This is my first story for Pandora Hearts. I'm a total Break fangirl. Seriously. I love him. This however is OzXGil pre-abyss fluff. Hope you enjoy! Drop a review if you can :)
Oz had never told Gilbert this, but he had a habit of checking on him while the younger boy slept. After Gilbert's breathing had slowed to a gentle whisper and his face had relaxed into serene slumber Oz would inch the door open and sit by his bed. He would perch his rear on the nightstand and watch Gil's still form. Watching his sleeping servant made Oz feel more relaxed and comfortable than any other time during the day because usually, no matter what Oz was doing, he would always feel out of place. Like he belonged somewhere else. Like he wasn't there. But with Gilbert's rhythmic breathing and his own heartbeat as the only sounds he could hear, he felt undeniably real.
This habit had started shortly after Gilbert had appeared in the Vessalius garden, injured and unconscious. Gilbert had become Oz's personal servant (and playmate) and been given a room adjacent to Oz's own. Uncle Oscar had said this was only until Gilbert was old enough to live in the servants quarters but Oz had been thrilled at the idea and had firmly agreed that it was for the best. Even when Gilbert had insisted that a mere servant shouldn't be allowed one of the bedrooms reserved for nobles and their guests, Oz refused to listen to Gilbert's pleas as he imagined all the adventures they could have in the darkened mansion after everyone else had gone to sleep. He had always wanted to sneak into the library at night and look at what was in the books that he wasn't allowed to read 'until he was older'. As well as the kitchens so he could eat his heart's fill of the egg pudding Ms. Kate would only let him have half-a-bowl of; and now he finally had a partner in crime! He couldn't wait for night to fall!
He had laid in bed after turning out the lights and listened to the sound of the house getting ready for the night. The maids shuffled towards their quarters talking quietly after finishing drawing the curtains. His uncle's heavy footsteps left his study and headed for the bedroom at the end off the hall. Soon it was quiet. He slipped his feet out of the covers and into the slippers that awaited them. The air was cool with only his nightgown but that only made it more exhilarating. Carrying a candle in one hand he turned the knob to his bedroom door and pulled it open just enough so he could slide out and creep deftly to Gilbert's new room. As his hand hovered just above the knob, a whimper from within almost startled the candle holder out of his fingers. Gripping the holder tighter he leaned his ear against the cool wood of the door. A faint whimper and what sounded like muffled sobs could be heard beyond the threshold. Oz wavered for a moment with his hand on the handle, unsure, but he knew how lonely it was without parents to tuck you in at night and assure you there were no monsters under your bed, so he opened the door and walked in.
Gilbert was curled into a ball on his side and crying and whispering something into his knees.
"Gilbert, are you alright?" Oz called gently as he walked toward the shivering boy on the bed. No reply.
"Hey, Gilbert?" He placed his hand tentatively on the boy's shoulder. The shoulder shook under his fingertips and the boy continued to cry. He was asleep. That must be it, the boy was having a nightmare! Oz shook the shoulder a little to test his guess. Confirming it when a gentle push revealed the boy's face. His eyes shut tightly and tears leaking pathetically from the creases. Oz shook him a little harder.
"Wake up. It's ok. It's only a dream." The boy whimpered and mumbled something while tears gushed with new vigor from his closed eyes. Oz placed the candle beside the bed and carefully held the boys shoulders and gave them a stiff shake.
"You're just dreaming." Gilbert sat up and his eyes fluttered open releasing more tears and revealing murky gold. His eyes darted around the room briefly not registering anything until they met Oz's and stopped as if transfixed by the bright green. Oz thought for a moment Gilbert was alright then, but as he stared down into the gold irises a new wave of tears drown them and the boy blinked and blearily dropped his gaze.
"M-m-m. . .ster I-I-I. . ." A violent sob jerked his body forward and his forehead gently bumped Oz's chest. ". . .sorry. I'm s-s-so so s-sorry." Oz didn't understand what he was apologizing for and wasn't sure what to do for a moment. Gilbert continued his apologetic mantra into Oz's chest until Oz's instincts began to tell him to hold the shaking boy. He hesitated for a moment but the other boy looked so small he couldn't help but feel pity for him. The way Gilbert had looked into his eyes with a mixture of guilt and pain, that raw emotion had moved something within him and he felt the urge to protect the boy. The same urge that had moved his body when the vase had fallen earlier that day. He had promised to protect his servant, hadn't he.
"Shhh, it's ok." Oz whispered as he pulled the boy to his chest. The apologies stopped and Oz hushed the sobs while smoothing ruffled black hair. As if soothed by the sound of Oz's heartbeat the sobs turned to hiccups and the hiccups into shallow breathing. Oz held Gilbert protectively in his arms for a while longer until the long even breaths told him the small boy was fast asleep.
He gently lowered the boy's head onto the pillow and pulled the sheets around the sleeping form.
"Sweet dreams Gil."
He picked up the candle and went back to his own room. Kicking the slippers off, he wiggled back into his covers and closed his eyes. All he could think about was Gil's tear ridden face and his heart-wrenching voice as he choked out apology after apology. What had happened to the boy before he had come to the Vessalius household? What had he done that needed to be apologized for over and over again? His eye's had been so sad. Oz couldn't sleep, questions and thoughts of his new servant plagued his mind, and soon he could hear birds outside his window greeting the sun before it broke over the horizon. Oz panicked a bit at the sound. He'd really gotten himself a troublesome servant. A servant that keeps his master awake all night definitely needed to be scolded. His tired mind thought of embarrassing Gilbert at the breakfast table by telling everyone present how Gil had been crying like a baby all night and had even kept Oz awake with it! Yeah, Gil would probably blush like crazy. Oz thought Gil seemed like he'd be fun to tease, he wasn't sure why he thought that, but he didn't bother to think more about it as he slipped into long awaited sleep.
Waking only hours later and feeling grumpy Oz was set to fulfill his plan as he sat down. But a warm smile and a cute "Good morning, young master!" changed his mind and he pouted with a vague blush on his cheeks while Uncle Oscar questioned his strange demeanor.
Even though he would occasionally consider using Gil's nightmares as a weapon for teasing the timid boy, he never did end up mentioning it. He didn't want to worry the other just as he was adjusting to his new home. At night Oz would stir awake at the slightest noise from Gilbert's room and be there to check on him before he had even rubbed the sleep from his own eyes. Gilbert never seemed to remember the episodes, and Oz though it would be fine that way. Oz held the crying boy to his chest almost every night for the first couple of weeks but eventually Gil's night terrors decreased. Oz fell into the habit of checking on Gilbert even if there was no sound from next door before he went to sleep himself. Soon enough the dreams seemed to stop entirely. Still, Oz would wait for the house to fall quite before tip-toeing down the hall to watch his sleeping servant's chest rise and fall in calm sleep. Eventually Oz's original idea of having Gil as a partner for late-night adventures in the big dark house got carried out, despite Gil's warnings of 'how much trouble they will get in if they get caught!' The house fell into a comfortable rhythm and Oz stopped having any thoughts about Gil's mysterious past because his head was much too full of the Gil that was beside him right now.
Thank you for reading! See you next time!