#gilded-bilionaire

[cleopatrathesecretary]

Okay, resending asks!! Uh... I believe it was... Break Me for... Protege AU, Quiet Me for Al Amore AU, and Amuse Me for Cleo and brightlittlelight

//I WROTE A LOT SO ALL ARE UNDER THE CUT AND DONE IN THE RESPECTIVE ORDER:

1. Leave a “Break Me” in my ask, and I will write an angsty drabble about our characters. (Protege AU)

2. Leave a “Quite Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a drabble about my character trying to calm yours down (Ala Amore AU)

3.Leave a “Amuse Me” in my ask, and I will write a funny drabble about my character trying to cheer your up. (with brightlittlelight)

1.

Cleo was aware that Toby would know how to defend himself, but it didn't quite click that he would be so capable  in a fight.

Neither did that guy he currently had pinned against the wall. It was a little unnerving to see him like this; Toby's eyes and hands Voids in colour and face in anger.

Cleo could have taken the guy; he wasn't there to harm Toby. Even after all these years she was no stranger to random attacks on the streets. It was a danger she lived with and handled well enough. Except today, she was spending much needed quality time with her prodigal angel when the moron attempted to get the drop.

Cleo knew what was to happen and react but Toby reacted faster, and with more precision.

Toby acted on instinct and it wasn't long for the idiot's arms to break, be bruised and shoved up against the wall.

"Toby." Cleo had to call him a couple times before she got his attention back. "Toby; let him go. You've done enough."

Toby had reacted with instinct but came out out the fight looking pale and haunted. Cleo understood this; she recognized the signs.

Cleo took his arm firmly, even when he tries to pull away from her. With a vicious kick to he broken man's junk, she pulled Toby away, ignoring the stares and the whimpers that followed.

Toby tried to pull away multiple times, but with Cleo holding firmly he gave up soon enough. The young man didn't look up whoever; his whole demeanor was an all time low. She could see it in the way his shoulders drooped and his wings sagged.

Cleo did not stop until they were both far away from prying eyes and ears. Then she carefully touched his face and made him look at her.

"You are okay. I am okay. You did nothing wrong."

Toby didn't believe her. "I-I could've killed him--!"

"But you didn't." Cleo cut in. "You didn't because you stopped. You aren't a killer."

"You aren't a monster."

Toby's shoulders shook. He still didn't believe her and couldn't understand it. He told her just as much; whispering how she could believe it herself. He was had to do terrible things and he has killed.

Cleo questions if the ones he killed were human.

Toby admits they weren't.

Cleo questions if they would have hurt, maimed or killed others.

Toby is quiet, but she knows the answer.

"You hurt others out of necessity. They may not have understood it, you may not understand it, but you aren't a monster. You are a protector."

Toby lets out a sob and Cleo pulls him close for a tight hug. She doesn't mind that he sobs his heart out, that his wings wrapped around him tightly like his arms.

Cleo knows he's no monster and softly repeats it until his tears run dry.

"You are not a monster." She says once more, wiping away the tears and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "I know what a monster is, and it is not you."

Toby finally seems to accept her words. Soon  enough they spend the rest of the day indoors, curled up on the couch with a large blanket and a bunch of movies. Toby falls asleep half way through the third, his head on her shoulders while her hand scratches the top of his head.

Toby is calm in his sleep. Cleo hopes his dreams are similar. He deserves good dreams after everything he's went through.

Cleo knows what a monster is. It's not Toby; despite his ten year absence, despite the things he was forced to do, the things he had to learn for those dammable Erikas, Toby was not a monster. He was not that innocent little angel boy she first met, but a young man trying to adjust to an old life he did not quite fit in perfectly.

Toby isn't a monster. Cleo knows what a monster is. She knows too well.

She only needed to look in a mirror.

2.

Cleo never believed herself to be very good with kids, but she always counted herself lucky that Marcus' kid was quiet and more polite than any other kid she has met (which wasn't many now that she thought about it). Toby was a good kid and possibly the sweetest little boy ever; sweeter than a cinnamon roll even.

He was always happy; so coming back home late at night only to have a tiny angel attached to her leg threw her off quite a bit.

"Toby?" She glanced down, confused with his actions. He barely reacted but his whole body and wings quivered; he wouldn't look up but Cleo could tell he was crying.

Oh dear; what was Cleo to do??

Cautiously, the secretary placed a hand on her head. "Hey; it's okay Sweetie. I'm home; did something happen? A bad dream? Do you want to talk about it??" She asked, hoping to get a response, but Toby only shook his head.

