Moving in with a boyfriend is a huge step in a relationship, for Lux it was more like a leap of faith if anything. It seemed as though nobody was happy about it. Her parents were furious. Oz and Yuji were at a loss for words when they found out. Fang was somewhat supportive but she had her concerns. As for Shorter's gang, they all thought it was a bad idea too. Their boss was officially too close to an outsider. One that didn't understand how their world worked.

"Boss, I know it's none of my business-" Sunshine spoke up, only to be waved off.

"You're right." Shorter continued down the hall, "I thought you knew better not to question me."

The boy sighed. Sunshine was one of the guys that Shorter trusted due to the fact that he had a solution for every outcome, plan for every problem, and answer for every question. He analyzed anything and everything. Now that Shorter thought about it, Sunshine was the most like Lux out of the guys in his gang. Always approaching things with thought and caution. "Shorter, no matter which way you look at this, every outcome is bad." Sunshine reached out and grabbed his Boss by the wrist. "That girl gets hurt."

Shorter stopped and pulled away, "She's under my constant watch now. Nothing will come close to hurting her."

"You were literally the reason why she got hurt, Boss. Explain that away."

Shorter growled, then pushed his forearm against Sunshine's throat to where the boys back slammed against the wall. Shorter held a hand up and pointed, "Never bring that up again, understand me? Or else I'll cut your tongue out myself." He threatened before giving the boy one last shove.

Sunshine coughed the soreness out of his throat, and rubbed the area to sooth it. He shook his head knowing that this arrangement was a terrible idea.

Lux hummed as she stood over the stove, whisking yolk in a bowl to make a batch of scrambled eggs with bacon bits mixed in. She wanted to do something nice for Shorter to show how appreciative she was to him. He got her out of a home that made her unhappy. One where she wasn't allowed to be herself. She was stuck in a kiddie pool and now she was able to sail far away.

"Something smells good." Shorter shut the door behind him and wrapped his arms around Lux's waist, making her giggle in his tight hold. "Hope some of that's for me." He joked, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"It is. Grab a plate. It's almost done."

"Yes ma'am."

The first night with Shorter was rough. Lux wasn't used to living in a loud environment, much less sleeping through distracting noises. She tossed and turned until Shorter finally came to bed and rested a palm over her ear to muffle the sounds. Then when she woke up he wasn't by her side anymore. Instead, she found a note on his pillow that said he'd be back and not to worry. She took his word and stayed calm. Not like she had much of a choice.

Leaving the apartment was another story. Shorter's guys weren't dumb enough to disrespect or touch the Boss' girlfriend. But the girls that hung around all gave Lux the same glare. They didn't like how someone like her was with the King of Chinatown. Lux could feel the jealousy radiating, but she did what she knew how to do. Instead of trying to fight, she simply smiled and headed back to their room, all while wearing Shorter's over sized t shirt.

"Leaving again?" Lux asked, as she watched Shorter put on his sneakers and hoodie.

"Yeah. I got some stuff to take care of with Ash and some of the guys." He answered, taking quick notice of how Lux's expression saddened. Shorter reached a hand up to caress under Lux's chin and gave her a small kiss on the lips. "I'll be back by the time you wake up in the morning." He swore, "I love you."

Those words sounded so sweet in Lux's ears. Three little words somehow managed to make her feel better about everything. "I love you, too. Be safe."

"I always am."

Lux would later find out how those words were anything but true. She'd have to get used to seeing Shorter come home bloody and bruised. Her nursing school skills would be put to quick use when she'd have to stitch up some of Shorter's wounds and be paranoid about him healing properly. But for now, sweet lines of love was what made Lux feel secure. That, and having a "handler".

Smiley was a large boy. He was fit and had the build of a quarterback. From what Shorter had mentioned, he was a loud mouth who often found himself in the middle of fights. He was the strongest out of the gang and had taken a bullet for his guys on more than one occasion. It was a running joke amongst the gang that Smiley was made of steal. He's been stabbed, shot, and tortured once before but he somehow managed to survive everything. All while wearing that stupid ass smile on his face as if he enjoyed the pain. That's where the nickname came about.

