Freya slept rather peacefully on the couch as James moved around quietly putting things away. Before long, she groaned softly as James scooped her up to move her onto her bed. Breathing in, a small smile crossed her features. Though she was unconcious, she still took in his scent. It put her at ease, but she was being placed under heavy warm blankets, and welcomed it from being on the couch, shifting onto her side to be more comfortable.

Her nap only lasted about an hour before she began to stir. Giving a yawn, she let her eyes get adjusted. She could clearly see, and realized she had fallen asleep with her glasses on again, and frowned. Her dad hated when she did that. She sighed gently as she sat up slowly. This is why she had multiple pairs - well, not the only reason. Also because she had an obsession with cute frames. Freya pulled the warm blankets off herself and stretched, heading to the door as she saw boxes on the ground. There were still things to unpack? She knelt down and seeing that they were her clothes, her eyes widened. Thank goodness that James left them. She knew he wouldn't even be phased since laundry was a thing that got done, but...but..now there was no hiding what was hers and what was James'! Should she...do her own laundry? She stared at the box at her feet and frowned. She didn't even...know what to do.

'I guess we'll cross...that bridge when we come to it.' Freya thought as she began putting her clothes away. Twenty minutes later after sorting everything, she grabbed a lollipop out of the candy dish on her way out and caught James with his back towards her. It looked like he was fixing some curtains or something. They were off a bit, and she figured they bothered him. This was her chance to strike. Quietly, she made small steps towards him before making an attempt at grabbing his sides. "Boo!" She shrieked in an attempt to scare him. James was usually not one to be startled, but Freya still saw it fit to try anyway. One of these days she would get him.

Perfection was key when you are a butler. You should do your job perfectly and without hesitation. Adrian was big into instilling those beliefs into his staff members and James listened to him whole heartedly. Adrian was the one who found him and his sister as they ate sandwiches on a park bench and offered them the jobs they had now. Little did James know just how much that offer would change their lives!

He was indebted to his Master and Adrian for giving them the opportunity to work. Sure, Annie could work anywhere and get a well-placed high paying job as a maid or even a head maid, but she didn’t want to leave him behind. To show his utmost loyalty to his Master, Adrian and his sister; he spent all of his time focusing on being perfect at his job. Even if it meant he needed to keep his emotions and expression in check.

Setting the bar correctly, he began to lower his arms back down to his side before he felt hands on his ribs and the sound of a “boo”. It wasn’t the boo that got him or even her presence; it was her hands on his ribs.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!” His voice rang through the living room as he laughed loudly and honestly as he fell to the floor losing all his strength. Red faced and embarrassed, he pulled open his water filled blue eyes and stared up at her.

A few people passing by stopped momentarily at the sudden laughter before carrying on their business. Freya's eyes widened as he burst into a fit of laughter and giggled herself seeing James clutching his burning sides. Grinning, it was pretty clear Freya waas proud of what she had just done. James had just cracked. He had laughed, really laughed and it was a great victory for her. She watched him try to recompose himself and giggled. "Hey, James. You looked a little stiff. I thought you needed to relax a little." She teased as she got down next to him and laid back, placing the lollipop stick into a trash container nearby. "I don't think I've ever seen you laugh that hard in my entire life of knowing you." The young woman poked at his ribs in a teasing way. "I didn't know you were ticklish, James!" She wouldn't kill him with laughter just yet. "I won't tell." She giggled, before gently squeezing James' hand briefly. "I'm glad you laughed. Even if it was because I tickled you...You've been looking a bit conflicted since we left the house. I hope you enjoy yourself here." Freya looked up at the ceiling.

"Hey, James?" She turned on her side to look at him. "I know I've told you this before, but your eyes are a wonderful color. I like how they look right now. Completely open an telling what you're feeling." Freya smiled. "I'm glad I get to see little bits of you now and again. I know you're very for you being professional and everthing. But, I like to think that someitmes you can be James my friend instead of James my butler." Freya gave another yawn and shook her head to dispel the sleep that was trying to call her back.

Very few people have seen James laugh, much less laugh as much as he did when she unintentionally tickled him. His eyes scanned her face as she walked down to him saying he was stiff. Blinking a few times up at her he allowed his body to straighten out on the carpet covered floor and rolled his head to look at her when she lay next to him. It wasn’t until she stated that she had never seen him laugh that he realized just how expressionless he had while he was around. Upon hearing that she wouldn’t tell anyone he was ticklish he shot her a playful dirty look before turning his gaze back to the ceiling.

