Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I’m sorry that we have to do this to you both.” Elias started, casting his eyes to the ground and gripping his suitcase handle tighter as the snow started to sink into his shoes. The sunrise behind them was picturesque and painted them all in a gentle golden glow.

Luca watched as Klaus shot his brother a look from beside him and followed with his own dismayed look. 

Christmas was something that they all knew was going to be tough; they had all spent the last few months carefully dodging around the topic. Luca and Serge knew that they would have to spend Christmas alone - or with each other - whilst their significant others went away to be with their parents. Rather than spending the months leading up to Christmas begging them to stay, both men had silently acknowledged that the separation was inevitable, regardless of how much they hated it.

“Indeed. As much as we want to spend Christmas with you, it's a family tradition that we spend it with our parents. Canoodling by the fire sounds much better than being stuck in a stuffy suit over Christmas, but little can be done about that.”  Klaus added, taking Serge’s hand in his own with a sigh. “Don’t blow up the academy whilst we’re gone, do you understand?” 

Rolling his eyes, Serge returned the squeeze with a chuckle and nodded. “Fine, fine. It’s gonna be hard, though. I can’t spend Christmas winding you up and Luca’s no fun to tease.” He pouted in his characteristic childish way, followed by feeling someone poking him in the back. He turned to find Luca with a raised finger. 

“I could say exactly the same about you, you sugar nut. You’re not interested unless it’s your darling Klaus winding you up, so you’re twice as boring.” He smirked with a raised eyebrow but opted to say nothing else, earning a glare from Serge.

Luca knew, deep down, that this was going to be tough. He was used to having nothing, so when he finally had something he was eager not to lose it. He’d been with Elias for about a year or so and their first Christmas was something he knew they’d be separated for, much to his irritation. Serge was in the same position but both of them could play up to comedic indifference, although lying to the Goldstein brothers was probably not the best idea. 

Luca turned back to the brothers before them and noticed that his boyfriend had a face as red as the daytime Solnox flower. Fixing his eyes on him, he gave Elias a moment to squirm before asking “What’s the matter with you?”. Whatever the answer, it was sure to be amusing. Teasing his boyfriend was always something that he found enjoyable and any opportunity to do it was a good one. 

Elias paused for a moment and shuffled his feet, crunchy beneath fresh snow. “Just all this…romance talk. Publicly. It’s embarrassing! Don’t you think so?” He looked desperately to his older brother for support, being met with a sly smile and quiet laughter. 

“Oh Elias, we’re all adults here. We’re only talking about subtle flirting anyway. It’s not as if I’m describing in detail what me and Serge will be up to when I’m ba-“ 

“T-That’s quite enough, thank you!” Elias shouted out loud as he waved his hand around as a desperate signal to stop his brother, whilst the others around him let themselves laugh at his expense. 

“If that’s got you blushing, it’s a good job I haven’t told them the real reason you’re wearing a scarf.” Luca quipped, watching with a devilish grin as Elias grabbed the scarf and pulled it slightly tighter around his neck. Although Luca’s remark intended to get a further flustered reaction out of Elias - which it did - it also caused Klaus to perk up and stare daggers at his brother’s lover. 

“What was that?” He asked with a hint of challenge in his voice as Serge stood to attention beside Luca, lest Klaus go down for attempted murder. Noticing Serge’s tensed shoulders, Luca flicked his wrist absentmindedly and rolled his eyes at Klaus who responded by deepening his frown. 

“Hey, hey, chill, Emperor. We’re all adults here, yeah? Plus, I was only kidding. Haven’t done anything the parents can question, I’m not that careless. Goldstein pride or something.” Luca let a hand rest on his hip as he shrugged, using the other to smooth his hair back. 

Letting himself relax, Klaus watched as Serge let the tension in his shoulders go. He playfully shook his head and couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly at Serge’s frantic stare. “You didn’t think I was actually going to hurt him, did you?” 

Luca raised an eyebrow, but refused to speak. He wouldn’t put it past him to do something if he upset Elias but he swore to himself that he would never do anything to end up on the receiving end of Klaus’ ‘protective older brother’ wrath. But more than that, he’d never want to see Elias upset, especially not because of him being an  idiot. He came out of his own  thoughts to realise Serge was talking. 

“I can never tell with you two, some days it’s total carnage and others you can actually stand each other. Make your mind up, do you like each other or not?” Serge followed that up by sticking his tongue out at Klaus and catching some snow accidentally. Realising that he had, his face lit up with glee and he raised his arms as he cheered. Klaus felt his face going red at the sight, the cold only having something small to do with it.

“So where’s the hat I bought you?” Elias asked bluntly, although it was clearly a desperate attempt to change the topic as he turned to face his boyfriend, tearing his eyes away from the sight of his brother smitten with a slight blush on his own cheeks. 

“Prince, I don’t wear hats. Mess with my hair, y’know? Yours is cute though. Not quite a crown, but suits you all the same.” He grabbed the bobble on his hat and gently shook it, prompting Elias to bat his hands away with a pout.

“I’m not cute! Neither is my hat! It’s just a hat. Leave me alone…” He grumbled quietly, his defences quickly slipping when Luca was involved, almost enchanted by him. Luca backed off, shaking his head with an eager smirk. 

“Don’t go all shy on me, all I said was that I liked your hat. Don’t be silly.” He used his slender fingers to lower his boyfriend’s face, forcing him to make eye contact. Elias may have been slightly taller, but he was never confident enough to use it to his advantage so Luca was always left with the upper hand. He took the time to really look at him, to marvel his reddened face against his purple eyes before leaning in to kiss him, something slow and steady and special. 

“Merry Christmas, Elias. Seeing as I won’t actually get to tell you.” 

Elias was spellbound. Speechless. He couldn’t even think to hide his face away as his eyes widened, staring at Luca as he smiled sweetly. Knowing he’d managed to enchant his lover with his charms made Luca feel butterflies that he didn’t know existed until he fell in love. 

“How touching. Can we get going now? We’re going to miss our train.” Klaus cut in, although there was little malice behind the words. It quickly occurred to Luca that the other couple had been staring at them, something that he knew would get quite the reaction. Watching Elias freeze up and cough was something Luca knew Klaus would justify as a reason for breaking the moment. He seemed proud of himself, or at least until he felt something cold hit his face and he was left eating his words. And snow.

“You jerk! Let them have their moment. That was novel-level flirting!” With residue of snow on his hands, Serge pouted at his partner, shaking his head. “You’re so laaame, Klaus. You’re not one for romantic gestures, are you?” He folded his arms in protest, poking a hand out to wave dismissively, Luca laughing quietly at a mimic of his earlier act. “Forget it. Go catch your train, or whatever it is you stupid rich people do these days.” He turned away dejectedly and went to leave, until he felt a hand around his wrist.

“Who said I can’t be romantic? Because judging from our track record, it definitely shouldn’t be you.” Klaus asked before yanking on the wrist he was holding. Serge gracelessly tumbled into Klaus’ arms with a shout and felt tight arms around him, the slightly taller man opting to use him as a headrest. Gently, he kissed Serge’s head, threading his long fingers through his curls and sighing quietly. 

“I love you. Merry Christmas, you nuisance.” Klaus said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“I love you too.” Serge mumbled quietly, appreciating his warmth and scent whilst he had the chance. Letting go, albeit reluctantly, he gestured towards the school’s main gate. “Now go! Your train won’t catch itself.” 

“See ya. Don’t have too much fun without us, y’hear? Merry Christmas!” Luca waved them away, watching them leave as they gradually became smaller. Once they were out of sight, Luca turned to face Serge.

“So, you’ve been positively charmed, huh?” He nudged him gently, snickering and rolling his eyes. “Oh, but “Klaus can’t get one up on me. EVER.” Or whatever it is you said.” He mimicked as he watched the other pout. 

“Hey! Shut it. I didn’t think he’d take the bait on something like that…” He paused, thinking of what to say next to strengthen his defence, even though it would’ve been futile no matter what he said. 

“You’re gonna miss him, right?” Luca changed the topic before he had the opportunity, all evidence of playful banter lost to a more thoughtful expression. Realistically Luca knew it was an empty question - the answer was obvious - but asking somehow helped him to cope with the foreign emotion twisting in his gut.

“Obviously. Two weeks is a long time when you have to spend it waiting.” Serge grumbled whilst absentmindedly kicking the snow in front of his mismatched shoes.

Sensing that Serge felt the same as he did, with an uncomfortable pit sitting in the bottom of his stomach, he began thinking until eventually he looked up with brighter eyes and a determined smile. 

“Cool. So let’s not wait. I’ve gatecrashed a party or five - okay more like fifty - in my life and gatecrashing some posh function can’t be much harder. You’ve got a flying bear and I’ve got a no-fucks attitude, yeah? Let’s do it.” He stuck his hand out to Serge, a gesture the other man just stared at, refusing to move a muscle. 

“What? Are you suggesting we…we break in? I may have committed identity fraud and disappeared off the face of the earth but doing something that would piss Klaus off?” He paused, expression unreadable, but before Luca could open his mouth he cracked his signature smile and shook his hand energetically. 

“Just kidding! I’m totally in. He wouldn’t kill me, at least I’m willing to take my chances, and might welcome the distraction, although he may be annoyed because of what his parents will say. I don’t know what Elias has told you, but those functions can be super boring.” Letting go of the other man’s hand, Luca recalled many of the conversations he’d had with Elias about what happens when he leaves the academy. 

“He tries not to say it, but every time he talks about going home over break, it’s always with a mix of respect and something vacant. He loves his family, but their position makes having fun difficult. They need us, huh?” Luca gloated with a smug smile as he waited for Serge to agree. 

“There’s, um, there’s just one problem.” Serge announced awkwardly with a sheepish laugh. He broke eye contact with Luca, staring at the floor with eyes of uncertainty. Luca looked at him with eyes squinted whilst the other seemed awfully interested in his shoes. 

“With you, that’s never a good thing.” Luca sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “What is it?”