"All you gotta do is stay here until I get back. Got it?" Shorter instructed.

"Okay. But what if someone needs me?" Smiley asked.

"Well that'll have to wait until tonight."

"Why do I have to be here again?" Smiley scratched his head in confusion, "Like, it's our base. Nothings gonna happen to your girl."

"I know that. It's just... to make her feel more comfortable." Shorter tried to explain, "You know people are always in and out. I don't want Lux to be startled or anything."

"More comfortable? With a stranger she's never met?"

"I told her that I trust you."

Smiley hummed in response and crossed his arms. "Boss, is this to keep people out or.... To keep Lux in?"

"Just do what I say, Smiley." Shorter rolled his eyes, "I'll be back before you doze off."

Shorter trusted the gang with his life, but he didn't trust them enough to understand a boundary that he's never set until now. His girl was only his. She wasn't to be bothered. She wasn't to be looked at. And she sure as hell wasn't to be touched. The reason why Shorter trusted Smiley of all people, given his oafish nature, was because he had two younger sisters that he was very protective of, so he figured that he was the perfect guy for the job.

Next thing Smiley knew was that he was left alone in the Boss' apartment with the guys girlfriend who was sitting awkwardly on the couch just staring at him. "Uh... hey." Smiley gave a stiff wave and pointed to himself. "Smiley."

"Lux." She shifted around in her seat, "Lux Bautista."

"Filipino?"

"Yeah."

"Same. Well my mom is. Dad's Chinese."

"Cool."

The small talk was anything but pleasant. Awkward was more like it. Lux didn't understand why she needed a guard if Shorter claimed that she was safe. All he said was that it was just a precaution in case she got scared being in the apartment alone. She decided to not question anything and go along with what Shorter said.

Smiley kept to himself the whole time, sitting hunched over on the bar stool, casually scrolling through his phone. He'd occasionally chuckle at whatever video he'd be watching but tried keeping his reactions at a minimal.

Lux decided to clean up around the apartment in order to make it feel more like home. Shorter wasn't the neatest person, so there was a lot of work to be done. Smiley helped move heavy things such as furniture around when he noticed Lux struggling, still not many words were exchanged between the two other than Smiley saying a quick thanks when Lux made a bowl of ramen for them to eat.

"I should go shower and get ready for bed." Lux rinsed off the ramen bowls and placed them in a drying rack, then wiped her hands along her skirt. Her eyes drifted towards the clock on the wall and noticed it was already getting late. "Are you still going to be here or?"

"I have to until the Boss gets back. I'll stay put though. Don't worry." Smiley said, not even looking up from his phone.

Lux nodded and went to the bedroom to grab a set of pajamas from the drawer. She kept her shower short, not feeling too comfortable with another guy being in the next room over even if Shorter said he was trusted. It still felt strange. Lux wrapped her wet hair in a towel and peaked out the doorway to see Smiley walking around in circles as he talked to someone on the phone.

"It's in the top cabinet." .... "No not that one. Check the date first to see if it's expired." Smiley looked down at his watch and groaned. "I uhhh... I'm in the middle of something right now. I'll try running to the store after this to pick up more meds." .... "She'll be okay. It's just a cold." ... "Yeah I know. I love you too. Give her a kiss goodnight for me. Bye." The hulkish boy plopped down on the couch and pressed his thumbs to the center of his forehead. A deep sigh filled the room.

"Is everything okay?" Lux asked, cautiously walking towards him.

"Yeah. My youngest sister is sick and my other sister is taking care of her." He explained, "It's the flu or something but they ran out of cough medicine. I'm just waiting for Shorter to get back so I can go out and get them some more."

Lux felt bad that Smiley was tasked with essentially being her babysitter. If she wanted someone to look over her then she would have stayed with her parents. "You can head out. I'm going to bed right now anyways."

