#chat the gentleman thief

[gentlemanthiefshowdown]

Round 1, Match 6

[Image description: a versus graphic of Peer Nureyev from the Penumbra Podcast and Chat Noir from Granblue Fantasy. Peter is depicted with short, slicked-back brown hair and glasses, and wearing a sweetheart-neck dress bodice with dark brown pants and a flowing decorative icee of fabric, and black heels. He’s holding a clutch purse. Chat Noir is wearing an elaborately decorated black and gold vest over a ruffled white shirt with white pants and thigh-high boots. He has a white cape lined with purple and a scepter and a top hat that matches his vest. /End description

[nataliasquote]

Double the trouble [pt.3] | n romanoff

Double the trouble au: part 1, part 2

Summary: Natasha and Wanda's teenage twin daughters are a lot to handle, but despite their differences and arguments, there's nothing they wouldn't do for each other

Warnings: mentions of cheating, unhealthy coping mechanisms

Pairings: WandaNat, O!C × Valkyrie, Y/n × Bucky Barnes

wc: 5.3k

note: this part 3 was a Wattpad request with this particular plot line, so I’m aware that it moves very fast from part 2. But this ‘series’ of au oneshots aren’t really a series, but more of me just writing this family that I love so much. If you want to see more of this family, my asks are open! So please leave messages in there of what kind of things you want to see :)

- ⧗ -

Y/n and Isla wandered down the hallway in the direction of the cafeteria, their friendship group surrounding them as they all chatted and laughed now that classes were over. Maria was fiddling with the end of Y/n's braid as she walked beside her best friend and she made sure not to tug it too hard.

As they entered through the huge double doors, Isla let out a little sound and sprinted away, darting around the tables as she spotted the head of blue and black braids sitting on an almost empty table. She launched herself onto her girlfriend's lap and looped her arms around her neck as they met with a kiss, making the rest of the group groan with huge grins plastered on their faces.

"They're so perfect it hurts my soul." Maria commented to Y/n who just smirked. The group filled in the rest of the seats around Valkyrie's table, throwing their backpacks down as their shoulders ached from the weight of all their books.

"Lovebirds, no making out at the dinner table." Clint said, sending Isla a glare as she stuck her middle finger up and shoved her tongue in Valkyrie's mouth. Clint yelled out and stood up from his chair. He may hate their PDA but it would never take away from his monstrous appetite. Especially not on pizza day.

Y/n pulled out her boxed lunch, curtesy of Wanda and her love of making lunch for her girls. She knew exactly what she'd find; last night's pasta salad leftovers, some strawberries and blueberries and a small container of cheezits. Nat had slipped a little note and Y/n couldn't help but make a face at how cute her moms were. It didn't matter that she was almost a senior, homemade lunches would always be her favourite.

She noticed a hand sneak to steal a cheezit, but Y/nknew there was no stopping Maria. She was the group's food thief, so everyone was used to it by now.

"Hey Y/n," Steve called from across the table, grabbing the redhead's attention. "Where's Bucky?"

"He texted to say something came up. Not sure what though." They'd only been officially dating for two months, but Y/n still felt butterflies in her stomach whenever he was around. He was the perfect gentleman; picking her up from events, opening doors for her, surprising her with bunches of flowers whenever they went on a date.

Y/n was completely head over heels in love and it made her smile so much brighter. Clint joked that she was like Aurora and that animals would start following her wherever she went and if she started singing.

As they chatted their way through the lunch hour, Y/n's phone started buzzing like mad, almost vibrating so hard it fell off the cafeteria table. She was chatting to Maria so ignored the messages, knowing whoever it was could wait.

"Aren't you gonna check that?" Maria asked, scooping up another forkful of pasta. Y/n just shook her head and shrugged, her mouth full of food so she couldn't talk. "Wow. You've got some serious self control."

"If it bothers you that much then you can check it," Y/n said as she swallowed, reaching for her water bottle. She and Maria were really close, so her seeing messages on her phone was no issue. They were the kind of friends where nothing was TMI.

Maria reached for her phone and tapped the screen as Y/n got elbowed in the ribs by her sister who was still perched on Valkyrie's lap. Isla was asking to trade her blackberries for Y/n's strawberries, who was not at all impressed.

Their sisterly banter distracted attention from Maria, who had all colour drained from her face as she stared at Y/n's phone in horror. Her thumb was hovered over the screen and she didn't dare to take her eyes off the screen, not even with Clint's strange laugh.

"Hey Hill, you look like you've seen a ghost!" Valkyrie called, everyone turning their head to the brunette.

Y/n frowned. "You okay Ria?" Maria looked up at her and then over at Isla who was just smiling widely.

"Yeah I'm ok. I just remembered I've got some homework to finish before class. Sorry." She grabbed her backpack and shoved the rest of her food into it but Y/n seized her wrist, making her pause.

"What happened? What did you see?" Maria had a death grip on Y/n's phone and didn't seem to want to let go. "Maria, I need to know. Show me."

"No it was nothing. Just one of those texts from Bucky, you know how he texts."

Y/n narrowed her eyes. "Bucky doesn't text like that during school because he knows you're always on my phone. So show me what you saw."

Maria's eyes darted to Isla who's smile had dropped into a look of concern. She slid off her girlfriend's lap and rounded the table, taking the phone from Maria over her shoulder.

It was as if thunderclouds had darkened the sky when Isla saw what was on the screen. Her green eyes turned stormy and her fingertips were going white with how hard she gripped the small device. Her reaction had caused the table to be silent and Y/n pulled her lip in between her teeth, trying to pull her phone from her sister's hand.

But Isla held it up out of her reach before slamming it down hard on the table.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him!" She yelled, grabbing her back and swinging it over her shoulder, almost knocking out a freshman behind her as she did so.

Y/n swiped her phone from the table and punched in her password, hands shaking from what she might find. But she didn't have to search far, as her phone unlocked a single picture filled the entire screen and turned her mouth sour.

Bucky's side profile graced her screen, which wasn't uncommon as her lock screen was a picture of him and her kissing. But this time it wasn't her that his lips were pressed against. It was a senior girl, someone Y/n had seen at her mom's studio last year.

Blonde, tall, tanned, it was almost disgusting cliche. But the picture didn't stay in focus for long before it became fuzzy by the tears welling in her eyes. Everyone had crowded around her and had taken a look at the phone, Steve punching the top of the table as he grunted about his best friend.

Isla was being held back by Valkyrie, angry tears streaming down her face as she ranted in fury. The twins may tease each other and drive each other insane, but when it came down to it, they would do anything for the other. Which included getting revenge on stupid boyfriends.

Y/n looked at the picture for a few more seconds before clicking her phone off and sliding it into her pocket. She didn't speak and her face remained neutral as she took a sip of water, eyes remaining fixed on the table.

"Y/n?" Maria asked, slightly scared at her best friend's silence. The redhead slipped her backpack onto her shoulders and turned to leave but Isla grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" It was a stupid question but her sister's silence was starting to scare her. Her mom did the same when she was upset; Y/n was almost Natasha's carbon copy. "Y/n?"

"I'm fine." The shortest sentence with the least amount of truth. Isla looked at Maria with a concerned look and they both surrounded her so she couldn't rush away.

"No you're not. You can't trick me." Y/n looked her sister in the eye and only then did Isla see the tears balancing on her waterline, the green irises looking extra vibrant. "Talk to me."

That was all it took. The tough front she'd tried to put up came crumbling down and her forehead fell onto her sister's shoulder, whole body shaking with sobs.

Isla froze for a moment but wrapped her arms around her sister and Maria rubbed her back, letting her know he was there. Isla tried to channel Wanda, knowing she was the best at comforting her daughters whenever they needed it.

"What did I do wrong?" Y/n cried into her sister's shirt, holding on really tightly.

"You did nothing wrong. He is a dick who doesn't realise what he had when he has it," Maria spoke into her ear. "You're too good for him babe."

"Clearly I'm not if he went off with her!" She spat, lifting her head and catching Clint's gaze. "I just-" she let out a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a roar and Isla winced as it was right by her ear.

Maria suddenly turned her head, eyes bulging out of her head. "Hey Y/n, let's go to the bathroom. More privacy there." The redhead was still crying but protested, not feeling like she wanted to go anywhere.

"I can't. If I see him, I-," her breath hitched as she spoke, crying making it hard to breathe. "I don't know where it went wrong. He kissed me this morning! He told me he loved me, he promised to take me on a date later and now-" that was enough to cut her off from talking and her bottom lip trembled, breaking everyone's hearts around her.

Surrounding tables had turned to look away from Y/n towards the double doors at the far end of the room, everyone watching one thing.

Bucky.

He was strolling through the tables with his backpack on one strap on his shoulder, unsure as to why everyone was staring at him. But his determined steps were soon halted by Steve, who placed his hand on Bucky's chest to stop him.

But it was too late. Y/n had looked up and locked her eyes on him, seeing the boy she loved having forceful words with Steve, his brow furrowed.

She completely froze. Maria was trying to get her attention, as was Isla and the rest of the group, but she was glued to the ground. Her body wanted to run but her brain was in overdrive, emotions clouding every function and blocking out the rest of the world.

She could just see Bucky and she hated it. She didn't want to do it, but she retreated into Natasha's bad habits, ones she'd picked up when she was younger and watching her mother struggle on her bad days.

She hauled the wall up in her mind and blocked everything else out. She shrugged off her sister's hands, Maria's too, and adjusted her bag on her shoulder.

"I'm gonna go find Miss Potts. I need to talk to her about the English assignment." This time she didn't wait for a response, storming off down the cafeteria as far away as possible from Bucky as she could be. Students started whispering amongst each other as she passed, but she didn't hear. She didn't care. Not anymore. She didn't care about anything.

She had 20 minutes until the end of lunch, so she kept walking with no true destination in mind. The football fields were pretty empty so she climbed up onto the bleachers and settled with her arms crossed over her knees, resting her chin on her forearms.

She wanted to process, to think everything over but her mind was empty. She had made herself numb in an alarmingly short space of time. It was dangerous but she didn't know what else to do. She'd never been through a breakup before. Or been cheated on. Had never even opened her heart up to anyone like she had to Bucky. And there wasn't a doubt that she would ever do that again either.

She spaced out and time flew really quickly. Science as last period. A boring class but her friends were in it, so it wasn't too bad. Except now she didn't want to talk to anyone. But she didn't have to. She just needed to get through the day and then she could have her whole night.

Technically it was a dance night for Y/n, but she didn't even want to dance anymore. So she wasn't going to. Not tonight.

She made her way slowly to the science laboratories and saw the bright red hair of her sister in amongst the crowd. She didn't bother walking up to them, knowing they'd come to her. And they did, checking over her to see if she was ok. But Y/n just shrugged which frustrated Isla.

"Stop trying to play it off Y/n," she exclaimed, trying to get through to her twin. "I know what you're doing. And mom won't be happy at all." She leaned down to whisper that in her ear, which made Y/n's eyes suddenly lock on hers. "Don't give me that look. You know as well as I do."

"Then don't tell her." Her voice was dull and flat, a total change from her usual bright and cheery tone.

"Y/n don't be stupid, you know I have to do that." Isla looked at her sister for a longer moment, her eyes softening. "Don't shut it out. You know what happened-"

She was interrupted by their teacher calling everyone into class. Isla didn't finish her sentence, only squeezing her sister's hand before disappearing into her seat on the other side of the room. 

Maria sank into her chair, trying to act as normal as she could. She showed Y/n a funny video and made a joke about their teacher's bright green shirt. Y/n smiled but it was clearly fake. She felt bad for acting like this around Maria, but she understood why.

Her final classes went by quickly. She wasn't paying attention and her paper stayed empty from the beginning to the end. Maria slipped her an extra set of notes after watching how her pen wasn't even retrieved from her pencil case. As they walked out of class, Maria pulled Y/n into a tiny hug, not wanting to exchange any words.

Y/n knew the meaning of her affection and she secretly welcomed it, even if she wanted to push Maria aside.

"Text me if you need me, okay? And if I see that douchebag I'll..." she mimed a boxing action which made the redhead smile slightly.

"Y/n I'll give you a lift to dance." Usually Bucky took her, but there was no way she was even stepping foot anywhere near his car.

"I'm not going," she replied shortly, making Isla and Maria share a look. "I just want to go home."

"But Y/n-"

"I want to go home Isla. You can either drive or I'll walk." She adjusted her bag straps on her shoulder and turned away, marching down the hallway with her green eyes ice cold. Even the freshmen she usually smiled at were ignored and people skirted nervously around her.

"Fuck fuck fuck," Isla muttered, watching her sister walk away.

Maria placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded encouragingly. "Go. She needs you."

Isla hesitated, checking her phone. "Can you find Val? I said I would meet her-"

"I will. She'll understand." Isla smiled and then took off, her track history coming in handy as she sprinted off down the hallway.

- ⧗ -

"Y/n! Get in the car!" Isla had spotted the black hood of her sister walking down the sidewalk and she pulled over, driving along side her. But Y/n ignored her, keeping her head down. "Fucks sake Y/n! Get in the car!"

"Just leave me alone Isla."

"No. You can push everyone else away but you don't get to push me away." She checked the cars around her and shoved her own into park, jumping out and running over. "What happened to sticking together?"

"I don't care." That was the wrong thing to say and she knew it.

"Okay that's it." Isla grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her all the way back to the car, opening the door and lifting her onto the seat despite Y/n's protests to get away. It looked funny from the outside but neither of them were laughing. They were both pissed.

"Look, I get that you're mad," Isla began as she pulled onto their street, "but you cannot and will not get over this if you push everyone away." Y/n stayed silent, staring out of the window. "So talk to me."

"Please don't." Y/n really wasn't in the mood for talking; she thought that was evident. But her twin's persistent nature carried through strong, even if Y/n didn't break.

Isla had really tried to push to get information, at least something. But as she rolled into their driveway and Y/n had only sunk further into her seat with tears trickling down her face, she felt dejected.

"You won't be able to avoid it with Mom or Mama, you know. They're gonna ask- or I'm gonna tell them."

"Okay," was all that came as a reply before Y/n slammed her door shut and walked up the front steps. Isla watched her as a few spots of rain fell onto her windscreen. She puffed out her cheeks and let out a sigh before following the hunched figure, making sure to lock her car.

Wanda was in the middle of changing the bedsheets when she heard the front door close. She knew it was Isla and so didn't rush to greet her as a pair of feet sounded up the stairs. But they didn't come towards her, which wasn't unusual as the bathroom was in the opposite direction.

