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As parents, Il Dottore and Pantalone had everything figured out. Almost everything. Punishments were carried out by both parties, so that the children did not fear one over another. Despite the power imbalance in Harbinger ranks, the duo ruled the house as equals. Valeriy had earned slightly relaxed boundaries, being the oldest of both Odette and Mitya.
Valeriy looked in the mirror. His hair was the same shade as Pantalone's, his eyes the shape of Dottore's. What his parents didn't plan for, was what exactly they would create. In his heart, he had the temperament of pushing boundaries inherited from both parents, doubling the effect.
His room was clean; books were lined up neatly, arranged by author, Fatui tat gifts were either in the bin or sitting pristine on his shelf, and framed photos sat perfectly straight. The day had been hard. He had delivered successfully his mock lesson to the Fatui soldiers, making sure to showcase his talent more so than his last name. His nerves were fried, worried of what the other recruits would rate him. When there was movement outside his window, he didn't bother peering out to see what it was. Valeriy knew immediately what it was. What he was. A knock would attract the attention of someone— which was far too risky. Instead, Ajax climbed up the pipe, his movements nimble as he pushed it open and jumped through.
"You're here again?" Valeriy questioned, his gaze still lingering in the mirror. Ajax grinned, trying to sneak up behind him.
"Went hunting. I can make your favourite~" He teased, bright red and sweaty.
"At least clean up, first. Besides, how would we cook Borscht in my bedroom?"
Ajax shrugged, flopping down onto Valeriy's bed. Valeriy grumbled, but ultimately made no attempt to shove the boy off his bed. Instead, he sat down next to him. Ajax grinned, dropping the sack of meat on the floor to put all of his attention on Valeriy. The boy next to the ginger was stunning. In a no homo, bromance (emphasis on the bro) way, Ajax was sure he wanted to spend as much time with him as humanly possible. Maybe even as not humanly possible, once he could manage to win over Dottore.
"You have injuries," the dark haired boy frowned. Ajax went to shrug it off, but was cut off by Valeriy pressing down on a bruise. The air in the room froze as Ajax whined. Valeriy was staring at him in a way that made the pain flow to Ajax's cheeks and burst with heat.
"You better be quiet," Valeriy hummed, kissing Ajax's cheek, "my father does not care that you are his fellow Harbinger. He'll string you up if he finds you in my room at night."
Ajax grinned, the threat only exciting him.
"Valera, for you, I would let your father experiment on me. But I don't need cleaned up! I'm all good. We can begin kissing now—"
A small cough slipped out of Valeriy as he stood up. He crossed his arms, walking to the other side of the large bed to imposingly loom over Ajax.
"I'm not joking. You need to be quieter."
Ajax rolled his eyes, expecting the other to snarl at him delightfully. Instead, he watched as the boy turned around and began walking away. When he returned, he held duct tape in one hand, and rope in the other. Ajax grinned.
~
The duct tape, unfortunately, had been for the sack of meat, which was now ceremoniously wrapped like a present and sitting in the corner by the window. The rope however, had been used just as Ajax liked it.
Ajax leaned back against the wall. His hands and ankles were tied up with rope, sitting in Valeriy's closet. Valeriy was probably relaxing on his bed– maybe lazily flipping pages of a book. Ajax didn't know. The closet was dark, with only a small slither of light escaping through. Whether he preferred the quiet of the dark, or the feeling of Valeriy being almost in his reach but not quite, Ajax didn't know. When Valeriy had first hidden Ajax in his closet, he hadn't expected the ginger to enjoy it so much. It had been an accident that day. Mitya had burst into the room, and Ajax really wasn't ready to meet the family by Valeriy helping him with a nosebleed. The blood was everywhere. Down his face, his cheeks. It leaked down onto his white shirt that day as well. But being hidden in that closet, away from the stress of reality, had felt nice.
"Are you okay? Sorry about that, I—"
Ajax smiled. Then spluttered, blood dripping into his mouth. He had slept to memories of Valeriy's confused stare for months after.
Valeriy tried to bring it up after. Ajax didn't let him. The lack of visual stimulation was probably calming; something Valeriy often parroted, or the deep pressure from the ropes probably helped him to self-regulate. Ajax didn't care what it was. The fact was, he enjoyed it.
When Valeriy opened the closet door an hour later, Ajax hissed teasingly, acting like a vampire who had just seen sunlight. Valeriy's stern expression melted as he watched Ajax act without his normal responsibilities weighing him down. He carefully untied him.
"You've had your 'alone' time. Will you let me see your injuries now?"
And then, quieter, "I'll kiss them better."
