Confoederatio Helvetica

She followed him to the kitchen, unwilling to go anywhere else. It would be foolish of her to leave him with a wounded pride, and she didn’t want him to think that she thought less of him than she did. Of course he would not be privy to all of her insecurities, so it was silly of her to react to his care for her like she had. Of all the nations, she felt less like a child around him, less underestimated and mocked for her youthful appearance. Though inwardly she cursed her found cheeks and soft features that caused the mistake, he had never made her feel…. less.

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, she almost missed the question he sent her way.

“Oh, I’m not sure. Perhaps it was but it died.”

She removed the phone from her pocket and brandished its blank screen.

“I could have found a public phone or such, however. I’m sorry.”

Drawn by the heat of the stove, she crossed the room to stand as close to it as she could without risk of burning, and lightly bumped his side with her shoulder. She didn’t want him to think that she had become uncomfortable with his presence.

Why then?  

Perhaps it was in the same vein as his struggle to not behave in a way that could be misconstrued as paternal. Except, in her case, it was a tightrope between relying on him and being independent. 

Bearing that in mind, he gripped the kitchen counter on either side of the stove and drew a slow breath. 

“Adalie. I want you to call me the next time something like this happens. I’ll help you, even if I’m away on work. And it’s not that I think that you can’t take care of yourself. It’s just that...” 

He tensed when Adalie nudged him, and his head snapped toward her, concern etched on his brow. She was not only his friend but his confidant. He ought to be the last person to instill feelings of inadequacy in her. Rather than grope for the right words to finish the thought, he nudged her in return, a flush crossing his face as he did so. 

“As long as you’re all right.”

The kettle whistle sounded, and he turned the stove knob until the burner flame went out. He gathered loose tea, teaware, and—most important—a chocolate bar. Carefully, he poured the water into a teapot and cup, and spooned in the loose tea. He placed the tea and chocolate, as well as a sugar bowl, on a tray and set them down on the table. 

“—hardly!” He was so quick to deny the notion that he nearly interrupted Francis mid-sentence. And his eyes darted away in embarrassment. 

“It couldn’t have been more than a few months ago that I last saw you.” It was a long time to go without talking to someone. But for Basch, it was miniscule. 

“I’m alright, really, Basch! I’m not a child, and I won’t catch cold!”

She tried the best she could to ward him off. The thought of Basch touching her intimates was mortifying, and she could not allow it.

“All I need is a towel and maybe some tea if you have it. Though I wouldn’t say no to some chocolate either.”

A knowing smile passed her lips as there was no doubt that Basch had some chocolate somewhere in the house. It was an endearing vice he had, and reflective of his personality. Often bitter, but with a hidden sweetness inside. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

She pulled his jacket closer around her, relishing the dregs of his body heat. Oh how she did not want to give this up just yet.

“Very well.” He sighed, his sense of urgency diminishing, and he stepped away from Adalie to fetch what looked more like a sheepskin rug than a towel. Cautious not to seem paternalistic, he handed her the towel instead of wrapping it around her like he did with his jacket. 

A faint blush filled his cheeks. He didn’t know which was more embarrassing: that she just assumed he had chocolate, or that she was right to as his kitchen was always chock-full of just about every brand of Swiss chocolate there was.

“Of course.” He tried to will his blush away, but to no avail. And, with a quick turn on his heel, he headed for the kitchen. There, he filled a tea kettle with water and placed it on the stove before turning the burner on.

“It’s fine, Adalie.” Truthfully, he was glad she was here. Her presence alone was able to alleviate his stress in a way that alcohol never could. He only tolerated the company of most others, but he welcomed hers without fail. 

As he waited for the water to boil, he pulled out a cell phone from his hip pocket and frowned when he saw that Adalie’s name wasn’t in the call history. 

Thunder rolled across the clouds as Adalie shivered in her dress. The fabric hadn’t felt thin until her car had broken down in the middle of a storm, but she was close enough to Basch’s house that she had decided to rely on his hospitality. Now, though, her initial bravado had faded, and her clothing clung uncomfortably to her skin. She should have called first, but the door was right there… right there..

She pounded on the door with all her strength, which considering the circumstances, wasn’t very much.

“Basch, please tell me you’re there!” she called as another shiver ran through her. “I need to rely on you again, for a short time though!”

Oh she should have thought this through more. What if he was busy? What if he was out doing business with Ludwig or Francis or someone else? 

To relax, he settled for watching the subsequent rain from his window with a glass of wine and plate of cheese. And while the rain poured down hard enough to drown out his troubled thoughts, it couldn’t muffle the pounding on his front door. 

He set his glass down on the kitchen table and took out a pistol from his gun cabinet. He knew it was most likely someone who simply got caught in the storm, but he always took precautions no matter how small the risk. As he approached the door, however, he heard Adalie’s unmistakable, soft voice cry out to him in distress. 

He stuffed his pistol in his back pocket and hastily unlocked the door. When he opened it, his eyes widened at the sight of Adalie drenched with rain. He promptly unzipped his jacket and draped it over her shoulders before ushering her inside. 

“What happened, Adalie?!” His hand moved up and down her arm to give her more warmth as he closed the door. 

らくがきまとめ

Pixiv ID: 47350374 Member: ろく太