The Reformed

[VerboseVillain]

"Hey, that's a pretty good haul, isn't it? Let me have a look at it." A large wall of a twenty-year-old man reached down. Thick, greedy fingers clasped for a plastic grocery sack that was filled to the brim with jewelry. As he got close, the sack jerked out of its grasp, settling behind the tall frame of another twenty-year old.

"Looking doesn't take hands, Twitchy." Lucio turned his lean but built frame slightly to keep the bag away from his friend. "I'll give you a cut of the cash once we get to the pawn shop. But being a lookout doesn't entitle you to pick and choose whatever watch or chain you feel like will take attention off that big neck of yours."

Twitchy glared at Lucio for a moment, eyes going up and down the other man. The bigger man definitely had the size and strength advantage, but the pair had scrapped before. Over a bottle of liquor, that time. Twitchy had ended up on the ground after being hurled from his feet by the deceptively strong Lucio. Fast, too. Even if they were best friends, Twitchy had no doubt that the other man would end him if Twitchy tried to screw him. That wasn't worth whatever he might have made off with by reaching into the bag. Well, he supposed that he'd have to be satisfied with his cut of whatever the pawn shop gave them. While he might've been able to bully any of their flat mates, Lucio wouldn't put up with it.

As they walked, a grey cat darted out from trash cans by an alleyway. It had small white stripes that ran down its side and green eyes that looked pleadingly up at the pair. With a meow, the creature wended around their legs, rubbing up against Lucio before moving to twitchy.

Lucio's hard brown eyes soften when he saw the animal. He had always felt a kinship with Spike, his name for the cat. It lived on the streets just like he had. It just wanted a place to be and food to eat, just like he did. And like him, it'd been left, forgotten by the assholes that ran the schools and the job boards and the homeless shelters that catered to families and children and everyone but a young man like him who couldn't get gainful employment. A smile crossed his chiseled cheeks, cleft chin lowering as he bent down to pet Spike. "Hey, how's it going little buddy? I don't have anything for you right now, but I'll buy you something once we get to the pawn shop." The cat purred as it looked up at Lucio, arching its back against his hand.

A sudden movement and the bag was ripped from Lucio's hand. Twitchy looked in it as his friend sprung up in angry surprise.

"Hey, asshole. Give that back." Lucio scowled at his friend, who was actively searching through the bag. He didn't put up with bullying, but he didn't want to hurt his friend over some stupid piece of jewelry.

A police car came up next to them. The window rolled down and a female head poked out. "How we doing, boys? You wouldn't know about a burglary over on Sixth, would you?" Her brown hair slid across the black shoulders of her uniform as her eyes looked at the bag from behind a pair of sunglasses. "Gone shopping have we? You wouldn't mind if I looked at that would you?"

Spike had moved over to Twitchy, constantly rubbing against his legs and looking up at the bag as if hoping there was food inside of it. Twitchy frowned over at the police officer. "Nah, just a few things we picked up in an alley." With a grumpy grunt, he kicked Spike almost five feet. "Stupid cat. Get the fuck away from my feet..."

In a flash, Lucio jumped his friend. A fist came across that fat jaw, sending the larger man sprawling from the surprise blow. "You leave Spike alone you cocksucking..." Lucio leapt onto Twitchy's chest, hands coming across the other man's face again in again as he vented his fury.

The officer shouted, "Hey, stop!" She called for backup and got out of her car, grabbing one of Lucio's hands before it landed again on his friend's head. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

Twitchy's head was swollen from the repeated blows. His pupils were dilated, face slack after the repeated beating against the concrete sidewalk. Breaths came in a bare whisper across his lips.

The police officer dragged Lucio away from the dead man, more powerful than she had any right to be. She grabbed the short black hair that stuck out of his scalp and slammed his face into the ground before cuffing him.

As she called for an ambulance, Lucio blinked, trying to register what had just happened. His best friend had kicked the street cat. Then...then...oh shit! And in front of a cop!

 

[VerboseVillain]

As the other officer began to pull up, the situation finally caught up with Lucio enough for him to start to think again. He'd hurt Twitchy. Bad. The bastard had deserved it for kicking Spike like that, but still, it wasn't good for his best friend to be beaten like that. A knock to the head or something, but not a full-on beating.

Lucio looked back over his shoulder. The first thing he spotted was the grey cat, limping but still around. "Hey, Spike. Looks like you'll bounce back." Then his eyes went over to his friend. The young man could only really see Twitchy's side and the slackness of his hand. "Yo! Twitch! You alright, brotha? Sorry I popped off on you like that, but you need to watch your temper."

"Stop squirming." The officer planted her knee in his back and pressed down, smashing Lucio's chest against the ground and making him struggle to breathe. She frowned, but didn't say anything else that would only get him riled up. The ambulance got there first, the paramedics scrambling out to check on the still body on the sidewalk. She looked up to catch the eye of the paramedic, who shook her head. Damn.

When the other officer finally got there, she looked at the dead body on the concrete and then at Lucio pinned underneath the other officer. "Officer Parker. This is one hell of a mess."

