fluffyfranny

[fluffyfranny]

“Hmm, Tart Apple Cookie…” Hot Fudge Cookie pondered over the name as she gazed at him for a moment before nodding her head in a small bow. “A pleasure it is, I suppose…”

She realized she was staring and stiffened back up, staff lowering ever so slightly to brace her arm up.

“Apologies for my curiosity, it is just a fascinating name! Not many fruity Cookies can survive where you stand without proper gear, for their dough’s ingredients would freeze in the blink of an eye…”

Her face softened at the mention of him following in someone’s stead after they fell ill…

“Apologies for your friend. I can ask the spirits I work with to send a healing spell their way, if possible…” Her eyes briefly flared, her brown irises glowing with sparks of purple. “No Cookie deserves to suffer in such a way.”

Her eyes squinted again, but not as warily as when they first met.

“And you say you’ve come to this Kingdom for… research?” Her head tilts to the side as she fidgets with her staff, twisting it in the snow. “We are primarily known for hunting and battle training, but I spend a good portion of my free time reading.” She gave a nod of approval, the corner of her lip twitching. “I do not mind at all. Perhaps…”

She scratched her head, wondering if this would distract her from her duties.

It was eventless before this Cookie arrived, she pondered, shrugging to herself. Perhaps this can be a nice, brief reprieve.

“Perhaps I can be of assistance? Guide you in the direction of what you seek?”

The wind howled. The snow pelted everything it could touch. The clouds hid every sliver of sunlight that attempted to break through, casting the entire kingdom in a greyish-white.

But Hot Fudge Cookie didn’t mind the blustery storm at all. The namesake substance that was infused in her dough kept her nice and warm, along with the robe, cloak and fur collar the First Watcher had bestowed to her when she joined the kingdom’s forces.

Well, she wasn’t technically a fighter with her occupation. But she could be if she wanted.

She guarded the Altar of the Fallen from the moment dusk arrived until the clouds faintly glowed with the sun’s dire attempt to show the kingdom some light through all the dreary snow. She also tended to the Altar by day to keep it clean and properly managed. She was brought food and other necessities asked of her by the Watchers and the local tribes, particularly the Milk Tribe, whose youngsters had taken a liking to her.

She was set, and life was good.

Now she stood at the front of the monument, leaning on her staff by one hand and squinting through the snow as she thought she saw someone approaching her. She could never tell through the snow squalls during any given day, and any shadowy blob could have been a tree.

So she shrugged it off and went back to patrolling around the Altar, waiting for someone to make themselves known to her.

The flurry of snow was not kind to any Cookie foreign to the icy lands. It especially wasn’t kind to Poison Apple Cookie. Not even the teleportation spell he used to get this far would make the winter’s winds any less effective. Living in the outskirts of a village with a gentle warmth of spring, yet the cool breeze of fall did not make him well accustomed to far colder temperatures. He despised the snow with every fiber of his being. Not only was it terribly cold, the snowflakes also kept sticking to his glasses.

“Such pesky little things…” he thought to himself as he wiped his lenses for the sixth time now.

Not even the warmest coat he wore was enough to prevent the cold weather from piercing into his dough. He regretted not inviting his younger brother along. Him being much more tall and muscular, he could probably withstand the cold much better than Poison could. Yet, the protective big brother within him decided to not let him come should he end up wounded on the journey, even if the bigger Cookie could handle himself just fine.

But he had to keep reassuring himself that it would all be worth it soon.

He was in search of an animal. A powerful one for his next experiment. A Cream Wolf.

His research on the loyal yet ferocious species led him to the coldest environment in all of Earthbread. The outskirts of the Cacao Kingdom.

Yet, he hadn’t encountered a single one so far. A pity.

He’ll have to put his search for Cream Wolves on hold as he found himself walking towards a monument to rest by. Perhaps he could do a little bit of journaling on his break…

Wait… did he just see… a watcher?!

“Witchdammit!” he internally cursed to himself.

A watcher would definitely notice his shifty behavior. No Cookie wanders the cold for hours searching for something that can’t be found. Even a local of the Kingdom would suspect him of looking for something to steal.

Yet… he sensed great power from this Cookie.

Well… if he wouldn’t find a Cream Wolf first, a watcher of the Cacao Kingdom would do just nicely.

And if he were to fail at capturing the Watcher, he’ll just have to settle for that huntsman he’d been eyeing for a while.

Either way, the thrill of a hunt always excited him.

With that, he wore his softest “weary traveler” expression and slowly approached the monument.

“Ah… pardon me, my lady. Would it be alright with you if I stop to rest here?”

[fluffyfranny]

Upon hearing a voice through the shrieking of the wind, her head shot to the side as her shoulders tensed up and she assumed a more alert position, her staff tucked in the crook of her arm.

Her eyes squinted to get a good look at whoever stood before her… a traveler? In the middle of this snow squall? Without so much as an escort or a proper fur coat?

And asking for a moment of reprieve at such a sacred monument without knowing the proper customs?

She certainly had questions…

“Now just a moment, dear traveler…” Her voice rose to challenge the volume of the storm, getting caught in the wind and resounding in the Cookie’s general direction. “You stand before the Altar of the Fallen, where countless Cacao warriors are honored for their duty and sacrifice.”

A hand went to her chest, clutching at her cloak, while the other tipped her staff slightly upwards in the stranger’s direction.

“And I am Hot Fudge Cookie, the keeper of this monument. You are lucky I am not too hardened by the brutality of the weather here, so I will let you rest here…”

She briefly banged her staff in the snow to make sure he was paying attention.

“Once you give me your name and purpose here… you are not a familiar face to even I, and His Highness would not appreciate unauthorized strangers loitering around his kingdom.”

The wind howled. The snow pelted everything it could touch. The clouds hid every sliver of sunlight that attempted to break through, casting the entire kingdom in a greyish-white.

But Hot Fudge Cookie didn’t mind the blustery storm at all. The namesake substance that was infused in her dough kept her nice and warm, along with the robe, cloak and fur collar the First Watcher had bestowed to her when she joined the kingdom’s forces.

Well, she wasn’t technically a fighter with her occupation. But she could be if she wanted.

She guarded the Altar of the Fallen from the moment dusk arrived until the clouds faintly glowed with the sun’s dire attempt to show the kingdom some light through all the dreary snow. She also tended to the Altar by day to keep it clean and properly managed. She was brought food and other necessities asked of her by the Watchers and the local tribes, particularly the Milk Tribe, whose youngsters had taken a liking to her.

She was set, and life was good.

Now she stood at the front of the monument, leaning on her staff by one hand and squinting through the snow as she thought she saw someone approaching her. She could never tell through the snow squalls during any given day, and any shadowy blob could have been a tree.

So she shrugged it off and went back to patrolling around the Altar, waiting for someone to make themselves known to her.

The flurry of snow was not kind to any Cookie foreign to the icy lands. It especially wasn’t kind to Poison Apple Cookie. Not even the teleportation spell he used to get this far would make the winter’s winds any less effective. Living in the outskirts of a village with a gentle warmth of spring, yet the cool breeze of fall did not make him well accustomed to far colder temperatures. He despised the snow with every fiber of his being. Not only was it terribly cold, the snowflakes also kept sticking to his glasses.

“Such pesky little things…” he thought to himself as he wiped his lenses for the sixth time now.

Not even the warmest coat he wore was enough to prevent the cold weather from piercing into his dough. He regretted not inviting his younger brother along. Him being much more tall and muscular, he could probably withstand the cold much better than Poison could. Yet, the protective big brother within him decided to not let him come should he end up wounded on the journey, even if the bigger Cookie could handle himself just fine.

But he had to keep reassuring himself that it would all be worth it soon.

He was in search of an animal. A powerful one for his next experiment. A Cream Wolf.

His research on the loyal yet ferocious species led him to the coldest environment in all of Earthbread. The outskirts of the Cacao Kingdom.

Yet, he hadn’t encountered a single one so far. A pity.

He’ll have to put his search for Cream Wolves on hold as he found himself walking towards a monument to rest by. Perhaps he could do a little bit of journaling on his break…

Wait… did he just see… a watcher?!

“Witchdammit!” he internally cursed to himself.

A watcher would definitely notice his shifty behavior. No Cookie wanders the cold for hours searching for something that can’t be found. Even a local of the Kingdom would suspect him of looking for something to steal.

Yet… he sensed great power from this Cookie.

Well… if he wouldn’t find a Cream Wolf first, a watcher of the Cacao Kingdom would do just nicely.

And if he were to fail at capturing the Watcher, he’ll just have to settle for that huntsman he’d been eyeing for a while.

Either way, the thrill of a hunt always excited him.

With that, he wore his softest “weary traveler” expression and slowly approached the monument.

“Ah… pardon me, my lady. Would it be alright with you if I stop to rest here?”

[fluffyfranny]

I’m a sucker for a good Picrew and THIS IS SO CUTE! Had to tag along!

(This is for all of y’all; you’re all pretty dang cool!)

Speaking of tagging, don’t mind me peeps!

@vargamour @moriihana @projectmoonlightproductions @blackforestwaltz @gmanwhore

New Tagging Thread

Create yourself in a dating game! Base it off how you would talk with someone you like. If not physical then a fictional character

Picrew

@gay-salt-amber @crazyyanderefangirlfan @crimson-violets @docmartensanddietcoke @sebalizzie @prayantis @sakkakuu-squared

[fluffyfranny]

WereZoroark Warden Ingo

Little hybrid AU idea inspired by a sick cosplay by @/hellishcrusade on TikTok! (If you see this, I hope you love reading this as much as I did writing it!)

You combine my favorite character with my favorite Pokemon? Self-indulgent story = MANDATORY.

Lil TW for blood; angst inbound as well >:’3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It happened again.

You sighed to yourself as you gazed out at the slowly setting sun from the balcony of your little hut. A chill began to thicken in the air, making you pull your cloak closer to you. Your ace Pokemon stood poised at your side, giving you a sideways glance with what seemed to be a tinge of sad sympathy before returning their own gaze out across the expanse of the Cobalt Coastlands where you resided.

Warden Ingo of the Pearl Clan was a punctual man, always committing to his schedule and heeding every order on time. Hell, he would show up ten to fifteen minutes before the allotted meeting time in order to prepare for whatever, or whoever, awaited his presence.

That's what made you admire him so much.

Ever since you both fell from the sky from that godforsaken rift that supposedly tore the both of you from your beloved homes, you two were practically attached at the hip. From the moment you stepped foot into Jubilife and became known as the Hero of Hisui, he wished to personally observe your success.

He insisted on overseeing your journey to fill up the Pokedex. He always had his ace Gliscor and Lady Sneasler at the ready to come to your aid if an Alpha proved to be too troublesome for you to fight alone.

He may not be the most recollective, but he's still the personification of a gentleman at heart.

And he is why you await patiently outside, cloak tugged a little tighter as a breeze began to blow and the sun began to set below the horizon.

He was to take you on a well-deserved vacation, for the both of you, to the very summit of Mt. Coronet. He would see to it that Lady Sneasler would assist you both in traversing the particularly steep slopes of the mountainous hills below it with a ride in her basket.

However, they were to meet you promptly before the sun finished setting, but the fiery orb had already concluded its descent.

You wondered what the reason behind the delay was, but you tried to brush it off. Ingo was a Warden, for crying out loud. That meant he had quite the handful of duties to carry out throughout the day.

"He must have gotten caught up again..." you pondered to yourself, sparing a glance at your ace before turning back towards the front of the hut. "I don't blame him, but this is the third time this has happened."

Ingo had planned on taking you to Coronet's summit two months ago, but a recent string of attacks by an unknown entity had required the Wardens and Commander Kamado to be on high alert. One of said attacks occurred on the night you were to travel to the summit, leaving a group of Teddiursa cubs without their mother Ursaluna, who had been viciously mauled and left for dead halfway into her own cave.

Ingo profusely apologized the next morning for his absence and had promised you that he would rearrange the vacation for the very next month.

However, the very next month, on the very same night you two were to depart, another grisly attack occurred and left a pack of Kleavor without their arms. Ingo had insisted the morning after that that he was called to oversee their burial, to which you nodded and reassured him that it was just a string of bad luck on your part, but one day...

One day... you would have a proper night together.

However, a few things struck you as odd...

Ingo always insisted he was with the other Wardens following the attacks, but when you went to question Irida about his condition after the first incident, she stated that he wasn't there to tend to the Teddiursa cubs.

"Odd..." you pondered after hearing that intel. "He told me he was..."

Following the second attack, you went to Irida again to question if Ingo had, indeed, went to oversee the burial of the Kleavor, to which she responded,

"He did indeed come to me and state that he was to carry out that mission, but Kamado had made no such demands for such a thing."

Now that puzzled you even further. Ingo wasn't the type of person to make up excuses or not show up to carry out demands made of him.

Additionally, the attacks always seemed to occur on the nights Ingo planned to take the two of you on vacation, and he was also seemingly missing on each of the separate occasions. Nobody even specified what the creature was, but if it was able to take down an Alpha Ursaluna and eviscerate a whole pack of Kleavor, then it must be pretty damn strong.

So what on Earth was going on…?

Your thoughts were interrupted by a piercing scream that seemingly echoed from the woods in front of your hut, making you jump out of your skin for a split second before grabbing the railing in front of you for stability. Your ace perked up at the noise and braced itself at your side, ready to attack.

Ingo had warned you that, if another attack were to occur, you should never head towards any suspicious noises, no matter how dire they may sound, for you and your Pokemon’s own safety.

But still, whatever, or whoever had shrieked sounded like they were in extreme pain. Your inner empath couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor soul that might be falling victim to whatever beast lurked the region…

Another guttural yell rang through the air, and this time, you tried to pick up on the tone of the voice. Judging by how gritty it was, it was definitely a man… but who?

Adaman? Iscan? Commander Kamado?

Or was it…

No, it couldn’t be-

It was.

“Ingo…” you whispered to yourself before adrenaline set in and you bolted across the porch and down the steps, your ace in tow. “Ingo!”

The screams seemingly came from the woods directly south of your hut, which meant that the danger laid somewhere within Deadwood Haunt, where plentiful Ghost-types roamed and waited to claim their next victims.

A third pained cry echoed as you beelined towards the trees, trying to pinpoint where Ingo was amidst the foliage. You huffed with every breath, the edges of your cloak waving wildly by your ankles while sweat began to bead on your forehead despite the nip in the air.

Once you reached the edge of the trees and shrubs that separated the smooth hills of your Coastland home from whatever hell awaited you in the Haunt, you stopped to catch your breath, hands on your knees as you looked up from your hunched position. Your ace remained fixed by your side, taking in the environment every which way to keep an eye out for potential threats.

“Stay close,” you whispered to your partner, to which they nodded in response before resuming their lookout as you both strolled deeper into the Haunt.

“By Arceus’s name, please let Ingo be okay…” you silently prayed as your eyes were trained in front of you.

Your head quickly snapped up when you heard a sharp crack resound from somewhere around you. You and your ace collectively flinched as you scooted closer to each other, head whipping around to try and locate the source of the noise, all the while trying to breathe calmly in the now eerie silence of the Haunt.

You closed your eyes to steady your breathing and slow your racing heart before looking up again.

You and your ace stood in another few moments of silence before what sounded like scratching on wood began to reverberate through the trees. It paused after a second, then resumed for another second before ceasing again…

Followed by a low, inhuman growl that would have made an Arcanine freeze over.

That sent a collective shiver down you and your ace’s backs. They nudged you and looked to your right, emphasizing where they heard the commotion.

It seemed to come from behind the thick oak right in front of you.

Your ace went first, moving slowly and as quietly as they could to avoid aggravating what hid behind the trunk. You stared at them with a look of worry, but they nodded to the side and insisted that you follow before they turned back and headed towards the tree.

And follow you did, slowly and on your tiptoes while looking at the ground to avoid snapping any loose twigs.

A distressed huff from your partner made you look up and meet their eyes, which were wide and full with what looked like surprise. This triggered you to stride faster towards them and join them at their side.

Once you reached the tree and resumed your spot near your ace, you looked down at where the noise had come from…

To confirm your nightmare was, indeed, true…

There, curled at the base of the tree, was Ingo, back turned towards you as he hid his face within his coat, which looked… absolutely more destroyed than ever, you realized. The parts covering his shoulders were torn open, and his sleeves were shredded. His hat also had a few new tears, letting more of his fluffy silver hair poke through.

