(Hit a bit of a slow period during the first part of February, and I didn't have the emotional energy to write. Once I got that energy back, I had to shake off the rust. I made this as a warm-up drabble, something to get back into the swing of things and also continue to fill the Hellen/King Boo tag like the sucker I am.
Nonetheless, hope you all enjoy!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Mario, the "Luigi's Mansion" series, or any of its characters. Mm, glad to be back with these two… (she says, knowing that she's in the middle of charting out "Two Little Horns" into a longer story)
Just Like Candy
.
.
She's just like candy
She's so sweet
But you know that it ain't real cherry
Know that it ain't real cherry…
.
.
There was something about her, something that dug a hole into his mind and kept him thinking.
Maybe it was the way she walked and held herself. Maybe it was the way the feather boa graced her arms, dripping down her arms on the rare occasions when she had her arms stretched to the floor. Perhaps it was the way her hand would settle on her hip, her other hand directed to her upper chest, posing in a way that threatened the average ghost with her power. Or maybe it was the way her smile curled up a little higher on one side, a predatory gaze hidden behind painted eyelids, something to remind her staff who the prey was.
She had an air of a queen but didn't hold the crown to back it up. The authority she carried was one she had made herself and bestowing a crown on her would do nothing more than add a fancy, yet useless, ornament to her.
She was the first ghost King Boo had seen that didn't need a crown to hold the title of royalty.
No… that wasn't it… There was something else. Something else about her that kept him up later at night, floating around his little quarters in the Master Suite deep in thought.
Maybe it was the illusion she held over everyone. It hadn't taken him long after their first meeting for him to see that there was something she kept hidden away. Powder, pretty pink particles he would see every time she felt the slightest bit of stress or anger run through her form, had filled the air the moment he had put pressure on her. Lines had appeared on her face the moment he had grown his size from the power gem she had gifted him, a brief flash of anxiety lighting up her face before a powder brush drew up to cover it all away.
He had been foolish to shrug her off as "too soft."
The illusion had shattered shortly after his Boos had arrived at the hotel. Such chaos had erupted from the hotel staff and the Boos that the façade she painted on fractured. Ghosts had reeled back in terror, even the Boos frightened of the vicious claws tearing across the air, the blood-red eyes glowing with rage, the sharp lines on her face that showed the monster she had been adamant in hiding…
King Boo had seen the destruction she caused when she wasn't being the prim and proper lady. Breaking the illusion meant a force that was not to be reckoned with, a monster that would not rest until she had the revenge for the trouble everyone had caused for her. Nothing stood in her way, and if she didn't have to keep up appearances, the royal Boo had no doubt that the hallways would be filled with claw marks.
He loved seeing her like that. When she was full of rage, she had the tendency to say whatever she wanted, her fury blocking her need to hide everything away. In a way, she was far more truthful when she wasn't soft, and she was in no way afraid to dirty her hands when the situation called for it.
Seeing her like that not only frightened him but thrilled him. Her softer side had its downsides and being wrong about the "soft and weak" hotel owner had been one of his favorite things to be wrong about.
No… that wasn't it either.
Perhaps it was the hospitality. Even with the plan to kidnap Luigi and his friends, she was strict about keeping her service in top condition. Sixteen Boos showed up at her doorstep the day after she had released him from the painting, and almost immediately they were given a room in the hotel. There were many times where King Boo would catch some of the Goobs and Slinkers interacting with his Boos. They would look up in shock, stuttering out something about Ms. Gravely and her orders to keep the Boos as comfortable and entertained as possible…
There wasn't a thing that went on that she didn't know about and, in many ways, it relaxed him. When push came to shove, he needed someone who knew every little detail about the environment. He needed someone who could effectively push resources to the right places.
King Boo had no plans of backstabbing her, especially with her as one of his biggest fans, so he didn't need to worry about double dealings. If she didn't plan to stab him and neither he to her, then there was no reason to fear her knowing every little occurrence in the hotel.
He felt safe at The Last Resort, and his Boos only knew how unsettled he could be at any place that didn't allow him unrestrained power. It was a rare miracle that he was comfortable at the establishment.
No…
The hospitality wasn't it.
Was it the warmth?
Her fingers would linger on his form, touching his hand or where his cheek would be. It had begun a few days ago, gentle limbs resting on his form and centering him in the present. Warmth, a feeling he couldn't figure out where it came from, spread through his form every time. Pink began to appear under his eyes whenever she touched him, and his Boos made to joke about it every time he saw them.
No…
Hm.
Maybe it was the warmth. It was warmth that left him wanting more. Warmth that sent a jolt through his form and was the first thing to come to mind when the thought of her brought unspent energy to prevent him from resting.
It was present at the dinners he had with her. Food would sit in front of him, and yet the steam from the dinners would warm him inside and out, his attention only half-paying attention to her ramblings about how her hotel came into being and more on how she managed to glow under the soft lights of the restaurant…
The same feeling haunted him during the nights they spent together in her drawing room. Sometimes she would claim she was inspired by him, and she would gather her art supplies and paint whatever she felt like creating. Heat touched his cheeks as he watched her furrow her brow and study her illustration, the tip of the paintbrush resting against the curve of her bottom lip as the gear in her head whirled, her calculating mind trying to find the best possible way to work around the problem…
No, it couldn't be. There were too many other factors.
