Chapter Text
Finral really hadn't expected this when he woke up that day. Asta yelling while Noelle stuttered and blushed at his antics? Sure. Yami using him as a pack mule? A given. But out of every possibility, he really hadn't considered this.
It was supposed to be a routine trip to the capital, Captain Yami had some business that he was begrudgingly required to attend, and as Yami's designated ride, Finral was forced to come along. Ultimately, Finral couldn’t hold a grudge. Yami's meeting would take a few hours and that meant Finral had some time to kill, which would, of course, be used to flirt with some very fine ladies. After Yami threatened to end his life—in his usual very violent and terrifying way—if he wasn't back at the designated time, he immediately scampered off to the more commercial areas of the capital. A hot spot for any sort of girl with money and looks, just Finral’s type.
If Finral was being honest with himself, which he rarely was, he didn't really enjoy the flirting as much as he wanted himself to. The only girl he’d ever really felt connected with was technically his younger brother's fiancé, which was just his luck. Finesse was the first person he met who... complimented him, who thought that he was worth something. But just like everything else in his life, she was ultimately gifted to Langris. And that was unfair, thinking of her as an object to be passed on to the most deserving victor, but wasn’t that just the nature of nobility?
He wasn't a part of the House of Vaude, not anymore, he didn't have to uphold any standard, he wasn't being forced into some stupid rivalry that he could never win, he could just have fun. Life was too short for boring problems like family honor, why not make the most of it? Flirt with girls, joke around, and lazily use his magic, he was free after all, wasn't he?
Then why didn't it feel like it? Why did he feel like he was running away, like he was just trapping himself all over again? Finral quickly shook his head. Where did all that come from? He pushed those thoughts down to the deepest part of his conscious being, he didn't need such troubling things on his mind.
He realized—with relief because finally, a distraction—that he had arrived at the nearest hub of commerce. The capital was still rebuilding after the attack; luckily, with the use of magic everything was repaired fairly quickly, especially public areas. It looked better than usual, new paint jobs and buildings helped boost the public morale that had so quickly faltered during the aftermath of the attacks. It also meant that more businesses had opened with the government’s campaign for people to start shopping more locally as a way to economically recover.
He gathered himself for a moment, put on a lazy smile and went off to flirt with the first girl he saw. She looked his age, and she had on a nice dress. Perfect, she met all his requirements. He mussed his hair, straightened his robe, and fixed his shirt. He took a breath and started walking towards her. Show time.
"Hey there, my name's Finral. Would you like me to escort you to your destination? It would be an honor to be in the presence of a beauty like yourself." Finral finished, giving her a half-lidded look.
She was surprised for a split second, but quickly after she masked it with a serious expression. She gave him an emphatic, "Fuck off.", and walked away.
He couldn't say that he hadn’t expected it.
He didn't have much luck the second time, or the third, or the fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on. Around his tenth rejection, he stopped and considered the events so far. He was off his game today—there was almost no doubt about it—and it would do no good to push his waning luck. At this rate, he'd run out of girls in the city before the hour was over.
Finral let out a weary sigh and he turned a corner, meandering around and trying to find something to distract from his failing romantic life. As he looked up, eyes tracing the roofline of each building, he spotted an unfamiliar shop ahead. Squinting at the sign, he continued closer, letting the sight of a new café draw him in. Surprisingly, he hadn’t heard about it yet. Usually, he remembered each spot that looked like it could provide a promising date night.
It was new, judging by the brick work. It radiated warmth, and it didn't look like too many people were in the shop. The sign was freshly painted in careful white script. Home's Taste, it read. Cheesy as it was, it looked comfortable. It probably wouldn’t be a bad place to spend an afternoon, and with a cup of coffee added onto it, it could even salvage the day.
Finral noticed a well kept patio area, with clean tables and striped umbrellas spread out evenly. It was fenced in next to the café, obviously a part of the business. The day was balmy and the weather was mild, the perfect weather for a relaxing pastry and a wandering mind—hopefully he would focus on distressing subjects than earlier.
