Everything was supposed to run smoothly. Dmitri was just supposed to help out a client, hand over some weed, get the cash, and get out of there.

Everything went downhill the moment he saw Chase’s message. ** Dmitri was pinned to the wall, a black eye and a bloody nose already forming. He grunted as another hit landed square in his ribs, followed by a knee to his stomach that knocked the wind from him.

These bastards had come demanding their weed but Dmitri had stood his ground. Bad idea.

“I.. I don’t have any weed on me right now..” Dmitri choked out, gasping for air as one guy put him in a headlock. “Fuck... I’m sorry..” He gripped the guy’s arm, his face turning red from restricted oxygen as he was finally let go.

“P-please..” He hunched over, kneeling on the dirty concrete as he clutched his aching stomach. ** Chase was late, as usual, but he was talking to a cool stranger he'd met at a bike meet earlier that day. He was laughing and clinging onto the stranger’s arm, thoroughly enjoying the conversation, until he heard a familiar voice cry out from an alley nearby.

“Oh fuck..” He hissed, grabbing the stranger’s hand and breaking into a run.

He poked his head around the entrance of the alley, spotting Dmitri against the wall surrounded by three aggressive dudes. “Get the fuck away from him!” Chase shouted, charging into the fray. ** Now, the stranger was at Chase’s place, sitting awkwardly on the couch as Dmitri perched on the kitchen counter. The smell of antiseptic hung in the air.

“You could’ve just given them the weed, y’know..” Chase muttered, pressing a gentle kiss to Dmitri’s jaw before returning to dabbing at his broken nose with a damp cloth. He'd already bandaged Dmitri’s wrists where the men had managed to cut him.

“That was your weed though...” Dmitri mumbled in response, wincing at the pressure. He looked over to the couch where the stranger sat observing. “I see you met my client..”

Chase tilted his head to the side, “You know him?”

Dmitri nodded, “You’re not my only client, sweetheart..” He winced again as Chase applied more pressure to his nose. “This shit hurts like hell, y’know..” He dug his hands into Chase’s shoulders, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. Every part of his body ached. He just wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear.

Dmitri noticed the stranger staring at his injuries. “What the fuck are you starin’ at?” he snapped instinctively, then shook his head. “Sorry.. I just—”

Chase interrupted, gesturing for the stranger to come over. “C’mere..”