Work Text:
Surprisingly, it wasn't the storm outside that awoke Olruggio from his short slumber.
He hadn't gone to bed too long ago, too busy in an attempt to finish a recent commission. He would've stayed up all night if time had allowed him, but with Qifrey gone to the Great Hall, Olruggio was in charge of watching over the atelier and his friend's apprentices while he was away. He had told the girls he would be awake to make breakfast with them, and he only had a few clock marks before he had to live up to that promise.
But now he's sitting in the kitchen just after midnight as a thunderstorm shakes the atelier's walls, and the fear in Tetia's eyes is reflected by the flash of lightning that shines through the window.
"I'm sorry, Master Olly." Tetia looks down at their shared plate, left untouched. "Usually I'd go to Master Qifrey, but, uh—"
"It's alright, Tetia," Olruggio reassures her. "I was mostly awake anyway, and I was startin' to get hungry."
Tetia nods and begins to eat, but she's still tense. The best Olruggio could come up with was a midnight snack for the two of them to help her calm down, but he's not good at things like this. Between the two of them, Qifrey is much better suited for emotional support.
"What do you and Qifrey usually do when you can't sleep?" Olruggio inquires.
Tetia perks up at the question. "He tells me stories! He said Lord Beldaruit told him lots of stories when he was an apprentice! He knows so many!"
Another clap of thunder breaks Tetia out of her excitement, and she tenses up once again. She closes her eyes and the whimper that escapes her lips at the next flash of lightning breaks Olruggio's heart.
"Well, I'm not very good at tellin' stories," he starts, and he's hesitant as he reaches across the table to put his hand over hers, "but maybe you could tell me one? I'd love to hear what Qifrey's been sharin' with you."
Her face lights up at that, and she jumps up from the table. "That's a great idea, Master Olly! Quickly, let's go to the couch! Can we light a fire? We need to set the mood!"
They're both settled on the couch not too long after, their snacks gently placed on top of the blanket on Olruggio's lap, and Tetia squirms in an effort to get comfortable where she has pushed herself under his arm. There's a fire burning in the fireplace now, and at some point Brushbuddy had found his way to Tetia's shoulder. Olruggio isn't sure which room their fuzzy friend had escaped from, but he's sure he'll be accommodating another apprentice on their couch soon enough.
"Okay, listen closely Master Olly," Tetia says cheerfully, "because next time, you're going to have to tell me this story! You are getting a once in a lifetime storytelling session by the one and only Tetia!"
Oh, she's so endearing.
"Okay, great Storytellin' Master Tetia, please bestow upon me your wonderful and magical words," Olruggio plays along. It must be the way to go, because she doesn't even flinch when the storm shakes the atelier once more.
"Yes, Master Olly!" She beams up at him. "Okay, so, Master Qifrey tells me lots of stories, so you need to pick one! There's one about dragons, another about a princess and a prince who fall in love—oh! There's a really fun one about an owlcat and a scalewolf, but that one is kind of confusing. What about the one where—"
"How about you tell me your favorite story?" Olruggio stops her. "That way when I have to tell it to you, it's the one I know is your favorite?"
"The princess and prince it is then!" She clears her throat and begins. "Once upon a time, there was a princess who—"
A soft voice interrupts the story. "Brushbuddy! Brushbuddy, where are you?"
The whispers are quieter than the footsteps, but there's no mistaking Coco's voice as she tries to make her way up the stairs from the kitchen in stealth. She pauses at the top, looking up and locking eyes with Olruggio, before she jolts to attention and frowns.
"Uhm, I uh—I'm so sorry Master Olly! I promise I was going to bed, but the storm was so loud, and then Brushbuddy disappeared, and I—"
"It's alright, Coco," Olruggio tells her. "Tetia also had a hard time sleepin' with the storm, and she was about to tell me a story about a prince and a princess? I think?"
Tetia nods. "Come join us, Coco!"
