Chapter Text
Bronya was head down in a stack of papers. The sun had set a long time ago and still had a ways to go before she was finished. This has been her life for the past year. Working late and then waking up early only to continue the work she had not finished the night prior. She was especially behind tonight. There was a festival she had to attend in the afternoon. In which she delivered one of her trademarked speeches about the first anniversary of reunification.
The wind howled outside. A soft chill of air crept its way throughout the room. Causing the hairs on the back of her neck to raise. She turned around to see the cause of this sudden irritant.
It was strange, the window was open and she couldn't recall leaving it that way. Rising from her chair, she headed over to the window and took a deep breath before closing it. With the window now shut, she turned her attention back to the desk.
“Hey Princess”
She Jumped. Her eyes flickering towards the assailant standing in front of her. Upon realizing who it was she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Seele! What on earth are you doing here? Do you know what time it is? You can’t be here!” She condemned.
Seele ignored the line of questioning.
“I thought I would find you up here”
Annoyed at the response, Bronya replied “Where else would I be?”
“Hmm yea this is pretty much the only place you ever are.”
Seele turned her back and started looking around Bronya’s office. Her eyes were drawn towards the contents on top of the desk. Stacks of papers were piled all over. She flipped through some of the clearly sensitive materials strewn about. It was a far cry from how normally organized the Supreme Guardian is.
Bronya stared down the other women. “Seriously, what are you doing here? I can call the guards right now and they’ll take you to Holding.”
“Pfft like you would ever.” Seele responded flippantly. She turned back around to be face to face. “I just wanted to see you. Is that a crime worth being taken away for?”
“I’m flattered, but as you can see I am quite busy right now.”
“You always are.” Seele said. She glanced down at the paper in her hand. “Having a fun time reading about budget reports?”
“It’s adequate.”
It was a curt response. Clearly she did not want to admit it was dreadfully boring to read.
“Oh please I was bored before I even finished reading the title”
“If you want to visit me you can just make an appointment.”
“Hah, I probably wouldn’t even be able to get in for the next 3 months”
“I’ll make time for you, just text me”
“I tried that already princess, you canceled on me… twice”
“And I said I was sorry.”
A silence fell between the two of them for a moment.
“I’m still upset about it”
“You know I have a duty to the people of Belobog”
“I know… I just wish you would take a break sometimes” Seele sighed. Not wanting to get into a deep argument, Bronya resigned herself.
“If it makes you happy I’ll take a break when I’m finished with that report. I’m almost done.”
“Hmm not good enough. I want you to promise me”
“Promise you what?”
“Promise that you’ll spend time with me”
“Sure, when did you want to spend time together?” Bronya replied, attempting to appease Seele so she could get back to work as soon as possible.
“Now”
“It's too late for that now”
“But not too late to work?”
There was no getting out of that one. Seele had Bronya trapped. Any attempt to wiggle her way out would be swiftly punished with guilt inducing words.
“What did you have in mind”
“Guess”
Out of all the things that Seele might have had on her mind, alcohol was not one of the things she would have guessed. She was fairly certain that Seele did not drink, but clearly that assertion was wrong. Seele had managed to sneak in a bottle of wine. Where she hid it and how it was not noticed was beyond her purview.
Thankfully, Seele did have the foresight to bring the corkscrew here. However, what she did forget was the glasses. Normally Bronya would have mocked the suggestion to pass the bottle back and forth. Due to the circumstances she did not want to disappoint.She was feeling pretty guilty on being called out for canceling on one of her few friends. Flaking again might have killed the relationship all together.
That would have been disastrous as she owed a great deal towards Seele. The least she could do is repay her debt by spending time together. It was not entirely transactional. Bronya did genuinely enjoy the company of Seele. She was generally fairly brash and direct but it was something she appreciated about the other women. Growing up in a household where politics were common and the importance of appearances were critical. It was nice to spend time with someone who had little to no care about rules.
