#lol and the civilians were so into the gossip

[paimonial-rage]

unraveled - alhaitham

synopsis: after hearing a rather interesting rumor about your boss, how could you give up the chance to test its validity?

ship: alhaitham x reader

notes: 4.8k, prompt given by @milkstore more than a year ago lol

You heard something extremely interesting the other day while walking around the Akademiya. Now let it be said you were never one for gossip. Not that you viewed yourself as above gossip or anything; it just rarely had anything to do with you. This recent tidbit that drifted into your listening ears, though, it had you stopping cold in the middle of the morning Akademiya rush. It was shocking. It was discombobulating. It was absolutely world-shaking! Alhaitham, your boss…

… was apparently interested in someone.

You were used to hearing many rumors about Alhaitham—how he was planning to change Akademiya hours to a strict 9-5 schedule, how he destroyed the self-esteem of toddlers for fun, how he was secretly raised by Inazuman Rifthound Wolves with the blood of the abyss flowing through his veins—but those were easy to ignore. As his secretary, you were privy to his plans and personal information. You knew what was true and false (not including toddler thing—that was up in the air). However, Alhaitham interested in someone? Now that was interesting.

Your first reaction was to dismiss the rumor. Your boss followed a strict schedule that didn’t leave much room for other activities. That wasn’t even mentioning the sheer number of people that filed complaints regarding his tongue. Sad to say, he didn’t get along with most people. 

And, while you’ve never been in a relationship with someone before, you’ve seen how others acted. They became sweet to their lover, engaged in much physical contact, noticed them even in most crowded of rooms, and spoiled them rotten. Could you imagine Alhaitham doing such things? You most absolutely positively could not. 

But when you thought about it more, it was often said that love changed people. Even the grouchiest of grumps could turn into the softest of softies, right? It was a possibility. Added to that, he made it a point to leave when his time for the day was up. He had a decent amount of time after work to woo and court to his heart’s content. Yes, as you contemplated it all, you came to a set conclusion.

Your curiosity was piqued.

So, let it be made known now that you knew it was wrong to do so. You knew that if you got caught, you’d get sent straight to the scary General Mahamatra. But you had a duty and it was this duty you would uphold. You were an alumnus of the Akademiya and you would follow in the footsteps of your predecessors. Desperate times called for desperate measures, as they said, and desperate measures called for engaging in a long-supported research method. 

Stalking Observation. 

It was a brilliant plan, perhaps one of your smartest. If the Acting Grand Sage was interested in someone as rumors implied, observation would be the best method to discover the truth. To ensure your plans would go off without a hitch, you slammed through your work for the day. You even skipped out on Shawarma Wrap special hour at Lambad’s Tavern. Sure, your stomach may had been causing a ruckus, but such sacrifices were necessary. Today you would find the truth!

You were ready the moment 5pm hit. Your work was done, you were in civilian clothes and clocked out for the day. He didn’t even notice you weren’t seated at your desk when he walked by toward the exit! Judging from how everything was going so far, it seemed that your mission would be far easier than you thought! 

And it was! In fact, it was rather boring! His first visit was to the House of Daena. You hoped he would be there to meet someone, but he instead made a beeline for the new book section. After glancing over a few here and there, he picked out a few, checked them out with the librarian, then left. They weren’t interesting books either. As you peeked out from under a desk, you could catch a glimpse of the cover of one of the books about Inazuma. It was written by “Hat Guy.”

Hm.

Anyway, your heart pounded in excitement when he began heading in the direction of the Grand Bazaar next. You heard he recently became acquainted with a dancer from the Zubayr Theater. Perhaps the secret lover was her? But he disappointed you once more. He spent a total amount of five minutes glancing over stalls, looking at some ugly pieces of furniture, before quickly departing once a crowd of people began filing in for a show. 

As you followed him to your next destination, your initial reaction to this whole debacle started to become more and more plausible. It seemed all that was on his mind was errands, nothing more and nothing less. If anything was strange, though, it was how you didn’t seem to be disappointed by the turn of events. 

Though it was clear Alhaitham didn’t get along with most people, you personally liked him quite a lot. When you first came to the Akademiya from Mondstadt, you had a difficult time. You weren’t sure why at the time, but you tended to annoy people. No matter how friendly you tried to be, they sneered even more. It wasn’t until an explosive confrontation that you learned why. They saw you as disruptive and nosy. You lacked any pride. You were too idealistic. 

You weren’t like them.

You spent much of your time to yourself after that. You didn’t know how to act. You didn’t want to do anything wrong. Despite its warmer climate, Sumeru somehow felt colder than the winters of your homeland. 

You first met Alhaitham on a joint project. As usual, you kept to yourself through much of it. Being the only member of your darshan there, you knew you should have brought up your points of concern, but fear held you back. And sure enough, the project ended up heading in a direction that would inevitably hit the roadblock you predicted. You would’ve kept quiet had Alhaitham not spoken up.

“Are you planning on contributing anything worthwhile to this project?”

His words came so out of the blue you could only splutter in response, “Excuse me?”

“I recommended you for this project because I thought your research papers showed complex reasoning and a thorough work ethic. However, it seems I was mistaken. Not only have you not offered anything useful, but you insist on keeping quiet despite your knowledge of possible issues. So I ask you again. Are you or are you not going to contribute anything worthwhile?”

There were so many things you could’ve said, so many things you should’ve felt. It wasn’t like you weren’t doing anything! You fulfilled your set duties for the project. But despite your work, you were being labeled by him as essentially useless. The only logical response was to feel upset, even anger. But instead, a hesitant warmth filled your chest instead.

“Wait. You recommended me?”

Though his expression didn’t change, somehow you could see he was judging the strength of your intellect.

“Your studies relate to this project directly. Why wouldn’t I?”

You floundered, gesturing wildly for a few moments before finally getting out, “But nobody likes me!”

He simply stared at you deadpan, communicating through body language alone, “That is my problem how?”

“Are you sure you want me to speak up? You won’t get upset?”

He sighed.

“You were brought onto this project for your expertise. If anything, I would be upset if you did anything but that."

His words were astounding. They were game-changing. They were earth-shattering! In his eyes, you were not an outsider from Mondstadt. You were a scholar, and it would only be your merits upon which you would be judged. 

You knew he didn’t exactly like it, but you found yourself sticking around him even after the project was successfully completed. With everything you dealt with at the Akademiya, Alhaitham was like a breath of fresh air. Sure, he did tend to point out the fallacies in your logic and personal flaws that would get in the way of achieving your goals, but that really was it. It wasn’t like he was ever wrong either, so you didn’t mind. At least you weren’t getting criticized merely for existing. 

As for how he felt about you, you really weren’t sure. He wasn’t exactly the most expressive person in the world, nor the most feelsy either. Really, he could probably be replaced by a Rishboland Leopard and you doubted there would be much difference.

Still, if there was anything you did know, it was that he never pushed you away without reason. Even when his nose was buried in a book during his free time, he had no qualms letting you ramble to your heart’s delight. And when you finished, he would respond with his own thoughts, always surprising you with the fact that he was listening all along. 

There also was the fact he requested you personally as a secretary when he was forced into the role of Acting Grand Sage. Sure, working at the Akademiya after graduation in administration made it easier for you both to keep in touch, but you didn’t think he still kept tabs on your work ethic. So maybe, just maybe, the feelings he felt toward you were higher than simple toleration. And you were content with that. 

So lost you were in your musings that you almost didn’t catch him turn onto Treasures Street. You nearly bumped into a few people while correcting your course. But he didn’t head in the direction of his home like you assumed, however. Instead, it seemed he was making his way to Menakeri's Treasure Shop. Which was rather strange. That shop had been out of stock for the past year. Unless he was planning on reserving something with Khalid? 

Upon peeking inside, it seemed he was examining quills and fountain pens. You nearly gasped audibly. Was he perhaps finally listening to your advice and purchasing himself new writing utensils? You didn’t know how many times you nagged him about those terrible ParchmentMate quills that anyone could buy in bulk. They didn’t give a consistent line, were prone to getting clogged, and were all around cheap garbage! It was about time he got himself something fitting of his position. 

But… Wait, was he…? It was the moment he hummed in thought and picked up a particular brand that you found yourself called to action. 

“Just because Zilot H2 fountain pens are popular doesn’t mean they’re actually good!” You exclaimed, rushing over and plucking the abomination from his fingers. “Even when you’re right-handed, they still tend to smear like crazy! Also, the quality is not consistent throughout the pens, so you can get some that clog constantly!!”

You were quick to plop the pen right back where it belonged on the display. Such a monstrosity would have no place in your boss’ office. No way. It was a good thing Alhaitham was essentially a lazy person who despised putting up with inconveniences because arguing with him was the last thing you wanted to do today. And thankfully, he did not disappoint!

“I see, then which pen would you recommend?” He asked with his fingers against his chin in thought. 

Oooh~ At the sound of that beautiful question, your heart quickened within your chest as a rosy flush found its way to the apples of your cheeks. He’d always wave you away whenever you brought up this subject before (probably because he knew very well you could ramble about the glory of stationery for a good hour), so what changed his mind? Well, who cared what did! You weren’t about to squander this chance he so graciously gave you!

“Well, there are many great fountain pens and quills. Monstadt is Teyvat’s biggest producer of high-quality pens, though Inazuma and Liyue have some notable brands too. I’d recommend…” You hummed as you scanned the display before plucking two that caught your eye. “A KWSBY Eco or a KAMY Safari.”

“And the difference between the two?” He asked as he stepped close to you.

Though the fact that you could feel the warmth he radiated against your arm and his gaze upon your face was distracting, the excitement within your chest overpowered any presence he had. 

“Well, while they both write very well, the Eco holds more ink and, in my opinion, requires less maintenance. It’s more eco-friendly as well because it doesn’t take cartridges. But I’d say the Safari feels better in the hand and requires less pressure, so it’s less straining to write for long periods of time.”

“Then which one would you recommend?”

You tilted your head to the side. That was a good question.

“Well, personally, I would recommend the Eco. While you do write a lot, I think the hassle of replacing cartridges and going out to buy new ones is something you’d find annoying after a while. However, both are rather cheap, so it wouldn’t be much out of your pocket to purchase both to see which one you like more. Then you could use the other as a backup pen, or maybe one to keep at home.”

He hummed. 

“I see. And why were you following me this whole evening?”

Well, that was the easiest question he asked by far!

“Because I heard rumors about you and I wanted to see if they were true!” You exclaimed with a wide smile on your face. 

Wait, that question wasn’t about pens at all… In fact, that was… You paused and realized something for the first time. Alhaitham was looking at you. Like… he knew and was cognizant of the fact that you were standing in front of him. Which meant… 

“You used those pens to lure me out, didn’t you!?” You cried out in betrayal. 

He shrugged.

“It’s not my fault you’re easily baited with stationery.”

You groaned in frustration. He wasn’t wrong about that. Anyone that knew you knew quite well how much you enjoyed talking. Blame it on your Mondstadt blood, but you were too talkative for your own good. Often times you’d surprise people by making conversation in long lines or when their pretty outfits caught your eye. More than that, you loved helping people and giving advice, even when you weren’t exactly needed. Really, it was a smart move on Alhaitham’s part.

“So, what is it this time?” He asked with a cross of his arms and a raised brow. “It’s not the rifthound wolves rumor again, is it?”

You shook your head. 

“Of course not. You know you were there when I checked that one,” You exclaimed with a roll of your eyes. “This rumor is way better than that one. They say that you’re courting someone.” 

He sighed.

“And you believed that?”

You shook your head once more. 

“Well, no. But rumors like that don’t come out of the blue. So I thought there had to be some truth to them. Maybe you’re interested in someone.”

“Oh? And it bothered you enough to follow me after hours?”

You laughed.

“Well yeah. Who wouldn’t want to see the sarcastic and straight-laced Alhaitham getting starry-eyed over a special someone?” You replied with a shrug.

His eyes shut, shaking his head in exasperation.

“And how exactly would my getting ‘starry-eyed’ look?”

“Well obviously–”

Your stomach grumbled. Loudly. You winced. Apparently not eating lunch today was coming back with a vengeance. It seemed that your companion noticed the sound as well as his brow raised while glancing down at you.

“Did you eat yet?”

You coughed.

“No.”

He nodded in acknowledgment.

“Then you can tell me over dinner.”

Your heart jumped as a smile leapt to your lips. 

“Are you paying for dinner too?” You asked, your eyes glittering. 

His eyes narrowed as he placed a hand on his hip.

“If I’m not mistaken, the last time, I was the one that paid.”

You coughed once more.

“Th-That may be true,” you began with a stutter, “But… I’m not the one with the salary of a grand sage. Surely it wouldn’t be too much out of your wallet to pay for your overworked assistant?”

He stared at you, his eyes half-lidded in exasperation shutting them in unwilling acceptance.

“Fine.”

With a joyous fist pump, you rushed to follow him at his side as he began to make his way in the direction of the tavern.

“This is why you’re my favorite boss, Alhaitham!” You exclaimed with a grin causing him to snort.

“If I recall, just yesterday you were calling me the worst for excusing you when you sneezed.”

“That’s because right after, you gave me tips on how to sneeze quieter,” you shot back. “I can’t help the way I sneeze, you know. I was—excuse me—born that way. Besides, nobody in Mondstadt ever–”

Your brow furrowed as yet another person bumped into you. It seemed the true rush hour of Sumeru finally hit as the roads were covered with people. You wanted to roll your eyes. Of course, nobody was walking into Alhaitham. He seemed to have a two-foot forcefield around him. Not that you were surprised. Though you liked him, even you could admit that the vibes he exuded were not the most welcoming. 

But as you kept musing to yourself about Alhaitham and his unkind vibes, the more you found yourself getting pushed and shoved away from him. Thankfully, you knew the direction he was heading, so it wouldn’t be too hard to simply meet him there–

“They’re not going to move unless you make them.”

Your eyes widened as you felt a hand grasp yours. With a gentle tug, you found yourself pulled from the crowd. There Alhaitham stood with a brow up, daring you to argue. You pouted.

“You could’ve done that earlier.”

He shrugged.

“I was waiting to see if you’d do it yourself.”

“Well thanks, I guess,” you replied, rolling your eyes. Still, you squeezed his hand gently because you were, though a bit exasperated, also grateful. 

With him at the forefront to part the crowd, he led you by hand to Lambad’s Tavern. Despite being a busy night, it didn’t take too long for you both to be seated. After being guided to a square table, he took his normal place diagonally to your side instead of across from you. In the back of your mind, you assumed it was so that you were easier to hear, but there wasn’t any point to putting much thought into it than that. With your orders put in and a round of drinks on the table, you took a hearty swig from your glass before leaning back. 

“So here’s what I envision for an Alhaitham in love,” you began, eager to continue your conversation from before. “I…

Hm…

“I um…”

That was a good question. How would a starry-eyed Alhaitham look?

“Well, you see…”

Though you found yourself ready to wax poetic about a normal person in love, when you really thought about it, Alhaitham wasn’t the most normal person around. He didn’t laugh much, let alone smile. He was more mean than he was nice. That wasn’t even mentioning his sheer lack of friends. 

“Can’t think of anything?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m just realizing you wouldn’t act much different,” you began. “I think you would still treat them the same, but you’d always have an eye out for them. You may talk about them from time to time, maybe pay for their meals as well. I can see you wanting to be nearer to them than most people. You’d prefer their company more. Things like that.”

His head cocked to the side in thought.

“That doesn’t sound like I’d be very much in love with them at all.”

You shrugged.

“You don’t need to look in love to be in love, you know. It’s just that you wouldn’t be as obvious about it as most.”

It was then his turn to shrug.

“Really? I think most would say that I’m not capable of love.”

You snorted.

“Oh, come on,” you began with a humored grin. “We both know that’s not true. You’re a human just like anyone else. You’re one of the kindest people I know.”

“I know many people that would disagree with that.”

“And I would disagree with them. You don’t judge people. You see them for who they are. You always tell the truth, even if it may hurt. You don’t like it when people are troubled, so you give them words to help them change. Though you try to avoid company, you don’t hesitate to help the people you care about. You don’t abandon people in their time of need. You’re kind, Alhaitham.”

He took a sip of his drink.

“You make it seem like I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I merely don’t like being troubled by other people’s problems,” he replied with a shake of his head.

“Maybe,” you admitted with a shrug before giving him a knowing look. “But if you really hated it all that much, I think you would’ve gotten rid of some people in your life a long time ago.”

He turned away.

“I think you’re looking far too into it.”

“And I think you just feel exposed for being a softie,” you shot back with a laugh.

He didn’t speak after that, not that he needed to. You knew he knew there was no point in trying to argue. This was something you brought up multiple times in the past, much to his dismay. As much as he tried to ignore it, you saw him for how he really was. Which was why… 

You sighed.

“Do you really like someone though? Are the rumors true?” You asked nervously. 

“Was it that important to you that you had to follow me to find out if it was?” He questioned.

You shrugged. 

“Well, I mean I did want to see you get all starry-eyed, but… the thought of you having someone so important to you in your life and me not noticing a single thing bothered me. I mean you’re the person I spend the most time with. Can I even be called your friend if I didn’t notice something so big?” You asked, a bit dejected.

“Is that the only reason?”

When you frowned in confusion, he continued.

“You say it’s because you’re my friend. Are you sure it’s not for any reason more than that?”

As he spoke, his gaze did not waver from you. It was as if his eyes were piercing you through. It seemed as if he was searching for something, but what? Was there truly a reason more than that? You weren’t so sure. 

Before you could respond, your plates were set before you, prompting your stomach to let out another long and loud grumble. You flushed. Of course, your stomach had to interrupt such a serious moment. 

He sighed.

“Let’s eat.”

Really, you truly did mean to play around with his words in your head as you ate, but the moment the food touched your tongue, any and all thoughts were out the window. Lambad’s Shawarma Wraps were always top-notch. The flatbread was soft and warm and the sauce was tangy and fresh. Despite living here for the past few years, you still weren’t quite used to eating with your hands, but such problems never detracted from the taste. 

When you were almost done, you turned your gaze to your companion with stars in your eyes. 

“Do you want to share an Ajilenakh Cake with me?”

Though you knew he wasn’t one for sweet food, you didn’t know anyone who could resist the sweet nuttiness of Ajilenakh Cakes. They were warm and soft and the jam complimented the flavors wonderfully. 

“Sure,” he agreed with a shrug. 

And with an excited grin, you put in the order and went back to your food. In the back of your mind, you remembered the time Alhaitham mentioned he preferred meals with you. When you asked if it was because he enjoyed your company, he said that you were always so focused on eating that you barely had any time to speak. You hated how you always proved him true because once the dessert was placed before you, again any thoughts you had of continuing the conversation quickly came and left.

As you ate you mused it probably would be a good idea to go on a diet after this. Alhaitham barely had a fourth of the Ajilenakh Cakes, not that you were surprised. He wasn’t exactly one for sweets. But that meant you ate the rest, and with all the Shawarma Wraps you’ve been eating as well… it did not bode well for your waistline. 

“I don’t think it means anything. Me being bothered, I mean,” you finally announced as you wiped your lips clean. “I think any normal person would want to know what’s going on with one of their friends, you know? Besides, you say that me being bothered could mean something more. What more could it mean?”

He shrugged.

“It could mean that you’re interested in me and worried that I may have found someone else.”

You leaned back as you crossed your arms in thought. Well, when he put it like that, it certainly was a possibility. Perhaps you were afraid of being replaced by someone else. You enjoyed being at his side, after all. But that being said, being interested in him? It didn’t seem very likely.

“No, I don’t think so,” you replied. “I’ve never really thought of you in that way before.”

He sighed.

“Then that’s a shame.” When you asked why, he continued, “Because the rumors are true. The person I’m interested in, the person everyone is gossiping about, is you.”

“And that’s what happened,” you finished as you sipped your wine. “Can you believe it? The source of the rumors, the one everyone was talking about, was me!”

“W-Wait. He literally told you that? He just went out with it!?” Kaveh exclaimed in disbelief. 

As Kaveh sat across from you, you wanted to laugh at the sheer look of confusion upon his face. He was utterly dumbfounded. Not that you could blame him. It was a rather crazy story, after all.

You nodded.

“Yep! I mean looking back, all of the signs were there. We spend a lot of time together for work, he likes sitting next to me at restaurants, sometimes he pays for me… He even holds my hand from time to time when the roads are packed! I don’t know how it took him explaining it to me to finally realize the truth!” 

And really, it was embarrassing on your part. Growing up, you’d love to while away the hours in the Knights of Favonius’ library reading mystery novels. Nothing was more exhilarating than getting the culprit correct. So really, this was something you should have figured out from the very start. But nevertheless, being given the answer to this mystery didn’t make the outcome any less exciting. It made you wonder if you should investigate more Akademiya rumors in your free time. It certainly would be fun.

However, a quick glance at Kaveh showed he wasn’t exactly sharing your thoughts. Instead, his face still held that same dumbfounded look from before, if not a bit more intense. 

“So what did you do? What did you say? Alhaitham didn’t seem any different when he came home! Oh Gods, and to think I scolded him that evening for leaving his books out! I really must’ve sounded like a jerk!!”

You frowned in thought. Was there something lost in the communication here? You didn’t see anything worth panicking over. 

“Well, after he told me that, I tried to argue with him, actually. Honestly, can you imagine me being the answer? That’s way too easy. But then he explained everything to me and eventually it made sense. After that, he paid for dinner and then we went home.”

His jaw dropped this time. 

“That’s it!? You went home?? After all that???”

You tilted your head to the right. 

“What do you mean? The mystery was solved. What more did we need to do?”

He dropped his head into his hands and pulled at his hair before them on the table.

“What do you mean!? Alhaitham confessed his feelings to you. And you just nodded and went home!? I can’t believe you’re making me feel bad for him! You really don’t think anything about it?”

