Chapter 4: Pushy
Adam was wrong. He was completely wrong. Seth was nice, and he really did appreciate what he's done for him thus far, but if there was one thing the Zoroark knew how to do, and do well, it was annoy Adam to the point of no return.
Before they came clean with each other about Adam's situation, with Seth telling Adam he knew for a fact that he was wrongfully persecuted, Seth's pranks, jokes, and pestering were mild, and manageable.
But after that, it seemed like Seth cranked things up to an eleven.
It was fine for a few weeks after that talk, and Adam was actually growing fond of Seth. But that didn't last long. Once, while Adam was cleaning the driveway, Seth had surprised him by pelting him with water balloons full of muddy water from a second story window. He was annoyed at first, but he managed to catch one and fling it back at him, catching him off guard and making him fall into the bushes below.
They got into a playful fight afterwards, of which Klaus had to force them to stop and make Seth do some work and leave Adam alone. The part that annoyed Adam was that he had to start all of his previously finished work over, on top of having to clean the window, the car, the room where Seth had gotten hit, and the bathroom, where he left a muddy mess, as well as the hallway where he had tracked mud all the way from the garden.
He felt like he was cleaning up after a child.
There were more than a few instances after that. There was one moment where he replaced his water with vinegar and watched him drink it. The next occurred when Seth hid Adam's phone, so that when his alarm went off the next morning, he didn't hear it and overslept. Seth then ordered Klaus to pretend to scold and punish him for being late by making him organize a part of his study, before revealing that he was being toyed with after he served said punishment.
Another instance had him and Seth go to Mauville City for an errand, then Seth driving off, making Adam walk home. He wouldn't have cared to walk home, he hardly left Seth's house in the first place. What caused him to seethe was the fact that it started raining soon after he started walking home. This caused him to catch a cold, which Seth was completely unaware of.
But the straw that broke the Camerupt's back, was what happened a couple days after that.
It was Adam's first day off in five days. It was his only day off for the week due to all the work he had to catch up on. He tended to do small amounts of chores on his days off anyway, as he still felt it his responsibility.
But today, he felt like garbage. He had a mild headache, he had a severe case of the sniffles, he was congested, and he had a gross cough that made his lungs feel like they were on fire.
He decided he was going to spend the day resting. But someone else had other plans.
Adam was turned over in bed, resting peacefully when Seth burst in. He used his illusions to create confetti and balloons, and played fanfare on an illusionary speaker.
"Adam! Wake up, it's your day off!"
Adam growled quietly, already growing irate, though trying to be as respectful as possible.
"Yes sir. That's exactly why I don't want to get out of bed yet."
Seth put a stop to the illusion, and pouted.
"But I had plans for us today. It's a beautiful day outside, I wanted us to break in the pool for the spring!"
He kneeled down next to Adam's bed and leaned his elbows on it. Adam turned over and huffed, sniffling in the process.
"Can't it wait til the weekend? My next day off is Saturday. *sniff*"
Seth pouted more.
"It's supposed to rain on the weekend, and then you have to work again after that. Come ooooon, pleeeeeeeease?"
Adam turned back around just in time to see him doing his baby Pokemon eyes. As much as he didn't want to get up, he couldn't resist them. He groaned.
"*sniff* Fiiiine. Just give me a few minutes to get up."
Seth brightens up and smiles.
"Awesome! I'll meet you outside!"
He gets up and leaves, finally giving the Lycan a moment of peace.
Fucks sake.
He lays down for a few more minutes, before getting up and opening his dresser. As he's choosing what he cares enough to wear, Seth pokes his head back through the door with a grin.
"Oh by the way, the pool's dirty, you mind cleaning it before we swim? Thaaaanks!"
He disappears down the hallway once more, leaving behind a growling Lycanroc full of regret.
A few moments later, Adam is in some swimming trunks and a t-shirt. He's actually somewhat relieved after getting up, Klaus gave him some daytime medicine, and his congestion cleared up a tiny bit after he walked around a little. He was feeling slightly better for the time being, despite being somewhat irritated by his boss.
