Chapter 156: Sprouting Out From The Mud

Huff

"This damned city!" Louis yelled, his voice raw with frustration as he slammed his fist against the wall, the only thing keeping him upright.

His eyes burned, not just from pain but from the emotions clawing their way to the surface, ones he always kept buried deep.

Yet now, with every aching breath, the questions gnawed at him, relentless and unyielding, as if the pain had finally torn down the walls he had built around himself causing these thoughts to burst forth.

Why was he here?

What was the point?

Why should he continue?

Why were people so cruel?

What had he ever done to deserve this?

The questions crashed over him, one after another, relentless and suffocating as they rushed through his mind and spilled from his eyes, trailing down his cheeks as grief threatened to pull him under.

But what else did he have other than his life?

It was that single question tore through his mind just as he considered taking a knee, surrendering to it all and giving up.

Because in truth, Louis had nothing.

No family, no home, no certainty of tomorrow.

But in that moment, he had himself, and he was too damn stubborn to give the last thing he had up.

So, the teenager did what he always did, picked himself up and kept moving forward.

Limping down 13th Avenue, he took two rights and a left before arriving at what he called 'The Bunker'.

Once a wartime relic, the old bunker had been repurposed over the years with its first remodel done by the Jewish mafia as a storage unit, then by the Luciano family as a residential space for their runners.

It wasn't much, but for kids like Louis, it was home.

Sniff

Wiping his eyes, Louis' shattered expression hardened into cold resolve, because the only one who would ever know his weakness was his own reflection in the broken shards of glass scattered across the ground.

"The f*ck did you say?"

The words reached Louis' ears as he pushed open the door, his gaze settling on the barracks as a literal line had been drawn across the floor, and a group of kids stood right on its edge, caught between both sides.

"I said, 'why.'" Benny, the same kid Ricky had run into the other day, stared plainly at the older teenager, his expression unreadable.

It was strange, unusual and maybe even a little concerning, but instead of waiting, Benny had simply left his mother's home that very night, sought out Johnny, and ended up here, standing in the middle of this confrontation.

"Hey, listen up, Blondie. Get the schmuck outta your ears." The head teenager, Paolo, jabbed a finger into Benny's chest as he glanced down at the offending finger, then slowly looked back up at him.

"Okay," Benny nodded, his expression calm and unwavering which only made Paolo frowned, clearly thrown off by his straightforward attitude.

He glanced at his boys, who were unsure whether Benny was f*cking with them or there was something off with him.

"Ya see that side?" Paolo gestured behind Benny, who turned to look as the other kids were huddled in a corner, their eyes locked on him with sharp, unwavering glares.

However, if one looked closer, they'd notice the subtle, unsettling differences among them.

One kid had sharp, jagged shark teeth visible even when he wasn't smiling, while another's eyes glowed with a reptilian hue, slitted like a lizard's.

"Ya see how it's all covered in filth, full of mutant scum? We don't go there," Paolo continued, his tone harsh and laced with disgust, giving Benny the rundown, his words piercing and horrid in their terms as the mutant kids scoffed.

"Aye, you make it seem like we want normies on our side!?" The shark-toothed kid exploded to his feet, yelling at Paolo while the others rushed to hold him back.

"THAT'S WHY I'M GIVING HIM THE RUNDOWN YOU F*CKING DUMBASS-"

"THE HELL DID YOU SAY-"

Suddenly, the two groups collided, their words fueling the anger of the other, which spiraled into a vicious cycle of tension and hostility.

"YOU THINK WE'RE SCARED OF-LOUIS?!" The shark-toothed mutant sneered, but his words were abruptly cut off when his gaze landed on Louis standing at the entrance.

"THIS AIN'T OVER!" The kid shouted at Paolo, his voice filled with fury as he turned and sprinted toward one of his fellow mutants.

The others shot Paolo and his group one last, venomous glare before following suit, disappearing back onto their side of the line.

"Louis, what happened-"

"I'm fine, David." Louis muttered, though David, the shark-toothed mutant, ignored him and slung his arm around his shoulder, offering an unspoken support that Louis reluctantly allowed.

"Don't tell me it was those Irish-THOSE BASTARDS!" David couldn't even finish his sentence as Louis' face twisted in frustration, the interruption clear on his expression.

The mutants all seethed, their injuries mirrored across their faces, while the normies smirked, their satisfaction evident.

Every single one of these runners knew personally how much the Irish despised the Luciano family.

But over the years, instead of challenging Ricky directly, they took out their aggression on the lowest levels, targeting those who couldn't fight back.

It was a cowardly display, meant to show their distaste without risking a confrontation with the real power.

It was just that the normies controlled the routes that bypassed the Irish territories, areas where immigrants had settled over the years.

A runner's job with the mob is pretty clear and straightforward, they deliver.

But what they delivered varied; drugs, supplies, messages, anything of use.

It was the most basic and lowest level of the family, yet one of the most important, because everyone started as a runner, except Ricky, who always offloaded it onto others.

Johnny's runners were especially vital, covering a wide range of routes, with their significance amplified by Ricky, who insisted that all pathways be under their control.

"You see that? They're getting what they deserve," Paolo sneered, gesturing toward the mutants as they walked toward their side of the bunker.

"They ain't like us and cause of that we gotta stick together, take the jobs meant for the real family-"

"I don't understand," Benny said, glancing back at Paolo, who furrowed his brows, clearly frustrated as it seemed like Benny was an idiot after all.

