Homeward Bound

[Melix]

At least the house was nice. The hell he'd had to put up with in in the car- the hell he'd had to put up with for four hours thanks to his unintelligibly awful fiance being nonsensical and "Are you even listening to me?" the whole time, was not over, but at least he wouldn't be subjected to any further monstrosities like a gutted bathroom or, god forbid, a strangled hooker hanging from the ceiling fan. (There were reasons he hadn't picked the house his girl wanted to buy. Those were some of the reasons.) "Are you seriously ignoring me right now?" "Absolutely. And I will continue ignoring you until you say something nice." "How are you supposed to tell if I say something nice if you're ignoring me?" "Well, you never will say something nice, so the point is moot." He wished someone, anyone, would rescue him from the unfortunate she-beast who, thanks to his parents, he would someday call his wife. Unfortunately, they were in their own home and they were alone, so that wasn't going to happen.


(@TheShyGirl)

 

[TheShyGirl]

Hearing the car approaching came with the sound of the tires rolling over the rocky driveway, giving the peachy-haired young lad who had been waiting a warning. Hopping up onto his feet he cheered as he raced downstairs. "Yay! Actual people!" He had a mini celebration as he allowed himself to go out of character for a moment.


Clearing his throat, Zachary fixed his hair as well as adjusted his eyepatch before standing up straight and tall. With his usual emotionless expression he swung open the two large entrance doors. He couldn't trot outside to assist his new masters with their suitcases and such, due to the curse, of course, but he made sure they had at least spotted him. Might as well let his masters know he existed.

 

[Melix]

Pulling all of their suitcases up the cobblestone drive at once, Carmichael wondered if he'd have back problems when he retired at sixty-five with Lena. He wondered if he'd be deaf at sixty-five. It seemed likely, the way that Lena babbled on. Dumping the bags outside the door, he hurried back to the car, just in time to hear Lena scream in terror. Apparently she had either just now noticed the man standing in the doorway to their lovely new home and had not, per his suggestion, read the website entry about the house which detailed the live-in servant. He'd expected it to be a robot (as was the usual nowadays), but wasn't exactly displeased to discover a human instead. True, humans made more mistakes from the get-go, but wasn't it true as well that humans learned better from their mistakes? Turning around with the last and most tiny of luggage- Lena's purse- he hurried up to rescue her from whatever she currently thought was the devil incarnate. Flashing a winning smile, he pushed the bags into the doorway. "Could you put some of these in the Master Bedroom? You might need to go through them- Thanks." He pinched Lena's arm. "It's the servant, honey." And a handsome servant at that- maybe if he were lucky Lena'd get caught up in his beauty, and he'd be equipped with an amazing excuse for divorcing her. That sort of thing happened all the time, right? Carmichael could only hope.

 

[TheShyGirl]

Zachary had taken a single step back when the young lady had literally screamed upon merely laying eyes on him. Great, a couple. Wasn't exactly his favorite thing. Only knew about them from what he viewed on the television.


With a nod of his head he replied, "Of course, I'll do that right away. Please, make yourselves at home." Gathering up as many bags as he could possibly carry without looking like a complete fool, Zachary began to scurry up the stairs, setting the huge trunks and suitcases by the door but off to the side. After bringing all of the bags upstairs he wandered about the house until he found his masters once more.


"I am Zachary, your personal servant. Feel free to call me servant if that's what you desire." His last master had always referred to him as the toy. "Anyways, I'm your new personal servant. I'm always here to serve you."

 

[Melix]

"Yes, you've said that many times in only a few sentences." Carmichael stated flatly. "I'm Carmichael, and I think I'm just going to call you Zachary- or perhaps Zach, if that's alright with you?" That same lovely grin from earlier, flavored with a little cheek.


Lena huffed, her cheeks momentarily puffing up like a chipmunks as she glared at the new servant. "You've only just met him and you've already smiled at him more than you've smiled at me since we met. And we met years ago!"


Carmichael sighed and turned toward her, making a point of stretching his face into the facade of a smile. "There. Are you happy now?"


"No," she pouted. "That was fake. Please give me a real smile."