As he approached the shop, the smell of warm buttery pastries and the vaguely bitter scent of coffee permeated the air, enticing him as he stepped ever closer. He got right to the door, and pushed it open right as another person was getting out of the café. Finral watched in horror as the door hit them, spilling their drink all over their magic... knight... uniform... shit. Finral recognized that uniform as the Golden Dawn regulation, and within a split second, he was already planning his own funeral.
"O-Oh my god, I-I'm so sorry, sir! It was an accident, I can buy you a new one!" Finral heard himself hysterically spew out.
The figure seemed shocked by it, almost a little freaked out judging by the way panic seemed to mar his otherwise strong features. Short blue hair framed one side of his face in a rough fringe as the rest of it was pushed back over his undercut, and bright magenta eyes were wide behind square frames. He quickly composed himself with a quiet cough, looking almost embarrassed as he quickly reached up to push on the bridge of his glasses.
"There's really no need, it's simple. I wasn't looking where I was going, and that's that." The magic knight muttered, warily eyeing the way the rest of the café had turned their attention towards them.
Finral almost let out an audible squeak. That... wasn't the reaction he was expecting at all, especially from someone who was a part of the Golden Dawn. He was expecting hellfire and permanent enslavement, he expected torture as his brother looked down and laughed derisively. He was expecting an affronted, irrational, and angry person, frankly, he expected someone just like his brother, not... a polite and almost well-adjusted individual.
"Well... I still feel pretty bad, I ruined your uniform after all!" Finral said, the tense edge to his voice slowly dulling. “Um, well, I could… replace your drink! Uh, if that’s alright?”
The man looked at Finral, and seemed to genuinely consider his offer. Finral watched as the near crimson liquid seeped ever deeper into the beige of his robe, and swallowed heavily. The herbal smell was unmistakable; it was tea, probably the expensive kind. Finral mourned the continued loss of his wages.
Eventually, the knight seemed to come to a decision. "Well, if you insist, Mr...?"
"Uh, Roulacase! Finral Roulacase, but Finral's just fine!" Finral managed to stammer out.
The magic knight nodded, stepping forward. Finral quickly ducked out of the way, still holding open the door as a belated apology, awkwardly smiling as the other man made his way to an open table. Sighing, Finral steeled his nearly shot nerves, preparing himself for the worst.
It wasn't long before they were both sitting outside, at one of the patio tables. The silence was awkward and the tension was palpable, neither one was really looking at the other. The unfamiliar knight was trying to finish his new tea as quickly as possible, presumably so he could end this miserable experience.
There was a bundle of towels separating them, one of the servers had been kind enough to bring them extras to try and save what remained of the formerly pristine robe.
"So," Finral said, breaking the silence, "what's your name? I mean, you know mine, so it's only polite I ask yours." He was trying. Lord help him.
"Klaus Lunettes, of House Lunettes. I'm a member of the Golden Dawn, and a third-class intermediate magic knight." He paused to adjust his frames, it seemed to be a common habit of his. "You're a member of the Black Bulls, correct?"
"Oh, uh, yeah... I'm mainly just used for transportation, I really don't do much..." Finral trailed off, distracting himself by picking at a splinter on the surface of the table.
"Oh, so you have spatial magic? That's rare, especially for commoners," Klaus said with his head tilted up, almost distracted by the thought. Finral paled despite himself, and his unfortunate companion took notice. "Not that commoners aren't powerful, of course!"
Finral didn't feel the need to tell him that he was actually nobility, he didn't have a real reason to. Lunettes wasn’t a terribly familiar name, their families probably didn’t even know each other. Plus, swinging around a name that he himself had cut off was pretty pathetic, even for him. He nervously chuckled and the conversation fell silent once again.
"So... do you know Asta?" Klaus asked, almost desperately. Finral was struck with the odd notion that he seemed almost nervous.
"Kinda hard not to when he aggressively decides he's your friend," Finral said, too relaxed. Wait, he thought, how does this guy know him? "and when he's so loud. He's always talking about training or his goals, or both at the same time. He was actually injured during a recent mission, but he's doing just fine now."
"Really? Well, I'm glad to see he's healing alright, the Eye of the Midnight Sun seems to be quite a brutal bunch." Klaus sighed, the stress visibly easing out of his tense shoulders.
