#natural diamond dealers | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kurishiri · 6 months ago

Text

14 . . . main story

— this translation may not be 100% accurate or may contain creative liberties. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost or claim these as your own!

— cw: obsessive, stalkerish, kind of controlling behavior.

The art dealer from the ‘Bernard Company’ arrived at Lord Elbert’s manor the next day.

Of course, the people here did not hold a shred of doubt that the person they welcomed in the manor was simply ‘Lord Elbert’s work partner.’

(To be honest, facing him directly now that I understood that he was a member of the ‘Bernard Company’...)

(...is really painful.)

Acting as Lord Elbert’s assistant, I was to accompany him in this deal.

When I thought of how he was a member of the organization that had tried to kill Daisy, my chest became more heavy every time I gave a superficial smile.

Lord Elbert was indifferently talking with the art dealer...

(But Lord Elbert is probably also hurting as we speak.)

The memories we had shared together the day Daisy had passed only more strongly confirmed this.

(He looks as he does any other day, but... perhaps, the reason why is because he had become too accustomed to the pain.)

Art dealer: All of the pieces before you are rare goods of top-class quality. You probably won’t be able to get them anywhere but here.

The art pieces and jewelry the dealer brought with him were lined up in a row, and clearly in high spirits, he questioned Lord Elbert.

Art dealer: Well, might there be pieces befitting that of a count?

Elbert: ......All of them.

Art dealer: Excuse me?

Elbert: Leave them all here, please.

With just a short glance at the pieces lined up before us, Lord Elbert had made his decision.

Art dealer: ...I see. I did have an inkling you’d say so based on the party and also some rumors I’d heard in passing, but goodness gracious.

The art dealer seemed to be scheming something, and his eyes narrowed like a razor beneath his silk hat.

Art dealer: It appears you are quite obsessed with beauty too, no?

Elbert: ...‘Too’?

Art dealer: Well, seeing that I do consider you a true collector, I would like to make a proposition.

The art dealer adjusted his seating and lowered his voice, almost as though he were divulging a secret.

Art dealer: Next time, the top of the Company, Gabriel Bernard,

Art dealer: will invite honored guests from outside the country to hold an auction.

(...!)

(When he says ‘top’——he must mean the head of this criminal organization.)

Art dealer: The special showcase is a rare blue diamond of over 60 carats, regarded as the most beautiful in this world and beyond.

Art dealer: And I would like to extend an invitation to you to attend that auction. How about it? Is it to your fancy?

(...Which means, he’s been accepted as someone ‘invited to their domain.’)

Accepting the invitation would unmistakably be a crucial development to the mission given by Her Majesty.)

Elbert: ......Alright, I accept.

Art dealer: Ahh, I’m glad! I will send the invitation to you at a later date.

Art dealer: Well then, please sign here for the payment.

When the negotiations were finished, Jeffrey, who had been waiting next to us, approached and led the art dealer out of the lobby.

The moment he was out of the room, suddenly, I casually looked toward him.

Jeffrey: ...

Our eyes met for a mere moment, I felt something lingering.

(He probably doesn’t take to me well. In fact, it’s natural for him to think that way...)

This morning, I visited Lord Elbert early.

I didn’t want him to go through what he did yesterday while changing clothes.

(At the very least, while I’m here, I don’t want Lord Elbert to go through things that caused him pain.)

If it was for that, I didn’t mind being the object of someone’s hate.

Elbert: The world’s most beautiful jewel, he said...

E: ...What is that, I wonder.

Those few words seemed to spill out in a murmur, drawing my attention back to Lord Elbert.

Kate: I... can’t help but be curious about it, too. But it’s surely something very pretty, I would think.

Elbert: ...If you say so, then it might be the case.

His golden locks of hair covered the edge of his eyes, which themselves seemed like jewels, as he looked up, as if imagining what such a gem could look like.

(Something like a 60-carat diamond... is beyond my imagination.)

It could be something so beautiful that it would make everything I ever laid my eyes upon so far seem like a blurry haze.

(If Lord Elbert saw something like that... he might end up not wanting me anymore.)

He might think that his thoughts of me being beautiful, of wanting me, might have been a misunderstanding.

(But, if it would help relieve Lord Elbert’s pain, then maybe that would be for the best...)

(...but, still, I would be lonely, if it really turned out that way.)

I shook my head at the words whispering from the back of my mind.

(What am I thinking?)

(I want Lord Elbert to feel that ‘it’s okay to not have to collect beautiful things anymore.’)

Elbert: ...Kate.

Kate: ! Yes!?

Elbert: ... [surprised]

My voice had come out more loud than I intended, and Lord Elbert widened his eyes in surprise.

Elbert: You had gone quiet, shaking your head, and I thought you might feel unwell...

E: ...Is something the matter?

Even after he had said that he ‘wanted to have me,’ as if I were some object in his eyes,

he had extended that consideration I always knew he had within him to me, as if it were the most normal thing to do... and it hurt my heart.

Kate: Thank you for your concern. I was just thinking about some things.

Elbert: Is that so... then that’s good.

E: ...

E: ...Were you thinking of something, other than me?

Kate: Eh!? Umm... it... does have something with you, too, Lord Elbert.

Elbert: ......I see.

Lord Elbert seemed to accept my answer as it was, and his expression softened a little.

Elbert: We have no more business here in the manor... so let’s return to the castle today.

(I see... it must be because he had grasped the chance to infiltrate into the Bernard Company.)

(So, there is no reason to be here in the manor.)

Kate: Okay, I’ll start preparing then!

If it meant we could get out of here sooner, I had no complaints.

(If it’s Crown Castle, then Lord Elbert will be safe there, and... we probably won’t be together, just the two of us, as often.)

(If so, then I’ll have more time to think a little more calmly about a way to end this cycle of atonement.)

Kate: Well then, if you’ll excuse me. I’ll meet you in a bit.

Elbert: Alright.

Alfons: ......

—— Neutral POV ——

When the door closed behind Kate’s retreating figure, and the sound of her footsteps grew more distant,

Alfons, who had posed as a spectator during the negotiation, opened his mouth to speak.

Alfons: ...What a sore miscalculation on my part.

Elbert: ...What do you mean?

Alfons: I’ve told you time and time again that Kate is not beautiful.

A: So, why did you say something like you wanted to have her again?

Alfons asked out of simple curiosity, and in response, Elbert turned toward the door from which Kate had left.

Elbert: ...I don’t know.

E: Just that... I thought she was, beautiful—

E: —so, I must have her.

Those eyes become clouded over by a dark, heavy obsession.

Alfons: ...Is that so.

Alfons, as if having given up on something, let out a resigned sigh.

Alfons: Well then, shall I prepare something like a glass casket for you?

As if he were looking on at a play while knowing its ending, his chin rested on his hand, his elbow on the armrest of his chair.

—— Kate’s POV ——

We departed from the manor before twilight, and we returned to Crown Castle the next morning.

Victor: My dear Elbert, Alfons, and Kate! How are you enjoying your first breakfast at the castle in a loooong time?

V: Hm... oh? What’s this I see now?

(Ahh... I feel like I know where this is going...)

V: If my eyes do not deceive me, it seems Elbert has become completely smitten with Kate.

Harrison: I’m not sure I’d call that ‘smitten’... It’s more like...

Alfons: Why, of course, Lord Elbie is trying to win her heart over.

(Um, I mean you’re not wrong, but you’re not right either...!)

While retorting in my mind, I glanced beside me.

(This morning, when I finished my routine and left my room, Lord Elbert was there waiting for me,)

(and he invited me to breakfast, together with him...)

And so now, I was sitting next to him, with his eyes on me, as I ate breakfast.

Elbert: ......

(It’s not like this is the first time I’ve felt Lord Elbert’s eyes on me...)

(but it’s the first time he’s looked at me for such a long time... maybe...)

Kate: Um... do I... have a bed head or something...?

Elbert: No... you don’t. You look very pretty.

Kate: T-thank you. Then, can I ask why you are, um...

‘looking right at me,’ is what I wanted to ask, but my words got stuck.

Elbert: ...Because, I want you to think about me as much as possible.

E: ...So that you can’t think about anyone else.

Kate: Ah, uh... I, see...

Elbert: Mn...

All of a sudden, the flavor of the food seemed to dull.

(I know that everything he does is to ‘have me’. I know that...)

(...but, if someone I liked told me this...)

(I would be so happy... I wouldn’t need to hear any reason...)

Trying to hide my reddening cheeks, I cast my eyes down, pretending to be absorbed in cutting the asparagus, but...

Alfons: That’s the spirit, Lord Elbert. The countdown before Kate breaks down is starting.

Kate: !? Alfons...?

He seemed to be egging on Lord Elbert with those words, and I couldn’t help but look up at him.

Where in the world did the Alfons who warned me to stay away from Lord Elbert go?

He was sitting across from Lord Elbert, and he smiled at me as if seeing through me feeling shaken.

Alfons: Unfortunately, it appears you are already beyond the point of no return...

A: So I thought, why not have you entertain me, then, as a spectator, now that it’s come to this?

(...I see, so it’s like that.)

(He means that he won’t warn me, nor will he try to stop Lord Elbert anymore...)

(I ended up ignoring his warnings, even after three times, so I can’t blame him for turning the other way, but this was such a sudden change of attitude that I couldn’t help but feel baffled.)

Elbert: ...Kate. Look here.

Kate: Uh...?

I could hardly say anything before Lord Elbert cupped my cheeks with both his hands, turning my face toward him.

Elbert: ...You, looked at Al longer than you have at me.

Kate: ...That’s not it...

Elbert: It is...

(Um...)

I couldn’t take the power his peerless beauty had on me in close proximity, and so I closed my eyes shut.

Elbert: Why are you closing your eyes... open them, please.

Kate: I-if you step away from me, I will...

Elbert: ...You won’t look at Al?

Kate: I won’t, I won’t anymore, so...

I felt his hands withdraw from my cheek, and I opened my eyes again.

I tried to calm my very quick heartbeat, and when I looked back at those blue eyes,

Elbert: ......

A satisfied smile played on Lord Elbert’s lips, and I thought my breath was going to stop.

(To think I could have time to calmly think if we weren’t together... how naïve that was of me.)

Being sought after like this by Lord Elbert... there was no way I could be calm.

Victor: I have to say, I’m kiiinda getting a little jealous of them. Don’t you agree, Harrison!

Harrison: Hey, don’t grab onto my shoulders. I’m trying to eat here.

The playful exchange from beside me brought me back to my senses.

(The subject... let’s change the subject...!)

Kate: C-come to think of it, are you not going to eat, Lord Elbert?

Elbert: ...? Eat what?

Alfons: That is a bit of a tasteless answer, Elbie. Of course, whatever else could she be referring to but herself?

Kate: No, I meant breakfast.

Elbert: ...Now that you mention it... I had forgotten.

After looking at the breakfast before him for a while,

he pierced an apple slice with his fork, and brought it up to his lips in a graceful motion.

(An apple...)

Kate: Lord Elbert, do the apples today taste good too?

I remembered the day we went out to eat lunch together, and I asked him before I could think.

Elbert: ...Yes. ...It’s delicious.

(‘Delicious’...)

With just that word alone, all of my nervousness and unease disappeared like the waves pulling back to the waters,

leaving my heart filled only with a warm happiness.

(It’s not as though I understand what’s in his heart from those words alone...)

Like that day, he had said the apple was delicious, and I was so happy that a broad smile formed on my lips.

Kate: ...I’m glad.

Elbert: ...

(I got so distracted by him seeking me out, that I almost lost sight of what was important.)

(I... wanted Lord Elbert to smile.)

I reminded myself to not get distracted, and continued eating. When I did, Lord Elbert started to eat as well, little by little, next to me.

Kate: This asparagus is really good. It’s really sweet.

Elbert: ...Mn.

And then, around the time breakfast was going to end peacefully, Victor spoke to me.

Victor: Oh, yes, Kate. Once you’re done eating, could I borrow a bit of your time?

Kate: ...? Yes, sure.

Elbert: ......

—— Time skip ——

Kate: A ‘midterm report’...?

Victor: Yes, that’s right. It seems you’ve been writing a lot of memos as the Fairytale Keeper, so I thought it was about time, you see.

Kate: Alright then. I’ll turn in a formal report.

(...Hm? Wait a minute. The things I can report on...)

After I said yes, I realized that the only topic I could really report on was Lord Elbert.

Kate: Um... actually, I’m sorry, but I don’t really know anyone else aside from Lord Elbert that well...

K: I barely know Alfons as things stand now...

Victor: Yes, that’s fine. You can just write about Lord Elbert then.

V: Also, there is no need to rush, so take things at your own pace. Anyway, that’s all I had to say. Sorry for calling you in so suddenly.

(As Fairytale Keeper, my job to record the ‘sins of the Cursed as was determined by their fates’...)

(...That was the condition for me to return to my normal life.)

‘The Cursed are fated to meet a tragic end’——

I remember hearing that before.

(And, if I remember right, Alfons had said Lord Elbert’s Curse was...)

(‘The Greedy Queen.’)

With a bow, I was about to leave the room, but then I turned back toward Victor.

Victor: What is it?

Kate: ...I’m, a little curious.

Kate: About what Lord Elbert’s tragic fate is, based on the Curse of the Greedy Queen.

Jet black eyes had me apprehended.

For a moment, as if being covered by a veil of night, the room grew silent.

Victor: ‘Never feeling satisfied or fulfilled, he will end up with nothing.’ That is his Cursed fate.

(Never feeling satisfied or fulfilled... he will, end up with nothing...)

Kate: Thank you... for that.

As if swallowing a stone down, my heart grew heavier.

His Cursed fate was like a verdict, that I could do nothing to bring Lord Elbert out of his deep, dark sadness.

Elbert: ...Kate.

When I left the lounge, Lord Elbert was waiting for me, leaning against the windowsill.

Kate: Lord Elbert...! What’s wrong?

Elbert: I was waiting for you. ...Because, I want to spend as much time with you, as possible.

It was as though that was the most natural response in the world, and I felt my heart throb sweetly again.

(This is, to steal my heart... in order to have me.)

(That’s... how it should be... and yet...)

The love I had tried to keep a secret in my heart whispered in my ear, and I couldn’t help but to feel there was more meaning to his words than that.

Elbert: What were you talking about? With Victor.

Kate: About my job as Fairytale Keeper. He wants me to turn in a midterm report.

Elbert: I see......

Kate: What about you, Lord Elbert? What are your plans for today?

Elbert: Nothing, in particular. ...Until the auction, like you, I have a little bit of paperwork to do.

(If I said ‘then let us do our jobs,’ then I would be able to get some time to think alone.)

(We had just returned from the mansion, so I... don’t want to leave Lord Elbert on his own.)

Kate: Then, let’s relax together today. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?

Elbert: ...If I can be with you, then I’d be happy going anywhere.

E: But, it would be nice if we could go... to a place where no other person can come between us.

Lord Elbert stared intently at the lounge door.

(...Is he, seriously worried about me being called by Victor...?)

I could feel something similar to envy in his gaze, and I felt a little excited.

(How nice it would be, if this was a simple jealousy though...)

I put a lid over such thoughts, and instead I thought about what I was going to do from here.

Kate: So, maybe we shouldn’t go out in the city.

K: If possible, I’d like you to be able to have fun, but...

K: ...what do you enjoy doing, Lord Elbert?

Elbert: ...Enjoy...?

He made a face as though he had never even thought about it, and seeing that hurt my heart.

His own happiness, and his own enjoyment——just how much had this person before me deprived himself of those things?

(I would like to spend time somewhere warm, and bright...)

(...to the point there was no room for sadness to slip through the cracks.)

Kate: ...How about, a picnic? I know of a wonderful flower field with very few people.

Elbert: ...A flower field... with very few people...

E: I feel that would make me... want to carry you away, and have you to myself...

E: But, if that’s alright with you, then——let’s go.

