[I'm writing this novel, and found I want some input for the second chapter. I have characters and ideas, but need help tossing it all together. :3

Here's the first chapter, then what I have of the second. :3

Chapter One: Everything Breaks, It's Just A Matter of Time

Life was perfect. Today was sunny, a great day for a lesson out by the rather large pond behind the manor. Once lessons were finished, it was a wondrously nice time for a lunch with his mother, the woman who pampered and primped her pretty little boy into the stunning nobleman he was destined to be. Even his father, who could be cold sometimes because of how much of a natural preener his son could be, was out having a good time with his family, making his thirteen year old son nice and happy by just being there for him for a while.

The day was spent laughing, talking, and joking, running and playing, and making a grand show of it all to top it all off. That night, after dinner, the dear wife of Lord Hein read her beloved son a bedtime story, sending him off to dreamland before leaving him be in his room alone, turning off the lights to avoid keeping him awake. That was her first mistake. It was late when she lay him down, and the moon had drawn high in the sky. As she walked the bright halls of her home to the room she shared with her husband, she found herself hearing soft noises she couldn't place and decided to simply ignore.

She made her way happily into her room to join her husband for bed. The couple, always pleased with their relationship, made their way to bed and snuggled up for a good night's rest. The home seemed quiet, even with the near-silent scuffling and slight, errant laughter that echoed the halls and disturbed the sleep of the young boy hiding away by himself in his room. His mother was over-indulgent with him, and, even at thirteen, she let her son in bed with her husband and herself, if he had a nightmare.

Which, that along with a need to pee, had woken the young, orange-haired boy and drew him to the bathroom, and then down the hallway to his parents' room, just as quickly as his little legs would take him, where he heard an odd roar and the mad giggle of someone indulging in something they knew they shouldn't be. Pushing open the door, he stared in shock at the form of some person bathed in blood black satin and laughing manically with some large, archaic weapon in their hands. At the window of the room stood a tall man clad in dark colors with a wide grin on his otherwise hidden face. The couple turned to look at little Basile Hein before a strange hand sign in the shape of a W was flashed and they were suddenly gone, leaving the small ginger crawling into the bed, soaked and sticky with some red fluid.

He didn't understand why his mommy wasn't holding him. His daddy wasn't even scolding him for being in their bed. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that neither seemed to have their head on...but he wasn't sure. Frightened and finally coming to some sort of realization that neither of them wanted him anymore, he began to cry. His tears made clear tracks through the blood that had tarnished his slightly tanned cheeks from attempting to snuggle with the corpses in his parents' bed. They felt oddly cold and, he figured, it meant he was receiving the cold shoulder everyone spoke of.

The more he cried, the more pathetic and useless he felt. Usually, after a good three minutes of his tears and shoulder-shaking, his mother would stop ignoring him and cuddle him close and hum to him. However, this time around, she refused to even think about touching him. Was he tainted to her? He was so confused. His father, who usually got after him for not being manly enough, was strangely silent, as well, and refused to touch him if his stiff arms weren't moved and forced to. Both of them were acting strange and it was really starting to get to him. The tears ran more freely and he loudly whined and whimpered as he tried his best to continue to breathe through the snot gathering in his nose and dribbling down the back of his throat, barring his lungs from as much air as they needed.

On top of being worn out from such a good day and suddenly grief-stricken from being cast out without knowing what he had done wrong, he was starting to tire and his crying began to lose its gusto. His last thoughts before he fell into a light sleep were that he wanted to at least know who caused the loss of his parents, and that he wanted it more than anything he had ever wanted in his life. Parents, to their children, are God, and he had just lost his faith. He needed something to keep him strong. As he slid into a dreamless sleep, the small boy curled in his mother's lap, and imagined the feel of her warm arms wrapped up around him.

The next thing he registered was being carried and it sent a glimmer of hope into his brain. However, he didn't wake long enough to know who was doing the carrying, because he was quickly ushered back into sleep by humming and rocking.