"Quiet, Maggie." The brunette pressed her hand against the back of Lucio's head when the young man tried to look at the commotion around. "Let's get the perp into custody, and then we can talk." The officers grabbed Lucio's arms and hauled him to his feet, steering him away from his fallen friend.

Lucio sneered at the pair arresting him. "You smell nice, baby. Maybe when you get off shift, you can give me a conjugal visit, eh?" He pushed against the officers briefly to get a look at his friend. "You hear that, Twitch? Maybe after she's done with me she can give you a..." His face paled and his struggles stopped as he realized the terrible state of his friend. "Twitch! You okay, brother? Twitch!" Strength coursed through his legs as he pushed his feet against the ground, trying to turn to the body on the ground. "Twitch?!? I think something's wrong with him."

The officers pushed harder on the young man, already anticipating his surge of adrenaline. Parker frowned, her eyes softening slightly at Lucio's sudden realization on just how badly he had hurt his friend, even if he didn't realize the full extent of the tragedy yet. She felt sorry for him, somewhat. An orphan left to fend for himself on the streets. Kept from school by multiple arrests on his record. Yeah, she was familiar with Lucio and what he'd been through. But this? He'd be lucky to end up with life in prison. The administration took a dim view of those labeled undesireable as it was. But killing? Yeah, he'd be rated as negative value by the job board. A net loss to society. That meant death.

They got him into the car before he fell apart. "Twitchy!" Oh God, he hadn't moved. His whole body was slack like jello. And the glazed eyes. "Oh fuck. Twitchy! You're okay! You gotta be okay!" He screamed into the window, twisting and pushing so that he could get a better look at his friend. Some assurance that he was alright. He had to be. Twitchy was tough. Right? A few knocks to the noggin surely wouldn't take a guy like him out.

 

[VerboseVillain]

Officer Parker walked over to the paramedics, trying not to look at at the dead man on the ground. "I'm assuming that he's not going to pull through." Her black eyes went hard, holding back the emotion from seeing the death of a man that she'd been busting since he'd been in middle school.

"No, I'm afraid not." The paramedics put the body on a stretcher to take him away. "We'll take him to the hospital just to confirm, but he's a total loss. Even if he was still breathing, I doubt there'd be much remaining in that head of his. He took quite a beating. Is that the guy that did it?"

Parker looked over her shoulder at Lucio, who was still screaming in the car with tears rolling down his eyes. Thankfully, she'd left the doors shut, but she wasn't looking forward to the trip to the station. "Yeah. I don't think he meant it, but you know how these street kids are. Can't make it in school. Can't get an assignment from the job board. Pretty much left to fend for themselves until they end up dead or in jail. Wish that I could've stopped him in time, but he just went crazy."

The head paramedic shook her head. "Not much anybody can blame you for. They get like that and it's impossible to pull them off. Do you need to see anything for evidence?"

"No, my bodycam caught everything. Not even going to be much of a trial." Parker frowned back at Lucio. "I expect he'll be dead within the month, as well. A shame. He had potential. Just never got an opportunity to really do anything."

"Well, that's the way it goes." The paramedic shrugged. "Hope he'll get better luck in his next life." The paramedics loaded the body and then got into the ambulance.

After they drove away, Parker signaled to Maggie that she should follow, just in case there was any trouble. With Lucio as distraught as he was, there was no telling what he would be capable of, even locked in the back of the police car. Parker wanted to take no chances on someone likely headed to the death chamber.

The drive back was loud but unintelligible. She supposed that she didn't blame the guy. Lost his friend and his freedom within five minutes. She'd have been upset, too. Really too bad. He was a good-looking perp, as well. Sometimes they joked about that back at the station. With the advent of bioengineering, the population councils generally kept the population of men down. Couldn't bear children. Less tendency to be cooperative. Low value. That meant that any men that were born tended to be on the low end of society, while women did most of the real work. Lucio and Twitchy hadn't been abnormal for men. Most eked out a living the best they could, if they weren't docile enough to partner with a woman. Meant that there wasn't a whole lot to look at for women who leaned towards the straight side of the Kinsey scale. Didn't stop the cops from looking at the occasional male perp that came in. Didn't stop them from fantasizing that they could change them. Improve their lives. Give them value. Reform them.

Reform, unfortunately, was rarely granted in any circumstance. Especially for men with few other skills that would actually make them useful. Lucio was bound for the death chamber. Not much could change that.

Back at the Station, they locked up Lucio and started on the paperwork. That took almost as long as any investigation. Had to bag and back up the body camera footage. Get a coroner over to the hospital. Have the suspect plea. They had him up in front of the judge within the week. A benefit of due process having been discarded decades ago as too inefficient to serve society.

 

[VerboseVillain]

The chamber was reminiscent of the old procedurals that Parker loved to watch. Wood paneling everywhere. The judge's bench high above everything. Even an empty jury box. She didn't know what it was used for anymore, since juries had been deemed irrational and inefficient, but she supposed that it lent a traditional air to the proceedings, even if nothing would resemble the trials that those old shows had. No defense. Not even a prosecuting attorney. Just the footage of the incident. Testimonial from anyone involved. And the judge presiding over everything with the help of a computer-driven moderation program.

