Chapter warnings: gendered slurs, misogyny, implied child abuse, animal (pokémon) abuse/death, transphobia

wow uh yes it has been quite some time…..this was not worth such a long wait, but hope you enjoy it anyway! This was an obscenely long chapter (for me) that i don't think i'll be trying to one-up in word-count any time soon.

(secret title: teen ghetsis pisses off his oc siblings OR ghetsis can u stop overanalyzing the hell out of the people you hate part i/part mmv)

Chapter 1 - Hunger

As one of the most esteemed and ancient lineages in Unova, the Harmonias amassed great wealth over the hundreds of years since their establishment. Heir apparent Tiberius used his personal funds to assert himself as most other amoral abusers of power did: gambling, hiring brutish security guards, and employing the occasional whore. Lavinia and Franziska spent their allowances on the latest fashions - currently, fur coats skinned off of floatzel. The majority of Aria's and Brutus' spending contributed to the costly science experiments they were prone to conduct, although the similarities between the two ended there.

No one would doubt that the Harmonian children were well-bred, well-fed, and had any and all whims indulged. The Harmonian children led a charmed life, one might observe from the outside. A legitimate child might, at least.

It had been a few days since Ghetsis had a proper meal. Food was not scarce in the Harmonian household despite what Ghetsis's recent diet may have suggested. The real issue was that the thought of sitting among his half-siblings was sickening, and his presence at every meal even moreso. So, logically it would follow that he vastly preferred passing a few days without anything substantial to eat. This resignation didn't relieve the hunger however.

Loath as he was to admit it, the aroma of spoink being roasted in the kitchens was enough to tempt him into his personal hell: the Harmonian interior. There was no question that he would not be eating this spoink, but Ghetsis was somewhat content with seating himself at the unoccupied dining table to permit himself a sample of it, even if only through smell. Subconsciously, he'd chosen a seat in close proximity to a bowl of berries, and it took effort not to stare. He relented.

Ghetsis's gaze on the bowl of fresh berries lingered a moment too long, as red nails - sharpened into thin points akin to sandslash claws - punctured the topmost rawst berry in the bowl. Already dreading the inevitable discourse to follow, Ghetsis wearily inched his line of sight upwards to include the red stained sneer stretched across Lavinia's face as she took a bite out of the berry. She had done so carefully, yet under the guise of seamlessness so that as she removed the fruit from her lips there would be not a single trace to be spotted in her motion's wake.

"You look absolutely famished, dear," Lavinia said. She pulled a silk handkerchief out of her breast pocket and started dabbing lightly at her mouth.

"Well, that would have been easily alleviated had I not witnessed that disgusting display first." Ghetsis remarked flippantly, his red eye honed in on the miniscule smear of blue juice drying on Lavinia's ring finger. Shrieking a horrid mixture of a sound that was a purrloin yelping in pain and a snubbull rearing to attack, Lavinia re-produced the handkerchief to hastily wipe off the residue. She smoothed her green hair back and recollected herself with a wide grin that tore the bottom of her face open rather than express glee.

"As if you would have the privilege of eating the same food as us. You may be a waste of space, but I would expect someone with an inkling of Harmonian blood in their veins to have some tact in the presence of their superior." The corners of her grin were twitching.

"Oh, please. I have all the freedom in eating the decorated slop served to you if I so desire."

"This frail, sickly figure of yours that you've deteriorated into recently implies otherwise," Lavinia said. Her twitching seemed to have eased considerably, and she preened. Ghetsis supposed that if he were as superficial and vapid as Lavinia he may have been just as pleased with himself for coming up with such a juvenile insult.

Nonetheless, it didn't take long for Ghetsis to resort to name-calling and petty insults about appearance when it came to Lavinia. They tended to work well against her, and Ghetsis allowed himself a moment of immaturity if it meant he could get a rise out of his most shallow, insecure, inferiority complex-ridden half-sister. "Well, next to the snorlax you've made of yourself I suppose I would look quite lean in comparison."

Lavinia shrieked again as Ghetsis made his exit.

