#tcrmommabear

[tcrmommabear]

An evil bargain has been struck between @catsafarithewriter and I

[catsafarithewriter]

You asked for prompts so - 1. “Is now a bad time to tell you that I’ve summoned a demon in the kitchen again or should I wait until after you’re done talking on the phone?” Muta to Baron in the bureau. And 2. "When you're here I don't feel so lost" Persephone to Louise. Do your thing :)

A/N: I’m probably gonna do both cause I have ideas for both, but for now let’s go down the “demon summoned in kitchen” one again, with wildly different vibes, and also because @tcrmommabear sent me this song (E.T - Katy Perry, slowed) to see what it would prompt, and the two are working together nicely. 

x

PROMPT: Is now a bad time to tell you that I’ve summoned a demon in the kitchen again, or should I wait until after you’re done talking on the phone?”

x

Baron lowered the phone. “Again?” he echoed. “When did you summon a demon the first time?”

“Uh, never?”

“It wasn’t a demon,” Haru piped up from the other end of the phone. “His name was Vincent and he didn’t appreciate you messing around with portals you don’t understand.”

“He had horns!” Muta hollered back.

“He was a goatman!”

Baron pinched the bridge of his nose. “Muta, why don’t you just show me this alleged demon you’ve brought into our kitchen?”

“Oh, I’ve gotta see this,” Haru said. “I’ll be there in five,” and she hung up. 

“How did you even summon a demon in the first place?” Baron asked. 

“Alright, so you remember when we went to the spirit festival last summer and there were these stalls selling apparently cursed chopping boards?”

“No.”

Muta paused. “Huh. I may not have told you about that.”

“You bought a cursed chopping board?!”

“I thought it was false advertising! Like zero-fat food or easy-to-assemble furniture! It’s not my fault they were telling the truth!”

“… Fine. And what makes you so sure it’s a demon… oh.” He halted at the doorway. 

Above the kitchen counter, a creature of nightmares and death clattered. 

It didn’t resemble a demon in any of the more western ideas of demons and the underworld, but there could be no doubt about it that this… creature had been dragged up from some hellish domain. 

It was built from bones and decay, multiple skulls swaying for dominance along what could possibly pass for shoulders on the beast, spheres of light glimmering inside the eye sockets. The rest of its body was an ever-shifting, ever-pulsing amalgamation of ribs and bones and limbs bound together in a weeping darkness. 

It only took up the extent of counter to ceiling, but that was enough. Too much. 

Heads turned to Baron as he approached. Jaws slackened in the likeness of smiles. “Well, well, well,” it wheezed, and its voice was the sound of twigs snapping, wind whistling through dead branches, a hundred voices screaming from afar. Its words echoed in upon itself. “What can I do for you, Baron?”

Baron inhaled sharply, the only outward sign of shock he allowed. “How do you know my name?”

“I know all about you. All of you.” The heads shuffled, another skull - one of a bear - rising to the front. “I can see into your very soul, your essence. Do you think such a paltry thing as a name would be hidden from me?”

“And what are you?”

“Does it really matter?” it hissed. 

Baron tilted his head. “I suppose not. Muta, did you receive any instructions on how to deal with your cursed chopping board when you bought it?”

“Don’t ya think I would have brought it up by now if I had?”

The creature laughed. It was not a pleasant sound. “The contract you have me bound by demands I grant one wish. Do that, and I shall be gone.”

“Fine then. I wish-”

Baron motioned sharply before Muta could finish. “We don’t know what kind of forces we’re playing with here.” 

“Are you sure?” The creature shifted, its form angled towards Muta now. “I can grant you anything. Is there truly nothing you would ask for? Nothing in all the world that you would want back? Renaldo Moon, you lost so much that night, so much I could return to you.” 

Baron glanced to Muta. His friend’s old name sent alarm bells ringing through his mind. “Muta…”

“Hush, Creation,” the creature crooned. “Don’t speak of matters you know nothing about. Do you really think he would eat a lake full of fish on a whim? Do you think so lowly of your friend that you never thought to ask what really happened that night?” 

“Shut up.”

The creature’s many heads swivelled back to Muta. “What did you say?”

“I said shut up. Butt out. Yer think I’m stupid? Yer think I’m really gonna wish upon some bone freak? Yer really do have nothing but air in those skulls, do ya?”

The bear jaw snapped shut. The heads shuffled again, this time an owl skull taking precedence. Huge eye sockets, over half the size of the skull, focused on something behind them. “Then the crow Creation. Surely you have something you want?”

