"𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑔𝑜𝑑𝑠, 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛."
—𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠

𝒩.

"𝐒𝐎, 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘," Natalia began as she slowly paced around the classroom, "alkenes can be reduced to alkanes with H2 in the presence of metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, Ni, or Rh; the two new C-H s bonds are formed simultaneously from H atoms absorbed into the metal surface; the reaction is stereospecific, giving only the syn addition product; and this reaction forms the basis of experimental 'heats of hydrogenation,' which can be used to establish the stability of isomeric alkenes."

She watched as her class of about two hundred students scribbled the note down, and she gripped her laser pointer a little tighter in her hand.

After a few minutes, she clicked for the next slide to show up on the board and turned back to the class.

"Moving onto the next one, and the last for the day: catalytic hydrogenation. The first step is—" She suddenly faltered as her eyes caught upon a familiar face at the back of the class, and he sent her a grin. She cleared her throat, trying her best to repress the smile that was fighting its way onto her lips and continued, "The first step is that Hydrogen gets absorbed onto the metal surface. Then, the Alkene approaches the H atoms absorbed on the metal surface, and, finally, C=C reacts with the H atoms on the surface, forming the two new C-H s bonds."

She waited for a few minutes until everyone had finished writing, and turned the projector off.

Once the sound of scratching pencils had stopped, she gave them a smile. "That's all for alkyl halides today. Remember, your lab reports are due on Thursday, and I expect them to be handed in by the beginning of class."

After she dismissed them, a couple of students came up to her to ask questions about the lab report.

When she had answered all of the questions and the last of the students had filed out, Natalia began to pack up her stuff and smiled as the surprise guest had come up to the desk.

"Are you a new student?" she teased as she closed her binder.

Diego grinned. "Yeah, and, uh, Dr. Kim, gotta say, I'm a big fan."

Her eyebrows raised as she grabbed a couple of her supplies and dropped them into her purse. "Of what?"

"You."

Her eyebrows raised even higher. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're just absolutely gorgeous." He paused for a moment, his grin broadening as her cheeks flushed, and then continued, "But I heard that you have an incredibly sexy, amazing, romantic, charming, and, most of all, humble boyfriend, so I'll back off."

"So kind of you," she laughed as she grabbed her purse and motioned for him to follow her out. Once he reached her side, she kissed his cheek. "What are you doing here, handsome?"

He shrugged. "Wanted to know if we could grab lunch?"

"Sure. I just need to go to my office first," she replied, directing them toward the hall that would take them there. "So, why the need to sneak into my lecture? You could've just waited at my office like usual."

"Oh, I was cravin' some education," he answered with a nonchalant shrug. "Plus, I wanted to see my girlfriend in action."

She gave him a humoured smile. "Well, I'm sure you were very interested in alkyl halides."

"I wasn't paying any attention to that," he reassured her as he waved a dismissive hand. "You were too distracting."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she pointed out, "If all your focus was on me, wouldn't that mean you were paying attention?"

"I wasn't listening." He shrugged. "Just looking at you and your gorgeous face. Might've snuck a few peeks at your butt, too."

She felt her cheeks heat up, and she swatted his arm. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing."

"Eh, I'm not gonna make any use of al . . . whatever, anyway."

"Alkyl halides."

"Sure."

She rolled her eyes in amusement as they reached her office, and she dug her keys out of the pocket of her blazer before inserting it into the lock.

"Klaus stopped by my place the other day, by the way," Diego told her as they stepped inside her office. "Wanted me to tell you he says hi."

Her eyebrows raised as she placed her purse on her desk. "How's he doing?"

He shrugged. "The same."

Natalia sighed as she pulled the binder out and placed it on the corner of the desk. "I don't understand why he doesn't listen to me and just go to rehab."

"Because people who are addicted to something don't wanna stop doing that," he pointed out with an amused smile. "That's why they're addicted."

"Oh, shut up," she murmured with a laugh as she swatted his arm. 

She rolled her eyes in amusement before turning back to her desk and continuing to organize her stuff. She gave a small giggle as Diego pressed against her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.

He began to kiss her neck. "Do you need to come back to work after?"

She laughed. "Yes."

"Do you?"

"I do."

He let out a scoff. "What, you don't wanna spend more time with me?"

"You know I do, honey." She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She lightly pecked his lips before continuing, "But I have to teach a class at two."

"Well, it's twelve now . . . ," Diego murmured as he pressed his forehead against hers. His eyes glanced between her eyes and her lips as he lowered his hands to her hips. "I'm sure there's enough time to make a quick stop at my place."

She shook her head. "I also need to check on my lab and prepare for my class."

A glint of amusement appeared in his eyes. "Ah, making excuses are you?"