Ajax grumbled, muttering excuses before eventually conceding. Valeriy pulled a quaint bottle of rubbing alcohol out from his nightstand, dripping it carefully onto a cotton pad.
"Sit still," he instructed. Ajax clenched his teeth, puffing his cheek out so Valeriy would have the proper access to clean every angle. Valeriy moved as quick as he could without losing any precision, but the stings continued to build under Ajax's skin. With no verbal complaints, Valeriy began treating the other cuts and scrapes. Once finished treating a particularly nasty cut in Ajax's palm, he took Ajax's scarred hands into his own, and kissed the bruised knuckles tenderly.
"You musn't be so reckless, okay? You–,"
A creaking. From the squeaky step north side of the manor near his parents' quarters. Valeriy sighed.
"I better go now," Ajax pouted, knowing his time was limited. He preferred teasing the other, when Valeriy put aside his heated cheeks and . He knew how to deal with cold hearts. He didn't know how to deal with the gentleness and care Valeriy offered. He stood up, brushing his sleeves off as he rose. Valeriy sighed, watching as Ajax scampered off before his unhealthy habits could be discussed.
"At least take the stairs?"
Ajax already had half of his knee out the window. He sighed, crawling back in before making his way to the door.
"Don't finish the meat too quickly." Ajax smiled once more, closing the door behind him.
He sighed, his head resting against Valeriy's bedroom door. Everything that happened in that room was so complicated. The feelings, the weird habits, the butterflies that ate his stomach when Valeriy cared for him. At least out here, in the corridor of the Second and the Ninth Harbingers' home, the adrenaline rushing through his blood was normal. Out here, the rules did not need to be made clear. Every second he waited was a land mine waiting to go off. Attention from anyone would detriment his mission. Odette and Mitya were normally asleep at this time of night. The maids had head home for sleep. Which is why, when Odette's door creaked open, Ajax jumped.
Odette was blushing, kissing someone on the cheek as she opened the door. Her eyes caught Ajax's instantly. He tried to murmur a hello, or a polite nod. Yet, in the split second it took him to react, Odette had beat him to it. Her precision was incredible, honed in by her ballet skills.
"Ajax?!"
"Odette- hello…! Danica?!"
"Childe?"
Valeriy's door slung open.
"What is this noise… Odette?! DANICA?!"
Ajax watched as Valeriy instinctively stood in front of him. Mostly to stop Odette from throwing her pocket knife at him.
"Let's just… pretend this never happened." Danica whispered, bowing politely at Valeriy as she grabbed her bag. Odette sighed, nodding.
"Right…" Valeriy huffed, eyeing the two girls suspiciously.
"You had a boy in your room," Odette whispered, her voice wavering as she watched Ajax run after Danica towards the grand stairway.
"You had a girl in your room. Plus, you are younger than me which makes it worse."
"Oh, by a year!"
Valeriy shrugged, watching impassively as his sister let out an undignified snarl.
"If you tell Papa or Baba, you are a dead man." Odette huffed, returning her dagger into the back pocket of her pointe shoes.
"I will only tell them if you tell them of Ajax's visits. We're even?"
Odette nodded, and Valeriy could physically feel his heartbeat slow down.
"Visits? With an 'S'?" She grinned, happily leaping over the hallway and bursting her way into Valeriy's bedroom. She made her way to his bed and plopped down on it with a surprising amount of regality.
"I will. If you help me get rid of three tonnes of meat."
Odette scowled in bewilderment. Was her brother having a stroke?
Valeriy just nodded, reaffirming her confusion before she spoke it aloud.
"Ajax hunts, and then gives me his spoils. He thinks he's being helpful. It gets his anger out, so I tell him it's useful."
"Can we give it to Mitya for research?"
"Probably."
Odette huffed, thinking the plan through. Once satisfied, she collapsed back onto Valeriy's bed.
"So? Tell me all of it!"
"There's not much to tell."
"You had a boy in your bed."
Valeriy shook his head, looking over to the closet Ajax had happily lay in for an hour.
"It's like a sensory room, or the opposite? An anti-sensory room."
The struggle of acceptance washed over Odette's face, claiming her expression as she pondered.
"Danica is neurodivergent as well. They'll get on together as they trade methods of sneaking in."
Valeriy frowned.
"You know an awful lot about Danica."
Odette grinned, the tip of her finger finding her cheek as she gave her brother her most innocent smile. Valeriy just rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Danica and Ajax will get along, ye—," he paused mid-sentence, "Danica has been here before?"
"So has Ajax! I don't need a protective older sibling. I already have Papa and Baba. And I have Lady Signora mentoring me too."
