[PP-F01] Fist to Face

[Kirbs 0]

Kirbs leaned back against a stone wall and sighed. Boy, was this going to be a long day. It was Bell's birthday after all! Oh ho~. He probably thinks that she forgot, but dear ol' Evelyn never forgets! She was sitting with crossed legs. She had planned this out for a full day and she had everything prepared! Well, she worked with what she had. She might or might not be pretty broke at the current time so she had to work with what she got. The girl had just bought him a small and simple and authentic Japanese pancake, since it was still relatively early in the morning. And boy, does she know how much Bell loves his tea so she brought a small canister for that too. It wasn't much, but damn, was she proud of herself. She had quickly typed up a message for the other redhead and grinned at her work.

Spoiler

To: @Belial

hey hey hey~ I have a SURPRISE for you! Meet me at the small pond in the forest clearing on the first floor. Shouldnt be too hard to find~

 

[Hynes 0]

Hynes pushed through the forestry and squinted as a familiar shade of red hair bit at his eyes. If it wasn't the little lady~! "Ah, we meet again, ya bloody redcoat!" He exclaimed, walking ever so dramatically towards her. Yes, it had been some time since they had been reunited, but how could he resist such an oh-so-adorable face? Of course, her hair was in tassels again and he was sure that she hasn't touched a comb in their two years here! She had a goofy grin plastered on her face, and he internally brightened as she used to smile like that when they hung out with each other before the accident. "Oi, Ev. You're not even going to give your best man a hello?" He gave her a crooked grin and bent down on one knee and snapped his fingers a few times in her face. He leaned on his knee and looked at the current set up she had going on. "Oh, what is this?" He asked, turning his head to smirk at her and then turned back towards the food. "My, my, Evelyn. You didn't have to do this for dear old me!" He gasped, feigning joy. He fell back on the ground and clutched his chest-- right where his heart would be. "I didn't even tell you that I liked--," he lifted his head to looked at the breakfast food. "--pancakes..?"

@Belial

[Belial 0]

Bell had been trying to sleep, the fear of death in a game where he couldn’t actually do anything keeping him up. Why can’t I sleep a wink? I need to get to bed. He finally starts to drift off when suddenly a loud bing rings out and wakes him right up. He shoots up and clicks on the message icon and reads it, smiling a bit but remembering what the day is and sighing. I had hoped she forgot. Guess I was wrong. He scoots out of the booth he had struggled to sleep for more than 30 minutes in. “I guess I should head out.” He looks over and nods towards the bartender having not ordered a single item in the 5 hours he wasted in that place.

As he cuts through the woods, groggy and out of it, he hears a male’s voice. Bell’s mind narrows in on the indecipherable code until a word catches his attention. His favorite word cut through his groggy mind and pulled it right into his usual aware state. “Pancakes?” He struggles between finding out if there’s really pancakes or what the surprise is from Kirbs. “My birthday is all day, pancakes aren’t. But, Kirbs could be waiting...” he whines trying to decide and he steels himself, turning and walking the direction of the male voice to see if there were pancakes.

After pushing through bushes and sticks, he arrives on the scene. A boy next to Kirbs and Bell’s heart drops and decides it’s more fun in his stomach, as it stays there, the view begins to hurt Bell. His throat pulls nothing but air down to accompany the heart in the stomach, and he holds his gaze steady as he walks up towards Kirbs and looks around. “Ello.” He says timidly. His body language and voice would be familiar as the way Bell acted around other people at school.

