Author's Note: Back to our regularly scheduled program! As always, thanks for sticking with me!
Matt's first inclination that Bonnefoy's staff were a little...less than traditional, was when Chelles sent him down to the wine cellar to do a general dusting and he found two of the staff getting a bit too close amidst the older vintages.
"Oh, jeez!" Matt yelped, jumping backwards. There was an answering, higher-pitched yelp from the shadows of the cellar and the general fumbling sounds of two people separating. Matt winced as he heard the sound of a zipper being done up.
"I'm...I'm so sorry!" he apologized frantically, backing away and holding the duster in front of him as some sort of defense.
"Wait, it's okay, hold on!" came a voice - it seemed to be the one responsible for the yelp earlier. Matt backed up a few more paces to the bottom of the stairs but obediently waited. Eventually a young man came into the dim cellar light, his blonde hair slightly tousled and his violet eyes worried. He was quite short - this was exaggerated by the tall man that came looming after him. He, like the shorter man, also had blonde hair, though it was shorter than the former's, and green eyes. He had a terrifying expression on his face like he was about to rip the other man's head off, and Matt instinctively recoiled.
"H-hello." he began babbling. "I'm really sorry, I had no idea anyone was down here, Chelles told me to come down and dust, I - "
"It's really okay." the shorter man said softly, a blush painting his features. "We...we're not really supposed to be down here, it wasn't your fault at all."
Matt relaxed slightly - the tall man stood frozen, eyes boring into Matt's, but he didn't move so the Canadian figured he was in the clear. "I'm Matthew Williams." he said politely. "I'm new."
"I figured." the shorter one smiled. "I'm Tino Väinämöinen. This is my...friend, Berwald Oxenstierna." he gestured behind him and Berwald gave a solemn nod.
"H'lo."
"Hi." Matt shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Do you, uh...have you worked here long?"
"Only half a year or so." Tino supplied, looking as embarrassed as Matt felt. "Berwald's worked here longer."
"Ab't a y'r." the big man supplied. Matt was finding it hard to understand Berwald, as the man sounded like he was speaking through a mouthful of marbles.
"Do you like working here?" he pressed on. Both Berwald and Tino shrugged in unison.
"S'alr't." Berwald spoke for the both of them. "B't strang' but n'thin' we h'vn't seen b'for'."
"A b-bit strange?" Matt clarified. Tino laughed.
"Don't worry about it, Berwald was just teasing." he assured. Matt looked dubiously back at Berwald. The man didn't look like he could actually tease, let alone change his face from the stoic mask it was now.
Matt nodded nonetheless, and Tino gently grasped Berwald's sleeve. "I think we'd better go now." he said, and Berwald's face relaxed into what one could almost call a smile. Tino turned back to Matt, adding, "But it was nice to meet you, Matthew. We'll see you around."
Matt waited a while after the two men had left, until his face was less crimson. As soon as he ascended the cellar stairs Chelles was on him, face torn between horror and amusement.
"I'm so sorry, Matthew!" she gasped. "I completely forgot that they..."
"It-it's okay, Chelles." Matt assured her. "I was just...taken off guard."
The girl cast a sly look at him, and giggled a bit, unable to hold in her laughter.
"Say, Chelles." Matt said suddenly, looking sideways at her. "Does Roderich know about Tino and..."
"No!" Chelles replied quickly, shaking her head. "Please, keep it to yourself. Mr. Edelstein doesn't approve of work relationships. I mean, he's never fired anyone because of it, but I don't want to get Tino and Berwald in trouble."
Matt agreed to not spread it around, though he made Chelles swear that she would be more careful before sending him down into the cellar again.
Strangely, walking in on members of the staff getting it on was only the tip of the iceberg on Matt's bad morning. He had woken up only to remember, in horror, that Ivan had fallen asleep in his room after Gilbert's late night phone call (well, if by remembered Matt meant that he woke up with Ivan's knee in the middle of his back and figured the rest out from there).