The eldest Harmonian daughter had always been the most unbearable of his siblings to deal with. Born only weeks after him seventeen years ago likely catalyzed her thirst to assert superiority over her slightly older, albeit illegitimate brother. Her inferiority complex was exacerbated by the fact that her younger sisters were far more capable, composed, and favorable in disposition than she. Though sharp and ruthless like Harmonian heads had been before her, her emotions peaked frequently, and had proven time and time again to be more indicative of her actions and intentions than her rationale could ever be. Because of this, she was unfit to become head of the Harmonias.

The corridor leading out to gardens was typically the least inhabited of the castle, and Ghetsis had expected it to remain so as he walked straight down the middle. The peace and silence he'd been anticipating however, was immediately shattered as a door to one of the many, usually vacant guest rooms located in the hall creaked open. Ghetsis quickly positioned himself against a wall and behind a tall plant as Tiberius waddled out of the room with a woman on his arm.

Grudgingly keeping an eye on his eldest brother and surveying his surroundings for a quick getaway without being seen, Ghetsis choked down a gag as he witnessed Tiberius shoving his tongue down the woman's throat. The shudder that wracked the woman's body and the fact that her eyes remained wide open as Tiberius ran his hands down her sides and deepened the kiss were telltale of her obvious discomfort, although Tiberius would be none the wiser. He was a dumbass whose large ego was almost as sizable as his weight.

Hope for a quick escape was futile in Ghetsis' current situation. With no other option but to wait out Tiberius' most recent rendezvous for a quick exit, Ghetsis chose to step out from behind the plant. There was nothing worse than having to be in the direct vicinity of Tiberius for longer than a few seconds, and much less so when the fatass was in the middle of what he probably thought was sweeping a woman off her feet.

A choked noise gurgled from the woman as she caught sight of Ghetsis. Tiberius broke off the kiss and turned around to follow her gaze.

"What the fuck are you doing here, brat?!" He yelled, the veins in his temples pulsing against the beet red of his skin.

"I was about to head out to the gardens, but it seems I've stumbled upon some grotesque visuals." Ghetsis frowned at his brother, then sneered as he continued, "It's a wonder you still have so much money left, given all the company you've had over, and considering...all that you are, I'm guessing that you've had to relinquish very large amounts of it. How delightful it must be, being the eldest."

The woman covered up a smile with her hand while Tiberius pondered, dazed. Ghetsis could almost see the gears slightly turn in his brother's head as he inwardly debated whether he'd been insulted or not. The process of Tiberius taking a hint was, although amusing, painstakingly long, so he sped down the hall and outside before the neanderthal could lumber after him.

Ghetsis couldn't think of any other Harmonia less deserving of taking the helm of the family than Tiberius. He lacked nearly all attributes a proper Harmonian heir was expected to uphold, with the exception of being the eldest male son of the previous head. He was stupid and spoiled, and Ghetsis wouldn't have minded, given that such traits would make it all the more likely that Tiberius could lead himself to a premature death, but even that wouldn't prove advantageous to himself as the sixth in line (Had there ever been a bastard who became head?) If Tiberius died, it would only mean that the helm would instead be passed over to someone who, in Ghetsis' opinion, was somehow an even less desirable candidate -

Ghetsis' foot landed on something, resounding a wet smack. The stench could only mean one thing. He kept his face forward, rubbing the sole of his shoe against the dirt in hopes of removing the remnants of what he knew to be another one of his half-brother's disgusting experiments. Any other person would have been easy to detect given Ghetsis' perception and the spread of dry leaves on the ground, but Brutus was predatorial enough to slither near without being detected. The thirteen year old had to clear his throat before Ghetsis would realize his presence.

"Oh, big brother! How peculiar of you to go through this way! You practically live outside, so you must've been in really deep thought to not see that you were going through my workspace, huh?" Brutus approached Ghetsis, with his usual wide grin.

Ghetsis tried not to look down as he continued scraping his shoe against the dirt.

Brutus tilted his head to the side. "Big brother, you ruined my project. The least you could do is hand it to me instead of hovering over it," he said. "Well, you seem confused so I'll just…" He bent down and scooped up the bloodied mess of meat, cradling it almost as one would hold an infant. Ghetsis noted a bent orange beak and pink flesh with an extremely sparse collection of grey feathers.

