"Thank you," Lyn said again as Sain entered her room, returned from the stables. He handed her the brown bag that she had been carrying her personal items in for the past week. She set it down on her bed quickly and turned back to the knight standing in the doorway. Sain still had another bag slung over his shoulder, either his or Kent's it seemed, but he was simply staring at her. Only this look wasn't his usual womanizing leer.
Lyn shifted her gaze uncomfortably. "Shall we get something to eat before retreating to bed? The bread smells wonderful . . . "
Sain remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. He turned and exited through the door, leaving Lyn to herself. The knight continued to walk a few steps down the hall and into his shared room.
Kent looked up from his back on the bed as the brunette entered. Sain tried to force a smile, but he didn't succeed in producing anything more than a grimace. He closed the door slowly, turning away from his companion.
"Lyn suggested we go get some dinner, before we¼ go to bed," said the Knight making his way across the small room to place the bag down beside Kent.
"That sounds fine."
There was a moment of silence as Sain unloaded some of the bags contents, though both figured the action was unnecessary. Kent watched all his movements, still lying on the bed.
Suddenly Sain turned to Kent, an extremely serious look on his face. The redhead blinked, fully aware of his childhood friend's movements, especially paying attention what he was about to say.
"Kent-" he started, but he paused as if trying to find the right words, or make the statement less startling.
"Sain-" the other knight returned, sitting up worriedly.
"Do you love Lyn?" he asked, almost angrily. Kent's eyes shot wide open and he started at his friend in confusion.
"What? Why would you think that?" he said. He sounded hurt, but not angry.
"You've been flirting with her all day!" Sain accused, his voice becoming louder.
"If anything, you've been the one trying to get her!"
"'Why of course you can ride on my horse!' Pah!"
"As if I had a choice! If I hadn't let her ride with me she would have been stuck-" Kent was in the process of standing up from the bed to fight fairly with Sain, but before their argument could properly climax a steady knock was heard at the door.
"Are you ready for dinner?" Lyn asked, opening the door a crack. She had probably heard some of the yelling, because she didn't do anything more than that.
Sain sighed in frustration and clenched both of his hands at his sides.
"Yes, we're coming," Kent replied first, grabbing the key to their room. Sain followed slowly as he headed out the door.
CCC
"Is everything all right with you two?" Lyn asked, rather awkwardly half-way through the soup. She looked from Kent to Sain, but neither of them said anything. She sighed and stared into the bottom of her wooden bowl.
"We're fine, Lyn," Kent finally put in, not looking at either of his companions. Sain scoffed, but said nothing.
Their silence remained until Lyn finished her bowl of soup and half a loaf of bread. Both men had begun on seconds, but the lady insisted that she would rather go to sleep and she would eat more in the morning. When Lyn left the table to retreat to her apartment she seemed annoyed, but neither of the knights really cared.
After that things became less awkward, but the knights still refused to speak to each other. The remnants of their earlier argument still lingering in the air, like a bad odor.
"Ma'am, could we have our total, please?" Kent asked the woman who had brought them the soup as she walked by. She stopped to look at him for a second, apparently trying to think of something.
"Boss said it was on the house, I think . . . Let me go check," she said.
As she turned back to the kitchens, the girl caught Sain's eye and smiled suggestively before leaving completely.
Apparently they had spoken earlier.
Kent sighed, almost in disappointment, and stood up quickly. He didn't even bother to wait for the server's reply before heading off down the hall. Sain glanced at him as he left, looking not only hurt, but confused. He turned to look at the girl, who had just walked back down the hallway next to Kent, and then back at his companion. Sain stood up and half ran to catch up with his sulking friend.
"I want you to know I had nothing to do with that-" he started, trying to defend himself as Kent reached the door. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth almost didn't move when he talked.
"With what?" he replied ignorantly. Kent didn't meet eyes with Sain as he threw the door open, probably with more force than was needed. He stalked into the room, the other man right on his tail.
"Kent, what is that matter with-" He tried to sound angry, but didn't want his companion to be mad at him more than he was.
"Why must you flirt with every girl that you meet, Sain? Do you ever think of whose heart you're breaking?" Kent paused for a second while the said knight stared at him in horror.
