Do as I Say (Not as I Do)
Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Brothers. That goes to Nintendo. I also do not own Queen's Blade that is owned by Hobby Japan. The only characters I own are those from the Golden Land, angels from Skyworld including the royal bodyguards, Angel Assembly and archangels along with all the other angels and of course the witch hunters.
Summary: After making a late night visit to the Botanical Garden to pick up some flowers, Corrin stumbles upon a group of men who speak of disappearing women and a wonderful brothel that is said to appear past midnight in the alleyways of Smashopolis. Originally, Corrin would have ignored the issue if he didn't see Bayonetta and Cloud walk into the brothel. When he interrogates them, they dismiss his concerns causing the prince to want to catch the two in the act. The fear and jealousy in his veins is enough for the enemy to take advantage of his vulnerable state…
Pairing: Cloud/Corrin/Bayonetta and implied Pit/Rob/Shulk
Rated: M (for mature) but E (for explicit on Archive or Our Own)
Genre: Friendship, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance and some Humor
Warning: Swearing, extreme violence, attempted non-con, sexual themes and unintentional OOC
I literally cannot stop writing the Salt Trio when I should be focusing on other stories I have started! The story I have yet to start, Madness of the Minstrel (was supposed to write it last October but school destroyed me) will take place after this story. (This would explain why the DLC Trio are not involved in the plot anyway). Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Being the Third Wheel Sucks
One thing you should know about Smashopolis is that it's dangerous to walk around at night by yourself. You should always travel in groups to avoid being attacked. Granted, if you were a Smasher, you wouldn't have to worry about that too much. You were one of the strongest individuals in the Smash Brothers Realm, so people should fear you instead of the other way around.
For Corrin, he may have looked like an easy target, but he was part Manakete. He was a powerful dragon that would rip your face off if you looked at him the wrong way. Yes, he was a very kindhearted individual, but he was capable of protecting himself.
Alas, it would be easier to attack him tonight than other nights. He was currently carrying at least three sets of flower bouquets with him. One was for his sister Cory, one was for his sister's roommate Bayonetta, and the last one was for himself to replace the flowers in his room. Corrin was only out this late at night because he heard that there was a flower sale going on and the flowers he wanted to buy for himself only bloomed at night. The clerk was grumbling at how someone should not be walking around at this time, but since it was a special occasion, the Botanical Garden wasn't closed.
"Just be careful out there. You don't know what will happen at this time."
Corrin insisted he would be fine as he left the garden. He would take his time though and wait for the Mii bus that would take him back to the mansion. He expected his sister to lecture him for walking around late at night, but he wanted to impress her with these night flowers. They were so beautiful and they smelled good that he was certain that she wouldn't be mad at him for too long. As for Bayonetta, he bought her red roses again. He blushed at the idea of being praised for getting her these recently blooming flowers. It's not like he was going to admit to his sister that he had a secret crush on the older Smasher and he wanted to be on her good side.
It wasn't too bad waiting for the bus though. He looked up toward the sky and smiled at how pretty the moon was. Cory lied when she said the city sleeps at night. It was very much alive with very colorful individuals walking around. They gave Corrin odd looks especially seeing him with flowers before ignoring him. Most of them were heading to Smash Casino to gamble. Others were heading to the love hotel for the evening.
While waiting for the bus, Corrin started to think about his home world. He missed not being able to return due to the evil man that was after him. Until Corrin was able to resolve his issue with his heart, there was no way he would able to slay that person.
Reminiscing of the past allowed him to remember Azura though. He smiled recalling the blue haired beauty. Closing his eyes, he started to hum the song she always sang whenever he was down in the dumps. He wasn't a good singer by any means, but at least he was able to memorize some of the lyrics.
"You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek...
Life beyond the shore just out of reach...
Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time...
The path is yours to climb…"
Corrin's ears twitched hearing something that would snap him out of his thoughts. Again, there was a group of men (at least four of them) looking at him while he was standing at the bus stop. The silver haired prince shivered at the look they were giving him, but he paid no heed. He stopped singing just in case he needed to pay attention to his surroundings. The dragon prince was able to eavesdrop on them from a distance anyway.
"Hey, did you hear about how a large amount of women disappeared from that realm?"
"Ehh? Which one?"
"The one where that one swordsman came from…you know…the one with the buster sword?"
Cloud's world? Corrin wondered to himself as he found himself leaving the bus stop to approach the men to ask for details.
"Yeah! They all just vanished into the night without warning. I know their leader is trying to keep a low profile on the disappearances, but it's occurring more frequently across the universe. Soon, the woman snatcher is going to come here."
"Do you think it has to do with the magical brothel that has been showing up recently?"
"Which one?"
"You know the one that shows up past midnight? I heard that people have been going there for a good fuck. The women there are foreigners but beautiful."
"Mmm…sounds hot."
"I can't wait to confirm the rumors soon! I want to see if they have exotic dresses!"
"I'm more interested if they have big boobs."
"Excuse me," Corrin finally started interrupting their train of thought, "can you tell me more about the disappearing women?"
