savetheearth | Mission - Pancakes / Backdated to the morning of April 3rd

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Mission - Pancakes / Backdated to the morning of April 3rd

Who: Tony and anyone awake at Willow Ridge after the Kidnapping Incident
What: Demon be hungry, so that means pancakes for all.
Where: Willow Ridge kitchen
When: Morning of April 3rd, after Nathan's rescue
Warnings: Possibly some recollections of violence, but otherwise only pancakes. Maybe eggs. We'll see.

Dressed in jeans and a light T-shit, one could almost forget just the night before he'd been barely able to walk under his own power and bleeding all over himself. Quite the change, though watching closely it was still evident Tony was a little tender and sore. Moving stiff and careful while he cooked.

As it turned out, healing was hungry business. Fortunately Willow Ridge was equipped with a well enough stocked kitchen, and Tony with a little skill instilled by Hajime. Despite his best efforts, he still couldn't really use chopsticks with any kind of efficiency. Fortunately pancakes only required a spatula.

Stacks of them, in fact. The first attempts, under-cooked or over had already been eaten, but now he was on a roll. Why not ask him why he's cooked so much, or join in to help devour the abundance? Surely, he figured, the others would wake soon and they'd be hungry as well. Though likely Tony was far over-estimating their hunger by comparing it to his own.

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"He's not the type to drop in on you from the shadows without warning. Besides, he's not some mindless animal, you know. It's not his fault what he has to eat to survive, but it's not like everyone in the world's on the menu," Tony does sound slightly scolding with that. He understands the fear, he does, but Shou's his friend as well. He knows him well enough to know he's not just going to go berserk and start snacking on people without warning.

"I know last night probably didn't paint anyone in a very good light, but Shou's one of the most generous and genuinely kind people I've ever met. And trust me, I've met a lot of douchebags."

Misa takes his scolding in stride, but she doesn't look particularly convinced.

"No offense, Tony, but you're a little biased," she points out, eyes going to the sleeping Shou currently snuggled up to his side. "He talks about hunting people like we're animals. How am I supposed to trust someone like that?"

"Maybe a little, but that doesn't mean I started off that way. He's helped a lot of people, never asked for anything in return. You can ask Lazarus if you don't believe me."

He shrugs, and with the all the grace of a vacuum cleaner hoovers up the rest of his plate. He'd like more, but sleeping Shou has made the decision for him, sigh. "He's a big part of why I've stuck out this numbered bullshit so long, and that was way before hooking up was ever even an option so don't look at me like that. This is recent."

He snorts, and raises his eyebrow at the sleeping man. "Did he? Pfeh, big talk. Besides, he goes after scumbags. Criminals, mobsters, people like that."

Misa can't say that she particularly trusts Lazarus's judgement either, after last night. But the mention of 'hooking up' is enough to distract her and make her look pointedly at the opposite wall.

"I don't need to know details."

The knowledge that he goes after criminals makes her feel a little bit safer, but not as secure as Tony seems to think it should.

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not giving you details, relax. You were awfully curious earlier." He smirks a little.

Forced to abandon his mission to fill his gut he turns his attention to Shou, attempting to maneuver him into his arms without waking him. Guess it's nap time after all.

"Whatever, sounds like you've already made up your mind about us. Still, thanks for sticking around and driving last night."

Yes he knows, but there's so much more to the story that he can't properly explain with a Shou sound asleep on his shoulder. Another time, maybe.

"If I've made up my mind, it's because your boyfriend talked about chewing on me last night," Misa shoots back. It is not unfair to be freaked out by a vampire who has actively intimidated her, damn it. They're the crazy ones for trusting him so much.

"I'll talk to him about it," Later, when he's not exhausted and drained. This conversation alone has proven to be more draining than he'd expected. Here he just wanted to have some breakfast and pretend things weren't awful for an hour or so, is that so much to ask?

Yes, yes it is. "Can I ask you something?"

"... Okay," Misa says guardedly.

"Why'd you stay?"

That isn't the question she was expecting. Misa freezes for a moment or two, uncertain how to answer.

"Because... I wanted to do anything I could to help everyone get back safe. Nathan is a good kid, and Lazarus... I care about him a lot."