He had already started cleaning the pool, choosing to do so silently, as Seth sat in a poolside chair and sipped on some lemonade.
"You're doing great Adam! Klaus, you mind bringing me another one of these?"
Klaus nods, but stops before leaving.
"Er, Master Seth- surely you could've waited for another day to clean the pool, you see, Mr. Stonehide isn't feeli-"
Seth waves that thought away.
"Nonsense Klaus! Today is perfect! It's not too hot, not too cold, it's breezy, and the air is dry. Spring starts soon! Don't worry, I'll make sure Adam gets rewarded for his hard work."
The Drifblim looks over at the Lycanroc who clearly has a fever and sighs. He only hopes that his master leaves him alone for the time being, and goes to grab another pitcher of lemonade.
As he leaves, Seth immediately comes up with a plan to mess with Adam. He initiates it by calling out to him as he's scooping out leaves.
"Hey Adam, you already cleansed the water right?"
Adam nods, actually being somewhat impressed by the cleanser he was given. It turned the water from murky and dark to clear in a matter of minutes, leaving only leaves and dead insects for him to scoop out.
"Yes I did, I'm almost finished, then we can do whatever you wanted to do afterwards."
Seth snickers from the side, as the Seth who was sitting in the folding chair on the side of the pool was an illusion. He continued to distract Adam as the Zoroark snuck up behind him while invisible.
"Perfect! And you have the extra long net right? I made sure to give you one to grab all that floating stuff in the middle."
Adam sighs, he was surprised that Seth was even capable of micromanagement with how little he manages his actual job.
"Yes I have it, thank you."
Illusion Seth winks at Invisible Seth who had successfully positioned himself directly behind the unaware Lycanroc.
"Great! But uhhh- don't you think it'd be easier if you did that from inside the pool?"
Adam turns around, confused.
"I don't want to go in the pool yet. Besides, I'm at the deep end, that would make it more difficult."
It's then that he notices Illusion Seth smirking and waving.
"Really? I feel like it'd be much faster if you were in the pool!"
All that was heard was a loud splash. Before he could react, Seth had pushed Adam in the pool with a laugh.
His illusion laughed with him, coming up to high five himself before staring down at the pool where Adam was pushed in.
Real Seth looked down too, smiling as he waited for Adam to resurface.
"I can't wait to see his face when he comes back up, we got him good!"
Illusion Seth laughs for a bit, before growing a bit worried.
"Yeah but… why hasn't he come back up yet?"
As they stare into the water silently, Klaus returns with the pitcher of lemonade, and looks around.
"Where did Mr. Stonehide run off to?"
He assesses the situation quickly as he sees Seth alongside his illusion standing in front of the pool, where bubbles were, and had ceased, rising from the water.
Without a word he flies over quickly and uses Psychic to lift the now unconscious Lycanroc out of the water. Seth grows panicked upon realizing what he's done.
"Adam? Oh no…oh no…"
Klaus places Adam carefully on the concrete, lying him flat on his back. Seth stoops next to him and puts his paws on his shoulders, before frantically shaking him, trying not to assume the worst.
"Adam! Adam wake up! I really didn't mean for this to happen I-"
Klaus puts an appendage on his shoulder, and places the Lycanroc back down carefully, while pulling Seth back.
"Master Seth, remain calm. You mustn't jostle him too much. Everything will be fine, the best thing to do is keep a level head. Place your paws firmly on his chest, and when I say so, push as hard as you can."
Klaus quickly uses Psychic to locate the water in Adam's body, as Seth does as he's told.
"Alright, push!"
Seth uses both paws to push as firmly as possible, and once the water exits his lungs, Klaus uses Psychic to pull what he can out of Adam's body, waking the Lycanroc up and making him cough violently.
