Domestics (Otherworldly)
Title: Domestics
Genre: Original. Otherworldly. Slash.
Summary: Puck doesn't do domestics. Love and happy couples annoy him. So when a Seelie Prince and his Unseelie lover ask for Puck's aid, he's kind of annoyed. And the remainder of his past his a little bit devastating.
I'm working on a long story about Puck that will take place directly after this one and probably be finished sometime next month.
Puck knocked twice on the apartment door before letting himself in. He found Brennus in the kitchen doing his best to persuade Greyson from what his likely his one hundredth cup of coffee that morning in favor of tea. Lingering in the doorway, Puck allowed himself a brief moment to enjoy their affection bantering. But after a while watching them began to hurt and Puck cleared his throat.
"I'm assuming you didn't call me over here for round eight hundred of whether or not the Professor drinks too much coffee. I can solve this for you. Greyson, you drink too much coffee. Brennus, your tea is flavorless and unlike coffee doesn't provide people with the will to live in the
morning."
"Just for that, I'm not going to offer you tea or coffee," Brennus replied with a grin.
Puck returned the smile, "I got your message. What's up?"
"Oh," Brennus waved his hand dismissively as he drained his tea, "My brother wants to talk to you. I told him he could use our place since Grey and I are going to be gone for the day."
"Can you be specific on who you mean by brother? You have a rather lot of them," Puck teased.
"Cahir, actually. I can't remember the last time he left Seelie territory." Brennus placed his empty mug in the sink. He got Greyson's half empty mug away from his for the price off a kiss, drained it and placed it in the sink. "We're off. See you later."
Greyson followed behind Brennus, lingering for a brief moment, "Don't listen to Brennus. He wouldn't be half so grouchy if he drank a decent morning beverage. Help yourself to whatever you want."
"I hear you. You aren't as sneaky as you think!" Brennus called.
Once they were gone Puck nosed through the refrigerator and helped himself to the rest of their pulp free orange juice and polished off their Chinese takeout leftovers. He was debating the of the merits leftover pineapple pizza and if fruit really belonged on a pizza when the front door opened. Moving to the front of the apartment, Puck stared at Cahir and his companion for a brief, shocked moment.
"Unseelie!" He hissed, his right hand suddenly full of dark Faerie dust.
"No!" Cahir threw himself in front of the man and Puck was barely able to abort his throw. Equally horrified, the man grabbed Cahir by the shoulders and pushed him against the apartment door. He held Cahir easily there with one hand, despite his attempts to get free and throw himself in the path of danger, and turned his attention back to Puck. "Don't hurt him," Cahir managed, still trying to free himself despite that it was obviously futile.
Puck lowered the hand that held the dark Faerie dust and stared at the pair, momentarily speechless, "What is this?"
"Let me down," Cahir demanded and when the man obeyed he moved to stand half in front of him. "Puck, this is Evan."
"This wasn't a good idea," Evan said uncomfortably, "We should go."
"You should go," Puck sneered a little, "He will remain with me."
"We aren't going to let anyone separate us," Cahir said quietly. "We want to be together. We want your help."
Puck's mouth opened a little in surprise, "You should know better than to involve me in this..this... in whatever this is. I don't want anything to do with your domestics. I cannot- I will not be your ally in this."
"You just say that when you're uncomfortable. You act like you hate it when other people are happy and together, but its bullshit," Cahir objected, "You helped Brennus find Greyson when he was missing. You stood up with Seachlainn at his wedding. You helped Caoindealbhan. You've abided by your betrot-"
"Shut up. You don't know what you are talking about."
"Can you please try to understand?"
"No," Puck crossed his arms and refused to look at them. They stood together, Cahir still half a step in front of Evan as if his mere presence would protect the other man from all harm.
"Please," Cahir pleaded, "I love him. If we don't accept him, the Unseelie will take him back and we'll never see each other again."
"No," Puck repeated, but it was difficult to speak because Cahir's words had been like physical blows. He was right that if the Seelie did not grant Evan a place among them and the Unseelie learned of his attempt to leave their ranks, they would keep in within their grasp for the rest of his life. Evan wasn't the first to try and leave their ranks. Some had succeed. Others had failed and were never seen again. Puck looked at Evan. For the first time since they had entered the apartment he really looked at Evan and his mouth went dry. There were differences, but his face was painfully familiar.
"Your father has a thing for human women."
Evan frowned a little, "You know my father?"
"We are acquainted," Puck scowled. "And it is not for lack of trying on my part that he still draws breath."
"I do not particularly care for my father. My actions today have made me his enemy."
"Who suggested that you come to me for help?" Puck asked.
"I asked Seachlainn for advice," Cahir admitted, "He consulted Rioghan and they decided that my best chance to convince my parents to allow Evan to join us with was you as our advocate. Mother has always favored you. She will take your suggestion seriously."
