like an after dinner mint. She hoovered up cocaine her entire pregnancy with her eldest son and continued while breastfeeding - according to Essence, his first few months of life were a mess of drug withdrawal. Where exactly is the line? Is there a line at all? It's okay for me to be born addicted to cocaine, but not to enjoy processed sugar? Maybe Hinako would approve if snorted it up his nose instead.

Quietly, so as not to disturb his brothers, Maverick slid off his bed and unlocked his cupboard to retrieve one of his sketchbooks, and popped another candy into his mouth. The rain was coming down even harder now. Water trickled down the window, and he made sure to shut the blind. He saw Rain again, sleeping in his bed. Animosity flooded him. Hatred. Real, ugly hatred. He gently approached Rain, not making a sound on the carpet underfoot and gazed down at him. He was a sweet looking boy; there was no denying it. He had jet-black hair like all of the children - though Maverick had been colouring his hair for years. His eyes were colossal and much rounder than Wolf and Maverick's. His nose was short and flat, and he had a few small pimples on his forehead. Maverick reached down to him and went to touch his brother's throat, but decided at the last minute to leave him alone. Rain would stir, and Maverick was enjoying the rare time alone that he had. He had all day to put Rain in his place but only a couple of hours of solitude.

He looked at the sketches he hadn't finished yet. Essence at Aokigahara - the suicide forest - was one he'd been working on for a while. Japan was beautiful, and he couldn't believe that his mother wouldn't take him to visit, nor would Essence let him stay. Not long now, Maverick thought. Twenty-two months until I turn eighteen. I'll be gone that same day - and Carlisle is coming with me. It was a beautiful sketch, one that he'd spent many hours drawing. He planned on mailing it to her for her twenty-third birthday. She hated him, but he wasn't going to let her have the joy of forgetting him.

Seraphina, his other big sister, was looking forward to the sketch of her by the Blue Lake in South Australia. It seemed redundant to him. Blue Lake was marvellous because of its intense cobalt colour, and Maverick only liked to sketch in black and white. Still, it was a paid commission, so it was her loss in the end. More and more people were willing to pay for a sketch. It was gradually becoming a source of income. Nowhere near as lucrative as heroin and crystal methamphetamines, but it was neat to have people pay him for what he considered his hobby.

His favourite sketch though was the one he'd started Tuesday at school during recess. Perched up atop the lockers, he had a terrific vantage point of Veikko Carlisle, who insisted he was only spending his free time in the room with him because he had nowhere else to go. What bullshit, Maverick thought with a smile. He gently traced Veikko's beautiful face with his finger, careful not to smudge the shading. What are you doing to me, Carlisle? Why am I always thinking about you? I'm not sure if I like this, but I like you. I want you in a way I've never wanted anyone before. Not wanting to continue this particular sketch of the boy he admired without having him there for reference, Maverick turned to a blank page and began sketching him all over again, this time from memory. I can't get you out of my head. Maybe this will help.

Wolf always woke up first, unless Maverick had a sleepless night. He was a funny kid. Hyperactive, impertinent and he worshipped his eldest brother, ready to do anything he wanted. It was interesting to see how easily Wolf would turn on Rain when they'd been so close only a year ago. With some gentle guidance and operant conditioning techniques, Wolf now went out of his way to harass and bully his big brother, who was far too weak and cowardly to defend himself, even without the promise of reward. If Maverick targeted Rain, their parents would come to the boy's rescue - however, if Wolf were the one who made Rain miserable, it was dismissed as boys being boys. It had been an exciting experiment, and Maverick was always curious to see how far he could take it. How much would little Wolfie ostracise and hurt Rain for a taste of chocolate? He meant to find out.

"Mav!" Wolf might have woken up the whole house on his eight-foot journey from his bed to his brother's. He was so full of energy from the moment his eyes shot open that Maverick almost expected him to do somersaults. It must be all the sugar he's getting. Tony had floated the idea that young Wolf may be struggling with attention deficit disorder, but Maverick was feeding him a lot of treats. He was even starting to get a bit chubby, which was as good as a sin in the Matsuda house, where everybody was lean and healthy. We're vegetarian and we're organic. Hah. Not in this room, we're not.

