Chapter Text
Gideon had slept soundly throughout the whole night, lying face down on the bed with his legs awkwardly bent and tangled in the sheets as he snored loud enough to rival a dragon's roar. Luckily, the genasi never woke up even once during the shadows' chat, his body too busy burning off the excess alcohol from the night prior to even think of stirring.
Eventually, Gideon's trusty alarm clock- a.k.a. his stomach- decided to wake him up. The loud grumbling made him to groan as he blearily cracked open his eyes and felt the pangs of emptiness really start to hit him hard.
The genasi sighed as he sat up and scratched at his hairy chest, stretching his arms over his head and letting out a heavy yawn before forcing himself to stand. He'd been sleeping in such an awkward position the night before that his back cracked painfully enough to ear a low grunt.
"Damn I'm gettin' old-"
He walked around the room, picking up the clothes that had been lazily discarded around his caravan and tugging them on, but he was still kinda distracted now that his mind was stuck on food. Gideon licked his lips, wondering what Kremy might've cooked up for their breakfast this morning.
Hopefully some pancakes, syrup all over, with bacon and eggs on the side…
"Fuckin' hells, I'm so hungry…"
He muttered to himself, sighing as he tugged on his work boots and fumbled with the laces. Eventually, Gideon ran a hand through his messy hair, looking around for where he'd left his silver comb before locating it at the small workstation he kept in the corner.
Gideon smiled gently as he picked it up, silently thanking Twig for letting him take it back when they all had to say their goodbyes and leave the feywild. He quickly combed his hair so it wouldn't bother him any longer, reminiscing on the days before they'd met the party and it was just him and Kremy. Back when the gator would help him with his hair after he'd woken from a nightmare…
He missed it…
Missed the old cons, the wicked grins he'd get from Kremy before being sent off to beat the lights outta some random shithead who thought they could run off without paying up.
Missed their old talks when they got back to their camp or whatever inn room they'd rented for the night.
Missed the times when it was just them. Two best buds against the world!
No offense to their other friends, getting to have a big family and go on cooky adventures together was something Gideon treasured every single day, but he still missed how things used to be sometimes.
As Gideon finally trudged out of his caravan, he became overcome with an odd feeling he'd never experienced before, an almost tugging sensation from deep in his core, it felt like something was trying to lead him somewhere, but he wasn't sure what or where.
He felt unease stir in his gut, the thick hairs that covered his arms and legs all stood on end and his eyebrows knitted together as he surveyed the carnival, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious while he headed towards the food court for breakfast.
The genasi knew something was wrong, he just didn't know what, and that made him feel even more on edge.
'What if I'm jus' bein' paranoid…? Maybe it's nothin'…'
He thought to himself as he looked around, eyes too busy scanning in front of him to notice his shadow desperately trying to pull him in the direction of a certain warlock's caravan…
When Gideon reached the food court of the carnival, his frown deepened in concern at the sight of the party and some of the carnival workers standing around and looking confused…. With no sign of Kremy anywhere in sight-
Gideon immediately tensed up, a sense of panic filling him as he stormed ahead, snow melting around him as his flames flickered higher with his increasing anxiety.
'Okay, somethin's up. Kremy NEVER sleeps in this damn late- Not even after a long night, 'n' especially not when he has mouths to feed in the mornin'. Awh shit… What the hell did ya' get yerself into this time, Krem…???'
"Fellas, where the hell is Kremy??"
He almost snapped as he approached his friends, Gricko busy trying to calm Frost, who was nervously pacing around with his ears pinned back, meanwhile Torbek was anxiously petting Hootsie and trying to relax.
"I tried knocking on 'is door earlier, but nobody responded!! Frosty tried to do 'is lickle mind-link fingy, but he couldn't get through at all!!! We tried t' get into 'is caravan, but we don't 'ave a key, and we didn't wanna bust down the door or nofing…"
Gricko answered quickly, making exaggerated hand gestures as he explained their attempts to reach Kremy. Gideon's anxiety increased tenfold, flames shooting up as his chains rattled at his sides-
'Did Garou somehow come back?? Could he want something from Kremy???'
The genasi only managed to focus again when he heard Gricko's next question.
