The Teahouse Tumblr

This picks up where Part 3 left off.

Linneus and Gilder spend their first night together in a local hotel, not too far from the Teahouse. When Gilder tells him that he's been instructed to take Linneus to another town, Linneus puts his foot down. Still upset about losing his Teahouse family, Linneus tells Gilder he's going no where. Ivore is his home and this time he has the power to decide to stay so he's going to stay.

Atros goes home. Dead inside goes home to Yvette. As difficult as it is for him, he gives her everything she wants, and tries to act as affectionate as she wants him to.

Days later, Linneus and Gilder wake up to the sound of angry knocking. It's Sacha and he's pissed because Gilder was supposed to meet up with him. What follows is an incredibly awkward argument between Gilder and Sacha about work and Linneus, IN FRONT of Linneus. Linneus being Linneus politely removes himself from the situation and gives the two the privacy they need to talk. He grabs his old jewelry on his way out.

Gilder and Sacha have at it. Sacha has had it with Linneus and he feels like he's getting in the way of their work. Gilder of course disagrees but there's no convincing Sacha. Sacha brings up that job he wanted to take that Gilder didn't. Gilder just thinks it's too dangerous. Having to leave Ivore forever aside, it's just too fucking dangerous and he doesn't want any part of it. Fired up Sacha finally gives Gilder an ultimatum: Either he does the job with Sacha or they're over.

Linneus finds a jewelry store and he takes his stash in to sell it. Surprised that he's interested in selling so many pieces, Linneus and the jeweler get into a conversation.

Reed offers to buy Rory and Remy contracts. Because he can't afford to lose ALL this courtesans, Atros refuses until Reed tells Atros to name any number and he'll pay it. Atros tells him he needs to think about it.

Atros goes through the books, figuring out how much he'll need to pay Yvette's father back and Argent does something incredibly uncharacteristic of her and she asks Atros, “What about Linneus?” Now that Atros has this opportunity to break free from Yvette and her father, she asks, is Atros is going to go get Linneus back and Atros tells her no. That it's too late for them and that he has has a child he has to worry about and besides... Linneus deserves better and hopefully Gilder can give it to him.

Linneus comes back to the hotel and finds Gilder drinking alone. He tries to lighten the mood by telling him that he got a job at the jewelry store and possibly a place to live above it, but Gilder is clearly down down down. Recognizing this sort of moodiness, Linneus has a sit down with Gilder.

Linneus asks Gilder if he's ever slept with Sacha. Gilder casually drops, “a few times” and Linneus just starts laughing. Shakes his head and mutters, “now I know how Lilith felt.” Linneus sits Gilder down and they talk. Straight forward, Linneus tells Gilder that it's pretty obvious that Sacha's in love with Gilder. Gilder doesn't believe it (and understandably so since all Sacha ever seems to do is yell at him) but Linneus doesn't back down and urges Gilder to trust him. Which leads Linneus to the next question which is, “How do you feel about Sacha?” It occurs to Gilder that he's never considered this.

Atros sells Remy and Rory's contracts and immediately turns around and pays off his father's debt with his portion of the profits. That night Yvette throws him a party and try as he might, Atros can't fake it anymore. He snaps and finally tells Yvette the truth: that he's done. Keeping his calm, Atros admits to her that he's not in love with her and that he's never been and before she can protest, he tells her he doesn't think she's in love with him either, just the idea of him. Yvette protests, throwing a tantrum, telling him she's been in love with him since they were kids to which Atros responds, “We said three words to each other back then.”

They go back and forth but Atros holds his ground, telling her flat out, “I don't love you, and I can't pretend to anymore but I'll be here for you and our child.” Yvette fumes.

Gilder tells Linneus he has to go to Sacha. It breaks Linneus' heart, but he gets it and he supports it. Gilder tells Linneus that he's one of a kind, kisses him, and they say goodbye to each other.

Gilder finds Sacha and tells him he wants to stick with Sacha. Instead of being happy to see him Sacha tells Gilder to fuck off and tries to pick a fight with him. None of it gets to Gilder who just ends up grabbing Sacha, kissing him, and telling him to shut up and be happy for once in his life. They get to fucking.

Then they fail at killing Rhys and run off. Whoops.

After giving Atros the cold shoulder for several days, Yvette approaches him. She tells him that she felt the baby kick and he's genuinely happy about it. Seeing his enthusiasm, Yvette starts crying. She admits that she never really loved him, that she's just always been so lonely and just wanted him to love her and be with her. Atros, tries to comfort him as best he can (so bad at it) and promises that he'll be there for her – that he and the baby will be there for her.

Linneus receives the keys to his new apartment (and new life) above the jewelry shop and moves in.

EPILOGUE.

(Please. Like it'd really just end like that for them.)

Months later, Lilith, dressed in a fancy fucking gown, with a fat fucking engagement ring on her finger, grabs her fur coat, kisses Byron (her fiance) and heads out for a little shopping.

She stops by the jewelry shop and is surprised to see Linneus working there. They talk as she shops and it's weird, but good. Lilith shows off her ring and brags about how well HER brothel that she runs with Byron's doing. She boasts that “Even if the Atros hadn't turned the Teahouse back into an actual Teahouse, we would've definitely over taken them at the top.”

