Archive of Our Own

—March 26th—

Corvus sat in his office, his head in his hands as he looked down at the calendar before him.

It was March 26th, exactly one week before his Angel's birthday. And Corvus had no idea what to get him.

They'd been dating for a few months now, and Corvus knows more about Tamsy than anyone else, and yet, no perfect gift ideas came to mind. He knows that he likes roller skating, strawberry tarts, and many other small things, but he has specially designed skates from August, and Corvus gets him his tarts so often that it wouldn't feel special for his birthday.

He leaned back and shifted his eyes to the ceiling while playing with the woven bracelet Tamsy had gifted him.

He's always getting me things, be it chocolates or things he makes be with Tokushin.

Corvus had tried returning the favor, but he's not as crafty as Tamsy, and most of the things Tamsy liked couldn't exactly be gifted. Can't get him a pet bird with the feathers he likes, or falling snow at this time of year. Even the metal CD Corvus was planning on getting Tamsy had been thwarted by Delmon who mentioned already getting it for him as a birthday gift.

Corvus glanced back down at the calendar, now with a hint of sharpness in his eyes. Tamsy's birthday was April 2nd, which means that Corvus would have to get through April 1st before anything else.

To most, April Fools was a fun holiday, and the cleaners were no exception. However, for the past few years now, there'd been an increase in the amount of pranks pulled around the holiday. This normally wouldn't be in issue, if it weren't for the fact that Corvus had no idea who the one playing all these pranks was, he had a theory, but nothing concrete. Every year, the pranks would start off minor and forgetful, until April 1st when it would turn into chaos. Last year it took them a week to wash all of the dyed water out of the sprinkler systems. That week started off simple, cups of water on staircases and above doors, he never would've guessed that it'd end like that.

This prank player had a system, whatever they'd start off with would be the theme for that week leading up to the date with minor targeted pranks in between.

Just what is the theme this year, little vandal?

As the boss of the cleaners, he disliked the pranks being pulled in his headquarters to his employees, disliked the fact he couldn't pin who was causing all this trouble. But as Arkha Corvus, he loved the barrage of pranks. This time of year was hard for him, mostly just because he had to be the responsible adult in the room. He was almost jealous that one of his employees got to have this much fun scot-free. He was also upset that he was supposed to discover who this vandal was and put a stop to it.

He pulled himself from his thoughts and looked at the clock, it was noon on the dot. He lazily rested his chin on his hand, his eyes bore at the door.

Knock Knock Knock

Right on time.

"Come in."

In walked Semiu, he didn't need to ask what she was here for, he knew exactly why. She didn't spare him a glance, instead focused on the various folders in her hands. She approached quickly, the sounds of her heels becoming slightly muffled once it crossed Corvus' new blue rug. Tamsy was really marking his territory, Corvus didn't mind it at all.

Semiu laid the few files on his desk and presented him with a small plastic evidence bag. Inside was a single piece of candy.

"Our prankster officially started their reign."

A quirk came to Corvus' lips.

"Oh, well then we'll just call a meeting and you can use your Jinki to determine who the prankster is, then we can end this guessing game early!"

Her eyes snapped away from him, an annoyed flush to her face.

"You know I can't do that. I got a contract to keep."

It's true, back when all these pranks started, before the higher ups considered it an issue, they didn't bother trying to find out who it was, enough cleaners were playing small pranks around the same time so it just seemed like everyone was guilty. But once the bigger pranks started, and Semiu and Corvus had to get involved, their prankster took precautions. They had left a letter on Semiu's desk, a contract asking for her silence in return for some of the best porn magazines she'd ever laid her eyes on.

"Look, if I could get them myself, I would, but I don't know where this guy gets their stash! I know most of the magazine sellers within a 40 mile radius, and none of them sell what our perp supplies me with!"

In other words, even if Semiu did know who the prankster was, as long as they weren't causing immense harm to anyone, she'd keep her vow of silence.

"Well, what's the theme look like this year?" As he spoke, he took the plastic bag from her, unceremoniously opening it and popping the single candy into his mouth.

"I'm not sure yet, but-"

Before she could finish speaking, Corvus' doors burst open so fast that they hit the walls and shook.

"IT'S ALL GONE! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING!"

In the doorway, was the full kids posse, Rudo, Dear, Guita, and Remlin.

With fat tears, Guita and Rudo explained, "We all just got back from picking up Remlin in Canvas town and were telling them about these awesome treats we just got, candies like you've never seen! But when we got back," they both had to take a moment to hiccup out more tears and catch their breath. "IT WAS ALL GONE!"

Corvus glanced to Semiu, he stopped chewing on the chocolate in his mouth and tried to quietly swallow it. She just gave him an unimpressed look. He cleared his throat and tried to put on a softer expression for the kids.

"Now, now, I'm sure it's not all gone."

The four kids stopped their crying momentarily to focus on their bosses words, until one of them froze up.

Sniff Sniff

Rudo's face was like stone, his tears gone, eyes sharpened.

