Work Text:
Like a ticking clock, a repetitive action that was expected after the sun reached a certain peak in the current season, a carriage with the Coldwell emblem pulled up before the gates.
Out stepped two figures rather than the singular one everyone anticipated. The first one, was the middle child of the Coldwell family — Allen Coldwell — Red hair, sharp eyes and clad in purple. Meanwhile the second presence, in a surprising turn of events, was a brunet that followed after the boy. With bright eyes wearing primarily blue attire, a kind smile on his face. A bastard child of another dukedom, Azruelle Macklin.
Bag in hand and red eyes ever so guarded, the red haired boy guided the other towards the entrance. Soft words being exchanged, shoulders loose and red eyes twinkling at times - especially at the sound of the mocha haired boy's voice. Though if anyone were to listen in, they’d realize the dialog was akin to an incomplete script.
The pair made their way to the door, Allen being the first to the entrance. He stopped for a moment to take a deep breath, seemingly preparing himself for whatever laid beyond said door. Then, he pushed it open.
Right behind the grand doors, as it has been for a while now, stood two particular servants. One, an older gentleman known as Sean, the other a bright woman called Kyla.
Sean's figure stood tall and proud, his shoulders squared and hands held behind his back. Kyla has a warm smile plastered on her face, holding a tray full of her young master's favorite desserts. For several weeks by now, they would wait at the entrance for their young master.
Warm greetings at the tip of their tongues as they watch the door open and reveal a very familiar face. Though, Sean’s died and shriveled up at the sight of brown hair behind Allen’s. Kyla’s attention was on their young master, the edge of the tray digging into her skin as her hold tightened.
“Young Master,” The ever bright sound of Kyla’s kind voice had lost the lighthearted undertone it always carried. “Welcome home.” She greeted Allen, lightly presenting the tray of sweets she held. Gaze strayed only slightly to the company the youth had with him. “How was your day?”
Allen made a sound of acknowledgement, always a step ahead of the other boy. “Same as always.” Was the rather vague response of the rather enigmatic middle child. The red head glances towards the brunet that came to stand beside him with a warm ‘Hi’.
Sean, on the other hand, had his attention on the new arrival. Lips pressed thin before he spoke. “Welcome home, Young Master,” He greeted the boy, arm moving and extending slightly towards him. “May I take your bag?”
“No, it's fine.” Allen said without a second though. The red head glanced between the two servants before clearing up his throat at the ensuing silence. “Me and Az will be in my room, if anything comes up.”
Sean shifted, arm retracting and settling back into his pose, both arms behind his back. “Very well then.” His sight suddenly shifted towards their unexpected guest. “May I enquire as to why Young Master Macklin has joined us today?” He asked, with a tense undertone.
Azruelle, with a slightly awkward grin, shifted to be closer to Allen. Unsure if he wanted to meet the servants gaze or not. Allen stepped in front of him with a small frown on his face.
“Az came to do homework with me,” Allen answered, arms crossing across his chest. “Nothing else.” The boy shifted most of his weight onto one foot, hips cocked to the side.
Kyla hummed softly, a smile still on her face. “Should I bring an assortment of delicacies to your room?” She asked, hands still tight around the edges of the tray. “If so, which ones would our guest like?”
Azruelle was going to answer it seems, opening his mouth before abruptly closing it, like a bad attempt at a gasp. Soft mocha eyes flashing over to Allen then back at the maid.
Allen pressed his lips into a thin line before he answered. “No, we’ll be okay.” He stated before he walked past the two servants, itching to get to his room. “Let's go Az.” With quick and weirdly silent steps, the red head walked off. Followed by a smiling brunet, who had recently developed a new reputation as a ‘Mad Dog’.
As the pair went on their way, a soft meow pierced the quiet. Alicia, the cat the young red head had brought home, had emerged from wherever she had been within the Estate. Making soft and near joyful meows as she practically threw herself into Allen’s arms. The red head unphased by the sudden show of affection and rather happy to see the new member of the Estate.
Allen’s voice was gently carried down the hallway, though his words were degraded and incomprehensible at the distance. Azruelle coming up beside him, the vibrance of his voice reverberating without true meaning. The black cat eyes opening, a small meow as a possible greeting being directed at the ‘Mad Dog’ of the Macklin Duchal. Despite his reputation, both Master and Pet were free of the weariness the rest possessed towards him.
Sean bawled his hands into a fist, the pressure being his grounding as his eyes narrowed. A heavy silence shared between the two servants - soon four, as the intentional steps he faintly heard coming up behind him told him. Four pairs of eyes watching, observing and ultimately wondering: why?
Allen was a complicated young master, both before they bothered to look and after. Not very sociable with anyone, not even his own family. Yet here he stood, the edge of his typically annoyed expression was smoothen over, washed away as his body relaxed and gained confidence because of who stood next to him - a boy with a reputation that matched his own.