Lilith asks him how he's doing. Linneus tells her he's doing well, that he's really enjoying his job, his apartment, and his new life. Lilith asks him if he's been back to the Teahouse and Linneus admits he hasn't. That he still sees Claret and Argent but that he keeps his distance. Lilith asks him if he knew that Yvette left town shortly after giving birth and Linneus tells her that he did but it doesn't change anything. If they were meant to be, they would've made it work by now.

As crazy as it sounds, Linneus admits that he's missed Lilith. She promises to visit him again soon.

Lilith's next stop: The Teahouse.

It really has been turned into an actual Teahouse. A quite popular one at that. Claret works the front of the house, Mercutio is a flirty waiter, and Argent is... well Argent.

Lilith says her hellos and heads to the back to find Atros... who's feeding baby Adele in his office. While he looks tired, Atros looks... almost happy. Adorable with Adele, Atros tends to her while talking to Lilith who's... clearly not into the whole baby thing.

Lilith gets down to it and asks Atros if Yvette's really left him. He tells her: No... she's just... she couldn't handle being a mother and she needed a vacation for a few months to think about things. Lilith tells Atros he's an idiot, tells him that Yvette's gone, and asks why Atros hasn't gone to Linneus. Atros is surprised, completely unaware that Linneus is still in town. Linneus tells him that Claret and Argent knew, but they both realize Linneus must've told them both not to say anything.

With a smirk, Lilith tells Atros, “If you want to know... I can tell you where he is.”

Atros takes Adele and goes to see Linneus. The second they see each other, all the shit between them seems to melt away. Atros walks over to him and introduces Linneus to his daughter and Adele to Linneus, the love of his life.

The End.

This picks up where Part 2 left off.

If you read the Reed and Rory ending, then you'll remember this:

“Back to Remy, she flirts with one of Lilith's clients while he's waiting to see Lilith. So then when Lilith comes down to meet with her client, he's no where to be seen. So Lilith and Rory go looking for him when they find him, fucking Remy in the ass in the maids' quarters.

Outraged, Lilith reports Remy to Atros and drags Rory into it. Unfortunately for Lilith though, Remy making a plea to Atros about how she wants to be a courtesan because she enjoys “all sorts of sex” and how it would “ultimately save Atros money,” which of course wins Atros over.

Voila, Remy goes from the maid's quarters to Axis' room.”

Lilith, able to see through Remy's BS sweet act doesn't like this. And Lilith being Lilith, she makes it known that she's not a fan and acts nothing but catty towards Remy. Unaware of just how conniving Remy is, Lilith makes herself Remy's new target.

Atros and Linneus are happy. Yes. You read that correctly, happy. They keep their relationship relatively quiet, but it's very obvious to everyone around them that their spirits are high and Atros in particular seems way less “everything's shit.”

Yvette (who's now showing) in particular notices, and because she's thwarted his ability “to work” at home by turning his office into a nursery, Atros spends way more time at the Teahouse “working late” than she wants him to. Suspicious that Atros may be having an affair with Lilith, Yvette drops by the house more frequently “for tea” with Linneus.

During one of her visits, Yvette snaps and accuses Lilith trying to have an affair with Atros and Lilith adamantly denies it. Linneus tries to break it up but Atros gets pulled into the scene and puts an end to it. In front of several members of the house, including Remy, Atros admonishes Yvette and tells her point blank that she's wrong and that he's not sleeping with Lilith.

The scene snaps Linneus back into reality. Feeling extra guilty, Linneus asks Atros to look at their scenario realistically and questions whether or not what they're doing can last. Atros of course doesn't want to hear it but Linneus pulls away, concerned about the problems that'll rain down on Atros' unborn baby if Yvette ever found out about them. Atros insists that they'll be fine. That they just have to be more careful.

Sacha, while doing recon for a job with Gilder, mentions a job they'd been offered earlier and Gilder tells him he's still not interested. Sacha asks why and Gilder points out that if they took it, they'd basically be banishing themselves from ever entering Ivore again and Sacha asks why that matters, it's not like either of them are from there. Gilder brings up Linneus and Sacha immediately gets annoyed, tired of hearing about “the pink haired one.” He asks what Gilder even sees in Linneus and without missing a beat Gilder starts listing off a long list of positive traits about Linneus which only pisses off Sacha more. Sacha tells Gilder to shut up before he chokes to death on his own stupid tongue.

Aware that Linneus and Atros are sleeping together, but wanting to get rid of Lilith, Remy catches Yvette the next time she comes over and turns on the innocent act. Acting sympathetic to Yvette and her very public fight with Lilith, Remy tells Yvette tells her that her suspicions are correct about Lilith. Before Yvette can react and flip out, Remy makes a suggestion that'll solve all of Yvette's problems. Remy points out: as Yvette's father is the still the technical owner of the Teahouse, he can just sell Lilith's contract without Atros' permission.

And that's exactly what Yvette does. She sells Lilith's contract to Byron, a client of Lilith's and the owner of another brothel that's Teahouse's main competition.

Side note: No, we never got around to coming up with a name for this house and yes, we were going to show Byron before this happened but of course, we never got that far.

