Title: Two Masters

Author: Tsutsuji

Fandom: Pandora Hearts

Pairing: Break/Liam

Rating: PG

Warnings: none, actually. huh. that almost never happens.

Word count: 404 lol

Summary: Liam Lunettes is loyal, conscientious, and easily flustered. Except when he's not.

AN: Second of two ficlets for the "authority figures" square on my kink bingo card.

Thanks to Chrissy_Sky for the quick beta! *hugs!*

Liam Lunettes is perfectly well aware that he's known for two things: being conscientious and loyal to his superiors, and being easily flustered. He's proud of the first, and no longer embarrassed by the second.

After all, with a master like Rufus Barma, being flustered to the point of speechless gibbering is just part of his duties. Especially at those times when Duke Barma tries to pass his Chain's ridiculous illusion off as himself to some unsuspecting visitor, and all Liam can do is stand by helplessly and try not to give away his Master's trick.

Being flustered is also one of the duties inherent in being a friend and associate of Xerxes Break; Liam has been doing it so long now that it's become second nature. However, he much prefers being reduced to indignant spasms of frustration by Break's clownish behavior, rather than by the man's baffling, self-destructive gloom when they met or by his infuriating disregard for his own health and safety in the present.

In fact, Liam is perfectly content to defer to either of them as his elders and his superiors: to Duke Barma as the head of the family which his family has long served, and to Break as a senior member of Pandora. No matter how much dignity it may cost him to do so on any given occasion.

In the service of the Barma house, Liam's loyalty is automatic and without question, although it's also without any heartfelt inspiration. Following Break's orders or reporting to him in matters of Pandora's business is no more than he would do for any other senior member, and he'd rather do so to Break than to many of the others in the organization who have the same authority.

It has nothing to do with position and family, or with age, or with organizational authority when he reports to Xerxes Break after hours and in private. Break gives him orders that are not really orders at all, and Liam conscientiously follows every one of them, just as if they were.

Break pulls Liam into his room and bolts the door, or appears in his usual, mysterious way in Liam's locked room, and crawls into his bed without stopping to ask if he's welcome or not. And every time he does this, he's perfectly pleased but not at all surprised to find that Liam is not really all that easily flustered, after all.

~~ the end ~~