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It was turning out to be a very warm and bright day in the small little town. Just a quick little pit stop and they’d be on the road again.
Jestro, like few of the others had stepped out of the Fortrex and his breath of fresh air had turned into a short stroll. How long had he been with the knights now? A while. He had a lot to think about. For instance, being a knight was much more difficult than being an evil overlord. At least then he personally wasn’t fighting any thing. Especially things larger than himself. It was getting harder everyday for the former villain.
He looked up from the dirt road and saw in the distance a group of men. He paused in his steps, wondering if he should continue. He was standing there for a while until his inner ego finally cut through his scared facade. Don’t be like that. You’ve been around monsters for crying out load!
Alright. Monsters he could handle. People… they were a different story.
Gulping, he continued on his path and rounded the group of three. They hadn’t spotted him, which was good. He didn’t want attention. Especially with his reputation as a villain.
As he went along, a sigh of relief escaped him and he continued to dwell in his thoughts. His thoughts were interrupted by a shout from behind and he whirled around just in time.
One of the men shoved him roughly and he fell back onto his haunches. The hard ground had scraped his hands as he tried to catch himself, peeling bits of his skin. He hissed in pain and lifted them up to his face to inspect them. He was bleeding a bit. Nothing too serious. The laughter that commenced was the thing that really got to him.
“Get up,” one of the men said and Jestro quickly obeyed. He didn’t want them to get him when he was down.
“I-I’m just passing through–– ”
“Shut up.” one barked back, silencing him.
“We don’t want you here. No body wants you here. Why don’t you just go? You’d be helping people out. Would it really be that hard to help for once?”
It was hard trying to prove himself as a knight. Saving the day and trying his best to support villagers in need was something he struggled with. For them to say that only made his stomach drop further. Jestro just lowered his head. He should have listened to his gut. He shouldn’t have come here.
He felt something slip around his shoulders and the laughing ceased. Jestro himself flinched and turned just in time to see Clay’s head peer forward at the group. “What’s going on here?” he asked, his tone calm, as per usual when greeting people he wasn’t familiar with.
The group appeared stunned by him and one piped up.
“Clay Moorington! Y-you’re Clay Moorington! We’re your biggest fans! Can.. can we get an autograph!?” he beamed, causing for a bitter smile to form on Clay’s face.
“Thank you. But I don’t think you deserve it after that.”
The confusion on their faces was clear, but they shook them off quickly.
“But why? He’s a total freak. He’s like the deadweight of your team! Why would you even try defending him?”
Jestro felt his face burn as Clay’s grip around his shoulders grew tighter and the brunette had unconsciously pulled him closer.
“Well, he’s an honorary knight now. And my friend. And think about it this way. How would you like to be attacked in the street without even provoking anyone? Sorry, but I don’t want anything to do with thugs who hurt people for fun.” he announced, his voice taking on a more fierce one.
The group looked stunned. “Sorry, we just– ” they flinched at Clay’s hard expression and swallowed. “…we’ll just go…”
They lowered their heads and stepped passed the two, their eyes watching their hero, who studied their every move as they left.
Once they were gone, Jestro removed himself from Clay’s hold and turned to face him. He hadn’t seen Clay act like that before. “You were a little harsh there?”
He noticed Clay staring down at something and Jestro produced an audible “Oh.” and raised his hands so that the brunette could see them.
Clay took his hands in his own to inspect them further, his frown deepening.
“Not harsh enough…” he muttered under his breath.
Jestro could feel his heart beating hard against his chest as they stood there. After a long pause, he finally gave a nervous chuckle. “Clay?…”
The brunette glanced up again, his expression now neutral.
“…can… can I have my hands back now?”
Jestro could have sworn he saw a blush cross his crush’s face and Clay quickly nodded, unhanding them immediately. “O-of course.” he mumbled, clearly embarrassed. He coughed into his hand and motioned to the direction Jestro had come from. “We should probably go back. Everyone should be ready to leave by now.”
“Right!” Jestro answered, a blush forming on his own face.
The two walked back in silence. Discretely stealing glances at one and another. Jestro had another thing to think about. Sharing space with his long time crush