Your head tilted this time to the left. Kaveh groaned.

“He likes you. Don’t you feel anything about that?”

Feel anything about him liking you? Him… liking you. He… liked you. 

Oh.

First your eyes widened, then your hands dropped to your lap, and then, with the fury of a thousand suns, you felt your face burn up. 

“I’m happy… I think?”

[lazyofficer]

HERE IS WHY SHIRLULU IS LEGITIMATE SHIP -PART 4

Warning: I'm not a writer and English is not my native language. So kindly bare it or DM me about it. Criticism is welcomed not hate.

Continuation

LELOUCH BEING BOYFRIEND CODED -

3. Lelouch's trust in Shirley -

Lelouch trusts Suzaku with Nunnally , He trusts CC with his thoughts (especially dark ones), He trusts Kallen to fight by his side and He trusts Shirley with his feelings.

Instances -

R2 Stage 13

a) Lelouch trust her enough to be vulnerable

" I don't want to lose anyone or anything"

At that point, Lelouch had lost Suzaku, Nunnally and Kallen. He never gotten a chance to deal with it.

He vented out his feelings to Shirley and this almost convinced Shirley that he is alone because, she has never seen Lelouch this way.

This was the first and last time, Lelouch had this vulnerable expression.

R2 Stage 12

b) Lelouch trusts her enough to express his softer side.

Lelouch is always surrounded by girls. It doesn't bother him when he looks at half naked girls. He is not affected when Milly teases him, yet he blushed when Shirley teased him.

Shirley brings out his softer side; he is comfortable to show that side.

P S- Shirley is pretty dense too, because the boy got defensive when accused of lying about his feelings. He talked about how it's not okay to kiss without feelings yet he readily closed his eyes for a kiss.

Girl , what more clues do you want ??

R2 Stage 11

c) Lelouch trusts her enough seek advice.

He knew about the Chinese couple, and he knew why the girls were opposing the political marriage, but what he couldn't understand was why it was so important.

He could have directly asked CC . Honestly, she was the ideal choice; she was his partner and knew the situation yet asked Shirley instead, who was completely unrelated and unaware of the situation.

He didn't worry about what Shirley would think of him if he asked "how to spilt a couple" In fact he nearly spilled the truth.

If Shirley hadn't called him , Lelouch would have struggled alone.

Lelouch does speak his mind with others, especially with CC, but he is not comfortable asking for help or advice.

ShirLulu Crumbs :

d) Lelouch trusts her enough not consider her as a potential threat. ( lol)

He is someone who is always on guard and observes everyone and everything around him.

 Lelouch knew Rivalz was snooping for gossip when Shirley and Lelouch were talking about shopping (date) and he could differentiate between the cops ( following him) from the civilians in mall (R2 Epi 3).

The Same Lelouch couldn't sense when Shirley was following him. ( he was a bit disturbed).

Maybe, this is why Villetta made Shirley follow him instead of directly following Lelouch. (he would lower his guard around her).

Lelouch is a logical person who thinks about all possibilities (he came up with 14 identities for Mao in a minute).  He never thought about the possibility of  Shirley shooting someone (R1 epi 14).

R1 stage 21

Shirley was chasing him for a conversation; he was busy and brushed it off. He never got suspicious about why Amnesia Shirley was so persistent to talk to him or about what she wanted to say.

But Lelouch got alert when Rivalz joked about him maintaining a note for house expenses, which turned out to be true (R2 Epi 3).

Lelouch has postive and high opinion about Shirley - she could never harm him or anyone else. This is why never cautious around her.

R2 stage 13

This might be totally my interpretation.

This one time Lelouch actually suspects Shirley ,but his doubt was more like. "What are you doing with Suzaku when you have feelings for me ?" . It didn't make sense for Shirley and Suzaku to hang out alone and his doubts shifts to Suzaku.

Lelouch really trusts her a lot and there is no doubt on Shirley's trust on Lelouch and trust is key element for a relationship.

[natslilcorner]

DadMight and Izuku (hit by a age/body regressing quirk) AU

(i'm not a writer and English is my third language, this is just a brainrot i had to get out lol)

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When Toshinori got the message from Aizawa about “his problem child getting into problems again” he was ready to call a taxi to the nearest hospital or even the police station, he certainly wasn’t expecting THIS.

In the teacher lounge sitting on a chair was a very familiar green haired teenager… no, a toddler. He was wearing a very loose tshirt and some shorts, probably given by a smaller student, they were still very big on the kid though.

“What… happened? Young Midoriya are you okay?” Toshinori kneels in front of his the kid checking for injuries.

“There was an incident in the city and they were assigned to rescue the civilians involved. Midoriya was pulling an injured civilian from under rubble, and they accidentally activated their quirk. I guess you can figure out what their quirk is.” Aizawa points his thumb to Izuku. “Apparently they are a therapist specialised in childhood trauma or something like that. From their file they usually have a very good control on their quirk and how long the” he again points at Izuku “lasts. But they got a pretty bad concussion so we really don’t know when Midoriya will change back. Usually with their patients they make it last a day or two.. but there has been cases where the change has last a week or two.” Aizawa sighs and takes a sip of the cold coffee that was sitting on his desk.

“Oh…” Toshinori looks back at Young…Younger Midoriya and exhales a laugh. “You certainly got yourself in a bit of a pickle, kid.”

Izuku simply stares at the man confused and also a bit scared. The black haired man assured him that he was a hero and that he got in an accident, he also saw the UA entrance while he was being taken there so he wasn’t lying to him. He should be excited because he is at UA! And surrounded by heroes! At least he thinks the blonde man is a hero.. he knew his name though so maybe they are acquaintances?

“You look like you have a lot going on in that small head of yours, any questions?” Toshinori smiles attempting to look friendly and ease some of his the kid’s worries.

“U-Uhm.. when is my m-mum coming?” Izuku asked quietly looking at the men from behind his bangs.

Aizawa stands up from his desk and stands next to Toshinori. “Mrs Midoriya has been already notified about your… situation. She is currently out of town but she should be back tomorrow morning. From her last update she took the first train home so you will see her soon. For now I was thinking of simply keeping you at the dorms.. but-”

Izuku’s eyes start welling up with tears. “I can’t go home?”

Seeing the tears Toshinori starts fretting over his pupil trying to calm the toddler down “You can! It’s just that Inko-san is not home yet and-“ he stops himself and takes a deep breath. “Everything will be alright, Young Midoriya…..Give a second.” Toshinori stands up and nodding to Aizawa the two man leave the room.

“I can take him home. I don’t blame him for being freaked out, he has no memories and we are basically strangers to him right now. Making him stay in a place unknown to him would simply stress him out..”

Aizawa looks at the former Number One Hero. He always knew he had a big soft spot for Midoriya, after all he was aware now of their story together. What intrigues him though…

“And how exactly will you enter the Midoriya’s apartment?” Aizawa raises his eyebrow at the man, not pointing out him using the first name of the boy's mother.

Toshinori looks quizzically at his coworker for a couple seconds… suddenly all the blood rushes to his face making him look like a tomato.

“Uhm.. ah… well….”

Oh?

Aizawa pinches his nose bridge and sighs. All Might really needs a working etiquette lesson. But he won’t snitch on him… the gossip-loving rat probably knows already.

“Forget I asked. I don’t wanna know. Just take Midoriya home then, and notify his mother about where he is staying. IIda already brought his bag and some stuff so take that as well.” And with that the Underground Hero left leaving the older man alone.

....

Alright, Yagi! You saved thousands of people, you can take care of a toddler for a day.

Toshinori goes back into the teacher lounge and looks down at his pupil. Izuku is still sitting on the chair playing with the hem of the oversized shirt folding it over and over again.

“Young Midoriya!” The kid startled looks up with reddened eyes. He stopped crying but he can see that the waterfalls were not over yet. “Cmon I’m gonna take you home!” He smiles.

Izuku jumps down the chair and looks up at Toshinori hopefully. “Is my mum back then?”

Toshinori kneels in front of him and puts his hand of his fluffy head. “No, she will still be back tomorrow morning. But we figured out it would be more comfortable for you waiting in your home rather than here. But do not worry!” He hits his own chest and uses his All Might voice. “Because I will keep you company!”

Izuku stares at the frail man in awe. He just did the best All Might voice he ever heard! Is he also a fan? Since he is in UA is he a hero as well? Did he work with All Might? But All Might has no sidekicks, did they do missions together then- Izuku’s thoughts stop hearing the man.. his babysitter’s laugh. He notices how often he looks at him fondly, just like his mum does. He wants to ask what is his relationship with the “older Izuku”.

“You are mumbling Young Midoriya” Toshinori smiles and ruffles his hair. “We have the whole day together so keep your questions for later. Although I can’t promise I will answer all of them. Hero secrecy and stuff.” He winks and laughs again seeing Izuku getting even more excited.

“Now let’s get you home. It’s almost lunch time so I bet you are hungry!” He picks up the kid’s backpack and goes to the door.

Suddenly he feels a tiny hand hold his way bigger one. Toshinori has always been tall and big in general, training his body all life made his hands rough and full of callouses. He gently squeezes the tiny hand, looks down and gets greeted with a precious smile.

Ah.

This will be more challenging than he thought. He just hopes his weak heart will be able to handle all the cuteness that radiates from his the kid.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

>PART 1<

PART 2

[nityarawal]

Aloha! Did you fire Al yet? Please 5150 him too- we can't be too safe with our moms. That was gross how he smeared Kitty too. She said he has a crush on her! These are affections we don't need. I'm there for showers. Al constantly gossips about Patrons & pigs - it's grossly unprofessional.

Dmv.org is backed up with their officers crime. We are pressing charges against Officer Enoch & Triple A Daniel Crabtree if you could speed up process? Judge, Sheriff & attys know. Call America 1st Legal & ask them to 5150 my x so I can go home please & stop bullying civilian moms with these underpaid camp hosts!

I don't need Al to make mistakes on our cases with bribes & rapes! Jai says Rangers dont handle family matters & unfortunately were stuck with millions of government abusing our kids & families like this.

Do you know how a mom with skin infection feels constantly bullied out of daily grooming? Not cool- horrible karma. Fire him. Thanks!

Peace!

Nitya Huntley Rawal

Encinitasbeachhome.com

Lydia- Have you tried giving Al Ivermectin? Many peeps need equine therapy for their kinks. He's all bugged up. His anxiety is through roof. No one can handle being around him. I let community know he's confused about job description making our county park inhospitable for members. I can't believe no one has apologized to me yet. Well, please call America First Legal & send us all accident reports. Elon Musk actually cares that I'm not targeted like this and referred his attys. He'll get refunds if county is too bankrupt from these low agendas. I'll warn moms they'll be raped over registration & cars stolen by AL & his "thuggie" gay pigs? Do they bang pigs in shower? And do drugs? Gross. Meth labs aren't even legal to sell as real estate. How could our own staff polute our parks like this? He wouldn't be gay if he weren't looped up in 1st place. It's literally a disability. Go cleanse. If he's too perverted to do his job ethically- obviously his man boobs are over run with bugs and a negative influence around pure families!

Thanks!

Nitya Rawal

Encinitasbeachhome.com

Lydia- What is your email? I'll send you emails to judge about registration. I have Grace for a few months whilst they settle my court stuff. None of Al's business. I have PTSD from his rapist colleagues & We can't risk Al getting more moms raped by gay pigs. BTW, Did he see me on floor in bathroom naked with head cracked open? How did he know Kitty was having sex? Does he record Gals in bathrooms??? He said he made deal to call pigs if that ever happens again. Campers are not to be trafficked for their gay kinks.

We need Deanna back! ):

No wonder Jyoti doesnt feel safe to go there!

Thanks!

Nitya

Ranger Lydia & Jai-

Aloha! I did get a ticket on registration on way to dmv.org & pig Garfin gave me until Febuary to sort it with Judge. Many Are being fired on gross misconduct. Dmv.org says they don't work with pigs etc. Irs forgot to send registration stickers after raiding homes & stealing cars. We have PTSD & disabilities f/ dyke rapes. I'll let my Dr's & attys know what's going on & camp bros/moms.

Obviously we need to take daily showers without being terrorised over urgent care covid charges!

Can you guaranty moms some Autonomy from vanity bullies?

Gross Al throws his weight around like this. He seems suspect because he also bullied with threats of his new Ranger Danger buddy on 11/8- day of accident too.

Do you think he's involved in foul play? This needs to stop. Open a new shower with no meth or drug paraphernalia residue & fire ALL pigs involved. Enough of their abuse. Merci.

Thanks!

Nitya Huntley Rawal

Encinitasbeachhome.com

Where's #IronyMan emoji #Rockets ? Xo #IKR @elonmuskfanslounge @elonmuskdaily @elonmuskparody

(And my kids!) @britneyspears @mayemusk @KimKardashian @Tesla_Optimus

#4BillionMothersStrong

PS Note About Judge Hodgins Fab bribed vacation came in! It's only time government get back to us! PDs Are same! Lol

I will be out of the office from Monday 11/25/2024 and returning Tuesday 12/3/2024. If you need immediate assistance please telephone my Judicial Secretary, Carol Delfosse-Kidd, at 760-904-6726. Otherwise I will respond to you upon my return.

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Ranger Lydia & Jai-

Aloha! I did get a ticket on registration on way to dmv.org & pig Garfin gave me until Febuary to sort it with Judge. Many Are being fired on gross misconduct. Dmv.org says they don't work with pigs etc.

https://www.tumblr.com/nityarawal/768047131425669120/aloha-did-you-fire-al-yet-please-5150-him-too?source=share

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[ineffably-kiry]

Hello MDZS fandom!! So I actually wrote chapter 1 of a fanfic that involves my oc that I created. I wasn't planning on it but was hit with inspiration one night sooooo it happened lol. I don't have a title yet, which is why I don't have it on Ao3 but I wanted people to be able to see it so yeah. A lot is just taken from the prologue of the actual novels but I actively put my oc into it and explored her thoughts and goings on. So um enjoy. Or if you don't that's also fine. Just wanted to post it so it didn't seem silly to just have lol. So find it below the cut!

Prologue

            “Great news! Wei Wuxian has died!”

            “The Yiling Patriarch has died?

"Who could have killed him?”

            “Who other than his shidi, Jiang Cheng, putting an end to his own shixiong for the greater good. Jiang Cheng led the four clans of Yunmeng Jian, Lanling Jin, Gusu Lan, and Qinghe Nie to destroy his den-the burial mounds,”

            The moment Jiang Wanyin’s name was spoken as the culprit of Wei Wuxian’s death, the incessant drone of voices faded into the background of Nie Kexin’s mind. They speak these rumors, and yet not one of them had witnessed Wanyin desperately searching for any trace of his brother, nor the stark white of his knuckles as he grasped that obsidian flute with a tassel as red as the blood that had been spilled that night. Even if they had witnessed it, Jiang Wanyin would have made them believe that he was only so thorough to make sure that the Yiling Patriarch was truly dead. If he convinced others, then it would be easier to convince himself. Convincing himself of that was easier for him than admitting that after his temper calmed he had realized that he’d lost the last living member of his family; blood or not. But Kexin knew better. She’d known all of them far too well and for far too long to fall for his delusions.

            Unfortunately, Kexin’s tumultuous thoughts could only drown out the continuous gossip for so long, and once she unwillingly tuned in again, she felt her temper flare up. What did they know?! They hadn’t known the Wei Wuxian who had made Huaisang feel more at ease in Gusu, the Wei Wuxian that had been willing to do anything for his siblings and friends, the Wei Wuxian that had put a target on himself and willingly removed himself from his clan to protect civilians that the rest of the cultivation world shouted to kill simply for being unfortunate enough to have the surname Wen. Without whom the Sunshot Campaign would have been a failure. Nie Kexin gripped the hilt of  Xin Li so tightly that her fingers took on a ghostly shade. Just as the thought ‘propriety be damned’ crossed her mind, her gaze landed on the silk fan that lay on the table in front of her. Slowly she relinquished her grip on her saber. The hand that had previously had a death grip on her saber gently picked up the delicate fan instead. Kexin opened the fan and twirled it a few times. As she admired the intricately painted design, she took a few deep breaths, recentering herself. She tossed money on the table to pay for her meal and then chose to leave the establishment, lest she do something that she would regret.

…

            After the death of Wei Wuxian, these incomplete outlooks and gossip pushed to be facts continued on, but slowly it became less prominent. Though there were the beginnings of unconventional opinions, they were brought down immediately.

Despite the gossip easing down, the elephant in the room still remained in the back of everyone’s minds.

Wei Wuxian’s soul had been unable to be summoned by anyone that tried, which meant that his soul had disappeared.

It may have been torn apart by the millions of ghosts that had devoured it.

Or….it could have escaped.

If it were the first option, all was well and good. Yet, did the Yiling Patriarch not practically have the power to empty seas and move mountains? If it turned out to be the latter, and his soul had escaped, then it would eventually return and revive his body. If that day were to come, then the cultivation world would very likely be faced with his revenge and damnation and once more be in despair and chaos. Even yet, there was a part of Kexin, a rather large part really, that hoped his soul had indeed escaped. She would never speak it aloud, but the thought of her once dear friend’s soul being devoured until nothing remained seemed unbearable.

The various clans were so fearful of the Yiling Patriarch’s return that they set one hundred and twenty stone beasts atop the burial mounds and frequently initiated soul-summoning rituals. As even more precaution, these were followed by heightened vigilance and searches for strange occurrences throughout the world.

In the first year, nothing happened.

In the second year, nothing happened.

In the third year, nothing happened.

…

After 13 years, still nothing had happened.

By now, it seemed that the Yiling Patriarch had truly perished, his soul damned and destroyed along the way. This was a fact that proved to stab at Nie Kexin’s already wounded heart more. At last, the greatest enemy of the cultivation world who had managed to turn the world upside down, had toppled over himself.

Though to the cultivation world, they had bid farewell to the greatest enemy they had faced, to those that knew him best, both alive and gone, they had lost a brother, a friend, a hero; to dark incidences, some of which were out of anyone’s control.

But then, a legend was a legend. And legends never truly died…..

[doodle-do-wop]

If cammie went to college, what do you think the other girls (Anna, Tina, Mick etc) as well as Zach and Preston did after graduation?

OH BOY :DDDDDD!!!

this one is a long one good lord

Anna Fetterman

went into the field but for her civilian disguise, she's training to be a pilot.

She actually had to go through said training to keep up the disguise.

She does undercover work and honestly it's quite scary to realize Anna could've been on the same mission as some of her friends or coworkers as silent backup and they might not always spot her.

Married Carl (her boyfriend from book 1) and has two amazing daughters now

can and will surprise visit her friends just to keep them on their toes (she and Macey do coffee dates where they try out new cafes and chat)

Eva Alvarez

worked in the field for a few years in the FBI but after Kim Lee got seriously injured she left quickly

currently works a simple 9-5 office job and helps out in her community because even without being a super spy she can still help change the world

Kim Lee

did go to a community college to get an associate's degree in engineering and later continued to pursue a higher education in that field

even after her injury, Kim stayed in the field but soon moved into lab work making gadgetry and usually explosive prototypes. She did accidentally microwave one prototype and Eva put her on bed rest until she could correctly count the number of fingers Eva was holding up

Mick Morrison

went to college with Tina Walters as they had planned a long time ago

Got a degree in kinesiology and tried working in the field for a few years but she could never feel like it was really her place

When an opening for a new P&E assistant coach opened up Mick gave it a shot and found she really loved teaching

Sits beside Liz at the teachers table in the Grand Hall and they share gossip about their students

Courtney Bauer

worked for the CIA for quite some time. Stayed in the field as she found it was the place and path for her. Her civilian disguise was at first just a fresh out of high school young adult traveling the world to find herself. Now she's in a 'complicated business' that requires her to go overseas a lot but she fights tooth and nail to make it home for the holidays, big events, etc

she's usually late or the last to arrive and no one lets her live it down

(she was at least early to the reunion)

She, Eva, and Tina stayed close

those three idiots could never just fall apart even if they sometimes go weeks with zero communication

Tina W Walters

took some time after the fire to heal and breathe

went to college alongside Mick Morrison. Worked damn hard for that journalism degree and while she technically fulfilled her legacy as a third-generation gossip columnist, she's got a lot going on behind the scenes.

Worked for a short time in the field for the CIA like the rest of the Walters Women of the past

Changed to being a recruiter after mending her relationship with her mom and has nearly doubled the class count with how many girls she's adopted recruited

unknowingly became the next Buckingham for most of these girls and ya know Rachel it would've been nice to, you know, TELL HER SHE WAS ON THE DAMN PAYROLL

99.99% of her gossip papers are all about Macey, it's so damn funny

Macey helps by the way, they bond over it

there is an infamous page 10 Tina wrote one day that was more of a petty revenge thing than a 'lol taking shit about Macey for my job' thing

The much anticipated Preston freaking Winters

I'm not honestly sure

He spent a lot of time with his mom for sure, she didn't know anything after all and she just lost her husband. He wasn't going to let her lose her son too

did a lot of soul-searching but I'm not sure how much he stayed in politics. He might've honesty just stayed to keep in the loop about anything nefarious and found a way to contact his favorite girls

probably had to go underground with his mom for a while as the Circle scrambled after their leaders were gone (he is an heir technically)

I'd like to think he and Macey still talked but they didn't date for quite some time. They both needed to heal but they were there for each other. Who else could possibly understand them better than the other?

