Thank you for your interest, folks! As promised, here is the next part! ----------------------------------
“What’s your name?”
The other tilted his head blankly at him. “My name?” he echoed. The German had managed to find some of Gilbert’s old clothes for the brunette to wear for now, his own were much too big. Even then the button-up shirt hung a little loosely over the other’s thinner shoulders. Ludwig’s jacket was still clutched around him like a safety blanket, swathing him like a child wearing his father’s clothes.
Ludwig took another gulp of beer, noting out of the corner of his eye that the other hadn’t touched the cup of apple juice he had placed in front of him.
“Yes, your name. I can’t just keep calling you ‘you’.” Genuinely lost brown eyes made an uncomfortable suspicion settle in his gut. “You don’t have a name?”
“I was told that I would be whatever you choose, Master.”
Ludwig’s brows came together in a frown.
It was wrong. Not just the lack of a name, but the wording of that statement as well. It sounded like it went beyond just a name. It was like he had been told to have no self, no existence to call his own. The worst part was that the other clearly had no idea what was wrong with what he just said.
Ludwig looked at the other again and saw only painfully innocent brown eyes. Puppy. Perhaps it was more appropriate than he initially thought. And that last bit…
“I’m not your master,” was finally all he managed to say.
The smaller man stared at him with wide eyes before that gaze fell to his hands. “Oh.” And that was the saddest utterance Ludwig had ever heard. He felt like the villain in this, even though he technically hadn’t done anything wrong… Right? Damn it all, he was too tired to deal with this.
He knew of these people, even though he had never met one in person before this day. Once his brain had gotten over the shock of a stranger barreling into him in his own home, he had recognized the distinctive curl that stuck out independently from the rest of the other’s hair. It was an odd feature, and he had heard some rumors about its…properties. He had heard that it could manifest in various styles, but that unnatural lock of hair was an unmistakable trait that all of their kind shared.
From what he had heard, there were some who didn’t even consider them people. A species created simply to serve, they called them. One of those elusive elements of society that one simply did not refer to in polite conversation.
The law did not extend its protection to them the same way it did the common folk. He had never given it much thought before, but surely that cannot be right, not after what he had seen so far. The brunette uncomfortably fidgeting in the sofa before him wasn’t like anything he had pieced together in his mind from the jumbled snippets of information he had received. In honesty Ludwig was rather taken aback by how…human he looked and acted, if one disregarded certain inconsistencies.
Still, that piece of knowledge reminded him that the other would not be safe outside of his house, especially not alone.
“Do you – Do you have anywhere to go?” he finally ventured to ask, inwardly pleading for the answer to be yes.
Slim fingers moved listlessly, bunching the worn fabric of his borrowed shirt. The other kept his head bowed submissively. “I suppose…I could go back… If Master is not my master, then…”
Send him back, to whoever it was that hadn’t even given him a name? Ludwig felt a little ill just thinking about it. No, he knew that wasn’t a viable option, not in his mind at least. And he felt equally uncomfortable turning him out to the streets, even though that would in theory be setting the other free. He had a feeling from what the other had displayed so far that he would turn out to quite helpless when it came to surviving on his own, and what was even without the legal concerns. Ludwig let out a quiet sigh.
“If you like…you can stay here,” he offered, at the same time wondering what kind of madness had possessed him. The wide eyed response he got told him it was the right thing to do, however.
“R-Really?” When Ludwig nodded, the brunette’s face burst into a sunny smile. “Thank you, Master!”
“I’m not your master.” The other lapsed back into that genuinely confused expression for moment. Ludwig sighed again. “Call me Ludwig. That’s my name.”
The brunette fumbled over the pronunciation for a while, nose scrunching up in concentration. “Luddy?” he finally said, with that cute little head tilt again, and Ludwig didn’t have the heart to try to correct him.
“That’ll do for now. By the way, that cup of juice is for you. You can drink it.” He stood, brushing imaginary creases from his pants. “I’ll go prepare a room for you.”
Glancing back briefly before moving into the guest room, he caught an expression of surprise and unbridled wonder blossom on the other man’s face as he took a tentative sip of the sweet liquid, then another. Not wanting to think about the implications of that, Ludwig threw himself into the task of straightening out the spare room.
Just what had he gotten into?
------------------------------------- A/N: I'm going to be rather busy next week, so the next update may be a little late in coming. But already have it half done, and I promise fluff, so stay tuned!