Corrin had every right to be concerned. If something bad was going to happen, he needed to report it to someone. As a good prince, he needed to make sure nothing bad happened to those around them. The four guys just looked at him and laughed. Perhaps Corrin shouldn't have had been carrying the bouquet of flowers when asking. It was affecting his image.
"What do you want flower boy?" One of the guys asked. "You're obviously not good for those women. Run back to your flower shop now before someone deflowers you."
Corrin wish he understood what the guy was talking about. The other three guys in his gang just laughed with their friend. The dragon prince glared at them revealing his fangs.
"Excuse me? I'm actually concerned about the disappearances. As a prince participating in Smash, I need all the information I can get."
Again, they laughed at him. Corrin felt his body trembling in anger. A part of him wanted to be like Cory and lash out at them for mocking his status in Smash. Did he have any respect around here, or was this what Cory meant when she said the people were asleep? Did she mean no one cared who you were? Did that mean he couldn't get information more easily? He really had no idea…
"We're so sorry for insulting you flower prince." The leader of the group said in a not so apologetic tone. "We didn't recognize you with the bouquet of flowers in front of your face."
"…If I took out Yato, would you recognize who I am?"
They didn't seem to hear that threat so they continued to mock him.
"If you really want to be a man, then search for the alleyway where Grimm's Candy Shop is. They say the Red Light District magically shows up with a colorful brothel waiting down the street."
"Oh…"
"Of course, if you want to head there with us, we won't stop you."
Corrin didn't trust these guys. He was more concerned with the flowers being damaged, but he felt like it would be easier to go with them than to figure out where he needed to be and get loss.
"I will go with you…but do not try anything funny." Corrin threatened them feeling a malicious aura being directed at him. "I may be carrying these flowers around, but I am not afraid to impale you if you lay a hand on me."
"Oh, scary! The flower prince is capable of feeling anger!" The leader mocked. "Oh well! Come on boys! It's time to go!"
Corrin intended to walk behind the four human males but they ended up forcing him to walk in the middle. They insisted that as a prince, he needed to be protected especially with how he was walking around with those lovely flowers. The dragon prince was glad his blue cape was covering his back up. He felt like the two men in the back were trying to leer at his rear. It wouldn't be a problem. If he turned into a dragon, they would regret crossing him.
Corrin was slightly disappointed at this rumor. It was already past midnight and there was another area in Smashopolis. He felt this terribly powerful magic in this district. Corrin wanted to turn around and forget his plan. The lights were too bright and the neon lights were brighter here than they already were in Smashopolis when a Splatfest was going on. How that was even possible was still a mystery. The men were quick to abandon Corrin once they saw an exotic red building that was open to all. The dragon prince saw the design and immediately thought of one of those houses that were in Hoshido. He forgot the name of them, but brothel was probably the term he was thinking of.
The dragon prince decided to simply observe from a distant to see if the rumors of the disappeared women were true. The problem was that the only people that were going in were demons and humans. Many demons were bringing sake to drink inside. From what Corrin observed, it was simply a party with some women inside serving drinks. They didn't look exotic at all. They looked to simply be workers and nothing else. Maybe the false rumor was going around because people wanted a good thrill. This place might even only show up because demons weren't really thrilled with that demon law that was passed that prevented them from hurting humans. If they couldn't go wild in the public eye, they could go insane at night where nobody could see them except a few adventurous humans who dared venture out into the night.
The dragon prince would have called it quits too if two people didn't catch his eye. The prince had to hide behind a streetlight hoping nobody would find it suspicious that a boy carrying flowers was spying on them. Knowing the people he was watching, they would have noticed him…but they didn't…
No way…Cere? Cloud?!
Waiting at the entrance of the door was Cloud. He had arrived first wearing his usual long sleeved outfit over his ex-SOLDIER attire. It was a chilly night, so of course he was going to have it on. He was eyeing the area looking to see if anyone suspicious had caught his eye. Surprisingly, he didn't notice silver hair standing out in a crowd full of normal haired humans and huge demons. He tapped his foot impatiently waiting for Bayonetta to reach him.
Bayonetta was looking gorgeous tonight. She had redone her hair to where it was tied up in a simple ponytail and had thrown out her Smash outfit in favor of a black qipao. It certainly matched the theme of the Red Light District, but Corrin wouldn't know that. He was enchanted by her beauty and nearly gave his location away.
"Did I keep you waiting, handsome?" Corrin could hear Bayonetta ask. "The least you could have done was dress for the occasion."
"…You're over the top." Cloud answered. "We're only here for one thing and one thing only."
"Already ready to have some fun. How brave of you." The Umbra Witch hummed as she started to wrap her arms around Cloud's neck and sway her hips seductively. "Are you capable of keeping it together though?"
To her and Corrin's surprise, Cloud silenced her with a surprise kiss. She made a small noise before returning the feverish kiss. Cloud wanted to pull her closer than they already were, but they were standing in the way of the door, so he had to restrain himself. Corrin felt something in his chest…and his pants hurt. He nearly dropped his flowers at that moment.
