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psychosistr · 1 year

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La Vie en Rose- Chapter 6

Summary: Half a year after their first meeting, Wildcard and Bokor have quite a bit to celebrate- as well as some surprises to share with each other.

Notes: Time to end this fun and emotional story for one of my all time favorite OC pairings. While I was sad to see it end at the time, it’s so nice to end it on such a sweet note and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it :3

-First Chapter-

It took a few weeks to do, but Wildcard finally felt comfortable in their home.

After the pair decided to live together after officially becoming a couple, it sparked no end of lengthy discussions and daydreams trying to pick an ideal place. Money wasn’t an object with Bokor’s charm in effect on realtors, although Wildcard admitted that the concept of a full on mansion didn’t appeal to them either. They’d rather the house just be for the two of them, and a larger house would need maids to help clean it all.

Luck came to them easily on a standard exorcism mission for FOWL where they stumbled onto a neighborhood afterwards that had a house the locals avoided. A tall ominous building by the cliffside near a darkened forest that children claimed to have seen witches and monsters in. A brief visit had them conclude the only real presence was the previous owners’ spirits, all of which were easy to capture.

Cleaning the place was a challenge Wildcard relished, having a lot of cleaning experience under their belt. They started in the rooms where they knew they’d be using most, namely the kitchen, master bedroom and bathroom, and left Bokor to set up security measures around the building to alert them of intruders or unwanted spirits. That alone took an entire day to do, with plenty of larger jobs on their list with broken rooftops and rotten floorboards, but even still, it was their home at last.

After reconstruction, cleaning, and a bit of decorating came to pass, Wildcard was left humming a song to themself as they whisked at some cake batter. Today was a special day for the shrike, and they wanted to try and get the dessert done before their partner came home.

They soon heard the front door open and the man in question returned after a few errands. He muttered swears as he walked carefully around the creaky floorboards in the living room- he didn’t want to push his luck and fall through the floor. Again. Following the sounds of his partner’s humming, Bokor entered the kitchen. “Bonsoir, mes petites. I didn’t keep you waiting too long, did I?”

Wildcard jolted slightly, covering up the bowl to little success. “I thought you’d be another hour.” They admitted, pouting slightly at the ruined surprise but knowing it wouldn’t be the end of the world. It wasn’t done after all. “Nevermind that- welcome home, my love. How was things?”

“Pleasant enough, but boring without you, mes chéries.” He walked closer and leaned down to give them a kiss on the cheek, spotting the poorly hidden bowl in the process. “Working on something special for dessert tonight?”

“Thought I could try making a cake, it’s been a while since I’ve had enough time to bake something.” They smiled, going back to their mixing. “Just...something I wanted to do today is all.”

“I’m sure it will be as sweet as you, petites.” Bokor gave them another kiss as if to prove his point. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Mmm…” Wildcard put the bowl on the counter, turned on their heel and pulled Bokor down for a kiss of their own. “I’ve got things covered here. Why don’t you rest until dinner, I’d like a helping hand for that.”

Bokor grinned after the kiss- he loved when they took charge like that- and chuckled quietly. “D’accord. If you need me, I shall be at your beck and call, mes chéries.”

“I know you will.” They giggled. “Try not to fall through the floor on your way out though, I can only make so many workaround fixes until the weekend!”

“Dhat only happened twi-” The creaking floorboards reinforced the shrike’s warning as Bokor tried to leave the kitchen. “Oh, shush, you..” He told the floor as he walked around the weak spot, as if it were taunting him.

The whole thing just made Wildcard laugh all the more. “We’ll silence that pesky floor before you know it. Call if you need anything.”

Time passed and Wildcard managed to get the cake in the oven, making some drinks to share with their partner as they waited for it to bake. Sitting out at the back porch, the shrike took a deep long breath of the crisp evening air and sighed peacefully. “What a view…” They remarked as they took a sip of their drink while looking out at the cliffside view and the water far below.

Bokor enjoyed the view alongside his partner, a content smile on his face as he sat beside them. “It is. I can’t believe such a beautiful property was left to rot because of something as silly as ‘worrisome deaths on property and reports of odd phenomenon’.”

Wildcard merely waved a hand. "Common stuff for most people. Anything abnormal happens and they push it aside without a care. Happened to me all the time." They tried to push such distant memories back, enjoying the moment now for what it was. "But much like myself, you found this abandoned place and now it's truly a home for no one but us to share."

“A home..” The smile on Bokor’s face turned slightly wistful and almost...nostalgic? “It’s still so weird...I haven’t had a home since-” His sentence stopped there for a moment and he quickly shook his head in an attempt to chase the thoughts away, a habit of his anytime he started to think about or mention anything from his past. “Well, let’s just say it’s been a pretty long time.”

"I'll take your word on the matter, dear." Finishing their drink, Wildcard put their glass down and scooted themself closer to their boyfriend. An action usually indicating their desire for affection. "Even with the creaky floors and the attic I'm still hesitant to open just yet, this is a definite improvement to the motel. Spacious, ours to customize...and more private too…"

Easily picking up on the shrike’s desires, Bokor set his glass and the remainder of his drink down so that his arms were free to wrap around the smaller bird. “Hmhhh, I think dhe privacy is my favorite part.” He then pulled them into his lap so he could hold them close and kiss them to his heart’s content.

Wildcard made a gleeful sound from the loving gestures, finding their comfort in the familiar position. They kissed back amidst their laughter and let their fingertips trace across Bokor's chest resting over his heartbeat. "You spoil me so." They admitted, not complaining about it for even a moment.

“Of course I do, mes petites chéries- it’s one of my favorite pastimes.” He said in between each of the playfully light kisses he peppered across their neck. “Especially when I have you all to myself like dhis.”

“I am yours…” They held his face as they kissed his beak firmly and with passion before pulling away and looking at Bokor with a half lid expression. “And you are absolutely mine.”

A low chuckle rumbled in the hawk’s chest, his own red eyes half lidded. “Hmhmm~ I love when you talk like dhat, mes petites souveraines.”

“It helps knowing you worship me this much.” As much as they wanted to go back to deeply kissing their boyfriend, Wildcard heard the distant sound of the timer going off in the kitchen. They softly whined as they moved away. “Later then…” The shrike said, mostly to themself as they got up and took their empty glass to go back inside.

Taking the cake out to cool, Wildcard focused on making the icing and prepping the decorations. To their annoyance, a bit of the frosting got on their shirt, and they mentally noted a need to get themself an apron. A thought occurred to them though, and decided while they waited for the cake to be cool enough to ice and Bokor still outside, they’d change to something nice. It was a special occasion after all, even if they weren’t sure if their partner knew just yet.

They changed into a light summer dress that hugged their waist and flowed down their legs. The black dress had stitched red roses along the collar and the bottom trim and was certainly one they’d wanted to wear for some time. Content, and just a little impatient, Wildcard decided the cake was fine and got to decorating, putting a cover over it when it was done and keeping it out of sight before going to see Bokor again.

When they returned to the porch, they saw Bokor fiddling with something but it was hard to see what it was from their angle. Plus, as soon as he heard the door open, he quickly stuffed whatever it was into the pouch at his hip. “Dhere you are, mes chéries, I was beginning to-” His words died on his tongue the moment he saw them, an expression of awe on his face. “Mon dieu..”

Seeing their partner’s reaction made Wildcard blush and laugh gently. They gave a small twirl. “Felt like changing to something lighter- you know how it is.” Smiling, they asked something they felt they already knew the answer to. “You like it?”

“Like it?” He asked in disbelief before getting up so he could scoop the lovely shrike into his arms in a princess-style hold. “I love it, mes belles petites.” He placed a trail of kisses up their neck to their face. “You are a vision of beauty, mes chéries~”

“Thank you, my darling dearest. You’re not half bad yourself.” They teased, nuzzling against him how they could and sighing. “Think we could get dinner started now? I’m quite hungry, but I’ll help you with whatever you feel like making tonight.”

After giving his partner one more kiss on the cheek, Bokor grabbed his now empty glass with one hand while still easily carrying the smaller bird using his free arm. “We still have some of dhat crabmeat stuffing from dhe other night, non? I have a recipe dhat I’ve wanted t’ try out.” He explained while carrying them back into the kitchen.

Wildcard kissed at Bokor’s temple, being able to reach there now. “Consider me interested. I always love your cooking after all.” Having enough experience being carried like this, they leaned back just enough to not fall off entirely. “You know, if FOWL ends up going under and we have enough spirits stocked up, you could easily be a great chef. Though I suppose that would mean I wouldn’t get to spend as much time with you.” They frowned at the notion. “Best not to do that.”

Bokor chuckled quietly at the idea and gave the frowning fowl a kiss on their forehead to ease their worries. “Don’t worry, petites. If FOWL ever does dissolve or we decide to retire, I will make sure to choose a new line of work dhat lets me keep my favorite set of helping hands closeby.” When they reached the kitchen, he carefully set his partner down on one of the counters and took one of their hands in his own so he could kiss it adoringly.

“Mmm, I wish for nothing less…” Crossing their legs, Wildcard leaned back a bit as they watched. They reached in a nearby bowl and took a single red grape into their beak elegantly. “I’ll be right here if you need me then, my beloved Henri.”

“Oh, I always need my loveliest and luckiest charm, mes chéries.” Bokor winked at them with an amused smile before gathering the necessary ingredients and cookware.

True to their word, Wildcard stayed where they were, lying on the counter and resting on one hand as they watched their boyfriend work. Every now and then they informed Bokor of where something was- they were still trying to figure out the best way to organize their living spaces after all. Wildcard spoke about various ideas they had for putting the empty rooms of the house to use, but nothing set in stone quite yet.

“It’d be nice to fix up the greenhouse out back.” They mentioned, easily tossing a grape stem into the nearby trash. “It will be hell to fix the broken glass windows, but think about it. Your own garden to grow the herbs you need for practices. And maybe a few vegetables for myself.”

Bokor smiled at the thought while starting a pot of water on the stove and trimming the fat from a pork loin. “Dhat would be nice. No more having to rely on a local shop or FOWL’s suppliers whenever I need something.” With the meat trimmed, he cut the loin down into half-inch thick steaks and placed them between a couple sheets of wax paper. Rather than get a meat tenderizer for the next step, however, he used his own fists to easily pound and flatten out the pork. “I could even grow some flowers.”

Wildcard trilled at the sight, endlessly attracted to his strength. "It'd be nice to replant the rose bushes out front. The ones now are long dead, but I think it'd be bare having nothing there at all. Maybe I'll try and steal something from that botanist villain in the future, learn more about these things." They sat upright again, looking up at the ceiling. "Although I may seriously have to consider getting a professional to help deal with the house's structure. Can't have us breaking any more floors."

Bokor’s cheeks tinged the slightest bit red at the reminder of his unfortunate and repeated crashes through the floor since they’d moved in. “I’m sure we could ‘persuade’ someone to ‘donate’ some time to help us.” He stopped tenderizing everything once each steak was twice its original diameter and tossed some fettuccine into the now boiling water. “And if we need extra help with dhe work, I can always sweet talk a few of dhe eggmen from dhe base into lending a hand- most of dhem are already eating out of my palm by now.”

"That'd be a nice break. Save my hands from getting messy all the time." Hopping off of the counter, Wildcard wrapped their arms around Bokor from behind. "Just don't be too sweet or I'll get jealous…bad enough when I have to watch you charm people to swoon all over you."

Bokor smiled softly and placed his hands over the smaller ones wrapped around him. “Aww, mes petites chéries, you know dhose weak-willed fools mean nothing to me. Dhey are nothing more dhan tools to get us what we need.” He found their hand and gave it a light, reassuring squeeze. “Besides, none of dhem can compare to your beauty an’ talent.”

"I know that." They rested their head against him, sighing. "But even though I know that, it still bothers me to watch. I don't think that will ever really change." Wildcard thought it all over more, nuzzling slightly before pulling their arms back again. "Then again, I think my trust for you outweighs my discomfort every time."

Red eyes softened a bit and Bokor turned to look down at his partner properly. “And dhat trust is something I will never take for granted.” He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the shrike’s forehead. “I’ll just have t’ make sure I show you how special you are compared to dhose nobodies.”

Wildcard merely laughed. "As if you've been holding back on doing that already. Darling, you already make me feel like I'm a treasure. And I hope you know that you're the most talented, beautiful and amazing person I've ever met." Taking Bokor's hand, they kissed the back of it like he would do to them so many times before. "I love you completely."

Bokor smiled softly at the affectionate gesture. “Je t’aime de tout mon coeur.” Wrapping his free arm around their waist, he brought the shorter bird up into a loving and sweet kiss- one that he gladly would have been happy to continue if a splash and sizzle from the pot of water behind them didn’t inform him that the pasta was fixing to boil over. “I swear, something in dhis kitchen is mocking us…” He grumbled before carefully placing them back down and giving the pot a stir to make sure everything settled down properly.

Shaking their head, Wildcard decided to go set the table. “Maybe the house is enchanted in some way beyond even our understanding.” As they gathered cutlery and plates, they glanced at the calendar on the wall and noted a small symbol on the day. “Full moon this evening, will you be alright with your ‘landlord’?”

Red eyes rolled a little at the reminder of his ghostly benefactor, but he still shook his head and dumped the pasta into the waiting colander. “He’ll complain about my inactivity- stronger spirits come out on dhe full moon- but he’s got his payment for dhe month, so dhere’s not much he can do.” He gave the curled fettuccine noodles a quick coating of melted butter then set them aside so he could work on filling the disks of flattened pork with the crab stuffing from their previous dinner and rolling it all up together into little rolls secured with toothpicks. “Honestly, he complains about everything, anyway..”

“Does he complain about me being around?” They asked innocently enough as they placed things on the dining room table. “Cause if he does, darling, I will not hesitate to have my own words with him.” Wildcard made a fist to get their point across.

Bokor glanced over his shoulder to see the fist and chuckled quietly. “He should be very worried, petites.” He then placed the pork rolls in a hot cast iron pan with some butter and herbs, giving them a good sear before basting them. “He does try to complain about my attachment to you…but, at dhe same time, he can’t deny dhat I get better results working with you.”

“Great, another person I’ll have to show my worth and value too. And it’s not even a ‘person’ person.” They rolled their eyes and laughed. “I’ll just have to double your spirit collecting numbers next mission we get. That’ll shut him up.”

“Maybe for a few days..” He shook his head with a quiet laugh, moving the pork rolls off of the pan once they were done cooking and immediately deglazing the pan with some white wine. “I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised..he is dhe baron of criminals, after all.” He added some garlic and let the sauce reduce a bit before adding a splash of cream, a good spoonful of mustard (his special creole-mustard, as he called it), some shrimp & shrimp stock leftover from the same meal as the crab stuffing, a handful of peppers, and a pinch of white pepper, creating a rather fragrant sauce.

Wildcard savored the experience, closing their eyes to just focus on the delicious smells. They sat down, leaning on a hand as they smiled. “All those years with frozen meals was worth it just to sit here and have your cooking.”

Bokor smiled as he added the pasta to the sauce and mixed it all together. “It’s nice having someone who can appreciate my skills.” Enjoying the ego boost his partner’s attention gave him, he made a show out of tossing the prepared pasta onto the waiting plates and topping them with the finished crab-stuffed pork rolls. “Bon appétit, mes chéries.” He set the plates down at the table and bowed with a flourish, as if this were all some grand show.

They quietly applauded with a smile. “Thank you, it looks amazing.” Careful not to burn their mouth like they had done in past meals in an attempt to dive into the delicious food, they blew on their forkfuls and tried to keep a steady pace, humming in delight to show their appreciation. Wildcard always seemed happy eating the meals prepared just for them, and didn’t hide that fact in the slightest.

Bokor, for his part, always appreciated and enjoyed his partner’s clear enjoyment of his homemade meals. After so many years living, traveling, and eating on his own, it was wonderful having someone who valued his skills and his presence in general. Plus...it was nice getting to share these recipes with someone else again…

Digging into his own plate, he gave a pleased hum at the familiar flavors. “Hmhhh...just like I used t’ make with mawmaw…”

“Really?” Wildcard tried hard not to let their curiosity show too much whenever Bokor managed to mention his past or his family, it wasn’t like the shrike was in any hurry to mention theirs after all. But even still, they wanted to encourage Bokor whenever he felt comfortable with sharing things with them. “Did you often make meals together?”

“Yeah..” There was a small, nostalgic smile on his face as he ate. “Everyone had a job around dhe house..cookin’ with mawmaw was mine. She taught me all of her best recipes an’ we’d spend hours working on each one.” He stabbed a piece of the stuffed pork roll with his fork and brought it up to take a look at it. “Dhis was a special one...she’d save it for holidays or special occasions…”

That brought a faint blush to Wildcard’s face. “That...that makes me feel honored. To get to share such an important sort of meal like this then…” The blush deepened as they smiled more. They suddenly felt like family in a way.

“You are important to me, petites.” He looked up from his plate to smile fondly at them. “You’ve stuck by me longer dhan anyone else in a long time. You make me happy and give me a feeling of being ‘home’ more dhan any house ever could.” One hand reached across the table to gently caress the side of the shrike’s face. “You are my partner and equal in every way, and I wanted to let you know how special you are to me.”

Wildcard looked like they were fighting back joyful tears hearing something like that. They softly laughed, leaning against his hand. “Mission accomplished there, my love…you really are everything I could ever dream of and more.” It looked as though they wanted to say more, but chose to wait until a later time. “Now I have to make sure I enjoy every mouthful even more than before. Not that it’ll be a challenge.”

Bokor laughed quietly, keeping his hand in place a moment more before withdrawing so both of them could eat. “I don’t know, mes chéries, you look like you’re suffering through it.” He teased them and even stabbed a shrimp off of their plate. “I wouldn’t want you to feel put upon t’ eat somethin’ you clearly hate.” The pilfered prawn was popped into his beak as one red eye winked at the smaller bird playfully.

Wildcard made a face they often had whenever Bokor teased them like this, one that often led to them laughing from how silly it all was. "Keep to your own plate, mister, or else you might not get to have any dessert tonight."

An over dramatic gasp of feigned fear left the hawk’s beak. “Oh no! You would deprive me of such a delicacy?! What a cruel and merciless partner I have!” Stabbing a shrimp from his own plate this time, he held it out towards the shrike in offering. “May dhis offering appease your wrath, mes cruels souveraines.”

Giggling from the display, Wildcard leaned over to be fed the offered shrimp. "I suppose I can let you off this time...damn you and your methods to avoid punishment." They went back to eating, pleasantly enjoying their banter.

“What can I say? It pays t’ be dhis charming.” Bokor blew a kiss to the other bird for good measure, making sure he was out of the proverbial woods before returning to his meal.

After the pair had finished eating and relaxed at the table while nursing some wine, Wildcard cleared the table and went to get dessert plates. They almost felt nervous, still uncertain if today would only be special to themself. Nonetheless, they gathered the plates and cake and carefully carried it over to the dining room.

"We don't have to eat right away, but I thought I could bring this out now at least." They explained, reaching for the cover and delicately revealing the dark and white chocolate cake. Wildcard was far from a professional with their decorating, but it was clear that they had attempted to make piped flowers with the icing and drizzled chocolate syrup over it like it was a lace pattern. They blushed deeply, twirling some of their feathers out of nerves. "Happy half a year of being partners, Henri…"

Bokor was stunned by the sight of the well decorated cake. The icing flowers and chocolate lace were simple, but he could feel the heart and meaning behind them. “Oh, chéries..” His voice was soft, but it was full of love and adoration for the wonderful person he got to call his partner. “I love it. It’s almost as beautiful as you……almost.” Large arms wrapped around the smaller bird delicately and held them close.

Wildcard felt their nerves wash away as they moved and sat on his lap. "It might be silly of me to want to celebrate something this small, but half a year of having someone as thoughtful and caring as you in my life means everything to me." They wrapped their arms around Bokor, kissing the tip of his beak. "I love you, Henri. I truly do."

“Je t’aime de tout mon coeur, mes petites chéries.” Bokor kissed them back, holding the sweet shrike close to him. “Also...it’s nice to know I’m not dhe only one who thought about celebrating.” Keeping one arm around them, he reached into the pouch at his hip with the other and pulled out a small present wrapped in red tissue paper and tied with a black bow.

Blinking in surprise, Wildcard carefully took the gift. They looked at Bokor as if silently asking if they could open it, and seeing him nod, they began to untie the ribbon of the present.

The paper opened like a blooming flower as soon as the ribbon was undone. Nestled within the delicate wrappings they found a small leather bag similar in style to the one Bokor carried with him but painted in the colors of their usual outfit- red and yellow on one side, blue and green on the other, and a brown circle in the middle with a sigil matching the one on Bokor’s necklace painted in black.

“It’s a gris-gris.” Bokor explained after they’d opened it enough to see what was inside. “In voodoo, dhese are good luck charms dhat help protect people from evil spirits and bring good fortune.” One finger lightly tapped the sigil on the front. “For extra protection, I made sure to add dhe baron’s veve and even got him to bless it before he found out what it was for.”

“Oh wow…” Wildcard breathed, tracing a finger over it. They had heard of these things, recalling it being mentioned from Bokor himself in the past while also doing their own research to better understand their partner’s practice. That sense of belonging only grew stronger knowing that Bokor wanted to share it with them. They held it close to their chest as they smiled. “Thank you. I’ll keep it with me as much as possible.”

Bokor smiled brightly, glad to see his efforts had not gone to waste. “Dhat’s a good idea- it works better once it becomes more in-tune with dhe keeper’s energy.” Both arms wound themself around the shrike once more and he placed a kiss on their head. “Joyeux anniversaire, mes petites chéries.”

Putting their gift down on the table, Wildcard could hardly hold back with their affection. They wrapped their arms around his shoulders and kissed him with enough momentum that two of them fell backwards from the chair down to the floor. Wildcard hardly cared, too focused on deeply kissing the man they loved most.

Despite his surprise at the sudden affectionate attack, Bokor made sure to keep one hand on his partner’s back and the other on their head to protect them as they tumbled to the floor. Once they were both settled safely on the (relatively) level hardwood, he was able to fully enjoy and reciprocate the smaller bird’s enthusiastic kissing. He made sure to give back as good as he got and show them just how much he loved and adored the wonderful little shrike who’d brought so much warmth and light to his world.

<-Previous Chapter

End Notes: Well, this is the final chapter for this story and it’s been SO much fun getting to revisit it and share it with all of you. If you like these two spooky birds, don’t worry- there’s plenty more stories about these two to come =^.^=

Also, for anyone who’s interested, the version I’ll be posting on AO3 will have a slightly spicier ending ;3

#darkwing duck #dwd #fowl agent Bokor Baron #wildcard #bokard #oc #not my oc #and #my OC #thefriendlyfour #la vie en rose

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psychosistr · 1 year

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La Vie en Rose- Chapter 5

Summary: After clearing out a base filled with spirits and surviving an encounter with a strong spirit, Bokor and Wildcard have earned a break. Too bad for them two prominent figures from their respective pasts have also been partnered together, leading to a less than pleasant reunion for one half of each pair and a horrible introduction for the other half.

Notes: Anyone who’s familiar with these two OC’s and their backgrounds should know who’s coming in this chapter, so get ready for a fight!

-First Chapter-

A few weeks had passed since their memorable vacation-mission in the mountain outpost, and Wildcard felt like they’d never been happier.

