Work Text:
It was quite interesting. No matter how much noise Edgar made, the “prisoner” never seemed to budge from his own thoughts. He continued to scribble things down in a notebook with one hand whilst skimming another with the other. Sometimes, he would set the pencil down and pull on his own hair or bang his hands against his head.
Edgar had tried quite literally everything to get his attention too.
At first, he “accidentally” dropped a pile of books. Then, he threw a pencil at the table. Hell, he even approached the table, sat down, said Luca’s name, and waved a hand in front of his face.
Absolutely nothing.
Either this criminal was a master of ignoring him or he was focused on whatever he was working on so intensely that he locked the rest of the world out.
Propped up on the other side of the curious man, Edgar opened his sketchbook. It would be fantastic practice to sketch someone who wasn’t focused about posing or looking good for him. It was natural; like a still life.
His nose wrinkled up as he adjusted his seat to get a good angle. Whichever way he sketched him, he really really wanted to bring out the life he saw.
Luca wasn’t ugly- Scratch that.
Luca was a little ugly.
He wasn’t nearly as ugly as the grave whatever or the hunters… But he was close. The nasty bruise on his eye made it swell and turn a variety of colors. If he were to ever paint Luca, he would mix purple with green, blue, and red undertones… Perhaps even a little yellow to really bring out the nastiness of it.
The electrical burns across his face and body were also interesting. Edgar wanted to try and emulate them one day. They were scattered across his bad eye and probably along his body. There were so many interesting textures to the “prisoner” that Edgar was interested in. Freckles, burns, bruises, scars, and other wounds.
“Hm.” He tapped his pencil against his bottom lip as he finally found an angle he liked.
Edgar sat a bit to the side so he could get a full view of Luca’s black eye. He wanted to sketch that the most.
Silently, he began to sketch him. Each line, curve, and pencil marking was made with purpose. The eraser at the end of his pencil remained untouched as he skillfully drew Luca exactly as he saw him; one hand writing away, another hand tugging at his bangs, a bead of sweat dripping down his furrowed brows, his squinted eyes, and a look of pure distress spread across his face.
Whatever he was working on must have been upsetting.
Good.
Edgar didn’t want to draw some pretty expression anyway. The uglier the muse was; the more memorable the final product would be.
Nearly an hour passed.
The artist was extremely pleased with himself. He had managed to fill five pages with a variety of different poses and sketches of Luca.
Every now and again, he would flinch at a sudden movement or hold back from yelling at his muse. Luca’s actions were quite unpredictable. Sometimes he would slam his books shut, curse as he bit his pencil, and so on and so forth. Very… exciting, to say the least.
Luca let out a loud groan as he smacked his forehead against the table. He clutched the edge tightly with his hands in a way that would probably make his knuckles turn white if Edgar could see them.
Once, twice, three times- He hit his head on his notebook whilst laughing in pure pain.
Not sure what to do, Edgar decided to break his silence. Not out of concern… More out of annoyance that the pose he was sketching changed, of course. Criminals were criminals and did not deserve his respect.
“Balsa.”
No response.
“Luca Balsa.”
Luca paused and slowly lifted his head. His bangs were sticking to his forehead and a red welt appeared where he had been hitting it against the table.
“Wha… Oh- When did ya’get here?” His words slurred just a bit.
“I’ve been here for an hour and a half. God, didn’t you notice? Rude.” The artist closed his sketchbook and crossed his arms. “What are you doing?”
The “prisoner” looked down at his notes and then back up at the artist. His brows twitched before answering. “...I… Uh-” His gloved fingers ran over the messy pages of scribbles. It looked like he was struggling to read his own writing. “It’s…”
“Oh, so it’s nothing.” Edgar’s eyes shifted to the side. “What a waste of time. You should find a new hobby. Why don’t you scurry back to your room and do something productive like sleep? You look like hell.” Hopefully Luca would understand he wanted him to go rest.
“What- What the hell do you know about what’m doin’? It’s not a waste of time-! I have- I gotta remember! I have’ta ‘member-” He covered his face with his hands as he hunched over in his seat. “I can’t sleep… If I sleep, it’ll be gone. Haha- Everything I’ve ever worked for-! Just… Gone! Like- Poof!”
“...Doesn’t that just mean you should go rest? Pushing yourself is never good. I should know. As a famous artist, I know my muse can’t be rushed. You wouldn’t get it-”
“Yeah, duh- I don’t get it… I’m not an artist. I… I was an inventor. I would help people… You’re the one who doesn’t get it.” Luca hissed.
“Fine! See if I care.” Edgar stood up and grabbed his sketchbook. He tucked it under his arm as he turned his nose up in the air. “This is why no one likes you!”
“Fine!”
“Fine!”
Edgar stormed out of the library with a huff; leaving Luca sitting at the table with even more frustration than he originally started with.
About thirty minutes went by. Edgar was determined to finish his sketch of Luca, so he returned to the library.
When he walked in, he noticed Luca at the table. His head was down in his work and his arms were slack against his sides.
“Hmph. Still wasting your time with those childish doodles, huh? If you want to do real art y-” Edgar rose a brow at him as he approached.
