Actions

Work Header

A Test of Courage (and Love)

Summary:

The crew visit an eerily abandoned mansion at the behest of Rebecca, who urged them to do something thrilling together in the spirit of Halloween.

Work Text:

Gusts of chilly autumn air blew leaves across the pathway, the rustling filled the all but silent night with semi-spooky sounds. The odd streetlamp here and there were the only source of warm yellow light, and even then the lamps themselves were so outdated that they didn't illuminate all that much. The atmosphere was perfectly fit for Halloween.

Weisz exhaled, his breath visible upon meeting the cold air. His hands were stuffed in his pockets for warmth, despite dressing for such weather. Following the rest of the crew from behind, he almost regretted leaving the warm comfort of the ship.

The rest of them were quite adamant on visiting the desolate and eerie planet in celebration of Halloween, though Weisz didn't care for it all that much. He only came along because despite his usual loner mentality, he didn't particularly want to be left on the ship alone. 

That and, if anyone were to jump in fear on their visit to this creepy planet, it would be Shiki - and Weisz found the boy's overreactions rather cute. There ought to be a lot of creepy crawlies out and about, and Weisz would take a great deal of pleasure in teasing Shiki with them. That sounded much better than staying cooped up on the ship by himself.

If that meant he had to brave the cold, then so be it.

Regardless of the low temperature, the rest looked as if they were having fun. Shiki led them eagerly, as always, following the path with confidence. Pino trailed not far behind, crunching every leaf in her vicinity. Witch watched observantly, noting certain landmarks and their distance from the ship so that they wouldn't get lost later. Ivry and Hermit were more relaxed, conversing about one thing or another, Mosco following them like a puppy. Kris and Kleene were glued at the hip like always. Rebecca, Happy, Homura and Laguna were giggling to each other about something - Weisz hoped to god he wasn’t the topic of discussion as he tended to be when laughter was involved.

They all had a much easier time being social - he didn't want to ruin their fun, so he hung back by himself, like always.

"Yo, Rebecca!" Shiki motioned to Rebecca from the front of the group, "Are we getting close?"

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure it's close by."

"Pretty sure?" Laguna threw his eyebrows up, "I thought you've been here before?"

Rebecca laughed awkwardly, "Not technically. But it's a location a lot of BCubers travel to around this time of year. You know, for a Halloween special."

"So we're figuring this out based on your memory of what it looked like in BCube videos? Lovely."

Rebecca pouted, to which Pino chimed in, "Not to worry! Miss Rebecca and I watched some videos before we embarked on this journey, and I scanned the footage for basic coordinates. Miss Witch can confirm this!"

Witch beamed down at the small android, who was nearly drowning in her fluffy pink coat. "Pino is correct. In addition, I've taken necessary steps to ensure we don't get lost, so you needn't worry if that's your concern Lord Laguna."

"Not really," he sighed, "I'm just not all that keen on wandering aimlessly in the dark all night."

"That's half the fun!" Shiki pointed forwards, bursting with energy.

Weisz chuckled quietly to himself. Shiki really could find enjoyment in damn near anything. Thinking about it, he really should try to take a page from the boy's book - he'd more or less found his place with the Edens Zero crew, so the least he could do is try to have fun with them.

"Hey, hey!" Ivry exclaimed, grabbing the attention of the entire group, "I'm no expert, but it looks like we might have stumbled across our destination quicker than expected."

Expert or not, her deduction was sound. Surrounded by tall dark trees and thick fog, not too far in the distance was a large mansion - nearly the size of the Edens Zero itself. The roof was patched in different areas, and judging by the structure looked like it was built decades ago. Straight from a horror movie. Weisz shuddered.

"That's definitely it!" Rebecca reaffirmed, clapping her hands together. "It looks even spookier in person."

"Alright then, let's hurry up guys. I'm excited!"

"Increase in Master's heart rate detected," Pino stated so matter of factly, which got a snicker from most of the crew members as they approached the building.

