Stay away from my cousin!

Chapter 16

"Isn't that the owner of 'La Gueule de Saturne'?"
"Guess even busy chefs get time to go to gym."
"But he is so skinny tho."
"He got some muscles in him."
Vince is lifting small weights, keeping in shape for himself and his "special" waiter. He needs muscles to carry the heavy bags of flour or to fight off rude customers in case it gets ugly.
"This should be enough. Looking good." he gets amused when others think he would be only skin and bones "He got a nosebleed when he saw me. He is one naughty boy, but I don't mind." he can't skip leg day, tho with Rody it's always a leg day
He goes to the conveyor belt to run a few miles. He'd sometimes go to gym with the guys who he invited for the gathering but he prefers going alone.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Finally sober?"
"Quiet you" Vicky sets her bag down
"Mind explaining what happened?"
"Do you care that much?"
"We may not talk much but we're still family, aren't we?"
"Alright fine. It's a long story."

Meanwhile, the Lamorees are jogging together through the park.
"Rody stop, I need a break."
"Come on, we still got a few miles."
"We've been running for half an hour let me breath!"
"Ok ok! Let's sit on this bench."
She falls on the bench
"Ray what happened that night?"
"What night?"
"Our birthday night. You didn't come back home. Did you go with Vic at her place?"
"...Yeah I did"
"What's wrong?"
"She... confessed"
"Confessed what?"
"That she has feelings for me."
"I knew it! I had a feeling!"
"Rody!"
"Sorry sorry. What's so bad about it?"
"She is my friend! I always looked up to her as a friend! Plus she is a damn Charbonneau! She is way above me!"
"Rayna, you do realize I say the same thing yet Vince is not letting me go."
Silence fills the air.
"We really are identical even in love life huh." they laugh
"Ray, why not try it? You never know until you try. If you don't, you're going to ask yourself 'what if' for the rest of your life."
"Look at you, giving me advice when I was always the one advicing you."
"I gave you advices before."
"True" she opens her water bottle
"What do you think Vicky is doing?"
"She left a note saying she'll go to the gym. That gave me an excuse to do an hour or two of jogging with you."
Rody opens a protein bar, feeding his tired cousin.

Back with the Charbonneaus
"I can't tell you what happened to her, it's not my place to do so."
"I'll know when time is right. Vicky, if you love her, don't force her. It'll only get her to leave."
"Wow, you giving me love advice?"
"What can I say? He changed me."
"You're still a psychopath."
"And you aren't?"
"I'm milder than you."

In the next day, the bistro is quiet, too quiet. It rained earlier.
"This is creepy. Why aren't there people outside?" Rody is bored, he cleaned a few tables for the next customers yet nobody came in for a while
A group of men enter, 4 of them. Rody sits them and gives them menus. Rody gets a bad feeling, one of them looks... very familiar to him.
"Hey I know you!"
"Me?" Rody points to himself
"Yeah. Aren't you Rayna's cousin?"
"How does he know her?"
"It'a been like a few years. I was in the same college as her. She was a beauty. Too bad she rejected me."
"Um ok? He is weird."
"After all... a woman's job is to stay at home and take care of the house. She was a bitch who needed to know her place: being a behaved housewife"
Rody's inner sanity snapped. Now he remembers. It's the guy who hurt her multiple times, who Rody beat up and he got arrested with a wounded face. The other 3 leave because they feel it will turn ugly.
"You got punches. Now look at you, a simple waiter. I got out. If you call the police again... I'll kill her"
Rody grabs him by the neck with hate, so much hate he wants to snap it. The two fight with fists and legs.
"AHH!" he smashed a bottle on Rody's head, making him bleed
"You lowly scumbag! I'll kill you both! You shouldn't have crossed me!"
Before the guy could do anything else, he gets knocked out with a frying pan. Vince has his glaring face. He throws him out.
"If I see any of you in my bistro again I'll turn you into meals!"
They run with the unconscious one.
"Rody!" he gets first aid kit and rushes to his side
Slowly removing the shards, treating the open wound, bandaging him.
"What happened? You never get into a fight, especially like this."
"..." he stays quiet
"Mon coeur, be honest with me."
"He sexually harrassed Rayna before."
"What?"
"I beat him up, called the cops on him, yet he somehow got out. That was six years ago."
"And seeing him got you mad?"
"Talking shit about Ray got me insane. I hate men who treat women like they are some sort of toys to break. Women are not housewives to treat badly."
Vince wipes Rody's hair that got blood in it. He takes his hand and kisses him sweetly. Rody blushes.
"When I heard the commotion, it was my duty to check it. When I saw you, with that fire in your eyes, that got me to see a new side of you. And I liked it, very much so~"
"Vincent! My insane side is not a good thing to enjoy! If you want to fire me for beating up a customer, go ahead."
"Why should I fire you? He hurt you."
"I attacked first"
"I'm betting he started the fire first."
"Still. It wasn't right for me to do."
"Mon coeur, clean up the shards. We'll go home."
"I have my own home you know."
"Not letting you leave tonight."
"You never let me go home."

Rody changes the bandages himself as they got bloody.
"Stupid douchebag"
"Mon coeur, come eat something."
"One second!" he throws the old ones
"I could have changed them for you."
"It's fine"
Rody eats the grilled cheese sandwich Vince made.
"So I went to the gym yesterday. Want to see my work~?" Rody looks at him
"You go to the gym?"
"Just because I look thin doesn't mean I actually am."
"I-I'm good. I'm s-still recovering."
"Alright. You're off the hook. For now."
"God save me from this hungry chef."

Rayna finds out later about the fight.
"THAT MOTHERF-"
"Rayna!"
"Shut up Vicky!"
Vicky raises her hands in defence.
"Yeah... both of them are sweet yet they can have a nasty attitude when they're angry or insane."

The men are cuddling on bed.
"Vince"
"Yes?"
"How do you feel about men who act like they can treat women like crap?"
"Scumbags. I know how it feels."
"How?"
"My father is the same."
"...Forget I asked"
"No. Ask me anything. I want us to get to know each other well before we get married."
"Again with the marriage? I'm not one to be married."
"Why is that?"
"I'm not a good enough partner."
"Says who?" Vince hugs him closer
"Says me"
"Well you're wrong" he kisses him "I'll show you what a great boyfriend you are to me. You can't leave me."
"I know" "Now that I see it, Manon has never tried to keep 'us' together. Only I tried. I am indeed a fool for love."
"So what's your favorite food?"
"Oh. I didn't give you a proper answer last time. Well, I like your cooking, so there. But I like spaghetti."
"My cooking? Good to hear."
Rody closes his eyes. Vince caress the soft, ginger hair.