As the sun began to peek into the window, light crawling upon the floor, preparing for its feast upon the bed and the single soul laying in it, a throat cleared in the room that didn't belong to the sleeping boy. Who, it seemed, was a heavy sleeper. He didn't even move; his body was paralyzed with sleep and he didn't seem to be going anywhere or even attempting to wake up. Crossing the room, the man who had cleared his throat moved to the bedside, looking down at the boy who lay in such a sleep that looked about as restful as participating in a swim across an ocean as a way to relax. A gentle hand moved down to gently push back soft, orange hair. This action seemed to calm that rigid body and scrunched-up face, and the tall man smiled.

Gently shaking the smaller male's shoulder, he whispered his name, at first. It seemed to flit past his lips like it was made to, but it took a little rougher shaking and a bit louder voicing of the name to get a reaction.

Eyelids fluttered, slowly revealing sea foam eyes that still seemed fogged from sleep and dreaming. Until he realized that that voice belonged to neither his mother, nor his father. Those pretty eyes focused on the face above him, smiling, with pale silver eyes and a lovely bone structure. Dark hair lay on his head, spiked up in the back and long only on the right side of his head, by his ear. He was fairly pale, like he never went into the sunshine, and he was very, very tall.

"Where's mommy and daddy?" Came the soft, gentle voice. He checked the bed and found it was empty, and that it had been cleaned and the bed clothes changed. Looking down at himself, he found he was just as clean and he had on a different night shirt. Had the memory of his parents' rejection not have been so deeply seated in his mind, he probably would have thought it was just a bad dream. But, then why would this stranger be in his house?

"I'm afraid your parents are unable to see you anymore. Without their heads, they were unable to even see, so they fled so they wouldn't hurt your feelings." The man spoke clear and plain, moving to sit on the large, plush bed and open up his arms. "But, they have left me here for you. We simply need to make a contract. Would you like to not be alone, Basile?"

The boy nodded almost frantically, eyes wide as he pushed the covers back and crawled to the other male, practically laying in his lap bridal style and nuzzling against him. He smelt oddly sweet and it lulled the naive boy into a false sense of security.

"I don't want to be alone....don't leave me alone, please..." His voice had taken on a much more desperate lilt to it from when he had first spoken. "Mommy always said I'm not allowed to be alone, I get into too much mischief and I don't want her to be mad at me."

"Your mother isn't mad, neither is your father. They simply wished to leave you without a second thought as to your life. They want you to live with yourself, now, with me. Now, do you want this contract?"

"Yes, please, Mr. Sir."

"Call me Adin, Little One." The man smiled softly, something that looked genuine and somewhat sweet, and he leaned down to the other's left ear. He kissed the lobe once before biting into it, a mark zigzagging across itself to form the contract. As the symbol made its way across Basile's ear, Adin's left hand responded in kind, clear as day and glowing brightly. Once it was complete, the man licked at his ear a few times and then pulled back with a smile. "We are now connected. I am your humble servant, Adin Veritas."

Somehow, the close contact left a light dusting of pink on the somewhat tan face, and the boy smiled back; his smiles were reserved for those who he loved.

"I don't want to touch the floor...it might start grabbing for my ankles again." He offered softly, looking down at it as if he were truly despaired over the situation. "Can you carry me to the kitchen?"

"Is that an order?"

"...sure?"

"As your servant, now, Basile, I have to take your orders. Make them, and I will be your greatest ally. Leave them hanging in the air and I will be just as useless to you as your own dreams are." The mere mentioning of his dreams had the boy stiffening a little.

"Take me to the kitchen, please." Came the weak order, and he nuzzled his face against the other's chest.

"Yes, little one." Lifting himself and carrying the other, he shortly heard a soft whine that sounded almost pained. "Are you alright?" He glanced down to find the boy in his arms with his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw set tight enough that it probably hurt. His hands fisted in the lapels of the taller man's jacket, and even the muscles in his legs were clenched nice and tight.

"I...it's just...s-so high..." The whimpered reply almost made Adin set him down. He paused, then looked down at him and leaned in to brush away some stray orange strands with his nose to kiss his forehead.

