Undercover in Love

by magnipisika16

For her first undercover mission as Officer Whi-Two, Rosa finds herself in a tricky situation of infiltrating a strip club already being ambushed by another police department, and an even trickier situation of attempting to arrest her soon-to-be mentor, Inspector Nate, codename Lack-Two.

5. Mission5

Mission 5: Family Reunion

Whi-Two charges into Lack-Two's office just in time to catch her mentor getting ready to leave.

"Inspector!" she cries, running towards him without so much as a greeting. Lack-Two had to step back in surprise.

"Thank goodness I caught up with you!"

"Why, what's wrong?" Lack-Two asks, letting go of his bag.

"I messed up, Inspector! I messed up so bad!"

Lack-Two's eyebrows merge in bafflement.

"Why? What happened?"

The girl's lips were trembling, making it hard for him to understand what she was saying. It didn't help that her voice was too hoarse for comfort.

"My family…"

"What happened to your family?"

Lack-Two grabs both her shoulders and shakes her slightly, hoping it was enough to wake her from her sudden surge of panic. Whi-Two had been under him for almost two months and counting, and this is the first time he's seen her this distressed.

And to think that this involved her family...

"Whi-Two, calm down!"

The same expression was still smeared across her flushed face, but there was a hint of recognition in her eyes at the sound of his voice saying his name. Lack-Two fought to reach her through that.

"Breathe, Whi-Two," he orders, his voice now softer in fear of losing her if he played along with her panic dance He starts rubbing her shoulders gently.

"Calm down, and breathe…"

The girl finally shows signs of responding to his voice, earning her a sigh of relief from her superior. She nods, and did as she was told. After taking a few, deep breaths, she hears Lack-Two speak again:

"Now, tell me what happened."

Whi-Two looks up to him with scared eyes.

"Sir…"

"Yes?"

"My family, Sir…"

"What about your family?"

"I…"

Lack-Two darts her a look of slight impatience. He starts bouncing his head slightly, in jive with the way she did as tries to catch her breath.

"You…?"

"I lied to them, Sir," Whi-Two inhales through gritted teeth. Then she winces.

"I told them you were my boyfriend."

The girl immediately opens her eyes to see how her inspector reacted. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it was certainly not what was laid before her.

Lack-Two only remains frozen, his eyes still on her. It does not change, making Whi-Two slightly afraid that her Inspector finally broke. But then she starts feeling his hands growing heavier on her shoulders.

"You did what?" he asks, his voice dark.

Whi-Two's lips were pressed into a thin line as she looked up at him again, her eyes connoting fear.

"I'm so sorry, Sir," she whimpers.

Lack-Two blinks. Once. Twice. As he did, his hands gradually slides away from Whi-Two's shoulders. Then, he slowly turns and walks back to his desk, returning to what he was initially doing before Whi-Two barged into his office.

"S-Sir…?"

"...Get out."

-...-

"But, Sir!"

"No."

Whi-Two gives out a weary sigh as she tries to hasten her pace to catch up with him. Thankfully, her legs were almost as long as his. It didn't take long for her to reach him by the shoulder.

"Sir, please hear me out first!" she pleads. Lack-Two harshly shakes her hand away from him.

"I said that the answer is 'no', Detective. Now please leave me alone."

"But, Sir!"

"No!"

Several heads bob towards their direction. All had eyes that blinked with confusion, mostly directed to Lack-Two who was noticeably more verbal than anyone would have expected him to. The head of the SUU feels the unwanted attention surround him, and not long after, he decides that he could not take it, especially not when his shift was just about done.

With immense dread, he grabs Whi-Two by the wrist and starts dragging her towards the station's exit, towards the small garden by its side. Thankfully, it was already evening, and the people who frequent that small space were no longer there, earning him and his unusually loud mentee the privacy their conversation needed.

When he was sure they were out of majority's earshot, he drops the girl's hand and stares her down in annoyance.

"Explain yourself," he demands, crossing his arms over his chest in the indignant manner that he often does. By now, Whi-Two was used to it, which made him doubt that it would have any effect on her, but he didn't care.

Lack-Two was mad, and Whi-Two should know that.

But the girl only returns him a determined look.

She looks like she's about to cry.

"Well?" he prods, having none of that. At that, Whi-Two finally takes a deep breath.

"Somebody saw us, Sir."

The inspector raises an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

The girl bites her lips and lets out another whimper. Lack-Two remains unmoved.

"My mom's friend lives a few blocks from where I stay, and she knows me. Apparently, my mom asked her to keep an eyes out for me, and… she saw us at the park that other day…"

The annoyance in Lack-Two's face begins to disappear.

"...And the other night, too, Inspector. By the fountain."

"And she told your mother?"

Whi-Two nods sadly. Lack-Two gives out a groan as his hand flies to his head.

"And you told your mother what?"

"What was I supposed to say?! I can't tell her we were undercover! She can't know that! And for that one time in the fountain… I don't even know how to explain that!"

Lack-Two caught on quickly. With all honesty, neither did he.

"So I told her the first thing I could think of!" Whi-Two continues, panic still evident in her voice. "I told her that you…" She catches a glimpse of her Inspector's scowl, and her voice immediately dies down.

Never had she seen the boy as annoyed as he was now.

"...W-Were my… boy…f-friend..." she finishes weakly. Then she abruptly bows in front of him.

"I AM SO SORRY, SIR!" she cries in agony. "I swear to God, I didn't want to drag you into this! I-If I knew how to fix this, I would without the need to involve you, I promise! But… It all just happened so fast, and it's my family so I get desperate easily, so…"

"...Tell them we broke up."

Whi-Two raises her head to look at him.

"Sir?"

"I mean it," Lack-Two presses, fixing his bag. "Tell them we broke up. It's just that simple."

Whi-Two watches him with uncertainty.

"You want me… to lie, Sir?"

"Isn't that what you already did?" he points out with disdain.

"Y-Yes, Sir, but…"

"Call your mom right now and tell her that." Lack-Two fishes out his phone from his back pocket and hands it to her.

"I don't care how long this call would take. Just fix this mess up."

Whi-Two just eyes the phone for a moment. Lack-Two gives out a low grunt as he nears it to her.

Then, Whi-Two's own phone rings.

"E-Excuse me," she says, fishing it out from her pocket. She looks at the screen and slightly winces. Lack-Two watches on, slowly lowering his hand as the girl took a few deep breaths before sliding the icon to "answer".

"H-Hi, mom!" she squeaks, trying but failing to sound cheerful.

She gestures at Lack-Two sheepishly and then walks a few steps away. But, still, Lack-Two could easily overhear the conversation.

"Honey!" the disembodied voice cheerfully reverberates through the girl's device.

"Oh, I hope I didn't call you at a bad time, but I'm just too excited to deliver the news!"

"No, mom, I…"

"I called your cousins in Kalos!"

"Mom, listen, I…"

"I told them about your great news!"

"Mom, I—You did what?!"

"...And they told me that they're coming over for the holidays!"

"What?!"

"Yes! It was supposed to be a surprise, but they got so excited by my news that they spilled it almost too immediately! Can you believe it?! It'd be our first family reunion since lockdown! Aren't you excited?"

Whi-Two was already biting her fingers in agony. She catches her Inspector watching her little tableau with an undecipherable expression, and she furiously shakes her head as if to deny that this was part of her mistakes.

But still, the peculiar expression in Lack-Two's eyes remain.

"Rosa? Honey? Are you still there?"

Whi-Two could only internally scream.

Why me?

"I-I'm still here, Mom…"

"...You don't seem happy, dear…"

"N-No! I'm happy! It's just… They're coming here? Isn't that kinda troublesome, considering the state Unova is in right now? I mean, the process to enter the country is so…"

"Getting out of the country is a lot worse, dear. So they decided it was better that they come here."

"Mom…"

"That's why you simply must come home to Striaton for the holidays! Oh! And can you bring your boyfriend? Your cousins are dying to meet him!"

"Mom, I..."

Whi-Two feels something grab her hand and snatch her phone away. She was about to react when her superior gestures for her to be quiet.

"Good evening," Lack-Two greets in his silvery, honeyed voice that sent chills through Whi-Two's spine.

"I'm very sorry for interrupting, but Detective Rosa is in the middle of her last minute errands before the holidays. I hope you don't mind if I take the conversation in her stead?"

There was a brief period of silence from the other line. And then Whi-Two's mom speaks again.

"Who is this?"

"I'm Nate, Mrs. Bilden," he replies. Then, with a slight wince, he adds:

"Rosa's boyfriend."

Whi-Two was horror-stricken.

"You're my daughter's boyfriend?!" Mrs. Bilden cheers. "Oh, hello! My goodness, even your voice sounds charming!"

"How very kind of you, Mrs. Bilden," he smiles. "I'm honored to finally get to meet you, albeit impersonally. But I must say, with just this phone call, may I be so bold to say that you yourself are quite delightful. Truly, the apple does not fall far from the tree."

Whi-Two watches her mentor with disbelief.

"Good Lord…" she mumbles. Lack-Two gives her a stern look and hushes her the second time. Then he walks away such that Whi-Two could only hear his voice.

"Thank you, Mrs. Bilden… No, I don't have plans for that date… Hm? A family reunion? ...Oh, I see. Yes, that does sound lovely… Why, I'm honored… Yes. I'd love to drive Rosa there. Okay, Ma'am, I'll tell her. Okay. I'll see you in three days then. Of course. Thank you. And with you as well, Ma'am. Good night!"

He hits "End Call" and tosses the phone to the dumbfounded girl.

"Look alive, Detective," he says. "Send me your apartment's address by tonight. I'll be picking you up in three days."

"W-Why, Sir…?" she dare asks.

