Well, and there it's the first chapter of the year 2015: chapter 4! ^^ Hope you all are having a great Christmas and that you like this chapter =) Things are beginning to move although poor Alvin is not very aware of that... Sorry in advance for the grammatical errors, I'll be fixing it in the following days. Comments and critics are welcome! =)

Despite the fact that Alvin shouted "It's a joke! It's a joke!" right after suggesting it, the result was him being grabbed by the lapels of his coat by Wingul and almost being hit. Fortunately, at that moment Jiao appeared in the corridor and stopped Wingul just before hitting Alvin. The best part was that despite Wingul's indignation, the King didn't move a muscle and when things calmed down he only said: "If during the next fight you manage, at least, to graze me, I'll allow you to do that".

At that point, Wingul was so pale that Alvin thought that he was going to faint at any moment, so he took opportunity to say goodbye to the King with a reverence and get out of there before Wingul could recover and go after him.

When Alvin arrives at his room, he closes the door making sure that the locker is on just in case that Wingul decides to go to find him and to try to kill him. He leans against the door trying to recover his normal breathing (he has almost ran all the way to his room) while thinking about he has just done.

Seriously, what was wrong with him? Presa was going to kill him for risking the job with a payback fight, because although it's true that every time that someone proposes Alvin a challenge he normally doesn't step back, when there is money involved he always evaluates if it's worth accepting the challenge, but in this case he had made two mistakes: first of all, it had been his fault the fact that Gaius had proposed the challenge because it had been Alvin the one that had asked for another fight; and second, it was clear that with the money involved in this job, it isn't worth risking it for a simple fight.

Alvin knew all that, he knew that he was behaving in a way that wasn't him at all and he knew that maybe he was going to regret it but right now, despite that, he wanted to risk, because during all his career of mercenary he never had the change of meeting a man like the King: it's true that he had met people with confidence and power that had tried to challenge him, but at the end all that people had lost part of his security when Alvin showed them that he was better than them, or at least as powerful as them.

Gaius wasn't like that, he was different, and Alvin had never known a man so secure about his skills and abilities that could affirm not to have any weaknesses and be correct about it, and resulting in him being completely defeated, and that defeat was what made Alvin want another fight, because maybe he was a careless man that doesn't give a damn about what others could think of him (or at least that was what he was always trying to pretend) but with Gaius, inexplicably, it did matter, and he didn't want Gaius to think that his battle skills were so pathetic

However, although Alvin could lie to anyone, he couldn't lie to himself, and he knew deep inside that although he wanted a rematch to clear a little his honor, it wasn't the main reason for his strange behavior.

The main reason was that Alvin wanted to test if Gaius' convictions were so firm as his security of his abilities, if Gaius was really as confident as he seemed to be or if all of it (or at least part of it) was a facade, and if he, Alvin, could make that powerful man lose that imperturbable expression to show him as he really was, the same way that the King makes him behave strangely unintentionally. He had been able to make him show surprise (especially with the suggestion of calling him by his first name) but it wasn't enough: he wanted to know him more.

And yes, it was a mistake; it was a mistake to get involved with a client like that only to satisfy his own curiosity but what the hell, it was the first time that he had been so interested in anyone, so he was going to indulge himself with this little selfish risk…although he has still to think a good excuse to give to Presa maintaining his head (or more probably his lower half) almost intact.

Alvin rubs his eyes and realizes that he is almost getting asleep. It seemed that the tension at the reunion had affected him more than he thought, so he leaves his weapons on the chair where Presa had sat before (he wants to have them near just in case) and gets into bed. It doesn't takes long before he enters in a deep sleep with his thought still wondering about the King.

When after a few hours Alvin opened his eyes, the first thing that he saw was Presa's face inches apart of his own with his eyes full of anger. Alvin cried in surprise and incorporated with his heart pounding fast.

"God, Presa, what the hell are you doing? Do you want to kill me?"

"Yes, Alvin, that's exactly what I want to do right now", she says in a dangerous low tone. And she hadn't called him 'Al'… that's a bad sign.

"Listen Presa..."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!", she begins to shout before he could begin to defend himself, "I recommended you for the job and you are going to ruin it because you have to defend that 'honor' of yours? All was settled, why had you done this?".

"Come on, have a little faith in me, you are speaking as if I had already lost…"

"You are going to lose", she exclaims, her arms on his hips and her tail swinging frantically, "we are talking about the King remember? Or has the fight left your head worse than before and you have already forgotten?"

"If you have talked with Winhal..."

"Wingul"

"Whatever", dismisses Alvin with a gesture of his hand, "if you have talked to him you will know that I almost stop a hit of the King..."

"Ooh, almost? Incredible!"

"Can you let me finish?", exclaims Alvin, "And it was almost because my ribs are not healed yet, so the next time we fight I will last a minute, I know".

Presa remains silent without stopping to look at him and finally says.

"Although you win, that's not the main problem here", Alvin gulps because he knows where this is going, "the main problem is that you are risking the best job that you have received in years, and I can't possibly understand why you are doing that".