"Wait- You 'ave a spare key, don't'cha? Can you make sure 'e isn't in there?"
Before the goblin could even finish the last sentence, Gideon was booking it back to his caravan, all thoughts of his hunger abandoned as he felt that same tugging on his soul, almost like a part of him was desperately trying to get to Kremy as soon as possible.
Once again, his task of searching through his drawers made it impossible to spot how his shadow was wriggling just slightly where it was cast…
Gideon practically ripped Kremy's door off its hinges when he got to the man's caravan, storming inside and immediately spotting the lack of a fire burning in the hearth besides a few small embers, which seemed to be getting poked and prodded by- some kind of weird, dark shape…?
Kremy's shadow- Gideon immediately let out a sigh of pure relief. If Kremy's shadow was still mobile, that meant that he was both nearby and still alive…
The genasi rushed over to the bed, noticing the lump underneath the covers and how badly it was shaking.
Gideon only now remembered Kremy's words from last night, gasping at the realization that the gator was probably shutting down from the cold that had seeped inside without the fire there to warm him.
"Shit-! Kremy!!"
He tore off all the bedding, looking down to check on Kremy as he noticed a bit of movement...
The second the gator felt Gideon's warmth radiating through the sheets, his eyes fluttered open. His second eyelids were half closed and his pupils were fully dilated as a low, contented rumbling started reverberating in his chest. Other than that, he stayed mostly silent, slowly clambering over to the fire genasi and curling up against his sturdy frame before letting out an almost inaudible chirp as he rubbed the top of his head against Gideon's beard, using him as both a sunrock and a scratching post at the same time.
"Fuckin' hells- Yer so damn cold, ain'tcha…"
He murmured, relief flowing through him as he watched Kremy cuddle up, even if he was moving much slower than he'd like. As Gideon held the gator close, he stood up and walked to the fireplace, keeping Kremy balanced against him with one arm while using the other to toss some wood into the hearth and set up the kindling. When he'd finally got finished building the fire, he reached a finger inside and set it alight, sighing as he sat himself down in front of the flames and gently cradled his best friend.
"The hells were you even thinkin', Krem…? Shoulda asked me fer help if ya' were gonna get this damn cold…"
He spoke softly, rubbing a warm hand up and down Kremy's frigid hide as he shot a glare at the man's shadow, which was now cast on the floor beside him.
"How come ya' didn't go 'n' get me, huh?! He coulda died y'know! How long was the damn fire out?"
His sharp words cut easily through the silent caravan, his gaze fierce but still concerned as he scolded Kremy's shadow, who was now sitting with it's head down like a misbehaving dog, before it attempted to explain itself. The task was a hundred times harder due to the fact that Gideon couldn't understand the shadow the same way Kremy could, and so it needed to show the whole situation only using shadow puppets and frantic gestures.
Gideon was absolutely bewildered as it watched the shadow wriggle around and try to explain, but he eventually got the gist after about 10 minutes of the form flailing around next to him.
"Alright… So ya' couldn't come t' me 'cause Kremy was too weak from the cold for ya' t' properly detach…? And yer tellin' me the ONLY REASON Kremy didn't fuckin' DIE IN HIS SLEEP is because this caravan trapped in a little bit o' leftover heat from the fire after it went out?!?"
He listed off angrily as he stared down at the shadow, who seemed genuinely shocked he was able to understand all of that so clearly as it nodded quickly at him.
"Yer goddamn lucky he's still kickin', y'know that?? Fuck… Can't believe he didn't ask me to stay- He always used to do that when he was cold… Well- Before the fuckin' Feywild, at least…"
Gideon snapped before cursing to himself under his breath, his eyebrows knitted together as he gazed down at Kremy's face, wondering why the gator was acting so gods damned odd lately…
Throughout the past year, Kremy had continuously shut the genasi out whenever he checked in on him, or asked how he was doing, and it had started to make Gideon equally both annoyed, confused, and concerned.
Well, now he had a real good reason for that concern, since the warlock decided to almost get himself killed just because he refused to ask for help.
'Why in the hells am I not allowed t' know anythin' about him anymore?? Did I do somethin' wrong…? Oh god- What if I hurt him on accident or somethin'???'
