A/N: I'm sorry for being away for so long, I've just had an incredibly shitty year (and overall bad time). I'm sure everyone has been hit hard with what's been going on, and I hope that everyone is keeping themselves safe!
As for me, a lot has happened in my own life, and I haven't written in months until the last couple of days actually. If this chapter is weird, it's because I had to remember what I've written.
My goodness, the support for this fic is immense and I can't thank you enough. So thank you! I'm glad that everyone is still enjoying it, and that you're still sticking around. It's kinda bad that I left everyone hanging for so long, but I'd rather pay attention to my own health first.
Enjoy!
There are stories about Cloud possessiveness. Rare as they come, it was always a point of interest when one hears about the uniqueness of the things Cloud users considered theirs. It's not because of the fury that erupts when people crossed the lines they've drawn to keep their possessions safe or the multiple stories about strangers getting chased because of it. No, it's the sheer magnitude Clouds could get possessive about.
It doesn't have to be small trinkets that one would usually collect, nor intricate cards or antique valuables. They could be possessive of land, territory, even people. Things that are normally hard to protect are held close by these individuals. Usually, these are the people that have the most unique disposition amongst Clouds. After all, wouldn't it be hard to have a guardian who refuses to leave their territory, bound for the foreseeable future? That they'd rather stay in one area than anywhere else. Or the few who was territorial of people, cherishing them, getting protective of them. Habits that can get troublesome for the people who are considered theirs and subjected to a Cloud's obsession that could hinder their everyday lives. Those cases are rare, and at most, being possessive of their people leads to a watchful guardian who will always have their backs.
Others were possessive of their beliefs, concepts, ideas. An abstract thought or view that keeps them going. It's unusual for Clouds to latch onto this form of possessiveness due to the vague foundation it sits upon, but it exists.
The most important fact about Clouds to remember is that they are, first and foremost, solitary beings.
Skull sighs, brushing a hand through his hair. Feeling troubled as he stares at the wooden box that was retrieved from the bottom of his bag. It was a well-cared-for box with the way it seemed undamaged despite the number of years he's kept it by his side. It was simple in design, hardly anything intricate other than the golden latch that held it closed and the painted patterns on the cover. And yet...it's this simple box that he cherishes with all his heart.
He reached out his hand to brush his fingertips across the cover, in the same gentle manner all those nights ago. If people were observant and knew him since he was a child, they'd realize that this wasn't just a wooden box to him, but something similar to what Agate would own herself.
An antique box.
It was gifted to him when Agate spotted him collecting his own brand of items. The items themselves weren't anything special, and definitely not something that held his interest for long as he always discarded them by the end of the day. However, when Agate gave him the antique box to start a real collection, his eyes were so shiny that it caused her to laugh loudly. Especially when he smudged his own mascara that left the dancers of the tent to both chitter and aww.
"There's something that you want, no?" Agate had asked, eyes bright and clear. "Then go for it."
Skull had stared, young eyes taking her all in before he did just as he was told. There was no questioning what he'd go out and hunt for after that. Remembering all the time he's spent with Agate and what she adored the most.
He breathed in relief at the sight of his gemstones huddled snuggly between cushioned boxes. Adoring the way they gleamed underneath the lights of his room and the different hues they sported. Though, compared to the amounts of gemstones he's stolen in his life, there are only a dozen that exist within his antique box. And sometimes, even fewer if he looks upon it in retrospect as he traces an angelite next to an amber.
Amethysts stare, silent in his observation. After a moment of consideration, Skull pulls out the black opal that was stolen the night prior. Unlike his other steals, he didn't sell this one, couldn't. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he should for his own good.
Beautiful, he thinks.
There's a hesitation when he places the opal in a new repository inside the box, tucking it in safely between the silken cushions it provided.
Skull pulls back and stares.
"Oh." He says, tone delicate. "This is bad."
"Lackey. Where the hell are you?" Reborn growled through the earpiece as Skull hummed brightly.
"Hm? Senpai? I'm a little busy right now." He replied, a tongue flickering out in concentration.
"Lackey. "
The object of Skull's desire continued to deny him as he clicked his tongue. Eyes alight with a cat's greed as he listened harder. There was a churr, a tick, and other metallic sounds as he twisted his wrist side to side and around. In the background, there is the distant sounds of thunderous commotion being made and Verde's mad giggles harrowing down the comms.