As she was replacing the pillowcases, a bright ringtone came from her dresser and Natasha's contact came into view. Wanda frowned but answered all the same, knowing she was calling from the middle of Y/n's private lesson.

"Hey Nat, is everything okay?"

"Is Isla home?" Nat asked as she chewed her lip, a rather annoying habit.

"Yeah I heard the front door go a few minutes ago. Why?"

There was a moment of silence before Natasha spoke again. "Is Y/n with her?"

Wanda frowned. Why would Y/n be with her? "I- well, I don't know. I haven't been down to check. But doesn't Y/n have dance tonight?"

"She does. But there's been no sign of her and Bucky's car hasn't pulled up either. And that girl won't answer her phone." She sounded worried and Wanda felt helpless. There wasn't much she could do to comfort Nat through the phone.

"Stay on the line, I'll go check." She opened the door and peered down the hallway, not seeing any of her girls. But footsteps up the stairs caught her attention and she spun around quickly.

But it was Isla. Not out of the ordinary.

"Hey sweetheart. Is your sister home?" Isla stared at her, eyes wide.

"Uh, yeah. I think she's in her room." Wanda eyed her suspiciously but turned towards Y/n's door. "Wait, I wouldn't disturb her yet. She's um-"

"What's going on?" Natasha asked as she heard Isla's quiet voice. The teenager grimaced and glanced at her sister's bedroom door before dragging Wanda back to her own room.

"Bucky cheated on her today," Isla said straight out, watching the colour drain from her mother's face and a string of curses came flowing from the phone's speaker. "But please, give her some space. She shut me out and if we push her she's only going to hide it more."

Wanda sank down onto her freshly made bed and placed her phone on her pillow, Nat still on speaker so her angry rant continued.

"- and I'll be home in 20 minutes. Yelena can sort the classes out and I'll cancel my privates for today-"

"Nat, no, you can't just leave the studio. They need you-"

"I'm a mom first Wanda. Our girls come first, you know that. And I don't like how Y/n is handling this so I will be coming home. And that's final." There was a jangle of keys before Nat hung up and Isla felt a fuzzy feeling in her stomach.

The twins really were lucky to have moms who would drop everything to go to them whenever they needed. Nat loved dance but she would give it all up for her family in a heartbeat.

"When did it happen?" Wanda asked, patting the bed beside her for Isla to take a seat.

The teenager pulled out her phone and got up the picture that made her stomach churn, holding it out for her mother to see. "She found out at lunch. But she did what Mama used to do and that scared me more than if she had been crying none stop."

Wanda placed the phone down with an unreadable expression and wrapped her arm around her eldest daughter's shoulders, kissing the top of her head. "She had you, even if she shut you out, you're her rock. I think just knowing you were there helped her more than you could know." Wanda's voice was gentle and definitely one of Isla's favourite sounds. Somehow she always knew what to say.

"She cried at first and it made me so angry I just wanted to protect her even more," Isla admitted, leaning into her mother. "And then he strutted in like the king of the school and I swear I could have punched him." Her mind flashed back to Y/n crying on her shoulder and Bucky's cocky face and her fist subconsciously clenched into a fist. Wanda noticed this and placed her hand on top, relaxing the tension straight away.

"She's lucky to have you," Wanda said with a smile as she kissed her daughter's head. "What do you say to ordering those cookies Y/n loves? To cheer her up?"

Isla smiled, nodding. "I think she'd love that."

Twenty minutes later Natasha walked through the front door with a box of cookies under her arm. She had intercepted them from the shy delivery guy who was more than happy to accept the large tip she gave him, accompanied by her terrifying scowl. Hearing Isla's news had put her in a foul mood and Yelena didn't dare argue when asked to cover the senior classes later on in the evening.

"Where is she?" She asked as she entered the kitchen, following the sounds of hushed chatting. Wanda stood up to retrieve the box and took Natasha's work bag from her shoulder, guiding her to a chair. Isla smiled and kissed her on the cheek which soften her glare slightly.

"She's still upstairs, my love," Wanda spoke softly and slipped behind her wife, rubbing her hands up and down the tense shoulders that Natasha wore. Her whole body was tense so Wanda's gentle massage made her let out a deep sigh. "We wanted to wait for you."

"She's less likely to bite your head off," Isla joked with a small smile. "I basically kidnapped her off the sidewalk so she's not too happy with me." Both women shot her a strange and look and Isla realised how weird her comment sounded. "She wouldn't get in the car... stubborn, you know?"

"And I know where she gets that from." Nat would have protested against her wife's comment but she was too into the massage for it to stop.

"I'll take her a cookie and see how she is. Being alone isn't good for that girl."

With a plate of three cookies in hand and a bottle of water in the other, Nat climbed the stairs to her room, her mind racing with different scenarios. Best case would be that Y/n would be crying on her bed. Worst case would be emotionless.

And there she was. Natasha's heart sank as she watched the shell of her daughter return to her bed after unlocking her door. Her cheeks weren't tear stained and she hadn't changed out of her school outfit yet. Her knees were pulled up to her chest as she leaned against the headboard and stared at a spot on the wall.

The framed picture of her and Bucky which usually sat on her nightstand was now tossed face down in a corner.

"Hey sweetheart," Natasha said softly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Your mom ordered your favourite cookies." Y/n didn't move.

Nat scanned her entire body, the silence growing larger in the enclosed space. It unnerved her because this behaviour was such a contrast to Y/n's usual bubbly nature. There was always music playing whenever Nat came in her room, but now there was just a deathly silence.

"I heard what happened. How are you feeling?" No reply. "Y/n, don't shut me out please."

"I'm fine."

Nat let out a laugh. "Yeah, I can tell," she said sarcastically. "Talk to me lenya, it's okay."

Y/n gritted her teeth, digging the pads of her fingers into her knees. She didn't want to break, but the wall in her mind was growing weaker and Natasha knew exactly how to get through it. She'd learned her coping mechanisms from the best of course.

Nat could see it working. "Mama's here, you're okay. You can talk to me baby. Just let it out. What's going on inside that head of yours?"

That was the final straw. Y/n pulled her eyes away from the wall and found her mama's caring green ones staring back at her with love and compassion, and she cracked. Just one look at her mama and Y/N couldn't hold back anymore. She burst into tears and dropped her head to her knees, hiding herself.

Natasha moved quickly, sliding onto the bed beside her and and pulling her close to her chest, cradling her close. Y/n smooth hair was tangled but Nat ignored it and stroked her hand over it like she had done when her girls were babies. Three or seventeen, they were always her babies.

"I've got you, it's okay," were the words that Natasha murmured over and over. They didn't need to discuss what had happened yet. It was too soon. Y/N just needed her mama and a place to let it all out. Not that she couldn't do that with Wanda, but her connection with Nat was stronger. Wanda was Isla's rock, Natasha was Y/n's.

Nat couldn't help but let a tear slip down her cheek as she listened to Y/n's heartbreaking sobs. She could do nothing but let her cry, knowing that's what she needed. Blocking out emotions was Natasha's unhealthy habit and she kicked herself for letting Y/n learn it too. She encouraged her girls to let out their emotions, helping them do that if they needed.

Y/n choked out a sob and shuffled so she was hugging her mama's torso, looking for more comfort. "Aren't you supposed to be at the studio?" Always more worried about others, Y/n was selfless to the core.

"Nope. I'm supposed to be with my daughter who had a shitty day." Y/n smiled a watery smile and wiped her tears from her cheeks. "I left Yelena to oversee everything."

"That's a bold decision," Y/n said, her voice still shaky from crying. "But thank you."

"Oh my sweet girl, you don't need to thank me." She gently wiped a stray tear that had escaped down Y/n's left cheek. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

Y/n averted her gaze and looked at the dance company logo on Natasha's team jacket. "I got cheated on. It's stupid."

"You're right, he is stupid."

"She was really pretty too," Y/n cried, her tears appearing once more as the image replayed in her mind. "She's blonde and tall and probably everything he could ever want. I was dumb to think he'd be happy dating me when there are girls out there that look like her."

Natasha saw red. She hated negative self talk, but hearing it come from her daughter who was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen made her furious.

Without saying a word, she got up from the bed and tugged Y/n to her feet, holding her steady as her head spun from crying. She walked over to the full length mirror on the wall and held her daughter in front of it, hands on her shoulders.

"You see that?" Natasha pointed in the mirror at Y/n's reflection. "That girl right there is perfect. She's so much better than any blonde girl who looks like a supermodel. You are beautiful, smart, thoughtful, funny, talented, this list would never end. Y/n Romanoff is perfect and you better remember that."

Y/n could barely see her reflection through the tears that had once again made another reappearance after her mama's speech. She tugged the hands on her shoulders so Nat's arms slipped in front of her and she had something to hold onto. Y/n pressed her cheek to Nat's forearm and leaned on it, feeling her mother hug her from behind.

"If I'm everything you say I am, why did he cheat?" She turned away from the mirror and looked up at her mother who's gaze softened as she cupped her daughter's face.

"Because men are shit," she stated bluntly. "Why do you think I married a woman? Why do you think Isla is dating one? Men are shit and he didn't deserve you one bit. You, my girl, deserve the very best. Not some immature high school boy who didn't realise what he had with you."

"I really thought he was the one," she said dejectedly. Nat kissed her forehead and brought her back to the bed. "How did he change so fast?"

"I don't know honey. But you don't need him anymore. My girl can find someone miles better than him."

"I don't think I want to date."

Natasha stroked her hand over Y/n's hair and reached for the bottle of water laying on the blanket. "Even better. Means I get you all to myself." She pulled Y/n into her side and held up the bottle for her to take. "Crying makes you dehydrated, so drink up."

Y/n took a few sips, feeling the cool liquid soothe her raw throat. She made sure the lid was on tightly before placing it on her nightstand. "Every time I see him in the hallway I won't know what to do."

"Unfortunately that will just fade with time honey. But you've got Isla and Maria who will be beside you at all times. They'll keep him away, you know your sister."

"Im scared she's gonna punch him."

Nat paused for a moment. "Part of me wants to let her, but I guess I have to be a responsible adult and talk her out of it." Her joke worked and Y/n laughed, smiling properly for the first time since lunch.

"Unless you want to be called to a meeting with the principal, then yeah I think so."

Natasha tightened her arms around her daughter and hugged her hard, breathing in the remains of her floral perfume. "You think you're ready to see Isla and Mom yet? They're worried about you."

As much as Y/n wanted to stay in that blissful moment with her mama, she knew she needed to see the others too. And also apologise to Isla who was only trying to help.

"If you'll help me talk to them?"

"Of course sweetheart. Of course."

[rea-grimm]

Looking through his eyes - Mihawk pt 2

PART 1

You woke up in the safety of your bed. You were in your cabin, on your ship. The smell of fresh food wafted through the open window. You felt as if you had woken up from a dream.

That you would die and this was paradise? You threw it away the moment you moved and pain shot through you. You grabbed your injured shoulder and cursed. You lay down again and tried to see what your hawk friend saw.

You closed your eyes and concentrated. When you opened them again, you saw your galley and clean hands preparing something good to eat. It was weird because you had no crew. You always preferred to work alone. From the scent wafting up to you, it had to be true. But what happened to the hawk?

The person in question started serving food on plates and then on trays. You disconnected as the person took the tray and walked out of the kitchen. You could hear footsteps approaching from the bed. You took the knife in your good hand, which you had placed in the hidden case attached to the bed, and you waited.

The door to your cabin creaked open and in walked the man the whole world thought was dead. He disappeared some time ago and no one knew about him. The best swordsman in the world stood there in person with a tray of food.

You knew who it was because you had a poster of him hidden in your room because you had a crush on him. That was also the main reason why you wanted to steal his sword. 

So many questions were running through your head. The main ones were why he was on your ship. Why did he bring you food? And was he a danger to you?

“I mean no harm,” he said moving closer to you. "I want your help," he got straight to the point. You nodded that you understood and placed the dagger next to you. “I need to get something and I hear you're the best thief around,” he explained, handing you a tray of food.

While you were eating, he explained to you that he wanted his sword back. If he wanted to, he could get it himself, but on the other hand, he wanted to spend some time with you. While he was a hawk, you grew on his heart. But he kept that to himself. You agreed with his plan.

From that day on, Mihawk became a member of your ship. At least until you heal from your injury and get his sword for him. Until then he helped you by driving the boat, cleaning and cooking for you. 

You insisted that he was your guest, that you would take care of it, but he stood his ground, that you needed to heal from your injuries first, and that this was a small return for his sword. On the other hand, he was an excellent cook and offered to give you some advice for the fight. Sword or dagger, he didn't care.

You liked life with him on your ship very much. During that time you also often wondered what happened to your hawk and why you could see through Mihawk's eyes.

You weren't complaining, but you were just curious. Although sometimes you looked through his eyes to see what he was doing.

But not very often, so that you don't feel like a freak. However, to tell you the truth, the main reason you didn't use the ability was because almost every time you looked, you saw yourself. It was surprising how many times you caught him looking at you because of it.

However, he was the perfect gentleman. In the evenings you always sat over a glass of wine and either had a little chat now and then, which mostly consisted of planning a heist, or you sat in silence and enjoyed the peace. When you went to sleep, he kissed your hand and said good night.

When your shoulder was finally sufficiently healed, it was time to act. You had everything prepared in detail and you probably knew about everything that was involved. The irony was that they locked the sword in the same fortress, only somewhere underground.

You decide to get there together and while Mihawk distracts the marines, you get the sword. Getting in undetected was easy. You picked up your sword and ran away. 

Everything went smoothly until you got to the closed door. The lock was unlocked, but something was blocking the door from the other side. You cursed. You didn't have time for such things.

You were about to go back and try another door when the marines started pouring in. You prepared for a fight, but this time you weren't so sure of victory. After all, your shoulder still hurt. Suddenly, the door to the side between you and the marines burst open and Mihawk walked in.

Everyone looked at him in astonishment and took a step back. The swordsman looked at them first before walking over to you and taking his sword from you. When the marines saw this, they immediately retreated. Everyone had heard very well about the swordsman's power.

You returned to the island together and on the way you thanked him for saving you, he appeared there just in time.

“I was just paying a favour,” he said and at that moment you didn't understand him at all since it was the second time he had saved you. 

From your confused look, he told you to look through his eyes. You had no idea how he knew because you didn't tell anyone. Only to the hawk. It hit you at that moment. That look, those eyes.

"You were the hawk," you gasped.

“I have been cursed and changed into a hawk until I find my purpose,” he explained.

"And did you find it?" you asked.

“I did,” he replied, taking your chin and kissing you. "You are my purpose," he said as he pulled away. You felt your cheeks and ears burning. You didn't know what to say to that. You had liked him for so long that now it felt like a dream.