"Why don't we continue inside, handsome?" Bayonetta teased as she pulled away. "You'll be able to mark me without anyone watching."
Cloud grumbled as Bayonetta got off of him and walked inside the brothel first. He shrugged his shoulders and just followed in after her. How did Corrin want to leave his hiding spot and follow after them? He wanted to know what the hell the two were doing together. Instead, he found himself leaving his hiding spot and running out of the Red Light District still holding onto the bouquets.
What was that? Corrin had asked himself as he quickly found his way back to the bus stop he was originally standing out. He wasn't gone for long since the Mii bus was coming. Why were Cloud and Cere together? How long have they been together? Why haven't they told me?
The last question was the most important question to Corrin. Out of everyone in the mansion, he forged a strong bond with Cloud and Bayonetta. They were way older than him, but they gave him some breathing space that he originally did not have in his world and treated him like an adult. Now, they were dating behind his back and didn't bother to tell him…
With so many questions inside his head, Corrin would end up losing track of time. He wouldn't remember getting on the bus and heading back to the mansion. He didn't remember getting off the bus and he certainly didn't remember arriving back in his room. Once reality set in, he noticed that Cloud was noticeably absent in said room.
Of course he's not here…he's at the brothel. Corrin thought darkly as he went to his restroom to grab the flower vase that was on the sink counter. Why would I expect him to be here before me?
If he had checked his sister's room, he would have known that not only was Bayonetta not in the room but also Cory wasn't either. Because he didn't check, he would simply place the flowers in front of the door so Cory or Bayonetta can pick them up in the morning. Bayonetta was an early riser, so the dragon prince expected her to see them. He sighed as he placed the night flowers in the vase. They were so pretty to stare at with how they were absorbing the moonlight from outside. Corrin placed the vase next to the windowsill to get the best results. He should have been happy with the flowers he bought, but he wasn't. The lack of a certain blond swordsman only angered him even more. Sighing in defeat, Corrin resided to go to bed for the night. The red eyed prince would find it difficult to get some sleep due to his mind being clouded with thoughts of the incident a few hours ago.
"Cere…Cloud…" He called out weakly as he closed his eyes. "What were you two doing in there?"
Corrin would toss and turn in his bed before eventually falling into a deep slumber. The dragon prince had forgotten to take his normal clothes off and put his pajamas on. It would make things even more difficult now that he was sleeping.
Only after Corrin fell asleep would Cloud eventually return. He grumbled about how the Umbra Witch was too hard on him while trying to hide something that on his neck. The older male saw his younger roommate asleep with his armor on.
"Honestly, can't you take care of yourself?" Cloud had asked as he quietly shut the door behind him. "You can't be wearing dirty clothes to bed. You create more laundry for Peach."
Cloud had also noticed that the blanket wasn't on top of the sleeping prince. He was going to catch a cold at this rate! Cloud grabbed the blanket that was on the floor and silently placed it over the dragon prince. He murmured something akin to "Good night" before glancing at the flowers in the moonlight.
Not a bad choice for a night light. Cloud had thought to himself before he quickly changed into nightwear and settled in for the evening.
Corrin had a sleepless night. He was plagued by the events of last night that caused him to toss and turn in his sleep. He was close to murdering his pillow in his sleep, but he managed to keep the pillow in check. However, by having no sleep, he would end up a grouchy man.
"Hey, we've got a match soon. Corrin, get up!"
Corrin growled feeling someone shaking his shoulder. He turned his back toward the voice.
"Go away…"
"Corrin, we have a triple battle with Bayonetta. You can't sleep in." An agitated sigh could be heard before he started to shake Corrin again. "Get up or I'm going to push you off the bed."
The silver haired prince continued to growl at the constant interruptions before he finally decided to sit up. He rubbed his eyes before he glared in the general direction of the voice. His vision was still blurry, but he recognized the silhouette hovering over him.
"Cloud…"
"On the count of three, I'm going to remove the covers first before I push you off the bed…"
Cloud did not do the countdown like he said and forced the blanket off of the dragon prince. He let out a gasp as he sat up almost instantly. For once, Cloud was glad Corrin had some clothes on even if it was the same thing he wore to fights.
"Dammit Cloud! It's freezing!" Corrin hissed. He was not in the best of moods now.
"You're already dressed. Get ready for our triple battle match." The ex-SOLDIER repeated before Corrin decided to defy him.
"Ask my sister to take my place. I'm not feeling too good."
"…Excuse me?"
"Cory is the better fighter anyway." Corrin growled as he tried to reach for the blanket. Cloud was fast enough to keep the blanket away from the dragon prince and get him out of bed.
"…What's wrong? Did staying up all night get you sick?"
At first, Corrin wanted to snark at him for acting like he was concerned when he wasn't. Looking into Cloud's eyes, Corrin knew that was far from the case.
"…What's a brothel?"
"Huh?!"
"What's a brothel? Answer me and I'll get ready for the battle."
