|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 14, 2016 21:43:24 GMT
Shadow stared out his window at the autumn foliage in his trees. His fists were still itching and scratched from getting back from his rounds at Beacon Fight Ring. The Chinese leftovers were getting cold, but he had lost his appetite. He walked onto the deck, clutching his fist and punched the air. A chaos spear went flying in a yellow arc, striking a nearby trash can.
He felt like absolute crap. Not from supposedly betraying Aqua, not from being tired from fighting in Beacon, and not from the constant buzzing of the red eyed demon known as Disparion who kept asking him to break his code as a cop; but rather all three
|
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Nov 18, 2016 16:48:40 GMT
Chat had taken to wandering the streets after his ordeal with Riku. He couldn't go and see Yang. That's why he asked Riku to put her in police protection or at least under watch. He wanted to see her, but with Cinder around, he couldn't. It was enough to drive him crazy. He was just out running over the rooftops to clear his head. He couldn't go out and do his usual 'gifting' when Cinder was probably trying to get a lead on catching him. Maybe it would be better if he turned himself in? No one would get hurt. It seemed his thief persona had only done more harm than good. Even the police officers he tried to work with didn't seem to truly want him around. Sunshine had yelled at him the last time he showed up.
Just as he was about to call it a night, he heard a loud crash. Then a clang. He spun on his heel, running towards the noise, hoping against hope that it was both Cinder and not her at the same time. He dreaded running into her or her lackies but the faster he got her off the streets, the faster he could... No. Yang wouldn't want to see him again. Not after what he pulled.
"Shadow?" he asked in surprise when he realized it was the officer.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 19, 2016 0:10:25 GMT
The trahs can clatter hadn't phased Shadow from his frustration just yet. His hand clenched tighter, and he punched again, but this time it wasn't out to the air to release a chaos spear or anything based on his powers. This was just to get the sensation of something crunching under his fist, which was a close pillar supporting his balcony. The stucco crunched under the knuckles and he pulled them aside to sweep off any dust with his free hand. It wasn't making him feel that much better, but at least there was something he could do that didn't involve listening to the voices that were being whispered to you by a floating eyeball.
As he was pulling back, he got a prickling feeling on the back of his neck. It wasn't just his spikes brushing back, either. No it was a sensation a cop grew adjusted to when being on the job for so long. It was the sensation of feeling like he was being watched. His ear twitched to check on any sounds. He spun around quickly, fists open..
...and stopped just in time to see Chat crouched over him.
"You know, the door would have been easier," he muttered sarcastically, dropping his defensive stance. His view on the kid had turned from one of dislike to one of respect. Not just because he had gotten Shadow and his team out of a situation that would have gone from bad to worse, but because after finding out Chat;s true identity, courtesy of Sunshine and both had agreed to stay quiet about it until Chat was ready to tell the truth, and well, it was pretty ballsy of the kid to be doing.
|
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Nov 20, 2016 0:11:21 GMT
"Would have, but I don't necessarily make a lot of house calls." Chat replied evenly. "Thought someone was in trouble."
Dumb for the thief to just rush in like that. What did he honestly think he could do? He wasn't even okay with using his powers. What good was he to even go after Cinder? He folded his arms across his chest. He smoothed a hand over his hair. It was a bit frustrating. Granted he was frustrated with a lot of things right now. Not just the detective but everything.
"I can go if you're just going to be a grouch about it."
He figured Shadow didn't like him around anyways. He and Sunshine were better off without him. Everyone was better off if he never donned the mask. But he was hopeless.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 20, 2016 1:01:05 GMT
"I can...get you something to drink if you want. Leaping those roofs look tiring even for me."
He went back to the main hub of the apartment, keeping the outside door open for Chat. The rust colored walls were bare, save for a picture that looked like an odd rorsarch test. The TV and console were propped on a simple wood cabinet, chipped from so much use. The fridge was at the far side of the black and white linoleum floor that started where the amber figured carpet ended. He opened the fridge and reached in to grab the almond milk. According to medical studies, almonds were good for amnesia, and he needed help more than anything.
"Have you been okay? Since the whole..." the small talk was awkward, but at least he wasn't scowling at Chat like he used to. Who knew a life-or-death situation would bring them together
|
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Nov 20, 2016 1:23:51 GMT
Chat was momentarily suspicious. He waited a moment before he slowly lowered himself onto the porch and stepped through the door. Weird being in someone's house when they weren't below the poverty level. Chat's experiences had either been the high class homes of the equally rich and occassionally stole from, or the homes of the poor he helped. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm good. Thanks." he declined. "Uh, things have been..."
He should be honest. Shadow deserved that much. The officer at least reluctantly worked with him, if at all. Chat might not have gotten along great with the guy but he felt guilty because of the Sapien thing. Even donated money to the BPD's research department to help find a way to speed along the process of a cure. Unfortunately, only time wore off the effects of the drug. Money meant nothing to him when he was Adrien. He was just a philanthropist young adult with 'big dreams and a kind heart' as the media put it.
"Not so good."
|
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 20, 2016 6:36:07 GMT
Shadow shrugged and shut the fridge. Chat had really no reason to get all friendly with him, especially given their history. But the kid had done a lot for his department, as both aliases, he it giving money or providing leads. He definitely has broken the mold of the rich person stereotype. Even Yang had seemed surprised by his actions, and that made the cop wonder if Chat had even told Yang the truth. Chat said that things weren't doing not so good. Shadow could relate.
