The morning sun came through the window, reminding Allen it was already daytime. He shook his head, pushing away all thoughts of Themyscira and Atlantis. That kind of trouble would be Future Allen's problem.
Allen walked down the hallway. Nokotan was lying on the floor with a big bump on her head, clearly caused by one of the Dolls. Bocchi ran past, her face flushed with embarrassment and clutching a magazine tightly against her chest. When she saw Allen, she blushed even harder but didn't stop, rushing past him without saying a word. Allen raised an eyebrow and glanced into the living room where she had come from.
"Kuhihi~ So cute, but it's her fault for reading shoujo magazines in the living room~" Kurumi laughed, mocking Bocchi for an obviously predictable reason. Allen apologized to Bocchi telepathically—most of the girls around him were terrifying to someone like her. No, even if Bocchi were a normal girl, Albedo, Esdeath, Kurumi, Makima, and even Jalter were frightening in their own right.
Aside from the usual chaos, it was a peaceful morning. Allen sipped his coffee as he looked out the window at the beautiful morning in New York.
*Boom*
A bearded Thor slammed into the Thor Allen knew, shouting something about being "King Thor" and how some arrogant young version couldn't defeat him.
Allen closed the curtain without changing expression and walked to the dining room for breakfast. After finishing, he got ready for school. Gwen, MJ, and Felicia accompanied him, all three looking tired—two for obvious reasons, and Gwen because she had studied all night.
Natasha was usually too worn out from her work at S.H.I.E.L.D. to see them off in the mornings, a duty that typically fell to one of the Dolls—though that was amusing, considering the Dolls would just follow him in stealth mode anyway. Still, it was a sweet gesture. But today was different. Much to the girls' and Allen's surprise, Natasha made breakfast and saw them off at the door. She even wore an apron while fixing Allen's collar.
"Sweetheart, have a good day and take care~"
Allen was reminded of their early years together when Natasha tried hard to act like a substitute mother—usually failing but trying nonetheless. Allen took her hand and gave it a quick kiss.
"Thanks. We'll be careful."
This conversation was a little funny, considering who Allen was. Still, moments like this warmed the heart.
...
Allen walked out with the three girls…
Without a care in the world…
The four of them went to the bus stop... but.
*Kaboom*
A bus exploded on the corner. Out of the wreckage came a humanoid tree that looked very upset.
"I am Groot!"
He lunged at Venom, and the two resumed their ongoing street brawl.
"I guess the bus isn't coming…" Felicia said with resignation. While Empire State University wasn't that far, walking thirty minutes wasn't ideal when public transportation was an option.
The four of them headed to the nearest subway station. Allen didn't usually take the subway, mostly because of the rat infestation, but he figured, "Why not?" If he was ever in a real rush, he could always just teleport with the girls.
MJ chuckled and affectionately grabbed Allen's arm. "It's been a while since I've been on the subway~"
Gwen yawned, then tilted her head and gave him a teasingly beautiful smile. "You're really going all out for us, huh?"
Felicia gave Allen a playful smack on the butt. "That's why I love you~"
All three girls easily picked up on the fact that Allen was doing this for them. He wanted to give them a somewhat normal college romance, so he made an effort—gifts, dates, and occasional texts. Even getting to and from school had to be something simple like a walk in the park.
None of them minded that Allen was always "Allen Walker." That's exactly who they had fallen for. Still, they appreciated this kind of time together more than Allen realized.
The four of them waited for the train in a cozy atmosphere. Of course, Allen had a spell in place so no one would notice three girls openly flirting with the same guy.
It was a stress-free day…
*Thud*
A man burst into the station and jumped down onto the train tracks. He was dressed like a panther. Right behind him, another man in a black t-shirt with a skull and carrying several weapons began firing at him. The panther man ran along the tracks, dodging bullets. He wasn't super fast, so a few rounds hit him—but nothing happened. It looked like his suit absorbed kinetic energy, making him almost immune to physical attacks.
"No apocalyptic events yet…" Allen muttered as he watched Punisher go head-to-head with Black Panther—though he had no idea who either of them really was.
Tired, Allen snapped his fingers and teleported the four of them to Empire State University. MJ laughed, Gwen shook her head, and Felicia shrugged.