Seth is relieved, and sighs as Adam hacks up the rest of the water, getting up on his hands and knees. Klaus backs away upon seeing Adam's face, and Illusion Seth, having been on the sidelines this whole time, appears frightened and disappears.
Seth walks up behind him, and turns to the side.
"Adam? Are you al-"
Before he could finish, Adam turns around, and reveals his vicious glowing red eyes.
"No! No, I'm not alright! I literally fucking drowned!"
Seth flinches back a little.
"I- I didn't mean-"
But Adam didn't let up.
"I mean seriously, what even possessed you to do that?! I said I didn't want to go in the pool! Imagine if Klaus hadn't been here to pull me out of the water!"
Seth tries one last time to calm the furious Lycan, but to no avail.
"I wasn't aware you couldn't swim Adam, really I-"
Adam rolls his eyes and gets up.
"It wouldn't have mattered anyway! Even if you didn't know I clearly said I didn't want to be in the pool! Just like I said I didn't want to get out of bed yet on my day off! But noooo you had to have your way just like always!"
He storms off, walking towards the house, leaving Seth speechless.
"Fucks sake, I'd almost rather be in prison!"
And with those last words, Seth crumpled. Klaus floats back over, and hands Seth the lemonade he asked for. He doesn't say a word, but remains by his side.
"Yes…I know Klaus I deserved that."
Klaus pats his shoulder.
"Yes, yes you did."
Seth looks at Klaus sadly.
"I guess he's tired of me now just like everyone else."
Klaus shakes his head.
"No, I wouldn't say that. He's too resilient. Though he is clearly cross with you at the moment. With all due respect, if he was, you literally and figuratively pushed him too far. You should learn to be more attentive, Master Seth, else this wouldn't have happened."
Seth looks up at him in confusion.
"What do you mean? How could I have known?"
Klaus picks up the cleaning supplies left behind.
"Well, consider that you've been a little more… creative with your pranking lately. I've never seen you get like that with anyone before now. You were bound to upset him at some point. On top of that, have you not realized how he's been feeling lately?"
Seth shakes his head.
"No… What's the matter with him?"
Klaus sighs and shakes his head once more.
"Master Seth, he has a cold. He's been sick ever since you made him walk home and he ended up getting rained on. On top of the extra work you've been making him do as a result of your pranks, he's been distressed as of late, and has been trying to be patient with you."
Seth flopped down on the ground, his heart filling with overwhelming guilt.
"I hadn't realized. I went too far…"
Klaus floats above him.
"Yes, but that's exactly why I say he's resilient Master Seth. How many of those in your servitude have taken it upon themselves to scold you? They've all kept their grievances to themselves, and left their reasons for quitting with me. He didn't hesitate to speak his mind to you despite the situation he's in. I believe you can fix this.".
Seth gets back up with a huff.
"How? You heard what he said, he'd almost rather be in prison."
Klaus pats Seth on the shoulder.
"I'm sure you can figure something out. One of your strong suits is that you have a pleasant way of showing you care about someone. You just need to let him see it, and of course, apologize."
Seth nods.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll give him some space for now though, give him time to not want to punch a hole in my face and all."
Klaus chuckles.
"I believe this is the first time I've ever seen you feel truly guilty about your behavior towards someone. I wonder why that is…"
Seth sits on the edge of the pool, looking at his own reflection.
"I put his life in danger as a result of my actions Klaus… That's the last thing I wanted…"
He kicks his feet in the water.
"I don't want him to leave because of me…"
(The next day)
After spending his day off trying to keep warm after the pool incident, Adam awoke the next day still feeling sick. He was still in bed, about to get up and go to the dining room for breakfast before reporting to work, but stopped himself when Klaus floated in while pushing a silver platter on a small cart.
"Ah, Mr. Stonehide, you're already awake. Here, I've taken the courtesy of bringing you breakfast, under Master Seth's orders."
He pushes the cart next to Adam's bed, and reveals the oatmeal platter. There were also some tissues and cold medicine on the cart for him.