Zach Goode

from what I personally think along with the timeline of the books I do believe Zach went straight into the field while Cam did halfsies with school and work

did a lot of leg work with Bex since she also went straight into the field and while they were technically working for different agencies they're still a goofy little duo that know each other well enough to figure out where on earth they might be off to

attended some of Cammie's classes with her sometimes, mostly when he had downtime and wanted to just be with her or even take notes for her when she wasn't feeling too good

i refuse with all of my ass to believe he waited ten years to propose (sorry y'all but have you SEEN HIM)

if you guys wanna hear about any OCs do let me know because I will totally talk about the Background Girlstm

[cursedzucchini]

Inspired by ur tags and @tiffanyhart13 's comment

Danny: *chews bubblegum very obnoxiously* like, this should be illegal, but unfortunely it's not, so all I can say you can't bring that here

Goon, with a cake w bomb inside of it: w what illegal uhhhh-

Danny: I mean, like, that's obviously store bought. And not even from, like a bakery?? It's just, y'know, from the dollar store or something. If you really, like, wanna visit whoever, you gotta bring something that won't immidietly gives them diabetes

Goon: wait- excuse me, but I dont-

Danny: next!

*next is a civilian with very serious face, scars on their face, just someone you'd imagine is a goon. They are holding a gun (they make living by making wooden things and currently are concentrating on realism*

Danny: yeah seems legit, you can go

Goon: ???????????????????

--

Danny: what's the purpose of your visit

Obviously Poison Ivy: im here to take my partner out on a date

Danny: aight.... Everything seems in order, enjoy your date doctor Isley :)))

Joker, whos escapes were stopped by this random ass twink for an entire month:

--

Joker: I'm not saying you have to date me, I'm just saying you have to take me out-

A very brave goon, about to ruin some DC writers career: say less

--

Danny: oh you're a new inmate here? I mean I'm not surprised, considering your fashion sense. Like only an insane criminal would wear...... That. Anyway this is for visitors only, sorry 🥺🥺

Red robin, here to investigate the death of joker:

--

Some gang which now with the vacuum in power after joker's death wants to gain power: ......isn't the Twink still supposed to be working???

Danny, at His nail tech's: yeah, no, this red robin is definitely a rogue, no one with an outfit that ugly is on the good side

--

Batman: ...

Danny: ...

Batman: ...

Danny: sir, even if you stare at me for another hour, I will not be able to let you see your gang member.

Red robin, in tears: fOR THE LAST TIME I AM NOT A GANG MEMBER—

--

Danny: oh my god!!!!!! Suzie!!!!!! I haven't seen you in so long!!!! How are you girl?

Suzie: ...

Danny: and who are these? Are they your friends? Oh my goshhhhhh is that the Jack you mentioned last time??????

Suzie, who is in fact here to take over Arkham with her new gang, because it pays better than to be a secretary: ...yeah he is, actually there's been some new developments and-

--

Nightwing: heyyyyy so I'm just here to pick up my brother, don't mind me-

Danny: of course sir! Would you mind giving me a name and an ID?

Nightwing:

Red robin

Suzie:

Nightwing: .........will batarang be enough?

--

Red hood, finally back from his honeymoon with the very brave goon: so... I heard you had something to do wi-

Danny: are you here for your fellow gang members? 😌

Red hood:

Red hood: my fellow what

Red robin: heyyy....

Nightwing: hey.........

Batman: hn

Danny: do you have an id? 😌🫴✨✨✨

Red hood: wait if all of you are in prison, than who's the batman??????

-meanwhile damian-

Robin batman: mother is going to be so proud

Agent A Robin: she will have nothing to be proud of if you won't stop posing against the moon master batman

-----

I'm so sorry for this. I'm currently suffering and I didn't wanna stop thinking of scenarios so here they are lol

I don't think these make sense, but if anyone gets inspired even by like one lil thing, you can definitely build of off it if u want

Uh this is basically while Danny is very good at keeping criminals inside, he's also very good at keeping every criminal inside. Even if they're vigilantes and stuff. Unless they're Suzie that is, and they're bringing some hit gossip.

Short DPXDC Prompts #877

Danny works as a receptionist for Arkham Asylum. He has a crazily good read on who’s an undercover goon and who’s a civilian. He’ll refuse entrance from people who you’d have no idea they were planning to smuggle something to a rogue. No one knows how his goon radar is so good. He refuses to tell anyone why.

[save-the-villainous-cat]

I love your writing, your so good! (Truly you are!) I've come to offer my crazy ideas to your wonderful writings; Hero x Villain where Hero finds out that their Lover is actually Villain and Hero can't believe it at first bc their Lover is sweet and shy, and Villain is cruel and loud, until Hero can no long deny they're the same person, and poor Villain is oblivious to what's going on (I hope my rambling was clear enough lol)

It was awfully quiet at dinner.

The hero poked at their food, their cheek pressed against their palm, their elbow on the table. Usually, they would gossip about colleagues or ramble about the news but they didn’t feel like having dinner with their enemy. With their lover, any time. But not with their enemy.

They just wanted to go to bed and forget their discovery.

“Honey, do you want to talk about it?” The hero’s eyes jumped to the villain and for a moment the words they know rattled through their brain. But the villain was too calm for that. They knew something was up but failed to figure that something out. Oh, little did they know how terrible that something was.

“Rather not,” the hero answered. They continued to stare at their lovely food which they knew they would leave untouched today.

“Okay,” the villain said and let a slick hand grab the hero’s thigh affectionately, drawing calming lines over their pants. It was probably unconscious behaviour.

Fuck, the villain knew them too well. The hero cursed themselves for letting them this close and yet, how could they have ever known their enemy was their lover? The villain had done it cleverly. Their civilian persona was nothing like the enemy’s.

Denying it was impossible, now that the hero had accidentally overheard their conversation from this morning. The villain had probably thought the hero had already left. Truth be told, the hero had left but they had also forgotten their phone.

They had been extra quiet because they knew how sleepy their partner was in the morning. And then, the villain’s exhausted voice had mumbled something about robbing a bank into their phone.

“I’m going to bed,” the hero announced. They stood up with their full plate in hand and went straight to the kitchen counter.

“What about movie night?” the villain asked. The hero could hear the desperation in their voice. The villain wanted to make the hero happy, they wanted to know what was up. Right now, it felt like a curse to know the villain this well.

But, no. The hero wouldn’t falter.

“Not interested,” the hero said.

“But you love movie night,” the villain said.

“Sure, whatever.”

“Honey, I’m here for you, just in case y-”

“Great,” the hero said. The air was boiling, they swore they could feel it. And yet, they didn’t want to treat their lover like this. They just wanted to cuddle with them and have a fucking movie night and pretend they were both alright. They wanted the villain to press them into their mattress and kiss them until they forgot that they were enemies.

“Sorry, did I do something wrong?” The hero’s fork fell and banged onto their plate, the sound cutting the room in half. They turned.

“Oh, I don’t know. Is it wrong to blow up fucking City Hall?” It ate the hero’s heart raw to watch how the villain’s eyes widened and their jaw dropped, frozen as if they were on the edge of saying something but too scared to actually get words out of their mouth.

They wished they would have never found out. They wished their lover could just laugh like they had on their first date when they went into the wrong movie at the cinema.

Fuck. They loved the villain even when they were breaking their heart.

“What are you talking about?” the villain asked. Their acting was so good the hero almost thought, hoped, that they were in the wrong.

“Oh, please. Are you really going to make me say it?” Now, the villain stood up, too. When they were close enough, they hugged the hero tight. And the hero let them, holding onto the villain as if it was the last time.

Though they wanted to hate the villain, the hero couldn’t. They couldn’t hate the person who was too afraid to order something at Starbucks. They couldn’t hate the person who always brought breadcrumbs with them to feed the ducks in the park when they strolled together around the lake after a hard day.

“Honey, I swear, I was going to tell you,” the villain said, their voice tinier than ever.

“But you didn’t.” They buried their face in the villain’s shoulder and hoped they could stay like this forever.

“Honey, let me explain all of it. I’m so sorry but I promise-”

“I can’t fight you anymore,” the hero said. The villain pulled back slowly, to look at them. A deep frown graced their face.

“Wait, what?”

Fuck. Holy shit.

The hero had been so upset, they had forgotten that they had been lying to their lover, too.

The villain hadn’t known they were the city’s hero. Until now.

part 2

similar post

[fallenlightsif]

Hey there!! This concept is so cool!! I was wondering if you could tell us more about the ROs please? Thanks so much 😄💜

Of course! I'll try to avoid spoilers but here we go lol!

Florian Vasil is the Crown Prince of Ebia, the only child of Queen Evelyn Vasil and the late King Consort Leander Sidorov, who hailed from Oclesia, an Ebian territory. He watched his father be assassinated at a banquet when he was seven and the mystery surrounding it causes him a lot of doubt and anxiety. He holds resentment to the nobility of Ebia. Very soft with the MC if they have a good relationship, though he is very protective as he doesn't want to lose anyone else.

Emil/Emilia Renaud is the eldest child of the Renaud family, the noblest family in Ebia second only to the royal house. They hold a reputation for producing advisors to the king and queen of Ebia, not to mention they are very powerful mages. Their parents and most of their siblings are very cutthroat and devious, and they usually go along with it to keep the peace. They'd really prefer to be by themselves training or having a nice cup of tea, though.

Marcella Dumont came to Kesdon, the capital of Ebia, as a teenager from a smaller town in Ebia. She was meant to train under your brother, Ezrah, and quickly became his second in command. She tries not to talk about her life of training before she arrived in Kesdon, but gossip says she was from a peasant family. She is fiercely loyal to Ezrah and this transfers to the MC, as she knows how much your brother cares for you, and it's twofold if the two of you also have a good relationship.

Dimitri Volkov is a blacksmith in the village of Myrine, which is located in a territory currently occupied by Ebia called Oclesia. It formerly belonged to Leydon, and the two kingdoms use this land as a battleground. His parents were only civilians and died anyway when one of the conflicts got out of hand. He was taken in with fellow war orphans by the temple and its priestess, Anais Melnyk. He watched his fellow orphans be plucked off by the war, either as soldiers or innocents, and this has lowered his opinion of both Ebia and Leydon. He's hesitant to open up, even more so to someone so close to nobility. If he comes to care about the MC, however, he'd go to lengths he never imagined.

Ariadna "Ari" Novik is a priestess in training who also resides in the village of Myrine. She, along with Dimitri, help watch over the younger orphans taken in by Anais. She was taken in far before Dimitri, whose parents died when he was 13. Her parents were killed very similar to Dimitri's, but she was 6 when it happened. Myrine has no healer besides Anais, so she's training to become a priestess and a healer underneath her to be able to help others. She hopes she can stop other kids from going through what she did. Her goal is to fix things in any way she can, and her morals remain if she enters a relationship with the MC. She would definitely frown upon someone who takes power through hurting others.

Rowan Lozano is the archmage of Leydon and resides in its capital, Valrin. They were born to a peasant family with too many children and too little money. Their magical talent coupled with sheer stubbornness led to being noticed and then being one of the only non-noble mages in the Leydonian army. They rose through the ranks and became archmage under the now-dead King Aleksandr, who had very little care for nobility and didn't particularly care if his archmage was of noble blood if they were powerful. They are what one might consider cutthroat, and are determined to have Leydon win the war to stay secure in power and safety. Their title and skill have been the only things to matter to them in a long time, unless MC comes around and changes their mind.

Orion Morosov is the High General of the Leydonian Royal Army and has fought against the MC's brother, Ezrah, many times. He was born to a noble family formerly of Oclesia which specialized in magic, which he didn't have. His only choice was to become a knight, so he did. He's kept awake at night by many things, and prying the emotional armor off him will take some work. He genuinely wants to love and be loved, but he believes he doesn't deserve it after all he's done.

Cier Katsaros is a mysterious half-elf on the run from something he refuses to disclose, though he assures everyone he did not commit a murder, thank you very much. He currently resides in a tavern in Valrin, renting a room while he hides out from some foreign guards looking for him. One of his hobbies is annoying Orion, who frequents the same bakery he does, as much as he can get away with. He can be described as slippery at best and deceitful at worst, though if he truly cares about someone he might be willing to make a few sacrifices.

Kira Argyris is an elven healer who learned her trade purely for the coin. She didn't want to stay in a secluded elven village like the rest of her family seemed content to, so she set out into the broader world to seek riches and enjoy some of the finer things in life. She's opportunistic and wouldn't hesitate to cause trouble if it benefitted her or someone she loved. While you meet her in Oclesia, she's currently employed by a lady of Leydon's court and ends up in Valrin about the same time the MC does.

Ilaria Thayer is an assassin with a reputation. That reputation being deadly, of course, with her morals being just as murky as her past. She's never missed a mark before until the MC came around. Trying to decide between impressed and furious, even after her employer is killed she tails the MC, being sure to impress upon everyone including you and herself that she's only sticking around you so she can kill you. She's only getting rid of your enemies so they don't do her job for her, it's called work ethic.

[thatanonymouschocolate]

Summary:

You're an ex-civillian and Cole's cousin, you were first introduced to Baird and we're immediately down bad, you land a spot as COG's official chef in their mess hall getting a chance to see more of the blonde.

Also Cole calls you half pint bc boy is that man tall af (if I also continue to make more one shots of reader being Cole's cousin I might use the other nicknames I made in a list lol)

Notes:

Sorry if Baird is too OOC, I'm not very good at writing definitely not good at writing fluff or romance but to get good ya need practice.

I wrote this and plan on writing more docs of Baird and a black reader so hopefully I get better at writing lol.

I also tried to keep this as gender neutral as possible but there is a use of princess in there (I think anybody can be a princess if they want to be :) )

I also choose to write black reader fics bc there may be a lot of reader insert fics but a lot of them usually tend to describe a reader more with lighter/pale skin so I want to cater this not only for myself but other people who have dark skin like me

From the first moment you saw him you knew you were fucked, Damon S Baird was fucking hot. Your cousin Agustus actually introduced you to the delta team. You were a civilian and one of the few that were really willing to help them and be kind to them. Eventually getting a spot as cog’s official cook in the mess hall. “Hey half pint what’s for breakfast?” Cole greets you. Baird giving you a nod of acknowledgement “I was thinking of making pancakes and bacon! Since the last supply run we were lucky enough to trade some things for eggs, bacon, and a bunch of other stuff!” you beam. “You know i’m actually glad we picked you up we were all getting sick of the stuff that other cog members were… attempting to make” Cole whispers as his eyes land on Carmine. Baird snorts “half the shit they made was either inedible, sentient, or both! But yea i’m glad we finally have someone in this hell hole that can cook!” His compliment makes your heart flutter and you give him a quiet thanks before starting on breakfast. Normally the two would say their greeting and go sit with the rest of delta squad but surprisingly they were a bit more chatty today…well Baird was, Cole was his usual extroverted self. They both told you stories about some of their missions funny moments and some scary moments, some other cog eventually starting a conversation with Cole which led him to sitting at their table possibly gossiping. There was a slight awkward silence since normally Baird didn’t talk to you, not even sass or his usual asshole facade he shows to everyone but what you didn’t know was that whenever you were in the room his eyes would always land on you, when you were talking with cog members joking and laughing he can never seem to look away.

“Soo Baird, how goes things with killing grubs and protecting the world with your genius inventions?” you smile breaking the silence. “How about later you stop by and I'll show you?” he smirks ‘Was he flirting? Nah that can’t be he has a thing going on with Byrne.’ “Sure! No problem, I'd probably get confused like most people when you start explaining things..” you chuckle nervously playing with the ends of your curls in your afro. “Eh it’s fine don’t worry about it I don't expect most people to know what I'm talking about which is why it's better to show you and then you can see for yourself.” Even though you’ve only known him for a couple months you noticed Baird normally didn’t invite people to his works space, or any of his personal space for that matter so this was quite the honor to be invited to his workspace and to get to see what he was working on. “Cool, can't wait!” you smile as you finish up breakfast handing him the first plate. ‘He’s been surprisingly nice today.’ You thought signaling everyone else that breakfast is ready.

~Later that evening~

You gently knock on the door, anxiety starting to spike the longer you stood at his door. After a couple minutes you raise your hand again to knock and the door opens. You take the sight of him in. He’s wearing a tank top, sweatpants, and of course with his signature goggles on. “Well you just gonna stand there or are you going to come in?” his eyebrow raises. You snap out of it and nod not trusting your words and he lets you in. You were surprised how clean his room was, you expected a lot of parts and machinery scattered everywhere but most of it was on desk along with a few of his tools. He shows you a few new guns that are works in progress, a bot, and blueprints of vehicles he considered making. “I think out of all the things you showed me I really like the bot you're making, it's kinda cute.” you smile at him. “Well it was supposed to be a surprise…i planned on making this bot to help you out in the kitchen.” his cheeks flush as he avoids looking at you fiddling with the bot. “Wait really?” you tilt your head and god were you cute. He could kiss you. “Yea. I saw you struggling the other day when you served soup, the pots were really big and heavy…” the rest you couldn’t quite catch since he mumbled the rest of it. “Damon…” you gently cup his cheek causing him to face you and you place a gentle kiss on his lips. His hand cups the back of your neck, fingers tangling in your coily hair. “Fuck…” he groans when you both pull away. “I've been wanting to do that since day one.” you chuckle, you feel the heat rush to your cheeks. “Damn had i known i would’ve done it a lot sooner.” he pulled you into his lap. “Well guess we’ll have to make up for lost time…come here princess.” he pulls you into a kiss again, this one with more passion and desperation in it. Looks like you weren't getting any sleep tonight

[moldy-flowers]

I take this and I raise you on it- Sakura didn't actually know Sasuke thought they were engaged, and at some point during their maybe engagement in Sasukes mind the 'maybe' just kind of faded into the background. The maybe disappeared cause she tried making a meal she hasn't before and fucked it up so bad that she ended up permanently staining her clothes and burning her hands and arms. And like after tending to her injuries she steals some of his clothes because she does not want to go back home to get hers they haven't even eaten dinner together yet!! And a maybe clan tradition is that you can only wear the uchiha symbol if your born Uchiha or married into the clan (you can wear it of your only engaged but you cant have your clothing tailored till the actual wedding) and as a civilian Sakura is not aware of this whatsoever but in Sasukes mind its like "Oh okay i guess we are engaged???"

And he's not one to wait around for a woman so at some point when she's not planning anything and is just there a lot of the time (Did she move in?? Sasuke thinks so, Sakura does not) so he's like "damn it lets get married Hurry tf up" but in a more laconic manner and Sakura, who was hoping to finally get to like, hold his hand or something this week is like "omggg he's been in love w/ me this whole timeee?? Yes bb ill marry u :33 ur so spontaneous and cool" and she never realizes she inadvertently proposed first.

OR

We take the route of where they both go to Orochimaru's lair and nothing is illegal in otogakure because Orochimaru is a fucking Psychopath and at some point during Sasukes intense training kabuto realises the situation and tells sakura "Hey lol did you know you're engaged" and Sakuras first thought is "omg I'm so horrible i can't believe I tricked Sasuke into getting engaged" and her second thought is "Well i mean... he never like... tried to call the marriage off??? And she, wanting to see how far she can push it, asks him if he wants to get married for like... tax benefits or whatever (theyre like 15 and the tax you pay in otogakure is your children you give your children to the snake man or become a rouge ninja then orochimaru sends his minions after you and you all become experiments.) And Sasuke who is kinda actually really bored because he isn't able to train for a few days because of the posion in his system so he's like "uh sure sounds interesting" then the rest of the show continues as normal but only Sasuke and Sakura leave together for atonement because as the loyal wife she is Sakura committed a lot of crimes, more than Sasuke actually doesn't understand how but she did.

When they come back Sasuke takes missions normally, and he gets good ones cause Sakuras in with the people who assign the missions (They have weekly gossip sessions and are basically the source of all the rumors in Konoha) . and Sakura becomes a surgeon bc she picked up some things at the lair happy end or whatever Sasuke is the girldad hes destined to be and boruto never happens

desk nin sakura au in which, at like 13, she did too poorly on the physical part of the graduating exam and is given the choice to either repeat a year or to become a desk nin instead of a genin. she picks desk nin because at 13 she can imagine no greater embarrassment then being stuck in a class of 12 year olds and ino knowing she flunked an exam- at least this way she can pretend she wanted to be a desk nin. they're important! they do important work!

it actually turns out there aren't a ton of civilian kids in the desk nin business. if they don't make it as field shinobi they usually just drop out entirely, because they've got family businesses they could go back to instead, you know? most desk nin are from clan families whose family business is being a shinobi, but they weren't a big fan of murder at age 10 or are really big fans of making excel ninja spreadsheets. anyways what this means is they find sakura adorable and immediately adopt her. shes adorable! and shes got the filing system really quickly, how clever!

she gets put in charge of assigning the genin teams their low-ranking missions and gives ino-shika-cho the tora mission like 30 times in a row because she's a teensey bit mad with power. She initially gives team seven really nice missions to try and win over sasuke, but then he keeps showing up grumbling complaints because it wasn't a cool mission that would help him get revenge on his brother...eventually she snaps and starts giving them the tora mission instead. Be Humbled, You Brats!

she gets pissed with the hokage when he assigns team 7 the wave mission btw. and shes mad vindicated when they come back and they're like IT WAS A DISASTER. IT WENT TOTALLY ABOVE OUR PAYGRADE. she's like YEAH thats why PROFESSIONALS assign the missions not some old man whos trying to dote on his loser not-grandson!!!!!!

she uses her desk nin resources to find out where sasuke lives (forgive her the sins of being an unhinged 13 year old) and starts going to his house to bring him dinner half the week. shes not a great cook. at a certain point he takes over cooking duties and shes just there to hang out? and it takes him a month to be like. did i get tricked into dating sakura

kakashi talking to sasuke about how you need bonds with other people, with your team, and sasuke's like i HAVE bonds. me and naruto are rivals which is basically like being friends. and im somewhat engaged to sakura maybe

kakashi: who's sakura? is that the girl on our team bc i always forget her name

sasuke: no. she's this insane girl we went to the academy with who keeps giving us shitty missions to paint fences 'n stuff. i think she lives in my house now or something. naruto's in love with her

kakashi: and you're engaged?

sasuke: can we stop talking? if im late getting back she'll try to make dinner herself and i cannot have burnt rice with burnt fish for the third time this week

[sup-hoes-its-me]

Adore You (Yamato x Reader)

A/N: hi guys. Yamato is your secret admirer and you are desperate to find out who's been leaving all these gifts at your doorstep. Civilian reader. Will be two parts, and since i just found out i have the coronavirus and cant leave the house, i’ll be putting out the second part very soon.