← prev next →

˗ˏˋ full masterlist ´ˎ˗ 🍎✨

🏷️: @magicalkoo (leave a comment, send an ask, or dm me saying you want to be added to the tag list if you want to be tagged!)

32 notes · View notes

aishangotome · 6 months ago

Text

Elbert Greetia: Chapter 14

Chapter 13

♡———♡

The next day, an art dealer from "Bernal Trading Company" came to Elbert's mansion—

Of course, the people in Elbert's mansion invited him in without suspicion, as a "business partner of Elbert."

(Now that I know he's from the trading company, facing him like this...)

(Honestly, it's really... painful.)

I was allowed to attend the business meeting as Elbert's secretary, but every time I put on a polite smile, my chest feels heavy knowing he's from the organization that tried to kill Daisy.

Elbert is calmly talking business with the art dealer, but...

(Surely Elbert is feeling this pain too.)

The memories of the day Daisy died, the time we spent together, make me certain of that.

(Does he look the same as always... because he's used to enduring pain?)

Art Dealer: These are all first-class items that can only be obtained here.

The art dealer lined up the brought artworks and jewelry, and asked Elbert enthusiastically.

Art Dealer: Is there anything that suits the Count's taste?

Elbert: ...All of them.

Art Dealer: ...Pardon?

Elbert: Leave them all here.

Elbert made an immediate decision after just a brief look at the items on display.

Art Dealer: ...I see. I had a vague idea from the previous party and rumors, but my, my.

The art dealer, looking as if he was up to something, narrowed his eyes under the brim of his silk hat like razor blades.

Art Dealer: The Count is quite obsessed with beauty too, isn't he?

Elbert: ...Me "too"?

Art Dealer: ...This is a suggestion for you, as I see you as a true collector.

The art dealer straightened his posture and lowered his voice, as if he was about to share a secret.

Art Dealer: Gabriel Bernal, the head of our trading company, will soon be hosting an auction.

(...!)

(The head of the trading company means—he's the boss of this criminal organization.)

Art Dealer: The star item is the world's most beautiful and rare blue diamond, over 60 carats.

Art Dealer: We would like to invite you to the auction. How does that sound?

(This means... we've been recognized as someone to "invite into their territory," right?)

Accepting this invitation would undoubtedly be an important step forward in the Queen's mission.

Elbert: ...Yes, definitely.

Art Dealer: Ah, wonderful! We will send you an invitation later.

Jeffrey: Then, let's proceed with the payment here.

When the conversation ended, Jeffrey, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward and ushered the art dealer out of the reception room.

As he was leaving, my eyes and his met for a moment.

Jeffrey: ...

It was only a brief moment of eye contact, but I felt something clingy.

(He probably doesn't like me. That's natural, I guess...)

This morning, I visited Elbert's room early.

I wanted to prevent what happened yesterday from happening again during his morning dressing.

(At least while I'm in this mansion, I don't want Elbert to suffer as much as possible.)

For that, I don't care if someone glares at me.

Elbert: The most beautiful jewel in the world, huh...

Elbert: ...I wonder what it's like.

His muttered words brought my attention back to Elbert beside me.

Kate: Indeed... I'm curious too. It must be incredibly beautiful.

Elbert: ...If you say so, it might be.

Elbert's eyes, framed by golden lashes and resembling jewels themselves, gazed up at the sky as if imagining it.

(A 60-carat jewel... I can't even imagine it.)

It might be so beautiful that everything I've seen before pales in comparison.

(When Elbert sees it, he might not want me anymore.)

He might think that wanting me, thinking I'm beautiful, was a mistake.

(Although that would be the best outcome for him, so he wouldn't get hurt...)

(...But it would also be lonely.)

I shook my head hastily at the thought that suddenly crossed my mind.

(What am I thinking?)

(What I want is for Elbert to think, "I don't need to collect beautiful things anymore.")

Elbert: ...Kate.

Kate: Yes!

Elbert: ...

My response was louder than I intended, and Elbert blinked in surprise.

Elbert: You shook your head and fell silent, so I thought you might have felt sick.

Elbert: ...Is something wrong?

Even after saying he wanted to "obtain" me as if I were an object, he still showed the same casual concern as always... It made my chest tighten with pain.

Kate: Thank you. I was just thinking about something.

Elbert: I see... That's good.

Elbert: ...

Elbert: ...Were you thinking about something other than me?

Kate: Eh!? Um... It also included you, Lord Elbert...

Elbert: ...I see.

Elbert seemed satisfied and his expression softened a little.

Elbert: There's nothing else to do in this mansion... Let's return to the castle today.

(I see... We've already grasped the chance to infiltrate Bernal Trading Company.)

(There's no reason to stay in this mansion anymore.)

Kate: Okay, I'll get ready right away!

The sooner we can leave this mansion, the better.

(Crown Castle is safe for Elbert, and besides... there will be fewer chances to be alone.)

(Then I should be able to calmly think of a way to make him stop atoning.)

Kate: Then, excuse me. I'll see you later.

Elbert: Yeah.

Alfons: ...

As the reception room door closed and Kate's footsteps faded away—

Alfons, who had remained silent throughout the business discussion, finally spoke.

Alfons: ...What a miscalculation.

Elbert: ...What are you talking about?

Alfons: I told you over and over again that Kate isn't beautiful.

Alfons: Why did you suddenly say you want to obtain her?

In response to the question, asked as if out of curiosity, Elbert glanced at the door where Kate had left.

Elbert: ...I don't know.

Elbert: I just... thought she was beautiful—

Elbert: —and that I had to obtain her.

His eyes were clouded with a dark, heavy obsession.

Alfons: ...I see.

Alfons let out a sigh, as if giving up on something.

Alfons : Then, shall I prepare a glass coffin?

He rested his cheek on his hand, propped on the armrest of his chair, as if watching a play whose ending he already knew.

We left Elbert's mansion before dusk and returned to Crown Castle. The next morning—

Victor: My dear Elbert, Alfons, and Kate! How is breakfast at the castle after so long?

Victor: Oh...? Oh my, oh my?

(Ah... I think I know what he's going to say...)

Victor: Well, well, it seems Elbert has completely taken a liking to Kate.

Harrison: Taken a liking, you say... That's...

Alfons: El is trying to seduce her.

(That's not wrong, but it's not right...!)

I retorted in my mind and glanced at Elbert beside me.

(This morning, when I finished getting ready and left my room, Elbert was waiting for me,)

(And he invited me to have breakfast together...)

And now, I'm having breakfast feeling his gaze beside me.

Elbert: ...

(I've felt Elbert's gaze many times before,)

(But this might be the first time it's lasted this long...)

Kate: Um... Is there something on my face...? Did I sleep on it wrong or something?

Elbert: No... There's nothing. You look beautiful.

Kate: Oh, thank you. ...Then, why are you looking at me like that...?

I couldn't bring myself to ask him directly, so I trailed off.

Elbert: ...I want you to think about me as much as possible.

Elbert: ...So you don't have time to think about anyone else.

Kate: Ah... I see...

Elbert: Yes...

Suddenly, the food lost its taste.

(I know it's all for the sake of "obtaining" me, but...)

(...If someone I like said this to me...)

(I'd be happy... and the reason wouldn't matter anymore...)

I look down, embarrassed by my flushed cheeks, and pretend to concentrate on cutting my asparagus, but...

Alfons: That's the spirit, Elbert. Kate's fall is just a matter of time.

Kate: !? Alfons...?

I was startled by his words that seemed to be egging Elbert on, and I looked up.

Where did his stance of warning me to stay away go?

Alfons, sitting across from Elbert, is smiling as if he can see through my agitation.

Alfons: Unfortunately, it seems it's too late...

Alfons: So, I think I'll enjoy this as a spectator.

(...I see.)

(He won't warn me anymore, and he won't stop Elbert either...)

I thought it was natural since I ignored his repeated warnings, but I was still stunned by his complete change of attitude—

Elbert: ...Kate. Look at me.

Elbert: ...

As soon as he finished speaking, Elbert cupped my cheeks in his hands and turned my face towards his.

Elbert: ...You spend more time staring at Al than me.

Kate: ...That's not...

Elbert: It is...

(Ugh...)

Unable to bear the close proximity of his overwhelming beauty, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Elbert: Why are you closing your eyes...? Open them.

Kate: I-I'll open them if you let go...

Elbert: ...You won't look at Al?

Kate: I won't! I won't, so please...

The hands that were holding my cheeks let go, and I slowly opened my eyes.

I suppressed my wildly beating heart and looked back into his blue eyes.

Elbert: ...

A satisfied smile appeared on Elbert's lips, and my breath hitched.

(I was naïve to think I could stay calm if we weren't alone.)

There's no way I can stay calm when Elbert looks at me like this.

Victor: This is making me envious. Right, Harrison?

Harrison: Hey, stop putting your arm around me. You're interrupting my meal.

I came back to my senses at the playful banter from the other end of the table.

(I need to change the subject...!)

Kate: By the way, Lord Elbert, aren't you going to eat?

Elbert: ...? Eat what...?

Alfons: Don't be silly, El. It's obvious she's talking about Kate.

Kate: No, I mean breakfast!

Elbert: ...Oh, right... I forgot.

Elbert stared at his breakfast for a moment, then—

He pierced a slice of apple from the fruit salad with his fork and brought it to his mouth with a graceful gesture.

(Apple...)

Kate: Lord Elbert, is the apple delicious today too?

I asked, remembering the day we went to town for lunch together.

Elbert: ...Yes. ...It's delicious.

("Delicious...")

With that one word, the tension and anxiety from earlier washed away like a receding tide, leaving my chest filled with warmth and happiness.

(Just hearing him say the apple is delicious doesn't tell me what's in his heart, but...)

I'm happy that he said it's delicious, just like that day, and a smile spreads across my face.

Kate: ...That's good.

Elbert: ...

(I was so caught up in being wanted by him that I almost lost sight of what's important.)

(I want Elbert to smile.)

I remind myself of this as I continue eating, and Elbert beside me starts to eat little by little as well.

Kate: This asparagus is delicious. It's very sweet.

Elbert: ...Yes.

As we finished our breakfast peacefully, Victor spoke to me.

Victor: Oh, right. Kate, could you spare me a moment after breakfast?

Kate: ...? Yes, of course.

Elbert: ...

Kate: "Interim report"...?

Victor: Yes, since you've been taking notes as a Fairytale Keeper, I thought it might be time.

Kate: Yes, I understand. I'll compile it into a formal document and submit it.

(...Wait, but what can I report on...?)

The moment I agreed, I realized I could only write about Elbert.

Kate: Um... I'm sorry. I don't know much about anyone other than Lord Elbert yet.

Kate: Barely anything about Alfons...

Victor: Oh, that's fine. Just Elbert for now.

Victor: There's no rush, so take your time. That's all from me. Sorry for calling you out so suddenly.

(As a Fairytale Keeper, my condition for returning to my everyday life is to record how the cursed ones "commit sins as destined by fate.")

("The cursed are destined for a tragic end"–)

I recall hearing that before.

(If I remember correctly... the curse Alfons told me about Elbert when we first met was...)

("The Greedy Queen")

Just as I was about to leave the room after bowing, I turned back to Victor.

Victor: What's wrong?

Kate: ...I'm a little curious.

Kate: Lord Elbert's curse... What is the tragic end that "The Greedy Queen" meets?

His jet-black eyes lock onto mine, holding my gaze captive.

For a moment, silence engulfs us, as if a veil of night has fallen.

Victor: "Unfulfilled and gaining nothing." That's the end of his curse.

(Unfulfilled... Gaining nothing.)

Kate: ...Thank you.

A heavy weight settles in my chest, as if I've swallowed a stone.

It's as if I've been told that I can never save Lord Elbert from the depths of his dark sorrow.

Elbert: ...Kate.

As I leave the parlor, Lord Elbert is waiting by the window, leaning against it.

Kate: Lord Elbert...! What are you doing here?

Elbert: I was waiting for you. ... I want to spend as much time as possible with you.

His matter-of-fact response makes my heart flutter sweetly again.

(This is to steal my heart... to have me.)

(That's how it should be, but...)

The love hidden in my heart, whispered sweetly, makes me hope for something more.

Elbert: ...What were you talking about? With Victor?

Kate: We were talking about my work as a Fairytale Keeper. He told me to submit an interim report.

Elbert: I see...

Kate: What's on your schedule today, Lord Elbert?

Elbert: Nothing in particular. ... Just a bit of paperwork, same as you, until that auction.

("I could say, 'Let's each do our own work,' and get some time to think alone.")

(But I don't want to leave Lord Elbert alone, especially after he just returned from that mansion...)

Kate: Well then, shall we take it easy today? Is there anywhere you'd like to go?

Elbert: ...Anywhere is fine, as long as I can be with you.

Elbert: I'd prefer a place where we won't be disturbed by others.

Lord Elbert stares intently at the parlor door.

(...Could it be that he's bothered by the fact that I was called by Victor...?)

Sensing something akin to jealousy in his gaze, my heart flutters again.

(I wish this were just simple jealousy...)

Suppressing such thoughts, I shift my focus to what lies ahead.

Kate: Then, going to town is out of the question.

Kate: If possible, I want to do something that Lord Elbert would truly enjoy, but...

Kate: What do you find enjoyable, Lord Elbert?

Elbert: ...Enjoyable...?

Seeing his face, as if he's never even considered it, pains my heart.

How much has this man neglected his own joy and pleasure?

(I want to spend time in a warm, bright place.)

(A place where sadness has no room to enter.)

Kate: ...How about a picnic? I know a lovely flower field with no one around.

Elbert: ...A flower field with no one around...

Elbert: It might make me want to run away with you, but...

Elbert: If you're okay with that, let's go.

Chapter 14 Premium Story

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

#ikemen series #cybird #cybird otome #cybird ikemen #ikemen villains #ikevil translations #elbert greetia #elbert greetia translations #elbert greetia main story translation #elbert greetia main route translation #elbert IS SO YANDERE #jealous elbert greetia

26 notes · View notes

that-irrelevant-ricecakeaddict · 8 months ago

Text

SIC PARVIS MAGNA {Charac. Profiles Pt. 2}

an au by @that-irrelevant-ricecakeaddict & @seventhcallisto

SERIES MASTERLIST, Charac. Profiles Pt. 1

Jeong Yunho {Hans}

[24 years old]

(based on Helena Bertinelli, Huntress)

Backstory: He grew up with police officer parents who had interests in car mechanics, so he naturally picked up the same hobbies. Eventually started making weapons and studying art of weaponry as well as hopology. His family moved to Seoultham when he was a young teenager, where his parents got killed. Yunho had to resort to crime and smuggling to survive. He hated himself for committing crime (out of love for his deceased parents), hence he adopted the alias Huntsman (later renamed as Hans when he met the others) to gatecrash dangerous weapon dealings he hears of. Later on, he met Hongjoong through the New World weapons black market and joined him after hearing about Birds of Prey.

>Originally named Huntsman, Mingi pestered him to change it because it sounded too "intimidating"

>Co-founder of Limitless Mechanics, a 2 storey mechanics shophouse located next to the entrance of Felony Alley

>Lives at the shophouse with San

>Used to be an infamous illegal arms dealer, still has contacts in the intergalactic black market even as a vigilante

>Can be very protective of his members

>Resident Fix-It Felix of the team

>Spends most of his time tinkering at the shop with San

>Quickly grew attached to Mingi when he joined the team, and likes brainstorming new gadget ideas with him

>Signature weapon is a crossbow that he's always finding new features to add to it

Choi San {Hawke}

[23 years old]

(based on Shayera Thal, Hawkgirl)

Backstory: An alien warrior from planet Aurora who designed high tech weaponry from the planet's raw materials. His first encounter with a human was when he met Yunho, who was on a smuggling mission to Aurora. San assumed that Yunho was another greed-filled thief who came to his home planet to steal, but became friends with him when he found out they had a shared interest in weapons design. He was intrigued by Yunho's stories of life on Earth and decided to follow him back.