Skull paid no mind to his teammates through the earpiece, focusing on more pressing matters. Him, all wrapped around a safe like a clinging octopus. Trying and not failing to cradle the whole thing as if it's his precious baby with his head placed on top of it. Listening closely to the gears shifting with each rotation of the code lock.
Yes, if anyone were to see him right now, Skull was indeed trying to break into this safe.
It's not like he couldn't help it! When Skull caught the conversation between a guest and the extortionist they were tasked to kill, Skull nearly brained himself against the wall with how fast he screeched to a stop. Eyes intent as he stayed in the room to gather more information about the musgravite hidden away in the target's house before disappearing in search of it. And now here he was, hugging the safe with barely contained excitement.
Skull was practically drooling at the thought of walking away with not just a successful mission but a lovely gem as well. Oh, the goddess of luck has really blessed him tonight.
"Lackey. If you're not here in the next four minutes and thirty-two seconds, I will personally hunt you down and strangle you."
"Whatever you say, Reborn-senpai." Skull sings as he removes his finger from his earpiece.
There was an ominous sound of an object breaking in half, but Skull was already so close to breaking the code to ask what that was when- click. Amethyst flashed as the safe opened, and a sweet purr escaped him when he saw the beauty inside.
The musgravite was oval in shape, the dark grey of it made darker inside the safe before Skull reached for it. He grabbed it with nimble fingers and stared at it appraisingly before vanishing it with a flick of his wrist.
"The Great Skull-sama is coming." Skull chimes to the rest as he stands up after closing the safe.
By the time he made it out of the building with puffed breaths, Reborn was already there, radiating death with his gun raised.
"Lackey." Reborn begins conversationally with dark eyes. "I see you have the nerve to come fifteen seconds late."
Skull stiffened with a nervous smile, "S-senpai..."
"Five seconds."
"What?"
Reborn cocked his gun with a menacing click. "Four. You better run, lackey."
Without another word, Skull booked it down the road.
It was an onyx, Cheshire thought with a raised brow. A black gemstone amongst a sea of other colorful gems behind the glass pane of the display case. It was polished, perfectly cut, and the size of a walnut. A bland spectacle compared to the heliodor and amazonite scattered around it like brightly lit stars.
Nothing about this gem should have caught his interest. It wasn't even his targeted gemstone as he continued to stare transfixed. The thief furrowed his brows as he took a step closer from where he was heading towards the center of the room.
Suddenly, a groan reached his ears, and Cheshire shushed the guard clutching his stomach on the floor. People these days, the thief harrumphed with a roll of his eyes, always ruining the moment with their dramatics.
He stepped over the man, waltzing towards the display case, and bent over it to regard the onyx closer. It was a moment of quiet contemplation before Cheshire's eyes twitched behind a black, Venetian mask.
Gloved hands reached out quickly, prying the display case open with a sharp tug. Unconcerned with setting off the alarm this time due to the fact he'd already disabled the security system beforehand.
The thief reached his hand out to grasp the onyx, and once he did, straightened his back to hold the gem out into the light. Cheshire squinted.
Pitch black as the night, he mused distantly.
He eyed it for a moment longer, a thoughtful hum escaping him. With a flat hum, Cheshire slips the onyx into his breast pocket and goes back to his objective. Pointedly ignoring the whimpering man on the floor to steal away the blue diamond that had been left unattended while he was distracted.
"What are you doing?" Skull asked in curiosity as he watched Verde struggle with the metal contraption in his hand.
The scientist ignored him, and Skull pouted, placing his chin between his hands as he gazed at the base in the distance. The rest had gone in considering Skull was useless as just Skull other than to be their gateway driver, saying, he quotes 'they had no need for a bumbling fool to mess up their mission, so sit and wait like the good puppy you are'.
How insulting, Skull huffs, at best he was a proud cat burglar! With a huff, Skull watched as Verde sets up some sort of high-tech computer with series of numbers flashing through the screen. The eerie glow from the computer reflected off of Verde's glasses as he expressionlessly clicked away on the keyboard.
"Verdeeeeeee." Skull whined as he tried to lean in closer to see what he was doing, practically rubbing his face all over the man's lab coat like an overzealous cat.
Verde clicked his tongue irritatedly as he shoved Skull's face away, "Don't touch me."
"But Skull-sama is so bored!" The stuntman nearly cried.
