cataclysm

who needs therapy when you have cocaine and murder

[henryxking]

A scowl was all that Scarlett could muster with each word Henry said. She had to be careful though, in case for some insane reason he wanted to simply try and take her out now. It would be incredibly stupid and poor timing, but it sure would send a message to the rest of her family.

“I’d hardly call you and your brothers adversaries. There was hardly any fight at all when it came to running you all out of town like the sad, pathetic, dogs you are.”

Be careful, be bitchy, same thing. She lightly rubbed at her forehead at the mention of wrinkles but pretended she was simply scratching her head. Rude.

“Dogs are pretty fucking great, Scar. Loyal. But, I guess you don’t really know anything about loyalty.” The Cohens were bred to be selfish. In Henry’s eyes, the lot of them only really looked out for themselves, rather than each other. “Our bite’s worse than our bark. Better make sure to watch your back. I doubt your brother will watch it for you.”

[henryxking]

Oh. Oh! She was staring at Henry’s ass. She couldn’t help if it was a good ass, though. Winny felt her cheeks burn slightly, but she recovered rather quickly. She was still a little weary about the Kings being back. It felt incredibly conflicting, but at the end of the day … she’d missed her friend. “Hi Mr. King. Yes, fun night. … Totally unrelated question, but have you been doing squats, or something?”

“Mr. King? Who am I, my father?” Henry said, his smile growing as Winny continued to ask about his workout regime. “Yeah, I do squats on leg day. Why? Need some help with training?”

[henryxking]

     “Word’s been the siblings aren’t all that tight. ‘Least not where they need to be. We can’t just run in guns blazing. Gotta keep it neat. Work quietly. It’s already beginning to get out we’re back, I’m sure.”

     “Fuck up their shit. Throw wrenches wherever we can. I’m reconnecting with some old people, see who’s willing to budge. All hands on deck, we’re gonna need ‘em.”

“Yeah, cause Trevor’s a fucking psycho. Bet he treats his family like shit. Hard to stay loyal to a piece of garbage like that.”

“We left some good people behind. I bet a few of ‘em will jump at the chance to overthrow the Cohen’s tyranny.”

[winnyhayes]

Winny had just finished choreographing a new routine for her next shift and was now in need of a drink. Or two. She stood in a crowded bar, eyeing the figure in front of her. Amazing ass, she thought to herself. She downed some of her drink, wondered if she was upset enough with Trevor to wanna make him jealous that night. 

[henryxking]

Henry was at a bar, distracting himself from his desire to beat the shit out of the Cohens. Beer in hand, he turned and saw a familiar face. Winny was right behind him. Small world. He smirked, a bit hesitant considering how upset she was with him for leaving. “Hey,” he said. “Having a fun night?”

[henryxking]

Winny couldn’t tell Henry that she understood, because she didn’t. She simply nodded in response to his apology. It was still too early to forgive him, but at the end of the day … she missed her friend. What Henry and Tanzie had done for her, all those years ago … it’s why she no longer lived such a miserable existence. She’d been able to sober up and find happiness because of them.

“I’m… only a little sorry for hitting you. I still think you kinda deserve it, jerk.”

“How are your brothers? Dia?” 

There was a sigh of relief as Winny’s tone shifted. She was still upset, but he could tell she was starting to warm back up him. “We’re all better now that we’re home. Especially after Jerry died, it’s nice to be back. Dia’s even looking into some commercial properties.” Henry paused, not wanting to go into the anger all three of the brothers held deep within them. Henry knew there was resentment within him towards not only the Cohens, but towards Zach for refusing to fight and towards himself for not trying harder to convince him to stay. Shit hit the fan without them around and the people they cared about, the people who trusted them, got hurt.

“I want you to know, if you ever need anything, you can call me, alright? I know we went radio silent for a while, but I’m back now,” he said, not trusting Trevor to keep Winny out of harm’s way. Hell, Trevor was the harm Henry was worried about. “Anytime, okay?”

[henryxking]

     His expression softened as he watched Henry, lips quirking into a small smile as he gave him a nod. “Good. Cause we gotta make it like we never fuckin’ did.”

“Hell yeah, brother. Just tell me what you need from me and I’ll get it done.”

[henryxking]

Honestly it felt good knowing right away the pair could joke around after not seeing each other for a long time. Maybe there should have been a part of him that’s angry, but more than anything he was understanding. Certain days he regretted not going with them but perhaps it was for the best for him to stick around. A satisfied sigh left his lips after embracing the hug and gave a smile of his own as he looked at the other. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?” He answered with a low chuckle, a hand coming up to run through his own locks. “I fucking knew you guys would turn up eventually. How’re you doing, man?”

“I fucking knew you guys would turn up eventually.”

Henry smiled at Christian’s comment; his faith in his brothers was strong. A friend they could always count on. “Doing great now that we’re back. Can’t fucking wait to put the Cohens in their place.”

“Things’ve really gone to shit since we left, eh?” he asked, remembering his run-in with Winny and the ring on Tanzie’s finger. Henry knew he wouldn’t be able to snap his fingers for a magic fix, but he’d do anything to get his girls out of the clutches of Trevor and Parker Cohen. 

[henryxking]

Dia snickered before she could stop herself and whacked her cousin on the arm. “We can’t joke about that! Like, half a dozen people died!” But her point was undercut by her giggles. Henry was almost always able to get a laugh out of her, but Dia would be lying if she said she didn’t feel like a piece of her spirit had returned to her over the days since they’d been back.

“They died for our right to party,” he said, thrusting his fist in the air. “Tell me ‘bout your plans,” Henry added, nudging her shoulder. “What’s the vibe gonna be?”

