"You're a damn idiot, you know that?" William grumbled begrudgingly towards the man left in his charge. Never in his strangest of lucid dreams did he imagine himself to one day play nurse maid to an injured demon, let alone Dantalion. A single misstep turned high velocity meeting with the ground had cost the team their first loss since the grand duke's arrival, much to the disappointment of many. William himself could not seem to make himself care one way or the other for the loss, but rather he took a small note of sympathy on the injured player.
It was his fault, Dantalion would say, that he'd been hurt in the first place, though that was like telling a pretty girl it was her fault she was being admired incessantly for her beauty. Totally absurd and idiotic - not unlike the duke.
As fate would have had it, that particular day William had been present at the game, though for no significant length of time. He had been sent on an errand by the headmaster to find the head boy and inform him his audience was being requested. A menial task - the only interactions he seemed to have with the headmaster were menial - but for the sake of his future he did it without qualm. It just so happened that Camio had been attending the rugby match out of school obligation; the final game of the year between Stratford and their rivals to the east. William, logically, looked for it by the playing field first.
Upon finding the head boy's whereabouts William delivered his message and Camio offered his thanks. That was all which had been required and William had planned on immediately retreating back to his world of books and a distinct lack of testosterone filled, gladiator-like spectacles. Yet quite against his better judgement he was compelled to stay. Through the crowd of excitedly cheering boys the elector spotted Dantalion - it had been his reason for remaining.
William held no obligation to the man and though he had been asked countless times to attend his sporting events, Dantalion had been turned down at each request. The elector held no interest in witnessing his conquests - he heard enough of them as the duke gloated with his fanboys in the commons after every match. So then why remain, he asked himself as his feet carried their owner unwittingly closer to the scene just beyond the cheering fans? There was no reason to it, only a fascination that had taken over the boy, a curiosity not experienced before. He had never seen Dantalion play before.
Certainly being in a school like Stratford William had seen Rugby played, but never this specific player. He had ideas in his head of the duke rushing about, completely outdoing his teenage opponents without any real effort involved. He was so strong after all. It must have been like an adult playing gently with children so as not to cause them injury or damage their self-confidence. To William, Dantalion only played for the amusement, to claim victory and gain respect easily, leaving him room to gloat. It was all a means to impress the elector with his Herculian strength.
Then why was it, the boy pondered as he caught sight of the demon once more, did he look so happy out there? Dantalion was smiling widely as he ran across the field with a small group of boys hot of his tail, their goal to wrestle the football tucked under his arm from his grasp. Evergreen eyes followed the dark haired man's every move, William moved to stand off to the side, out of the way as he observed this. He, too, nearly smiled watching the scene unfold.
Dantalion truly was enjoying himself - extraordinary, and William surprised himself when he realized that this knowledge pleased him. Why should he care how the man felt, and why consider his having a good time in Stratford at all appealing when the elector knew full well this would only give the obnoxious, loud-mouth demon all the more reason to enjoy his stay?
Well, he thought to himself, his arms coming to cross loosely over his chest. I suppose if I don't say it out loud, then these feelings are fine. In spite of himself, Williams smile only widened, quite unbeknownst to him. Perhaps Dantalion being happy wasn't such a bad thing after all, as long as he was civil and didn't act like a foolhardy idiot. The elector tended not to ponder the depth of that consideration, not out of spite nor dislike for the man, but rather the opposite.
It was no secret that Williams animosity towards the duke had lessened in their months together at school. It was the fact that he had grown rather fond of the man in that time that William so desperately guarded. He had become tolerant, even dependent on him in some ways. What was more was that he had allowed it, embraced it as inevitable and accepted the usefulness of their bond. Yes, they had become close. Not exactly friends, perhaps something clouded yet a bit more, but he was fond of him.
The boy was broken from his thoughts as the object of his musings glanced his way, only for his focus to snap back from his task and latch solely to the gaze link with his own. Williams breath left him in an instant and instinctively his body gasped to replenish it. His eyes widened and for that moment time seemed to stand still. The smile Dantalion had held before was gone, leaving an expression of bewildered shock on his face. It was no surprise as to why - never had the duke envisioned this occurrence being set in reality. William Twining standing on the sidelines, watching him playing the definitive game of the year with only minutes left. A dream come true. His smile returned, brightened tenfold.
The dream didn't last, for his lack of observance his downfall.
Dantalion was caught completely off guard when his foot slid into a sudden dip in the grass. His ankle rolled out from under him and he, along with a few of the boys chasing him, came crashing down to earth in a heart stopping tumble. William gasped in horror at the sight of the human pile up, a hand reflexively shot up to cover his mouth. Eyes now widened in shock, the elector stood frozen as the lot of spectators and both team coaches rushed onto the field to check for injuries. William did not move to follow, but lingered back as a few of the boys were carried off the field.
Dantalion himself had been relatively unscathed, though he was informed he had a mild sprain. The other boys involved had not been so lucky as he. The school nurse had been confused to say the least, having made mention that falls such as what had occurred usually ended in broken bones - the three others in her care were proof of that. Dantalion had shrugged it off as nothing and even made light of the woman's insistence that the ankle be wrapped. Stubborn pride, of course. A demon would not so easily succumb to human weakness.
