Community Servant Final Chapter
Chapter 13: Family Matters
It'd been three years since Seth finally confessed his feelings to Adam and the two began their romantic relationship.
The two of them had taken an impromptu trip to Mossdeep City, courtesy of Seth, after the Detective suggested they visit the Space Center located there.
Seth had already been trying to find the right time to propose to Adam, and with Adam wanting to see the beach after their visit to the space center, the moment presented itself to him.
He had spent months contemplating how he would ask, picking the perfect engagement ring, and debating when he should do it. He even went as far as asking Klaus for advice this time, but the Blimp Pokemon said it'd be best to choose for himself, since it would be a very important moment for both of them.
He felt the time was right suddenly as they walked down the ramp to the beach. His conscience told him he should do it.
He felt his heart beating anxiously as he followed Adam to the beach.
"Wow…this beach is nice compared to the one in Slateport. It's so open, and the sea breeze is perfect…"
Seth reached in his pocket and grabbed a small black box, the box containing the ring he'd bought, and he'd been carrying around for the last few months.
"Y-yeah, everything is… just perfect."
Adam nodded in agreement, and stared out into the open ocean.
"You know Adam, there's been something that's been on my mind recently. I've been thinking about us, and honestly, I'm not sure what else I can say other than I love you. You've helped me grow as a person, and honestly I can't imagine my life without you in it."
While Adam wasn't looking, the Zoroark got down on one knee and opened the box, showing the ring.
"You've been nothing but a pleasure to be around, you bring a smile to my face every single day, and honestly, my only wish now is for it to last forever."
Adam turns around slowly.
"What…what are you say- *gasp*"
He gasps silently as he sees Seth on one knee, holding a ring in a box in the palm of his paw. The Lycanroc's eyes widened as Seth turned completely red and held the ring higher. He covered his mouth with his paws, growing teary eyed.
"Let's spend the rest of our lives together. Will…will you marry me Adam?"
Adam couldn't hide the growing smile behind his paws. He basically leapt into Seth's arms and nodded frantically.
"Yes! Yes of course! Oh my gosh!"
Seth wrapped his arms around Adam tightly, and buried his nose in his fur, nuzzling him lovingly.
"I can't even begin to describe how happy I am, honestly. H-here…"
He reaches down and holds Adam's left paw, before taking the ring out of the box and sliding it on to one of his claws. It shined brightly in the sunset, being a beautiful orangish gold color to match.
Adam looked down at the ring on his finger with a large grin, before suddenly bursting into tears. He crumpled and fell back into Seth's arms, making the Zoroark worry.
"Woah woah! Adam, what's wrong?"
He only shook his head, trying his best to wipe his tears, but they kept flowing.
"N-Nothing! I just ..I don't know what to say-"
Seth chuckles and rubs the back of Adam's head.
"Heh, let's just enjoy the moment."
Adam wipes his face, before smiling and pressing his lips against his new fiance's softly. The two watch the sun set, embracing each other as night settles in.
A few weeks pass, and the two are finalizing renovations to the manor. Long before Seth decided he wanted to propose, he had hired some contractors to add an extra room to the manor, while also expanding the living room beneath it.
It would be a larger room for the both of them, with a walk-in closet, more space for both of them to do their respective work, and a patio that overlooks the garden in the backyard.
The room had been completed, and all of the heavy lifting had been done. All that was left was for them to move their things into the room. Adam's possessions had already been moved, and the two of them were organizing Seth's things.
They had just finished boxing up Seth's clothes, and Adam was trying to organize Seth's desk so the two of them wouldn't need to struggle carrying it.
"You sure everything in here needs to come? When's the last time you organized your work papers?"
Seth puts the last box of clothes by the door.
"Organize?"
Adam gives Seth a blank stare, making Seth chuckle nervously.
"S-surely it can't be that bad."
He opens a drawer in the top left corner and immediately a mountain of papers fly out, scattering around the area. Adam holds the blank stare, and Seth avoids eye contact, a slight blush growing on his face.
"Uhh…well, at least it can't get worse right?"
Right after saying that, a gust of wind blows in through the window, further scattering the papers. Seth quickly closes the window, laughing sheepishly, and refusing to speak further. Adam's demeanor doesn't change, but he kneels down to start picking up the papers. As he does so, he notices something strange about their contents.
"Huh? There's hardly anything written on any of these?"