It was surreal for the shrike, like nothing had changed between them and at the same time everything had. They still shared meals, spent time together in the off hours, and worked together nearly flawlessly on missions, but now there were more moments of physical affection sprinkled between witty and flirtatious banter. The occasional hand hold across the table, the odd embrace, and the rare kiss on the cheek became a part of their lives, much to their enjoyment.

Unfortunately, Wildcard wasn’t sure if even that would be enough to get them through today’s drawling task of having to go to a FOWL base for paperwork delivery.

“I know we’ve been doing well at our missions and I’m more than happy to get to do the work…” They remarked as they scribbled out their signature on what felt like the hundredth page they’d gone through. “...but not if it means having to sign off on all these ridiculous assessment forms, I mean honestly- who does this on paper anymore?”

Bokor heaved a heavy sigh, sharing his partner’s dissatisfaction with the whole process as he signed yet another of the seemingly endless forms. “I have no idea, mes chéries. I think dhese rules an’ regulations are older dhan some spirits we’ve caught.” He set his pen down and attempted to shake the stiffness from his hand.

Wildcard shuffled their seat over to their partner enough to lean against his arm. “Makes me tempted to just make those spirits do the writing for us...though I highly doubt they have good penmanship.”

Bokor smiled a bit and relaxed with his partner. “I could try charming some of dhe lower level secretaries into doing it for us. Not dhe main one, unfortunately- she’s immune to my charms. Des lesbiennes maudites fortes….” He muttered the last part under his breath just in case someone possibly overheard it (he did not want to risk getting on that woman’s bad side and ruin his current standing with High Command).

“Tempting...but I’m sure we’ll manage somehow.” They looked back over at their tall stacks of papers to go through and sighed. “Think I’ll need more coffee for this…”

“You and me both, chéries.” The arm the shrike was lying against slipped behind them smoothly to wrap around their shoulders, pulling them into the hawk’s side instead. “How ‘bout a cup or two before we suffer through dhe rest?”

Wildcard made a pleased sound, resting a hand on his chest and running their fingers through the exposed feathers. “I think that’s an excellent plan, my dear. I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs with a walk, too. The papers aren’t going anywhere after all.”

“No matter how much we wish dhey would.” Bokor chuckled at his own joke before rising to his feet. Along the way, he easily picked his partner up by sliding the arm around them a bit lower until his hand was beneath their hips, allowing him to pull the smaller bird up and over onto his arm as if it were a throne just for them.

“Ah-!” The shrike made a sound as they were lifted, adjusting their balance with a small laugh. “Honestly, Henri. People are going to look at us if we walk around the base like this, you know.” The smile on their face seemed to give away how much they didn’t care about that being the case.

Bokor simply grinned up at his partner, showing no signs of struggle whatsoever while carrying them on his arm. “Maybe, but it means dhey will be looking up to you, mes petites.” He winked at them and lifted his arm higher to prove his point.

The idea just made Wildcard smile more. “I weigh nothing to you, do I? Ah well, I’m certainly not complaining. I can always walk on the way back.” They stroked Bokor's cheek for a moment before settling into place. “Alright, take me to coffee then. I need all the energy I can to get through today.”

“Comme vous voudrez, votre majestées.” Bokor said, even bowing his head in a playful show of reverence before carrying them out of the room (briefly ducking through the doorway as they left) and carrying them towards the agents-only break room.

It was an experience, having so many people look at them the way they were. Wildcard’s presence was often very overlooked, but there really was no way to ignore them being carried in such a way. Even if they had to duck their head every now and again, they certainly enjoyed the gesture their partner provided for them. They decided to try and make it up for Bokor later, in their own way.

While Bokor would normally enjoy having the attention solely on him whenever he made his way through the crowds of (typically smaller) eggmen and other agents, getting to see his partner have a chance to bask in the attention was an equally rewarding experience. He’d never had anyone he viewed as an equal- someone deserving of the admiration that he would normally crave for himself- and he enjoyed it more than he ever thought he would. Whenever he got the chance, he wanted to make sure his sweet chéries received the attention and respect they deserved.

When they’d reached the breakroom, Bokor crouched down to fit both of them through the door and allowed Wildcard to jump off at their leisure. “How would you like your coffee today, mes chéries?”

Wildcard hopped off, thinking it over. “Think I’ll cut back to just one cream today. I don’t need sugar when you’re being so sweet after all.” They gave a wink, heading over to the coffee maker to get it started for them.

Bokor did his part by grabbing cups for them along with the creme and sugar, giving the shrike a kiss on the top of their head as he walked past them. “Careful, I may give you a sugar rush if you’re not careful.” He joked, enjoying the break from work while they both had the chance.

“Oh, whatever will I do with all that excitement?” Before they could think of a witty addition, they heard the break room door open once more and spared a glance to whatever agent was arriving. Their smile immediately vanished and Wildcard quickly moved to hide behind Bokor and the fridge near them.

“...while I understand your thoughts oh too clearly, there are some benefits to having a proper record of mission documents outside of digital means.” A loon explained to their partner, not even noticing the others in the room. He rolled his vibrant red eyes. “We’ll take a short break and get the paperwork over with soon.”

“Fine, but I still don’t get why we can’t just get an eggman t-” The partner the loon had been speaking to followed him in, revealing himself to be a tall rooster (though still a bit shorter than Bokor) in a white suit with a metallic beak. His words died on his tongue the moment he looked across the room to see Bokor standing at the coffeemaker and his mood soured immediately. Dark eyes narrowed into a glare and a scowl pulled at the edges of his beak. “Who let YOUR ugly mug back in here?”

Bokor’s previous concern for his own partner’s change in demeanor soon turned into a look of contempt that rivaled the rooster’s, but he did his best to maintain his fake accent for the sake of appearances. “Not like YOU have any room to talk with that busted beak, mon ami.” If there were a way to make the words “mon ami” sound like the most vile of swears, he’d certainly found it.

Completely unaware of who Bokor was, the loon seemed to have a judgmental expression, clearly viewing the instant hostility as childish. “Oh fun, I was hoping to listen to some fourth grader insults at work. Stand down if you know what’s good for you.” It wasn’t clear exactly who the man was referring to...though that was likely the point.

Even still, Wildcard continued to mask their presence to the best of their ability, not wanting to be seen. They already felt immensely uncomfortable, and hearing insults be directed to Bokor just made them cling to his shirt.

“I have started nothing. Save your warnings for the uncultured lout following you around.” Bokor stood his ground at the coffeemaker, arms crossed over his chest. While he didn’t fully understand why his partner was hiding behind him, the hawk was determined not to move and expose them unless necessary.

The rooster rolled his eyes at the elegantly worded jab and made a point of slamming the door behind him on the way in. “Cut the phony-French crap, Henry. I know you’re from New Or-leeeeens.” The smirk on his face as he mispronounced both Bokor’s real name and his hometown made it obvious that he did so completely on purpose.

Fists curling at his sides, Bokor just barely held himself back from shouting at the infuriating fowl. “My name is HENRI, and I know dhat you know it’s pronounced ‘New Or-LINS’, you metal-mouthed gutter trash!”

Showing no fear whatsoever, the well-dressed chicken stepped right in front of Bokor to meet his enraged stare with a smirk. “Big talk comin’ from a mud-covered swamp rat.”

"I just wanted coffee…" The loon muttered under his breath, pinching the bridge of his beak. He went to go around Bokor and leave his partner to whatever provoked fight he was getting himself into only to raise a brow seeing Wildcard. "Hm? What's your deal?"

Wildcard shook slightly, their mouth opening and closing as they tried to find words. "Y-You're agent Domino, right?"

"What gave that away?" He flicked at the domino piece on his hat, looking the shrike over. "Do we know one another?"

Sort of, Wildcard internally said, finding conversation difficult after finally coming face to face with their former boss. All they could manage was a small shake of the head.

"Ah, a fan then." Domino sighed. "Listen, I'd love to share tips and trades with you, but my partner seems to be setting up a full on war with this behemoth and I frankly don't want to clean up the blood. So you'll have to excuse me."

In between the escalating insults thrown by himself and the instigating rooster, the sound of his partner’s voice still managed to catch Bokor’s attention. He still wasn’t sure why the shrike wanted cover from the pair that had entered the room, but he didn’t like seeing the shrike’s recently built up confidence being shaken so easily. “My partner and I were here first, so you can wait your turn.” His tone was as firm as his stance, not willing to back down or let this loon any closer to his partner if they looked uncomfortable with it.

“Partner? Ha!” The metal-mouthed fowl barked a sarcastic laugh and rolled his eyes. “As if anyone could stand bein’ partners with YOU! Trust me, I would know!”

That caused Wildcard to step out more, a rage fueling from their heart and glared straight at him. "Just cause you're too much of a stupid, hardass showboater doesn't mean it's impossible to be Henri's partner! We've been doing just FINE, so don't you DARE speak for me!"

"Choose your words very carefully." Domino warned, icy malice in his voice. "That's your superior you're insulting after all, and even more than that, that's my partner."

“Dhat’s hardly something worth bragging about.” Bokor moved so that he was between his partner and Domino. “You’re number what? Fifty-four? Fifty-five? Being partners with someone like ‘Monsieur Great an’ Wonderful Chief Officer of FOWL, Steelbeak’ is nothing special- even I had to do it.”

“Yeah, ‘til ya pushed me outta the plane so you could try takin’ my job!” Steelbeak looked down at Wildcard with a scowl. “Take my advice, short stuff: Watch your back ‘round this creep, ‘cause I guarantee he’s just waitin’ t’ take somethin’ from ya an’ leave ya high an’ dry once he’s got it. It’s what he does with everyone.”

“...I don’t have anything to take.” Wildcard admitted, looking away. They stepped back from Bokor more and held their arms.

Domino looked at the pathetic sight before shaking his head and refocusing his attention. “If you’re done spitting predictable nonsense, partner fifty five here is tired of hearing you talk. So do the room a favor and get lost already before you get dragged out of here by the medical team, got it?”

Bokor glared down at Domino. He didn’t know much about this man, but between the way he made Wildcard react, his association with Steelbeak, and his general attitude, he’d already made up his mind that he did not like him one bit.

In an act of petty revenge, Bokor took the finished coffee pot and poured some into the prepared cups with his and his partner’s cream and sugar, then made direct eye-contact with the other red-eyed bird while pouring the rest of the pot down the sink….before dropping it with enough force for it to break and shatter on the metallic edge. “Oops.” He said in a completely deadpan tone before taking the two prepared coffee cups and handing his partner theirs. “Come on, Wildcard, let’s go somewhere with more tolerable company.”

While the revenge was not unexpected but still very much annoying for the loon, he did find surprise in hearing the shrike’s name. “Wait- Wildcard? Agent Wildcard?” Domino looked at them directly. “I know you- you were under my employ in the north, weren’t you?”

Wildcard gaped a bit, holding their mug close. “I- er- yes? I thought you didn’t-”

“I wondered about you, you were the only agent I didn’t get to meet.” Domino tapped his beak as he thought it over. “When we were first setting up, you were on my list, but Checkers already debriefed you before I had the chance. He said you weren’t the social type and asked to work in the solitary post, so I never got a chance to see you for myself.”

“...asked to-?” They frowned. Clearly Domino’s former partner went to great lengths to keep Wildcard away from him.

“Well, I suppose we all had to change from those days then. I’m glad you’re able to be social now and have a partner.” He gave a short nod. “At least I’ve gotten to actually see-”

Domino got cut off as Wildcard splashed their hot coffee in his face.

Bokor had been surprised at first to hear that the loon knew his partner...that surprise rapidly turned to rage the more he listened and remembered his and Wildcard’s discussion about their previous station up north and what they’d gone through. Before he could say anything or act on his original impulse from that first discussion to curse the unsuspecting man, he was once again surprised- this time pleasantly and by his own partner.

“Pft- Ahahahahahahaha!” Bokor couldn’t help but laugh at the shrike’s actions, holding his sides with his free hand and trying to breathe between his practically hysterical bouts of laughter at the darker fowl’s plight.

Steelbeak, on the other hand, didn’t find it funny at all and quickly grabbed some napkins from the counter as he hurried to his partner’s side. “Dom! You okay?!”

“I’ve gotten scalding hot coffee thrown at my face, how do you think I’m doing?” Domino gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes closed to avoid further injury. He felt the offered napkins and quickly tried to get the worst of the hot liquid off of his face.

Wildcard gave Bokor’s back a gentle push, urging them to leave before things went any further.

Bokor, still laughing at the loon’s suffering, allowed himself to be guided towards the door. However, he couldn’t help himself and grinned at his partner. “Dhat was brilliant, petites. He can thank his idiot ex-partner and his own cowardness for dhat one.” He made sure to say it loud enough that Domino would hear him.

Like a switch that went off in his mind, Domino immediately shot up hearing the insult. More notably the part insulting his late partner. Red eyes held more fury than ever as he quickly turned, ran and jump-kicked the much taller man down to the floor from behind.

“Henri!” Wildcard said in surprise, knowing their partner could handle something like that, but still not a fan of seeing Bokor be injured at all. Especially considering they were the reason the loon got set off to begin with.

“!!” Bokor made a startled sound at the kick that sent him to the floor, but he’d been in his fair share of brawls and quickly rolled onto his back to keep the agitated water fowl in his sights. “What’s wrong, hm?” He asked with a smirk as he prepared for any follow-up attacks. “Did I use dhe wrong words? Would it have been better if I called him a liar and you dhe idiot for believing him? I suppose DHAT would have been more accurate.”

Hardly in a state for proper banter, Domino jumped him, fully intending to punch and bite however he could just to make the man hurt. Wildcard panicked- even with the distance back in the north, they knew damn well just how violent a reputation Domino had when it came to his anger, and that touching would make things even worse. But at the same time, they didn’t want to stand around like a coward. They said they’d be there for Bokor as a partner, and Wildcard intended to do just that, even if it had them tackle Domino and send the both of them rolling on the floor out of the way.

“Ngh-!” Wildcard certainly didn’t have much going for them in terms of actual fighting experience, so they couldn’t get around some of Domino’s punches. After a blow to the face, they kept on the defensive, trying to keep their arms up to block and kicked at the loon’s torso to push him off entirely.

“Wildcard!” Bokor scrambled to his feet and hurried to his partner’s side, fully prepared to help throw the enraged man off of them if their attempt to dislodge him failed, but Steelbeak grabbed him by the arm to stop him. “If you don’t let me go, I will-!”

“Much as I’d LOVE t’ see ya get your butt handed to ya, touchin’ my partner when he’s like this is just gonna get ALL of us killed.” Steelbeak kept a firm grip on the hawk to prevent him from joining the altercation and making things worse.

Bokor tried to throw him off, but the rooster was persistent and refused to let him rejoin the fray. Thinking of a way to help from a distance, he reached into the pouch at his hip with his unrestrained hand and produced a small vial of powder. “Chéries!” He called to get their attention before tossing them the vial. “Get him in dhe face!”

Still in a panicked state from the situation they found themself in, Wildcard fumbled to try and catch the vial before it fell. With shaky hands, they tried to be quick, opening the seal and holding their breath for whatever the powder did as they tossed it upwards at the fuming loon. Hearing Domino splutter, Wildcard shifted themself out of the way and up against a nearby wall to catch their breath.

“Geh-! Not again!” The loon coughed out, trying to clean his face before realizing to his absolute horror that he was struggling to move. He was far from unaware what the symptoms of paralysis were like, and knew that whatever that powder was was taking swift effect on his body. Domino slumped and fell to the floor, fingers twitching as he tried to keep himself awake and breathing heavily.

“Dom!!” Tossing Bokor to the side in favor of checking on his partner, Steelbeak quickly knelt by Domino’s side and tried to wipe the powder from the loon’s face with his sleeve. When that didn’t immediately fix the issue, he glared daggers at Bokor. “What was that junk?! I swear, if you poisoned him, I’m gonna-!”

“Paralytic toxin derived from mushroom spores.” Bokor cut him off as he went to his own partner and checked them for any serious injuries. “He’ll have trouble breathing for a while, but it should wear off on its own...in an hour.” Red eyes glared down at the prone bird, his voice taking on a deathly serious tone. “Dhat was a warning. If it were up to me, I’d have cursed you dhe moment I found out about you- it’s what you and dhat selfish liar you called a partner deserve….but, luckily for you, my partner is a better person dhan I am and asked me not to. If you hurt dhem again, however, I will not hesitate to make your life nothing short of a nightmare.”

Red eyes simply glared right back, speaking the words his beak was robbed of. Domino hurt, far beyond the paralysis, and being left in a vulnerable and victim-like state frustrated him to no end. He ended up breaking eye contact and tsked as he struggled.

Still pressed against the wall, Wildcard noticed...something. Some sort of light resting against Domino’s head that seemed to calm him down more. Considering Steelbeak’s lack of a reaction to it, Wildcard could only assume some sort of spiritual influence was at work to comfort Domino. How ironic. Though the shrike hardly cared at that moment, they just struggled to get out of the room entirely, in an effort to escape.

Bokor followed his partner out of the room, leaving Steelbeak to tend to his own paralyzed partner. Once they were outside, he placed a hand on the shrike’s back with a laugh. “Ha! We showed dhem, huh? Dhey’ll think twice before dhey tangle with us, mes chéries!”

Wildcard didn’t seem to share the same victorious joy, instead choking back sobs and shaking a bit. “Th-That wasn’t...I didn’t want to…” They pressed their hands over their eyes, mindful of the stinging pain from their sore cheek.

Startled by the shrike’s reaction, Bokor’s eyes widened and he quickly leaned down to get a better look at their face. “Wildcard? Mes petites chéries? W-What’s wrong?” Large hands started gently rubbing at the smaller bird’s shoulders, trying to soothe and comfort as best they could. “Parlez-moi, mes chéries..”

Sniffling, they wiped away some tears. “That wasn’t how I wanted to meet him...I wasn’t ready- I just-” Their emotions were getting the worst of them, finding it hard to talk. Some passing murmurs reminded them where exactly they were and the attention was the last thing they wanted. “I want to leave…”

Bokor nodded in understanding, knowing exactly why they wanted to leave. “D’accord.” Keeping a gentle hand on their back to both comfort and guide them, he led the shrike through the halls until they found an empty meeting room. He ushered them in and closed the door, locking it behind them so the two could have a moment in private for Wildcard to compose themself.

Once they knew they were safe, they openly wept, dropping down to their knees to let themself work through it all. The emotional and physical pain was catching up to Wildcard and they couldn’t find a way to deal with it besides crying and holding themself. As weak as it made them seem, they were at least glad to be allowed the chance to vent like this.

Seeing his partner suffering broke Bokor’s heart. Any joy he felt from their earlier “win” had long since evaporated and his only concern now was helping his sweet chéries any way he could. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the most experienced with this sort of thing, he’d always been the one who-

Well….maybe that could work..

Taking a seat next to the smaller bird, Bokor gently pulled them into his lap so that their back was against his chest and his arms were wrapped around them like a warm blanket. Then he started to hum a quiet tune. “...Hold me close and hold me fast, dhis magic spell you cast. Dhis is la vie en rooooosee~..” His voice was soft as he sang, the words a familiar and comforting cadence to him that he hoped would help his partner the way they always helped him. “When you kiss me, heaven sighs. An’ though I close my eyes, I see la vie en rooooosee~...When you press me to your heart,-” The words were accompanied by a gentle squeeze. “-I’m in a world apart, a world where roses blooooom…..And when you speak, angels sing from above..Everyday words seem to turn into love soonngs~ Give your heart and soul to me, an’ life will always be la vie en roooo~ooose…”

Wildcard breathed and relaxed into their partner’s embrace, letting their sobs quiet down and wiped at their eyes. When the song came to a close, they leaned back against him with a small smile. “Thank you, Henri…” Their voice was ragged and quiet as they spoke, still appreciating the comfort given to them.

Bokor continued to hold them close, even gently taking one of their hands in his and bringing it up to his beak for a kiss. “Of course, mes chéries..” After a moment, he added on a quiet, almost inaudible “désolé”, though he didn’t know how to properly word his apology beyond that.

“I didn’t know what I was doing…” They explained, having calmed down enough to talk through their thoughts. They leaned up to gently nuzzle against Bokor’s neck before continuing. “I just got so angry over something that wasn’t even his fault...at first anyway. But then he was coming after you and I just couldn’t take it. I’m sorry, he wouldn’t have attacked you if I hadn’t lost my temper…”

“No, dhat was my fault.” Taking the blame was something Bokor usually tried to avoid, but it didn’t feel right to let his partner blame themself for his actions. “You wanted to leave, but I had t’ get one more word in….you only got involved afterwards to protect me...you got hurt because of me…”

Despite it all, Wildcard gave a soft laugh. “You’re my partner. I’ll always want to protect you.” They gently kissed his cheek before cuddling against him again with a sigh. “Besides, you saved me from dealing with worse in the end.”

“It was dhe least I could do, petites.” He gave the top of their head a kiss and held them close, letting them cuddle for as long as they desired. “....And...I’ll always protect you too, mes chéries...even if dhe threat isn’t physical…” The statement was left open in the hopes that it would convey every possible meaning behind the word (he still wasn’t used to being this honest or caring for someone, but he hoped he was doing a decent enough job at it).

“I know…” Wildcard took a deep, calming breath. “And, that’s why I don’t want you cursing Domino. Because as much as it hurt for me to be in that outpost...what that idiot Checkers did was the same thing. He wanted to protect his partner from a non-physical threat...it just happened to be me. I still don’t like the guy, but I don’t want to make him go through intense life long agony over that sort of thing.” They moved to look at Bokor. “If the roles were reversed, wouldn’t you do something like that for my sake too?”

Bokor looked down into their eyes for a few seconds before sighing heavily and nodding. “Fine, I guess I would……..but I still want to curse him for hurting you and for being partners with dhat gutter trash Steelbeak..” The way he said the chief officer’s name - filled with nothing but contempt and loathing- made their stance on one another perfectly clear.

Wildcard laughed quietly, a hand reaching up to rest against Bokor’s face. “He is insufferable, I agree with you there…” They lingered there for a moment, letting their thumb stroke Bokor’s cheek as they looked at him warmly.

The shrike’s touch was soothing and Bokor leaned into it with a far more content sigh. A smile slowly spread over his face as he looked into his partner’s eyes, grateful to no longer see tears in them. “You know….what I want to accomplish in dhis company, more than anything, is to crush dhat man somehow- take his job and rub it in his smug face, have him get fired, see him lose his life...however it’s possible, I want to rise above him so I can laugh at his misfortune.” His smile turned into a conspiratorial smirk and a low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “And, if his partner is dragged down with him or left to suffer alone...well….dhat would just be a bonus, wouldn’t it…?”

“I suppose it would.” They smirked back, shifting closer. “I know I’d very much love to see my charming and talented boyfriend rise to the top…”

Red eyes widened briefly in surprise at the title, but the hands on the shrike’s body just held them closer. “Your boyfriend, hm? Well, your boyfriend is going to need his amazingly clever, talented, and beautiful partner at his side every step of dhe way t’ share dhe spotlight.”

“I’m sure they’d love nothing else.” Wildcard laughed, happiness overflowing from it all. In their joy, they leaned forward enough to properly kiss him, humming in delight as they did. They’d only read about the types of joy that came from a first kiss before, and thought they were exaggerations. But now, they truly could feel that spark and warmth for themself.

Unlike his partner, Bokor was no stranger to kissing. He’d had many conquests in his life- he didn’t get that incubus and succubus blood just by asking nicely, after all- but he’d never experienced one that made his heart skip like this. This one felt real compared to all the others and he wanted to share many more like it with his wonderful partner. He did his best to convey every thought and feeling he was experiencing using the movements of his beak against theirs and the hands gently stroking their back as he held them close.

