Work Text:
˖ ݁𖥔⋆˖⁺‧₊☽𖤓☾₊‧⁺˖⋆𖥔 ݁ ˖
The younger woman in front of her shuffles her feet timidly, Nefer raises an eyebrow at the poorly hidden gift and flowers behind her. There seemed to be a piece of paper in the bouquet, too bad Nefer hadn't caught a glimpse of what it was.
As far as she can recall, she has never told her employee the date of her birthday lest of doing anything flamboyant for Nefer's taste.
What was it today? The tenth of May?
“I see you have a gift for me, dear employee.” Jahoda clears her throat, face flushed from embarrassment given that this was the first time she's done this for Nefer, surprisingly.
“Uhm… You see, Boss..” Slowly, she shows her poorly wrapped gift and the flowers in front of Nefer, whose eyes widen at what was written on the paper. “H-happy Mother's Day, Boss Nef!” Jahoda squeaks as shoves the box and bouquet towards Nefer's hand in a panic.
Instinctively, she held the two in a daze. “... Excuse me?” Nefer blinks, staring down at her employee who looked like she wanted to leap out of the window akin to Ashru.
Nefer does not have bad memory. She does not remember settling with a man and she absolutely does not remember giving birth.
Jahoda takes a deep breath, as if she was preparing to fight a group of Lawachurls. “I know this is so unnecessary s-since you're obviously not my mom, Boss Nef, b-but you're kind of my caretaker-slash-boss-slash-mentor… ?” Jahoda winces, shrugging awkwardly as Nefer stays still and patient for the next part.
“I just wanna give you these— for taking care of me and hiring me when I was in a bad shape and for teaching me some basic manners and survival tips that the Seahook gang didn't teach me before.” Gulping audibly, she continues. “Also for not firing me even after I butchered a bunch of commissions.”
“P-point is— Boss Nef, you're sorta-kinda-like my mom in some ways but also not in others. I just want to show appreciation…” The blonde scratches the back of her head, looking up at Nefer expectantly.
The woman in question was feeling all sorts of emotions going through her mind before settling into one.
Nefer shakes her head, sighing softly. “This is… rather thoughtful of you, Jahoda.” Still, she narrows her eyes at the paper. “It's just that… I'm not qualified to act as your mother—” Jahoda waves her hands frantically. “N-no! You don't have to, Boss! You're just kinda like family to me!”
Family? Nefer blinks at the foreign word as her thoughts wander to her forgotten tribe, her late father, and the growing Aaru Village. How long has it been since she had last seen her family?
How long has it been since she had a living family?
She won't deny it, she had grown fond of Jahoda. The right mix of timid and confident, the youth shine in her eyes and star pupils.
Ashru also seemed to like her company. Which was basically high praise considering that he's a hard-to-get cat and one of the Ibis King’s chosen ones.
The first time Jahoda had stepped inside the Curatorium, Nefer recognized that lost look in her eyes. The defeated and scared girl was no different to her past self back in Sumeru.
Nefer's lips curve upwards. Family, hm? “Is that so? Then I must thank you, Jahoda.” She nods her head. Family… She could endure that word.
Her employee breathes out a breath of relief, she wipes sweat off of her forehead with her non-metal forearm. “Thank Goddess, Boss! I thought you were going to chew my head off before I could even get a single word out.”
At that, Nefer huffs a laugh as she places both the gift and flowers on the counter. “How amusing. And… “Thank Goddess”? It looks like someone has been out and about with the Moonchanter, hmm?” Jahoda pales. “Oh, no!— I just helped Miss Lauma with a couple of books, you know? A-and Ineffa and Aino were there, that clanker set me up!”
Oh? Lauma hadn't mentioned this. Nefer shakes her head. Perhaps to avoid getting Jahoda into trouble, is what she had aimed for.
“Uh huh. And your commissions?”
“T-they were completed by the time I helped, Boss!”