Smiley took a moment to contemplate but shook his head no. "Nah. Boss' orders." A knocking was at the door and Smiley answered the door. "What do yuh want, Sing?"

"Is Lux here?" Smiley stared down the boy and stepped to the side. "Hey, I heard you moved in."

"Yeah..." Lux answered awkwardly. The two both stared back at Smiley, hoping to get some privacy, but he didn't get the hint. "Hey, Sing can stay with me until Shorter gets back, you know."

"I can't. Shorter said-" Smiley's phone began to ring again. It was another call from his sister. He sighed, knowing what the actual priority in his life should be. "Alright. Fine. I'll try to be back as soon as I can." Soon after he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

"I was hoping to see you yesterday but Shorter said-"

"What the hell Lux?" Sing cut her off by raising his voice. "Why are you here?"

"Shorter and I decided we should move in together. We thought it would be good for us." She explained in a mousy voice.

"Yeah?" Sing then threw a piece of clothing at her that landed in her arms, "And what the fuck was my brother doing with your hoodie, huh?"

Lux held the hoodie in her hands and tossed it aside, "That's not my hoodie."

"Don't bullshit me, Lux. You're not that good of a liar alright."

"I'm not lying." She swore in an annoyed tone being more so offended by the fact that Sing saw right through her.

Sing pointed over at the hoodie, "It fucking smells like pomegranates, Lux! When did you even get the chance to see Lao? What were you even doing in his apartment?"

"Sing it's nothing I swear. He just... I was on my way to see Shorter and I heard a noise. Lao had collapsed and I helped him onto the couch. He said he was cold, so I covered him with my hoodie. That's all that happened."

Sing stared back and forth between Lux's eyes, trying to find another lie. It was hard to tell whenever she'd sprinkle in the truth or leave out information. She could be so convincing sometimes. "Did he say anything to you?" He asked.

Lux's face began to heat up. She had to choose her words carefully. "Yeah actually. He uhhh... it was a lot of nonsense you know. He was really high and sounded like he was talking in like riddles. I left after he nodded off."

Her words rang true in the boys head. Sing let his head drop as he sighed. "I'm sorry, I- There's a lot of shit going on that I don't understand. My brother keeps relapsing, my gang doesn't trust me, you were gonna let Shorter kill me, and now you're more in love with him than ever." His voice cracked. Lux reached out when she noticed the tears streaming down Sings cheeks but he pulled away. "How could you do that to me, Lux? You're my friend. At least I thought you were."

"Sing no, I can explain. I knew you weren't a rat. And I tried so hard to convince Shorter of it."

"Yeah you did a real good job, Lux. We almost got killed."

"Are you blaming me for the car accident?" Lux raised her voice, "How could you?"

"Me? How could you!? How could you share a bed with Shorter after he tried to kill me? After he almost killed you?"

"No. No Hook almost killed us. He was the one that rammed his car into yours. Shorter just-"

"What?" Sing stepped forward, "Shorter just what, Lux? This wouldn't have happened if he didn't sick his guys on me."

"Those guys are your brothers."

"No, Lux. Those guys aren't my brothers. My brother doesn't try to get me killed!"

If you only knew... "Sing..." Lux held her breath and tried to swallow the dry lump of the truth in her throat, but it wouldn't go down. "Lao was the one that-"

Before she could finish, Shorter walked through the door and stared at both Lux and Sing. The energy in the room felt off and Shorter knew that he had just walked in on something. "Everything okay?" He walked past Sing, plopping his hand atop the younger boys head in an almost big brother-esque, teasing type of way. Shorter then pulled in Lux and gave her a quick kiss on the lips and held her close by putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah." Sing huffed, "Everything fine."

"You sure? Cuz it looked like I walked in on something."

Lux stayed silent. "It's nothin, Boss. I was just gonna tell Lux that you two deserve each other." Sing said, with a more negative, underlying tone in his statement.

Lux stayed staring at the ground and trying to blink away the burning sensation in her eyes. She knew she was disappointing people with her decisions, and it was hard to ignore the impact, but Lux had decided already that her happiness was going to come first before someone's feelings. "Goodnight, Sing." Lux slowly looked up from her feet and leaned closer into Shorter's side.

