"I still can't believe I'm doing this." Jaune groaned. If his hands were free he'd be rubbing one of them or even both of them over his face right now. Unfortunately one hand was full of shopping and more fortunately the other was filled with the soft, tiny little hand of his daughter.
Khione was practically skipping, something that always brought a smile to his face even if he was in a bad mood, like now. A successful shopping trip? Delicious if not unhealthy fast food meaning he'd be justified in making a crappy salad for dinner? A happy Khione? All was right in the world.
Except for the reason they had such a successful shopping trip, the reason the bill for fast food was half as much as it should be and undoubtedly the reason why Khione was so happy.
"I have a new mommy! I have a new mommy!" Khione sang happily as she skipped in between him and one of, if not the most, dangerous woman in Vale. Heck, he'd even say Cinder was one of the most dangerous women in the world.
That felt odd. Cinder. Not the Nefarious Nightstalker. She wasn't just some psychopathic super villainess who was the bane of his alter egos existence. Instead she was a psychopathic super villainess who was the bane of both his egos and apparently his daughter's new mom. Also she had a relatively normal name, rather than a super evil name like Cruella. She always seemed like a Cruella to him, though might have something to do with the outfit she wore, the crimes she committed and the fact Khione had gone through a dog phase that had led to her adoring classic films like Lady and the Zwei and One Hundred and One Schnoodles.
"You're thinking mean things about me." Cinder said, eyes narrowed dangerously. He felt himself stiffening instinctively, readying himself for her to strike, only for her disdainful look to turn to the houses around them. "You don't see me thinking mean things about your neighbourhood. Even if it makes mine look like Atlas somehow."
Jaune felt himself bristle under the not-so subtle criticism and glared at her.
"It's not easy to make money when you're a single parent living in a big city where everyone and their dogs are fighting over jobs." Jaune said, doing every technique he could think of to stay calm. "Something that gets harder when the economy is impacted by the actions of bad guys."
"Well maybe if the good guys were more effective at being good then maybe the bad guys won't be causing so much havoc." Cinder retorted, and Jaune barely withheld a growl. She seemed to notice somehow, and she turned away with a triumphant look that made him seeth before he realised that probably fuelled her feeling of triumph. Instead he turned to his daughter.
"You don't mind where we live don't you kiddo?" He asked, and she shrugged with a thoughtful look on her face.
"It doesn't look pretty but people are nice." She replied, pausing for a moment shyly. "Though I wouldn't mind living in a castle like the one in Beauty and the Belladonna."
"You let her watch that?" Cinder asked, an affronted tone in her voice. As much as it pained him to even so much as think of agreeing with her, he did.
"She overheard her friends at school talking about it and got curious." Jaune sighed, and Cinder gave him a look that seemed to suggest he'd openly admitted to feeding Khione puppies and fairies. "Worst five Lien spent in all my life."
"At least you recognise it as such." Cinder sniffed, the act earning a little giggle from Khione. He couldn't help the slight frown that grew on his face. He was glad that Khione had a motherly figure in her life, but did it have to be the Nefarious Nightstalker of all people? She literally had the words 'stalk' and 'nefarious' in her name for crying out loud.
'Except her name is Cinder.' His traitorous mind thought traitorously. 'And Khione likes Cinder.'
"Those remakes they're making a load of crap." He reluctantly agreed after a few moments of silence, cursing internally when Khione whipped around to glare at him accusingly.
"Naughty word!" She accused damningly. "You have to put a Lien in the swear jar when we get back!"
"I know the rules kiddo." Jaune sighed, the act earning a chuckle from Cinder.
"Good to know who's the boss of the house." She teased, before staring around them once more. "Speaking of where is your house? We've been walking in the same direction for miles now."
"We've been walking in a straight line for two minutes." Jaune replied bluntly, making Khione giggle at Cinder's overdramatization. "And you'll know when we get there."
Jaune still had his reservations about showing Cinder where he lived. But he had a good enough read on her to know that even if she probably was all the worst things that could ever be described, she liked Khione enough she wouldn't hurt her. With any luck she'll attack when Khione's at school and he was at work, the thought of all the insurance money making him salivate.
"That's it there!" Khione cheered, letting go of Cinder's hand to point excitedly. "We're home!"
"That is your home?!" Cinder hissed, making Jaune blink as they came to the little gate that led to the even littler concrete square he was forced to call a garden. "I've seen homeless people stay in better looking places than this, and half of those times counted as being under a bridge!"
"It's the best I could afford!" Jaune retorted defensively, annoyed at being attacked for something he genuinely couldn't help. "I told you, I don't have the money for much of anything. It was either this or an apartment."