You feared not for his coat, but how he was underneath. Mere seconds ago, you had heard some unearthly snarls from behind this very tree.

Did whatever had been attacking and killing Pokemon around Hisui get to him now…?

Your fears became slightly more likely as you looked up at the tree’s trunk, where a set of deep, jagged gashes graced the wood.

That’s what was behind the scratching earlier…

But where had the beast gone? It had to be close by if those sound had occurred mere minutes ago…

That would be saved for later. For right now, you had to check on your friend.

"...Ingo?" you half-whispered so as to not startle him in his vulnerable-looking state. You tiptoed through the snow towards him and raised a shaky hand, contemplating touching him as you watched his back rise and fall slowly.

"Well, he's breathing, thank Arceus..." you thought to yourself.

You reached out your hand and ghosted over his shoulder, watching as he shuddered from the sudden contact. You flinched for a moment before resuming a gentle rub of the area.

"Ingo, it's me. Are you hurt?" You asked, still in a whispery voice in an attempt to soothe his nerves. "I heard your screams all the way back home. Did the beast-"

Before you could continue or get a response, you heard a sharp intake of breath, followed by the most guttural, low-pitched growl you ever heard come from Ingo before. You quickly withdrew your hand and shuffled backwards, bumping into your ace who was quick to assert a defensive stance at your side, eyeing the Warden sharply.

With a turn of his head, the rays of moonlight peeking through the trees illuminated just how much danger you were about to be in.

Ingo's eyes were icy and glazed over, outlined with red and white kohl and with pupils now resembling slits. His face bore a set of pale scars that graced both sides near his cheeks and mouth, and a set of three, diagonal scars went down and over his right eye. A helpful smattering of what appeared to be blood coated his left cheek and the corners of his lips.

The sight of your longtime friend in such a state left you fearful of what had transpired.

You reached out a thumb to wipe at the blood on his face, only for his lips to perk up and show off pearly, jagged fangs, followed by an equally threatening snarl as the one before. He unveiled his hands from where they were tucked into his coat, revealing his fingernails to be just as sharp as his teeth.

You stared at him for a moment longer before taking a glance up at the moon that was directly above the two of you, then back down at Ingo. The color had completely drained from your face upon the realization you made.

"It was him after all..." you fretted internally. "No wonder he was missing during the attacks, because HE carried them out! And every night he did..."

You looked up again.

"It was a full moon..."

Your attention quickly snapped back to the beastly Warden when you heard the crunching of snow and the shuffling of his eviscerated coat. He was now standing at his full height, glaring daggers at you as you watched his heavy breaths leave in frigid puffs from his mouth.

"Whoa now, Ingo..." You held your hands up, trying to show that you weren't a threat, all the while sparing your ace a glance before returning your attention back to him. "You recognize me... right?"

He only responded with a tilt of his head and another misty breath.

"Right?" You whispered again desperately, not wanting things to go south.

But south they were about to go...

You could only watch as his face dropped before his teeth were bared once again, his throat rumbling with a newfound growl as he took a lumbering step in your direction. You ghosted a hand over your ace, who moved a few inches in front of you and countered Ingo's growl with their cry, daring him to come closer and try to hurt their Trainer.

You were not prepared for the lightning-fast lunge and slash of claws by the Warden towards you and your partner, who took the brunt of the hit. They skid through the snow a few inches back as you gasped, immediately wishing you brought Berries with you in case either of you were to become injured.

Too late now, and you didn't want them getting any more hurt.

"GO!" You suddenly shouted at your ace. "Get back home, quick!" They did a double-take and stared wide-eyed at you like you were crazy. Leaving you behind with the being that killed an Ursaluna and a group of Kleavor on his own? Hell no!

"Don't worry about me," you egged on, trying to spare them any more trouble. "I'll deal with him and try to make him regain his senses!" You turned and pointed in Ingo's general direction. You regretted your decision almost immediately as you saw him pacing towards the two of you again, body tense as if he were about to leap at you for a second time.

You saw him pause and ready himself for an attack as you made one final effort.

"GO, NOW!" You shrieked at your ace, who finally seemed to get the message and bolted from the Haunt, making their way back towards the forest's edge as Ingo launched himself forward.

You threw yourself to the side and barely missed being tackled before you regained your stability and made a run for it, slapping away low-hanging branches and vines as you huffed and puffed from the cold air, mere feet from the clearing. You could hear the thumping of the Warden's boots as he was in hot pursuit of you, keeping up much faster than you thought possible.

You finally broke through the long line of trees and saw your home just up the hill. You quickened your stride and decided to spare a glance backwards. You'd regret that decision for two reasons.

Reason number one: Ingo hadn't gotten farther away as you had wanted, but rather closer. He was still rushing after you, and if he stretched his arm out, he could grab your shoulder. That's how close he was to you.

And reason number two: turning backwards made you unaware of a stray plant root, which your foot catches underneath and causes you to tumble forward. You somehow manage to tuck yourself into a forward roll and regain your footing, but not before you felt a sharp burn on your left shoulder that caused you to yelp and look back again.

Ingo had managed to take a swing at you and connect, dragging his claws down your shoulder and your back, opening up your cloak that separated you from the bitter chill in the air. You slapped at his hand and continued running, hoping that your ace Pokemon got back home alright.

You were getting exhausted from running, your cheeks flaring red from the onslaught of cold wind, but you persevered. The claw marks down your shoulder began to sting as flecks of snow pelted the wounds.

As soon as the steps of your home came into view, you let out a barking laugh before it got caught in your throat and turned into a shriek as you slipped on a long patch of ice and spun awkwardly before falling back. As you were slipping, you saw Ingo a few inches away, his own chest heaving from chasing you all the way.

He raised his arm again to lash out at you, but not before you shielded your front with your arms and gasped as your head hit the ice, knocking you clean out.

The blood that had oozed from your shoulder streaked across the ice and snow as you slid forward before halting in a heap, the wind blowing your hair away from your face. Ingo skid to a stop at where you lay, his pursuit now over. He hunched over you and growled as he prepared another slash...

...and that's when he suddenly came back to his senses.

His eyes seemed to refocus as he shook the snow from his mutilated cap and wiped the back of his hand across his cheek. He looked at his nails and saw that they had been painted a fresh red.

Little did he know that it was your blood...

He tilted his head in confusion and worry, wondering what poor soul he had cut down this time. He glanced down and got his answer in the form of you in a crumbled heap, your mauled shoulder exposed to the chilly outer world.

His eyes tried to focus on your form, not recognizing you at first, but as soon as he saw the insignia of the Pearl Clan on your tunic...

He suddenly remembered everything.

Him on the way to escort you to Mt. Coronet at long last, his chest suddenly hurting, him telling Lady Sneasler to head back home and await his arrival. Him looking up at the sky and realizing that it was going to be a rough night for himself and whoever he might encounter along the way.

He remembered how he dashed into the woods of Deadwood Haunt, trying to find a suitable hiding spot a good distance away from any civilization so nobody would witness him in such pain. How his entire body began to itch and ache ahead of the change...

How his pained screams and growls caught your attention and brought you and your ace to his supposed aid...

...and how he hurt you.

How you laid unmoving in the pile of snow that had begun to build on all sides of you. How the ground and ice around you began to take on a crimson color much like the tips of his hair.

By Arceus's name... he thinks he has killed his beloved.

The Warden, now taking sharper, more pained breaths due to shock, slowly lowered himself to your body and sniffed at the crook of your neck. When he didn't get a response, he reached out shaking hands and turned you gently onto your stomach, where the gashes he mauled into your shoulder were in full view.

He couldn't help but feel tears build up and threaten to freeze as they trickled down his face. He barely suppressed a whimper as his lower jaw quivered, but couldn't contain himself and let out a high-pitched whine afterwards, training his gaze onto the ground away from you upon realizing that he harmed you.

He hurt you.

He thinks he killed you...

Returning his attention to you, he launched himself into action and heaved you into his arms as gently as he could, careful not to claw any more of your skin with his nails. He noticed the stairwell of your home and bolted up them before practically flying through the door.

Kicking the door shut with his boot, he took notice of your ace in the corner of the room, who made a distressed noise, followed by a much angrier one as they saw the state of you. Ingo quickly nodded his head 'no,' trying to convey that it's not what it looks like and that he's here to help.

He maintained eye contact with your ace as he slowly made his way to your bed in the middle of the fire-lit room and lowered you onto it. He put his hands up to show your ace, who eyed him warily before nodding and gesturing at you, trying to say: "Help them, or I will tackle you into oblivion, so help me Arceus..."

The Warden nodded swiftly before rummaging through the drawers at your bedside, mentally scolding himself for invading your privacy as he looked for medicinal supplies. He snatched a roll of gauze out of one and began cutting it into strips with his nails, setting them aside before opening a jar of healing salve from another drawer and rubbing it into and around your wounds with his palms, not daring to use his fingers and make more cuts elsewhere.

Afterwards, he took the gauze and wrapped it around your shoulder before cutting off the excess with his claws and tying it off. He stepped back to assess his handiwork before letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He glanced back at your ace with a nod, which they returned with a glare that said: "They better make it out alive by morning..." before he slid himself under the covers by your side, taking his hat off and setting it on the nightstand before he scooted as close as he could to you, burying his face in the crook of your shoulder and neck as he felt a bout of whimpers coming.

He cried himself to sleep that night, praying to Arceus and all his creations that you would wake up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You woke up to your head pounding and thoughts groggy. It was the next morning, and you could barely remember what had transpired the previous night due to the hit you took to the head on the ice.

You tried to roll over, but were stopped by two things. First came the sudden sting of your shoulder, which you quickly shot a hand towards in an attempt to stop the pain, but found that it was wrapped in gauze. The inner layer of it was stained scarlet.

Secondly, you were stopped from sitting up by a deafening whimper at your side and what felt like arms tightening around you.

It all hit you right then and there.

Ingo...

Him being late to take you on vacation...

Finding him in Deadwood Haunt...

Running from him...

He was the beast that was responsible for the slew of attacks around Hisui, and you were his first human victim, yet you survived. You wondered why nobody had suspected him until you took note of the white hair that covered the backs of his hands and his red-tinted nails.

He was a were-Zoroark, you realized, and they supposedly still retained their illusion-casting abilities. Ingo must have set up a false vision around the other Wardens to make them think he was off to take care of business surrounding the creature those fateful nights...

When it was, in fact, him...

You felt your heart twang out of guilt at the thought of the amount of physical and emotional pain he went through on the three nights he had changed, including last night when he attacked you. You couldn't help but shift in his hold and lift your good hand to scratch at his much fluffier sideburns.

Ingo suddenly stirred awake at the sensation, icy-blue eyes opening slowly and making contact with yours. They quickly widened and sparkled with what looked like immense joy at seeing you alive before the hold on you became noticeably tighter as he practically squeezed you to his chest. He buried his face in your hair as he tried to muffle his whines and stop more tears from coming.

A few whimpers broke through, and you felt your hair slightly dampening. He was crying.

You couldn't help but feel your heart ache more at the state of your partner, and you felt your own tears welling up. You moved your hand from his head to his back and stroked it up and down as you let him cry it out.

Your ace perked up from their sleeping position as you turned to face them from your trapped spot on the bed, smiling at them and nodding as they returned the gesture and fell back asleep, leaving you and the Warden in comfortable silence, aside from his whining.

You stopped your rubbing of his back and slid a hand over his rough cheek and lifted it from your shoulder. He glanced up at you with watery eyes and trembling lips, his teeth slightly poking through from his upper lip. You gave his face a pat and stroked it with your thumb.

"I know you meant no harm, it was just instinct," you tried to reassure him. "I forgive you."

His eyes widened again, practically saying: "How could you?" You didn't wait for him to make another peep as you guided his head back into the crook of your shoulder, where he nuzzled and tickled you with his goatee. A brief snort left you before you resumed stroking his hair to try and help him rest, his whines now reduced to a deep purr that you could feel thrum from his chest and through your entire body as sleep took him before you soon succumbed, as well.

"Your secret's safe with me..."

[fluffyfranny]

Alchemical Anniversary

Iiiit's birthday present time! *starts blaring that one Taylor Swift song*

HAPPY BDAY @yaysof11037! For being the one moot that constantly puts up with my info-dumping around our clustertruck of AUs and RP ideas, this is for you!

AND it's fave-ship oriented, because of course it has to be >:3

Pairing: Espresseline (Espresso x Madeleine)

Genre: Absolute fluff

(P.S. the party committee all consist of Cookies closest to your birthday :3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, do tell me!" Madeleine proclaimed as he fumbled forward, Espresso behind him as he covered the paladin's eyes and guided him in a straight path. "What might the Light have proclaimed to you that it requires... these measures?" The blonde waved a hand vaguely at his companion's hands over his face.

The professor scoffed, blowing back a strand of hair that came too close to his eye. "First off, your divine Light had nothing to do with this," he huffed, rolling his eyes as he emphasized the word that Madeleine loved going around and preaching about night and day.

"And secondly, we haven't much time before what I have organized falls apart before we even get to it! So quit your stumbling, you oaf!" Espresso grumbled as both Cookies nearly tripped over each other's feet when Madeleine side-stepped on one of his.

"Oh, is that so?" The paladin raised an eyebrow under his friend's hands with a curious smirk. "What kind of splendorous plotting have you carried out on this most glorious of eves?"

"And would you cease your incessant Shakespearean talk?" Espresso huffed again. "Also, I have not plotted anything! Well..."

He drawled off, eyes trained straight ahead.

"'Well?'" Madeleine cooed, catching on. "So you have committed-"

"Enough!" Espresso shouted. "Just shut your pretty mouth and walk with me!"

From that point forward, the professor remained silent, lips flattened into a line as he continued to nudge Madeleine forward.

"Aweee, your iron-cold demeanor has softened! You called me pretty!" He proclaimed with glee.

"One more petty tease from your mouth, and so help me Witches, I will-"

"Oh, what ever will you do, lover boy?"

Espresso's nostrils flared as he held back the urge to trip the paladin and leave him splayed where he last stood, but nevertheless, he cooled himself down as the two of them finally reached their destination.

"Finally, we made it- NO-! Don't you peek yet!" He yapped at Madeleine. "Listen to me, reach out one hand. You should feel wood."

Madeleine did as he was told, reaching a hand out, palm facing forward as he made contact with a flat, grooved surface that felt like a door.

"This it?"

"Indeed," Espresso nodded. "Now make a fist and knock lightly."

"For?"

"'For?'" He sighed. "It's not like one of Velvet's hounds are behind this door, waiting to bite your hand off-"

"Oh, I know you jest, I just love pushing your buttons," the paladin chuckled before forming his hand into a fist and drawing it back a little. "But if you insist..."

Espresso sighed again. "You didn't have to admit you do if you know you do already-"

"Alright, alright, old friend, I hear you!" Madeleine eased his cohort's tone with a wave of his free hand before rapping his knuckles against the door.

*Knock, knock, knock*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~a few minutes before~

"Quickly, quickly! Is everything ready? They should be coming!"

The shrill voice of Birthday Cake Cookie rang throughout the room as she swept the area and took everybody's status into account. Her and the Cookies she had assembled at Sparkling's juice bar were tasked by Espresso with reorganizing the dining room, for it was him and Madeleine's one-year anniversary, and Birthday Cake had thought: what better way to celebrate their dear friends' continued partnership than with a celebration?

"Alright, status report! How are you all doing?" She called out.

"Haha! I've got the soup all brewed up for dinner!" Mala Sauce shouted from towards the kitchen. She peeked her head through the window with a smile and a thumbs up, the horns of her helmet scraping against the top. "My fellow Warriors and I made our special spicy recipe just for the happy couple!"

"Very nice, Mala! Thank you!" Birthday Cake clapped, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You! Is everything on your end ready?" She turned her attention towards another Cookie, pointing at them.

"Me and Speaker Sandwich have the most zen slow-music prepared for the pair if they wish to waltz," Yoga Cookie affirmed, sitting cross-legged on a booth seat with her hands pressed together close to her chest, looking as if she was about to meditate right then and there. Her Pet was sitting on the table directly in front of her, bouncing twice in what looked like confirmation.

"Cool, very cool!" Birthday Cake assured with a nod and a smile before turning to a group of Cookies towards the bar. "You three! How about you guys?"

Pilot Cookie nodded from a stool, a steaming mug in hand. "I have plenty of hot butterscotch brewed to warm everybody up."

"I got the popcorn nice and hot, plenty of butter and sugar!" Popcorn Cookie giggled, sipping from her soda cup.

