VigilCrow as textposts I found on pintrest:
Bonus:
They're infecting my brain in a good way
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Germany
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Pakistan
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Iraq
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from Armenia
seen from Singapore
seen from Poland
seen from China
VigilCrow as textposts I found on pintrest:
Bonus:
They're infecting my brain in a good way
𝖂𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖆𝖑𝖑
Summary: Ruby Spencer moved to Evergreen to escape her late father's dangerous legacy and open the bakery of her dreams. The only problem? She's secretly sharing her body with Sapphire—a genetically engineered vigilante created to protect her at all costs. When Adrian Chase (aka Vigilante) mistakes her mural for graffiti and attacks her, a rivalry begins that slowly turns into something much more complicated. Unfortunately for them, Sapphire who lacks emotions of lust and romance, has her own opinions about the man Ruby is falling for.
Warnings: Violence, blood, injuries, weapons trafficking, human trafficking references, mature themes, grief, eventual sexual content, slow-burn romance, secret identities, and canon-typical Vigilante behavior.
Ch.1
[̲̅_][̲̅_][̲̅_][̲̅_][̲̅_][̲̅_][̲̅_]
Chapter Two
The Checkmates office was quieter than usual.The loud buzz of office games, petty arguments, and silly debates was at its rest.
Which was impressive considering Adrian was involved. Adrian sat at his desk, waiting impatiently as Economos came from the office, looking exhausted. Harcourt stood behind him,trying to get a read of the information before anyone else could. Leota leaned against the filing cabinet.“Okay,” Economos said. “I did the background check.”
Adrian immediately sat up. “Finally.” He muttered.
“You realize this is the first time you’ve ever been excited about paperwork.” Leota said, rolling her eyes..
“Because this paperwork could prove I was right.”He exclaimed excitedly. “I am willing to bet all the money I have that I was right about this chick.” He added. Harcourt eyes raised with a smirk.
“All?”
“Yes. That’s how confident I am.” He said cockily.
“Or…” Harcourt replied. “It could prove you got beaten up by a bakery owner and made it weird.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Adrian ignored her with an annoyed huff. “What did you find?” Adrian asked Econ as he looked down at the folder in his hand.
“Ruby Spencer.” The room became slightly quieter. “Age twenty six. Born in Malibu California. Moved to Evergreen a few months ago. Have multiple properties in both New York, California, Florida, and Hawaii. Also Italy, Japan, and Bahamas.” He listened.
“A bakery owner owns all of that?” Leota asked, a bit shocked.
“Suspicious is it not?” He looked back at Harcourt with a tilt in his head. Even she could admit that it was a bit weird that she owned that many properties all over the world.
Everyone however, ignored his cockiness, full of their own pride to admit that there is a chance he might be right. Econ continued. “Her mother died when she was younger. Her father was…” He stopped. That made Harcourt look up. “Her father was Markus Spencer.”
Now the entire room shifted to a different kind of silence. Even Adrian stopped when he noticed the shift of energy. Which was crazy because he couldn’t read a room to save his life.
“Markus Spencer?” Harcourt slowly stood up from the seat. Econ nodded.
“Yeah.”
Leota frowned, knowing only a little bit of the information her own mother shared with him about the billionaire.Before his death, he was on A.R.G.U.S radar because of his dangerous weaponry and gear. “Like… Markus Markus Spencer.” She asked for clarification.
“Okay, am I supposed to know who that is?” Adrian asked, looking between his teammates.
Everyone looked at him. “You really don’t know who he is?”Econ asked, a bit dumbfounded.
“I know important people.”
“Dude, he’s one of the biggest private weapons developers in the world.”
Adrian frowned. “Never heard of him.”
Econ let out a long sigh before dropping the folder onto the table. “Of course you haven’t.”
“He didn’t make a Pokemon, so you probably tuned it out.” Harcourt muttered.
“They make a lot of things besides Pokemon.”
“Name three.” She challenged him.
“Digimon.” He said confidently.
“That’s not a pokemon.” Econ cut into the argument.
Leota pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Markus Spencer wasn’t just rich.” Harcourt said, grabbing the folder. “He revolutionized tactical engineering.Military-grade body armor, communications systems, adaptive weapons, platforms.” She listed.She flipped another page.. “Protype exosuits. Non lethal restraint tech. Combat blades. Ballistics. Vehicle modifications."