How unlike Corrin to demand something in order to do something for someone in return…that sounded like something Cory would do. Cloud froze at the question if only because he was remembering an incident from his past. Corrin assumed it had to do with the brothel he went to last night when in reality, Cloud was remembering that incident at the Honey Bee Inn amongst other unpleasant memories there. Having to crossdress in order to save Tifa (when she really didn't need saving), having to humiliate himself in order to get certain items…getting stuck in that room with all of those macho men…
"It's best not knowing what a brothel is." Cloud said very quickly. He turned around to avoid his roommate from seeing how red his face became recalling that mission.
"Why not?" Asked the dragon prince who was letting his dragon temper get the best of him. "Why won't you tell me what it is?! Stop treating me like a child!"
"I'm not. It's not like you're going to go inside a brothel anytime soon. Your sister wouldn't allow it."
At that moment, Corrin noticed a bruise on Cloud's neck. It didn't take a genius to see what it was. The red eyed dragon prince let out a low roar when he recognized the scent on the older man. Bayonetta's scent…
"…Where did you get that mark?"
"I…did some late night training. Got injured…"
"Was Cere rough with you?"
Cloud's eyes widened but he still refused to look Corrin straight in the eye. Before he could answer him, someone knocked on the door.
"Corrin, Cloud, where are you? The match is going to start soon."
Cory was waiting outside impatiently for the two male Smashers to get out. Even when Cloud told her to stay out, she let herself in. The silver haired prince used this opportunity to leave.
"Sis, I'm sorry. I can't fight today. I have somewhere I need to be."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" The dragon princess asked. "You don't have a job in Smashopolis!"
A pleading look is all Corrin needed to convince his older "twin" to let him leave. Since she was itching for a match anyway, she agreed to take his place. Cloud called for his roommate to come back, but Corrin had already dashed off down the stairs.
"…What's with him?" Cloud ended up asking out loud.
Corrin found himself back on the Mii bus instead of just spreading his wings and flying off toward Smashopolis. The last thing he wanted was to tire himself out before lunchtime. The dragon prince was getting accustomed to the bus anyway even if it was a different Mii depending on the time of day.
Other Smashers were on the bus too. Corrin didn't peg Falco as the type to take the bus when Fox and him had the Arwing that they were allowed to use to get from point A to point B. As long as they didn't start shooting at buildings, they would be in the clear.
Wario was also taking the bus. It was only odd given he had a Mercedes and his bike that could take him to Smashopolis easily. Curiosity was getting the best of Corrin as he ended up listening in on the conversation. He was far from pleased with the topic.
"So the loser from Midgar came back a winner last night." Wario started with his usual laugh. "He's not good at hiding his hickies."
"You would think with how many girls he attracts that he would hide them better." Falco added. Since when had Falco been interested in gossip? Or was it just Cloud he had no problem making fun of? "I wonder how many people thought that Cloud would end up with the witch."
"No one. She's supposed to be out of reach, but I guess that even she will stoop to the level of someone else." Wario ended up mocking. "I feel for the dragon kid though. She is a heartbreaker."
Corrin's temper immediately flared up. He tried to remain cool, but it proved to be difficult. They didn't know he was on the bus, so they talked about him while he was right in front of them.
"To be fair, we don't know what happened last night. We just know they came back at the same time."
"Midgar loser looked like he got hit by a train. She was probably rough with him."
"He doesn't have the stamina now does he? Only the looks to attract girls."
"His sword is obviously compensating for something. Wahh haa haa!"
Wario wouldn't be laughing for long when he nearly found himself impaled by Corrin's spear. The dragon prince had gotten up from his seat and impaled the seat next to Wario. Wario and Falco were sitting across from each other, so Corrin wouldn't have to worry about pinning the cocky pilot by accident. Wario's jaw nearly hit the floor seeing the angry look the dragon prince was giving him. Falco was equally surprised but did not hold his tongue.
"Oh, Corrin! You were on the bus too? Wouldn't you be flying to Smashopolis?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Corrin hissed as he pulled the spear out of the seat. He would get lectured about ruining the seat later, but he could care less at the moment. "I would refrain from talking about my friends behind my back making assumptions about me. Gossip is bad."
Even if Corrin were upset with both Bayonetta and Cloud, he still would defend them. This was an apparent flaw that Falco had no problem bringing up.
"Wait, so you lost in the love triangle and you're telling us to stop making fun of them? Wouldn't you want to slam Cloud for going behind your back?"
"You're assuming I even like Cere." Corrin reminded him coldly. "Both of them are my friends. I do not care what they do when I'm not around. It is rude to talk behind their backs when you don't even know what's going on."
Corrin wanted to take his own advice. He was heading to a place to know what the two were doing. Now the silver haired prince was thinking that everyone knew the two were an item. He needed a confirmation and he wasn't going to get it from Cloud or anyone who didn't know him or Bayonetta.
"Oh, those two weren't the only ones who were out late." Wario continued. He had a death wish. "We saw you were out late at night too. Flowers were a convenient cover up. We saw you head off with those four guys. Did you have fun with them like Midgar loser and the witch did?"
Corrin would have impaled the greedy Smasher had it not been for the Mii Gunner Sophie actively stopping the bus to yell at the Smashers.
