Revelations Of A Mad Man

Chapter VIII

Someone slapped him on the cheek. Hard.

"Ouch," mumbled Wu, trying blink his eyes open in frustration but they wouldn't budge. His head was ringing, voices trailing at the edge of his consciousness. The Sergeant's body was heavy and while his arms were incredibly sore, his cheek stung like a patch of nettles. "God that stings," but he wasn't sure the words actually came out of his mouth or if they were still stuck in his brain.

Someone murmured a word, or perhaps a sentence, and a plaster of something cool touched his heated cheek. It was surprisingly wet and sticky and Wu didn't doubt that if he fell down onto the floor again, his face would be permanently stuck.

Wait, why wasn't he on the floor?

The motion of moving his eyelids took a lot of strenght but with a groan, Wu cracked open his left eye. Sunlight streamed through the top of a window. Or what would have been a window if there had not been a good chunk of cardboard fixed to the frame with duct tape. The sunlight betrayed the coldness of the room. A slight drift came from the 'would have been a window if you had not pulled out your gun' but it was morning in Portland. One of the first winter mornings of the year, if Wu was guessing correctly.

Wu tried moving his hands but found that he couldn't. They had been tied safely to the back of the chair he was currently seated on and left no room for the Sergeant to scratch his nose or rub his stinging cheek. Someone was standing in front of him, temporarily blurred as the sun made Wu winch and once again yearn to rub his eyes.

It was a tall, dark, stranger considering the light made it almost impossible for the Sergeant to distinguish nose from mouth until his eyes finally adjusted to the somewhat dim and harsh light of the spice shop.

"Wu," said the stranger and the Sergeant squinted. The voice was familiar but not Nick or Hank which could only mean one thing. The Captain. "Wu, are you awake?"

"Yeah," said Wu and cricked his head. "But I feel like shit," he gave a nervous chuckle but when the Captain didn't even give a sarcastic smirk in response to his obvious comment, Wu started to notice the state Renard was in.

Obvious bags ran under his eyes and his face was set in a rather grim grimace, shoulders hunched and his trenchcoat hung loosely on his tall frame. The stare was directed at Wu and the Sergeant gulped.

"Do you know why you are in that chair?" Asked Renard, pointing briefly to the rope Wu could see from the corner of his eyes.

"Because Nick and Hank stole my evidence?" He ventured.

"Wrong."

"Because I followed Nick and Hank?"

"Partially," drawled Renard.

"Because I tried to shoot the suspects?"

"There is my Sergeant," a sarcastic clap if Wu had ever heard one. "What were you trying to accomplish in the first place? This is unlike you," The unspoken words were left buried deep in the ground but Wu could read between the lines. I'm disappointed in you.

Wu scoffed but no anger slipped through his next words and he merely sighed instead. "Excuse me for wanting to know why my so called friends stole my evidence and celebrated with suspects until late at night." Renard looked somewhere past the Sergeant and Wu tried to twist his head until he could see what the Captain was staring at with an incredulous raised eyebrow. A rustle of clothes and Wu spotted the fabric clad arm of one Nick Burkhardt.

Oh, so he had been there all along.

"We thought we had gotten away with it, and frankly, everyone needed to cheer up a bit," said Nick, defensive, arms crossed over his chest.

"You aren't supposed to think, you are supposed to know whether or not you got away with something. That attitude is what might get you caught if you are not too careful," said Renard and Wu felt left out of the loop. Why was Renard giving Nick advice on how to avoid being spotted doing something illegal? Wouldn't it make more sense to scold the detective?

"Am I missing something here?" Asked Wu. "Like the golden fox who was actually human or are you going to pass me off as crazy again? Though I'm pretty sure everyone saw it this time." Beside him, Nick stiffened and his fingers tightened the hold on his clothed arms so much that his knuckles turned white and bleak.

Nick kept quiet and while Wu half hoped for the detective to say something about their strange predicament, it was once again Renard who took the lead. "Alright. Wu, I realize that this might not be the best circumstances under which you have had to be told incriminating information about both your world and our world, but it would seem that waiting it out is no longer an option due to a certain blockhead over there." Renard inclined his head at Nick and the detective in question grumbled but didn't fight. The Grimm had made a mistake and he was willing to take the blame that may or may not follow.

Wu frowned. "Your world and our world?"