“I don’t know where Taffy is.”

—

“Why the fuck would you challenge him to a hide-and-seek contest?! He’s three times smaller than you!” Luca shouted and threw his hands up as they walked through the academy’s hallways. “How long’s he been missing, anyway? He’s definitely won.”

“We thought it would be fun! He wanted to play and I’m good at seeking! As for how long he’s been gone, let’s see…so I set him the challenge on Wednesday-“ 

“Wednesday? Wednesday?! Serge, today is Saturday. The poor guy’s probably terrified! More than that, he’s our ticket to ‘Operation Gatecrash 101’. Are you serious?!” Luca tutted with a sigh as he gave the other man a side glance. He took a brief moment to look in an unlocked room but found nothing, running to catch back up.

“Look I’m sorry, okay? We like to play and have fun as well as doing experiments, you know! I was going to use the Christmas break to find him until you came up with this plan. Now I’m still going to find him but it’s a lot more stressful. He’s good at hide-and-seek, I was gonna enter him into the hide-and-seek championships after this.” He smiled proudly before dropping it and returning to the task of searching, the sunrise long faded into mid-morning sun as it streamed through the windows.

“By the Dragon of Time Serge, shouldn’t you be a bit more worried? That’s your familiar, right?” He gave Serge a look of concern from the other side of the corridor. “There’s carefree, and then there’s whatever you are. How you and the Emperor cope with each other is still something of a mystery to me.” He shrugged in bewilderment as Serge stopped to face him.

“I’m not all smiles and jokes, you know. Me and Klaus go way back, and not for entirely good reasons.” He said, dropping his voice and falling still with a grave expression painting his face. Luca kept his eyes on him as he searched for the right words, shuffling under the harsh gaze of the other. 

“Damn, Serge. No need to go all serious on me, y’know? It was just a joke, man.” He shook his head with a grimace before turning away to continue his search. 

“Everyone has secrets Luca, that’s all I meant by it. Don’t just assume everyone is what they are on the surface because that’s not true. I’m sure you’re not just a ladies’ man, well definitely not just the ladies, but you get my point. There’s more to you than flirting.” He clarified, although he still looked out into the distance from a window and seemed elsewhere entirely.

After a few moments, he cracked out a bright and warm smile, springing to life in contrast to the way he’d just been. “Now for the love of…where’s Taffy?” Serge ran off and went back to searching before Luca could respond, putting a jarring end to a conversation that he wasn’t done having.

“Sheesh, okay. Starting to see how you two click so well.” Luca rolled his eyes with a mumble, before continuing down the corridor, poking his head into each classroom with no sign of the living toy. Each classroom reminded him of who he wished he was with, flustering Elias at the back of the classroom with his back to the wall was always a wonderful sight. But alas, he had to make do with what he had. 

“Taffy! You win! You can come out now!” Came Serge's cheery voice, although it wobbled slightly between each word. Either Luca’s earlier pep talk had done something, or he’d been worried from the start. With Serge…either was definitely possible. 

Luca suddenly had a thought, grabbing Serge by the arm and pulling him away from the doorway to the prefect’s office. Giving a yelp of surprise, he turned to stare daggers at Luca, the latter throwing his hands up in defence. 

“Hear me out. Familiars grow to be like their owners, yeah? Klaus’ owl is an asshole that glares at everyone, Schuyler’s rabbit, or cat, whatever it is,  won’t leave me alone, the Headmaster’s pink carbuncle is as cheery as anything…so Taffy must be terrified of responsibility! My question is, why are we looking in classrooms for a creature that likes to have fun and be free? We should be looking outside!” He lit up at his own idea, winking at Serge with assured determination and was about to start walking before noting his surly expression. 

“I don’t like the back-handed insult. I don’t hate responsibility…it’s just boring! Klaus forces me to sit at a desk alllllllll day, my back gets stiff and my eyes go funny! The super-important super-secret documents are the worst! I have to make my handwriting all neat when it’s super messy normally, and then-“ 

“Alright, alright, you proved my point. Let’s get out of here.” Luca cut in, dragging Serge along in an attempt to shut up his incessant rambling. Serge stumbled as he was pulled, switching from complaints about Klaus to complaints about him.

“Huh? Hey, wait! I’m not done telling you why Klaus sucks! Luca! ” He shouted protests that ultimately fell on deaf ears. 

—

“Nothing in the courtyard too. I thought you guys loved this place.” Luca grumbled, squatting in grass that he had brushed the snow off of. “Didn’t know if he shrank himself. I usually go for turning myself into a grasshopper in class. Ask Klaus, he loves it. ‘Creativity’ or something. He tells Elias to be more like me, and he can keep telling him that because they’ll be some mighty fine last words.” He snorted quietly, stretching back to his usual height and blocking his eyes from the midday sun’s harsh glow. 

“Doesn’t seem to be around, where else can we look?” Unable to come up with any answers of his own, he looked over to Serge, who seemed too interested in the grass. “What’s up with you?” 

Serge paused. For a moment, Luca thought he wasn’t listening but he soon looked up and made eye contact as he spoke. “Do you really think we should be doing this at all?” He asked tentatively, with careful thought and an undercurrent of uncertainty behind each word. 

It took everything Luca had to not choke on his spit.

“Serge, you’ve blown up Taffy, thrown him in the dishwasher and used him as a costume! But now you’re asking questions?! It’s not even like we’re doing anything wrong. Why are you trying to ask about the morality of finding the familiar that you lost? Come on, man.” He rolled his eyes before sitting down on a stone block and folding one leg over the other at a right angle. 

“Jeez, Luca. No need to get so on my ass about that. He can go missing for a while sometimes, that’s just how we function. We always find each other, we’re inseparable. That’s not even what I meant! Do you really think it’s okay to just… show up to their family gathering? That’s their time together, you know? Do you not think we’d be invited if they wanted us there? It’s boring here without them, I know. But I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that they really won’t appreciate us just rocking up out of nowhere, Klaus especially. He’s really big on family morals and proper etiquette. It sucks, but maybe we should wait for a proper invite. We can definitely still look for Taffy though. It’ll give us something to do and I could really use the help.” Serge spoke deliberately, although Luca responded by turning away from him and shaking his head. 

For a moment the courtyard was silent. 

Then it was filled with laughter. 

Not a jolly laugh of Christmas cheer; not even something remotely joyful or merry. More bitter. Spiteful. Mocking. 

“Are you taking the piss? Please,” He stopped briefly to wheeze, “Please don’t tell jokes like that. Once I get going, I can’t stop laughing. You might cause my untimely death. Let me,” He continued to laugh, “Let me double-check. Are you being serious?!” His laughter soon faded as his tone became more stern reached his ears. 

“You drag me around for a few hours to find your stuffed toy, with something in it for us both, and as soon as you get bored you start doubting my cause? You agreed with me a few hours ago, I don't know anyone who’s heart can change so quickly.” 

“Taffy isn’t just some stuffed toy! Whilst we’ve been searching you’ve been nothing but a prideful dick and I’ve been tolerating it, but I’ve been thinking about Klaus and Elias the whole time and how busy they must be! They see us every day and only see their parents during the holidays! Then we just gatecrash that too, what if they want a break from us? Did you ever stop to think about how they feel? That’s right, you didn’t, because you’re super selfish and only care about yourself.” He paused to let himself breathe deeply, balling his hands into fists. Luca scoffed as his eyes widened, staring down Serge as he felt his blood starting to boil. 

“Oh, now I’m selfish? For helping to enact a plan you agreed to? For helping you to find Taffy, even though losing him was your own fault? Get off your high horse, Serge. You’re nothing but a pathetic manchild.” He shrugged, seemingly indifferent, but the  knuckle-white grip he had on the block beneath him suggested otherwise. 

It took Serge a while to respond to that, but just as Luca thought he’d won Serge spat out a cold remark. 

“Merry Christmas, Luca. Here’s a toast to the Goldsteins having a son-in-law they can be proud of. You wanna know what that looks like? Avoid mirrors at all costs, because it certainly isn’t you.” With that parting remark Serge stomped away, leaving deep tread marks in the snow. 

—

As he finished dawdling, Luca found himself at the dorms. He’d decided to wander around the academy after his fiery argument with Serge, even taking the time to sit in the archives and nap. By the time he woke up the sun was almost setting, a few hours mindlessly wasted. With his plans of getting out for Christmas ruined, he might as well do nothing as he intended. 

As he walked through the dorm hallway, he heard a strange squeaking that he dismissed as nothing. He continued to his room with the intention to stare into space when he got there. Even though he should’ve been walking away from the noise, it continued to follow him at the same volume which not only baffled him, but riled up his temper. He kicked his door shut once he made it to his room, followed by the squeaking becoming impossibly loud. He opened it back up with a glare, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of Taffy holding his leg with a cry that, lo and behold, sounded like squeaking. 

“M-Mister Luca…hurt Taffy’s leg! Please not be so angry…Taffy scared…” He continued to cry as he held his leg closer. 

“Oh, uh, sorry man. Go find Serge, or whatever. He’s looking for you.” He rolled his eyes and was about to shut the door before Taffy dived into the room. 

“Nuh-uh! Master play hide-and-seek but forget about Taffy! Hmph.” He folded his arms with as harsh a glare as possible for a stuffed animal. 

“I feel you. He betrayed me too. Wanna stay here and sulk?” Luca flopped onto the bed, lying on his back with an arm over his forehead, patting the spot beside him with his other arm. Watching as the stuffed animal toddled over and lay down beside him, he closed his eyes and sighed. 

“Is your master always so…indecisive?” He paused to find the word, opening his eyes to look at Taffy. He’d never really paid attention to him, he was always with Serge and they always seemed to be doing something ludicrous. Up close he can tell all the love that went into stitching him, with several parts patched up that people from afar wouldn’t notice. As much as Serge used him for questionable purposes, the bear clearly meant a lot to him. 

