Wallace smiled to his two students once they were sitting on the restaurant. He had ordered a whiskey and was feeling rather... relaxed.
"So... my mother invited you?"
"Yes, she is very kind." He nodded. "I hope I will not make you uncomfortable in your family lunch."
"No, it's just unusual."
Vash looked intently at his professor, not saying anything.
"Is it?" He smiled a bit feeling special.
"She usually invites a lot of people to join us, but normally the people refuse."
"Oh... why?"
"I don't know, usually because of my father I guess."
Wallace blushed a bit.
"Well, I am just here eating with you in a very friendly way... I would actually want to know Mr. Edelstein."
"He is Colonel."
"Ehm... excuse me. Colonel Edelstein, then? I am not very familiar with the army."
"Ja."
"Ehm... well, wh-what I mean here is that... I... well, I am here to join you all..." Professor Hughes hesitated not knowing if this was a warning... maybe he was being too evident. But come on, his mother was beautiful and he was just being a gentleman, nothing else.
"Ja, that's exactly what we see."
"What exactly?"
"That you are here to join us."
"Yes, of course... I mean, it is all with the intention of getting to know your family, Roderich."
"Well... that's the unusual point."
"Ehm... and do you like my classes?"
Roderich looked askance to Vash, who blushed thinking that his classes were AWFUL and he hated them, and for sure if it weren't for his classes his life would still be normal and he wouldn't like Roderich THAT way... because he didn't have any problem with Roderich before.
"Ja, they pleased us a lot." Roderich said. You will never know if that was intentionally, Vash...
Vash opened his mouth, impressed.
"Oh, I'm happy to hear it. I was feeling a bit guilty about the last time. I think I was a bit... strict with you two."
"I like the strict people."
"Oh, then you will understand why it irritates me when you talk all class."
"We don't talk all class long, we just comment a few things" mumbled Vash.
"I never said that I didn't understand."
"Okay, okay... calm down" Professor Hughes raised his hands and smiled. "I'm not trying to scold you here, I was just explaining."
"I'm not feeling scolded." He smiled mschevious.
"You do not seem to feel guilty either..." protested the professor smiling too.
"I don't do it."
"Marvelous "protested Wallace sarcastically and Roderich laughed. "Probably next time you will be the one in front of the class instead of Mr. Zwingli who seems quite guilty to me..."
"I'm not guilty!"
"It's not that embarrasing towrite on the blackboard."
"Feeling guility... my bad "responded the professor to Vash, winking, then he smiled to Roderich.
"Your friend doesn't seem to agree with you... right Vash?"
"He is very shy."
"It's better to be shy than to be shameless!" protested Vash.
"Are you saying that I'm shameless?"
"You... are... well... pretty much."
Roderich raised an eyebrow.
"I mean..." He looked sideways to the professor, then look Roderich again. "No. You are not shameless."
The austrian laughed again.
"Don't laugh!" he protested, crossing his arms.
"Why not?"
"Because..." he looked to Wallace again and cleared his throat. He didn't want the professor to think anything bad of Roderich, even if he thought that he was completely shameless. "He is here, be a good boy."
"Am I being naughty?" He whispered only to Vash.
Guess what? Vash blushed.
That's exactly what Roderich expected.
"Shh! "protested Vash. Professor Hughes looked at them in silence, thinking...And Roderich laughed again.
When suddenly, Mrs. Edelstein and Francis arrived surprising both Vash and Professor Hughes, who stood up as a true gentleman, helping Mrs. Edelstein to her seat.
"Thank you, dear" smiled her.
"How did you find us?"
"Eh? I don't know. Maybe because Roderich is with you... and I always know where are my kids."
"That's... a fantastic and... weird sixth sense."
"Why you think it is weird?"
"It's like having a... you know those things used on war... radars?"
"What? Ggadag?"
"No it is... a machine to find things with electromagnetic waves "he stared to Mrs. Edelstein. "Forget it, is just something I read. I never could find someone just following my instinct."
"Oh, well... do you want to meet my little boy?" she smiled, changing the topic.
"Yes, yes, of course" Professor Hughes turned to the boy and marveled of how much he looked like his mother now that he was able to observe him.
Francis smiled innocently, and looked sideways to his older brother. He smiled a little to Francis.
"Isn't he te most handsome man you have ever seen?" asked Mrs. Edelstein so proud.
"He... well, he l-looks just like his mother, yes" Professor Hughes nodded, stuttering.
"Oh! Don't say this, you don't want to make me blush, do you?"
Roderich rolled his eyes with that and Francis too.
"Well I wouldn't mind, to be honest."
"She is so pretty, right?" asked Francis smiling again. "Are you the professor that diagnosed me, according to Roddie?"
