All I (Don't) Want for Christmas, part III

-o0o-

On one hand, there was food. Quite a lot of it too, and of good quality at that. Not just good actually; the quality was excellent, top-notch as a matter of fact. However−

"Aha! That'd be my property. This is going to cost you!"

Despite allegedly being obsessed with money, Allen had never particularly liked playing Monopoly. Maybe it was because the rules were too rigid. Maybe it was because the money was fake. Or maybe, just maybe− "Hey you, banker, I passed Go just now! Fork over my damn money!"

Allen suppressed a resurfacing urge to roll his eyes, completely disregarding the gun pointed at his face. Because it wasn't a gun, but rather a lighter shaped like a gun. That said, if that guy brought that lighter even a tiny bit closer, then Allen would not be held responsible for breaking his arm. Really. "There. Have a nice day."

The guy – Jasdero/Jasper? Or was it Devitto/David? – snatched up the money and turned away, putting the gun back down. Thankfully. Or unfortunately, because Allen did want to break something. Or kick something, because he had stitches in his arm. Not that he had a lot of feeling in it; they'd said it was just local anaesthesia, but was it really supposed to last this long?

"There's no need to be polite. The twins don't really get that sort of thing."

Yeah, Allen himself had already gathered as much. Still− "It's a force of habit."

And it was, really. That said−

"Don't worry. This game will be over soon," Road commented softly, sticking entirely too close to his side. "Just sit back and watch them tear each other to pieces. It's the same thing every year."

Of that, Allen had little doubt. Still− "Don't you think they're taking it a wee bit too seriously?"

After touching down on a particularly expensive street, that Tyki guy had discreetly handed Allen an actual bill and indicated that he wanted it exchanged just to stay in the game. Naturally, Allen had not been particularly difficult to persuade; it was real money after all, and−

"Tyki's… got a bit of a gambling problem," Road finally admitted, her voice so low and so close to his ear that he shivered involuntarily. "Father is in denial."

Steeling himself, Allen shifted his attention towards the aristocratic-looking man seated in the armchair over by the hearth. If Allen was not completely mistaken, then the man was on his fifth eggnog for the night. "I can see that."

"Which is not to say that Grandfather is much better," Road swiftly added, and they both looked towards the ongoing game where the family patriarch, still decked out in a Santa Claus outfit, rolled the dice and then gleefully moved his token, the top hat, over to Go.

Allen still had no idea as to why they had decided to play on the floor, given the existence of the large oak table just one room over. Still, he was not about to argue, especially not when the man, who was apparently some sort of lord, discreetly snuck him three folded 10,000-yen notes while extending a hand to accept his fake money. "Young Allen, you look exhausted. Consider this your severance pay. Lulu can handle the bank from now on."

Lulu Bell looked like she would much rather not, but by the time the man's gaze shifted towards her, her face was schooled into a polite mask. "Of course, milord. As the handler of the family finances, I would be honoured to assume such an important role."

Somehow, she made herself sound perfectly sincere; it was an impressive performance, and some part of Allen would have loved to stick around and watch it some more. Another, far more sensible part screamed at him to make use of this opportunity to sneak out and vanish into the night.

He got up with every intention of doing just that, subtly, when the family patriarch suddenly looked up and smiled broadly like a maniac. "That's right. Tyki-pet, make yourself useful."

Allen felt a momentary stab of pity for the guy before being distracted by Road. "Nonsense," she said, capturing his hand and interlacing their fingers. "Allen's my bodyguard, so of course he'll be sleeping with m−"

There was the unmistakable sound of someone choking on eggnog, and Tyki Mikk immediately stood up. In maybe two long strides, he had closed the distance. "Sorry about this," he said, leaving Allen exactly 1.8 seconds to wonder just what he was apologising for before scooping him right up.

Allen was entirely too dumbfounded to do much at first. By the time he had recovered, they were already halfway up the stairs.

"This is awkward, I know," Tyki muttered, staring straight ahead. "But endure it, for both of our sakes…"

Yeah, Allen could definitely do that, because he had definitely had worse. He'd had worse today, as a matter of fact. "Must be tough, dealing with this…"

This time around, Tyki did look down, if only briefly. "You get used to it. To an extent."