“Master find decisions hard! But it okay! He always figure it out. Why?” He asked, lying still on the bed. Luca continued to stare at him, trying to figure out his intentions as he went from dissing his master to backing his case in seconds. That was loyalty, he supposed. 

“It’s just…He said that he’d find you, which I agreed to help with, and then we’d gatecrash the Goldstein functions. Go see our boyfriends and stuff. But then he started to back out, and we had an argument. He tried to take the moral high ground and started talking about what Klaus would want, even though he agreed with me only a few hours ago. It’s dumb.” He stuck a hand in his green hair, threading the locks through his fingers as he sighed gently in defeat. 

“Well, thanks for thinking about Taffy!” The bear grinned, holding his cheeks. After that, he thought for a moment and then started to talk. 

“Master Klaus and Master Serge got mad at each other long time ago. Master probably want to not make him mad anymore. He also like family, important for money. Master want to respect that and don’t want to get in the way.” He pulled a pouty face after that, causing Luca to squeeze his stuffed hand. Sympathy wasn’t his strong suit, but he was starting to get why Serge wanted to respect Klaus so much on this, lest it cause a conflict. 

“Yeah. I get that. Klaus still seems mad about something sometimes, but when I poke him on it he basically tells me to fuck off.” He shrugged as he continued, imagining Klaus’ angry glare and contrasting it to what he’d seen at the gate earlier.

“I know Serge misses him, and I’m sure the Emperor feels the same way. But how do I tell him that without being this insensitive dick he seems to think I’m being?” He tutted miserably, squeezing the bear’s hand again. “People suck.” 

“Um…” Taffy pondered what Luca asked with whilst resting his chin on the end of his arm. “Taffy not understand the big words or bad words. But Taffy do know how to be friend! Master like honesty. Say what Luca said to Taffy to Master! Luca miss Mister Elias and Master miss Master Klaus. Don’t want to make Klaus sad. Want to make him happy! See? Easy!” 

Luca stared blankly at the bear. “I don’t think so.” 

“Why not?” The bear cocked his head and looked at Luca expectantly. 

“People aren’t so simple. There’s all these dumb feelings and opinions in the way. Even if I don’t mean to be cruel, that’s just what Serge thinks of me. Not much I can do about that.” He muttered glumly whilst he stared at the ceiling, contemplating all the possible scenarios and conversations him and Serge could end up having. 

“Master don’t judge people. Meanie! When Taffy say Master gonna say sorry, Taffy mean it! But Luca have to say sorry too. Otherwise it no fair! If Luca agree to say sorry, Taffy will tell Luca a secret!” He sat up now, clapping his hands together. 

“A secret, huh.” He sat up himself to face the creature properly. “And what if I agree and then don’t apologise?” He chuckled, watching as Taffy fell into thought. What went through the mind of a familiar? He’d have to ask Serge someday. 

“Then Luca a big bully!” He folded his arms and shook his head with a pout. “Taffy curse Luca!” He pointed out his arm as if he was holding a wand and made some weird noises, prompting Luca to play along, gasping and cowering. 

Once they stopped playing, Luca gently petted the creature’s head. “Alright, alright li’l guy. I was only joking. I promise to apologise, stake m’ name on it. So what’s the gossip?” 

“Okay!” Puffing his cheeks out in anticipation, Taffy soon started spilling. “Taffy hear Mister Elias talk to Master Klaus about parents, and Mister said that Mister Luca and Master should totally get to come. Master Klaus said so too, but said no.” He pouted with another shake of his head. “Taffy want to see fancy house!” 

“Me too, Taffy. Me too. So let’s go tell Serge.” Luca stood from his bed and picked up Taffy, packing a few basic essentials in a bag before standing and leaving the room with the small bear in tow. 

—

Serge had always been one for familiarity. As much as he liked to be unpredictable, even that had a sort of unspoken rhythm. That’s why he found himself sitting in the prefect office, in Klaus’ chair, with a sullen expression and an owl ornament between his hands. He’d bought it for Klaus during the most recent field day - even though he’d called it a ‘useless ornament’ it had been sitting on his desk every day since. It brought a smile to his face despite the twist in his gut and the sick feeling in his  throat. Restlessly he looked at it from all angles in detail and turned it between his hands. 

“You seem troubled, Serge.” 

The sound of a voice caused him to jolt, making the owl jump - he only just managed to catch it. He looked up to find the source of the voice: Professor Schuyler was standing in the doorway, straight-faced as ever. Without any prompting, he moved Serge’s chair from his desk on the other side of the room and sat across from him during which Serge placed the owl back on the desk. 

“Sorry sir! You scared me, that’s all. How are you? Do you need something? Got all the time in the world now…” He grumbled that last part to himself with a shake of his head as he stared at nothing in particular.

“I think me startling you has very little to do with it. I’ve been observing you for several minutes since you entered the room and sat down in a very frustrated manner. You’ve done nothing but fiddle with your fellow prefect’s things since you came in here and I know for a fact that you don’t actually intend to do anything useful. Refrain from wallowing in your own self-pity. Whatever’s the matter?” The professor leaned his hands on the desk and held them clasped, watching for Serge’s reaction. 

Serge stared at him with wide eyes and lips slightly parted. “You were watching me?” Was all he managed to blurt out before putting a hand over his mouth. “Erm, sorry sir. I mean…it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.” 

“You’re allowed to be concerned about the concept of me watching you. I realised that the way I phrased it may have come across as quite odd. I was just observing you as your behaviour was unusual. Plus, many students have gone home for the holidays so the ones that remain stick out like a sore thumb. Now please, answer my question. Whatever’s the matter?” He leaned forwards now, eyes determined and piercing. 

For a while, Serge said nothing. He just stared distantly out of the window without a word coming to mind. Jumbled thoughts raced in his head and his chilling remark to Luca remained in the forefront of his mind. 

So he decided to start there. 

“I said something I really, really shouldn’t have.” He mumbled, with a long and laboured sigh following it. He looked up; the professor opting to remain silent so he decided to continue. 

“I was upset, and emotional and…and worried, I guess. Then when I get riled up, I don’t think, I just do. ” He paused after that with a hard swallow to try and regather his thoughts. Carefully, he contemplated what to say before opening his mouth at all. After all, it was not thinking that got him into this mess.

“The short answer is, me and Luca had a huge argument and I was…I was horrible, seeing as I can’t say curse words. I said something awful, I told him he was a failure to his future in-laws, and then left without letting him reply, and after he’d helped me too. He just wasn’t listening, and getting on my nerves, and, and…” Silence followed, whatever words were destined to follow lost to the winds. 

“Alright,” Was all the professor gave him to begin with, but raised his hand to signify that he wasn’t finished. 

“So you said something hurtful that you didn’t mean. As a starting point, that is horrifically in character. But you feel remorseful, a typical reaction from you. Luca’s a free spirit, something I’m sure you’re acutely aware of. Yesterday’s news becomes such within twelve hours rather than twenty-four and he is always eager to move onto the next big thing. He’s not one to hold grudges unless he is grievously wronged, but this is no such offence. Just talk to him, no doubt he’ll be looking to do the same. What started the argument, anyhow?” He asked, face still steely and expressionless but with a new underlying kindness that Serge had rarely seen from the professor. It was a welcome change, rather than dodging around the academy to avoid a lecture. 

“It’s really dumb. Basically, we agreed to gatecrash the Goldstein Manor with my familiar that I needed help finding, but then I backed out because I worried about what Klaus was gonna say. I know what you’re thinking, ‘when has Serge ever worried about Klaus’ opinion’, but this is family, which is something totally different. I know it means a great deal to him and I can’t ruin that. But when I tried to explain that to Luca, he wasn’t having it and started insulting me.” Serge picked the owl back up and held it in his hands, opting to stare at it rather than make eye contact with the professor. Remembering the soft expression that Klaus made when he was first handed the present made him miss him even more which led him him to sink even further into his chair. 

“Seems petty to some, but it is important to acknowledge that you wish to respect him. I think you should explain and apologise to Luca and then go and see the Goldsteins. The Headmaster accidentally overheard the brothers in quite the diplomatic confrontation. Although both agreed that they wished to spend Christmas with you, Klaus was insistent they couldn’t on the basis of tradition-“ 

“See? I was right. Luca would’ve caused a whole-“ 

“Serge, please, let me finish!” He was then forced to stop again to regain his train of thought, something that luckily didn’t take long. “Klaus was insistent they couldn’t…Ah, yes. What they don’t know is that their parents are eager to welcome other guests, but they assume they have no-one to bring. They extend an invitation to Ran-“ He paused to clear his throat - “ Headmaster Randolph and I every year, but we always decline for the sake of our students. I’m sure they’d appreciate your presence as a sign that their sons aren’t lonely. So please, talk to Luca.” The professor’s expression remained much the same,  but Serge could sense a sort of urgency to his words, like he was pleading in his own way. 

Dumbfounded, Serge just sat in silence. All this time, and all it would’ve taken was a brief conversation. He really did owe Luca a huge apology, but more than that, it meant that he could spend Christmas with Klaus and the family that could one day be his own. 

Just as Serge was about to give his thanks, a familiar voice rang out from by the doorway. Schuyler recoiling and facing away from the source of the voice meant Serge got to see the fact that the professor did, in fact, have feelings. 

“Connie, are you coming to read with me or not? You’ve been taking awhile and I’m sure giving advice doesn’t take that long.” A smile he knew all too well entered his vision as Headmaster Randolph walked into the room. 

Wait, Connie?

Is this what he thinks it is? 

“Headmaster, there is a student …” He dragged out the word, long and slow as he gave a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes in defeat. After he let go of his nose, he responded to the original question, Serge sensing that he was trying to ignore his student’s bewildered stare. “No matter. I shall come along shortly.” 

Turning back to Serge, he gave a final nod. “Talk to Luca.” 

With that Schuyler stood and joined the headmaster before exiting the room, Luca’s guardian with a slight blush on his cheeks. Klaus had to know about this development later. After grabbing a small pouch from his own desk, Serge left the room. 