Wildcard was the one to pull away after a short while, finding themself breathless. They rested their forehead against their partner’s, against their boyfriend and giggled. “I’ll have to stop or else I’ll never want to stop again. You’re so amazing, my darling.”

“As are you, mes belles chéries.” He gazed into their eyes with nothing less than pure adoration. “You make it hard for me to stay away...are you sure you don’t have a secret attraction charm on you?” He teased playfully while rubbing their back with his fingertips.

“You know my talents are either natural or practiced.” They teased, nuzzling the side of their beaks. “You’re just into me as much as I’m into you. A shocking turn of events, I know, but I do think of you fondly.” Wildcard gave him another quick kiss.

“I guess dhis makes me dhe most fortunate person in dhe universe.” Bokor smiled fondly at them, paraphrasing his previous words to Wildcard from their time in the haunted FOWL base when they first told him no one had ever asked them out. He kissed them back, red eyes glowing softly as he gazed at them. “With dhat kind of luck, I feel like I can take on whatever gets in our way.”

“I’m glad you feel the same as I do.” They hummed, letting themself enjoy things a while longer. “...as much as I hate to break the mood here, we still have to go back out there and do paperwork, you know. But maybe we can pick this up back in my room later…?” Wildcard blushed as they offered that.

“While I will definitely be taking you up on dhat offer later-” Bokor teased with a wink before his expression turned more thoughtful and one hand left their back to gently cup the side of their face. “I’ve..also been thinking about dhat- about our living arrangements..”

Wildcard rested their hand over his as they leaned into their touch. “I’ve been thinking a bit about it too...thinking I should actually put in the effort now to get some accommodations and get out of the motel.” They softly laughed. “I wasn’t expecting to have a wonderful partner like you after all…”

“Neither was I. I...I’ve never had anyone I looked forward to seeing everyday and greeting every morning.” A large thumb gently caressed their cheek as he spoke. “So..I thought…we already spend so much time together…we stay in dhe same rooms when we work, we eat together every day, we spend so much time together….what..what if we just lived….together..?” Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added an addendum to his suggestion. “We-We don’t have to share a room or anything like dhat! We can have seperate bedrooms, if you want, of course!”

“I’d love that.” Wildcard said confidently, and smiled brightly. “Henri, I’d love nothing more than to get to live with you...and I’ll be honest, waking up to you does sound very nice too.” They giggled at the very idea. “We can figure out the details later, I’m sure. But for now, I’d like to just enjoy today for what it is. I’m happy right now.”

Realizing that he, thankfully, didn’t put his foot in his mouth this time around, Bokor smiled in relief and nodded. “So am I, my sweet chéries.”

After one more kiss, the shrike shifted in their place. “Could you carry me out of here? I’m still a bit tired from...everything.” They admitted, noticing in a reflection just how messed up their feathers were from the brawl. “Could probably do with ice for my face too…”

Bokor looked them over then retrieved a small jar of salve from his pouch. “I may not have ice, but I do have a few other things up my sleeve.” Popping the lid off of the jar, he took a dollop on one finger and gently rubbed it on and around the sore areas of the shrike’s face. Although the salve itself was room temperature, it spread a cool, soothing sensation through the affected area.

Wildcard made a small sound at the feeling, appreciating the medicine. “Thank you, my dear...where would I be without you?” One eye opened to glance at Bokor. “Remind me to have you help me with my other injuries later.” They gestured more at their chest, still feeling the faint ebbing pain of bruising.

“If you’re comfortable with it, dhen I’d be happy to, petites.” He gave them a kiss on a section of their cheek that was still clean and put away the jar. Once his hands were free, he easily scooped the shrike up into his arms and got to his feet, carrying them princess-style to make sure they were comfortable.

Wrapping their arms loosely around Bokor’s neck, they relaxed easily. “I swear, if you are using some supernatural force on my heart today, then you’re doing it well. Though I might still sock you in that case.�� They lightly tapped at his face with their knuckles. “I’m choosing to believe you’re just that wonderful though. My dear Henri.”

Bokor chuckled at the playful punch and turned his head to plant a kiss on the shrike’s knuckles. “If I do have you charmed, mes chéries, dhen I’d better make sure it lasts, ‘cause I don’t intend on letting you go anytime soon.” Carrying them out of the room was practically effortless for the larger bird, even when he had to use only one arm so that he could open the doors. “Now, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable- you deserve some rest, mes petites.”

“Yeah...without that coffee, you’re the only source of energy I’ve got left.” Wildcard pouted a bit. “What a waste...I should’ve at least had a sip before tossing it on that ugly loon’s face.”

“At least you put it to good use.” Bokor chuckled at the memory of Domino’s surprised and pained expression. “Dhe look on his face was priceless. He deserved dhat for being so clueless.”

“He definitely lost some feathers from that. Probably got burned quite a bit too.” They held their head up. “And I’m not around to tell him any first aid tips. I doubt that stupid lug of his will know how to handle it, either.” A thought occurred to Wildcard as they said that. “Hey, actually- you said Steelbeak had a lot of partners before. Do you know how many of them actually were dumb enough to date him?”

“Only a few, dhat I know of.” Bokor sorted through the list in his head while carrying them. “I heard he broke a few hearts when he was younger and got partnered with some female agents, but after a while High Command stopped pairing him with women. Most recent one I heard of was Ammonia Pine, but dhat was a messy breakup.”

“I don’t know if he’s only interested in women, at least, not anymore.” Wildcard smirked, recalling several subtle hints they picked up during the brief encounter. “I could just be reading into things, buuut considering Domino was engaged to his last partner, I doubt I’m too far off on calling his type.”

“Muscle-bound meatheads?” Bokor joked, but he knew he probably wasn’t far off given his own experiences with Steelbeak and what he’d heard about the loon’s former partner.

“Something like that. My old coworkers, the ones that used to visit me, mentioned how Domino has a preference towards guys like him. And considering how fast Steelbeak was to check on him both times he got attacked, it seems safe to say at least a basic level of trust is in play for the both of them. You heard what Domino’s like- if they weren’t getting along, he easily could dump Steelbeak for another partner.” They tapped at their beak as they explained everything to the best of their ability. “All I’m saying here is that while I don’t necessarily want you going after him yet, I think you just found yourself another one of Steelbeak’s weaknesses.”

As his partner’s words sunk in, Bokor’s smile shifted into a devious smirk. “Oooh, chéries, I love how your mind works~” They could feel the low chuckle as it rumbled in his chest. “Any weakness we can exploit is a potential victory for us….and we’ve already proven we can beat dhis one if we stick together.”

“Just try to promise me the next time we challenge them, it’s under better conditions? And not just a spur of the moment war.” Two fingers of theirs danced up Bokor’s chest before tapping his beak. “I can do much better when there’s an actual plan in mind.”

“For you and dhe chance to see what dhat devious mind of yours can do, mes chéries, I will do my best.” Bokor shook his head with a frustrated sigh. “But, if dhat walking can opener says something, I can’t guarantee I won’t lose my temper….he always knows just what to say to push me over dhe edge…”

“Then I’ll just have to keep up my job of pulling you back to me.” They kissed his cheek as emphasis to their claim. It felt good to do these things more often.

The extra affection certainly seemed to improve the hawk’s mood considerably, bringing back his smile. “Hmhhh..you are definitely good at your job, mes petites. With dhe right ‘motivation’, I might be able to keep my focus….but I will need a lot of ‘motivation’.” He winked at them playfully and kissed their forehead to emphasize his point.

Wildcard laughed at that, pushing him back just as playfully. “Henri, please, we’re at work. Wait until we’re home at least.” They only half complained, very much enjoying all the attention.

“Fiiiiiiiiiine.” He sighed in an overly dramatic way, giving them one last kiss on the hand they pushed him away with. “But I make no promises if you start being too adorable to resist, mes petites chéries.”

“You’ve managed this long-” Wildcard froze, grabbing Bokor’s shirt and urging him to stop. “I thought you said that paralyzing spore wore off after an hour.” They asked through gritted teeth, looking further down the hall.

Bokor followed his partner’s line of sight and his red eyes widened when they locked onto a familiar rooster and loon down the hall. “Putain de merde...it should have been an hour..”

"Well...now we know not to rely on time limits with him." They noticed that Domino seemed to have had some first aid done in the time they'd been away. Even walking around, Wildcard could also notice a slight drag and a slower than normal pace to his steps. "Think we should go the other direction?"

“Dhat would be for dhe best…” Bokor nodded and quickly walked back the way they came and ducked around a corner to make sure they weren’t seen. While he would normally take any opportunity to hurt or humiliate Steelbeak, his partner was already injured and he didn’t want to do anything that might put them in further danger.

Once they were out of direct sight, Wildcard tapped their partner and gestured to stay and be quiet. As much as they hated them, it could be interesting to overhear what they were talking about, and Wildcard had a feeling any talk of annoyance Steelbeak had would make Bokor all the happier. And honestly, the shrike could relate to that joy.

“Why is it when you pick a fight with someone, I’m the one who gets burned?” Domino remarked to his partner with a slight touch of anger. The loon sighed loudly, resting against the wall for a moment to collect himself.

“Hey, I didn’t do nothin’ t’ the short one, so don’t blame that mess on me.” Steelbeak took a spot against the wall next to his partner, unaware of the pair of eavesdroppers right around the corner from their resting spot. “Gotta say, it’s weird seein’ someone with a grudge against you for a change- usually it’s my head they’re after.”

“You think I don’t have a collection of people wanting me dead? That’s cute.” He managed a light laugh from the very idea. Between being a FOWL agent and being a man who could easily steal someone’s attention away from their own partners, Domino knew he had his fair share of enemies. But even still. “No, I don’t know what that shrike’s deal was. That was the first time I’d ever met them. I always let them do their own thing cause I was told they wanted solitude.”

“Yeah….about that…” Putting his hands in his pockets, Steelbeak craned his head back to look at the ceiling as he thought about how to best word his next question without getting his lights punched out. “Did ya ever hear about that from anyone...besides Checkers? Not that I’m sayin’ he’d leave ya outta the loop on purpose or nothin’!” He quickly added on the last part to help cover his bases, but still took a subtle step away from the loon just in case. “It’s just, y’know, Bokor was sayin’ alotta junk ‘bout someone I don’t think he’s ever even met. I get why he’d say stuff like that about me- an’ trust me, the feelin’s mutual there- but he’s not usually the kinda guy t’ talk trash like that ‘bout someone he didn’t know without a good reason.”

Domino’s stare was direct and ice cold. “Out of the two of us, I was the less truthful one. Checkers was almost too honest for this type of career. So if you’re implying that he lied to me about something like that, you’d better have a damn good reason why you’d think he’d do that.” His fists clenched at the accusation. He already had to hear someone bad mouth his dead partner once today, and wasn’t too happy to hear it from his current one as well.

Steelbeak was quick to hold up his hands and shake his head, not wanting to further agitate the loon and experience a portion of what was dealt out in the breakroom. “Nope! Not implyin’ nothin’! Just, y’know, spitballin’ ideas here! M-Maybe...he...uhh..” Dark gray eyes darted around in a futile attempt to find an answer that might placate his partner. Then, he saw it- or rather, he didn’t see it. “Wait...Bokor called you a coward, right?”

“Yes. Thank you for reminding me of that.” The sarcasm was practically dripping from his voice, though his fists at least relaxed as he crossed his arms. “A pitiful insult from a pitiful man.”

“Yeah, yeah, real’ weak sauce right there.” Steelbeak’s previously rigid posture relaxed a little now that he wasn’t in immediate danger, but he knew he still had to be careful navigating his way through the conversation. “It’s just...well, he don’t really know you, either….an’ we both know there ain’t much that rattles ya, so- unless you’ve got some embarrassin’ story from your trainin’ academy days I don’t know about that’d give people a reason t’ spread rumors about ya bein’ a coward- there’s only one thing I can think of that still gets ya freaked out like that…..and I ain’t talkin’ about bugs…”

That made Domino twitch for a moment. That particular fear of his certainly was far more...extreme than simple displeasure. “...you think it’s ghost related then?” His grip around his arms tightened.

Feeling that he’d made it through the worst of the conversation unscathed, Steelbeak returned to his previous spot beside his partner. “It would make sense: Bokor’s specialty is magic, ‘specially magic involvin’ creepy things like ghosts an’ zombies an’ other weird dead stuff. He’s about as good with partners as I am,-” He glanced away at that, knowing he hadn’t been very good to a lot of his previous partners and still trying to work on his attitude regarding some of them. “-but if he gets a partner, it’s usually one that can work with that sorta thing, too. I was an exception ‘cause he said he ‘wanted t’ learn how t’ be a leader’, but...well, ya heard how THAT worked out…”

“With you somehow surviving falling from a plane. A story you’ll have to tell me in full later.” A small smile crossed Domino’s face for a moment before falling again, looking far less angry and more thoughtful. “...so Wildcard is occult related as well. I suppose that makes sense...doesn’t make me any more happy on the matter though.” Domino took a deep breath before muttering to himself. “Chuck, you overly thoughtful idiot…”

The taller man’s shoulders shrugged a little. “Like I said, this is all just a shot in the dark...but..” He looked the other fowl over before offering him a slightly more sympathetic expression. “If I was in his shoes, I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

Domino looked up at his partner, deep in thought at the notion. A moment passed, and he moved to lightly punch at Steelbeak’s arm. “Then that’s for the both of you, honestly. I’m grateful that you worry, but I’d rather you’d be honest than lie about that sort of thing just for my sake.” He relaxed before slightly leaning against him. “But it’s sweet that you would want to do that.”

Although he flinched a bit and rubbed at his arm following the punch, Steelbeak knew he’d gotten off easy. Feeling the shorter bird lean against him definitely helped the pain ebb away quicker, though, and he found himself smiling fondly at the contact. “Heh...see? This is why you’re the brains in this setup. Too bad ya keep gettin’ stuck with big saps all the time. Guess that’s just your luck, ain’t it?”

“Maybe, but I’m not complaining.” Domino smiled. “I’m just lucky I found the good ones that like me back.”

“Can’t relate- most of mine just think I’m a loud, pompous jerk.” Steelbeak replied with a quieter version of his usual laugh. “Buuuuuuuut...I guess I get lucky now an’ then.” One arm moved to rest along the loon’s back to prove his point, making sure he was aware of it beforehand just in case he was still too worked up from earlier.

Domino gave a laugh in return, allowing the half hug. “Come on, jerk. Let’s try to finish the work day without setting anyone else off. If you can stand looking at my injured face, I’d like to have dinner with you tonight.”

“Gee, I dunno, Deedee, it’ll be tough.” The playful sarcasm in his voice made his true feelings on the matter clear. “Ehh, what the heck? You’re good lookin’ enough t’ pull off the burn ward look, so I’ll take ya up on that.” One dark eye winked down at the loon.

“Aren’t I so honored?” He replied in a similar tone, shaking his head and stepping away. Domino held his partner’s hand as they continued down the hallway, using him as support in case he found himself collapsing again.

Once they were far away enough, Wildcard spoke up to their own partner. “Think all that confirms my earlier suspicions. And gives us two weaknesses to exploit in the future.”

Bokor nodded, watching the other pair leave from the corner he’d hidden behind. “I have to say, I’m surprised. If dhis little relationship isn’t public already, dhen I can imagine dhere’ll be a few more broken hearts on his ‘ex-partner’ list when people find out.”

Wildcard kept to their comfortable position, resting their head against Bokor’s neck. “How do you mean?” They asked curiously, not too familiar with the rooster’s behaviour outside of some rumors.

“He’s always been a ‘lady’s man’, according to him.” He explained, rolling his eyes at the title (ironic given his own flirtatious ways and reputation). “But always seemed clueless when anyone else showed interest in him. I can pick at least five names off of his ‘ex-partner’ list dhat were pretty obviously into him.”

“Think there’d be any chance of provoking said exes enough to make them go after their heads?” They thought of the possibilities. “Domino isn’t the type to cheat, but I know he’d pull the trigger personally if his partner ever did. Can’t tell for certain how fragile their relationship is.”

Bokor smirked at the thought of those possibilities. “A few of dhem, no...but I bet one or two of dhem would be on board with dhat idea…….and I could bribe a good ‘friend’ of mine into helping out a bit.” A low, devious chuckle rumbled in his chest as the wheels in his head began to turn and a plan came together. “Oh, petites, we are going to have some fun with dhese two~”

Happy to hear the man’s laughter, Wildcard leaned up and nuzzled his cheek with a laugh. “I’m looking forward to it. As long as I get to be with you by the end of it all.”

Red eyes looked down at the shrike affectionately. “Oh, you will be right by my side through every step and beyond, mes chéries...and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He leaned in and gave them a sweet kiss on the beak, one full of affection and tenderness.

Smiling, Wildcard kissed back, wondering how they had gone so long without this. They lovingly held the side of Bokor’s face, stroking his feathers before pulling away with a dreamy look in their eyes. “Good. Cause I’m not going anywhere.”

Bokor smiled adoringly at his partner and pressed his forehead to theirs. “Dhen my victory is assured with my most powerful charm at my side.” He gave them one more kiss before continuing their previous trek through the halls.

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: This is another chapter I love for the amount of great interactions from both sets of partners and the romantic moments of comfort and confessions between Bokor and Wildcard x3~<3 We’ve got one more chapter, so let’s end this with some fluff~

#darkwing duck #dwd #fowl agent Bokor Baron #wildcard #bokard #thefriendlyfour #oc #not my oc #and #my OC #Steelbeak #Dominic Domino #steeldomino #la vie en rose

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psychosistr · 1 year

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La Vie en Rose- Chapter 4

Summary: Something goes bump in the night and awakens our paranormal pair; something they can’t deal with on their own. It looks like they’ll need some special help to deal with this particularly powerful poltergeist...

Notes: This chapter’s much shorter than the last one, but there’s plenty of chills from both the spirit Wildcard and Bokor have to deal with as well as the being they need to call on for help. Mild trigger warning for possession, so proceed with caution!

-First Chapter-

There was a chill in the air- the kind that could be felt through whatever covers one curled themselves in as they tried in vain to keep it out. It was enough to rouse Wildcard from their sleep to either find the source or grab another blanket to ignore it until morning.

What they didn’t expect when they opened their eyes, though, was the sight of two piercing, softly glowing red eyes looking down at them mere inches from their face.

Wildcard jolted awake at that, feathers fluffing up in surprise as they grabbed their pillow and gave the offender a whack across the face with a small shriek. “What the HELL?!” They shouted, shifting themself away best they could. “I TOLD you, I HATE jumpscares!”

“!!” Rather than look offended by the sudden but soft hit, Bokor instead looked worried. Not giving his partner much time to respond or get away, the hawk quickly pressed one hand to their beak the first chance he got- the other raising a single finger to his own in a signal for them to be quiet.

The shrike stilled, breathing against his hand as they tried to calm down. Their eyes still looked at him with annoyance, but they were a FOWL agent, they knew there were plenty of situations that would require urgent silence. Especially being the particular agents they were with angry spirits around them. Wildcard waited a short while for their emotions to resolve before giving him a small nod.

Confident now that his partner wouldn’t make a sound, Bokor released their beak. Just in time too, it seemed, as the chill that woke them up initially had returned tenfold. Inclining his head behind them, the taller fowl made it clear what the source was.

There, floating around in the middle of the break room that had been converted into their temporary bedroom, was a rather old and decrepit looking spirit floating about aimlessly. Had it been something living, then its age would have implied weakness- as a spirit, however, it meant power. The ghost appeared to be ancient and practically radiated a bone-chilling energy that would’ve made weaker mediums pass out or scream in fright.

Wildcard stared at it intensely, feeling a similar sense of fear, but tried to shake it off. They didn’t want to let their partner down after all. As quietly as they could, they tried to shift themself in such a way to keep out of the spirit’s sight for now, not having a clear plan in mind and trying to figure out their next move.

Bokor carefully tapped the shrike on the arm to get their attention, trying not to startle them. When they did look at him, he moved one hand back and forth in front of his eyes- indicating a lack of sight. He then reached into his pouch and, as quietly as possible, retrieved an empty glass vial and tossed it across the room so that it shattered on impact.

The sound of the glass breaking caught the specter’s attention and, with a haunting shriek, it flew across the room to find the source of the sound.

They opened their beak in a silent “ah”, grateful for the clarity. Even with that fact solidified, they stared at their own shaking hands, trying to think of something, anything to do right now. That spirit looked like it could resist their puppeteering abilities which would just leave them vulnerable to worse options that would only hinder Bokor. But aside from that, they really weren’t sure what else they could do, making their nerves all the worse.

Sensing his partner’s mounting anxiety, Bokor decided to take the situation into his own hands.

Literally.

Without even asking (which he likely wouldn’t have done, even if talking had been an option), Bokor lifted the shrike up into his arms and carried them out of the room as quickly and quietly as possible.

Wildcard had to bite back a startled squeak, their face burning red from suddenly being held in such a manner. They knew they agreed that they wanted to test the waters of their partnership, but this felt so sudden for them it practically made their head spin. All they could really do was grip at his shirt tightly and press their face against him to hide away.

Bokor carried them out into the hall and took them into the kitchen, letting out a relieved sigh once they were in the relative safety of the already cleansed room. “Dhat one’s very strong. Think it melted dhe seal I put on dhe wall..”

“Y-Yeah…probably the one I felt from upstairs…” Their voice sounded squeaky, between keeping their volume low and the general embarrassment they had from being held like this. “C-Could you put me down now, please?”

“Hm? Oh, pardon, petites.” Bokor set the shrike down on one of the kitchen counters and gave them a slightly apologetic smile. “I figured one set of footsteps would be quieter dhan two, so I acted without thinking.”

“No, no, I completely get it, it’s just-” Wildcard cut themself off, shaking their head to refocus their priorities. “Why’d you have to stare at me like that though?! You really spooked me!”

Bokor…actually looked a little guilty over that one, unable to meet their gaze. “Désolé, mes chéries. I…didn’t mean to startle you. I was trying to figure out what to do- I was only dhere for a moment, but I guess it was dhe timing…”

They kept their gaze locked on him for a bit before sighing. “It’s alright, I trust you on that. It was just a bit startling waking up to someone right in front of your face, I wasn’t expecting it.” Wildcard dragged a hand across their face, feathers still askew and fighting off the drowsiness they had. “Nevermind. Let’s just try and focus on the bigger problem right now.”

Nodding, Bokor took in a breath and looked at the supplies he’d left in the kitchen. “D’accord. Dhis one feels very powerful. As much as I hate to admit it, dhis spirit might be a bit beyond my skills alone…”

“Aw, are you getting scared?” They teased, trying to lighten the mood just a bit. Placing a hand on his arm, Wildcard tried to keep his gaze. “You’re not doing this alone, you know. Tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it, alright? That’s why I’m here.”

“I know, petites.” Bokor took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he knew he had to do. “I think I have a plan…but it will be very risky. Do you still have dhat bag of five-pointed leaves I gave you, or is it back in dhe other room?”

“I have them.” Reaching into their vest, they brought out the plastic bag. Connecting the dots, Wildcard looked at him with worry. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, right?”

The hawk gave a quiet laugh. “Depends on your definition of ‘stupid’, I suppose.” Although he tried to act calm, there was a palpable amount of unease in the air around him. “I’m just..gonna ask my ‘landlord’ for some assistance.”

