Hey there! It's been a while! As usual, it's hard to find a schedule, especially since I have other fics to write along this, but I hope the wait was worth it. I hope you enjoyed this and and I'm looking foward to knowing what you think of this.
Croix lied down on the couch, resting after taking a shower and changing into baggy pants and a hoodie because her Eve insisted she'd get comfortable. The hoodie had bunny ears on it, and she thought it was cute, considering it belonged to Chariot.
"I can make us coffee, you know." Croix asked, as she watched her Eve in the kitchen.
"You're resting today, and I'm the one making it." Chariot said, and the servamp chuckled at the stern tone in her voice. "I called sick for the rest of the day. I won't be modeling later."
Croix looked at her with concern, she didn't want to ruin more of the woman's day and cost her her job as well. "Chariot, I told you I will heal completely in a short amount of time. You don't have to take care of me."
Chariot glanced at her, not saying anything, before coming back with two coffee mugs and placing them on the table. She helped Croix sit up, then sat next to her. Her face was still pale, but it looked better than earlier. "I want to." She said, touching the red hoodie's ears, pulling it down so she can have a clearer view of the green eyed woman. "Are you still in pain?"
The servamp chuckled, taking the hand in hers and giving it a soft squeeze. "You don't have to worry. I'm not in pain, just tired."
The redhead sighed, pulling her hand away so she can hold the mug. She breathed in the smell of freshly made coffee. The mug had a picture of a roomba with a cat on it, Akko insisted they get it.
"It slipped my mind that you were immortal. I was so scared I'd lose you." She gripped her mug tightly, hoping that she won't start crying again. "I was the reason all of that happened, if only I had paid more attention to my surroundings…"
"Hey, accidents happen." Croix said, hesitating to put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine, Chariot."
"Our parents died in a car accident." Chariot said, and in that moment, Croix withdrew her hands and stared at her with wide eyes. "I was in the car with them… I survived, they didn't. They took the car that day so that they could drive me home. I should've took the bus instead, and today, I should have been careful. I… I'm sorry."
Chariot felt warm hands rest on hers, before they took away the mug and put it on the table. She turned to her servamp in confusion, only to be pulled into her embrace. Croix's hand rested on her head, gently caressing her hair.
She saw herself in Chariot, blaming herself for deaths she did not intend. Deaths that she could on associate with terrible misfortune.
In that moment, she understood just how similar they both are.
"Croix?" Chariot whispered, before slowly hugging back.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." She said, pulling her closer and closing her eyes. She had never felt this close to someone.
As corny as it sounds, it was as if they were meant to meet each other. They were just too similar.
"I'm sorry for what you went through too." Chariot moved her head up, pulling away just enough so that she could meet the servamp's gaze. Their faces were a bit close, but she didn't mind. "You deserve so much better."
Croix's eyes stared at her with surprise and hesitancy, and she didn't know how to react.
She looked down with a small smile, and Chariot accepted the silence, knowing that it would be a comfortable one, until her servamp asked her a question.
"Are you okay?"
Chariot sighed.
"I will be." She answered, knowing that the events of today will keep her awake at night. "You know, maybe going out tonight to have some fun would be a good idea."
"Where to?" Croix asked.
"I'll have to ask Marjo, it's been a while since we hung out together." She answered, pulling her phone to text her best friend. She then turned to her servamp with a smile. "You don't have to keep your distance when we're out. You can hang out with us if you want." She suggested, looking hopeful.
Hanging out with humans? Chariot and Marjolaine? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Then again, she was the physical embodiment of disaster.
"Sure, why not?"
-L&M-
Akko hang her head back and forth, feeling impatient as she waited for Lotte to come. She wanted to hear about what happened with sleepy Ash. Yesterday was so strange… They met another servamp, and things were and still are from what she knows, tense between her sister and her servamp.
It was messy.
Why were all the servamps such idiots?
"Calm down, Akko. It's still early." Diana said, staring at her watch. "Shouldn't you be worried about your exam later?" She asked. She studied for it, and while she did not need to pass anything, it was satisfying to both her pride and ego to be above everyone else.
No matter how soul crushing it is for the others.
"Oh, that? No I'm not worried. I studied for it." Akko shrugged.
"I don't recall you studying last night."
"I've been studying for it for a week, by last night I was ready for it." The brunette explained, smiling. "Croix helped me a lot, she made the subject extremely easy. She's really smart despite her looks."
Despite her looks? Diana wondered. True, her sister looked like a complete dork and flirt and sometimes looked like some sort of player, while other times she downright looked like a homeless woman but…
Okay, she was starting to see Akko's point.
"You two are becoming rather close." Diana noted, she looked down, crossing her arms. She didn't say anything else, but Akko could sense a thousand words waiting to come out.
She looked at her in confusion, then squinted, realizing what was happening.
