I decided I may as well post up what I have done so far of this ^_^ Another story started as a result of the Pandora Hearts Kink Meme! I think this is my… fifth one? Loyalty, Trust, Masters and Servants and Dominance are all fics inspired by the Kink meme; if you're looking for ideas please look it up, there are many unfilled requests! :( (I'm also filling several others; I just have them on hold while I try to get some work on Loyalty done)

Anon Request: "Oz/Gil fluff here~ I would like an AU fic with Gilbert as the master and Oz as the servant~ No need for smut, just include some fluffy scenes with Oz failing miserably as a servant. XDDDD"

Obviously, this is incomplete; I have several chapters planned spanning from their younger years until after the Abyss fiasco, and I'm going to try and keep this as close to canon as possible (because I love trying to write odd situations canonically) :) The rating may increase in future chapters.

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My Precious Servant

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Though Gilbert had never had any memories preceding his life in the Nightray household, there was something about wearing the title of 'noble' that never felt right to him. He was not uncomfortable in the environment, per say; the fine clothes, the strict etiquette, the high-class food, it had all seemed somehow familiar to him. However, every time that someone referred to him as 'Master Gilbert' or 'Master Nightray', he would squirm uncomfortably on the inside. It didn't feel right, having people running around after him, and so he tended to do most things for himself, such as preparing and folding his own clothes, fixing his brothers toys, and even making his own food when he got the chance. Whatever life he had lived before he was found by the Nightray family and taken in as one of their own, he had clearly been independent, and he wanted it to stay that way. For the most part, it did.

That is until…

"Gilbert, this is Oz Vassalius. From now on, he's going to be your personal servant."

Clearly Duke Nightray felt that a self-sufficient noble was an embarrassment to the family and had decided it was necessary for Gilbert to have a servant of his own. Personally, he did not know what a twelve-year-old would need a servant for, but chose not to bring the matter up with Mrs. Barton, the head maid who had come to introduce his servant to him (she had no qualms about striking insolent children upside the head, no matter their rank in society).

He could not see who she was referring to from where he sat by the library desk, his math homework placed neatly before him and several books stacked to his left. Oz? Was that a girl or a boy's name? It sounded like a boy… But where had he heard the name 'Vassalius' before? As he placed his pen down on the desk and pushed himself to his feet in order to greet his soon-to-be servant, Mrs. Barton stepped aside to reveal them to him.

Oz was indeed a boy, but that somehow did not hinder his appearance alone from stealing Gilbert's breath away; pale golden hair that, even from a distance, looked as though it would feel like silk if one ran their fingers through it, his milk-while complexion and handsome face the perfect frame for his most striking feature; a pair of emerald green irises, large and clear, marred only by the lightly veiled fear and sadness that lay within them.

Gilbert was shocked to find a sudden desire to remove those sad emotions from the boy before him, coughing awkwardly when he realized he had been staring – why had he been staring? – and moving around the table to approach the boy. He saw Oz cast a curious eye over him, before starting, as if only then aware of his actions, and lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Um… Thank you, Mrs. Barton," Gilbert said with a polite nod, which the middle-aged woman returned curtly.

"We have already given him an outline of the mansion, but his uniform won't be ready until tomorrow," she glanced sideways at the blonde boy with a look of distaste, "He's so scrawny, we had nothing to fit him."

"That's fine," Gilbert answered simply, relieved when the woman finally turned and left the two of them alone. It was short-lived, however, as Gilbert found the air in the room becoming increasingly heavy with every passing moment of silence. He wasn't used to speaking to anyone outside the Nightray manor, especially people his own age (which Oz seemed to be, if slightly older), and the blonde boy before him only made matters worse with his clear discomfort. "Um…" Gilbert said after a minute or so, forcing himself to smile as he turned to face the boy, "Well, I suppose I should introduce myself; my name is Gilbert Nightray." He held a hand out towards the boy, forgetting the constant slaps on the wrist he had received for extending the gesture so casually when he had first arrived, relieved to see some of the anxiety melt from Oz's form as he raised his gaze to regard Gilbert's hand. Slowly, hesitantly, probably making Gilbert far more nervous than he could possibly feel himself, Oz reached out and took Gil's hand in his own, slightly larger one.

"Oz Vassalius," he said simply, then smiled crookedly, "Though… She already told you that, didn't she?" He laughed half-heartedly, and the sound made Gilbert's stomach twist with discomfort. Why was he so unhappy?

"S-still, nice to meet you," Gil said, shaking the boy's hand slightly and then releasing it, trying to resist the urge to sigh with relief that such a simply social interaction had gone well. "Get ahold of yourself Gilbert, he's just one guy, a kid like you. There's no need to be afraid of him!"