They shuddered at the memory of the wispy presence they saw before. Their hands reached up to gently hold the sides of his face. “Do you have to go that far? Isn’t there some other sort of weapon we can use against it? Henri, I don’t want you to get hurt…”

Their concern was touching, as it usually was, but Bokor knew that this would be the easiest way to dispatch the powerful spirit. “I’ll be fine, mes petites. I’ve handled him before, I can handle him now- dhis is part of what I ‘pay’ him for, after all.”

Wildcard seemed to pout at that, knowing he was right, but still not liking it. “Still…” Sighing, they took their hands back. “Alright. I said I trust you, and I mean it. But if you show signs of going awry, I’m sticking these leaves right on your head!”

Bokor gave a small but more genuine smile. “Dhat’s exactly what I’m counting on. Hopefully, though, dhat will be plan B.” Returning to the supplies he’d brought with him, the voodoo expert retrieved a canister of petrol and, weirdly enough, one of the small black chickens in its crate. “If you have dhe chance, dhe better option is t’ douse dhe chicken in petrol and set it on fire: Dhe Baron is a sadist and laughs at it every time, giving me an opportunity to push him out without resistance or dhe risk of disabling my magic.”

“Yikes…” The shrike looked at the chicken moving around and grimaced at the thought. Even still, if this option would mean their partner would be safer, Wildcard knew they’d probably light up a whole farm for his sake. Steeling their resolve, they nodded. “Okay. Okay, I’ll light it up when you’re done dealing with that spirit then.”

The taller bird gave his partner a more confident smile and handed them the matchbook from his pouch. “I have absolute confidence in you, chéries. If it comes down to it, protect yourself first, but I believe in your strength and resourcefulness to find dhe right solution.”

A faint blush came across their cheeks hearing that, hiding their face behind the chicken crate. “J-Just go and do what you gotta do…” They stammered out, still not used to praise like that from people, let alone someone they had complicated feelings towards.

Bokor chuckled quietly, finding it adorable how easily his partner became flustered with just a few genuine and kind words. While he’d normally be happy to spend plenty of time giving the shrike the praise they deserved, they had an important job to do if they wanted any semblance of peace while they slept. For now, he’d have to focus on preparing his special cigars and mixing a dark powder into his usual flask of rum. “Make sure you keep dhose matches away from me when dhis is open, petites, otherwise we’ll be joining dhe spirits haunting dhis place.”

“That would be an embarrassing end. We’d probably make the FOWL records for ‘most idiotic death of an agent’.” Wildcard gave a small laugh, shifting themself away as a precaution. “And that’s really saying something.”

“Hopefully dhey’d leave it at ‘burned t’ death’ instead of ‘one of dhem was an idiot and left an open bottle of rum an’ gunpowder near an open flame’.” Bokor snickered quietly at the thought of their less than flattering obituary, idly shaking his flask to mix its contents properly.

“Is that what you have there? Geez- I’ve drunk some pretty awful things in my day but I don’t think gunpowder ever made it in the cocktails I used to make.” They stuck their tongue out at the idea of the ashy substance on it. “I don’t envy you there.”

With a quiet laugh, Bokor shrugged and pocketed his flask for the time being. “Dhe Baron has peculiar tastes. Besides, I’ve had t’ put much worse in my mouth for rituals- at least I actually like rum.”

"You go through so much." Wildcard sighed in empathy. "I admit, I admire your dedication to your craft."

“It is an important part of who I am.” Red eyes brightened as they always did when the hawk talked about his practices. “It gives me a strength and comfort dhat I wouldn’t trade for anything in dhe world.” Catching himself before he could ramble like before, Bokor quickly cleared his throat. “A-Anyway, we should get started. Let me know if you need any help with dhat crate, petites.”

They smiled at the slight embarrassment he had, recognizing that twinkle in his eye from their previous discussions of his culture and customs. His passion appealed to them greatly, finding themself drawn to him all the more.

“I should be alright.” Wildcard remarked, hopping down off of the counter with the bird. “You worry about yourself, Henri.”

“I will.” Bokor opened the door for them, leaning down to place a kiss on their head as they passed by. “But I’ll still worry about you, mes chéries.”

That familiar blush sprung up on their face again from the simple gesture. Wildcard tried to push down their fluffed up feathers with one hand, muttering to themself about nothing in particular as they tried to calm down a bit more.

Seeing his partner so flustered eased Bokor’s nerves significantly, giving him the peace of mind he needed to go through with what he was about to do. Dealing with the Baron was never easy or pleasant, but, since he was the one with more power and practice dealing with dangerous spirits, the hawk knew the responsibility fell on his shoulders to take out the major threats. To keep his partner safe, he’d deal with the devil himself.

As the paranormal pair reached their destination, they could still feel the specter’s strong aura even before they entered the room. “At least my seals are holding it in dhere..” Bokor whispered, though he wasn’t sure how long they’d keep the ghost contained.

“Just wish it’d be dealt with on its own. Ugh, so rude, making us destroy it ourselves.” They playfully rolled their eyes, setting the crate down and leaning against the hallway wall. “Put on a good show for me, okay?” Wildcard winked at him, trying to calm him down however they could.

Their attempts were recognized and greatly appreciated, bringing a smile to the larger bird’s beak. “Don’t I always, petites?” Feeling more confident in what he had to do, Bokor pulled out his flask and took a swig of his explosive cocktail. The taste made him grimace, but he kept it down and began chanting quietly.

Soon, Wildcard could feel that familiar sinister aura and see wisps of red smoke forming around Bokor’s body- it seemed the Baron was willing to take the bait.

The shrike shuddered, instinctively stepping back to let it happen. The practice itself didn’t bother them, not as much as the Baron himself did. Between that and the overwhelmingly ancient and powerful spirit in the room next to them, Wildcard could practically feel their head spin and heart race from underlying panic.

The red smoke spread and wrapped itself around Bokor’s body as he continued to chant, though he showed no reaction to it other than a subtle twitch of his fingers when he retrieved one of his cigars. As he brought the special cigar to his beak, the Baron’s wispy form followed the movement like a snake slithering up his arm until it touched the end- igniting it with an unnaturally vibrant red flame. Closing his eyes and finishing his chant, Bokor took a drag from the now lit cigar and inhaled, breathing in the red smoke that used the tool as a tunnel right into the hawk’s body.

Bokor was silent for a brief moment once the last of the smoke had entered his mouth. Then, as if he’d been shocked, his limbs began to jerk and pop with stiff, rigid movements. He was quickly forced to his knees as the movements became more exaggerated, the sound of joints and bones popping breaking the deathly silence around them like a grotesque melody.

Thankfully, it only lasted for another minute or two before his body went limp and quiet- even his breathing seemed to stop and it was hard to sense any traces of life from the normally boisterous bird.

Wildcard watched the display with a quiet murmur of horror. It looked painful. Even though they knew they had their objectives, and that it was most likely a death wish, they took careful steps closer and put a hand on his back. “H-Hey…”

The moment the shrike touched the unmoving fowl’s back, they felt a surge of power and a presence that could only be described as deadly. The hawk suddenly slammed his hands against the ground and rose to his feet, his body moving like a marionette with its strings being pulled one at a time.

With each jerky movement, the color of his feathers changed from brown and white to pure black. By the time he was completely upright again, he looked more like a common black hawk than a red-tailed hawk. His already luminous red eyes opened again and had nearly tripled their usual brightness to the point of giving off a visible trail of light. One hand raised itself up and, with a snap of his fingers, white markings spread across his darkened body- joining together in a way that resembled a skeleton.

Once the markings spread to his head and formed their skeletal imprint across his face, “Bokor” smirked and gave a low, rumbling laugh. “It’s good to be back.” There were remnants of his usual voice audible as he spoke, but it was mixed with something dark and clearly inhuman that gave the shrike a sense of imminent danger.

With a sound of surprise, Wildcard stumbled backwards, tripping on the crate on the floor and falling down with a louder noise. They looked at the presence before them, taking in the sight of him before pointing towards the room the spirit was in. “That thing- t-that’s what you’re here for, alright? D-Deal with that, and make it quick, B-Baron…”

“Bokor”- or the Baron, technically- turned his glowing red eyes in the small shrike’s direction. When he saw them, a dark grin spread across his face. “Oh…I’ll be dealing with YOU shortly, little one~” The laugh he gave was quiet yet terrifying, like something one would hear ringing in their ears as they drew their last breath.

"I-I’m- I'm not-!" They took a sharp breath before pushing themself up off of the floor and running straight into the spirit infested room. "I'm not your target!" Wildcard yelled out, using their puppeteering abilities to try and pull the specter as a shield of sorts to put between them and the Baron.

The spirit let out a surprised and angry shriek, turning its head this way and that as it tried in vain to pinpoint what had grabbed it. When it heard the Baron’s twisted laughter, it turned its rage on him and attempted to blast the possessed man with a wave of dark energy.

With a smirk and a flick of his wrist, the Baron dissipated the energy as easily as snuffing out a small flame. “Not bad..” The powerful deity ignored and dissolved every blast sent its way while walking closer to the ensnared specter. “You will make a FINE addition to my collection~”

Once he was close enough, he placed a hand directly on the now scared spirit’s throat and managed to grab it as if it were tangible. The poor poltergeist could do nothing but flail and screech uselessly in fear, unable to escape the superior spirit’s strong grasp. When the Baron exhaled a wave of red smoke directly onto it, the specter gave one last agonized wail and its form dissolved into the smoke- gone without a trace in mere seconds.

Wildcard felt bile at the back of their throat. Having a spirit they were controlling be destroyed so brutally seemed to affect them in turn. They had to slump over on the floor to hold their head, fighting off the urge to hurl and focus on both Bokor’s and their own safety at this point.

Flicking his fingers, the Baron directed the smoke into Bokor’s pouch- likely channeling the ghost directly into the bottle housing his other captive spirits. Once the last wisps were sucked away, the possessed fowl turned his gaze towards the shrike on the floor. “Now…I believe it’s time we had a proper introduction, little puppeteer~”

Their head jerked up at that, fear regrettably in their eyes as they tried to run out of the room. They didn’t want the Baron to overstay his welcome any longer than necessary. Especially with how uneasy and panicked he made them.

“Hmh, how cute…you REALLY think you can escape?” Smirking like the fiend he was, the Baron didn’t run after the small bird so much as glide on wisps of red smoke. He was fast and silent, closing the gap between the two rapidly and attempting to grab the shrike by their neck.

With a sound of alarm, Wildcard tried to duck out of the way of the approaching hand, saving their neck. Unfortunately, it only allowed the Baron to grab at the back of their collar instead, keeping them in place and causing them to choke on their own clothing. “Gah-! H-H-Henri…!” They weakly pleaded.

“Sorry, little one, but Henri can’t talk right now.” The Baron gave a cruel laugh, easily lifting the struggling shrike up by their collar and turning them around to look at their possessed partner’s face. “Such a shame…he’s SO fond of you..tell me-” His free hand went to their throat, not applying any pressure…yet. “How BROKEN do you think he’d be if I snapped your neck?”

They couldn’t help but cry. Wildcard knew they were rather emotional, but those emotions just fueled them more. The thought of their own death didn’t seem to affect them half as much as the idea of Bokor having to come back knowing he was their murderer. That made them look at the Baron with anger behind their tears. “You can’t break him…he’s stronger than you.”

“What an interesting theory.” Giving his captive a cruel, sadistic grin, the Baron began to gradually tighten his grip. “Let’s test it, shall we?”

“Ngh-!” They coughed, feeling their airflow restricting and instinctively grabbing at the man’s arm to stop him. “H-Henri…I- HACK! I-I-...!” Wildcard tried to weakly say.

The possessed bird of prey just continued to grin like the devil itself, slowly adding more pressure. “What’s wrong, little one? Where did all of your confidence go? Well? Speak up!” He gave a cruel, sadistic laugh- knowing full well what he was doing to them and why they had trouble answering.

“I-I’m…! I’m sorry-!” Managing to say their apology, even as their face was starting to turn a shade of blue, Wildcard pulled one hand back to reach into their vest, pulling out one of the pointed leaves they were given by their partner in advance and slamming it against the Baron’s forehead.

That finally got a negative reaction out of the Baron, his previous grin turning into an affronted scowl. “Oh, you little-” Whatever insult he had prepared for them dissolved along with the magic binding him to his host.

The leaf glowed white the moment it made contact with Bokor’s forehead. The glow spread outward from its edges and onto the hawk’s body. Everywhere the light touched seemed to burn away the dark magic binding the Baron to Bokor’s body, returning his feathers and eyes to their normal colors. Within a few seconds, his appearance was back to normal and a rush of red smoke was forced out of his open mouth.

As the last of the dark magic drained away, Bokor’s strength gave out and he collapsed to the ground- thankfully letting his partner go along the way.

Wildcard felt like the wind got knocked out of them when they fell to the floor, though they doubted they did considering how little air they had prior. They coughed as they tried to breathe properly again, rubbing at the sore spot around their neck and blinking away the tears still in their eyes. "T-Told you he was stronger…" The shrike said to themself before moving over to check on Bokor’s condition.

While he was unmoving and unresponsive, he was at least breathing and his heart was still beating. The leaf’s glow eventually faded and fell from his head, leading to a weak gasp and hacking cough from Bokor. “Pe..tites…?” His voice was raspy and gaze unfocused, but his now normal, non-glowing red eyes did their best to locate his partner.

"Here…I'm here." They confirmed, taking Bokor’s head to rest on their lap rather than the floor as their fingers brushed his cheek feathers. "I've got you…"

Feeling his partner’s touch and hearing their voice did wonders for Bokor’s mind, allowing him to close his eyes and relax. “You’re….You’re..okay…?”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” Wildcard tried to give a laugh, though with the condition of their throat, the sound wasn’t as sweet as it could’ve been. They coughed to try and clear it before refocusing on him. “The spirit’s been dealt with, that’s what matters most. We’re safe now, you can relax...”

“I’m glad..” One red eye cracked open to look at the shrike. “I…was worried you’d get hurt..dhe Baron..he..he looks for any opportunity to break my will..and..take my soul…”

“He certainly tried…but I knew he wouldn’t be able to. I knew you were stronger than him in the long run.” They gave him a soft smile. “‘Sides…if it’s for your sake, I can put up with anything. Just…don’t go doing anything like that unless you have to, okay? It wasn’t great to watch that happen to you.”

A guilty frown replaced the hawk’s previous tired but calm expression. “….I’m..sorry you had to see me like dhat, chéries..I don’t like using dhat power unless it’s an emergency…”

Wildcard nodded slightly, stroking his cheek again for comfort. “I can tell. And for what it’s worth, it did work at least…the worst of this mission is over, so we can take the rest of it easily.” They glanced around, not seeing any other spirits that invaded their temporary bedroom. “You think you can manage enough strength to make it to the couch? I’ll hold you- I think we’re both due for some sleep after all that.”

“Agreed.” Bokor nodded and, with a great amount of effort and support from his partner, managed to get to his feet (albeit very unsteadily). His movements were sluggish and his limbs felt like they were full of lead- an unfortunate and dreaded result of having his magic drained so forcefully. Past experiences taught him that he’d be stuck like this for at least ten hours, leaving him effectively useless against any other spirits that showed up.

With any luck, though, Wildcard would be right about the rest of the ghosts being easy to dispatch. If nothing else, the smaller bird had certainly proved themselves capable of dealing with large-scale threats like the Baron, so Bokor’s faith in his partner’s strength, skill, loyalty, and resourcefulness had only increased. For once, he didn’t mind feeling powerless around someone else.

They guided him over to the break room couch, letting him down with the pillows and pulling a blanket over him as an added measure of comfort. Wildcard yawned, all too aware that their sudden wake up and general relief of stress made their energy levels crash hard. While they could’ve curled themself in the large sleeping bag nearby, they felt they couldn’t be bothered or feel comfortable just leaving their partner alone after everything, so despite there being practically no room for them on the couch, the small shrike lay practically on top of him, head using his chest as a pillow as they settled.

Bokor settled down for some much deserved sleep, perfectly fine with his partner lying on top of him. Between the small amount of warmth they provided and the comfort he felt in their presence, he honestly would’ve been disappointed if they hadn’t tried to be near him after that ordeal. Besides, they were so light that it wasn’t much different for him than having a second blanket on top.

As he began to drift off to sleep, one of the hawk’s arms wrapped around the shrike’s torso- for his own comfort (he didn’t like his arm dangling over the side of the couch) as well as theirs.

Even as they felt themself drift off into sleep with ease, Wildcard felt the corner of their beak turn up in a smile. They could get used to this sort of thing.

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: Despite the chills and stress these two had to go through, it had a wholesome ending. It’s a nice way to end things before their next bit of drama >:3

#darkwing duck #dwd #fowl agent Bokor Baron #wildcard #bokard #thefriendlyfour #oc #not my oc #and #my OC #la vie en rose #ghost and spirits #ghosts #spirits #magic #possession

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psychosistr · 1 year

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La Vie en Rose- Chapter 3

Summary: Some time has passed and our paranormal pair has proven to the higher-ups that they have what it takes to handle a bigger mission. Are these two up to the task?

Notes: Alright, time for the MEGA CHAPTER! Get ready for more spooks, magic rituals, and emotional bonding!

-First Chapter-

To both of their surprise, Wildcard and Bokor’s partnership seemed to be going well after the rockiness of its first day. Most of the pair’s assignments consisted of either investigating reports of hauntings in FOWL facilities, removing a ghost here and there (some of the reports were fake, either from someone seeing things that weren’t there or a malfunctioning invention making odd sounds or sparks), or stealing magical or supposedly-cursed artifacts from museums that High Command had plans for. All in all, they were fairly short, easy to handle missions that the two were able to knock out in just a few hours.

This left them with plenty of time before or after each assignment to relax on their own..or, as was becoming slowly more common, together. Bokor preferred going out to eat over getting take-out or pizza deliveries taken to his room, so he would go out for at least two of his meals every day and made a point of letting his partner know where he was going and asking if they wanted to join him. If Wildcard said yes then he’d offer to pay (which usually meant charming the staff into giving them free meals), but, if they said no, then he didn’t push the issue and gave them their space. He still had a bad habit of flirting too much and occasionally sticking his foot in his mouth during conversations, but he at least made it clear to Wildcard that he was trying, so that helped ease things between them quite a bit.

Things still weren’t perfect, per se- Bokor sometimes forgot to inform Wildcard of whatever plan he came up with or to ask for help because he wasn’t used to having someone who actually could help him, the two had bumped into each other or accidentally thrown something at/near the other a few times, and it was becoming increasingly clear to Wildcard that their partner had a temper that would flare up whenever things weren’t going his way- but the common ground they’d found made it easier to talk to each other both on and off the clock, and that slowly helped the two get used to each other’s habits and behaviors during missions.

One morning, however, Bokor invited Wildcard out to the café for breakfast as usual, and explained that the two had been given a much more involved assignment this time.

“There’s an outpost in the mountains that’s been vacant for a few weeks now.” Bokor explained after taking a sip of his usual coffee order. “Apparently, some idiot up there broke an ancient artifact said to contain many trapped souls from a war waged centuries ago, and now all of those spirits are haunting the outpost. A few mediums have already tried to clear it out, but they weren’t up for the challenge.” The hawk’s usual confident smirk found its way to his beak as he eyed his partner across the table. “Sounds like the perfect chance for us to prove that we’re the best FOWL has to offer.”

Wildcard’s eyes lit up at the opportunity, taking pause from drinking their juice. “A high stakes mission? It’s about time!” They beamed, already feeling excited from the idea of travel and getting to make a statement to the higher ups. Their fingers tapped at the table in excitement. “Don’t get me wrong, everything we’ve been doing up until now has been fun, but this- oh man. I can hardly wait.”

Bokor grinned when he saw his partner’s enthusiasm, clearly hoping for that kind of response. “I feel the same way, mes petites chéries.” He picked up one of the chocolate filled croissants from his plate and took a bite between each sentence. “I will have to order some tools and supplies since this will be a bit more involved than our usual work, so if you require anything let me know and I will add it to the order before we leave. Also, I prefer to stay on-sight for these types of mass exorcisms- saves time getting started and ending work every day- will that be alright with you, or would you rather book a motel for yourself?”

“Hmmm…” With the time they had spent together, Wildcard had certainly grown far more comfortable with their partner, to the point they enjoyed teasing him every now and again. They hummed as if in deep thought over the idea, even though they already knew their answer. “Haven’t gotten to camp in quite some time...you might need to put an order in for two sleeping bags then.” They held up two fingers and laughed gently.

The joke earned a quiet chuckle from Bokor. “I will see what I can do. If nothing else, I could always just order one extra large sleeping bag for both of us- I don’t think you would take up much room, petites.” One red eye winked at them, but his tone of voice made it clear that this was more good-natured playful teasing rather than flirting this time. He still flirted quite a bit when given the chance, but he’d come to enjoy Wildcard’s joking & teasing and responded in kind when given the opportunity.

Already sensing that type of response, Wildcard had crinkled up their straw wrapper into a ball and tossed it at him. “Oh, you would want that wouldn’t you.” They rolled their eyes and leaned on their hand as they looked at Bokor. “Honestly...I know you’ve got a literal charm to get people enamored by you, but it’s a miracle that with the actual relationships you’ve had, anyone could take you seriously for too long. You’re always joking around.”

Unlike their first one, Wildcard’s second joke earned a much weaker laugh and a smile that didn’t quite reach the hawk’s eyes. In fact, he glanced away in an attempt to avoid eye-contact altogether. “Aha, yes...I suppose that’s true…”

“Ah well...you are handsome and you do make people smile, so I guess you have that going for you.” Completely unaware of how awkward things had gotten, Wildcard went back to eat their fruit salad. “Anyway, any idea when we have to leave then?”

Bokor tried his best to shake off his partner’s previous comment, finishing his croissant before answering to give himself a moment to compose himself. “Whenever we want, honestly. That is the benefit of this type of work- no deadlines to meet.”

“Then could we go as soon as we can? I’d love to get out of the city more…” They twirled their fork between their fingers as they thought about it, softly smiling. “Fresh mountain air sounds lovely this time of year. I know we’ll be working, but even just getting to go somewhere new is a vacation in itself.”

Seeing the shrike so happy made the smile on Bokor’s face more genuine and returned the briefly lost joy to his eyes. “Weeeeeellll~” He drew the word out on purpose, his voice taking on a slight lilt as if he were about to let them in on a secret. “I may omit certain details from my mission reports from time to time…details, for instance, on exactly how long I need to stay on-location to finish my work. Not because I like getting paid to relax and take in the sights, of course. I would never do that.” He smirked in a playful way and winked at them.

The implications were not lost on Wildcard, a similar expression coming across their face as they twirled some of their long feathers with their finger. “Nooo, of course not. That would be oh so irresponsible after all, and we get called to do sooo many missions.” They laughed, feeling even more joyful than before. “I’ll have to pack a game or two for the occasion then.”

“I should warn you- I am quite the card shark.” Bokor chuckled as he finished his meal.

“Maybe so, but you’ve never played against a wildcard before.” The shrike smirked. “It’s not a perfected skill or anything...but I’m pretty confident at card games. Especially against cheaters. Used to beat them a lot in my training days.”

Bokor gave them a challenging smirk. “Oh really? Well, we will have to put those skills to the test, mes petites chéries.” He finished his meal and got up from his seat. “I have a few calls to make to get everything in order. Think you will be ready to go by noon?”

Wildcard followed him out. “I think I can manage that. I’ll have to reschedule some prior arrangements though clearly, you know how busy my calendar is.” They remarked sarcastically, leaning against Bokor’s arm for a moment. “Just knock on my door when it’s time to go, Henri.”

