The Bellows and The Boy

[tamgreen]

Fraser had questions - so many questions! And now that the massive blacksmith was barreling towards them, he knew he wouldn't have a chance to ask a single one. Not even about how to get their story straight, if he wasn't permitted to tell anything that had happened. What if they asked what brought them there, or even who he was? What could he say?

He pressed his lips together as the two huge men embraced. Osbourne Clifton had been the biggest man Fray had ever met, and this Averey Inman was bigger still! He'd never felt so small and weak.

He watched them in pure fascination. How could he ever achieve what these men did - easy smiles, laughter, camaraderie, friendly embraces, gentle ribbing? How did they do it? He supposed it had to start with trust. Trust was now harder than ever for Fraser Pryce to imagine giving away. Was a life of solitude simply his lot? At times he accepted this as an inevitability without a trace of self-pity, but in a moment like this, observing others achieving genuine friendship, he could see there was plenty to envy.

His eye was caught by the second approaching figure, hurrying down the walkway from the house with plenty of coppery orange hair streaming behind him. Lucan was a fraction of the size of his dear smithy, but still bigger than Fraser, with a lean but muscular build. Lucan smiled broadly, his freckled cheeks flushed from happiness and the heat of the kitchen stove, stripping off his flour-dusted apron and wiping his hands on it just before thrusting a hand out towards Osbourne.

"Well, greetings, bedraggled stranger!" he quipped, smirking. "Dare I hope your arrival is no portent of doom?"

The redhead tossed his hair as he shifted his gaze curiously to Fraser.

"Hello," he said in a more neutral tone, his friendly gaze rapidly turning to an intensely evaluating one.

"H'lo," Fraser mumbled, practically standing behind Osbourne's shoulder.

Lucan raised an eyebrow to Osbourne in a subtle - but unmistakable to those who knew him well - demand for an explanation as he unconsciously leaned against his lover's side.

 

[ELEyogi]

“Lucan Brecker, Averey Inman...meet Fraser Pryce...my uhhh...an apprentice of sorts,” Ozzy said, knowing that neither man would be satisfied with his response, but would not press any further. “We’re just passing through…”

“Sure you are,” Averey said with a smirking shake of his head. “And I’m Privy to The Crown…”

“Nope, that’s your Da,” Ozzy interrupted with a clap to the larger man’s shoulder. “We really are just passing through...and I was hoping you might lend one of your steeds…”

Ozzy was interrupted by a boisterous round of laughter from his friends before each man shook their heads. “Even if it weren’t delivery day tomorrow I’d not let you near either of my girls again. They ain’t warhorses no more and they didn’t take kindly to your latherin’.”

“I told you I was sorry about that...it was either ride her hard or leave her behind and I know you wouldn’t have taken kindly to the latter.”

“Sure as shit wouldn’ta,” Averey answered soberly, one eyebrow raised and Ozzy hung his head. “You headin’ back in? Brynsland on the route.” Ozzy perked up at that and extended his hand, which Avery took for an emphatic shake which turned into another hug. “Since you’re staying the night, come on ‘round back see what I’ve got on the fire. Birdie’ll look out for your...apprentice,” he said, almost as an afterthought as he looped a brawny arm around Ozzy’s shoulders.

Averey made a quick glance at Lucan before shifting his eyes to Fraser and offering another appraising look. “We’ll be out back if you need us.”

“Behavior yourself Fraser,” Ozzy said over his shoulder as the two made their escape.

 

[tamgreen]

"And mind you two ruffians, don't be tracking muck and ash into my kitchen when you come in!" Lucan hollered after them. "Averey, you be a good influence!"

The redhead released a wry, monosyllabic chuckle when Averey responded with nothing more than a vague, dismissive wave of his hand before they disappeared. He turned to Fraser with a conspiratorial smirk.

"Menfolk, ay?" he remarked with a wink, and then laughed at Fraser's utterly lost expression. "Come on, lad. You look ready to drop. I bet you'd like to put your feet up and have a little something to eat, hmm?"

Fraser relaxed a little at this and offered a small nod. "Thank you. That is... if you wouldn't mind."

Lucan led him inside the house, humming some old folk song all the while. The interior was what could only be described as comfortable chaos. Plenty of sturdy furniture, pillows, half-finished woodworking projects, clothes and dishes strewn here and there. The air was warm and fragrant with the scents of pastry and meat.

"You can put your things anywhere there's room for now," Lucan invited, and looked sheepish for a moment, pausing to pick up a few dishes and clothing items, but looking as if he had no idea what to do with them. "Ah.... we weren't expecting company, of course! Never mind."

Lucan gave a resigned sigh and tossed the clutter into a corner, motioning for Fraser to continue following him. They entered the kitchen, the centre of the warmth and deliciousness that permeated the whole house. It was roomy and elaborate, and just as cluttered as the rest, although there was some discernible order to it. Along one wall, both hanging and stacked in precarious piles, was metal bakeware of every possible size and shape.

"Averey makes these for me," Lucan bragged with a touch of glee, sweeping his arm out with a flourish to show off his collection. "Aren't they something else?"

Lucan's eyes darted around the room curiously. He nodded and attempted a smile. He had nothing to say about tins, so he kept his mouth shut and took in the rest of the room while Lucan turned to attend to the meat pies baking in his oven.

"Oof, these need to come out!" Lucan gasped, quickly removing the pies from heat and setting them aside to cool. When he turned around, he noticed Fraser's attention had been captured by a row of jars stuffed with all sorts of herbs and spices.

"Do you cook?" he wondered.

"Not much," Fraser admitted, inhaling the fragrances of several herbs. "I'm something of a botanist, though."

It didn't take long for the polite conversation to reach an awkward lull, and Lucan invited Fraser to have a seat at the small table, which he did gratefully. The moment he was sitting, he felt such relief that he could have almost rested his head on the table and fallen asleep right there.

"Been travelling long?" Lucan wondered, putting some water on to boil.

"Well... no," Fraser decided.

Lucan eyed him incisively, taking in his soft, unscarred hands and fair skin. "Long for you though, ay?"

Fraser sighed and nodded. "Indeed."

"Well, I hope you'll enjoy a good night's sleep tonight, and you'll have a full belly, I guarantee it. Speaking of which...."

Lucan picked up a basket with a towel draped over the top and set it on the table near Fraser, removing the cover to reveal an assortment of sweet and savoury pastries that made the boy's eyes widen.

"Just a few leftovers," Lucan explained, sitting down across from him. "Help yourself, lad. I could hear your stomach growling from across the room. Methinks you could use a little something to hold you over until mealtime."

"Thank you!" Fraser exhaled, carefully selecting a rolled pastry that looked full of nuts. He bit into it and couldn't keep back a moan. The flavours of cinnamon, cardamom, and dark brown sugar filled his mouth. "Mmmm!"

Lucan grinned, helping himself to a small crescent-shaped pastry flavoured with almond and taking a small nibble. "I always bake too much - I have a paranoia of not having enough. But I do like feeding a hungry man. My Bear wasn't nearly so round ten years ago, I assure you - he can't abide my suggestions of offering leftovers to the livestock, so he makes most of it disappear himself. So it's not entirely my fault, you see? Not that either of us mind him with a little extra padding."

Fraser smiled weakly at the other man's frivolous laughter and took another big bite as an excuse to avoid having to give a response. He wasn't sure what he could possibly say to this man short of being allowed to ask a lot of intimate questions that he knew he ought not to.

 

[ELEyogi]

“What in Maker’s name are you doing with that boy Oz,” Averey asked no sooner than they stepped into his shop. There were two stools, he grabbed one and brought it to where the other was set at the end of the only clear table in sight. It was where he and Lucan shared their midday meal, and he nodded for Ozzy to take the other. There was a jug of ale on the shelf below the tabletop and Averey grabbed it as he sat, along with two earthen mugs that were mostly clean. “And don’t give me none of that apprentice shit either,” he said with a smirk as he filled both mugs and slid one in front of Ozzy. “He’s got no business on the road.”