"No, I diagnosed you, Francis" said Roderich while Mrs. Edelstein giggled.
"Oh, that... well.. I don't think this is the proper time or place to be talking about diagnoses" Professor Hughes smiled.
"Why not?" asked Mrs. Edelstein.
"Oh, you diagnosed me? But family cannot treat family, right? I mean, it's all about objectivity."
"I'm just goimg to do an essay, I'm not pretending to heal you."
"Well... it can be uncomfortable, right?" asked Wallace, more nervous with the subject than the rest of the Edelsteins.
"You don't know enough... and actually you do not want to know... to make an essay."
"Thank you for your opinion, Francis."
"No, no... don't get offended. Really, I don't mind helping my brother with this, I just wanted to know really what am I supposed to do for your essay and all that" Francis looked at Roderich and then smiled and turned to Wallace.
"You don't have to do nothing."
"Didn't you say you were going to perform exams in the subject?" asked Professor Hughes.
"Yes, but... I planned to do it with natural response. I prefer that the subject doesn't know if he is taking part a study."
Vash felt as if he were shrinking with every single word being said about the investigation.
"And do you pretend to... make this an observational study or will you put the study in certain situations, modifying the variables of the investigation?"
"I think I will modify the variables, maybe with more than one subject of study."
"The thing here is.. do you think it is ethical to study subjects without letting them know that you are studying them?"
"It's scientific research, there is no room for ethics."
"Well that is not completely true..."
"Why not?"
"Patients are persons in the end..." interrupted Vash.
"Yes, and they always have the opportunity to say "No"."
"They cannot say no if you don't tell them."
"They can say no If I ask them to do something that they don't want to do."
"Well if you are going to ask them, I do not have any problem" Wallace nodded.
"So I am currently being part of your investigation, huh? "Francis smiled to his older brother.
"Yes, maybe" he didn't really pay attention to Francis. Vash blushed anyway thinking that he could say no... couldn't he? And his life would be easier... but he was not going to say no to Roderich.
Because you are head over heels, Vash.
He is not!
Yes, you are.
Noooo! I hate him!
You don't fool anyone
Is not about fooling!
Yes, it is.
Is... Just... He is not... He just...!
Ahaaaa?
He's just being nice with a friend!
Of course of course... Someone could think that this is more than nice.
That "someone" is wroooong
Nah.
Mrs. Edelstein glanced Vash and Roderich and smiled a bit.
"Who else are you going to include in your essay?" asked Vash in a whisper. "Ludwig?"
"I'm not really planning to include someone else."
"But you said..."
Wallace smiled and got closer to Mrs. Edelstein.
"Aha?"
"See? That's what they do all class, talk in whispers all the time."
"Yes, they are so cute."
"You said you would!"
"I lied."
"Do you see how you are shameless?" Vash smiled a bit.
"I did it for you."
"I know... Thank you."
Roderich smiled to Vash.
"Anyway, I can't do the experiments with someone else."
"No one else is sick" Vash mumbled thinking... No other man would react with you as I do, for sure...
"No one else lives with me."
"That's true..." Vash smiled again a little.
"What are you saying?" interrupted Francis, curious.
"About what?" Roderich smiled innocent to his brother.
"I don't know, you two are whispering and I am curious."
"We are talkikg of something of our subjects."
"Even you cannot be that boring, Roddie."
"That is what you think."
"By the way, I was talking to maman about tonight. What do you think about going out to dance?"
Roderich stared at him and Francis smiled.
"For sure there is a nice place here with a good band where we can dance..."
"What happened with Arthur?"
"Arthur... well, he will probably come back, I will seek for him to invite him after lunch."
Roderich rolled his eyes.
"Do you want to go to dance? "asked to Vash.
"D-Dance?!"
"Yes, in a night club, I guess. My brother loves to go because is a good way to flirt with GIRLS." He insisted in that particular word scolding Francis.
"Exactly. It's a good girl to filrt, yes... "Francis winked.
"W-Well... I've never been to a nightclub..."
"It isn't the worst thing we could do... mutti, are you going to come?"
"Where, Honey?"
"To a nightclub this night."
"Ah! Sure, Mr. Hughes, do you want to join us?"
Professor Hughes hesitated... was she... inviting him, to a nightclub?!
"B-But... no! A nightclub?" Vash was the one worried the most.
"Why not?"asked Roderich
"I am not going to... dance with... no!"
"With who?"
"Ehm... well... I was going to read a book tonight, I guess I could postpone it" babled Wallace, nervous and blushing. "I could join you, yes, only because I think it might be better for you to have another man to... protect you."
"I never have been touched inapropiatly by a man... without consent. But it's a good reason."