James my friend instead of James my butler, the words echoed in his mind as he stared up at her ceiling. The debate went through his mind and upon his face laid a large amount of confliction. The idea of being friends with someone out of his sister would be nice but she was his temporary employer. “I’m not a good person…” He said softly not daring to look in her direction. Taking in a deep breath and continued, “I shouldn’t even have a job as a butler, but your dad and Adrian gave me a chance… a chance to redeem myself and I never want to break that trust by doing --- something I’m not supposed to.”

A deep sigh left him before he continued, “If you want me to tell you I will…” His head rolled and his gaze landed on her. “But I don’t know about being ‘friends’, I’m unsure if the friendship can be two ways between a butler and their Master. You can confine in me, tell me anything and I will not breathe a word to anyone else --- but I don’t know if it can be done the other way around; nor do I know if I deserve it.” Reaching out he gently patted her hand with his white gloved covered hand and shot her a gentle smile. “But you deserve to have someone you can trust unconditionally, and if that person is me I will do everything in my power to keep that trust and faith you have in me alive and well.” Pulling his hand back he placed it on the his jacket after checking to make sure it was still buttoned due to his collapse on the floor, folded his hands on his flat stomach and looked back up at the ceiling.

She saw the look that he had shot her, and pretended like she didn't see it, even though a smile broke through. James went silent for a few moments after she said that she wanted him to be her friend sometimes. She was going to excuse herself for bringing up something unprofessional like that, but he began talking. Her nose wrinkled as she was confused. James? A bad person? Were those even things that could be said in the same sentence? Not in the world of Freya. It only seemed to confuse her more and more as he talked. Her extending friendship was something that James was not supposed to engage in? He wasn't allowed to have friends?

Or...was it just not allowed to be friends with me.. Freya's expression fell and she gripped her arm hearing the heavy sigh from James. So, if she gave him an order of being friends then it would be. Simply because that was how this worked, right? He began his stance on butlers and masters, which left her feeling aggrivated. As he placed a hand on hers, she quickly snatched her own away and shoved herself away and upwards, almost falling forward in doing so. "I get it..." She breathed, saying it barely above a whisper. "You're a wonderful person, James. I hate that you think that you aren't. I don't know what you did before you came to work for us, and I don't really care about that. You're here with me now. I know the James you are right in this moment as I speak. You are kind, honest, witty and...simply amazing." She walked towards the window, staring out of it longingly. "I...understand that maybe in your mind we can't be friends. But in mine? It doesn't matter what your job title is. Your personality is what I want. I could care less your job title. You will always just be James to me. Not James "My Butler". You are so much more than that to me." She sniffled, her eyes welling with threatening tears.

"I deserve this, I deserve that...I just...I want you to know that you're incredible, James. Just for being you." She grabbed a handful of lollipops and headed for the door to the apartment. "I'm going to take a walk and explore campus. I need air." Freya walked out, shutting the door harder than intended on her way out, and glanced around now that she was outside, and retraced her steps down the elevator and passed through the doors. She needed to run or something to get what she was feeling out. Once outside, the cool air hit her face and she adjusted her glasses slightly before beginning to follow the sidewalk and just get her mind off of what just happened. Walks usually helped calm Freya down. Thinking about what just happened, she unwrapped a lollipop and began sucking on it, the tears from earlier falling down her face. Was coming here...a mistake?

She left and James stayed on the floor staring up at the ceiling. Huh… she really thinks highly of him, which is bazaar for some to tell him. A long sigh left him as he sat up off the floor and looked about the clean room. She wants to be his friend; she seems like she wants to get to know the true him but… would she like the true him? Is she painting a picture of the person he is in her head what he really was? In his mind he wasn’t a good person but she seems to think so. She speaks highly of him and wants to know his personality. Was this… a good thing?

Finally Annie got ‘off work’ and wondered back into her room in the manor. The moment she shut the door, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. Annie was always quick about making friends and her first friend she made when she arrived was Freya. Placing her phone to her ear, her head bobbed along to music before Freya answer, “Hey! How’s it going do you like the place? How’s the campus…” The small amount of silence caused Annie to pause as well before she finally asked. “Freya, what’s wrong?”

