Tʜᴇ Dᴜᴋᴇs ғɪᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪs ᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴍᴀɴ!?『ᴡʳⁱᵒᵗʰᵉˢˡᵉʸ ˣ ᴍʀ』

IX

Tᴇᴀʀs ᴏғ ᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴍᴀɴ

M/n was holding back so much and it was easy to see, though he has a poker face to even make the Archons feel uncertain, he was still an emotional being like anyone else and when his emotions shift it's hard to reign them back in.
"I'll talk to her, maybe if she knows that I'm also from–"

"No! Laura, please don't do that...I don't want her to hate you, she seems to like you a lot so I'd rather it stay that way.."M/n didn't finish his cake, he assumed it would help but it left him with an upset stomach.
"You've been here long and your life is fine. Don't throw it away, Me on the other hand I'm just a freeloader I'm only here to help him avoid his marriage to Navia. Hell, I don't even know who she is...I only took him up on that offer because he said I could live here. Archons! Why do I keep ending up in situations like this?!"

"What do you mean?"

"Situation where I have no choice but to compromise! I had a house when I got sent to the fortress my house got sold! Ugh, I was only helping! Everyone I've ever conned was some asshole who deserves it and yet I'm the bad guy! I'm the villain, I'm just trying to help past children of the orphanage! Ugh! Ouch!"M/n lets out a sharp cry of pain! The black veins spread across his body like before.
"M/n?!"

"This is what she did to us! She...She injected us with Abyssal energy, so many of us died but I got lucky to look the most normal besides this!!"M/n tried to snatch his blanket to cover his body but he could barely move due to the drawbacks of losing his grip on his emotions.
"Let me help you into bed."

"Don't–"

"Let me help."His ears lay flat on his head, he allowed Laura to help him but every step was agonizing, and physical touch burned so when he's placed in bed he winches from the pain.
"What's happening to you?"

"Physical pain is my drawback of having Abyssal energy flowing through my veins. I act nonchalantly to avoid flare-ups, strong emotions like anger are something I tend to avoid but yesterday's or even a few seconds ago I couldn't control it."

"How many survived?"

"Only a few of us...There was more but many were driven to madness and eventually took their life. Visual psychosis, mania, and many other mental disorders plagued us...However, only two were meekly normal, considered successful subjects in terms of mental health at first that is."Laura could see the exhaustion all over M/n's face, it was quite apparent that M/n was one of the two but decided against asking about the other. Instead, she gently tucks M/n in, careful to avoid putting too much pressure on his already buzzing body, and tells him to rest.

🐺🐺🐺

Later on that night, Wriothesley arrived at his manor and asked his head butler how M/n was. When it was made known that he never left the room, the warden headed over to see if M/n was fine. He slowly opens the door and peeks into the room before stepping inside. Laura had fallen asleep at M/n's bedside.
"Laura, hey wake up."

"Huh? Oh, what time is it?"

"It's near midnight, I just got back. You should head to your room, I'll watch over him."Laura sleepily nods her head before warning Wriothesley to not touch M/n. This drew up a multitude of questions but Laura was tired and he didn't want to prolong her sleep. Once she leaves, Wriothesley pulls over a chair to make himself comfortable with one of the many books nearby in hand and turns on the lamp.
"Archons, you read such sappy novels...But you seem to enjoy them so I'll bear it for entertainment."Wriothesley for reasons unknown was expecting a sassy remark for a moment but judging from how M/n looked at the moment, he knew it wouldn't happen till much later.
"Get better idiot."Wriothesley mutters while gently scratching between M/n's soft cat ears.
His cold fingertips eased M/n a bit more into a restful slumber.