"Well, would you prefer the floor or my arms? I promise, nothing will ever hurt you as long as I am around." That seemed to calm him quite a bit and he smiled.

"In your arms, then." Nuzzling against his neck, he let his warm breaths slowly grace the pale column of flesh, making Adin simply ignore his body in order to get to the kitchen. In there, he found a shocking surprise.

A tall woman with long, wavy auburn hair busied herself with mixing some batter or another, likely preparing breakfast. However, her outfit was anything but becoming; a short dress that she very nearly popped clean out of, and an apron that held her so tightly that she could hardly be considered even dressed in the first place. Upon noticing people in the room, she turned and those amber eyes were flush on the demon and boy before her. She smiled and it seemed to push her breasts up more, making Adin's eyes go a little wide and his earlier excitement from Basile's touch diminish easily.

"Hello, there, sir. You're new...and definitely not Master Hein. What are you doing here?" Her mixing was set down and she made her way to them, making even little Basile uncomfortable.

"Chiffon, where are your clothes?" He whimpered as she got unnaturally close to the man holding him, pushing her breasts against his back where the other's arm rested.

"It's Wednesday, Bas...I'm allowed to wear what I please."

"I...I'm head of the family, now, Chiffon..." He muttered, "You...can't go doing this anymore." Behind him, he didn't seem to realize just how stiff and wary Adin had become. Until he watched in horror as the woman's hand made it's way to his cheek and brushed against him. He nearly jumped away from her, startling the boy in his arms and turning him into the world's first human neck tie that also gripped around your waist.

"Chiffon, is it? Please, refrain from touching me." Adin was trying to be nice, for now, but if he had to be he could get pretty nasty.

"Aww, why is that, handsome?" She questioned, purring a little as she encroached upon them again.

"Chiffon, stop it! That's an order!" Basile nearly screamed, scrambling up his new butler's body and getting quite the odd reaction out of it. "Go back to making breakfast, I need to change clothes." He muttered, hiding his face as he told the other to hold him right so the floor couldn't grab him and pull him in. Situating his young master properly, he instantly made his way from the room, leaving the poor woman standing there with a shocked expression on her face.

Finally, the pair found their way to Basile's room and he was let down on the floor. The room itself was probably more empty than any other part of the house. It held a large bed in the center, pushed up against a wall. A wardrobe rested at the side of the almost too-large room, coated in stuffed animals that he refused to be rid of. There was a closet on one side that he used simply to store his desk and lamp and everything, but he'd soon be able to move into the office his father used. Otherwise, apart from a carpet and a small bedside table, the room was completely empty and far too large for anyone's own good. Adin supposed it was so the boy could have a lot of space to grow, but even that was a ridiculous amount of space to justify with that excuse.

"Why is your room so large with so little in it, if I may ask?" The demon questioned, contemplating possible answers.

"Well...I used to have a lot of stuff in this room, but some of the furniture tried to eat me. So, we had to get rid of it. I used to have a few couches over here, a dresser with a mirror over there..." He continued to point out where things had been at one point, smiling a smile of someone who did it simply because they were thinking too much and trying not to burden someone else with these thoughts. "I also used to have a lot more toys...but they were mean. Especially that plush unicorn...he hated me so much that, once, he stole a kitchen knife and stripped me naked and cut me up with it. He did it pretty badly, and I finally got the knife away from him when my dad walked in. He thought I had done it and hung his head and shook it before taking me to see the doctor. I was fine, and we had to get rid of the unicorn." He nodded a little, definitively, as if it was the most logical explanation for anything ever in the history of the world.

The demon simply nodded, walking to the bed and lifting up a stuffed bear.

"And he isn't mean to you?"

"No, Nails is my best friend, other than Bucky." The young male began to shuck his shirt and shorts, going about sliding into a fresh button-up and his one-clasped gray jacket. His deep red capris and underwear came next, not necessarily in that order, followed by his boots and a small satchel that hung around his neck and shoulder and rest on the right side of his body. He carried what was in that bag everywhere with him. "You'll get to meet him soon, once I finish introducing you to the other girls." He added with a smile. Adin gulped.

