welcome to enemy turf,

master thief xander, reporting for duty! what is it i'm going to be stealing today? ah, it doesn't matter. as long as you've got the cash, i'd be happy to swipe it for ya! the one and only team rocket grunt ♂ of wild encounters!

[hikaripng]

This is not what I meant... [ Leaf & Xander ]

[hikaripng]

Seeing Xander being in control of her own body was disturbing enough, but seeing him touch and inspect it as if he was a muscular man checking himself out at the gym’s mirror was worse. The female felt a strong rage, clenching one of her new manly like hands, holding back not to attempt any type of violence towards her own body. If it wasn’t for the situation, surely she would have smacked Xander twice as hard as she did the last time the two had an inconvenient situation. "Why you…"

Y’know, Leaf, I don’t think that psychic kid was as full of shit as I thought., he states the obvious. 

The female takes a breather, whether or not to respond back to Xander in sarcasm wasn’t the problem. It’s how laid back he is about all of this. Has he not realized this could actually be a bad thing? “What if we can’t switch back?! What if I’m stuck being you forever?! This is horrible!”, she panics. 

"We need to go look for the rookie. He needs to change us back!", Leaf takes a hold of Xander’s (her) hand, pulling him in attempt to walk around in search for the psychic boy. 

Just a though, were her own hands always this small? She never realized—or are Xander’s hands just big? Regardless, this was no time to gaze and wonder about such things. 

"Where could he had wondered off to?", she gazed around the crowed hoping she could spot the target.

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"Hey, wait a second," Xander huffs, a hint of misplaced indignation in his female voice. He crosses his arms over his newly ample chest, suddenly distracted from his exploration of Leaf's body. "What makes you think it'd be so horrible to be me?"

He hardly has time to continue to express how she had offended him as she takes him by the hand and drags him through the square in the same direction the psychic boy had gone a few minutes prior. Ignoring her distress, he simply allows himself to be pulled along behind Leaf as she continues to lead the pair in his body.

"I mean, sure," he continues absently, continuously pushing long auburn hair from his face as the wind repeatedly blows it into his face. "Sure, I may not be some prince charming with a perfect life or anything, but it wouldn't be horrible if you were stuck--goddamn it, Leaf!"

Planting his heels stubbornly into the concrete he pushes more of Leaf's hair from in front of his face to the side one more time before clutching it all into a fist, still remarkably unconcerned about the urgency of their current situation. "How the fuck do you put up with having so much hair?!"

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i filled my lungs with the sunset (au) - tulia & xander

[deliicatea-deactivated20160608]

Suddenly, just as space has been put between them, he’s pulling her back in, yet her mind can only focus on how Xander sounds when he asks her those intrusive questions. He cares about her, and she knows that. Sometimes though, it is so easy to get swept up in this life; it is easy to think about how she cares for Xander, but never does she focus on the reciprocation. His movements are awkward, distinctive, and sloppy, but she accepts his words and the kiss he places on her forehead. 

"Xander," her voice is still quiet, barely above a whisper, "this is— going to sound stupid and I think I know how you will react, so after today’s errands are ran, we’ll settle back down at the base and I will tell you the whole truth and nothing but it.” It is a promise. Promises, for her, are easy, because she knows how to keep her word regardless of all else. 

With Xander, promises are cake; she’s got no reason not to fulfill the few promises she makes with him. Leaning in, Tulia nips at his nose before dissolving into giggles. 

"You aren’t gonna hurt an old man," she says, kisses Xander’s forehead. "Come on, let’s finish this. I’m exhausted."

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As the girl's lips softly brush the tip of his nose, he turns away, facing away from her and toward the thirsty, cracked wasteland on the other side of his dusty driver's side window. As easy as it was for him to bestow his affection onto Tulia, it wasn't so easy for him to accept it from her--not when he was so thoroughly undeserving of it.

"You don't think I'm going to let you just go back to work in the condition you're in, do you?" he sighs, shooting her a disappointed look in response to her final statement. "What kind'a person do you take me for, Lily-Pad?"

Turning the key in the ignition until the rusty old engine sputtered to life, sending the entire vehicle into a fit of mechanical vibrations, the thief put the truck into gear before his partner could protest.

"Don't fight me on this, Tulia," he snaps quickly, before giving her a chance to try to convince him to change his mind. Her own altruistic nature would allow her to run herself into the ground for the sake of others, but Xander wouldn't stand for it. "We're going back to base, whether you like it or not--'sides, now I'm curious to know why some geezer decided it was a good idea to knock you out with a rock."