"An apartment would be better! This is a slum Jaune!" Cinder replied firmly, though she was quieter for some reason. He followed her glances to see Khione playing in their miserable garden. He smiled at her, as did Cinder, and she perked up as she whooshed around like an aeroplane.
She was being quieter for Khione. The thought jolted him like electricity. It was almost like she genuinely cared. Not to mention her use of his actual name rather than his superhero one was enough to throw him off balance for a second.
When was the last time an adult not from work or Khione's school had actually called him by his first name? He honestly couldn't remember.
"I…I know." He sighed quietly. "It's better on the inside."
"It better be." Cinder said, and he felt his momentarily lowered defences raise back to full attention within a millisecond.
"What does that mean?" He demanded quietly, and she gave him an inscrutable look.
"I'd have to buy you a better place." She sighed. "I'd have to rob a few more banks before I can afford an actual house though, so you better not intervene when I do."
Jaune blinked, startled, and she rolled her eyes.
"Can we go inside now?" Khione whined, tugging on his coat and making him blink again. "I wanna read my new book!"
He shook his head of…whatever it was he was feeling and obliged his little princess' request, unlocking the door and heading inside. Khione rushed past and Cinder entered last, surveying the cramped hallway like an inspector.
"Adequate enough for now." She said, as she squeezed past him, the lack of space meaning she brushed against him. The feeling of a warm, soft body startled him enough to make him jolt against the wall. She merely raised an amused brow at his reaction, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "No mould or anything of the like, and the wallpaper seems fresh enough. So far so good Mr Arc."
Jaune felt his cheeks heat up at the sensual tone in her voice. It was like she was in her super villainess alter ego, except he could see her admittedly beautiful face, the quirk of her smile and a glint of flirtation in her golden eyes that didn't feel like an attempt to fluster him whilst she pocketed some diamonds.
That had happened once but never again. Say what you will about Jaune Arc but you can't deny he doesn't learn from his mistakes. Most of the time at least.
"Glad to hear it Miss…er…Cinder." Jaune replied awkwardly, though that seemed to only amuse Cinder further.
Fortunately for him, Khione came barreling down the hallway to his rescue, eyes wide and pleading.
"Book please!" She begged, holding her hands out like she was in Olive Turn and begging for more food.
He rolled his eyes at his not-so intentional rescuer and gave his inadvertent saviour the book he had bought for her at the mall. He had to rifle through all the stuff Cinder had bought for her using her illegally obtained money. Naturally his protests had gone ignored by both women at the time.
"Here you go." He said, picking it out of the bag and handing it to her. "Try to make sure it lasts the day eh kiddo?"
"No promises." Khione smiled innocently, before shyly tugging on Cinder's arm. "Can you read with me?"
"Gladly." Cinder replied, the sincerity in her tone obvious even to him. He should have been more worried about a super villainess getting attached to his daughter, but at least it meant Cinder would be unlikely to hurt Khione whenever she went on an evil escapade.
With Khione being minded Jaune went to the kitchen where he dumped the bags of shopping next to the fridge and set about making a light salad with whatever he could find in the fridge for dinner. Before long he had chopped up carrots, peeled apple slices, a few leaves of green lettuce, cucumber and tomato slices and cucumber. He also added a pork pie he'd found and cut in half.
It was at that moment he remembered Cinder was present and might need a dish. He sighed reluctantly before sliding off part of his own portion onto a fresh plate for Cinder in case she wanted to eat. If not, he'd have it.
"Daaad!" Khione yelled, thundering into the kitchen. "When's dinner read-oh."
"Oh indeed." Jaune smiled, ruffling her hair and making her pout up at him. "Wash your hands then tuck in."
"What about Cinder?"
"I'll tell her." He said, managing to hide his reluctance to do so. It looked like he could at least be civil with Cinder after all.
Khione hurried over to the sink and Jaune headed to the small living room, consisting of a couch, a sofa, a small run-down coffee table and a square, ancient television. Cinder was sitting on the sofa, looking up at the pictures adorning the walls.
"Dinner's ready if you want some." Jaune said, startling her. The fact he made her jump made him smile a little. The Nefarious Nightstalker scared because he spoke to her? He was tempted to blow it out of proportion and never let it go.
"I could eat." Cinder replied calmly, though she narrowed her eyes at him due to his smug little smile. "What's that for?"
"Nothing." Jaune drawled, playing along. "Just hungry."
"Hmph." Cinder muttered, brushing past him and heading towards the kitchen. "I'm surprised you have enough seats for all three of us to sit down."
"We do have some guests every now and then." Jaune replied, rolling his eyes at her comment. "I'm not a total recluse and Khione is fairly sociable. She even had a sleepover one time."
"How did it go?" Cinder asked curiously, and Jaune felt himself stare into the middle distance with a haunted look in his eyes.
