OF SYCOPHANCY

LeFou

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

“Okay, so a third chance. If you prove yourself then you’ve more than earned it. Either way, I’m not going to give up on you.” Adam was now determined to help LeFou redeem himself so long as he kept up his end of the bargain. “So when you reported to Maleficent what orders were you given? Sneaking into the castle so she had eyes and ears?”

            “THIRD CHANCES DON’T EXIST. You get two chances and then you’re done. Evil. Bad.” He shook his head-- as much as he wanted redemption he felt he didn’t deserve it so strongly that he’d reject a chance. “I’m her eyes and ears, yes. I don’t have any other orders so far than to report on what I’ve seen and heard.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

“Sometimes we do the wrong things for the right reasons. Being forced to do such horrible things because it’s all you know is one of those times.” He might not be a huge fan of LeFou but Adam was going to give him sanctuary. Those days of a past so long ago flashed through his mind. Had Belle not helped him overcome his anger, what would have become of him? So many years later and Adam still could not quite answer that for himself. On the darkest days when the moon was high in the sky Adam wondered whether he would truly feel human. “Belle taught me that second chances are vital. How could I not show you the same kindness?”

            “BECAUSE I’VE ALREADY HAD MY SECOND CHANCE.” LeFou answers. “I don’t deserve another one. Gaston-- He was my second chance, after I’d failed my parents.” He really was spilling everything now, he felt so vulnerable and open. “And.. Gaston never forced me to do anything. I could’ve always chosen to face the consequences of doing the right thing. I could’ve gone to the Maison again instead of trying to send Maurice there.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

“I suppose you are right. Who am I to judge your happiness. As long as you are happy once this is all over then that is what matters, right?” He hoped he was helping LeFou out, even if he honestly didn’t feel like it would be much help. He wanted to help the man become confident in who he was. Much like Belle did for him during their time together so long ago when he was still a beast.

            “THANK YOU, YOUR MAJESTY.” He smiled. “You... really are too kind to me. Especially... after everything I’ve done.” LeFou still carried a great deal of guilt within him. Had he known the castle objects were human, had he known the beast were human-- he would’ve never done what he did. He would’ve seen them as victims of a curse brought on by the true villain, a witch.

[ofsycophancy]

rxbhxxd‌:

never one to be the interior decorator it had taken ruby three hours of just sitting painstakingly still until she cracked under the pressures of boredom to sit up on the small chair in the room and look around. there had always been a few strangers in each sitting room as they were still sharing everything from the large list of party goers. but rising up ruby began to push the chair to the opposite side of the room until she found another spot and then she moved onto the next, even if said chair was occupied. “please get up. im moving this place around, i don’t think the king or queen will notice and maybe it will make this place seem less cramped.” she simply said to the man before giving his claimed chair a shove. “you wanna help me?”

            “OH, UM... MY APOLOGIES.” He quietly replies, getting up from his seat. “Though.. you likely shouldn’t do it if you think they’d mind.” He points out. LeFou was a stickler for the rules despite his villainous affiliations. “Doing something behind someone’s back is never a good idea, you’re practically guaranteed to get caught eventually.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam couldn’t help but want to help this man, despite the fact that he had tried to kill people he cared for before. If he was willing to help them with the curse then by all means Adam would return the favor. “We can arrange that,” he finally spoke as he thought about it. “Working for the palace until we can help you find the confidence you need to live your own life. A life living for others is not much of a life, is it?”

            “WELL IT’S THE ONLY LIFE I’VE EVER KNOWN... And. I’ve grown quite comfortable with it. If that’s not having a life... I’m not sure that I want one.” He spoke with pure honesty. Not only was he too afraid to even try living for himself-- he didn’t know how to. He genuinely was unable to live for himself, because he’d lived for others for so long. LeFou would likely never survive on his own.

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam couldn’t help the light chuckle that escaped his lips as LeFou seemed to panic more about living his own life than setting up Maleficent. There was just so much raw honesty there that he couldn’t help it. “Okay, okay. We’ll get you set up with a job in our palace if that makes you feel better. We can work on the ‘live your own life’ thing. Either way, if you’re willing to help us I’m more than willing to help you. This is how you can prove you can be trusted.”