Lifting the body up slightly and angling it so that the sun glinted off the wing plucked clean of all its feathers, Brutus observed his project. "Well, you didn't completely fuck it up," he said. He cradled it again and ventured deep into the untrimmed hedge maze he'd taken up as his impromptu "laboratory".

Ghetsis tried not to think too much about his younger half brother. Despite the thirteen year old being intelligent and intimidating - traits befitting of an ideal heir - he was still a disgusting little freak. He lauded himself a scientist, with all the machinery and tools at the boy's disposal, but Ghetsis had to wonder what man of science performed grotesque experiments for no discernible reason? In any case, he was likely to become head of the family. Tiberius would die early one way or another and Aria would never accept the position. In fact, if Arceus had half the wisdom it was glorified for, all of Ghetsis' half-siblings would be stricken from the running.

It only took a few seconds past Brutus' domain for Ghetsis to arrive at his destination: a small, decrepit thing, four-walled and not much larger than Franziska's personal closet (which to be fair, was ostentatiously spacious for its function). As its initial purpose was to be Lavinia's dollhouse, which she had become bored of a mere week after its construction, it was hard to believe that even one person, let alone two, could possibly live in it comfortably. All things considered, the kitchenware and plumbing were all fully functional and the interior furnished with the essentials, making the dollhouse inhabitable, and daresay, an adequate home.

Weeds had sprouted since the area around the dollhouse had been last tended to. Ghetsis knew he'd been tasked with weeding around the perimeter of their humble abode, but pointedly neglected his duty the entire week he'd been alone.

White smoke rose from the dollhouse's chimney, and the wooden front door was slightly ajar. A bit too hastily for his taste, he swung open the door and promptly sat on the sole dining chair that could fit in the space permitted. Alder looked up from the broth he was stirring with a grin.

"Ghetsis! You came just in time, I'm nearly finished here. How have you been this past week?" Alder asked.

Ghetsis shrugged. "Fine. You said you'd be back by morning today," he said with a slight edge.

Unperturbed, Alder maintained his grin. "What's with the fuss? I still came back the day I said I would. Missed me that badly?" He asked.

Ghetsis rolled his eye. "What was the point of giving me a specific time to expect your return if you weren't serious about adhering to it? Had it ever occurred to you that perhaps you'd thrown a wrench in the schedule I'd set my mind to today with your tardiness?"

Alder ignored his whining, and resumed stirring the broth. "I was surprised to see most of the pots and dishes were all in the same place I left them. Either you're more considerate than I had you pegged for, or you didn't cook anything for yourself like I'd told you. Honestly, I'm assuming the latter," he turned around to face Ghetsis again, "How did you eat?"

Ghetsis narrowed his eye. "Don't coddle me. I can take care of myself."

Alder held his hands up defensively, "Just asking. Ari probably helped you out, yeah?"

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Ghetsis glared at the dining table. "For the first two days. Since then, Naja's had her undergo what she called "rigorous tutoring sessions", as if it weren't an obvious ploy to prevent Aria from sneaking me food."

Alder shook his head in disbelief. "And since then you haven't eaten?"

"Hurry up," Ghetsis said.

Alder obediently tended to the soup, turning the knob on the stove so that the broth would cook faster. "Wait, so why didn't you cook for yourself?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. Just cook."

"I showed you how to work the stove, didn't I?"

"Do I look like I'm in the mood to be interrogated!?" Ghetsis snapped.

Alder groaned and ran a hand through his hair, tempted to pull at it in frustration. "How could I have expected anything different? You nearly starved to death because you couldn't work a damn stove."

Had he been less hungry, Ghetsis would've either stormed or lashed out in retaliation to Alder's audacity to criticize him. Instead, he ate his soup with a sour expression.

Due to the lack of chairs, Alder, as per usual, leaned against the stove while eating, and in doing so brushed his hand against a shallow crater indented into its edge. "Did you have to dent the stove? Your tantrums are just-" Then he caught sight of something in the sink, "And what is this rancid shit that's congealed at the bottom of this?" He muttered. He lifted the offending pot to his nose, took a whiff, and tossed it back into the sink.

