Good Grief
“It’s perfect.”
“It’s too expensive.”
“Aw, c’mon, it’s gonna hurt our wallet, but think of it as a long-term investment.”
“No.”
“It looks good. I like the red highlights and the design. It’s slick and modern.”
“See? Even Lisa agrees.”
“No. Besides, how do you propose to collect such a vast amount of money?” He utters a seven-digit number.
“God, you’re such a cheap jerk. I can’t believe I befriended such a tight-ass.” The tone is not bitter though; more like teasing with a touch of mock annoyance.
“Jerk? I am being reasonable. Unlike you. What are you, twelve?” A pause. He inhales sharply, realizing his mistake. “Wait, don’t―”
“Actually, I am. So are you.”
“Huh? But I thought you were Twelve and,” Lisa turned to the other boy, “You were―”
“I’m Twelve and I’m twelve, and he’s Nine and he’s twelve.”
“… How does even that make sense?”
“Forget this idiot’s rambling.”
“No, no! It all makes sense. I used to be nine, but now I’m Twelve, while Nine used to be nine, but he’s still Nine and twelve.” Twelve snickers at the implied jab.
“Twelve?” Lisa furrows her brow and lands her hand on the boy’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
“He’s insane. Been for a while.”
“Insane for a Ducati!”
“It does cost a million and a half. It’s not exactly cheap…”
“Awn,” Twelve pouts. “I really want that bike.”
“Now I understand why you’re the money-keeper, Nine.”
“I’ve always been the more level-headed one.” A smug note creeps in his tone, teasing and serious at the same time.
“You mean the more boring one. Ya know that his voice was this bland red when I first met him?”
“I don’t think red can be bland. It’s a pretty vivid color, Twelve.”
“No, no, it can totally be bland. Like, like…” He furrows his brows in intense concentration. “Like sweet potatoes! It’s that boring, faded orange. Kinda like all the food back then.”
“I’d take if over Lisa’s cook―” A glare from the corner of Twelve’s eyes and Lisa’s expectant expression at the mention of her name cut him short.
“Forget it,” he mumbles, scrolling down the webpage.
“I still want that bike!”
“Good grief, you two, do you ever shut up?” a fourth voice calls from the living room. It’s male and frustrated and rough, like after a smoke.
“Ah!” Lisa stands quickly. “Maybe I should leave. Mr. Shibazaki seems unhappy.”
“He’s in a foul mood because a few files have been lost.”
“He’s always in a grumpy mood.”
“He’s stressed, it’s understandable.” Lisa tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “The MPD’s been converting their archives into computer files, right?”
“Yeah… Hey,you don’t have to leave because of old grumps. Wanna stay over?”
“What? No, no, I don’t want to impose―”
“You wouldn’t be imposing on the old man,” Nine swivels around on his chair. “He gives us a roof over our head, but Twelve and I are independent. We can take care of ourselves.”
“Or of our guest!”
“I… I guess, but I…”
“Great!” Twelve wraps a hand around her wrist, warmth seeping in her skin and bones, and tugs her to his side so she has a clear view of his laptop. “I’ll show you how we mess with the old dude when he’s being a cheeky bastard.”
“You’re going to hack into the MPD servers again?”
“Twelve! Nine!” Lisa wants to scold them, but she isn’t sure how to tell the two genius boys off hacking into delicate and confidential intel. Part of her is scandalized, the law-abiding kid that she is, and the other is curious, the rebellious teenage persona that the boys carefully unearthed from her soul.
“Bah, it’s no big deal.” It’s Nine, which surprises Lisa. His wicked streak is more of the snarky, sarcastic type, not of the nonchalant hacker.
As the boys mess with their computers and coerce Lisa into her very own private hacking lessons, another shout erupts from the living room.
“Good grief, what the hell is going on? Why are those files disapp- YOU TWO BRATS!”
The boys scramble in a hurry, a nervous squeak leaving their mouths. “The window, quick, the window!”
“That’s why a bike would be handy!”
“Shut up, Twelve! C’mon, out before he skins our asses.”
And Lisa is dead with worry when the boys are stuck outside the building, strung on a ledge while Shibazaki’s face boils red in rage. But she quickly starts laughing when the two parties engage in bickering right in front of the neighbors, a shouting match with a few witty lines, courtesy of Nine and Twelve, that has her doubled on the floor, laughing.
Good grief, what a family.
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A/N: grief was the prompt and I didn’t want to write angst. So AU where papa!Shibazaki adopts Twelve and Nine soon after their escape from the Settlement. They befriend Lisa and happy end! :3
Also, the new otp: twelve x bike