Work Text:
Every person has a flaw.
Cassandra sat at her desk, glaring at her new co-worker who was standing near the water cooler of the office.
Lazlo Curious.
The Strangetown prodigy who grew up as the (allegedly) neglected youngest child in a family of four, and the youngest person to ever to win the Sims in Science Award.
Lazlo, Lazlo, Lazlo.
That’s all anyone’s ever talked about ever since he got here.
Lazlo this, Lazlo that.
Cassandra watched as a second co-worker, an Indian man whose name she never got, approached Lazlo at the water cooler. Lazlo waved at him, leaning against the wall as the man filled up his own cup of water, before the two began to chat.
Everyone talks about how perfect and amazing he is.
But there’s something wrong with him.
Everyone has something wrong with him.
Cassandra quickly turned away as she noticed Lazlo’s head turning towards her, before she reached for her cup of coffee that rested besides her computer. She took a sip, staring at her reflection on her computer screen, before hearing footsteps approaching her.
“Cass, was it?”
Cassandra forced a smile as she slowly moved her swivel chair to face Lazlo, feeling irritated at the sight of his green tinted glasses and dark, shoulder length hair. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded her of her ex-boyfriend, Don, who had left her at the altar just two weeks before, or the fact that his hair being let down could very easily become a hazard.
“I heard about what happened between you and, uh, Don,” Lazlo said, “My sister works at the same hospital as him. I’m really sorry that happened to you.”
“Thanks?”
“Yeah man, no problem. And if you’re looking to replace him with someone else, I have an older brother who's single. I think he's around the same age as you, too.”
So his fatal flaw is nosiness. That’s good to know.
“Sure,” Cassandra said, smirking, “I’d love to go on a blind date with him.”
“Wait, for real?” Lazlo said, stunned, “I mean…sure! I’ll see if I can set it up. You have any preferences for restaurants or other stuff like that?”
This date will probably end in disaster. But I suppose it’ll be intriguing to see exactly how bad it’ll be. At the very least, I can use it to taint Lazlo’s perfect reputation.
I can’t wait to see the smug look on his face wiped off when I tell him exactly how horrible that date went, and how he’s a HORRIBLE PERSON for making me go on it!
“I don’t care,” Cassandra said, “I’ll let you pick.”
“Alright! Thanks, Cass! I promise you won’t regret this!”
“I won’t.”
But you will.
Cassandra smiled to herself as Lazlo cheerfully skipped back to the water cooler, before turning back to her computer.
Now, back to work…
—
“7:00 pm at Bernard’s Botanical Dining.”
Cassandra stood outside the door, checking her mobile phone as she noticed a text from Lazlo.
Lazlo didn’t send any information about what the man he’s sending would look like, so I’ll just keep an eye out for any Asian men with medium brown skin and dark hair.
Cassandra put her phone back in her pocket as she noticed a fit-looking man with green tinted glasses walking towards her, dressed in a yellow, form-fitting button-down shirt that showed off the muscles in his arms, paired with white slacks with brown loafers.
He’s quite handsome. Shame I’m on a date with someone else.
Cassandra's eyes widened as the man briefly made eye contact with her, before he pulled out his phone to stare at it. She stood with her hands folded in front of her as she watched the man look back up to stare at her, before he pointed down at his phone.
“...You’re Cassandra, correct?”
Cassandra nodded quietly as the man gave her a shy smile.
“Vidcund,” the man said, bowing, “Lazlo’s brother.”
THIS is Lazlo’s brother?
“...You look different than how I imagined.” Cassandra said.
“Lazlo takes after our father’s side of the family while I took after our mother’s.”
I’m assuming he gets this often.
“I see," Cassandra said, "Shall we go get our table, then? I’ve never actually been to this restaurant before.”
Vidcund nodded as the two of them entered the restaurant, letting the host lead them to a table before they sat down. The restaurant was decorated with a large number of plants, including a tree and a small pond that Cassandra could see from her table.
“...So,” Cassandra said, “I’m assuming you and Lazlo are close?”
“Oh, very. We’ve been living together since college.”
“I see…”
“But, um…people usually talk about themselves on a date, right? It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one of these.”
Right, right. It’d be awkward if Lazlo found out that we only talked about him during this date.
“Of course,” Cassandra said, "I suppose I should tell you about myself too, then?"
