Hello everybody my name is Trevyler and welcome to another Fate One-Shot. As expected this is another Archer/Mordred one-shot. I really like writing these. It's not to difficult or time consuming either so it's easier for me to write without leaving people hanging too long. Well last time we had a ride and more couple fun. If you haven't figured it out, that's basically what this series is. By the way, I decided to give characters birth days since I haven't found info about them in the actual series. Archer's is June 23rd. Mordred's is July 19th. I basically just picked dates at random unless they have a confirmed birthday on the wiki.
I've also came up with a very vague timeline one when each one-shot takes place.
-Blind Date (April)
-House Visit (May)
-Country Ride (May)
-Second Date (June)
Anyway, now let's start this story.
Archer had actually did as he promised and got her a job at the garage he worked at. Of course one thing he didn't tell her was that he was the boss and one of the only people that worked there.
Apparently his dad had owned the place before passing it down to him. Once again something from the dad he didn't otherwise mention. She was beginning to wonder why he never talked about his family much outside of things usually referring to the past. She really hoped they weren't dead or something like that.
The two were just finishing up their last day of the week. Some guy named Achilles had called in for a last minute check up on his bike. Archer and Mordred, both being motorcycle owners themselves, knew the trouble a missing or damaged part could cause. So they did as asked. The guy even payed a little extra for keeping them past closing time.
Archer had a wet towel and was using it to wipe sweat and grime off of himself. Mordred was drinking from her water bottle and took a bit to rub on the back of her neck. It was June and the heat was definitely kicking in this year.
She was just waiting to get home and take a nice cool shower. Her mom was probably just about done with work as well. Arturia worked at the local bakery due to the fact that she enjoyed baking more than any other form of cooking.
Mordred was the taste tester for new recipes she came up with. Some were delicious. Others tasted dreadful. Like the time her mom thought making something like chocolate eggplant would be an interesting flavor for cake. Let's just say it didn't turn out as expected. She wouldn't eat eggplant or chocolate cake for a couple of weeks after that.
The white haired man came and sat down next to her on the bench in their workshop. He offered her a clean towel and she took it, opting to wipe her face, arms, and hands down. He had been clan only in an undershirt with grease stains on it, ripped bluejeans, and worker's boots. Mordred had cast aside her red jacket, leaving her only in a tank top, denim shorts, and laced boots.
He turned to her, "So how was your first week at work?" he asked.
She leaned her head back, "Tiresome. Why'd it get so hot all of a sudden? It was nice a breezy the last couple of weeks. Plus I didn't realize you got that many customers." she answered.
He chuckled, "Well I'm one of the best mechanics nearby and I'm a bit more affordable for some folks. It's the beginning of June you know. Summer's right around the corner." he replied.
She adjusted her ponytail a bit, "Still, I'm surprised you get as much business as you do in one day. Over the course of this week you've probably worked on more vehicles than some places get in a month. Summer is nice and all, but not when you have to do physical work." she replied in turn.
He nodded, "Amen to that. So are you doing anything tomorrow?" he inquired.
She sat up, "No. Not that I know of anyway. Mom took a couple shifts tomorrow and I haven't really had anything to do. I haven't talked to many of my friends since I graduated high school." she answered.
Archer saw the longing look in her eyes, "Miss having friends around huh? Tell you what. Cu usually throws this beach party every year and it's coming up in a couple weeks. You're free to come. It's usually me, the three siblings, and whoever anybody invites. Diarmuid will probably invite your mom this year seeing as they've been getting along so well." he offered.
She grinned, "That sounds like fun. Give me details when you get 'em." she accepted.
He coughed, "Now back to the reason I brought up you being busy or not. Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?" he asked.
She almost choked on her water, "U-um Yeah. Sure. I would l-love to." she stuttered, blushing.
He chuckled, "Great. Well you better head home. I'll close up shop for the day. Luckily I have Taiga covering my shift for the weekend." he sighed.
Mordred raised an eyebrow, "Tiger?" she said confused.
He suppressed a laugh, "No no. It's Taiga. Don't ever let her hear you call her Tiger. She'll get you back for it, somehow. I know from experience." he said sheepishly.
She'd never seen give a response like that. When he did she could see the boy she'd seen in those photos show through a bit more. It peaked her interest to see how much of the kid in there still existed.
The blonde stood up and stretched, "Well I'm gonna head out. Send me details on when you wanna go out either tonight or tomorrow morning so I know when to be ready." she called out as she left.