A soft sound came from behind them, a silent admission of worry as one of the twins left - followed by the other. Sean let out a soft sigh as the two boys disappeared into the Estate - both odd and unconventional in their ways. Kyla shifted next to him, stopping herself from following behind the two. Sean looked over to her and met her gaze, a shared concern being left unspoken for the moment.
✦₋₋₋✦₋₋₋✦
Steps reverberated along the hallway as the trio approached their destination: Allen’s room.
The door swung open, two heavy footfalls followed by a soft patting of paws made their way into the room — then the door was shut closed with a bit more aggression than would have been necessary otherwise.
The red head took a deep breath and sighed, shoulders sagging and a very obvious tiredness on the boy's face. Eyes wander over to his two companions as they made themselves comfortable.
Alicia jumps onto the bed, black fur making her seem like a projected void between all the fluffy and big pillows — while Az let himself sink into the comfy bed as if he owned it.
Allen shook his head, rolling his shoulders to lightly shake off the strain on them. Hands shove into his bag and retrieve something without so much of a glance as he heads towards his bed.
The bag gets dropped and the youth lets himself fall into the bed. Face buried in the mattress for a moment, before he groaned near animalistically out in frustration.
The black cat blinked her eyes towards the poor aware-boy, her tiny paw gently pressing against Allen's shoulders. "You survived another day."
"Not. Helping." Allen muttered as his body ached anew with exhaustion as it did often these days. Allen could have sworn that it was the end for him and Az — he hadn't seen Sean nor Kyla look at them like that before! It was horrifying.
Az tries to smile comfortingly, even if the other boy couldn't see it. "Hey, at least we managed to set up all the cameras today!" The Guardian said in hopes of cheering up Allen, after they spent every available moment in the school setting up the surveillance system they made with Ryan.
Allen huffed out a breath, in resigning acceptance of the comfort. He felt Alicia’s soft fur grace against him for a moment, before she went back to her own cluster of pillows. The red head took a moment to suffer in silence before he forced himself to sit up. Phone turned on in a quick moment, with a swipe and a quick press, the logo he became well acquainted with appeared on screen.
The trademark [GOOGLE] came on with a new design as it did occasionally, before he turned around to reach for his bag. “Come on Az, we can't laze around again.”
“Mhm…” The brunet hummed in protest, fully comfortable in the bed he's in.
Allen sighed as he got up and moved over to his desk, notebooks and similar content of his bag stewed onto it in a moment. “Get up already,” He stated with more force as he opened one of the notebooks. “I’m not letting you use google and you can face the teachers on why you don't have your work done.”
The brunet seemed to contemplate the idea, till a memory suddenly passed by his eyes and the guardian-turned-character sat up to grab his own bag. “Can I copy the notes you made?” He asked, and got up when Allen waved his hand in a ‘knock yourself out’ type of way.
Both boys were very grateful for the advance in technology that was the phone, as with just one search and a bit of brute force, they had all the answers they needed at the tip of their very fingers. Which made every quizatory and analytical question all the more bearable.
Though, even with Allen’s new found curiosity for niche and ultimately useless information - from all types of character trivia to the very insignificant classification of fake fruits and true fruits - he was never not in awe of how such a tiny thing can open up the door for a plethora of information.
Allen fought with his phone for about three minutes before he got it to be a split screen, nimble fingers typing out the name of a new music obsession he was having recently.
As a playlist was put on and the song JUMP played at full volume, Allen’s attention went to copying the necessary information from the google search. While Az copied the bare minimum of the notes he took so he wouldn't look completely lost when they discuss the topic tomorrow in class.
Allen found himself falling into an easy repetition of looking at the question, googling it in different ways and brute forcing an answer through the extra question section, to then copy what was necessary for his daily work. Though between the change of song from Back Down to Siren to even I Am You, he found himself oddly at peace. A mixture of the beats, the repetitive motions, the soft purring from Alice to the warmth on his side from Az leaning against him at times.
He didn't shrug him off once.
Allen took a moment to rest, forming fists and lightly putting pressure on his near pulsing fingers. They still had a couple of questions to go, but he was sure a small break would be well deserved. A sight left his lips as he focused on what song was playing rather than focusing on the beat in a near trance like state.
A very recognizable beat was playing, with a small electric guitar element there occasionally with other instruments. As he listened, he realized it was the song BFF, which made the noble boy want to skip ahead.
Then a warm pressure against his back made him freeze, Az’s small whining about sore wrists made him suddenly not mind the song that was playing. Rather he turned around to criticize the guardian’s whining. For all his interesting powers and magic, it was regrettable that he acted like this.