"I believe that's how it works, yes."
“Alright then…so, as you know, I’m Lazlo’s co-worker and the Goth family heiress.”
Cassandra remained quiet, eyeing Vidcund’s unimpressed face.
“Okay? And?” He said, “I know that already. What do you like to do in your free time?”
“Free time, huh?”
Cassandra paused, trying to recall the last time she had any sort of free time at all, before the waiter approached them.
“Are you two ready to order?”
“Yes,” Vidcund said, “I’ll have the salmon, please. Cassandra?”
Cassandra looked at Vidcund in shock, before noticing him nodding towards the waiter.
“What did you want to order, Cassandra?”
He’s letting me choose? Don always insists on ordering a salad for me, regardless of which restaurant we choose.
“I’ll…get the Chef’s Special.”
The waiter wrote something down in a little notebook, before walking off. Cassandra stared down at the table, before looking up to stare at Vidcund’s eyes. She was certain they were at least some shade of blue, though the tint in his glasses made them hard to tell.
"You like surprises, I presume?"
"Oh, no," Cassandra said, shaking her head, "My ex-fiancé used to always order for me, so I'm not used to making that decision for myself. I didn't want to waste your time."
"Oh. That's awfully considerate of you…and I'm glad he's your ex-fiancé now. That sounds like a horrible thing to do."
Cassandra nodded, unsure of why Vidcund reacted the way he did.
"So, back to our previous topic," Vidcund said, "What sort of activities do you do for fun?"
Cassandra remained quiet as she racked her brain for memories of any hobbies that were unrelated to work.
I don't think Vidcund would have much interest in archeology…maybe something nature-related? Lazlo probably chose this specific restaurant with Vidcund's interests in mind.
"…I liked going bird watching with my brother," Cassandra said, "But it's been a while since I've been able to do that. My ex-fiancé thought it was stupid, so I stopped.”
“I can see why he’s your ex-fiancé,” Vidcund scoffed, “Anyone who can’t appreciate the beauty of birdwatching is a red flag.”
“You like birdwatching, too?”
“I do!” Vidcund said, a light flashing in his eyes that Cassandra could vaguely see under his glasses, “Lazlo and I used to do it all the time before he got promoted to Project Leader. Nowadays he’s busy with work, so I take photos of them to show him.”
“That’s nice of you to do.”
“It’s nothing, really,” Vidcund said, shrugging, “It’s a good way to practice my photography. Plants and birds are my favorite subjects for those.”
“I didn't strike you as the artsy type.”
“Oh heavens, no. The only ounce of creativity I got went into gardening and photography. I tried painting once, but everything came out looking like abstract art."
Cassandra chuckled at Vidcund's last comment, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Gardening, hm?” she said, "What kind of plants do you have?"
“We have flowers planted around our condo along with a little vegetable garden in an attempt to save money on groceries.”
“What sort of flowers?”
“Mostly African violets. Those are my favorite. But we do also have some lavender and roses planted, for the sake of decoration.”
“Fascinating."
I suppose this is the part where I talk about myself too.
"My father likes tending to plants as well," Cassandra said, "Though mainly to study the insects that come by our house. It’s the closest he can get to his dream of being a beekeeper, since my mother was allergic.”
Cassandra paused as the waiter came by with their food, both plates covered with silver cloches. The waiter placed a plate each in front of them, before pulling the cloches off at the same time. Cassandra stared down at her plate, which was revealed to be several pork chops.
“Enjoy your food,” the waiter said, “And let us know if you need anything.”
“We will,” Vidcund said, “Thank you.”
The waiter walked off as Vidcund grabbed a fork and knife, gently cutting the salmon into pieces as Cassandra stared down at her food in silence. She reached for her fork and knife as well, silently cutting along the edges of the pork chop’s bones to avoid making a mess in front of Vidcund. Cassandra then stabbed a piece of cut meat with her fork, taking a bite as she chewed with her mouth closed.
The meat isn't as juicy as the meat that Mr. Carr would prepare for us, but I'll give it a pass. This restaurant isn't intended to be expensive, after all.
Cassandra and Vidcund ate their food in silence as Cassandra tried to think of new topics to speak about. Strangely, there was something comforting about the silence between the two, the sounds of their voices replaced by clinking glasses, murmurs of multiple conversations from other tables blending together, and meat being sheared by metallic utensils.