Coco's eyes lit up at the invitation, then at the plate of snacks on his lap. She quickly makes her way to the couch and plops herself onto Olruggio's other side, snuggling into his warmth and reaching for a snack.
"Is this the story Master Qifrey likes to tell?" She questions, mouth full of food. "Master Qifrey is really good at telling stories!"
"Master Olly doesn't know them, so I'm telling it instead!" Tetia says proudly.
"And he's never goin' to know the story if you don't start tellin' it to me," he grumbles, but he smiles when both girls giggle.
"Okay, so anyway, once upon a time, there was a princess who—"
"Who said you guys could eat snacks without me?"
The two girls under his arms freeze at the sound of Richeh's voice behind them, and Olruggio whips his head around. He comes face to face with a pouting Richeh floating behind the couch, her eyes darting between him and the plate.
"When did you get back there?" Olruggio asks. He hadn't heard her in the kitchen, but Richeh has always been good at getting around quietly. It's not the first time she has snuck up on him, nor will it be the last.
"When did you start treating apprentices to midnight snacks? Why did you not invite me?" Richeh avoids the question, and the guilt tripping works immediately.
"I, uh, didn't realize you were awake. Do you want to join us?"
Richeh gives a hmph as she floats over the top of the couch and makes herself comfortable next to Tetia. She pulls part of the blanket over her lap and holds her hand out in front of her, her eyes landing directly onto Olruggio's. He sighs as he passes the plate over.
"Am I ever going to be able to tell my story?" Tetia mumbles, snatching a treat as Richeh takes the plate. "The great Storytelling Master Tetia only has so much patience!"
"You can continue!" Coco says. "I'm excited to hear how you tell it!"
Tetia beams once more and wraps her arm around Richeh as she continues from where she left of. "So, as I was saying, once upon a time, there was a princess who—"
"What's with all the noise down here?"
Tetia groans as Agott stomps her away up the kitchen stairs, the other girl's arms crossed as she faces the four of them snuggled up on the couch.
"Some of us are trying to sleep! Why are all of you awake—" A loud crack of thunder cuts her off, and she startles where she stands. She shrinks in on herself, and her crossed arms hug closer to her body instead.
"Nobody can sleep with this storm," Olruggio says. He could've slept through this storm, but that's beside the point, he figures. "We're tellin' stories and havin' a snack. You can join us or go back to bed, if you'd prefer."
"She wasn't even sleeping, Master Olly!" Coco tattles. "She was still at her desk when I came downstairs!"
Olruggio can see the flush on Agott's face, visible even in the low light of the fire, and she refuses make eye contact with any of them. He smirks in her direction anyway.
"Is that so? Up late studyin' as usual?"
"O-Of course I was!" Agott stutters. "The storm is good for practicing tuning out distractions! It's a perfect time to be studying—"
She squeaks at a flash of lightning, clenching her fists. She flushes harder and makes the last few steps over to the couch, settling in next to Coco.
"If you guys are going to be this noisy, then I won't be able to study anyway! I'll listen to the story too!" She pauses to think. "Please pass me a snack!"
Olruggio doesn't mention the whole part about practicing tuning out distractions, instead passing her a snack and then turning slightly to look down at Tetia. "Would you like to finish tellin' your story now?"
Tetia just sighs under his arm. "Not anymore, not really, but—wait, Master Olly! In the story, the prince and princess fall in love; have you ever been in love?"
Olruggio chokes on his next breath. "Excuse me? Where did that come from?"
He can feel four pairs of eyes on him as he stumbles over himself to find the right words. In all honesty, he can't say he hasn't been in love, because he has—and it has been that way for over twenty years, even if he wasn't always aware of what that feeling was.
Love. In Olruggio's mind, love manifests as an image of hair as white as the snow from his hometown and a single bright blue eye. Love is a smile that can only be compared to the sunshine that seeps through the windows of their shared atelier, and as hands so soft that Olruggio has to hold himself back from taking them in his own when they're together. It's the blanket that covers him when he falls asleep at his desk in his workshop, and the food left out with a note reminding him to eat and take breaks.
