|| ship; minishaw

|| warnings; none

|| words; 1.7k

- {} -

"What the hell kind of operation do you think we're running here Simon? I ask you to kill a man, and instead, you bring him to me? Are you stupid? Did you think I'd maybe want to kill him myself? 'Cause you've got to be shitting me right now," JJ says angrily, making Simon flinch a little. But he holds his ground.

"I think he could be of use to us JJ," Simon says calmly. JJ snorts, before gesturing to Harry, who's been gagged, with his wrists bound in thick rope since he entered the Sidemen's base.

"You think that scrawny piece of shit could be useful? He stole over five million from us! Who's to say he won't do it again if we let him stay?" JJ shouts, seeming outraged at the suggestion.

"Jide, stop shouting. All I'm saying is, I've seen him with a sword. And he's talented. I think if we could somehow get him to stay in line, he could be a good assassin," Simon argues back, keeping his tone cool and intellectual, because he knows it would only piss JJ off more. But contrary to what he believed would happen, JJ takes a step back, and raises his hands in surrender.

"A'ight then. He can stay," JJ starts, but then his expression changes. "But. He's your responsibility. Any trouble he causes, is on you. It's your job to keep an eye on him, and train him up. I want him to be as good as you, or better."

That son of a bitch. Simon knew there would be a catch. JJ's eyes light up as he watches Simon thinking it through. He knows that he can't turn down the offer now, because Harry's seen the base. He'd have to kill him if he did. And the whole reason Simon brought him here is because he didn't want to kill him.

So he hasn't got a choice really.

"Alright JJ."

- {} -

Simon leads Harry to where he'll be staying. Pretty much just a cramped prison cell on the lowest floor of the building. It must be shit, Simon thinks, to have been free a couple of hours ago, and now to be told that you're going to be trained as an assassin, and being held prisoner until you can be trusted.

It's all Simon's fault too. If only he'd killed Harry when he was meant to.

"Looks cosy," Harry comments snarkily as he's shown inside. Simon sighs.

"Well, it's better than the alternatives," Simon tells him.

"Really? And what're they?"

"You bleeding out slowly in that backalley I found you in, or a bullet in your head, curtesy of JJ," Simon growls. Harry raises his hands in surrender, but his face still reflects disbelief that it would have actually happened.

"Alright, fine. I'll play along," Harry responds, sitting down on the bed in the corner of his room. "I take it you're keeping my katana?"

"Yeah, I am," Simon says, running his thumb over the hilt, and looking down to admire it. It's got a gold cap on the end of the hilt, and brownish red leather wrapped around it in a cross pattern. Clearly based off a traditional Japanese katana, just like Simon's own weapon. "It's a nice blade. Where'd you get it?"

"Japan. Some random sword smith. He was reluctant to let me have it though," Harry replies casually.

"How come?"

"Said it's cursed, and all the other people who have owned it before me died a horrible death."

"Cursed blades aren't something to mess around with, kid," Simon says, taking his hand away from the hilt as if he were scalded, and warily eyeing the katana that's tucked into his belt.

"Kitetsu isn't going to hurt me. I trust it with my life," Harry insists fiercely.

"Whatever. If it ever breaks, don't make a habit of buying cursed swords."

"Okay, master," Harry says sarcastically. "What about yours then?"

"I was given it as a gift. I've had it since I came into this business. It's served me well," Simon says, now gripping the familiar white hilt of his weapon. The feeling of it under his palms has always been comforting.

"Does it have a name?"

"What?"

"All katanas have a name," Harry says, looking Simon directly in the eye. "What's yours called?"

"Ichimonji," Simon states.

"It's beautiful," Harry says. "Simple, but really beautiful."

"Thanks," Simon says, looking between Harry and his blade. Trying to decide which between the two he thinks is more beautiful. After a split second of deliberation, he decides that Harry definitely is. Even if he can sense that the younger boy is going to bring nothing but trouble his way. And his bloody cursed blade, for that matter. What idiot would willingly buy a cursed katana?

"You should probably get some sleep," Simon continues once he's snapped out of his haze. "We'll be starting early tomorrow."

"Right," Harry says quietly, for once not looking at Simon, glancing instead at his feet.

"Goodnight," Simon says, and he's not even sure if Harry heard him. But he's already closed the heavy door and locked it, so he can't go back and say something he'd regret.

- {} -

"Keep your chin up, and your head back. Always stay on the balls of your feet. Those aren't the balls of your feet Harry! You're walking around like a flat-footed fucking penguin!" Simon snaps at the younger boy. He's been getting sloppier as the day has progressed, and Simon honestly can't tell if it's because he's tired, or because he can't be bothered.

