Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It felt like he was watching his life on the sidelines right now. 

The past events that had occurred—in one single damn day no less—all felt like a punch in the guts as he was having a genuine hard time processing it all at the same goddamn time. 

He just felt... numb. After screaming at the world, at this goddamn city for putting him in the situation he was in right now, he just… couldn't bring himself to care one bit. 

Perhaps he was just tired? Yeah… this had to be it; this had to be the reason why he couldn't bother himself to think about anything non-substantial at the moment. And yet… he didn't actually feel tired at all… So what could this all be…?

He felt sad… he thinks? A part of him couldn't help but think about the cremation bills that he obviously couldn’t afford to pay, or about how his mother is absolutely nothing but an utter pile of ashes now. And yet somehow… it felt as if she was going to come back, since his mom was an emergency medical technician, and she worked the night shift so her only coming back home this late would make sense.

Unfortunately, David wasn't delusional and deep down he knew that the nervous bouncing of his legs going up and down weren't related to him being excited about her coming back home, but rather at the fact that he genuinely had no idea what to fucking do from now on.

The hospital bills, utilities, school fees, and cremation services were all up his ass right now, and despite the decent amount of money in his mother's account, David isn’t stupid to think it'll be enough to cover his rent forever. Which meant there was one more problem to add to the pile.

“What now…” David murmured in a bitter tone. He was someone who had always lived in poverty and grew up as a so-called ‘street rat’ in the streets of Santo Domingo, a constant reminder whenever he attended school. It sucked, but David had learned to deal with it.

He wasn't born privileged but he accepted living the life he was currently living as long as he gets to have a place to sleep and isn't rotting in the streets or worse. Although, he didn't find himself to be fit in Arasaka Academy so it wasn't like this lifestyle was without fault.

Even so, it was… a routine of some sort. And he is pretty damn sure that if he doesn't keep this routine going in the bat of an eye, he'd be thrown in the many streets of Night City completely at the mercy of this god forsaken place to tear him apart, considering it seemingly never has enough of fucking around with people's misery.

In fact, if he doesn't find a way to pay his rent soon, he sure as hell will be thrown out into the streets, probably to end up decapitated in some shady alleyway or turned into those Reality Junkies, who get their rocks off by watching BD’s at an almost obsessive degree, just so they could make their pitiful lives more bearable.

And it wasn't like David was thinking about all of this solely to make his situation look even worse than it was, since his landlord has been pretty damn open about kicking him out if he didn't have the money as soon as possible.

“Fuck me…” David gritted, clenching his teeth while tapping his foot at an unsteady rhythm as the grip of both of his hands on the back of his head tightened further as he couldn't help but be angry at everyone around him.

Angry at the bastard principal who decided to make a fuss out of his fuck-up as if he wasn't dealing with enough bullshit; angry at whoever the fuck were those people who decided to make him and his mom part of their stupid conflict; angry at the Trauma Team dispatchers who left his mother to suffer from her injuries; the low-end surgeon who couldn't even do his damn job; that bastard Katsuo who decided to beat him up just because he could; Doc who decided to lower the price of the Sandevistan despite David himself knowing the price on the market; his mom for not being able to pull through and help him with all this mess…

But more importantly, he was angry at himself, for being the cause of all this happening.

Eventually, after the anger finally decided to simmer down, David still trembled slightly, although this time not from frustration, as he couldn't help but realize…how lonely his home had suddenly become.

He was used to being alone since his mom worked the graveyard shift and came home when he was sleeping most of the time, but he never felt lonely at all because despite the unpredictability of Night City he knew she would at least be back once the sun would rise up.

And his mom being present right now isn't technically the issue, after all she was right there, in his home, in his living room, on the table, in a plastic urn that he couldn't even fully afford.

Is it… really my fault? Blaming the city for all of his problems did sound like an easy way out… but David wasn’t a gonk and knew that if he listened to his mom and bought the necessary update for his class the legal way, none of this would have happened.

It was humiliating to admit, especially since he was, or at least he would like to believe he was someone who had a decent chunk of control over his emotions but no matter how much he tried, his eyes couldn't help but water slightly as he let out a miserable noise, and in the depth of despair, they made contact with…

A glint of green, coming from this Sandevistan that was in his mom's jacket and that… could he implant that on himself…? 

But why? David himself wasn’t sure. Maybe he’s going crazy due to the situation and isn’t thinking rationally; maybe because a part of him wants to say ‘fuck it’ and go fucking wild by installing a military-grade Sandevistan for no reason but to reach the absolute depths since he seemingly has nothing more to lose? It's not like it would be worth shit anyway.

Essentially, all of this was set and done. All David needed for it to work was a reason, or rather, for him to take the big step and do the deed—to push himself so hard to the edge that he would want nothing more than to finally chrome himself up and do whatever the fuck. It's not like he knew either.

Anything would do the job. The tiniest inconvenience would be enough. David needed conviction, drive and a reason why he should truly do it. A reason that would give meaning to each of his words and actions right now. A reason…

…That never came.

—

Not even remembering having fallen asleep in the slightest, David groaned as the sun began reflecting through his window, harassing his skin. Not wanting to get up and being fine enough on the couch, David was finally about to awaken and put on his spare school uniform, since his actual one got tarnished even more by that bastard Katsuo until…

Incoming call: Principal

…What? David frankly wasn't up to deal with any of this shit right after waking up, and so only thought about denying the call out of spite but decided to go against it and was instantly greeted with a voice that reeked of corpo.

Principal: Mr. Martinez. Following the death of your mother, Gloria Martinez, Arasaka Academy decided to inform you that you wouldn't need to be present for today's class

David: Okay…?

The hell was this all about? Weren't corpos the kind of fucks that'd let street rats like him get shred into pieces if it meant they could have their drinks under palmtrees? Something was definitely fishy…

Principal: That being said-

Figures… David rolled his eyes as the man continued.

Principal: The school fees that were indebted toward your mom, who passed away, still remains. However, those will be due for next week instead of today, as in the meantime, your potential expulsion for the damage will still remains on hold until an actual decision is decided by the school

David: …Right

Frankly speaking, David just wanted the call to end as soon as possible, since he at least has more time to deal with school fees and a free day to figure shit out… It ain't like it's gonn’ be all nova. 

The only possible outcome he could think of was using the money from his mom's account to deal with the tuition. But that was reserved for rent since while he can survive without school, he sure as hell doesn't think he'd last long living on the streets, especially since all of his fighting experiences boiled down to getting beat up by Katsuo; and his small and lean build wouldn't help him either.

Luckily, the call ended as soon as the principal started rambling about things David gave no shit about. Once he was free from this, he let out a sigh as he laid on the couch.

“I'm so fucked…” he muttered, wanting his tone to come off as sarcastic and confident, but all it did was show how tired he was, deciding to sleep a little more. As he brought a pillow to his couch, taking off his shirt, David remembered the hidden vent was still slightly opened. Honestly, he couldn't care less since he doubted anyone would crawl through it as he closed his eyes…

David couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was even supposed to do now.