>Registered in Seoultham ("Omg my first human identity!!") thanks to Mingi pulling some strings

>On Aurora, he was known as San Hol, but he adopted the surname Choi after coming to Earth because he wanted to blend in more

>Co-founder of Limitless Mechanics (with Yunho)

>Has large feathered wings that he can shrink and hide

>A strong fighter with extensive knowledge on weapon design

>Can come off as very earnest and innocent

>Spends his time with Yunho at the shop or following around his other members to their activities out of curiosity

>Has very eccentric tastes due to growing up on a completely different planet

>Fix-It Felix pt. 2

Choi Jongho {Nightingale}

[22 years old]

(based on Dinah Lance, Black Canary)

Backstory: An only child living in a small town with his parents, he was born with a mutated voice box that allowed him to physically manifest soundwaves with his voice. He accidentally hurt his father with it when he was a kid, and started to see it as a curse for the majority of his life and didn't speak much out of fear of causing harm to others. At 18, he moved away from his parents to live in Seoultham to lay low. He eventually heard from word of mouth about Mingi's expertise in tech, and went to him for help in building soundwave-muting technology. Mingi did built a device for him, but also encouraged him to embrace his ability and got him to join the Birds of Prey.

>Works as a barista at Nightbrew Cafe

>Lives with Wooyoung in a suite located on Diamond Street, which is just across Felony Alley (16 Diamond Street, #1, 1117)

>Occasionally does singing gigs at bars, and is known by regulars as Lucifer's Bard due to how sinfully addicting his voice is

-He started singing from a young age as he thought it would help to build control of his ability

>Wears a necklace made of a metal that absorbs excess vibrations, allowing him to speak normally without having to constantly watch his volume (takes it off sometimes to fight)

>when fighting crime, he wears a cloth mask made of a special fabric that San brought from Aurora. It allows his voice to pass through without interference while still providing coverage for his identity

>Came off as uptight to the other members at first, but Mingi brought out his real fun-loving and laid back personality

Jung Wooyoung {Kitty}

[23 years old]

(based on Selina Kyle, Catwoman)

Backstory: Grew up in Seoultham and got by with his good looks and street smarts. At 17, he started to date a rich young man who would often abuse and berate him. Soon after, Wooyoung was kicked out of his house by his parents who found him disgraceful, and was stuck with his then-boyfriend who eventually broke up with him and left him alone and penniless. Wooyoung took revenge by breaking into his now ex's penthouse and stealing all his expensive possessions, which was when he developed a knack for stealing. He was living off stolen goods when he met San (who had just arrived on earth) and befriended him. San, being the sweetheart he is, invited Wooyoung to join the Birds of Prey, which Wooyoung, albeit with some hesitation, obliged to.

>Works as a museum curator at the Visage of History Museum

>Lives with Jongho in their suite (rent is paid off mostly by Wooyoung's salary and "souvenirs" from his occasional heists on local robbers)

>His alias, Kitty, is known by locals and authorities as a genderless vigilante who is efficient and quick, as well as extremely slippery and hard to catch

>Used to steal from the wealthy out of desperation to survive and was an infamous cat burglar, but stopped after joining Birds of Prey

>Has very expensive taste and splurges the team's money (not that they mind, though)

>He occasionally ambushes and robs the illegal jewellery smugglers that he hears about from his police friend Changbin and the museum staff

>Knows reader through Taehyun and Yeonjun

>very physically affectionate, often subjects the rest of the team to overly dramatic displays of affection

☆☆☆

SIDE CHARACTERS:

Kang Taehyun (reader's elder brother)

[23 years old]

-travelling archaeologist

-permanent business partners with Yeonjun and Soobin

-wooyoung's business partner (introduced through Yeonjun)

-due to how often he travels, he rarely gets to come back to visit his sister. And since him and his partners work with Wooyoung, reader always sees them doing admin work together when she comes to see him.

-Taehyun wasn't home when their parents died, he had been at a party, making him feel guilty for the death of them. Because of it, he promised to take care of his sister as much as he could, even if it meant being away most of the time to work and pay for bills

Seo Changbin (local police officer)

[27 years old]

-Yeonjun and Wooyoung's good friend

-has taken a liking to Taehyun and is always chatting him up when Taehyun visits with Yeonjun and Soobin

-a loud mouth, but he means well

-occasionally slips up and tells Wooyoung details on his recent cases

-himbo energy

Choi Seungcheol (local police detective)

[28 years old]

-the most renowned detective in Seoultham

-his father was also a detective but he died in the line of work by one of Joker's henchmen

-he started off at a younger age and became an unstoppable force in his work

-He's got plenty of loyal companions and he doesn't mind bending the rules to his favor if it means catching the perp he's chasing

-he doesn't particularly see his actions as morally wrong or that he might be abusing his title. What matters to him at the end is putting the person behind bars permanently

-Has a thing against vigilantes, even if they have truces with the police force (ahem ahem mingi)

Yoo Jeongyeon (reader's good friend)

[20 years old]

-attends Ok-ja Central college, law degree.

-Her and Nayeon share an apartment together in a more protected and enriched part of the city

-which leads to them asking reader to move in with them, because they're worried for her wellbeing at Halazia apartments

-the more chill of the three friends. she's definitely the mom of the group

-she's always had the best grades, separating her future career and her personal life in the process

-her parents both work as lawyers, so it was in her nature to follow their footsteps. She doesn't feel the pressure to, though

-both her parents and younger brother live in another city

-chose seoultham as it was an unconventional place for her to make her mark, seeing as there was so much crime.

-her father and Nayeon's father were friends, and due to that they became roommates and then close friends

Im Nayeon (reader's good friend)

[21 years old]

-attends Ok-ja Central college, visual arts degree

-Her eldest sister was a photographer before she passed, which left Nayeon with their sickly mother at the time. She had to take care of both of them for a while

-her mother proceeded to remarry a rich man after her sickness had gone away, said rich man became Nayeon's father

-he encouraged nayeon and promised to take care of her expenses. So then, when she graduated, she immediately applied for Ok-ja Central college at 18

-her step-father moved her into the luxury apartments, making sure she was in a safe part of seoultham

-conventionally enough her step-father also knew Jeongyeon's father, which ended up with them both becoming roommates. That led to them becoming close friends

-Her and Jeongyeon met reader in the college's dining hall when she stepped in between an argument to grab her silverware, completely disregarding the fighting men in favor of eating. They quickly took to befriending her

Kim Chungha/Annie

[28 years old]

-daughter of Halazia Apartment’s Landlady, and helps out a lot with managing the place

-works as a dance instructor

-lesbian ("OMG GIRL KISSER CHUNGHA 😍😍" -leslie and calli)

-interested in Seonghwa's plants and occasionally visits him at the apartment to ask about his collection

-her and her mother are the only women Seonghwa is comfortable with (besides reader)

-she is SUPER lenient with the people in the building. How much trouble could two college kids cause?

-Chungha is not at all surprised by the amount of friends Mingi keeps up at his apartment, as long as they're not causing too big of a ruckus and trashing the place

-when her mother occasionally comes to visit the apartments, she makes sure to tidy up, as she does leave the place messy due to her packed schedule

Choi Soobin (Taehyun’s close friend)

[24 years old]

-Soobin and the rest of Taehyun's close friends had been around since childhood, having grown up with the Kang siblings.

-Soobin sees reader as if she's his own sibling.

-reader had a crush on him when they were younger

-works as a historian, partners with Taehyun and Yeonjun a lot for projects and is hence always travelling with them

Choi Beomgyu (Taehyun's close friend)

[24 years old]

-works as an actuary

-super laid back and fun

-often plays online games with reader even though they live in different cities

-crashes at reader's place whenever he visits (which is often, especially with the amount of travelling he can afford on his salary)

Choi Yeonjun (Taehyun's close friend)

[25 years old]

-works as a geologist, partners with Taehyun and Soobin and travels a lot with them for projects

-the one who originally got Taehyun a partnership with Visage of History Museum (and subsequently with Wooyoung)

-fratboy energy.. but not the nasty type of fratboy yknow

Huening Kai (Taehyun's close friend)

[22 years old]

-popular fashion designer in a bigger city

-founder of Huekai fashion brand (Hongjoong is a fan of him)

-he had a thing for reader when they were younger. And he still happens to have a small innocent child-like crush on her

-a goofy sweetheart, genuinely good hearted like a puppy

19 notes · View notes

sugar-soda · 4 months ago

Text

Kids Shouldn't be Here: Piper Wright

Fallout 4 Platonic Companions x Child! Sole

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Child in dangerous situations

A/N: This is NOT romantic at all! This is all platonic relationships that explore how the Fallout 4 companions and game would change if the Sole Survivor was a young child. Any romantic suggestions or reblogs will be blocked.

Masterlist

______________________________________________________________

Diamond City wasn't always the perfect place to raise a kid.

Sure, there were a lot of pros to the place. Big sturdy wall to keep the rest of the Commonwealth out, plenty of food and shelter, and plenty of services that you couldn't get anywhere else, like haircuts and a year round doctor. Hell, they even had a school. So many in the Commonwealth couldn't even read and the children of Diamond City got to learn that along with science, math, and history. So yes, there were some good reasons to have a kid there.

If anyone were to ask about this to the Mayor, he would puff up like a peacock and proudly state that “children were the Commonwealth's future,” and “it takes a city to raise a child,” and other nonsense like he was still campaigning for office.

If you were to ask someone who was not the Mayor, they would tell you that the city was nice, but it still had problems.

For one thing, with 2 bars and a chems dealer right in the market, there were plenty of chances for any kid looking for mischief to swipe a Mentat or a bottle of beer when no one is looking. Dr. Sun had taken to meticulous combing through his inventory everyday to make sure he didn't become a target of little, sticky fingers as well.

While they didn't have to worry about their kid being killed, the concerns were replaced e with others that were almost pre-war in nature. After all, they couldn't attach their child to the hip like in small settlements, so the children were left to run amuck with no supervision between school letting out and their parents coming home. Between those times the adults would worry.

Did their kid do their assigned reading? Would they eat their tatos for dinner later or would they insist on surviving off of sugar bombs and snack cakes? What if they fell and hurt themselves on the rusty, dirty metal that made up most of the city and get an infection? Were they leaving poor Sheffield in peace? Were the other kids playing nice?

Those ran through their minds until they could go home.

The suspension was also something everyone dealt with. The Institute had rooted itself into everyone's mind as the Commonwealth's boogeyman, and no one could sleep at night anymore. Anyone could be kidnapped and replaced by an identical synth, so anyone could be a threat. Trust was in short supply, so there would never be that sense of community other settlements had. Every man was for himself. But no good man could go without his children.

____________________________________________________________

If you were to ask Piper Wright, she would say she is great with kids. After all, she raised her sister Nat, and she's great in Piper's biased opinion. Nat was smart, sassy, and incredibly self-sufficient. Piper liked to think she made Dad proud with how she raised Nat.

As self-sufficient as her sister is, that doesn't mean Piper thought she could live entirely on her own. Which is exactly why Danny needed to stop screwing around and open the gate!

“Danny, I swear to God, if you don't open this gate and let me in you will be sorry. I’m standing out here in the open for God’s sake!”

“I got orders to not let you in, Ms. Piper. I’m sorry. I’m just doing my job. The mayor’s pretty steamed about your last article. Said it was nothing but lies”

Ah. Right. In hindsight, accusing McDonough of being a synth was probably going to get her in trouble. But not like this! She thought she'd get another lecture she wouldn't listen to or a fine she'd never pay.

She left the city this morning to interview a few guards on duty. The barracks nowadays were too small and the guards too many. So her next article was a push to expand their barracks up into the stands. The rich folk already living up there will complain about “ruffians” being in the stands, even if they would be on the opposite side of the city, so she had to get everyone else on the same page to get the expansion approved. Which she couldn't do if she couldn't go home!

“God damn it, Danny! You can't just lock me out! I live here!” Piper slammed her hand against the speaker.

As Danny told her to lie low for a few days and let the Mayor cool down, she caught the tiniest movement to her left. She squinted against the harsh afternoon sun and saw a rather…odd group was making way toward the entrance.

The most notable was the Mr. Handy, or Miss Nanny, she never could really tell the difference. While Diamond City had its own share of non-humanoid robots and she herself had gotten a few drinks from Whitechapel Charlie when visiting Goodneighbor for a story, all of them were in cities, places where there was supplies and space to do maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Seeing them out of the city normally meant to turn tail and run as it shot lasers and tried to make you into minced meat with its saw blade. This one, luckily, didn't seem like it was crazy. It floated gently alongside its companions, keeping its three eyes on a swivel.

The second was a man. Judging by his militia hat, he was a Minuteman. Huh. She thought they were all gone after Quincy. That tragedy had destroyed a lot of people's faith in the cause. Piper was the first in Diamond City to hear about it, having heard about it from Mayor Hancock himself while visiting Goodneighbor. She cried her way through a whole pack of cigarettes before typing up the article. Like hell she was gonna let McDonough tell the city first and try to spin all those deaths into some Diamond-City-Superiority propaganda bullshit.

He tried when he made a speech about two days after she made Nat hand deliver a copy to everyone in Diamond City. By then everyone knew what happened. It was the least she could do.

Her eyes narrowed in suspension. If he was alive now, there was a high chance he was one of the ones who didn't respond when the emergency call happened. Coward. She would have to keep an eye on him.

The last person had her back to her, with a duffle bag slung across her shoulders and a pale purple ribbon holding any hairs that escaped her messy twin braids out of her face. A sharp looking sniper rifle accompanied the duffle bag. Looks like she was just a kid, judging by the height difference. Strange. She didn't share any physical traits with the Minuteman, so Piper wouldn't guess they were related. Unless they were distantly related, or the kid was adopted, or maybe they were related through marriage?

The Minuteman stopped to talk to a guard, likely asking about the city. The girl shifted on her feet, obviously impatient to go. The duffle bag moved and revealed a tiny shoulder wrapped in blue and gold numbers across her back.

So the kid was a vault dweller then. That kinda made sense. She probably was sent out to do trading for supplies and the Minuteman was likely her guard and the Mr. Handy was probably from the vault too.

Piper wrinkles her nose in distaste. Why would they send someone so young? Someone older wouldn't get scammed to hell and back at least.

Piper hadn't realized she was staring until the kid started staring back. Those big eyes seemed to stare into her soul, full of curiosity and questions. Just what Piper needed. While Danny always tried to follow orders, he could be a bit of a soft touch for kids. She's seen him sneaking books he bought from traders into the school. His bleeding heart was her ticket in.

“Psst. Hey, kid.” Piper tried to keep her voice at a volume where the speaker wouldn't pick her up. The girl looked around to see who she was addressing before pointing at herself quizzically.

“Yes, you. Come here.”

The girl peaked over at her guard, who was still talking. At some point, the Mr. Handy had joined the conversation, leaving her in the clear. She silently shuffled over and leaned closer.

“You wanna get into Diamond City, right?” The Vault Dweller nodded quickly, large eyes still unblinking. “Play along. I'll get us both in.” Piper leaned back toward the speaker, raising her voice exaggeratedly. “What's that, kid? You're here all on your own? What about your parents?”

Luckily, the kid picked up on Piper's plan. “ Oh, my parents are…they're gone,”

“ You hear that, Danny? You really going to leave a little kid out here, all alone, surrounded by raiders, and super mutants, and ferals and-”

“Okay, okay! Geez Piper, way to lay on the guilt trip. I'll open the gate up but McDonough better not be on my ass about this.”

A loud beep resounded out and Piper couldn't help but feel smug. That feeling didn’t last long as Mayor McDonough was already there, sour expression making even a radroach look pleasant.

“Piper! Who let you back inside? I told Sullivan to keep that gate shut! You devious, rabble-rousing slanderer! The-the level of dishonesty in that paper of yours! I'll have that printer scrapped for parts.”