"No," she chuckled, "I'm just saying I'm busy."

He frowned. "You're always busy."

"I have a busy job," she pointed out with a shrug.

He kissed her gently before whispering, "Quit."

Her lips curved into an entertained smile. "No."

He kissed her once more. "For me?"

"No," she laughed.

"Wow," he drawled as he straightened up and released his grip. "So you don't love me, huh?"

Natalia rolled her eyes in amusement. "Do you want to get lunch or not?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, "let's go."

Natalia kissed him on the cheek before grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder. 

"So, speaking of you being busy all the time . . ." Diego began as they walked towards the exit of the university, "we haven't been seeing each other enough lately."

She shrugged. "I mean, twice or thrice a week is a good amount."

He quirked an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure I see Klaus more than you."

"Klaus also doesn't have a job," she rebutted with a raised finger. 

"Still." He sighed as he gave her an imploring look. 

"I mean, what can we do about it? I'm busy during the day, you're busy at night" —she shrugged— "it's kinda hard."

A grin appeared on Diego's face while they left the building and were met with the warm June weather. "Well, I was thinking . . ."

Natalia sighed, glancing at the shops they were passing as they headed down the sidewalk. "Oh, no."

"What?" he questioned with a scrunched face. "Why 'Oh, no'?"

"You have that look on your face," she answered with another sigh. 

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and in bafflement, he questioned, "What look?"

"The look that tells me I'm not gonna like the idea."

"Oh, come on," he groaned. 

She chuckled, motioning for him to go on. "Just say it."

"Well . . . one reason I'm busy at night is because I'm going out on the streets, right?" he pointed out, eliciting a nod from her. "So, I was thinkin', you know, get the best duo back out there."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What, you and me?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a grin. "You and me, baby."

A scoff of amusement escaped her lips as she shook her head. "No way, Diego."

"Aw, come on, princess," he pleaded as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You know you wanna get back out there."

"I haven't fought in, like, five years," she pointed out with a sigh.  

"Five?" he repeated with furrowed eyebrows. "Not ten?"

"I still went on a couple of missions every now and then until I left," she briefly elaborated with a small shrug. She sighed, waving a dismissive hand before continuing, "Point is, Diego, I'll die."

"You'll be fine," he reassured her. "I won't let you die."

Natalia quirked an eyebrow. "And if I do die?"

He shrugged. "Then that's my bad."

She scoffed, and shook her head, eliciting a chuckle from the man. "Not very convincing."

They reached the usual cafe they liked to visit, whose neon sign seemed dim in the dazzling sunlight. It wasn't too busy, luckily, with only a few people sitting at the booths and eating their lunches. 

They entered, their noses immediately satisfied as the smell of freshly-brewed coffee and warm cookies wafted around. The two of them got in the short line, and Diego used the small opportunity to continue his attempt in convincing her. 

"Come on, babe," he egged. "It'd be fun. Like old times."

Her face scrunched up in confusion as she turned to him and pointed out, "I thought you hated those times?"

"Because of Dad," he corrected firmly. "Not because of fighting."

Natalia sighed. "I'm not sure, Diego."

They reached the front of the line and got their usual orders (sandwich and latte for Natalia, salad and black coffee for Diego), and, yet again, Diego remained persistent as they sat down. 

"Please. One night. You'll love it," he promised as she groaned. He leaned towards her, dropping his voice to a whisper as he smirked. "And, hey, after, we can go to my place and have some fun, you know?"

Natalia took a long sip of her latte, ignoring the fact that it burned her tongue as she silently groaned. She put her cup back down and narrowed her eyes at Diego's grin. 

"Or, hear me out," she said slowly as she lifted her eyebrows, "what if . . . you skip one night, and we go on a nice date and then go back to your place?"

"What," he scoffed in amusement, "you think stopping murderers and robbers isn't a nice date?"

She gave him a half-smile as she shook her head. "Not in my book, no."

He shrugged. "Then maybe you should try reading my book."

She gazed at him and his grin for a few moments as she took the first bite of her sandwich. 

It wouldn't hurt to go out once (unless she literally got hurt, that is) . . . And, after all, it was just another opportunity to spend time with him (though not an ideal opportunity, admittedly) . . . 

After she swallowed, she sighed and conceded, "Fine. One time."

His grin broadened. "Trust me, gorgeous, you'll wanna go out more once we're done."

She chuckled as she shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Oh, it's gonna be great," Diego sighed as he sipped his coffee. "It'll all come back to you. The thrill, the adrenaline, the satisfaction . . . You'll get addicted."

"I think I'll be fine," she reassured him, eliciting a shake of the head. "Anyway, what do I . . . wear?" 