The Price of Innocence [2/?]
----------------------------------
“What’s your name?”
The other tilted his head blankly at him. “My name?” he echoed. The German had managed to find some of Gilbert’s old clothes for the brunette to wear for now, his own were much too big. Even then the button-up shirt hung a little loosely over the other’s thinner shoulders. Ludwig’s jacket was still clutched around him like a safety blanket, swathing him like a child wearing his father’s clothes.
Ludwig took another gulp of beer, noting out of the corner of his eye that the other hadn’t touched the cup of apple juice he had placed in front of him.
“Yes, your name. I can’t just keep calling you ‘you’.” Genuinely lost brown eyes made an uncomfortable suspicion settle in his gut. “You don’t have a name?”
“I was told that I would be whatever you choose, Master.”
Ludwig’s brows came together in a frown.
It was wrong. Not just the lack of a name, but the wording of that statement as well. It sounded like it went beyond just a name. It was like he had been told to have no self, no existence to call his own. The worst part was that the other clearly had no idea what was wrong with what he just said.
Ludwig looked at the other again and saw only painfully innocent brown eyes. Puppy. Perhaps it was more appropriate than he initially thought. And that last bit…
“I’m not your master,” was finally all he managed to say.
The smaller man stared at him with wide eyes before that gaze fell to his hands. “Oh.” And that was the saddest utterance Ludwig had ever heard. He felt like the villain in this, even though he technically hadn’t done anything wrong… Right? Damn it all, he was too tired to deal with this.
He knew of these people, even though he had never met one in person before this day. Once his brain had gotten over the shock of a stranger barreling into him in his own home, he had recognized the distinctive curl that stuck out independently from the rest of the other’s hair. It was an odd feature, and he had heard some rumors about its…properties. He had heard that it could manifest in various styles, but that unnatural lock of hair was an unmistakable trait that all of their kind shared.
From what he had heard, there were some who didn’t even consider them people. A species created simply to serve, they called them. One of those elusive elements of society that one simply did not refer to in polite conversation.
The law did not extend its protection to them the same way it did the common folk. He had never given it much thought before, but surely that cannot be right, not after what he had seen so far. The brunette uncomfortably fidgeting in the sofa before him wasn’t like anything he had pieced together in his mind from the jumbled snippets of information he had received. In honesty Ludwig was rather taken aback by how…human he looked and acted, if one disregarded certain inconsistencies.
Still, that piece of knowledge reminded him that the other would not be safe outside of his house, especially not alone.
“Do you – Do you have anywhere to go?” he finally ventured to ask, inwardly pleading for the answer to be yes.
Slim fingers moved listlessly, bunching the worn fabric of his borrowed shirt. The other kept his head bowed submissively. “I suppose…I could go back… If Master is not my master, then…”
Send him back, to whoever it was that hadn’t even given him a name? Ludwig felt a little ill just thinking about it. No, he knew that wasn’t a viable option, not in his mind at least. And he felt equally uncomfortable turning him out to the streets, even though that would in theory be setting the other free. He had a feeling from what the other had displayed so far that he would turn out to quite helpless when it came to surviving on his own, and what was even without the legal concerns. Ludwig let out a quiet sigh.
“If you like…you can stay here,” he offered, at the same time wondering what kind of madness had possessed him. The wide eyed response he got told him it was the right thing to do, however.
“R-Really?” When Ludwig nodded, the brunette’s face burst into a sunny smile. “Thank you, Master!”
“I’m not your master.” The other lapsed back into that genuinely confused expression for moment. Ludwig sighed again. “Call me Ludwig. That’s my name.”
The brunette fumbled over the pronunciation for a while, nose scrunching up in concentration. “Luddy?” he finally said, with that cute little head tilt again, and Ludwig didn’t have the heart to try to correct him.
“That’ll do for now. By the way, that cup of juice is for you. You can drink it.” He stood, brushing imaginary creases from his pants. “I’ll go prepare a room for you.”
Glancing back briefly before moving into the guest room, he caught an expression of surprise and unbridled wonder blossom on the other man’s face as he took a tentative sip of the sweet liquid, then another. Not wanting to think about the implications of that, Ludwig threw himself into the task of straightening out the spare room.
Just what had he gotten into?
-------------------------------------
A/N: I'm going to be rather busy next week, so the next update may be a little late in coming. But already have it half done, and I promise fluff, so stay tuned!