God, this man made her blood boil. It was like his voice was nails on a chalkboard every time he opened his mouth. “ Oooh, that's a statement, Mr. McDonough? ‘Tyrant mayor shuts down the press?’ Why don’t we ask the newcomer, huh? Do you support the news? Cause the Mayor is threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster.”

McDonough seemed to just register the kid, who had stopped her trek inside to wait for the Minuteman and Mr. Handy, who had finished talking to the guard. She clearly wasn’t expecting someone to drag her into the argument, startling at being addressed.

“Piper! You can’t expect a child to understand the delicate situati-”

“My dad always said that politicians who try to control the press are the ones who know that they are doing something wrong.”

Piper barely held back the sputtering laugh. She wasn’t expecting such a harsh reply to the Mayor but it was sure funny.

McDonough quickly tried to pivot back to his ‘for the people’ persona as the Minuteman and Mr. Handy joined them.

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to get involved with our argument, young miss. No, no, no, why you and your father look like Diamond City material,” McDonough said. His eyes were glued to the Mr. Handy, knowing that if they could afford to keep a Mr. Handy while on the road, they likely could afford to stay a while.

The Vaultie squinted at him confused. “Father?” she asked, before realizing, “Oh, you mean Mr. Preston? He’s not my dad, he’s just a friend.” The Minuteman stepped forward and held his hand out to shake the Mayor’s hand, but his expression could best be described as thinly veiled annoyance. “Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen. I escorted Miss Sunny here from a new settlement up North.”

Ha. Called it. Piper knew they couldn’t be related, though now she wonders how recently the Vault opened, if it had started a new settlement and she hadn’t heard about it. Vault dwellers typically didn't like to leave their underground homes, even if they did open for trade. At least that's what the folks in Vault 81 did, from what she heard.

The mayor at least had the decency to look embarrassed by his assumption, a faint blush dusting across his face before he tried to cover it with a cough.

“Ahem, well, I can assure you that the trip will be more than worth it. Diamond City has all the finest comforts: a safe, comfortable place to rest your head, great food, and anything you could dream of can be found in our fine market stalls. Was there anything in particular that you were looking for, young miss?”

Garvey’s face shifted slightly from annoyance to sympathy, focusing on the girl (he said her name was Sunny, right?) who’s expression dropped from a polite, neutral face to fragile, fearful hope. Even the Mr. Handy seemed sad, which was almost impressive given its lack of face. Whatever they were here for, Piper guessed it wasn’t a shopping spree in the market.

“We were informed this would be the best place to look for help in finding a missing person,” the Mr. Handy said, posh British accent clear as the day he came off the assembly line. Damn. Another missing person? That would make 4 in as many months. And that would only count the ones Piper knew about. Who knew if anyone else had been taken and replaced by a perfect look alike. The ones not replaced just added to the fear of who had been, and if they could trust them should they ever return. A city filled with suspicion but no help. Diamond City Security wouldn’t hear anything about missing people and any complaints to the Mayor were tossed in the trash. Piper would know, she dug through it. “An infant boy was taken from Vault 111 and we are most fearful of what could have happened to him.”

“He’s my baby brother,” Sunny said, her voice cracking like she was about to cry “His name is Shaun. He’s only a few months old and I need to find him but I don’t know where else to look.” Piper’s heart broke for the girl. She was so young, she couldn’t be older than Nat. She didn’t want to imagine her sister out by herself out here in the wastes. And she was looking for her brother? A baby? The whole situation was heartbreaking.

Crap. That line she said about her parents being gone wasn't just a fib was it? Now Piper just felt like an ass.

McDonough's attempt at looking sympathetic was unsuccessful, so he just looked uncomfortable. “I'm sorry, Miss. But Diamond City Security simply doesn't have the time to look into every missing person's case. I'm afraid they're too busy to look for your brother.”

Sunny crumbled and tears started flowing. “You mean we came all this way for nothing?” Garvey looked pissed, opening his mouth to start spitting fire at the useless Mayor, but Piper, in her rage and experience yelling at the spineless bastard, beat him to the proverbial punch.

“Seriously, McDonough? A kid crosses the Commonwealth looking for an infant and you tell her you can't spare one guard to help! What the fuck!”

Sensing the danger he was in from the reporter and Minuteman, McDonough tried to cover himself, “However, there is a private citizen who might be willing to help. Nick Valentine. A…detective of sorts. He specializes in tracking people down. I'm sure he'll be happy to take your case.” That did little to comfort the kid as she kept crying and hiccuping.

“Hey,” Piper said, stepping in front of the girl and leaning down to be closer to eye level with her. “ I know ol’ Nicky myself. He's the best in the business. He'll find your brother, I know he will. Come on now, dry those tears. You can't see your way to his office with blurry eyes.”

Sunny nodded, as she tried to wipe her eyes and nose, even as more tears gathered in her eyes. The Mr. Handy placed a gentle claw on her head. “Come now, Miss Sunny. You can't go into a new city with the sniffles. You need to make a good impression.”

As he fussed over her appearance, Preston said, “Thank you for the help with the Mayor. I don't think he would have given us any information if you didn't put pressure on him.”

“Aww, it's nothing. Giving McDonough a hard time is part of my job. I'm Piper Wright. I write Publik Occurrences articles.” She offered her hand. From the corner of her eye, she caught Mayor McDonough just as he fled up the stairs. The Mayor of Diamond City, folks! Makes kids cry and leaves you to clean up the mess.

Preston smiled, “Oh, so that's what that yelling was about,”

“Well, not everyone wants to know the truth. But don't let me bore you with my job. You’re here to see Valentine, right?” She took a quick glance over him, trying to see if there were numbers on his coat or any significant markers of which Minuteman company he was part of. She didn't know exactly how Minuteman identified each other, but she knew only one company responded to Concord's call for help. Colonel Holis was their leader, she thinks. If Piper could figure out which company he was in, she could know if she could trust him to not tuck tail and run at the first sign of trouble.

“That will be our first stop after we get supplies, though we could use some directions. This is my first time in the city.”

“Sure thing,” Piper agreed, “follow me. Won't get anything done standing in the entrance.”

“Sunny,” Preston said “come on, I want you to stay in my sights the entire time we are here,”

“Ok, Mr. Preston,” She said, drying the last of her tears. Her face was still red and puffy and downtrodden but she was calmer now. Holding on to one of the Mr. Handy's arms, she was gently led to join them toward the steps.

As they walked, Sunny looked at Piper, “Thank you for helping us get in, Miss Piper. Sorry we got you in trouble.”

Piper smiled gently at the girl, “Don't worry about it, I was already in trouble with him. You guys didn't do anything.”

Sunny and the Mr. Handy crossed the threshold first and stopped to stare. “Wooow,” Sunny drawed out, “it looks really different from before, Codsworth.”

“Quite different,” the Mr. Handy, who Piper now knew was Codsworth, replied, “but I do believe that the change is not all that bad. It has quite a lot of character if I do say so myself!”

“Welcome to Diamond City,” Piper grinned and pointed down to Nat yelling out the headlines, “ See that girl down there? That's my sister, Nat. She can give you a good run-down of the place if you ask.”

Sunny looked over at Preston, silently asking for permission before taking off once he gave it. Nat immediately jumped into her sales pitch, but Piper knew she would be excited about a new kid when she got out of “work mode”. Even if she did have a robot following her around.

“So, Preston,” Piper started, her eyes not leaving the pair as they talked, “I'm surprised you've never been here before. I thought being a Minuteman meant you got to travel all over.”

Preston started going down the steps at a slow pace as he answered. “Typically, you are right. I've been everywhere from Bunker Hill to the edge of the Glowing Sea. I guess Diamond City is just so well protected, it never needed to call for help.”

She continued pressing. “Anyplace interesting? I've only been as far as Goodneighbor and that only takes half a day.” She needed to know if this guy had really ignored Quincy's need for help or had just not been told by his superiors. If he really did turn his back on the settlement, Piper was sure he'd do the same to the kid.

“In recent memory? Sanctuary has been the best. It's this old Pre-war subdivision that Sunny showed us after we met in Concord. It's peaceful, with plenty of space to grow food, a small river, and isolated enough that raiders aren't too big of a worry.”

Damn it. Nothing. Piper decided for a more direct approach. “Anywhere else? Like…I don't know…Quincy?”

Preston stopped so abruptly that Piper nearly ran into him. He turned around and his face had changed from a kind, strong Minuteman to a stern, angry soldier.

“If that is your way of asking if I was at the Quincy Massacre, yes, I was. I was there as my entire company died one by one waiting for backup. I was there when I realized I was the only one left and Colonel Holis was dead and no one was coming. I had to make the decision to retreat with what few survivors left in hopes their sacrifices wouldn't be in vain. And I was there as we wandered through the Commonwealth looking for somewhere that we can be safe. So yes, I have been to Quincy.” He turned back around sharply and continued down in a march.

Shit. So he did go to Quincy's aid. And paid heavily for it, if he was the last one left. Today was just the day Piper insulted everyone, huh?

“Wait, Preston!” Piper quickly moved in front to stop him from storming off. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.”

He scoffed.

“It's just that… When Quincy happened, everyone was devastated. The Minutemen were supposed to help people! Now, we don't know if we can trust the few left. I didn't know if you were gonna run and leave that girl behind when things get dangerous. But I am sorry. I can only imagine how terrifying it was going through all of that.”

Piper hoped he would accept the apology. She already made enough enemies by exposing scumbags with the paper. She had no desire to add a genuinely good person to that group.

Preston exhaled deeply through his nose before all the rage seemed to drain out of him. Leaving behind only a man who looked really, really tired.

“I understand,” he said. “ Just don’t bring it up again.”

Piper agreed quickly, just as Sunny came running back up to them. The bright, cobalt blue of her vault-suit stood out like a beacon against the faded reds, browns, and grays of the city. Even when partially hidden by the brown of her leather armor, the only thing that rivaled that suit's color was the jewel green wall that gave the city its nickname.

“Do you charge for your paper, Miss Piper? Cause your sister completely forgot about that if you do.” Even as she spoke, Sunny’s eyes roamed around the scenery. It was probably super different from the vault she grew up in. Piper had never been in one before, but she was pretty sure she would react the same way Sunny is if she went inside one.

“It's on the house for first timers, kid. Next time you're gonna have to cough up some caps.” She quipped, even as the wheels in her head started turning. Sunny couldn't have been out of the vault for too long. What did someone who was raised on pre-war values, with pre-war history, surrounded by pre-war technology think of this post-war society? What did she learn in her classroom that's been lost to time for them? What stayed the same no matter where she was?

“Thank you very much for the assistance, Miss Piper.” Codsworth said, “ You said that you did know the way to Detective Valentine's place of work, correct?”

Snapping out of her thoughts and coming back to the present, Piper nodded her head. “Right. Sorry about that,” She pointed toward the space past Moe Cronin and his swatters. “Go past all the stores and take a hard right into the alleyway. Valentine Detective Agency is the only thing down that way and it has a neon sign to boot, so you won't miss it.”

Sunny nodded her head along to Piper's instructions then looked at Preston, expecting him to say something. He was silent for a moment, leaving an awkward tension in the air as Sunny’s gaze flicked between them confused. Piper wondered which would win? His lingering anger and offense or the exhaustion that now seemed to settle deep into his bones.

The exhaustion won as he simply said. “ You take care, Miss Wright. We won't keep you any longer.” He gently placed a hand on Sunny’s back and started leading her away. Codsworth gave his own polite wave and farewell before following, but Piper had her focus back on that blue suit.

Sunny looked back at her and waved over her shoulder, giving a toothy grin. The dark screen of her pip-boy caught the light of the sun and gleamed slightly. The thing looked so big and bulky on such a small arm.

Piper decided to go with her half-baked idea and quickly caught up with the group, placing a hand on Sunny’s shoulder opposite of Preston. “Hold on a minute, Blue. I got one more thing to ask ya.” The new nickname slipped out easily past her lips. It seemed to fit the girl as well as her actual name.

Sunny didn't seem to notice what Piper had called her, or at least didn't acknowledge it. She turned back around and cocked her head, slightly confused on what the woman could need from her. Preston looked somewhat annoyed at being stopped yet again, but he didn't look as mad as Piper thought he would. Codsworth even seemed curious, continually zooming and un-zooming on her.

“What do you need, Miss Piper?”

“How do you feel about doing an interview for Publik Occurrences?”

“Huh?” Sunny’s brows furrowed in further confusion. “Interview? What do I need to do an interview for?”

“I want to put your story in print,” Piper told her. “I think it's time Diamond City and the Commonwealth to have some outside perspective. You haven't been outside the vault for very long right? So, you could provide a fresh pair of eyes to what everyone thinks is normal.”

Sunny stayed quiet for a moment, thinking.

“Okay, but I’ll have to do it later. We need supplies and I need Detective Valentine’s help.”

____________________________________________________________

It was late into the evening when Piper heard a polite knock on her door. All the shops had closed down and a dinner of cram and salisbury steak had long been eaten. Piper had finished up her last touches on her article and was writing down questions to ask the young vault dweller up in the loft and Nat was patching up a tiny tear in her coat. Having been grounded for getting detention while she was away, she was banned from playing with her toys, comics, and magazines until the end of the week. As her guardian, Piper had to be responsible and teach Nat that she should have talked to the teacher instead of punching a boy in the nose when he wouldn’t leave her alone. As her sister, Piper was damn proud.

“I got it,” Nat piped up, setting her sewing down easily. Piper was glad she actually enjoyed the activity cause she never had, nor did she have the patience for it. It was a necessary chore that needed to be done if you wanted to have decent clothes in the Commonwealth. Unless you were a yuppie in the Stands who could shell out the caps for new clothes when your old ones were ruined, someone in the house had to pick up a needle and thread.

Piper kept her focus on her notepad, wondering if asking a Vault Dweller if they were technically inbred was inappropriate before scratching the idea away completely.

“Hey, Piper? That vault dweller and her bodyguard are here to see you.” Piper finally looked away from her work and down toward the door. Sure enough, Sunny, Preston, and Codsworth were in her home. Sunny trying to diligently kick the dirt off her boots and Preston realizing it wouldn’t matter anyway.

“Hey! Glad you guys remembered!” Piper shoved her notepad in her pocket and descended the stairs. Now on the ground floor, she got a side by side comparison of Nat and Sunny.

Okay. Maybe she was older than Nat. While the girl still held baby fat on her face like her sister, Sunny was several inches taller. She seemed…smoother, too. She didn’t have all the small scars across her hands Nat did have from handling paper and the printing press everyday. Her face didn’t have a random cut or bruise that kids normally sported around here due to falling and eating dirt. Nat and other young girls kept their hair chin length, so as to not have to spend a ton of time taking care of it. Even Piper made sure her hair never got past her shoulders. Sunny’s went past that, probably longer if they were out of the braids.

It was like she was missing parts that Piper was used to seeing in kids, and had them swapped with completely foreign ones. Vault kids really were an entire different breed from Commonwealth kids it seems.

“Hello, Miss Piper. Sorry for coming by so late but we are just stopping to tell you that we are going to have to delay that interview until later.”

Piper raised her eyebrow. Why stop and tell her if they decided not to do the interview? Did she anger Preston enough for him to forbid the interview? No, he would have shot down the idea when it was brought up and wouldn't show up to delay it. Did someone bad-mouth her enough in the market for them to change their minds? She wasn't exactly friends with most of them, but she didn't think any of them hated her enough to actively discourage an interview. Did they…

“Did Valentine forget to show some of that Diamond City hospitality? Normally, he’s better about that,” Piper tried to joke. Nick was always willing to help anyone who needed it, but a lot of people were put off by the bolts and exposed wires. If they were rude about the whole “prototype synth with memories from a pre-war cop” thing, she wouldn’t be surprised if he kicked them out.

“Unfortunately, Detective Valentine was not there to receive us, only his assistant.” Codsworth answered.

