#no one ask about all of them being rookies they'd be instant besties and no one would survive their combined menace energy

[lavenoon]

What if all of them were senior agents?

Sun n Moon get transferred to Robin's location and these three star agents really just butt heads. None of them are good at socializing, they're all hard asses (not on purpose), and now they're rivals and ONCE AGAIN butting heads jkasfdhldf

-G

I'm going to make things even harder for them, and say the transfer happened because the higher ups ran out of agents to pair them with when push comes to shove, and decided to take the gamble of putting them and Robin together directly. Also not neighbors in this one then! They'd be all kind of distant anyway, and that's not really compelling.

No, in this one they get close because they all butt heads as you say <3 Robin hears about the transfer, and is informed they'll work with the newbies (not rookies, mind you - but bad enough still), and is thus aware of both Dusk and Dawn.

Let's say this is canon adjacent and they meet Dusk first. Maybe an official introduction in Agent River's office (oh, she is so happy about this development /s), like she's the bathroom door between two grouchy, territorial cats. They size each other up, but act polite enough while their supervisor is watching. Once they're out though?

All but outright hissing and scratching. Passive aggressive little comments about “keeping up” and “don’t slow me down”, little jabs about each other’s codenames (the moon man and little bird make it early in this timeline). Both are somewhat impressed surprised when the other does keep up. 

They find a begrudging balance where they respect each other but don’t quite get along, both still stuck in that “no one really gets me” emo mindset they acquired over the years. When Robin first witnesses Dusk telling a hostile “Nighty night” before knocking them out, they snort - and he hears. But with how immediately he withdraws from their dynamic, snapping at them even when the fight is over, they start feeling bad. 

Robin decides to swallow their pride - because they’re the one who hurt his. After the mission, they hold out a little gadget to him, like an olive branch. 

“... What do you think I need lip balm for?” 

“Open it, idiot.” 

He does, warily, and out comes a little equipped pin cushion plus an extra compartment for more elaborate lock picking tools. He blinks. 

“I have a document scanner here, too.” 

By all means, it looks like a normal pen. 

“And a few spy coins, too.” 

Some resemble actual money, others are goofy festival tickets made of hard plastic, or coins to slot into shopping carts.

Dusk looks at them, processing the fact that they carry tons of unnecessary gadgets, and all of them are the type you’d see in cheesy spy movies. 

“It’s good to have fun with this. Not enough agents do. Maybe the ‘go to sleep’ thing is a little too on the nose for my taste, but I hardly have any room to talk.” 

He hands the pin cushion back wordlessly, but after another moment his grin widens as he squints. Innocently leans down to their eye level, immediately setting off the snark alarm bells in Robin’s head. 

“So, how many spy movies did you have to watch to get inspiration for these?” 

Turns out, banter comes easy.

“Sorry I’m not as simple as you and didn’t look in the mirror for the most brilliant idea to strike me.” 

“You thought it’s funny.” 

“It's ridiculous.” 

“Made you laugh.” 

“I’ll push you off the roof.” 

“Have to catch me first. Last to reach HQ is a rotten egg - not a good look for you.” 

After that first official race, they get along better and better - still snarky, still full of banter, but they enjoy pushing each other because they trust the other to have their back. Other agents aren’t quite sure if they hate or love each other, but that just goes to show that their dynamic is special to them, and that the others just really didn’t get them <3

Dawn and Robin don't fare much better in the beginning. Robin, while a star agent, rarely does the undercover missions, and it grates that Dawn is better at it. They adapt quickly, but it's enough for him to notice.

"Out of your element, it seems."

"I usually have better things to do than babysit, yes."

Well, and Dawn doesn't like that either. These two mastered the death glares hidden behind polite smiles, and any time they're forced to hold onto each other for whatever reason, their hands may tighten just a liiittle more than would be technically necessary!

It's only when one time Robin is there to witness one of his more dramatic acts during an "interrogation" (i.e. they have someone isolated and cornered, though the target isn't quite aware of the danger yet), him just smoothly trapping a target in a conversation and carefully baiting them to reveal all the information they need, only to end with a "Why, thank you for your cooperation. It's most appreciated." and just enough time for the poor sod to realize what they've done, and then a knockout-

Robin watches, first positively surprised, then impressed, and then just...

They start wheezing. Dawn turns to them, disgruntled, and is about to snap at them the same way he snapped at anyone else who insulted/ made fun of his methods, but then they just talk through their laughter.

"They just - pfft. They just fell for that, hook line and sinker!" More laughter. "'Thank you for your cooperation' indeed, don't think it'll be continued, but that's nothing HQ can't fix."

Dawn is… also positively surprised. He deflates a little, looking at them as if he hadn’t seen them before, and a bit of apprehension leaves him. 

The first time they have a runner and Robin catches them quickly, while obviously being just as efficient and with that touch of flair he likes? That’s when he locks on, and decides a rivalry isn’t actually too bad. Especially given that he’s no stranger to the trope of rivals, and does enjoy the way he can make Robin fumble and stutter when he gets them by surprise. 

So he leans into the flirting. And Robin, after a short fluster/ adjustment period, flirts back. 

They’re horrible from then on. The kind of romantic tension that’s tangible, you could cut through it even. They say anything to each other and anyone listening in just groans and either thinks or outright yells “Just kiss already!” 

They don’t, because they’re still idiots <3

The boys talk about Robin to each other, and there’s a surprising lack of teasing - but they do get a somewhat parallel improvement thanks to the stories they share with each other, and then they unofficially already form a team of three without being specifically assigned as such. 

They get along well enough in their own weird little ways. When a few months in Dusk admits they’re looking for a place to stay, they’re still very aware of the secret identity rule, and Robin doesn’t outright offer - in fact, they joke “Just don’t move in at my place, that’d be awkward.” Dusk easily plays along with a “Ew, wouldn’t think of it” that earns him a laugh and a punch to the arm. 

But they’re also comfortable enough with each other that when Dawn shows up at Y/N’s doorstep, looking like a deer in the headlights, they don’t freak out - Y/N laughs, full out wheezing. Dawn - Sun, as he introduced himself in his email, just grumbles about places with high ceilings being a rarity, especially at such affordable prices - and then slyly adds “but of course your place would be a steal, little thief.” 

Y/N tries very hard to stop laughing, managing with a strange little grimace. So they invite him in - and when HQ never says anything about that change in address, they don’t see any reason to poke the bear. Maybe there won’t be a little birdhouse in the backyard - but they’re all comfortable, and happy, and have all the time in the world to go from there <3