"Isn't Ricky Luciano a mutant? Are you insulting him?" Benny's words hung in the air, and a thick silence descended over the room.

The mere mention of disrespecting Ricky caused even the mutants to tense, their eyes darting nervously.

Louis, who had been limping over to the side quietly, turned his gaze toward Benny, his expression unreadable.

"What did you say-"

"It's just that your words don't make any sense since Ricky Luciano is a mutant so by hating mutants, don't you also hate him?" Benny really didn't understand, plainly asking for clarification with such a hollow expression that made not only his gaze unsettling, but his words.

"Wha-no, it's not that simple-"

"And why do you let the mutant kids just deal with the fighting? They're beating them up not because they're mutants, but because they're part of the Luciano family-"

BAM

Benny's face was interrupted by a balled fist, his body tumbling to the ground as Paolo hovered above him, an enraged and fury-riddled expression plastered across his face.

"RICKY LUCIANO WAS AN ITALIAN FIRST, HE'S THE ONE AND ONLY EXCEPTION!" Paolo roared, his voice echoing with the fervor of generations before him.

These were the words his parents had hammered into him since he was a boy, the mantra that now shaped his worldview and his current actions.

This was the crux of the issue within the Luciano family.

It was a fact: Ricky Luciano was a mutant, and everyone had begrudgingly come to terms with that reality.

Yet, the deeply entrenched Italian American community, rigid in their traditions and beliefs, coped by creating a singular narrative: Ricky was the lone exception.

Ingrained values were like a river, flowing steadily toward an inevitable destination.

You could try to divert its course, dig channels, or reroute it entirely, but the water always sought to return to its original path.

This resistance to change, the desperate clinging to what once was, defined the family's struggle with Ricky's reality, and the problem he faced in changing the stream.

Paolo's voice, filled with conviction and a hint of desperation, was a testament to this internal conflict of not only his own, but his community as a whole.

Despite the changing world around them, the child clung to his fathers beliefs, trying to reconcile the past with the present, even if it meant placing Ricky on a pedestal to preserve their sense of identity.

Benny simply spat to the side, wiping his nose before standing and looking at Paolo, his hallowed eyes suddenly flickering with something wild.

It was like a switch flipped inside him, the moment violence was inflicted, his mind roared for brutality.

In the next second, Benny grabbed a chair, the laughter of the other kids ringing in his ears, but he didn't care.

His crazed eyes locked onto Paolo, and for a moment, it was clear: he wasn't just a stupid kid, he was a wild animal.

BAM

The chair slammed into Paolo with a sickening crack, the teenager caught off guard as the momentum sent him stumbling, crashing face-first into the wall.

Blood smeared across the surface as his unconscious, limp body slid down, leaving a trail of crimson behind him.

Despite the cruelty unfolding around them, Benny didn't falter, he didn't even hesitate, but instead he raised the slightly broken chair again, the crazed gleam in his eyes intensifying.

BAM

Benny seemed unable to stop himself, his brutality surging forward once more as he swung the chair at another unsuspecting kid trying to stop him.

All while the other teens, momentarily stunned at the blatant cruelty of Benny's actions, were jarred awake with a realization.

"S-STOP HIM-"

BAM

Benny swung the chair at the kid, snapping it over his back as the kid immediately crumpled under the force, with only the pegs left intact within his grip while watching him collapse to the ground.

Immediately, the normies sprung forward as two of them tackled Benny to the ground while one prying the peg legs from his grip and the other pinned him down.

The only problem was, as they shoved Benny's face into the floor beneath them, they were essentially cornering him, cornering a wild animal.

There was nowhere to retreat, and the only way out was to fight with everything he had, be it kicking, scratching, tooth and nail.

"MOTHERF*CKER, HE BIT ME!" One of the kids yelped, holding his arm where Benny's teeth had sunk in, the blood seeping out from the fresh bite as his teeth had dug into his very flesh.

BAM

It was then that one of the kids kicked Benny right in the face, his nose exploding with blood, and his vision spiraling into a haze.

But despite the daze, his hand shot out, grabbing the kid's leg as if it were a foothold into reality and locking around it with a vice grip, refusing to let go.

BAM

"S-STOP, STOP!" The kid screamed, his voice breaking as he struggled to free himself from Benny's painful grip on him.

But Benny wasn't listening as he was locked in a frenzy, his fist pounding down with every ounce of fury, relentlessly pounding into the kid's leg, the world around him reduced to nothing but the need to retaliate.

It was then that all of them, the normies, lunged at Benny, their fists landing in a flurry of punches and kicks, each one fueled by frustration and anger.

The blows rained down on him, striking with all the force they could muster as his blood was starting to splatter around him like some sadistic piece of abstract art.

However even through the one-sided beating, even when the kids were trying to hold him down and beat him into submission.

Benny was frantic in their domineering hold, struggling with every ounce of strength to break free from the chains they were trying to force down upon him.

Every movement was filled with a brutal determination, his limbs jerking in every direction to dish out a punch or kick, seeking any way not to escape, but to retaliate.

The mutant kids, on the other hand, stood frozen at the sidelines, shocked by the sudden turn of events as their eyes flicked from one another, uncertain of how to intervene

"Dammit, they're gonna kill him!" Louis gritted his teeth, limping forward as James realized it too, and the other kids all paused, a sense of urgency spreading through them.