"Um…" Oz glanced around the library, shuffling awkwardly, "Is there something you want me to do, or…?"

Eager, wasn't he? "Um, no, not really," Gilbert said, "I'm just doing my homework right now…"

Oz's gaze fell on the desk for a moment before he looked back to the young Nightray, "Am I supposed to help you with that?"

"No… It would sort of defeat the purpose if someone else did it for me." What sort of question was that?

Oz clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his head, "Right, sorry…"

"Are you alright?" Gil asked, taking a step towards the boy, raising a hand to touch his shoulder, but thinking better of it just before he did, lowering his arm again, "You seem a little…"

"I'm fine."

"You're obviously not."

Oz shuffled once again, an action that seemed, even to Gilbert, as though it did not suit the boy. He gave off such a strong aura, Gilbert had thought his personality would mimic it. Was he holding back for some reason? Or was it because he was upset? "Well... I just don't know what I'm supposed to do," Oz said, his discomfort evident in his voice, "I've never had to serve someone before…"

"Then how did you get here?" Gilbert could not restrain his curiosity; the Nightray house never took in any servant that was not of a certain standard…

"My father…" Oz began quietly, before shaking his head and turning his full attention to Gilbert, suddenly smiling, "He thought it would be best for our family if I went to work for one of the noble families."

That didn't make any sense either, because servants were not paid… And despite that smile, the darkness in the boy's eyes told another story, something far more personal. Well, Gilbert wasn't one to pry into something like that…

"Well…" Gilbert said, scratching the back of his head as he spoke, "I've never had a servant either… So I guess we're in the same boat."

"Really?" Oz blinked in surprise, his smile falling as he tilted his head in a questioning manner, "How come?"

The young Nightray shrugged, "I've never needed one…"

"Ah…I'm not much use to you then, am I?" Oz said, and almost instantly the smile was back. It aggravated Gilbert a little, that surprisingly convincing smile that the blonde was able to slip on and off so quickly, but rather than complain he found himself wanting to know the reason behind it, so that he could fix it… Why? Why was he so fascinated by the boy before him? Why did he feel like he wanted to protect him, and help him, even though they had only met a few minutes ago? Why did he feel as if they were connected, somehow?

"B-But it might be alright to try for once… Master Nightray wanted me to have a servant for a long time," he continued, then held his hands up in surprise, "Not that I want to make you work or anything! It's just that-"

"Well that's what I'm here for, isn't it?" Oz interrupted, the smile on his face reaching his eyes this time, which twinkled slightly with amusement.

"I suppose… But I don't want you to think I want to boss you around or-"

"But isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"Yes but… Well…"

"You're kind of weird, do you know that?"

"Hey!" Gilbert growled when Oz grinned at his burning face, but felt a small amount of relief at the clear lightening of the mood in the air. With a sigh he shook his head, "Look, what I mean is that you'll have to do something so that Master Nightray doesn't complain, but I'm not going to ask for much, really."

Oz folded his arms in front of him, clearly more relaxed now, and asked, "What if I get bored? What if I want to do all your work?"

"Then read a book or something," Gilbert said, his voice somewhat threatening; he didn't want anyone doing everything for him…

Oz laughed quietly, a sound that Gilbert also found summoned a pleasant feeling in his chest, and reached up to run a hand through his hair, "You really are nothing like I thought you were going to be…"

"How so?"

"I thought you'd be a huge, egotistical, self-satisfying jerk... No offence."

"What? Why?" How was he not supposed to take offence?

"Because I'm a Vassalius, and you're a Nightray," he said with a shrug, "I thought you'd hate me right away."

Gilbert shook his head, but inside he was racking his brains; crap, so the Vassalius' were connected to the Nightrays somehow? Then why on earth had Oz been chosen to be his servant? "Well, I've met you, and I can't think of any reason to dislike you."

"Other than the fact I called you 'weird'?"

Gil chuckled, "Other than that."

Oz smiled, his shoulders lowering as the final thread of tension that had wound itself around his body disappeared. "I guess this whole experience won't be so bad after all… Well then," he said, holding one arm behind his back as he waved the other in a graceful arch, bending the top half of his body downward and bring his hand to rest on his chest, "It's an honor to serve you, Master Gilbert."

"Ah… Thanks, but… Don't call me that please," Gilbert frowned, and this time it was his turn to shuffle with discomfort, "Just call me 'Gilbert'… At least when there's no one else here."

"Just Gilbert?" Oz asked as he straightened up again.

"Just Gilbert."

"Can I call you 'Gil'?"

He blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Gil~!" Oz almost sang, "I think it sounds nicer, and it suits you~!"

