How did it come to this?: chapter.2 Chef guy
While on their way to the Vanguard base, Richter was lost in his thoughts. He hated seeing how Emil was identical to Aster, pained by every expression of the boy...But when he really thought about it, his looks and expression's where the only thing that was like Aster...Emil wasn't the same person as Aster and that made it easy for Richter, even if it was only a little bit, every bit counted. He knew Emil was Emil and not Aster…
"Richter-sama" Aqua whispered in Richter's ear without revealing herself, almost giving the sense he was speaking in his mind.
"..." He was listening, keeping silent as to keep Emil from noticing.
"Marta isn't here...But I still feel Ratatosk-sama's presence…" She said, worry evident in her tone.
"..." Richter's expression grew dim. He knew Ratatosk would never make a pact with a human, much less a boy like Emil, along with the fact that he resembled a man he murdered…
"Richter-san" Emil suddenly voiced as he turned his head, looking over his shoulder to meet Richter's gaze, only to be worried by the man's grim expression.
"..." He didn't respond.
"Richter-san….?" He asked, wondering if maybe it was the fact that he was forced to accompany Richter to the enemies base that was bothering the man, in which case, he could understand the feeling. He was very nervous about going.
"..." The way the boy fought before...and his eyes turning red...and even the vision's the boy talks about, to see himself being killed by him….
"Richter-san?" Emil raised his tone a bit, trying to gain the man's attention.
"..." But he doesn't even seem aware of any of it. He isn't even aware of most of what happened during their battles and seems just as confused as he is about those visions…So than...was Richter's theory correct? Could Emil really be Ratatosk after returning to his core form? But if that were the case, why did he look like Aster? Was it to spite him? But still, the visions were still a blur to the boy...
"Richter-san!"
"What?" Richter finally broke from his thoughts and looked at the boy with an almost angry expression.
"Are you okay? Y-You got really angry all of a sudden" He asked in a stammer as he hadn't meant to shout as loud as he did, but Richter's grim expression had scared him...Worried him.
"Yes...I'm fine." He said, pushing his glasses up and with the tone of his voice, Emil knew that was as much as Richter was going to say.
Could Emil...really be Ratatosk? But...He doesn't even seem to be aware of it but all the pieces would fit into place if he were...
Richter could curse this fate. But Aqua saw this as Ratatosk's way of repenting, to help Aster help Richter move onward with his life without him…because as much as she resented Ratatosk for what he did to Richter, she knew Ratatosk was once a kinder person...someone she was able to trust once, at least before he had become bitter over the loss of his tree and the betrayal of Mithos...She knew Aster wouldn't want this...
"Richter-sama…." Aqua lowered her head, as she had a pretty good idea what Richter was thinking.
The two finally arrived. It was a large and forest-covered island with a very newly built base hidden within the trees. Emil was nervous about how everyone looked at him. But the feeling was soon replaced with admiration with how impressed he was when he saw how Richter commanded all the soldiers and how everyone called him Captain or boss. It almost made him feel proud when he thought about it, as Richter treated everyone so coldly, while he, on the other hand, was practically pampered by Richter. He blushed at the thought.
"Wow Richter-san, they really seem to respect you" He smiled, a bit concerned by how all the soldiers seemed to almost fear the older man.
"Yes...Because I'm chief of staff." Richter explained.
"W-Wow!" His eyes sparkled. "S-So cool...You're so cool Richter-san!" Hearing Richter state his own status so casually was even cooler!
"...Uh" Richter flushed pink, turning away. "How can THIS be Ratatok!?" He thought.
Once the two made it to the office. Emil was surprised to see the man who greeted them. He couldn't help but notice a painted picture of a beautiful woman on the wall, as she looked very kind and wise but something about her oddly reminded Emil of Marta.
"Ah, Richter. You finally arrived" Brute said, standing from his chair.
"Yes...What did you wish to tell me?" Richter asked, clearly bothered to be back here, especially since it stopped him from returning the boy to his friends.
"Hmm? Who's this boy with you?" He eyed the boy with suspicion as he pears behind Richter.
"Isn't he...the boy who's traveling with M-"
"-He's training under me," Richter said, interrupting Brute with a stern look as he stood his ground fearlessly.