Con cut in. “He helped custom equipment commissioned by governments, private organizations.” He paused before continuing. “Even independent vigilantes.”
That caught Adrian’s attention. “Vigilantes?”
Econ nodded. “The legal paperwork is vague but everyone in this line of work knew his name. If you had enough money or influence, Markus could build almost anything and everything.”
Leota folded her arms. “My mom mentioned him once.” Harcourt looked over.
“Waller?”
Leota nodded. “She said he was a genius. Also said he was impossible to control. She wanted him to help out with equipment and gear for A.R.G.U.S agents but he denied.”
Economos leaned against the table. “He never officially worked for heroes.”
“I mean, are A.R.G.U.S even considered heroes at this point. Look at what they did to Chris.” Adrian muttered. Harcourt hit his shoulder before he put his hands up. “I’m just saying. Geesh.”
“Because he didn’t work for heroes doesn’t mean that he worked for villains.” Harcourt added.
“So.. he was just Finland?” Adrian asked.
“As neutral as an arms dealer can be.” Leota said, sitting beside Adrian.
“He had standards it seems like.” Economos corrected. “According to the reports, he turned down contracts. Some worth hundreds of millions.” He finished.
“So he could have been much richer than he was when he died,”Leota concluded.
Nothing about the woman behind that bakery counter matched the daughter of one of the world’s most notorious weapon developers. “So…” Adrian said slowly. “She inherited all of it.”
Econ shook his head. “Not exactly…” He flipped to another page in the folder.
“She inherited Markus Spencer’s personal estate. His homes, investments, trusts, and controlling shares. Financially…” He looked over the numbers again before letting out a quiet whistle. “She’s set for several lifetimes.”
Leota’s eyebrows shot up. “How much are we talking about?”
“I stopped counting after the first billion.” Adrian blinked. Even with his unknown but known millionaire status, he couldn’t even fathom being that rich.
“She’s that rich?” He was a bit shocked.
“Yeah.”
Harcourt leaned over the file. “What about Spencer Industries?”
“Well see, that’s where things get tricky.”Econ slid another document across the table. “The company dissolved less than a year after Spencer’s death.”
“Dissolved?” Leota repeated.
“The boards liquidated everything they could.”
“And the laboratories?” Harcourt asked. Economos was quiet for a moment.
“Missing.”
“What do you mean it went…missing?” Adrian asked, leaning over.
“I mean.. Nobody knows where they went and where they are.” Econ tapped the report.
“There had to be records.”
“They were. They disappeared. It’s like Spencer took it to the grave with him. Even those who bought from him couldn’t tell them where they were. He had weird pick up spots to exchange and pick up the money.”Econ informed them.
“The government couldn’t find them.” Leota frowned.
“A.R.G.U.S tried. The D.E.O tried. Interpol.” Harcourt named them. “Hell. Even the Justice League even asked questions after his death, worried that someone who shouldn’t find it would find it. Nothing came out of it.”
“That’s impossible.”
“It should be. Every laboratory, prototype vault, underground testing site, weapons cache, encrypted server, all of it… vanished.”Econ sighed, scratching the top of his head.
“No employees talked?” Adrian asked. “I mean c’mon. Weapons like that? Try to get my hands on some..”
“We know.” They all said at the same time. He gasped dramatically like it wasn’t true.
“They were all under airtight NDA’s. And most of the senior staff disappeared into private sector work after the company collapsed. The company was supposed to be handed down to Ruby Spencer but…” Econ trailed off.
“She’s in Evergreen baking freaking cupcakes and cheesecakes.” Harcourt rolled her eyes.
"It gets stranger," Economos said. He tapped another line. "She donates anonymously.""To what?" Leota asked.
"Scholarship funds. Children's hospitals. Domestic violence shelters. Veterans' rehabilitation programs. Arts education." He looked up from the file."Millions. Every year. No press. No interviews. No tax publicity.” The room fell silent again. Adrian smiled to himself before he could stop it.
“So someone came and cleaned the house. Professionally.” Adrian looked between them.
“You think somebody stole everything?” Adrian asked.
“Either that, or Markus planned for this.” Econ suggested.
Silence settled over the room. The idea lingered, a man brilliant enough to stay decades ahead of governments. A man who built tech for heroes and villains alike. Maybe he’d never intended for his life's work to be found after he died. Harcourt finally spoke.