Then, just a small exchange of words towered into an all-out brawl as the kids charged at each other, sloppily cocking their bony fists and slamming them with all their might.

An entire hour passed before the fight was broken up, both sides too exhausted to continue, the tenacity unyielding as neither group wanted to concede but both decided that enough was enough.

Now, with every kid bruised and battered, Louis dragged the swollen and bloody Benny away from the wreckage.

Huff

Louis was hurting, every inch of his body screaming for rest, wanting to just close his eyes and give up when he entered the bunker.

But beneath him, the very limp Benny he was pulling away, this psychotic, unpredictable kid, had been fighting this entire time beneath the dog pile of bodies.

Almost unresponsive, Louis tried to check if he was still breathing before Benny's hand suddenly jerked forward, tightening around his wrist.

His only eye that wasn't swollen shut locked onto Louis with an intensity that made even this mutant flinch, the gaze fierce and unwavering, like he was ready to keep going, no matter what.

"I'm done. I'm not fighting," Louis said, holding up his hand to show Benny he wasn't about to throw another punch as he huffed, glaring at him for a moment before slowly releasing his grip.

"What a psycho," David groaned from the side, holding his side in pain as he looked at Benny with exasperation at the kid still having enough juice left in him to keep going.

The normies all huddled back to their side as Paolo eventually woke up, his glare fixed on Benny.

The mutants reluctantly pulled him to the side, protecting him from further harm to keep the situation from escalating further.

"Louis just toss him-" One of the mutants whispered, looking at the hateful glares of the normies that seemed like it would spark another fight at any moment.

"No way, we'll get in trouble-"

Cough

Benny's bloody cough echoed through the tension, cutting into the sudden silence as his lone, uninjured eye locked onto Louis, struggling to gather his thoughts for one coherent sentence.

"D-Did I win?" Benny whipped out, his words making the kids freeze as they all looked down at him.

They wanted to respond, but the words never came as they couldn't find a reason to deny him until they saw his gaze shift across the room, settling on something, or someone, that made them pause before slowly firing back up.

"Yeah, you won so stop." Louis instinctively held Benny down, affirming him as the kid was about to crawl back into the fight, determination burning in his swollen eye that actually scared him.

"Good." Benny then passed out, his body slumping onto the ground as Louis stared wearily at him, only one word escaping his lips.

'Why?'

Night seemed to trickle through the window, the moonlight shining down on Louis who was staring up at the ceiling.

Sometimes the pain of his injuries kept him up, maybe the pain of his memories, but tonight, the thing that kept him awake was the kid sleeping beside him.

His eyes slowly turned to Benny, who lay there, soundly sleeping despite his battered body.

Louis' hand gripped the fabric of the sheets a little tighter, his gaze flicking back to the ceiling as he exhaled a shaky breath.

It was strange, this kid, this beast, somehow finding peace in the wreckage that was this night.

A warm memory glittered through his mind, cutting through the cruelty, the hate, the despair, and sorrow.

It was a fleeting moment, but it brought him back to his mother.

His eyes fluttered closed as he saw her smile, the soft whisper of sweet words that used to lull him to sleep.

But now, when he tried to focus, something was wrong as he couldn't see her eyes.

The image was fading, slipping away like sand through his fingers and he just couldn't remember where they were or what it felt like to be in her embrace.

His heart churned at the thought of forgetting the only warmth he'd ever known and slowly, his eyes opened again, the faint sting of loss lingering as the room came back into focus.

'Why did god choose this path for me, why?' Louis asked, sorrow glittering in his pupils as a single tear trickled down his cheek, wiping it before rolling over.

Benny's eyes flickered open, side-eyeing Louis for a moment as their gazes briefly met, and then, without a word, he turned his attention to the ceiling.

His body relaxed, and soon enough, the steady rhythm of his breathing signaled he had drifted back to sleep.

Louis stayed still, watching him for a moment longer before his own gaze returned to the ceiling, the weight of the night settling in.

The next day,

BAM

"ROLL CALL!"

Johnny roared, the morning dew barely clinging to the weeds outside as he kicked the door open.

The kids, still groggy from sleep, were jolted awake as they rushed to the front of their beds, scrambling as Johnny stood in the doorway, his presence commanding attention.

His mentor had always told him 'You train like a soldier and learn like a man' and these kids weren't men yet, but they sure as hell were soldiers, the lowest of grunts in the family.

"What the-WHAT HAPPENED!?" Johnny took one glance at a kid, then another, until he looked at all the kids beaten up.

"WHO WAS IT, WHO STARTED A FIGHT IN MY FCKING BUNKER, WITH MY FCKING RUNNERS!" Johnny roared out, walking the line as the kids all ducked their heads, unable to take responsibility until one kid stepped in front of Johnny, more beaten than the rest.

"It was me, I hit Paolo with a chair." Benny wasn't afraid of confrontation, stating the facts with blunt honesty as Johnny almost flinched at the sheer brutality of it.

"Don't tell me, are you Benny?" Johnny immediately sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, already knowing that Ricky had sent him there to be a runner.

"Yeah, with a 'y'," Benny nodded, changing his name just like Ricky had said which made Johnny give him a weird look but shrugged it off, deciding not to press the question.

