Work Text:
You stood in the kitchen next to the coffeemaker, rubbing your eyes gently. It was really early in the morning, but you were already dressed and ready to go. A normal week day.. In the mansion only Sebastian was up on his feet, preparing the breakfast next to you in the kitchen. It was a comfortable silence between you two, a routine settled in over the past few years and it brought some peace of mind to you, considering the drama of the evening before. You sighed deeply in relief when the coffee was finally ready to drink. You poured yourself a mug, offering Sebas one as well but he declined.
Not long after foot steps could be heard in the corridor before the dining hall. A small smile formed on your lips, since you were all too familiar with them.
The door opened and Theo stepped through first, followed by a young girl who had a skip in her step and a smile on her face. Elanor Vittoria van Gogh was eight years old, yours and Theo’s daughter, with long brown hair, typical bright blue Van Gogh eyes.. She almost looked like Vincent, didn’t have much from your looks. Her appearance could be deceiving though… Like she proved last evening when she refused to go to bed because she wanted to go stargazing with Isaac in the middle of the night.
“Do you have everything for school, pup?” Theo asked her while sitting down at the table. Sebastian was already out serving healthy breakfast to the both of them.
“Sure.. Do I have to though? Can I not go to Leon’s school instead? It’s so much more fun…”, Elanor complained to her father.
“Sorry sweety, but you can’t learn fencing and physics all day.” You smiled at her and then reached for the blue ribbon in her hands, tying up her hair a moment later. It was then, when both of them noticed what kind of breakfast had been served. Their faces changed in the exact same second to a deep, disgusted frown. Two pairs of ocean blue eyes stared at Sebastian in accusation and irritation.
“What is this, Sebas?”, Theo asked, almost sounding threatening.
“I think that you should be a good image to your child, Master Theodorus. Pancakes are reserved for the weekends and you know that.” Sebastian spoke with an ever calm voice, a gentle smile on his lips which wasn’t even faltering when Elanor gasped in anger.
It was a normal scene, coming up several times per week. In mutual agreement you and Sebas had decided that the constant pancake consumption would have to stop. A difficult battle to fight, because while Vincent happily helped them.. the other two Van Gogh’s were hardly convinced by their reasoning of changing their whole diet. In the end you won, though.
After a grumpy breakfast, Theo left for work and you would follow him soon. Napoleon took Elanor to school this day so you could finish your chores in the mansion and then proceed with your other work field.
You picked up Elanor on your way back home from the gallery. There was a little bit of grocery shopping left to do, which you both handled quite well without drama and then took the carriage back to the mansion. The afternoon stayed calm as well, so did dinner.. and then came bedtime.
After dinner most of the residents retired to their rooms for the night and you were cleaning up the dishes, having sent Sebas in an early evening as well. Elanor was standing next to you, drying up the dishes. “When’s Papa gonna come back?” She was a bit disappointed to have missed her dad at dinner, but Theo was working late.
“I don’t know, sweety. It’s time for bed now anyway. You will see him again tomorrow.” You smiled softly at your daughter as you both finished up the dishes. You were starting to feel exhausted from doing your job, the work in the mansion, taking care of everyone at Sebas’ side and of course caring for Elanor, who was clearly displeased with your answer. Slowly you started to sense trouble coming.
“But I want him to read for me again.” She was already pouting. This would be a fun night.
“I can read to you if you want?”
“No! I want Papa!”
“Well he is not here, darling.”
A terrible pout appeared on her lips and Elanor refused from now on to keep helping with the dishes. With a patient sigh, however you just continued and took over the duties that your daughter wanted to take care of. She leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed above her chest and she wouldn’t even look at you. Someone was definitely ready for bed.
You washed your hands and dried them before smiling at Elanor and nodding towards the exit of the kitchen. “Time to get upstairs, sweety.”
“But Mama…”
“No ‘but’. Let’s go.” You gently placed your hand against her back and even though your child was very displeased to be sent off to bed. The corridors of the mansion were strangely quiet in the evening, the only thing that could be heard was the soft piano music coming from the music room. It would help Elanor go to sleep. Sometimes you think Mozart did this on purpose, because around the time when she had to go to bed his play got suddenly a lot softer.
When Elanor was born, Comte couldn’t be stopped in moving rooms around so she could have your old room at the end of the corridor and you and Theo could move in next to her. With you and Theo moving, so did Vincent. It was a whole big mess. But you were grateful, nonetheless. You left your old family behind but were welcomed into a new one with open arms.
You pushed the door to Elanor’s open and while she got dressed into her PJ’s, you prepared her bed. In the meantime King came running out of your room into Elanor’s, settling at the foot end. She jumped on top of it and hopped over to you, dropping into her pillows, still pouting though. You knew she wasn’t exactly serious just tried to keep it up to get what she wanted. You brushed your hand over her head and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, before you sat down on the side of her bed, picked up the book in the nightstand and started reading to a still very much pouting child, who clearly wasn’t listening to you.
Apparently though your voice was calm (or monotone?) enough and Elanor’s eyes fluttered shut and she seemed to be drifting off. So you finished the chapter, put the bookmark onto the page and closed the book. You gave her another kiss, petted King’s head, turned off the lights and the door shut quietly behind you as you left.
You got yourself ready for bed and settled down to read. It stayed quiet for a little while, until your door opened and a rather broad figure stepped in from the light of the corridor. Theo smiled at you, shrugging off the jacket of his suit and dropping it over a chair. He sat down next to you, the gentle smile turning into a smirk. “Already in bed now, Hondje?”
You shook your head at him and closed the book. “Don’t ‘Hondje’ me. You’re the one who is home late.”
He chuckled, leaning over you, finger tilting your head up so you had to look at him. “Begging for attention?” Of course he went back to teasing you the minute he sat foot into your room. Instead of answering you kissed your lover gently, internally feeling smug because of how easily he gave in instead of keeping up his image. Both of you were just about to sink onto the bed down together when there was a soft noise in the corridor, followed by hurried, tiny footsteps and your door opening again.
“Papa..?” Elanor stood there, rubbing her eyes. “You’re late.”
You and Theo looked at one another and started to laugh shortly, he leaned his forehead against your shoulder, before sitting up again, looking at the girl standing sleepily in the door. “Why are you out of bed, Pup?” His expression instantly turned incredibly gentle as he approached Elanor and picked her up into his arms with ease.
“Mama’s reading is not as exciting..”
Of course she would blame it on that but leave the essential part of her pouting all evening out. You could only smile fondly, though soon narrowing your eyes at Theo, who was looking so pleased with himself.
“That so? Now let us fix that. Since your mother can’t tell stories properly.”
“Hey!” You took one of the pillows on the bed and threw it at them, causing them both to laugh and slip out of the room. “Theo!” He always gave in.. One day he would have to pay for spoiling Elanor the way he did and you would be there to watch the disaster unfold, arms crossed, with a smug smile on your face.