"Here, some savory Nanab Berry oatmeal with honey and tea on the side. Master Seth has also ordered me to take care of you until your health improves. Obviously you are not required to report to work while that is the case. I will be taking over your usual duties until you are fully recovered."
Adam takes a bite of the delicious and sweet oatmeal.
"But wouldn't that be too much for you? Having to take care of me, and do all my work?"
Klaus chuckles before adjusting the blinds to let some sun into the room.
"Not to worry Mr. Stonehide. I've done all of this work before you were here, it's no problem to do it again until you feel better."
Adam blows his nose with a tissue.
"Alright then… *sniff* But if this is his way of apologizing for yesterday, then he's gonna have to try a little harder."
Klaus floats by the door, turning to leave.
"While I cannot speak for Master Seth's method of apologizing, I can say for certain that he is merely trying to do what is right. In fact, if it weren't for his job requiring his attention, he would be the one bringing this to you, and taking care of you, himself. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do. If you need me, ring that bell on the cart."
Adam eyes the bell as he continues eating the oatmeal.
"Thank you Klaus, for this, and for saving me yesterday… I *sniff* I appreciate it."
The blimp Pokemon merely nods as he leaves, closing the door behind him.
"It is my pleasure, Mr. Stonehide. You get a good rest."
Adam takes his time finishing the oatmeal, before lying back down.
He had time to think about it, and he was still very angry that Seth had almost drowned him. Though he does feel guilty about those last words he said.
"I'd almost rather be in prison…"
That sentence reverberated around his head all day, and almost all night. He told himself a long time ago that he'd be patient with Seth whenever he went out of his way to mess with him, but he went ballistic on him, and even said something he knew was hurtful.
He had every right to be angry, considering he could've died, on top of him being sick because of Seth, and being exhausted as well. But after everything Seth's done for him, he knows he would never choose prison over this place. He also knows that it reminded Seth of those who'd left him as a result of that kind of behavior. According to Klaus, it was never that severe, so while he could never blame those people for leaving, he knows Seth never did anything malicious or hurtful. He acted the same way he did with Adam, small harmless pranks and a little pestering.
The reason it didn't bother Adam is because he figured he was just trying to have some fun. And the truth is, Adam finds that to be an endearing quality in someone. He likes it when someone can have fun in any appropriate situation, even Ethan liked to mess with him, and he returned the sentiment. Being able to joke and play with your partner and friends is something Adam adores, so Seth doing so meant him no harm.
However, Seth's recent actions went too far, and pushed him passed his limit. He may feel guilty about exploding like he did, but he knows he's owed an apology. He only hopes that Seth is the type to actually give him one.
Adam sighs, knowing that he'd never get any sleep if he kept thinking about it. He takes some of the medicine Klaus left for him, and drinks some water, before turning over to go back to sleep.
(A few days later)
Adam had reported to work for the first time in five days. After working five days straight while being sick, taking five days off felt like heaven. He recovered pretty quickly thanks to Klaus, feeling completely fine in every sense of the word, except for the lingering congestion. The Drifblim truly was a miracle worker in every way possible, and he felt a lot better knowing he was covering for him while he was sick.
However when he reported to work finally, he realized maybe he was too good. For some odd reason, there was absolutely nothing for him to do. Nothing to clean, nothing to organize, nothing to pick up. Usually there's a new mess everyday thanks to Seth, but it looked like no one had lived there in weeks.
Adam finds Klaus doing his usual daily task of spraying the plants with a little water.
"Klaus, is it just me, or does it seem a little empty around here? Usually there are plenty of things to do, but now there's nothing today, what's going on?"
Klaus adjusts his monocle and continues spraying the Cheri Berry plant.
"Well, I told you a few days ago that Master Seth's work was occupying his attention. Recently he's been commuting to his office to work as opposed to working from his home office and having his management team run things like he normally does. He even takes his car instead of having me drive. As such, he's hardly been home as of late."