She heard him give an affirmative reply as she threw on her jacket and got on her bike.
The next morning she awoke later than she'd been sleeping as of late. Must've not been used to working.
She got up for a late morning jog and a short visit to the gym. She through on her black,tight, knee length track pants; red track hoodie; and white sneakers. Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it along with headphones.
She put on some music and checked the message she'd gotten from Archer. So he'd come pick her up at 7 tonight and he said to dress nice, but nothing to fancy. She can work with that.
Mordred was one of the few women at her gym that actually took working out seriously and could actually bench more than some of the men. Her small frame was very deceiving.
She got to the gym and checked in using her Member ID. She went to start with some cardio before doing some light weight lifting. She didn't really feel like doing a major exercise day with her date later and all.
She got on an elliptical for about 20 minutes before using the bike and treadmill for about the same amount of time.
She did some war up stretches before she tried lifting some weights. As she was doing some squats, a couple guys showed up and were blatantly staring at her butt.
Mordred gave them a glare and a low almost inaudible growl and they backed off with much prompting.
She used 10 pound weights to start and slowly moved up in weight over a 30 minute period before heading out. She made sure to send a glare at the two men as she left. Damn pervs.
She drained her water bottle and opted for a shower at home today.
After a nice shower, she decided to pick up some some late breakfast/early lunch. She loved bacon so she made sure to include some bacon with her turkey sandwich and ended up making herself a BLTT.
She savored her meal and thought about what to do with her time between now and her date. She could go for a new outfit for the date, but she didn't really know if that was necessary. She could go look around town or maybe just relax at home until a bit later.
She decided that she'd stay home for an hour or two and watch TV or play around on her computer and go out a bit later.
She got online and searched up some cheap, yet nice stores around her area. She didn't really know where any were as shopping wasn't really her thing. At least not for girly things. She did own a couple skirts and a dress at the request of her mother.
The dress wasn't something she thought she'd need though. She probably pick up a new blouse or something and maybe a new skirt and some leggings. Something to make the outfit stand out from her everyday attire.
She found a store locations and headed out in her red jacket, crop top, denim shorts, and boots.
The first store she'd stopped in was a pretty average store with mostly casual clothing alongside cheap formal wear.
She was just at this store to find leggings that they sold for a cheap decent price considering she most likely wouldn't wear them often.
She searched the store until she found what she was looking for. The lady at the front counter gave a polite smile and checked her out quickly.
At the next store, she was looking for a new pair of shoes. She was trying to decide between a pair of brown, laced boots and a pair of red flats.
They were both comfortable, but she decided that the flats were more appropriate for this event.
The woman up front gave her a look up and down before giving a fake smile. Mordred did the same, the tension thick in the air. Luckily, the woman had to take a phone call and a much nicer man helped Mordred at the register.
Her last stop was a place that had a really cute blouse and skirt she'd saw online. It was a more high end store than the others, but nothing too fancy.
That didn't stop a few snooty customers and staff from giving her looks as she looked around the store. Obviously her worn and somewhat skimpy attire had drawn attention to her.
She just ignored them or gave them glares as she went about her business. She found a black leather, pleated mini skirt that she liked a lot. She found a red blouse with gold buckles on the wrists and a black collar. It would look nice with a gold and black short jacket that she'd gotten as a present from someone on Easter.
Gathering her two articles of clothing, she brought them to the register. There was a friendly yet somewhat annoying girl named Marie that kept on calling herself the Queen and a man named Amadeus together in front of her.
By the time it was her turn she was ready to get out of here and relax before Archer picked her up. The store clerk was a friendly guy. Although she had a hard time figuring out it was a guy to begin with, given the feminine appearance and long, braided pink hair.
She took her bag and headed out the door to head on home.
When she got home it was about 3:54. Went to her room and organized all her clothing so she'd be able to get ready quickly when it was time. Suddenly her phone buzzed and she checked it.
Any chance you can make it at 6?-Archer
She thought it over and decided she could that.
Sure thing-Mordred
He replied almost instantly.
That's good. I hope I didn't screw up anything you might be doing.-Archer
No. Actually I was trying to find ways to kill time anyway so less of a wait is fine with me.-Mordred.
Alright. Well I'll seen you later then sweet thing-Archer
Did you really just call me sweet thing?-Mordred
I'm trying out pet names.-Archer
Well keep trying then. See you later Shirou-Mordred
She plugged in her phone began arranging her items for tonight on her bed.