---

They entered through the oversized front door, which creaked at the slightest touch. Taking a step in, the house smelled of ash and rotting wood - rather unpleasant for a place they would be for the duration of the night.

It was about as cold inside as it was outside, much to Weisz's disappointment. Not only that, but the shifting of nearly anything in sight set a bunch of dust flying into the air. Coupled with the decrepit floor, covered with a battered and torn area rug, the place was a mess.

"Rebecca, this was a pretty good find," Hermit tapped the blonde woman on the shoulder to get her attention. She spoke quietly and with a straight face, "It's terrifying."

Rebecca smiled, "Of course! A place like this is necessary for Halloween exploration after all."

"It's rather foul on the inside," Homura said, covering her mouth and muffling her words. She winced, "And the smell is much worse than Eden's gym after the boys have used it to its fullest extent - but I won't divulge that out loud."

"You just did, Homuran!" Kleene giggled. "But I know what you mean, brother smells most unpleasant after working out. Until Lagunarino tells him to shower."

"Kleene!" Kris broke his silence, blush quickly filling his cheeks.

Laguna snorted in response, "What a cute face."

For once Weisz could rest easy, as he wasn't at the center of the bullying circle. He watched Laguna poke fun at Kris, and his eyes couldn't help but glance over to catch what Shiki was up to. Pino stood on Shiki's shoulders and both of them were in the center of the foyer, staring in awe at the grandness of the building itself. Weisz couldn't hold back a stupid grin at what an adorable sight it was.

"Obvious!" Ivry nudged Weisz, throwing him off balance.

"What the hell?"

She shot him a smug look, "You know, there ought to be lots of spiders crawling around this place - and we all know how the Demon King is. You'd better stick close to him so he has someone to cling onto."

"Oh, piss off Ivry!" Weisz averted his eyes, embarrassed to admit that it wasn't an awful idea. His cheeks grew warm at the thought of Shiki grabbing his arm and holding on tight.

"Okay guys!" Rebecca sang, full of Shiki's level of enthusiasm. "Since this is a test of courage, we'll be exploring the depths of this - probably haunted - mansion in pairs!"

"Bet you’re hoping to be alone with Homura, huh?" Weisz teased, to which he received a viscous glare from her.

"You're one to talk, scummy professor."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the blonde man kept his composure, crossing his arms.

Rebecca's cheeks remained flushed as she cleared her throat and continued, reaching into the small bag she brought along, "Anyways, I've prepared some sticks. We'll draw them and that will decide who we're stuck with."

All of them agreed, and carefully drew sticks to decide their fate.

---

The maze of corridors throughout the house were shrouded in shadows, the moonlight from outside the only source of light. The darkness was almost a blessing to Weisz - he had ended up paired with Shiki, and the last thing he wanted was for the boy to catch him blushing or make him aware in any way that Weisz was glad they ended up on the same route.

The floor creaked with each step, surprisingly making more noise than Shiki. Since they had all parted, he'd been rather quiet and Weisz wondered if he was already scared.

He took the opportunity to gently nudge him, "Hey, are you scared yet?"

It startled him, and he jumped away rather quickly in defense, "N-no way!"

Weisz laughed, "You're not fooling anyone, Gravity Boy."

"Shut up Weisz! Rebecca said this place is haunted...what if a ghost comes after us?"

"You're crazy," the blonde shook his head. "You can go head to head with psychos like Drakken Joe but the idea of a ghost sneaking up on you has you shaking in your boots?"

Shiki pouted, "I guess when you put it that way I shouldn't be such a baby."

"Don't worry," Weisz put his arm around Shiki's shoulder and pulled him close as if to let him in on a secret, "if any ghosts really wanna pick a fight, I'm sure the great Arsenal will show up."

Shiki rolled his eyes, and they both laughed. The mood lightened, Shiki pulled away and skipped ahead, "Actually, now that I think about it the ghosts might be nice right? Maybe I can be friends with them!"