Engrossed in his first proper meal that day, Ghetsis was too preoccupied to snark.

In the absence of Ghetsis' usual complaining, Alder spoke up. "You could've gone with me, you know. You aren't bound here like the others are."

"And what? Relinquish my birthright? Whoever the hell my mother was doesn't change the fact that I am so much more worthy of being the head than any of those idiots are." Ghetsis tapped the rim of his empty bowl with his spoon. At his behest, Alder grudgingly poured more soup into the bowl.

"I'm not keen on the thousands of outdated traditions you Harmonians have, but even I know that the title would have to pass through Tiberius, Ari, Brutus, Lavinia, then Franziska, before it gets to you. It has nothing to do with how worthy you are for it, you just weren't lucky, and quite frankly I don't see that as a loss at all. You're free to live however you please." For a pleb, he'd given the ordeal even more thought than expected. But he was still irreversibly simple-minded on the topic.

"Well, at least I'm before Marcus." Ghetsis murmured.

Alder furrowed his brows in confusion, eyes turned upwards as if the answer to his question would form in the air in front of him. "...Who?" Ghetsis should have figured it was that time of the week again.

"You forget he exists every other day," Exasperated, he continued, "He's the other bastard, so traumatized from whatever happened to him years ago that he can't even speak. Thank Arceus an empty shell like him isn't any closer to being head than I am." Ghetsis tapped the rim of his bowl for more soup and Alder mechanically obliged, more invested in once and for all changing his friend's mind.

"Whatever the case, there are still five siblings that are more likely to become head than you."

"Not if they all died," Ghetsis replied.

Alder grimaced. "That's not funny," He continued in a quieter voice, "And Ari's a part of that five too."

"Obviously she'd be excluded. The role would land on her but she has done everything in her power to eliminate herself from the running."

"Ari: the only sane one in this twisted clan," Alder said. The silence that lapsed between the two was short-lived as a familiar shout sounded from outside, prompting them to investigate.

They'd only had to approach the fountain, equidistant from the hedge maze and their cottage by tens of feet, to stumble upon the three Harmonian daughters exchanging venomous stares. Ghetsis and Alder took their place at either side of the tallest of the girls. When none of the three seemed to react upon the boys' entrance, Alder nudged Aria.

"Ari, what's going on here?" Alder asked in a low voice.

Aria didn't break eye contact with the second tallest sister as she answered in a similarly lowered voice, "I'm sorry you had to come home without a proper welcome from me, Alder, but I'll be at the house shortly. Just," she directed her eyes (a blue-grey that none of the others had) to Ghetsis, "go back inside. I can handle this alone."

"Of course you can, but -"

"What are you two doing out here? Tired of playing dress-up?" Ghetsis cut off Alder.

Lavinia stomped her foot. "Oh, honestly! You venonats have no right to intrude on a strictly Harmonian matter!"

Alder scratched at his chin. "Doesn't look like a 'strictly Harmonian matter' any more than it does a typical sibling squabble."

Before Lavinia could speak, Franziska raised a hand, gesturing for her silence. Lavinia conceded. "No. I'll have to agree with my dear sister here. A bastard and a half-wit gardener have no business engaging in any way with Harmonias." Franziska said slowly, as if lecturing a child. "Also, it would be wise of you to not meddle in our affairs. Your very livelihood is at stake, oaf."

Though making a valiant effort at standing his ground, Alder noticeably shrunk at the remark, inciting a small smirk to curl Franziska's lips while Lavinia laughed much too loudly.

Lavinia grasped onto her sister's arm mid-cackle, "And I must tell you what sorry thing I witnessed a few minutes ago, Franziska. Our dearest, waste-of-space of a brother was inside, positively salivating at the bowl of berries on the dining table." She resumed her shrill laugh, but Franziska only needed to level a cold stare to promptly shut her elder sister up.