"You're right. It's not all gone."

~~~~~

Tamsy was lightly skating around headquarters, he'd been in his room most of the week, save for any missions or dates with Corvus, so it was nice to finally come out and get a good breeze through his hair. He'd been so locked up this week that he hadn't had the time to let Corvus braid his hair, so it was back in it's half up half down style, reminiscent of the time before he started wearing his skates.

He had no location in mind, just wanting to observe his fellow cleaners, though on his trip, he noticed a certain receptionist gone from her post.

Interesting.

That usually meant that she was in one other place. So, new destination in mind, he started slowly skating to Corvus' office.

On his way over, he passed the kids posse, who all had happy expressions, their faces caked with frosting, handfuls of candies in their arms.

He gave them a small nod and wave as he passed.

Shortly after, he made it to Corvus' door, only this time, it was open.

Tamsy peaked his head inside and found Corvus on the couch, Semiu patting his shoulder apologetically, which contrasted strongly with the shit eating grin on her face.

"Really, how long did you think you could hide a hot stash from that boy? He's like a bloodhound."

"Well I never expected my stash to be the only one left."

"Was wondering why the kids looked like they just robbed a candy shop, turns out, they practically did!" Tamsy entered with a questioning yet amused smile. His hands were folded in his sleeves and he made his way to Corvus' desk while he spoke. He casually went behind the desk and pulled a hidden drawer open.

"Well, mph, they didn't get everything."

Corvus looked up from his empty table drawer to Tamsy, who now sat on his desk, lightly kicking his legs with a bitten candy bar in hand. He was eating an Angel's Delights chocolate, he got them for Corvus every few weeks. He hopped down from his spot and sauntered to Corvus' couch, plopping himself down on his left side offering him the remaining chocolate bar, which Corvus took with care. He leaned into the man's shoulder and asked what was so prominent on his mind.

"So, why'd the kids raid your office for sweets? Don't we keep candy in most of the rooms to keep them from doing exactly that?"

No longer having to comfort the tall man since his partner was there, Semiu left Corvus' side and sat on the opposing couch, relaxing into it while crossing her legs. She gestured to the files she brought that now sat on the coffee table. Tamsy lifted one and started thumbing through it.

"Normally yes, but it's March 26th, in other words-"

"Our local prankster is back with their tricks." Corvus finished for her. He reached a hand to the folder Tamsy held and flipped to a specific page, on it, it read.

March 26th - Cups of water on stairs.

He flipped a few pages.

March 28th - Buckets of water above doors.

Flipped a few more.

March 30th - All the showers water was dyed various colors.

He flipped to the last page.

April 1st - All the water in the sprinklers was dyed, then someone set off the fire alarm dying the entirety of headquarters various colors.

Tamsy closed the file with a chuckle, "I'd been so busy this week that I'd nearly forgotten about our little seasonal rogue! Exciting!" He looked up to Semiu his expression calmer. "I'm assuming these other files are other pranks from previous years."

"Correct. Now we're just trying to figure out what this years theme is. If we can figure it out, we might be able to plan for it better."

"Sounds like fun, mind if I join?"

Corvus, having just finished the chocolate bar, cleared his throat with an unreadable expression. "I don't know if you wanna do that Angel."

"Why not?"

"If they find out that you're working with me to try an uncover who they are, they might go after you directly," Corvus had a hand on his neck, he likes the idea of getting to play detective with Tamsy, but wouldn't want it to become an inconvenience for him. When he looked back up to gauge his expression, he was pleasantly surprised to find him seemingly excited.

"Now I have to help find our culprit."

"Tamsy, are you sure you wanna get involved, our pranker can be a bit ruthless," Semiu reached for a separate folder on the table, this one was black in color and had far more papers sticking out of it than all the others combined. "These are all the targeted pranks that we assume are tied to our culprit." She opened it and presented it to Tamsy. "Case one, Green Enough," the page she was presenting showed Zanka with green hair, his shampoo had been swapped out with hair dye. "Case two, Roached Riyo," this page had Riyo practically crawling Enjin to escape the fake cockroaches that had been hidden around her room. "And case three," Semiu turned away, an unamused look on her face, "Supplement-less Semiu," which showed a photo of Semiu sulking behind her desk that had apparently been robbed of all its porn magazines.

Semiu harshly closed the file, tossing it down on the desk like it offended her before crossing her arms over her chest, the gleam from her glasses hid her eyes, but not her deep frown.

"Those are just some of the worse cases. If you try to shut our prankster down, they will retaliate."

"Well, that's what I'm hoping for."

They both looked at Tamsy like he'd grown a second head.

"You wanna be targeted by this guy?"

He shrugged and fiddled with his blue woven bracelet, his eyes traveling. "I mean, why not? I've been in the cleaners for years now and not once has anyone ever pranked me…even our resident vandal. At this point, I'm curious what they'd come up with."

Corvus thought back to the cases he could remember, and Tamsy was right, the only pranks that ever affected Tamsy were the ones that would happen on April Fools when the main prankster's prank would affect everyone in HQ, otherwise, he was never targeted. He could see where Tamsy was coming from, Corvus loved a good prank, but they scarcely ever happened to him, and as everyone's boss it's not very professional to be playing pranks on his employees. Some of the quieter ones might not realize that they can say no and don't have to participate.

"Maybe…they just think you're too serious, like you wouldn't take it well? They've technically never done anything to me. I just assumed it was because I'm their boss, so they feel like they can't."

Semiu, who'd been silently watching and listening to this exchange realized something important.

"Don't tell me you both wanna be pranked by that guy?"

Both men turned to each other, just as astounded by one another's desire to be joked with.

"Well then I guess it's settled, Arkha and I will discover who our resident pranker is. So, Love, where do we begin?"

~~~~~

They were stumped, after Tamsy's agreement to help find their pranker, they tried to theorize what taking all the candy from the kids would evolve into, but besides a few jokes about literally taking candy from babies, they were fruitless. They'd decided to call it a day, a single piece of candy really wasn't too much to go off of, and they'd still have six days to try an determine the theme, so, without making any progress for the, they cut their losses and separated for the day.

—March 27th—

Enjin and Bro were tired, yesterday when their prankster struck, it left the two older cleaners to deal with the aftermath of four angry sugar driven twerps. After much hounding and tears, the two men decided it would be best to make a trip to the closest town to try an fully resupply their stock, they just hoped their prankster wouldn't get the same idea twice.

They spent so much of the day yesterday taking care of the kids, that today left them totally exhausted at the early hour of 7am.

"I'm telling you man, it's funny when it's happening to everyone else, but I don't enjoy being the butt of the joke," Enjin's eyes were bleary, just relying on muscle memory to take him where he wanted to go.

Bro was in a similar state, he followed with the same sluggish movements. "Can't say I agree, I'm all for a good prank no matter who it's directed at, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone."

They were coming from the dorms, both on their way to the mess hall to lounge until the rest of their teams were ready to get up for the day.

"Well after the way they were crying our ears off yesterday I'd certainly consider myse-WOAH! HMF!"