“If those labs are still out there, they’re probably worth billions. Alone from what she already has.” Harcourt couldn’t even fathom the idea herself.
“This is crazy…” Leota said, rubbing her temples. “If anyone finds it, they’d have access to technology that the rest of the world doesn’t even know exists.”
No one said another word. Across the table, Ruby Spencer’s smiling driver’s licence photo stared back at them. Just a bakery owner who smiled too much and dropped cupcakes. Yet somehow, she was the only living member of the Spencer family. And the only person who might know what had become of Markus Spencer’s legacy. None of them noticed Adrian staring at the photograph. Not suspiciously this time.
“...Huh.” He said, his face scrunched up.
“What?” Harcourt asked. He looked up.
“I kind of hope she never finds it.” Adrian admitted. The room looked at him. “For once,” Adrian said with a small shrug. “She seems happy doing something normal.”
No one realized just how ironic that statement truly was. Because buried far beyond any government satellite, hidden beneath layers of security Markus Spencer himself had designed, his greatest inventions had never been lost at all.
They were exactly where he intended them to be.For the only two people he had ever trusted with them. Despite the fact they shared a body.
The warehouse echoed with the sound of crates sliding across concrete. Eight men worked quickly beneath the dim overhead lights, stacking boxes into the back of a truck. “Hurry up,” one of them muttered. “The boss says we need to be gone before sunrise.”
Sapphire stood on one of the beams looking at it through her white mask that was covered with a digital visor. “It stinks in here.” Ruby complained.
“Really? That’s what you’re focused on?” Sapphire asked.
“Just an institute observation.”Ruby muttered before going quiet again. Sapphire grabbed one of the ninja stars that was tucked into her wrap.
A gust of wind swept through the open loading bay. Then, one of the lights shattered.The smugglers immediately reached for their weapons. “What was that?”
She threw another, another light burst overheard. Darkness swallowed half the warehouse. Her white figure dropped silently from the rafters.
“What the hell?”
Sapphire drove a kick into the first man’s chest, sending him sprawling across the concrete. Two others rushed her. She ducked beneath a wild swing, presented a button on the gauntlet wrapped around her forearm, and a thin cable shot forward. It wrapped around one man’s ankles before yanking tight, sending him crashing face first into the floor.
Another fired his pistol. A faint blue shimmer flickered in front of Sapphire for only a split second. The bullet ricocheted harmlessly into the wall. Ruby sighed inside their shared space.
“You know, showing off isn’t always necessary..”
“I wasn’t showing off, smart ass.”
“You absolutely were.”
“Maybe a little.”
The remaining smugglers charged together. Sapphire reached to her wrap, tossing a small silver sphere between them. It burst with a blinding flash. The men stumble, clutching their eyes. Thirty seconds later, the warehouse was quiet. Eight criminals lay groaning on the floor. Sapphire knelt beside one of the wooden crates, prying it open just enough to confirm its contents. “Yep. Drugs.” She closed the lid again. She walked over to one of the pitiful men who laid, groaning in agony. She dug into his pockets grabbing what looked like a flip phone. She dialed 911, then immediately answered.
“Hello, what and where is the location of your emergency?”
“Eight armed smugglers. Mason Industrial Warehouse. They’re alive.” She ended the phone call.She looked around before sighing. “Dammit. I swore that theVigilante asshole would have come here. Fuck.” She groaned.
“Maybe we should let it go? It’s not like he came back,”Ruby suggested.
“Over my dead fucking body.” She muttered before running back to where her white motorcycle was. Hurriedly trying to get away from the scene before the police came.
“Don’t say stuff like that. It’s eerily considering we share the same body.”Ruby muttered.
The motorcycle sped through Evergreen before the city lights slowly disappeared behind her. Streetlights became winding back roads. Back roads became gravel until eventually, even those vanished. The forest swallowed everything. Sapphire rode another several miles before stopping in front of an ordinary cliff face. She stepped off the motorcycle and placed her hands against the cold stone. A soft blue light scanned her palm before they heard the mountainside groan. Stones and rocks shifted before an opening appeared where there had once been solid rock moments before. Without hesitation, she rode inside as the entrance sealed shut behind her.
The hidden facility hummed quietly to life as overhead lights illuminated one section after another. Rows of workstations stretched into the distance. Glass display cases housed sealed prototypes while vehicles rested beneath protective covers. Banks of computers blinked patiently, waiting for input. Robotic arms rested motionless above assembly stations, while banks of computers quietly awakened, their screens filling with streams of encrypted data.