@Kirbs

[Kirbs 0]

She looked up in surprise and broke out into a small grin. "So it seems, ya bloody Yankee!" She exclaimed, sniffling at his ridiculous movement. She had just expected her and Bell to be hanging out but a plus one couldn't hurt, right? She did want him to make more friends, of course. She couldn't be around him forever, especially in a place where everyday she struggled to stay alive. Perhaps meeting Hynes would be good for the timid boy. Though, Hynes might not be such a good sport to the poor boy. She broke her train of though and smacked his hand away with a scowl. "No, screw you," she spat, half jokingly and half seriously. She scrambled over to him frowned. "No, you idiot! They're not for you, stupid. They're for..." She trailed off and realized that Bell had already arrived. "Speak of the devil redhead himself! Hi Bell!" She waved at him and pointed to the canteen of tea and pancakes. "Happy Birthday! Look at what I got you!" She can already feel the constant nagging of Hynes in her head and she sighed. "This is Hynes by the way... he's an old friend," she mumbled out the last part, not wanting to explain their 'complicated' friendship.

[Hynes 0]

He winked at her and chuckled at her angry self. "Oh, honey, you can wish. But alas, you're far too young for that," he teased, let out a lacy sigh as he fell back to the grass again. Ah~. It felt like good times. He genuinely missed hanging out with the little devil, for too much time had been spent away from her. He looked over at the pancakes and tea again and gave the thought a once over. This wasn't just some casual occasion, he knew that definitely. Neither he or she liked tea, so she was definitely meeting someone else here. He snapped out of it when he realized that someone was watching them. Tilting his head up, he saw an unfamiliar redhead standing not too far away from them. He flipped himself over so that his stomach was pressed against the grass. "Aye, Bell, huh? Happy Birthday, mate," he emphasized the last word clearly and grinned. Her outstretched his arm towards the timid looking boy. "Nice to meet cha', dude. And here I thought my little Evelyn was never going to make any friends!" He piped up, turning his head to smirk at the other redhead. 

@Belial

[Belial 0]

The boy was just a friend, hopefully. Her hands shoot out towards the canister and the plate, Bell’s eyes light up. He was like a child seeing the breakfast table stocked with his favorite treats his mom had made him. Bell was waiting for her to say dig in before he went and decided to dig in, but before that the other player approached him. Bell had receded into his shell and it was visually obvious that he was getting ready to break away and run. Then his joke came out and Bell’s eyes narrow. If Eve wasn’t meant to make a lot of friends where does that put me? I’m just a bloke with trouble speaking to people and she’s Evelyn. The man was making Bell uncomfortable and his hand instinctively wraps around his cross necklace.

Bellamy looks down at the ground and lumbers over to the tea, pouring himself a glass and taking a pancake. He stands up and looks over at Kirbs and Hynes, not sure if he wants to stick it out or if he’ll feel like he’s intruding. The boy’s hood slowly comes up as he holds the pancake in his mouth to pull the hood up. It dances to the beat of Belial’s chewing and he frowns. While he was happy sitting here and waiting for the day to pass and wanted to leave, He was sure Evelyn would like to celebrate with him. Ugh, this is gonna be a tough decision. He sits down next to the snacks and holds the cross around his neck. This was something that made him feel safe so he was always doing it in school and around Kirbs.

@Kirbs @Hynes

[Kirbs 0]

She stuck her tongue out at the immature behavior-- but she really couldn't say much because she was just like that-- and her nose wrinkled. "You're gross, Hynes. Or Willlliam~." She cooed, smirking right back at him. Ha, he wasn't the only one who could pull that trick! She wasn't even sure when they had told each other their real names, but hell, she was glad that they did. Perfect blackmail material right there, folks! She smiled at the friendly attitude between her two friends-- or at least from Hynes--, although she was completely oblivious to the sarcastic words. "Wait- what's that supposed to mean?" She sputtered, readying herself to smack him.

Kirbs' face fell as Bell didn't say much-- or anything really about her whole setup. He just took the food and ate. She smiled to herself sadly and rubbed her palms together. "Sorry that I couldn't do much," she sweat dropped, rubbing her chin sheepishly, "It's because I'm a tad bit low on funds and everything." She rubbed her neck and bit her lip. It was true. She really was pretty broke at the moment. 

