#captain darius morgan

[sylvia-rouge-fanblog]

Just posted ch6!

[vynsvision]

I cant edit it uh without ~breaking~ it so yeah this is the Darius Morgan fic I thought up about a year ago! Also shoutout to anyone who liked my "What If MC Wasn't a Lawyer?" post bc I wrote that while procrastinating this lol.

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: 未定事件簿 | Tears of Themis (Video Game) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Original Character / Captain Darius Morgan Characters: NXX Investigation Team (Tears of Themis), Zuo Ran | Artem Wing, Mo Yi | Vyn Richter, Xia Yan | Luke Pearce, Lu Jinghe | Marius von Hagen, Yan Wei | Darius Morgan, Original Non-Binary Character Additional Tags: Other people might show up too but mostly its the oc and darius, Alternate Universe, oc uses they/she, darius is in fact smitten but cant admit that bc yanno, someone play mama im in love with a criminal for darius, ok actual story tags:, mc as a criminal, the nxx still exists, everyone is different without rosa!mc, things end up ok in the end, Rivals to Lovers, i will add tags as more are relevant Summary:

Alternate Universe: MC never became Rosa, the NXX still exists but nothing is as smooth without Rosa. MC is instead a criminal who tries to point out hypocrisy and bullshit, while sinking their claws into Darius, for unknown motives.

[jjjenia]

does anyone remember those "rule of stellis' law" illustrations? i'm still mad at this particular one:

just leave him alone my god

[hannahhook7744]

The Storm Bringer (Information and History)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

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LOCATION:

Dock of Arendelle (sometimes after d3),

Dock of Auardon (sometimes after d3),

Dock of Corona (sometimes after d3),

Dock of Neverland (sometimes after d3),

Dock of the Isle of the Lost (d1-d3).

OWNER(S):

Blackbeard (Captain)(Previously),

Hannah Hook (Captain)(Current),

René Montaudoin (Captain)(Previously).

WORKERS:

Aaron Bog (The Treasuer),

Abi Hun (Crewmate)(Former),

Alex Aoratos-Sinclair (Helmsman),

Amira Bint Aladdin Bin Cassim Al Hamed of Agrabah (Translator)(Future),

Anna Bog (The Lawyer),

Artemis Foundling (Junior),

Atlas Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Atticus Hook (Babysitter Crewmate)(Former),

Beau Foundling (Junior),

Clarice Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Craven Bog (Junior)(Future),

Credence Foundling (Junior),

D.E Anonymous (Anonymous Helper),

Darcy Aoratos (The Medic),

Darius Foundling (Junior),

Darren Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Derrick Red (Crewmate)(Former),

Eduardo Frollo (The Cooper),

Elara Foundling (Junior),

Evelyn de la Cruz (The Prison Guard),

Fiona Foundling (The Look Out),

Francesca Delgado (The Boatswain),

Genesis Flores (The Navigator),

Greyson Hook (Crewmate)(Former),

Gunner Harp (Back up Medic),

Harley Foundling (Junior),

Haul Bjorgman (The Deckhand and Translator)(Future),

Herlando Dancer (Back up Medic),

Hope Sid (The Entertainment and h.r. Representative),

Howiee Wolf (Guard),

Ian Hook (Crewmate)(Former),

Ike Bog (Junior)(Future),

Issac Cipher (Front Desk Attendant),

Isaac Olympian (Crewmate)(Former),

Isaac of Maldonia (Crewmate)(Former),

James Rourke (The Rigger),

Joey Starlights (Crewmate)(Former),

John Facilier (The Gunner),

Jolene Bog (Junior)(Future),

Josh de la Cruz (The Sailmaker),

Joy Foxworth (The Back Up, Back up Kid Wrangler)(Future),

Kailani ‘Clever’ Athanasiou (Storm Manager),

Lance Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Levi Giant (Junior),

Liberty Titan (The Backup Carpenter),

Luke Tremaine-Westergaard (1st Mate),

Luís Barbosa (The Carpenter),

Lysander Foundling (Junior),

Marcys Foundling (Junior),

Marinette Foundling (Junior),

Misty Del Rey-Silver (The Diver),

Morgan Hook (Crewmate)(Former),

Moxie Frankenstein-Van Helsing (Guard),

Nadia Foundling (Junior),

Nevin Hook (Crewmate)(Former),

Noah Aoratos (The Cabin Boy),

Noor Foundling (Junior),

Parker McLeach (The Powder Monkey),

Peachy Gothel (3rd Mate),

Prometheus Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Remi de Vil (4th Mate),

Rian Frankenstein-Van Helsing (The Trainer), 

River Le Beak (Crewmate),

Shan Bri (The Back up Kid Wrangler),

Shania Silver (The Kid Wrangler)(Former),

Shaun Fagin (Crewmate)(Former),

Skelebar Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Skia Aoratos (2nd Mate),

T.K Sykes (Crewmate)(Former),

Terrance Foundling (Junior),

Tiger Khan (Translator),

Tim Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Toby Foundling (Junior)(Future),

Tommy Wonderful (Junior),

Treycor Fae-Aoratos (The Quartermaster),

Tyson Foundling (Junior),

Willow Hawthorne (Junior).

VISITORS:

Captain Hook,

Ginny Gothel,

Hadie,

Harry Hook,

Mal,

Maleficent’s Goons,

Mama Hook,

The Gothel Twins,

The Smee Twins,

Zarina,

Etc. 

FINAL STATE:

Intact.

——————————————————————————

"Creatures of the Night, Prepare to fight!"

THE CREW'S BATTLE CRY.

The Storm Bringer is the name of a pirate ship that Hannah Hook and her crew own.

It served as headquarters for the pirate crew and can be seen throughout the series 'The Marvelous Misadventures of Hannah Hook and Co.'

——————————————————————————

Description:

——————————————————————————

The Storm Bringer is an old pirate ship that Hannah Hook won and fixed up for her crew. Repurposing it as a safe house/boat/home for her crew and replacing the sails with three homemade sails that have a matching flag up on the crowsnest, a single red flag, and two additional crimson red flags.

