His Lucky Night (closed for Sakura_doll)

Dom slammed his shot glass down on the bar a little too hard, drawing a not so friendly look from the burly looking baretender. He tried his best to look apologetic but the truth was he'd had so many drinks by then he probably just looked like every other drunk, glassy eyed and confused. But what did it matter? What did any of it matter, now? He had lost everything. Everything.

He took a drink of his beer as he waited for the baretender to bring him another shot, assuming he was still going to bring it. He still found it hard to believe that it had all fallen apart so quickly. Just this morning he was on top of the world. He had a great job doing research for the biggest newspaper in town and was being groomed for a position as a journalist. Then, out of nowhere a shit storm ripped through the newspaper headquarters. Apparently one of the columnist had written some inflamatory comments about the local police chief and when the heat came down he somehow managed to blame the researcher who had done the fact checking on the story. Dom.

Dejected and stunned by his abrupt and unjustified firing, Dom had headed home to talk to his girlfriend, Mai, hoping that she would be able to cheer him up. Unfortunately when he walked in to their apartment he found Mai on the couch having sex with the building's maintanence supervisor. He couldn't believe that she would cheat on him, after two years living together. And worse still, instead of apologizing, she blamed everything on him, saying that she was tired of being the mature one in the relationship.

Without a job, a girlfriend or an apartment to go back to, Dom had wandered the streets for a couple of hours, so dumbfounded by what had happened, he didn't know what to do. As the sun had set, he finally went to a bar, deciding to drink away the last thirty dollars he had in his pocket.

"Thanks," he said to the bartender who had finally brought him another shot.

The man stood in front of Dom, looking at him with a disapproving look, "Maybe you'd better stop now. Settle up your tab," he suggested as Dom attempted to lift the shot glass to his mouth without spilling any of the liquor. The bartender pulled a small piece of paper out and started adding up the numbers written on it. "Six beers, seven shots, that's thirty six dollars."

Dom swallowed the shot and set the glass down more gently this time. Wait, did he say thirty six dollars? Crap. Did I really have that much to drink? Fuck. He reached into the pocket of his pants, hoping that the man would except thirty if he promised to bring him the rest the next morning. He fumbled in his pocket but couldn't find the money. Standing up somewhat wobbly, he checked his other pocket. Nothing.

"Problem?" the large bartender asked, his arms folded in front of him.

"Uhm, I had some money here..." Dom said, checking his pockets again, baffled as to where his money had gone.

"You little shit," the man said, lifting the pass and walking around to where Dom stood, leaning against the bar stool. Before Dom could offer to bring him the money the next day, the bartender grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him clumsily to the entrance, pushing him violently through the door. "Don't come back, dick head!"

Dom landed roughly on the wet sidewalk, the rain pouring down on him as he struggled to get up. Once he finally regained his feet he looked around for somewhere to go but everything around was either closed or not a place that would welcome a penniless drunk in out of the rain. Remembering that there was a park nearby, Dom stumbled off down the street in that general direction. A few minutes later he was beginning to feel naseous, so he turned down a small alley way. He threw up behind a dumpster before collapsing against the brick wall.

Just need to sit for a minute...just need to sit and catch my breath...I'll be fine...

Yuri Makuto

​

Name: Yuri Himeko Asuka Makuto
Nickname: Boyfriend calls her candy (picking on her hair)
likes to go by Lily, or Yuri
Hime eventually by Domarius
Age: 21
Height/weight: 5’8”/12o
Hair: Short shaggy cherry red hair with pink and cotton candy blue bangs
Eyes: Green eyes one an off shade of dime olive the other almost spring green.
Body: Thin, with curves
Marks: She has a small heart tattoo on her chest, a deep long scar on her right arm, and burn marks on her upper body worse on her back, and a scar around her neck often hidden .

Yuri’s a cautious girl. Nice caring and helpful. Though it’s hard for her to trust people. Her last boyfriend was abusive and a jerk. But she eventually left him. She lives in a moderately sized apartment, though it barely has any furnishings. fridge, computer and sesk, small TV, futon. It's pretty raggedy but she get's by. She works part time at a bar/club.

She’s a quirky girl and once she feels comfortable with someone she opens a little she’s nice, friendly, can be a little hyper and strange. She’s a relatively calm person, happy-go-lucky.
Though comes off as skiddish and scared since she's still recovering from her abusive boyfriend.

Despite the cold rain that was drenching him more and more by the minute, Dom had begun to fall asleep in the alleyway, his back against the brick wall, leaning against the dumpster to his right when voices brought him back to consciousness. His first thought was the some homeless people were trying to find a dry place to get out of the rain, but then another more sobering thought occurred to him. Perhaps someone had followed him into the alley to rob him.

