AN: I really need to stop skipping forward to write future scenes XD Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~

Chapter 17:

Fafnir idly twisted a strand of Flavio's soft, dark hair around his finger. Curled up against his chest, Flavio slept soundly, nestled under the blankets of his bed. All the stress of the last week had finally been released and he collapsed into his arms and willingly sunk into bed when Fafnir urged him to lay down to get some rest.

Flavio…he was so tired. So stressed. More than he realised himself.

Keeping up a happy front. Diligently working at the restaurant without a single complaint. Smiling. Laughing. Joking. Pretending to be ok.

All the while dealing with unwanted flowers, notes, letters, and threats – and Fafnir had been oblivious the entire time.

That was what infuriated him the most.

How could he have been so blind?

He was frustrated at Flavio for hiding everything for so long, keeping all his fears and stress to himself, but he was pissed at himself. They had been together since childhood. He knew Flavio inside and out. He should have known earlier. He should have picked up on the warning signs. He should have done something.

But he hadn't.

He also found himself annoyed at how he was constantly pulled away from Flavio during the past week. Constantly sent on errands, shoved out the back to sort through stock even though it was not remotely necessary.

It was wrong to be angry at Regina and Arianna, with the former clearly playing matchmaker for the latter, and at the restaurant for keeping him and Flavio apart, he knew that. But there was still some resentment there. If he had not been kept away from Flavio, he may have picked up on his distress sooner. And he could have done something about it.

That was what he liked to tell himself at least.

Could he have saved the restaurant? Highly unlikely. Anyone deranged enough to burn down a building because of rejection was clearly an unhinged individual. If they had not done it last night, they may have done it sooner, with far more devastating consequences.

Or done something else. Something far more drastic. Something bare not worth thinking about.

But the bastard escalated things. They had drawn in the attention of not only Fafnir, but the rest of their companions plus the Grand Duchy.

Flavio shifted in his sleep, his brow furrowing with discomfort. Fafnir immediately tightened his arms around him, drawing him closer, a motion that brought Flavio comfort in his dreams. He relaxed and snuggled against Fafnir's chest, falling back into a peaceful slumber.

Unfortunately, that arsonist from last night was not the only one Fafnir had to be worried about.

They were clearly the one stalking Flavio, true. The unwanted gift flowers, notes that turned threatening, and finally admitting to the arson of the restaurant for 'his' sake. Whoever they were, they were the definition of a stalker.

The other two, Flavio was hesitant to label of stalkers. That was hardly a surprise. He was likely in denial about the first guy for a couple of days. Until the knife incident.

But, in Fafnir's mind, they were also stalkers. Just because they had different motives did not mean they were not stalkers.

The second appeared to be a conspiracy theorist of sorts. If his ramblings about that Mandelson that wandered about High Lagaard not being the same as the one that stood for the photo found in Stickleback Bar was to be believed. They could be nothing more than ramblings of a delusional crackhead, but Fafnir would take his claims that Flavio's life was in danger seriously. For they were true, regardless of where he believed they came from.

As for Mandelson himself, he was a little more complex. Fafnir remembered that name. Met him once, found him obnoxious. Seemed to know a little too much about their guild, about the restaurant, about Flavio in general. Flavio did not believe that he was involved with the previous two stalkers, but Fafnir was unwilling to rule out the possibility.

There were too many coincidences. The first note starting with 'beloved wife', his obvious hatred toward the restaurant, only for the restaurant to be the target of an arson.

The three individuals had to be involved with one another. Conspiracy Theorist was because of Mandelson, and Mandelson was somehow related to the stalker turned arsonist.

Fafnir sighed and gently slipped his fingers through Flavio's hair.

Flavio truly was too selfless for his own good. Always putting others first. Always putting Fafnir's needs before his own.

In a way, Fafnir was to blame for Flavio's reluctance to come forward to ask for help. He terrified him, back in Ginnungagap. To the point that he was petrified of losing him again, to cause him unnecessary stress. As if the smallest inconvenience would cause him to disappear again.

All he wanted was to make Flavio happy.

All that Flavio wanted was to make happy memories with him.

And he would. Fafnir would ensure it. He was not about to allow anyone to hurt Flavio, to take his future away from him. Away from them. Fafnir did not care who he had to fight. Three different stalkers or that so-called ancient evil residing withing Ginnungagap. It did not matter.

He made a promise to himself that he was going to show Flavio how much he meant to him, and he was going to keep it.

Fafnir kept his arms around Flavio, idly running his fingers through his hair until the light in the room began to darken. He did not want to move and he especially did not want to leave Flavio alone, but he needed to head to the hospital to escort Arianna back to the inn.

The three stalkers had kept their attention focused entirely on Flavio, but as things began to escalate, he could not afford to have his guild separated. For any reason.

"Flavio." Fafnir gently began to urge Flavio from his slumber.

"Hmm," Flavio murmured cutely as he started to stir, nuzzling his cheek against Fafnir's chest, unwilling to wake just yet.

