#you can tear my headcanon that becky does the little kid 'ew the adults are in love' thing from my cold dead hands

[cheese-induced-madness]

okay can i request dtb x reader, where reader is kind of new to the city but even that they are kinda smarter than the other characters and i mean knowing that becky is wordgirl by just looking at her (it'd be funny if reader was a new teacher). BUT HERE'S THE TWIST THEY LIKE CRAZY SCIENTISTS (AKA THE'RE SAPIOSEXUAL), MAYBE EVEN BECKY NOTICES THIS AND ASKS READER BUT FULLS ON DENIES THIS FACT

common sense is absolutely a superpower in its own right in this show lmfao. ngl, i kinda took this into light angst territory but only in the sense that reader is wildly concerned for becky's safety because oh my god that's a wholeass child fighting criminals on the reg.

-Moving to Fair City was, all things considered, not the worst decision you could've made. Sure, they had a pretty unusual crime problem, but all the resident lunatics seemed more interested in the theatrics of their crime sprees than actually hurting anyone, so while things were often chaotic and inconveniencing, you were more or less safer than in the average city, and rent was WAY cheaper. And, if you were being honest with yourself, some of the local supervillains were pretty easy on the eyes. No wonder the locals had regular popularity contests for them, they definitely had charm.

-You were always a little uncomfortable that the resident superhero seemed so young. You were a fifth grade teacher and she didn't really look or act much older than any of the kids you've taught, so knowing what could reasonably be assumed as an 11 year old girl was out fighting criminals, even more or less harmless ones, coupled with the fact that the city officials were encouraging it, really set off some alarm bells.

-It set off even more alarm bells when a kid that looked identical to said resident superhero down to the last feature sat down in your new 5th grade classroom with the rest of the students.

-You didn't really know what to think of Becky Botsford. In class she was a perfect angel, always happy to participate and eagerly raising her hand to every question, always respectful to every one of her classmates, if a bit sardonic at times. She seemed like such a normal kid. Too normal. Of course she'd be the one with such a massive secret. Though given her intelligence, you did have to wonder why she never stopped to consider covering her face at least partially when out and about as Wordgirl.

-You didn't know how to breech the topic with her. I mean, it's never easy asking a kid if everything is alright when you suspect something may be wrong outside of school, but this was a whole different level. Why would she take it upon herself to protect a whole city when she was just a kid? Pent up aggression? For attention? Because she feels as though she has to simply because she has the ability? And did anybody else know about this?

-You caught her at the end of class to talk for a moment, which you could tell made her panic a little. It didn't surprise you, she was the type to never get in real trouble so it must've really gotten to her thinking she'd done something wrong. Poor kid. You quickly assured her that no, she wasn't in trouble and that seemed to calm her nerves a bit. And then they kicked in full force when you asked if she was Wordgirl. What were you gonna do, beat around the bush when it's painfully obvious? Your student's safety was on the line here.

-She nervously tried to deny it. She was not a very good liar. Eventually she saw you were unwavering in your conviction that you knew who she really was, and simply admitted defeat, begging you not to tell anyone. You really weren't sure how nobody else had figured it out yet, but then again the general populace of Fair City seemed... a bit ditzy, to put it nicely.

-You promised not to tell on the condition that she at least tries to be a little bit safer about all this, and to keep you posted so you can at least TRY to be there for this kid if you can't dissuade her from doing stupid dangerous things like playing crimefighter. Sure, the criminals she's been fighting so far are more in it for the sport than to do any real damage, but what happens when someone genuinely dangerous decides they've had enough? It worried you.

-You fell into a sort of mentor role, occasionally tagging along to see just what she's dealing with, offer moral support, and point out obvious holes in her opponents' strategies that she may not notice herself while getting so deep into the hero/villain routine. It worried you, but none of them really seemed to improve on their plans much. Except for one.

-Dr. Two Brains seemed to genuinely value your input and was smart enough to act on it. It started when you simply pointed out how he was leaving the ray central to his plans guarded by only himself, and he was much easier to take down than his henchmen, given his physical weakness. As his whole plan fell apart before him from such a massive oversight and he was captured, you could see the gears in his mind turning, his eyes shifting to you every so often and quickly flicking away to stare off into space. The next plan was not so easy to foil.

-The next time he used three rays, leaving one unguarded. When you pointed this out, Wordgirl attempted the same maneuver, and to your immediate horror, the second she reached the ray, a cage sprung up around her. Though she managed to pry it open, it still granted Twobrains enough time to escape.

-It went on like this for some time. The doc came up with new schemes, you would find a weak point in his plan, and he would immediately adapt to patch the hole in his own logic. Like a game of chess across the great game board that was Fair City. It vexed you, but at the same time, it was difficult not to respect him for his cunning and wit. You just couldn't seem to turn your thoughts away from him. You told yourself it was just the frustration, you were just hung up because of how many times he slunk away from you, but something about that thought wasn't quite right, and deep down you knew it.