Moments passed as such, an relaxed atmosphere exuded from the trio - a miracle for how rarely Allen ever had such a moment, before his awareness but especially after. Though, Allen subconsciously supposed that, for those reasons and others, is why he should allow himself to melt into it. The light scrapping of the pens against paper, the faint smell of ink, warmth against his side and a rhythm that left him gracefully numb to wandering thoughts might have just been what he always needed.
Soon enough, though maybe not really for Az’s poor wrist, both boys had finally finished with the homework they were assigned. Freed from the workload their teachers seemed intent with drowning them in at times.
“I can't feel my fingers…” Az whined softly as he massaged his fingers, slowly returning the feeling to the aching pulse in the tips. A slight pout on the boy's lips.
Allen looked at Az, feeling the residue of the warmth of their touch still on his back, he shook his head and focused on his phone. He took off the split screen, taking it back to google before pressing the button for the home screen.
And before he could go check out any app, his eyes landed on one thing. That accursed fanfiction app, that was filled to the brim with fics about him and—
Allen made a sound, akin to an enraged injured animal. He placed his phone down, stood up, turning back towards his bed, taking a few steps forward and proceeding to yeet himself on his bed with an over exaggerated groan.
Which caught his companions attention, as they observed him with a look of confusion.
Not that Allen cared at the moment.
His hands aimlessly searched for a relatively nice pillow — making an amplified thud as he grabbed it and pulled it over to him. Allen rolled onto his back, where he promptly pulled the pillow to his face and screamed out his horror into it.
The flashbacks — they're hitting him like a truck.
The OOCness of it all, Ryan's perversion and fucking Laurence—
Another yell was let out as he re-lived the horrible memories of how the Fandom had seen fit to write him with those bastards — bunch of traitors!
While Allen practically wailed into the pillows, wailed his ever growing misery, Az saw it fit to glance at the phone to see what could have ever caused such a change- oh.
Az blinked awkwardly before he pressed his lips into a thin line. A light pressure on his chest, accompanied by the wash of emotion would be his inevitable downfall.
Nonetheless, the Guardian stood up and made his way towards the bed. Sitting down and letting one hand settle on Allen's shoulder in a reassuring manner. An exhale of breath telling anyone that he was fighting a losing battle, yet he fought it nonetheless. “It’s okay, Allen… It’s ehh…” He tried to comfort the other with minimal success.
Allen groaned, as if telling the other that his comfort was unwelcomed.
That did not stop Az from trying, even as he fought down his giggles. “Allen,” He tried to sound sympathetic, but all attempts were killed by the small chuckle he let out. “It’s okay, it's… its…” Az nearly snorted.
Allen turned his head to the side, eyes narrowed at Az in warning.
“You’ll be…” A soft giggle left him. “Okay.” He exhaled as if trying to deflate his lungs so he won't laugh.
Warm brown eyes met narrowed red for a moment.
And seemingly, that was all it takes. Az snorts before he starts laughing, hand coming up to cover his face as he doubles over while wheezing.
Allen scowles, disgruntled at being laughed in his face. He grumbles, though with no true energy behind it. One hand sluggishly lets go of the pillow, hand gently swatting at Az with no actual effort. “It’s not funny, Az.”
His words only seem to fuel Az, as a much stronger fit of laughter washed over him violently. Hands coming to hold his contracting middle as he senselessly abused his lungs, nearly cackling.
“Az!”
His near endless cackle mixing with Allen’s half assed whines of misery, slowly irritating Alicia.
The black cat had been more than happy to drift off into sleep, the familial grateful that Allen’s room had such comfy pillows. Though, her enjoyment was cut short as it seems her partner and aware insider were now causing an unnecessary ruckus.
Ears flattened as her tail flickered back and forth, eventually, she couldn't ignore the chaos that always seemed to follow Allen and Az. She peaked one eye open, clear annoyance shining inside as she spoke. “Be quiet, will you? I’m trying to sleep.” She huffed. “You can go reminisce in another room, Allen,” The cat stated, ignoring the boy’s reaction to fanfic’s he never seemed to forget.
Allen looked over at Alicia with a disgruntled look on his face. He was not getting kicked out of his own room! No way! Though, as Az laughter didn't seem to be ending any time soon. Due to that he decided to ignore the cat in the room, instead focusing on ending the derision he was undergoing.
Allen grabbed his pillow before glaring at Az. He barked out a “Shut up!” and promptly threw the pillow at Az - which never hit its target, instead it landed way off course and far from the bed.
"..."
There was a stretch of silence after that, with all eyes on the pillow not on the floor – slight embarrassment making Allen's face flush a dusty pink.
Az snorted.
"Shut it already!" Allen nearly screeched as Az all but laughed and wheezed uncontrollably.
Alicia's ear flicked in annoyance, not having achieved the peace she was looking for. Without as much of a second thought, she condensed magic around a pillow and let it shoot out towards Az.