Bokor’s step faltered for an instant at both the other’s sudden proximity and the use of his first name. If they’d looked up at the right moment, they would have caught the slight flush to his cheeks and the way his eyes widened before he quickly schooled his features into one of his usual grins. “D’accord. I will try not to keep you waiting, petites.”

“You better not.” Wildcard laughed, doing a small twirl as they went the other way. “I just have to get some things of my own. And before you ask, no, I don’t need your ‘discount’ for it.” They shook their head in amusement. “See you later.”

Bokor watched them walk away with a smile, tipping his hat to them. “I shall count the seconds, mes chéries.”

Stopping by a nearby convenience store, Wildcard decided to use some of the first skills they were taught at FOWL: how to swipe and steal small objects and get away with it. They employed their abilities by getting themselves some snacks for the trip, both for themselves and some chocolate they knew Bokor liked having. It felt nice getting something for him, especially with the amount of times the man treated Wildcard to things. Of course, it was never out of his pocket, a brief glance to the cashier reminded Wildcard just how flustered and enamored the fox would get whenever Bokor visited.

Something about those interactions started to bother Wildcard, just a small bit. It wasn’t that they were against Bokor using a charm he worked hard to perfect so he could get people to give him what he needed, but something about seeing Bokor flirt with others and hear him say sweet things just made Wildcard feel different than they did when they first met. Back then, it was impressive and a bit annoying, but now it was just annoying and...something else. Something Wildcard didn’t want to think about too much.

They walked down the motel hallway, slowing down slightly as they passed Bokor’s door. Despite being practically neighbors, the partners never went into each other’s rooms. That was probably for the best, it let them have their privacy, but Wildcard did find themselves wanting to knock on his door just to see him again. A desire they shoved down in favor of going to their own room to pack, prioritizing that over something as trivial as company.

A few minutes before noon there was a heavy but rhythmic knock at Wildcard’s door, like a tune to an old song.

As much as they hated to seem desperate, Wildcard opened their door shortly after the knocking stopped, a shoulderbag in hand. “Hey, is everything good to go? No troubles?”

As expected, Bokor was waiting at the door with a large hiker’s backpack slung over one shoulder and a smile on his face. “Of course not, mes chéries. Everything has been taken care of and our supplies will be there when we arrive.”

“That’s a relief, I’d hate to be let down so soon.” Smiling, Wildcard locked their door and walked alongside their partner. “Any idea how we’re traveling to the mountains? I’m fine with walking there, but if you’ve got a better idea, I’d love to know.”

“Depends,” Bokor said while walking out of the motel with them, slowing his pace to make sure he stayed beside them. “How do you feel about bikes?”

That seemed to make Wildcard stop entirely. Before Bokor had a chance to ask what was wrong, Wildcard looked at him with an embarrassed expression. “I, uh…can’t ride a bicycle if that’s what you’re asking.”

That...actually made Bokor pause for a moment and stare at them. He blinked twice, needing a moment to process this information, before he covered his mouth to hold in a laugh. “O-Oh...that is good to know…” It took him a minute to compose himself so he could talk without laughing, but the grin still clear on his face made his amusement known. “I meant a more motorized variety- and do not worry, petites, I will be driving, so you can simply relax.”

Wildcard’s entire face turned red and pulled their collar over their head to hide in their shirt. “You’re such a jerk! Lead with that next time, dumbass!” They were clearly just flustered and not meaning what they were saying, but they still felt quite foolish from it all. They almost collided with a wall trying to walk away from the man before pulling their shirt down again.

Bokor chuckled quietly as he easily caught up to them, placing a hand on their back to help steer them away from the wall. “Désolée, mes petites. I will try to be more direct in the future.”

Giving a low hum of annoyance, Wildcard pouted. “Tu peux être une telle douleur...but I’m not complaining too much.” They rested their head against Bokor’s chest, still trying to shield away their blush until they could feel it fade.

Bokor couldn’t fight the fond smile that found its way to his face or the way his hand rubbed the smaller bird’s back in a surprisingly gentle gesture for such a large man. “Je vais essayer d'être plus doux à partir de maintenant, mes petites.” He held the door open for them as the two left the motel, taking them out to the parking lot in the back of the building.

“Well...in my defense, I haven’t ridden a motorcycle either...or know what kind you have.” Although they had gotten past their flustered embarrassment, a small blush remained on their cheeks. “Is it a sidecar situation where I hold the bags or do I have to hold onto you the entire trip?”

Fishing a set of keys from one of his pockets, Bokor winked down at them while leading the way through the parking lot. “Well, it does have a sidecar...but I certainly wouldn’t complain about the second option, either.” He eventually stopped in front of what looked like a large, custom-made motorcycle with long breezer-style handlebars, a deep red paint job with bird-skulls emblazoned on the side with black rose petals surrounding them, and a matching sidecar that seemed big enough for two people with how it was proportioned.

Wildcard gave a long whistle before climbing into the sidecar. "All the same to you, I think I'd prefer this. Maybe if you behave I'll think about riding with you on the way back." They winked before gesturing for Bokor to pass over his own bag.

“I will have to be on my best behavior, if that’s the reward I’ll get.” Bokor complied with the unspoken command and handed them his surprisingly heavy backpack. “Bon matin, mon coeur. J'espère que vous êtes prêt pour une séance d'entraînement.” He got situated on the bike and started it, revving the engine a few times with a pleased look on his face. “Hmmm, c’est beau.”

Bracing themselves, Wildcard found themselves hugging onto the large backpack. It was loud, they knew they wouldn't be able to speak over the engine so they took a deep breath in preparation before nodding that they'll be alright to go. A step outside their usual comfort zone, but one they were willing to try.

Bokor, though not saying anything directly, noticed and acknowledged Wildcard’s discomfort with the situation as a whole and started the ride off nice and slow for their sake. While he’d normally show off a few tricks or stunts to impress whoever his passenger happened to be, he felt that the shrike would not be as appreciative of his usual antics and decided to err on the side of caution for the time being. He made sure to keep the bike steady, go slow on the turns, and even obeyed the speed limit until they were safely out of town and out on the open road.

Once they were out of the bustling city, Wildcard managed to relax more, opening their eyes and looking at the scenery. While still keeping the bag close as something to latch onto, they at least let the breeze go over their face and feel the sunshine on them. They took a deep breath and visibly started to relax more, resting their head on the bag and contently letting themselves enjoy the ride.

Bokor saw the shift in his partner’s mood from the corner of his eye and allowed himself to relax a bit as well. Being out on the road on a nice day with the fresh air blowing past him was one of his favorite feelings in the world. Having someone whose company he actually valued enjoying the ride with him, however, made everything feel that much more vibrant and worthwhile.

By the time they had to go more off road to get to where they needed to (FOWL would never make their pathways easy after all), Wildcard snapped out of the almost nap they slipped into and sat upright as they were jostled. "Ugh, can't say I love this." They whined to themself, hoping for the ground to flatten out again soon.

Bokor searched the area for the markers he was told would lead them to the outpost, keeping his hands on the handlebars and steering them through the bumpy terrain as carefully as possible. He knew off-roading was not very pleasant and wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible for his partner’s sake.

Once the bike had come to a stop, Wildcard felt a bit dizzy, but otherwise fine. They dramatically collapsed back into the sidecar’s seat. “Well that was fun...until it wasn’t...but even then it wasn’t the worst.” They decided with a small laugh. “Thanks for taking it easy on me.”

“Of course, mes chéries, I wouldn’t want you to get sick on your first ride.” After parking the bike and putting the kickstand down, he stood and stretched his stiff limbs. Once he felt he had enough sensation in his hands and feet again, he offered his partner a hand up from their seat.

Wildcard smiled, taking Bokor’s hand as they got out and on their feet. As much as the comments they had gotten about their small height teetered on annoyance, there really was such a difference in size between them. They could feel it just by how easily Bokor’s hand could wrap around theirs, and didn’t even register that they were still holding onto him.

While they didn’t notice it, Bokor certainly did. Not wanting to ruin the opportunity by calling attention to the prolonged contact, he chose instead to take both his bag & theirs with his free hand and sling the packs over his shoulder. “Let’s go take a look at our temporary ‘home’.”

“A-ah, alright.” Wildcard started to feel the warmth from his hand and let theirs slip out casually, a faint blush on their face. “I can carry my stuff if you want, you’ve already got a lot. You seem to have practically packed your whole room in that bag.”

Although he missed the feeling of their hand in his, Bokor tried not to let it show as he walked with them towards the outpost’s entrance (keeping both bags for now). “You’re not far off, mes chéries. I tend to move around a lot. I rarely stay in one place for long before I get sent somewhere else..so, I have gotten used to living out of a single bag- it makes relocating easier.”

“I get that.” They gave a smile, holding their hands behind their back as they looked around. “I think I only really have one or two boxes of personal belongings at this point...most of which are clothes or small trinkets I thought were nice. Nothing I’d be heartbroken at losing or anything but still...things that are mine.”

Bokor nodded, understanding how they felt. “As long as you have something that is yours, it can make any space feel familiar.” He patted the pouch on his belt thoughtfully. “Anything that I feel that way about stays with me at all times.”

“A smart move to make for the traveling type.” As they laughed, they felt a chill suddenly pass over them that made them freeze. It didn’t take long for Wildcard to shake off the presence, but it certainly did kill the mood quite a bit. “Geez, we’re barely at the entrance and I can already tell this place is filthy.”

“You felt it too, hmh?” Bokor looked up at the building, his expression serious as if he were analyzing it despite not being able to see inside….then again, with the way his eyes glowed, it wouldn’t be too surprising to find out he could do that. “We are going to have a lot of work ahead of us..”

“Ancient spirits are so nasty compared to the ones who recently died. They fight back a lot more, don’t have intentions on leaving places, and don’t even start me on the ones that aren’t aware of modern social cues and ask for my gender.” Wildcard stuck out their tongue before pulling it back with a disgusted look on their face as if it tasted something bad. They covered their beak as the door opened. “Geez...I’m not going to relax until this is dealt with. Got a long day ahead of us…”

“I’ll set up a few safe rooms for us first. The kitchen, bathrooms, and where you sleep are always a priority for long-term living in haunted locations.” Bokor said while stepping inside and looking around. He spotted a stack of boxes and shipping crates a few feet from the door. “Those must be our supplies. I suppose I should be grateful they at least made it inside..”

“...it’s weird hearing that so officially. A ‘haunted’ location.” They held onto themselves, looking around the building as they spoke. “Everything I’ve ever done with spirits and ghosts was just accidental, or by happenstance. Before I met you, I never had to specifically be called on to do these types of jobs, to put myself into these kinds of situations.” Wildcard turned to look at Bokor. “Not that I mind at all, I’ve actually enjoyed getting to test my limits through this sort of thing. It’s just...an odd feeling. Getting to do this sort of thing properly.”

“You get used to it after a while, I suppose.” Bokor patted them lightly on the back with a quiet chuckle before going to inspect the boxes. “I have about thirty years of experience, so it is a bit more ‘normal’ for me.”

Wildcard simply gave a small laugh. “Trust me when I say I lost all meaning of the word ‘normal’ since the day I was born.” They walked over, peering in. “Sooo, what did you end up getting?”

“Some food, the sleeping bags, and toiletries.” He explained while checking and sorting the boxes, making a stack of what he just listed. “The rest are tools and materials for my rituals.” The next set of boxes he opened and organized contained a wide assortment of items: Bottles of dried flowers, herbs, and other dehydrated plants. Still living plants in small pots ranging from basic flowers and herbs to small shrubs and baby trees. Swatches and rolls of fabric along with spools of thread and twine in an assortment of colors. Some tools like a mortar and pestle, some knives, canisters of petrol, and boxes of matches. More morbid items such as jars of ashes or bags of bones marked with pictures of different animals. And, most oddly of all, a pair of domesticated black chickens- one rooster and one hen- in a crate with some chicken feed.

The shrike’s beak twitched even thinking what those could be used for. “Well, I’m glad that you’ve got your toys for the job. All I can do on my end is say I’ll be ready when you need me, Bokor Baron.” Wildcard gave a bow, as if a servant to their partner.

Bokor looked back at them and chuckled, amused by their little show. “I am sure your assistance will make a world of difference, mes chéries. After all, I usually have to prepare everything myself, and now I have you here. While I may not be able to teach you my own style of magic- the loa I pray to can be volatile to my own people that they’re related to, but they’re even worse when outsiders try to deal with them- having an extra pair of hands to help make charms, prepare materials, and handle other important steps will take a lot of pressure off of me.”

That, at least, seemed to make Wildcard relax more. The very idea that they were considered useful to someone else made them smile brightly. “Just talk me through the steps and I’ll do whatever you ask.” A faint memory rang through Wildcard’s head that made them giggle. “I live to serve.”

Grinning at his partner’s antics, Bokor shook his head and picked up several of the large boxes and crates with ease (mostly the ones containing plants and food). “Well then, you can ‘serve‘ me by helping me find the kitchen. I want to get these taken care of before they spoil.”

“Oh, right away, your royal highness.” Wildcard turned with a flourish, proudly walking down the hallway as they peered into the empty rooms. The outpost itself was a decent place, but it was clear the agents stationed here left in quite a hurry. “Wonder if any rations survived the time here?” They wondered out loud. “I can’t say I’m not used to eating canned foods and non-perishables. That’s all I got when I was on guard duty.”

“I refuse to eat that slop unless it’s an emergency.” Bokor’s face scrunched up in disgust at the thought. “I have endured that too many times already.”

"Desperate times and all that. I could only actually cook a few meals when I had actual ingredients." Wildcard looked over at him before looking away again, twirling their long feathers. "Maybe someday I could make something for us. If we get the chance, that is."

Bokor noted the shrike’s adorable behavior with a smile on his face. He wouldn’t dare say something and risk alerting them to how cute they were being, for fear of putting an end to it, but he’d certainly enjoy it in secret when they weren’t looking. “I think we will have plenty of chances, petites. I made sure to order lots of fresh ingredients.” He lifted the large boxes of food he was carrying in one arm with a proud smile on his face. “And I am no slouch in the kitchen, either.”

"I'm counting on that then. Just you and me…" Another chill went down Wildcard's spine, breaking the mood. "...or at least it's going to be real soon." They warned any spirit listening.

Bokor glanced around, taking mental note of any particularly strong or dark energies he sensed nearby. “I believe a proper smudging is in order when we find the kitchen- it will lure out the weaker ones and drive out their stench.” He made it clear to any spirits listening that this was meant as both an insult and a very clear threat.

Wildcard shuddered again, holding their arms once more. They were very used to cold temperatures but something about this place felt colder than the former northern base of FOWL. "Hey, Henri? In all your years of experience with this stuff, have you ever been possessed by another spirit?"

“Oh, plenty of times.” He answered as if it was the most casual thing in the world. “Accidentally a few times when I was younger and just starting out, but I learned to control it by the time I was thirteen. A big source of my power now comes from allowing spirits and loa I’ve formed contracts with to possess my body and lend me their strength. It can be dangerous sometimes..as I said, they can be volatile…sometimes they will refuse to give up control…sometimes they will try to hurt me or anyone nearby………..and sometimes they will even try to kill me and those around me…”

“Should I be worried?” They asked, peering into a room they could identify as a kitchen and gesturing Bokor to follow them in. “When you’re possessed- should I be worried that they want to hurt you?”

Bokor obeyed their unspoken command and followed his partner’s lead. “I would say to worry about yourself first, mes chéries. I can protect myself from harm easily, but I would hate to regain control and find out that I hurt you...or worse…” He set the boxes down once they were both in the kitchen and took a moment to think. There was a pensive, almost hesitant look on his face as he mulled something over in his mind. Eventually, he came to a conclusion for whatever mental debate he had been having with himself and reached into his pouch, pulling out a small but stiff, protective bag of dried and preserved five-pointed leaves- each one covered in different runes and symbols. “Here, hold onto these.” He handed the bag to the shrike carefully. “If it ever looks like I might hurt you or myself, take one of these and place it on my forehead.”

Wildcard took the bag with utmost care, looking between it and his partner. “And if I do that, you won’t be hurt?” Their eyes seem pleading, as if already upset by the notion of harming him. “Can you promise me you’ll try to not get hurt?”

Red eyes glanced away, not sure if he could say no when looking at the other bird’s pleading expression. “I...will do my best...but it would be best to use those as a last resort..” He was doing his best to pick his words carefully- he didn’t want to cause his partner any more stress over this. “This method is not ideal for me. It leaves me weak and vulnerable for a while...I become tired, lethargic, and have to rely on my charms and tools because my magic won’t work in that state...in all honesty, I normally would not give these to someone else because it would put me at such a disadvantage if they tried to kill me...but…” Mustering up the courage to meet his partner’s eyes again, Bokor looked back down at them with a trace of sincerity and vulnerability slipping into his normally-guarded gaze. “I...I trust that you would not do that to me…”

The shrike’s eyes changed from worried to...something else. Wonder? Surprise? It was hard to put into words. All they could do was delicately keep the leaves close to their chest as they processed the meaning of them. “...I’ll do my best.” They said quietly, placing the bag down on a nearby countertop in favor of wrapping their arms around Bokor. “I promise if it comes to that, I will protect you from harm. I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you.”

To say Bokor was surprised by the sudden embrace would be an understatement….but..well, it certainly wasn’t an unpleasant surprise, by any means. After taking a moment to process things himself, his large arms gently wrapped themselves around his partner. “Merci infiniment, mes chéries.”

Wildcard gave a small hum in acknowledgement, letting themself enjoy their partner’s warmth. They glanced to the floor as they enjoyed their moment before spotting a small, writhing spirit-like creature crawling near them like a bug. They stomped their foot down on it, hearing the telltale shriek before it faded away as if it was never there to begin with. Regrettably, Wildcard pulled away from their embrace. “Right. More talk later, for now we should get going or we won’t be able to deal with everything before nightfall. And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how hard it’ll be being in a building of ghosts at night.”

“Right..” Bokor looked just as frustrated as his partner at the interruption and returned his focus to the boxes he’d brought in with him. “Let’s start with smudging the room- that should draw out anything else hiding in here.” Rifling through the supplies, he soon pulled out a few small sticks, some leaves and blades of grass, a jar of some crushed and powdered green plant, some twine, and a thin roll of cloth. Setting everything down on one of the counters, he started arranging everything within the cloth in a certain order that he seemed all too familiar with.

Since Wildcard didn’t know how to help him with these things, they focused on simply opening some of the cupboards and finding more of the small insect creatures to squash. They grabbed a spatula from a drawer and used it to whack at whatever they could spot while Bokor kept going with his preparations. At one point they ended up killing a regular fly accidentally, though they supposed it wasn’t a big loss.

Soon Bokor had finished arranging everything in the cloth and rolled it into a shape similar to a burrito. He grabbed some twine and used it to both tie the parcel shut and secure a small seashell to it near the end. Once he finished, he looked around and saw the opened cupboards. “You have good instincts, petites- opening every door and cupboard in the room is the first step for a smudging ceremony.”

“Yeah? Well, I’ve never been a fan of pests.” Their foot slammed down to emphasize their point, exhaling a breath of mild exhaustion. “It’s all yours then. I believe in you.” Wildcard stood in relative proximity, though kept their distance to let Bokor do his thing. They watched in interest, still holding their spatula weapon in preparation.

Bokor opened the rest of the cabinets and cupboards, making sure all doors in the room were open. After that was done, he quickly unplugged or removed the batteries from every electrical device in the room (including the smoke detector) that he could get to and turned off the lights. Though it was dark, the subtle red glow from his eyes made it easy to tell where he was and where he was looking- this became even easier when he pulled a matchbook from his pouch and lit one of the sticks long enough to set the end of the cloth bundle furthest from the shell on fire.

“Light one if you need to see, but do not turn the lights back on until I have finished.” Bokor said while tossing the matchbook to his partner. With his preparations done, he took his place in one corner of the room and began muttering silent prayers while allowing the flames on the bundle to burn the cloth-end away and reach the materials inside, producing a fragrant smoke that smelled of cedar, sage, tobacco, and something sweet but earthy. He then started slowly walking around the room clockwise, always making sure his left side was near the wall, and gently wafted the smoke around using movements from his free hand that synced up rhythmically with his prayers.

Even in the darkness, the whole thing fascinated Wildcard to watch. They sat up on a counter, idly letting their legs swing as they waited. They wondered how long it took Bokor to master his craft, and what types of people could have taught him to do these sorts of things. Even if in the end it doesn’t matter, Wildcard felt like learning more about their partner someday. They wanted to know him more.

Bokor focused on his prayers and wafting the smoke around the room, not reacting to his partner’s staring in the slightest with how focused he was on the task at hand...in fact, he seemed a little too focused at times..almost as if he were in a trance. This seemed to be common for him once he started one of his rituals; even during their first night together, when he was capturing the spirit that Wildcard had caught and controlled, the prayers he spoke so rhythmically had taken so much of his focus that he didn’t even realize his partner’s strained condition or react to them until he was finished.

This time seemed no different- his eyes becoming half-lidded and hazy as he repeated his prayers over and over again. Even as the doors and cupboards began to shudder, shake, and open & close at random, he paid them no mind. By the time he’d made it halfway around the room, many smaller spirits had begun to make themselves known either by shrieking as if they were burned and crawling out from their hiding places or falling out of the various cabinets and cupboards to wander around frantically for somewhere else to hide.

Deciding that they wanted to do something to be useful, Wildcard hopped off of the counter and went to deal with the ones they could catch. Simple, forceful whacks at the things they could see in the darkness, relying on sound more than sight. It wasn’t perfect however, as one small creature decided to jump straight onto Wildcard’s face, causing them to shriek in surprise. “You little-!” They hissed out before crushing it in their hand and shaking it off.

Bokor, oblivious to his partner’s plight, continued his ritual undisturbed by the shrieking and writhing spirits being crushed around him. By the time he finished his loop around the room and filled the kitchen with smoke, the bundle in his hand had burnt away to the point where the flames had reached the shell at the end. As the flames and smoke made contact with the shell, it glowed a deep red color and the smoke around the room shimmered with the same hue. The smoke began to twist and move as if it were alive and ensnared any spirits it came in contact with, pulling them all towards the center of the room.

Wildcard shifted and crawled backwards away from it, worried what might happen if they touched it themself. It was odd, suddenly they felt just as helpless as the dying spirits. They kept their eyes focused on the smoke, keeping themself out of harm’s way. As they did, a familiar and painful phrase echoed through their mind.

“It would be better if you just weren’t around here.”

They kept themself closed off, holding onto themself until things were over again. Focusing on their breathing and ignoring the sounds around them as they sat in the near darkness.

Once all of the spirits were gathered in the center of the room and what was left of the cloth bundle had burned down to the base, Bokor reached into his pouch and pulled out a small jar. With one hand he popped the jar open while the other moved in a swirling pattern. The smoke reacted to his movements almost instantly, gathering and condensing into a thick ball along with the ensnared spirits before following a sharp gesture that guided it all into the waiting jar. He quickly closed the lid to the jar as soon as the last bit of smoke entered it, closing his eyes as well and ending his prayers.

When he opened them again, the look in his eyes was back to normal as he checked for any traces of either leftover smoke or spirits. Seeing none, he found the lightswitch and illuminated the kitchen once more. “Bien, looks like that got all-” Bokor stopped mid-sentence when he spotted his partner and the state they were in. “Petities..?” He hurried to their side, looking them over with a concerned expression. “Are you alright, mes petites chéries? Were you hurt?”