“Tch. Useless.”
Luca had passed out from exhaustion.
Jabbing his arm with his finger, Edgar waited for the “prisoner” to wake up. To his surprise, he seemed to be really out of it. Must have been a deep sleeper… Idiot. Why wouldn’t he just go to bed or rest when he wasn’t feeling well? This was such an annoying person to deal with.
“...”
Edgar stared at him blankly.
What the hell was he supposed to do in this situation?
Rubbing his temple, Edgar could feel a headache coming on. He shouldn’t help this guy at all. They’ve done nothing but fight.
But.
He was his muse.
Grabbing Luca’s arms, he attempted to hoist him up. To his surprise, the criminal was way heavier than he looked.
“Gh-”
Dropping Luca on the floor, Edgar stumbled back and caught his balance at the last moment. His eyes darted around the room to ensure no one had seen him.
Luca’s limp body laid on the ground rather pathetically. It wasn’t like Edgar could pick him up again or anything. What if he pulled a muscle? His artwork would suffer if he got actually hurt.
With his hands on his hips, Edgar leaned down to eye the “prisoner” once more. He kicked him lightly with his foot to see if he would wake up- And nothing. Nope. Still asleep.
“.....”
What a pain! What an absolute pain! How could anyone deal with this guy!? It was annoying! Completely and utterly annoying! Was this what Maple dealt with? If he knew his sister was putting up with him the same way he was putting up with Luca- Maybe he wouldn’t have been so inconsiderate of her.
All the days when he refused to leave his room or take care of himself… Maple would always do favors for him. She would feed the cat, clean up around the house, leave notes for him, and feed him.
What would Maple do in this situation…? Maybe if he dropped subtle hints to take care of himself... Luca would listen.
“Whatever!” Edgar shouted to no one. He ignored the way Luca’s mouth opened as he drooled on himself. He was seriously knocked out.
He removed his capelet and threw it on top of Luca carelessly. It would make do for a blanket, right? God- It was his favorite too. Luca better appreciate how considerate he was for him.
“There.” He looked down again and-
.
Okay. The way he threw his capelet down on Luca made it look like he was a corpse. It was covering his face… Ugh. How creepy. He didn’t like him, but imagining him dead was beyond his sensibilities.
Edgar adjusted the makeshift blanket to cover his chest area. Afterwards, he nodded to himself and looked around.
He might as well close up Luca’s books and notebooks. It would be a mess for him to do himself when he wasn’t feeling great.
Shutting everything, Edgar peeked inside the notebook. It was all nonsense; as expected. Luca didn’t ever make any sense in the first place. Everything he said was confusing and sometimes his words would be messy. An annoyance.
Finishing that up, Edgar pulled out his sketchbook and pulled out a blank page. He wrote something down and grabbed some painter’s tape from his pocket.
Taping the note to Luca’s forehead, Edgar decided he had done enough.
He left the room.
Slowly waking up, Luca looked around his surroundings with confusion. His head was absolutely aching as he squinted into the dim light.
Based off of the setting sun, he assumed it must have been near seven pm. The days felt rather long at the manor... That's when the sun often set.
Luca rubbed his forehead due to something itchy touching it. "Wha-" He grabbed whatever was attached to his skin in a hurry. What the hell was that?
In his hand was a piece of paper with tape attached. It had rather messy handwriting written on it. He didn't recognize it at all until he saw the initials. "E.V..."
Dear moron,
Go get some proper sleep. You're a hindrance to everyone if you keep passing out like this. You better keep taking care of yourself.
Get well soon,
E.V.
He scratched the side of his cheek as he looked at it. Huh. Was this his way of saying he cared? Or was he trying to be annoying...? It was impossible to tell which was the truth. It was a little cute. Not much; just a little.
As Luca stood up, something fell off of him. He didn't realize it before, but Edgar's red capelet had fallen off his body. Did Edgar really leave it on him? For a blanket or something?
He bent down to pick it up and held it in his hand. It was soft... And kind of smelled like the artist- Paint, metal, and a hint of citrus. It was an odd mixture of scents that Luca wasn't entirely sure if he liked or disliked.
"Weirdo..." He grumbled to himself.
The "prisoner" collected his notebook from the table, his books, and Edgar's capelet. He might as well return it to him. It would be strange for him to hold onto someone else's clothing for long. It was kind of funny to think Edgar tucked him in with it. Maybe... this guy wasn't as bad as he seemed. All bark and no bite...
Luca trailed down the hallway to go to Edgar's room. Due to the survivor's rooms being assigned based off of last name, he had quite a bit to go; however, he stopped in front of his own room.
A plate of food covered with a cloche. It was still warm underneath too... Ah. Another note.
Dear idiot,
Take care of yourself and eat. You're going to throw matches if you're weak.
Go away,
E.V.
Interesting word choice... Luca would have said something nicer if their roles were reversed. Even if he didn't want to, it would be better to be nice to someone you're helping. At least, he would think so.
He left the food there as he continued down the hall.