"Me and Choco have some fun tricks ready for the entertainment!" Banana Cookie called as she swung from a hoop on the ceiling.

"Uhm... I'm down here?" A voice rasped from one of the tables. Dark Choco sat directly underneath where Banana was swinging from, polishing ornate cups with his cape.

"Oh, sorry, princey!" Banana called from above, now hanging upside-down by her ankles, her monkey sitting between them as he waved from his perch. "I totally forgot you and my partner share a name!"

"It's nothing..." Choco shrugged it off as he turned his attention back to the goblets and mugs he was cleaning.

"Choco, sweetie! What are you doing?" Birthday Cake was suddenly next to him, causing him to flinch and his sword to slide to the floor from where it leaned against his chair.

"Oops, sorry!" She piped up meekly, trotting over and gingerly picking the weapon up by the handle before gently leaning it against his chair before backing away slowly and returning to his side. "But anyways, look at you! Don't do that, silly!" She swatted his hand away from the part of his cape he was using to clean the cups, dashing to the bar and grabbing a rag, tossing it on the table in front of him. "You're gonna get your pretty robes dirty! Use that instead!"

"I... tried to improvise?" Choco attempted to defend himself, tilting his head slightly.

"No excuses!" Birthday Cake tutted, shaking her head and splattering a few flecks of wax on the floor. "You don't have to go out of your way and get your best clothes dirty!"

"...sorry?" He rasped back, before getting up and sliding a handful of glasses into his hands and making his way towards the bar, but not before his cape caught the edge of one of the remaining glasses on the table and sent it shattering on the floor.

The prince flinched as the other Cookies turned their heads to watch as Birthday Cake began sweeping up the glass shards. "Don't worry about that, dear! It was an accident!" She reassured Choco, who was still frozen in place, eye wide before his face softened and he nodded before making his way back to the bar and sliding the glasses over to Sparkling, who was doing his own cleaning behind the bar.

"Ahh, thank you, sir!" The bartender smiled in Choco's direction as he finished wiping his mixer clean before setting it aside and taking the cups on the counter, sliding them onto the shelves just as a muffled noise resounded through the room.

*Knock, knock, knock*

"IT'S THEM!" Birthday Cake suddenly shrieked, scurrying over to the window and peeking low enough so she wouldn't be spotted.

Lo and behold, there stood Madeleine, face covered by Espresso's hands as he drew back his hand from knocking on the door to the bar, a wide grin pasted on his lips while the professor nodded to himself, a miniature, closed-eyed smirk engraved on his own face.

She turned, eyes wide before she started shooing the Cookies in the room.

"You guys, hide!" She whisper-yelled before dashing behind the bar and crouching down low with Sparkling, who also peeked from behind it before kneeling down, out of sight.

It was 'every man for himself' for the other Cookies, as all of them either shut themselves in storage closets or curled up under tables. Meanwhile, since it was still dim enough in the room, Choco merely slid himself around a corner, drawing his cape close and tucking his sword underneath so it wouldn't shine in any bit of light.

Now all they had to do was wait...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~back to the present~

"...is anyone there?" Madeleine Cookie half-whispered when the door didn't open.

"Oh, for the love of... allow me," Espresso sighed before sliding one hand away from the paladin's face with a curt "Do not peek!" before fidgeting with the doorknob, finally turning it all the way and pushing the door forward with a scratchy *creak*.

He practically slapped his hand back over Madeleine's face before steadying himself. "Alright, now do yourself a favor and hang on."

"I beg you pard-AAH!"

Madeleine let out a most unheroic yelp as Espresso used all his might to heave the paladin into his arms, not wanting to risk guiding the fool blind over the doorway. He let out a stressed grunt as he managed to squeeze the both of them through the door, Madeleine's eyes still tightly shut, as he feared what Espresso might think if he were to open his eyes and catch a glance at whatever surprise he had planned.

After making it all the way inside, he put Madeleine down and slid his hands over his face again. "You better not have peeked, you buffoon..."

"Oh, I swear by the Light that I didn't!" The paladin stated proudly with a wide smile and fists on his hips.

Espresso huffed. "For once, I believe you. Now, you can open your eyes."

He removed his hands from his face just as Birthday Cake sprinted from behind the bar and flicked on the lights.

From her place on the ceiling, Banana Cookie yanked on a string, causing a banner with the words "Happy Anniversary!" to unfurl. With shouts of the same phrase, the Cookies in hiding left their positions, with Choco merely side-stepping from around his pillar, and went forward to greet the pair with many congratulations and happy remarks.

"Well, I'll be baked!" Madeleine gawked, his mouth in a miniature "O" shape as he gazed around the room. "You did this all for the two of us?"

"Of course we did!" Mala Sauce piped up from the back of the group, her mace swung over one shoulder and a shining grin on her face.

"What better way to celebrate you two than with a party?" Birthday Cake chimed in, hopping excitedly as she gestured her scepter around the room.

"To celebrate... your continued tolerance of each other?" Choco offered, blowing back a loose strand of his own hair.

"That sums it up perfectly," Espresso remarked in agreement with a clap, a much more noticeable smirk on his face.

"Heeey, but you called m- MMPH!" Madeleine was in the middle of a complaint when Espresso slapped a hand over his mouth, not wanting to sour the moment.

"I only called your face 'pretty' just to get you to hush up, now will you?" He nodded disappointedly before removing his hand and hooking both behind his back addressing the group. "I sincerely thank you lot for agreeing to this. I have not a clue what else we would have done had you not stepped up to the plate."

"I love it when he gets all dignified like that!" Madeleine chuckled aloud before Espresso slapped his shoulder with the back of his hand, causing him to let out an offended whimper. "Hey, it's true!"

"I know," the professor said with his chin raised slightly.

Before anyone could continue, Pilot came forward with Sparkling, who was supporting a wooden tray with piping hot mugs of butterscotch.

"Fancy a toast, good sirs?" The bartender proposed with a wink.

"Let us make one in your honor, so that you two may remain forever friends!" Pilot remarked warmly from behind his scarf and beard.

The couple remained silent, staring at each other before the paladin nodded excitedly.

"I could use a drink!"

A sigh from Espresso once more.

"You're starting to sound like that Vampire. Anywho, I am not opposed to the proposition!"

He was the first to grab a mug, followed by another to hand to Madeleine, and before they knew it, everyone stood in a circle around the year-long couple, cups raised.

Sparkling sounded off. "To Espresso and Madeleine!"

"To Espresso and Madeleine!"

Resounding chants and clinks of cups were heard.

And all was content...

[fluffyfranny]

Cookies of Salem AU Pt.4: The Coven

As you ready yourself to retire for your first night, an envelope is slid underneath your door.

This was your third of the evening; the first two detailing the threats that were the Mafia and the select few Neutral parties that wished for the existence of this Town to either become their domain or to be wiped off the map.

Nevertheless, you sigh to yourself as you pick up the envelope, break the seal and slide the paper out.

Inside, in bold, scratchy writing, reads as follows:

"Good evening, fellow citizens! This is your Tracker, Crunchy Chip Cookie, here with an urgent message to pass along!

Upon myself and the rest of our troops settling in for the night, I decided to trek out into the wilderness with my trusted Cream Wolves to scout out the area and make sure it is safe!

My friends... it is anything but safe.

My troops picked up on a rather... all too familiar scent that reeks of trouble. A stench of treachery, an odor of betrayal, if you will!

We have another party to worry about... The Coven.

Under the thickest of cover to make sure nobody was spotted, I managed to gather enough intel on everybody I could see through the brambles that guard their supposed resting grounds.

And, folks, we've dealt with similar evils as these individuals, so stay sharp! We will persevere in the name of Salem!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cookie Coven

Coven Leader: Dark Enchantress Cookie

-Having already established her reign and a reputation for installing fear, this mistress of all evil has decided to take her duties elsewhere, and deciding to start small in this little town called Salem.

Well, in the woods around the little town called Salem.

For, when the crimson moon rises, she and her troublemaking troupe leave their houses amongst everyone else's to conspire what sorts of trickery they can stir up. And for the headmistress, she has a preference for putting unfortunate-enough Cookies under her spell and reading everything through their eyes: their role, those they side with, who they wish were dead, etc.

And if she sees herself there, she will not take their own existence too lightly...

Hex Master: Pomegranate Cookie

-A sorceress at heart, Pomegranate Cookie loves nothing more than using her talents for good, in her Master's eyes, of course, by planting curses on every non-Coven associated Cookie, even those that may seek a pitiful alliance with the likes of Dark Enchantress Cookie and her lackeys.

And once all have been afflicted, like the Arsonist, all it takes is one wave of her mirror and a snap of her fingers to wipe them all out.

Just as her Master wishes...

Medusa: Longan Dragon Cookie

-After a deep slumber, nothing would satiate the Ivory Dragon more than to return the world to rock and stone, just how it was in the time of the Dragons.

When Cookies were nothing to them...

His decorative eyes accompany him as he journeys from the bushes to the ring of homes that make up Salem, before rooting himself at a random house and beckoning everybody, even the homeowner, if they happen to be there, to approach him before the eyes glimmer and flash, encasing the Cookies into stone statues, former remnants of themselves...

Still, to this day, Cookies mean nothing to him...

Necromancer: Licorice Cookie

-Much like Blackberry Cookie, except wishing to impress his idol, Dark Enchantress, Licorice prefers to utilize dead Townies in a more grotesque way...

By calling them 'zombies!'

Sure, Blackberry does similar things with her abilities and uses only corpses of Townies to do good deeds after they've passed on, but Licorice prefers to use those of sinister, evil-roled Cookies to sow more seeds of chaos across Salem!

Plus, the name 'zombie' is plenty scary! Right? They're totally not just crumbled remnants of their former friends, back with a thirst for jam...

Right?

Poisoner: Poison Mushroom Cookie

-Their duty is in their name; sweet, unsuspecting Poison Mushroom Cookie just wants to be your friend... how could you say no?

They also want to show you their friends, the poison spores!

And a day after you meet them, you'll keel over while turning blue in the face! Doesn't that sound just peachy?

"Heeey... you look fuuun! Wanna shroomie?"

Potion Master: Matcha Cookie

-Having brewed tea her entire life, Matcha Cookie wanted to spice things up to feel more like a witch. So, she turned to potions!

Whether to heal, cause physical harm to or reveal the exact role of her target with her brews is up to her, depending on if she wishes to lure unsuspecting Cookies into siding with her so their defenses are low when the Coven goes to rid of them permanently...

Or to go through with the dirty work and save time by blowing their cover or eliminating them on the spot. In any case, she has her fun.

"Hehehe! Run, run as fast as you Cookies can! Heehee!"

[fluffyfranny]

Cookies of Salem AU Pt.3: The Neutral

*beginning of letter*

Good evening, Townie Cookies. This is Sheriff Almond Cookie, reporting.

Despite the alarming appearance of the tag-team group of Mafia Cookies that have overrun our beloved Town, they are not the only threat to our safety.

It has come to my attention that there are individual Neutral parties scattered amongst ourselves, aiming at spreading their own forms of destruction and fear.

However, there are other, more benign Neutral Cookies out there that have pledged their allegiance to protect and serve Salem until the day we crumble, so we will pray to the Witches that they hold true to their promise.

Attached are a list of identities that I recommend you look over and memorize. For if you see any of them around, either approach with caution... or not at all.

*end of letter*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cookies of Neutrality

Amnesiac: Sugar Glass Cookie

-Despite having cared for the memories of others, the resident Labyrinth greenhouse keeper cannot recall her own.

In fact, she is not sure of her purpose here in Salem after being whisked away from her duties, so now she must lie in wait for an answer that will hopefully light the way for her and help her remember...

And the answer might be in blood...

Guardian Angel: Herb Cookie

-Being the bright ray of sunshine that this botanist is, he can't help but spread that light to the sole Cookie that the Witches have tasked him in watching over and protecting.

However, he has no prior background on his target, so if they either want peace or war, he must heed to his duties...

Till death do them part, and he can resume his duties from above...

Survivor: Rambutan Cookie

-Having plenty of experience from the onslaught of monsters that Lychee Dragon Cookie wrought upon her village, this warrior's sole purpose is to survive and thrive!

She may not have her tribe to back her up, but that doesn't mean this chieftain can't run things solo!

Just as long as she doesn't see that little Mangosteen Cookie again, or worse, the Violet Dragon...

Pirate: Captain Caviar Cookie

-Fresh off a recent voyage from the Duskgloom Sea, this boat captain is still itching for an adventure!

Which is why he lugs along some of his gear to challenge his target to a duel with! The rush of adrenaline is almost as intense as when he locked eyes with Black Pearl for the first time!

What does the winner of the duel get, you might wonder? To live another day...

Plaguebearer/Pestilence: Ananas Dragon Cookie

-The Yellow Dragon? Getting sick? Pssh, never!

His own version of spreading the plague, instead of letting a virus loose, is via sneaking little, golden orbs of light into Cookies' homes during the day, so when they return at night, they will be bathed in the light and feel a warmth in their chests, luring everyone into a false sense of security.

Only when every living Cookie is 'infected' by this semi-blinding light, only then will Ananas be allowed to achieve his true, draconic form in order to raze the Town with gargantuan boulders and earth-shattering tremors.

Like he had done in days of old, when Dragons were in control...

Vampire: Vampire Cookie

-Being the sole member of the undead in Salem, this night-dweller wishes for companionship, both from those he converses with during the day...

And those he converts at night...

This new and improved Vampire ditches the wine glasses full of juice for legitimate blood nowadays, converting Townies he wishes to befriend for his cause.

If he or one of his lackeys lands a bite on a baddie from the Mafia, Coven or elsewhere, they perish on the spot. They need pure-blooded individuals to join the ranks of the vampires, and those already tainted by evil may attempt to overthrow the bloodsuckers, so they make sure to get extra close to a critical artery in their case...

Executioner: Peperoncino Cookie

-With his Greatpepper Blade being revered as a symbol of justice ever since he arrived in Salem, this Cookie is filled with more than spice nowadays.

Spice... and rage...

SO much fiery rage that he can't express it on his face; it is instead displayed through his raging determination towards one Cookie and one Cookie only, even going so far as to lie about their whereabouts and twist their evidence against them into hopefully getting them executed...

And himself labeled a hero, even though he couldn't save everybody...

Jester: Chess Choco Cookie

-As well as being strategic in a good ol' game of chess, these twin Pawns also have a reputation to be little tricksters.

So much so that their desired strategy to win involves them acting as suspicious as they can collectively muster in order to be executed, then haunt a chosen target together to bring them along for the fun in the afterlife...

Trust me, you do not want to play chess with these two for the rest of eternity, it'll get boring real quick for those not a fan of the game...

Fortunately, it's the twins' specialty, so they don't mind playing their favorite game forever!

And winning... forever...

Witch: Crowberry Cookie

-Preferring to conduct her business alone rather than with the Coven, this bedazzled Witch also loves to screw around with her collective brothers and sisters, taking pride in snatching up shining potion bottles, polished skulls and glimmering poison barbs to add to her personal collection.

Crowberry also has a knack for persuasion like many members of the Mafia, with the ability to make her targets go after someone else of her choosing, all the while gaining knowledge of their roles in the process.

As long as the Town doesn't come up on top, this wicked witch can get along with anyone! She might even give them a tour of her treasure trove if she's feeling generous enough!

Arsonist: Pitaya Dragon Cookie

-What better way to represent the Flaming Dragon's Valley than to bring part of home to the Town? Good question, the Red Dragon would answer! And how would he do that, exactly?

Why, raining fire and brimstone onto those he deems unworthy of his time!

He starts off subtle, pretending he's lending Herb an unintentional hand by watering the grass around everyone's homes... with gasoline.

Then, he pulls the trigger with a hiss of laughter and sends embers from his wings to ignite the frail plant life and create a raging inferno, hoping to swallow the Town up in all its glory!

"Ahh, jusssst like home!" He remarks to himself with a rumbling chuckle.

Juggernaut: Purple Yam Cookie

-On par with the Dragons in terms of strength and want for chaos, this over-baked Cookie cannot sit still while waiting for the moon to shine.

Because once it does, so do his eyes, irises practically like rings of fire as he swings his yam mace around with unbridled rage. And with each victim he crumbles, his power grows, to the point where he doesn't have to wait every other night to conserve his energy.

It's a constant fountain of it, with him having to keep his composure during the day so as to not let his want for destruction take over and allow him to raze the entire Town. He has to talk himself down from committing such a heinous act.