Opening his eyes, Dom struggled to see anything in the darkness that surrounded him. A moment later he felt someone stumble over his leg, then heard a man's voice berating him. He clumsily attempted to stand, using the slick metal surface of the dumpster to hold onto as he rose. He was still in a daze from the alcohol as he finally reached his feet, wanting to somehow find his way out of the alley and into a safe place, any place.

He took a wobbly step in the direction of the street when he heard something behind him. Turning back to look he nearly fell, catching himself on a trash can. He saw movement further down the alley and slowly began to move that direction. As he drew near the movement, his head finally beginning to clear a bit, he saw a woman pressed awkwardly against the brick by a man.

Dom considered the possibility that the couple had come into the alley for some privacy, noticing the man's hand under the woman's dress but then the rain began to lessen a bit and he was finally able to make out the girl's face. Something about the look on her face told him that she didn't want to be there, and she didn't want the man's hand under her dress. Then he saw the blood on her shoulder and back.

"Hey, back off the lady," he said loudly, doing his best not to slur his words. "I think she wants to leave now." Dom took a deep breath and straightened as he stepped closer grabbing the man by the shoulder and pulling him off the helpless girl.

Dom stumbled back a few steps from the guy's push, the brick wall keeping him from going down in a heap. He watched in horror as the man grabbed the injured girl by the neck and started yelling at her. Dom wanted to rush the man and knock him down but his body wasn't responding, everything he tried to do was in slow motion.

He saw the helpless girl clawing at the man, saw him toss her back down to the ground roughly. He needed to do something, anything to help her. Looking around he saw the brick that she had thrown at her assailant a few moments before. It had bounced off the man's back, harmlessly falling at Dom's feet. One hand on the wall to steady himself, Dom lowered himself down and tried to grab the brick. He missed and managed to push it further away from himself. Stumbling forward his hand closed on the brick but he was losing his balance, reeling forward. At the last moment, brick in hand, Dom launched himself into the guy's legs, taking him down in a tangle of limbs.

Dom rolled over bringing the brick up in his hand, intending to hit the asshole in the face, instead he found himself between the man's legs. Improvising, Dom brought the brick down hard, hitting the man right where it would do the most damage. A loud, howl of pain rang out and he felt the man's legs pull away as he curled up into a ball, moaning in pain.

Dom pulled himself up again, the brick still in his hand as he looked around, trying to get his bearings. The guy was definitely down, at least for a few minutes. Dom found the girl slumped against a trash can and offered her a hand up, "Come on let's get you out of here before Romeo puts his nuts back together and gets back up."

They ran down the street, hand in hand, water splashing up into the air from the puddled concrete with each step. Dom was grateful when he felt the girl slow down and release his hand. He was feeling the effects of the alcohol more than ever after the scuffle and the mad sprint that followed. He leaned his head back, taking a deep breath, cold rain drops falling down on his face.

When he looked back down he saw the girl leaning against the wall, catching her breath. It was dark but he could still see that she was in rough shape, scrapes and cuts on her hands, as well as her back and shoulders. The guy had really done a number on her. Dom wondered to himself how much worse it might have gotten if he hadn't come along.

He was just about to ask her if she was okay when she pointed out the cuts on Dom's arm and cheek. He was actually surprised when he looked down and saw the blood on his arm. He hadn't really felt the injuries, apparently the one good side effect of being hammered. God, my life is shit, he thought to himself. I lose my job, my girlfriend, my apartment all in one day, then get kicked out of a bar and end up drunk off my ass sitting in an alley in the rain and now to top it all off, I'm running for my life from some psycho.

The girl pushed herself away from the wall and started down the street, telling Dom to come with her. Not sure what else to do, he followed behind her, glancing over his shoulder once to make sure the guy wasn't anywhere in sight. Seeing the girl was struggling, Dom ran to catch up with her, lifting her arm up over his shoulder so he could help support her, "Lean on me."

Dom had intended to walk the girl to her home and then try to find a dry place to spend the night, but when they reached her apartment building and she offered to let him come up, he didn't argue. His mood lightened a little at the possibility that he might be able to steal a couple of hours of sleep on her couch before morning.

The apartment itself was nice but he couldn't help but notice how sparsely decorated it was. Other than the couch, there wasn't much furniture. It had the look of a place someone had just moved into, except without the piles of boxes waiting to be unpacked. Dom took a seat on the couch, trying his best to offer a friendly smile when she thanked him for helping her.

“What’s your name?”

"Dom...Domarius Inoue," he answered just before she disappeared into her bedroom. While he waited for his host to return, Dom sat back on the couch then quickly sat back up realizing that he was still soaking wet from the rain. He didn't want to get her furniture all wet and dirty. He stood and removed his jacket, hanging it on the front door knob. Then he kicked his shoes off and left them by the door so he wouldn't track any more dirt into the apartment than he already had. Accepting that there was probably nothing he could do about his wet pants, Dom took a seat on the couch again.

