Chibi-Kari: Just a short one-shot that has been sitting on my computer and in my head for two years now. I hope you enjoy! I, of course, don't own the characters or get any money from this...only some enjoyment.
Cliché
He never thought he would be a cliché. He was smart. More than smart. Intelligent. And he valued that in himself. So how could he be a cliché? No, he was the type of man who would be devoted to his work. Who would be above petty things. But maybe he never really was above petty things. Or at least Gene had always said he wasn't.
Oliver Davis could recognize that some people rubbed him the wrong way. Alister Morgan being one of them. When they had first met when Noll was 8, Alister was a few years older than the twins. But the boy was on their level and that had irked Noll to no end. No matter how many times his mother had assured him that Ali was advanced but not as advanced as him and Gene, it simply didn't sooth his nerves. And because the other boy was more social, it felt like he could see every flaw in himself magnified. And Gene never let him forget the snide comments and small things Noll found himself doing to ease his nerves. So maybe he was petty.
But he had thought he was above this. And he hadn't realized it was even happening. It was almost insidious at first. Small things that he noticed. Things that he found that he liked or had gotten used to at the very least. He knew it must have been getting obvious, although he hadn't noticed himself, since Madoka was constantly teasing him about it. But the moment Lin said something he really started to reflect on his actions.
He couldn't have actually walked out on the clients even though he very much wanted to. And sure, what he said to the young man was maybe a little harsher than he normally was. But that didn't excuse the client's behavior towards Mai. It didn't seem to bother anybody else, but the man's attention was just a little more than Noll was willing to put up with, especially during an investigation. He had felt perfectly justified in what he said.
But when they came back and everyone had left for the day, Lin chose to finally break his silence. "Just marry her already."
The older man simply turned and left Oliver sitting at his desk. No room for discussion. At first, he wanted to deny it, but being the man of science he was, he instead decided to dissect the comment and his actions that prompted it so he could better refute it. But that dissection only led him to realize that he was strangely possessive of Mai. Her wellbeing and comfort were important to him. But it was nothing more than that. A deep understanding and friendship. A connection to his brother as well.
Or at least that was what he decided upon until 5 minutes ago. Now that had all changed. He swore he could hear his brother's laughter ringing through his head. He had been fine and comfortable with his realization, but the moment she walked in his office and started shelving some books on the shelf in front of his desk he came to the stunning conclusion it wasn't the case. No, he found watching her work from the back much too appealing and very suddenly didn't want anyone else to see her like this.
He rubbed his forehead harshly as the word cliché ricocheted in his head. That moment, Oliver Davis came to the stunning realization that he was going to be the boss that married his secretary…well investigator but honestly that was a detail most would ignore. He was a cliché and his family was never going to let him live it down.
He sighed again. Now he had to just convince her to be a cliché with him. Not that it would be hard.