Time to find Luca. 

—

Steady steps broke out into a sprint as Serge spotted a head of green hair in the courtyard fiddling with something he couldn’t see from a distance. He was sitting with the mysterious object on a stone block, Serge only just able to make them out by what little sunlight was left. 

“Luca!” He shouted, after which the other man looked up and smiled as Serge approached. He continued to fiddle with whatever it was in his hands as Serge got closer with a quickening pace. 

Once he was close enough, Serge stopped to catch his breath. “Luca, I…I ‘m so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I was angry and I was-“ 

“Shush up a sec. D’ya hear that?” Luca put a finger to his own lips, causing Serge’s babbling to cease as he looked around. Despite the suggestion that there was something to be heard, there was not a sound around them that could be deemed as unusual. 

“No? Luca what-“ 

“Master!” Came a voice that Serge knew all too well as Taffy flung himself into his master’s arms. He hugged the bear close, letting out a sigh of relief and gently placing a kiss on his head. 

“There’s my hide-and-seek champ! Where were you?” He giggled as he kept the bear in a death grip and snuggled against him. Taffy’s warmth soothed some of the ache in Serge’s heart and allowed him to breathe with more ease than before. Having the bear back where he belonged was one less thing for Serge to worry about. 

“Ma…ster…Taffy…can’t breathe…” He choked out weakly, causing his master to reluctantly loosen his hold. Taffy choked and spluttered desperately when he was at last able to breathe again.

“Haha sorry. I just really missed you. Now where did you hide? Wherever it is, I’m sure it’s a great place to do experiments in secret!” He sat down next to Luca and then held up Taffy as a proud father would his child. He threw him up once, catching him between his hands and heard Taffy giggle cheerily. Whilst it wasn’t the full group he was used to, it was nice for Serge to have Luca back on his side, even if there were conversations to be had. 

This was one step closer to family.

Whilst Serge held the bear, he started to explain where he’d been and how he’d managed to win for so long.

“Oh, that easy! Taffy hide in Master’s room! Master and Master Klaus not home because lots of important work! Master rarely go to his room unless urgent! Heehee! Taffy good at hide-and-seek!” The bear clapped in the air, before being placed back down between the two adults. He began to run between them until he became dizzy and fell on his behind on the stone block. 

“He was in your room all along, huh. All because you pair of workaholics work too much, whether it be insane experiments or mundane paperwork.” He said, before falling silent, seemingly in thought.

Unsure of what to make of this, Serge could only wait with a sort of uncomfortable sickness in his gut. What Luca said next could literally be anything, a rant or a speech of admiration. He wouldn’t know. 

“Wait a sec. You’re telling me neither you or Klaus have been back to your shared room on the basis of having work to do? Keeping in mind that the beds in the dorms don’t have wheels, whilst the ones in the prefect’s office do, in the week before he leaves for Christmas? Yeah, I bet you both had ‘work’ to do. Hope you got plenty done between all of your experiments and other work. It’s also awfully convenient that that’s the week you challenge Taffy to hide-and-seek. Well played.” He nudged Serge playfully and raised his eyebrows and tied it all together with a wink.

Serge didn’t know whether to laugh or punch him. 

As Taffy noticed Serge’s face beginning to redden, he stood in front of his master with his arms crossed as the ultimate defence. “Hey! Taffy don’t know why Master red, but Master already said what you just said. Why you repeat it?” He shook his head. “Mister Luca very silly.” 

“Taffy, please be quiet. Please.” Serge could only mumble with his head hung slightly. Sensing the bear about to protest, he stuck a hand on his head and coaxed him to sit down, something his familiar did with a curious look on his face. He was just glad that Taffy wasn’t eager to ask questions. 

“Ha! Caught ya red handed. Klaus said it himself, we’re all adults here. Don’t worry about it.” Initially Luca pointed at him in a childish gesture of mockery but soon dropped it in favour of something much more dignified and mature. He simply nodded at Serge’s implied confession and shrugged, making it out to be the complete opposite of the big deal it had just been. 

Despite the playful nature that had previously been in the air, it was soon replaced as the mood was dampened by a thick blanket of tension draping itself over them with little consideration.

“Guess we should address the elephant in the room, huh.” 

The courtyard was eerily silent after that, with only the quiet chirps of crickets in the last remaining sunlight to give a sort of backdrop. Both stared at one another, unsure of what to say or where to start, but in the end it was decided for them. 

“Nuh-uh. Taffy first, talk on the way.” The bear stood up, rotating his arms in a circle. “Master do big Taffy. Taffy fly. Like Master said.” Serge didn’t move, causing Taffy to drop his arms and sulk. Serge found it charming that Taffy wanted to save the day, however, Serge’s concern was placed completely elsewhere.

“How does he know about the plan?” He asked, looking to Luca for any sort of answer. In his eyes, Taffy had popped up out of nowhere and was now reciting a plan of which its intricacies were decided at sunrise 

Serge watched as Luca considered how to respond for a moment, unsure of if he was going to be witty or sarcastic, opting for the latter as he opened his mouth.

“How do you think he’s here? I found him, and we had a chat. He told me to talk to you, so here we are. If you don’t want to do this, I get it. But it will be nice to chat with a change of scenery.” He sat and threaded his hair between his fingers whilst waiting for a response. He didn’t have to wait long - Serge had had enough time to think about everything and was ready to make decisions that he would normally make hastily. 

“No, it’s okay. I bumped into Professor Schyuler actually. He told me a lot of things that opened my eyes. I won’t say any more than that for now, but it’s made me view this entire situation from a very new perspective.”

He took out his wand, prompting Luca to step back and watch as Serge put his magical power to use. Taffy widened his body stance into that of a star and closed his eyes, ready and waiting. 

“Taffy Clesko!” Serge shouted as he shot his wand forwards with skill, precision and accuracy that was unexpected of his character. Often people assumed that Serge performed his magic similarly to his experiments, but the two required different types of thought and energy, producing very different styles of work and results. After the spell was cast, the magic began to take effect. 

The bear began to grow - taking a few seconds to reach the necessary size to fit two people on his back. With an excitable grin, Serge clambered on and then helped Luca, making sure he was secure before they took off. He gently tapped Taffy on the head with his wand, shouting “Away to the Goldstein manor!” and cheered as the bear began to fly. 

“Wait, do you even know where it is?” Luca stared at the back of the other man’s head and asked with a demanding tone. “If you don’t, we’re literally just shooting in the dark here!” 

“Nope! But I’m sure we’ll find it. Klaus said it was in the centre of Gedonelune, so it can’t be that far. The longer it takes the more we can talk, anyway.” The wizard let himself relax into Taffy as he gently held his fur and guided him to their unknown destination. 

“I worry about you, sometimes. Sometimes you’re a little too carefree, and that’s coming from me. ” Luca shook his head and fell silent after that, unsure of what else to say. Similarly Serge was no good at filling silence and let the peaceful night do the talking for them. 

As they began to get further away from the academy, the brilliant night sky came into a clearer view. Stars twinkled and shone on the backdrop of black and illuminated the surroundings below, if only slightly. Serge heard a soft gasp from behind him as Luca took in sights he’d rarely gotten to see. 

“Pretty, right?” Serge smiled, taking a moment himself to appreciate the canvas of bright lights they were flying under. This was the best part of teaching Taffy to fly, all of the world’s wonders that would be lost otherwise.  

“Seems dumb, yeah? But I never got to be free like this as a kid. It’s been my dream to travel so getting cooped up in the godforsaken academy all the time is of no help to me. But even small things like this remind me of what’s out there, when I’m ready for it. The day I leave for my first bit of travel will probably be one of the best days of my life.” He let out a sharp sigh and shook his head. “Admitting that made me sound lame. I just got unlucky.”

“But I guess that makes sense now.” Serge said with a nod, evaluating everything he’d heard about Luca up until now and correlating it with his own confession. 

“What does?” Luca asked, waiting with anticipation as Serge considered his reply. 

“Why you were so eager to go and see the Goldsteins, namely Elias, over Christmas. It’s a new experience, but more importantly it’s a new experience you get to have with him. I”m gonna take this moment to apologise properly, by the way. What I said to you in relation to the Goldstein family was unfair and untrue. You’ll be a wonderful addition and they’ll be glad to have you. I’ve just been a selfish brat though. So I’m sorry.” 

Luca shook his head before opening his mouth again. “Nah man, you can’t just take all the blame. I didn’t wanna acknowledge your point, and that was me being a dick. You respecting Klaus and his wishes is important and I probably shoulda taken a second to consider how Elias would’ve felt. So that was me also being a selfish asshole. Plus, if you talked to Schuyler he probably told you that grudges aren’t my thing, so I’m over it. I know you say dumb things in the heat of the moment, and I did too this time around. So let’s call us even, yeah? What caused your change of heart anyway? Did the professor bestow some forgotten wisdom about the Goldstein family onto you?” He laughed quietly with a slight grin that Serge returned as he responded. 

“Sort of. Apparently the Goldstein family appreciate their sons bringing guests but because they never have anyone to bring, they never mention it. They extend an invitation to Headmaster Randolph and his beloved Connie yearly but they always say no. So as far as I can tell, we’re welcome guests.” He heard Luca splutter and cough at the pet name which caused Serge to laugh. “I know, right?” 

“Connie, seriously? You’ve got to be taking the piss. Those two, really? Maybe I speculated once or twice but I figured they were simply professional. Schuyler never took me as the type to date his colleagues, much less a man.” He let out another snigger before settling back down with a smile.

“Well, it’s good to know that Klaus was only paranoid. Mind you, thinking with that attitude will make Elias a nervous wreck by twenty-five. Saying that, isn’t he already?” He joked in a higher tone with a smile that Serge couldn’t see.

“True. Klaus seriously needs to let up sometimes but I’m not sure he knows how. We need to inject fun into the lives of these people!” He declared as he briefly threw his hands up. “Speaking of said people, do you have any clue where they might live? I think we’re lost.” 