"I suppose. But you're my baby sister." Valeriy gruffed. He pulled Odette into a headlock, ruffling her hair. He grinned. Odette scowled, slapping his hands away before curling up next to him.
"Can I sleep in here tonight?"
"Of course."
Without a pause, Mitya knocked at the door and slid in. Valeriy pretended to grumble as he opened his duvet up for his beloved siblings.
"No privacy," he huffed, ignoring the fact that when both of his siblings had first been born, it had been him who cried and pleaded to share a hallway between their bedrooms.
The soft purr of Odette and Mitya's snores gave a gentle rhythm for Valeriy's breathing to follow. He was sandwiched in between them, unable to stick his leg out of the duvet to cool down and adjust. Ajax would have hated it. If Ajax ever shared a bed with him, he would make sure to let Ajax stick his legs out.
The transition to morning was rough. Light spilled in through the only half covered window. One of Dottore's segments had barged in and complained of being tasked with waking them up. With segments being near—and therefore reporters to his looming parents— Valeriy couldn't check his secret Akasha to see if Ajax was okay.
"Everyone up." He spoke firmly, grabbing at the duvet and rolling Mitya off. Odette had managed to climb off the bed just beforehand, but the suddenness still managed to surprise her.
"Baba said one of his segments is making Naleśniki," Mitya groaned, rubbing his head.
Odette sighed, running her fingers through her bed hair.
"I suppose we better go down before they manage to burn them."
Passing the silence of their parents' bedroom, the trio made their way to the dining room. Plated up was a large pile of burnt crepes. Next to it, were slightly less burned crepes.
Valeriy loaded his own plate up, looking around.
"Where's Papa and Baba?"
25 shrugged, muttering something about a Harbinger meeting and being on babysitting duty rather than important official meeting duty.
Valeriy looked down at his Naleśniki, the crepes laying pathetically over fresh fruit. Did Ajax also fuel up before starting his day? Or did he go hungry to those boring meetings Valeriy's own parents went to, where nothing productive happened unless the Tsaritsa herself personally oversaw the brief. He signed, stabbing a berry with a fork. Ajax had explained it to him a while ago. That he technically was but technically wasn't a Harbinger. Schrödinger's Harbinger. Valeriy didn't care, Ajax should have been at this table, eating with them.
"You okay?" Odette asked, looking over genuinely concerned for her brother.
"I'm fine. Mitya, I have some research material for you."
"Research material, or more deer liver?"
"Do you want it or not?"
"…Fine."
Dottore and Pantalone didn't return until the afternoon. The meeting had dragged on, but they still wanted to catch up with their oldest son. The drawing room was quiet. The pillows on the sofa weren't quite neat, but the effort to atleast hastily fling them off the floor was obvious.
"How was the meeting?" Valeriy hummed, settling down in the middle of his favourite armchair.
"It was fine," Dottore grumbled, "but your Papa decided he couldn't give me the budget increase he had promised over last night's dinner."
Pantalone sighed, nudging Dottore in the side.
"Zandik, we wanted to talk about something else, remember?"
Dottore's eyes lit up, before his eyebrows fell.
"Ah, right. The thing."
"Don't look so terrified, Valera!"
"Feofan, he should look terrified! I mean— Ajax?!"
"Ajax?" Valeriy frowned. What did Ajax have to do with anything?
"We think it's wonderful you have a crush, truly." Pantalone began, smiling endearingly as he looked over at his eldest.
"I don't approve of Ajax. He's reckless. He's a fool, too big of his own boots. He keeps wanting me to… fight him."
"He's just a boy," Pantalone sighed, placing his hand on Dottore's thigh. Dottore sighed, relaxing his position on the sofa.
"I'll approve his ask for your hand in marriage so long as he; A) stops pestering my clones and I, and B) stops renting his apartment. By Tsarista, your father babbles on enough about the economy that even I know that you aren't building sufficient property wealth when renting. He needs to step onto the property ladder, for Tsaritsa's sake."
Pantalone raised an eyebrow, pinching Dottore's leg.
"And so long he stops sneaking in at night," he blurted out, looking between Pantalone and his son, "but tell him to keep the guilty conscious. He always votes in my favour in meetings days after he sneaks in."
"He isn't my crush." Valeriy deadpanned. He looked between his fathers, in complete shock.
"Well, tell your situationship to stop sneaking in."
"Please, never say that again. Ever."
"Just call your sister in, will you dear? It's her turn."
Valeriy stood up. He made his way to the door as quick as he could, not wanting to wait around for whatever conversation Odette was about to endure. If it were anything like his, he'd start praying for her. He looked down, his Akasha lighting up.
"We on again 2nite?"
Valeriy reacted '👍' to Ajax❤️ 's message.