He goes to read the first one:
Dear Adam,
I'll start off by being completely transparent, I think I'm in love with you
The note ends there. He picks up another paper.
Adam,
I love you with all my heart, I'd love nothing more than for us to be together
He realizes that these are all notes addressed to him, and each one details how Seth loves him in a different way. Seth also realized what the papers are, and hurries to pick them up. But it's too late.
"Are these…letters you wrote but never gave me?"
Seth turns red from embarrassment.
"These…these are from when I was trying to figure out how to tell you how I felt about you. I wanted to write something meaningful, but I couldn't think of the right wording. Eventually I just decided I'd rather tell you in person…"
Adam reads more papers as he picks them up, he feels his face and chest heating up more with each one.
Adam,
I'm so madly in love with you…
Dear Adam,
I've come to realize that you're the love of my life…
To Adam,
Words cannot describe how much I love you…
He eventually picks them all up, and compiles them into a neat stack. He hands Seth the rest. He knew Seth loved him a lot, but reading over and over how Seth loved him to the point where he couldn't even think of a way to tell him how made him feel slightly tingly inside.
"And…you kept these?"
Seth nods, though slightly embarrassed, he had no shame when it came to how much he cared for Adam.
"Well…yeah. It didn't feel right to throw them all away, I wanted to remember the day I asked you to be mine. I look back on a lot of our moments together."
Adam sits on their bed and Seth grabs the photo from their trip to Alola.
"Like, the first time you kissed me. I had just realized that I had some sort of feelings for you, but I wasn't sure what I should do about them. You actually made me speechless."
Adam chuckles, and holds the photo. He remembers framing it and giving it to Seth as a birthday present, trying to offer a subtle hint about his feelings for the Zoroark at the time. Seth rummages through one of the boxes, eventually finding his chef outfit.
"And this! I've only ever worn it twice, the last time being when I tried to bake you that birthday cake."
Adam smiles, recalling how Seth had made a disaster of the kitchen in the video Klaus taped for him, and how he cried when he brought out the birthday cake.
"You know, that was the first time I'd ever gotten a cake on my birthday. It felt…nice to hear that I was special to you. It's kind of when I started to like you haha."
Seth raised a brow with a smile.
"Wait, I never said that to you. Pfft- did Klaus keep that part in the video?"
Adam laughs and nods, covering his mouth partly.
"Haha! Yeah… He only edited out the parts where you guys were waiting for the layers to bake, but he kept in pretty much everything else. Even the part where he used the very first ingredients you made to make the cake I ended up getting, which was perfect. But yeah, the part where you had given up and said you wanted to show me how special I was to you is still there."
Seth smirks and pulls Adam into a hug while nosing his neck.
"Well it's true, you had already meant the world to me even before I realized I was in love with you. And now I can tell you that as much as I want."
He lets the Lycanroc go, who smiles in return. He gets up and puts the chef outfit and picture away in their designated boxes.
"What about you? What moments do you look back on fondly?"
Adam looks up and chuckles nervously.
"Well, it's a little awkward, but the pool incident is something I thought about quite often."
Seth turns red and rubs the back of his head with a nervous chuckle.
"I uh… I do still feel bad about that, you know…"
Adam gives him a kiss on the cheek, and smiles reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I mostly meant what happened as a result. You were gone for almost 2 weeks after that, remember? Sure, I was really pissed off about it, but it made me realize how different things were without you around. That…without you there, things were quiet and stagnant. Once we grew closer and I started to actually like it here, I didn't want to leave. Partly due to the realization that if I did, I'd be lonely without you…"
Seth smiles, glad to hear that the Lycanroc enjoyed his company as much as he did Adam's.
"Well, while I was gone, I had seriously contemplated changing everything about myself. You were someone who I'd actually started to care a lot about, and the last thing I wanted was to push you away. Hearing that you'd rather have been sent to prison hurt me deeply, and I would've done anything to change your mind. But then…you told me you'd rather I be myself…and…I think that's when I started to fall for you as hard as I did. It felt…uplifting to be accepted by someone I cared about so much, especially after I'd made mistake after mistake when it came to their well being. That's when I knew, I didn't want you to leave either."
The two make eye contact, and smile, before leaning in, and sharing a kiss. Their passion had risen, if only a little, listening to each other talk about moments that helped shape how they feel for each other. Adam was the first to pull back, before things went further.