After Serge said that, he briefly glanced down to find a highstreet bustling with people that all seemed to be dressed to the nines in Gedonelune’s finest clothes. Serge couldn’t tell any fabrics apart from where he sat but he knew cheap rags from the luxurious outfits of the shoppers in the area. Christmas trees were adorned with decorations that would be suited to the royal palace and it just felt worlds apart from what he’d grown up with. He heard a quiet ‘woah’ from behind him, so Luca clearly felt the same. 

“You know what, I think we’re here. I’ve never seen so many rich people in the same place so Klaus and Elias can’t be far away. Let’s dismount. Discreetly. I think there’s an alleyway back there, fly in. If anyone sees Taffy, I’ve never met you in my life.” Serge laughed at Luca’s jab at his mode of transportation and began following the directions that the other man gave. Landing without being seen, they both climbed off of Taffy before Serge brought him back down to his usual size. 

“So how do we ask for direction without being total stalkers?” Serge put a hand to his chin before immediately sulking and shaking his head. “I got nothing. We look like total weirdos no matter how you put it.” 

“We say we’re visiting on business, obviously. Say anything else and it sounds like we’re doing something totally illegitimate. Imagine ‘Hi, where does Elias Goldstein live? He invited me to a party and didn’t give me his address’. Mega suspicious. If we say we’re business partners that need to deliver something then it looks authentic.” He shrugged and left it at that as he exited the alleyway, attempting to scout out anyone who could potentially be a Goldstein affiliate.

It was like Serge had always said. Not every rich person was a Goldstein, but everyone the Goldsteins knew was rich. Or their hopeless boyfriends who were lost in a shopping centre on Christmas Eve. 

He followed eagerly, carrying Taffy like a newborn child and marvelled at the wonderful sights they’d seen from above. The bird’s-eye-view had been spectacular but this was breathtaking. The tree towered above them now, extravagantly decorated - the lights glimmered and the baubles shone and it really, truly felt like Christmas. This was nothing like Serge had ever seen before and he allowed himself the opportunity to really enjoy it. All around him were shop fronts adorned with the most gorgeous Christmas decorations and it looked to him like something that had come out of a storybook, not from in front of him. 

“Why not enjoy the sights first? Even though you seem to be doing that anyway. Doubt we’ll get to do any shopping once we get there.” Luca’s voice snapped him out of his trance and he nodded, running to catch up as Luca began beelining for a bookshop. He could stare at the tree more later. 

“Coming!” He shouted, hearing Taffy cry out for the tree as he stretched his arm out desperately. Serge shushed him and continued towards the bookshop.

“Taffy want to look!” He winged quietly as it got smaller and smaller, his attempts at stretching futile. 

“Later, Taffy, I promise. But we need to stay with Luca. Let’s go!” After that, Serge stepped foot into the most beautiful bookshop he’d ever seen. 

—

“Christmas shopping is so haard…How does Klaus do this so well every year?” Serge grumbled, picking up book after book. “It’s his local bookstore, he’s probably read half of these!” He threw up his hands in defeat, with a book in each. “There’s more selection than there would’ve been in the store by the academy, but that makes it harder!” He continued to complain as he looked at two new books. Taffy was sat on his shoulder, ordered to be quiet whilst they were shopping so as not to cause a commotion. 

Klaus’ taste in books was a picky one to accommodate, Serge knew as much from his personal library in his side of the dorm room which had a very specific selection. Klaus had explained how he selected each of them many times but every time Serge had failed to understand how his system worked. 

“Try having a chronic bookworm to buy for, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen each of these covers in Elias’ hand at least once. These two are impossible.” Luca gritted his teeth in the same resignation and put what he was holding back on the shelf as Serge watched him with yet another book in his own hands. 

“It would appear that my advice would likely be appreciated.” 

Both Serge and Luca whirled around at the sound of a new voice and gave the elderly man that stood before them a quick once-over. They glanced at each other in confusion and turned back to the man, waiting for the other to speak. Serge didn’t know what to say and relied on Luca’s charm and charisma to get through the conversation. 

“What?” Blurted out Luca, before he had time to consider politeness, especially amongst the wealthy. Well, there went that plan. 

“Luca!” Serge whispered sharply before turning to what he quickly came to realise was the store’s owner from the pin on his shirt. “Our apologies for being rude.” He said, pulling out the surface-level poshness Klaus had taught him. 

The man laughed briefly, his eyes creasing at the corners, before stopping to speak with a soft and caring smile. “There’s no need for such formality. I already know lots about you from the breaks in the spring and summer this year. Elias and Klaus love to discuss you both whilst they're here, having much of the same conversation as you were just now. Before, they would simply talk about the book material but now they talk about a mysterious ‘Serge’ and ‘Luca’ and who would enjoy reading what. It was sweet to listen to, but I never got out of them which of you was which.” He paused, watching their eyes widen with a warm smile. 

“During the summer, they came in here several times. Many a conversation of ‘Serge might find this useful for an experiment, but it looks boring and hard to read’ or ‘Luca could sit in the archives with this and at least his skipping would be worthwhile’. They turned into different people compared to the children I remember them being, where they’d just discuss the book itself instead. It was touching.” They were both smiling now, although Serge looked positively smitten and Luca simply shook his head in disbelief. Had they really talked about them like that? Feeling his heart flutter at the thought, Serge did his best to keep his emotions to himself. 

“They never leave with anything though. However, I always keep a copy of a book they seemed keen to purchase for themselves in the event that ‘Serge and Luca’ ever came by and needed a hand the same way the Goldstein boys did.. I’ve been friends with the family since Walter was a boy, so I know the sorts of things they like to read.” 

He handed a book each to Serge and Luca, nodding. “Observing you both during this conversation, and when I caught the tail end of when you were talking to each other, I think I can tell who each brother would associate himself with.”

Serge took a closer look in the book in his hands and looked up at the owner with a newfound excitement. It had a colourful cover, not something Serge would have thought to pick up, but the more he skimmed it the more he realised that looks truly can be deceiving. 

“Klaus would absolutely love this, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him read it. You’re the best! You’ve really known the Goldstein family for that long, too? Colour me impressed.” Serge gave a nod of approval and looked at the older man with bright stars in his eyes. 

The Goldstein name really was something to behold, but this was a clear show that they weren’t just about money and business. For Serge, this was a glimpse of the Goldsteins being personal and welcoming people, even outside of the academy. Remembering Klaus as a teenager compared to now, more open and friendly, made something in him sing. 

“I thought as much, Serge. He always liked to read about new things out of his comfort zone and so I thought he may be the same with people. He always thinks of your experiments, and books that may be able to aid them. From that I took away the personality of an eccentric wizard with great potential that could contrast him and pose as a challenge, the kind of person Klaus would seek out no matter how much he tried not to. His cousin Sigurd is much the same, as I’m sure you know.” He spoke wistfully, with thought put into every word and opinion he was giving. Serge looked between the owner and the book itself and nodded gratefully with a wide smile, acknowledging just how much he’d considered Klaus when recommending it. 

Once he finished talking to Serge, he turned to Luca to discuss the book he was holding. Luca had in his hands a book about how chocolate could be beneficial to magic and he chuckled to himself in playful disbelief. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Why does this exist, and more importantly why is it perfect?” 

“Luca, of course. Elias was talking to his brother about a friend, or possibly more, that can’t keep himself in a classroom for longer than five minutes. All the books he considered getting you were perfect for someone that wants to take learning into his own hands because he himself doesn’t want to see that potential wasted. Despite your clear conflict in academic attitudes, he’s drawn to you enough to consider your academic welfare in a setting that might better benefit you, compared to what he prefers. Your carefree attitude and habitual carelessness is clear in everything from your posture to the way you talk and I immediately knew that it was something that Elias would be eager to fix.” Luca clapped once he had finished, holding the book under his arm with care to ensure it didn’t fall. 

“You’re good. How'd you get all that from a few conversations over the past year and my mannerisms? Seriously good stuff, man. You’re attentive to the finer details, definitely a Goldstein trait. It really shows that you’ve known them for a long time.” He went back to holding the book in his hands and leafed through it, unsurprised that it was taking itself seriously but he found it humorous all the same. 

“Now that you’ve heard my reasons for my recommendations, I trust you would like to make purchases, yes? We offer a discount to first-time customers so please, come this way.” He beckoned them over, a smile on his lips

Luca and Serge looked at each other, dumbfounded, but ultimately decided to follow. 

—

“Thank you for shopping with us. I hope to see you two again, you seem like wonderful people and I’m glad to see the Goldstein brothers have people that care about them, they always seem so lonely.” The owner waved them out with a smile and watched them leave, even though Luca didn’t move. 

“No worries, see you soon! Thanks for wrapping our gifts!” Serge went to dash off but stopped when he realised that Luca hadn’t moved to catch up. “Luca?” 

“Sir, d’ya think you could tell us where they live? Truth is we’re uh, kinda lost.” He rested a hand on the back of his neck and pursed his lips. Not quite the dignified, business-oriented conversation he was planning on having, but this was likely their best bet of finding the manor. 

“Oh, they didn’t tell you? Or is this a surprise visit? Either way, follow the street until you start to see clipped hedges. You can’t miss the extraordinary shrubbery!” He gave them a final warm smile, waving again. “Merry Christmas! Give the boys my regards, they haven’t asked for a delivery in a while.”  

“We will, thank you! Merry Christmas!” They said the last part in sync as they began their half-an-hour walk down the street. This was the final part of their plan, at last the Goldsteins were in their reach. 

“So,” Serge started, as soon as the shops were out of sight. “How do you fancy a prank, just to be annoying?” The friendly and awed face he had in the bookstore was now replaced by a mischievous grin and threats of an evil plan. Serge felt the most at home with Klaus nearby, and thoughts of seeing him encouraged ideas of a trick. 

Over time, Klaus had come to tolerate, and on the rare occasion appreciate, his grand misadventures. It added to their relationship as a whole and was part of them coming to learn and understand each other after they had managed to put the past behind them. He waited for Luca to agree to his sinister shenanigans with a pep in his step. 