The other glared at him, annoyance plain on his face as he jabbed a single aggressive click of the keyboard before moving to the side. Skull beamed at the silent offering, clamoring to crouch beside the scientist who returned to his quest doing something with his computer. The thief took the opportunity to read the codes flashing on the screen, status reports popping in and out every few seconds and other numbers displayed, and tilted his head at the odd words.
Realization sets in.
"Are you trying to set something off?"
Green eyes blinked, a hint of curiosity flaring from him. "You can understand this?"
Hell no, the series of codes flashing before him was way too hard for him to understand. It would take him an entire day at most to solve one part of Verde's code. On the other hand, Skull has had enough practice with disabling security systems to have some idea of what Verde was trying to achieve.
Skull shook his head. "Not really. I can just understand the basics of what you're trying to do, but everything else is just gibberish to me."
Verde raised his brows at his words and pushed up his glasses that hid his eyes with the help of the computer's light.
"Hm. Is that so?" The scientist drawled.
At Verde's lax words, Skull opened his mouth to inquire about it when the scientist turned his back towards him. The stuntman let him go with a deep sigh and left him to work in peace as he hovered his eyes over the screen too. There was a minute of silence as they both stared at the screen, bored amethyst eyes growing wider and wider as he observed what Verde was typing in. His mouth fell open in slow sequences.
"Um, Verde?" Skull spoke up nervously, staring at the back of the scientist's head.
"Hm?" Came the ominous reply.
"You're not doing what I think you're doing, right?"
Fingers slowed down on the keyboard as Verde turned his head towards Skull. They faced each other blankly, and with growing trepidation, Skull watched as a smile etched onto the other's face. A smile. On Verde's face.
"So you can understand," Verde confirmed, his glasses flashing. "You're smarter than I expected. Good."
Oh no, Skull could only think as he stared at the pleased smile growing on the mad scientist.
"Now you can appreciate my masterpiece to its fullest!"
Oh no.
Just on cue, Lal's voice crackled through the comms. "I've placed down the device you asked of me and we've left the base. ETA 3 min to the extraction point."
"Perfect." Verde sang eagerly while aiming one steady finger at the final key with a wide smile.
"Oh no." Skull said softly with all the resignation in the world.
Verde pressed the key.
.
.
.
.
.
"Verde."
"Hm?"
"Don't you think that blowing the enemy base sky-high was a little mean, even for you?"
"...It's for science."
"Verde, no."
"Alright." Cheshire began gravely, his top hat tipped low to create an ominous shadow over his eyes. "If I give you your toy back, can I have that gem?"
Big, blue eyes blinked up at him in a mocking display of innocence. The blond pig-tails on the girl's head swung when she had the gall to shake her head in refusal and clutched the green fluorite closer to her chest instead. Meanwhile, keeping a rather close eye on her teddy bear that's being held hostage in Cheshire's tight grip.
The gentleman thief breathed in calm, shallow breaths.
"Are you sure about that?" He asked again.
The girl thought for a moment, looking at the green gemstone with a cute wrinkle of her nose, before nodding her head solemnly.
In all his years of working, this scenario has never crossed his head at all. My god, if the world found out about how the World's Greatest Thief was being bested by a little girl, his life would be ruined. How in the world did accidentally dropping the gem lead to it being held over his head by the Don of the Rivolta Familgia's baby daughter?
Cheshire took another deep, shallow breath.
It seems he needs to go to the extremes.
The thief flicked his wrist, and out from his sleeves, a sleek knife shoots out. He held the blade against the teddy bear's throat.
"You give me no choice, missy!" He yells theatrically, basking at the gasp that escapes the girl's mouth. "Give me the gem, or the teddy bear gets it!"
The girl shakes, blue eyes wide as the earlier concern blew to alarm, biting her lips at the unexpected dilemma. She hitches her breath, eyes snapping back and forth between the gem and teddy bear as if measuring the worthiness of the two. It took her only a minute after seeing the threatening draw of the blade that crept closer to the bear's neck before she presented the gem to him.
Cheshire sighed in relief, taking the green fluorite from her hands and handed the teddy bear back towards the girl. The thief examined her, taking in her sullen pout aimed at him with mild exasperation.
"Look, I'm sorry." Cheshire apologizes sincerely. "I just..."
He paused, and the little girl perked up when he stared down at the gem in his hand. Cheshire Cat huffed quietly and raised his head to send her a tentative smile.