"I see."
"Puck, how can we prove we are sincere? This isn't a passing fancy for either of us. We know what we are doing."
"You don't need to prove your sincerity, but I do," Evan interjected and held up his hand when Cahir began to object, "I understand and I don't
mind."
"Cahir, take a walk," Puck said abruptly.
"I-"
"Please," Evan took Cahir's hand and they stared at each other for a long moment, "I'll be okay."
Cahir's worried gaze darted between them, but he nodded and slipped out of the apartment door. Puck had a million questions for Evan and most of them weren't about Cahir so he held back and Evan began to speak unprompted.
"I never wanted to be Unseelie. I stayed for so long because I wanted to be with my older brother, but I wasn't cut out for it and he told me I should leave. I asked him to come with me."
Puck swallowed thickly, "He can't leave."
"No," Evan confirmed, "He can't leave. When I asked him to leave with me he told me they caught him trying to leave when he was younger because he loved a Seelie Faerie. They were furious and monitor him obsessively. He is layered with more spells than I can count and we don't even know what half of them do. Its old, dark magic." Evan sighed a little, "When he first told me about the Seelie Faerie, I hated that person for betraying him. For leaving him to be trapped among the Unseelie while branded as a traitor. But it's more complicated than that, isn't it."
"Yes," Puck managed. He felt like he was drowning. None of this was new information, but hearing it aloud was almost more than he could bare and he wished that he'd left the moment he understood what Evan and Cahir wanted from them. Even without Evan's story about his brother it was too much, too painful and entirely too familiar.
"So he told me to go on my own, to live among the mortals and keep my head down. My mother was human. I can pass for human when I want to. So I really was going to try to make it on my own. I didn't plan on Cahir. Actually, I probably stood a better chance of being accepted by the Seelie if I wasn't with him. It looks suspicious."
"Somewhat."
Evan hesitated, "All I know about the Faerie my brother Ealdwine loves is that is name his is Robin. I told Ealdwine I would try to find him among the Seelie if I could."
Puck tried to swallow, to breath, but it was a struggle. He felt like the apartment was apartment was closing in on him, like there were weights on his chest getting heavier until they compressed him into nothing. Puck met Evan's gaze and looked carefully for deception or other dark spells that might trick or ensnare. Evan might have come from an Unseelie mother, but his heart and his aura were untainted. Just like Ealdwine had been.
"I will be your ally."
Evan startled, "What?"
"I will be your ally," he repeated throatily. "I will make sure you are allowed to join us and not separated from Cahir," Puck managed, vanishing the minute he was finished speaking.
Evan was sitting on the couch in the living room when Cahir returned half an hour after Puck left. Tense and worried because he couldn't tell form Evan's face how the conversation with Puck had ended.
"I was half worried one of you would be cursed out of your minds when I returned."
Evan laughed a little, "No, it wasn't like that and I couldn't hurt him even if I wanted too. He's far more powerful than even the wildest rumors claim." Evan frowned a little, "I think I upset him. We mostly spoke of my brother. He seemed...on edge when he departed."
"He won't admit it, but he has a soft spot for couples that have to struggle a little. My brother told me that when Puck was young he was terribly in love with someone who wasn't considered right for him and they weren't permitted to marry. That's when he earned the nickname Puck. He spent a couple of decades playing rather nasty tricks on basically everyone encountered."
Evan frowned deeply.
"This was before I was born," Cahir explained, "And it wasn't that bad. Harmless, but annoying stuff. Puck is too Seelie to be really cruel to anyone without cause. But what did he say? Will he help us?"
Evan grinned suddenly, "Yes. He'll help us."
"Yes!" Cahir climbed ontop of Evan on the couch and kissed him until they were both panting for breath. And then he kissed him again. And again. And one more time before he could finally control himself. "Yes. I don't know what I would have done otherwise. I think I would have followed you back to the Unseelie."
"I wouldn't have let you," Evan objected, "you have no idea how cruel some of them are. I really wish there was someway to free my brother from their grasp. I promised him I would go, but I wish... They'll never willingly let him go. He's too powerful."
"But he refuses to do their bidding. What is the point in keeping him?"
"If they can't have him then no one can. Better that he is their prisoner than working with their enemy."
"Do you know the name of the Faerie he loved? Perhaps something can be done."
"Before... you said that Puck is not his given name? It is his nickname?"
Cahir nodded, "Yes."
Evan inhaled slowly. It couldn't be. It couldn't possibly be that his brother had fallen in love with one of the most powerful, well known Seelie Faeries. Yet Puck's reaction to hearing about Ealdwine had been strange. He had seemed physically pained at points. Why would a story about someone wholly unconnected to him affect him so powerfully? "Do you know his given name?"
"His name is Robin Goodfellow."