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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 16, 2017 22:34:25 GMT
Shadow clicked the TV off. The news was still the same. The construction of Ombre, the new high security prison built specifically for Others in the bayou; the transfer of prisoners taken by Thrax; the well-fairing of celebrity gossip. It was all just noise to him. He was done hearing it all. He had brought Croc in along with his team.
And he couldn't shake Sunshine and Riku smiling at each other out.
It had only been one date. However judging from their behaviors, it seemed like they had been going out for five months. Shadow's heart felt like a weight. A weight that was so dense only a select few could ease it off. He looked at the files of the Elemental Gang, hesitated, and slid them under the newspapers and ads that had been piling up.
Crime did nothing for a broken heart.
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Post by skyeknight on Apr 17, 2017 15:08:00 GMT
Adrien had to go see Shadow. To make sure the guy was doing okay. Sunshine had been absolutely torn up about his disappearance. Adrien would have felt bad if he didn't at least check on him, so he donned the mask once again. It wasn't as if Adrien Agreste could go and start making house calls. Yang was an exception though. She was always the exception. Though, it certainly would get tongues wagging. He was doing very well staying out of the news, and he was happy to keep it that way.
But leaping across the rooftops after things got dark out was a routine that was hard to break. Even as he made his way to Shadow's place. He found it by accident once, but now that he knew where Shadow lived, it wasn't that hard to find it again. He might have had the resources to snoop and dig up as much dirt as he wanted to but he also didn't want to intrude on his... friends? Semi co-workers? Partners? He shook his head. He would figure it out later. He stopped outside Shadow's window before rapping his knuckles against the glass.
"Shadow, you in?" he called.
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 17, 2017 16:41:27 GMT
A rap came from the window. Shadow nearly fell off the couch in surprise. Who would want to visit him? It wasn't particularly a cry for a visit by just sitting there. He righted himself and looked. Yep. Someone was there, asking if he was in.
"Guess the tuna can trick worked," he joked dryly to himself. Chat Noir was out there, sounding concerned. So he slowly opened the window, mumbling,
"Hey."
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Post by skyeknight on Apr 17, 2017 17:15:26 GMT
"Hey yourself." Chat said.
He folded his arms across his chest. Shadow sent them on a wild goose chase across the entire city, made them go to a creepy grave yard in the middle of the night, nearly worry Sunshine near to death and the best he had to say for himself was 'hey'. Needless to say, the thief was a little peeved. In Chat's mind there was no excuse for making a girl cry. Sunshine had been devastated when Shadow just up and vanished. Naturally all of the worst 'what if' scenarios played through her head. If his 'tail' were actually real, it might have been swishing in agitation like a real cat. He fixed Shadow with a cold glare.
"So, buddy, how was your 'trip'?" he asked, keeping the tone light despite being quite annoyed. "Thanks for the post card by the way. Very thoughtful."
Okay, he might have been a little heavy on the sarcasm. But Shadow did deserve it. Weird and confusing homolculous creation aside, he hadn't gone to his friends. He hadn't trusted them enough to talk to them, even if the situation had been dangerous. The young man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Unlike with Yang, the mask would not be coming off this time. Everything was affixed the way it should be and he had made certain to get a sort of glue for his mask that would not weaken with sweat.
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 17, 2017 18:00:31 GMT
"You have every right to be mad. At least I'm not being watched constantly, and not just by hospital staff. Thanks to me, innocent people got hurt."
Shadow didn't need this kind of scolding. He had enough as it was. The incident where he had disappeared had been almost a month ago. He had expected other people to be ticked at him. But to have a thief angry at him for the incident, it was a situation he was, well, conflicted about.
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Post by skyeknight on Apr 17, 2017 20:42:34 GMT
"I'm not here to babysit you," Chat replied.
He wasn't. He wanted to see if Shadow was okay. He seemed physically fine, but these days, that didn't account for much. The entire city was shaken to the core after what Thrax did, even more so when Shadow's 'creation' story was discovered. Unfortunately for Chat, there were so many hours in the day and so many people he could visit/catch at the right place and right time to see how they were doing. Weiss was on his list. Granted, Yang had reached the top of that list very very quickly.
"But geeze, Shadow, do you know what Sunshine went through?"
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 18, 2017 15:46:32 GMT
Just hearing Sunshine's name stabbed Shadow in the heart. He looked directly at Chat's green eyes. He had no time to explain his motive when he had rescued the impromptu 'rescue' team. Now he could come clean to why he had disappeared. It wouldn't change Sunshine's stress matters. "If she got hurt...if Disparion touched her...I'd never forgive myself." He looked down. "Doesn't matter anyway. She has someone else, and deserves him."
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Post by skyeknight on Apr 18, 2017 17:11:27 GMT
"She was really upset! Mr. LaRue and I saw her at her family's bakery. She was determined to find you." he said. "So your 'hiding to protect her' was kind of pointless."
