Note: First off, thank you SO MUCH to those of you who reviewed and followed the story! The fandom is indeed small and I honestly did not expect to get engagement so soon. I'm blown away and so so grateful. As a thank you, I tried to write the next chapter as fast as I could (I'm a slow writer aka a procrastinator, so getting anything done is usually an accomplishment in itself).

Another note: this story aims to develop a more gradual brotherhood between Robin and Will. In the movie, it all just happens far too quickly. They literally change from enemies to brothers from one scene to the next. For this story, the transition starts from this day on, and although they have a rocky start, Robin soon stops seeing a danger in Will. Much to Will's misery.

More differences to the movie will arise along the way but they will reveal themselves to you with time, I don't want to give any spoilers, so for now, I hope you enjoy reading the second chapter!

Chapter 2: The Long Night in Sherwood

Two weeks passed since Robin pierced Will's hand with an arrow. Two weeks in which the two didn't cross paths a single time. Until today. Here they were now, forced to spend the day with only each other for company.

Robin cleared his throat and bent down to pick a twig from the ground.

"Can you help me look for more?"

If they would have to spend the rest of the day, possibly the night as well, the best they could do was find twigs and leaves for a fire. Robin carried a piece of flint in his bag. Going outside to gather sticks from the forest would be pointless. They would be soaked and wouldn't catch fire. But perhaps they could gather enough dry blown-in twigs and leaves that were inside the cave…

"It's too dark in here to see what's on the ground," Will said, standing by the cave's entrance with his arms crossed, looking at the twig in Robin's hand.

Robin back held a sigh.

It was not like he expected Will Scarlett to rush to his aid and start searching.

What irritated him the most was that the fire would be not only useful for him but for both of them. Perhaps later if Will tried to get warm next to the flames he would offer a smart-ass remark. How dark it was to see what was on the ground.

With his future comebacks in mind, Robin began to search the ground blindly with his hands.

He could search by himself.

The only thing he wanted from that man was to maintain a civil tone because he had no desire to fight.

He could see from his periphery that Will was watching him while shivering uncontrollably. Then something unexpected happened. Will Scarlett limped deeper into the cave with a long sigh.

Neither man said anything. A silent agreement was made for each to search the opposing ends.

After finding a handful of leaves and branches, Robin took a moment to rest. He had been on his feet the whole day and his body ached with exhaustion. He'd like nothing else but a warm meal and his bed...

"What?" Will's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Robin turned to him in question. "Are you beginning to realise your idea is mad?" Will asked, having mistaken Robin's desire for a break for frustration. "Or am I expecting too much sense out of you?"

Robin snorted and bent down to continue searching the cold ground with trembling palms. "Funny you should say that. I thought the same about you when I was watching you contemplate crossing the river."

"Ha-ha. Here," Will said in surprise from the other side of the cave. "I found some."

Robin seized what Will was extending his way and smiled. A handful of twigs. Even better - dry twigs. He took them from his hand with an approving nod. "Let's keep looking."

They did. For some time. But Will's attempts must have left him empty-handed because it wasn't long before he snapped, "This is stupid."

"You said so a minute ago but found something, didn't you?"

Will turned around to face Robin. His hands found their place on his hips, mirroring his impatience. "We can't make a fire with a handful of twigs!"

Robin drew in a deep breath, his teeth chattering. "That's why we're searching for more, Will." He looked for his eye in the scarce daylight. "Or do you have a better idea?"

Breathing in deeply, Will proceeded to search the ground with his good hand. But he didn't last more than a minute before he came to stand at the cave's opening, scowling at the rain and shivering from the wind blowing his way.

Robin counted the twigs he was holding in his hand. Ten.

Will was right. They couldn't make a fire with that. He rubbed his eyes and stacked their small pile in a dry corner. "What are we going to do?" he muttered under his breath.

Will turned to look at him over his shoulder. His teeth chattered as he spoke, "Any other brilliant ideas, rich boy?"

Robin shook his head.

Will furrowed his eyebrows and his expression fell slightly. He must have expected a different answer but his expression calmed quickly, pretending to remain unfazed. "What now?"

"Now we wait for the storm to end," Robin said the obvious.

Will glanced outside. "Doesn't look like that would happen anytime soon."

As if to confirm what he said a thunder struck close by, making Will flinch away from the opening.

The two men came to stand next to each other closer to the cave's back.

"How many twigs do you have now?" Will asked.

"Not enough."

Their teeth chattered over the sound of rain. Will moved his body to warm up. Robin followed suit. This hardly helped. They both knew it.

"Bloody cold…" Will muttered. "It's like the damned forest is trying to freeze us to death."

They couldn't allow that.

Will must have had the exact opposite thought because, having said that, he sat down on the ground. Robin sighed and lowered himself beside him so their bodies could exchange heat. "We'll make it through this," he said, his eyes shining with determination as he spoke. "We've faced worse odds before."

"Have we?"

"Well, I have."

"Sure. It's all about you, isn't it?"

"Have you faced worse odds before yourself?"

His question got no response.

"So no," Robin concluded for them.