Late at night, in a shitty hotel room while Gilder's asleep, Sacha climbs into Gilder's bed. Hands down Gilder's pants, Sacha tries to play with Gilder's butt hole when Gilder wakes up and puts a FIRM stop to that nonsense. He rolls Sacha over and onto his back and pins him down. Sacha squirms in protest and Gilder's like, “How many fucking times do I have to tell you it's not going to happen?” Sacha immediately starts bitching about how Gilder never lets him top, and how Sacha wants to top, and finally Gilder has to shut him up with a kiss and they start making out like it's not the first time they've done this. Because it's not. Suurrrrrrprrrriiiiise.

Yvette, Byron, and his men arrive at the Teahouse and announce that they're there to take Lilith. Confused by what's going on, Lilith refuses to go anywhere with them and Claret goes to get Atros, who's of course secretly canoodling with Linneus in his office. They both rush to Lilith's room where Yvette informs Atros that she's sold Lilith's contract and Atros is furious.

In the fight, Yvette tells Atros that she knows for a fact that he's having an affair with Lilith, because a courtesan told her, and that that's why she sold her contract. Atros, ready for a fight, argues with her while Linneus stands in the corner, silent. Lilith and Linneus exchange a silent look and Lilith suddenly interrupts the fight, yelling at all of them to be quiet – nearly giving Linneus a heart attack.

All eyes on Lilith, she calmly tells Byron that she's going to need a day to pack her things before she's ready to go. Everyone's surprised by her response, but Lilith doesn't give a shit about their opinions and she tells them all to leave her room so she can pack.

Later that evening, Atros and Lilith talk. He promises that he'll do whatever it takes to get her back but Lilith stops him and tells him she's fine. Nonchalantly she tells Atros that she's has heard that Byron's brothel is larger, more luxurious, and if Atros isn't careful, soon going to overtake the Teahouse as Ivore's premiere brothel and quite frankly, Lilith deserves nothing but the best.

Atros asks her why she kept her mouth shut about Linneus and Lilith's reply is, “Because unlike your child bride, I know when to give up on a lost cause.” In the middle of Lilith basically telling Atros that he ain't all that, Atros shuts Lilith up with a hug. She hugs him back and they have a quiet moment...

But it's fleeting because Lilith pushes Atros away and tells him she's taking all the jewelry she's been given. He tells her it's fine and kisses her goodbye on the forehead.

On her way out with Byron, Lilith sees Linneus who quietly thanks her for her silence and apologizes for what's happened to her. Lilith snorts and tells Linneus that she knows how to take care of herself and that it's Atros who doesn't – but that's Linneus' problem now so whatever. Linneus tries to hug her but she waves him and his “cheap purfume” away and leaves, head up.

Sacha halfway carries a drunk Gilder into yet another sketchy hotel room. Bitching the whole way, Sacha leads Gilder to his bed and helps him undress. Drunk with grabby hands, Gilder gropes a pissy who slaps his hands away. Easily defeated, Gilder falls back against his bed and drunkenly asks Sacha why he doesn't love Gilder. Sacha tells Gilder to stop being an idiot and Gilder tells Sacha that he's serious and that he loves Sacha and then falls asleep telling Sacha that he's one of the most beautiful people Gilder's ever seen. (when he's not being so cranky) Instead of going to his own bed, Sacha curls up next to Gilder, pulls the covers up over them, and falls asleep.

For the next few days, Atros keeps his private rendezvous with Linneus to a minimum. Their physical contact's relatively innocent and fleeting and Atros forces himself to spend more time at home and with Yvette. Understanding how shook up Atros is about what happened to Lilith, Linneus gives Atros space.

Gilder comes back! When he requests to see Linneus and Claret tells him that's not possible, Gilder gets upset and asks to talk to Linneus or Atros. Before Claret can say anything else, Gilder spots Atros and asks Atros why the hell he can't see his dove. Atros asks Gilder up to his office and tells Claret to fetch Linneus.

In his office, Atros gives Gilder all of Linneus' jewelry that's still sitting in his desk drawer. Confused, Gilder asks him what's going on and Atros tells Gilder that he's hiring Gilder to get Linneus as far away from the Teahouse as possible. Confused, Atros explains that it's not safe here for Linneus anymore and that he wants Gilder to take him to another town to start a new life. Linneus comes into the office, surprised to see Gilder and confused at what he's stepped into. Atros asks Gilder to excuse them.

Alone in the office, Atros gives Linneus his contract and tells Linneus that he needs to go with Gilder. That if he goes with Gilder he can explain away not receiving any money for Linneus' contract to Yvette by explaining that Linneus and Gilder were in love. Linneus protests, not wanting to leave Atros OR his home but Atros is too terrified that Yvette might do to Linneus what she did to Lilith and he won't hear it.

Frustrated, Linneus tries to argue, saying that if he's the owner of his own contract that Yvette can't do anything to him but Atros shuts him down. Reminds him of his own words and how there's going to be a kid soon. A kid who might suffer because of them if Yvette ever found out and how Atros has to be a better father than his own. As much as Linneus wants to argue with Atros about this, he can't.

That night, Linneus leaves the Teahouse with Gilder.

This picks up where Chapter 7 left off.