"We should uh…definitely get the rest of your things packed, before it gets too late."
Seth nods in agreement, and stands up.
Together they organize the contents of Seth's desk, and pack everything else inside away. With Seth's Psychic doing most of the heavy lifting, they work together to carry the boxes of clothing and possessions to their new room. After a bit of strenuous reorganizing and unpacking, they finish, and collapse on their new bed.
After admiring their handiwork, Adam turns over on his side, and smiles at Seth. He felt relieved that they finally finished, and wanted to relax.
"So what now?"
Seth turns over as well, looks up in thought.
"Hmm… wanna go out to dinner? We could try that-"
BzZzzt. BzZzzt.*
Seth stopped for a moment and pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket. He raised a brow when there was only a phone number, with no name attached. He tentatively looked at Adam, who gave him a curious look in return, before picking up.
"Hello?"
"Heya Seth! It's Nick!"
Seth's eyes widened and he sat up, holding his phone closer to his ear.
"Nick?! What- Why? Hi, I can't believe you called me!"
"Ahahaha I know it's been ages. But I finally managed to find your number in the business files thanks to Dad. Mom's been doing her best to keep me from contacting you, but even she couldn't stop me."
Seth looked over at Adam with a smile. He may not have spoken about it, but he did miss his brother after he got sent away. His mother had separated the two of them before he moved away, though he still got to see him and spend time with him quite often. He then lost all contact after coming to Hoenn.
"Business as usual I see. So what's up, how've you been?"
"Well, aside from adding each other to our contacts, I actually have a reason for calling…"
(Two weeks later)
Seth was nervous. That was the simple way of putting things at least. He had finally reconnected with his brother after years of lost contact, and he was informed of a family gathering that would take place at a venue in Castelia City. His father had bought out the entire floor for them, as it was a private party, and his brother Nick was tasked with inviting him. Of course this was under the guise that his father was the one who told him to come, but he supposed his father had a change of plans.
Of course, Seth had to bring Adam. He figured it would be the best time to finally tell his father and mother that he would be marrying someone, but probably not someone his mother would fancy.
Adam was slightly opposed, for fear of causing trouble at a family party, and because he knew that despite everything Seth said, he was still nervous. It's not easy for everyone to stand against their family, and Adam knew that Seth would at least need him there to support him.
The two had arrived at a nearby hotel suite, and fallen asleep. It was a long flight, and Seth was mentally exhausted trying to psyche himself up for the gathering.
The next night, the two of them are still standing outside the venue. Adam is excited, taking in the sights around them, having never been to Unova before, whilst Seth is dreading the moment. He knew his mother would react harshly to what he had to say.
Not only because he's in a relationship with another male, but because he's going to be marrying a "commoner" and she wanted him to marry into a family of higher status like the family has done for generations. She had a very traditional mindset, and it made it hard to deal with her and her side of the family, setting his behavior aside of course.
Adam stops looking around, finally wondering why they haven't gone inside yet. He approaches Seth, and can sense his trepidation. He walks up to him, and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey…everything okay?"
Seth sighs and looks at Adam with a slight smile.
"Yeah it's just…I'm still not mentally prepared for what's about to happen. Who knows how this night's going to go…"
Adam looks down in thought, before holding one of Seth's paws.
"Well…why don't we scrap the idea? We can always tell your family another time, and try to enjoy tonight. We'll just say I'm here as your guest servant, and we'll deal with your Mom like you normally do. I can't stand to see you like this."
Seth smiles, glad that Adam would postpone something like this for his sake.
"I know…but I can't. If I'm planning on spending the rest of our lives together, I'd prefer to let them know sooner rather than later. We can just get it over with tonight. Don't worry, I can do this."
Seth offers a reassuring smile. Adam is still a little unsure, but nods, understanding.
"Alright then, let's go inside."
He kisses Seth's cheek to calm him down a little, and waits for the Zoroark to finish mentally preparing. Seth eventually opens the door and the two walk inside. They head towards the elevator, which takes them to the highest floor, where the party was being held.
The elevator opens to a hallway, where there were already servers running back and forth between the kitchen and the actual party venue. The two walk down towards the room, and share a glance before entering. Inside, the party had already started. People were sitting, eating light appetizers as the main course hadn't begun yet, and chatting away. Adam looks around, expecting some people to get up and greet Seth, but is slightly surprised when some only look at him, and continue their conversations.