"I want to stay by your side. I love you, my little thief," he said and you had the impression that your brain was starting to overheat and your heart was racing. You wanted to say something, but you couldn't get the words together.

It was slowly starting to look like it was one-sided until you blurted out that you liked him too and that you wanted to stay with him. When he heard that, he smiled at you in such a way that your brain literally stopped working and you had a swarm of butterflies in your stomach.

With that, he kissed you once more and it wasn't just a quick kiss anymore, but much more. Finally, your dream came true and you had the impression that the legend about your devil fruit was true. After all, you saw through the eyes of your love.

Mihawk Masterlist

[collecting-stories]

When Emma Falls In Love - Remus Lupin

A/N: I totally didn’t intend to make this as long as it is (6k+), it sort of got away from me while I was writing. Despite the title and the lyric, the reader is gender neutral.

Summary: Remus and the reader take a trip to Hogsmeade after Christmas break. Marauder’s era cause I'm a sucker for that whole time period.

TS Anthology Masterlist | Harry Potter Masterlist

…turns out her heart fits right in the palm of his hand…

“What’s this?” Remus asked, long fingers smoothing over the newspaper that concealed the object you’d handed him. The funnies, he noticed, eyeing up Hogan’s Alley with a nostalgic grin. “How long have you had this newspaper, by the way?”

“A gift for you, obviously,” you replied, tugging the bow on top of the rectangular package. “Are you going to open it?”

“I’m reading,” he teased, tilting his head to see the underside of the package and the conclusion of the Hogan’s Alley comic strip.

“Remus!” You laughed, “you absolute mong, open the package!”

“Alright, alright,” he slipped a finger into the folded edge and tore the paper away from itself, beginning to reveal what you had wrapped inside weeks ago. You’d been waiting for winter break to be over and a good excuse to give Remus the christmas present you’d bought him while you’d been home.

You’d heard him earlier, recalling some story of debauchery that the marauders had gotten up to while at James’ for winter break and you’d listened in shamelessly, minorly jealous that they got to see so much of Remus and you were confined to shared classes and passing in the hallway. You were friends of course, be odd to give a stranger a present, but only school friends. The sort of friends who work on homework together if they happen upon one another in the library. Who chat about the turn in the weather, a particularly difficult assignment, or plans for hogsmeade (plans that never include the other person, of course). You wanted to be more than friends and you had been hoping he’d get the hint since fifth year but he was either extremely stupid (which you knew he wasn’t) or he didn’t like you back and didn’t want to embarrass you. Which was perfectly alright because you were pretty hellbent on embarrassing yourself with no help from outsiders.

“I saw it in a bookshop near my house,” you explained as Remus stared down at the cover of Arsene Lupin by Maurice LeBlanc. “I thought of you.”

“Because his last name is Lupin?” He inquired, holding the book up against his chest, front cover facing you.

“No,” you replied, “because he’s a gentleman thief and master of disguise.”

Remus burst into laughter, clutching the book tighter to himself. The newspaper and bow had fallen to the ground and he stepped back, accidentally crumpling the paper further. “Brilliant.” He sighed, looking at the cover again, “thank you…I don’t have anything for you, I’m afraid.”

“Oh no, it’s alright. I just saw it and thought you might enjoy reading it…I’ve only read the first two myself but I do love them quite a bit.” You explained, trying to sound nonchalant about the present. You’d spent the entire two weeks at home mulling over whether you should buy it, whether it was something he’d like, whether it was appropriate to even give him a gift, and then, when to give it to him.

“Well, thank you,” Remus stepped back further, off the newspaper, and bent to pick it up off the floor of the hallway.

“I can toss that in the bin for you,” You mentioned, reaching a hand out for the rumpled paper.

Remus shook his head, tucking the book between his arm and his side, and began to smooth the paper out and fold it. “Oh no, I quite like the funnies. I’ll enjoy reading them. You can have the bow, however.” He peeled the red bow from the top of the folded newspaper and pressed it against your head, the tape sticking to your hair.

“How does it look?” You joked, reaching up to rub a finger against the velvety ribbon. You’d tied and untied the bow nearly five times before you were happy with it.

“Supreme,” Remus replied, “say, are you going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?”

“Probably, I’ve promised mum taffy from Honeydukes.” You had gifted her some for christmas and it was already gone.

“Ah, perfect. We’ll go together, as my present to you, what do you say?”

“You really don’t have to change your plans around for me,” you replied. It wasn’t so much that Remus had concrete plans, just that everyone knew he spent his Hogsmeade days with the rest of the marauders.

“No change,” Remus promised, glancing down at the folded newspaper and licking his lips, “in fact you’d be doing me a favor. Sirius and James have detention, and Peter’s…busy.”

“If you’re sure,” you began.

“Absolutely,” he lied. They’d only been back to school a week, too short for detention, or at least in this one instance they had seemed to keep their noses out of trouble. He was sure they’d fudge a detention for the greater good, or at least for him getting a date. Though probably it didn’t sound like a date.

“Of course it doesn’t sound like a date Moony, you said ‘let me take you to Hogsmeade as a gift because I was an oblivious twat and didn’t get you anything and I feel bad but also I’ve got no one to go with, which is a lie, so come to Hogsmeade with me?’ when you should’ve just asked them to Hogsmeade properly.” Sirius remarked around a mouthful of chocolate orange.

“It scares me to say this, but I agree with Padfoot,” James replied, sprawled across his bed in the dorm, looking over at Remus with a concerned expression. As if he didn’t always agree with Sirius about everything.

“I’m sure James,” Remus said, his gaze wavering, wandering back to the book that sat on his nightstand. Arsène Lupin looked up at him, gold foil embellishments and silhouetted profile begging to be read. He ran his fingers over the cover as he picked it up, imagining briefly what it might’ve been like to have seen you over break. To have wandered together into a little bookshop in Cambridge, searching through titles and reading aloud bits of summaries that intrigued you. He thought of getting tea, or coffee as he knew you preferred, somewhere quaint and quiet where you could sit at a corner table and whisper with each other.

A real date, not some fallacy.

“Are you off in your own head there Remus?” Sirius asked, eyeing his friend suspiciously. “Don’t go too far honey, you tend to ruin your daydreams before you can romanticise them.”

“I’m not doing that,” Remus huffed, reaching for the curtain on his bed, “you’ll steer clear of Hogsmeade this weekend, swear it?”

“Swear it,” Peter piped up first, looking to James and Sirius for confirmation that they were, actually, going to leave Remus’ plan unscathed.

“Of course,” Sirius’ voice sounded sickly sweet as he smiled, “swear it.”

“Me too,” James replied, a side glance at Sirius ensuring that they were both thinking the same thing. There would be no keeping their promise.

Remus pulled the curtain closed, settling into his blankets and enchanting the light on his wand so that he could read. He read eagerly, devouring the story, or at least as much of it as he could before he felt himself falling asleep. He knew it was probably a bit crazy on his end but he wanted to finish the book before the weekend so he could discuss it with you.

By Friday afternoon he’d selected a whole list of topics and written them out on a piece of parchment, testing the ones he thought might have the best result on Sirius and James (though they were unsurprisingly not helpful).

“Is Herbology an especially favourable subject?” Sirius asked, looking over the parchment as Remus scribbled a note in the corner about muggle books you might’ve read.

“No, actually, I think they were failing until last year…” Remus replied, looking at the word scrawled across the page in his usual neat cursive.

“Perhaps not a good subject then, eh?” Peter asked, straining to see the list.

“True.” Remus scratched it off and looked through the rest of them, “any ideas?”

“Tell them you fancy ‘em and want to snog their face off.”

“Has that worked for you James? Ever?”

“Actually…no.” James frowned, “sorry mate, I’ve got nothing I’m afraid. Quite new to this relationship business myself.”

Remus groaned, not close to being in the mood to hear his friend drone on about Lily Evans when he was meant to be helping. “Let’s stay on task, shall we Prongs?”

“Alright, alright…what about…why are these all school subjects Remus? Surely they don’t want to walk around Hogsmeade talking about classes all afternoon.” James said, plucking the pen from Remus’s fingers and crossing off anything that resembled a school subject. He left muggle books, the only category not related to Hogwarts directly.

“Sad list,” Sirius admitted, clapping Remus on the shoulder.

“I realize that,” he snatched the pen back from James and crumpled the list. “I just want to have a nice afternoon.”

“And you will.” Sirius assured, “they’re absolutely mad about you honey, it’s obvious. Embarrassingly so.”

“Compliment them, it always works for me,” James offered, reaching into his pocket for the leftover candies Peter had brought from home. They were softer than they were meant to be because of the time spent in the pocket of James’ corduroy trousers but no less delicious.

“Has it always worked for you?” Remus levelled, taking a lolly from James’ outstretched palm and peeling away the red and yellow wrapper.

“It eventually worked for him,” Sirius replied.

“Exactly, thanks mate.” James nodded to him.

“Anytime.”

“If you two are done,” Remus interrupted, “perhaps we could get back on track.”

“You don’t need our help Moony,” Sirius assured, ruffling his hair, “you’re a catch, honest. They’d be lucky to get a moment alone with you!” He grabbed Remus’s cheeks in his hand without warning, turning his head as if to show James and Peter, “look at him, regular model face, that is.”

“Get off me Sirius!” Remus huffed, swatting away his friend’s hand.

He crumpled the piece of parchment he’d been writing the list on into a tight ball before tossing it away. It rolled off to a corner, stopping at the edge of a bookcase.

“Looks like your quidditch arm is out of practice there hon,” Sirius teased, sitting down beside Remus.

“None of you are helpful, I hope you’re aware of that?” He replied beginning to gather all of his papers and books together to put in his bag.

“Leaving us?” James asked, chewing on a particularly gummy piece of the taffy lolly.

“I am,” Remus replied.

“Oh come off it Moony, don’t be a sourpuss,” Peter said, earning an approving nod from Sirius.

“How do you expect us to help Moons?” Sirius asked, laying a hand over Remus’ bag to stop him from leaving, “you’re friends with ‘em. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we all love ‘em and think the two of you would make a lovely pair-“

“Brilliant, really,” James piped in.

“Exactly Prongs, but you’ll know what to say better than us. Just don’t overthink it, alright? Any other day with them, yeah.”

“It’s not any other day though Sirius.” Remus sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“You see them in Hogmeade plenty.” He argued, which was technically true.

Remus had run into you plenty of times in Honeydukes or at the Three Broomsticks. On occasion, more in fifth year and then hardly in sixth and now never in seventh, you’d ask if he might want to get a butterbeer with you but he always declined because he was with James, Sirius, and Peter. It was unfortunate and he wished everytime that he just put aside whatever niggling self-doubt existed in the back of his head because he really could be quite charming when he wanted to be (when there were no strings attached…or feelings, more accurately).

“Getting in your head again honey?” Sirius asked, drawing him out of a daydream. A rather bleak one, as it stood.

Remus hummed, “You think it’ll be alright?”

“I’ve never known you to worry this much over a date,” James replied, “what about that bird you went out with over christmas?”

“Exactly my point James,” Remus replied, “I tend to avoid going on dates with people who matter a great deal to me. It’s let’s messy that way, but it’s given me zero training in what I ought to do on a real date.”

“What about all the dates we’ve been on?” Sirius posed and Remus shoved him gently.

“We’ve not been on dates you mong,” he replied.

“That’s truly hurtful hon, can’t believe you would wound me that way when I’m here offering you support in your great hour of need.” Sirius teased.

Remus rolled his eyes at his best friend, finally pushing his chair back and standing up, “I’m heading back to the common room.”

“To wallow in your bunk Moony?” James called, earning and immediate shushing from Madam Pince.

Remus paused monetarily to offer James his middle finger in reply before making his way out of the library. The corridors were empty all the way back to the gryffindor common room and Remus spent the walk trying to rehearse talking points with himself in his head. As much as his friends drove him mad with their advice, he knew they were half-right and fully looking out for him. He just needed to calm down his brain, it was you after all. His darling study partner and an absolute vision in yellow.

You wore a lot of yellow; even Peter had commented on it once in the library (“you wear an awful lot of yellow” “yes, well, I am a Hufflepuff”) but Remus thought of it more like Marigold. Like a flower sprouting up to reach the golden rays of the sun, Remus felt the warmth of the color radiating off of you every time he was near.

It was no surprise then that you turned up in yellow on the morning of Hogsmeade. Black doc martens inherited from your father, yellow corduroy pants and a striped sweater that looked soft and felt softer when he hugged you.

“You look very excited this morning,” you mentioned in a teasing tone, smiling at him.

“Do I?” He asked, looking down at himself as though his excitement was a coat he could simply shed himself of.

“For someone who didn’t have anyone to go to Hogsmeade with,” you replied, “you’re very cheerful.”

“Well, not no one,” Remus insisted, “we’re going together.”

You smiled, tilting your head back as if you were turning your chin to the sun. “That we are,” you agreed.

As other students gathered in the courtyard began to depart for the long trek to Hogsmeade, Remus held his arm up, bent at the elbow, as if presenting it to you. The gesture was an inside joke that probably wasn’t truly funny and that neither of you could accurately recall the origin of but you laughter all the same. You took his arm, fingers pressing into the fabric of his plaid blazer, and allowed him to begin the journey. Mostly it was an enjoyable silence, you didn’t feel any pressure to fill the space (and you almost always felt pressure to fill empty air with some rambling assortment of nonsense) and Remus let his daydreams be far more romantic in nature than he usually allowed.

Remus was a bit of a cynic, more than a bit if any of his friends were queried on the topic, though he was wont to blame his lycanthropy for that less charming quality. Whether he would’ve been prone to cynicism without the affliction or not, Sirius was right. He did tend to let himself talk circles around any good thought that passed through his head until it became absolutely, unbearably, negative.

“Are you having a conversation with yourself there?” You asked, drawing his attention to you. The both of you had passed into Hogsmeade and when you’d begun asking which shop he’d most like to go in you’d realized he wasn’t paying the least bit of attention.

Remus hummed in reply and then shook his head as his brain caught up with the question you’d asked him, “no, sorry. James tells me I’m prone to daydreaming though I don’t often realize I’m doing it, I suppose he’s right.”

“There’s nothing I love more than a good daydream,” you replied, “Did I ever tell you, I zoned out on Alice’s hat when I was being sorted…imagined myself unraveling the whole horrid thing and fashioning it into a cute little top, I’m quite the crocheter, if you don’t know, and the sorting hat thought it was a trip…stuck me in Hufflepuff over the whole thing. Said I had too much going on between my ears,” you laughed as you finished the story and Remus couldn’t help smiling at you.

