Author's Note

I never truly abandon stories...they just kinda...get lost for awhile!

I'm an adult, and things get busy. I'm also a person with many energy sapping illnesses, both mental and physical. And anyone of any age can understand that life happens.

My most recent twists include getting an apartment with my boyfriend (yay!), working through some losses (T_T); work drama; and more. Not to mention the on going viral apocolypse. Still waiting on Covid Zombies to be a thing...

But, whatevs. Here I be, typing out another chapter of my MatsuxFem! story!

Hope yinz like it, almost a year later.

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Just a Few Words; Just a Few Days

"Seiously!" [Y/N] vented at Matsuda as the pair approached her appartment, "I get that we have to get to this quickly, and not be seen too much before we blah-blah-blah....but it's not like [p/t]s can just feed themselves! And I need to make sure I have some clothes at least!"

Near had said he would provide them clothing at their undercover apartment (which was creepy enough given it meant he knew her sizes; but she wanted to have her own comfort clothes at least. A good bra could be hard to come by, and she didn't exactly trust some strange man to know what brand and style to buy. Besides, breaking one in just right was something that could take time!

And FORGET letting anyone but her find a petsitter for [p/n]! No way! If her precious [p/t] didn't have a good relationship with whoever was taking care of them, then there was bound to be issues. So it had to be someone she knew well enough to have had them around her apartment. If anything, she would trust [b/n] to the task, and he knew the right people to delegate to if he had to.

That was why she put her pressed call and put her phone to her ear as she fiddled with her keys and unlocked her door, "Hey! Big Bro! It's your favorite little sister!"

"I'm not so sure about that...[s/n] is a lot less trouble..."

"Not funny, [B/N]" She pouted, the door swinging open and [p/n] running up to greet her.

"Haha, alright, what did you want, sis?"

When [p/n] saw Matsuda, though, it became suddenly wary and protective, pushing between its owner and the man and baring its teeth.

"Uh...hey there," Matsuda spoke in hushed tones, "Nice [p/t]"

"Hey!" [Y/N] reached to calm the creature, "Calm down, it's cool."

"Is everything okay over there? What's got [P/N] so riled up? Hey....do I hear a man's voice?!"

"What? I...Everything's fine! They aren't rilesded! M-man?What? N-no way! Here? What? NO! I just...could you petsit? Going on a vacaation. Just real short couple days! Leaving this afternoon! Kay, thanks!"

She quickly hung up the phone and winced, "Shit."

Matsuda looked at her wide eyed. First off, he had never expected her to become so nervous speaking to her own family. She adored them, and had known them her whole life. Who could she be more comfortable with? Second; the cursing caught him off guard, "[L/N], is everything alright?"

"No...not alright at all..." She shook her head rapidly, "Gotta hurry. Damn, I should known...bad...this is real bad..."

"What?" Matsuda stood in the middle of the living room, thoroughly confused as she rushed around him, grabbing a small duffle out the hall closet and running into her bed room.

"[Y/N], tell me what's going on!" Matsuda was picking up on her panic and had no idea why the environment was suddenly so anxious. He followed her to her room, nearly bowled over by her pet who was racing after her.

When he arrived in the doorway, he saw her shoving underthings and night clothes into her bag, causing him to blush and whirl around, "Uh [Y/N]?"

"Shit, Shit! He's gotta be almost here by now...that jerk avoids all the lights and just ignores speed limits at times like this...and he never gets caught, asshole!" She had finally sealed her bag, and was rushing toward the entryway.

"What are you-" Matsuda's repeated question was cut short as his kouhai yanked open the door, revealing an imposing, and vaguely familiar figure on the other side. Familiar, that is, from the picture [Y/N] kept on her desk at work.

The woman let out a barely audible squeak as her brother looked down at her, "Too late..."

"No man here, huh?" His voice was dark, but not nearly as venomous as it became when his fiery gaze turned to Matsuda, "You must be NOMAN then, huh? Interesting that you'd be hanging around my baby sister's apartment when I haven't been introduce yet....more interesting she'd try lying..."

"W-wait, [B/N]..." She tried to interrupt, but he was on a tirade.

The man shot a sideways look at [Y/N], "She never could lie. She's got that strong sense of right and wrong, makes her a good girl, and drives her to do good..."

"[B/N]" There was no getting through.

"So, I can't imagine why she would hide bringing a man into her apartment from me..." He looked at the duffle that had been dropped on the floor when his sister had seen him, "Oh, she wasn't lying about the trip though...so...where are you sweeping my sweet innocent sister off to, now that you've seduced her, NOMAN-san?"

"S-s-STOP!" She shouted, her voice finally breaking over the sound of his.

"[Y/N]?" Her older brother blinked and stared at her, almost looking hurt, "You never shout at me...why would you shout at me?"

"Because, [B/n], you have it wrong. But...Ugh....I can't actually explain it...I just...need you to trust me..." She looked up at his gently, her [e/c] gaze full of sincerity. 

"OKay..." Her brother sighed; and he could hear the man he had found in his kid sister's apartment make a sound of relief in the background, "Ohhh no! Her I trust...you, I do not!"

"Woah! H-hey!"" Matsuda flailed as the man grabbed him by the lapel and hauled him toward the bathroom, "Wh-what are you doing?!"

"Matsuda-sempai! [B/N], what are you doing to him?!" The rookie shouted running arfter them.

"Oh, 'Matsuda-sempai' is it?" Her brother lofted a brow, slamming the bathroom door between them and his sister, "Don't worry, sis, I won't hurt him. I just want a couple words with the guy."