Its walls are covered in artwork that she and her crew made as well as random treasures they have picked up over the years. 

The wood is mainly brown with hints of red in some places and it has many rooms that the crew share (some of these ‘rooms’ are just areas with curtains hanging up to separate them. 

It is one of the few ships on the isle that is almost fully intact and the shape its in has been described as ‘remarkable’ by the few older pirates that have stepped abroad since the ship came into Hannah Hook’s possession. 

——————————————————————————

History:

——————————————————————————

Hannah Hook acquired the Storm Bringer from it's pervious owner, Blackbeard, in a poker game that she bested him at when she was 6.

In that game, she not only gained a ship but two new enemies (Blackbeard and his son, Barnaby) and the respect of the elder pirates on the isle.

Her first three crew members were Luke Tremaine-Westergaard and Skia Aoratos (her 1st and 2nd mate respectively) and River Le Beak (who decided to just be a crewmate) who helped her build her crew and repair the ship.

They ended up renaming the ship 'The Storm Bringer' and replacing it's old sails with ones they made themselves before tossing the ones in the storage closet.

And over the years, Hannah and her crew ended up redecorating the ship to make it feel more like home. Using art pieces they each made, rewards they'd received, and random treasures they had found to do so.

They even added on to the ship, making more rooms and making it look more intimidating and wild in the process.

——————————————————————————

Gallery:

——————————————————————————

(Old Design):

(New Design):

(Edit):

(Storm Bringer Contract):

(Storm Bringer Crew Tattoo):

(Crew Tryouts Poster):

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Title: Trading Secrets

Warning: The following content is NSFW. This is not appropriate for readers 18 years old and below.

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Pairing: Darius Morgan x Rosa

Word count: ~1.7K

Summary: Rosa finds out that trading secrets is a fun way to relieve stress.

Notes: I wrote this because I needed more Darius content in my life and because I needed to practice writing smut again. I don't own Tears of Themis or any of its characters but I own the idea for this story.

It was a little past eleven when he stepped inside his apartment that Wednesday evening. Except for the light and the clickety-clack of the keyboard that spilled from the small opening of the makeshift room a little ways off the kitchen, Darius would've thought he was home alone. 

"Is that you, Darius?"

"Good evening, Rosa," the police captain nodded at his guest, who popped her head out of her room to check on him. Soon enough, she stepped out of her room in her blue button-down nightshirt, which looked two sizes too big for her - not that the junior attorney from Themis Law seemed to care. "Late night again?"

"There was a high-profile case that the Chief Justice asked me to look into," he replied, as he slumped on his usual seat at the small dining set. Sitting back, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temple with his fingers. "I would've gone home early, but the report took me longer to create."

"That sounds rough," the young lawyer said as she waddled into the kitchen. She set a stack of files on the table and took the plate with the food she'd left for him so she can heat it in the microwave oven. His eyes traced the lines of her bikini panties, which her nightshirt failed to conceal, and he immediately shifted his attention to the papers in front of him. 

"Another witness?" 

"Yeah," the pretty petite replied wearily. "This case is dragging on far longer than any of us expected."

He read through the file to distract himself from his thoughts. It's been over a week since Artem Wing entrusted his junior to his care, and the dark-haired police captain hasn't slept a wink since. 

Not that Rosa was a noisy housemate - far from it. Rosa usually keeps to her room most of the time, and only comes out when she needs to. She's quite tidy and loves to clean when she's stressed out. She also makes for good company, especially when they're watching the news or discussing current events they've come across in the broadsheet or social media. The problem wasn't Rosa's behavior; it was her choice of clothes that bothered him - like the sweat shorts she wore three days ago when she was cleaning the living room, which did very little to hide the color of her underwear or the tank top she had on when they were drinking whisky together the other night, which had a very thin padding so he could see the outline of her nipples. The yoga shorts she wore this morning when she decided to exercise before going to work sent him flying to the bathroom where he relieved his throbbing member under the cold water from the shower. 

He cursed himself - it was ungentlemanly of him to be sexualizing his unexpected guest, especially when she was a good 13 years younger. The microwave chimed, and soon he smelled the delicious aroma of salt and pepper spare ribs wafting in the air. 

"Eat it while it's hot," she prodded. 

"Did you make this?" 

She laughed. "I admire your faith in my ability to cook, but no, Artem made this and sent it over." 

He watched her get their half-empty bottle of whisky and two glasses from the bar. She looked even more tired tonight and the circles under her eyes were darker. "You've brought out the whisky. Are things not going well between you and Artem?"

"Don't make it sound weird," she quipped as she poured the amber liquid into both glasses. Tipping her glass at him, she said, "Cheers!"

They fell into their usual groove over the next hour or so. She begged him to talk about his day and asked him all sorts of questions about the cases his team handles. She offered her advice about how to best approach the high-profile detainees from the recent drug bust and listened to him give his expert opinion about the case she was handling. 

As he was sharing his suspicion about the star witness in her current case, he saw her squint her light yellow-green eyes and attempt to suppress a yawn. He checked the time - it was half past midnight. 

"You seem tired. Maybe we should call it a night," he offered. 

"I'm not that tired yet," the young brunette replied, stretching her arms above her head while letting out a yawn. Before he could stop himself, he watched the fabric of her nightshirt outline the swell of her breast as she stretched. 

He shook his head. Darius, this woman is young enough to be your baby sister, he repeated to himself. For as long as he can compartmentalize her into that role, he figured he would be okay. 

It could be because of the alcohol and the fact that she looked cute, but somehow compartmentalizing her wasn't doing the trick. Her nightdress was now disheveled, her nipples were peeking through the fabric of her clothes and it was enough to send blood rushing to his manhood. He sighed and quietly counted to ten to calm himself down. 

"I think you should rest," the dashing dark-haired captain said. "Artem would be upset if he finds out you've been staying up late."

"But I can't sleep," Rosa whined. "Lately, all this prep work for the trial has been stressing me out so much, my brain's been working overtime. I can't relax, and I can't sleep."