Staring off into the flames that flickered in the hearth, panic rose in his chest as he held Kremy tighter, just trying to remind himself that the gator was still there and that he just didn't know the whole situation yet.
"He's gonna be fine… I'll just talk with him later… Yeah- We'll just talk later…"
He mumbled to himself as he took a deep breath and sighed, regaining his senses after the brief scare.
Gideon sat quietly for a while, continuing his attempts to warm Kremy up as the gator's shadow settled and became inanimate again.
The entire time Kremy was almost completely silent, only letting out quiet sighs and chuffs as he lazily nuzzled against Gideon and burrowed his face into the man's chest, seeking as much warmth as possible to fight off the cold.
Eventually, Gideon heard Frost's monotone voice piercing through his thoughts and echoing in his mind.
"Gideon. You've been gone for almost twenty minutes. Is Kremy alright?? What's going on??? Do you need our assistance?"
The fire genasi screwed his eyes shut, groaning quietly as he thought very hard to try and communicate with Frosty. Dammit… He was never good with this "mind link" bullshit-
"CAN YA' HEAR ME, FROSTY??? AM I GETTIN' THROUGH??? ARE YA' STILL THE-"
He was swiftly cut off from his attempts to mentally communicate as Frost responded in a slightly more exasperated tone.
'Yes- Yes I can hear you, Gideon. There is no need to yell. Is Kremy okay?'
'Oh- Yeah- Well, kinda… I found him half-frozen in his fuckin' caravan, man! Stupid gator thought it'd be a good idea t' just sleep on his own in the middle o' winter without askin' me for help!!! I'm surprised he ain't dead 'cause o' this shit, Frosty!'
There was a pregnant pause as Frost processed the news, the tabaxi's mind radiating his nerves right back into Gideon's.
'That…. is very concerning… Is he stable now?'
Gideon glanced down at his companion in order to check how he was looking, watching fondly as Kremy continued to rumble and attempt to burrow into his warm frame.
'Yeah. I'm keepin' him warm and I've got a fire goin'. He's been real quiet though… Well- besides all the rumblin'.'
The genasi could feel Frost mentally sighing in relief as he adjusted Kremy in his arms.
'Oh thank the gods… I'll let the others know for you. Stay with him until he returns to his senses while I help the others to get everyone breakfast. After all, it is the mo-'
Gideon groaned as he mentally cut Frosty off and recited the phrase he'd heard almost every day of the past few years.
'The most important meal of the day. I know Frosty.'
'Just making sure you remembered, Gideon. I will bring you some food once we have made a meal of adequate quality.'
With that, Gideon could feel Frost's presence leave his mind, funnily enough right before Kremy started rumbling and chirping a bit louder, the gator lazily pulling his face away to look up at Gideon as his second eyelids finally opened up fully.
His rumbling continued a little softer now as he finally spoke, those his voice was quiet and languid from exhaustion.
"Hhh… Gid…? 'S that you~?"
Kremy murmured as he lazily blinked up at his friend, mind still slow and hazy after just warming up.
Gideon's eyes had shot wide open the moment Kremy had moved to look at him, a relieved smile forming on his lips as he listened to the gator's lazy drawl.
"Oh- Y-yeah! It's me, man- I gotcha, Krems. I'll make sure ya' stay warm, alright?"
He explained cheerfully, watching Kremy's reaction eagerly to see how he was feeling.
Meanwhile, Kremy's eyes were half lidded and sleepy as he smiled up at Gideon, humming quietly along with the soft chirps that continued to echo from his throat.
"Awhhh… Such a sweetheart…~ Ya' been keepin' me all cozy, Gid~?"
He asked in a playful tone, grinning smugly to himself as Gideon blustered at the "sweetheart" comment. He loved messing with Gid like this when he got the chance, and he was especially bold when half asleep.
The genasi's hair flared up for a moment at those words, flickering back to life as he blanked on a response.
"Whu- I-I mean yeah-! Obviously! U-uh-"
Gideon cleared his throat and took a small breath, willing his flames to go back down.