"Let's just say I wanted it for myself."
Skull...honestly did not know what to do as he surveyed Viper. Sipping his juice box as loudly as he could just to get a reaction from the Mist user to no avail. It's hard to see what they're thinking with the hood over their face, and Skull was beginning to tire of staring at the cloaked figure standing at the same spot for the last ten minutes.
How does someone even do that? Stand in the same spot, without moving, for that long? Viper was like a statue, for goodness sake.
Just when he thought Luce's ideas were starting to sound reasonable, like shopping together in town, Skull was sorely mistaken if this is the reaction it gets. God help whatever other future events Luce will take them too.
Giving up on trying to figure out what was happening from afar, Skull approached them.
"Hiya, Viper!" Skull chirped. "Watcha looking at?"
They tensed, and Skull sensed their displeasure rolling out in waves as they ignored him. Remaining stubborn as they faced the other direction. Skull peeked over their shoulders to see what they were looking at.
The thief raised his brows at what he sees.
Turning back towards Viper, Skull caught the way the illusionist scrunched their shoulders up defensively, no doubt realizing they've been caught.
"Viper?" Skull pointed towards the shop. "...do you want to buy dessert?"
If it was possible, Viper tensed even further, finally moving their head away from the stall.
"No." Was the gritted lie.
A series of question marks popped around Skull's head as he looked back towards the stall, eyeing the desserts on display behind the glass pane. He peered closer.
Ah.
So that's how it is.
Peering from the corner of his eyes, Skull decided to test something.
"Do you want me to buy it for you?"
It was zero point one second.
"Go."
"Wow, Viper."
It was ridiculous at first, but in the end, it turned out better than Skull expected as he enjoyed his dessert. Hiding a smile when he spots Viper digging into their own strawberry cheesecake carefully as if savoring each and every bite to its fullest.
It was...rather different from what he thought of the illusionist. An image that was all but shattered as he dramatically complained towards Viper about forcing him to pay. It earned him a dismissive shrug.
"A shame." They said, rather flatly.
Skull pouts, but comforts himself with the fact that he could bribe the informant with this in the future if his cover ever gets blown. He's sure he can use his fortune to buy all the desserts they would want for the rest of their life.
"You're quite the conversationalist, Ms. Loyd!" The owner of the aventurine gem praised, staring appraisingly at Cheshire who giggled in turn.
He was disguised. Light brown curls framing his face as he crossed his hands over the slim black dress he wore. Playing into the sophisticated air Cheshire was going for when he made the mask of one Olivia Loyd.
"You flatter me." He titters, making sure to lure the man closer to the hallways.
"No, truly! It's been a while since I've had such a stimulating discussion, and I find myself wishing to meet again." The man said with a not so subtle leer that Cheshire would have openly rolled his eyes over if it wasn't for his disguise.
"Oh, I don't think I'll have time with my busy schedule," Cheshire says absently while touching his cheek.
"I insist, Ms. Loyd."
As the conversation continued, Cheshire finally made it towards the empty hallways as he sipped his champagne daintily. He placed the flute on top of the table and whirled around, forcing the man to step back in surprise at the suddenness of his actions. There was a Cheshire smile on his lips, disconcerting on Olivia Loyd's face if the way his target backed away was sign enough.
"I believe this discussion is over, my good sir." Cheshire sings brightly.
"M-Ms. Loy- ugh." The man doubled over once the sleeping drug took effect and Cheshire smoothly grabbed the other flute before it shattered against the floor.
"I'm sorry for tricking you this way, but seriously, you should be more careful about your surroundings." Cheshire admonished. "Walking into a gala with such a beautiful gem was just asking me to swoop in and steal it."
The thief held onto the gaudy necklace around the man's neck as the connoisseur declined towards the floor. A pleasant hum escaping him as Cheshire admired the way the aventurine gleamed, unsympathetic towards the loud thump of a body hitting the floor behind him. With a graceful flip of his long locks, Cheshire turned towards the drowsy man cursing him with a wink of his eye.
"Sleep tight now, darlin'." Cheshire said teasingly before disappearing into the dark.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! " Lal curses viciously, latching onto Skull's collar to pull him down into safety with a mighty jank.
Bullets sailed over their heads, but Skull was too busy choking at suddenly having the air cut off so suddenly to freak out theatrically.