She averts her eyes, a little embarrassed to be saying it out loud, but that's probably where the real answer lies. "I like Lazarus, a lot. And he's done me a lot of favors, so I wanted to do something for him. I couldn't just leave while he was like that."

Tony looks thoughtful a few moments, then gives a satisfied nod.

"Well, in that case, thanks. Sorry you got drug into all of that,"

Although he does put on a funny, unreadable expression at her admission of how much she likes Lazarus. That's going to... end awkwardly, but it's not his place so he won't say anything. Sorry, Misa, you'll be left in the dark a little bit longer. "It's appreciated. He's like a brother to me, it's good he's got people looking out for him."

Misa isn't sure what to make of his expression, other than maybe she has been a little too transparent about her feelings. And it is weird for someone like her to be interested in someone like Lazarus; she can't deny that.

"You're welcome... You're the one that did most of the work, anyway. It's lucky he has someone like you around too."

"It's the least I can do," He's quick to answer. After all, Lazarus has more than earned his loyalty. "He gave me a chance. Not a lot of people willing to do that. I wasn't anything more than a street rat when we first met. Still not sure I've earned my keep, but I'll keep at it."

Even if it means taking a hundred bullets, he'll do it to protect his family.

"I'm sure he doesn't think about it that way," Misa says with a degree of certainty, remembering how Lazarus had denied her owing him anything no matter how much he offered her. "Lazarus probably sees you being his friend as enough."

"'Course not, that's just how he is." Tony knows, all too well, but that won't stop him from feeling that way, no matter how much Lazarus protests. "Which is fine, I like doing that too."

Being his friend, his brother. They look out for each other, that's what family's about right?

"Way too generous," Misa agrees, smiling to herself. "It's not a bad way to be. I'm sure he's found a lot of friends that way."

"He's a good guy, despite what he might try to tell you." Hungrily he devours a few more mouthfuls of pancake, with a tiny bit more care than he had been at the start. Tiny bit, not enough to really make a difference. "He's like a brother to me, we've been through a lot together."

Wow he just keeps shoving those down.

"I know he is," Misa agrees. Lazarus is weird, and awkward, but he is also a very good guy. "A brother, huh? I would have pegged Nathan for that."

He is a machine fueled by pancakes, and he's been running awfully low after last night.

"Yeah? I can see why you might think that. But no, I actually met Nathan through Lazarus a little more recently." And had a massive bout of jealous insecurities happen but he's not going to tell her about that. That's between them, and honestly it's behind them now. Tony's realized he's not being replaced and he still has his niche, and now that they've had a few chances to talk without Lazarus breathing down their necks they're getting along swimmingly on their own.

"I guess you can have as many brothers as you want, choosing family like that."

It isn't a concept Misa is very familiar with. Family is blood; she can't imagine growing so close to a friend that she actually thought of them as a sibling. Her one-person family is what it is.

"Exactly. I don't see why not. Gotta make up for not having one growing up, y'know?"

To him, there is blood between them. They've been through hell together and back, if that doesn't make you worthy of being kin than nothing does. Being related isn't the only important thing after all, there are plenty of blood families that are terrible to each other. L and Nathan's for example.

Misa makes a noncommittal noise in response. That isn't something she can relate to, having grown up in a loving family... but somehow it would feel disrespectful to go around adding to her family like that now that her parents are dead. Like she's replacing them.

"It's good that you all found each other."

It's not the same to him, he's not 'replaced' anyone by any means, he's just built a family out of rubble instead. He doesn't think his folks would want him alone and miserable forever after all. Big change from where he was.

"Yeah, yeah it is." He muses quietly, glancing over at the Shou still snoozing on his shoulder. "I should probably get him to bed."

"Go ahead," Misa agrees, smiling and poking at the remnants of a pancake left on her plate. She doesn't trust Shou, but it's good to see him like this and know that he may have a conscience in the form of Tony. "Thanks for breakfast."

"No problem, thanks for helping me eat it all. If L gets weird tell him I'll clean up later." Because it's really hard to do dishes with a vampire asleep on your shoulder.

After shoveling down the last couple of bites he turns to very gingerly gather Shou up into his arms. Which is probably rather comical to look at considering Shou's considerably taller than Tony and one probably wouldn't expect him to be able to lift him so easily. Even if he is built for it these days.

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