And this is something that the girls, and especially Qifrey, never need to know.
"I, uh, would rather hear the story you were goin' to tell, Tetia!" Olruggio settles on. He doesn't miss the way Tetia squints her eyes at his words.
"No can do, Master Olly," Richeh says from under Tetia's arm. "You can't just avoid the question. That's cheating."
"He's just embarrassed because he heard love and immediately pictured someone in his head," Agott tells them.
"I did not!" Olruggio whines, and he feels like a child. He's not going to admit that she's right.
"Wait—guys? Am I missing something?" Coco asks quietly. "Has Master Olly not been in love with Master Qifrey this entire time—? Did I misread that?"
Everyone goes silent, and Olruggio can feel the blush creeping up his neck. He knows that this conversation will only be going downhill from here.
"Oh my stars, you're blushing!" Tetia points out. "Master Olly, is it true? That's so cute!"
"Would you look at that, the plate has been wiped clean!" Olruggio reaches across Tetia to swipe the object off of Richeh's lap. "I think that means it's time for bed, right? The storm's over, so hurry up everyone, time to get some shut eye!"
He makes a move to stand up, but he's immediately pulled back down by four pairs of arms that wrap around him. A loud clap of thunder negates his desperate attempt to escape, and he holds back the groan threatening to spill from his lips.
"Absolutely not!" Tetia smiles up at him. "We need to know all about it! When did it start? Does Master Qifrey know? Wait—are you guys together? Oh my goodness, how cute!"
"No!" Olruggio wants this conversation to end. "What are you—no! Stop askin' questions! This is not happenin'!"
"I'm so sorry, Master Olly! This is all my fault!" Coco's arms are wrapped around his middle, and Olruggio doesn't even have to look down at her to know the pitiful, apologetic expression she has plastered across her face. "I didn't mean to embarrass you or force out your secret crush on our master! I thought everyone knew!"
"Coco, please stop talkin', I'm beggin' you." He knows he sounds pathetic, but he can't help it. Very few people know about this—up until now, he was capable of counting them all on one hand; Hiehart, because Olruggio was drunk after finishing a commission together and let it slip, and Alaira, also because Olruggio was drunk and let it slip. He assumes Jujy knows because Hiehart is incapable of keeping his mouth shut around his apprentice, and he's almost certain Beldaruit knows just because he's Beldaruit. That's it. Now the number on his list has doubled, and he knows that one of them is going to tell Qifrey—he just isn't sure which one it is yet.
"Does Master Qifrey know?" Richeh asks.
"Oh, Master Olly! Let's work together and plan out a big confession for him!" Tetia suggests. "You can make a cool contraption that spells out I Love You in big fluffy clouds! We can use my spell!"
"Tetia," Agott interjects, and Olruggio is glad that someone is finally on his side. "Master Qifrey would hate a big display of affection like that. It would have to be something simple—something private."
Nevermind.
"What if Master Olly takes him to a secret place only they know about and proposes there?" Richeh suggests.
"How did we jump from confessin' to proposin'?" Olruggio squeaks, and he covers his face with his hands. "Girls, I love you all dearly, but this is not a conversation I want to be havin' with you!"
"We just want you to be happy, Master Olly!" Coco says.
"Yeah, and just think about how happy Master Qifrey will be too! I bet he would say yes in a heartbeat!" Tetia reaches out and squeezes his hand as she speaks. "I bet he loves you too!"
Olruggio can't hold back the wet laugh that he lets out at that. Qifrey? Reciprocating his feelings? There was a better chance of him learning how to fly without his sylph shoes, and Olruggio would know—he has been in love with the other man since he was twelve. No matter how many hints he has dropped, no matter how obvious he has tried to make his feelings, Qifrey would always take a step back. He would always let him down gently, kindly, and their friendship would continue on from there. Olruggio has long since given up on ever hoping for more from him, and he was perfectly content to just live under the same roof as the object of his affections. He is more than happy with their friendship—he will take anything he can get.