"Shut up." Will's teeth chattered audibly, and he huddled closer to the cave's rocky wall. Robin covered his face, holding back from smiling. This whole day was absurd. Rubbing his tired eyes, he slowly slid his palm down his freezing face. Bickering with Will Scarlett was not on his agenda when he left the camp this morning. It didn't even cross his mind as a possibility.

"Out of all people it had to be you," Will said bitterly, revealing to be thinking the same.

Robin rubbed his hands together. "We'll keep each other warm, and when morning comes, we'll find our way back to camp."

There wasn't anything else they could do at the moment. Their best shot was to make the cave as comfortable as possible for the night because chances were they would not be going anywhere else.

Will muttered, more to himself than to Robin, "I can't believe we will meet our end together…"

His words hung heavy in the air. The storm showed no signs of relenting, and the cave provided some comfort against the biting cold, but the temperatures were yet to drop.

"Will, we are not going to die." Robin's bare feet were freezing against the hard ground, so he used his soaked mantle as a rug to wrap them in and his boots he leaned against the wall so the air could dry them faster.

He sighed.

"Fighting for justice is what gives me strength when I don't have any left. I believe there is something greater than ourselves to fight for, so this could not possibly be the end of it all."

Will's shoulders trembled, and he wrapped his arms around himself in a futile attempt to ward off the cold's relentless assault. "What if you're just a fool for believing that you hold the power to fight things like injustice or… or nature?"

Robin took a moment. "Then I'll be a fool. But I'll keep fighting until the very end, no matter what challenges come my way."

Silence stretched long. The only sound came from the pouring rain and the dreadful thunder.

"I don't think I can be like you," Will said, his voice barely audible, snapping Robin out of a daze. "If I don't think something is realistic, I stop caring about any heroic ideals. It's all just crap."

"What's crap?" Robin furrowed his eyebrows, trying to focus. "I couldn't quite understand you."

"If it's unrealistic, I mean… it's crap to think you can do the impossible all in the name of a bigger cause… all because it's the noble thing to do…"

A mouth corner twisted on Robin's face in a wry smile.

"You're too young to lack idealism, Will."

"Idealism leads people to their death."

"I've seen idealism keep people alive."

"I guess for you that's true." Will must have read the question in Robin's eyes because he continued to say, "I heard you were imprisoned in the Holy Land. Then you return all the way to England to find your father dead and your home taken away. There's a conspiracy to kill you. You move to live in the middle of the forest. Only for a storm to be trying to kill you. Yet here you are, talking about fighting for a world where people don't have to suffer injustice when you're in no position to make plans about the future."

Robin observed Will with a humoured shimmer in his eyes. "When you put it that way it sounds like the world is conspiring against me. But you're right, it's true for me, this idealism is what keeps me going when it all looks desperate."

"It makes sense. You have no one. No family. Nothing to lose. That's why you're so brave. And the men in the camp mistake your desperation to make your situation better for heroism."

Anger rose inside Robin's chest. Here he thought they were beginning to achieve some normality, yet Will made sure to underline this wasn't so.

Why were Will's words getting to him?

Was it the insult in his assumption that Robin was using the people around him?

He lowered his head and stared mutely at his covered feet for some time.

Or the fact that Will hit him right in the heart by rubbing in he had no one left?

He remained quiet. He was beginning to lose his strength to talk, as well as his desire. Shifting restlessly, he rubbed his chattering mouth. What were they going to do about the cold? The night was yet to come and the cold was already getting insufferable…

"Maybe you were right," Will mused out of the blue, still having the energy to chat. Robin turned to him in question, a brow raised to his hairline. He was right? Despite the promise of praise, Robin wasn't expecting one. "In comparison to you, I do lack courage. I am not willing to fight when the cause I would be fighting for is impossible."

Their conversation from two weeks ago resurfaced in Robin's mind. He said that about Will, didn't he? That was what escalated their argument and led to the arrow he shot at Will. Robin told him he lacked courage and then almost got a dagger thrown at his back.

Will shrugged and turned the other way, "Or you simply lack common sense and you mistake the common sense in me for a lack of courage."

Robin snorted wholeheartedly. But his amusement dissolved as he broke into a coughing fit. His lungs ached. Rubbing his chest, he gasped for air. This didn't sound good...

He could feel Will was looking at him. Once he calmed down, he granted him his attention. His eyes darted down to what Will was holding - his injured hand. Robin's gaze focused on the glove concealing the wound. The one he inflicted.

"You wanted to dagger me in my back," Robin said once his breathing normalised, his grim expression carrying no traces of amusement. "I understand that you don't like me for whatever reasons you have. But to kill me?"

"You're alive, aren't you."

"Not thanks to your lack of trying for the opposite to be true."

Will shrugged and wrapped his shivering arms around himself. "You were asking for it. What?" he snapped when Robin kept looking at him with unwavering accusation. "You won't get an apology if that is what you expect. I stand behind my actions."

"You're amazing, Will Scarlett. After saving your life today, this is what you have to tell me?"