“My name’s Yuri, Yuri Makuto,” she said, her voice friendly as she returned. She had changed clothes and was carrying a small handful of first aid supplies. Dom sat still as Yuri dabbed his cheek with medicine, still too numb from alcohol and the cold rain to notice the sting of the medicine against the open cut.

As she worked on his cuts and examined him for other injuries he noticed two things. First, she was a very beautiful girl, even with her striking pink and blue hair plastered to her face, and her mismatched eyes. The second thing he noticed was that she appeared to have more cuts and scrapes from the encounter in the alley than he did, and hers looked more severe.

"I should have taken you to a hospital. I'm sorry, I'm just not thinking clearly tonight," he said as she finished mending him. "That guy really roughed you up good. Did you know him?"

Dom closed the bathroom door, laying the clothes that Yuri had brought him on the counter beside the sink. He winced when he saw himself in the mirror, his face a mess of cuts, scrapes, dirt and unidentified slime. His hair was wet and in desperate need of a brush or comb, while his eyes were bloodshot and unfocused. Between his wet, soiled clothes and the mess of his face it was a wonder that Yuri had trusted him enough to invite him into her apartment.

After pulling his t-shirt off and dropping it on the floor, Dom turned the water on in the shower, testing the temperature with his hand then adjusting the knobs until it was warm enough. He pulled his pants and underwear off piling them on the floor with the shirt before stepping into the shower. The warm water felt good against his skin. As he began to wash the dirt and grime from his body, Dom thought about Yuri. She was a pretty girl, and certainly seemed nice enough, which made it even harder to figure out why she would have ever gotten involved with an asshole like her ex-boyfriend. Maybe she was too nice. She definitely gave him the impression that she'd been treated badly before, that she was used to it even. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Listen to yourself, he thought. You are actually feeling sorry for someone else. You lost everything you had today...your girfriend, your job, and your home. All gone in one day and you have the fucking audacity to feel sorry for some girl because her boyfriend was a dick. At least she has a place to live and a job. You're the loser here, not her.

As Dom stood there, his head bowed under the shower head, the warm water streaming down over his hair and shoulders, thinking about everything that had happened to him, he wanted to cry but he couldn't. He was emotionally drained, lost, so numb that he was actually afraid. Is this how people feel before they give up, before they take their own life? Is that the path I'm headed down now?

No! I'll find another job. I'll find a place to live. I'm not going to give up. I just need a few days to get my head together, Dom told himself. He scrubbed some shampoo into his scalp, then rinsed it out. Shutting the water off, he stepped out of the shower, reaching for the big, fluffy towel hanging from a hook. Dom dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist. He stepped back to the mirror, wiping steam from the surface. "I just need a few days to get my head together," he said out loud as he looked at himself.

He heard a knock at the door, then Yuri's voice, “Hey Domarius… After you’re done come out and have something to eat. I wanna talk to you.”

Dom brushed his hair and then dressed in the borrowed clothes, finding that they actually fit quite well. He did his best to clean up after himself, hanging the wet towel over the shower curtain rod to let it dry, and then placing his dirty clothes in a semi-neat pile on the edge of the tub, until he could find a bag to put them in. Once he was done he opened the bathroom door and stepped out, hoping that he looked a little more presentable than he had before he'd gone in.

Dom could smell the food as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, realizing to surprise that he hadn't eaten since lunch. He walked slowly into the living room, seeing his hostess sitting on the couch with a plate on her lap, and several small containers of food sitting on the table in front of her. There was no sign of Yuri's friend Kachina in the living room or the kitchen.

Dom felt a little of unsure of himself as he stepped around the table and sat down on the other end of the couch from Yuri, who he noticed had changed and cleaned up as well. It was good to see that her injuries weren't more serious.

"Listen, I just wanted to thank you for letting me come back here and dry off, and get cleaned up. That was really nice of you. I think this has probably been the worst day of my life, but I know it would have been a lot worse if you hadn't come along. At least now I'm not laying in some alley, drunk. I should be going though, I've imposed enough already," he said, standing up.

Just the mention of food triggered a rumbling in Dom's stomach, his hunger pains intensified even more by the smell of the assorted chicken, vegetables and noodles that were sitting on the table in front of him. He sat back down, even as he told himself that he shouldn't. He had imposed enough on Yuri's kindness by taking a shower and changing clothes, but she was right. He didn't have any where else to go...and he was hungry.