The judge was a blonde woman in her forties. Strained blue eyes covered in glasses, with the occasional grey hair that hadn't been dyed yet. Judge Miller was an old friend of Parker. They jogged together every morning, and the officer thought the woman took good care of herself even with all the stress of her job. The robes made her look larger than a pillowcase, of course, but Parker supposed that was the intent.

Lucio hunched down in his seat, chains running from his handcuffs to the floor. There weren't any tears on his face, but the bags under his eyes were too dark for a man of his age. A stony frown seemed to be pasted to his face, as if smashed there to keep anything else from seeping out. Even if the perp slouched down in an attempt to look casual, Parker could see the tightness of the muscles on his neck and at his temples. The way his eyes hopped around the courtroom. This wasn't a man that had given up. Not completely. He'd make a break for it if given the opportunity.

The evidence played. The police officers and paramedics gave their testimony. The coroner gave his opinion on the cause of death. All far too routine to decide the fate of a man's life. Judge Miller listened carefully during it all, though, her demeanor solemn.

The blonde judge finally turned to the young man. "So, given all of this, what do you have to say in your defense, Mr. Silva?"

Silence settled on the courtroom. It was as if an entire life waited for the next few words. "Suck my cock, bitch." Lucio lifted his head, jaw clenching as he looked at the judge. "Like anything I say would matter, anyway. Just get it over with."

The entire room looked in shock at Lucio, but he simply glared back at them. "Like any of you care. I'm not here to entertain you. Make you feel better. Oh, big bad guy kneels and crawls and begs you to please, just give him another chance. Fuck ya'll. I did what I did, and I can't ever take it back. Do what you have to do so you can go on with your happy little lives. Forget about me. Just like you always have." He crossed his arms and stared daggers at Judge Miller.

She gaped at the audacity of the man's words. The utter hubris behind them, like he was casting judgement on them. "Well, Mr. Silva, you may not be taking this seriously, but I assure you that the rest of us are." She slammed her gavel twice. "That'll conclude arguments. I'll recess to my chamber to make judgement."

Parker looked at Lucio as if he'd just stabbed her. Like he'd disappointed her. She got a tight, unhappy feeling in her stomach. Then she rushed over to where Judge Miller was heading for the door. "Kim, do you mind if I talk to you for a few minutes."

Judge Miller smiled over at her friend. "Sure. I could use a little talk before I think about just how much this you man has ruined his life." They left through the door into the judge's chamber.

 

[VerboseVillain]

The chamber was a similar style as the courtroom, although Judge Miller had placed abstract art on the walls rather than the landscapes the procedurals would have predicted. She took off her robe, straw hair stretching up towards the ceiling before falling back to her shoulders. Underneath, she wore a simple blue blouse and gray pants, although she allowed herself a pair of black heels underneath the robes. She went over to her desk and sat down behind it, reaching underneath to open a small fridge and pull out a bottle of sparkling water. "You need anything, Jenn?"

The officer shook her head. Her eyes went over to the window with a pensive look. One of her teeth bit into her round, plump bottom lip as her mind struggled to find the words for what she wanted to say.

"You don't need to worry, Jenn. It's just us here." The blonde woman took a long swig of her water. "I appreciate you coming in today. I know that we could have just made do with your body cam, but it's always better to hear it directly from someone on the scene. Hopefully, Sergeant Murphy won't make you work too much overtime to make up for it."

Jennifer Parker sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. "Oh, don't worry. She understands that I want to make sure this happens right. It's just..." She shook her head, still looking out the window. "It all feels like a mistake, you know?"

"Well yeah. One hell of a mistake on that young man's part. One that cost his victim his life." Kim got up to walk over and stand by her friend. "You don't need to worry. I'll make sure that he gets enough demerits to go to the death chamber. That guy will never walk the streets again."

"No," Jenn said almost too quickly. "It's not that. Not that at all. It seems such a waste. Lucio was never given much of a chance."

Kim's face clouded. "Look, I know that we've joked about some of the more attractive criminals that have come through here, Jenn. I mean, I get it. Most of them are in pretty good shape. But you can't really expect me to go soft on a guy that told me to suck him off..."

"That's not what he really said. Did you even listen?" Jennifer looked up into Kim's blue eyes. "He said to just get it over with. He has no faith in the system because the system has failed him. He wasn't really talking to you. He was talking to everybody. The schools, the job boards...law enforcement." Jenn frowned as she looked back outside. "He has kindness in him, Kim. I've seen it. Sharing whatever he stole with his friends. Putting up with that bully that we call a victim. Protecting that mangy cat. I can't help thinking that we...the system is making a mistake with him."

Kim tightened her lips. "So, you're saying that we should reform a guy that is actively looking for a way to escape, even now. That doesn't have a single skill to get him a job. Someone that is high risk, angry, and hasn't given up?"

"If he hasn't given up, then neither should we." Jennifer's stance got harder. Her broad shoulders went straight n her uniform. "Somebody like that can change. Has the willpower to change. We just need to show him that cooperating will get him far more than lashing out."

