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"Nulla poena sine culpa" (1/???)

Summary: Bi-Han x Reader. Organized crime AU. Reader and Bi-Han meet again after a traumatic event after the death of his father. Not proofread.

Characters: Bi-Han, Reader (Gender neutral, referred to as Y/N), Tomas, Kuai Liang, small Liu Kang cameo, Raiden and Kung Lao mentioned, kinda.

Word count: 3.5K

Content Warning: THIS CHAPTER IN SPECIFIC DEALS WITH HEAVY TOPICS ABOUT ROUGH CHILDHOODS (Mostly based in my memories growing up in a barrio) Poverty, Food insecurity, Drug use, Drug manifacturing, crime, gun incidents, gun related death, implied patricide (?, homelesness, drinking, bars.

A/N: Like I said previously, a lot of what is described in this specific chapter are chunks of my own childhood on a rough neighborhood. I tried to be as respectful with the topic as someone who survived this type of stuff <3

A/N 2: This will be series, probably. I will be writing parts as soon as my imagination requires me to, and the next episodes will be solely focused on 2024 and how Bi-Han runs things (and maybe finds love???) So, SLOW BURN. (P.S. search what the title means and I will be very happy)

White Rabbit.

It was a Sunday afternoon on an unnamed street in a place everyone had sworn they had lived in at least once. Y/N sat down on the sidewalk as they traced a drawing on chalk. A small white bunny is being chased by a blonde girl. Recently they had watched a VHS their brother had brought from his work at Blockbuster and was played on a loop. It was all there was to watch, after all. Though Y/N did not mind at all, as a matter of fact. The movie had brought them comfort in the complicated days they had lately. One single egg on the fridge, yet their brother could do wonders in the kitchen.

Y/N mindlessly colored the drawing, filling the dress with a light blue. Blue. What a familiar color, they thought as they raised their head to the nearby house. The prettiest one in the neighborhood. Also, the biggest one. I had always been curious since it was a pretty poor neighborhood. Yet that family seemed to be well off.

Blue and red lights blinked from the patrol car and ambulance parked in the neighbor's yard.

It seemed like their neighbors had run into some trouble. What a shame. Their eyes scanned the scene as they watched the 3 boys who lived there abandon the place accompanied by a social worker. The eldest seemed perturbed. The kid was maybe one or two years older than Y/N. As he explained the situation to the social worker and his youngest brother sobbed in the middle child's arms, the black-haired kid locked eyes with Y/N as he furrowed his brows, almost as if telling them off. They were surprised by this and decided to lower their head and continue their coloring. Intrigued by what had happened.

It had been in the newspapers the day next. Y/N sat as they ate their breakfast and listened to their older brother read the news to them. "Tragic Accident unfolds on household: Man leaves 3 children behind." Y/N's ears perked. An accident, you say?

"What happened?" They asked as they stared out the window at the house in front, munching on the grilled cheese sandwich their brother prepared. Y/N's brother shook his head and sighed.

"There was a loaded gun at the house. Apparently, it fell. The bullet ricocheted." He scratched his chin and closed the curtains so his little sibling would stop looking out the window. "I hear his oldest was there. Poor kid, I can't imagine what he's going through."

"Hey, Y/N. If you go play with the kids next door don't talk to them about what happened, okay? They don't need to be sad."

"Okay. No talking about them about their dad." Y/N repeated, then sipped from their glass.

Later that evening, they went to the kid's house, moving past the police tape, and knocked on the door, but nobody was home. Y/N sat down in the doorway and kicked their legs trying to survive their boredom. Their brother worked all day, so they had to entertain themselves in the meantime.

As they moved surrounding the house, Y/N was surprised to see a window unlocked. Seizing the chance, they opened the window and climbed it, clumsily landing on a nearby couch. They closed their eyes for an instant, rubbing their back where they had hit themselves. Then, they stood up, scanning the place: The house was nice inside, too.

That was something relevant for them to notice.

There weren't a lot of framed pictures, but the ones that they did spot looked almost... Militaristic, too serious, too still. Only one white-haired child smiled in them; the rest of the people featured usually kept a stern and reserved look. Y/N's eyes locked on the photograph of the eldest child: He was sitting in a chair and he covered half of his face with his hand, visibly annoyed. It registered on their mind that maybe he had not been upset with them for staring the day before, but rather, that he looked like that most of the time.

Finding the thought amusing, Y/N left the photograph in its place and continued their exploration of the house, heading to the kitchen.

