small explosives in johnny's pants

who: johnny & ki
where: chinatown - the lucky white laundry
when: mid-morning

Johnny was bored. He was sitting on top of a wall outside Lucky White Laundry (his Dad's place) looking surly as hell. He'd been out drinking the night before (as usual) and had passed out at his folk's place because it was closer than his own. Besides, he got made a decent hangover breakfast if he stayed with his Mom. He'd gotten up early because his headache had proved too bad to sleep through, eaten his Mom's cooking and yelled at his sister to do some of his god-damned laundry. That little fat bitch was useless, she'd never get a husband if she didn't lose some fucking weight.

None of the boys were around yet, Johnny was uncharacteristically alone and that made him antsy. A cigarette was dangling from his lower lip and he patted his pockets looking for a light. "Fuck, where the fuck are all my fucking matches, I bet some dirty fuck stole them all, I'll fucking kill the fuck," he mumbled to no-one in particular (as no-one was around), finally digging out a book with a tacky pinup Geisha on the front. He removed the last match and dragged it across the strike paper with too strong of a force, snapping it.

"Aw, motherfucker!" he spat, tossing the now empty matchbook to the floor, keeping the cigarette clamped in his mouth, his expression thunderous. He looked around the near-empty street, prying for someone he knew (or didn't) to blame for taking all of his fucking matches.

A viable target did happen to come into range. Ki was walking towards the place, with a message for him. It was in a sealed envelope, and she didn't actually know what it said. She'd just been told to bring it to him. And, even if he had a face like a thundercloud, Ki walked right up with a bright smile on her face. "Hello, sir!" she said brightly, holding out the envelope towards him. "I have a message for you!" she added, totally ignoring the look on his face, and everything else. Ki was good at ignoring the negative in life, and Johnny was most certainly that.

"Xiao tai tai," purred Johnny, referring to Ki as he sometimes did his 'little concubine wife', giving her a leery look, she was cute and his family pretty much owned her, so what the fuck, "You got any fuckin' matches stored away in your pretty little pockets?" he asked snatching the message, his unlit cigarette still dangling, and stuffing the thing in his pocket. It was probably too important for her to see - after all, he was an important guy. Probably top secret information on a deal that was due to go down.

"No sir, sorry sir." Ki said, after dutifully checking said pockets. "Would you like me to go fetch some for you?" she asked. Even if she wasn't sure where she'd find some. Back where she'd come from, sure, but that was a bit of a walk, considering. And she didn't have any money on her, so she couldn't buy any for him. But still, it wouldn't be the first time someone wanted her to do something unreasonable just because they wanted to.

"Let's go find some matches together, huh? Nice little walk, two good buddies? How about it, sweetheart?" said Johnny with a rather menacing tone, hopping down from the wall and snaking one of his arms around Ki's shoulders. She could pander to him for a little while, wouldn't fucking kill her - hell, he figured he was doing her a favour. Probably wasn't often the stupid Jap kid got to hang out with a hot guy like him. She probably had a crush on him, wouldn't be surprising.

Johnny figured they could walk a couple blocks over to Mei's convenience. He'd pick up a hair of the dog from under the counter, too, and kick the shit out of Mei if he didn't fucking give it to him for free. That prick owed him.

Ki looked vaguely surprised, but smiled brightly. "Sure thing, sir!" she said, as if they were two good buddies, which of course, there was absolutely no evidence of. In fact, there was overwhelming evidence to the contrary, but one wouldn't know that by Ki. "Have you been having a good day today, sir?" she asked pleasantly, looking up at him and not ducking his arm. She found it best not to buck things like that. She only did if men tried to get a little too hands-on. But then again if they did that, they might lose a finger. She did walk around with small explosives after all.

Johnny cocked a grin and affected his swagger even more. He liked being called 'sir' - his boys called him Boss most of the time, but sir worked. Sir was classy. Hell, Johnny was a classy guy. "So this message. Who sent it? Your Boss? Although technically, I guess I'm your boss. Hell. Everyone's your boss, ain't they Ki? Xiao riben," he smirked - calling her a Jap to her face was one of Johnny's favoured forms of insulting Ki, even if he did do it in Mandarin. Putting her down was easy game, and she needed to be reminded of her place. Beneath him. In either sense of the word - he cast a look down at her - she looked like jailbait but she was still cute, he wouldn't dismiss doing her. Even if she was just an underling.

