As promised, here's the fluff fic! I don't have lots of ideas at the moment, especially for a more "serious fanfic", so i'll just write this in the meantime to keep myself busy whilst I think something up. With that said, I'm not really sure where do I want to take this either, nor whether I want to make this wholesome (a little handholding) or unwholesome (lots of handholding). Let me know with a review or by dm. I'll be democratic, and i'll pick the option with most votes (even if it'll be just a single person dm'ing me lol). Also, i'll write like people normally would write a book and not like I previously did with my other story by adding the names of the person speaking, cause that was a bit tiring. Lemme know if it works. With everything said, let's get right into it.

IMPORTANT: Since this is a fluff fic, the plot will be put on hold and it will diverge from the actual storyline, so no Petelguese, no whales, no sanctuary etc. Also, any technicalities regarding some characters' behaviour (such as how'd Roswaal act if the gospel's writ were to diverge here/his goal were to be put on hold) will not be addressed. This is going to be fic where Subaru DIDN'T fall in love with Emilia when he first met her. I'll try to make every character act like they did up until this point, only in a more wholesome manner.

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"Good morning, Senpai, Emilia-sama. Aren't you two up early today? I thought it was Senpai's day off, and usually Emilia sleeps until right before breakfast. Did something happen?"

Greeting the blue haired maid and the silver haired half-elf right outside his room, standing there as if they were waiting for him, Subaru couldn't help but feel confused. It was still early in the morning, and the sun had risen not too long ago. Feeling like something was awry again, he started walking towards them whilst adjusting his butler uniform, getting ready for a long day at work.

Flinching as they were called, the two returned the greeting in an equally stiff manner without moving an inch from their spot, as if frozen solid, only their upper bodies moving and an awkward "G-good morning, Subaru" escaping their lips, their eyes avoiding his and their cheeks slightly flushed.

"So, what're you guys doing?"

"W-well, it looked like such a nice day, so... I thought maybe I a-and... Subaru could go somewhere together? You've been working soooo hard lately, haven't you?"

"Unlike Emilia-sama, I wish to assist you with your work today, S-subaru-kun. The amount of chores is too much for a single person to handle, so I decided it was opportune to help you with your tasks."

As if the spell binding them was dispersed, the girls started passionately speaking and enclosing on him. Stumbling backwards, the boy soon found himself with his back to the wall and these two ferocious beauties assaulting him. Feeling his life was at risk, Subaru quickly spun his brain to find a suitable response for such a predicament.

"Um... It'd certainly be nice to have a picnic somewhere, but in case you haven't noticed, Emilia-sama, there are menacing clouds approaching this area. I have a feeling it'll rain the whole day. And Senpai, I wish you wouldn't assist me. I appreciate the gesture, but overworking yourself is bad. If you were to get sick, i'd be a problem for everyone. So, please go back to bed. I'll prepare breakfast soon. Until then, rest up."

Thanking the gods for his quick wits, Subaru started jogging after receiving a dejected nod from the two, feeling he was already late and that Ram was waiting for him in the kitchen, ready to humiliate him.

As soon as the boy disappeared from their view, the maid and the half elf quickly jerked their heads towards each other and shot a hostile glare at their opponent.

"Hmph!"

With a snort, they both started walking back towards their residences, beginning to think of yet another plan to get some time alone with Subaru.

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'Shit, I can't believe I have to do this every single morning. It's starting to get really tiring.'

He was currently in the kitchen, absent-mindedly peeling potatoes after being scolded by Ram. Weeks have passed since he saved the village from that dog-shaman, and since then those two's behaviour has only been getting weirder and weirder. He was glad nobody was trying to kill him anymore, but their attitude was still bothersome, since every available moment they had they'd pull something like this. He'd often found Rem sneaking glances at him during work, immediately denying everything when he confronted her about it, and Emilia spying on him through the windows, doing the same when he asked her. It felt like he was constantly under surveillance, and it was quite taxing on his mind.

'I'm starting to regret listening to them when they proposed to hire me full time here at their mansion.'

