This was my entry for RA Valentine Day exchange fic over on AO3, the prompt was "Hill and Cralt, with soft little kisses"
It was a beautiful day at Castle Araluen. There weren't any clouds in the clear blue sky, the meadows surrounding the castle were coloured in all colours of the rainbow. All the spring flowers bloomed, chasing away the dull green winter grass, replacing it with a happy shade of green. Life was thriving in Araluen.
The Castle itself was busy. Everyone who could travelled from all the fiefs to greet Cassandra back home, and, by extension, also Halt, Horace, and Will, who had been with her in Skandia. Seemingly, Halt's punishment for badmouthing the King had been forgotten, and he was, once again, celebrated as a hero.
However, all that attention was getting to him. The young apprentices weren't enjoying all the attention either, opting to rather stay out of sight and hone their skills in their respective crafts. In a few days, King Duncan would reward them all for bringing his daughter back home; then they would go their separate ways again. Horace would return with Halt and Will to Castle Redmont, and Cassandra would stay there, learn how to be a proper Princess and a future Queen.
At first, all the attention was flattering, but with passing time, it got more and more uncomfortable, especially for Will, who was still recovering from experiencing the yard slavery and warmweed effects firsthand. Putting on a brave act, he would flinch a bit when people stared at him, but the increased number of people who did so made him uncomfortable and he rather stayed in his room. And so, Halt decided that they should get some proper training done, away from the Castle itself, in one of the surrounding woods.
They went out early in the morning, well before most of the Castle woke up. Halt and Will went on the shaggy Ranger horses, while Horace, who insisted on going with them, was riding on tall, lean Kicker a little behind them.
"Where are we going, Halt?" Horace asked after they left the Castle. So far, only the guards and the kitchen staff were awake, though it was quite possible that Crowley and most of the retired Rangers that were residing on Araluen were awake as well. Halt had taken care to inform Crowley about the plan to go train in the woods. Today was the last day they could go. Gilan and Baron Arald were supposed to arrive the next day and stay there until the ceremonies, making them trapped in the Castle, attending banquets and balls, and unable to get even a bit of freedom. Just like Crowley was a prisoner of his own office at this point, Halt mused as he turned Abelard to get off the main road and onto the soft forest path.
"Be patient, Horace," he replied, already knowing that "patient" was not exactly in the young warrior's dictionary. Will turned in Tug's saddle and flashed Horace a slight smile.
"I'm sure it will be fun," he said cheerfully, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. He knew that while in Skandia, he had lost a lot of strength and missed out on a lot of practice, and would have to work extra hard to catch up with everyone. And after weeks on the wolfship, sailing to Araluen, he felt like he had to work out hard again. That included all the Ranger disciplines.
Horace clicked his tongue, returning his smile.
"I'm not sure I agree with Halt's idea of fun," he said, thinking back to the grim Ranger's specific kind of humour. Halt led Abelard deeper into the woods.
"I'm right here, you know," he said, not even bothering to turn in the saddle. "I think I would definitely consider it fun if I just left you here for a few hours."
Will saw Horace's smile fade, and he himself shivered a little at the idea.
"I'm sure you would miss us quickly again," Will said to Halt. He had already heard the story of him getting himself banished just to go after him several times over the course of the last days, even if Halt was not particularly proud of it, the gossip got everywhere, and so, in an attempt to do a little damage control, Halt sat down with Will and told him everything.
Halt raised an eyebrow at his apprentice.
"Maybe so, but it would give me some hours without the incessant questions," he replied, even if he truly didn't mean it. Horace now had a big smile on his face.
"Aw, but you love the questions," he said. Now it was Will who raised his eyebrow. Despite knowing that Halt and Horace went to save him and Evanlyn- Cassandra together, he still had to get used to a Horace who wasn't afraid of the Rangers and their mysteries and even teased them back. It was a new side of Horace and one that he liked a lot.
In front of them, he heard Halt mumble something that sounded suspiciously like "Apprentices", and then they all fell into a friendly silence, the only sound being the thuds of hoofbeats.
They arrived at a sunny meadow a few minutes later. There were fewer trees and the morning sun was shining on the long grass, drying the dew away and supplying pleasant warmth.
Originally, only Will and Halt were supposed to go on this training exercise, however, when Will told Horace last night, the apprentice knight insisted that he go with them. Halt didn't protest, knowing that the young warrior was able to practice by himself, and all practice was useful, so he just grumbled to stay out of the Rangers' way and let him go with them.