It was a nonsensical story but it had seemed to ease the tension in his bones, relaxing him enough to let him banish the niggling cynicism that made a home in his head.

“Are you positive it didn’t say Ravenclaw and you misheard, being so distracted as you were?” He asked.

You huffed out a laugh, “I heard correctly! Surely if I hadn’t someone might’ve mentioned it.”

Remus hummed in response as if he was weighing the validity of your argument, “I suppose.”

“I should crochet you something, it probably would’ve made a nicer gift than a silly book,” you mentioned, changing the subject, already thinking how nice Remus would look in a wool sweater. Maybe a maroon or a deep brown, he seemed to always be in earth tones and mismatched plaids.

“I quite like the book, actually,” Remus replied. He’d finished it within the three days between when you’d gifted it him and today. He wanted to be sure he cloud talk to you about and was thrilled to find that he throughly enjoyed the story (and his namesake, though Arséne sounded much classier than Remus).

“Have you started it?” You asked, passed beneath his arm as he held the door open to the Three Broomsticks. As he followed you in he caught sight of Rosemerta, watching him with a smirk as though she knew something he didn’t. Or perhaps she was more insightful than he gave her credit for and she could tell from across the crowded tavern that he was bumbling his way through a first date, hoping that you thought it was a first day to.

“Yes, I started it the other night, really very good,” he replied, taking a window spot.

You sat on the stool beside him, eyebrows pulling together as you looked out the window, your expression half way between surprise and confusion.

“Something wrong?” Remus asked, looking out the window himself but seeing only some younger students he wasn’t familiar with.

“No,” you shook your head, “just thought I saw…can’t be though. Anyway,” you changed the topic quickly, “I tried making butterbeer at home over the holiday but it turned out rather poorly.”

“I’ve never tried making it…don’t think it’s crossed my mind,” Remus replied. He turned in his stool, “just realized I’ve to get the drinks,” he slid off his seat and headed over to the bar to order.

You looked out the window again as he weaved his way through the crowd. Outside, against the backdrop of the snow you thought you saw something, blinking away the image at first and then…you realized you weren’t seeing things at all. Sirius was standing there, looking as if he didn’t know quite how he was visible to you but he recovered quickly, offering a wave and a wink. You waved back and then he pressed his finger to his lips before pointing over your shoulder and you understood the silent request. Don’t tell Remus. You smiled and nodded and then, practically before your own eyes the boy seemed to disappear.

“Here we are,” Remus set the butterbeer in front of you and resumed his spot. “How was your holiday? I don’t think I properly inquired before.”

“It was alright,” you shrugged, taking a sip of your drink, “my sister’s had the baby, so everyone was in a state over it. You would’ve thought it funny, the little devil puked all down the front of my party outfit on Christmas Eve!”

“Did he really?” Remus hid his mouth behind his glass, taking a somewhat stunted drink as he tried not to laugh at your misfortune.

You nodded in reply, unable to contain your own quiet laughter. “It was quite becoming too, my party outfit. Sirius owled me about coming to a Christmas party, which I was really very surprised by, and I’d picked it out just for the occasion.”

The flush that Remus had felt on his cheeks colored his neck and ears at the thought of Sirius inviting you to their Christmas party. His best friend had been particularly rowdy that evening and Remus had suspected that he’d had something up his sleeve but nothing had ever come of it. Now he knew; Sirius had been trying to get him to “make a move” on you since fifth year, when he’d first caught wind of Remus’ crush. Or infatuation perhaps.

“I’m sure it was lovely,” Remus replied, trying to fit you into what he thought you might wear to a fancy dress party. Something golden and soft and glittery, if he was asked to bet money on his assumptions.

“It really was!” You exclaimed, “I tried a spell to clean it off but i’m rubbish at household magic and ended up melting it! I looked like I was wearing a baby’s bib after they’ve thrown up on it!”

Remus laughed at the image your words produced, taking the final sip of his butterbeer, “I didn’t know you were planning on coming to the party, mishap aside I would have loved to see you there.”

Your heart swelled at his use of the word “loved” and you smiled, “Well my night was just as chaotic, I’m sure. Do you mind popping in to Honeydukes? I don’t want to keep you.”

“I wouldn’t mind it.” Remus muttered, the words slipping out before he could stop himself.

“Sorry?” You had busied yourself with pulling your coat back on and looked up in confusion, having not fully heard him over the commotion of the tavern.

“Oh, I was just uh…I have plenty of time. All day really.” He insisted, standing himself and taking his hat off the table so he could follow you back out to the village street.

“Damn!” You stopped suddenly, recalling with all the annoyance of someone who had forgotten something vital to their daily life that you had left your second present for Remus in the refrigerator at home.

“Are you alright?”

“I’d forgotten, because of baby Lucifer…not his real name ‘course…I made a batch of fudge for you. I was going to sneak it to you at the party but I obviously did not attend and so it’s sitting in the fridge at home.” You replied, already thinking of what you would say in an owl home to your mother.

“That’s alright, honest,” Remus replied, laying a hand gently on the back of your coat. The pressure of his touch seemed to get you moving again. “Wait, why would you need to sneak it to me?” He asked, his mind catching up to the entirety of your situation.

“Well, Sirius invited me to the party, as I’ve said, and he said you’d be there, very specifically too, and so I made you the fudge…this was before I saw the book of course…but I didn’t make anything for anyone else. I hate people feeling left out, naturally, but it didn’t even occur to me until I was getting ready to come over. And then, of course, I suppose it worked out because my sister handed me Fredagar, that’s his real name by the way…a doozy if you ask me…and well, you know the rest.” You replied, “I was looking forward to going though, I thought about owning you over the holiday but I didn’t want to seem like that nagging friend who didn’t know the boundaries of their friendship, you know?”

“You could never,” Remus replied, “I’d like to think there are very few boundaries on our friendship, if any.”

“That’s very sweet of you,” you said, plucking a cellophane bag of taffy off the shelf in Honeydukes for your mum, “I’m not completely clueless though Remus, I know you’ve got a couple secrets up your sleeve.”

Despite the smile when you said it, Remus felt the flush that had been staining his cheeks rush away as he paled. He looked almost nervous, you thought, far more serious than you’d intended. You had a few ideas about what his secret might be, and you knew he had one, but you would never wager a guess out loud. His business was his and if he wanted to share, when he wanted to share, you knew he would.

“Sorry,” you apologized, taking his hand in yours and giving a squeeze of reassurance, “I didn’t mean to upset you Remus, I was only teasing.”

“Of course,” he nodded, squeezing your hand back. “I didn’t mean to-“

“Don’t think anything of it,” you replied, “now, tell me how your holiday was? Did you lot get into any trouble?”

Remus tried to refocus, shaking his head gently to clear his thoughts, “With Sirius and James?” He reached for the candy in your hand, “here, let me get this for you.”

“Oh no, you got the butterbeers,” you replied, “besides the taffy is for my mum. I’m only getting the sherbet lemons and the chocolate frog. Hoping it’s not Dumbledore again, got a load of him.”

“James’ got a whole shoebox full of Dumbledores,” Remus replied, “Sometimes he lines them all up and watches him go back and forth between them all.”

You laughed at the thought of James sprawled out with his wizard cards, staring at Dumbledore passing through them. “Sounds like him.” You replied. “No, Remus, really-“

“I insist,” he placed the candies on the counter with his and then realized he’d need his other hand, “sorry I-“

“Oh, gosh, sorry…didn’t even realize I was still hanging on to you.” You let go, crossing your arms and looking around the shop while he paid.

“It’s alright,” Remus took the bag of sweets from the lady behind the counter and then reached over, deciding that maybe a bold move would be the right one, and took your hand again. “Do you want to walk a bit? Maybe?”

“Sounds good,” you agreed, letting Remus lead you back out onto the streets and through Hogsmeade.

The companionable silence from before seemed to fall over the two of you as you made your way around the small village. Remus let himself focus on the feeling of holding your hand in his and not the nerves that were still eating at him from your earlier comment. If he thought too hard on it he’d follow his own rabbit hole to the conclusion that you had figured him out and though you were still very obviously right here beside him, your motivations for wanting to be his friend if you knew were murky at best. He knew he was catastrophizing, even if he didn’t intend to, and that was probably why he didn’t realise exactly where he was until you finally spoke up.

“My sister used to tell me she would lock me in there when she was still at Hogwarts.”

Remus looked up in confusion, the Shrieking Shack standing a few meters away behind an old rickety fence.

“The shrieking shack,” he said, just for good measure.

“What do you think of it?” You asked.

“What do you mean?” His grip on your hand tightened ever so slightly and he looked as uneasy as he had back in Honeydukes.

“Oh, just like, do you really think some murderous hermit lives there? That’s what my sister used to tell me, that he built the house on the bones of his victims and that it was their screams you could hear on the anniversaries of their death.” You replied, gravely. Just as quickly you smiled, “or something like that.”

“I’ve heard a different one then,” Remus laughed.

“Have you? Suppose it’s not a murderer then. That’s a relief.” You replied.

“I should tell you,” Remus began, clearing his throat, trying to calm his nerves. “I uh, well, Sirius and James didn’t actually have detention today. And Peter wasn’t busy either, I sort of…well I wanted to come to Hogsmeade with you and I didn’t know or I was too nervous to ask.”

You bit your bottom lip to stop the smile that was threatening to spread. “I sort of, guessed about the Sirius and James bit. Not that I knew you were lying just to go out with me, if that is what your saying-“

“It is. It…how did you know about James and Sirius?” He asked, perplexed.

“I think they might’ve been following us, I saw Sirius outside of The Three Broomsticks,” you replied.

Remus looked around quickly, as if he could somehow see them, hiding out in the open, when it was just the two of you. “You swore you’d stay out of Hogsmeade!” He called to the empty space around you.

And despite Sirius and James appearing seemingly out of thin air you only felt mildly surprised to see them both. “Did your sister really name her son Fredagar?” Sirius asked as he ran a hand through his hair and straightened his jacket.

Remus looked absolutely peeved, though you weren’t sure if it was because they broken their promise or because they’d been following the two of you around Hogsmeade all afternoon. “Oh, come off it Moony, we would’ve closed our eyes if you two started snogging.” James said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

You chose to ignore him and focus on Sirius instead, “afraid so. According to her husband it’s a family name.”

Remus still looked bother and perhaps now a touch embarrassed, the red coming back to his cheeks in full force. He let go of your hand in favor of crossing his arms, looking about the clearing as though someone else might be there as well.

“Peter didn’t come, the spoilsport said ‘we promised Remus we’d stay behind’.” Sirius answered the unspoken question, pitching his voice higher to sound like Peter.

“At least one of my friends actually listens to me.” Remus huffed.

“It’s alright, really,” you promised.

“See, they aren’t bothered,” Sirius pointed out, “can’t believe you weren’t going ti give Jamesy and me a present though. Really gutted over that one. You don’t even know how you’ve wounded me.”

“You’ll get over it, I’m sure.”

“Never. Take it to my grave is what I’ll do.” Sirius joked, clutching at his heart dramatically, “it’s betrayal really, I thought I was your favorite.”

“My favorite what? Pain in the ass?” You laughed.

“And the hits just keep coming!”

James smacked Sirius’ arm, “it’s alright, we all know who your favorite is.” He looked over at Remus, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“Christ, can’t you two find something else to do?” Remus asked, “where’s Lily?”

“She said something about someone breaking up with somebody else and having a nice Hogsmeade trip to mend them up…can’t remember specifics.” James replied.

“Good to know you listen to your girlfriend.” Remus snarked.

“I do listen! It’s just that we were making out and she always tells me things when we’re in the middle of it and then I can’t remember what it is she said.”

“Maybe that’s why she does it,” you pointed out, “to see if you’re paying attention.”

“I am!” He insisted, “to her!”

“Let’s just go back,” Remus tried, gesturing for James and Sirius to go ahead.

Sirius looked surprised at the suggestion though, a devilish smile coming to his face as he looked passed Remus to the shrieking shack. “We wanted to check your theory,” he said, looking over at you, “about the murderer in the shack.”

“Sirius!” Remus snapped, the scarlet of his cheeks suddenly giving him a furious look. He was no longer feeling embarrassed or annoyed or even smitten as he had been in The Three Broomsticks. This Remus was pissed off.

“It’ll be fun,” Sirius insisted. He and James were excitable and charming when they wanted to be but sometimes they were downright cads. No regard for anyone’s feelings and taking jokes just over the line until they weren’t funny anymore.

“I think I’d rather just go back to Hogwarts,” you replied, worrying your bottom lip as you glanced over at Remus. He wouldn’t meet your eyes though.

“Just a minute or two, like a dare,” James teased, grabbing your shoulders and pushing you toward the break in the fence where others had clearly manipulated the wire to get in.

“I think-“

“You two are assholes sometimes, you know that?” Remus snapped, hurt more than anger fuelling his words, “I told you to leave me alone for the day and you can’t even fucking do that? You insist on ruining everything!”

You looked over your shoulder, passed James (who was also looking over his shoulder) and realized Remus was trudging back toward Hogsmeade. Sirius had turned to watch him go, picking up the discarded bag of sweets that he’d tossed as he’d stormed out.

“Remus!” Sirius called, still sounding jovial though mildly confused, as if he couldn’t fathom why his friend was upset.

James seemed to have caught on, his hands falling from your shoulders, “sorry, we just thought it’d be a laugh.”

“It’s okay,” you weren’t really sure that it was okay but you didn’t know what other platitude to offer them. “I’ll go see if I can catch up with him?”

“Think that’s best, he might sock us if we follow him now.” James replied.

You took the candy from Sirius and started after Remus, following his tracks in the snow. By the time you got to Hogsmeade, his footpath had muddled with everyone else’s and it was impossible to know exactly where he’d gone. You thought about asking around but then that seemed silly, you had misplaced someone in a village this small? Wouldn’t that just mean they didn’t want to see you? Hogwarts seemed logical, he’d show up there eventually, at least. So you hiked your way back to Hogwarts and were almost immediately reminded why you disliked coming to Hogsmeade most of the time. The treacherous uphill climb back to the school was daunting, especially when you were forced to trek on your own through the snow.

By the time you got back to the castle your knees, shins, elbows and the bottom of your jacket were all wet and icing over. Luck took pity on you though and you found Remus on the bridge, over looking the lake and gorge.

“I‘ve saved your chocolates, which turned out to be quite a feat because I lost my footing at least three times on the walk back,” you called, “you’ll be relieved to have abandoned the day, then you didn’t have to be embarrassed by my clumsiness.”