"I never has been" está mal
"I-I am sure that you've been lucky... this place is safe but I am sure you attract all sorts of men."
"Yes, I know."
"Well... surely not everyone has good intentions."
"How could you be so sure?"
"Well... It's nature."
"Are you talking of someone?"
"N-No! I have the best possible intentions, trust me."
She laughed.
"Don't laugh of me." He asked, smiling.
"I don't laugh of you." She laughed anyways.
"Well probably you are laughing with me..."
"That sounds better."
"Although it does not sound particularly truthful" He laughed even more.
"Neither do you."
"Come on! What do you mean?" He blushed, looking guilty. "No, you better don't say."
She laughed again. Wallace looked at her... She was so funny and beautiful...
"Now you are making me blush."
"You are so cute."
"Cute... my god."
"What?"
"You are making me feel more a student than a professor."
"That's because you are young and fun."
"I am not that young, and certainly you are not at all old enough to call me young. I could easily think that you are Roderich's sister." Wallace, those are clichés.
"Sister?"
"Yes, you look so young, you do not seem like his mother."
"How old do you think I am?"
"You are on your... Late thirties"
She laughed again.
"Alright, maybe that's impossible. But you cannot be much older. Forty?"
"Younger..."
"What?!"
"I'm younger"
"You look as if you were twenty... but my medical brain makes me think that... If you have one son that is eighteen... Thirty two?"
She laughed because she was joking.
"You could have him when you were fourteen but... on these days, I believe you were seventeen at least when you got married. Then..." He stopped. "Why are you laughing"
"I was joking just to make you nervous."
"Oh... I was worried. I mean, you really look VERY young! Really! I just told you that you could easily be his sister."
"You are flattering me."
"No, I'm being honest. "
"You didn't sound honest."
"No, no, Mrs. Edelstein, trust me... You are astoundingly beautiful, you look incredibly young... However you have this sparkle in your eyes, that make me realize that you have seen the true face of life to the eye. You don't look as a young and naive girl, you look like a young wise woman, which makes you much more interesting and beautiful."
She raised her eyebrows and blushed a little.
"And the way you talked me about your... problems and difficulties earlier. In such an open and mature way. So naturally. I've never met another woman like you... And I wonder..."
"In fact, I wish to ask you for... some remedy for what I told you." She decided to stop him before it goes worse.
"A-A... remedy? "was that a.. suggestion?
"Yes, something that can... calm my nerves"
Wallace looked at her thinking that what she needed was to calm her need.
"I can prescribe you something for the nerves but I am not sure it will work."
"I'm not talking about nerves, obviously."
Wallace smiled.
"I know... I can... Well, I have to think about possible options for you. I could tell you..." he cleared his throat.
"Aha?"
"Well... Ehm... as I told you I am single, you know..."
"Yes..."
"I'm sure you can imagine that I also have... Needs."
"For sure, like all the men.
"What I'm saying is that... I understand your problem, I believe it is a common one, not only for men, but for women."
"Oh, thank you, that's make me feel less pervert."
"The only difference with you is that you dare to think about it, you dare to admit you like it. And for that, just for that, I think you are different and better than the rest."
"Really? But that is about self-acceptance."
"I've never heard before a married woman with a good position in society, and good reputation, accepting to a man that she has physical needs... Or that her husband is not enough around her..."
"No, no, no... that isn't in that way!"
"I know, it is in a medical way, but you are daring... Daring to think, to worry, to complain. About a difficult subject."
"No, I mean... It's not his fault. My husband is perfectly enough and always delights me and I love him near to the crazyness."
Wallace blushes with that.
"I-I know..." he whispered blushed.
"Sorry, I just want to make it clear because I think it's unfair for him."
"No, no, of course I know that... I mean... what I meant is that he is out working."
"Unfortunatly, yes..."
"That's the only thing that I wanted to... say. I mean, I do not know... wanted to attack your husband."
"Thank you" she smiled.
"However... I cannot help but thinking that he..." he sighed. "I told you this before. If I had a wife, such a beautiful wife, like you.. I would try to find a way to be less involved in the army, before someone else finds a way to ease her needs in my absence."
"But... something should exist, what did you do with the other women with this problem?"
"I'm not sure you want to know..."
"Why not?"
"Well... usually the proper way to solve this is only... solve it."
She sighed.
"What happens when you do not... solve the issue by yourself?"
"By myself?"
"You said that you... did it. Right? On your own."
"Ah, yes."
"What happens if you don't do that?"
"Well I supose that... the anxiety increases."
"And when your husband is back... Isn't it... better?"
"Yes, of course."
"He is so lucky..." whispered Wallace, thinking aloud.
"You are flattering again! "she laughed.