"Horribly from my perspective." Jaune answered eventually. "Best night of their lives from theirs."
Cinder chuckled lightly as she sat in the seat opposite to him. The sight of her chuckling along whilst they had an amicable conversation still felt surreal to him.
"I'm back." Khione announced, and he felt a wave of shame when he realised she hadn't been in the kitchen. "I brought Snowflake because Cinder wanted to see my best toy."
"Planning to rob a child now?" Jaune asked, only half joking, as Khione presented her favourite teddy, a white unicorn gifted to her by her aunt, to Cinder like a sacrifice. "Should I be concerned?"
"Yes." Cinder retorted dryly, shooting him an unimpressed look. "I am planning to steal from a child named Jaune, who has an adorable little princess I want to steal. So this is Snowflake hmm? She is a majestic beast."
"She's not a beast!" Khione protested, clutching the teddy to her chest. "She's a beautiful unicorn!"
"I meant a beast as in she is a majestic animal." Cinder smiled placatingly. "I would never insult such a beautiful animal."
"You better." Khione replied, and he felt himself smile despite his instinct compelling him to be a little bit more stern with her. He let her off when it came to a lot of stuff, but he more than felt like he could let back talking to Cinder slide.
They ate their dinner in silence before heading back to the living room to watch One Hundred and One Schnoodles. Khione managed to somehow squeeze herself in between himself and Cinder, and although part of him wanted to protest the decision the content look on her face as she snuggled against them made him bite his tongue.
What was more surprising to him was that Cinder had a similar expression. Did she really have a soft side, or was it all an elaborate act?
Hours later, a tired Khione was tucked into bed by Jaune. But instead of settling at the bottom of it to read her a bedtime story, he headed over to lean against the doorframe of her bedroom door and watched silently as Cinder regaled her with the tales of Pumpkin Pete in the Cereal Kingdom. It was…weird, but not necessarily in a bad way.
Eventually Khione drifted off, and Jaune silently left the room after Cinder.
"You mentioned a job." Cinder asked quietly. "What do you do?"
"Nothing special." Jaune replied, feeling a little wary at the questioning. "Just some warehouse 'move boxes here and there' kind of gig. Doesn't pay well but I can't get anything that pays more so I'm stuck there."
"Hmm." Cinder murmured. "Why don't you ask for a raise? Have you worked there long?"
"For the better part of my adult life." Jaune sighed. "Boss won't give anyone a raise right now because of the economy or something. At least he lets us use the vending machines for free so we have a little more to spend at home."
"Do you move anything interesting?" Cinder asked and he snorted.
"Afraid not Cinder." He replied honestly. "There's genuinely nothing at my work you should be interested in stealing. Unless you're into furniture that is."
"I suppose not." Cinder conceded, handing him a neatly folded piece of paper. "That has my number on it. I will arrange a meeting at a later date to meet Khione again. You…You've done well by her Jaune."
"...Thanks." Jaune mumbled, blindsided by the praise and unsure of what to do. No-one had ever said that to him before. Sure, people loved Khione, especially his parents, but they never had anything to say about whether he was doing a good job parenting her. Whether he was too strict or too lenient. It was reassuring to hear he was doing a good job. "I'll see you later then?"
"Later." Cinder nodded, heading to the door and pulling it open. "Goodnight Jaune."
"Likewise Cinder." He said, watching her leave for a moment before shaking his head and locking the door. He should probably start donning his superhero outfit right about now to go about his usual patrols. After today though, well, he was just plain tired, and lacked the energy to do much other than putting on his striped pyjama shorts and head to bed, dreams haunted by a warm, soft voice and sensual golden eyes.
When had that insufferable smirk of hers seemed so terrifyingly, insufferably attractive?
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Cinder Fall was a woman with a very specific set of skills and a severely deficient moral compass which allowed her to utilise her incredibly specific skills to good use.
From the information she had managed to wrangle from Jaune, she could decipher he worked at a warehouse that involved furniture and would likely not be too far away from his abode due to the poor state of his finances.
Interestingly enough, there was a large industrial park less than a mile from the edge of Vale's slums, where Jaune and Khione dwelt. She would rectify that in the future, but for now she had to guarantee their short term security.
So with the morning sun starting to rise in the distant sky she watched as Jaune's manager pulled into the car park. She had broken into the warehouse hours early to confirm it was in fact Jaune's workplace, but it was chilly inside the large warehouse and there wasn't anywhere to comfortably lounge around. So instead she had set herself up on the roof of a warehouse opposite to Jaune's, watching and waiting patiently.
Now it was time to strike. She had already dealt with the cameras that may overlook the car park so there was no chance of Jaune witnessing what she was about to do.