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All That Glitters (Charlotte & Xander)

[goldenwreaths]

She stayed very close to him, following the bright streetlights that lit up near the stores that weren’t already closed. She could feel eyes staring at her as she walked besides him. Even though she was used to the spotlight, the eyes following around her this time felt really uncomfortable and she could feel her body being completely pressed against Xander’s, until he took her to a bakery where even more people stared.

She really did stand out, didn’t she?

She could feel herself shying away and she took the menu and decided to hold it up to her face. Although, a cute lavender cupcake caught her eye and she asked if she could have the one on display. The waiter agreed to serve it and placed it in front of her.  It was a rather large cupcake with white sugar flowers decorating the top of it. Still covering her face, she decided to enjoy herself to the cupcake now that her thief as gone away to do dirty work. She bit into it softly; tasting creamy vanilla and spun sugar and she couldn’t help but wiggle her nose in detail. She had a lot of good pastries in her lifetime, after all she went to Kalos every year—- but there was an odd charm about this one. She was licking the icing off her lips, completely forgetting her table manners as Xander walked with a Tote bag with her disguise inside.

She looked up, wondering where he went and she saw that he changed his own attire and she couldn’t believe how different he looked. The clothes were better tailored, they just suited him better. After all, he did belong in this world—- the commoner world. She didn’t know what was so different about him this time around. Was it how the street light hit his amber eyes in all directions? Was it his smile? The way his arms looked in those rolled up sleeves?

Why did she feel so hot all of the sudden?

Was she getting a fever?

She shook her head and grabbed the Tote bag from him. “It took you long around! Goodness, leaving me by myself in the dark—-“She looked inside the bag and she could feel her ‘fever’ going away as she looked at the mini skirt he stuffed in there.

“What the hell is this?!” The skirt practically looked like underwear! Was he trying to make her into a street walker? She could feel her face heating up, but it certainly wasn’t from a fever this time around.

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The thief's sharp eyes were quick to pick up on the way the girl's cheeks lit up with a faint blush for a fraction of a second before she snatched the bag from his hand. Of course, that was only natural--what healthy human female her age wouldn't blush just at the sight of him?

"Aw, what?" Xander snickered, shrugging his shoulders as the girl's indignant shouts filled the small bakery shop, attracting the startled gazes of the patrons. "That's how girls dress around here, y'know. Don't you wanna blend in?"

It was true that the ensemble that the boy had so thoughtfully chosen for her would be much less conspicuous than the extravagant ballgown that currently draped her body, as well as showcase the elegant curves that were surely hiding beneath the heavy fabric--but of course, helping the high-born young girl blend in had been the highest priority influencing Xander's choice of clothing for her!

"At least try it on before you decide you don't want to wear it," he added quickly, lowering himself into the seat across the table from where she sat. He placed one elbow on the glass surface of the table as he spoke. "There's a jacket in there, too, somewhere."

Reaching his hand toward her unfinished cupcake that sat on the table, he shot her a wink. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever said this to anyone before, but even the way you eat is cute," he told her, recalling the way she licked the sweet icing off of her lips just seconds earlier.

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This is not what I meant... [ Leaf & Xander ]

[hikaripng]

As the psychic boy left and Xander teased him, Leaf began to feel somewhat dizzy. Her head began to spin and her sight became a blur. Pacing her hand over her eyes, perhaps it was the sunlight? Brief moments later, the female hear a voice calling her name…her own voice? She assumed that she just went into a day dream all of a sudden. As she uncovered her eyes, she saw a female figure facing her—herself. Was she looking a mirror? "Huh?…", woah! That tone of voice that just came out of her mouth. That’s when she realized, the body switch trick did work! 

"X-xander?!", she freaked. She didn’t really expect this to even happen in the first place. The psychic just left, and with a city this crowded there’s no way to find him now and ask him to change them back.

"This…this isn’t happening is it?! Oh my fucking Arceus!", the female began to panic, waiting for everything to sync in. She touched her head, stared at her new male looking hands, patted her chest, inspecting herself in panic each second until she finally too a deep breath. 

Once calm…partially, Leaf stood before…herself? Xander? Giving the index finger as a gesture of lecturing. "Okay! While we sort this problem, rule number one; do not touch any part of MY body! You got that—!?” Leaf knew what would go through Xander’s dirty male head. It was no secret. Leaf was more worried of what Xander could do to herself just to mess around with her. 

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"Okay! While we sort this problem, rule number one; do not touch any part of MY body! You got that—!?”

Whoops, too late.