"Other...girls?" He didn't seem happy about this.

"Yeah, you met Chiffon, next is Heather, then Lawnie. They're all sisters, my mother's sister's children. We employed them when my aunt died and her husband abandoned them. They don't mind working, though, because it gives them something to do." He smiled again, this time naturally, and held up his arms to be carried again. However, at this point, a knock came at the door.

"Bas? You in here?" A tousled mess of auburn hair poked into the room, and noticeably green eyes peered in to find her little cousin. "Aww, there you are. ...um...who's your friend?" She questioned, giving an odd expression, looking at Adin as if a moose was crawling out of the side of his head, unhindered, and wearing a series of hats ranging in size and shape on each and every antler.

"This is Adin. He's the guy my parents left me with...they left last night." He gave a sad expression, before brightening again, "But they left me with him and he's so nice! He carries me around and everything!"

"...as long as he's worth it, I guess he can't be all bad." She smiled softly at him. Then her attention turned on the third in the room. "But you had better be good to him, or I'll come after you."

"...of course, miss. And who might you be?" This woman seemed different, and he definitely liked her better than Chiffon. And yet, she was still a woman and he wanted her kept far away from him.

"I'm Heather, the middle sister. From the way you're looking at me, I'm going to take it you met Chiffon. I'm nowhere near as....well. She's way different from me." She even stepped out from behind the door to show she didn't have very large breasts at all. "And you'll probably like Lawnie even more." She smiled knowingly before disappearing. "I'll get your laundry soon, Bas." Was all she said before she was gone.

Once more, Basile lifted his arms to be hefted and was gently picked up. "Now, let's go outside and introduce you to Lawnie and Bucky, then come back for breakfast!" While he seemed hesitant, the man began to move and left the room easily, shutting the door behind him and making his way out the back entrance to the old home. Outside, they found a small person dressed in a white, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of tan pants, kneeling before a garden and planting some brightly colored flowers. Their hair was worn short, cut close to their head, shorter than Basile's, even.

"Is this Bucky?" Adin questioned softly into his new charge's ear, the small boy shaking his head.

"Lawnie, I have someone for you to meet!" She turned a little and smiled, hopping up and running over to the two still on the steps.

"Hi! I'm Lawnie. Littlest sister, and the best, of course!" She grinned like a maniac, making Basile hide his head. Her grins always scared him, but after last night, they terrified him even more. Adin gave a small smile in return, nodding.

"Well, we're just meeting everyone, for now. I will see you around later, I am sure." He turned to the boy in his arms, "Now, where to?"

"That way...I can lead, the grass likes me!" Basile smiled happily, wiggling around to get put down. Finally finding his feet planted on the plush grass, he took Adin's hand and led the way back towards the stables where his friend resided. Bouncing and laughing, it seemed odd for him to be so happy after what had happened to him the night before. The life of someone who had no idea what was going on must have been total bliss.

"Bucky~!" He called, happy as could be. There was something strange about the stable. The horses seemed undernourished and their coats weren't taken care of at all. After a few moments, Basile sighed and crawled up into the loft. When he poked his head back over the side, he frowned. "I can't find him."

"Hey, Basile, from the condition of the horses--"

"Oh, I found him!" Basile smiled after rummaging around upstairs for a bit, his head popping over again. Beside him was a head of blond hair, and soon the face was pushed out to reveal... Empty eye sockets, a distinct lack in cartilage that was meant to be a nose, and a creepy, ear-to-ear grin. All on exposed bone. Bucky the Stable Boy was a skeleton, plain as day, and it seemed that little Basile didn't realize it.

"Young Master...perhaps you should leave him where he is. He seems...tired..."

"Adin, you're silly. He just wants to play." The skeleton almost seemed to nod on its own, before it slowly slunk away. Basile climbed down the ladder and returned to the other's side. "Well, are you going to play with us?"

"...play what?"