          “UNDERSTOOD, YOUR MAJESTY.” He looks down, embarrassed that he’d been so open about his fear of living on his own, embarrassed that he couldn’t do it on his own-- what kind of a man was he, really? A pathetic one, or something like that. The thought of disability didn’t even cross his mind. “I’m willing to help you, Your Majesty. I don’t want much in return-- I don’t really deserve much, but... Since you’re willing, safety is a start. Safety is really all I want.... I’d work for room and board, too.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

“I understand that you might not have wanted to get involved with her but you did. However, I appreciate you being honest with me. It shows that you do not wish to do harmful things to others.” Adam appreciated everything that LeFou was doing to help them. It wasn’t easy to come clean about doing something wrong and that alone meant Adam would do whatever he could to help him out. “Once this mess is completely over, I will help you set up your own life.”

          “LET’S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES--” Not only did he not know if they’d be able to get out of this mess-- he wasn’t ready for his own life. He’d never been free before, not once, and he was older now. It would be beyond difficult for him to jump into independence now. Likely, he’d need to be guided by someone for the rest of his life.

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam did have to admit that would be a small problem but if they could keep him on their side and have him report back anything that was asked of him it could work. “All you have to do is what you’ve been doing. Tell no one else that you’re involved, I’ll take care of telling the proper people. You just have to give me a heads up on anything you know. If you’re truly here to help us, if you want to make amends, then we can do this.” Adam wanted to trust LeFou after his confession but there was still a part of him that just couldn’t do it.

          “IF I EVER LEARN ANYTHING--- I’ll let you know, Your Majesty.” LeFou nodded. “I... I really don’t like Madame Maleficent. I don’t like her one bit-- but I don’t want to anger Gaston. So I have to work for her.” He sighs. “I don’t know what I want anymore, I just... want to stop hurting others and I want to stop feeling hurt.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

“LeFou, you’ve clearly gotten yourself involved with something you didn’t willingly ask to be apart of. I understand that you try to do what is asked of you because it is all you have ever known.” Adam didn’t feel like LeFou would have done it if he any choice in the matter. “So yes, I can protect you from all of that. But you have to cooperate with us. Right now we have no leads to even start getting us out of here. But I think if you help us then we might actually have a shot.”

          “I’M AFRAID I DON’T KNOW MUCH.” LeFou admits. “She... she never told me anything. I kept prodding, and prodding, because I’m confused as you all are-- she never told me a thing. I existed to get her information, and she’d give me none in return. I’m in the dark-- I’m practically useless.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam should have known that Gaston would have something to do with this whole scenario. To hear he had practically sold LeFou to Maleficent for her own inferior plans had his entire body tingling with anger. Yes, LeFou had wronged him the past, but he now truly believed he was sorry for all the pain he had caused then. “I’m not going to expose you, well not in that way. Would you be willing to help us out of this mess? If I offered you protection afterwards?”

          EYES WIDEN WITH HOPE. “You-- you-- you’d do that for me, Your Majesty? You’d really help me after everything I’ve done?” He asked, practically in awe that he could be given a chance, that he could be given protection from someone other than Gaston who had been his only savior up until that point. “You’ll protect me from ever being sent off to the Maison, right, Your Majesty? That... that’s why I followed Gaston in the first place.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam was attempting to follow his sudden ramblings. Something about needing help and how he was afraid of what this person would do to him. Rather suddenly, the gears in his head clicked into place and it hit him all at once. “LeFou,” his voice was sharp as he turned his attention to the man. “I need you to calm down and explain it all to me. What did you get yourself into? I cannot help you if you do not stop to explain it to me.” He refused to lose his cool, not wanting to become angry. If he was willing to ask for help and admit his faults then Adam would do what he could to help.

          “I- UM- WELL--” LeFou took a deep breath. “Gaston allied himself with Maleficent and lent my services to her, your Majesty. And... I’ve been relaying information back and forth ever since. I don’t like it, your Majesty, it’s wrong and she treats me horribly. But I’m too afraid to do anything-- and-- now... now that my cover’s blown you’re going to expose me aren’t you?”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam once had also felt like a prisoner, was a prisoner, to his own curse. He only had to feel that way once a month these days. Even then, he knew what freedom felt like which seemed to be something that LeFou had never felt. “You’re free now, you can always learn. I know how hard it is to adjust but it’s never too late to start. I’d be willing to help you if you really want to learn.”