Lack-Two slings his bag over his shoulders with a grunt.

"Why else would I? We're going to Striaton to meet your family."

-...-

Whi-Two takes her fourteenth deep breath as she begins pacing the floor again.

"Okay," she mumbles. "Let's go through this again…" Her fifteenth deep breath, then she starts gesturing with her hands at nothing in particular.

"Alright, Rosa, Inspector Lack-Two is only doing this to save both our covers. He's doing this for the SUU! All while trying to conserve whatever dignity you still have left to your family… And it's not like this is something that's new for you… I mean, you played as a couple before! If you both play your cards right, maybe the night would end in both your favors… Have dinner, talk a little, keep Lack-Two away from Jeremy, and then send him home… Then wait a few weeks, and say you broke up because of schedule differences. Simple! And I'm pretty sure you don't have to kiss anymore… Yeah! Lack-Two knows his boundaries by now...And besides, he has voodoo, I think. He can charm his way out of anything… Plus, he speaks French, so that fixes everything, right?"

Whi-Two covers her smiling face with both her hands and screams in agony.

"Oh my God, my family's going to kill me..."

The girl's phone suddenly rings. She sets aside her eternal suffering for a moment as she pulls out her phone and slides to "answer".

"Hello?"

"Are you ready yet?" Her inspector's voice calls from the other line. Whi-Two's stomach sinks.

"I'm almost there. I just need to take this turn and I'll be in your driveway…"

The girl was taken aback.

Take a turn? She asks herself. Take a turn with what?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a car horn, and she turns to find a silver Maserati making its way up to her driveway.

"There you are," Lack-Two voice comes again. "I'm hanging up now."

Whi-Two watches as the silver car gracefully parks itself by the side, just a few blocks from where she stood. The lights turned off, and Lack-Two emerges from the driver's seat. His eyes were momentarily locked on his phone, his other hand slamming the car door shut.

The girl drops her phone in shock.

It had always been a habit of Whi-Two's to take note of every single detail she can gather from everything she lands her gaze to, and Lack-Two was no exception. Although, there were times like now when she wished she could just look away.

How different her inspector looks right now compared to his everyday appearance can already cause her a headache.

Lack-Two who once went on a 'date' with her in black pants and white shirt underneath his police jacket was now standing across her all tall and charming in his straight-cut white pants and grey sweater vest over his white dress shirt. In place of his fading blue jacket she had grown accustomed with was a black blazer, which he was straightening absent-mindedly with his free hand.

"Holy Mother of God..." Whi-Two mutters to herself.

The boy suddenly looks up and turns his head around until he catches sight of her. Their eyes lock for a very short moment before he raises his free hand which he was using to tend to his blazer to gesture for her to give him a few minutes.

Whi-Two would have given him the rest of the year if it meant he'd walk to her afterwards to tell her that this was a practical joke.

After typing a few things on his phone, he finally puts it away to his front pocket, and starts walking up to her.

"Made you wait too long?" he asks as he takes off his shades and hangs it on his vest's neckline. "Sorry. Didn't expect traffic to be that heavy getting here. But, I'm here now, so…" The boy notices his mentee's expression.

"Are you okay?"

"Please tell me you stole that."

Lack-Two raises his brow as he follows the girl's dumbfounded gaze.

"That car's… not yours, right?" Whi-Two returns her gaze to him, still the doubtful look in her eyes. Then she adds in a pleading voice: "Inspector?"

"Of course not," Lack-Two replies immediately with a mocking snort, picking on the cuff of his right sleeve.

"I wouldn't be caught dead owning such a tacky vehicle…"

Whi-Two's face does not change.

Tacky?

"That's my brother's…" he clarifies, returning his gaze towards her.

"Mine's in coding tonight."

Then the usual disapproving look in his eyes returned. Whi-Two suddenly feels conscious and starts straightening her red, plaid skirt.

"You intend to go through the cold night in that?" he asks, gesturing at her white, sleeveless blouse.

Whi-Two looked at him, confused.

"Sir?"

Instead of replying, the boy just shakes his head disapprovingly as he peels off his black blazer.

"Learn to dress accordingly to the weather, Detective." Then, without warning, he drapes the blazer over Whi-Two's bare shoulders, enveloping her completely in his scent.

Whi-Two had to remember how to breathe again for a few seconds.

"T-Thank you, Sir," she mumbles, clutching onto her purse.

Lack-Two nods. Then he senses a presence, and snappily looks up to see a lady looking down on them. Whi-Two follows his gaze.

"Who's that?" he asks, his voice dark and full of caution.

"My landlady?" Whi-Two meekly replies.

The boy raises his eyebrows in acknowledgement. His face smoothly eases into a smile as he offers a wave at the lady.

Whi-Two's landlady stops what she was doing and waves back, evidently enchanted.

"Wow," Whi-Two mutters. Then she looks at Lack-Two.

Lack-Two stops smiling and looks back at her, eyebrow raised.

"I have a way with the ladies," he explains, almost defensively.

"Really now," she half-heartedly gasps.

"I wouldn't have guessed."

The boy looked slightly annoyed, but he shakes it away with a shrug as he leads her back to his car with a gentle push. But her inspector's reaction amused Whi-Two.

"Gee, I'm curious, Inspector. How do you plan on winning my family over?"

"With something dramatic enough to embarrass you, I hope."

-...-

Whi-Two was silently thumbing her address onto Lack-Two's phone when it suddenly vibrates and out pops a message from the upper part of its screen.

Lailani O.: Not much happened at work today :) Have a safe trip, Nate!

The girl jolts and almost drops the phone in an attempt to return it to him.

Lack-Two only watches her with a deadpan stare.

"S-Sorry," she mumbles, watching as Lack-Two sets the phone on the stand by his dashboard.

"T-The message came out of nowhere. I didn't mean to read it."

Lack-Two only nods, checking the message for a brief moment before returning to his navigation app. He presses a few buttons, and soon a map was flashed.

"It's not like you saw something top secret," he whispers, his eyes now on the rearview mirror as he moves the car back. "That was just Lai giving me the heads-up about work. I asked her to cover for me."

"You skipped work today?!" Whi-Two asks in disbelief. Lack-Two gives her a short glance before returning it to the road.

"Yes," he replies, like it was no big deal. "How else was I able to get into your apartment a few minutes before my shift could have ended all prepared? This look doesn't happen in just thirty minutes, you know."

The girl was aghast.

"But…"

Lack-Two lets out a soft snort.

"If you're worried about me getting into trouble because I skipped work, let it be known that I'll only be answering to Superintendent Aldin should that happen. And FYI, that never happens."

Whi-Two watches him, utterly unconvinced.

"Besides," he continues, easing his head back to his chair after reaching the main road. "That old man's out of town for his early vacation. Lucky for me."

The girl's eyes suddenly widens.

"D-Does Superintendent know? About this?"

Lack-Two remains silent.

Whi-Two straightens herself out of impulse.

"D-Did you tell him, Sir? Because I swear to God, if you get in trouble because of me, I…"

"He doesn't know."

The girl blinks. Lack-Two sighs.

"Were you even listening? I just said he's out for early vacation. Why on Earth would I bother him with something as trivial as this?"

The girl's shoulders drop as she sinks back into her seat, although the look of concern and fear stay evident in her eyes. Lack-Two sighs again.

"I'll just explain to Superintendent Aldin as soon as he gets back. It's okay…"

"Easy for you to say," Whi-Two mumbles, body now completely melted into her seat, eyes fixed on the window next to her. "You're not the one who keeps on messing up and relying on other people to fix her shit for her."

"No. This time, it's both our fault. We weren't careful. No one's benefiting from you being too hard on yourself." He takes a turn at the gate leaving Nimbasa, stopping for a moment to let policemen stationed there to inspect his trunk. He gives an impish smile when one of them peered through his window.

"Besides," he continues when the policemen gestured him that he was clear.

"I'm your inspector. It's part of my job to keep you out of trouble. Otherwise, the Superintendent will have my neck."

At that, Whi-Two finds herself suppressing a giggle.

"Mister perfect afraid of a kind old man?"

Lack-Two only shrugs.

"I think everyone should be. A kind old man who can bring down a room full of syndicate members on his own is someone to be afraid of."

The giggle successfully escapes Whi-Two. Lack-Two finds himself smiling with it.

The two sit in complete silence after that as they sped through the road connecting Nimbasa and Castelia, Whi-Two watching as the urban city landscape slowly faded into even more urban city landscape, but this time, she could make out the sea. Lack-Two was watching her from the corner of his eyes.

When they had to stop again to wait for their turn in one of the checkpoints, he takes a moment to fish for something from his compartment.

"Mints?" he suddenly mouths, offering the can to her direction. The sudden break in silence made Whi-Two jump.

"H-Huh? What?"

Lack-Two heaves a sigh.

"You've been too quiet since we drove out of Nimbasa. I'm worried my driving's making you feel queasy or something." He once agains shakes the mints near her face.

"Might as well fight that off now than have regrets later."

It takes Whi-Two a few moments to get what he meant.

"Oh, I don't get carsick, Sir…" she mumbles, returning her gaze back to the car window. Then she jolts, and turns back to him with a slight nod of gratefulness.

"But, thank you."

Lack-Two clicks his tongue and nods as he puts the small can away.

"Well, if it isn't my driving, then what's wrong?"

Once again, the girl bobs her head to his direction.

"Why? Are you worried?"

Lack-Two only sends her a short, sidelong glance before returning his eyes to the road. The traffic in front of them begins to move.

"Should I be?"

Whi-Two retains her gaze at him for a moment, unconsciously burning her mentor with her stare. Then, she calmly returns her attention back to the window.

"I'm fine, Sir."