Franziska turned to Ghetsis, her golden eyes narrowed. "I suppose there is some amusement to be found in such a pathetic show. What I find more intriguing however, is your presence inside the manor. It has been quite some time since you've made yourself comfortable in our home. If I recall correctly, the last time must have been, well," in a feigned show of ignorance, Franziska paused and brought a finger to her lips before smiling widely, "when you last displeased Father."

Out of habit, Ghetsis raised a hand to rub at his eye through his eyepatch. He could feel the scarred tissue folding and shifting with the movement of his fingertips, but felt no pain or any other significant sensation as he did so. He saw a memory with that eye, however, fragmented -

Unsurprisingly, all pairs of eyes were on him: Franziska faking a pitying glance, Lavinia gleeful, while Alder and Aria stared with pained expressions.

"Did that ring a bell?" Franziska asked with a gasp. "Perhaps it would be in your best interests not to aggravate me any further, lest you wish to face the consequences. You've always been so ignorant of your place, and I've no doubt Father would not hesitate to remind you of where you stand."

Ghetsis barked a short (slightly tremulous) laugh. "As if I would take your inane threats seriously. You're worth nothing more than a pawn, a broodmare at best, to him." He inwardly hoped that this would be enough to throw off his most conniving sister, but if Franziska was in any way offended, she showed no signs of it.

"Me, a broodmare?" She tutted, then continued calmly, "Low as you may see it, that would make the two of you in comparison, what, exactly?" Franziska took one step toward them, "A one-eyed invalid, and whatever...you are." She waved a hand, cavalierly.

Before Ghetsis could reply, he felt a hand on his arm, pulling him gently backwards. "Let's go, please, I don't want any of this to get to…" Aria trailed off. It went without saying.

Alder placed a hand on Ghetsis's shoulder and assisted in removing him from the scene as well. Reluctantly, Ghetsis allowed himself to be led back to the dollhouse. The trio were still within earshot as Franziska spoke once more.

"It doesn't matter how clever you think you are, Ghetsis. Disparage and criticize us all you like. You have no place here. At best, you will be nothing more than a living example of what it means to marr the Harmonian legacy." Then angling her head at her twin sister's back, she said in a low voice, "And you would do well to remember your place as well, Adonis." Finally, Franziska began walking toward the manor, a snickering Lavinia at her heels.

Aria bit her lip and gripped hard at her brother's sleeve on the way to the dollhouse. The short trek was quiet. It wasn't until the three of them squeezed into the tight quarters of the house, with Aria seated on the bed, Ghetsis at the dining table, and Alder leaning against the stovetop with a great sigh that the silence was broken.

"Forgot how lovely your family is," he said, sounding wistful. Mere minutes into his return to the Harmonia prison and he was already visibly worn to the bone and likely missing home. The usual.

Aria managed a small, but rueful, smile. "I'm sure you couldn't wait to return from your own."

Alder stayed quiet for a moment. "Yeah, going through an entire week not being called a moron, idiot, or prole by my sisters left a gaping hole in my chest. Anyway, soup? There's plenty left." Alder gestured behind him.

"It's alright. I'll be whisked away for dinner anytime now. And I think you ought to look behind you." Aria folded her hands in her lap, blue eyes glowing with amusement.

Alder did just that, scanning over the nearly empty pot and immediately averting his gaze toward Ghetsis. "You know I barely ate any, right? It was a long trip coming back, and I'm hungry as hell."

Already finishing up his third helping, Ghetsis shrugged and handed the empty bowl to the gardener. "So am I. You should have made more to accommodate the both of us."

Gritting his teeth, Alder roughly snatched up the pot and ladle. "How was I supposed to know you would go five whole days without eating a proper meal?! I wasn't cooking under the assumption I'd be feeding TWO starving bouffalants." In spite of it all, he scraped the last bit of soup into the bowl, Ghetsis grabbing it back without a word of thanks.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop it you two. I've had about enough conflict in one day to last me a lifetime. And frankly, this is quite a stupid argument to be having at all." She crossed her arms and shot a most un-intimidating glare.

Nevertheless, thoroughly chastised, the boys huffed, with Ghetsis continuing to eat and Alder turning to the sink with the empty pot in hand.

"Tell us about your trip, Alder. How did your family take your return after so long?" Aria said.