"Oh? You were there?" Finral wondered how terrifying it must've been, fighting so many undead, bloodthirsty creatures, eager for the chance to tear at living flesh. And even then they were nowhere near close to the level that their cruel mage masters resided at.
"Yes, although I'm afraid I didn't do much, I was portaled away and when I came back... I tried to protect him but... he was taken away by that woman. I really was worried." He took a forceful sip of his scalding tea, making a face but swallowing nonetheless.
"Oh...," Finral said, unsure how to respond to his heartfelt answer. "Well, Mr. Lunettes, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know Asta?" Finral was curious, the only friend of Asta's in the Golden Dawn he knew of was his childhood friend, Yuno.
"Just Klaus, please. And we were on a mission together in order to help clear a dungeon at the border. It was me, two other members of my squad, along with Asta and two other Black Bulls. Although, I'm afraid I was incredibly… unpleasant for most of the mission, and acted rather unbecoming of a magic knight," Klaus said with resolute solemnity.
Finral vaguely remembered a mission along those lines, about a week and a half ago, now that he thought about it. Asta had been excitedly blathering about Yuno and his squadmates, only briefly touching on one in particular that had continuously insulted him. It clicked.
"Wait. You're the rude guy he was talking about? The one who yelled at him for, like, half the mission before randomly apologizing?" Finral was shocked to say the least, not even bothering to hide his open-mouthed surprise. He hadn't really believed Asta's story until now—and he still had his doubts.
Klaus, looking equally ashamed and annoyed, put his head in his hands and muttered something about creativity being equal to height before glancing up Finral. "I suppose I am."
"Well, you did apologize to him, so that's something," Finral acquiesced, pulling back to his seat with a dumbstruck look.
There really were members of the Golden Dawn unlike his brother. It seemed like such a small thing to be concerned about in the grand scheme of things, but…
"Well, it opened my eyes, to say the least. As a Magic Knight I'm supposed to protect the kingdom, but how can I do that while looking down on most of it? It wasn’t very long ago, so perhaps it’s hypocritical of me to say this, but I do feel ashamed of my former way of thinking. I was ignoring so many people, just because of their class. I wasn't doing my duty," Klaus stated, a little less rigid than before.
"Sounds like Asta rubbed off on you,” Finral noted, slowly uncrossing his arms, mutely ignoring his own hesitance. “he has a habit of doing that to almost everyone he meets. He hasn't even been around very long, and our squad is more excited than ever."
Klaus blinked dumbly, only briefly wavering before adding his own bit of input. "It's not very difficult when you're also around Yuno and Mimosa. Yuno is his childhood friend, and despite being quiet and much more reserved, he really is quite similar to Asta. He's just as ambitious and inspired. Mimosa admires Asta already; she's trying to train harder now, to be able to fight with him. They really are quite a pair. I suppose three years isn’t that much older, but it still feels like they’re just kids to me," Klaus said with a fond look on his face.
It was obvious that he liked talking about his team's accomplishments, something they both seemed to share.
"Yeah, I'm not sure what Asta did, but Luck—I’m sure you remember him—is much more open. He doesn't just train, he tries to interact with us more... in his own way. He hangs out with Magna a lot, he’s another member of the Black Bulls, they train and fight together almost all the time. And I can’t forget Noelle, she's putting a lot more effort into her magic training. She still has an attitude, but she's started viewing us as her equals instead of insects. It's almost amazing what he does," Finral supplied back, his easy tone feeling less forced by the minute.
Finral, feeling almost bold, flagged down a waitress and asked for a cup of coffee and a small pastry. If he was going to stay, he might as well go through with his earlier plan. Klaus was a bit thrown but he quickly adjusted as they both eagerly started talking about their squad members accomplishments.
As Klaus bragged about how much Yuno was advancing, and about Mimosa was leaning a new spell, Finral gave advice on schedules and getting them to listen. Then he would go on to brag about his squadmates and their improving abilities while Klaus listened and interjected with his own thoughts.
