Dakota was finishing closing up the restaurant when he'd gotten William's phone call. He could hear how upset William was from the sound of his voice, and when he told him what had happened, Dakota had actually seen red.

His own visceral reaction had startled him. He hadn't felt that blinding, sudden rage in so many years, and he had to take a few moments to let his heart-rate slow after hanging up the phone. It was hearing the tone of William's voice that had triggered him. He could hear the burden of William's experiences bubbling up in the jarred, distant way he spoke, which was so utterly different from his usual voice.

He raced over to the condo and called him as he walked up to the front door, not wanting to alarm him with the momentary uncertainty of knocking or ringing a doorbell. William threw open the door and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I know you were at work, and I feel like shit dragging you into this stupid situation. This shouldn't even be happening."

"Hey, hey," Dakota said. "It's fine. Okay? C'mon."

He swore, if that son of a bitch showed up here...

Dakota felt a surge of energy run down his body, tightening his muscles like steel wire being wound around a spool. His fist clenched and a thought flashed through his mind of punches and broken, bloodied faces, and how fucking good it'd feel to teach that motherfucker a lesson.

He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and breathed. Stop it. Let go. The feeling drifted into the shadows of his mind.

Inside, a little boy sat on the couch clutching a toy lightsaber. Dakota recognized him from all the photos. "Hey, you must be Nate," he said.

"Nate, this is Dakota," William said. "Come meet him."

Nate looked at him shyly from the couch, rolling the lightsaber back and forth in his lap.

"He's super excited to meet you, I promise," William said.

"It's okay," Dakota said, and went over to the couch. "Cool if I sit?"

"Uh-huh," said Nate, and he sat down next to the boy, who tilted his head to look up at him. "You're really big."

"Yeah? I used to be your size, when I was your age."

"I'm four feet three inches."

"That sounds about right. Nate, I'm gonna stay over for the night, just to make sure you guys are okay. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Is my father going to come here?"

"Um, I don't know. But if he does, I'll take care of it. So don't worry about it. Plus, you've got your lightsaber, right?"

"Yeah. It's a Luke Skywalker one." He flipped the extendable plastic blade out and turned it on, making the distinctive buzzing sounds as he swung it back and forth.

"There you go. You're Luke, and I'm... Chewbacca. Chewie always looked after his friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. So, I'll be staying in your dad's room. If you get scared, just come and let us know."

"Okay. It's okay if you guys kiss and stuff. I don't mind."

"Uhh..." Dakota felt his face grow hot, and William snorted.

"Just look after my dad, okay?"

"I promise."

"You're pretty cool. Thanks, Chewie," Nate said, a smile cracking on his face. Dakota laughed.

"Okay, bud," William said. "Let's go put you in bed."

Dakota waited in the living room as William went to go tuck Nate in. He was glad he was able to make Nate feel a little better, but he was worried about William and what would happen if this guy actually showed up. What the hell was his motivation, contacting William out of the blue like that? Was he dangerous? He realized he didn't know enough to properly get an idea of what kind situation they were in. He'd purposely avoided asking about this guy because he knew that it was a painful subject for William—but also because he hadn't wanted to delve into his own hard past.

He found the note from Eddie on the kitchen table and read it. He felt flickers of heat deep in his chest. This guy was a piece of trash. Fucking scumbag.

"Thank you again," William said, coming back into the living room, massaging his wrist nervously. "I thought that this whole thing was behind us. Really, Dakota, I'm so sorry for dragging you into this."

He hated that William was apologizing to him for this. There was nothing to apologize for. He went forward and wrapped his arms around William, pulling him tight. "William, I want you to understand how serious this relationship is to me. I know it's difficult for you to trust my commitment to you but understand that I've never felt this way about anyone before, and I'm not taking the connection we have for granted. I used to think that my restaurant was the only thing I'd ever find in life worth dedicating myself to, but now I'm certain that's not true. I'm here for you, understand? You can count on me."

He felt William's warm tears wetting the fabric of his shirt. "I want to," he said, softly. "It's hard for me."