Who knew that Leaf had such perfectly-sized curves, anyhow? If he was in his own body, they would be perfect handfuls! Ignoring her protests, his hands began to glide down toward his ample hips, his lips curving into a grin as he slowly began to snap out of his trance-like state.

"Y'know, Leaf," he begins, "I don't think that psychic kid was as full of shit as I thought."

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Visit Original Link

i'm not a fool, i just love that you're dead inside i'm not a fool, i'm just lifeless too. but you taught me how to feel when nobody ever would & you taught me how to love what nobody ever could.

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Sweet & Sour (Rukko & Xander)

[fluffypinkidol]

"Uuu…There’s so much sugar! It’s like— I can practically taste the chunks of it still in here!" Rukko let him keep the glass, staring at the rest of the pitcher skeptically. "But it might just be because I’m not a big fan of things that are too sweet. The reason I like lemonade so much is because it’s sour, and I really like sour things!" 

She placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head at Xander before she smiled mischievously. “…Thank you though! Because now I know that you love things that are super sweet! That makes sense, because that makes them just~ like~ you~!” 

That would definitely be something to keep in mind for future reference. And it was honestly a really cute trait…You would think someone who took pride in such a “cool” image would like things that were just as cool, but instead he adored sugary treats. It was something she finally knew about him, and it made her feel a burst of pride. 

Seeing as she hadn’t been able to figure out much before, Rukko was much happier now that she knew something about Xander that…Well, wasn’t as outward as some of his other traits. The young idol continued to grin, humming to herself happily as her hands soon moved to behind her back. 

"Soooo was that all you needed me for? To drop off your sugar-flavored lemon water and ask for an apology?" She just wanted to tease him now, a side of herself she hadn’t often used when he was around. 

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A rare blush warmed Xander's cheeks at the idol's words. Not a single person--other than his own mother--had ever called him "sweet" before, so he wasn't exactly sure how to react. Clearing his throat, he recovered quickly from his brief moment of embarrassment as he raised a hand to move the tips of his blonde hair from his eyes.

"I'm not sweet, Rukko," he muttered stubbornly, placing the glass back on the windowsill. Deep down, he knew that despite his odd urge to give the girl the entire world, he could do no such thing--and just because she'd accepted his apology along with his too-sweet lemonade didn't erase the pain he'd made her feel. Despite what he wanted, he couldn't continue to ignore reality.

"Soooo was that all you needed me for? To drop off your sugar-flavored lemon water and ask for an apology?"

"Actually, I was hoping to steal you away again," the thief grinned, teasing right back. The last time he had stolen the idol out of her window hadn't ended well, but this time it was still daylight, and Xander doubted that anything bad would happen with the sun still up. Besides, on his way over to her house he'd spotted a sign advertising some kind of festival taking place in Ecruteak--which, of course, meant plenty of sweets for him to try. "C'mon, Princess, you must be bored out of your mind in there. What do you say?"

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This is not what I meant... [ Leaf & Xander ]

[hikaripng]

Woah! Only five seconds in of conversation and Leaf is already mad at Xander. She has no idea what was she expecting from him. She actually thought he’d care to ask how she was. But who is she kidding? It’s Xander we’re talking about here. “Follow you? Don’t flatter yourself.”

Before the two could say anything, what seemed to be a young psychic trainer approached them. Not hard to tell he was a psychic due to the way he was dressed and the Kadabra gave his identity away. He seemed a lot younger than the pair, perhaps he’s a rookie? 

"We’re not—", Leaf attempted to clear up the misunderstanding though was interrupted by Xander’s sudden side hug. The female trying to push him away with her forearm. What was even the point of saying they are a couple? What the hell, Xander?!, she thought. 

"Ah, this is perfect.", said the young psychic trainer, satisfied with Xander’s answer. "Would you two volunteer on a trick I’ve been working on? It would mean a lot to me.", he begged with hands glued together before them. "And being a couple makes this easier, since some people may feel rather…uncomfortable in an intimate way.", he giggled nervously. 

What was this guy even talking about? Leaf already felt a bit disturbed. "W-what is this trick?", she asked. And what did he mean by uncomfortable in and intimate way?!

"It’s simple my Kadabra over here,", he hand gestures showing his Kadabra by his side. "will hypnotize you both in order for you to switch bodies; a Freaky Friday sort of thing.", he explained. The female wasn’t too fond of the idea, though knowing Xander he would say yes in a heartbeat. 

—

The two trainers were seated next to each other. “Please hold hands you two.”, the psychic requested. The brunette sighed in annoyance talking a hold of the blonde’s warm hand. 