"Yes," said Renard. The Captain was still in front of the chair Wu was tied to, and the Sergeant silently wished they would hurry the hell up and get him out of the constricting binds gnawing at his wrists. He was so going to get bruises. "Your world; a world covered with blissful ignorance of not knowing the dangers lurking behind every person and then there is our world; where everything is not as it seems and almost every person you meet wants to kill you with their bare hands."

For some reason, Wu didn't seem too surprised. "So, what you are trying to say is that the fox-human or whatever, is from your world and is not normal in any way?" A quick nod from Renard.

"Basically, yes."

"So I'll be taking a wild guess here and say that the Aswang was not a figment of my crazy imagination?"

"No, it was very much real," said Renard. Nick stepped past Wu's blind spot and the detective had the decency to look just a tiny hint guilty.

"I'm sorry,"

"Nah," said Wu, shrugging his shoulders as much as he could while being tied up. "Don't worry 'bout it. Kind of just makes a lot more sense than random people trying to kill you."

Now it was Nick's turn to be surprised. "You're not mad? Even though we lied?"

"No. I think it did me a lot of good getting away from the force for a while. Even though it's a weird definition of a holiday, but it helped put a lot of things back in perspective."

"You do realize you are taking things much more calm than anyone else would, right?" Said Nick. "Hank went crazy and put bulletholes in his closet because he was scared something was going to jump out and maul him to death,"

"That was actually my first reaction after the Aswang but that's why I sought help. My salary isn't big enough to buy me a new closet in case of bulletholes."

Nick laughed at that one. Wu hadn't lost his humour and he seemed to be in a generally good mood despite having had a fistfull of ultimate weirdness thrown at him. Yes, the Sergeant was admirable both in work and in terms of mental health.

Renard stepped around the chair and Wu felt the pressure on his wrists lighten until the rope slid off and hit the floor.

"I take it you aren't going to shoot any more suspects?" Asked Renard and only then did Wu realize that his gun was no longer in its holster.

"I think I'm done for today. Shooting teens is not really my style."

"Good," said Renard and gestured for Wu to not leave the chair yet. Okay, hands were free but there was obviously more to the explanation as Renard disappeared out of the door behind him, leaving Wu with Nick. The Sergeant could hear other voices buzzing from behind the wall.

It was awkward, to say the least, but Nick broke the silence first with a slight cough.

"I really am sorry, Wu, I need you to know that," he said, feet shuffling and Wu grinned at the bashful action from the normally calm and collected, if slightly clumsy, detective.

"I know," said Wu. He didn't feel angry. Slightly hurt, yes, but not angry. They had all had their reasons to keep, well, whatever those things were a secret and Wu hadn't been involved enough to earn that right. Except for now. He had definitely earned it now. "I don't blame you."

It was the magic word, apparently, as Nick slumped his shoulders and his arms lost their defensive stance just as the door swung open again and Wu twisted in his seat. Hank came in with a tense wave but no words of comfort. Another man, the suspect from the childnapping case and the woman - whom Wu presumed to be the bearded man's girlfriend - strutted in with a matching set of rather nervous smiles.

"I'm Rosalee," said the woman and stuck out her hand for the Sergeant to shake. Wu didn't get up from his chair, but took the outstretched hand in a show of good faith.

"Monroe," said the bearded man and Wu felt his hand being squeezed a bit too tight for comfort. Renard stalked in afterwards, in all his swishing trenchcoat glory and kept glancing towards the door he had just closed behind him. There were still voices on the other side of the door, soft spoken and hurried, although the barrier between them might have had a bit to do with the muffling of the words.

"Wu," said Renard and the Captain caught his attention once more, forcing the Sergeant to sit properly on the chair and focus on what was about to be said. "Do you know how this works? How people change and becomes something else?"

Wu shook his head. "When you said your world and our world, is that what you meant?" Asked the Sergeant, suddenly apprehensive at staying in the same room as someone who might rip out his guts if he stuck his foot in his mouth.

"Yes, that is exactly what I meant," said Renard.

"Then no, I don't know how it works. Except for when the Aswang changed into an old woman right in front of me."

"That's the basics," said Nick. "When you can change like that, you are what most would call a Wesen. Someone who is human in looks but has certain qualities to their persona which cannot be described as human in any way without sounding too much like a science fiction novel."

Wu clicked his tongue and wrung his hands, more out of habit than nervousness. "Am I to assume that some of the people in here are Wesen?"