Darius took one look at the crestfallen expression on Rosa's face and mentally deliberated between helping her or leaving her to her own devices. "But she's still young," he muttered under his breath. 

"I'm right here and I'm twenty-four. What are you up to?"

"Nothing," the Stellis Police Captain replied, downing his glass of whisky. "We should go to bed."

"Darius," Rosa cried, as she gripped his arm. "Don't go to bed yet. Stay with me a little while longer. I'm not tired yet and you have the day off tomorrow, too, right?"

He sent a prayer to the heavens. He was so close to giving in. He wished she'd be a good girl and just go back to her makeshift room so he can take a shower. 

But she wasn't keen on following instructions the first time tonight. He wasn't sure if it was the way she pleaded with him or the feel of her hand as she held his arm for dear life, but the gruff police chief let go of all remaining logic he had left as he picked Rosa up and hoisted her on his shoulder. Slamming the door of his bedroom shut, he dropped the young woman on his bed and stared at her bewildered expression. 

"Listen, I'm gonna help you sleep, but you better promise me you'll keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone about this," he said. 

"I believe that's how a secret works." 

He smirked. Even in her disheveled state, the junior lawyer still managed to answer back. No wonder she has Artem wrapped around her finger. He crouched down in front of her. 

"Have you ever been intimate with a man before?" 

She shook her head. "But… But I know the science behind it. I have an idea of how it works," she said. 

Darius chuckled as he grabbed her legs and knelt in front of her. He could smell her arousal and he didn't have to touch her to know she was getting excited about what he was about to do. 

"I have another secret to tell you," he said, as he reached for the waistband of her panties. There was a curious spark in her eyes. "I used to think of myself as your older brother," he confessed while slowly sliding her panties off her legs. He then positioned her legs on either side of his face and smirked. "But I wouldn't do this to my baby sister," he said before he licked the slit of her pussy once before lapping at it like a starving man. 

She gasped at the feeling of his wet tongue on her most intimate part. It wasn't unpleasant. She wanted more. She bucked her hips against his face, urging his tongue to keep tasting her. The feel of stubble on her clit as he ravaged her made her scream.

In between licks, Darius kept telling her how good she tasted and what Artem would do if he ever found out he was eating her out. These only added fuel to the fire as she begged him to keep going. 

She thrashed wildly when he sucked at her clit. She pulled on his hair, on the sheets - she didn't care if she looked like a maniac, but she wasn't gonna make him stop. 

He held her hips steady. "Look at me, Rosa," he told her. With her eyes locked on his, he lowered his lips again and parted her slit with his tongue. His eyes never left hers as he expertly parted her slit with his tongue and plunged deeper. Each time she would close her eyes, he'd click his tongue to remind her to keep watching. He loved watching her rise and fall apart with each lick and each suckle. As his tongue plunged inside her, he felt her tremble and knew she was close. He could also feel his pants tighten, so he unzipped his pants and took his cock out to stroke it while he drove Rosa off the edge.

"Darius…"

"I know, I know, baby," he said. "Don't fight it. Let it go. Cum for me." 

"Darius, I-I'm coming," Rosa gasped before waves of white heat rolled inside of her and Darius lapped it all up, not stopping until he's consumed all of her essence and planting one last lick on her sensitive clit. 

Sensing his own release, he stood over Rosa, still sprawled on his bed. "Sorry, Rosa, I'm gonna cum, too. May I?"

Before she had the chance to respond, he lifted her nightdress and groaned. Webs of creamy white liquid spilled from the tip of his large member unto her warm belly, and she watched as the magnificent man who had given her her first orgarsm now sought his own release. 

He collapsed on top of her and kissed her forehead. "Let's get you cleaned up so you can go to sleep," he said, still catching his breath. "After all, you must be tired now."

"I am," the pretty petite nodded. "But I want to sleep here. And since we have the day off tomorrow, do you mind if we trade some more secrets, Captain Morgan?" 

The older man laughed. "I can't possibly say no to a request from little Miss Attorney Rosa," he said, burying his face on her neck. "I have a lot of secrets to share with you. I hope you're ready for it."

The end. 

[actualbird]

im sorry but if i was rosa i would NOT date any of the main boys only because i would go after CAPTAIN DARIUS MORGAN INSTEAD ❤️

ur so real for this anon. his tired swag and world weary eyebags are bewitching!!!! i jest of course, hes very hot but i just want him to also get a good night's sleep bc he looks like he hasnt seen a bed since 1999...

[tinymaru-archived]

Not the SSR we got, but the one we deserved.

[spirituallydemon]

A clean saved

Captain Darius

Without dark circles

CAUSE WHY NOT

That's one fine piece I see

So .... when is his route releasing

[yujikuna]

like our options are currently a 21 year old, a 24 year old, a 27 year old, and a 29 year old. mihoyo please LET ME FUCK THE TIRED 37 YEAR OLD CAPTAIN. PLEASE. HE’S SO HOT???

[bruh-myguy-what]

WHY CANT HE BE MY LOVE INTEREST. I NEED HIM.

WHY ISN'T HE ONE OF THE LOVE INTERESTS??

[vynsvision]

FINALLY getting to start the Snowfallen Secrets event and I love that Darius knows the NXX is a team, although he doesn't know the name of the team or why they're a team. Also, he seems to believe (correctly) that MC is the leader of the team.

I missed him.

[jjjenia]

Didn't my man deserve just one event R-card in some different outfit (along with Celestine or whatever)? Or make it any other letter? Is it too much to ask?

[hannahhook7744]

Stormbringer Crew Species;

Aaron Bog (The Treasuer)= Demon-Human Hybrid.  

Abi Hun (Crewmate)(Former)= Human.

Alex Aoratos-Sinclair (Helmsman)= Demigod.

Amira Bint Aladdin Bin Cassim Al Hamed of Agrabah (Translator)(Future)= Human.

 Anna Bog (The Lawyer)= Demon-Human Hybrid. 

 Artemis Foundling (Junior)= (Thought To Be) Human With Severe  Jaundice.