"Wasn't jus' gonna let ya' freeze, Krem-"
He murmured a little quieter this time, sighing as he rubbed his thumb over some of the exposed scutes on Kremy's shoulder where his pajamas had slipped a little to the side.
His embarrassment returned in full force when he made eye contact and saw the gentle smile on the gator's maw. Gideon could barely handle Kremy's gaze sometimes, especially now that he had those damn silver irises. It always made him nervous. Like staring into the eyes of a predator (He technically was, considering the fact that Kremy was a gatorfolk). His friend always seemed to be able to stare down into his soul in moments like these, and it made Gideon's heart rate spike for a reason he didn't quite understand… Maybe it was the predator thing again…? Whatever. Gideon never put too much thought into it. He eventually snapped out of it and forced himself to look away again as Kremy spoke.
"Well, thank ya' for savin' my ass, shuga~"
The gator drawled in a syrupy tone, his Whipporwallow accent thickening sluggishly as he gently patted Gideon's arm.
He yawned as he stretched out his long limbs and his joints popped after being bent oddly while he'd slept, and he chirped quietly once again as he shifted around to get comfy in Gideon's arms.
The genasi flushed even harder from this nickname than the first, a sheepish chuckle escaping his lips as he watched Kremy stretch and essentially just cuddle up half on his lap. His flames crackled in his embarrassment as he processed what just happened.
'Damn… Kremy must be REALLY out of it if he's talkin' that slow- Don't think I ever heard him sound like THAT before… I ain't too surprised I guess- His voice's always been real nice in my opinion. 'S probably more on account o' him callin' me "sugar"-'
Gideon forced himself to ignore how that name reminded him of what some of the ladies he'd… interacted with… would call him.
'Anyways… Ain't never heard him call anybody anythin' like that before either. Felt pretty good though… In an ironic way, obviously-! Just 'cause I think my buddy's got a pretty hot voice don't mean nothin'! He's jus' got a nice accent- Yeah…'
He desperately rationalized with himself, taking a breath and trying to brush off how he initially reacted as just some standard embarrassment and nothing more. It wasn't gay if it was ironic, anyways-
Before he got the chance to keep thinking about it too deeply, Kremy suddenly let out a small hiss and clutched at his midsection, a loud grumble emanating from his stomach as he curled in on himself just a tiny bit.
Gideon immediately grew concerned, wondering if all that cold had made Kremy sick or something-
"Krem-? You alright, man? Is somethin' hurtin' ya'?"
He asked warily, bringing a warm hand to hover over Kremys' that were busy gripping onto his pjs as he shuddered a little in the genasi's arms.
"Mm… Shit- Yeah, yeah I'm fine… Guess my body ain't too keen on allat drinkin' we did last night…"
He managed with a weak chuckle, talking a deep breath as he pulled himself back up to try and stand.
"C'mon, Gid… Ya' didn't have any breakfast yet, right? I'll go… make you so-… Oh shit-"
Kremy started to say as he slowly rose to his feet, only managing to stay balanced for a few seconds before he started to wobble and raised a clawed hand to his temple, his words trailing off as he grew lightheaded and almost fell back down. Luckily for Kremy, Gideon had anticipated something like this would happen and he quickly leapt up to put a hand on the gator's back.
"Woah, there- Clearly ya' ain't REALLY alright, Krem. What in the hells 's goin' on??"
Gideon asked in a more firm tone this time, frowning as he steadied Kremy and watched how the man turned his snout away from him.
"I swear 'm fine, Gid-! 'M pro'lly jus' tired…!!"
He murmured back in an irritated tone, grumbling to himself as his tail twitched behind him. Obviously Gideon didn't buy his bullshit, brows furrowing into an annoyed glare as he turned Kremy by his shoulders to face him again.
"Look, man. I don't know what's up with ya' or why ya' won't tell me anythin', but this is just ridiculous! I jus' wanna hel-"
A loud rumbling from Kremy's stomach cut off his rant, the gator holding his sides in embarrassment as Gideon stared down at him.
It took only a moment for it to click in the genasi's mind, his muscles relaxing as his expression shifted to one of slight confusion and worry rather than anger.
"Krem- When was the last time ya' ate…?"
He asked gently, trying to get a good look at his friend's face to see if he was going to try and bolt away from the conversation.