Ps i headcanon that yamato would be very shy and awkward with his crush. i also think that when he is nervous he definitely has really sweaty hands. idk thats just the vibe i get from him lol. please enjoy.

Word count: 4500

Y/N walked down the street after a long day of working in the bakery, kneading dough and icing cakes and sweets. It was a great job, and she really enjoyed the company of the two elderly owners. In her arms was another small picnic basket filled with sourdoughs and garlic loaves and cinnamon raisin buns. Those leftovers served as her breakfast, lunch, and dinner most days and it saved a lot of money on groceries.

Sometimes, she gifted the bread to friends and family though, like tonight.

As she walked the bustling streets, people walking home from work for the night, she noticed a couple of familiar faces sitting in the windows of a nearby restaurant. Feeling a little social, she walked into the restaurant and turned the corner, walking through the tables and past other booths full of people talking and drinking. It was busy tonight in Konoha, everyone getting ready for the weekend.

She came to a stop beside their table, and shifted so her basket rested in the slight curve of her hip. With her free hand she waved to the men, a small smile gracing her lips.

“Kakashi, Yamato,” she chirped, “I saw you guys in the window on my way home from work and thought I’d stop in to say hello.”

“Y/N. What a pleasant surprise.” Kakashi hummed, peering over his glass of golden liquid at his friend, who he could tell was struggling to figure out what to say or do. Yamato wasn’t normally nervous; he was very cool headed. How else would he become such an important Anbu member? But around Y/N, this woman with flour dusted in her hair and the smell of cinnamon and chocolate on her clothes, he crumbled. Just that smell alone could make Yamato lose his composure. And Kakashi knew that very well. “As a matter of fact, we were just talking about you.”

Yamato coughed on his drink, covering his mouth with his arm to keep from spitting up on the table. Even if they were just talking about her, it was completely uncalled for for Kakashi to stab him in the back like that. He turned to face the young woman who looked down at him with curiosity in her eyes.

“Really? What about?” she questioned, raising a brow.

He averted his eyes to the table again where his hand rested clutching at the glass. “We were just discussing the bakery,” he explained sheepishly, a hand going to rub the back of his neck. He felt the stress coming on, and sweat was beginning to gather on his palms. He felt ill, and more importantly, upset with the friend sitting directly across from him, smirking under that damn mask.

What an evil bastard.

“Mind if I join you guys? I could definitely use a drink.” She motioned to the seat next to Yamato, and he scooted closer to the wall to make room for her. She made sure her basket was sealed and secure before reaching over the table to Kakashi. “Can you sit this next to you? I don’t wanna take up the whole table.”

“No problem.”

She slid into the seat beside Yamato, and he realized just how small their table really was. The chair was clearly made for one person, or maybe two small people. They were just inches away. He could literally feel the heat of her thigh beside his. He was losing his mind, he was sure of it. There was absolutely no reason to act or think this way just because of a woman, a little baker from the village. No reason. It was inappropriate.

He took a deep breath and sipped on his drink. Everything was cool. Y/N L/N was cool.

“What kind of goods are you bringing home tonight?” Yamato asked calmly.

“Uh, lets see. A sourdough loaf and a garlic rosemary loaf. Also, I have about eight cinnamon buns in there,” she listed off the top of her head, “Why? You wanna take some home with you, because that’s fine. I’m not gonna eat all of it.”

“No, not this time.”

“You, Kakashi?”

“Yeah, I’ll take whatever.” It was a free meal for the next day? How could he say no to that?

The waitress came around, and Y/N ordered a tall glass of some sweet drink, something she knew wouldn’t taste like shit but would get her all warm and cozy quick, fruit juice covering up the taste of poison. “So, what were you guys talking about before I came around? I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“It’s good you came around, actually. We could use a woman’s opinion here.” Yamato glared at Kakashi, pleading with everything he had for the copy nin to just leave it alone. Kakashi was set in his goals though, and pushed forward with what he was saying. “It’s about Tenzo.”

An even brighter smile grew on her lips, one full of mischief and curiosity. “Oohoho? I see. What’s got you men stuck?” She loved to gossip, it was just something so interesting in her mundane life. Surely, it wasn’t as interesting to shinobi who almost die all the time and always have something to do, but for a village girl who goes home every night to read and eat bread, and then go to work where she just makes and sells said bread, a bit of juicy personal information really intrigued her.

“It’s honestly not a big deal-”

“Our boy here, he’s got a crush.”

Her eyes widened and suddenly, she felt the urge to down even more of her drink. He was interested in someone? She never expected that. He was always so quiet and calm, and kept to himself. He didn’t seem like the type to ever care about someone in that way. She sighed, taking a long sip on her drink, which tasted like peaches and oranges. At least it was sweet enough to help her curb the impending sadness.

Maybe she was stupid for it, but she cared for Yamato. He was such a sweet and kind man, so earnest and gentle. He was everything good about her mornings, when he would walk in and ask for the same hot cross bun to start his day. He would smile and compliment the cake decorating she was working on, and tell her about his missions and what he had to do for the day.

Perhaps Y/N had the tiniest of crushes on Yamato. It was something she would never reveal to anyone else, but it was true. She couldn’t deny herself that fact.

Kakashi stared at the woman, gauging her reaction to the statement. From the way she immediately went to sip away half of the drink in her glass, and the way her shoulders curled in on themselves, he could guess how she was feeling. He wasn’t usually a fan of meddling in other people’s business, but he was beginning to feel tired of Yamato complaining day in and day out about how he could never get the girl or express his feelings. He was afraid of rejection, as sad as that might be.

He was just there to give them a push in the right direction.

“I see.”

“What do you think he should do? What do the civilian girls like?”

This crush was just another civilian. It would be one thing if he fell in love with a kunoichi, someone she would never be able to compete with, but the thought of him choosing another normal woman over her, the envy practically oozed from her pores. What did this other girl have that Y/N didn’t?

Y/N ordered another drink when the waitress walked by. And then another after she drank the second one. Might as well get more down and drown out these jealous thoughts.

Meanwhile, she listed off things that random women normally like when men do for them, things she didn't really care about like chocolates and asking them out to dinner and giving them stuffed animals. Boring things. Things they all already knew. Kakashi agreed that the advice was kinda bland, and he could have come up with that easily.

Yamato eyed her down nervously as she practically chugged the rest of her drink. The woman wasn’t a big drinker, just a couple innocent cocktails here or there, never with the intention of getting drunk.

“You okay, Y/N?”

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine,” she told him smoothly. “Anyway, I’m not done telling you all about us village girls.”

The third drink came by and she sighed, taking another long sip. At least it tasted good, that made it easy to drink and drink and drink.

“Maybe you should slow down.”

“Maybe you should worry about yourself. I’m grown. I can handle myself, Yamato.” He felt a pang in his chest at her sharp words, ones that he’d never really heard directed toward him. She scolded Kakashi on the daily for being a pervert, but only kind words met Yamato’s ears previously. “Anyway, about this girl. Have you tried getting her anything as a gift? The things I listed before? Love notes? That sorta thing?”

He shook his head. “Well, no. I haven’t tried anything yet.”

“That’s the thing about you, Tenzo. You’re so modest. If you want the girl, you need to go in and get her. You need to show her what she means to you, since you can’t bring yourself to just outright tell her.”

“The whole bold displays of affection aren’t my thing.”

She hummed, her head lolling from side to side as she twirled the straw of her drink in between her fingers. “Maybe you should try some roundabout approach since you’re so scared of rejection. Send her anonymous letters and gifts, give her little clues that it’s you and see how she reacts.”

“Like a secret admirer?"

“Exactly! That’s sooo romantic. I wish some guy would do that shit for me.”

Kakashi raised a brow. “Oh, really?”

“Of course. I’m almost 27 and I’ve never had a long lasting relationship. I just want some guy to really, I don’t know, just love me. Love who I am, not hook up with me for my body or-or only pretend to like me for coupons on bread,” she complained, quite loudly as well. “Fuck those guys and their bread discounts...”

“Y/N-”

“I’d suggest you do something like that for your crush. Make her feel like you really care about her mind and soul.” Y/N clutched her hand over her heart and squeezed the front of her dress. “So many men nowadays act like horny teenagers, and us ladies are sick of it.”

She really did not need to go into such detail, and Yamato could tell she was drinking too much. Y/N would never say these things aloud if she were completely in her right mind. He felt rude just sitting there letting her rant on and on, exposing her own feelings to the table. But at the same time, he was grateful to know what she wanted in a lover. She never really let on what her romantic life was like, other than single for the most part.

That is what he and Kakashi were discussing before she came around. He was desperate to sweep her off her feet and woo her, to make revealing his feelings easier. Kakashi told him to just go to the bakery and tell her right then and there, but that was just too bold. He wasn’t going to go in without a plan, it was irrational.

“Yamato, I’m telling you, if this woman rejects you, she’s fucking stupid. You’re a catch. You and Kashi over there, both of you could get any woman you want, and that’s a fact.” the woman waved her hand to emphasize her point, only to knock the rest of her fourth drink over into her lap, sticky syrup soaking into her apron and through to her skirt. “Oh man.”

“I think it’s time for you to head home, little miss Y/N,” Kakashi chimed in, “This is exactly why we don’t bring you to bars, you know.”

“Shush. I am fine.”

Yamato sighed, motioning with his hands for her to move to the edge of the seat. He rolled his eyes at her words, knowing she was talking out the ass. “Yeah, yeah. Just get up, Y/N. I’m taking you home.”

Both men were surprised when she lifted her hand and pushed him away from her. Her glare was intense, anger behind those eyes. “No! Not you. I want Kakashi to walk me home.” The man was taken aback by the harshness in her tone. She was normally calm tempered, but her head was spinning and she was obviously growing moody.

“That’s fine by me. Yamato, you’ll pick up the bill for us and uh, clean this mess, right?” Kakashi smirked as he slid out from the booth and picked up her bag of baked goods. She followed suit, climbing out of her seat and grabbing onto the shinobi’s arm tightly. He really couldn’t care any less about her nonsense. It had been so long since they became friends, he’d seen her in every mood imaginable, and much drunker than this. He’s walked her home more than a few times in their past years.

“Curse you, cheap-ass.”

“Gotta go.”

With that, the white haired man walked out the restaurant with a woman in tow. They lived in the same direction, so he started down the street as she stumbled after him, tripping occasionally on pebbles. He felt bad for his friend, really. But the answer was clear as day now. Y/N cared for Yamato a lot more than she let on. It was just up to one of them to make a move. He couldn't do everything for them.

She tripped along beside him, letting her head fall against his shoulder a few times. Her eyes slid up to the man’s masked face, and he felt her hands begin to quiver a bit around his arm, just a tiny bit, but it was still there. Those little, very-telling, tremors.

“What’s wrong, Y/N?” he asked gently, knowing she would immediately spill whatever was stuck on her mind.

“Kashi, why does Tenzo want some other village girl?” she questioned, her cheeks puffing out and her eyes getting watery with tears. “Why doesn’t he want me? I want him so badly, it hurts right here.” she placed her free hand over her stomach and gagged. “I might throw up, it hurts so much.”

“Trust me, it’s gonna be okay,” he hushed, a tiny smile on his lips. He didn’t want to reveal too much to her, but it was just so amusing pulling the strings like this. Two of his friends, one a subordinate and the other a sneaky baker, falling for each other right in front of him. With all the work piling up, this was definitely a refreshing take.

“Also, you shouldn't throw up. It'll burn your throat, you know.”

She nodded, and just clutched onto her stomach as they made their way down the narrow alleyways toward her small apartment. He unlocked the door for her when she struggled to fit the key into the tiny hole that blurred together with everything else. He was a good friend, she thought, and made a mental note to thank him next time she saw him. Well, she tried to make a mental note, but when her body hit the mattress in the corner of her small studio, she found herself drifting away.

__________

God, her head hurt so badly she thought her skull was cracking open right then and there, as she lifted her head from her pillow. Light shined in through the window only to make things worse than before. She looked around the room and noticed that her coat was hung up properly on the hook and her shoes were sitting by the door. Her basket rested atop her counter.

Most importantly, on her nightstand sat a glass of water and a couple pills, ready for her to take the moment she woke up. Kakashi or Yamato must have walked her home and put her to bed. They were very nice men, she enjoyed having them as friends, she just worried she had made a drunken fool of herself last night in front of them. She rarely drank heavily, for that reason. She couldn’t even remember what happened, just that she met them at the restaurant and then the rest fell empty in her mind, little images blending together until she couldn’t decipher a thing that happened. She was more than ashamed.

How could she lose control of herself so casually, she wondered. She never even wanted to drink, much less enough to give her this searing headache. Something must have happened last night that influenced her decisions. Maybe she had a drinking contest with Kakashi like that one time before. If so, that was completely uncalled for on the man’s part. He knew her tolerance.

Nevertheless, she needed to get ready for work. A hangover wasn’t enough to heed the workings of the bakery.

She took the pills, and threw off her covers, walking over to her counter to take out one of the cinnamon rolls, taking a big bite to curb her hunger pains. After taking a moment to compose herself, she got ready for work. If she was late, she knew the owners would be forgiving, but she still felt bad regardless. She was going to walk in looking like a complete disaster.

As she headed out her door that morning, she stumbled on something sitting right at the foot of her doorstep on the welcome mat. Resting there, in a tiny little ceramic pot, stood a bonsai tree, trimmed and cared for perfectly. Her eyes scanned the area for who could have set it there, but met only empty space.

Hesitantly, she picked it up and brought it into her home. There was no note attached, nothing to signal who’d given it to her. Just a little tree that she would put on her window sill. It was strange, she had to admit that, to receive an anonymous gift at such an hour. She’d have to ask her friends about it later on to see if one of them had given it to her, for reasons she didn’t know.

But as the days went by, and those days turned into weeks, she continued to receive gifts every few days. More tiny trees in pots, sometimes flowers in little glass vases. None of them at first had anything attached until the most recent piece which when she picked it up to take into her home, a folded piece of paper sat beneath the vase. She made sure to pick it and put it in her apron to read on her break when she went to work. She didn’t have the time when she woke up only about 20 minutes before she was due at her job.

She was more than grateful for the little garden she was accumulating on her window sill, the beautiful flowers and trees somehow surviving despite her little knowledge of taking care of them. She stopped by a flower store in town to get some fertilizer just to keep them alive. It would be a shame if they died since someone was being so kind as to give them to her.

With her boring life, the flowers brought a smile to her face and a warmth in her heart that she hadn’t felt before. Regardless of who was leaving the items there, she felt like she was important to someone. Some person was taking time out of their day to show they cared about her.

Truthfully, she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t wished it was Yamato leaving her gifts. She’d been attracted to the man for quite some time, ever since they met really. He was just so strong and brave, and awkward in a cute kind of way. He was truly the only man of her affections, and she could only dream she was the object of his as well.

It was more than unlikely though. He was a strong ninja of the leaf. The chances of someone that amazing wanting to be with someone as simple as the town baker were lower than she wanted to admit. He most likely had his eyes set on some gorgeous kunoichi like Shizune or Kurenai. Someone he could relate to, really.

It was embarrassing to even admit she had a crush on him. It made her feel so tiny and weak, knowing that she wasn’t his ideal.

So she pushed that thought from her mind. Yamato would never be interested in her, and he most certainly not the one leaving her little notes and plants.

What she did know was that this person was a shinobi. Maybe not Yamato, but they were definitely a shinobi. She set up a trap, at least one she thought a normal person would fall for. Right before her door, she set up a tiny trip wire made of floss at the perfect level for someone to pull loose when they walked up to leave a gift on her welcome mat. Her room was at the very end of the hallway, so there was no way anyone else except her secret admirer was the one to set off the trap. Any normal person without the high perception of a shinobi would set off the trap and she would be able to narrow down the results to a civilian.

Only, the morning after she set up the trip wire, when she opened her door, there sat another bouquet of flowers, as well as an untripped strip of floss.

This person had to be a shinobi. She concluded. It was the only explanation in her mind, desperate to find out who the mystery person was all this time.

As she walked the streets that afternoon after the store had closed, her eyes honed in on Yamato, who stood next to a vegetable stand picking up some groceries. Immediately, she turned on her heel and cornered him between the squash and the sweet potatoes.

“Yamato, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent. Do you mind?” she practically demanded, and his eyes widened. He did not expect such an abrupt conversation between them. He shifted awkwardly to rest his grocery bag in the crook of his elbow and lean on his left side, arms crossed over his chest.

He knew what she wanted to talk about. It was about those gifts that he had been giving her. It was just a matter of whether she had figured out it was him or not, that was the question. He was kinda hoping she didn’t know yet. He was not ready to face what came after the reveal, rejection or otherwise. He really hadn’t thought it that far out yet. How could he. Just thinking up love notes and what plants to give her next was more than enough to worry about.

But damn, when he looked down at her, hair dusted with flour from a days work, a smudge of cake batter still on her forearm, apron a complete mess, he wanted to cave and tell her everything. She was just so beautiful, so clumsily perfect he couldn’t help but lose his train of thought. He swore he’d never seen a woman more perfect than her, not even Naruto’s sexy jutsu could come close to this girl.

He found his ears heating up and no doubt turning red at the thoughts running through his mind, and he was quick to smother them down. He was not irrationally emotional. Hell, he was ANBU, he should be able to control his emotions down to a tee.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“I have a secret admirer, and I know they are a shinobi.”

He felt himself growing nervous. How had she deduced that? “Ah, that’s definitely exciting for you. How do you know it’s a shinobi?”

“I know because I set up a tripwire last night and the person didn’t set it off, so I know they are coordinated enough to avoid it. This isn’t just some random village boy. This is someone skilled.”

“Y/N, he could have very well just avoided the trap with his natural gait, don’t you think?” he tried to reason with her, try to get her off his trail. Admittedly, he thought she was quite clever for setting up the trap. When he walked over it the night before, he swore it was just a spider web. He didn’t even consider the possibility of a trap in his way.

If only he could throw her off his scent. He needed more time. He couldn’t confess to her now. It was too abrupt, too sudden. He would probably die.

“No, I’m convinced it’s a shinobi.”

Shit. “Well, what are you going to do now?”

She thought for a short moment on what she was going to say, tapping her foot on the ground beside her. Her eyes widened and she smiled at the thought that ran through her mind. Of course, it was so obvious. “The gifts come sporadically, so I know that the shinobi can’t leave gifts when they are on missions. Next time there is a long break in gifts, I will just ask around to figure out who has been on a mission for a while. Bam, I’ve got my answer. It’s foolproof.”

She really had thought this through more than him. She was too good, and he felt himself panicking. He had a weeklong mission in 3 days, and if she asked anyone, they would tell her it was him. He felt moisture gather up at his brow, and he internally cursed his situation. He had to find some way out of this mess without her figuring out it was him.

“Yeah, that could definitely work. I hope it all works out for you, Y/N,” he lied through his teeth.

“I know. I’m just smart like that, aren’t I?”

“You sure are,” he muttered, but honestly, he just wanted to go off and find Kakashi. He needed to talk to him. His eyes slid away from Y/N and he sighed. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course. Don’t forget to stop by before your next mission to get some of our special food pills, okay? I just made a new batch and you can try them free of charge. Anything for a fella as handsome as yourself.” She laughed, shifting her weight to press a hand to her hip.

Jeez. There was no good reason for her looking so adorable. Calling him handsome as well? It was all too much for his heart to handle. Needless to say, he felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t walk away right then. With that, he simply nodded before patting her shoulder. “Like I said, gotta go.”

“Oh, okay. See you around.”

“See you.”

He walked away quickly, heading in the direction of Kakashi’s apartment, knowing he just had to do something about the mess he was currently in, and ways to avoid the inevitable. His heart was racing so fast he thought he might be having a heart attack. How could he be swayed so easily by a pretty face. He had no idea, but he really wanted it to stop. For the sake of his sanity, he needed to learn to be calm around her.

He would tell her soon, get all this off his chest and share his true feelings. He just needed a bit more time.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Another One?!, Part 4

First > Previous > Next

At first, Adrien didn’t really know whether or not they were being followed.

There are a lot of kids with black hair and blue eyes, and he had a tendency to patrol certain areas. It was entirely plausible that he could just be paranoid or imagining things.

But there was a point where you had to step back and say ‘no, that’s definitely not normal’.

And Adrien hit that point when he had started counting the times he spotted the kid and ended up with eleven times by the end of the week.

He stopped in the middle of patrol and sat down on his favorite gargoyle for a short break to text the family about his findings. They deserved to know what was going on...

ChatoNoir: I think there's a person following us.

HelmetRights: Lol

ChatoNoir: This is serious!

Buginette: is it the scrawny kid with black hair and blue eyes

ChatoNoir: You’ve seen him, too?

RockinRobin: we all have????

HelmetRights: Lol

Buginette: their fine if you wanna get rid of them just wave they get all blushy and hide

HelmetRights: *They’re

Buginette: bitch lets see you type in french

HelmetRights: Qu'est-ce que je devrais dire

RockinRobin: alkdjfskdjfksdl

There was a few seconds while Marinette typed, and then apparently deleted her message because it never came through.

Adrien almost smiled but then he remembered what they were supposed to be talking about.

ChatoNoir: Can we get back on subject?