“Friend, you have no idea,” Ozzy said before downing his drink in one long, sloppy gulp. He slammed the cup down and Averey promptly gave him a refill. It was another long gulp before he continued with, “Somebody’s got it out for ole Osbourne Clifton.”

The warning he delivered to Fraser on the road was not entirely accurate. Lucan and Averey were fully aware of The Wind. The smith’s own father was a shadow recruiter for The Unseen Order and had directed countless cadets into the fold. Ozzy was the only one ever introduced to the man’s only son, but that was well before his initiation. It was his first test, and Ozzy passed with flying colors. He told no one of the secret detours the two made to assist with the construction of the house where he now rested his weary bones. Nor did he balk at the unorthodox nature of the two young men who resided there. The friendship that developed between the three was fast and unshakable with Ozzy often going out of his way to visit on his way in and out of Brynsland. And when Lucan began dropping off treats to the Cliftons, Ozzy began to consider them brothers. It was Averey who let slip how the The Wind got his name. Ozzy had come to say his good-byes and the man informed him that he already knew, wished him luck and together, they prayed to Glymer and Stryph to watch over him on his journey.

In the time since, Knives and Cakes had become an unofficial safehouse for Ozzy’s band of misfits. All carried weapons forged by Averey’s hand. Some purchased, others given as gifts but none more true than the other.

So when Averey asked for the truth, Ozzy gave him a full report. From the moment he saw Fraser in the clearing to their argument on the road, Ozzy left nothing out. Not even his infatuation with Fraser’s supple mouth.

They’d finished the ale by then and Ozzy had relinquished his personal arsenal to the smithy for inspection and repair. There wasn’t much of the later, nothing a little filing and sharpening couldn’t fix anyway.

“Birdie wasn’t always so sweet to me you know,” Averey admitted with a grin, though his eyes were trained on the throwing blade he worked on the sharpening wheel. “Was a right arsehole if you ask me but we grew on each other...now look at us.”

“That’s easy for you to say Bear,” Ozzy said, punctuated with a belch that made the other man snort. “He was never repulsed by your touch…”

“That he wasn’t,” Averey said with a wry smile and Ozzy rolled his eyes. “But if I’d let him run me off all those years ago I’d never known any of this was possible...I’m not saying he’ll have you in his bed but it sounds to me your little birdie ain’t ready to leave the nest just yet. And you’re too good a man to turn him out into the world before he’s ready.”

Ozzy had been questioning just that from the moment he’d offered to send Fraser on his way. Where could he possibly go that wouldn’t get him killed? And how would he survive on his own? No matter how adamant he was, Fraser was ill-equipped to handle life alone. He needed guidance, and protection. And patience.

“You’re the Bellows now right...find a place for him. If not with you, with someone you can trust.”

He couldn’t know how short a list that was and Ozzy chose not to elaborate. And none on it would tolerate Fraser’s ineptitude as Ozzy would.

“Unfortunately, that’s not my choice to make...after today, I doubt there’s anything I can say to make him stay.”

“So don’t say anything.”

 

[tamgreen]

In the kitchen, Lucan had brought out the ale, offering it to his guest out of hospitality. He sipped a little himself but mostly kept Fraser's mug topped up.

Fraser was by no means accustomed to ale, but he felt thirsty in a way that water couldn't satisfy. It was smooth and just a little sweet, and he found himself gulping it down. Where was Osbourne? What was taking so long? What would happen tomorrow? What did it really mean for two men to be in love? He was itching with unasked questions more so with every minute of either silence or polite conversation. The ale continued to disappear.

"Don't go too fast now, boy," Lucan warned. "It can sneak up on you. There's plenty to go round, but we wouldn't want you to regret your morning."

Fraser sighed. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm not a boy," he mumbled.

Lucan could barely hide a smirk. The young one reminded him just a little of himself long ago, when he and Averey had just become acquainted and clashed as young men struggling to prove themselves commonly do.

"Oh, pardon me," Luc said, unable to mask the amusement in his tone. "You're a full grown man who can take his ale, ay?"

Fraser clenched his jaw. "I just... I mean... I don't... I'm...." he stammered, and trailed off, seeming to withdraw into himself and pale a little. Osbourne would be a beast if he didn't behave himself. He spoke up in a whisper: "I'm sorry. I oughtn't to have spoken so."

Lucan cocked his head. "You can speak your mind all you like here, Fraser Pryce, so long as you can take what you dish out. That's what it means to be free, and we take our freedom seriously. Come now - what's the matter?"

Fraser shook his head and slumped down a little lower.

The redhead drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the table, contemplating the lad who looked as if he'd seen a ghost. There was a time he'd been around that age, confused and vulnerable and frustrated, with an overbearing father who cuffed him for every little offence, and Fraser's behaviour was putting Lucan in mind of his own tendency in those days to either lash out or withdraw into himself.

"Tell me about your journey," he tried in a kinder tone. "Travelling with Mr. Clifton - that must be something, hmm?"

Fraser just shook his head again and shrugged, worried he was being coaxed to incriminate himself. Was this some sort of a test? He had no idea - he just didn't want to mess everything up again.

Lucan's brow furrowed with real concern at the young man's reaction. He decided not to try again at drawing him out.

"You're tired," Lucan decided, "and travel-worn. I understand. I'm sure you'd like to wash away your journey, hmm? We could all use a washing-up while we've still got plenty of daylight. There's a tub out back - nice fresh water. You can take the first turn. I'm sure it will help a lot."

Fraser let himself be convinced, and soon he found himself alone in the backyard, looking anxiously about to make sure no one was watching before he scrambled out of his clothes and into the cool rainwater that filled the roomy tin tub that had obviously been made big enough to accommodate a Bear. He shivered, but it did feel quite pleasant to get out of his grungy travel clothes and get clean all over.

Lucan, meanwhile, had put on his best no-nonsense expression and stalked toward the shop where the two brutes were embroiled in he knew not what sort of conversation. He waltzed in without greeting and stood in front of Osbourne with one hand on a cocked hip.

"What in the Maker's name have you done to that boy?" he huffed, unknowingly repeating almost exactly what his lover had spoken earlier. "He's practically afraid to breathe!"

 

[ELEyogi]

“Ahh you gone and done it now,” Averey said as Lucan came storming into the shop. He’d been on the receiving end of that intense glare many times and was glad not to be the victim for once. With Lucan’s attention solely on Ozzy, he eased himself out of the line of fire and made himself busy on the other side of the shop.

“I’ve done nothing but be kind to ‘em Luc...you know me,” Ozzy said, almost pleading. He too had bore witness to the fire that brewed in the usually sweet man and wanted no parts of it. “I may have warned him a little too hard about offending you with his questions…”

“They had a fight on the road,” Averey chimed in and Ozzy narrowed his eyes at him. “What? That not what you told me.”

“It’s not that simple Bear and you know it,” Ozzy said with a sigh and dropped his head on the table. “He’s just...I don’t...I can’t…”

“He’s smitten,” Averey said with a chuckle as he moved about with broom, sweeping coal dust and metal shards into neat little piles. “Seems his companion is hot and old…”

“It’s not just that,” Ozzy said, finally lifting his head to look into Lucan’s fiery green eyes. “There’s trouble brewing in Brynsland and he might be the key. I need his help and I’m afraid I’ve ruined it being too hard on him.”

He retold the tale of his struggles with Fraser to Lucan, with Averey inserting his own commentary here and there. And the more he spoke of him the more Ozzy realized that he could not send him away. Even if Fraser wanted to go, he would do everything in his power to keep him close. Short of the dungeons of course. He could be useful, Ozzy was certain of that, but how could he prove to Fraser that he wanted him around without driving the boy into a tailspin?

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser finished his bath and dried off with the flannel Lucan had left for him. It felt wonderful to put on clean clothes - he had exactly one change of clothes in his bag, and he couldn't abide wearing them for as long as he was dirty.

Not knowing what to do with himself next, and finding the kitchen unoccupied, Fray wandered toward the shop, cautious and hesitant. This wasn't a place he belonged, but being in the empty house wasn't right either. He could hear the voices of all three men inside and hesitated.

