#moriarthree

And yeah, the mourning period is kinda implied with it taking William an "extra" year before he attends Eton, and iirc, Albert also skipped a year because of it. But having to pretend to grieve people you hate? Not to mention Louis having to fake grieving his "brother", who was actually the abuser of his true brother. And obviously, all 3 pretending to grieve an emotionally negligent father and an abusive mother.

I imagine this specifically was the time Albert started perfecting his masks. All eyes are on him as the new (upcoming? He might not have received the title immediately, but I don't know enough about when one receives a title after a parent's death) Count Moriarty and now he's thrust into situations he wasn't going to be in until he was much, much older, so he needs to find ways to be taken seriously as a child.

William absolutely had to sell his performance as the grieving child because this would be the time people were watching most. Three children left as the only survivors of their family, and power-hungry nobles would have certainly tried to get whatever they could, believing the children weren't as unbelievably smart as they were.

Then there's Louis. You could make the argument he'd have the easiest time of it, being the, "only" adopted son, but it is also equally likely he'd have the most eyes on him because of that fact. If he didn't play his part well, he'd look ungrateful, maybe like he only came into this family with the intent to get one over them and steal their money. So Louis might have had to play his part the hardest.

And then add to the fact that with the burning of the manor, they wouldn't have had the seclusion that the beginning of the mourning period started with. The inherent tragedy of the entire house, serving staff, parents, and one child, going up in flames in a single night means they're thrust into the public eye immediately. They have to find their places quickly and they cannot falter because eyes are everywhere. Plus the fact that they just don't have a house anymore, and thus have to rely on others right out the gate.

Additionally there's the mourning wear. Luckily, them being male children, their wardrobe was less likely to be affected than female children, whose mourning wear would be similar to their mothers with the all-black and crepe silk dresses. I imagine Albert's would have been most affected with him being the eldest, but even then, it tended to be black armbands, hat bands, gloves, or cravats. And with all their belongings burned away, he might have even forgone it all together, needing to buy new wardrobes entirely for the three of them. Though, with how dramatic they all are, they probably all do something to add to the look.

Fandom Moriarty the Patriot Rated M(ature) Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings Pairing Moriarthree (Albert James Moriarty/Louis James Moriarty/William James Moriarty) Characters Albert James Moriarty, Louis James Moriarty, William James Moriarty Additional Tags Alternate Universe - Vampire, Major Character Undeath, Blood, Pre-Canon, Period-Typical Classism, Albert's White Knight Syndrome, Catholic Imagery, Christianity, Anti-Catholicism, Blasphemy, Brief Depictions of Violence, Underage Sexual Feelings, Underage Lust, minor x minor, age gap, No Sex, Vampirism and Faith as Sexual Metaphors, YuuMori Rare Ship Server Secret Santa (Yuukoku no Moriarty) Summary

Albert seeks to enhance his relationship with God through Altruism. In the end, he finds more than he was bargaining for. Yuumori Rare Ship Server Secret Santa Exchange Gift fic for a r i s!