“Depends. Don’t wanna take it too far, I’m pretty sure they’re already gonna chew us out for turnin’ up. What did ya have in mind?” He turned to face the other man, his smirk mirrored. Winding up Elias was his favourite hobby, on any day of the week. 

“Oh, I was literally just gonna send in Taffy to annoy them. You know how Klaus gets when he’s in the office and no doubt his brother will be the same.” Serge rubbed his hands together excitedly, Taffy doing the same from atop his shoulder with a small evil laugh. “Let’s shake things up a bit, we can’t let them get too used to the peace and quiet.”

Taffy bounced up and down, even jumping so high that he landed on Serge’s head and opted to stay there, to his master’s amusement. “Taffy prank Master Klaus and Mister Elias? Yay yay! What Taffy have to do?” 

“Listen up, little guy. It’s super simple.” 

—

“What time does this finish?” Elias mumbled quietly to Klaus, who was standing beside him with a glass of champagne in his hand and a facial expression that was giving everything it had to be bored as politely as possible. Above his empty smile were vacant eyes that wanted to look at anything else but the ballroom before him. 

“Patience, Elias. In a few hours or so. I know you’re eager to get to the library, or to bed, but we have to humour our guests first.” He followed that up with a quiet sigh that Elias barely managed to catch. Clearly his level of excitement was largely reciprocated and that made his heart sink further. 

“These events become monotonous quickly. I’m not cut out for politics in the same way you are.” Rubbing his hands with as much subtlety as possible, he thought of everything else he could be doing right now instead of standing in the corner of the room doing nothing.  Not only was he forced to leave Luca behind, he was forced to leave him behind in favour of one of his tedious family events. He was never able to say it, but this was simply the worst. 

“I know, but unfortunately there’s little we can do. It’s uneventful, a waste of time, and i’m convinced everyone currently on the dancefloor is a soulless puppet, but alas we must appear ready as the sons of the Goldstein family for occasions like this. This is the last event of the night, as Christmas Day is designated time for family. You can stick this out.” 

Elias considered responding, but opted to remain quiet, giving a certain someone a perfect opportunity to put the plan into action for the unsuspecting brothers’ torment. 

“Up, up!” Came a voice Klaus knew all too well, as he picked up the stuffed bear and began bouncing him up and down. He smiled at Taffy as he continued to entertain him, a bored expression becoming lively in an instant. 

“Hey, have you been left on your own again? I can keep you busy, but not for long. I have a lot to do.” Rejoicing at the thought of playing, Taffy clapped as Klaus continued bouncing him. He started to dance a bit, finding rhythm in the bounces. 

What Klaus didn’t know was that there were two dumbfounded wizards staring at a projector spell whilst sitting on the windowsill of the floor above. Serge opted to keep track of things, both to analyse how Taffy was handling the situation and to observe the brothers’ reactions. 

“Hehehe! Master Klaus always fun!” For a moment they stayed like that, just playing and having fun whilst his brother watched until Klaus looked over and noticed his wild stare, alarm plastered on his face. Elias was feeling his stomach sink, he watched the joyful display but could feel nothing but dread. 

“What? Assumed I was a monster with no paternal instincts? I can take care of a child. He used to annoy me, but I have come to tolerate and even enjoy his company. If you entertain him, he’s much less distracting.” Despite what Klaus thought to be a sufficient explanation, Elias simply shook his head and kept his eyes pinned on the bear. Feeling his throat tighten, he shared his grievances with his brother. 

“Klaus. Why is Taffy here?” Elias asked with haste, his voice unsteady and his eyes still wide. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

The bouncing ceased immediately and the smile Klaus had before promptly evaporated as he looked Taffy in the eye, his stare unwavering and his voice determined. Elias quickly realised that Klaus could become twice as worried twice as quickly, which only caused his own panic levels to shoot up accordingly. Taffy being here without Serge never spelt anything good as the two were as inseparable as money from corruption. 

“Taffy. Where's Serge?” Noticing sweat beginning to coat his brother’s palms as he gripped the bear slightly tighter with hands that were shaking, Elias gently held his brother’s shoulder and looked at Taffy.

The arrival of the bear marked the beginning of a mystery for the brothers that would keep them on their toes, but with the grip of dread on their shoulders rather than excitement. Elias looked between the two of them and then added a question of his own.

“Wait, weren’t Luca and Serge going to spend Christmas together? Serge isn’t the type to leave someone on their own…Have you seen Luca, Taffy?” Elias felt a cold chill sweep through his body as apprehension held him tense and alert. Taffy’s carefree attitude was hardly reliable evidence that everything was alright; Serge had a habit of disappearing and he may have just assumed it was one of those times and then come to find them to keep himself busy. Possibly irrational, but you had to prepare for the worst. 

Taffy began looking between the brothers in a frenzy, having only the words ‘don’t give the game away!’ to guide him. Elias tried to remain calm but every second that passed made it harder, hating having to wait. 

“Um…u-um…M-Master go shop, but not back yet! So Taffy want to play!” He plastered on his signature smile as Klaus simply shook his head and took the lead with questions. 

“Okay…So how long ago did he leave? And what shop would he go to that would leave you on this side of Gedonelune?” More questions meant more lying, not one of Taffy’s signature talents. 

“A-About…Hour ago! That it! Master go buy candy and not come back! It okay!” He went back to smiling and started bouncing, but Klaus didn’t move and his brother seemed to have a similar opinion. 

Unconvinced, the younger Goldstein shook his head. “I don’t buy it. He wouldn’t take that long, or if he knew he was going to be that long he would take you with him. He also wouldn’t buy candy around here when there’s a shop local to the academy. Something is wrong. Very wrong. You didn’t answer my question, either. Do you know where Luca is?”

Panic turned to fear as two purple gazes fixed on the small bear. Whatever was going on, it was suspicious and getting worse by the second. Where were those two maniacs, and what were they up to?  

“Taffy not see Mister Luca…Sorry.” He lowered his head guiltily and started to cry, causing Klaus to hold Taffy close on instinct. 

Just as Elias was about to start assembling a search party, he felt a pair of arms slink around his shoulders and froze. 

“That’s because he’s been hiding in the shadows, waiting to get some time alone. But this shall have to suffice. Good evening, my love.” Luca placed a quick kiss onto Elias’ cheek before pulling away completely with a smirk, the latter reddening. 

“L-Luca! Where on earth did you come from?” Elias asked, turning to properly face him with a frown, the remaining panic causing his heart to pound. 

“From your dreams, babe.” He winked suggestively as he watched the Goldstein turn away and huff with a shake of his head. Never mind, it wasn’t the adrenaline anymore.

“So where on earth is Serge? There’s no way he’s not here if you are.” Quickly Elias realised that Klaus was still worried, despite both of them beginning to think that they may be irrational. Klaus began anxiously looking around him for a head of pink hair, finding nothing before turning back to Elias and Luca. 

“Boo!” Serge entered in a similar fashion to Luca, with his arms springing to wrap around his shoulders, but with more energy and less sex appeal. He kept his death grip on Klaus as he rested his head on his shoulder with a cheery smile.

However, that didn’t last long as Klaus rapidly shrugged him off and turned to face him, dumping Taffy into his arms. Like a firework, his little prank had cause a fire that was about to make his lover explode. Back to their usual back and forth, as always. Elias watched as his brother flew up in a rage, trying his best to keep a straight face. 

“Do you have any idea how worried sick I was just now?! We were about to come looking for you! I thought you’d been hurt. You’re unbelievably reckless and your pranks aren’t funny!” 

“Hey! That prank doubled as an experiment! Respect the art of science!” 

“And what was that?” Klaus demanded, tapping a restless foot against the floor and feeling his eye twitch in anger. 

“How fast Taffy can think on his feet.” He giggled, immediately dropping the frustrated act and hugging the bear  close to his chest. 

“Oh for god’s sake, Serge!” 

Klaus grabbed Serge by the shoulders and shook him, scowling harshly the entire time; Serge retained his carefree smile and simply let him, almost finding charm in his panic. 

“You worry too much. I do reckless things and I always come out fine! As much as I hate that sometimes…” He mumbled that last part to himself, at which Klaus shook him harder. Angry eyes softened slightly with compassion as he shook his head and spoke. 

“What if a day comes where that’s not the case?! What if you get seriously hurt and I’m sitting here thinking it’s just another prank? I have to worry about you, because you certainly don’t!” He let go of his shoulders and dropped his arms to his sides with a sigh. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. That’s all I’m saying.” 

Serge wrapped his arms around Klaus once more, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “Heh, thanks. Glad I’ve got you to look out for me.” He whispered quietly before pulling away and standing, smiling sweetly at Klaus, a gesture that he returned subconsciously.

After Klaus let go, both him and Elias noticed many people’s eyes staring at them. Both brothers had been determined to keep their private lives a secret but if people were going to gawk at them showing a bit of concern, they could do with a proper wake-up call. Elias watched as Klaus grabbed Serge’s arm and contemplated on what to do, ultimately deciding to try and get the crowd to look elsewhere.

“Yes, we’re not single. Keep staring.” 

Klaus looked at Elias, nodding in approval as Luca took his hand. They could both ask how and why later, for now it was vital that they dodged and escaped the crowd. Renowned for his orating abilities, Klaus decided to take the reins of the situation from there and Elias watched on appreciatively. 

“Is it wrong to be concerned for those you love? He made me worry, hence the commotion. Please, continue.” Seeing Klaus smirk made something in Elias’ gut twist - he knew Klaus was daring for a challenge when he saw it.

Everyone quickly went back to conversing. 

“Come on, let’s head to the library. I still have questions, and it’s better not to ask them here.” Elias began dragging Luca who wasn’t planning on protesting anyway, with Klaus and Serge following with little argument. 

—

“So would either of you like to explain why you’re here at all?” Elias started, with his brother sitting beside him, both facing the guilty party. Serge watched from the other side of the table as both brothers looked at them expectantly, waiting for one of them to start talking. 

