The Mystery Man - Ikemen Prince fanfiction
Blame @atelieredux for this story idea that somehow, despite me not being the biggest Gilbert fan, hooked me and refused to let go until I did something for it. Maybe I'm a sucker for single parent AUs and the opportunity of a kid finding their second "parent". (Eyes "Second Chances".) Yeah, definitely...
“My son wants one thing for his birthday. One!”
“And it’s the one thing you can’t get him?” her co-worker deadpanned.
“Yes!” Emma shouted, flinging her arms about. “He wants tickets to go see a filming of his favorite tv show ‘The Mystery Man’, and they’re sold out everywhere.”
“Ohhhh, yeah. I forgot your son likes that creepy show.”
Emma rolled her eyes, then took a step forward when she noticed that the food line she was standing in had moved up. “It’s… not your average children’s show, sure, I’ll give you that. But quality-wise, it’s fantastic in comparison. I’m not opposed to sitting down and watching this with him compared to some children’s programming.”
“It’s creepy.”
“It’s not.”
“The main guy looks every bit the James Bond villain, dressing in black with an eyepatch. My children run screaming from the room every time.”
“Your loss.”
This time, it was her coworker’s turn to roll her eyes.
“Next!”
Emma marched up to the food truck to place her order. It wasn’t common to see them out and about, but one happened to be at the park by the office building today, so she thought “why not?” After placing her order, she stepped off to the side to wait for her food.
“Watch it, kid!”
Turning around, she watched as some middle-aged man began chewing out some kids who looked to be in elementary school, maybe middle school. Their apologies could be heard loud and clear, but the man just wasn’t having it, his voice growing louder and louder by the second.
Even before she had her son, Emma knew she frequently stuck her nose into other people’s business, but this time, her mama bear instincts were just too strong to ignore the situation. Before she could think, she found herself storming over.
“Something the matter, sir?” she asked, putting on her best customer service smile as she placed herself in between the man and the two kids who looked to be on the verge of tears about now.
Just as he opened his mouth, the smell of alcohol hit her, and warning bells went off in the back of her mind. Someone was having it rough if they were drinking mid-day, but that also meant he was in a volatile state where the smallest thing could set him off.
“Stay out of it!”
Suddenly, he swung a hand out at her, one that she dodged only because of how unsteady he was. But that was a good excuse as any to make a swing of her own.
Her fist collided with his jaw, and the man stumbled back into the park fountain.
“Go go go,” she hissed at the kids, shooing them away from the situation.
Not needing to be told twice, the two kids took off at breakneck speed, sneakers slapping loud against the pavement as they disappeared.
“You bitch!”
The man tried to climb out of the fountain, but out of nowhere, a cane tapping against his chest sent the unsteady man straight back in with a splash.
“Now, now, that’s not very polite,” a smooth voice spoke. “You swung out at the lady first, and you have the audacity to say she’s in the wrong?”
With a growl, the drunkard tried to stand up again, but with a tap of the cane, her savior sent the man right back into the fountain.
“Forgive me.” Her savior soon turned towards her, allowing Emma to take in his fierce gaze that was only made more intimidating by his eyepatch. “Are you alright, my lady?”
It took Emma a moment to figure out who this man was, but it was unmistakable. After all, this was her son’s “hero”, Gilbert von Obsidian. “Yes,” she answered, rubbing the lingering sting away from her knuckles. “I’m fine.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Lifting his cane again, he tapped the end against the drunkard’s chest, preventing him from leaving the fountain once again as he collapsed with a splash. “That was quite a swing you’ve got on you. Color me impressed.”
Honestly, she wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. “Uh, thank you?”
He chuckled. “Well, your son surely must be thrilled to have such a fierce mother. I have to wonder if he’s as spicy as you. But that said—” With his cane, he tapped the cussing drunkard’s shoulder, preventing him from so much as getting to his knees now. “—you best be careful. Your sense of duty is admirable, but don’t you think it wise to keep your sense of justice under wraps for your son’s sake? What would he do if his precious mother ended up hurt because she was too selfless for her own good?”
Emma’s brow furrowed. How did he know she had a son? Was he listening to her conversation just now while waiting in line for the truck? She’d sworn she hadn’t seen him, but maybe she wasn’t paying close enough attention.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said, giving her a smile that seemed friendly and calculating all at once. “I am ‘The Mystery Man’, after all. Maybe you should listen to your friend and treat me like the James Bond villain I am.”
