Chapter Text
Three weeks had passed since Hubert had last docked at the city-state of Enbarr. His small spacecraft was enough for him to do research, or that’s what the Federation Military was allowed to think. A simple biological researcher, from a noble family, interested in scientific research. It allowed him to make his way through the Old Adrestian Federation and further if he made appropriate fuel stops and didn’t push for warping but when you worked in a position like Hubert’s you needed to be flexible. Uncovering the vast corruption of the old regime required him to think on his feet and move even quicker with his network of spies and mercenaries at his beck and call with a push of a button on his datapad. Some may call it space piracy, but Hubert found that to be a tacky word. He preferred political espionage but others on the team such as Caspar found the word to be exciting, so piracy was generally how it was described during their conference calls.
Hubert’s life danced to the tune of Princess Edelgard’s leadership. She magnificently led the Black Eagle Strike Team as they worked tirelessly to free the Old Adrestian Federation from the corruption that lay ensconced in the senate. It was clear to anyone with a brain that old Ionius was simply a figurehead these days but until he passed, there was little more the Black Eagles could do but give aid and assistance to the freedom fights that happened throughout the federation.
The afternoon had found him sitting in his favourite chair on the flight deck of his ship, with a cup of high-quality coffee, browsing through reports that Bernadetta had written on her travels with Petra and Dorothea to the Leicester Alliance to speak with their contacts there.
What he didn’t expect was an alert from ship AI, Azrael. “Captain, a package has been left for you in the upcoming port from your father, Aldrich Von Vestra. Shall I map a course?”
Hubert sighed and rubbed his forehead with the back of his wrist. His relationship with his father was strained at best and hateful at worst. The only good things he had given him were training to become an excellent intelligence manager and a relationship with Edelgard that enabled him to crawl out from Aldrich’s brutal thumb. With age and time the man seemed to soften in his homelife, occasionally sending Hubert gifts but that didn’t stop his politics from being brutal and unfeeling as he worked with the Prime Minister Von Aegir to implement harsh immigration laws and taxation that only seemed to feed the upper echelons of society. Oh, what he would give to be able to tear it down with Edelgard, to strip away all the fancy underpinnings of high society to reveal the rotten core. Deep in his heart, he knew his father was probably at the centre of the corruption and he knew that he would not hesitate with disposing of him. But now was not the time. Now was the time to play nice and accept his stupid gifts.
“Captain? Your decision?” Azrael chimed, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yes. Yes, Azrael. Map course to port for remote pick up. I don’t want this to take long. We have to still get to Nuvelle Quadrant before the week ends.”
“As you wish, Captain. Course set. Documentation has been sent to port. The gift from Aldrich Von Vestra shall be placed in Loading Bay One. Would you like to hear the accompanying message from Aldrich Von Vestra?”
His forehead gently met with the console as he grumbled, “Very well, Azrael. Show the message”
His father’s voice played through the speakers, tinny and thin, “I saw this at auction and bought it for you. This would be useful for you to stop you from getting lonely during your deep space research trips.”
A ding signalled to Hubert that the gift had been loaded successfully. He got up from his seat in front of the console and made his way to the stairs at the back of the ship. It wasn’t like one of the large imperial craft which could comfortably house at least ten passengers, but it was certainly bigger than a solo fighter ship. It was a small craft consisting of a modest flight deck which served as his main living space and office, a bedroom and a spare which was usually used by Edelgard or one of his team when needed. He had a kitchen, a pantry, and a bathroom with a bath. Below deck held a small laboratory suitable for holding samples and mixing Hubert’s beloved poisons, a bare-bones medical bay for emergencies, a storeroom, which hid his impressive armoury of weapons, gadgets and torture implements and then finally, the loading bay.
As the door slid open with a gentle whizz he hoped that maybe the gift was a watch or something similarly inane. A piece of holo art? Some ancient music uncovered from a dig site? Or perhaps a little robotic pet like the ones he saw the ladies in the tearooms of Enbarr coo over. He couldn’t help but feel amusement when Edelgard’s eyes would glitter a little at such baubles. But it wasn’t any of those things. That would be too simple or quaint for his father. What he saw in the loading bay sickened him. It was a pod that bore striking similarities to those he had seen during his trafficking busts. They were built like mini-medical facilities, with the ability to keep any humanoid alive through deep space travels. He had found whole trading ships full of these filled with missing humans who had fallen on hard times or had been kidnapped for various reasons. They managed to release and help the ones that lived through the traumatic process but often, something went wrong during transit, causing the inhabitant to fall into a permanent coma or die and now Hubert was the owner of one.