It was actually almost... pleasant, to be able to talk to someone that understood him and the specific role he had taken on. Finral was relegated to a support position because of his magic, and to be honest, he’d always felt ill-suited for it. But to have someone similar who he could bounce thoughts off of, well…
They were laughing, freely so. It was rare to have someone in which conversation was so easily found, with common ground to build camaraderie with, especially in Finral’s case. He adored the Black Bulls—truly, he did—but he’d long ago accepted that there were very few people that understood his precarious position in regards to the upper echelon of society and his specific insecurities with magic.
So, it wasn’t a huge surprise that minutes blended into hours as the sky changed and darkened with the passage of time.
"And so I started working out—" Klaus said, eagerly leaning forward, arms in the air as he spoke.
"Working out? Man, Asta really did a number on you! I'm so sorry, that must suck a lot," Finral said, chuckling lightly.
"Well, it's not like I wasn't in shape before, I'm just trying harder now. Maybe you wouldn't strike out so much if you tried it," Klaus teased, waving him off. “And it helps with magic output, surprisingly.”
"Maybe it does, but nothing could willingly make me go running. Take me to a cliff, and give me a choice of exercise or being pushed, and I'll jump off it myself!" Finral retorted, rolling his eyes as the edges of his mouth tugged upward.
"Disregarding that, it’s worked well enough for me. Actually, that's what I was doing earlier. I was running and I decided to take a break by walking though the capital when I found this place. I still had some of my pay, I'm not setting that much aside for Yuno," Klaus explained.
"Okay, first, that's a lie and you know it, and second, I feel worse now. You just came back from grueling training—even if it was self-inflicted—and then some nobody from the lowest squad hits you with a door and ruins your uniform. Man, that sucks," Finral said, still laughing, desperately ignoring the way Klaus was carefully looking at him.
"You shouldn't be so critical of yourself, your magic is rare and you’ve worked hard to hone it despite how other people have disregarded your squad. It might not be built for attacking, but that just means you should focus on defending. After all, you are a part of a team that you care about, so work hard to protect them!" Klaus finished off, eyes set in a severe look, daring Finral to try and brush it off.
"Uh, well, if you put it like that... I don't have much of a choice do I? Can't very well ignore the advice of a member of the Golden Dawn, after all!" Finral chuckled, hollowly smiling as his eyes remained cast downward.
"If you want to think about it like that, then sure. I wouldn’t advise taking that mindset with most of my other squadmates, however. They are strikingly powerful but care very little for people that aren't... like them." Klaus finished morosely, almost wincing.
"Don't I know it," Finral muttered, pushing back from the table.
Klaus gave him an odd look as he stood up, patting himself down for any spare Yul. The wide-eyed face he had as he realized he had none left tipped off his conversation partner. Klaus, in a fit of magnanimity, put a few of his own coins onto the table before Finral could protest.
"Consider it thanks for talking to me for so long, Finral. I know it must've been a bore." He said, only half-joking.
"Now look who's being mean to themself," Finral laughed, gently nudging Klaus’ arm with his elbow.
Klaus, rolling his eyes, took the retort silently as he stood up, finally noticing how the stain had settled into his robe despite his earlier efforts as his face twisted unpleasantly. Wisps of guilt still fluttered about in Finral’s head, but he settled for putting off his self-loathing until later.
"Perhaps we should do this again?" Klaus asked, perhaps a tad hopeful as he glanced up from the front of his uniform.
"How about the same day, next week? Captain Yami has more work to catch up on here knowing him, so that means I’ll have to go as well," Finral said, scratching the back of his neck. He didn’t want to seem too excited.
After a nod from Klaus, they both started on their way. They walked down to the end of the street together, chatting a bit more before they were forced to go their separate ways. They gave each other a hand shake before stepping off down the street in opposite ways.
"See you then, Mr. Roulacase!" Klaus called back behind him, jokingly. Despite his demeanor, he did have a sense of humour. Sometimes.
"And you as well, Sir Lunettes!" Finral said, spinning around backwards with a dopey grin and waving while still walking away from the split road.
After Klaus was out of sight, Finral quickly portaled to Yami's location. As much fun as he had, he wasn't going to be late. He was still too young to die.
