Dangit. Now I have to mess with it.
Batou sighed. After dealing with Zaitsev he hadn't been in much of a mood for anything. He had really hoped... Really hoped he wouldn't be involved. He walked into the main room and instantly stopped.
"Congratulations!" A happy cheer echoed out, and Batou felt a sense of dread. The kid was smiling with a popper in her hands that had just erupted. And she had Ishikawa who was grinning like a loon going along with it, but the amused smirk on the old monkeys face was the worst part. If Aramaki was in on it, Batou knew he wasn't going to like this.
"Alright. I don't even want to kn-"
"Congratulations Major!" The girl yelled out, grabbing another popper and letting it rip as Motoko came in behind him.
She instantly took in the sight of the decorations hanging up and part of her team grinning like idiots, and made to turn around, but Batou wasn't going to allow that. He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. Ignoring the glare she gave him in turn.
"If I have to deal with whatever this is, you do to."
"Aw look at the lovebirds!" The kid called out and that stopped Motoko flat, as she turned and glared.
"What did you do?" She demanded. The Majors temper towards the doppleganger had been fraying after their months of hunting the kid down constantly either having her slip between their fingers, or leave cards with random nonsense sayings or quotes like 'The Princess is in another castle.'
"Kid, what did you do?" Batou asks, and he got to see those red eyes zoom in on him. Then a sinister smile spread across her face.
"What makes you think this is something I did?"
"It was the kid."
"Young Motoko, did in fact cause this." Aramaki added right after Ishikawa.
"Wow old guys throw me right under the bus why don't you?" The kid snarked but Motoko wasn't having any of it. She stomped forward.
"What did you do?"
"The Tachikoma... Maaaay have gotten their clamps on that marriage certificate that I prepped for the joke the other day. And maaaay have registered it as a legal document... And maaay have uploaded it to the japanese marriage registry... Soooo... Congratulations Mrs. Buttetsu! I guess that means I'm the only Motoko Kusanagi still working in sec-GRK!"
Batou considered helping the kid, having Motoko strangle you was probably going to get the Major in trouble, but Aramaki was belly laughing at the sight, so probably just a slap on the wrist.
But... Uh. The floor was kinda moving oddly. It really shoul-
"Huh... Did Batou just faint?" The kid asked seemingly ignoring how the Majors hands were wrapped around her throat.
"I mean. If I found I was married to the gorilla, I migh- Whoa! Hey I'm still flesh and blood! Watch it!" Ishikawa yelped as Motoko shifted her attention to him.
"Just as Keikaku... Keikaku means plan."
"WE KNOW!"