"Not the reception I was expecting."
Seth chuckles and continues walking, unfazed.
"Haha, don't worry. Most of these people only know me by name. My side of the family isn't the traditional sort, well, not traditional by most standards. They're related, yes, but most of them only visit to inquire about business. I only came to see my immediate family, as harsh as it sounds these people are basically strangers. Let's keep walking."
The two continue walking, with Adam trying his best not to pay attention to the onlookers. As they walk, suddenly from a few feet away, a younger looking Zoroark, who looks just like Seth's father, approaches, startling Adam slightly.
"Seth! There you are!"
Seth brightens, and the two of them share a hug.
"Nick! It's good to see you. Adam, this is my brother Nick. Nick, this is Adam."
Nick gives Adam a warm smile, then extends a paw for a shake.
"Adam, the only servant in the world who could stand to work for my brother, haha! I've heard a lot about you from my father. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Adam shakes his paw, returning the smile.
So they all share a sense of humor. Got it.
"It's nice to meet you too, Nick."
The younger Zoroark nods and gestures for them to follow.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way, we can go to our table. Come, Father and Mother are waiting."
Adam takes a note at how different Nick's manner of speaking is compared to Seth. Seth speaks politely, but Nick sounds more proper, likely a result of being raised alone by their mother.
They follow the younger Zoroark through the crowd, until they reach a table in the center of the room. There, Clark and Theresa are waiting patiently. Clark brightens up when he sees them, and stands with open arms, while Theresa is busy speaking to a server.
"Seth! Adam! Glad you could make it! It's wonderful to see the both of you!"
He walks towards them and pulls Seth into a hug.
"Hey Dad. It's great to be here, it feels nice to be close to home. I figured I'd bring Adam as well, seeing as he'd never been to Unova."
Clark nodded in agreement before walking over to Adam and giving him a pawshake.
"And I'm glad you did! It's always a pleasure to see Adam. Let's all have a seat, we can catch up as a family."
Theresa finally addresses them, having shooed away the server she was speaking to.
"Ah yes, even I must say it's been ages since we've been together under the same roof. Oh, the only thing missing is my Klausie. Is there a reason he didn't attend, Seth?"
Seth only shakes his head, he didn't have an answer, he brought Adam instead of Klaus so he could announce that they're getting married, he didn't think his mother would care enough to ask.
What should I do? Should I just say it outright? Is now the right time?
Adam, having not taken a seat yet, notices his lover's internal quarrel, and makes an executive decision.
"If you'd allowed me to interject, I've taken Klaus' place as Head Servant while he is on a forced vacation. Seth noticed how hard he'd been working as of late, and made him take a break so as not to run himself ragged."
Seth looks at Adam in shock. Not only did Adam speak with Klaus' mannerism near perfectly, but he gave him more time to put himself together.
"I- Y-yes. Thank you Adam."
Theresa turns up her nose in disgust.
"I see my son still hasn't taught you not to interrupt. Honestly Seth, why he's still in your employ is beyond me."
She gestures for Adam to turn around.
"Right then, everyone who brought 'helpers' has been ordered to send them to the kitchen to assist with the dinner service. Go on, off you go. Oh and make yourself useful and grab us another pitcher of water while you're at it."
She keeps gesturing for him to leave, and Seth and Adam share confused looks, while Clark and Nick look at each other for a moment. Adam bows slightly and begins to walk to the kitchen.
"R-right, apologies madame."
Seth looks back at the table with a sheepish smile, and stands back up.
"U-um, I have to use the restroom, excuse me."
He quickly heads back into the crowd, ignorant to his father's questioning gaze.
Seth manages to catch up to Adam right outside of the entrance to the room, and grabs him by the shoulder. They walk to the bathroom together, and make sure the bathroom is empty before speaking. Adam quickly gives him an apologetic look.
"I know I know, I'm sorry I ruined the plan. I know you wanted to tell them but I couldn't just let you sit there and stir. I'm sure we can tell them some other time."
Seth nods in understanding.
"Don't worry, I understand…I just… I want them to see how amazing and wonderful you are. I want them to get to know you a little more, for themselves, I'm just not sure how to smooth our way into it, and it definitely won't happen if you're serving tables throughout the entire party."
Adam smiles and cups one of Seth's cheeks.