"Alright then, why the f*ck did you hit Paolo with a chair?" Johnny asked, already winding up his hand ready to slap some sense into the kid.

"Because he insulted Ricky Luciano."

Those words made his palm stop just shy of Benny's cheek, recoiling it back slightly as his expression hardened, taking on a grave look.

"What?" Johnny's voice rose, his anger simmering beneath the surface as the man, ingrained with the notion that the boss was always right, couldn't help but show a fury that made the kids around him shiver at the audacity of someone insulting him.

"He said he hates mutants and they're scum, so I asked why he hated Ricky Luciano, and then he hit me. Then I hit him back with a chair." Benny described the events plainly, Johnny wiping his mouth as a blood-curdling smile tugged at the corners of his lips, hidden beneath his hand.

"Aye, is this true?" Johnny asked Louis, his gaze sharp, knowing the kid was a mutant and wouldn't take Benny's side without a solid reason as Louis nodded slowly, his expression unreadable.

"Y-Yes, sir." Louis ducked his head, aware that lying to Johnny was a grave mistake since he despised lies more than anything else.

"Then I'm guessing you got your ass kicked in a full-on battle, right?" Johnny sighed heavily, frowning, but Louis hesitated.

"..."

"Y-Yes-"

"Why'd you stall? Why didn't you just say yes when I asked?" Johnny nudged Louis, noticing the hesitation and immediately jumping on it.

"I-I-"

"Aye, blonde, why is he like that-"

"The Irish kids beat him up." Benny, who overheard how he was beaten up, plainly stated as Johnny expression froze.

"Why?" Johnny asked, his tone sharp as Louis shivered, his expression paling as he clutched at his pants legs, unable to meet his gaze, thinking he did something wrong.

"C-C-C-C-"

"OUT WITH IT!"

"Cause of Ricky Luciano, t-they don't like that me or anyone else runs for him!" Louis yelled, the words spilling out in a rush but instead of brushing it off, Johnny paused, mulling it over.

Pacing around the bunker, Ricky's thoughts echoed in his mind as he paused, nodding as everything slowly came together.

"Alright, listen up!" Johnny yelled, turning towards the kids, who straightened their backs immediately.

"There are two ways this goes down; one, I punish all of you. Two, all of you go down and teach them why you don't speak ill on the boss's name, on our family's name!" Johnny instructed, backing up towards the door.

"You get today off to decide, recover from your injuries, but if no answer is given to me by tomorrow, then I'll decide for you." Johnny's words were cold, hanging in the air as he slowly walked out of the bunker.

Only after the door closed behind him did they all heave out a breath, the tension finally breaking, as Paolo seethed in place.

"WHAT IS YOUR F*CKING PROBLEM!" Paolo yelled, stomping over to Benny and sizing him up, his fists clenched at his sides.

"He asked me and I told him-"

"ARE YOU RETARTED, WHY THE F*CK WOULD YOU RAT US OUT, WE'RE FAMILY-"

"But you said we weren't," Benny's words interrupted Paolo, his voice coming from deep in his chest as he stood firm.

"How can you call us family when it only benefits you and you draw lines when it suits you? It doesn't make sense." Benny's hollow words left Paolo at a loss for them, each attempt to retort falling short, as if nothing he could say would fix the crack in Benny's logic.

"If I'm retarded, then you're just stupid." Benny shoved Paolo away from him, the teenager stumbling backward as the other kids watched in stunned silence.

"You can't punch me in the face then ask me to get your back, it's stupid."

"You can't say you hate mutants then say you like Ricky Luciano, it's stupid."

Benny fired off his plain words, cutting through the tension with no slights, no sugar-coating, just the raw truth laid bare for all to hear.

"Everything you say is stupid, so I said the only thing that made sense, the truth." Benny's words echoed around the room, and the kids fell silent, stunned by the brutal honesty that froze Paolo in his tracks.

"I want power," Benny said, his voice steady, plainly stating why he was here.

He needed to know why his heart beat like a drum on that day, why everything had led him to this moment, to this path, to this place, and he had to understand what drove him to take that unconscious step forward.

"Ricky Luciano said he needed people who know how to follow and don't hesitate to act." Benny stated the very person that was needed and with that, he walked toward the door, pushing it open with a quiet finality, his words hanging in the air as he left the room.

He had literally just gotten there, nothing special about him.

No powers, no extraordinary talents, just a regular kid in the eyes of anyone who looked at him.

'So why, why do you keep going forward?' Louis asked, baffled, as he watched Benny push forward without any regard for his life, carrying the weight of so much pain, so much hate, with an uncaring attitude.

He didn't look back, didn't linger on the past, he just kept moving, taking one step after another.

"What the-WHAT THE!" Paolo shouted, utterly baffled, as he charged after Benny while yanking the door open, only to see the kid walking steadily down the sidewalk.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING!" Paolo roared, completely shocked at this kid's shrewdness.

"To fight," Benny replied plainly, making a left as he knew exactly where the Irish kids hung around.

"WHY?" Paolo yelled, but Benny had already turned the corner, leaving Paolo to huff in frustration and slam the door shut behind him.

"F*ck it, whatever," Paolo scoffed, marching back to his bed, while the other normies exchanged confused glances, unsure of what had just happened or where Benny was going.

In all honesty, the kids would've fought on any other day, but the wounds they had accumulated on their own were too much.