"I just want to FIGHT! Let me AT 'EM!"

Serial Killer: Lemon Cookie

-He may not seem like much, with his introverted demeanor and preferring to play with his cube or listen to music than actual conversation during the day.

But when night falls, you can almost feel the air crackle slightly and the hairs on the back of your neck begin to stand on end...

While a pair of electric yellow eyes peer over your shoulder, a dagger raised to be embedded into your shoulder...

Werewolf: Werewolf Cookie

-The definition of a recluse, this disgruntled Cookie dreads even-numbered nights most of all, for when those roll around...

The beast decides to rear its ugly head...

Then, the moon remains forever full after only two moons over the course of four days, making each night a living hell for poor Werewolf, anticipating who his claws might fell the next few evenings.

He can't help it! He tries to contain himself, but it just never works...

He doesn't want to hurt anybody, not by choice at least...

Especially those who don't treat him like an outsider; he's most afraid of crumbling them most of all...

[fluffyfranny]

Cookies of Salem AU Pt.2: The Mafia

*incoming transmission* "Townie Cookies! Can you hear me? This is Ninja Cookie, reporting in. I've been picking up on some suspicious activity scattered amongst our households. Upon further investigation, myself, Almond and Walnut Cookie have come to make a grim statement... The Mafia have arrived, and some faces aren't so friendly... In fact, none of them are welcome sights... Anyway, I'm sending a log of the members I've managed to pick up information on, but just be warned... Things won't look good for us if we keep them around... Stay safe out there...over and out." *end of transmission* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mafia Cookies of Salem

Disguiser: Lychee Dragon Cookie

-Having preferred to take on the form of the curious, young Mangosteen Cookie, the Violet Dragon has changed her ways of trickery and makes her disguises more... gruesome.

How gruesome are we talking? Instead of just mere illusionry, Lychee will mold pieces of her fallen victims to herself in order to appear innocent tangibly for a potential run-in with Almond Cookie, or even worse, that snooty little daughter of his...

And cast a glamour on the corpse of the actual victim to make it appear as her until the moon rises and the spell can wear off and the body can be disposed of.

However, she will still cast a glamour on herself to still appear as the whole Cookie she wishes to take up the guise of.

For if not for her enhanced trickery, anyone's hands would pass right through the fake parts of her disguise, foiling her fun right before it could start...

Forger: Snake Fruit Cookie

-Having the ability to lie right through his pointed teeth, the assistant to the Ivory Dragon has developed the ability to lie on paper, as well.

Once his snake minions bring back information on a potential victim, he relays the message to his fellow Mafia Cookies and recommends that they target the Cookie in question so, once they turn up dead, the Town will be able to see his handiwork in the form of their rewritten last will.

"A little bit of thisss, a little note of that, and now you'll look sussspicioussss to the entire Town! A pity that you crumbled too sssoon before we could put your wicked "deedsss" to justice, hehehe..."

Framer: Affogato Cookie

-For this former attendant to Dark Cacao Cookie, a severe case of deja vu is about to begin.

Except this time, his work will flourish and not be snuffed out by some meddlesome, adventuring Cookies...

With his smooth way of talking and access to plenty of dark magic to not only cover up his tracks, but stain the reputation of others, this trickster is bound to achieve his goal of creating a land for himself once and for all! With the help of his fellow no-good Cookies, of course...

First up on his list, that damned Lookout...

Hypnotist: Lilac Cookie

-Earning the nickname, "The Crimson Dusk," Lilac Cookie has a knack for inducing a hypnotic effect on Cookies that are to become his unlucky, unsuspecting victims.

Not only does Lilac possess his typical razor-sharp chakrams and soothing flowery scent, but he now has the ability to plant memories in an unconscious Cookie's mind for when they wake up, ranging from supposedly being attacked and healed when nobody else visited their home, except for him, to apparently going out of their way and either attacking or role-blocking another Cookie...

When in reality, it was the victim who was mentally assaulted by the Cookie as elusive and deadly as the night...

Janitor: Hydrangea Cookie

-As the attendant to the renowned Lotus Dragon, Hydrangea Cookie is well-known for keeping up a dainty, cleanly appearance at all times, even in these unforeseen and downright grisly times.

However, nowadays, she isn't opposed to getting her hands dirty, literally, even while she's disposing of evidence for the good of the Mafia and sweeping up a crumbled Cookie, hiding any indication of the deceased's role.

After all, Cookies are bound to get soggy at one point or another, now aren't they? Even if it's not by water, but from their own jam...

Ambusher: Scorpion Cookie

-Combine her and Lilac, and you've got a pair to be reckoned with, even amongst your own ranks of the Mafia...

"Stealth" is practically her middle name and the basis of her job description; she lies in wait by a target's house, stinger full to the brim with venom, and waits...

Then strikes at the first person she sees at the front porch, even if it may not be the homeowner. She can even break through tough Bodyguard vests and dissolve the Trapper's creations.

However, any that visit the targeted household will be notified of her presence, and her intent...

Best pray to the Witches that she be the only one visiting tonight...

Godfather: Dark Choco Cookie

-Forget about the throne; instead of a prince, he's a lord...

A crime lord...

Having lost his place in line for the throne of the Dark Cacao Kingdom, this fallen member of royalty has pursued a different way of being the epitome of leadership.

And he's found it...

With a ragtag group of no-good Cookies from all Kingdoms and Valleys alike, scouted out by himself and his fellow former Cookie of Darkness, Red Velvet Cookie. He seeks to influence and spread his own wave of fear like Dark Enchantress has already done.

'God' does have a nice ring to it in his job title, though...

He loves this so much more than ‘king…’

Mafioso: Red Velvet Cookie

-As Godfather Choco's right-hand man (no pun intended), this Cookie and Cake hybrid does a good portion of the dirty work. Specifically, he's basically the hitman that takes out any target Choco demands of him to eliminate.

Except, there's a problem. If he wants to crumble someone in particular, and it's not who Choco wishes to rid of, then his plans are dashed.

Maybe if he forgets to act on one specific, light-hearted Cookie, then he will...

Consort: Rose Cookie

-It certainly takes two to tango, and Rose Cookie loves having this as her personal motto.

On par with Kumiho as a master of distraction, the dancer is more... thorny with her methods of occupation. And no, she isn't able to kill, just flirtatiously make victims unaware and nothing more...

And, like Kumiho, she is also susceptible to patrons who... despise interruptions if she isn't careful...

Consigliere: Lotus Dragon Cookie

-Already knowing every Cookie's greatest wish, the Blue Dragon knows every bit about their being, heart and soul and all...

Their duties specifically involve scoping out pieces of evidence that directly give away their target's role. It could be a trinket they carry, a catchphrase under their breath, or a mere force of habit.

But they already knew all that, too... it's their specialty.

Blackmailer: Rougefort Cookie

-Calling cards? Forget about it!

This thief of the night instead stuffs his envelopes to the brim with evidence: message records, receipts, anything you could imagine to stir the pot of the victim's darkest secrets...

How he got ahold of these top-secret items that should have been buried in the past, nobody knows! Nobody except for him, of course...

After all, he did rob their places prior moving to Salem. Now he just has to ensure that the pesky Townies stay quiet.

And with his methods, he's sure they will...

[fluffyfranny]

Cookies of Salem AU Pt.1: Townspeople

Sooooo... I've had this AU festering around in my brain for a while, and I've decided to make it for two games (DR and Cookie Run) because the character combinations are nearly endless in my mind! So the plan is this: I'll make the AU for the Cookies first, then I'll make it for the entirety of Danganronpa.

And for each AU I'll divide them into four parts for each set of roles: the Townspeople, the Mafia, the Coven and the Neutral roles.

THEN I may write mini drabbles or an entire consistent storyline based on my casting choices.

But enough of me rambling, LET'S GET CRACKIN'!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cast of Townspeople

Investigator: Walnut Cookie

-As Ms. Junior Detective, Walnut Cookie is determined to follow in her father's footsteps by tracking down clues and tracing them towards her target's true identity. Her magnifying glass is polished every night for the clearest of convictions.

Lookout: Caramel Arrow Cookie

-The First Watcher, despite not possessing a fine piece of equipment like that of Walnut Cookie, instead has eyes as sharp as a hawk's and can see as far and crystal clear as the most pristine eyeglass.

Stealth mode is her specialty, and the bushes are her greatest ally as she braces herself at the side of a potential target's house, hoping to catch criminals red-handed and administer justice.

Psychic: Prophet Cookie

-Armed with his trusty crystal ball and tarot cards, Prophet Cookie is prepared to translate the nightly visions that cloud his mind. On odd-numbered nights, a member of a trio of faces should be considered under suspicion of wrongdoings, while on even nights, one face from a pair he is given can be proven innocent.

However, his techniques aimed at saving the Town come with a cost, bearing the risk of labeling himself as a fraud if his convictions prove false.

Sheriff: Almond Cookie

-As head of M.E.H., this veteran cop has a keen eye for the guilty, for they flee at the sight of his gleaming badge. That, and he has so many years of experience under his belt that he can look into his suspects' eyes and read through their cover-up acts if they seem to be suspicious...

Or sweat at the temples if he suspects that an innocent is being falsely accused...

Either way, if his suspicions prove too inconclusive, he can always rely on his dear little Walnut Cookie to crack the case.

Spy: Ninja Cookie

-As fast as the wind and light on their feet, Ninja Cookie utilizes his mastery of stealth to bug people's homes and keep an eye on who visits potential victims, if any at all.

He can also sniff out the Mafia by hearing in on their conversations, keeping his senses on full alert in case names are dropped and covers are potentially blown...

Tracker: Crunchy Chip Cookie

-Despite not having eyes or a nose as keen as those of his beloved Cream Wolves, he does rely on them to assist him in keeping an eye on potential suspects by sending one of them after a target to follow them throughout the night.

Upon their return, even if they come back empty-pawed with a lack of information, he still appreciates their attempts and rewards them greatly at training the next day... mainly with lots of scratches and phrasings of "who's a good boy/girl?"

Jailor: Clotted Cream Cookie

-One that believes in justice through conviction, the Consul utilizes his Light Cage to keep suspects apprehended as securely as if they boasted Almond Cookie's handcuffs while he digs for the truth, all the while keeping his composure throughout his interrogations like a good, dutiful citizen of the Republic.

But sometimes, certain evildoers tend to break through the bars...

Vampire Hunter: Pastry Cookie

-Trading in her trusty crossbow for a wooden stake and holy water, this member of the St. Pastry Order is shifting from benevolent prayers to malevolent stakeouts for jam-sucking fiends of the night.

For the Order and the good of the Town!

However, a certain evil is afoot once more, and a severe case of deja vu will test this nun's willpower...

Veteran: Tea Knight Cookie

-After the events that left the rest of his fellow Tea Leaf Knights dead, this war hero hides away within the confines of his home, too paranoid to ever bear his weapons out in the open again...

Except under the cover of night, when only trespassers who come through his door wish to taste dragon-blood stained steel...

Vigilante: Madeleine Cookie

-To protect the Town, the Light must protect this most determined of paladins! Upon sniffing out the slightest suspicion from someone, his blade is primed and his battle cry is ready!

But those victory cries will become pained cries if he discovers that the "suspect" is a fellow member of the Town, and there's only one way he would be able to erase the memory of the crime he committed...

Erase himself from memory...

Bodyguard: Milk Cookie

-For peace and justice to remain steadfast, so must this knight of the Milk Tribe. He aims to accomplish this by putting himself on the front lines, protecting an individual from potential attacks with the help of his unmovable will and mighty Divine Milk Shield.

On a night he fears for his own safety, which is once in a blue moon, he will bestow protection upon himself to decrease the risk of himself being added to the body count.

But the risk is never zero...

Doctor: Dr. Bones Cookie

-Emergency, emergency! Wounds are crumbling, but not for long on this doc's watch! Bringing his mobile hospital clinic to the tiny town him and the other Cookies reside in was quite the challenge, but he has successfully rehoused all his medical equipment and has a clean table ready for any kind of wounds his patients may present!

Stab wounds? Easy peasy! Black eyes? No problemo!

Burns?

Werewolf attack?

Now those he might not know how to repair, or have time to...

Crusader: Raspberry Cookie

-Not only is she living up to the name of House Raspberry, but for her Town, as well!

She will protect her dignity and the lives at stake with her trusty blade, defending her target from anybody that may trespass on their doorstep...

...even if they may turn out to be innocent, and unnecessary blood will stain her blade, tarnishing it and her reputation.

Trapper: Espresso Cookie

-A master of many crafts, "Trapper" was practically Espresso's middle name, as his whispers of "escape this!' after setting up his masterpieces practically sealed the deal. His experience with crafting Magic Candies has led to the professor infusing his traps with spells capable of inflicting the maximum amount of pain to any trespasser, whether through shocks, burns, poison or anything in between.

In addition, a gravity-bearing trap will draw a piece of evidence from the trespasser's person, making it clear who visited based off the item. For example, if an empty glass bottle sits near the trap, then he has snagged the Potion Master. If the item is a bloody flower, then a Mafia member visited his target.

However, he can also unintentionally snag innocent Townies, for a bloody knife may be a Doctor's surgical scalpel, or a suspicious piece of technology may belong to the Spy.

Either way, nobody is escaping his contraptions unscathed, for Espresso will be able to tell who visited his target based on the scratches and jam seeping down the victim's leg.

Escort: Kumiho Cookie

-Under the cover of the night and the guise of a regular old Cookie, Kumiho intends on foiling her target's plans through sweet, sweet flirting. After all, nobody can resist her charm for too long!

However, some are immune to the Escort's tactics and don't take them lightly... they take them out by force.

Mayor: Pure Vanilla Cookie

-Hiding his mayoral badge underneath his flowing cream robes, the leader of the Vanilla Kingdom chooses anonymity, for the time being, over increasing the likelihood of him being targeted by the Mafia or the Coven, as well as any other killers that may roam the streets.

But his vote will count down the road. It will have to, if the Town wants to return to some normalcy.

So as he draws his cloak aside from near his heart, the badge gleaming, he is prepared to take up another leadership position as he has before.

And face the risks... as he has before.

Medium: Black Garlic Cookie

-Instead of a crystal ball, this ghost professor prefers to commune with Cookies from the great beyond with the help of her trusty live-streaming camera! Once she pinpoints her spooky friend's location with her lens, she keeps an eye on them through it or stares into the space she last saw them with her camera and babbles away, begging for the spirits to rat out the remaining baddies!

However, this latter method makes her appear as if she's talking to nothing in front of her, potentially putting her duties, and her life, in jeopardy...

Retributionist: Blackberry Cookie

-Together with Black Garlic Cookie, this dutiful maiden has the potential to give one of the unnecessarily deceased another chance at saving the Town, for she cannot resurrect any Mafians, Coven members or neutral parties.

The professor locates a worthy Townie spirit, and the maiden summons the Ghost Butler and her tidiness-addicted spirits to cleanse their spirit and raise them from their grave to send them back on their merry way!

Right after the ghosts clean them up again, because who likes the smell of decay and mud lodged in your dough?

Transporter: Croissant Cookie

-With her trusty Timecraft, this member of the TBD is determined to foil the plans of the damned by swapping two people's places, providing the possibility of the Mafia or Coven striking one of their own when an innocent should have been. She can also swap herself with another Cookie, poofing her away from potentially being crumbled.

However, a gig could go wrong and Croissant may swap an innocent into being slaughtered instead of a baddie. In that case, she just rewinds time and rethinks her strategy!

She doesn't want to repeat carnage when it doesn't have to...

[fluffyfranny]

Unbelievable… Her act was going so well-

Guess he saw through it…

“Tch-!”

And just like that, *poof,* her disguise faded away into the wind. Zora now remained, her left shoulder and side being drenched in blood as it oozed from her wounds. Haru perched on her uninjured side, whining in a high pitch as she tried to mop up some of the sanguine liquid with her tails and lick some away if she could reach it.

But her hazel eyes were now trained on her partner, more blood threatening to be spilled as the yakuza pointed a knife mere inches from her eyeball. She retracted her tails towards her and balled herself up tight, peeking out at the scene from behind one of them.

“Heh, suppose this was- urk!” A stab of pain lanced through both her beaten stomach and her knifed shoulder, causing her to choke on her words and clutch at her arm to try and slow the bleeding down. “Suppose this was to be expected, after the-“

Another burst of pain. “..ssshit I pulled on poor ol’ you…” She hissed.