The cobblestone pathways were desolate when he arrived, all bustling crowds had left when the early night chill had set in. Finral regretted not wearing thicker clothes as he tightly pulled his robe around himself, impatiently tapping his foot as desperate eyes scanned for any sign of his superior.
After waiting a few minutes, Yami showed up, tired and angry, but not murderous. Today was a good day, Finral thought. Today didn't suck and it didn't kick his ass, so what more could he ask for?
"Hey, Finral. I trust you kept yourself out of trouble," Yami said, haphazardly smoking a cigarette while Finral opened the portal back to the base.
Finral thought for a moment before answering. Yami, despite being almost friendly with the captain, didn't care for the Golden Dawn. And he would almost certainly make fun of Finral and tell the other members, who would then in turn make fun of him. And he really wasn’t in the mood to be the laughing stock of his squad right now. Lying was easier, Yami couldn't kill him if he never found out.
"Yes, sir, I didn't do much, I just—"
"Who cares, I gotta take a shit," Yami cut him off, stepping through the portal before Finral could process what happened. He took a beat before hastily jumping through the portal himself.
The base was noisy as usual, people were fighting, over food, over who insulted who. But it was home for Finral. Home? He thought. Yeah, it's home. He chuckled to himself as Noelle shrieked at Asta for doing something stupid, again. The boy merely tilted his head in deference, not even trying to fight back. The day had exhausted him, so he went in and decided to just portal to his room before anyone could catch him.
"Yo, Finny!" Vanessa drawled out before he could even think about summoning his magic forth.
She was on the couch with her bottle of wine, the bitter smell of alcohol wafting from her as she giggled. Her movements, though obviously stunted, were surprisingly graceful as she waved him over.
"Hey, Vanessa. Sorry, but I have to go to bed. I'm really tired today." He said, trying to put emphasis on tired.
"Whaaat? You're not even gonna tell me 'bout the girls you saw? Lame!" She slurred, throwing her head back and wrinkling her nose.
"Well, I didn't really flirt today, so there's not much to talk about." He said, waving her off.
"Well, you talked tosomeone. You've got that look, ya know, the one that says “I feel less cripplingly lonely than I usually do”!" She said, staring at him with an almost scary amount of unhindered perceptiveness.
"Ouch, Vanessa, who knew such a beautiful maiden could wound so deep?" He said, dramatically placing his hand on his heart.
"No amount of dramatic posing is gonna help you, I'll find out!" She said, closing her eyes and putting the bottle of wine down.
Oh shit, Finral thought, she's serious! He needed to get away, now. She was stubborn when she wanted to be and if he stayed, he had no doubts that she'd get it out of him.
"Ah! Well, I told you it was nothing, good night Vanessa!" He said quickly before portaling out of there as fast as he could.
She glared at him with swimming eyes before her face disappeared into a pool of magic. Running away probably wasn't the best idea but it was the only one he had. In the long run, he’d probably just made her more suspicious, but that was a problem for future him. He stepped into his room and blew out a sigh. Kicking off his shoes, he walked over to his bed and collapsed on it, suppressing a groan.
He really didn't want anyone to figure out that he had suddenly become kind-of friends with a member of the Golden Dawn. Pulling a pillow on his head, he screwed his eyes shut. It's not that he didn't trust his friends, he just... didn't trust them at all. They were wonderful—in their own weird way—and he cared about them, he just... wanted something for himself. Something that wasn't going to be ruined by his brother, or shared with others. It was stupidly selfish, he thought, but what was being human without a bit of gratification?
He rolled over—letting the pillow drop away—and looked out the window, watching branches from the forest sway in time with the wind. He’d had fun today; genuine, easy fun. The kind that didn’t come from mind-numbing relief after one of his squad members pulled off a dangerous stunt, or from the empty satisfaction of successfully asking out a cute girl.
Turning back, he let his eyes drift up to the ceiling. Well, it wasn’t like it was a big deal. His squad didn’t need to know everything about his personal life, they kept stuff from him all the time. With that resolutely decided, he closed his eyes, letting exhaustion overtake him. Funny, he lazily noticed, it seemed a lot easier to relax than it had before.