Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 19: It's Never Too Late to Be a Father

"Hey, Frank, I'm Alvin, Alvin Ye. Nick thinks you're a total legend. He'll be stoked to see you. Lemme call him down." Alvin shook Frank's hand, noticing the dude looked more beat up, probably from hitting the bottle. His hands felt weaker too.

Frank stopped him, "I've been here for days, just chilling over there." He pointed to a corner seat, looking all guilty and unsure, "You seem more like a dad than I do. Maybe I'm not ready yet."

Alvin raised an eyebrow, "So why'd you come now? You could've waited till you were ready."

Frank gave a bitter smile, "Because you got a daughter now. Watching you with her, I got crazy jealous. Nick and I should be like that. I used to think missions were everything, but losing my family made me realize they're what really matters."

"So what are you waiting for?" Alvin asked.

Frank's face got a bit weird, "I'm waiting for my job offer. Found a gig. This way, I can be with Nick without stressing."

Alvin asked, "What job?"

Frank's expression got even weirder, "A disciplinary officer at a community school."

Alvin's face lit up with all sorts of colors. What school has a disciplinary officer? Only a community school in Hell's Kitchen.

This guy doing that job? With his tough-as-nails attitude, the school bullies wouldn't stand a chance. Lock 'em in a room with Frank, and they'd wet their pants without him lifting a finger.

But it's good. This school needs someone tough, using strong methods. Otherwise, half the students have gang backgrounds, and the teachers are under a lot of pressure.

Alvin straightened his collar, shook Frank's hand formally, and joked, "Welcome aboard, man. We'll be colleagues now. For Nick to reunite with his dad sooner, maybe I should write you a job offer right now."

Frank waved it off, "No need, just a few days. Honestly, I'm not ready. I don't even know what to say to my kid. I need to prepare."

"Prepare what? Buy a book on 100 ways to bond with your son? Nah! Nick just needs his dad around. Even if you just sit and listen to him talk! If you can go upstairs now and help him with his homework, you'll be his hero," Alvin said with a grin.

Frank still hesitated, "I see you got some trouble. How about I help you first, then think about my own stuff?"

Alvin waved it off, "Those are small fries. Nothing's more important than Nick finding his dad. You're a father first now, not the killing machine you used to be."

Alvin grabbed a pizza from a passing guy and handed it to Frank, gesturing, "Go on, no need to wait. When you face it, you'll know what to do."

The tough guy who'd taken out countless enemies took the pizza, looking like a nervous student, and asked, "Really?"

Alvin found it hilarious and joked, "Depends if you can help him with his homework. If you can, no problem. You'll be that kid's hero."

Alvin then joked, "You got this, right? Nick's only in 2nd grade."

Feeling a bit insulted, Frank replied, "Of course, no problem! I graduated from LA." He then took the pizza and headed upstairs.

Alvin watched this tough guy carefully carry a pizza upstairs like a clumsy waiter, feeling a bit moved. This is the power of family; it can turn a hardened killer into a cautious father.

"Hey, buddy, maybe bring a drink too," Alvin teased.

Already super nervous, Frank almost tripped. He shot Alvin a fierce glare, hurried downstairs to grab a lemonade, and then bared his teeth at Alvin before heading back up.

Alvin wasn't scared of him. A future employee wouldn't dare mess with him. He just couldn't resist teasing this anxious, almost collapsing guy a bit more.

Since Nick's dad had shown up, today was a doubly joyous day. Time to handle the stuff outside. Those punks might be getting impatient.

Alvin tapped his glass, making a crisp "ding." The restaurant quieted down.

Alvin smiled and said, "Two good things happened today. One, I have a daughter now, which you all probably know. The other, I'll announce after I handle the matters outside.

Guys, don't leave. Drinks are on the house today, but my waiters have tasks. I need two volunteers to serve everyone here."

Two young guys quickly stepped up, looking at Alvin with admiration, waiting for his instructions.

Alvin pointed to the beer kegs at the bar, "Guys, they're yours!" He high-fived the two young men.

He turned down Old Kent's offer to bring a few guys along. As a principal going to talk to a student's guardian, it shouldn't look like a mob negotiation. Only JJ, with an M500 at his waist, followed him out.

At the restaurant entrance, the black kid Jason was on the verge of collapse, sitting restlessly on a chair with a suspicious puddle underneath. Seeing Alvin finally come out, he tried to speak several times but was silenced by Sol's dagger-like glare.

Across the street, a few flashy muscle cars were parked. A bear-like black man was surrounded by a dozen punks.

Alvin signaled to JJ, who whistled to get their attention and waved them over to talk.

The big guy crossed the street with his entourage, sizing up the people opposite him.

The other guy seemed young, probably not over 30, and didn't look special—jeans, plaid shirt, gray jacket. He looked like a redneck farmer from the North.

At the moment, he was lighting a cigar with the help of a bodyguard-like black man.

But everyone in Hell's Kitchen knew that this farmer-looking guy had driven out all the gangs within three blocks.

Even the underground boss of the Big Apple, Kingpin, had to negotiate politely with him, resulting in Kingpin's forces obediently withdrawing from those three blocks.

The big guy didn't know Alvin's background or why Kingpin feared him. But to survive in his position, he had to have some smarts.

Although his boss's power was comparable to Kingpin's, he wasn't at his boss's level, right?

Since Kingpin came to negotiate politely, he figured coming respectfully and politely should be fine.