"It's fine. It's just one night, I can manage. Don't worry about me, just spend some time with your family, okay?"
Seth doesn't look satisfied, but nods sadly. Adam gives him a subtle kiss on the lips before adjusting his bowtie.
"Right, now where's the kitchen? I'll get started."
The two leave the bathroom together, as Seth tells Adam where the kitchen is.
Seth makes his way back to the table, and takes his seat. He notices that Nick is gone as well, but doesn't think much of it. Shortly after he returns, Nick comes back as well.
"Ah, welcome back Seth. My sincerest apologies, I had received a call."
Clark chuckles as the two of them sit back down.
"Now then, Seth. I'm curious. How did you finally manage to coerce Klaus into taking a vacation? I've known the man since we were children, and his vacations have always been sparse. Especially once he started working for us."
Theresa chimes in with a scoff.
"Yes, do tell. I'm most curious as well, I was looking forward to seeing Klausie."
Seth chuckles nervously, he hadn't thought of a cover story since he hadn't intended on hiding the fact that he and Adam were dating. He looked around sheepishly, before turning around to see Adam, his savior, return with a pitcher of water. He filled Nick's glass first, who nodded gratefully.
"Ah, well it's as Adam said, Klaus had been working very hard, and it took both of us to convince him to finally take a break. It just so happened to have already been planned before father called me to invite me here."
Theresa clicks her tongue, and sneers.
"Well, you certainly had poor timing. Now not only was Klaus unable to attend, but you had to resort to bringing this riff raff in his place. You haven't hired any other servants? Or are you stuck with this unrefined welp?"
Adam seems to be unbothered by her remarks, and keeps pouring. Seth grips the table slightly, ready to snap back at her, but Adam walks over and fills his glass, giving him a comforting look. Seth calms down and sighs. Little did they know, Clark was eyeing the both of them with a raised brow.
"Mother, I've told you before, Adam is like family, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak so rudely towards him."
She turns up her nose and glares at him in response.
"Hmph! I'll speak how I wish to someone as unrefined as he. He didn't even address us when he returned to the table, he merely started pouring! Honestly, how can I speak nicely about someone so untrained?"
Adam merely bows his head, and continues on to pour water into Theresa's glass.
"Apologies ma'am, would you like some water?"
She pushes her glass aside, and looks away from him.
"Of course not, I don't take water poured by filth without manners."
Seth is beyond furious with his mother, seething from her words. Even if Adam was just another servant he wouldn't want to subject him to such harsh treatment. Before he could speak however, Clark interjects.
"Theresa enough! Your behavior is dampening the mood, it'd be impossible for anyone to enjoy this atmosphere with you antagonizing the poor boys."
He looks over at Adam as he walks over to pour his glass, but he refuses his water also.
"Adam, please, put the pitcher down. Whether or not Seth brought you along to be a servant or not was not up to me, but I won't be having you serve us tonight. Please, have a seat."
Adam, along with Theresa and Seth, is shocked.
"Really?
Clark chuckles and stands, smiling as he put a paw on the confused Lycanroc's shoulder.
"Of course! Surely you didn't think that empty chair was for someone else?"
He gestures towards the empty chair next to Seth, which Adam was sure wasn't there before, before pulling said chair out and urging Adam to sit. Adam takes a seat, smiling sheepishly as Clark returns to his own.
"Theresa, I consider Adam family as well, he's been taking good care of my son as he manages my business overseas. I'm more than happy to treat him as such, and you should too."
Theresa merely looks away in silence, while Seth smiles at his father, who smiles at both he and Adam in return.
"Now then, we can actually get started with dinner."
Clark snaps his fingers, and a server rushes to their table. Once everyone settles on what they want, the dinner service finally begins, and nearly everyone is enjoying their meal. Clark strikes up a conversation with Nick as they eat happily.
"Ah, Nick, I meant to ask, could Anna not attend tonight? I recall you saying you would be bringing her so she could finally meet Seth."
Nick nods sadly, and takes a drink of water.
"Yes, unfortunately she had a work emergency, and had to travel to Nimbasa City in a rush. Such are the duties of a surgeon. I'm taking her on a trip to Galar next week in order to make it up to her."
Clark sighed with acknowledgement.
"Ah yes, very unfortunate. I remember she was excited to attend the party tonight."
Seth looks between the two of them in confusion.