"Saving my life?" Will's pale face gathered some colour as he spat, "I would be back in camp now if it weren't for you!"

"Please. You wouldn't even be speaking at the moment, with all the water in your lungs."

"Rubbish."

Robin blew his cheeks and turned the other way. "Talking to you is like talking to a wall."

"Rest assured, talking to you feels the same way."

Robin closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. That was it. He'd not say another word to this provocateur.

The persistent drizzle outside began to seep through the cracks in the cave's walls. The air was thick with dampness.

A constant chatter was coming from Will's teeth, annoyingly close to his ear. Robin sent a quick look at his companion. Soaked through and through, his body was wracked with shivers. The clothes that he hadn't taken off were sapping what energy he had left. Wearing his soaking clothes was making it worse for him, didn't he know that?

But Robin wasn't going to say anything. Will had a head of his own. So Robin turned away with a stubborn shimmer in his grey eyes. He was not going to talk to him again for the rest of the evening, not even to give him a piece of life-saving advice.

Minutes stretched into hours. Or at least it felt this way to Robin. With nothing to do in here and no one to talk to, he could only look out of the cave opening and watch the storm outside.

And the storm raged on. The cave's interior grew darker. The flickering glow of the setting sun was replaced by the darkness of night. The teeth of both men chattered and they both shivered, though Robin could feel Will shivering uncontrollably whereas he still had some grip on himself.

His gaze flickered to Will Scarlett. The little light left inside allowed him to see that his lips had turned a pale shade of blue. His skin was mottled with goosebumps. Based on the clouded look in his eyes, either the hit on his head earlier was more serious than it looked or he was slowly succumbing to the numbness of hypothermia.

Robin couldn't help the concern bubbling inside him at the sight of his deteriorating condition.

"You need to take off your wet boots," Robin's voice quivered, the words barely audible over the sound of the rain.

Will, his eyes glassy with exhaustion, nodded weakly. This was disturbing. Did he agree with him without a second thought?

But he probably didn't even understand what Robin said because did none of what he told him. So Robin reached out with trembling hands and tapped Will's soaked boots. "Take them off… They're making your condition worse."

Will stared at him blankly. Robin pulled backwards. At least now he was sure his words got through to him.

Whether he took his advice or not was up to Will.

Robin roamed through his soaked bag, searching for what could provide them with a fraction of warmth. His fingers brushed against the piece of flint.

Struggling against the stiffness in his limbs, Robin managed to strike the flint against a rock, creating a feeble spark. He held his breath, praying for it to catch. After what felt like an eternity, a small flame flickered to life, casting a feeble glow in the cave's interior.

Robin carefully fed the twigs they gathered and the few leaves into the nascent fire, coaxing it to grow. The flames danced weakly, casting eerie shadows on the cave walls. The warmth it provided, though meagre, was a little miracle in the face of the cold they had endured until now.

Robin huddled closer to the fire, his shivering gradually subsiding as the heat seeped into his frozen limbs. Will, equally desperate for warmth, inched closer. Taking full advantage of their small fire for as long as they would have it, Robin uncovered his mantle so it could absorb more of its warmth and hopefully dry. He also fixed his boots to face the fire. While doing so, he saw Will from the corner of his eye. He was too exhausted to keep his eyes open and was leaning dangerously close to the flames.

"Will. Will. William!" he demanded and grabbed him by the shoulder to pull him backwards, "Get back."

Will rubbed his face, his lips barely forming a response. But his unfocused eyes said it all. His consciousness was slipping away.

Okay, this was making Robin a little concerned. The Will Scarlett he knew would never just go along with what he told him without at least a snarky remark back, let alone allow him to touch him.

The fire dwindled to embers, casting a dim glow on Robin's weary face, making his breath visible in the frigid air.

There was nothing more they could do. Like Will said, they were at the mercy of nature at the moment.

As the dying flames flickered, something caught Robin's eye.

"Thank you, God," he muttered and rushed to his weak feet, stumbling over what he saw.

Grabbing a hold of what made him gain his spark back, Robin turned around with a triumphant smile.

"Will, I found a torch!" Robin used the dying flames of their improvised fire to light it up.

The torch lit up in seconds, the flame almost reaching Robin's face. Pulling it down, he glanced at the only person he had to keep him company. Will was curled on the damp ground, his wet clothes having formed a small pool of water beneath him. The lines of tension on his face had softened in slumber.

Robin carefully lowered himself beside him with the torch. Never before had he had the possibility to look at Will Scarlett up close. At the moment he appeared strangely vulnerable. And young. So young Robin wondered whether the gap in their ages could be bigger than he thought.

His eyes fell on Will's wet boots.

Definitely. Any person with some sense would know better than to have his feet freezing. Sighing under his breath, Robin found a crack between two stones where he placed the torch and removed the boot closer to him. No wonder he was out of it. It had been hours since they found this shelter and he still hadn't removed his wet boots and mantel. When he took hold of the other boot and tried to pull it out, Will moaned out in pain and his eyes snapped open.

Right. He had hurt his leg in the fall. Must be the ankle then.