The work was a bit tiring, since cooking and gardening and that kinda stuff weren't his forte, but the pay was great and he also had a roof over his head and free food. For someone out of another world, with no degree in magic arts or no combat skills to speak of, such an opportunity was golden. That's why, when he was preparing to leave to find his place in this world after saving that village from the witchbeasts, feeling that he had finally repaid all his debts towards the inhabitants of the mansion, and he was offered in a hurry such a position by Emilia, he immediately accepted, thinking he had just secured his survival, at least for the moment.

'For these past weeks they've been pestering me constantly. Could it be that they still suspect me!?... No way, they should know I mean no harm by now.'

Failing to realise the simple truth behind the two maiden's actions, Subaru kept exercising in mental gymnastics to explain their behaviour. But the more he thought about it, the less he understood and the more cuts appeared on his hands after slipping on the potatoes.

'But all this end tomorrow! Well... not really, but at least I should be able to get a break from this stressful existence."

Tomorrow, in fact, Emilia and Roswaal were going to depart in order to attend a meeting for the ruler candidates a week from now on, and he and Rem were coming too. Hoping that he'd finally catch a break in the days he's going to spend at the capital, Subaru persevered as he peeled potato after potato, steeling his resolve to survive until then as a thunderous storm ravaged the woods near the mansion.

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Barely able to sit still, Subaru was fidgeting inside the carriage directed towards their destination as he looked outside the window towards the unfamiliar landscape. He was truly looking forward to this trip, so much that even Emilia and Rem's usual mischiefs couldn't bander his excitement. After loading the carriage with every necessary item, they begun their days long journey towards their destination. They weren't in a hurry, so they took quite a while to get there, but Subaru didn't mind. The new experiences were piling up on top of each other and for the first time he felt truly at peace after being transported to this new world.

Rem was there as their ground dragon driver and was rarely inside the carriage, so Emilia naturally took this opportunity to try and win over Subaru, but to no avail. Unfortunately for her, she was too immature, and she didn't know how to use her abundant charms. Her clumsy cuteness was still effective, but she eventually realised it wasn't enough to win a man over.

Under the exhilarated gaze of the magician sitting opposite to them, entertained by the half elf trying to breach through the young man's impenetrable fortress with her feelings and by the blue haired maid glancing back every three seconds in envy, keeping an eye on Emilia whilst grinding her teeth, the trip proceeded smoothly, with occasional stops at an inn to let the dragons rest and to sleep more comfortably. Subaru secretly loathed these stops, as Rem got incredibly aggressive during this trip and more than once tried to sneak into his room at night, but even this didn't damper his mood.

And now, they were about to reach the capital. Just an hour away, Subaru could already see the tallest buildings of the city from afar, basking in the light of the early morning sun, and he could tell they were close from the constantly increasing flow of carriages. Unexpectedly though, he felt his excitement drain as the memories of his past lives and effort flooded in again, as if called upon by that territory, and he unknowingly assumed a brooding expression.

"Is something wrong, Subaru?"

"Are you feeling alright, Subaru-kun?"

Feeling the worried gaze of the two girls that spoke at the same time on his back, the boy turned away from the window to give them a reassuring look.

"No, it's just... I, really am glad you two are alive and well."

Feeling a surge of emotions at the thought of the hardships he's overcome to arrive at this point, he gave them a quick smile and turned back to the window, hiding his moist eyes and feeling glad that he succeeded at saving them, even if they annoyed him to no end with their odd behaviour.

Having turned away immediately after speaking, Subaru missed the sight of the two reddening girls, Emilia breathlessly staring at him and Rem gulping hard without looking in front of her, almost crashing the carriage into that of a meek looking young man with grey hair. After apologising profusely to the shrieking merchant , they finally passed the gates and entered the city.

'Now that I think about it, it's my first time coming into this city. I guess i'll always have a record of leaving this place one more time than entering it.'

With such idle thoughts, Subaru kept looking around, his mood still dampened by the memories, and didn't even notice as they reached their destination at one of the Candidate's mansion. Greeted by the old man that previously visited them at their residence with the cat-boy, they started disembarking their bags and settling into their mansion. After arranging Roswaal and Emilia's stuff in their rooms, Subaru excused himself to his own room and jumped on his bed whilst pulling out his phone to distract himself. He had basically no bags since his possession was limited, so he didn't have to unload anything.

