A/N: Again my silly mood strikes and Yamino is the victim once more. However, this story turned out a lot less silly and humorous than I intended.

Happy New Year!

When working for Loki, Yamino always made sure to keep a low profile. Not only because he was a little shy, but also because it was part of his butler persona. His only duty was to serve Loki. All attentions must be focused on Loki.

If one thought about it, it was a rather lonely way of life. Yamino never complained, of course. He never complained about anything, really.

Nevertheless, someone had been paying attention to him, and that someone was getting progressively worried.

One day, just after Yamino had served chocolate mousse all around and then left Loki's study, Mayura brought the subject up.

"Yamino must be very lonely," she commented to Narugami.

"Hm?" Narugami just looked at her, his mouth too full to form any words.

Unnoticed by them, Loki looked up sharply.

"I mean, aside from us, he doesn't seem to have any friends," Mayura elaborated. "And he doesn't even hang out with us that often. All he does is stay in the agency and work, work, work. Ever since I met him and Loki, I've never seen him take a day off and do something for fun, just for himself." She threw Loki a quick, mild glare. Loki, being the clever god he was, picked up on the accusation right away.

"Are you insinuating I overwork Yamino?" he asked, his tone soft but clearly angry. Mayura said nothing, probably more than a little unsettled by how a little boy could sound so threatening. "For your information, Yamino claims to consider his work not only an honour, but also his favourite pastime. In fact, if I remember correctly, he has told you, on more than one occasion, that he thoroughly enjoys working."

"Honestly, Loki, you can be so dense sometimes," said Mayura, rolling her eyes.

Loki bristled. Mayura was far from being the sharpest tool in the shed; how dare she call him, the god of trickery and mischief who had outwitted the whole Norse pantheon and then some, "dense"?

"Of course he said those things," Mayura went on, oblivious. "He was just trying to be nice to you, so you won't sack him or something."

"I'd never―" Loki began, but gave up with a sigh when he realised it wasn't worth bothering.

"Anyway," continued Mayura, settling down with a sad expression, "I think Yamino is very lonely. He won't open up to us, Loki is always ordering him around like a slave, and even Fenrir seems to avoid him unless he's hungry."

Fenrir snorted, but other than that, remained thankfully silent.

"He's not lonely, Mayura," Loki said. After all, how could Yamino be lonely? He was now free from his prison and surrounded by his beloved family – or part of it, at least.

"He is!" Mayura insisted, looking unusually serious. "I can see it in his eyes. I know he's attached to you, Loki, but let's face it, it's just not the same. He needs a friend of his own, a real friend, someone who won't give him orders, someone who would like him and hang around with him all the time, to keep him company even when he's working..."

"You mean like a pet?" asked Narugami.

"That's it!" shouted Mayura, jumping to her feet. "Yamino needs a pet!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mayura," said Loki, peeved that she just wouldn't drop this annoying subject. "We already have Fenrir."

"Weren't you listening to a word I just said, Loki?" she whined. "Fenrir is your pet, and he doesn't seem to like Yamino very much. Yamino needs a pet of his own!"

"She's right, Loki!" said Narugami, taking Loki aback. "I have a pet myself, and I can tell you, they really help cheer us up when we're feeling lonely, especially after a hard day of work."

"Enough about hard work!" Loki snapped, getting really tired of these unfair hints that he was a slave-driver towards his own son. "I don't want to talk about this any more," he warned them with that soft, dangerous tone that unnerved both of his friends into meek silence. "If I hear any more of it, I will kick you two out. Understand?"

Narugami just shrugged indifferently, while Mayura pouted and nodded.

oOo

The next day, Loki felt calm enough to give Mayura and Narugami's suggestions some consideration. Now that he was alone in his study, save for the company of a sleeping Fenrir, he could think clearly and a little more objectively. Perhaps there was some truth to Mayura's claims, after all. Was Yamino feeling lonely? Was that why he tried so hard to please Loki?

When Yamino came in to serve him a huge piece of strawberry cake, Loki watched him more closely, looking for any signs of underlying unhappiness. But no, Yamino looked as cheerful as ever. He always seemed to take special pleasure in serving Loki his favourite treats.