Yes, it had to be. It was the most prominent.
No, it wasn't.
Yes, it was.
No.
Yes-
"My king?"
The sound of her voice drew him out of his thoughts. Red eyes blinked as he nickered, whirling his form towards the hotel owner. A ball of soft heat rose to his cheeks, settling along the curve under his eyes.
She stood at the door, just through the threshold. Her hands clasped together, and her right eyebrow raised in curiosity. The feather boa caught in the crooks of her elbows, running down her sides.
Around them, the personal library she had in the Master Suite kept quiet. Little pops and crackles from the fireplace filled the atmosphere, painting a cozy ambiance for any visitors. Books stayed calm in their places, and even the few spiders crawled up the decorated walls in a hushed silence.
"Yes, Gravely? Do you need something?"
Hellen hummed, a low volume sound he barely caught. "My king, I was going to inform you that tonight's meal has been prepared, and that the other managers and staff are downstairs waiting for us to arrive, though…" Her hands unclasped from in front of her and drifted behind her back. "I am concerned if you were in such deep thought that my other calls were not able to get through to you."
His brow flattened, an expression of exhaustion touching his face. "How many times did you call me?" he grumbled.
"Eleven times." She tilted her head, stepping forward to the balcony rail. Annoyance graced her own expression, the little frown stretching the corners of her lips down. "Not counting the last one you finally answered to."
A beat of silence passed before King Boo shook his form, finally phasing out of the opposite balcony side. His form bobbed over the stretch of space between the top floor of the library and the bottom floor, arms tucking tight to his sides. "Sorry," he murmured as he floated close to her. "Lost in thought."
She mimicked a sigh as the annoyance drained away. Her wrists pressed to the top of her hips, and a little smile replaced the frown. "I guess that is to be expected. Luigi and his friends will be coming within the week, and there is still much to prepare for."
A part of him wrestled with the words, the "I was actually thinking about you" at the tip of his tongue but his pride absolutely forbidding him to give voice.
"Yeah." His form grew close to where she stood, hovering just a little higher than her height but close enough to where she could reach out a hand and touch him. The bored expression kept to his face. "All these revenge plots take up a lot of focus."
A little hand rose to touch his cheek.
The moment her fingers touched his form, the warmth came rushing back. It balled in his center, a gooey feeling that spread out and tingled from the tip of his tongue to the tip of his tail. He pushed himself, just a little bit, further against her hand, heat lining up with the shape of her hand.
"My king," she cooed, "you're working yourself into a frenzy. Luigi will be captured, as will his friends, when the time comes." Her thumb ran gentle strokes across the smooth surface, and a comforting smile graced her lips. "Come, let's head down for a meal with the managers and put our worries away. They'll do us no good for when the plan goes into action."
It was sweet. It was soft. It left a sugary taste in his mouth, running up the sides of his tongue, dipping down the center, and balling at his uvula.
He couldn't tell if he despised it or craved more of it.
The hand left his face, and his form bumped against the railing as he unconsciously tried to follow the feeling of her hand. Lingering heat rolled over his form, leaving the place where her hand had been and melting him all over. Hums of annoyance came from him as he watched Hellen turn, the female ghost stepping away from the balcony and back towards the door.
She opened it, always eager to keep up the illusion she wasn't a ghost. Yellow eyes settled back on him, and her free hand gestured out into the hall. "Come, the rest of the staff awaits us…"
King Boo trailed after her, the strange taste fading away. Feelings still bubbled up, popping and bursting as he followed her to the elevator. His eyes stayed to her back and his arms pressed to his sides. The royal Boo barely picked up Hellen's words and coos as she bade her cat a fond farewell, his focus shifting back to his thoughts.
There was something he just couldn't pin down, something that kept him wanting more. Warmth and respect filled his core whenever he saw her, and an invisible force kept forcing him to her whenever her touch left him. He couldn't figure out what it was.
It was sweet. It was disgusting. It was addictive. It was revolting. It was warm and overfilling and soft and gross and tasted like crystalized sugar powdering his tongue.
And for all it was worth, King Boo knew that whatever it was, it would always draw him back to Hellen for more.
.
.
She's just like candy
She's so sweet
But you know that it ain't real
You know that it ain't real…
.
.
Song Inspo: "Candy" by Doja Cat. HHH, I've listened to this for over four hours. I think it's safe to say I like this song.
It's also been far too long since I've written these two, and I had a lot of fun writing this. I wish this could be a little more than a floaty kind of oneshot, though it did its job as a warm-up, and it's something from KB's perspective.
Ahh, too many HellBoo ideas and too little time. There are indeed other stories I plan to get out, though my other fandoms may throw a wrench in my plans. Working on fixing the really big oneshot I talked about in that first chapter of "Two Little Horns," and I'm trying to work on littler HellBoo oneshots in between my other projects. A few more AUs, a sickfic, and of course, expanding TLH into a bigger, multichaptered story…
Far too little time sob.
Hope you all enjoyed, and I hope to get more LM stories out soon!
XD