Chapter Text
Thunder roared above Water as she ran through the violent weather. The way the water made her beautiful flowy dress cling to her skin was comforting.
It's the closest she'll ever be to receiving an embrace from anything is what she believed and told herself daily. Water continued through the forest and made it to a man-made or rather, altered hill.
Quietly she made her way down the many levels of the dwarven caves until she got to hers. She quickly shut the door and plopped down onto her makeshift den.
"If only...." Water said, a tinge of pain surged through her shoulder blades. Phantom pain as she calls it. The once dragon, now dragon-humanoid being, picked up her pillow and threw it at the wall trying to release some anger out but failing miserably.
Water curled up within her possessions and fell fast asleep through quiet sobs.
The storm had passed overnight leaving the grass glistening from the mixture between the dew and sunlight. Water headed out and looked around the base. She decided on taking a stroll following the path made towards the central area of the realm.
"Wow" she breathed out. A ray of sunshine beamed brightly making a figure stand out in the sky. The figure made its way down and moved over towards Water. It studied her and with a smile greeted her.
"Hello! Water!" The very tall demon said with a wave. He was dressed in a long, elegant robe with a hood and red trim that went throughout the shoulders and ended at the cuffs. His long spearheaded tail swung back and forth as his wings shrunk in size.
"Oh hi Bad!" Water responded with genuine happiness. She took a good look at the man before her. She was always enamored by his empty glowing white eyes and his long black hair that blew through the wind. "My treasure....." She spoke softly under her breath.
"Would you like to do anything in particular today? Maybe grind some more or blow-up Yellow Castle?" He said smirking at the last bit.
Heart pounding rapidly, she sputtered out "What if... We err- went on a date?" Immediately her face flushed with red. Why the hell did she just blurt that out!?
"Sure yeah! That sounds neat!"
"Neat?" Wait... HE ACTUALLY AGREED???? Water didn't know what to do next, she thought he would simply laugh or vomit.... probably vomit. But.... He actually agreed?
Water managed to compose herself and answer with "sounds great! Where would you like to go?"
He paused for a moment thinking about places they could go see. His mind landed on the Cathedral. "Hey! Since the Cathedral is finished being built we could hangout there! Maybe even work on a few things while we're over there!" He said while spreading his wings out in preparation to fly.
'Not exactly what I had in mind, but that'll do!' Water thought to herself. "Alrighty then let's go, shall we?" She responded. He nodded and flew upwards. Once noticing her absence, he fell back down.
"Why aren't you coming?" The demon asked. She looked at him intently with her big blue eyes.
"It's just that, I thought maybe we could walk...?" He shrunk his wings once more and said "oh! Sure, I don't mind!"
And with that they were off. Walking through the beautiful town or kingdom... nobody really knows what it is. There's a castle but then not everyone follows the king and is part of his subjects. To most the realm was just the realm.
On their walk they came across something that caught Bad's eye. He hastily walked over and climbed onto the perch of the rock. "Ahhh yes, THIS is fine art." He said soaking the statues figure all in. Water looked at him in disgust. How could he be saying this while on a date???? In front of her!?
The statue was of the King of Yellow Castle, otherwise known as Foolish. It's unsurprising that Bad was the one who built the massive statue. It depicted the king flexing his muscles and looking "majestic" as Bad would often say. As well as a "very generous leaf" that was covering the kings "crown jewels" as stated by Foolish himself.
(goodness gracious why did Foolish ACTUALLY say that ☠️)
Water knew that the demon and the living totem had some sort of history, but she didn't know what exactly that history was. All she knows is that they act...... Interestingly around each other to say the least.
"Ehhhh I hate that guy" Bad said while still admiring the statue. He stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at it then made his way down the stone perch. "Well, let's continue to the Cathedral!" He said while flicking his tail.
Water could only roll her eyes and laugh in disgust as she watched the man skip away. ' He's such a freak-' she thought to herself.
She doesn't exactly understand how she fell for him. For starters, he is drunk most of the time and he isn't exactly the sanest person ever. Also, he has a tendency to murder people, though by accident, still murder. Maybe though that reminded her of her old self. Of how she used to be a water dragon. She used to be able to fell many dwarfs or anything that came to slay her, as well as having a beautifully decorated den that housed all her meaningful possessions.
That's probably why she had a tendency to call him 'her treasure'.
A term of endearment bestowed upon him by her. He was her everything. He had helped her countless times and made sure she was set with all of the best gear and abilities. He even helped her reach nirvana!
(Side note: Nirvana is a thing where you get a certain level in all the skills and it makes you fly. So basically, being able to fly in survival, but in the case of this fic, it's more like granting the person the ability to fly if they can't fly already naturally with wings or such. lol)
So she was grateful to him and felt that she owed him, though he repeatedly told her not to worry. Most importantly though, he listens and takes in everything she has to say.