“I,” Remus sighed as he turned toward you, “I didn’t mean to abandon anything…I uh, I’m prone to a temper every now and again.”

“Is that what that was? You seemed so calm and collected,” you teased, “Sirius was right though, I’m really not bothered. I’m sorry that you were.”

“I just wanted it to be a nice date,” Remus admitted. “I fucked up the ask and then…well I made a whole list of things we could chat about and it was complete rubbish so I tossed it and then I couldn’t come up with anything noteworthy to say-“

“I had a lovely time,” you cut him off, laying your hand on his arm, “you don’t need a list of topics Remus, we’re friends…we talk all the time.”

“Yeah, but not…I mean, not the sort of talk that leads people to think you’re interested in them, in a more than friendly way.” He admitted, “we always chat about friendly things.”

“Well, I could start telling you how gorgeous you look in your vest, would that help?” You asked, reaching out to gently tug the hem of his vest as you spoke.

“Yes, I suppose.” He nodded, “I, as you can imagine, I was planning on kissing you…perhaps, if you wanted to, of course. Not by the shack, that would be unromantic. I was thinking maybe just in the woods but then we wander further than I intended too and, as you know, James-“

You tugged his vest again, a little rougher this time, and leaned in to kiss him. “You know you sound an awful lot like me right now?” You almost laughed, “you’re supposed to be the confident one aren’t you?”

“You should try being me when you’re looking at me like that.”

“What am I looking at you like?” You asked.

“Like, well,” the thought occurred to Remus suddenly, like someone pulling a lightbulb string inside his head and bringing a lamp to life, “like you always look at me.” He said it softly, as if he were afraid to admit what he’d really known all along.

“You’re very clever,” you teased, kissing him once more, “are you positive you aren’t in Ravenclaw?”

[didishawn]

eric garcia smut pls being pedri's sister and fcking behind his back

What Pedri doesn't know won't hurt him (Eric Garcia × Reader) smut

Warnings: smut, very little Spanish, public sex and getting caught, set back on Ferran's birthday

Masterlist

It had been a while since Eric has caught you all alone, and today doesn't seem like it either, with your brothers and father going around, watchful gaze on everyone who interacts with you, not even him, one of Pedri's best friend is safe from suspicion, all your interactions are well patrolled.

Eric really hopes, they can't see your cheeky face, the lustful look on your eye, your teasing smile, small touches.

He didn't think it would be so easy to get away, but apparently his best friend's birthday is enough of a ocasión for Pedri to drink, your father chatting happily with some man and Fer is not one to miss on a good party.

You two are giggling, as you escape from where everyone is, he leads you, he knows the place the best, taking you into a bathroom that no one should feel the necessity to use and as soon as the door is closed, your arms are around his neck and lips against his.

"Tenemos que ser rápidos" he tells you as you separate, big glossy eyes looking up at him as he almost groans at the pretty sight. (we have to be fast)

His hands are fast on his belt as he pushes his pants down just enough, then they are on you, pushing your panties aside as he admired the wet patch on them. He leans you over the sink, eyes meeting yours through the window as he doesn't wait a minute to pound into you.

His hands is over your mouth as your moaning is loud, having lost practice after so many time, his lips are attached to your neck, the pace he goes at is rough, balls hitting against you as his cock kisses your cervix.

He is so big inside you, it's been far too long, you damm Pedri and his overprotectiveness, the same with Fer and since you Dad is home everything is so fucking difficult, doesn't matter how many times the man pounding into you has tried to sneak into you house, it always fails.

One hand travels fast, fingers pinching and circling over your clit, all of this must be fast, hard, you can't be away for too long.

This is not the usual love making, this is raw, hard fucking.

He makes sure your eyes are on him when you tighten up around him, making him let out a guttural moan, it's all so animalistic, he is rutting into you, you are milking him of everything he is worth, his balls are so tight and so full, his hand doesn't do you justice, nor does his imagination and the secret folder on his phone that has your naked, seductive self as the protagonist of all pictures and videos.

You cum around him, letting out a scream he makes sure is as quiet as possible, he pulls out and as always you get on your knees for him, watching his head push back as he jerks off, tip of his cock on your tongue as you tease him, making sure to swallow everything once he too reaches his extasis.

"Joder, casi había olvidado lo bien que se sentía dentro tuya" he comments as he playfully smacks your ass, ignoring the glare you give him through the off gaze on your eyes. (shit, I had almost forgotten how good it feels inside you)

He helps you clean up, he was raised to be a gentleman, yet a thief as he keeps your panties for the meantime as god knows when you will be able to sneak away again.

You lips meet in a sweet kiss for the last time and he can still taste himself on you tongue.

He opens the door, the goofy smile on his face drops as he sees the sight.

"Bueno, parece os lo habéis pasado genial, ¿no?" (well, it seems you had a great time, am I right?)

Pedri, Fer, your father and an amused Ferran all waiting arms crossed outside for you, and Eric knows that first he won't ever hear the end of this, and second that he should start running as he bests the talk about to go down is not a pretty one.

[riddle-me-ri]

Gonna humbly request Zenigata X Reader with my absolute favorite fanfic trope: Thinking they are in love with someone else.

Unfortunate circumstances have led to reader insert having to be saved over and over again by Lupin and of COURSE some people in the media took that to interpreting your relationship as „Oh, clearly they are in love with each other.“ „How tragic, on the opposite end of the law…“ „how romantic!“ even tough reader and Lupins relationship is strictly platonic. Unfortunately this includes Zenigata, who’s been crushing on reader for a while now…. Even tough he’s ACTUALLY the guy reader is in love with. Chaos ensues.

(Bonus point for Lupin actually being totally on board with ReaderxZenigata and trying to play matchmaker somehow, because APPERANTLY he’s gotta be the one with the braincell in this scenario)

a/n: man, you guys really, really love some Zenigata lmao not that I mind, he does deserve it lol. I had no idea how much I loved this trope until I started writing it. It felt like I was writing a possible episode plot lol. Hope you guys enjoy~

Content Warning: misunderstanding/miscommunication trope, can’t really think of anything else.

Word Count: 2.4 k

Inspector Zenigata x Reader - Front Page Fiasco

GENTLEMAN THIEF SAVES PRETTY BYSTANDER ONCE AGAIN

THIRD TIMES THE CHARM! IS IT LOVE OR COINCIDENCE?

LUPIN III SEEN CARRYING MYSTERY LOVER AGAIN! WHO COULD THEY BE?

Admittedly, you've had your grievances with the newspapers before but never due to the trends being directed at you.

You wanted nothing more than to crumble up every newspaper with the misleading headline and toss them into a fire--and then promptly crumble yourself into a ball and slowly disappear into nothing.

You didn't even know where to begin to fix this.

To show the world, you weren't having some star-crossed affair with the infamous Gentleman Thief…in fact, your heart yearned for his adversary.

Now any possibilities for that relationship to flourish may very well be ruined.

~

Little did you know Zenigata was just outside your apartment complex, with a content smile and a pretty bouquet of flowers clasped firmly in his hands. He finally gathered up the courage to properly ask you out…

However, when he glanced at the newspaper stand, his smile fell along with the bouquet.

A rage boiled up in Zenigata unlike any he's ever known.

He’s always been frustrated with Lupin's antics…causing his heat rate to go up, his blood pressure to rise to the extreme.

However, this was a new personal blow.

After causing considerable damage to a couple prints of the magazine and newspaper to the newstand owner's chagrin. Zenigata briskly left to his squad car to prepare himself for whatever Lupin is cooking up next.

He silently hopes deep down that you stay out of this one.

~

Lupin groaned as he hung his head over a couch armrest. Jigen just showed him the cover page of the latest tabloid magazine.

The photograph was a close-up photo of him, carrying you sheepishly in his arms as he caught you from falling out of a museum window during a heist to steal a priceless painting.

Lupin sighed. “I've always imagined myself on the front page…but not for this!”

“At least it's showing you in a more positive light.” Goemon observed.

“Who are they anyway? This is…by the journalist's account…” Jigen briefly skimmed through the story. “This is the third time you've saved them?”

The answer caused Lupin to wince. He knew exactly who you are…and that's what made this situation all the more complicated.

“I honestly only know a little about them. We've crossed paths before but not…like this” He gestured to the heroic display printed on paper. Lupin sat up to glance down at the coffee table. “And I know that…Zenigata has a thing for them and vice versa.”

Jigen and Goemon both straightened their postures in surprise.

“Pops?” Both asked in unison.

Lupin nodded. “I've seen them chatting a few times…I've never seen Pops smile so much…whenever they have to leave, Zenigata always has a giddy delirious look on his face…”

Lupin couldn't help but smile earnestly on the memory.

Sure, the Inspector gave him hell, but he made the jobs more exciting…and he couldn't deny he was happy to see the old man…be joyful (about something other than his capture).

Jigen and Goemon glanced at each other, not sure how else to respond other than shrug.

“Are you going to try and fix this, Lupin?” Jigen inquired.

Lupin thrummed his fingers. “I've got to…if not for the sake of cleaning up a clear misunderstanding that can lead to hell later…”

He stood up with a determined stance as he slammed his hand down on the table dramatically. “Then for the sake of true love…even for a workaholic like Pops!”

Jigen chuckled. “Since when the hell did you get into matchmaking, Lupin?”

“Oh, come on, Jigen…love is an amazing thing, any and every man succumbs to it in their lifetime!”

Jigen rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“It would be one of your more noble and considerate deeds…” Goemon commented with a sly smile.

“See? Goemon gets it!” Lupin rounded the other sofa Goemon was sitting on as he pulled the samurai into a side hug. “Even for a traditional guy like him, he’s a romantic!”

Goemon gasped softly, before turning his head bashfully, to hide his blush. “I gave no such indication.”

“How are you even going to get them to talk to each other? Knowing the old man, he's probably steering clear of them…” Jigen mentioned. “And Pops won't just want to see you behind bars, but your head on a spike..”

Lupin winked at his right hand man. “You leave that to me Jigen…for now, I will just need you two to ensure they don't leave the premises until words are shared…”

~

You knew this was a bad idea.

Even though you knew nothing was going on between you and Lupin, you couldn't help but feel like you were just feeding the rumor mill by accepting his invitation to chat.

Alas, you felt like you had no one else to talk to about this whole fiasco…the other victim of the press and who knows the truth.

It just felt shady going to a random abandoned warehouse down the street near a port dock.

While you didn't love Lupin as the media was claiming, you did trust the thief not to intentionally put you in any peril.

Perhaps this was just the most neutral and well hidden location from any sneaky paparazzi that could steal a snapshot at a restaurant or any normal meeting spot.

You creakily pushed open the barn style like door and made sure to close it behind you. You hesitantly walked around the warehouse. It was empty aside from some large crates.

“Lupin?” You softly called out.

“LUPIN!”

You nearly jumped out of your clothes at the intrusive shout that echoed you.

You immediately recognized the voice, though, as you turned around to face the person you were least suspecting.

“Zenigata?”

The Inspector responded with your name in an equally questioning manner.

“Ah, it appears you two have finally arrived!” Lupin slowly walked out from the shadows of the second level that surrounded the perimeter of the warehouse, overlooking the two of you on the ground floor.

Zenigata snarled up at the thief. “Lupin! What's the meaning of this?”

“Lupin, what the hell is going on?”

Lupin snickered to himself as he thought of how cute you two were copying each other slightly.

“I promise, it will all make sense soon…but first, you two have some things to discuss.” He giggled as he slid back into the shadows.

You reluctantly turned to take inventory on how Zenigata was handling this newfound predicament.

“Wait!” You groaned when he disappeared.

Then you two heard the sound of what could only be the sound of the doors being locked.

You ran to see if what you heard was correct. Yet no matter how hard you or Zenigata pushed and pulled, the doors weren't budging.

It was easy to determine that he was just as frustrated and confused as you were.

Zenigata was about to rush up the wooden stairs to the warehouse's second landing, where he last saw Lupin until you stopped him.

“I-uh…I'm not sure what's going on...or what he told you, but I don't think it's true..”

Zenigata huffed. “Well, you would know if it is or isn't, wouldn't you?”

You brows furrowed. “What do you--oh…the papers…”

“It seems you two have gotten pretty close…” Zenigata grumbled as he took a sudden interest in the floor.

“Zeni…it's nothing like that! Yes, I know Lupin, but those times he saved me were all just really, really huge coincidences…”

Zenigata sighed, his cheeks tinted red at the nickname.

Mentally, he rode the fence between believing you or not.

He desperately wanted to believe you so that he could court you, but he also didn't want to fall victim to whatever ploy you were playing to assist Lupin.

His eyes darted from side to side, debating between which side he should take.

“So you have no idea what his plans were tonight?” He questioned in a mutter.

You shrugged. “I have no idea what plot he forked over to you…in his note to me, he asked to talk one on one to figure out this media frenzy that's happening…apparently it's affecting his relationship with Fujiko.” You handed Zenigata the note as proof.

“Media frenzy?” Zenigata hummed in thought after scanning your note and huffed at Lupin's signature doodle.

It's not like the media hasn't taken photos or stories and twisted them before for ratings and sales.

Zenigata's brows unfurrowed, his face seemed to soften as he realized perhaps it was all truly a huge misunderstanding.

However, he wanted to be one hundred percent sure. “So…you and Lupin…truly aren't..?”

You shook your head, lifted your hands up as if to wave away the idea. “Nope, not at all! I just genuinely somehow found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time!”

You felt your shoulders fall when you noticed the corners of Zenigata's lips slightly lifting up.

You weren't prepared for the tiny leap of, what you can only imagine to be, joy along with a positive exclamation that Zenigata displayed.

Nevertheless, you were relieved to see Zenigata in a better mood as you beamed happily at him.

“I’m so glad I got that cleared up…” You mentioned in a relieved sigh. “Now to just…fix it with the rest of the general populace.”

Zenigata froze in his celebrating gestures. “I-uh…am sure they will blow over soon enough! This time next week, everyone will be talking about something different!”

“God, I hope so…”

What you wouldn't give for your life to go back to normal and worry about the man in front of you and not some ludicrous fake scenario with another.

You looked over at Zenigata who seemed to try and look everywhere and anywhere but at you.

There may be one way to fix the issue once and for all.

While the moment wasn't ideal, you felt like you wouldn't have any other moment to admit your feelings.

“Zeni…you seemed pretty excited that Lupin and I aren't a couple, can I ask why?” You had a decent notion as to why, but you wanted to get some confirmation.

“Uhh…I…well…” He turned his head as his cheeks flushed red again, he clasped his fingers to keep from fidgeting with them as he tried to find the courage he had on that previous day when this whole misunderstanding started.