[Hynes 0]

Hynes' face went blank and he huffed. None shall disrespect his glorious name like that, for it is a sacred word! He played along and sent her a devilish grin. "Babe, if you wanted to have a special nickname for me, you could've just asked~," he replied, sending her a wink along with it. Oh, how he loved toying with this little devil. She gives the most loveliest reactions... which are usually slaps and perhaps a kick to a very sensitive area. He raised his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay! Chill. It's not like I killed your dang queen. Jesus, Evelyn," he sighed in relief, deadpanning. "Take a little joke."

He fell back on to the floor and let out a cackle. "Broke! I told you you're horrible with funds!" He rolled around on the grass and wheezed. He looked up and Bell and grinned. "Don't trust the lady with money," he mumbled, turning his head away so he could avoid that pesky ears of hers. He abruptly sat up and pointed at her. "This is why I took care of the money when we were travelling! If you had the money it would be like, "oh, Hynes, let's buy this" and "Hynes, we need that cupcake right now!"

@Belial

Edited May 14, 2019 by Hynes

[Belial 0]

While Bell was eating, he heard Kirbs’s voice. It sounded different, she sounded disappointed. He frowns and finishes the pancake off,  looking over and smiling at Kirbs, his hand still hanging on his cross necklace and he speaks. “No-no. It’s perfect. It’s more than perfect, thanks.” He says, looking down and realizing he had grabbed his necklace rather tightly, but she had never pointed it out. Damn, I do this a lot don’t I? He smiles up at her and nervously lets go of the crucifix on his chest.

The boy hears Hynes call her “babe” and his heart stops. It feels like he had been shot in the heart with a bullet made of razor blades and salt. His hand instantly reaches up and grips the crucifix super tightly and Bell looks away from the two, pouring himself another glass of tea and downing it, the scalding heat making his face turn red and he coughs. This is awkward, I should leave. He sets his hand on the ground and stands up, putting his glass on the canister and bows towards the other two. “Thanks so much, Eve. It was more than enough.” He smiles.

He spins on his heel and starts to walk away, but decides to stop and look at the pond for a moment. Maybe I can stay a bit longer. He sits and puts his feet in the water.

@Kirbs

[Kirbs 0]

The girls face grew as bright as her as she slapped Hynes’ arm harshly. “H-hey, I told you not to tell anyone about that, God damn it!” she whined, not wanting Bell to hear any of the rubbish coming out of the jerk’s mouth. Also, what was wrong with her spending habits! She had survived more than half a year without Hynes and she was perfectly fine before that-- well, before the last few weeks, that is.

The girl smiled a bit as he finally showed his gratitude-- she probably would’ve beaten him to the ground if he didn’t anyway. I mean, when someone gets you a good cup of tea and pancakes, you have to show some kind of damn gratitude, especially if they were broke as hell! She giggled as he gulped down the hot tea, only for him to start coughing like a maniac. And that, folks, is why Kirbs did not enjoy hot tea. Her face fell, again, as he showed signs of leaving their little party. Did he not like the tea and pancakes? Of course he did!.. Right? She wasn’t sure to call for him when he spun around and started to walk away. But when he came spinning back around, she sighed in relief, though she was a bit disappointed when he didn’t even say anything when he did.

[Hynes 0]

The man’s face twitched as the other redhead had yet again refused to talk to him. What was he, a brick wall? Damn, what did he do to deserve that silent treatment? Who wouldn’t like him? He’s the one and only William Westbrook! Everybody loves him! He was just about fed up with this jerk-- although he couldn’t say much about himself either. He rolled his eyes dramatically as the boy-- Bell, as it seemed-- shoved hot tea down his throat and cough some of it up only a little bit later. He watched like a hawk as Belial bowed down towards the other other redhead, saying his thanks and stuff. “No goodbye for little ol’ me?” he blurted, raising a questioning brow at the man-- or boy as it seemed. Of course, he had to comment that. The man didn’t utter a single word to him the entire time he was there! How could such a monster ignore such grace and perfection?