—

Trying to come up with a solution for all of his predicaments, David aimlessly walked around the streets of Santo Domingo, completely lost of where to start.

Still, he decided to put on his clearly worn out Arasaka school uniform just in case he got blue-balled and forced to actually go to school. The more he walked, the more it really hammered down to himself that all he was doing right now was utterly wasting his time. And honestly, he should have seen that one coming—it's not like a fucking miracle would've happened out of nowhere or something…

Still going with his aimless stroll, David stopped himself as a surprised expression painted his features the moment vomit fell down right in front of him, making him gag at the disgusting puddle on the ground.

“Fuckin’ gross…” David muttered, seeing the pile of vomit get increasingly bigger as he looked up, his gaze landing on a clearly drunk middle-aged woman who was at the utter hand of the rope. It wasn't like this was a rare occurrence in the streets of Santo Domingo, but it sure as hell was gross when he almost got himself showered by vomit. 

Also considering the utility bills and how the washing machine will clearly be in need of funds soon enough, he'd have to wash his uniform as rarely as possible to prevent himself from spending unnecessary money.

But weirdly enough, disgust got replaced by a weird sense of pride—he knew it was shameful to think that, considering his background, and his mom had let him know this several times…But he felt slightly good about the fact that he at the very least wasn't like them; that despite being a street rat he hasn't reached the depth of depravity yet.

It was shameful and he is aware of this. They don't know him and he doesn't know them; they don't know his life and neither does he. But not being some sort of Brain Potato laying down on the street or crackhead at the end of the rope did make him feel good… Somehow, the misery of other people made him feel better about himself.

And he didn’t know how to feel about that.

But it wasn't like David decided to suddenly just put his origin aside, there's no way he was even going to be a corpo—everyone at the school reminded him of that fact constantly. His mom wanted the best for him, and yet he knew that due to their background, that neither he nor her would be accepted for who they are in this city. 

So at the very least, scraping the bottom of the barrel, he'd take solace in not being at the bottom of the hierarchy when it came to the place he'd been assigned at birth…

You were just born on the wrong side of society… Looking around the city, Katsuo's words ringed inside David's ears, and perhaps he had been born unlucky for sure, but at the very least he wouldn’t turn out like those damn hypocritical corpos, since if there was one thing David had left, it was his pride.

Pride that he sure as hell hoped he wouldn't have to throw away to survive.

Merely sighing and running a hand through his hair, David groaned as the sun kept on hitting his skin which was getting rather irritating. He tried his best to keep cool-headed, but the weather was working against him at the moment.

Eventually having enough of wandering endlessly, he decided to sit on some stairs not so far from Wollesen Street station as he contemplated taking the train to go to Corpo Plaza to perhaps find a way to get some money, but quickly went against the idea. If he was going to struggle at fucking Santo Domingo, there was no way he was going to have any more luck at a richer district.

Looking in front of him, life kept going as usual with people masturbating on the street or being held at gunpoint. David sighed for what felt like the tenth time as he ran a hand through his hair yet again, already exhausted.

“What now…” Oh how he wished someone would just suddenly appear and answer his question since right now, David could only think about how utterly fucked he was.

It had been fruitless but predictable, and so perhaps David should just go home and wallow in his own misery while trying desperately to think of a solution. The day just started and yet he already felt like he had seen enough, which didn’t help as he started to feel hungry and yet knew better than buying something to fill his stomach since he had to make the best use of what he had.

Ahh… what a pain. It has been less than a single day since his mom's death and he's already at the end of the ro-

“Well, ain't every day you meet a pleb who attends ‘Saka school ‘round this shithole.”

“W-Woah?!” David let out a shocked noise at the voice that just introduced itself. He quickly gained his composure back, letting out a groan. “Dude, don't scare me off like that!” he said to the man with honesty. Someone actually wasting their time talking to him was always a red flag.

Having been living in poverty for his entire life, David had been aware from a very young age of what people were willing to do in desperate situations and even his mom warned him about how no one here is potentially trustworthy, and so David constantly took her words at heart. And so aside from Doc, he hasn't formed any sort of connection with anyone since. While his loneliness was due to him practically having no friends, it was the better way to be safe, so be it.

Although he was hesitant at first, the day David decided to go to Arasaka Academy with his uniform was the day he realized that as long as you don't bother the people around here, they won't bother you in response. Possibly because they were too busy with their own lives to care about wasting their time on some randos walking down the street.

Which was why, due to the man breaking the wordless status quo, David ended up being slightly on his guard. From this point on, he wasn't sure what the man wanted, and he sure as hell didn't want to have to fight right now. The man that started conversing with him didn't look that strong, but David wasn't confident enough in his physical abilities for it to make much of a difference.

Luckily for him, the man seemingly wasn't looking forward to mug David or some shit and just sent him a curious look.

“Choom, if that's all it takes to make you piss yer pants, ya shouldn't be here. Could get mugged easily.” he simply said, making David roll his eyes.

“Bullshit, do I look like a corpo to you? Just ‘cause I wear my uniform, doesn't mean I don't live here.” Although if he couldn't find money soon then those words would be a whole lot more literal considering where he is right now.

Hearing this, the stranger rubbed his chin. “Yeah, now that I gave a good look at ya, yer uniform look like shit.”

“Damn right it does.” His mom and him weren't really well off, so buying a new uniform, despite his main and spare one, being absolutely worn out wasn't a possibility to consider at all. Plus, there’s that bastard Katsuo who clearly had a blast making it look even worse… Yeah, his shitty uniforms were basically a part of his identity by now.

“Still, ain't ya scared of exposin’ yourself like that? Wouldn't bet what would happen to ya if a pleb ‘round here got too desperate. Would not be nova to look at.” The more the stranger spoke, the more David wondered if he was the outsider here.

“I'm not some gonk. I'm aware of how things work around here. If anything, you are the thing that's strange as fuck right now.” Narrowing his eyes, David gave the man an annoyed look. “Spill your angle. If it's to extort money outta me then you'll have a better chance with someone else.” The fact that his words weren't purely sarcastic left a bad taste in David's mouth.

Surprisingly, the man just scoffed. “Chill the fuck up, choom. I was just bored and you were spacin’ out like crazy so I thought why not start some shit, that's all.” 

David had no way to know if the man was lying and so he just sighed as he hoped he wasn't making the wrong call.

“...Right…” he responded, looking back at the dirty stairs in front of him. “I dunno what the hell you'd even want to talk about but whatever…” It's not like David was the kind who interacted a lot with people around him aside from whom he sold BD to for a short period of time.

“Me neither, guess I was just feelin’ bored.” Yeah, David could see that. “Weird considerin’ the shit happenin’ but what can I say, it gets tiring after a while.” Well… David wouldn't know; he wasn’t the kind to butt nose in other people's business. He'd rather not wake up with half of his organs missing.

“Can't really relate,” he decided to answer. “I'm not the kind of nosy gonk.” Especially since he’s gotten beaten up without even needing to do so in the first place.

