Work Text:
"It's a bit… much, isn't it?"
Matthias looked down at himself, taking in his new appearance. He was to appear alongside the new survivor for their debut, the theme of which he hadn't been informed of. Until now, that is. A catlike tail now swished by his legs, behaving as if he'd had it his entire life. The outfit itself was fine, but Matthias wasn't expecting the soft and fluffy parts that came with it. He was not a very soft and fluffy person.
"It's perfect! You look adorable," Lily cooed, petting the matching fur on his cloak. He found the way it matched his new feline traits so closely to be a little offputting. Lily had been a great help with the preparations thus far, which Matthias appreciated. Though, he couldn't help but feel that she didn't quite grasp that "adorable" wasn't necessarily a word meant to describe Matthias.
"It'll take some getting used to," he mumbled, still not entirely certain as to how he felt about the change of appearance. It wasn't terrible, just… different. Was he really the one best suited for a costume like this?
"We should ask Mr. Kreiburg what he thinks!"
Matthias opened his mouth to weakly stammer out a response, but Lily had already skipped off. He'd spent a lot of time around Frederick and Lily this past week as they prepared for the new arrival. As much as he detested being the center of attention, Matthias had appreciated the opportunity to get to know the talented composer better.
Did that mean he wanted Frederick to see him like this? No, not in the slightest. The prospect of being seen in this costume by someone he admired suddenly made Matthias feel far more embarrassed about his current appearance. What if Frederick laughed at him? Well, the man had a rather lovely laugh, so perhaps it wouldn't be all that bad. Still absolutely mortifying, of course.
A familiar mechanical whirring sound clicked behind him, followed by a violent yank of the fuzzy appendage that came with this unwanted role. Looking like this was bad enough already, why did they have to alter his body on top of that?
"What do you want?" Much to Matthias' surprise, a hiss left his mouth with the stern question. Just how much impact did this costume have on his body?
"Nothing, seeing you become a real fraidy-cat is already a dream come true," Louis snickered. This was starting to feel more and more like some cruel joke the manor was playing on Matthias. Why was he the one given such a cutesy costume? It didn't suit him at all. He felt more like a scraggly, unwanted stray cat, especially next to the adorable puppy look that Louis portrayed.
"If only you could be more like Louis," he could hear his parents say, though they'd been gone a long time now. All this time, and he was still no closer to being as lovable as that puppet.
As he gripped his tail to keep it out of the clutches of that unsettling wooden child, Lily returned with Frederick in tow. Perfect, now Matthias was going to look even more pathetic in front of him. He just couldn't catch a break today.
He braced himself for laughter, maybe a snide comment, but definitely some judgmental looks. Instead, Frederick just… stared at him. His expression was unreadable as he looked Matthias over for what felt like several minutes, but was more like thirty seconds, his gaze lingering here and there. As much as Matthias hated to be seen like this, he also longed to know what Frederick thought of it. Every passing second of silence dug at him, nervously fidgeting with his tail.
"Jeez, how long are you two going to stare at each other? Get a room," Louis complained, cutting through the empty air with his curse of a voice. If Frederick was about to say something, he certainly wasn't going to now. His pale skin warmed to a soft pink, bashfully excusing himself before quickly taking his leave.
Matthias turned to Louis with the intent of snapping at him, but found that he had already flounced off to garner attention from Lily and a few other nearby survivors. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and eyeing the door Frederick had left through. As frustrated as he was with Louis' antics, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of what Frederick could've said, if given the chance.
As a result, he found himself walking out that door and searching for the man who'd just fled through it a moment before. If he was quick enough, they might get to have a private conversation together before Louis decided to mess things up again. A dull maroon color caught his attention as he walked past the dining room. He took a step back into the doorway, spotting Frederick sitting at a table in front of a pile of decorations he'd been assigned.
"Need any help with that?"
Matthias slid onto the open space of the bench Frederick occupied, leaning over his shoulder to see what he'd been working on. Startled, Frederick nearly fell out of his seat, turning to see Matthias far closer than he'd expected.
"I thought you were busy with your costume," he replied, the fluffy cat ears drawing his attention for a moment before returning his eyes to meet Matthias'. For whatever reason, he couldn't keep his focus in just one place for too long. Something about that made Matthias feel the urge to act a little more playful.
"Well, I couldn't be too sure about it without your approval," he hummed, leaning in closer than he probably should have. Matthias had never been so forward before, but he chose to attribute that to the change in appearance as well.
Though, it wasn't completely to blame. Cat theme or not, Matthias was certainly liking how Frederick didn't pull away from him, watching as his gaze flickered down to the piercings on his lower lip. Having someone's full attention was a nice change of pace, and he wasn't about to let it waver.
"It looks good on you, very cute," Frederick answered quietly, his hand drifting up to pet Matthias' ears. He hesitated briefly, his fingers ghosting over the fluffy blue hair before entangling themselves in it.
Matthias hadn't been expecting the gentle touch, but he leaned into it nonetheless. If someone as beautiful as Frederick found him cute, he was willing to believe it. Being this close to him, Matthias could freely take in every detail of his face. He could feel what must be purring in his chest, which would be humiliating, if it didn't get him more pets from Frederick.
It hadn't occurred to Matthias how close they'd gotten until he felt Frederick's breath against his skin. From this close, it was tempting to close the remaining distance and steal a kiss. If he didn't, he was sure Frederick would, with how his focus kept slipping down to Matthias' lips. The idea was so very enticing…
"I'm sure they'll be noticing that you're missing soon," Frederick murmured, his hand slowly finding its way back to his side. Matthias pouted a little, but regained his composure and pulled back. Not that it stopped him from gazing longingly at Frederick still.
"I suppose you're right," he conceded, standing up and glancing at the door. As much as he wanted to stay with Frederick, it was only a matter of time before someone interrupted them. If they were to actually kiss, Matthias wouldn't want it ending prematurely. His tail brushed against Frederick's waist as he left, his mind racing as he processed what exactly just happened.