Renard didn't miss a beat when he calmly nodded and smirked. "You don't miss out on an opportunity, am I right?"

"Indeed you are," said Wu. There was a short while when no one said anything or they simply didn't know what to say. Perhaps maybe with the exception of Renard who merely seemed to relish in the awkward atmosphere until Wu decided to break it.

"Can I see?" He asked no one in particular but his gaze somehow ended up on Nick.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," said Rosalee. She was back to biting her lip and Wu had decided to chalk it up to nothing more than nervousness. "Both Hank and Juliet freaked out a bit afterwards,"

"Juliette knows?" Asked Wu.

"Yeah, why?" Responded Nick, his brows furrowing in obvious confusion.

"It's just something she told me when I was still at the nuthouse. I guess everything is falling into place now, sort of. Turns out I was missing one of the puzzle pieces."

"Indeed you were," said Renard and beckoned for Rosalee to step closer. "You are the least intimidating of us. I believe it will be better if you go first."

It was her cue and the Fuchsbau looked Wu straight in the eye, repeating what she had told Juliette when the redhead had asked for a demonstration. "I want you to remember that it's me, no matter what you see, okay?"

A curt nod.

Rosalee cocked her head, flipping her hair back as she felt her face change. Fur growing out and nose growing in, a low keening noise somewhere in the back of her throat. For a short moment Rosalee was unsure whether or not she had managed to make herself successfully seen by humans because Wu had no outward reaction to her change. His face was as relaxed as before but a slight change in his eyes was all the confirmation Rosalee needed before she changed back. "I'm a Fuchsbau," she said, as though the word was meant to trigger some long forgotten memory. It didn't.

The Sergeant snuck a glance at Monroe. "And you are?" He asked. Monroe strode forward as Rosalee slunk back, leaving the Blutbad to deal with Wu.

Instead of saying anything or preparing him for what was to come, Monroe woged. His face gained a quality of someone who was neither man nor animal. Red eyes and foul smelling breath, the Blutbad stuck his face close to Wu's. No immediate reaction until the Sergeant cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you a werewolf?" He asked as Monroe shifted back. The Blutbad snorted.

"That's offensive," he said. "But I understand your reaction although the correct term would be a Blutbad." Wu looked at each person in turn after Monroe stepped back, leaving enough floor room for another person to step up and do a round of show and tell.

"Don't tell me you are a Wesen too, Hank," laughed Wu and the Sergeant was slightly relieved as the mustached man shook his head with a laugh of his own.

"No, man," said Hank. "Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen or some other German name for a human who knows about Wesen."

"Then what about Nick?"

The detective gulped. That one would be hard to explain but hey, it was worth a shot if it meant getting Wu on the team. "I'm a Grimm," said Nick. As he would have guessed, Wu looked like one giant question mark until he elaborated on the subject. "Someone who can see Wesen without being one when they look me into the eyes. It's sort of my duty to put down strays if they can't handle the pressure of living in a human world." Although his tone had been light and carefree, the statement within was clear. Nick was the cop of the Wesen world and he was both judge and jury.

"Oh," said Wu and noticed Renard had taken refuge in one of the corners. "Human, Grimm or Wesen?" Asked the Sergeant. The Captain tapped his fingers against his trenchcoat covered leg and contemplated. Was it worth telling Wu about the Royals now or should he wait? Shaking his head to himself, Renard made up his mind.

"I am what one would call a Zauberbeist; a witch-like creature but only the females - called Hexenbeists - have powers. Males are merely there to keep the bloodline going." For now, Wu had granted his trust enough to know that he was Wesen but disclosing his rather blue heritage wouldn't be beneficial for either of them. Might even make things more difficult if the Sergeant was to treat him differently despite not realizing it himself.

For the shortest of seconds, Renard revealed his true face. The skin was ruggedy and it looked as though someone had piled several layers of leather upon his face, cut it up and then sewn it back together again. It was ugly, one mouth hanging half open from a slack jaw and holes had appeared in the skin as though it was nothing more than a few moles or blemishes.

It was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"As you see," began Renard, massaging his neck with one hand. "It is not everyone who is of use even though they are Wesen."

Wu stood up from the chair, a lazy drawl back on his face as he trailed one hand through his short trimmed hair. "Then, if you don't mind, I believe my shift starts soon. I'll get going unless you have some more psycho stuff you want to dump on my poor brain?"

