Work Text:
BANG! You shot upright in bed at the sharp sound. Every possible bad instance went through your mind as you gathered your bearings and pulled yourself together. Lucio was standing on the other end of the bedroom, tearing his bureau drawers out. He looked at you, just noticing you had woken up and immediately flushed with embarrassment.
“Y\N! Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.” He apologized, while rifling through his possessions.
“It's fine, Lucio. What are you looking for, love?”
“I lost it.”
“What?” You rubbed the sleep from your eyes, swinging your feet over the edge of the canopy bed. “What did you lose?”
“My arm!” He gestured with his left hand to where his right arm would be, except the prosthetic was gone and he was left with just a nub. You looked to his nightstand on his side of the bed, but sure enough, no golden gauntlet there.
“How could you lose your arm? You always put it on your nightstand before bed.”
“I know! That's why I'm so frustrated!” Lucio picked up his belongings that he pulled out of his drawers in his frantic search and haphazardly put them back in the dresser. “I swear I put it on my nightstand last night, but it's not there and it's not with any of my clothes, so I don't have a single clue where it could have gone!” He put his hand to his head and sat down with a huff on the bed next to you.
His eyes looked at the dark wood floor, lost in irritation. You put your hand on his left cheek and pulled him in for a gentle kiss. His blue eyes opened the tiniest bit in surprise.
“Arm or no arm, you’re still Lucio. My dashing, handsome Count Lucio.” He took your hand in his and put a kiss on it, smiling lightly at your kind words.
“Thank you darling, but we really should find my arm. It's worth a good fortune in gold, and I’d hate to misplace it.” Lucio said in a calm but determined voice.
“You’re right. Let's get dressed and then we can go look around the palace for it.”
“Alright.” He nodded.
After a good forty five minutes of Lucio dressing himself in his private bath and struggling to do his princely eyeliner with one hand (in which you came to his assistance,) he was ready to go actually look. All of his shirts and suits were cut to fit his gauntlet, and without said gauntlet, he looked a bit odd and disproportionate in his normal suit. You could tell Lucio was a bit self conscious of walking around without his arm. He didn't walk with his usual gusto through the palace hallways, but rather a pace or two behind you.
“So where else do you think you could have left it?” You asked, looking back.
Lucio thought for a second, before replying “I spent most of the day in parlor yesterday. It could be in there, although I'm pretty sure I didn't put it down while I was in the parlor.”
“Well, it's worth looking. C’mon.”
You walked into the parlor, where you found Nadia sitting on one of the furnished chairs, sipping tea. She looked up with a delighted grin when she saw you come in.
“Good morning Y\N, Hello Lucio.” Said Nadia modestly.
“Hi Noddy, have you happened to see my arm anywhere?” Lucio asked. Nadia looked up from her tea.
“Your arm?”
“Yes, my gauntlet thingy. Have you seen it anywhere?”
“Lucio thinks he might have left it here yesterday.” You piped in.
Nadia shook her head. “I have not seen it recently, not since yesterday when it was still attached to your person.” Nadia sipped her tea. “However, I did see your dogs running around with something earlier this morning.”
“What was it?” Lucio asked the countess desperately.
“I don't quite know, something shiny though. The two of them took off before I could see what it was.”
“Those thieves!” Lucio grabbed your hand. “C’mon, Y\N, we’re gonna go hunt down my hunting dogs!”
After asking several palace servants of the whereabouts of Lucios dogs, all accounts seemed to suggest they went outside. You followed Lucio down the marble steps of the palace and around to the palace’s garden, a common area for Mercedes and Melchor to play during the day. Sure enough, there were two nearly identical white dogs laying in front of the fountain, Lucios gauntlet next to them.
“YOU TWO! YOU STOLE MY ARM!” Lucio shouted, running towards his dogs. Unfortunately for him, both dogs were a step ahead of their owner, and grabbed the gauntlet in their jaws and ran in the opposite direction.
“GET BACK HERE!” Lucio shouted, blonde hair whipping lightly behind him. Lucio was fast and strong, but both of his dogs were extremely lithe, and ran much faster than him with ease, tails wagging happily behind them, as if this whole goose chase was a game. The two white dogs bounded into the woods on the edge of the palace garden, pushing through the brush and into the trees.
“Lucio, wait!” you managed to grab him before he dove in after the dogs.
“Yeah?” He asked, taking his eyes off the dogs for only a split second to look at you.
“This part of the woods comes out near Portia's cottage, if we run through the garden, we’ll beat them to the other side!”
He nodded quickly in understandment.
“Okay, let's go then!” He continued sprinting along the edge of the garden, you following short in toe. It only took you a few seconds to get to the other side of the forestry patch. Within seconds, the two white dogs came barreling through the brush and ran right into Lucio and I, toppling us over into the garden lawn. Lucio grabbed Mercedes by the collar.
“Drop it.” Lucio commanded. His dog spit out his gauntlet in defeat, giving his owner big puppy dog eyes. You grab the gauntlet from the ground and give it to Lucio, who let go of his dog in exchange for it. He snapped it on expertly in a matter of seconds, the enchanted gauntlet going from a limp piece of gold to an extension of Lucio's body. Lucio waggled his gold fingers at his two dogs.
“You two are in big trouble! How could you steal daddy’s arm, you know how much it means to me!” Both dogs looked at him with unphased expressions as Lucio continued on his rant. “If you do this again I’ll make sure that the palace staff will be feeding you regular dog food rather than your gourmet seared steak for dinner, you hear me?” Melchor's pink tongue fell out of his mouth, clearly not scared of their owner. Lucio, who had been trying to keep a stern and angry face at his dogs, immediately broke character at his dog's lack of reaction. “Aww, you two know I’m kidding.” He gushed to his dogs, who reacted by jumping up and licking his no longer threatening face. He laughed heartily at the two dogs, you couldn't help but smile at how cute they all were together. Like a big, blonde, happy family.
“Alright you two, get lost, go play.” Lucio smiled. The two dogs lopped off into the garden, as if the chase had never occurred. Still smiling, Lucio held his metallic hand out for you.
“Shall we, Y\N?” He asked, ready to walk back to the palace.
“We shall.” You responded, looping your arm with his as you began to stroll back through the garden, gauntlet and all.