“Okay. So we missed ya and didn’t wanna have to be lonely over Christmas. So we hatched a plan, had a fight, and then went through with the plan. Here we are!” Luca gestured with his arms to him and Serge, but Elias shook his head.

Feeling his gut start to twist, Serge reached for Klaus’ hand under the table and squeezed it, causing Klaus’ face to shift as his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes searched silently for any sort of explanation that Serge knew he couldn’t really give. 

“That doesn’t really answer my question. Why did you come, despite us telling you not to? Mother will likely ask you to leave…” Elias sighed, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. “She doesn’t really appreciate guests, she’s never invited anyone over for Christmas.”

Springing to their own defence, Serge gave a counterargument that left Elias stunned and Klaus less than impressed. “I don’t think so. I was speaking to Professor Schuyler earlier and he seemed to think it would be fine.”

“Why would you trust his word over ours?!” Klaus glared at Serge from across the table, pulling his hand away and leaving Serge’s gut to twist even tighter than before, swallowing a lump in his throat. He wasn’t left in his guilt for long as his argument was backed, to his relief. 

“Because I’ve been trying to get Randolph to visit with Connie for years but they always say no! I love having more company over Christmas, but you boys never have anyone to bring and your professors clearly can’t tolerate you for longer than a term at a time.” She giggled daintily with a small hand over her mouth before continuing to speak. 

“You say you have no-one to bring when I drop hints, but these two are here to see you!” Mrs. Goldstein’s gentle and motherly voice filled the quiet library and both of her sons turned to face her. 

“M-Mother?” Elias stared at her with wide eyes and his mouth slightly agape. Serge watched as he looked between everyone and tried to process what he was hearing, as well as the fact that the professor had been right. 

“Never mind that. Connie?” Klaus asked, twice as surprised as he looked between his boyfriend and his mother. 

“Wait, Mrs Goldstein. Please let me tell him about that. I have a funny story to share.” Serge asked with a slight smile as he started to ease himself into the environment She nodded with a laugh at his request and made him feel like their mother was his own. 

“Okay, okay. It’s so good to finally meet you both, by the way! The boys mention having friends but hardly anything else about them! I don’t know why they’ve never invited you, I assumed you went elsewhere for Christmas but clearly not. Maybe you boys have something to hide…” She insinuated with raised eyebrows, looking at her sons. Klaus kept his signature poker face, but it meant nothing when Elias coughed, spluttered and went red to his ears. Desperately trying to hold it in, Serge’s face started to feel strained as he forced back a laugh. 

“Regardless, it’s so wonderful to have the opportunity to meet you both. We shall have formal introductions tomorrow, without the presence of guests. For now, why don’t you show them to the guest room, boys? Or to your own rooms, I suspect that arrangement may be preferable.” Saying no more, she winked and left the room, leaving her two sons to ponder why they kept their boyfriends hidden at all. 

“Well it would seem that their mishaps have secured our dismissal from this dismal event. As well as that, any remaining questions we had have been answered which leaves us only to take up mother on her suggestion. Shall we?” Klaus stood following his announcement, beckoning the others to follow. 

They did, with great smiles on their faces. 

—

Elias’ room was about how he expected it to look. A bookcase sat in each corner with even more shelves for more books. Luca took the pleasure of settling into the first chair he could find, with plush cushions and a comforting sturdiness. Although it was a room that still proudly flaunted its high status, he could tell that something about it was trying its hardest to be modest. Simplistic wallpaper that was obviously valuable and little trinkets that seemed like nothing but were probably worth a small fortune in their own right represented Elias and how he desperately tried to appear elegant but not snobby. This room had been decorated with Elias’ personality, and he had to appreciate getting to see it. 

“Thanks for letting me stay here.” Luca said, leaning his head back into the chair and flicking his eyes over to look at Elias, who was smoothing out his duvet and preparing to sit down. 

“Of course. I’m not going to let my lover sleep in a guest room when my own is readily available. That’s simply uncourteous of me.” He sat on the bed, patting the seat gently beside him with a serious expression. Despite his mother easing his concerns, Luca could tell that he was struggling to shake what his brother had told him. 

“No, that’s not really what I mean. This is your room, y’know? It’s personal. I know you’re guarded anyway, so this must be pretty big. So thanks. And…thanks for letting us stick around. I know it was Klaus being paranoid, but you could’ve easily told your mom that you wanted us to go home. Not that either of us really have that to go back to.” After saying that, he got up and sat beside him, taking his hand in his own, looking into his eyes with a face that caused Elias to hide his face and mumble quietly. 

“I-I mean, it’s nothing really. You’re special to me the same way that my room is, except I don’t want to share you with anyone at all. I mean, um…” After he spoke, Elias felt his face burn at his own words and shuffled uncomfortably where he was sitting on the bed. Luca only laughed, pulling him in and wrapping his arms around him. 

“It’s adorable when you say things like that, y’know. When you’re so jealous and protective of me. What’s the matter? Scared I’ll sweep some fair maiden off her feet and leave you in the dust?-“ 

He didn’t get to finish his teasing remark before Elias gently punched him in the back. 

“Don’t joke about that, you menace.” He mumbled quietly with a pout that luckily Luca couldn’t see. He snuggled closer and used the proximity to obscure his facial expressions, lest Luca have more to work with. Finding his protective nature and concern adorable, Luca quietly laughed before picking things up where he left off. 

“If you’d let me finish, I was going to say that that would never happen, for some maiden cannot compare to my very own fairytale prince. What I’m trying to say is that I’m not going anywhere. I’ll love you until time comes to an end, my love. Before you ask, no I’ve never said that to anyone else.” Saying that brought warmth into Luca’s heart that ignited into a flame as Elias snuggled closer to him. Commitment had never been a thing for Luca, but he was beginning to see how rewarding it could really be. 

“You ruined that, you were doing so well, too.” Elias shook his head but didn’t say anything else, letting Luca have his way for once. When it came to his stubborn lover, he’d take absolutely anything he could get. This is what he’d missed, his teasing and the reaction he got from it, and just falling into a routine that was just them. 

“Don’t be silly, you know you love it.” He continued to play with his boyfriend’s hair as he snuggled up closer and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

“I love you, Prince.”

“I love you too, nuisance.” 

Together they sat for a while, quietly enjoying each other’s company and cherishing the time together that they deserved. Luca’s hand was still threading its fingers through Elias’ hair, careful not to pull on any knots. At some points Luca suspected he was soundly asleep - which would be fine by him - but every time he looked down, gentle purple eyes looked back up at him, blissfully peaceful compared to the look on his face earlier. 

After a while of looking down at him, he couldn’t help himself from gently lifting Elias’ chin from in his chest and leaning in for a slow and sweet kiss. The other’s face flushed and he briefly froze up, but it didn't stop him from kissing back once the element of surprise wore off.

“Sorry, you just looked adorable looking at me like that, and I couldn’t help myself.” He wrapped his other arm back around him and pulled him closer, watching him with great interest. He could study him forever, the different ways his face changed depending on what he did amongst other things.  

“Stop calling me cute…First my damn hat and now this.” He mumbled in reply into Luca’s shirt, a scent that Luca knew he loved. Anything to make his boyfriend feel at home, in whichever home he found himself in. 

“Never. The more you ask me to stop, the more I’ll do it, in fact.” He gently ruffled his hair, earning him another gentle punch to the back. Luca kept his hands in his hair and let him relax, despite winding him up so much.

“Ugh, you’re so embarrassing…” He pulled away after that, face bright red but not daring to break eye contact. 

“Only for you, my dear.” 

“S-Shut up…!” He decided that hitting him again was futile and so turned away altogether. Hiding his pouty face, Elias shook his head with folded arms. 

“Damn, you really are the same pouty kid the emperor says you were. All when I brought your Christmas present, too.” Making out disappointment, he shook his head whilst tutting quietly. 

That got Elias to perk up quickly. 

“Christmas present?” Embarrassment was quickly replaced by childish excitement, reminiscent of the child that Elias once was, his love for Christmas something that failed to change. Luca didn't know much about the Prince as a child and was determined to see baby photos - he was in the process of trying to bargain with Klaus, all attempts so far failed. He just wanted to see his boyfriend as a child with a Christmas hat, but alas. 

“Yes, but there’s a fee. Pucker up.” He said, holding the present just out of his grasp and his lips puckered, waiting expectantly. Anything to annoy him. 

“Why is everything such an effort with you?” He said before kissing him again, something brief but beautiful. When he pulled away, he was handed the present and gently unwrapped the wrapping with practised decorum.

When he opened the gift, he gasped quietly and stared in disbelief before looking up at Luca to confirm, to which he nodded. “T-This book! I…Thank you, Luca.” He gently ran his hand over the cover and smiled up at his boyfriend. “I guess you knew I’d want something like this, despite how strange it is.” 

“A little birdie told me that you kept looking at it. I’m glad to see that it knows you well.” He thought back to the bookstore owner and his thoughtful analysis of both himself and Elias and took this interaction with his boyfriend that the owner’s word was practically gospel. 

“I…Thank you so much, Luca. Here’s yours, because I know you’re going to ask for it early.” He handed him the expertly wrapped gift with anticipation, eager to see his reaction

“Oh? What could the prince possibly have for me?” He took the wrapped box, opening it with less care than Elias to find a jewellery box with a purple earring inside. 

“I…Purple’s my favourite colour. I thought that green was part of your past, so this could be part of your present and future. You don’t have to wear it and…I’m sorry if you don’t like it.” He spoke tentatively, trying to gage his reaction whilst also guarding his pride. 

“This is the best present I’ve ever had. Thank you for being so thoughtful.” He said, already putting the earring in. He modelled it for his boyfriend, turning his head so he could see both at once, a representation of who he has been and who he will be. Touching the earring, he let a soft smile dominate his features, compared to one that was usually coy and sneaky. 