"Well," Kim pursed her lips for a moment, tapping her foot. "I don't see that in him, but I also don't know him as well as you do. You're sure about this, Jennifer?"

The officer nodded, looking directly at the judge. "Yes. I think that I can get through to him."

The judge shook her head, but smiled. "Okay, but you are taking custody of him. That means that he'll be at your place. Under your watchful eye. We'll put a taser collar on him and tie it to GPS, but he can do a lot of damage before you'll be able to use the controls to subdue him. You very well could be taking your life in your hands, but I trust you. And in a month, you need to show me one job skill that he's developed which will allow him to actually get an offer from the job board. If you can't make it work, he goes to the death chamber. Got it?"

 

[VerboseVillain]

Lucio stared at the corner of the courtroom, trying to think about anything but the judge coming out and announcing his death sentence. He was under no illusions about his chance to get past this. Justice was for other people. The valued. He was just some punk kid trying to scrape a living. Didn't do nothing for nobody. Only allowed to exist as long as he did nothing to nobody.

His eyes squeezed shut for a moment. Why had Twitchy kicked Spike? What in the hell had made him so mean that the little cat's affection had angered him so much? Spike just wanted a little head rub. Maybe a treat. And now Twitchy was dead, and Spike out there alone. All his fault. Fuck. Why had he popped off so hard like that? Jesus, he killed a guy simply for one kick. Fuck. He deserved the death chamber.

Lucio looked up with downcast eyes as the pair of women entered from the judge's chambers. His mouth was still a hard line, but his shoulders were slack. Here it came. What he deserved.

Judge Miller, again in her robes, walked up to her seat while the crowd rose. Not much of one for such a small case, but there were the standard retired curiosity seekers and media hoping for drama. Well, she supposed that they were about to get some sort of story out of this. She'd sentenced dozens of men to death for far worse crimes. But she guessed that, among those dozens, at least one would deserve access to the reformation program. That's why it existed, to give one final chance for someone to prove their value to society. Not just. Not even fair. But a way out, nonetheless.

"You may all be seated," she said, noting that Lucio hadn't moved an inch. Well, she guessed that was Jennifer's problem, now. "We all see before us a killer. Someone who burst into a rage and murdered someone that he called his friend." She glared at Lucio, who for the first time almost seemed to sink underneath her eyes. At least he was taking it seriously. Finally. "But society is not just concerned with justice. Or law. Efficiency. Rationality. These are the goals that we have been charged with since the New Society Compact of 2030."

The blonde looked out over the crowd. "As part of these initiatives, the Reform Act was signed in order to ensure that those individuals with the potential for positive net value to society could be salvaged before removal. That public servants, officers of the court, and adjudicators can provide individuals with a way to benefit our way of life."

"It's this Court's decision that Lucio Silva has such potential. He will be given one month to prove to the Court that he is capable of providing a positive contribution to society." She waited as the other people in the room blinked and looked at each other. Kim was well known as a hanging judge. To hear such words from her was a novelty. "Until such time, he will be fitted with a taser collar and remanded to the custody of Officer Jennifer Parker, who will take full responsibility for his behavior and whereabouts." The sound of the gavel reverberated through the room. "Court is adjourned."

Before the reporters could fully comprehend the novelty of what had just happened and inundate her with questions, Judge Miller stepped down from the bench and moved towards the door to her chamber.

Officer Parker managed to catch her just before she went through the door, touching the blonde's arm lightly. "Thank you, Kim."

"Thank me." Kim snorted slightly. "That was the easy part. You have one month, Jenn. He escapes. Hurts anyone. Even so much as thinks about taking that collar off...he'll be sent to the death chamber. His life is in your hands. And your life. If he tries anything, don't hesitate to fry his ass with the collar." She firmed her lips. "Whether he has potential or not, you definitely do." Kim left the officer behind, slamming the door behind her to indicate that further company would be unwelcome.

 

[VerboseVillain]

Lucio sat in shock for a moment. He fully expected to be dead. Or at best, confined to prison for a long period of time. Instead, he had...potential? Potential to do what? He chewed his lip, trying to decide what, if anything, that this could possibly mean. Did he even want to be reformed?

Without missing a beat, the bailiff grabbed the young man by the arm and pulled him to his feet. They left a murmuring crowd behind. Reporters were starting to crowd towards the front of the room with questions before the officer took Lucio back through a side entrance. She led him to a holding cell to wait for a few minutes before more officers appeared to take him further into the courthouse. Tile floors and wood paneling seemed to speed by them until they entered a room with a small examination table. There, a redhead in a white labcoat frowned at him before she moved towards a wand on a nearby table.

He'd already been chipped when he'd been booked, his database record indicating that he should be reported to the police if found. The redhead waved an electronic wand over his neck before going to a tablet terminal. She made a few entries, and then grabbed a collar from the table. It had two blunt metal prongs that pressed against his neck as she put it on. Then she secured it with a wire that went through the collar.

"A little briefing on your control collar." The redhead smiled and thrust one hip out to the side. He tried to ignore her low-cut green top that showed far more cleavage than should be allowed in a grim setting like this. "You aren't allowed to take it off. Do so, and it'll send out an alert to the nearest police station. You try to enter any buildings or go down any streets without the collar, and your chip will tell us where you are."

