'I should really give you a name,' Lucian 'said' while in the middle of putting on an outfit that Inigo coordinated for him. 'I can't just keep calling you "Program" forever.'
[ That sounds splendid, host. What do you suggest? ]
'Something that starts with a P...' Lucian paused, tightening up his belt, then smoothing out his shirt. 'What do you think of "Penny?"'
[ I... think it's cute... ]
'Penny it is, then!'
[ ... thank you... ]
'Someone's shy~'
[ Hmph. Am not. ]
'Are, too.'
[ Dee-too. ]
'Fuck, you got me.'
[ Heh. ]
Lucian huffed, amused, folding the sleeves of his black button-up shirt just up to his forearms. The fabric was smooth and breathable, and even the undershirt he wore was the same. It didn't feel like he was wearing more than one layer of clothing at all. Over his button-up was a soft cotton sweater vest, with a zipper that went from the neckline down to the bottom of his sternum. Its color was this pleasant floral lavender.
Lucian left his black shirt's collar unbuttoned, as well as his sweater vest's zipper open. This exposed a little bit of his neck, and he felt that it suited him pretty well.
If he was surprised by the quality of these clothes that Inigo had gotten for him, Lucian was downright flabbergasted when he was presented with a vintage silver wristwatch. He didn't recognize the brand; probably local to this Earth. He put it on his left wrist, and from his other wrist dangled a bracelet. It had a charm on it, but he couldn't tell what it represented. If he had to guess, it was probably a wolf.
Lucian had doubts about wearing that one, but Inigo insisted. He couldn't very well turn it down.
The slacks situation was much the same as the rest of his clothes; it felt amazing to wear. This time though, it was simple in appearance. Outwardly, it didn't look much different from any regular slacks. Lastly, the new shoes he now wore, genuine snakeskin leather, felt a little loose. It was the best match that Inigo could find for his size though, so it was what he stuck with. He just had to wear thicker socks for it in the end, so it was basically a good fit.
Now, something not quite part of the ensemble... Lucian slipped on his Manticore jacket, which he could now flip inside-out to look like a regular old jacket. Jodie was really good at her job.
Stepping out of the currently closed gym (he used the locker room to shower all quick-like and change), he made his way back over to Inigo's restaurant— he and Maxie had agreed to meet up there.
Rounding the corner, he was greeted to three people lit up by the restaurant's warm lights. There were Inigo and Maxie, easily recognizable: one for his silhouette, and the other for her stunning appearance. With his boosted mental and physical stats, Lucian's much better eyesight and perception speed let him take in the details of her look for what felt like minutes.
Maxine was gorgeous. Had Lucian not done his sisters' makeup for them since the start of high school in his previous life, he'd never have noticed her wearing any. The pale dark green of her blouse made her hair stand out more, and those black, high-waisted shorts, as well as her skin-tone stockings— the neurons in Lucian's monkey brain were very much activated.
She had also been wearing jewelry. It was only a singular piece: a brooch pin, set with what looked like a ruby the size of Lucian's thumbnail. Simple, catches the eye, and complimented her whole arrangement.
Banishing his wandering thoughts and rising heartbeat, Lucian shifted his focus to the only unfamiliar person there. About the same height and stature as Maxie, this girl had pink hair, and wore simple but adorably-styled clothing.
Loose, frilly white blouse, deep blue pumpkin shorts, wavy stripe-patterned thigh-highs... wait, Hello Kitty shoes? They have Hello Kitty here??
Lucian hadn't bothered to check, but he should probably see if MHA was a thing here, soon. He couldn't let himself get caught ripping off Deku...
Regardless, he correctly concluded that this new girl was Maxie's friend— likely the one who helped her prepare for this occasion that neither of them had really been prepared for. If so, he'd have to thank her later.
Once Lucian got close enough, he could finally hear the trio's conversation. It was quite animated on Inigo's part, as well as the stranger's. Only Maxie seemed about as stiff and silent as a board, eyes firmly focused at her feet.
[ She's so much cuter than usual, isn't she? ]
'Shut! You're ruining my focus!'
[ Heehee~ ]
Honing his focus back in, Lucian caught the pink-haired girl's words. "So, since Maxie didn't want to say anything about her boyfriend-to-be earlier, what can you tell me about Lucian?! Is he handsome? Fit? Most importantly— is he going to be nice to my Maxie?" she asked all excited.
Maxie clutched at her friend's sleeve, hissing something into her ear. Probably begging to quiet down or something.
Of course, Inigo didn't hesitate to answer. "Oh, he's a strapping young man. You could call him one of them 'pretty boys,' but he's also got a rugged charm to him." He put a hand to his rounded chin, stroking it with his index finger and thumb. "He got it from me, of course," he joked, to which Maxie's friend blew a raspberry and laughed.
"Why do I get the feeling that I'm being talked about behind my back?" Lucian asked when he got close enough to be heard, obviously faking exasperation.
An audible gasp came from Maxie's friend once she looked up from Inigo. Lucian could swear that there were stars twinkling in her eyes.