Freya sniffled as she finished her lollipop. Her phone began to ring, and she looked at the caller ID. It was Annie! She blinked, and answered the phone. It was so good to hear from her. She began her question about the campus and when Freya hesistated in answering, she asked what was wrong. Biting her lip, the young woman sighed. "It's...James." She began as she followed the sidewalk around a circle that kept a momument in the center. "He said he wasn't a good person, and then went on to tell me that he couldn't even be my friend. I...flipped out and walked out on him. And then you called." Freya groaned. "He is a good person. I don't know what he did before he worked for my dad but that's not the James I know. I know the James who is caring and perceptive to everything. I just...I don't know what do to. I'm starting to think coming here was a mistake..I haven't even been here a whole day yet and I've already had a fight." She sniffled again as she wiped a few tears away from her face. "I don't know what to do, Annie.."

Annie, hearing this let out a long sigh which matched her brothers with an uncanny resemblance. “Look, Freya… James and I have… been through a lot. If he’s even mentioned even the slightest about him not being a good person than I’m sure you’ve received a long lecture with information that didn’t quite make sense. James is not really good at sharing his feelings so bear with him please.” Crossing her legs on her bed she tapped her fingers against the fabric as she listened to Freya and took everything in that she had to say.

“Okay first off, James won’t be mad at you so I wouldn’t call it a ‘fight’, it’s more like a misunderstanding. And going there wasn’t a mistake; you’re not the only one benefiting from this but…” She bit her lower lip before continuing. “I’m not supposed to tell you this but your dad agreed to pay for James to study culinary while he’s working under you. So don’t be surprised if James starts putting more ingredients in your house; things you’ve never heard of or don’t even know what to do with. Because, if I know my brother…” She lets out a giggle, “He’ll be feeding you all the foods he’s learning how to make and your pallet will go insane with delight. Especially when he hits desserts! Honestly, kinda jealous right now.”

“Freya listen, take a couple deep breathes and listen to me. James can’t be your friend… while he’s working. However, he does take days off; when he’s not with you it will be me. So we can girl out and paint our toenails and blah blah blah. However, his job is done at Midnight, from midnight until the time he re-enters your apartment he is no longer a butler and more importantly he is no longer your butler.” A smile moved across Annie’s lips as she continued to speak. “When you get home just take a couple deep breathes before going inside. James will be back to his butler-self and will most likely have dinner ready and a bath drawn for you. Eat your food, take your bath and know that when his pocket watch goes off he’s officially off work. Then bring up the topic of a friendship and tell him you understand the separation between personal and professional life, word it like that and he will understand where you’re coming from. I know you Freya, you’ll think too hard on this, stress yourself out then blurt out things you don’t mean and feel horrible about it later. When you and I decided to become friends, it was important that we didn’t let the other staff members see how close we got. It’s the same thing except James feels like he has a lot more to lose. Respect his time when he’s being a butler but I feel confident in saying that you will be met with a positive response at Midnight.” She took a deep breath and spoke softly, “Freya… honey, do you feel better?”

Talking to Annie always made her feel better. She understood that maybe she was sharing information a little personal to her and appreciated that she told her, even if it was just a little. Hearing that James wasn't going to be mad at her, she felt a small weight lift off her shoulders. Annie then proceeded to tell her that not only was James here to help her with school, but he was taking classes of his own! Her eyes widened. She was glad that the lollipop she had was already dissolved because she was sure that she would have chewed right through a lollipop at that discovery. "I'll be sure to let you know all about it." She smiled softly. James' cooking always put her in a good mood.

When Annie told her that James couldn't be her friend she felt herself sigh but she blinked. That last part of her sentance. The way that she had said that... "I see. Yes..Yes I understand!" She blinked, and smiled. "I do. Thank you so much, Annie. You always know what to say. I've got to go apologize...And wait until midnight. It's like an odd Cinderella story." She giggled, and bid Annie farewell before heading back towards the dorm building. Heading in, she hit the call elevator button and as she worked her way up to her floor, she cleared her throat a few times. Keeping what Annie had said in mind, she knocked at the door before letting herself in with her key. "I'm back," She announced as she locked the door behind her. "Sorry, James. I didn't mean to run off like that." She put the remaining lollipops back into the candy dish and looked over into the kitchen. "That smells really good..." She observed as her stomach growled loudly. "Oh my gosh." She grabbed her abdomen and laughed lightly. "Sorry...Just...Your cooking always makes me super hungry." She just had to wait until he was off duty. Maybe then she would get the answers that she was trying to get eariler. But, for now she was just going to allow James to work.