Both of them spend the next couple of hours. Each of them passed the bottle back and forth. Bronya could feel her usual strict posture begin to relax more and more. While Seele began to slur her words.
Maybe it was the alcohol but Bronya suddenly felt a wave of gratitude wash over her.
“Hey Seele?” Bronya asked.
“Yea?”
“Thanks for making me take a break. And sorry for standing you up those couple of times.”
“You’re welcome, and thank you, I appreciate it.” Seele said.
Seele’s last remaining restment that might have been sitting with her had washed away with that apology. It wasn’t particularly dramatic but she knew Bronya was being sincere with it. Even though the words might be tainted with inebriation.
“It’s also been very fun drinking with you princess. I didn’t think I would see a less refined side to you though. It’s definitely cuter than your regular self”
Bronya blushed a little bit at the compliment. “Haha its been awhile since I drank, I guess I’m not as good with alcohol anymore”
“When was the last time you drank?”
Broyna thought about it for a moment. “A couple years ago I think. It was a total disaster”
“How so?”
“I had way too much to drink at this fancy party my mother was hosting. So I went outside to get some fresh air as I was feeling nauseous. I opened the door to a small balcony and saw two people making out. Before words could even come out of my mouth my stomach had… other plans. I ended up vomiting all over them.” She stopped for a moment. “Mother was not happy about that one. She told me to never drink again.”
Seele was beside herself with laughter. Never could she imagine this princess to have such an embarrassing moment.
“Probably a wise decision to let you not drink again.”
“Maybe, but as embarrassing as it was, I didn't have to meet any guests or go to any parties for almost a year afterwards.” Laughed Bronya “So overall, a bit of a win”
“Glad you thought it was a win because I probably would have escaped to the underworld if I were you”
“I definitely thought about it, but there probably would have been a search party sent to look for me.”
“That reminds me of something that I saw on my way up here.”
“What was it”
“I was taking one of the alleys to avoid the crowd and there were two people a short ways away doing something. As I got closer it was clear these two girls were really going at it.”
“Ugh how can people do something like that in public.”
“I mean they were just making out, but unlike you I don’t vomit at the sight of kissing.”
“I do not, it was clearly a coincidence.”
“Whatever you say princess. I’m not the one with the apparent phobia”
“Insinuate all you want but that’s not the truth.”
In Seeles mildly drunk state she could pick up on the fact that Bronya was not entirely comfortable with the conversation at hand.
“Bronya, have you never actually kissed someone before?”
Bronya took a short pause before answering. Giving away the answer before even saying it.
“... No, " she sheepishly admitted.
“Really?”
“Well Mother made it pretty clear that I was to avoid relationships or anything like that.”
“I see… So did you have any crushes growing up?”
“A couple, but they were nothing more than a one sided infatuation with some of the staff”
“How come your mom didn’t want you to have a relationship?”
“She didn’t want me to get distracted in my studies and my eventual role as the Supreme Guardian”
“Seems kind of… I don’t know? Sad.”
“Yea kind of, but I didn’t really have the time to be in one or even think about it.”
“Well you have time now to think about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like a relationship. Does Princess not want to find a Prince?”
She sat and thought about Seele’s question for a moment.
“...It sounds appealing. I actually did read some things about that kind of stuff when I was younger. But right now I am much too busy. Even if I wasn’t where would I even find someone? It sounds like a nightmare.”
“Yeah that's fair enough.”
Seele went to take a swig of the wine the two of them had been sharing. As she tilted the bottle up nothing came out.
“Looks like were out of wine”
“I guess it's a good time to call here then”
“Yea you’re right it's getting pretty late”
Seele reached into her pocket to look at her phone. The time read 2:12am. She didn’t even realize how much she got caught up enjoying her time with Bronya.
“Ugh sorry I didn’t mean to stay this late. The last cable car leaves at midnight.” Seele sat with anxious thoughts on how to get home or where to sleep for the night. Old experiences of sleeping in the streets came to the forefront of her mind. Considering that it wasn’t the underworld she might be bothered by some of the guards.
“It's alright, I had a lot of fun, thank you Seele.” There was a small twinge of sadness in Broyna’s face when she said it. “As for your current predicament, are you not able to get a room at the hotel?”
“Firstly princess I don’t know if you know me or not but I’m not the kind person who has the kind of money to stay at a hotel on a whim, an expensive one at that too. Secondly, it's almost certainly booked up due to the festival.”
“What are you going to do then?”
Seele let out a sigh “I don’t know, I guess I can sleep in an alley somewhere. It's not like I haven’t done it before.”
“I will not have my friend, let alone any citizen, sleep out on the street.”
“That's kind of you but you see, where am I supposed to go?
Bronya thought about it for a moment.
“You can sleep here if you want.”
“Yea sure that works, but it won't be too much of a burden?”
“It’s more than alright, Seele. There should be an extra room adjacent to mine for you to use.”
“Oh that works out perfect”
“Shall we go then?”
The two women got up from their seats in Bronya’s office. Seele had less of a chair and more so sat on the desk cross legged. She took her time standing up and stretching out, releasing the built up strain in her legs.
Seele followed Bronya down a fairly convoluted path in Qliporth. Seele had never been in this part of the fort before. It went from clearly administrative and functional areas to a small sequestered part of the building where there were some accommodations.
Broyna stopped in front of a large wooden door.
“Alright, here's the guest room. It’s been awhile since someone has used this room so hopefully it will be up to your standards.”
“That should be easy to meet, my standards are extremely low.”
“Good to know.”
Bronya turned the door handle and pushed open the food. A loud and very high pitched creak emanated from the hinges. However, what was inside was not a bedroom.
“Is this normally how your guests are treated? They get to sleep on the floor of an old storage room.”
Bronya was embarrassed. “I guess I forgot that they turned this room into storage. I guess that explains why mother hadn’t had any guests over in a long time.” She went back to solve the problem of where Seele was going to sleep. Normally she wouldn’t suggest this idea, but she had just the right amount of alcohol to let some inhibitions loose.
“If it’s okay with you, you can sleep in my room with me.”
“Are you sure? That would be too much to ask of you.” It would be lying if Seele’s heart didn’t jump a bit at the suggestion. Her initial intention at the beginning of the night was just to hangout. This new predicament was enticing. However, she didn’t want to sound too eager to put off Bronya.
“It’s okay, I don’t want you sleeping outside where you can get hurt. Besides my bed is plenty big enough” While there were solutions outside of having Seele sleep outside. This one had the added benefit of fulfilling an old childhood wish of hers. Having a sleepover.
A few steps down the hall was Bronya’s room.
“Before we go in I apologize about the mess.”
Bronya opened the door to her room. It was about what Seele expected for a person of Bronya’s status. High ceilings, a walk in closet, and just like what she said, a quite large bed. Much bigger than anything Seele had slept in. Seele took a moment to look around and be in a bit of awe about how much space the other women had to herself. Meanwhile, Bronya naturally made her way over to the vanity in the closet to take off her jewelry.
“Behind that door is the washroom if you want to clean yourself up a little bit.”
“Um, alright thanks.”
The bathroom was also large, with its own separate bathtub and shower. On the counter there was a plethora of products. Most of which Seele had no idea what they did exactly. She deduced that they were make-up and skincare products. Being from the underworld she never really had the opportunity to partake in such luxuries. The temptation to try and use some of them was strong. She resisted the urge, reminding herself she didn’t want to be rude towards Bronya.
There was a knock at the door.
“There should be an extra toothbrush in one of the drawers. Also I put some clothes on the bed for you.”
Seele was a little taken aback at the kindness. This was a far cry from the usual selfishness in the underworld.
“Thank you Bronya, I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome”
Seele washed her face and then exited the bathroom. Like Bronya has said there were a pair of shorts and t-shirt waiting on the edge of the bed for her. She glanced up at the other women who had already changed into identical looking garments.
“You can change in here, I’m going to take a quick shower, okay?”
“Yea okay”
“Please make yourself comfortable, I’ll be a little bit”
With that Bronya shut the door on the washroom and the pitter pattering of the shower began. Seele changed her clothes and neatly folded them on the night stand beside the bed. However, she did not make herself comfortable, opting to look around the room more. Her eye was caught by the bookshelf. She was scanning for something to read, but also wanting to learn more about what Bronya liked.
She found the shelf where more of the personal reading material was kept. At seemingly random she grabbed what was a young adult novel to sit down and read with. She went back to the bed and got comfortable. Flipping the book over she read the synopsis. To her surprise this was no ordinary young adult novel. It was very clearly smut and lesbian smut at that.
Blood rushed to Seele’s cheeks and immediately placed the book back. The context of them sleeping together completely changed. Seele went from being a little nervous and excited to very anxious. She did not expect for Bronya to swing that way. That coupled with how Bronya invited her to sleep together.
‘How bold of a move is that’ Seele thought to herself. However, she still had no idea if there were any mutual feelings. Bronya made it pretty clear earlier that there really wasn’t any room in her life for someone like that. But on the other hand making a move like that, there might be something more. Being drunk didn’t help the situation, she wouldn’t want to make a mistake she might end up regretting.
Seele was caught up in a frenzy of emotions and thought. The shower had stopped a while ago and the door opened.
“Seems like you’ve made yourself comfortable.”
“Haha yea” Seele spluttered trying not to give away her current thoughts.
Bronya made her way to the bed. Each step closer made Seele’s heart beat a little faster but also compounded her anxiety. Normally a very confident and calm person, Seele was totally paralyzed by her nerves.
“If I snore, could you please wake me up?” Bronya said as she pulled herself under the covers.
“Um yea no problem.” Seele said awkwardly
“Really? No witty response to that?”
“I guess not, I think I’m just tired.”
“Alright then, ready to go to sleep then?”
“Yea”
Bronya went to flick off the lamp that had been illuminating the room.
“Goodnight Seele”
“Goodnight Bronya”
Seele was not actually tired. There was still a lot more to process and think about. She rolled over on her side to face away from Bronya. No clear thinking could occur if she was staring at the sleeping girl right next to her.
Seele kept glancing at the alarm clock. It was almost four o’clock in the morning and she was no closer to falling asleep than she was over an hour ago. Bronya was very clearly asleep, the soft sounds of breathing could be heard and the occasional movement were felt. The energy spent thinking was finally beginning to catch up. Exhaustion was creeping up on Seele. Her eyes began to lid. The refuge of sleep would soon take her away.
Before the sandman could take her, arms wrapped around her waist pulling Seele back to reality. She began experiencing a radiant heat on her back. Then a head softly nuzzling its way into the crook of her neck. A content sigh entered Seele’s ear. Goosebumps traveled the lengths of Seele’s arms as butterflies filled her stomach.
‘Bronya is 100 percent spooning me right now’
Seele was completely enraptured by Bronya. Never had Seele experienced something like this before and never did she expect it to happen with Bronya. However, there was some concern if the other girl was awake or not. Seele tried to gently shake Bronya’s legs with her foot. Bronya did not awaken, but instead intertwined their legs together while pulling Seele closer to her body.
A few minutes passed and Seele’s racing heart began to calm down to a normal pace. After the initial shock she settled deeper into Bronya. The scent of Bronya entered Seele’s nose, ever so slightly intoxicating her. Seele decided to take advantage of the situation, knowing she always had the drunk card to play. She grabbed Bronya’s hand and brought it up to her chest closely. She interweaved their hands together and contentedly fell asleep in Bronya’s embrace.