Living with Yvette is a lot like playing house. She goes to Atros' office and wakes him up in the morning with her belly against his face to show him she's showing and then immediately tells him she wants to turn his office into a nursery even though they already have one. By Yvette's logic, Atros should stop working so much and play with her and the baby more when she's home so she tells him that getting rid of his office will solve that problem and besides, she's going to want another baby right after this one so they might as well start getting ready for it.

Linneus and Gilder wake up snuggling and keep on snuggling. Linneus tells Gilder that he likes the way Gilder smells and Gilder gets a boner. They of course get it on some more.

After sex, Linneus puts the necklace Gilder bought him on and asks Gilder when he'll see him next. Gilder admits it'll be a while because he's got a job that's going to take him out of the country for a bit. Linneus acts like it's nothing but Gilder immediately can tell it's not the answer Linneus wanted to hear. He sits with Linneus and admits to him that he's never felt this way about a courtesan before and promises that he'll miss him and that he'll hurry with the job and come back to Linneus as soon as possible. Touched Linneus kisses Gilder and gives him one of his more simple hoop earrings to wear and remember him by.

Gilder gets another raging boner. You know what happens next.

Atros arrives at the Teahouse and finds Gilder dipping a giggling Linneus and kissing him. He walks past them and tries to avert his eyes from the large, almost blinding gem encrusted necklace that Linneus is wearing – an obvious gift from Gilder. Atros heads straight for his office and shuts the door.

But of course that door opens and Lilith steps in. Having seen everything that went down in the lobby, she asks Atros is doing and he tells her it's none of her business. There's a knock at the door and it's Claret. In her hands she's got an official letter from the palace and excitedly she tells Atros that Axis wants to stay there and that the new King is buying his title.

Claret leaves, leaving Atros and Lilith alone. Lilith jokes about how now they can finally burn Axis's disgusting room to the ground and Atros, being the party pooper, says they can't because they'll need the room for a new courtesan.

That's when Lilith brings up “that” room. Suggests to Atros that he finally empty out his father's old office and turn it into a room because it's bigger and – from what Lilith remembers – much nicer than that shit hole Axis and Rory had been staying in. Atros considers this.

Gilder goes back to Sacha, who's packing up for the trip, and proudly shows off his earring he got from Linneus. Sacha ain't a fan. It's too frou frou for Gilder and “Gildar is a MAN.” Gilder doesn't care though because he's smitten like a kitten and ready to go kill someone so he can come back home to Linneus. Sacha realizes that Gilder's affection for Linneus is different than his interest in other courtesans and while Gilder doesn't pick up on it, Sacha is obviously bothered by it.

Argent, having head from Lilith that Atros was thinking of going into his father's office offers to help him but he turns her down, saying he wants to do it on his own.

Atros in his father's office. It's a grand office that hasn't been touched in YEARS. There's dust and cobwebs everywhere, it's the kind of room that'd trigger the smell of mildew in your mind. He sits down at a dust covered desk and takes it all in for a moment before opening up some of the drawers.

In one, he finds the Amber pendant he gave Linneus when they were younger. The same one Argent still wears. He picks it up and notices a stack of letters under it. They're all the letters he wrote to Linneus, unopened, and all of the letters that Linneus wrote him that he never received, opened.

He pulls out one of the letters and starts to read it. His face and heart drop as he starts to realize what his father did to him and Linneus all those years ago.

Instinctively he hurries to the lobby, looking for Linneus. Atros doesn't find him there so he goes to the kitchen. There he finds Linneus with Claret, showing her the necklace Gilder “bought” for him. Cooing about how sweet he is and how different he is from the rest of Linneus' clients. Silently Atros watches them and by the time they notice him and ask him what's up, it's too late, Atros rethinks showing Linneus the letters and hides them behind his back. Atros returns to his office, a mess. Argent sees this.

Argent and Claret in bed together. SURPRISE (although most of you already know this) THEY'RE A COUPLE. Claret sits in bed, knitting. Argent, tries to read a book but she can't. She turns to Claret and asks Claret if she's noticed that Atros seems moodier recently and Claret points out that Atros always seems moody. Argent can't quite shake her concern until Claret shuts her up with her mouth and they start making out.

A few days later, Atros calls Argent into his office. There he hands her Claret's title. Surprised, Argent points out that she still has another year of work before she's completely paid of Claret's title and Atros tells her it's ok. That she can keep working but that Claret doesn't have to. That he doesn't think it's fair that he waste any more of their time together and then he dismisses Argent.

Argent tells Claret about the title and NOW Claret believes Argent, shocked that Atros let sentimentality trump his love of money. Lilith walks in on their conversation and Claret tells her everything so of course Lilith goes up to see Atros.

Lilith confronts Atros but he tells her he wants to be left alone. Lilith then sees the amber necklace on Atros' desk and asks him why he's got Argent's necklace. He admits it's not.

Lilith, being one of the three people in the world that knows Atros better than he knows himself, immediately picks up on the fact that if the necklace isn't Argent's, but looks just like Argent's, it must be Linneus'. Lilith sits with Atros and asks him what's going on.

Desperately alone, Atros cracks. He doesn't tell Lilith much, but what he does say is enough for her to get the gist of what's happening. She asks him why he hasn't gone to Linneus and Atros' response is simply, “he's moved on. It's better this way.” But Lilith, being Lilith, rolls her eyes HARD at this. She points out to him that one, it's their jobs as courtesans to give their clients the impression that they're the only people in the entire world that matter and two, Linneus is an adult who can make his own decisions, and that it's not Atros' job to make them for him.

