Sadao quickly threw the bud away in shock and wiped his hand readily, "Is that why my hand was itchy?" He panicked in vain.
"Maybe," Yuuma grumbled suppressing a yawn. He definitely can't sleep in such a dangerous situation. A little prince at the top of the food chain in terms of status and power? If he accidentally offended him he wouldn't be surprised by the outcome that comes his way. He was alarmed but internally he was so sleepy!
"How did you know it was poisonous?" Sadao scooted even closer rolling up his white cuffs for little to no reason, the little white suit he wore stood out among the people here. He's like a street lamp attracting stares, Yuuma laminated. A newborn star among average stars and some space junk.
"I read a book." Sadao appeared to marvel at his words and looked to be thinking of something, "how old are you?"
"I'm seven."
"I'm ten haha I'm the older one!"
Yuuma breathed out feeling his energy can't withstand something that's this energetic, their energy clashed and ultimately he lost. He blinked but evidently, that blink turned into a longer slower blink that converted into something he can't open again. He waited to be interrupted by the boy's voice but unexpectedly it was quiet. He really can't fall asleep in front of danger it would be a risk! But he couldn't seem to open his eyes again and he grew heavy, sensing the familiar pleasant feeling of escape, of rest.
Before letting the relaxed feeling take over he convinced himself it was only natural for little kids to sleep. He won't offend anyone, right? Hopefully? Feasibly? zZzzZzz..z...z
"He's asleep," a cold voice told walking beside Sadao.
"I can see that," Sadao's sudden chilly voice exclaimed and stared at Yuuma who had almost fallen onto the marble floor but caught him halfway. He leaned the younger against the wall and stood up.
"Is he like the earlier reports?" The familiar man asked questionably silently plucking the sleeping Yuuma from off the bench.
"Nothing like it at all, you are right."
The man nodded before looking at the sleeping boy, "what should we do?"
"That's your job, not mine," Sadao smirked.
The man froze before obviously drooping with a frown looking wronged or hurt by the little boy. Sadao disregarded the butler altogether and turned his attention back to the boy laying limply in his arms. With slight hesitance, he pinched Yuuma's small hand getting no reaction, it was like he was dead.
"I thought I could play a bit here but this kid ruined my appetite," Sadao frowned retracting his hand and crossing his arms. The butler tilted his head in confusion and was about to ask him to inquire more but Sadao seemed to hear his thoughts and said, "he's clever, I thought he looked like an innocent mouse but turns out he's got a sharp tongue! From now on Yuuma Oxblood will be my enemy," Sadao declared in a prideful haughty way and Kenji got goosebumps.
"Is that so? Then I should get going..." butler Kenji took the opportunity to leave and get Yuuma settled but unexpectedly a duckling followed behind. At first, the butler ignored him like air thinking at some point he would break off from their trail but by the time they made it outside in the cool breeze he halted and turned to Sadao who almost bumped into his back.
Seeing as how Kenji stopped Sadao met his stare both gazes clashing and raised a brow, "what?"
"Why are you following me young Sadao?" Butler Kenji inquired mimicking the brow raise in interest.
"Uncle said you have to keep your enemy's close"
Butler Kenji was bewildered for a moment his cold exterior cracking briefly and tried to come up with an excuse, "right now Yuuma's unconscious and needs to go home. You can visit him when you feel the need to spare but right now isn't the time for you to play." Sadao's eyes widened in reluctance but nodded in understanding roughly getting Kenji's words and turned to walk back to the party.
Kenji felt a small stir in his hold and looked down seeing Yuuma reach out for something but took a hold of a piece of clothing on his suit and didn't let go. He tried to peel the boy off himself when they had gotten into the carriage he called for earlier but Yuuma wouldn't come off. Yuuma was like sticky slime.
***
Yuuma grabbed some snacks and watched the water army make a fuss on some posts. He thoroughly enjoyed eating melons and a small smile tugged on his lips. The overall environment relaxed as he kicked his legs up in down from where he laid on his stomach.
Suddenly in a swift fashion, his door swung open creating an artificial wind that swept his hair up and got a face full of cold stale air.
"How long have you skipped school?" A female's voice sternly spoke outrage ready to explode at any moment. Yuuma ducked under the covers his smile long disappeared, "only a few days," he muttered after a while. The female heard him and yelled at him in a provoked displeasure frenzy for being so smart assed about everything.
Yuuma tugged his hands away from his snacks and pressed them against his ears muffling the yells antagonizing him. The sweet taste on his tongue feeling bitter.
"Why are you so lazy!? Can't I ever have a normal stepson? Why are you like this? I want another child, why can it only be one? You are too faulty! Too lazy!" She spoke in anger but her voice got relatively small by the end of her rant almost sounding miserable and strained like she was about to cry. After a shaky breath from the women, the door slammed and the room turned suffocatingly still.
Yuuma sneered from under the covers like he was angry and tightened the sheets around himself forming into a ball, but his eyes had turned red and glossy his emotions not aligning with his actions.
'Stop alienating me for the sake of your perfect child image!'
'I try my best!'
'I can't control it'
'I'm just tired!"
'Too tired!'
***
Yuuma drooled at the smell of food and woke up almost instantaneously at the fresh whiff of meat. He seemed to have a dream but couldn't remember it, like every other dream. He rubbed his nose and looked above him feeling an odd puff of wind.
"..."
"..."
Turns out it was the breath of butler Kenji and he had a chicken leg hanging from his mouth. Kenji's shallow dark exterior ceased and both looked at each other in surprise.
'You gonna finish that chicken leg?' That was what Yuuma was going to say after a minute of stupefaction but Kenji had answered his unasked question by eating every piece of meat whole on the bone and throwing the leg away unseen. Afterward, he gently dabbed his lips with a handkerchief like he hadn't set a world record and spoke professionally radiating butler energy.
"Awake young master Yuuma?"
"...un"