She feigned turning towards the door, and then turned back. "Oh, and of course, there's this!" She pulled out a black controller from her pocket and pressed a button. The redhead giggled as electricity surged through Lucio's spine, sending fire up and down his nerves. His muscles spasmed erratically, and he fell over on the table, doing everything he could not to roll off onto the floor. Finally, it stopped, and he slowly blinked, unclenching his hands as he tried to figure out how to make his body work again. "A little insurance so that you don't get out of line. Your handler will have this at all times, and all police officers carry one. You might want to be far more polite in the future."

"Any questions?" As he tried to get his wits together, she bent forward, giving him a clear view down her top. Her alabaster breasts dangled enticingly in the air, pulling his gaze to them. Then he yelped as he felt a quick shock run through his system. "Good." She smiled at him sadistically. "Oh, we'll have so much fun when you come in for maintenance. It's very important to make sure everything works!" She turned again as the door opened.

Officer Parker came into the small room. "Oh hey, hope that I wasn't interrupting anything. I wanted to collect my ward and get him back to my place before more of the press gets here."

"Oh, you weren't interrupting anything at all!" The redhead turned towards Lucio to give him a secret wink. The young criminal just rubbed his neck.

The officer glanced between the redhead and her new ward. "Good...I guess. I see that he's collared. Just sign here, and we'll get out of your hair. See you again in a week to check up on everything." She handed a tablet to the redhead. The other woman placed her thumb on the surface to sign and said in a sultry voice, "Oh, I look forward to it."

 

[VerboseVillain]

Lucio and Officer Parker went through the station, collecting his things on their way out. She called the station to let them know she would be using some leave, and then they walked towards a small white sedan. Lucio furrowed his brow for a moment, before remembering that he'd be going back with her to her place, not back towards the jail or to the streets. He'd never even thought of Officer Parker as someone who...well...lived somewhere? Was a person? She'd always been a lot of things as he grew up. Helper, advisor, adversary. A leg up when he was down and a watcher when he was bad. It had never occurred to him that she had someplace other than her car and the station.

Officer Parker waved for him to enter the car and slid into the driver's seat. Well, she was in for it now. She hadn't envisioned having a roommate when she left for work this morning, let alone taking care of a murderer. But, Lucio was a good kid. She'd first met him when she was a rookie, and had thought he was a cute kid. Scrawny and dumb in all the wrong ways, but also smart in some of the right ways. Still, she'd watched him grow into a man that often did the right thing in small ways, even if he did the wrong things to survive. He deserved a second chance, didn't he?

They drove back to her apartment in silence, neither of them really knowing what to say. Lucio looked out at the street before chuckling to himself. "Well, I ain't calling you mama."

"And you definitely ain't my boy," said Jennifer.

They both laughed together, easing some of the tension between them. It was going to be weird living together. New. But it felt like maybe they could get through it somehow.

When they parked, Jennifer led him into her apartment, fiddling with the lock before opening the door. She waved a fob at her alarm system to deactivate it. "This is my home, and yours for a little while. Please take your shoes off." She gestured to the shoe rack next to the door while taking her own shoes off.

 

[VerboseVillain]

He followed her lead, eyes wandering around her apartment. It was...neat. Like something from a brochure. Most of the time, Twitchy and him had to find some awning or tunnel to shelter in. Neat had never been in the cards. Hell, they were lucky if they were ever dry on rainy nights.

"First thing that you'll be doing is taking a shower." Officer Parker smiled at the young man, slight dimples deepening her cheeks. "And I'll get you something to wear. Don't worry about your collar. It's waterproof." She sniffed him a little. "Definitely a shower. I know they put you through before the trial, but I can still smell the cheap soap on you. Use the lavender on the third shelf." She stopped for a moment, appraising him. "It's the clear bottle with purple liquid inside. You should only need a dollop."

He gave her a forced smile. Whatever lavender was, he guessed that he'd smell like it, but at least she'd told him what it looked like. He'd never learned to read.

"So, a little tour before you freshen up. There's the kitchen." She gestured to a small area to one side of the entryway. It had a bar that opened out into the rest of the apartment. "It's not very big, but I also have a grill out on the balcony. Here's the living room..." She waved towards a larger room that led to a pair of double doors. There was a red rug on a tan carpet, a glass coffee table, and a black couch opposite a large television. "You'll be sleeping here for now. I only have the one bedroom." She gestured to a door beside the television. "That's it. You aren't allowed inside, for now. Laundry is off the kitchen. And that other door is the bathroom."

His eyes darted around as he tried to take it all in. A living room? A bedroom? He'd heard of those before, but only in an abstract way like a story someone had once told him. Shelters and awnings really didn't have these things. And he supposed the sofa would be a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. "Okay...I guess..." He went into the bathroom and shut the door tentatively, uncertain about being alone...truly alone...in a room for the first time in his life.