Beaten and bruised, every one of them, normies and mutants alike, agreed it seemed psychotic to even consider another fight in their condition.

Yet, despite all that, Louis stood up.

"No, Louis, please don't-" David immediately begged, trying to pull Louis back as the stubborn teenager started walking forward.

"He's gonna to die if we don't-"

"THAT KIDS GONNA DIE ANYWAYS!" David yelled, trying to knock some sense into Louis as even across the bunker, the normies all nodded.

"HE LITERALLY WOULDN'T STOP FIGHTING UNTIL WE TOLD HIM HE WON, WHO THE HELL DOES THAT!?" David screamed in disbelief, actually asking not only Louis, not only the mutants, but even the normies who all wore troubled expressions.

"I'M NOT ABOUT TO LET YOU GO AND KILL YOURSELF JUST CAUSE SOME STUBBORN KID DOESN'T KNOW WHEN TO BACK DOWN!" David yelled with a finality, walking over to Louis and trying to pull him back into the fold, into the norm.

"We'll take the punishment and apologize for his death, but you shouldn't go-"

"I'm tired." Louis suddenly swatted David's hand away, turning to face the kid who was speechless at his words, his fist slowly balling up in response.

"I'm just so tired of sitting around and waiting for things to get better when it only seems to get worse!" David screamed back, pouring out all his anger in this one statement, filled with all the emotions he had buried deep inside.

"I-I-" Louis tried to say something but stopped himself, unable to believe he was actually agreeing with that crazy kid.

Without another word, he suddenly bolted out of the bunker, his eyes steeled with determination.

"I'm not gonna be a punching bag anymore!" Louis yelled, his voice filled with frustration and resolve.

Tired of everything, tired of accepting the fate etched out for him as he rushed toward the path laid out before him, determined to grab the power that could change his life, that could change his fate.

It was then that the thralls of desperation wrapped around the young child's mind, pulling him further down the path Benny had already begun to walk.

Louis needed to understand, needed to see for himself what drove him forward, just as it had for Benny.

"Oh come on, Louis. LOUIS!" David pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before suddenly bolting after him, with the other mutant kids exchanging looks before they too followed.

"Aye Paolo-"

"Save it, let 'em all die. Why should we care?" Paolo plopped down on the bed, massaging his forehead where a cut from Benny's chair swing still stung.

"We're just regular joes, we can only do so much." Paolo's words hung in the air, as the other kids lowered their heads and then, one of them asked the question that made Paolo swallow his next set of words.

"B-But I thought we were a family?" The kid asked, voice wavering, echoing the words that had once bound them all together, the words that had shaped the mob into something more than just a group of thugs.

The silence from this question pressed down on the bunker like a heavy and suffocating burden, pressing down on everything they had been raised to know.

The normies stood there, each lost in their own thoughts, silently grappling with the choices they had made, while the mutants continued to chase after Benny.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS GUY!" David yelled, flabbergasted, his breath coming in sharp gasps as he ran behind Louis before turning the corner.

Only to see Benny, pummeling a poor Irish kid into the very ground as the sound of fists hitting flesh echoed, mingling with the harsh breaths of everyone around them.

BAM

Benny didn't speak a word, his fists a blur as they slammed into the Irish kid's face.

The kid's hands tried weakly to shove Benny away, but it was no use; Benny's fury was relentless.

Blow after blow, the kid's resistance faltered, blood spilling from his mouth.

Then, without a word, Benny stopped as his fists froze mid-air as he slowly stood up, his chest heaving.

The small Irish kid lay crumpled on the ground, choking on mouthfuls of blood, staring up at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"The old abandoned field, by the Roosevelt orphanage," Benny's voice was cold, sharp like a blade as he pointed at the Irish kid, who was lying on the ground, blood dripping from his lips.

The kid, still trembling, nodded slowly, his red hair matted to his forehead with sweat and blood.

"Tell them we'll be waiting," Benny finished, his gaze unblinking while surveying the kid who hurriedly limped to his feet and walked off.

Benny nodded to himself, turning around to find the mutant kids standing there, at a loss for words.

He gave them a quiet nod, and they all responded with a slow, silent nod of their own.

Without a word spoken, they followed him, their footsteps echoing in the stillness as they made their way to the old abandoned field.

The air was thick with tension, each of them lost in their thoughts, but none of them questioning the path ahead.

To them, it was just a baseball field, but if Ricky were here, it would be the place that had indirectly led him to Lucky.

The place where it all started would soon be the place where it would continue.

Standing at home plate, Benny looked out as clouds began to gather above the city, signaling that a storm was about to roll in.

"You all have mutant powers, right?" Benny suddenly asked, watching the mutant kids exchange glances, hesitating for a moment before slowly nodding in unison, Louis included.

"Yeah, but when we use them, Father Elias-" Louis awas aboutsay anything only for Benny to cock his hand back.

Slap

Louis's head jerked to the side in surprise, his cheek stinging as Benny's hand made contact.

The other kids flinched, the sound of the slap lingering in the tense air while Benny's frown deepened as he stepped back, his eyes scanning the group.

"That isn't Ricky Luciano, we work for Ricky Luciano-"

"I KNOW THAT!" Louis snapped, shoving Benny away as he rubbed his stinging cheek, his deadpan expression slowly shifting into one of frustration.

"Then why did you say Elias?" Benny asked plainly, his monotone voice laced with a curiosity that almost felt like mockery.