"Whaddya want?" Maverick was irritated both because Wolf was insufferably chipper and because his loudness woke Rain, whose eyes looked like little round moons in his face.

"It's Friday!" Wolf beamed up at him. "And then the weekend! And we can go for rides and stuff! Just the two of us!"

"I dunno about that," Maverick was amused, though. It was habit now for Wolf to exclude Rain from things, whether he was doing it consciously or not - but this was new. Inviting me to do stuff without Rain right in front of his face? Hahaha. You're a good kid, Wolfy. "Why don't you invite Rain? Yeah?" He looked to Rain and presented him with a dazzling, warm smile. "Do ya wanna come for a ride tomorrow, maybe? Go down the river?"

"Why are you inviting him?" Wolf huffed, his little face pouting. There's method to my madness, Wolfy. How many times do I have to remind you?

"He's one of us," Maverick smiled at Rain, who was looking between them as though they were planning something. "Aren't you, Rain?"

"Y--ah..." Rain stammered, wiping his hair out of his face. "Mmm... y-yes."

"I don't want him to come!" Wolf demanded, flopping onto his brother's chest with an angry sigh. "He's a little bitch."

"Aww come on, Wolfie," Maverick disliked most kinds of physical affection but Wolf ate it up, so he scratched his brother behind the ears almost as though he were petting a dog. "It'll be nice. The three of us! Just the boys."

Maverick had no intention of spending any more time than necessary with his brothers. He noticed that Reima and Veikko never spent much time apart until recently. How could that be? Don't they see enough of each other at home? Ember was in a few of his classes, and while he got along with her and even found her company pleasant most of the time, he had no desire at all to sit with her. Maybe that's not a fair comparison, he thought to himself as he slipped into the ensuite the boys shared and began to shower. I don't have the desire to sit with anyone. Well... maybe Veikko. He was looking forward to sharing another lunchtime with him, and he was looking more forward to seeing how Veikko would react to the surprise he had in store for him this morning.

It took him a long time to fix his hair in the morning. To dry it and tease it and throw hairspray in it to make it feathery and wild. Blue was only the latest of colours. Maverick liked to rotate between green, blue, purple and red, but perhaps he'd go silver next time. Or pink. Something different. He admired his tattoos in the mirror. The Yamata-no-Orochi was his pride and joy, its eight heads circling most of the front of his lithe, slim body. The Mizuchi crawled up his spine, and several kanji characters decorated his shoulder. The red spider lilies began on the top of his foot and came halfway up his leg. His nipples were both pierced, as was his belly button. None of that ever seemed to bother his parents. Any of them. No matter how much he coloured and decorated his body, they were all far too busy tending to Ember. All of them. She's so smart. She's so successful. She's got a future. Maverick's a lost cause, so we'll push him to the side and hedge our bets on the genius girl.

"I'm getting the earlier bus," Maverick gruffly warned both Ember and Rain as the two of them spooned cereal into their mouths. "If you need an escort, you better finish up, ay."

"Why are you so keen to get to school early?" Ember asked, putting her spoon down. "What are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything!" Maverick clapped his hands at her. "I just don't feel like gettin' squashed in by every Peatsland kid who lives around here. Since you're apparently too young 'n' stupid to get a bus by yourselves, you gotta work with my schedule."

"You have never wanted to go to school early in your life," Ember remarked, her eyes studying him. Little sister, stay in your lane. "You've never got the early bus. The peak hour traffic never bothered you before."

"It bothers me now," he replied coldly and shifted his eyes to Rain, who averted his gaze immediately. "If you guys can avoid getting kidnapped or some shit, that would be great. It ain't like you gotta walk through paedophile district between school and the bus stop; you get me?"

"But Mum says--" Rain whined, and Maverick turned on him.

"But Mum says!" He mocked him before picking up his bag. "Wolf is right. You really are a little bitch." Rain, dejected and hurt, looked at his cereal. Oh, come on! Why don't you even try to stand up for yourself?

"Oh, shut your face, Maverick," Ember hissed at him. "Whatever, just go. I can't deal with you today!"