"...I see...Well, I was going to ask if you had found any cores or obtained a Cruxis crystal...But it seems you have your hands full with a new pet" He said with a grin, eyeing the boy once more but respectfully keeping his distance as crossing Richter would be the last thing anyone wanted to do.
"Yes. Now is that all? I'd like to return to my work." Richter huffed, trying to fight an incoming headache, as this lie about Emil being his companion was going far too deep for comfort.
"Right, you may be on your way…I apologize for the inconvenience" Letting Richter leave, still unsure of the boy as he eyed him, watching him closely as they left his office. While exiting, Emil stuck close behind Richter.
"..." Emil was still feeling nervous with all the suspicious eyes on him, feeling uneasy with the whole idea of being in the Vanguard's base. Just a regular soldier saying "Hey" caused Emil to yelp with surprise as he was afraid someone would recognize him from Marta and would instinctively cling to Richter's sleeve, staying close behind.
"R-Richter-san…!" He whimpered, only wishing he had never agreed to gather firewood from last night.
"..." Richter froze at that moment. Emil quickly realized the close contact he made with the man and pulled away.
"I-I'm sorry…!" He lowered his head, dropping his hands to his side.
"...It's...fine." He replied, trying to find his composure again.
No...No he couldn't be Ratatosk, not while acting like this...But...
"I don't like it here..." Emil said, hoping his friends were okay.
"...Emil, come with me." And without any warning, Richter took off down a left hallway and without thinking, took Emil's much smaller hand into his own much warmer bigger hand. Emil flushed a bright red, as this very hand was the same hand that he pulled him up...that saved him when he was bullied back in Luin.
They soon come to a room that was very spacious. It had practice dummies lined up along with weapons and training weapons. There was a padded flour near some acrobatics equipment as well.
"Where is this?" Emil asked, looking around, still feeling the flutter in his stomach, eyeing their connected hands.
"Emil, I won't be able to get you back for a while...so in the meantime, we should stay here for the night. But first...We need to practice" He said, pulling his hand away from Emil's and drawing his weapons.
"What!? R-Richter-san, what are you doing!?" Emil panicked, as fighting Richter was like a puppy trying to take on a bear.
He sighed. "Draw your weapon. I want to see you fight without Ratatosk's power." Richter explained.
"B-But-"
"Just do it. You need to rely on your own power!" He scolded.
"A-Alright" Emil drew his weapon. He tried to focus, as trying to fight off Ratatosk's powers seemed to make him a bit faint.
"Come at me Emil!"
"...Here goes…" Emil tried to find his courage before attacking. He could feel the familiar feeling of swinging his sword as he fought against Richter, forgetting what little fear or nervous feelings he had as he had become fully focused on Richter. Richter could tell that Emil wasn't nearly putting in as much force as he did when his eyes were red, nor did he use his artes as often. Emil didn't seem to have the same speed or stamina either but despite all of that, Emil still never seemed to quit when knocked down and did well for his first time.
"Huff….huff….R-Richter-san, can we take a break?" He asked, sweating from head to toe, as it had already been hours since they had started.
"Alright, that's enough for now." He sheathed his weapons, Allowing the boy to fall to his butt and rest.
"Richter-san...um.." He said with a few pants, looking up at the man.
"What now?" He scoffed.
"I-" A loud grumble of his stomach echoed in the room.
"..."
"..." Emil flushed with embarrassment. But Richter oddly found it….cute.
"Hungry?" He slightly mocked as a smirk began to play on his face.
"Y-Yeah…" Emil smiled sheepishly as he gently rubbed his stomach with flushed pink cheeks.
"Alright, we have a kitchen you can use." He said, making his way to the exit
"That sound's good" He smiled, quickly standing back up on his feet but with a slight stumble when the muscles in his legs reminded him how exhausted they were but none the less, he caught up to the man and exited the room, following right behind the older man. As they began to head for the kitchen, Emil suddenly asked something that embarrassed Richter to the point of not being able to think straight.
"U-Um...Richter-san?"
"...What?" He huffed, tired of all the questions.
"I-I'm sorry!...I just...was wondering if...you would….h-hold my hand again?" Emil's Cheeks flushed a burning pink color, just realizing what he was asking of him and almost wanted to kill himself now while he had a chance...but all he could think about was that warmth on his hand and how much he missed it.