With the lights back on, Wildcard managed to snap themself out of their state of mind. They looked up at Bokor, finally seeing his familiar gaze. “I-I’m alright, honest. Just got a little spooked by some of the stray spirits, they can get a little desperate wanting to live, you know?” They weakly joke, uncurling themself from the ball they were in and moving to stand up again. “Looks like you managed to clear everything out, that’s good. Means we can relax a little bit here now.”

Bokor, still not looking convinced that everything was alright, tried to think of something he could do to help improve his partner’s spirits- Oh...that gave him an idea.. “For the moment, yes….but new spirits can creep in if we do not take preventative measures.” He walked back over to the crate of fresh plants and pulled several of the smaller potted ones out, holding a couple of them out towards Wildcard. “Would you mind helping me secure the room? These need to be placed as close to each corner of the kitchen as possible.” While he wasn’t sure if it would help, he at least wanted to try making his partner feel useful and distracting them from whatever was bothering them.

Wildcard looked at the small plants with interest, putting down their spatula and taking them in hand. “Sure thing...these are cute in their own right.” They smiled, turning to look for a corner to place the pots.

“Though not as cute as you, mes petites chéries.” He teased with a playful wink before placing the jar of captured spirits on a counter and pulling what looked like a stick of homemade black chalk out of his pouch. Entrusting the plants to his partner, Bokor directed his attention towards the task of drawing intricate runes and symbols along each of the walls, the floor (making sure to place them in areas where they wouldn’t be stepped on easily), and even using his height to his advantage by standing on top of an empty counter to draw some on the ceiling.

Satisfied with their task, Wildcard craned their head back to look at Bokor. “I can only assume you leave the hapless fools that return to this place to deal with the mess later, and not expect me to try and get a mop up there when we’re done.” They laughed at the idea.

Bokor chuckled as he finished his scrawling on the ceiling. “While that would be entertaining to watch, we are not janitors. If they want this place clean, then they can clean it themselves.” He stepped down from the counter with a smirk. “Besides, it’s fun freaking them out and telling them it’s dangerous to remove the runes or plants too soon.”

“You can be such a jerk. I love it.” Wildcard continued to laugh, wiping a small tear from the corner of their eye. “Well, since this room is secured, can I get you anything? A drink or snack or something?”

Bokor looked at the boxes of food he’d brought in. “We should probably put those away, first- no telling how long they were left at the door. It also would not hurt to see how much they left us to work wi-” He went to the fridge and started to open it, but the instant he saw inside he reeled back with a look of disgust & horror on his face and slammed the door shut like something might jump out at him. “Fils de pute! Quelques semaines, mon cul! Répugnant!!”

“I take it no one bothered to clear out the fridge before leaving?” They shook their head, reaching into their pocket to pull out a scarf and gloves they kept on them and tied the scarf around their beak. “I may not be a janitor, but I’m used to cleaning after others. Even learned from Ammonia Pine herself. Stand back, I’ll clear it out.”

Bokor gladly backed away from the fridge, one hand over his beak as if trying not to be sick all over the recently cleansed kitchen. “Merci, petites...ugh….I cannot stand people leaving that sort of mess...disgusting…”

Before opening the fridge door, Wildcard looked at Bokor. They stepped over to a cupboard they opened, pulling out a medical kit they spotted earlier and pulled out a small bottle to which they carried over to their partner. “Here, it’s rubbing alcohol. If you feel nauseous, sniff it carefully and you’ll snap out of it. If it’s more like you feel you’re going to be sick and throw up instead, start humming.”

Bokor took the bottle with a small, grateful smile. “Is first aid another one of your skills, mes petites? If so, I think I might need to get sick so I can have such a lovely nurse taking care of me.” He laughed quietly, trying to distract himself and recover some of his lost pride from his earlier reaction rather than just flirt this time.

“I’ll have to rent a costume for the occasion.” They rolled their eyes and gently pushed Bokor away from the fridge area for his own sake before pulling a trash can over and getting to work. “No, honestly reading medical manuels was one of the time killers I had working up north. Paid off whenever I had to take care of myself alone.”

“That is certainly a handy skill to have in your arsenal.” After taking a few breaths to steady himself, Bokor started sorting through the food in the boxes to get everything ready by the time Wildcard finished- just because he couldn’t stomach going near a filthy fridge of moldy food didn’t give him an excuse to sit around and let his partner shoulder the workload, after all.

As tempting as it was to give Bokor a play by play of every furry, blue or otherwise completely disgusting item pulled out from the fridge, Wildcard decided to be merciful and quietly and quickly worked to clear it all out. The freezer would be fine, they noted, but once they emptied the fridge’s contents into a tied up garbage bag, they looked under the sink for more cleaning equipment to wipe things down.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, they did leave us a few cases of beer here. I’d think those will have lasted.” Wildcard said as they went to scrub. “Should just be another moment, dear.”

Bokor, distracted by his own task, almost didn’t notice the pet name….almost. “Bien. I should be-” Once his brain caught up to what was said, he stopped for a moment to look at his partner. “What was that last part..?”

“Hm?” They looked out from the fridge, tugging down their scarf in case they were muffled. “I said I’ll just be a moment.”

“No, after that.” Bokor smirked, feeling more confident now that he had a moment to process what he’d heard. “You said something that started with a ‘d’ and ended with an ‘ear’, mes petites chéries.”

“...where did you hear me say ‘disappear’?” Wildcard looked positively puzzled, tilting their head slightly. “I don’t want you to leave or anything like that.”

“You- no, you d-” Bokor had to take a moment to collect himself. Was his partner being serious right now, or were they just that good at lying with a straight face? He honestly couldn’t tell… “You said ‘dear’, chéries- ‘Should just be another moment, dear’.”

“Did I?” They thought it over. “Huh, maybe I did. Sorry about that, must’ve been a slip of the tongue.” Wildcard stood up, finished with their work and went to wash their gloves in the sink. “Though in my defense, you call me petites, chéries, and all sorts of other nicknames on a daily basis.”

“I never said I disliked it.” The hawk was quick to add, not wanting his partner to think he had any problem with it. Quite the opposite, actually- he really enjoyed it. Maybe a little more than he should have, if he were being honest with himself…

“Well, I’ll try to pay more attention to what I call you.” They shook off a bit of the water dripping from their hands before looking Bokor dead in the eye and simply drying their hands off on his shirt with a smirk.

The shrike’s bold action caught Bokor completely off-guard, leaving him sputtering in disbelief for a moment. “Wh-? You-! I-!” He eventually just started laughing- a much louder, brighter one than the usual quiet chuckles he’d leave rumbling in his chest. “You...You are truly one of a kind, mes chéries...but that’s what I love about you..”

While his laughter made Wildcard smile, his words made their head shoot up to look at him. Their face turned red as they let those words cycle in their mind, gray hands shaking a bit before they turned away entirely. “W-Well! We- uh- w-we don’t have all day! Unless you want to sleep in the kitchen, we should try and clear out some more rooms and, uh…” They trailed off, unsure what to even say.

Bokor, still in a good mood from the smaller bird’s antics, failed to notice their suddenly flustered state and simply patted them on the back. “Do not worry, petites, we will get the bathroom and our ‘bedroom’ cleared before nightfall.” He quickly put the food in the now-clean fridge, humming to himself as he organized everything to his liking.

Hearing the phrase ‘our bedroom’ so soon after hearing the flirtatious man compliment them so fondly made Wildcard all the more flustered. They tried to shake whatever thoughts came to mind and smacked their cheeks to focus. “Grand secousse… I’m going to scout ahead. I’ll try and find a room and bathroom near here for us to use, then come back.” Wildcard didn’t wait for a reply and simply darted out of the kitchen down the hall.

Bokor looked back at them over his shoulder as they left. He was confused by their sudden shift in mood, but didn’t get the chance to say anything before they left. His partner certainly was an odd one….but, like he said, he liked that about them, so he shrugged it off and quickly finished filling the fridge and cupboards with food.

Wildcard tried to calm themselves down, trying not to be completely awkward over the ordeal. They hadn’t heard people say they liked them much- let alone loved things about them. That coupled with some sparks of affection Wildcard had towards their partner made it all be...a handful for them.

“Keep it together, keep it together…” They warned themself, fanning their heated face as they looked around the rooms. Thankfully, they hadn’t seen any vicious or relatively strong spirits in the outpost yet, just more of the small ones like in the kitchen. Poking their head into one room, it seemed to be the staff lounge, with an ensuite bathroom and some couches in the corner. “Okay...okay this will be good.”

Deciding this, Wildcard turned to go back, only to come face to face with a drooling spiritual monster. They screamed out of pure shock more than anything, instinctively jumping backwards and punching through the spector’s face.

Bokor heard the scream right as he was finishing with the food and his head shot up, barely missing the top of the fridge in the process. “Wildcard?!” He ran towards the sound of their voice without hesitation (thankfully the momentum he gathered made the fridge shut behind him, because that was the last thing on his mind at the moment), snatching the bag of leaves they left on the counter along the way just in case things turned dire.

Thankfully, by the time Bokor arrived, he was met with a comical sight.

“You stupid, disgusting, son of a-!” Wildcard was cursing like a sailor as they controlled the spirit that spooked them and threw it around every wall in frustration. It was clear from their red face that they felt some form of embarrassment and were dealing out the emotion through spiritual violence.

Once they realized that Bokor was around, Wildcard grimaced and finished the spirit off by smacking it down hard against the floor repeatedly until it faded away from existence. They breathed heavily as they worked to catch their breath again. “...I was startled. I hate jumpscares.” They quietly explained.

Bokor had been prepared for any number of possibilities when he heard his partner’s startled scream earlier: A fight against a dangerous spirit. A greedy ghost trying to possess them. Even the worrying possibility of them being injured.

Seeing the shrike brutally pummel the specter so flawlessly was not something he’d immediately thought of, but it was quite a sight. All he could do once it was finished was stare at them for a moment and breathe a quiet, almost awestruck “incroyables” before shaking himself out of his daze and finally walking up to them. “Are you okay, mes chéries?”

“Yeah, I’m alright…” Taking a deep breath, Wildcard relaxed. “Sorry for worrying you like that. But I did find a room for us to use. You think this works?” They hooked a thumb behind them to indicate the breakroom, acting as casual as ever despite their earlier display.

Bokor opened the door to the breakroom and looked inside. “This is perfect, petites- an excellent find. Plus, we can save time by clearing out two rooms at once.” He turned back to them with a smile. “You really are something else. Having you here is making this go so much more smoothly than my other jobs.”

That made Wildcard smile, and twirl some of their black feathers. “Well...I like helping you. So...I’m just glad you want me around in the first place, you know? It’s nice being useful...”

“You are extremely useful, mes chéries.” One large hand settled gently on the smaller bird’s shoulder, a genuine smile on the taller one’s beak. “I have had many partners since I joined FOWL, but none of them were of your caliber. Normally, I have to do most of the work myself and re-clear a room because they’ve run off somewhere before I was done sealing it or gotten attacked by some low-level spirit that was out of their league. You have already proven yourself to be stronger, braver, and infinitely more useful than all of them put together.”

They looked at him warmly, a small hand resting over top of Bokor’s and stroking the back of it with their thumb. “You’re certainly the first person to tell me that sort of thing...thank you, Henri. I’m glad to have met you.”

“As am I, mes chéries.” He gently took their hand and leaned down to give it a kiss before opening the door to the breakroom for them. “Now, let’s prepare our room, shall we?”

Wildcard nodded, allowing themself a moment to calm their fluttering heartbeat before following in. “You know, if there’s a lot more ghosts like that drooling disgusting bastard earlier, I might have to ask you to make me some sort of spiritual flamethrower so I can just decimate them. Even an amplified baseball bat would be nice- I just want to destroy them.” They punched at the air as emphasis.

Bokor grinned and chuckled at the imagery. “With the right plants and tools, I think I could make that happen.” He started opening any doors in the room and unplugging any easily accessible electronics. “If nothing else, the baseball bat could work if we found one made from cedar.”

“I’ll put that on my birthday wishlist then.” They smirked, going to open some cupboards themself to help out. To their immense annoyance though, some of the handles were just slightly out of their reach, leaving them to hop on the tips of their feet to try and reach them.

Bokor noticed this and walked over with a quiet chuckle. “Having trouble, mes petites?”

“Shut up, not everyone is born a skyscraper, you know.” Wildcard managed to get the last tall cupboard open, turning to look at Bokor with a mild glare and their hands on their hips. “I can handle myself from down here just fine.”

“Never said you could not, petites.” He said with an amused grin and a wink. “But, for the record, I do not mind helping you reach some of them.”

“Yeah, I know, I just figured I’d do them anyway.” They huffed, clearly not actually upset and relaxing more. Realizing the room was in a similar state as the kitchen now they glanced away. “So uh...you’re going to do what you did before right? With the smoke?”

“Smudging.” He answered. “And yes, I just need the supplies from the kitchen.”

“In that case, maybe we could divide and conquer.” Wildcard looked around at the smaller spirits lurking. “Despite the reports, this main floor seems relatively easy in terms of the ghosts. If I went off to deal with some of the ones hanging around the rest of the floor while you did your smudging here, then we’ll both be making progress and can take on the second floor together. I feel like that’ll help us with time and energy.”

Bokor seemed hesitant at the suggestion, but thought it over and eventually nodded. “Okay…but call me if you need anything or if anything worse shows up.”

“Don’t worry, you’ve already proven that you'll come to me like a knight in shining armor if I call out.” Smiling fondly, Wildcard stepped forward and rested their head against Bokor’s chest, hearing a faint heartbeat. “Be safe while I’m gone.”

The rhythmic thrumming in his chest picked up a bit when the shrike laid their head on him, but Bokor tried to keep his voice even as he placed a hand on their back gently. “You as well, mes petites chéries.”

“I will. Promise.” They replied quietly before pulling themself away. They had a slight skip in their step as they left the room. “Try not to miss me too much! And don’t let me have all the fun either!”

Bokor chuckled quietly and called after them. “Hey, save some fun for me!” He shook his head but the smile on his face never faded as he went back to gather the necessary materials and start the ritual.

Time went on, with both agents set on doing what they were tasked with doing. Bokor performed the smudging with no issues while Wildcard ran around the base wrecking any spirit in sight, even using a big one to swallow the smaller ones in the process. It felt like a twisted game in a way, one that Wildcard was happy to be winning at.

They kept to their word and didn’t go to the higher floors where they felt stronger presences lurking, likely the soldier spirits that were released all that time before. They weren’t some foolish overconfident fighter, they knew their limitations and knew they’d need their partner for them to successfully handle that floor. But the notion did excite them, after all, the sooner the base was cleared, the sooner the pair could enjoy their vacation. For now though, they regrouped back with Bokor in the break room, bringing their own bag in and holding out some water bottles.

“Here, drink up.” They offered one bottle to him before taking a swig of their own. “Hah...I don’t know much about your practices, but I can only imagine it can take a lot out of you. I wouldn’t want you dehydrated.”

Bokor managed to finish the smudging as well as get the runes and symbols drawn across every wall of the room by the time Wildcard returned. As he finished placing the last of the potted plants in the corners, he looked at his partner with a grateful smile. “Merci, mes chéries.” He took the bottle and quickly gulped down half of it with a satisfied sigh. “This work can be taxing on me…especially all of the smoke- that will dry out your throat quickly if you're not careful.”

"I can imagine…" Wildcard looked to be in thought before reaching into their bag and bringing out the chocolate bar they bought for Bokor earlier. "This was going to be for after we were done, but you could use the sugar boost. These are the ones you like, right?"

Bokor was surprised at first, but soon took it with a smile. “You have a good memory, mes chéries.”

"I try to pay attention when I can, though I think you give me too much credit." They softly laughed with a blush, going to sit on a nearby couch for a short break.

Bokor sat heavily on another couch, easily taking up half of it. “So,” He started while unwrapping his chocolate bar and taking a bite. “How does the rest of this floor look?”

"Pretty good, didn't seem to have any problems yet. I mostly just cleared out whatever I saw, but none of them were worse than that one I encountered earlier." Wildcard pointed up. "Upstairs is where things will get a little risky I'd think. Likely where the source of it all is, the boss level if you will."

He nodded in agreement while taking another bite. “Just what I was thinking. I feel a lot of strong energy up there...not surprising since most spirits tend to linger in either the highest or lowest point of a building, depending on what type they are.”

“Makes sense.” They tapped at their water bottle, thinking things over. “I’ll admit, I don’t exactly have a lot of experience fighting ancient spirits. I’ve only really dealt with recently dead ones in my life, anything else I simply ignored. Not much point telling someone about it when you’re the only one who sees them, and most of the time they weren’t doing anything anyway. So, I’m not sure how things will go for me up there, but I’ll try to not get in your way and do my best to hold my own.”

“I have confidence in your skills, mes chéries, you have a very strong spirit and that will serve you well.” He finished his chocolate bar and tossed the wrapper in a wastebasket across the room. Afterwards, he took a moment to think before looking back at them again. “I do not usually do this...but..it might be best for me to explain some of my rituals and practices to you. If you know what to expect, then that might make it easier for you to know what to do and plan around it...and, if you feel comfortable with it, having an extra pair of hands to help get things ready would make everything a lot easier for me when a stronger spirit shows up.” As an afterthought, he quickly held a hand up in a pacifying gesture. “But, again, it’s only if you feel comfortable helping with it and want to help- I won’t hold it against you if you don’t. I know my practices can be…..unsettling, for some…” Red eyes glanced away as he finished his statement.

Although he didn’t say it outright, it was clear from the look in his eyes and his body language that most would have (and probably had) turned down his offer for this very reason: People found his rituals, charms, prayers- his practices in general- to be unsettling and maybe even a bit creepy. Given what the shrike had seen so far, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to believe that others would be bothered by it but the treatment had clearly left a mark on Bokor, even if he tried to hide it.

While Bokor was looking away, Wildcard got up to sit on the couch just next to him. They looked up at him with focus and attention. “You’re not unsettling to me. Any fear I have just comes from ignorance and worrying about you. I want to know more so I can get past that, and be a better partner for you.” There was no trace of doubt in their eyes, no sign of lies.

Bokor was surprised when he felt the weight shift on the couch and looked down to meet the other’s eyes. The conviction and honesty they showed was certainly a surprise...but, it was a pleasant one. The subtle traces of anxiety and worry left his expression and a small but grateful smile took their place with ease. “Merci infiniment, mes chéries.” He took their hand in his and gave it a light squeeze to express his gratitude without overstepping any boundaries.

Smiling, Wildcard moved to lean against the man comfortably. “Talk me through it. I’m listening.” They reassured as they gave a light squeeze back.

Bokor settled in comfortably, a fond smile on his face as he started his long and detailed explanation. He gave vivid descriptions of everything he could think of- from the rituals he performed and the ghosts they worked best on, to the charms and tools he used and why certain materials or patterns were necessary for them to work properly. He even told them of the different healing arts he’d studied and what kinds of salves, potions, and elixirs he could make, as well as what he usually carried on him. It was clear from the animated movements he made and the gleam in his eyes that he’d spent most of his life studying and perfecting his craft because it was something he was truly passionate about.

Wildcard watched him go with fond amusement. He seemed so lively all at once that the joy felt contagious. They felt at ease, just listening to Bokor ramble on about topics for far longer than either anticipated while their hand moved to idly trace circles along their partner’s shirt. Something about his warmth made Wildcard happy just sitting there next to him.

If Bokor noticed the other’s idle touching, he chose not to comment on it. Instead, he continued with his explanations and let the arm closest to his partner rest along their shoulders and back comfortably.

It was a bit odd for him, personally: Normally, he’d do such a gesture on purpose as a gateway to more physical contact with less than pure motives in mind…...now, however, with Wildcard, he did it simply because he felt comfortable with them and enjoyed the contact as it was. Having someone he could talk to so openly about his voodoo and hoodoo practices, as well as someone whose company and contact he genuinely enjoyed, was a very new experience for him, but one he quickly found himself enjoying more than he ever thought he would.

At one point, Wildcard’s gaze drifted over to the clock on the wall, and their smile faded away with realization. “Oh... it’s gotten late already. I didn’t even notice the time pass.” They said that, but they didn’t seem to make any effort to move quite yet. “I suppose we should go put some of your skills to work now, huh?”

Bokor finally looked at the clock as well, feeling a bit disappointed at the thought of getting up and losing the physical contact he had with the small shrike. “Oh...I guess…” He quickly cleared his throat, trying to cover up the disappointed tone that had slipped into his voice. “I mean...we could, if you want to………...or we could spend the night prepping a few charms, have some dinner, and get an early start tomorrow..?” He wasn’t looking for excuses to stay on the couch and relax with his partner. Nope. Of course not. That would be ridiculous. He was just….being pragmatic! Yeah, that’s what he was doing! That was his story and he would stick to it with his dying breath if need be.

“Hmmm…” They thought it over, letting their eyes close and nuzzled against him. Wildcard really did feel comfortable here, and a bit tired from their work earlier. “...I suppose we could do that. We’re at least safe in the rooms we prepared after all.” They softly laughed, not used to simply ignoring work, but not finding it in them to complain about it.

Bokor’s expression brightened instantly when they agreed. “Exactly! No need to rush and exhaust ourselves, after all. Plus, this will save us time tomorrow by having the charms ready ahead of time- we will easily make up for any time lost tonight.”

“Yes, I’m positive that’s your only logic right now, Henri.” Wildcard teased before finally moving themself away. Not standing up, but at least sitting upright and stretching their arms up with a quiet whine. “Suppose the real question now is craft or dinner first?”

“Most of the plants we need are still in the kitchen, so we could start gathering everything and decide from there.” He suggested, reluctantly moving his arm off of them so they had freedom to stretch as they needed.

“Mmm, sounds good.” As the finished, Wildcard stood up, turning to boop at Bokor’s beak with a finger. “Come on then, can’t have us falling asleep on the couch like this. Maybe later we can get drunk and rest then.”

Bokor chuckled quietly and stood as well, stretching his arms above his head. “I doubt there’s enough alcohol here to get me drunk, but it would be fun to see how many drinks it takes to have you falling over yourself, petites.” He booped them back, a playful smirk on his face.

“You don’t know- maybe one of my hidden talents is a strong immunity to alcohol.” Wildcard giggled playfully.

“We shall see.” He elbowed them very lightly on the way out of the room. “Though, if you manage to drink ME under the table, then that goes beyond talent- you would have to be immortal….which, at this point, I think I could believe with how amazing you are.” He held the door for them with a wink, letting them leave first.

Wildcard placed a hand to their chest in an overly dramatic way, giving a short curtsy before going out of the doorway. “My, what a gentleman...surprised some lucky person hasn’t swept you off your feet already.”

“Oh, plenty have tried.” Bokor followed them out, having to lean down to get through the doorway without hitting his head. “But none of them were up to my standards.”

"Is that right? Aren't you mister popular then." They tried to keep the bitterness out of their voice at the idea. Bitterness that shortly turned to souring their mood and left them shaking it off.