She glanced through her peripheral vision in an attempt to find a way to escape the position the Remnant had her trapped in: standing straight and stiff as a board against the wall, eyes not veering away from the flash of metal that was lethally close to driving into her socket.

She glanced down, not moving her body so as to not agitate her injuries, and saw a gap underneath Fuyuhiko’s arm that wasn’t holding a blade in her face.

An opening…

Bracing herself for what came next, Zora swiftly ducked and slid underneath her assailant’s arm, triggering a bruising punch to her gut where she was kicked, along with her arm feeling like it would fall off.

But through gritted teeth, she stood to her feet, now gazing at her attacker at a slightly safer distance than earlier, despite a knife still being pointed at her from said distance.

With her uninjured hand resting protectively over Haru, she gave the Remnant a quivering smile.

“Heh, you’ve also got balls, little man. Goin’ after a lady like that. Not that you care, though, I suppose, considering your, uh-“

She waved a hand at his form. “Occupation. But still, I gotta give you credit for the show you put on for me!”

She softly clapped, regretting it soon thereafter as her injured shoulder throbbed. Haru had slipped from her unhurt side to her still-bleeding one to lap away at the hole that still trickled blood as she did this.

“And them,” she continued, tapping on an earpiece lodged in one of her ears, a tiny blinking green light piercing through the haze.

“Suppose I gotta report back to the Foundation with my intel,” she shrugged. Cue another pained wince. “But I feel this isn’t our last dance together, pal…”

She sent the yakuza a wink as she tapped on her earpiece and projected an image.

One that she took specifically to make his stomach leap.

The image displayed the long-missing Peko, wrists tied and body slumped forward in a dim room that appeared to be a containment cell. One braid was mangled and unkempt from when Zora…”borrowed” her hair tie for Haru.

“Suppose you recognize this one, eh?” Another wink and upwards quirk of her lips. “Well, I’ll give ya some good news AND bad news, chap! Bad news, to you, that is, we have her. Locked away at HQ.”

She spared a sideways glance at Haru’s collar, causing her to yip upon making eye contact before Zora looked back up. “Yes, that is indeed hers. BUT!” She clapped and winced once more, Haru yelping suddenly at the noise and hiss of pain from her partner. “Good news is…she’s alive! Despite how she looks here. We’ll return her to you and the outside world if she answers our questions. If not…”

She raised her uninjured arm and pointed at Fuyuhiko’s weapon before making a slitting gesture across her neck, then reaching her hand up to double-tap her earpiece and send the image away.

“Well, ya know the drill for people like you these days.”

She saluted the yakuza with a pained smirk before snapping her fingers and disappearing amidst a cloud of grey smoke, sending one last remark into the wind.

“Until we meet again…”

Another day, another stakeout…

Only this time, the stakes were higher than ever before…

Zoraphael had received word that the Remnants of Despair and their followers were running amok in the city streets, especially those affiliated with the gangs run by the Owada brothers and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, whose groups were in the midst of something akin to a turf war, even though it merely involved destructive displays of each other’s power in public areas where members from both sides congregated. The vixen had received word from Naegi and company at the Foundation that her supervision would be welcomed at night to keep an eye out for these rogue thugs.

And, rumor has it, for the leaders as well, for word had broken out that the biker, his brother and the yakuza boss were roaming out in the open to contribute to the chaos.

So here she stood in a foggy alley late that night, cape and scarf fluttering slightly as she twirled a dango stick between her fingers while eyeing both entrances of the alleyway through her peripheral vision, sparing an occasional whisper to some unseen force near her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, they’ll come. They know we’re here…”

The city had turned into a ghost town around this time at night. The citizens didn’t bother leaving their houses knowing what would happen if they dared set one foot outside.

And Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu liked it that way.

People thinking that their houses would be their safe haven, only for him and his Yakuza to come in at the end and set them ablaze. That just made his job more fun.

However, tonight would be different. Right now, he didn’t have time to break anything or light anything on fire. There was someone he was supposed to meet.

It definitely wasn’t the Owada brothers. That much was for certain.

No. Instead, it was some other vigilante. A girl.

He had heard rumors about her before. Vague rumors, but rumors nonetheless. She definitely posed as a threat to his cause.

But oh well. She’ll just end up as another body in the street by the time he’ll be done with her.

He could see her silhouette now, silently waiting for him to meet her. He smiled to himself as he held his jackknife in his hand.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

[fluffyfranny]

In the back of her mind, Zora was cackling her ass off. This chaos-loving, all-powerful, runty little yakuza was falling for one of her best ruses yet!

Head over heels, even, considering who she was-

Oh-! That's right! Back to her mind games.

"Young...master?" She tried her best to coo as fearfully as possible, going so far as to let a bead of sweat trickle down the side of her head. "Is...is it true?"

The corners of Zora's lips twitched, and she forced them to stay as still as possible.

She couldn't be done with her act JUST yet...

"You have no idea what kind of tribulations I have faced with that trickster vigilante," she continued, mustering some courage in her next chosen words.

"She has spread so much false information about us Remnants, and despite our forces attempting to reason with her through honorable combat, she guns them down right then and there. She even lets her little companion go after their entrails if she went far enough to spill them!"

"A lone tear down the cheek now, for good measure..." Zora thought to herself underneath the glamour, making the swordswoman's eyes appear watery.

"She even...she has even stooped as low as holding me captive under the guise of herself to...to take you out right here and now!" She grimaced, bracing herself for what she had to say next.

"She went so far as to tell me that you were having...second thoughts about remaining a Remnant, and that you had been brought by her to the Foundation agents for peace talks! Oh, the despairity!"

She hid her face in a rare display of vulnerability in the presence of her longtime comrade, sniffling once before wiping her cheek with a fist before reinstating eye contact.

"Peko" pleaded, all the while resuming a stone-faced expression while making her voice sound pleading.

"Please, young master! If I may be truthful with you, please do not go and stoop as far as she has! We must continue to spread our influence on the world together!"

Zora was having an absolute blast with this. The adrenaline and joy racing through her mind threatened to take over her actions and disrupt her disguise, but no! She had to hold on a little longer. She had to weaken his guard.

She hoped the Foundation-provided earpiece was capturing every single bit of this engagement.

"Young master, tell me that this isn't true!"

Zora let her eyes shine through her ruse, a flash of tealy blue sparking across "Peko's" blood-red irises.

"Tell me that these rumors aren't real!"

Another day, another stakeout…

Only this time, the stakes were higher than ever before…

Zoraphael had received word that the Remnants of Despair and their followers were running amok in the city streets, especially those affiliated with the gangs run by the Owada brothers and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, whose groups were in the midst of something akin to a turf war, even though it merely involved destructive displays of each other’s power in public areas where members from both sides congregated. The vixen had received word from Naegi and company at the Foundation that her supervision would be welcomed at night to keep an eye out for these rogue thugs.

And, rumor has it, for the leaders as well, for word had broken out that the biker, his brother and the yakuza boss were roaming out in the open to contribute to the chaos.

So here she stood in a foggy alley late that night, cape and scarf fluttering slightly as she twirled a dango stick between her fingers while eyeing both entrances of the alleyway through her peripheral vision, sparing an occasional whisper to some unseen force near her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, they’ll come. They know we’re here…”

The city had turned into a ghost town around this time at night. The citizens didn’t bother leaving their houses knowing what would happen if they dared set one foot outside.

And Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu liked it that way.

People thinking that their houses would be their safe haven, only for him and his Yakuza to come in at the end and set them ablaze. That just made his job more fun.

However, tonight would be different. Right now, he didn’t have time to break anything or light anything on fire. There was someone he was supposed to meet.

It definitely wasn’t the Owada brothers. That much was for certain.

No. Instead, it was some other vigilante. A girl.

He had heard rumors about her before. Vague rumors, but rumors nonetheless. She definitely posed as a threat to his cause.

But oh well. She’ll just end up as another body in the street by the time he’ll be done with her.

He could see her silhouette now, silently waiting for him to meet her. He smiled to himself as he held his jackknife in his hand.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

[fluffyfranny]

Wrong Track: Ingo Edition

Summary: Despite being the mellow fellow that is your partner, he has his moments… and one does more harm than intended-

Pairing: Ingo x gender-neutral! reader

Genre: Angst to fluff

Emmet edition already made, find it here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dearest, are you ready to depart?”

“Almost! Just making sure I have everything!”

“Well, once you are done with safety checks, we can set off!”

Both you and your Subway Master partner were equally excited the night leading up to this morning. For today, he would be taking you to work with him to give you an all but exclusive look at what he does behind the scenes and for a living at the Gear Station.

He encouraged you to ask whatever came to mind about his career if you were so curious as to know. Seeing his dearest so excited about his passion made Ingo’s cheeks flare up and silver eyes brighten at the same time.

Thus, in his shockingly excitable state the previous afternoon, he found it difficult to slip off into dreamland once entering his bed, and was instead plagued all night by what could occur the next day. The good, the bad-

The ugly…

And to add insult to injury, you could make out dark circles underneath Ingo’s eyes that would make his ever-present deadpan expression more menacing. You questioned whether he felt like he got proper sleep prior to such a big day, but he assured you that, despite the looks of things on the outside, he was brimming with ecstasy and joy on the inside and couldn’t wait to show you around his work.

You sure hoped so, for you’ve heard about instances where fellow depot agents have had encounters with your lover when he was lacking proper self-care and rest. He supposedly had mussed up sideburns, darkened eyes, an unkempt uniform and a deep scowl that could even make Giratina run away in fear. But the upwards quirked look of Ingo’s eyes during your morning walk to breakfast displayed nothing but affection and eagerness towards showing you, his darling, what he has worked so hard for.

As the morning rush was bound to be inhibiting, Ingo insisted that the both of you summon one of your partner Pokemon to remain steadfast by your side in case you two became separated from either jammed attempts at crossing traffic or crowds condensing to the point of pushing you away from each other, just so it would be easier to locate you.

But the black-clad Subway Boss had no plans on failing that safety check, nope! The walk to breakfast involved your hands tightly interlocked, his glove-clad hand smooth against yours as he guided you through the surprisingly large masses of people at that early hour.

His Chandelure hovered just above the pair of you, vigilant and on the lookout for anyone that might be shooting you judgy stares or aiming to approach you for some funny business. She would brighten her golden-hued eyes and let out a lilting coo of warning before anyone could get too close and she would have to resort to a rattling cry. However, nobody seems to wish to disturb you both that morning, so the ghost was quite happy, eyes shut and content grin across her face as she let out sharp, happy whistles.

“Chandelure, dear, would you be so kind as to dull down that racket?” He questioned politely, reaching up to rub the glass of his partner’s cheek, earning a dimming of flame and slightly saddened whine from the ghost. “It is still quite early, and we don’t want to unnerve anyone, especially dearest and their Inari.”

Inari was the nickname for your Zoroark, the partner Pokemon that you decided would be the perfect traveling bodyguard for you that day (aside from your boyfriend, of course). A spooky choice for a bodyguard, but a fun one, nonetheless. She would mimic Chandelure’s songs and various other noises in an attempt to tease her, but the ghost saw these gestures as nothing but sweet and sung cheerful, albeit unnerving, melodies to express her gratitude.

Her head rested in your lap as you, her, your partner and his Pokemon sat outside at a cafe just a few blocks from the station for a quick breakfast, giving her ears quick little scratches and giggling as you watched them flick, earning a wary yet knowing stare from the fox, who proceeded to wink at you before a waitress approached to take your orders.

After a swift meal of pancakes, with Inari being snuck pieces of bacon and Chandelure attempting to be fed half a bagel by Ingo, the bill was paid within minutes and the four of you were off again, hand in hand as your spooky companions watched you and your surroundings intently while you approached Gear Station.

“Hey, Ingo?” You prodded as you neared the downward staircase that would lead to the station’s lobby. You were suddenly getting curious on what you would see when you two arrived at his work.

“Yes, dearest?” You got in reply from beside you, followed by a quick upwards nudge of his cap.

“How do the train cars resist all those crazy moves that Pokemon use?”

“Well, our cars are biologically and technologically innovated to withstand anything from an immense electrical discharge, a swamping of poisonous sludge, and other such intense outcomes of moves.” His eyes squinted upwards in his own version of a smile as he held a finger up while he explained. “They were made as such during the early phases of construction of the station!”

“Where would all the water go if a move like Waterfall was used?”

“We have a built-in drainage system within the floors of the cars that sends all the waste water to a set of reservoirs that we drain at the end of each service!”

“How does the metal not melt with Fire-type moves?”

“The walls, seats, handrails and the like are extra-coated with flame retardant, both during their construction and frequently between services to maintain its resistance!”

Your jaw dropped open slightly at hearing him explain the architecture of his beloved train cars. Who knew that technology was possible? Even Inari’s eyes shone a brighter shade of teal after listening in to Ingo’s drabble.

She mentally smirked to herself, wondering if she could reinforce her illusions to withstand type weaknesses in similar manners…

“Well, that certainly tuckered me out, but it was a pleasure enlightening you!” Ingo remarked with pride as you two began to descend the steps of the station, your Zoroark and his Chandelure not too far behind.

You picked up on the noticeable drop in your beloved’s voice and a sag in his shoulders. Signs that he was, indeed, exhausted. Odd, he was never really like this early in the morning, he usually was as eager as Emmet to get to work-

“Oh, that was certainly interesting, thank you!” You chimed back at him, your eyes almost as bright as his, despite the fog of exhaustion behind them. “But honey, you look very tired, much more than usual… you sure you’re okay?”

“Hmm? Nonsense!” Ingo insisted with a double-fingered point, his signature habit. “I’ve merely exhausted some extra energy reserved from yesterday! It was because I couldn’t wait to get to today last night!”

“You’re sure, now?” You prodded again. “Because I won’t hesitate to initiate a safety check of my own to make sure you get through today without a hitch!”

“Yes, dear, I insist,” Ingo huffed with a sigh, which you presumed was from exhausting himself of air and not him…

Not him getting irritated with you…

“I don’t think you are…” You finally said. You loved this man to death, but sometimes his workaholic attitude got the better of him. Inari seemed to pick up on the tension and shimmied closer to your side, eyeing your boyfriend warily from your shoulder as she sat her chin on it.

“What was that, love?” He picked up on what you said.

This could go one of two ways…

“I said that I don’t think you’re being honest with me,” you exemplified your concern with a sad-sounding sigh. Inari nuzzled your shoulder and chirped, trying to perk up your mood after hearing you sound so sad. The corners of your lips twitched slightly as you reached up and gave one of her ears a stroke, earning a flick, all the while maintaining eye contact with Ingo as you two paused just at the foot of the stairs.

“Now what makes you think that?” He prodded back none too gently, for his voice audibly dropped and he gazed at you from underneath the brim of his cap, silver eyes gleaming. Chandelure seemed to be getting antsy at seeing her Trainer so tense and his partner on the brink of tears, so she waved her flames in your direction, almost…

Almost as if telling you to be careful…

“Because you don’t give yourself enough attention!” You quipped desperately, sending Inari flinching off your shoulder and Chandelure floating a few inches back, both of your partners fearing what would come next. “You get so caught up in your work that you don’t remember to sleep or eat!” You fidgeted with your thumbs as you brought your hands close to yourself.

“I assure you, darling,” Ingo huffed with a tad of a growl in his voice. “This is not the time nor place to argue; we have work to do.”

“Do you? Do you really?” You weren’t holding yourself back with what you were saying at this point, much to Inari and Chandelure’s disagreement, for they were both now behind the two of you, the fox swiftly nodding her head ‘no’ with her teal eyes blown wide, while the ghost was swaying and waving her arms wildly, staring at you with her golden orbs with as much force as Inari.

The little outburst your group was having was beginning to draw in some stares, with some fearfully whispering to their cohorts about what the Station Master would do in this situation. The crowd seemingly took notice of the situation as a whole and kept their distance from the four of you, not wanting to interfere with one of the Bosses of the station in what was certainly meant to be a private affair.

“Because it looks like to me that you’re ignoring yourself too much!”

“Well, YOU’RE too much!”

That did it. Ingo’s voice boomed outward with this remark directed at you, and it seemed to freeze both your party and the crowd that had amassed in the station at that moment. A few startled gasps could be heard amongst the mass of people, and some whispers broke out about what the sudden commotion was about.