She normally descrgididn't like dressing too girly. She had been a pretty big tomboy for most of her teenage years and had only recently being somewhat girly again. So she didn't really own many dresses or skirts or things like that.
When she was around Archer, she felt a bit more like a normal girl. She didn't know if she liked it a lot or not, but she knew she liked him.
She giggled to herself at the thought and began laughing to herself as she fell back on her bed. Never in a million years had she thought she'd actually like a guy after some rather unpleasant experiences in her life.
That wasn't something to dwell on right now though. She was going a date with her boyfriend tonight and she was gonna enjoy it.
It was now 5:30 and she was finishing getting ready. She'd showered to the best of her ability and actually applied a very light amount of lip stick despite her distaste for make up. Luckily it blended in well with her natural skin tone and lip color nicely.
She had had brushed her hair into a messy ponytail, but added a touch her mom had taught her and added a braid around the sides that went into her ponytail.
(A/N:I'm doing a really bad job at trying to describe her normal hairstyle from the series that she hasn't actually had up until now.)
She put her clothes on including fresh undergarments and looked herself over in the mirror. Pleased with how she looked, she waited somewhat patiently for her boyfriend's arrival. She may have gotten her mother's opinion, but the elder blonde wouldn't be home until around 6:30 or so.
Time seem to tick by slowly, minutes feeling like hours. She was never really a patient person and the fact that she was really looking forward to this wasn't helping. She thought it was funny actually. Just a little over a month ago she had been dreading going out on a date with anybody. Now here she was spending time with this guy and actually enjoying it.
A knock on the door brought her back to reality. She looked at the clock and realized it was just about 6 o'clock. She opened the door and her jaw dropped a little. Archer was wearing a black tight t-shirt that really showed off his physique, his signature red leather jacket, black biker jeans, and black leather boots.
She flushed slightly, "H-hey you look really good." she stuttered slightly.
He grinned at her, "You're looking pretty dazzling yourself." he complimented in return.
Mordred grabbed a small black purse she'd bring when she didn't have any pockets, "Ready to go?" she asked.
Archer nodded, "Ready when you are." he replied.
She shut her door behind her and locked it, "Well then let's get going." she said.
It was a surprised to her to see a black 1964 Aston Martin DB5 parked outside her house.
Mordred stared at it, "Let me guess." she deadpanned.
He smirked, "It's from my dad." they said in unison.
She pouted, "How does your dad have all this stuff?" she asked.
The white haired man put his hands in his pockets, "He was quite the collector back in the day. Not to mention he made a quite a bit of money back in the day since he was a bit of a jack of all trades. Then he met and married my adoptive mother whose family was well off as well. So he basically has a ton of collectibles that both him and Mom love. Mom lived a pretty sheltered life so she was interested in pretty much everything. They let me borrow stuff and have even offered me some of their things to keep. The only time I've taken up the offer was on my bike I ride everyday." he answered.
The blonde nodded in understanding, "Well. Let's go. I'm curious what you've got planned." she admitted.
He opened the door to the car for her and let her get in, "Are you now?" he said, humor evident in his voice.
After walking around to the other side, he got in the driver's seat, "Well you'll just have to wait and see for yourself." he replied smoothly with a wink.
Mordred coughed and looked away with a blush, 'Whoa. Where did that come from?' she thought to herself.
The car ride was silent. Mostly due to Mordred trying not to embarrass herself and take a strike to her pride. She may not have acted like it around him, but she was very prideful, especially when it came to anything competitive. Any damage to her pride made her feel extremely exposed.
She knew she'd find someway to leave him speechless for once. She'd just have to come up with a plan before the night was over.
Their first stop was a average date location. The Movies.
Archer had apparently bought tickets ahead of time, but bought them for the wrong showing of the movie which led to the time change.
The movie was about a two mages who participated in this thing called the Holy Grail War. It's called Fate: Unlimited Blade Works. It was a the sequel to the popular Fate: Stay Night and a companion for the popular TV series and prequel Fate:Zero.
Mordred was a fan of the series. Some of the characters just felt like she knew them for some reason.
The white haired man looked down at her, "I take it you are pleased with the movie choice?" he asked.
She grinned, "Hell yeah I am. I've wanted to see this since they released the trailers months ago!" she nearly shouted excitedly.
He sighed in relief, "That's great. I was afraid I would make a bad choice or something." he replied, scratching the back of his head.