She pretended not to catch the insult, though she did. Ki spoke a lot of languages. But there wasn't any flicker of recognition on her features as she walked. "Yes sir, my boss." she confirmed for him. She didn't comment on his saying he was her boss. Or that everyone was. She was a girl who was aware of her place. Very aware. Far more aware than she came off, really. But then again, how she came off and what went on in her mind were slightly different things. Like most people assumed she was an idiot--that just didn't mean she was.

"So sweetheart, what do you get up to when you ain't couriering packages to people far more important than you? You got a boyfriend?" said Johnny, his tone mocking, and slightly leery. He was bored of not getting a rise out of her, dumb bitch can't even tell when someone's fucking with her? he thought to himself. Or maybe he was right about her having a crush on him. Either way, the polite 'yes sir' stuff was only fun for a little while. Tears were more entertaining.

"No sir." Ki said, since she didn't. And really, the idea was a bit intimidating, and she wouldn't know what to do with a boy even if she was around one she liked. But Ki hadn't really had opportunity to have feelings like that in her life. Not because she hadn't been allowed to--even if she wasn't, really--but more because she'd never met anyone she'd actually been attracted to. She kept waiting, but so far it hadn't happened. "And not that much, Sir. Nothing exciting." Since she'd found out from Culligan that apparently she did even less than other people around. "I played dice the other day!"

"Dice, huh? You learn how to gamble? You lucky?" said Johnny with a dismissive sneer, "If you're lucky then I fuckin' oughtta take you out sometime. You wanna party with me and the gang, xiao tai tai?" he said it in such a suggestive fashion that you couldn't really miss the double meaning. Johnny could sleaze with the best of them, especially with his arm draped around her shoulders with such a possessive fashion. Fuck it, she was legal, and she was family property, why the fuck not?

"I was not very good at the game, but it was quite fun." Ki said with a nod. And she hoped one day that she got to see Culligan again and maybe play some more. She'd decided to start trying to save pennies to play with. "And that would be terribly unprofessional, Sir, so I'm afraid I must decline." she said to his last bit. because one thing Ki was not was a concubine. She had very specific duties, and none of them involved anything like partying, or the subtext she understood.

"Unprofessional? Naw, I figure it's your job to do what I say, so there ain't nothin' unprofessional about you comin' out and having a good time with fellow employees. Think of it as a fuckin' night out with work," Johnny's tone went a little harder and quieter as he said this. The bitch didn't get to disagree with him, that was not cool, she was just lucky there was no-one around to witness it because he would've had to cut her or some shit. Insubordination was not okay. As they neared the convenience store Johnny withdrew his arm (because fuck, he didn't want anyone to see and get the wrong idea) from her shoulders and turned on his heel to give her a grin that was anything but amused, "Don't you think that's a fair assessment, Ki, baby? You don't wanna get fired for not havin' enough company spirit, after all."

"But it isn't my job to do as you say, Sir." Ki said, smiling a little as she glanced up at him. Sure, she knew the cues he gave. The change in his voice and all, but this was a point that she wasn't budging on. "It is my duty to do as my boss says. I am not one of the girls who 'entertains'. I have different talents, and I am to perform those duties. I am sure you've been informed of these things, Sir, and are merely playing a funny joke on me." she said, knowing full well he wasn't, but there was no indication of that in her manner, expression or tone. She did smile, and laugh, as if she'd 'got' said 'funny joke'.

Johnny laughed too, almost playing along with Ki, and then abruptly stopped and looked back at her. He patted her on the left cheek with a dangerous glint in his eyes, and all traces of humour were gone. "We'll see about that, short-stop," he gave her a wink, and then straightened up and turned to enter the store. He wanted to smoke. Maybe he'd stub the thing out on her stupid dumb-fuck insubordinate face. He figured it was understood that she better fucking be there when he got out. He figured that people ought to know a damnsight thing or two regarding his fucking reputation to do what he wanted when he fucking wanted it.