Well, if he didn't want to talk about it there wasn't much she could do the force it out. Moving carefully, she pried him off her leg and picked up the small angel into her arms. Immediately Toby hugged her tight, head buried in her shoulder as she carried him.

Cleo simply comforted him as best as she could, rubbing his back and whispering kind words as she brought him back to his room. Since he wasn't going to let go any time soon, Cleo sat on his bed and started talking about random things like books and stars and not knives. Knives and the like were not for Toby to listen to.

Eventually, Toby calmed a little to engage with Cleo, which pleased Cleo greatly.

"'M sorry..." Toby quietly said after a time, looking up at her with his wide puppy eyes. "I was scared.... had a bad dream 'bout you n..."

"About me?" The little boy nodded and glanced down from her gaze. "Saw y' go away n y' didn' want t'  be with us no more...."

Realization dawned on Cleo and she tipped his chin up. "Toby. I'm not going anywhere. I'm always going to come home. And if I had to leave, I'd find a way to take you and your dad with me."

"...promise?"

"Promise." Cleo pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You want me to stay with you until you sleep?"

Toby nodded shyly. Cleo just smiled (which was a feat in of itself) and laid down next to him, letting him cuddle up to her. Toby just let out a happy sigh and relaxed, falling asleep soon after.

Cleo watched him for a little bit, but somehow she found herself waking up to Marcus cuddling up behind her. He quietly answered that he found them both in Toby's bed like this and decided to join them. Cleo just snorted a little but snuggled back, feeling quite content at the moment.

Cleo never believed herself to be very good with kids, but she was pretty good with Toby. That was more than enough for her.

3.

"Oh my--there's another one of you??"

"S h u t  u p !  I need  y o u  to do me a  f a v o u r !"

"Why should I?"

"B e s i d e s  the fact that I could  t u r n  y o u  i n s i d e  o u t  and  f l a y  you  a l i v e ~ ?"

"Yes."

"Exact--wait  w h a t ? ?"

"I said yes you tiny glowing brat. If you were going to do that you wouldn't have told me."

"....ugh you're  n o t  f u n !  Fine. It's for  T o b y  he seems to  l i k e  y o u  well enough."

"What did you do to him?!"

"It  w a s n' t  m e  this time! O-Or  a n y t i m e ! Look I  j u s t  want to--!"

"Just don't use that box and it's a deal."

~~~

Toby sniffled a bit, not feeling good. Emotionally, not physically; he wasn't sick the angel was just feeling pretty down. It was worsened when he accidentally saw a family strikingly familiar to his own old family; he knew he was better off without them but it still really hurt.

Honestly he was just feeling lonely right now.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a giant present just to the left of him. Now where did that come from?? He was sure it wasn't there before!

Curiously, Toby studied the box. It was a nice box, just about as tall as he was. It was blue in colour with a large bow on top and it was making noises and thumping.

Wait.... what??

Toby stared. Yeah... yeah it was moving! Well, only a tiny bit, but it still counted! What was inside??

The little angel couldn't help it; he slowly and carefully pried open the lid.

Only for it to suddenly pop off like a rocket, nearly hitting Toby in the face if he hadn't fallen backwards.

"Ooh that che stupido moccioso! I told them no scatole!!" Came an angry hiss as someone leaned over the boxes. "Quando ottengo le mie mani su di loro, lei è un uomo morto!"

"Miz Cleo??" Toby gasped at the woman in the box. Except, it wasn't a woman but a child his own age, with long black hair, a yellow hairband, and wide chocolate eyes that was glaring. "What happened t' yah???"

"That stup.... that glowing friend of yours did." She grumbled, climbing out of the box gingerly. "The brat was like how you were all alone today and they couldn't play so they needed a substitute that you'd trust."

Toby brightened as she explained it bu frowned a little by the end of it. "So... Basma forced y' into this huh?" He mumbled a little.

Cleo huffed and placed her tiny hands on his tiny hips. "No! I agreed to it; what I did not agree was being put into a box!" She then kicked the box, which did nothing to make her feel better.

However, that was not the case for Toby, who brightened once more. "Y' really chose to?? For me??" Toby reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Thank y' so much Miz Cleo!"

Cleo paused and glanced down at his hand. "...yeah it's fine. Just don't mention this to anyone."

"Got it! ....wanna make a pillow fort?"

"What's that??"

"Y' dunno what that is Miz Cleo?! Come on, we're gonna make one right away!"