Hello, ProxyEdgy here. I'm sure nobody forgot it, but Blazblue belongs to Arc System Works~

Parallel world Hazama is clearly a dear and I'm sleepy so… Let's have some fluff with our favourite bastard.


The Clover Residence: A Warm Place

The new morning did nothing to ease the man's worries as he got up. It was quiet, and the eerily silence permeated his entire body. The empty vessel of a being that was no longer here. Or, more accurately, Hazama was no longer in his rightful place. Displaced in time and space, in "a parallel dimension", as the Colonel had put it.

The mere act of thinking about that man awakened an ardent ire deep in Hazama's mockery of a being. Colonel Relius Clover of Engineering, renowned genius and a continuous pain in his butt, was the sole responsible for Hazama's current situation, and he had the audacity of simply going back home with his devilish device that brought them both here, leaving the vessel stranded in the process.

And the worst part of it all? "Good morning, Hazama." He still had to see that obnoxious face every single day after the fact. "You're early as always."

"So are you, Master Relius." The word still irked him deeply, but Hazama couldn't possibly show any signs of his troubles. If the people around him were to find out, the most appealing outcome would be of Hazama finding himself in a hospice.

"I barely slept tonight." Relius Clover, or the lookalike who went by that name in this annoying world, replied with the same tedious voice of the original one. "I lost track of time while working on my project." His lips curved slightly in a satisfied smile Hazama had seen a few times before, though it never preceded anything particularly pleasant. "Ignis wasn't very happy about that."

"I reckon she wouldn't." Hazama replied politely, though the subject was nothing like he expected. "What wife would enjoy being pushed aside for the sake of work?"

There was no answer, but that was for the best, as it meant the vessel had to spend less of his time listening to that bothersome voice and mulling over his shortcomings. As it was his job in this strange world, Hazama began preparing breakfast. The noise helped him calm down a little, and handling knives was always a soothing pleasure.

"What will we have today?"

The annoyingly slow and monotonous voice destroyed what little enjoyment Hazama was taking from this inferior task. "Oh, the usual. Nothing fancy."

"Huh." That strange huff sounded suspiciously like a laugh, but it couldn't have possibly been one. "I have yet to see you prepare an ordinary meal, Hazama." And that also sounded suspiciously like a compliment, which again, was not something he could possibly be hearing right. "You are quite the superb cook."

Hazama stopped on his tracks, but the silence suffocated his feelings and thoughts. "Thank you, sir." He replied mechanically, just going through the motions as he usually did at his office job.

A compliment. How bizarre. It was uncommon for him to be on the receiving end of such a thing. It was especially unusual for it to have come from that voice and that face. Relius Clover had made one pleasant remark about Hazama in the entirety of the vessel's life, and it was merely a praise of the Puppeteer's own skills.

"It's a perfect vessel."

That really didn't last long. Terumi-san had plenty of complaints, and since then Relius Clover had retracted that statement. There are always improvements to be made, after all. And the design flaws soon became apparent as well, like the very bothersome cat allergy. Honestly, it was for the best. If that initial statement had continued unchanged, the vessel would have died to the first stray feline that crossed his path.

"Father! Hazama-san! Good morning!"

The cheerful voice startled Hazama. He looked up at the clock, realizing it was a little later than he intended. Now, there was no way Hazama could prepare the table and get away before the happy family could sit down. He would have to suffer through their company.

Oh, well, it was time for his business smile. "Good morning, Young Master Carl." Hazama carefully placed the food over the table, with a pair of blue eyes watching his every movement from behind the round glasses. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." The child replied with a smile that was nothing like Hazama's. There was not a hint of pretentiousness to it, which made the situation quite more bothersome to deal with. "Father, did you sleep at all?"

The long pause was somewhat awkward, though Hazama was used to Relius Clover's obnoxious manners. "I was busy."

"That's no good, you know. If you don't sleep, you'll get lots of wrinkles and grow old faster."

Before the patriarch could respond, the rest of the family came down the stairs. "…" Their silence was quite distinct from the usual lack of sound, and Hazama felt that he was the only one unable to decipher it.

"Good morning, mother. Good morning, sis."

"Good morning, Madam, Miss Ada."

After the pleasantries were exchanged, breakfast was served. Hazama endured the entirety of it, as the meek servant part he was supposed to play. Despite trying his best, he couldn't quite focus on anything around him, so all that was left were the empty smile and the little submissive act.