In her own way, she coaxes (challenges) Atros to talk to Linneus, telling him he's probably right for keeping everything to himself because as she's recently discovered, Atros is an idiot but then asks him “what if Linneus is just waiting to hear you still care about him? What if he's always been waiting?” If Atros can give Claret's contract to Argent because he didn't want them to waste anymore of their time together, why can't he apply that same logic to himself?

And so Atros does it. He goes to Linneus and then gives Linneus the letters Linneus wrote, the letters Atros wrote, and the necklace Atros senior took away from him. But in true Atros form (scared) he then screws it up by angrily asks Linneus why Linneus didn't trust Atros enough to think that if Atros senior had sold his title, that Atros would spend the rest of his life looking for Linneus until he found him.

Caught off guard, it takes Linneus a minute to catch up to wtf is going on and wth these letters he's holding are. Once it all clicks, Linneus hits Atros back with his own question and asks Atros why his face was so full of disgust when he saw Linneus as a courtesan for the first time.

Surprised to hear that's what Linneus felt, Atros explains that it wasn't disgust on his face, it was shock and hurt. Atros was never disgusted with Linneus, how could he be? Linneus was his best friend – more than that.

Finally, they fucking start communicating. Atros goes from hard to gentle, eventually taking Linneus' hand as they talk. Atros admits to Linneus that his feelings for him never changed, only grew. He reveals that after the death of his father, he knew he had to stay and take care of everyone there, especially Linneus.

After hearing everything he's ever wanted to hear before (other than the actual words “I love you.”) Linneus apologizes to Atros, tells him that he doesn't want to be with anyone but him and Atros tells Linneus that's fine. That if Linneus wants to stop seeing clients and just let Atros take care of him, then that's fine.

They spend the night together and it's like they're kids again. There's fumbling, it's impatient and passionate, new but familiar, and most of all loving.

So now the Teahouse is down to Rory, Lilith, and Mercutio. Close to having the money he needs to buy the house and every one of the servants in it, Atros goes on a hunt for new courtesans/veteran courtesans.

Which is how Remy comes into play.

LINNEUS AND ATROS

PART ONE: The Backstories (starting with where chapter 7's backstory would've picked up)

NOTE: For the sake of clarity, Atros will be referred to as “Xanthe” while Atros senior will remain Atros senior.

Shortly after realizing his crush on Linneus, Xanthe becomes slightly more affectionate. In little ways: like randomly bringing Linneus apples, or asking Linneus to play piano with him, or occasionally helping Linneus garden. And while it all looks innocent and platonic enough on the outside, Atros senior starts disapproving of how “sensitive” Xanthe has become and isn't a fan of how much time Xanthe is spending with a servant as feminine as Linneus. So at the age of fifteen, Atros senior decides it's time for Xanthe to become a man and pressures him into losing his virginity to a blonde courtesan named Colette -- one of Atros senior's favorites.

The experience has a definite affect on Xanthe. Because of how emotionally closed off Xanthe is, before sex, he never really thought too much about the people around him in any sort of sexual way. After sex, his physical attraction towards women really starts to make him question, doubt, and reevaluate his feelings for Linneus. And according to Atros senior, “real men fuck women” and Linneus, of course, isn't a woman and that doesn't help.

Linneus on the other hand, now about to hit puberty, starts realizing that he's got feelings for Xanthe and that extends beyond just friendship. Living in a brothel, this is about the time Linneus starts realizing that none of the girls or what they do really interest him. Their attractive male clients (and Xanthe) on the other hand, do.

The summer before Xanthe's 18th birthday he comes home with news that he's got a girlfriend. It's also the first summer he sees post puberty Linneus. Just over 15, Linneus looks less like an adorable kid and more like the graceful, feminine character he is as an adult. It's a weird summer for both of them.

After convincing himself that he doesn't have feelings for Linneus, Xanthe finds himself suddenly having feelings for Linneus all over again, only this time it's more confusion. Linneus suddenly has all these delicate features, his hair has gone from poofy to silky smooth, his lips are all pouty now, and Xanthe never noticed it before, but Linneus smells like roses. It's like a constant perfume Xanthe can't escape.

And for Linneus it's hard because he wants to be a really good friend to Xanthe and know all about his life at boarding school but every time Xanthe talks about his girlfriend it's like a little knife stabbing him deeper and deeper in the heart. And even though Adele, Linneus' favorite courtesan taught him how to move like the girls around the house and straighten his hair (the way Xanthe seems to find attractive on girls) Linneus can't seem to get Xanthe to look at him let alone notice how hard he's trying. Linneus begins to realize that his crush on Xanthe may go unrequited.

Meanwhile, Atros' senior's gambling has turned into a full blown problem. Over the years he's been squandering the family fortune and now he's started selling off the family's land. In an attempt to alleviate some of his debts, Atros senior starts aggressively pushing for Xanthe to consider marrying Yvette, a girl Atros has known since they were children and the daughter of a man Atros senior is in great debt to.

No matter how hard Atros senior pushes it, Xanthe makes it abundantly clear that he's not interested. Regardless of the crush she has on him, Xanthe just can't see Yvette as anything other than that annoying girl who wouldn't stop tormenting Xanthe and pulling on his horse's hair.