Certainly. But to what extent?

-o0o-

As already mentioned, Allen had definitely had worse. He'd had worse mere hours prior as a matter of fact, before he had come to this place and before he had found himself in the back of a limousine the second time around and before he had−

-o0o-

He had woken up in a bed, a hospital bed, to Santa Claus petting his hair like he was some sort of pet. And he must have said it aloud too, because the man had looked momentarily surprised and then smiled in a way that was decidedly unnerving. "You are not a pet, young Allen. Now will you answer my question or shall I summon the good doctor back to have another look at you?"

Ugh. "What was the question?"

Santa Claus had tilted his head slightly to one side, eyeing Allen with a somewhat puzzled yet undeniably amused look on his face. "Are you all right, Allen? Dizzy? Nauseous? Disoriented?"

All three and then some, but regardless− "Why did you bring me here?"

Allen had not asked "Why did you decide to kidnap me?", but had it been tempting? Yes.

The man dressed up as Santa had mentioned something about him needing stitches and missing a few shots. Maybe tetanus or something. In any case, it had been a fairly unpleasant affair that Allen would like to forget about as soon as possible.

"According to the good doctor, you are a bit dehydrated," the man had informed him when Allen had questioned the need for the drip. "Also, they wanted to keep you under observation for a bit just to make sure that there was nothing serious. Fainting spells after receiving shots are rather commonplace, but sometimes−"

Sometimes, Allen felt as though he might actually die from mortification alone. This had been such an occasion. It had not mattered that Allen had insisted that he was fine now. Only "Please get these needles out of me" had worked – to a certain extent, that is. Because, while the hospital staff had not seemed very keen on listening to Allen when he wasn't answering their questions, they had practically fallen over themselves to do the bidding of that other guy.

Not just one but two nurses had fussed over Allen while the head doctor had spoken with the man, bowing repeatedly while mumbling phrases that were too formal and quiet for Allen to grasp. That said, it was not as though certain keywords had not reached his ears. Honour and results had come up more than once, among other things. For some reason, the mere sight had made him fairly nauseous.

Maybe it was panic.

It was probably panic.

-o0o-

Odd as it might sound, Allen had actually been somewhat relieved to see Road. Maybe it was because she had been the most familiar thing in this place, even though she was little more than a stranger to him.

It might also have helped that she had brought him food and that she wasn't dressed up as Santa Claus; Allen may or may not have developed a mild phobia.

"Honestly, this family…" Tyki muttered under his breath, setting Allen back onto his feet once they were out of sight. "Sorry about that, but you aren't allowed to leave until you're excused and you just became my ticket out of there."

Well, that made sense. Sort of. "If you didn't want to be there, why put that much effort into staying in the game?"

There was a slight snort at that. "Nobody likes losing," Tyki said. "Also, if I'd lose, I'd never hear the end of it."

Yeah, Allen could definitely see that. Still− "If you knew it would be like this, why did you turn up in the first place?"

"Who said there was a choice?" Tyki countered, giving him a look. "Aren't you the same?"

Allen wondered whether or not he should explain the whole abduction thing. Because it had definitely been an abduction of sorts, albeit a strange one. And it still was for that matter. However, before he could opt to do one thing or the other, there was the sound of feet running across carpet, and he turned around just in time to see Road as she rounded the corner.

"There you are, Allen!" she announced, throwing her arms around him once she got close enough. "I've got to show you my−"

"Road," Tyki cut in, shooting her a meaningful look. "If Sheril has a mental breakdown because of this and spends the night crying about it in my room…"

"Fine," Road scoffed, letting go. A little. "I'll show Allen the guestroom…"

-o0o-

Guestroom. That was what they called it: guestroom. Allen however, Allen would have called it a suite, or a fairly exclusive hotel room at the very least, considering the size of the bathroom, the bed, and the walk-in closet.

"But it's sooo far away from my room," Road commented, sitting down on the side of the bed and pointing to the side. "Even Father's room is just over there."

That was good to know, Allen privately supposed. That said, he did wonder whether or not he had to worry about someone coming in to smother him with a pillow later on. "No offence, but I get the impression that your dad hates me."

And that he, given the opportunity, would have Allen disappear. But that was just a feeling, at least for now.