HelmetRights: Lame

Buginette: whats the point its just a fan

HelmetRights: I just wish he’d go back to not taking pictures I’ve missed so many shots because of his stupid flash going off

RockinRobin: i think it’s flattering

HelmetRights: Lol

Buginette: relax its whatever as long as he doesnt get hurt watching us

He sighed and closed his eyes. Fair enough. It’s a kid, those aren’t exactly a threat.

Still, he was a bit concerned. Not for them, they’d be fine, but for the kid. Adrien and Dick were the only ones with some kind of schedule for patrolling because of his job and Dick’s schooling, but Marinette and Jason apparently saw him pretty consistently, too. Just where were this kid’s parents? Were they okay with him being out all the time?

But he figured he must have been overreacting. Maybe they were a street kid like Jason…

No, they had decent clothes.

Adrien frowned to himself. Weird.

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. After all, he only had another hour for patrols before he would need to go home to get ready for work. The kid would still be a problem in a few days, anyways...

~

It turned out Adrien was right to worry, because Marinette spotted the kid a few days later… while she was a civilian.

She had been in her favorite cafe, sipping at a cup of coffee as she read through the newspaper. It was an article about the vigilantes, debating things like ‘What the fuck were they thinking letting kids join them?’ and ‘Why can’t the kids name themselves?’

She found it amusing, even if it was calling her and her family out.

But then she’d felt someone’s eyes on her.

She slowly looked up, expecting a person who wanted to sit or a guy who wanted to flirt…

Only to see the kid.

They locked eyes for a few seconds.

Did he know? Surely, he couldn’t. They did everything from applying makeup to using codenames to hide their identities…

But that was the same starstruck look he wore whenever he looked at their vigilante identities…

She gave him a tiny wave and watched him blush and slump a little in his chair to hide.

Huh.

~

“Hey, so heads up, I think stalker kid might know who we are.”

Adrien dropped the textbook he was scanning for a refresher on algebra. Dick fell from the ceiling. Jason just looked up in surprise.

“WHAT?!”

“Yeah, I don’t know for sure, though. He could just have a thing for people who look like us. Somehow, I doubt it, though. We can’t all be his type.”

“We don’t know how desperate he is,” Jason pointed out.

Marinette hesitated, then gave a tiny shrug as if to say ‘you’re right, I guess…’

“Hello?” Adrien waved his hands to get their attention. “Could you guys please take this seriously? A kid knows our identities!”

“We don’t even know that for sure, though,” said Dick as he started climbing onto the nearest ceiling light. “And, if he does, so what? It’s a kid. People hardly listen to kids.”

He sighed. “Yes, but if he found out then other people might be able to, too. Shouldn’t we ask?”

The family considered this for a minute…

And then Marinette shrugged. “We need to know for sure if he knows our civilian identities, first, though. Everyone keep a lookout?”

Everyone nodded, bored and reluctant.

Adrien frowned. He loved his family, he just wished they’d take things more seriously sometimes… or, at least, not brush past things so quickly...

His watch beeped and he sighed. He pushed the thought aside. He needed to get ready for work.

~

After everyone had spotted them in their civilian forms several times, they decided to call it: the kid knew who they were.

(At least he wasn’t taking pictures of them as civilians, they thought, because that would be uncomfortable.)

So, for the first time in ages, the four of them were spotted doing a casual patrol together. It was kind of fun, actually. Dick and Marinette practiced some old circus acts that they remembered, Jason and Adrien raced. Maybe they should do it more often…

Marinette and Dick were walking along some power lines when Dick suddenly stopped to point down.

Her eyes followed to find the kid and she whistled for Adrien and Jason’s attention.

The kid was alone on a rooftop. He didn’t seem concerned that they were all pointing at him, though maybe a little flustered…

But then he did freak out.

Because the vigilantes jumped down in a loose circle around him.

Their stalker spun around anxiously as if he wasn’t sure who to look at.

Dick cleared his throat. “Right, do you know why we’re here?”

“I…” The kid finally stopped spinning to look at Marinette and Adrien. “Because I know your identities?”

“Yes. How exactly did you do that?” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

The kid cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, I’m a big Haly’s circus fan --.”

“Ah, shoot,” Dick muttered.

“And… I was looking through some old footage of you guys on Youtube… and I realized that Robin did a move that only Dick Grayson would know. And, if Dick Grayson was Robin, then you guys all had to be vigilantes.”

The entire family was glaring at Dick.

The man in question just awkwardly looked to the side.

Marinette clicked her tongue and then looked back at the kid. “Okay, what was the url of the footage you got? I’ll see if we can give them a copyright strike. Youtube’s system is broken so it’d probably work.”

The kid in question shook his head. “You don’t have to. I got rid of it myself.”

“Oh… thanks. Is it anywhere else that you know of?”

“No, I got rid of everything on the internet that could trace back to you guys.”

The family looked at each other, confusion on all of their faces. How…? This kid was fifteen, max, there was no way…

Well, maybe he was bluffing so he could keep the footage. They’d check later.

Jason was apparently done with caring about what was going on, because he had sat down and started checking his guns to make sure they were all okay.

Marinette was feeling much the same, leaning on her cane. “Great, well, thanks for that, I guess… could you maybe stop stalking us as civilians, though?”

“Don’t worry, I’m just doing that to get enough proof to clear your names and then I’ll go back to just watching you as vigilantes.”

“Oh, ok -- wait, what?” Said Dick, frowning a little bit.

The kid frowned as well. “I’m clearing your name… do you not know?”

The four looked at each other before shaking their heads in unison.

He sighed and brought out his phone to pull up an article. He passed it to Jason because he was closest and he cursed quietly.

“The gist of it is people are starting to wonder if you’ve gone bad,” explained the kid as Jason scrolled through the article. “It’s just a gossip column thing right now but I figured I should get proof you guys are still good in case it gained traction.”

Marinette frowned. “I’d understand if they thought we were just bad, not everyone understands that we kill people for the greater good, but saying we’ve gone bad implies that we’ve somehow gotten worse…?”

The phone was passed to her and her first instinct, much like Jason’s, had been to curse.

“Well, there’s been rumors of you and Riddler being friends for years now --.”

“WE’RE NOT,” Marinette hissed, and it took a lot of mental power to not crush the phone in her hands. She passed it on to Dick just in case. “He’s just helpful on some cases is all.”

Adrien rolled his eyes.

The kid sighed lightly. “And, on top of that, all of your most recent high-level takeouts have helped a particular mob boss, Antony Agoura, gain power.”

Her first instinct was ‘cool, thanks for the name, let’s kill him’, but then she forced herself to reconsider.

It seemed that taking down people just helped someone else take their place, which didn’t really surprise her. The moment anything was freed from someone’s hold, there would always be people who would do their best to grab it…

But then what was the solution? The situation with Agoura itself was proof that just murdering the head and saying ‘alright, next thing’ wasn’t working. Someone would just pop up to take his place --.

Adrien met her eyes and they shared anxious frowns.

Fuck, they were actually going to have to think about this one, huh?

~

He fell back on the couch and closed his eyes.

He listened to his family mull about. He could hear the quiet creaking of Dick getting on a light, could hear Marinette pulling out baking pans, could hear the clinking of Jason’s rings.

He sighed.

What could they do?

They had had a rule that they would never kill henchmen because they often weren’t working just for fun, they had a family to feed or hadn’t been able to get a job elsewhere.

Besides, with the mobster gone, there would be little reason for the police to let them go. They’d serve hard time and then, hopefully, come out a better person.

(Probably not. The prison system needed work.)

But…

He had remembered the name Agoura. He had been under Zucco at some point. He wasn’t sure whether he’d been a mob boss or a henchman at the time, though it didn’t really matter. There were a lot of people who had started out as henchmen that had somehow gotten power.

He sighed. He hated systemic issues.

The main problem, he thought, was that mobsters didn’t fear death as much as they should. Sure, everyone fears death on some level, but the people of Gotham knew what they were doing when they decided to get to that point. They would die if they got caught, and they were willing to take the risk in order to get the money and power that came along with being mobsters.

What did they fear? What weren’t they prepared to face?

He opened his eyes and looked over at Dick, who was currently reviewing for final exams from the ceiling.

The law, maybe? Serving actual hard time?

Well, it was worth a shot.

Dick was about to be a lawyer, so they had someone who would be able to try them in court…

But they needed a police officer to arrest them…

Marinette walked into the room and started looking for her shoes, cursing out brownies.

“Chocolate sauce. How did I forget that? Kwami!” She clicked her tongue. “Son of a -- where are my shoes?”

“Shoes are under the couch,” said Dick calmly.

Marinette gave the world’s angriest “Thank you!” as she ducked down and grabbed them.

“M’lady,” said Adrien.

She paused, looking over at him. “Yes, Chaton?”

“I have an idea for what to do about our newest problem, if you’d like to hear it.”

She tipped her head to the side a little, smiling.

“Sure, but make it quick, I can only keep Dick and Jason away from the batter for so long.”

~

Hey, New Jersey, what the fuck?

It had literally been easier to get into the circus than it had been to become a police officer.

She’d already gotten a degree in criminal justice a few years back. Why? Because she was really bored.

(Also, she’d wanted to mess with Officer Ross and she had decided that it would be funny to memorize as many laws as possible to point out when his buddies weren’t abiding by them.)

The test had been almost painfully easy. She spoke English as a second language and she’d thought that she was reading almost every question wrong. Some of these people would be detectives one day, you’d think they’d ask for more than basic reading comprehension. The most difficult question she’d gotten was one about license plates, and even then it was multiple choice so she’d had a 20% chance of guessing right.

And then getting a job in the GCPD was somehow easier.

Though she figured out why that last part had happened the first day she walked into work.

Can someone say ‘diversity hire’?

She hugged herself awkwardly. Really? Was she the only person of color in this place?

Wait, there was a singular black guy. She was wrong. She was just the only woman of color. Yay.

But, it seemed, her day was about to get worse.

“Marinette Agreste?”

Her nails dug into her arms and she turned to look at Officer Ross. “That’s me.”

“I’m here to give you a tour of the place. Ready?”

Asshole. Chienne. Motherfucker. Other swear words she couldn’t think of she was so mad.

She forced a smile to her face. “Sure!”

~

Yay. Galas. He always loved those.

He reached out and helped Jason with his tie and then ruffled his red curls. “What’s the rule?”

Jason grinned. “If you absolutely have to ruin someone’s life, do it discreetly.”

“Good.” He met Dick’s eyes in the mirror. “And what’s your rule?”

“... no hanging and/or swinging from chandeliers.”

“Thank you.” He looked at Tikki. “Please, just let us have one easy gala. No press, no kids getting their hands on wine, no people talking to Mari so we don’t have to leave early.”

Tikki shrugged.

He sighed. Yeah, he’d expected that. Worth a shot, though.

So, the four of them all head off. They told themselves that, hey, even if Tikki couldn’t promise that things will go okay, they could make it happen.

The peace lasted about ten seconds.

Because then Marinette hissed a curse and nodded her head to point out the kid.

He sighed. They hadn’t seen the kid in a while as civilians, so they’d thought that he had actually ended up agreeing that stalking them while they were civilians was taking it too far, but apparently not.

Wait a minute, galas were private events. How did he get in?

They started looking around for the kid’s parents, because obviously they had to be around, but they were nowhere near him.

Marinette and Adrien exchanged frowns.

And then their frowns deepened. Because they glanced behind themselves to look at their kids and found that they weren’t there anymore.

She clicked her tongue and looked around. “You deal with the stalker, I’ll go find the kids. I’m sure that one of them has found a loophole to their rule by now --.” Her eyes widened and she rushed away. “RICHARD JUST BECAUSE THAT’S NOT A CHANDELIER DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN CLIMB IT --.”

Adrien sighed.

He grabbed a glass of wine and then headed over to the kid. “Hey, kiddo, where are your parents?”

He shrugged and pointed over to the small crowd of people watching Marinette attempt to pry a glass of wine from Jason’s hands while they cursed each other out in French.

“Probably over there.”

Adrien winced. “Fun.”

“Your family is a disaster,” said the kid.

“Thanks,” Adrien muttered.

“I think it’s nice. When you’re vigilantes you’re basically gods, it’s nice to know you’re just people.”

He considered this for a second.

“Also, it’s really funny to watch,” added the kid.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall.

After a few minutes of watching the Agreste family crash and burn, the kid looked back over at him.

“Why are you still here?”

“Here with you, here at the gala, or here on Earth?” Adrien half-joked.

They shrugged. “Here with me. Your family needs you right now.”

“Marinette is the better problem solver of the both of us. Besides, you’re a kid, you shouldn’t be left alone.”

“I’m alone all the time, I’ll live.”

Adrien frowned. “What do you --?”

He was cut off when he spotted Marinette dragging Jason over by the back of his suit.

“Hold onto him, will you? I need to catch Dick before he breaks --.” There was a crashing sound nearby. She clicked her tongue. “... before he breaks that hedge. I’ll be back.”

Adrien absently held a hand out and Jason put his arm in it so he could keep a hold on him. His wife gave a tired smile before turning on her heel and stalking off to the hedge maze.

He sighed and looked back at the stalker. “Right, where were we…? Oh, what do you mean by you’re alone all the time?”

Jason’s eyes narrowed a little bit.

“My parents… go on a lot of trips.”

“Without you?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

“What…? Why…?”

“You wouldn’t understand, you guys never go anywhere.”

Adrien opened his mouth and then closed it again. He wasn’t exactly wrong, but…

“Okay, point, but how often are you alone? Is that why you’re always following us? Do you go to school? Do --?”

He frowned and held up a hand. “That’s a lot of questions at once.” He started to count off on his fingers. “They’re never gone for longer than a month at a time but they only come back for a few days at most. Yes, it’s why I’m always able to follow you. And I’m homeschooled.”

Adrien’s frown was deepening more and more by the second. “Who are your parents, exactly? Or, I guess, who are you?”

“I’m Tim Drake.”

Drake. His eyes flicked to Jack and Janet Drake. He had talked to them a few times because they had a tendency to ask Marinette for commissions (or, at least, they did until Dick and Jason came along and kept their parents distracted for the entire time they were there). Still, he hadn’t even known that they had a kid…

Jason suddenly tugged on his arm, pulling Adrien’s attention back to him.

“Dad, it looks like Dickwad and Mom are wanting to go.”

He frowned and looked up to find that, yes, Marinette had managed to catch Dick and was now waving for their attention from the door.

He winced and looked back over at the kid. “Tim…”

Jason tugged harder on his arm. “Dad, let’s go.”

Adrien gave an apologetic look but allowed Jason to pull him out the door.

The silence in the car was deafening that night, everyone lost in their thoughts.

~

Marinette was now constantly fighting the urge to punch someone.

Why are all cops just… the absolute worst? Sure, some of them aren’t directly beating up the teenagers that are brought in for information or planting evidence, but they weren’t exactly saying anything about it.

And then there was the fact that she’d been paired with Officer Ross.

Really, she should have expected it. She’d known that his partner had recently passed away in the field, and that he would need another.

If she’d known that she’d have ended up the lucky officer, she would have said fuck it to the whole trying something new thing and just gone after Agoura’s head like normal.

Now she’d gotten too far to just give up...

Didn’t mean she wasn’t going to be bitter about it.

As a way to vent her anger, she’d wanted to ask what happened to his old partner but then this stupid thing called ‘morals’ got in the way. Really unfortunate, because now all she could really do was glare at the stack of paperwork that she was being forced to make a digital copy for over her cup of coffee.

She felt an arm rest on her shoulder and cursed internally. She forced a smile to her face as she looked up to see…

Dick. Oh, thank the kwamis.

Marinette grinned. “Hey, sweetie, how did finals go?”

“I don’t want to jinx it.”

She hummed her understanding and moved on. “No problems?”

Dick gave a tiny shrug. “There was a few problems, there was a really annoying kid next to me that apparently still hasn’t learned how to breathe through his nose, but… they actually listened to the doctors and gave me extra time, so that’s good.”

She got up and wrapped him in a hug. “So, out of college officially. How’s it feel?”

He hugged her back, absolutely beaming. “If I passed.”

She clicked her tongue. “Right. But, let’s say you did. Then you’re out.”

“Then I’m out!” He said, pulling back and resting his hands on his hips. “Now all I have to do is find a job.”

“How horrible,” she said sarcastically.

“Yeah. Speaking of horrible jobs, wanna leave?”

“I do, but I have to finish this.” She sat back down and pulled up the daunting task in front of her. She had to type up another few pages and she was not eager to do so. Still, the commissioner had asked to get her email by the end of her shift and, if Dick was here, she was already behind. “I’ll need around an hour, I think.”

He groaned and pulled out his phone.

She smiled faintly and went back to working.

Or, at least, she tried to.

Officer Ross was talking to Dick.

“So, you’re her kid?”

“One of two!”

Ross laughed. “Tell me, is she always so angry at home?”

“Not really. Our family doesn’t really get angry in general, at least not at home. I think we all vent our anger at work, though.”

“Hm. Weird.”

Dick gave a tiny shrug.

“So, just graduated, then?”

“Mhmm! I just finished law school! I’m gonna be a lawyer!”

Ross’s eyes narrowed a little bit. “A lawyer, huh? Are you going to be the one doing the persecuting or defending?”

“Um…” said Dick, who seemed to be just now remembering that cops and lawyers didn’t exactly get along if the way his smile was dropping was any indication. He looked to the side and brought a smile to his face again. “Persecuting. I’m on your side. It would be kind of embarrassing to go against my mom in court, don’t you think?”

He relaxed, nodding. “Good.”

They lapsed into an awkward silence after that and Marinette was finally able to concentrate…

For the two seconds of silence she got before Commissioner Gordon walked over to ask her when she’d be done.

She fought the urge to bang her head on the desk.

She turned around, about to throw Officer Ross under the bus, but it turned out she didn’t need to.

Because then his daughter showed up with some dinner for him.

Gordon turned around to greet her. Thank kwami, finally something was going right. Hopefully he’d forget about what he was doing (he was old, after all) and she’d have until he was back at his desk before he remembered. She’d have around half an hour.

Not enough time to do well but she could probably get away with it because she was still a relatively new hire...

She managed to hit send the second the commissioner turned away from his daughter and slumped in her chair. It wasn’t on time but at least she’d done it.

She looked at her empty coffee cup and clicked her tongue. She glanced at Dick. “I’ll be right back, I’m getting some of the free coffee before I go.”

“Didn’t you say it was awful?”

“Yeah but it’s free.”

“... we’re rich.”

“And?”

Dick grinned. “Whatever. Go ahead. I’ve waited this long.”

She sent him a wave and then disappeared to the break room, clocking out on the way.

When she came back out she found Dick flirting with the commissioner's daughter. She would have been proud if that wasn’t, y’know, her boss’s daughter oh my god she was screwed she was going to lose her job and then the mission would be compromised and --.

She practically ran over to sling her arm around her kid.

(She didn’t actually run, she had a mug of coffee in her hand and she thought that was much more important than any mission, but she was close to it.)

“Sweetie! Hi! We should be getting home, it’s your celebration-dinner-thingy-can’t-remember-the-English-word -- PARTY tonight! I can’t keep you any longer or there won’t be time to bake the cake.”

Dick gave her a bit of side-eye and she gave him a smile in return.

“But…”

Barbara laughed a little. “Go ahead. It’s cake, you can’t just pass up on cake.” She smiled. “Congrats on whatever it is, Dick.”

He looked to the side, smiling. “Thanks. I’d invite you because my mom’s a great baker… but it’s kind of a family thing.”

Barbara shrugged. “It’s fine. I doubt that my dad would be too thrilled about me getting lured into a house with cake, anyways. It’s not that far off from getting lured into the car with candy.” She broke into a grin. “Promise to bring some of her cake by sometime?”

“Sure. I’ll be by tomorrow with as much as I can save.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Dick finally allowed Marinette to pull him out of the police station, sending Barbara a wave over his shoulder long after she was out of view.

She clicked her tongue as they climbed into the car. “If I lose my job it’s on you.”

“Who knows, the commissioner might be mad at you because you got between us. Depends on what kind of dad he is.” His face split into a fox-like grin. “Besides, you should be thanking me. I just got us a backup plan. If you get fired, knowing the commissioner’s daughter would be useful.”

Marinette hummed thoughtfully. “Smart.”

“Thanks, I have my moments.”

“Yeah, ‘moments’ is definitely the word for it.”

He gasped and took a hand off the wheel to give her shoulder a tiny shove. “Rude!”

She just laughed.

~

It was inevitable that it would happen at some point, but that doesn’t mean that they were happy about it.

Adrien had made a stupid mistake.

He had been alone on patrol. It had been a standard street fight, after all.

He’d seen the flash of Tim’s camera out of the corner of his eyes and looked up at the wrong time. Now he had a bullet in his shoulder, his staff was rolling across the floor, and he’d had to duck for cover behind a car to ensure that the one bullet didn’t turn to twenty.

So the night was already going great.

But then he realized that some of the people had also noticed the flash going off and were now going to investigate.

His day just kept getting better.

He pulled out his phone.

ChatoNoir: H! E8th, Eads. LW, 1?C-K.

HelmetRights: I’m close I’ll help

He breathed out a sigh of relief. His miraculous was the most useful for situations like this.

He brought a hand to his shoulder and flinched a little bit. He had a few minutes before he bled out.

Adrien slowly poked his head around the car. They were all distracted fighting each other...

Good?

He slowly reached out and pulled a nearby body over to him and peeled their shirt off. He needed it more than them right now, anyways. He bandaged his wound and then looked around again, this time searching the ground for his staff.

Ah. It was pretty much in the exact center of all the fighting. Fun.

How about no?

He looked around wildly for inspiration. What to do, what to do, what to do…

He ran out from behind the car and made his way over to the building where he had last seen Tim’s flash. The gang members would likely be there for a while, probably until Jason could come over, and Tim’s situation would get worse by the second. Hopefully the kid had enough sense to hide…

He stepped inside the old office building. Abandoned, probably, there was a thin coating of dust on everything and the only light in the place was a result of the sunlight streaming in through open windows.