The Kadabra began it’s performance, people gathering around. Eyes of both trainers closed until the psychic clapped, a signal of being over. “Now, open your eyes you two, have you exchanged bodies?”, he asked all hopeful. 

Nope! Nothing had happened, Leaf was still as well as Xander was still himself. “It didn’t work.”, Leaf said.

The crowed began to boo at the psychic. Feeling like a failure, a long with his Kadabra he left wondering what went wrong. He was positive he had mastered his so called trick. With that, the people in the crowed continued to be on their way and left. 

Sigh…

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As Leaf pushed against him with her forearm Xander's arm maintained his firm but gentle grip as he kept her probably much closer to him than she wanted to be. The psychic boy promptly began to explain his experimental trick in response to the girl's tentative questioning.

"What're you gonna do, sprinkle some fairy dust on us--and we'll just magically switch bodies?" Xander snickered, finally releasing his unwilling companion in order to wag all of his fingers at the dark-haired boy in an incredulous fashion. The thief certainly didn't believe in magic or ESP or any of that hocus-pocus, but as he turned and saw Leaf's reaction to the boy's explanation his attitude changed. What did he have to lose, anyway? If the experiment didn't work, he'd still be his usual, flawless self, but if it did work it would be even better--it would be a perfect opportunity to mess with Leaf! And who hasn't wondered at one time or another what it was like to be of the opposite gender? Quickly, before Leaf had any time to protest, Xander spoke with a grin. "Alright, we'll do it!"

The pair were instructed to sit on a nearby bench and hold hands, which of course Xander had no problem with. With his fingers wrapped gently around Leaf's smaller hand, they were told to close their eyes as the psychic's Kadabra began to chant incoherently, its eyes glowing a vivid purple. When the psychic clapped his hands, Xander opened his eyes and looked down at his own body, confirming his own doubts. The trick had failed.

"I'm still me," Xander shrugged as he released Leaf's hand. The smug grin on his face did little to console the boy from the booing of the disappointed crowd that had formed around them. "Maybe use some more fairy dust next time, kid."

The psychic sullenly trudged away with his shoulders slumped and dejection written heavily on his features.

Xander stood, turning toward Leaf with a small smile. With that failed circus act finished, the two were left alone again and the thief had no idea what to say next.

"Well, too bad it didn't work," he began, waving his hand about nonchalantly. "You were probably dying to know what it's like to be as awesome as--"

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes fixed on the hand in front of him. Seconds ago, it had been his own hand, but now it was much smaller, and decidedly more feminine. Yet, as he waved his hand from side to side, it was this small, girlish hand that followed the movement, not his own.

"Uhh..." he looked up, freezing as his gaze landed on the person standing in front of him. It was himself, in every possible aspect--his face, his hair, and even the same clothes he had put on that morning. "L-Leaf..."

Even as he spoke, his voice wasn't his own. It was definitely Leaf's voice that he heard coming out of his mouth. Or rather, not his mouth...

[clems-old-acct-blog]

4-koma: Body-swapped!Leaf & Xander

[Lol it’s been ages since I touched the tablet… VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.]

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omg latte you should do more tablet art really ;;

leaf and xander they're so cute holy cow

he wrote "sorry" in blood om f i can't--

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"lady chokeabitch" omg

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//prepares self for 10 hour shift i probably won't get to replies tonight, guys. but i'll try my hardest to get to them tomorrow morning! love all of you guys <3

as far as i know, i only owe replies for xander:

tulia

ronald

leaf

clair

reiko

+all those drabbles from like two weeks agooo

and everyone else i have threads with owe me i think pls correct me if i'm wrong!

[hikaripng]

This is not what I meant... [ Leaf & Xander ]

Leaf was back in Goldenrod on duties in which she had just finished. It was time to head back to Kanto via the magnet trainer once again. She made her way through the big city, until she made it to the station. Though tough luck, seems there has been some technical troubles and all schedules for the evening were all canceled until the next day. The female has no other choice but to stay the night at Goldenrod. Sigh…this only happens to me…, she thought.

She made her way back to surface, the people from the city going back and forth. Before going to look for a hotel to spend the night, the female strolled around the city to kill some time. It was still early in the day, there has to be something fun to do. 

Few minutes in, eyes straight ahead, she caught eye of a familiar person standing before a group of people that were gathered around the city’s plaza. Is that…?, her eyes widened. That’s not really him…right?. It was, it was Xander. How long has it been? Around 2 months at most. Now that she remembered, it was here where they parted ways. 