Weisz slammed his hand on his forehead. Obviously ghosts aren't real, but that thought supposedly didn't even occur to Shiki. His childish view of certain things was charming, though. Weisz smiled softly, "Maybe."

They continued down the seemingly never ending hallway, and when they reached the end they were met with a closed door that was sealed with a handful of talismans. It was foreboding to say the least, but it didn't stop Shiki's curiosity.

"Hey, let's go in here!" he hummed, hand reaching for the doorknob. It was quickly smacked away by Weisz, who clicked his tongue.

"You idiot! Does this not look extremely ominous to you?"

"Aren't these decorations?"

"Shiki, papers set up like this usually indicate that there's something dangerous behind this door."

His face became pale thinking about what kind of monster could be lurking on the other side. "Oh I see…"

"Alright, we've been wandering around long enough. Let's start heading back now." 

Weisz felt some relief at Shiki not pushing his curiosity any further. Had he not been paying attention, Shiki probably would have gone ahead and opened the door, letting who knows what out. Shiki could surely handle a lot, but Weisz wasn't keen on being in the middle of it all.

Just as he turned to walk away, the air got unusually cold and he felt a strong force push up against him, sending him off balance and right into Shiki. They both fell backwards into the door, which went toppling down with ease - likely due to the fragile state of the old building.

Weisz landed on top of Shiki, and when he realized how he landed, blush began to flood his face. Heart beating out of his chest, he sat up quickly and brushed the dust off of his hoodie desperately trying to compose himself. He looked down at Shiki, who lay flat on the ground, arms and legs sprawled out.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," he groaned in response, rubbing his head.

Weisz frowned. He was worried about Shiki, but figured it would be best to assess the situation first. He glanced around the room. It was smaller than expected, and covered in as much darkness as the rest of the house. Their tumble caused a cloud of dust to float into the air, but aside from that the room was empty. Not a single threat. He let out a hearty sigh.

It seemed they were safe, and the talismen that were stuck to the door were false and likely added by previous visitors in order to scare future explorers. He rolled his eyes. So the embarrassment of ending up flush against one another was all thanks to some shitty pranksters.

He did wonder what it was that shoved him, though. It felt a little like Shiki's gravity, but there's no way the boy would have done such a thing. " Could it have been a ghost?" He shook his head, "No way. It couldn't be..."

Suddenly an earth shattering scream filled the room. Weisz froze in place.

Within seconds, Shiki flew up and wrapped his arms tightly around Weisz. The blonde could feel him shaking in fear. What did he see? Did Weisz miss something? Were they in danger? His eyes shot around the room in a panic - scanning for what caused such a stir in the boy, but found nothing. Sweat dripped down his brow as he looked at Shiki.

"W-what happened?"

Shiki looked up, eyes watery and full of terror, still clinging on tight, "There was a b-bug on me!"

The weight on Weisz's heart lifted. Typical Shiki.

"Oh Gravity boy, what am I gonna do with you?" he mused, rustling the boy's hair. He shot him a devilish grin, taking the opportunity to poke fun a little. "Is our courageous captain really crying over a tiny bug?"

Shiki wiped his eyes, and gave Weisz a playful shove, "Don't tease me like that!" He pouted, crossing his arms, "It was a big one!"

"Mhm, sure," the blonde taunted. He stood up and reached down to offer Shiki a hand, "We'd better start heading back now, or else the others might start to believe we've been kidnapped by ghosts or something ridiculous."

Shiki grabbed on and Weisz hoisted him up - but even when he was on his own two feet, Shiki didn't let go of his hand.

"Shiki?"

"Do you mind if we hold hands?" the boy sheepishly asked. "Just until we meet up with the others."

Was it because he was still a bit shaken up? Weisz was not used to seeing Shiki so flustered. It was cute. Seeing him in such a way nearly dispelled his own shyness, enough at least to make the most of the situation.

"Sure," he affirmed, grateful that Shiki could not see the red hue spread across his cheeks. "But this is just between you and me."

"Got it!"