Inigo, for the most part, seemed to just be enjoying the moment. "About time, 'migo! Lookin' sharp."
Maxie, meanwhile, didn't seem to realize the heat present in her cheeks... or the rest of her face. And her neck. She was one of those people who, when really embarrassed, seriously reddened all over.
Lucian waved at her, and her friend grinned slyly. The pink-haired girl flashed Inigo a weird look, prompting him to speak up.
"Ah, right. You did want to see our kitchen, right? Let's go in, I'll show you how things work, maybe show you how to cook some of the meals on our menu. Have fun on your date, kids!"
With the wingman and wing-girl disappearing into the empty restaurant, Lucian and Maxie were left to their lonesome just outside.
◎ ◉ ◎
Luce and Maxie decided to go to the latter's college campus first. Its essential facilities had to stay open 24/7, overfilled and understaffed as they were.
Maxie had no trouble getting her things, as she'd already known exactly how much money she needed. Unfortunately, she had to leave Lucian outside. As much as her university loved to cut corners, security was a whole other thing. They wouldn't let Lucian in.
As for why they let students in at night, which was arguably more dangerous? Well, money. There was also the fact that they only announced the suspension of classes; whether their own students went in despite the dangers, they didn't seem to care.
...
"Sorry I took so long!" said Maxie as she approached Lucian at the outdoors waiting area, clutching an ecobag filled with textbooks and other materials. Prices had actually dropped a little after Wayne Enterprises decided to get involved somewhat, so she managed to get some extra stuff she needed on top of the essentials.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad to see this part's all taken care of now." Lucian smiled down at Maxie, and she had to avert her gaze once more.
She remembered the reason all this even happened in the first place. The issue with school, the talking that morning at the gym. Lucian wanting to cover some of her expenses...
'Seriously...'
"I'm... actually not sure what to do now..." Maxie mumbled after a bit of standing around awkwardly, though Lucian could hear her no problem. "Do we just go?" she then asked, half-hoping to just go home, but not really wanting to.
Lucian hummed, lightly squeezing the alligator leather wallet that Inigo had gifted him, sitting snugly in his right pocket. 'Seriously, where did he get the money for this shit? I'm really starting to think that the restaurant's just a front now.'
Eventually, he spoke up. "I mean, I was just kidding earlier, but now that we're here... I got it. Let's go eat out." Though his suggestion took some time to get out, barely a second had passed in real time. "I haven't really done that at all lately, so I figured now would be a good time."
Maxie had only been half-listening. She misunderstood again. 'Huh?? "Eat out??" He's really saying that now??? And he's done it before?! Wha—— oh... wait. He meant food. Stupid Maxie. Bad girl. Bad!'
Luckily, the misunderstanding didn't last long this time. Fearing that she might say something weird or stupid, she opted to simply nod her head in silence.
Expecting Lucian to just start walking off for her to follow, Maxie found herself staring somewhat dumbly at her date's outstretched hand before her.
"Come on," said Lucian. "Let me carry that for you."
'Of course he wants to play the gentleman,' Maxie grumbled in her mind, but handed over her educational materials anyway. Not that his offer— or rather, request —put her off. She just felt weird, not being used to this much consideration for such a tiny thing.
"Let's go," Lucian prompted. "If you have any places you wanna go for food, let's go there."
◎ ◉ ◎
Today was a great haul. Now that collecting money from one of Gotham's larger banks was over, they could finally get to the best part: the chase. And with how much money they managed to swipe this time... heheheh. Funding the next chase would be a cinch.
William Orion was known to his crew as Shoebill due to an incident where a shoe flew into his mouth during a fight. He bit at it angrily, and it stayed on his face until he got knocked out, thus cementing his legacy as Shoebill, short for "Shoe-faced Bill." The nickname not really relating to anything, he had always been a thrill-seeker— an adrenaline junky. Having similar friends, all being in Gotham city with the lot of them having the same crooked moral compass... well, this sort of outcome for them was only a matter of course and time.
Two GCPD cruisers were hot on their van's tail. More than a few reinforcements were likely on the way, closing in on them from different nearby parts of the city— their 'little' stunt did make the live news, after all. How exciting.
Jonas Bors, known as "Jones Bones" for eating even bones if his food had them, was the driver for Shoebill's crew. Reaching a harsh turn on the highway, he made their van's tires screech with a sick drift. "We're almost there!" he yelled.
The others in the vehicle checked their weapons, nodding to each other to confirm that they were good to go. Up ahead was the bridge crossing over Finger River. They'd have to drive over it to reach the middle part of Gotham, then another bridge to cross over to the upper part past Sprang River to their hideout.
"That Moth creep had better come through on his part of the deal," Shoebill muttered. Their successful escape hinged on the peculiar supervillain.
◎ ◉ ◎
Maxie's time with Lucian went so much better than she'd imagined. In her mind, it was going to be painfully awkward. This was, surprisingly, her first time ever going out alone with a guy.
