Chapter Text
Taraviscoville was a city pretty far away from many others. Its location almost in the center of California made it quite attractive to anyone who wanted to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the state's big cities, more than anything; it was also ideal for laying low, being a place where, for some reason, satellite radars couldn’t get enough access; and this gives rise to many, many interesting stories that are hard to find, like a needle in a haystack... or a Ninja on a dark autumn night.
And that’s precisely what brings us to this beautiful city.
High up on the buildings, houses, and any structure one could climb and set foot on, more than 5 shadows moved with surprising agility... well, not that surprising, some fell more than once; but there was no one there to witness that it really happened, so it didn’t count! They were small, purple, and—were they laughing? Yep, those shadows actually turned out to be small kids, but from a very special group.
Each one carried a bag of what looked like cupcakes, which it was best no one asked where they got them from. One in particular did a somersault before landing on the wall of an apartment that faced a dark alley, jumping again to slide down the fire escape until he hit the ground with precision. His other companions imitated him, some jumping into dumpsters or grabbing onto pipes connected to the walls to land in their own unique way. When they were all together, they panted from the effort, laughing and shoving each other while commenting on the amazing heist they had pulled off, and all without even counting on their boss’s help!
Because, dear listeners, these mischievous little ones were none other than the Ninjalinos, better known for being the helpers of one of the city’s three main villains: Night Ninja. A pretty agile and capable kid, but one who used his wits to ruin the night for anyone who got in the way of his plans.
...
Although lately that hasn’t been the case.
The Ninjalinos looked in every direction, sticking to the wall to disappear into the darkness and moving an old beam from under one of the houses. They slid through the crack silently and carefully, although the last one who went through almost dropped one of the cupcakes they had in the bag (which, unfortunately, had gotten smeared with frosting and sprinkles because, well, jumping from rooftop to rooftop with cupcakes isn’t a very good idea either). The one in front signaled for them to stop. Two of them rolled their eyes, but obeyed anyway while the Ninjalino knocked on the stone wall with his fist 4 times.
They waited patiently, and in a few seconds, another 4 knocks were heard from the same wall.
—Pasuwādo?—asked a voice from the other side.
The Ninjalino slumped forward.
—Adrien...—he murmured reluctantly.
—P-a-s-u-w-ā-d-o—the voice on the other side repeated.
The Ninjalino threw his head back, while another one next to him tapped his shoulder as if encouraging him to answer, making the kid give in.
—Kuroe wa ii kyara na noni, shirīzu ga dainashi ni shita...—he murmured reluctantly.
The voice on the other side laughed and then seemed to pull something. Soon the stone wall in front of them began to glow and a yellow circle slowly started to form. When both ends connected, the Ninjalinos began to walk toward the wall one by one, passing through it like it was nothing, while the leader Ninjalino huffed before staying last and finally crossing the wall, with the circle disappearing instantly. Apparently, on the other side, another Ninjalino was waiting for them, leaning against the same wall with one arm and a mischievous smile under his mask. The leader Ninjalino narrowed his eyes, while Adrien waved at him with his free hand.
He rolled his eyes, took a step... then stopped and his expression changed to a neutral one as he turned his head.
—Zōi ni wa mitsubachi no mirakyurasu no hō ga niau...—he said casually
Adrien’s smile vanished instantly. His eyes widened before he growled and tried to lunge at the other Ninjalino, who dodged and ran off while his companion yelled something like: “Chigau!” The place was clearly in ruins, the roof beams barely holding up, but well attached enough to the ceiling not to fall. The walls were decorated with several old pencils full of mold and old grime, although that mattered little or nothing to the little ones, who laughed together going down the stairs of the small secret bunker, talking excitedly about how much they’d enjoy sprawling on the couch and watching a movie while eating their (battered) cupcakes. One of them was about to make a comment about that same movie when, upon crossing the doorway, he stopped; making the rest crash into him and at least two fall backward.
The leader Ninjalino complained to him, but the other one just sighed and pointed ahead. The purple one was confused.
Until he saw it.
His boss.
Night Ninja.
On the couch.
...
With a half-empty tub of ice cream next to him, the TV on, and the spoon halfway to his mouth. The television screen flickered, changing scenes.
—Tell me the truth, Geum-ja... Would you love me if you knew who I am?
...
...
...