“Good I’m glad you’re feeling better. Enjoy your awkward Cinderella story. Text me if you need anything.” Annie said with a giggle in her voice as she hung up the phone. Hopefully Freya didn’t mention anything about their conversation or she was going to get an earful from James about talking about his personal life. Shaking her head she fell back onto her bed and took a deep breath feeling relaxed after a long day’s work.

James was finishing up dinner by the time he heard a knock on the door. His eyebrows rose as he glanced towards the exit of the kitchen and into the hallway. He waited for another knock before he left his post but heard the door open. It had to be Freya and sure enough her voice echoed through the house as she entered. James’s whole body tensed as she walked back into the kitchen. When she apologized for running off he shook his head. “You went for a walk, and you came back. You have no reason to apologize.” He prepared the plate for her and poured her a cool glass of strawberry lemonade before placing the plate and drink on the table.

“Tonight is lemon orange grilled salmon over Italian seasoned linguini with strawberry lemonade to drink.” James said as he pulled out the chair for her in front of the beautiful plate he took pride in. Once she sat down he disappeared from the room and reappeared with a small basket full of little bottles. “Before you eat please tell me which one you like the most.” The basket had seven different bottles of oils in it. He stood aside patiently waiting for her to make her choice.

Freya laughed. "Right, right." Sitting after he pulled out the chair she thanked him before looking in awe over the plate in front of her. "Oh wow, this looks so good!" She went to grab her fork to dig in, but James had asked her to wait a moment. He had walked out for just a moment, coming back with a selection of different oils. She smiled to herself and looked her the selection carefully. "I think a blend of Lavender and Vanilla Oil sounds nice." She nodded at her choice. "Can I go ahead and dig in? The smell is kililng me I can't wait to taste it" She asked, glancing at the plate in front of her and back to James.

Once Freya chose the scent he picked up the basket and gave her a small nod of recognition that she could begin to eat. With that he disappeared into the bathroom and prepared her a bath. There was no doubt that she felt bad for the conversation they had before she left the room. Freya wore her emotions on her face and it was like watching a live TV show seeing her expressions change so much. Taking his time while she ate, he prepped a beautiful bath for her.

The bathroom was lit with candles, the lavender and vanilla oil and white rose pedals. Into her room he went, collecting a pair of pajama bottoms, a comfortable top and her fluffy robe. Going back into the bathroom, he laid out the things delicately on the counter and flicked on the radio to soft music. Exiting the prepared bathroom he let out a small sigh as he shot the door. She may have not feel like he did anything wrong but hopefully she’ll understand that he put in this extra work to her bath as an apology for making her feel so… off.

Walking back to the kitchen, he waited patiently until she finished her dinner and stood up from her seat. “Your bath is ready.” He said with a small bow and gesturing for her to leave the kitchen. Once she left, he took his place at the sink and began to watch her plate, silverware and cup by hand and finishing up the rest the utensils he had used to make her dinner. Hopefully she was enjoying her bath.

Freya was pleased she could begin to eat the food that was placed in front of her. Like usual, would you have prepared for her and looked absolutely stunning. If she can eat with her eyes, this was it. Hangover utensils siege delicately cut into the salmon and put it into her mouth. A small noise of joy and it is from here as she continued eating. Change disappeared, and was back by the time she had finished her meal and was standing up to take her plate to the sink. However, James informed her that in fact he had Draughon her a bath. Her eyes widened, as she didn't think that's what he was doing the whole time she was eating. "O-Oh. Okay. Well, thank you James." She smiled and headed towards the bathroom. Upon opening the door she sighed softly. So, this is what the oils were for. Shutting the door behind her, she began to undress and submerged herself into the water taking her time to enjoy the music that was playing and relax.