“Miss Woods says he left to investigate a kidnapping by a gang led by a man named Skinny Malone and hasn’t returned. Does the name ring any bells?” Preston continued.

Piper’s mind went right back into work mode. Going over to one of her filing cabinets, she opened a random drawer and started flitting through the unorganized papers. “Nat, where’s my files on Skinny Malone and his gang?,”

Nat shot over another cabinet, “His personal file is here,” a quick shuffle and Nat pulled out a folder.

Another cabinet and quick shuffle, “His gang's criminal history is here.”

Tucking under Piper, she closed the first drawer and opened the one below it, “And every article about their crimes are here.” She closed the drawer with her elbow and handed her sister the now decent stack of paper.

“Why do you know my system better than I do?”

“‘Cause you don’t have a system at all.”

Piper pulled out his personal file and the crime list. Handing the personal file over to Preston, she gave a quick rundown, “Skinny Malone is a small-time gang leader who wants to make it big. He grew up here in Diamond City. His family was well-off in the Stands, and spoiled him to be more rotten than brahmin shit. His dad cut him off 20 years ago after an altercation that ended with Skinny in the city jail, and told him that his bail would be the last time he spent caps on him. Skinny couldn’t handle an actual job, so he shot his parents in the head, took all the caps they had, and started his own gang .”

Preston followed her explanation on the paper, a serious look on his face. “And one of this gang’s crimes is kidnapping?”

Piper started skimming the list of crimes, cursing herself for not at least alphabetizing the stupid thing. Robbery, Assault, Murder- the whole thing was copied down as his crime list grew but kidnapping wasn’t one of them. She chewed on a nail.

“Nothing on kidnapping, but I do know he’s got a thing for pretty ladies way too young for him, and doesn’t like to be told no. If one got his interest enough and rejected him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to just take the poor girl.”

“Miss Woods said that he was investigating Penn Street Station. We are going there to see if Detective Valentine needs help.” Sunny stated. “If he is as good as everyone says, I bet the girl will be there too.”

Piper flicked her eyes back over to the group before handing the paper back to Nat and heading past the couch. “Penn Street Station is past all the guard stations and is a good walk away. When are we leaving?”

Sunny immediately caught the addition in the question. “I’m sorry, we?” Piper had picked up her 10mm pistol and was now counting her bullets.

“Yes, we. Valentine has been a part of Diamond City for as long as I can remember and he’s my friend. If you guys are staging his rescue, I’m coming.” Satisfied with the amount of ammo she had, she put her pistol in the pocket opposite of her notepad and pencil. She’ll need that too.

“Besides,” she added, “I still want that interview.”

____________________________________________________________

They had to leave Codsworth behind. Sunny had pitched a massive fit over it, but it was sadly the most practical. Penn Street Station would be crawling with Skinny’s gang, so a stealth approach would be needed. Codsworth was just too loud, his engine, singular thruster, and multiple arms always making an audible noise. His shiny metal finish and inability to crouch made him a giant silver beacon. It was only after she was told that he would stay at Publik Occurances and Piper lied that Nat needed someone to watch her for the night did Sunny agree to him being left behind. (Nat never needed anyone to watch her and had glared at Piper for saying that.)

By the time they had left the city and passed all the guards, the moon was high in the sky and the streets were quiet. Piper fished her notepad and pencil out of her pocket and flipped to the questions she prepared earlier. Not as many as she would have usually liked to have, but she could improvise a few if needed.

“So Blue, you up to answering a few questions for me?,” Piper asked the girl in front of her. A Stealth-boy had been attached to the girl’s armor and her rifle now held steadily in her hands. It looked so big in her hands, Piper couldn’t believe she used it.

Sunny turned slightly to glance at the reporter. “Why do you keep calling me that? Blue?” she asked.

'Cause of the blue jumpsuit you're wearing?,” Piper answered, “You're a Vault dweller. That and the Pip-boy are dead giveaways.”

Sunny pulled at her collar and looked down to inspect her outfit. “Nothing else that fits me is any good. Everything else is either too big, in shreds, or a dress. I even have to tighten up the armor that I’m wearing with it as tight as it can go.”

Piper smiled and continued, “ I'm going to ask you a few basic questions first, just some simple information until I get to the bigger questions.”

“Okay.”

“Name?”

“ Sunny Evangeline Roberts.”

“Birthday?”

“April 4th.”

“Vault?”

“111. It's on my suit.”

“Age?”

“12, technically.”

Piper frowned at that answer. “What do you mean by ‘technically’?”

“I mean, I'm only technically 12. If we actually counted the years between now and when I was born, it would be about 212 years.”

If Piper had a drink, she would have choked on it. Instead, she just choked on her spit. Sunny’s tone didn’t sound like she was joking but Piper couldn’t imagine her being serious. The only ones who lived that long were ghouls and Sunny had the very strong distinction of having a nose. As she was trying to regain her breath, Preston lightly scolded the girl.

“Sunny, you can’t just tell people like that.”

“But you told Paladin Danse, why can’t I tell Miss Piper? If she is gonna write about me, she’s got to know.”

Piper couldn’t believe they were so casual about this. “Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean you’re over 200 years old?” she asked, voice jumping higher and louder than she meant it to.

“All Vault-Tec Vaults had an experiment built in,” Preston answered seriously, “none of them were good, which is why most are either abandoned or destroyed from the inside. Vault 111 put all of the original residents in cryogenic suspension.”

“They didn’t tell us,” Sunny’s voice had a hard and shaky tone to it, like she was trying to be tough but couldn’t. “No one would have agreed to it otherwise. It was too risky. So, they lied and told us the pods were for decontamination. ”

“Oh god, Blue.” Piper’s brain was having a bit of trouble catching up. This kid was old enough to be her great-great-something-grandmother. She had seen the bombs fall. She didn’t know anything about Vault-life, but knew everything about before the war like it was yesterday, because to her, it was yesterday. Most of her questions no longer applied, but a million more took their place in her head, and over half of them would be twice as insensitive as the inbreeding question.

“How…how did…how did you get out? When did this happen? ” Piper’s mouth finally settled on.

Sunny kept walking, but her steps slowed down and her hold on her rifle became looser. “ About two weeks ago. There was a malfunction in my pod. The fact that it was able to still open after not being maintained is nothing short of a miracle.”

Preston now slowed his pace to match Sunny’s, and Piper had to slow now too so as to not topple over the girl. Their brisk walking pace was now a shuffle. Piper’s pencil seemed to move on its own as it wrote down Sunny’s answer.

“Did anyone else make it?” Piper asked softly.

“No. Mom and Dad were killed when Shaun was taken and life support failed for everyone else.” Sunny’s nails dug into grip, scratching at the faux leather. “The scientists and guards that were supposed to watch us had some sort of…fight? Rebellion? Whatever happened between them, when I got out, all that was left was bones. Codsworth was the first person I found when I got out.”

Piper bit her tongue to avoid adding any commentary to the girl’s tale and just asked her question, “Why was your family allowed in the vault? I know only specific people were allowed in each one, or else we wouldn’t have so many ghouls.”

“Vault 111 was advertised as a military vault. They said it was to honor and thank our great American heroes, both past and present. Dad was retired military. His squad were the first to test out new Power Armor on the field, so they were really important. He injured his leg when I was nine, so he was honorably and medically discharged.”

Piper couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Was he the one who showed you how to use this giant thing?” She reached over Sunny and tapped her pencil against the stock of the gun gently.

She couldn’t see it, but a small smile was now on Sunny’s face. “Yeah, he did,” she reminisced, “After he retired, he stayed home while Mom went to work, taking care of the house and me. He was a bit paranoid afterward. He saw things while deployed, but they never told me what it was. He wanted to make sure I would be safe, so he taught me and Mom how to shoot, how to hunt and gather food, how to get clean water, stuff like that. I complained at the time, but now? I don’t think I’d be alive without them.”

Sunny looked up at the crumbling towers and shining stars. “Even with how worried about the future he was, I don’t think he could have imagined it being like this. Otherwise, I don’t think they would have had Shaun.” She looked straight ahead at Preston’s back again.

Piper was going to need to sharpen her pencil, trying to keep up with the girl’s words. She knew what the girl ment. If her brother was just an infant, there was a big age gap between the two, just like her and Nat. If their Dad had survived and their Mom stuck around, Piper wouldn’t have to play the stressful balancing act between sister and parent. She loved her sister with all of her heart, but Piper sometimes resented the responsibility on her shoulders. Sunny’s parents were now gone, and she was putting herself in the role of a mother on a mission to find her baby. After a beat of writing, she spoke again.

“What do you think of this?”

Sunny turned her head to look back at her. “Huh?” “All of this. What do you think of it? It's obviously different from before the war. I think everyone needs to hear how we are doing in comparison to before.” Sunny was silent for a short while, tumbling the answer around in her head. “ Things are different, that’s true. We didn’t have raiders and our toilets worked and the cows had only one head. My parents were here and my brother was safe. The buildings were safer and there was a lot more of everything.”

She paused as they had to climb over a large amount of debris. The rubble was loose and unsafe to walk on, so crawling uncomfortably on their hands and knees over it was the best way to get around the rocks and concrete.

“There is good though,” she started again, “I have Codsworth, and I met Mr. Preston, and Dogmeat, and Paladin Danse, and everyone back at Sanctuary. Some things are different, but still nice. Diamond City was beautiful in a way I have never seen and when there aren't gunshots, everything is so quiet. And so many people are trying. They are trying to survive, and build homes, and have families. They have hope, so I have hope I can find my brother and have a good life.”

Piper smiled and scribbled down the last words of Sunny’s little speech. This was a lot to work with, and Piper didn’t want to cut anything. She hoped her old printer would survive all the extra work and not kick the bucket like Nat keeps saying. Once she finished her notes, she looked back through quickly, and found something that brought up another question.

“What’s a cow?”

#child sole #child! sole survivor #fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 companions #fo4 piper #fallout piper #fallout 4 piper #piper wright #fo4 piper wright #fallout 4 piper wright #fallout piper wright #kid sole survivor #kid sole

14 notes · View notes

teaandfiction-28 · 1 year ago

Text

Happy Sunday Lovely Readers! 💛

We are halfway through Turn Back Time 🤯 This has most definitely been the most challenging of the three books to write, simply because I haven't had as much time to spend writing so I very much appreciate those of you who still like/comment/interact with these stories.

Chapter Fifteen is taking shape and is titled For Old Time's Sake...a little sneak peak below the cut if you're interested 😉

Their assessment of their suspect’s evasion techniques was cut short when Trudy appeared in the doorway of the garage.

“The tap you put on the girlfriend’s phone just payed off. He wants her to meet him at the Red Bridge tonight at ten o’clock.”

It wasn’t a venue Kate was familiar with but, from the knowing look that Trudy shared with Hank, she could only assume that there was a case file somewhere with at least one member of the intelligence unit’s name attached and thankfully she didn't have to wait much longer before Hank confirmed her thoughts.

“Years back, Antonio got into some hot water with a diamond dealer.” Hank explained, casting a withering glare at Ruzek who looked as though Christmas had come early. “Case led us to a sex club called the Red Bridge.”

“A sex club?” Kate clarified, both brows lifting in surprise at the thought of the experienced ex-vice detective managing to get himself tangled in a web of debauchery that, given the nature of his day job, he was all too familiar with.

“It’s a place where people go to have se-“

“Yeah, gathered that Ruz.” She interrupted with a roll of her eyes. “What I meant was what kind of sex club are we talking here?”

“Membership only.” Jay replied with a casual shrug, confirming her assumption that he had been one of the detectives leading point on the last undercover gig. “Light BDSM, swingers, power play…but mainly just Chicago’s elite paying a small fortune to indulge in their kink for voyuerism.”

It seemed that Chicago was no different to any other city she had policed over the last decade in that it was often the richest and most prominent members of society who deemed themselves important enough that they needn't be concerned with abiding by the law.

“I’m guessing that there’s a number of Chicago dignitaries on that membership list preventing us from getting a warrant?” She asked with a huff of irritation, shaking her head in disbelief when Hank dipped his chin into a nod.

“Well this girl clearly means somethin’ to him if he’s meeting her instead’a gettin’ his ass outta town.” Kevin said, folding his arms across his hulking chest and Kate had to admit, the same thought had crossed her own mind the moment Trudy mentioned Dolan’s contact with his girlfriend. After narrowly avoiding capture on not one but two occasions, there weren’t many people who would chance their luck one more time in the name of a quick screw.

“Clearly she’s the one if he’ll risk it all to have her with him.” Kim offered, a rosy blush staining her ivory cheeks when Adam glanced over at her with a wry smile, the two of them sharing a moment before Hank cleared his throat and Kim’s eyes dropped back to the floor.

“That or he’s more of an idiot than we thought.” He grumbled, once again questioning his life choices when he caught Burgess and Ruzek sharing lovelorn looks at one another instead of focusing on the task at hand. “We’re gonna need to get some eyes inside.”

“Yeah but we’ve all been burned.” Jay said, scrubbing an irritated palm over his sweaty forehead. “Dolan’s gonna bolt the second he sets eyes on us.”

“I haven’t.”

Kate had been dropping off Alexis at daycare when Kevin, Adam and Kim had pinned Dolan down at a bar in Rogers Park and both she and Kevin had been watching the front of the house earlier when Jay and Hailey barricaded him in his backyard before he’d managed to flee. It wasn’t lost on Hank that this was the first time that Kate had willingly offered to take a UC assignment since the incident with Pulpo but he couldn’t be sure if it was because she was the only member of the unit Dolan wouldn’t recognise or because she genuinely felt ready but, regardless of her intentions, he was quick to dispel any discussion around the prospect of sending her in alone.

“You’re not going in solo.”

“Who said anything about going solo?” She retorted and for a moment he wondered if she was going to suggest drafting in young Torres for the assignment but, from the impish quirk of her lips, it soon became apparent just whom it was that she was suggesting as her UC partner.

“How ‘bout it Sarg? For old time’s sake?”

#hank voight #hank voight fanfiction #hank voight x ofc #chicago pd #chicago pd fanfiction #hank voight fluff #one chicago #hank voight smut #hank voight imagine #hvtbt

34 notes · View notes

zozoistireds-blog · 5 months ago

Text

Rwby oc: Scarlet cards (Updated)

(Click image for better quality)

Name: Scarlet Cards

Age: sixteen

Allusion: card guards (Alice in wonderland)

Team: SIL (team silver)

Team members: Iris belladonna-xiao long, Leona pridely + herself

Semblance name: card game

Inspiration: Alice in wonderland card guards

Description:

This semblance allows the user to materialize one of five playing cards in front of them. Each card represents a different effect: four are beneficial buffs, granting temporary enhancements, while one card carries a detrimental debuff, posing a potential risk.

Effects:

• Ace of Spades: Grants a temporary boost to speed.

• Queen of Hearts: Enhances physical strength to allow the user to make heavier attacks.

• Jack of Diamonds: Creates a temporary aura of protection, mitigating incoming damage and increasing resistance to attacks.

• King of Clubs: Improves the user's reaction speed and agility, making them harder to hit.

• However, the fifth card is the Joker: a wild card that always brings a negative effect, ranging from temporary crippling pain or even worse, locking her out of using her semblance for an extended period of time.

Limitations:

Limited Draws: The user can only draw a maximum of five cards at a time.

Uncertainty: The user has no control over which card will be drawn.

Risk vs. Reward: The potential for incredible buffs comes at the cost of risking the crippling debuff.

Cooldown: After drawing a set of cards, the user needs a brief cooldown period before being able to draw again, unless the Joker card is pulled.

Usage:

Offensive Strategy: scarlet can draw one of her positive cards during combat to gain an edge, deploying buffs like Strength/Speed or temporary aura sheild to gain the upper hand but she has to be careful when she pulls the joker card.

Defensive Strategy: the King of Clubs card and Jack of Diamonds card can be used to bolster defences and allows scarlet to strategize against incoming attacks.

