I'm one of those writers that you love to hate. I know that I've taken something of a three-month hiatus—but hey, you're here for the story, not the shpeil, right? Enjoy! More to come in the coming week, I promise.

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100 Themed Drabbles

Ala Verity

37. Pocketknife (Word Count: 672)

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His cape fluttered noiselessly to the floor as he landed next to me.

"Don't move," he breathed into my ear, sending a familiar tingle of excitement down my spine.

A streak of silver flashed in the corner of my eye, dazzling after the hours of darkness I had spent imprisoned in the dungeon. I blinked, trying to peer past the veil of darkness pressing in on my eyes. When I opened them again, however, he was gone.

A sudden wave of panic seized me—had I only imagined he had been here? Was Tuxedo Kamen still being held off by the force-field surrounding the fortress—or worse, had he given me up as a lost cause and left?

"This might hurt," I heard a low voice murmur from behind me, and I let out the breath of relief I had denied myself until I knew that he was there beside me again. "It'll only be for a second, I promise."

I opened my mouth to tell him that I would be fine when the ropes suddenly tightened around me, forcing the breath out of me. I choked and doubled over automatically, my body protesting against the strong hand that forced me upright. I heard a slash, followed by a sawing sound, then a muffled thud as the ropes to the floor around me.

Oxygen rushed back into my lungs and I doubled over again, gasping for air.

"Are you all right?" A warm gloved hand pressed lightly against my back.

I nodded at the stone floor, fighting back the urge to simply keel over. The white spots clouding my vision eventually faded, only to reveal Tuxedo Kamen's masked—but clearly concerned—face barely inches from my own.

"I'm fine," I gasped thickly, wheezing into his face perhaps with less grace than I would have preferred to prove myself capable of.

"If you say so." He flashed me a quick grin and turned away from me, working deftly to unravel the remaining ropes and leaving me feeling slightly unnerved. Where had I seen that smile before?

"Uhh, Tuxedo Kamen…" I began when I felt that I could speak again without making a complete buffoon out of myself or, better yet, vomiting all over his squeaky-clean dress shoes.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for saving me. Again."

"Don't worry about it." Through the dimness of the room, I thought I saw him fighting back a smile as he held something up for me to see. "Wouldn't have been much help without this, anyway—I'm at a complete loss when it comes to knots, nearly died once trying to untangle my safety rope during Boy Scout training. They never let me pass because of it."

He pressed the cool, slender object into my palm as I tried to imagine a much younger Tuxedo Mask dressed in an ugly poop-colored uniform being thwarted by something as simple as a knotted rope. My eyebrows shot up in amusement at the thought. Somehow the word "confounded" and the drop-dead gorgeous caperer kneeling in front of me didn't quite go together.

"What it is?" I asked instead, squinting at the object in my hand. Through the darkness, I could vaguely make out the outline of a flat cylinder. Its body was well-worn, and the red (or at least, I assumed it was red) paint had been completely scratched off in several places, revealing its shiny silver undercoating. But still visible in the uppermost corner, etched in gold lettering…

"It's a pocketknife. I carry it with me everywhere I go, thank God."

"I can see that," I finally replied, handing it back to him with a million-watt grin that had nothing to do with the image of Tuxedo Kamen in poop-colored attire. He took it, looking slightly confused, but nothing could squash the sudden feeling of delight that had bubbled up inside of me.

Under the faint rays of moonlight that filtered in from the high tower windows, the golden initials C.M. winked up at me, a private conspirator in our newfound secret.

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Reviews and feedback are always appreciated. Thank you!

I had a major, major case of writer's block on this drabble, as all and one can testify to. I'm using my one-week break as a springboard (hopefully) for at least a few more drabbles and some work on "Notebooks" (finally!), so look forward to that!

Love, Ala