On a lighter note, this is also the summer that Xanthe gives beautiful matching amber necklaces to both Argent and Linneus. Necklaces they both vow to wear forever. (Note: Depending on the outfit, you can see Argent wearing this necklace in the pages.)

A year later, Xanthe, 18 almost 19, comes home newly single. Linneus takes it as a sign that this is his chance to say something... but doesn't. He chickens out over and over – and it's not because he doesn't get the chance, he gets plenty. He and Atros go riding, go into town together on several occasions, and they even have an evening on the roof together, on their backs, shoulder to shoulder, staring at the stars and watching an meteor shower and still Linneus chickens out.

That being said, Xanthe is being just as much of a chicken as Linneus is. When Linneus asks what happened between him and his girlfriend, Xanthe simply tells him that it didn't work out when the truth is that when he went back to school, after the end of last summer, he'd sort of lost interest in his girlfriend. Things just weren't the same and after months of awkward fights and distance, she finally dumped him. And while Xanthe now realizes that he does have some very serious feelings for Linneus, he can't tell whether or not Linneus is flirting with him or just being Linneus... which makes Xanthe feel like a creepy pervert for thinking that way about a male.

Right before the end of the summer, Atros senior again starts pushing Xanthe to consider marrying Yvette only this time he adds that Xanthe doesn't have much of a choice anymore. As it turns out, Atros senior's gambled everything away. The entirety of their family's fortune. The new owner of the Teahouse is Yvette's father and unless Xanthe marries Yvette, he plans on selling the house and all of its residents which will leave not only Atros senior homeless, but also Xanthe.

Xanthe realizes that he really has no choice. And right before he leaves to return to boarding school Xanthe tells his father that he'll marry Yvette. Ashamed of what his father's done, scared of worrying the servants, and desperate to find a way out of his engagement, Xanthe tells no one about the engagement.

Linneus, angry at himself for failing to tell Xanthe how he feels, decides he has to do it the morning before Xanthe leaves. This way if he feels the same way it's great, and if he doesn't, he'll just leave for school. That morning Linneus crawls into Xanthe's room through the window and spends the morning with Xanthe as he packs. In the minutes before he's ready to go, Linneus decides to go for it and kisses Xanthe, mid sentence.

Sure enough, Xanthe's stunned...

...and about a second later his mouth's on Linneus' and they're making out furiously. Groping. Hands all over the place when Atros senior calls out for Xanthe from outside his room. He has to go.

Blue balls. It's the one thing Linneus didn't account for and both he and Xanthe end up with them. Hard.

Their friendly letters turn into passionate ones. And the two spend several months corresponding everyday about everything from Xanthe explaining to Linneus that he's not really going to marry Yvette (but not why he had to get engaged to her) to Linneus telling Xanthe about the latest gossip about the house (like how Atros senior, Colette, and Adele are locked in a love triangle) to Xanthe telling Linneus what he thinks about doing to him day in and day out. Things get so heated over paper that Xanthe tells Linneus that instead staying at school during his short winter break, like he usually does, that he'll be making the long trip home. To see Linneus.

So the winter break comes and about twenty minutes after arriving, Xanthe has Linneus in his arms, and not too long after, he's taking his virginity. The two spend end up spending their two weeks together making love to each other everywhere and anywhere they can get away with it and it's amazing.

And they almost get away with it but they're brazen about their last kiss in the garden and Colette sees them. As soon as Xanthe is gone, Colette goes to Atros senior and tells him what she saw.

Suddenly everything clicks for Atros senior. He realizes that what he thought was a weird friendship between his son and servant has now turned into a dangerous relationship that could possibly jeopardize his future and immediately he sets out to destroy it.

Atros senior sets Adele out to intercept all of Linneus' letters to Xanthe and Atros senior blocks Linneus from receiving any of Xanthe's letters. Next he makes sure that Atros' marriage is announced in the local paper and makes a big deal about it around the house. Then, when Linneus asks him about whether or not he's received any letters from Xanthe for Linneus, Atros senior tells Linneus that he knows about them. That he's already told Xanthe how disgusting it was and that Xanthe admitted that he was ashamed of himself for sleeping with a man. That his shame was the reason the engagement was announced in the paper, because Xanthe suggested it. Linneus refuses to believe him.

Frustrated with how much faith Linneus has in Xanthe, Atros senior rips the amber necklace off Linneus' neck. Decides he's going to get rid of Linneus and starts advertising Linneus' contract for sale – specifically looking for buyers who live in neighboring countries like Verone. When Linneus finds out, he begs Atros senior not to sell him but Atros won't listen. Desperate, terrified of losing the family he has at the Teahouse and scared of being separated from Xanthe in a way that would make it impossible for them to find their way back to each other, Linneus tells Atros he'll do anything, including becoming a courtesan.

On the flip side, Xanthe's confused as to why he isn't receiving any of Linneus' letters. He keeps writing and keeps writing. Eventually he starts writing his father about it. Suddenly Xanthe finds himself receiving congratulations from his classmates and discovers that his engagement to Yvette was officially announced. Unable to get a response from his family back home, Xanthe decides to fuck school and heads home.