Athena Queen (The New Powder Monkey and Rigger)= Witch.

 Atlas Foundling (Junior)(Future)= (Thought To Be) Changeling-Shapeshifter Hybrid.

 Atticus Hook (Babysitter Crewmate)(Former)= Human.

 Beau Foundling (Junior)= Human-Goblin-Troll Hybrid.

Clarisse Foundling (Junior)(Future)= Orge-Human Hybrid.

 Craven Bog (Junior)(Future)= Demon-Human Hybrid. 

Credence Foundling (Junior)= Centaurcorn.

 D.E Anonymous (Anonymous Helper)= Unknown. Thought to be a ghost. 

Darcy Aoratos (The Medic)= Witch Demigod.

Darius Foundling (Junior)= Mummy-Human Hybrid.

Darren Foundling (Junior)(Future)= Disabled Human. 

Derrick Red (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

 Eduardo Frollo (The Cooper)= Human.

 Elara Foundling (Junior)= (Thought To Be) Elf-Human Hybrid.

 Evelyn de la Cruz (The Prison Guard)= Witch.

 Fiona Foundling (The Look Out)= Fairy.

 Francesca Delgado (The Boatswain )(Former)= Witch.

Genesis Flores (The Navigator )(Former)= Witch.

 Greyson Hook (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

 Gunner Harp (Back up Medic)= Demigod-Harp Angel Humanoid Hybrid.

Hannah Hook (Captain)= MagicBorn Witch.

 Harley Foundling (Junior)= Green Humanoid Thought To Be From An Alternate Realm.

 Haul Bjorgman (The Deckhand and Translator )(Future)= Human (But Could Be Considered A Reverse Changeling Via His Father).

 Herlando Dancer (Back up Medic)= Vampire-Human Hybrid.

 Hope Sid (The Entertainment and H.R. Representative)= Banshee-Wizard Hybrid.

 Howiee Wolf (Guard)= Werewolf-Wolf Humanoid Hybrid.

Ian Hook (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

 Ike Bog (Junior )(Future)= Demon-Human Hybrid. 

 Issac Cipher (Front Desk Attendant)= Extradimensional Dream Demon (Possibly A Hybrid).

 Isaac Olympian (Crewmate )(Former)= Godling.

 Isaac of Maldonia (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

 James Rourke (The Rigger)(Former)= Human.

Joey Skylights (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

John Facilier (The Gunner)=  Evil Bokor-Demigod Hybrid. Jolene Bog (Junior )(Future)= Demon-Human Hybrid. 

 Josh de la Cruz (The Sailmaker)= Witch.

Joy Foxworth (The Back Up  Back up Kid Wrangler )(Future)= Human.

 Kailani ‘Clever’ Olympian (Storm Manager)= Evil Bokor-Demigod Hybrid.

Lance Foundling (Junior )(Future)= Black Eyed, Forked Tongued, Albino Human That Was Saved From Becoming An Imbunche (By Hannah).

 Levi Giant (Junior)= Human-Giant Hybrid.

 Liberty Titan (The Backup Carpenter)= Titan-Cyclops Hybrid. 

Luke Tremaine-Westergaard (1st Mate)= Human. 

Luís Barbosa (The Carpenter)= Human.

Lysander Foundling (Junior)= Satyr (But Suspected Hybrid). 

 Marcys Foundling (Junior)= Centaur (But Suspected Hybrid).

Marinette Foundling (Junior)= Bluish-Grey Humanoid.

Misty Del Rey-Silver (The Diver)= Human-Merperson Hybrid.

Morgan Hook (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

 Moxie Frankenstein-Van Helsing (Guard)= Born Human, Resurrected Into Something Akin To A Wendigo But Not Exactly.

Nadia Foundling (Junior)= Genie-Human Hybrid.

 Nevin Hook (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

Noah Aoratos (The Cabin Boy)= Godling.

Noor Foundling (Junior)= Genie-Human Hybrid.

 Parker McLeach (The Powder Monkey)(Former)= Human.

 Peachy Gothel (3rd Mate)= Witch/Magical Person.

Prometheus Foundling (Junior)(Future)= Disabled Human.

Remi de Vil (4th Mate)= Human Of Godly Decent.

 Rian Frankenstein-Van Helsing (The Trainer)= Born Human, Resurrected Into Something Zombie-Like.

 River Le Beak (Crewmate)= Human-Merperson Hybrid.

Shan Bri (The Back up Kid Wrangler)= Human (With A Magical Parent).

 Shania Silver (The Kid Wrangler )(Former)= Human-Merperson Hybrid.

 Shaun Fagin (Crewmate )(Former)= Human. 

Skelebar Foundling (Junior )(Future)= Humanoid Creature. 

Skia Aoratos (2nd Mate)= Godling.

 T.K Sykes (Crewmate )(Former)= Human.

 Terrance Foundling (Junior)= Werewolf-Vampire Hybrid.

Tiger Khan (Translator)= Human Raised By A Tiger.

Tim Foundling (Junior )(Future)= Human Child Who Ages Backwards (Physically). 

 Toby Foundling (Junior )(Future)= Merperson.

 Tommy Wonderful (Junior)= Witch/Magical Person.

Treycor Fae-Aoratos (The Quartermaster)= Fairy-Demigod Hybrid.

Tyson Foundling (Junior)= Werecat.

Willow Hawthorne (Junior)= Human-Tree Nymph Hybrid. 

I just realized that Hannah Hook's crew are mostly none-humans. Which means that some things they all do would defo come off as off putting to those in Auradon lol.

[bruh-myguy-what]

I JUST WANT TO DATE CAPTAIN DARIUS MORGAN, MIHOYO.

He is a 10 but Mihoyo won't let me date him

[tinymaru-archived]

I love one (1) stressed police officer @xialatvs

[alstroemeriadissonance]

NXX Turns into Cat - Part 1 (Meowrius)

Each NXX duder turns into a cat. Everyone else—Rosa, mostly—deals with the mess.

Separate Timelines for each NXX duder.