"Can we take a break, please? We've been working all day," Harry pants, dropping his sword to the ground.

"JJ won't let you stay if you're a dead weight. You've got to prove your worth to him," Simon says, and Harry looks up at him with a troubled expression.

"Why do you even want me to stay?" Harry asks exasperatedly. "I don't want to be here. It'd be so much easier if you'd just fucking killed me." For some reason, this stings a little. Simon doesn't know why it does, but it does.

"Listen here you ungrateful little shit," Simon spits. "I don't know why I spared you. But it'd be nice if I could maybe get a little bit of gratitude, instead of you whining about it." Harry doesn't seem satisfied with this answer.

So he does something that makes Simon's heart drop about ten feet through the floor.

He picks up his katana, and holds the deathly sharp blade up to his throat. Presses it against his skin.

"If you don't tell me why I'm actually here, I will do it," Harry threatens. Simon knows he isn't lying, from the way that his hands don't shake, and there's resolve set deep into his voice.

"Okay, alright," Simon says. His brain is whirring quickly, trying to think up a damn good lie. Because he doesn't want to tell Harry the truth. That he pretty much fell in love with the boy as soon as he saw him. "I'll tell you. Just give me your katana, please."

"You're not in the position to bargain, if you want me alive so badly," says Harry, still holding the blade up to his neck. "I'm not giving you Kitetsu before you tell me."

"Fine. I'll tell you," Simon says, in what he hopes is a convincing voice. He really doesn't want Harry to kill himself over this. "When I fought you the other day, I felt something. A spark. There's something there, something between us, and I'm convinced we can make a good team. The best team even."

"Really?" Harry asks, seeming a little surprised by the amount of honesty he can sense in Simon's words.

"Yes, really. Now can you please put that damned sword down," Simon says. Watches with his heart in his mouth as Harry removes the blade from his throat, and sheaths it. There's a thin red line on Harry's skin where the sword was held.

"Okay. I believe you. But if this is going to work, you need to be fair on me. I can't perform my best if I'm not treated like a human being," Harry says, resting his hands on his hips and looking at Simon with that piercing gaze of his.

"What do you need?" Simon asks bluntly.

"Decent food, because whatever the fuck I was given earlier was definitely not that. And time to rest," Harry says.

"I can sort that for you. And we can take a break," Simon tells him, sheathing his own katana too. "Give me your sword, and follow me."

"A little trust would be nice too," Harry mutters as he reluctantly hands over his weapon.

"Trust is earned."

- {} -

"Woah! This place is actually pretty nice," Harry says, running up to the edge of the flat roofed tower, and leaning over the rail.

"You sound surprised," muses Simon, coming over to stand next to him. He probably shouldn't have taken him up here, since you have a clear view of the surroundings. Which would make it easy for someone as intelligent as Harry to work out where they are exactly.

"I am surprised. The inside makes it seem like a dump," Harry says.

"Watch yourself," Simon responds, a slight edge of threat to his voice.

"Relax big man, no harm intended," Harry smiles. How has he suddenly become so relaxed? He's unarmed, and on a rooftop with a dangerous assassin. Simon watches as Harry closes his eyes, inhaling deeply though his nose and slightly open mouth.

"How're you so calm?" Simon asks, voicing his thoughts.

"I know you aren't about to do anything," Harry says confidently.

"How can you know that? I could have brought you up here to kill you," Simon retorts.

"And why would you do that?" Harry asks, looking at Simon again with those damn eyes. Those eyes that have the power to see though his soul itself.

"Because you're a cocky, irritating little shit," Simon says, allowing a joking edge to enter his tone. Harry lets out a small laugh.

"Maybe. But I can't see your intent to kill me," Harry responds, looking back out at the sunset.

"Alright, you got me," Simon says, subtly moving a little closer, so his shoulder brushes against Harry's. The younger boy doesn't object to it.

"Exactly. I've already got you figured out."

- {} -

a.n: so, little bit of an unimportant chapter in the run of the mini story really. i think there's probably gonna be two more chapters of it. so that's fun

also, for those wondering, or those who noticed, yes i did steal the sword names and designs from the anime 'one piece'. just because they're both absolutely kickass katanas, and i love how they look

so for those who don't watch one piece, they're shown below

^ Harry's katana (Sandai Kitetsu III)

^ Simon's katana (Wado Ichimonji)

pls don't slew me for using them, it just helps me sometimes to have a visual reference when writing about something

also, i'm sorry about kinda spamming updates atm, but i'm going camping next week, and i wanna get some stuff out before i go, since i won't update while i'm away, obviously

~ Oscar