Big Boss was nervous, beyond nervous in fact. His hands were already clammy and his sweat was a visible sheen on his face. In fact sitting here he could feel himself visibly age. In the many years he had dealt with the underground, the amount of cutthroats, murderers and ugly deals would leave the usual person shaking but not him. And yet here he was, trembling down to his toes like a teenager asking his crush out. Yes, he was meeting the family of Wild Tiger.
To have a child that would leave some superheroes to shame and a vicious nature to boot it was simply terrifying what childhood he suffered and endures to be endlessly polished as a lethal weapon in the form of a ten year old.
Sitting on the comfy couch, an array of biscuits and tea was standing on the table. Oh it looked innocent, but he knew the facade could crumble away at any moment. He remembered that Wild Tiger gave specific instructions on how to deal with his parents and the absolute rule he put up was "Absolutely do not tell them you are a gangster. My parents will murder me first and then you straight after" Will said with a firm tone. Something that could drive the Wild Tiger with fear was beyond formidable, and Bigg Boss took it to heart. A true incarnation of death, an avatar to send him straight to the afterlife in the guise of this boy's parents sent shivers down his spine. Although he held the value of his life above all else, like a true criminal, the rewards were almost worth the risk. If he could pull through this.
"So Mister?...." A mature woman's voice interrupted his thoughts as he patted his shiny forehead with his handkerchief.
"Fish" Big Boss answered back quickly. He saw at the corner of his eye that the woman tried to hold back a snort of laughter with her mouth. Truly formidable, they could easily laugh at such a nickname. It was given to him back in his heyday when he personally went out and beat other gangsters black and blue, but in the eyes of these dangerous people it truly was a joke.
"Well so what did you see in our son that made him worthy of a place at North Shore High?" The woman enquired. Big Boss looked over as Will was sitting just behind his mother and trying to give some hand signals but Big Boss knew he could only fly by the seat of his pants in this situation. 'I'm sorry Will, I can't understand military hand signs' Big Boss said in his mind. Truly this family is formidable to even have such knowledge.
"Well to say the least after talking with the young man for a while he possessed a wisdom and smarts way above his age. We believe he will truly do well at our school" Big Boss said, letting the lies flow out of his mouth.
The woman smiled and sent a beaming smile at Will who was trying hard to stay composed under the gaze of his mother. But to Big Boss he could easily feel concerned. Knowing that these people were wearing a mask it looked obvious that the kid's mother was already probing into the both of them. Which meant danger since she was starting to catch on earlier than they had expected.
"So what will happen for Will's scholarship?" a man interrupted sitting on one of the solitary comfort chairs in the room as he listened quietly to his wife question the man and jumping in when she needed a breather. It seemed this pair were truly in sync to match other so well.
Big Boss gave a glance over at the wild child's father and it was obvious the danger this man presented. His body was rock solid and with a short sleeve shirt being worn, Big Boss could easily see the man was beyond fit. In fact everyone in the family looked quite fit. As if flashing back to when he learnt about Will it seemed more like a local gang story to scare the newcomers but all the potential rumours were true. Imaging that child's strength and agility with these parents made him shiver at the thought.
"Oh dear, we didn't realise it was so cold. Darling open the window up to let som warm air through" Will's mother instructed and the boys father complied rather hastily. The action caught Big Boss' eye immediately 'They couldn't be reading me for being so weak in their presence right? But if he showed off to these lethal assassins then it would blow the plans Will and he made earlier.
"No, no it's fine. The summer cold has already come around so I've been trying to hold it back" Big Boss continued slowly filling his room with whatever bullshit he could spout out. Anything to keep those parents from suspecting him.
"When will he begin studies Mr. Fish?" Rachel asked Big Boss. Big Boss was truly happy that he and Will had run past a number of these questions earlier as prep holding up under intense questioning.
"We believe he can start studies next year but we won't be placing him into the highschool until in three years time. He has to catch up with the curriculum due to your school closing but by then I think he would qualify for a scholarship, so we hope for your continued support in this area." Big Boss gave a slight smile, watching as the two parents happily whispered between themselves. Hopefully this would settle the remaining questions.
"We can't wait to have our son study there, though we might have to move houses again if we want to stay close to his school" Rachel murmured. Big Boss began to sweat from the thought if they found out about their son's escapades and was more than happy to jump right in.
"No worries about that, we'll be sending a car to pick him up everyday for school. We don't find it an issue since we value the boy highly" Big Boss continued, though he knew it was a pain in the ass to throw the little resources they had right now onto the child it was still the best hope the gang had of making it big.
"Wow, do all the scholarship students get this kind of treatment?" Rachel asked in surprise. Big Boss could see her suspicions were raised and felt the need to alleviate them in front of the tigress.
"Not all, under the condition that he achieved his scholarship then we believe supporting our students give us more benefits than downfalls" Big Boss continued to explain. Soon the conversation wound down into general chatter and Big Boss could see Will was quite happy with the results. Having defused the potential bomb that was the family Big Boss could finally relax and left the family to their own talks.
After closing the door behind him, he turned to see E was waiting at the car for him outside, inhaling a half burnt cigarette. And now to make my retreat. Knowing he had the Wild Tiger him, even though he would be taken for a ride. It gave him hope that the future wasn't so bleak after all.