He didn’t care very much when he started walking away, but he could hear Kirbs sigh in relief when he came running back, but felt her tense up again when the two didn’t exchange any words and Belial went straight for the pond. Smirking, he jumped up and held a finger against his lips as he flashed his signature grin towards Kirbs. He stalked over to the timid player and swore that he was going to regret this future, but when did he ever care of the future? Without hesitation, he pressed his palms against the boy’s back and whistled. “It’s your birthday, man. Live a little!” he bellowed, grinning like a maniac. “You’re making poor Evelyn sad too, you prick. Show some gratitude to her at least,” he muttered, pretty sure that neither Kirbs or Belial would hear him. But how could he know, he always did have a big mouth. Walking back to Kirbs, he fell back on to the grass again and smiled charmingly at her.

@Belial

[Belial 0]

The boy was sitting in the pond, or rather soaking his feet, when he feels two palms press into his back and he tenses up, his hand pressing into the boy’s back and his words cutting Bell like a knife. Damn it Bell, he’s right. Quit being an [censored] and spend time with her. He stands up, watches Hynes walk over and collapse to the ground, and Bell’s hand wraps around his necklace as he breathes slowly, his composure slowly coming back to him.

The grass buckles under his feet, crunching and crying as he makes his way back over to Kirbs and the man who had talked some sense into him. “Sorry, I don’t like celebrating my birthday. At least not in here. Just reminds me I’ve been trapped in here for another year.” He smiles a little. “But like I said, you’ve done more than needed and I can’t thank you enough.” He says, turning over towards the man and nods. “But I can try.” He reaches down and pulls off his shirt, equipping swimming attire. “You two wanna take a dip?” He asks, his arm reaching out to help Eve up off of the ground. His necklace still hangs down, resting itself on his sternum.

@Kirbs

[Kirbs 0]

She nearly choked on her spit as she watched Hynes stand up. "W-wait, wait, wait- No, Hynes, seriously. I don't think that's such a good idea-!" By the time she finished her sentence, Hynes had already pushed Bell into the pond. She winced as she watched his body clash with the water. She immediately stood up and took off her boot, with a little bit of nearly falling to her bum that is. "What did I tell you, you stupid moron!" She hissed, stalking over to Hynes with her boot in hand. Whack him and show no mercy! -And so she did. Her red eyes glared at him as he fell back on to the grass with that stupid and careless grin of his. Kirbs scowled at him and bent down to attach her boot back to her bare foot. "Jees, why can't you two get along?" She muttered, fastening the laces with a bit of extra hate. 

She looked back at Bell and nearly face palmed herself for not checking up on him first. Her scowl dropped a bit and she smiled sadly at him. "Aw, don't worry about it, Bell. I seriously don't need any thanks for this shamble of a birthday party," she laughed inaudibly to herself "but it was... fun, I guess," she mumbled, her brows furrowing as she tried to find a correct word for this oh-so-special occasion. She raised her hands up an nervously giggled. "Oh, no. I don't think I have any... swimwear," she internally cringed, "and I'm not so well with swimming either, so that's a solid no for me, sorry Bell." She made an 'X' with her hands and looked over to Hynes to see his answer.

[Hynes 0]

Hynes cackled devilishly and rubbed his hands together. "Oh, honey, who needs a bathing suit when you can just go in your own?" Her get her a crooked grin and scooped her up in his arms. He could practically hear her bickering her heart out. As he neared the pond, he grinned at her one last time before swinging her back and throwing her into the pond with a hard laugh. "Be freed, little bird! For thee has grown wings!" Hynes let out a loud and shrill laugh as she watched Kirbs fling into the water. "My, my. What a wonderful sight, eh?" He turned his head towards Belial and nudged him with his elbow and grinned. He had no idea what he was doing but hell, he was sure enjoying the heck out of it. A weird question popped through his mind as he turned towards Belial again. "Wait, why do you just have a random pair of swim shorts anyway?"