The intimacy angered Sing. He saw Lux slipping away and there was nothing he could do about it. His friend... the girl that he loved... The one who he had to get over... She was going to turn into someone that Sing wouldn't even be able to recognize. He was afraid and that fear resulted in anger. Lux and Sing were once again drifting apart all because of her infatuation with Shorter Wong.

Sing let himself out and went next door to his own apartment and slammed the door shut. "Shorter..." he grunted to himself, "You're the fucking worst."

"So," Shorter pulled Lux in by the waist and planted a kiss on the side of her neck. "Gonna tell me what's going on?" He hummed.

"Please drop it." Lux wiggled out of his hold and headed to their bedroom. Her head was aching and she was drowsy. The only thing she wanted to do tonight was sleep and hope that Shorter was by her side when she'd wake up.

"You shouldn't keep secrets from me, y'know."

"You have secrets of your own and I don't pry."

Shorter blinked in confusion, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just forget it." Lux rolled her eyes. She got underneath the covers and stretched her arm out to turn off the lamp that was at her bedside. Shorter clearly wasn't finished with the conversation and turned on the ceiling light from the switch. "Shorter, I'm tired. Can you please just let me sleep? I don't want to talk about it anymore." Her voice shook as if she was about to cry.

"Hey hey..." Shorter rushed over to the side of the bed. He sat next to Lux who tried hiding her face behind her hands like how she always did when she'd blush, only this time she was hiding the tears. "What's going on with you? Did something happen while I was gone? Smiley do something to you?"

"No, god no." She shook her head, "Nothing like that. I'm just..." Lux's guilt was setting in. She knew keeping secrets from Shorter was a bad thing when it had to do with someone in his gang, but on the other hand that person in question was her friends older brother. The weight of potentially ruining two lives was on Lux's shoulders and she couldn't decide what was more important. Telling Shorter that there was a rat in his gang, or keeping Lao's secret so Sing wouldn't lose his only family. "I feel home sick." She sniffled. Lying this early on into their relationship wasn't how Lux envisioned things, especially on her end, but she made a decision to protect instead of destroy. "I kind of miss my parents and my room. This is just a huge change that I'm still getting used to."

Shorter couldn't help but feel guilty. He tore Lux away from her life and brought her into his. It's what they both wanted but being young and in love means you don't think about the consequences of your actions. "I'm sorry. You're seeing them tomorrow though, right? Hopefully that'll make you feel a little better." Before Lux had left home, her parents were already in the process of getting their daughter a car for a graduation/going to college gift. Even though she left, they felt like she still needed a way to get around on her own. And hopefully away from Shorter Wong once she came to her senses.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lux forced a smile. "Can you come to bed?" She asked, just wanting to feel a sense of closeness after a long day of being away from each other.

"Yeah. Lemme shower real quick and I'll be there."

While Shorter showered he tried scrubbing off the dried blood underneath his nails. He was thankful Lux hadn't noticed and that his hoodie was able to zip up to where the splatters of blood on his white shirt were hidden. It was a messy night that Shorter knew he wouldn't be able to always hide, but at least for now at this stage of their relationship, Lux didn't need to know when he's killed someone.

He threw his shirt in the trash bin and tied up the bag to get rid of the evidence. By the time he had joined Lux, she was already sound asleep, curled up in the center of the bed as if she were afraid that something would grab her if she slept too close to the edge. He smiled, pulling Lux in closer to himself so she'd feel more protected by his side.

Shorter closed his eyes, where he envisioned a life where he could be normal and give Lux anything she could ever want. A life where he wouldn't be constantly tortured with the thought of something happening to her when he's not around, and that it'd be his fault again. This girl made him want to be better and yet he was his own enemy. Just fighting against himself in a losing battle.

Shorter held Lux closer, caging her in his arms as they both slept. Maybe one day, things will be as peaceful as when they're both sleeping soundly.