Kremy was silent for a good while, avoiding all forms of eye contact as he thought over what to say. Each second he refused to speak made Gideon even more concerned as his face scrunched up. He hated being shut out.
"Kremy. Ya' know I won't leave ya' alone 'till ya' answer me."
There was a heavy sigh, and then Kremy spoke, glaring at the floor like a scolded child as he admitted the truth.
"I ate a lil' bit o' breakfast…. Two days ago…"
Gideon's face went slack, his face twisting with both worry and irritation as he rambled in his shock.
"TWO DAYS AGO-??? Dammit Kremy! Why in the hells didnt ya' grab a snack at LEAST?!?"
His flames rose and his brow furrowed deeper than it had all day, his eyes blown wide in utter disbelief as he tried not to yell too loudly. He just couldn't understand what Kremy was even thinking, not eating for two whole days in the middle of winter like that!
Kremy's tail thrashed behind him as he was scolded, still keeping his eyes away from Gideon when he snapped back in a clipped tone.
"You know I've been busy, Gid!! This carnival won't pack itself! D'you even know how much fuckin' paperwork it takes to get permission to bring a whole ass carnival into a new town!?? 'Cause it definitely ain't a little!"
He was covering his ass, and Gideon could tell. It seemed that Kremy's ability to lie hadn't returned with his consciousness just yet. Now he was worried, confused, and fucking pissed. Gideon knew Kremy was a liar by nature, but he seriously thought that after all this time the gator would think to at least tell HIM of all people the damn truth!! Smoke clouds puffed out from his nose like an angry bull in a minor image as his anger rose like the flames on his head.
"Ohhh, so NOW yer playin' the "I was too busy" card???? We're ya' "too busy"when ya' made me 'n' the rest o' the carnies food every fuckin' day after that dickhead chef quit?"
Kremy scoffed in offense as he stood up straighter, fussing with his pajamas and growling back. "I was in the middle of cooking! I-I was TRYIN' to focus, Gid-"
The genasi rolled his eyes. "Yer tellin' me that ya' "didn't have time" to take a lil' bite o' somethin' while ya' cooked? Yeah fuckin' right. What is up with you lately, Kremy??"
He ran a large hand down his face, throwing his arms up in exasperation when the gator just turned away and walked off to go grab his suit instead of answering him.
Kremy started to change the subject, as always, avoiding eye contact and unbuttoning his shirt while ignoring the confrontation.
"We've got lots of work to do, Gid. I gotta get ready and-"
"MAN I DONT CARE ABOUT WHAT WORK WE GOTTA DO!"
In an instant, Gideon's whole head was ablaze in the caravan as he yelled out, flame whipping around and crackling loudly, threatening to set the wooden structure alight.
"I MEAN- FUCK, KREMY! YOU ALWAYS DO THIS! I SAY I'M WORRIED AND YA' JUST CHANGE THE DAMN SUBJECT AND TRY T' IGNORE ME-"
Gideon began to rant loudly, too angry to even pay attention to his surroundings as his flames grew larger more volatile.
"YA' ALMOST FROZE TO DEATH BEFORE I GOT HERE- AND THEN YA' JUST TOLD ME YA' HAVEN'T EATEN FOR TWO FUCKIN' DAYS!?!? NOW YOU'RE TALKIN' LIKE I'M THE UNREASONABLE ONE FOR BEIN' CONCERNED! YER KILLIN' YERSELF AND YA' WON'T EVEN STOP WORKIN' LONG ENOUGH T' NOTICE!"
The sounds of heavy panting , rattling chains, and a crackling fire echoed through the otherwise dead silent room as Gideon stood there, fists clenched and shaking after his outburst. He looked up, mind finally clear enough to understand what was going on around him again as Kremy stared up at him.
The warlock was quiet, eyes wide and pupils slitted from the bright light of Gideon's flames. His tail was frozen stiff and had drooped down close to his ankles, not even twitching until he began to tremble…
He was scared.
The moment Gideon realized what just happened and how loud he'd been yelling, his flames fell to mere embers. He looked up at the ceiling and saw that there was some char marks and soot staining the wood. If he had blown up any further, he could've set the whole place on fire.