They stopped for a moment as they saw an expertly crafted laboratory on the table. Y/N tilted their head as they approached, touching the glassware, fascinated by the colors of it and running a hand along the wood surface, stumbling over two small plastic bags containing two colorful pills each, read "drink me" and "eat me." The kid held them and inspected them. <<Just like Alice>> They thought, then scrunched their nose putting the bags down. They knew what Molly was. Their brother kept a few of those on his nightstand for when his nights became unbearable.

The kid pondered on what they had learned for a second. Well, that explained why they were loaded.

Maybe it was time to leave. Y/N realized and made their way back to the living room, accidentally tripping and falling face-first onto the floor. They groaned, incorporating themselves only slightly, rubbing their face and realizing exactly where they had fallen.

A chalk drawing. Just like the one they had made the day before on the sidewalk, only this time it traced a human figure. An adult man's figure. Their breath hitched and they fell on their back, watching in horror the scene. The crime scene.

Their stomach turned, and as they prepared themselves to leave-

Bump! A sports bag landed on the floor then a kid entered the house quickly. It was that boy! Their neighbor... The two children locked eyes an instant, and he flinched assuming a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" He pointed at them and lifted them up the floor with ease. "What are you doing here?"

"I- Uh-" They stumbled on their words nervously, then looked up and down at him. His eyes were red and swollen, and there was a hint of timidness behind his aggression. They noticed his hands were shaking. "Are you all right?"

The boy froze in place and pressed his lips together as he held back his tears, unsure of what to answer. Obviously, he was not doing good. He was a child out in the wild after his father died, and not knowing why, Y/N couldn't help but feel a terrible grief, the most horrendous pain striking their chest. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the kid in front of him begin crying... almost as if they had been crying for him.

Awkwardly, Bi-Han attempted to calm them down, patting their back roughly and looking around. "Hey, hey, it's fine." He muttered and ran a hand through his hair, flicking a tear out of their eye and forcing himself to keep control of the situation, as he always did. "Look. Stop crying, I need you to calm down." He attempted, and after a while, Y/N nodded and wiped their tears away.

Relieved, the boy sighed and stared at them with cold sternness, one that didn't belong to a boy his age. "Who else is here?"

"... no one- Just- Just me." They sniffed and hiccuped. Making the other kid roll his eyes and turn, desperately searching for things and turning the house upside down with quick ability. He looked tense, afraid of something, and that piqued their curiosity: Leaning over his shoulder as he ran his hands under the couch, finding the thing he was looking for. A... box of crayons? It was the same brand that Y/N used, the one with a white bunny on the front. He emptied the box in his bag. Bullets. Oh-

He discarded the box, and Y/N crouched, putting it in their pocket. He grunted and continued to get rid of a bunch of different stuff.

"If you're going to stay here. At least help me." He told them panicked. Y/N flinched and stared down at the black-haired boy, who didn't turn to look at them, too focused on his task.

"... What do I do?" Y/N asked, and he moved on his knees toward the TV, moving it and removing the money hidden behind it. He counted it concentrated.

"Go upstairs. You will see four rooms. Go to the first one to your right. That is my siblings' room. Next to the bunk beds, there's a trunk. Open it. Bring a pair of shoes of each size, then go to the closet and look for a pair of Pajamas, again, one on each size. Also shirts and pants..." He stopped for a second, thinking about what else would his brothers need. "Toothpaste. And their toothbrushes."

Y/N nodded then they turned to go upstairs, but he stopped them. "There's also a stuffed animal. The gray one, not the brown one... Tomas can't sleep without it." Bi-Han considered. His little brother being unable to sleep was his personal nightmare since he would have to take care of him. Too much responsibility for a kid his age.

Both had managed to pack everything in the bag Bi-han had brought and as he checked for anything else, Y/N tilted their head.

"You didn't pack anything for yourself." They noted, making Bi-Han flinch and shrug.

"Oh- Right." He stood up and approached the staircase, and while arriving at the second step, his watch beeped and his eyes widened. "I'm late!" Bi-Han made his way to the living room, abandoning the prospect of packing his own things. He grabbed his bag. Y/N was startled by his sudden change in attitude and grabbed his hand.

"Wait- Late for what?"

"there's no time! I have to go!" He approached the window and carefully jumped down, abandoning the place. Y/N's curiosity rose and decided to follow along, trying to keep his pace as they fell from the window and incorporated, running behind him.

"Hey, I helped you- At least tell me your name!" Y/N tried to reach him with her hand in a strange game of tag.