Lack-Two lets out a dejected sigh as he once again leans back on his chair. He starts looking around while they waited for traffic to move, his fingers drumming onto the steering wheel in a steady rhythm, slowly sinking into deep thought. Then the car in front of him takes a turn, and he finds himself face to face with the grand bridge that connected Castelia with Striaton, and it immediately gave him an idea.

He presses a button by his dashboard, and the two windows beside him and Whi-Two starts rolling down, letting the cold sea breeze hit their faces. Whi-Two jumps up at the whirring sound. She immediately gives Lack-Two a questioning look. The latter returns it with a knowing smile.

"You said you don't get carsick, right?," was his last statement before he and Whi-Two were pulled back to their respective seats as the vehicle sped through the almost empty bridge at a speed that even a vehicular ignoramus such as Whi-Two would be genuinely worried about. She could almost hear the car's engine crying in exhilaration or consternation.

"L-Lack-Two, what the hell?!" she cries, grabbing the handle by the window for dear life. Said boy only smirks.

"Look out the window, Whi-Two."

"No! Not until you slow this car down! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"Look out the window or I'll let go of the wheel."

"Oh, damn you!"

And with a loud groan, the girl does as she was told in fear that her inspector has gone wild and meant his last words. It takes her a short moment to take in everything, but when she did, she had to gasp for air.

It was early evening when they left her apartment, and she's estimated that they've been on the road for at least thirty minutes. Night had already enveloped Nimbasa, but it has not yet completely engulfed the sea that cut between Striaton and Castelia. She could still see from her side of the car the far end where the sun sets, watching as its reflection made the ocean almost red like it was burning. The cold ocean breeze kept slapping her in the face to remind her that it was real.

"You think that's pretty," Lack-Two suddenly quips from her side, his eyes still fixed on the road.

"Try looking at my share of the view."

It takes effort for Whi-Two to peel her gaze away from the breathtaking image to do as she was told, and what meets her was the exact contrast. The other end of the sea was almost pitch black, sprinkled with immensely bright stars, shining as if to welcome the entrance of the grand moon that was slowly peeking out of the horizon, letting the ocean from where it seems to rise glisten in awestrucking silver.

"Wow," Whi-Two breathes. Lack-Two takes a moment to stare as well. A small smile begins unravelling across his face.

"Yeah, Unova, even though on lockdown, can be pretty sometimes," he mutters, slowly setting his eyes back on the road.

"Although you're the one who's been moving from place to place—you of all people should know that."

Whi-Two takes a moment to look down before returning her gaze to the setting sun.

"I do... " A shake of the head. "But I never actually found the time to just look at it."

Lack-Two once again takes his eyes off the road, this time to look at her, her whole body silhouetted by the onslaught of orange and red.

"Well, you should," he whispers.

"God only knows how long these things can last."

-...-

It took them only a few minutes before Lack-Two had to slow his car down, and soon, they found themselves caught in traffic once again, waiting for their turn at the checkpoint by the end of the bridge. Lack-Two takes that moment to roll the windows back up, giving Whi-Two comfort in tending her hair.

"So, will you finally tell me what's wrong?"

Whi-Two's hands freeze on separate locations somewhere in her hair as she looks up at her mentor, wide eyes.

"Huh?"

Lack-Two shoots her a short sidelong glance before clearing his throat.

"I don't really appreciate it when the people I'm alone with in a cramped space refuse to talk to me. Always makes me feel like they're plotting an assault, or something."

Whi-Two lets out a giggle.

"I'm your subordinate, Sir. Do you really think I'd want to murder you?"

Lack-Two's expression remains.

"You certainly won't be the only one." A click of the tongue,

"As a matter of fact, I believe that it was you who pointed out that I'm not really much of a crowd's favorite, so to speak."

Whi-Two runs a comb down her long brown locks, her eyes still fixed on her mentor.

"Don't worry," she almost coos, still a bit taken aback by the earlier view.

"I don't want to murder you, Inspector. At least not today…"

"I'm touched," Lack-Two drawls.

"Still want to know what's going on with you."

At that, the smile on Whi-Two's face slowly fades away, and was replaced by her initial expression as they were entering the bridge.

"It's… Stupid."

"Let me be the judge of that."

The female detective's hands slowly lower themselves as she sinks back to her seat, feeling the soft whirring of the engine as they move past the checkpoint and return to the main road.

"Uhm, I'm... just nervous, that's all."

The response earns her another rise from her inspector's eyebrow.

"I'm the one meeting your parents. Why be the one who feels nervous? "

The girl does not respond, and only looks away, evidently from embarrassment. Lack-Two had to suppress a chuckle.

"Never brought home a guy to introduce to the family before…" His shoulders shake a bit as he turns the suppressed chuckle into a scoff.

"Why am I not surprised? "

"And I suppose you know everything, huh?" Whi-Two snaps. Lack-Two simply shrugs.

"Well, I've had one... Two…" He looks up for a moment as if he was really trying to remember.

"...Nine girlfriends in the past? All of whose parents I've met. I kind of know a thing or two about meeting the parents…"

Whi-Two looks at him incredulously.

"I am not surprised," she mumbles, though her eyes blatantly expresses disbelief and a bit of disgust.

"Not at the same time, of course," Lack—Two shoots back.

Whi-Two nods her head unconvincingly. Lack-Two only rolls his eyes.

"Nine girlfriends, wow…" Whi-Two mutters under her breath. Then she looks at him.

"What happened?"

"What else should happen?" Lack-Two replies, taking a left turn.

"They fall in love with the face, the hair, the car, and the wealth but never with the policeman. So it never works."

"What do you mean?"

Lack-Two takes a moment to respond, making Whi-Two worry that she may have asked something not welcomed. But then she hears him hum a bit, as if thinking of the right words to say.

"Well, when the relationship begins to deepen, they make you decide: love or dream. And you can only keep one."

"And you chose dream?"

At that, Lack-Two scoffs.

"I'll always choose dream," he says, almost with too much confidence. Then his shoulders drop a little as an inexplicable expressions passes by his face.

"Guess I still have yet to meet the one who can convince me to choose the other... "

-...-

"Alright, what's the plan," Lack-Two asks, slamming the car door shut as soon as Whi-Two stepped out. Whi-Two straightens herself up for a moment, and looks up, taking in the image of the home she grew up in and left about three years ago. It's been a while, and even Whi-Two, for her own sake, would not know how exactly was she to answer her mentor's question.

But the look in her mentor's face pressed for an answer.

Whi-Two takes a deep breath.

"Have dinner, talk a little, keep Lack-Two away from Jeremy, and then send him home." She recites the words fast, and as soon as she was done, she starts zooming towards their door, leaving Lack-Two still standing next to his car, bewildered.

"Who the heck is Jeremy?" he cries after her.

"There's our little Roro!"

About five or six bodies based on Lack-Two's count come crashing towards Whi-Two at full speed. Lack-Two had to immediately grab onto Whi-Two's shoulder to prevent her from getting lost in the small sea of people.

"Oh, my goodness, Roro, you've grown!"

"It's so lovely to see you, dear!"

"Your hair is beautiful!"

"And that complexion! My darling, you have been taking good care of yourself!"

Whi-Two shrinks a bit towards Lack-Two.

"Y-Yes, it's good to see all of you again… Uhm…" She looks up to her superior for a moment, and when her superior gives her a slight nod of approval, she smiles again.

"E-Everyone," she almost squeaks. "This is Nate…"

Whi-Two ended up eating her tongue away before she could say who "Nate" was, but she didn't seem to need to for her cousins already knew of that name far too well.

"It's Roro's boyfriend!"

And the swarm of people starts flocking towards Lack-Two. Whi-Two tried but failed to use her body as shield in fear of them toppling her inspector over, but Lack-Two, as expected, handled himself well. With the social skills of a champion, Lack-Two addresses each question as eloquently and as comfortably as he could.

"Mon Dieu, you are one dashing young man! Look at him…" one cousin comments

Lack-Two nods graciously.

"Ah, merci."

"He speaks French!" another cousin squeals.

And before Whi-Two could do or say anything, the room was immediately drowned away with French dialogue as they all tried to get Lack-Two's attention.

"Now, now, everyone, give Rosa some space to breathe." Lack-Two and the rest of the crowd turns their head to the source of the voice, and out steps a rather tall woman, brown hair tied in a tight bun, her eyes as blue as Whi-Two's. The SUU inspector feels his subordinate's body tense up against his hold, making his gaze fall back towards her.

The woman's gaze joins him, and as soon she locks eyes with the tensed girl, her own face softens as she easily conjures up a smile.

"My only girl is back…" she almost coos, walking towards Whi-Two. The latter tries her best to return a smile.

"Hi, mom," she whispers. The last syllable coincided with a grunt, and before she knew it, she was already enveloped in her mother's tight embrace.

Lack-Two watches on.

"I miss you so much, Roro," the mother mumbles against her daughter's shoulder. Then she looks up for a moment and catches a glimpse of Lack-Two, who smoothly transitioned himself and flashed his ever charming smile at her.

"And you must be Nate," she smiles back, letting Whi-Two go momentarily to approach the boy. Lack-Two bows slightly in polite greeting.

"Good evening," he greets, elegantly reaching for the woman's hand but was slightly surprised when the latter suddenly pulls her in for an embrace.

Whi-Two notes the peculiar glint in her mentor's eyes.

"Oh, my goodness, you are as charming as you were when I was talking to you over the phone. Look at you…"

Lack-Two actually takes a moment to compose himself.

"It is a pleasure to meet you in person as well, Mrs. Bilden," he greets back, somewhat relieved when the woman finally lets him go.

"Oh, please, just call me 'Cecilia'!"