"Only one more question, actually," said Renard. "The yellow manila folder, did it contain all the information on Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Yeah, everything I had collected from various reports including handwritten notes," answered Wu and cocked an eyebrow in question.

The Captain frowned. That meant someone else was well on their way to figure out the connection between them and that could put them in a peculiar situation. Wu made a motion for the door and Renard scoffed. "You are free to go, if that is what you are asking." The Captain drew a gun from within his trenchcoat and handed it to Wu. The gun and holster clipped as easily back into place as it had been clicked out. For once, Wu smiled as he headed for the door and bid his farewells all around the room.

"Captain, by the way, a couple of feds dropped by just before Hank and Nick stole all of my things - which I sort of still want back but I know you can't give - and they were pretty adamant about the latest case." Said Wu. It was only common courtesy to let them know, now that he had been let in on their secrets. Besides, Renard would have heard about it either way.

"I see," a hand rose to Renard's chin as the Captain frowned once again. "That is indeed a problem …" There followed a contemplative silence which no one dared to break but no one was comfortable in either. Wu was waiting for a further answer before walking out, but the stretching silence did nothing to ease his escape.

"When was this?" Inquired Renard.

"Just before Nick and Hank showed up at the station. Why? Didn't you two see them on your way out?" He directed the last question at both Nick and Hank but they shook their heads in response. It was near impossible to exit the police station without using the elevators or the fire escape and yet the two feds had left unnoticed at the same time the contents of one of their manila folders had disappeared.

"Do you think they were the ones who took the file?" Asked Nick, mulling over the question. It was plausible and not entirely impossible. On the contrary, it would make more sense if it had been a couple of Hundjäger than actual FBI agents. "Is there any connection to the Royals?"

For once, Renard seemed to have no immediate answer. "I'm afraid they might. It isn't known neither to my contacts nor to me how far my cousin's influence stretches." He said. "But I fear it has already grabbed a hold of Portland despite my tries to keep them out of our hair."

"I don't blame you," piped Monroe, sharing a quick glance with Nick and Renard. "I mean, the reapers were pretty intent on me staying away from Nick but let's face it, I'm not getting out of this."

Rosalee gave a small start, nothing significant but just enough of a jolt for the non-human creatures in the room to pick up on it. "Not like we are getting out of this," she said pointedly. For a short moment, Monroe was taken aback by her apparent fierceness not closely associated with Fuchsbau but then his face softened.

"I know," he said and that was that. Nick admired their wordless relationship, letting their emotions out so easily that the other could pick up and act on them according to what the other needed. It was so startlingly clear how strong their love for each other was. Monroe would never be in this mess alone; he would always have Rosalee by his side, even if the Blutbad disliked it in fear of her getting hurt in the process. It couldn't be helped and Rosalee would be damned if she was kept standing at the startline when she might be able to do something to help. Even if that something was just tending to scratches and whatnot.

Sometime during their little moment, Wu had snuck out of the door and the distinctive tiny roar of his Fiat Panda resounded through the thin layer of cardboard coating the broken window.

"I'll need to get that fixed soon, don't I?" Asked Monroe and Rosalee batted him on the arm.

"If you can replace the glass on a watch, then a window shouldn't be too hard," she reasoned. "And let's move this discussion into the main room, shall we? I don't want to treat all of you for colds because of the window and stupid irrational arguments about being vikings," she left no room for discussion and when she heard the soft pitter patter of feet against floor, the Fuchsbau knew the men were following without needing further persuasion.

In reality, she was amazed by how quiet the two teens had been under the whole Wu incident and the following discussion. Rosalee had given the blonde more of the calming herb mixture but not enough to knock him out or make him too severely disoriented - just enough to make him calm down and still keep up a sensible conversation should the need arise. But there hadn't been as much as a pip from either of them. Even when Wu had walked out afterwards he would have had to go past them as she had told them both to stay in the main room. If nothing, her heartbeat increased at the thought of them running out on her. God, that would be stupid but she wouldn't put it past them.

What she found was two snoring teens snuggled together in one corner.

"Aren't they cute?" She asked. When no one answered, she looked at Monroe, daring him to counter her statement.

"If you are going to be talking about having children, can't it at least wait till after the wedding?" He teased. Rosalee turned bright red and was left with a gaping mouth when Renard conspicuously cleared his throat to announce the situation as serious once again.