With that, they made their way over to Bad's cathedral, his pride and joy that he spent countless days on. It stuck out like a sore thumb within the greenery that surrounded it. It had mossy trees and big blue drip flowers that decorated the plot. As well as the small and delicate cornflowers that would be found in just about every build he makes. Water had noticed he had a fondness towards that flower, she knew there must be some meaning behind it but she was perplexed as to what that could be. Only time could tell.
The fresh smell of dirt and flowers was apparent as they made their way into the large cathedral. Once inside, they paused for a moment. Bad had stopped in front of the stage. The colors that fell upon him due to the stained glass brought out his hidden features. Since the majority of his skin is near pitch black, it's rare to see his facial features that aren't his beautiful glowing eyes.
Seeing this made her heart skip a beat. He turned around and looked at her which made her heart beat even faster. His facial features were clearer now. "Water?" He asked tilting his head to the side in confusion.
She immediately covered up her face in embarrassment.
"Water are you ok? Are you feeling sick?" The man said.
(I ofc put man there bc men are so oblivious 🥀 ahem anyways this is a /j btw lmao)
"Er- y- yeah! I'm allllll good~ heh-" she said with the tone of her voice outing her.
"Hmm, alright..." He said giving her a look that told her he was onto her.
"Anyways, would you like to see something special?" He grinned, his fangs .
She shook her head and followed him to the lower chambers of the Cathedral. They arrived inside a crypt of sorts and examined all of the empty tombs. There was one in particular though that caught her eye. It was decorated with gold, emeralds, and miniature totems. She instantly recognized who it was for. She simply rolled her eyes and looked at the other tombs when another caught her eye. Well rather, three others caught her eye. This area was a lot neater and seemed to be decorated with more love and care compared to Foolish's tomb.
The first one on the left was decorated with reds, blacks, and purples. It had many magical things and an array of various fungi. In the centerpiece was a plate of brownies and a top hat. On the right was one similar to the first, it had blue, white, and red with some pink glitter. Upon closer inspection water recognized the colors to symbolize a country of sorts but couldn't remember which one exactly. There was an easel that had a butterfly painted on it as well as a bucket of apples. The centerpiece was yet another hat, this one being a beret. She noticed that both of the tombs had cornflowers carefully placed all about them. The final one had diamonds everywhere. There was a light blue shiny ribbon that was shaped into a heart and one big vase of cornflowers. The vase itself seemed to have words written on it but they seemed too faded out to read anymore. One thing was different about this one though, it had a picture placed on top of it. She took a step closer to examine it better.
Bad paused his ramblings and took note that Water hadn't heard a word he had said. He crept up behind her seeing her reaction to his special tombs.
"I see you've taken an interest in the one in the middle..." he says not making eye contact with her.
"Oh! Uhm yeah-" she said a bit startled. "Is there any meaning behind these?" Water asks trying to scrap at any information of the guarded man.He was very open in lighter areas but when it came to personal things he would clamp his mouth shut and not elaborate. So she was surprised when he actually responded with "love".
'love'? what could he mean by that? His Family? Admiration? Ex lovers perchance? Well, maybe one ex lover, since there's only one with a picture. Either way, she was stumped.
"What kind of love exactly?" She asked prying further.
"....." Was all that he answered with. Realizing she may have gone too far, she attempted to change the subject.
"That foolish one is certainly interesting" she said with a half smile.
"Yeah..." Was all that he said. Something about those tombs definitely made him feel a certain way, good or bad Water wasn't sure, but she wished she hadn't gotten so absorbed in them. Clearing his throat Bad gestured to another part of the room. It was one big area for a tomb that had a trapdoor behind it. Bad unlocked the trapdoor and carefully grabbed Water's arm. Looking up at her with a fanged smile. Water was surprised but also got a fuzzy feeling from this. Though she would never admit to that.
He led her inside the room and quickly shut the door behind them, locking it tightly once more. The room looked like a magical underworld that you'd have to travel many miles away to find. It was decorated with many flowers especially Bad's favorite cornflowers and dripleafs. It had miniature cherry blossom trees and a river that flowed through the center making a small island. The island had a stump that looked like something was supposed to sit there.
"What is this place?" She asked taking in the beauty of the room.
"You'll see~" he said walking towards the center tree. He took something out of his satchel and put it on one of the trees big and strong branches. He instantly covered his big pointy ears which made Water do the same.
"Aack! Guys stop!!!" Was what came out of the demon's mouth. Perplexed Water moved closer to where he was standing trying to see what exactly was happening. Nothing was attacking him as far as she could tell, so whatever was happening was a mystery to her.
"C'mere!" Bad said reaching his hand out for Water to grab. He didn't want her to slip and fall into the makeshift river that the ghosties must have made while he was gone and get herself dirty, though it would be funny- he thought to himself.
"Ring the bell and then you'll see!" He gently let go of her hand and moved out of the way so that she could ring it. Listening to his words she rang the bell. Instantly she was surrounded by blue glowing beings. "Aww the ghosties seem to like you!" Bad said while a ghostie swirled around him.