"Fighting is not permitted on the bus." She told Corrin. "Please stop impaling the seat."
"S-Sorry."
"I will report this to Master Hand. Violence is prohibited. Property damage is prohibited. Gossip is permitted to an extent, but no slandering without false information. We will all have a happy bus trip to Smashopolis."
Corrin knew his sister was going to kill him for letting his temper loose. Then again, it would just be Master Hand taking a lot from his paycheck meaning he would have to beg his sister for money if he went out. Wario would have laughed if he weren't part of the problem along with Falco. Sophie was a Mii that gave no fucks about what the Smashers wanted.
"…Take me to the library, please…" Corrin murmured as he made his way back to his seat still fuming. "I need to do something there."
"Can do." She hummed as she ignored the tension that was still in the air.
Corrin gripped at his chest the longer the bus remained silent. Why was a conversation like this angering him so much? It was so unlike him. Was he…jealous? Or is something else taking over?
The minute Corrin reached the library was the minute he was going to go straight to the librarian and demand to know where the books on brothels were. That would get him some odd looks given that no one would be dumb enough to be so vocal about wanting a book that explained what a brothel is.
"Lord Corrin, can you keep your voice down? You look like a fool asking for something like that."
Corrin shook his head in annoyance. Of all the people to be the librarian today (and in general), it just happened to be the princess of the Apple Kingdom of Mel Fair Land. She went by the name Snow White and she was only in Smashopolis to be on the lookout for beautiful fighters to assist her before winter in Mel Fair Land. Mel Fair Land was on a different clock than Smashopolis so less time might have passed in hers and not this one. Regardless, she had taking a liking to Smashopolis like a few other potential candidates for the Queen's Blade like Gretel the confectioner.
Snow White was a beautiful princess with hair as white as her name implied and pink eyes. Despite her name, her dress consisted of black, purple and pink hues. She had a huge pink bow and a black cape to go with her outfit. Corrin had told himself many times that she was indeed the fairest of them all like the fairy tale she was based on (his favorite one at that). However, her personality was something to get used to. She was capable of being kind, but she was very cruel to those she didn't like. She was aloof for the most part but was capable of being snarky when she needed to be. Her relationship with Corrin was incredibly odd to say the least. She hated how he didn't act like a prince at all and hated how naïve he was, but adored how his heart was pure and matched the definition of prince charming. As a result, she treated him with respect but was not afraid to call him out like right now.
"Snow, it's really important."
"Address me as Snow White or Lady Snow. We are not that close." She reminded him coldly. "Why would a prince need to know what a brothel is? Brothels are for the lowly peasants."
"I still need to do my research on this. It does concern the missing women recently."
"Are you sure?"
"Uh-huh."
Snow White was a smart girl. She could tell there was something on the dragon prince's mind. She ended up pointing him in the direction where he needed to go. Corrin thanked her and promised to repay her later.
The adult material seemed to be in the back of Smash Library. It made sense seeing as how no one would want children to accidentally find these books and learn stuff they weren't ready for. Of course, most of the children Smashers probably already knew these things were, so they were kept out of reach as a precaution. Books concerning brothels, sex trafficking and other illegal activities were placed together on the higher shelves. Corrin had some difficulty reaching it. He ended up spreading his dragon wings in order to fly up and grab the book from the shelf before floating back down.
"Let's see what the book says…" Corrin muttered to himself as he quickly opened the book and turned the page. This book has a huge history of brothels and what to expect of them as well as where it's illegal to have one and places that were strict with them. "A brothel is a place where people may go to engage in sexual activity with a prostitute or a sex worker…oh…"
If Corrin was looking in the mirror, he would see that his cheeks had turned the color of his eyes. Everyone was probably thinking how much of an idiot he was for asking around. In his mind, if Bayonetta and Cloud wanted sex, they would have gone to the love hotel…was there a thrill going to some place else?
The dragon prince continued to read what goes on inside the brothel. He went from being embarrassed to paling at the things that went inside the building. Cloud was right. It was best not knowing.
The dragon prince failed to notice that there were Smashers in the library as well. They were having quality time together with their love for books, but once one of them noticed Corrin in the corner looking ready to pass out, he excused himself from his friend.
"It's not every day I see you in the library."
Corrin looked up and saw the male tactician in front of him.
"It's not every day I see you wearing something normal." The younger male snarked. "Besides, I have spent most of my life in a library because I couldn't leave the tower."
"Yikes…someone is crabby…"
"Robin, if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly in the mood to talk to anyone. I would like to be left to my own devices."
Rob didn't exactly like being talked down on the normally good natured prince. Something was obviously bugging Corrin for him to act as dismissive as Cory.
"You tell a lot of people in the mansion to come to you when something is bothering them." Rob reminded him. "Now that something is bothering you, you want to hold it in. That's not healthy."
"It's not something you're interested in anyway."
"I won't know until you tell me." Rob had looked behind him to see Shulk approaching. "Don't worry. If it's too embarrassing for you, we won't tell anyone. It still is better to get it off your chest instead of holding it in."
