[Chapter Limit - Complete] The Dimitrescus x FEMALE!Reader One-Shots

A Quiet Romance

reader uses they/them pronouns and is selectively mute (it's NOT "pretending" to be mute)
i try not to do self-indulgent one-shots/fics, but this one is very self-indulgent because me being selectively mute may have just stopped me from getting into a relationship 🕺🏽
underline = sign language

Sixteen years. That's how long it had been since you last spoke. You didn't even speak to your family — not that they noticed a difference — so when you began working at castle Dimitrescu, the ladies had to adapt to you. Surprisingly, they didn't seem to mind, and Daniela was the first to learn sign language for you. It had warmed your heart when she rushed to you one day and signed to you. She had spent a lot of time with you since that day, so much time that most of the maids assumed the two of you were dating.

You weren't opposed to dating her, but every time you developed feelings for someone, they'd turn you down because you didn't speak. There were days when you'd consider speaking again — only to remember how everyone mocked your stutter. That's why you never bothered entertaining the idea of catching feelings for Daniela — but that didn't mean you were able to stop it from happening. You first noticed your feelings for her when new maids arrived, and one complimented her; you became irrationally angry and refused to be near Daniela for the rest of the day.

Daniela had tried everything to get you to communicate what was wrong that day, but you still refused to be in the same room as her for too long. The second time was the day after; Daniela was depressed because she didn't know why you suddenly didn't want to be around her — needless to say, you were given the day off to spend with her as an apology. The third time was last night; You had been working all day with no break because of how horribly the other maids were performing their duties. Daniela had noticed and once the sun had set, she swarmed you to her room and forced you to cuddle her. The two of you spent a while talking until you eventually fell asleep in her arms.

You woke to sunlight barely streaming into the room and your body pressed comfortably into a cold mass. The mass shifted slightly to pull you closer, causing you to shift your gaze and look at who — or what — you were cuddled into. When it processed that you were huddled into Daniela, your heart skipped a beat and you quickly moved away, mentally cursing yourself when she began to stir.

"[Y/N]?" Daniela's morning voice sent a shiver down your spine and you had to suppress the groan that threatened to leave you.

"I should bathe and get ready for work, my lady." You quickly signed before rushing out of her room.

Once you made it to your room, you leaned against your shut door and took in deep breaths, desperately trying to calm your beating heart. You had promised yourself years ago that you wouldn't ever fall this hard, but it happened so suddenly that you didn't even notice it happened. After a few minutes of catching your breath, you started your morning routine; taking a bath, getting dressed, and then rushing to help with breakfast. You pushed the cart of food into the dining hall and noticed Daniela brighten immediately, causing your heart to ache.

'I can't love you, I'm sorry...'

"Breakfast is served," The head maid proclaimed after the food was set in front of the ladies, their hand resting on your shoulder as they leaned towards you. "[Y/N], is everything alright?"

"Perfectly fine, Isa," You signed as discretely as you could, wincing a bit when you noticed Daniela glance at you. "Just slept in, that's all."