Far larger than anyone would imagine existed beneath the Washington wilderness. The facility felt less like a laboratory and more like a city hidden beneath a mountain. Its scale was almost impossible to comprehend. Anyone stumbling upon it would never believe it had been built beneath the Washington wilderness. Ruby hardly looked around anymore. The wonder had faded years ago, replaced by familiarity. This place had become part of her life the moment her father had revealed it to both her and Sapphire.
Not as a gift but as a responsibility. He had told her long before his death that if anything ever happened to him, this facility would become the safest place in the world for her. The last place anyone would think to look
For years she’d refused to come here. Every hallway reminded her too much of the life she’d been trying to leave behind. The life that consumed her father’s time.
She wanted bakeries. Pain. Music. Normal. It had taken Sapphire's relentless persistence over the years to convince her to come to Evergreen. Even playing into her dream of owning a Vinyl Shop slash Bakery.
Now the mountain wasn’t a monument to her father’s work. It was simply another place to be protected. Another secret only the two of them carried.
“Can we hurry this up and make it back home? I can feel we are both exhausted.” Ruby groaned.
“Give me a second to put this stuff away and we can head out.” Sapphire muttered, placing her uniform and items in the glass case. She turned around, only wearing a tank top and a pair of spanks walking over to the screen, footage of the Vigilante showing. “Where the hell is this asshole?” She muttered.
“I mean if the police can’t find him, I don’t think he can be found.” Ruby suggested.
“Well I’m not the feds.” She said before a red flash caught her eye.
BREAKING NEWS
She walked over to the other monitor, looking at the screen. A reporter stood outside the warehouse, police lights flashing behind her. “Evergreen police have confirmed that eight suspected drug traffickers were discovered restrained inside an abandoned warehouse earlier tonight.”
Security footage appeared on screen. Though it was blurry and shaky, it was just enough to make out a figure dressed entirely in white. “This marks the latest appearance of the mysterious vigilante that social media has begun calling The Phantom.”
Another clip showed the white motorcycle disappearing into the darkness.
“Ew. Is that what they are calling us?”Sapphire cringed.
“I kinda like it.”Ruby giggled.
“It’s dramatic.” Sapphire rolled her eyes.
“You’re dramatic. You only bought out the white ninja out of retirement to get back at the Vigilante guy.” Ruby reminded her.
“Fair.” Sapphire shrugged. The monitor switched to social media posts.
Who is the phantom?
New Vigilante protecting evergreen?
The Phantom trends across social media.
Sapphire stared at the screen for another before letting out an exasperated sigh. “I miss when nobody knew or cared that I existed.”
“Too late now, Phantom.”
The two laughed amongst themselves through the cavernous facility as the news continued to replay footage of the city’s news mystery. Somewhere in Evergreen, people were celebrating the arrival of a new vigilante. Others were already wondering where the Phantom would become a hero.
“Hi Adrian!” Ruby exclaimed excitedly. Adrian came in his usual attire, striped shoes, denim jeans, dad shoes, a blue navy jacket and his cute glasses. “Let me just lock up the shop and we’ll be at it. I made you a sandwich if your hungry.” Ruby said, locking up the front door as he turned to look at you.
“Oh you didn’t have to.” He said, smiling at her.
“My treat. If you’re going to be helping me for free, the least I can do is keep your belly full.”She giggled. The only thing that Adrian could think of in that moment was how adorably she sounded and looked. A pastel pink apron that read ‘kiss the baker’ on it. This time, her curls were in a half up half down style with a white plastic hair band that matched the red and white polka dotted sundress.
“Which I want to ask again, are you one hundred percent sure you want to do this for free for the week? I’ll be able to pay you next week when all of the direct deposit stuff is cleared with my bank.” Ruby clarified walking passed him as he followed her.
“I don’t mind. And really, you don’t have to pay me. This is like…volonteer work.”He said as they entered the back.
“Volunteer work?” Ruby repeated, turning around to look at him.
“Yeah.” Adrian nodded confidently.
She narrowed her eyes slightly at him. “You know, most people volunteer at animal shelters kitchens, right?” She asked him.
“I’ve done those.”
“You have?” Ruby blinked.
