Work Text:
The halls of the Asim mansion looked exactly the same as the last time he returned home. Ivory white pillars and Golden Arches, intricately designed and artistically built. Home, an interesting choice of wording, Jamil remarked in his head. Prison would be more accurate. For 17 years he couldn’t escape this prison; or rather, he did not. He did not have the courage. He did not have the means.
He thought he would be free when he saw the famed black carriage of Night Raven College carrying an envelope with the word “Viper” in golden ink, at the gates of House Asim. There was only one envelope. One envelope for Jamil Viper. His parents were thrilled. Jamil even caught a glimpse of pride in his father’s eyes, who was ever so humble and restrained even in the company of his own family. Jamil’s mother pulled him into an embrace, planting countless kisses over his hair, his forehead, his cheeks... as he stood there in his mother’s arms, there was only one word in his mind.
Freedom.
He was free. Free from House Asim and the name of Viper. He no longer needed to conceal his abilities. His intelligence. Even his unique magic! “It’s too dangerous,” his father said; “Lord Asim must not find out.” A servant with the ability to control minds? Jamil would be thrown into the depths of the ocean, deemed as a threat to House Asim’s power and position. In Night Raven College, his magic would be something worthy of praise and wonder, not fear and shame. After all, Night Raven College was infamous for its elitist pedagogical methods.
Or so he thought.
Breaking out of meaningless reminiscent, Jamil pressed his knuckles in between his eyebrows and let out a deep sigh. Today was going to be a long day. He hadn’t seen Kalim ever since they arrived when the young master of House Asim was immediately hurried away for social greetings and business gatherings. It’s only reasonable. They hadn’t come back since last year’s summer break, and with the “incident” two months ago, there was no telling how Master Asim would deal with him. The worst case scenario? Exile. Well, financially. While the Asim’s were not royalty, they had control over most of the country’s wealth and business connections — he would not be able to make a penny as long as he stayed within the nation. Leaving the country rendered impossible; the only place left for him would be the slums, filled with stenches of rotting manure and sickly moans of despair.
An unpleasant conversation from a few days ago echoed in his head.
“Hey Sea Snake, isn’t it gonna be awkward when you go home? Y’know, you did try to banish lil’ Otter from Scarabia.” Floyd Leech commented absentmindedly, picking up a piece of lamb shank. “Yum~! Jade can you make this later?”
“Of course, Floyd. I picked some mushrooms when I went hiking yesterday...it would be my honour to use Jamil’s recipe as a reference.”
“Wait what?”
“Well, Jamil. When the occasion arises, you are always welcome in Octavinelle.” Speaking over Floyd’s rant about his hatred for mushrooms, the dormitory leader of Octavinelle exclaimed. “Sign a contract with me and we shall help you escape anything, even a death penalty!” Azul Ashengrotto put on his trademark smile and made a signing motion with his magical pen. Jamil should’ve stopped Kalim from inviting them over for dinner. He cursed his past self for the lack of foresight and idiotic hope that they visited merely for “bonding between friends”.
“Alas, death penalty in our country was abolished decades ago. Such a shame I have to reject your kind offer.” Jamil retorted bluntly, not a trace of regret in his words. “Not to mention I prefer the death penalty. Now finish your damn dinner...” and return to the ocean you invertebrates! The insult was already halfway out when he sensed someone approaching him from behind.
“Hey! Seems like everyone’s having a good time!” Here came Kalim Al-Asim. Jamil rolled his eyes, not having to maintain his “performance” anymore. Ah, yes. The oh-so-Great-and-Powerful Dormitory Leader of Scarabia. Sole successor to the bottomless wealth of House Asim. The source of Jamil’s suffering. He had heard Kalim’s unnecessarily cheerful voice thousands of times and it never ceased to amaze him how innocent and relaxed Kalim sounded.
“What were you guys talking about?” Kalim put his arm around Jamil’s shoulder, leaning into the half-circle formed by the three students from Octavinelle who exceeded the average height of 17-year-olds in the kingdom of Twisted Wonderland.