He gave her a humoured smile. "I guess you don't have that mission suit on you anymore, do you?"

She shook her head with a chuckle. "Even if I did, I'm pretty sure it doesn't fit me anymore."

"Shame," he remarked with a slight smirk. "You looked good in it. Real tight."

She rolled her eyes in amusement before chiding, "Shut up."

"Well," he sighed as he sipped his coffee, "just wear something dark, preferably tight-fitting—"

"Preferable for what reason?"

"For my own reasons that will remain undisclosed," Diego replied, causing her to playfully slap his arm. "Anyway, that, and I'll get you a mask."

"A mask?" she repeated with raised eyebrows. 

"Mhm."

She groaned. "Oh, God."

Diego pointed a finger toward her. "You've already agreed, no backing out."

"I didn't sign anything," she mumbled. 

"Too bad." He leaned forward and quickly pecked her lips. "Tonight'll be great, honey. You'll see."

𝒩.

Natalia sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, and tugged the bottom of her tight-fitting black shirt down. She had supposed that, and a pair of leggings was probably sufficient for both of Diego's terms.

She debated on what to do with her hair for a few moments before grabbing a hair tie and settling her hair into a low ponytail; that was what she used to do back when they were doing missions. 

She wasn't sure how she felt about what was to come. She was a little nervous; it had been five years since she last fought, after all. What if she had lost her touch? What if she got herself killed? Recently, the only thing she's been doing with her powers is using her telekinesis to flip pages in a book or to lightly blast Klaus whenever he said something stupid (which was pretty often). 

But then again, she was still a little excited. Fighting was something she had been trained to do for a long stretch of her life, and her body was thrilled to get back into action. 

But, still, Natalia reminded herself, this was a one-time thing. So, enjoy it while it lasts. 

The sound of the buzzer made her sigh and tug at her shirt one last time before flicking the lights to her bathroom off. 

She pressed the button that would unlock the front door and leaned against her cabinet as she folded her arms and waited. She glanced at the clock to see that it was a little before eleven, and her attention drew back to the door once it had been knocked upon.  

She opened the door to be met by a grinning Diego, who was wearing his usual all-black attire, and all the tactical gear that she usually saw hung in his room. In his hand were two black domino masks—similar to the Academy's, but without the white eye patches. 

Diego's eyes roamed her outfit for a moment before he winked. "You look hot, baby."

"And you look ridiculous," she laughed, tugging on the straps of his gear. "You wear this shit every night? That can't be comfortable."

"Oh, don't tell me you don't think I look sexy in this," he teased, eliciting a roll of the eyes from her. 

"Let's just go."

"You're that excited, huh?" he quipped as she locked her door and followed him towards the elevator. "Can't wait another moment to get out there?"

"Can't wait to get it over with," she corrected, though a smile was tugging on her lips. 

"Yeah." He scoffed. "Like I'd believe that."

"So . . . " She sighed as they entered the elevator. "Where are we going? How . . . how the hell do you even find this stuff?"

"Well, usually I just drive around," he answered with a shrug. "But I got this police scanner, so if there's any crime scene, I'm there."

Natalia's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion. "And where did you get the scanner?" 

He gave her a grin. "Military surplus. Don't worry, sweetheart, I didn't steal."

She chuckled as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. "Still kinda worried."

They quickly left the building and entered the warm night, and Natalia suddenly found herself regretting her choice of long sleeves as sweat beaded at the top of her forehead. 

The pair went into Diego's car, and Diego's grin only broadened as he started the engine. "Here we go."

His hands gripped the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking lot and merged onto the dark street. 

Natalia squinted her eyes as she looked out the window, but the only thing her eyes could catch were near street signs and the curb. "How the hell do you see anything?"

Diego shrugged. "I'm just that good."

She playfully slapped his arm, eliciting a chuckle. 

He turned onto the street of a neighbourhood and slowed the speed of the car as he turned his gaze toward the houses. 

He continued doing this for the next few streets, his lips pressed together and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. 

On the seventh or eighth street, his breath hitched and he pressed on the brake pedal. 

"What?" Natalia whispered, leaning forward to look out his window. 

"There. You see that?" Diego muttered back as he pointed to the house just across.

Natalia squinted her eyes. "A . . . house?"

"Look closer." He grabbed her arm and tugged her. "The glass on the door."

A soft gasp escaped her lips as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "It's broken."

"Mm," he hummed. "No cars in the driveway, all the lights are off—my guess is: no one's home."

She turned her gaze to him. "So . . . ?'"

"So" —Diego grinned as he parked the car— "let's go."

He handed her her mask, and, with a short sigh that made him chuckle, she slipped it on. 

He raised a finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet before the two of them got out of the car and stepped toward the house. 