Sure, quite a number of people asked her out, men and women both, but she'd only ever taken up the offer of a handful of girls. Boys seemed a little too scary for her during that time. Among those few, nobody ever went for a second date. Well and truly, Maxie was absolutely clueless, a fact that Tammy kept teasing her for all these years.
Lucian, for his part, admitted to having dated before. 'Maybe I can just let him take the lead,' Maxie thought to herself as she directed him to where she wanted to go.
Later still after their meal, she hesitated to pry but couldn't help her curiosity— she ended up asking Lucian if he had also 'done the deed' before. They were at that age, after all. Wouldn't it have been stranger if he hadn't?
Once again, he admitted that he had.
'So he's already done it,' thought Maxie. She didn't understand why, but she felt... irritated learning this. But she didn't let it get in the way.
Over the course of their night out together, Maxie had Lucian take her to various places after eating at the fast food joint— the same one that she and Tammy had gone to just before this.
They visited an arcade, as neither of them had been to one in forever. Lucian absolutely shredded her at DDR, but she wrecked him completely in Mortal Kombat. They ran into some trouble with some... 'unsavories' while they were there, but Lucian settled it quickly. Maxie knew that he could fight, but didn't expect him to be so proficient. He hadn't been hit even once.
Later, they hung out an abandoned bridge nearby, familiar to both of them for different reasons. They just enjoyed the companionable silence while sipping on some ice cream floats. The two of them even considered entering a purportedly haunted house on the way back, but ended up deciding against it...
Bringing the subject back to the fast food place, it was Maxie's favorite place to eat at. Their chicken cheeseburgers were her favorite, with the cheesy curly fries being a close second.
Another reason she asked to eat there was that she didn't think she could handle fancy places. It also didn't help that she hated the idea of having Lucian spend money on her. If she could help it, she'd keep his spending to a minimum.
After all, in her mind, it didn't seem right because they weren't together together. Lucian seemed to enjoy himself though, so she didn't feel too bothered...
One might bring up the fact that Tammy often spent freely on her whenever the whim flitted by, but there was a difference there: Tammy spent money for Maxie, sure, but that was because her allowance was stable, and she lived a comfortable life with her family. She had no qualms about this. Also, the two of them were simply friends; whenever they hung out, it was just that.
As for Lucian... well, it was obvious that he was interested in her. Maxie wasn't sure how deep those feelings went, whether they were as shallow as mist on glass or as deep as an oil rig's drill could reach, but that was only the surface of her issues with him using up his money with or on her.
People change.
Feelings change.
What if Lucian lost interest down the line? Then he might regret it. Then again, he might not. There was just so much to think about that Maxie just discarded those thoughts altogether and did her best to enjoy the moment.
"Boop..." went Lucian's voice.
"?!?!" Maxie flinched, flushing up, leaning away from Lucian's index finger that had just touched her nose.
Lucian chuckled. "You alright, Max? You started zoning out on me for a minute there."
'Right... we're at Robinson Park right now...' Maxie reminded herself. She felt bad for mentally disappearing on Lucian, but her mind just couldn't help but wander sometimes.
"Tired? You could take a nap. Or should I bring you home?"
The two of them laid on the grass together, at Maxie's insistence. She was a little worried since Lucian's clothes were really nice, but he ended up flopping down before she did, offering her his arm to rest on.
"I... think I'd like to stay a bit longer," Maxie admitted. It felt nice, just... existing like this. She wasn't comfortable doing something like this with either of her siblings, and her parents were way out of the question. Speaking of that, she realized that she didn't want to go home at all if she could help it.
"Go right ahead," Lucian told her.
Maxie went to close her eyes, a subtle, contented smile forming on her lips. This was nice. Relaxing. For the first time in a while, she didn't feel the need to constantly be looking over her shoulder.
In the middle of lying on the grass, Lucian started talking to her again. "I just wanna say, I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
Not fully registering what he meant, Maxie hummed questioningly. Her head turned slightly towards him, though her eyes stayed shut.
"I mean, I basically forced a date between us. I get that it was a misunderstanding, but that was stupid of me. I should've been clearer that I was just teasing."
Maxie took a deep breath and expelled it through her nose. "It's alright. I forgive you for it."
"Besides," she continued, "I really had fun tonight... I don't regret going. Heh, and even if I did realize you were just teasing, I would've tried to get back at you by holding you to your word."
She was about to turn over and test how she felt about laying an arm across Lucian's body, but he jerked up suddenly. His arm shifted beneath her head, but only slightly— he had perked up in alarm and was looking around.
"What is it...?" Maxie asked, concerned. She began rising from the ground herself.
"Get up. Now," Lucian told her urgently. "I hear gunshots. We gotta get the hell outta dodge."
Seconds later, she heard it too. They both got up quickly and started running.
— — — — — — —
[A/N]: Y'all, next week will be the last 3x upload because we'd be all caught up with the Ao3 posts. Actually, I'll just make it a 4x since I'll be uploading ch.16 there at the same time.