The ghosties came in many different shapes and sizes. They all had their own unique accessories that probably meant something to them. Water looked as they danced around the two of the most of them were bopping their caretaker or whatever he is to them- she wasn't sure. Others were going into the little holes that were in the room, it was probably their houses. The ghosties that surrounded her looked to be giving her little hugs and pats on the head, their way of showing affection. One even gave her a flower as a gift, how sweet!
Bad looked over and was pleased to see that she was enjoying this as much as he was. She caught his eye and pretended not to notice. He let out a sigh and sat down on the grass. Water sat down bed him leaving a good little space between them.
Water isn't the best when it comes to physical touch, but when it's someone she deeply cares for she longs for that. The simple hug from a friend is what would make her heart swell with comfort and joy. Today, right here, right now, she was going to attempt at receiving the first hug from her treasure. She slid closer and closer to him little by little. He didn't seem to notice and kept talking to some of the ghosties and getting on to some that kept messing with him. She was right up against him now and was shaking from her nerves. Slowly she rested her head on his shoulder which made him jump in surprise. He didn't seem to mind it though, it seemed more so that he wasn't expecting Water to do such a thing. She kept leaning on him, trying to see if he would wrap an arm around her or something. All he did was simply pat her on the head and hum a song.
She recognized it instantly. She caught him singing it to himself once before, the lyrics went as follows:
"Kiss me once, then kiss me twice...
then kiss me once, again..."
"it's been a long, long..... time"
"haven't felt like this my dear.... since can't remember when...'
"What!?" Is all that she could think of in her head. Is he.... singing this song because of what she just did? Or is it just happen stance?
She looked up at him trying to see if he noticed her change of mood. He simply looked down and gave her a smile.
"men....." She thought to herself
After spending some time in the "Ghostie Vault" as Water dubbed it, the pair went to the front gates of the Cathedral. It was around 3pm in the afternoon, still plenty of time left in the day to do many things. Maybe they could go get something to eat or level up a bit in the "baconator" as Bad calls it. Or the other special option of pranking Yellow Castle.
She suggested each of those options to him and they both settled on pranking Green's rival. Before though, they would have to stock up on materials. Instead of blowing up the castle like Bad wanted, they settled on covering the entirety of it in sand and cacti. Simple, but it gets the job done without any major upsets.
"Holaaaaa~" a voice was heard in the distance. It was Pili, the one and only member of the purple faction aka the neutral faction. Though nowadays it's known as the "corruption faction" due to Pili being corrupted by the strange mass or whatever you care to call it named after what it does, corrupt.
"Pili!!!!" Bad called out waving his arm wildly. A simple smile and a shy wave was given to Pili by Water. The cat humanoid came over and gave a hug to the tall man.
"I've been looking for ya, you know?" Pili said looking up at Bad.
"Oh? Why's that?" He responded flicking off any dirt that was on him from earlier in the ghostie vault.
Pili moved over closer to Bad trying to get out of hearing range of Water. He tugged on Bad's shoulder signaling for him to crouch down so Pili could whisper something to him. "I need to talk to you in private about something important.... meet me at my place when you get the chance. I see you have your hands full at the moment." With that, Pili blew a kiss at Bad, and went on his way.
Water eyed Pili with suspicion, unsure of his true motives.
"Sorry about that!" Bad said giving a half smile to Water. "Uhh where were we? Oh right! Yellow Castle prank!"
Water fumbled with her pearl necklace, trying not to make eye contact with her treasure.
"I uh.... have to get going actually...." Her voice quavered as she spoke. Bad looked at her a bit surprised but didn't feel the need to press on questions.
"Oh uh, alright then... Bye Water! It was nice hanging out today!"
"Yeah, same..." She said already turning away towards Orange Base.
“Do you want to meet here tomorrow perchance?” he yelled out at her.
She simply gave a quick thumbs up as she flew off into the distance.
Bad stood there for a moment, then walked in the direction of his base, the grand and majestic Green Castle. Though there was no set leader of Green, it was understood that Bad was the main man of it all. He built the castle mostly by himself with the occasional Pangi and Lukey adding their own touches (which means just random memey stuff and nothing actually important/helpful). As he was walking on the bridge, he found Lukey sitting on the ledge, seeming to be talking to himself. Bad slowly and silently crept up behind Lukey and pushed the hamster into the water.
"HEY!!!" Lukey yells as he plunges into the freezing river. The demon lets out an evil little giggle.
"My bad~" He says, flying down and getting Lukey out of the river.
"Heh- uhm uh anyways" Lukey says while laughing a bit. "What have you been up to Bad?" Lukey questions while wringing out his clothes. Bad perches on the edge of the bridge wall.
"Well, I went on a date with Water, that was nice!"
"Oh?" Lukey didn't take Bad for the romantic type. Well, minus the things he's heard come out of his mouth about Foolish-
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