He heard his name. They were talking about him. In particular, he heard Osbourne's voice, sounding a little incensed perhaps, going on about the clashes they'd had while on the road. Fraser felt more than a little frustrated that Osbourne would threaten him about breathing a word of what they had gone through on the road, yet spill to his friends plenty of details, particularly those that would be the least flattering towards Fraser. Fray had scarcely spoken a word to the smithy or the baker to give them any opinion of him at all, but Osbourne was hard at work making sure they both wouldn't like him from the start.

Not wanting to hear any more, he fled back to the house and sat at the kitchen table to sort out the herbs he'd gathered, needing a task to focus on.

 

[ELEyogi]

With the shop put back together, Averey had nothing left to shield him from his lover’s flared temper. He could have gone to hide in the house, but didn’t want to spook the young man inside. So, he did what any good friend would do and came to Ozzy’s aid. Well, sort of.

“I don’t know why you felt the need to warn the boy off speaking to us,” he said and threw an arm around Lucan’s shoulder. “No wonder he’s shakin’ like a whore in church with you givin’ ‘em mixed message. One minute you tell ‘em you’ll not treat him like his folks, the next you do ‘em ‘xactly the way they have. Either you want him around as he is or you don’t...how’s he ‘posed to know which way is up.”

Ozzy couldn’t argue with either of them, even if he wanted to wallop Averey for switching sides in Lucan’s presence. He couldn’t fault him though, the man knew where his bread was buttered. “Well, I didn’t want him gettin’ under your skins being forward…”

“You know full well Birdie’d set him straight in a hurry,” Averey said with a raised eyebrow, his hand unconsciously moving up and down Lucan’s arm. “And been real gentle about it, too. Who better to teach a lesson on tact than one who wasn’t always so…”

“Hey!”

“I love you more than the air I breathe Birdie but you were a right arsehole coming up,” Averey said and planted a gentle kiss on the top of Lucan's head, then nozzled his nose in the crock of his neck. “I’ll make it up to you later,” he muttered and gave his ear a little nibble, eliciting giggles from Lucan and rolled eyes from Ozzy. “You best get to grovellin’,” he said to Ozzy, though his eyes remain on Lucan as his hand slipped down his hip. “Might help your mood to freshen up a bit. You’re welcome to anything of mine on the line out back.”

“I best get to it then,” Ozzy said with a snort as he pressed himself up. “As always, thanks for the hospitality...and the kick in the pants.”

Neither man acknowledged Ozzy’s gratitude, or his departure and he took no slight from it. He was as much family to them as any of their blood and they treated him as such. There was no need thanking them for what was given at this point, but it was the gentlemanly thing to do so Ozzy acted accordingly.

He took Averey’s advice and headed out to the washing line to collect a few garments to change into after his rinse. None of the shirts big enough to fit him had sleeves which Ozzy didn’t much mind, but he decided to forgo using any of his friend’s pants and grabbed a pair a trousers before heading off to the tub.

He noticed a thin layer of grime floating along the top and kicked himself for missing the chance to see Fraser in all his glory, then was immediately shamed by the thought. “Peepin’ on him’ll get you nowhere good,” he muttered to himself as he stripped down to nothing. Once naked, he moved towards the back of the tub to make water only to be greeted by wolf whistles in the distance. He turned to see Averey in the fields, bringing in the horses, and gave his manhood a few shakes in his direction before he climbed into the chill rainwater bath.

Ozzy took a long deep breath, then submerged himself completely, holding himself under until his lungs screamed for air. And in that moment, just before his head breached the surface, he found clarity. As he worked the lard soap from head to toe, Ozzy working out what he might say to Fraser once they were alone. First, him would offer him the spare bed off the kitchen. There was a risk he might overhear Lucan and Averey’s nocturnal affections, and Ozzy would warn him of that as well. Gently, of course. Then he would apologize, and offer the sincerest explanation of his interest in the young man. He would be honest about his wish for him to remain at his side, but offer him an apprenticeship with the Inn’s physician along with a proper room in the staff quarters if he chose to put distance between them. But if he chose to leave altogether, Ozzy would assist him in any way he could but would make it clear that his ability to protect Fraser from the nefarious machinations of his half-brother would be limited at a distance.

If he was lucky, Fraser would remain under his employ. If the Gods favored him at all, the boy might choose to take up residence on the Inn’s upper floor. Ozzy said a prayer to be sure, asking Altru and Sydor their assistance in the matter. Who better to assist with matters of the heart and flesh than the patrons of Love and Lust?

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser had made efficient and tidy work of his herbs, having carefully separated flowers, stems, leaves and roots and arranged them into almost unearthly perfect geometric sections on the table. The neat, tidy lines pleased him. A little something perfect and ordered was what he needed after a wholly chaotic and confusing couple of days.

He heard the whistle from outside and finally looked up from his work. Curious, he tiptoed to the kitchen window and peeked out to see what was happening. He couldn't see much from this angle, but what he could see was a totally naked Osbourne stepping into the tub. He held his breath and watched, against his better judgement.

The creaking of a floorboard nearby snapped him back to reality, and Fray stepped quickly back from the window, looking wide-eyed at Lucan who had reentered the kitchen, carrying a basket of eggs. Lucan gave him a knowing smirk and, setting down the eggs, wandered over to have a look out the window himself.

"Mmm - nice view, indeed," Luc remarked, resisting an inclination to playfully elbow the boy after all he'd learned from Ozzy's stories. "As much as I love and adore my Bear's comfy padding, there is something about a hard body."

He looked up and smiled kindly, seeing Fraser standing awkwardly, staring at the floor.

"It's okay to look."

Fraser gave his head a little shake and returned to the table, red-faced, suddenly needing to coax his already perfect arrangements of flowers and leaves into even more perfect arrangements.

"Is that bergamot?" Luc asked, pointing at a pile of purple flowers, deciding that talking about the boy's interests might help him calm down.

Fraser nodded. "Monarda fistulosa," he mumbled.

"Do you make tea with it? It's excellent for a cold, no?"

"That's true," Fraser replied, fiddling with the little purple flowers. "It can also treat digestive problems and infections. The leaves and flowers are used in oils, tinctures, and poultices."

"It also smells wonderful," Lucan remarked, leaning over the table and inhaling.

Fray glanced up at the man and then back down at the table. "You can take some, if you want," he offered. "As... a thanks. For your hospitality."

Lucan grinned. "Are you sure? I'd love to add it to my tea leaves."

Fraser nodded and neatly sectioned off half the bergamot leaves and flowers, pushing them towards Lucan, who collected them in an empty jar with thanks. Soon Luc was busy at the stove again, using the eggs he'd collected to mix up a custard for afters, and dreamily singing ancient loves songs all the while. Fraser remained at the table, appreciating the simple domesticity that reminded him of his happy days being at home with his mother, back when he'd had a home and a mother.

 

[ELEyogi]

His body fresh and mind slightly at ease, Ozzy dressed himself in the blacksmith’s clothes and started over to the barn to offer his assistance. And hide from Fraser. He’d fashioned his still damp ginger lock into a braid that ended between his shoulder blades and used his own weapon’s belt to keep his arse in Averey’s too large pants. Despite his obviously expensive boots, Ozzy looked nothing like the noble fighting man who’d arrived early and Averey made a point to tell him so.

“I don’t remember hiring another hand,” he offered with a chuckle as Ozzy took up a rack to join him in mucking out the stalls. “Feel better, do you?”

“A bit, yes,” Ozzy admitted with a shrug and Averey noted his draw expression. “I fear there’s no coming back from earlier…”

“Ahh you think too much,” Averey said with a clap to Ozzy’s broad back. “Being in your head’s no good for you...him either. Best you can do is speak from your heart, nothing you can do ‘bout the rest.”

“Perhaps after we’re both fed then. I don’t think I can face him now,” was Ozzy’s sullen reply and Averey didn’t press him any further.

Together, the two worked in companionable silence getting the animals ready for the night. Stalls were racked, fresh hay laid, and all the chickens wrangled into their pins. More ale was shared before they moved into the garden and Ozzy held the basket while Averey picked a variety of beans, peppers, squash, and tubers, presumably for the evening meal. It had been hours since Ozzy had last eaten and all the ale was beginning to make him sway a bit, much to Averey’s delight.