Hijinks and absolute pettiness (pun intended) ensue.

The same thing has been happening in the conference room, yet again.

The din of rising voices escalated gradually at every exchanged line, the argument easily becoming the focus of this week’s meeting. Eventually all the preparations for the meeting: the data projected against the wall, printouts of confidential data, softcopies meant to be pushed to each attendee’s devices—all became worthless.

Even under the dimmed lights of the conference room Marius could easily pick out the shrugging of Rosa’s shoulders; Luke had also quit bothering to be surreptitious with playing his mobile game, even laying his phone flat on the table, its screen showing miniature soldiers fighting for dominance in yet another tower defense game.

“I am telling you right now, Richter, the course of action you are proposing is unwise. Someone has to stay and process the data here in the Headquarters, and the best candidate to do that will be the owner of the sys—”

An elegant, yet seething voice cut in. “If you were listening for the past hour, Wing, I did say that the manual input required for this case is very minimal, and that it can easily be done remotely.”

“You are just looking for excuses to run off with my junior, and as her boss I do not—”

Marius’s ears started to tune out the bickering between the two oldest NXX members, who unfortunately also acted most childishly whenever the point of contention involved a certain someone.

He sighed as he shifted in his seat, uncrossing and crossing his legs. The meeting has been running for more than an hour now, and yet very little has been achieved. 

God. Let this end already. 

The pile of printed documents—all bearing important, confidential information handed to them under the table by Captain Darius Morgan—remained untouched; a good indicator as to how much time had been wasted within the confines of the NXX conference room.

Oddly enough Marius remained reticent all throughout; he kept to himself ever since they started to convene for their regular meeting. 

Usually he would’ve joined the fray, or oftentimes even start the bickering; but all Marius had been doing for the past hour and a half was stare at Rosa, who sat across from him at the conference table. 

One of his hands propped up his chin as he made googoo eyes at her—which the junior lawyer deliberately ignored, her eyes stubbornly glued to the holographic display projected onto the glass wall—while his other hand fiddled with cloth charm that he received a couple of days ago under very, very strange circumstances.

“I just need to hold on to this while making my wish, huh.” Marius’s quiet voice was easily drowned out by the argument now made worse with Luke joining in. His eyes were still glued to his favorite Missy Lawyer, wishing and hoping she’d spare him a glance; maybe even throw him just a crumb of acknowledgement. 

Yet Rosa was still hellbent on ignoring Marius, still upset at the relentless teasing he did while they were waiting for Vyn to arrive at the Headquarters’ lounge before the meeting started. 

Everything had come to a head when he, still riding that exhilarating high he usually experienced whenever he was around her, saw it fit to steal her packed lunch of chicken nuggets and fries.

Then proceeding to eat each and every piece in front of her. 

Marius had meant to buy her a new lunch out of the goodness of his heart—that way she’d have something fresh and hot when lunchtime came—yet he just had to run his mouth and made his already vile deed worse several magnitudes over by proclaiming she deserved something better, maybe cooked by one of the chefs under his family’s employ, believing that the chicken nuggets were merely bought from some fast food joint nearby.

As it turned out, Rosa herself cooked the nuggets, and was particularly proud of how she managed to pull off a certain fast food joint’s secret recipe.

Needless to say, he accidentally wounded her pride in the worst way possible.

How do I make her look at me again? His fingers flipped the small silk charm in his hand over and over, as he looked at her with such pining. Can’t stand the thought of letting the day end without her forgiving me for being such a dumbass.

He sighed once again. 

It seemed that all he could do at this point was to merely sigh. 

No longer seeing the point of the meeting, Marius took out the silken charm from underneath the table, placing it on the glass surface so he could appreciate its details: A cartoonish depiction of a rotund calico cat was embroidered onto the pink silk; Marius found it extremely endearing, for something that had been promised to him as a precious artifact powerful enough to grant wishes.

I wonder…

===

Two days  ago.

“Mr. Von Hagen! Mr. Von Hagen!”

Normally, Marius would ignore any unfamiliar voice who called for him, striding faster in an effort to get away from yet another enterprising distant whoever who saw it fit to take their chances with the ‘young, impressionable Von Hagen’. 

Yet this time, Marius immediately stopped and turned around to face the man, for one simple reason: They were both in the corridor leading to his own bedroom. 

Which meant that the total stranger managed to get past their usually formidable security and infiltrate his family’s private residence. 

Marius was ready to deck the man who dared —and probably whoever was in today’s security detail—but he stopped dead in his tracks the moment he laid his eyes on the little man who trailed him.

To say that the little man was strangely attired was a severe understatement: a voluminous red silken belted robe over loose black trousers; the entire outfit topped off with a black silk ceremonial cap sporting a long tail that trailed along the short man’s back.

The entire costume wasn’t too outrageous by Marius’s standards—he vaguely recognized it from the depictions of Japanese shrine priests he’d seen on television—but the fact that there was a Japanese shrine priest lurking in his home had him pinching the side of his arm to check if he was dreaming or snoozing in the middle of a particularly boring board meeting.

“No, no. This is no dream, I can assure you, Mr. Von Hagen,” the strange looking man simpered. “I am only here to make a delivery. Yes.”

Having had his share of dubious gifts sent his way, Marius had to raise his hand in objection. “Whoa. Hold on there.” He gave the other man a once-over. He wasn’t carrying anything that could be taken as a particularly expensive gift; both of the man’s hands were empty. Maybe there’s a small jewelry box hidden somewhere in those huge sleeves? He threw a cursory glance at the man’s clothing, including the voluminous trousers made of flowy fabric. Maybe something jade?

The Shinto priest’s eyes further narrowed into slits; his mouth curved in a sly grin. “If you are looking for anything suspicious, you will find nothing. No.” His hand finally slipped into one of his trousers’ side pockets, producing a flat embroidered flat silken pouch sealed on one end with an elaborate knot. “This. Take it.” 

