Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was a small squeak as Chief turned in her office chair to pull Nightingale close by the elbow. ‘She's my girlfriend.’

Nightingale froze. Her eyes widened as she stared down at Chief next to her. She’d been standing there after delivering a document for the chief to sign. It was one that was too important to leave to someone else to deliver. ‘Wh—’

‘What?’ Chelsea flicked her gaze between the chief and the adjutant behind the desk.

Chief looked up at Nightingale who had wiped the surprise off her face.

‘She’s clearly shocked with your lie, Chief,’ Chelsea said, chuckling.

Staring at the table, Chief supposed she'd have to apologise. She'd been desperate to get all the flirting directed towards her to stop. It had become tiring very fast and got in the way of her doing her job.

‘I was only surprised at the sudden revealing of our relationship is all,’ Nightingale said.

The chief’s heartrate should have calmed down now that her adjutant was helping her act out this lie, but her heart only beat faster.

Chelsea stared at Nightingale. ‘You can't be serious.’

‘I’m as serious as the chief is about this.’

They both turned to look at the chief.

‘I… yeah,’ Chief said. ‘We’re together. Girlfriends.’

Silence.

‘So, I'd appreciate it if you could stop flirting with me, Chelsea. It's highly inappropriate with me being the chief and you being a detainee. Even more so since I have a girlfriend.’ Chelsea wouldn’t ignore the fact that Chief was already in a relationship with another woman, would she?

‘I…’ Chelsea frowned, looked at Nightingale again, then sighed. ‘I understand.’

It worked? Chief thought, blinking in surprise. That easy? Maybe if all the Sinners know I'm unavailable, they won't be wasting my time... I'll be able to get my paperwork done in peace.

‘I’m leaving,’ Chelsea said, standing up from her chair opposite the chief's. She looked at Chief and Nightingale once more before stalking off to the guard waiting outside the office. He would escort Chelsea back to her cell. The heavy double doors slid closed behind her.

Chief let out a long sigh.

‘Is it alright to just let her leave like that?’ Nightingale asked.

‘Her appointment ended fifteen minutes ago. She was just lingering.’

‘I see.’ Nightingale had entered the office to see Chelsea leaning on the desk with her elbows, trying to get closer to Chief. She'd been talking about the worth of jewels and gemstones and how she could let the chief have as many as she wanted.

‘Sorry to drag you into this. I was tired and getting desperate. You saved me there, Nightingale. Thanks.’ Chief held out the stack of paper she’d just signed.

If her adjutant hadn’t arrived with a document at this time, Chief would likely be stuck trying to shoo Chelsea away for another twenty minutes.

‘No problem.’ Nightingale glanced at the signature and accepted the document. ‘I have to look after you as your adjutant.’ There was the slightest hint of pink on Nightingale’s cheeks. She was probably embarrassed at having to be a part of the chief’s lie.

‘You’re always so dependable,’ Chief said with a smile.

‘Are you going to tell the other Sinners the same thing that you told Chelsea today?’

A pause.

‘I'm sorry,’ Chief said, brows knitting together. ‘I should have asked for your permission first. Is it going to be a problem for you? I could tell Chelsea that I lied.’ I should have thought this through, Chief thought. Even if the lie would benefit her and her work output, if Nightingale was uncomfortable with it, Chief would clear things up. It wasn’t right to cause her adjutant any discomfort out of selfishness.

Nightingale stepped out from behind the desk and faced Chief from the other side of it. ‘No. It's fine. Better to not show them that the chief is a liar. Your honesty helps with your relationships with the Sinners.’

‘Ah… that's true.’ Chief frowned. ‘If that's the case, I could tell another lie and say we broke up?’

There was something undecipherable in Nightingale’s eyes. Chief thought she was fairly good at reading most people after all the interrogations she’s had to conduct, but she couldn't recognise that particular look she was receiving from her adjutant. Is she annoyed? Chief wondered.

‘Then, you'd be back to square one. Personally, I don't enjoy seeing you mobbed by flirtatious Sinners all the time.’

A little excitement, or perhaps hope lit up in the chief’s chest.

‘It’s bad for work. Unprofessional,’ Nightingale said.

‘Yes, that's true.’ Of course, that's what she meant, Chief thought. Her hope fizzled away.

‘I have to get this document processed, so I'll take my leave.’