Bokor merely shrugged as he walked with them. “I have no interest in weak-willed people who fall for me simply because of a charm. Plenty of people have asked me out under its influence, but their feelings are artificial. The charm is handy for getting what I want, but it also shows who is really worth my time and who is not.” He sighed and shook his head with a slight frown. “Unfortunately, everyone else who has shown immunity to it has either been some sort of immortal creature who found me ‘interesting for a mortal’- and I do not like essentially being seen as one of those extra intelligent pets that people record for entertainment- or they outright detest me. It is….rare for someone to genuinely enjoy my company without looking down on me…”

The small scowl they had before left their face entirely, feeling a bit of shame for being envious of something that clearly bothered Bokor. “...well, take it from someone who has never had anyone interested in them romantically; it’ll hopefully happen someday.” Wildcard weakly laughed. “You’re a wonderful person to be around in my opinion...you’ll find someone you’ll like too, I know it. You’ll find your equal.”

Bokor’s frown lifted into a small smile when he heard that, looking back down at his partner. “Merci, mes chéries. I...hope you are right..” He placed his hand on their shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “And, for what it’s worth, the fact that no one has asked you out already is a cosmic level tragedy. Clearly, you have not been around anyone with good taste so far. You are smart, talented, strong, and beautiful- anyone lucky enough to capture your heart would be the most fortunate person in the universe.” His observation ended with his hand sliding down their arm to their hand, gently grasping it, and bringing it up for a light kiss.

Wildcard stared at him, a faint blush on their face and almost looking like they could cry. “...you know, you’re the only person who has ever called me beautiful. And you actually make me believe it. So...thank you for that.” They bit their beak as if trying to keep from saying something else.

Bokor smiled more, a soft laugh in his voice. “I will say it as many times as you want until you can believe it yourself- you deserve it.”

They brought their hand back, dragging both down their face as they took a deep breath to calm themself more. “C-come on...we can’t just stand around here all day with you complimenting me like that. There’s more important things to do...”

“While I disagree with that,” One red eye winked at them before Bokor continued walking to the kitchen with them. “I will stop for now….but I can’t guarantee I won’t start again later.”

“Henri, you kill me…”

As they re-entered the kitchen, the decision on what to do first was made simply by hearing Wildcard’s stomach growl. Dinner first, charm construction afterwards. The pair looked through their supplies to try and decide what to make, with a teasing moment involving the shrike implying the fridge might still have disturbing things in it, only to reassure things were fine.

Bokor was less than thrilled with the idea of seeing more unnaturally fuzzy abominations in the fridge, but only shuddered a little before opening it and looking over their available ingredients. He began rattling off possible recipes for what he could make- some of it was simple diner food, some was classic French cuisine…and a surprisingly large amount of it was French-Creole or Cajun cuisine.

“I have to admit, I haven’t tried most of those things.” Wildcard’s eyes sparkled in wonder. “Would you be willing to make your favorite for me? I could help with preparing things with your instruction. I’m no Osprey, but I’m pretty alright with a knife.”

“Well, in my opinion, nothing beats a good old fashioned pot of jambalaya.” He decreed while gathering the necessary ingredients, but hesitated before touching the peppers. “How much heat can you handle, petites?”

“I can handle up until ghost peppers I think, been a long time since I challenged myself.” They gave a shrug with a smile. “What? I can handle intense flavors. And spice is my favorite.”

“Comment es-tu si merveilleux?” A quiet chuckle rumbled in his chest and he grabbed a few of the peppers at his disposal. “I’ll have to make it spicy, then- good creole food should always have some kick to it.”

“It’s nice that you have a lot of connection with your heritage like this.” Wildcard remarked, getting out some pots and rinsing them simply. “Where I’m from, one of our trademarks is eating snow with maple syrup. It’s as sweet as you imagine, but it’s surprisingly not bad.”

“Really? I have to say, I'm not used to seeing snow, let alone eating it.” Bokor grabbed a knife and cutting board, leaning over Wildcard easily to give them a quick rinse. “Maybe we can visit sometime and you could show me around.”

“I’d be happy to. Just try to wear something warm if we do.” Laughing, Wildcard leaned their head back against Bokor’s exposed chest from his low collar shirt. “Something tells me you don’t do too well in colder climates, my Henri.”

The “my Henri” certainly did not go unnoticed by the taller bird and it made something warm bloom within his chest, especially with the way their head rested against him. “I am not too worried...after all, if I get too cold, I’ll have you to help warm me up.”

“My, first you call me beautiful, now you say I’m hot. What am I supposed to get from that?” Still softly laughing, Wildcard moved away, ducking under Bokor’s arm to dry off the pots they were washing. They kept to their playful tone. “Careful, keep that up and I might get the wrong idea about our partnership.”

Bokor prepared to say something back- something playful and flirtatious that would likely make the shrike laugh or roll their eyes and he would enjoy the reaction either way- but was stopped by an errant thought: Or maybe it would be the RIGHT idea.

The more he thought it over, sneaking little glances at his partner the whole time to see their smiling face and gauge how it made him feel, he realized that he wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea. Wildcard definitely met his requirements for a romantic partner- as he said earlier, they were smart, had a strong spirit, were talented, they seemed to like him, and he found them quite beautiful. On the other hand, though, he had noticed the negative reactions they tended to have when it came to his flirting with others, and he wasn’t sure if that was because they thought it was annoying, or, perhaps, there was a slim chance they were jeal-

“Merde!” He hissed when he felt a sudden stinging pain along his finger. Looking down, he noticed that he’d gotten careless while scrubbing the blade with his fingertips and accidentally cut his thumb. Quickly setting the knife and cutting board on the counter to avoid getting them dirty again, he grabbed a paper towel from a nearby roll and tried to staunch the bleeding.

Alarmed by the sudden sound, Wildcard’s eyes went straight to the injury. “Henri-!” They chose to skip over any instinctual nagging they felt like saying about how he should’ve been careful, deciding the situation right now was more important. Thankfully, the medical kit they found was still out on the side and they brought it closer as they gently held onto Bokor’s arms. “Come on, let me see that…”

“It...It’s just a scratch..” His attempts at reassuring them were easily undermined by the forced smile on his face and the rapidly spreading red color overtaking the white paper around his wound.

"Oh, come off it. You don't have to act tough around me, and I definitely don't want you to lie to me." Guiding his wrists over, Wildcard pulled away the stained paper and examined it. "Ouch. It didn't go too far, but I can imagine that would sting. It'll be alright though, we just have to clean it first."

Moving the other items out of the sink, Wildcard brought Bokor's injured thumb under the water, letting the blood run off it. Their gaze was focused, their own fingers gently massaging the large palm they held. Satisfied, they turned off the sink and searched the first aid kit for a simple disinfectant spray. "This will just sting for a moment." They warned before applying it.

A muffled grunt managed to make its way past his beak, but otherwise it stayed sealed to avoid letting out any further hissing or expletives like before. He was already embarrassed enough for being so careless, he wouldn’t make it worse by complaining or whimpering like a child.

"There, the worst of it is over." Still keeping care, Wildcard took a bandage and made sure to apply it in a way that wouldn't get in the way of where the thumb would move. "Oh, and one last thing-" Not leaving time to react, Wildcard quickly kissed at the bandage, laughing quietly as they did. "To help with the pain. It's not a superpower or charm or anything, just something comforting I suppose."

Bokor felt his face heat up and silently prayed that the flush stayed closer to the brown feathers where it would stand out less. Still, despite the flush of red across his face, he managed a smile. “I don’t know, mes chéries, you seem to be my luckiest charm lately.”

"If that really were the case, you wouldn't have gotten hurt at all." Still holding Bokor's hand gently in their own, Wildcard looked at him. "Are you alright?"

Bokor offered them a reassuring smile, a gentle squeeze of his hand around theirs accompanying it. “I’m fine, petites- I have had far worse than this.”

"I don't doubt it but…" They sighed, pulling away and closing the first aid kit. "If something is distracting you like that, I'd like to help how I can."

Darn it, now he felt guilty for making them worry… “It’s nothing important. My mind just…wanders sometimes.”

Wildcard looked at him, reaching up and brushing back some feathers from Bokor’s face. “Well...try not to wander too far or I won’t be able to find you, alright?” They managed a smile, turning away and going back to drying the pots.

Bokor looked down at the shrike with a soft, thoughtful expression. “Do not worry, mes petites chéries…I will always find my way back to you, I promise.” Trying not to think too much about it and risk working himself up again, he leaned down and gave the other bird a light kiss on the top of their head before drying off his own dishes so they could both get to work.

The kiss made Wildcard’s world shake, though they tried their best to not show it. Silently they went to focus on preparing their meal, occasionally talking to get things going. It was a positive side of their strong partnership that they didn’t stumble around one another in the kitchen and were easily able to sense each other’s presence. They could effortlessly work around each other and got the jambalaya to the point of stewing.

Wildcard stared into the pot as they stirred it, watching each bubble as they thought things over. They really felt more at home with Bokor than they’ve ever felt with anyone...and it scared them. It scared them to think of what that exactly meant.

Not too surprisingly, Bokor was going through a similar internal dilemma while making a quick and easy side of cornbread to go with their meal. He’d never had anyone he felt so comfortable working around...well, not since-

He quickly shook that train of thought away. Those traitors did not deserve to be in his thoughts. They’d all decided that he wasn’t worth keeping around and made him leave without a second thought, so he would show them the same courtesy. Just like everyone else in his life since then..

The thought of past relationships gone wrong in his life brought the hawk’s mood down more than a little bit and caused his train of thought to spiral somewhere dark and depressing. Wildcard liked him now, but how long would that last? Would they eventually tire of his antics? Decide that one ritual or practice was too creepy to tolerate? Tell him they needed a short break and make false promises for calls that never happened? Or would they grow to either fear and/or detest him to the point of making a subtle attempt on his life?

While he didn’t honestly believe the last one was a possibility- not with his sweet and caring partner who fretted over a cut from a kitchen knife- the others still felt like an all-too-possible reality looming in the horizon...one that he hoped to avoid as long as possible, but still an inevitability he feared may come to pass.

Sneaking a side-glance at the shrike as they stirred the stew on the stovetop, Bokor felt an odd mixture of calm joy and lingering sadness at the same time. If this time with his sweet chéries would eventually come to an end, then he’d try to enjoy it for as long as he could.

The silence had to be broken at some point, and it came when Wildcard stopped stirring. “I think I’ll lose my arm if I keep this up much longer.” They remarked, rotating their arm around. “It smells great though, you think we can eat soon?”

Hearing his partner’s voice brought Bokor out of his melancholy thoughts and he quickly poured the cornbread mix into the cast iron pan so he could put it in the oven before checking the jambalaya. “It’s almost ready.” He took a spoon and pulled out a small clump of rice to show them the texture. “We just need to wait for this to soften a little more- it should be finished by the time the cornbread is done.”

“Alright, that sounds good, my de-” Wildcard managed to stop themself that time and simply smiled. “Sounds good. Would you like to eat here or shall I get the table set up in the breakroom?”

Red eyes scanned the room, ignoring the almost-nickname that made him want to smile, and he eventually looked back down at them. “We should probably eat here: It will save us time when we start working on the charms.” He grabbed some paper towels and started cleaning off the counters so they’d have somewhere clean to eat. In doing so, he found the jar of smoke and spirits from earlier that he’d forgotten about in his haste to go check on Wildcard. “Ah...should probably also take care of this before it falls off the counter and undoes all our hard work..”

Wildcard looked at the jar with interest. “Wow...hardly seems like a lot when they’re all in there like this.” Carefully, they brought a finger up to tap at the glass, hearing the spirits moan and causing Wildcard to giggle. “Yeah, yeah, I know-” They copied one of the moaning sounds with surprising accuracy before laughing again.

Bokor couldn’t help laughing as well, giving the jar a slight shake to mess with the spirits further. “Is copying voices another of your amazing talents, petites?”

“It does come in handy, mon gratte-ciel haut.” Wildcard answered the question by replying in Bokor’s voice with a smirk. They cleared their throat before continuing in their own voice. “I’ve messed around with my fair share of people with mimicry. I’m only really able to do it with sounds I’ve heard a lot of or memorized.”

Bokor gave an impressed whistle when he heard the reply in his own voice. “You just keep amazing me, don’t you?” He chuckled quietly and reached into his pouch to retrieve the green bottle of spirits. “Pardon.” He said before starting a quiet chant and opening the bottle.

Just like before, the red entity began to form behind him and spread down his arms towards the bottle and jar in his grasp. As he chanted and prayed, he brought the jar and bottle closer together until they almost touched. He then popped the top off of the jar with his thumb and turned the jar upside down with its opening facing the mouth of the bottle. The entity spread down past his hands and formed a sort of funnel between the two openings, making sure nothing escaped as the spirits within were sucked down into the bottle.

As much as Wildcard didn’t want to look at the intimidating presence, they did. They stared hard at the red entity, focused on its looming and surrounding aura. A part of them almost wondered if they’d have any control on such a spirit, but the greater part of them didn’t want to risk hurting Bokor if they tried. So, they watched, and kept themself firmly standing as they did, as if warning the entity not to try anything.

Once the last of the spirits had been drained into the bottle and Bokor’s chanting had reached its end, the entity began to slowly withdraw and disappear. Just like before, Wildcard felt the faceless being looking at them intently. It almost felt like they were being studied…

It vanished by the time Bokor closed the bottle and blinked himself back to awareness. Quickly putting it away and pulling out the notebook in its place, he muttered to himself and counted on his fingers. “Between here and the other room..let’s see...they were small...so, that should be….ten..” He opened the notebook and flipped to the middle, adding ten tally marks to the page.

Wildcard exhaled by the time things had gone back to normal before looking over at him in confusion. “What are you up to there?”

“Keeping track.” Bokor said as he finished the tally marks. “I have to write them down before I forget..”

“Why? I thought that High Command doesn’t care about that sort of thing?” They looked at the notebook, seeing just how many tally marks were scrawled upon the page and how far into the book Bokor was. “Is there a limit of how much you have to carry or something?”

“No, it’s…” He paused for a moment, debating if he should tell them or not. Would they understand it or just think he was making it up? They’d believed him so far.. “It’s...my tribute counter.” Flipping back through several pages of tally marks, he eventually reached a page closer to the beginning where some of them had been scrawled over as if to mark them off the list. “The power I wield comes with a price that must be paid to the loa I formed a contract with. I think of it as a ‘landlord agreement’- he is willing to grant me his power, but I must repay him with either one powerful soul or five weaker ones every lunar cycle.”

“Oh...I-I see…” That worried Wildcard, though it went without saying. They could only imagine what sorts of things could happen if the deadline wasn’t met. “And you’re alright? Not running low or anything? I can go get more-”

Bokor smiled a little, grateful for his partner’s concern. “I am fine, mes chéries.” He showed them the many pages filled with intact tally marks. “This is why I plan ahead, so that I do not find myself desperate at the last minute. I make sure that I have at least two years worth of souls stocked up at any given moment, that way I will not be in danger if I need a break or am too injured to hunt down new souls. I am also working towards a ‘retirement fund’, so I can live comfortably for several years even after my body is no longer able to perform exorcisms.”

Wildcard looked over the pages, sighing in relief. “That’s good then...I would really hate to lose you to something like that.” They looked like they had something else to say on the matter but chose to stay quiet, tucking back their feathers. “It’s good that you think that far ahead.”

Bokor closed the notebook and put it back in his pouch. “Well, I have had to look after myself for a long time now, so I try to be responsible in keeping up with things necessary for my survival. I…have not had anyone else I could rely on for it..”

“...well- knock on wood anyway, but-” Wildcard smiled at him. “I’m not planning on going anywhere. So...if you ever need a helping hand at all, I hope you know you can come to me for that. Work or otherwise, I want to be there for you. You aren’t alone.”

Bokor’s heart leapt into his throat at those words. How long had it been since someone had told him they wanted to be there for him? Since he didn’t feel alone? Probably not since- No. No. He would NOT give those people the privilege of being in his thoughts.

“I….I appreciate that.” He managed to say after a moment, giving them a small but grateful smile. “I really do. Merci infiniment, mes chéries.”

“You’re very much welcomed.” They replied softly, taking Bokor’s hand in theirs and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You make me feel seen. I just want you to know that I see you as well.”

“That means the world to me.” Bokor’s smile grew a little more, giving their hand a squeeze in return and bringing it to his beak to give it a kiss. “You make me feel like the star I have always wanted to be seen as, and I will make sure you always feel the same.”

Giving into their desire for comfort and security, Wildcard moved forward enough to wrap their arms around the man, hugging him tight. “Me too…” They managed to say, nuzzling their head against Bokor.

A moment passed, and all Wildcard could do was sigh. “This...this isn’t a normal partnership, is it…? I haven’t been in one long enough to tell…”

“Honestly...neither have I..” Bokor held the shrike close, one hand gently resting against their back. “But...this feels different for me, too. I don’t think I have ever had anyone who makes me feel the way that you do. It is odd and new..but...not in a bad way.”

“It’s confusing.” They said honestly, their face burning up from admitting to all this. “I don’t know what I’m feeling. I don’t know why I’m feeling like this either. I can’t tell if- if I like you more than I should or if my brain is just latching onto you because you’re the first person to ever show kindness to me.” It was a subtle change, but Wildcard’s shoulders shook slightly with emotion. “Push me away if this is all too much. I’m not supposed to burden you after all, I’m just meant to be your partner.”

The hand on the smaller bird’s back moved up enough to rub between their shoulders soothingly. “You will never be a burden to me, mes douces chéries.” Bokor told them with absolute certainty. “This is just as confusing for me- you are the first person to make me feel this comfortable and cared for, so I don’t know if what I’m feeling is just gratitude and happiness for having someone who finally understands me..or….or something more..”

That brought out a soft laugh. “I guess we’re both clueless then…” Turning their head, Wildcard looked at him with glossy eyes and a small smile. “Can we...keep doing what we’ve been doing and just figure out the details later then? Until we can figure things out more…”

Bokor returned the small smile with one of his own. “D’accord. I think we both need time to figure this out.” The hand not on the shrike’s back went up to tenderly cup the side of their face, one thumb caressing their cheek soothingly. “But don’t expect me to stop flirting with you- your smile and laugh are too precious for me not to do so, mes petites chéries.” He said with a lighter, more playful tone to hopefully lighten the mood.

Wildcard laughed louder, leaning into the touch with a hum. “Then don’t expect me to stop calling you foolish- someone has to bring you down a peg every now and again, you handsome charming dummy.” Kissing his wrist briefly, Wildcard pulled away from their embrace. “Now, can we eat? You’ve been tantalizing me with a delicious meal for so long.”

Bokor chuckled quietly, glad to hear his partner’s laugh again. “As you wish, petites. It would be rude to keep such a beauty waiting, after all.” He shot a quick wink their way before returning to the stove to check on their food.

Despite the instinctual desire to say otherwise, Wildcard found themself too happy to complain, moving to rest against a counter and await their shared meal. This was pleasant- it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from their chest and they sighed dreamily as they looked at Bokor. “Such a gentleman.” They half mocked.

“Only when I feel it’s worth the effort.” The hawk teased back as he took the cornbread from the oven and began to serve the food. After plating the slices of bread with a drizzle of honey and spooning two good portions of the fragrant and colorful rice dish into two bowls, he carried the dishes with ease over to the counter his partner was resting at and skillfully slid them their share before setting his own down nearby. “Bon appétit.”

"Merci. This looks amazing." That captivated twinkle came back to their eye as they looked at their dinner. As much as they wanted to simply dive right in, Wildcard willed themself to at least take a moment to blow at their spoonful to cool it down. After taking their first bite, the tingle of spices hit their tongue, giving them a pleasant rush. "Delicious…" They gushed, resting a hand on their warm face before going for another spoonful.

Bokor watched their reaction with a fond smile, finding it adorably endearing, before taking a bite of his own. He gave a pleased hum at the taste and closed his eyes to savor the flavor. “Mhhhh...dhat’s some good ol’ fashion home cookin’ righ’ dhere.” Red eyes instantly opened and his free hand flew to cover his beak so fast that he practically smacked himself.

Wildcard's eyes widened slightly. "That's new. Or rather, not something I've heard from you before." Curiosity took over as they noted the very sudden reaction to the accent. "What's wrong?"

With a great amount of reluctance, Bokor removed his hand from his mouth, but couldn’t meet his partner’s curious gaze. “...It’s….embarrassing…don’t like letting people hear that...” He muttered quietly, trying to return to his previous “normal” accent.

Hearing the two in succession was an interesting experience: His usual accent was definitely nice to listen to with its ambiguously French influence- it was refined enough to sound like someone who grew up in a predominantly French speaking country but moved to an English speaking one at a young age, giving his voice an exotic sort of charm- but, after hearing the other, it seemed almost forced if one listened closely. What he had just spoken in still had inflections of French in it, but with more of a southern drawl that made it very easy to tell where he came from in Louisiana, and it held its own charm for how comfortable and genuine it sounded compared to the more elegant version.

Wildcard took note of such differences, especially with their talent for studying voices. They reached over to stroke Bokor's arm soothingly. "I like it. It sounds nice, it sounds like you. How is that embarrassing?"

“.....” The hawk’s eyes glanced down at the shrike’s small hand on his arm. It gave him a nice, reassuring feeling that helped him speak. “People hear it an’ think I’m ‘uncultured’ or ‘uneducated’.” He allowed himself the freedom to speak in his natural accent, though it felt weird after covering it up around others for so long. “Somethin’ ‘bout accents from dhe south gives people dhat impression, I guess..”

“I see…” They allowed some silence, simply focused on comforting Bokor through their touch and giving a gentle smile. “Even still, my point still stands. I like hearing the real you and not someone you’d have to be to please others. It’s your choice in the end and I respect whatever you choose, but if this is easier for you, and it’s just us…” Wildcard trailed off with a shrug, hoping they got their point across okay.

Their point certainly did get across to him, even if it was a bit odd to hear after so many years of being told otherwise. “....Well….if it’s just you an’ me, petites...I..I think I could try dhat…” He managed to say with a slight smile. This would take some getting used to for him- everything with his partner seemed to- but it was a pleasant change of pace.

They smiled and took their hand back. “Cool, now eat before your food goes cold, dummy.” The shrike gave that light giggle they often had whenever they felt completely open with their partner. Wanting nothing more than to enjoy their meal, they kept on eating and enjoying every moment of it. “So good…”

Bokor’s smile grew at the sound of their giggle, he always found it adorable. He ate with them, giving a pleased hum every now and then. “Gotta say, it’s been a while since I ate somethin’ dhis good. Hard t’ find authentic New Orlins cookin’ way out here.”

“Clearly there has to be a day where I try making this for you then.” Wildcard stirred in their bowl as they thought it over. “I mean, I can’t say I’ll be as good as this the first time around, but I’d be willing to practice for you.”

“Dhat just means I’ll have more chance to enjoy something you made just for me.” He winked at them as he tore off a piece of his cornbread. “Don’ think I’ll be complainin’ ‘bout dhat, mes chéries.”

“Heh, yeah well-” As they were distracted, Wildcard accidentally spilled a rather large spoonful of their meal that ended up landing on their shirt. They cursed, it thankfully wasn’t hot but they were incredibly embarrassed to be acting that clumsy in front of their partner. “Damnit...sorry, one second.”

Stepping back from the counter, Wildcard took off their small coat and vest, examining how far the stain went. They scowled, noticing it soaked a notable stain on their split colored button up and completely without shame pulled the shirt off of themself.

Bokor nearly choked on the lump of cornbread he’d been in the process of swallowing, the rest that was in his hand falling onto the counter. He hit himself on the chest a few times and eventually managed to calm down the coughing fit that overtook him. “I...I gotta say, petites..” His voice was a little raspy from his recent coughing fit, but he still managed a slight smile. “I didn’t think you were so….bold like dhat…….not dhat I’m complainin’, of course..”