"They can't stay at the spice shop, I hope you realize that," he said. It was clear Rosalee was the one most attached to both teenagers, perhaps due to her foxy qualities gained from her Fuchsbau side, but nevertheless it didn't make matters any easier. "We'll have to move them to a safer location,"

"But what is a safe location? Naruto is as dangerous as a couple of Balam in a tight spot if not even worse!" Exclaimed Nick. There was a brief pause of frustration from Hank as the mustached man frowned at the casual Wesen terms being floundered in his face and not yet know what they were. Neither Nick nor Renard offered him an explanation as the Captain answered with as much vigour as Nick was against the whole idea.

"I will be completely honest here and say your place would be the safest location at this point in time."

Nick gaped. "You can't be serious?" He cried, so close to running his hands through his hair in frustration but refrained from doing so. His hair didn't need to suffer for his Captain's lack of common sense. Or his lack of tact for that matter. "And exactly how am I going to explain this to Juliette?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way." Was all that followed and Nick was tempted to make Renard his next target. If he would just step one foot out of line, the Grimm was sure he would haul the Captain's ass back to Vienna and giftwrap him for what was left of his family. Yes, that would be a nice change of pace for once.

"If you will excuse me, it seems I have to dig up two FBI agents, so I'll let you deal with those two," Renard inclined with his head towards the two sleeping teenagers - Sasuke had his arms wrapped around Naruto in a comforting embrace once again - and disappeared out the front door with just the tingle of the ringing bell left in his wake.

"If he wasn't my boss I would have lopped off his head a long time ago just for being such a smartass."


If ever there had ever been a situation with an awkward silence, it was this one. The one where you aren't quite sure what to say to your girlfriend when you bring over two sleepy teenagers who just happen to be Wesen related and one of them a Royal at that. (Who might just kill your neighbours if you aren't too careful.)

"Sorry I didn't call before hand," said Nick with a nervous smile. Oh yes, that girlfriend of his could see right through his act.

Juliette had opened the door, seen the teens and had yet to let them in. "You better be sorry," she said. "I've only bought dinner for two so either you are fetching more zucchini or we are eating a tipped freezer, is that understood?"

"Tipped freezer it is then," said Nick. He wasn't comfortable enough leaving those two alone with Juliette. Not that he was scared they might do something to her (he couldn't deny it either, they looked awfully cute and not scary when they slept) but who knew what might tick Naruto off. Sure, Rosalee had mentioned Sasuke to have some sort of influence over the blonde but to what extent? The Grimm hadn't bothered asking, knowing there would be little chance they might actually give him a decent enough answer. So no, he was definitely not leaving Juliette alone with two strangers, cuddly tendencies aside.

"Come on in," said Juliette and moved out of the doorway, only once giving the two strangers a look of curiosity before shaking her head and muttering to herself. Nick ushered the two boys inside before they had a chance to further protest their new living quarters. While Sasuke was the silent type, his scowls and smirks often said a lot more than words and his face had been particularly vicious when Nick had broken the news after Rosalee had woken them up. The Uchiha had not been happy and by the scowl on his face right as this moment, he still wasn't.

Naruto, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased. His eyes were literally absorbing all the content of the different rooms, racing in and out as he tried to map his way in the unfamiliar territory. In a way, Sasuke was doing the same, his eyes doing a discrete sweep of the room before he would follow Naruto with a grumble, complaining about stupid idiots and their hyperactivity while under the influence of catnip. Naruto had no objections to the accusations and merely continued his sweep of the house.

Nick decided it had to be a ninja thing, securing the premise and making sure no one was hiding under the stairs or in a closet who might pop out and kill you while you were sleeping. That would be quite a problem if that was to happen under the Grimm's watch and Renard would surely be none too pleased about it.

Nick gently eased the door shut and Juliette stalked closer. "Who are they?" Her voice wasn't accusing, more curious than anything, in fact. Nick sighed.

"Trust me, you do not want the whole story." Juliette raised an eyebrow, a quirk to her lips as though she was contemplating whether or not to push her luck but she refrained from doing so, to Nick's great pleasure. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain everything even if she had pushed.