Zenigata's bashful response made you smile, that was definitely more proof but you wanted to hear him say something.

You slowly walked over closer to him, you tilted your face so that he could still see you despite his shunned position.

Your soft sweet smile was mirrored by Zenigata's own lips once he saw it. The expression warmed him and managed to calm his nerves, something he always appreciated about you.

“Well…umm…I was glad because…then that would give me a chance to..” He gripped his hat and brought it down to his chest. Zenigata began to fidget the hat brim with the tips of his fingers as he worked through his words.

“Give me a chance to ask you if you would like to…umm..” He gulped down the last bit of anxious nerves that were determined to ruin this chance. “...go on a date with me?”

A brief silence filled the room, but just before all of Zenigata's hopes were dashed-- he heard you giggle.

You gently laid each of your hands on top of his tense ones that still held tightly to his hat. Your soothing touch put his digits at ease, so much so he almost dropped the signature accessory to his uniform.

Thankfully, one of your hands was able to catch his fedora.

“I'd love to…Zeni.” You beamed sweetly.

Zenigata chuckled sheepishly. “You can call me Koichi…”

“Koichi?” It was your turn for your cheeks to heat up as you tried the name on your tongue. “That's a handsome name.”

Zenigata's eyes lit up as his smile widened.

The sweet moment was cut short by a clicking sound and a bright flash.

“Beautiful, perfection, marvelous!” Lupin exclaimed with his arms wide open. “This should turn heads in no time!

Lupin appeared as he walked through the now unlocked doors. Jigen and Goemon were at his side, Jigen held a camera with a satisfied grin accented by a bent cigar.

Whatever tender expression Zenigata had for you was quickly shifted and scrunched up in disdain as he turned to acknowledge the thief.

“Lupin! Don't think I forgot about you! And why are you taking photos?”

Lupin threw his arms up in mock surrender. “Easy, easy, Pops! Can't you see I just solved our little misunderstanding, huh?”

Zenigata lifted an eyebrow incredulously. “Huh?”

“This was your plan all along…” You stated.

Lupin nodded. “I knew you'd catch on…the plan was to get you two alone, let you talk things out…and take a photo or two…” Lupin plucked the Polaroid out of Jigen's hand as it finished developing.

He continued. “Aanndd send an anonymous tip with photos exclaiming the so-called “mystery partner” of Lupin the Third actually has the hots for his long-time enemy... Inspector Zenigata of Interpol!"

Lupin winked at Zenigata. “Not bad, huh, Pops?”

“So…the note really was a ruse to get us together?” Zenigata grumbled.

“This is perfect!” You exclaimed as you glanced at the photo in Lupin's hand. “This will be a step in the right direction!”

“I thought so too!” Lupin beamed just as excited as you.

Zenigata was still stunned at the turn of events that took place.

“T-Thank you, Lupin…” Zenigata earnestly said.

Lupin cooked up a plan to get the two of you to talk out your feelings.

Granted, he figured Lupin did it as a means to make his own life easier, but Zenigata couldn't stop the side smile that crept up.

“Yes, thank you!” You echoed.

Lupin shook his head and playfully waved his hand in a dismissive motion. “Nah, it was nothing! Now maybe Fujiko will talk to me again…”

“Also don’t thank me too soon, Pops!” Lupin added.

“Hm?”

“There is one other note on your person…” Lupin mentioned, as he and his men began slowly walking backward towards the door.

Zenigata began searching through his attire and discovered a folded little note on the inside of his coat pocket.

You watched as Zenigata quickly scanned the note before shooting his head up from the paper.

“LUPIN!! You get back here!! I'll get you this time!” Zenigata immediately bursted into a sprint.

As quickly as he ran off, he ran back to you. The sheepish and tender expression fell back onto his face again.

“Umm…I'll call you later?”

You chuckled as you returned his fedora to its proper place on top of his head. “Sounds like a plan. Now go get ‘em, tiger!”

Zenigata's determined grin grew wider as he nodded at you and quickly turned around and got back to the chase.

As you waved goodbye to Zenigata, you couldn't help but sigh.

You knew your life would never truly be normal. That much was certain, but at least now people will have you pinned on the right side of the law.

[mako-neexu]

[DCMK] Kaitou Kid and Hakuba

The ordeal ends with them surrounded in gauze, tissue, and bloody clothes. The detective ungracefully flops back on his bed, and turns to Kid. He moved him from the stained chair to lean against the stacked pillows on his bed.

Both were exhausted but they knew that a phantom thief was prone to running away the moment his secrets are pried away from his chest. Hakuba knew that Kid wasn’t fragile but the half-lidded eyes told him otherwise. Based on the blood loss, Kuroba might still have energy left for a serious chat and a stern scolding. “Look, Kuroba—“

Kid had the nerve to tut at him, like he was scolding a child. “Dunno who you’re talking about, Tantei-san.”

He glared at him but relented. “Kid." Hakuba forced out. "Were you always like this when you leave your heists?”

The thief looked disgusted before he replied, “I’ll have you know I can be a gentleman when I want to.” Kid gave a proud smirk.

“That’s not what I meant! I was asking you seriously, I was talking about the snipers!” The half-brit tsked, annoyance prickling his tone.

“Oh.” Kid paused, thinking for a moment, before breaking out into a grin, "Well, who knows?"

Then that possibly meant its been happening for quite some time now. At least, that's what his gut told him because Kid was an insufferable bastard that breathed out secrets like a fog machine. Hakuba conveys his frustration by saying "What." through his teeth.

The man in white raised his hands in a placating gesture, “Relax, I’ve got it in control Tantei-san.” When the unconvinced look remained unchanged, Kid begrudgingly said, “Okay fine. Usually I’d have a sniper at my back but this time it was three.”

The fact that Kid had said usually made the detective run a hand down his face slowly as if he wanted to get rid of all the bullshit thrown at his face.

“But don’t worry! I’ve got everything under control.”

He gave a funny look at Kaitou Kid, flitting his eyes up and down at the injuries and red staining the white of his suit pants.

[adastra-rising]

The only things I drew in October…. I’m so normal about lesbians who love crime and theft!

I’m currently kind of at war with myself about whether or not to share more stuff about the account mascots because they’re both super fleshed out (& the main characters of my writing projects!!) and I am actually like. Obsessed with them. But I don’t want to turn this account into Detective x Thief yuri hour.

But here’s Arcelia, aka Thorncatcher Thief: a closeted lesbian pretending to be a perfect daughter who secretly masquerades as a gentleman/phantom thief. Watched phantom of the opera as a kid and it changed her life. Or something.

She’s also the reason I was researching blue roses lol 🤷‍♀️

Arceliacore stuff (inspirations, etc)

Arsene Lupin, The Gentleman Thief (She has a pet rabbit named Arsene LApin)

“All the Worlds a Stage, and the People merely players.” - Shakespeare

The inherent romantic tension of a cat and mouse game between a criminal and a detective.

Musicals - Phantom of the Opera, Epic, Wicked (No One Mourns the Wicked, No Good Deed) The Greatest Showman, The Death Note Musical

Persona 5 (just…. In general)

The Worlds Greatest Actor (Milk in the Microwave)

The Chappell Roan Discography

The masking tendencies and shitty pick-up lines (“You’re a detective, right? How about we investigate all this chemistry between us?”) of Chat Noir but with his cousin’s fashion sense (holy shit that’s a feather on her hair isn’t it) and tendency to break into song.

Furina De Fontaine, because of course.

I might make a post about the other mascot because she’s kind of the world’s silliest little guy!

[gentlemanthiefshowdown]

Gentleman Thief Bracket and Masterpost

[Image description: a 32-member tournament bracket labeled Gentleman/Phantom Thief Showdown with confetti and sparkles edited into it. The characters eliminated in the first round are: Four Horsemen (Now You See Me), Phantom R, Cat’s Eye, Catherine AKA Nightsmoke, Diamond Queen, Chat Noir (Granblue), The Scarlet Pimpernel, Assane Diop (Lupin), Kaitou Jeanne, Jean Lupin, and Thief/Tia (Diamond Jack), Lupin Red, Kaitou Kiramekiman, Kay Faraday, Roquefort Cookie, and Saint Tail. The characters eliminated in the second round are: Kaitou Joker, Kaitou Spade, Thieves Peter and Jenny, Sly Cooper, Pierre Despereaux, Mask⭐️DeMasque, Star Scarlet, and Blue Cat (Precure). The characters eliminated in the third round are: Lupin III, A. J. Raffles, Arsène Lupin, and Parker (Leverage). The characters eliminated in the fourth round are Carmen Sandiego and Peter Nureyev. The loser of the final round is Joker (Persona) and the winner is Kaitou KID. /End description]

Phew! That’s a lot of contestants! As mentioned, the lineup is completely random, so apologies in advance to the more obscure characters that are paired against popular ones, your presence is still meaningful 💜

Round 1:

Four Horsemen (Now You See Me) vs Kaitou Joker

Lupin III vs Phantom R (Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure)

Cat’s Eye vs Joker (Persona 5)

Kaitou Spade vs Catherine/Nightsmoke (Granblue Fantasy)

Thieves Peter and Jenny (Vocaloid) vs Diamond Queen (Kaitou Joker)

Peter Nureyev (The Penumbra Podcast) vs Chat Noir (Granblue)

The Scarlet Pimpernel/Sir Percy Blakeney vs. A.J. Raffles

Assane Diop (Lupin) vs Sly Cooper

Kaitou Jeanne (Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne) vs Carmen Sandiego

Jean Lupin (London Detective Mystery) vs Pierre Despereaux (Psych)

Arsène Lupin vs Thief/Tia (Diamond Jack)

Lupin Red (Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger) vs Mask DeMasque/Ron DeLite (Ace Attorney)

Star Scarlet (Stellar Witch LIPS) vs Kaitou Kiramekiman)

Kay Faraday (Ace Attorney) vs Kaitou KID/Kuroba Kaito (Magic Kaito)

Roguefort Cookie (Cookie Run) vs Parker (Leverage)

Saint Tail (Saint Tail) vs Blue Cat (Precure)

Round 2:

Kaitou Joker vs. Lupin III

Joker (Persona 5) vs. Kaitou Spade

Peter Nureyev (The Penumbra Podcast) vs. Thieves Peter and Jenny (Vocaloid)

A. J. Raffles vs. Sly Cooper

Carmen Sandiego vs. Pierre Despereaux

Mask⭐️DeMasque (Ace Attorney) vs. Arsène Lupin

Star Scarlet (Stellar Witch LIPS) vs. Kaitou KID/Kuroba Kaito (Magic Kaito)

Parker (Leverage) vs. Blue Cat/Yuni (Precure)

Round 3:

Lupin III vs. Joker (Persona)

Peter Nureyev (The Penumbra Podcast) vs. A. J. Raffles

Carmen Sandiego vs. Arsène Lupin

Kaitou KID/Kaito Kuroba (Magic Kaito) vs. Parker (Leverage)

Semifinals:

Joker (Persona) vs. Peter Nureyev (The Penumbra Podcast)

Carmen Sandiego vs. Kaitou KID/Kaito Kuroba (Magic Kaito)

Third Place:

Carmen Sandiego vs. Peter Nureyev (The Penumbra Podcast)

Finals:

Joker (Persona) vs. Kaitou KID/Kaito Kuroba (Magic Kaito)

We have a winner! Congrats Kaitou KID!

By the way, we welcome propaganda! Feel free to send or @ us in posts detailing why your fav should win!

[returntosaturn271995]

Thursday, January 4th, 2024: New, clean, and with a sheen

10 things that happened today:

Put out contracting fires at work, and got a positive call-out in the Teams Kellogg's chat for Karen Cheng's filter getting 5 M organic impressions + 350,000 engagements. Hollah, bitches.

Beach walked and encountered adorable Yorkie puppies owned by an elderly couple on the way there. On the way back I walked past my neighbor's house just as a toddler popped up in a Cinderella dress to look out at the street. I smiled and waved at her, and she waved back. So cute.

Wore a ruched olive green midi-dress and my white vejas, hair down all day.

Despite having "Murder on the Dancefloor" stuck in my head, I continue to blast it.

Bought a new dining room table with matching suede chairs and unpacked the new kitchen utensils (about half of which I understood the actual use for).

Finished "Quietly Hostile" by Same Irby. Only three more books left for January.

Trump reportedly received at least $7.8 million in foreign payments from 20 (!) countries during his four years in the White House according to a new report from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. Most of the money came from China. It’s exactly the kind of foreign interference and corruption that House Republicans are desperately trying to pin on President Biden via their bogus impeachment inquiry. FUCKING HOW IS HE NOT IN JAIL I COULD SCREAM????

Got asked out again by Tyler, said yes, but pretty sure my choker necklace is lost somewhere in his house. His response? "Choker? I don't even know her." Respect.

Watched old episodes of Sex in the City with Makenna (the one where Carrie is fashion road kill and Heidi Klum steps over her carcass), scheduled coffee with Monika, and plan to meet Natalie after work tomorrow.

Went through the drive-thru car wash in my leopard print robe because I'm forever a silly goose.

Text out of Context:

Connor B: lol you’d be an exceptional thief and I’d happily be a part of your crew. Always need a crew!

Erin Burks: Run my ship like a gentleman pirate

Connor B: Pirating used to sound thrilling but now it sounds miserable under those dirty ass living conditions. Couple pirates did it right though

Erin Burks: Any place without indoor plumbing? Couldn’t be me I LOVE bougie bathrooms Dream home: classic kitchen with modern appliances, bathroom with a shower out of the future, and an office behind a turn-around book case so I can avoid my children The lever to turn it? A copy of “The Doors of Perception” directly next to a red book titled “Herring”

Connor B: lol already have the detail of the lever

Erin Burks: I’ve wanted a turn around bookcase since I was five and saw it in Scooby Do, the height of luxury I’m an adult and I still think it’s cool as hell

Connor B: I want secret hallways all throughout the house and my secret room would be in the basement behind a fireplace that spins Going to be a BIG house

Erin Burks: ….so a dungeon Very Targaryen of you

Connor B: Someone has to have a bunker and it will be super nice!! Not a dungeon 😏

Erin Burks: Fire and no natural light? Dungeon

Connor B: The rest of the house has natural light I think I’ll be ok

Erin Burks: True, plus you can keep your secret family there “Flowers in the Attic” style

Connor B: Haha no no two families sounds like a nightmare. No chance I could deal with two.

Erin Burks: So true, the trips to Disneyland alone Or whatever it is people with children give up their freedom for.