Said pillow proceeded to smack the guardian-turned-character right in the face with a soft 'oof'. Falling over, and nearly out of the bed, as the pillow then laid around his stomach. Which caused a small ‘ha’ to leave Allen.The brunet shook his head as he got his bearings back, propping himself onto his elbows with a pout. “Hey,” He whined. “Why’d you do that?!” The guardian exclaimed as he grabbed the pillow that had been thrown at him, which he half-heartedly threw back at her.
With little success, as the familiar used her magic to stop the pillow and let it rest in front of her. The cat’s irritation still fully exhibited in her narrowed eyes, sharp teeth on display. “Cause you need to quiet down!” The familial hissed before her magic enveloped the pillow. “I’m trying to sleep!”
The pillow was flung once again, yet like the previous two, it was not an accurate shot. Rather than hitting Az, the pillow fell onto Allen’s face with a small thrush. Silence followed as Allen tensed up and laid there for several minutes. That is till the noble boy grabbed the pillow, tossed it aside with an enraged yell. “That’s it!”
Allen then proceeded to grab two more pillows and lobbed them at Guardian and Familial alike.
Az screeched lightly as he ducked down to grab a pillow, while Alice loudly meowed in distress before hissing violently - magic fixing on two pillows.
The scene devolved into a mess of screaming, yelling, laughing, things being thrown, hit or even used as a tug toy. It was a mess to say the least.
Alicia was running around like a cat on catnip, jumping between one side to another as her magic did most of the work with defending her from incoming projectiles. Then, between hisses, she’d use the pillows offensively, eventually switching to using it as a proper offense rather than projectile against the two boys.
Az was a wild card, going from chasing to running, to throwing and even tackling. He was still very much laughing, taking joyous liberty during the rather hectic mess. A wide smile on his face as he dodges and weaves between the pillows thrown at him - while throwing his own back. Moving up, down, up and down off the bed while being chased by a hilariously raging Allen and Alicia.
Allen, as their last member, was just a mess. Plain and simple. The young aware-boy was just driven by a combination of irritation and a weird tingle. Dual wielding pillows as he runs after Az or throwing the small pillows at Alicia. Jumping up and down from his bed once and again, not even paying attention to how that messed up the bedding.
It was chaos.
It was hectic.
Nonsensical and unruly.
Allen loved it.
There was a moment, where everything seemed to slow down to just one scene. His bed was a mess, his room had pillows laying all around — Az was smiling, and some laughter was finally sounding out from Alicia. There was an airy feeling to it all, akin to a dream.
This was… this was fun.
Allen was having fun.
The realization took him by surprise. His cherry-colored eyes trailed from Alicia, who turned human to get a drop on Az; to Az, who was laughing brightly and defending himself with one of those long pillows. He liked this, liked this atmosphere, liked having Alicia and Az there.
Like having friends over.
Allen felt a slow warmth seep into his chest as he realized he finally had someone he wanted over. Wanted there. Not only that, but would actually be there. Just having fun with him and no other reason for the smiles or laughs.
Friends…
Allen felt a smile slip onto his face, warmth settling over his heart and shoulders like the draping of a blanket. A tickling sensation rumbling in his chest as he took Az by surprise with a downswing of the pillow.
Alicia snickering, eyes shining.
Az sputters as Alicia laughs in a short interval — suddenly Allen is on the receiving end of Az's attack while Alicia aims pillows at both of them.
Az smiling brightly, determined.
The tickling sensation built up, slowly crawling up his chest, thorax, throat — then it busted out. Warm, loud and unrestrained Allen laughed like he'd never done before.
Him, Allen, so happy.
The situation only seemed to devolve further into senseless battle and the intermingling of their laughter — unable to tell when one voice starts and the other ends. Perfectly in harmony in their disharmony.
Pillows flew or gently whacked against things, the chairs were moved, the bed was a mess, their homework was on the floor forgotten — everything was perfect.
The light that came through the window slowly shifted across the room — changing the feel and shape with shadows, though contrast. When the sun was carefully caressing some curves and crumpled bed sheets, there was another impact that messed it up even more. With a minor impact coming from the ever present phone itself.
Allen had collapsed on the bed, red hair mused, face flushed and gulping in breaths as if he had run a marathon. That didn't stop him from smiling softly. Az was on the floor, holding onto a pillow and softly giggling to himself as he looked at Alicia. Who was currently in her cat form, on the bed, resting under a few pillows that had ended up on top of her.
While the young master and the cat familial were laying on the bed — their companion, the guardian — got up instead.
Az's legs were burning a bit, but he ignored it for the time being. Focusing on condensing magic in his arms, feeling the surge of power as he then struck. Quickly grabbing the thick clot Allen and Alicia laid on, and pulled.