"Anna?"
Nick smiles at Seth, happy to see his brother curious.
"Yes, my girlfriend of four years. You were meant to meet her by surprise, but duty calls."
Seth smiles excitedly, happy for his little brother regardless.
"Oh, a girlfriend! Congratulations Nick, I'm happy for you!"
Clark wipes his mouth, and smiles as he listens to his sons converse.
"Yes, I am as well! I'm also excited about the possibility of grandchildren, hah!"
Nick blushes slightly, and Seth laughs.
"Do you plan on marrying her Nick?"
Nick laughs nervously, having been put on the spot.
"I-"
Theresa finally contributes a scoff to the conversation, speaking before Nick could answer.
"You should focus on your own relationship rather than inquiring about your brother's. You rejected all the women we suggested in the past, and have yet to find your own. Do you ever intend on finding a wife?"
Seth looks to the side, knowing his mother would have something to say, as she always has.
"No mother, I have not. I don't have time to look for a wife, as I put all of my spare time into the family business."
Adam snickers, having been silent the whole time, though only Seth heard it. Seth knows Adam knows the truth, and pinches his leg under the table. Adam hisses quietly and holds a laugh. Seth coughs and looks back at his mother.
"I want to find someone who makes me happy, not pick someone based on their societal background. I want someone I'm actually compatible with."
Theresa sneers as she pushes her now empty plate away from herself.
"Well, if you're as busy as you say, that would be near impossible."
Seth looks up to hide a slight blush, having made eye contact with Adam.
"W-well it might be easier than you think… hehe."
Clark raises a brow.
"Oh? Is there perhaps someone you're interested in? Adam, you're with him every day, do you know?"
Adam chokes slightly before swallowing, shocked that the question was directed towards him.
"Y-you're asking me?"
Theresa nearly snarls at the Lycanroc.
"How moronic can you be, yes he's asking you!"
Clark scowls and tries to intervene.
"Theresa-"
"No, Clark, he's a servant, and should be treated as such. Why is he even sitting with us?"
Clark raises his paws in defense.
"I've already explained-"
"Well I find your explanation unsatisfactory! He's a commoner! A peon from the streets trying to scrape together what he can to get by! And I'm supposed to accept him as family just because he made friends with our failure of a son?"
Nick, having had enough as well, tried to stop the onslaught.
"Mother, please -"
"Silence Nick! I separated the two of you for good reason! Look at him! 25 years old, unmarried, still immature, living in an empty house with only two servants who manage to tolerate him enough to work under him, and with the only knowledge he retained as a child being how to run a business! This is exactly why he was sent away, he's a disgr-"
"Enough!"
All eyes turn towards Adam, who just slammed his paws on the table. He stands slowly, eyes piercing red with fury. Theresa looks him up and down with a glare.
"How…how dare yo-"
"Be quiet! You've said more than enough."
Adam stands up, glaring down at the astounded Zoroark.
"I've had enough of this, you can insult me all you want, but I refuse to sit here and listen to you talk like that about your own son!"
Adam remains still, clenching his fists.
"I've put up with your shit all night, out of respect for Seth, his father, and Nick, but I have no respect for you at all! For as long as I've known Seth he's been wonderful, and has been attempting to live his best life despite the neglect and hate you put him through, and he's happy!"
He sighs, and he looks at Seth with droopy ears. And Seth stands, knowing what Adam was about to do.
"We came here to tell you all that Seth and I are dating, and that we're about to get married! We did not come here to listen to you bitch at everyone and try to bring us down just because you're miserable!"
The party had gone quiet. Theresa was in pure shock, having never been spoken to like that before. She looks up at Clark almost expectedly, and Seth puts a paw on Adam's shoulder.
"A-Adam, let's just go…"
Adam stands firm, his glare unwavering, even as Clark confronts him.
"*sigh* The two of you don't need to go anywhere."
Everyone's eyes widened as Clark softly patted Adam's shoulder, and gave both him and Seth an apologetic look.
"Adam is right, and Seth, I'm sorry. Truly. Theresa, you always say that Seth should learn from his brother, well…you and I can take a lesson from these two."
He walks around and keeps his paws on both of their shoulders, looking between the both of them.