Baron and Muta looked back to see Toto arrive, dipping his head through the doorway. For a long moment, Toto didn’t say anything. Then, “The cursed chopping board? Really? I told you it was a bad idea, puddingbrains.”

“Yeah, yeah, just think of a way to get rid of it, beaky.”

The bony beak of the creature curved upwards, an impossible smile along its face. “Toto,” it whistled, its voice a slightly different tenor, but still like nails on a chalkboard. “There are things you want. I know there are things you want. Wish, and it shall be granted.”

Toto tilted his head to the other two Bureau members. “Has it already tried this with you two?”

“Jus’ me so far.”

“Did it do as badly as this?”

“You laugh and you joke and you throw yourself into the Bureau, never stopping long enough to think back to the past,” the creature continued, undaunted by Toto’s indifference. “But the past is always there, always haunting you, always one step behind you. You think I can’t see that? One wish, and I can give it all back to you. I can return the lives that you were unable to protect. I can give you back your home.”

Toto was silent for a long moment. 

“My home is here now,” he said eventually. Quietly. “These are the people I protect.” 

The creature observed him, only the clattering of its bones supplying sound. The light within its eye sockets dimmed and the owl skull sunk down. A feline skull took its place… or almost feline, anyway. The proportions didn’t quite rest properly in its form, its outline shifting between feline and… something else. Those empty eyes turned to Baron, changing focus as easy as breathing. “Your companions look to the past, whereas you, Baron, you… are all about the future. I can respect that. No looking back for you.” 

“I have watched you try your tricks twice before. You have nothing left to surprise me with.”

The skull shifted into a smile, shimmering between forms. For a moment, it looked nearly human, and then it was back to feline and Baron could have believed he missaw. 

“Such bold words for one who buries his desires so deep,” it purred. It lowered its head and Baron saw the light within its eye sockets was golden. “Your companions may yearn for a missing piece of their past, but you yearn for something you haven’t even lost yet. Tell me, Creation, how is the human? Are you still torturing her by pretending not to notice how she feels?”

Baron took a step back. “I don’t know what-”

“Don’t you? That’s funny; your companions do.” Multiple heads flickered towards Muta and Toto. “Don’t you?”

Both looked away. 

“Tell me, Baron,” the feline head continued, “what do you think is keeping you at bay? Is it her mortality? Yours? Tell me why you lie to her, to yourself, again and again. How long will this merry little dance go on for? A month? A year? A lifetime? You may have all the time in the world, but it is ticking on for her. Tell me, Baron, and I can wish it all away.”

“You talk too much,” Baron growled. 

“And you talk too little.”

The seconds passed, and even the clattering of the bones were silent. 

“She has a life,” Baron said softly, “and it is not my place to intrude.”

“A human life,” the creature translated.

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

Baron turned on the creature. “That is not my decision to make.”

“No,” it said, unaffected. “It’s hers.” And it nodded to the frozen form at the door. 

“Haru-” Baron breathed. 

“Is it true?” she interrupted. “Is that why you’ve kept quiet all this time?”

“Why don’t you wish and find out?” the creature crooned. 

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Haru snapped. Her gaze shot back to Baron. “Is it true? Baron.”

He was still, so terribly still. “Haru-”

“Is it true?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He slowly met her eyes. “Because you are mortal. You deserve the chance for a mortal life.”

She strode to him, closing the space between them in three quick sharp steps. “Don’t think I should be the one who gets to decide that?” she asked. “What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?”

“You may come to regret your decision.”

“You mean regret you.”

“Regret letting your mortal life pass you by. I am eternally aware you are a guest in our world; it would be presumptuous to think we do anything but borrow you.”

Haru stepped away as if stung. “Is that what you think of me? A guest?”

“Eventually, you will have to return to your human life.”

“But if that were not the case?”

The creature clattered, its form shifting with the unspoken potential. Baron glanced to it out of the corner of his eye. “Do not wish anything you’ll come to regret,” he said. 

“I’m not talking about wishes,” Haru retorted. “I’m talking about us. If my mortal life was not something you had to worry about, if I were like... like you, would things be different between us?”

“Yes.”

Haru’s eyes narrowed, but whatever she had to say was swallowed by the unearthly laughter of the creature. “There you have it,” it purred, its voice reverberating in on itself. “He admits it. But you - we - can change that. All it takes is just one little wish-”

Haru snarled and rounded on the creature. “I wish you’d crawl back into whatever gutter came from!” she snapped and turned back to Baron even as the creature hissed and curled in upon itself. “How can someone so smart be so stupid?”

