"Actually.” Nyomi raised her finger. “This is the Roar’s lollipop.”
All laughed except Hiro, who was now sneering her way.
She chuckled. “I figured we're all due a nice lollipop, while I show you to the next space."
The women spread out and began handing the lollipops over.
Hiro received his like a child receiving a new toy. He stared at the lollipop for a moment, tilted it, watched the liquid shift inside the shell, and grinned.
Then he licked it.
His face changed.
"Oh!" He licked it again. "Oh, baby!"
Nyomi called out, "Bite it, Hiro."
"But, I'm savoring."
"No. Bite the top. You'll see."
“Fine.” Hiro examined the lollipop more carefully, saw the hollow center under the glassy shell, grinned wider, and opened his mouth.
Those diamond fangs closed over the top of the sugar dome.
The crack was sharp and clean.
Liquid poured into his mouth.
Nyomi grabbed her lollipop. “In these we have cherry sake, vodka, grenadine, and cream. All the perfect combination for a man who never needs to be introduced, only respected and feared.”
Hiro groaned loud enough that two of the serving women giggled. There, my brother stood with some of the liquid running down his chin, the shattered sugar shell still in his hand, and eyes rolled half back in his head. "Fucking. Hell."
He gathered up the liquid off his chin and licked his fingers. "This is the best thing anyone has ever made for me."
Nyomi gestured to one of the women. “Get some napkins, please.”
“He’ll need wet wipes.” Toma cracked his own lollipop next. His purple mohawk bobbed as he chewed through sugar with enthusiastic disregard for his mouth.
Kaede simply licked his lollipop, never biting. Eventually a small hole appeared and he sipped from the side. "Interesting. The cream is balancing the cherry."
Daisuke snickered. "Kaede puts on a suit and now thinks he’s a critic."
Kaede frowned. "Shut up before I spill some of this onto your dress."
“It’s not a dress. It’s a deconstructed suit.” Daisuke bit and the sugar dome shattered across his lips. Liquid ran everywhere. He did not wipe it. He just closed his eyes again and drank the remnants directly from the broken shell.
“Uh yeah.” Nyomi licked hers and looked at another woman. “We will need damp cloths.”
The twins mirrored each other. Both cracking their lollipops at the same moment. Both of them looked down at the liquid pooling in their broken shells, then up at each other, then back down. They tipped them into their mouths in perfect unison and swallowed at the same second.
"Incredible," one said.
The other one lifted his gun. "You know what this needs?”
“Fuck yeah.”
They both pulled their guns’ triggers. Bubbles rose and filled the space, surprising all of the women who cheered.