While the two conversed over what he deemed to be mundane, pointless drivel, Ghetsis buried himself deep in his own thoughts.

As awful as his lot already was in life, Ghetsis had to admit that today was particularly ghastly. He encountered nearly all of his hellish half-siblings within mere minutes, and each tedious interaction further drove home the notion that none of them were fit to restore the Harmonia legacy to its ancient greatness…

Except, perhaps, that tall, smirking bitch.

Franziska was an anomaly among the Harmonian children, in that she was, he hated to admit, competent in all areas required of a potential heir. She was intelligent, which by itself did not set her apart from four of her six siblings. She was also elegant and refined, sure, so unlike the shrieking and obnoxious likes of Lavinia. Intimidatingly tall for a teenage girl, although unnatural height was almost a dominant trait among the Harmonias. No, above all else, she had an innate ability to root out the weaknesses in anything that stood in her path, to take aim at the chink in the armor, twist a knife at the heel. If some miraculous series of misfortune befell Tiberius, Brutus, and Lavinia, Ghetsis had no doubt that Franziska would be the first capable heir among them to uphold the name of Harmonia. And once she'd dug her claws deep into the throne, she would never let go. Ghetsis clenched his spoon tightly at the thought.

Hearing Aria's light laughter at Alder's undoubtedly poor attempt at humor, Ghetsis was then compelled to ponder over his most tolerable sister's place within the twisted politics of the Harmonias.

Aria was perhaps the most unique of the siblings, even more so than he, an illegitimate son. Certainly, she was smart like most of the others, an avid academic that would lug a thick tome in her bag at any point in time. She had the same pale green hair and height of all her other siblings. Appearance-wise, she only notably differed in her eye color; a blue-grey as opposed to the gold of most of her siblings (Ghetsis' red eye set him apart in that respect as well). While Aria and Franziska shared birthdates, at birth, Aria had been arranged as next in line to lead the Harmonias in the event that Tiberius was unable to, whereas Franziska's place was considerably lower. But years ago, Aria effectively forfeited her place as second in line, the most obvious sign she was unlike any other Harmonia. Inexplicably, she was kind. Selfless, and the only one of the Harmonias to treat Ghetsis with any sort of respect. While not the sole reason for her choice to give up such a coveted role, her tender-heartedness was a blight on the otherwise surety of her ability to become the head. Hesitance, selflessness, and the like would only hinder the rationale required to lead the Harmonias.

Ghetsis could feel his head spinning; it was a frequent occurrence for him to mull over the qualities of a rightful heir, but it was something else entirely spending so much of his mental energy picking apart each of his siblings, one-by-one in a single day, let alone engaging with them. Yes, overall a horrid day.

Well, there was one thing that happened today that he hadn't completely hated.

A light knock on the door turned the trio's attention to the entrance.

"Please, not another Harmonia squabble this close to our doorstep." Alder groaned.

"I'm almost afraid to open it," said Aria in agreement.

Wordlessly, and to the shock of the others, Ghetsis rose to open the door himself, again, moving a bit too excitedly and uncontrolled for his taste. He maintained a respectable amount of composure once the door had fully opened to reveal their visitor. This was an anticipated arrival for himself, but an unprecedented one for his company.

"Aster," He said simply, keeping a straight face.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Aster said, peering past Ghetsis. Alder and Aria stared wide-eyed.

It was little wonder why the two were so entranced. Standing in front of their house and the normally prickly and unpleasant Ghetsis was a woman of below-average height. An objectively beautiful one. Glossy black hair swept into a high ponytail, with sideswept bangs framing a heart-shaped face, upon which were her deep, warm red eyes. Ghetsis noted she was wearing more clothing than he had seen on her person earlier that day.

A few, long seconds of awkwardness later, Aria shot up from her seat, extending her hand out to the woman, still at the door, "I don't believe we've met! I'm Aria, Ghetsis' sister."

Aster nodded. "Yes, of course. Ghetsis has told me all about his most beautiful and kind sister." She shook the girl's hand.

"Awwwwwww, really?" Aria grinned at her brother, who groaned in response.