“Is that so?” The stranger seemed amused by his response. “I always thought someone who had the chance to go to a ‘Saka school that lives here would be more eager to invest themselves into other people's shit.” 

“Why?” David genuinely couldn't understand the point the man was making.

And somehow this made the man laugh. “Oh c'mon now. You ain't no idiot I'm sure.” Well he had top grades but he doubted that was what the stranger meant. “Most people here are doomed to live a shit-filled life ‘til they rot away. Pretty sure you knew that?” Yeah, he sure did. “That's why some are so addicted to BD’s; they want to delude themselves into living a life of luxury to forget their shitty situation… See where I'm goin’ with this?”

David had his ideas but not being certain, he shook his head as the man sighed. “A lot of people would kill to be in your shoes is what I meant.” Yeah, this was about the conclusion David reached.

And it left a bad taste inside his mouth. “You're… implying that I'm lucky?”

“I'm not implying that, choom. I'm saying you are lucky.”

“Bullshit.” David groaned as he looked away, ashamed because he knew he couldn't deny it; annoyed because despite the ‘privilege’ he might have, it felt like anything but that. “I… never wanted to go to Arasaka. I know I don't belong there. The corpos have no issue reminding me.” While he shrugged it off most of the time, it was depressing at certain moments. “I'll be frank, I don’t mind staying as a street rat as long as I don't feel miserable there.”

“And you’re fine living just like that? Potentially rotting while some degenerate picks you up to test out their new cyberware?”

“Good fuckin’ riddance,” David responded sarcastically. It's not like he had much to lose anymore. “At least I would die knowing I didn't become like these bastards; at least I'd keep my miserable pride with me and won't feel like a damn bootlicker. If I can keep my pride then so be it.” It was practically the one thing he had left.

The man suddenly but surprisingly got a bit less relaxed. “Pride's a word that rolls off the tongue, eh?”

“I've heard pride is everything to a man…” He remembered his mom saying to him in a passing conversation when he was younger. Guess it was related to his dad that he had never known. Well, not like it mattered.

“Is that so…” The stranger definitely did not believe him. “Word of advice from an old gonk that fucked every chance to get his life on the line: don't be so quick to throw the opportunity given to you down the trash even if they seem unpleasant at first.” David's eyes widened slightly as the man continued. “Pride has no right existing in a situation where you're trying to make a living and it sure as hell shouldn’t be the thing to concern yourself with when it's one of the things preventing you from getting out of a shitty situation.” Well…David hated to admit it, but these words weren't so wrong after all.

The man also wasn't done. “That might sound fuckin’ stupid, ‘specially from a bastard you've never met before. But sometimes the strongest thing you can do is throw your pride away and get on yer knees to ask for help, and if someone is charitable enough, you take the opportunity without thinkin’ twice. You can keep yer pride, but only fate will decide if it wants to be kind with ya or if it wants to see ya suffer, and considering the city, you know which one is the most likely to happen.” Having finished his rumbling, the man quieted down as David was taking every words in.

It was… annoying to admit, but the words, the words from this man that David had no idea of the existence of previously, and who only decided to talk with him out of boredom…somehow resonated rather deeply as perhaps… this gonk had a point after all.

Sure, it's frustrating, but considering his situation, if he keeps on moping around, not doing anything, he won’t achieve anything either way, except being garbage without anything to show for it. There's no point in taking pride in being a street rat if…there's nothing actively prideful that he could brag about it, all of this would just be a lie used to shield whatever disgusting truth he would try so desperately to ignore… and to no success at that.

“That's why you gotta prove them wrong. You have to work hard and rise through the ranks. My son at Arasaka Tower top floor! I can just see it. You've got this, D. You're my son.”

That was her dream… their dream, David guessed. And while it wasn't one that he was fond of, it's one that made him push through and so perhaps… he could maybe use this as some sort of motivation. Not necessarily as a goal, but as a motive to actually get things going.

A motive to give up on his pride if necessary, in the hope that the outcome would be worth it.

“… Thanks man.” David muttered, his cheeks slightly flushing, feeling wobbly and embarrassed, yet a pleasant smile painted his features… Which made him realize that this had been the very first time he'd genuinely smiled ever since all that’s happened.

“Hm? For what?” the man asked, genuinely curious as David decided to be honest with him since he deserved that much.

“For… everything I guess? I just really needed to hear that.” Especially after falling deeper and deeper into his own shithole. Sure, it wasn’t some sort of difference or anything like that, but it was still enough for him to take into consideration to get out of that pessimistic mindset for a bit, no matter how short it might be.

“Is that so?” An amused tone was coming out of the man's mouth. While David wasn’t some sort of genius at understanding human psychology, he could easily guess that the stranger was somehow pleased with this turn of events.

Perhaps it was his lucky ass day, since it's not everyday you converse with someone that isn’t trying to mug or kill you around here.

After a few more discussions with the man, David parted ways with him. He debated either going to Corpo Plaza to try his extremely, stupidly slim chance to somehow help his situation, or stay at Santo Domingo to try his luck all the more. If it proved itself pointless, he still had one last thing up his sleeve.

Judging the second option to be the wisest of the bunch, he was about to leave the metro station until he saw it… Until he saw her.

The woman that he was sure to have seen on his way to school, the woman whom he… had almost sensed, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, was here right next to him, not even acknowledging his existence, and despite having seen her only once for a brief moment, David recognized that color dyed with a colorful pastel of rainbow gradient everywhere.

Honestly, David was sort of in a pinch. He did not know this girl at all, nor did she, him. And yet… a part of him feels like he should know her; a part of him is telling him that despite not having chosen the right direction, his fate should be to enter the same metro as her to know what was her deal and eventually go further with that.

It wasn't just a part of him, though. It almost felt like his instincts were telling him to go for it and enter the metro—whatever the fuck happens, just happens as long as he gets to know this girl better.

Though, despite all of this—despite all the reasons David had—he decided to turn his back on the situation and slowly leave the metro station. While he couldn't help but think about how he should've just gone for it, the more rational part of himself deduced that more interesting things were at stake. Finally leaving the station, he decided to go back on his stroll…

Trying his best to forget it, he couldn't help but wonder how decisive in his life would be the first time meeting with this girl if it had been under different circumstances.

—

His endeavor being as fruitless as he anticipated, David was now face-to-face with a door that he would've rather never wanted to open back again since he still felt spiteful toward the person at the other side of it.

But his feelings in the matter did not matter one bit as he stared at the door marked with the 6th Street Gang logo. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open—since it wasn't like he was going to make any progress at all by just staring at a damn door without taking a step forward.

Opening it, he came face-to-face with the gritty, yet neo lightning of the clinic, and for last… Doc. 

The person he was looking for was surrounded by multiple types of cyberware, most related to everything that had to do with the lower region, such as legs and the like. While this was interesting to look at, it sure as hell wasn't what David was looking for. After a few seconds, Doc pushed aside the items surrounding him as he grinned upon seeing David.