The rest of the Bureau uneasily eyed the space where the creature had occupied. Faint smoke curdled from the chopping board but, other than that, there was no sign it had ever existed. 

“Baron!”

He glanced to the chopping board and then back to Haru. “I thought-”

“What? Did you really think I was going to listen to anything that home-bought demon had to offer? I’m angry, not dumb. But you... I cannot believe how much time we have wasted because some idiotic notion of what a mortal life should be has numbed you into a state of emotional constipation!”

“What?”

She huffed and stepped back up to him. “I choose you. I chose you a long time ago, and I will always choose you. I guess the only question left is if you choose me too?”

Baron didn’t - couldn’t - answer immediately. “Yes,” he whispered. “Always.”

[adalhied-prime]

Haru and Baron for the Ship Meme too please :DDD

[ Ultimate Ship Meme (Not accepting) ]

(( sorry this is so late ))

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! (oh wait, it’s the tiny fandom) | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - In a happy AU, forever. Realistically, until Haru dies or Baron resuccumbs to his emotional constipation. 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Haru had a crush from day one, Baron takes longer to admit his feelings to himself, and even then

How was their first kiss? - Short, but rather sweet considering it was a shut up kiss from Haru to Baron. Their next is even nicer. 

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Baron, though Haru was seriously thinking about it. 

Who is the best man/men? - Toto is Best Man and Muta and Lune are groomsmen, and Louise as groomswoman. Or, alternatively, Muta is Ring Bearer. 

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Hiromi is Maid of Honor, and Yuki, and Persephone are bridesmaids. 

Who did the most planning? - Haru, considering this is a case where a on-the-fly plan (aka Baron’s specialty) won’t work. She also definitely enlists Persephone, Toto and Yuki’s help.

Who stressed the most? - Baron, probably.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Claudius the Cat King, though he’s allowed to send a gift. 

Sex:

Who is on top? - Baron usually, but sometimes Haru.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Haru does slightly more than Baron, but they’re about equal.

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard  | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now 

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 (might try some stuff, but vanilla is perfectly fine for them) | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - Umm, idk, a bit? Not hours, but it’s not over in five minutes either.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Yes. 

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - In Human AU, maybe one or two, probably a girl and a boy.

How many children will they adopt? - In canon, probably none, but maybe one, like a baby creation or something they raise together (is that a thing, idk maybe. It’s a tiny fandom, we can make up rules in the Discord server)

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Probably Haru, Baron finding someway to sneak out of it. She makes him handle nighttime though, since he’s probably awake anyway.

Who is the stricter parent? - Probably Baron

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Haru, because she “don’t care if Daddy does it, you are not allowed to jump off the roof with the hope of landing on Toto’s back!”

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Haru.

Who is the more loved parent? - Haru, but not by too much.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Haru, though the couple times Baron attends them, most of the other moms try to either hit on him or half wonder how someone like Haru got such a catch.

Who cried the most at graduation? - Baron, though he’d probably deny it later.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Baron, though with the promise of Haru learning of the escapade and punishment when they get home.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Haru (being a human who needs sustenance), though Baron makes the tea

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Baron.

Who does the grocery shopping? - Haru

How often do they bake desserts? - Probably once or twice a week, if not for them then to keep Muta appeased on his visits. 

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Baron is more the meat eater, while Haru is vaguely vegetarian. 

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Both, though I think Haru does it first.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Haru

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - Neither, they’re both pretty good cooks.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Baron, who likes to be organized (though his desk during a case would beg to differ).

Who is really against chores? - Haru, though she’s less against them entirely and more “I can let this slide an extra twenty minutes” and then it’s four hours later and she’s got to speed clean.

Who cleans up after the pets? - Neither, cause they don’t have pets.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Haru

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Haru

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Baron

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Baron

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - If they had one, it’d be Haru

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Just for Christmas, and nothing too fancy, just some fairy lights on the Bureau's  eves, a couple wreaths on the doors, and a tree and a few wreaths and ribbons inside.

What are their goals for the relationship? - Long haul, together as long as they can be.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Haru

Who plays the most pranks? - Haru

[tcrmommabear]

TCR B-Day Bash Day #3: Revenge

Gooooooood morning! We’re back again a day late, but with a much shorter one. This prompt is a continuation of a previous thing I’ve written, which you can read (or reread!) here!

Hope y’all enjoy!

***

"Just understand, if this doesn't work, I'm placing all blame upon you."

"Just trust me Baron, this'll be hilarious."