Example Scenarios:

Against a powerful opponent: scarlet draws a card, hoping to draw the Queen of Hearts card for a burst of power to overcome the opponent's strength. However, they draw the joker card, resulting in temporary paralysis, leaving her vulnerable and locking her out of her semblance for 10 minutes.

Facing a surprise attack: scarlet quickly draws a card, hoping to gain King of Clubs to avoid the attack and give her enough time to plan her counter-attack. Fortunately, she draws the Jack of Diamonds card, granting them the resilience needed to withstand the initial onslaught.

Defending against a group of enemies: scarlet draws a card, hoping to gain any other card than the joker to unleash powerful attacks against their pursuers. They are successful, but she pulls the joker card and it results in being locked out pf her semblance for 15 minutes , forcing them to rely on their base skills for survival.

Conclusion:

Card game is a high-risk, high-reward ability that hinges on chance and strategic decision-making. Scarlet must carefully weigh the potential benefits against the inherent risks, adapting her tactics based on the drawn card and the battlefield situation. This unpredictable nature makes scarlet a valuable ally, but also a formidable opponent, as her actions are never truly predictable.

Weapons: Ace deck and Dealer

Description: a musket rifle fused with an axe, with an added chain for long-distance Malay

Backstory: (long)

Scarlet cards, from two hunter parents, lived in a small town about ten years after the final war with salem. While salem was gone, the grimm she controlled once weren't.

Her parents being hunters were prone to travelling while working, taking her along on many of these journey across the country to help rebuild remnant (not the smartest idea) and tragically while the world was brought together there were still people that were selfish. On one of these trips, Scarlet and her parents had been travelling with another hunter. This hunter was weird, to say the least fidgety at most.

Unbeknownst to scarlets, parents, this hunter had been picking up random travellers and taking them to grimm hotspots outside of their town to supposedly keep grimm away from the people of said town. scarlet and her parents sadly were the next victims in this hunters' schemes. Taken away from the nearby path scarlets, parents sensed something off, drawing their weapons in defence, but by that point, it was too late.

Scarlets mother was killed first being attacked by a large ursa before she had any chance to really react. Her father managed to kill a good chunk of the attacking grimm before falling himself. Leaving scarlet defenceless, in a panic after watching her parent get murdered before her eyes scarlet had tripped and fallen down into a ditch where she was was pinned by her arm, she had no where to run. Bleeding and disoriented scarlet was unable to see the approaching grimm let alone move to escape, and before she knew it she felt the ripping and tearing of skin, and within seconds scarlets lower legs had been ripped to near shreads by stragglers from the hoard of grimm.

this was it scarlet thought, years of travelling safe and sound with her parents, happy and free all ripped away by one selfish person. This was how she died, and as consciousness left scarlet, she heard the sound of gunshots in the distance and grimm dissipating.

When Scarlet finally awoke, no longer was she in the dark forest that had taken her parents surrounded by grimm, she was in a room a room midn you with a very bright light above her. As Scarlet came to a calming voice, she spoke over her, telling her that she was ok, that she was safe, and that the person who was speaking was going to take care of her. Where am I? Why can't I feel my legs? Is what Scarlet asked still reeling from her traumatic encounter. The person that spoke to her stayed silent for a moment before telling scarlet thay she was in the next town over from the one her family was headed to, taken there by a huntress that was close behind the scarlet, her parents and the hunter that had betrayed them. And for her legs, the women told her, they had been to far damaged, in the end the only reason she managed to survive was because during the painstaking trip to save her life scarlets aura had been unlocked, quite the unclimactice way to unlock aura the women thought but the women continued to explain to the barely awake young girl that despite their best efforts they couldn't save her legs and that their was nothing they could do.

Years passed, and recovery for scarlet was non-linear. When she was 10, she finally managed to convince the Foster family that had taken her in to let her get prostetic for her legs so she wouldn't have to continue being kept inside. As she did the nesscassary physiotherapy to gain the strength to use the prostetics she was eventually given scarlet planned behind the scenes to become a huntress like her parents despite Forster families' objections, she wanted to be huntress, while grimm scared her due to the trauma of losing her parents in such a specific way, she made no that to as dwell her want to become a huntress partly overrode a good chunk of that fear as in the end her drive to help people like her parents was stronger to an extent, hell she'd never admit it but she'd always wanted to be one when she was travelling with her parents, and so despite everything, despite her fear, her trauma (which today she is still working on) the way of the hunter/huntresses was the path she chose and the path she has stayed on till the present day.

(Last bits a bit rushed but that's that basic idea for scarlet)

#rwby fandom #rwby #greenlight volume 10 #save rwby #rwby au #rwby oc sheet #rwby oc #rwby oc scarlet cards #rwby scarlet cards (oc)#scarlet cards (oc)

8 notes · View notes

alterfactory · 7 months ago

Note

Could I get an alter based on Philza from DSMP? He/She/They pronouns + dealer's choice neos, otherwise up to you!

we are unfamiliar with the source, so most info is from the fandom wiki

ALTER PACK...