"L-Lal, are you trying to kill the Great Skull-sama!?" He cries indignantly.
"Shut up, you idiot!"
An explosion erupts where they were just at, and Skull begins to freak out accordingly by shuffling closer to her side, whimpering. Lal only expresses her displeasure with a heavy groan before pulling him closer, awkwardly sharing space behind the boulder as the others of the I Prescelti Sette dealt with the rest. The thief blinks at her easy acceptance, more like surprised as he leans his head against the rock.
Skull's not dense to realize that Lal somehow cares for him despite their rough first meeting and their association with each other. It's a rough sort of care that amuses him to no end, and Skull blames it largely on the fact his childish behavior enforced her protective instincts. He wonders if he reminds Lal of some sort of clumsy recruit and that's why she made it her personal mission to watch his every move like a hawk when they're heading out. Drilling insistently at his behavior in the fields and taking the time to teach him how to be stealthy. Him- the Greatest Thief in the World, Cheshire Cat- on how to be quiet!
Skull chortles.
Behind her back, of course, he'll look crazy if he bursts out giggling like a hyena out of nowhere, and the subsequent ass-kicking he'll get for it. Besides, it's not like he doesn't feel a smidge of guilt at using her to execute his image of him already.
"What." A voice snaps and Skull realizes that Lal must have caught on to the fact that he was staring.
Whoops.
"I-It's nothing, Lal." Skull stutters, rubbing the back of his head as he made a show to look extra pitiful.
She stares with her brows furrowed, looking away to check if there was anyone else coming towards their direction before turning back towards Skull.
"It's going to be fine," Lal bites out, looking highly uncomfortable at her own attempts at comforting him. "It's clear anyways, so stop looking at me with that stupid kicked puppy-face."
"What? Skull-sama does not have a kicked puppy-face!" The stuntman puffs, a bravado that makes Lal roll her eyes.
"Gods, I thought I got rid of an idiot only to get a brand new one in a matter of weeks." She bemoans, and Skull slides his eyes towards her slyly at the slip.
"Hm? Are you talking about your boyfriend?"
Lal froze, processing his words slowly.
The military woman raised her head with a flustered expression, "What the fuck did you just say?"
Skull grins innocently, "Your boyfriend? You talk about him a lot, you know! You must really like him."
Jackpot, Skull mentally giggles at the red that crawls up her face, in both rage and embarrassment. Steam practically erupting from her ears with how much she's thinking about it. Skull was beginning to worry when Lal failed to scream at him.
"Uhm, Lal?" Skull pokes her head. "You alright there?"
A hand seized his finger in a death grip, and Skull shrieks.
"You." Lal hisses, and Skull remarks that she has gone from furious to murderous in a span of a second. "I'll kill you."
His high-pitched scream for help echoing through the comms results in Reborn crushing it underneath his shoes swiftly. Not a hint of remorse on his face as he turns towards Fon who is still listening in with a look of mild fascination.
"Lal has...an impressive range of vocabulary," Fon says, blinking with each swear that gets picked up by the mics. "Wow."
"Oh, I didn't expect company tonight!" Cheshire gasps, smiling at the agitated guards standing in his way. "Really, all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to ambush me to see me, you know."
"Oh, shut up already." One of the goons growled out, cocking his gun at him. "You damn thief, hand it over!"
Cheshire hums, eyeing the men approaching him and the exit behind them before grinning wickedly. He holds the alexandrite next to his cheek and practically cuddles it.
"You want this?" He asks sweetly and instantly smirks. "Come and get it."
At once, the lights flicker off, shrouding the room in darkness much to their horror. Cheshire listens to their panicked shouts, and a cackle erupts from his lips. He moves, rushing towards the first goon that was smart enough to aim his flashlight towards him, only to recoil when Cheshire steps into his proximity. The flashlight goes flying when Cheshire drop-kicks him in the face and promptly uses the momentum to launch him towards his next unsuspecting victim.
No one dares to shoot in fear of hitting their own as they fumbled for their flashlights and called upon their flames quickly. The only thing that greets them is one of their men collapsing to the floor and the cause of it flickering from sight once more to down another. A trick of the light, Cheshire mused as he flung one of the men into a crowd with the help of his flames, knocking them down like bowling pins.
