Chapter Text
Leaning against the arm rest, Planck gently flipped a page in her book. She, along with Tesla and Einstein, had decided to sit in Karl’s office while they waited for him to finish working. While she had decided to read on one of the couches, the other two had sat in the opposite corner. They’d been quietly whispering to each other while they finished the work Planck had assigned to them prior.
After a while, though, the two went silent. The green haired menace looked towards them upon realizing she hadn’t heard them in awhile. Her heart melted once she saw the scene in front of her. Turning towards Karl she tapped his shoulder to get his attention.
“Aww, look at little Lieserl and Nikola!” Planck whispered as she clasped her hands together, “They fell asleep with each other~ Aren’t they just adorable, dear Karl?” Sitting his pen into the ink well he looked up. He was met with her pointing towards a seat in the corner of the room.
As his gaze went towards them he frowned. Tesla and Einstein had fallen asleep on each other, and the two were holding each other close. Though Tesla had a small frown and seemed to be shivering.
He stood up as Planck watched him curiously. “.. This won’t do.” She tilted her head confused and stared up at him.
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Karl, however, didn’t respond. Instead he disappeared out of the door leaving her sitting there in confusion. After several minutes he reappeared with a blanket and a soft smile. “It’s cold and I don’t want them to freeze-” he said as he walked over to them. “- Nikola already looks like she’s freezing, and it’s supposed to get colder soon.. I don’t want her or Lieserl to get sick when it could’ve been prevented.”
Unwrapping the blanket, he continued. “They’re sweet kids.. Even if they can be little brats sometimes..” Planck smiled at him as she closed her book and began to tease him.
“And here I was scared that you had gotten upset with them~” As she spoke Karl gently sat the blanket over the two with a smile. “You know you love them, though~ They help make things interesting!”
He looked at her confused and shook his head. Walking back to his desk he began speaking again. “Why would I be upset? I love them, and all I’ve ever wanted is for Lieserl to be happy-” he looked back towards the two and smiled. At this point both of them had subconsciously snuggled into the blanket and had small smiles. Tesla’s face had softened and had stopped shivering like before. “Nikola is a really sweet girl, even if she is just as bad as you two. They’re my pride and joy, and if they make each other happy then I’m happy.”
Planck turned away and crossed her arms dramatically. “Hmph! Dear Karl, you've never said such things about me! I see where I stand.” Moments later her posture returned to normal, not even giving Karl time to react. “Though I unfortunately have to agree with you.”
He stared at her dumbstruck. “.. UNFORTUNATELY??”
She giggled and smiled mischievously at him. “It hurts my pride to have to agree with such a boring person, you know~” He stared at her unamused. “Though.. I have to admit seeing you care for them brings a smile to my face.”
“Eh.. It’s nothing,” he awkwardly glanced away. “I just want to make sure they’re happy and safe. They’re still kids after all..”
“Dear Karl, you sound so much like a father right now~” Planck teased. “They’re teenagers and yet you still see them as if they’re your precious little girls.”
“Heh.. I guess you’re right, Emma..” His gaze moved towards the pictures hanging on the office walls. “It’s hard not to after watching Lieserl grow up.. We basically raised her, and I’ll never be able to see her as anything else other than my little princess. She’ll always be that sneaky little brat I met all those years ago to me.. Even with Nikola, it feels like she’s been here the whole time..”
Planck smiled at him, “Some day they’ll be all grown up, you know.”
He just smiled at her. “When that happens I’ll be excited to see what they’re able to do. I have faith in them.. I know they’ll do good things in their lives.”