Now, seeing as they would spend the whole day there, the Rangers unsaddled their horses and let them loose, knowing that they wouldn't go anywhere in the meantime. Horace unsaddled Kicker but tied him by his reins to a tree branch. It looked thin and breakable, but it was better than nothing. Horace also trusted that if he managed to untie the knot, Kicker would stay with Abelard and Tug due to the herd instincts, and, knowing how well the Ranger horses were trained, he didn't hesitate for a moment that his horse would stay in one place the whole day.
While Horace took out his sword and started practicing all the different moves, Will started practicing with some archery, eventually moving to stealth practice with Halt leaving comments like: "Whose back do I see there? Would that someone want to look like a porcupine?" At that, Will would immediately lower himself to the ground, hoping that one of Halt's arrows wouldn't fly right over his head in a practical demonstration.
Hours went by. The apprentices were all sweaty by lunchtime, having worked hard, while Halt got a small fire going for coffee. While on a mission, he didn't mind the lack of coffee, but here, in a secure area, he didn't hesitate about setting up a small makeshift fireplace to brew a cup of coffee. He let Will and Horace practice until it was done, then called them.
Will came and discarded his Ranger cloak to sit on it. Horace sat directly on the damp moss, breathing heavily from all the strain, his shirt covered with sweat spots that defined his muscles quite well. He took a cup of coffee from Halt and thanked him. His movements attracted Will's attention. The young man's gaze ran over the other teenager's body, stopping briefly on his muscular arms, well-honed with training. Realizing that he was staring, Will quickly snapped his head back towards the fire, feeling blood rush to his face. Feeling awkward, he accepted the mug Halt gave him with a quiet thanks.
Horace sipped his coffee and looked at his friend.
"You look quite flushed, Will," he commented with a smile. If anything, Will thought that his face couldn't get any redder, but here he was.
"It's the training, you know," he commented nonchalantly, trying to keep his cool. However, he didn't miss Halt's look, his mentor giving him his famous eyebrow expression.
Horace didn't seem to notice.
"I don't think that's quite it, Will," Horace smirked, happy that, for once, he had an upper hand over him. "Don't think that I didn't catch you staring back when we were in Celtica."
Even if he was usually a very blunt person, Halt turned so that the boys would have more privacy. Besides, he was expecting Crowley. It was lunchtime, so he should be there any minute now.
Will shifted in his seat.
"Am I that obvious?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Horace shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not. I've just known you for a long time, I know when you have a crush on someone," he replied, taking a sip from his cup. Will opened his mouth like a fish, then closed it again. A stunned silence fell between them.
"How would you know?" he asked finally, feeling that his face was gaining its natural colour back. Now it was Horace's turn to blush.
"I might have paid more attention to you than I let on," he admitted, and his gaze fell onto the surface of his coffee. "All that time ago, the reason I actually bullied you was… that I liked you and wanted you to notice me."
"Oh." That was the only thing Will could say. His brain literally short-circuited at that very moment, and another massive blush spread over his cheeks and nose. Horace looked at him, his eyes soft, waiting for a reply.
Will set his cup aside into the grass and shuffled closer to Horace.
"And now? Do you still like me now?" he asked a sign of hesitation in his voice. After all this time, he wasn't sure if it still applied or not.
Horace's gaze softened.
"If anything, I like you even more now," he replied. Will felt such a warm feeling in his chest and stomach, and, surprised, he identified it as happiness. An enormous smile appeared on his face.
"I'm glad," he said, realizing that he wanted this. He wanted Horace, and no one else, not even Alyss with whom he grew up, and considered her more of a sister. He wanted Horace to be the one. "Because I like you too."
Horace shuffled closer to him. Will felt his cloak move as Horace sat next to him, slipping into his personal space so effortlessly, so easily, and he was happy that he was there. He liked having him this close.
Will slowly extended his hand and embraced Horace by the back, the knight apprentice lowering his head to rest it on Will's shoulder since he was the taller one there. Before he laid it there completely, the young warrior turned his head and gave Will a soft cheek kiss, making the Ranger blush once again, his eyes dreamy.
The two youngsters would even forget about Halt, until he came back to the meadow, followed by a bay horse with Crowley.