Bro's eyes shot open, now fully awake. He looked down at Enjin who was sprawled out on the mess hall's dirty floor. His expression was dark and annoyed.

"Well, now I'm especially hurt," Enjin stood up, rubbing his back where it hit the floor hardest.

Both men got a look at their surroundings, where there was once multiple somewhat comfortable couches, was now barren, no scuffs on the floor showing any sign of where the furniture had been pushed to.

"Okay, it's officially effecting me, now I don't like it," Enjin squatted down, closely observing the floor to try an glean anything else from the situation.

"Where do you think they hid the couches? They left the stools and single chairs, maybe they got lazy?" Bro thought out loud.

"I don't think so. According to Sem, this guy is anything but lazy, no, he took only the couches for a reason. Now what that reason is, I can't say," Enjin stood up with a sigh, his hands on his hips. "Suppose we should bring this to Semiu's attention, let her know that our culprit struck again."

"Alright, I'll look for the couches, headquarters is only so big, they had to hide them somewhere."

"Sounds good, best of luck Bro."

With a fist bump and wishes of good luck, the men separated with their goals in mind.

~~~~~

When Enjin got to Semiu's desk, he found her tense, staring at the door, ready to pounce.

"Hey Sem, got some news for ya."

She didn't answer him, her eyes didn't waiver. Her hands were intertwined, her mouth hidden behind them, her shoulders taught.

"Enjin to Semiu, you alive in there?" He came up to her left where she could see him clearly, he waved a hand in front of her to try an gain her attention. She spared him a single glance with her sharp eyes, before a knock at the door stole her vision back.

Knock Knock Knock

"Package for Semiu Grier!"

She stood from her chair so fast that it wheeled back and bumped into the wall behind her.

"That damn pest, always delivers…" She bit her lip, her eyes somehow sharpened more.

Enjin's eyes widened as he recalled a conversation the two of them shared around this time last year about a certain pranker.

"Oh, I see, our guy still buys your silence, don't he?"

She gave him a glare over her shoulder, already making her way to the door. She opened it and was presented with her contracted reward.

"I swear, every year the box gets bigger…Semiu? You okay?"

Wordlessly, she fell to her knees hugging the box that came up to her hip, her eyebrows knit with anger, but the rest of her body language portrayed her inner happiness.

"This bastard, they're gonna keep me from saying a single word for the rest of my life!"

She used her sharp nails to tear open the wrapping and rummage inside. Enjin peered over her shoulder into the box and let out a chuckle as she retrieved a singular sealed envelope.

"Pfft- certainly a bastard alright."

Semiu's scowl shut him up, she ripped the envelope and pulled the letter from inside reading it aloud.

"My Dear Semiu, it cost a lot to get this supply, and I feel like our usual contract isn't enough, you'll still get your supplements, but you'll have to find them first. In this box is a little scavenger hunt that will lead you to your desired tressure, yours truly, the prankster."

Enjin was on the floor next to her, laughing his lungs out like they were about to collapse.

"HA, MAKING YOU WORK FOR IT, THAT'S RICH!"

Semiu scoffed. "Nope, I am too good to be scrounging around for anything," she stood up from her crouched position and spared another glare down at the blonde man, "You on the other hand, are perfect for this kinda job."

Enjin's laughing stopped, "Huh?"

She shoved the letter in his face. "You're gonna play detective for me."

"And why would I do that? I got better things to do."

"First of all, no you don't, second of all, if you find them all for me, I'll let you keep one volume of your choosing~"

With wide eyes and a grumble, he snatched the letter and pocketed it.

"Fine, but you better not put me on any jobs today if I'm doing this."

"Deal."

Enjin sighed and looked off into a corner crossing his arms, until he remembered what he came to find her for in the first place. "Oh Sem, forgot to tell you something."

~~~~~

"So our prankster stole the couches from the lounge. Interesting."

Semiu and Enjin were now in Corvus' office. After Enjin explained the mess hall situation to Semiu, they went to Corvus to inform him, calling in Tamsy along the way since he wanted to play detective this year too. The four of them were sat on Corvus' couches mirroring the first time they did so during one of Tamsy and Corvus' old meetings.

"Oh my, seems like they're kicking it up fast this year aren't they?" Tamsy spoke into his sleeve besides Corvus.

"Yeah, and this has seemingly nothing to do with yesterday's theme besides things going missing," Corvus rubbed his chin in thought.

"So what? You think the theme is just general theft? How would hiding Semiu's mags tie into that though?" Enjin questioned with his arms sprawled on the sofa next to Semiu.

"That's a personal attack, our pranker occasionally does one on one pranks that just affect individuals instead of crowds. Those pranks don't have to be tied to the theme, just personal to the person, usually," Semiu answered.

"Guess that makes sense, but what does the pranker do when they can't use something specific against the person? Like sure you can use Semiu's magazines against her, but what's some lousy pranker gonna do to me? That couch stunt was for all of us, I just fell for it first." Enjin's eyes were closed as he explained his thoughts, when he opened them, he was met with three other sets of eyes locked on him. Semiu broke the silence first.

"Way to go, dolt. You're definitely gonna get it now."

"Huh! Whate'er you talking about?"

"You basically just spoke it into existence that you're going to get targeted directly." Corvus' eyebrows were knit with distress for the other man.

"I doubt it, I'm sharp, this pranker can try to get a one up on me, but it ain't happening!" He spoke with certainly, arms crossed, eyes closed. It was a good thing they were closed too, or he would've been met with three withering looks from the others sat around him, astonished by the flags he was raising. This time, Tamsy spoke first.

"Well, I certainly hope your confidence pays off, maybe you'll scare the prankster off to the point that they wouldn't wanna mess with you?"

"Oh I will, just watch, hell, I bet I can find our perp too!"

"Gotta find my magazines first."

Enjin's shoulders fell at the prospect of work.

"Ugh, fine, guess I should get on that. Enjoy the rest of your meeting, I'm off to find some treasure." He left with a wink and a wave, closing the door behind him.

"I do pity the wave that's sure to hit him." Tamsy spoke with condolence.