Adam thinks for a moment.
"Is there any particular reason why?"
Klaus shakes his head.
"Surely not. Sometimes his job demands his undivided attention, and he needs to be there. It happens on occasion, though usually it occurred regularly before you arrived. After you arrived he found himself distracted, it's a wonder his father hasn't called to check up on him."
Adam sighs. For a moment he thought Seth was using work to avoid him. But if his job requires his attention there's nothing to be done about it.
"Hm. Alright, thanks Klaus. But what should I do?"
Klaus finishes spraying the Cheri Plant, and moves on to the Leppa plant.
"Well, Master Seth is meant to work for the next few days. He said that if everything is finished before he's taken care of his business then we can all relax and rest until he returns. I, of course, still have my daily duties bestowed upon by myself. But you needn't worry about those. You go and relax."
The Drifblim turns around to continue his work, and Adam nods. He heads back up to his room, then takes his uniform off and puts on his casual wear.
I'm not even sure what I should do today. I feel fine so I really don't want to go back to sleep. But how do I relax…on my own?
Adam has never had a day off while Seth wasn't around.
Am I even allowed to use his stuff when he's not here? I can't use the courts outside alone, and I'm not sure I wanna play his video games while he's gone.
He decided to play his Shift Omega. He had only beaten one game so far, and decided to give a few of the others a try. He didn't want to start some of them, since Seth had gotten them for the two to play together.
I still have a couple I could finish.
He turned the system on, and began playing.
(A few days later)
With the last few days being filled with unproductivity, Adam was at his wits end. He had practically nothing to do, and he never realized how much he needed tasks to stop himself from going insane. Klaus had once again told him to relax and enjoy some downtime, but he had been relaxing for a week now, and he needed to clean something. He had decided to rummage through Seth's study, and do some dusting. It was something Klaus was meant to do once a month, but the Drifblim gave him the go ahead to do it in his stead.
He had never really been in the study before, and with the amount of dust that accumulated it appeared that others rarely entered as well.
By midday, he had already dusted off about two-thirds of the study, and was almost done. He was on a ladder dusting off the top shelf, as he was cleaning each shelf one at a time. He reached the end of the shelf, which was in the furthest corner of the study. He stopped when he noticed a particularly strange book, that was clearly different from the rest. It looked more like a binder, but it still had normal pages. There was an Egg on the front of it. Adam's curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it. It looked like the first few pages were missing, so he kept going.
The first thing he saw was a picture of a red and white Zorua. They were standing in front of a school smiling, holding their bookbag and waving. The caption read "Seth's First Day". Adam's eyes widened as he quickly flipped through the pages to find pictures of Seth as a child, before going back to the front.
Are these…. childhood photos of Seth?
He flipped to the next page, and saw a class photo, presumably of the same year. He was standing and posing with a Ducklett and a Mienfoo, who were leaning on him and smiling.
Those must have been his friends.
The next photo is of Seth looking at another Zorua curiously. The other Zorua was black and red, and was apparently just hatching from its egg. The caption reads "Seth Meets his Little Brother Nicholas". Adam looks up in thought.
He has a younger brother? How come he never talks about him?
The next photo is of the four of them, alongside an older black and red Zoroark, presumably Seth's father, at a birthday party. Seth is blowing out candles as they all clap for him. The caption read "Seth's 5th birthday". Adam smiles a little seeing the young Zorua look so happy next to his friends and younger brother.
The next photos are of Seth and his friends, a few with his brother, some more birthday photos, and a couple have his father in them. Adam takes a note that Seth's mother doesn't appear in any photos. He also takes a note of how his friends stopped appearing after one of the birthday photos. His brother and father are in them, however.
Adam stops at a photo of Seth writing at a desk in their home with Klaus hovering over him. The Caption reads "Klaus Teaches Seth". Going by the birthday captions, Seth is nine in this photo. The next birthday photo is of Seth, with just his father. Neither his friends nor his brother are present. It's his 10th birthday.