"How many girls have you left feeling used and dirty? How many one night meetings will it take for you to understand you can't do that to people?" Kent continued, almost yelling now. Sain was beginning to feel like crying. Of course, he wouldn't.
"You know me better than that-" he tried to cut in again, but Kent continued.
"If you would just take a minute to sit back and look at the situation-" he stated, sounding less resolved now. This gave Sain hope.
"If you wouldn't judge me without talking-"
"Well, if you didn't do the same stupid things over and over-"
"I wouldn't if someone would-"
Sain was interrupted by something besides Kent's voice this time. A knock was coming from their door, which still wasn't closed. It was Lyn again.
"Not to interrupt, but . . . I can hear you rather well, so I would propose keeping your voices down and shutting the door." Her face didn't show any sort of emotion, annoyance or otherwise, but from the tone of her voice, the boys both felt that they should heed her advice. Sain gulped, and Kent started in on gentle apologies.
"I'm sorry, Milady . . . we were trying to work something out. We'll stop arguing, and . . ." he trailed off, looking at Sain. After a moment he nodded in agreement.
"I shall see you in the morning then, bright and early," she said, smiling slightly as she closed the door.
The restlessness that had hung over the knights all night returned immediately as they were left again. When their conversation didn't restart, they began to prepare for bed.
Sain tugged a rough blanket out of their saddle-pack while Kent pulled back the ones already covering the mattress back so they would be easier to use. Suddenly he was thinking that sharing a room had been a bad idea. Maybe he should have just splurged the money and spent the night away from Sain (the first time in several years).
The man shook his head, knowing that even if he knew they were going to fight, he would have made the same decision. Maybe it would be faster and easier to work out this way.
Kent busied himself doing something that he knew he didn't need to, waiting for Sain to get into the bed. In the few minutes it took for his friend to comply, Kent had pulled out all of his spare clothes from his pack, put them in an old dresser that was set up in the corner in the room, removed his armor (which took more time than anything), and cleaned his dust ridden boots off. He watched Sain out of the corner of his eye, pausing in his movements as his friend removed his own boots and armor.
When he had laid down, the brown-haired knight had tried to stay as close to the edge as he could. He didn't want to give in to Kent so soon. Because he hadn't won yet and Sain could hold out.
Kent took his place next to his friend shortly after, trying to hold the façade so Sain wouldn't suspect he was waiting, though he was sure the other man already knew. He was on the bed as far away from Sain as he possibly could, being as that was the way Sain had laid down. Eventually, he covered himself a little with the blankets, although it was far too warm for that, and let out a soft sigh that he barely heard himself. He was positive nothing would happen now that they had argued, and he was ready to take his own weapon to himself knowing they wouldn't have this opportunity for a while longer. Especially if Lyn was planning on inviting more people to join their group, as she had mentioned.
Both their backs faced inward, preventing either of them from glancing at the other. A few more speechless minutes pasted before Kent reached over to the counter and grabbed the last glowing candle. He licked his thumb and forefinger an snuffed out the flame, leaving them with almost no light.
The darkness drowned the two, trying to ease them closer together, but neither wanted to give it. Sain shifted his weight awkwardly, making his side of the bed bounce a little. Kent rotated his own self in response, which made an eerie creaking noise. He could fill the fatigue of the day setting in, but his mind was still as alert as it was at noon that day.
His body was urging him to surrender the argument to Sain and place his arms around him, but he couldn't give in yet. There was only one argument he could seriously think of that he had won over Sain.
But, as usually happened, Kent began to ponder it. This was what he wanted, to be in the same bed as his friend . . . but not like this. He wanted to be happy, wanted them to be happy. Wasn't his pride worth that? It wasn't as if it was that big of a decision, and his life wouldn't end because he let Sain win the argument again. In fact he wasn't sure that the argument would end any other way. Sain was always a pain to deal with and Kent was the level headed one that fixed everything. It was his job to mend the friendship . . . if only his friend would heed his advice once in a while.
Continuing that line of thought, he finally made up his mind and turned over.
There really wasn't as much room between the knights as Kent had thought, so he didn't have to move far to reach Sain. His fingers slid under the opposite man's arm and around his hips, applying pressure to his waist to bring him closer. Sain gave in to Kent's guidance and rotated onto his back so he was able to look at his comrade. His lips were just visible to the red head as they twisted up in a trademark smile. It still wasn't as bright as it usually was, though.