“Wasn't expectin’ seein’ ya here so soon, Davey,” he said, his tone all knowing and still as smug as ever. Judging from the sex toy that David could see on his crotch, he managed to walk in on Doc probably having one hell of a good time, probably on the same XBD he had shown him two days ago. Who the fuck knows…

It wasn’t like David cared as he entered the clinic. After the door closed he leaned on the wall. “Neither did I…” he simply responded, his tone gruff and tired as Doc did not seem to care at all.

“Choom, if it's to sell yer Sandevistan, then give it up. Already told ya the amount I'd give ya and I won't change my price,” he said, annoying David and making him click his tongue while looking away.

“Yeah right… You lowered the price,” David muttered bitterly, as while he wasn't fond of Doc's opportunism and ruthless negotiation methods, he knew better than to throw the deal away. Running a hand through his hair, David sighed as he looked at the man. “I'm not… here for that.” The retort gained Doc's attention instantly.

“Then watcha doin’ here?” he asked, making David groan.

He wasn't a fan of being like this, but it was his one chance and he could not screw it up. David sucked off all of his hidden frustration and looked at the ground. 

“Look… I'm sorry for whatever I said yesterday, I was just… pissed off and stuff.” And he had every right to be, considering how Doc had been acting as well.

“Davey, you'll have to be a lil’ more specific.” Yeah… he unfortunately guessed Doc was correct.

“I'm talking about saying that I wouldn't sell your… BD’s at school anymore.” Not like he'll be able to do so if he's expelled. “Just realized it was a stupid thing to say, especially since I… really need the money.” 

It was frankly embarrassing how much he was making out of this insignificant thing. “So yeah, sorry about that… I'd actually be fine selling your BD’s… I hope the deal isn't off…?” Jesus, he wanted nothing more than to go home right now…

And Doc's laugh wasn’t helping him at all. “So that’s what botherin’ yer brain. Don't get yer panties in a twist, Davey. Do I look pissed off to ya?” Yeah, now that he thought about it… Doc didn't seem to care. “Ya expect me to scold yer ass? Fucks sake Davey, if ya don't want to work with me I dun’ give a rats shit ‘cause I ain't losing anythin’ here.” The joyful tone of his voice eerily contrasted with his words, making David gulp.

While he wasn't earning a lot from selling Doc's BD to school, it was still enough so he could have a bit of money to support himself and not be a hindrance to his mom. While it was a decent amount… it would never be enough for him to live a decently stable life without thinking about the stupidly huge amount of multiple debts up his ass.

But it was still better than nothing, and it surely was a start. Going from there, all he'll need was perhaps one… or two other ways for him to get enough money so he could get the debts out of the way and then… go from there, hoping the solution would be solved.

Sure as hell wasn't optimal, but not like he had much say there.

“So… the deal's still up?” he asked one last time, just to be sure that he wasn't going to get the biggest blue-balls of his life.

And to much of his pleasure, judging by Doc's reaction, he was on his lucky strike today. “It was never down, Choom. If ya decide to fuck off, then I genuinely don't care.”

Having his confirmation, David decided to stay a bit longer at the clinic since he still wasn't up going home right now to do nothing but wait until tomorrow rolled in…

—

Although in hindsight, maybe he should've gone home sooner since right now, it was utterly pitch-black in the streets of Santo Domingo.

It wasn't like this scared him or something like that, far from it even. David had been living there his whole life and so is pretty damn aware of which streets to avoid and how to proceed at night in a city as dangerous as this one. Especially considering that he was nothing more than a scrawny teenager, and so getting into a fist fight against people much bigger than him was absolutely not an option.

Hence why he tried to make himself look as unbothered as possible since he didn't know if some gonk from the 6th Street Gang would suddenly pop out of nowhere and start mauling him. Honestly, he's now pretty happy that Doc's clinic is only in the north of his apartment since it meant that the walk from there wouldn't take too long…

Although it seemingly was still long enough for him to be called by some random stranger. David stopped his tracks almost instantly. He clicked his tongue after realizing he should've just kept on walking, pretending he hadn't heard shit, instead of giving the confirmation to whoever called him that David noticed their presence.

“Hey, wait up! Prep boy from ‘Saka school!” the voice yelled again, making David anxiously smile as he turned around to finally take a look at who kept yelling for his attention. He was met with a… rather gross looking dude, the kind that you'd see getting their rocks off on the street alongside their friends. David couldn't help but wonder if he had just been ambushed.

“...Yes?” Sweat started dripping down his forehead as he quickly realized that, shit… he was surrounded… and the utter size difference between him and the men wasn't helping his case. “What's up?” he still blurted out, not wanting to appear uneasy as the man who called out to him sent him a curious look.

“Not everyday a pleb from ‘Saka come here.” Ew, his breath smelled like alcohol and smoke, two things that David couldn't support individually, and that somehow became worse mixed together. “And such a snack at that…” 

“…”

What the fuck was that?

David was about to voice his confusion until he got cut-off. “Your uniform looks like shit though. You don't look like a corpo either.” Suddenly, the man's smile perked up and it made David feel a chill run down his spin. “You struggling with money, choom?” It was a normal sentence, and yet the way it was delivered felt… off.

Too off, in fact.

And David didn't like that, nor did he like how it felt like he was getting dissected like some gutter rat. “Who the hell said anything about money?” Although the man was right, David absolutely did not want to give in as he crossed his arms and gave the man a scowl.

Which seemingly amused him. “He's not very bright, is he?” The stranger turned to look at his group of bastards, who laughed with him as he went back to focus his attention on a frustrated David. “I'll make it simple: basically want ya to please me and my buddy for the night. I'll pay you well for it, deal?”

…Deal?? “What the fuck are you talking about!?” David's face started to become slightly green alongside red since for all intent and purpose, he still was a cherry boy due to not having his luck with anyone at his school, and so all of this still felt… rather personal to him… and one thing for sure, he wasn't up for sleeping, let alone losing his virginity to one of the thousands of trash sleeping on the streets of Santo Domingo.

And unfortunately for him, said trash was far more determined that he thought. “I'm asking ya to be a joytoy for the night. If ya agree, I'll treat ya like one, which means I'll be paying the amount of eddies ya want. Plus I'm feeling rather joyful today.” 

The man suddenly had closed the front between him and David even more as he started teasing his back, clearly eager to go lower. “It's not everyday ya come across a twink—” A what!? “—in a position as… complicated as this one. I'm feeling rather… excited and all,” the man muttered inside his ear. If this flirting wasn't going to stop soon, David would soon be vomiting on the ground. He shoved the much bigger man away and groaned.

“F-Fuck off!” He tried to sound intimidating, but it came off as more wimpy due to how embarrassed he felt. “You're outta your fucking mind if you think I'll agree, you damn perverted bastard.” Gulping, David calmed down as he sighed, picking a fight now wouldn't be ideal in the slightest. “Just… leave me alone, I'm not in that kind of… line.” And he'd rather believe that he wouldn't fall down so badly to be there.