Baron couldn't say Muta's words sparked any confidence in the cat, but he didn’t really have a choice. He was here simply as a fellow victim and a witness. Muta said this prank would work well on Toto, and that the bucket of iced water would do no harm to anything other than pride.

While Baron knew better than to blame Haru and Toto for his reaction to the cucumber incident, he did find a little petty joy at getting back at his oldest friend.

Muta and Baron shuffled in further behind the couch, eyes trained on the cracked front door, with the bucket above filled and ready.

A pin could drop in the room and it’d be louder than the pair.

There was a slight shuffle to the right, a figure settling in next to Baron, but he paid it no mind. Likely Haru, just falling in next to the boys when she didn’t understand what was going on.

“What are we waiting for?” Toto asked.

“Toto to come through the front door,” Muta mumbled over.

And both were hit by the fact that it wasn’t Haru next to them.

“Toto?! If you’re not Haru, then where is she?!” Baron panicked.

“She went to get some cake for us?” Toto replied, eyes widening in horror.

The door began to creak open.

“Guys? I’m back-!”

"Haru, wait!"

[tcrmommabear]

TCR B-Day Bash Day #1: Music

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN, THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOOOWWWNNNN

No I will not speak about why I’ve been gone so long, or why this is the first thing I come back with outside of memes. I hope this prompts a giggle folks, as that was the whole basis I had for writing this as fast as I could.

@catsafarithewriter​ when you awaken my love, I hope this meets all your dreams and expectations

***

Someone was playing the piano.

And while beautiful, and normally not a problem, it was three in the morning on a Tuesday night. Still, Haru wasn’t one to judge a person’s coping mechanism, considering she was also awake and frantically baking out some complicated feelings herself. It wasn’t every day that a three year relationship ended.

She’d been hoping by the third batch of cookies, she’d be feeling a little more stable, but that was two more cookie dozens, an apple strudel, and a batch of blueberry muffins ago. She’d at least stopped crying, and Hiromi had stopped messaging at midnight when all Haru sent back was a picture of the messy kitchen and the fourth batch of cookies still being mixed.

She had thought her and Machida were doing better. At least “talk out our feelings before you storm off into the night” better. But apparently better really meant “I recognize we’re both feeling awful in this relationship and I think I need some space” and with that said, Machida disappeared into the night, and wasn’t answering any texts or calls.

The piano was still going, as she nibbled on a muffin on the kitchen floor, doodling mustaches on pictures of Machida. She had recognized brief scraps of songs here and there, but nothing she paid much attention too. She felt a small amount of camaraderie with the late night piano player, both causing trouble for their unfortunate neighbors. Haru at least had some bribes to get out of trouble.

The music lulled for a second, as it always did, before the next song began.

A familiar, soft note played out.

Haru dropped the muffin she was eating, bolting out her front door, down the hall, scrambling up the stairs, and to the apartment above hers.

She didn’t have time to knock, the piano player’s front door flying open as she raced down the hall. She managed to think a brief, “Oh shoot, he’s cute”, before her feet slipped. She rammed into him, both sprawling on the floor of his apartment.

“Are you alright-?!”

“Oh my god, I am so sorry-!”

They both paused in sitting up, tangled together for a moment as their eyes met. Haru recognized him, briefly, having seen him around the building a few times. She’d never been able to get a good look of him up close, but had known in an offhanded way he was polite and attractive. And on the verge of a likely breakup, it was a dangerous thing to fully experience now.

His eyes were very green.

He clears his throat, resting a hand on Haru’s shoulder and meeting her eyes with those very green ones. Her heart flutters, but just barely catches the dishevelled look to him, to the faint tear tracks on his cheeks.

“I’m so deeply sorry, are you alright Miss?” he asked, reaching to check her over.

She releases a shuddering breath, and scoots away from him. She needs air, and space, and maybe not to have a traitorous, broken heart.

“I’m fine! Please, my fault for going high speed,” she chuckles. She pats his shoulder, lingering a moment longer than she should.

He seems to appreciate the gesture, his own hand coming up to cover hers and lighting a fire from her fingers to her heart. She sees the extent of how rough he is, the misbuttoned sleeping shirt, the bloodshot eyes, and the (obvious) lack of sleep.

“Um,” she begins, unable to look away, “why uh… Why “Welcome to the Black Parade” this late at night?”

He snorts, “Is that what upset you?”

“Well, no, I didn’t care, I just recognized the song and know the usual, emo context.”

He snorts again, shaking his head, before releasing her hand. She doesn’t have long to mourn the loss, because he’s standing and offering it to her again, helping her stand. She risks a glance around the apartment, but finds nothing too interesting besides the piano just barely in sight around the corner.

“I suppose I was grappling with some difficult feelings tonight. I just started playing, and it wasn’t until I heard you running that I realized how late it was,” he says. He turns towards her, a sheepish smile in place. She likes his smile, she realizes.

Her heart had done a painful squeeze at the mention of difficult feelings, and she reaches out to touch his hand. It’s forward, and odd of her, but no good decisions were made after a night of breakups and baking. He doesn’t seem to mind, after all, and Haru takes that in stride.

“I know a thing or two about “difficult feelings” myself. Tonights been… Awful, and all I’ve done is cry and bake. Wish I had some piano skills to help with my feelings.”

He smiles again, putting a hand on Haru’s shoulder. She returns his earlier gesture, covering his hand with her own. They smile at each other, camaraderie in late night disappointments.

“My name is Haru, by the way. I live in the unit below you, and I have about 50 cookies I need help with. Would you like to join me?”

Her neighbor gives a big smile, bringing her hand up as he bows towards it.

“My friends call me Baron, as we are sure to be after tonight. As for those cookies, I’d be more than happy to help.”

Haru leads him down the stairs to her own apartment, and the pair sit together on her kitchen floor, munching away. It’s not until they’ve torn through a dozen between them, that Haru finally thinks to ask-

“What were you playing before Black Parade? Who broke your heart that badly?”

“Ah, Broadway. I was playing some songs from Phantom of the Opera,” he says into another cookie.

“It’s not everyday the longest running show ends, and it was enough to move me to tears.”

Haru throws a cookie at him before she can stop herself.

[tcrmommabear]

TCR B-Day Bash Day #2: Masquerade

Hello hello, yes I know I’m late, but to be fair- this thing is roughly 2,700 words long, so I think I earned a little tardiness.

This is my Role Reversal AU, where Haru is the one who had to rescue Baron from the Cat King, and I just love writing pining Baron who thinks Haru is completely not interested. (As I’ve messaged @catsafarithewriter in the middle of writing to scream “SHE’S PLAYING IT TOO COOL”)

Enjoy my friends!!

***

Baron wasn’t having the greatest night one could imagine.

Though always grateful to do a bit of good and indulge some dramatic tendencies, it was significantly harder to focus on the former when he couldn’t tend to the latter. And he had so hoped to impress a certain someone, if she hadn’t so quickly gone missing.

To be absolutely fair, it was hard to find anyone in the mass of bodies and swirls of dancing. Baron had held sight of Toto and Muta for most of the evening, but then he was pulled into introductions by the Prince’s cousin, and even their well known shapes and masks had flitted out of view. He kept an eye out for the silver flash of their masks, or even the rustle of Toto’s wings, but had given up when he realized he’d rather try to find Haru. And not just for the dance he had desperately wanted.

There was an assassin running around, after all.

And in the spirit of continued honesty, Baron had to admit there wasn’t actually much he had to worry about.

He admitted this to himself even as he still dug through party goers and waitstaff, twisting and twirling and charming his way around the ballroom in the hopes of catching sight of her. Haru could take care of herself, so well that she could probably have done this whole mission by herself. The other three were here more as a cursory role, helping deflect attention while she did the actual sneaking around. But Haru had insisted all be present, said the Bureau wasn’t the Bureau without all its members.

That it was important to her for Baron (... and Toto and Muta…) to be there for her.

He still wasn’t at the point of admitting how much his heart had raced when Haru said that. Emotions were still odd for him at times.

(Especially what Haru drew out of him, piece by piece.)

So the group donned their best suits and gowns, covered their faces in silver masks, and headed off to stop a Royal Assassination. They had a moment with the family, who promised to stay encircled by their guard and away from the party itself, and the Bureau set to work looking for anyone, or anything, suspicious.

Which led to Baron’s current situation.

He’d done about three laps around the entirety of the ballroom itself, stepped out onto many balconies to glance about, and even hazarded a search through empty halls the masquerade was banned from. Not a sign of Haru among the crowds, hidden in corners, chatting with princes and kings, or miserably nursing a drink by the banquet table as Baron was up to now.

He wanted to be proud. He was proud. Haru was a phenomenal Bureau member, and would likely inherit the damn thing if Baron was capable of passing from this world, but…

He sighed, sinking further into the shadows, glancing about the masquerade ball. Elegant masks of ruby, gold, bronze, and lavender fill the space, cavernous and echoing. Baron had chosen silver, to remind himself of the mask Haru had thrown at the Cat King during their escape. To remind Haru, he had hoped, of another dance they’d shared before.

