Five
July 11 - October 6, 2003

Words: 819

This series of short ficlets is based on a challenge and inspired by Brigdh's Five Things That Never Happened to Hisoka and Evil Asian Genius' Four - both wonderful fics in the Yami no Matsuei fandom. The basic outline of the challenge is that you pick one character and write five AU vignettes centered around that him/her. My character: Riff. Because I am eternally lazy in thinking up good titles, I used song names from the album The Young and the Hopeless by Good Charlotte and stuck them in where they might fit the best.

This is the first vignette in Five, although it was actually the third I wrote. This one's for you, Lyn. Forgive me if the wording seems a bit odd at times...! Thank you to all who read and gave their opinions when I first wrote it! And a big thanks to Erin French for pointing out the "photograph" error!



One: The Young and the Hopeless

A kiss received on the neck - two, three; each one barely chaste, but not asking of anything more. And Riff didn't ask for anything more, as he knew he had already had his time in the spotlight of the master's affections...at least, until he called upon Riff's services once more. Quiet, languid sighs dominated the atmosphere, growing as if with passion, but then receding until there was barely anything left. Riff loved afternoons like that, where his master called upon him for pleasure and devoted his attention for an hour or two solely to the willing servant.

After all, that's what Riff did best.

He couldn't exactly recall how long ago it was when the master gave him a job as a servant to the Hargreaves household... It seemed silly for him to not know, though, seeing as how it was near when he lost almost everything; the only thing he had left was his life. Not even his dignity survived.

Riff could honestly say that he truly hated his younger brother. Had the opportunity arisen, or had Riff been that type of person, perhaps he would have burned the house, the evidence, everything down to the ground. But as it was, his childhood home still stood with his brother gloating glory at being the favorite son...the only son, as their father had seen to it...

Being born as Rifel Raffit, he had come from a strict, no nonsense, and law-abiding family - a good family with high morals. But that was the problem; they had no tolerance for "sexual deviants", especially within the family. Namely, homosexuals like Riff. As long as no one knew, though, there was hardly a problem with it...but his younger brother Clyde found out a few years ago, at what Riff would call an unjust invasion of privacy. A courtship and engagement with an influential woman, the daughter of the hospital director, while off at medical school served as a suitable cover for Riff's "abnormality", as the rest of the world saw it. Clyde wasn't deterred by this farce, though, and after revealing to her what his brother really was, even eloped with her on what was supposed to be their wedding day.

And for a year, that was alright with Riff; he spent a good portion of that year purposefully playing unjustly victimized to his parents in order for them to look down harshly upon their youngest son. He was free to practice his sexuality, and no one had any suspicions whatsoever... Until Clyde, broke and in debt, came back and revealed absolutely everything through rumors and letters about Riff.

That was when his world collapsed.

Riff was horribly bitter at being cast out of the family by the man and woman who raised him and made him into who he was, who unwittingly shaped everything about him. However, though his family turned their backs on him, the Earl of Hargreaves took him in and even gave him a place in the household daily life.

He was employed as a servant but of a different kind; one that did no cooking or cleaning.

In all actuality, Riff liked his job and the man he worked for. The other servants were nice, but they did give him strange looks at times. Riff was well aware of the rumor circulating around the Hargreaves household...how his duties didn't include casually doing the odd job... It didn't bother him, though, that they hit the truth at times. All that mattered to Riff was that his master was satisfied.

And this afternoon Riff had apparently done that very well.

Settled on his master's shoulder with his lips idly at his neck, Riff gave a muffled sigh in relaxation as he felt the master's strong voice vibrate. "I have a meeting with Lord Campbell soon..."

"Mm, don't go..." the servant protested languidly as he wrapped his arms around his master's neck.

The Earl of Hargreaves let out a low chuckle as he stroked Riff's pale hair, "I'll be back later tonight, my pet, and we shall continue this then..."

Riff sat up on an elbow and bent down to give a kiss on the cheek. "Mm, nice..." He breathed a soft sigh as his master cupped him by the chin and gave a long, lingering kiss to his moist lips.

A few moments afterward, the earl released the kiss and sat up to get out of the bed fully. "Until I return, you have the rest of the day off," he instructed as he gathered fresh clothes and methodically attired himself, with Riff as a voyeur. Once his clothing was on and situated, he bent by the bed again and gave the smirking Riff a brief kiss on the lips. "Wait for me to return, will you Rifel?"

As Riff watched his beloved master move across the room to leave, he replied simply with full obedience, "Of course...Alexis-sama."