I suppose while I'm here, I should figure out what Vidcund's fatal flaw is.
"What do you do for work?" Cassandra asked.
Vidcund looked out the window shamefully as Cassandra followed his gaze, before he took off his glasses to clean the lenses with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. Cassandra stared in awe at his blue eyes, which sparkled underneath the lights of the restaurants.
"…I…don't have a job."
Ah, there it is. That was fast.
"Lazlo and I have custody of our nephew, Tycho," Vidcund said, "I quit my job to look after him while Lazlo goes to work."
Or not.
"Lazlo never mentioned having a nephew," Cassandra said, surprised.
"It's a bit of a touchy subject for us both," Vidcund said, grimacing, "Tycho's father abandoned the three of us five years ago so he can have a whirlwind romance with a guy he met on an online forum. Neither of us have seen him since then, and he hasn't bothered to respond to any of our messages."
Cassandra stared at Vidcund, shocked, as she tried to process his words.
To think Lazlo had to deal with all of that, too…
"That sounds awful," Cassandra said, after a long pause of silence, "But it's nice that you were willing to take on that responsibility."
"Not particuarly," Vidcund said, shaking his head, "Even before he abandoned us, I was the one who looked after Tycho the most. He spent most of his time drinking and going on online forums to talk about conspiracy theories."
"…Oh."
How am I supposed to respond to that?
"Do you have plans of going back to work once Tycho is older?"
Vidcund remained quiet, staring down at his plate as Cassandra ate a piece of meat from her fork.
Was that the wrong thing to ask? He did just open up about something major, but I don't know what else to say…
"I'd like to," Vidcund said hesitantly, "But I imagine it'd be hard to find work considering the large gap in my resume."
House-husband. I could work with that.
"I see," Cassandra said, nodding, "I can help you with-"
Cassandra cut herself off as a look of horror flashed across Vidcund's face, his eyes fixated on something behind Cassandra. Cassandra turned around, noticing a short, chubby Asian man with short hair and a clean-shaven face entering the restaurant. He bore a strong resemblance to Lazlo, but with round glasses and more neutral-colored clothing.
"…That's my brother," Vidcund said.
Cassandra watched as the man shook hands with the hostess, before a tall, lanky man with a mohawk popped in after Vidcund's brother. Cassandra looked back towards Vidcund in concern, noticing him cowering in his seat as he covered his head with his hands and hyperventilated.
"…Why the hell is he here?" Vidcund said, speaking to himself, "He's not supposed to be here…"
Cassandra turned back towards the couple as she noticed the host leading them to a different table, before quickly turning back towards Vidcund.
"How about we pay the bill and leave?" she asked, "There's a park nearby that we can go to instead…"
—
Cassandra held Vidcund's hand as the two walked down a sidewalk, passing by various streetlights that shone light down onto them before the two reached a park. Cassandra walked the two towards a bench as the two sat down, before she noticed Vidcund staring down at the ground.
"…Sorry about earlier."
"It's alright," Vidcund responded, his voice shaky, "I just wasn't expecting to see him here."
Cassandra nodded, looking up at the sky as she listened to Vidcund breathing besides her.
There's a bit of a rhythm to the way he's trying to calm himself. It's oddly soothing.
Cassandra moved her head back and forth in sync with Vidcund's breathing, as her mind drifted towards her mother.
Mother was the only one in the family who knew how to comfort people. I've never quite figured out how she does it…
…What would Mother do?
I should probably say something right now, shouldn't I?
"…We're at the park now," Cassandra said, looking around at the area they were in hesitantly, "Maybe we can try looking for nocturnal birds? One time I managed to find an owl."
"There's owls here?" Vidcund said, stunned, "That's amazing! I've never seen one in-person before."
"Well, we might today," Cassandra said, pointing to one of the trees, "And I remembered seeing it right over there. It was a-"
"VIDCUND!"
Cassandra and Vidcund both froze as they noticed Vidcund's older brother running towards them, waving a hand up in the air.
"I thought I lost you for a second," the man said, grinning, "…What's up?"
"…What's up?" Vidcund said, his voice cold as he narrowed his eyes, "That's all you have to say after FIVE YEARS, Pascal?"
Pascal flinched, seemingly hurt by Vidcund's words.