There was a sound of a gun being raised from behind him and Cheshire flings his arm out to throw his dagger without a second thought. The gun gets knocked out of the goon's hands, and he gasps in shock. He scrambled for it, only to freeze when a hand casually latches onto his shoulder.
"Now that wasn't nice." Cheshire says, and promptly knees him in the gut.
The man goes down, and Cheshire brushes the folds of his clothes and fixes his mask before he turns the lights back on. The sight of the goons groaning in various states of pain makes him chuckle.
"My, my, that was quite the workout." He says, casually stepping through the crowd.
The alexandrite dances between his fingers as he opens the doors of the estate with a happy whistle. Just as he's about to close it, Cheshire sticks his head from behind the door, waving cheerfully at the men inside.
"Bye everyone, it was fun!" And closes the door behind him as he leaves.
One of the men covers their face in absolute misery.
"Tea?" Skull echoes, confused at his manager after finishing one of his latest shows.
"Yeah, the office gave me a set of tea leaves as a gift." The manager says as she placed the dozen tea boxes along the counter. "To be honest, I'm not that interested in them and thought about giving them away to the others. You want some?"
"Skull-sama doesn't drink tea."
She shrugs, "I know, but it doesn't hurt to ask."
Skull grabs one of the tin boxes to read the label and quirks a brow up in surprise.
"These are all...really high-quality." He turns the box around. "Are you sure you want to give them away?"
His manager nods as she scrolls through her iPad, no doubt checking his schedule for the week. It would be good to take a look at it himself later to make sure it doesn't coincide with his other plans. Juggling his stuntwork, thieving, and goofing around with the rest of the I Prescelti Sette is hard work. Frankly, his whole charade is beginning to wear thin on him.
Skull sighs, tilting his head into his propped up palm in boredom. The box of tea leaves twists beneath his hand, and the stuntman eyes it absently before perking up. Now that he thinks about it, these...were all pretty famous in China, right? Not that he's an expert in all of this, but he's sure that they'll fetch quite a fair price if he sells it to the right people.
Skull pauses. Thinks.
"Hey." Skull leans his head over his shoulder to catch his manager's attention. "I've changed my mind. Can I take three of these?"
.
.
.
.
.
It was evening by the time Skull reached the mansion. The place dark and quiet, especially now that the majority of the occupants have left for other businesses around the world that Skull had no interest in knowing about. He whistles, swinging the bag in his hand as he walked past the living room and straight for the kitchen.
He heard it first before he felt it.
"Skull, you're back."
Skull shrieks, jumping into the air before whirling around.
Fon smiles back at him from where he snuck up on him, hands tucked into his sleeves comfortably.
The stuntman splutters.
"S-Stop doing that! Skull-sama will get a heart attack one day!" He cries, grasping his chest.
The martial artist only chuckles, a composed expression at the face of Skull's hysterics.
A shudder runs through the thief as he wills away the tension in his arm. Uncurling the fingers that had almost reached out for the knives strapped around his wrist. Skull would have flung it if he hadn't realized that it was just Fon and not someone of more malicious intent. It's...worrisome that he had put his guard down like that. That he thoughtlessly allowed himself to.
Skull placed a hand over his mouth in an act and in part conflict with himself.
Fon tilts his head at the bag in Skull's hand.
"Did you go shopping?" He asks, eyeing Skull's jolt.
The thief turns his eyes towards the bag in his hands before he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Uhm." Skull starts, looking away. He then brings his arm up forcefully, practically shoving the bag into Fon's hands. The martial artist caught them through sheer instinct and made a questioning noise from his mouth.
"They're for you," Skull explains uneasily. "Skull-sama's manager didn't want them, but I thought that you might instead."
Fon blinks, clearly startled before he deigns to look inside the bag, and stares.
Skull is not nervous, absolutely not. He is the Immortal Skull, a death-defying stuntman, and a master class thief by night. There are no reasons for him to be nervous!
"If they're somehow not to your taste, Skull-sama can take them back. I didn't really know if you would like them anyway, but since they were from China I thought that you might- actually, I should have asked first rather than assuming that. Now that I think more about it, I should have. I'll take them back-"
"Skull."
The thief sips his mouth.
There was a smile on Fon's lips, amusement practically exuding from him. He's laughing inside too from what Skull can tell, and the stuntman hides the way his pride took a blow at the look.
"It's fine, Skull." Fon assures. "It's a thoughtful gift. They're actually one of my favorites, did you know?"
