The Sun and The Moon ‖ Chapter 1
Fandom: Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ)
Ship: LighterWise
Summary: Wise is heir to the Mene Mafia Family and his father orders him to hire a bodyguard for his own protection. He doesn’t want a bodyguard who can discover his secrets. He choses Lighter with the assumption that he would leave once he pays his debt. To his surprise, Lighter vows to stay by his side to protect him. (LighterWise, Mafia bodyguard AU)
When Lighter was first thrown into the underground fighting ring, he hated the bright lights and roaring curses of the crowd. He later realized that the silence afterwards was far more unbearable. Lighter could focus on the opponent in front of him during matches. Once the match ended, he was forced to sit with his mistakes and think of everything that led him to the boxing ring.
He sat on a bench and bandaged the scrapes on his knuckles. He was already accustomed to endless fights and longer nights from his time as a mercenary. However, he was now alone and he had to tend to his wounds himself. Lighter took a deep breath for a sigh but the smell of iron and dried blood assaulted him. The tournament organizer didn’t provide a room for their fighters so Lighter sat in the bleachers. He closed his eyes and pictured the office his group rented. It wasn’t much but it was far more than the ring.
“Lighter!” A young child’s voice made his heart stop. He recognized the voice because it belonged to the sister of his best friend, Dane. Lighter didn’t understand why she would enter the warehouse when he warned her to avoid the building. The Outer Ring was already a dangerous place yet the warehouse was the home of its infamous mafia family, Mene. He borrowed money from the gang to help his friends but he didn’t want anyone else to be involved with his debt.
He forced his exhausted body to stand and run towards the small voice. Near the entrance, a girl stumbled through the crowd with a textbook under one arm and dragging a bangboo with the other. He didn’t recognize the bangboo but there wasn’t time to question it either. The moment Lighter reached her, he gently placed his hand on her back and ushered her outside.
“What are you going here, Stephanie?” He asked the moment they were safely away from the warehouse. Lighter knelt in front of her so they would be eye level. Stephanie was the younger sister of his best friend and promised to help care for her after his death. She was only six and far too young to endure such a loss. If only he was there to save…
“Phaethon came to my school,” Stephanie whispered to him. Even at her young age, she knew that it was dangerous to speak the name Phaethon on Mene’s territory. She could barely contain her smile as she held up a textbook. An orange ribbon was set between the pages like a bookmark.
Lighter had heard whispers of a mysterious thief. Phaethon would steal from various mafia groups and use the money to help people in the Outer Ring. They would leave an orange ribbon as a calling card. Despite angering powerful families, no one had been able to find Phaethon. He was able to enter buildings without being seen as though he were a ghost.
“I think I’ve found Phaethon’s bangboo!”
She lifted the bangboo for him to see. At first glance, Lighter couldn’t see anything special about the bangboo. It was an old model and widely distributed for normal citizens. The bangboo resembled a white rabbit with a grey jacket and orange scarf. Though, its movements were more human-like than other bangboo. It nervously glanced around them as if it wanted to run away but Stephanie held onto it tightly.
“I know every bangboo in the school and I haven’t seen this one before. It has to belong to Phaethon! I found him near the gifted textbook and his orange scarf is the same colour as Phaethon’s ribbon. Ordinary people in the Outer Ring can’t afford bangboo but Phaethon surely can.” Lighter had to admit that her arguments were logical. However, it would be far more complicated if she was right.
“Either way, you shouldn’t have brought it here. It’s best to just let it go and return to its owner.” He knew that she only had the best of intentions when she took the bangboo but he didn’t want her to be involved with Phaethon or the Mene mafia family.
Lighter heard footsteps behind them. “Excuse me, I believe that bangboo belongs to me.”
He turned around and faced the man. His first thought was how the man didn’t appear to be from the Outer Ring. He wore a suit with a fur cloak over his shoulders. His silver hair was brushed back from his face and allowed Lighter to see his eyes. For a moment, he thought he saw the man’s eyes shimmer in a blue hue before it faded to a calm turquoise.
The man stopped in front of them and held out his hand for the bangboo. Lighter’s heart stopped when he saw the wreath tattoo around his wrist. The diadem of laurels was a symbol of the Mene family heirs. The bangboo chirped happily but Stephanie stopped it from running to the stranger. She recognized the symbol as well and didn’t want to give the family the bangboo of Phaethon. The mafia family could use it to locate the hero of the Outer Ring.
“I am Wise of the Mene family.” He introduced himself even though he knew that they had already suspected his identity. Wise recognized the distrust and fear in their eyes from many others. He drew his hand back and covered the tattoo on his wrist. He wanted to resolve the situation without much hassle. “If you don’t believe that bangboo belongs to me, his name is Eous. I sewed the name onto his scarf.”
Lighter ran his finger over the bangboo’s scarf until he found the name. The embroidery was small so Wise wouldn’t have been able to see it to use as proof. The bangboo appeared familiar with him as well. He silently nodded to Stephanie and signaled for her to hand Eous to Wise. She bit her lip and stubbornly shook her head.
Wise let out a small sigh and stepped forward. Lighter’s hands tightened into fists, prepared to defend the child. To his confusion, Wise didn’t appear angry or irritated as he knelt in front of them. He reached past the bangboo in her arms and took the orange ribbon from her textbook. Stephanie flinched and pressed her face into Lighter’s arm with her eyes closed.
She felt warm fingers on her hair and then a ribbon tickled her cheek. She carefully opened her eyes and looked up at Lighter. Stephanie trusted that he would protect her if Wise merely lifted a hand towards her yet he merely looked from her to him. Lighter touched the ribbon that was expertly tied into her hair. While they were both trying to make sense of the gentle gesture, Wise slipped Eous from her hands.
“Thank you for finding my bangboo.” He spoke with a flat voice. Lighter watched the mafia heir walk out of the alley with the bangboo close at his heel. When he reached the end, Wise paused and looked back at them over his shoulder. “Lighter Lorenz? Please come to my office after your next match. I will tell the referee that there will be a slight delay while you take your sister home. This is no place for a child.”
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