Chapter Text
3AM.
Herta’s bedroom, as always, was left with its light on — something that happened quite often, to the point of Herta herself being used to it. In other words? Herta can’t sleep. Shuffling around her bed for hours until she inevitably gives up, pulling down the string to turn on her light as she sat up on her bed, covering herself with the below freezing temperatures of the air conditioner with the warm blanket that was prepared for her every night.
At this point, sleeping at any hour other than when the sun was already up was rare for the woman.
“Don’t you think Madam Herta has an issue falling asleep?”
“How preposterous, Puppet #136, for Madam Herta has no flaws, only strengths.”
“Madam Herta is a peerless–”
“Quiet.”
The woman’s nightgown was almost iridescent, the moonlight hit the fabric through the window. Herta’s shadow nearly covered the room, as her puppets already got to work preparing whatever she needed for her to either fall asleep or stay awake. Either works for a genius.
“Madam Herta, would you like a coffee? Or tea? Water? Juice?”
“Tea.”
“Madam Herta, Madam Herta!”
“No.”
“Madam Herta, p-please sign my..!”
“Pass.”
The warm cup of tea was placed in front of Herta, the small sips of tea refreshing her energy for whatever she had planned for today. If there was a plan at all, for one. A genius on the level of Madam Herta shouldn't be questioned for her decisions, after all, especially by lowly people like us, right? Only those on the level of geniuses have the right to question The Herta. For example…
“Madam Herta, are you going to see Miss Ruan Mei again tonight?”
To think something her own puppet could make her spit out her tea. Was I going to see Ruan Mei again tonight?! How… uncouth! Do you not have manners..?! Granted… I was considering it. Mainly to check up on her research and fall asleep from boredom eventually.
“..Ahem! I may have been planning to, yes.”
“Madam Herta, please stay by our side…” The small puppet tugging at Herta’s tights almost like a small child begging to her mother. Maybe another day Herta would have called the situation cute, but now, this was getting embarrassing..!
“Yeah! Please don’t leave us, Madam Herta!”
“Okay, okay… I’ll put it into consideration.” Herta sighed, pinching the space in between her eyebrows while putting her hand over the head of the whining puppet. Her eyes were closed, clearly drowsy, but not at all tired enough to go to sleep. Her thoughts were spinning around the room, every thought leaving her mind just as fast as it came. Yet every single time… every thought came back to–
“Madam Herta!”
“Yes, yes, what do you need…”
“Um… You requested me to hand these papers to Miss Ruan Mei earlier in the afternoon, but she’s locked herself in her lab once again, Madam Herta…”
…I suppose it was another rescue mission for Madam Herta.
As she made her way through the dizzying halls of her space station, she couldn’t help but keep thinking. That’s what geniuses do, right? So why does running errands like this feel so unfamiliar — but right? Ask her to do anything else for anyone else then she would’ve dismissed the issue instantly, but her puppets grew a mind. It felt like all they needed to do was to mention her name and Herta’s on her feet.
It was out of character for Herta to do dirty work like this. Being seen outside of her premises in the office, manually going through the station and all its security checkpoints by herself with no help from her puppets… How ironic. The puppets must be having a fun time trashing her room as she was the one entrusted to do all of the work that they can’t be bothered doing themselves. They were puppets, for crying out loud, since when did she program them to be so cunning? Well, they are modeled after me…
Then came Ruan Mei’s space in the station. It’s been far too long since Ruan Mei’s ever spent time in her regular lab, instead preferring to stay locked up in the seclusion zone with herself and far too many critters for her to count. Not like Herta could speak, or anything, she does have… 281 puppets?
“Ruan Mei, Ruan Mei…” This was far too tedious for Herta. This place was like a labyrinth, for crying out loud! She gives Asta so much money all the time, so why does she still have to go through dozens of hallways, a couple hundred elevators, and a million dead ends?
There! Pharmaceutical room! I can finally see– I mean, deliver Ruan Mei these papers!
“...Mei?” Herta didn’t know if the fatigue caught up to her or if she was just annoyed. All that grueling labor for her to be presented with Ruan Mei’s favorite… a locked door. It’s not like this was the first time this happened. The Herta puppets specifically disliked having to go over to Ruan Mei’s, either getting ignored at the door, or taken in for Ruan Mei to deactivate and keep for herself.
“To think you would even ignore me. ” Herta sighed, her face quickly transitioning into a smirk as she turned around. “Guess that’s one more failure for me—”
“Wait.”
Oh. There she is.
Herta felt the warmth of Ruan Mei’s hand in hers, Mei dragging her inside of her lab as they walked around the numerous experiments and curios in the room. Herta was in her nightgown, Ruan Mei with her lab coat — all was equal for the sloth Herta and the voluntarily overworked Ruan Mei, after all.
“Have your experiments been faring you well? I’m sure you’ve been in your lab for days for a reason, right?” Herta smiled, her teasing words as venomous as they were caring. Ruan Mei let go of Herta’s hands to let her lie down on the bed, joining her soon after. Mei’s quiet sighs were clearly out of exhaustion, but certainly not exhausted enough to stop working. This was the prolific genius Ruan Mei, of course, not even the mortal curse of sleep could conquer her.
…or so she thought, before Herta had to endure the feeling of an asleep Ruan Mei on top of her.
“You’re really not going to wake up?” Herta murmured under her breath, adjusting her body so that the two were beside each other on the bed now, their arms still around one another as if it felt the most natural to her.
“Hmph.” Herta retaliated by refusing to look at Mei’s asleep face, instead preferring to snuggle up beside her neck. Mostly for her scent — but for Herta to admit that to anyone, even herself, would be a rarer sight than Ruan Mei falling asleep. Which I suppose is happening right now, isn’t it?
Maybe it was the cold air conditioning of the ship, or the thick blanket covering the two of them, or even the white noise of the internals of the ship buzzing, but for once in her life… Herta felt complete. Like the spaces in between her life were filled in with purpose. Why rest when there is still more unsolved about our universe? Herta couldn’t answer it. But if she couldn’t solve the universe — maybe she could solve her heart instead.
…assuming that was the source of whatever she was feeling right now.
“Herta.”
“Wake up.”
“Mmh..?” The lights were too sterile. Too bright. It was the early hours of the afternoon now, all of the lights on the station sufficiently set to a hue so intoxicating that Herta could barely keep her eyes open without immediately wanting to close them again. Instead, she found solace in snuggling up just a little too close to Ruan Mei’s body. She didn’t want her to leave, after all.
Ruan Mei’s soft sigh filled the air as she slowly pulled Herta out of her personal space. “What am I gonna do with you…” Ruan Mei’s mouth curved into something resembling a smile, her hand pushing away the strands of hair covering Herta’s face, resting on the side of her cheek as the two began their day together.
It wasn’t often that Herta showed off her clingy side. Only when she was tired, only when she was sick, and only when she was with Ruan Mei. To think the arrogant, egotistical, self centered, annoyingly confident… …and beautiful, smart, and passionate Herta would ever have a side like this.
Even during her work did Ruan Mei think about her often, her mind lingering on Herta… …the irritating, and yet lovable Herta.
But none of that mattered now.
For she was with the girl she lo—
..whatever she was.