Her King

Six

Elliot looks at me worriedly as he approaches. "Rose?" He says my voice and I know he's asking if I'm ok.

I nod.

"Go wait in my office." Elliot tells me before turning his attention on his cousin. "I strongly suggest taking your trash out, before I toss it out myself." His voice is threateningly low.

The blonde looks as if she's about to fully go off at Elliot when Claudius wraps an arm around her and drags her away.

I breathe out and stand up, feeling safer now that Elliot is here. I head out to the office, I glance back at Elliot to see him talking quietly with Clara while he keeps his eyes on his disappearing cousin.

I walk into Elliot's office where I take a seat across from his desk and bury my face in my hands with a heavy sigh.

"Rose." His voice is soft, cautious.

I look up to see Elliot leaning back against his desk while in front of me. I give him an apologetic look.

Elliot shakes his head. "No, you have nothing to apologise for. They're thoughtless cunts. Please don't let whatever she said get to you." He tells me sternly.

I look at him confused and point to his office before deciding to sign with him. 'You told me to come to your office, I figured I was in trouble?'

"You're not in trouble." He tells me firmly. Elliot sighs and rakes a hand over his face. "I was worried about you Rose. I took my attention off the cameras for a couple minutes and when I checked on you again she looked like she was telling you off and then my idiot cousin came to her side." He pauses. "I saw what you said to her though, I'm glad you stuck up for yourself." He tells me softly.

I give him a small smile. 'Did you have fun?' I ask, knowing exactly what him and Clara had been up to in here.

Elliot chuckles. "Oh, did I..."

Elliot gets cut off by panicked shouts. "You can't go back there! That's staff only!" Clara shouts.

"Do you know who I am? I think I will be just fine." A cocky Claudius retorts.

Elliot quickly leaves the room with a panicked look on his face. "¿Qué? ¿No has hecho lo suficiente? ¿Vienes a atormentarla un poco más?" [What? Haven't you done enough? Are you here to torment her some more?] Elliot shouts furiously.

"Vine a disculparme, cometí un error. Déjame verla y disculparme." [I came to apologize, I made a mistake. Let me see her and apologize.] Claudius sounds soft despite being yelled at by Elliot. "No debí empujarla así. No tenía ni idea..." [I shouldn't have pushed her. I had no idea...]

"¿Ni idea?" [No idea?] Elliot laughs sardonically. "Te dije que ella no habla, pero por supuesto que no me escuchaste." [I told you she doesn't talk, but of course you didn't listen.]

Claudius lets out a heavy sigh. "Pensé que solo querías decir que era tímida, no que sea muda." [I thought you only meant that she was shy, not that she's mute.]

"Ella no es muda. Ella simplemente no habla. Ella no ha hablado durante casi nueve años." [She is not mute. She just doesn't talk. She hasn't spoken for almost nine years.] Elliot's voice is soft now.

"¿Sabes por qué?" [Do you know why?]

"No. No quería presionarla.: [No. I didn't want to push her.] Elliot sighs.

"Let me see her, to apologise." Claudius asks firmly.

Was all that over him trying to get back here to apologise to me?

Elliot lets out a frustrated sigh. "No. Go home, she doesn't want to see you."

I hear a series of grunts and growls before the door to Elliot's office is just about torn off its hinges as it gets opened and in stomps a furious looking Claudius. He moves to crouch down in front of me and grabs my jaw roughly to force me to look at him. "Rose." He says softly.

I try to pull my face out of his hold but he doesn't let me.

"Let go of her!" Elliot growls. "¡No ves que la estás asustando!" [Can't you see you're scaring her!]

Claudius quickly releases me and I see something looking like regret flooding through his eyes. "Can you give us a moment?" He asks as he tears his eyes away from me to look up at Elliot expectantly.

"Like hell I will." Elliot grumbles. I feel his warm hand coming down on my shoulder which instantly causes me to relax because I know he's close.

Claudius' eyes darken till they are almost black. "Saca tu maldita mano de mi alma." [Get your fucking hand off my mate.] His voice is low and threatening.

"Rose, go..." Elliot gets cut off by a growl from Claudius.

"Just give me a minute with her, that's all I ask, then I'll leave." Claudius sounds like he's trying to control his anger. His eyes look back down to me and they look to plead with me.

I swallow harshly and nod.

"No, Rose. You don't have to give into his demands." Elliot tells me softly.

I turn to look behind me at him and shake my head to tell him it's fine.

Elliot huffs and looks at his cousin. "One minute." He says firmly before walking towards the door.

"Door." Claudius commands.

Elliot rolls his eyes and sighs before closing the door behind him.

Claudius' warm hands cradle my hands in his. "Rose. Please look at me." He asks softly, sweetly.

I take a deep breath before I can find the courage to meet his eyes. 

Claudius sighs. "I'm sorry, please, I never meant to upset you. I had no idea really." He tells me. "I thought you were just too shy to talk around me so I figured if you were asked something at work... point is I'm useless and a shit head and I'm sorry."

I give a small nod. How could he have known? It's not really his fault.

Claudius releases my hand before he begins to sign to me. 'Don't nod your head at me like it's ok. What I did and what Erin did is not ok, so you don't need to act like it is.'

I feel taken back by the fact he knows how to sign, meaning he knew exactly what I'd said to his blonde Erin. 'You know how to sign?' I ask him confused.

Claudius chuckles. "I do, don't look so shocked. I have come across a few people who couldn't talk verbally so I learnt to talk to them the way they can talk." He tells me gently.

'Elliot taught me.' I confess to him.

He sighs and gives a small nod. "He looks out for you a lot, he takes good care of you." He pauses before muttering under his breath, "I suppose that makes me a little jealous."

I look at him confused. Why was he jealous?

Claudius holds his hands out to me. "This may seem like a strange request, but might I be allowed to hug you?"

I give him a puzzled look, worrying that this might be a trap or something. Eventually I sigh and give a small nod.

Claudius wraps one arm around my waist while the other wraps around my shoulder and reaches up to hold my head in the crook of his neck. He holds me tightly to him and I feel his head dipping down to my neck as he takes deep breaths through his nose. When he pulls back eventually his eyes rake over my face and he sighs. "Why do you look so scared of me?" He asks in a whisper.