who died and made you referee?

"It's just like a little felony- it'll be fine." He paused. "I hope." Scott looked around. God he hated Hank sometimes. The man really had too much confidence in himself that his plans would work. Like telling him he won't get caught. Hank seemed to forget that Scott always seemed to get caught. "Plus it's for like the greater good so they'll overlook it."

Casey raised an eyebrow, skepticism etched across his face. "The greater good, huh? That's what they all say in the movies before everything goes sideways." He glanced at Scott, trying to gauge his seriousness amidst the half-hearted reassurances. "Fine, I'm in."

"It's only a felony if we get caught. That's how the law works. Probably." She walked over to the locked fence and yanked the padlock with one swift motion. "Besides. It's been a while since I've been arrested. I think I'm overdue." She looked back at him. "Relax. It's for a case. We're just gonna take a look around, okay? Scout's honor."

Casey raised an eyebrow, his skepticism etched on his face as he glanced at the fence Jessica had just breached. "Scout's honor, huh? Last time you said that, we ended up in a high-speed chase with the NYPD," he remarked dryly, following her through the gap in the fence. "Fine, but just so we're clear, if this goes south, I'm blaming you and your rusty sense of justice." He smirked, half teasing, half serious.

"I'm always nice, thanks. You're just an asshole and don't always get to experience that." She lowered her hand from his crown and snorted, rolling her eyes as she walked with him towards the food. "You get points deducted for a joke that made you sound 50. Besides, you look really hot. The only Instagram feed you'll end up on is mine. Unless you keep talking and mess up that things are going your way currently."

Casey smirked at April's sass, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Hey, you know I thrive on making you roll your eyes," he said, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "I'll take the compliment, but honestly you look much better in pink than I do." He grabbed a rainbow frosted cupcake for each of them, holding one out to April. "You look amazing by the way, I haven't told you that yet."

“What would you suggest?” Bucky had probably tried everything at this point. At least he thought so. Therapy was working to an extent, but the nightmares were still running rampant every night.

"Well, sometimes you need a different kind of release, you know? Like… cricket," Casey suggested, his cricket stick tapping against the fence rhythmically. "Not the game, mind you. I'm talking about taking a swing at something, letting out all that pent-up frustration. Find yourself a quiet spot, grab a stick, and just let loose on whatever's bothering you. Trust me, it's therapeutic in its own way."

April was taking pictures of the party-goers when she felt him walk over to him. She took look one look at him and started laughing. "Alright, Ken." She turned to take a picture of him and smirked, before leaning all the way up to kiss his cheek. "You look good in pink, Jones. Don't be a bitch." She put her camera away and reached for his hand. "Come on. We'll get some drinks in you to make you a more tolerable person."

Casey rolled his eyes at April's teasing but couldn't help but smile at her antics. He adjusted the hat on his head, attempting to regain some semblance of dignity. "Fine, fine, but only because you asked so nicely," he quipped, allowing her to lead him through the crowds. "But I better not end up on some Instagram feed looking like a rejected member of the Village People. I don't think I could ever recover from that, drunk or not," he added jokingly.

"Mm. Debatable." She pushed her laptop aside and took hold of her coffee. "I don't do that anymore. Remember? I work with SHIELD." April gave him a too-pleasant smile and sipped her coffee. "I got tired of reporting and doing stories on asshole athletes."

"Doesn't mean you can't still be my favorite," he said, obviously trying not to take the 'asshole athlete' comment to heart. Besides, technically, he wasn't an athlete anymore. "So you decided asshole billionaires are better?"

"I mean, as long as you're aware that it sounds crazy. Because if you didn't, I'd be a little worried about your mental state at the moment." Johnny was still smirking, but when his friend leaned forward, he realized Casey was actually being serious. "Okay. Okay." He raised a hand in defense, "I believe you. Where were they and what were you doing? Because if there's rogue ninjas running around the city, I feel like I should tell my step-dad or something."

"I wasn't doing anything," Casey shrugged dismissively. He'd been known to get himself into trouble, but he never intentionally went looking for it. "I was just out for a midnight stroll and I saw them sneaking into one of the abandoned warehouses. Don't worry, I kept my distance. I can handle myself in a fight but these guys definitely had me outnumbered. I couldn't see exactly what they were up to, but they were definitely up to something. Otherwise why would they need the whole get-up?"

"And you actually listen to those quacks?" Casey asked with a laugh, dragging his cricket stick along the fence as they walked. "You know, there's better ways to clear your head, right?"

“His hands were created to be cold and destructive; to be deadly towards whatever stopped him from accomplishing his mission. And yet, when they rest upon you, they’re warm and sentient”

"Dude. You sure you weren't high?" Johnny just looked at him for a moment, not so subtly biting back the smirk on his face. He raised the hand that wasn't holding his glass in defense. "I'm sorry. I'm listening. It's just the way you described it. Like, I've fought alien robots and yet somehow you talking about ninjas is hilarious."

"I know it sounds crazy, man, but I'm serious. They weren't just any ninjas. These guys moved like shadows. I barely saw them coming. And the way they fought… it was like something out of a movie." Casey leaned forward, eyes wide with intensity. "I've seen a lot of weird stuff too, Johnny, but this? This was next level."

She didn't even look up at the sound of his voice, somehow knowing exactly who it was as soon as he approached, before he even said anything. "And why would it be a surprise? You do this everytime I'm in here." She reached over and picked her bag up from the seat across from her, dropping it to the one beside her, knowing he'd slide in and take that seat. Eyes back on her laptop, April continued, "It can turn into a private party if you start pissing me off. What do you want?"

Casey chuckled, sliding into the now-vacant seat with a smooth, confident motion. "Oh, come on, April, you know you love the company," he teased, leaning back comfortably. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd see if my favorite reporter needed a break. Maybe you could use a distraction? A charming one, at that."

"What did you just say? I need to hear it again to believe it."

"Trust me, I didn't know what I was looking at either, but I'm telling you," Casey took a drink and leaned back in his chair. "These guys were decked out in the full face mask and everything. Actual ninjas."