"Don't tell me… you're jealous?" She asked, catching the servamp of pride off guard.
"Of course not! How ridiculous, why would I be jealous of her-"
"I meant that you're jealous of me." The brunette said, dropping her teasing tone and shifting to a serious one. She saw a flash of pain pass through those blue eyes, before they stared harshly at her. "I don't mean to offend you-"
"You just did." Diana spoke in a harsh tone, and Akko flinched, taking a step back and looking down. The servamp of pride started at her Eve, and she quickly felt regret over what she said.
"She loves you Diana, and I can tell you love her too. So, why must you hurt her and yourself like that?" Akko muttered, and her servamp was brought back to the memory of yesterday, how the brunette snapped at her and told how stupid she was being.
That memory faded to emerald eyes staring down at her softly, and a hand caressing her hair, a gesture meant to comfort her, but it meant so much more to her.
"I'm sorry." Diana said, with a low tone, but one that Akko heard anyway.
The brunette stared dumbfounded at her, and after a solid two minutes of silence, she screamed.
The servamp flinched and covered her ears at the glass breaking sound, and tried to ignore the looks that some students were giving them.
Meanwhile, Barbara stopped walking to watch the two. She felt… upset, and jealous. Diana was a prodigy, she was above Akko. She should be hanging out with people like her and Avery, but instead, she was there with Akko, and refused any contact with them.
The irritation and jealous, turned into envy, as decided to continue walking.
She didn't know then that those strong feelings, would attract an uninvited visitor.
Meanwhile, Lotte walked to school, with an added weight in her bag. Sleepy Ash refused to make any kind of effort in the morning, and so, she ended up sneaking into the bag despite the girl's refusal.
Lotte sighed, not knowing what to do. It was tempting to have a servamp, but this one was just lazy.
Lotte has always been in love with vampires, but she had to be realistic. If her parents were to find out, that would be a hassle, and it's not like the contract could be broken from what she's been told.
Would it really be worth it?
"You could just say no, you know." Sloth finally talked, startling the girl carrying her. She lifted her head from the bag and stared at her. "You don't have to own a servamp. To tell you the truth, I don't care that much either. I can go back to Akko's house, and I'll still be close to my siblings."
Lotte looked down.
"You're not upset?"
"I'm too lazy to be upset." Sleepy Ash answered, before hiding in the bag again.
Lotte just sighed. She couldn't go with this. She loved stories about vampires, she has always wished to be in the position of Belle, but now that the opportunity was here, it made her do a reality check.
Real life isn't as easy and fun as the fairy tales. She wasn't going to go on a journey or fall in love or any of that. She would be living with a lazy cat who does nothing all day instead.
It's not that she disliked her, it's just that she didn't want something like that.
The Nightfall lover was at least glad that she didn't hurt the sin of sloth's feelings, and so, she continued to head to the school.
For some reason, when she met Akko and Diana, Akko was losing her mind and was trying to tell her something but the servamp had her palm over her mouth, restricting her freedom to speak.
She had no idea what was going on, but she was at least glad the two were starting to get along a little.
Smiling at their interactions, she followed them to class.
-L&M-
Greed yawned as she sat on a bench at some random park, eating an apple that she obviously stole. She was bored, trying to think of a scheme she could pull.
Wasn't there this shady shop that people claimed sold witch stuff?
Do witches even exist? That sounds stupid- She was a real vampire so she probably shouldn't say that.
What are the odds after all?
"What are you of all people doing here?" She looked up, and her eyes widened at the girl standing before her. Auburn hair tied into a ponytail by a green ribbon, sharp eyes staring at her like they would stare at an inconvenience, and lips pressed together.
Ah, yes. The face of annoyance that could match even the great sin of pride, Queen. Lawless thought.
"There is nothing important here for you to steal, so find another town and get lost." The girl said, tempting her to throw her apple at her.
Lawless however was a calm servamp, she could not be swayed by such words-
"Seriously, to think that I would meet with this scum of all people."
The servamp of greed was definitely not calm.
"Hey do you want to fight or what?!" Lawless snapped, and jumped on both her feet before clashing her head against the other girl. "Is that any way to speak to a relative?"
"Relative? The only one I acknowledge as a relative is Queen. The rest of you are mere inconveniences that I'd rather not deal with." The girl pushed her head against hers.
"Oh yeah? Well I'm sure Queen would be flattered to hear you talk about us like that, Doubt Doubt."
"I am Queen's closest friend out of you all. Of course she would be flattered to hear from someone like me instead of you, Lawless."
"Is that so? Well I'm sure she and our other siblings would be happy to see someone who disregards us all the time. That's going to be some great family bonding."
Doubt Doubt, the servamp of Envy, pulled away which made her sister almost fall down.
"Queen and the others are here?" She asked, looking conflicted. She crossed her arms, and furrowed her eyebrows.