A pulse of tension twitched at his forehead from the sheer annoyance of this new wrench in his plans. Of course, he never would admit that what he felt was a deep unsettling fear which manifested itself with a tightening in his stomach, which honestly was probably from his caffeine addiction if he were frank with himself. It couldn’t be fear. He didn’t have time for that! He would need to contact Edelgard and hope that all the paperwork was in place or with the occupant of the pod. It honestly was going to be such a tedious exercise. Curse that man.
Hubert made his way to the upper deck, sorting through the information in his mind like little index cards. There was no need to jump to the immediate worst conclusion, not yet. Surely his father would not show his ass in such a way to get himself arrested. Not unless there was a huge gain to make and Hubert could see no gains here, just that he’s annoying his eldest son and wasting his time. It was probably just a companion. Companions weren’t illegal. A questionable use of power but not illegal. Essentially Companions were created to be glorified maids but usually, they were gainfully employed by deep space workers to stop them from falling to space madness with some human interaction. Over the years, nobles adopted the trend as a symbol of status and luxury. Pretty things to help them with ship upkeep. Of course, nobility loved that! On top of this, they were generally good engineers and entertainers. It was common for most solo crew ships to have an android companion; they were similar enough to human companionship, but they did not consume the same resources so it meant that the captain of the ship wouldn’t starve in emergency situations. The humans were a luxury and Hubert wanted no luxuries except his freedom and exceptional coffee beans.
Hubert hoped that this was just an android, less hassle that way. He needed a coffee and to not deal with this today. Not until he had dealt with the trading skirmishes on the borders of the Nuvelle quadrant and assassinated a pesky weapons merchant. He had messages to decipher, orders to give and materials to synthesize and the pod could take care of whatever was held inside, be it android or heavens forbid, human.
-
It took three days before he returned to the loading bay to look at the pod again. Frankly, if he were smart and if the sender had been anyone else, he’d probably just dispose of it immediately, but something told him in his gut that he needed to see what his father had sent him. He placed his hand on the datapad on the front and watched it blink to life. His worst fears were confirmed. This was a person. A healthy male human a few years younger than himself. What a sick joke... His father surely is laughing at his son, now the user of a frippy space concubine. How frustratingly frivolous. Hubert swipes through the information. There is shockingly little there, just his age, his life and health readings and his name – Ferdinand.
Hubert sighs and goes to collect some clothes for the man, Ferdinand as he considers where he could drop him off. He digs through his drawer of sleepwear, selecting the softest and baggiest things he could find. Surely, he could arrange for him to be given work with the Adrestian Federation. Flames, if he loves being a companion so much, surely another ship would enjoy his comforts more than Hubert would. His readings looked to be healthy enough to handle most things. He could book him in with an appointment with Lin, get an assessment of his health and capabilities and then he could be processed somewhere and out of Hubert’s hair so he can get back to his important work for Edelgard.
With a spare set of sleep clothes in hand and a tray of light food ready at the dining table, he pressed the unlock button. The pod lit up with beeping and hissing as various mechanical parts pressurized the chamber for the inhabitant, initializing the wake-up routine.
He sips his coffee, keeping an eye on the slow percentage bar and the health readings of Ferdinand as the process progressed. Several beeps and chimes signalled to him that oxygen levels were adjusting appropriately and that everything seemed to be going as well as it could. Eventually, after an hour, the door popped open to reveal Ferdinand for the first time.
He was a golden beauty, bathed in the sterile white light of the pod sensors. His long amber hair is tied loosely at the nape of his neck to stop it from tangling in transit. On his neck rests a metal band, a collar, with his name and a number for presumably identification purposes. His skin is perfect and unmarred, not a scar in sight. Nerves bubble up inside him. Hubert is unfamiliar with the ways of Companions. He never wanted or needed one and neither did anyone in the Black Eagles strike force. The organic ones were too expensive, and the android ones needed too much maintenance for a team like theirs. But seeing Ferdinand emerge, almost floating like a renaissance angel, dressed in only a pair of underpants, awakened something in him. His breath catches in his throat as he witnesses an event so beautiful, so pure that something twists deep inside his heart. A wrenching feeling of “ Oh… there you are” even though he had never seen him before in his life. The faint scent of bergamot is nostalgic, a balm to his weary soul, hitting his nose as Ferdinand’s hair spills like melting honey from the loose ribbon. Hubert catches him in his arms and even though the gravity is helping him to lift the sculpture that Ferdinand is, he certainly was more solid than he had expected. But he is breathing and very much alive.