A quick yelp from Allen as he went along, a howl with a poof, then a thud ran out across the room.
Az laughed again, stomach hurting as he looked down at the two. Allen, who was currently on his side and giving him such a done look, while Alicia ended up with her face buried in the pillows yet again, though now she's in human form.
Allen huffed at Az, but there was no true heat behind his gaze. The thick clot of a sheet softened the fall, so it was all really the surprise that filled his exasperation more than anything else.
Alicia peaked her head up, before resting on her front. Her hair was a mess, which she tried to blow into place and failed miserably.
Az snorted and laughed all over again, holding his stomach. Alicia chuckled lightly before then following suit — Guardian and Familial laughing jovially. It was near contagious, so nobody could blame Allen for joining them. Voices entangled like one.
Alicia threw one of the smaller pillows, which Az dodged as he held his stomach — their voices slowly tapering off as they laughed, then chuckled, and then giggled, riding the high they were on.
Allen suddenly felt like the blanket was far more comfortable than his own bed, eyes feeling weirdly itchy all of a sudden.
Alicia yawned next to him, stretching a bit before she moved. Grabbed a pillow, then another one before placing them together — she pushed her hands on each to seemingly flatten them yet fluff them up till she was satisfied. She yawned once more, before turning and resting her head against the pillows with a content sigh.
Allen was glad to see he wasn't the only one who thought that as he watched Alicia's eyes slowly blink shut, while Az crawled next to his partner with his own pillow.
Allen felt too comfortable to move in all honesty, a nice ache reverberating through his bones in a pacifying manner. Limbs heavy and back aching, legs numb and eyes blinking slowly.
Allen had shifted to look up at the ceiling, mind not as blank as he wished, yet not as volatile as it could have been. He felt so… relaxed, something he's never felt when he brought Ryan and Calia now that he thinks of it. It was always awareness, them giving him 'advice' or him ranting — it was never them just being.
It felt nice.
Allen heard a soft snore, which made him glance to the side. Letting him see Az's peaceful face as he snuggled into his chosen pillow — a small smile on his face.
It felt nice having them here.
Allen was suddenly aware of how heavy his eyes truly were, with a soft ache to them, as they tried to slide close. He rolled onto his side with some effort, blinking his eyes open to look at Alice and Az, before letting them finally relax and shut.
It was nice to have friends…
A small smile appeared on Allen's face, friends…
(And nobody would judge him for shuffling close to them both, as they were currently laying on the bed sheets. They had to stay warm somehow, so them nuzzling together was to be expected)
✦₋₋₋✦₋₋₋✦
Hours had passed, concern never truly lessening, rather, like a receding tide it washed over them once and again with increasing intensity. Kyla became exponentially worried as Allen never called or left the room it seemed. The ‘Mad dog’ of the Macklin Duchal was only meant to be there for a moment, an hour or so - yet it had far passed the allotted time for the young noble boy. That point had come and left long ago.
It's for that reason that Sean and Kyla found themselves outside of Allen’s room, a heavy silence permeating the hallway at that very moment. Sean’s face was a collection of hard lines that highlight, in a strange way, his current state of distress. While Kyla’s own steps were sharp booms of sounds as she paced, expression twisted into a frown and hands rubbing against each other in a soothing fashion.
They've been waiting for hours and it was grating at their nerves.
Then, almost like an answer to the ever present oppressive silence, a quick grunt of displease before a voice sounded out.
“So,” The very familiar sound of Kivy’s voice broke the silence. “Mind explaining who let the social outcast of another dukedom into the Estate?” The little boy glanced at them both, seemingly impatient for an answer.
Kyla practically jumped at the sudden break in silence. She turned towards the twins, spotting Ivy’s questioning gaze and Kivy’s palpable impatience. “Oh,” She half exclaimed, still startled but she painted a bright smile onto her face - despite how obvious that it was lacking with a slight wobbliness as a result of fighting the urge to frown. “Ivy, Kivy, lovely that you can join us.”
Kivy was unimpressed to say the least, the air around him radiated something akin to irritation, with a raised eyebrow to sell the look in its entirety. Ivy wasn't far off either, not believing that this was a pleasant situation at all as she glanced between the two older servants.
Kyla’s expression slowly fell as her hands started to fidget, trying to self soothe. Worrying her bottom lip for a moment before stifling the motion by pressing her lips together. “Young Master Allen was accompanied by Young Master Macklin, that's why you saw him earlier.” She stated softly.
Kivy’s expression soured a bit, though nothing besides a grunt passed his lips, as he looked towards the closed door the two older servants had not stopped guarding.
Ivy on the other hand, had her eyes settled on Sean, who had harsh stress lines when he had glanced at them and now, his back was presented to them. As the old man’s eyes were firmly locked onto the door. “And?” She asked softly. “Allen is pretty odd himself, so what if he brought another weirdo over? Why are you two standing outside of Allen’s door like bodyguards?”