“No. I just thought that would make me sound like a good person.” He admitted before she smiled at him, her dimples on display.
“Well you’re an awesome person if you can do this for free. I really do appreciate it.”
“Are you flirting?” Sapphire’s voice echoed through her head. “You suck at it.” Sapphired snorted.
“Shut up.”
“Alright, the kitchen is right this way.” She quickly turned around. Once they reached the kitchen, Ruby began showing him everything. The mixers, the ovens, the storage shelves, the ingredients, the decorating tools.
Adrian listened carefully like his life depended on it.
“Okay,” Ruby said, handing him a bowl. “First lesson. Baking is all about patience.” Adrian nodded seriously.
Ruby expected him to struggle but he was actually good. Like really good. “You know how to measure ingredients?” Ruby asked him.
“Yes.” He answered, focusing on the task at hand. “I read instructions. Most people make mistakes because they ignore instructions.”
“You’re surprisingly responsible.” Ruby said, smiling at him.
He let out a laugh before saying, “If my friends heard you say that, they would be on this floor dying of laughter.”
“Your friends, um… Leota and Hardcore?” Ruby said confusingly.
“It’s Hartcore. But yeah. Plus Chris. Chris is actually my best friend. And then there is Econ. Fleury but he’s more of a business man.” Adrian answered seriously.
Ruby smiled as she reached for a bag of flour. Adrian unintentionally reached to help her grab the bag considering that it looked heavy. “They don’t think you are responsible?” Ruby asked, setting the bag on the counter. African immediately shook his head.
“Not really…” He trailed off.
“Why not?”
“They think I’m…” He paused, trying to find the right word. “I act on impulsion.”
Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Do you think so?” She asked him.
“Sometimes. But a good ninety percent of the time it’s totally reasonable.” He justified himself.
Ruby could hear Sapphire snort inside of her head. “That’s the understatement of the century.”
“We don’t even know him that well…” She trailed off.
“He’s working for free after meeting you one. I know enough.”
Ruby decided to ignore her other part. “I don’t know.” She looked over at Adrian as he carefully measured the cup with the back of a butter knife. “You seem pretty organized to me.”
“Instructions help a lot. If I’m on my free will there is no telling what could happen.” He joked back.
“I usually just eyeball things.”
Adrian looked horrified. “You what?”
She laughed, noticing that he was taking it literal. “I’ve been baking since I was little. After a while you just.. Get it.” She shrugged her shoulders, leaning against the counter.
“You don’t measure?”
“I do but for only complicated recipes.” She said gesturing her head towards the clear freezer that had macaroons and cheesecakes.
“How do you know it’s right?” He asked her.
“I can feel it.” He stared at her for a long moment. “That sounds fake.” Ruby burst into laughter. “I can promise you it’s not.”
He looked unconvinced. “I don’t trust people who don’t measure.” She pointed a wooden spoon at him. “And I don’t trust people who call sweet potato cheesecake weird before trying it.” She clapped back at him.
“That’s fair.” He said in defeat.
Sapphire chuckled. “He’s a dork but funny.”
“Do you think he’d be a good friend?” Ruby asked her.
“Friend, yes. Though I think you like him romantically which I totally don’t get.” She said with a bit of confusion. Ah, there it was. Sapphire's lack of certain human emotions. Romance was the most complicated one but then again, that was what her father programmed her to be. Romantic issues could get in the way of her doing what she was made for. To protect Ruby.
Ruby fought back a nother smile but Adrian noticed. “What?” He asked her.
“Nothing.” She shook her head before making herself busy with cleaning the used utensils.
“You smiled.”
“I smile a lot.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Was it something I said?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“It’s your face, dufus.” Sapphire answered in her head.
Ruby quickly changed the subject before Sapphire embarrassed her any further. “So, what exactly do you do during the day?” She asked him.
Adrian shrugged while whisking together the dry ingredients. “I work with those guys who I said were my friends.
“Doing what?” She asked curiously.
“Operations…” He trailed off, attempting to keep it as vague as possible.
She tilted her head to the side. “It’s a business that my friend Leota and I own.” He answered more quickly as her eyes widened.
“Oh, you’re a business owner yourself?” She asked him.
“Sort of. Leota and Harcourt do all of the work mostly. I just invested and they told me what to do.” He answered her as she nodded.
“Well that’s kind of you.” Ruby smiled at him. “What kind of business is it?” She asked him.