"Please adopt a real personality," Carmichael retorted, turning back to Zachary. "So, what's it like playing the great role of live-in maid? How does one come into a job like that?" He didn't understand why he was so interested in this guy- it wasn't as if he'd spent his life without maids- but there was something there that he wanted to get to know. "


Do you do nails?" asked Lena, putting on a happy face. There must be a reason, she deduced, that her husband liked this guy so much. And maybe there was something to that saying- the way to get to a man's heart is through his friends. Carmichael sighed. "He's a guy, Lena. I'm reasonably sure he doesn't do nails."

 

[TheShyGirl]

"I apologize sir. Forgive me, I'm not the best with words." Zachary hoped he hadn't screwed up already.


Zachary was surprised. These two were so friendly. Hadn't expected them to acknowledge him or especially care about him. His heart beat a little faster against his chest.


"I prefer Zach. Zachary just sounds too dork-like to me." Oddly enough he didn't return a smile when he was flashed such a lovely one from Carmichael. It was flattering, yet he hadn't responded properly to it. Smiling just wasn't his thing.


"I'm afraid nails aren't my expertise, ma'am." The servant bowed his head as if in apology. "Play? I'm afraid my job here isn't play. I've working here at this house practically my entire life now. I now every inch of this place -- even know of secret rooms that my previous master had never discovered." Flicking a piece of dust from one of the small glass sidetable a he said, "My previous brought me here after taking me from my family. You see, he saved me, which is why I worked under his power."


"Enough about me, is there anything either of you desire?"

 

[Melix]

"There are secret rooms?" asked Carmichael, eyes lighting up in anticipation of some glorious secret, some glorious fun. "You'll have to show me sometime- I'd love to explore with you." Lena gave him a somewhat defeated look, and he glanced back at her with a baffled expression. "Lena, what do you want from me?"


"We," she said, as if this explained everything, when in fact, it just confused Carmichael all the more. Why did she have to be so confusing all the damn time?


"We what, Lena?"


"We would love to explore with you," she said, and suddenly, Carmichael understood where she was coming from. He'd been left out before, too, although, only once and it was from her own parents family golf game, which they invited her sister's fiance too. How was one supposed to remain unaffected by something of that nature, something purposefully intended to be cruel and vindictive?


"No, dear, I would like to explore with him, in order to find the perfect room to build my man cave. You, on the other hand, would like your nails painted- and I will paint your nails tonight, so long as you promise me you'll leave me alone to do guy things for a while. I'm sorry, but I just can't be all you, all the time, okay, love?" There. He was playing nice, like his parents would want him to, but his words were so awful.


"At this particular second," Carmichael informed Zachary, "I request some tea- you do know how to make that, don't you?"

 

[TheShyGirl]

Zachary was amused by this man. He really had gotten excited hearing of this secret rooms. Almost was laughable, but Zachary didn't laugh.


Some sign of emotion peaked through as the young servant smirked, "Of course. What kind of a servant would I be if I couldn't even prepare tea?" Zachary chuckled softly before addding in, "I'll return with your tea shortly." Which he did. Within a few brief moments Zachary was back with their tea on a platter, setting it down on the coffee table before the two.


"Would you like me to show you some of the hidden rooms this evening? They're scattered all over this house, but they're nearly impossible to find."

 

[Melix]

“I’d love that,” said Carmichael, settling comfortably in his seat. Lena had decided to grace the upstairs hallway, and even if she was listening in instead of minding her own business (as she often did), he was going to be truthful about their situation. “I could use some time alone.” No hushed tone, but no malice about it either. “See, my parents are making me marry her- I really don’t have a choice in the matter.” To be fair, Carmichael loved his parents…but after threatening to disown him (something Carmichael simply couldn’t deal with, as he had no idea how to survive without his parents money) he was feeling a bit put out. “I bet you of all people understand that.” He ran a hand through his hair. God, he was stressed out.

 

[TheShyGirl]

"A forced marriage? I know it's none of my business and I have absolutely no say in the matter, but that just doesn't seem right. It's unfair." Zachary stated after being revealed such information.


"I'm honored that you would share such information with me, really." Zachary paused before questioning, "Is there anything I can do to help?" If he could assist his new master then he'd be delighted to. Anything that could make his masters be happy and stay meant that he would have companions, wouldn't be alone.