She didn't particularly care that his own moral compass and pathetic worship of 'good' would inevitably bring them into an argument if he knew, but the thought of him restricting her access to Khione made her more careful than she usually would be. That child was a rare light in a world of darkness, and Cinder was determined to nurture and protect that little flame.
The first step to doing that was to ensure her idealistic father had enough income to sustain them.
She leaped from her perch, summoning flames to slow her descent. The manager heard the crackling of her fire, and his eyes widened as she appeared behind him from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Why hello there." Cinder smiled, letting flames dance in between her fingers as she stepped closer to the man. "I'm a…representative of a very concerned party. A union to be precise. We think it's about time you gave your workers a much deserved pay rise, especially considering how expensive things have gotten recently due to inflation. Our opening suggestion would be a five percent increase."
"I c-can't authorise-"
"And do keep in mind that our very concerned union is not constrained by things like morals or laws." Cinder purred, enjoying the way his frightened eyes flickered to the flames twisting like vines around her hands. "So we cannot accept no for an answer."
"I'll s-see what I can do." The manager swallowed. "I-I swear just don't hurt me!"
"Whether you get hurt or not will depend on your results." Cinder replied. "Which are needed now. So what will it be? Pay rise for your hard workers or we can get much more acquainted."
"Pay rise!" The man squealed as her fire covered hands inched closer to his face, the heat radiating from them causing sweat to trickle down his face. "I'll pay them more I swear!"
"Good." Cinder smiled, the flames fading into nothing. "I'm glad we could come to such an amicable agreement. Needless to say, this conversation didn't happen and the reason you gave your workers their money is because you feel like they deserve it."
"O-Of course." The man swallowed, eyeing her hands like they were weapons of mass destruction. "All my guys work so hard all the time, all the days and everything, t-they should have gotten it ages ago!"
"That's right." Cinder smirked, patting his cheek and making him whimper. "Oh, and before I go remember that I had a look at your personnel files before this little chat. I know where you live, and if I need to visit you for not fulfilling your obligations and you aren't there then I will have to vent my frustrations on your spouse. Understood?"
"C-Crystal." The man replied, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'll give them their rise okay? Just don't hurt my wife."
"I won't if you follow through with what we've agreed." Cinder said placatingly, turning around and waving a hand. "Ta-ta."
Then she conjured her flames and flew into the air, a triumphant smirk on her face and an odd feeling of satisfaction curling in her stomach.
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"Good news kiddo!" Jaune exclaimed happily, stepping into the living room and drawing the attention of Khione and Cinder, who had picked the girl up from school so Jaune could work a little extra overtime and earn more money. "We might be able to see granny and grandpa for the holidays after all!"
"Yay!" Khione cheered happily, raising her fists in the air like a triumphant boxer gloating over their vanquished foe before a jubilant crowd.
"I feel like I'm missing something." Cinder said, even if she already knew. It looked like her conversation with Jaune's manager the other day paid off. He gave her a look that said he was torn between trust and mistrust, before his idealistic nature tipped the scales in her favour and he answered.
"My boss gave me and the guys a pay rise. A whole five percent too and just completely out of nowhere! I don't need to worry so much about food and whatnot now and with extra money I can get if I work overtime for the next few months I should be able to afford train tickets to take Khione to see my parents." Jaune explained, and Cinder hummed quietly, stretching her arms before leaning back and resting her hands against the back of her head.
"Sounds like you have a nice boss." She said, and Jaune shrugged helplessly.
"Eh. The guy's normally a douchebag, so I should probably be thanking whatever god made this possible rather than him." Jaune replied, either missing or dismissing the wide smirk that spread out across her face. "I'm gonna make dinner. Are you staying Cinder?"
"Of course." She said, privately admitting he was a more than adept cook and that his meals were something to be looked forward to. It almost reminded her of the time when her mother would cook homemade meals, before her childhood fell apart and exposed her to the cruel truth of the world.
It was incredibly hard not to tell Jaune what she had done, if only to rub in the fact he likened her to a god.
"Careful Jaune!" She called out after him, smugness radiating from her like radiation from a nuclear reactor. "Maybe it was a goddess who gave you such a divine gift."
"Then I'll thank her with all my lucky stars!" Jaune yelled back, and she shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa.
"A massage would be nice…" She muttered to herself, thinking aloud of all the favours she might be able to extract from him if she told him the truth. The risks were too great though, so she slumped next to Khione on the sofa and stared at the old cartoons being played on the television.
So this is what it felt to be good huh? How could something be so strangely satisfying yet blatantly unsatisfying at the same time?
'Never again.' She resolved, the thought of being good of all things making her shudder. 'That's my good deed for the rest of my life.'
A/N: Next update on 15/04/2023