"Please don't exaggerate, Aster. It'll go straight to her already big head," Ghetsis said, patting Aria's head.

Aster turned to the other occupant of the dollhouse. "And you must be Alder. Ghetsis mentioned you as well."

Entirely too excited, Alder flashed a wide smile. "Yes, that's me. I assume all good things?" Alder squeezed in-between the siblings to shake hands with the woman as well.

Biting her lip, Aster hesitated. "Well…." She hadn't reached for Alder's hand yet.

"Oh yes. I told her all about the stupid gardener I live with outside, whose sex drive is only rivaled by his obsession with bugs," Ghetsis stated.

"Remind me to never cook for you again," Alder muttered.

"Speaking of," Aster opened the satchel slung over her shoulder, revealing a towel-wrapped item. A cylindrical thing, that Aria looked mildly scandalized at the sight of before the woman spoke up, "It's not much, just a bread loaf and cheese. I'm afraid Tiberius finds I'm getting too heavy for his tastes." She rolled her eyes.

"Says the slaking," Ghetsis said, accepting the item.

Shoving past the two gaping dolts still clinging to the doorframe, he went to the furthest cabinet, bringing back to the entrance with him a small glass vial filled with a murky liquid.

"And this is for you. Or rather, my brother." Ghetsis handed her the vial.

Gingerly receiving the vial, Aster wondered aloud, "I've been thinking about what would happen to him if I gave him a couple of drops more than the dosage you recommended. Would he just sleep a little longer, or…."

Ghetsis chuckled, a genuine sound that jolted both his sister and the gardener, "I would urge you to test it out, but I'm afraid the best-case scenario would link you to a murder."

Aster took some time to contemplate but eventually nodded, "Yes, I really shouldn't risk it. I should just be grateful I have you on my side at all."

"And you on mine. I probably would have starved without your help," Ghetsis said.

The woman gave a small smile. She looked up to the sky, Ghetsis following her line of sight. The rich blue had molted into a cloudless expanse of orange and red. "I really should get going. As always, this will come in handy." She dropped the vial into her satchel. Stepping back, "And it's nice meeting you both," before turning back toward the manor.

Ghetsis stood at the door for some time. When Aster was out of sight, he turned to see his company slack-jawed and still.

"What are you two gawking at?" He asked, glaring.

"Who was that?" Alder sputtered.

Baffled, Ghetsis shut the door, "I know you can't keep track of names to save your life, but this is astounding. I just said it out loud."

Ignoring the jab, "And what was that vile smelling liquid you gave her?" Alder asked. Suddenly, a flash of recognition, "Wait." The gardener made a beeline to the sink, again, lifting the thoroughly ruined pot and smelling its contents.

"You've been brewing poison in this?" Incredulous, Alder deposited the cookware into the trash.

The culprit shrugged, nonplussed, "It's not killing him, if that's what you're so concerned about."

"So...you do know how to work a stove."

"Don't look so shocked. You're the one that made the assumption otherwise in the first place."

"Well, isn't that swell!? You can cook for your own damn self from now on!" Alder exclaimed, throwing up his hands, "And you've obviously been lying about the 'starving for days' schtick, right? Because you failed to mention that a literal goddess has been gracing you with her presence and bounties of food this past week."

"When did I ever claim to be 'starving'? You have a very wild, inaccurate imagination, clearly."

"Speaking of this goddess," At some point during the boys' bickering, Aria had wedged herself between them, "Why didn't you say anything about her to me? Your favorite sister?!" Aria practically wailed at her brother. "She's sooo pretty! How on earth did you meet someone like her?"

"And manage to get her to overlook your asshole-ness," muttered Alder.

"How eloquent of you," hissed Ghetsis before turning to Aria, "She's a new whore of Tiberius', but as far as the usual ones go, Aster is on an entirely different plane of intellect, so-" Mid-sentence, Aria slapped his arm.

"You don't have to use such distasteful language describing a lady just because Tiberius does it," she said.

"-we became acquainted, and that's that." He finished, unaffected.

Furrowing his eyebrows, "Doesn't explain this dubious exchange of goods you have going on with her," Alder said.