“We solve problems.” She waited for more of a response but he didn’t elaborate.
“That’s still vague.”
“It has to be.” He answered. Ruby couldn’t help but smile.
“So.. it’s one of those businesses.” She answered. “What of problems?”
“That kind people ask us to solve.” He still answered vaguely.
“You are remarkably good at answering questions without actually answering them.”
“I’ve been told.”
“He’s hiding something.” Sapphire observed.
“Everybody’s entitled to privacy. Besides, it’s not like he’s lying.”
“Just strategically avoiding details.” Sapphire answered with a sharp tongue. Sapphire couldn’t help but take note of it.
Ruby looked back at Adrian. “Well, whatever it is, it must be important.” He shrugged modestly. “It helps people.”
That answer, at least, was completely honest. “I like that.” Ruby answered truthfully. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the mixer humming and the soft clink of utensils against ceramic bowls. Ruby broke the silence first. “So, before all of this?” She asked him.
“What?”
“The business, were you always in Evergreen?” She asked him.
“Yeah. Pretty much never left.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Never even traveled?” She asked him.
“I’ve traveled. Family reunions. Other…jobs. But other than that, no for the most part.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You?” He asked her.
“Oh, I love travelling.” She said as her face brightened.
“You’ve been to a lot of places?” Adrian asked her.
“My dad traveled for work a lot when I was younger. Whenever he could, he’d bring me along.” She answered, a slight smile of the memory of her dad.
“Where was your favorite place?”
“Japan.” She answered quickly. “The food was amazing. The record stores were incredible. I spent way too much money on souvenirs.” She grinned.
“Pokemon stuffies and cards. A-”
“You like Pokemon?” He interrupted her, a bit shocked.
“I love it.” She answered truthfully.
“What’s your favorite?” He asked, his full attention now on her instead of the ingredients.
“Eevee.” She answered with a smile.
“Oh God…you both are actual dorks.” Sapphire groaned. “It’s bad enough I have to hear you, now I have to hear him too?”
Ruby ignored her, too lost into the conversation with Adrian. He nodded his head in approval. “Solid.”
“You?”
“Lucario.”
“I had a feeling.” Ruby smiled. “You seem like the Lucario type.”
“I’m taking that as a compliment.” He answered.
“Good. Because it was one.” She answered back. She swore she saw his face turn a few shades darker as he looked back down at the ingredients.
“You mentioned your dad? How is he like?” Adrian asked.
“Was.” Ruby corrected him.
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.” He answered quickly.
“It’s okay. Most people don’t know..” She trailed off, the lie feeling odd off of her tongue. Everyone in the world knew that Markus Spencer was dead.
“He was brilliant. Scarily brilliant.” A soft smile tugged at her lips. “He could solve almost any problem someone put in front of him.” She laughed slightly, shaking her head .
“You miss him.”
“Every day. But.. it’s life. It’s going to come for us one day, ya know?” She answered honestly. “He made sure I was taken care off. Before and after his death. I’m forever grateful.”
She didn’t mention the inheritance or the estate. Didn’t mention that she had enough money to never work another day in her life. None of it mattered anymore now that he was gone. The life she was creating now mattered.
Sapphire’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Ask him.” She said quickly.
“Ask him about what?” Ruby asked Sapphire.
“Becuase if this ‘operations’ business helps people, maybe they can help find the Vigilante freak who threw a knife at your face.” Ruby almost sighed aloud.
“I don’t want to make this awkward.”
“He offered to work for free.” Sapphire clapped back.
“That’s different.”
“Ask. Now. Or I’ll take over.”
Ruby glanced over at Adrian. He was carefully arranging croissants onto a tray with far more concentration than the task required. “Can I ask you something?” He looked up immediately.
“Yeah.”
“You said your business helps people, right?” She asked him. With a nod of his head he answered, “It does. Tons.”
“Would you guys ever help someone who wasn’t a client?” She asked him.
He blinked a few times. “What happened?”
Ruby hesitated before she continued. “It’s so embarrassing…well not really but admitting it out loud. A few days ago.. I was attacked.” She laughed awkwardly. Adrian’s stomach dropped.
“By..?”
“A guy calling himself Vigilante. I did my research on him but he’s like…” There was no answer on him because no one really knew how to answer him.
