A Danger to his Happiness
Disclaimer : I can barely afford noodles, heck no I don't own black clover
She is small, so very small, and he wonders if that's normal. He doesn't remember Solid being this tiny, could it be because he was younger and his perception of sizes was different? But no. When his dad held Solid, the babe was laying fully on his arm with no room to spare, this little thing could probably fit in his dad's palm, not that his father had bothered to hold her yet. The man had been in a daze ever since their family doctor had pulled him aside, whispering earnestly and with a pitying look, Nozel wanted to fire him right then and there, how dare he pity a nobel?! But before he could consider the option, his father had collapsed in the plush chair provided before their mother's room while the doctor bowed and left. Nozel is smart ,NO, he's a genius! The pride of the Silva family! So it was easy to understand, it was difficult to understand, but it was easy? His mother had been weak during the entire pregnancy ,she had put on a brave front for her children but everybody could see right through it, their doctor would whisper to her after their weekly check ups , his eyes wide and with a hint of fear, his tone almost panicking. But like every time his mother would shake her head, silver strands like silk falling over her shoulder, and with a sad smile, reject whatever preposition the doctor had made.
And after a nine month wait, the doctor's warning came true, in the room before them was something he didn't want to understand, couldn't understand! His mother had sacrificed her life for the little babe swaddled in the maid's arms, beside him Solid and Nebra have yet to make sense of the heavy atmosphere, and the maid is looking helplessly at their father, confused as to whether to take the babe to her nursery or wait for their father to hold her for a few moments as per custom.
The baby is small, so very small, and he wonders….how such a tiny thing was considered good enough for their mother to give away her life for, how something so small could be the reason he will no longer see his mother's radiant smile, or feel his mother's warm embrace after his successful missions, or hear his mother's loud laugh at his dad's nonsense.
He decides, at that moment, that she is a danger to his happiness.
She is still very small for her age, he notes when she stands before him, a hesitant smile on her chubby face. She still has that baby fat that gives children that innocent look women his age coo over for some reason, his mom loved pinching Solid's cheeks and making ridiculous sounds for her son's amusement. The little minx kicks her sandaled feet at the ground nervously, eyes still downcast.
"Will this take long?" how finally prompts after five long seconds "I have places to be"
She flinches slightly and the pang that tugs his heart is from being forced to wait (that's the only sensible reason for it). Finally she pulls her hands from behind her back, revealing a little lamb plushie. Her favorite toy, a voice whispers at the back of his mind, your mother bought it when she first found out she was pregnant and the child had refused to part with it since birth. 'Ridiculous' he tells himself, 'her attachment to the doll is beyond ridiculous'.
"Nee-sama", her voice is practically a whisper, "i..it's your birthday a..and…" instead of saying more she holds the doll towards him, head bowed and eyes closed. He scoffs lightly, because he's a nobel first and foremost and keeps walking, leaving her standing behind him. The child is practically a peasant with all the manners she possesses, a stuffed toy? Really? And one used so much? He remembers her getting sick once because the maids misplaced the germ infested rag.
For the rest of the day he is in a fowl mood, and when it's time for his party, he politely accepts congratulations as expected by a nobel, greeting the guests but never standing in one place too long lest he snaps at someone. His father points at the growing pile of gifts and asks him to open a few to show gratitude for their honored guests but he refuses, wishing for the first time for a fire based grimoire to burn the entire pile to ashes. It had been offending him since he entered the massive hall. The thought disturbs him, and the only logical explanation he can come up with, is that the little creature sleeping in the room two floors up is the reason, she had ruined his entire day with those few moments earlier.
She is a danger to his happiness.
Do the maids feed her less than the rest of them? He doesn't care about the little creature, but he can't allow some commoners to believe they can get away with harming a nobel. But seriously, the pigtailed fool is far too small for a ten year old, should he go over to their chef and demand an explanation? No! It's most likely something about her physique, she's a failure after all, can't control magic or even grow normally. He has a clear view of her from here, the library overlooks the fields below were the errant thing insists on practicing her magic. The trees have crooked target marks drawn over them, but none has a single dent, the ground however is lined with little grooves and holes were the girl's attacks had landed. From what he can tell, she's been at it since dawn and now the sun is almost setting ,the fields are a muddy war zone the gardeners will deal with overnight, just for her to ruin again come morning. 'She doesn't give up' he thinks, and the pride in his chest has nothing to do with the thought he tells himself. Another glance at the minx and his eyes widen with a feeling resembling panic (but is most definitely not); the girl is swaying on her feet, arms still outstretched, preparing another pathetic spell. Thinking of it now, he doesn't recall seeing her going inside today, he hadn't seen her eat a single crumb all day long, hadn't any of the maids brought her food? Maybe that explains his earlier thoughts, 'the child is hopeless' and as if to prove his point she falls to the ground face first in the mud, unconscious and soaked. Two maids run to her, calling for the Butler to assist and calmly assessing the damage, 'it's a usual occurrence then' he concludes. He's wasting his time, he needs to go over some reports before heading on a mission, and the living room seems like a good place to do it, if he passes by the kitchen and requests Lemony Salmon Piccata for dinner than its his business alone, if her eyes brighten at her favorite meal than he doesn't care. If he keeps getting distracted from work by images of her form lying motionless on the ground then he can say with forced conviction… .