“Glad to see you’re enjoying my home brew,” Averey said with a steadying arm around Ozzy’s shoulders. “Birdie says it’s too strong but it suits me just fine. Perhaps it’ll grease the wheels of forgiveness for your young ‘apprentice’.”

“Or I’ll make ‘nough fool a meself ta’ earn his pity,” Ozzy slurred with a lazy chuckle. “Plenty a partnerships been borne outta pity...yours and Luc’s come to mind.”

He got a playful cuffing for that remark and before long the two were locked in a jovial tussle that was only settled when Lucan called out from the house that dinner was ready. Ozzy did his best to sober himself before seeing Fraser again but there wasn’t much he could do to settle the liquid courage coursing through him. He felt a fire in his belly that spread up through his chest when he stumbled into the kitchen to find him sitting at the table. He wanted to grab him up and hold him tight, maybe offer a kiss or two but Averey was a good friend and steered his big body into one of the sturdy chairs. Averey was kind enough to pick the one closest to Fraser so Ozzy wouldn’t fuss and took up the chair opposite the youngest of them, if only to intercept Ozzy if he got too bold.

“And what has my love prepared this delightful night...perhaps we should open a cask for our wear guests to enjoy?”

 

[tamgreen]

"Oh, nothing fancy - just the usual," Lucan sighed with a dramatic shrug and grin that indicated he knew perfectly well that his usual was a widely praised feast. He laid out meat pies with elaborately decorated crusts, with heaping helpings of freshly roasted garden vegetables on the side. The cask was opened and tankards were generously filled.

Fraser did his best to help, despite the unfamiliar setting. Lucan had lent him some fabric scraps that he'd used to fold his herbs into so he could pack them away for later use. He'd wiped the table and carried around dishes at Lucan's request. Now he sat down politely, looking squarely at the food in front of him and not at anyone around the table, especially not the freshly bathed man sitting next to him who seemed almost like a different person than he had been this morning.

After a heartfelt prayer of thanks for their bounty, the four men dug in hungrily. It was good, wholesome country fare, prepared with love and a skilled hand, and to Fraser it was just as good as medicine. He also drank deeply of the ale, although he'd already had more earlier than he ought - he was feeling a little woozy, but concluded that perhaps it would at least help him sleep deeply tonight.

Lucan was polite and moderate about his ale, and gave his lover a sharp elbowing when the bearlike man gulped too noisily.

"Were you raised by wolves?" he scolded, and leaned close to nuzzle Averey's beard to take the sting out of his words. "Take it easy, my dearest love, if not for your guests than for your own sake. If you're already passing out by the time you've half stumbled into bed, you'll only have yourself to blame, ay?"

Fraser glanced up curiously, taking in the way the two men made smouldering eye contact, before returning his eyes to his meal in an attempt to mind his own business.

Was it just the size of the table, or was Osbourne sitting awfully close to him? Fray took another quiet gulp.

 

[ELEyogi]

Ozzy did his best to mind his manners as the meal was set but once the food was blessed, he tore into anything that came his way. Cutlery was an afterthought, even the perfectly roasted vegetables were devoured by the handful. And once the ale was poured, he could not help his savagery. He knew he should have declined but between his cross emotions and the hearty meal, Ozzy began to partake more than he had in years.

“You outdone yerself Bir...Luc..I meant Luc,” he said, only correcting himself after a swift kick under the table from Averey. “No wonder this one’s big as a house,” he continued around a mouthful of his second savory pie. Roast beef, peas, carrots, and gravy, Ozzy would have eaten them all if he were allowed but he hadn’t lost that much of his civility.

There were crumbs in his beard and his shirt, Averey’s shirt, was specked with flecks of anything he couldn’t get into his mouth. His tankard had been filled and emptied more times than he could count. As he moved towards satiety, another hunger began to make itself known and he found himself making quick glances at Fraser as he consumed his meal with practiced grace.

To be that fork...

The lovebirds who sat across the table, helped him none with their longing looks. He was beginning to think they were teasing him, but it didn’t stick. He’d been in their company enough to know that this was no act, they simply could not keep their hands to themselves when in such close proximity. Averey’s hand often disappeared beneath the tabletop and Lucan would let out a sultry giggle, the color rising in his face. Lucan picked crumbs from Averey’s voluminous and beard and fed them into his mouth. There would be a fair amount of grappling tonight, Ozzy was certain of it, and it wouldn’t be the first time Ozzy used their performance as inspiration.

He often wondered if they knew. It was no secret that he shared their tastes in male flesh, they’d openly discussed his tastes on many occasions but did they know that he’d pleasured himself while they moved furniture above him. Did they know that he’d forced his own climax imagining they’d invited him to witness, to join them even? There was a time when he hoped they might but Ozzy was past that now.

He wanted a man of his own, to pick the crumbs from his beard. To fatten him up with bountiful meals. He wanted what Lucan and Averey had, and he wanted it with Fraser Pryce.

That’s ‘bout as likely as that cottage…

“A toast,” he said abruptly and shoved himself away from the table with such force that the chair flipped over behind him. Ozzy struggled to right it on wobbly legs before he turned his tankard to Averey and Lucan. “To our humble host...yer hoos-potalty is ‘preciated more than I can say. You’ve welcomed me and my misfits inta yer home an’ fill us wit yer bounty witout so much as a secon’ glance. Yer brothers ta me...I want you to know it...and I love you...botha you. And any who wish to disturb the peace you’ve built here, may they meet my sword…”

“And mine too,” Averey said with a chuckle, thrusting his tankard in the air. “Here, here…”

“Wait...wait...hol on. I ain’t done yet,” he said, turning his attention to Fraser. Ozzy took a wobbly step towards him but stopped himself from moving within his personal space. “And you Fraser Pryce...I owe you the sincerest ‘pology. I’m sorry...for all of this. For yelling at you...for making you think you’d not be safe here...for making you think that my friends would not be welcoming to a nosy little scamp like you...but mostly I’m sorry for getting my feelings hurt when you rejected my affections. I know I come on a little strong sometimes but I...how could I…”

“Maybe I’m not the one you should have warned off the ale,” Averey muttered to Lucan and pressed back from the table, preparing to catch Ozzy from making any stupid proclamations.

“...Fraser yer the most beau-ful man I ever seen and I been beside myself since I met cha. And I’m sorry for that too…’cause I know you don’t feel the same but I couldn’t go ‘nother day not tellin’...and I don’t want you to go away. I want to protect you...from everything... and I can’t do that if you leave me...please don’t leave me.”

Whether it was from the food or drink, Ozzy couldn’t know but there were tears in his eyes by the time he was done. And a bulge in his pants that he may not have noticed, but the other men did and Averey quickly stood to put a hand on his shoulder.

“You done good friend...real good,” he said with a chuckle and maneuvered him towards the back door. “Why don’t we go get some air while Birdie gets the afters ready? I’ll grab my pipe and we can have a quiet chat about that uhhh...lovely...toast,” he said as he ushered him out the door. But just before he made it over the threshold, Averey gave his lover a wide eyed look and mouthed, “Can you believe this?”

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser's eating slowed as Osbourne's quickened. After so many years of living in a noble household, the utter lack of manners was shocking to him and quite nearly made him lose his appetite. Or maybe it was the amount of ale he was forcing into his own body that made him lose it. Either way, he had stopped filling his belly and was mainly pushing the food around his plate, hoping he would eventually feel like eating again - certainly the meal was far too good to waste.

When Osbourne began his barely coherent toast, Fray set down his fork and slumped down in his chair a little, not knowing what to make of the drunken ramblings. He was aware he'd had a little too much himself, but he had the good sense not to open his mouth!

He felt quite embarrassed before the toast even shifted focus to him. He felt like slipping under the table and just hiding the rest of the night. However, it started out alright - as slurred and sloppy as Osbourne was, he was apologizing for most of the things that had bothered Fraser today, and that was fitting, even though he would rather it would have been said in sober sincerity instead of a drunken rambling.