"Cecilia…" Lack-Two lets the syllables roll along his tongue before smiling an approving smile. Then he eyes the rest of the crowd who was watching him somewhat expectantly. He leans over to Whi-Two, and makes sure they hear him when he whispers, "Your family is nice"

And with that, Whi-Two's family starting flocking around him. Whi-Two gets squeezed at the sudden force, and once again, Whi-Two's mother's voice was her salvation.

"Everyone, everyone!" her mother cries, her voice still calm, but still powerful enough to calm Whi-Two's battalion of relatives.

"I'm sure we will get to know Nate over dinner. Everyone to the dinner table now."

There were a few groans, but nonetheless, everyone starts marching towards what Lack-Two would assume to be their kitchen. He was about to take a step when he realizes that Whi-Two has not yet moved from where she stood. To his surprise, she suddenly jolts and looks up at him with almost blank eyes.

"Please brace yourself, Inspector," she whispers.

-...-

"So, Nate, I take it you're a policeman as well? From the same station where Rosa now works?"

Lack-Two raises his eyes from the relative seated to his left who was telling him a story he may or may have not been listening to in order to meet Cecilia's.

"Yes, that is correct," he nods politely. "I am a member of the Special Response Team of the Nimbasa Division."

"Ooh, fancy," one of the cousins—a female seated from across where Lack-Two sits—comments, giving him an impish look for about the third time. And just as he did from the previous two times, Lack-Two only replies with a polite smile. Beside him, Whi-Two inwardly screams, part of her wanting to stand up and apologize profusely to her Inspector for dragging him into this, and another part admiring Lack-Two for being able to handle every simultaneous question thrown upon him without lashing like he always does in office.

"Nimbasa? Wait, I thought you work in Aspertia, Roro?" another cousin asks.

Whi-Two was caught off-guard, and was a few beats off in responding, letting her mother beat her to it.

"Rosa was reassigned a few months ago," Cecilia explains. "Something about… Changing titles, or something? What was it that you call it, Rosa?"

"Changing titles?" another relative chimes in. "Rosa changed jobs?"

"No, débile, it means she was promoted!"

"If she was promoted, then why on earth is she still earning virtually the same thing?"

"Is Nimbasa farther or nearer Striaton?"

"It's the country's capital. You have to cross the sea to go that city, I hear."

Whi-Two continues to shrink in her seat, not anymore caring for the remaining food in her plate. Lack-Two watches her as she played with the lone pickle in front of her, a slight tremor evident on her pale hand.

"Nimbasa Division," Lack-Two suddenly quips, his voice still calm although quite loud, enough to catch the attention of the bickering relatives.

"...Is the Unova Police Department's main division. Call it our central headquarters, if you will, where all the respected members are based. Sometimes, when an officer from another division shows remarkable potential, they are subject to deliberation on whether they will be re-stationed to serve Nimbasa." He makes it again a point to give Whi-Two a look.

"And your Rosa over here is one such officer."

Silence suddenly engulfs the dinner table, save for Lack-Two who was making subtle sounds whenever his fork would hit his plate. All eyes were glued on him and he looks back at all of them with innocent eyes.

Again, the cousin sitting to his left breaks the silence.

"If you're from Nimbasa, monsieur, does that mean you're as remarkable as well?" she asks with a coy smile, to which most of the table follows with chuckles. Lack-Two returns with a sheepish giggle.

"Oh, that will be hard to answer. I can't really speak for myself."

More laughter.

"Such kind words for Roro but none for himself!"one of them comments.

"What a humble boy..."

"I bet you're as talented as you are dashing, monsieur!"

"Oh, pas du tout," Lack-Two replies good-naturedly. "I'm telling you, I am as average as any Nimbasa officer would be. But thank you for your kind words."

He finds himself landing his gaze to Whi-Two, and finds her staring at him in utter disbelief. The inspector's response was a quick raise of both eyebrows, reminding her that he just went and saved her bottom just a few minutes ago, and that the least she could do was play along.

"Well, what of that, Tata?" a cousin seated next to Whi-Two's mother comments. "Roro's apparently making good progress in her chosen field. She even went and found the love of her life there! Looks like Oncle was right."

There was an evident shift in Cecilia's mood when she's heard, and Lack-Two could almost feel every stab she gave to her food with her fork.

"Marvelous," she whispers plainly. Then she notices both Lack-Two and Whi-Two's expressions—one with confusion and the other with utter despair.

"Oh, please don't mind me," she starts waving her hands restlessly, in the same way Whi-Two would whenever she's trying to convince Lack-Two that she wasn't sleeping on the job. The inspector actually thought it was cute.

"I'm sorry," she hums. "I just… Am not really as comfortable talking about all this police hullabaloo as much as one would expect from a policeman's mother, but…" She addresses Whi-Two almost too awkwardly.

"I am very proud of you, honey."

Whi-Two returns with a small smile.

"Thanks, mom."

Cecilia watches as her daughter returns to playing with her pickle. The rest of their relatives seem to have melted into other topics, and for that she was thankful. The last thing she needed was to embarrass her daughter in front of their own family.

But then she did it in front of the first guy her daughter ever brought home.

"I'm sorry, Nate, this must be so awkward for you."

Surprisingly, the boy returns her the same calm smile he's been retaining the whole evening.

"Can't say that this is not a regular occurrence at the family dinner table," Lack-Two replies good-naturedly.

"I myself had my own share of experiences. Really, it's fine." Then he lands his gaze on the girl by his side who have completely spaced out—perhaps out of sheer embarrassment and pain. Cecilia, too, was watching the girl with a worried expression.

With a look of genuine concern in his eyes (which Whi-Two may have failed to notice), Lack-Two temporarily veers away from his standard protocol and lets his hand rest on top of Whi-Two's. The girl slightly jolts, and immediately gawks at the hand now calmly suppressing the tremors coming from her own.

She checks if Cecilia had noticed, in fear that her mother might not be comfortable with this. She certainly was.

But Cecilia seems to have not as she was now looking straight to Lack-Two's eyes.

"You see, I never wanted Rosa to be a police officer," Cecilia was explaining, an answer to her mentor's question that she was not able to catch.

"I personally wanted her to be a chef. Or something of the sort. Any profession really that does not involve me worrying my hair away, thinking if my only daughter was ever involved in the numerous shootouts I see on television. Really. It's unnerving for a mother."

Lack-Two dips his head almost reassuringly.

"I understand. As a policeman myself, I can verify how dangerous it is to involve yourself with law enforcement. It calls for you to constantly throw yourself into danger's loving arms."

Cecilia seems convinced.

"Yes, " she almost cries at the thought that someone, finally, understands her point.

"That's what I always tell my Rosa..."

"However, Madame, with all due respect, there is a certain amount of fulfillment that comes along with it, the kind that is worth the effort. And if Rosa here actually sees and feels that…" He trails off, letting his fingers from the hand that held Whi-Two's entwine with hers. Whi-Two again looks up at him, and as soon as their eyes lock, Lack-Two gives her a soft, reassuring smile.

Whi-Two finds herself smiling back.

"And personally, I'm happy Rosa made this choice. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met her as soon as I did."

Without much of a warning, Lack-Two quickly lifts Whi-Two's hand to his lips and gives it a light peck, fast enough for anyone but Whi-Two to not notice. He half-expected her to squirm, or perhaps scream, but the girl simply smiles back at him, absent-mindedly returning his grasp back to him with her wiry fingers.

Lack-Two had to lose himself for a moment.

Whi-Two's hold was the tightest his hand had ever felt all his life.

-...-

After dinner, Whi-Two was immediately pulled away by one of her cousins, leaving Lack-Two slightly dumbfounded as he watched her get dragged across the room. Whi-Two was worried that Lack-Two would immediately be eaten alive by the rest of her family especially now that she was out of the picture, and true enough, when she steals a glance to his direction as her cousin chatted her away, she finds him talking—possibly introducing himself—to another set of cousins. Her stomach sinks.

Her cousins take a little too much of her time, or so she thinks, for when she returns to the living room to search for her inspector, she immediately finds him on the couch surrounded by three of her female cousins, getting comfortable.

Too comfortable.

"…and that's the story of how I was ranked as Sergeant at the age of 22," Lack-Two was saying, a glass of what appears to be wine in his hand.

"Oh, wow, Officer… You are so brave... And strong…" one cousin almost purrs.

"Not to mention, immensely charming and sweet," another chimes in. "That smile must've gotten you everything you've wanted in life."

Lack-Two smiles against the curve of his wine glass.

"Well, it helped winning me Rosa's heart. So, I guess you're right."

The look in Whi-Two's face was undecipherable.

Her cousins let out demure giggles.

"Roro knows how to choose her men…" the third cousin sighs.

"Oh, if I weren't so in love with mon Cherie, I would've been all over you."

"Same…"

"Me too."

At that, Lack-Two chuckles.

"I am flattered. Truly, I am. And because you are kind, let me return that kindness with heartfelt advice…" He bends over to refill his glass and then straightens himself to look at them each straight in the eye.

"Do not fall in love with people like me. I will take you to museums and parks and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place, so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth. I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible. And when I leave you, you will finally understand why storms are named after people."

The cousins gasp, almost in unison.

"Oh my goodness…"

"That's so beautiful…"

"Pure poetry… Caitlyn Siehl, yes?"

At that, the serious look in Lack-Two's face disappears as he breaks into another chuckle, raising his glass at the cousin.

"Someone's been reading English contemporaries," he teases playfully. The cousin giggles back.

"But in all honesty, please don't fall in love with me. I'm hopelessly in love with your little Roro. I don't think it'd be pretty."

It was at that moment that Whi-Two knew she couldn't take anymore. She emerges from the doorframe where she was hiding in and calls for her mentor.

"Si—I-I mean, Nate…?"