The children finished and left to school, with a goodbye and some more meaningless talk. Relius Clover's lookalike returned to his workroom, a place Hazama had yet to venture in that small mansion. He didn't really look forward to that day, but it would probably happen sooner than later. The Colonel hadn't shown any signs of coming back soon, after all.

Ignis idled near the table as Hazama cleaned it. Her presence bothered him, though by no fault of her own. He was just not used to seeing the puppet without its master, and even though this was a different reality from the one he knew, Hazama couldn't help but feel that the real Relius Clover lurked around in the shadows, observing and judging the vessel in yet another of his experiments.

"…"

As he felt her empty gaze upon him, Hazama simply couldn't take it anymore. "Is something the matter, Madam?"

"…"

There was certainly something being said, but he had absolutely no idea what it was. "Is it about Master Relius?" Hazama had to physically hold back from wincing every time this word left his mouth.

Ignis continued her silence, but her head moved a bit to the side. Even this small act was a sharp contrast to the puppet Hazama knew. Same faces, different realities.

How very troublesome. "I hope you find it in your heart to forgive his airhead attitude." Hazama replied, turning away from her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm…" Before he could finish his thoughts, a hand with sharp metal fingers closed tightly around his arm. Hazama felt a shiver go down his spine. "Yes?"

He turned around once more, and she was leaning over his face. Very few times he had the opportunity to gaze at her face up close, and they all ended with his crushing death. Hazama didn't quite feel pain, at least not the way most people would, but nonetheless it wasn't a pleasant feeling to have his throat ripped apart.

The puppet's skin looked almost soft. It wasn't human, but there was a person-like quality to it. It could easily be compared to Hazama, yet it was also a stark opposite of himself in every way. Though her mouth was unable to form words, her blue eyes were deep and expressive. Ignis lifted her free hand, and Hazama felt a surge of emotion wash over him for a split second, before everything went numb.

Ignis… touched him. Lifting his hat slightly, she held her palm to his forehead for a moment. Hazama was far too surprised to think about what was happening. It was unbelievable, and that was saying a lot coming from the sheer number of unbelievable things he had to face the last couple of days.

"…"

And still, in spite of all of this, it was the silence that got to him the most. "Ma'am, if you'll excuse me, I have to go now."

Freeing his arm from the puppet's grasp, Hazama made his way back to the kitchen and begun his chores. As long as he had some kind of work to do, as menial as the tasks were, Hazama could ignore his troubles.


Hazama slumped into the chair with a deep sigh. He was done, at least for now. The clock on the wall read 4:35 p.m., and he had a few minutes to catch his breath before it was time for dinner.

Menial housework aside, Hazama wasn't feeling very well. His lack of focus, which he'd attributed to tedium and anger before, actually troubled him a little in the middle of his tasks. His movements also felt somewhat sluggish, though Hazama had no idea why.

Honestly, it was probably this stupid world's fault. What a thankless existence, being a passive housekeeper for a family of four. Out of all his possible lives, this had to be the worst one. Of course Relius Clover would leave him stranded in this sort of reality. What else could he expect from the Colonel?

"Hazama."

And speaking of the devil, his lookalike had decided to crawl out of his sanctum for a change of air. It was about time, as well. Why would Hazama have the right to take a break? He was merely a servant right now. "Yes, what is it?"

Hazama soon realized he'd forgotten his manners, but, luckily for him, the man didn't seem to care. "Ignis told me you are sick."

Hazama slowly blinked, though it was hard to notice since his eyelids were seemingly closed all the time. "Excuse me?"

"She told me you had a fever this morning." The Relius Clover of that reality approached Hazama, with his stupid mask and his stupid slow voice that didn't seem to know how to say words at a reasonable speed. "Are you feeling better?"

Those simply were not words that would ever come out of Relius Clover's mouth. "I don't understand, sir." Hazama replied, merely spewing out thoughtless civility, as his mind was too busy trying to make sense of what just happened to think about the answer.

Relius Clover leaned closer, just as his puppet had done many hours earlier. It was impossible to read his hidden face, so all Hazama could do was stare back at the empty white eyes of the mask. "Have you rested at all?"

Hazama had to force his mind to stop its sidetracking and focus on the question at hand, as difficult as that was. "I had work to do."

Much to Hazama's dismay, the man decided to imitate his puppet's gesture. Now, the hand on his forehead was smaller and gloved, but the feeling of displeasure was just the same as before. "You have a fever. You should rest."

"That's what I'm doing." Hazama replied with a hint of discontent as the hand was retracted.

"You should go to your bed."

"There's no time for this. I have to make dinner soon."