"You…", she said, standing a few feet away from the blonde. The two stood distant from the actual crowed as well. 

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It had been a while since Xander had been allowed a proper vacation, so the thief was in a particularly good mood as he walked home from a rare visit to his mother's house. After such a delicious home-cooked lunch, he had decided to take the scenic route through the plaza to his own apartment rather than take the bus.

Navigating his way through the crowds, he stopped short as he came across a familiar face standing a few feet in front of him.

How long had it been since he'd seen her? A few weeks? For a few moments, the blonde was at a loss for words before his dumbstruck expression was quickly replaced by his usual silly grin.

"Hey, are you following me?" he teased her, taking a few steps closer. "I don't blame you, I understand how tough it must be for you to stay away from me."

He snickered, preparing to say something else when the pair was approached by a dark-haired boy with a Kadabra at his side, interrupting him.

"Excuse me," he began, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "You two look like a nice couple--do you think maybe you could help me out with something?"

"Yep, we're a couple," Xander stated quickly, pulling Leaf into a one-armed hug before she could protest. "What do you need?"

[pridepoisoned-a]

I'm Through Being Cool || Xander & Ronald

"Should I get the red suit with glitter, the red suit with sequins, or the red suit with yellow polka-dots? It is completely your call!”

Pulling down his crimson-tint shades, Ronald shot the bored looking cashier an excited look as if he didn’t already do this every single day. The high-class boutique owner rolled her eyes and mumbled something about glitter, causing the Flare grunt to snatch up his new purchase excitedly. 

"Glitter it is, then!" he crowed. "Thank you again for your help, Laurel dear! I can’t wait to look fabulous in… huh?" The doorbell to the boutique rang, and a blond teenager strolled in acting like he owned the dang place. Holding up a finger to the confused cashier, Ronald sidled over to the new arrival, who was eyeing a pair of golden earrings with so much intensity that the Flare member swore he was going to steal them right off the shelf. Always one to disrespect personal space when fashion was concerned, Ronald picked curiously at the back of the teen’s shirt, feeling the material between his fingers and wrinkling his nose as he gave the blond a once-over. Putting a sympathetic arm around the stranger’s shoulder, Ronald sighed dramatically, staring sorrowfully at one of the store mirrors. 

"You sir, are having a fashion crisis. But fear not… my name is Ronald, and I’m Team Flare’s resident fashionista! I’ll have you looking spiffy in no time… let me help you out!”

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With a few hours of daylight left, Xander found himself in a completely unfamiliar region with no plans until it was time to complete the job that Team Rocket had sent him to do. However, it wasn't exactly an unfamiliar feeling as the thief wandered the crowded streets, taking in the sights and occasionally winking at a cute girl here and there.

As he stopped at one of the many, many cafes around town the barista had recommended that he also check out some of the many, many boutiques--apparently, cities in Kalos were an extremely dull place to live, and Xander suddenly felt extremely lucky to have  been born instead into the greatest city of all time.

Finally choosing a random boutique to explore, he knew as soon as he stepped foot into the shop that he had come to the wrong place. Judging by the way the clothing was displayed, the thief immediately concluded that he likely couldn't even afford to touch the merchandise--not that he would want to, anyway. The style was clearly much too showy and elegant for Xander's tastes.

As he was getting ready to turn right around and leave, he felt an unfamiliar arm slip over his shoulders, unfortunately anchoring him in place. Xander turned to look at the person who had just invaded his personal space, drawing a complete blank. The red hair, the red suit... was this real life? Because there was no way someone would actually dress like that, right?

"Sorry, buddy, but I'm not about to take fashion advice from a guy wearing a red suit," he droned, removing the stranger's arm from his shoulder with one hand. Xander had always had a notion that people from Kalos were strange, but this was just too much. "Actually, I'm going to have to say that you're the one having the crisis, here--how do you even pick up chicks wearing something like that?"

Because, of course, good fashion is dictated by how many chicks you can attract. Tapping a finger to his chin as he analyzed Ronald's appearance, Xander decided that maybe this was just the thing he needed to kill time until it was time for work.

"See, it looks like you're trying way too hard--girls aren't into that. They're into guys who look like they're not trying," he nodded thoughtfully, grinning. "I'm Xander, and I'm just the guy to turn you into a professional lady's man~"

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i filled my lungs with the sunset (au) - tulia & xander

[deliicatea-deactivated20160608]

"I’ve got it—" Tulia says as he’s tending to the emergency kit; she’s thankful for Xander remembering that there is always the possibility of them getting injured, because Tulia only has a kit around in case the children get hurt and she is the only one there to help them. She always forgets about herself — and Xander’s able to be injured just as simply as her. "—so, I was walking, and this kid used a slingshot to propel a rock, which knocked me straight out and he was so scared that he killed me, that he dragged me into the middle of nowhere and I had to walk back here when I awoke.” 