Surprised, the man just shrugged and left him be. “Fine. There ain’t much fun in a whore that ain't willing to get loose.” What the hell did that even mean? “But remember that if you do change your mind, I'm still here, choom.” 

Pff yeah right, David wanted to reply. He decided to keep quiet and quickly go back home once the… weird gang finally decided to fuck off.

Reaching his apartment in less than five minutes, and groaning after seeing the entrance being denied to him yet again—due to not having paid rent at all—David crawled through the vent to enter his apartment from the bathroom. Getting there, he quickly went to sit on his sofa. He couldn't help but look up at the ceiling and mutter one single question…

“What the hell…?”

Out of everything he'd expected his whole life, being asked out by most likely some Reality Junkies to be their whores was not a thing he had ever expected would have ever happened… and yet it did, and David wasn't sure how to deal with it.

On one hand a part of him was hell-bent on the fact that he wasn't desperate enough to sell himself to some strangers just so he could get money, despite his situation. On the other hand…

I'll be paying the amount of eddies you want . This right here… this was the single sentence that made David seriously doubt himself since if it went just as he thought it would…that means a lot of his issues could be fixed…

All the while his dignity would absolutely crumble in the process.

The more he looked over the situation, the more ashamed David started to feel. He felt ashamed at how fucked he was; he felt ashamed at the boner that somehow made itself known…

But more importantly, he felt ashamed that out of every option, this was the one he was considering the easiest to go along with.

Chapter Text

The feeling of multiple hands on his body was a thing he'd never felt before, but it also wasn't… a sensation that was all that bad.

Admittedly, the hands themselves were much bigger than his own, which in turn made him feel slightly small. But despite all of this, it wasn't something that disgusted David at the moment since the connection itself made him feel… alive, to put it simply.

Mmm…

David wouldn't consider himself to be the submissive type at all, or at least he never did up until this very moment. But if he was honest, that shit was pretty nova. Just… not doing anything, letting someone else take control when all he had to do was comply and do nothing was… relaxing.

The hands were touching his ribs, petting his hair, having a load of fun with his lower half, and were ticklish, but being able to feel something out of this physical intimacy, just confirmed further to David that perhaps… all of this wouldn't be so bad at all.

Shame, loneliness, anger, desperation, guilt… in this little place, this little world, none of this mattered because, at this moment, the one and only thing that was on David's mind was his partner with whom he was pleasantly sharing this moment.

And so wanting to see who was the man, or perhaps woman touching him so eagerly, David finally decided to truly open his eyes, just to print this moment inside his brain.

He was then met with the perfect picture of a disgusting man, clearly all too eager and desperate that he wou-

—

David suddenly woke up.

The loud and unforgiving buzzing of his chrono absolutely did not decide to show any sort of mercy on him and this thing, which would normally terrorize him every morning since it meant going to school, only started working as some sort of annoying background noise as David couldn't help but stare at… nothing in particular, clearly too taken aback by what just happened.

“What the fuck was that?” David simply asked himself, eyes utterly wide and sweat dripping down his forehead, he couldn't help but be utterly disgusted by what just happened while feeling his manhood being hard as a fucking rock. He decided to quickly have a look inside his boxer only to let out a sigh of relief after seeing that he just had a morning wood and that nothing else came out of his dick… while he was sleeping.

It's not like David was a prude or some shit, he was well versed when it came to sex and the like…which wasn't that surprising since if anything, looking at the Reality Junkies getting their rocks off on the side of the street, it would've been much more surprising that someone wouldn't be well versed in sex all things considered.

Plus his mom was extremely open about the subject and even supported David having sex with some Copro girl (which was utterly humiliating) so it wasn't like sexual desires were a thing that he never had to experience nor explore…

But fuck, this one was different since it was more so related to his fucking degradation at the hand of some ugly bastard as he couldn't help but feel gross about having entertained the idea in the first place, even if it was from a dream of all things.

And the worst part? He deep down felt kind of giddy about it. Not because of the situation itself, but rather because of the feeling it provided.

Frankly, this disgusted David so badly that he quickly got out of his bed, took off his boxer as he wasted no time, and decided to take a shower so he could wash away the metaphorical filth around his body.

“God, that feels much better,” David muttered to himself while water kept on dripping down his body, once he managed to convince himself enough that it was a fluke, he went over to the washing machine to see if it was working only to remember that it wouldn't matter since he hadn't put his clothes there the night prior and so washing them now would be a waste.

Besides, he's happy enough that water is still running so not wanting to waste more of his resources, David took his uniform that he had worn yesterday, seeing he still had a decent chunk of minutes left before his train and even more before his lesson started, the brown-haired man decided to go out of his house earlier to avoid being potentially late.

In his situation, it's better to be safe rather than sorry.

—

Deciding to stop at a vending machine to buy some food for breakfast, David opted for a classic sandwich with a water bottle as he groaned after seeing the price. Even that was expensive as hell, and considering his situation, it meant that this would be the only thing he'd eat today since he had to be careful about how much he was spending a day.

“Great…” David muttered bitterly to himself, feeling his chrono beep, he decided to quickly go to the Wollesen Street station while eating his food on the way. Sure, it wasn't practical, but he preferred that to either eating on the train or at his home either way so this was fine by him.

Quickly getting to his train, David was slightly disappointed upon realizing that the mysterious girl wasn't present today, but quickly just shrugged it off since of course she wouldn't be present right now, it was just logical.

And so, having nothing else to do, David just silently started at the window of the train as seeing his reflection, the fact that he didn't look like utter shit was pretty fucking surprising all things considered.

“For how long, though…” He murmured miserably to himself, still staring at the view of the city while a new rocket launched itself up in the sky, the buildings of Memorial Park soon clouding his vision. 

All of this meant that he was nearing his destination, David frankly couldn't be happy since school was the very last place where he wanted to be.

Getting out of the train, David started walking toward Arasaka Academy only to let out a rather out-of-place chuckle after noticing that the Cyberpsycho crime scene had been fully and utterly cleaned up, almost as if it had never existed in the first place.

Now granted it's been… what? Three days since David walked on the scene? So of course, it must've been taken care of during that period of time. In fact, David ignored it the next day after he got into his accident since he had other things on his mind. But if anything, wouldn't that make the thought itself even more logical?

Sure, he doesn't know how fast it got fully taken care of, but it must've been quick. And just like that… it was almost like the crime scene had never happened, almost like the puddle of blood that used to be the military Lt. Col James Norris that he saw three days ago, had just been his brain going crazy. 

Although there was the XBD, or at least a red tier one running around with the entire scene recorded from first person, it still doesn't change the fact that to most people here, that person never existed in the slightest.

And if someone like that could just be erased… so easily, then what would that say about someone like David, who in the grand scheme of things was nothing more than one of the thousands of street rats from Santo Domingo?

He's aware of the fact that to make a name in the city if you aren't born lucky, the only way was to die a death that would be worth remembering, to die as a legend . But if someone who goes full Cyberpsycho and fought against NCPD officers before getting brutally killed isn't enough to make any difference past a single day, then how the hell is someone even supposed to be remembered upon dying?