A tiny squeak of a gasp left your own mouth before you downturned your head to prevent Ingo from seeing the tears that were now welling in your eyes, with one lone tear trickling down your cheek and off your chin. Inari let out a whimper like a kicked Houndoom and nuzzled the top of your head before giving it a gentle pat and licking the tear trail from your cheek with tiny bleps.

It was only Chandelure letting out something akin to a haunting whine that got you to look up and face your boyfriend, looking him dead in the eyes after giving the ghost a weak smile before the corners of your lips quickly turned downward again.

Ingo’s own mouth was cracked open slightly as his jaw quivered, threatening to either make him widen his shocked expression or to summon his own tears that he could feel welling in the backs of his eyes.

What in Arceus’s name did he just do?

“Dear…” he borderline whispered, reaching a quivering hand towards your shoulder, only for Inari to slap it away and bare her teeth at him, snarling for him to keep away and take a good look at what he’d done to her Trainer.

“I-I just want you to-“ you were cut off by a choking noise from your throat as you let out a meek sob that you tried to hide behind your hand, but failed miserably at doing. “I just want you to take care of y-yourself better and THIS is what I get?”

You attempted to tune your cries out by taking in the sounds of the subway, listening to footsteps clacking, voices murmuring to close-by friends or cohorts…

The sound of an incoming train to Castelia City rapidly approaching…

You knew what to do.

“We need a break.”

“WAIT-!” Ingo let out another booming yell as you turned on your heels towards the oncoming train and maneuvered your way through the mass of people, bobbing and weaving in an attempt to lose your boyfriend. Inari took on the form of a Joltik to make a quick getaway with you on your head before jumping off and reassuming her original form beside you, clinging to your arm to keep the two of you close.

Chandelure could be heard singing desperately and in a panic as she floated over the crowd and flew towards you in an attempt to regain your attention, but Inari took notice of her and shot a Dark Pulse in the ghost’s direction. The attack snuffed out one of the flames on her arms, causing the ghost to let out a shriek that startled the crowd of people directly below her, giving Ingo a chance at reaching you, apologizing as he squeezed past people.

Just as he reached the front of the crowd and took note of your presence, it was already too late. You and Inari stepped into the train bound for Castelia, and you could hear Ingo over the bustle of the people with you in the car, begging you to give him another chance and to hear him out.

You spared one last glance at the doors, with Inari clinging to your waist from behind and staring directly towards the entrance to the car, and your heart almost shattered and spilled right then and there at the sight before you.

Ingo was crying now, eyes overflowing and gloved hand pressed against the small pane of glass, almost as if he were trying to reach through it to grab at you. Chandelure hovered right beside him, yellow eyes leaking clear-blue wisps of flame that mimicked tears.

You sent a two-fingered salute with your hand as the train nudged forward and began to depart towards Castelia City.

The cry that Ingo let out as you vanished into the tunnel would haunt your dreams for a while after that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon reaching Castelia, you knew you needed to drown out your senses from the incident back in Nimbasa. So you went and bought yourself and Inari some well-renowned Casteliacones, which the fox gleefully lapped up before resuming her motherly attitude and nuzzling up close to you as you ate your treat, giving anyone who dared send a mean look your way a, well, quite literal Mean Look, sending them scattering. A few tears were shed but she was quick to either use a claw to wipe them away or lick at your face, which never failed to make you giggle.

After your impromptu snacktime, the two of you went and challenged Burgh’s gym. Despite knowing that a majority of your Dark-type team would be weak to his Bug-type ensemble, you took on this challenge nonetheless. It went back and forth, with you losing a Pokemon and then the gym leader, but in the end, you sent out Inari and finished off Burgh’s Leavanny with a held-back Fire Punch. The leader made a brilliant show of applauding your victory, sliding onto his knees and gesturing at you with an enthusiastic “BRAVO!” that made your heart skip a beat, for it reminded you of Ingo and one of his trademark catchphrases in battle.

Speaking of your boyfriend, he was a hot mess back home. He had called off the rest of work, which Emmet scolded initially, but once his older brother told him of his current circumstances, he gave a sad nod and a pat on the shoulder before permitting him to go, insisting he and the depot agents would have everything under control. Once those words left Emmet’s mouth, Ingo never ran out of there faster than he did at that moment. He phoned Elesa and explained his predicament in between sobs, to which she responded with reassuring promises of you coming around and that she’d let the other gym leaders know to keep an eye out for you.

A few hours pass by before you two are tuckered out from the events of today, which was supposed to be a day of pride and admiration for you and Ingo. He was supposed to show you his pride and joy.

He turned today’s plans on their head…

When you and Inari finished meandering around Castelia, you traded her in for your Skarmory and flew back home to Nimbasa. You had no clue if Ingo would still be at the station looking for you, but you didn’t want to take the risk of having another run-in with him after today.

After arriving home, you summoned Inari back out to cover for you while you two went inside and you bolted to your room, slipping into comfortable clothes and then under the covers, with Inari circling the bed like a Mightyena on patrol before plopping herself on top of you like a fuzzy comforter and laying in the direction of the door so she could keep an eye out for if Ingo came home early and retreated to your shared quarters.

You gave her plenty of pets and scratches, thanking her for sticking by you through this day that felt like hell, earning an ear flick and wink of a teal eye in response before she dozed off. You followed suit not long after, letting one last tear trickle onto your pillow.

Today didn’t have to go like this. But why did it?

After what felt like a few hours of sleep, you heard the jingling of keys by the front door, followed by the door opening and closing accompanied by two sets of sad noises: high-pitched, haunting whines and deep, blubbering sniffles.

“They’re back-“ you panicked internally.

Inari sensed your distress and picked up on the sudden noise that roused you both from sleep. Her ears flicked before laying flat against the sides of her head and her lips quirked up in a silent snarl. Before she could make any noise, however, you pressed a gentle hand to her head and stroked.

“No need for a fuss,” you soothed. “I’m sure he means no harm this time.”

Inari squinted at you before nodding and laying her head back in your lap, all the while still facing the door, waiting…

“D-dear?” You heard Ingo stutter from the living room. “H-have you reached your destination back home?”

Your eyes welled with tears. He almost never stuttered, so his emotions must be very out of whack.

You’d scold yourself for that one later.

“Please be home, oh almighty Arceus, let them have gotten back safe!” You heard him murmur rather loudly down the hall before he tried to speak again, but choked on his own air and started sobbing deeply into the sleeve of his coat. Chandelure cried with him, too, and it was eerie considering how human-like she could sound when she was upset.

You were just propping yourself up on the bed and reaching for a book as you heard the cries stop by your shared room. The doorknob rattled and turned before a thin strip of light filled the room and soon illuminated it. Two shadows were visible in the panel of light on the wall, one floating and one sagging before they disappeared when the door shut.

You glanced up from the book you had in your lap, Inari having repositioned herself to look at what you were reading, and immediately almost started crying again.

Ingo was an even hotter mess than when you two were apart. His sideburns were a mussed mess from running his fingers through them. His cheeks were stained with tear trails, his silver eyes were watery and his frown seemed deeper than ever before.

The fur of Inari’s mane began to puff up as Ingo got closer, and he immediately backed against the dresser. Chandelure let out a nervous coo and floated towards the front of the room, away from the head of the bed.

“W-wait, halt, Inari!” Your boyfriend pleaded with her, taking his cap off and setting it on top of the dresser before lifting his empty hands into the air in defense. “M-may I speak with them? Th-“ He stuttered, trying to keep his composure before clearing his throat. “That is all I ask for.”

Your partner squinted at Ingo before nodding and sliding off your lap to take up a new spot at the foot of the bed. He nodded in her direction before fiddling with the collar of his uniform.

“D-dearest?” He murmured quietly so as to make it clear he wasn’t angry. You looked back down at your book before lifting it and covering your face with it to hide the oncoming onslaught of tears.

“No, no no no, darling, please!” He begged, voice hoarse from crying for so long. “Please, look at me. Look at me and tell me that I screwed up!”

If your ears were like Inari’s, they would have perked up. You lowered your book slowly and placed it on the nightstand. You lifted your arms out, a sign to him that it was okay, and he quickly slumped into your hold. Arms encircled your waist as his face smushed itself into your chest. You lifted a gentle hand to smooth down his tousled alabaster locks.

“You-“ You were starting to choke up on your own words now. “No, you didn’t screw up.”

Ingo lifted his face from your chest and stared at you with eyes as wide as saucers. “Wha-? But how could I not have? I screamed at you, I-“ He sniffled and swallowed a sob that was building in his throat. “I scared you.”

You squeezed him a little tighter. “No, no, it was my fault from the get-go. I prodded at you too much when I KNEW that you weren’t in tip-top shape, and I should have given you your space.”

“It was supposed to be a perfect day for us-“

“I know, hon, I know…” You cooed, trying to soothe his frazzled nerves. “But tomorrow is another day; we can always go together another day, and THEN you can show me around!”

A sniffle. A silent pause.

“Y-you’re sure you still want to?”

“Of course, sweetheart, I look forward to it.”

“Y-you still love me, right?”

That hit you harder than expected. You swore you felt your heart shrivel a size smaller at these words, causing you to clutch him closer.

“Yes, I- I still love you, Ingo…”

That was all he needed. He launched himself from your lap to be fully on the bed before diving back onto your lap and burying his face in your shoulder, the collar of your shirt becoming wet with his tears as he sobbed deeply, whining in between breaths that he promised he’d do more safety checks if he felt off. You cried along with him, blubbering that you’d never leave him, that you’d be with him through thick and thin.

Chandelure returned the gesture and sobbed eerily like a child, while Inari smiled through tears and whines of her own, the emotions getting to everybody.

“I needed that, love,” he finally spoke up from his meltdown. He reached a hand up and stroked your cheek with his thumb, drying the lines of tears that stained your skin. “Th-thank you.”

“Anytime, honey,” you responded with a weak smile. “Now,” you squeezed him tighter than a Seviper. “How bout we catch up on getting some proper rest?”

His eyes lit up at the promise of cuddles, and he bolted up to shrug off his work uniform before joining you under the covers and snuggling up close. Chandelure hung from the ceiling, singing eerie yet calming lullabies to try and aid you two in falling asleep faster, while Inari curled up at the foot of the bed, the end of her mane tickling your legs from above the covers.

“I’d love that.”

[fluffyfranny]

Thank you for the tag! An attempt was made :D

@seizeddreamjaybird @solieldraws @your-dearest-sunshine @reine-du-sourire

Cool Picrew 👍

Here’s the link

Tags: @lokust @the-new-ginger-switch @fluffallamaful @twordishfics @someone1348 @soft–dragon @starlightrosa @covenofwives

Anyone else can hop on too 😊

[fluffyfranny]

It's not an ask but I wanted to let you know that I love your Emmet fanfic, the Wrong Track. It's so good, I tried to leave a comment but Tumblr won't let me on mobile for some reason.

But I wanted you to know that I absolutely love it and I can't wait to see the Ingo edition if you write it in the future!

JYSFHS YOU'RE TOO SWEET! Thank you much!

I luv giving my comfort characters EEEMOTIONAL DAAAMAGE (only to smother them in affection later on cause I can't leave them hanging on what they deserve-)

I do plan on doing the same to Ingo so BRACE YOURSELF-

Fun fact(s): I chose s/o's partner Pokemon for each story based on a mutual and I's favorites and which twin we love more (hers being Piplup/Empoleon for the Emmet fic and mine being Zoroark for Ingo coming soon :3)

AND based on the twins' partner Pokemon's type weaknesses for when our bbs say BACK OFF. (Since Archeops is weak to Water and Chandelure is weak to Dark.)

[fluffyfranny]

Wrong Track: Emmet Edition

Summary: After an unintended harsh quip at work, Emmet fears the worst has become of his relationship, but amends are quick to be made.

Pairing: Emmet x gender-neutral! reader

Genre: Angst to fluff

Ingo edition can be found here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Darrrrling, you ready yet?"

"Just a sec, Em! I'm afraid I may have over-dressed!"

"Nonsense! Anything will be perfect for today, yep yep!"

You both had been looking forward for this day, with Emmet practically bouncing off the walls in his sleep the night prior. He had insisted on taking you to work with him down at Gear Station to get a behind-the-scenes look at what he does for a living on the Double and Multi Lines.

He also insisted that you ask as many questions about his job as you needed to, and he would be all too eager to ramble to his beloved about his passion.

However, because it was around the holidays, crowds would be bustling at higher rates than ever, so Emmet requested that you bring out a member of your Pokemon party to accompany you when they departed, so he would know who to look for if traffic became too congested for either of you to see each other.

Additionally, due to his seam-bursting excitement a few hours prior, not much sleep was obtained on Emmet's side of the bed, so there were slight bags under his eyes. You expressed your tinge of concern about his energy levels potentially being lower today, but he insisted that it wasn't a bother at all, no sir! He's had plenty of sleepless nights and performed just as well at work on his trains!

Despite his reassurance that he would be perfectly fine, you had your doubts. You've heard stories from other depot agents about how aggressive Emmet could be battling on a lack of sleep, and feared that he'd make some undesirable remarks and lose a few passengers as a result. But once again, the twin promised that he'd be on his best behavior, especially since he was with his darling, oh yes! He HAD to do his best today!

You hoped so even as you two made your way through the busy streets of Nimbasa City, the white-clad Station Master with an arm through yours while his Archeops perched atop his shoulders, head resting on his cap while she made occasional caws and chirps in your direction. You returned the gesture with whistles of your own, which excited her so much that her tail was thumping restlessly against Emmet's collarbone, for it was swung across his shoulder and front like a scarf, and her claws were scratching against the top of his hat.

"Archieeeee, calm yourself!" Emmet whined over the bustle of the crowds as he reached a hand up to scratch the crown of her head to calm her down. It worked, for her head and neck sagged back down atop his head as her eyes closed, letting out a content trill as she nuzzled him more. "We have to remain dutiful for our beloved and their Empress, yes yes!"

Empress was the nickname for your Empoleon, who you decided would accompany you through the city and act as a bodyguard for the two of you. Well, three counting Archie. She loved to salute like Emmet and attempted to mimic his stance the best she could, despite her bulkier build, and she would always return deeper trills whenever Archie sent noise in her direction.

Her footsteps audibly resounded against the concrete as the little group of you, her, Emmet and Archie descended the steps of the entrance to the Gear Station, with Emmet taking the lead at the foot of the stairs and guiding you to his office, where he had to gather a few things before you were all to board the Double Line train.

As Emmet rummaged around, you fancied yourself to asking him a few questions.

"Hey, Em?

"Hmm?" You got a simple noise in response, perhaps his focus on retrieving whatever he needed taking up his time.

"Who drives the trains while you and Ingo battle?"

"Why, our most experienced and trained conductors, of course!"

"Have you and Ingo ever driven any of the trains before?"

"Yes, sometimes ourselves, sometimes on autopilot while we oversaw other controls or battled on our respective Lines!"

“Are the Single and Double Lines out of service when you two run the Multi Line?"

"Most of the time, no," he answered as he finished his rummaging around and sealed up a backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as he walked towards the door and stood aside for you to cross through. Empress was just outside, scanning the surroundings for any trespassers while you three were inside, and stepped aside to let you exit with a thump of a steely fin to her side.

When you had all exited and Emmet had shut the door, now guiding your group towards his Line, he resumed his answer to your latest question. "We have depot agents on adjacent trains that assist us in crossing from one Line to the other while they are all in service so we can get to our respective rooms if a challenger ever makes it that far!" He huffed a little and lowered his cap at this next bit. "Verrrry few challengers have made it to me and Ingo recently, though. Sad if you ask me!"

You took note of a bit of desperation and hinderance in your boyfriend's voice and decided to tread with caution. Archie looked down at you from her perch atop Emmet's shoulders, seemingly also taking note of a change in her Trainer's mood, and Empress gave your side a cautious bump with her fin, steely eyes squinted in knowing. You nodded in her direction as you walked and decided to try and steer the conversation in a brighter direction.

"Well, maybe we'll see one today! Maybe even more than one!" You offered, hoping that the promise of potential challengers would perk Emmet right back up.

"You don't know that," he muttered.

"I'm sorry?" You asked, not quite catching what he had said.

"You think we'll honestly get more challengers just because you're with me today?" Emmet quipped. This is exactly what you had feared; his sleeplessness was making him cranky.

"I never thought that, Em," you spoke smoothly so as to not potentially aggravate your boyfriend more. You persisted nevertheless, trying to keep things positive. "But you never know! Look at all the people today!" You gestured with one arm towards the masses of people that were bustling up and down the stairs, gathering in groups and boarding subway trains to make their ways to other surrounding cities. "We might see one or more of these folks with us today!"