"I can see it in his eyes," Mayura had said. Either Mayura was seeing things, or she was more perceptive than this trickster god for once. Not to mention that would mean Yamino himself was deceiving him, in a way. It was just so impossible... And yet, could Yamino really have that much fun with work? That also seemed like a strange, unlikely concept for Loki.

"Yamino, look at me," he said suddenly, interrupting Yamino's babbling on how he had come up with this new recipe.

Yamino blinked, slightly surprised by the request, but easily complied. Behind the glasses, his green eyes were lively and curious. At first glance, he just seemed to be in a good mood, as always, waiting and idly wondering what Loki wanted him to do next. Innocent and eager to please. But Loki persisted in his search and looked more closely.

At last, he thought he saw something, a flicker of desperation. He desperately yearned for something, Loki realised. He tilted his head. Ah, and there it was. A dark shade, a dull quality, an certain emptiness... Loki wasn't certain what exactly it was, but it could very well be loneliness.

He broke eye contact and lowered his head, feeling a pang of guilt. If this was true, if Mayura was right, then it was probably Loki's fault. He should have noticed this earlier, should have done something about it.

Well, he figured, it wasn't too late! He looked up again to meet the gaze of his increasingly worried son again.

"Yamino, do you feel... lonely?" he asked, hoping that such a direct, unexpected question might lower Yamino's guard and confirm his suspicions. Indeed, Yamino looked rather alarmed and a little flustered.

"L-lonely, Master Loki?" Yamino rallied and managed to recompose himself. "No, sir, definitely not! What gave you such an idea?"

"You don't have many friends, for one," said Loki bluntly, but Yamino didn't waver at all.

"As long as you are by my side, Master Loki, I will never feel lonely," he said with a soft smile. His gaze briefly rested on Fenrir's sleeping form. "Besides, I have my brother here, and Mayura, and the shikigami also keep me company."

"I'm afraid that's insufficient," said Loki with a baleful frown. This time Yamino's smile did fall off, though he rather looked like Loki had just grown a second head. "Yamino, you need a pet."

"I – what? A... pet, Master Loki?" Yamino was openly giving him an odd look now, seeming convinced that he was facing an impostor of some sort. "That is... um... Master Loki, I don't need a pet..."

"Are you contradicting me, Yamino?" asked Loki coldly. Yamino blanched.

"N-no! No, no, I―" he stammered.

"Then it's settled. We're going to get you a pet. Now," said Loki, carefully picking Fenrir up from his lap. The puppy blinked his eyes open groggily and yawned.

"Now, Master Loki?!"

"Yes. Trust me, you'll feel a lot better with a cute animal who will love you unconditionally and keep you company all the time," said Loki as he took Yamino's elbow and pulled him out of the study.

"What? What?" asked Fenrir, looking around in confusion. "What's the old man on, now?" he muttered to himself.

oOo

Loki's first choice was a dog, for many reasons. Dogs were said to be man's best friend, loyal, friendly, affectionate, playful, useful – the list went on and on. Yamino had experience taking care of Fenrir, so he should have no trouble taking care of a dog. Also, Loki was hoping to kill two birds with one stone, as it were, so he purchased a female dog to befriend Fenrir as well. Fenrir didn't have a lot of friends, either...

As it turned out, that was a terrible mistake. Only a week later, a ragged Yamino approached him.

"Please, Master Loki, get rid of that dog! I beg you!" he beseeched on the brink of tears, his hands clasped as if in prayer.

"What's wrong?" asked Loki, alarmed.

"'What's wrong?'" echoed Yamino in disbelief, his body shaking. "She and my brother have ganged up on me! They trash the house and eat all the food! And the things they do... where any innocent passer-by can see them! On the dinner table!" He visibly shuddered. Taking his point, Loki mimicked the gesture. "They have no shame, Master Loki!"

"All right, all right, the dog goes," Loki conceded. Yamino heaved a sigh and murmured words of gratitude, which were abruptly cut off when Loki added, "I guess you're more of a cat person, then."

oOo

Yamino sighed. True, the cat wasn't as bad as the dog. It was relatively quiet and tidy. During the day, at least. At night, it would sometimes meow incessantly at the top of its lungs – and what an impressive set of lungs such a small creature possessed! When it wasn't meowing and keeping the whole agency awake at three in the morning, the cat had the unfortunate habit of claiming Yamino's pillow as its own. And it snored. Loudly. When Yamino tried to remove it, the cat turned into a vicious beast, and Yamino had to content himself with sleeping on the couch in the sitting room.