"If… If you want to…" the dark-haired preteen said quietly, taken aback in Oz's drastic personality change in the space of a few minutes; now Oz was expressing the energy that Gil had sensed he was suppressing when they first began to speak. He blushed slightly when the blonde repeated the name over and over again, before deciding that yes, he liked it, and he was going to call the boy 'Gil' whenever he had the chance. "Well," Gilbert held out his hand again with a smile, one that were strengthened by his new companion's pleased grin, "Once again, it's a pleasure to meet you, Oz."

He almost regretted the action when Oz grabbed his hand and shook it so hard that his wrist hurt for a few minutes, but the blonde's laughter was enough to make him forget about that. He wasn't entirely sure why he felt so attached to the boy, and why he felt the urge to keep him near, but this was one of those instances where Gilbert was quite happy to follow his instincts and just let things flow…

"Ah!"

"Oz! Are you alright!"

"Y-Yeah…"

"How did you knock down every single book on-?"

"It was a faulty shelf is all, I swear!"

"Did you climb the bookshelf?"

"… Maybe…"

"There's a ladder right there!"

"Well how was I supposed to see it?"

"It's right there!"

That being said, he wasn't expecting his new friend to make his life any easier, in any sense of the word…

O-O-O

As Gilbert lay in bed, it suddenly struck him where he had heard the name 'Vassalius' before; during the Tragedy of Sablier, Jack Vassalius had defeated Glen Baskerville and become a hero, raising his own house to new ranks while the Nightrays, associated with the Baskervilles, had been looked upon with distain ever since. In the last fifteen years or so, a series of scandals and financial problems had led to the Vassalius family losing their ruling status, but it was only recently that they had fallen out of the public eye.

Gil, like the other Nightrays, was told to hate the Vassalius with all his heart, as it was because of them that the Nightrays were rejected by the other houses and forced to soil their hands with blood once they had come of age.

Which only made him even more confused about Duke Nightray choosing to make a son of the Vassalius family his servant… If they were supposed to be enemies, then why? Had Ernest been involved? Had he convinced his father to take in a Vassalius boy just to have another reason to pick on Gil? He certainly wouldn't put it past him; the blood-brothers of the Nightray house really hated Gil and Vincent… Would they turn on Oz too?

Gil dismissed those heavy thoughts almost instantly; he didn't care where Oz had come from, or what his family had done to his decades before he had even been born. The blonde intrigued him beyond all reason, and all he cared about was getting to know him better. If the few hours they had spent together on their first day were anything to go by, then time with Oz looked to be… interesting.

After the blonde had successfully destroyed an entire shelf on one of the library's eighty-year-old bookshelves, the pair had spent the better half of an hour trying to figure out a way to fix it. In the end, Oz had sat the broken shelf on top of the books lined up beneath it and propped the scattered novels precariously on top.

"That won't work at all!" Gil had protested.

"Shut up!" Shut up? Now, Gil wasn't all that comfortable with being a noble, but as a servant he knew Oz shouldn't speak to him like that. "If they find out we did it we'll get in trouble… This way, whoever finds it next is the culprit and not us!"

"'Us'? I didn't do anything!"

"I'll tell them you made me climb the shelves."

"Wh-what?"

"If I keep telling them you make me do weird stuff, they'll eventually start to believe me, you know~"

He hadn't expected to spend the majority of his first day with Oz panicking about broken furniture and bickering with the boy, but he was surprised to find that, despite the frazzled nerves that still bothered him as he climbed into bed that night, he couldn't keep a smile off his face. Oz was so… strange… But he was also full of energy, and had a mischievous, playful streak that was rare in the Nightray house.

Because they had only been together a few hours, Gilbert deemed tomorrow as their official first day as master and servant; though he was originally opposed to the idea of having a servant, he found himself looking forward to spending time with Oz.

And wouldn't let his foster-brother's pick on him… Vassalius or not, Oz was his servant… And he was going to protect him.

Gil yawned and hugged his pillow. Yes… Wasn't that how it was? The master protected the servant, right? … Huh… Somehow, that didn't feel right… But he refused to believe that he was not supposed to protect the boy.

He would protect Oz…

Protect the master… love the master... think for the master and do your best for the master… only then will you have significance as a human being…

But… Oz was not his Master…

Oz was his servant…

So… why…?

That night, Gilbert dreamed of a garden he did not recognize, a mansion he had never been too, and of Oz… But Oz was older, an adult, his golden-blonde hair long and tied back in a plaid…

In his dream, this adult Oz played with him, with Vincent, who was only a young child. In his dream, this Oz was his master, and Gilbert his servant.

Strange…

Very strange…

And yet… Right…

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To Be Continued

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