Yeah... even with the lights off and the debris badly positioned, it was clear he’d been watching that for HOURS. He quickly swallowed the ice cream and frantically searched for the remote between the cushions like his life depended on it—damn it, he forgot he hadn’t put them to sleep! But as soon as he found it and was about to press the power button, he was interrupted by 3 Ninjalinos who were very, VERY annoyed to realize they wouldn’t be able to use the TV, making him flinch back in fright. Silence again. Night Ninja shook his head, while the rest kept watching him.
—What?
The Ninjalinos exploded.
—Masaka ima, koi no sei de naiteru n janai desho!—.
—WHAT!?—he spat, reeling back—WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT!? I DON’T LIKE ANYONE!—.
The Ninjalinos all raised an eyebrow in unison. The leader from before (Marvin) facepalmed.
—Anata wa koneko o aishite iru koto o kakusu no ga amari tokuide wa nai yōdesu—.
Boom.
They all looked at each other at the mention of the big elephant—or cat—in the room. Night Ninja froze, tried to say something, nothing came out. He ran a hand down his face and growled.
—I DO NOT like any blue cat! Stop saying nonsense!— he declared, standing up, internally grateful he had his mask on so they couldn’t see how red he was underneath.
—...Ao nante itta koto nai yo...—.
...
...
His entire being seemed to fragment, like glass that had a rock thrown at its center. They... They knew? Since... since when? The tone they used was so certain. He slumped back down on the couch, with the other Ninjalinos looking at each other. One whispered something to Marvin in his ear and he seemed even more worried.
They knew...
And took him so long to realize?
He kept his eyes open, with the accusing and ridiculously mocking looks from the little purple gremlins completely disarming him; making him slump forward. He sat on the couch, resting his hands on his face tiredly. The Ninjalinos watched him expectantly.
—...Fine, she... isn’t as annoying to me as the rest of the PJ-idiots—.
—And...?
He growled, irritated. How much did they want him to suffer?
—And... I think her smile is pretty...—.
The Ninjalinos squealed excitedly, celebrating with each other and jumping up and down. Of course they knew, but it was so adorable that their boss said it himself! But as soon as Night Ninja looked up again with a clearly threatening tone, they stopped and went back to their original positions. The oldest one stood up and walked toward them. There was silence; some closed their eyes, starting to pray he wouldn’t throw them out the window. But instead he just sighed and turned around.
—Go to sleep, okay? It’s 4:00 AM and I’m sure more than one of you is gonna wake up with a headache tomorrow—.
Immediately, they gave a shaky bow, looking at each other nervously before starting to leave, catching the order from their big-brother boss to go to their room. But while everyone was walking toward the hallway, one of the Ninjalinas tapped Marvin on the shoulder. He turned, confused, but she pointed at Night Ninja, standing and staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
—Huh!? No!
But she shushed him by putting a finger to his lips.
—ANATA WA jiseki desu—.
He waved his hands frantically, but she had already gone upstairs with the rest of her companions. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but when he turned and saw his boss so depressed, he sighed, walking back toward the couch. Hesitating a bit before sitting next to him, not really knowing what to say... maybe he should put his English classes to use?
—I still don’t get it... why are you sad? It’s something beautiful—.
Night Ninja stayed silent for a few seconds, staring at his gloves like they were guilty of all his problems. Next to him, Marvin shifted uncomfortably, but without moving away.
—beautiful?—he repeated in a dull tone—There’s nothing beautiful about this, Marvin…”
The Ninjalino looked at him curiously. His teacher rarely said his name. In fact, he _never_ said it in that voice.
—How can it be beautiful that I can’t sleep, that images of her smile run through my head like she hacked my brain...?—he growled, slumping back against the couch again.—Or that every time I try to make a brilliant evil plan I get distracted remembering how she pushed me into that puddle...?
—…but you pushed her back.
—EXACTLY!!—he exclaimed, sitting up suddenly with his eyes wide—AND SHE STILL LOOKED CUTE WITH MUD ON HER FACE!! DO YOU KNOW HOW HUMILIATING THAT IS??—
Marvin nodded slowly, like someone handling an emotional bomb.
—Yeah, master… you’re… "throwing up hearts" like Evie says—.