With that, he once again tapped the drunkard’s shoulder, keeping him in the fountain and away from Emma. “Now, I’ll bet they’re about to call your name any second now. And entertaining this fool isn’t worth letting your food get cold.”
Words seemed unforthcoming, but she had enough good sense to show her appreciation to this… strange man. “Thank you. For your help.”
His smile seemed to cause his lone red eye to glow. “You’re quite welcome. It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Emma.”
“Order for Emma!”
At the shout, she whipped her head around towards the food truck, where her name had just been called. He really had heard everything, hadn’t he?
Though unsettled, Emma turned back to Gilbert. “Excuse me.”
And she scurried off, his gentle chuckle hitting her ears as she went.
Maybe her friend was right about the creepy thing.
* * *
“Emmaaaaa!”
With a chuckle, Emma turned towards Rio, the front deskman at the book publishing firm she was an editor at. “Hey, Rio. Have you been lonely?” she teased.
“You didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone!”
Her brows furrowed as she tilted her head. “Huh?”
“Huh?”
The duo blinked at each other for a second before Emma shook her head. “I’m not seeing anyone, Rio. What makes you say that?”
“But then…” Scowl on his face, he glanced towards the door before turning a concerned look back to her. “The guy who left this said you were his sweetheart of justice?” Fishing in a drawer, he pulled out a letter, one with her name written in an elegant script.
Curiously, she took it, flipping it over to reveal a wax seal with a tiger on it. One that looked a little familiar.
Wait…
“Did this man have an eyepatch and cane?”
“So you do know him?”
Dread welled up in her gut. This was the same wax seal Gilbert used on his tv show. How did he know where she worked? Was he stalking her? It had only been two days since they happened to cross paths, so how had he discovered so much about her so quickly? “Er… something like that.”
Rio’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, Emma, you know I’m always here for you, right?”
It was impossible to keep the sweet smile off her lips. “I know, Rio. You’ve been too kind to me.”
“You saved my life and got me this job. My thanks will never be enough,” he finished with a wink.
“You got this job on your own merits,” Emma countered.
“The other point still stands.”
Knowing this spiral wouldn’t stop, she simply shook her head. “Okay, okay. There’s no point in arguing with you, anyway.”
With a bright smile, Rio sat tall in his chair, chest puffed with pride. “So, if you need me to walk you home and clarify that you’re not available because you already have a man in your life, then I can do that, too.”
Playfully, she rolled her eyes. “It’s not fair to lie to them, is it?”
Rio sighed. “You’re too nice for your own good. Look, it’s not lying when you have little Cedric. But if they happen to mistake me for that ‘special man in your life’, then I’m not going to correct them.”
With an amused grin, she shook her head. Her son Cedric really was the only man in her life; after a sad parting with his father, he was all that remained. And she was determined to focus on being the best mother she could to him.
Looking down at the letter burning her hands, her curiosity was unable to be stopped any longer. If this was going to be a problem, she really should let Rio know, if only so he didn’t fuss over her for the next three months. So, if only to put his mind at ease, she popped open the seal of the envelope, taking out the letter only for two slips of paper to fall out and land on the front desk. Upon picking them up…
She froze. No way.
In her hand were two VIP passes to “The Mystery Man” show she had been so desperate to get her hands on.
“Wait, weren’t you looking all over for those?” Rio cried upon seeing what they were.
Numbly, Emma handed the two tickets over to Rio to examine as her gaze fell upon the neat script of the letter.
Ms. Emma,
I hope this letter finds you well. However, I’ll wager you don’t care much for small talk, so there’s no point in wasting your time. Instead, I’ll simply say you’re welcome for the tickets. I’m sure your son will have a happy birthday knowing his mother obtained his wish. Truly, what a sweet and doting mother you are.
As to how these tickets find themselves in your possession, it’s simple process of elimination, really. Your bag had a company logo on it. I had been in the park before you and watched you walk from the direction of the office buildings rather than from the parking garage, so with that, I made a simple deduction.
Lastly, I’ll insist you accept them, not that you can return them anyway as I’m not there to take them back. Furthermore, it would be a tragedy to simply throw them away. After all, your son wants these most of all gifts, correct?