 

[Melix]

"Um, it's a good trade," Carmichael snapped, not particularly enjoying the way the words had been said. What he perceived as an attack on his parents could have been (and probably was) just a simple mistake, but nonetheless, he was defensive. Hackles down, he remembered- who owned this house? The kind offer melted him and he let himself relax a bit more than he usually would have, apologizing with a quick nod of the head. "Sorry- I, uh...No, there's not really much you could do to help-- unless you have some interest in marrying her?" He tilted the last word up to imply that he was joking- but he was not joking.

 

[TheShyGirl]

The growl from his master made Zachary jump slightly. Looks like he had gotten a little comfortable around the master. How stupid could he have been, bringing up his own opinion was uncalled for! No wonder Carmichael snapped at him! He truly deserved it. Kept him in place.


With his own apologetic nod he awkwardly smiled, "I'm afraid not, Master. She's yours, I wouldn't dare interfere." Zachary decided to make an offer, "This is really out of my place to state and I deserve every right to be punished for even thinking of such a thing, but it appears that you're not exactly fond of that woman, but you don't seem to want to leave her. Mentioned your parents being involved. I could teach you to love her. If you going to be stuck with that woman then might as well figure out how to enjoy it."

 

[Melix]

Carmichael laughed at Zachary's, hmm, uncomfortableness. "It's fine- you don't have to look so forlorn. I'm not going to kill your beloved pet or anything-" A playful pause as he thought of something else to articulate- he wasn't the type to always know what to say, just the type to almost always know what to say. A cough, instead, for what else was there to do? "I'm very sorry- I'm apparently very snappish when it comes to my parents and their affairs. You understand, don't you?" And then a tinging of the cheeks in pure embarrassment; no, of course Zachary couldn't understand, seeing as how the boy was an orphan. "Sorry again- this is happening much too often for my taste." A flirtatious smile crept onto his face, disappearing just as quickly, only to be replaced by a devious smirk as he stepped over to the (presumably younger) male, getting uncomfortably up in his new friends face. "You want to teach me how to love?" Hmmph. "How old are you, Zachary? What's your price?"

 

[TheShyGirl]

"Don't worry yourself, master. I'm merely a servant. There's no reason for you to be so concerned about someone such as me." Zachary stated, seeing as Carmichael was beginning to feel bad for trying to engage with him then quickly apologizing. "I'm here as your personal servant, but if you're looking for a friend then I must admit I'm not used to engaging with others." He had always been so alone, even when his last master had been living in the great house. His last master usually isolated him or sent Zachary off to his own corridors.


Yeah, because of the way he had been raised and brought up, Zachary wasn't really a people person nor liked displaying emotions; correction, wasn't particularly used to displaying emotions. Always had been ordered to keep a straight face.


"I'm twenty two years old," Zachary's cheeks filled with color as Carmichael stepped in real close. Okay, for sure it was not easy to keep calm after that sort of action. "No price. I have no use for money seeing as I'm forbidden to leave this very house." Wouldn't get into the whole curse thing right then -- wasn't sure if it should ever be revealed. "It's just an offer I'm making. I can help with trying to better your relationship with that woman and in return I have the pleasure of having company. If you don't accept my offer then that'll be fine as well."

 

[Melix]

Carmichael yawned, obnoxiously looking as catlike as possible, drawing attention to his almost perfectly straightened white teeth. "That's so boring," he told Zachary, not particularly caring whether his new friend was offended or not. "You think you can teach me about love when you have no confidence? How am I supposed to take lessons from someone who says 'I'm merely a servant'? You're not 'merely' anything. You're a human being." As he said the last words, he lifted up Zachary's chin, looking him dead in the eyes. A moment passed and a strange feeling came upon Carmichael; he dropped Zachary's face and took a few steps backward, quickly. "Aren't you? A human?"


