Damned If I Do Ya 4/13
Title: Damned If I Do Ya
Author: desperate2break
Rating: U (fer now)
Pairing: Zack Merrick/Oli Sykes
POV: Zack Merrick
Summary: Zack is a born-rich kid with nothing but time on his hands. He knows only luxury and when he wants something, he wants it now. A whole new world is revealed to him when he meets humble Oliver Sykes...
Warnings: Graphic language use
Dedications: All my readers who are British and short like me, and all my Americans who admitted to owning Chi's LOL
Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing. But, should anyone want to gift me with anything...
I woke up leisurely on Wednesday, since I didn't have Squash with Rian's dad till the afternoon. When I stumbled out of the shower, our butler, Matthew Flyzik was waiting for me with a towel.
'Thank you, Matthew,' I nodded to him. He was the only Help I was remotely friendly to; simply because he'd been there since I was five. He knew me better than any of my parents and he was always my right-hand man. I respected him.
'Sir, your breakfast is ready for you on the balcony of the West Wing, overlooking your father's tennis match against Mr Barakat.'
'Any English muffins today?'
'I'm afraid not, Sir. We only have fresh croissants from France and a peacock egg for you. And of course, the usual selection of fruit.'
'Peacock egg?' I made a face as I climbed into my yellow Gucci shorts. 'I hate peacock eggs. Did my mother instruct you to torture me this morning?'
Matthew smiled slightly. 'Yes, Sir, she did.'
'Very well,' I sighed, and allowed him to lead me to the appropriate wing.
'Anything the matter, Sir?' Matthew asked, watching me toy with my fruit salad. I looked up and shook my head.
'No. Yes. I wonder...Have a seat, Matthew.'
'Sir?'
'Please sit. I need to speak to someone about this, and you're the only one I can trust around here.'
He obliged and awaited further elaboration.
'See, Matthew, there's this boy...And I really like him. He makes me...Makes me feel like...it's like taking a cold bath everyday and not knowing any better, until someone buys you a boiler and then you have your first ever hot bath and it's...I'm not explaining it well enough. Sorry. Well, it's like...like he makes me smile and he doesn't have to do anything. And he's...Like your first ever taste of chocolate. Or like....your first snow day...'
I realised I was staring dreamily into the depths of my half-eaten peacock egg and snapped out of it, still smiling.
'...He wears the same jeans and shoes all the time and when...when I told Alex and the others about him, they...Well, not Rian but...Alex and Jack...But I like him so much, Matthew. Normally I'd be so grossed out by repeating clothes but...it doesn't matter with him because...he's not...he's just not.'
'Permission to speak freely, Sir?'
'Huh? Oh! Right, yes, of course.'
'I suggest - if I may - that you continue with this conquest of yours, regardless of your peers. It seems to me, Sir, if it isn't too forward of me; that you...think there might be a future with this young man?'
'Of course I do! I - I - I'm in love with him, Matthew! Already! Can you imagine us in three years time?' I took a breath and shoved a piece of watermelon into my mouth happily. 'Matthew, have Vinny bring out the car.'
He quickly stood. 'Where to, Sir?'
'Kirch Doll Emporium. Hasten please!'
I got to the Doll Emporium in good time, and I remembered to bring Oli's drawing of Francis. I was glad it was life-sized.
'Timothy!' I greeted the owner, taking his hand.
'Master Merrick! How nice to see you! What can I do for you?' Timothy Kirch enquired with a beam.
'Well, I need something reproduced exactly. It's this picture here.' I handed over Oli's picture and let Tim study it for a while. 'Now, it's a plushy and I want the softest fur-like material you have for the body, and for the nose I want the finest French silk.'
'And the eyes, Sir? One of them...It's a button...And the other one is a cross-stich...'
'I'm aware of that, Tim. I want a mother-of-pearl button, and the stitching has to be with Malaysian silk-thread. For the entire animal. And I don't want you to improvise with the colours either - I want it Precisely as it is in the picture.'
'But Sir -'
I held up a hand. 'I don't care if you have to import from Russia, Uzbekistan or California, I want it like the picture. When can you have it ready?'