I look forward to seeing you again and to meeting your son. If he’s anything like his spitfire of a mother, I’m sure it will be a joy to make his acquaintance.
Gilbert von Obsidian
Lips pursed, she squeezed the letter. That cocky sonova—
“Emma?”
Breaking out of her trance, Emma turned towards Rio. “Huh?”
“I said you were lucky to score those. But who was that guy who gave them to you?”
She opened her mouth, trying to find the answer as she took the two tickets back from Rio.
“A James Bond villain.” With that, she put the letter and tickets back in the envelope.
Well… villain or no, her son would surely be happy. And it’s not like anything could go wrong at a professional show, right?
Right?
* * *
Cedric was, to use his own words, super-duper excited.
Emma did her best to take as many pictures as she could of this event, capturing the unabashed joy on her son’s face.
Then came time where they could go backstage and have a meet-and-greet with the cast.
Cedric could have exploded with excitement, but Emma was filled with a certain amount of dread facing… well, her son’s hero.
And that dread doubled when Emma realized she’d caught said hero’s eye toe moment they stepped backstage.
She took a breath as they stood in line to do the meet-and-greet. They’d somehow ended up being the last in line, much to her son’s disappointment. But she was able to keep him busy by playing “I spy,” and considering they were backstage with a plethora of props around, there were plenty of things to spy.
When it was finally their turn, Cerdic was fidgeting with excitement that couldn’t be contained. Particularly when Gilbert gave him a smile and extended his hand. “Well, well, how wonderful to meet you.”
Cedric bounced up to Gilbert with all the energy of an active four-year-old. “Hi! You’re my hero!”
Gilbert chuckled. “Your hero, huh? You know who is a hero, too?”
His eye widened. “Who?”
“Your mom.” Gilbert glanced up at Emma, giving her a smile that made her a little uncomfortable, if she were honest. Though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. “I got to meet her once, and I must say, she’s very brave. You must be very proud of her.”
Cedric looked back to Emma, his eyes glowing with love and admiration. “She’s the best.”
Gilbert chuckled, a soft, gentle chuckle that didn’t appear to have any other meaning behind it than true mirth. “I’m very glad to hear it. Tell me, what’s your name?”
“Cedric!”
“That’s a very cool name.”
And just like that, they chatted for a bit. And then a bit more. That’s when Emma started to realize that Gilbert hadn’t done this for any other child, only hers. Which made her slightly suspicious. Emma got the impression that there was much more to Gilbert von Obsidian than what met the eye. He produced and starred in a children’s show, and clearly, he enjoyed being around the children that had VIP passes to meet him. But why did she get the impression that there was something… strange underneath that, oddly, didn’t frighten her. And why was she not concerned that her son was right there, chatting with this man. Idolizing him, even. And yet, she felt secure enough with that.
She best keep her guard up.
“Emma, you should come in for this picture, too.”
Gilbert’s words brought her fully back to reality. “Oh, sure.”
After the photographer took their picture, Gilbert knelt down to Cedric’s level. “It was nice meeting you. It would be cool if we could meet again.”
Cedric looked up at his mom. “Yeah! Can I?”
That dread was back as Gilbert looked over to her. “I can organize it quite easily.”
“No,” she quickly insisted. “I can’t accept your generosity any more than I have.”
“It’s no trouble.”
“No, really. I thank you for the tickets tonight, but I cannot accept any more.”
He hummed, his red eye sparkling mischievously. “Well, that’s a shame. I wonder if I’ll have to simply… forget an invitation at your work again.”
Emma fixed him with the best glare she could while still smiling.
“Oh, no,” he purred. “That’s a scary look.”
And yet, Gilbert seemed to be more amused than intimidated.
“Then, I’ll concede,” he acquiesced. “For now. Cedric, it was wonderful meeting you, but I believe it’s time for you and your mom to go back home for the night.”
“Awww.”
Yet, Cedric said his good byes and got in one hug before Emma guided him out of the studio.
“Did we have fun today?” she asked as they marched back to their car.
“Yeah! It was so cool!”
“I’m very glad.”
And as much as she was loathe to admit, she was very thankful to a very odd eyepatch villain for being the hero of her son’s day.
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