"Piss off," Ghetsis deflected, cleverly.

"Whatever the case," Aria interjected (Ghetsis almost felt guilty about how often his sister was forced to play mediator. Almost.) "I'm elated that you were able to eat even without the assistance of Alder. I was worried sick about you, you know," she said, eyes welling up with tears.

Overly thin-skinned and sensitive as she was, Ghetsis could not resist the remorse he felt at bringing the only sibling he held affection for to tears, so he carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders in what might be considered a hug. Because of Aria's attempts to sneak him food, he'd also been the cause for the grueling hours of tutoring she'd been subjected to for the past week, and the thought furthered his feelings of culpability.

"I wouldn't have let myself starve, not when there is still so much for me to achieve. I would have even used that godforsaken stove to boil myself a sad berry soup if it came to that," Ghetsis said.

"But luckily for your brother, he found a nice older woman to babysit him." Alder also engulfed Aria, and subsequently, Ghetsis in a hug.

"She's twenty-two, not some hag, you idiot," Ghetsis grumbled, finding himself trapped in the middle of the two of his companions.

Only half a beat of silence later, a rapid series of knocks on the door jolted the three apart.

"Please tell me that's the goddess again," Alder pleaded.

"She doesn't knock like that," Ghetsis replied, helpfully.

Shaking her head, clearly disappointed, Aria patted the boys' shoulders, "That's Gorm. It's time for me to leave for dinner. It's only been a week and yet somehow you've both completely forgotten how this goes," Aria teased.

She swung the door open, and as expected, was one of the many stewards employed by the Harmonias, a balding man in his mid-forties dressed in a sharp butler's uniform, Gorm. Also as expected, upon Aria opening the door, Gorm exhaled a loud "Boo!" (which, judging by the step back he took, Alder was actually not expecting).

"Did I catch you by surprise, Lady Aria?" The steward asked, the twinkle in his eyes conveying his levity.

"Absolutely," Aria replied with a smile. She stepped outside, straightening out her dress and her hair all the while, then pulling out a thin fabric scarf to enwrap her neck with to combat the chill of the incoming night. Gorm then peered back at the boys inside, no doubt to wish the two a good evening -

"Your presence is required at dinner as well, Ghetsis," Gorm said in a curiously serious tone.

Ghetsis blinked. His thoughts died before they could even form coherent words in his mind. Confusion was a rare enough thing, but being rendered utterly thoughtless was completely foreign. Dinner? Him? Lowly, unwanted, crippled, imperfect, bastard Ghetsis at dinner? Seconds ticked by before he realized he'd been frozen in place and dumb stricken for far too long.

"...Who is requiring my presence?" He asked, dumbly. Only one person really had the authority to summon any one of the Harmonias (even a lowly, imperfect, flawed bastard of a Harmonia) to a family dinner. His hand rose slowly, and without his input, began caressing the lame eye underneath. He unwillingly saw, with that eye, a memory. Fragmented. He blinked again and the puzzle pieces fell away. He was glad for it.

"Lord Ignatius Harmonia," Gorm then added, noticing the disorientation Ghetsis was failing to conceal, "Your father."

I got the inspiration for Ghetsis' and Alder's house from the "The Queen of Versailles documentary", where one of the maids took up residence in the kids' "dollhouse." Fact of the matter is, the Versailles house somehow reminded me of N's castle and thus inspired me to start writing this story. Wow.

Uhhh so yeah! I know it's been...a while since BW was at its height buuut...i've had this story in my mind's eye for the Longest time, and i just really wanted to get it out there! It's ambitious for me; i don't usually write anything this dramatic. I like to hit the funny bone more often than not with my writing (which i think u can kinda tell with all the hijinks and gratuitous bickering between our boyz, ghetsis and alder) but i am...Attempting something else with this. But if u mostly found this whole fic funny despite my efforts, i will gladly accept that as praise (watching "The Queen of Versailles" four years ago inspired this supes srs undertaking...let it sink in)

Thanks for reading, and I'll do my best to crank out another chapter within this year! (i've got ch 2 already raring to go, so stick around!)

ch 2 preview: GoT chair scene