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Six months… This asshole didn’t bother showing up for six months! Wolf couldn’t believe that this sorry excuse of a father had the guts to show up at their home and acts like he could just take back his fifteen year old son after abandoning him for six months! Wolf thought back to when he met the small fish. Piranha was crazy and desperate enough to try and pick pocket the big bad wolf. Of course Wolf felt himself getting robbed being the pickpocket master himself and grabbed the piranha’s wrist that held his wallet. But once Wolf looked down at the thief he froze. It was a small fish, a fish that was obviously young and looked like they had been through hell. Covered in grim and looking like they hadn’t eaten in far too long, Wolf felt his heart clench as he looked down at him.
Piranha froze under the gaze of the piercing yellow eyes and panicked internally as he tried to come up with an excuse for trying to steal from a famous thief, the leader of the bad guys himself! He was very surprised when the wolf smiled kindly at him with a soft look on his face and offered him a free meal. The mention of food made Piranha’s stomach rumble and a sharp pain of hunger went through him. So without thinking about the consequences Piranha agreed.
Lunch went very well and Wolf was able to convince the young fish to come to the hideout and meet the rest of his crew. It was obvious the poor teen was homeless and it reminded Wolf all too well of his own past and the past of his crew members. They had all found each other after being alone for most of their lives. First it was just him and Snake that stuck together and then they were able to take in two other wonderful criminals to form the best crew he could ask for. So after seeing the state the poor piranha was in Wolf knew he had to try and help him.
Though once Wolf got the piranha in the car the fish immediately fell asleep. Finally after getting food in his stomach and resting on the nice leather instead of the cardboard box in an alleyway where he had been sleeping for a week, he was out like a light. Wolf had to carry him out of the car and into the hideout already very attached to the small sleeping piranha. Surprising the hell out of Snake who had been expecting push pops and not a small fish though once Wolf explained the recent events Snake felt his heart also ache for the teenager. Shark and Webs were no better and were also very curious about their guest but Wolf tucked him into bed and told them to wait until the poor kid woke up.
Piranha feeling very refreshed but also with a clearer head was very freaked out and felt very stupid for going off with a stranger, had tried to sneak out of the hideout but failed miserably. Instead tripping over Snake’s body and falling face first onto the floor. Snake immediately helped the fish up and was surprised when the crazy fish threatened to fight him without hesitation much to his amusement. Snake felt himself growing attached to the brave fish too. Wolf heard the commotion and seeing the situation started to reassure Piranha that no one was going to hurt him. Shark and Webs then walked into the hallway to say that breakfast was ready and Piranha ended up eating with them at the table.
Piranha didn’t know why but being around the bad guys felt right. He seemed to fit right in and they didn’t seem to mind too much when Piranha scarfed down his food like a wild animal or when he got nervous and let one rip. They reacted a lot better than his brothers ever did even though he really couldn’t help it and they just accepted it because it was a part of him. Piranha had been the happiest he had ever been in the short time he was with the bad guys. So after two months of staying with them Piranha told them how he ended up on the streets. He was a part of the Piranha Brothers Gang, sorta. His father was the leader of the gang and all his brothers made up the rest of the 900,543 members. Piranha was the youngest out of all of them and even though he was only fifteen wanted to do more to help out the family. Too go out and do jobs with the rest of his brothers but his father told him no that he wasn’t ready or strong enough to go.
Piranha had always had a bad temper and argued back even though you never disrespect the head of the house, his father’s word was their law. So you can imagine how rare it was for someone to argue with him and without thinking after going around in circles for the last ten minutes Piranha shouted, “Fuck you!”
He knew he fucked up when his fathers uselully neutrel face twist in anger, “Get out.”
Piranha blinked in surprise, “Papa I-”
“Leave, get out of my territory.” Piranha knew that tone all too well and knew that if he didn’t walk out the door, his brothers would drag him out.
Swallowing down the hurt Piranha glared, “Fine! I don’t need you anyway!” Piranha turned sharply and stormed out of the room and out of the house. Not one of his brothers even looking at him, word spreading fast that he had disrespected their father. If you weren’t part of the gang, you weren’t part of the family. Piranha would need permission to be able to go back home, not that he cared. He would be fine on his own or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.
As Piranha left the house he was raised in and out into the night wandering the streets with no real direction. He kept walking until he was hundred percent sure he was out of the Piranha Gang territory and then some. He only stopped until the sun rose and all the energy he had left him. He let himself collapse in an alleyway and passed out, knowing that he was all alone in the world.
At this point in the story Piranha began to cry for the first time about the situation and Wolf quickly pulled him into a hug then Shark, Webs and even Snake joined in. Piranha couldn’t remember the last time he got comfort when crying but knew that he was grateful for it now. After that Piranha began to see them as his family and the pain of his last one started to dim, it didn’t go away of course but it got better as he spent more time with his new crew. That is until his father showed up out of the blue after half a year.
Wolf was the first to hear the elevator open and saw the older, taller fish that looked a lot like Piranha but had a mustache walk in. Which now brings them to the present day with Wolf debating whether or not he should sink his teeth into this asshole’s throat. You don’t abandon your child over something so stupid then come back for them like nothing happened. How dare he step into their home like he owned the place and ask for Pepe. Snake saw the fish next and was seconds away from lunging as well. That is until Piranha saw him and gasped alerting the other two members of the intruder as well. Shark put himself between the two piranhas but the gang leader called for Little Pepe again. Piranha stepped around Shark giving him a nod that said it’s okay and answered, “I go by Piranha now.” The leader raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.
“Yes, well it’s time to come home. I’m sure you learned your lesson and are ready to leave this so-called crew of bank robbers.” Wolf bared his teeth at that but the guy didn’t even look at him.
Piranha glanced back and forth with a panicked look making Wolf feel guilty and dropping his snare for his sake. Piranha untensed at that and smiled at the Wolf in appreciation but frowned as he looked back at his father. “P-Papa can we actually talk somewhere private.”
The leader seemed surprised but followed Piranha to his room, the rest looked like they were going to follow but Piranha shook his head, his expression begging them not to protest. They didn’t but they didn’t like it one bit when Piranha closed the door behind him leaving them alone.
“We are not letting Piranha leave with him right?” Snake asked with a snare.
Wolf thought again back to when he first saw the starving fish that was covered in dirt, one that was so desperate to eat he followed the big bad wolf without question, “Hell no, Piranha stays with us.” The gang nodded at his words with their own determined expressions and waited for them to leave the room.
Turns out they didn’t need to wait long because after less then five minutes, Piranha’s so called father left the room and passed by them without a glance with Piranha right behind him. Neither of them said a word to each other until the gang leader got to the elevator and hit the down button. Wolf immediately stepped forward to protest but before he could, the older fish spoke, “You know Pepe if you don’t leave with me at this very moment, you can never come back home.” The doors opened and he stepped into the elevator facing his youngest child.
Piranha gulped and with a pained expression he said, “I am home.” Again the old fish looked surprised but nodded, simply accepting his no longer son’s choice. When the doors finally closed, Piranha collapsed on the ground sobbing and was immediately enveloped into a group hug like before with Wolf and Snake telling him that he was proud of him for standing up for himself, acting more like fathers then his own ever did. Piranha smiled into the hug and knew he made the right choice. This was now his family and he couldn’t be happier.