"..." Richter's eyes widen, as he recalled grabbing the boy's hand earlier. He flushed brightly. He couldn't believe his own actions, much less why the boy embarrassed him so...or why the boy eve wanted to and personally Aqua couldn't help but find it cute.
"I-I'm sorry I...shouldn't have asked such a weird question…" Emil said, lowering his head, in hopes that Richter won't hang him.
"..." Trying to find words for his thoughts, he stood in silence.
"...Are you mad?" He asked, staring at the man's back. Oh god, was this it? Was he really going to die?
"Just keep up." He scolded, taking the boy's hand as he quickly walked them through the halls, hoping to Martel that no one would be there to see them.
Emil was so blown away by Richter's response that his heart jumped out of his chest, wondering if Richter felt the same spark as he did when their hands touched. Once they reached the kitchen, Richter quickly pulled his hand away, regretting ever having done that.
"We're here." He walked on ahead and sat down in the dining room. Emil was so excited to cook in such a nice room, it was like a fancy cafeteria. Meanwhile, Richter pulled a book out to read while thinking about whether or not Emil could really be Ratatosk or not...Except that damn butterfly feeling in his stomach kept him from focusing clearly, struggling to keep the thought of Emil's precious little hand in his out of his mind. Emil excitedly began to start cooking. The wonderful smell began to get Richter's attention, feeling his own stomach grumble.
"Richter-san" Emil called.
"..." Somehow Emil knew to take this silence as a "What now?" and continued.
"I need more potatoes, there wasn't enough," He said.
"...Alright" He sighed, closing the book in front of him and putting it away before sitting up. "We have more in the back. I'll go get them" He then made his way for the exit. But stopped for a moment. "And don't leave the room while I'm gone" And exited the room, leaving Emil alone in the cafeteria room. Richter had a very unsettling feeling about leaving the boy alone though...
After Richter had left, Emil blushed a bright red color and held his own hand, feeling the lingering warmth the older man had left, feeling the butterflies in his stomach.
"Wha! What is that wonderful smell!?" Suddenly after a few minutes or so, Decus came into the room.
"Huh?" Emil noticed the gross smell and saw Decus standing in front of the doorway.
"Eh? Who are you? Are you the new chef?" Decus asked, turning to see the boy who was working in the kitchen behind the counter to his left.
"What, me? Well um...I'm with Richter-san" Emil explained since that's what Richter's been having to explain anyway.
"Richter huh? That guy is scary and annoying" He complained. "So, what's your name chef guy?" He asked.
"Emil" He smiled.
"Emil? Alright, nice to meet you chef guy. I'm Decus, the greatest knight who breathes, bleeds, dies and kills for the most beautiful amazing cute charming goddess Alice-chan"
"U-Um…" Emil hardly remembered any of what he said, although he recognized the name, Alice.
"Hey, I just had a great idea chef guy!"
"Huh?" Whoever this Decus guy was, he sure was a weird one.
"Why don't you make me and Alice-chan dinner! I promise to pay you back"
"W-Well...o-okay" Emil agreed, after all, what's the harm in cooking for someone?... Although they were after Marta...
"Awesome! Alice-chan will love me for sure" He suddenly ran off, full of joy and new hope for the future.
"I hope Richter-san doesn't get mad" He smiled, scratching the back of his head, returning to his cooking, making sure everything comes out just right when suddenly he was reminded of the potatoes as he looked at the unfinished pot of stew.
"God damn it! I need those damn potatoes!" The boy cursed, as his eyes were a crimson red color, glaring at the pot of stew. When his eyes returned to their former green color, Emil felt slightly faint, not exactly remembering what he had just done, or even what his train of thought was.
Richter carried the box of potatoes, smelling the delicious smell of Emil's cooking. He was a bit worried about leaving the boy alone for so long, worried someone might do something. Damn, there was that odd butterfly feeling in his stomach again! When he walked into the cafeteria, his eyes widen to the crowd of people seated in the room, talking, laugh, joking, all while enjoying neatly decorated cooking.
"..." Richter dropped the box, turning to his left where the counter opened up to the kitchen.
"Richter-san, you finally got those potatoes" He smiled, taking the box and started chopping at the potatoes quickly.
"...Emil…."
"Yes?" He replied with a smile, focused on his cooking as he was dripping with sweat. His bangs were pinned back with a hairpin and for the love of Martel did the boy look cute like that but Richter was too furious about the other people to notice the boy's cute hairstyle.
