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“My apologies for being late,” Schneizel said as he bowed his head to Marianne, who was conversing with a blonde, blue eyed lady. “Lady Gabriella.” He greeted, although surprised she was there.
“Schneizel.” Gabriella responded with a nod. “Clovis is upstairs with Lelouch, if you're wondering about the reasons for my presence.”
“I see.”
At least he avoided wasting too much time looking for the children. Thanking the ladies, he excused himself and went upstairs with large steps, navigating the corridors like his own until he faced the door at the very end of it. A few knocks sufficed for a high pitched “come in!” to answer. Schneizel obeyed without a word, setting aside the little bag he came with, and scanned the bedroom with a swift glance. Lelouch was hiding behind one of the pillars of his four poster bed, eyes squinting towards Clovis' shape who looked like an evil witch waiting to cook children, his back hunched and his hands menacing. Leaning against a nearby wall, the older brother stared at the scene, a little smile curling up his lips. How would Lelouch avoid Clovis in such a small space ? He didn't have that many options. Fighting back ? No, Clovis was older and taller, he'd pin Lelouch down effortlessly. Running away? He'd necessarily run into Clovis and be caught midway. Climb on the furniture? Lelouch wasn't strong enough for this, and Schneizel hoped he wasn't unconscious enough to do such a dangerous thing.
What will you do, my little genius ?
Clovis bounced forth, hands like claws out that slashed nothing. The teenage boy blinked, spun on himself, eyes wide and mouth agape.
“Lelouch!” He complained, midway between annoyance and a feeling of having been wronged.
Schneizel chuckled, and knelt towards the bed, a hand extending below as if trying to lure out a frightened kitten.
“So you choose to flee and retreat ? How clever of you, Lelouch.”
A small gasp answered, and a tiny figure crawled from under the bed, directly curled up next to Schneizel as if he was some protective figure, and glared at Clovis, sticking his tongue out.
“That's unfair !” Clovis protested, a discontent frown etched on his face.
“You won't force me to hug you !”
Lelouch retreated even deeper in Schneizel's arms, only his eyes sticking out above their rim, throwing daggers at the teenager.
“But why does Schneizel get a hug and not me ?”
“That's not a hug, he's protecting me!”
Lelouch looked up to Schneizel, his eyes wide and shining in tears the older man knew were probably fake — but terribly effective. Right when he had started to wonder about why he did even choose to spend the evening here, those puppy eyes answered all by themselves.
“Gentlemen. May I know what happened exactly ?”
The pout on Lelouch's face was unmistakable, and it took Schneizel his whole strength not to just give up and comfort him. Lelouch may be a child, but he would become someone important one day and Schneizel had to behave accordingly.
“Clovis wants to hug me…” He whined, hiding his face against his older brother's clothes.
“And you don't want to, right?”
Lelouch shook his head. From the corner of his eye, Schneizel noticed Clovis' mouth opening in what seemed to be an upcoming protest.
“No, Clovis. Let him speak. And then it'll be your turn.”
His attention shifted back to the child, stroking his back, all the way up to his hair. His nails gently dug his scalp, scraped and massaged it until the boy's back relaxed, his body becoming heavier against Schneizel's.
“Now,” Lelouch looked up at his brother. “Will you tell me why you refuse Clovis' hug ?”
The child looked down. His face found its way back to the folds of Schneizel's shirt, and a deep sigh escaped him.
“He hugs too tight…and it hurts…” Lelouch admitted in a small voice.
“Is that so ?” A little nod. “Well then, if he hugs you more loosely, would you be fine with getting a hug ?”
Lelouch pulled away from Schneizel’s embrace, ever so slightly to look at Clovis with a pensive pout. Then, he got up on his feet and padded in his brother’s direction, stopping right in front of him, well within reach.
“Just…don’t squeeze me, okay ?” The young boy asked, looking down at his feet.
Schneizel had never seen Clovis’ gaze light up so fast and so bright. The teenager immediately scooped Lelouch in his arms, made him rest his head against his chest, while his chin rested atop the boy’s head. A fond smile curled up their older brother’s lips, as he relaxed against the wall, sinking a bit deeper in the plush fitted carpet. Well, that was one diplomatic incident avoided, and if he had to judge by the way Lelouch was nestling his face in Clovis’ clothes, making himself comfortable and prolonging the hug for as long as they wanted it, he had reached the best possible outcome. It was nice to not have them arguing or fighting, for once.
The hug lasted for about three minutes or so, before Lelouch pulled away and stroked his neck, head down.