About half an hour later she realized she had been sitting a while and decided she should probably get out. The water was beginning to get cold and she didn't want to catch cold. She got iut of the bath and unplugged it, letting the water drain as she got dressed in her pajamas and robe. Leaving the bathroom she smiled towards James. "Thank you, James. The bath was lovely. I appreciate it." Now, all she had to do was wait until his pocket watch went off and they could talk about things when he wasn't working. To pass the time, she sat on the couch and picked up a book that was laying nearby and began to read.

When she thanked him for the food he gave her a small nod, the corners of his lips curled up into a small smile. Before giving her a nod, “You don’t need to thank me; it’s my job as a butler.” Though he said those words, his smile said that he did like being appreciated. As she enjoyed her bath James hummed to himself as cleaned the dishes by hand and put them away.

After that he met her in the living room and continued to straighten up the house as she enjoyed reading her book. He had refrained from humming again as he cleaned. Time seem to go by quickly despite their peaceful silence and James put away the cleaning supplies before reaching into his pocket and looked down at his watch. He turned his attention to Freya. “Miss, do you need anything else before I leave?” He had remade her bed and straightened up from putting away things and cooking, he felt like the house was in good shape for her to be comfortable.

Ding, ding, ding, ding The chimes of his pocket watch went off 12 times indicating midnight had arrived but he wasn’t going to leave if she needed something else.

Freya had gotten into her book but James' voice cut her out of the world she had been engrossed in. "Huh?" She was startled and quickly bookmarked her place as she put the book back onto the table in front of her. She opened her mouth as his pocket watch went off and smiled. "No, I should be able to fend for myself James. Thank you for today. Really, it was great." She stood and gave a stretch. "I'm probably going to..." She tilted her head and clapped her hands excitedly. "I'm probably going to do something goofy like karaoke. You don't wanna stick around for that, do you?" She teased. That was pretty much her telling James that he was officially off the clock. With that, she began walking around the apartment looking for the small machine and found it right where it was supposed to be in front of the television. Crouching, she booted it up and grabbed a microphone and cleared her throat a few times before starting up the music and began singing "You've Got A Friend In Me" with her best Randy Newman impression, giggling a few times in between.

He was a bit surprised to hear that today was ‘great’. It didn’t seem that great a few hours ago when she left. He had said things to upset her and he didn’t mean to. But something must have happened that caused her to relax. Maybe she understood after thinking it over where he was coming from. He slide his watch back into his pocket and turned to leave… that was until she spoke her, what could best be taken as an invitation.

His sharp blue eyes shot to her and watched her move through the apartment finding her small karaoke machine and set it up. Alright, alright; he got the picture. A small smile moved across his fine lips especially when her song began and she had chosen You’ve got a friend in me. Waiting for a moment, he pulled off his white gloves and folded them elegantly before placing them into his pocket. Walking to the machine he picked up the additional microphone and joining in. Despite his quiet voice, James was quite a good singer and they finished the song together.

Three songs in and the laughter took over as they were being too silly for their own good. By the end of the forth song he turned his attention to her, “I have to know, why do you want to be friends?” His voice held a bit of disbelief as he spoke turning off the microphone. “Being friends with your employee isn’t common…” He placed the microphone back on the stand and offered his hand to take hers. Not to mention it was now one in the morning.

This was something completely different. They had sung before, but the air was completely different. She grinned as he picked up the microphone without being asked to and sang along. They sung many songs and by the end of "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" they were in a fit of giggles. Wiping a few tears of laughter from her eyes, James looked at her as she spoke and she blinked. "Huh?" The question of why she wanted to be friends with him was kind of confusing. She thought for a moment, and then grinned towards him as she accepted his hand and stood, brushing herself off as she turned her microphone off with a click and as she grabbed his, put them back into their respective places on the machine. "Well, because I think that you're a great person, James. I think it would be an honor to be able to befriend you." When he brought up the employees and employer thing, she shook my head.

"I...understand that it might make you uncomfortable to be friends with me when you're on the clock.." She began, pointing to the time. "But, maybe...when you aren't busy and don't have obligations to me...maybe we could..?" She cleared her throat as she looked at her lap now. This was...delicate territory. She didn't want to say something wrong and then jeopardize her chances of ever having James' frienship. "Maybe...we could..get to know each other as James and Freya. Not as...Butler and Miss?" She hesitantly suggested. "O-Of course if that's too weird then that's okay and I would totally understand and not even bring it up anymore since we already kind of talked about it and everything, so maybe I'm not making any sense and I think I'm going to stop talking now." Freya gasped as she finally took breath, and glanced nervously in James' direction.

