I was eating breakfast at the kitchen table, when Seb walked in. He made himself some toast, and sat down opposite me, drumming his fingers on the table.
After a while it started to get on my nerves, the constant drumming.
"Will you stop that?" I asked, angrily.

"Sorry." he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I just really need a job. My last kill was a week and a half ago."

"So killing is basically your version of drugs, and this is withdrawal." I observed.

"Yeah.." he muttered. "And I also really need a cigarette." he looked at me, questioning.

"Sorry, I don't have any. You know what Dad's like with smoking." I said, getting up and putting my plate on the side.

"Yeah, I do." Seb muttered. I walked upstairs, but instead of going into my room to get changed, I walked into Aliona's. I unlocked her desk draw, and took out a box, before locking the draw again, and walking back down to the kitchen. Seb was just standing up when I threw the packet of cigarettes at him.

"Don't get caught." I said, as he caught it. He nodded.

Merlin's train came in at ten to eleven, so he would be arriving at about quarter past, which meant that I had plenty of time to go back to bed, because I was still tired from staying up late watching films.

**

"Wake up, dolphead."

"I'm awake." I muttered.

"It's half past eleven, and you have a visitor to entertain." Merlin said.
I sat up. He was standing in the doorway, laughing at my expression.

"Do you mind?" I asked, gesturing to the fact that I was in pajama bottoms and not much else.

"Not at all." he said, rummaging through my draws and finding an old Supernatural t-shirt, which he threw at me. I thankfully pulled it on.

"Who let you in?" I asked.

"Your dad's bodyguard. At least, I'm assuming that's who he was. Tall, well built, blond, covered in scars?"

"Seb? He's Dad's boyfriend." I said.

"Wait.. Your dad is gay?"

"Yup." I said.

Merlin thought for a while. "I can see that." he said, nodding. "So, your dad has a boyfriend, how about you? Are you and Alfie a thing?"

"No." I muttered.

"Cool." Merlin said. "I mean.. Everyone's in a relationship, you know? Lovi and Toni, Mat and Gil, Ben has his girlfriend Meg, and Nic has a girlfriend as well.."

"So I take it that Gwen.." I said, tentatively.

"Not interested." Merlin said shortly.

"I'm sorry, man." I said as truthfully as I could, even though I wasn't sorry at all.
Merlin shrugged.

I slipped out of bed, and grabbed a pair of jeans. "Dude, I'm going to get changed." I said, walking into my bathroom. When I walked out again, Merlin was reading, sitting on my bed. I flopped down next to him.

"Do you mind, dolphead?" he asked, closing his book, just as the gong sounded for lunch.

Merlin and I walked downstairs, and through the archway into the old servants' corridor. I jumped the two steps into the kitchen, but Merlin walking down them like a normal person. The kitchen door slammed behind Seb as he walked in from outside, making Dad jump.

"Seb. You smell like cigarette smoke. Were you smoking?" Dad asked.

"No." Seb said, making sure that it wasn't obviously a lie.

"Seb. We will talk about this. Arthur, you and Merlin can go eat your lunch in the sitting room and watch TV, but no crumbs!"

"Thanks, Dad." I said, grabbing two plates, a pizza and a bowl of crisps.

As we left the kitchen, I heard Dad's voice. "Seb. I know you were smoking. You didn't use to."

Dear god, don't let them fight.

"That was before we argued." Seb said. "When you 'died' she was there to stop me, but when she died, after a we argued there was no one to stop me. At least I didn't get addicted to the drugs.." Seb stopped, realising what he had admitted to having done.

"Well, that's good." Dad said, coldly. "But smoking restricts your breathing, and that could hinder you during a fight. I refuse to let you smoke while you are working for me. As I suspect the boys are listening to this conversation, we shall continue this later."

"You're hot when you're angry, did you know that?" Seb said.

"Were you listening to what I said?!" Dad shouted.

"Yeah." Seb said. "But I also want to kiss you right now." there was silence after that.

"I think he kissed your dad." Merlin said, turning the TV on.