"A large portion of the Zenabrin lineage is made up of arranged marriages, but I do not agree with that tradition. My parents were unhappy together, Theresa and I were married for business, and I refused to contribute to that. I didn't send Seth away out of shame, or even to manage my business. I sent him away because I wanted my son to find his own happiness. Unbound by your hyper traditional standards."
He eyes Theresa, who could only stare in anger and astonishment. He smiles at Seth and Adam.
"I'm proud of my son, of both my sons for maintaining their happiness, and forming relationships that they built on their own. And I'm more than happy that Seth found someone like Adam, who's bold enough to stand up for him against his own mother, in front of an entire party full of family members, then stare down his father directly after. You've got a nasty glare Adam, haha!"
Adam blushes and smiles sheepishly, and Seth chuckles nervously, having faced said glare before, yet happy his father approves.
"I accept this relationship, and with the two of you getting married, Adam will officially be a part of the family, and will always be welcome in my home."
He looks over Theresa, who looks angry, yet defeated.
"Whether you like it or not."
She only huffs and turns up her nose before leaving the table silently. Nick stands up to follow her.
"I should go make sure she doesn't terrorize the help. Congratulations Seth!"
He gives his older brother a genuine smile, alongside a thumbs up, before following their enraged mother. Clark pats their shoulders once more, before sitting back down to finish his meal.
"Please, enjoy the rest of your meals. I'd like to spend a little more time with the both of you before I go home and deal with Theresa."
Seth was glad his father finally stood against his mother, but he was slightly concerned.
"Are…are you guys gonna be okay?"
Clark nods, and continues to eat.
"Everything will be just fine. As I said, Theresa and I were married for business. My father made a deal with Theresa's father when we were young, wherein I would marry Theresa when we became of age, and our company would be able to absorb theirs to prevent them from going bankrupt. We already legally own their company, and they're more than grateful, but I think it's time I made a very important decision regarding my marriage."
Adam, fully understanding what Clark meant, suddenly feels guilty.
"Mr. Zenabrin… I'm…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for-"
"Haha, you're nowhere near at fault Adam! In fact most of the fault for everything that happened lies with me. I was the one who never stood against Theresa or either of our family's values, I was the one who sent my own son away in order to provide an escape for him, and I was the one who let this all go on for far longer than it should have. Perhaps dealing with her was how I was punishing myself for being such a coward. Regardless, I still want my sons to be happy. And I think it's time I followed suit."
Seth was happy for his Dad. He was worried about what would happen to his mother, but after how she addressed him, and how she spoke of Adam, he felt as though maybe whatever happened would be for the best.
The trio finish their meals, and Seth says goodbye to his father and brother, who promised he'd keep in touch, while also congratulating them on their engagement.
Adam and Seth return to their hotel room, and collapse in bed, just as they did the night before.
Adam looks at Seth sadly, curious about how the Zoroark was feeling.
"Are…you alright?"
Seth nods before pulling the Lycanroc into a spooning position, and nuzzling him softly.
"Hehe, of course. You don't need to worry about me. I'm happy that things turned out how they did. My family knows about and accepts our relationship, and my father finally confronted my mother and wants to change things for the better. I feel like…I can breathe easy."
He gives Adam a soft kiss on the back of his head, making the Lycanroc smile.
"Besides, I got to see you snap at my mom. The look on her face made it all worth it. Plus, seeing those fiery eyes of yours light up like that is kinda sexy.~"
He rubs Adam's stomach, and Adam turned a deep shade of red.
"Sh-shush. I felt really bad about doing that in front of the whole party, I couldn't take any more. Plus I didn't wanna be rude to your father."
Seth buries his nose in the flustered Lycanroc's neck and chuckles.
"Yeah I understand. But still, your tough side is kind of attractive, and it's not like what you did wasn't justified. You were standing up for me. Something of which I very much appreciate."
He rubs his stomach softly as he plants soft kisses on the smaller male's neck, making him shudder.
"With how well things turned out. I think we can celebrate a little, right?"
Adam looks back at his pale colored boyfriend with a massive blush.
"S-sure, that sounds good."
Seth smiled as he pulled Adam into a kiss. He displayed his passion in that moment, his happiness at its peak. The two of them enjoyed a pleasant night together, as they began a new chapter of their lives.
(End.)
And that's the final chapter! Thank you to those who've followed along until now, I really appreciate all of you. And don't worry, while I have no plans to add more to this story, I'm not done fleshing out the lives of these characters. Keep and eye out~
-LF