When Will's feeble eyes gained an angry shimmer, Robin raised his hands in apology. "Easy now, I was only trying to help." Will opened his mouth, about to unleash his sweet tongue, when his gaze caught sight of the burning torch above their heads. Whatever animosity that had arisen with him was instantly gone. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he regarded the strong fire with wonder. "What did you do?" His voice broke, so he cleared his throat. "Where did you get a torch from?"

"Miracles do exist, Will." Robin nodded at the corner where he found it. "It looks like we aren't the first people to have found shelter in this cave. Someone had left a torch there."

Will regarded the spot Robin nodded at. The light of the flames illuminated it but behind it reigned complete darkness.

He turned to Robin with a weak smirk, "Did you check whether that person's bones aren't stacked a few metres behind?"

Right. Will, ever the optimist.

"Your sense of humour is the worst I have come across."

"But now you're thinking it too, aren't you?"

They both turned to look at the back of the cave. Robin's mouth corners curved into a smile and he shook his head. "There is no skeleton there, Will. You're just dark-minded."

"Realistic."

"Fine, if you want to call it that. Wonders keep happening all around you, yet you're looking for reasons to be afraid. Nobody's dying tonight."

Will rubbed his face and once again lay down on the cold ground. With only one shoe on. The other Robin directed towards the torch like he had done with his own. He checked his drying mantle and shirt. They were still wet and freezing, so he remained bare-chested with only a tunic to keep him warm and moved closer to the fire.

Better than what that fool was doing. Wearing wet clothes was worse than not wearing any. Then again, this was none of his business. The only thing he would do to help this ungrateful fool was to keep him conscious. That was of course if Will Scarlett would be willing to talk to him.

"Will, I don't know much about you," Robin broke the silence, regarding him from where he was seated. "Tell me about yourself. Do you have a wife waiting for you to return somewhere in Nottinghamshire?"

"I am not ma…" The chatter of his teeth interrupted him, and Will added a moment later, "married."

"Why not?"

His question wasn't necessary. Robin knew that. Yet he asked it for the reaction and the reaction didn't disappoint. Immediately Will gained some colour in the face and snapped, "Because I haven't yet met anyone I want to… to marry."

Robin's mouth corners lifted. Seemed like annoying Will warmed him quicker than a fire's glow. If anything, Will Scarlett should be grateful he was getting some life back inside him. It was on the tip of Robin's tongue to say 'Rather you haven't met anyone who would want to marry you' but he held back. Marian was right to call him a bully. He was one when he was younger. As an adult, he had more restraint and control over himself but this didn't mean the provocative statements he once voiced without a second thought weren't still roaming in his head.

The next question he asked was about Will's age. But Will had enough of the chit-chat and mutely stared at their fire.

Robin observed Will curiously and decided on a different approach. He wanted an answer. It was all a matter of hitting the target. "You know Will, I used to take you for a man but I'm beginning to wonder whether you're younger than I took you for."

A huff. "How old are you?" Will asked through chattering teeth.

"I turned thirty this year."

"Oh…" Will curled in himself and came to rest on the ground with his back turned on Robin. "You're… old."

Robin laughed. "Okay, you're making it sound like I'm from a different generation."

Will hesitated, his teeth chattering soundly. "I'm seventeen…"

Robin's eyebrows disappeared in his hairline. "That explains some things."

Will sent him a dark look up over his shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're smart enough to answer it yourself."

Irritation surfaced in Will's feeble eyes.

Robin smirked. This must be the first time Will Scarlett's anger didn't bother him in the slightest. For all this time, he had been scuffling with a child.

Since he knew so little about one of his most adamant adversaries, he decided to continue with his questions, "And where do you come from, Will? Do you have a family?"

Will's next response was laden with bitterness. "I come from Mansfield. And yes… I do have a family, I have my... my mother."

"Oh. What happened to your father?"

He didn't stutter for his next answer, "That's none of your business."

Robin could sense some raw wounds there, so he raised a compassionate hand. "I'm sorry if I overstepped with my questions. You don't have to share if you don't want to."

Mansfield. So he was not from Locksley like most of the other outlaws but from the village right next to Sherwood Forest.

"I didn't know my father…" Will's voice came out hesitant and Robin glanced down at him, surprised by his willingness to keep talking, "and my mother I haven't seen in… so long. I hope she is well." Will turned on his back so he could see Robin without having to strain his neck. "What about you, Locksley?" The chatter of his teeth was lessening. Probably due to spending more time around a fire. "You've asked enough questions. It's only fair to tell me about yourself."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Well, there's a lot to tell. I grew up in Locksley, but my life took a different path when I lost my mother. This is when something inside me turned real ugly."

He didn't know whether Will listened or not. He doubted it. But then Will's hesitant question proved him wrong, "How did you lose your mother?"

Robin's voice grew softer, "She got ill... a fever took her. There was nothing we could do." He wrapped his arms tighter around his shivering body. He had no idea why he was sharing something so personal with Will of all people. At the same time, there was no tension in his body as he did so.