Ki did wait. She just waited with a small explosive she could quite easily put onto his person and detonate with ease. It wouldn't kill him--but if she placed it somewhere sensitive, he wasn't going to be breeding, and he'd talk with a very high voice from there out. Sure, she didn't plan on using it, but she had it. And if Johnny needed a small demonstration of just what kind of dangerous she could be, she'd provide one. Generally, she didn't do this kind of thing. However, with his demeanor today, she couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't about time he did understand slightly better who he was dealing with and possibly who he was degrading. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, humming a little tune to herself as she waited, not looking perturbed or frightened.

Johnny swaggered back out of the store a few minutes later, now smoking, a bottle of beer clenched in his other hand, and his expression slightly less tense. Mei'd proven a slightly easier target being as how the senile old dick was still showing bruises from last week when Johnny and his boys had been bored and had decided they wanted to hit on his daughter. People didn't tell Johnny no when he'd been drinking. Having a more "willing" participant for his bullying had lessened his sights on Ki slightly - but only slightly. He tipped the beer towards her and cocked his head, "Drink? Or is that unprofessional? Won't kill you, just a little sip."

"No thank you, sir." Ki said, smiling at him like she hadn't been thinking about blowing his genitals off as a lesson for him. "I'm not meant to drink." she told him. Which was true, really. She wasn't really meant to do much of anything. "I would get into much trouble if I went home and it was smelled on me." Which she thought he likely knew, and was possibly trying to get her to do so she would get into trouble. "Plus, it's yours, and while I greatly appreciate your generosity, I wouldn't want you to be deprived of any of it!" she added sweetly.

"You're a cocky little shit for someone who's such a fucking nothing, you know that?" said Johnny with a light tone almost friendly tone that didn't match his words at all, "We oughtta see about putting your scrawny bones to work in one of the dens, see how you like all those big white opium heads up on you, think you'll find 'em a lot less fuckin' personable than me, sweetheart. Have a fucking drink or I'll fucking make you, and if your boss complains, you tell him Johnny said it was okay, right?"

"Sir, are you aware of what it is I do for your employers?" she asked, after studying him for a moment. Sure, the prospect of being made to do anything sounded awful, and she was fairly sure she would experience what was akin to drowning if it came to that. But, she thought she ought to try out something else first.

"What they tell you," sneered Johnny. He actually didn't. Johnny didn't get told shit about important Lotus goings on - that was his brother's right, not his, but he tended to ignore the fact that his father didn't trust him and just convinced himself he knew all the ins and outs of everything, "Deliver packages, suck dick, who cares? And they ain't my employers, they're yours. They're my family. That's what sets us apart. The wheat and the fucking chaff."

"Oh, you're right." she said, nodding a little. "I do what they tell me. They just have some very specific things that they only tell me because I'm the only one who can do them right. I would greatly appreciate it if we could spend time together that didn't involve threats I know won't come to pass. Really, Sir, it's beneath you." she told him with a nod, even if she knew full well it wasn't. That was just him, and she was happy to put up with it to a point, but she didn't at all appreciate the indication that if she didn't do exactly what he wanted--especially something she'd get in trouble for later--that he would force her. There were lines. It was unprofessional.

She was messing with him, there was no fucking doubt about that. That shit would not fly. Johnny took a long swig of his beer, keeping his eyes fixed on her, and then with a swift motion he dropped the still full bottle and shot his hand around Ki's throat, shoving her against the outside wall of the store. His eyes were burning with cold anger. "Repeat that. Repeat that shit, that I won't follow through with my threats. I fucking dare you, you Jap slut."

Ki felt her head crack back against the wall, which didn't feel nice, though the hand around her throat felt even less nice. She reached out, and pushed her small explosive into his pocket. He seemed overly busy with choking her and all, and it was her main defense so she used that. "Sir--" she choked. "Please let go. If you don't--" she had to cough, or try to, talking wasn't something that worked so well. "I won't be able to disarm the bomb."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" said Johnny, not loosening his grip, but tearing his gaze away from Ki's face to look down at her hands, wondering what the hell she meant. He looked back up to her and banged her head back against the wall, "Quit your fucking bullshit, unless you want me to cut that insolent fucking tongue out of your dirty mouth!"