"Girls," Olruggio places his hands on top of Coco's and Tetia's heads as he speaks, "you can't just make two people love each other. Qifrey and I have a great relationship, it doesn't need to change."
"But I think you want it to change," Agott says.
Olruggio reaches over and ruffles her hair, much to her annoyance. "And I think it's time for you lot to go to bed."
"Yes, I quite think it's time for everyone here to go to bed."
Everyone flinches at the exasperated tone coming from beside them, freezing in place when they see Qifrey's stare locked in on all of them.
"Oh, Qifrey, what are you doin' back in the middle of the night? How long have you been standin' there?" Olruggio asks quickly. If Qifrey had heard any of that—
"I heard it was storming here, and the girls usually have trouble sleeping during them," Qifrey says, removing his cap and cloak. "I wanted to come back before they could wake you up."
Olruggio stomps down the overwhelming urge to flee when his friend very obviously ignores his second question.
"Master Olly was already awake when I went into his workshop!" Tetia tries to reason. "Or, he was about to go to sleep, but he comforted me instead! We ate snacks and I was going to tell him one of your stories!"
"Were you now?" Qifrey directs his smile at him, and Olruggio's heart skips a beat. "Which story were you going to tell him?"
"The one about the prince and the princess!" Coco says excitedly. "You know, the one where the princess loses all of her memories, and they meet when the prince saves her from drown—"
"Yes, yes, I know the one!" Qifrey cuts her off in a hurry, obviously flustered. "Anyhow, I see you all have enjoyed a hearty midnight snack already, so it's definitely time for all of you to go crawl into bed. Let me put my stuff away, and I'll come tuck you in if you girls would like me to."
A chorus of yes, Master Qifrey fills the living area, and the girls wish Olruggio goodnight as they slowly begin their journeys back to their beds. He watches as each of them disappear down the stairs before turning to Qifrey.
"Sorry Qifrey," he says as he stands up and stretches. "The storm was really bad so nobody could sleep. Tetia said you usually tell her stories, so that's what we were doin'. Not that I got to hear a single word of it, though."
"It's fine, Olly," Qifrey reassures him. "I appreciate you looking after them while I was gone. You did a good job."
"Well I'd hope so, bein' your Watchful Eye and all. It's part of my job description, is it not?"
Qifrey laughs. "Yes, yes of course, you're the best Watchful Eye a teacher could ask for."
Olruggio wills away the heat in his cheeks as he reaches out his hands. "Here, I'll take your stuff so you can go wish the girls goodnight."
His friend pauses for a moment, surprise clearly spreading across his features, but he passes off his cap and cloak into Olruggio's willing hands anyway. "That's quite kind of you. You should hurry off to bed soon too, though."
"Look who's talkin'," Olruggio grumbles. "I know very well that you don't sleep when you're back at the Great Hall. Heard it was stormin'—who told you that in the middle of the night? You were comin' home anyway."
"That's not—that's not the case!" Qifrey sputters.
Olruggio rolls his eyes fondly, but awkwardly adjusts his friend's items in his hands as he thinks. He wants to ask Qifrey again—how long was he standing there? How much had he heard? How did he feel about it?
He steps towards Qifrey, his mouth already open to question him, but he freezes when he sees the expression on the other man's face. He looks sad, despite his usual smile. It's not a look that Olruggio likes to see on him.
"Qifrey—"
"You can just leave those on the couch." Qifrey doesn't let him finish. "Get some sleep, Olly."
He's down the kitchen stairs and out of sight before Olruggio can speak again. He glances down at the cap and cloak in his hands, and he hugs them closer to his body. They're still warm.
If this is closest he can have Qifrey, then so be it. He doesn't need anything to change.