Heyyy! Two days in a row, wow! This is just a little thing I wrote on Twitter and decided to share it elsewhere. It’s short and sweet hehehe! Please enjoy <3

Content: angst and fluff

Words: 963

AO3 chapter: here!

Secondo was not the most welcoming person, nor the kindest if you weren’t close to him. Getting him to admit he was wrong and/or getting him to apologize was too much to bother with. However, those who do get the privilege of being close to him sometimes see a rare soft side.

You were stressfully making your way through a busy work day consisting of boring tasks and endless paperwork. An important day was coming up for the ministry and everyone was on their toes preparing for it. When you finally got a moment of rest, you decided to head to the cafeteria to find a little something to eat. Quickly, you grabbed a sandwich, an apple, and two water bottles. Seeing as the siblings were having a tough time with preparation, you could only imagine what the upper clergy members were going through. 

Your thoughts had drifted to Papa Emeritus II, a man you had been meeting with more often as of late. Knowing he was not staying hydrated and that he had probably skipped on eating today to focus on his work. Hoping to have enough time to get to his office and maybe spend a few minutes with him before you returned to your duties, you quickly walked down the long halls. Within two minutes, you were in front of his door, opening it without thinking of knocking first. Secondo’s dark eyes peered up at you with your tired grin, then he looked back down at the papers on his desk.

“Not now,” he spoke. You ignored him, walking closer and trying to catch your breath from running. “Papa, I know you’re busy, but-“ you were cut off by the sound of him slamming his quill onto his desk hard in frustration. He met with your eyes and spoke once again, anger written on his face. 

“I said. Not. Now.”

You had jumped at the initial slam of his fists, your smile slowly fading and fear striking your eyes. Still, you tried to speak. “I was just..” you started quietly. Again, the sentence was cut short by Secondo’s booming voice. “LEAVE!” He growled, rising from his seat and towering over you. You shook, placing the apple and one of the water bottles on his desk, spinning around on your heel and quickly making your way back to the door, opening it slightly and holding back tears as you spoke again.

You didn’t turn to face him, keeping your eyes toward the hallway. “Please remember to eat and drink, Papa. I’m sorry for bothering you,” the sadness was written in your tone, a quiet sob escaping on your last word as you exited his room and closed the door behind you. You quickly made your way through the building, wiping away tears as you held on to your dinner for the night. Though yelling was nothing strange for Secondo, he had never raised his voice at you before. But you understood, he was stressed. Everyone was. You made your way to the location of your last task for the day, sinking down the wall and eating your lunch as you sobbed freely to an empty room.

——

Secondo sat at his desk, staring at the apple and water you had left behind. His hand massaged his temple while he contemplated what to do. For once, he had felt bad for yelling at someone. Regretted it, even. You had done nothing wrong, and even wanted to make sure he was taking care of himself, but he hurt you. A sigh escaped his lips, shaking his head and leaning back in his seat. He tried to excuse his own mistake, telling himself it was justified because he was frustrated with his day, but he was aware that wasn’t true. There was no cause for what he did. 

He knew what he had to do, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

——

You wore a somber look for the rest of your day, working in silence as you attempted to erase the version of Secondo you saw earlier. There wasn’t a point in holding out for an apology, you thought, so you would forgive and forget on your own. Little did you expect the door of the room you occupied to swing open and reveal a disheveled looking Secondo, scanning the room for you. When his gaze rested upon your sad face, his heart nearly shattered at the damage he’d done. Though he would never want to say it out loud, Secondo cared for you deeply. You understood and accepted him, never forcing him to feel or act a certain way.

He gingerly approached you, something you had never seen him do before. He wrung his hands nervously, greeting you with your name and looking down to the floor. “Yes, Papa?” you asked, trying not to seem too hopeful for what you were expecting. He came closer, reaching out and taking one of your hands in his, rubbing it gently. “I want to… I wish to…” he sighed, rolling his eyes at himself. “I apologize for my outburst earlier. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way. And thank you for trying to look after me.” 

You smile at his strained apology, knowing how hard it must’ve been for him to admit his wrongs. Secondo avoided eye contact with you, standing awkwardly with your hand enclosed in his. You press your lips to his cheek and pull back to look at him, causing his eyes to meet yours. “I forgive you,” you say. He smiles, one of the first you’ve ever seen. It warms your heart. Secondo pulls you in for a warm hug, yet another first. You breathe him in, relishing in the moment and hoping it’s not the last you’ll experience.