All he could ever ask for:

Will's eyes fluttered open as he subconsciously curled in on himself, eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim lighting of the inn room that he and Horace were staying in. His arms went protectively around his stomach when a jolt of pain hit him like a wave, making his eyes water and his brain momentarily forget how to breathe. He squinted in the almost pitch black to the figure in the bed opposite him, the last thing he wanted to do was wake his sleeping friend. The mission had been hard and they both deserved the rest, although the idea of resting seemed too far out of reach for the pained ranger. The two men had fought back to back, both safe in the knowledge that the other would cover their flank.

The bandits were tricky, resting at day and only striking at night, hitting the most vulnerable of travellers. Those alone, with little to no defence never stood a chance against the skilled group of swordsmen. Will knew the mission brief off by heart and also knew, despite most of them carrying swords and shields as their attack and defence, there was one man who was feared in the town of Wensley village for his lethal use of a club. He would sneak up behind unsuspecting victims, dealing a fatal blow to the head before they even realised he was there.

The littered bodies of bandits scattered around them as Horace and Will, not for the first time, stood back to back fighting against all odds and not backing down until they won. The newly graduated ranger had exhausted his quiver long ago, many of the arrows now protruding from the lifeless heaps on the ground. He plunged his saxe knife into the chest of what he believed to be the final bandit, stepping back for a moment to catch his breath and check on his friend. "How you doing back there?" He risked a glance over his shoulder, to see the knights sword hilt crash into a swordsman's head, knocking him out cold.

"Just peachy," he replied with a hint of sarcasm. Wills smile faltered when he sensed a presence to his left and drew his knife just in time to barely block a hit from the rapidly descending club. His knife stuck in the club and he struggled to break it free before dodging a blow from his attacker. The man moved wickedly fast, never letting his club hand drop from the constant strokes. Will began to weaken and gasped in pain when the man landed a strong blow to his stomach. His vision clouded and he was dimly aware of his saxe falling to the ground and the surprised grunt of the man as Horace's sword drove into his chest. "Will!" The voice was dim and he shook his head to clear it.

"I'm fine," he waved his friend off as he started prodding and poking as his small figure before meeting his gaze.

"Are you sure? That was a nasty blow, Will." He stretched from his slightly curled up position, making sure nothing was broken.

"Honestly Horace, I'm okay, really." He reassured his friend and after scanning him for injuries and miraculously finding none, he turned in the direction of the horses and let out a low whistle, mounting Tug when he came trotting round the corner. "What do you say we find a nice inn for the night?" He asked Horace.

"And dinner?" Will laughed at the hopeful spark in his eye, momentarily wincing as it brought unwanted pain to his abdomen.

"Yes Horace, and dinner."

Will buried his head in his knees as he formed a ball under the covers, suppressing a groan of pain. Maybe in hindsight, the club had done more damage than he thought.

Horace wasn't sure what had woken him. Perhaps it was something outide the inn but he was a notoriously heavy sleeper and that wouldn't have woken him. He turned onto his other side, peering into the darkness at the sleeping figure of Will, except he could now see that he wasn't sleeping. Instead, he was curled in on himself, arms wrapped around what Horace thought was a small injury. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and lit a candle with some flint and steel Will had left by his bed last night. He watched as his friend lifted his head uncertainly from where it was buried at his knees.

"Horace?" It hurt him how small Will sounded and how in pain he looked. He crossed the room quickly, crouching so he was eye level with his friend, searching him for the problem even though he had a hunch about what was paining Will. "I'm sorry." He said bluntly pulling the covers up to his nose, reminding Horace of the small boy he had quarrelled with many years ago. He put his hands either side of Will's on the edge of the sheet and gently pulled it down so he could see all of his face.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Is it your stomach?" He nodded and rose to where he knew his friend kept medicines. He fumbled over the correct ones but he didn't want Will to know he was unsure of himself despite his many years in the field so he just picked out the painkiller, in the hope it would be enough.

Horace ruffled his hair fondly as he grimaced at the bitter taste.

"Better?" He asked, concern laced in the word.

"A bit," Will shrugged, trying to hide a wince of pain. He stood up from the crouched position he had resumed and made a shooing gesture with his hand.

"Scoot over," his brown eyes were clouded with confusion but he complied. Horace flipped back the sheets and plopped his head on the pillow where Will had been a moment before. He faced his friend and closed his eyes, wriggling until he was comfortable, making Will laugh. His heart warmed at the sound. "Now," he sighed still not opening his eyes. "You have no choice but to wake me up if you're in pain." He at least had the decency to avoid his gaze when he opened his eyes.

"I didn't want to disturb you and I thought I could-"

"Look, I'm not doubting if you could do it on your own, that I'm quite certain of. The point is that I'm here and you don't need to do it on your own. So will you promise to wake me if you need anything?" Will chuckled.

"Yes Horace, I will wake you." He pouted.

"You still didn't promise,"

"I promise." He closed his eyes content. "And Horace?"

"Mmm." He mumbled half asleep.

"Thank you, you're the best friend I could ever ask for."

"Good thing you didn't have to ask then." Expecting a reply, he cracked open one eye only to be met with the sleeping face of his best friend, his pain cured for now. And that, was all Horace could ever ask for