Chapter Text
[5 Years After Escaping Roswaal’s Domain]
A cup lay shattered on the floor. More specifically, a cup of tea that had slipped from Natsuki Subaru’s hands. With Rem and Felix having taken Chocorina out to shop for clothes, Subaru had found a peaceful moment alone in the kitchen, and had decided to brew himself a relaxing cup of tea.
His throat was sore from the healing session he had shared with Felix the night before, where Felix had indulged his carnal desires with Subaru’s mouth quite roughly, and he believed that a cup of tea could soothe that ache.
However, before Subaru could take even a single sip, a presence had suddenly appeared from behind, calling out his name, startling Subaru enough that the cup left his grasp and shattered on the floor. The presence that had come out of nowhere, Emilia, stared down at the cup with an empty expression, as if judging the broken object, before moving her gaze to Subaru. That empty expression became a childish pout, and Emilia placed her hands on her hips.
Before Subaru had a chance to drop to his knees and frantically pick up the scattered glass, Emilia spoke.
"Subaru, you nincompoop! Look at the mess you made." She scolded, her tone brimming with exasperation and fondness. "What do you have to say for yourself, mister?"
Subaru tired to summon a smile, but all that came was a weak upturn of his trembling lips. "I-I’m sorry, Emilia-tan. I-I just got a little distracted, that’s all. I’ll clean it up right away, I swear!" He weakly pleaded, hoping that his wife would show him leniency.
She shook her head, her long, pristine silver hair swaying ever so slightly, as if echoing her judgement. "Subaru, while I’m happy you acknowledge your mistake, you’ve still been a bad boy. Hands on the table, mister." She ordered sternly.
Subaru’s entire body trembled with dread as he approached the dining table, the terror of Emilia’s punishments engraved in his very soul. No matter how many punishments he had endured from her, the fear of them never lessened, and they never became any easier to endure.
Laying his quivering palms flat against the table, Emilia wasted no time, and in one swift move, she broke Subaru’s left pinky finger. The howl of agony that erupted from Subaru’s throat was cut off by Emilia’s hand clamping around his throat, tightly.
"Good boys don’t make a fuss during punishments, Subaru. I reeeally don’t want to, but I will have to send you to the punishment corner, if you don’t learn to behave yourself."
The mere mention of the punishment corner made Subaru desperately nod his head as well as he could, despite the hand clamped around his throat.
Emilia’s hand loosened from Subaru’s throat, and then moved to gently wipe the tears forming in his eyes.
"I know you're a good boy, Subaru. You're my greatest boy, and it hurts me to see you in such pain. But I have to punish you when you misbehave, to keep you from becoming a liar and a bad boy. So if you don’t scream for the rest of your punishment, I’ll give you a lap pillow tonight, I promise."
She kissed him deeply, her tongue entering his mouth with no resistance, exploring every inch of his mouth greedily. Subaru’s hands remained firmly locked on the dinner table the entire time, and his eyes became blank and disconnected from the outside world.
Once Emilia had satisfied herself, she pulled away and moved her hands back to Subaru’s, her fingers caressing his hand with a deceptive tenderness.
"Don’t be afraid to cry, Subaru, you don’t need to hide your tears from me. I love you."
The punishment lasted for a few minutes, the sound of something snapping and muffled sobbing echoing throughout the home For Subaru, it felt like hours, with Emilia constantly whispering sweet nothings into his ears, as she slowly pulled on one finger after another.
As Subaru stared down at his own mangled fingers with tears falling from his lifeless eyes, he collapsed to his knees, and immediately felt Emilia’s arms hugging him.
Emilia knelt beside Subaru, as he silently wept from the pain. She stroked his hair, planted kisses all across his face, rocked him slowly back and forth, she was the embodiment of a loving wife, yet all her comforting touches felt like flames across Subaru’s skin.
"You did so well, Subaru. You’re a good boy, the best boy. Now, no going Ferris or Rem for healing when they get back, mister. I need to make sure you learn your lesson, or the punishment will have been for nothing. But don’t worry, I’ll heal them tonight, and let you cry out all the bad feelings on my lap."
"T-thank you, E-Emilia-tan." Subaru whispered in a broken, dull tone.
Emilia smiled sweetly and continued to hug him, enveloping him in her love. "Subaru, you don’t need to thank me. Everything I do, everything I give to you, I do because I love you, my precious dunderhead. I will always love you, I promise."
Those words, which would have once brought Subaru overwhelming joy, now left him terrified to his very core.
After all, a promise from Emilia was far more painful than any death could ever be.
"Now, Subaru, enough dilly dallying, it's time you clean up your mess."
-When Rem, Felix and Electra returned home, they immediately tried to heal Subaru, but Emilia was there, and firmly told them not to. When Emilia's back was turned, both Felix and Rem glared daggers at her, and Electra, only 4 years old at the time, felt a searing hate towards her mother, but she wouldn't understand such an emotion at the time. After all, as a child, she believed mothers and daughters were supposed to love each other deeply.