"Or not," Emmet huffed. His Archeops was getting a tad antsy atop his shoulders, the claws on her hands digging into his cap.

"Or we might!" You quipped back cheerfully, giving his arm a slight nudge, only for him to quickly sidestep you.

"Why are you being so persistent?" He snapped, smile still pasted across his face, but his eyes aflame with annoyance. "You never know the outcome of the day, it's all random! So dial it down a bit!"

"Wha-" You were taken aback by his sudden miniature outburst, especially since there were still plenty of people around to point fingers, so you tried to keep your composure, but it was slipping just a bit. Nevertheless, you kept your voice down. "I'M the one that needs to dial it down? You're the one who needs to not project as much!"

"Yeah, yeah?" Emmet had finally had enough, just as you two were mere feet away from boarding his train, the doors to his chamber sliding open and stalling, waiting. He ushered your group into his car, away from the public eye, just as his voice reached peak volume. "Well, I think YOU'RE the one that needs to stop nosing deeper into MY business when I get like this!"

You and Emmet rarely fought, and it was never this bad. You always tried to play the pacifist, but today, you weren't taking that side, apparently. "You and I were BOTH looking forward to today, and now look at us! I wish you didn't HAVE to be like this, especially today!"

"Well I wish that you weren't here!"

Your breath and heart collectively stopped upon the utterance of those words. Your mouth dropped open slightly, and you backed up a few steps, causing the sliding doors to open themselves and stall once again. Emmet's chest was heaving slightly as he turned away in his moment of anger, lowering his cap over his eyes. Archeops gave you a pitied look, wishing she could say sorry, but only managing a sad "Rrrrrch." Empress patted the top of your head gently with the edge of her fin.

You tried to speak up, but only let out a pitiful hiccup as you turned around, making your way out the doors with your Pokemon in tow.

Just as the doors were about to start closing after a few tense seconds of silence, you heard a small but sharp gasp. You turned to face Emmet, silver eyes now glossed over with tears threatening to spill, with Archie frantically trying to mop any that fell down his face with her tail, but couldn't keep up when they eventually did start pouring down.

"Wait-" He couldn't get anything other than this one word out before his voice got choked up on his tears. He swiped a gloved hand across his cheeks before reaching a gentle yet shaking hand your way. "Wait, I-"

"I warned you about getting this way after not sleeping," you managed through your own tear-stalled voice. "But apparently the thrill of not having any challengers is stronger than my genuine concern for your safety."

And with that, you turned and walked out the doors, going nowhere in particular but wanting to get away from your boyfriend for just a while. Empress quickly marched behind you, following your lead to wherever you might take her.

"WAIT!" Emmet suddenly shrieked from behind the doors, prying them open when they had closed in his face and tried sprinting after you. Archie had launched herself from his shoulders in your direction to try and divert your attention, only for your Empoleon to turn and send a Bubble Beam in her direction to ward her off. Archie screeched and barely dodged the attack, considering it was super effective, only managing to get clipped by the final orb of water that made the feathers of her arm sag.

You heard the pained cries of Archie and Emmet, who was still calling for you, begging you to come back, as you boarded an adjacent train, which was headed for Driftveil City. You and the train started moving away from the station just as Emmet had reached the double doors, watching him reach a hand out to you as you sped off.

You knew both of you needed some time to recoup after that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once you had arrived in Driftveil, you and Empress decided to camp out by one of the many rivers that led out into the ports that transported shipments of food into Unova. You watched from your place on a grassy hill, arms around your legs, as the steely penguin dove in like a missile and zoomed around in circles, sending the occasional splash of water in your direction to try and cheer you up. It worked, but not entirely. You decided to Surf along Empress's back up and down the river a few times to clear your head of the hurtful words Emmet directed at you. Gym Leader Clay even came down to the river and offered up a Pecha Berry pie upon news of your visit, which you gratefully accepted, and you ended up sharing a slice with Empress as you gazed out at the boats that puffed steam out on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Emmet had been frantically dialing your Xtransceiver over the course of your departure, begging for you to pick up. Archie watched over his shoulder and let out a sad caw every time you didn't pick up. He had sped off to Ingo, demanding the schedule from a few hours ago about where the trains were departing to and when, trying to pinpoint where you could have possibly gone. After failing to track down your path, he returned to his office with Archie and his brother, his sobs echoing inside the tiny room while Ingo patted his shoulder and Archie nuzzled in his lap.

After a few hours of sulking, you both decided to call it quits for today, with Emmet praying that you'd be home and you praying that he'd leave you alone if he came back after you.

Fortunately, you ended up back at your shared home after a few hours of killing time in Driftveil via the impromptu surf and picnic escapade with Empress and a last-minute decision of challenging Clay's gym, which took you both down to your last Pokemon, but ended up declaring you the victor despite Empress's attacks being not very effective against his Seismitoad.

After trading out Empoleon for your Aerodactyl to use Fly back to Nimbasa, since you did not want to risk running into Emmet by taking the subway, you summoned them back into their ball and immediately made a break for your room after placing the pie into the fridge and gulping down a glass of water.

You slid under the covers, but not before calling out Empress one last time and asking if she'd stand guard in the room, to which you earned a nod and a banging of her fins as a response. Thanking her, you fully cozied up under the blankets and tried to doze off, but ended up being reminded and plagued by flashbacks of Emmet at the station; the terrifying smile that remained even as he screamed, the river of tears after you promptly abandoned him to Driftveil-

These nightmares summoned a crying fit of your own, but you didn't want to worry Empress anymore than you already may have. Instead, your tears came swift and silent, soaking the pillowcase under your cheek within a minute. Within a few minutes, however, you quickly fell asleep due to the mild dehydration from crying so much.

You were unsure of how much time had passed, but you were jolted awake by the sound of rustling keys, the front door closing and scratchy footsteps from both person and Pokemon.

Emmet was back.

"Darrrrling? You home?" You heard him call out, voice raspy from his own nonstop crying, followed by the sound of Archie letting out what sounded like a scratchy whine. You held back calling out to him, despite it being so tempting. You hated hearing Emmet when he was upset; it was like hearing a lost kitten calling to its mama, and you had to save it.

"Please be home, pleeeeease-" Your boyfriend's pleading was cut short by a sudden choking sound and a wet sob that turned into multiple sobs, with Archie trilling to try and comfort her Trainer. The cries could be heard moving throughout the house, and they eventually reached the door to your shared room, where they died down for just a moment; Emmet only letting out a whimper and a sniffle before he tested out the doorknob. It creaked open slightly.

Damn it, you forgot to lock it-

You bit your lip to hold back crying out for him right then and there, but you kept quiet, silently listening as the door fully opened and light filled the room, followed by Emmet going: "Oh, oh thank Arce- AH!" and Empress letting out a deep caw to try and ward him off. Archie audibly shook out her feathers as an impromptu screech and whine left her.

"W-wait, hold on Empress!" Emmet tried to reason with her as she pointed a sharpened fin in his direction, holding his empty hands up in the air, showing he meant no harm. "Can I just-" He stalled with a deep sigh and an audible gulp before continuing: "Can I just talk to them?"

The penguin trilled deep in her throat as she processed this before nodding curtly and gently nudged at you with the tip of her fin, rousing you from keeping quiet as she stepped towards the foot of the bed. You stirred before propping yourself up and turned your head to face your boyfriend, promptly lifting a blanket to cover the lower half of your face out of fear.

"H-heyyy!" Emmet's voice cracked and wavered at the sight before him. You hid your face further in the blanket, trying to block him out of your sight. "No, nononono don't do that, I-" he shuffled across the room, hands promptly reaching for you shakily, only to quickly retract. "I- I'm just glad you're okay, that you're-" His voice broke off again with a sniffle and a wipe of his cheek. "That you're home, that you decided to come BACK home after what happened."

"Mmhm," you half-mumbled, half-whined, noise muffled by the blanket still covering you. Empress warbled with a tinge of pity before spitting out a bubble, and Archie, who hadn't left her Trainer, scratched the claws of her feet against the carpet as she paced in place nervously by the door.

"I- I don't know if you'll forgive me, but-" he sent a glance in your direction, glossy silver eyes seemingly asking: "Can I?" You looked him up and down warily before nodding, giving him permission to come closer. He slipped the backpack from his shoulders before sliding his arms around your waist and burying his face in your chest, leaning over the edge of the bed and almost taking up the entirety of your lap.

"I am Emmet, and I-" Another voice crack. "I am verrrry sorry."

You don't know what it was, whether it be the way he phrased his apology, the tone of voice he had or a combination of both, it triggered your tear ducts to overflow as tears poured down not only your face, but Emmet's as well, for after he whined out his apology, you felt the bottom half of your shirt become slightly damp and heard muffled sobs into your chest. You let out a whimper yourself before beginning your own audible crying, clutching him closer, followed by him returning the gesture, arms coiling tighter.

"I- I forgive you Em," you choked out in a break from your crying. "I- I know you didn't mean what you s-said, I was just w-worried about you."

"Oh, thank you, dearrrr, I-" He removed his face from your chest and shoved it into the crook of your neck and shoulder. "I'm verrrry happy you said that! I got so worried when you ran awayyy! So mean of you!"

"I know, I know," you hiccuped, ruffling his mussed hair. "I didn't know what came over me, I was scared!"

A whine left Emmet as he hid his face further in your neck. "I'm sorrrrry! I'll never scare you like that again, I promise!"

"It's o-okay," you assured, giving his back a few strokes before patting him, a cue to sit up. "We made up and we're both home, that's what matters."

"Yep, yep!" Your boyfriend agreed, followed by a sniffle. Archie let out a happy caw and fluttered a few inches in the air, while Empress clapped the ends of her fins together, nodding in approval. You could almost see her smile.

"Now then!" Emmet suddenly piped up, standing bolt upright, a finger sticking straight up. "As a token of my apology, I've decided to let you pick what we do tonight, mhmm!"

"Oh, uh-" You scratched your head, pondering what you could occupy yourselves with before it hit you. "Ahh! When I was in Driftveil, Clay sent me home with some Pecha Pie! We could have some of that and watch a movie?"

"Ooh, yes yes!" Emmet nodded vigorously as he shook his fists at his sides. "With ice cream!"

You laughed, predicting that with all that sugar, he would either be bouncing around the room for the entirety of the movie or crash a third of the way through it. Either way, you wouldn't want anything better.

"Yes, okay, we'll have it with ice cream."

"YAYYY!" Your boyfriend was as giddy as he was with his Joltiks. He grabbed your wrist and tugged you out of bed, then out the door. "Come on, then! You get the goods and I'll get a movie going!"

You tried to keep up with Emmet, but he was dragging you around too fast, and you stumbled right into his back and onto the carpet in the living room, taking him down with you, where you both cackled before sighing contently and gave each other a hug on the floor.

"I loooove you, dear!" He emphasized this by lightly booping your nose with his.

You couldn't help but giggle.

"Same to you, Em."

[fluffyfranny]

May I please have something goofy for Kiyondo x Leon please? (Maybe with Kiyondo as the ultimate mimic?)

It's goofy you want, and it's goofy you shall get >:3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"They better not pull the same shit here like they did on Owada's birthday..."

Leon muttered this to himself as he fussed with combing back his hair. The Ishimaru twins were over at his dorm tonight, insistent on tutoring him due to a recent slouch in Kuwada's attendance. He was very much like Mondo, oftentimes skipping class with the biker to go either into town or somewhere else on campus, just not the classroom.

However, with the white-haired twin in attendance, it would become a tad harder to keep his attention focused on the books splayed out on his bed, mainly ones Ishimaru had insisted on lending for the night. The older twin, despite supporting Ishida and the baseball player's relationship, wanting nothing more than for his brother and fellow classmate to be happy, knew of their antics, and so decided to keep a close eye on both of the boys.

After finally slicking back his mussed hair enough to be considered 'presentable' in his mindset, he left his bathroom to find both of the twins already taking up their spots on the bed, sitting cross-legged on the opposite side from him. Ishimaru perked up and waved him over with a smile, while Ishida slouched his shoulders and sent a grin of his own back, except with a hint of mischief glimmering in his eyes.

He loved that look so damn much...

"Ah, Kuwata, good! You're right on time!" The noiret twin piped up suddenly.

"Hehe, yeah, surprisingly," Ishida chuckled, shoulders bouncing with each laugh. "Man, this is a once in a blue moon milestone for you, my guy!"

"Kiyo!" Ishimaru gasped, smacking the back of his hand lightly against his brother's chest, earning an eyebrow raise and offended scoff from him before both quickly returned their attention to the matter at hand. "Apologies for that, Kuwata! We can now begin!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with," the redhead muttered, placing his chin in his hand and assuming a slouching position similar to Ishida's. "Not like we got all day."

Both twins tilted their heads to the side slightly, eyeing him with a tinge of concern.

"Is something the matter, Kuwata?" Ishimaru prodded. "You're usually eager for our shared study sessions!"

"Man, I donno, I think he just likes them for yours truly," Ishida taunted playfully with a smirk, hands coming to gesture at himself. "He's just waiting for you to skedaddle."

"That is no such case!" It was Ishimaru's turn to look offended, hand coming to his own chest. "You know what, I shall be right back!" He slid out of his cross-legged position and off the bed, speed-walking towards the door. "I have something in mind that'll make tonight MUCH more engaging!"

"Yeah, you do that and imma take a quick piss," Leon sighed and scratched the back of his neck before quickly making his way to the bathroom door, turning back to see Ishimaru give a quick wave before disappearing behind the door, while Ishida cocked an eyebrow and shot him a playful grin, shooing him with one hand.

"Go ahead, lover boy," he sneered playfully before getting up off the bed himself. "I gotta make a pit stop at my room, too."

He made finger-gun gestures towards Leon before giving a mock salute and sprinting out the door.

Leon stood in place and stared at the door in a daze before shaking his head to clear his mind and let out a breath he was unknowingly holding before striding into the bathroom to do his business.

"Man, that living, breathing snowball's gonna be the death of me someday." He thought to himself once he was done, smiling to himself with closed eyes.

"But I wouldn't complain..."

His lovesick daydreaming was interrupted by a swift, hard knock at his door, causing him to nearly slip and bonk his head off the sink after abruptly being startled out of his trance.

Not at the dorm room door, but the bathroom door.

"Kuwata! We have returned!" Ishimaru shouted from the other side. "Thought I'd make you aware!"

"Uh, thanks man?" Leon responded questioningly. "I was, uh, kinda finishing my business here, though."

Why would he knock at the bathroom door? He'd hear him enter from the creak of the main door since it was partially left open already...

He reached to turn the knob and head back to the bedroom. "I'm on my way ba- AHH?"

As Leon opened the door just a crack, Ishimaru's hand came through and pried it open the rest of the way, slipping inside before slamming the door behind them, eyes wide and a bead of sweat making its way down his temple.

"WHOA WHOA, dude, what gives?" Leon was backed up against the sink again, hands up in the air. "Man needs his privacy, too, ya know!"

"I deeply apologize for barging in!" The dark-haired twin confessed, opening the door and tossing the book towards the bed, where it landed with a soft *thump* before the door was abruptly closed again. "But I had a sudden urgent though that I must discuss with you!"

"Odd," Leon thought. "Ishimaru's always so proper about the care of his books n whatnot, wonder why he's just gone and yeeted it out the door-"

"Y-yeah man, what's goin on?" He questioned as politely as he could, trying to hide the nervous quiver in his voice. "He's also gone off track with our study session, he's never done this before..."

"I figured I could talk to you about this privately, man to man!" He continued, smile returning as he opened his palms out before crossing his arms.

"Alllllright?" Leon asked again, dragging his words out so as to hopefully speed up Ishimaru's thinking progress before he got too bored.

"Ahh, I got it!" The prefect's finger came up in realization. "Kuwata, do you love my brother?"

"WHA-?" Leon practically choked on his response, hunching over to let out a few coughs in his arm before straightening up and brushing himself off. "AHEM, I, uh, I mean, yeah?" His hand came back behind his neck again, rubbing it nervously as his eyes were trained to the tile floor. "N' what about it?"

"Kuwata, I need you to be honest with me here," Ishimaru scolded. "Look me dead in the eyes and tell me truthfully that you care for my brother."

