Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

‘Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!

Fremde, etranger, stranger.

Gluklich zu sehen, je suis enchante,

Happy to see you,

bleibe, reste, stay!

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome

Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!’

These are the lyrics to a song that was preformed every night - and will continue to be preformed throughout this tale - in a place called the ‘Kit Kat Klub’. The ‘Kit Kat Klub’ is located in Berlin, Germany - a place that, at the time of this tale - is full of drama and despair, beauty and horror.

Located there are a few people who are of great significance to this story, the first of whom I shall introduce you to are the two ‘emcee’s’ of the Kit Kat Klub- Annabel Lee Whitlock and Lenore Vandernacht.

Every night they would appear on stage and every night they would sing:

‘Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome!’

And every night they would tell their audience:

‘Leave your troubles outside!

So, life is disappointing?

Forget it!

We have no troubles here.

Here, life is beautiful!

The girls are beautiful!

Even the orchestra.. is beautiful!’

And by the end of the night, everyone watching will have forgotten their troubles!

And perhaps you can to, if you just step inside the Kit Kat Klub- not just yet though! First you must meet our protagonist. He goes by the name of Pluto, and he has only just arrived in Berlin. Although, he is not quite as happy to be here as you might think. He’s actually quite distressed by the fact that he is here.. how strange!

So come with me, and enter the glamorous world of the cabaret! Just remember - leave your troubles outside, because we have no troubles here!

Chapter Text

Pluto was not in France.

Because of course he wasn’t. Of course the moment he finally escapes, Lady Luck comes along and messes everything up. Of course the moment he finally escapes he somehow, someway, ends up in Berlin, Germany.

How exactly he got here, he wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe his understanding of French wasn’t quite as good as he thought it was, and instead of getting the train to Paris, he got the train to Germany of all places. The place no one particularly wanted to be at the moment. The place that, after fighting against them in the Great War, his father taught him to despise.

But then again, since when did he listen to his father of all people? It probably wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be. And anyway, he didn’t even need to be here that long! All he needed to do was find the next train to France - which probably wouldn’t be that difficult, considering he was in a train station - hop on it, and hopefully get to Paris in time to see the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Yes that was the plan. That was what he’d do. Pluto made his way over to the sign detailing what times trains were arriving and-

‘Bollocks.’

Pluto was in no way fluent in German, but it was clear by the times listed on the board that the train he had just stepped of off was the last train that would be running in the station until the day after tomorrow. Must be because the New Year’s Eve celebrations of something.

Pluto looked around the dimly lit station, as if a train might simply appear out of thin air- it didn’t, of course. As he glanced around, he noticed a few things about the station (aside from the distinct lack of trains- this was a train station for gods sake!) The first thing he noticed was the fact that it was very run down. The lights were flickering, the bin was overflowing and everything seemed to be covered in a layer of grime. The second thing he noticed is that there seemed to be quite a few posters depicting a man with a moustache. Strange.

Overall, the station gave him a strange kind of feeling, the kind of feeling that went hand in hand with the feeling of being watched.

‘I guess I better find a boarding house to stay in.’ He muttered, to himself mostly. It wasn’t like there was anyone else in the station - well anyone else paying attention at least.

He was wrong of course.

‘I know a place.’ A voice from behind him drawled.

‘Scuse me?’ Pluto spun around, coming face to face with a shifty looking man. The first thing that Pluto noticed about the man is that he had a gold tooth. The second thing he noticed is that is that he was an asshole. How did he know this? Well, after living with an asshole most of his life - and by extension meeting plenty of other assholes - he had created a criteria that all of them seemed to fit. And this man before him? Well, he ticked every box.

‘Whaddya want.’ Pluto muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and focusing his eyes - well, eye - on the floor. Already this man was making him feel very uncomfortable.

‘Relax! I’m not gonna bite you. I just happened to overhear that you needed a place to stay.’ The man took a step a towards him, holding his hands out as if Pluto was a frightened animal he didn’t want to scare off.

‘Yeah, what of it?’ Pluto glared at the man. This was exactly how his father talked to him, and he didn’t even like it when it was his dad, so he most certainly didn’t like it now it was a stranger.

‘Well, I just wanted to tell you I know place you could stay! Jeez kid, you’re acting like I tried to attack you or something.’

Kid? Who was he to call Pluto kid? He only looked about a year older than Pluto, if not the same age! But then again, he was offering Pluto valuable information, so perhaps it would pay to be just a bit nicer to him.

‘Right. Sorry. Go ahead.’ He looked back up to the man who was now grinning down at him, because of course he not only has to be an asshole, but he also had to be annoyingly taller than Pluto.

‘Great! Well, my girlfriend is staying in this sweet chicks boarding house, and she says it’s real lovely. I think the owners name is Morestella or sumthin’.Anyway, you just have to exit the station, take the first left and it’s next to the post office.’

‘Oh, great. Thanks. I’ll be off now.’

Exit the station, take the first left, find the post office, get a room. Easy. That’s easy. He can do that.

‘Hey, see you around kid!’ The man called after him.

I thoroughly hope not.