"B-Because-....it's complicated-"

"No it ain't." Benny shook his head, seeing it from such an uncomplicated view that wasn't abstracted by attachment or thought.

"We're in the Luciano family, we are under Ricky Luciano-"

"And why do you call him that? Everyone calls him Slick!" Louis huffed, the other mutant kids exchanging confused glances.

"We're in the Luciano family, we're under Slick," Benny corrected himself, his words deliberate and unflinching, as the others facepalmed at his blunt approach.

"We came here because of Father Elias-" Louis tried to explain something that Benny would never be able to understand from his viewpoint.

"But you're staying because of Slick, right?" Benny asked, his voice steady as Louis was left at a loss for words, slowly nodding in response.

"I-I guess."

"Slick is the boss of the Luciano family, we are the runners of the family, and when someone talks bad about our family, we fight for it," Benny explained in a way that seemed almost unnervingly ordinary, but there was an undeniable purity to it.

It wasn't complicated for Benny like it was for the others as he didn't see things through a two-dimensional or three-dimensional lens, he simply saw things for what they were, the way they were told to him.

In that raw simplicity, that blunt truthfulness, Benny's approach was something neither the mutants nor anyone else in the family had ever fully grasped.

It was this purity, this lack of hesitation or complexity, that made Benny such an unexpectedly great grunt, shocking the mutants who had never before viewed things with such clarity.

They had always wrestled with nuances, layers, and internal battles, but Benny just did.

"Why are you like this?" Louis wondered, his eyes tracing Benny as the kid, who had just joined a day ago, already embodied everything his job entailed, everything Louis wasn't.

Benny, without hesitation, was everything Louis had struggled to understand.

While Louis had wrestled with doubts, motivations, and questioning his place, Benny just was.

There was no confusion, no second-guessing, just an unshakable belief in his purpose and in the family that was told to him, no matter how brutal or blunt the reality was.

The simplicity of it was almost alien to Louis, who had been tangled in his own complexities for so long.

How could someone so new, so ordinary in a way, cut through all the noise and just be exactly what they needed to be?

Yet everything you weren't?

"YOU F*CKING LUCIANOS!" A teenager shouted, his face twisted in rage as a whole squad of kids rumbled behind him.

They slowly walked over the hill, and the Irish kids stared at them, not seeing them for what they were in society, but for what they were to them, plain and simple, Luciano's.

They were outnumbered ten to one, their opponents' ranks nearly ten times larger than their own.

Yet, despite the wall they faced, one figure didn't hesitate as Benny stepped forward, charging without a second thought.

Benny rushed at the leader, not waiting for anyone to even register their presence, and Louis flinched.

The mutant gnawed at his lip, staring down at his hands, his body, the thing that held his power, the very thing that only caused him pain.

Louis valued his life more than anything, he didn't like to fight, and he didn't like to feel pain.

So why, then, did his feet start moving?

Why did his eyes lock forward onto the pain he was about to endure?

Why didn't he turn around to see if anyone was following him?

What was driving him forward, into the unknown, into the fight?

Why did he take that step?

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Louis roared, his battle cry echoing as he charged behind Benny and together, they sprinted side by side, racing toward the oncoming wave of Irish kids.

The mutants stood in shock, momentarily frozen, but gradually, they began to stir and like a domino effect, the energy shifted, and it was David who finally took the first step forward.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" David roared, his voice raw with grief and rage, directed at those who had tormented him for something he hadn't even chosen.

But now, they weren't charging as mutants, they weren't charging after Louis, but out of retaliation.

That growing feeling of persecution for being part of the Luciano family fueled their desire for revenge.

When they took that step forward, it wasn't out of the pursuit of being mutants, it was the persecution of being runners.

Slowly, one by one, the other kids gathered behind the screaming Louis, their battle cries echoing into the night as the two forces collided.

Taking the lead, Benny lunged at the leader of the kids, tackling him to the ground as the two sides collided like two tides crashing against each other within the storm of rain that poured down.

The chaos was everywhere, the numbers swirling around them as the mutant kids fought the Irish kids with relentless fury, matching the tone of Benny almost instinctively.

A fist was hurled at Louis, but instead of dodging or flinching, Louis stood still like a solid, immovable object, his body bubbling with a power that he had closed off, until now.

For the first time in years, Louis unleashed his mutant power that was gravity increase: the power that allowed him to adjust his center of gravity so as to become virtually immovable

Without hesitation, without any need to hold back any longer, Louis thrust his fist into the opponent's stomach, the blow landing with a sickening thud.

The kid staggered back, winded and gasping, while Louis's expression remained cold and focused.

BAM

COUGH

The force behind Louis's punch was surprising, something far beyond his years, and it sent the kid stumbling backward before he charged forward once more, determined to retaliate.

But it wasn't just Louis as one by one, the mutant kids began to unleash the very powers they had kept hidden, tucked away and shamed for.

They finally used the very things that made them special, the very powers that put them above these mere ordinary kids.

Each time the mutants channeled their powers, it wasn't just a means to win the fight, it was a testament to their inner strength, their unwavering resolve, and the desperation that had transformed them into the fierce, wild creatures they were now facing.

Every punch, every surge of power was more than just an attack; it was a declaration that they would no longer be pushed around, no longer be seen as lesser.

The Irish kids, who had once felt so confident in their numbers, were now suddenly pushed back.