[creatureshrieks]

This hadn't been the first business Maxwell had ever run - it hadn't even been his second, third, not even his fifth. He was a wealthy man from all the revenue his shops brought in though he, however, was not in this for the money. Partially the money, of course, he still had a life to live and things to buy, but mostly it was just for things to do. Max was a busy man, he liked to keep his hands busy and he supposed it helped make the eternity he was facing all that more enjoyable. He had no desire to languidly spend eons lazing about, the inactivity would drive him mad. More importantly, it also allowed him to connect to the community he found himself in, to become a regular face and a regular name. He'd become somewhat of a figure, a pillar, if he played his cards right ( which he always did ) and it allowed him to seamlessly blend in with the world around him. He was known enough to not be a stranger, but passive enough to not get noticed. A perfect balance of known and unknown, a gentleman that faded into the back. It was the perfect cover, he found, to avoid suspicious eyes and unannounced morning visits.

This also had not been the first time Max encountered thieves, miscreants that thought it smart to not respect his property. Often times catching them in the act was enough to dissuade them, though other's need a more intense approach to dissuade them. It seemed to work, as far as Max knew, considering he never saw a repeat offender. Such is the reason Max finds himself behind the counter of his own store, a late night shift that he was certain his staff were all too eager to switch to him. There had been a string of thefts for a handful of weeks now, all home goods or other basic supplies, but his workers seemed unable to catch whoever the culprit was in the act. He figured they were skilled, probably not some starving child who was desperate enough to try their hand at crime, though he surmised they couldn't be that well off either. No one with the means steals food or bandages.

Max takes a moment to look up from his book, a ledger he was reviewing for the third time, towards the windows. It's late, he thought, given the lack of passersby on the streets. He removes his pocket watch - a well cared for antique - to confirm his suspicions. It was later that his store should be open for, an hour or so by that point, and Max figured that whatever thieves might be prowling around his store would be dreadfully rude and not show up tonight. He might have called his time wasted, but Max had undertaken a shift at his store and held more than a handful of conversations, smiling at his regulars, chatting them up and inquiring about their lives. He might not have achieved his true goal, but maintaining his reputation was still of the utmost importance. He had just begun to close his ledger and go about closing up his shop when the door clicked and the bells rang. He pauses, a smile almost immediately appearing on his face as he looks over towards the boy that entered. Thorn's head lifted, pears perked.

Poor, Max figured. Homeless, perhaps. And a little too suspicious for late night shopping.

Max decides not go about with his usual greeting, instead turning back down towards the book before him as if it was the only thing he could focus on. He figured it would be better if he seemed distracted, his shop open too late because he was far too busy to close it up. It'd do no good to keep too much attention on him, especially if this boy was the thief he'd been searching for. Give him a chance to think he had an opportunity before snapping the trap shut. Thorn would be more than a good enough lookout anyway, the dog moving to rest in front of the counter instead. Both seemed preoccupied then, Max with his work and the dog with taking a nap.

It's only a handful of minutes, Max assumes, before Thorn begins to stir. His ears twitch and he's quick to his feet, his body blocking the entrance and exit. It's then when Max turns his attention from his book, a warm smile on his face he turns towards the boy.

" You're running up quite the tab there, " He doesn't sound surprised nor particularly angry. He only sounds kind, not at all like a store owner should when coming face to face with the thief who'd been plaguing them. " I don't suppose you're paying this time either, hmm? "

@pierfangs | Max & David's first meeting

[free-for-all-fics]

Clue inspired Max Phillips/Tim Rockford/The Thief Crossover Prompt! Pls tag me if you’re inspired by any of these ideas and I’d love to read it! 🕵️‍♂️🩸💎

When you were a child, your mother or father died under strange and unusual circumstances. The exact cause of death is still unknown. At the crime scene all they found was scissors and a glass of wine with lipstick on it. But no blood was found around the crime scene or in your mother’s/father’s body. She/He was completely drained. An anonymous individual tipped off police about the body.

Now an adult, you enlist the help of Detective Tim Rockford to solve the cold case. His investigation leads him to The Nowhere House - a centuries old yet opulent mansion rumored to be haunted. It’s said to be as mesmerizingly beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside, if not more so. It’s rumored to have a labyrinthine interior similar to the Winchester Mystery House that disorients anyone who dares to enter so that they can never find the front door ever again. It won't let you out but inexplicably offers whatever you need. There’s endless hallways lined with doors, each leading to different rooms such as bedrooms, ballrooms, libraries, etc.

There’s conflicting stories of the mansion’s history: Some say it was built by a wealthy man as a wedding gift for his new bride but she died under mysterious circumstances before it was finished. When the house was finally completed, her widower held her corpse in his arms as he entombed himself alive within the walls so they’d always be together in the house meant for them. Some speculate she was murdered, etc., etc. The stories are always contradictory and told differently. Nobody knows what’s truth or what’s legend.

You’re conflicted because you want your mother/father’s death solved, but you don’t want Tim to go anywhere near that dreadful place. “Detective, not to disrespect your job or anything, but I’d highly recommend against going near that mansion. The people who live there can…do things. Unnatural things. We’ve learned to leave it be; I suggest you do the same.” But a lead is a lead, and Tim must follow it, no matter how dangerous. It’s his job. He goes undercover to infiltrate a masquerade ball being held there. You’re stubborn and refuse to let him go alone, so you force him to take you with as his “date.” You and Tim mingle with the other guests and blend in. You play your roles and engage in eating and drinking, chatting, or even dancing if you must. You and Tim eventually split up to cover more ground.

While you’re snooping around and searching for clues, you open a door only to find the room empty. You suddenly get the feeling that you’re not alone as your hair stands up on your neck. You turn around and run into Max Phillips, one of the hosts for this evening. Even underneath his mask, you can tell he’s devilishly handsome. He’s charismatic and seductive when he smiles at you, his pearly white teeth glinting in the candlelight. He plays the part of a gentleman as he chats you up while drinking a glass of red wine. He corners you and won’t let you get away so easily despite your excuses to leave, so you indulge him in his flirtations.

Maybe if you keep him talking and distract him long enough, you’ll buy Tim enough time to find evidence. And It wouldn’t be such a terrible fate if you ended up in a closet or bedroom with this handsome man for a few hours either. You’ll do what you gotta do. He shows you around and eventually leads you to a special door. He tells you that this room has been locked up tight ever since the original owner’s funeral - the key has since gone missing. Over the centuries, subsequent owners and inhabitants of the mansion have always been warned that they’re not, under any circumstances, allowed inside this very room. Many have tried to break in, but all have failed. Some even went so far as to commit grave robbery. They dug up the original owner’s corpse and searched for the key, but contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t buried with him.

You’re attached to Max’s hip and all is well at the party - until the lights go out and there’s a murder. Problem is, the one murdered is Detective Tim Rockford. Once Tim’s body is discovered, the mansion’s sophisticated security system activates. All the doors and windows are locked and shuttered, all escape routes are cut off. No party guests are allowed to leave until the culprit is found. You scream in horror as you find yourself in the middle of another murder mystery, but this time the detective is the victim. Now what’re you gonna do?

Unbeknownst to everyone, A thief broke in just before the commotion caused the luxurious mansion to go into lockdown. He was hiding himself amongst the guests and stealing their valuables right from under their noses, but now he’s trapped inside with all of you. Dammit. This heist is suddenly not going so well for him. The Thief’s plan quickly switches from "steal" to "survive". Unbeknownst to any of you, your host, Max Phillips, is a vampire. He may or may not have murdered your mother/father. He may or may not be Tim’s murderer. He could be guilty of one crime but not the other. He could be guilty of both crimes. There may be no crime at all. Later in the evening, you notice the key sitting in the lock of the forbidden room. What happens next? It’s all up to you.

(Maybe not everything is as it seems. Maybe there’s a much bigger, more convoluted scheme at play here. What if Tim isn’t actually dead and it’s all just an elaborate hoax? What if you, Max, and/or The Thief are all in on it as well and co-conspirators? If it’s all a hoax, why are any of you doing this? What’s your true motive? It’s all up to you to decide.)

[dnangelic]

he tries his hardest to be a gentleman ; makes every exhaustive approach seem effortless , and therein should have been the difference between himself and every other far more natural-born horror , no ? vampires craved blood ; demons craved marrow and soul and contract , but he asked for nothing , nothing but a fair lady's touch and glance . his motives were sincere ; soft-lit and cherished as starlight , and he wanted to both think and believe this , the surrounding dark of his longing far too deep and hollow in equal measure to be anything but .

the flash of ghastly fangs recedes ; retreats back into nothing more than a well-humored simper . ' of course , ' he nods at her , ' it isn't funny . who's tricking beautiful young girls ? ' would she tell him her story or guard it ? even then , what would he do with it did she decide to share any insulting experience ? investigate it a little , perhaps , did it seem curious enough --- only after consulting his host . or maybe he would decide to simply stay by this girl's side for a little longer , indulging in chit-chat and allowing meetings to extend beyond greetings and fast farewells : a phantom thief could never stay in one place , and belong to just one person , for too long ... but he thinks that he likes her , and the way she reminded him of another , someone that slept curled up deep inside of himself .

' hmm . ' relief was good , to say nothing of the rest , and he thinks to leave things at that . ' whatever happens , i don't think you should give up on love . ' he feels his hand tempted for her person again , and gives in , ultimately , to a brief stroke of her cheek . ' there's nothing more precious than a sweet heart . every one that turns bitter is , therefore , the world's greatest tragedy and failing . ' she grants him a curtsy and calls him kind , and something bitter-frustrated lodged within him trembles , too . he expresses nothing of it , his person , and his razor gaze , as still and calm as ever . ' i ... am the great phantom thief dark --- and the pleasure of this meeting is all mine , nene . '

"Hmm?" Nene could only watch him confusion as he suddenly burst into laughter. Was it really so funny her panicking? Although it seemed to be of genuine laughter and not one of mockery judging by his demeanor. But it couldn't be helped of her accusation, she had quite enough dealing with ghosts, demons, scary stories and all of the sort. It would have been the norm that she would be meeting any one of those in person again but in disguise just to trick her...but could this be a little different this time? Her once shy blush turned into embarrassment as her chubby cheeks puffed and her arms crossed over. "I don't think it's that funny! I'd rather not be tricked again!"

As the handsome stranger reached for her hand this time and ensured of his being to be neither of those things along with another compliment and a kiss upon the hand, Nene had felt as if she were in a daze. Just princely acts and gentle manners can leave her melting getting treated like a princess. This was something that she always wanted, right? But yet that part of her feels like he's more than just a 'thief'. He proved he meant no harm, allowing himself to release her hand after while the girl was still completely red in the face with her heart pounding. She was so resisting to squeal with delight with a small squeak only slipped out.

"So you're nothing like that? I'm actually pretty relieved...I felt like I've already have experienced getting something stolen from me and it was often my hopes..." She grumbled at the last part. "I suppose I shouldn't have judged you like that when you were being so kind...so um..." She politely did a curtsy in response to his gentlemanly gesture, "I'm Nene Yashiro, it's nice to meet you."

[lady-charinette]

A Thief in Blue Marichat

Originally posted on FFnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12746973/45/A-Smitten-Kitten-A-Lovestruck-Princess

Prompt: He was a thief clad in black, she was a mystery shrouded by darkness. He left golden bells for the ones he stole from and she left blue roses for those with a burdened heart. Thievery was his profession, hers was comforting the troubled souls of the city. A mix of LadyNoirish, Marichatish

Rated: K+

Inspiration: Magic Kaito (Kaito Kid Series)

A Thief in Blue

The blue rose was her sign, a golden bell was his.

Leaping across rooftops and buildings unnoticed and melting into the shadows was his usual modus operandi, but her, she came and go as she pleased, she could perform the most spectacular show and vanish within the protection of the shadows in the next second.

But he wasn't worried about a rival, not in the least.

He had opted to sit back and watch her, and he knew she was aware of his guarded gaze on her at all times.

It seemed Chat Noir the Feline Thief would take a temporary break from his heists in order to watch the mysterious yet beautiful newcomer in action.

And oh did she offer him a show.

She rarely stole, when she did, it were mostly blue and red jewels, but interestingly enough she returned those she stole that held a great sentimental value to the owner, with a single blue rose and a letter attached to the returned stolen object, sometimes with the words, "Those kept close to the heart are safe from thieving fingers,"

Until today, he thought it was a nod to him, thieving was his profession after all, for her it was more of a hobby next to her own profession.

She wasn't a magician per se, nor was she any sort of performer in the traditional sense. The fact that, at several instances, she could even outsmart him, proved she was more versatile in areas nobody would expect from a person mostly gifting blue roses to people in need, particularly saddened, heartbroken individuals.

How she found those people, he had no idea, purrhaps she had a sixth sense for sad people as he had for cat-themed jewels and artifacts.

Word spread fast of the mysterious 'Phantom Lady' gifting saddened people a single blue rose, sometimes accompanied by comforting but equally mysterious words.

Chat Noir didn't quite know what to think of that, he was a thief, a professional one and a cat at that, having someone steal his thunder with questionable motives made him stand on guard.

And one night, after a particularly successful heist of retrieving a famed 'cat eye' golden jewel, he encountered her on a roof.

It looked like she had been waiting for him, if her relaxed stance and expectant gaze was anything to go by.

The moonlight illuminated her dark blue hair, and it gave her even more of a mysterious appearance.

She smiled and he grinned, "Waiting for meow, m'lady?" he bowed, it would be an atrocity not to in such ethereal presence.

She tilted her head in acknowledgement and adjusted the mask covering her real identity, red with black spots, "A little birdie told me the great Chat Noir's heart seems to be in turmoil," if he had suspected she had been a magician before, he was slightly more sure of it now, as she produced a blue rose from nowhere within her hand, a simple turn of her wrist.

She twirled it gracefully between two fingers, looking at it with a saddened gaze.

Chat Noir grew defensive, like a cat bowing its back, "Oh? Purrhaps your informant was wrong," Chat Noir smirked cockily, lazily swinging his belt tail in front of him, "I'm feeling pawsitively purrfect tonight, m'lady," he grinned, all sharp feline teeth.

Her eyes shot to him and his breath briefly caught in his throat from how blue they were, just like the rose in her hand, "Are you, chaton?" she slowly stood from her perch but made no move closer to him, sensing his guarded disposition, her gaze fell to the pouch strapped to his waist with his latest heist, "That jewel is a family heirloom, it belongs to a little girl, gifted from her mother who died shortly due to a murder from Hawkmoth's gang,"

Ahh, Hawkmoth, a famed name indeed, still, Chat Noir's gaze turned into slits, "You expect me to return it? Like you said, the girl is young, I doubt any piece of jewelry holds any semblance of meaning to her in her age," he touched the pouch with the tips of his claws, a warning, "Besides, finders keepers, right?" fangs caught the moonlight but that didn't deter the lady shrouded in mystery in front of him.