“Hm. Did our ever-so merciful Moonchanter pay you?”
Jahoda bites her lip. “W-well… I didn't exactly go there as an employee..” Nefer’s eyes narrow and Jahoda squirms.
“L-look, Boss! They just needed an extra pair of hands and Lauma's library was overflowing with a bunch of scattered books and I felt bad to ask for payment because of how Lauma didn't really look like herself, you know?” Oh?
That caught Nefer's attention. “She was kinda gloomy and kept spacing out that even Aino told her to take a nap since she looked like she was about to fall antlers first.”
Jahoda shudders, obviously imagining how much it would hurt if Lauma actually fell antlers first. “That gotta hurt too! Back when we were getting the Moon Marrow, one of the Frostmoon Scions priestess turned out to be a traitor and, because of that, she had to slice her antlers off.” She shuddered again, rubbing her shoulders as the scene played in her head.
Vilemina. Of course Nefer knows of her betrayal, Lauma had told her about it.
After that, Nefer had taken upon herself to watch the Frostmoon Scions closely to prevent any further betrayals that would shatter the Moonchanter's heart into pieces.
“Fine. You're off the hook for now.” Before that… “And when did this event exactly happen?”
Jahoda hums in thought. “Like… A week ago?” Well that explains it. Nefer recalled being in a bitter mood that day, too bitter that she said words too sharp and far unlike anything she would usually say to Lauma.
Amidst her wistful thinking, she hadn't realised Jahoda had rushed towards the door with an identical bouquet in her arms.
Her head snapped towards the direction of the same timid greeting. “H-happy Mother's Day, Miss Lauma!”
Huh?
Nefer was dumbfounded as Jahoda shoves the flowers into the Moonchanter's hands as she frantically explains to a perplexed Lauma of her reasoning.
“— You're like a second mom next to Boss Nef! And you give off like that kinda chill mom vibes while Nef's that stricter one—”
Just what was her employee on about?
“— Both of you sometimes act like a divorced couple like after the whole Rancher of Solani and the Fatui fiasco because of all that bickering and whenever I'm in the middle of it and it makes me realize that you two took care of me in some ways… ?”
Archons, bless her. Nefer grunts, she needs to stop her blabbermouth employee before anything else. “Jahoda—”
“— I owe it to you, you know! After Nef got sick and you took care of both of us even when I was knee deep in the overthinking pool. Ahem, so this is my thanks…”
Nefer failed to fight the heat rushing to her cheeks at the not-so subtle implication of how both of them were Jahoda’s separated maternal figures. Well, she wasn't wrong on the “separated” part.
She watches the two closely. Lauma didn't react or say anything for a solid ten seconds and Jahoda was on the verge of melting into a puddle of sweat before the Moonchanter eventually broke into a sickeningly soft smile.
“Thank you, Jahoda.” Lauma pulls Jahoda into a side hug given that her other arm was supporting the bouquet, Jahoda squeaks before relaxing.
At the annoyingly domestic sight, Nefer had long since realized that she had grown soft on both of them.
Nefer sighs in content, swiftly avoiding Lauma's knowing look by pretending to check her claws.
After a few seconds, Jahoda breaks off the hug as she looks at both of them. “Uh… I'll go start doing my work! See you both!” She rushes off, accidentally slamming the door behind her.
“That girl's going to collapse the whole building if she keeps slamming the door like that.” Lauma chuckles, walking up beside her. “I must say, your employees are full of surprises, Boss Nef.”
Nefer rolls her eyes, flicking her wrist towards the sofas they would usually use. “I'm going to prepare our tea, if you'll excuse me.” She turns around, giving no room for arguments as her feet lead her to the back.
She mechanically pours the tea to the brim of the metal mugs before placing the mugs and the kettle next to the plate of confections on the tray.
Just as Nefer turns around, she hears the familiar cooing that made her grip tighten on the sides of the tray.