          ‘I’M AFRAID I’M NOT WORTHY OF YOUR HELP-- even though I... I really, really need it--” This kindness was so unexpected.... and all of a sudden, LeFou blurts out. “I’ve been doing something bad. R-really, really bad, and.. I want to stop but I’m scared. Scared of what she’ll do to me, scared of what I’ll do after this whole disaster is over-- if i’ll even live that long-- Oh, I don’t know what to do-- I’ve just gone and made everyone mad at me,haven’t I?” Idiot, couldn’t keep his mouth shut! He scolds himself.

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

“You don’t have to be a servant, not here. You were invited as a guest, therefore it is not your duty to please others. It is kind of you to do so anyways,” Adam replied thoughtfully. “If you continue to think like that then you will never truly be free from it.” Adam wasn’t sure how he could help, even if he had never liked this man and might not ever. He felt like it was his duty to try anyways.

          “Y-YES....” He didn’t know if he should tell the truth. His moral compass was telling him to admit it, especially after how coldly Maleficent had treated him.... He didn’t feel much loyalty to her beyond her affiliation with Gaston. “Freedom is... scary when you’ve never felt it before. I’ve been indebted my whole life. I’m not a brave man, Your Majesty.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

“It should matter to you. You’re not still a servant, you’re allowed to have your own interests and dreams outside of being one,” Adam replied simply, looking over the man once more. Did LeFou do anything for himself? Or just whatever others wanted from him? That seemed like such a sad way to live. It almost made him feel sorry for him.

            “I STILL FEEL LIKE A SERVANT.” Perhaps it was because he still was one, his freedom was only a guise. Conditional. But he couldn’t reveal that he was still under orders from villains... unless... could doing so actually get him the help he needed? He was too afraid to ask at the time. “What I want has never mattered, and likely never will, but it’s not like that’s a bad way to live. It’s simple. I don’t have to worry about choices... I like it this way.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

He was pleasantly surprised to hear that LeFou was actually helping out where he could. Adam was very skeptical about the whole idea behind LeFou being here. Maybe he really was here to help. “That’s kind of you to offer your services. Do you enjoy cooking and cleaning? Or is that just all you’ve known?” Adam hadn’t thought about LeFou’s past before, how he came to work with Gaston, or what he had done since the fight at his castle.

          “DOES IT REALLY MATTER, Your Majesty? If I truly enjoy it, or if I just like it because it’s familiar... I really have no clue one way or the other. I wouldn’t be able to give you the answer.” He smiles, with a slight bow of his head. “I’m comfortable enough doing it that it’s not a chore to me, though, so I suppose you could say I enjoy being of use.”

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam didn’t know exactly how to tell him to build trust, it was just something that happened over time. With the right actions, of course. “I cannot tell you how to build the little trust I have in you. It’s something you have to do in your own time.” He was starting to feel like LeFou was actually trying and Adam really had no idea what to make of that. “Why don’t we start with what you’ve been up these days?” He was trying, really trying, trying to not make it feel forced.

          HE WAS GETTING SOMEWHERE NOW. GOOD. LeFou smiled childishly at the opportunity to chat with Adam. “Well, I’ve just been doing my best to help out, Your Majesty. I’ve been able to use my skills as a former servant to assist with cooking and cleaning when necessary.” He wasn’t smart enough to figure out how to win back Adam’s trust on his own, he needed to be told what to do-- as he always did. LeFou was nothing without someone commanding him. 

[ofsycophancy]

beastlyadxm‌:

Adam mentally cursed himself as he listened to the other man’s words. He hated how soft he gotten over the years sometimes, how he could find it in himself to forgive others for the harm they had done to him, just as others had forgiven him. He didn’t trust LeFou, by any means, but I was willing to give him a chance. People change. “Trust is built. Prove you have changed and we will work on being friends.”

          PERFECT. Just as planned. But LeFou still didn’t know when to quit, when to stop asking questions-- “How do you want me to prove it, Your Majesty? What can I do for you-- I’d do anything. Anything at all.” LeFou was an excellent actor. He got caught up in the role Maleficent cast him in, and finally managed to push away his regrets and his hesitations for the time being.