If David just suddenly died, either randomly killed or by also going Cyberpsycho, if he, by any hypothetical scenario, decided to put on the Sandevistan at home that looked eerily similar to the one James Norris had on, then in how many milliseconds would he actually get forgotten?

…He dunno, and honestly just thinking that his life might be that insignificant is a rather depressing thought to have.

“Heh, not like that'll matter…” He doesn't see himself dying yet so delving into those kinds of thoughts was utterly pointless. 

After all, David soon took the stairs up to the entrance of Corpo Plaza, and life kept on going as if nothing bad ever happened.

Waiting down a bit to pass the road, the scene felt too eerily similar to all of his previous days on his way to school, with the anxious and nervous bounce of his feet still playing its part as well as once it was finally his time to cross the road, David sighed since while he couldn't do anything about it, all of this meant he was getting closer and closer to Arasaka Academy and to put it in kind term…

This sucked ass.

Walking a bit more toward the north side of the plaza, David looked at the time to see if he was late, seeing that there were only around ten minutes before the lesson would begin, he quickened his pace, quickly passed in front of several students and made his way inside the building.

Getting there, he could see multiple students, either in groups or all alone. David mostly shrugged it off, but he still felt slightly annoyed by the fact that this entire place, the chatters and everything that went along with it, kept on reminding him that there was nobody with whom he'd formed any connections there… aside from whatever connection he's supposed to have with his own bully.

Well, some are just here to learn… He told himself… which was barely an excuse since while David was at the top of his class, it was not like he was the kind who genuinely enjoyed his time here. He just happened to be quite good at schoolwork, that's all.

…Now if only those skills could be useful to help him in this shitty situation, that'd sure as fucking hell be helpful.

Putting that aside, David started walking toward his class, not being eager to see any of his classmates and the asshole who had beaten him up black and blue alongside his lackeys, David decided to push through his negative feelings and saw the entrance of the room and-

“Ah, Martinez, I have been looking for you.” He suddenly heard, making him turn around and come face to face with the principal of the school. Frankly, it was hard to keep his face as neutral as possible when all he wanted was to get done with the day, but knowing that he was on a tightrope, David forced a sheepish smile, looking to the side.

“Hello… sir?” David responded, raising an eyebrow, his anxiousness about whatever this interaction could mean spiking up as he unconsciously tapped his feet on the ground. “You said you've been… looking for me?” 

The old man nodded. “Indeed. However, I feel what I want to talk about with you should be discussed in my office, so may you please follow me? I have already let your teacher know that you won't be able to attend class right now.”

Fuck, shit! Being dragged out to the principal office was never a good sign since it was either related to whenever he and Katsuo had gotten into a fight, or whenever he fucked shit up in a way he couldn't have predicted at all.

This can't be good . David thought, a part of him straight up wanting to ask the principal if they could report whatever he wanted to tell him later on just so he could go home and pretend like he wasn't in a fucked up predicament of some sort.

But knowing that this obviously wouldn't be possible, David gulped and sighed, giving in to his fate. ”Sure, sir…” His voice being utterly small and unsure, David started trailing behind the principal who had his back turned on him as all he hoped was that his grave wouldn't be dug even deeper with this meeting.

—

Getting so high up in the Arasaka tower always made David feel so… alien and weird, almost as if he was utterly out of place in that setting.

Of course, feeling like this would make sense considering his origin and where he's letting the air out of his lungs rest at the moment. But despite that, David felt like… it wasn't all there was to it.

Maybe it was because he was now sitting in the principal's office, maybe it was because the room always came off as so special it made his skin itchy, or maybe it was due to how high up he was, with the glass wall giving a perfect view of the city and all the ants below…

Who knew? Was this where he was supposed to end up? At the top? Slave to other people with higher authority but still not being at the utter lowest? Man, that doesn't feel like a pleasurable situation at all.

But again, nothing about this situation was pleasurable as David tapped his feet on the ground while the principal was reading his school file quietly, an action that filled David with so much unease that he was genuinely relieved when the conversation started.

“Martinez, first off, my condolences for what happened to your mother.” Pff, like ya care. David wanted to reply sarcastically as he just looked at the ground and intertwined his fingers together.

“Right…” It was better not to strike any useless conflicts, it's either that or fucking up his entire life so he has to keep himself walking on the thin rope given to him.

Of course, the principal clearly had different thoughts in his mind as he straight up went to the heart of the subject. “About the school fees that were normally due by today-” Fucking of course . “Do you think you would have the money by the end of next week?” He asked, making David raise an eyebrow, doing his best to hide his pissed-off look.

Was this gonk serious? Will David have the money necessary once the deadline's set? Of fucking course not, what kind of stupid question was that? He was at the bottom of the barrel, struggling financially with this time having no one to help him, getting the amount of money necessary to pay for the school fees right now was not a possibility.

Although… he still had the Sandevistan that he could sell, which he knew would give him more than how much he was gaining by working with Doc and selling his XBDs…

Or there's still the other option, the one that'd solve all of his problems and-

Stop thinking about it . David thought to himself and took a deep breath, if he was going to lie to save his skin then be it. Not like honesty had a place in this shithole of a city.

“Yeah…I've found a way.” He hadn't. “I'll be able to get the money by the end of next week, there's… no problem about that one.” There was. “So you know… maybe if you could… well…” He really wanted to beg the principal to remove his potential expulsion, but considering he was playing with fire, it was better to wait.

The principal still looked at him with those damn neutral eyes as despite clearly knowing what David meant, he seemingly decided to play the gonk and raise an eyebrow. “May you tell me what you could be referring to, Martinez?” The man asked, making David's cheeks flush up slightly in embarrassment as he looked away.

He hated doing this but well… he didn't have much of a choice here. “I'm talking… about the expulsion, sir…” David murmured shamefully. “Since I'll repair the damage I did… I think it would be fine if I could stay here… right? I… really don't want to get expelled…” It felt genuinely hard to say all of this when this damn academy had brought him only misery and yet here he was…

At that, the principal thoughtfully looked at him, his gaze not budging in the slightest. “Well, it is true that if you follow through with your words, the issue will be fixed. However- ” There's always a fucking ‘however’, huh? “-until the school could be fully sure of that, we cannot dismiss your potential explosion at the moment. After all, this is not the first time you have been called to my office for one of your mayhem, correct?” Fuck, David hated that the damn principal was right.

Gritting his teeth and not being able to hide his shame and frustration, David looked down, tightening the grip of his hands that were resting on his thighs. “Right…” He simply responded, not seeing what more could be added to the conversation.

However, the principal had another idea. “Speaking of this, since Gloria Martinez unfortunately passed away before we could have a concrete answer regarding what you would want, I would like you to tell me your personal response to it all.” He suddenly said, making David raise an eyebrow since he genuinely had trouble following what this meant.

“What do you mean?” He asked, feeling a bit anxious about all of this as the principal looked at him with a look so neutral and devoid of emotions David felt like he was being dissected like some sort of lab rat at the moment.