She is a danger to his happiness
"Hey popsicle head!" the voice greeting him (if you consider petty name calling a form of greeting) is as gruff as it's owner, standing before him is the Black Bull's captain with all his delinquent glory "there better be a good reason for this spur of the moment meeting, I was doing nothing, which is still more important than coming all the way over here to see your braid" he says it with no malice or hint of a sneer, as if he's discussing facts, not insulting a nobel.
Nozel gives him an icy glare that has other men shaking in their boots, but in typical Yami fashion, he just lights up a cigarette and reclines in the seat facing him.
"You know why I called you here" he sneers in a very un-nobel like manner, "your new recruit is a Silva, I had specifically forbidden her from applying for the magic knights, I won't ask for your reasoning because I'm sure it's something ridiculous so I'll ask you this: How much?"
"How much? Oyy! Has the mercury slipped in your bloodstream and caused more damage to your head? How much what?" the man seems undisturbed if not for the slight narrowing of his eyes and bite to the cigarette.
"How much to kick her out of the gang you call a team?" He glares heatedly "you'll find that I can be quite generous, I understand that you have quite the debt, I'm willing to pay it all off and mo…" he cuts himself off at the murderous aura emanating from the oaf, the atmosphere feels heavy and both men are holding back from strangling the other.
"Listen here you rectal thermometer" ,and Nozel has the distinct urge to shove the golden pen beside him up the man's…..but those are peasant thoughts and he can't have those, "the kid is part of my team, and I don't understand if the reason you're so pissed off is because she's in my team or because she's in a team at all. But I know that you're a fuck up brother and she's now my responsibility, not yours. I don't think she was ever yours" snort "now excuse me I have to go take a dump, this talk fixed my constipation" the man stands up to leave and Nozel grits his teeth, hand on his grimoire, barely holding back
"I'll ask for favors from the higher-ups foreigner" he states coldly, faking indifference "she'll be kicked out regardless, take my offer, you know it's what's best"
"What's best?" the man scoffs, puffing out more smoke "don't make me laugh" he heads for the door, not even glancing back at the nobel, but as he pauses at the door giving him an unimpressed look, "I wanted to ask you something" he says in a bored tone, but his eyes burn with emotion "did you ever feed the kid? She's pretty small for a fifteen year old." Nozel doesn't reply aside from a barely concealed look of surprise "I guess you don't know, or maybe I'm comparing her to those gluttonous beasts in the base, never mind" and with those parting words the man leaves the nobel with his thoughts.
She's going to drag the family name. She's going to be a disgrace. She's going to be a mockery. She's going to be spectacle for all the nobles that hate their family. She's going to get hurt. She's going to di…
She's a danger to his happiness
She's very very small, and he wonders if that's normal, she's very very pale, and he knows that's not normal. He cradles the limp body in his arms, never blinking lest she slips away. Her hair is free from its usual pigtails, and he notes how unlike himself and his other two siblings it doesn't have that natural spike they inherited from their father, her hair is silky and long like their mother's, slipping off her shoulder like water. Violet eyes are hidden behind closed eyelids, and rose lips are turning blue as the seconds tick by. He registers blood slicking his fingers, the same blood covering his shirt from when the gir…. from when Noelle took the hit meant for him. It took less than a second of him losing his focus for one of his opponents to attack, knife drawn and aiming for his heart, in that second his sister, who was doing a surprisingly good job at holding back rogue mages, flung herself before him taking the knife to her back, allowing her to show him her tender smile, a smile so familiar on another face from years ago. In that second his mercury had ripped every enemy in the vicinity, turning them into unidentifiable carcasses.
He reaches the healing chambers at the palace in record time, all the while cradling the small body closely, gently, in a way he knows no-one has ever held her before. The mages take her from him swiftly, as if she doesn't belong in his arms,and he can't argue with the thought, even when logic says they just took her to better heal her. The rest of her team arrives shortly after, all battered and bloodied from the recent invasion on the kingdom, but all sporting looks of concern and worry. Even their captain, who he's only ever seen bored or angry, is clearly upset if the lack of cigarette is any indication, they're all here, and he feels as if he's intruding on something private, he's her brother by blood but he's not her family, he lost that privilege long ago.
He decides at that moment something, and it sticks with him hours later after he's informed of her stable condition, a day later after she wakes up pained, a week later after she's released to care of her teammates, a month later after he sees her holding back her smile at some outrageous proclamation made by the peasant. It sticks with him every waking moment.
He is a danger to her happiness.