Her big brother released Matsuda's lapel, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the door, blocking the woman from trying to interrupt; thought they could still hear her knocking and shouting at him.

"Alright, so you're 'Matsuda-sempai'," His eyes, as [e/c] as his sisters drifted over Matsuda in appraisal. "So, how old are you, Matsuda-san?"

"W-what?" The gaze and the question caught the man off guard, "I don't really see why"

"How. Old." The other man insisted, narrowing his eyes, "I can't have some cradle robber taking advantage of my naïve sister, now can I?"

"Cradle - Look, I'm not-"

"I can tell you're older than her, so don't try to act all innocent. Besides, you're her mentor, so you must have a lot of experience on the NPA...what the face? I'm her brother, we talk," He quirked a brow at the guy's weird behavior as he interrogated him.

"I'm not interested in her! I'm twelve years older, if your so worried about it!" Matsuda's face was red as his reply came out in a shout. Dear lord, where did [Y/N]'s brother get such a ridiculous idea!

I'm her brother, we talk.

No way. No way in hell had she told her brother there was anything like that going on! 

Flashes of memory through his mind.

Accidental hand brushes. An accident! And he had said so!

Hair mussing. Friendly encouragement! In fact, downright brotherly if anything, right?

'It looks good on you'  

What? Why did those words...when did he? Oh, when he was encouraging her to be confident. See, nothing more that -

Except, right after, she had collapsed into a stuttering heap once more, making zero sense and then fled the room. Had she misinterpretted?

His stomach lurched.

"Even if she thinks otherwise, I have no intention of that kind of relationship..." He looked down, eyes falling to the left as he spoke quietly to her brother, "I have never intended to be anything other than encouraging. If I did something to give her the wrong idea..."

"Hmm..." [B/N] watched Matsuda's expression carefully. There was a purity about every face the man made. From shock, to upset, to desperation and regret. It could be that Touta Matsuda of the NPA was just very good at playing a part...or it could be that he was every bit as good a person as he seemed. 

Of course, no man could ever be good enough for his precious sisters. And twelve years was a bit disconcerting, but not entirely unheard of in cases of true love. Again his eyes swept over his sister's mentor.

The silence was making Matsuda uneasy. In fact, he could feel the hair on the back of his neck pricking. The intensity of that gaze was not entirely unlike when he sometimes caught [Y/N]'s eyes on him. He hadn't been kidding when he said it could be used as an interrogation technique, "I'm not lying. Look, I'll set her straight right here if you want me to, I just didn't know there was-"

"Oh, I know," [B/n] sighed, stretching his arms over his head, "You pass. I don't know how she feels about you...just that she admires your capabilities. But tell me, I come into her apartment to find her heading on a trip with her admired sempai...what would you do?"

"Fair enough," Matsuda conceded, growing fidgety. If the matter was concluded, why was he still trapped in the bathroom with this man?

"I believe you when you say you never had any intention of developing those feelings, or of leading her to;" He paused for a while, contemplating his next words, "But that's the funny thing about intentions...they don't always work out. So, when I say 'you pass', I mean you seem like a good guy...and that if any of those intentions change...you will let me know. Because if I find out you've broken her heart, and never even let me know you changed course....Well...a big brother can't be expected to sit idly by...I'm sure you'd agree there, officer. So do not touch her without first telling me."

Matsuda's eyes went wide. This man had just threatened a cop without so much as batting an eye. He was definitely as intimidating as [Y/N] had made him out to be.

"I have no intentions of touching her!" Matsuda was a perhaps a bit too emphatic in his answer as the other man stepped aside and opened the door just in time for [Y/N] to hear.

Her face looked as though she had been struck, and she took a step back before turning around, "There, you see, [B/N], I told you, it's nothing to worry about. I'm just going on a trip. Nothing is going to happen. He'll be there, but it's not like that. Not at all. It couldn't be."

Matsuda wasn't sure what to make of that reaction. He wanted to ask if she was alright, but feared he'd regret the answer. He cast a glance at her brother, who met him  an even stare, like a warning. His eyes then shifted back to his protégé, "U-uh..."

"We should go, Matsuda-sempai...we don't want to waste any time, or we'll be in trouble."  Her shoulders straight and head held high, she strode towards the door, "Oh, [b/n], You do know the feeding schedule and the rest of [P/N]'s care routine, right? If you can't do it yourself, you know who they trust and don't...get someone who can handle it for me?"

She  then walked out the door, leaving it open for Matsuda to follow, though he spent a moment watching her instead.

"A rocky start Matsuda-san." Her brother warned, shutting the entrance between them, and jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Guh!" He looked at the wood of the door behind him before trotting of after his Kouhai.

For different but not dissimilar reason the two NPA officers were thinking that this assignment would hopefully be over in just a few days. Of course, with experience, Matsuda knew better than that.

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End Note

Cue the awkward beginning of the undercover mission!

What do you think of Big Bro? Did he go too over board?

I like to think he's got a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Usually he's this kinda nerdy soft spoken even sweet guy who works at the university that the girls all have crushes on (Except I think he might be gay....).

But get him pissed by doing something like messing with his family? Suddenly he's like a Yakuza thug!

Then somewhere in the middle is mamabear mode, where he's gotta know everything about every guy his sister's are even interested in (or who is interested in them) so that he knows whether to be Jekyll or Hyde to the men. Most recieve the Hyde treatment and are scared away.