dinohouse | [Mushverse, mostly for Liveman family] Throwing Kamen Rider Gaia into the mix

The parents are finally in bed and I sigh in relief as I hear the light get switched off. It's about time, I thought they were never coming up. I just need to wait a bit now, give them time to go to sleep before I do this. Eventually though, I get out of bed and make my way downstairs, careful to avoid the creaky stairs.

I should probably tell them I'm working with Gaia and EYES now, but they'd just try to talk me out of it and I need to do this, for any number of reasons; getting paid is only one of them. I rummage inside my bag and pull out the envelope before heading into the kitchen. That's where Megumi keeps her purse and she does the groceries so she gets more. There's a lot of us to feed, after all, and I know she worries about it, even if she won't admit it in front of us. I split the rest of the wages between Jou and Yuusuke before ripping up the envelope and dropping it in the bin.

There. All sorted for the week. I dust my hands off in satisfaction and head back to bed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

yellowlion

"That's good," I say with relief. I wouldn't want him mixed up with anything like that, and now it sounds much less like I'll want to interfere.

From:

hotshotlightning

"Right?" I agree, watching him carefully. "That means you're not going to argue about me doing this, right?"

I'd still do it, even he took the brace off me. I don't need it to have power, it's just more convenient and explains stuff I don't want to explain.

From:

yellowlion

"Probably," I say after a pause. "I'll have to talk to Megumi and Yuusuke, though."

From:

hotshotlightning

I wrinkle my nose in annoyance but I didn't really expect anything else. I guess I'm more relieved I'm getting off so lightly to be really irritated about them discussing it.

From:

yellowlion

I reach out and swat him lightly on the knee. "I take it we have you to blame for the extra money? You know Yuusuke's worried you're in a gang?"

From:

hotshotlightning

I start to nod, picking up the drink I left behind earlier, only to promptly choke on it as he comes out with that last one.

"A gang?" I demand when I stop choking and get my breath back. "Seriously? Where would he even get that idea from?"

From:

yellowlion

"I wasn't pushing you to tell so hard just for my health," I say dryly. "Because you were so secretive, damn you. I was 99% sure you weren't in a gang, and I know damn well he didn't want to think that either, but we didn't know."

From:

hotshotlightning

I sigh. Only got myself to blame then, although this wouldn't even have been an issue if he hadn't caught me that night.

"I didn't want to worry you," I mutter. "I didn't want it to turn into this big thing."

But it did anyway, go figure.

From:

yellowlion

I run my hand through my hair, probably making it stick up even worse. "I know. But the three of us were kind of born to worry about you."

I exhale in a huff. He seems ridiculously young. But it's not as if he has no training, no experience. Not as if he's been a sheltered human for the last seventeen years with no understanding that sometimes people get hurt, even good people. "I have confidence in you. But I'm not looking forward to the first time you get seriously hurt," I say quietly.

From:

hotshotlightning

It's tempting to make a smartass comment about his trust in me about not getting myself hurt, but I remember Volt all too well and I know how frequently it can happen.

"Me either," I admit. "But I'm not doing this by myself, okay? And anyway, I'm just the back-up not the main event."

From:

yellowlion

I nod helplessly. "Yeah, I know. Who is the main event?"

I don't like that about Riders. It's scary enough what Reds go through.

From:

hotshotlightning

"Guy called Gamu. Takayama Gamu," I add belatedly. It's weird thinking of him by his family name but he doesn't seem to care that I've never used it. "Also known as Kamen Rider Gaia."

From:

yellowlion

"Huh. Same name as the kid we picked up that time," I note. "Is he a decent fighter? The suit any good?"

From:

hotshotlightning

I blink at that. It is as well, how did I not notice? "He does alright," I say judiciously. "The suit is really good, though. I think he designed it himself."

It's not fancy, doesn't have all the mode changes that Fourze does, but it does the job.

From:

yellowlion

I nod, trusting his judgement on that. He's seen more than enough over the years. "Good. Always helpful to have someone tech-based on your team too."

From:

hotshotlightning

I grin at him. "Your bias is talking, Jou, all three of you are tech-based."

From:

yellowlion

...

"Tech-based just makes sense," I protest. "I know the magic-based teams do just fine but there's no physical *logic* to it. Tech-based makes scientific sense."

From:

hotshotlightning

"Not everything needs logic," I point out. "Sometimes stuff just happens."

I am mostly in favour of logic and science and so on, but it doesn't hurt to troll the science types every now and then.

From:

yellowlion

"Only until you find out the reason why," I say comfortably. "Sometimes it's not a very good reason. I realise that. But everything has a reason."

From:

hotshotlightning

"But not always a logical one," I counter. "You and Gamu should meet at some point, though, you'd have great conversations."

From:

yellowlion

I frown at him, with a grin playing around my lips. "I need to get you into my higher physics ethics classes. And sure."

From:

hotshotlightning

"Only if you want me to sleep through it," I retort, sticking my tongue out at him.

Then I realise I just got him involved and I've only got myself to blame. Damn it.

From:

yellowlion

"Oh, c'mon, like you willingly pass up the chance to tell other people they're wrong," I scoff genially at him. "You're a teenager. And you take after Yuusuke."

I look around, because that's the kind of comment that normally gets me a smack to the back of the head, but he doesn't materialise.

From:

hotshotlightning

Yuusuke's not around to do it so I give Jou a thump on the top of his arm.

"That's because they are wrong," I point out. "I don't need to put myself through that aggravation."