“There’s no winning this, is there? Always the stubborn one, you are.” I feel like this could go either angsty or funny. Surprise me :)
Have some light Dark!Baron a.k.a “King” for all you Bureau File AU needs.Fun fact, this and all other TBF AU fics involve the same parallel universe Bureau.
Only when Duke and Baron came together, we got a King out of the mess. @catsafarithewriter I’m sorry it’s so short, but I’m slowly working into writing again ^^;
Enjooooyyyyy~~
*****
“There’s no winning this, is there? Always the stubborn one, you are.”
She didn’t respond, though that was a given, considering her circumstances. Toto and Muta were unconscious, bound to separate trees from her. She remained awake, but their captors had taken the time to gag her. A shame, a truly pity he believed, but it spared him the shouting match that’d get both of them killed.
“Always so stubborn,” he murmured, crossing the rest of the distance between them. She flinched away at his approach, a gesture he tried not to take too personally, and kicked when he was within range.
Stopping her attacks was easy enough, his mind elsewhere as he looked her over. No obvious injuries to mar her skin, though that didn’t stop the little niggling worry. Humans were fragile, and something inside could easily be as broken as a nail or some skin. He sighed, resting his chin in his palm.
Looks like the gag would have to come out.
She choked as he dislodged it, though she tried to stifle the coughing. Best not to alert her captors, after all. He matched her glare with a charming smile, but that effect had been lost long before he started using it on her.
“Any pain or aches somewhere I can’t see, Miss Haru?” he asked, brushing her bangs away from her face. The effort ruined when she jerked her head away.
“Go to hell,” came her clever response. It sent a small thrill down his spine, hearing her swear acting as an odd sort of treat.
“Not when an angel like you is around,” he purred, smirking as her eyes rolled.
Her glare was astoundingly fierce for one still bound to a tree. He really needed to learn her secrets, villainous smirking could only take you so far. Instead he sighed, taking a seat across from her.
“You told the Baribets we were coming.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Of course. I was hoping to get you alone and leave Muta and Toto captured. Didn’t expect for them to actually check the abandoned root cellar. I cleared that out specifically for you.”
She glared again, and the charm remained. He missed her smiles, though.
“Baron-” she hissed.
He loomed over her, having sprung from his seat. His hand slammed close to the right side of her head, his other hand loosely around her neck. She flinched, but gave him no other signs of being disturbed by the change in attitude. She knew the consequences of calling him that name.
“It’s King, now, Miss Haru, I shan’t keep reminding you,” he warned lightly, tracing a thumb of the curve of her jaw.
She jerked away from his touch. He frowned, standing and beginning to move away.
“No winning at all,” he murmured. “Right, well, if that’s all we’re going to be doing, then I’ll take my leave.”
He turned his back to her, intent on marching off into the woods, back to his elegant lurking and watching. He made it three steps before she called out, King freezing mid-stride.
“King, you can’t just leave us here!” she barked, struggling against the ropes. Chittering came from a far off corner, curious at the sound of her voice.
“Actually, I can, Miss Haru,” he called back, though he hadn’t moved. “Clearly, I’m not wanted.”
“Not after all the stunts you’ve pulled today, you’re not! But what happens when they kill me?”
She knew she fully had him when his ear flicked. His fist clenched at his side, but the look he had when he fully faced her again said nothing but bemused surprise that came from a surprise run in with an old friend.
Not the tense realization that death could very much be on the line.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked, head tilting.
She gave a grim smile.
“We’re here because these creatures have been eating villagers. The only reason we’re not dead yet is that they’re still deciding on seasoning for us.”
He was stomping back towards her, failing at attempts to make it seem elegant.
“Well, that won’t due at all. Whatever shall we do, Miss Haru?” he asked, stopping short of her. She tilted her head up, meeting his mismatched eyes. She grimaced as she realized he wasn’t going to do much past this until she stopped choking on her pride.
“Help us,” she demanded. When all she got was a tail flick, she quietly followed it with, “help me.”.
“Well, Miss Haru…”
A glint of steel and the ropes were severed clean. Blood rushed to her hands and feet, and she rubbed the light burns they had worn into her skin. King stood before her, a lovesick smile on his face.
