The Selection (Troyler AU)

♔Part LI♔

Let's see how quickly I can get this up again.

I swear I can only write now when I'm listening to P!ATD wtf happened to me.

Troye POV

"What time is it?" I asked before the topic could get changed again, causing everyone to turn to me. 

It was Dan who answered.  "Tyler and I got here at around 1:45, and we've been in here for about ten minutes, so I'd say close to 2am."

I furrowed my brow, trying to do the math in my head.  "Sun comes up in about four hours," I murmured, though it could've been off - it wasn't like I'd seen the sun much.  "If we have to get back before then, how long do we have?"

"For you, Troye, I wouldn't worry too much about it, since Dan misses days all the time, and no one makes a big deal," Phil said, examining his nails with a bored interest.  "But Tyler should definitely be back before then, and it takes half an hour at the most to get from here to the Palace, so just to be safe he should probably start heading back at 5."

That didn't sound too bad.  At least we weren't completely pressed for time, and I can't imagine what would take another three hours to discuss, especially when we've already established who the rebels are and what their main goal is - to annihilate the King and make Illéa a place where everyone could be free to be themselves, without having to worry about severe consequences.

Tyler must've had something else on his mind, however, as he looked hesitant.  "Wait - Troye's not coming back with us?" he asked, looking anxious for the first time since I've seen him here.

I couldn't lie and say that I was pleased with the thought either.  Though I wasn't as scared or cautious of them as I was before, I still didn't trust them - especially not after they used me to get to Tyler.

But as hard as he tried to conceal it, there was still a wary glint in Tyler's eyes that made my heart ache at the sight.  He'd already gone through the trouble to come here for me, and I didn't want to plague his mind with any more things to worry about if I could help it.  "I'll comeback with you," I told him, a certain undertone in my voice that challenged any of the men in the room to object.  "Promise."  He nodded once, looking evidentially relieved.

Phil put his hands up, unfazed.  "Just a suggestion," he said amiably, making me wonder if he was the type to ever really get angry at all; if he did, I'd probably be terrified.  "I'm surprised you wouldn't want a day off."

I just rolled my eyes, dismissing the thought.  "I'd just have to make up for it anyways, so why bother." 

Phil looked surprised by the notion, but Dan nodded in assent.  "Wait, seriously?" Phil asked him, looking like he'd just tasted something sour.  Beside him, Tyler winced, wearing a similar expression on his face.

Dan shrugged, and I could tell he's probably had to make up more than a few days of absences.  "First time a missed a day, I had to work through dinner for an extra two hours.  Honestly, tamer than I expected - especially knowing how strict Palace guidelines can be," he muttered, but I didn't think he cared all that much.

I nodded.  I'd had to do the same thing after I saw Tyler and Ingrid kiss for the first time, and ended up staying in my room all day, claiming to be "sick." 

However, Tyler still looked grim.  "It's gets worse the more you miss, though," he explained, surprising me by the fact that he knew about it.  He knew so little about how Servants's lives were that I didn't think he would know about this, especially since I didn't even know.  It made me wonder if he's looked further into it recently - or if it was possibly my impact.  "You have to work longer hours, get undesirable jobs, and a lot of times it takes days to make up one absence, if you've missed enough days."