Why was he staring at Hazama like that? Again the silence only intensified the vessel's discomfort at being displaced in space and time, away from the reality he knew. "You don't have to make dinner."

"Of course I do. It's my job." Or at least, it's what passed for his job at this stupid world. It was everything Hazama had right now, and he wasn't going to give up on it because of a fever or whatever it was.

Besides, they had to be overreacting. There was nothing deadly about what Hazama was going through. "You shouldn't work when you're sick."

"It's my job."

For some reason, he held Hazama's shoulder with a tight grip. "Hazama." There was something wrong with his voice. It sounded almost soft. "You are not your job."

These words took quite a while to penetrate his skull. "Huh?"

"You are not your job. You're a person." He was hearing right. This Relius Clover was actually saying that. "And you need to take care of yourself as well."

A person. Now that was a ridiculous idea if he ever heard one. The vessel could never be a person, that's simply not what he was made for. Sure, he could develop some unwanted habits, as the real Relius Clover had nagged him about many times before, but still, that would never be enough to qualify Hazama as a person. Why, Terumi-san could barely pass as one!

"Do you understand me, Hazama?"

"Yes." He lied through his teeth. There was nothing understand from that.

"Then, go lie down on your bed for a while. I'll go check on you later."

Still, it left a bad taste in his mouth. "What about dinner?"

"Ignis and I will make dinner."

"You can cook?"

Hazama could not picture the man right in front of him working on a kitchen. The idea amused him slightly. "I can." This Relius Clover replied, with a small smile. "But not very well."

He really was soft. The real Relius Clover would never joke about his own capacities in such a light tone. "I don't think I can trust you with that, then."

He laughed a bit. What a funny and bizarre man. "That's why I'll have Ignis help me. You can rest assured now." Somehow, Hazama doubted that, but he still complied. He wasn't really sure if that was still part of the act at this point. It just felt right.


"Hazama-san, are you okay?!"

"Huh…?" He moved his head a bit, still half-asleep. Nestled between the blankets, Hazama winced when the lights of his room suddenly turned on. "What…?" What time was it?

He had no time to wonder before a small body jumped over his own. Though it was light, the suddenness of it all startled the vessel. "Hazama-saaaan! Please don't diiiie!" The annoyingly loud crying came from a little kid, who held his arm tightly, as Hazama noticed when he turned around. "I don't want to eat Father's cooking foreveeeeer!"

"Ha?" It still took him a moment to remember the situation he found himself in. "Oh."

"Hazamaaaa-saaaaaan!" Carl Clover was wetting his glasses with the tears that streamed down his face. "Pleeeeaaasseee doooonnn'tttt diiiiiiieeeeee!" He was also cleaning the snot coming out of his nose on Hazama's arm as he hugged it tightly.

"Yes, yes, it's fine. I'm not going to die." The vessel replied, trying to pry his arm away from the child's tight grasp, but to no avail. "Now can you please…"

Before he could finish, the rest of the happy family entered his room. Hazama felt a headache just from thinking about having to act out his happy-go-lucky servile role, but he immediately put on a smile, out of instinct.

"Carl, don't be loud."

"Buuuut!" The kid snivelled, trying to hold back the tears. "But Hazamaaaa-saaaan…!"

"Hazama won't die from a cold." Relius Clover's lookalike finally sounded reasonable for the first time since the vessel had begun to deal with him. "But he might get a headache if you keep screaming on his ear."

"Uh…" The little pest finally shut up, though he was still holding Hazama's arm as if his life depended on it. Though, to be honest, perhaps that wasn't a far-fetched possibility. "Sorry…" The small child pushed his little head against Hazama's chest, pulling on his clothes. "But…! I don't want Hazama-san to be sick!"

"I am not sick." The vessel replied, trying to get the kid away from him, but the brat refused to move.

"You are sick, Hazama." The father replied, coming over to relieve him from the child's persistent grasp. "It's nothing particularly serious, but you should stop downplaying it."

"Sir, I have never been sick in my entire life, and I'm not going to start now." Hazama replied as he got up, but a sudden dizziness hit him like a wave. Feeling faint, he sat back down on the bed, trying to make sense of that strange feeling. "Mgh…"

"Hazama-san…"

"…"

"Ah, Sis, don't say stuff like that! You meanie!" Carl Clover's childish voice was like a sharp needle penetrating his skull. "He's not…! He's not going to…!"

Freeing himself from his father's arms, the kid once again jumped at Hazama, hugging him tightly and hiding his small face on the vessel's chest. The glasses being pressed against his skin hurt a little bit.