Kivy concluded with his sister, glancing at Sean as well. “You shouldn't stress too hard, old man, you’ll get wrinkles if you do.” He directed the comment at the older man. “You’ll scare off all the ladies that are willing to talk to you.”
Sean had tensed at Kivy’s words, irritation was a quick emotion that arose, yet he didn't allow himself to be controlled by it. Still, the man felt the need to respond to the petulant child before him. He shifted his weight onto one leg, as to angle his body better to glance at the twins. “Youngsters like yourselves shouldn't be worrying about relationships at this age, much less those revolving around other people.” He spoke firmly before he tsked. “Little brats like you should learn to respect their elders.”
Kivy’s expression grew foul at being called a brat, offended at the name. “Listen here, old man, I-”
Kyla stepped in before things could possibly get out of hand. “No fighting inside of the Estate,” She stated quickly and in a sudden way, causing the attention to fall back on her. “If you must argue, don’t do it in public. Watching a grown man and a child argue is rather unsightly, of both of you as capable servant’s of the Coldwell Estate.”
Sean stiffened at Kyla’s words and let his gaze drift away. Meanwhile, Kivy seemed to deflate at the reminder and a scowl was firmly on his face, displeased.
The maid glanced between them before she sighed gently, hands folding together. “I acknowledge that our current course of action is strange but… I worry for the Young Master's safety.” She explained, both older servants' attention falling back onto the door they've been waiting to open for over an hour. “Young Master hasn't left the room since he got back.”
Kivy only seemed to become irritated by the answer. “So?” He asked, not understanding the problem of the situation. Ivy tilted her head to the side before speaking. “Allen doesn't leave his room often, so what's the problem?”
Kyla frowned, concern near visible around her. “Young Master hasn't eaten yet!” Which was a big worry she had, as Allen would have asked her to bring something by this hour.
The twins only seemed to grow further irritated with their lack of understanding in the situation. “So?” They both spoke in sync before Kivy rolled his eyes, speaking in an annoyed tone. “Get a tray and knock on his door, it's not that hard.”
Sean grunted as he turned his attention back towards the twins. “I would have thought that nosy brats like yourselves would be well informed of the situation at hand.” He spoke, tone harsh to try and hide his frustration and worry. “Considering who is with our young Master, I thought you’d be more concerned.”
Kivy and Ivy both frowned at being called brats, alongside being accused of being ignorant. They weren't! They just didn't waste their time with stupid stuff. Kivy ground his teeth as his eyes narrowed, while Ivy looked between the two older servants.
“Young Master Allen has been in there all day with that boy,” Kyla spoke before Kivy could possibly think of an insult to throw at them. “You don't think they gave them that much homework, do you?”
Sean shook his head. “No,” He sighed, looking rather somber. “The academy wouldn't do that. If there was any homework to do, it would have been done long ago.”
The twins were slightly surprised at the idea of someone being able to spend so much time with Allen, but didn’t feel like they should worry. Ivy spoke up, glancing over at the door. “Maybe they're just having a hard time with their work?” She suggested, as she then glanced at her brother, who shrugged. “Probably, Allen isn't exactly gifted after all. He can't keep a good grade to save his life.”
Sean shook his head at the twins as Kyla sighed. "If it was just that, we wouldn't be worried." Sean stated as he brought his attention back to the door. "It's the fact that that boy is in there with him."
Kyla yet again rubbed her hands together in a self soothing manner before she went back to pacing. Mind running with worries.
Kivy didn't understand what their problem was — Allen brought a boy home, big deal. "What? Is there something wrong with the guy?" As that was the only logical reason they'd be acting like this. Obviously, Ivy agreed as she asked. "Does he have something? Like a contagious disease?" Which was quickly followed by Kivy saying 'Or contagious stupidity?'
"No, it's not that…" Kyla responded ominously.
The twins felt like they were going to lose it with this guessing game.
Sean decided to grant them some reprieve. "That boy, Azruelle Macklin, has recently made a new reputation for himself." He informed them. "Gaining the Nickname of the 'Mad dog' of the Macklin Duchal after an incident that transpired."
Kivy and Ivy both perked up at the information, interested in knowing more. What would have caused such a shift in reputation for that bastard child? The twins wanted to know. "What did he do?" They both asked at the same time.
Sean sighed before he answered. "Physically started brawls in school and left rather nasty bruises." He started off simply. "He's also known to talk to himself and start conflict over minimal things." Which, obviously, sounded horrible in combination with Allen's tendency of provoking people.
"Oh…" Suddenly the situation was a lot more worrisome. The twins didn't like the idea — that Allen was all alone with someone who could physically attack him given any minor offense — did Allen have the gun and knives on him? What if he didn't? What if he was attacked when he least expected it? So many what ifs made them worry.