“It suits you.” Elias spoke up, watching how they glimmered in the light with awe and fascination. He held Luca’s face in his hands and turned it, wanting to see it at all angles. 

“That’s because you picked it out, and we suit each other.” He pulled him in to kiss him again, but Elias slapped his mouth. 

“Not after you say something that cheesy you don’t!” He glared disapprovingly but didn’t protest when Luca kissed his hand instead. 

“Merry Christmas, seeing as I actually get to tell you.” 

—

Klaus’ room was decorated with a grand opulence he should’ve expected - flecks of purple in almost everything as well as it all being of the highest quality. Serge felt out of his depth in such a room, having lived in simplicity most of his life. He darted his eyes around, trying to take it all in. 

“Come and sit beside me, Serge. It’s four walls, you don’t have to look so worried.” Klaus said, holding his arms out to Serge and laughing at his boyfriend’s concern. 

“Easy for you to say. If I so much as breathe on one of these walls wrong, I’ll be put into debt by the millions. I’m horrifically accident-prone. I suppose incident, rather than accident.” He said, sitting beside the prefect and immediately snuggling up beside him, cosy and comfortable with someone familiar beside him. He’d left Taffy to play with Mrs Goldstein who was more than happy to babysit. 

“Exactly. By sitting right here where I can see you, nothing catastrophic will happen. Maybe I should really look after you, just to be sure.” Following that statement up with a smirk, he lifted Serge and set him down on his lap, earning a squeak from the other man. Charming Klaus Goldstein - Serge couldn’t resist him no matter how hard he tried.

“Klaus, hey! Don’t surprise me like that!” He said, using what little space he had to turn and face him. Once he was comfortable, the Goldstein tightened his grip and brought his face closer to touch their noses. Eye contact was unavoidable in this position so he used the opportunity to really take in and notice everything he loved about Klaus’ face, from the way his eyes glimmered in the light to the fact that his mouth was really good for kissing. 

Klaus brought his voice down to a quiet whisper before uttering his next sentence as Serge observed him quietly. “I don’t see you trying to move. Which is good, because I wouldn’t let you even if you wanted to. If you’re going to go to these sorts of lengths to spend Christmas with me, I’m not letting you out of my sight for any reason.” He chuckled quietly, in a way that made Serge question if it was a threat or not, before pulling away. With the distance widened, Serge was left to chuckle as well as he gave a lopsided smile. 

“Sheesh. Glad to see me, huh? I won’t complain though, I know you get a little bit possessive of me when you miss me. You should probably work on that but then again I’ve done worse things for worse people. I know you’re not about to kidnap me, so I guess we’re even.” He wrapped both of his arms around Klaus’ shoulders with a sweet but devilish smile. 

“Don’t be so sure on that last part. If someone starts giving you looks I might confine you to the office.” Still unsure of how many of his words were actually a joke, Serge laughed along awkwardly and squeezed his legs closer together around Klaus’, to which he responded by pulling him even closer.  

“I jest, obviously. If I locked you up, no-one else could babysit you whilst I was busy. Sounds like my worst nightmare tenfold, and I enjoy peaceful sleep.” That earned him a pout from Serge, as well as a shake of his head. His pink curls flopped around the place as he expressed  his disdain for Klaus’ judgement of his character. 

“I'm not that noisy. I can sit quietly…at least sixty percent of the time.” 

“Fifty. And that’s on a good day.” 

“You’re so mean, Klaus. You wound me.” Serge pouted even more now, although there were few signs of his proclaimed emotional wounds on his face. He continued to whinge and whine until Klaus interrupted. 

“So mean that I bought you a Christmas present? Pity.” He wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him closer. “Just when I was about to give it to you.” He rolled his eyes, looking at the wall instead of at Serge until he was pulled back by his voice. Serge knew he could always entice him, no matter the occasion. 

“Nope! Bagsies! Let me give you yours first.” He reached down from being perched on Klaus’ lap to grab the wrapped present and handed it out to him with eager anticipation and a huge smile. “Go on. I’m pretty sure about this one.” Puffing his chest out with comedic confidence, Serge urged Klaus to start unwrapping the gift.

“After the last one that blew up in my face and had…questionable consequences, ‘pretty sure’ is an improvement.” He pondered for a moment, shaking the rectangle and discovering it made no sound. He tried to feel for anything that could give it away but eventually gave in to Serge’s burning stare.  

He smiled and unwrapped the gift, his eyes widening at the sight of the cover. “How did you know? I know for a fact I never mentioned it to you.” He cocked his head to the side, turning it over in his hands to get a proper good look at it. He continued to marvel at the book as Serge spoke.

“Lucky guess. We really do know each other far too well, my darling.” He boasted, before dropping the facade and smiling. “Kidding. I had some help, but that's for me to know and for you to find out.” Klaus rolled his eyes at Serge’s antics, but smiled nonetheless. Helping Klaus to wind down like this was one of the best things about being with him, his more uptight teen self long behind them.

“Well regardless, thank you. Let me get yours.” He reached behind him on the bed and produced a gift bag that was unusually large; Serge tilted his head whilst looking at it and took it into his hands. 

“Whatever it is, it must’ve been a pain in the ass to bag up.” He let out a laugh and looked to see Klaus huffing amusedly in acknowledgement before he began attacking the tape the only way he could think of and opened it to find some sort of chalkboard that was pulsing with magic and a small chair.  

“Klaus? I’m…confused. What?” 

“I thought you would be. The magic in the chalkboard is a new experimental type of magic - it’s been tested, it’s safe, not that you’d care regardless - that allows a magic user to put any important thoughts in writing without doing anything. It saves you having to switch between work and your notepad, and it gives us a better chance to work together on your experiments if I can better understand what goes on in your head.” Whilst explaining, he gestured to all of the different parts of the tool and gave brief demonstrations of how it should be used.

As he explained, Serge couldn’t stop thinking about how thoughtful Klaus truly was, despite all of the rumours that he was heartless and cared about nothing but magic. He felt special, for the first time in a long time. 

As he was explaining, Serge watched in awe as everything became clear and he was reminded of just how talented the Goldsteins really were. “Oh, cool! You Goldsteins always come up with awesome stuff. I feel sorta silly now. What about the chair?” 

Before Serge could fall into familiar habits of self-loathing, Klaus moved his chin to ensure that they were making eye contact. “Nonsense, Serge. I much prefer simple gifts, you know this. But I know you prefer things rather unorthodox and so I factored that into my gift giving. The chair is for Taffy in the office so he can sit beside one of us. He always complains that I accidentally hit him when he sits on my desk as I write quickly. This is my way of solving that.” Something familiar washed over his face at that - some sort of fatherly pride that Serge recognised in the ballroom from earlier in the night. Seeing Klaus care so much about things that were important to him made his heart swell with love and joy. 

“You're the goddamn best, y’know that? You think about us so thoughtfully and you treat Taffy like he’s your kid. That means a lot.” He cupped his cheek as he professed his feelings, running his thumb across his cheek and smiling like the dopey idiot he was deep down. 

“I try my best. Thank you for my gift, I appreciate it and we can read it together, if you wish. It did seem rather interesting and I did think of you when I first saw it.” Klaus asked, sitting back down and moving the gifts out of the way to make the path to the bed safe again. Serge sat beside him and looked at him with an excitable nod. 

“Sure! One problem.” He said, his face quickly dropping to apprehensiveness as he wrung his hands in his lap. 

“Whatever could that be?” He questioned, looking at Serge quizzically with a deep furrow in his brow. 

“I…didn’t bring any clothes.” Serge admitted, hanging his head as the pouch attached to his waist jingled quietly with the money he had left.  

“Are you serious? Simply insufferable. Here, let me find you something. It will probably hang off of your skinny frame, but I’ll do the best I can.” He stood, despite Serge’s desperate attempts to grab him, and began digging through his drawer until he found a pair of pyjamas that he felt would best suit Serge. Eagerly, Serge snatched up the pyjamas and quickly changed into them with a smug smile. 

Once he was done, they climbed into bed and Serge immediately cuddled up to him. “I love wearing your clothes. They’re baggy and they smell just like you. He mumbled quietly and he sighed as Klaus rested his hand on his curls. 

“You look especially nice in some garments you’ve borrowed, I shall at the very least consider lending them to you.” He absentmindedly began to run his hand through the curls, causing Serge to sigh as he became even warmer and more comfortable in a place that felt more like home by each passing minute. 

“Definitely. I have some favourites among what you’ve let me borrow. We can arrange that tomorrow though. For now, start reading. Your voice is soothing when it’s not shouting at me in the office.” Despite the jab, Klaus pulled his hand out of his curls and turned to the book before him, rolling his eyes at his partner. 

“I imagine. Rather than picking on me, save your voice for asking me questions. Or actually, explain what happened with Professor Schuyler first.” He set the book down, eager to hear what Serge had to say. 

“Oh, that?” He asked, already slightly sleepy as he shuffled closer. “He was talking to me, and just as we got done Headmaster Randolph asked if “Connie” was coming to read with him. It must’ve been legit because he couldn’t stop blushing and even told the Headmaster to shush.” He giggled, hearing Klaus chuckle as well. 

“That will certainly make the staff room rather interesting.” Smirking, Klaus kissed the top of his head with a chuckle. However, he turned his attention back to the book with more urgent priorities. 

“Let us begin reading then, seeing as you’re so insistent.” Serge gave no reply as Klaus opened the book and started reading the first page. 

For hours and hours they continued to read with each other, Serge asked questions that Klaus was happy to answer and Klaus had the luxury of observing Serge become drowsier with every question. Eventually he dropped off and Klaus took the time to watch quietly, cherishing the opportunity to see the other man calm and resting for once. 

Reading was something Klaus loved to do anyway, but getting to soothe Serge to sleep was twice the reason. Given his journey, rife with obstacles and challenges, the weary traveller deserved to rest in whichever way he saw fit. 

Plus, in Klaus’ opinion, his boyfriend looked better in those pyjamas than he ever did.