He listened in for anyone and winced when he heard a metallic clang above him. He ran up the stairs and looked around.

A kid… was trying to fight… five fully grown gang members…

It was going about as well as you’d expect.

Would it kill people to have even a scrap of common sense?

He flinched when he heard a bone crunch.

Adrien grabbed the nearest desk lamp and looked around. He hooked it around a light and tested the strength…

Not great.

Whatever, he was already injured.

He heard a gunshot outside and breathed a sigh of relief. Jason, probably.

Hopefully...

The gang members looked up at the sound and Adrien took his chance, pressing his hand to the floor and mumbling a Cataclysm.

Black webbed along the floor and it crumbled beneath everyone.

He swung over and grabbed Tim from thin air. Much like he’d expected, the cord snapped under their combined weight and they were in free fall. Adrien pulled the kid to his stomach and flipped them around in the air to make sure he was the only one to actually hit the ground.

Adrien hit the floor and tried not to think about the piece of rubble now lodged in his back and the way the bullet in his shoulder was definitely displaced now and he was bleeding faster and OW.

He released his grip on Tim so his claws wouldn’t dig into him and rested his head back on the cold floor.

“You alright, Tim?”

“Not really.”

He wheezed out a laugh. “Same here.”

He felt Tim shift his weight on top of him and winced mentally at the rubble digging into him, and looked over. It was dark, the sunlight had been clouded by the dust drawn up by the collapse of the second floor. He didn’t know if Tim could see but that was fine. Adrien could.

He slowly pushed himself up and looked for any sign of movement.

He could see a couple of the gang members stirring. He shook his head a little bit and rested a hand on top of Tim’s head. “Stay. I’ll be back.”

“I’m not a dog.”

“Don’t care. Stay. Here.”

Tim looked annoyed but he sat himself down and rested his head on his hand. Adrien glanced him over. One of his legs was definitely broken and he was littered with thin cuts and bruises but he seemed otherwise fine.

Maybe his definition of ‘fine’ needed some work…

He pulled his attention back to the people that were getting up and he grabbed a nearby blunt object: a rock!

Well, a piece of the floor, but it was pretty much a rock.

Adrien made his way around with his rock and made sure that everyone would stay down. He didn’t exactly aim to kill but he wasn’t exactly concerned if he ended up doing so.

After a few minutes he walked back over to Tim and he slowly helped him to his feet, letting him sling an arm over him for support as he helped him walk out.

Jason was outside, checking bodies for extra bullets.

He looked up and frowned. “You look awful.”

“Thanks. I have a photoshoot tomorrow and I was really hoping that I would like ‘awful’ for it.”

“No problem.” His eyes found their way to Tim and he rolled his eyes. “So, what, are you adopting him, now?”

Tim frowned. “I… have parents.”

“Barely,” muttered Adrien.

“Mom will kill you if you adopt another kid.”

“I’m not scared of Mari.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Yes, I am.”

He sighed and closed his eyes.

He didn’t just want to leave a kid in a bad situation, but Marinette had been annoyed by him adopting Jason…

He peeked an eye open and looked at the kid next to him.

“I have a plan.”

“Oh no,” mumbled Jason.

Adrien looked at Tim. “Would you like to live with us?”

Tim thought for a minute, then shrugged. “It would be cool to actually have someone in the house with me.”

“Oh no,” Jason mumbled again, starting to mess with his rings.

Adrien broke into a grin.

“Awesome. Let’s get you home.”

~

Marinette noticed Tim the moment she walked into the kitchen.

She gave her husband a tired look. “Please tell me you didn’t adopt another one.”

“I didn’t. He has parents, I can’t adopt him.”

Her eyes found Dick’s for confirmation. He gave a small shrug.

She relaxed a little bit. “Good. Why’s he here?”

“He got hurt stalking me, his leg’s all busted up.”

Tim showed her his leg and she winced. They’d set it back into place but all the bandages said that it couldn’t have been a nice experience.

“Sorry about that, sweetie, do you want a cake or something? I can make one.”

Tim smiled. “No, thank you.”

Marinette, who had already been pulling out pans, gave him a confused look. She slowly put the pans back. “Oh… okay.”

“I have a dietician. She’d kill me if I went too far off,” he explained. “But I’ve heard good things about your baking.”

She nodded slowly. “Right.”

Adrien met her eyes hesitantly and she knew that whatever he was going to say she wasn’t going to like it.

“I’m going to train him in self-defense.”

She clicked her tongue. She knew what that meant by now. “You are not making this random child a vigilante. It’s bad enough when we let our own kids do it, he isn’t ours.”

Adrien held up his hands. “He got hurt stalking us. I just don’t want a repeat. I won’t give him a miraculous, okay?”

She frowned suspiciously but nodded that he could do that.

Adrien visibly relaxed.

Marinette took in the bandaging on her husband and she frowned. “How bad is it?”

“Uh… one bullet to the shoulder and some shrapnel got me in the back. Not that bad.”

She nodded and leaned over, pressing a kiss to his lips. “No patrol for a month.”

“But --.”

“No.”

He pouted a little bit but nodded. “Fine. I can still help this kid learn self-defense, though, right?”

She considered this for a minute and then nodded. “Since you’re teaching basics you’re not going to be doing much physically… so, yes. But get help from someone if you want to do anything strenuous.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah.”

Marinette hummed lightly. She glanced at the time. She had a few hours to patrol before Dick confirmed she hadn’t slept in a few days and came to physically knock her out…

She started up the coffee machine.

(Dick narrowed his eyes in the background and started trying to remember when the last time she’d gone to sleep was.)

“Ew, you drink coffee?” Said Tim.

Marinette slowly turned on him, her eyes narrowing. “It keeps you awake.”

Adrien and Dick looked hopeful, probably thinking that Tim would make her realize her caffeine addiction and tendency not to sleep was unhealthy.

And then he spoke: “Sure, but have you tried energy drinks? They taste better and have sugar.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Not enough caffeine.”

“You haven’t found Bam, then. Once you get past their political donations they’re GREAT. A 16 ounce can has almost three times as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.”

The other guys went pale.

She broke into a wide grin. “I like you.”

“This was a mistake,” mumbled Adrien.

“Yep! C’mon, Tim, we’re going to the store. I'll help you walk.”

~

Listen, opening a portal to a pocket dimension wasn’t easy… but he was perfectly willing to do it for his kid.

No. His soon-to-be kid. His wife still hadn’t said yes.

No. His soon-to-be younger housemate. Tim still had legal parents.

Whatever.

It was good, too, the portal was hidden to the naked eye for everyone but him, so there was no worries of Marinette finding out too early.

(Unless she just decided to randomly lean against the wall in the hallway.)

And, as far as pocket dimensions go, it was decent. Empty outside of a few things that Tim had brought over from his house and a lot smaller than any other room in the house... but decent. It didn’t have a single monster living in it, that’s pretty good by pocket dimension standards.

Jason and Dick had both complained when they realized that Tim got a room of his own, even though they knew the circumstances. Adrien was forced to make another.

Was Adrien a little worried that the dimension that they were currently in would become unstable if he opened two portals in close proximity to each other? Yes. But it didn’t collapse on them when he did it, so it’s all good.

There had been a monster in that one.

Adrien was going to be feeling that bite on his arm for the next few years, he thought.

But, hey, at least now everyone had their own rooms. And all the boys seemed happier for it.

Well, Jason still seemed a little annoyed that there was now another kid in the house and Dick was clearly anxious that Marinette would find out and get mad at them and Tim was clearly struggling to understand the whole ‘no longer an only child that lives mostly alone and therefore needs to at least wear pants around the house’ thing, but shhhhhhh avoiding problems is the Agreste forte.

Yes, even Tim Drake was in the practice of avoiding problems.

Adrien figured that if he adopted enough kids eventually one of them would have a good coping mechanism and they could steal that.

But, until then, avoiding problems would have to work.

~

A routine was forming, and she hated it.

She’d go to work for a large part of the day, and then get picked up by Dick. She’d spend about two hours in the break room drinking the free coffee and scrolling through her phone so her son could chat up the commissioner’s daughter. She’d grab him by the arm with some vague excuse about how they needed to get home. She’d get dropped off at random places in Gotham and start on patrols. She’d get home early in the morning and chug another few cans of Bam with Tim.

Then she’d start it all over again.

But she’d hated it more when the routine was suddenly broken.

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and nearly tore the file she was looking through in half in her surprise. It surely couldn’t be time for Dick to pick her up yet…

She looked over at her computer for the time and her eyes caught the reflection of Barbara on the black screen.

Marinette slowly turned around. “Hey.”

“Can I talk with you in private?”

She tried not to tense up. Most of the time when people say that you’re in trouble. She didn’t want to get in trouble with the boss’s daughter.

“Mhmm!” She handed the file over to Ross to hold onto and then followed Barbara down a few halls and up to the roof. She sent Tikki out to check for people and relaxed a little bit when the kwami shook their head no. Maybe this could just be about Dick --.

“Do you not like me?”

She blanked. “Huh? I… what? No. Do you think I’d stay after to let my son flirt with you every day if I didn’t?”

“No, but then I have to question why you always cut us short.”

“We have stuff to do at home.”

She shrugged. “But you hardly ever go home.”

Marinette took a cautious step back. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you and Dick never seem to go the same way twice when you leave.”

“You watch that?”

She shrugged again. “Of course. At first I thought it had something to do with traffic or errands, but then why would you always list a home activity?”

“Because what we do at our house is none of your concern,” said Marinette.

Barbara smiled. “You know, I work at the library.”

She tried not to frown at the change of subject. It was weird, but at least it had moved away from where she went at night.

“Alright.”

“I know your other son, Jason. He comes by pretty frequently with his dad.”

“Alright.”

“Want to tell me why he and I have had long conversations about how we hate cops?”

Marinette wanted to punch something. Still, she forced a smile. “It’s perfectly normal for kids to take opposite stances about things than their parents. Just like you and your dad.”

“Sure, but then why do you act like you hate cops?”

Wow. Even the commissioner's daughter knew she hated being a cop. She really needed to brush up on her acting skills… or get new ones. She didn’t know if she’d ever been good at acting.

“Listen, I know you’re planning to take this place down, I’m not stupid. I won’t rat you out, I want in.”

Well, that was a development.

Marinette narrowed her eyes slightly. “Really? Why should I trust you?”

“Because I’m dating your son, maybe?”

“YOU’RE DATING?!”

“YOU DIDN’T KNOW?!”

Both women immediately pulled out their phones and started texting Dick. Nothing bonds people better than anger and they were both ready to kill.

MA: come to the precinct please

#1Sweetie: kjsklfjdskfjdks does this have anything to do with barbara texting me at the same time

MA: yes

#1Sweetie: i’ll be right there

MA: were on the roof

Dick deleted and then retyped his message four times before sending:

#1Sweetie: fun can’t wait

For someone who ‘can’t wait’ he sure took his sweet time, though.

Now, if it was only Marinette that was mad, it probably would have just blown over. However, Barbara wasn’t an Agreste. She actually knew how to deal with problems.

When Dick finally managed to get up to the roof, he found the two women glaring at him.

“So, care to explain why you didn’t tell me you were dating Barbara?” Marinette said with a bright smile.

Dick looked to the side and then brought a smile to his face. “I was just waiting for the right time to announce it.”

They both shared skeptical looks and then looked back at him.

“Okay, fine. It’s because I didn’t want to be the one to bring another person into the house, Mari would’ve killed me.”

Marinette accepted that answer. Fair enough. She would have. If Marinette and Adrien not had jobs they might have been able to keep up with three (and a half including Tim, who was around enough because of his stalking and self-defense lessons for her to somewhat count him) other people in their house, but she doubted that they could fully parent three kids with both their civilian and vigilante jobs.

Dick relaxed a little and walked over to the women, taking a seat in front of them. “Are we alright?”

They both gave him nods, then gave each other wary looks.

Marinette glanced at the time. “I’ll be back to talk more about this after work. Meet us at the car?”

A few hours later, they all filed into the car. Dick and Barbara took the back seat and Marinette angled her mirror to watch them just in case.

“Right, where are you on your investigation?” Asked Barbara.

“She knows --?”

“Yep, you’re behind, sweetie.” Marinette glanced at the mirror and found Dick messing with a rubix cube and Barbara listening intently. “Right now we’re searching for proof of corruption in the police force. The higher up I can get the easier it will be to actually have people prosecuted.”

“... are you having any trouble with getting proof?”

She shrugged. “Unfortunately. It’s not like they document when they let someone go and it’s way too easy to claim that people were all bloody before they got there.”

Barbara frowned. “Take pictures.”

“Cops are stupid, but they’re not that stupid. If I take out a camera they’re going to notice.”

“Write it down yourself, then.”

“It’s my word against theirs.”

Barbara groaned. Marinette could relate. She’d been struggling to find any kind of proof that wouldn’t immediately be traced back to her for over a month now.

And all she needed was proof, really. She knew that Barbara’s dad, at least, wasn’t a bad cop. He was just, somehow, painfully unaware of the corruption in his precinct. If given proof of a person’s corruption he would, at the very least, fire them.

“Doesn’t help that the kind of people that the police let go are usually killed by one of the vigilantes before they get to the police,” added Dick.

“And, even if we were the kind of people that vigilantes talked to, it’s not like they could stop killing those people without everyone getting suspicious.”

“... I’m beginning to think this might be impossible.”

She gave a quiet laugh. “Yeah. Probably.” She pulled up in her driveway and blinked a few times. “Um… sorry for kidnapping you.”

“It’s cool, I wanted to ask Jason about some of his books.”

“Are they overdue?”

Barbara smiled. “Yep. I need to know if he lost it or if I should just recheck it out for him.”

Marinette nodded absently. “Cool. Dick, drive her home when she’s done? I need to go grocery shopping.”

She waved at them and then got out of the car, tossing the keys to Dick without either of them glancing over. With that, she head off for patrols.

~

Adrien blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing this.

Dick had a girlfriend. Who was the commissioner's daughter. Who was also a librarian at the library that he and Jason frequented.

And she knew about the whole ‘trying to take down random people in the police force so Marinette can advance and prosecute people properly’ thing.

But not the vigilante thing. The vigilante thing was too far, apparently.

He needed to sit down for a minute.

Adrien pulled a knee to his chest from his spot on the counter.

Jason had been the most blunt: “Did dad adopt you, too?”

“I have parents.”

“That didn’t stop him from adopting Tim.”

“I’m also dating your brother, that would mess things up.”

Jason relaxed a little bit when he realized that Adrien wouldn’t adopt her… and then he laughed. “Wait, you’re dating Dickwad?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you had taste.”

Barbara and Jason grinned at each other, much to Dick’s annoyance.

“Adrien! They’re being rude!” He complained.

He shrugged absently. “I don’t control them.”

“You can control Jason! He’s your kid! Take away his trust fund or something!”

“WAIT WHAT NO --.”

Adrien cut him off by laughing. “That would be funny but I doubt Mari would be alright with that.”

Tim walked in with a can of Bam and some instant coffee mix. Everyone watched in horror as he started pouring the Bam into the water part of the coffee maker.

“Hey, Timmy, whatcha doing?” Asked Adrien, despite being very sure he did not want to hear the answer.

Tim looked up. “Experiment.”

“I thought you didn’t like the taste of coffee, though…”

“It’ll be worth it for the extra caffeine.”

Jason laughed a little bit. “You’re going to die. Go ahead, though, I want to see it happen.”

Dick and Adrien met eyes. They needed to destroy that thing and also maybe find a way to block Marinette and Tim from getting to the store.

They nodded at each other before getting to work pulling Tim away from his creation.

~

Marinette hummed as she finished off the fourth cake she’d baked and decorated with a flourish.

She started washing the dishes she’d just used because she had run out of free pans to bake with and she couldn’t restart until they were washed.

Dick groaned from the doorway, holding his head as he slowly made his way inside.

“Good morning, sweetie.”

He groaned again and then apparently caught sight of the cakes on the table. He frowned a little bit. “Um…”

“I made a vanilla cake for you. It’s the one with the buttercream flowers.”

Dick hesitated for a minute before shrugging and sitting down with the cake. “Thanks, mom, but are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“... mom… as much as I love your cakes, you only bake this much when you’re stressed.”

She clicked her tongue. “Sweetie… I doubt you’ll be able to think of a solution if Adrien, Barbara, and I couldn’t think of something.”

“You went to Barbara and not me? Come on! At least let me try.”

She doubted that he could be of any help but whatever. If she told him and he couldn’t come up with something then he’d leave the subject alone, and if he came up with something then they’d have a solution. Win-win. Kinda.

“I have no clue how we’re going to get proof that people are corrupt.”

Dick thought for a minute, then shrugged. “Have someone join the mob. Any mob. There has to be at least a few moles. Take a few pictures or collect names and then take them to the commissioner.”

Marinette shook her head slowly. “Can’t, no one has enough time.”

“I do.”

“Sure, but you’re a kid and we’re not letting a kid join the mob.”

Dick huffed. “I’m twenty-three.”

“You don’t have any skills that the mob is looking for.”

“I’m a lawyer, they’d love to have me.”

“No.”

“But --!”

“NO, RICHARD!”

Dick flinched a little bit and looked down. He gave a quiet groan of irritation and pushed himself out of his chair. He took his cake to his room.

She closed her eyes. The problem would be gone by morning, but that didn’t mean that she liked that they’d fought.

She opened her eyes again and started pulling down ingredients.

~

Adrien knew that Marinette would catch on soon. It had been months since the incident, Tim was more than capable of taking care of himself. He was pretty sure the only reason that she hadn’t noticed anything was because her schedule was so messed up that she wasn’t registering time right.

He knew he should tell her but he couldn’t bring himself to. What if she kicked Tim out? What if she made him stop seeing the kid entirely? He couldn’t let that happen, the kid had gone through enough. No, he would have to wait for the perfect moment.

If she didn’t find out first.

Marinette walked into the kitchen in the morning and everyone tensed and glanced at Tim, who was casually playing a video game and definitely not learning self-defense.

Adrien sighed. Could he say he was just making sure Tim ate so he wouldn’t pass out? Would she believe that?

She walked over to the fridge and grabbed a can of Bam and then glanced back at the boys, her eyes glazed with exhaustion.

Then she gave every boy in the room a kiss on the cheek.

Yes, even Tim.

“I’ll be back after work. Are you picking me up like usual, sweetie?”

Dick blinked a few times and then stifled laughter with his hand. Once he’d managed to get his voice under control, he spoke: “Yep! I can’t wait to see Babs.”

“Gross. Right, I’m heading out.”

Everyone watched in stunned silence as she walked out.

Jason’s face soured.

And then he snapped his fingers. “I got it… HEY, MOM! YOU FORGOT THAT ROSS BROKE THE COFFEE MACHINE AT WORK!”

There was a beat.

“Jay, what the heck?” Hissed Adrien.

Marinette walked back in. “Guess who has been promoted to favorite.”

Dick gasped. “Wait, I was favorite beforehand?”

“No, Adrien was. I’m not telling you which kid was winning.”

“Hold up, I’ve been replaced as favorite over caffeine?”

Marinette nodded. She stole Tim’s laptop bag from him and then set three cans of the energy drink inside.

“Great, I’m off for real now.”

Jason slammed his head on the table, partially pulling his mother out of her stupor. “OH MY KWAMI. Mom. Tim has been living with us --.”

Adrien had clamped his hand over the kid’s mouth, but it was too late.

Marinette’s eyes slowly found their way to Tim and her face shifted from bored to angry in half a second.

He swallowed thickly. “M’lady, I can explain.”

“Please do.”

He hesitated. He hadn’t thought he’d get this far.

Her grip tightened on the strap of her bag when her phone went off in her pocket. She bit her lip and shook her head. She told her boss that she would be late because of a family matter, her eyes never leaving his.

He gave his most award-winning smile.

The kids filed out, though they both knew that they were going to just stand outside the door to listen in.

“Adrien, Tim has parents. You realize you essentially kidnapped that kid.”

“He went willingly!”

“Tell that to the cops!” She gave a bitter laugh. “Wait, you already are!”

He winced. “I know, I’m sorry. I couldn’t just leave him with his parents, though, they suck.”

Marinette clicked her tongue. “We can’t keep him. He isn’t ours and, even if he was, we hardly have the time to take care of three kids!”

“Dick can take care of himself, he’s an adult. So we’re back down to two! Actually, he can help take care of Tim, too, so less than two!”

“Remember when we said we wouldn’t have any?!”

“But we did fine!”

She groaned. “You’re not getting my point!”

“And you’re not getting mine! We can’t just leave that kid to suffer!”

“He’d suffer if he was with us, too!”

“He deserves people that love him to take care of him!”

“So does every kid on Earth! Are you going to adopt them all?!”

He rolled his eyes. “I want to but we have a limit... but this isn’t it! We’ve been doing just fine so far! He’s attached to us, we can’t just throw him out now!”

“I can’t let this one slide because I keep letting kids come in. It has to stop.”

“This is the last one,” he promised.

“I’ve heard that one before.”

“But I mean it this time.”

She scrutinized him for a long time, her lips pressed tightly together.

And then she clicked her tongue.

“Last one,” she muttered, pulling a new can from her bag and then turning. “I’ll see you after work.”

He watched her leave. He should say something, he should call her back and apologize, he should at least admit that what he was doing was wrong…

The front door slammed.

He slowly fell back into a chair and rested his face in his hands… only to realize it was wet. How long had he been crying? He breathed out a sigh.

He could feel eyes on him. He peeked between his fingers and saw the kids standing in the doorway, mouths slightly agape. He wiped his face on his sleeve and brought a smile back to his face.

Jason messed with his rings as he turned around and walked to his room.

“You didn’t want kids?” Asked Dick quietly.

His smile slid from his face.