 

[VerboseVillain]

It'd taken him a bit to work out how to use the shower, but it wasn't too dissimilar from some of the group showers that he'd been in. The purple soap did smell better than the sharp prison soap that he was used to, but he supposed that was the point of the prison soap, to make you not want to be there. He didn't linger long, not being comfortable in the solitary space. When he got out and toweled off, he opened the door before remembering that he wasn't alone in the apartment.

Jennifer looked over at him and let out a sharp chirp that made him hide behind the door. Her eyes seemed glued to the door, remembering the hard and scarred body of the man behind it. "Oh, your clothes are right there. On the floor. I got you the largest sizes that I have, but I'll have to order something later to get you something more...appropriate." When he put the clothes on and stepped out from behind the door, she stared at the overlarge chest and thighs contained in a t-shirt and shorts that were straining to contain them. "Maybe sooner rather than later." She had a brief vision of his hulking body wrapped around hers, and she blinked it away. No, that wasn't even close to appropriate.

"You can relax and watch television for now." A video on sewing was currently on. In all honesty, he was lucky that she often went to thrift shops and bought cheap clothes for materials. Often, she could find unique patterns and colors that weren't available for delivery, especially on the older clothing. "I'll make us dinner in a bit."

Lucio's eyes went up to Jennifer briefly. No longer in her uniform, she'd changed into a green v-neck with black pajama pants that made no secret about her curves. His young libido burned briefly before he lidded it. This was the first time he'd been with any woman in such an...intimate setting. He walked over to the couch and sat as apart from her as he could, crossing his leg to hide the inevitable result from being that close to a gorgeous woman. It was difficult, since she sat right in the middle, but he managed it with some tension to push himself up against the armrest. "Okay."

They sat silently there for a few moments, watching the intricacies of a herringbone stitch. Then he sat up a little bit, doing his best to keep looking at the screen and ignore the femininely-sweet smells coming from her. "Thank you." Lucio chewed his lip for a moment. It'd been really hard for him to say that. Owing anyone a favor on the street could mean that you killed in return. Or were killed. "You could have let me be executed, but now I have another chance, again."

"No problem." She turned to smile at him, and he risked a glance at her before turning away. She said, "Relax tonight, but we're not out of the woods, yet. We still need to prove that you can provide value to society. But I'll help you with that. Don't worry about it, for now."

 

[VerboseVillain]

They continued to watch different random Youtube videos that were on Jennifer's watch list. There were a few sewing ones and one or two with commentary about different reality TV series. Lucio didn't really perk up until a few on cooking showed up. He'd never seen such wonderful food prepared for carefully. Most of his diet had come from convenience stores. It was in the middle of a scandal involving some contestants in a constantly flying jet that he finally nodded off, the warmth and softness of the couch finally overcoming his natural wariness from a life on the streets.

Jennifer covered him with a blanket and smiled that a guy like him had another chance. Even with his constant run-ins with the law, he'd been a kind sort that just never could catch a break. She'd watched him spend part of his money to get candy for some of the younger kids at his school, when he'd been allowed to go. Once or twice, he'd dragged a homeless person into a shelter on especially cold days, likely saving their lives. And of course, there was that raggedy cat that always seemed to follow him around. What was its name, again? For a brief moment, Jennifer frowned. The cat likely had no idea what had happened to Lucio. She wondered how it was faring out in the world without something to look out for it.

It was late before she decided to turn in, taking advantage of the fact that she wouldn't be reporting to work tomorrow. They had a lot of work ahead of them if he was to keep his life and freedom. Once she got into her bedroom, she stopped for a moment. Then she locked the bedroom door.

===

The next day, Lucio woke to the sound of bowls clattering in the kitchen. He tensed up, glancing around quickly. This wasn't his prison cot, or the cardboard nest that he'd made in an alley. The events of the day prior came back to him, and he relaxed. That's right, he was at Officer Parker's place. That was likely her making all of the noises.

"Are you awake?" Jennifer looked over the bar to Lucio. "Great! Let's get some breakfast, and then we can get started on some reading lessons. I've downloaded a few lessons on the tablet, and I'd like to get you through a lot of them before lunch."

 

[VerboseVillain]

"Oh yeah, breakfast? Where are you getting it from?" His eyes went down to a skillet where she was cooking an omelet. It took him a moment to connect what she was doing with what he'd seen on the video. "Oh, wait...you're  making that? That...that is  amazing!"

Jennifer couldn't help blush slightly. She was only making a simple omelet, which was something she often did on her days off. A little something nice for herself to enjoy when she had the time. "It's simple, really. I can show you how sometime." She smiled, cheeks dimpling slightly.

"Oh, you'll definitely have to show me." Lucio's eyes watched her elegant hands with a hungry eagerness that had to do with more than food, although he couldn't understand why.

Jennifer served them both on plates, and they ate. Her, with an almost mechanical habit. Him, with an obvious enthusiasm that made her wonder if he'd ever had homemade food. When she thought about it, he'd probably never had homemade food.

"So that is called an omelet. We'll make it together tomorrow. Right now, we've got reading to do. It doesn't matter what job you're going to have, you'll need to know how to read." Jennifer put their plates away and got a book from her bedroom.

Lucio tilted his head. "Really? I don't ever see anyone reading books on the job."

