FICLET: Reasoning

[sibilantly]

Fandom: SPECTRE

Pairing: gen (Franz Oberhauser-centric)

Word count: 200

Prompt: least

Summary: Franz has questions that he'd like answered.

 

 

"Be kind to him, Franz," his father says, as they watch the train approach the station. "He's been through a lot."

 

Franz sighs, but otherwise doesn't dignify that instruction with a response. Of course he'll be kind. It takes him no more effort to be kind than to be cruel, and Franz isn't in the habit of being needlessly cruel to strangers besides (never mind strangers younger than him); there's rarely any benefit to be gained by it.

 

But, moreover, Franz is curious.

 

Has been curious ever since he overheard his father and his acquaintances, when they thought Franz was out; they'd spoken in low tones, vacillating between pity and admiration as they went over how a boy - James - had sequestered himself away in a— what was the term again? — a priest hole, for days on end after learning of his parents' deaths.

 

Franz has a plethora of questions about that (not least of them being, 'weren't you starving?' and 'what did you do when you needed to piss?'), and they'll hardly be answered if the other boy dislikes or mistrusts him.

 

So when James steps off the train, Franz is the first to move forward and welcome him.