[FIN] What Have You Done Now?

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

At Jerome's bellow, the crimson-eyed man went rigid. He continued to stare at the ground and the mop, as if intent on getting it up off the floor, but by the time he managed to make himself move to do so, the agent already had him pinned against the wall.

Lifting his chin defiantly, Nakura glared at the ex-gangster with the desperation of an injured, cornered animal.

"Because I didn't know what it felt like before then. I didn't consider anyone my 'bro'. People were toys and nothing more. But now that's changed."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome paused at Izaya's words, his furious gaze hindering in their heat as he looked over his fellow Rocket.
Clearly Jerome didn't seem to know what to do with what Izaya had just said, though there was a twisted conflict going on in his head, Jerome didn't seem to have a voice about it yet.

Not taking his inked eyes off of Izaya's, the man loosened his grip on the mans collar, enough to let him go and lower his hand back to his side. His jaw still set and breath still heavy with an anger that had not quite been extinguished.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

When he was released, the grunt held the agent's gaze a little longer before seceding. He reached down to finish what he had started and picked up the mop. His hands were still shaking as he gripped the handle hard, holding on as if for dear life.

"I know it's not the same," he said, staring down at the mop's head. "I know Aila wasn't the family to me that your gang was to you, and I know she was just one person. Still, though - the fact that anyone would do anything like that for me was...well, let's just say the last time it happened, that person got between danger and me for the sake of someone else." He forced a bitter laugh.

"I owe a lot to you, Agent Jerome," he said, slowly raising his gaze to meet his former roommate's. "Conversation, companionship, tolerance...I owe you for a lot of things. But I know I can never repay nor return what I'd taken from you before I even met you - what you probably cherished the most - and us info brokers prefer not to keep debts." Nakura tipped his head to rest it against the mop, his lips curved slightly in a faint trace of his usual, annoying smile. "So, in that case, you're free to do whatever you want to me in return."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome stepped away, just one as he shifted his stance to the side, running his nails over she shaved side of his head and licking his lips in a clear agitation.

"Yer a ********' punk." He said, his voice a lot more gentle then it had been before "She was jus s'much family t'you as anythin' Ya were jus' t'stupid t'see it."

He looked away, down the hall, not meeting Izaya's gaze as he seemed to put some deep consideration into his last words.
Nothing about this felt right, Jerome self betrayed, he felt that sick ache he had when he had seen the last of his gang be taken out, the guilt that he had survived when everyone important to him had died.
It was surreal and uncomfortable that Izaya had a hand in all of it.
"I ain't want non'a yo debts." He grunted after a long silence, looking back to Izaya "Y'were my brotha' yer still m'brotha' but ya went and kept somethin' like this from me. ********' disrespected me."
He lowered his hand after running it down his face. Shaking his head grimly "I ain't got a ********' clue what I wanna do wit ya, ain't sure f'i should go enforcer on yo a**, er jus' let it go."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Nakura's mouth twitched, but he didn't respond to the mention of Aila practically being family. He'd never really gone so far as to think of that before. Would his real family even have done what she had...?

"I didn't think it was relevant to our relationship," he replied quietly, lowering his gaze yet again along with his volume. "And whether or not that's true... If you were me, Jer - Agent, I doubt you would be so keen to risk wrecking something as rare as a personal bond with something as dangerous as the truth of the past."

He swallowed to rid himself of what felt like a knot in his throat. "I'm sorry for keeping it from you. I didn't trust you to still want anything to do with me after you found out. It's difficult for me to trust people when I've spent my life up until now learning to survive by being cynical and suspicious; keeping people at a distance and not relying on anyone. I don't have the faith in others or the strength to rely on them that you do."

The info broker gave a small shrug. "I still have a lot to learn about being part of a team, but it was Aila and other Rockets like you that showed me I could even be accepted into one. I didn't want to ruin that."

"I'm still not sure why you ever wanted anything to do with me let alone consider me a brother," the grunt told him, turning in the direction he'd been headed before he saw Jerome, "but I am sure that you'll have plenty of chances to go 'enforcer on my a**' now that you're an agent, so no need to decide right this minute."  

[Blood_Goddess]

The lean gangster took a slow breath in through his nose, and just as slowly exhaled it, taking some of the tension in his shoulders with it.
He gave a long consideration once again to Izaya's words, mostly as to what he would have done if Izaya had just told him out right... realistically would Jerome have been any less upset? especially if it had been so early on in their friendship?

Jerome shook his head lightly "even if ya were up front bout it, I don't think I woulda been any better bout it." He admitted shaking his head again.
"Look man... I ain't ganna beat ya up. Got nothin' t'do with bein' promoted either. I ain't sure what t'think bout this... but I think f'now m'ganna step off n'figure it out before I know where we stand wit' all a this s**t."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Feel free," he said, glancing back over his shoulder. "Not like I'm going anywhere. And it's not as if we're the only two people sharing a room anymore, so you have plenty of others to keep you warm at night," he teased lightly.  

[Blood_Goddess]

At the comment Jerome shot a sharp glance over his shoulder at the other Rocket, clearly unamused by it.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Taking a deep breath, the grunt sighed and continued his way down the hall. "Oh, and Agent," he said, holding up the book he'd been given, but not looking back. "Thanks for this."  

[Blood_Goddess]

a quick glance down to the book, then back up to Izaya, Jerome let out another breath.
"Yea-" He grunted in a much softer somewhat disappointed reply, before he turned away from Izaya, and made his way back down the hall in the opposite direction of the Grunt, feeling much worse then he had when just finding out about Izaya's secret.