Jennifer shook her head and brought the book up to the coffee table. "Yeah, and you never see them take money, huh? Just swipe cards and phones, right?"


"Okay, okay. I guess I'll need to know how to read." Lucio frowned down at the book pensively. "Are you sure that you're going be able to show me how? It's been a long time since I've been kicked out of school."

"Not a problem. We'll see where you're at, to start, and then I'll buy some lessons for you." She leaned in close to him, opening the book.

The plunging neckline of her green shirt drew his eyes, while her feminine smell made him shift uncomfortably. Combined with the warmth of her body against his, it wasn't long before he could feel his cock pressing up against his shorts. He slid back on the couch further and leaned forward to try to hide it, but it didn't stop the small pangs of pleasure that shot up every time the fabric shifted against his tip.

It didn't take long for her to figure out that he could barely recognize the alphabet. It was obvious that he'd likely been passed along through grade school until he'd been kicked out. She doubted that he'd gotten a lot of resources to read while in the few shelters that accepted males.


"Alright. Let me get a lesson for you." She fiddled with her tablet for a moment, and then she handed it over to him. "There. Work on this, and I'll check on you in a little bit."

 

[VerboseVillain]

Lucio frowned and turned the tablet over in his hands. With a slight hesitation, he pressed a glowing button, and the tablet said, "A". He nodded and pressed it again. Then he found the same character on the next screen and pressed it.

He spent the morning passing through the alphabet and dozens of simple words. Jennifer was out jogging, so he had the apartment to himself. He didn't even notice his solitude, with his entire focus on the tablet. He needed to do this so that he could survive. So Jennifer could be proud of him.


Then the next word came up. "Dead". He didn't recognize it, mouthing "dee-add" while he tried to work out what it was. Then he hit the button and the tablet spoke the word. "Dead". That couldn't be right. Shouldn't it have been "Ded"? Or even "Did"? Why was that "A" in there?

Dead, like a door nail. Dead, like a broken phone in the gutter. Dead, like Twitchy with his purple, bumpy head and lips cracked open. Dead, like the flesh and bone that had squished beneath Lucio's feet. Dead, like those blank accusatory eyes that he'd known, instinctively, were dead.

He threw the tablet on the coffee table, unable to look at that word anymore. Dead. The mouth always quick with some sort of quip or another. Dead. The hands that had propped up their little cardboard shelter in the rain. Dead, dead, dead.

He had to do something. To get away from that word. The short, hammer of the Ds. The long exhalation of pain in between. Dead. He'd made Twitchy dead. His best friend in the world, cracked and broken on the sidewalk. "No no no no no."

He didn't deserve this. A second chance. The soft sofa. That wonderful omelet this morning. He didn't deserve any of this. What did he deserve? Dead.

Lucio scrambled away from the couch and to the bathroom, climbing into the tub. He pulled down the shower curtain in panic, wrapping himself in plastic to hide away from that work. His eyes fixed on an intersection of lines on the cheap plastic wall, rocking slightly to focus on the slight sensation rather than clouded eyes and oozing wounds. To occupy himself with anything but that dreaded word.

 

[VerboseVillain]

Jennifer came in, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. She'd met Kim out on the trail, and they both spent a lot of the time discussing different sewing projects that they were working on. By the time she got back, she felt a little exhausted and knew that she'd need a shower before going about the rest of her day.

She thought briefly about how Lucio was doing. The poor guy really was clueless in a lot of areas, and he needed to catch up quick if they were going to satisfy her friend. Even if she saw Kim most days, the judge was always difficult to please. That's part of why Jennifer liked her, in truth, because she always pushed Jennifer to be better at her job. Gather more information. Track it better. And always look out for the details that could get a case thrown out. However, Kim's perfectionist tendencies also extended to people, and she was often known as a 'hanging judge' who expected a lot of consideration for any sort of leniency. She'd definitely run Lucio through the wringer especially since people would look twice about her relationship with Jenn. But hey, what a couple of women did after some glasses of wine were not anyone else's business.

The cop entered the door expecting to see her charge hard at work on the couch. When he wasn't there, she frowned. He must have been in the bathroom, maybe? "Lucio? I just got back. Do you want to talk about some of your lessons? If you've finished, I can show you how to make a salad for lunch..."

For a moment, she heard the faint sound of weeping from the bathroom. Her heart sank. She was afraid of something like this once he'd had the time to process what had happened. "Lucio, are you in the bathroom? I'm coming in." She'd scheduled Lucio for some sessions with a government-paid mental health professional. Part of getting him productive involved healing far more than just the scars from the streets.

Jennifer went in, her movements slow and measured. She didn't know what had triggered him, but she also knew that he was likely to be extremely dangerous in this state. For a moment, she pulled out the controller for his collar to ensure that she had it. She didn't see him immediately, but the sounds were coming from the shower curtain obviously ripped and wrapped around something in the corner of the tub. Well, shit, she'd have to replace that, anyway. "Lucio, I'm going to sit down next to you in case you want to talk. I just want you to take some deep breaths for me, okay?"

 

[VerboseVillain]

The young man seized upon hearing Jennifer's voice. No, no, no. She couldn't be here seeing him like this. She'd think he was crazy. She'd make sure that he got locked up or executed. No, he had to pull it together.