Will furrowed his eyebrows, looking away. "I can't imagine losing my mom."

"I didn't take it well. My relationship with my father suffered because of it."

"How come?"

Robin sighed. He told Will about the mistress who replaced his dead mother shortly after her death. How this led to many fights with his father, ugly fights. Will listened, once again looking at him.

It struck Robin that this was the first time they had ever held a civil conversation, unburdened by their usual hostility. Furrowing his eyebrows, Robin regarded Will with a curious look.

"What's with the sudden interest?"

The young man's gaze drifted toward the cave's entrance, where the storm still raged outside. His voice held a hint of uncertainty as he continued quietly, "It's just... that..." He cleared his throat. "I don't know much about you. Your story almost touched me. Almost."

Robin smiled despite himself. For the first time, a remark made by Will Scarlett didn't annoy him.

The cave was enveloped in silence. The flickering torch cast shadows on the rocky walls, creating an eerie atmosphere as the storm outside raged on. Robin, despite the faint tension in the air, felt a subtle shift. A slight calmness that didn't exist before. Perhaps it was the forming familiarity between the two of them.

"Will," Robin began, threading carefully, "I know we've had our differences, and I can't promise we won't clash again, but if we make it through tonight, can we agree to… stop fighting? Let's find a way to coexist peacefully. This constant animosity serves neither of us."

Will eyed Robin warily, suspicion etched on his face. "Why? What's in it for you?"

Robin raised his hands. "Maybe I'm just tired of fighting you. Or maybe I've come to realize that we might achieve more by working together than tearing each other apart."

Will's gaze remained steady, evaluating Robin's words. The cold and exhaustion had taken their toll on both of them. Perhaps the prospect of a truce would seem strangely reasonable to him as it did to Robin.

"Fine," Will finally conceded, a reluctant nod accompanying his words. "If we survive this night, I won't go out of my way to pick a fight with you."

Robin extended a hand, sealing the unspoken agreement. Will hesitated for a moment before tentatively shaking it. It was a small gesture, but in the dim light of the cave, it felt like a significant step.

With truce hanging in the air, Robin propped himself against the cave wall, trying to find a comfortable position amidst the cold and dampness. A yawn escaped him and he covered his mouth with a palm. "Will, there's one more thing I want to know." Ribbing the sleep from his eyes, Robin continued, his voice laced with genuine curiosity, "Where did all this hate towards me come from in the first place?"

Will shifted uncomfortably and he once again turned his back on Robin.

"Hate's a strong word… Let's go with 'intense dislike.'"

Robin raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Fine, intense dislike, then. But seriously, what's your issue with me?"

It looked like he could not find a comfortable position because Will pushed himself up on shaky hands. Robin noticed he had no issue using his injured hand as he picked himself up, sat down and moved his back to the cave wall, the same way Robin was leaning against. A sarcastic smirk curved on the young one's lips. "Oh, where do I begin? Is it the charming personality? Or perhaps the way you manipulate others with pretty words for your selfish gain?"

Robin's eyes remained fixed on Will. "There we go again. Why is your opinion of me so poor?"

Will's smile faded, and he avoided eye contact under Robin's unwavering scrutiny, finding a sudden interest in a loose pebble on the cave floor. "I just don't like rich boys."

Robin kept watching him. "That's it?"

Will's response was a hesitant nod. But Robin knew there was more to the story and he wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily.

"Have I wronged you personally somehow?"

Will's hand slowly rose, his fingers grazing the glove he wore on his injured hand.

"You already know why I don't like you," Will said. "I told you."

"Because you think I'm using these men for my own selfish reasons? That I'm fighting for my own gain, not for the people."

Will's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Isn't this the truth?"

Robin's voice remained calm, measured. "I've been always open about my reasons to be here. To lead all of the men in the camp to an uprising. They are forced to live like outlaws and for what? For doing what it takes to survive? I can't believe you're content with how you have to live your life, Will. You're content with the Sheriff's tyranny, with injustice."

"Oh, get lost!" Will snapped, curling his good hand in a fist. His angry eyes locked with Robin's. "I'm tired of hearing about your noble ideals, thinking you can save the world when you can't!"

Robin held his gaze as he talked with as much patience as he could find in himself, "I refuse to accept a world where the rich exploit the poor, Will. Where injustice prevails. I fight for change because I believe it's possible."

Will stared at Robin, his anger simmering beneath the surface, and for a moment, it seemed as though he might argue further. But instead, he fell silent, his gaze dropping to the cave floor, and muttered, "You know what? I give up. You're so damned stubborn, it's annoying."

Raising his eyebrows, Robin's lips quirked into a vague smile. "The feeling is mutual."

Will's response was a resigned sigh.

But there was still an undeniable sense of progress. At least the willingness to talk civilly was something new.

In the dim light of the cave, when they ran out of topics to talk about, or a desire to pick any other topic, their stomachs began to rumble. One after another, their bodies would remind them they needed to be fed. In the start they ignored it. But not long after, perhaps with the strength Will was able to gain around the fire, he slipped his boot on and rushed to his shaky feet, announcing his intention to find food. Robin couldn't help but raise a sceptical brow at the seemingly audacious plan. Rain was still lashing against the cave entrance. The idea of hunting in such conditions seemed implausible to Robin.