She forces a smile, but when the gauze pad touches the wound, she frowns, able to stifle a cry, but unable to stop herself from reaching out and take the fabric of Xander’s clothes in her hands. Her eyes look up to Xander pleadingly, but she manages not to react any other way; she wants to be able to at least act strong, but it is hard to maintain such a dumb front. 

"Thank you for taking care of me; you shouldn’t have to — I’m such a dumbie," she giggles quietly. 

Lying to him is dumb, and she feels bad for it, so when she slowly releases her grip on him, she pulls him closer so that her lips are at his ear. “It isn’t fair that I’m a bad liar and a bad person and bad at living, but you put up with me, so.. an old man, crippled and everything, attacked me after I wouldn’t answer him, but—” her grip on him tightens once again. 

"—don’t go after him," she whines quietly, then pulls away. Her eyes are frozen over as she pleads with him not to leave her. The hands on his arm doesn’t leave until she’s confident he’s not going to leave her to tend to her wound alone. "I need you, Xander.” 

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"That one's a little better," Xander chuckles as his partner finishes her newly improved story. As the girl smiles up at him, he can feel his anger slowly melting away, despite himself. It was nigh impossible to remain upset when Tulia was around. In the midst of the and ruin and darkness she somehow manages to bring forth that tiny glimmer of hope that easily outshines the devastation of the all but damned wasteland. And the look she gives him next, with her hands clutching the front of his jacket, and the crystalline tears filling her eyes, it nearly breaks the thief's heart. With a sigh, he shifts his gaze away, stiffening his jaw as he reinforces his resolve--he's hurting her, but it's for her own good. "Don't look at me like that, Lily-Pad. All done, see?"

He tosses the sticky square of fabric carelessly into the open first-aid kit and leans back in his seat with a relieved sigh. Fortunately, despite the amount of blood, it didn't look like anything too serious, and Xander ultimately decided that it wasn't bad enough to find a doctor to stitch up the wound.

In an instant, Tulia was thanking him and pulling him closer, telling him the supposed "truth" of what had actually happened to her. Then...

"I need you, Xander."

He looks at her for a moment, not sure how to decipher her final statement--of course, she needs him to secure the goods she in turn distributes to as many people as she can, but he's positive that's not what she's trying to say... Regardless, the girl's words have more of an effect on the him than she could possibly know; before the end of the world, no one had ever depended on him the way Tulia did.

"So, a crippled old man?" Xander repeats slowly, as if he still doesn't believe her. Honestly, it sounds as far-fetched as the rest of her stories, and there were still a few wholes. Still, he decided to humor her. "Alright, so why'd he do it? And where the hell were you the whole time I was looking for you?"

He pauses abruptly, realizing how harsh his words sounded, and pulls her into his chest with one arm, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm not gonna go after a crippled old man," he sighs, keeping his arm draped over her small frame. "But I can't guarantee that if I run into the bastard anytime soon I won't cripple him some more."

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Make It Double (Reiko & Xander)

[negativu]

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Slowly, slipping his arm beneath her waist and pulling her body forward slightly, the thief allowed his lips to caress her hips softly as he planted a trail of kisses along the length of the scar. The thief had never been much of a romantic but every once in a while he would show an unexpected capacity for passion.

"I did say I'd kiss every inch of you," he managed to say in between kisses, looking up briefly to give her his trademark crooked smile.

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i filled my lungs with the sunset (au) - tulia & xander

[deliicatea-deactivated20160608]

Forcing a smile, Tulia fights the urge to toy with her bottom lip as she thinks about an excuse — the answer seems so clear. “I tripped, you know me,” she lifts up a hand to scratch at her cheek bashfully. The lie comes out believable, but she feels horrible for worrying him and lying to him about where she’s been. Just as the lie leaves her lips her face falls. 

It hurts, she thinks to herself as she winces at the sharp pain, but she could manage to go on and finish everything they have planned for today — the question is actually if Xander will accept her lie and her injury and finish today before worrying about it. Chances are that it won’t get infected, but who knows nowadays? 

“‘m sorry I worried you,” Tulia says in a quiet voice as she realizes that she’s probably just screwed up the plans royally, but taking upon the brute of this instead of having Xander go off after some old, crippled man seems like the better thing to do. Her lower lip quivers slightly, but she just makes a face as she bites down on her bottom lip to try to think about something other than the pain.