"Hide and Go Seek, silly! It's his favorite game! He's so good at it." Basile then ran off and hid behind a large sack of feed, while Adin made his way to sit before the bales of hay near the end of the stables. He was completely caught off guard when the skeleton almost looked like it was thrown from the hay, being accompanied by a blond boy who seemed oddly see-through. His eyes seemed almost fearful when he seemed to note just what the man under his bony corpse was.

"H-hi...w-w-what are you doing with Basile?" He stammered, picking up the skeleton and hugging it tight to his body; it seemed to set into it and be clear through the thin veil of the frightened boy.

"I am his guardian, now. His parents...departed. Last night." The little ghost nodded slowly, the skeleton bobbing with him and making for an eerie sight.

"You taking good care of him, then?" The boy questioned, looking down.

"Yes. And I will continue to. But you can't shirk your duties, either. These horses need to be taken care of." The demon leveled the other with a look. "You take care of them, and I'll make sure your friend is very well taken care of. I won't even alert him to your...predicament." Because it didn't seem Basile had even noticed that Bucky was nearly see-through.

"O-okay. I...need a new anchor." He blushed some. "My anchor is Basile...I need something else to keep working in here."

"...one second." Adin rose and went straight for Basile's hiding place. "I'm it...and I found you." He gently touched the boy's face, "You're it. But I need to borrow something." He reached around the boy's neck and removed the necklace that had been placed there that morning, among the madness of the explanation of the demented stuffed toys. It was intricate; laced with metal lacing and gemstones from around the world. Only the best for Basile's mother, after all, and it had been her dearest possession. It was taken to the ghost, and placed about his neck. "You now have an anchor." He smiled, "Learn to stay with the necklace and don't lose it."

A bell from the house signaled it was time for breakfast, and Adin sucked in a deep breath. "It is time for us to go. We will see you around." Moving back over to Basile, the demon lifted his charge up and carried him out of the stables and back to the house, being careful with him as he walked. Slowly, he rocked the smaller boy, lulling him into a happy spot between sleepy and comfortable, a yawn parting his lips and then making his teary eyes shut. Slight droplets of salty water gathered in his thick lashes, but the pseudo tears didn't fall.

Inside, the meal was set up in the lavish dining hall, seated in the middle of the room. Everything was white; from the chairs and table to the walls, the rug, the plates and even the silverware. It was the most placid color that his parents could find for such a room, to sate their son's need to be able to tell the difference between an attacker and a friendly facility. Most of the home, now that the demon thought about it, was white; there was red here and there, but nowhere near enough to be considered threatening.

Everything went just fine, the food was nice and tasty, the room was calm and people were kept out of it, and everything seemed just wonderful and peachy. Until Basile's fork dropped and he stared at a flower pot by a nearby window. He seemed petrified, but Adin couldn't see a threat. He even went over and investigated. There was nothing there.

He turned back and the boy's paranoid stare had moved to beneath the table, which he was now perched on, staring beneath a chair. The taller man was at his side in an instant, looking around for what may have caused the sudden fear, and quickly picked his master up.

"What is it, young one?" He questioned, looking down where the young boy was staring.

"I-it's Sapphire." The boy replied softly, hiding his face. "She's my kitty...she hates me. She always wants to pounce on me and try to hurt me. She's terrifying. She hides in the shadows and watches me, she waits until I'm vulnerable and then she attacks!"

But the older male hadn't seen a thing. It was kind of odd, for him, but he figured that his poor little boy was a little more on the crazy side than he should have been.

"Well, then, I shall protect you from her." He'd just need to find some way to be able to see her, so he could see what his little master could and it didn't look strange to him. "Should we eat in your room?"

"Yes! She never goes in there!" His room was like the sanctuary of the house, it seemed. While he could go other places by himself when he sought help for his problems, he refused to do it when there was someone around for him. Collecting his master's breakfast, then the boy himself, the demon made his way back to the safe room. Finally, once they were inside, he began to set up the food on the bed. Basile made his way over to the closet and opened it up, flinching at his desk.