"Don't be, damn fool deserves to have his ego knocked down a peg every once an a while. Well, I'll be leaving too, I know what day of the week it is, you two will probably wanna shift gears to talking about your date instead." She left in the same manor as Enjin, leaving Corvus and Tamsy behind.

"All this talk of pranks and I'd nearly forgotten about our date."

"Really, Angel? I'm hurt." Corvus chuckled letting his hand fall to Tamsy's waist pulling him into his side. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his scarred cheek.

"Hm~ apologies, it's not often we get something fun like this going on in headquarters. All the gossip and scheming, it's exciting."

Corvus just hummed in silent agreement, enjoying the other man's presence.

"I think I have something just as fun that should keep your enjoyment."

"And what's that?"

Corvus reached into his jacket pocket and pulled two small slips of paper from it, handing them to Tamsy.

"Tickets for that metal concert you've been talking about, that's the other reason I called you in here so early. It's a few hours away so I figured we could leave early and get some food there before the bands starts." After he spoke, he thought to himself for a moment, debating something. "Also, if you want, I'll let you pick out my outfit and let you do some makeup on me, preferably something light, but I wouldn't mind matching you."

Tamsy's eyes shone with mirth, he turned to the other man, and grabbed his face pulling him into a deep bruising kiss. After a minute he pulled away, resting their foreheads together, yet keeping his intense eyes locked with Corvus' duller content ones.

"My Love, you will be wearing so much eyeliner that I'll want to eat you alive!"

Before Corvus could respond, Tamsy was up and on his way to the door.

"Meet me in your room in 20 minutes, have to get some accessories from my own first."

Tamsy could be heard quickly skating away behind the slammed door.

Corvus sat relaxed, a warm blush on his cheeks. He chuckled fondly about what just aspired.

"Good, that gives me enough time to get some earplugs from August for us before we leave."

—March 28th—

Tamsy and Corvus were on their way back to headquarters after their date the day before. The concert ended so late that they decided to just stay the night in town and drive back to HQ in the morning. It was a little past 9am, and while both men were a bit groggy, they decided it would be best to get back to base sooner than expected in hopes of surprising their culprit. They wanted to leave out earlier than they did, but they spent so much time washing off their makeup last night that by the time they were both ready to pass out they mutually agreed to sleep in an extra hour.

The drive back was quiet, save for the various metal CDs Tamsy brought to help Corvus not fall asleep while he drove. Tamsy had offered to drive, but with him being partially blind in his right eye after he got his scars, Corvus decided that it would be best if he kept his hands away from the wheel. Corvus' driving was calmer like Gris', but could pack the occasional bump or jump if he felt that he was getting a bit tired.

"Might have to take a break soon, my wrist is getting sore."

"Well someone insisted on helping me brush my hair this morning, should've known you'd over work yourself."

"Please, with how much time you spent headbanging last night, it would've taken you an hour to untangle all your hair yourself."

"I should forbid you from making logical arguments," Tamsy turned to the window, his let down hair fell over his shoulder to block his face from Corvus' view.

They were happy that the playful teasing stayed a staple of their relationship. Overall, the ride back was nice, a fun escape for them both. Now, they were ready to get back to their game of clue.

~~~~~

"Really? No pranks while we were gone?"

Corvus and Tamsy were shocked. The two were sure that the boss and most aloof cleaner being gone would mean that the pranker would strike hard. They met Semiu at her desk to check in with her and see if they missed anything while they were gone.

"Nothing so far, it's been a pretty slow morning. The kids posse has been working hard on a prank that they have in mind, but since two of them don't know how to whisper, and one can't lie to save his life, I know what they're planning. It'll be cute, I'm excited to see how well they pull it off all on their own."

Semiu was relaxed, a new magazine in hand, her legs up on her desk. The prankster must not have struck if she's positioned like this.

"Are you sure no pranks have struck, or did you get some extra magazines?" Tamsy teased her.

She frowned, "No pranks. In my contract I'm allowed to disclose whatever I know about the pranks that I learn of as long as it's not condemning someone specifically. If you don't believe me, go make some rounds. You're not missing much."

Corvus nudged Tamsy with his arm, "No one else knows were back yet, and we can both spot a liar a mile away, lets go greet some late risers and see if anyone is scared to see us back so soon."

"Such a fun idea, if only I were still wearing my makeup from last night. That'd really shock them."

"Only if you want a bunch of teens running around screaming about a ghost," Semiu cut in with a chuckle and a flip of her page.

"My Dear Semiu, you just don't understand the appeal of stage makeup," he articulated himself with a flick of his wrist in his loose hair.

"Sure. Anyways, I'll call Tamsy if anything comes in since somebody doesn't wanna play boss and wear a choker."

"Always throwing that vile word around in front of me," Corvus spoke with a hurt expression.

"Oh don't take it to heart, I'm sure she's just jealous that your desk comes with a door in front of it that can lock anyone out." Tamsy smiled with his signature crescent eyes and sleeve covering his mouth.

Corvus just watched him with fondness. "We'll be out of your hair and keep you updated if we come up with anything on our side too."

~~~~~

Tamsy and Corvus had been meandering for about an hour now, first saying hi to some of the teens like Riyo and Zanka who were enjoying their off day with simple board games and drinks. Then they made their way to the courtyard to find the kids posse huddling around various drawings of elaborate pranks and traps that they managed to poorly hide from the two men who gave it their all to not burst out laughing. Then they ended by making their way to the lounge, ready to just exist in the central part of HQ until anything interesting happened, when they were interrupted on their way over.

"THOSE TWERPS, WHERE ARE THEY?"

In front of them, was Enjin, though with a rather uncouth expression quite literally drawn on his face.

Suddenly, it became very important to Corvus and Tamsy to not bust a gut with laughter. For on Enjin's face, was some of the worst makeup they'd ever seen. Poorly colored lips and blush, thick dark mascara, and small colorful bows all knotted in his hair. Even his person sported small accessories like toy bracelets, rings, and necklaces.