Fray's eyes darted across the table, noticing that Averey and Lucan both looked rather alarmed. His heart sped. The toast quickly took a left turn. He twisted his napkin in his lap as Osbourne spilled out words and feelings to him that he couldn't even begin to process.

...please don't leave me.

The man was getting rather emotional, no doubt from the drink, but it pulled at something inside Fraser. No one had ever said such a thing to him. Just to know that someone truly wanted him around, to hear it expressed in so raw a way... there was a power to it that frightened him.

It also went against every bit of the logic and sense he always tried to live by. On principle, he couldn't accept such feelings. He couldn't be moved by this shameful display. His analytical brain immediately proceeded to pick apart everything that had been said while Averey steered Osbourne out the door.

Lucan gave Averey a dramatic shrug and shook his head in consternation as they left, and cautiously drew close to Fraser, who by now had an angry and indignant expression on his face. Luc sat down in Osbourne's departed chair.

"Fraser," he said soothingly, "I'm sorry - he ought to have waited to have said any such things to you. Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright!" Fraser snapped, gripping the edge of the table. "I'm left without a home to return to, the closest family I had tried to assassinate me, and now I have this utter foolishness thrown at me! What am I to do with all of that?"

Lucan winced, torn between defending Osbourne and validating the boy. He wrung his hands, wishing he had Averey right now for backup.

"Well, Fraser... you needn't do anything with it," he said hesitantly. "I suppose it was quite foolish of him to speak as he did, that is fair. But... you know, it isn't all just... foolishness. You both have a lot on your shoulders, and... certainly it doesn't make it easy to navigate matters of... well, love, and..."

"Love!" Fray exclaimed, flabbergasted. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms tightly with a skeptical snort. "This isn't a matter of 'love'. This is a matter of a brute with no sense of propriety deciding that I'm something nice to look at and that he wants to... what, protect me? Like I'm some little wounded fawn he's found in a thicket, that he'd like to wrap in a blanket and nurse back to health? What could be more condescending?"

Lucan pursed his lips and looked helplessly down at his lap. He could understand Fraser being upset, but he was still rather disappointed in the boy's reaction.

"I don't know if I should be defending him entirely," Lucan said cautiously, "but really... he's a more than decent fellow at heart. You're two very different people from very different backgrounds, and I'm sure you both have quite a lot to learn about one another. I'm not saying you should leap into his arms, but at least... I don't know. Maybe give yourself some time to calm and see how things look in the morning."

Fraser crossed his arms even more tightly and clenched his jaw until it ached. He held as tightly to his anger as he could, but to his humiliation, hot trails of tears were suddenly coursing down his cheeks.

"Oh, lamb....," Lucan sighed. It wasn't difficult to understand why Osbourne wanted to pull the lad into his arms so badly. The boy wore so many layers of armour around him, and wasn't nearly ready to throw them off, but there was something beneath that wanted to come out. Lucan knew better than to press. Once upon a time he'd been a lad wrapping himself in all sorts of layers to shield himself from a world he would never be ready for, and his behaviour towards Averey during their first days had been inexcusable. He could only hope that there would be time and opportunity enough for an understanding between the odd pair, even if it wasn't the sort of understanding Osbourne had obviously been fantasizing about.

"You've every right to be overwhelmed," he said soothingly. "Just take a little time. Do you want some tea? A hug? A little time alone?"

"Alone," Fraser mumbled, quickly raising a hand to knuckle away the traitorous tears.

"Come - I've a cosy little study you can hide in for now. And when you're ready, you can come have afters with us, hmm? I wouldn't want you to miss out on something sweet."

Fraser said nothing and followed him to a room with a desk and, to his relief, lots of books. He sank down into the comfortable chair at the desk and drew his knees up against his chest. Lucan wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.

"There now. Do you need anything else, love?"

Fraser sniffled, drawing the blanket right up to his neck. "Can I... look at your books?"

"You're welcome to them."

Leaving Fraser to his privacy and the books, Lucan sighed and returned to the kitchen to get dessert ready, although at this point he wasn't sure who'd even eat it.

 

[ELEyogi]

On the back porch, Ozzy was a mess of silent tears, snot, and spittle. His eyes were bloodshot and he could barely keep himself upright. If he were anyone else, Averey would have left him to it. Instead he sat beside him, in uncomfortable silence waiting for Ozzy to regain his composure.

The blacksmith had never seen his friend in such a state. They had spent many a night drinking and causing a ruckus in their youths but Ozzy usually became more amicable with drink. He could remember the man leading rounds of bawdy drinking songs at inns and public house, never could he have expected this.

“I’m cursed,” Ozzy muttered, head in his hands and Avery threw an arm around his neck. “At this rate, I’ll be alone forever…”

“Now, don’t go pitying yerself…”

“Why shouldn’t I,” he bark, wildly shoving Averey away. “My own ma didn’t want me…”

“You don’t know that Oz,” Averey protested, bringing Ozzy back into his embrace and he wasn’t surprised when the man didn’t fight him. “And that ain’t got nothin’ to do with what happened tonight. You got a little beside yerself is all…”

“And ruined any chance for his companionship,” Ozzy said and made a feeble attempt to stand. It took him a few tries and once he was up, he stagger a few paces before he fell flat on his backside. He was snoring before his head hit the ground and all Averey could do was shake his head.

“I doubt it’ll be that bad,” he muttered as he stood and moved to roll Ozzy on his side. Averey gave the man’s head a quick rub before he headed inside. “I love you friend but you’ll not keep me from afters.”

Averey found Lucan in the kitchen making magic as he usually did and went to wrap his arms around him. He planted gentle kisses along the back of his neck, breathed in his scent. “Shall we take our custard in bed,” he said with a poignant thrust of his hips.

 

[tamgreen]

Lucan responded to the thrust with a low, arch chuckle.

"Naughty Bear," he purred, pressing his rump back against the familiar prodigious bulge that so often rose up to greet him. "Trying to drag me away from my attempts to be hospitable, ay?"

He turned in Averey's grip and offered him the custard spoon to lick, grinning as the big man performed deliberately salacious acts on the wooden spoon with his tongue.

"I suppose we might just have to crawl up to bed," Lucan granted. "Since your thoroughly scuttered friend seems to have lost his legs entirely, and I'm fairly certain we may not see young Master Pryce's poor little face anytime soon after all that, I think we're alone with our afters."

After several lewd kisses and a great deal of excited squirming and squeezing, Lucan managed to escape Averey's embrace long enough to leave two bowls of custard covered on the table just in case. Then he took the remainder and handed it to Averey.

"Take that to bed, my ever hungry beast - we'll make good use of it. I'll be with you momentarily."

He tiptoed down the hall to the study and knocked lightly on the door.

Fraser had inspected the book collection and found it to contain a lot of poetry and fanciful tales, not so much to his usual taste, but there was a book on the history of the region that looked worth reading. He had gotten a few pages in but was finding it very hard to concentrate. Ultimately he'd set the book aside and laid his head down on the surface of the desk, just about ready to sleep right there.

When the knock sounded, he sat up with a jolt, his heart speeding.

"Yes?" he spoke up hoarsely.

"Fraser, it's Luc," the man said kindly. "Averey and I are settling in for the night. There's afters at the table if you want, and you're welcome to the spare room off the kitchen when you're ready to go to sleep. Ozzy is... sleeping beneath the stars, so the room's all yours."

"Alright," Fray replied. "Thank you."

He waited for a few minutes before emerging. The house was quiet except for snippets of hushed voices and occasional giggles from the upper floor. Fraser sat down at the now deserted table and slowly made his way through a bowl of custard in the warm glow of the hearth. It was a comforting treat, but it made him sad to see the untouched bowl and empty seat next to him.

Why was he like this? He had to run away from everyone, but was sad when he was alone. It didn't make any sense. He had always been chagrined at human behaviour that made no sense, and especially chagrined that he was now well within that territory. People were a bizarre mystery, and Fraser knew he couldn't claim to be any exception.

Fraser dragged himself to bed, trying to get settled in the little spare bedroom. It was warm and comfortable enough, but it was unfamiliar, and not especially quiet. It took him no time at all to realize Averey and Lucan occupied the room directly above the spare one, and sound carried through the floorboards.

