~Skephalo & Jefhalo - Oneshots, Drafts, and More~

~Illegal Love pt 2 - 🔴~

A/N: Soooooooooooo :) I'm gonna post chapter 3 immediately after this part. (I was only gonna post 1 and 2 today but I feel like 2 and 3 should be posted together -- one's about Bad and one's about Skeppy.)

Tw: none

Bad flew back to the Upperlands, his bat-like wings carrying him in the sky. His visit with Skeppy had left him feeling melancholy, even though it was supposed to be a happy meeting. He wished he could stay with Skeppy longer, or even live with Skeppy, but the law was the law, and he was already breaking it just by visiting his friend. It was strange to think; his friendship with Skeppy was illegal.

As a member of the fae, Bad wasn't supposed to interact directly with any non-fae, including the Forestfolk. If they ever got caught together, they would both be in very big trouble. Bad would lose his job and his rank, and Skeppy could very well lose his life. Only the most elite of Fae and Forestfolk were allowed to interact with each other, and even then, it was a rare occurrence.

Bad arrived back at his home, landing on his doorstep and entering little house. He took off his bow and quiver and hung them up on the coatrack. He kicked his boots off, and padded to his bedroom, collapsing on his fluffy bed with a sigh. The flight home from the Forest always left him tired, and he usually took a nap afterwards.

His eyes were closing slowly, and he had nearly drifted off when he heard a knock at his front door. He grumbled a bit before dragging himself out of bed and to the door.

"Hello?" He asked as he opened the door. A tall, young man in a delivery uniform stood there, an envelope held in his gloved hand. He held it to Bad.

"BadBoyHalo?" The man asked.

"Yes?"

"You've been reassigned by the board of directors from EA. They've sent you this notice, and would like you to report back to them as soon as possible," the man said.

"Reassigned?" Bad wrinkled his brow in confusion, and took the letter.

"Yes, sir. Please talk to your head advisor if you have questions," the man smiled apologetically, "I'm just the deliveryman."

"Right. Uh, thank you," Bad said. He watched as the man left, and closed the door behind him. The crisp white envelope was sealed with red wax, pressed with the letters EA in fancy print. He opened it and began reading.

BadBoyHalo, the directors of Eros's Arrows are proud to recognize your continued service as a faithful member of our crew. There has been a noticable improvement in your performance over the past several weeks, and we would like to show our appreciation by granting you a promotion, along with immediate reassignment to jobs that would be more suitable to your skill level. Please return to the EA headquarters as soon as you have received this notice to acquire your new Love List and finalize your promoted position. We look forward to your continued employment.

"Holy muffin," Bad mumbled, rereading the letter. He was getting a promotion? But why?

He slipped his boots back on and slung his quiver over his shoulder. He headed toward the headquarters, his mind whirling with thoughts. He couldn't decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

It wasn't long before he arrived at the EA building. It was large and ornate, made primarily out of chiseled quartz and marble. Bad walked up the large stairs to the entrance, his boots clicking against the floor. Once he was inside, he signed in at the front desk.

"I got a notice about a promotion," he told the secretary.

She was a tall, shrewd woman with dark hair and ruby red lips. She glanced up at him as if he weren't worth an ounce of her time, and pointed towards one of the board meeting rooms.

"They're waiting for you," she said, looking back down at the pile of papers in front of her. "Good luck," she said as he walked away.

He wasn't sure what he needed luck for, but he accepted it nonetheless. He made his way into the meeting room, pushing open the glass doors and stepping inside.

The five directors sat at a large, ovular table, and his advisor was seated with them as well.

"Good evening," one of the directors spoke. "You are BadBoyHalo?"

"Yes." He held up the notice in his hand. "I received this message about getting promoted."

"Yes, you did." The director motioned to the chair at the end of the table. "Sit down, please."

Bad sat down, placing his hands in his lap. He wasn't necessarily scared, but he had to admit, the board of directors was very imposing, and he couldn't stop worrying that they had somehow found out about Skeppy, and that this was all a trap.

The director gestured to Bad's advisor. "We've received reports that you've been working an awful lot lately. You've been doing a good job, too." The man looked at a piece of paper in front of him. "Twenty-two matches in the past couple weeks, and five rivalries. You're nearly done with this month's Love List, and it's only the 17th." The director looked up at him, raising his eyebrows. "These are very impressive numbers."

"Thank you," Bad smiled.

"May I ask, why the sudden improvement? Is there some reason you've been working more than usual?"

Bad shrugged. "I've just been doing my job, sir."

"Hm." The director removed his glasses, tapping them on the table for a moment. "We have decided to give you a promotion, Mr Halo. Thirty matches a month instead of twenty-five, and fifteen rivalries every two months. Your rank will improve, and you'll get better pay. In addition, you'll no longer work with only humans. You will also be expected to work with low-ranking Forestfolk. You still won't be allowed to interact with them, but you will need to match them. Do you think you can keep up with those expectations?"

"Yes..." Bad said. He wasn't looking forward to more work, but he wasn't going to turn down the promotion, either.

"Wonderful. You'll pick up next month's Love List today, so that you can prepare yourself, and go ahead and finish up this month's list as well." The director clapped his hands happily. "Oh, but before you go, there is one other thing we need to discuss."

"Yes?"

"You take a leave every couple years, correct? I believe you have one coming up this summer?"

"Uh, it's actually ever year, but yes, sir. It won't be a problem, will it?"

"No, no, not at all. How long do you plan on being gone?" The director grabbed a pen and marked something down on his paper.

"Anywhere from three to five months, sir. I know it's a lot, but-"

"I understand, Halo," the director interrupted. "You don't have to go into details. A close friend of mine has to do the same thing. When the time comes, take the time you need, and come back to us when you've returned."

"Thank you, sir." Bad's face flushed a bit.

"Alright, everything is sorted then. Ask the secretary for your Love List before you leave. Have a good day."

"You too," Bad said, smiling and quickly leaving the room, glad to be away from all the attention. Everyone except for that one director had been silent, but even just feeling their eyes on him made him anxious.

Bad walked over to the front desk and asked the secretary for his Love List. After searching through a filing cabinet for a few moments, the lady handed him a large manilla envelope, with his name printed on the top right corner.

He took it and left, heading back to his house. He was very tired; his nap had been interrupted by the promotion, and all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep. And once he got home, that's exactly what he did. He sat the Love List aside and went straight to his room, faceplanting into the pillow and falling asleep almost instantly.

He would worry about his work another day.