Lack-Two looks up and stares at Whi-Two questioningly. The plastered smile on his mentee's face was hopelessly unconvincing.

"Can you come with me upstairs?" she almost recites. Then she gives him a pressing look.

"Alone?"

To her surprise, the questioning look in Lack-Two's eyes turn into amusement. The three cousins also wore the same expression on their faces.

"Ooooooh," they tease in unison, looking at each other knowingly.

Whi-Two blinks at them innocently.

"Wait. What?"

"Ah, Roro, we didn't know you were that mischievous…"

"Separated only for a short while and already pining to be alone again... Roro, you sweet, excited little bunny."

"W-What... Wait—No—"

A cousin faces Lack-Two.

"Oh, you will love the view from Roro's room, Monsieur. It has a great view of the Gracidea gardens—absolutely astonishing."

"Ah, oui," another chimes in. "A perfect scene to a romantic, passionate…"

Whi-Two feels a violent chill run up her spine at the thought.

"Oh my, God, STOP! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN THINKING?!"

The three cousins only laugh. Whi-Two frantically shakes her head to her inspector.

"Wait, no, I'm not…"

Lack-Two gives off a chuckle.

"Now, now, ladies. No need to tease her like that." He stands up, gently prying off his arms from their hold as he did

"Although, I won't mind seeing her against something to be as equally beautiful as she is?"

He gives Whi-Two a smile. The latter returns with a look of disdain.

The cousins again share a giggle among themselves. Lack-Two turns to them.

"I'll be seeing you then, m'ladies?"

"Ohh, mais ouis, Monsieur! Please, do enjoy the evening."

Lack-Two nods graciously at them before looking back to Whi-Two and gesturing towards the door.

"After you? "

Whi-Two looks around awkwardly before walking out, with Lack-Two following behind.

As soon as they were out of anyone else's earshot, Whi-Two suddenly stops and turns to her inspector.

"Was that necessary, Inspector?"

Said inspector raises his hands defensively.

"What? Just because I'm doing this in favor of you doesn't mean I can't have a little fun."

"They're all taken!"

"...And in case you've forgotten the context of this situation, in their eyes, I am, too." He shrugs. "I don't see any harm in making friends with fellow 'taken' individuals…"

Whi-Two groans as she buries her face in her hands in agony.

"My 'boyfriend' is a fricking playboy…"

"Hey, at least I have the face for it…" He crosses his arms indignantly.

"Besides, if you don't want me playing around with your pretty and French cousins, then stop leaving me behind. In case you didn't know, girlfriends don't do that."

"It's not like I—" Then she stops, takes a deep breath, and simply nods. The image from a while ago at the dinner table passes by Lack-Two's mind.

"You're right. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Sir."

Then she turns and starts going up the stairs.

"Let's go."

"Wait, so you were serious about taking me to your room?" He whistles, an amused glint in his eyes.

"My, you really are a bold little bunny."

"Let's just go..."

-...-

The two stare at the gate that divided Whi-Two's room to her balcony. It was locked.

"Erm…" Whi-Two hums, then looks up at Lack-Two.

"Please wait here."

Lack-Two watches as Whi-Two walks to a nearby window to her left. She grabs a set of keys from a bowl by her dresser, then goes through the window, and disappears. For the next minute or two, the sound of heavy footsteps, creaking hinges, and screaming voices fills the room.

"Merde!"

"Sorry, Jeremy!"

More heavy footsteps ensue. Lack-Two looks around for a moment, wondering where in hell did his mentee end up in, and his eyes land on a tall bookshelf to his right. With one last glance on the window where Whi-Two disappeared to, he walks towards it.

The bookshelf was quite tall as well, like the rest of her furnitures, and the books were protected by glass, giving Lack-Two the message that they were on a strict hands-off policy. He peers through the glass nonetheless. Thankfully, it was clear enough for him to see everything.

And there was so much to see that he didn't even hear Whi-Two fiddling with the lock from the other side of the gate. She pries it open with full force, letting a loud crashing sound fill the room as she did. The cold December breeze accompany her as she enters, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm back," she gasps, kicking the gate lightly to let it stay open. Then she looks up to search for Lack-Two, and finds him by her bookshelf.

"Lack-Two?"

Said boy straightens himself but keeps his eyes on the shelves.

"You… have quite the library, detective. From the military almanac to every police story ever published. I'm fairly impressed." He looks up to her as she makes her way towards him.

"You must've had quite the childhood."

"I guess," Whi-Two hums, joining him. "Most of them were originally my father's. He really loved police literature."

Lack-Two absent-mindedly nods, his eyes still glued to the titles.

"…Where is he now?"

He feels Whi-Two shuffle awkwardly next to him, making him snappily turn his head to her direction. A remorseful smile has pasted itself across her lips.

The boy inhales in realization.

"I see…" he whispers, slowly looking away.

"Sorry to hear…"

Whi-Two was quick to recover.

"I-It's okay! He died in the line of duty, so I guess that's not really something to be sad about. You and I both know how much of an honor that is for a policeman."

Lack-Two nods. "Definitely."

The female detective sighs wistfully as she presses her fingers against the glass that separated the two from Whi-Two's many, many books.

"Shame he died never getting the rank he always wanted."

Lack-Two again pries off his glance from Whi-Two's faint reflection in order to look at the real thing.

"My dad had always wanted to be an inspector," she recalls, moving towards another part of her room, towards the dresser where a bunch of picture frames—mostly containing pictures of Whi-Two as a kid—were placed. She picks one up and hands it to Lack-Two.

"But ranking became hard for him after catching this disease that required him to have his dominant arm cut off. His department actually recommended early retirement, but my dad was stubborn. And since he was a well-loved veteran, they let him stay. But because of his… condition, he had to live the rest of his life working under the school safety bureau." The girl suddenly lets off a giggle.

"I remember my classmates from back then being too afraid of me because my dad was one of the school guards."

Lack-Two again inattentively shakes his head, his eyes now focused on the image of a middle-aged man—around his forties, by his quick estimate—holding a blue-eyed little girl in his arms.

"I take it you've gotten your remarkable skills from your father?" he was still able to ask.

"Taught me everything he knew," she beams.

"He started training me the moment he saw my drawing of myself as a policeman. I became his new dream."

Lack-Two looks up at her.

"And you don't mind that? The pressure?"

"Honestly, I love it. It's always given me a sense of purpose. Something to look forward to, you know?" Her eyes then mellowed, her shoulders lowered.

"Then he had to die…"

"Still, you continued his dream?"

Whi-Two looks up at him, directly in the eye.

"It's now both our dream."

Lack-Two watches her eyes for a moment, the way they still shone underneath her steady fluorescent light. Then he returns to the image, mentally comparing how different she probably is from the little girl in the policeman costume, being held by the father she knew and loved.

The little girl seemed to have a lot more luster in her eyes compared to her, that's for certain, but other than that, they were the same, almost identical. Both pairs of eyes bore the same determination, and the same dream.

He almost felt envious.

"So, you want to be one of the big kids, huh?" he suddenly mumbles, stretching his arm to return the frame on top of Whi-Two's dresser.

"If that's the case, then you really have to work your way up. But you've got game. You'd probably fly up through the ranks without even noticing."

Whi-Two watches him as his hand remain hovering over the frame, even after he's already set it down.

"Is that what happened to you, Inspector?"

"Maybe."

Whi-Two's shoulders shake as she tries to suppress a giggle, but then freezes almost too immediately when she feels his hand land on one of them gently. She looks up and sees Lack-Two looking at her directly in the eye.

"You'd make an amazing inspector one day."

The smile gradually fades from Whi-Two's face.

"Sir…?"

"At least, that's what Superintendent Aldin said." He clears his throat, quickly pulling his hand away.

"But who knows? If you play your cards right, you might end up replacing him one day."

Whi-Two lets out a good-natured snort.

"Yeah, but I still got you to compete with."

At that, Lack-Two simply smiles.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem."

There was a questioning look in Whi-Two's eyes, which Lack-Two immediately ignores. He directs his attention elsewhere, and finds that the gate towards her balcony was already opened, and the cold breeze and a few pink petals were passing through.

"You managed to open it?" he mumbles, but nonetheless starts walking towards it. Whi-Two follows directly behind him.

The two step out into Whi-Two's small balcony, and were met by a strong yet sweet aroma, made stronger by the winds. Lack-Two looks over the railings.

A large garden filled with pink flowers, all in full bloom, stretched across the large patch of lands just in front of Whi-Two's room. They sway in the direction the breeze would blow, making it look like they were dancing.

"Are those…?"

"Gracideas," Whi-Two explains, joining him. "An old couple used to live here before we moved in—immigrants from a faraway country, and they started a small garden and filled it with flowers native from their homeland. When the couple passed away, everybody thought the gardens would wither along with them. But nobody expected that these flowers can pretty much sustain themselves given the right climate. And they multiply. Fast. A few years before I was born, the Unovan government decided to harvest them to the last petal in order to make room for more houses, but the citizens protested against it. They claimed that Unova was getting too urban for the sake of progress that we become too… numb. Heartless, even. These gardens would be one of the very few constant reminder that we still… believe in beauty, among other things. So they preserved it."

She hears Lack-Two hum in reply, suddenly reminding her that she was still next to someone. And that someone was none other than her inspector who cared very little for pointless details.

"I-I'm sorry, that must've been dragging!"

But Lack-Two nonetheless smiles.

"No, I think it's a cute story." Then he straightens himself, and starts journeying his eyes across the vast horizon. Whi-Two watches him, the then soft features of his face growing even softer as he breathed in the fresh December air.

She finds herself smiling once again.

"Actually, the real reason why I brought you up here was to thank you…"

Lack-Two returns his gaze back to her, his hair slightly obstructing his view as it ruffled along with the breeze.