As her soft footfalls came next to him, her familiar scent washed over him. The sweet smell of her feminine sweat carried through the air, making him feel slightly better. Braver. Maybe she'd understand. As he removed the plastic shower curtain from his head, her beautiful face came into view. Those brown eyes squinted in concern. The thin edges of her lips parting into a lush kiss that begged for his attention. Her nose upturned to the side just slightly in an imperfection that only made the rest of her face more stunning by comparison.

As his eyes began to refocus out on the entirety of her face, alarm and anger began to come back. This was the face that had saved him. The face that had seen him murder his friend. The face that could've stopped him. Any relaxation in his face seized back up as his eyes narrowed.

"You. You were there." He stood, the criminal towering over the smaller cop as he stepped out of the shower curtain. "You could have stopped me.  Should have stopped me."

Jennifer backed away quickly into the living room, her hand gripping the control to his collar. "It's okay, Lucio. I can tell that you're feeling hurt right now. Let's talk about this."

"No." He lowered his chin and glared at her. "You were there. You should have protected him." The young man stalked forward, his shoulders swinging wide as he followed her.

She put her hands in front of her, almost like the control was a shield. "Lucio, you need to calm down. Don't forget that I can stop you in your tracks at any moment." She pressed the button briefly, sending a short shock from his collar.

Pain snaked down Lucio's body as he briefly lost control of his body. Adrenaline and fear burst across his fear as he felt the shock bring him to his knees, but he did not fall. As soon as the shock let up, he raised his head and lunged at his guardian, slamming her into the wall.

Jennifer grunted as her charge smashed her against drywall. The hand holding the control faltered, and it fell to the floor, but she was far from unarmed. She wrapped her arms underneath Lucio's armpits and twisted while one of her feet hooked around his back leg. With a loud thump, Lucio's back hit the ground with Jennifer on top, her arms sliding out from his arms. But before she could release her arms from his, Lucio grabbed behind her back and hit forward with his forehead into hers, rattling the cop enough that she lost her balance for a moment.

With another crash, she fell over onto her belly, and he crawled onto her back, instincts from dozens of streetfights lending him an inexpert skill that combined with his size to counter her training. Lucio reached down to wrap his arm around her neck, his head bent down to keep her from slamming the back of her skull into his face. The scent of her hair and the softness of her curves underneath him sent a new and unsettling surge of lust through him, his young cock growing from all the motion of the mature woman underneath him. His anger still lent him strength, but he found himself losing focus as his masculine instincts reacted to the warmth of the woman beneath him.

Her eyes widened in panic as his full weight bore down on her curved ass and hard back. With a quick jerk, she spotted the control for his collar and shot her hand out for it. Then she noticed it. Something hard and distinctly masculine rubbing against her backside. She gasped as fear and something heretofore unexpected sank into her stomach. To her shocked chagrin, she felt a surge of desire for that eager young cock pressed up against her.

It'd been some time since she'd been with a man. Given their propensity for violence and aggression, they often bore little value for a modern society that required teamwork and social skills. But, even her intimate time with other women hadn't been common of late, with her caseload and patrols. She knew this wasn't right. That she shouldn't be feeling this. Not towards a young man that depended on her help and guidance if he was to realize his full potential. But her body betrayed her with a warmth that made her face blush and her thighs rub together.

 

[VerboseVillain]

Rage and desire warred in Lucio's mind. She was a cop. The enemy. He and Twitchy had always joked about what they'd do to a cop once they had control of one. The officers had always been so smug and patronizing whenever they locked one or both of the boys away. They both had just wanted to beat the shit out of any one that they could corner. Countless hours had been spent discussing the finer points of kicks to various joints and punches to the head. And now he had a cop completely within his power. The cop that had watched as Twitchy died. But...

Her scent made his nostrils flare and his mind burn. The soft hair wrapped around her shoulders as her curves shimmied up against his cock. Yes, she was a cop. But, she'd been one of the few people to show him any kindness as he grew up. And, the edge of her jaw tapered so elegantly down to her gentle neck. It almost invited him to...before he could stop himself, he brought his lips to the soft flesh of the officer's neck. His face flushed and hands tingled as the smell of her skin wafted up through his mouth and up into his nostrils.

Jennifer gasped and clenched her eyes shut as she felt the brush of the young man's lips against her neck. His breath tickled the small hairs along her skin. No no no, she had to get control of this. Ignore the quaking of her legs and the comfort of those strong arms around her. Then the soft touch of his tongue slipped against her neck, and she let out a groan that was needy and not at all ambiguous. She could feel the weight of circumstance bearing down on the two of them, and she no longer even wanted to escape.

Lucio leaned back up, which pressed his covered cock down against her ass. Gentleness took over from the power of anger as he brushed a loose tuft of hair back over her ear, and then he began to softly rub the back of his fingers against her cheek. His guardian was blushing deeply beneath him, letting out sounds that would have shamed her in any other context. He simply continued to enjoy the sensation of her skin underneath his fingers. Then he moved his hand down to squeeze one of her generous breasts.