@Belial

[Belial 0]

Bell’s eyes followed the lady as she flew across the air and landed in the water. What the hell? You can’t just do that. There’s rules. The red head’s blood started to boil, and his fists clenched tightly. There’s no reason to do that to someone. That’s wrong, and it’s mean. His eyes stay locked on Hynes’ face up until Hynes asks him why he always has a swimsuit on him. “Oh... just for days like this.” He shrugs, releasing the tension in his hands and looking at the ground. “What’s up with you and being a prick?” He asks quietly to himself.

He has no right to throw her in the water. She said she didn’t want to swim. You’re just a bully. Just a bully. Just a bully.

The memories of guys messing with Bell all the time in Elementary school flashes in his mind. Just like those kids who abused their power to treat me like crap. He clenches his fist and grits his teeth as best he can. “Oi!” He shouts as he runs towards Hynes and takes a swing at his face, hoping to god it would land square on his jaw.

Bell’s fist withdrew as he looked at what he had done. Oh god, Bell. What are you doing? What happened to turn the other cheek? This is crazy. Am I one of those violent types who just quarrels with people all Willy Nilly? A look of fear crosses the boy’s face and he doesn’t know what to do. His hand reaches up and wraps around the necklace his father had made for him before he left. Bell had made a copy of it when he entered the game, so Kirbs would recognize the design as the necklace he wore everyday, but he had never told her the story of why it means so much.

@Kirbs

[Kirbs 0]

"W-wait, Hynes! I don't think that I want to swim right now!" She screeched, trying to get out of his bear arms. "My clothes are gonna get wet, right? Don't make me walk back to talk in soaking wet clothes- umph!" Before she could finish her sentence, she was already launched into the water, and God damn was it cold. She was pretty sure her heel hit the bottom of the water before she kicked off the mushy mud and up to get air. The redhead coughed and threaded in the water as she looked around for the bastard who threw her in the water. Her eyes landed on him and she scowled, ohhh- when she got her hands on him..! That's too gory for you children, though.

"Did I look like I could fly?!" She shrieked, dragging herself out of the water. She marched over to the two boys and was nearly about to start ranting about how she was not a fish nor a bird until she saw Bell throwing a punch at Hynes. At first, she thought it would be some sort of friendly punch that boys use when they're being stupid but then she quickly realized that Bell's face looked quite serious. Although, she was sure Hynes' HP bar didn't go down one bit, he still got knocked back quite a bit. "What the hell?" She exclaimed, rushing over to Hynes. Oh God, this was my free day. Please don't make this harder for me already, God, she silently prayed as she looked over at Bell with a confused look. Bell definitively wasn't the type to throw punches at someone, so what sparked him to do this?

[Hynes 0]

The grayette took notice of how the redhead's hands fastened into a fist. Well damn, this is going to get complicated real soon. Hynes chortled and looked up again to lock his eyes with the yellow ones of the other redhead as Bell answered back with a vague reply. "Specific, aren't you?" He commented, narrowing his eyes at his suddenly clenched hands relaxed. His conscious was screaming at him to stop talking but when has he ever listened to his head? He cocked his head to an angle and give him a smirk with a raised brow. "Days like this, though? You don't seem like the type of person to actually get out," he stated bluntly. But wasn't it just as true? The guy barely interacted with Hynes at all during this whole fiasco, who was really to blame in this situation? The boy's gray eyes narrowed at him once again as muttered not-so-quietly. "Mind, saying that again, buddy?" 

He was just about to spit venom back at him until he did something he never expect. He punched him. Hard. Hynes landed on his ass with a loud 'umph' and rubbed his jaw. Although it didn't hurt as much as it would have in the real world. It still stung like hell. He looked up and growled at the other redhead. Oh-ho, was he going to get beaten into a pulp. He sighed in relief as Kirbs came rushing over to him and not to that son of a bastard. He stood up and smiled smugly at the other boy. It didn't take a genius for him to figure what was the cause of this. Belial looked almost confused and ashamed of himself, great. He rolled up his sleeves and launched himself at the redhead, aiming for his own jaw.