Tawny eyelashes flutter open to reveal sleepy, eyes that glitter like polished amber. Ferdinand looks quizzical for a moment and then his arms grip Hubert tightly, embracing him. Hubert feels Ferdinand’s heart race as he clings to him, shaking and gasping in sheer panic, a mournful wail erupting from his mouth
He doesn’t know what to do. He was considering knocking him out with a gentle press to a pressure point but Ferdinand’s body clearly read his mind and did the job for him so now he is left with this Adonis awkwardly slumped in his arms, on his spaceship, with no clue what to do with him.
Curse his father.
-
Over the course of a few hours, Azrael was a huge source of help. His ship scoured all the data she could to find anything and everything possible about Ferdinand and the care of an organic Companion. To Hubert’s relief, as long as food was available, a place to sleep and an area to bathe, Ferdinand should be able to take care of himself. His readings in the medical bay had read him as healthy as a horse. So at least his father hadn’t sent him a bomb of diseases. As for the clothes matter… his sleepwear was a little tight over Ferdinand’s generous shoulders and thighs. He didn’t know how his father had managed to ascertain Hubert’s aesthetic type but… he managed.
As for Ferdinand himself, there was nothing about his ID number or him in any records aside from the auction that his father mentioned. It was a reputable auction too where Companions put themselves up for auction after having completed their training. Frustratingly, all the paperwork worked out at least as far as he could see. Not even a whiff of black-market involvement He’d have to send copies to Linhardt for further verification, but he trusted Azrael’s judgement… Then there was the matter of the panic attack. Was that normal after deep sleep?
The gentle clink of a tea set being placed down behind him disturbed Hubert from his thoughts. He spun around in his chair to see Ferdinand carefully setting out spoons and cups and saucers. The scent of Edelgard’s Hresvelg tea filled the room. He couldn’t help but stare in bewilderment as Ferdinand expertly put together a proper tea party that Edelgard would surely love.
Ferdinand’s eyes met his own and he straightened up and smiled, bowing in a most noble fashion to introduce himself. “Hello, Master. My name is Ferdinand and I am here to care for your comfort on your voyages. I am highly skilled in cooking, cleaning, mending, basic ship repairs and medical care. I also can entertain as needed.”
Hubert couldn’t stop himself from scoffing at the ridiculous frivolity of it all. “That won’t be necessary. I plan to drop you at port off when the opportunity arises.”
Panic filled Ferdinand’s face as he came up from his bow. “But! But! Master! I have to serve you! I must! Why else would you have purchased me?” he cried, trying to beseech Hubert with the biggest doe eyes, but it wouldn’t work. Hubert was set in his resolve. Ferdinand would only be a distraction.
“I didn’t. My father thought it would be amusing to give you to me as a gift. You are unwanted and unneeded. Surely you can find work elsewhere within the Adrestian Federation with your wide skillset?” was Hubert’s scathing retort.
“I can’t. That’s impossible.”
“What do you mean you can’t? You just listed off the beginnings of what sounds to be a vast resume of skills. You surely will find somewhere to work and live easily enough. I have a large enough network to make it so.”
“I can’t. It has to be you. When you opened the pod, the contract was sealed and now I am yours.” Ferdinand’s response was so… flat… sterile. Wrong.
Hubert huffed and stood, “This isn’t some fairy tale situation, Ferdinand. Contracts can be broken legally, and you will be getting off my ship when you are able to do so!”
Ferdinand’s face reddened. His mouth opened and closed, and it looked like he desperately wanted to say something. Curious… But instead of whatever he had intended to say he gestured to the tea.
“Please master… the tea is getting cold. Won’t you drink it?”
Hubert swept past him, proclaiming darkly, “I don’t drink tea.”
And that was the end of that.
-
After he had calmed himself from his outburst, he found Ferdinand in the kitchen area trying to prepare a meal from his meagre rations. Truthfully Hubert mostly survived off of meal replacement pouches, much to Edelgard’s chagrin. But if he had to care for Ferdinand that probably wouldn’t do…
“Master!” said Ferdinand as he entered in a way that reminded Hubert of a little happy dog, or a big dog in Ferdinand’s case.
“Please don’t call me that. Hubert will do,” he began. “Come. I’ll show you to your quarters and the area in the storeroom where more food has been kept if you must insist on doing something.”
Ferdinand nodded and followed Hubert along the hallway to the sleeping quarters. “The bathroom is there and my room is further down the hall although I’d ask you not to disturb me unless it is an emergency.”
They walked down the stairs and turned to the right to the storeroom. “The food is kept in freezers on the left-hand side. Please don’t go poking around here unnecessarily. I keep dangerous things for my work here and I don’t want to be cleaning up your mess. Any questions?”