They widened their eyes as they were hit with the force of powers they hadn't expected, one after another but still, they held their ground, forming a wall in the middle of the battlefield.

The clash became a brutal stalemate, each side giving their all, neither willing to back down.

But in that stalemate, there was a growing sense that the tides were shifting, an undeniable momentum that would either break the wall or bring everything crashing down.

There would be no compromise, not in this field.

BAM

Benny's head jerked to the side as the teenage leader stumbled to his feet, winding up his leg for a powerful kick.

BAM

The kick landed hard, driving into Benny's stomach with brutal force, stacking on top of the pain from his already aching wounds, it was crippling which is why it was hard for him to even stand.

But Benny, like a wild animal, knew if he couldn't walk then he had to crawl, wrapping his body around the leader's ankle, refusing to let go.

With every ounce of strength he could muster, he rolled forward, his muscles straining, using his momentum to pull himself and the leader towards the very mud in which they were fighting under.

CRACK

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The head teenager screamed in agony, his leg twisted and broken beneath Benny's relentless grip.

His rage exploded in violent, frantic punches, each one landing with a sickening thud as Benny endured the onslaught.

"DIE, DIE, DIE!" The kid shrieked, his fists hammering down on Benny's face, chest, anywhere they could land.

Each punch was a brutal, ringing reminder of how much pain Benny was enduring, but it didn't matter as he tightened his grip, refusing to let go, willing to push through the pain to break his opponent even further.

"ATTACK, DON'T LET THESE IRISH BASTARDS BEAT THOSE F*CKING SCUM!"

Paolo's voice pierced through the field, shattering the stalemate that had gripped the battlefield.

With a roar, he charged forward, running down the hill as the normies rushed all roared out behind him, chasing after his lead.

The tide of the battle shifted in an instant as the normies slammed into the Irish kids' flank.

The balance of power had shifted, and the Irish boys, momentarily thrown off guard by the new wave of aggression, faltered.

Louis seized the opportunity, his fist cutting through the air and slamming into the jaw of one of the Irish kids.

The punch landed with a sickening crack, sending the kid stumbling back, his head snapping to the side from the force.

All the while Paolo barreled into another, tackling him to the ground with a roar, while the rest of the normies swarmed into the fight.

Now, it was the Irish kids who were now outnumbered, the fight tipping towards not the normies, not the mutants, but in the Luciano family's favor.

The rain poured relentlessly onto the field, the storm clouds crackling above as the dirt beneath their feet turned into thick, slippery mud.

The ground became a battleground of slipping, falling, and stumbling, as rocks and debris were hurled with every move.

It was insanity, but for these kids, it was the only reality they knew.

It was the struggle, the pain, and it was part of the fight, it was a part of their lives.

All these kids ever knew was to fight, against the way of life, against the persecution, and against the unknown that was tomorrow.

And yet, despite everything, they stood resolute.

It was then, when the Irish kids looked at the fierce faces of these runners, the brutal force that had once been turned against each other was now unified, focused on one singular target: them.

The Irish kids outnumbered them, were older, and had the advantage of facing opponents who were already wounded.

Yet, even then, the difference was clear.

The runners just didn't stop pushing forward.

They were battered and bruised, bleeding and stumbling, yet they just kept pushing forward.

Every blow, every drop of blood, every tear shed only seemed to fuel their resolve.

The fight had shifted; it wasn't just about winning anymore, it was about survival.

It wasn't just Benny who had been a wild animal, but all of them.

For so long, they had been shoved into corners, beaten and punished by circumstances that were never theirs to control.

And now, it was the Irish kids who had to bear the brunt of their fury, the result of all the pain and resentment that had been building up for so long.

It was unfortunate that they were the ones who had to face the lash of their release but someone had to suffer so that another could rise.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The head teenager screamed, feeling his leg snap completely in two as he was sent crashing back into the mud.

The rainwater splashed all around him as he let out agonizing cries that sank deep, like his body slowly sinking into the mud.

HUFF

"G-GET BACK!" The teenager screeched, pushing Benny, who was clawing his way to the top, his hands covered in mud and blood, desperation driving every movement.

"WHY ARE YOU STILL MOVING-"

"BECAUSE IT'S NOT OVER UNTIL I WIN!" Benny roared, his answer finally cutting through the question that had lingered into this fight as his fist came crashing down on the teenager, almost twice his age, with all the force he could muster.

BAM

It was such a simple answer.

BAM

To such a simple question.

BAM

But they all now knew why.

BAM

Why it wasn't over.

BAM

Until Benny wins.

BAM

Fist after fist, each one crashing down on the wailing Irish teenager, the impact reverberating through Benny's tired body as his muscles screamed with fatigue, but he didn't stop since it wasn't over yet.

BAM

The rain poured down on Benny, his crazed eyes locked on the kid beneath him as the teenager struggled to push him away, but Benny's fist slammed into his skull with brutal force, silencing his attempts.

"R-RETREAT, RETREAT!" One Irish kid yelled, tackling Benny off of his friend before dragging the teenanger out from under his wraith.

Hurling fist after fist at his new attacker, Benny eventually twisted away, slipping through the rain-soaked mud as his opponent faltered.

Slowly, he rose, hunched over and breathing raggedly, his eyes tracking the retreating figures of the defeated.