Being the ever kind boss that he was, Corvus took a deep breath and asked, "Ah Enjin, how's your morning been?"

With that comment, Tamsy broke, he turned his head over his shoulder and let out small wheezes of laughter that he tried to hide terribly.

"MY MORNING? LIKE SOME GIRL'S CAT WHO WAS FORCED TO PLAY DRESS UP!"

"Really? I just assumed you got stuck playing tea party with the kids." Corvus' poker face was impenetrable.

Some of Enjin's anger finally simmered out, turning into a icy rage that let him calm his voice, instead letting all the anger take over his face.

"Oh har har, I wish it was that simple, but no…would've taken all this off if it wasn't literally glued on."

Corvus' poker face could only handle so much. "Pfft- glued? Who'd you piss off to get that treatment?"

Tamsy crumbled, he giggled into his shoulder until it was too much, then he just turned and blatantly laughed in Enjin's face.

"I don't know Corvus, we might have to stop our investigation to find our prankster, it could take us weeks to discover which cleaner finally decided to get back at Enjin. It'd probably be easier to start with who wouldn't be a suspect!"

Enjin was back to boiling, "Argh- laugh all you want, just tell me where those kids are! Remlin's in town, I bet it was them and Guita who came up with this idea since I didn't play with them yesterday."

"How rude to not except a play date with them~"

"I couldn't if I wanted to! Spent all of yesterday looking for Sem's magazines, you know that guy hid one in the rafters! And don't get me started on the one in Shikage's room..."

"Hey Enjin! Remlin, Team Child, and me wanted to ask if we could have you drive us to town for something real quick!"

At Rudo and the other's approaching footsteps, Enjin's shoulders rose to his ears and his face got red under the makeup, he quickly turned on his heel and faced the kids behind him.

"You four! Are you guys responsible for this!" He pointed to his own face, his frown deep.

The kids responded appropriately.

"HAHA! Wow Enj, love the new look!" Guita snickered into her onesie's claws. Remlin was leaning into her to not fall over themselves. Rudo's eyes were wide with confusion, and Dear hid behind him afraid of the clown like man before him.

"Grr- I know it was you guys, bet it was our little spell caster here who did it to ensure it'd stick since I can't wash it off."

At that comment, Remlin's laughter died down as they threw a hand on their hip. "Maybe those bows are on too tight, but I'm the last person it could've been."

"Rem's right!" Guita threw her arms around Remlin's shoulder's bringing their cheeks close as she looked at them out of the corner of her eye. "Remember! Remi here can't paint on anyone if they don't have consent!"

Remlin stayed in Guita's grasp but stood with confidence and certainty. "Precisely! Therefore, I'm the last person that could'a done it!"

"Maybe you can't paint on me, doesn't mean you couldn't've glued on the jewelry and bows while I slept while someone else terrorized my face."

It seemed that that was a terrible thing to reveal to the kids because their chuckles and snickers that had just started dying down came back ten fold. After a few minutes of Enjin attempting and failing to scold them, Tamsy spoke up, a remembering lilt in his voice.

"Oh, I wonder if this has something to do with our main prankster."

Enjin paused his ranting and turned to him, "Huh, what makes you say that?"

Tamsy snapped his finger and pointed to Enjin, "Remember what you said in Corvus' office yesterday about not being targeted by the prankster before? Maybe this is you finally getting your comeuppance."

Enjin took a moment to process the information, before he got quickly accusatory, "Alright, then going with that logic, that means that prankster is one of you two, or Semiu!"

Corvus and Tamsy exchanged a slightly exasperated glance, before Corvus burst Enjin's bubble.

"Not necessarily. You're quite the vocal type, I'm sure after our meeting you probably mentioned not being pranked to at least one other person."

"Also," Tamsy cut in with his own train of thought, "That scavenger hunt was meant for Semiu, maybe they're mad that you did it for her."

"Huh! Then why not punish her? Come on man, what's with shooting the messenger."

"They might have a contract, but Semiu is not the kind of woman you can push around. At the end of the day, her pride overrides her need for a new magazine. As long as she deems it a fair deal, she's compliant and can deal with the occasional prank, but if our prankster goes two for two with her, they'll be getting more than just exposed as being our pranker." Corvus supplied helpfully.

With an understanding sigh, Enjin gave up his fight. "Ugh, fine, where ever you are pranker, let it be known you won. Now I'm gonna go try to pry these toys off."

"Not so fast!"

Without realizing it, Enjin had been grabbed by the kids posse.

"What're ya kids doin! Get offa me!" He fought and struggled, but failed miserably, not actually wanting to risk harming any of them.

"Nu'uh! Yesterday you said you were too busy to play, but we don't got work today and you're dressed perfectly for the occasion!"

With a scowl and a deep frown, Enjin accepted his fate and was dragged off by the kids.

"Well, certainly wasn't expecting our prankster to retaliate against him that quickly." Corvus somewhat pitied the man, but at the end of the day, Enjin's heart was so big for those kids that he knew he wouldn't really mind.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was just a consequence. He was bound to be targeted sooner or later," Tamsy tilted his head as he spoke.

"Guess we can report this back to Semiu and wait around for the next prank to strike."

"Sounds fine by me."

—March 31st—

The next few days passed the same as the last, the pranks slowly upping themselves. Their pranker hadn't held back at all. On Sunday, the PA system was over ridden and would play loud music every hour. Most cleaners thought it couldn't get worse than that, until Monday struck. Monday been a double personal attack where all of Delmon's flowers got replaced with paper ones, along with all of August's work in progress design sketches leaving the two loud men to run around yelling about where their stuffs been hidden, thus making Monday the same was Sunday, but with extra steps and more personal intrusion if you were unlucky enough to have one of Delmon's flowers or August's drawings planted in your room.

Now, it was Tuesday the 31st. One day before the final prank.

Tamsy was again in his room, the windows drawn closed, his metal music blaring, it was early, and he was tired, but needed to stay completely focused on what he was working-

Knock Knock Knock

He jolted, quickly, he closed his notebook and turned his music down, he waited to hear who was on the other side of his door that so rarely got visitors.

