“Sweet, really. .. Young love.”

Danny spun around, toward where the voice had originated from, squinting his eyes when he saw the duo-coloured hair of a man he had never seen before in his life. He was smirking, hands pushed into the pockets of his suit pants and hair slicked back into a ponytail. Something about the look of this man caused a sinking feeling to grow inside Danny’s chest.

“Who the hell are you?” Danny asked, his words dripping with frustration. The comment regarding his and Belle’s relationship had rubbed him the wrong way entirely. He felt violated; a private moment between him and his girlfriend tainted by the words of whoever this man was.

“I don’t think that matters too much,” Roxas replied with a shrug, head tilting to the side while he spoke, his eyes dark, maybe even darker than the soul that lingered behind his stare. He didn’t understand what she saw in this guy. Short, weak, no darkness inside him; some feeble bad boy act that was nothing more than maybe a few petty arrests. It was pathetic, laughable almost, how someone as insignificant as this...Thing in front of him had managed to hold onto someone like her.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she.” Roxas spoke up once again, Danny could only assume he meant Belle. His eyes narrowed again, taking a step forward now. “Though I have to wonder how someone of her... enchantment settled with someone like you ,” he paused, “Pity, maybe?” Roxas couldn’t help but let a sinister smile crawl to his lips, especially once he saw the anger growing inside the smaller man’s heterochromatic eyes.

“ I don’t think that has anything to do with you.” Danny replied bitterly, using the man’s own words against him- smart Roxas mused. A low chuckle escaped from his lips before pulling down on his tie to loosen it, taking two steps forward to continue closing the gap between the two. “Then again, it seems like if Daddy got his way, you would have been out the picture long ago, especially as your parents disowned you. So tell me, Daniel Nelson, what is your secret?” His voice had lowered even more now, a mocking tone accompanying every word, he folded his hands over each other, resting them in front of him.

Danny felt a chill drag itself up his spine when his full name fell from the man’s lips. How the hell had he obtained that information? And most of all why did he want it? He was speechless, looking for some kind of answer to his previous thought. Maybe it was William who had sent the man, trying to scare him away from his daughter? Though it seemed irrational, even for the cold-blooded William Versity, it was the only way he could make this encounter seem somewhat logical.

“Love.” The word hung around in the air, lingering long after it had softly left his lips. Danny continued to stare Roxas down, it angered him that this...Boy could look him dead in the eye without an ounce of fear behind them. One of Roxas’ sculpted eyebrows raised, his head tilting to one side again. Brown hues slowly looking the man up and down once more, really taking in just what was in front of him. Pathetic. After a painful pause, a scoff left Roxas’ dark lips, glancing away toward the horizon of other buildings on the Vegas strip before they locked back with Danny’s.

“Then I guess I’ll just have to make her love me.” He finally spoke up, his voice didn’t have a mocking tone behind it anymore. He sounded serious, all hints of jest or mockery blown away with the wind and replaced with the tone of a voice that truly had cruel intentions. Danny’s eyes widened briefly before narrowing; his fists clenched and he grit his teeth, an inferno of anger scorching within.

“ You don’t get to make her do anything, or feel anything.” His Irish, Spanish accent fell from his lips as a growl, his voice unlike Roxas’, however, didn’t harbor cruel intentions- only intentions to protect what he loved. Roxas’ lips stayed neutral; a stone-faced expression staring straight through Danny’s eyes into his soul.

“It’s okay,” Roxas started, voice still masked in the darkness from his eyes- face still expressionless. “I’ll take good care of her.” He finally let a sick smile twist onto his features before nodding his head. Danny’s eyes snapped open and he swung around, realising someone had been approaching him from behind, cold steel catching the light of the moon, the tip of the knife glinting. Danny felt his adrenaline burn through his veins and he swung for the other man, his fist connecting with the side of the man’s face. He had been aiming for the nose but his fight or flight made him clumsy. Kai collapsed to the floor, his hazel eyes now wide. He hadn’t even noticed the dull agonising pain throbbing from his jaw. He felt nothing as he stared at the man towering over him, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

“What the hell are you doing?! You’re psychopaths, both of you! Mierda!” Danny’s voice shook from the sudden rush pumping inside his body, he stepped closer to the male on the floor- not thinking straight in his adrenaline-fueled actions.

“What are you waiting for, Kai?” Roxas snapped, his voice causing Danny to quickly look behind him before turning back towards Kai. “Finish it, he’s right there!”

“You fucking touch me I’ll hurt you I swear.” Danny snarled, his hands still clenched though his fist throbbed from the misguided punch. Kai gripped the knife tighter, raising it off the ground and up toward the male, he stared into the man’s eyes before finally his grip loosened and the clutter of the knife hitting the floor echoed through the skyline, hands now wide in front of his face.

“I..” Kai started, eyes still locked with Danny’s watching the man’s breath shake, the way his hands trembled; he was scared.

“I can’t. I-”

BANG

Kai’s eyes now filled with terror as a warm liquid splattered over his hands, some droplets landing on his face. His hazel eyes followed the direction and looked up at Danny who’s lifeless body collapsed forward, the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead visible as he crumpled to the ground.

nothing more than a shell of his former self.