This is set after Shuichi's infiltration, during his two years in New York before he got to go back to Japan for the current timeline. Enjoy!

The past three days in America felt like an eternity. From the closed shop fronts to the scent of fire around road intersections to the huge crowds of people filling the streets in protests, down to the police presence that countered their existence… It all came down to the new group that has newly emerged to the public, calling themselves The Equalizers.

Claiming they wanted to establish equality and reverse the damaging effects of capitalism, they targeted the Treasury Bureau in New York City, precisely on the day the secretary of treasury was there on a visit. They winded up trapping him and many other people inside. To take what belongs to the people , they said, and give it back.

That didn't seem to be enough for the group. The Equalizers saw that law enforcements were nothing but the physical hand that kept the inequality going, who protected the abuser while the abused watched, unable to take their stolen rights back. They straight up announced on their video shared massively on socials, that they are out to get them too.

With their utopian promises, it was no wonder that so many people sided with them. Riots in favor of the group erupted merely hours after their video was posted, and everyone was aggressive towards the police officers in response, treating them as enemies. Not only did some corrupt police officers get killed by organized crimes of the group itself, but some innocent ones got to lose their lives by the angry masses who supported them too, merely for being separated from their coworkers, or for being randomly recognized as law enforcement while living their life outside the job.

With all the chaos, New York was a horror show! By day three, the situation was getting out of hand for the police that they required the FBI's assistance. For that reason, Shuichi Akai and his partner Jodie Starling were called among others. Being part of the SWAT team -which was pretty needed in these circumstances- Shuichi was extra urged to be on scene for being the best sniper the FBI has.

With the streets crowded, driving was almost impossible. The FBI asked its chosen agents to stay at a nearby hotel with a view of the treasury building. They weren't really working at normal times during an emergency, so it was a wise option, not to have them waste time going back and forth home. They were granted the full payment of that, at least.

When Jodie walked inside with Shuichi and asked for two single rooms please, he immediately corrected her. "One double-bed room." He turned to Jodie who was looking at him. "We should stick together, for protection."

She sighed worriedly as she sent him a little nod. Now in movies, this would be the part where the receptionist tells them they only have one single-bed room left. But in the current circumstances, the hotel was practically empty except for a few stuck tourists and a few fellow FBI's –who all got single rooms, seeing that it was paid for by the job.

They both walked the long corridor to reach a nice, exceptionally cozy room. The beds were a meter apart from each other, but they were both big enough to hold two people each. The light was calm and the window was wide, showing an apartment complex on the road across, then at the far way behind it the taller building of the treasury bureau.

They were fast at throwing their backpacks on the floor unattended, caring only for their work tools. Jodie opened her gun making sure every bullet was filled in place, while Shu put on his sniping equipment bag –which he held in hand when he had his normal backpack on previously.

"Let's go," he motioned, aiming at the door, both faces looking stern, eyes alert.

Upon reaching the area, Shuichi was separated from Jodie to join the SWAT team she was not part of. He joined a team of snipers set up on the roof of a paper company ahead.

"All windows are tinted and no one seems to leave, if we got any chance it would be by nighttime. But those motherfuckers are smart, they don't move around any of the exposed rooms." A police sniper filled him in.

"Something to expect," Shuichi replied, referencing every calculated thing the group had done to date.

They must've operated in the shadows for long before to get that manpower, and they must be very smart to execute everything so perfectly uncaught. Yet, up until this point and with the presence of civilian hostages inside, there was no plan to break inside the building to stop them.

There was a constant presence of officers in front of the Treasury building gate ready to attack, negotiators were there too, trying to establish contact but the group never accepted their calls. Jodie's work was in that middle ground there, collecting intel, rather than with Shuichi's SWAT team. He would've been a help down there too, but his sniping abilities were much more valued at the moment than his other skills.

Their presence there, which started at 11 a.m. went on to last until 6 a.m. Shuichi was a wreck by that time and was convinced that he would be of no help after 24 hours spent awake.

He headed down the paper company building and crossed his way ahead to the area in front of the Treasury's entrance. He asked around for Jodie who wasn't present till someone told him she left two hours ago. Shuichi's eyes ran wide and he turned around fast, rushing back to their hotel.

Opening the room, he was relieved to find her sleeping on the bed she chose. His violent thud woke her up. Jodie shot up fast and ready, only calmed when she realized it was Shuichi.

"Who brought you here?" He asked her.

Her slow sleepy mind processed for a while. "My feet."

"You came here alone?"

"Uh..yes?!"

Shuichi frowned, taking a few steps in. "Didn't I ask you to text me when you're done? What if one of those people got to you on the way here? You were clearly working inside the FBI tent, and then you walked away to an empty street alone, perfect target!"

"You were up on the roof, I didn't want to disturb you. And look, I'm fine, I can take care of myself."

"That was reckless."

"Enough, Shuichi. I'm fine."

He still looked mad despite his silence. Shuichi searched for his backpack and opened it on the remaining empty bed.

"Did you eat?"

"No. I was dead tired, I immediately crashed."

Before she could finish her sentence a brown thing was thrown her way and she needed extra reflexes to be able to catch it -which were absent having just awoken. It was a protein bar, the thing that landed on her nose before she caught it.

"Shuu-ichi!" Jodie wined like a little kid, temper still unstable from sleep.

"Oh, sorry." He muttered when he saw that he'd accidently hit her. Jodie watched as he grabbed one for himself too, and took a seat on his bed facing her. To her annoyed expression, his face looked for a second remorseful, but it didn't take long for a devilish look to take over, looking like he was barely holding a smirk.

Three years have passed, but it was always nice for Jodie to realize he was still the same man she was once with, who had the same preferences -and by that is meant his liking for protein bars, not finding something like hitting her face amusing.

"Thanks." She muttered almost silently, mind dwelling on that thought.

"Don't do it again," Shuichi replied, mouth filled with a bite.

"It's just one block."

"Jod!"

Jodie rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Once done, Shuichi grabbed some fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom where he took a nice shower, brushed his teeth then came back out to a sleeping Jodie. He took off the duvet from his bed and tucked himself under. It felt so nice after a long tiring day.

All I had in mind was one single cute thought of Redstarling that I wanted to write... Thinking about where to make it fit had unleashed an ever going writing diarrhea that wouldn't stop (sorry but it is what it is xD)
I hope you enjoy this!