The next photo is surprising. It's of Seth, still a Zorua and Howie arriving at the manor, presumably taken by Klaus. Adam notices how Seth looks somewhat pensive. The caption states that it was "Seth's New Home". Adam is left shocked by the implications, but keeps turning. The next few photos are of Seth in various places around the manor, his 11th through his 15th birthdays, Seth studying business with Klaus(taken by Howie), and finally of him asleep at his desk in his home office. He apparently evolved randomly, as the caption says "He Went to bed a Zorua, and Awoke a Zoroark". He looks a lot younger, with the next photo being of Seth being surprised by his evolution.
After that, the next photo is of his 16th birthday, and then of Seth in front of his work building. The caption reads "Seth's First Day of Work".
"Ah. I see you found my father and Klaus' photo album."
Adam nearly jumps out of his skin and puts the book down, closing it swiftly. He looks down at Seth, and chuckles nervously.
"Ah! Sorry I wasn't trying to be nosy, I was just curious."
Seth smiles as Adam climbs down the ladder and pokes his paws together.
"It's fine. Klaus was asked to keep it so my father could document important moments for me growing up, but since I arrived here, Klaus and Howie have been the ones taking the photos."
Adam rubs his arm softly. He had a lot of questions after viewing the photo album, but he felt somewhat awkward. He hadn't seen Seth in almost a week, with the last time they spoke being when Adam nearly drowned and he blew up at the Zoroark.
"It's a bit of a keepsake now. I'm not sure if Klaus has been keeping up with it. You're free to continue to look if you wish. But before you do, I have something for you."
Before Adam could inquire about the photo album, Seth shows a medium sized box and places it on the table behind them. Adam looks at the Zoroark curiously, before opening the box.
Inside was a red gemstone, with orange crystals of several shades surrounding it. The entire thing was encased in a crust of rock. Adam picks it up, and examines the miraculous gift. He felt some sort of familiarity while looking at it. The colors made it feel warm, and he could swear he smelled the ash from his hometown. Seth looks to the side shyly.
"It's um…it's a geode processed from Mt. Chimney. I remembered you said you were from Lavaridge, so I figured you'd want something to remind you of home. It even managed to be red with an orange center. I had it specially ordered so that I could give it to you, as an apology gift."
Adam looks up at Seth, and notices the Zoroark looked extremely guilty. Before he could say anything, Seth spoke.
"I'm…I'm really sorry Adam. For everything, for how I've been treating you lately. Making you walk home in the rain and getting you sick, then pushing you in the pool and not listening or paying attention to how you were feeling in general. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you, or make you want to leave. I just…I got a little exuberant because you're the first person in a long time that I've felt I could call a friend…"
Adam recalls the photo album. He realized that the two friends he did have disappeared from the album at some point, and there were none to take their place. He looked back up toward the photo album, then back at Seth, feeling pensive.
"I know that's not an excuse in the slightest, but… I really do want to be friends with you, and the last thing I want is to ruin that. I promise I'll never mess with you again just… Please… I don't want to lose the one friend I have…"
Seth bows his head, and the sight of seeing him on the verge of tears tugs at Adam's heart strings. He looks down at the geode. It was finely cut, and of amazing quality, something not even locals would be able to get their hands on. Not to mention, the crimson gemstones were the same color as his fur. The Zoroark had clearly thought of everything.
In addition, Seth had never mentioned his childhood friends, or even brought up his childhood for that matter, so he wasn't using that as a way to appeal to his emotions. He sincerely wanted to be friends, and Adam believed he truly was sorry.
Adam leans down and puts a paw on Seth's shoulder.
"Apology accepted. But you don't have to make a promise like that. I don't want you to stop being yourself, just know when you might be taking things too far. I know you didn't mean for something like that to happen, so you gotta listen a little. People have boundaries, mine stop at dying, you understand? Hehe…"
Adam chuckles. He may be laughing but the moment is making him tear up a little as well, and he almost breaks when the Zoroark silently pulls him into a hug. Adam laughs and returns the hug, patting his back.
