Identity V - Modern AU (WIP)

Chapter 4

It's Saturday morning.

I try not to think about tonight. Joseph made sure his party was on the weekend, so I didn't have any work-related excuses to miss it. Eli can't bail me out of this either, since he's actually enthusiastic about the party.

Reluctantly, I get out of bed and stumble into the bathroom. After a fair amount of time is spent to get ready, I walk into the kitchen to hear the front door open, and cold wind blast in. Shivering, I watch as Norton hurriedly runs in, then slams the door behind him.

He walks up to the kitchen table, and sets a box down in the middle of it. "Got some donuts for breakfast. Dig in," he announces, motioning towards them.

I hear quick footsteps, and immediately Naib and William are at the table before I even see them run. They scramble to get their share, and sit down to eat. Eli follows slowly after them, yawning. He perks up once he sees the box on the table.

"Morning, Aesop!" Eli greets. "Oooh, we have donuts?" He rushes to the box, and manages to snatch a cinnamon donut before sitting down.

I decide to snag one as well, grabbing a glazed donut before sitting down next to Eli. Norton grabs the last one, a chocolate frosted donut, before turning on the television in the living room and sitting down on the couch.

"We're supposed to get a lot of snow tonight," Norton comments. "Wonder if that's going to affect how the party is ran."

"You know Joseph," I sigh. "It'll still be on no matter what. The weather is an excuse to stay at his house longer."

"True," Naib agrees.

Later, we all decide to get to Joseph's house early, which puts me in a bad mood. Reluctantly, I open my package, and get dressed in my bedroom. Then, I proceed to put on a bit of makeup in the bathroom and look at myself in my mirror.

"Aesop, hurry up!" Naib yells. "I need to get dressed, too."

I groan, and open the door to my bedroom. Everyone gasps.

"Nice outfit, Aesop," Naib sneers. "You clean up nice."

I sigh heavily, and motion for Naib to get dressed. So far, I've done everyone's makeup so they look more than decent, and now it's Naib's turn. Once he's in the tux, I proceed with it.

"Oh my god. Are you done already?"

"Naib, for the love of God, please sit still, I'm almost done."

Naib rolls his eyes. "You said that a minute ago and and look now, you're not fucking done!"

I closed my eyes, irritated. This was causing too much trouble for a simple task. "Look, if you don't want me to do this, then you can do it your-fucking-self."

He grabs the makeup kit from the coffee table, and runs for the bathroom. "Okay, then I fucking will!" The door slams shut behind him.

All is quiet for five minutes, and I occasionally check my phone for the time. Soon enough, the door opens, and Naib walks out, his head lowered. I walk over to him, and he tries to not meet my gaze.

"Now, would you like me to do it?" I ask him, a sly smile on my face. He nods slowly, and I try not to laugh. I tilt his face up, and the guys behind me start laughing.

In his fit of anger, Naib smudged the makeup across his face, as if a kindergartener pranked someone in their sleep. His face goes red, and he grabs my wrist and pulls me to the downstairs bathroom with a smirk on my face.

Finally, everyone is ready, and we head off to Joseph's mansion.

His house is HUGE.

I never try to focus on anything relating to Joseph, but damn. I'm actually impressed. The exterior is decorated with a variety of plants, from bright cherry blossom trees to brown cosmo flowers. Their arrangement is well thought out, and I can't help but let my eyes wander.

Someone clears their throat, and I look up to see a familiar figure. Joseph is dressed up in a black tuxedo, a coattail hanging behind him. I can tell that he put on a bit of makeup.

"Ah, welcome!" he greets, bowing as he steps aside. I look at him weirdly, and follow him inside along with my friends  trailing behind me. Two spiraling staircases lead upstairs, where you can see the front door from the balcony above. A large door leads to the balcony, where behind it presumably rests Joseph's bedroom.

I'm tempted to explore, but he leads us to the living room, where a large, fancy couch rests in front of a huge television screen. Living chairs are scattered about the room, while beautiful paintings hang from the walls. A chandelier hangs from above.

He sits down on the couch, and motions for us to sit as well. I take a living chair, while the rest do the same. Joseph clears his throat, and begins to talk.

"You guys came quite early, didn't you? Excited for the party?" he teases, smirking. I scream internally and sigh.

"Sure...we're ecstatic," I reply sarcastically. Naib chuckles, and Joseph pouts for a second before talking again.

"Anyways, it's good to be early rather than late. I actually hoped that you guys would arrive earlier than usual, because...well, I need to explain something. About the party."

Now I'm interested. I perk up, along with William who almost fell asleep. 

"You guys...will be the butlers for everyone. Take orders, help serve, and whatnot," he explains.

The room goes so quiet, you can hear a pin drop.

"There's no way in hell I'm doing that!" Naib yells, getting up quickly.

William and Eli look at eachother, and just laugh. "Sounds fun!" they exclaim.

Norton just shrugs. "Cool."

Joseph laughs nervously, and turns to me. "What about you, dear? How would you feel about being a butler at the party?"

"Deep breaths, deep breaths...I can do this..." I mutter, holding my head in my hands. 

"That's my Aesop. I'm sure you and your friends will do great!" he compliments, patting my head. I'm too preoccupied with my thoughts to shove his hand away.

I can't do this.