"Bi-Han!" He answered as he ran away, disappearing in between houses and bushes. They had to stop following him at some point, and as they panted, they repeated his name, out of breath.

"Bi-Han." What a kid. Certainly.

Y/N had only seen Bi-Han a few times after that. Spotting him twice at a bus stop. He held his youngest brother's hand and argued with the other about something. When they saw each other, Y/N waved. He simply nodded acknowledging their presence in response. Not the warmest response, but one that they appreciated, nonetheless.

It might have been a weird thing to say. But they had always wondered what exactly had happened to that boy after that incident. A kid taking care of his two brothers... They couldn't start imagining what was of him. Yet, Y/N hoped he was doing better.

They had kept the crayon box until it faltered and then cut it to incorporate it into her phone case as a small memento of that day. Somehow, it had survived time and kept them company.

It was 2024, and things looked better for Y/N. Working as a small artist and muralist, they were able to know a whole bunch of people and their stories. They related to a lot of them, that much was true.

Today, a bar had commissioned them to paint their wall accordingly. The <<Lin Kuei>>, they muttered to themselves as they finished the design and took a few steps back to better appreciate the sketch. Y/N hummed contentedly. They had made a beautiful winter landscape as the man had ordered and wiped the sweat on their forehead. They continued their work, spray painting and doing the final linework with chalk, a weird habit they had gained since their childhood. With a satisfied sigh, they signed it "White Rabbit."

"Ah- Well, look at that." Tomas, the man who hired them lifted his head from the motorcycle he was currently fixing with his brother, Kuai Liang, and gave him a gentle nudge so he could also appreciate the work done on the wall. Kuai Liang smirked. "It's great." Then, turned back to what he was doing, checking the engine and tapping it twice.

Tomas palmed Y/N's back and shook them gently. "It's perfect, thank you. You did a great job." He snapped a picture of the finished work and grinned ear to ear. The man was very nice and they had managed to get along.

"Well, you gave me a lot of free reign to work with, so." They smiled back, then extended their hand to him. "Uh- About my check."

"uh? oh! Right. I don't do payments, sorry-." He shook his head and then elaborated. "My brother is in charge of that."

"Oh, okay." They turned to stare at Kuai Liang, who upon noticing their gaze. Chuckled and shook his head.

"No, not me. The other one. He's inside." Oh, there were three of them. Okay. Kuai Liang pointed inside of the bar, where a man sat down speaking to another. All right, time to talk to the another-other brother. Y/N nodded politely and entered into the bar, a cold space. <<Fits their mural.>> They thought to themselves as they got closer to the table in the back, two long-haired men discussing something.

"You need me to enter this place and ask for their fee... Just to see if two recruits are ready?" The shorter man raised an eyebrow while he put his glass down. He seemed to be a bit indignant by the task assigned to him. The other man, in a more pacific manner, nodded.

"I need you to see if these two can handle for themselves." He smiled kindly, something that was only responded to by an annoyed grunt and a look of resignation. Y/N couldn't help but notice the strange dynamic, hoping they had not heard anything they might have regretted later.

Once the conversation was over, one of the men rose from the table and shook hands with the other, abandoning the bar and only acknowledging Y/N with a small "evening." To which they responded faintly. Then turned to see the man who was sitting. He looked familiar. Though they couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"Yes?" He asked roughly, and they shifted their position quickly. He was definitely not like his brothers, and he did not seem to be very blessed when it came to patience. They scratched the back of their neck.

"Yeah, uh- I'm the person that was just- The one that did your wall." Y/N blurted out as they observed the man lean back on his chair and lift his chin in a dignified and elegant manner. Wow. Just... Wow. His mannerisms. They belonged in what would have been the description of someone who held immense power, yet had not the need to flaunt it. It was disciplined, stern, and even-

"I can see that." He gestured at the paint stains on their clothing, and they looked down at them for an instant before turning back to see him and chuckling nervously. "What do you need?"

"Uh-. My payment" Y/N answered quietly, making him react slightly. They could have sworn they heard him scoff and smirk, but it had been such a rapid thing that they could not actually confirm it. The man grabbed his wallet and began counting, and they noticed something in particular as he opened it. A small cutout of the crayon brand they used as a kid. The one with the white rabbit.

"A hundred, a hundred and fifty..." He licked his thumb and continued. But Y/N had to get to the bottom of the issue.

