Jareth swung open the door and let Toby find his own way in. The entire Castle was currently heaving a sigh of relief because light had finally begun to show in the darkness.
"Can you see anything?" Jareth called over his shoulder.
"Only a lot of light and hazy shapes," Toby muttered back, attempting not to fall over the chair he wanted to sit on, "What is that?"
"A book. Give it to me, please. The last thing I need is for you to start damaging my property." Jareth confiscated the book and set it on his desk. He glanced at the photo and silently wished that Sarah were here to handle this. He was sure that she would do a much better job with delivering the news to her baby brother than he ever could. In fact, he was sure that Toby would find some way of blaming him for it.
"Jareth, is something wrong? The silence is deafening me." The mortal squinted at the vaguely human shape hovering somewhere in front of him. Now that things were clearing up, his patience had all but vanished into thin air, making him squirm restlessly for having to sit still for long periods of time with nothing to do.
"I have two subjects to discuss with you," Jareth began slowly, "One would be the conversation that you held with Elban today."
Toby's face went blank.
"Toby, you have to tell me whether he means to speak with Beran or not. I cannot stand the two of them moping around me any longer and I am about to do something to remedy it."
The straight nose wrinkled. "What are you going to do?"
"Throw them both out," Jareth answered promptly.
"That is not fair!"
"I never said it was. I said it was a remedy for my nerves. Honestly! If they need act a tragedy in my halls, they might at least write a decent script and let me charge admission. Then I would not have to collect taxes. Which reminds me, I have to collect taxes."
"They were due last month," Toby sighed, "And I think Gonzo has already arranged it. He mentioned something about leaving the papers on your desk."
The Goblin King raised an eyebrow and hunted diligently for a second. Under the heavy sheet of cream paper that had served to make him grimace in anticipation of another screaming fight, he found what Toby was referring to- a letter, attached to a lot of notes, attached to a summary of logistics.
"Ah," he approved, glancing quickly over it, "So I do have money in the treasury. Splendid. I can have the roofs of the Goblin City painted. Brown? Naturally. The goblins would probably get confused if I used a new colour. Heaven forbid we change anything."
"Jareth, I think you are being a little nasty," Toby demurred, "The goblins just do not like change."
"They should! When I give an order I expect it to be obeyed."
Toby stifled a grin. He might have known that it was about Jareth's ego. But he swallowed his humour and went back to the topic, mildly preparing to finish the subject as painlessly as he could. "Jareth, about Elban."
"Yes?"
"I really cannot tell you. He spoke to me in the strictest confidence and I cannot break that. He made me promise."
"So did Beran," Jareth remarked wryly, "And I am perfectly prepared to do whatever I have to do to force their hands."
"Why? It is surely none of our business."
"Perhaps not yours, Toby. But certainly mine."
"Forgive me, but the break-up of a marriage is a moral issue. In which case it is the Duke's business."
"The Duke is a fool," Jareth said disparagingly, "He got the two of us stuck in this situation in the first place. A coming-of-age for a mortal!" He spat the words like poison. "Senile old twit!"
Toby winced, hoping that the Duke did not cross paths with the Goblin King anytime soon. Otherwise, he might find himself being sharply but firmly verbally abused by a tongue that never seemed to have trouble making the corresponding brain's brisk opinions perfectly clear.
"Be that as it may," the fae continued, "I cannot put up with them any more. Thirty-eight years and I have spent half that time being a sanctuary or part of the problem!"
Toby secretly considered Jareth part of the problem, but wisely held his tongue. He was only just regaining his sight after seven days. The last thing he needed was to get into another argument again. This time he might not be lucky enough to recover from whatever Jareth chose to do to him. On the other hand- "You certainly have not helped, from the way Elban describes it."
"He told you about my interference, I suppose."
"He might have mentioned it."
Jareth smirked slightly and leaned back. "Toby, do you really believe Elban at this time? He is upset. He is emotional. And I am sure he believes everything he says right now, but the truth is that he has a bad habit of exaggerating when he is in this mood."
"It is not my business," Toby said stoically, "I am not going to get involved."
"You really will not tell me anything about that conversation?"
Toby stayed silent and drummed his fingers casually on the arm of the chair.
"Fine. Consider the topic closed. I will have to think of something later. The second thing I want to discuss with you is our little situation."
The mortal froze, a look of incredulous horror on his face. Toby had not been expecting to hear Jareth bring that up. True, there were a few things he would like to say in theory but he had resigned himself for the past three days to never speaking of them out loud. It was a sensitive matter. And neither of them was particularly sensitive.
"Breathe, brat, you are turning blue."
Toby gulped in a breath and spluttered as his lungs made their presence felt. He coughed, taking a moment to hide his face in his hands. But the moment passed all too soon and he had to look back up. It was a vulnerable situation to be in. He could not see the Goblin King's face. He had no real reference to judge the effect of whatever he said. And though his hearing and his perceptions seemed to be working overtime, it was not the same as his sight. He didn't like this.