‘All right. Thank you, Nightingale.’

‘Of course,’ Nightingale said with a nod. She turned on her heels and exited the office with the end of her coat trailing behind her.

Did I imagine it, or did she really sound annoyed? Chief wondered. Well, I finally got her to be my girlfriend. But a fake one…

Chapter Text

Chief internally sighed as she listened about an incident that may require her deployment. Why couldn’t people just behave? she wondered.

‘The riot with the gangs is escalating,’ Nightingale told Chief as they walked through a wide grey corridor side by side. ‘Hella and Hecate are already on standby, but the situation likely—’

‘Chief!’ an excited voice shouted from behind.

The pair turned around to see Victoria jogging up to them. The Sinner’s breath fogged up the inside of her transparent facemask.

The guard escorting Victoria made to restrain her but stopped after seeing Chief motion that it was all right. He moved to stand at the side instead and was still close enough to step in to intervene if needed.

‘Did you come to see me?’ Victoria coughed. She was breathing fast.

‘Just passing by.’ Chief wanted to tell her to take it easy with her health condition, but she’d known better than to say that out loud. Victoria could have taken it the wrong way. Then again, she’d mistaken Chief using her shackles on her as a form of deep love before. Maybe true care and affection would be taken the opposite way? Chief didn’t want to test that out just yet.

Victoria’s smile widened. ‘You did come to see me, didn’t you? You missed me so much that you couldn’t stand waiting any longer and came all the way over here to see me. You love me so much.’

‘That’s not it,’ Chief said. ‘I had business here.’

‘You don’t have to lie to me, Chief. It’s okay. Don’t be embarrassed.’ Victoria reached out to grab the chief’s hand, but Nightingale had been faster.

Everyone stared at Chief’s hand that was being held by the adjutant’s.

Victoria cocked her head to the side as she stared at Nightingale. ‘Don’t worry, I love you too, sis Nightingale. But… maybe not as much as Chief.’

‘She’s my girlfriend,’ Nightingale said.

Chief’s heart skipped a beat from hearing those words from Nightingale herself. It was difficult for Chief to keep her face neutral when her blood wanted to flood her cheeks.

There is a tense moment of silence as Victoria stared at the two women in front of her with a blank expression. Then, the smile returned to her face. ‘She’s mine too!’

‘That’s—’ Chief felt Nightingale squeeze her hand and snapped her mouth shut. They both knew that conversations with Victoria were often one-sided to the extreme. That is to say, not a conversation at all. The chief would get nowhere by denying or refuting what this Sinner said.

Victoria reached out for Chief’s free hand, but Chief reached for Nightingale’s arm. Seeing both of Chief’s hands on Nightingale had caused Victoria to pout.

‘Nightingale is…’ Chief glanced to her side and met Nightingale’s eyes. Was that a go-ahead from her adjutant? Maybe Nightingale could read her mind. Chief had always suspected that she could, just a little, somehow. Perhaps Chief was just easy to read.

Nightingale gave Chief an imperceptible nod when the hesitation had not fled.

‘She’s actually my fiancée,’ Chief said. ‘We just haven’t told anybody about the development yet.’

‘Right,’ Nightingale said, nodding once.

Could Nightingale have known what the chief would have said? Impossible. Maybe she was just ready to go along with whatever came out of Chief’s mouth.

Victoria stared, not at Chief, but past her. It was as if she was focusing on nothing in particular. ‘But… but I’m your girlfriend. If sis Nightingale was also your girlfriend… and now she’s your fiancée… but I’m not your fiancée…’

The troubled look on Victoria’s face made Chief gulp. Hopefully, the shackles wouldn’t have to be used. Chief never did like using them very much.

‘I thought you were keeping me company as I wait for Daddy to return,’ Victoria said. ‘But now… you’re leaving me? Just like Daddy?’ Her eyes darkened.

‘I’m not leaving MBCC for a while yet,’ Chief said. ‘But—’

‘So you’ll stay,’ Victoria said, beaming again. ‘You’ll stay with me. You’ll stay with Victoria till Daddy comes back.’

Chief frowned. ‘Victoria, that’s not—’

‘I love you, Chief.’ She turned to Nightingale. ‘And I love you, too. I told you multiple times already, sis Nightingale. Well, I told you both many many times…’ A pause. ‘So, you’re fiancées…’

‘Yes, so please behave appropriately towards me and the chief from now on,’ Nightingale said.

Victoria hummed. ‘I think I remembered someone saying something about leaving the engaged alone… Was it Daddy who said that?...’

Her father? Chief thought. It was hard to believe that Victoria’s father would ever say something like that to his daughter. From the information gleaned from the interrogation, Victoria’s father had abused her terribly, and the girl owed it all to him for her warped understanding of ‘love’.

‘I still love you, Chief.’ Victoria looked to the side, thinking.

A beep sounded nearby. Nightingale pulled out a device from her coat pocket and read the message. ‘Unfortunately, Chief, it looks like you will have to make an appearance with Hella and Hecate after all.’

‘Understood,’ Chief said with a sigh.

‘Can I come?’ Victoria asked.

‘No,’ Nightingale said, blinking hard once.

Is that frustration from my adjutant? Chief wondered.

‘Goodbye, Victoria.’ Nightingale stepped past the Sinner and nodded to the guard.

Chief did the same, all too aware of how her adjutant was still holding her hand.

Chapter Text

Chief had only been informed at the very last second that Shalom would be tagging along with her visit to the slums in Syndicate. Paradeisos, Chief thought. How bothersome.

Shalom, with her schorl floating next to her, was sat next to the chief in the debriefing room. She watched the chief type up notes for the report she was expected to file later.

The room was well lit but gloomy with its dark grey walls. Chief often wondered why the bureau had to go with this aesthetic, but she supposed that they wanted to feel imposing as well as intimidating. It kind of worked. A little.

Chief shifted in her seat. The chairs were made of metal and had thin cushions. They were less comfortable than the ones in her office. She tapped away at the large tablet integrated into the table whilst staring at the holographic screen in front of her.

Hella and Hecate were sat opposite. They had been free to leave after handing over the information they had gathered from the mission they’d helped with. But they remained, periodically glancing at Shalom with weariness. Hella unconsciously fiddled with the bag of gemstones on the table.

The chief often considered herself to be lucky when she thought about Hella and Hecate. For her to have met these two Sinners out of so many, what were the chances? They were perhaps the most caring and normal ones of the bunch. At least, they weren’t flirting with her and didn’t play mind games. They treated her like a friend more than the chief of the bureau.

‘I heard that you’d gained yourself a girlfriend,’ Shalom said. ‘No, it’s fiancée now, isn’t it?’ Her voice was smooth and controlled. Somehow soft and commanding at the same time. It made Chief wonder if Shalom’s voice had always been this way, or if she’d trained for it.

Hella and Hecate turned their heads towards Chief. Their eyes were wide. Somehow, Hella didn’t yell. She didn’t speak at all. Perhaps too shocked at what she’d just learned.

I thought the news would have travelled far and wide to every Sinner in their cells by now, Chief thought. She noted the miscalculation of the speed of rumours between her Sinners and the guards. ‘That doesn’t concern you,’ Chief said, not meeting Shalom’s gaze.

Shalom smiled. ‘Oh, but it does. If the dear chief of MBCC is to have weaknesses…’

‘Nightingale is not my weakness.’ Chief glared at her.

Shalom raised a brow. ‘A girlfriend, a fiancée… relationships like those can make for weak points in one’s armour. Areas that are easy to slip a blade under. And if one did that, considering our environment, your position, and your enemies, don’t you think they’d take the opportunity to twist the knife and gouge out your heart, Chief?’

The room was silent as Chief returned to the tablet and continued inputting mission information. The sound of a beep came from the communications device hooked into her ear. ‘Yes?’ Chief answered.

‘Chief, apologies for interrupting you. I’d like to inform you that Chelsea and Victoria are on their way to your location as you’d requested.’

‘Thank you, Nightingale,’ Chief replied. In the past, the chief had had the habit of speaking louder, thinking the microphone would receive her words better that way, but she’d become aware enough to keep it at the usual volume after a week or two.

‘Are you sure this is wise?’ Nightingale asked.

‘The gemstones that we keep uncovering are unrecognisable to our personnel. They’ve had weeks with it and produced no results from their investigations. But the stones are all cut with an odd technique, or so they said. Chelsea might be able to see something in them that we can’t.’

‘We could still arrange for both Sinners to meet you at a later date.’

‘The gang members we interrogated also hinted at the involvement of someone who had been in contact with Victoria’s father in the past. We’re not just one step behind, we’re several steps behind whatever is going on. We need to solve this as soon as possible.’

‘Perhaps you could meet them separately, then.’

‘I’d like for Chelsea and Victoria to be present at the same time. You know how threads can sometimes surface when one detail or suspicion informs another. It would be more efficient to deal with this now, together, than separately, later.’

Chief heard a crackle in her ears as Nightingale sighed. ‘Understood, Chief.’

‘Thank you, for worrying about me,’ Chief said with a small smile.

‘I—of course.’

The device went back to sleep the moment Nightingale hung up.

‘Chief,’ Hecate said.

Hella grunted, trying to not make it obvious that she was keeping an eye on Shalom but doing a poor job of it.

Chief looked at Hecate who gave her a determined look of support.

Hella looked bored and unbothered, but the chief knew that Hella also wanted to reassure her with her presence, even if she’d never admit to it. Hella would be here to protect her if anything happened when the other two Sinners arrived.

It was impressive how they’d picked up on Chief’s slight agitation. Chief smiled back at them.

‘No need to be so nervous,’ Shalom said. ‘You’ve got your shackles, Chief. I’m sure you can control us just fine.’

Sometimes, it was unsettling for the chief to think about how some Sinners could read her so easily, Shalom in particular. Only because it was difficult to guess what was on the Sinner’s mind. How unfair, Chief thought, swiping through some photos taken in the slums that she had to mark up.

‘Do you know how many engagements fail?’ Shalom asked.

Chief’s hand paused mid-swipe. ‘Pardon?’

Shalom leaned closer to the chief, and Hecate shifted in her seat. Hella pushed her chair back, ready to stand up.

‘I wonder if your fiancée knows,’ Shalom said. ‘Surely, you’d know something like the simple statistic of failed engagements?’

‘I…’ No, Chief didn’t know such a thing. Maybe she should find out now that she was supposedly engaged to her adjutant.

‘Engagements can be terribly flimsy.’

Chief gritted her teeth and swore she saw the flash of a triangle in one of Shalom’s eyes, but if had been there, it had only been brief. The communications device beeped.

A lock of Shalom’s hair shifted on her shoulder. ‘Don’t celebrate too soon, Chief.’

‘Your information needs updating. We’re married,’ Chief blurted out. The pain from her fingernails digging into the palm of her fists was dull. ‘Nightingale is my wife.’

Shalom raised an eyebrow slowly. ‘Is that so—’

A chair screeched loudly, then fell with a clatter to the floor. ‘WHAT?’ Hella yelled. She stood, pointing at Chief with a finger. ‘YOU GOT FUCKING MARRIED? WHEN? YOU DIDN’T INVITE ME!’

‘Calm down, Hella,’ Hecate said, turning to face the enraged girl beside her. ‘You don’t have to shout—’

‘THIS BITCH GOT MARRIED AND DIDN’T TELL EITHER OF US! HOW CAN I FUCKING CALM DOWN?’

The door opened as Hella stepped around the table, moving towards Chief with Hecate who had grabbed onto Hella’s sleeve to stop her. Hecate was always so dependable as Chief’s little guardian angel.

Chelsea and Victoria stepped in with two guards behind them.

‘What did we miss?’ Chelsea asked.

Victoria glanced at the occupants of the room, then smiled brightly when she saw Chief.

‘THIS BITCH MARRIED—’

‘You’re married?’ Chelsea’s brows rose, and her gaze snapped towards the chief.

‘M-married?’ Victoria had an equal look of confusion on her face. ‘Chief can’t be married. You’re wrong.’

Everyone, including the two guards, turned to look at Chief.

Droplets of cold sweat dripped down the back of Chief’s neck, and she gulped. Shit. Why did I say that? she thought. This lie has evolved into something much too big… She found herself comparing it to a corruptor.

There was the sound of the door closing. Chief turned her head towards it to see that the guards had left her alone in the room with five Sinners. That’s not protocol, she thought, frowning. Did they really just nope out? She made a mental note to have them officially warned and possibly re-trained.

‘Anyway, I was thinking about you having a girlfriend, Chief,’ Chelsea said, seemingly ignoring what she’d heard about marriage and folding her arms. ‘Girlfriends can break up anytime. You can even have multiple girlfriends if you wish. Poly—’

‘Right!’ Victoria said, smiling. ‘And I remembered that Daddy wasn’t the one who said not to mess with engaged people. It was just something I heard from a few passing guards. Fiancées can become strangers again. You just have to break off some hands, so they can’t be used to cling to things. It’s not too difficult. I know which medications and injections to use on you to make things easier, Chief.’ Her cheeks bloomed into a darker shade of pink.

Hecate looked alarmed, and Hella’s confused frown was deep.

‘I—no. That’s—’ Chief glanced at the door that Chelsea and Victoria were blocking.

‘And since Chief here is now married,’ Shalom’s soft smile was in place as she spoke. Well, do you know the percentage for divorces?’

Chief scooted her chair back as the Sinners slowly closed in on her.

‘You’re getting too close!’ Hecate stepped forward, determined to protect her chief. Nightmare sprung forth behind her, summoned into the room.

The door slid open. Nightingale appeared. She strode over to Chief, pushing through the Sinners as she did. Nightingale’s eyes couldn’t be seen underneath the dark shadow of her hat’s visor, but the way she grabbed Chief’s hand had made the chief’s heart race.

‘She’s mine,’ Nightingale stated with an edge of a growl. ‘So leave her alone, and mind your own damn business.

The chief was dragged up from her chair, out of the room, and past the guards who refused to meet anybody’s eyes. Chief’s pace behind Nightingale did not slow as she allowed her adjutant to pull her down several corridors. No words were exchanged throughout.

#

Stepping into the familiarity of her office, Chief’s heartrate began to calm down. ‘I’m really sorry that you had to come and save me.’

Nightingale’s head was tilted downwards, her visor obscuring her eyes.

She’s mad at me, Chief thought. As she should be, for all the trouble I’ve caused. ‘I didn’t expect the lie to spin out of control. I’m sorry that I dragged you into this. I even ended up calling you my wife…’

‘I heard,’ Nightingale said, still refusing to meet Chief’s eyes. ‘The coms were turned on.’

‘Ah, right…’ The chief did remember hearing a beep now that she thought about it. She hadn’t answered it, but that didn’t mean Nightingale on the other end of the line couldn’t hear Chief and her surroundings. She’d set her device to auto-receive Nightingale’s calls only, and Nightingale herself had fallen into the practice of only speaking after the chief spoke first, unless it was urgent. Maybe I should change the microphone settings next time so I can be heard only when I want to be, Chief thought. Even if it’s less convenient. ‘I’m sorry. I’ll clear things up with everyone. It’s not right to have you act to keep this lie going for me.’

‘I don’t mi—’

‘I won’t call you my wife or any of those things ever again.’

Nightingale’s head shot upwards, her eyes flashed, and she grabbed Chief by the collar.

Was that fury in her adjutant’s eyes? The chief didn’t have time to ponder when she felt Nightingale’s lips crash into hers.

There was the shadow of something falling. Then the sound of a clack as something hard made contact with the floor. Chief didn’t know what that was but found she didn’t—couldn’t care. Not right now.

The kiss was rough and long. Even when the chief felt like she couldn’t breathe and needed air, her adjutant allowed her to inhale only just enough to continue kissing again.

Chief was drowning in Nightingale.

And she loved it.

With their lips connected, Chief felt herself be directed backwards in a semi-circle. Her back thudded against the cold wall, and Nightingale pressed her body into hers. Another moment later, finally, her adjutant leaned back.

All Chief could do was pant as her body burned, and stare at the beautiful woman in front of her.

Grabbing Chief’s clothes tightly between her fists, Nightingale stared back, breathing heavily. ‘Your wife.’

Chief blinked. ‘Wife?’

‘Girlfriend, fiancée, wife. Let’s make all those lies become truths.’

Reaching for Nightingale’s face with her hands, Chief only now realised that Nightingale’s black hat was missing. It was probably what had hit the ground earlier. She didn’t know that her heart could beat so hard and so fast without her life at risk. She smiled. ‘Is this to keep my reputation clean? So that I’m not a liar?’

‘Of course.’ Nightingale returned Chief’s smile. ‘It’s best if we’re honest.’

‘You really do take care of me well, don’t you?’ Chief said, leaning in again.

Nightingale tilted her head for another kiss, and she whispered as her lips grazed Chief’s, ‘Well, I’m your adjutant.’