LOADING....LOADING...LOADING...

~~~~~~~

WELCOME : PHIL / CORVID 🪶

×🌿

he/she/they/feather/peace

genderfluid bird human + unlabeled orientation

[[caretaker, soother, debugger]]

phil, while being far from a pacifist, is generally a kind and hard working person, taking care of mundane tasks for her headmates. he is wise beyond his years and very task centric, focused on getting the job done and getting it done right.

LIKES :: Savory foods , Nature , Being organized , Journaling , Osteology , Minecraft , Challenges , Roman Architecture

DISLIKES :: Loud Music , Things being broken , Bright Light

HOBBIES :: Walks , Cleaning , Organizing , Gaming

MUSIC :: Folk Music and High Fantasy Bard kinda music??

FAVORITES ::

Favorite Color : Brown, Black, Green and Blue

Favorite Animal : Dogs and Rabbits

Favorite Flower/Plant : Eagle Ferns

Favorite Gemstone : Diamonds

thank you for requesting ~~~

#headmate creation #alter creation #alter packs #build a headmate #endo safe #pro endo #build a system #build an alter #endogenic #willogenic

9 notes · View notes

some-pers0n · 1 year ago

Text

Know When To Hold Em'

Fandom: WoF

Characters: OC Heavy, but Blister makes a small appearance :)

CW: Nothing

Summary: A couple of dragons are hanging out and playing a game of poker. Right when they're about to finish however, a young dragonet walks in with a stash of money.

Word Count: 2.0k

A/N: I was originally just gonna keep this for myself and the Wiki, but honestly I really like this headcanon and I'm showing it to you all.

Mulga sipped his brightsting cider, glancing back up to his fellow guards. "So, whatcha gonna do?" He tapped his talons on the table. "Gopher, you're looking a bit rough there."

"Hm? Me? What makes you say that?" he replied, wiping away that slightly nervous expression to a forced, overly-confident grin.

"I dunno, just saw you shaking in your claws a little." He looked at his pot, only a couple of coins left. "Not much there, huh."

A moment of stillness before the SandWing sighed. "Fine. I fold." He slid his cards back to the dealer.

"Atta' boy. Probably best for you right now."

"Oh shut up..." Glare grumbled.

Mulga relaxed his shoulders a little. It was supposed to be a nice little night after all, or at least one where he could make some cash off of these dragons. The three of them had a rather boring day, so they decided to come around to Gopher's uncle's friend's cousin's tavern for a nice of gambling.

It was a run-down and rustic hole-in-the-wall type of shack. Dark and dreary with a couple cracks in the roof, showing the night sky above. It was lit dimly by candles and jars of fireflies. It smelt of dust and age more than anything. The dealer once mentioned how this place had been around since the foundation of Scorpion Den way back when, and Mulga believed it.

The cards in Mugla's hands were made from clay, hardened with time and age. The numbers and inscriptions of kings and queens, while worn and hard to see in the dim light, held a charm to them with their homemade nature.

That and also he got one fire hand. A pair of twos, with the remaining ones showing up in the drawn cards. Four of a kind. Hard to beat that. He was sitting there comfortably, knowing that he could do just about anything. Of course, Glare could always have another trick up his wing, but he had doubts. Right on his smug face held the same worried glint in his eyes that any experienced poker player could sniff out.

"Alright," the dealer said. They flipped over the final card, the river, and it showed a simple, disposable seven.

"Check." Glare tapped the table.

"Check." Mulga revealed his hand. "What'dja have there, then?" Mulga smiled.

Glare furrowed his eyebrows. He practically threw his cards down. A measly five and a three.

"As predicted, I win. Again." Mulga grabbed his earnings, pulling it over towards his section. A heap of gold coins, glittering in the candlelight. Oh, they were just beautiful. A wonderful sight for such sore eyes.

"So, what do you wanna do? Play another round? Maybe you'll get lucky this time."

"I dunno," Gopher muttered. "I'm getting kinda tired. I don't think Topaz'll like us being out here for too long-"

"Who cares what the captain thinks? It's the night out with the boys. Real dragons. When's the last time you've both been out like this? A couple of months at least, huh?"

"...fine. Sure. One more game." Glare grumbled. "But that's it. You aren't taking any more of my money, snake."

"I don't know. Like I said, maybe you'll get lucky this time around. Win big. All luck's in the cards, no?" Mulga gave a toothy grin.

"So," the dealer began, "are we all in agreement? One more round?"

"Yeah, why not," Gopher said.

"Definitely." Mulga nodded.

"Mhm..." Glare scoffed.

"Yes, one more round would be nice." A voice came from behind. Mulga leaned over, blinking in surprise when he saw who it was.

A little dragonet. She couldn't have been older than two years. Her pales looked white in the low lighting, with black diamond patterns trailing down her neck and all the way to her tail. Her scales were well-kept and free from the dust and grime you'd see on regular dragonets.

Yet, her eyes... There was something about them that Mulga couldn't place his talon on. Something off. The same pitch-black that all SandWings had, but there was a serpentine quality to them that, strangely enough, made the atmosphere in the room thicker.

"Where'd you come from?" Glare asked. "You aren't supposed to be in here."

"Oh, apologizes for coming in so suddenly. I saw you three were wrapping up and, well, I wanted to simply play a round. See how to play."

"This is a tavern, missy. Younglings like yous aren't supposed to be in here." The dealer sighed. "It's late. You should be getting sleep."

"Oh, pleaseeee... I promise it will be quick."

"I don't think I can exactly-" The Dealer was cut off by the heavy sound of a bag being lifted up and onto the playing table. The dragonet had tossed a bloated sack up there, the little drawstring around the top loosening. Inside was a treasure trove of polished coins and even a couple of precious gems. Diamonds, rubies, even a few emeralds spilled out along with the golden doubloons.

"I want to play," she repeated, her voice much colder and firm in tone.

The fellow dragons looked at each other. This kid can't be serious, right? She probably just coloured a bunch of rocks to be like this. Maybe they're fake or something. But, the more Mulga looked at them, the more he could tell that, no, this was genuine. What kind of dragonet could get all of this stuff? Perhaps she nicked it all from dope. Even then, was she really going to bet with this? That seems far too stupid.

Which played exactly in Mulga's favour. All he needed to do was win one game and he would get some of these earnings.

Mulga laughed. "C'mon, kid. I think you deserve a seat at the playing table." He traced a circle in the spot next to him with his barb.

"Thank you, sir," she chirped. She had to stretch her neck to even properly see the dealer's table. She tapped on the edge of it. "May I have my cards?"

"Ight, so, now we're playing." The dealer shuffled the deck, spreading out two cards to each dragon. Mulga glanced at his. A four and a nine. Looks terrible from the get-go, but perhaps there'll be something later on that makes work of it.

He had to play this round. The chance for any of those gems was too much for him to ignore.

"Excuse me," the dragonet asked. "What do we do first?"

"Oh, you show your cards to everyone," Glare said.

"I know I'm not supposed to do that!" she snapped. "But...what next?"

"Well, you call. Calling means that you want to play this round with the cards you have."

"Oh. Call?" she tapped her talons on the table. "I saw you doing that earlier. What does it mean?"

"Courtesy. Just a lil' thing you do." The dealer answered. They looked back to the others. "So, what now boys?"

The three SandWings looked at each other. One by one, they all called. They were all in this for the money. They threw in a couple of coins for the starting bet and finally began.

The dealer pulled three cards out for the flop. A jack, a nine, and a seven. Okay, he's got a pair now. That's something of note.

Mulga looked at the other dragons. They were sweating coconuts, looking at the giant pile of gold and crystals that the dragonet had. He chuckled lightly as he threw in a couple more coins. "Betting five."

"Call." Gopher threw in the same amount.

"Raise to ten." Glare threw in ten coins.

Finally, they all looked towards the dragonet. She looked so confused and innocent. "I put in money now?" she asked.

"Yes."

"All in." She pushed the bag forward.

Mulga nearly spat out his drink. She was betting it all? Everything in that bag? Moons above, he had just hit the jackpot! It took every fibre of his being not to start laughing.

"...alright then." The dealer pulled the turn card. A ten.

"Going all in as well," Mulga said. He pushed his pile of coins towards the bag, staring the dragonet right in the eyes. "What'll it be for the rest of you?"

"Folding." The both of them said in sync. They tossed down their cards. All that's left was Mulga and this small, tiny dragonet.

"Check," she said.

"You're staying in, huh?" he asked. "I mean, you could fold like the rest of them."

"I don't want to."

"Alright then. Whatever you say, little lizard."

Finally, the dealer pulled the river. A jack.

"Check." Mulga grinned.

"Check." The dragonet tapped on the table.

He chuckled. "I'm sorry," he said, flipping over his cards. He had a pair of nines. "What do you have there then?"

She flipped over hers and Mulga's heart dropped.

It was a queen and nine.

"A straight," she said with a smug, cocky grin on her face. "I do believe that beats your measly little pair." She grabbed the bag, stuffing her earnings into it. "Thanks for the game, but I'll be leaving now. I think my mother would be upset to see me out this late." She giggled.

"No, wait, hold on!" Mulga hissed. "You don't get to leave with all my money. That was supposed to be mine! You tricked me!"

"Tricked?" She tilted her head. "I don't believe I tricked you. Luck's in the cards, is it not?" And with that, she turned away and walked out the tavern's door.

"Blazing scales," Glare laughed. "What kinda kid was that? Managed to sweep ya of everything."

"I-" Mulga blinked. Who even was that? What kind of dragonet just waltzes into a tavern, takes every last coin he has in one round, and then leaves? Where did she get the money? Where are her parents? Who even is she?

----

Princess Burn was just about to put the finishing touches on this new project when she heard the sounds of wings flapping from behind her. She put down her scalpel and turned around, wrapping her barb around her talons. "What is it now?"

She looked out the window to see a dragon approaching her tower. A bag was clutched in her talons and a confident, wicked grin was painted upon her face.

"For moons sake, Blister!" she snapped. "You know you're not supposed to be out this late!" She backed away, letting her get through the window.

"Yes, but does that really matter?" Blister touched down. "Look." She dropped the bag, letting its contents spill onto the floor. "Just from using that one little diamond of yours, I've managed to score this in a single night." She smirked. "Thanks for that, by the way."

She sorted through the pile of coins, picking up the largest diamond out of all of them. "Remember, I get a fifth of it all because of it."

"Oh, of course! I wouldn't forget about that part."

"Why do you even do this?" Burn asked as she picked up a talonful of coins. "It doesn't mean anything."

"I think it's funny." Blister picked up a ruby, looking it over. "You haven't seen what it's like. All these dragons convinced that I'm helpless and have no idea what I'm doing. Then, right when they think they've won it all, shark them. Take everything for what they've got."

"...fun."

Blister scoffed. "You wouldn't get it. You think cutting up insects and rats and hanging them on walls is fun."

"Taxidermy and pinning insects is not 'cutting them up'," Burn said defensively. "And, like you said, different strokes. I like fighting and researching. You like...doing this." She motioned to the bag.

"Mh-hm. Well, when I'm queen I know I'll be the richest of them all."

"I'm still the eldest. I'll be the queen."

"We'll see about that." She grabbed the bag and walked out of the room. "Thanks for your help," she said as she closed the door.

Burn grumbled. She was thankful to have some coins, but it still bothered her how Blister went about doing this. There was something to her that wasn't quite right, and she definitely knew she needed to keep an eye on her at all times. Sooner or later, she's going to plot something against their entire family, and by the moons will Burn do everything to keep it from happening.

#SP-writing #wof fanfic #wof #wings of fire #blister wof

15 notes · View notes

opera-ghosts · 11 months ago

Text

Carolina Östberg was one of the most famous and beloved singers of all on the Swedish opera stage during the last decades of the 1800s.

Carolina Östberg was born in Stockholm in 1853. She was the daughter of the master barber surgeon Johan Ludvig Östberg and Beata Ulrika Wallberg. Even as a child, Carolina Östberg showed that she was naturally musically gifted. It was however not until she was about 16, and accepted as a pupil at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, that she was given the opportunity to develop this talent further. Carolina Östberg studied Christina Nilsson’s and Zelia Trebelli’s singing methods thoroughly when they visited Sweden, but she considered that she had her singing teacher, Professor Joseph Günther, to thank for her highly developed singing technique.

After three years of studies, she made her stage debut at the Royal Theatre, nowadays the Royal Opera in Stockholm, when she entered the great stage in the role of Anna in the opera Der Freischütz, on 15 December 1873. The critics wrote that this unusually talented debutante had a soprano voice with a fresh, clear and pure timbre and that she also showed evidence of careful training in coloratura. The year after, she had yet another achievement in the male role Carlo Broschi in Daniel Auber’s opera La Part du Diable, and was given a contract. During her three years at the Royal Theatre, she created important Mozart roles such as, among others, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and Papageno and one of the genies in Der Zauberflöte. For each new performance, Carolina Östberg won ever greater recognition from critics and audiences alike.

When her contract ended in 1877, Carolina Östberg planned to educate herself further in St Petersburg. However, the journey was cancelled since instead she married the wholesale dealer Moritz Horwitz the year after, and chose to leave the stage to the audience’s great disappointment, apparently permanently. The prevailing period of depression in Sweden meant however that her husband’s income was very meagre. Carolina Östberg decided to return to the stage once more. Her unexpected return in 1879 as the title role in Franz von Suppé’s operetta Boccaccio on the stage of Nya teatern was such a roaring success that it created total Boccaccio-fever in the capital. The acclaimed performance sold out time and again and Carolina Östberg was paid a staggering fee of 100 kronor per evening. Her engagement at Nya teatern lasted until 1885 and she played the main role in among other works Charles Lecocq’s opera Le Petit Duc, Madame Favart by Offenbach, and Charles Grisart’s Les Poupées de l’Infante. During her years at the theatre, Carolina Östberg gave guest performances at many other theatres, for example in Denmark in 1880, Germany and the Netherlands in 1882—1883 and Norway in 1885.

When Carolina Östberg once again was given a contract at the Royal Theatre in 1886, this was considered a triumph for the audience who had demanded her return to the great dramatic stage for a very long time. Apart from a break for touring America in 1892—1894, Carolina Östberg belonged to the permanent ensemble at the Royal Theatre until 1906 when she resigned to work as a private singing teacher, an enterprise that she had carried on parallel to the theatre for several years.

In 1897, Carolina Östberg was elected to be a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. She was awarded the medal Litteris et Artibus in 1891 and on King Oscar II’s birthday in 1900, Carolina Östberg received from his hand the unusual medal Litteris et Artibus decorated with diamonds. Carolina Östberg was a member of Idun’s women’s academy for a while, along with – among others – Selma Lagerlöf, Agda Montelius and Karolina Widerström.

Carolina Östberg died on 27 February 1924. She lies buried at the Northern Cemetery in Solna. Her voice has been preserved on nine gramophone recordings from 1905.

6 notes · View notes

tarrenterror25 · 2 years ago

Text

Ulysses Klaue x F!Reader Title: I Always Find My Way Back To You Chapter: 2 of 9 Rating: Explicit 18+ Word Count: 5.9K

Summary: You can always count on Ulysses to return to you, but lately you find yourself wanting more. The new dangers in the world don't make the life of an arms dealer any easier and any day could be his last. Running away and living off the grid with the man you love is the dream. Does he share your feelings and can he be convinced to live a life with you?

Tags: MxF, heavily implied sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship, sending nudes, brief Klaue POV, masturbation, semi public sex, unprotected PiV, mention of daddy kink, oral f receiving, mention of alcohol, age-gap

Playlist here (May contain explicit material)

Notes: Age of the reader is your preference as it is not specifically stated, but is written with with 25+ in mind. It is being used to portray a barrier/insecurity for reader.

If there’s any mistakes in this one, I apologize, I have looked through it countless times to edit it to get it just right. When it came down to “Edit to catch spelling, grammar, and continuation errors” I was already so burnt out from rereading it for the hundredth time 🙃 Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Two: While You're Away

When you enter the living room, there's a large gift white box on the coffee table.

You set down your cup of coffee on the table and pop off the lid to the box. Tufts of tissue paper poke out to conceal the contents inside. Beneath the tissue paper there’s a beautiful and simple champagne colored dress that you pull out. There’s some draping to it, but it looks like it would accentuate you perfectly. It’s got a little bit of a plunging neckline and a slit going up the thigh.

Setting the dress aside, you eye a large velvet box at the bottom of the box. You pick it up and open it.

Diamond earrings and a diamond necklace dazzle before your eyes. The necklace is intricate and not overly large. Removing it from the backing you feel there is some heft to it.

These are expensive, you know this, and they are objectively beautiful, but you just feel nothing towards them. You don’t want these and you’re almost...mad at receiving them.

You set the items down and search for a note, a card, something, anything, but there’s nothing.

There’s nothing, just the box with the dress and jewelry. Klaue didn’t even leave you a text.

This isn’t the first time he’s left you so suddenly and you’ve grown accustom to it, but this time is different. This time it hurts.

With a heavy sigh you carelessly set the necklace back into the velvet box and toss it back inside the larger one. You plop on the couch and wish you had woken earlier to at least catch Klaue before he disappeared.

Well, he did say we’d go out tonight, but who knows when that’ll be.

An idea occurs to you.

You get up from the couch and stuff the take the velvet box with a mischievous grin and head to your room.

You look yourself over in the mirror.

You are wearing the necklace and earrings that Klaue has left behind for you.

Only the necklace and earrings.

The diamonds stand out even more against your bare skin than they would with clothes on.

You take a deep breath and wiggle your hands at your sides to shake off the nerves.

You've never sent a picture without any clothes on.

You've always had something to hide behind be it lingerie or a robe. You liked to tease the idea of being nude and having the clothes made you feel secure. The thought of being completely without clothes was one that left you feeling vulnerable.

But there was something about it that was also empowering. You'd send a few pictures to Klaue and though you wouldn't be there to see his reaction, you were sure there was to be the desired response.

It was your turn to drive him crazy.

Another deep breath.

“Just do it. Don’t overthink it, just do it,” you say to yourself.

You pick a spot with some good natural lighting and snap a few photos. It takes awhile to get ones that you are satisfied with and to narrow it down to two photos, but finally you have the ones you want to send.

You slip on a robe and lay yourself on your bed. The pictures are loaded into the chamber, the message box, and all you have to do is hit send.

Ulysses Klaue sits in some kind of swanky conference room at some fancy building whose name he doesn't care to remember. He sits drumming his fingers on the glass table, patience running thin.

The buyer, who he came to meet, had asked to be excused with his entourage leaving Klaue at the table and a couple of his guys standing by the door. He hated when these types could never come to a decision or haggled too much over price and this buyer was being particularly difficult.

He checks his watch.

Ten minutes had passed and that was about all Klaue could take. He stands and is about to call his men to head out, but his phone chimes, the much nicer one.

He digs it out of his pocket and there's a message. He opens it.

Klaue's jaw slowly drops open and his hand strokes his beard thoughtfully.

He glances up to make sure his men at the door are occupied and that they can't see him looking at his phone lustfully.

Thank you for the gifts, your text reads.

And there you are, wearing the jewelry he left behind for you and nothing else. All of your body on display for him to rake his gaze over. In one picture your hands cup your breasts and in another your fingers dance dangerously close to the patch of hair near your sex.

The photos are so explicit and erotic, he can't take his eyes off of you. He doesn't hear one of his men trying to get his attention until they are standing almost right next to him.

"How much longer are we waiting?" the man asks.

Klaue quickly flicks his phone up so the screen is pressed to his chest. He scowls at being interrupted and tucks the phone back into his pocket. "Who put you in charge, huh?” he snarls. “We go when I say we go.”

Why did he say that? Of course, he wanted to leave, especially now when all he could think about was how uncomfortable his pants were starting to feel. God, now all he could think about as he sat back down was how badly he wanted to get back to you.

The men resume their posts and Klaue retrieves his phone and pulls up your pictures again.

He’s never received photos like these from you and it’s got him feeling some kind of way. It’s hard for him to pinpoint the exact feeling with his growing erection clouding his mind with desire.

Klaue gives an order for his men to stay behind and excuses himself from the room. He heads down some hallways and corridors until he finds an empty office. He locks the door behind him and dials your number on his phone.

No answer.

Fuck.

Klaue sits down and can't help, but palm himself through his pants, his erection becoming too difficult to ignore. This is not where he's trying to rub one out, but that is what it's looking like is about to happen.

Cock aching, Klaue makes sure there's no way anyone can see him or walk in on him. He frees his member from its confines and begins stroking himself. He takes out his phone, your images pulled up, and pumps his hand on his length. Just imagine what it would be like to fuck you wearing those diamonds; watching them bounce off your chest as he ruts into you, watching how they glimmer like the sweat on your skin.

Klaue stifles a moan as his hand picks up the pace. He wants to draw this out, but can't. He has to be quick to get back before anyone suspects he's up to something.

But you look so fucking good in those photos and he can’t get his mind off the fact that they’re for him.

His grip on his length tightens and he tosses his head back thinking about how much he wishes it was your cunt riding his cock right now. Or your mouth, God your mouth on him right now would feel so fucking good; seeing your glossy eyes as he fucks your face and you swallowing every last drop of his spend. He’s not sure what would be more glistening, the diamonds or the tears that form at the corner of your eyes from when you deepthroat him.

“Oh God,” he lets out with a shaky breath. He’s so close.

Klaue quickly grabs something, anything, to release into. The poor casualty ends up being some poor sod's paperwork.

