Chapter Text
It'd been a fairly peaceful night on patrol for the highly esteemed vigilante, Silver Shadow. So peaceful in fact that it bordered on boring. Alleyways checked, stores unbothered, a complete lack of action leaving them desperate enough to lurk around bars in hope a fight would escalate enough to require their intervention.
The one Shuriken was currently observing from high up top the rooftops with their diligent eyes was proving to be a let down as well. Amidst the loud chattering, none seemed to be going that extra mile to reach true aggression. Inphernals leaving the establishment did so on their own terms alone or in groups, like that... Wait.
Pause. Hold on. Shuriken blinks once, twice, and thrice since third try's always the charm.
Yeah. Ok. That was definitely Katana who'd just exited the premises, there was no mistaking their neighbor even from this distance.
So who was the guy currently clinging onto her for dear life? It seemed like a miracle the drunken fool was even able to walk at all. Was it even a good idea to let them keep that helmet covering their face? What if they like. Y'know. Threw up or something. Then again, the same could be said for Katana and her mask, given the way she didn't seem to be anywhere near sober herself. Maybe it was stubbornness, or just because wearing a mask felt cool. Shuriken understood fully, their own mask was what made Silver Shadow all the more badass.
The pair made their way down the street, miraculously without either falling down, turned a corner and vanished from Shuriken's line of sight.
The very thoughtful vigilante considered their options here. Either they continue lurking at this bar, or they follow along to have their curiosity sated- Hey. No, that sounded like they were being nosy or something. Not the kind of thing they'd do while on the clock. The vigilante clock.
So instead, they were just making sure the two reached their destination, that's all. Who knows what trouble they could encounter, defenseless to fight back in their inebriated states? The Silver Shadow was a hero, really, for choosing to follow them. Not in a weird stalker way. It was a normal tailing-after-them-without-either-knowing way, and if they just happened to learn some new things about what the hell is going on here, who is that guy, does Katana know them, seriously who is that and other such questions they currently had, well, that was coincidental.
With a mixture of grappling and plain ol' hopping from rooftop to rooftop, they dutifully watched over the two from above. Now further away from the much louder bar, Shuriken could hear that they were talking. Or rather, the helmeted guy was babbling a lot about something and very enthusiastically gesturing with their free arm, but it was a bit hard to make out from the distance they kept. They didn't dare get too close, after all. That helmet looked like some Blackrock tech, for all they knew it could have some like, sensors that’d detect them from up close, and would give them away. The Silver Shadow wasn't known for getting caught, and they weren't about to make that a habit now.
At the very least, the mystery guy was kinda loud, their voice carrying up enough that gave Shuriken the snippets of details of... Something about a cat? Explaining something about said cat? Something about some comparisons to... Katana...? No, none of that could be right. It was hard to imagine a cat even as cold and standoffish as their neighbor.
This was proving to be less juicy than they'd been hoping for. With a mildly defeated sigh, they glanced around to actually take in their surroundings more properly- They'd been rather focused on just observing the two, after all.
Nothing seemed out of place, which is to say there were no immediate threats for them to swoop in and deal with, but there was that corner store near their home they liked to swing by at- Wait.
Near their house? When'd they get so close there? And if they were close to Shuriken's place, that meant the same for Katana, meaning... Well, that certainly crossed out any potential that she'd just been, maybe, walking them to their own place, or even just to the train station.
Giddy excitement at getting this glimpse into whatever was unfolding here brought back Shuriken's attention to their unfortunately stalked targets. No way Katana would bring a stranger into her home, right? That had to confirm some degree of friendship, or trust at least to be letting whoever that was into somewhere as personal as that.
Step by step, Shuriken's assumed destination was further confirmed, all the way up until they reached Katana's front door. She must've been pretty drunk too, given how long it took her to fumble for her keys. The vigilante had half a mind to reveal themself just to offer helping with that.
But, it was a very special sight to see their typically unfaltering, effortlessly aura farming neighbor show some understandable humanity and weakness. Even if it was only happening due to high levels of intoxication.
Eventually Katana succeeded in fishing the keys out of her pocket and getting them into the keyhole. And so, Shuriken would be left to wonder if this was a simple act of letting a friend stay the night, or something a bit more romantic. … No, who were they kidding. Being realistic, it was probably the former. Right, because their old neighbor was too stoic for that kind of thing. There the pair start moving to go inside, the helmet guy shifting first to- Uh. Grab the opening of Katana's haori and bring her down for-?
…
... Did that count as a kiss? Considering the mask and helmet? Yeah, sure, that's a kiss in Shuriken's books. One that Katana, the least emotive inphernal they've ever met, is reciprocating? No other way to put that, yup, she is nuzzling back.
What the hell.
No, this is worth stronger language than that.
What the fuck?
It only lasts a few moments, but it seems like an eternity before they actually pull away, enter the apartment, and close the door behind them.
It takes Shuriken far longer to recollect themself from their flabbergasted state. But when they do, their first thought? That they absolutely have to tell their siblings about this.
Their second is about the fact there is no way to reasonably explain to them why they were out and about this late at night to even see that. Damn it! Could they just come up with some lie? They'd have to really iron it out, lest they find any cracks in their deceit... Maybe Sling and Vine would be too focused on the fact Katana of all inphernals has a partner? Right? They couldn't be the only one surprised about that.
Before they could get the chance to scheme further, a loud crash from a few blocks down followed by the sound of some shouts called for their attention. Shuriken could figure out how to broach the topic with their siblings later; The Silver Shadow had trouble to deal with.