---

The group ended up back up in the main room they entered from. Most of them stood gathered at the center of the foyer, chatting while they waited for everyone to make it back.

As promised, Shiki let go of Weisz's hand once they were in the eyeshot of the others. His heart dropped. If only he had opted to take a longer route back, perhaps their hands could have stayed intertwined a bit longer.

Weisz wondered if the desire to continue holding hands was mutual, but when he looked over at Shiki, the boy was already bounding towards the others with a grin on his face. Perhaps not. Clearly such an act was just to calm his nerves, nothing more - that much he figured. He sighed.  

"Master! You've made it back!" Pino beamed up at Shiki, who returned her smile and gave her a lighthearted salute.

"Of course I did! Those ghosts were no match for me!"

Ivry chuckled at Shiki’s proclamation, “Didn’t get scared at all? That’s a surprise.”

“Not by a ghost, at least.” Weisz considered chiming in, but opted to keep that between them.

He looked around. Witch and Ivry stood close together - he’d guess that they were probably the first to get back, knowing Witch’s knack for efficiency and Ivry’s fearless attitude. He tried to imagine a frightened Ivry diving into Witch’s bosom for comfort and accidentally let a snort out. The two of them were too composed for something like that, but perhaps they had held hands regardless.

Hermit sat on the main staircase of the room fiddling with her coat sleeves, while Kleene was playing some sort of game with Mosco and Pino. He was a little surprised their group also made it back so quickly - but really mulling it over, if they had Hermit with them it started to make sense. She was practical by nature and largely unamused by such trivialities as tests of courage and the like. Kleene, Pino and Mosco though, were likely startled by everything that seemed like it might have been a paranormal entity. Weisz did not envy Hermit for likely having to put up with Mosco’s endless blubbering.

The rest seemingly weren’t back yet. Weisz was glad they weren’t last, but wondered what had become of Laguna, Kris, Homura, Rebecca and Happy. He grinned. Rebecca had gotten her obvious wish of ending up with Homura - though Happy had tagged along, so he wondered if she even had the courage to make a move.

Just then, the clacking of Laguna’s heels approached. He and Kris came around the corner, both of them unfazed. Kris had his arms crossed as usual, and Laguna had his hands in the front pockets of his long black coat. They were both so stoic in the face of adversity, Weisz wondered if they walked the entire way in silence. It was impossible to imagine either of them clinging to each other in fear.

That being said, the air between them was almost always full of tension - so Weisz wondered if anything else had happened between them while they had the time alone in the dark. When he glanced over and saw a faint trace of violet lipstick marks just under Kris’ ear, he considered his suspicions accurate and promptly looked away with a hint of blush in his cheeks.

“Master Kris, Master Laguna,” Witch greeted the two, “How did things go?”

Laguna shrugged, “Alright. Nothing too extraordinary. There was this one room that was quite interesting though, right Kris?”

“Right,” he cleared his throat, turning his head to the side to avoid eye contact.

“Brother, were you scared at all?” Kleene grilled him, “It was dark and scary, wasn’t your heart racing?”

“Oh, it sure was,” Laguna flirted.

“Laguna!”

“I see,” Kleene patted her brother on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, I was really scared too! Me and Mosco barely pulled through!”

Kris smiled at her, embarrassment melting away from his face. “Well I’m glad you made it.”

"Alright, we're just missing those two girlies, huh?" Ivry tapped her foot.

Just as the last sound left her mouth, the pattering of feet entered the large room - courtesy of the two remaining girls. Out of breath, Rebecca put her hands on her hips.

"I can't believe I wasn't recording that whole time," she huffed.

"What happened, Miss Rebecca?" Pino's eyes widened in curiosity.

"We felt the presence of a ghost," Homura spoke softly, with a hint of hesitation to her words. "Though saying such a thing almost sounds a little silly."

"It's not silly! We totally experienced paranormal activity!" Rebecca rustled her hair in frustration, "and I forgot to hit record on my BCube. Think of the views we could have had!"

"A ghost? You really saw one?" Shiki sounded almost jealous.