"Tamsy? Angel, it's me, mind if I come in?"

He was surprised, Corvus rarely came to his room! He only came to his room when they were about to leave for their dates. While it was Tuesday, it was far to early for them to go anywhere. He got up from his desk, kicking a box of junk under his bed as he made his way to his door. He opened it with a warm true smile.

"Arkha? What brings you here? Thought we didn't do breakfast dates on weekdays?"

As he spoke he moved out of the way inviting the taller man in who sat at the table at the foot of Tamsy's bed, Tamsy softly closed the door and joined him.

"Sorry to intrude, but I wanted to brainstorm with you in hopes of figuring out what tomorrow's prank is gonna be, we still don't know what the theme is, this hasn't happened before and I can't help but be a little hesitant.

As he listened to Corvus, Tamsy pulled out a small weaving loom and started pulling thread from Tokushin. Having something to fiddle with always helped him think. He started working on what seemed to be a bracelet that he'd started earlier that week. He mulled over his thoughts.

"What if the theme is more about an idea or message more than something literal?"

"Doesn't match last years M.O., that theme was water. Year before that was colors."

"But who's to say they have to stick to their script?"

"Why change it now, what makes this year different?"

"Ever heard of Pavlov's Dog?"

Corvus, who'd been in thought with his eyes shut, quirked one open to look at Tamsy.

"Whate'er you getting at Angel?"

"Who's to say that our prankster hasn't been playing the long game for the past few years?" As he spoke, he finished what he was working on with his loom. He slowly lifted himself from his chair and walked behind Corvus, "They might've just picked themes until you caught on, now that you expect it, they'll break away from that routine to throw you off even more." While he explained his idea, he gently pulled the black hair tie from Corvus' bun and let his hair temporarily fall to his shoulders before scooping it back up into his hand and putting it back into his signature bun with the new blue hair tie.

He placed a hand on either side of Corvus' shoulders and leaned into his right ear.

"Either way, you're a smart man, I'm sure you'll find our vandal."

He gave a small kiss to Corvus' cheek and squeeze to his shoulders before leaving his side to return his small loom to it's place on his bookshelf.

Corvus stared at him with calm eyes, he's had theories about who their pranker was, and he feels like this talk helped him get one step closer.

"Hm, maybe you're right Angel. Though, part of me hopes you're not."

Tamsy turned to him with a small frown, "Why's that."

Corvus let his eyes wander how they usually did when he was admitting something vulnerable.

"Truthfully, I hoped that if I discovered what the final prank was before it happened, our pranker would get mad at me and prank me properly."

"Poor little Arkha, the mean prankster not giving you enough attention? If I was that vandal, I'd promise to prank you good."

"If I were the vandal, I'd do the same to you."

They stayed silent, just staring at one another. Corvus broke it first.

"Hate to leave so soon, but I've got some work to get done before our date later, see you, Tamsy."

"See you, Arkha."

Tamsy softly closed the door after Corvus left, and just stood at his closed door, biting his thumb in thought.

—April 1st—

Tamsy sat up groggily, he looked to his clock that read 4am. Perfect. He quickly pulled his blankets off and pulled the box from under his bed. Inside was various pranking items, hand buzzers, cans of snakes, anything playful or childish, he had it in this box. If he wanted to keep his aloof image, he couldn't prank anyone directly, but if these toys and pranking items just happened to spawn all around headquarters today, no child or comical member could resist. Not to mention, he had some important pranks to do today. He pulled a cloak from his closet and draped it over himself, he had no intention of being seen, but even if he was, no one could identify him on silhouette alone, not when the man known for his audacious hair and loose sleeves was currently dressed in something even slightly form fitting.

He left his room quietly, his skates could get him around quicker, but everyone now associated that sound with him, so going in soft shoes was his best bet to not wake any light sleepers. By now, he'd had his route planned, during his days meandering around, he got a good understanding of every vantage point in HQ. Every possible window he could be spotted through, every floorboard that would creek, every door that'd squeak, he'd memorized it all.

Now he'd just need to take that exact route through all of headquarters until it'd land him at Corvus' office, passing by important rooms along the way to drop some of his hand buzzers, glitter bombs, and such off. This year, he wanted everyone else to be the ones making April Fools fun, if everyone had spray string, or water flowers, or anything impish, he was bound to have at least one person actually prank him back like he so desperately wanted.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he landed himself at Corvus' door, but instead of entering through it, he went a room down and passed through that door instead. It was a small storage room he'd cleared out earlier in the week. Now, it was time for his final personal prank, this time, against his lover. He opened the storage rooms window and stepped out of it onto the thin piping that lined the wall. He had Tokushin with him, some of its thread tied around his waist to keep him from falling, once he was secure, he shimmied his way over to Corvus' window and opened it quietly.

Once he was in the room, he reactivated Tokushin in the form of two thread clones that lifted all of Corvus' furniture from his office to the next door storage room, which Tamsy had locked from the inside.

Once every couch, book, and pen was taken from his office, it was nearing 6am. The early risers would be up soon and he wanted to get some more sleep before the real events of today started. So once everything was set, he left from Corvus' office door, making sure to again lock it from the inside as he left.

~~~~~

Tamsy awoke to the sounds of laughter a few hours later, a deep smile on his face. It was time for his favorite holiday. He got dressed in excitement. Trying to make himself as prone to pranks as possible, he wore loose sleeves, maybe they'd get caught in something! And his roller skates, what if he slipped on marbles! Even his long luscious hair, which he took just as much care of as his vital instrument, was completely down in the hopes that silly string, food dye, something would get in it so he could finally count it as a successful April Fools. With giddy laughter bubbling from him as he laced his skates, he excitedly left his room in a hurry.

Outside was lawless, paint everywhere, food fights had been had, adults had been drawn on, it was delightful. He made his way room to room, just taking in all the disarray around him. Shaven eyebrows, imitation food, fake animals and bugs alike strewn everywhere.

Now he just had to find Corvus and see his reaction to his office!

He skated around looking for his Love, until he made his way to Semiu's desk. She was on high alert, her stack of magazines which usually sat proudly next to her, was tucked away in her desk as to not be ruined. Even Semiu herself was oddly dressed in a oversized rain poncho that had been covered in drying paint and other substances. Her desk too was wrapped in plastic bags to keep it from getting damaged by today's events. Though she didn't have disdain on her face, instead, she held an amused, even relaxed expression. It seemed that she had realized that this was the big prank, supplying things for everyone else to use. Since this years theme had been discovered, she could relax and just let the chaos unfold, besides, tomorrow was the fun part where she got to put everyone to work to fix it. So for now, she let them have their fun.

"Semiu Dear, have you seen Corvus? I haven't seen him around?"

She gave him a lazy once over before answering. "Yeah, he's in the library looking for a spare key. Apparently our pranker locked his office door."

"Oh, how dreadful, I wonder if that's all they've done?"

"Not sure, how bout you go see for yourself and tell me afterwards."

He gestured a bow, a calm smile on his face, "With pleasure~"

