Dedicated to the incomparable Skyla-Dream and Blademaster57 on DeviantArt for their wonderful cosplays and crack-tacular photo that spawned this nonsense blademaster57 .deviantart .com / art /Pandora-Hearts-Caught-205708025 (as always, remove spaces to resolve)

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His hands were practically shaking from the desire to pull his glasses from his face and polish them, but all that action would gain him was a clearer view of the events unfolding in front of him, and he really didn't need that.

"Xerxes…" He hissed, embarrassment biting on the edge of his word. That particular tone of voice was oft used as a precursor to a round of boisterous scolding, and every fiber of his being was screaming for him to follow through.

In fact, the only thing keeping him from making a very vocal scene was the knowledge that he most definitely did not want to be caught like this.

"Hmmm." Break cocked his head to one side, seemingly completely at ease with the fact that he was currently looking up Liam's tunic. "It would be easier if our source of illumination was a little lower, but I still think it'll work."

"And you had to peek under my tunic to come to that conclusion?"

"I was curious…." Break's hand darted out and snagged the white under tunic high up under the black coat, high enough to make Liam squeak a protest.

If asked later, Liam would vehemently deny any squeaking on his part. Besides, if he had yelped, he certainly had good reason for it. Break's hand may have ventured close to those parts of his anatomy on other occasions, but this wasn't the time or the place. They were in public, for god's sake! "Xerxes!" The first word came out much louder than he'd intended. "What are you doing?" He finished sotto voce.

"I thought so!" Break sat back on his heals with a triumphant grin, holding the white under tunic wide in his hand. "If we pull this out, there's a little bit more room."

"My word, Liam-san, I always thought you had more decorum."

Had Eques opened the ground below him at that moment, Liam could not have been happier, which was ironic because Eques was the center of the conversation that had gotten him into this mess. "Ah, Lady Sharon. I…. We…. That is…."

"It'll work?" The question was directed at Break, who was still kneeling on the ground with one hand in the vicinity of Liam's upper thigh and the other holding his tunic out.

"There appears to be enough room. I may get a little stuck in Liam's clothes, but it should work out."

"Good. I'll put Eques in your shadow if the need arises." A call for her came from the open balcony, and she turned to acknowledge it before turning back thoughtfully. "Oh, and Xerx-nii? Couldn't you have figured that out without molesting poor Liam? Or could you not pass up the opportunity?" She smiled innocently, left the question hanging in the air between them and set off towards the main house.

Liam tugged his clothes back into their original locations in a desperate and futile effort to cover his embarrassment.

"You're going to tell her about your eyesight." It was not a question.

"Ah, the party is about to begin! We should get inside, or we'll be late." Break grabbed the crook of Liam's elbow and pulled him towards the hall.

"Don't change the subject! Wait, Xerx!" His fingers itched with the compulsion to clean his glasses.

OOOOOOOO

Still getting used to writing these two, but I just could not resist.

I've always wondered about how feasible it is to actually use Eques to transport someone. I mean, Sharon opens a big gaping hole next to herself, but she's sending people through into someone else's shadow. This wouldn't be a problem in nice, low light situations where the shadows are good and long, but if you're standing outside at noon or in, say, a ballroom with chandeliers (only overhead lighting), you might inadvertently wind up between someone's legs...

It's a completely logical reason for Break to have his hand up Liam's tunic XD