He had flailed around a bit, which didn't seem to faze a half-asleep Ivan, who allowed himself to be shoved off the bed by a frantic Canadian. The big man had lumbered sleepily around to find his slippers, then left the room with a few Russian phrases muttered under his breath. Matt had almost been late, had pulled on the slacks and dress shirt he had been expected to wear to work and had thundered downstairs for breakfast. Feliks looked rather insulted that Matt didn't have time to sit down for a "proper" breakfast, but allowed him to make some toast and bring some tea with him in a carrying mug.
Arthur caught him while he was leaving (Eduard was driving again - Arthur was apparently reluctant to let members of the team be seen around Francis's estate). The British man still looked disapproving, and had reminded him to "watch his footing around Bonnefoy". Matt didn't really appreciate the tone Arthur had used and it had only made his mood worse.
Doing odd chores was helping take Matt's mind off things, however, and he was even humming to himself as he ran the vacuum up and down the hallway. He didn't even notice the man standing in front of him until he ran the vacuum into his foot.
Matt looked up, startled. It was one of the gardeners, the older one, Sadiq. He gave Matt a lop-sided grin. "Hey. You the newbie?" he asked.
Matt, still looking surprised, nodded. "Y-yes."
"Good. I need yer help." the man motioned for Matt to follow him and began to walk away. Matt was dismayed to see that he was tracking dirt from the gardens all over the floor he'd just vacuumed.
"W-wait, I need to finish vacuuming!" Matt protested, and Sadiq turned on his heel, looking annoyed.
"Yer done. Looks clean enough." he surmised. Matt pointed at his boots with a little irritation.
"Oh." Sadiq had the grace to look sheepish, and shuffled his feet, knocking more dirt off them. "Sorry. Look, I'll go back out and you find me in the gardens. Ya know where they are, right? And be quick, yeah?"
Matt frowned at the man's straight-forwardness, but nodded nonetheless. Sadiq gave him a careless wave before setting off down the hallway. Matt sighed and flicked on the vacuum cleaner.
Taking care of Sadiq's mess only took a few extra minutes, and soon Matt was stepping outside in the sunlight, searching for the dark-haired man. He was by one of the flower beds, arguing heatedly with the other gardener, the sleepy-looking Heracles. Between them were several piles of weeds.
"I'm tellin' ya kid, just save us both the trouble and take 'em to the garbage!" Sadiq was growling.
"I'm not going to." Heracles was steadfast, crossing his arms across his broad chest.
Matt approached them hesitantly. "Hello?" he asked. "What did you need me to do, Sadiq?"
"Y'see!" Matt flinched as Sadiq jabbed a finger in his direction. "Now I gotta get this poor kid to do yer dirty work!"
"Why don't you do it, then?" Heracles asked, glowering at the elder man. Sadiq looked offended.
"Well...'cause...'cause I asked you to do it!" he finally snorted. "And I have seniority so you should at least have some respect."
Heracles laughed. "Yeah, just because you're an old geezer doesn't mean I have to respect you."
"Brat." Sadiq snarled from between his teeth and for a moment the gardeners simply stood there and stared each other down.
Matt sighed. "So...do you have garbage bags to put these weeds in?" he asked tiredly. The two broke from their stare-down and gestured to a pile of trash bags under the beech tree. Matt got started.
Heracles and Sadiq eventually started to do something - Heracles helped rake the weeds into the bag, while Sadiq continued weeding. It was a hot day, and Matt's reluctance to take his shirt off like Heracles suggested was met with gentle ridicule from both men.
"We do it all the time, it's no big deal." Heracles assured, shrugging his shirt off his shoulders as he spoke. Both of them were tanned Mediterranean types, in good shape from all the outdoor work, and when they finally convinced Matt to shed his shirt, the Canadian was embarrassed by his slight frame and pale skin.
"Don't get much sun where you come from, kid?" Sadiq asked with a snort, holding out a tanned arm in comparison to Matt's. Matt blushed.
"Leave him alone." Heracles ordered, though he was looking at the size of Matt's biceps (or lack thereof) with some doubt.