“We were listening to Jamil’s problems just now. It seems like your servant has a death wish, Kalim. That could be troublesome, no?” Jade Leech knit his brows and put on a facade of concern, covering the upwards corners of his mouth with his gloved right hand.
“That’s not...”
Jamil braced himself for Kalim’s high-pitched whines and excessive physical contact, which his master seemed to think is the solution to every problem in the world.
“That won’t be a problem.” Kalim simply said, staring straight forward with ruby eyes. Strange. The air conditioning in Scarabia should have already been fixed. How come Jamil suddenly felt a gush of cold air brushing his skin?
“Pardon?” Asked Azul, his glasses barely concealing the shock in his eyes from seeing Kalim’s unusual mannerism.
“As the head of House Asim...I won’t allow it.” Kalim uttered under his breath, in a volume that’s almost inaudible even to Jamil who’s standing right next to him. Jamil hesitated before opening his mouth, only to be interrupted by Kalim’s sudden outburst of laughter.
“You guys, stop messing with me! Jamil isn’t the type to do those kind of things. ” Kalim grinned towards Jamil’s direction and continued, “And now it’s time for desserts! Jamil, we have ice-cream in the freezer, right?”
“...Right.” Jamil responded weakly, unsure how to process Kalim’s fluctuating emotions. He followed Kalim and made way to the kitchen. As they turned the corner, he caught a glimpse of the Leech twins’ faces despite the dim lighting of the hall. They had the expressions of children who found a new toy in a dark corner of somewhere no one bothered to check. Jamil sighed. His gut feeling told him these guys weren’t going to leave them alone for a while.
——————
“Jamil Viper.” Someone knocked on his chamber’s door and pulled him out of his memories. Probably a new servant, he thought, not recognising her voice. “Lord Asim summons you.”
He followed the young woman in silence, contemplating what to say in front of Lord Asim. What kind of reasons could be good enough to excuse a heartlessly planned betrayal? With Azul’s video as concrete evidence, he couldn’t put much hope in talking his way out of punishment. What about his family? His sister? She’s still young and her education depended completely on House Asim. Would she be punished too? Questions after questions stormed through Jamil’s mind, flushing out what little contingencies he had.
They stopped in front of a pair of white curtains blocking the view to the main hall, and waited. The orange rays of sunset shone through the window and cast a silhouette on the curtains -one of Lord Asim, Kalim’s father. A man of unspeakable wealth and power.
“I’ve heard of everything, Jamil.” Lord Asim said. Jamil couldn’t decipher the emotions in his flat, non-wavering voice. A drop of sweat rolled down his chin as he waited for Lord Asim to continue.
“What you did was...” Lord Asim let out a deep sigh. “Remarkable, young man. If it wasn’t for you, my son would have gone down the wrong path.”
Jamil questioned his ears.
“You should know having served Kalim all these years that he has a good heart, but he doesn’t know how to make use of it. If it wasn’t for your advice and support, Kalim would have lost the trust of students from Scarabia and harmed House Asim’s reputation. It didn’t happen because you excelled at your duties. Well done. Now rest. It’s getting late.”
Jamil bowed and replied something along the lines of it being his honour to be of use and thanking Lord Asim for his trust, not aware of the exact words that came out of his mouth. Remarkable? Duties? What a joke. He made long strides towards his chamber before turning to the opposite direction, ignoring the other servant’s surprised gasp.
Without knocking, he pushed the luxuriously decorated doors open in such a violent manner that he worried about damaging the doors for a second. Well, he already did far worse so it shouldn’t matter now. He stepped into the spacious room.
The room was not lit and the only light source was the twinkling of stardust in the night sky. There was no moon. Kalim was sitting on the fences of the balcony, his legs dangling over the edge. Jamil’s instinct was to pull him away from such a dangerous position, but his mouth moved before his body.
“Why?” His voice emerged as a dry croak. Surprised, he stopped his steps right before the dim starlight reached him. “What did you do?”
Kalim didn’t reply, even though he must have heard Jamil’s entrance—he could see Kalim’s shoulder slightly shifted towards his direction, a motion that might have escaped any ordinary eyes, but not his. It was a habit of Kalim that had followed him since childhood; he was never the best at controlling his body language.