Tiny hands grabbed Marius’s closed fist, planting the silk charm onto his palm and closing his fingers over it. “The girl wished for you the best. She is a kind, pure soul.” The priest’s grin widened further. “You are lucky, yes. She got the best luck; she chose to give it away. To you.”

This is getting ridiculous. Marius slipped his own hand into his pocket, pressing the hidden side button of his smartphone designed only to be used whenever his life in his danger; and this was a good moment for him to believe he was indeed in danger: someone snuck into a place where he is most vulnerable, whose behavior was too unpredictable that Marius may probably not be able to talk his way out of it should things go horribly south.

“To use this charm, just hold it in your right hand and make a wish. That’s it. Easy peasy .”

“Hang on. Who sent this? Who’s ‘she’?”

“Eheheh. That, Mr. Von Hagen, is a trade secret.” Marius could almost make out a flashing of teeth as the man grinned. “An exchange of favors, then? Yes?”

Marius gulped. He had listened to many proposals enough for him to know that agreeing to anything with this sort of person, even verbally, was dangerous.

“I’m just asking who she is. Not interested in making a blind deal, old man.”

The device was supposed to send the closest security to his location within a matter of a single minute or less; yet Marius found himself still talking—and trying to suss out more details on the gift and the identity of the sender—for way longer than a few minutes and yet no one has arrived yet.

Shit. Did he…?

No. Impossible.

“...like I said, Mr. Von Hagen, if there is no exchange, then I am honor-bound not to let you know who she is, no.” 

“Alright. Okay, how about this, then. How the hell did you manage to get here?”

“I have my ways, yes.”

Marius had a few choice words for that kind of sassy reply—some people actually did pull that on him—yet he was briefly distracted by a small flash of light off the other end of the corridor behind the suspicious man, his eyes only leaving him for a few seconds. “Wait—what hap—”

Then, a flick of a bushy tail in the shadows.

“—pened…”

When he set his sights back to where the priest stood, there was no other soul in the otherwise empty corridor but his. 

A few seconds later frantic footsteps thumped across the carpet; security had finally arrived, and each and every one of them swore that only less than a minute passed between them receiving his distress signal and their arrival at the scene.

A later review of CCTV footage revealed that Marius was standing by himself in the corridor for a few moments; no one was with him, strange-looking little man or otherwise.

Marius had then chalked the hallucination up to work fatigue.

But the silk charm was still in his fist.

===

Loud scuffling sounds pulled Marius away from his reverie. Artem and Vyn would have already traded blows, if it weren’t for Luke restraining Artem by holding onto his arms and Rosa doing the same to Vyn, trying her hardest not to let go. 

Look at her. Wish she’d hold on to me like that, Marius idly mused as he ran his thumb across the charm’s smooth fabric, conveniently ignoring the context behind why Rosa was clinging to the doctor’s arms. I wish she’d hold me, tell me I’m a good boy …

…

…

…

“Meow.”

===

“What the actual fuck.”

Luke ran towards Marius’s chair. “Marius. God fucking damnit I can’t deal with your stupid jokes right now.” His voice came out strangled in utter frustration as he stared at the slate gray-colored cat sitting on a pile of Marius’s discarded clothing, heaped haphazardly all over the latter’s seat. “This is the worst time to be pulling jokes, Marius. Come out now, or I’ll make sure the Von Hagens won’t have their next generation.”

Vyn let out an inelegant snort. “I suppose our squabbling bored him. If you only listened to reason, Wing, instead of forcing onto me your insecurities—”

“All of us can see through you, Richter—”

Luke had had enough. “Hey, Watson. Remember how we fixed this kind of problem back in middle school?”

“Wait what do you mean—oh.” Rosa's lips slowly cracked into a smile as comprehension dawned on her. “Yeah. How we always solved quarrels in the playground back then?” She winked. “Let’s do it, for old time’s sake.”

“That’s my Watson. On the count of three, then… One.” Luke cracked his gloved knuckles. “Two.”

Artem and Vyn, both too preoccupied with each other, failed to notice the other two sneaking into position behind them: Luke once again behind Artem, and Rosa slinking into Vyn’s shadow.

“Three..”

Luke and Rosa both grabbed and pulled the back of the other two’s collars, then—not giving Artem nor Vyn any chance to react—collided Artem’s and Vyn’s heads against each other’s with such force, that the impact produced a thud sound loud enough to make Rosa wince.

Vyn let out a scathing string of unheard-of curses; Artem held his throbbing, stinging forehead quietly as he doubled over in pain.

“Right. Have you guys had enough already?” Luke crossed his arms, glaring at his older colleagues carefully rubbing at the red, swollen lumps forming on their foreheads. “I would have just stuffed both of you in a Get Along shirt, but I never expected I’d see use of it in a room full of adults, so I don’t have one in my pocket.” He jerked his thumb towards the cat now rolling on the glass conference table. “Can we now move on to whatever shit Marius just pulled?”

Vyn let out a long, pained sigh. He was about to retort, but bit back his words as soon as he realized that it was Rosa who pushed his head towards Artem’s. “Fine,” he snapped. “Let us review the security footage in the server room.”

===

Yet looping the footage that captured the exact moment when Marius was replaced with a cat yielded absolutely nothing. “It’s not even edited,” Luke murmured as he ran that particular clip in his own laptop over and over, at the same time checking for any telltale irregularities in the footage’s metadata in a separate window. “The video is clean.”

Artem walked over to Luke and peered at the detective’s screen. “If it’s clean, then what does that mean about whatever Marius did?”

Luke merely shrugged. “I’m at a loss. Either Marius really did disappear, or…” He craned his neck to look outside the server room door, right at the spot where Marius’s seat was located. “Is there a trap door…? Vyn?”

However, Vyn wasn’t paying attention to their review of the footage—which he himself proposed—and was instead in the middle of a hushed conversation with Rosa, while Luke and Artem were busy trying to make heads or tails of Marius’s disappearance. “He looks like a Russian Blue,” Luke heard Vyn whisper as the doctor peered at the wide-eyed slender cat currently ensconced in her arms, purring loudly as it licked its paw. “Color-wise, he is a Marius -like cat indeed.”