He absent-mindedly fiddled around with his phone, heavy in thought about what was and what will be, before he heard a knock come from the door. Sitting upright, he replied with a "Come in, it's open" and was greeted by a pair of blue eyes looking at him through a small opening.

'Heh, she's acting cute for a change.'

Thinking this as his mouth relaxed into a smile, the boy prompted the maid to enter as he put away his phone.

"What's wrong, Senpai? Do you require my assistance with something?"

"No, it's not that... I just, noticed, how Subaru-kun's been acting odd the whole day, so I wanted to check up on you... T-that's all! There's no ulterior motive" She added, as Subaru looked at her with skepticism after she entered the room and placed herself near the door.

"Where's Emilia-sama? Aren't you two always together? Actually, now that I think about it, what's you two's relationship? Are you besties or something?"

"Not at all. We have a strictly professional relationship. Speaking of which... Um, could I ask something of you, Subaru-kun?"

Looking shy and fidgety, she hesitated to look at him and was instead observing intently a bowl of fruits on a nearby nightstand, her cheeks tinted with a pretty rosy colour.

"Sure, if it's something within my capabilities, i'll do it."

"Well... Um... C-can I ask you to, um, call me just Rem?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Ummm, I-i understand it might be too soon, but... Huh?"

"I said sure. It's not that big of deal, right? It's just a name. It's no biggie."

Looking slightly flabbergasted, the maid's mouth opened slightly in surprise, but she quickly composed herself , letting a victorious expression appear on her face for only an instant.

"Then... Regarding Emilia-sama... She's currently rehearsing her speech for tomorrow, and will later have to attend to a dinner with some nobles that will be present at the selection, so we servants are free for the rest of the day. With that in mind... I was wondering if, um, Subaru-kun w-would like to accompany me for a trip to the city... M-maybe it'll help you get your mind off the things that are troubling you..."

Going back to her fidgety self within seconds, the maid was looking hesitantly at him as she voiced her thoughts.

'Well, I had nothing to do here, and brooding in my room by myself won't do any good.'

"Sure, I was bored anyways. I don't mind. Are we going to go right now or...?"

"Emilia-sama and Roswaal-sama will be served lunch by this mansion's servants, so we could go right now if you'd like!"

"Uh, sure then. Just let me get changed into something more comfortable."

"Ok, i'll wait!"

"..."

A silly smile on the maid's face, she stood in front of the door without moving, humming happily as Subaru went to retrieve his old tracksuit, one of the few items he took with him.

"Um, Rem... I'm going to change... So, uhh, you know..."

"..."

"Rem...? I'm going to get naked."

"Ooh! R-right! Y-yes, i'm sorry! I-i-i'll leave immediately!"

Panicking at how weird she must've looked, spaced out like that, the girl quickly ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her, her heart pounding, threatening to burst out of her chest.

'She can be really cute, huh?'

Smiling happily at the freaked out Rem, Subaru changed into his old clothes and went to retrieve his calmed down companion. Telling the man at the gate about their destination, they quickly left the mansion and began their adventure in the capital.

"Since we're here and it's lunch time, how about we try some local delicacies? There's a really nice restaurant nearby, and they serve typical beastfolk dishes! I bet Subaru-kun has never tasted something as good as their food!"

"I'm not really sure. The stuff you prepare is already the best i've ever tasted. My mom honestly can't even compare..."

Thinking back to the mayo filled, half burnt dishes he ate whenever he didn't buy cup ramen that his mother prepared, he suddenly appreciated Rem's cooking even more. Distracted by the thought, he didn't notice how the maid walking next to him was covering her red ears in embarassment.

"Subaru-kun...Likes, my cooking... hehe."

"Did you say something?"

"N-no! I didn't say anything at all!"

Turning back to her in response to her whisper, he noticed how flushed her cheeks were.

"Are you feeling ok, Rem? You're all Red. That damn Ros-chi, making you pull those reins for almost a whole week..."