"For showing me that wonderful view awhile ago, by the bridge," Whi-Two clarifies, slightly blushing.

"...And for standing up to my mother… A-Among other things."

Once more, the boy simply watches her, focusing on her short bangs dancing along with the wind. She was looking down shyly, making him feel a little bit of aching inside for not being able to see her eyes, but he nonetheless appreciated it.

He was down to his last defenses, and he simply can't risk it now.

"You certainly looked like you wouldn't do it," he whispers, looking away again. Whi-Two looks up to him with minor shock, but nevertheless smiled a sheepish smile.

Lack-Two sighs.

"So that thing that happened to your dad… Is that the reason why your mom's against your chosen profession?"

"Mom's always been against it. I remember my parents always arguing with each other regarding my upbringing, being the only child and all. Mom would always say, 'Ed! Your daughter is a little girl! She should be playing with dolls, not guns!' And then my dad would always say that it's better I know how to fight back as early as age seven. But then my mom complained that he wasn't giving me much of an option. It's like, the only choice I have is to become a policeman. So my dad gave in and told her to let me try something else, and my mom wasted no time and enrolled me in numerous culinary summer courses over high school…"

"And what came out of that?"

"Well, I can make numerous dishes out of three simple ingredients. But that's pretty much my culinary career for you." Again, another giggle. Then she sighs.

"Never really fell in love with cooking as I had with fighting crime."

Lack-Two blinks at her for a moment, before letting a good-natured scoff.

"There's something you don't hear everyday…" he mumbles.

" I bet your dad's pretty proud of you."

Whi-Two shrugs with an impish smile.

"I hope so."

There was a questioning look in her inspector's eyes, making her shrug again, this time a bit more awkwardly.

"My dad was… Pretty strict as a father. He was hardly pleased with things. I can bring down a group of dummy bodies with just one pistol, and my dad would still be disappointed because my stance was not firm enough."

"Stance is pretty important, you know." A click of the tongue before he rests his folded arms over the railings once more.

"I take it back. If your dad was still alive to see how you perform during combat training, I bet you'd have at least two people barking at you every morning."

Whi-Two laughs, a lot louder than her usual giggles.

"…Now I think I know why I feel at ease with you despite your attitude," she tilts, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "You're so much like him…"

"Every good policeman is. Standard protocol."

Then his face becomes serious.

"Take my word for it, detective, Your dad's proud of you."

"How do you know that?"

The boy shrugs.

"I'm Mister Perfect. I know everything."

Whi-Two laughs again. Lack-Two pairs it with a low chuckle.

Then he takes a deep breath.

"It's not the case of achievements anymore. It's the case of seeing your daughter fall in love with what she does. And to think that she fell in love with something you have been offering all your life to. If that's the case then who cares where she's at?"

He gives her another sidelong glance, watching as the laughter dies down from her flushed face.

"If she's happy, then I'm happy."

-...-

"Alright, now try this one…"

Lack-Two lets out a soft groan and rolls his eyes, but he nonetheless leans forward and takes a spoonful of cream from Whi-Two's bowl. He takes it, and lets it stay in his mouth for a moment, before raising his brows in surprise.

"Hm." He gives her a nod of approval before letting the sweetened cream down his throat.

"Right?" Whi-Two cheers excitedly. "Sweet but not the kind that leaves you nauseous, huh?"

"Well, I'm still standing, so I'm going with 'yes'." He looks down on his own bowl and takes another spoonful.

"I can't believe your mom made her own rendition of Virbank's Bearticone in eight different flavors. And she did it only after tasting it once."

"I know, isn't she great?" Whi-Two takes another spoonful from her own bowl, all giddy and childlike.

"Mom can be a lot of things, but when it comes to her cooking, I don't know of anyone who can best her."

Lack-Two watches as she takes another spoonful and smiles like a giddy child. It amazes him how ice cream can easily change the girl's mood to the positive.

"Enjoying the evening, you two?"

Lack-Two almost lashes out at the feeling of an unknown presence behind him, but immediately stops himself from attacking when he recognizes the voice. He turns, this time a little slower than he had intended, a smile readily pasted on his face.

"We have been, Madame, thank you," he beams. Then he gestures at the bowl in his hand.

"The food is delightful, by the way. I think it's remarkable how you were able to do all these by yourself."

Cecilia giggles.

"Oh, you and your sweet words, Nate," she chastises playfully, hitting him on his shoulder.

"I would've offered you dessert a little earlier on but you and Rosa disappeared all of a sudden after dinner. And for quite a long time, too." She looks at the two knowingly.

Whi-Two almost chokes on her confectionery.

"Mom, no… We were just…" She and Lack-Two lock eyes for a moment, his a look of expectancy. He seemed to want her to try and speak for herself. The girl slightly nods, and takes a deep breath.

"I was just showing him the Gracidea gardens from my balcony."

"On such a cold December evening?"

"We were wearing jackets…" Whi-Two tries to make a convincing grin, lowering her chin in an almost pleading manner, hoping her mother would be convinced. The latter simply chuckles.

"I trust you two," she says, landing a reassuring hand on Lack-Two, who was watching the exchange with an amused expression. Then, she tips over and nears her face to the boy's ear.

"She's never had a boyfriend before…"

"Mom!"

Cecilia simply laughs.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" she begs, waving her hand to dismiss the awkwardness. Then she calms down after a deep breath.

"By the way, honey, can you come with me to kitchen?"

The two both freeze.

"W-Why…?"

"Relax!" Cecilia again jeers, hitting Whi-Two gently on her shoulder. The girl nonetheless sways as she did, still frozen.

"I just need to ask for your help with one of the dishes. There's something missing from the salad your dad always makes, but I just can't seem to know what it is. You know his recipe...Maybe another mind won't hurt?"

The colors gradually return to Whi-Two's face as her whole body begins to relax. She gives Lack-Two one last look before setting her bowl down and standing up, straightening herself a bit before heading towards the kitchen.

Cecilia gives Lack-Two an almost apologetic smile.

"I'll just be borrowing Rosa for a minute or two?"

"Of course, Madame. Please…"

Lack-Two watches as the two women disappear into the kitchen, but his attention was shifted abruptly when he hears a tall glass bottle hit the coffee table in front of him.

A tall, rather beefy man dives into the couch and sits next to him. Lack-Two only stares. He recognizes him vaguely as one of Whi-Two's cousins.

Or uncle. Judging by how old he appears, the inspector might not be sure.

"Bon nuit," the tall man greets, nodding at him, He spreads his arms over the slightly dumbfounded brunet, landing it gently over the latter's shoulders.

Lack-Two leans a bit forward before replying.

"Bon nuit," he says softly.

"My goodness, your French accent is très bon. The most remarkable among all Unovans I have encountered." He produces an empty wine glass and starts filling it with champagne. "That will make us good friends, yes?"

The inspector just looks at him, unsure. But he accepts the glass nonetheless.

Champagne is champagne, after all. No matter who the drink comes from.

"Jeremy Lambert, mon amie," the cousin says, producing another wine glass and filling it as well. Then he raises it up to Lack-Two.

"Pleased to meet the first man to have caught the meticulous heart of our dear Roro..."

Wonder was shaping inside Lack-Two's mind when he's heard the man's name—like he's heard it from somewhere before—but it burned immediately at the scent of sweet alcohol just underneath his nose. He raises his glass as well and hits the other gently.

"The pleasure is all mine," he mouths. He then nears the glass back to his face with a smile. The scent of high-class champagne fills his nose.

"Dom Pérignon," Lack-Two exhales. "I'm impressed. These are pretty rare around these areas, considering the wide-ranged foreign liquor shipping ban in Unova…"

"Ah, oui, 'tis a shame," Jerem agrees with a sad sigh. "French champagne has always been the best champagne, and to think that the government is forcing the locals to settle with our ridiculously low-standard liquor? Bleagh!"

Lack-Two only slightly nods, still refusing to take a sip.

"So, where did you acquire this?"

"A silly little store back in Virbank," he winks. "But that was probably seven… eight years ago? Right before my family migrated? Ah, this old man forgets…"

Lack-Two smiles. He seems overjoyed somehow.

"Perfectly-aged sparkling wine?" he comments with a tinge of excitement. "I've never been more enthralled." He raises his glass to Jeremy again.

"Thank you."

Then he takes a long sip, finishing the glass in one take.

Jeremy cheers as Lack-Two exhales loudly.

"Magnifique!" he cheers, giving Lack-Two a hearty slap on the back. "Truly, you are a man of fine taste! You make me like you even more. Roro knows how to choose her men."

Again, he takes Lack-Two's glass and fills it again.

"You and I, mon amie, are going to finish here this whole battle, yes?" Jeremy invites as he refills his own.

"Tonight, we drink and be merry, like true gentlemen!"

Lack-Two sips with satisfaction.

"I'd love that," he mutters.

And they hit each other's glasses again.

-...-

Whi-Two and her mother enter the empty kitchen in utter silence. The younger immediately proceeds to the counter, where a large bowl was sitting on. She grabs a spoon, and scoops a little for tasting.

"Mmm," she hums with a smile. "Okay, maybe we should start by going through what you've placed already… Let me just move this to the table."

"Nate's not really your boyfriend, is he?"

Whi-Two almost drops the bowl. She immediately sets it down again before facing her mother.

"Huh?"

She half-expected her mother to wear that small scowl she always wore whenever she'd catch her playing with her dad's guns when she was younger, but all she found was a knowing smile on her the older's face.

"Roselia Bilden…" she mouths, a knowing look in her face.

The girl groans quietly.

"Were we that bad…?"

At that, Cecilia giggles.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, dear! I was very convinced at the start. Especially that phone call! Nate's quite the charmer. He could sell me a plunger and I would probably buy two!"

