Chapter Text
It was a morning like any other, the sun peeked through the silk curtains spilling onto the bed that held the knight and his spirit. The smell of breakfast wafted through the air, the telltale signs of the mansion staff already at work. The great spirit's eyes slowly opened, the butterfly irises focusing on the predictably disheveled contractor snoring beside her. A closer look would see a small smile gracing her lips, a trick of the eye perhaps, but it would not last. The sound of his breathing stopped and he shot up. Already by his side, Beatrice could only frown as they went through the usual routine. Only a half hour later they would arrive side by side at the long table, the rest of Emilia's camp already seated. This process would repeat itself many times, over and over and over. 5 times to be exact, this week would be on repeat, seemingly the same days rerunning again and again into oblivion each time. But this time would be different. This time, Subaru would win.
Subaru chose the seat directly Emilia's left, as always, and Beatrice sat at her contractor's left, always keeping as little distance between them as she could. Eggs and bacon, laid out on plates around the table, found itself quickly devoured by the knight.
"Aw, I got some on my uniform. I've been able to avoid that." In his haste to start the day, it seems he has gotten sloppy. 'Clean it up, Subaru.' The lack of sleep probably doesn't help either.
"You've been wearing that a lot lately Subaru. What happened to the tracksuit?" Emilia cocked her head slightly, stumbling on the foreign word.
A flicker of something crossed his eyes, his voice slightly rushed, excitement most likely. "It was getting a little worn, no? Besides, I should start trying to look more like your knight Emilia-tan! I need to look professional, like Reinhard or Julius."
"Betty thinks you looked just fine in your tracksuit, I suppose."
"Thank you Beako, but really! You cannot mean that those were befitting a knight of the winning candidate." He rolled his eyes.
"Hmph."
"Wha- Beako! I still wear it from time to time, like on the obstacle course!" He put a hand to his chest, exaggerating the offense. "And I think I look rather dashing in the knight uniform anyway."
A snort from across the table gained a raised brow from Subaru. "Really Barusu? Dashing? I do believe that is what all the ladies will be doing when you enter the room."
"Hey, that's not nice Ram-chi!"
"And I told you not to call me that." She huffed and looked away. 'Beako does it better.'
"I think it's a nice change, especially now that Emilia-sama is to be Queen." Otto interjected, tired of the incessant play-fighting.
"And! Her coronation is only two days away. I wanted to get used to it so I could look my best. And first impressions matter when you aim to become King!"
Blushing, Emilia looked down, choosing to ignore the regular declaration of love. "It's all thanks to you anyway Subaru, you don't have to wear it if you don't want to. You've been more than a good enough boy for the camp."
"I do want to wear it." Crossing his arms and attempting to hide his blush as Ram snickered, Emilia went to retort but he huffed over her. "This is over! I want to wear it and everything is okay. Okay?" Standing, he walked out of the hall, a pout still upon his face. Hopping down to follow, Beatrice glanced back at Emilia and huffed, copying her contractor.
The sun still rising, Subaru found himself in his office doing paperwork, an activity he would usually force upon Otto in favor of butler duties, although recent and future events no longer allow such a laid back lifestyle. It was a strange sight indeed, finding Subaru dressed in his knight outfit he never wears, sat at a desk in an office he never uses, doing a job he rejects at all times despite his title. An even stranger sight for the one subject to such regular tortures. "Natsuki-san?"
With a green hat and even greener clothes, the familiar merchant held a mix of shock and apprehension as he approached the desk. "Are you.. actually doing your job?" He smiled with relief and even almost pride in Subaru, which quickly died at the glare he received.
"Yes Otto, the boy knight is finally doing his one mundane job." His voice was dripping with sarcasm and an edge that carried its annoyance. "Really, how do you do this every day? I can see why you drink so much. Hell, I kinda want one. You are always much happier when drunk."
Otto stiffened. Was he? A faint memory of the mansion's yellow-haired maid arose in his mind. She always took care of him when he got drunk. 'Wait, that's not the problem.' This was the first time Subaru ever said something like that. He usually adamantly fights any alcohol consumption. Fighting a blush, he managed to stutter out, "N-Natsuki-san, is something wrong? Besides the work of course."
"No, just deciding that now that Emilia is going to take on much more responsibility, I should start to own up to mine." He huffed. "Thank you for lightening the load by the way."
Otto frowned. His friend was finally being responsible, but it was still unusual and too sudden. "You are welcome, really I sometimes worry.. wait lightening the load?" A looming sense of dread quickly distracted him.
"Yes, as you do internal affairs, I gave you everything related to money, which seems fair. It was a quarter of my work, so thank you."
"But, I have my own work too!" He despaired. He already needed a drink.