“Not exactly. We wanted kids, but we figured we’d never be able to have them. I’m sorry it came out that way.”

Dick relaxed a little bit.

Adrien pushed himself up and walked over to Tim, resting a hand on top of his head.

“Right, welcome to the family, officially.”

~

Marinette rested her head on her desk.

“Um…?” Began Ross.

“Don’t. I’m not in the mood.”

“Okay.”

She heard his fingers get back to work on his keyboard and closed her eyes.

She’d officially hit a wall. What she needed was to get her hands on the security camera’s footage but she knew that they simply turned off the cameras when they let someone go.

Her mind wandered to Tim.

She bit her lip and sat up, pulling up a new tab and searching up “Haly’s Circus Dick Grayson” but, to her surprise, she found that any footage of her son during his time there had been scrubbed clean.

So, the kid had been telling the truth?

Well, he might be able to fix her current problem…

And, honestly, she was pretty much desensitized to the idea of a kid vigilante at this point. Partially because their family was up to four people who started being vigilantes as kids and partially because Dick and Jason had saved Marinette and Adrien quite a few times.

Besides, like it or not Tim was in the family now. That’s pretty much the main requirement, it seems.

That night she approached Tim about hacking.

“Right, what exactly would you need to hack into the police station security cameras?”

He frowned. “Probably a new computer that isn’t linked to me as a person. And I’d probably need to be inside the security room for a while, or at least the building.”

She thought about this for a minute and nodded. “Okay. I can get you that. Anything else?”

“Can I have a miraculous?”

She waved her hand vaguely. “Yeah, I was going to give you one anyways so we don’t have to do as much to delete footage… I was thinking the horse miraculous. Then you could get in and out of rooms pretty easily.”

“Cool. What are we trying to do, anyways?”

“Keep them from turning off the cameras when they need to do…” She trailed off, pursing her lips tightly. She knew this kid was around thirteen or fourteen, surely he knew all the kinds of things that went down at the GCPD, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. “... stuff.”

Tim nodded slightly. “I can do that, but I’d need to hide some kind of generator in the room. They might be unplugging the cameras to turn them off, I’d need to change some plugs around.”

“Great.”

They clinked their cans of energy drink together in a sort of toast.

~

Adrien should have expected something to go wrong.

Barbara and Dick had convinced the commissioner to go out to eat with them. Dick was now stressed for two reasons: the mission and the fact that he was officially meeting the parents.

Marinette had cleared a good amount of the precinct by offering to buy drinks. Even if her relationship with the precinct was… less than friendly, few people said no to free drinks paid for by the richest person there. This was mostly just to make sure people weren’t going to do overtime.

And Jason had drawn away the people currently on shift by ‘accidentally’ bowling over an abandoned building while on patrols.

Now it was just up to Adrien and Tim.

There was obviously a few people still there, it would have been too much to hope that the entire place would be empty. It didn’t matter, though, no one was suspicious of them. After all, Marinette would need a ride home and it wasn’t as if he could take Tim to a bar to wait.

And no one was suspicious of the fact that Tim had quickly pulled out his computer to ‘play some games’. Adrien had pulled out his phone as well, mostly to monitor the chats and make sure everyone was doing alright but also because he was bored.

A half hour later he got a tiny tug on his sleeve and looked down to see Tim shaking his head.

Great. On to plan B.

“Does anyone know where the bathroom is?”

They transformed in the bathroom and looked at each other nervously. They’d wanted plan A to work because it wouldn’t draw any attention to the security room…

Tim opened a portal inside and they stepped through. It was only two guys, and Adrien made quick work of them. He tied them up in some spare cables he found and pushed himself back to his feet.

Tim just waved him off and opened a portal for him.

He grinned as he dropped onto the floor of the main room. He looked around casually at the ten people that were still there. One of them was in just charge of guarding the prison, but the other nine were cops.

He tipped his head from side to side, weighing his chances as the cops began pulling out their guns.

Hm. This was much scarier when they could actually see him.

“Don’t move from that spot!”

Adrien raised his eyebrows, glancing at the officer who’d said it. Officer Ross. Of course.

He gave a tiny shrug. “If you say so.”

He extended his staff and smiled when it hit the cop nearest him in the face.

Then Adrien hooked it under a desk and tossed it at Ross.

Great. Now that he had spited that guy, he swung his weapon in a wide arc and took out the lights.

He smiled brightly at the now dark room and looked around as the cops scrambled. Some had already done this before and others had heard the story, but no one was looking for a repeat except for Adrien. He extended his staff to get to the ceiling and considered the people below...

A few of them shot blindly at where he had just been, which was a terrible idea but whatever.

He made his way through the room. He wasn’t killing anyone, though it was tempting after hearing some of Marinette’s stories, just opting to their weapons and moving onto the next person.

He also maybe broke some bones in the process. It happens.

A few minutes later he started making his way back to the security room and he grinned when he saw Tim coming out. He had his laptop under his arm. They’d succeeded.

Adrien took a quick look around and spotted a security camera. “Got it?”

“No, they deleted everything,” he lied.

He forced himself to frown (it was surprisingly hard to do after years of smiling for every camera he saw). “Dang. Guess we’ll need a new plan then. Let’s get home.”

Tim opened a portal back to the bathroom and they detransformed. They waited a few minutes before Adrien slowly peeked his head out the door. He held Tim behind him protectively as they walked through the precinct.

They got to the main room and found everyone groaning. A few of them had found flashlights or had turned on computers for lights.

“Is everyone okay? I heard gunshots!” Said Adrien, frowning.

Officer Ross, whose arm was bent at an odd angle, gave the kindest smile he could. “It’s fine, we just had a vigilante come by. It seems like everything is done, now, though.”

Adrien nodded a little bit.

“Good. Everything’s done.”

~

Marinette was one of ten people who didn’t get a jail sentence.

Now, she eyed the two-weeks notice on her desk. No one would be suspicious if she decided to leave. Fifty people had gone to jail, no one wants to stick around to see if they’re next.

Commissioner Gordon had resigned, too. Something about how he was disgusted about being so blind.

She bit her lip as she sat there at her desk, her computer on a How To video on quitting if you technically had no boss. Unfortunately, it seemed that she had phrased the question wrong because now it was telling her how to shut down a sole proprietorship.

“Agreste?”

She paused the video and looked up, her head tipping to the side as she took the man in. She knew that she knew him from somewhere, but her brain couldn’t seem to place a name to the face. “That’s me.”

“Could I speak to you alone for a minute?”

“Uh… sure. I’d love to.”

“I was thinking the roof? That’s a pretty private place, don’t you think?”

She pursed her lips tightly. She did not like where this was going in the slightest. “Well, sometimes people take their smoke break up there --.”

“Don’t worry, I know there’s no one up there.”

“Oh. Great.”

“Isn’t it?”

She nodded, letting him lead the way to the roof.

Her hand dipped into her back pocket and she cursed herself out mentally when she realized it was still on her desk. She wondered if she could get away with asking to go back for it. Somehow, she doubted it.

Marinette closed the door behind them.

She smiled at the man. “You wanted to talk?”

“I don’t think you’re stupid, Agreste.” He turned and flashed her a blinding smile. “Why don’t you guess what’s going on?”

“Well… I assume I’m in trouble,” she said carefully. Her eyes searched nearby rooftops and windows. “And that you have at least one person around that could kill me, probably a sniper since you chose a rooftop and not an alley.”

“Correct!” He said. He turned away from her and started pacing around. “What do you think you’re in trouble for?”

She hummed as if in thought. “You seem to be the one asking all the questions. Mind if I at least know who you are?”

“I asked you a question first.”

She forced a tiny laugh. “Sure, but no one likes admitting when they do things wrong. Besides, what if I fess up to the wrong thing? Then I have two reasons for you to want to kill me.”

“Just. Guess.”

Hm…

He couldn’t know about her being Ladybug, they’d done too much to make sure no one knew her identity. No one outside of Dick had ever done anything that could be traced back to them, and all that footage was gone from the internet forever.

Then what could he have found out about?

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

He scrutinized her face for a minute before frowning and shaking his head. “Agoura.”

“Huh?”

“My name. It’s Antony Agoura.”

Oh. Oh fuck.

Well, at least now she knew where she’d seen him before?

He folded his hands in front of him, smiling at her. “I see you know me.”

“Of course I do.”

He nodded. “Good. Now, I want to ask you a question.”

“Another one?” She said quietly.

“Mhmm. I’d like to know if you think I’m stupid.”

“Of course not.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “You know, the day that Chat Noir bust into the police station was odd.”

“I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t there.”

“Yep! Odd, don’t you think? Someone who previously didn’t get along with her coworkers suddenly decides to take them all out for free drinks. That same night, her son takes the commissioner out to dinner. The precinct was almost completely empty thanks to your family.”

Great. That was why that was plan B. She was screwed.

She nodded slightly, her throat tightening. “You don’t say…”

“And, on top of that, the vigilantes were acting weird! I mean, they were all set on distracting people and keeping them as far away as possible!”

“That’s… odd.”

“Mhmm!” He smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. “An interesting coincidence, don’t you think?”

She nodded again, fighting the urge to shrug him off. “Yeah.”

He steered her to the door. “I’d like to congratulate you on your promotion, by the way.”

“The…?”

“Being commissioner is such an honor!”

She scoffed. “You couldn’t get away with that. I’m the newest person here, it’s too suspicious.”

“You think?”

“Yeah --.”

He opened the door and she fought the urge to flinch at all the cameras suddenly flashing in her face.

“Congratulations!”

“How do you feel about being the first commissioner of asian descent?”

Her eyes widened. Oh. So, it turns out Agoura definitely could get away with that.

She glanced to the side to see the cops who had been there longer clapping with sarcastic smiles on their faces. “Congrats!” Said one in a tone that definitely said that she was dead.

The mob boss moved his grip to hug her to his side, smiling brightly and waving at the press.

“Smile for the cameras, Agreste.”

~~~

Taglist

@i-am-ironic @nathleigh @mialuvscats @golden-promises @sassakitty @deathwishy @toodaloo-kangaroo @ladythugs @moonlightstar64 @dahjokester @jjmjjktth

[cloudy-coyote]

Necessity

(A/N): Hi! It’s been a while. Hope you like the chapter!! Leave a comment if you do (if you want to) image is not mine i found it on google. Also learned all my information about police procedure from tv lol so I’m sure it’s a bit inaccurate my apologies. 

xoxo.

Ch. 6 Inconclusive

"Wait, are you guys going?"

"Well, we have a theory," Sam answers.

He's at the couch, picking up his discarded jacket. Dean doing the same.

"A theory?" She repeats.

"If we're right, we know where your necklace is."

Of course. That waitress must've taken it. Where else would've it gone? But, does that mean the necklace killed her? She feels a cold shiver run up her spine.

Even though the police radio said homicide, not animal attack, she's not an idiot. She can put two and two together. The necklace has to be the source of all this chaos.

Eva's nearly died 2 times. She thinks of Marlene in this exact moment. She visions her bright, blue eyes now lifeless. The idea that that could've been her—Eva, dead on the ground. The thought deepens in the pit of her stomach. It slithers down her throat and makes her nauseous.

She looks to Sam. His large hands unlock a little metal box. He shuffles around in the masses of what looks like ID cards.

She looks to Dean. She sees his cold eyes trained on the disengaged pistol in his hands, loading it.

And then she finally looks to the room. She observes the same mess of papers scattered around. But she also notices nothing else. No guns, no other people.

She'd be dammed if she didn't go with them. What's she gonna do all by herself? Sit and drown in silence? She knows for a fact that the moment she's alone, there will be nothing to stop the fears, thoughts, doubts and miserable heartbreak from flooding her mind. Not to mention, she'd be dead meat if she was attacked again. Screw the aching bones and pulsing wounds.

"Here we go," She grumbles to herself as she rotates her body to the end of the bed.

Slowly, and very reluctantly, she lowers her legs to the ground.

"Woah woah woah," Dean puts a hand out, halting her in place.

His green eyes were aimed straight at hers. The look emitting almost a parental scold.

"And where do you think you're going, missy?"

She narrows her eyes. She knows what he's trying to say, and she doesn't want to have it. "Umm...with you guys?" Her voice drips with sarcasm.

"Oh, I don't think so," Dean laughs, "Take a look at yourself."

"What exactly am I looking for?"

"I don't know, maybe the fact that you're crippled...or that you're frickin' kid,"

"First of all, I'm 18. Second, I'm fine. "

"Oh really? Why don't we just toss you out the car and see how fast you can run with those broken legs?"

The tips of her ears turn a furious red. She does not have the energy to put up with this after what she's been through all night---or actually, all day.

These last 24 hours she's been through hell and he wants to leave her here? Are you kidding me? Does this man only think for himself? I mean, it's not like she's asking to run in guns blazing fighting whatever type of monsters they fight. She just doesn't want to be by herself!

The elder Winchester holds his ground. His face was slightly entertained due to her silence. He took it as a win. She wanted to smack his stupid confident smirk right off. But, she couldn't for the life of her, calm down and come up with a smart retaliation. The only thing she could think about was his bullish ignorance.

"Uh-Dean," Sam cuts in.

Both Eva's and his brother's eyes reluctantly glance toward him. He stands by the coffee table, gently cleaning out his own pistol and loading it.

"Just a few minutes ago she was on our asses for leaving her at the hospital. Just a suggestion, but maybe we should take her with us?"

"You're not even wearing your fed suits. I wouldn't look out of place!" She adds desperately.

"Sweetheart, you're not goin' anywhere outside these motel walls, capeesh? "

"No! No capeesh," She exclaims, "She has my necklace, I deserve to go. I mean, this is my life we're talking about here! That--that could've been me on the police scanner."

"Exactly! That's why you're staying here, where it's safe."

"No, I'm staying with you two, where it's actually safe."

"Well, sweetheart, doesn't really sound like you're asking," His voice a dangerous tone, his eyes narrowing.

"Never was, sweetheart." She spits back.

Just as Dean takes a threatening step closer to her. About to hand her ass to her, and then some. Sam jumps up from the table.

"Listen, Eva, it's fine. You're coming with us, just stay in the car, okay?" His hazel eyes connect with hers. She nods at his offer, happy with his understanding.

He turns to his brother.

"And really, Dean? Arguing with a teenager?"

"She started it!"

"Right, and I'm the kid."

~~

Dean's hand turns the keys and the soft hum of the Impala shuts off. Sam gives his brother an I.D, Sturon Hometech Security. He's quick to stick it in his wallet.

Eva looks out the window as the boys begin to discuss some details. It was a fairly long drive here. So by the time they arrived, there was a multitude of civilians piled around the street. They were held off by officers and police tape of course, but she could hear the nervous chatter from inside the car.

She saw that the street was eerily dark. The only illumination coming from the blue and red flashers. You could see little dots of yellow in the horizon of porch lights being flicked on, a single lightbulb brightening up the patio. This incident seemed to have shocked the neighborhood for sure, she could tell that much.

The cold, night air blows harshly against the glass windows. And despite there being nothing open, with the car off she begins to feel a chill.

"-You think you could turn the car on for me?"

Sam pauses, mid-sentence. He clenches his jaw and lowers his gaze toward Eva.

They didn't know what to expect walking in there. Everything from this case is becoming less and less predictable. And realistically speaking, it's becoming less and less 'huntable'.

He'd hate to say it, but his fears of dying are weighing out his usual feelings of compassion for helping victims. Not to mention, neither he or Dean know what the hell is going on with these "psychic visions".  Or why this Demon came after all the children like him. To say the least...he's on edge.

Sam answers before even giving Dean the opportunity to open his mouth.

"Sure," He turns back to the girl. His eyes were stern and his tone was short, "Stay in the car."

The last thing he needs right now is for her to be wandering around. Her life is important, of course, like any other human's. But her relevance to solving this case... that's much more critical. They lose her, they lose any chance of ganking this thing. With a harsh tug of his hair, he takes in a deep breath and leaves the car.

He's...tense, she thinks to herself.

She nods slowly to Dean, indicating she'll stay inside. Dean turns the engine on and leaves the car without a word. The abrasive shut of the door stinging loud in her ears.

She releases a big sigh, welcoming the overwhelming scent of leather, "Silence, again."

As soon as the boys leave the Impala, they're met with the cool, midnight wind.

"So, what were you saying?" Dean looks to his brother. They make their way towards the crowd and blaring police lights.

He clears his throat, "Earlier, I was looking into local missing persons and I read about this guy named Viktor Judoc,"

"He went missing on April 5th, 1994. Which at the time I didn't think anything of it until I realized that was the same day Eva was attacked, only a whole different year,"

"And get this," he reached into his pocket and pulls out a small piece of paper, "He was a professor at Bartley University, last seen in the history building during a heavy storm."

"Well, it sure does match up."

"Also, Eva said there was no record of her family or herself existing here. I think that professor might be our only overlap."

"Whether or not he is, it's some type of lead."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Sammy with a guy named Viktor, we're bound to find out some nasty business," Dean snorts. He looks back again to his brother and sees him sigh heavily.

"Look, we'll figure this out, okay?"

"Yeah," Sam laughs dryly.

The absurdity of not only the Demon but, now with Eva, it's seeming hopeless at this point, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

They approach the cluttered townspeople. All gossiping and whispering their fears.

"Did you know her?" He hears one woman mutter to a young man. Dean weaves through the crowd, Sam not far behind him.

"Pretty damn well, I'd say. Considering I'm her boyfriend."

Sam turns his head swiftly. Looking for the man's face. Her boyfriend?

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the older lady frowns, "Why aren't you up there talking to the police?"

Sam's eyes land on him. He notices his coal-black hair sat in natural curls. He sees a great, big tattoo on his neck. But, due to the night sky, he can't really tell what the design is.

"I will...soon. I just don't think I can right now," he mumbles.

The older woman nods in sympathy. But, Sam's gaze flies to something else. The man's hand nervously hovering over his hip, like to keep checking for something. He sees his body shift for a moment and in the darkness, he can just barely see the outline of what looks like a gun.

"--C'mon, we need to get in there," Dean's voice startles him causing him to jump a little. He looks to his brother and then to the police tape only a couple of feet from them.

"Why do you look so spooked?" Dean asks.

"Well, I just overheard Marlene's boyfriend talking..." He turns his head, pointing Dean in the direction before noticing—he's gone. Sam quickly searched the pool of strangers, looking for a black-haired, tatted-up man. But, he couldn't find him. He'd run out of there pretty damn fast.

"He's gone..." Sam mumbles.

"Well didn't you say he was just here? He couldn't have gone that far."

"Yeah, well, he also seemed pretty hesitant to talk to the police,"

"We'll pin him down later. C'mon," He motions toward the house.

"Dean, he had a gun, and he looked off."

"Well he's gone now, there's not much we can do," Dean nudges Sam's shoulder, "Now, c'mon."

They weave through the crowd a bit more. Making their way up to the tape that everyone is being kept behind and nod to an officer.

"Sorry boys, can't let you though," The man clicks his tongue.

"We're actually apart of the alarm company Ms. Woods had set up in her home," The both of them casually flip their I.D's.

"Yeah? Well damn good job you guys did, those alarms never went off."

"Yes, we heard," Sam eyes the house in the distance. It's swarmed with forensics teams, the local coroner, and many officers, "We were sent here to come identify the error, so we can make sure this won't happen to anyone else."

The officer nods, slightly tugging his lip up in distaste. He reluctantly pulls up the tape for them to pass.

"Thank you, officer."

They walk under and through. Making their way toward Marlene's home.

~~~

Eva's eyes are glued to the scene. The car was parked a bit far down the street, so everything was blurred together. But, she couldn't pull herself away. She followed Sam and Dean's footsteps as long as she could until their bodies got lost in the crowd. Occasionally she could see their faces pop up in the sea of heads, but...then she'd lost them.

She'd notice a few bystanders walk back to their homes in various directions. Or sometimes see more people flood into the street.

But, one man, in particular, caught her eye. She saw him slip away from the crowd-- he didn't seem to be heading towards any of the houses. No... he started speeding down the sidewalk away from the scene, constantly checking behind him. His behavior put her off so much that she felt she had to watch him. The paranoid glancing back and forth was something she was all too familiar with.

But then she realized, he was making his way straight in the direction of the car. His figure kept getting closer and closer. His nervous eyes quickly peering into the cars he passed. Shit, he's going to see me.

Despite her aching body, she's fast to get on the floor. Crouching low enough she could smell the rubber of the ground padding. At his alarmingly fast walking pace, she sees his shadow approaching the car. He stays on the sidewalk because it seems as if he's only checking the cars to make sure no one sees him.

Then she remembers... the car is running. How could I forget that? Jesus!

He's only a second away, he most likely noticed that the car was on already. But, she prayed he was too caught up in his head that he hadn't seen it yet. She swiftly crawls over the front seat. Her torso screaming in pain as it bears most of her weight. Her hand flies to the key and shuts it off. The interior of the car going pitch black and the hum of the engine falling to a rest.

She holds her breath. Now able to hear the hasty, stressed footsteps from the sidewalk—loud and clear.

For a moment she hears him hover. His frantic feet pause and he stares deeply into the window. Her stomach in her throat, she prays that he can't see her.

And as if she had a little angel on her shoulder, the man stepped away. She hears him shuffle around for a second...and then continues walking down the street.

She breathes out heavily. Now letting her lungs catch up to her racing heart. She decides she'll still wait a few moments. At least until she can no longer hear his footsteps. When it seems like he's far enough away, she tries to sit up.

She lets out a great, big breath of relief and slumps into the leather seat. Since she had to crawl over, she now gets a clear view through the windshield.

As she begins to settle into the comfort of the driver's seat, she entertains herself with staring up to the moonlit sky. With all the mayhem that she's encountered for the last 24 or more hours, it wouldn't hurt to take a load off-- relax for just one minute,

Ring!

She jolts up.