Whi-Two laughs awkwardly.

"There's an idea," she mumbles. Then her smile fades.

"...So was it me?"

Cecilia smiles kindly.

"Yes," she nods. "But not for the reasons you would think."

Whi-Two only looks at her.

"Sweetie, I'm your mother!" she scoffs playfully. "You can't lie to me…" Then her smile grows softer.

"...And, frankly, I don't see a reason why you should…"

The girl looks down sadly.

"I…" she trails off. Then she shrugs, taking a deep breath.

"I didn't want to disappoint you, mom. You just seemed so happy to have found out, I was… I just…"

"Oh, Rosa, honey…" Her mother inhales sharply, as if she was deeply startled by her daughter's words. She quickly walks near her and holds her shoulders.

"Rosa, there is nothing you could do to disappoint me! You know that…"

Whi-Two only watches her, the same troubled look in her eyes.

"...Even if I pursued this career despite you being against it? I mean, ever before Dad died, you…" She was cut off by the feeling of her face buried to her mother's shoulder. Cecilia presses her head gently as she held tighter.

"That's not disappointment, dear.. You're following your dream! You and your father's dream… And it's slowly becoming reality! How could I be disappointed with that?" Cecilia pushes her away gently to get another good look at her daughter's eyes, the way they still glimmered, but at the same time, they seem lifeless. She wondered if it was only now or had always been and she only bothered to notice at this very moment.

How far had she gone away?

Cecilia lets out a rueful smile.

"Honey, I've never been more proud of you…"

Tears begin flowing from Whi-Two's eyes.

"Y-You mean that…?"

Cecilia puts her hand on her daughter's face. Then she nods.

"You know I'm only antagonistic about it because this is the same way I lost your father, and I don't want to risk losing you, too." She leans forward and brushes her lips on the younger's forehead.

"I'm running out of family…"

Whi-Two finally smiles beneath a few sniffs, raising her arms to wipe away the tears.

"Thank you, Mother…" she whispers. "A-And I'm sorry, I lied…" She takes a deep breath, and then breaks it with a giggle.

"I guess I better tell Inspector the jig is up. I think we left him with Jeremy there…"

Cecilia gasps softly.

"Oh, my…" she claims, looking back at the living room where they left the boy. Then she pauses, and looks back at Whi-Two.

"'Inspector'?"

Whi-Two's eyes widen a little as she looks back at Cecilia.

"Oh, uhm…" she begins, rubbing her arm a bit forlornly.

"Nate is my… Unit Inspector…"

Cecilia blinks in disbelief.

"A boy that young is an inspector?!" she claims. "Like that kind of inspector?!"

"The one dad wanted to be, yeah…" Whi-Two mutters under her breath.

Another glance of disbelief from Cecilia to Lack-Two's direction, before returning to her daughter.

"My, my…" she mumbles.

"Yeah…" Whi-Two shrugs sheepishly. Then, with a moment of hesitation, she adds:

"He's also my mentor."

At that, Cecilia's brows rise.

"Oh," she mouths. It was then that she finally decided to have another glimpse of him. She walks towards the kitchen door and peers through the small window. "Nate" and Jeremy were still talking, the earlier evidently growing uncomfortable with the latter's moves. But still, he went with it, still smiling like he was having fun, as he was doing all night. Although now, from where Cecilia stood, she could finally see the uneasiness in the way he moves.

She returns to Whi-Two.

"That boy must truly care about you for agreeing to go through all this trouble for your sake."

At that, Whi-Two almost laughs.

"Oh, no, no," she waves in refusal. "La—I mean Nate is really doing this for the sake of our jobs. He just didn't want me to get in trouble, because if I did, by virtue of this mentor-mentee relationship we have going on between us, he would've gotten in trouble too. H-He's not doing this for me… E-Essentially..."

Cecilia only nods absent-mindedly as she continues watching Lack-Two trying to shake the presumably drunk Jeremy away from him, albeit politely. Whi-Two somehow thanked her mother for her inattentiveness, otherwise, Whi-Two would have had to explain how all this was in any way connected to her or her inspector's job.

"Really…" was all she replied. Whi-Two raises a brow.

"Mom…?"

Cecilia finally smiles as she eyes her daughter.

"I think you should cherish him."

-...-

"So, er…"

"Nate."

"Ah, yes, yes… Nate. Mon amie. Can I… Ask you about you and Roro?"

"Hm," he says as he hands over his glass for Jeremy to fill up. "Go ahead."

Jeremy takes a few moments, focusing on the other's glass as he fills it up with champagne. Then he hands it to him. Lack-Two once again goes through his usual routine of mixing it subtly by shaking the glass in a circular manner before taking a sniff, and finally, lifting it up to his lips.

"What do you you see in her?"

Lack-Two's glass halts halfway. He looks at Jeremy.

"Pardon?"

"Eh, just a random question," Jeremy shrugs, filling his own glass well. "Don't take it to heart. It must be the alcohol speaking…" He takes a long sip, expecting Lack-Two to do the same. But the later simply watches with an expectant gaze.

"You see, mon amie, Roro… I can't deny that she is beauty. I mean, she does have the blood of a Lambert flowing through her veins." He gives Lack-Two a wink, and the boy nods good-naturedly, subtly inching himself away to the other end of the couch.

"And she's grace, too… Sometimes. But you must admit, there is nothing more endearing than a fine woman who is a tiny bit jumpy and on edge. Keeps life a bit more interesting, don't you agree?"

Lack-Two finds himself smiling at the thought.

"But let's admit it, mon amie. Roro is not really… the kind of woman a common boy would fall for. She is simply too sophisticated for them, hence, her being rather unpopular with the opposite gender. But, ah…" He shrugs as he fills his cup again.

"Plus, her being a talented policeman is a bit of a wall. Scares off the other men. Thinks she might be too hard to handle."

"More like subdue," Lack-Two snorts.

"Oui," Jeremy agrees with disdain. "Silly, silly, simplistic Unova boys…" He takes another sip.

"But you, mon amie. You are different. Good looks. Good taste. Good manners—one complete package. So tell me…" He again yanks Lack-Two's hand to fill his glass again.

"What do you see in her?"

Lack-Two shakes his glass gently in a circular manner, watching the sparkling wine glimmer under the flourescent light as it splashes around. It reminded him of Whi-Two's eyes.

"How about…" he begins. "Instead of telling you what I see in her, I tell you what I don't see…"

He lifts his gaze to the kitchen door.

"I see no shred of falsehood in her words, no scant in her soul, and no prejudice in her eyes." He smiles. "And that's what I love about her. She's beauty, both inside and out. Pure. Unpretentious. Sincere… Everything I wanted to but can never be." He gives out a sigh as he takes a small sip.

"What I wouldn't give to let her be that way forever…"

Jeremy smiles at him as he leans forward and places his arm over Lack-Two's shoulders.

"Welcome to the family, mon amie!" he cheers.

Lack-Two smiles uneasily at him.

"Thank you," he says, flicking the man's hand away.

-...-

Lack-Two's view was already swaying that it took Whi-Two at least three tries to call him. And she was just standing next to him.

"Nate," she calls again, and it was only then that Lack-Two straightens up and looks up at her. Whi-Two was looking down at him, a mix of worry and something else in her eyes. Then her gaze slowly crawls to the man half-sleeping next to him. Lack-Two follows her.

"You look like you were having fun with my gay cousin," she says, trying to suppress a smile. Lack-Two's slightly weary eyes immediately widen. He immediately looks up to her, and Whi-Two nods slowly, still the same smile on her face.

"Well," he sighs, slowly standing up so as not to disturb Jeremy. Whi-Two immediately comes to his aid as he did, grabbing him by his arm.

His free hand flies to his temple.

"I think I should get going," he whispers. "If another set of your cousins come at me again with a new bottle of liquor, I might forget my call-sign next."

"Well, at least now I know what to throw at you at work whenever you're PMS-ing."

"As if you can afford the things I drink…"

"Oh, I was talking about Jeremy."

Lack-Two gives her a look, and Whi-Two only giggles. Then her giggle dies down as she looks up at him, a little more seriously now.

"Sir, we've been compromised…"

The alcohol must've gotten into Lack-Two because it takes a little longer than usual for him to understand what she meant. Then, from his peripheral view, he notices Cecilia watching them with an undecipherable smile.

She walks towards them, and Whi-Two lets go to make way for her to pull the boy into yet another embrace. This one was a lot longer, and a lot tighter—it made him almost uncomfortable. But the awkwardness was overpowered by unfamiliar warmth.

"Thank you so much for taking our Rosa all the way home," she says against his shoulder. "And thank you for always being there for her."

Lack-Two suddenly couldn't find the words to respond. He looks over Cecilia's shoulder, and finds Whi-Two looking at him with an almost apologetic smile.

Then Cecilia gently pushes Lack-Two away but holds on to his arms tightly.

"Please take good care of my daughter."

The confused inspector only stares at Cecilia, and then to his mentee, and then back. However, despite his confusion, he still found himself nodding.

"Don't worry," he whispers, soft enough that only Cecilia could hear.

"I always will."

-...-

"So, your mom already knows?" Lack-Two asks, leaning a bit against his car. Whi-Two shuffles a bit, playing with the small pebbles by their feet.

"Yeah," she smiles apologetically. "I've forgotten how sharp she was with things. Apparently, even we couldn't get past her…"

"Well, she is your mom. Moms are usually pretty good with detecting lies. They should really do the interrogations, if you ask me."

Then he notices the look of uneasiness brewing in her eyes.