Leon's eyes widened as his own forehead began to sweat, but he took a deep breath and slowly lifted his head to lock his eyes with Ishimaru's blood-red irises. They were glaring at him and shone just as intensely, almost as if raw fire was trapped inside them.

Wait, fire?

Leon knew that Ishimaru's eyes were bright, but not that bright...

Which meant- oh he was gonna fuck with him...

"I do love you, actually!" Leon perked up, his eyes becoming half-lidded as a smirk of his own crept up his face and an eyebrow rose. "A lot, ya know..."

"UHM, excuse me?" Ishimaru sputtered, face going beet-red as he rose a finger again, but this time, it was shaking. "I- I beg your pardon? I asked if you love my brother, not me!"

"But you asked me for the truth! So..." He sent a wink the boy's way. "I'm giving ya what ya asked for, lover boy."

He could practically hear Ishimaru screeching inside his head, if only it were actually him, that is.

"Love ya, Kiyo~"

"DAGNABBIT!" Ishida groaned, ruffling his hair until the black faded completely and returned to its original snowy-white. He propped himself against the door, one foot against it as he crossed his arms and looked down at the floor.

His cover was blown.

"How'd ya see? HUH?" Ishida looked up with newfound malice, an accusatory finger jutting in the direction of Leon's face. "How'd ya know it was me, punk?"

"It's all in the eyes, man!" Leon managed, waving a finger in front of his own before dashing from his position against the sink and planting a loud *smooch* against his temple. Ishida's face flamed up as red as his eyes.

"HUH, WHA- you can't just pull a fast one on me, dude!" It was Ishida's turn to start sputtering, smacking his cheeks to clear his head from the daze that had set in from the sudden bout of affection.

"Well, ya kinda asked for it, my man," Leon confessed, pointing a finger at his temple and making a circling motion. "But yes, I do love ya, even if ya needed the answer by disguising as your brother."

"He WHAT?" Both boys were startled by a loud shriek from the inside of the room, their eyes collectively widening and turning to stare at each other.

Taka had returned, and he had listened to their whole situation, unbeknownst to them.

"Shit shit shit-" Leon began sputtering again, hands coming to lace themselves in his hair. "What do we do, what do we do?"

"Man oh man," Ishida sighed, his own hand coming up to rustle his short locks. "I kinda promised bro that I wouldn't pull this kinda move again-"

"I oughta have a word with you about keeping a promise, Kiyo!" Taka sounded like he was fuming, and Ishida could practically hear the scowl pasted on his face. "Maybe I should bring you to have a word with Mondo about keeping promises!"

He grimaced at the thought. Mondo was strict about men keeping promises, especially amongst each other, so THAT would be an awful last resort.

"Hey, whaddya say I make a run for it?" Ishida whispered, coming close to Leon's ear so Taka wouldn't pick up on his plot.

"Heh, I think we'd both get a kick outta that," Leon chuckled under his breath before nodding. "Go for it, but don't trip up your bro on the way out."

"I make no promises, my dude," Ishida laughed under his own breath before approaching the door handle and reaching for it, looking back at Leon before shouting back at his brother: "Alright alright, ya caught us, bro! We're guilty! We're comin' out with our hands up!"

He raised one hand up before turning the doorknob with his other hand and bolting out of the bathroom.

"SIKE!" Ishida cackled as he dashed towards the bed and slid to the other side of the room across it, knocking a few books over the foot of the bed in the process. "Ya thought I'd come out peacefully, but you've never been more wrong!"

"Kiyo!" Taka was pointing at him again, fist shaking. "Clean up this mess and your act this instance! We have veered off track for helping out Kuwata!"

"Eh, we'll catch up to that another day!" Ishida waved a hand in his brother's direction dismissively before dashing towards the door and peeking back inside for one last jest. "But first ya gotta catch up to ME!" After that, he stuck his tongue out and bolted down the hall.

"Apologies for this disaster of a night, Kuwata," Ishimaru apologized profusely, gathering books off the bed and floor and shoving them in the satchel he brought them in before power-walking towards the door. "But I'm afraid I have to have a talk with Kiyo about betraying my trust and abusing his power!"

"Nah, man, it ain't your fault!" Leon waved a hand in his direction, not looking at the prefect once. "We can always reschedule! It's not like it's the end of the world!"

"Alright, if you insist," Ishimaru muttered. "But rest assured, it shall only be me in attendance next time! Kiyo is hereby barred from our study sessions until further notice! You can catch him outside of learning time!"

"Yeah, yeah, I catch your drift," Leon babbled, rolling his eyes. "Just...go easy on him, would ya? Don't wanna catch him balled up in a corner when I see him next."

"I-" Ishimaru's breath stalled before he said what he said next. "I...make no promises on that, Kuwata," he said with a swipe of his hand against his forehead before abruptly exiting the room and dashing in the direction where Ishida ran.

Leon nearly doubled over laughing when he heard Taka screeching out for his brother, promising that he'd get a piece of his mind when he caught up with him. He pushed himself off the bathroom door before nudging the dorm room door shut with his foot, making his way to the bed and flinging himself onto it, arms coming behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

He sighed contently before glancing to his right and noticing a piece of paper on the adjacent pillow. He snatched it up and unfolded it, catching a glimpse of Ishida's jagged cursive and miniature flames dotting the I's, huffing out a laugh at what it said:

"You've got an eye for me, that's for sure~"

He folded the paper back up and slipped it under his pillow, just in case he needed another reminder that his love was, indeed, reciprocated just as passionately.

"Love ya too, lover boy..."

[fluffyfranny]

maybe taka and ishi giving byakuya a shovel talk while celestia gives one to mondo? Sibs sibs sibs sibs!!!

OOH- after looking up this lil trope I am interested TM.

"Shovel talk" is something along the lines of a close friend warning a romantic partner: "If you do so much as lay a harmful finger on them, I will destroy you-" with 'them' being the other partner in the relationship.

SO YES DEFENSIVE BABS.

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Taka and Ishida + Byakuya

The twins are in a sort of grey area with Togami. They admire him for abiding by the rules and whatnot. However, they dislike him for his up-stuck attitude towards some of their fellow students.

And now that the heir has begun a relationship with Celeste, whom the twins admire for being a perfect representation of a lady, aside from her disgust towards Yamada, they needed to make sure that a woman such as her is treated with the dignity and respect she deserves, for they feared that his snooty side might come out at the most inopportune time to bite her.

So when they convened in the library for a study session and found Togami already there by happenstance, they took this as the perfect opportunity.

"Ah, Togami!" Taka piped up first, one hand raised in greeting while the other tucked a book into the crook of his arm. "Good evening to you!"

"Yeah, s'up, blondie?" Ishida chimed in right after, smug grin across his face as he kept a satchel with more notebooks and materials slung over his arm. "Fancy seeing ya here!"

The heir lifted his head from the book he was nose-deep in and quirked up an eyebrow at the twins. "I'm here almost every night; even you two know this. Why do you ask me this question that already has an answer?"

"Bro, chill!" Ishida shot back none too quietly before receiving a cold stare from his brother and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, looking away from the two of them. "It was just rhetorical, yeesh..."

"Anywho!" Taka intervened after a few awkward seconds of silence, back straightening with purpose. "That's besides the point! It is actually very opportune that we've caught you here this evening, Togami! We've a favor to ask of you!"

"Not really a favor, man," Ishida pointed out. "We needa talk with ya 'bout something."

"Exactly! Something of the utmost importance!" Taka assured.

"Then, what is it? We don't have all night," Togami remarked none too kindly, pushing his glasses up with a finger. "Spit it out."

"Alright then, uhm... may we have a seat with you?" The noiret twin asked with a tad of caution. Receiving only a curt nod from the heir, the twins pulled up matching leather chairs and sat in front of him, Taka with his hands folded and Ishida with his arms crossed, eyes a tad more fiery.

"Alrighty, no more dilly-dallying!" Ishida spoke up suddenly, slapping his palms on the arms of the chair and causing the other two boys to flinch and jerk their heads around to face him. "This is about you n Celeste! We get that you're feelin' lovey dovey for her, but we gotta make sure that you're the right one for her!" He was out of his seat for a moment, threatening to get up close in Togami's face as he leaned over him, snarl intact and eyes, quite literally, on fire with rage.

"Kiyo, enough!" Taka shouted just as loudly, getting up from his own seat and pressed a hand against his brother's chest, shoving him back lightly before turning to Togami and putting his hands at his sides. "Apologies, but Kiyo can get a tad riled up..." he enunciated these two words by looking back at his twin with another glare, who was now re-seated in his chair but none too alert, arms set on those of the chair and legs crossed as he stuck his tongue out at his brother before looking away again, giving Taka the cue that he may continue on without him.

"...when he talks about something that has piqued his interest. Yes, this is indeed about miss Ludenberg and your- how do I put this- enhanced interest in her!"

"You could just say 'feelings' or anything else along those lines," Togami remarked curtly, not looking up from his book. "Yes, I do have feelings for Celeste, so why do you bring this matter up?"

"Well, you see," Taka pondered aloud, wringing his hands. "We have seen too many instances of women forming relationships with gentlemen of your status, but they end none too gently. Many men are over-consumed with the idea of using their partners for money or more fame, and the ladies in question, having devoted much of their time to make sure that their partner is happy as ever, feel as they have been tossed to the curb like common trash! So," he looked back at Ishida for reference, who was now sitting attentively, hands folded, all the while keeping a defensive glare straight at Togami, "we just wanted to make sure that-"

"That YOU ain't gonna pull any scum moves like that around that lady!" Ishida piped up, pointing a finger right at the heir with intent. "You better treat that perfect lady how she deserves to be, or-"

"Or what?" Togami taunted, eyebrows both quirked up now and corners of his lips twitching, trying not to laugh at the white-haired twin's slowly building hostility.

"Or, or... I'll see it to myself that your glasses are PERMANENT!" He said with a growl, pointing at his own eyes before he slowly rose from his seat again, stalking towards the blonde. "I'll make sure that those things become part of your face, glass shards and ALL!"

"Kiyo, no more!" Taka was getting just as distressed as Ishida was about the situation, so he saw it fit to just study in one of their rooms tonight. While his brother continued to stare down Togami, he quickly shoved the chairs back to where they were and stuffed the book he had into the satchel that was ditched across the floor before slinging it across his arm and grabbing Ishida by the arms when he was just mere steps away from pounding the heir to a pulp.

"Hey, dude, what gives?" The white-haired twin questioned, attempting to squirm his way out of Taka's grip, but his brother was just as strong. "I just wanna make sure that this PUNK knows what's comin' for em if he screws up big-time!"

"Hmph, says the actual punk..." the heir muttered under his breath.

"What was that, you nincompoop?" Ishida snarled as he struggled a little more violently, but his brother was already dragging him out the doors of the library, with him trying to grip the doors to yank himself out of Taka's grasp so he could rush Togami and get one last remark, or maybe a swing at him if he wasn't stopped fast enough-

"Apologies again for my brother's behavior!" Taka was calling back to Togami, now using one arm to hold back his brother while the other one tried to shut the doors. "We'll just take our studying to our rooms!"

The blonde raised one hand in recognition, but was not paying attention in the slightest, ears only perking up the moment that Taka loosened Ishida's hand from the doors and slammed them shut, finally leaving him with himself.

Togami let out a huff of a breath that he didn't realize he was holding, shaking his head as he returned to his own reading.

God forbid if Celeste heard about this and pitied them instead of him...

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Celeste + Mondo

After the twins had come forth to recount their experiences with Togami, Celeste listening intently and coming to the conclusion that: "yep, this is who I'm going to love forever," she thanked them for their efforts and reassured them that she would not show her meek side at all around the heir, that she was no ordinary woman.

She had authority, too...

After they bade her goodnight and apologized for interrupting her late-night teatime, which she assured was no problem, for she admired the twins for their diligence and law-abiding nature, she decided to get some more reassurance for herself.

So she went to speak with Mondo.

She considered it returning the favor for the twins' efforts at gaining Togami's trust, so she wished to make sure that the biker would treat the elder twin with as much respect as him and his brother treated her with.

Despite knowing what she was potentially getting herself into, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Mondo wasn't the gentlest of souls, but she admired his defensiveness for women, stating that he'd do what his older brother told him and wallop anybody who mistreated them. She, of course, wouldn't condone such actions, but she appreciated knowing that she had at least one classmate that would defend her case.

Departing from the cafeteria, she made her way through the dorm halls and arrived at the biker's room, lightly rapping her knuckles on the door, then she folded her hands in front of her and waited. He could be sleeping, and he was a deep sleeper. He could be off campus entirely, taking his bro for a late ride...

She would have to come back another time, if need be...

However, she did not have to wait long, for a few seconds after her hand left the door, Mondo opened it up from the other side and squinted to see who was visiting, eyes quickly widening when he noticed that it was Celeste.

"Oh, uh, s'up?"

"Good evening, Owada. May I come in?" She requested, gesturing to his room. "If you do not mind, that is. Something has come up that I must discuss with you in private."

"For real?" His eyes slightly widened. "Uh, I s'pose it's okay, come in, then." He pushed the door open all the way and went further inside to make room for Celeste.

"Thank you kindly," she remarked, making her way in before gently closing the door and assuming a standing position in front of it. She did not see it the best course of action to have a seat, for Mondo had not made his bed, and the blankets were all laying at the foot of it. She cringed internally at the sight.

"So, uh," the biker finally spoke up, taking his own seat on his bed and rubbed the back of his neck, a common habit of his and the twins. "Whaddya need to talk about?"

Celeste got right to the point. "It's about Taka."

At the mention of his name, Mondo's face went white as a ghost before quickly heating back up again. This either meant that Taka had told her about something that he did, or that something bad had happened to his kyoudai. He fumed internally at the latter, hoping it wasn't that.

"Wh-what about em?" He stuttered, teetering being worried and pissed.

"Oh, I assure you, it is nothing bad about him," Celeste cooed, hand held up to reassure him. "In fact, I merely need to make sure that you are going to continue to treat him well."

"Treat em well? Of course I will!" Mondo slapped a firm hand to his chest, as if he were taking some sort of oath. "If I wasn't treatin' him well, we wouldn't be as close as we are! Bros gotta stick together, y'know?"

"Of course," Celeste nodded along before her face sunk slightly, getting serious. "However, I have seen instances of men like you turn on themselves and their 'bros,'" she spoke this last word in finger quotes, "for the sake of personal benefit, whether it be for power, money or anything else. I just want to make sure that you won't break this supposed promise you've made to protect Taka. He is worthy of only the best, so you must prove that you're the best."

"Of course I'm the best!" Mondo borderline shouted, rising from his seat on the side of the bed. "That's why I've got 'ultimate' in my name, y'know? I made the ultimate promise for my bro, and ya never break a man's promise!"

Celeste somehow kept a straight face and the subtle smile pasted on her face, despite her dislike towards screaming. She said this next bit with menace.

"You better not."

"Wha- 'scuse me?" Mondo's tirade quickly ended when he heard her spoke, face dropping again upon seeing Celeste's brows crease downward and her metal-ringed finger come up towards her face.

"I am just as close to Taka as you are and admire him just as much, so listen well!" Her face went ghostly white instead of flaming pink when she got angry. "If you do so much as slip up ONCE around him, whether physically or verbally, I will string your intestines into my personal drying rack!" She strode closer and pointed her clawed finger right in the biker's face, just as pale as hers, except his was out of surprising fright.

"Do you understand me, Owada?"

"Y-yeah dude, totally! Yer gettin' kinda close tho-"

"Do you?!"

"YES, yes I understand you totally, I swear it! Promise!"

Content with the answer she received, Celeste closed her eyes and breathed deeply to calm herself before backing up a few steps and resuming a content expression, eyes closed and subtle smile gracing her lips.

"Good. I believe I have made my point quite clear, then. You truly seem worthy to be around Taka." Her ruby eyes opened to stare the biker down one last time as she opened the door and peeked around it before closing it.

"Remember this, Owada..."

She made a slitting gesture by her throat before resuming a smile, waved and promptly shut the door.

Once she was out of sight, Mondo flopped onto his back and wiped the sweat from his forehead, eyes still blown out of their sockets after the semi-scolding he had received.

"Holy shit, that chick can be insane to the fuckin' membrane-"

Upon closing the door, Celeste rested her back against it to recollect herself for a brief moment before straightening herself up and trudging towards her own room, the smirk on her face as wide as that of a starved vulture eyeing their prey, and she had gotten her fill.

"Even big buffoons like him truly are capable of love, I suppose..."