After cleaning up and adjusting himself, Klaue exits the office and returns back to his business.

Back at your apartment, you shut the door behind you. You’ve been out shopping and had a lunch date with some friends to get your mind off of Klaue.

You set your bag off to the side and kick off your shoes leaving you in just your jeans and t-shirt. You suppose you could cook something since you aren't sure if Klaue has eaten anything yet.

He’ll probably be hungry when he gets back.

Readjusting you hair to be better suited for cooking, you make your way to the kitchen. You begin prepping some ingredients, taking into account Klaue’s liking for spicier and bolder flavors.

The internet is helpful to you when trying to figure out what to make with the ingredients you have. You're in the middle of scrolling through recipes on your phone when you hear the doorbell ring.

A look through the peephole shows you Klaue, one arm bracing himself against the doorway and the other on his hip. He looks impatient.

You open the door with a smile, but his expression is dark. You step aside to let him in and close the door. He faces you and without saying a word, pulls you to him and kisses you deeply. The air left in your lungs escapes as he takes in your moans. Gasping, you come up for air. Klaue’s lips are already on your neck and his hands on your hips crushing them against his making you whimper when you feel his hardened clothed cock press into you.

"Uri, h-hold on. I'm cooking," you start to say.

He lets out a sound in your ear that can only be described as a soft growl. "So glad you liked the gifts," he whispers.

So he saw your pictures and judging from how he is right now, he's been thinking about them. The thought of turning him on while he's busy makes a warmth pool inside you.

"Yes," you say.

You open your mouth to speak, but all you can do is yelp as Klaue lifts you up and throws you over his shoulder.

"W-wait, Uri! T-The food!" you say helplessly reaching an arm out towards the ingredients left on the counter.

"It can wait," he says matter of factly heading towards the bedroom.

"I can't just leave it!" you argue.

"Sure you can!"

Once in the bedroom, he playfully tosses you onto the bed and crawls on top of you, his arms on either side of your head making you feel so small beneath him.

"You had me quite worked up while I was away," he gently scolds.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you reply trying to stifle a giggle.

“Don’t be coy, you little minx,” he says, his breath hot in your ear making you squirm.

You open your mouth to say something, but his lips are on your neck again, kissing you, his teeth grazing your skin and eventually marking you. A hand comes up under your shirt and begins to roughly massage your breast and his hips start to grind against you.

"Ah!" you moan as his hand dips past the waistband of your jeans.

Desperation is not something Klaue usually shows, but he’s touching you like your body is what sustains him and not the air that he breathes.

His fingers begin to trace tight circles on your clit. "I need you," he says hungrily.

Oh god.

Hearing his plea to have you has you soaked now.

"Me too," you reply breathlessly as he thrusts against your leg.

“Need to be inside you, baby,” he says, his voice straining like not being buried inside you has him suffocating.

It's not long before the two of your have your clothes off. Klaue sits propped up by some pillows against the headboard with you on top riding him. You’re bouncing on top of him, hands grasping his shoulders for leverage, and he’s got his hands on your waist with one of your breasts in his mouth, his tongue teasing your nipple.

Beneath you he looks so beautiful and handsome. He’s holding onto you with a firm grip, your flesh puckering between his fingers.

It’s a sublime feeling knowing that you bring him to his knees. You mentally pat yourself on the back for the idea of sending the pictures.

Klaue releases your mound from between his lips and looks up at you.

“I love you,” he says softly.

You stop your movements and do a double take. Klaue thrusts up into you to keep the friction between you two going.

“What did you say?” you ask.

“I said,” he kisses you, “I love you.”

You cup his face, resuming your thrusts. You feel tears form at the corner of your eyes as you kiss all over his face.

“I love you, too, Ulysses.”

You open your eyes.

You lay on your bed wearing your robe. Your phone in one hand with the photos you took, still pending in the message box. Your other hand squeezed between your thighs, trying to apply pressure and friction to your clit.

You fell asleep, indecisive about sending them.

In a huff, you sit up and take off the jewelry that you’re still wearing. You set them aside and back out of the message.

Stupid.

You curl up into a ball, tensing all your muscles then relaxing. You’ve sent pictures before, why was it so hard now?

You tense all your muscles and relax again.

Why was loving Ulysses making things so difficult for you?

The phone rings and you answer it.

“What?” you say less than enthused.

“Woah, sweetheart, just checking in,” Klaue says. “You get the box?”

“Oh! I did,” you reply trying to sound more cheery. “They’re nice...really, um..yeah, they’re great.”

There’s a silence on the other end.

“Not your usual response to that sort of thing,” Klaue states. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” you assure him. “I just...”

Don’t care about them. I just want you.

“Will you be back soon?” you ask.

“Missing me already?” he chuckles.

“Well, I just thought-”

“I’ll be out pretty late. Change of plans for tonight, I’m busier than I thought I’d be so I’ll have a car pick you up for dinner, alright?”

“Sounds good,” you reply and he hangs up.

You take advantage of the peace and quiet to do some things to take Klaue off of your mind. You sit on your balcony and soak up the afternoon sun while reading a book. You doodle and jot some notes down in a journal, you bake, and you do yoga, but even in the middle of a downward dog pose, you can’t shake him from your head.

God, you’re so lovesick.

You fall back on your yoga mat and stare at the ceiling.

Love.

You’re drowning in it and all you wonder is if he’s even in the water. Is he knee deep where the tides could carry him out to sea at any moment? Is he wading in the shallows or is he on land just out of reach of the tide?

When evening approaches, you drag your feet getting dressed to go out. You should be excited, but your shame from not having the guts to just send the stupid photos, to not tell Ulysses how you feel eats at you. It seriously can’t be this hard, can it?

You put on the dress Klaue gifted you and the new jewelry. You look stunning in them and it warms your heart that it’s something he’s picked out for you.

Looking yourself over in the mirror, you are grateful that you’ll get to spend time with Klaue. Visions of how the night might go play in your head: would it be cozy and romantic? Maybe he’s taking you to that restaurant with the aquarium floor or the one on the roof. Is it good weather for that?

There’s a knock at the door and it’s the driver. You complete the finishing touches to your look, grab your clutch, and head out.

The driver helps guide you to the car and into the backseat of a large luxury SUV. As he drives, you look outside the window and admire how the city lights illuminate the night.

Everything is a brilliant gold blur as it passes by. You fidget with the clasp of your clutch. The driver says the name of the restaurant he was instructed to drive you to and you’re anxious since it’s one you’ve never been to. You’re back in good spirits at the thought of being surprised.

The car stops outside a building bustling with activity. The driver helps you out of the car and to the door. That is where he leaves you.

“I let him know you’re here,” he says before walking back to the car.

You give your name to the host at the door and he guides you inside to a sort of lobby. The place is nice so far.

And then you venture further inside and it’s really nice.

The decor is very elegant. Past the lobby there’s a bar and a vast open dining room with baroque inspired architecture; high ceilings, intricate carved columns, and glass fixtures. Most of the guests are equally as elegantly dressed in long gowns with deep emerald and navy tones or well pressed shirts with tailored dinner jackets.

Your dress stands out a bit in color and your strappy heels with the slit in the dress showing your skin definitely draw a few eyes. Your hair isn’t as tightly wound up as some of the other women here and you start to feel severely underdressed. Holding your clutch like a shield in front of you with both hands, you set off into the dining room to find Klaue.

The dining room is huge and packed. Large tables seat large parties and there’s a small orchestra on a stage playing music. You feel terribly small in this space with these people who look at you like you clearly don’t belong here.

A few older women look down their noses at you and some men do a double take. You cross your arms and try to search for Klaue.

The host could have at least guided you to your table. but he said something about the rest of your party being here already.

Klaue finds you first. He walks up to you and kisses your cheek. He’s dressed very well tonight with a neatly pressed black shirt and grey waistcoat. He’s even wearing the sleeves down.

“Just in time,” he says with a smile. “This way.”

He puts his arm around you as he leads the way to the table and you feel yourself relax, no longer bothered by whatever stares you might be getting. Once he stops at the table, your heart sinks deeper than before.

There’s a large round table with about six other people seated.

“What is this, Uri?” you ask softly.

“Just some business folks,” Klaue whispers in your ear. He pulls out a chair for you. “Insisted I join them to go over some deals.”

Of course.

You force a smile and sit.

The other table guests are well mannered and greet you happily. You do your best to be polite, but the prospect of having Klaue to yourself was now ruined by some very lovely strangers.

“Ulysses tells us you’re a doll,” the woman seated next to you, Estelle, says as she sips on her wine. “How long have you two been together?”

“Oh, I’ve known him for a few years now I think.”

She downs the remainder of her wine before she clarifies, “No, I mean how long have you two been going out? You are together right?”

“Well,” you say trying to find an appropriate answer. “We don’t really like to put labels on it.”

Good save.

“Aw!” Estelle says clearly tipsy. “That is so great! I love that for your guys!”

Dinner is brought out, conversation continues, and the drinks pour. You notice that Ulysses is taking advantage of access to the bar. He’s enjoying himself and you can’t quite say the same for you.

You poke at the food on your plate boredly as the table gossips about things you don’t care to take note of.

Klaue’s hand gently rests on your bare thigh. “You alright?” he asks.

Setting your fork down, you just nod. He’s not satisfied with that answer.

“Something’s wrong,” he says. “Can tell when you make that face.”

“I don’t make a face?” you say with a slight scowl.

“That one, right there,” he says pointing a finger at you.

“This is just my face,” you defend trying to keep your composure.

He laughs and you can’t help, but crack a smile. He kisses your cheek and you sigh.

“Tell me then,” he says more serious now. “Is it the gifts? You were pretty conked out this morning so didn’t have lot of time to ask about them and you’ve said before you hate just the cash.”

Ouch. A reminder of what your relationship was with him. It stings a little, but you brush it off. You shift a little in your seat, removing his hand from your thigh. “I’m still a person, Uri,” you say. “If I wanted just your money, I’d have you leave me with a credit card.”

“No,” he says ready to go into a whole lecture. “I’ve already said why that’s a bad idea and-”

“It’s not the gifts,” you snap in a hushed tone. “Or the money. I just...I thought this would be just the two of us.”

“Oh.” He scratches his beard thoughtfully.

“I mean it when I say I’ve missed you,” you say a little more seriously. “No calls or messages or anything until a day ago. I was just...looking forward to spending time with you. Just the two of us.”

“That so?” he says scanning your expression.

You just nod and drink the wine from your glass to avoid looking at him. Holy shit, it’s good. You see why Estelle is drinking so much.

Klaue moves in close to you, his lips inches from your ear. “Can I make it up to you?” he whispers placing his hand on your knee, pulling it towards him.

Unable to resist his touch, you part your legs and his hand slides up your thigh where the slit of your dress falls open. Your heart drums rapidly in your chest. You remember where you are and close your legs while removing Klaue’s hand.

“Not here,” you say gently.

He pulls away. He takes your hand and kisses the back of your palm and resumes chatting with the other guests at the table.

Estelle continues chatting you up as well and you indulge her. She fauns over how beautiful you are and insists on repeating what a lovely couple you and Ulysses make. Despite her being inebriated, she’s your favorite at the table since, aside from Klaue, she’s the only one talking to you like an equal. If you had to guess, she’s about ten years your senior, but she dotes on you and listens to your input during the conversation.

From around the rest of the table, the bits and pieces of conversation you hear make your stomach turn. Between the talk of who’s who and world events there’s talk of weapons, war, and the Avengers come up a couple of times.

Estelle keeps talking, but you can’t ignore that you just heard a US government official say that the has possession, let alone access, to a weapon that could decimate cities. And so casually.

It starts to remind you too much of the news. You manage to weasel your way out of the conversation and make for the bathroom.

The bathroom is spacious and just as ornate as the rest of the restaurant. There’s a counter with a mirror where you set your bag down.

You look yourself over in the mirror, wishing you were home with Ulysses. The two of you could be snuggling on the couch watching a movie or taking a nice warm bath. You could be making your dream a reality right now. Your cunt throbs at the thought of his hands on you again. God, this dinner could not be over soon enough.

From your clutch you retrieve some lipgloss and a compact to touch up your makeup to distract you from your lustful thoughts. You gasp and set down your makeup when you hear someone else enter the room.

You turn to see it’s Klaue.

He locks the door and right as you’re about to argue as to what he’s doing there, he takes hold of your face and kisses you deeply.

His hands are all over you, much like in your dream and you melt into his embrace. “Uri,” you say breathlessly when he trails kisses on your neck.

“Let me make it up to you, baby,” he says grabbing your hips and pulling you close. “Don’t like to see you upset.”

“I needed you so badly, today,” you sigh in his ear. An ache begins to settle between your legs as you remember the position your dream left you in.

“Then let me,” he groans. “I’m here now.”

A ‘yes’ barely escapes your lips when he kiss you again. He swallows your moans and you can feel a dampness building at your center.

The slit of your dress slides open when you bring a leg up to Klaue’s waist. His large hand grabs your thigh and the other cups your ass so he can lift you. Your lips never leaving his, you wrap your legs around him and he sets you on the counter, swiping your belongings aside.

He hikes up your dress and slides off your panties before settling between your legs. Klaue’s kissing you as he rolls up his sleeves. You undo his tie and the top buttons of his shirt to run your hands across his chest.

His hands plant themselves on your thighs and parts them. The sudden air hitting your naked sex makes you gasp. Reflexively, you try to close your legs, but he’s not budging.

“I said I would make it up to you,” he says kneeling down in front of you on one knee and dipping his head between your legs.

Klaue teases your entrance with your tongue and you brace yourself as best as you can with your hands switching between the wall, mirror, and the counter.

His tongue makes long swipes over your cunt and you bite you lip to stifle your whines. Klaue adjusts himself and then throws your legs over his shoulders, his hands hooked around your thighs to keep you in place.

You grab his hair when his tongue finds your clit. Your heels dig into his back as your thrust against his face. You stifle a cry as you hear Klaue moan against your sex and you lean your head back to rest against the mirror.

“Please don’t stop, Ulysses,” you choke out.

Keeping his tongue on your clit, he releases one of your thighs and inserts a finger inside of you making you whimper. He hums in satisfaction at how wet you are and adds a second finger.

You have to bite the back of your hand to keep from crying out in pleasure. Klaue stands and watches you in amusement as you struggle to silence yourself. “You like that?” he asks with a smirk.

You weakly nod.

His thumb teases your clit as his fingers curl inside you. Your bundle of nerves pulsing and firing synapses of pleasure throughout your body.

“Uri, I’m about to- Ah!”

He muffles your cries with his lips on yours as he inserts a third finger inside of you, stretching you open so deliciously.

“Make a mess on my fingers, baby,” he commands.

Oh, fuck.

Your cunt feels so full and when his digits curl you can feel them hit the backside of your clit. Your walls tighten around Klaue’s fingers and you brace yourself on his shoulders as the coil of desire in you snaps. You shudder as you come around his fingers.

“That’s it, baby,” Klaue says. He sucks in a breath as he retreats his digits from you, now coated with your arousal.

One by one, Klaue cleans them of your slick and grins in satisfaction. “Here I was thinking I’d miss out on dessert,” he chuckles.

You rolls your eyes and start to close your legs as Klaue takes a step back, but he gently nudges your knee to stay open. “Let me see you,” he says.

He admires your glistening lips with a passionate sigh. “So beautiful,” you hear him say.

A thought occurs to you and you steel yourself to not back down from it this time.

“Do...do you want to see what I do when you’re gone?” you say softly.

His eyes snap up to yours, curious and intrigued. “Yes,” he replies and he watches your hand trail down your body to touch yourself.

Your fingers find your folds, teasing them slowly, spreading them apart so he can see all of you. He lets out a soft curse and with one hand he undoes his belt and pants to free his erection. Watching his fingers work at the buckle and his forearm flex through the motion has you biting your lip, the wetness between your folds increasing. He’s stroking himself, a bead of precum glistening on the head of his length.

You dip a finger inside of you and cry out his name. In return, he moans as well, his eyes not leaving the sight of you fingering yourself. “Fuck, baby,” he chokes out. “That for me?”

“Yes,” you pant, adding another finger.

You gasp as you thrust your fingers inside of your cunt. There’s a knock at the door that makes you quickly retreat your hand and you face turns a light shade of red.

“Hello?” a muffled voice calls out before knocking again and trying the doorknob.

“Our new friends are probably wondering where we are,” Klaue says mischievously.

“We better hurry,” you respond.

Klaue closes the space between you and lines himself up with your cunt. His tip rests at your entrance for a moment before he buries his cock inside you.

“You’re so wet for me, baby,” he groans thrusting into you.

The sounds of him fucking you mixed with your moans fill the room. You throw your head back, your hands grasping onto Klaue’s shoulders as his cock fills you completely.

“Put your hands around me,” Klaue instructs.

You do as he says, lacing your fingers around his neck. “What are you-”

His muscled arms throw your legs up to rest on his shoulders, positioning you like a V, and his hands adjust your ass on the edge of the counter. You look down and are met with the sight of his cock disappearing inside you.

“Oh fuck, baby!” you cry out, not caring if someone might hear you.

Klaue’s thrusts slow down, but he’s fucking you harder and deeper knocking the breath out of you. Your mind is so clouded by the sensations of him filling you that you can barely form a coherent thought let alone any words. He pulls out almost completely making you whimper before he buries himself back into you, bottoming out and making you cry out.

“That’s it, baby,” he says.

“Uri, I’m so close.”

“Me too, sweetheart,” he grunts out. “Come with me baby.”

Releasing his grip on your ass, Klaue grabs your ankles and holds them apart.

Holy shit, this man is going to tear you apart with his cock.

You’re right on the edge of your release, your walls beginning to flutter around his length. Klaue thrusts into you one final time hitting a spot deep inside you and you both come undone. His cock twitches inside you and your walls clench, milking his release.

There’s a loud incessant knock on the door and the two of your are quick to compose yourselves. Klaue helps you off the counter, smiling as you steady yourself. You adjust your dress and pick up your panties while he tucks himself back into his pants and fixes his shirt and tie. “Still upset with me?” he asks.

“No, but I might change my mind if you don’t wipe that grin off your face,” you say playfully tugging his beard to bring his face closer for you to kiss. “You leave first and I’ll be out in a bit.”

With a mischievous grin, Klaue presses against you. “Sure you don’t want to go out with me? Let them see?”

His beard tickles your neck and his fingers ghost along your waist and you have to swat him away to get him off of you. You’re trying to be serious, but your face keeps breaking into a smile. His snickering isn’t helping you either and you end up laughing as well.

Klaue leaves first and you stay behind to freshen up. You use the bathroom and look yourself over in the mirror. Your lipstick is smeared and your hair has fallen out of place a bit. Thank goodness you manage to fix yourself up back to how you looked when you arrived.

When you finally exit the bathroom, thankfully there’s no one around. You return to the table and sit next to Klaue. Estelle is overjoyed to see you. She continues chatting you up and you thank the stars for her rate of consumption of the wine lest she make out that you have a clearly ‘just fucked’ face.

The rest of the night goes smoothly; the food is delicious and dessert is exquisite. You don’t shy away from a few seductive licks of the dessert on your spoon. Elbows on the table, Klaue hides his face behind his hands as he looks at you, but you can make out his clenched jaw.

You’ve locked eyes with Klaue and you’re in the middle of removing the spoon from your mouth at a painfully slow pace when he grins and nudges his head in the direction across the table. You had done well in teasing him without anyone noticing, but now one of the guests was in the middle of picking up his wine glass and eyeing you with a very judging raised brow as the spoon pops the rest of the way out of your mouth. Klaue covers his mouth to stifle his snicker and your face turns red as you smile politely to the man across the table trying to also stifle your laughter. The man stands and walks off. You and Klaue burst out laughing trying to keep it quiet. You nudge him and whisper, “You asshole!”

“Flew a little too close to the sun being a tease,” he shoots back.

“You could’ve said something!”

“And miss out on that?”

You playfully nudge him again. “I love you,” you say softly through a chuckle.

You said that. Oh God, you said that.

“What?”

You face Klaue and he looks confused. “What was that?” he asks again.

He didn’t hear you.

“I said,” you tongue darts out to wet your lips, “I love that about you.”

“What’s not to love?” he chuckles.

You leave the restaurant on the arm of Klaue. There’s a car waiting for you outside and the two of you hop in the back. Klaue instructs the driver to head back to your place. You lean your head against his shoulder and your hand finds his to hold. Your fingers snake their way in between his, your thumb brushing over one of the rings he has on. He kisses the top of your head and you smile.

This could be the two of you; holding hands like this, all the time like all other lovers do.

You examine your hand in his: it’s softer than his, the pads of his hand calloused from labor. There is tape around two of his fingers again, to splint one or both. It is such a contrast from your manicured hand, nails varnished with a pale pink. His hands encompass yours, the ring on his little finger surely doesn’t even fit your thumb. You find yourself mindlessly fidgeting with it and hear Klaue chuckle.

The driver is heading to your apartment, but your hand in his, that’s home.

#ulysses klaue #ulysses klaue x reader #IAFMWBTY #klaue

34 notes · View notes