“Thank you for having listened…”
Then he turned to Schneizel. “And thank you for letting me speak…”
Schneizel nodded. How could one solve conflict if they refuse to listen and let speak ? It would be impossible, whether it was on a personal or international level.
“Schneizel is a good negotiator, isn’t he ?” Clovis said, amusement and admiration mingling in his tone, as he sat on Lelouch’s bed.
The young man didn’t answer, and joined him on the bed, soon followed by Lelouch who sneaked in between them, his body turned towards Schneizel, both arms wrapped around his brother’s.
“Why would anyone bother with expensive gifts when treating you as a stuffed toy is all he needs ?”
Schneizel couldn’t repress the laugh that came after Clovis’ words. He wouldn’t be Lelouch’s favorite stuffed toy their whole life. Expensive gifts could last and serve as a reminder of their bonds, which would be as precious as the moments they currently shared.
“Speaking of,” and his brothers both looked up at him. “Clovis, could you bring me the bag I’ve left by the door ?”
“Sure.”
Clovis didn’t act out of pure kindness. If Lelouch hadn’t been glued to Schneizel, the young man knew his little brother would have just told him to do it himself. But the little prince doing what he was, Clovis didn’t have much of a choice and swiftly retrieved the bag before sitting back. Schneizel handed it to their little brother, whose eyes went wide with curiosity.
“This is for you. Happy birthday, Lelouch.”
The child's lips parted, then a small nod answered his brother, before he plunged both of his arms in the bag, pulling out the gift from inside.
“My apologies for the lack of proper packaging, I ran out of time.”
Lelouch shook his head, as if he didn’t care for such details. The boy pulled the box on his lap, studying it, before his eyes widened and he looked right back up at Schneizel, his neck cracking.
“Is this really for me??”
Schneizel did not even try to stop the little proud smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. He knew he’d hit right on the spot with that one.
“It is. Open it. The pieces are splendid.”
The child obeyed eagerly, opening the chess board with its dedicated mechanism to unveil the pieces’ storage below it. All of the pieces were handcrafted and carved in rich wood, painted then glazed with a protective enamel. He seemed hesitant to touch them, his hands hovering over, before a single glance from Schneizel gave him the courage to gently take the black king in his hands, exploring it from all angles.
“You’re sure we can play with it ? I wouldn’t want to damage them.”
“You’ve never damaged any chess piece you’ve touched, worry not about it. And worst case scenario, I can get you another one.”
Lelouch shook his head, and held the piece close to his chest.
“I don’t want another one. I’ll cherish this one, forever.”
Schneizel knew that for the future, he’d need to maintain a mask of neutrality. To never let his emotions seep through. But the warmth spreading in his chest and his smile growing against his will at the hug Lelouch willingly gave him couldn’t be helped nor stopped.
“How about a match, then ?”
Lelouch’s eyes shone like jewels at the suggestion, his mouth wide with a smile as he started to set the board up on the bed, white on Schneizel’s side, black on his. Clovis watched, although he eventually fell asleep across the bed. Lelouch too struggled to stay awake as he moved his pieces, his eyes fluttering shut and open, his head bobbing down from time to time, when he was not busy yawning. When Schneizel inevitably won the match, Lelouch let himself fall on the side, sinking on the mattress and his pillow, while his brother put the pieces back in their storage and put the chessboard on a nearby desk. There, leaning against the wall, he watched over the sleeping boys, one across the bed, who would probably end up with some back pain the next day, the other correctly lying down his side, a hand under his pillow. As he crossed the door to leave, Lelouch’s weak voice called him back. The child would refuse to sleep if Schneizel didn’t stay. A long sigh escaped the young man. He didn’t have any clothes for the night, and would rather be at home to start his next day properly but…it was Lelouch’s birthday, he could do that for him.
Schneizel returned to the bed, took off shoes and socks, before settling down next to Lelouch's form, who crawled in his direction and curled up against him.
“Wait a second, Lelouch,” he murmured, and the boy pulled away.
He bent towards Clovis, gently scooped him in his arms just the time to set him better in the bed, behind Lelouch, his head on the pillows and his body in a position that would have him wake up painless. Now that he made sure his other brother would have a restful sleep, he laid down next to Lelouch, an arm around him for protection and comfort. When beside him, both boys' had hearable regular breaths, Schneizel felt all tension leave his body, his shoulders sagging in spite of himself and his weight crushing the mattress deeper. With the daily stress subsiding, fatigue gained him and let him reach Morpheus' realm, where he met again with his little brothers, far from real life's torments and expectations.