He could hear the shifting of the bed. He could hear the amorous words they groaned and gasped and hissed to each other. He could hear heavy breathing. He could hear whimpers. He could hear grunts. He could hear the muffled slapping of flesh.

Fray squirmed in the little spare bed. It was impossible not to picture what he'd witnessed when he'd spied on of Dr. Valentin's private "appointments" with the young man called Amadeo. But there was something altogether different about this - the doctor had paid the boy for his time, and didn't seem to have any particular affection for him. The Bear and his Birdie, though - they had spent years together, devoted to one another, lived together as lovers. And now here they were, as perhaps they were nightly, not using each other crassly for some bestial release, but sharing an indulgence of the flesh together, feasting on one another. Was it like this for everyone who was in love?

Fraser was breathing hard, and his heart was pounding. It didn't feel right to be listening to all this lewd noise, and it certainly didn't feel right to be as excited as he was about it. He reached beneath the blanket and placed a hand over the bulge of his arousal, pressing it as if to coax it back down, but it just felt glorious and he gave himself several indulgent strokes. Maybe he just needed a little pressure release so he could relax at last.

Above him, the bed was creaking and shifting, accompanied by the increasingly animalistic noises of two men losing control together. Fraser had never experienced anything like this, and he just went with it, stroking himself in time to the rhythm the couple set. He reached his conclusion far quicker than they did, and hastily kicked off the blankets to avoid making a mess on them. He collected his issue in his hands as much as he could and licked up every drop, accepting this as the most efficient way to hide it.

In the wake of his climax, Fraser felt a little embarrassed and kind of dirty in a way he wasn't sure he was comfortable with. The noise upstairs hadn't abated any. He couldn't stay in the room any longer.

Fixing his clothes, the young man tiptoed out into the kitchen and then, feeling curious and a little insecure, opened the kitchen door and peeked outside. In the moonlight he could see Osbourne's slumped form, lying exposed in the grass. He felt an odd surge of pity for this ridiculous creature.

He returned to the bedroom just long enough to grab a blanket and returned outside to drape it over Osbourne. He sat down in the grass a couple of feet away, listening to the night birds and insects and the rattly snores of the drunken man, and thinking for a very long time about love, lust, loneliness, and many other things.

When he couldn't stay awake anymore, Fraser returned to the bedroom. It was finally quiet, but when he tried to sleep, he was still unable to manage it. He had to come to terms with the fact that he didn't want to be alone, at least not right now.

He grabbed his pillow and blanket and returned outside, laying them out next to Osbourne. The man wasn't snoring anymore. Feeling immediately concerned, Fray leaned over him, checking his breathing. He placed a hand in front of the man's nose and mouth, relieved to feel the warmth of his steady breaths. Curiously, he pressed two fingers against the pulse at his neck to find his heartbeat. His fingers travelled up and along the man's jaw, finding his beard. The sensation of it was more pleasant than he'd expected.

Deciding he should do something practical instead of just being foolish, Fraser decided he might as well check on Osbourne's wound seeing as he was lying in a convenient position for it. He pulled the blanket down and then carefully slid the man's shirt up, inspecting his bare flesh in the soft moonlight.

It was then that he felt Osbourne begin to stir.

 

[ELEyogi]

It was the blanket. The change in temperature. The brushed wool against his rough skin. A presence beside him, but Ozzy could not orient himself. Though he lay on solid ground, he felt as if the world bobbed beneath him and feared that if he turned to look, there was a chance he might tip over the side.

Then there was breath on his face. Both sweet and briney. A touch to his neck that drifted up into his beard, curling his toes. There was a jolt to his loins when he felt the blanks pull back and it was enough to get moving towards consciousness.

Perhaps it won’t be so bad…

Ozzy remain still as Fraser inspected his packed wound. He’s tried his best not to disturb it when he bathed but there was no telling what sort of mess he’d made of the young man’s hard work. Gradually he blinked open his eyes and attempted to focus on one of the two dark silhouettes that floated above his hip.

“A little late for inspections ain’t it Doc,” Ozzy groaned, his voice low and throaty. Without thinking, he reached to take hold of Fraser’s wrist, but stopped short of tugging him down beside him. Instead, Ozzy allowed his fingers gently graze up his thin forearm before quickly withdrawing the offending hand. “Broke my promise already...I’m useless,” he said, but there was very little pity in it. The corners of his lips turned up on one side as his vision finally came into focus.

That’s when he noticed the pillow laid a short distance away, close enough for him to reach out and touch. The spare blanket.

“You would stay with me,” Ozzy asked, shifting his eyes from the pillow to Fraser. “I don’t want to burden you with my affections,” he said, trying his best not to sound wounded and realized immediately that he should have kept it to himself. Ozzy started to apologize, but couldn’t bring himself to make the words again. “But I do hope this is a sign of your forgiveness,” he added as an afterthought before settling his head onto his arm again.

“I do hope you’ll stay with me...tonight and tomorrow...and the tomorrow after that,” Ozzy muttered as he began to drift off again.

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser froze like a startled rabbit when he felt Osbourne's huge hand wrap around his forearm. He held his breath as the man spoke, and then sighed. Perhaps they were both guilty of self-pity.

"I... I just wanted to make sure you were... taken care of," he whispered. "Regardless of everything. I don't know what tomorrow will bring."

He breathed deeply, trying to find more words, but it was impossible when he didn't have coherent thoughts to begin with.

But then he heard a light snore and realized the man had already fallen back asleep. It was just as well. How much would Osbourne even remember in the morning?

Returning to his original task, Fraser fetched a few supplies from the kitchen and gave the wound a careful cleaning, after which he treated it with honey and redressed it. Once he had cleansed his hands and tucked Osbourne beneath the blanket again, he felt like he had a chance of sleeping.

Left with the same issue as he had struggled with earlier, however, he wanted to be away from this man but also for neither of them to be alone. He finally settled down on his blanket in the grass next to Osbourne, not touching him but close enough to feel his heat.

Nearly an hour later, when sleep still eluded him, Fray rolled over and gently rested his forehead against the back of Osbourne's neck, nuzzling a little into his freshly washed hair. A minute later, the tips of his toes came to rest against the man's lower back, keeping warm there, and finally he drifted off.

 

[ELEyogi]

Averey Inman was up before the sun as was usually for him. Stark naked, he set his feet to the floor and let out a growl as he stretched his hands up towards the rafters. He twisted his wide torso one was then the other before reached down to touch his toes. A test of his growing girth, and so long as he could pull it off, he would continue enjoying his Birdie's meals with reckless abandon. He leaned down, planted a soft kiss on the back of Lucan's neck before he eased himself out of bed.

They had an understanding, the baker and the blacksmith, he woke early to start all the fires and tend the animals and Birdie would make himself available to him every night. It had been a little over a decade, and the arrangement still worked. It helped that Averey didn't much mind the mornings. He enjoyed the crisp air, the dewy grass beneath his feet. Most mornings, he tended to the fires in the nude but just before he stepped out of the bedroom Averey remembered he had guests and pulled on yesterday’s trousers. With no shirt or belt, they sat low on his hips allowing his proud mane of blondish pubic hair to peek out above the waistline.

Quietly, he lumbered down the stairs, tip-toed past the open door of the guest room. If the bed were occupied, Averey would have thought nothing of it but mild panic bubbled up in his belly as he rushed to the living room only to find that empty two. The last he saw them, neither Ozzy nor Fraser was in any condition for the road but both were just foolish enough to give it a shot to avoid whatever confrontation might arise from the events of the night before.

“Cook fires first,” he muttered as he rushed to set flame to Lucan’s ovens and hearth. There were a few mumbled curses before he made his way to the backdoor, stepped into his boots, and threw open the backdoor.

The burly man couldn’t hold his mirth when he set eyes on the two lumps in his back garden. He breathed a sigh of relief and made his way around the back of the house to open his shop.

