Royals and Rule-breakers

Arguments and Assertions

"Why, good morning." Y/N yawned, opening her eyes to see Klaus gazing at her, the bright sunlight from his window blinding her for a moment. "Nice to wake up next to you at a reasonable hour of the morning."

"Good morning to you too." Klaus chuckled, sleepily kissing her forehead. "I think we may be getting too comfortable with this all this sneaking around."

"Well, we have yet to be caught," Y/N pointed out. "And you get to spend more time with your favorite morally corrosive influence."

Klaus laughed again, pulling the painter closer to him with a smile. "I suppose you're right."

Y/N was just about to doze off again, when she suddenly bolted upright. "Oh! Goodness, speaking of sneaking around and being of poor influence..." she brushed out her hair with her fingers, Klaus removing his arm from her with a hint of despondence at her sudden movement from his embrace. 

"Is everything alright?" He questioned, sitting up beside her; but the painter was already clumsily stumbling out of his bed, smoothening out her nightgown. 

"Yes, I just nearly forgot- I have a meeting today with a certain boss of mine and royal adviser of yours." She explained hurriedly, and Klaus creased his brow. 

"What?"

"Discussing how things shall play out in terms of your commission with my... little legal perplexity."

"Ah." Klaus got out of bed as well to give his partner one last hug. "Well... I suppose there is not much I can offer to you besides a good luck." 

"It will work out just fine." Y/N assured him as she pulled away and unlocked his balcony window. "Since I am healed up fine enough now, I will most likely begin work soon- with his Highness' permission, of course." She added with a laugh and dramatic bow.

"Er, of course, if you'd like- but really, if you don't need to start right away, there's no rush-" 

"Klaus." Y/N set her hand on his arm and smiled gently. "It's okay. Both D'Angelo and Poe will probably want me to start as soon as possible, and we will get to see more of each other once I begin my work anyways."

Klaus sighed as Y/N perched herself on the edge of the balcony. "Alright, I suppose so." 

It seemed to the prince that the sooner Y/N began his commission, the sooner she would be done- and the sooner she would leave. He knew that she would stay for his coronation... but regardless, this change of pace made their little moments together appear all too fleeting for his comfort. 

***

"Ah! There you are Baudelaire."

"Good afternoon sir." Klaus bowed his head a little to greet Poe as he stepped into a nearly empty room; glancing around, he noticed Y/N standing nearby, with D'Angelo seeing to still tower over her despite her new stubbornly high chin and stiff shoulders. "Er," he tried to focus on the adviser, Y/N's own eyes focusing on a corner of the ceiling to avoid eye contact, "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, yes," Poe patted the prince's back, to his slight discomfort, and gestured to the painter and her employer. "I just had a little chat with these two about your portrait- and how little Miss L/N here is going to be kept in line during the process, as well as her position once the work is done."

Klaus glanced quickly back and forth between Y/N and Poe, swallowing the lump that had begun to form in his throat at the edge in the adviser's voice when he was on the topic of the painter's fate. "A-And what was decided upon?" He asked hesitantly. 

"Since Mr. D'Angelo here, for reasons I cannot comprehend, insists upon keeping this little... disaffected assistant of his, she will be granted temporary protection from the law's punishment for her crimes until her job it done. She will continue to be held under strict supervision when she is not working, and since D'Angelo also insists that no one is to watch nor disrupt his painting process, he shall be her supervisor during her working hours, with a guard stationed outside of the doors."