Not that the cat was a saint during the day, either. It did sleep most of the time, but when it was awake, it broke several vases and other invaluable antiques, scratched the couch and the carpets to shreds, tried to steal the food, got into fights with Fenrir, and brought dead animals into the house. It acted like it owned the house, and it shed fur all over the house.

Yamino thought the cat was supposed to be his companion, but the cat didn't really seem very interested in him, except when it was hungry. Still, if it made Master Loki happy, Yamino would try to bear with it. At least it didn't do anything inappropriate on the dinner table. Yamino still had nightmares about that.

A few weeks later, however, the cat disappeared. This was unusual, as the cat rarely left the house. While Yamino had never been too fond of the cat, he had never wished any harm on it, either, and he worried that something had happened to his cat.

On the next day, they got a visit from Narugami.

"I found your cat," he told them without preamble. "But I wouldn't expect it to come back any time soon if I were you. It's taken residence in my place and made friends with my cat. I think they want to become a family, if you know what I mean."

Yamino was relieved that he had both got rid of the cat and learnt that the cat was safe. If it now did anything inappropriate on someone's dinner table, it would be Narugami's table and not Yamino's problem.

Unfortunately, Loki was not ready to give up.

oOo

Loki's next attempt was a hamster. The lady at the pet shop had told him that hamsters were growing very popular as pets, since they were so cute and easy to look after. Loki himself had grown rather fond of it. He couldn't see how this could go wrong. The hamster never had to leave its cage, so it couldn't possibly kick Yamino out of his own bedroom or make any messes in the house. Yamino could take it anywhere he wanted and the hamster could not leave on its own. It was perfect!

Or so Loki thought, until one warm afternoon, only three days after purchasing the hamster, Yamino entered his study, carrying the cage. Loki soon noticed that there was something... odd about Yamino. He had been looking a little odd these past three days, but now it was quite visible. As Yamino set the cage on Loki's desk, Loki thought his son's eyes looked a little cold, kind of predatory, and was it his imagination or were the pupils not so round as a little on the vertical side?

When Yamino opened his mouth to speak, Loki also thought he had briefly caught a glimpse of fangs.

"I don't think I should keep this any longer, Master Loki," said Yamino in a soft, tightly controlled voice.

"Are you all right, Yamino?" asked Loki, wary of his son's strange appearance and behaviour.

"I am fine, sir," replied Yamino. "And so is my new... friend here. But I can't guarantee it will still be fine by the end of the day, sir."

Loki blinked in incomprehension.

"What's the hamster's problem?" he asked.

"The problem is that as long as it keeps squeaking and looking and acting and smelling like a rodent, I can't be responsible for my acts." A low hiss escaped Yamino's lips. "It makes me feel so hungry..."

Realisation dawned and Loki paled at the implications of Yamino's words. He grabbed the cage and pulled it closer to himself protectively.

"Er, yes, I do think we'd better return it to the pet shop, too. As soon as possible."

oOo

Yamino knew his father meant well. Loki believed that he was lonely and just wanted him to have a companion, even if it were just an animal. Yamino was genuinely touched and appreciated Loki's concern. But he really, really wished his father would stop bringing him pets. They were doing more harm than good, if one came down to it.

He watched mournfully as Loki set up an small aquarium and gently released the tiny goldfish into it.

"There. A goldfish!" announced Loki, proud of himself. "There's no way you can have a problem with a goldfish! It's pretty easy to look after, and watching it swim is supposed to have a soothing effect. Go on, give it a try. Watch it for a minute."

Yamino obediently turned to look at the fish and watch it swim around the aquarium. He was no stranger to fish, and this one was nothing special. To be honest, he didn't really care much for them when they were still alive. He had seen enough of them swimming around him to last a lifetime. That same blank, dead-like look in their eyes as they swam up and down, back and forth, around and around, their mouths opening and closing incessantly to swallow the water...

Swallow all that water... Breathe all that water...