"You're going out there?" he questioned, his tone carrying a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "In this storm?"

Will's response was a curt nod. "I won't be long," he said, limping his way out before Robin could voice his doubts.

Robin shook his head. It had been a long time since he met someone as mad as this one. Perhaps only Azeem came close but Azeem had a much stronger survival instinct than Will Scarlett.

Will didn't return straight away to the cave once he exited as Robin expected. So Robin got on his feet with a sigh and came to stand at the opening. Expecting to see Will on his way returning. Yet before him stood no one. The moon hardly shed any light tonight, but it was enough for him to see that there was no one in the clearing before the cave. Will had disappeared into the shadows of the surrounding forest.

Bloody idiot... Honestly, was he truly surprised?

Robin returned to sit down next to the fire wearing a long face.

He didn't know why exactly but this young man's very being was driving him mad. There was an urge in him to grab him by the neck and squeeze for as long as it took for him to gain some sense.

Time passed.

The crackling of the fire kept him company in the silence.

Robin's thoughts calmed. His desire to strangle the younger man gave place to worry.

Minutes stretched into hours. Or at least it felt like it in the silence. Casting glances at the cave opening, Robin's concern began to grow. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something had gone awry.

Occasional bolts of lightning tore up the sky.

Worry tightened its grip on Robin's chest. Should he risk his own life to wander the forest like a blind man in search of Will Scarlett or should he stay here where it was safe and hope for him to return?

But sitting here in silence was driving him mad!

The cave's entrance rustled. Robin breathed out in relief. Will had entered, drenched and shivering. In his hands, he carried something. A limp animal.

"Blimey, you caught something!" Robin got on his feet, smiling, and came to greet him. As he got a better look of Will, his enthusiasm died on his face and Robin's relief was overshadowed by alarm. Will's lips were bluish, his shivering had escalated to convulsions and he seemed half-conscious. "You're soaked to the bone," he observed, rushing to support him. "Let's get you out of those before you catch your death."

The urgency in Robin's movements increased as he guided Will to the fire, his hands fumbling with the wet clothing clinging to the young man's trembling form.

"We need to get you warm," Robin muttered, more to himself than to Will.

As Robin worked to rid Will of the wet layers, he noticed the dagger at Will's side. The very same dagger he had raised at Robin two weeks ago. Robin left it to the side and wrapped his dry mantle around his trembling shoulders.

Will shivered by the fire, his wet hair matted to his head. Quickly winning Robin's pity and guilt for allowing him to leave. Without much of a second thought, Robin put his arm around him to help him gain some warmth faster.

Will's expression twisted into a grimace, and he attempted to pull away from Robin's arm. However, he maintained his hold. "Aren't we friends now, Will?" Robin murmured, the usual banter replaced by a genuine concern.

"No." Will's response was barely audible.

Robin smiled with a playful glint in his eyes. "You're hurting my feelings."

Will's resistance lessened, his strength fading. The flickering fire reflected in his half-closed eyes as he struggled to stay conscious. "Robin, if you don't let go of me, I will twist your arm behind your back and make sure you will not be able to shoot your stupid bow anymore," he mumbled, the threat feeble and laced with exhaustion.

Robin snorted and squeezed the back of Will's neck in what could count as affection. "I would love to see you try." He massaged the back of his neck. "You are too reckless for your own good, ever heard that before? How come you became this way or were you always like this?" Each question he posed was met with silence but this didn't stop Robin from voicing his thoughts, "Were your parents also so stubborn and impulsive?"

"I didn't know my father," Will mumbled.

Robin recalled he said that earlier.

"He's dead," Will decided to clear out and summoned whatever strength he had to free himself from Robin's embrace.

"My condolences."

"It's okay… I had never met him to begin with… so I didn't mourn for him when I learned of his passing."

"That's a pity," Robin said. Sensing Will's lack of desire to continue talking, he took the dead animal. The question that surfaced in his mind was for how much longer their torch would last. Will needed nothing else but warmth at the moment, yet their torch had been burning for a few hours already.

Robin quickly set to work and delicately placed the limp rabbit on a flat rock near the fire. At least he could use the fire to char the animal before the flames died down. His deft hands efficiently carved the rabbit, preparing it for roasting.

His gaze constantly darted back to Will, who sat propped up against the cave wall, his shivering showing no sign of abating.

Once the rabbit was roasting over the fire, its savoury aroma spread inside the cave. The scent filled Robin's mouth. He shot a quick look at his quiet companion. Despite how reckless his decision to hunt might have been, Robin was impressed. He didn't know whether he himself could do the same in the dark.

Returning to Will's side, Robin grabbed a small leather flask from his belongings. He uncorked it. It wasn't a fine wine, but it would serve its purpose. He brought the flask to Will's lips, urging him to take a sip.

"Come on, Will. It'll warm you up," Robin encouraged in a gentle but firm command.