Now, two had turned into four — as the squad of loyal servants awaited with bated breath for their young master to finally emerge from his room. Hopefully, in one piece. Kyla went back to her pacing, while Sean stood as stiff as a board. In addition, the twins were as jittery as the older pair. Ivy was lightly shifting on her feet while Kivy started to do a repetitive half-step move, all in hopes to keep himself from possibly knocking on the door.
Similarly to Kyla, the twins seemed to rub their wrists in a self-soothing action. Though Sean, the ever keen eye even at his age, caught the glint that could only be caused by light reflecting off of steel.
Minutes ticked by and their patience was worn down like the edge of a river overflowing during heavy rain. Every sound reverberated, fighting to not be blocked out by the ears' tendency to ring or the beats of their hearts that resounded through their bones.
Kivy gave up first.
“Screw this!” Kivy exclaimed before he nearly stomped over to the door, ready to rip it open in a second. “We should not be standing around like a bunch of morons!” Face contorted into a nasty scowl with a hint of a promise glinting in his eyes. The only thing stopping his hypothetical rampage being his sister's hand on his shoulder, though something in Ivy’s eyes gave the impression she was tempted to let her brother go on as intended.
“Now, Kivy,” Kyla spoke up, forcing herself out of her jumbled up worry as she looked at the twins. “Let’s not do anything rash here.” She made a soothing motion with her hands, trying to get the boy to reel his frustration back.
"It's not rash!" The young boy snapped back, "It's being pro-active!"
Sean shifted and stood in Kivy’s way. “You shouldn't raise your voice.” He stated harshly before he placed his hands behind his back. “This isn't a situation to act without caution.”
Kivy scoffed, turning his head away from the older man. "Then what do you suggest we do, old man?"
Sean took a deep breath, before he spoke — irritation pushed to the back for the time being. "Considering how long it's been," He started slowly. "It wouldn't hurt to check up on the young master."
Kyla fidgeted with her skirt, looking unsure. "I suppose," She said in a soft voice, eyes glued onto the door. "It's been quite a while, I'm sure the Young Master wouldn't mind us checking up on him. After all, he might be hungry."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ivy asked, eying the door with a glint. While her brother glanced at it from the corner of his eyes, hissing a "Besides, the bastard has overstayed his 'welcome'."
Sean and Kyla deeply agreed with Kivy'a words, their worries finally winning out and making them decide to open the door. Sean thought he should have done this an hour ago, while Kyla hoped everything was okay.
They fell into a sequence, Sean at the front with hardened eyes while Kyla stood behind him, almost peaking over his shoulder. Ivy stood to Kyla’s right, hand moving slowly towards her sleeves as she stared unblinkingly at the door they were approaching. Kivy, who was situated a few steps back from Sean’s left, narrowed his eyes as both hands slowly inched towards his pockets with near sinister intention.
Sean’s hand slowly inched towards the door, in what seemed an eternity and was a rather ridiculous show from an outside perspective. Really, seeing all four of them in such an arrangement and such solemn faces would make any half-decent servant with some amount of common sense question what they were doing outside of the middle young master’s room. Alas, there was none to do so or that even existed in the vicinity of the Estate.
Sean took a deep breath the moment his hand made contact with the door, the slight pressure on his hand making some part of himself darken, mentally preparing himself for whatever he may face beyond the door. He shifted his footing, just to be sure he'd be able to move quickly if a fight broke out or otherwise knock out the intruding young Macklin. His shoulders hunched as many of his subconscious skills he developed in his time in the Dark League nearly buzzed to be used.
He held up his other hand, making a countdown with his fingers. He didn't glance back, only counted down and finally, opened the door once his hand was in a fist.
The group of four were prepared for various things: Signs of a struggle, a scared young master, a rabid looking Macklin, things being destroyed or otherwise seeing the two young masters sitting far away from each other.
They never expected this.
Books, countless books strewn about the area. Some half open, some face planted; some were wide open, while unfortunately, others were in awkward positions with their pages mercilessly folded in horrible angles.
The room had been chaos,
Pillows were scattered about, all taking up their own unique areas — with small clustered like little groups. Some were piled up, while others were just near each other. There was one hanging off of a seat while there were a few others stuck in places they probably shouldn't be.
It was absolute chaos!
Unnumbered amounts of papers, pens and the like were also thrown all around. Like a dry humored Easter, all seemingly rolled into their own little corners in hopes of saving itself from the ongoing madness that had gone down inside of the room.
There was a cold wash of dread that swept through the group, eyes adjusting to the darkness to truly let them survey the scene. Hearts beating like drums in their very ears, like deafening explosions - this was a struggle show!
A hitch of breath came from behind Sean, as the older man stepped forward frantically searching the area that had been their blindspot because of the door and-
huh?