"But basically, the black-haired emo is Sasuke Uchiha, japanese origin, and the blonde is Uzumaki Naruto, also japanese origin. They are both nineteen years old and have connections to the Wesen world. Naruto is - apparently - a King and Sasuke is something akin to a bodyguard? I'm still not quite sure how that is supposed to work …" mumbled Nick. The two teens had forced themselves up the stairs despite injuries and Nick could hear them bustle about while checking every possible room for hidden traps and whatever they might be looking for in a house in the suburbs of Oregon, Portland.

"Wait, does that mean we have royalty visiting?" Asked Juliette. For some reason, it was the only thing she seemingly registered. Of course. "Nick, you should have called! We haven't cleaned this place properly for ages!" So that was what was worrying her; their lack of routine, containing things like scrubbing the floor, dusting off everything and vacuuming the grimy panels until they were shining. Not that they were dirty people, they just didn't have the time to clean that often.

Naruto trudged down the stairs, hand seeking support on the railing as he winced every second step, the pressure on his wound too great to not let his mask slip if only a little. Sasuke followed, albeit at a slower pace as to accommodate Naruto's ritual of stepping, tripping and stepping again. The black-haired teen wasn't trying to dash forward whenever Naruto stumbled but kept close enough should he actually tumble down the steps. By the time they both reached the bottom of the stairs, the blonde was out of breath and Sasuke kept glancing around with a collected mask firmly in place.

Sticking out one hand to Juliette the blonde gave an endearing smile. "I'm Naruto and the stuck-up bastard over there is Sasuke. I appreciate what you have done for us by allowing us to stay in your home and I assure you, we will try to keep the trouble to a minimum," his voice was kind, completely in accordance to his smile and Sasuke didn't even flinch when the blonde called him a bastard. Sasuke did scowl a bit more at the mention of hospitality.

Getting involved with other people meant more risk of exposing their secret - to more people than they had already been forced to - and hospitality generally meant favours. Two things the Uchiha wasn't exactly fond of in the first place.

"I'm Juliette. Juliette Silverton." It was a simple handshake but suddenly everything wasn't as awkward anymore. Sasuke was still glaring daggers at pretty much everything and everyone in the room, even Naruto but the blonde seemed unaffected by the harsh glare while he chatted away with a slightly unnerved Juliette.

Their discussion was mainly small talk; a little bit about food, a little bit about life and once when she asked why they needed shelter, Naruto clammed up and the topic wasn't brought up again. Juliette knew when a topic was off limits and Naruto was unwilling to share his past experience with Nick, and even Sasuke glared just a tad bit harder whenever she got a bit too close about something from their past

Naruto declared his hunger shortly afterward the awkward pause.

So they tipped the freezer.

Shrimp, some roast beef, a slice of lasagna and something green and smelly that should have been thrown out a long time ago. But not enough food to feed four people.

"I'm sorry but we don't really keep that much food since we are only two," apologized Juliette. Hell, it wasn't even enough food for her and Nick.

"Do you have pasta?" Asked Naruto.

"Yes, we do," said Juliette. Naruto flashed another one of his blinding smiles.

"Then do you mind if I cook just this once? I'm sure I can scrape together a decent meal with some of these ingredients,"

"No, no," tried Juliette. "You're the guests, I'll cook,"

"I insist," there was a flash of something in his eyes that made Juliette halt with her reply. It was a look she had seen one too many times on Nick's own face. A haunted look, one that shouldn't have been on Naruto's face at all but yet it was. And it scared her. One too many times it had been in the eyes of the animals she had treated in the clinic. The uncertainty of not knowing where you are and what might happen except you know it can't be good. That apprehensive look of someone declaring a need for peace.

"Okay, but at least let me get the ingredients." To that Naruto couldn't object.

Nick and Sasuke had taken up the couch and though it was tense and awkward with Naruto and Juliette bustling around in the kitchen, Nick turned on the television to ease both the Grimm and the Uchiha into the new situation. It wasn't as though Nick was particularly fond of inviting strangers home, but whatever Renard says is law, even if it means doing things a little bit differently. And even if that meant leaving his girlfriend to cook dinner with an unstable homicidal Wesen high on catnip.

"He likes to cook you know," said Sasuke. It was a sudden break of his 'I don't give a crap about anyone and I won't talk unless you make me' streak he had going but the talk was welcomed. "It keeps his mind off … bad things."

Nick was tempted to ask the black-haired teen what he meant but knew better than to interrupt.