Clearing his throat, the principal spoke. “I am merely referring to the proposition I made to Miss Martinez about the possibility of you getting enrolled in a different environment.” He simply said, no hint of anything in his tone, just professionalism, and David gulped.

When the offer had been proposed the moment his mom was here, David absolutely entertained it since he despised everything around here. However, after getting a front view of what life could potentially be for him if he chose to leave it all behind… maybe staying in this place he despised so much was for the best.

Besides, he was aware of why he was given this choice. While he won't say the principal was against him per se, it's not like he made it a secret that David was, despite being an exceptionally good student when it came to his grades, a nuisance to everyone around here.

Be it for his non-financial stability, or the fact that he constantly gets into fights with Katsuo whom between the two of them, the school clearly favored. David had no idea, but he sure as hell wasn't a gonk and he knew that ‘change of environment’ was just a polite way to say ‘clean up the turd on the side of the road’.

And David, unfortunately, was still not suicidal enough to let just body rot away in some dirty alleyway.

“I…” Despite his thoughts, David came off as much more anxious and stressed than he'd like at the possibility of him screwing up. So, as not to make a fool of himself, he took a deep breath and tried his best to make his face as neutral as possible. “I would rather stay here if possible, sir.” He simply said, nothing more, nothing less since this seemed like the rightful answer in this situation.

“I see.” The man said and those words seemed conclusive enough that David let out an internal sigh of relief. “In that case, you shall go back to class, I already notified the direction regarding your absence from morning classes so there shouldn't be any issues.” The man responded, making David nod at that.

Finally being given the chance to get the fuck out of the room, David let out a last thanks to the principal out of politeness and left. The moment he was out, David quickly dashed to the bathroom instead of class to cool off slightly and looked at his face in the mirror after splashing water on it.

Honestly, he was shocked by the fact that he didn't look… utterly fucked up at the moment considering everything that had been happening, but he was sure that won't last long…

“At the very least this got dealt with…” David murmured to himself while running a hand through his hair, looking at the door of the bathroom leading to the corridor. And taking one last sigh, David walked toward it, hoping no more issues would happen today.

—

The rest of the day went on even quicker than David expected.

Maybe it's because instead of paying attention to class, he just zoned out since he had better things to occupy his mind with rather than listening to whatever their teacher had said since to be frank, he did not give the slimmest shit about politics and he could catch up his missed lessons once his brain wasn't going to fry out of stress.

Making his way toward the exit of the academy, David was going to go all over his options until…

“Yo, Martinez.” That damn voice that he absolutely loathed made its appearance as now, fucking Tanaka Katsuo was looking at him, still with his utterly confident and smug gaze that made David want to break his nose.

Clicking his tongue, the brown-haired man turned around and sighed. “What?” He responded, quickly and to the point since he both didn't want to indulge Katsuo in his weird self wanking session, he also had more things to do than converse with his bully.

“Behind the school, now.” He simply said, not even giving David the time to proceed. David sure as hell did not want to follow Katsuo, but knowing that it would be annoying later, David decided to trail back behind him and surprisingly noticed that his lackeys weren't present right now.

That was weird.

Following Katsuo behind wherever he was leading him, once they reached the said place, David couldn't help but unpleasantly click his tongue again since some rather unpleasant memories flooded his mind at that spot.

The reason for this? Well… this was the first place where Katsuo bullied David, or rather, beat the shit out of him with David not being able to do anything as frankly, this exact moment changed his entire worldview.

Sure, he was a street rat that was exposed to the lowest part of Night City ever since he was a brat and for most of his life, had only his mom to rely on.

But the thing was that… despite it all, despite being exposed first-hand to all of this, David was in the end… just a spectator in the life of other people. Sure, he'd see people giving up and being at the lowest of their lives, but they weren't him , and so he still held a rather upright view since his life personally was still going rather smoothly despite his utter lack of privilege.

…That is until Katsuo, who up until then was just sort of a nuisance, beat the shit out of him, with the motive behind his actions being that David didn't belong here and that he was affecting everyone with his damn disease coming from the filthy air a gutter rat like him must be inhaling every single day.

David will be honest, that day was the day that turned his entire worldview upside down. He wasn't optimistic at all, that was for sure, and he knew that he would never belong with the pleb from Arasaka as well, he knew that instantly. But he didn't know that the issue was bad to the point of him being beaten up, all bloody and messed up, into a pulp would somehow be fair game just because he was born in the wrong part of society.

That day was a rather miserable one for the teen, coming home and having to pretend to his mom he got into a fight, earning a disappointed look from her since he didn't have the guts to admit it was actually a one-sided beat down, to than not being able to calm himself down as tears of frustration come out of his eyes once he tried to sleep…

David made a vow to himself that fine, he'll take the beating and bullying from Katsuo, but he sure as hell wasn't going to give the bastard the satisfaction of seeing him crawling on his damn knees to prove his inferiority.

Sure, Katsuo was a stubborn piece of shit, but David was just as bad, if not worse.

But despite it all, he still couldn't help but feel anxious when they were all alone behind the building, with an alleyway being connected to it, David looked around one last time and realized that yeah…no one was here, unfortunately.

After a few seconds of silence and David's nerves getting worse and worse, the brown-haired man was about to ask what this was all about until the damn bastard decided to open his mouth after all this time.

“Got the goods?” He asked, making David raise an eyebrow at that since he had no freaking idea what Katsuo was even talking about.

“Huh? You're gonn’ have to be more specific, Choom.” David sure as hell doesn't recall having formed a link with Katsuo that told him what he was thinking.

At that, Katsuo clicked his tongue. “I'm talking about the BD, Martinez.” His tone was so condescending that David wanted to tell him off but held his tongue since he knew the result wouldn't be pretty.

Although… now that he thinks about it, he had a pretty decent idea of what Katsuo was talking about. “Oh, that?” David crossed his arms while a scowl appeared on his face.

Yeah, he now fully recalled what Katsuo requested from him since despite the bastard bullying and insulting him at every moment's notice, he still would buy XBD out of him. A thing that was rather strange since while David despised constantly being degraded for being poor, he still couldn't deny that Katsuo was rich so clearly, he could get high-quality XBD from someone else…

Although Doc had direct contact with Jimmy Kurosaki who did edit some of the best red-tier XBD, a thing that David could confirm first-hand. He guessed he could slightly understand why Katsuo always came back to him despite his clear disdain for David.

But David also felt like there was more to it because surely someone as seemingly important as Katsuo (who really liked to wank himself up regarding his position) needed to have some sort of clean image. So obviously, he'd rather seek out gore BD from the poor bastard who had a lower chance of ratting him out rather than someone with more power there.

Well, that was just a theory, it's not like David knew nor cared since all he wanted was his money… that he most likely won't have today.

“Sorry, Choom, we haven't received any new updates from JK at the moment.” He's lying, although he's not in possession of the red-tier XBD of military Lt. Col James Norris going Cyberpsycho anymore, it's not like he asked Doc if he had received any new ones since he had better things to worry about and he sure as hell wasn't hell-bent on humoring his damn bully.