Relief rushes through him as Skull shook his head.
"Come on." Fon starts, a peculiar glint in his eyes as he stepped into the kitchen. "I'll make tea for both of us."
Skull doesn't drink tea.
So he smiles and says, "Sure!"
"What a nice green color." Cheshire purrs, eyes roving upon the jadeite in his hand.
"Give that back!" A boy grunts, trying to reach for the gem if it wasn't for the hand placed strategically on his face by the thief, pushing him away.
Cheshire smirks at the boy, "Why should I? I'm a thief, you know. We don't exactly give things back."
The boy flails his arms like a tiger cub trying to swat at their playmates before he stomped his foot angrily.
"Mamma said that the green one is important! You can't take it!" As if the boy's own words fueled himself, he makes a renewed effort to make a grab for it.
The thief sighs, wondering why he's always being saddled with kids nowadays as he expertly kept the boy away. Hardly struggling at dodging the boy's lunges and swipes with a chuckle. Though Cheshire will give it to him, the boy was quite dedicated.
It wasn't long before the boy tired himself, lying flat on his back dejectedly.
Feeling sorry for the boy, Cheshire lies next to him with a big grin. "Giving up?"
A glare, both frustrated and furious at him. "No!"
The thief laughs, holding the jadeite to the artificial light and makes an appreciative whistle. The boy looks at him with big eyes at the sound, huffing as he clenches his hands into a tight fist upon his lap.
"...can I please have it back?"
Cheshire twists his head around to peer at the boy, who is in near tears at the realization that he stood no chances against the master thief.
"Mamma really likes that stone." The boy whispers, starting to sniffle.
The thief makes a choked sound at the way the boy's trying to play him- him! - and sighs in defeat while sitting up, a gloved hand ruffling the boy's hair.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it! Hold your tears." Cheshire clicked his tongue, handing the jadeite towards the boy who eagerly reaches for it, only to scowl when the thief pulls it away again.
"Let's make a trade first." Cheshire starts, grinning slyly. "This jadeite for the red gem over there."
He jerks his head towards the grainy red gem displayed in the mother's jewelry box, and the boy eyes it critically. He looks unwilling to let Cheshire steal anything from his house but seeing no alternate paths, the boy could only nod.
"Deal."
Cheshire tips his hat with a cheery smile, places the jadeite in the boy's hands, and magically appears the red jasper in his own palm. The boy gasps in wonder, drawing up with sparkling eyes.
The thief winks, "Now that's a fair trade."
It wasn't, but Cheshire was hardly going to tell the boy the exact price the jadeite was worth. In the end, it doesn't matter.
The red jasper was enough no matter its value.
Luce's eyes are like sapphires. A dark blue, just like the depths of an ocean. Bottomless.
"Skull? Do you want more?" She asks as she presents a tray of muffins on one of their off days, a smile on her lips. It was warm and kind.
Skull stares into her eyes with his mouth stuffed from her earlier batch and nods stoically.
"Ywesh pweash."
Reborn, sitting across from him, twists his mouth in disgust. "Can't you swallow first?"
The stuntman shrugs, unfazed by the way Reborn twitched with palpable annoyance. He would have taken a shot at him if it wasn't for Luce's watchful gaze settling upon the table like divine judgment. Skull hid a triumphant grin.
"Leave him." Lal barks out as she moved to a stand. "Maybe he'll choke on it and die."
"Wha- LAL!" Skull cries out in offense after hurriedly swallowing the rest of the contents.
The hitman rolls his eyes and joins Lal out the door after finishing his espresso.
Skull slumps, twisting the napkin on the table in a sullen manner before realizing that he is very much alone with Luce and will be for the rest of the day. After all, it's not like Skull had any shows this week, nor did he have any nightly activities to get to, unfortunately. He leans his head on the palm of his hand, and observes Luce as she placed a plate of cookies on the table.
"...are you sure you don't need any help with all that?" Skull asks at the growing pile of baked goods.
"No, it's fine," Luce says but turns a sly eye towards him a second later. "Though, if you're a gentleman, I'm sure you'll insist."
Skull falters, a reticent look upon his face at the sight of her smile. A tilt of his head, a tap of a finger, and he grins.
"Of course I would!" He rises gracefully from his seat. "Now then, what would you have me do?"
Luce laughs, "I just need you to tie the ribbons for me, that's all. Thank you, Skull."