"Yeah. It hasn't been happy in my life either. I thought when the Sapien wore off, I'd feel better." He looked down at his inhibitor rings, "I was wrong."
|
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Nov 20, 2016 16:45:00 GMT
"I thought... you'd be happy after Sapien wore off," Chat said in confusion.
He thought Shadow would have liked being in a form he was used to, not the artificial one the Sapien had forced on him, something he only learned after the fact. He had gone home after the failed Sapien bust, crashed and slept like the dead. It was only when the news happened the next morning did he realize the true aftermath of the failure. He had berated himself and beat himself up over what happened for days afterwords. He should have done more, been faster, should have had more information to give the cops. Something. Anything.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 21, 2016 0:32:08 GMT
Shadow just stared at the small pool of white that was the almond milk in his glass. Chat was still a kid, maybe too young to really understand what it was like to really love someone. He had just set his mind on how he, well, was actually starting to see Sunshine as more than a friend. Now, she had feelings for another cop who was stuck as a rabbit because of a curse, and he was out of the loop. He sipped the milk, trying to find a way to word an answer to Chat's clear cut confusion.
"The Sapien wear off was a good thing and a bad thing," he answered. "On the one hand, getting my chaos and speed back was great. At what cost though? That I can't be with someone the way I want to."
|
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Nov 21, 2016 2:21:56 GMT
"I... think I understand." Chat said softly. "I have a friend I don't think I can ever see again."
Shadow had whoever he liked but he couldn't be close to anyone. Not as Adrien because the media would make a fuss and his father would never approve. He had painted a target on his back by stealing from Cinder. As a thief he was going to either end up arrested or dead. He never should have gotten close to anyone or played favorites with any particular person.
Chat was still sorting out how he felt for Yang. He told her she was his only true friend. He had Weiss, perhaps, but that was a friendship arranged for him. He was never certain if she liked him for him or if it was because her parents told her to put up with him. But Yang was different. She laughed at his jokes, brushed off his flirting and she liked him for who he truly was, not who he pretended to be when keeping up appearances. But Yang... being away from her was a special sort of agony. It was an unintended consequence of keeping her safe. If it meant he had to be alone again, then he could do that.
"If it's how you look that's holding you back even I have to say that's a stupid reason not to tell that person."
|
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 21, 2016 2:49:42 GMT
He understood. Chat understood, which meant that all defenses could easily be let down. For now. Shadow's grip on his glass released and he turned to glance over at the cat vigilante. His green eyes reflected so many emotions, but the biggest one the detective saw was regret. He mentioned a friend, and Shadow knew exactly who he was talking about. "You're saying me a...homunculus..." Saying the word of what he really was, having discovered sounded foreign, "...isn't affecting my love life, and yet you're scared of not seeing a friend. Looks like we're on the same page there."
|
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Nov 21, 2016 3:12:40 GMT
"Looks are just superficial." Chat said but really more of Adrien was bleeding through at that point. "I almost got my friend killed."
Looks were how Adrien made a living. How the Agreste family made their fortune. If he damaged his face, even just a minor scar it could very well be the end of his career. Adrien wouldn't mind quitting. It would give him time to actually follow his own desires instead of the life his father laid out for him. Plus, people only liked him as Adrien for his looks and his money. But people who looked past appearances like Yang were special. It only made him miss her more. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and brushing his ear attachments.
"Who is it?" He asked. "The person you like?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 21, 2016 6:53:13 GMT
Shadow paused, saying nothing, and just letting his mind wander. The stars were no longer out in the red sky if Bellerouge, but there had been a time when there were. He saw the wide, happy eyes of the blonde girl too sick to go outside. But that little girl changed, maturing into someone still wide eyed and happy, but with wide green eyes, and a hand on a gun hitting, cheering as she got her very first Target hit. It had been in that day when Shadow saw Sunshine not just as a Maria incarnate, but as a strong, proactive, talented young lady.
"...Sunshine," he murmured out loud, unintentionally answering Chat's question.
|
|
|
|
Post by skyeknight on Nov 21, 2016 15:12:10 GMT
"Well, that explains a lot." Chat said.
He felt rather stupid for not noticing it sooner. It had been rather obvious in hindsight. Dark looks at him, gentle smiles directed towards Sunshine, Shadow's obvious protective streak that was a mile wide when it came to the blonde. It also explained why Chat had thought Shadow didn't like him. It was the fact that Chat had flirted with Sunshine that pissed Shadow off. Granted, the thief had stopped because it seemed to only upset Sunshine. Chat knew his boundaries and he certainly didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Though, the puns were a bit harder to stop, mostly because he never got to use them when he was Adrien.
"Uh, no hard feelings or anything, right?" he asked uncertainly.
|
|
|
|
Post by Zuyuri on Nov 21, 2016 16:52:34 GMT
Something Chat probably had never seen Shadow do directed to him happened. A glint appeared in the hedgehog's red eyes, and s corner of his mouth curved up slightly. As if the smile wasn't enough, it was followed by a husky but gentle, small laugh. There haven't been any since I found out you were honest on day one. I was more concerned for her safety than anything, something maybe I should have backed off on; I was only doing my job."
The lightness reverted to a bit more seriousness. Now that he wasn't on the clock, Shadow could talk to Chat like a companion than a supposed criminal or ally.
"She's been through a lot. Getting kidnapped by a vampire gang probably made her realize life wasn't all about dough rising."
|
|