"You can set it up over here...it's a table, kind of." He offered with a small smile, making a slight face before sitting down and crossing his legs carefully. The desk wouldn't try to eat off his pants, this time. Nope, for once, Basile would win and the desk couldn't have its way. He had breakfast to eat. Soon, it was set up, and he tucked into it again, happily eating all of his delightful food. Once his plates were cleared, he looked up at Adin and smiled, getting up and walking to him. He pressed his body against his and nuzzled his chest, closing his eyes as his arms encircled the demon.

"Thank you for helping me get rid of the cat, Adin...she's truly horrible. She only hangs around the house, and she doesn't come in here or go outside...but she can be anywhere else. And she can somehow get through closed doors...I don't know how, but it's scary." He was shaking some with the thoughts. The butler had every thought in mind to tell the shorter male that it was a hallucination, but he highly doubted that it would be taken well.

"I will do what I can to protect you from her, then." He vaguely wondered how everyone else in the house had adapted to Basile's...well. His problems. And, he had to think, that he only had himself to thank for no asylums had been built at his special request. The way his father was described...he would likely have been the first to dump him off there again. A small sigh left his lips as he moved to hug the smaller, pulling him up nice and close and simply thinking to himself. He needs to stay sweet and innocent. Keep the innocence, make him sweet.

"I'm tired, Adin..." The little ginger looked up, showing how sleepy he was. "But I want to go back and play with Bucky..." A wide yawn made his last few words sound different, in a different tone and volume than the others.

"Perhaps you should take a nap, then?"

"I wanna go play. Can you take me to play?" He questioned in response, those sea foam eyes focusing on his new friend.

"I...suppose I can, little one." He nodded, lifting the boy bridal style and carrying him outside. Once there, he was set back down on the grass and he turned to look at his new way of transporation.

"Okay, you can go do servant things! I need to talk to Bucky!" He smiled, before running off towards the stables. Heading back into the house, the new assistant wasn't quite sure what he should be doing, but decided to find Heather and ask if she needed any help.

The day rolled on, with Adin spending a good deal of time working to make the house spotless, and with Basile out in the stables. Lunch time rolled around and the boy didn't come back; Heather said it was usual when he went out to visit Bucky, and the boy could last a good, long time without eating. He had proven it once at the express order of a certain evil unicorn. However, when dinner pounced on them, and there was still no sign of the boy clad in gray, a worried expression came over the elder man's face and he made his way out into the back to find his boy.

Out into the stables he walked; the horses’ coats looked marginally better, and he could see a hint of blond on the other side of one, likely making it look right. However, no orange was seen, nor heard, around him.

"Bucky?" Came a wary question as he moved in to watch the small ghost work at the horse. "Where is Basile?"

"Bassie?" The boy smiled, "Oh, he's upstairs. We were playing Hide and Go Seek, and he fell asleep on my little bed...he's so sweet that I left him there. He always sleeps better out of the house, so when he falls asleep out here I just let him." It was a habit.

Nodding the tall man offered a hint of a smile before heading upstairs to see his sleeping boy. As he approached, he realized just how sweet he looked when he wasn't tense and unmoving in his sleep. His nose was wrinkled slightly, for all of a second, before it was gone and he sniffed some, rolling onto his side. His hands were lax and resting one on top of the other, one leg was bent and the other straight, and he was lightly bathed in the sunlight leaking in through the cracks and holes in the top of the barn. He'd have Lawnie on that soon; he couldn't have Basile's best friend, ghost or otherwise, sleeping in that sort of condition. What if something tried to eat him?

Slowly moving over, Adin leaned down to press a soft kiss to his master's cheek before backing up a little. The boy's eyelids fluttered and he slowly let them open, shielding them from the sunlight with his hand. He yawned wide, slowly sitting up to the waiting face of his new caregiver. He smiled softly and waved.

Another yawn, and then, "Mm, hey, Adie..." That was a new nickname, "What time is it?"

"It's time for dinner, Bassie." The little nickname made the boy smile more and he swung his legs over the slightly raised bed and stood up on shaky, not-used-to-walking legs. He then nuzzled against his butler as he nearly dropped into his arms.

"That's what Bucky calls me...you two are so sweet. Let's go eat!" He bounced some, "I'm starving!"