“Yes… Well… Ma-Hubert… I thought that… I well I presumed… that you would,” he began, stammering as his face reddened so bright and luminous in the dimmed storeroom before looking at him through his tawny lashes. “I thought that you would want to sleep with me?”
If the words didn’t sound so wrong, so dissonant coming out of Ferdinand’s mouth he would laugh, instead, he found himself twisting his nose up in disgust. “I would never. Don’t get such preposterous ideas into your head. I will let you cook and clean and play a ditzy maid to keep you out of trouble while I work to find a place for you to go but if I ever hear you suggest such a thing like this again. Mark my words, you will regret it. Do I make myself clear?”
“Y-Yes Ma-Hubert!” Ferdinand squeaked with a tiny bow.
“Good. Now do not trouble me. I won’t take dinner with you. Azrael will answer any further questions you need,” Hubert finished, turned away and left Ferdinand in the dark of the storeroom to find what he needed.
-
An hour later the sound of a tray with a fragrant stew being sat down startled Hubert from his paperwork but when he looked behind him, Ferdinand was nowhere to be seen. Good. It was better this way.
The less fuss the better. He moved from the console with a stretch and ate his meal in silence. It was the most delicious meal he had had in a long time. Ferdinand seemed to work some magic as the meat melted in his mouth in a rich and creamy sauce. The potatoes were ever so fluffy and it all just felt like a warm comforting hug. At least Ferdinand could probably find gainful employment as a chef somewhere. He’d vouch for his skill himself if he kept producing meals this hearty and delicious.
Maybe he was a little too harsh… he’d apologize for his conduct in the morning. Try to smooth things over. After all, it wasn’t Ferdinand’s fault that his father had hoisted him upon him.
-
Then again… the crying at night buried any ideas Hubert may have had about apologizing. It seemed that Ferdinand truly was a dog in more ways than one. It started as a faint sniffle before burbling up to mournful sobs that threatened to make Hubert tear his hair out. He wouldn’t, couldn’t go see Ferdinand. His stubbornness wouldn’t let him and the fear that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to deny him any request just to stop him from his pitiful crying. Thank goodness for Azrael. She would take care of it. She would at least do her best to muffle the sound so he could get some sleep.
-
Weeks passed and Hubert hated living with Ferdinand. He was too sweet. Too nice and helpful. His songs would echo through the ship as he swept and dusted. Azrael would thank him for maintenance and she even began to try to chat with Hubert more as a result of Ferdinand’s inane chattering. The food may be delicious, and the ship may be in great condition as a result of Ferdinand’s careful repairs but none of that was worth Hubert’s torment every time he saw Ferdinand out of the corner of his eye looking like a kicked puppy. None of it has been worth the crying he sometimes hears at night, that Hubert can’t find the courage to investigate the cause of. He does not want to get attached. He cannot afford to get attached but then a day comes where Hubert is pouring over a report Edelgard had sent him about a black-market of child trafficking most likely related to the people who hurt Edelgard’s family so long ago when he failed her so deeply. His nerves are shot, the tension is bubbling inside him and has nowhere to go. He is looking for a fight so Ferdinand will have to do.
As the man placed the coffee down on the table next to him without a word, looking pained and tired as usual, Hubert struck. “Out with it then. What is causing your face to look like you’ve eaten nothing but lemons?”
Ferdinand stills, like a deer caught. He stands back, alarmed that Hubert had even uttered a word to him, for they had not spoken since that day in the storeroom. He blinks, once, twice, opens his mouth, closes it and visibly tries to find the words, and tries Hubert’s patience at the same time.
“Well? Out with it!”
Ferdinand mumbles something and hides behind his hair.
“Speak up!” he yells, frustrated.
“I just… I just wanted to serve you… to be close to you. It makes me happy seeing you enjoy my food and cups of coffee I bring you, but you never have any words to say to me. You never let me close. Of course, I’m miserable! This is torture! I’m supposed to be for your comfort and you won’t even USE me! Is that what you’re suggesting with your cold behaviour? That I wither away and DIE?!” By this point, Ferdinand is holding himself so tightly that his nails are digging little red crescents into his arms.