He pushed her into a panic; he could see it on her face as she fumbled over her words and attempted to explain something a lot more than James was honestly expecting. A sad expression moved across James’s face as he watched her struggle to explain how she was feeling. When she finally stopped talking he reached out, his bare hand gently touching her cheek as he turned her face to look at him. “Freya,” He began, for the first time since he started his employment a year ago at the manor, he called her by her first name.

“Calm down, you haven’t done anything wrong.” His voice was reassuring, tender and soft as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. A gentle smile moved across his fine lips showing his bright white teeth. “I just need you to understand that a butler must never mix their personal and professional lives together. If you can separate the two then I see no reason why we can’t be friends.” He slowly removed his hand from her cheek and went to the end table, grabbing a pencil and a piece of paper he scribbled something down and went back to her.

“That being said, this will be beneficial in more ways than one. Here’s my number, if you need anything from me as a butler or as a friend you can text me. I think my employer is rather laid back about me using my phone while I’m at work.” He said with a cheeky grin as he placed the piece of paper in her hand. “However if you need something from me as a butler, please be specific. Or even something simple like a capital B at the beginning of the text massages would indicate to me that you’re asking for my assistances over just chatting as a friend.”

“However,” James began giving a small gesture towards her bedroom, “You start classes tomorrow, you better get to bed.”

As James hand came in contact with her cheek, Freya's eyes widened and she flushed slightly. She had never had someone make this kind of contact with her before. His hand was so warm..

This only deepened as he addressed her as her actual name. "Y-Yes..?" She asked timidly. This was incredibly different and as she felt herself becoming more frantic, his thumb gently soothed her and she glanced briefly at it, and back towards James. His blue eyes were calming she almost felt silly for letting her nerves get at her like they did. "I-I'll...I-I'll do my best. I can't...guarantee I won't struggle with it a bit but..I will try." She nodded, feeling determined, and put her hand to her cheek where James' hand once was.

Freya gasped as she held the paper in her hand and looked at the phone number on it. "O-Okay." She smiled. Great, she didn't blow it! James motioned towards her bedroom and suggested she go to bed. This caused her to grin defiantly. "Hmph! I do what I want." She stood up and paraded around for a moment. "I can easily stay up. It is you who will go to bed." Right after, though she let out a large yawn and rubbed her eye. "N-Noooo!" She frowned. "I...guess I'll go to sleep." She sighed. "Hey, James...?" She thought to ask him something, but decided against it. Instead, she was just going to do. With that, she closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around James' neck, careful not to get his sides and gently squeezed him in a hug. "Thank you." Freya held the hug a bit longer and pulled back, giving a playful bow.

"I shall now be off into dreamland, kind Sir." She giggled as she pranced off into her room, closing the door behind her and snuggling under the sheets. Almost instantaneously as she got comfortable, she began snoring. She had forgotten to set an alarm for tomorrow morning, but wasn't too worried about it.

When she decided that she was going to try to tell him to go to bed he responded by crossing his arms and raised an eyebrow at her, his deep blue staring her down as if to say ‘yeah right’. Upon her yawn, he couldn’t help but smirk with the knowledge of her being tired and he turned to leave upon her mention of going to sleep. He stopped walking and turned to her, she seemed to have a question for him and he waited for her to ask it.

However she seemed to change her mind and instead she hugged him. He froze at first, feeling his face turn beat red at the unexpected embrace. After a moment he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her again; why? He’s not so sure but his body seemed to react on its own. Though he didn’t respond verbally he let her go when she let go and returned the playful bow back to her.

Leaving her apartment he locked the door behind him and went into his next door. The place was a simple single room apartment and he jumped into the shower before going into bed himself.

The next morning James was dressed in his butler outfit with his gloves on and back in her apartment well before she awoke. Prepping breakfast took no time at all and soon he had the plate nearly completed. Walking down the hallway he knocked on the door. “Miss,” He called out. “Miss it’s 6:30. Breakfast will be ready in half an hour. Are you awake?”