They instructed Matt where to put the weeds (in the trash located by the servant entrance 'round the back of the house), and so Matt set off on a laborious trip out of the gardens, around the side of the house, and to the garbage where he deposited the bag of clippings. He was already sweating in the heat, and wished he had a tie to pull his hair back (it wouldn't help much, as his hair was at that awkward "too short to be long and too long to be short" phase, but it would be a relief nonetheless).
He made several more trips before he had to take a break, leaning against a tree in the shade while he blocked out the sound of Heracles and Sadiq arguing, instead taking the time to admire the outside of the villa. There was a large balcony overlooking this particular area of the garden, and it took Matt a few seconds to realize Francis was leaning over the railing, watching him.
Francis looked impeccably causal, like he'd just gotten up, run a hand through his hair, and gone outside. Matt could see Francis's brilliantly white smile, and the wink the Frenchman gave him even from here.
Matt blushed. Then, feeling awkward and self-conscious of his shirtless-ness, he lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers. Francis laughed, a sound Matt could hear from down in the garden, and that only made him blush more.
"Oi, kid, what's the hold up?" Sadiq asked brashly, and Matt dropped his eyes to the loud-mouthed gardener. When he looked back up Francis had disappeared again. The burly man followed Matt's gaze and smirked. "Oh. I see."
"No, I - " Matt started to say, but Sadiq simply clapped a hand on his shoulder and said, "C'mon, you've got more work ta do."
Sadiq and Heracles thanked Matt cordially enough, though they seemed to be competing against who could give the most sincere thanks in the end. Matt was sweaty and tired and just wanted to retreat back into the coolness of the house.
Matt had just walked back in when Elizaveta turned the corner and spotted him. "Oh! Matthew!" She all but ran towards him and grabbed his elbow.
"I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"S-sorry!" Matt apologized as the Hungarian woman began dragging him down the hall. "I was out helping Sadiq and Heracles in the garden..."
"It's all right, just come with me. I need to make lunch for the staff and Mr. Bonnefoy and I need you to deliver lunch to the security team."
"Oh, sure." Matt was relieved when it wasn't a heavy chore, but changed his mind when he reached the kitchen and was loaded up with a large tray of food - he caught sight of two bowls of soup, two sandwiches, a small plate of assorted chopped vegetables and two drinks before the Canadian had to stoop to deal with the load.
Elizaveta looked pleased. "Thank you, dear."
Matt found the security room without too much difficulty, all things considering. The tray was starting to make his arms ache, and he risked shifting the tray to one arm in order to quickly knock on the door.
After a few seconds the blonde with the rifle, Vash, opened the door with an affronted look. "Yes?" he asked.
"I...Elizaveta sent me to bring you lunch." Matt explained - he was hoping Vash would take the tray from him before he dropped it, but the man simply gestured for him to come inside.
The glimpse Matt had of the room beforehand was a pretty accurate glimpse; the security room was all business, bleak and impersonal. The girl he had saw earlier turned from her computer to give him a cheery smile. She looked impossibly young (thought maybe it was similar to the "Raivis-effect"?), with blonde hair tied with a ribbon. She looked similar to Vash in regards to hair colour and facial features - perhaps they were siblings?
Matt put the tray down on the nearest uncluttered surface and when he turned the girl had gotten up out of her seat.
"Hi." she said shyly. "I'm Lili."
"I'm Matt." he waved awkwardly. "Hi."
Lili giggled. "Hi."
"So are...you in charge of all these computers?" Matt asked, gesturing to the banks of machines. He tried to keep his facial expression neutral, but inside he conflicted; on one hand he was amazed at the hi-tech devices currently in front of him, but at the same time there was nervousness at finally doing what he was here to do.
Lili nodded. "Yup. We're in charge of central security - at least, the technological part of it. There's a security guard that patrols the grounds in the evening, but otherwise it's all cameras and sensors!"
Vash shot a displeased look at Lili, but the girl ignored him. Matt gaped, impressed. "That's amazing! Just the two of you?" he confirmed. Lili blushed at his praised, and nodded.
"Yes, it's just Brother and me. It's pretty simple, the machines can all be controlled from a few main banks. It looks more impressive than it is."
"No, it's fascinating!" The nerd in Matt twitched his fingers greedily, itching to plop down in Lili's chair and explore. "How do you keep track of everything? This house is so big!"