"And for what it's worth…I didn't mean it when I said I'd almost rather be in prison. I really do enjoy being here with everyone, I was just letting my frustration speak for me. I'm sorry."
Seth hugs Adam tighter, letting him know that he was forgiven. Adam knew his words must have hurt the Zoroark to some degree, and his conscience wasn't going to let him walk away from the situation without apologizing for it. He kept imagining how Seth must have felt after hearing it, and the guilt he felt was becoming unbearable.
"It's alright I understand. Thank you Adam…I promise I'll be better. It won't happen again."
Adam wipes a tear from his eye and smiles.
"Heh, you big baby."
(Later that day)
"So…your Mom separated you from your brother because she thought you were a bad influence?"
Seth nods, and takes a bite of his steak. The two were eating an elegant steak dinner, courtesy of Howie, and Adam had finally asked Seth about the photo album.
"Yeah…I still got to see him don't get me wrong, but those moments were few and far between. She never felt as though I was fit to inherit my father's company when the time came, so she took it upon herself to raise my brother to do so instead. My father was very upset, and it caused a lot of problems between the two of them."
Adam nods in affirmation. He didn't want to say it, but Seth's mom sounded horrible.
"I see. And those two friends…you stopped seeing them because you kept changing schools?"
Seth shakes his head once more.
"Yep. My friends tried to keep in touch, but my home was a fair distance from where they lived, and eventually they stopped coming around altogether. I kept getting kicked out because they didn't like how I carried myself. I went to about six different schools before I was eight, and my father eventually decided to just have Klaus homeschool me."
Adam looks down while eating. Seth may be speaking about it nonchalantly, but his childhood sounds rough. Though he had talked about it briefly with Klaus, he never understood the depth of the situation Seth had been in. He was a little amazed that someone who grew up without any friends, and was forced to grow up so quickly can still find it in themselves to have fun and be so playful.
He's pulled from his own thoughts when Seth calls for him.
"What about you? Got any stories from your childhood, Adam?"
Adam's ears lie flat against his head.
"I…I'd rather not talk about that just yet."
Seth tilts his head curiously before nodding.
"I understand… Was that all you wanted to ask about the photo album?"
Adam looked down at his food. He did have a few more questions, but he didn't want to continue to pry. So he only asked one more.
"How did you feel when you were sent here? You told me before that you've been here since you were young, but I didn't know you meant you were ten years old."
Seth looks a little thoughtful, before resting his chin in his paw.
"At first I was a little upset. That was a big change in my life, at such a young age, but then as I spent more time here, I realized that I had a lot more freedom. I could do what I wanted, act how I wanted, and I got to prove myself to my Dad. No one was around to scold me for being myself."
He sighs and uses a fork to pick at his food.
"But once the time came for me to hire servants, things stopped being so fun. I suddenly had to be responsible for others, everyone just wanted to do their jobs and that's it. It was strictly formal, and those who I did manage to convince to play a game with me, they would let me win, then go back to their work. It was really tiring. And then you showed up. You went along with it all without a word, and even treated me normally. Sure you may have acted like I was a nuisance, but you still put up with it, and let me be myself. It's something I've come to appreciate."
Seth smiled at Adam wholeheartedly, and went back to eating. Adam smiled back and tried not to blush a little, feeling embarrassed from his kind words.
I feel bad now because I did all that thinking that if I didn't I'd be sent to prison… I suppose I can loosen up a little from here on out.
"Well thank you. I'd rather you be yourself and be happy, if you were to act like my boss all the time I wouldn't be as comfortable as I am now. I appreciate you too."
Seth smiled and turned away.
"Th-thanks Adam."
Adam was glad that they've settled everything. He learned a lot about Seth that day, and was happy knowing he was genuinely appreciated. He was starting to feel at home after all.
(End Chapter)