Will, in his weakened state, complied, taking small sips. Robin observed as some colour returned to Will's bluish lips. "There you go..."

The rabbit, now cooked to a modest degree, was ready. Robin, in a rare display of gentleness, tore off a piece and offered it to Will. "Eat. You need your strength."

Will, though still groggy, accepted the morsel. Robin took a bite too. The taste was a welcome salvage from the hunger. As he chewed slowly, Robin watched Will. With each bite, Will's trembling subsided. The combined effects of warm food and wine worked in tandem to revive him, at least to a more conscious state.

"My family, back when I was younger, used to be very close-knit," Robin said, deciding to come back to their earlier conversation since he couldn't think of another topic that would count as neutral. He did not want to create any tension. Just to exchange stories. "My mother and I would spend most of our time together. My father was often away. But when he was home, the three of us were inseparable. I can't imagine growing up without knowing my father. He taught me so much. I owe so much to him. I miss him dearly."

Robin didn't plan to sink in melancholy when he started talking, yet the more he thought of his father, the more a wound in his heart tore open. How dearly he regretted ever leaving him...

Will swallowed down his bite, looking at Robin. "You're not going to cry, are you?"

Robin met his gaze and smiled sadly. "Rest assured, I will not ruin dinner for both of us."

"I'd be more empathetic with you but I hardly relate to your story." Will reached out and tore a piece of meat. "I rarely felt the absence of my father."

"Do you have your sharp tongue from your mother?"

Will shook his head, chewing down his bite before answering, "She's very kind and soft-spoken. It must be my father's temper I've inherited." Silence fell as they continued to eat. "What was your father like?" Will asked Robin once his hunger was satiated. He leaned back against the wall and used the gathered water in a puddle to clean his fingertips.

"There were a lot of contradictions to him," Robin said. A wrinkle cut between his eyebrows as he considered how to describe his father. "He was kind but he could also be harsh sometimes. He was intelligent, always looking for a way to fill his time productively. But he was also very in touch with his feelings and didn't shy away from showing affection for the people in his life. Our relationship wasn't the best when we parted ways, but once, when I was younger, our bond was very strong. He was my hero growing up."

"I will lose my dinner."

Robin sent Will a humoured look and smacked Will behind the head. There was no force to the smack, it was rather a symbolic one.

"What the hell, Locksley!" Will gave him an incredulous look.

"It shows that you didn't have a father growing up," he said, pointing at him. "You're very mean-spirited."

"How is that a result of me not having a father?"

"He would have disciplined you."

Will rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "Yeah, well, what a loss, and you are no one to me."

Robin gave him a stern look.

"Stop it, Locksley!"

Robin shook his head and let his eyes wander to the fire. "Stop it, Locksley," he mimicked Will's voice under his breath. "I can't believe I thought of you as a threat. I should have just come and spent some time with you to see you're just an angry boy."

From his periphery, he could see that Will's face turned completely scarlet. Robin desperately tried not to smile, but his mouth corners twitched ever so slightly.

"I'm not a boy," Will said through his teeth. "And I choose not to be a threat to you. If I wanted to, I would have killed you by now."

Robin agreed with a slow nod of his head, mocking him. Will's wide eyes darted over Robin's face in mild alarm. He didn't know what to do, it was obvious. Nothing he would do would make Robin see him differently in this moment. And since he was much more weakened than Robin he couldn't exactly pick up a fight with him either...

Will turned the other way.

Chuckling lowly, Robin ruffled his hair with an affectionate smile, the way he would do to Wulf.

"I'm messing with you, Will. I don't want to be your enemy. Please don't take my teasing the wrong way."

"Shut up."

Robin broke out into a grin.

Will turned to look at him with flaming eyes and Robin quickly wiped off his smile, as if he hadn't been beaming behind his back. The scepticism in Will's eyes said it all. He wasn't fooling him.

"I am quiet, aren't I?" Robin asked, feigning innocence.

Now that he had some food in his belly, his body was dry and warm from the fire, Robin's spirits were lifted and he wanted to talk. But Will still shivered much more than him and his soaked boots were still on his feet.

"Do you need help taking them off?" Robin asked, pointing at them.

Will followed his gaze and sighed in exasperation. "Stop with it already, whether I have them on or not is up to me."

"My God, you are so moody." He noticed the way Will was holding his hand against his chest. His injured leg was spread out. Sweat had formed on his forehead and he doubted it was from the heat of the fire. Perhaps what he mistook for sweat was simply raindrops escaping from Will's hair. Then again he could be in pain...

"How much does it hurt?"

"Locksley, I don't have the patience to answer your questions any longer."

"So a lot."

Will granted him with his deadliest glare. It did not affect Robin, not in the slightest.

"Come. Let me help you get rid of them."

"Hands off!"

Robin held back a sigh. "William Scarlett. You want to live through the night, correct? Chances are we'll make it. If you don't want to fall from an illness that will come after we get away from here, you need to take care of your body. I don't care how much your foot is hurting, you need to suck it up. Come on. Let me help you."