“Alright, alright...” Smiled the tall man, who picked the boy up and held him close to his chest, so that his legs wrapped around his stomach and arms around his neck. Their bodies were pressed up nice and tight and it just felt...oddly right. But, of course, the demon simply shrugged it off and headed back down the ladder, then into the house. “Should we eat in your room again, or try the dining room once more?”

“I always try to eat in the dining room...but if I can’t do it again, then we can move to my room. And Heather can help, this time.” He offered, nuzzling against his neck before smiling wide. “You smell so good..like...cookies and cleaner. That’s my favorite smell!” What a strange child.

“I do hope you don’t eat those together.” The reply sounded a little facetious, but Basile didn’t seem to notice.

“No, mommy always took it away from me before I could eat it properly. Bleach makes such good tea, though....but I never got to try it. Halo always said that it was delicious. Will you let me try it?” The boy looked up with a happier smile than before, as if the thought of burning out his vocal cords made him super duper excited.

“...and who is Halo?” The demon replied, raising an eyebrow and looking at the kid with a worried expression.

“Well, he was that unicorn I was telling you about earlier. But he always made it sound so good...”

“If Halo told you to do it, clearly it is a bad idea. No, little one, you won’t be partaking of any bleach with your cookies, tonight.” The demon seated the boy and sat with him, setting his own plate up. He began to eat, before he was stopped by Basile simply staring at the food on the platters before him. “Basile?”

“I can’t cut meat by myself.” The boy nodded, “I’m not allowed to have a knife, anymore, because daddy yells at me.” He seemed distant, like he was talking but nobody was home. “Can you do it?” He didn’t look away from the large roasted turkey on the table. Reaching over, the thin man began to cut a healthy chunk of turkey for a growing boy, and made up his plate for him before setting it down before him. “Thank you, Adin.” The boy’s voice was still fairly flat, but he started to eat just the same. It was slow and calculated, much different from how he had shoved it into his face earlier that morning.

“...Basile?” It had been a good ten minutes since the last word was uttered, and the boy seemed to perk at his own name, smiling happily and gushing about how good the food was.

“Don’t you think this is delicious? It’s so good, Adin!” The boy nearly clapped with excitement, using the small fork to finally start shoving food in his face just as quickly as possible. It was odd, but it seemed the more he ate, the happier he became. He’d have to ask Heather about that, later (he still feared talking to Chiffon at all). At the over-enthusiastic response, the demon simply nodded and set back into his own meal, eyes closing part of the way but not enough so that he couldn’t see Basile beside him.

The night went on like any other for Basile, being carried from room to room to make sure that windows and doors were locked and shut tight. Never before had Adin seen so many locks on one door before, but the front door had the upside of about twelve or thirteen. Every year for his birthday, since he had wanted them, he had a lock put on the door for how old he was. He made sure there were thirteen for his thirteenth birthday, because that was an unlucky number and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

“Why are there so many locks on the door?”

“It has as many as my bedroom door does. That way, nobody can get in the house and hurt me. I even have Plexiglas windows so that I don’t get in trouble with people trying to break in! Isn’t it great, Adie?” There came that nickname again. If this boy wasn’t careful, he’d be eaten up too soon.

“Of course it is...now...is it time for bed?” Adin would have to put the boy down soon or there wouldn’t be any Basile left to protect from the reapers.

“It’s getting close. First, I need a bath, and then I need to put on my PJs and go to sleep.” He wiggled a little in excitement, “I love bath time!”

And bath time came and went, nothing too exciting happening with Adin sitting on the toilet, awkwardly avoiding looking at the body before him. It wasn’t that he was turned on, so much as that it was awkward to see a young man like that doing something so...silly.

On the outside, to the other people here, Basile was a small male, in every aspect of the word. A mere thirteen year old boy sitting in a tub with shaggy orange hair down to his shoulders, cut shorter in the back. But, to Adin, he saw what really hid behind that demeanor.

