#leverage au

i got back into leverage this week so of course i couldn't not draw zukki as the ot3. i think suki would work better as a grifter than a thief (maybe even a hitter) but yk. i also stayed up way too long thinking about who is the mastermind and who is the grifter/thief remaining and i got to the following conclusions:

song as the mastermind and jin as a grifter just butters up my heart like i missed these girls like crazy and i think it would fit them (also azula as jim sterling is way too funny)

but then we have azula as nate (which i think is equally funny) and ty lee as thief

A little bell jangled above his head as he went inside, and Steve looked up from where he’d been restocking the coffee supplies. He looked startled for a moment, about to bust into his welcome to the Gas N Sip spiel he rattled off to practically everyone who came through the door. Dean, however, had finally at least earned a friendly smile, and Steve greeted him with a more personalized, “Hello, Dean,” in the deep, gravelly voice that sent a little shiver down Dean’s spine. “Hey, Steve. How’s it going today?” Dean asked. Steve glanced around, as if he’d only just noticed they were entirely alone in the shop, and then replied very seriously, “It’s going.” Dean grinned at him, suddenly unable to think of a single other thing to say, but perfectly content to continue standing there anyway, smiling at Steve. “Can I help you with something?” Steve finally asked, breaking eye contact and whatever weird spell had come over them as he closed up his half-filled box of coffee stirrers and switched into customer service mode. He glanced up at Dean as he made his way back behind the counter. Dean just stood and watched him go, sidestepping through the narrow opening like it was a well practiced dance before coming to a stop on the other side of the register. His posture was all business, but Dean couldn’t help notice the slight pink tinge to his cheeks, like he was flustered to have been caught off guard while not dutifully manning his station. Dean grinned at him. The entire place was technically his station, including the coffee service area he’d been attending to. There was nothing to be embarrassed about conscientiously doing his job. Steve just kept looking at him like he was hoping Dean would actually need his help with something now that he’d assumed his position behind the counter. Dean cleared his throat and shook himself off. He was definitely not getting a good grade in being a normal customer. “Uh, yeah,” he said, awkwardly holding his wallet up to prove he was about to be a paying customer and hadn’t just stopped in to stare at Steve. He fumbled a few bills free and held them out, arm extended stiffly across the counter. “Gonna fill up the tank out there. I’ll be back.” Steve reached out for the cash without breaking eye contact and gave him a serious nod, like Dean had entrusted him with a packet of stolen classified documents. Which was an expression Dean recognized from his long career of passing secret documents to people, among varied other shady endeavors that had consumed the majority of his life. Dean was absolutely convinced there was seriously something more going on under that rumpled and slightly bumbling exterior that Steve presented to the world, and he was damn well gonna figure out what it was. Even if it killed him. Possibly hastening toward that inevitable end while trying to casually and suavely make his exit from the shop, Dean backed into a chip display rack and fumbled to quickly catch it before it crashed to the ground. He gave Steve an apologetic little wave while he made sure all the snacks had remained on their shelves to show him everything was good, and then again had to restrain himself from flat out sprinting back across the parking lot to the relative safety of his car. Something about Steve just rattled him, made him forget a lifetime of training to be aware of his environment and prepared to defend himself against attack at all times. In Steve’s presence, somehow Dean wasn’t even a match for flimsy inanimate objects and basic gravity. It was terrifying, and also exhilarating in ways he couldn’t explain to himself.

"Yeah?" Zoey answered casually, strolling into the living with an obnoxiously green colored soda bottle.

"Care to explain this?" Celine gestured to the tv, where a newscaster was explaining how everyone at the top of IYS Insurance's hierarchy had had their emails absolutely flooded with pornography.

"Now what makes you think that had anything to do with me?!" Zoey argued, waving her free hand around. "Just because I could do something like that- which, by the way, is totes impressive -doesn't me that I did!"

Celine stared her straight in the eye as she turned up the volume.

"-Reports also say that each IYS officer also received an email from the alleged hacker, stating, 'Try fapping to this instead of dead clients, you overcompensating jerkwads' along with several emojis suggesting more of the same-"

Celine tapped the mute button. "Quite an interesting phrase; wouldn't you say?

Zoey pointedly stared off to one side as she took a long pull of her soda; clearly trying to make her face say 'I distinctly do not recall saying that exact same sentence just a few days ago'.

Celine sighed and rubbed her temple.

"...I suppose I should be grateful it was just a childish prank and not something else, like- hacking into their bank accounts."

"..."

"..."

Zoey kept drinking her soda.

"...Whatever you did, undo it."

"I didn't even do anything! ...Yet!"

"And you're not gonna, because as much as IYS pisses me off there are still too many people who depend on them for us to just drive them into the ground all willy-nilly! Not to mention all the heat we'd have to deal with-"

"-Alright, alright! I'll leave them be, jeeze," Zoey sighed, shoulders drooping.

"Good." Celine nodded and returning to watching the tv, letting the younger ravenette turn around and get a few steps away before calling after her again.

"And Choi?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks."

Zoey blinked before a broad smile stretched across her face. She chirped a welcome and skipped the rest of the way out of the room, missing Celine's quiet chuckle at her antics.

@forest-creaturre