"Good, so we do get each other, fuckin' took you long enough," Maverick loved getting his way. The only thing better than defying someone was to have them submit - and they always did. "I'll see you in advanced maths, widdle Em. And you?" He stood over Rain, who seemed to shrink in his chair. "Have a grouse day, okay little buddy?" Maverick smiled inwardly as Rain stiffened at his touch, gently patting his brother on the back and letting his hand linger there.

"You're gonna miss your bus if you don't leave right now," Ember reminded him. She wasn't quite telling the truth, though. She only wanted to be rid of him. Well, please yourselves.

Those Carlisle twins were in their homeroom when Maverick arrived. He knew they would be, and unfortunately for him, they were often joined at the hip. They seemed to love each other a lot - which was inconvenient. From the resentful, angry look Reima shot him, he was going to be a problem in the endeavour to win Veikko's heart. Dominic Faye was easily managed, though. The suicide attempt rocked the core of the friendship as Maverick understood it. There was so much distrust on both sides that he barely had to do anything to drive the wedge between them once and for all, and better yet - it was going to crush the big man's spirit. Dom. The name boiled Maverick's blood. Nobody puts me at risk, you piece of shit. Nobody leaves me open like that. To pussy out and use my gear to do it? If you wanted to die, all you had to do was ask. Free of charge.

Veikko though, he was marvellous. Maverick smiled immediately when he saw the older boy, eyes buried in his phone. Aesthetically pleasing, of course. For a physical partner, Maverick demanded no less. Even though Veikko wore caps on many of his teeth, had a nose bent out of shape - Maverick's handiwork - and scars in addition to being underweight, he was still a beauty. Reima was aesthetically sexier, but Veikko's imperfections were what made him so intoxicating. Life had thrown everything it could at Veikko Carlisle, and the tiny, weak looking gayboy stood up every time and told life "you hit like a bitch." He was an outcast. People shunned him because they didn't understand him. He's stronger than them, and they resented him for it. Not me, though. I admire him.

"G'day, Carlisle and Carlisle," Maverick put on his most charming smile. He studied Veikko's stoic face for a reaction, and he got one. A flicker of a smile. Ooh baby, are you ever in check right now. Reima didn't seem impressed, but that didn't matter. The smile wasn't for him.

"Hi?" Reima seemed confused to see Maverick at school so early and more perplexed by the fact that he was pleasant to them. You don't have any lines in this play, Reima. Stay in your lane.

"Aw Veikko, are you tryin' to make me beg?" Maverick asked, and Veikko naturally grinned and looked up at him. So you're in a good mood this morning. I wonder why that is.

"MMM yes. I am," Veikko poked his tongue out merrily. "What do you want, Matsuda? Another kiss?"

"Ya know I do, but you won't let me!" Maverick laughed and approached. Reima looked like someone punched him in the face.

"What the hell?" He babbled, looking between them. "Did I miss something?"

"You don't need to worry," Veikko reassured him, gently playing with the cowlick in his fringe. "Matsuda's my biggest fan. He loves tuning in to the channel, didn't you know?"

"How could I resist? You always get desserts mashed in your face," Maverick chuckled, and Reima's hard expression softened.

"Hey, I just beat him every time we play something," Reima reached across to poke his brother's ticklish neck. "It's not my fault he keeps coming back!"

"Ew! Don't touch me, you queer," Veikko squirmed away and slapped Reima's hand away from him. "What are you holding behind your back, anyway? Are you here to kill us?"

"Ahh," Maverick's shy look wasn't entirely put on for the benefit of his audience. He didn't know if this would go well or not. "I thought I'd bring you some flowers, ay."

"AHH... come again, cupcake?" Veikko looked baffled, and his eyes flickered to Reima's. He seemed similarly confused.

Maverick revealed the sketchbook he'd been hiding and pulled out a page he'd been keeping safe between the covers so it wouldn't get crinkled, lost or damaged. He held it up for Veikko to see, and the cutie pie blushed so hard that Maverick wondered if he'd pass out. It was a drawing that he'd worked on for quite a few hours last night while he watched television and prowled social media. A sketch of himself, shy and humble, holding a handful of Japanese spider lilies as though he were offering them to whoever was looking at it. He'd drawn it with a lot of care, effort and attention to detail. It was a product he could have sold for fifty to eighty dollars.