[henryxking]

     Zach chuckled, “Yeah. A fuckin’ plan.”

     “How’s it been anyway? Bein’ back?”

“Feels like we never left,” he said. Though, he hadn’t seen many people since being back. Being face-to-face with the people he left behind, dealing with the consequence and the fallout, that would change things. “It’s definitely good to be home.”

[diaxking]

Dia stepped out onto the sidewalk, taking a moment to relish in the warm, polluted Los Angeles air as she let the front door of the building close behind her. She’d missed this fucking city.

She slid her phone out of her back pocket and swiped to send a short text to her realtor, saying only “Put in the offer.” Then, she turned and took a few steps backwards to admire the old, industrial-era factory. Well, okay, it hadn’t been a factory in a while. Not since the fire. But it was still a great building. And it was the perfect place for a nightclub, which had been one of her dreams for a long time.

“L.A., I’m home,” she murmured under her breath, as if she was – just for a moment – the only person in the city.

[henryxking]

“Damn, this place is fire,” Henry said, taking in the old, refurbished factory. “No pun intended.” Seeing his cousin look so full of pride brought a smile to his face. For too long the family had been hiding in the dark; it was about damn time they got back to their life. “Can’t wait for the grand opening.”

[henryxking]

     “‘Course I’m up for it. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t make sure mine were all set up?”

     “Who else am I gonna hang out with anyway?”

“Good. We can start with the bedframe so I don’t have to spend another night sleeping on the floor,” Henry said, smirk on his face. 

[henryxking]

“I thought I knew what I’d gotten myself into when I met you and your brothers,” Winny said, disappointment evident in her voice. Slowly, the anger she felt was starting to dissipate. It was melting into something else – the sadness that came with betrayal. “At least with Trevor, I know what I’m getting.” 

“I’m still mad, but… I worried about how you were doing while you were gone.”

Henry knew there was no winning this conversation. They fucked up. Never should’ve left. Should’ve stood their ground and fought for their found family. He knew there wasn’t anything he could say to make things better. He couldn’t turn back time and convince Zach not to run. 

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” was all he could bring himself to say. A lot has changed since they left LA. Winny was quite literally sleeping with the enemy. It made things more complicated than they needed to be. Would she really stand by him throughout this war? Having Winny caught in the crossfire was a nightmare. 

“I am sorry,” Henry added. “We really thought getting the hell outta Dodge was best for everyone.”

[henryxking]

“I’m with him,” was all that Winny could muster. She was still angry. Still hurt. She took a small step back, allowing a stranger to walk between the pair, though her gaze never faltered. 

Henry was stunned to say the least. “You’re...wow, okay.” There was a lot Henry wanted to say. He definitely didn’t have a right to judge, but he couldn’t help but think what happened between them behind closed doors. Trevor was a power hungry monster and Winny was naive with a heart of gold. It was a recipe for disaster. Though, Winny was always good at finding ways to survive. 

“I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” he said, concerned for her more than anything. 

[henryxking]

     “Nothin’. Just wanted to check up on ya. Make sure we’re all settlin’ in before shit really hits the fan.”

     “Want help settin’ the shit up?”

“I could use a hand building some Ikea furniture if you’re up for it,” he said with a shrug. His apartment was barebones, empty. It’d be nice to get it feeling more like home again.

[henryxking]

“Where’s the fun in life if you don’t get to piss off a few people along the way?” Even as Shay chuckled at her attempt to make light of the situation, she knew the potential for how serious this situation could and was probably going to get. It wasn’t like anyone was expecting Trevor to hand over what he had stolen without putting up one hell of a fight. “Look, I’m in the same boat as you. Do you know how badly I wish I could find Scarlett and knock her teeth out?” In fact, that had been the first thing Shay threatened to do when she’d found out the King’s were finally heading back to Los Angeles. “Just think about the looks they won’t be able to make with their Botox-ed faces when they lose everything.”

Henry laughed at Shay’s determination to kick Scarlett Cohen’s ass. Truthfully, he felt the same. Anyone with the name Cohen just made Henry’s blood boil. Henry’s hand almost started to shake thinking of what he’d do to Trevor if he got his hands on him. Though, despite how much he may want to, acting rash and impulsively would make things more difficult. Like always, Henry would divert to Zach, his knowledge and strategy, before he makes a move. Big brother knows best. “The way I can’t wait to run them out of town the way they did us,” he said. Though, if he were honest, Henry’d prefer they end up at the bottom of the Pacific rather than running rampant somewhere else.

[henryxking]

Despite how long it’s been, and how long he’s had the time to process, life without the Kings in Los Angeles still felt… strange. Of course he had heard of the rumors of their return and as exciting as it sounded he still wouldn’t believe it until he’d see it. Not that he doubted the three brothers. He never could. Christian just wanted to avoid getting his hopes up for nothing.

An arch of an eyebrow was was the only response Christian could give at first after hearing the familiar voice. Who would have thought of all places, a record store would be the first time where he’d see one of the King brothers.

“I know, right? The music selection has been ass ever since you guys left..”

When he turned his head and saw the man who replied to his statement, Henry beamed. The brothers left behind some people who were undoubtedly loyal and Christian Ford was one of them. “I know, LA is severely lacking without our influence.” Henry smiled wide and embraced his friend in a bear hug. “Dude, how the hell are ya?” he asked, not expecting to run into anyone he knew at this run down record store. Though, this was a coincidence he could appreciate.

[daniellerussells]

Thomas Doherty’s Scottish Slang School is Now in Session - RAW