Yamino still vividly remembered the time when he swallowed and breathed water and hundreds of fish swam around him, and there was so much water, so cold, so dark...

He shuddered and looked away.

"I don't think I can bear to look at this fish any longer," he whispered, feeling his eyes sting. "It makes me feel so cold and lonely..." Which was ironic, since the fish was meant to dispel his alleged loneliness.

"Oh, good grief!" exclaimed Loki, both exasperated and chagrined that he hadn't anticipated this reaction.

"I'm sorry I'm so pathetic..." Yamino murmured.

"No, no, it's okay. I understand," said Loki, giving him a reassuring pat. "Don't worry, I'll get you another pet."

"Oh... no..."

oOo

"I'm so stupid!" Loki laughed at himself. "How didn't I think of this before? It would've spared us a lot of trouble. It was obvious from the beginning that this is the perfect choice for you, Yamino." He extended his arm so that Yamino could have a better look at the beautiful creature wrapped around it.

"A snake?" said Yamino, dumbfounded.

"Yes! Mayura is not going to like it, but who cares? It's supposed to be your pet, and I'm sure you two are going to get along just fine!"

"Er, snakes aren't exactly known for being social creatures, sir..." said Yamino, with an awkward smile.

"This one is," said Loki confidently. He raised his arm slightly and gave the snake an admiring look. "Very docile, too. Look! Isn't she pretty?"

Yamino had to admit that he was right, the snake really was very pretty. It was elegant and graceful, neither very large nor very long, but not tiny, either. Her scales were pink, red, and white. Loki had been very careful in his choice, it seemed.

"So, it's a she?" asked Yamino, intrigued despite himself.

"That's right. I made sure it was female, so that, you know, maybe she could be more than just your friend," said Loki, winking and nudging Yamino with his free elbow. Yamino gave him a horrified look.

"Huh?!"

"Oh, don't be such a prude. You are my son, after all."

Yamino felt his face burn and was unable to look at Loki or at the snake. He didn't know what was more disturbing; that Loki wanted him to keep one of his own kind as a pet, or that he wanted him to mate with his own pet.

"Look, just give her a chance, okay? For me?" Loki asked. And, of course, Yamino couldn't say no.

oOo

Sitting at his desk in his study, Loki smirked to himself in satisfaction. He couldn't wait to see how Yamino would be after getting "acquainted" with his new companion. He knew Yamino had it in him.

His smile only faltered when one thing occurred to him; was Yamino really prepared for this? Had he done this before? Maybe Loki should have given him the Talk beforehand, though now it was too late. In a way, Loki was glad. He dreaded such an awkward conversation.

Sooner than he had expected, Yamino entered his study, in his human form, looking quite depressed.

Uh-oh, Loki thought. This did not bode well.

"What happened?" he asked.

Yamino looked embarrassed and wouldn't meet his gaze.

"She, er... she called me... fat."

Loki blinked slowly. Then, he slapped his own forehead.

"I see now this was a great mistake," he admitted.

Yamino looked suddenly hopeful. "Yes!"

"Maybe a parrot would suit you better..."

Yamino's smile died an abrupt death. "No!"

"You could even engage in conversation with the parrot, and we'd train it not to insult you," Loki rationalised.

"Master Loki. No. Please listen to me." Yamino walked around the desk knelt down next to Loki, who turned on his chair so that he was facing his son. Yamino smiled up at him. "Master Loki... I meant what I said before; as long as you are here by my side, I will never feel lonely. And Brother Fenrir, Mayura, the shikigami, they are all friends to me, even if we're not together all the time. Just knowing all of you are around fills me with warmth and I don't feel lonely at all. I do admit that―" Yamino looked away briefly and hesitated, "―I'm terribly afraid of losing you, but I'm going to say it again, as long as you're here, I am not lonely."

Loki stared at him, looked at him in the eyes, searching for that flicker of desperation and emptiness he had found there before. He found nothing of the kind, though, only determination and admiration. Loki smiled.

"I could say the same about you, you know," he replied. "Thank you for staying here with me."

Yamino glowed and beamed. "No, Master Loki... thank you."

Smile widening into a grin, Loki reached out and petted him on the head. And this kind of pet Yamino welcomed wholeheartedly.