Zachary's age calmed him a little- first, because despite a weird and sudden unexplainable fear, he was instinctively positive that Zachary would not, could not lie to him, and second of all, because if he was a creature only twenty two years of age, he had four years less experience in killing creatures than Carmichael had. His next words did not calm Carmichael. "Why?" The one word sentence came out much harsher than Carmichael had intended. Slowly Carmichael's hands drifted to his own neck. "What's keeping you here? I'm warning you- I have years of experience with exorcisms, so if you're some sort of freak, it would be best if you told me now." Before he could say anything else, Linda sauntered down the stairs wearing a different outfit than the one she'd been wearing previously- a long, white, silken dress that was probably a tripping hazard.


"I'm thinking of having this be my wedding dress, instead of the one we picked," she said. "What do you think?" She almost twirled, but thought better of it.


"That's-" Carmichael looked back and forth between her and Zachary. "That's beautiful, darling. Listen: why don't you go over out the back door and introduce yourself to the neighbors?" If there was something dangerous going on, it was better that she stay out of it.

 

[TheShyGirl]

Shot down. Those words had shot Zachary down. Almost didn't even react when he been touched, frozen in shock for a brief moment. For some that had hurt him real bad, almost surprised that his new friend had heartlessly declared such a thing.


"Shut up! I'm not a freak!" Zachary suddenly shrieked. After a moment of dead silence he glared up into his new master's eyes. "You may own me and this house, but don't you dare even suggest that I may be a freak." If he had spoken to his last master like that then he would've been greatly punished for speaking in such a way, most likely whipped. "I'm just a human, okay? I've got no secret abilities or powers. Another thing, don't touch me if you're only going to insult me."

 

[Melix]

“Better.” Was all Carmichael said. At least his fears had been debunked- if Zachary wasn’t human, then he was at least human enough to have emotions- to be upset. Earlier, what he’d expressed had always seemed so mild. He stared at Zachary for a moment, judging him, appraising his value. And then he carried himself forward, hand raised in the air as if to strike, stopping a mere inch before a collision between he and Zachary’s chests. But instead of striking, he simply rested his palm on Zachary’s face, gently caressing him. “Sorry,” he whispered. “My bad.” He entangled his hands with Zachs, resting his head against his new servant’s. “Let’s be friends, alright?” He nuzzled Zach. “I don’t think you’re a freak. I’m not scared of you at all.” So why was his heart beating so fast?


(Fun Fact: Carmichael has NO idea he likes guys. None.)

 

[TheShyGirl]

Zachary had flinched when he had been about to be struck, eyes closing tightly as his muscles also grew tensed. Shoulders raised, nearly jumping out of his skin when he had been touched. His heart was racing, but not for the same reason as Carmichael's was. Truly was frightened. With a whimper his body trembled across the touch of his new master, head tucking to hide away from sight. "Why're you so close? Why're you touching me in such a way, especially when you're engaged?"


Wasn't sure if he exactly wanted to be friends with a man who had just accused him of being a boring inhumane freak. "Stop it, don't touch me. I'm serious." Zach pulled away from Carmichael. "I'd rather isolate myself then be at the side of a judgmental man."


((Really?!! O.o he's in for a surprise..))

 

[Melix]

As Zachary flinched away, Carmichael stepped back. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m trying to be nice. You don’t look very human…from close up. It’s your eyes.” Back to blunt mode- clearly he wasn’t going to make the situation worse, so he could really say whatever he wanted. “But what on Earth does me touching you have to do with me being engaged? I touch all my guy friends like that.” None of his male friends seemed to find it odd- most were either used to it or equally handsy toward Carmichael, not that he noticed (or cared). “If you don’t like it, I won’t, okay? But I won’t judge you whether you’re human or not, because I’m a pug, you know?” He nodded as if he expected Zachary to know what the slang term ‘pug’ meant.

 

[TheShyGirl]

"My eyes are weird?" What an odd thing to hear. "They're only blue... Is it the eyepatch?" That must've been what he was referring to. Was he really that strange looking? Zach had always assumed that he looked like a perfectly normal human being.


"The way you touched me just now seemed very intimate. I may have been trapped in this house since I was seven, but I am not that unaware of the outside world." Zachary took a few more steps back. "Huh? You're a pug? How can you be a pug?" Okay, that was one thing he had never heard. "Look, if you acted like that around your fiancé then perhaps you'd have a better rekationship. Just hold her sometimes. Everybody loves that."