[Belial 0]

The boy’s fist managed to connect with the man’s face in such a manner that he was knocked back onto his butt. Bell snapped right back into his senses. What are you doing? Are you crazy? That’s not something you can just do. His hand comes off of the cross necklace as Kirbs runs up and checks on Hynes. “I’m sorry. I have no idea what came over-“ His heartfelt apology is cut short by the fist of another man, colliding with his jaw. Belial almost flies back, landing on his back and sitting up, no expression on his face. “I’m sorry.” He says, obviously wishing he hadn’t just reacted in such a way. “I’m sorry I ruined your day Eve. I’m sorry I punched you sir.” The boy’s eyes stay locked on the ground as he rotates to stand up and begins walking away. Why had he done what he did? Was it because it was her he was messing with? Or was it because he knew what it was like to be in a situation like she was, but not be okay with it? Every part of him wanted to stay and make it right, but it makes no sense to wait and see if they’ll forgive him. “Guess I’m back to being alone in this game.” He keeps his words quiet this time, making sure no one can hear him as he begins cutting through the woods. It’s my birthday, and all she did was try to make it a good birthday. She doesn’t deserve to have to deal with something like this, so I’ll leave. It’s my fault.

@Kirbs

[Kirbs 0]

Kirbs nearly doubled over when Hynes punched Bell back. "Stop it, Hynes!" She hissed, pulling the flirt away by his ear. "You're better than that, stupid," she mumbled quietly, more though to herself than to Hynes. Well this kind of sucked arse. Being the stupid and oblivious idiot she was, she really had no idea what was going on. She wanted to punch both of them!.. but she'd know that would only make matters worse. She huffed to herself and let go of Hynes' earlobe harshly. "It's fine, Bell, really. I don't mind. I needed some action in my life anyway," she gave him a joking but slightly sad smile, "it was getting a bit boring around here." She quickly glanced at Hynes and kicked his shin not-so-lightly, motioning her head towards Bell as if saying, 'and what do you say?' Boy, she felt like a mother. Maybe not such a proud one, but a mother nonetheless

The girl offered the leaving redhead a small wave even though she wasn't even sure if he would see it. Kirbs lowered her hands dejectedly and sighed. It's barely been a few hours and day was already spiraling into madness. Her mind was still fuzzy on what was going on. What had happened between the two idiots? Most importantly, what was she going to do now?

[Hynes 0]

Hynes yelped out loud as the little lady pulled on him by his ear. "Ouch, ouch! Damn, woman, I get it! I'll stop!" The plea didn't even make her loosen her fingers around his ear. He even had to lean down just to be head level with her because he was pretty sure if he had stood up straighter, she would be dangling from his earlobe. And holy mother of pearl did this girl have an iron grip. If it were real life, he was sure that his ear would've fallen off already. Hynes narrowed his eyes at the other man in spite as he apologized to both of them. Seriously, what the hell was the dude's problem? He could've just told him to stop like a normal instead of punching him square in the jaw. And boy, did that punch sting. He packed quite the power for being such a timid kid, Hynes had to at least admit that. 

Hynes hissed through his teeth and glared at Kirbs as she kicked his shin ever so lightly. She had her 'parent' face on and he had already gone through this rodeo enough times to know what she wants him to do. "I'm sorry for punching you back, sir," he bit back another sarcastic remark and turned his head back to the girl. He gave her a face that screamed, 'you happy, now?' He let out a sigh of relief as he could finally feel his ear again. Hynes watched Belial walk away with unreadable eyes. Today was quite the day, wasn't it?

He brushed off the nonexistent dirt on his lap and turned his head to the obviously dejected girl. "I think that's my cue to leave," he sighed, smiling one last time at the girl before walking off. With that face, it was hard not to comfort her, but how was he going to do that? He was necessarily the comforting type. Thoughts about the whole fiasco buzzed through his head, but one stuck out more than the rest.

He must really like her.