"Because…", begins Alvin thinking in a decent lie, because he can't exactly explain why he is doing it, he isn't so sure either, "…because although you think that it's ridiculous, I have an honor as mercenary to maintain, and if in a future someone wants to require my services, although everyone here thinks that to withstand an attack from the King is something impressive, I don't think that common people think that a ten-seconds battle is something to be impressed about", he sees that Presa's eyes deviates from a moment and he knows that she is thinking about what he is saying seriously, so he continues with more confidence.

"But if there are rumors (and there will be for sure because soldiers always speak) of a mercenary that has had the opportunity of fighting against the King a couple of times at least, then the clients will be interested because that will mean that I am a man that deserves the time of a King".

He finishes crossing his arms and giving Presa his best confident smile, although inside he is praying that she believes him and stops asking him.

"Okay, I guess that you have a point there", she looks at him again, "do you promise me that you are doing it only for that?"

"Of course, what other motive could I have?"

Presa raises her eyebrows.

"Do you really have to ask?"

Alvin frowns without understanding.

"Seriously, Al", well, she was calling him 'Al' again. That was at least a good sign, "what could it be the motive of you wanting to see the King more?"

It takes a few second until Alvin opens his eyes in astonishment.

"Are you implying that…?".

"That maybe it was because you liked the King? Yes, it could be a possibility".

Alvin opens and closes the mouth a couple of times before beginning to laugh.

"What the hell Presa? I'm not against homosexual people or anything, yo know that, but are you seriously suggesting that I could like a man? Me? In what position are you putting yourself?"

"It wouldn't be that weird", she continues, "Wingul was a ladies man too and he ended falling for the King".

Alvin stops laughing and his eyes open even more.

"What?"

"Oh, come on, don't tell me that you haven't notice".

"What?", only repeats Alvin.

"Why do you think that he hates you that much?".

"Because he has the King on a pedestal and he thinks that maybe I am ruder than I should be to him?", exclaims Alvin trying to encounter a better explanation.

"Yes, in part is for that, but he can't neither stand the fact that the King agreed to have an audience with you and approved another fight, and…", Presa remains silent and looks at him with a slightly funny smile.

"And what?", asks Alvin who doesn't like that smile.

"And Wingul also thinks that you are after the King too".

"…What?", says Alvin again.

"That was your fault, how could you suggest the King to call him by his first name?".

"Come on, Presa, you know me, it was just a joke…".

"Well, explain it to Wingul, I tried it but he didn't listen to me".

"Yeah, sure you tried it with all your forces", the smirk in Presa's face confirms him that she didn't lose much time in defending him, "I had always known that you are a fujoshi deep inside".

"That's not true!", she exclaims blushing.

"Denial phase, sweetie, you haven't to be ashamed of…ouch!", her tail hits him on the forehead and he knows that he will have a mark.

"And just for the record", he adds rubbing the new mark, "the King accepted the suggestion if I win, so maybe Wingul should put the blame on the King and not in me".

"The King…accepted the suggestion?", the stunned voice of Presa makes Alvin look at her.

"Yeah. It's not that weird, isn't it? They call you all by your first names too".

"Yes, that it's true", she remains silent, lost in her thoughts and Alvin is about to ask again but Presa continues, "anyway, I can take then that Wingul suspicious are wrong, right?"

"Absolutely wrong, yeah". Presa nods.

"Well, it would have been interesting to see you two fight for the King favour".

"It's not gonna happen", assures Alvin.

"Maybe not for your part, but if I were you, I would behave properly with the King when Wingul is around, I wouldn't want to have him as an enemy".

"Okay, I'll avoid the jokes when he is around".

Presa rolls his eyes.

"That attitude of yours is going to kill you someday".

"And that day you will regret to have been so bad with me".

"Yeah, sure", she says with a snort, "by the way, I was going to eat now, do you want to join me?"

Alvin smiles at her raising an eyebrow.

"No, Al, it's not a date, but I have to tell you what excuse I've told to your group so you won't ruin it when you come back to them".

"Okay okay", he says standing. He is going to take his weapons but Presa stops him.

"No weapons allowed in the dining room", she goes to the door followed by Alvin.

"Wingul knows that too, right?"

"Of course he knows, he is not going to attack you there, stupid".

"Well, now that I know that he sees me like a potentially threat to his loved one I wouldn't like to be killed without defending myself".

Presa looks at him and she is going to say something but Alvin continues.

"And no, I'm not going to make jokes about that, I'm not that jerk".

Presa nods satisfied and she leaves the room.

"But seriously, if by any chance you liked…".

"God Presa, although it was like that I wouldn't tell you, I wouldn't want to stand your fangirling-fujoshi cries…"

"I'm not a fujoshi!"

With that cry, a couple of people that were eating in the first floor of the inn look at her with curiosity and Presa blush even more. Alvin begins to laugh but another hit (now in his ribs) make him exhale a gasp of pain and Presa begins to walk in front of him and he follows her. The news about Wingul had impacted him, he had to admit that now the furious glares of Wingul when the King has praised him or accepting his proposal made more sense, but Alvin though that Wingul's attitude could be also mean that Wingul respects the King and admires him, it hadn't to be love, right? Although he had to admit that Presa was a very intuitive woman…

As Alvin follows Presa to the dining room, he decides to pay extra attention during the battles that will take place in the afternoon. This could be really interesting.