Dantalion had gone about the rest of his day normally but by evening the damaged appendage was complaining fiercely. Each step was a small agony and though it badly hurt his pride he could not seem to manage walking in any rushed state without a limp.
This was what had brought him to William's room that eve. He had caught the boy in the hallway and explained his situation with much embarrassment. The elector, in no mood for his foolishness, had dismissed the man and informed him to seek out the nurses' aid. But Dantalion had been insistent it be William to treat him and not the kind-hearted woman whom had advised him against going untreated. William had called him on his machismo pride but he had obliged him after a solid tongue lashing.
This brought them to their current arrangement - Dantalion had taken to sitting on Williams' bed, the elector occupying a chair he had dragged from the desk to his bedside to see to his 'patient'. As prescribed hours previous, the boy attempted to wrap the demon's mildly swollen ankle with all the expertise of half-assed ideals into medical workings. He knew nothing of medicine and even less on proper bedside manner, but he had gotten top marks in biology and was well aware of how the human body worked. A demonic one couldn't be all that different, in theory.
The whole time William worked with concentrated diligence only he could devote to so simple a task, Dantalion observed. His free leg was bent, one arm resting on his knee as he leaned in closer, as if inspecting the elector's work. It certainly wasn't the best field dressing he had ever seen, but it was serviceable. Still, the duke could not resist a little light teasing.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
William scowled deeply at his impertinence and shot a mean look his way. "If you're so unsatisfied with my ability when why did you ask me to patch you up in the first place?" he snapped in return. As expected, Dantalion breathed a small chuckle through smiling lips and he held up his hands in defense. William rolled his eyes and with a scoff he returned to his task. The demons smile faded then, knowing that he had upset his master once more. A sigh left him and he sought to lead the subject from his dressings to something less anger inducing.
"I saw you at the game today…"
William had to withhold another glare at that. "Yes, that would explain the state you're in." Another snide remark - he must have been truly upset with the duke tonight. But of course. He was invading his space and avoiding having to admit defeat to someone who had only wanted to help him in the first place. Was reprimand from William so much more appealing that being scolded by a nun? Still, Dantalion tried to rectify the situation the best way he knew how.
He was charming.
"Well, thanks for coming," he said quietly. Surprised by this sudden turn-around, Williams hands paused in their work as he looked back towards the demon. Dantalion was smiling again, though it totally lacked his usual arrogance. It was soft, warm and fond. Seeing Williams face there that day had been well worth the injury to his person, eve more so that he was able to have the boy so close now. "It means a lot that you came to see me."
Again William looked away, yet he did not frown or grumble as before. He merely responded and kept to his work of firmly wrapping the mans injured appendage. "I didn't come for you. I was sent there on an errand." He spoke coldly, his tone dismissive if only to deter the demon from his presumptions, but it only made things worse. Dantalion was, as William had often noted, immensely observant only when it was of inconvenience to him.
The man leaned in closer. Hot breath ghosted across the boy's ear as Dantalion spoke. "You were obligated, then?" The boy swallowed thickly in an attempt to quell the trembling in his knees. How was it that this muscle-brained man could cause him to react like this, as if he had no control over his body?
"Yes, I was obligated," he replied, and immediately the demon countered.
"Obligated to go but not to remain." The elector's hands faltered in their task. A blush tinted his cheeks, leaving pools of pinkened color that brightened the alabaster of his flesh. He had been caught, as he knew he would be, in his falsities. If there was anyone William could not lie to, it was Dantalion. He knew him almost better than he knew himself. In a way, it was frightening, but in a way it was almost— "Why did you stay?"—alluring.
He was losing the battle fast, but by no means was this reason for William to relent. He would fight on, chin up and expression stiff. He struggled casually, and hoped the demon would lose interest in his conversation. "No reason," he stated. Hands completed their work and tied the bandages neatly to signal it done. But he did not move away - he was not given a chance to.
"There had to be a reason," Dantalion said in return, his tone just as relaxed as it hinted knowledge gained by way of pointed observation. It gave the boy before him start and yet again their eyes met. This time, the gaze did not break, even when a large, warm hadn't came to brush long fingers against Williams jawline. "William Twining is all about reason. You don't do anything without a cause."
The boy said nothing in reply - his mind refused to connect his flurried thoughts into coherency. There was only their closeness and those eyes, the tenderness that was held within them, aimed his way. Eyes that drifted closer along with that lovingly smiling face in a moment of boldness. This action broke the spell that had bound William as the boy realized the implications of this sudden act. Dantalion's head tilted to the side slightly, his eyes dipped towards the elector's lips briefly before returning to his wide green eyes.
Just centimeters from the intimate touch William panicked and in an act of fretful desperation his closed fist came down on the demon's bandaged ankle. He didn't stick around after that, though he did catch a glimpse of Dantalion curled up on his bed, groaning in pain as he cradled the now throbbing appendage before making a mad dash out of the room and down the hall.
Perhaps Issac would be willing to let me bunk with him for the night…