"No matter what we would like to be doing for the rest of the year," Jareth said softly, "The fact is that you are still twenty-five and I am still your educator. We need to sort out what we are going to do about that."
"We could continue as we are doing now," Toby suggested hopefully, "We talk and I will not pretend that your opinions do not interest me. But in general if we leave each other well alone, no harm…"
"No."
"But…"
"No. I have a duty. I mean to fulfil it."
Toby took a deep breath- "I am a fully grown adult. There might be a lot you can teach me but I doubt I will ever be in a position to rule the Underground."
"You might, you know. When this year is over and you take your citizenship, you might find that politics is a field you enjoy." He noted the look of indecision on that honest face and sighed. "Toby, this is not any promise that I made before a crowd of my people. This is the promise I made to your sister."
"To Sarah?"
"I promised I would make sure you were taken care of. Part of that is to make sure you are mentally and emotionally equipped to deal with anything in this world. Responsible as you are, I think you will find that you have been very sheltered in my mother's care. Not her fault; she does not have the energy or the contacts to raise another child in our society. But I do. I can offer you a lot."
Toby nodded slowly. "I suppose so." He wracked his brains for just a minute, before coming to an instinctive decision. "So what do you expect from me in return?"
"Nothing."
"Not true. I do not know you, Jareth, but I know enough about you to know that you never do something for nothing. You have been very nice to me for the past three days, possibly to make it impossible for me to refuse you this. Now what do you want?"
When the Goblin King answered, it was in pure curiosity, with no hint of anger or pain."What do you think I want?"
"I have no idea," the mortal protested, emphasizing his lack of answers with his hands, "I have nothing that I see you in need of. But then I have never pretended to know your mind."
"And you think I have some devious plan that involves you?"
Toby shrugged. "The term 'devious' was yours, not mine. I simply know you always have a plan."
How interesting, the Goblin King noted, and not entirely unfounded. He generally did always have a plan. And in this case, he had a definite plan. But not one that he thought Toby would ever guess. He weighed his options and selected one path, shutting his eyes instantly to any consideration for the other path. The half-truth would do for the moment. "I admit you have a point- I like everything to have a place in my life. But you will learn that not everything makes its importance known straight away. I think you will be one of those things. And I would like us to establish a relationship in which we can at least be mutually helpful if not friendly."
Toby turned that over in his mind. "This will work both ways," he pointed out.
"I am going to educate you, Toby. You have the protection of my name and my position. You cannot discount that."
"No." Something about the way he said it, made the Goblin King think that Toby found that detail ironic. "I am the Goblin King's ward. That is, unfortunately, not enough. You did blind me, you know."
"You were as much to blame for your injury as I am and you know it. We shall not argue about that now." Jareth stood up and went to absently drop some papers into a box on the shelves around the room. When he turned back, Toby was standing as well, blue eyes narrowed and blinking as they tried to see him. "Fair enough. My protection is not enough. You have my experience at your command?"
"No. I have no interest in laws and in playing people one against the other to gain results. That is too deadly a game for me."
Jareth laughed and then walked past, patting his ward on the shoulder as he passed him. He pulled the curtains open and leaned out the window for a minute, taking a second to check on his kingdom before coming back to his mind and to the purpose at hand. "What is it you want, then?"
"Your respect," Toby said instantly, "And I would like to keep that offer of help open for when I really need it."
"You want my respect? You have to earn it. It does not come free."
"I know. But is there, in all seriousness, anything I have actively done to you to make you dislike me?"
Something rang in those words, enough so that Jareth narrowed his eyes in thought. "Are you referring to something in particular?"
"I have spies," Toby admitted humorously, "One of whom informed me of a recent conversation with the Lady Pandora. I am quite aware that I am not the type of person you like, but I hardly think that I have done anything to be disliked! And with you I find that dislike equals to disrespect. I can put aside your dislike, but I will not accept disrespect."
Odder and odder. Jareth was beginning to actuallymake an effort to think for the conversation. Toby was bringing up odd angles all the time and his thoughts had to stretch just a little to arrange his words effectively. "Deal. I will attempt to make my peace with you. If you meet me halfway? We agreed on equal responsibility at the start of this surreal year."
"We will continue to share that responsibility," Toby agreed, holding out his hand.
Jareth shook it amiably and couldn't resist a smile. Toby was so serious, so earnest. The Goblin King made such deals with a twist of the lips and a swallowed laugh. Every deal had a loophole and he almost always managed to extract what he needed without much exertion on his part. Toby would be easier than most, but strangely enjoyable. That neat gravity made Jareth want to see him lose his composure again. Just for a while. Just enough to see him lose his breath and stare with wide-open blue eyes. Perhaps even a little desperate? Perhaps.
"So tell me" Jareth teased gently, "Do you like me?"
Toby grinned back and bobbed his head. "You have your charms. But I think you know that."