But one cannot break through to Haru when she focuses on a case. He’d been impressed by her drive in the beginning, had praised her openly and constantly for it when she’d first joined. But now, even on cases as lax (though no less important) as this one, she was gone. And he wasn’t sure how to try and get closer to her except during cases, seeing as she tried to keep as busy as possible in her everyday life.

Baron was going to have to admit it at some point. That he, likely, wasn’t an option for Haru, for many valid reasons, and that she considered him as nothing more than a work colleague. Maybe a friend.

Baron took another swig from his drink, sighed once more, and gazed out into the crowd.

And caught eyes with a silver mask.

Heat shot through his veins, sparks and fire, electrical impulses burning through the wood of his heart and searing her name. She was mid-conversation, it appeared, having just glanced and caught his eye. But her smile spoke so much more- joy, excitement, maybe a touch of relief at having found a familiar face, a couple dozen other emotions he couldn’t place but just spoke so deeply of who Haru was.

He smiled back, raised a hand to wave, but she’d turned away. Was back to the conversation at hand, leaving him to imagine if she’d ever even looked his way. He didn’t have time to mourn the chance encounter, to try and call out to the woman he’d spent the night looking for. There was a polite cough to his side, and Baron glanced to find a young woman by his side.

He recognizes her from earlier conversations, and a reintroduction from the Prince’s cousin. And despite his misgivings and soured mood, Baron can't help the inherent desire to make a continued good impression.

"Lady Ladonna Marie," Baron exclaims, taking her extended hand, "an absolute delight to see you once again."

She giggles as he kisses the air around her knuckles, dark blue eyes narrowing at him. He pities the poor fool that falls in her sights, recognizing the gleam inherent to nobles and riches. Baron knows all too well what she searches for, and yet doesn't think to worry for his own safety.

Lady Ladonna's hand lingers in his own, her grip tight around the fingers as he feels her rings digging in. She steps closer, Baron taking the chance to slip from her grip, and watches as she tilts her chin up to meet his eyes. He glances out, supposing she must be hiding from many admirers, as no one but the Bureau is aware of the assassin at hand. He smiles at her, wanting to show her a friendly face among the uncertain crowd.

"Are you enjoying your evening, Baron Humbert?" She bats her eyelashes, and Baron wonders briefly if something is caught in them.

"The evening has been a delight, Lady Ladonna, and the guests wonderfully agreeable. One could not ask for a more perfect party."

"And surely you've had time to dance?"

Baron's smile shifts, his heart aching and fit to burst out of his chest and sail across to the silver mask. One that, as far as he can tell, hasn't glanced back at him. He shakes his head, moving to gather the drink he'd set aside at her approach.

"Unfortunately not, though not for lack of trying. My colleague remains to be seen, and I always endeavor to reserve my first for her."

"Ah, for her loss!" Lady Ladonna exclaims, her hand slipping into the crook of his arm. "Yet you've made many a friend and acquaintance here tonight, another is bound to jump at the chance."

Baron glanced at Lady Ladonna, slightly leaning back to regain some personal space, before looking back out at the crowd.

His eyes meet Haru's again, her mask a shining bone white underneath the light. He jolts, missing how less animated she is in her conversation, the stiffness to her posture. He instead fills with another ache in his heart, and wishes he was someone worthy of her attention. To be seen by a shooting star as it passes through the night.

"Why, I'd be more than happy to introduce you to the ballroom floor!"

Baron snaps back down to the Lady Ladonna, her smile twisting in a self satisfied way. He feels ensnared, in the slightest sense, and thinks of ways to extricate himself without giving offense. Despite the sour mood, he does have a job to do, and the time for dancing has long since passed.

Before Baron can respond, either to excuse or charm his way, another joins the fray.

"Baron, it's so good to finally find you! I would really like to be introduced to your friend here."

His heart seizes.

He turns to see Haru, shining and glittering and beautiful as always, standing before him and the Lady. Her silver mask twists and curls around her eyes, drawing attention to the depth and warmth he finds himself drowning in. Her short hair is slicked back, her gown a navy blue and studded with silver gems.

When he'd first seen her, he'd likened her to a deity of stars and night, swept away and swaddled in her mystery.

Her smile is tense, but he knows the difference between one of anger at him and one of discomfort, and Haru had only so far flashed him one of genuine happiness before being drawn to Lady Ladonna.