"Yo!" Crowley waved at them. Horace and Will startled. Ashamed, Will realized that Tug had snorted his welcomes to Cropper, but he hadn't heard him, too enamoured to be in Horace's vicinity that he forgot to pay attention to his surroundings.
"You don't have to move!" Crowley called, grinning. "You seemed quite comfortable there, you know?" The two apprentices, however, were distracted now and stood up, perhaps a bit embarrassed about being caught in such a position.
"No, let them, Crowley. Maybe that should teach them to pay attention to their surroundings," Halt grumbled, taking off Cropper's equipment. Crowley didn't just take the food with him, he also took several blankets, easily providing for a small picnic.
Crowley looked over Will and Horace's surprised faces and then looked at Halt.
"You didn't tell them I was coming, did you?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Halt shrugged.
"They thought I didn't know what fun was, but I have to say, I am having loads of fun right now," he said. His voice was calm and steady, but behind that, a mischievous, gleeful undertone could be detected.
Crowley clicked his tongue.
"Well, let's not wait," he said, dismounting his horse and setting the blanket on the grass. "Let's eat before the food gets cold."
Horace's mouth watered at that. It was time for lunch and, after hours of practice, they were all quite hungry,
"I hope you brought enough with you," Halt warned him, seeing the boys. "These two combined could eat the whole castle kitchen if they so wanted."
Horace actually pouted.
"We're growing boys," he defended them both. Crowley laughed, his voice ringing through the calm forest.
"That you are! Now, let's dig in!" He sat down on the blanket right next to Halt, and took some food himself. The younger Ranger raised his eyebrows at him.
"You act like you haven't eaten for a week," he commented, and the redhead shrugged.
"I did not actually eat before I left the Castle," he said, taking a big piece of roasted chicken. "I thought it would be more fun if we all ate together."
He directed the hand with the chicken piece towards Halt, who looked away. Then, seeing that the apprentices were too busy eating, he slowly opened his mouth and let Crowley put the food in his mouth. Between chewing, he grumbled: "I hate you."
"Aww, I love you too," Crowley said with a big, innocent smile, and took another piece for himself.
After eating several more pieces, he paused.
"I missed you, you know? All those months when I didn't know if you were alive or not, and if you would even return one day," he said. "And most of all, I blamed myself-" A finger on his lips effectively shut him up. With his eyes narrowed, Halt looked at the Commandant.
"I don't want to hear any more of this self-blaming, Crowley," he said strictly. "I'm back, all is forgiven," Then, his expression softened. "Besides, I've missed you too."
Leaning closer and initiating the kiss, Halt leaned to him and pressed his lips on Crowley's. Oh, how he missed this! Crowley's lips were as soft as he had remembered and after a stunned moment, the other man returned his kiss.
"And I missed this," Crowley whispered when Halt broke the kiss. He leaned to him and gave him a short cheek kiss before Halt could evade him. In their relationship, Halt was rarely the one to initiate contact. It was usually Crowley who started it, while Halt liked to save the kisses to when they had absolute privacy, but, he supposed, a calm meadow in the middle of the forest with just two apprentices in love was also a nice, quiet place for some quick affection.
They ate everything that Crowley had brought with him, and the apprentices took the pot to wash it in a nearby stream and Crowley lied down with his head in Halt's lap. The black-haired Ranger initially grumbled about this, but then weaved his fingers into Crowley's thick red hair and started to play with his hair, braiding bits here and there just like he used to do for his sister when they were kids. Not that Crowley ever knew about his sister, of course. He leaned down to give Crowley another kiss. They had a few more days together, and they wanted to use them up to the fullest.
When Will and Horace returned, neither of them was truly surprised. Will had known about the relationship between his mentor and the Ranger Commandant and made sure to tell Horace while they were scrubbing the pot. Will had found out during his first year of apprenticeship after the battle with the Kalkara. While Halt was recovering, Crowley visited him and stayed a few weeks before he had to go back to Castle Araluen.
Will smiled at Horace when they saw the older Rangers, and quickly followed suit. Will's hair might have been way too short to be braided, but he still enjoyed Horace's fingers going through his hair, and the occasional kisses the two gave each other.
There was no more practice that day. There were only two couples, recently reunited, enjoying each other's company. After lunch, they'd stay like that for a long time, going home only when the sun set down. After all, they would have all the time in the world for more practice later on.