~~~~~

On his way to the library, he passed more delightful chaos. Rudo chasing Zanka with silly string with Riyo in toe, Guita, Remlin, and Dear flinging small pies at anyone who dared pass their shoddily made cardboard wall defenses, even Eishia was involved, albeit it was mostly just her throwing small water balloons at August who took the attacks in stride while protecting her with his own traps and pranks to keep her high and dry.

The grin on Tamsy's face kept getting brighter.

He finally made it to the library, the one place where no mess of the day wouldn't reach. It was in his and Semiu's contract that he wouldn't ever prank the library, everyone in the cleaners, young and old, knew the value in old records, so the library was always off limits. Instead, it became somewhat of a safe haven for those who didn't want to be hit by any of the days pranks, but with most of the kids practically guarding the library, the odds of getting there unscathed were low, so some just accepted their fates or stayed in their rooms instead. The library was quiet, and oddly, big black tarps covered the view making it impossible to see past the front desk where the bookshelves and seating resigned.

"Odd, I thought the library was safe from all pranks?" Tamsy spoke aloud to himself.

"Just a precaution, after last years water stunt, I didn't want to take any chances."

Tamsy turned over his shoulder to find Corvus approaching him, pocketing a set of keys. He was exiting one of the library's side rooms, that must be where old keys and such are stored.

Odd. I'm sure Semiu would've shared the specifics of her contract with Corvus. And I didn't set off the sprinklers in the library last year, I even made sure to take extra precautions to ensure the books safety.

"Corvus, Love, I was looking for you. Semiu told me that you were looking for some spare keys?"

"Yes, seems I've finally got that prankster's eyes on me, and, I think I know who they are."

Tamsy's eyes widened, "Really? You must tell me, I've still been drawing blanks."

Corvus gave him a nod and turned back to the door he'd just left from, gesturing Tamsy to follow along.

"Come, we'll discuss in private, since the prankster usually avoids the library, and I'm not sure of the current state of my office, we should be able to safely talk in here. It's also where I've been keeping some spare notes and theories on the matter."

Tamsy quickly followed, unable to hide his excitement at the idea of Corvus' guess being wrong, the idea that he got to reveal the fact that it was his own lover who was the prankster! He hoped his grin wouldn't rat him out.

Corvus held the door for Tamsy as he entered, quietly closing it behind them. Tamsy got a good look at the room, he'd never been in it before. Most of the library's side rooms were reserved for those who needed a quiet place to write their reports, or for some of the younger kids who were still learning to read and write. While Tamsy did frequent the library, it was just to get new books, he'd mastered the art of reading while having screaming music piercing his ears.

The room was quaint, not much besides an old desk and pin board on the wall that held a few evidence photos and written notes and thoughts, along with a few filing cabinets. Tamsy walked up to the desk and glanced at some of the folders on it, it was the ones Semiu brought in on that first day they started talking about his pranks. Tamsy turned to Corvus and leaned against the desk, his arms on the table behind him, he quirked his head and questioned Corvus.

"You know, when I first seen you leave this room with spare keys, I assumed that this room would hold many keys or pass codes, but it's no different from any other study room, is it?"

"Perceptive as always, My Angel," Corvus placed himself at the wall opposing Tamsy, his arms crossed, one leg placed on the wall making Corvus look overly relaxed. "I had a hunch that the prankster would officially go after me today, so I took some precautions, I do want to be pranked, yes, but I don't want to go down that easy. Few days ago I brought a spare set of keys down here, along with some other minor things, wanted to be fully prepared." Corvus leaned over to the filing cabinet on his right and unlocked it, when he pulled it open, the smell of sugar and chocolate filled the air.

Tamsy let out a snort, hiding his face in his sleeve, "Don't tell me our vandal traumatized you into making a secondary stash. I know you're a sweet tooth, but really?"

Corvus just smiled as he listened to the chuckling man, "Not really a full stash," he pulled out an Angel Delight's chocolate, "Just the important ones. Can't let them get their hands on my treasure, who knows when you'd have time to get me more."

"Oh Arkha," Tamsy pushed himself off the desk and crossed the small room to Corvus, reaching up to his face and pulling them close, his eyes were half lidded in appreciation and fondness, "I'd always make time for you~" his hands slid down from Corvus' cheeks to his hands pulling him along to the cork board. He tilted his head and gestured to the board in front of them. "Now. Tell me who you think the prankster is, I'm dying to know, perhaps one of the members of Team Danger has a funny bone, or perhaps Semiu? Oh! What if it's you and this is how you're revealing it to me." His eyes were lightly shut in innocence as he said his thought jokingly making it clear that all his ideas were just small teases.

"It's you, Angel."

His eyes shot open and his breath hitched.

"…What gives you that idea?"

"I thought about what you said yesterday. Maybe the prankster didn't have a theme, it sounded plausible, it sounded…" He turned his entire body to Tamsy, their eyes locking, Corvus' expression was hard to read, until a small quirk to his lips appeared, "Like a red herring."

