Eyes of Blue, Heart of Stone (Baroness X Femme Reader)

I'm With Some Very Hurt People

AN:
Hello everyone, I'm not dead. I'm so sorry for not updating much. Writers block has been a pain and I've had some pretty big things go on whilst I've been silent. Thank you for your patience.

Lotsa love
Liv

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Artie has always prided himself on being able to read a certain type of people. People who were broken inside, who built up castles to hide themselves. He would sit with those people and hold them as their castles were crumbling, reassuring them it was never their fault. Maybe he wasn't as broken as them. Maybe he didn't go through what they went through. It didn't matter to him. Hurt people were hurt. And that was okay.

Baroness Von Hellman, like any person Artie knew, had a tell. Whenever she was uncomfortable, upset, or afraid, she toys with her hair. She got annoyed at plenty of things, potholes, slow traffic, designers, but being annoyed and being afraid was two polar opposite kettles of fish. People raising their voices at her was one of her biggest triggers. She had learnt to be loud, so she could always be louder. Louder when it got too hard to regulate herself. She could throw a tantrum, have a scream, be loud.

The silence that burned in her throat made the household more afraid than they've ever been with the routine tantrums. At least they were routine.

The household lived in routine.

Eventually leaving the Baroness - to... whatever it was that she was doing - Artie went wandering. The house was so large, so cavernous and so curiously empty, that there seemed to be a million places to be found all across the Von Hellman estate.

"H- hi Artie." John was red. Red handed and red faced. "Hey." It was that type of hey. The kind you receive only from the one. His guilt made him feel worse than he could've ever imagined. "What's wrong?" Artie asked. He looked at John, gripping a kinky collar in his hands.

ANAL SLUT.

Artie snorted. "Who's is this?" He asked, subconsciously running his hands over the bejewelled letters that were resting on the leather. John stood silent, attempting to take the accessory back.

Victoria hovered outside your office door, her hands surprisingly sweaty and terribly shaky.

"So the Baron gave Mrs V H this collar?"

"Uh huh."

"And she wants it out so Y/N doesn't see it?"

"Uh huh."

"And you told Y/N it's for me?"

"It was a thing in the heat of the moment-" John stuttered. "Have you mentioned that to the Baroness. Would she approve?" Artie mocked. Glaring at him, John replied, "She is in a mood. I'd rather not deal with her."

"She's always in a mood."

John and Artie turned to notice Polly, the maid, covering up a bruise on her face with concealer.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to startle you. I know I shouldn't speak ill of my boss, but she's being a right cow!" Polly sighed. "What's the matter?" John asked, his tone turning slightly defensive. "She's been hovering around the door to Miss Y/N's office for a good few minutes. Threw a shoe at me when I asked if I could help."

"Toria, dear, what's the matter?"

"S- someone is in our bedroom..."