"Well yeah, isn't that the reason you're here? To lick the ground Queen walks on?" She groaned as Doubt stepped on her foot.
"I came here because I sensed a lot of envy in this town. I choose my Eves carefully." The auburn haired girl answered, then looked around. "How come you're all in this town? And are all the servamps here?"
"Well I don't know." Lawless frowned, still rubbing her foot. "Queen is here, so are Silence, and Sleepy Ash. And oh, All of Love is here too, can you believe that?"
Doubt's eyes darkened. She has always been envious of All of Love. She never had a good relationship with her siblings, but she always admired Queen, and wished to be closer to her.
But no one could ever do that, could they?
When it came to the love Queen had for everyone, nothing could ever compare to her love for the oldest servamp.
...The traitor who killed her Eve, brought them terrible reputation and misfortune, and then left without leaving a trace.
"That's great. Perfect. A family reunion." Envy smiled, but anyone could sense the venom dripping from her voice. It sent shivers down the other servamp's spine. "If you would excuse me, I'd like to take a look around. We'll meet soon."
"I hope not." Lawless muttered under her breath as she watched her leave.
Fortunately, she didn't meet her for the rest of the day, and no other servamp did.
-L&M-
"So, in the end you didn't get an Eve." Croix smiled smugly at the cat, who just yawned and jumped on Akko's lap. "See? You shouldn't have complained about us that much."
"I would still choose the streets over you." Sleepy Ash muttered, licking her paws. Both Akko and Croix glared at her.
"No one appreciates me in this house." Croix said, but was met with a betrayed look from Akko. "...Except for Akko of course."
Diana meanwhile, left them to look for Chariot. She has been concerned for her since last night. Seeing her in that state, reminded her of Croix, and perhaps that's why she was feeling fond of her.
Not just that, but her actions from when she first met her did make her a human that she didn't mind having around.
She walked upstairs and was met with Chariot leaving her room. She was dressed in jeans and a jacket. It looked like she was about to head out.
"Oh, Diana? Did you need something?" She asked with a smile, and the servamp felt relieved that there was a bit of spark in her eyes. She still looked troubled and exhausted, but not as much as last night.
"I wanted to check on you. Are you well?" She asked, and noticed how the redhead's expression softened.
"Thank you. I'm fine." She said, then looked down. "Can I ask you to take care of Akko? I'm about going out with a friend."
"She is my Eve. Protecting her is my duty." Her answer was straight to the point and 'professional', but it didn't stop the redhead from looking grateful.
However, Diana wanted to say more. She's been feeling off lately, not just because of what Akko said, but because of what was happening around her. She didn't understand it, but before she could realize it, she was speaking again.
"I know that my sister can be an idiot, and that she does a lot of things without thinking. If she hurt you somehow, please know that she doesn't mean it." She said, and was baffled by the fact that she used the word 'please', and with a human too, but she couldn't bring herself to correct it. "She is a very caring servamp."
Chariot stared at her in surprise, and eventually, that surprise turned into a bittersweet expression. She was smiling, but it couldn't quite reach her eyes.
"She would be happy to hear that from you, you know?" She asked, but didn't wait for an answer.
She walked downstairs, and Diana remained motionless, until she heard the two leave the house.
She inhaled.
"I know." She said to no one.
Chariot and Croix left to meet up with Marjolaine, and see the place she chose for them to hang out.
Croix expected something that she would regret, and Marjo did not disappoint.
The three stood at a bar.
The pair stared at the Rock star with blank faces.
"Really?" They both said, and she shrugged.
"You've had it rough lately, Chariot. So how about a few glasses and trash talking our boss?"
"Marjo, you know I don't like to drink." Chariot sighed, then again, once in a while wouldn't be so bad, right?
"Well, perhaps our buddy here might want to drink." She pointed at Croix, who had her hands shoved into her pockets, and her eyes glaring right at her.
"I'm immune to Alcohol." She answered, looking very displeased.
"You're no fun." The rockstar grinned, then took them both by the arms, dragging them outside.
There weren't many people there, something that Chariot was grateful for. The music did give her a bit of a headache, but it was mostly because her mind was going through a hundred thought by minute.
What happened to her parents, what happened to Croix… She looked to her right, and saw the lilac haired woman sitting there with a bored look in her eyes, watching the people in the place.
She wondered how many times she might have seen this, how many things she repeated in her lifetime.
Perhaps being immortal wasn't as great as most people thought.
She sighed, and drank her glass.
Marjolaine gently pushed her shoulder, giving her a worried expression.
"How are things with…?" She whispered, looking at the servamp who paid them no mind.
"We're good." Chariot said, ordering another drink. "I hope… I think we both have a lot of baggage." She chuckled. "I wonder if we're really good, with everything in our lives."