Corrin let out another sigh of defeat before explaining to the older Smasher what was on his mind. He had to talk about what he did last night from buying the night flowers to overhearing some guys talk about the mysterious brothel that showed up in the Red Light District. The rumors were proven true, but the problem stemmed from Cloud and Bayonetta going inside. He didn't follow them, but he ended up explaining how more than one Smasher was aware of their secret meetings late at night. Shulk was proving to not be much help since it was revealed that he didn't know what a brothel was either. Rob would tell the Monado boy he would explain what it is later in private as he gave advice to the dragon prince.
"Have you tried asking them about their secret meetings?" Rob asked not really convinced that the two were going out.
"Cloud wouldn't answer me…and I have yet to talk to Cere…" Corrin admitted. "Why?"
"Well, I know Pit has told me not to say much but…"
Shulk glared at Rob at the mention of the angel captain. Corrin felt himself start to sweat a bit seeing the Medusa stare that Shulk was giving. He did not understand why Pit and Shulk were at such odds. Shulk was a kind man that got along with everyone, but Pit. Pit was a good person despite his arrogance, but he just couldn't bother with Shulk. Maybe Corrin was missing something to the equation, but he felt their rivalry was petty.
"Pit has told me that he has been looking into the missing women. They have been vanishing in other worlds as well, so Bayonetta and Cloud might be the people he enlisted to help him."
"Oh?"
"I'm not a hundred percent sure on this one, but I feel like Bayonetta and Cloud wouldn't date behind your back."
"But I'm not upset about the idea of the two being together."
Corrin repeated these words, but his heart didn't agree. Rob was observing his expression and also thought he was lying.
"Regardless, you should ask Bayonetta about it. She's more open to you than anyone else in the mansion, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Cloud is kind of a prick…so I'm not surprised he would dismiss the idea."
"Cloud is capable of being nice…"
"Anyway, don't jump to conclusions. Just ask. Trust me, Corrin. It's not as bad as the idiots like Wario and Falco are making it out to be."
Corrin could only hope Rob was right on this one.
After saying goodbye to Rob and Shulk, Corrin proceeded to head back toward the mansion and apologize to his sister for having her take his place at the last minute. He needed a good excuse as to why he couldn't fight today without bringing up the magical Red Light District tiring him out. He couldn't think of anything on the top of his head and ended up walking toward one of the many bus stops again.
The dragon prince didn't realize his mood was dampening when he started passing by happy couples. Hearts were hovering over their heads as they were holding hands. They were flirting with each other when asking their significant other where they would like to head out to next. Some had the audacity to block Corrin in the middle of the street just to make out. This particular action nearly caused the red eyed prince to turn his hand into a mouth and scare them away with the sheer size of said hand. He kept his opinion to himself as he walked around the couple. Unfortunately, they were waiting at the bus stop and he would have to hear them for another five minutes or so while they whispered sweet nothings to themselves.
"Are you sure this is okay?" The girl had asked as she pulled apart from her boyfriend. "I don't want to upset him…"
"The kid? He's fine." The boy reassured his girlfriend as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "He was always the third wheel in our group."
"Yes but…"
"I know you wanted to hide the fact we're going out and that you don't return the kids feelings, but he's going to be hit by reality soon enough. He's too young for you."
"I know but…"
"It's creepy how he wants to be an adult without realizing the implication of what it means to be one."
Corrin's eyes widened in horror hearing those words. This entire conversation was terrible and he shouldn't be listening in, but he couldn't help but relate to the situation at hand.
"You're like his elder brother though. I'm sure if we come clean, he'll understand."
"Nah, just let him find out the hard way. You're one step closer to becoming an adult when you realize that the world doesn't cater to you."
These words were harsh but were grounded to reality. Corrin looked away from the couple as the girl decided that her boyfriend was right and decided to continue with the make-out session. By letting his mind wander, Corrin realized that he was putting himself in the child's shoes. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he felt like the boy and the couple is involved in a love triangle. The boy was in love with the girl, but she's too old for him, so she settles for the young lad right next to her. She actually considers the boy a third wheel despite caring for him very much. The lad probably cared for the kid too, but hid it better.
…Just like Cloud and Cere. Corrin thought darkly to himself as he saw the Mii bus slowly pull in. Is that what I am to them? A third wheel that is meant to be thrown away at a time's convenience?
The bus door opened as the bus slowly lowered itself down. Corrin decided not to step on the bus and head in the direction of Grimm's Candy Shop instead.
N-No…they don't hate me. T-That can't be right…I can tell if they saw me as a nuisance…
His dark thoughts were slowly consuming him. He needed to find a way to make himself feel better. It was why he was going to stop at the candy shop. He needed an excuse to go into his sister's room to talk to Bayonetta (if she was even going to be there).
Even if he was told to spend his money wisely, Corrin ended up purchasing so many sweets from Gretel. He made sure to buy a lot of lollipops though for Bayonetta just so she doesn't chase him out of the room.