Tamsy took his hands from Corvus' leaning back on the table, he looked at Corvus with questioning eyes asking him to continue his train of thought, but denying any accountability so far.

"The theme is our relationship."

"…"

"All the chocolate going missing but mine, you know that I like sweets." He took a step closer to Tamsy, "Only the lounge's couches going missing, Guita told me that you read her my book on that couch, and our next meeting you made sure to mention how much you liked my couch more." Another step, he was practically leaning over Tamsy at this point, "Delmon's missing flowers, your infused tea blend, August's missing designs, your new skates. All parallels."

"What about Enjin then? Me and you were out of town, how could I have done that?"

Corvus' brow lifted, "When did I say that our prankster was behind Enjin's makeup?"

"…"

"Although, now that you mention it, while I don't know everything about Tokushin, doesn't it have pretty long range? And you're so good with it that I'm sure moving a couch or doing someone's make up from a different city isn't completely impossible for someone as capable as you."

His accusations over, he let out a light sigh and smile, "You know what made it the most obvious to me, the final nail in the coffin?"

Tamsy was awestruck, to be entirely figured out, and yet there was more?

"The way you were acting up until the 26th, locked up in your room, what were you doing in there? Was it preparing the pranks for the week? I find it hard to believe that you wouldn't know that April Fools was coming up when you're such of fan of it and your birthday being the very next day? No, you were all too aware what day it was, you were watching the calendar closer than most, but not closer than me."

Corvus fully leaned back, "Now that I've won our game of who done it," he gently took Tamsy's left hand, "Let's go see what you did with my room!" His face was excited, happy, like a kid receiving a gift.

Tamsy was just starstruck, his jaw dropped, Corvus was brilliant. He squeezed Corvus' hand back and nodded, "Alright, lets."

Tamsy skated to the door in front of Corvus and opened it quickly with his free hand. What he found behind it surprised him.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMSY!"

The tarps that covered the library's shelves were gone, revealing that it was replaced with tables of food and furniture all covered in balloons confetti, and other various party decor. Not the mention the sweet tart cake that now sat proudly and alluring at the front desk. Along with all the food, decor, and cake, was the entirety of Cleaners HQ, most of them still covered in residue from pranks from earlier, but all there none the less.

Tamsy stood in the doorway shocked, he quietly stuttered out, "But, my birthday is-"

"Today, April 2nd." Corvus cut him off, a wide smile on his face.

Tamsy's eyebrows furrowed, "It's the First, April First!"

"Nope, you're a day behind," Semiu approached with a tablet that largely displayed the date and time, sure enough, it read April 2nd.

"But, how, I was watching the days tick by, and there's calendars all over HQ." Tamsy was confused.

"Yup, all set a date ahead, everyone knew, but you of course, which means-"

"YOU JUST GOT PRANKED!" The kids cut in loudly, their excitement almost having them burst at the seams.

Tamsy just turned to Corvus, his eyes still wide.

"Happy Birthday Angel, couldn't get you much of a gift, but I figured I could get you one hell of a prank!

Finally, a smile took over Tamsy's face, it was so wide and dopey it hurt his cheeks.

"Well, now that you're here, we can finally get this party started!" Enjin cut in and everyone was soon yelling and celebrating after that.

~~~~~

The party went on for hours, so much joy, treats, and even some minor pranks all throughout, all directed at Tamsy for his birthday of course. Now, night had come, and most of the cleaners headed to bed knowing that tomorrow would be a full day of janitorial work. Only Corvus and Tamsy remained on one of the old sofas tucked in a corner.

"I just can't wrap my head around when you changed the calendar and found out it was me."

Tamsy was resting against Corvus' chest, they were softly pressed together in the way they loved, their matching bracelets met at their connected hands.

"Honestly, I lucked out with that concert, you'd been so tired that you slept through a full day, I knew you were spending so much time preparing your pranks that trying to make time for a concert would take all your energy."

"Still doesn't answer how you got your first hunch."

Corvus' let out a pleased hum.

"In previous years, I didn't know much about you, or your routine for that matter. I hadn't realized that you're usually cooped up in your room the week before preparing since before we started dating, you were usually just cooped up in your room anyways. But when you spend almost a full week not peacocking around now, it's far more noticeable. Not to mention how you were always close to the scene of the crime, always one proud to see your own work. Bet that's the real reason you wanted to leave early the day after our concert, wanted to see what Tokushin had done to Enjin."

Tamsy's eyes shot open at that, he pulled away from Corvus, complete confusion in his expression.

"Wait, but I did that to Enjin before sleeping for a day? You're telling me he kept that makeup and jewelry glued to him for a day?"

Corvus let out a deep laugh and pulled Tamsy back in, he rubbed a hand on his back in small circles looking off into the corner recalling something fondly.

"Yeah, while you were sleeping, I got a rather angry call from Enjin, I told him to either stay in his room all day with it on or reapply the makeup and jewelry in the morning before we got back. Either way, I now owe him one." Corvus hummed in thought, "I owe him two actually, didn't expect him to be such a good actor making it seem like it was one of the kids. Was almost worried he'd blow my cover for a minute." After he finished speaking, he turned to gauge Tamsy's expression. Tamsy's eyes shone with love and his cheeks and ears were dusted red. Corvus wasn't expecting this.

"Angel? Are you-"

He was cut off with one of those deep bruising kisses that Tamsy always loved covering him with, Corvus never minded it, he'd just lean in more, and hold on tighter. While they kissed he threaded his hand into Tamsy's golden strands that draped their forms in loose waves. Meanwhile, Tamsy's ever familiar tongue felt around his mouth. Small breaths and noises escaped them both, nothing but the library's faint lamp light illuminating them. They kissed for what felt like minutes until they pulled away with satisfied hums and spit connecting their lips.

When Corvus spoke, it was deep and velvety.

"You know, we still haven't checked out what you've done to my office."

"Hm, then I suppose we can give it a glance on the way to your room~"

"My, how forward of you."

"You know me," he grabbed Corvus' face again, his eyes now more sultry, "Your Angel's, always full of surprises."