Sean’s body froze as he stared down to the group, slight incredulousness blooming on his face and in his heart. His stillness making the three behind him shift before stepping forward to peer down at whatever had him standing as a statue.
A sound of confusion, alongside a slightly offended, choked off sound and a small gasp.
“Oh my…” Kyla’s gentle voice floated into the quiet room as all four laid witness to a rather peculiar sight.
Besides the rather spacious bed, that had been well organized before their young master returned, was the originally wrinkle-free bed sheet splayed out on the ground. Smaller sheets half hanging off of the mattress, with a pile of pillows off to the right. On top of the rather thick bed sheet laid three forms.
The unwanted guest and mad dog of the Macklin residence was on the left, face soft with sleep, one arm limply stretching to the side and body relaxed as he was unaware of the four servants now observing them. To the right, was their young master on his side, one arm folded under his head while the other reached right back towards Azurell; Allen’s face was smoothed over yet there was that slight crease between his eyebrows. Right in the middle of the two noble boys, was the newest addition to the Estate, happily purring as she sat between two warm bodies.
The servants were in disbelief, a sound of astonishment left one of their mouths, which caused them to tense and freeze. They watched as Allen’s eyebrows knit together, as if upset, which caused them to hold their breath.
They watched as the boy shifted slightly, searching for something it seemed - which he found when the Macklin dog rolled to his side, allowing the two boys to cuddle further together with the content feline. Face smoothing over into true tranquility.
Cu-ddle.
Cu-ddl-ing!
They were cuddling!
Sean was tempted, right then and there, to grab the audacious intruder and throw him out into the cold night. Kivy thought much the same, yet with a few added steps that involved bruising and finding a good hiding spot.
Such ideas were suppressed as Kyla let out a sigh of relief. The maid stepped forward into the room, eyes soft and creasing, as she smiled down at the trio. A warmth blooming in her heart as, while she was glad her young master was safe, she was also happy to see him at such peace. The mess in the room was well worth such a calm look, worth more than a little chunk of the purest gold.
Behind the smiling woman, Sean grit his teeth as he was out of sight. Body locked in place as he restrained himself, it wouldn't do for an esteemed butler like himself to lose his mastery of self and gracelessly throw the offending presence out through the window. He can’t get his masters in trouble by hurting a noble child. Much less one from another ducal without proper reasoning, not that there would be any for the ‘wronged’ family.
The twins slowly shifted, body language changing from battle ready to mild annoyance — Kivy — and slight interest — Ivy — as they observed the trio. A soft scoff intertwined with the light ruffle of his sleeve, a disgusted look on his face as he stared down at the Macklin. Ivy moved close to Kyla, a soft ruffle also coming from her sleeve as she observed the strange scene before them.
While seeing their young master safe and sound was a relief, Sean and the twins didn’t feel amused with the fact Macklin was still around. Annoyance was a very prominent emotion now related to this noble child in Sean’s mind - shameless and intrusive in his opinion.
Kyla, on the other hand, was glad with the situation in the end. Her young master seemed to have found someone he was comfortable with, oh so open and calm. Maybe Young master Macklin was like her young master, such a complicated character underneath it all. Oh how lovely it was, to see Allen so tranquil. If only she had a way to capture such a delicate moment, an instant painting to immortalize this wonderful scene. Oh, her heart just couldn't help it.
Kivy standing next to Sean, huffed at seeing Kyla’s oh so joyful expression. Partially upset about the fact he couldn't do much. In a low, rather mocking tone, the boy said a rather crude: “This sucks, I wanted to exterminate him.” Which got him an unamused look from Sean for the unnecessary reveal of the boy’s intentions.
“This room is a mess,” Sean commented in a soft tone, as to avoid disturbing the sleeping boys and cat. He adjusted his gloves before he moved towards the worst part of the disorder, intended to clear the clutter up. “We should fix that.”
Kyla hummed in agreement, glancing at the trio before she bent down and started to pick up the various books still scattered. A soft smile on her face as she did so.
The twins shared a look, Kivy scowling as Ivy decided to follow Kyla’s lead. Both young servants picking up papers, pens and similar small objects to reorganize in the different compartments of the desk or anywhere else Kivy could shove the items in with little care.
As Kyla fixed and shifted the skewed furniture and the twins half snooped their young master’s room, Sean glanced at the three figures. The older man looked down at the thick blanket in his hands and sighed, resigned as he approached the three with quiet steps. Gently covering the trio with it, as it was a rather cold evening.
With a soft not-whine from the twins and Kyla’s whispered hushed, the servants left the room with muffled steps and the soft creak of the room closing. After all, the three within the room needed some rest it seemed.
A small and dim light, that was under Allen's pillow, went unnoticed — the barely there audio lost on even the sleeping ones near it.