"Why...are you feeding all these people?" Richter asked, obviously not pleased.
"They were all hungry, and it was Decus's idea," He said, as he finished preparing a bowl of beef curry.
"Decus?" Richter should have known but that didn't stop him from wanting to choke said blue-haired man.
"Robert, beef curry!" Emil called, setting the bowl of curry out on the counter.
"Thanks, Mr. chef," The man said, taking the bowl from the counter, going back to his table and chatting away with his friends.
"..." Richter was about ready to just walk away. "Mr...chef?" He arched a brow, crossing his arms to his chest.
"Everyone keeps calling me that because of Decus" He chuckled a bit, as a soft pink color graced his cheeks.
"I...see…" He sighed.
"Here," Emil smiled brightly. "I made you a special herbal potato steak" He handed the man the plate of food. The food was so...decorated that it was hard to tell it was food but Emil's face was so flushed red with such a sweet smile that Richter would have even taken a piece of sloppy leftovers from the boy.
"Ah...Thank you." He said, remembering how hungry he was. He went to go sit down and was oddly hating the fact that everyone was eating the boy's food, almost like only he was allowed to eat such special food, made by such delicate hands.
"..." He stared at the food for a moment before taking a bite. "...Wow" Richter's eyes widened a bit with pink cheeks. The food was so good...and...it felt like he could really feel all the love and effort that Emil had put into the dish. He could only imagine how hard Emil must have tried to get the dish right, especially since he remembered the boy saying he didn't even like herbs, so tasting the dish must have been hard for the boy...
"Emil…" Richter lowered his head, trying to fight the smile forcing its way on his face, as he held the fork tightly in his hand.
Hours had passed and the room was finally empty. Dishes were all cleaned, and bellies were all satisfied and full, even Emil's, though he wished that he could have been able to sit down and eat with Richter but watching the man enjoy his food from afar wasn't so bad and cooking for all those people really made him feel good.
"That was really fun" Emil smiled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Humph…" Richter smirked a bit, pushing his glasses. It was good to see the boy enjoy himself so much, despite how he originally felt about the idea.
"So, did you like your food?" Emil asked, worried he might have left something out.
"It was...the best I had ever had." He always liked Aster's cooking...well, from the bottom of his heart But Emil's cooking...it was almost like magic or something.
"I-I'm glad you liked it" Emil's cheeks flushed brightly, as it warmed his heart to hear Richter give his cooking such high praise.
"...It's about time we head to bed before we leave in the morning." He said. leading the boy through the halls once more. They eventually came to the upstairs floor, coming to a door. When they entered it, Emil could instantly tell this was Richter's room. It had the man's scent all over and many books and odd or old items all nicely placed on their shelves.
"Richter-san..is this…?"
"Yes, this is my room." He said, sitting down on the bed, releasing a sigh of relief, tired from all that had gone down today, hoping tomorrow would be easier.
"..." Emil froze, his whole face was lit up as the reality of being in Richter's room finally hit him. Careful as to not break anything or ruin anything, standing still was all he could do. He didn't even want to breathe.
"Emil..relax already." He sighed, removing his glasses and setting them down on the nightstand beside his bed.
"S-Sorry…" He stepped further in, allowing the door to close.
"Now get to bed." He said, removing his shoes, coat, and gloves before laying down.
"B-But...there's only...one….bed…." Emil eyed the bed nervously., fidgeting with the piece of scarf hanging down his chest.
"..." Richter laid on the right side of the bed, indicating that they would share, since there was nowhere else to sleep and held back another sigh, wishing the boy would just sleep and be quiet.
"..." Emil assumed Richter's silence was his way of silently being annoyed, so he sat down on the left side of the bed, laying down next to Richter after removing his shoes and scarf. His heart was pounding as his shoulder was pressed against Richter's arm, as the bed obviously wasn't entirely made for two.
"..." Emil felt so nervous, and couldn't fall asleep... He rolled over a bit, watching the older man as his face lit up into an even darker red, feeling that being this close to the man would be the end of him, as his heart was close to exploding.
"..." Richter could feel the eyes of the boy watching him, making it hard to sleep.
Was this going to be a sleepless night? For once...Richter wished that he could fall asleep and never get up again.