"Chariot…"
"But right now I feel alright, a bit relieved too." Her face reddened, as she drank another one. "I have all these bills, a job I could lose any moment, a sister to take care of, and a literal vampire as my servant and here I am drinking my heart out."
"Okay, I can see that you still get drunk easily." The rock star sighed, and listened to her friend.
Chariot moved to Croix's side and put an arm around her neck, pulling her towards them.
"What the-"
"Hey there gloomy, don't just sit by yourself. We're your companions tonight." Chariot said, giving a serious look, but Croix could only stare bewildered. "Here have a drink! Talk to your friend!"
"About what?" The servamp stared in confusion, and looked at Marjolaine, silently asking for help.
"How about, what do you think of our dear Chariot here?" Marjolaine said, making the servamp curse her internally.
"Yes, what do you think of me?" Chariot asked, pulling her closer. "Am I annoying? Do you like me? Or are you just putting up with me?"
"Do you think she's cute? Is she attractive? Would you date her?"
"Oh my God." Croix looked at the two, then managed to escape the redhead's grasp. "I need to use the bathroom." She said, running away.
The two caught her by surprise she couldn't even give them a proper reply or any of her smooth lines. And she really did need to use the bathroom so…
Chariot and Marjolaine chuckled, although the redhead almost fell down and her friend had to catch both her and her breath. It was rare to catch Croix off guard, so this was worth it.
"She's a good egg. I can trust her to take care of you when I'm on tours." Marjolaine said, and the redhead gave her an amused look.
"You never take care of me. I take care of you and your shifts."
"Boo."
Chariot chuckled, and walked away to find her servamp. She bumped into some guy, who turned to look at her, then smiled.
"Hey there, I've never seen you before."
"Oh, I don't come here often." Chariot said, looking around. "I'm sorry, I'm looking for a friend." She apologized and moved past him, hoping she doesn't have to interact with anyone else.
She didn't know where the bathroom, so she got lost until a hand caught hers.
She was startled, but not to the point of panicking because she knew that warmth.
No hand she has ever held has been as warm and kind as Croix's.
"You seem a bit lost there." She turned to see Croix smirking down at her. "Wouldn't want you wandering around drunk like that."
"I'm not that drunk." Chariot said taking a step forward, but ended up tripping and falling towards the emerald eyed woman, who caught her, chuckling.
"Yeah, sure. Just hold my hand." She said, and Chariot pouted, gripping her servamp's hand tighter. She watched her back, then moved closer and held her by the arm instead, surprising her.
She wanted to walk beside her, to make sure she was real after today.
After getting completely wasted, and making fun of Marjolaine failing to flirt with someone, they went their separate ways.
Croix watched in amusement as her Eve insisted on walking home, only to almost trip again.
"Okay, It's time to carry you home-" Croix stopped in surprise, when she saw a hand pointed at her. "What?" She raised an eyebrow, and felt deeply concerned when Chariot's grin widened.
"I want you to dance with me." Chariot chuckled.
Croix stared at her for a moment, before deciding to ignore her and keep walking.
"Hey!" Chariot called, and caught up with her. "That's rude!"
"You're a disaster when you're sober, I don't want to discover how you can top that while drunk." The lilac haired woman said, and the redhead pouted.
"Please?" She tried again, with her best puppy eyes.
Croix, an immortal being with the power to kill humans and spread chaos, would certainly not budge at that…
...Except she did, and now she was holding Chariot's hands, anxiously hoping that she would not step on her feet.
"But why?" She asked.
"Don't question it." Chariot said, pulling her along with her as she moved.
She was clumsily taking steps, but there was a weight to the innocent act that Croix didn't understand.
It was as if she was trying to remember a pattern, her eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes were focused, and she had her tongue slightly out as she tried to figure things out.
It was a cute sight.
They slowly started to gain pace, and Chariot's eyes lit up along with her smile, and she finally started moving the way she wanted to, twirling around and moving around her like a happy child.
An innocent act that was rare to see from the usually grumpy and exhausted woman.
It was mesmerizing.
The dance didn't last long though, because the redhead was starting to feel tired, and as she slowed her pace, she moved closer and closer to Croix, pulling her into a hug the second the dance ended.
"Chariot?" Croix asked, confused. This was a strange day, and it still wasn't over. It felt longer than a century, and she did live several centuries.
"It's been so long since I danced." Chariot admitted with a light laugh, a sound so beautiful, that the servamp couldn't help but smile. "I never thought I could do it again, not after what happened to my leg… but…" She held on tighter.
Croix waited, as she processed what she heard. She never told her about her leg, or an inability to dance, but she didn't want to pry.
"You were with me, and all I could think of was how much I wanted to dance with you." She admitted, and something about her tone, her warm hug, and her laugh, could only make her think of an innocent small child.
So she held onto her, to the innocence that the redhead rarely displayed, and hoped to protect it even for a small moment.