"He is the only one of us with decent cooking skills. Not to mention he had to learn how to make dinner that wasn't ramen when we got together. Hell if I'll let that shit slow down my thinking process like the dobe's," said the Uchiha. He was oddly at ease, his face neither in a frown nor a scowl for the first time since Nick had seen him.

A steady humming came from the kitchen and it made the black-haired teen rest his head on the back of the couch, his eyes staring aimlessly at the ceiling until he eventually closed them and gave a slight huff of air.

It was a nice song. Nothing fancy and no words but it was soothing and even Nick felt entranced by it. The Grimm didn't have to guess it was Naruto doing the humming but not hearing Juliette sing while she bustled around in the kitchen put him off, if only for a little bit. It didn't sit well with Nick that he felt such calmness come over him when it was a complete stranger cooking dinner in his and Juliette's house.

Sasuke must have picked up on his confusion somehow.

"Don't worry," he said. "Naruto has that effect on most people and you are no exception." For some reason, it made sense to Nick. If what Renard had said about the Uchiha clan and their connection with the Royal Wesen was true, it would only be natural that he would feel a connection as well, albeit at a much lesser degree. Which only made the Grimm wonder again. If Naruto could make the Grimm feel this drawn to him based on only genes, then Nick had no idea how Sasuke must have felt with the blonde missing and out of reach.

"Dinner is ready," came a call from the kitchen. A female voice, Juliette, as the humming had stopped shortly before her declaration.

Nick turned off the television and Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. For a short moment, Nick had been tempted to think the Uchiha fast asleep simply by the way his chest would rise and fall in a steady pattern but the Uchiha's attempt at small talk had suggested otherwise.

Nick nearly flew out into the kitchen when a delicious waft of smell came from what was undoubtedly a pot full of good food made from nothing but scraps scavenged around the house. The Grimm could definitely smell what Sasuke had meant with cooking skills.

"Have a seat," said Juliette when the two of them reached the table. Forks, knives, glasses and just about everything else you might need when eating dinner, was placed neatly on the table and dressed with a nicely folded napkin. A crane to exact.

Nick had no doubt it was Naruto's work.

The pot was on the table, simmering in its own leftover heat when Naruto came in with a water bottle and seated himself at the table. Juliette didn't get a chance to seat herself beside her new friend before Sasuke had claimed the chair without a word and a speed to match lightning, all the while his face remained as indifferent as ever.

Juliette decided not to comment on the action - wise move, thought Nick - and chose the seat beside the Grimm. With a gloved hand, she removed the hot lid and an aroma of flavours and scents burst into the room. Compared to the previous meager fumes Nick had smelled, this was over the top and made his mouth water, unnecessarily so.

Pasta mixed with asparagus, red pepper and then topped with a generous amount of cream sauce looked as enticing as if it had been served at a restaurant.

"Dig in," said Juliette. "It's Naruto's recipe."

They nearly divided the whole dish in four pieces, so hungry were they after two long days of mysteries and killer Wesen tendencies. They waited until they had all taken their serving before digging in, but again Naruto waited, eyes strained on the delicious food in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Asked Nick. Naruto shook his head but still he didn't reach for neither fork nor knife in an attempt to eat.

"It's just been so long since I've eaten proper food," he said and the Grimm could see the haunted teenager back at the shop, huddled up with his boyfriend, soaked in blood and burning flesh. "One can only live on rabbits for so long." It was a weak attempt at a joke, but a joke nonetheless and only Naruto gave a frail chuckle before his hand reached for the fork.

"I should have found you sooner," said Sasuke. The Uchiha hadn't stopped eating, a habit from his many days on the road and little time to rest in but Naruto took no notion of what Nick and Juliette considered rude behaviour.

"It wasn't your fault," said Naruto.

"It's always been my fault," the blonde halted eating again but he didn't look up at Sasuke.

"Sasuke …"

"No, Naruto. I abandoned you for three years but you never gave up on me and then when you leave, I still couldn't catch up to you."

Naruto resumed eating and Sasuke had never stopped but the conversation left Nick and Juliette in an uncomfortable silence.

"It is how it is, Sasuke," said Naruto. "And we can't run from what we are."

The way Naruto said it made Nick cringe. As if the two teens had had no choice in their destiny or what they were born as. Which, considering everything, they probably hadn't.

Under the table, Naruto and Sasuke's hands found each other in a tight grip. Such was the blessing of food that required only one hand for eating it properly.

"What do you mean what you are?" Asked Juliette.

This was going to be a long night.