-It all came crashing down on you when he managed to distract Wordgirl with his henchmen for long enough to catch you alone, holstering his ray gun and putting his hands up in an unsteady truce before creeping towards you, whiskers twitching and a mischievous smirk on his lips. He slowly circled you, eyes half shut and devious, watching you, silently daring you to make a move. It caught you off guard when he started commending your intelligence, waxing poetic about how easily you've defeated him time after time.

-You failed to notice how close he was before he snaked an arm around your waist, gently holding you by your lower back, his other hand coming up to caress your cheek. Your face was flushing bright red. You shouldn't want this, he was your enemy, but you couldn't find it in you to push him off. His hands were so gentle, so warm.

-Your mind was racing with a thousand thoughts at once, and when he offered a chance to join him, to rule the city in chaos as the undefeatable top villains. Your mind practically short circuited and your heart skipped a beat. You couldn't deny your crush on him any longer. For a fleeting moment, you stopped to think that maybe you should take him up on that offer.

-But it was all wrong. You wanted to be with him, but not like that. Not helping him fight the hero you swore to protect.

-It pained you to pull away from him. This may have been your only chance to have gotten to know him better, to know him outside the evil schemes and the cheese addiction and the constant fighting, and you dreaded the thought of throwing out your one shot to really get a good look into his mind(s?), but you couldn't compromise your own morals and put others at risk just to chase a crush. Perhaps there was a way to seek his companionship without getting involved in a life of crime.

-You took a deep breath, took his hands in yours, looked him straight in the eyes and... immediately saw his confident flirty bravado fall to pieces as the fear of your rejection seeped through the cracks. Was he just as nervous about this as you were? God he was cute.

-You steeled your nerves again and did your best to politely turn down his offer to rule the city with him, explaining you'd rather stay firmly within the law. His face falls and his shoulders droop, his disappointment clear. You give his hands a reassuring squeeze.

-"But I wouldn't be entirely opposed to meeting up for coffee and cheesecake sometime?" you add. He perks back up, eyes wide with the promise of not only a date, but a date with cheese involved.

"I can pick you up tomorrow at 10am. How's that sound?" he asks. You give him a nod. "Great!" he exclaims, slipping his hands out of your hold and squeezing you in a tight hug. "I'll see you after the fight~," he whispers in your ear, and when your brain stops reeling, he's already escaped.

-When Wordgirl locates you, you still feel woozy, and your face still feels hot. Did that really just happen? Did you actually invite the evil genius you've been dedicated most of your free time to stopping out on a date? Thoughts race through your mind as you try to contemplate the morality of dating the man that just ten minutes ago you considered to be a mortal enemy and the greatest threat to the safety of the city.

-You snap out of it when Wordgirl calls your name. "Where's Twobrains? Wasn't he just with you?" For a split second you panic at what your student would think of you for that little encounter and your eyes dart around, desperate to look anywhere but in her eyes where she could see the guilt.

-"He got away. He's a lot faster than me, being part rodent and all that, so there wasn't a lot I could do," you lied. Becky narrows her eyes at you, suspecting you weren't quite telling her everything, but she didn't press the matter. She left well enough alone, knowing you could sort it out together later on, but the side eye she gave you every time Twobrains' name was mentioned for the rest of the day did not go unnoticed.

-The next day, the date with Twobrains goes fantastically. He shows up right on time in a pale grey button down and black slacks, his wild hair tied back neatly and a deep red bowtie on his neck, in contrast to his usual purple. He still had the dorky rubber opera gloves on, but you wouldn't have it any other way. He holds the van door open for you, holds your hand on the way to the cafe he picked out, and doesn't even rob the place for the cheesecake. All in all, a perfect gentleman.

-He's sweet and honest through the date, answering every one of your questions truthfully, and lord knows you have a lot of them given there's so much mystery surrounding who he really was beneath the theatrics, beneath the persona he put on for the spectator sport that was being a supervillain. It's a little awkward, trying to figure out exactly how to navigate your interest in him when you fight for opposing teams, but he's always quick to dispel the tension with a joke or a compliment about how well you always keep up with him.

-You learn that he has a passion for the arts alongside science, namely music and theater. You learn that he's skilled at chess but has lost every game of uno he's ever played. You learn that he always loves a good star crossed romance story. You wonder if that last part was maybe a hint.

-He's just so sweet and genuine compared to his typical over-the-top, dramatic and mischievous personality. When he drives you home you can't help but wish you didn't have to leave him. He walks you to your door, and you can't stop yourself from planting a soft kiss on his lips before retreating inside in a rush, amazed that you actually managed to work up the guts to do that. Your face flushed and you felt dizzy, giddy with excitement for the next date.