Ring!

She hears it again and shuffles around in the seat, trying to see where the sound was coming from. The ringing was almost muffled like it was beneath something. She opens the glove box and sees an old, silver flip-phone light up. She looks to the I.D number and it reads,

Dad.

~~~

"You two from the alarm company?" A detective asks. He has pale, blue eyes and short, chestnut hair. He was around his mid 40's and had a deep raspy voice.

"Yes, sir," Sam answers.

He drinks up the environment around him. Most of the house was in pristine condition. There was no mess, no fallen lamps or pictures, almost like there was no foul play. This realization sent shivers down his spine. It had to have been the necklace, he thinks.

"Do what you gotta' do, just don't get in any of my officer's way," He eyes them both up and down, his blue gaze colder than the night air, "Are we understood, boys?"

"Yes, sir. You'll be getting no problems from us, Detective...?"

"Murke, Detective Murke," He holds out his hand in a polite gesture. Both Sam and Dean shake it, half-smiling back.

A younger, much kinder-looking officer runs up to the detective. He nervously taps his shoulder. And when he whispers something in his ear, he frowns— a perplexed look on his face.

Dean waves him goodbye silently. He and Sam turn and walk towards the kitchen, where the back door is.

They make their way through the forensic photographers, through the policeman swabbing and sweeping the house for any DNA. Once they reach the kitchen they notice the scene.

They don't stare long. Not wanting to be deemed suspicious, they casually walk towards the alarm system set up by the back door.

"—Well that's just it, isn't it?" An old man's voice hollers. He's hunched over the young woman's body wearing a jacket marked 'Coroner'.

The Winchester's eye the scene. They see Marlene. She's lifeless. They've seen many dead bodies in their day, but it was an oddly unsettling encounter they could never get used to. Her skin was turning a bit grey and there was a swamp of blood around her body. They could make out the wound— what looks like to be a stabbing.

"Huh," Sam whispers.

"Yeah, I don't remember weapons being apart of this thing's M.O."

"—With no sign of forced entry, it's not that shocking to me," A particularly bulky, female police officer comments.

"Yeah, the knife's right there. It just doesn't look like a homicide," Another one adds.

Sam's eyes look to the ground near Marlene. His stomach twists when he sees her empty eyes again, but he quickly diverts his gaze. He looks in the pool of blood, and there lay a kitchen knife. But, it's when he looks to her hand—he sees none other than that uncanny, silver chain.

"Found the necklace," Sam murmurs. He nods subtly towards the girl, Dean's eyes landing on her hand.

"Well, that's weird."

"What do you mean?"

Dean shifts awkwardly. He takes a casual look around the two of them, making sure no one was catching on to them.

"She's not wearing it. I mean, what made her take it off?"

Sam sighs, "I don't know, maybe she never put it on?"

"Or, she put it on. But, the moment she took it off, she bit the dust."

"—No! Don't you hear a word I'm saying? Jeez, what is it with you, bush leaguers?" The old man wails.

"What? You seriously think someone had the key to her place, stabbed her, left no prints, and took nothing?"

"Yeah, not to question you, Warren, but it's a single stab wound. It doesn't look like a crime of passion, it looks self-inflicted," Another chimes in.

"Why don't you two shut up for a minute while I explain it to you, hm? I'll put it simply so maybe you can understand."

Sam notices he's beginning to feel a bit dizzy, his hand flying up to his head.

"You good?" Dean whispers.

His little brother grimaces, feeling as if all the blood in his body is flushing from his brain to his toes, "Yeah...uh, I don't know."

"It's been a while since we've eaten, just try and hold it together," He nods assuringly.

The coroner stands up with a heavy grunt pulling Sam and Dean's attention away. Still wearing his rubber gloves, he swings open a drawer. Lazily grabbing another knife, he positions it over his body.

"If I was going to stab myself, tell me...where would I do it?"

The female officer rolls her eyes, "In the stomach."

"Right," He rotates to his side, so they can see his profile. The tip of the blade held right to his torso, "Now tell me what angle I'm holding the knife at right now."

It was at that moment that everything seemed to click in their heads. The interns looking down in embarrassment. He takes their silence as confirmation to continue.

"Nearly straight, but downwards, right?" He asks rhetorically. They all nod feverishly. He places the knife back into the drawer and squats back down to the body.

"So, tell me how this woman killed herself when the angle of the wound is directly upwards? It's impossible to achieve a self-inflicted wound of this inclination."

"That means... that we have a very smart killer on the loose," The female officer says, her voice laced with concern, "There's no prints, no evidence left tying the attacker to themself."

"Someone better go tell Murke,"

Sam and Dean both look to each other. There was a clear worry in both of their eyes. Just another god damn thing to add to the list of reasons why this case makes no sense. Not to mention, now they're going to have the police sniffing around for a killer.

Sam pulls out a black bag from his jacket, unzipping it. He reveals some small tools and screwdrivers and begins to toy with the security system.

"Any ideas of how we're gonna get that necklace?" Sam whispers.

"Zilch."

They quickly quiet down when they see the head Detective enter the room. His blue eyes were narrowed as the Coroner began to fill him in.

"—We're going to need a profile," Murke comments as he circles Marlene's body, his eyes analyzing the room.

"Still no prints?" He asks. They all shake their heads.

"Detective, have you ever dealt with a guy like this in Willow?" An intern speaks up.

"Once."

Sam and Dean both look at each other, a knowing look in their eye. Sure, it could've been some random psycho—but if they're lucky, there is some type of connection here. There's a multitude of factors and crazy happenings but, possibly, they're related after all.

"—Wait a minute, I think I've got something here," The old Coroner interrupts.

All eyes fly to him as he remains crouched over the body. His latex-covered hands hovering over her neck. His fingers trail over the skin, finding a little bump.

"She seems to have something...uh, lodged in her throat," He turns to his case in search of a pair of forceps. He slowly extracts the object.

Sam's eyes bulge out of his head as he sees a tiny cloth. The man unwraps it to reveal satanic writing and a fragment of bone. Hex bag?

"God," A police officer comments, "What a sicko."

Dean mumbles to his brother, "Witches, after all."

Sam slowly lowers his hand to his pocket. His fingers sliding along his silver phone and peeking it out, taking a quick snap—keeping the device low to his hip.  Hoping he got a good picture of the hex bag laying open...

"—Hey, you two," An officer startles them. They turn around, Sam hastily shoving his phone in his pocket without looking suspicious, "Are you done, yet? We need to know if this guy hacked this system or if she let him in."

"Oh," Sam clears his throat, gathering his thoughts. He didn't look much into the alarm, not that he knows much about the mechanism, anyway. But, its witches, right?

"She let 'em in," Dean answers.

"Is that right?" Detective Murke pops up behind them.

Sam nods accordingly and notices the multiple officers scribbling down the information.

"Well, then your work is done here, boys. I trust you can see yourselves out?" He raises his eyebrows.

Sam's eyes immediately fly to the necklace, still on the ground. They can't leave yet. They only have a matter of time before it's bagged as evidence. Then it will be physically impossible to get it.

"Uh-yes, sir," Sam answers.

Detective Murke turns away with a couple of officers, discussing in private. Forensic photographers began to make their rounds in the kitchen.

Sam casually zips up his black bag, murmuring to his brother, "What now?"

"Well, Sammy, right now this room's crawling with five-0. I don't really see us getting within 1 foot of that chain before getting booked."

He picks up the bag and begins to walk towards the front door. Sam hot on his tail.

"We can't just leave it," He whispers.

"Alright Einstein, what do you suggest?"

Sam sighs. He eyes the house around him, looking for any opportunity he can get. He had what—less than a minute to come up with a good plan before the photographers are finished in the kitchen, and the necklace is taken for good? His nerves were on fire and no matter where he looked or what he thought of, nothing worked.

"C'mon, we gotta leave it," Dean nudges.

"Fine. But, what about Eva?"

They continue to walk and their eyes reluctantly watch the kitchen scene as they pass.

"We'll figure it out, we always do."

Sam sees someone drop the dainty, silver chain into a plastic bag before handing it off to another officer. Chewing on his lip, he prays he didn't just let their only hope get taken from them right in front of their eyes.

When they take their first steps outside the house, the cold air whips them hard. Their ears are met with anxious chatter of the citizens.

Sam still feels that subtle ache from earlier, his head a tad dizzy.

"So," Dean fills the silence as they walk back to the car, "We got this Viktor shmuck, the boyfriend, and now some old case Murke worked on to look into,"

"Don't forget the witches." Sam means to flash a mocking smile-- but instead feels his head pulse with pain. What the hell?

"Ah, how could I forget the witches!" Dean grinds his teeth, "Gotta love witches."

He swings open the door to reveal Eva sitting up front.

"Witches?" She repeats.

Dean jerks his head to the side, his green eyes glaring.

"Oh," She looks down, realizing her location, "—Sorry."

Once she scrambles into the back seat, Dean drops onto the leather with a huff. Sam swings open his door and sits down. His fingers massaging his temples, a cramping expression on his face. Dean quickly glances over to him, them both eyeing each other and thinking the same thing, 'let this please not be another damn psychic vision.'

Then Dean takes a moment to recognize the cool air inside the car wasn't right—he had left it running.

"Why's the car off?"

"Uh-Some dude came toward the car and I was worried he was gonna see me. He looked pretty freaked out."

It explained why she was sitting up front, Dean thought.

"What'd this guy look like?" Sam asks.

"It was hard to tell, honestly...black hair, a tattoo maybe?"

Sam's head darts around to look at her, "Was he carrying a gun?"

"I don't know," She shakes her head, "All I remember was how paranoid he was. He was checking every car."

"Why, what is it?" She asks.

"I think that's Marlene's boyfriend. I saw him in the crowd, he disappeared pretty fast."

"And he has a gun? That's a charming thought," She snorts.

Dean turns the key and the engine roars. He takes off down the highway.

Her eyes wander back outside the window to the night sky. She tried to gather her thoughts, first, she hears witches, then she hears 'crazy guy with a gun', what's next? An angel in a prom dress?

"What the...?" Sam shifts in his seat awkwardly, like he was trying to get rid of a wedgie without using his hands. Eventually, amongst his shuffling around, he pulls out a phone from the seat.

"What's this burner doing here?" He directs to Eva. Oh, that's right. She'd completely forgotten.

"Oh...your Dad called."

Both of the boys' heads turn so fast they nearly snap off their bodies. Dean swerving the car a bit before being forced to look back at the road. Sam's eyes widen with surprise as he hastily glances at his brother then back to Eva.

"Did you answer it?" His hands fiddle with the phone.

"No," She responds nervously, "I didn't think you'd want me to..."

She was completely befuddled by their reaction, to say the least. Her voice was small and she had a million questions running through her head, but she wasn't entirely sure right now was the time to ask them. She continued to anxiously fidget with her hands awaiting any more information.

Sam's fingers finally dial him back. It's silent for a moment. The tension was so thick, you couldn't even cut it with a knife, you'd need an axe, surely. It was completely quiet except for the sound of the Impala cruising down the road, she could hear the soft rings of the phone.

"—Hello?"

"Dad," Sam smiles in disbelief.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ @sasuhinabigflash2020​​ || Day Fifteen: Turnip Soup ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

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For the first time in far too long, Hinata is having a girls’ day. And not just any girls’ day, but a potluck to boot!

With everyone’s busy schedules, getting a day to align to allow the four of them to meet up has been ridiculously difficult. Between Sakura’s haphazard shifts at the hospital to Ino’s work with the interrogation department to Tenten’s shop, coordinating has been a nightmare. Hinata, for her part, has tried to be flexible. Her work with Sasuke and the rest of the Hyūga to keep the civilians of Konoha safe hasn’t exactly been easy, but her new husband does his best to accommodate her.

So, finally, after weeks of near-misses, they have a day: Saturday. And Ino, with her connections to Konoha parks’ botanical group, managed to arrange a private spot in one of the village’s largest public gardens for the afternoon.

It’s going to be perfect!

And Hinata has gone all-out. Rising at the crack of done to have it finished in time, she’s made an old recipe of her mother’s: homemade turnip soup. Alongside from-scratch cinnamon buns, she’s sure to contribute to the miserable fullness they’ll all be feeling by the end of the day. She packs up bowls and utensils for her share, double checking she has everything she needs.

“Ready to go?”

Turning to Sasuke, she gives him a bright smile. “I think so! Sorry you can’t come…”

“It’s called a girls’ day for a reason. And I’m not sure I’d fit in, regardless.”

At that, Hinata pouts. “Of course you would. But...maybe you and the rest of the guys could have a day to get together…?”

Sasuke’s expression immediately sours. “Not sure I’d enjoy their idea of a ‘fun’ evening. Probably pigging out on greasy food and cheap beer.”

A giggle escapes her. “You’re probably right...still, I feel bad.”

“Trust me, I don’t feel slighted.” A hand threads fingers in her hair, resting against the rear of her head to steady her as lips gently press to her brow. “Go have fun.”

She beams softly. “Okay...I left you a portion of soup for supper, okay?”

“Thanks, Hinata.”

“Bye!” Giving a little wave, she packs up her things and heads out the door.

As per usual, the Konoha Summer has been hot. And today is no exception. Despite her demure style, Hinata has deemed a sundress necessary attire for the heat. White with a bit of lilac floral print, it’s still decent enough for her tastes. Reaching her knees with a medium neckline, the straps are several inches wide. Enough to keep cool, but not too much for her self-conscious self. Flat white sandals replace her typical on-duty boots. She even went so far as to paint her nails a soft lavender color.

And to top it all off, she’s got a wide-brimmed white hat to shade her face, accented with a purple ribbon.

...okay, maybe she put a lot of thought into this outfit, but...she wants to look nice! Especially since Ino always looks pretty...while Hinata’s not usually the dress-up sort, there’s a sort of unspoken sizing up whenever the four of them meet. Tenten pretends not to care with her tomboy attitude, but even she has her feminine moments alongside rough-and-tumble Sakura.

She just...wants to fit in, is all. Doesn’t matter how old they get, they’re still victims of their own vanities...some just more than others.

Pushing all those thoughts aside, Hinata brightens as she spots her friends. Sakura and Ino are already present, Tenten nowhere yet to be seen. “Hi guys!”

The pair turn and smile back. “Hinata-chan!” Ino greets jovially, waving her over. “Wow, you went all out, huh?”

“W-well, I...I really love to cook,” she explains sheepishly. “I brought soup a-and dessert!”

“I thought I smelled cinnamon,” Sakura agrees with a grin. “You’ve always made those!”

The pink in Hinata’s cheeks gets a little darker. “They’re...my favorite…”

“Well, I’m trying to watch my diet but I think I can cheat just one,” Ino replies, arms folding. “No one can pass up Hinata-chan’s baking.”

“Chyeah!” the rosette agrees.

“Any word from Tenten yet…?” Hinata then asks, setting her basket of goodies and wares on the table.

“Sadly she had to back out last minute,” Sakura sighs. “Apparently some important officer under the daimyō just sent in an order for a dress sword, and she needs to fill it as soon as possible.”

The Hyūga wilts a bit. “I see…”

“I swear, we’re just cursed to always have at least one person unable to come,” Ino sighs, taking a seat and draping one leg over the other.

“Someday we’ll manage it.” Taking out a large pitcher of premade tea, Sakura pours them all a glass. “We can put some of all our stuff together and take it to her place for her after, so she doesn’t miss out.”

“Oh, g-good idea!”

With that, the typical small talk begins as food is dished out: catching up on all the goings-on in their lives. Sakura moans about how busy the hospital remains. “The more hours the more pay of course, but it hardly leaves me any free time! I’m almost as bad as Naruto now with how little I’m home,” she pouts, leaning her chin in a hand.

“Well, at least neither of you are sitting there alone too often,” Ino replies, sipping her tea.

“Yeah, but I’d rather we both just have more time off.”

“You know, you both control your own schedules.”

“We’re both workaholics,” is Sakura’s sheepish admission. “Someday we’ll slow down a bit, but right now we’re in our primes!”

“I know what you mean,” Hinata offers politely. “Sasuke and I hardly ever take time off. Even with all of the Hyūga we have signed up for the community watch force, it seems we’re always needed somewhere.”

“Well, Sasuke’s the founder after all. Since Shisui’s working with the Hokage, he’s really the only Uchiha people can rely on themselves.” Ino tilts her head curiously. “And you might not be heiress by name, but your clan still has massive respect for you and your abilities. Of course they’d rely on you, too.”

At the compliment, Hinata’s head ducks demurely, blushing. “...I suppose so…”

“How’s Hanabi been holding up?”

“Well! She’s, well...she’s bored with her lessons, but she’s always been a bit...easily distracted,” Hinata laughs. “But she takes her role seriously. And I know she’s relying on Neji-nīsan for guidance.”

“Any lingering problems with him?”

“Thankfully no, he recovered very well.”

“Thank the gods for that,” Sakura sighs. “One hell of a risky procedure, but...well, we all know how stubborn she is.”

“...I’ll never be able to repay her,” is Hinata’s quiet reply.

“Not sure a debt is the point, though. Besides, the main thing is he’s okay. Now if only he’d get off his high horse and propose to poor Tenten already.”

“He wants to! It’s just, um...complicated. Clan traditions and all that.”

“But what about you and Sasuke?”

“That was mostly excused due to the alliance,” Hinata sighs. “There’s only two Uchiha left, but...he’s technically still clan heir, so my father convinced the council it was still proper. It took some convincing for him too, though.”

“Ugh, so glad I don’t deal with any clan nonsense,” Sakura mutters lowly, stirring the last dredges of her soup. “Seems like such a pain.”

“Depends on the clan,” Ino offers with a shrug. “None of my team, despite us all being heirs, were pushed into marriages into the clan.”

“The Hyūga are probably the most, um...antiquated clan in the village,” Hinata admits with a disappointed set of her lips. “I have to wonder what Hanabi will do when the time comes…”

“Oh I doubt anyone’s gonna tell her what to do, the little spitfire.”

“Probably not, but that will still cause q-quite the stir.”

“Your clan’s had lots of stirrings since the war. It’s good for them,” Ino quips, taking a bite of cinnamon bun. “I still can’t believe it took so long to abolish the houses…”

“Well, after Neji-nīsan’s actions, it couldn’t really be ignored anymore,” Hinata agrees quietly.

“Then your big role in the ousting of the rest of the old council. Now that was awesome.” A wide grin grows over Sakura’s face. “I’ll never forget that.”

“Indeed. I’m just glad Sasuke and his family got the closure they were denied for so long…” Hinata’s eyes drop to the table somberly. “It still b-breaks my heart to think about it.”

“...yeah…”

A muted silence falls over the group of them for a time.

“...well, I don’t know about you two, but I’m full of both food and gossip,” Ino then announces, leaning back with a satisfied sigh. “Amazing soup and buns, Hinata-chan.”

“T-thank you!”

“You’ll have to share the recipes!”

“You can’t cook to save your life, Dekorīn,” Ino laughs.

“That’s what practice is for, Ino-buta!”

Smiling sheepishly, Hinata waves a hand. “I-I’ll get you both copies.”

Tidying up after themselves (and putting together Tenten’s box, which Ino agrees to deliver), the trio stand and chat a little longer before parting ways. Evening is settling over the village, and Hinata sighs contentedly in the cooling air.

It was a nice day.

Arriving home, she calls out her arrival, Sasuke replying from inside.

“You’re early.”

“...am I?”

“I thought you’d be gone longer is all. Had your soup.”

“Oh! Was it good…?”

“Very. You’ll have to teach me.”

At that, Hinata gives a smile. “...I’d be happy to.”

     Woo, some slice of life fluff! Not so much centered on Sasuke this time around, but Hinata can always use more love. As can her bonds with the other girls! Still bugs me how little we got to see them all interact in canon...      Otherwise though, a simple little piece, nothing too special~ Another hot as heckie day so that’ll be all from me for now, but once the heatwave’s over I want to try to catch back up again lol      On that note though, I’d best head off for the night. Thank you for reading!

[dachosmin]

The Untamed Episode 23

MORE liveblogging!

I love when we get a good WWX swoon 2 mins into the episode, bodes well. And LWJ catches him! Very good.

...and Wen Ruohan gets stabbed, also very good, if somewhat anticlimactic.

LOL at the Jins showing up tardy, were they off wanking about soup or something? "We won!" No, your allies won while you were tie-dying your robes with artistic bloodstains or something.

Huh. So if all the Wens are dead, there's no one to fight and they won, everyone can just calm down and live happily ever after in peace, right? Right?? RIGHT???

Ayy mustache daddy is alive! And being cradled by LXC, even better!

Awww lil shit was a spy on the inside! HERCULES MULLIGAN! Also him, LXC, and NMJ have some weird threesome sexual tension going on here and I'm down for it.

JYL: "we don't gossip behind people's backs" WWX: "...have you met me?"

OMG LWJ played music for him every night that's feckin adorable

OMG LWJ's face when he sees WWX has woken up I caaaaan't

Aight master Jin can go fuck himself

Aaaand we've got a brand new name and a brand new hat to go with our not-brand-new habit of murdering people, JGY!

Oh no it's The Cliff. Oh noooo. FORESHADOWING.

Oh look, it's not hot Jin guy, this time murdering civilians. Careful, buddy. Not-hot people don't tend to live too long on this show.

LWJ/WWX's duet for the murdered families makes my heart hurt :(

Aaaand LXC, NMJ, JGY are swearing an unbreakable oath together, cool. Those never go badly. Ask Feanor.

*happy sigh* I love excruciatingly polite dinner parties where everyone's plotting against each other. Does the soul good.

WWX: LWJ, wanna cleanse some vulgarity together? ;)

Oh god no this speech, this is like when your creepy uncle gets drunk at thanksgiving and loudly asks why you don't have a husband yet, thanks I hate it. And to ask in front of literally everyone aaaaahhhhh.