Flavio truly needed his sleep; it was clear that he had not slept well during the last week. But Fafnir was most certainly not going to leave Flavio asleep and alone, and vulnerable in his room.

Fafnir tightened his arms around Flavio and sat up, bringing his sleeping beauty with him. Flavio furrowed his brow and murmured something incoherent. His eyes soon flickered opened, however, and he gazed sleepily at him. It took a few moments for the fog to lift, and when it did, realisation flickered across Flavio's face.

A sigh escaped his lips and he leaned forward, thumping his forehead against Fafnir's shoulder. "You know everything."

"I do."

"What happens now?"

Fafnir rested his hand against the back of Flavio's head and entangled his fingers through his hair. "First, I need to pick Arianna up from the hospital, then I need to tell everyone what has been happening."

He felt Flavio tense against him. His hands moved up to grasp at the front of his shirt, his fingers twisting around the material tightly. It was one of his fears come true; he was causing trouble for others.

Of course, to Fafnir, he was doing no such thing. But in Flavio's mind, he was. There were sure to be a lot of unnecessary apologies from him in the future. Fafnir better be prepared to counter them with words of reassurance.

"There is no other way, is there?" Flavio asked quietly.

"You're not causing any trouble," Fafnir quickly returned. "We'll deal with this, Flavio."

Flavio sighed and turned his head to the side, his forehead resting against Fafnir's chin. "I just want it to be over with. I just want to make happy memories with you. I want to experience Christmas with you. I just want…"

Fafnir wrapped him up in his arms, holding him tightly. "And you will. We will."

Flavio did not respond immediately. He took a few moments, simply resting against Fafnir, finding comforting in his arms. After a short while, he uttered another sigh as he lifted his head up and looked at him. "Alright."

Fafnir cupped the side of Flavio's face. "Lock your door, barricade it like you have been doing. I'll be right next door, but I'll return soon."

All Flavio could muster was a small nod of his head, and it took all of Fafnir's strength to pull away from him. After all that he had learnt, every protective cell in his body wanted to stay as close to Flavio as possible, to never have him out of his sight for longer than a few seconds, if at all.

But he needed to bring the others into the fold, alert them to their situation. And he needed to respect Flavio's wishes not to be in on the conversation. So, just one more time they needed to part. After that, he was all but gluing himself to Flavio's side and only the most extreme of circumstances were to pull them apart again.

Fafnir paused by the desk to pick up the drawer that held all the evidence and gathered everything he needed to explain the situation to the others. He would keep things short and to the point.

Flavio followed him to the door. As Fafnir stepped out into the hallway, Flavio leaned against the door tiredly. "I'm officially under your protective custody now, huh?"

"You better believe it."

That finally brought a small smile to Flavio's lips. "You know, I had wanted to spend more time with you. I guess I should have been more specific as to how."

Fafnir lifted a hand to brush his fingers against Flavio's cheek. "I'll take whatever excuse I can."

Finally, a small chuckle. "Alright. Don't take long, ok?"

"I'll be back soon," Fafnir promised.

Flavio nodded his head again and stepped back from the door. He silently closed it and Fafnir stood still, waiting for the lock to be engaged. When he heard the telling click, he turned away himself, heading for his own room to place the evidence away. He would call for Bertrand and Chloe later; he would pick Arianna up first. He did not want to risk her walking through the streets alone.

He made doubly sure that his room was locked before he headed down into the foyer. Yet, as he moved to the exit, he was startled when the doors opened in front of him and a certain purple-haired princess stepped in.

"Arianna?"

Arianna smiled politely, seemingly have anticipated his surprise. "Sir Fafnir."

"What are you-?"

"I decided to return on my own," she explained as she attempted to close the door to keep the cold afternoon air out. "It appeared that Sir Flavio needed you more."

While Fafnir was not pleased that Arianna walked back to the inn by herself, he was relieved that he did not have to wander too far from Flavio. "You have no idea how much."

Arianna tilted her head questioningly to the side. "Hm?"

Fafnir motioned toward the stairs with a wave of his hand. "Come. There's something I need to speak with you and the others about. It's very important."

Wordlessly, though her curiosity obviously piqued, Arianna followed Fafnir up the stairs. He paused outside of his room to unlock the door and motioned Arianna to step inside before he moved to knock on Bertrand's door, his room just across the hall from his.

"Bertrand? I need you and Chloe to step into my room for a bit. We need to talk."

He waited for a response, unsure if the two occupants were still in the room. They could have wandered down stairs during the hours since he had last seen them. But a moment later he heard the latch on the lock unfasten. He stepped back when the door opened, and a certain blond-haired protector and pink-haired war magus appeared.

Fafnir simple tilted his head toward his room, motioning for the two to follow him. The two stepped inside before him and he made the motion to close the door behind him.

Arianna looked around the room before she tilted her head to the side. "Is Sir Flavio not joining us?"

Fafnir shook his head as he closed the door. "This is about Flavio."

Bertrand released a huff in the form of a sigh as he folded his arms across his chest. "I figured there was something up with the kid."