—I AM NOT THROWING UP ANYTHING!—He huffed, crossing his arms so hard the tub of ice cream almost fell—I’m... confused! I’m not made for this! I should be setting traps, perfecting surprise attacks, throwing sticky-plats with grace... not replaying that... idiot’s sarcastic comments in my head!—.
An awkward silence followed.
Marvin narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
—...Remembering?
Night Ninja shrank back again.
—Forget it
—...What?
—FORGET IT!!—he bellowed, covering his face and making his throat vibrate like a wounded animal—I’m a DISASTER and I’m not supposed to be a DISASTER—.
Finally he grabbed a pillow from the couch and covered himself with it.
The little Ninjalino’s body leaned back, looking him up and down; for heaven’s sake... why wasn’t Daisy the one who came to comfort him? She’s good at that. Still, he forced himself to get a little closer, slowly extending his hand toward the frayed cushion, thinking over his words before speaking.
He admitted that Catgirl seemed like a good girl... leaving aside that she was one of the good guys, she was smart, knew how to fight, knew when to bring out the claws, and she was very, very pretty. He understood why his boss had fallen for her, but he still didn’t get why it was so bad.
Although... maybe if he applied teenager logic he could understand it better. His boss was always too proud for his taste. Liking someone maybe made him think he wasn’t so amazing... no, that wasn’t it; even his boss knew how to admire each person’s values, he congratulated them every time they completed their training correctly and gave them those nice gold stars.
So then, maybe the fact that he liked someone from the good guys would be equivalent to him liking something good, and if he’s supposed to be the bad guy then he can’t like good things... he never really understood how things worked very well; but he understood what it was like to be in conflict over something that alters your own ideals.
Oh! Wait, he still hasn’t said anything.
Luckily for him, Night Ninja was still with the pillow on his face, and didn’t seem very motivated to do anything. He looked at the floor for a few seconds and, after thinking it over a bit more, finally ended up plopping down on the older ninja in a strange attempt at a hug.
And luckily for him again, he was too tired and emotionally drained to scold him, so he decided to leave him there and stroke his back up and down with his hand.
Did his boss just… hug him back?
Was he stroking his back with that same hand he normally used to point at attack maps and throw sticky balls with spite?
He stayed still on reflex, like a sudden move could break this little moment of peace.
Night Ninja let out a long sigh. Heavy. Tired.
But not angry.
—...You know the weirdest part of all this?—He murmured, without opening his eyes.
—That you became the protagonist of a teenage drama series—Marvin ventured.
—...No—.
—...well, yeah. But not That
There was a pause. The Ninjalino waited with ears perked.
—It’s that... when I feel like this— the older one said, voice low—when I feel weird… I don’t want to paint the city or steal Romeo’s gadgets. I just want her to be close. To say something with that sarcastic voice. Tease me, challenge me… even tell me my plan is dumb...Because everything feels... different when she’s close.
Marvin nodded slowly, biting his tongue so he wouldn’t interrupt. He knew his boss _didn’t talk like this to anyone_. Not even to them. Much less about what he _felt_. And much, much less using words like “want” or “confused.”
“She makes me question things I thought were set in stone for a long time,” he added, with a trace of annoyance like admitting it hurt. “But also… I don’t want to stop being me. I don’t want her to see me as some domesticated cat just for having feelings.”
“You can be better _being yourself_,” Marvin said, without thinking much.
—This is ridiculous...
—You’re a disaster—the little one answered, resting his head on his shoulder with a tiny smile—But you’re our disaster. And, with luck… you’ll be hers too—?
Night Ninja let out a quiet laugh, barely audible, almost incredulous.
Inside he was still fighting himself, his pride, his fear and his insecurities. But for the first time… he didn’t feel so alone.
Marvin, on the other hand, let himself think a bit more about the whole situation. On one hand, he couldn’t help enjoying it—his boss had been acting... different, yeah, in the annoying sense. But he’d also gone back to being more... close with them, like he used to be before, at least until he decided to declare himself “the supreme being of the night” and got obsessed with proving to the PJ Masks that he was better than them. He could sleep more hours instead of staying up planning his next evil plan for the following day, he let them rest more often (and then that became too much), and right now he’d let him hug him.
Maybe things weren’t all bad, because, however tiny they were, good things were filtering more and more through the cracks in his boss’s tough shell, letting someone Marvin hadn’t seen in a long time show through.
...
Figuratively and literally.