"Ah! Charms! It explains the fiasco with Ezreeka." Jareth was not just being flippant. He still could not figure out why exactly Toby had gotten so angry.
Toby bit his lip, looking a little embarrassed, and then he squared his shoulder and tilted his chin defiantly. "Something like that, yes. I, er, am a little possessive." He seemed to wrestle with something for a minute and then said, "I will not apologize for that, Jareth. I will do it again if I need to. I really don't care how good she is. Get rid of her."
Jareth looked momentarily startled. Not unnaturally so- no one had ever asked him to give up any aspect of his life before. And Ezreeka was a convenience that he had weighed and found permissible a long time ago. He was not about to give up his elf. He said so, noticing the words came out more pointed than he had intended.
But Toby did not react. He just shrugged, his face determined. "I will not share; neither my bed, nor my lover."
"I am not your lover," Jareth said cautiously, "We had sex. We did not make love."
Toby raised an eyebrow. "You see a distinction?" he asked.
Jareth's mouth snapped close as he directed an incredulous stare at the mortal. He noticed the firm set of Toby's jaw and the sober look in his eyes in a new light. But, and this was Jareth's essential nature, he saw the irony in the entire situation."Never have," he conceded, "So, I am to give up Ezreeka because you do not want her around? Even if we will never share a bed again?"
"For the rest of the year- yeah," Toby said shortly.
"Why is that?" For all his good humour, Jareth was quite serious about this. Enough that he forbore to step closer to his ward as his instincts prompted him to do.
Toby turned his face away for a heartbeat and looked back with a self-mocking grin. His fingers reached up to pinch his left earlobe, as he hadn't done since he'd been a child. "Call it the territorial instinct of the alpha male."
"I see. Very sure, aren't you."
Toby dropped his hand and waited with bated breath. Obviously he had said something suggestive because that rough voice was laughing at him again. "Very sure about what I can stand," Toby admitted, clearing his throat, "I know we are not in that kind of relationship, but if we ever sleep together again, I ask that you respect my place in your bed."
"Oh, I am quite certain you are sure about all that. But are you sure you are an alpha male?"
The Goblin King was hovering just out of reach now, hands clasped behind his back.
Toby growled and snatched out with his hand to that dark shape. He caught something soft and dragged it closer, and smiled to himself in triumph. Jareth was definitely radiating heat by now, a sure sign that he was contemplating something more along the lines of their previous physical closeness. Toby let his hand reach up to find the source of that warm breath panting so audibly close to him. The soft mouth was slick and invitingly open. Jareth made no move to protect himself or counteract Toby's aggression. He even seemed to prompt it, holding still and letting himself be touched.
Toby was not one to lose control. He really was not. He disliked acting solely on his urges more than anything else. He liked to decide things. But Jareth did not always. And Jareth was all but asking to be kissed senseless. So the mortal swallowed and leaned in as dangerously close as he dared.
"Stop playing your games."
"No games," the fae breathed, "Just an offer."
Toby let go. "Thank you, no."
The Goblin King sighed almost sadly and then nodded and straightened. "Ezreeka will not lose her job or her usual place in my household. But I will refrain from having her."
"Fair enough. Jareth, may I ask you a question?"
"Same rule as always, Toby- I may answer, I may not."
"What exactly are you?"
Amusement swept over the sharp-boned face, lighting the corners of that still parted mouth. "What I appear."
"Yes, well, you appear to be many people. To use a particularly Aboveground expression, are you top or bottom?"
"Both. And neither."
"You're laughing at me."
"With reason. That question was stupid."
"It was a legitimate question!" Toby frowned in some annoyance. "You really are laughing at me."
Jareth chuckled and raised a hand to adjust his collar. "Toby, my preferences have nothing to do with anything."
"Not that I would know," the mortal remarked, "We have yet to do anything that requires a top or a bottom."
Something about the way he said it made the Goblin King stall a minute, tapping one long forefinger against his chin as he pondered that. It was a valid point and Jareth had been avoiding it for a long time now. He had meant to discuss this soon. It looked as if Toby wasn't even aware that there was anything to discuss. "Toby, what do you think I am?" he answered instead, hands on his hips and sharp teeth peeping out in a wide smile.
Toby assessed him quickly in his mind, trying to piece together what little he knew about the male. "Top," he guessed. He remembered Luka's cheerful recitation of the time in an empty dining hall behind a curtain.
Jareth tossed his blond head. "Wrong."
Toby blinked. "You are a bottom?" The incongruity shocked him. Though he didn't know why; there were plenty of stories about Jareth's strangely passive suppliance in bed.
"Wrong again."
"Then what are you?"
"Both. And neither."
Toby huffed in frustration and gave up. "If you did not want to answer the question you could have said so. Forget I asked."
"As you wish."
They sat down and talked of other inconsequential things for the rest of the morning, gradually doing what they always did- they pushed the unpleasantly personal distractions aside and made peace with safer topics.