Living in NYC, running into situations like that was practically inevitable.
"…"
Allen took a deep breath and smiled again. At that moment, he felt someone staring at him—and there were only two people here who could do that. Both had the last name Storm.
Sue was watching from not far away as Allen stood there with three girls by his side. The time had come—or rather, it was strange that Sue hadn't run into one of them already. After all, none of the girls had been hiding.
Their eyes met. Sue approached the group, her expression unchanged. Allen turned to face her, his calm, amused gaze reflected in her eyes. Sue broke her blank expression with a smirk.
"Hey Allen, looking like a total gigolo. You just need a sugar mommy in your group now~"
"Yo, Sue. Surprised you haven't been arrested with that nasty attitude of yours..."
They paused and chuckled softly. Then Allen introduced the girls to her.
"This is MJ—charming, kind when she wants to be, into cute animals and fashion, but she also loves all kinds of TV shows. Just… don't piss her off. She's got a bit of a temper."
MJ pouted and elbowed Allen. "Hey, what kind of intro is that?!"
Allen ignored her and moved on. "This is Gwen—smart, kind, strong sense of justice, super intelligent… but don't get on her bad side. She's got zero patience for people she doesn't like."
Gwen snorted, then smiled. "Nice to meet you, Sue. Allen's told us about you."
Allen looked over to make sure Felicia was still there, and when he saw her standing with her arms crossed, she nodded.
"This is Felicia—a tough girl who can kick ass, but she's also naturally… charming. She's like a cat: if she likes you, she'll show it. If not, don't even bother."
Felicia walked over and pinched Allen's rear. It didn't hurt, but it made it clear she wasn't a fan of the introduction. Of course, Allen could've introduced them better.
"Hehe~ Don't mind him. He's just mad I wouldn't wear my leather outfit last night~"
Sue's eyes widened. Something didn't add up—the weird way he introduced the girls, the intimacy with him, the way they talked like they lived together… no, it seemed like—
Sue laughed at her own thoughts and nodded. "Nice to meet you all. I'm glad Allen has such gorgeous friends. So I can stop worrying that he only approached me just to drag me to a hotel and steal my innocence~"
"..." Allen snorted.
Gwen, MJ, and Felicia blinked in confusion for a moment before realizing what Allen meant—this girl could go from melancholic beauty to foul-mouthed tease to emotionless girl…
She was a strange one...
Still, none of them rejected him, and as they walked, the girls exchanged numbers. Allen smiled—this was the best possible outcome.
Once again, Gwen, MJ, and Felicia had different classes from Allen, so they left, leaving him alone with Sue Storm.
Both of them went too...
They both walked to their next class side by side and entered a building in which there were few students.
"When I first met you, I thought you were a simple guy with an ordinary life, but seeing you surrounded by pretty girls makes me think maybe I don't know anything about you."
Sue's blue eyes became both vacant and beautiful. She stepped closer to Allen and pinned him against a wall.
"Who are you, really?"
Allen remained silent. No matter how well he behaved, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the fact that he wasn't normal always surfaced. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised his hand to grab Sue's nose. She quickly pulled back, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Still without answering, Allen walked toward Sue and this time it was him who pinned her against the wall. Sue couldn't help but blush from the situation.
"What?"
Allen's hair shifted, revealing his original gray eyes.
"Essentially, I'm what you see—nothing more, nothing less..." Allen leaned his face close to hers, and Sue couldn't understand how her friend had suddenly become so... dangerous.
"You..."
Sue felt her heart skip a beat. Her breathing quickened, and her sweet breath turned warm. However, just as quickly as it came... it vanished.
Allen laughed and walked away as if he had just played a prank on Sue. Then he left without another word. Sue stared at Allen's back, her embarrassment quickly turning to anger. Without thinking, she ran toward Allen and wrapped her arm around his neck from behind.
"How dare you make fun of me?" Sue said with a cold voice and dark eyes. It looked like she was going to kill Allen, but he just laughed, finding her murderous behavior amusing—maybe even cute.
Sue was surprised her intimidation didn't work, blushed again, and retaliated by biting Allen's ear. Allen pretended it hurt, but Sue realized it didn't, which only frustrated her more.
Wednesday – Either Sue has a split personality or she's faking one side of herself...
