Here's a new Gauntlets & Greaves fanfic (not a one-shot) featuring some Blacksun. I enjoyed writing this one far way too much, so expect for more parts! This is going to be a short one, but I'll make sure it's going to be a fun ride for all. Thanks for taking time to read and do enjoy!


Waking up with an entirely heavy weight on her chest, it was everything Yang felt at the moment. For some unknown reason, something just didn't felt right the previous night whatsoever. She had to think twice whether she's been sleeping for days, or just around a thirty minute nap, there was no in between. Taking a deep breath, she scanned her morning eyes and was hoping to find her favorite band's poster hanging on the wall which was the first thing she'd like to see in the morning – but was dumbfounded to know she wasn't in her room.

Not surprised at all, she'd been making bad decisions since day one, she just had to confirm whatever that mistake was. She put her hands on her cheeks, mentally slapping herself, wishing for the ground to just swallow her whole to avoid any furthermore embarrassment.

"Good morning," fuck, she wasn't alone. It was an unfamiliar voice, from a guy who sounded like an asshole, but came from someone she's sure she had heard of before. Who is this shameless creature? She wanted to ask, but damn that was a question she'd rather ask herself first. To know who it is, she wasn't ready to know.

"I said, good morning," he repeated, tone mocking, still that same lazy voice, but louder to purposely get her attention on him.

Yang gulped, clutching the bed sheets, she decided to bring herself into a sitting position, and that's when she realized this was more than a big, bad mistake.

"Who are you and where am I?" she tried to sound serious, and maybe even threatening, but he just chuckled at her.

That same smug look and that signature smirk she wanted to badly wipe off his face was ever present. That same handsome stupid face. That same dishelved, silver hair in all the right places. Gods, what was she thinking even at this time?

"I suppose you already forgot our little game yesterday," he said, eyes still fixated on the desktop in front of him positioned at the foot of his bed.

She narrowed down her gaze at him, rather looking at him intensively as if studying his movements, her mind debating whether is she dreaming or not at all, "What game? And don't try to lead this conversation to something else, I'm asking you who are you and where am I?"

He chuckled again, clearly he finds her so amusing, "Wow, why do you sound so accusatory? Relax, name's Mercury and you're at my apartment, that one you're sitting in right now is my bed. So, there's no point asking any more questions. You spent the night with me and you're –"

Oh, right, how can she forgot such a name? Yeah, he was named after a god, and Yang wouldn't deny the fact he sure looked like one. It wasn't as common as John, or Dave, or something like that, "Wait, did we do something stupid?" she still had her proper clothes on, and he's on his proper clothes too, but she felt the need to ask, just to be sure.

He looked at her in a very playful way, Yang can feel her stomach twitch for a second, "And if we did?"

She briefly closed her eyes and then bit her lower lip, it was something she knew might have happened, or at least expected to happen, "Well, fuck."

"Yeah, something very stupid. As in you almost threw up at my shirt, you can't control your mouth, you wanted to hit on every single person who comes your way, basically you're a…wild mess. But you should probably thank me later, you'd go viral if people were to film you, I'm sure, and it wouldn't be as scandalizing as it was if it weren't because of me. You take me on a treat, then."

"You're exaggerating." she almost rolled her eyes, is she really that wild? Sometimes, Yang would want to see herself from a different person's perspective, but then maybe regret it for a lifetime afterwards.

"I'm not." he retorted back, then crossed his arms on his chest, letting out a sigh.

It took a minute for Yang to slowly realize her own little scandals, "I don't know what you're talking about, kindly enlighten me? That's...too much."

He sighed again, but this time he looked a little pissed off of her for being completely unaware of how much of a mess she was when not tipsy, "How old are you?"

"Twenty, and what's the connect?" she wanted to smile, like she was anticipating something he would say, "Is that a pick up line?"

"We're of the same age but I have a memory way better and sharper than you," he shifted on his chair just so he could manage to face her, "Are you really that forgetful?"

Well, she really couldn't blame him, her memory becomes shitty once mixed with a few shots of alcohol, "Only when I'm drunk, smartass."

He lightly shook his head, Mercury felt like he was having a conversation with a whole new other person, just the same blonde, but still continued to talk anyway, "We finished our gym session together yesterday, you know. You're a new import, right? We had a chance to talk, but you keep on talking about this person, something like, Blue? Bake? Blake? How you mentioned her for heaven knows how many times, and you said you were bitter and you wanted to grab a drink. Being the nice, new acquaintance that I am, we took shots but you're that dazed. I figured you would last longer, blondie."