He managed to keep his expressional neutral. Barely. “He just…” Ruby shook her head. “Showed up out of nowhere while I was painting my mural.” She answered.
The first time ever what seemed like in his life, Adrian genuinely felt ashamed of himself. Adrian looked down at the tray in front of him. “He accused me of vandalizing my own building. And I did have a permit. Just didn’t feel the need to prove some asshole who didn’t even know me.” She scoffed, shaking her head.
“That sounds…specific.”He answered, a bit slow.
“It was so weird.” She wasn’t angry or scared. She just felt genuinely confused. “I keep wondering if maybe he had the wrong building or something but he attacked me just for painting on a wall. I can think of a billion other crimes that are so much worse than paint.” She chuckled, shaking her head. Adrian almost felt guilty but then he remembered who her father was. Yeah, he wasn’t a criminal but he wasn’t a hero either.
“Ask if they can help out. They’ve been Evergreen way longer and that Harcourt lady seems like she used to be in some form of law.” Sapphire cut in.
“I don’t even know if that’s what they do.” Ruby answered back to her.
“You’ll never know if you don’t ask.”
Ruby took a small breath. “I know this is probably outside what your company does..” She trailed off. Adrian looked at her. “But do you think your team could help figure out who he is?”
For a second, Adrian completely forgot to breathe. HIs own team, helping Ruby find him. He should’ve said no. Instead, because she was looking at him with those hopeful brown eyes, he heard himself say, “Yeah.”
Ruby blinked.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’ll set you an appointment up whenever you’re free and we can get the run down.”
A small smile spread across her face. “Shoot. Thanks Adrian!” She exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. Usually, the feeling of human skin on his made him gag and cringe. But the warmness brought an unfamiliar feeling to his stomach that he couldn’t deny made him feel something real and genuine. He smiled back.
“No problem.”
Inside his own head, however, the panic was already setting in. He had just volunteered to help the woman he liked investigate his own secret identity. Somehow, this was going to become Chris’s fault. He just hadn’t figured out how yet.
.“Any chance we can watch the video of Deborah Ann Woll explaining D&D to Jon Bernthal again?” that's such a bad idea the only thing i could focus on in that video was how beautiful Deborah was🫠🥰
hahahahaha no literally. I firmly believe reader was watching the first time like, “wow, they’re both beautiful” and Adrian was watching like “wow, the power of D&D is making me horny”
Stalker!Adrian breaks into your house after you left so he could tidy up your apartment!! He goes full deep cleaning mode too, after jerking into half of your clothing he washes and dries them up for you!! Spraying some lavender spray to make it smell cleaner. And obviously after that he passes out on your couch, totally forgetting to leave. So when you come back and notice the cute stalker you’ve totally havent noticed asleep on the couch and the whole house cleaned? Its only fair that you ride him awake so he could take care of you this time too.
Adrian Chase thoughts:
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This dumbass would absolutely slide over the hood of the Vigilante-mobile cool guy style in an attempt to impress you.
This is the face he makes when he absolutely does not stick the landing, but still clambers up onto his feet to act like he definitely didn't just completely embarrass himself in front of you:
And this is the face he makes when you walk away laughing, leaving him with a crushed ego and a bruised tailbone from where he fell flat on his ass:
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he is so sad
How about a short story where Adrian teaches us to play Dungeons & Dragons, even though we don't really get it? 💙
(I think he’d be incredibly patient with us, because if we learned, we’d play with him more often.) 🧜♂️
Congratulations again!! 🎉🫰
@danversxwasabi, as always, i love your brain.
(full disclosure, i've never played D&D - despite the energy i've been told multiple times I give off 😂 literally a week ago at work a student worker of mine told me that they were surprised I've never played because I have, and I quote, "the energy of someone who should be on Dropout" lmfaoooo)
get the balance right
pairing: adrian chase x gn!reader wc: 1.2k tags: D&D, fluff, humor, established relationship, minor innuendo, language notes: as mentioned above, I've never played D&D in my life - my understanding, like reader, is extraordinarily basic, so I apologize if I royally fucked anything up here. I read a whole ass powerpoint to try and get a little more understanding before diving into this, but my frame of reference is entirely this amazing video, listening to friends who play talk, and clips of Dimension 20. also, title is from the song "get the balance right" by depeche mode.
“And I have to do math?”
Adrian’s eyes drifted up towards the ceiling, his brow scrunching.
“...sort of.”