Luckily, she’s always been a clumsy one, so she usually would learn how to stop herself from sustaining injuries like the one she is supporting now. The look in Xander’s face is enough for her to wish that she hadn’t found the map at all — no matter how good of a deal it seemed to be. 

Gingerly taking the piece of scarf back from him, she presses it against her head, wincing at the pressure, but she’s going to make sure that the flow of blood is stopped. Damn, I’m gonna scar, aren’t I? That causes her to make another face before she looks back up at Xander, another apology on her lips.

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Xander gives his partner a skeptical look as she claims that it had been an accident. He doesn't believe her, but his anger slowly begins to melt away as she flinches at his touch. Silently vowing to beat whoever hurt Tulia into a bloody pulp later, he quickly realizes that it was now much more important to take care of her rather than avenge her.

"You're a shitty liar, Tulia. Actually, I'm a little insulted that you didn't try harder," he tells her as she takes the bloodied piece of fabric back from him. In all honesty he might have believed it if she hadn't also vanished into thin air for over an hour--even Xander wasn't stupid enough to believe that lie. With a sigh, he takes her by the hand and gently leads her to Ol' Reliable, opening up the  door and giving her a boost into the passenger seat. "Well, let me get you taken care of... Maybe by the time I'm done you'll have thought of a better story."

Once she was situated, he shut her door and went around the back, picking up an old metal emergency kit out of the cargo area before joining her in the cab, sliding into his seat behind the wheel.

"Come here," he tells her curtly, opening up the first aid kit and balancing it on the dashboard. Luckily, there's a small bottle of rubbing alcohol inside, a rare commodity that he'd managed to save for such emergencies. He quickly gets to work with a box of sterile gauze pads and a little bit of the alcohol, leaning over so that he could have a better look at Tulia's head. He grits his teeth tightly together at the sight of it, the thought of anyone trying to hurt her causing his rage to bubble to the surface for just a moment before he manages to push it back down, readying the alcohol-soaked gauze pad over the wound steadily. "This is going to sting a little."

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i filled my lungs with the sunset (au) - tulia & xander

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Picking up her own bag, she throws it over herself before departing from Xander with his curt words in her ears. The candy had just been deposited back below her seat as they arrived at their first stop. Tulia always took care of the hard part, because she is rather good at it. Not everyone would get water, and that is the hardest part. Sometimes people would beg, penniless, and she could only look at them with empty hands. Sometimes, if she had it available, she’d take the money that she gets for carrying for the children (sometimes the parents will give her small amounts of money) and pay for water for some poor family. 

Maybe Tulia isn’t the perfect person for this job, but as she steels her nerves, she knows she’s one of the only people that can do it. 

The people have to pay up before she gives them anything, on occasion she accepts an IOU, but it is usually accompanied by her taking something of more value from that family. Luckily, this trip is fairly simple as she collects values and talks with all the different kinds of people. —couple of other stops we need to make. 

She’s got to stop wasting their time. 

—

"Miss," she hears, but touching a hand to her forehead, she feels the assault that resulted in her in this unnamed location. I’m bleeding, shit. She thinks vaguely as a hazy figure comes into view. It is a terribly old man, beyond his age especially in this age. Blinking a few times, she realizes that she’s underground, and this man is looking weary, as though he might pass out. “You are heavier than you look.”

He’s crippled also, one of his ankles looks fucked beyond belief. How he had been able to drag her down her — oh, she hears the familiar hum of others around her, just not in the same area as they are. He had an accomplice in getting her down her. “You assaulted me with a rock,” she says. 

Genuinely looking sorry, he tries to hand her a dusty rag, but she wrinkles her nose up at it and the old man shrugs, continuing with his business. “I knew I couldn’t get you down here if I just hollered to you, and yellin’ ‘bout an old pok’mon in these parts just gets you marked as crazy — I’ve got something for ya,” he says. He’s not from Hoenn, but in her hazy state of mind, Tulia can’t figure his accent out. “I’ve got here, a map, to find Kyogre—” 

"—he’s still out there, ya know?" He continues for awhile about how he’s been searching, but he never found anything besides this map. Now that he’s so crippled and old, he’s scared he’s going to die a nobody in the desert. I’m entrustin’ you wit’ this. He pats her on the shoulder. 

Then he shows her out, calling to another friend as they unwillingly blindfold her and take her back to where she once had been. Tulia is worried about the amount of time that’s passed, but luckily, looking at the sky, it doesn’t seem to be that long. Maybe long enough to piss Xander off. 