The beating organ in her chest was getting fished out of the sands that supposedly buried it deeper after everything else.
When was the last time she had felt this light?
As expected of Ashru, he was getting coddled up in Lauma’s arms. Nefer places the tray on the table, eyeing her cat with suspicion.
“Oh, what's this? Croissants?” Ashru leaps out of her arms before rubbing his head against the side of Lauma’s thigh, all that yet his eyes stay glued on Nefer. “Yes. This Fontainian chef was generous enough to add this pastry along with her pay.”
Her eyes narrow at Ashru, who comically sticks out his tongue at her before grooming himself in Lauma’s lap with a sassy flick of his tail.
Lauma grabs one of the flaky pastry, biting one of the ends of the crescent shape as she chews in thought.
“Too sweet?” Nefer asks, taking a sip of her tea. “Just right.” Lauma nods in approval and Nefer takes one for herself.
They mostly enjoy the flaky-puff pastry in silence, if you excuse a few meows from Ashru that leads to Lauma trying to stifle a giggle and Nefer would glare at the two of them.
A few minutes in and there was only one left of the croissants. Curse that chef for giving an odd number of it.
Nefer wordlessly pushes the place towards Lauma, who shakes her head and stubbornly nudges the plate back.
“It's your pastry, Miss Nefer.” Lauma’s will was an immovable force, stubborn like steel. Nefer had always found herself the one on the other end, regardless of any circumstances.
Even after learning her lesson every time, it is simply just another obstacle that wounds Nefer's pride when she finds herself acquiescing once again. “And which of us is the guest here?” Lauma sighs.
“How about we split it? Lest of arguing that leads us to a dead end.” And, like any other day, Nefer gives in.
She huffs, splitting the pastry into two pieces, one piece was noticeably bigger than the other. She looks up at Lauma, hoping that she was keen enough to read Nefer's silent pleading considering that she won't stoop herself that low if she had to verbally plead.
However… If that would need to happen, she knows there would only be a thoroughly amused and unmistakably fond smile on the Moonchanter's lips.
Thankfully, Lauma got her message and picked the small portion off of Nefer's sharp claws with a shake of her head.
“I've never taken you for being someone so indecisive, Nefer.” She teased, taking a small bite on the piece of pastry. “It's called being thoughtful, Lady Lauma. Wouldn't want to hurt the esteemed Moonchanter’s feelings because of some extra croissant, no?”
Lauma laughs, the kind of laugh that Nefer gets out of her even if what she had said wasn't even jester-level humorous, as she covers the bottom portion of face with her palm.
Deeply, Nefer wished she would stop that polite manner of hers and bless Nefer with the beauty of her cheeky grin that would come after a fit of laughter.
It's not as if she wasn't particularly unfamiliar with all of it.
Nefer gulps down the rest of her tea along with the lingering taste of nostalgia.
Yesterday had been… eventful, for the lack of a better term.
It wasn't much of a surprise that Lauma had greeted her and even gave her a simple and sweet cake that didn't appear too obvious that others would think that someone had a birthday.
However, the latter had left too quickly and early due to her duties and obligations as the Moonchanter, leaving Nefer eating her cake that tasted too bitter in her tongue.
Huffing quietly, she crossed her arms and felt her shoulders tense.
Ever the attentive one, Lauma’s amused look morphs into an apologetic and guilty one. “Nefer, about yesterday—”
“—I understand that duty calls, Miss Moonchanter.”
Sensing the tension, Ashru jumps off from Lauma's lap and quietly leaves the room.
“Even so… I want to apologise—” Nefer warns Lauma with a glare that actually works in such rare occurrences.
The Moonchanter fidgets with her rings, succumbing to the unspoken boundary they had set in the past years of distance and the awkward feeling of learning how to navigate their individual lives without the other.
“That cake was thoughtful of you, Lady Moonchanter. But, under the unsaid rules of business partnership, it would be unnecessary for you to have a part in my… personal affairs.” Ah. The usual deflection that would always leave Nefer feeling like shit.