She yelped, unable to stop herself since it all hurt. But she kept her focus because she really needed to. "You might lose---the leg." she choked out, vision sparking for a moment. "You'll definitely lose your g-genitals, Sir." Her voice was grinding it's way out. "Could t-take out your bowels, if the blast's pointed inwards." Which she didn't know. She'd tried to direct it that way, but she'd been being choked at the time, so she couldn't be positive.

Johnny let go of Ki, and slapped her her in the face. He didn't like that comment about the possible loss of genitals, even if it was confusing. What the fuck was she talking about? "If you've put anything on me, take it the fuck off, right now, otherwise I'll cut you a new fucking slit and fuck it, you bitch!"

Ki went down, dropping to her hands and knees as she choked, coughing as she tried to get the snow to clear from her vision. When she looked back up at Johnny, there was something dark in her eyes. She reached into her pocket and threw a second device up the alley nearest them, and moments later she detonated it, causing a small if impressive explosion. "You will not behave like this with me." she told him. "Or that's you, Sir." The thing about explosions were they didn't mess about. Bullets, well sure they were deadly, but they could also sometimes pass right through people and they survived just fine. Explosions...that was widespread badness. You didn't want one--no matter how 'small'--going off in your hip pocket.

That was kind of enough for Johnny to flip his shit. Not that shit hadn't been flipping already, but yeah. His expression changed with almost amazing speed from anger to panic. He squawked and started patting himself down frantically, "Get it off me! Where did you put it? You can't hurt me, my family owns you! My dad'll kick your ass! Get it off!"

"Stop!" she croaked, reaching up to still his hand that had hit closest to the device. "You don't want to---set it off by accident, Sir!" she scolded. Or she tried to. Really, at the moment, she didn't have any breath so she couldn't even get full sentences out, and her voice was shot to hell. She looked up at him. "Do you understand now?" she managed to say as carefully as possible. "Sir?" she added onto the end in a second breath.

"Yeah sure, I understand, whatever, just get it off," whined Johnny, holding his hands up in the classic surrendering pose, "Can't you take a joke? I was just joking. You're crazy, I wouldn't of done anything!" he said, ignoring the fact that slamming a young girl against a wall and attempting to strangle her probably classified as "doing something", but that didn't matter. What mattered right now was that no-one had their cock blown off.

Ki pushed herself with effort to her feet, rubbing at her throat as she kept her eyes on him. "Not joking, sir." she said, going into another coughing fit. "You hurt me." Small sentences worked best at the moment. She vaguely wondered how long this was going to trip her up, and decided it was best not to consider such things at the moment. "Understand?" She wanted more than a 'whatever' from him. It was important to her to uphold standards.

"Fine, fine, sorry, I won't do it again," said Johnny with a rather manic edge to his voice, hoping to shit no-one was around to hear him apologising to this fucking child, "I told you, I understand. So can you get it offa me, and let me get the fuck away from you any time soon? Please?" The word 'please' almost stuck in his throat, it wasn't something Johnny said very often, and he pretty much hated Ki for making him beg with her. It was the Japanese, man, they were all fucking crazy. Kamikaze fucking spitfires.

"Stand very still, sir." she rhasped, stepping closer so she could retrieve the device from his pocket. Hopefully he wouldn't be stupid enough to try something while she was still holding the damn thing. She went into another coughing fit. "Have a pleasant r-rest of the day, sir." she ground out, taking a step back from him, but she didn't put it away. She stood there, and he was going to leave, and she'd find her own way back. And hopefully, he'd wisen up a little bit about what was and was not alright with her.

Johnny gawped at the device she pulled out of his pocket, but just for a second. He was very quick to regain his usual posture (or slouchy lack-thereof), slip a cigarette into his mouth, and give her a brisk nod of the head. "See you around, spitfire," he mumbled through partially clenched teeth, before turning on his heel to wander off and find someone who didn't have a handbag full of fucking grenades he could play with. Johnny never learned shit.