His hand on her forehead, Subaru started complaining about his employer, misunderstanding the increasingly red face of the girl looking up to him with clouded over eyes.

'H-he's so, so close!'

Feeling her legs give out, she started falling but was promptly caught by Subaru.

"Oi oi, this is no joke, isn't it? Rem, why didn't you tell me you were feeling sick?"

Holding her up in a princess carry as he looked around for a spot to sit down, he scolded the Oni for her rashness as her brain was starting to short-circuit, filled to the brim with nothing but static.

Having found a bench near a fountain, Subaru quickly ran up to it and placed her down on it, using the tracksuit jacket as a pillow and his black shirt underneath as a sponge, wetting it with water and placing it onto the burning up girl's forehead; having sat down, he finally exhaled and looked at Rem with a worried gaze. Unable to take her eyes away from him, the maid's thoughts were beginning to morph from white noise to desire for the boy in front of her.

'S-subaru-kun... Is shirtless... Right in front... of me...'

Having finally reached her limit, she passed out and closed her eyes.

"Did she finally fall asleep? Good grief, this girl... always making me worry so much about her..."

Unable to stifle his worry, he ended up staying there the whole time, attracting weird looks from passersby.

It was only over an hour later that she woke up, her emotions under her control once again, her heart thumping in excitement still.

"Did our little Ariel finally wake up?... No wait, it wasn't Ariel. Maybe Rapunzel? Shit, I forgot which one was the sleepy one... Was there a sleepy one at all?"

"pffft"

Unable to hold herself back, the girl started chuckling lightly as the boy racked his brain trying to remember the right princess. Fake pouting at the girl's reaction, he crossed his arms and frowned.

"I try to help her when she's feeling sick, and what does she does immediately after waking up? Laugh at me. I swear, young people these days..."

"Yes, you're right. Sorry, Subaru-kun. And...thanks for everything."

Getting up from her spot, she looked at the momentarily speechless young man and smiled at him, the wind gently swaying her hair around, her eyes looking at him with affection and her heart filled to the brim with happiness.

"... That's a 10 billion volt smile right there!"

Shooting a disco pose as he got up, Subaru found himself enchanted by the girl's smile and couldn't help but feel his worries fade away in front of such a happy and carefree expression. Quickly getting down again, red faced, as he was met with murmurs and looks from the people around him, the boy reached out for his damp shirt and put it back on, ignoring the chuckling Rem, now sitting straight near him. He dropped his head down in embarrassment, but picked it right back up when he felt the maid leaning on him with hers on his shoulder, and looked at her feeling a bit flustered.

"U-um, Rem, what are you..."

"I'm glad, Subaru-kun"

"You're glad? About what? About me embarrassing myself in public?"

"Well, that too, but mostly about the fact that I managed to make you feel better, even if just by a little."

"Hey, are you starting to inherit personality traits from your sister? If so, please stop. I already have a domestic abuser in my life, I don't need another one, thank you very much."

A bit displeased at his unfair treatment, he couldn't deny that he truly was feeling refreshed. Feeling thankful, but also mischievous, he decided that It was time to enact some sort of revenge.

"Say, didn't we go out all the way here to have lunch in the first place? We should move before it closes and we have to eat sewer rats instead."

"I'd never let Subaru-kun starve to the point of having to eat rats! I'd much rather have you eat me instead!"

Shot up from her leaning position, the girl's eyes were ablaze with passion and determination to protect the boy in front of her.

"Um, Rem, I appreciate the offer, but i'd much rather eat a rat than hurt you..."

"That is unacceptable! I will not let Subaru-kun suffer like this! Plus, even if you were to eat a part of me, i'd be able to regenerate quickly by activating my Oni powers, so it won't be a probl-"

"I feel like we've taken this conversation towards a weird direction, so how about we stop before it gets even weirder?!"

"Y-yes, indeed let's."

Stretching lightly to dispel his embarrassment, he got up from the bench and helped out the maid too by giving her his hand, and the two started walking towards the place Rem had previously mentioned. Noticing how the girl still hadn't let go of his hand as they walked around, Subaru was about to ask her about it, but before he could Rem inched closer to him and wrapped her arms around his, silencing him with a mischievous smile on her face.