She giggled. “He acts very Marius too.” 

“With how he bit my finger? Yes.” Vyn concurred, as if he wasn’t talking to someone who played a big part in inflicting the unsightly bump on his forehead. “Mayhap this is really Marius. If so, I very much prefer him to stay in this form.”

“Hey, Vyn, can you please stop flirting with Rosa for a second and work with me?” Luke groused, almost about to lose it himself. If Vyn pushed even a bit further, his trained fist may even find its way to the doctor’s irritatingly pretty face. “Please?” 

Vyn tsk-ed. “I was merely staying out of your way,” he muttered as he approached Luke. “Well?”

Luke tapped onto the CCTV screen that displayed the portion of the floor underneath Marius’s chair. “I was going to ask if this basement allows for things like trapdoors.”

Silver hair oscillated as Vyn shook his head. “Impossible. As you said, this is the basement. There are no other floors underneath, only this building’s foundation and the bedrock it is anchored to.”

Luke buried his face in his hands. Well then. 

“I…I don’t have anything else to say. That cat,” he pointed to the one now purring loudly in Rosa’s arms, “Is Marius. Unless I am mistaken. Whatever.” He threw up his hands, pulling away from the CCTV panel after he tucked his laptop underneath his arm, slinking out of the server room. “I give up. Just call me when I’m needed.”

The detective silently gathered his things and noped out of NXX Headquarters.

“Um. Mr. Wing? Dr. Richter?” Rosa piped up as she watched the two men gather their own things after Luke. “What do I do with Marius here?”

Artem looked at the cat warily. “My apartment building does not allow for pets, unfortunately.”

“I cannot take care of a pet,” Vyn said a little too quickly. “I have too much on my plate right now. But for you, Rosa, I can explore other options that we could take. Like surrendering the cat to a shelter—”

“NO!” Rosa tightened her hold on the gray cat, its small vibrating body now pressed firmly against her chest. “We will not hand Marius over to a shelter. You hear me? No!”

“Rosa, listen to reason, please.” Artem started to loosely fold the Pax acting CEO’s garments, slipping them inside a foldaway shopping bag he always kept in his briefcase in case of any sudden grocery runs. “A shelter will attend to a cat’s needs better than a busy attorney who lives alone.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Ohh, so if it’s against Marius, both of you know how to agree with each other.” She shifted her hold on the cat, letting it nuzzle and lick her chin. “I’ll be taking care of him then.”

Rosa gently slipped her hands underneath the cat’s front legs and held it out in front of her. “Aren’t you such a cutie pie?” she cooed in a singsong voice. “I’ll take you home tonight!”

The cat squirmed a little in her grasp. “Nyaa.”

Hearing those words—and finally understanding just how intent his rose was in looking after the cat’s welfare—Vyn said, “Let me drive you to the nearest pet—”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this Dr. Richter!” Rosa cut in with a forced cheer as she gathered her things with one arm; her other arm already full of purring cat. “Do your stuff!”

Artem also could not help but take his chances to see if he could outdo Vyn this time. “I can help you with that, Ro—”

“Nuh-uh!” Rosa interrupted her boss with as much forced enthusiasm as she did with the doctor, already well on her way towards the door. “I know you’re also swamped with work, Mr. Wing. Don’t worry about me, this is all taken care of.” She winked as she pushed open the heavy glass door with her hips.

Then, under her breath: “Assholes.”

===

An hour’s worth of pet supplies shopping later.

Rosa finally made it to her apartment, flopping onto her sofa as soon as she reached her living room. The cat—which she already called Marius, even if the veracity of the cat being him was still debatable—then proceeded to jump onto the carpet. It rubbed its warm, purring body against her calves that ached after all the walking she did, while carrying a cat and several shopping bags, at the same time. 

“Meow.”

She reached down to give it a few chin scritches. “You’re cute, Marius.” The cat then let out another mewl of delight, then rolled onto his back, as if beckoning Rosa to touch its fluffy belly.

“This isn’t a trap, is it?” Rosa said, as if she was certain that Marius could understand her even in its feline form.

“Myaa.”

Rosa exhaled, then proceeded to tempt fate by running a hand across its belly…which promptly sprung the cat trap, as she initially expected. 

All four paws ‘captured’ her hand, with the forepaws dragging sharp claws across the skin near her wrist.

“Ow! I knew it—” Rosa hissed in pain, rubbing at the growing welts on her scratch-streaked skin. “You’re still a gremlin, no matter what form.” 

Grumbling, she pushed herself off the sofa then—after dabbing alcohol onto her shallow cat-inflicted scratches—set out to do her chores before tiredness could latch onto her for the rest of the night.

After a few minutes she managed to lay out everything a cat may need for a week’s stay: assorted cat food, litter box with a bag of litter sand, a few cat toys, among other sundry cat care items. “I think that’s about it.” Rosa then turned towards Marius, intending to let the cat familiarize itself with the location of the litter box. 

However, it wasn’t by the foot of the sofa where she last saw it. “Marius?”

No response.

Refusing to give in to panic worsened by fatigue—there was no reason for her to worry: her apartment was perfectly sealed and there were no open windows, not even gaps underneath her door that even the sneakiest cat could slip through—Rosa took a deep breath and counted 10 to 1 slowly to calm herself down, just as Dr. Richter had instructed her after he witnessed her losing utter shit in front of him not too long ago.

She crept to the kitchen, thinking that the remnants of last night’s chicken nuggets may have attracted its attention. “Marius?” 

There was still no hide nor hair of cat to be found, even as she moved the oven so she could peek behind it. “Marius…don’t you like chicken?” 

She remembered just how upset she was for the stunt he pulled with her chicken nuggets this morning; yet Rosa was already more than willing to forgive Marius as long as she could find the cat safe and not caught up in something that could harm or injure it. “Marius?”

“Mrowr.” The sound was faint, and quite a few ways away from where she stood. 

Is Marius upstairs?

Rosa quickly made her way towards her upstairs loft bedroom, making sure to proceed slowly with light footfalls to avoid startling the feline. “Marius…”

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as soon as she turned on the bedroom lights.

