Generation Antihero 2

A breath of fresh air

Curious they were standing around Ilus, sitting opposite of the boy. He asked: "Do I really need to be tied up to a chair?". "Only until I'm done questioning you", Ilus took a look at his clipboard. Koi calmed him: "If you get pins and needles in your arms, you won't feel it anymore anyways". Beside him stood Lucky. In that moment he was holding his bandaged wound. The boy squinted at him: "Do I know you from somewhere?". "An hour ago you almost took my spleen!", Lucky growled at him. Ilus raised his hand for silence and started with the simple questions: "Name?". "Ajax Shaw. And your name, albino?", he raised an eyebrow. Ilus hit the table: "Russian with alb-". Shark shut his mouth and said to the new one: "No counter questions". Wide-eyed Ajax looked at him: "Got it...".

Ilus took a deep breath and kept asking: "Age?". "Seventeen", he answered meagerly. -"What are you doing out so late? Where are your legal guardians?". -"Hah, believe it or not. My parents meant that I was spending too much time on my computer. Then they sent me to an American summer school. Whoops, gaining weapons and cars is so easy here. Do you think i want to go to summer school? I ran away". -"I believe that". -"You do?". -"If you knew with what sick stories I'm dealing here-", in that moment Zigz stormed through the door: "I can't kill him! No, am not allowed to! He told my daughter she wouldn't be pretty! Is he blind?!". Ilus' head dropped back: "Bad timing". Furious Zigz asked: "Who is that supposed to be?! Does he want to try his chances with my daughters?!". He approached him and pointed right at his nose: "I swear to god! Should you-!". Ajax interrupted him: "Get your dirty finger out of my face".

Shark picked Zigz up and carried him out: "Outside is trash can, you can kick that. And then we'll make music". Giving up Ilus held his forehead: "The days of formalty are over. Ajax, basically this here is a mad house. If you never want to even get close to a summer school, then you only have to join my gang, swear loyalty to me and afterwards I'll gear you up with weapons. You'll get paid and are allowed to live here. Agreed?". Excited he jolted in the chair: "Ohoho! Christmas came early this year! I'm so in!". "I'm being serious", Ilus spoke, "You are not allowed to join any other gang-". He interrupted him: "Or I'll get repelled and die. I've played enough games to know that this is the chance of my life and I'm going to be thankful to you forever. You are the boss and I'm all ears for you". Positively surprised Ilus sat staright up and nodded: "Koi, please show him your technology. You seem to do him a favour with that. Welcome to the madness, Ajax. My name is Ilus Poljakow during the free time and at work you'll call me Chef".

He cheered: "Incredible!". Ilus got up, walked over to him and growled into his ear while unleashing him: "And never interrupt my sentences ever again". Shortly Ajax was scared, but then his adrenaline came back: "That's a thousand times better than gaming!". Koi gestured: "Follow me, Wriggly". Lucky turned skeptically to Ilus: "What did you see in him?". "Energy and determination. He isn't afraid to take a gun. That can be really useful", Ilus meant. "I'm not too sure about him...", he shook his head. Ilus laughed: "You're just pissed because he managed to shoot at you". His face turned red and he puffed with crossed arms.

~~~

"You surely waited for this. By now you've learned everyones nicknames", Ilus held a big speech two days afterwards, "I bet you wish to have your own one too". Almost exploding the newby nodded violently. -"You have an astonishing amount of energy and stamina. Your personality seems intruiging and you take everything into aim. No matter what's in your way. That's why from today on your name is Arrow". Now officially Arrow jumped up: "Super cool!". Everybody patted his back and welcomed him. Henry felt a déja-véu, still he felt a bit unwell. He tried to play it down. But as a now not newest member he was still very insecure.

Ilus noticed that he was unhappy: "Something isn't right with you". "Let me pout in jealousy", Henry muttered and looked to the side. "Wow, was I that terrible too?", Ilus grinned, "If you want to, I can make it obvious for our newby". "Really?", Henry smiled shyly and wanted to take the whistle for the announcement. Out of nowehere Ilus grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. He also knocked on his desk loud enough. Koi gagged: "Oh, stop eating each other up directly all the time!" and disappeared into his corner. At latest now everyone understood. Ilus let go of Henry and winked at him before going upstairs. The shift ended and it was time to pack up.

In the time where they all got ready to go to bed, Arrow looked around and got to know the others better. He became a witness of Kiki coming down the stairs and rebuking Zigz: "You're falling behind again! Do you not want my food?". "I do, I do! I would've been there in the next minute!", he hastily shook his head. Arrow called in between: "Are you in a relationship?". Zigz flinched and Kiki rolled her eyes as she dragged Zigz upstairs: "This question is getting tiring". Koi put his hand on Arrow's shoulder: "You'll see and assume many things here. Believe me, Ilus himself doesn't understand many things here. Especially at the topic relationships you shouldn't ask. Ilus and Teddy are together and that's the only official thing here". "In school nobody wanted to talk to me anyway, so it should be easy to ignore", he waved off, "Tell me, where did you get these amazing tattoos from?". "My buddy, Lucky. The one you shot at", he smiled. "Do you think I could get a second chance and have such tattoos too?", he asked. Koi tapped his shoulder: "I can plead your case". "Thank you!", his eyes lit up.

Koi turned his back at him and let his jacket down a bit to also show his shoulder tattoo. Impressed Arrow followed him. He laughed: "When your eyes light up this way, they shine like your freckles. Oh, it must be great if you're still amazed by everything in your age". "But you don't really look older than me", he stated. Flattered Koi flipped a streak of his hair back: "Why, thank you. No seriously, I'll turn twenty soon". -"Wow, are all of you above eighteen already?". -"By now, yeah. Our Chef has been the youngest until now. Now you carry that title, he's surely happy about that". He knocked on the door and it got opened by Shark. Right there Koi explained: "Lucky shares his room with Shark and this weird red haired creature". Lucky muttered from his bed: "Sadly...".

They walked in and Koi fell diagonally onto Lucky's bed: "You up to pull out your artsy machine again?". Mocking Lucky tilted his head: "Am I supposed to sketch a second koi on you representing Ilus?". "Not for me, our new little friend", Koi pointed at Arrow. He waved a bit coy: "Hi, when I shot at you, I didn't mean it like that". "What is that even supposed to mean? Whatever, I'd like to do a tattoo again", Lucky straightened up and kicked Koi off his bed. Arrow repeated: "So I'm not supposed to assume any relationships". Concurrently they responded: "Don't you dare".

Lucky prepared his machine and Koi scribbled a few motives on paper. Arrow asked: "You can draw?". A short snorting came from Koi, then he turned the paper with crooked arrows over. Lucky explained: "I can recognize what he means". "You partially tattooed the wrong letters onto my fingers", Koi criticized. "And you still like it!", Lucky countered. It knocked again and Shota entered: "Here you are. Hey, my name is Shota. We haven't met each other yet. But I've heard that there is someone new around here. We can gladly get to know each other better". Koi warned him: "He's much younger than you. A minor, even". Politely Shota waved and turned around: "It was nice to have met you. Have a delightful evening". And the door was closed again. Lucky shook his head laughing: "Your brother is a luminary of flirting". Arrow glanced at Koi: "Your brother is...?". "We're day and night", he clarified right away. Innocently Lucky provokingly hummed and started to tattoo Arrow. Koi squinted at him: "Aromantic asshole".