 

[Melix]

(Let's give Carmichael more problems than he already has! Yeah!)


“Maybe,” agreed Carmichael. “I’m not sure what the problem was- you just shocked me, is all.” This guy was stressing him out- served him right for trying to make friends. Served him right for telling anyone anything about his family, for that matter. “Okay, okay! Stop scolding me,” he whined. Why were they having four different conversations at once? Carmichael was finding it dang hard to concentrate- especially upon focusing on Zachary’s pretty blue eyes. “I get it- touch Linda, not Zachary, bla, bla, bla.” He sighed. “In any case, a pug is a slang or colloquial term for a child of incest. I come from a pureblood family,” he explained, “and God Forbid anything tamper with old money pure bloodlines.” He frowned, that familiar sense of revulsion creeping back into the forefront of his brain and stomach. “Linda is my cousin om two…no, wait…three sides of my family- if not more. And I am the only one who has a problem with this.”

 

[TheShyGirl]

"You two are family?" Zachary scrunched his nose in disgust, but kept his mouth shut. He bit down on his tongue lightly, making sure he didn't let any foolish talk slip out.


With the growl of his empty stomach, Zachary shifted his weight from leg to the other, glancing away in slight embarrassment. "Am I free to go? Of course I'm very interested in hearing about your life, it really is fascinating, but I haven't had anything to eat since dinner...yesterday." It was dinner time now, so that was pretty decent moment of time to go without food. Zachary just avoided food as much as possible, but today he was feeling particularly hungry, plus his stomach wouldn't shut up. "I can prepare something for you two, if you'd like."

 

[Melix]

"Ah- yes, please." Carmichael hadn't said anything about the family comment, but simply nodded, enjoying the look of disgust. Finally, someone like-minded...while it was true that 'it' (being a pug, having pug children) wasn't so bad, when it was forced upon you...that was an entirely different story. "What do you know how to cook? I'll eat most things, just not things with onions, tomatoes, or pickles. Or radishes." He winced. "Alright. I'm a little picky." He shrugged. "Linda will probably eat in the Master Bedroom or over at the neighbors house, knowing how she is with people." He smiled- progress. He'd managed to compliment her for once instead of participating in more foolish put downs. "She's very social- just not with me." Understandable- since he was a massive jerk to her. "So maybe we could have dinner alone-- I'm actually very interested in hearing about your life?" He smiled, looking down at his feet shyly. "And of course- you're always free to go."

 

[TheShyGirl]

Zachary had let a slight chuckle slip past his lips when Carmichael had listed off just a couple of the many foods he refused to eat. It was silly, which was why he had giggled to begin with. "I was planning on making Orange Chicken with brown rice. It's not the fanciest of dishes, but most certainly a tasty one." He suggested with a warm smile.


"I don't mind eating alone with you, and I also don't mind revealing my life to you, however, I warn you now that it's not the most exciting of back stories. Basically I was born, there was a tragic accident, then I was brought here. I haven't defeated a fire-breathing ogre or anything impressive like such."


Paused as he stepped into the kitchen. "You could tell me more about your life. I want to know what it's like outside. I want to be able to imagine the feeling of the summer breeze and the heat of the suns faints my skin; things that I haven't been able to recall what they're like in years."

 

[Melix]

“That’s fine,” said Carmichael, warming up to the idea of chicken covered in sauce. Zachary was right- it wasn’t fancy enough or rich enough to be something Carmichael usually ate, but that simply added to the novelty and allure of the dish. “That sounds delicious, actually. But if you cannot go outside, how on Earth did you get a hold of a chicken? Do we have some in the house somewhere?”


As quickly as they’d begun talking about food, they were finished talking about the food. “I’m sure you’re more interesting than you think.” Carmichael thought for a moment and then asked something. “This doesn’t change much, but before your…accident? Were you rich or poor?” He wasn’t sure how to proceed with that one. “Funnily enough, I had a friend named Zach when I was a little kid and he just…dropped off the face of the earth one day in the summer between pre-school and kindergarten. Weird coincidence, right?”


“Hmm…I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no poet,” Carmichael informed him, “but I’ll try my best. I mean, I know the basics.”