Kent pulled Sain as close as he could, embracing him awkwardly. The knight returned the motion.
Sain opened his mouth to say something, but ended up making a sort of cough. He cleared his throat, but Kent could tell he was trying to avoid his stare.
"Do you . . . are you sure you don't love Lyn?" he asked, sounded worried. Kent sighed and tried to meet Sain's gaze.
"No. I do not love her, Sain. She is a lovely person, but I do not love her as you mean. Are you happy now? Does that satisfy you?" Kent's voice wasn't annoyed or angry, as Sain had expected. In fact, he began to move his hand around Sain's back, rumpling his dirty shirt.
"Yes," he began to reply, "and no. What if there is another woman. One that you will love and leave me for?" Sain's arms slung around Kent's waist. He still refused to look up at the knight. "More charming and lovely than Lady Lyn . . ."
Kent looked away and responded quietly, "Only you are more charming than Lady Lyn."
Neither spoke. Sain was flattered, to say the least, but he knew in his mind that it was an inappropriate comment, and that even lying in the same bed like this was inappropriate. But he loved it.
The red headed knight, who was regretting the last comment he had made, cleared his throat to break the barrier of silence. Suddenly Sain grasped onto him harder, burying himself in the fabric of Kent's shirt. He mumbled something that the other knight couldn't quite make out.
"What?" he asked, pulling Sain back.
"Do you–I mean . . . do you have any interest in women at all?" He looked up rather hopefully.
Kent felt blood flow forward into his cheeks, leaving him with a blush. Sain couldn't see that, of course, because it was so dark, but he was embarrassed at the question anyway. The topic had never come up between him and anyone else at all. Never. Kent barely thought of it himself, knowing that he was taught everything but that. Find a woman, marry her, have children . . . that's what was supposed to happen. . . but Kent didn't want that. He was convinced, until after a few years of being Sain's friend, that he would end up alone, being a man servant for the royal family or possibly having a farm if he was lucky.
Sain's hands tightened their grip again and he looked away from his friend.
"I'm sorry–that was too personal a question . . ." he muttered in an ashamed voice. He had know before he even asked that it was a touchy subject.
"Sain," he paused for a moment, trying to think of proper words to use. "I have never found a woman worth investing my emotions in. So, I suppose the answer is 'no' then."
The brown haired boy looked up curiously, knowing that Kent would answer any question he could ask.
"Men, then? Are you attracted to men?" the giddiness was rising in him. He was excited that Kent would never really love Lyn, no matter what, and that it was possible that Kent liked him. There was still some hope!
It seemed that the other knight was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was not a way he could keep everything from Sain and still leave his secrets intact.
He had never said it out loud before.
"Yes."
Sain smiled to himself and laid his head back down on Kent's chest. The knight seemed rather tense, but that was to be expected after such a confession.
"Promise you won't tell anyone?" he whispered, knowing the answer but wanting to reassure himself.
"Of course I won't!" Sain replied happily, trying to stifle a yawn.
Now that all that was solved and he had gotten an answer to the question that had plagued him for the last two month, the weariness from that day had set in. But Sain couldn't go to sleep! At the very least he wanted another kiss from Kent!
The said red head sighed and shifted a little bit on the bed.
"Go to sleep, Sain." It was more of a command that a suggestion.
"No! I don't want to yet!" he whined in response, clinging to Kent's loose shirt like it would give him more energy.
Then, on a whim, he slid one of his legs over the top of Kent's and pulled their bodies closer. Carefully, Sain positioned his face so it was parallel to his friends. He would get his kiss before the night was over.
The slight light reflecting off of Kent's eyes grew a little wider as the knight went in for the kill.
"Sain–what are you doing?" he whispered, pulling back only a fraction of an inch. He didn't want to pull his friend into his 'evil ways,' though they had kissed just last night. As his father had told him many times, those that didn't follow the rules were punished. He couldn't let Sain be punished.
But, he could never stand up to Sain for very long, either.
"Be quiet, Kent. Close your eyes." The red head took a deep breath and complied.