Tearing a piece of her scarf off, she presses the fabric against her bloodied head. This fabric seems at least cleaner than the dusty rag that the man had offered her. It all seems like a dream, as she stands there and reflects on it. Hopefully the flow of blood is stopping, she just stands there in a daze with the map buried in her bag. I hope Xander just finds me, she pouts as she realizes that she’ll only scare everyone as long as she bloodied. She needs water to wash away the dried blood, and then bandages. 

Ol’ Reliable is her only hope, so she heads back towards that way. 

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It had been over an hour since anyone had seen Tulia, but to Xander it felt like much longer than that as he frantically tracked down every person in town, asking about his partner in crime. It seemed as if the girl had simply vanished, and no one seemed to know where she'd gone.

They were a couple of hours behind schedule, but none of that mattered as he stood, cross-armed, next to Ol' Reliable. The wind was beginning to kick up, blowing dust about and making it difficult to see as the thief quietly panicked. He had already made several rounds in the camp looking for Tulia, and everyone else was also keeping an eye out for her. He couldn't think of any possible reason she would take off without telling him--which would be the only possible explanation, since he was positive that not a single soul on the planet would have a reason to harm Tulia, not when she brought nothing but good into an all but damned wasteland.

He was getting ready to make another round when he saw a petite figure approaching him, slightly obscured by the dust blowing around them. Still, even in the low visibility he knew exactly who it was.

"What the fuck, Lily-Pad," he called, running toward her. "Do you have any idea what kind of hell I went through looking for you?"

His heart was beating wildly in his chest as her figure slowly became clearer and clearer until he was right before her, his worry quickly melting away into irritation at the girl. But when he was close enough to see the traces of blood trickling between her fingers he stopped in his tracks.

"Tulia," he said, the steadiness of his voice a misleading front to the inferno bubbling up inside of him. His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides as he fixed his gaze on the bloodied piece of scarf she pressed against her injured head. "Who did this to you?"

His hands shot forward, simultaneously pulling her closer and removing her hand from her head as he lifted the dampened shed of fabric to examine the wound.

"Who the fuck did it?" he repeated slowly, seething the words through his teeth as he gripped her shoulders firmly in his hands.

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i filled my lungs with the sunset (au) - tulia & xander

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As soon as he instructs her, she’s reaching down to retrieve her surprise: candy. Admittedly, she’s completely weak to anything sweet, so a huge smile invades her face again as she considers carefully how to ration the contents of this pouch to the children in town, but before she can finish her plans, Xander unveils more. 

"Xander," Tulia says quietly; her eyes growing to the size of saucers as she feels the beginnings of tears starting to well up. It is stupid of her to cry about this, but she can’t help it. The sentiment is so sweet, and just thinking that he stopped to think about the children for a moment is enough to take her down. She sniffs, then wipes at her eyes furiously before leaning over to nip at his ear before peppering kisses onto his cheek. “You fucking softie.” 

"And I can’t share even one with my favorite teddy bear—”

Reaching into the pouch of sweets, she takes one out and puts it to Xander’s lips. “You deserve it: job well done,” she affirms before settling back into her seat and allowing herself one of the sweets. It has to be one of the best things she’s enjoyed in awhile, and she lets it melt on her tongue before swallowing it. 

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"C-C'mon, Tulia," Xander muttered as the girl leans over, planting a string of kisses on his cheek. The kisses were nice, but the remarks that came with them were a bit hard for the thief to swallow. "I'm not gonna surprise you anymore if you're gonna talk about me like that--"

He stopped short as she offers him one of the perfectly round sweets. Parting his lips, he takes the sticky sweet into his mouth and immediately breaking the crunchy outer layer with his teeth. The small piece of candy is gone within a matter of seconds as Tulia savored her first piece for a bit longer.

It wasn't long before they arrived at their first stop, a small unnamed camp with a collective population of only about fifty or so people. While it was small, it was still a rather successful community with sturdy wooden buildings reminiscent of an old west town.

"Let's get on with it, alright? We've got a couple of other stops we need to make before dark," the thief stated curtly as he cut the engine, hopping out of the truck before jogging around to the passenger side, helping Tulia with her door before she has the chance to struggle with opening it again. "I've got a few things I need to pick up. I'll come find you when I'm done."

Bending over enough to plant a quick kiss on top of the girl's head, Xander dropped the Ol' Reliable keys into the pocket of his cargo pants and threw a duffel bag over his shoulder before jogging off into the camp, clearly eager to complete his own business transactions.