"K-Krem I… I didn't mean to yell at'cha like that but- Fuck… Ya' just never listen t' me… I'm just so godsdamned confused and I just want ya' to be alright, man-"
He apologized softly, his tone weaker than ever as he stared at Kremy with eyes that were desperately trying to make contact with the other's.
The gator was still visibly shaken up, but his tail finally gave a small twitch, and that small movement was enough to encourage Gideon to continue.
"I-I'm not mad at'cha for havin' a hard time… I promise. I just wanna know the fuckin' truth about this kinda shit, even though I know that ain't yer thing."
He spoke just as quietly as he walked, fists no longer clenched and suddenly held out innocently before him. He was attempting to make himself seem more open. He could only hope Kremy would show him that same amount of trust in turn.
"I've been yer right hand man for what? Over a decade now? C'mon buddy- Y'know I was jus' frustrated."
The warlock slowly started to ease up a bit, a small chuff escaping his snout as his pupils returned to their usual size, and the tension began to ebb from his stance. Finally more relaxed and out of his rattled state, Kremy looked down at himself gasped as he realized that he was still half undressed from attempting to change the subject and get into his suit a minute ago.
"Wow, Kremy- Ya' tryin' t' distract me from the conversation with those shoulders?"
He teased playfully in an attempt to lighten the mood again and get Kremy out of the weird funk he'd been in all morning.
Luckily, his tactics seemed to work, and Gideon let out a hearty laugh as Kremy's hands shot up to cover his chest and he turned to the side in an attempt to hide his bare scales. "Don't just stare, ya' heathen! I am NOT that kind o' gator~!"
Even as he fussed, there was still a small hint of a relieved curl at the edges of his maw, and that made Gideon relax enough for his thoughts to go off on their own again.
'Heheh… He kinda looks like that one fancy nobleman's wife after we got caught- DAMMIT NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR THAT, GIDEON-'
He quickly shoved that image to the side as he reached down to pick up Kremy's button up, which he'd dropped in surprise when Gideon had his outburst.
"Here ya' go, 'Mr. Modest'~" He said with a barely disguised wobble in his voice, chuckling lightly when Kremy snatched the garment from his hands and quickly began to dress himself once more.
A few moments of slightly awkward silence passed between them as Gideon turned his gaze elsewhere to let Kremy have a bit of privacy, even in the cramped caravan. Eventually, when the quiet grew too much for the fire genasi , he let out a long and heavy sigh that sounded a bit too much like how his Pa would sigh before telling him they had to sell off some of the animals that year.
"I meant it though. When I said I wanted ya' t' tell me the truth… Why haven't ya' been eatin' right, man? Be honest."
Kremy was silent once again as he thought through how he should answer, how to bend the truth to keep himself from becoming too exposed, too vulnerable. He didn't want to lie, but he just couldn't help it.
"Fine… Look I just- Hm. It's just very difficult for us reptile folk to digest when it gets this cold. Ya' understand? We need a source of warmth for just about everythin'. Plus, I've always just had a less voracious appetite compared to some people~"
He said with a small sigh, grinning playfully as he added in a small tease to try and help his case, hoping Gideon would believe what he was saying at face value-
The genasi did let a small snort slip at the joke, but he still narrowed his eyes and scanned his partner in crime all the same.
'Fuck… Why does he gotta be so damn good at lyin'…? I mean, yeah I really love that about him, but shit! Makes it so fuckin' hard to tell what's real…'
"Ya' sure yer tellin' me everythin'?"
He asked in a gruff tone, hoping a no-bullshit expresssion might crack the gator's facade if he isn't being truthful.
"I'm sure, Gid."
His voice was softer than before, and to Gideon, more sincere, at least he hoped it was.
'Hm… Well, even if he ain't tellin' the whole truth, I can at least start makin' sure he eats properly now. I'll stay with him and heat 'im up, and then he won't have an excuse to not eat anythin'! Man I'm so smart~'
He grinned to himself at the thought as he shrugged and said simply, "Alright man, I'll believe ya'. Now c'mon. Let's get ya' some damn food. Even if ya' don't like it, ya' gotta eat."
"Alright, alright- I'll go...”