"Have any of you noticed anything in particular?" Fafnir asked, looking at his guildmates each in turn.

Chloe fiddled with her glasses. "I haven't noticed anything, just that he kept working hard as the restaurant's waiter."

"The kid has always been skinny, but he's been more haggard looking lately," Bertrand revealed. "Not to mentioned washed out."

Arianna nodded her head. "Yes. And he is most upset about what happened to the restaurant."

Bertrand arched an eyebrow as he gave Fafnir a pointed look. "I take it there's something else?"

"There is."

Fafnir turned to his desk where the drawer sat and just like Flavio had with him hours ago, he pulled out the folded cards that came with the flowers, and began to explain to the others the fear that Flavio had endured on his own.

He received a series of reactions; shock, disbelief, exasperation, guilt. Emotions that Fafnir went through himself. His was exponentially stronger, however, mixed with anger, concern, and protectiveness.

Bertrand uttered a loud, exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his noise. "Should have realised something was up. A survivalist that is both self-efficient and selfless? Never a good combination."

He was not wrong about that. Fafnir could never emphasize enough just how selfless Flavio could be.

Bertrand dropped his arm to fold it across his chest once more. "How long has he been keeping this a secret?"

"A week."

Arianna released a loud gasp and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. "A week…? D-during the week of…?"

Fafnir nodded. "Yeah. During the entire week of celebrations."

Arianna grew pale and her eyes widened. She took a half step backwards and her eyes darted off to the side. A realisation had occurred to her and it was devastating. One that Fafnir himself had come to himself.

One he did not like, either. Of course, he held no ill will toward Arianna nor Regina. But, perhaps, if he were not forced into those matchmaking scenarios, maybe, just maybe, he could have seen something was bothering Flavio sooner.

"So," Bertrand began. "We gotta deal with a stalker, huh?"

Fafnir placed the notes onto the desk and turned back to the drawer. "There appears to be more than one."

"Huh?"

Fafnir fished out the letters and handed them to Bertrand. "Someone else has decided to get involved."

A deep crease appeared in Bertrand's brow as he began to read through the short letters. He appeared momentarily confused before his brow smoothed out and his gaze shifted to look out into the distance, remembering something.

"So, that was the guy's name, huh?" he muttered under his breath. He shook his head a second after and turned his attention back to Fafnir. "But what does this guy have to do with this?"

"According to Flavio, and from what the guy said to him, Flavio looks like his recently deceased wife," Fafnir explained plainly. "And from what Cass says, he's right."

Bertrand scowled and handed back the letters. "That's his excuse, huh?"

"Appears so." Fafnir shook his head. "Flavio admits that the guy keeps popping up wherever he goes."

"So, that means we have three guys we need to worry about," Bertrant stated before he shook his head with a sigh. "I knew the kid was popular, but this is a bit much. He doesn't do things by halves, does he?"

Fafnir placed the letters next to the notes. He decided to leave the knife within the drawer as everything he had revealed so far was shocking enough. However, it was the next note he had yet to reveal that was the most concerning. And it was the potential reactions to said item that Flavio feared the most.

"That's not the worst of it," Fafnir said as he pulled out the final folded card. "This is why Flavio is so gutted about the restaurant."

He unfurled the note and presented it toward the others. They had to huddled around, leaning forward to read it. The words written on the white piece of cardboard were short, to the point. But they were important. And everyone soon understood their significance.

They went through a series of powerful emotions within a matter of seconds. Disbelief, realisation, and devastation.

Bertrand dragged a hand over his face. "God damn it. So, it was arson."

Fafnir nodded his head grimly and dropped the note onto the table. "Flavio blames himself. He's absolutely gutted about what happened. Not able to eat, not able to sleep properly. It took me ages to convince him that it wasn't his fault."

"We're obviously dealing with an unhinged individual here," Bertrand stated.

"Yeah. Delivering flowers to burning down a building is quite a step."

Bertrand folded his arms tightly across his chest, an intense scowl on his face. "Yeah. It's possible, if we had interfered earlier, than this flower guy would have amped up his violence earlier, too. It's clear that he, or they, or whoever the hell they are, have no problem jumping straight into violence. They could have targeted the restaurant while it was full, in the middle of dinner rush. They could have done something else. Something far more drastic."

"My thoughts exactly." Fafnir roughly ran a hand through his hair. "Flavio was hoping that after a couple of silent rejections they would take the hint and leave. But that obviously didn't happen."

Flavio was too naïve sometimes.

"What are you going to do?" Bertrand suddenly asked him. "Are you going to move into his room or have Flavio move into yours?"

Fafnir held his kind in thought. "I'm still debating that. If I move into his, I have a higher chance of meeting this 'admirer' of his. But if he moves into mine, he'll likely be safer."

"For a while."

"True. And this stalker might target other rooms."

That left him with just one option.

Fafnir turned toward his desk and scooped up the letters and notes, placing them back into the drawer. And then started to gather up his own belongings.

"It's probably best that I move into Flavio's room. I better start packing."