The useless, longing part of her hoped that Lauma would point out her deflection and argue how stupid she sounded for someone so calculating before angrily kissing her until they were out of breath and—
A defeated sigh makes her snap out of her thoughts. “Hm, alright.” Lauma rises from the sofa and Nefer hates how she instinctively stood after a mere second passed. “It was a pleasure spending time with you, Miss Nefer,” Stop that, Nefer wants to speak but a lump was stuck on her throat.
“We'll have another of this little meeting of ours until I visit again another time.” Another time? Not tomorrow?
Having gained consciousness, Nefer catches up just right in the middle of the Curatorium. She grabs Lauma's wrist and swallows down her poor excuse of dignity when Lauma turns to look at her with a raging storm of emotions behind her eyes. (... Well, visible eye.)
“Wait, I… Lauma—” The collar of her body suit gets yanked forward and, as her accessories jingle, Nefer finds herself hot and bothered when Lauma quite literally towered over her with an unreadable expression on her face.
“Lady Nefer.” Heavens. Nefer was humiliatingly soaking wet at Lauma’s stern tone and it was obviously not the best time to feel like a horny teenager. “Deflect all you want, but we both know that it is useless.”
“For all that perceptive eyes and incredibly intelligent mind of yours, it appears to me that you are foolishly too prideful to even admit how ridiculously absurd this “acquaintances” act we dance around.” Nefer's breath catches in her throat.
Wait… Is her wish actually coming true? No! She shouldn't focus on that!
Trying to get a word out as a feeble attempt at coaxing Lauma’s frustration, Nefer opens her mouth, but she gets interrupted when soft lips roughly connects with her own and Nefer fails to hold back a moan.
It was funny how her hands immediately latched onto Lauma's hair, how Lauma pulled her closer by her waist while the other held Nefer's nape steadily.
It was unfortunate that both of them needed air after a few minutes.
Lauma nips on Nefer's bottom lip, tugging at the lip ring as Nefer pants for air. “Do you still want to continue this crumbling play we acted in, Nefer?”
“N-no.” She tries, and fails, to pull Lauma closer, whining softly when there was only a fraction of space between their lips. “Lauma.” Nefer draws out the second syllable, a pitiful sound escaping her.
Instantly, Nefer melts into a puddle of giddiness when Lauma's face softens into that same expression every time they have moments that were far too intimate for business partners.
“I’m sorry...” Nefer mutters an apology before Lauma kisses her once again. This time, it was unhurried and deliberate.
Sighing softly into the kiss, she tilts her head for a more comfortable angle.
Some endearing and annoying thing that she noticed long ago is that Lauma’s figure entirely covers her from sight. And there was a small bit of Nefer that loved it.
The two were too engrossed in their own world that they didn't hear the door slowly swing open.
“Boss! Captain Varka and Mister Flins are looking— h-holy shit!” They break off from each other, hearing the squeal that follows after a series of shocked gibberish.
Groaning at the interruption, she became highly aware of the three pairs of unwelcomed eyes and her burning face. Lauma clears her throat, giving Nefer's hip a gentle squeeze before turning around. Nefer wonders how unbothered she could act even when her hair looked like a bird’s nest due to Nefer messing it up minutes ago.
“Our sincerest apologies about… that.” Lauma carefully runs a hand through her hair, succeeding at the attempt of taming it.
Rubbing her temples, Nefer glares at the three. “What do you want?”
Jahoda was opening her mouth and closing it like a fish flailing and flapping on land. It would have been amusing if she hadn't disrupted their long overdue kissing session.
The two men behind her had a smug look on their faces. Varka was grinning like he won the lottery and Flins smirked as if he orchestrated their whole make-up-make-out.
“I believe you owe me a little favor, Sir Varka.” The Ratnik swiftly avoids Nefer's flying heel, his companion laughs at him before the other heel hits his chest and he chokes halfway through.