The only saving grace, if it could be described as such, was the fact Carl Clover didn't start to bawl his eyes out once more. Hazama would probably throw the kid at the wall if he did so, and that would be the end of his subservient act.

Funny how even that malicious thought had lost its appeal right now. Hazama was clearly not well. "Young Master Carl, please stop it." The vessel asked when he realized nobody was coming to save him from the little pest. "Please let go of me."

Slowly, the kid looked up and his blue eyes met the vessel's hidden ones. "Hazama-san."

"Yes, young master?"

"Promise you'll get better?"

How persistent and troublesome. "Yes, I promise." Hazama replied as chipper as he could, feeling his edge back. He could work with that, as long as he stayed still and didn't force himself to move around. Not until he figured out what that strange feeling was, at least. "Now, can you please stop it?"

There was a long pause, but it wasn't the usual bothersome silence that dug through his skin, at least. "…okay." Drying his tears, the brat let go of Hazama. Then, puffing his reddened cheeks, Carl Clover psyched himself up. "Hazama-san, I'm going to make you a meal!"

"What?"

His confusion was shared with the father of the bothersome child, at least. "Father's cooking is going to make you even sicker. I'm going to make something super tasty that'll get you better in no time!" And with that, the kid left the room in a rush. "Come on, Sis, you help me taste-test it!"

Soon enough, he could hear the clanking of kitchen utensils from not too far away. Ignis and her master exchanged a small glance, before the marionette mother left to watch over her children. Hazama was left alone with this wrong imitation of the Colonel and his own feelings, which also seemed dissimilar from what he knew.

He looked up, gazing at the masked face that angered him so very much. The silence was too much to bear. "What did you do?"

The wrong Relius Clover crossed his arms with a troubled expression. "Ginger pork."

"That's not a very difficult dish."

"I know." The man showed a troubled smile that was unlike any expression Hazama had seen on that particular face before. "But it's Carl's favourite, after all. And you do set the bar far too high."

Again with the backhand compliments. Hazama simply didn't know how to deal with these sort of remarks. Well, not unless they were ironic, of course. "Is cooking the only thing I'm good for in this place…?"

He had lost his position as a Captain, and he had lost his purpose. He could no longer be even called a vessel, at this point. And he was alone. Alone in a world that he knew absolutely nothing about except for the fact that it annoyed him to no end. "Hazama…"

Did he miss his home? Hazama wasn't sure of that either. It's not like it truly made a difference, it was the familiarity that bothered him the most. He knew these faces, but didn't know what to expect of them here, and that was troubling. He was the Captain of Intelligence, after all. How could he work properly without intel?

"Hazama."

"Yes?" He hadn't realized that he lowered his gaze. His head was pounding, and it felt wrong, just like everything else. "What is it, sir?"

He wasn't the only one looking down. This Relius Clover sighed, still with that expression that just didn't sit right with all that Hazama expected of him. "I'm sorry."

There was no good way to reply to that, and Hazama was far too surprised to even attempt such an act.

"I'm sorry." The man who couldn't possibly be Relius Clover took a step forward and rested his hand on Hazama's shoulder. "We take you for granted sometimes. I'm sorry we… I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

It's not like Hazama himself understood what he felt like right now, so those were meaningless words. "What way?"

"You're much more than your cooking or your housework." This Relius Clover replied, with an almost caring tone. It wasn't something impossible, sure, Hazama saw the way he treated his children, but… But… "You're a good person. You are kind and responsible, and you're always helping us out. Having you around really makes a difference in our lives."

What was this ridiculous melodrama about? He'd been there for just a couple days, it couldn't possibly be enough to warrant such a strong reaction. "Sir…"

"I know these are empty words. I understand that." Why was that smile so different from the ones Hazama knew? What was just so different about this man, this other Relius Clover, and why… "But at least let me repay a little of it. Let us take care of you for once."

Why didn't it feel as disgusting as it should? "Sir, I…" Before Hazama could reply, the door opened and a tasty smell made its way in, along with three more people.

"There, Hazama-san." The little brat, Carl Clover, placed a small tray on Hazama's lap. "It's pork soup. Mother helped me cut the slices, and Sis made it extra spicy so it's going to get you better in no time!"

Hazama looked at their expectant faces, then at the plate, before sighing and accepting his fate. At first, the strong taste hurt his throat a little, but soon enough Hazama got used to it. It was warm and, though it bothered him to admit it, actually delicious.

"Is it yummy?"