Rebecca shook her head, "You don't see them Shiki, they're not visible to the human eye. You feel their presence. The sudden chills, things moving on their own, maybe they even make contact with you."

"Sounds a bit far-fetched if you ask me," Laguna chimed in, staring down at the blonde woman from atop his high heels.

“I know it does, but it’s really true!” She pouted, “We can’t have been the only ones to feel it!”

“Yes, it sent Rebecca flying into me,” Homura hid her blushing face behind the fabric of her scarf. “If you ask me, it was a little embarrassing to be pressed that closely together.”

“Seems like the ghost had your best intention at heart then,” Ivry smirked at the two girls, flipping her white hair behind her shoulder.

Rebecca’s cheeks fell a deep shade of red, “W-what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Ivry may be right,” Hermit stood up and finally broke her silence. “I was doing a little research on the history of this place while waiting for the rest of you to get back. There actually have been supposed accounts of paranormal activity here before.”

“See! I told you!”

“Thing is, this ‘ghost’ tends to target those that are in love and pining for each other. I guess the soul that died here never resolved to tell the person they loved how they felt, so they must feel like it’s their duty to give visitors a gentle push in the right direction.” She shrugged, “Sounds more like some sort of cupid if you ask me.”

The room fell silent. Both Rebecca and Homura’s eyes snapped to each other in bewilderment. They were ridiculously flustered, that much was blatantly obvious -  but it was as if a certain weight had been lifted.

Weisz was happy for Rebecca, but it made him consider his own predicament. Was that what shoved him earlier? And if so, that opened up a whole new can of worms. Weisz’s heart began beating rapidly at the notion that Shiki might share his feelings. Thrilling as that may be, now was not the time for such a discussion. Not while they were surrounded by so many people that found joy in teasing him.

“Wait a second,” Shiki murmured, scratching his chin in contemplation. “I think something similar happened to me and W-”

Weisz was quick to cover his mouth before he could say another word. He shot Shiki a look and shook his head. “ Not right now..” he mouthed, hoping for the love of Mother that the dense boy would understand.

Luckily, everyone still had their attention on Rebecca and Homura and didn’t hear the beginning of Shiki’s thought. Everyone except Witch, that is. She caught nearly everything that everyone said, and Weisz wondered how on earth she did it.

“Were you saying something, Great Demon King?”

Now the moment of truth.

“Oh I was just thinking out loud, Witch. Don’t worry about it!”

Weisz let out a sigh of relief. He looked over at Witch, who had a loving smile strewn across her face. Something told him that she probably knew, whether Shiki said it or not. Witch was an intelligent woman - and one that was understanding and respectful to boot. She nodded at Shiki.

“Of course, Great Demon King. I hope you and Lord Weisz had fun tonight.”

“We did. Thanks, Witch!”

Warmth fluttered in Weisz’s chest. He had no idea how to broach the subject of romantic feelings with Shiki, and he wasn’t quite sure if he was ready for that discussion. That being said, he was happy. And if nothing else, he was glad that Shiki enjoyed himself tonight too - anything else that could eventually come of it was a bonus.

“Alright, alright!” Ivry’s booming voice carried across the room, carried by a hint of jealousy. She clicked her tongue, “Enough of this mushy nonsense you damned kids. I’m hungry as hell, so we’d better start making our way back to the ship before you catch my bad side!”

“That’s impossible, Ivry,” Witch said so assuredly. “You don’t have a bad side.”

The rosy hue in Ivry’s cheeks were very apparent in contrast to her pure white hair. If anyone could tame someone as boisterous as Ivry, it was Witch. Ivry cleared her throat, and grabbed Witch’s hand.

“Anyways! Let's go. Me and Witch got you brats a bunch of candy for tonight. The sooner we get to the ship, the sooner you can get your hands on some sweets.”

Not a single soul could say no to that. Having had a worthwhile night full of new memories made together, the crew filed out the front door and began heading back to the ship - ready for whatever new adventures would await them come sunrise.