Their eyes hold, and Baron feels theady'a grip on his arm tighten to an alarming degree. He gently pries her hand away, stepping to his place beside Haru. Haru rests a hand easily on his arm, touch light and only to alert him that she's there.

"Miss Haru," he begins, before clearing his throat, wrangling in his excitement and nerves, "allow me to introduce Lady Ladonna Marie. Lady Ladonna, my colleague, Miss Haru."

"Lovely to meet you, Lady Marie, but I'm afraid we must part," Haru cuts, before the Lady has a chance, "for Baron, here, owes me a dance."

Haru reaches for the drink in Baron's hand he'd forgotten about and takes a sip. She smiles and raises the cup towards the Lady, before setting it aside and taking Baron's hand. She leads him to the ballroom floor, unaware of his heart hammering between the joining of their palms. He hardly dares to breathe, afraid to break whatever good luck has come along his path.

Haru stops abruptly, and turns, taking Baron’s hands into her own, before adjusting him into a waltz. He follows automatically, taking the lead as one song ends and another quickly begins.

“Quite a friend you made back there Baron,” Haru snorts. “Seemed to have no sense of personal space.”

“Lady Ladonna can be afforded a little leniency, being such a close friend of the Prince and his cousin.”

“Her friendship with the Prince does not mean she can treat others how she wants.”

His heart warms, wanting to soothe the annoyed expression on Haru’s face. He squeezes her hand, drawing her attention away from the lurking Lady. She meets his eyes, and his heart melts entirely, though the aches from earlier still pulse beneath his ribs. He dips Haru, enjoys the lighthearted smile that blooms in its wake, and continues their turn about the dance floor.

“I’ve been looking for you, Miss Haru,” he tells her, hoping his voice doesn’t betray the extent of what he means.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been trying to make myself difficult to find. I’ve narrowed our options down, but there’s still too many variables for me to make a guaranteed guess.”

“Any strong contenders I should be worried about?”

Haru snorts.

“You were just corned by our prime suspect.”

Baron sends Haru into a twirl, leading her spinning around him to grant him another look. Lady Ladonna seems to have abandoned her place in the corner, and maintains watch over him and Baron. Though she seems to have moved further down the banquet table, towards the drinks.

He pulls Haru close, keeping the Lady in the corner of his eye.

“Motive? Method?”

“Close friend of the Prince’s cousin, cousin is first born of the King's younger brother. Succession crisis, announce engagement to new Prince, score of a lifetime. Method remains to be seen, but her rings indicate poison,” Haru says breathlessly, eyes a little unfocused as she gazes up at Baron.

He gives a big grin, and lifts her up into a twirl, chuckling when Haru gives a squeal of delight.

“You never cease to amaze, Miss Haru, well done indeed. Has Muta been alerted to steal the rings?”

“Kind of? I’ve got him pickpocketing quite a few people, but I wanted to see if we could catch someone in the act, rather than hoarding jewelry and guessing who’s is who’s.”

“I suppose we have time, then, before we make our grand entrance. I never knew you as one to delay preventing an assassin for the dramatics of it all.”

“Please, Baron, we both know how much of an influence you’ve played into this. I did learn from the best after all.”

Baron flushes under the praise, especially paired with the way she looks up at him with her soulful eyes. He wants to sing her praises, lift her high above his head and twirl her around, desperately wants to dip her again and enjoy her laugh. He gets overwhelmed with the feeling of it all, the conflicting wants and narratives and the tilt of her smile, and pulls back.

“Yes, well,” he coughs, giving himself room to breathe, “there’s much you learned outside of me. I can’t take the compliment when I know I’ve only provided you a little.”

Her darling smile diminishes, and he wonders what could have stolen it away when all he’d done is be honest. He can’t get carried away, not here at least. They’re so close to solving this case, and maybe after he can come up with a plan to address all he wants. All he needs to do. He so desperately wishes he was more than a colleague and mentor.

“Baron, you must know I…” Haru begins, but Baron simply smiles. Smiles the smile for clients and light shows.

“Another time, Miss Haru, your charms will have to wait for after this case. There is an assassin running around, after all.”

Haru flushes in an odd way, pink dusting her cheeks and ears. He nods to himself, and continues to lead, the pair silent for the time. Baron still twirls and dips her, bringing giggles or smiles out of Haru to pass the time.

As he twirls her again, he spots the Lady Ladonna chasing after a servant carrying a tray of golden goblets. Specific goblets Baron had instructed the Royal family to stick to, to prevent a chance of poisoning or swapping of glasses. He dips Haru once again, letting her catch sight of the Lady’s movements.