After taking the Mii bus, Corrin made his way to the third floor where his sister's room was. The door was usually unlocked due to Cory allowing him inside the room. Originally, Bayonetta wasn't thrilled with the concept of anyone being able to walk into the room, but after realizing that it's usually Corrin that comes in, she stopped trying to lock the door. It was better to keep the door unlocked rather than let Corrin panic on the other side and start scratching at the door like a crazed cat.
"Sis, I'm coming in." Corrin warned his sister as he let himself into the room. He immediately noticed that his sister was not in the room, but he heard the shower running in the bathroom. His cheeks turned a bright pink realizing that it was Bayonetta that was inside. "Oh…Cere…"
He should leave. He didn't want her to think he was a pervert if he waited for her to finish up. Fortunately for him, Bayonetta was already done. She had just turned the water off. Unfortunately for him, Bayonetta did not care if anyone saw her naked. She had a towel but she didn't bother to wrap it around her body.
"Gah!" Corrin yelped as he immediately looked away. "C-Cere…I didn't know it was you…"
It was such an obvious lie that Corrin had to wonder why he even bothered saying that. He could hear the Umbra Witch chuckle and approach him. Suddenly, his hearing was focused more on the dripping water rather than her alluring voice. By the time he glimpsed upward, he was met with Bayonetta's nice rack.
"I find that hard to believe dear seeing as how you come in here often." She hummed as she reached out and pulled at his ear slightly. He let out a surprised gasp as a response. "Your hearing is better than the other Smashers here, so I know that you knew I was in the shower."
"N-No! I was looking for sis! I bought sweets for her to apologize to her and…I…"
She was going too far with the teasing. She continued to smile as she quickly put her clothes back on. Corrin didn't see the process due to shutting his eyes to not look at her naked body.
"I'm sorry, darling. Perhaps this outfit will do for you?"
The dragon prince honestly expected her to wear something different that would get his attention. She just switched back into her default outfit. He was slightly disappointed it wasn't the sexy outfit she wore last night…
"Yeah it's fine…I won't be here for long." Corrin told her as he set everything but the lollipops on Cory's bed. "How did you like the flowers last night?"
"They're gorgeous, darling…Although, I am not all that impressed you got them late at night."
"Sorry…they were night flowers so…"
"Just don't walk around past midnight again. I don't want to hear your sister screeching in my ears because you were being irresponsible."
Bayonetta was already on to the dragon prince. It was best to change the conversation instead of focusing on the one now.
"So Cere," he started, "do you know what a brothel is?"
Bayonetta raised her eyebrow suspiciously.
"That question came out of the blue. Why would you want to know what a brothel is?"
"…When I was walking around last night, there were some guys that were talking about how there was a magical brothel that would show up after midnight in the Red Light District." Corrin eyed Bayonetta shadily. He had to make sure that she wasn't aware that he already had an idea what a brothel was or that he was outside the brothel the previous night. He wanted to know from the Umbra Witch herself. "I asked them what a brothel was and they shooed me away. I ended up going home but…"
"A brothel is not a place for you, Corrin." She answered. "A brothel is a place for sad men to go when they're feeling lonely."
"Huh? Lonely? Why?"
"You see, Corrin…when a man does not have a significant other, he goes to places to meet others like him. He wants something special that he cannot obtain easily. To obtain pleasure, he decides to throw away what he already has."
Corrin noticed that she was just sugarcoating the issue. The place was for men to have sex with sex workers. Why confuse single men with married men who are cheating on their wives?
"What does he already have?"
"You are aware of what a significant other is, right?"
"I do…in my world…you obtain your significant other with S Support."
Admittedly, the term was more slang in Corrin's world than say Robin's world. Corrin has heard the letter terms be thrown around and it was equal to the baseball slang used when addressing someone's relationship with another. S Support was simply marriage in Corrin's mind, but the people in his army had joked about the other implications.
"Your significant other is betrayed when a man goes to a brothel."
"…So it's doing it without S Support…"
"If that's how you see things then yes."
Corrin wasn't going to bring up how Bayonetta kept insisting it was just men that went to brothels. He saw women go there too…like the Umbra Witch herself.
"Corrin," Bayonetta began addressing the dragon prince seriously, "you're still young. There are more things in the world to see in the world and a brothel is not one of them."
"But-"
"If you even think of going to a brothel, we won't be on friendly terms."
Corrin felt his heart sink at those words. Why was she banning him from going to a brothel when she and Cloud were going together?
"…Too young…" Corrin said in almost a whisper. Bayonetta noticed him say something but she didn't hear exactly what he said.
"Brothels are not places for kids like you, Corrin. I am considering your wellbeing here."
"Kid…"
Corrin's ears drooped. He was eighteen but was being treated like a child…
By the time Bayonetta was done explaining her definition of a brothel to the dragon prince, there was a knock on the door. Well, it was supposed to be a knock but someone was banging on the door hoping that it would fall off its hinges. The raven haired witch rolled her eyes at how dumb the person on the other side was being.
"Cloud, don't be rude. I know you're capable of knocking like a gentleman."