Smiling weakly, Dom muttered a thank you as he reached for a plate and spooned some food out of the containers. He ate slowly, concerned that his body might not be able to stomach the food so soon after ingesting so much alcohol. As he ate he studied his host. She seemed to be a strange blend of contradictions. Her cotton colored hair and clothes gave the impression of someone who was outgoing and expressive, but her body language and soft spoken demeanor made her seem very shy, even vulnerable. She was obviously a very friendly and compassionate person, and yet she clearly had a boyfriend who was anything but friendly. Dom could see several older scars and bruises on her arms, shoulders and upper back. He wondered just how long her boyfriend had been abusing her before they broke up. Had there been others before him?

Soon, Dom found himself thinking about his girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, he reminded himself. I guess I'm not much better at picking people than Yuri. How could I have not seen what a tramp Mai was, he asked himself as he finished eating.

"Thank you for the food," he said leaning forward to set his plate on the table. "Look, I just wanted to say, uhm, well I don't want you to think that I make it a habit of getting drunk and sleeping in alley ways. It's just, well, I sort of had the worst day ever and...I don't know...I lost my job at the newspaper and then I found out my girlfriend was having an affair...I actually walked in on them..." his voice grew soft. "It was just a really bad day."

“You must think I’m pathetic letting him beat on me how he has," Dom looked up as Yuri began to speak about her ex-boyfriend. In the back of his mind, he knew it was true. He had always thought that any girl who stayed with a guy who beat her was stupid, but somehow, sitting there listening to Yuri try to explain, watching her, knowing how nice she was, he didn't think of her as stupid, just...unfortunate. Unfortunate to have come across an asshole like Rin who would take advantage of her.

“I won’t bore you by going into it but since I was young I’ve just attracted those kinds of guys. Start off sweet but eventually their true colors first. I guess Otou-san screwed me up more than I thought…” Dom got the impression she had been about to say more but had stopped herself. “Umm never mind,” She finally said, quickly running her fingers through her multi-colored hair.

Dom wanted to say something nice, something sympathetic or supportive but he just couldn't think of the right words. Cursing his decision to drown his sorrows in alcohol he simply sat quietly, trying his best to smile as he watched Yuri place blankets and a pillow on the arm of the couch. "Thank you, Yuri," Dom said as his hostess began cleaning up the food. "I really do appreciate this."

After Yuri went to bed, Dom stretched out on the couch and pulled one of the blankets out to cover himself. Within minutes, he was asleep, snoring soundly.

As expected, Dom woke up the next day with a serious hangover. He groaned as he sat up on the couch, trying to untangle his feet from the blankets that were covering him. The light coming in through the windows seemed unnecessarily bright and harsh and every noise he made seemed magnified by his headache.

The only thing that felt worse than his head was his stomach as he stood up. He made his way toward Yuri's bedroom, pausing at the open door to make sure she wasn't still asleep. There was no sign of his hostess. One hand on his stomach, Dom proceeded through the empty bedroom, into the bathroom.

After his trip to the bathroom, and splashing some water on his face, Dom felt a little better. Unfortunately, the more awake and alert he became, the more he remembered about the previous day. The day my life went to shit, he thought to himself.

He ran his hands through his hair as he emerged from the bathroom and walked back into the living room. He noticed that the door to the balcony was open slightly, and he thought he detected the distinct aroma of sesame chicken wafting into the apartment.

Dom found Yuri sitting on the balcony, curled up in a chair.

"Good morning," he said, smiling somewhat sheepishly at her. "Did you sleep okay?"

Just the mention of breakfast caused Dom's stomach to turn in protest, and brought a quick groan from his lips, "Oh no, I don't think food and I would get along right now. I will take the hangover cure though, thanks." Dom reached out and picked up the small pill, slipping to the back of his throat, then quickly chased it down with a big drink of the orange juice. Setting the glass back down he took a deep breath, hopinh the medicine kicked in soon.

"Listen, I know last night you said that I could stay here for a few days, you know, until I get back on my feet," Dom said, looking over at Yuri, as she leaned against the counter. She was even prettier than he remembered from his previous night's drunken haze. Her pink and blue hair, and her big eyes, made her look like a cute little doll. "Well, I just wanted to say, if you changed your mind, I'll understand. I mean you barely know me, and I don't want you to feel like you have to pay me back just because of last night."

Dom’s eyes folloed Yuri as she moved to the table to get some more chicken, smiling at how adorable she looked with her pink and blue hair falling down into her face. She seemed so fragile and vulnerable, but at the same time she was trusting and compassionate and most importantly, the only thing preventing him from sleeping on the streets the next few nights.

“You must be the nicest person in the world, seriously,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, I’m going to go by my apartment and start packing up my stuff.” He rubbed his chin as he considered what else he needed to do. “I’ll stop by work and pick up my last check too. At least I’ll have money for food so I won’t have to be a complete mooch.”

He started toward the door but paused, turning back toward Yuri, “Do you have to work tonight? I mean…do you think you’ll be here when I get back?”