"I know," Dakota said. "Trust me, I know." He exhaled. "I think I should tell you about how I got these scars on my hands."

They sat down on the couch, and Dakota talked. William sat quietly, gently rubbing his fingers against the markings on Dakota's knuckles, taking it all in. The more Dakota spoke, the more he wanted to tell. He'd held so much of this back for so long, and he hadn't realized how freeing it would feel to let it out. He told him everything, about his resentment and anger, about the fights he used to get into when he felt he or others had been wronged, and how it'd just been an excuse to channel his rage. How it'd felt amazing to fight and win, and to just let all that anger out into another person. Dakota began to shiver as a strange feeling of shame and anxiety washed over him. There was one final thing, the one thing that no one else knew except his mother and father. He kept the secret deep inside, the shame of it always there, eating at him, taunting him, making him distrust himself.

"I was apprenticing at Katsuo-sensei's ramen shop," he said. "I'd been there for five years. I was a great student, one of the most skilled. But five years is nothing. I could've gone another five before feeling like I was at a level where I could even think about opening my own shop. And I would've, if I hadn’t been forced to leave the country.

"We had these regulars, an alpha and omega couple that would come in with their kid. Great little family, right? They'd always come in and all three would order the same thing. They always seemed so happy. Then one day, I notice bruises on the omega's arm. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt so they were partially hidden, but when he reached up to take his bowl of ramen from me, I could clearly see the markings. It looked like he'd been grabbed. I didn't want to assume anything, but then when they came in again the following week, I could see bruises on his neck beneath the scarf he was wearing."

"Oh my god," William said.

"I tried to ignore it. But I kept seeing the bruises. More of them. And I started to detect the coldness between the two, like they were putting on a face, pretending to be happy. I was seeing them so often, it was impossible for me to ignore. Every time I served that alpha his ramen, I wanted to throw the bowl in his face. I'd thought that I'd gotten over my anger, but there it was. And I probably could've managed it... But then, one day as I was walking home from work, I saw the alpha. He was with an omega, but it wasn't his mate. They were both dressed in suits, so I assumed it was a coworker, but then he reaches over and grabs the guy's ass. I thought I was seeing things."

William was silent, tense.

"So, I followed them," Dakota continued. "I was so angry. I thought of their kid, and what kind of shitty situation he must be going through at home. I followed them and saw them go into a love hotel."

"A love hotel?"

"It's a hotel where you can pay to stay for a short period of time. They're all over Tokyo."

"I see."

"I was furious. Deliriously angry. I ended up standing outside, waiting until he came back out. And when he did, I called him out on everything I'd seen. He was drunk. He swung at me, hit me in the face. I swung back, and I kept swinging. I couldn't even think, I was so angry. I... I nearly killed him. I was arrested. I would’ve been locked up in jail if his omega lover hadn’t come and confirmed that I was defending myself. His mate also reported the abuse to the police. But I was expelled from the country. That's when I came here."

"You saved his mate and his son," William said. "Who knows what might've happened otherwise?"

"I know... But what if I'd been wrong about what I saw? I nearly killed him, all because I couldn't keep myself in check."

"Do you still feel it? The anger?"

Dakota took a long and deep breath. "I felt it again for the first time when you called me. I want to believe that I'm completely aware of it now, but... I'd thought that before."

William was silent for a few moments, until he pushed his hands into Dakota's and squeezed them tightly. "I'm glad you told me about all of that. It must've been hard for you to say it all."

"I haven't told anyone that before. Just you."

"I think... I think you're a good person, Dakota. There's nothing you've said or done that has led me to believe otherwise. I think we both were misguided in our lives, but we're trying to do the best we can now. I trust you. And trust your ability to know and control yourself now. If Eddie shows up, I know you won't make the same mistake again."

He took Dakota's face into his hands and kissed him, and with the touch of his lips, Dakota felt a warm rush of relief wash over him. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Thank you for being here for me," William whispered back.

Dakota picked William up from the couch, cradling him in his arms, and carried him up to the bedroom.