Again, Corrin felt a pain in his chest seeing Cloud casually come into the room. His attire was still the same as yesterday (or at least Corrin assumed it was. After all, Cloud's other clothes were the same color except with a different hue that no one would really notice). His sword was still on his back like he was going out to train. However, Corrin sniffed the air and noticed that Cloud had cologne on…something Cloud wasn't known for…
"Shut up. I know you wouldn't answer if I tapped the door." He hissed. "Are you done yet? We need to leave now."
"You should know never to rush a lady. I wonder how your previous dates went with that attitude."
Cloud's cheeks noticeably turned pink from her comment.
"Where are you two going?"
Corrin wasn't going to let them ignore him. His voice was lower than normal and he was actually glaring at the two older Smashers. They both noticed his rage was building and needed to choose their words carefully. However, Bayonetta knew they couldn't tell him what they were doing, so she decided to continue being "truthful".
"Mr. Moody and I have a special date tonight. We'll be back later tonight. Make sure you don't lock the door on Cloud. He was having difficulties getting in."
"No, I didn't." Cloud snarked. "And it's not a date. That's the last thing I want."
"You don't have to hide it. I am irresistible."
Despite Cloud denying that he was on a date, Corrin believed Bayonetta. He lowered his bangs allowing it to hide his eyes. His body started shaking.
They're going somewhere without me. Corrin thought to himself. I'm not needed because I'm a…third wheel…
"Corrin, something wrong?" Cloud asked mostly oblivious to Corrin's distress. "Want me to bring you something when we get back?"
"No…it's fine…I don't want to interrupt your alone time. I'll leave…"
Corrin got off the bed and made his way to toward the door. Before either of them could say anything, he was already gone.
The silver haired prince had no intention of heading back to his room. He was going to wait until Cloud and Bayonetta left to go wherever on the date. He would just hide himself in the bushes outside as he watched them leave. Corrin didn't know what the red circle was for but the two older Smashers were going inside the portal. The Umbra Witch looked around to see if there was anyone around. She might have noticed Corrin if she wasn't in a hurry.
"…Did you notice?" Cloud had asked her.
"I did…but you are right. We need to make haste."
"I am concerned…and I do think you went too far with the teasing."
"I need him to stay inside instead of running around at night. He's getting to that age of disobedience."
"…He's already at that age."
As the two disappeared along with the portal, Corrin slowly came out of the bushes with water droplets falling down his eyes. His mind was becoming a blur at this point. The dragon prince was unable to comprehend that Bayonetta and Cloud had gone through the Gates of Hell and that it might not have been a date. Fear and jealousy were over taking him as his mind started to wonder if the portal was a shortcut to the brothel.
…I don't want to be alone. Corrin thought to himself as he transformed into a dragon. I need them to know that…I…
Me: TBC with 9191 words.
Li: Wait; there will be a part 2?
Me: Yeah. The outline was too long so I split it into two like PK Treasure. Notes!
1. I believe that while Corrin and Cory aren't the best of singers, because they're with Azura so much, they would memorize the song and the tone needed. It sounds nice to anyone if they don't know who is originally singing the song.
2. Flower girls by definition are the little girls who run down the aisle and throw flowers at a marriage ceremony while a flower boy tends to be slang for virgin. Flower girls can also be virgins but a flower girl can be a job while it's an insult if used on a guy.
3. The flower Corrin bought for himself and his sister are moonflowers. They bloom at night, but I added a magical power to them to allow them to act as a nightlight too.
4. Just a reminder that Wario and Falco are part of the group of Smashers that participate in Smash Arena. A reminder that just because in Super Smash Arena that the whole thing was shut down, due to the timeline resetting because of the Great Evil, it comes back. Rosalina knows that as long as Rob never finds out about the arena that the tragedy that occurs in Super Smash Arena won't occur. Besides Rob, the Smashers who participate in the arena are out late at night when they should have been asleep. Corrin is unaware of the arena, therefore, he simply thinks he got caught red handed.
5. I had a difficult time choosing the librarian here. I wanted to use my OC from Skyworld or OC in my Durarara AU, but decided on someone from Queen's Blade. It was between Alicia, Yuit and Vante or Snow White. Alicia is in charge of the court on the Continent though according to the OVA, therefore she would not waste time being a librarian. Yuit is an alchemist so it would be a potential job, but I feel like she wouldn't scold Corrin for being so loud about wanting to know about a brothel (plus…when the story concerning Yuit comes, Shulk will be the main focus given he eventually asks her to be his ally post-Mecha Galaxy). Snow White works given that staying in Smashopolis would calm her nerves given what her backstory is in. I also need some vagueness as more information pops up concerning the Grimoire series.
6. A daily reminder that both of the Robins have the same name but Rob shortened his to set him apart from his sister. Thanks Validar for naming your child the same thing. The Corrin twins are the same but they're from different universes, so it makes more sense (and their original name was indeed Kamui but Cory refuses to take the name thinking the name died when she was kidnapped. Corrin has forgotten that he was named Kamui due to the kidnapping).
That's it. Reviews are appreciated. Ja ne!