The first male courtesan in the area, Linneus becomes instantly popular. The first time Linneus sleeps with another man, he hates it. He hates it because he knows he's cheating on Xanthe and what's worse, he enjoys the sex. And it doesn't get any better with the next client, or the next.

The last thing Xanthe ever expected to see when he walked into the Teahouse that evening was the love of his life, Linneus, dressed up in translucent silks and pearls, escorting another man into the house like he'd seen dozens of other courtesans do his entire life. But it's what happens and it breaks him.

And when Linneus finally sees Xanthe, standing in the entryway, stunned, mouth open and eyes full of horror, the last thing Linneus ever thought he'd do was run away from Xanthe – but it's exactly what he does. Client in hand, ashamed and full of guilt, Linneus turns away from Xanthe and kept walking. Even after Xanthe called out to him, Linneus kept walking.

Feeling broken and hurt, Xanthe goes to Atros senior. Accuses him of forcing Linneus into becoming a courtesan. Hearing Atros senior tell Xanthe that it was Linneus' idea and choice is like a knife in the heart for Xanthe. He shoves the dagger in deeper by telling Xanthe just how popular Linneus is and how well he treats the clients. Disgusted Xanthe tries to walk away but before he can, Atros senior reminds him that this is all for the best since Xanthe's already engaged to Yvette. Xanthe tells his father to fuck off, that he's done with him.

Xanthe waits for Linneus but it's awful. Wounded and hurt they have a massive fight. Linneus accuses Xanthe of lying, saying he never really had any intention of breaking off his engagement to Yvette. Angry, Xanthe demands to know why Linneus chose to become a whore and it's like a slap in the face for Linneus. Things just get uglier until finally, Xanthe walks away from the argument, away from Linneus, and away from the Teahouse.

Shortly after Xanthe returns to school, he receives a letter. In the letter he finds out that Colette, in a jealous rage, killed Atros senior and his mother, Adele, before killing herself. Without a manager, Xanthe is presented two options: One, Yvette's father can sell the house and all of the servants out to the highest bidders or two, Xanthe can return home to marry Yvette and manage the house.

Xanthe chooses to return home and marry Yvette.

Now if you've just been left heartbroken and dead inside and you're a fan of Pushing Daisies, this is for you:

REED AND RORY

(or the summary with way too many “R” names in it.)

Now that Rory and Reed have had sex, Rory is all in on Reed. Falling for him hard and making all sorts of efforts and basically looking at Reed like a boyfriend. Remy, being the creeper she is, notices Rory's new found feelings for Reed which annoy her to no end.

During Reed's next visit, it's very obvious that he's had a bad day but that doesn't stop Rory from being super talkative. After sex Reed finally shuts him down with, “You do understand that I pay to fuck you, not listen to you talk, right?” Obviously upset (because he's just lost his virginity to this guy who keeps murdering all of his romantic aspirations) Rory asks if sex is really the only reason Reed comes to see him. To which Reed replies, “Of course it is. You're not even my type.” This meeting doesn't end well.

Remy sees Axis comes back to the Teahouse to clear his room (since he's moving into the castle) and she sets it up so that Rory walks in on Axis finger banging her in the kitchen. Insert an incredibly creepy image of Remy moaning while maintaining eye contact with Rory. (Axis of course has no clue this is going on because he's three fingers deep and busy.) Suffice it to say, Rory is horrified.

Reed, having caught onto the fact that Rory was not happy with him, decides to ask Rhys for advice on how to “romance someone.” That's when Rhys gives Reed this key piece of advice: “Buy him flowers. Give him chocolates. You've basically gotta treat this one like a girl because if you don't, you're going to hurt his feelings and he's going to sleep with someone else like your last courtesan did and then you're going to have to find yet another virgin. Dig?”

Back at the Teahouse, Remy overhears that Atros is on the hunt for a replacement for Axis (which you'll hear more about next week). She immediately starts flirting with the clientele.

Reed shows up with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Rory and a kiss. It's everything Rory wants. A little romance, gifts that aren't sex toys, he's floored. So after a beautiful round of love making Rory asks Reed what inspired him to be so sweet.

That's when Reed tells Rory that Rhys told him to just treat Rory like a girl.

Believe it or not, Rory throws Reed the fuck out and tells him off. Tells him that he's (Rory's) NOT girly and that Reed's an asshole for thinking such. That Reed's the girly one for having such stupidly long hair. And then he slams the door in Reed's face.

Reed goes back to Rhys, annoyed. Tells him that his advice didn't work and then when Rhys finds out that Reed TOLD Rory what Rhys said, Rhys tells Reed that he really is an idiot. That “the kid's” tried way harder to please Reed than any of the other courtesans he's been with. Reed knows he's right.

Back to Remy, she flirts with one of Lilith's clients while he's waiting to see Lilith. So then when Lilith comes down to meet with her client, he's no where to be seen. So Lilith and Rory go looking for him when they find him, fucking Remy in the ass in the maids' quarters.

Outraged, Lilith reports Remy to Atros and drags Rory into it. Unfortunately for Lilith though, Remy making a plea to Atros about how she wants to be a courtesan because she enjoys “all sorts of sex” and how it would “this ultimately saves Atros money,” which of course wins Atros over.

Voila, Remy goes from the maid's quarters to Axis' room.