Subaru stood and ushered Otto out, tired of his distractions. "Yes, and I truly thank you Otto-bro. You got this!" And he shut the door, a muffled whining coming from the other side before eventually disappearing. With any interruptions quickly disappointed, Subaru returned to his seat and flexed his fingers. "Now, I need to get going as I have no time for this tomorrow." With a sigh and a furrowed brow, the knight began to work.
It was now late afternoon, and as usual Garfiel and Subaru were stood at the beginning of the obstacle course. Except for one minor difference. "Hey Cap'n, why do ya still have the knight uniform on?"
"Obviously because I need to be ready to fight in it? What's the point of being a knight in uniform if I can't do the knight part!" Subaru put his arms out, gesturing to himself.
"But ain't it hot?"
"A little.. but not too much! Just adds to the workout Garf, isn't that the point of the obstacle course?"
"I guess…" Garfiel shrugged in defeat. "Whateva' ya want Cap'n."
"Good, because I intend on winning today. Even if it's impossible, I have done the impossible before, so who's to say I won't now."
"Ha! Yer on Cap'n!" Steadying themselves, the duo crouched down in a racer's position, before blasting off towards the rock wall.
Predictably, Subaru lost. By an even larger margin than usual. "Hey Cap'n, ya a'right? Ya was extra slow today."
Subaru's pants filled the silence, a momentary lapse in his focus quickly getting covered up. "Huh? Oh, yeah, the knight's uniform is quite stiff! And stuffy."
"Ya look like yer meltin' Cap'n. Ya wanna stop 'ere?"
"No! Sword training. A knight uses a sword. My whip will be a backup." Attempting to compose himself, he stood up straighter and brushed his hands over the jacket.
"A'right Cap'n. Only one duel, don't want ya dyin'."
"That.. alright. But I'm perfectly fine!" Unsheathing his sword, he held it in front of him in a defensive stance.
"Sure Cap'n." Changing his right hand into his tiger form, Garfiel lunged forward towards Subaru as he raised his sword and swung with a yell. Garfiel dodged the swing and took a lazy swipe at Subaru, which he responded with a side swing. Narrowing his eyes, Garfiel disarmed Subaru, who only had enough time for his eyes to go wide before being knocked on his ass by a punch to the gut.
Subaru stood up and retrieved his sword, reforming the stance. "Again!"
Now an hour later, and well after one duel, Subaru was laid out on the ground, huffing and panting like a dog. The sword was stuck in the ground a few meters away, his white uniform a matching brown from the dirt. "Tha's enough. Gave ya more than one duel which mine amazin' selfs won each of." Climbing up off the ground, Subaru only grunted in response.
He was hot. Too hot, too stuffy. Incredibly tight and sticky. He had a headache and was bruised and parched. How did Julius do this? "Alright alright, you win Garf. I'm going in to take a bath." Rubbing his wrist, Subaru grabbed the sword and sheathed it, before making his way back to the mansion. 'Dammit.'
Subaru sat on the bed, Beatrice healing his wrists. "Sorry Beako, I know you just want to sleep instead of treating my pathetic sores, but the workout today was rough."
"It's alright I suppose. Betty believes you are more at fault than the course, as you tried to hide it, but Betty is much too perceptive of her contractor." She frowned. 'He called himself pathetic again.' She knew the workout was harder than usual, but that wasn't what caused this. This was from the bad nights. The last one was only three nights ago, so obviously he isn't completely healed yet. He never was. And, to make matters worse, sometimes he hid it from her. She remembered a couple weeks ago waking up and finding him rattled in the bathtub in the middle of the night. It took her an hour just to calm him down enough to heal him.
"Well…" Subaru turned his head in shame. "I'm sorry anyway. I'll be fine tonight."
"Really? Because Betty is quite tired of this game, I suppose."
"Really."
She could only sigh in response to her contractors foolishness, and having already changed into her pajamas she turned to climb under the covers. "Come sleep Subaru. You look entirely too tired."
"Bit mean…" He muttered, but still pulled the covers over them anyway. Laying his head on the pillow, he found Beatrice clinging to his arm. He was instantly reminded of something from Earth. "Koala bear…" A hint of longing colored his eyes.
"Hm?" Her own butterfly irises stared at him accusingly.
"Nothing." He shifted awkwardly, managing to get his arm from her grasp, closing his eyes despite his restlessness. "Night."
"Goodnight Subaru. I hope you rest well, I suppose." A few huffs and small shifts later, she finally fully relaxed, her breathing evening out as she slipped into sleep. Subaru peeked at her, her form seemingly glimmering in the moonlight as her eyes remained closed. She was deep asleep, as most spirits do not have a REM cycle, unlike humans. She wouldn't even notice if someone were to leave the bed.
Sitting up, Subaru looked at her wistfully, wishing for only the best dreams to grace her tonight. Taking a breath, he said one last thing. "Sleep tight Beako."