"Ah... a drawing?" Veikko asked, peeking temporarily out of his prickly armoured shell. He's adorable when he's all flustered like this. "For me?"

"I saw ya liking the spider lily I was drawing in physics," Maverick shrugged with a smile, hiding half his face behind the paper so only his eye was peeking out. "I thought you might like some of your own or somethin'."

"That's fuckin' amazing!" Reima was blushing as well. Cheers, mate. You're not the one I'm trying to seduce, but I'll take the compliment where I can get it. "You did that since yesterday? I didn't know you were an artsy person!"

"I'm willin' to bet there's a lot you don't know about me," Maverick pointed out. He could make sure Veikko and Dom drifted apart for good. He was pretty sure he could do the same for Veikko and Selena if she ever became a pain. Reima was a whole different class, though. Where Dom and Selena went home for the night, Reima was with Veikko pretty much all the time. It was just far more pragmatic to get on his good side, and what better way of doing that than publicly treating Veikko like a prince?

"So you drew some flowers instead of buying them for me?" Veikko smirked up at him. "That's sweet, Matsuda. Very cheap and tacky, but so sweet!"

"Any wanker can throw cash at a stall," Maverick shrugged. He was expecting resistance - how could one not, when their opponent was Veikko? He was prepared. "I made this for you. Do ya want it or nah?"

"Oh," Veikko's normally pale face was red, and he put his fingers to his mouth. "What do I have to do for it?"

"Urgh," Maverick sighed and let his eyes fall and his lips droop. "Nothin'! I did it because I like you and I thought you might like it. That's all. If ya don't like it, that's cool, I--"

"I do!" Veikko broke in, and Maverick's genuine smile returned. Good! Excellent. "I do, I love it! I just can't believe you'd do something so nice for me, that's all."

"Well, maybe you'll forgive me one day for everythin' I did, ay?" Maverick sheepishly offered the A3 portrait to the humbled and glowing boy, who took it with the biggest smile Maverick had ever seen on him. He wasn't sure if he'd gotten into Veikko's head before today. The boy gave precious little away. Well, I've planted my flag there now, that's for sure.

"Not yet, cupcake!" Veikko's fascination with the drawing was starting to give Maverick a measure of pride. I'm damn good. I wasn't aware I was this damn good. "But this is a great start. Thank you so much, Mav!"

He's never called me Mav before. Oh, this went even better than I was expecting.

"Heya... Maverick, mind if we have a quick talk?" Reima asked. Haha. He's getting his protective brother pants on. Perhaps they'll fit better than anything else he wears. Maverick gave a slight shrug.

"I'll see you at recess?" He asked Veikko as he bit his lip nervously. It was a ruse. Nervous was a feeling he had never experienced. He understood it well enough. He was reading it on Reima's face right now. Reima was scared of him. Distrusted him. Disliked him. I can change all that, though. Wolfy loved and respected Rain, and I changed that.

"MMM I'll think about it," Veikko grinned, and Maverick beamed at him before giving him a coy wave and beckoning with a toss of his head to the other boy, who followed him to the corridor.

"Hey, so... can you please just catch me up?" Reima asked, almost putting his chest up to the other boy's. This is cute, Rei. You're a little shrimp. I could break you in half if I wanted to, and you're giving me the talk? Maybe you're not as much of a wanker as I thought.

"Why don'tcha ask him?" Maverick replied, teasing his feathery hair with his hand. Reima shrugged and folded his arms.

"He tells me everything," the Finnish kid declared. "Whether I wanna know or not." He gave a small chuckle. "I wanna hear it from you. What's your deal? You're getting all cosy with him, but you basically destroyed his life back then."

"And you made it so easy," Maverick pointed out, speaking quietly just in case Veikko would overhear. "For so long you watched it happening and you never stopped me. Doesn't that keep you up at night?" Reima looked shocked and hurt. Whew. Nailed it. That wasn't even hard. "Look, it's in the past, okay?" Maverick turned the charm straight back on. After making him feel like shit, comforting him would be a shortcut to getting into his good books. Basic stuff. He did it with Rain all the time. "I made a lotta mistakes. I know that, kay? I like him, though. I wanna fix the shit I did. Maybe it's not with one sketch; I get that, but... I dunno. I think he's cute."