"Well…I was busy," Pascal said, "Nervous and I got engaged recently."
"Oh, good for you."
"Thanks," Pascal said, smiling in spite of Vidcund's obviously sarcastic tone, "…I was actually hoping that you, Lazlo and Tycho could be part of the wedding party. You and Lazlo as groosmen, and Tycho as the ring bearer."
Cassandra glanced between the two, moving her hands to her hips as she remained quiet.
"Really?" Vidcund said, "Us? Being groomsmen and the ring brearer to the wedding that you're having with the guy you abandoned us for?"
"It was five years ago," Pascal responded, annoyed, "We can leave what happened in the past, can't we?"
"NO!"
Pascal flinched as Cassandra continued watching, slightly intrugied by what would happen.
"I had to quit my job in order to look after Tycho, who, may I remind you, is YOUR son," Vidcund snapped, "And even before that, you left all of the responsibility of raising him on me! You missed out on his first words and first steps, all so you could get drunk at 4 in the afternoon and blabber with your online friends about the so-called shadow government! Tycho doesn't even remember your name anymore!"
"Well, whose fault is that?"
"YOURS! For not FUCKING BEING THERE FOR HIM!"
Cassandra watched as Vidcund angrily flailed his hands around as he spoke.
"And don't get me started on Lazlo, too!" Vidcund added, "He had to work his ass off to support all three of us! Every single day, he comes back home tired as fuck and conks out nearly the minute he enters the door!"
Cassandra noticed Pascal taking a deep breath, clearly annoyed with what Vidcund was saying but trying his best (though not doing a good job) of trying to appear calm.
"Your actions still affect us TO THIS DAY," Vidcund finished, "So sorry if neither of us want to attend your shitty wedding. None of us are interested in roleplaying a happy family for you."
Pascal let the annoyance show on his face as Vidcund glanced over at Cassandra, his eyes briefly widening as though he had forgotten she was there.
"Fine!" Pascal said, "I can see you're still bitter over the fact that you never got to experience actual, genuine love."
"Actually," Cassandra said, prompting Vidcund and Pascal to turn to face her, "Vidcund and I were on a date before you interrupted."
Pascal's eyes widened in shock, before his head moved between staring at Cassandra and staring at Vidcund.
"…Oh." Pascal said, "My bad, then. I'll go."
"Yeah, go run away to be with Nervous like you did last time," Vidcund said, as Pascal backed away, "And this time, DON'T COME BACK!"
Pascal ran off as Vidcund turned to Cassandra with a guilty look on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm not normally like this. I took anger management classes a while ago, but sometimes it just…slips through."
"No, I think this is understandable," Cassandra said, "He was intruding on our date. And not to mention the audacity of trying to get you all to be a part of the wedding while refuisng to take accountability for the ghosting…"
Vidcund nodded, visibly washed over by a wave of relief.
"Now," Cassandra said, winking, "Let's go see if we can find an owl, alright? And if not, I'm sure we can try again next time."
"There's still a next time?"
"If you want it."
"I think I would," Vidcund said, smiling, "Now, lead the way to that owl…"
—
“So? How was the date?”
Cassandra took a sip of coffee as she stared at Lazlo’s cheery-looking face, no longer feeling the urge to slap the light out of his eyes as she did the day before.
“...It was fine.” Cassandra said, “Vidcund and I had a nice time together. Thank you for introducing him to me.”
“Aw, hell yeah! I knew you two would be good together!”
Cassandra laughed dryly as she glanced over at her computer.
"And we did also encounter your other brother."
Lazlo's cheerful exprsesion quickly dropped, replaced with horrified, widened eyes and an agape mouth.
"…I'm really sorry you had to deal with someone like him," Cassandra said, "He was…far from pleasant company."
"Far is one way to put it," Lazlo snorted, "Though, I should probably get back to work. Cool if we talk later during my lunch break?"
"Certainly. I look foward to it."
Lazlo quickly saluted Cassandra before heading back over to the water cooler, filling up a cup of cold water for himself as he darted back to wherever his desk was.
Every person has a flaw.
Everyone has something wrong with them.
But maybe I don't always have to figure out what it is immediately.
Cassandra smiled to herself as she turned back towards her computer, greeted with the notes from her work of the day before.
I have a handsome new boyfriend now.
And it's all thanks to the man I once considered my enemy.