“Was it Octavinelle? Did you sign a contract with Ashengrotto?” It was the only explanation he could think of given the reaction of Lord Asim. How else could a secret (if you could call it that), known to hundreds and broadcast to thousands, not reach the ears of Lord Asim, even the servants? Or the streets where civilians raced with rumours daily, searching for the latest scandal and hilarity?
“That’s not the question you want to ask, is it?” Kalim answered his question with a question, in a voice so light and fragile he doubted if the person in front of him was indeed Kalim. Kalim Al-Asim, known for his unearthly carefreeness and overwhelming positivity, felt miles away even though they were only a few feet apart.
“You know the answer.” Kalim spoke, not removing his gaze from the stars above. “We did make a deal. Don’t worry, I didn’t sign anything from Azul. It was purely a business transaction between the owner of Monstro Lounge and the future successor of House Asim.”
Jamil’s thoughts were racing along with his heart, contrary to his rigid stance and steady gaze directed at Kalim’s atypical self.
“It is a Viper’s duty to serve Asim. That of an Asim is to protect Viper.” Kalim continued with his speech, not allowing an opening for Jamil to interject. “Isn’t that what you want, Jamil?”
The slight quiver in Kalim’s words did not escape Jamil’s ears. He suddenly had an epiphany about Kalim’s sudden fondness of the stars. Jamil crossed the room in a couple of strides.
“Look at me, Kalim.”
Greeted by stubborn silence, Jamil breathed a sigh of frustration. Slowly, he began a quiet chanting. “Reflected in the eyes is...”
“I know it won’t work if I’m not looking at you!” Kalim blurted out in anxiety, unwilling to comply to Jamil’s solicitation. He quickly wiped his face with the sleeves of his cardigan, sensing it’s now meaningless to hide from Jamil. Still, his pride wouldn’t allow him to bend so easily.
“I know. Shut up and listen.” Jamil stepped closer, leaning on the balcony and spoke at a volume comparable to a whisper. “Reflected in the eyes is my master. Ask, and I shall answer. Command, and I shall obey.”
Kalim’s hands froze.
“Yes, we have our duties. But that doesn’t mean it’s all we have.” Calmly said Jamil as he looked up at the countless glowing constellations. “Just because you’re on a higher floor doesn’t mean the stars you see are different than mine.”
“Jamil~~~~!”
Just as he expected. In the blink of an eye Kalim tackled him to the floor and buried his face in Jamil’s jacket. Good thing Jamil was an expert in properly landing after years of training with Kalim’s sudden actions leading to numerous accidents.
“Idiot! We’re on the second floor!” Jamil exploded in anger and lightly slapped the back of Kalim’s head. “You could’ve fallen down! What about your duties to House Asim if that happen, hm?”
Both still lying on the floor, Kalim did not moved until he dried his face with Jamil’s garments. “You’ll be there for me, right? Jamil?” He sniffed, still recovering from the emotional outbreak he had moments ago.
At such distance, Jamil could count how many eyelashes Kalim had. His eyes met Kalim’s crimson-stained eyes dampen with moisture, reflecting the silver glimmers of the sky. Jamil found himself at a loss of words.
“Well, my master told me it’s my duty as a Viper, so I guess so. It bothers me if my reputation is harmed.” Jamil evaded Kalim’s painstakingly direct gaze and mumbled, barely controlling the unspeakable feelings that aroused within his chest. Promptly, he got up and extended a hand to Kalim who’s still sitting with his legs crossed on the ground.
“Just like what I told everyone, Jamil.” Kalim took his hand without hesitation and stood upright, livened with a dynamic vigour that naturally complimented his existence.
“What?”
Jamil raised an eyebrow and asked despite knowing the answer. His master grinned, turning his back to him and stretched his arms upwards.
“Jamil’s a good person!”
Kalim shouted towards the night sky in an unearthly carefree manner, one that emitted overwhelming positivity and somehow didn’t annoy Jamil too much, for the first instance in too long a time.