055: Waiting - Will/Horace
Horace sat in silence on the steps of the porch, watching the dark clouds of the approaching storm get closer and closer. For a moment, he considered ducking back inside the cabin and starting a fire in the cold fireplace instead of waiting outside. He could make coffee, have some of the small meal he had prepared for when the wandering Rangers eventually returned. He immediately dismissed the idea, though, feeling the need to remain at his post on the porch. He needed to be there when they came back.
The knight leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes. He opened them back up, eyes on the frost covered ground. His fingers and toes hurt from the cold, but he still didn't move.
If someone had told Horace that this is what he would be doing instead of going through his normal drills and training back at Castle Araluen, Horace would have laughed in their face. The situation in and of itself didn't make sense, so when he got the initial message, he thought it was a joke.
Will just wasn't like that.
But, as it turned out, it wasn't a joke. He had to read through the message so many times before he realized that Halt wouldn't joke about something like this, and that the older Ranger was being serious.
Will had up and left his cabin with no supplies, only leaving a note to tell people to not follow him. He had left Tug behind and all of his weapons, leaving with only the clothes on his back. He hadn't even grabbed his winter cloak—he had left with his spring and summer cloak, the thinner version that wouldn't protect him at all from the cold nights that Mother Nature had been throwing at them recently. Horace wondered if that was what sparked Will's collapse. The cold whispering along his body before he had mentally prepared himself for it, coming earlier than he realized and suffering through the consequences.
The first day, when people first noticed that he was nowhere to be seen, no one panicked. Will was going through a lot with winter coming in, and Horace hadn't been able to come to Redmont to help as he normally would have, and that ended with Will being isolated and alone for a while. Horace was normally able to take a break long enough to stay with Will as winter approached, but with winter being early this year … it just hadn't happened. People assumed that Will just needed some space. That he went for a long walk, and would be back later that night.
But he never came back. Four days later, Horace waited for his partner to return to his cabin. He hoped that it would be a case of Will just needing space and losing track of time, something he had done before, but never to this scale. In the times it had happened before, it was only for a day, a night, a few hours, or at most, a day and night. He knew that Halt was out there searching for Will, checking the spots that the younger Ranger sometimes frequented, but that didn't stop him from worrying. If Will didn't come back by himself, he had no doubt that Halt would eventually find him, but in what state?
Halt had found Will across countries before. He could do it again.
As the thoughts raced through his head, large snowflakes started drifting into his line of sight, landing softly on the ground. He wouldn't be surprised if the ground would be fully covered in an hour.
He hoped that wherever Will was, he was warm. It wouldn't be good to be out in this weather without any sort of protection.
"Horace?" a soft voice suddenly said, the sound of it barely making it's way to Horace's ears. Horace jerked up from his spot on the steps, eyes going in the direction he heard the voice.
Will stood there, dark circles around his eyes, his thin cloak pulled tightly around him. He seemed to look fine, as if he hadn't been out in the cold weather the past few days, but the color in his cheeks, nose, and lips told Horace that he'd been outside for a while at least.
"Will," Horace murmured, stepping towards him. "Where have you been? Are you alright?" Horace reached up to hold Will by the shoulders, studying his face and checking over him for any wounds or injuries that looked new. Just by sight, Will looked fine—just cold, shaken, and closed-off.
Shrugging Horace's hands off of him, Will looked away, not meeting his partner's concerned gaze. "I'm fine," he responded quietly. "What are you doing here? You weren't supposed to come until—"
"Halt sent for me," Horace said, "Nobody's seen you in days, Will. I felt horrible leaving you hanging, and when I heard—"
"You weren't leaving me hanging," Will cut in, running a hand through his messy hair. "You can't feel bad about the weather, Horace, it's just how it is." He paused, swallowing and looking around him. He looked at the cabin over Horace's shoulder, a look to him that Horace recognized. Will was panicking, but was trying not to show it. "I didn't mean to worry anyone," he breathed, closing his eyes. "I just needed … I just needed to be alone for a bit."
Horace remained silent for a moment, studying his partner. He knew Will's boundaries like the back of his hand, and these were always the times in which the boundaries were most often blurred. Will was often unpredictable whenever winter decided to blow in, sometimes being more irritable or quiet, or changing completely and being more clingy. Either way, Horace was used to being whatever Will needed him to be during that time.
"What do you need now?" Horace whispered, hands itching to bring Will close to him. He remained still, though, waiting for Will's answer.
Will didn't respond. Instead, he hugged himself and looked around them, watching the large snowflakes come down. There were already some in his hair, melting as they touched his hot skin, melting and soaking his clothes. Horace assumed he looked much the same. Will shrugged, but stepped closer to Horace so that he was right up against his chest, tucking his chin and leaning against him.
Taking the cue, Horace wrapped his arms around Will, embracing him tightly as the anxiety and fear left his body. Will was okay, for now. Now, they just had to get through the rest of the winter.