"I'm still feeling a bit light-headed, so I hope Subaru-kun won't mind me clinging onto him. It'd be troublesome if I were to fall again, after all..."

'T-this girl!'

Feeling the envious gazes of the passing by men and their whispers full of hate, Subaru's resolve to mess with the maid only hardened. They walked for around fifteen minutes before reaching the restaurant Rem previously mentioned, and as they did Subaru finally saw an opportunity to let the girl taste some of the humiliation he felt in the past hours in the shape of a sign outside the front door. After walking through it, they were greeted by a room bigger than it appeared from the outside. Tables full of customers were filling the place, and there barely was any room for walking.

"Well, at least this attests to how good this place is. If the food sucked, it certainly wouldn't be this packed."

"Don't worry, Subaru-kun. I personally vouch for their food! Or... Is it that, you don't trust me?"

Being looked at with those teary, blue puppy eyes, Subaru felt a pang in his heart.

"You're so unfair, Rem... That was SUPER EFFECTIVE, so please don't do that again or else you might really kill me off."

"Wha-! I'd never do such a thing! Subaru-kun's safety takes priority over my own life!"

"Um, that's quite problematic in and of itself..."

"Are ya two done with ya lovers' quarrel?"

Whilst they were arguing in front of the door, a lizard-man in a cute apron had walked up to them and was staring at them displeased. Or at least, that's what Subaru thought from his voice. His expression was honestly unreadable due to his crocodile head.

"Uh yeah, we're ready to eat. Speaking of which... I saw that sign at the entrance. Is it true that you give couples a 20% discount?"

"C-c-c-couples? S-subaru-kun, what're, you..."

Her cheeks beet red and her shoulders trembling, the embarrassed maid looked up to him teary-eyed and whispered as not to let the lizard-man hear. Ignoring her protests, he winked at her and kept bluffing his way through, feeling his heart puff up with pride at having managed to enact his revenge.

"Ya, we do give that, but uh... How can I say dis... Didya really land a girl like that?"

"Huh!? The fuck's that supposed to mean, oi!? Take that back, you oversized gecko!"

"W-wait, Subaru-kun! Please, don't act rashly! Um, sir, I beg you to forgive my b-boyfriend for his behaviour!"

Whilst holding back the boy without much truble, ready to jump at the demihuman, she gave a quick bow to him and apologised for "her man's" behaviour, deciding it was better to go along with the act rather than to attract trouble with the locals.

"Bwahahah! Sorry, sorry, ma bad. Ya man just looked like he was hella fun ta tease! Come, a seat for two right?"

After giving a heartfelt laugh, the crocodile-man started navigating amongst the tables and a displeased Subaru and a still flushed Rem followed close behind him. Feeling like his victory had been dampened by the waiter, the boy kept a sulky attitude the whole meal.

"Subaru-kun, is something the matter? Did you dislike the food?"

Walking aimlessly through the city after finishing their meal and paying, Subaru couldn't shake off the bad mood implanted onto him by the demi-human.

"Nah, it was all great, but... What that crocodile dude said bothers me. I know you're a really cute girl, but still... It's not like it'd be impossible for someone like me to be your boyfriend, right?! I'm not that undesirable, right?"

Almost pleading, his eyes wet with actual tears and his pride in tatters, he turned to the maid by his side. Feeling a bit fidgety at the boy mentioning being her boyfriend, and still a bit flustered by the stunt he pulled at the restaurant, she avoided his anguished gaze, but responded with conviction in her voice.

"I-i certainly wouldn't mind it... Looks aren't really important to me. O-of course I find Subaru-kun to be extremely charming! But other people might be a bit blind to your greatness, so you'll have to forgive them."

"No, well, that's going a bit too far, but thanks anyways, Rem."

Feeling a bit refreshed thanks to the girl's comments, he failed to notice how they had casually wandered into a familiar dark alley. And, as if they were waiting all day in front of that place, the three old thugs that had already bothered him to no end weeks ago appeared once again.