This time around no protest was voiced. Robin didn't waste any time, he grabbed the boot and slipped it off his foot as fast as it went. Doing it slowly would have just made it uncomfortable for both of them. Tears welled in Will's eyes. But the boot was off.

"Do you have any siblings, Will?" Robin asked, trying to distract him as he also helped him take off the other one.

"Why are you asking?"

"I'm trying to get to know you better. We have lots of time to kill. I wish I had siblings but my parents didn't give me any."

Robin ordered Will's shoes next to his, and leaned on the cave wall, facing the fire.

"I heard I have a brother," Will said.

"Your brother is not among the people in the camp, right? Or have I met him without knowing?"

Will sighed in exasperation. "I said 'I heard' because I don't know him. He's my father's other son."

"Oh." Robin tried to connect the dots from the pieces of information Will had given him. "Since you didn't know your father, you haven't met your brother either?"

"Took you long enough." Will tightened his hold around his folded leg and rested his chin on his knee.

"But is he alive?" Robin asked.

"Hm?"

"Is that brother of yours still among the living?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"But you don't know him."

"Hm."

"Do you know where to find him?"

"You're an idiot. Why should I? Why should I care about sharing a blood relation with a stranger?"

Robin shrugged with a dumbfounded expression. "I don't know, I think it would be nice to know I have one more family member out there if I were you."

Will returned his gaze to the fire. "Let's leave this topic. I don't like talking about it. I don't know why we're talking about it. I don't want to talk about it."

Robin raised a calming hand to his weak rambling. "We don't have to. I was just sharing my opinion, I'm sorry if I overstepped."

Will sighed softly and rested his forehead on his knees, burying his face. Robin had to strain his ears to hear his next words. "Anyways, I'm really tired."

Robin looked at their surroundings.

"Well, get some sleep then. Make yourself comfortable."

Then again the cold ground wasn't the best place to lay down on and if Robin were him he wouldn't do it. The best thing they could do was to remain seated next to each other. As if sharing the same train of thought, Will didn't curl on the ground like he did earlier. Instead, he curled in a ball in himself, sitting by the fire, with his shoulder touching Robin's shoulder.

Will turned his gaze toward Robin. A yawn escaped him before lowering his cheek on his folded arms that were resting on his raised knee, glancing at Robin from the side yet again. "Were you really to the Holy Land?"

Robin scratched his head. He didn't expect this question if he were to be honest.

"I was. It was a different world, Will," Robin said, using Will's attempt to start a conversation. "Filled with uncertainty. Hardships. I saw things that no one should ever have to witness." As Robin spoke, his voice, usually so commanding and confident, took on a more gentle tone. He told Will of the battles fought and the friendships he lost. He told him of Peter.

Will listened intently, his shivering form gradually growing still as he became engrossed in Robin's tales. Eventually, his eyes grew heavy, and his head nodded as sleep crept upon him. Then his breaths deepened and he finally succumbed to the exhaustion that had plagued him.

Robin sighed softly and clasped Will's knee. "Rest now."

Will's body slumped against the cave wall, still seated.

Robin shifted closer, mindful not to disturb his sleep, but adamant to come to sit beside him so their bodies could exchange heat.

Robin felt a warmth. Not just from the shared body heat but also from the connection that had formed between Will Scarlett and him. It was a strange, unexpected companionship.

Robin's thoughts drifted to the past, to Peter, his friend since childhood who had always stood by his side, until his end.

Robin's grip on his knee tightened involuntarily as he remembered the day Peter fell. A moment that would be forever etched in his memory.

He focused on the present, on the soft rise and fall of Will's breaths. With the storm subsiding, the cave grew quieter, filled only with the sound of raindrops trickling down the rocks outside.

Will stirred slightly. Robin instinctively reached out and put a calming hand on his hair. It worked. Within minutes, Will was out of it again. Robin adjusted his position, allowing Will's head to rest more comfortably on his shoulder.

The bitterness, the hatred, they were all momentarily forgotten. Robin's heart swelled with an inexplicable warmth, an emotion he hadn't anticipated feeling for the young man who had been his most persistent adversary in the past few weeks. Aside from the Sheriff.

But next to the Sheriff, Will was harmless. Something Robin hadn't expected. Back in the camp, Will had left him with a different impression. Of someone much more dangerous, malicious and unstable.

The drumming on the cave's entrance gradually faded into a soft, melodic pattern. The storm was relenting.

With Will's weight against him, Robin leaned back against the cave wall.

His eyelids were growing heavy.

As he slowly succumbed to sleep, Robin whispered, "We made it, Will. We survived the storm."

Final Note: Lololol this chapter kept on going and I couldn't help but follow all directions it was taking me. Honestly, I could spend much longer working on it, I see much room for improvement in some of the paragraphs. But each correction takes me a long time and with that pace I would never be able to upload new chapters lmao.

I don't know whether I progressed Robin and Will's bond too quickly but it seemed fitting given the conditions they were under. Also, the fluff potential was too good to go to waste. The next chapter explores the day after. Stay tuned and I'd love to hear your thoughts!