A spindly, almost awkward man even in his own body, with large sea foam eyes that gazed at him with admiration and a bit of fear sat before him. A man with hair that was longer than anyone’s he’d seen in this world, simply because he couldn’t be seen and groomed by anyone but him. He was thin and lithe, lightly muscled and skinny enough to fit into just about anything. His body was too big for the small tub, which explained why the body every one else saw was sitting so oddly and felt so cramped, even though the space was plenty big enough for him.

It was awkward, to say the least, to see someone who looked near his own age in that tub, to carry him around, to listen to him whine and cry, and to watch that face swell with blood each and every time it caught an idle movement of his hand. The man that he could see knew very well what sat before him. It was too bad the boy that he was couldn’t, and wouldn’t, listen to him and try and make it go away.

Before he knew it, following this line of thought for too long, both the boy and the frame of the man around him looked at him, standing up, dripping soap and water and making for an interesting sight, to say the very least. The demon stood and helped him rinse, doing his best to start the water on the part he could see, letting it trickle down to the boy. It was easy to watch, but he managed to direct his eyes elsewhere; the ducky bathrobe nearby would be interesting to see on the both of them. Handing Basile a towel, he reached for it and brought it over for the boy.

“No, I have a good night shirt tonight.” He smiled, their twin happy faces making the third in the room falter. Setting it back on the hook where it belonged, he followed the male wearing naught but a towel before him, to the bathroom door before being expected to pick him up and carry him to his room. Doing as was expected of him, before his twitchy jumping became too frantic, he hefted the smaller male and carried him along, setting him down in his room near the wardrobe when they finally got there. Reaching inside, the smaller pulled out a large button up and a pair of briefs.

Dropping his towel, he dressed himself easily, starting with the underwear and then doing up the shirt. It looked too huge on the small body, but fit just right on the other. It was so strange to see it like that, but it was something Adin was used to, by now. He’d seen it with a few others that he had liked like this; the ones that were sweet and innocent no matter what. He always did this for them, and they always didn’t know it. Nobody knew it but him.

Now, though, it was time to tuck the young man in for bed and leave him to his sleeping. Lifting the smaller up for the novelty of it all, he brought him to the bed and untucked the covers from the neat and almost OCD level of tucked they had been in. Now, it was time to nestle his new charge in the soft, plush bed and pull up those blankets and sheets to cover his small body. A gentle smile was on his face as he brushed some hair away from his eyes and kissed his forehead, before singing quietly to him. It was an old song, one he knew but Basile didn’t. But, as he was singing, it seemed to help, and he soon slipped off into sleep.

Adin sat there for a while, just watching to make sure he wouldn’t rise again. After a good ten minutes of Basile sleeping soundly, he rose from the bed and headed out of the room, shutting off the light. He had been give the room previously owned by the boy’s parents, and that was fine with him. He settled easily into the bed and began to slip into a light sleep, something that he could be awoken from easily if the need came.



Chapter Two: Long Night

The air whipped around the young boy, his razored hair caressing his face a little roughly for his comfort. The world around him was dark, almost pitch black, with the light from a blood red moon bathing everything in blood. Every surface seemed slick and wet, and the entire area smelled of fire and metal. A tentative step brought him closer to a tree that seemed to have a gnarled face in it, a face that seemed to be perpetually moving and yet, at the same time, made little to no noise. A thunderbolt, housed not by clouds but by the belly of a large shark swimming overhead in the thick air, struck the tree and made the carrot top cringe and drop to his knees in horror, watching as the tree shuddered, twitched, made a gasping moan noise, and finally stilled completely. A collective groan seemed to shake the forest and suddenly, all Hell broke loose.

Branches swayed and smacked into anything nearby; the forest was taking out its vile anger and revenge on everything around it that mattered, and Basile wasn’t to be left out of this. Bushes and fallen branches and twigs scratches at his legs, limbs that resembled hands went for his arms to hold him still. He suddenly began to sink away, his body being pulled downward. The more he fell, the more heat sizzled and popped and visible twitching of the plants around him showed just how hot it was becoming. Nothing seemed to be on fire, but he began to panic when he realized he was growing shorter; the ground was eating him up!