Work Text:
"Lady Asta, passed out? What do you mean she's passed out?”
The Trailblazer chuckled nervously before answering his question.
“Well….she was drinking Himeko’s coffee, and suddenly she went all out and finished a whole jug of coffee. Oh, did I mention that her coffee smelled strange? Yeah, that's probably the case. I hope you pick her up soon, haha…Bye!”
Arlan let out a sigh before putting his phone in his pocket. It hasn't been a day since Asta rode on The Express, and yet she managed to get herself into trouble, again.
Peppy, who's waiting for Arlan besides him, happily barks, waiting for him to throw the disc so he can catch it again.
“Sorry, Peppy. I need to get Lady Asta for a moment… Would you mind waiting for me?”
A bark is all he needs to hear before making his way to the train.
ཐི♡ཋྀ
Asta is now on his back, muttering unknown words, slurred with soft noises. He let out a soft grunt as her arms held his body closer to his. “Hmmng…. Arlan— is that you…???” She opened her mouth, talking as if she’s tipsy– she probably is.
His eyes softened at her words. She’s conscious now, that’s more important than being passed out. Lots of eyes are eying them as Arlan carries her to her room, igniting gossips that’ll soon turn into spiralling across the entire space station.
“Yes, m’lady? Is your stomach okay? Did you feel nauseous perhaps?”
His words were laced with concern, tightening his grip on Asta—making sure she’ll not fall under any circumstances. Peppy, who’s waiting from a far, started barking at the sight of him, running and walking beside him, but didn't make any sounds afterwards.
She shook her head, then leaned it closer to his shoulder. “My stomach is fine, but my head is spinning like crazy…” He continued to ask her another question, “What makes you pass out ,Lady Asta? I’ve heard it from them, but I want to hear it directly from you…”
She shakes her head yet again, groaning. “Himeko’s coffee just tastes fantastic… I overdose… Sorry for troubling you, Arlan…” He just let out a sigh in response, before smiling softly. “You're not troubling me in any way, m’lady.. I do what I was assigned to, don’t fret about it…”
“Still…” “We’re here.” Her words were cut off by Arlan’s sudden exclamation. He knew she would ramble about how sufferable he was with her, or how she was always taking his time helping her doing unnecessary work—which is simply not true.
He enjoys helping her, spending more time with her and Peppy is what’ll make him genuinely happy.
Opening the door to her bedroom, he walks into it carefully, trying to not disturb any stuff that concerns her privacy. Tenderly, he placed her onto the bed, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Peppy barked again and jumped onto her bed, laying beside her. Asta’s eyes are getting heavy again, as Peppy makes itself comfortable in her arms.
Arlan takes it as a sign to let them rest. He covers her with a blanket, making sure she’s comfortable. Just as he was about to get back to work, A pair of hands were clutching to his coat - rather tightly.
“Stay with us too…” She mumbled with her eyes closed.
With a small sigh, he sat down on the edge of her bed - just near enough to stroke her soft, pink hair. He lowers his head, almost closing the space between his face and hers. With a rather gently smile, he whisper into her ears before she went into her dream,
“Good night, m’lady…”