It was Vash who spoke up now, taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches. "You get used to it, actually. Most of the action around Mr. Bonnefoy's house is quite regulated - that is, most servants have routine jobs that require them to do the same things day after day. After awhile you get used to the pattern and you can pick out when things aren't as they should be. We've been watching you for most of the day, actually, since you're new and you don't really have a place in the staff yet."
"It doesn't just take a talent with computer to be Bonnefoy's security!" Lili winked, chomping merrily on a carrot stick. "Both Brother and I have really keen eyes!"
Matt didn't doubt it, what with the constant weapon Vash kept around him.
"And do you often have to...chase intruders off the property?" he asked the blonde man pointedly, referring to the gun.
Vash shifted the weapon and stroked a gloved hand over the barrel with an almost fond touch. "Believe it or not, I intimidate enough people without firing a shot." he said blatantly.
Lili giggled. "Brother's just kidding." she explained, casting an adoring glance at Vash. "We've never really had any major disturbances - once a drunk guy went streaking across the front lawn, but Brother's a very good shot and didn't hit him."
"You fired a gun at him for streaking?" Matt subconsciously took a step back from the man, who looked unfazed by his response. Vash shrugged.
"He hopped the fence. The sign clearly says "No Trespassing" in several different languages."
Matt didn't really know what to say to that. Lili was smiling at her brother like it was a normal occurrence, so Matt forced one of his own.
"Well, uhm...I really should be getting back to work." he told the pair, inching towards the door. "It was very...nice to meet you, Lili. Uhm. See you around."
"Oh! Okay!" Lili gave him a sunny smile. "See you soon, Matt!"
Jesus, Matt breathed out as he speed walked away from the security room. I'd hate to be on the wrong side of that guy.
"Brother," Lili was saying back in the security room as she accepted the bowl of soup she handed to him. "I think you scared Matt."
"Good." Vash grunted. "It's good to teach the newbies that they shouldn't try to slack off."
When Matt returned to Arthur's, he discovered that Ludwig and Gilbert had returned from Italy. When he asked what sort of weapons they'd bought, neither German brother would disclose very much, only that it was "top-notch quality" (Gilbert) and "would help them a lot" (Ludwig) but "probably wouldn't be used on people, don't spazz out, blondie" (Gilbert again).
Over dinner, Arthur grilled Matt on his day, and Matt felt proud when he actually had information to give - about the security system, how he had seen something similar in university and could probably manage it, and how freaky that Vash guy was. Arthur looked impressed at what he had to say, and had a few praising words to give him. Alfred clapped him on the shoulder, looking proud of his baby brother.
Matt didn't mention Francis on the balcony; nor did he mention how the Frenchman had passed him in the hallways coming in from a meeting in the late afternoon.
"Hot day, isn't it Mathieu?" he had asked, and Matt, thinking that the attention Francis had paid to him previously was simply the boss being nice to the newbie, was caught off guard.
"Er, yes. I - I saw you on the balcony, were you enjoying the weather?"
"Oh, yes." Francis's face was positively delighted. "I saw you too."
Matt blushed. "Y-yeah, I was, uhm. I was helping Sadiq with the gardening and it got really hot so I..."
"No need to be so bashful, mon cher." Francis waved him off with a sly grin on his face. "Everyone enjoyed the view, I'm sure."
Matt was tempted to ask if everyone included Francis himself, but instead Francis placed a hand on his shoulder, leaned in close and whispered, "Malheureusement, I must agree with Sadiq. I cannot wait to see you with a little sun on you."
Luckily Arthur assumed that Matt had taken his advice to keep his distance from Francis - though it could hardly be his fault, Matt thought crossly as he finished his meal, if Francis insisted on saying and doing these things.
(Besides, it wasn't like he didn't enjoy them...)
END CHAPTER EIGHT
Author's Note: Comparing this to my other chapters, I have never experienced so many spell check errors in my life until it came to writing Berwald's dialogue. Tino's surname didn't help, either.
Also... "Say, Chelles" is what I've been waiting seven chapters for. Just so you know. D:
