Work Text:
It was a quarter before five.
The children of Hearthstone Orphanage were slumbering upstairs in their rooms. Downstairs, the two caregivers in the orphanage conversed in hushed voices, basking in the tranquility of the early morning.
"You always kiss the kids good night," Artemio's low and euphonic voice sounded, leaning against the sink counter. "How come I don't get a good night kiss?"
"Mi amor, they're children. It's part of a person's childhood." Briar responded, preparing tea for the two of them. "When we retire for the night, playing with the kids has tired us. Besides, you’re old enough not to need a good night kiss."
"Still, we’re married," Artemio said. "I don’t see what’s wrong with me wanting affection from my husband."
"There’s nothing wrong with affection, dear," Briar said, pouring the tea into mugs. "If you want a kiss so badly, you could have told me."
"Who am I to refuse an offer as tempting as that?" Artemio said, walking near Briar as the kettle was set down.
Briar wrapped his arms around Artemio. Due to Artemio being shorter, Briar had to lean forward to capture his lips in a kiss. It was a soft kiss, being it was early in the morning.
"Um… Sorry to interrupt…" A quiet voice spoke up.
The couple broke the kiss and turned to face the source of the voice. A red-headed boy stood at the platform in the middle of the staircase, clutching a white rabbit plush.
"Rory, is something wrong?" Briar asked, unwrapping his arms from Artemio to approach the little boy.
"I had a nightmare," Rory responded.
"Why don’t we talk about it over tea, then?" Briar suggested. Artemio had started pouring a cup of tea for the boy.
"Okay…" Rory said.
Briar led Rory to the dining room where sunlight shone through the room's high windows, and sat down. Artemio followed shortly after, carrying the mugs of tea in his hands.
"Um, to start things off," Rory uttered, nervously. "There is something you should know before I tell you about my nightmare."
"What is it?" Briar said softly, placing a hand on Rory's shoulder. "Did something happen between you and the other kids?"
"It's not something that happened to me. It's something I heard that I don't think I was supposed to hear," Rory spoke. "I heard Mr. Bellerose mention an "Experiment Number 0136." Do you or Mr. Artemio know what that is?"
Artemio and Briar looked surprised.
"Estrella never mentioned anything of that sort..." Artemio murmured, turning to Briar.
"I'm afraid that neither of us know anything regarding experiments, Rory," Briar articulated. "We'll make sure to ask about it later."
"Alright..." Rory enunciated. "I asked Mr. Bellerose about Biancamarie. He said that she was very sick and that they would take care of her. About my nightmare... I ended up thinking that maybe she was the experiment Mr. Bellerose was talking about."
Artemio and Brair shared a look of concern.
"It's a nightmare for a reason, bud," Artemio articulated, sounding like he was trying to reassure himself as much as he was trying to reassure Rory and Briar. "It's possible that Bianca is not this "Experiment Number 0136."
"How about the three of us make breakfast together?" Briar suggested. "It'll help us take our minds off of this topic for the time being. We'll know the answers to this in due time."
Rory lit up and excitedly agreed. The three of them walked to the kitchen and started cooking, with Rory passing the ingredients and the two caregivers chopping ingredients and cooking the food because they did not allow Rory with knives or handle the pots and pans (as any adult with common sense would).