Chat hated saying it like that, but it was true. Shadow had been partners with Sunshine for how long? He should have known that if anything happened to him, Sunshine would have been there to see it right. She was his partner after all. Sunshine meant the world to Shadow, but she might have treasured him just as dearly. Leaving with no answers only perked everyone's interest (not to mention concern) because it was so unlike Shadow to do something like that. Sunshine had literally been devastated after Shadow vanished.
"Someone else? Who else is there?"
The 'someone else' was news to Chat. He hadn't exactly poked around in Sunshine's life. He respected Shadow and Sunshine to let them come to him if they wanted to tell him something (granted he usually did the physical locating portion). The secret identity thing kept Shadow and Sunshine from finding him. He was still guarding that secret very carefully.
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 18, 2017 17:56:41 GMT
"The exiled Lafayette."
Okay, maybe that description was too harsh. Riku wasn't banished because of a mess up to his family. He had been banished because his family didn't approve of his dream of becoming an officer to defend the city. Shadow hated to admit it, but Riku did a good job on the field, and was sharp in investigating.
He made a noise between a frustrated sigh and a groan. "It's like everyone has some connections; you and Yang, Ralph and Elsa...now Sunshine."
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Post by skyeknight on Apr 18, 2017 20:34:06 GMT
Riku. Had to be. Riku used to be in the same circle as Adrien but because of their age differences, they didn't talk much, just were aware of each other. Their parents however, pushed Adrien and Weiss together. Maybe in an attempt to 'unite' the families but Adrien liked Weiss, just not the way they wanted him to. Perhaps they wanted him to push past his feelings, like they did and settle on Weiss. Their parents probably saw it as 'breeding' not a relationship.
"To... be fair, Yang and I fought at first..." he said. "But she... knows who I am."
That could be a problem. If Shadow saw a blond man around Yang, he could probably put two and two together. Only a mask hid him from the police. But if he wanted to date Yang and date her properly, then he would have to take her out sometime. He wasn't sure if he would be comfortable with that. If they had to know, he would want it to be because he told them. But he had been trying to hide away from them, even going as far as to argue with Elsa about going to Nevermore when she tried to pressure him into it.
"I know it's hard, and I'm sorry. I didn't..." he said.
He would have done the same to Yang if she had told him to piss off. But he should have said something. Sunshine had asked about Shadow's feelings but Chat kept his mouth shut out of respect. To let Shadow say it.
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 18, 2017 21:32:15 GMT
"You have someone you can trust fully then. Like I should have." That was all Shadow could say about Chat revealing his identity to Yang. The fact he was willing to show her his face. All Shadow did was hide his true heritage. The heritage brought together by the blood of the devil.
"Though if you hurt Yang, I'll kick your ass, which I know you won't, but still, best get the father cliches out."
The dry chuckle he followed it up with was partially humorless.
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Post by skyeknight on Apr 18, 2017 23:39:21 GMT
"Well, she sort of didn't get me a choice. She punched me and the mask came off..." he said.
He smiled weakly and scratched his cheek. That was Yang for you. She had been livid. And partially horrified to put two and two together. Adrien just wasn't sure how Sunshine and Shadow would react. He was partially scared of their response. They were the closest things to friends that he had and their job was to arrest him. They had just delayed doing so. Would they try to arrest him if they knew who he was? That thought scared him deeply. He wanted to trust them, but his own mask was making it hard.
"Shadow, wouldn't have it any other way." he said. "It's... good to know she has someone who cares about her."
He didn't mind that Shadow threatened him. He almost expected someone to at some point. Yang deserved someone that cared. It might not have been Adrien, but she only deserved the best in his mind.
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 19, 2017 16:29:14 GMT
"What'd you say to earn a punch?" Shadow asked with a half-amused smile.
If Yang could break a mask with just one hit, she had far more strength than it looked like she had. But now with one arm, it was dwindling. It would take time for her mental scars to heal. Getting her a "replacement" was easy. Getting her back into fighting without triggering a bad memory was harder. Once the prosthetic was done, he'd come by and help her get back on her feet; that and once he got the Elemental Gang, it'd be easier.
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Post by skyeknight on Apr 19, 2017 18:01:42 GMT
"Hello apparently." Chat said dryly.
He had walked out on her the first time. He was lucky it was only the one punch. Or that nurses hadn't heard the scuffle. Because then he would be modeling a new pair of silver handcuffs. Needless to say the punch was deserved. He had left her 'so easily' but really it hadn't been easy. It had been anything but easy. Leaving Yang was probably the hardest thing he had ever done. Going back? He hadn't even thought about it, he went to the hospital the moment he heard she was hurt. He had been helping catch the rioters but when he heard on a scanner that Yang was being taken to the hospital because her arm had been removed by a demon, he had just panicked. It was like his word closed in around him.
"She... took it as well as you can imagine." he said slowly.
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Post by Zuyuri on Apr 19, 2017 20:46:15 GMT
Shadow had no comment, no wry remark, nothing. The only thing he had was a nod. Much like the confession of love for Yang, Chat would tell him his identity when he was ready. There was no reason to punch him. Not even after he risked his neck to try and find him.
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