"What did she tell you?" he asks, a little gently.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, really. I just…" She takes a deep breath, and bites her lips. "I was just seriously not expecting how the rest of my family have been waiting—anticipating—for me to have a boyfriend. It makes me scared how they would react if they found out what my mother now knows…"

"Do you plan on telling them?"

"Well, the plan was that I tell them that we broke up some time later because of schedule differences, or something to that effect."

Lack-Two thinks for a moment, and then nods.

"Yeah, I'd buy that story. Just try saying it to them without stammering, and you'll be fine."

Whi-Two giggles.

"They'd be devastated," she claims. Lack-Two raises a brow at her.

"Is that really the word?" he asks, straightening himself up. "You make it sound like us 'breaking up' is the worst thing that could happen to your cousins."

"Well, for one thing, they really liked you," Whi-Two argues. "Especially Jeremy…"

Lack-Two rolls his eyes, and Whi-Two laughs.

"And another thing is that they're gonna go back to fearing that I might never marry…"

"It's the twenty-first century," Lack-Two points out with disdain. "So?"

"That's what I tell them!" she cheers. "Honestly, with the amount of things I have in my head right now, it's really no big deal for me whether I die alone or whatever…"

"Well, if you put it that way, it does seem alarming..." Lack-Two thinks for a moment.

"Have you considered owning a hundred cats?"

Again, Whi-Two laughs. Then her face suddenly grows solemn.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

Whi-Two looks at Lack-Two for a moment. Then she scoffs and shakes her head with a small giggle.

"...Nevermind. It's stupid."

"I'll tell you what's stupid," Lack-Two slurs. "Me driving my mentee across the region all the way to her family to pretend to be her boyfriend only to be busted by her sharp-smelling mother, and now I think I just drank myself silly with her gay cousin who might have gotten to second base with me."

At that, Whi-Two laughs.

"Besides, I am slightly intoxicated right now…"

Whi-Two grins at him.

"Intoxicated Inspector?" she suggests, earning her a playfully exasperated face from her inspector. The boy runs his hand down her face in annoyance.

Whi-Two only laughs as she shakes him away.

"Look," Lack-Two tries again. "My defenses are down, so I'll accept anything without prejudice. If I were you, I'd just say what I want to say."

Again, the solemn look in her eyes return. Slowly, a small, almost sad, smile forms.

"Do you think I even have a chance? With all these romantic things? I mean, you're the one who keeps pointing it out, I'm hopelessly clueless with—"

"Yeah. I think you are."

Whi-Two trails off, and looks up. at him. Then she lets out a giggle. a nervous one.

"You're drunk, Inspector."

"I'm not drunk," Lack-Two denies. "I never get drunk with champagne. And even if I we're drunk, I'd still say the same thing: You have a chance. You're goddamn loveable."

Whi-Two blinks at him.

"Really? You're… Not just saying that?"

"No." His hand flies to his temple again.

"Flattering you is not part of my job description, Detective."

"Lack-Two…"

"Take it from your intoxicated inspector who's dated several kinds of women, and to some extent men: you're loveable. But you know what will make that a lot better?" He lowers his hand and gives her a smile.

"If you acknowledge that yourself."

Whi-Two is speechless for a moment. Now that she's thought about it, she and Lack-Two had been alone like this all evening, and for the most part Lack-Two barely gnarled at her, let alone barked anything hurtful to her face, and it was problematic. She's just gotten used to his sour attitude that suddenly talking to him while he's like this has been throwing her off.

Does alcohol really do this to people?

She looks up to him, and almost laughs at how drowsy he looked.

"...You know, I think I'm gonna like intoxicated inspector Lack-Two."

"Make the most of it, then. I am never drinking that much again." Then he sneers at her.

"Curse your cousin and his French wine."

Whi-Two giggles.

"Mister Perfect easily lured by French wine?" she teases. "My, what a plot twist…"

Lack-Two shrugs.

"Everybody has their own Kryptonite." Then he gazes at his watch, and frowns.

"I best be going. The bridge closes in two hours."

For the second time since. they stepped out, Whi-Two's face fell.

"Are you sure you'd be okay driving? It's late, and you're... Well." She eyes him from head to toe.

"I'm what, Detective?"

"Please stay the night, Sir," she begs, ignoring his question.

"My mom certainly won't mind."

Lack-Two only chuckles.

"That's sweet," he claims. "But I'm going to need to return this car to my brother before he starts missing it too much. He's holding my car hostage, you know."

He pushes himself away from the vehicle, opens the door by the driver's seat, and then throws his coat in before slamming it shut. Then he returns to Whi-Two to say one last farewell but finds her still with a genuine look of concern in her eyes.

Lack-Two almost hated it.

"I'll be fine," he presses, but Whi-Two was unmoved. He groans.

"Okay. Then give me at most one hour."

"Sir?"

Lack-Two takes a moment to respond, typing something in his phone.

"If after that hour and I still haven't texted you, I give you permission to go on panic mode and call my brother."

Then he presents his phone to her. Whi-Two only stares at her.

"Don't worry. My brother knows where I am. He'll know what to do."

At that, Whi-Two seems convinced. She takes out her phone and starts typing.

Lack-Two watches as she slowly straightens herself up.

"Can I go now?"

The girl stares at her phone for a long moment, taking her time before replying. Then she looks up at him and smiles.

Lack-Two was about to reiterate himself but was cut off when Whi-Two suddenly flings herself towards him. The young inspector was dumbfounded.

"Thank you, Sir," she breathes. "For tonight. For agreeing to this stupid nonsense. For… For everything." She smiles against his shoulder.

"You're incredibly nice…"

Lack-Two starts to relax his breathing. Whi-Two could feel his tensed muscles slowly loosening from underneath her.

"Only on occasion," he whispers. Then he lets out a soft gasp when he feels Whi-Two hold tighter.

"I don't say this as much but, I'm really lucky to have you as my mentor."

Lack-Two watches the top of his head, feeling a slight burning sensation running up his spine, through his ears, and ending up on both his cheeks. Shakily, he starts lifting his two hands in an attempt to hug her back, but he hesitates halfway through, and with a sigh of dejection, he drops them both to his sides.

"Be as swift and almost undetectable like this during combat practice and I might just say the same for you."

-Mission 5 Status: Accomplished-

"Ranking in the UPD is based on number of cases solved. Upon graduating from the Unova Police Academy in Aspertia, an officer is considered a Trooper, the base ranking of all UPD Officers. After solving enough cases, it will be under the discretion of the Trooper's Colonel if they will allow the officer to rank up.

A Trooper may select between two tracks: a Sergeant or a Detective. (More information regarding the two tracks will be provided further in this chapter). Each track contains three ranks: Third-Grade, Second-Grade, and First-Grade, with First-Grade being the highest. Only those ranked as First-Grade can qualify to move on to the more advanced tracks." - Excerpt from the UPD Trooper's Manual, Chapter 2: Rank

DISCLAIMER: I do not speak French at all, and most of the phrases or words I've placed here are just taken from a quick Google search. Please do point out any possible errors or racist commentaries of any kind. Thank you.

And because it's Christmas, here's a little bonus for you guys :)

Lack-Two almost drags himself to his bed before diving face first towards it. Then after letting some of the dizziness escape him, he rolls over to his back and looks up and watches his ceiling.

The warm light emanating from it was enough to help him drive himself to sleep, but after realizing he still had to change and get ready for bed, he immediately fights it off. He tirns his head to the phone in his hand, and suddenly remembered that someone was waiting for him to text back.

Gathering whatever was left of his energy, he lifts the phone up and starts typing.

I'm home now. Are you happy?

He was about to close his eyes when his phone suddenly vibrates.

Rosa B.: Yes :)

He was about to type something in reply, but his phone vibrates again.

Rosa B.: I don't want you to die on me, inspector. I don't think my heart would take it. You're one of the very few things that makes sense to me right now.

Lack-Two finds himself smiling before erasing what he had initially typed and replaced it with only two words.

I'm flattered.

His phone doesn't vibrate after that. For the next minute or two, he was simply staring at the screen, waiting for something not even he could identify. Then as he was about to press "close", he mistakenly presses the "call" icon.

The boy starts panicking as he hears ringing from the other line. He struggles to try and stop the call, but somebody was already speaking.

"…Inspector?"

"Ignore this," was his immediate greeting giving up on his fingers entirely before nearing the phone to his ear.

"My phone called you by accident. Sorry about that. Goodnight, Detective…"

He was about to press "End Call", but as he brings his phone away, he hears something from the other line.

"Sir… ?"

Hesitatingly, he returns the phone against his ear.

"Yes?

"Inspector? I've been thinking about what you've told me. About your previous girls' tendencies to fall in love with only the face, the hair, the car, the wealth, and never with the policeman? And I realized something: you don't know how to choose your girls."

Lack-Two's forehead creases as he listens on.

"I think you can choose both dream and love if you choose the right dream and the right love. And you already have the right dream. You just need to find the right love. Someone who'll fall in love with the way you smile or the way your eyes shine when you talk about your dream."

The young inspector averts his gaze from his ceiling and directs it to the direction of his phone.

"Like the way yours do?" He immediately winces, mentally berating himself for letting the conversation go even longer than it should have.

There was the sound of a soft breath from the other line, indicating a smile.

"...Frankly speaking, sir? I'd fall in love with Inspector Lack-Two more than the dashing Nate Alart. If…" A giggle.

"If I'm given a chance, that is."

At that, Lack-Two starts feeling the warmth from all the alcohol he's taken that night come back to haunt his body. The back of his free hand flies to cover his eyes.

At least that portion of his face was burning.

Slowly, he lets the hand slide down to reveal his eyes. It stays on top of his mouth, and he feels his lips brush against it as he mouths the only response his sorry, intoxicated head could think of.

"Permission denied. Stop saying such nonsense, Detective."

Merry Christmas!