“Hm? What are you on about? I just want to get this soaking.” They responded simply, walking over to the sink to do just that. Wildcard didn’t particularly feel like this was too abnormal, especially since they felt perfectly comfortable with their own body, though they did manage to look over at Bokor’s somewhat flustered response. “...is this bothering you?”

Bokor quickly shook his head. “No, no, course not. Opposite, actually..” Red eyes snuck a few glances, but he tried to be somewhat respectful and not openly stare (even if he did like what he saw). “I’m just….surprised...normally I don’ get treated t’ sights like dhis ‘til I’ve bribed someone with a few drinks…”

The implication of what that meant at least got a faint blush out of Wildcard, but nothing quite like when they were usually flustered. “Yeah, well, it’s just me.” They shrugged, unsure how else to explain it as they used their damp hand to try and clean off the stained white feathers on their chest.

Although he tried to be respectful (and he tried really, really hard), Bokor couldn’t help looking a bit longer each time his eyes slid back over to his partner’s exposed torso. “Well….I really like ‘just you’...si belle..”

Glancing back up, Wildcard walked over to Bokor, looking at him in silence for a moment before flicking the water from their hand at his face with a laugh. “Calm down, handsome. I’m getting a new shirt from my bag in the break room. I’ll just be back in a few.” They smirked and tilted their head as they looked at Bokor. “Think you can manage that?”

Bokor chuckled and wiped the water from his face. “And be without your beauty for dhat long? Hmmm...it’ll be a struggle, but I’ll try my best.”

“Try for me then.” Wildcard leaned up on the tip of their feet and kissed Bokor’s cheek, smiling warmly afterwards. They turned and left the kitchen feeling even better than they had been. Even without labels, they knew that that felt right to do and ultimately made them feel very, very happy.

Bokor watched them leave with an adoring smile and appreciative gaze. One hand came up so that brown fingertips could trace over the still warm spot on his cheek. “Oh, Henri..” He sighed to himself with a light laugh and a shake of his head. “You’ve got it bad…” Despite the completely accurate assessment, he couldn’t be bothered to feel bad about it- not when such simple tokens and gestures of affection left him feeling lighter than he had in years.

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: Oooh, things are getting spicy between them, lol >x3 Up next we have a more....dramatic way of dealing with spirits.

#darkwing duck #dwd #fowl agent Bokor Baron #wildcard #bokard #oc #not my oc #and #my OC #la vie en rose #thefriendlyfour #ghost and spirits #ghosts #spirits #magic

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psychosistr · 1 year

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La Vie en Rose- Chapter 2

Summary: After their...interesting first meeting, Wildcard and Bokor get a chance to talk and get to know each other a bit more over breakfast. Will it help them bond or just lead to more frustration?

Notes: This one’s pretty short and sweet- just a little something to give the two more chances to bond before the spookiness of the next chapter. Enjoy :3

-First Chapter-

As the sun began to rise over the bustling city of St Canard, Wildcard groaned. The curtains in their motel room did little to nothing to shield them from the sunlight that poured in and over their eyes. They rolled over on the bed that felt like a slab of stone and tried to press a pillow over their head in denial of being woken up.

Minutes passed, and Wildcard had to admit defeat- they were awake and weren't about to go back to sleep now.

Sitting upright, they looked out at the cramped room of a few boxes and furniture. How long have they been reduced to living out of their suitcases? When was the last time Wildcard felt they could hang something up in a closet and think “Ah yes, a perfect place to get my clothes tomorrow, next week, or even next month.”? Distant memories of a homelife that didn’t feel like home rang out in response, making them shake their head in annoyance. They got up from bed in an effort to distract themselves and got ready for their day.

In all honesty, Wildcard wasn’t sure what their day would be quite yet. They presumed anything relating to work would be done by the evening, meaning they had a full day to wander the city to themselves. Possibilities and opportunities to explore as any tourist would...though they weren’t sure where to even begin.

As they went to tame their stray feathers in a mirror, Wildcard noticed their silenced phone light up on the table near them. Curious- they never received texts from the higher up staff. Those people always jumped straight to a video call. But it was their work phone, so they weren’t quite sure who else would try to contact them this early.

The message was from an unfamiliar number, but it was clear who sent it immediately after reading the first line.

“Bon matin, mes petites chéries. I hope you got enough beauty sleep last night because we have work to do. What time and where would you like me to be blessed by your presence? ;)”

The simple text instinctively made Wildcard’s cheeks light up again. They could practically hear the man’s voice through his words and as much as they hated it, it was just the slightest bit charming. Wildcard took a breath before typing something in response.

“Morning. Not doing anything today. Can meet where we met last night in an hour.”

Admittedly, Wildcard’s social skills were lacking. Their texting style was very direct and to the point in an effort to not be misunderstood. The one time they threw in an emoticon, they were assumed to be an imposter by their coworkers, so they chose to keep to what they did best.

They received a reply within a few seconds, the message short but very sweet.

“I will be counting the seconds. À plus tard, mes petites chéries <3”

“...can he go two seconds without flirting?” Wildcard wondered out loud, tossing their phone aside to get back to their morning routine. The warehouse was a good half hour walk from the motel, so they only had a bit of time before they had to leave. They combed and preened their feathers, gathered some things for the day and left their room.

Right as they were leaving, however, a door down the hall opened as well so someone could leave.

…..A very tall and familiar someone that had to duck to get out of his room before turning and locking the door..

Wildcard almost dropped their key entirely. “You have got to be kidding me.” They said in surprise, quickly locking their door and walking over to Bokor. This could not have been a coincidence, could it?

Bokor, who’d previously been unaware of their presence, finally noticed Wildcard when he finished locking his door and turned to leave. “?!” From the brief look of surprise on his face, it seemed like he was expecting this encounter about as much as they were. “Petites?” He recovered from the surprise just as quickly as it overtook him, his usual charming grin slipping easily into place. “I have to say, I didn’t think you would be THAT eager to see me…not that Im complaining, of course.”

“What-? You’re the one who suddenly showed up at the same motel as me! What, did you follow me back last night or something?” They accused, pressing a finger against Bokor’s chest.

A single dark brow quirked at the shrike’s accusations, though he looked more confused than offended. “No? I stay here whenever I find myself in the city- I get free rooms here because the staff are easily swayed by my charms.”

“Suuure.” Wildcard simply rolled their eyes. The idea of him getting special treatment didn’t seem too far-fetched, but it certainly made them all annoyed that Bokor’s flirting really was with just about anyone. They shook their head. “Whatever. At least this makes missions easier. What sort of thing were you planning?”

“My first ‘plan’ would be breakfast.” He replied with a quiet chuckle. “Care to join me? I can get us free meals at the cafe down the street.” He seemed pretty confident in his claim, as if he’d done it countless times before.

As the shrike opened their beak to protest, their stomach growled. They missed dinner last night and the results were very evident. “...as long as I’m not paying, I’ll take anything.” Wildcard blushed and nodded slightly.

“Excellent! Food is always better when shared with quality company.” Bokor winked at Wildcard and gestured for them to follow him. Before leaving, however, he snuck a quick glance back at the shrike’s room. “I just need to stop by the front desk on the way.”

“Uh, alright, lead the way.” They raised a brow, curious with Bokor’s intentions and just a tad bit nervous. Maybe it was a mix of the compliments and the invitation to share a meal, but Wildcard was mentally crushing any stray thoughts that would even consider something so simple to be qualified as a date.

Bokor led them down a few hallways and a staircase, bringing them to the front desk rather quickly- at the very least, his earlier claim about staying here frequently seemed to be true with how well he knew the layout of the building. Once the two had reached the lobby, he approached the front desk and the woman seated at it with a confident grin. “Bonjour, mademoiselle. May I have a moment of your time?”

The grumpy looking goose didn’t seem too thrilled to look up from the pages of whatever trashy tabloid she was lazily flipping through, but she did so with a frustrated sigh. “What can I-” Her standard and clearly phoned-in customer service greeting stopped the moment she looked up at the tall hawk standing in front of her. In a matter of moments, her bored and agitated expression melted away into one that was practically star-struck. “W-What do you need, sir? I’ll do anything for you.”

Bokor chuckled quietly, clearly amused by the receptionist’s oddly eager reaction. “I know you will.” He gestured back towards his partner. “My ‘friend’ here is going to have their stay comped.” With a charming and borderline seductive smirk, he leaned down so that his elbow was propped against the desk, one finger finding its way under the enamored waterfowl’s bill. “You will do this for me, won’t you?”

The poor entranced woman could only manage a subtle nod- though that may have been partially due to his finger helping with the motion. “O-Of course.” Without even looking away from the hawk’s piercing gaze, her hands found the keyboard of her nearby workstation. When she shakily asked for the room number, he provided the one he’d seen on Wildcard’s door. After a few clicks and keystrokes, the task was done.

“Merci, mademoiselle.” Bokor’s finger left its perch as he winked at her. “I will not forget your ‘kindness’ anytime soon.”

“I..live to..serve..” Was the broken reply the receptionist gave before collapsing back into her chair with flushed cheeks and a dazed look in her eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly in search of her suddenly lacking breath. The flustered lady looked like she’d just run a marathon without even leaving her seat.

Returning to his partner’s side with a smirk, Bokor easily ignored the waterfowl’s plight and focused once more on the shrike he’d entered with. “There, now we can go eat, chéries.”

Wildcard didn’t move for a moment, just staring between what they witnessed and the man they called “partner” now. Despite all their abilities, and what they witnessed last night, Wildcard had never seen someone use magic on another in that sort of regard. It was impressive, and certainly came with its benefits, but at the same time...it did fill Wildcard with dread.

Up until now, Bokor had been flirting with them casually and Wildcard just brushed it off. And if Bokor was capable of making a stranger bend to his will and become devoted to him with a flick of his finger...well. Wildcard hoped their partner wouldn’t resort to trying any spells on them. They weren’t sure if “immunity to charms” was one of their skills and they didn’t exactly want to find out any time soon.

Regardless, they knew right now they had their assignment to be with Bokor, and if anything did go awry, Wildcard would be sure to high tail it out of there. For now though, they followed behind with a small bit of distance, avoiding eye contact and tugging at their sleeve. Their nerves felt shot all at once.

Bokor picked up on the shrike’s change in mood easily enough and waved a hand over his shoulder in an attempt to dismiss their worries. “Do not worry, mes petites chéries: If that sort of magic could work on you, then I’d have you wrapped around my finger by now.” One red eye glanced back at them just enough that they could see the wink sent their way. “You are a much more worthwhile challenge than some nobody like her.”

"That doesn't inspire as much confidence as you may think. That just tells me you're still trying to enchant me to be in your favor rather than earn it on your own merit." With a sigh, Wildcard caught up to him. "Not that that sort of thing matters. We are just temporary work partners after all."

“Eager to get rid of me already?” He asked with a raised brow, faking a hurt tone. “I didn’t think I was that bad last night..”

"No, you're fine, I'm just speaking from experience. This sort of thing usually lasts a month at least and then I get sent off somewhere else. I don't exactly…" Wildcard trailed off, deciding it might be for the best to let things naturally happen. Let Bokor tire of them on his own. "Nevermind. Breakfast, right?"

Red eyes looked over the other bird with a contemplative stare, clearly trying to pick apart and decipher whatever meaning they could glean from Wildcard’s words and behavior….but, for the time being, he decided to let it be and returned his attention to the street ahead of them. “D’accord. It’s that little brick building over there.” He pointed to the aforementioned building with a few tables in front of it and a hanging sign shaped like a steaming cup of coffee.

"Cuuute-" Wildcard said without thinking, immediately shutting their beak and blushing furiously. They were an agent of FOWL- agents shouldn't gush over quaint simple shops of all things. "I-I mean- it looks decent. Let's go then."

Their slip-up most definitely did NOT go unnoticed by the bird of prey walking beside them. A grin easily found its way onto Bokor’s face as he looked back down at his partner. “Oh, does someone have a weakness for places almost as cute as they are, hmm?”

"If that were the case, then those places wouldn't be nice at all." Glancing up at Bokor, Wildcard looked away again in embarrassment. What was it about this man that was making them so flustered? Was it really magic or just, something else? "I can just- appreciate it when somewhere like this knows what type of aesthetic they have and builds upon it."

Bokor chuckled quietly, apparently finding their embarrassment both endearing and amusing. “Well then, let us go ‘appreciate’ it from within, mes petites chéries.” In an act that was surprisingly merciful, the hawk walked ahead so his partner could have a moment to compose themself without feeling like they were being stared at. He did, however, take advantage of his naturally longer stride to reach the café first and open the door for them so he could send a wink their way once they’d caught up.

Wildcard ended up elbowing Bokor’s side as they passed, finding the gesture sweet but ridiculous.

Ordering some food and coffee, they sat at one of the tables farthest from people. A precaution in case any discussions they might have would turn to the more illegal or worrisome to the general public. Wildcard would feel more comfortable talking about doomsday devices or work management practices than themselves, which seemed to be all Bokor was after. Taking their napkin, Wildcard began folding and tearing it absentmindedly, at a loss for conversation.

Bokor placed his own order before joining them. His claim about getting them free food was quickly proven true after speaking with the people at the counter, all of whom seemed absolutely enamored with him the moment he walked in. The lucky café workers didn’t end up as frazzled or worn down as the hotel receptionist- though it was hard to say if that was because he was just showing off earlier or if they’d just been subjected to his “charms” enough times that the effort was not required- and told him that it was “the least they could do for such a wonderful customer”. After a wink and a “thank you” that was just flirtatious enough to make several of them swoon without being too obvious that anything out of the ordinary was going on to an outside observer, he took a seat across from his partner and got comfortable as they waited.

“Are you going to reveal that origami is yet another of your many unique skills?” He asked playfully when he saw the way they fiddled with their napkin.

Wildcard paused as they finished a swan before scowling and tossing it to the table and starting again with another napkin. “This isn’t one I was born with. I just had a lot of alone time to learn how to do it.” They explained, pressing and creasing the edges of the rough paper. They spared a glance up to the recovering employees and looked at Bokor. “What about you? Did you just wake up one day and go ‘you know what I want to learn? How to seduce people at the snap of my fingers, that’s a great use of my time’?”

His large chest shook with repressed laughter at the other bird’s wording. “Well, you are surprisingly close, if a bit blunt.” Reaching into one of the pockets on the lower portion of his shirt (it was odd not to see him going for his pouch for once), he retrieved what looked like a piece of braided and knotted cloth that was tied and woven intricately to form a tight, solid ball. There were many odds and ends speared and interwoven with the fabric ranging from dried herbs to bits of metal and what looked like bits of his own feathers. As for the fabric itself, it was a deep, blood red color, but there were enough inconsistencies in it to make it clear that it was originally white and had been meticulously dyed with something to get that particular hue. “While voodoo and hoodoo are my main practices and beliefs, I also believe in being well-versed and educated in many forms of magic.” He explained while showing them the strange charm. “A rather interesting tome I studied spoke of a charm that could win the hearts of those with weak spirits and ensnare them to your will. It took a while to craft and involved obtaining the blood of both an incubus and succubus, but it was effort well spent.” The corner of his beak lifted in a half-smile. “And, yes, I suppose I was bored enough to waste my time trying something like that. Then again, if you learn something useful the time is hardly a waste, is it?”

The answer surprised Wildcard a bit, looking at the charm with interest before looking back at him. For the first time, they gave Bokor a smile and a small laugh. “I suppose I can’t argue with that logic. To put effort into learning something...it’s probably one of the best parts of living. Even with things like paper folding and ensnaring spirits.”

Bokor’s eyes brightened a little at the smile and laugh he received. Something in his gaze softened a bit and he found himself with a more genuine smile than his usual flirty smirks or self-confident grins. “On that, we can certainly agree.” He pocketed the charm and leaned his head into his free hand. “What about you, mes petites chéries? What other fascinating skills have you learned that I have yet to see?”

“Sometimes it’s hard for me to differentiate what’s a skill and what’s just...natural.” Their smile faded as they thought about it. “...my first post in FOWL was solitary. I spent a few years in isolation, only getting the odd interaction for some of the other agents at the main base and signing off shipments for food and weaponry.” Wildcard adjusted in their seat, sighing. “So, when all you’re doing is sitting around waiting for packages to arrive, or stopping the rare infiltrator, you get a lot of time to practice things like origami, music and even some gymnastics. I certainly never planned to learn how to do the splits before that.”

The smile on Bokor’s face faded along with his partner’s. As he listened, his brows knit together in a clear sign of both confusion and...concern? It definitely looked like concern in his gaze; if not, it was definitely the closest he’d gotten to it since their first meeting. “Attends….they just..left you on your own? They did not offer you a spot somewhere else or a promotion to a new station for your work or anything? They just….left you alone…?”

“I mean- yeah?” Wildcard raised a brow at that reaction. “I was supposed to be assigned as a full agent with the others, a new base up north. But before I could start, one of the two leaders learned about my whole...ghost control ability. Apparently the other leader is afraid of ghosts, and in an effort to protect his partner, he assigned me out to the guard station so I wouldn’t have to be around. A few years later, I found out from some eggheads passing by that the base got destroyed and the guy who did that to me got killed in the process. So. That’s that.”

Bokor’s gaze narrowed, a slightly more menacing glow emanating from the deep red portion of his eyes. “And the others that ignored and left you behind? What of them..?” His voice had taken on a low, dangerous quality that would make a lesser person shrink back in fear if it were directed at them. Thankfully, none of it was directed at Wildcard at the moment, but it would still be more than a little intimidating to anyone on the receiving end of that look..

The shrike frowned seeing it, not quite shrinking in their seat but certainly not pleased by the tone. “Everyone else was reassigned. So was I. I’ve been tossed around agent to agent, each one finding me useless, creepy or otherwise a pain. You’re just the latest one. High Command likely tossed me to you as a punishment if I’m honest.” Taking a deep breath, they looked away from Bokor. “So forgive me if I don’t feel like setting myself up for disappointment again.”

“.....” Bokor was silent for a moment, eerily so. Then, he reached into the pouch at his hip and pulled out the notebook from the previous evening, flipping through the pages to a dogeared one near the front of the book. “Names.”

“What?” Wildcard looked at him confused. “What do you-”

“I want their names. All of them.” His voice was serious, leaving no doubt that he was not joking. “Every one of them that ignored you. Every one of them that left you behind without a care. Every partner that tossed you aside. And I especially want the name of that lâche roi des cons that was the reason you were left alone there. Now,” He readied his pen over the paper, eyes narrowed in a look that promised nothing but misfortune and misery for any who ever dared to cross him- or, in this case, anyone who had dared to cross Wildcard. “Tell me their names.”

“...you cannot be serious.” The shrike got up from their seat. “You met me yesterday. You have no obligations to go on a foolish, unnecessary murder spree just because some people didn’t like me. I know they hurt me, but I’m at least mature enough to understand that just because I’m not right for them doesn’t mean I’m not going to be right for everyone.”

Wildcard facepalmed, fully aware of their hypocritical statement by not even allowing themselves a chance to think that this partnership could work out differently. They slipped back down to their seat, pinching the bridge of their beak. “I just...I don’t want that, Bokor. I don’t want their heads, I just want to prove them wrong someday.”

“I never said I would kill them.” Bokor answered calmly, though his voice still had a dangerous edge to it. “There is far more suffering in living with things outside of your control than surrendering to the embrace of death.” The way he said that implied that he meant “living with things” in more than just a figurative sense. “A few prayers here, some offerings there, and they will experience a series of misfortunes and bad luck that they’ll never be able to explain.” The corner of his beak lifted in a smirk, the look in his eyes similar to the sadistic joy he expressed last night when they went looking for a poor soul to control. “That is the handy thing about curses, mes petites chéries: You get to sit back comfortably and live your life as you see fit and they’ll never be able to pin their ‘sudden streak of bad luck’ on you.”

“I don’t need that either. Not really.” Wildcard’s expression turned tired and sad. “It’s not that I value their lives or anything, I just don’t want to even bother with them anymore. I mean, sure, there’s one person I do want to meet one day, to be able to look him in the eye and say how he missed out on getting to use me to my fullest potential...but that’s it. All I want is a chance to show what I can do and prove my worth to others.”

Bokor was silent again, though there was less foreboding and malice this time, and more a sense of contemplation and understanding. “...So, you want your time to shine in the spotlight? I can understand that.” He closed the notebook and slipped it back into his pouch. “The offer will always be open, should you change your mind...but, for now..” One large hand reached across the table and placed itself over the much smaller one with a surprising amount of tenderness. “If a chance to shine is what you seek, mes chéries, then I will be happy to help make it happen.”

That familiar warmth came across their cheeks, only this time with a fluttering feeling in their chest accompanying it. Wildcard couldn’t find the right words at that moment, just letting the statement sink in more. They decided not to argue with it, allowing themselves to just be praised and supported for once in their life. “Thank you…” they eventually said quietly.

“De rien.” He said softly, giving their hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze before letting go. “Now then, since you shine like the sun when you talk about something you like, let’s discuss something that you enjoy. I would love to learn more about you.” It was a clear attempt to redirect the conversation to keep himself from upsetting them again, but at least he was trying to be considerate without overstepping.

Wildcard gave that small laugh again, tucking back some of their black feathers off from their face. “Honestly, I feel like we’ve been talking about me too much here...what about you?” Lacing their fingers together, Wildcard rested on their hands, looking at Bokor with a far warmer expression. “A flirtatious, confident voodoo master like you...why do you bother with working with- well. Our company.” They decided to keep FOWL vague for their sake.

Just like last night, Bokor’s chest puffed with pride and he practically leapt at the chance to talk about himself. “Because, unlike some people-” There was a brief note of bitterness in his voice, but he quickly forced it away in an attempt to keep it from being too noticeable. “-they actually recognize my greatness and give me a chance to shine using my skills and knowledge. While it’s true that some may still find my abilities a bit...unsettling...I get to choose how I work and am rewarded for being able to do things that no one else can do.”

One of the waiters stopped by their table to give them their drinks and food- along with a few extra pastries- and Bokor thanked them with a wink that had the server blushing and hiding behind their serving tray like a flustered teen before they left.

After taking a sip of his café noisette, Bokor continued where he left off, looking down into the hazelnut colored liquid in a way that felt just a touch too melancholy to be purely nostalgic. “Before I joined our company, I was just another ‘free-lancer’ wandering from place to place, trying to get by. Eventually, I caught the eyes of some higher-ups who recognized me as an asset and made me an offer that I could not refuse. It was better than….the alternative I had been avoiding..”

While there was no denying that Wildcard was curious to know exactly what that meant, they opted to stay silent on the matter, allowing the man his privacy. They sipped their coffee casually. “I can get that sort of thing. I didn’t exactly have a life I wanted to keep before the company either. It’s better this way.” They smiled. “And I’m glad you did join, if it’s any consolation.”

That brought a smile back to his face easily enough. “I feel the same towards you, mes petites chéries.” He then lifted his coffee cup towards them in a clear invitation. “To new beginnings and better company.”

“Cheers.” They tapped their drinks with a laugh, feeling amused by it all. It felt nice to have a friend of sorts after all this time...Wildcard hoped it would last.

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: Not much to say here, this was just a nice way to give Wildcard some exposition regarding their background, showcase Bokor’s protective side, and give the two some common ground to bond over before their big mission in the next chapter. That being said, I still love this chapter because it’s the gateway to many more sweet interactions to come X3

#darkwing duck #dwd #fowl agent Bokor Baron #wildcard #bokard #oc #not my oc #and #my OC #thefriendlyfour #la vie en rose

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