The loud thump of metal on wood stirred Ozzy awake, but it was the pressure against his back that opened his eyes. He reached back tentatively to feel a thin body pressed against his, startled, he lifted his head just enough to see a mop of wavy brown hair. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself but he couldn’t help his grin, even despite the throbbing behind his brow. Gingerly, Ozzy made his way onto his back, being careful not to disturb Fraser to much. He only wanted to look at him and as he did, memories of the night before started to come back to him.

The ridiculous toast. The sloppy blubbering. Then Fraser appeared and Ozzy vaguely remembered asking him to stay, but what was the response. Try as he might, he had the slightest clue and refused to take Fraser’s presence at his side as a sign when it was possible the boy had been driven outside to avoid the love sounds of the baker and the blacksmith.

But still he lingered beside him, feeling his quiet breaths against his shoulder, and Ozzy wanted nothing more than to curl his body around Fraser’s but he held himself on his back. And as much as he wished for the moment not to end, Ozzy didn’t want Fraser to awake with him staring at him.

One finger...surely that won’t be too much…

With his pointer finger, Ozz traced a line from slender shoulder to elbow and back up again before he whispered, “Thank you for keeping me company...and taking care of me. I wish not to disturb you but Averey will be letting the chickens loose soon and I’d hate for them to think you breakfast.”

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser awoke slowly with a phantom tickle all up and down his arm. Before his brain had a chance to fully waken, it registered as pleasure, and he sighed softly as the whispered words reached him.

Thank you for keeping me company... and taking care of me.

A tiny smile twitched at his lips.

His eyes fluttered open, and then his brow furrowed, shifting Fraser's pleasant, innocent expression into a mild scowl. He rubbed his aching eyes and curled up into a fetal position, groaning in childish protest of the very concept of morning.

At last he forced himself to roll over and gather his bedding. He knelt next to Osbourne, the blanket and pillow bundled in his lap, and stared awkwardly at his chest, having no idea how to explain himself. He didn't remember why he'd come here, and no doubt Osbourne would read something into it.

"We both... had too much to drink," he concluded, his voice hazy and scratchy with lingering sleepiness. "I'll just...."

He gestured toward the kitchen, as if he had some urgent business there, and pushed up onto his feet. He took an unsteady step towards the door and hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Would a cup of tea be soothing?"

 

[ELEyogi]

“It would,” Ozzy said, though he did not get up. He feared that as soon as he did, the moment would end and Fraser would go back to the harsh indifference of the day before. “You best wait for Luc though. He don’t take kindly to folks pokin’ ‘round his kitchen. Why don’t you go enjoy the spare bed until he wakes? I know you’ve not slept well. We’ve a half day’s ride in the rear of a market cart ahead of us. Beats walking but is by no means comfortable,” Ozzy admitted as he took the boy in. That was one benefit of Fraser’s struggle with direct eye contact, he never seemed to notice Ozzy’s lingering gaze.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Averey acting like he wasn’t watching the entire exchange. Ozzy was certain the man heard nothing of what was said, but was curious about his guest chosen sleeping arrangements. He probably anticipated a ruckus to break the morning silence but Ozzy had learned his lesson from the night before and planned to keep his interactions with Fraser as light as possible.

He would not smother him with apologies nor would he be cold if Fraser turned in on himself again, Despite his throbbing head and roiling stomach, Ozzy was surprisingly content. Sure there was the plot to ruin him, but there was nothing he could do about it until he put boots to ground. And there was nothing to hide from Fraser anymore. He’d made his feelings known and that was that. Osbourne Clifton was not a man given to pining, so he would do his best to treat him as he would any of Maker’s most beautiful creatures. With tentative reverence.

“We’ll probably not leave until well after we break fast,” he said quietly as he moved to sit up, forcing a wet belch from way down deep in his belly. The taste was so wretched he had to spit, though he did the gentlemanly thing and turned his head. “You go on and rest a little longer,” he grunted as he slowly got to his feet. It took him a moment to get his bearings but he was eventually upright. And though he leaned a little, Ozzy was steady on his feet.

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser took a step back toward Osbourne, as if to help him rise, but the man did alright on his own. He shrank back again, ducking his head down.

"I... well... if you think it's best," he agreed. "I wouldn't want to rouse the ire of the kitchen master. But... you should have some meadowsweet tea soon. It will help your, um... head, and your stomach, also."

He backed up another step until he hit the door and reached back to open it to let himself in.

"Thank you," he uttered, watching Osbourne's feet. "I'm not sure I've slept even six hours in the past three nights combined. The bed will be appreciated, and... quiet."

He blinked a few times, looking suddenly flustered when he realized what he'd said and what Osbourne might guess may have made it less-than-quiet last night. He didn't want anyone thinking he'd heard a thing.

"Comfortable, I mean," he corrected himself, and immediately disappeared into the house with his bedding bundle.

The bed was indeed much more inviting than it had seemed last night. He shut the door to the small spare bedroom and didn't even bother making up the bed - he just tossed the pillow down, rolled himself in his blanket, and collapsed onto the mattress, lying there like a giant cocoon.

In only a few breaths, he was deeply asleep.

 

[ELEyogi]

Red faced and stammerin’ but far from cross

Ozzy couldn’t hold his grin as he watched Fraser stumble inside, all the while sensing he was being watched. Unready for scrutiny, he kept his eyes on the ground as he trudged inside to gather the buckets and Averey was nice enough to leave him to it. He didn’t need much direction, it wasn’t as if he’d never helped with the morning chores. Ozzy knew how many trips it would take to fill the various kettles that hung above the ovens and the troughs in the shop. He knew there were eggs to collect and pens to muck out. The mares needed their apples and oats while the cows and sheep needed to be allowed to graze. Ozzy took care of all of it, all while Averey shuffled about putting the finishing touches on a delicate rapier with an elaborate, gem encrusted handle.

“You’re too good for this shack Bear,” Ozzy muttered as he sat heavily on the stool from the night before, though his demeanor was markedly different. His back straight, shoulders square he looked fresh despite his blood shot eyes. “There are many who would fall over themselves to provide you a shop in the city.”

“We’re country boys Oz,” was Averey’s chuckling response. He was quiet as he wrapped the blade in a length of pristine linen, and set it into a wooden crate packed with dried grass. More grass was laid on top before Averey covered it all with burlap which he then tacked in place. Lucan would eventually pack his various delights on top. Averey made three more of various sizes before shift his eyes up to meet Ozzy’s. “And your flattery will not distract me. He needs rest does he…”

“Poor boy slept on the ground with a drunkard on account of your gruntin’ and hollerin’,” Ozzy said in a harsh whisper but Averey only laughed, which quickly caught Ozzy himself. “And good on you for leaving me out…”

“Like you didn’t need the fresh air. You should be thanking me,” Averey said with a nod at the door and Ozzy moved to follow him back to the house. “If not for me you’d not had ompany…”

“And how might that be friend. You advised I say nothing,” Ozzy said with a raised eyebrow but Averey only laughed.

“It was my home brew you swilled all night. If not for that, you would have kept your sense.”

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser slept more deeply than he had in years, and dreamed vividly. He dreamed of the sound of his mother's voice, the scents of all the flowers and herbs in their spectacular garden, and the way it had felt when he was tiny and she picked him up and swung him around. He dreamed of a day long ago that he'd visited the graveyard with his mother, and she had pointed out the stone belonging to her husband.

Bronwen Pryce had told her son frankly that her husband had not been his father, but that his father was a different man, with his own wife and other children. She had told him about how babies were made, how people enjoyed each other's bodies, how people used each other. She had told him how, when she was in a desperate place, she had appealed to a powerful man for help saving her land, and he had taken advantage of her vulnerability. In the end, she told him with an easy smile, although an inexcusable wrong was committed, it had all been more than worthwhile to her - she got to keep her home and her garden, plus received the greatest gift of all - a little boy to love and to teach all about the world.

He dreamed of her death, and how he'd only cried when he was alone, because ma had taught him how important it was to make sure people knew how strong you were, to make sure you could stand on your own two feet, so they didn't prey on you and use you up.

He dreamed of his father's house. He dreamed of the library, his only love. He dreamed of the resentful glares and petty abuses of his half-siblings, of observing all the ways they'd loved and accepted each other while keeping him at arm's length.

