Into The Shadow Realm | Rascal x fem reader story 2023

18| Panic and Realisation

"Hmmm, but I want to know, you see I can tell that there's been something not quite right about you lately. I wonder why it exasperated just now~? I know you didn't want to come here in the first place, you mentioned yourself, but that was before you dodged me for the next couple of days. So tell me...is it the fact that we're here tonight?"

For a jester, Rascal is incredibly in tune to details.

You stop, unable to think straight. If you say no, this will lead the joker closer to the truth. If you say yes, you cannot trust yourself to keep the lie straight.

"No." You find yourself saying, unable to get any other words out.

"The Magic Bearer comment?"

You squint. "No."

"The girlfriend comment?"

Oh he just had to add that in, didn't he?

You force away a little heat that rises to your face. "N-Well, I did find that dismissive, no – no! It's not any of those alright?"

Rascal only hums in response, arms loosely crossed, awaiting your answer patiently.

"It really isn't a big deal," you breathlessly say, shoulders heaving up and down, "look, I think I'm just going to leave."

"And give in? You're clearly having a panic attack, aren't you~?"

"It's none of your - !"

"You can't talk, you're even using contractions~!"

Before you can get another word out, Rascal leaps forward and takes your wrist in his hand.

...

"Seriously? Again!? Rascal what are you – " You stop talking once the joker's teleportation cards and purple smoke file away, revealing...water, sand, and a late afternoon sky.

"The Human Realm." You breathe.

"Yes~ last time we were there, you seemed to take interest in the night festival. I don't understand your liking to it, but perhaps this will help calm you down?"

You stare, mouth parting slightly in shock. The jester stands there, boots sunken halfway into sand and with his arms crossed, looking sideways at you.

Still with a thumping heart, you say breathlessly and hesitantly, "You brought me here? So I could...calm down?"

This time there is no smirk or grin of any sort on his face this time, actually, apart from a hint of uneasiness and embarrassment, Rascal bears no sort of emotion at all, instead he just looks at you, blinks then nods his head once.

Still shocked that the joker has thought of such a thing, you are then drawn to the view. You have no idea where exactly you are, but you stand on the shore of an ocean, you are able to tell this since it looks like an exact replica of the photos Kurt had shown you that one time – and the sun rests heavily on the horizon, just about to set. Golden light throws itself across the blue water, lapping and rippling further down. Bird calls, rustling of leaves and other sounds of creatures that you cannot identify lay behind the trees that line a boarder beginning to a forest behind you.

You almost do not realise that your breath has slowed.

"But – the board, wont they – "

"-The board has heard what they wanted to hear. I couldn't give a stuff about them~"

"Rascal," you turn to the joker, "...thank you."

"You look less distressed. Are you feeling more like yourself?" Rascal's eyes are busy trailing the surroundings.