It is Hubert’s turn to blink in shock as he leans back in his chair, considering what Ferdinand has said. None of his feelings make any sense. He shouldn’t be having such an outburst… unless…
He stands and strides over to Ferdinand grabbing him by the back of the neck with one hand and tugging his hair up. It sickens him how limp and pliant Ferdinand goes; he should be fighting him back but instead, he only gets a whimper as he tugs at the metal collar on Ferdinand’s neck. His mind goes to the report he had been reading. Trafficking large masses of children would be a hard thing to do unseen and unnoticed but with the use of illegal technology, it would be possible. Ferdinand clutches at Hubert’s arm as the collar is pulled upwards to reveal a small golden circle with a blinking blue dot right at the centre-right on the back of his neck.
Oh… Curse his father indeed. He should have been more paranoid… more cautious. He had a plant right here for weeks and he never even suspected anything. Bile rises up in Hubert’s throat but he swallows it down as he releases Ferdinand who tumbles to the ground in shock, turning back to the console. In his hurry, he calls the only person he can think to deal with it. Linhardt picks up.
“Yes, Hubert? You woke me up from my nap… this had better be good. Oh! You’ve finally got a lover I see,” Lindhardt deadpans, his drowsy voice drawling across the connection.
“No. I do not. This is Ferdinand, the gift from my father. I sent you documentation regarding him a few weeks ago.”
“You did but nothing interesting came up from those papers…” he trailed off tapping his fingers on his console. “I would have thought you’d have dumped him in some port town by now Hubert, going soft?”
“No. I’ve just been in deep space tracking Jeritza’s trail on Those Who Slither… I haven’t been near an Adrestian port since I picked him up. Besides, he has been useful but today I discovered something.”
“Fascinating I hope?”
“Perhaps… but I think it’s rather disturbing,” he says as he pulls Ferdinand onto his lap. He goes down with a squeak, blushing crimson. He smells of earl grey and sugar cookies as he pushes Ferdinand’s hair aside to reveal a golden disk.
A clatter is heard as Linhardt knocks aside whatever paperwork and books are on his console and only his forehead and topknot is seen as he presumably peers right at his screen. His voice sounds almost giddy, “You have to bring him in immediately, Hubert. I have to see this in person.”
Ferdinand glances at Hubert with worry and Hubert can’t help but pet Ferdinand’s back to soothe him. It doesn’t escape him how Ferdinand melts in his arms, a tiny sigh of contentment escaping his lips.
He arranges a time to bring Ferdinand to Linhardt’s lab and is sent a dossier of experiments he would like Hubert to perform on Ferdinand. He glances at it and discovers that most of them are to do with how Ferdinand takes instructions and reacts to physical contact. The instructions he can do no issues. Ferdinand obeys him without question to worrying degrees. It seems he will perform any and all tasks no matter how dangerous or foolish they are.
They sit together on the flight deck as Hubert brings a glass with an unknown liquid inside for one of these experiments.
“This is poison. I want you to drink it,” he explains as he hands Ferdinand the glass. He takes it without complaint and raises it to his lips. For a moment, a brief second, Ferdinand looks afraid but he is unable to do anything but what is asked of him so his eyes become stony and he tips the liquid into his mouth with no complaints, no objections for his own safety. He puts the glass down on the table and sits there, his fingers digging into his knees as he is trying not to shake into a thousand tiny pieces.
Hubert’s heart twists as he looks Ferdinand in the eye. It is like staring at an animal that knows its about to die by a stronger predator. He’s seen that look many times in the eyes of his marks as he goes in for the kill but no one so innocent as Ferdinand. Surely that image will haunt him for the rest of his days.
He finds his voice, “It’s not poison… I just mixed some food colouring with water. Linhardt wanted to see how you react to taking instructions but… it’s clear you will do anything.”
Ferdinand slumps slightly, he looks down and Hubert can see the tears that have collected like dewdrops on his eyelashes. A sick thrill passes through them as he thinks about licking them off for a moment, but he chides himself and instead lets out one of his long and weary sighs. Ferdinand looks up, trying to hide any and all emotion and not quite succeeding before gasping as Hubert motions with his head to his knee as he opens his arms up.
It takes no time for Ferdinand to clamber up from his seat to join Hubert in his as he curls up on his knee and clings to him like a magnet. Hubert’s hands gently hold him, petting his hair and back as he hums for a moment. “You can cry now if you need to…” he gently murmurs and then Ferdinand is clinging tighter as a sob escapes his lips before a waterfall of dampness pools at Hubert’s neck as Ferdinand cries until he has no more tears in his body, no more energy left. It feels oddly nostalgic. Rather like how Edelgard and her friends would cry when they had cut their knees. Unfortunately, casting fake magic spells and forehead kisses would not fix things here but Hubert resolved to try and be a little kinder to Ferdinand. Then they would get to Linhardt and he would be rid of him and everything would be simple again.