"...Are you serious right now? It's Tom, Dick and Harry once again. Hey, long time no see huh?"

"Hey, it's that annoying dude that screams like a girl!"

The short guy was surprised to see Subaru yet again, but quickly composed himself and looked at them with a hungry look in his round eyes.

"And speaking of girls, it seems like he brought someone nice with him this time... Hehe, if you don't want to get hurt, hand her and your stuff over! We're going to have some fun tonight, boys!"

"It's useless to scream! We've started going around only when we know Reinhardt is on duty, so no one will come to your aid this time!"

The tall dude and the fat dude said this, respectively, as the skinny one pulled out his knives and the big guy cracked his knuckles. Getting into combat position, her eyes ready to murder, Rem was about to pull out her morning star, but was brought back to her senses by a confident Subaru patting her on her head.

"There's no need, Rem. These guys aren't worthy of your time. Plus, if you were to face them, even if you were to go easy, they'd be probably reduced to a pool of gore anyways, and I don't want to get in trouble the first day we're here! So, leave this to me!"

Showing off his sparkling teeth, Subaru stepped forward without haste as Rem looked on, worried about him but also a bit excited to see him in action.

"What, you're gonna act like a man this time and fight us yourself?"

"You can't talk about acting like a man of all people, being that you're facing me 3v1, but yes, it's as you say. I don't need any help to kick you guys' asses!"

"Why you piece of-!"

Falling victim to Subaru's taunt, the big guy charges forward, swinging his fist wildly like a school bully would. Side-stepping him easily and sending him toppling into the ground with an elbow shove to his back, the butler runs forward towards bowl cut and grabs him by his hair. Then, turns around and launches him like a bag of potatoes towards skinny guy.

Without looking at the result of his throw, he focuses his attention on big guy, that got up in the meantime and was charging him once again, trying to tackle him. Getting down on the ground, Subaru performs a leg sweep and sends the thug flying. Using the momentum from his kick, he does a full 360 and lands in his initial spot. Then, assuming a position similar to that of a sprinter, he launches himself forwards and uppercuts the thug's falling face, making him spin in the air before he lands on the ground with a thud, unmoving.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he feels his nape tingle and ducks even lower, barely dodging a knife grazing his scalp coming from behind him. Without even looking, he sends a kick backwards and feels a satisfying sensation of his foot connecting with something and hears someone crashing down in a nearby trash can. Quickly getting up, he notices the bowl cut guy jumping towards him with crazed eyes from the ledge of a nearby window. Piling up his power by pivoting with his foot, he uses a left hook to send the dude flying and crashing into a wall, only to fall down back onto the ground, twitching a couple of times before passing out.

"You piece of shit, i'll make you pay!"

Hearing a voice coming from the trash cans, he looks towards that location, only to widen his eyes in surprise as a knife grazes past his face and slightly cuts his cheek.

"That was close, you little...!"

Feeling anger surging up at the close call, Subaru grabs the skinny man's extended arm with one hand, and his shirt somewhere near his belly with the other. Using a judo move, he twists his body and sends him crashing into the ground on his back. His breath interrupted, the thug's consciousness slips and the last one of them also stops moving.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Subaru looks back at a speechless Rem, lovestruck with the boy acting all cool in front of her, and gives her a thumbs up and a smile.

"So, what do you think, Rem? Was this cool enough to earn the right to be your boyfriend?"

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Realising what he just said, Subaru fell silent. Only the thumping of their hearts and the distant carriages and voices of the city could be heard.

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Wassup. Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I'll begin by saying that I won't be able to keep up my almost daily upload as i'm moving out soon and I won't have much time to dedicate to writing, but i'll still try to do so as much as possible. With that said, reviews, criticism and such are always welcome. (i'll be honest, i'm not really sure if this was interesting to read or not, so please do let me know. I really want to make this a FUNfic ;D ) Also, if someone wants to be a proofreader or something like that (i'm not sure how this stuff works) and read and criticise the new chapters, i'd be glad to accept such an offer. Anyways, that was all. See you next time.