"I guess I'm in for a new trouble, right? I probably said a lot of embarrassing things, now you know too much about me, doesn't it? But even so…did we really, like, did it?" his answer was far from what she wanted to hear, so she had to ask again. Finding herself over some guy's place, that she barely know, it wasn't new anymore – but a confirmation wouldn't hurt a bit.

He raised an eyebrow, looked at her for a moment as if she was being dumb or whatever, although she'd never blame him for that, "If you meant that we had sex? No, I'm never that kind of guy, I may be an asshole but I'm no motherfucker. But why do you keep on asking? Do you want us to do it, right now?"

Yang laughed, rather a little louder, "Oh, slow it down, lover boy. I'm not that easy to get, for your information."

He shrugged, but still managed to look hot, "Let's just see."

"Then, what do you think of me?"

"You're pretty…mediocre. At best."

She almost smiled when she heard the word pretty, she knows it, but then he added mediocre, Yang wanted to badly throw anything hard at that stupid face, "At best?"

Mercury rolled his eyes and then stood up, not bothering to explain what he meant, "It's ten o'clock in the morning, get up there and have breakfast." he gestured at her to follow suit, and she did in an instant.

"I barely know you." she said while trying to catch up on his pace, not a care in the world on how she looked like at this point.

"So? Is it bad to offer and have breakfast together with my new acquaintance?"

"Do you even know my name?" she can't help but to ask him, and sure for the second time he might think she's dumb, but she couldn't care less. Maybe they're just really random strangers who were put together inside a room by some stupid dating sim, maybe she was dreaming, or maybe she had to stop pretending.

"Yeah, of course," he said confidently, like a middle schooler who was asked a question that he reviewed for, "because your name sucks."

Her mouth gaped open at that remark, nobody has ever dared to comment something like that on her name, not even the close ones or the ones she knew for quite a while. Did he even knew what it means? "Wow, fuck you?"

"Is that your ways of innuendo? You can just straight up tell me."

"Honestly, what am I even thinking when I decided to talk to you?"

"You see, I'm magnetic, I was named after a god, and you're just one of the forces who got attracted to me."

"What the heck are you saying? Now is that the fourth law of attraction? Shut up, nerd."

"Make me, blondie."

That was such a good comeback that Yang couldn't think of anything better to retort at him. Looking around quickly, particularly on the dining table, suddenly something very stupid to say came her mind, "Oh, pancakes – and strawberry jam! How did you know these are two of my most favorite things in the world?"

"Excuse me? Don't be that assuming."

"Of course, you're going to deny it."

"It's the only stuff we've got on the fridge right now, don't ask."

"We?" Yang took the chance to scan her eyes around again. Surely, Mercury wasn't living alone, he was definitely with someone who's not just his roommate or neighbor, "You mean, you're not alone in here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I have a roommate, and a former…partner." the way he said the latter came out as something that he didn't want to talk about.

"Oh, right," she nodded, someone like him can't be single since birth, "where is she then?"

"I don't know, really." he sounded like he doesn't care, or didn't want to care.

"Since when you two have been off?" Yang asked, not to pry into more of his personal life, but to know her limits.

"Almost a year, come on don't bring that one up." he sat on a chair, placing a piece of pancake for each of their plates from a deck he did just for the two of them.

Yang sat opposite him, she wanted to ask what's her name, or what could have happened for that girl to just eventually end their relationship, but still retain as roommates, "Is she going to mind if I'm here?"

"No, she's not going to mind, you're not the first one either," he cackled as he took a bite, the jam overflowing, "Why? You have a plan of staying?"

"Would you not let a girl like me, though?" she tried her best to sound flirty, but she's sure he only took it as a joke.

"So, what exactly are you planning?"

And that question itself alone triggered an idea, a very stupid idea, that she was bound to regret in the end. Yang knows she's impulsive, and reckless, and most of the time makes bad decisions whether she's drunk or not. She wanted to blame Mercury for being such a perfect ideal, but it wasn't his fault he seems to be everything Yang was looking for in a man.

So, it's now or never. All or nothing.

She took a deep breath, her mind on a roll. Is she really going to say this? He will laugh at her, definitely, but she'd just try. Maybe it would work, maybe not. Either way, Yang knows she's going to get fucked, "Let's make a deal."