"Yes." Hazama couldn't really answer as cheerfully as he wished to. "Yes, it is."

The child smiled, just like his father. And his mother. And his sister. The happy family of four. Hazama had never seen them all together in his real life, so he truly had no idea what to expect of them here.

Though, to be honest… This was also real life. Maybe it wasn't the world he knew, but Hazama was still alive. "Thank you." And he wasn't as alone as he believed. "Thank you, everyone."

The kid hugged his arm, with a big smile that didn't quite hide the teary eyes. "Get better soon, okay?"

Hazama nodded slightly. "…okay."


His room was dark. Hazama was nested comfortably under the blankets, and there was a cool small cloth over his forehead. He didn't remember owning a cloth in the first place, so this was a bit unexpected. Still, it was good, in a sense.

He was feeling good. Though everything was quiet, the silence didn't get to him as much right now. Hazama closed his eyes, moving his head a bit to the side. The cloth slipped away from his forehead. He felt his breath deepen.

A small noise woke him up again, though he wasn't sure if he ever went to sleep in the first place. The door to the room opened, and Hazama saw the man in the mask enter quietly. Relius Clover had Ignis with him. They both came over to the bed.

As Hazama saw the gloved hand come for his head, he shut his eyes tightly. He knew it wouldn't do him any good to struggle. "Did you come to fix me?"

Silence, but he could still hear the man's breath, as well as the light stirring of the marionette's insides.

"Please be gentle." Hazama asked, as always, though he knew it was meaningless. The workings of maintenance fully depended on Relius Clover's mood, and nothing more.

The gloved hand's touch was light and warm. Unlike most times, Hazama didn't feel his mind being probed. He didn't dare open his eyes. Sometimes it was better to be ignorant of how the Puppeteer intended on doing his experiments.

"Hazama?"

He didn't want to know. He didn't want to see. It was good to be numb and hollow at times like this.

"Hazama."

He was… afraid, maybe? It felt like a dream. A place where people were no longer the way they were supposed to be. It was full of surprises, and though some bothered him, he also enjoyed them a lot as well.

"…" He didn't want to lose it. Something about the kindness and the idiotic words, the silly compliments and meaningless promises… he liked it, even if he wouldn't admit it. Even if it was all just another act, he wanted to play the part a little longer. Just a little longer would be fine…

"Hazama, are you awake?"

"Yes." But it wasn't how things were supposed to be. "I'm awake." He had to wake up eventually.

Hazama opened his eyes, but he didn't recognize that room. It wasn't his room, tidy and repetitive, nor was it the creepy laboratory where maintenance usually took place.

"Were you having a nightmare?"

It was just another bedroom in a small city mansion. "I…" And the people before him were not a Colonel of Engineering and his puppet, but Relius Clover and his wife Ignis. "I…" He was still misplaced. Everything was still wrong. "I don't know."

"You don't seem feverish anymore." Relius Clover remarked softly. "How are you feeling?"

"I…" He wasn't quite sure. It was the first time he ever got to dream for so long. "I think… I feel good."

The warm hand once again held his shoulder, this time gently. "That's good." Relius Clover replied with a soft smile. He was full of soft moments. What a peculiar man. "I made you some honey milk. I'm sure it's not as bad as the ginger pork, so…"

Hazama smiled a bit, remembering the child's overreaction. Slowly, he sat up on the bed and accepted the warm cup. Had he ever tried such a thing? Sweets weren't really his favourite.

He took a sip. "How is it?" It wasn't that sweet, and the temperature was just right.

"…" Under the watchful eyes of the couple, Hazama slowly drank the hot beverage. The warmth filled his body much like the way Terumi-san's presence would, only this time he was all by himself. And this wasn't really a bad feeling at all.

"Master Relius?" The word rolled out of his tongue with ease now. "Madam?" He finally felt in character.

"Yes, Hazama?"

It wasn't his home, it wasn't the place he was meant to be, but… That wasn't such a bad thing after all. "Thank you for having me."

At the very least, the one before him was much kinder than that other Relius Clover. "Thank you for having us as well." The master of the house replied, both him and Ignis smiling warmly. "Good night, Hazama."

"Good night." Lying back down on the bed, Hazama found a comfortable place between the blankets. Relius and Ignis prepared to leave, and Hazama called out to them before they turned the lights off. "See you tomorrow?"

They turned around to look at him. "See you tomorrow." It almost felt like a promise. "Sleep well."

Hazama smiled, closing his eyes. "I will." It was his final whisper before the warmth bested him.