There was Marius, indeed, in all his slate-gray furry glory…perched on an opened drawer full of her underwear and lingerie.

Draped over its head were her still unused red silk panties, which she bought with the intention of having something to use...in the event of something spicy possibly happening during a totally platonic, just friends only date. 

“Meow.”

“MARIUS. VON. HAGEN. PUT IT BACK. NOW.” Rosa, utterly mortified, lunged towards the cat without thinking. 

“MROWR!”

Her loudly expressed humiliation may have started the Marius-cat; it jumped out of her reach, her silken panties still wrapped around its body even as it dashed downstairs. 

“Marius!” Her face burning red with shame, Rosa clambered down after him in an effort to retrieve her Just in Case underwear. “Come back here!” Agony saturated her embarrassed cries. “PLEASE!”

“Mrowr.” Still intent on hiding away from Rosa and possibly any perceived hostility aimed towards it, the cat hopped onto the windowsill, trying to wedge itself between the glass wall and a large crystal vase full of water and freshly-cut roses.

Oh no. No. No!!

Her cries of “Marius” were completely drowned out by the sound of glass shattering onto the floor; myriad glittering pieces clattering across the smooth linoleum.

===

“Heya. Um. Luke?” 

“...Hahaha what?” Rosa found herself laughing despite having traces of tears running down her cheeks. “You totally expected this to happen?”

A smile slowly formed on her lips as she listened to her childhood friend through her phone’s speaker. “Don’t tell me you’ve been hanging around waiting for me to call you.” A pause. “What?”

She laughed again as Luke told her that yes, he had been on a stake out in a nearby convenience store for a couple of hours as he waited for her SOS.

“Whew. I love you Luke,” she told her childhood friend, drunk in such utter relief. “You’re a lifesaver. Come on up, I’ll leave the door open for you.”

Her mood had lifted considerably as soon as she cut the call, placing the phone beside her on the sofa.

She then took a deep breath and buried her face in her hands, staying put on the sofa as she waited for Luke. Right. In a few minutes Luke will be here with some warm food, and he’ll help out with the clean-up…

Rosa stayed in that position—face in hands, breathing slowly and deeply—until she heard a slightly morose “Mrowr.”

After taking one last deep breath, Rosa peeled her hands away from her face, allowing herself to look at the gray cat sitting by her feet. It was no longer wearing her sinful panties—they must have been dropped somewhere as the cat scampered around for a hiding place—and instead had a piece of leftover chicken nugget clamped between its jaws.

Marius-cat then placed the chicken nugget by her feet.

“Meow.” It looked at her with wide, blown-out pupils, as if begging for attention.

Or  forgiveness?

“Oh, you.” Relenting, she picked up the gray cat by the scruff and let it perch on her lap. “Are you trying to say sorry, Marius?”

“Mrrr.” It rubbed its body against her stomach, then promptly curled up on her thighs. The barely-there vibration of its satisfied purring soothed Rosa somewhat, and she gathered the cat into her arms, holding it close against her bosom.

“You think a chicken nugget is enough for me to forgive you?” A fingertip gently booped its pink, moist nose. “Nuh-uh. You have to behave, Marius. Not even being a cute cat gives you a pass!”

“Myaa.”

Rosa giggled. “Oh you.” She nuzzled the top of its head, cooing at him gently as she relished the soft fur tickling her nose. “You’re such a good boy after all, giving me that nugg—”

Neither Rosa nor Marius—Marius von Hagen, human—could comprehend what exactly happened, but there he was, in all his naked glory, lying over Rosa’s lap.

Both of them were too stunned to even react. 

Rosa, in particular, was too stunned to even properly react to having a totally naked man, with all bits accounted for, on the same sofa as her.

Being a bit too large for the furniture, Marius’s arm dangled over the edge of the upholstery, his hand chancing upon something smooth that got caught in his fingers when he—in a rare flash of clarity—saw it fit to cover his delicate bits with both of his hands.

The sight of smooth, vivid red—Rosa’s missing panties—making contact with Marius’s manhood was the catalyst for the night’s climax.

Rosa screamed into high heavens, her brain now on the fritz with shock and humiliation. She frantically pushed and kicked Marius to the carpet. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY PANTIES?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!! I DON’T KNOW!!” Marius cried out as he shielded himself from Rosa’s frenzied kicking with one arm, his other arm desperately trying to protect what remained of his now shredded dignity. “I DON’T KNOW!!”

This was the tableau that greeted Luke as soon as he stepped into Rosa’s apartment.

===

Back in the NXX Headquarters, Conference Room. The next day.

“Miiiiissssssy. Look at me, pleaaaaase,” Marius groveled in front of Rosa, who was seated in her usual swivel chair, arms crossed and still refusing to look at him. “I didn’t mean it! I swear. God.”

There were many conspicuous traces of mauling evident on his person: several patches of gauze taped over particularly bad cuts—some of them Vyn had to redo himself as they were shoddily done by the same person who doled out the injuries—and medical tape wound over a portion of his left hand that for some reason held Rosa’s unspeakable scrap of garment all throughout the thrashing.

Marius laid down on his back by Rosa's feet as he continued to grovel, as if he was still a cat begging for a belly rub. “MISSY. PLEASE.”

A few paces the three other men looked on at the pathetic exchange unfolding right in front of them, with varying degrees of indifference on their faces.

“I told Rosa Marius would be better off living the rest of his life as a cat,” Vyn whispered as he watched, with barely held back amusement, Rosa’s mule-clad foot jab at one of Marius’s bandaged cheeks. “But even as a cat the brat still manages to be an absolute imp. Incredible.”

Luke shook his head. “Nah, it’s better that he’s back to normal.”

Vyn had to raise an eyebrow. “Interesting. I thought you hated Marius.”

“I can see why,” Artem passively watched as Rosa tried to flip Marius over with both her feet. “Kicking a cat is a criminal offense.”

“Aaaand Marius is fair game.” Luke said, with finality.