"What?" that was so sudden, Mercury almost dropped his fork and then laughed at her, "If you're kidding, you better stop now. Look, you're being too funny."

"Blake has a boyfriend now, I need one too, to show her I'm good without her." what was she really trying to prove? It doesn't make sense, Yang knows she's being unreasonable, but it's the only way now wherein drunk nights and more bad decisions could be avoided, somehow.

He laughed again, louder this time, then raised both of his hands as if to stop her from saying more, "Don't go fucking tell me I'm –"

"Yes, Mercury, whatever you're thinking, is right. You're my boyfriend now." she'd just presented herself as another dumb blonde in front of him, Yang's aware of how much she's being flat out stupid, at least he's digging her humor.

"Are you crazy?" he shook his head, if this is some joke time for Yang, she really needs to stop because he's not taking up any shit from her. She's unbelievable. "Stop your wet dreams, Yang."

"It's a favor, and it's going to be fair for the both of us, I promise."

"And what makes you think I'm going to say yes in this stupid little project of yours?"

He's right, it was like a slap on the face, Yang didn't know what to say, a convincing one, "I – I can help you with whatever you want, anything, just help me out too."

"But are you that desperate? Why are you so head over heels on that Blake? Is she even worth it?" his tone raised a little, but his expression remains straight. Though the slight crease in his forehead and brows not in its relaxed state, it really tells his mood otherwise.

Yang closed her eyes and then breathed heavily, she wished she'd just shut up, she wished he hadn't asked, "Because she's my bestfriend, for years, and I like her. I like her as a friend, but I also like her more than as a friend. So, you know, I'm a complicated person. Well, she's not into girls and now she had someone whose name is Sun."

"Sun? What a name, do you girls have a fetish on guys named after the solar system?" Sun, Mercury…it's purely co-incidental, right? Perhaps a commoner's name wasn't their type.

Well, yeah, she wouldn't have noticed too if he hadn't pointed it out, that's weird. "I don't know, I haven't met him, but I'm sure you're hotter."

"Why do you need a pretend boyfriend, then? You can just go look for other boys or girls, have fun, and you know stuff like that."

"It's not what I need at the moment, really," she already did that before, but it just won't keep her distracted. It might give her a bit of satisfaction, but only for the tiniest bit. She only ends up thinking about Blake, at the end of the day, that is – if Mercury agrees to this, it would be entirely different, "If you could just say yes to this, I promise once it's all done, I won't bother you ever again. Ever."

"Well, I can't think of anything for you to help me with at the moment," for now, there's nothing she could really be of any help, but it will come soon. Mercury, as someone who seeks for the thrill, this one could suffice for the time being, "But it sounds fun, so what should I do? What should we do?"

"We're just going to act like a couple in front of them, that's it. We're going to pretend that we're…in love?"

Mercury sneered at her mention of the latter, "Big word, huh?" he wanted to say that having to act like they were a couple can be pretty neat, but pretending to be in love can be such a hard thing to do, as something similar happened with his previous relationship and it turned out they were just convincing themselves they were in love, but they're not. He wanted to break it down for Yang, but he chose to remain silent.

She hasn't been through that kind of phase, that's why it was so easy for her to say such words. She was just clearly infatuated on Blake, but it's not love, right? It wasn't love. "I know, but you and I, we seem like a match."

"Well, that escalated quickly. Within a day of getting to know each other, we're now into a fake relationship. We've skipped the friends part, aren't we?"

"It's going to be in the process. So, deal?"

"Whatever, deal."

And then that's it. An instant boyfriend, a fake relationship. It may seem like it's going to be simple and all the fun, but she knows deep inside that it won't be. She's not getting serious, nor does he. Yang looked at Mercury as he stood up, it's not like it's hard to like him, for real. He already put up with her and understood her in this shallow dilemma she has. He showed her a temporary concern, for not leaving her despite being a drunk mess, and for making her stay at his place right after. She also really enjoyed bantering with him, someone who could think of better retorts than her. And to top it all, he's not with her for her looks, or for the sex. Maybe, he just really wanted to be friends. Yang felt like a lot of things had happened within twenty-four hours, and for the next ones, it's going to get a little iffy. Now that she's put herself in another rash situation, there's no backing out now, not with Mercury around.

It's not going to last long, certainly, but while it is, she's going to make the most out of it.