Mordred was surprised at the seemingly bashful attitude he was currently displaying. The light blush that adored his cheeks was positively adorable.
Perhaps there was more to him that what she had seen before. When they were waiting in line, they bumped into a familiar head of green hair.
Archer was the first to notice, "Yo Achilles. Didn't expect to see you here. The bike runnin' okay?" he greeted.
Achilles nodded, "Oh hey. I usually don't trust other people to work on her, but I'm impressed with your work. My baby has hasn't run that well in ages. I didn't realize you two were a thing though." he responded.
The tan skinned man slipped his arm around the short blonde's shoulders, "Yep. We've been dating for close to two months now."
The green haired man nodded, "Alright. Good luck to you two then. I'm here on a date as well. There's this chick named Atlanta that I know. I finally got her to agree to go out with me." he said proudly.
The other two wished him luck with his date and proceeded to get a large popcorn, drinks, and some candy.
They sat down in their seats and waited for the movie to start while they made idle chit chat.
After the movie, Mordred seemed to have had a great time. Archer had to admit that he really liked the movie. Especially the character Ayime who was revealed to be the future version of the main character Kuro. He felt like he could really relate to them for some reason.
Mordred seemed to enjoy the movie a lot, "This was so much better than the original movie. That feeling of realizing that Ayime was actually Kuro from an alternate timeline the whole time was awesome. Not to mention seeing that final battle between Kuro and Angelica looked amazing. Ayime's farewell was really well done. Not to mention that despite being sidelined a bit, Nir Koshata was really good as a love interest this time around. Kuro's relationship with him really felt natural unlike her relationship with Arthur in the Stay Night." she chattered on animatedly.
Archer was really happy with his choices, "I'm glad I picked out a movie you actually wanted to see. Hopefully it'll make up for the things that I screwed up on..." he commented.
Of course he muttered that second part under his breathe.
Mordred beamed, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." she repeated over and over.
Then she paused and coughed, "I mean...Thanks...you know...for the movie." she said, embarrassed by her childish actions.
He smiled, "Well. Why don't we get outta here and grab some dinner?" he suggested.
Mordred grinned, "Sounds great. I'm starving," she agreed.
With that, they returned to the car.
Archer was always proud of his resourcefulness, it was one his most refined and useful traits. However, it seemed that it would not help him this time.
He scratched the back of his head once they were in the car, "Okay. I'm gonna be honest with you. I kinda screwed up the dinner reservations that were supposed to be after the movie. So basically it's your choice where we go to eat at this point. I've got enough money to pay for something a bit on the high end or we can eat something simpler if you'd be more comfortable that way." he admitted.
Mordred chuckled, "So that's why you're tough guy attitude has been failing tonight. You're actually nervous." she teased.
He rolled his eyes, "So what if I am?" he asked.
She gave a softer smile, "It's kinda cute actually." she confessed.
He looked away and started the car, "Cute, huh? Hehe. Well then. Got any preferences for dinner tonight?" he asked.
She looked off, clearly thinking, "I'm feeling steak and potatoes." she answered.
Archer smiled, "Well I know just the place then." he replied.
They pulled outside a small restaurant that looked like it was a more local business than a mainstream restaurant franchise.
They got out of the car, "Well he we are." the male said.
Mordred looked it over, "What is this place?" she inquired.
They shut the doors, "This place is owned and run by my long time friend Sakura Tohsaka." he answered.
The blonde nodded, "I'm gonna hope it's good then." she muttered.
He chuckled, "Well I'd hope so considering I taught her how to cook." he remarked.
Mordred laughed, "Like you know how to cook?" she teased.
The glimmer in his eyes did not go unnoticed, "I'll just have to prove you wrong one day." he said, effectively ending the conversation as they entered the restaurant.
Once they were inside, Mordred took a look around. It was simple, yet elegant, having the aura of a small scale Italian restaurant.
Suddenly a woman with long purple hair and golden eyes appeared before them, "Thank you for dining here tonight. Will it just be the two of you?" she asked, in a polite yet monotone voice.
Archer smiled, "Hey Medusa. Long time no see." he greeted.
The woman stopped, looking him over, "Shirou? Is that you?" she asked.
He chuckled softly, "It sure is. How've you all been here? It's been about 6 months since I've came in last." he said almost sadly.
Medusa smiled, "Things have been good actually. The restaurant has been getting decent business and Sakura is happy to keep the place running. She actually said recently mentioned wishing you'd come in so she could have someone critique her cooking." she informed.