Sain moved forward again, closing his eyes just enough to make it a real kiss. Of course he had kissed many bar maids and ladies before, but somehow kissing Kent was different. Maybe it was just that he was another man.
His mouth was open slightly when he pressed it against Kent's, his special technique he liked to think, but he didn't get the reaction that he usually got from the maidens. Kent didn't swoon or gasp, but he pressed their lips together harder. This excited Sain, but also worried him; in sexual situations he definitely wasn't used to not being in charge.
Determined to make this last, he began to push himself up off the bed, and leaned more on Kent. Sain opened his mouth a little more and pushed harder. He felt his fellow knight's lips mimic his own and soon he was tasting the chapped skin on his tongue.
Then, out of nowhere, Sain felt Kent's hand on the back of his head, massaging his neck but keeping it in place at the same time. He was surprised, but took it as a sign to continue.
The next logical thing to do with his mouth was to open it further, which he did promptly, but Sain had to admit he hadn't gotten much farther than that with anyone else. Most of the girls he had kissed pulled away at this movement, which either forced them to stare at each other awkwardly or begin all over again. The knight never did figure out why¼ It must have been a girl thing, because Kent accepted him eagerly.
For a moment Sain thought he was going to yawn again, but he bypassed it with only a deep breath through his nostrils. He could feel his eyes close all the way, but his cognitive power was too great and prevented him from sinking deeper into the quicksand of sleep.
Not wanting to wait for Kent to take control again, Sain slipped his tongue out of his mouth just enough to poke the open crease between his partner's lips.
Finally, Kent decided to be polite and gasp.
It wasn't really even a gasp, though. It was more a quick intake of breath, like he had been surprised, though Sain was convinced it wasn't really too strange a move to make. Once again, the brown haired boy took this as a sign to continue.
The next thing that he had done with the single girl he had gotten this far with was to touch her breasts. There was a small twitch of sadness inside Sain for the lacking appendage, but he would rather have this man than a woman any day. It was like trying to pick up two watermelons at the same moment without dropping them.
He didn't want to tread off the path of experience now that he had come so far, so Sain shifted his weight to one hand and into his legs in order to place his hand on Kent's chest. Just then he realized how little they were wearing compared to the normal three layers plus armor.
His hand swept across the trim muscles slowly because he was having a hard time concentrating on both his mouth and his hand at the same time. Somehow he managed to continue over the muscle, but Sain ended up pausing when he felt something small poking up through the material, making a small tent of the dirty fabric. He rubbed down on it with his forefinger and was pleasantly surprised when Kent's body twitched the slightest bit.
By this point, Sain's tongue had made it most of the way into Kent's mouth, where it was having the time of it's life trying to catch the other one in it's slick grip. His body was beginning to warm up as well, though sluggishly. This was just about what he had dreamed up in his head during dinner, though it was more of what he was missing and not what he was getting, at that time.
Uh oh. Sain could feel his body birth what would surely end up being a yawn. He fought it, trying not to give in to his fatigue. Not after he had made so much progress with Kent! Surely the red head's lack of concentration would be broken and he would connect something in his mind that would mean they had to stop, which Sain didn't want to happen. He would be happy if they stayed this way all week.
But this yawn was more prominent than the last and it would not be satisfied with a deep intake of breath. Against all of the will of his mind, Sain's body disobeyed and his mouth stretched wider around Kent's lips. Sain squinted his eyes and withdrew his tongue halfway to get a proper yawn. Kent eyes snapped open and, following the prediction, he immediately pulled away.
"I–Sain–well . . ." he immediately tried to talk his way out of the situation, thinking about telling Sain to leave him, but in the end, couldn't come up with anything. Sain looked down at him, for somehow he had gotten fully on top of his friend, and tried his best pity eyes.
"Kent, I'm sorry! I'm not really that tired, I just can't-" The knight tried to suppress another yawn. The red head squeezed his shoulder and gave him an appraising look which left him speechless.
"Go to bed, Sain," he repeated in a voice that sounded defeated. He sighed in response and laid his head down right below Kent's, leaving his body in the same position it had moved to a few minutes ago.
He yawned one last time before closing his eyes for the day, unable to keep them open for another moment.
"G'night," Sain mumbled to Kent, who returned the phrase.