The harsh sound of the heel hitting against the metal wall made Jahoda break out of stupor and salutes in instinct.
“B-Boss Nef, reporting for duty!” Nefer's eyes narrowed, Jahoda felt embarrassment creeping on her face when she noticed both of their smudged lipstick that made her forget her next words.
“The three of you— get out!” Varka, clutching the spot on his chest, weakly salutes as Flins wiggles his eyebrows at them. “Aye, aye, Boss!” They hurriedly scurry out when Nefer reached for the metal cup.
The door shuts and now they were the only ones in the spacious room, if you exclude Ashru at his cat tree.
Weirdly, the atmosphere was… Awkward, and silent that you could hear a pin drop.
There were words both of them needed to get out of their chest before anything else, but it seemed like they would much rather stand awkwardly like teenagers that shared their first kiss. Well… It was technically their first kiss after years of self-discipline.
Nefer coughs, shuffling her feet similar to Jahoda. Lauma turned her whole body towards Nefer, she was silent for a second before she bursted into laughter.
At the mellifluous sound, Nefer finds herself light-headed and giddy. “Hmph. What are you laughing at?” She doesn't fight the curl of her own lips at Lauma's joy.
It was refreshing to see Lauma laughing so voluntarily, even if she was literally making fun of Nefer on the spot.
“Oh, Nefer.” There was a distinct, doting tone in her voice, the same one that Nefer chases in her dreams. “Nefer, Nefer…” Her name sounded like a sacred prayer on Lauma's lips.
Rough, large hands cradled her face so softly that Nefer selfishly didn't want the moment to ever end as her own hands poorly covered Lauma’s.
“Nefer.” She nuzzles on Lauma's scar-strewn palm, humming at the call of her name. “You aren't a figment of my imagination, right?” Nefer shakes her head, placing kisses on individual scars. “As far as I'm aware, I'm the real thing, Lady Lauma.”
Lauma grins, endearingly lopsided and so, so lovestruck; her eyes creased underneath and on the sides as they turn into crescent moons.
Nefer laughs at her expression, feeling her own shy and smitten grin. “Surely you've realized that we're acting like silly teenagers by now.” Lauma squeezes her face in between her hands. “Believe me, darling, I've realized that long ago.”
Her chest flutters at the endearment. Underneath Lauma's loving gaze, she squirms from the feeling of shyness that washed over her. “You're so in love with me, Lady Moonchanter.”
“Very much so.” Lauma confirms the statement. “I should charge you for this.” The threat was weak and harmless, so similar to every remark she would make before completing one of Lauma’s requests in record time.
“You should.” Lauma kisses her again, pulling away after a few seconds. “I love you so much.” She leaves quick pecks on Nefer's lips before pressing her lips on every spot on Nefer's face.
The fleeting feeling that left after every kiss was almost ticklish. Nefer laughs, “So insatiable.” She closes her eyes again when Lauma returns to kissing her on her lips, “I love you too.”
And Lauma smiles, so sweet that Nefer swore she had diabetes. “I love you to the moon and back.” Lauma always loved saying that phrase, Nefer laughs at the innocent irony. “And I love you more than mere words could ever express.”
Spying on her employer’s life was one way that could get Jahoda fired. Or worse, killed and left without a sliver of trace.
But still!
From outside the window, Jahoda tries to wipe her tears as Varka starts ugly crying beside her.
Flins pats their heads, a fond smile on his face upon hearing both of Lauma and Nefer's affection for each other.
“T-they're so—” Jahoda sobs quietly, hiding her face with her hands. “That was—” Varka couldn't even finish a single sentence before he burst into hiccups.
“Adorable.” Flins finishes their sentences for the both of them as both blondes nod and cry.
˖ ݁𖥔⋆˖⁺‧₊☽𖤓☾₊‧⁺˖⋆𖥔 ݁ ˖