At that, Katsuo clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. “You're blue-balling me, Martinez.” He said as if David gave a shit, he rolled his eyes and just sighed.

“Well… maybe if you paid in advance right now… I can tell you once we have some new XBD?” David proposed, hoping he didn't come out as desperate because he absolutely was at the moment.

Katsuo raised an eyebrow at that. “What are you even talking about?” He asked, his tone oozing with sarcasm. “Why should I even do that?” God, Katsuo had a way of making David feel stupid for merely asking anything and it was annoying.

“It's just a proposition…” David murmured under his breath as Katsuo obviously used that as a way to mock him and scoffed.

“I have no idea the kinda bullshit you have under your sleeve, so, nah. I'll pay you in due time.” He simply responded, already resigning to walking away as David did a thing he never thought he would've done before and…

“W-Wait, Tanaka!” He said, coming off as much more desperate than he'd wanted to, even the gonk didn't miss it judging by his rather surprised expression.

That quickly got replaced by an impatient glare. “What?” Katsuo said, a tone so distasteful it almost made David feel like Katsuo thought he could've gotten some disease the more he talked to him.

But even so, he held his ground while looking down with his cheeks flushing up even more as after gritting his teeth, he murmured under his breath, “Is there anything else I could do for you…? You know… as a payback?” David couldn't believe what he was saying but well… he needed money as quickly as possible, and Katsuo could potentially provide it right now so he kind of jumped on the occasion.

Besides, even if David's words were utterly vague, which meant the intent behind them could be interpreted in multiple ways. David himself knew and was utterly disgusted by what he had in mind at the moment…

Sex.

Maybe it's that one damn ugly bastard that messed up with his brain, but not knowing what he could offer that Katsuo doesn't have, David instantly proceeded with the thought of willingly giving himself up to Katsuo just as a pitiful way to earn money fast.

He's not being a joytoy technically, but he sure as hell wasn't far from it.

All of this… made David wonder if in different circumstances… he could get on his knees for Katsuo, his damn bully.

Already knowing and resigning himself that he most likely would be the output there, David sent a quick glance to the still-surprised Katsuo as he decided to lay down what he had in front of him.

It was annoying to admit, but despite that stupid hair, Katsuo was an attractive person. It explained why David saw him conversing with so many girls when he, unfortunately, walked past him.

But even ignoring his face, it was clear that his body was decently muscular, although if it was compared to David, then that wouldn't mean much since he was thin and scrawny. Of course, someone with decent musculature would appear much better in comparison.

If David had to guess, Katsuo's a rich bastard, so of course he probably had people or maids looking after him and his diet. Unlike David who as a street rat of Santo Domingo, was eating most of his food from the nearby vending machine.

It would also explain how Katsuo also grew taller than David, although that part could just be related to genetics so it's not like David pondered about it long enough.

But with that out of the way, while ignoring the fact that David wasn't even sure if he was even attracted to guys since the only thought he had regarding things like this just came and went randomly…

It was undeniable that Katsuo, physically speaking, wasn't bad at all, everything considered. Especially compared to the bastards that made advances to him yesterday.

So, based on that, could David willingly get on his knees for his bully?

…

Of fucking course not. David thought sarcastically as no matter how many points he gave to Katsuo, he was the bastard who constantly mocked and bullied him for his own sick pleasure. If it wasn't for this situation, David wouldn't have entertained the idea at all .

And it seemed that the thought behind David's words went over Katsuo's head as he scoffed at David and looked at him like he was a shit he accidentally stepped on.

“The hell you're talking about? Why do you even think I would want you around longer than necessary?” Say the dude who sought David out just to beat him up. “Get off your high horse, Martinez. If I wanted something I wouldn't be asking it from someone born in one of the poorest fucking places around here.” And with those words, he left without even sending a last glance, frustrating David as he genuinely wondered why he wasted his time doing that.

But well, at the very least he's sure that he won't be dealing with Katsuo anytime soon as long as it doesn't involve money.

That means less headaches for him.

—

David didn't really know what to do for now.

Sure, he was bold earlier when he was ready to basically suck Katsuo's cock for a few eddies, but once the thought really settled in, he couldn't help but wonder why the actual fuck he thought this was a good idea in the first place.

The fact that it took him a single day after having the idea of selling himself inside his mind, for him to actually make a move, was utterly worrying…

He needed to do something about it.

But… what specifically? The more he looked at Doc's XBD collection which included some high red-tier ones that'd surely give a kick to Katsuo, the more David couldn't help but think this wasn't enough.

Sure, he'll have some money at best tomorrow and at worst in two days, but it'll just scratch the surface of the amount he had to get by the end of next week, so it's not like that was a win for him.

But despite that, he still had one last thump card under his sleeve that he hadn't used yet…

The Sandevistan.

He'll obviously not sell it to Doc since he kept on lowering the price due to the dark market nature of it, but it wasn't like he necessarily knew anyone to whom he could sell it either since he lacked connections.

If only there was something he could-

“Davey, the hell you thinkin’ about?” David suddenly jumped at Doc's voice, surprising him as he quickly realized that he had practically zoned out while staring at a bunch of XBD for seemingly no reason.

But regaining his composure, he looked at Doc and sighed. “Nothin’, I was just…thinking ‘bout something, I guess…”

“‘Bout what?”

David rolled his eyes at Doc, clearly eager and curious. “I was thinking about the Sandevistan and how to sell it.” Doc's smug smile left instantly and David couldn't help but be happy to see it gone.

“Davey, I already told ya my price and ya will have to be hella lucky to fin’ someone with better deals.” Doc crossed his arm. “While it's a fuckin’ beauty, it's not like you'll get much from a shit tied to the black market.”

“I already know that,” David gritted his teeth, looking down. “But there has to be a fucking way to sell it at its right price.” If he can make 10k eddies from it then he won't budge for less. “Doc, surely you know some sellers that could buy it. You have connections.” And seemingly some pretty big one at that.

Surprisingly, Doc's expression turned…rather eerie as the way his lips were pressed in a thin line kind of freaked David out. “Davey…are ya suicidal or somethin’?” He suddenly said, making a chill run down David's spine as even so, he tried to ignore it.

“What? No! I'm just saying that I can strike a deal with someone if I get the chance to!” It made sense to him, if Doc wasn't interested then surely someone else had to be.

But weirdly enough, this just made Doc raise an eyebrow. “All you'll be doin’ is give me more work once they'll drop you off half-broken on the street.” The man waved his hands dismissively. “If you can't take my deal then give it up, Davey. I ain't gonn’ give you deets on my sellers, it's better to say ignorant, y'know?” And with those words, he ended the conversation, leaving David utterly frustrated.

He wasn't stupid, he knew that Doc was practically telling him it was too dangerous and not worth it to go further with his investigation…

But David was stubborn and desperate, he sure as hell wasn't going to budge either when his whole pride depended on it.

He'll deal with the consequences later because much more important things are at play right now.