"He's so overprotective," Road scoffed, flopping down. "It's a bother, honestly."

On one hand, Allen understood. Still− "He cares about you. Isn't that a good thing?"

Road gave a slight huff at that. "I guess," she finally relented, if a bit reluctantly. "And I care about him too, obviously, but sometimes, it's like he thinks I can't do anything on my own. I mean, it's not like I didn't foil a kidnapping attempt when I was six years old or anything…"

Foiling a kidnapping attempt at the tender age of six? Allen was impressed. He was also concerned, for obvious reasons. However, adding to all that, he was exhausted, because this had been one heck of a day. Still, he wasn't about to ask her to vacate the bed and he sure as heck wasn't about to lie down next to her, because that would have been asking for trouble if anything. Instead, he sank down into the seat over by the window.

The lights on the inside and the darkness on the outside made it exceedingly difficult to determine the distance to the ground, which would have been useful to know, in case he needed to leave through a window at some point. "At least he seems like he'd pay ransom," Allen found himself muttering, words spilling over his lips before he could think better of them. "That guy told me to pay it myself…"

And speaking about paying−

Allen would rather not think about it, really, because his financial situation was still perilous, even if one disregarded recent developments.

"That guy?" Road repeated, very close all of a sudden. "The guy you said you'd kill with your bare hands?"

Allen must have been really out of it for a second, because he hadn't even noticed her approach. That said, he did not appreciate being crowded, really. Also, he really shouldn't be talking about these things, especially not with her. But… it was Christmas and he was still bitter about it. "Yep, fuck him. I'd say I wish he'd die in a fire, but to be honest, I'd rather do the honours myself."

"Either could be arranged," Road said, perfectly serious.

Allen should feel wary, not tempted to take her up on the offer. Still− "Ask me again in the morning," he said, pressing a hand to the side of his skull, because ouch. "I'm not well enough to make such decisions right now."

Maybe he had intended to have her back off. Unfortunately, his word seemed to have the complete opposite effect, seeing as to how she only scooted closer and leaned in, brushing her fingertips against the side of his face, giving him an attentive but somewhat displeased look. "Didn't Grandfather have them check you for a concussion?" she asked. "You hit your head earlier today, at the subway station entrance, right?"

Allen was not about to ask her how she knew that. He was probably better off not knowing. "I was wearing my helmet. Besides, I have a pretty thick skull."

Both were true. Really.

"That doesn't make it okay," Road said, taking his head in both of her hands now.

It was a very strange position to be in. Strange and confusing. "Isn't it weird for you to say that, considering that whole bodyguard thing? Also, do you even need a bodyguard?"

"I do," Road deadpanned.

Well, no hesitation there. "Why me?" he asked. "I've got no experience."

Again, there was no hesitation. "You've got fighting experience."

Well, that much was true. Still− "Brawling isn't the same as bodyguarding," he argued. "You're asking me to take a bullet for you."

He might be laying it on a bit thick, but− "Not even for ten million yen a year?"

Ten million yen? Uh… "How many bullets are we talking here?" he finally asked. "And are we talking sniping pros or happy amateurs?"

"It's mostly kidnapping, once a year, tops," Road elaborated. "Most are pretty amateurish too. Half don't even realise who I am. So, no, not a lot of bullets."

Because they wanted her alive. O−kay. Still− "There's no guarantee that they'd do the same for me," Allen argued. After all− "Bodyguards are expendable."

"But you're not."

Allen frowned, finally reaching up to dislodge the hands from his face. She withdrew them, albeit reluctantly. "Road, be serious. You've known me for a couple of hours. Literally. I mean, sure, you've looked me up, but you don't know me, not really. I'm−"

"I am serious."

Her tone left no room for argument. Still− "I realise that, but consider my position for a sec here. I have been screwed over one time too many not to take a very good look at offers that seem way too good to be true. I mean, the last time I took up an offer like this, I narrowly escaped getting sold into the−"

Road practically tackled him at that. The move caught him completely by surprise. "Maybe you're the one needing protection…" she said, leaning even closer, and Allen, Allen was so not comfortable with this. Still−

-o0o-

"Could I have a good night's rest to think about it?"

-o0o-

To Be Continued?