As they grew closer, more of the house became distinguishable to her. It was a tall, two-story house made of brick.

She followed Diego towards the door, staying one step behind him as he pressed himself against the wall and peered into the door. 

She strained her ears for a few moments, and her eyes widened as she heard the sound of rummaging and low voices. 

Diego nodded for her to follow him as he headed around the house and towards the back. 

She could feel her energy tingling through her fingertips as she followed him, and she kept her breathing steady. Once they reached the back of the house, Diego held out a hand to stop her. 

He unsheathed one of his knives and bent down to pick the lock, but paused as she placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"What?" he whispered with furrowed eyebrows. 

Natalia only motioned for him to get out of the way, which he heeded reluctantly. She narrowed her eyes and sent a small shot of energy that broke the lock, and winked at him as she pushed the door open. 

"See?" he muttered with a small grin. "Knew you'd do good."

She rolled her eyes in amusement. "I opened a door."

"And you did such a great job," he rebutted before passing her and tiptoeing inside. 

She rolled her eyes again before following, and she gently closed the door behind him. 

Diego paused, his eyes narrowed as he swivelled his head around. She watched as he furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head for a few moments before leaning toward her. 

"I think there are a couple people in the living room, and another couple upstairs," he whispered. 

"Split up?" she suggested with raised eyebrows. 

He smirked. "You think you'll be okay by yourself?"

"Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing."

"Shut up." He playfully slapped her arm before muttering, "I'll take the living room."

She nodded and whispered a quick good luck before finding the stairs and climbing up. 

She tried to keep her footsteps quiet and her breathing steady as she slowly headed down the dark hallway, peeking at each room that she passed. 

Her ears perked up when she heard someone murmur something to another, and her eyes narrowed. The room on the right, at the very end of the hall. 

She could feel her body moving forward even faster, urging her to get back into action and use her powers again. To be powerful again. To feel powerful again. 

The voices and clattering grew louder as she neared, and once she arrived at the room, she pressed her back against the wall and peered in. 

It seemed to be the master's bedroom, though it was hard to tell what was happening inside due to the curtains that covered the windows and the lights that were dimmed. 

Natalia could still, however, make out the outlines of two men, both on opposite sides of the room. They both had duffel bags and were shoving whatever they could inside. 

Magenta energy began to cloak her hands as she stepped in, and, immediately, the two robbers paused what they were doing and turned to her. 

She gave them a nod and grin of hello before pushing either hand out at them and blasts of energy shot in their direction. It hit them square in the chest, and both of them were knocked backwards. 

One of them hit their head against the wall and slid to the ground, unconscious. The same couldn't be said for the other one, however. 

The other one, who had crashed into a sofa chair, quickly got up and eyed her hands warily. Slowly, he brought his hand to his belt, but before he could take his gun out of its holster, she used her telekinesis to grab hold of the gun and moved her hands in opposite directions so that the gun broke apart. 

She tossed the pieces aside before using her telekinesis once more to pick the robber up. She then threw him out of the window and winced as the glass shattered. 

She created a rope out of her energy and quickly tied it around the man's hands before leaving the room and heading down toward the living room. 

Judging by the sound of grunts and clattering, Diego wasn't quite done with his set of robbers yet. 

Quickly, she headed towards the living room and saw that Diego was finishing up with the last robbers. One was already pinned against the wall, and the other was slumped against the wall with a few knives protruding from his stomach.

This robber seemed to be putting up quite a fight, however, as he avoided Diego's punches and sent punches and kicks of his own. 

The robber sent a punch that caused Diego to stumble back, and, just as he reached for his knife, Natalia sent a blast toward the robber that sent him flying into the wall. 

Diego wiped a bit of blood that was spilling off the corner of his lip as he turned to her. "I had that taken care of."

She gave him an amused smile. "Clearly."

He grinned before nodding toward her. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"What, we're just gonna leave them here?" she questioned as she gestured towards the three bodies. 

Diego grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the front door. "Yep. The police'll take care of 'em."

As they headed down the driveway, they took notice of the guy that Natalia had thrown out the window. He was still unconscious, lying limp on the grass. 

Diego raised his eyebrows as he turned towards her. "That you?"

"No," she quipped, "he just threw himself out the window 'cause he felt like it."

He grinned. "That's what I thought."

The two of them got inside the car and quickly drove out, and the faint sound of police sirens reassured them that the bodies would soon be found.

"So, that was fun, huh?" Diego questioned with a small grin. "Livin' the old days again?"

"It was okay." Natalia shrugged. 

"You loved it." He nodded in confirmation to himself. "Knew you would."

"Not exactly what I said," she mumbled. 

Diego ignored the comment as he smirked. "Let's go see what's next."