Chrysalis To A Butterfly [Kiana Kaslana X Male OC]

The Dumbo And Her Dork I

"Die Rechnung, bitte", Kiana called for the waiter. In her voice, there was a faint German accent—probably a remnant from her childhood— that Sal couldn't help but notice. It made him smile. (Can you get the bill.)

The young waiter nodded; his sandy blonde hair was side-swept as he gazed at Kiana with a tinge of fondness. Sal sighed as he averted his gaze, suddenly too interested in the blueberry cheesecake Kiana had ordered for him.

"I am starting to like this side of you, dork," Kiana whispered, accompanied by her sweet-soft cackle.

In an attempt to hide his embarrassment, Sal buried his face on the table.

"I will get back at you for this one day Dumbo." He replied, his voice muffled.

"Can't hear you." Kiana teased as she, too, lowered her face, bringing it right next to Sal's.

Watching Sal react the way he was made her want to squeal. It was not every day Kiana found Sal acting like a child. After all their hardships together, witnessing Sal act like a child was a reward Kiana didn't think she deserved. But she was a selfish girl; thus, she would relish this moment and make sure this was not the last time.

"Shut up," He grumbled with a smile on his face.

Kiana chuckled, her forehead touching the back of his head. She could feel Sal's body tense at her sudden touch, but he slowly accepted her.

What a troublesome person you are, Sal Kiana chuckled. Her fingers rested gently on the gaps between his fingers; she had yet to let go of him. And despite how tightly she gripped him, Sal didn't complain.

"Dork," Kiana whispered, her voice laced with endearment. "I am here, right next to you. So don't hold back. I am strong enough to take on anything you throw at me."

Sal hummed quietly.

"Mein Fräulein," The waiter called for Kiana; he held a brown leather-bound check-presenter in his arms. "Hier ist Ihre Rechnung"

"Let me take care of that," Fu Hua interjected as she grabbed the check-presenter from the waiter.

"Sure, madame," He curtsied and retreated. In his raven eyes, he could see disappointment, but for the sake of professionalism, he did not let it affect his work.

Meanwhile, Bronya, who was quietly tolerating her two friends for the past hour, stood up. Her fingers were curled into a fist as she glared at Kiana.

"I am done with you guys!"

"Ehh?" Kiana detached herself from Sal in a hurry. "What happened?"

"See, I don't mind you latching yourself onto Sal when you are alone." She started. "But this, I can't take this anymore."

Her small stunt garnered attention from others, as murmurs and whispers in Deutsch, Spanish, German and Swedish overpowered the melody of the classical music that had filled the place.

Like a moth to a flame, Sal, too, gazed at Bronya. His face filled with part amusement and embarrassment. He wasn't planning on becoming a part of his squadmate's scuffle, but at the same time, he wasn't going to miss it either.

"I wasn't-" Kiana quickly countered, stopping when she felt Sal pulling her towards him.

"Not helping, dork." She scolded him in a whisper.

"I don't want you to leave," He whispered back with a grin plastered over his face. At this point, he was adding fuel to the fire—though he meant it when he said he didn't want Kiana to leave.

"See," Bronya rolled her eyes. "Even now, you two are flirting."

"We are not-"

Bronya's silver lock swayed behind her as she pulled her grey coat from the chair. Using her left hand, she pulled up her hair, ensuring it didn't get tangled inside the coat.

"Sussanah, let's leave," Bronya grumbled as she held the younger girl by her arm and dragged her towards the exit.

"Bronya," Kiana tried to reason, almost going to follow her when she felt Sal tug onto her sleeves and increase his grip on her hand. It was Sal's way of getting back at her.

"Sal, not now," Kiana tried to reason. However, it was too late by then.

There was a chime—this time loud and disruptive— which signalled the departure of the two girls. One was annoyed by Kiana, and another was dragged out of her will.

"And then there were three," Sal whispered, earning a glare followed by a flick on his forehead from Kiana.

"Why did you do that?" She questioned, completely ignoring Fu Hua's existence, who shook her head. Sal wondered if Fu Hua was done with them or if she was unable to fathom how he could be so relaxed a night before his supposed death sentence.

"I wanted you for myself." He replied honestly. Ever since Wraith confronted Sal about his past, he felt a peculiar chill in his abdomen. His lips would tremble as the images from his buried memories tried to resurface. If it weren't for Kiana's presence, he would have been trembling—not out of fear but disgust.

"Just for a bit longer." He quietly pleaded. "Can you stay with me, Kiana?"

Feeling the weight behind the boy's words, Kiana knew he wasn't playing games anymore. Sal genuinely needed her—even if only temporarily—he had called out for her.

"Sure," She replied softly. She was giving her approval. "But let's leave here," She pointed towards patrons who were still gazing at them, some with amusement while others with displeasure.

"Agreed," He smiled. "Though it was fun to see Bronya mad at you."

"No, it wasn't." She grumbled as she got up.

"Sorry, Fu Hua," Kiana apologized. "I will make it up to you next time. Also, thanks for finding a lawyer and paying for the food."

And with that, Kiana walked out of the Golden shimmer of Restorante Rossini Pizzeria and into the freezing Bahnhofstrasse street. 

*****

A/N I know, I know I have been absent for a long time;-;. And I apologize for that. I had a lot of work to cover up and extra Uni classes. 'Cries again', but hey, now I am back with a brand new chapter! The writing style of this chapter might be on a different level than the last one (On the lower spectrum;-;), and I apologize for that. The two-week break has made my skills a bit rusty, but it is nothing that a few more warm-up writing sessions won't fix.

Today's chapter isn't delving into the dark and heavy topics of war. I am keeping that reserved for future chapters and when I am confident about my style to do justice to them. Thus, this chapter and the next chapter will be very wholesome and fluffy :3 Well, as wholesome as Honkai Impact 3rd can be. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter, and like always, Happy Reading!