'The least I'll need is a month -'
'Unacceptable. I want it for Friday.'
'But Master Merrick! That's two and a half days away! How can we import everything and -'
'I don't care. I don't care if you have to pull every worker from every single one of your chains and make them help you; I don't care if you have to close down your entire company for two days to make this monkey for me. You could even hijack boats and planes of imported material to get this done on time and you wouldn't hear a peep out of me. Just get it done.'
He eyed the ground for a while, then he looked back up at me and I saw the light of determination in his irises. 'Yes, Sir.'
'Good. Matthew, bring the car round please. We'll leave Mr Kirch to his work.'
Friday came. I stopped off at Kirch Doll Emporium to inspect and collect the monkey; I was so anxious I was about to fire every single one of the service men because they were opening the gates too slowly.
Well?' I demanded.
'He's finished,' Tim Kirch breathed, presenting me with a sun-yellow box, ribboned with blue silk. His eyes were bloodshot. 'Would you like to know how much he costs?'
I cast him an annoyed glance. 'Just charge it to my account. Someone bring me the original drawing.' I clicked my fingers - was no one efficient? 'Now!'
Matthew was the one to bring it. I held up the monkey to the light and looked from its slightly romantic-looking face to the drawing.
'Perfect...'
Then I called Oli and found out his whereabouts: the O Callaghan place again. Good; it was near the beach and I wanted to take him there to give him his gift. My chauffeur parked right outside the back gate and I literally felt myself imploding inside with excitement.
Hey,' I said softly when I saw him. 'Can you come to the beach with me? My chauffuer will drive us...'
He looked over at the man who was by the flowerbed, and smiled when he nodded. 'Okay.'
I led him to the edge, right to where the indigo sea waves carressed the soft gold sand, and made him sit before the water.
'This is pretty,' he mumbled, closing his eyes and sighing.
I watched him. a smile growing on his perfect features. It made me sigh aloud.
'Oli, open your eyes,' I whispered. He blinked twice at the box in front him.
'What's this?' he asked.
'Something. For you.'
'Oh no, Zack...Please...I can't...And last time with the paints and...'
'Open it. G'head,' I grinned joyfully.
He watched me uncertainly, before proceeding to delicately pull at the ribbon. A gasp escaped him. 'Francis...?'
'Almost,' I beamed.
'Zack - I - you -' Then he stopped trying to speak and threw his arms around me, so tight I almost couldn't breathe. He kissed my cheek profusely, then rested his cheek against mine, fingers stroking my hair. I held him in return, smelling the scent of lillies in his hair. When we broke apart, my cheek came away wet, and his own was glistening, eyes glassy. He bent his head and kissed the pink silk of Francis II's nose, before cuddling him. 'I love him, Zack. Thank you.'
We talked for a while after that, watching the sunset. The conversation turned to his interests.
'...I like walking. Like, going for long walks but I can't.'
'Why not?' I asked, watching the gentle breeze tease his sun-kissed features. I wanted to hold him.
'I never have any time any more. I was amazed I could get the time to come here with you.'
'Do you ever take time to do what you wanna do?'
'I draw now, since the package you gave me. I make time. Even if it's just for ten minutes before I go to sleep. It's hard though; there never seems to be enough hours in the day.'
'It's the opposite of me,' I confessed. It was his turn to watch me. 'I get bored easily. I don't have much to do. Hey, what's your favourite colour?'
'Um...White. Cuz it's pure. Why?'
'Just asking. Curious, I guess.'
Then he caught me staring at him and he blushed.
'I guess this is it, then,' I sighed when Vinny dropped us back at the O Callaghan's.
'Guess so,' Oli smiled shyly. He was still clutching Francis in his box. Then he set it down and hugged me again, so close his ribs were pressed firmly against mine. 'Thank you, Zack. Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me.'
I opened my mouth and closed it again, stuck for something to say, so I just hugged him back.
'Dad!' I heard him call out as he ran to the man by the Daffodils. 'Guess what!'
I smiled.