"Do we know each other?" They asked bluntly, making Bi-Han stop what he was doing and stare at them in annoyed confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"Do we know each other from somewhere? Like, did we go to school together or something?" Y/N tried to guess as they tried to gauge Bi-Han's expression. His seriousness faltered slightly as his eyes darted around, trying to remember the person in front of him.

"Highly unlikely." He answered not very amused at the fact that he had to count the money all over again. And so, he began once again. "Fifty, a hundred, a hundred and fif-"

"What's your name?"

Bi-Han stopped and put the money on the table, crossing his legs and tilting his head. "Do you want to get paid today?" He inquired in an upset tone. Making Y/N fall silent. The man was surely short-tempered. And that made it ring even more bells. They scrunched their nose and apologized. He sighed. "Bi-Han."

Bi-Han? Where did they hear that name before?

A memory flashed in her brain. The kid from so many years ago. Their white rabbit-. Huh. They went pale and sat down next to Bi-Han, who did not understand what was going on exactly and stared at them as if they were idiotic. Y/N took their time to recompose and smiled at him.

"We were neighbors. Once."

"Neighbors?" Bi-Han questioned, his eyes fixating on the person next to him as he checked their appearance, they didn't seem like anyone he knew. "I'm not sure that's true."

"I was in your house. The day you packed your things and left."

It was as if a very old memory had come back to haunt him. His face turned pale and his body stiffened as he remembered why exactly he come to pack his things. The day after his father had passed, he had taken it upon himself to take care of his brothers as it was necessary. All to avoid them going into the system, especially not after what Tomas had gone through. Bi-Han remembered getting them to a bus stop and sending them away until he could actually look for them. It had been a herculean task that in the end gave him the position he was in right now. The place his father had once occupied.

He had made sure there was no evidence left of himself in that house after what had happened. But he had forgotten one crucial detail. He was a child back then, after all. Bi-Han had not considered eyewitnesses.

After a long silence, he raised his head and glared at them. That nosy kid.

"Who else knows I was in that house that day?" Bi-Han took a sip of his glass, trying not to sound too aggravated. Which was difficult, considering the situation he was in.

"No one."

"No one?"

"I mean" Oh boy. "I told my older brother, but he passed. So I don't think it matters anymore."

So the only other person that knew was dead. Well, at least that was something, he thought to himself. But then again, that would leave him with that person. If they opened their mouth...

The statute of limitations was 20 years. Which would be due in two years more. He was not free of what had happened that day yet. Bi-Han was against the ropes. But he would not make a rash decision.

"Keep the change." He handed them a large sum of money making their eyes widen.

"But this... This is too much."

"It's fine. Just... Leave." He ran a hand through his face, then pointed at the exit. Catching the clue, Y/N left. A bit conflicted by the fact that he was not too enthusiastic about meeting them.

So that's what became the boy from the house in front of them. Huh. They thought as they drove their van back home. The man lingered in their thoughts. He was different, though that same stern older brother vibe emanated from him, still. They smirked, a bit entertained by the memory. They were glad for him. It seemed like he and his brothers were doing just fine.

Bi-Han sat conflicted as he fidgeted with a lighter, listening to the complaining of a traitor being corrected in the parking lot. Though his mind was somewhere else.

Y/N... They were a danger for everything Bi-Han had fought for. A danger for himself and one for his brothers. He did not trust anyone else but himself in that aspect.

With a gesture, he called his youngest brother. He wiped the grease off his face with a nearby towel and after putting it aside, he approached him. "Yeah?"

"That person. The one that came to do the painting job-"

"Who, Y/N?" Tomas asked as he ran his hands on his pants, making Bi-Han scrunch his nose in disapproval and hand him another towel with a grunt. He accepted it and smirked, amused.

"Yes, them. Do you have their number?" Bi-Han requested curtly, immediately annoyed at his brother's reaction. Tomas's eyes glowed in amusement, and he felt compelled to tease his older brother about it. However, once seeing his expression, decided against it.

"Yes. I do, actually. Do you want me to give it to you?" The younger man replied nonchalantly. Bi-Han nodded. And so, it was done.

He called them a few days later. "I need you to do a wall inside the bar as well. Are you available?" Bi-Han consulted them, and they chuckled.

"Sure, whatever you need." Good.

He needed to keep her as close as possible, gauge answers and make sure they would keep quiet for at least the two years they were left. That little arts and crafts project should keep them distracted enough. If not, he had other 3 walls to keep them occupied. Bi-Han just hoped he did not have to recur to other things.

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