"Please don't hurt him again," Reima sighed, unfolding his arms and looking sadly over at his brother. "I don't think I can see him take another hit."

"I'll make sure of it," Maverick nodded. "It was lucky I found him yesterday."

"Huh?" Reima's face dropped. "What happened yesterday?"

"McLeod was ready to have a go at him in the toilets," Maverick tilted his head to the side. "He didn't tell you about that?"

"Uh... no, no he didn't," Reima went red. Yeah, I'd be embarrassed too. All that bragging about his brother telling him everything and now this? Haha.

"No big deal, I just broke it up and gave Kellan a warning he won't forget," Maverick pursed his lips into a smirk. He meant to smile, but he was feeling too good about that. It felt terrific, grabbing McLeod by the hair and smashing his face against the porcelain. The thud it made. The squeak of pain and the look of horror in his eyes. All the chocolate and candy in the world didn't taste sweeter than that moment, particularly the way Veikko looked at him as though he were some hero. The rush. The endorphins. Heroin doesn't come close. Nothing does.

"Fuck," Reima's eyes were cloudy and distant. "I had no idea. Thanks for looking out for him. You're already doing a better job of it than I am."

"I'm never gonna hurt him again," Maverick promised. He meant that. "I'm gonna make it right by him. And you."

"Uh... okay," Reima turned away and skulked back to his brother like the little irrelevant pest that he was. He did right by Veikko, of course, but he was impotent. He couldn't protect him even if he tried. Maverick watched them for a moment longer as he popped another candy drop into his mouth and went on his way to 11-B. How long did Veikko's father beat him before he went for the kill? How long did Reima let it go on? You're not fit to take care of Veikko, but I am.

On a Friday morning, as a condition of his probation, Maverick was supposed to spend the first hour with the school counsellor. Talking. Tedious bullshit. Not today, though. Francine Daivari, after their discussion on Monday, decided she couldn't deal with him anymore. This reflected poorly on both of them, Maverick was aware. He was hanging on by only a few threads, and a vote of no confidence in him by Daivari could very well have lopped them off, but due to her witch hunt against him last year, he was given the benefit of the doubt. While she retained her position with a big asterisk next to it, a psychiatrist and their understudy would be seeing him as of next week. It was to make sure that the professional would be 'objective', but Maverick didn't believe it for a second. The only way they would agree to come to some snotty private school every Friday at minimal cost would be for the opportunity to study someone like him. That meant they were already throwing 'objective' in the fuckin' trash.

He had English Literature for the first two periods. It was a class he enjoyed, and there were only six students in the course this year. The geeks, Ava and Eddie, as well as that vapid whore from 11-A, Janet, and Selena van de Kamp with Topher Lynch. Maverick wasn't much impressed with any of them. Ava and Eddie had all the flavour of an unsalted cracker and Janet was a mindless drone of Madison's and had not even read The Crucible although they were studying it right off the bat. The fat, blind bitch Selena letting Reima get between her legs made sense because they were both inferior human specimens. Topher was a bit of fresh air, though. A religious nutcase who couldn't even bear to tarnish his halo with a bit of profanity. There was indeed fun to have, but Maverick liked him where he was. His budding friendship with that pathetic troll Faye was doing a lot of Maverick's work for him. The closer they got the more they alienated Veikko, who needed love and comfort that he was all too happy to provide.

Recess began the same way it usually did. Maverick made a point of baiting Kellan McLeod with but a glint in the eye and a smirk on the lips. While they were both responsible for much of the bullying Veikko faced at Peatsland; they despised each other. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't that the proverb? By making an example of McLeod, Maverick was a knight in shining armour in Veikko's eyes. Stay in your lane, McLeod, or I will annihilate you. He couldn't help but notice, as the teenagers grabbed their snacks, put their books away and left, Jordan Pringle forgot to take his phone with him. Tsk tsk. Finders, keepers, isn't that the adage? When nobody was around to see him, Maverick slipped the phone into his pocket. He'd be able to trade it for something, no doubt. Pringle was a friend of McLeod's, so he deserved it.