As Luca made it to Edgar's room, he knocked on the door with the piece of clothing in hand. "Hey, Edgar. I'm returning your cloak thing. Do ya want it on the door knob or-"
"Ugh- Shut up! Shut up!" The artist clearly stomped his foot on the ground and threw something to the side before marching over to the door. He slammed it open and snapped at the "prisoner" instantly. "Your voice ruined my train of thought! I was getting somewhere good too- Oh. It's you."
Edgar stood there with his arms crossed firmly. He was scowling at Luca as he wrinkled his nose up with pure disgust. "Are you still wasting my time? What is it? I was busy."
"...God, sorry- I jus' wanted to return this." He handed Edgar his capelet and peered into his room. "What the heck-?"
"Don't look-! It's not done yet!" Edgar protested as he attempted to close the door.
Unable to shut the door due to Luca holding it open, Edgar became frustrated. His fingers pried against Luca's as he pushed him back with his leg. "Back- Get back! It's not done-!"
"Are you painting me!?" Luca gasped. He had seen enough, so he allowed Edgar to shove him away. He stood outside of the door with an impressed, sort of crooked grin plastered on his face. "Wow... You gave me your capelet, a few notes, dinner, and a painting? That's amazing."
"Shut up! Go to hell!" Edgar slammed the door in his face, opened the door to snatch up his capelet, then closed it again.
"Huh."
Standing there blankly, Luca stared at the door whilst his smile fell.
What a strange person.
The next day, Luca woke up in a random place again. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have been really out of it. Did he have a headache attack again? Or was this from staying up all night? Gah, he couldn't recall.
The last thing he remembered was getting close to finding an answer in an equation he was solving in relation to his invention. His invention that was... Something. Something related to-
It was no use. He couldn't recall.
At least he fell asleep on a couch this time. He slowly got up from his spot and stretched his arms above his head. As he did so, he accidentally bumped into someone sitting beside him.
Rather surprised to touch another human being, Luca took his arms back quickly. A tiny burst of electricity shot out from his body and shocked the person out of lack of control.
"Sorry-!"
"Fuck-!" Edgar flinched at the sudden electric spark and snapped his eyes open in a hurry. He shook off his hand that was closest to Luca to rid it of the tingly feeling. "Horrible! That's horrible! After all I've done for you and you shock me?! I knew it. I shouldn't be around criminals." He cursed under his breath whilst he prepared to stand up.
Putting two and two together, Luca soon realized he had been sleeping on Edgar's lap. The reason why his head felt okay was because of Edgar's random act of kindness. His cheeks darkened from embarrassment.
"Wait-" He grabbed Edgar's arm to pull him back down.
The artist reluctantly returned to his seat and forced his eyes in the opposite direction of Luca. He would rather look at anything else but him. How humiliating. Being caught in a kind act was something he never wanted anyone to actually know. There might be expectations for him if they realized he was capable of being nice. Luca better not say a damned word if he-
"Why?" Luca blurted out. "I thought ya hated me?" His voice quivered with nervous laughter. "Man, I thought we hated each other."
"Don't think so little of me." Edgar pulled his arm away from Luca and turned his head to the side. "I'm only repaying the favor."
"Eh? For what?" He couldn't recall doing anything for Edgar.
"Your horrible face gave me some inspiration. You're my current muse. I want to paint you- For my own reasons. Don't mistake this for me actually liking you. I would never actually associate with a cold blooded criminal."
"Right... Same to you. I'd never want to hang out with a snot-nosed artist." Luca laughed freely. "Come on... It's okay. I know you're a softie!"
"Incorrect. I am not-"
"Are too."
"Not."
"Are!"
"No-!"
Luca waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. I get it. You're just tryin' to act all tough. Haha, makes sense. Can I thank you?"
Blinking twice, Edgar turned to look at Luca directly. "About time you've thanked me for everything. So, what will it be? Go ahead. Start worshiping me." His lips curled into a smirk at the idea of the "prisoner" kneeling down and bowing to him.
"Thank you for helpin' me out, Edgar." Luca leaned in quickly to kiss his cheek.
The chaste kiss was ended quite quickly. Luca didn't linger for long in fear of being slapped away, but instead; Edgar simply grabbed him by his chain.
"If you're trying to embarrass me, you'll have to do better than that." His brows furrowed with annoyance as he challenged Luca. "Do it properly or not at all. We're not children."
"Properly? Fine."
Their lips met for a slow, soft kiss.
They closed their eyes whilst their mouths moved together in sync. For two very different people, it was a little comforting to know they could unite in such a way. The two of them shared a few similarities when it came to their passions. Maybe Edgar wouldn't mind helping Luca when he was around... Especially if little rewards like these came up.
The kiss broke and Edgar wiped his mouth off with his sleeve. His cheeks were only tinted a tiny bit of pink. "You're a bad kisser."
"You taste like paint water." Luca complained. He stuck his tongue out to prove a point.
"What- No I don't! Okay- Maybe-! It was just an accident!" Edgar snapped back.
"Haha! Really?"
They bickered back and forth until Edgar shut Luca up with another kiss.
So much for being subtle.