With the storm still pounding, Benny watched as the losers turned tail, their flight marking his hard-earned victory.

The rain hailed him as its victor, drenching him as he stood above the chaos, his figure looming over the battlefield.

The other kids, exhausted and battered, slowly turned their eyes toward Benny, the psychopath who had ignited this all, the one who had led them to this moment of reckoning.

"Just why?" Louis huffed, finally asking the question Paolo never got to. Benny, without a word, glanced up at the darkening clouds above.

"I did not come here to just lose, I didn't follow because I wanted to sit around, I came here because I wanted power to win," Benny gave the only answer he could, something that was etched into his heart, etched into his life.

He was such a weird kid, speaking about such weird things, and all of it accumulated into one single reaction from all the other kids.

PFFFFFT

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Louis couldn't help it, his laughter bubbling up at the ludicrousness of it all, and slowly, the mutants joined in.

Then slowly, Paolo couldn't help but burst out in laughter, and soon, the normies started laughing as well.

Although they were all brutal, divided, fighting for their lives and often against each other, at this moment, they were one.

This was the very first time that the kids, both mutants and normies alike, fought together with no certainty of victory and yet, they won.

Divided, they were so weak, but in that moment, laughter flowed as they realized how strong they were when they fought together.

It was an obvious truth to see, yet it took so much to understand and one kid, driven by a desire to win, had sparked it all.

This was the beginning, the first experiment that would echo throughout the Luciano family, shaping the future of an empire.

From this moment, a regular mafia family would grow into something so powerful it would eventually swallow America whole.

But for now, they were just kids, savoring the rare moment of camaraderie and laughter.

As they gathered themselves, they walked back to the bunker, Benny still bewildered by the laughter that surrounded him, unable to fully grasp why everyone was so caught up in it.

"Well, would you look at that?" Ricky chuckled from the side, crossing his arms as Johnny held up an umbrella for him, both of them stunned by the sight of the kids actually fighting together instead of against each other.

"Good job, Johnny." Ricky patted his shoulder, and Johnny flinched before bowing his head a little, a slight smile creeping up on his face.

"I-I got the idea from you boss-"

"Oh, shut up and take the compliment." Ricky chuckled, turning away as Johnny quickly followed so that his boss's suit wouldn't get drenched by rain.

"Ya did good, enjoy that." Ricky shook him lightly, and Johnny smiled, ducking his head at the compliment he'd never received before.

"Will do boss, will do."

10 minutes later,

Ricky eventually arrived at the Luciano family manor, the rain pouring down as the workers took shelter, waiting for the storm to clear before packing up all of Ricky's belongings into the moving truck.

"So you're really moving out, huh?" Lucky smiled from the doorsteps, sitting on one while trying to light his cigar, the flame flickering in the wind.

"Yep-"

"Well, can you really call it moving out if it's on my clean dimes?" Lucky joked, watching Ricky plop down next to him and hold out his finger to light his cigar, the tip glowing as he took a drag.

"Eat a dick, pops." Ricky nudged him, laughing as Lucky joined in with a hearty chuckle, the two of them sharing a rare moment amidst the rain.

"If it's too much I'll pay you-"

"Nah, all I ask is that you take good care of Danielle." Lucky waved his finger at Ricky, his tone serious despite the humor in his eyes.

He didn't fully understand Raven, but he had no doubt that Ricky, for all his faults, would look out for his granddaughter.

"What are you talking about, who else is gonna babysit?" Ricky laughed, but Lucky's expression didn't budge as the deadpan look on his face made it clear, grandfather's work was never done.

"Hey pops, what do you say to a family dinner?" Ricky asked, smiling ear to ear as Lucky chuckled.

"I'd say that's a good idea coming from you."

Slowly, the scene shifted to a large dinner table, a sprawling gathering filled with not only Ricky and Lucky, but his children, his woman, and all those who had become like family over time.

The room buzzed with conversation, clinking glasses, and laughter as Ricky really took a second to look around.

Some people believe family is only about the blood we share, but that's not entirely true.

Family isn't just the people tied to you by biology, but those you trust with your back, your secrets, your fears, and your triumphs.

It's those who show up when it matters most, who would fight for you without a second thought.

And tonight, as Ricky looked around the table, he realized this was the start of his family.

It wasn't defined by blood, but by loyalty, by trust, and by the unspoken bond that ran deeper than any vein ever could.

This was the family he would build, the one that would stand together, fight together, and, when necessary, tear the world apart together.

It was the beginning of a family filled with warmth, smiles, and the quiet promise of something greater.

In time, it would blossom into one of the most ruthless crime organizations the world had ever known, one that would cast its shadow over all who dared to stand in its way.

But right now, it was only the start.

A seed planted by a grandfather with a vision, nurtured by a father who had cultivated it, and now, a son who would make it bloom into a towering, unstoppable force that even its mere petals, so vibrant and ever reaching, would eclipse everything around them.

But sometimes, in the process of growth, petals had to break off, wilt, or free themselves to feel the wind.

And one of those petals, that symbol of breaking away, looked at Ricky.

When the dinner finally came to an end, Jake approached Ricky, his hand nervously rubbing the card in his pocket as he tugged at his shirt, a silent gesture of hesitation, before he spoke up.

"Aye Slick, can we talk?"

Author's Note: Alright guys, the next chap will be the end of the arc and beginning of the next one which will be followed by the Q&A. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

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