He dreamed of Kemp, the worst of them all, his brain creating a dream reality in which Kemp was the one who held a knife to his throat, laughing all the while.

He dreamed of Osbourne Clifton, the warrior with the long ginger hair. Osbourne and his large, warm hands, always reaching for him, as if they had been something special to each other. He dreamed of being a small, frail, wounded thing, needing to build a stronghold around himself like a turtle's shell, and being tumbled about within his little shell, helpless and lost. He dreamed Osbourne pulling him close, then pushing him away, then begging him not to leave.

He dreamed of Amadeo, the lovely boy who rented his body to powerful men whose needs could not be satisfied in socially acceptable ways. He dreamed of the long conversation they'd had on the complexities and hypocrisies of law and morality, of how charmed Amadeo was by all of his bold and impertinent questions instead of offended like anyone else would be.

What I do may be crass and quite against the law, Fraser Pryce, but that does not mean it isn't also beautiful and necessary, do you see, sweet lamb? Do you know that so many of the men who speak of my trade as a moral outrage and inexcusable blight on society are the same who would beg for my touch behind closed doors? Do you understand that sometimes a big, important man with much on his shoulders feels like a small, worthless man, and needs just one night of feeling special, significant, and desired? Don't we all deserve that, sweet lamb? Have you ever felt desired, Fraser Pryce? Despite your cold hands you are red-blooded and hot inside just like any of us. Just let me show you.

He dreamed of being caught. He dreamed of being fired. He dreamed of weeping silently alone in his bed, not because of what he'd lost but because Amadeo had been imprisoned.

He dreamed of Averey the Bear, of Lucan the Birdie, rolling and tumbling in an endless glut of mutual adoration and boundless desire, making the bed and the ceiling tremble in the wake of their love.

He dreamed of a large hand on his back, warm and careful, shaking him gently but insistently.

But this part was not a dream.

Fraser groaned and squirmed, blinking in disorientation. How long had he slept? What day was it?

His eyes fluttered, clearing his vision, to reveal Osbourne Clifton standing above him with an uncertain yet benign smile, whispering to him that it was just about time to leave. Was he still dreaming after all? Osbourne was carefully combed and trimmed, and dressed in finery he would not have expected for a man who spent most of his time rollicking about the forests looking for villains to dispatch.

There was no time to dwell on Osbourne's frustratingly pleasing appearance. Fraser had already missed breakfast and all of the packing. Lucan handed him a bundle of substantial pastries for the road, and before he could half gather his wits, they were off on their journey to Brynsland.

He felt terribly underdressed, wearing his simplest of travelling clothes while the other three looked rather handsome and important. Lucan promised he would lend some finery if he should desire it. Fraser could only look to Osbourne for help.

"I don't know what's next," he said, staring at the knife scar on Osbourne's cheek, so close to his eye, "but I will go with you."

 

[ELEyogi]

Dressed in Averey’s finest jacket and vest, Ozzy felt like a new man. And judging my Fraser’s reaction, however small, he assumed he looked it too. He’d let loose the braid from the night before and slicked his once wild mane of fiery red hair back away from his face. His beard had been tidied and trimmed down to line his jaw and connect to his mustache, making his already angular face seem slimmer and more refined. His short sword still dangled from his weapons belt but his leathers and secondary weapons had been stashed in a crate, hidden amongst the rest of Lucan and Averey’s deliveries.

Instead of dropping them at a safe house, the craftsmen would carry them into the city proper. It was Averey’s idea, the consummate pragmatist. “Why not ride through the gates,” he’d said why the three broke fast. “Hide in plain sight. If you’re men have returned without you, they expect you to attempt to secret your way into the city. They’ll not think to post anyone at Noble gate.” Ozzy could find no fault in his logic and agreed, if only for the door-to-door service and the prospect of showing Fraser his best self.

He waited until the last possible moment to wake him. Even applied a few drops of Averey’s cologne to further his image of nobleman. It is what he was, so he wasn’t exactly pretending with his erect posture.

"I don't know what's next," he said, staring at the knife scar on Osbourne's cheek, so close to his eye, "but I will go with you."

“What’s next is we shall return to Brynsland,” he said with a grin, fought the urge to place a hand on those slender shoulders. “I will arrange an apprenticeship with the Inn’s physician but if you’d prefer something else, you need but ask. I only wish for you to be safe and happy, Fraser Pryce...with or without me.”

Ozzy left Fraser in Lucan’s care and the two worked together to make him as presentable as possible. He was not to play a servant boy, but a willing companion to the rest and would need to look the part.

Once he was ready, all four loaded up into the cart. Ozzy road in the front, sword at the ready, while Fraser shared the bench in the rear with Lucan who road with a crossbow in his lap. And though uncomfortable, the ride was convivial with the three older men telling Fraser of their youthful follies. There was talk of how Lucan and Averey came to be in Brynsland and their life before. Ozzy told of how he met the two and the many adventures he’d been on with Averey father, Sir Dylan Gregory. All in all, the three friends tried their best to make Fraser feel welcomed among them. Lucan had even given him his own basket of goodies and made it clear that he was not to share, no matter how nicely he was asked. With such good company, the half day’s ride seemed shorter than expected and they arrived at Brynsland’s Noble gate as the midday bells chimed.

Flanked by a mountain range to the east and a river to the west, Brynsland was the jewel of Boundineer. The largest city in the Kingdom, it was home to the brightest minds and deepest purses. Even the poor in Brynsland could be considered wealthy when compared to those of similar standing in other cities. There were opportunities that could not be had anywhere else. Children of all social standing were offered basic education, even orphans were taught to read and write. Every guild offered apprenticeships to any who qualified and market permits were easily obtained.

But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a darkside to the glittering city. There was a reason there was a gate for the noble class. As the city expanded south to the south, so too did the poor district and there were occasional bouts of unrest that required additional security for the most wealthy citizens. A new gate had been constructed in the recent past that would allow them to avoid the sights and sounds, and smells, of the impoverished. And while the main gate was guarded by the Watch, there were Royal Guardsmen stationed at Noble Gate.

The cart from Knives and Cakes was ushered through without inspection once Lucan handed over a small parcel of treats. Averey thought it best that Ozzy and Fraser accompany them on a few delivers before he deposited them outside the Inn. “So as not to draw suspicion,” he’d said but Ozzy knew he appreciated another set of capable arms to hoist the pastry laden crates from the rear of the cart. They were only two left when they came to a halt just outside the Inn’s courtyard. There were no long good-byes, just a feigned offer of payment when Averey carried the crate up the front walk. He offered a bow to both men before regaining his seat on the front of the cart and moving on.

“Here we are Fraser Pryce,” Ozzy said as they waited for the doorman. “Whether it is the beginning or the end, it has been a pleasure to know you.”

 

[tamgreen]

Fraser felt like a new person in Lucan's finer clothes, although not necessarily the sort he wanted to be. Being dressed more nobly than he had been made him feel like he was back trying to fit in with his father's family again. He could play a role perfectly well, and indeed there was a noticeable improvement in his posture and general comportment when he wore these clothes, but he wasn't at ease with them.

Still, Osbourne was something quite extraordinary dressed like this, and he supposed it was worthwhile.

The ride was admittedly pleasant, and the camaraderie combined with his much needed long, deep slumber had Fraser feeling finer than he could have hoped given his circumstances. He even let a few big smiles slip, the kind that showed off the gap between his front teeth.

His expression grew much more serious when they were approaching the Inn. What would he do when he saw Kemp again? Or that man with the mustache whose name he still didn't know?

Here we are Fraser Pryce. Whether it is the beginning or the end, it has been a pleasure to know you.

Fraser trembled at these words.

"Why do you make it sound like there is a good chance we may be about to die?" he whispered.

This thought gave him an unpleasant pang, and at the prospect of death, he found that he had more regrets than an unwritten book. He reached out a hand and briefly took hold of Osbourne's, squeezing it once before letting go.

"Thank you for saving me," he breathed. "And for being good to me even while I've been sour and contrary. Save my life again, and you may earn a proper embrace. I would not give it away lightly. Being protected by you is not so very bad a thing."

The corners of his mouth twitched momentarily.