"And I thought the famous thief Chat Noir only steals jewels and artifacts and not broken pieces of a girl's heart," she started walking towards him, her gait slow and relaxed, obviously trying not to look like a threat.

He didn't think she had any concealed weapons, after all, in all her appearances she never operated with any weapons nor used violence.

Except… "And I thought Blue Rose only gifts roses to saddened people instead of punching them?" her lips curved into a small smile and she laughed, his ears pointed upwards, it was a lovely sound.

"I believe I had apawlagized for that, minou. I simply won't allow for violence, especially against those that are defenseless," she held the rose out toward him, her arm outstretched, a good armlengths away from him, granting him his space, "Now would you allow me to glance at your heart?"

Her blue eyes stared into his, soothing, calming, comforting and he allowed a low chuckle to escape him before he expertly and swiftly materialized right behind her, taking the single blue rose from her grasp.

His voice close to her ear seemed to surprise her, if only slightly, "Only if you allow meow to yours, m'lady," with the wind, he was gone and in place of her signature blue rose was a deep red one, from where, she didn't know, but it was real and when she brought it close to her nose to sniff it, it smelled…comforting.

The little bell attached to its stem produced a short, melodious bell sound when she jiggled it and she had to smile.

She glanced up at the moon, shaking her head, "What a troublesome kitty…"

It was the next night after the return of one of his heists that he spotted the letter hanging off a roof he frequently vaulted over with his staff. The letter was red with black spots, one he remembered the Blue Rose, in rare instances leaving.

He retracted his baton and broke the string from which the letter was tied to. When he opened the piece of paper, a single blue rose fell from it's confines and he picked it up mid-fall before it could hit the ground.

He had to snicker at the letter's contents.

Dearest chaton,

You looked a bit distracted during your heist today, was it because of our meeting last night?

You appear confident and cocky, but your eyes hold a deep sadness. The Blue Rose may be the one to offer solace and comfort in times of sadness, but I'm sure lady luck could prove more successful in healing the sadness in your heart.

A lucky charm for your future escapades.

And a blue rose for your thoughts kitty.

Yours truly,

Ladybug.

His eyebrow rose, so she had a different name other than Blue Rose? He had to confess, if she wasn't lying, he had never met her 'Ladybug' persona before.

He was confused about what lucky charm she was talking about, until for the first time since he picked up the letter it seemed, he felt a bulky kind of object strapped to its backside.

Turning the piece of paper, Chat Noir's eyes widened slightly.

It was a bracelet of some sorts. It looked creative, blue, green, red and yellow cubes and round shapes attached with a string.

He smirked when he spotted a small ladybug figurine made of stone attached at the end, ladybugs were usually known for their good luck.

Shaking his head, Chat Noir pocketed the 'good luck charm' and twirled the blue rose in between his fingers, taking in its beauty.

A blue rose symbolizes mystery, just like the origin of its mysterious color, it signifies the enigmatic, a mystery that cannot be fully unraveled.

It also symbolizes unattainability.

A person gifted with a blue rose usually is considered the subject of speculation, shrouded in mystery, an enigma, an unsolvable puzzle.

He smirked, taking a whiff of the flower.

It smelled like her.

His next heist was a close call.

A ridiculously brave, or stupid, civilian got tangled into it and, since he was no murderer he had a duty as a gentleman thief to save her.

How she got into the security system, he didn't know, why she punched one of the guards who tried to shoot him? He didn't know that either, all he knew was he wasn't about to allow a beautiful young lady who risked her life for him to be buried beneath a pile of falling rubble.

Many of the awe-stricken citizens below them gazed upon the familiar black figure of Chat Noir, carrying a civilian woman in his arms.

The thief was known to be a charmer certainly, but never had he gotten too close to any of the female populace before, keeping his banter playful and superficial.

But when the woman in his arms, covered slightly by scratches, gazed up at him with a knowing little smile, his breath got caught in his throat. The same reaction he had with the Blue Rose, or Ladybug.

Her eyes were blue too, he even thought it was the same shade.

"Thank you for saving me, chaton," his ears moved at the sound of the distantly familiar nickname.

"You're purrfectly welcome, purrincess," he landed safely in a secluded area of a park nearby, away from prying eyes as he carefully set her down.

He only moved a respectable distance away once he was sure she could stand on her own, his frown directed at the visible scratches she sustained during the short scuffle with the guards, "A civilian shouldn't attempt to protect a thief you know,"

Her gaze was calm, soothing, as if she hadn't participated in a life-threatening situation, but there was a certain fire behind that veil of calmness that…intrigued him, "I'm sorry Chat Noir, but I couldn't just let Paris' most respected thief get hurt in a unfair matchup,"

He smirked and twirled his belt tail around, "Oh? Most respected? Aren't you affuraid, princess?" he stepped a step closer, fangs sharp.

She didn't seem intimidated in the least, she met his gaze with a challenging one of her own, "With your half-backed puns? Not one bit, kitty," she giggled at the caught off guard expression on his face.

He crossed his arms, a newfound interest in his green eyes, "What's your name princess?"

She smiled at him, "Will you stop calling me princess if I tell you my name?"

He cocked his head to the side and pretended to think, a small smirk growing on his lips, "Purrhaps."

She crossed her arms as well, "Then my name is of no importance since you won't use it."

He rose an eyebrow, a feisty one, "Mysterious, are we?"

She winked, "Purrhaps," she giggled at his slightly peeved expression, "Come stop by the Dupain-Cheng bakery if you want to know my name, kitty."

He grinned, all teeth, "I thought I smelled cinnamon on you princess," he bowed at the waist, an excited grin gracing his handsome features, "Very well purrincess, until our paths croissant again,"

He gave her a two fingered salute and a Cheshire grin before disappearing into the night.

She smiled to herself, holding the little bell he had deftly attached to the loose thread of her jacket in her hand, shaking it to produce the same melodious sound she had heard before from their meeting at the rooftop.

Her voice was soft when she spoke, "Looks like Marinette the civilian took a whisk Ladybug never would…" she closed her hand around the bell, before turning and heading toward home, "Until we meet again, chaton," she smiled as she expertly disappeared within the protection of the shadows.

The next day, there was a card and a golden bell on the little girl's window sill, the same girl from which the cat-eyed jewel was stolen from, a memento from her deceased mother.

The card read, in neat cursive handwriting,

"I may be a thief, but I don't steal impurrtant things held dear to the heart. Keep this safe from any prying paws, little lady.

From your friendly feline thief,

Chat Noir."

The bottom of the letter had a cutely drawn paw print and the little girl smiled and giggled, happily nuzzling the returned jewel, holding it close to her chest, while she gently jiggled the little golden bell.

The sound it made caused the girl to laugh.

It sounded like a cat's bell-collar.

Thank you kindly for reading. :3

[girlwithwolftatoo]

Hello sweet how are you? So what do you moon boys react to a catwoman!reader?

Our bois surely won't have an easy time...

Steven Grant:

He's not very aware of the hottest topic in the news about this thief-cat in London, though he'd heard to B.J mentioning it. His life is getting better since he met you, one day at the Egyptian gallery, and he's not in mood for dramas.

Your favorite thing in the museum? That gorgeous Bastet statue with gold ornaments. You simply explained to Steven you're a fan of cats and even show him pictures of your little pets in home.

The thing is, one day, the statue dissapeared and everyone is pointing at the mysterious thief, and Steven, being loyal to his principles and workplace (not Donna, just the Egyptian stuff he loves) secretly joins the chasing as Mr. Knight.

And with the unexpected Khonshu's help, he ends up finding you...

"(Y/N)?" he asks, heartbroken. You need some time to discover who's the man behind the white suit. "Oh God... Steven?"

He feels hurt, he though the best of you and feels betrayed. You try to not give importance, but actually after some days, you remember the nice moments you spent together and how nice and sweet Steven was to you, unlike all the men you've step into before, and for once in your life, you felt guilt.

One day, the museum finds the Bastet statue back with a note attached to it nobody knows what means. Nobody but one person...

"I'm sorry S"

Jake Lockley:

He met you in the middle of a robbery. He's not the kind who has the "no hitting women" rule and will fight you with all his might, and trust me, that's a lot.

In the heat of fight, he makes you an offer you can't refuse. It's just a small change of vision, why not working for him? he needs more eyes and ears than he has and you look perfect for the job. You're not sure if it's a good idea, but this man, though unhinged, looks true, and besides... you can't deny he's handsome.

"Once" you accept, and even give him your price. "I'll contact you" he answers and dissapears in a white limo. You chuckle, thinking your next step will be find out who's this guy and, with such an obvious vehicle, it will be easy...

Well, you're wrong, Jake can be practicaly invisible if he wants to (and don't doubt he vanishes with the help of his bird god), so while you wait and wonder how that man will contact you...

"Buenas noches, guapa" Oh. My. God. How could he find you? You were like extra aware of any weird move in your place but now he's here and -okay, nevermind, he made his promise and gives you a mission.

You actually receive even more as a reward for your job, and choose to be an ally for this strange Lockley guy. Eventually you forget your robbery nights 'cause you're too busy doing stuff for him or hanging out with the rest of his gang.

It's funny how you don't know each other beyond your "night jobs" and yet, you've never felt so connected towards other person. Yes, Jake can be a red flag, but not to you, you feel deep inside he has something different, something soft and kind... the sort of things you were denied since a young age and you secretly crave for.

But true takes place. You're not normal people, therefore, you cannot have a normal relationship. And though you enjoy the time working or making out with this man, your heart aches. There's one thing you both can't get, and it's a true happy ending.

Marc Spector:

You met him one night you weren't doung your stuff, just walking by some of the ugliest streets of London. He though you were being harrased by a large group of men and went to your help, just to find out you managed to k.o a couple of them.

"It seems you didn't need my help" he apologized after giving the last man a sleeping punch. You felt interested in him immediately, he was such a gentleman and sexy too. "Don't say that, I appreciate your help very much, mister..." "Call me Marc" "Oh... I'm (Y/N)"

You chatted a little as Marc drove you home. You passed the night thinking of him with this teenage-like obsession towards a new crush. He was handsome, and well-mannered, but also ready to fight and now you're fantazising with the way he put the harrasers down.

Marc feels troubled. He and Layla got an agreement in which they were free to see other people as long as the Moon Knight thing wasn't over, but yet he had the sensation flirting with you was cheating on his wife. Anyways, you end up meeting again and he accepts going with you to a bar.

You're obviously very into him, but you still are focused in your "work" and keep with your robberies in rich neighborhouds. It doesn't seem like Marc's problem until Khonshu reminds him he must protect every night traveler, including those who are robbed.

You've heard of this phantom like figure chasing criminals at night but never though it was real until he approached you. Unlike Steven, Marc doesn't freak out at the very moment he sees you, but he frustrates your robbery and leaves you tied up at the nearest police station.

"I though you were different" you hear him say. You got confused, do you know him? And then, he shows his face and your eyes go wide "Marc?" He won't say anything else, leaving you there with a crushing feeling in your chest.

BONUS: So you're jailed while the police arrange an order to check on your place. The station goes dark, you listen a little uproar and... Moon Knight approaches your detention cage.

"Came to apologize?" you ask, pretending to not being sad for how things went between you and him. Marc doesn't answer, instead, his hands go to the lock and break it. You frown.

"A friend taught me some people are who they are because they didn't know better" he says, puzzling. He stretches one hand to you "I'll give you this night. Tell me everything, and then..."

"Then what? You'll take me back here?"

"Let's find out, shall we?"

[i-like-eyes]

Daroach for the ask 🐀

Anon I bring you cheese

First impression: When I saw the KSA Dream Friend trailers back when they came out I remember thinking "wow that's a Kirby character if I ever saw one". Man imagine if I actually played the Dream Friends when they released I could of found god sooner.

Impression now: Whoops new favorite. He's got a fantastic design and sassy dialogue making for one of the strongest characters. Nothing mind blowing, he's a fairly standard gentleman thief type, but still very well executed and confident.

Favorite moment: Stretching it here, but I really like how he plays in KSA. He has a wide variety of moves that need charging so every fight you have to think about what works best for the situation. I feel like he could of had more personality in KSA, especially in the animation department, but playing him feels like you're the crazy prepared leader of a team having to plan a heist on the spot.

Idea for a story: Oh god I have too many. One idea is a heist at Haltmann works where he runs into Susie and they get into a fight. He brings Doc along with him because Doc's more familiar with the tech-y stuff.

Unpopular opinion: How can there be unpopular opinions if a character isn't that popular to begin with

Favorite relationship: This is outside of the games but Meta Knight. I'm not a huge fan of the novels, but holy shit those two are chummy to a near comical degree. A problem I have with the novels is that they are really mean spirited, but they can't help but compliment each other whenever they're near. They'll also just stop and ask how they are doing and have each other's best interests in mind and wow that's really refreshing. Thinking outside the novels they have enough similarities for getting along but also some differences in personality to challenge each other with. I'd like to think Daroach would hesitate to trust people, what with being an infamous thief he probably has made a lot of enemies. He'd take an interest in MK because Cool and Mysterious dude but hesitate to reach out. MK's excuse is he's shit at communication so he just does Daroach a lot of favors which throws Daroach off. Daroach eventually realizes that MK is just being massive dork and they become fast friends then. More obvious is just Daroach is much open and flamboyant than MK is; Daroach would push him to have fun but wouldn't overstep any boundaries. I see hc's that they'd chat about their adventures over tea or go on heists together, but I'd like to see Daroach asking for help with hand-to-hand combat with some sparring.

Favorite headcanon: Less headcanon and more maybe canon/theory is this beef he and DDD have. DDD is (rightfully) pissed that Daroach has stolen from him and Daroach just thinks he's ugly lol

In the DDD Directory tweets he's said: And "Dark Daroach" is a form he took on when he got taken over by some strange black smoke at the end of the story. That HAD to be his punishment for daring to steal my treasure!

And Daroach spits hard facts in Mass Attack: I used to steal the hearts of young ladies by the seaside here. But that was long ago, before King Dedede came to spoil its shores.

Dedede Resort has a castle that King Dedede had built. It’s supposed to be beyond tacky. This is the most petty and pointless conflict in the series and I love it. Throwing out some more, I like stuff in the Dreamy Gear novel like how Vul hates his guts or how he's apparently a really good chef/baker and I just apply that to the normal canon.