Albedo – I wouldn't rule out something more supernatural. Perhaps there's more than one soul in her body.
Harley – Like Harleen and me?
Rebecca – Harleen and you are basically the same person, but Allen carefully separated your soul into two parts when he turned you into a doll.
Harley – That's complicated...
Makima – Still, I'm surprised all of you managed to hold yourselves back...
To Allen, Sue was just a weird friend, but to someone else, that girl could be a serious threat.
Artoria – Looking at Allen's face, he's just having fun with a girl. He'd get upset if we stepped in now.
...
Allen smiled through the next class while Sue stayed in a bad mood. But soon she got over it and turned lazy. The girl stared at him in silence before giving a quiet smile.
In her eyes, various emotions were reflected—some quite different, even contradictory. But soon they calmed, and she returned to being the Sue who was calm, a little sarcastic, a little teasing, a little serious, and passive.
If Allen weren't Allen, he'd be scared of the girl's mood swings. But this man had seen death and hell—this wouldn't scare him.
Sue, realizing that, leaned back on the desk and looked at him silently. It was strange... he was strange...
"You're still here?", said Sue with a lonely smile.
Allen looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "It's not lunchtime yet. Where would I go?"
Sue's eyes lit up, her lips tightened for a moment before she smiled.
"That's true..."
...
That night, Sue laid in her bed. Her ceiling was covered with pictures of Allen, different ones this time. She even stuck one to the teddy bear she slept with. But she didn't hug the bear or treat it gently. She just lay beside it like the two of them were staring at the ceiling together.
"You're a weird guy..." Sue murmured.
"...."
"You know something's wrong with me, but still you stay close..." Sue continued.
"...."
"I hope you don't regret it..."
Sue chuckled bitterly, feeling like she had no right to call Victor a classy psychopath when she did stuff like this.
...
Allen lay in bed with Esdeath and 2B in his arms. He wasn't stupid—he knew Sue was peculiar... to say the least. Still, he didn't judge her, because he saw the girl underneath. Besides, already having someone like Albedo and Aphrodite in his life, Sue felt like a cute kitten in comparison.
Allen closed his eyes and went to sleep...
...
(Fragments of the past)
Allen headed to Atlantis as an emissary, but things didn't go as he expected. On the beach, he waited for the escorts. But when they emerged from the sea, they expected Allen to follow them—without offering any means to do so.
It was a lack of courtesy. Luckily for them, Allen had come alone. Otherwise, Antiope might've decided to decapitate them on the spot.
Allen had already promised to do his best and wasn't about to give up just because a couple of escorts were assholes. Still, there was the issue of the place being underwater, so Allen had to get some item that let him breathe down there.
The escorts were not talkative—always silent. They swam ahead without worrying about giving him transportation. At this point, Allen felt that the Atlantis from Invincible had better hospitality.
Once he arrived at the famous Atlantis, Allen saw the massive aquatic buildings of this underwater nation. The guards took him to the palace. Many people watched Allen pass by, and their gazes ranged from indifferent to hostile. Allen hadn't expected relations between the two nations to be this bad.
Upon arriving at the palace, he wasn't even greeted by the queen. Instead, he was led to a sealed room with a young girl standing at the door.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"I'm Mera. Guest, I ask you not to leave. The queen will see you when she can..."
"Am I a prisoner?"
Mera got nervous—she was pretty young. Even though she had been trained to be an elite warrior, she understood what the Atlanteans' actions toward the Amazonian emissary implied.
"No. You can go wherever you like as long as you respect the Atlantean people."
Allen opened the door and walked out. "In that case, I want to take a stroll."
Mera was a young beautiful girl with scarlet hair. She didn't know why she had been chosen for this task, but she didn't feel very comfortable. It was as if they wanted her to mess up while attending the emissary.
Allen smiled at her. "Come on. Your order was to keep an eye on me, right?"
"Yes?" Mera answered hesitantly.
Allen's smile widened. "Then you can do that from anywhere~"
"Yeah, I guess..."
Allen grinned, making Mera blush, and then walked through the palace with her behind him. Without even realizing it, Mera had just released the most dangerous guy from his cell...
===
A/N: Well, it's time to start ramping up for the next arc. 🍷🗿
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