"No need, really." Skull assures while taking the ribbons handed to him with a questioning glint. "Actually, what's with all the baked goods?"
She hums fondly, "It's for my Famiglia, I promised I'd bring them something good to eat as an apology for being away all the time."
How kind, Skull thinks blandly and then whines.
"Aww, how lucky of them." Skull eyes the cookies and muffins enviously. "I'd like to be pampered like this too."
"Don't worry, I'll leave some for you as well." There's a familiar twinkle in her eyes when she turns towards him. "And you? I've heard fascinating stories about a thief stealing odd gems lately."
"Oh? You heard all that?"
"Yes, all sorts of gems with the oddest of price ranges."
Skull laughs with a crescent grin distorting his features. "Let's just say I've been rather bored lately and thought that I could have some fun doing something different now and then."
"Is that right?" Her eyes look knowing, in a bright and refracted way. "Well, I hope you found whatever you were looking for."
Luce turns back towards the boxes of assorted desserts and Skull tries not to stare as he ties a bow with a sharp tug.
Is this...how it's supposed to feel? Sky attraction, that is.
This brittle and fragile bond that's forming between them. Forming between all the members in the I Prescelti Sette like a spider weaving its web.
He lingers over the ribbons that slips between his fingers.
"Hey, Luce." Skull starts. "When are you expecting?"
Luce froze, a hand flying towards her stomach at his sudden inquiry. Blue eyes flash up towards amethysts, and she shuts her parted mouth to quell her surprise. There is a moment of silence between them as she tries to gather her thoughts.
"In four months." She says at last.
She smiles.
He wants to say something, anything to break the silence that descends between them, but there's nothing. Only the sincere love in her voice and the tragedy that follows.
Skull takes in the fingers that tremble along the curve of her stomach.
Scared, he sees.
Skull shuts his eyes.
I am too.
It was no surprise that Cheshire Cat would steal a sapphire next. The bluest of all, so bright against the moon, and clear through his eyes.
A lie, Cheshire whispers into the darkness of the night, and leaves.
Skull placed the last gem into the slot and stares at the collection he's gathered over the years. At the various colors that reflect back and the way they were all clustered together.
A satisfaction rushes through Skull at the sight of it.
There are stories about Cloud possessiveness, about the things they considered theirs . It could be places, people, and things. It could be concepts and ideas, but most importantly, they are based on personal values.
His first gem was an agate because Agate was named after it. A quick slight of hands, a bit of a charming distraction, and the gemstone was his. The reason for stealing it was simple at first, incredibly obvious. Then it grew as every gem that reminded him of Agate was swiftly taken too. Amber and angelite, citrine for the dancers, tourmaline for his teacher, and on and on.
Mine, Skull had whispered the first time he gathered them together.
He used to ask Agate to hold and see his own collection of gems. She would smile, cooing at the pretty colors and hues, and not see it for what it was. You, Skull would think and latch onto it with a childish sort of possessiveness. However, it was like something settled in his heart at the epiphany, a new clarity in his life. A balance.
Which was why it troubled him, Skull mused, when he couldn't let the black opal go.
Black in all its sides, yet a kaleidoscope of colors. One of the rarest gems in the world. Enclosed, huddled, and surrounded by the gemstones he's stolen over the last couple of months.
He thinks of the I Prescelti Sette, so vibrant and interesting in their own ways. Not to mention they were assholes, the lot of them, but what else is new?
It's kinda bad, Skull laughs to himself, that he's starting to call them his.
A/N: This chapter was just Skull having an emotional crisis and I find that hilarious, but overall, I hope you liked the chapter!
To be honest, I didn't quite like it. I struggled a lot writing some parts of this chapter and it kinda ended up awkward. It's so hard writing some of the characters, but I'm glad that I at least finished it. However, i'll let you guys decide!
I don't know when I'll be updating next, but hopefully it will be soon if i'm feeling better in the next couple of weeks. I kinda crashed and burned after my exam, and I am now busy looking for work.
But anyways, have a nice day everyone!
Skull's antique box gem association:
Agate - Agate, amber, angelite
Reborn - Onyx, obsidian
Verde - Green fluorite, sodalite
Viper - Aventurine, iolite
Lal - Alexandrite, kyanite
Fon - Red jasper, jade
Luce - Sapphire, lapis lazuli, moonstone
Colonnello - ?