The man looked down at his girlfriend, "Well here I am. This is my girlfriend Mordred. We're here on a date." he stated.
Medusa and Mordred shook hands, "Pleasure to meet you." she said flatly.
Mordred just smiled, "You too." she replied.
This woman seemed...friendly. Kinda strange, but friendly nonetheless. She was still curious about this Sakura person.
The couple followed Medusa to a table in the back part of the dining room away from the few customers that were in tonight. It seems that they'd pick'd a nice night to come here.
The older woman took their orders since Archer already knew what to get for both of them.
There was some idle banter between the two before someone approached the table, "Um. H-hey there Shirou." someone stuttered.
He turned towards the voice, "Hey Sakura. I see you're doing well." he commented.
The purple haired girl smiled, "It really is you, I almost couldn't tell. You look...different." she said.
Archer scratched the back of his head, "Oh yeah. This is the first time you've really seen me like this," he paused, "Oh yeah. This here is my girlfriend. Mordred this is Sakura. Sakura this is Mordred." he introduced the two.
The two shook hands and exchanged smiles, "She's pretty. She's athletic looking too. Like Nee-san." she said without thinking.
Mordred raised an eyebrow, "Nee-san?" she questioned.
The other girl shook her head, "Oh no. I was just thinking that something about you reminds me of my sister Rin."
The blonde nodded, "I'm assuming you know this Rin as well then Shirou." she assumed.
Emiya assumed that the use of his name was fine among friends. These ones anyway.
He coughed, "Well yeah. She was my friend in High School." he answered.
The exact extent of their relationship didn't need to be discussed at the moment. Luckily Sakura seemed to have gotten the message.
That line of conversation ended there as Sakura returned to the kitchen to check on their food.
She even brought it out alongside Medusa, who seemed to work rather well alongside the girl. They seemed to have a mother-daughter relationship or maybe a little sister/big sister relationship.
Mordred at the steak she'd been given with delight.
She stopped after a few bites and turned to Sakura, who'd asked how it was, "It's delicious. Best steak I've ever had." she complimented.
Sakura giggled, "Thank you, but really. If you want to taste the real deal, then you should try Shirou's cooking. He's far better than me." she responded.
Mordred turned to Emiya with the most serious face, "You will cook for me later." she stated, leaving no room for arguments.
He smirked, "It would be my pleasure." he replied.
She nodded, "Good," she paused and her face went a little red, "Of course. If you don't want to..." she trailed off.
The tan man lightly grabbed her hand, "It's no problem. I'd be delighted to." he said genuinely.
The look on his face made her heart skip a bit. It was so gentle, so innocent looking.
A small sound slipped from Sakura's mouth, ruining the moment, "I'm so sorry. I just...I've never seen something like that happen in real life. It was so cheesy romantic, but it was real." she blabbered on.
The couple coughed and cleared their throats, opting to finish their meal.
When they did so, they payed and gave goodbyes to the two purple haired women. Emiya gave Sakura a positive review of her cooking and told her to keep up the good work.
When they'd got back to her house it was close to 9:00. Apparently they'd been out longer than they thought.
They pulled up outside her house and Emiya offered to walk her to her door, which she accepted.
The white haired man looked down at the blonde girl, "I hope you had fun tonight. I'm sorry I screwed up what I initially had planned." he apologized.
She shook her head, "It's fine. I'm not much of a planner anyway. I had more fun just deciding on the go." she admitted.
Emiya smiled, "That's great. I thought I'd messed everything up. Well it's getting late. I better get home." he said once they were at the door.
She didn't want it to end like this so she stopped him before he walked away, "Hmm, What-" he stopped.
She'd stretched up and pressed her lips to his cheek, "I have fun. We should do this again sometime." she whispered against him.
She then proceeded to enter the house quickly and leave him speechless as he walked to his car with a stupid grin on his face.
I finally finished this. After weeks of getting interrupted while trying to finish this and multiple changes, I finally decided to just finish this quickly while I have time and post it. Hopefully it doesn't feel too rushed. I honestly went through multiple concepts for this chapter. I even had to change some stuff from previous one-shots to match this one since it's part of a series. I'll need to update the note that goes on these one-shots. Remember to review and PM if you have questions and to make sure to read the rest of this series.
I even started a community for this ship so tell me if you seem any stories for it and I'll add them.
As always, Have a great night everyone and I'll see you next time.
~Trevyler