“We’re on the clock now, I would say,” Haru murmurs, turning away from the Lady and locking eyes with Baron.

All previous notions of waiting until after the case abandons him when he realizes how close the two are. And Baron struggles not to lean down and kiss Haru that very moment.

The pair are, unfortunately, interrupted by Lady Ladonna opening one of her capsule rings and tilting it over a goblet as she orders the servant about. Baron and Haru freeze, glancing at each other again, before moving as one.

Baron leads her through a waltz once again, spinning and moving faster towards the pair standing at the edge of the ballroom floor. Baron lifts Haru after almost every spin, slightly higher and higher, stepping closer to the tray. He nods down at her, and she smiles, nodding back.

Baron lifts Haru high and spins her, her heels clacking against the tray and sending the wine spilling over the Lady Ladonna and servant. Haru leaps forth and grabs the Lady, while Baron moves to steady the flustered servant, both distracted by the sudden mayhem of the “accident”.

“You better hope that poison doesn’t seep through skin, Lady Marie,” Haru whispers, yanking rings off the Lady’s fingers to search for more capsules. The Lady Ladonna Marie sputters, but a glare from Haru is enough to set anyone to rights, and she folds easily enough.

“Let’s get these two sorted away from the crowd, Miss Haru, and inform the King the matter’s been resolved,” Baron motions to a side hallway, where two guards await them. The party still carries on, unaware of the plot foiled by a dance and a kick.

“Baron, about earlier-,” Haru begins, stopping Baron from moving with a hand to his arm. He glances down at her, her pink cheeks, her beautiful dress, her silver mask, and resolves to listen to any order, any request, any thing she might have to offer.

Muta crashes through the upper balcony, grips the chandelier to slow his fall, and comes crashing down on the ballroom floor.

The pair turn in time to see a dozen guards flowing out after him, Toto taking to the high ceilings in order to also give chase, shouting out unintelligibly to either the guards or Muta.

“I’m not the assassin! Stop chasing me already, I work fer the King!” Muta cries out.

Baron resolves, instead, to just let Haru handle easy missions on her own from now on.

[tcrmommabear]

Haru: I love you guys, you're the best thing that's happened to me.

Baron: We're the best thing that's ever happened to you?

Haru: Yes!

Muta: I'm starting to feel a little sorry for you.

[tcrmommabear]

A Kiss in Time

Well I figure, with the new year, and @catsafarithewriter kicking everything off with some sweet Bureau humor, I should return to my roots and start us off with some angst!

Hopefully this year will be kinder to us all. If not, you know where to go to get your hearts broken in some delightful ways.

Emara!AU for anyone who has seen or remembers it, enjoy folks!

As far as first kisses went, she could imagine worse.

Certainly better ones as well, but hell, you get what you put in times three.

Where she was concerned was how much could be read through pursed lips and an iron grip on his shoulders reigning him into place. Not a lot, she imagined. She was doing a lot of that- imagining, thinking- to keep herself distracted from the task at hand. But there was only so much she could do and she’d had worse ideas.

What hurt was it seemed to be working.

He still clawed at her arms and beat against her chest, but the hits didn’t have the same power as before, the same vitriol and rage. They still hurt, and she’d be sure to remind him of that.

It wasn’t until his own grip found her shoulders did she realize she could probably let go. It took a hand in her hair, angling her better, did it register that she should let go. After another few seconds of deliberation, and the stark reminder that they were very much in public and surrounded, did she break away. She caught some air in the crook of his neck, adrenaline streaking fire through her blood.

God were her shoulders bruised.

“Demeter?” he asked, and she prided herself on the fact that he also seemed flustered, but remembered he’d been in hulk mode longer than her kiss counted for.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she gasped.

“Oh good. I’d hate to have wasted that on someone else.”

She wasn’t expecting the laugh to come out of her mouth, but it seemed to spook the both of them, because his arms tightened around her, shifting to tug her even closer. He felt very warm through the layers of superhero suit they wore, his magic pinging off the metal of her legs.

It all felt too good and real and no longer like an objective for a mission. And she hated how much she cared. How much she felt deep in her skin, past the cold objective fear and the hum of Creation magic, deep into her heart and soul. She’s gotten too attached.

“Well now! Quite a spectacle, but I can’t argue with the results! Well done, Haru.”

Oh right. That cat is out of the bag.

She didn’t want to turn and face Macavity.

But she knew this moment ended long before he even spoke.

And her chance to back out and keep Baron, keep Humbert, safe, was long gone.

All she could do was play along.