Veikko wasn't in the 11-A room when Maverick slipped in there and closed the door. It was empty, as usual, but Veikko usually waited for him. Perhaps he got held up with something. Maverick used his considerable strength and agility to heave his light body on top of the lockers. He was fit and slim but deceptively full of lean muscle from his years of BMX and delving into parkour. It was nice up here. Isolated and peaceful, the way he liked it. Well... maybe it was too isolated and peaceful without that sassy little shit here to annoy him. He'd grown used to Veikko's company, he knew. He was even enjoying it. This is all so weird, he thought to himself, waiting patiently for his new crush. I've never needed friends before, and certainly never needed someone to like me back. I wanna see where it leads.

Jordan's phone buzzed in Maverick's pocket, to his surprise. He flicked it open, further surprise that it wasn't password protected, and his eyes narrowed when he read the message.

Kel: < veiks in the 4th floor bathroom, come and help me out >

Maverick's eyes narrowed when he realised that was why Veikko wasn't here. It sounded very much like they'd ambushed him. The fourth floor was barren during recess and lunch periods, particularly in the summer. It wasn't uncommon for people to confront or ambush people without a member of Peatsland staff present up there. Well, Maverick hadn't expected to be the saviour twice in two days. He wouldn't be surprised if he managed to get a blowjob out of this at least, especially after the picture he'd gifted him. Maverick leapt gracefully from his perch and quickly made his way down the empty corridor to the men's toilets. There wasn't even a lookout. Pathetic. Anyone could walk in and interrupt. And I will. Expecting to see his buddy at the mercy of McLeod, Maverick was surprised when he stepped inside and Veikko wasn't there. McLeod was, and Pringle too. Anger filled Maverick's heart when he realised they'd hoodwinked him. He hadn't expected them to go down this path. No doubt there's-- yep. He turned around and Jayce Di Napoli, the beefcake of 11-B, had already moved to block the exit.

"Fuck you're a dumbarse," Kellan laughed. "You can't help yourself, can you? You see something shiny, and you take it. Shit man, you're so fuckin' predictable. I knew you turned queer for that little fuck."

"Is that why you're three up?" Maverick asked. He had an ace up his sleeve. He always did. That's why he always won. "Because I'm capable of putting up a fight, ay?"

"Can I have my phone back now?" Jordan asked, stretching out his hand. Maverick smiled at him, aware that Jayce was behind him. He could feel the bigger guy's heat. He knew that the three of them could tear him apart if they chose to. So let's make sure they don't.

"It's a nice phone, Pringle," Maverick pulled it out of his pocket. "Must've cost you a shit ton. I'm sure you don't want it broken, ay?" Jordan hesitated as Maverick held it high above his head. Where he was breathing rapidly and uncomfortable about this situation, Maverick was not. No shakes. No increase in heart rate and breathing. No fear. I'm gonna get out of this one way or another. He was at a disadvantage, but he could turn this around like his sister would when they played chess together. Her sage words echoed through his head.

Don't battle unless you have control of the situation.

"You have the phone, I walk outta here," Maverick shrugged, ready to bargain. "Or you can lose the phone, see if I care. But if you lay a hand on me, you're gonna regret it. I promise you that."

Kellan laughed in Maverick's face, then he pointed and Jayce lashed out to immediately snatch the phone from Maverick's hand. Shit. Jordan and Kellan pounced. Maverick stood no chance. He was fit and scrappy and unafraid of a fight, but they took him very quickly to the ground. Jordan stood watch while Kellan and Jayce stuck their boots in his guts, on his back, to his head. It hurt. Oh, it hurt like a bitch. It's only pain, he reminded himself. It'll pass. Half a hundred times or more they struck him. His body was in agony, of course, but Maverick didn't focus on that. Veikko is going to feel so sorry for me, he thought as blood pooled in his mouth. I'm getting bashed because I was trying to protect him. How will that make him feel? This is only going to bring us together. In spite of the injuries his body was suffering, Maverick's bloody lips curled into a satisfied smile.

Even when I lose, I still win.