Reed, trying to figure out what Rory wants from him, wanting to make more of an effort for Rory, decides to get a hair cut. Takes what Rory said to him earlier as a sign that Rory doesn't like long hair. It all goes to Locks of Love.

Axis stops back by to hang with Claret. She tells him that Remy's got his room now so Axis decides to check up on Remy and because there is no God, they of course end up boning. After sex, Remy turns on the innocent act and fills Axis in on how “Rory's been tormenting her.”

Axis, who never liked that little prick anyway, gets into a scuffle with Rory and ends up punching Rory, giving him a black eye. Shortly after, Lilith comes to Rory's defense and smacks Axis around and then is kicked out of the Teahouse by Argent. Remy fucking loves every minute of it.

Reed and his short hair finally show up at the Teahouse and Rory's shocked. But not as shocked as Reed is when he sees Rory's face and finds out that it was Axis who gave him the black eye. Once Reed's all calmed down Rory asks why he cut his hair and he's genuinely touched to find out that Reed cut it because Rory said he didn't like it. Sure enough, Rory's back in love with Reed again.

They have great sex and afterwards, in bed, Rory asks Reed about where he came from. Reed mentions how difficult it was to be gay and in the closet in Verone and how Rhys was the one who made him feel like it was ok. That he was normal. Reveals that they hooked up a few times before Reed found out how much of a slutty slut Rhys was which may or may not have made his mild OCD worse.

Rory tells Reed that he thinks he's gay. That when he was growing up, that his sister used to torment him by flaunting her body in front of him. That he used to struggle with his feelings for her and that he didn't know how he was supposed to feel before Reed. That sex with Reed feels right.

Reed asks Rory how he ended up at the Teahouse (and for those of you keeping score, this is the first time Reed's shown any interest in Rory's actual life) and Rory tells him that he did it for two reasons. One: because his mom was sick, that she'd been sick for a long time and that they needed the money to put her in care. And two: to get away from Remy. That he thought it'd be healthier for them to be apart.

The next day when Reed leaves, he kisses Rory and asks him how he'd feel about Reed buying his contract. Rory is of course, ecstatic.

Back at Rhys' castle, Reed hunts Axis down tells him to stay the fuck away from Rory, and punches him square in the jaw. Walks off like a boss.

Remy, who now lives in Lilith's room (you'll know more about this next week) hears from Claret that Rory's excited because it sounds like Reed might buy his contract. She is NOT cool with this.

In true Remy fashion, she puts on an act. Begs Rory to talk to her and then gives him a sob story about how she's sorry. That she hears he's leaving and that before he leaves, she wants him to know that she loves him.

That night, in Rory's room, she tells him that she's happy for him. That the whole reason she's always been jealous of him, and cruel to him, is because their mother always liked him better. That she always felt less than him and she realizes now that she unfairly resented him for that.

Rory eats it up with a spoon. Feeling awful for her, he embraces her and holds her as he sobs in her arms and in a particularly dramatic moment, Remy locks eyes with Rory and she kisses him.

And Rory doesn't push her away.

That's when we cut over to Reed at his house, making preparations for Rory, setting up a room for him. He's totally prepared to start a new life with Rory.

Reed then goes to the Teahouse to finalize a deal with Atros for the purchase of Rory's contract. Rory, excited about this, greets him in the lobby and the two have a moment that's immediately ruined by Remy. Aware of Reed's hang ups, Remy tells Reed that she and Rory have slept together.

Rory of course denies this. Swears up and down that they didn't, but then Remy calls him a liar and tells Reed that it all started with a kiss. That's when Rory stops arguing because (as we all know) that much of the story is true.

Unable to deny the kiss, Rory begs Reed to forgive him. Swears up and down that they didn't sleep together. That after they kissed Rory threw Remy out. But it's too late. Unable to handle this new bit of information, Reed leaves without Rory.

Angst angst about. This is where Reed throws himself into work, Rory eats his feelings, and things at the Teahouse start to fall apart (that part you'll know more about next week.).

Reed, with a job to do at the palace, runs into Axis who ends up talking Reed into helping Axis talk to Rhys (refer to Rhys/Axis summary) and after the assassination attempt on Rhys, Reed realizes something. He misses Rory. He trusts Rory. Reed realizes deep down that he believes that Rory's telling him the truth and that he has to get Rory back.

So Reed goes to the Teahouse, reunites with Rory, buys his contract, and takes him home where they live happily ever after.

BTW, Reed also buys Remy's contract while he's at it and then sends her off to live in a monastery in the mountains with a bunch of nuns. Wah waaaaah.

EPILOGUE.

Reed buys Rory a bakery to run and Rory becomes the best pastry chef in the country while Reed continues peddling weapons of mass destruction.

They also end up having babies. If you're thinking mpreg, stop. Don't be that person. They get a surrogate and have twin boys, one who's obviously like Rory and the other's eerily similar to Reed. It's as stupidly cute as you imagine.

Remy remains stuck up in the mountains with a bunch of nuns.

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

Before anyone asks, because I know they will, whether or not Rory slept with Remy is something we never ever intend on answering. It's a very specific thing we've had planned since very early on because the entire point of it isn't who's telling the truth (Rory or Remy) it's that Reed cares enough about Rory to believe him and be with him.