Chapter Text
Simon,
Expect me a few days after you get this. Please don’t do anything else stupid until I arrive.
Love,
Daniel
Simon winced a little as he put down the letter.
“Perhaps it would have been better to tell him about me… after he arrived,” Rook murmured, shifting uncomfortably.
“I… I don’t know if that would be… worse, but it definitely wouldn’t be better. Anyway, it got him on his way as soon as possible. Otherwise he would have waited until it was convenient, and that might’ve taken months.” Simon sighed. “He’s likely to be very protective at first. But then he’ll get to know you, and he’ll love you.”
“I trust you know him enough to be sure of that,” Rook mumbled, leaning into his side. “I’ll endeavor to make a good impression.”
“You won’t even have to try hard.” Simon leaned up and kissed his jaw. “Just relax, let him see who you are. You’ll do fine. And I’ll be with you.”
Rook’s arm curled around him. “In that case, I believe I’ll survive the encounter.”
When they began serving dinner that night, the usual crowd and an assortment of travelers filtered in and they got to work serving up a slightly spicy pork and cabbage stew that Rook had pieced together from memories of a dish he’d had growing up. North was helping out tonight, and welcomed in newcomers.
“Come on in,” she called to a cloaked figure that slipped inside and paused by the door. “Sit down anywhere, I’ll get to you.”
The figure hesitated, then sat down in the corner. When North brought over a steaming bowl, they looked up.
“Is – I’m sorry, are… Rook and… Simon here tonight?”
North stopped and stared. She couldn’t see the face under the hood. “Who wants to know?”
“Um.” He looked around uncertainly. “I… Rook is… my…”
North cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “You’re the king? The big brother, Connor?”
He ducked his head. “I’d prefer not to attract attention.”
“Got it. Yeah, they’re in the kitchen, that door there.” She peered at him as he got up stiffly. “They said you’d come by some time. They expecting you tonight?”
“No… not… specifically tonight. Um – thank you.”
“No problem. I’m North, friend of Simon’s. …And Rook’s I guess, he’s okay. Tell ‘em I’ll handle things out here if you want to visit for a while.”
“Thank you.” Connor smiled faintly as he slipped into the kitchen.
“This is really good, we’ll have to make it again!” Simon said, leaning on the counter.
“It isn’t quite the way I remember it,” Rook murmured.
“…You have to ferment the cabbage first,” Connor spoke up as he stepped through the door and pulled back his hood. “I… don’t know the exact process, but I could find it for you.”
“Connor,” Rook greeted him.
“Is this a bad time? It’s rather busy out there – I saw North, she said she would handle things for a while.”
“No, come in!” Simon smiled, offering his hand. “It’s so good to see you!”
“Thank you.” Connor smiled back, stepping closer. “I’ve been locking myself away in my study to draft documents and review policies every night and… I realized it’s really the only time alone I ever get, so I might as well make good use of it.”
“I wondered how you made it here without five bodyguards,” Rook murmured.
“Thanks so much for coming to see us,” Simon added.
“I’ve been wanting to come.” The three of them sat down, and Simon ladled out some more stew for each of them. Connor breathed in the steam appreciatively.
“You look tired,” Rook said, eyeing his brother sharply.
“I am,” Connor admitted. “But that’s just… my life now. …You’re looking good. Life here really suits you.”
“I – yes. It does.” Rook ducked his head a bit, poking at his stew. The angles of his face were a little softer now, less harsh. His eating habits had changed, but he was also becoming more expressive, beginning to smile from time to time, relaxing more. Simon reached over and took his hand, rubbing his knuckles gently.
“Are you… taking care of yourself over there?” Simon asked a little hesitantly. “I know you have all kinds of people making your food and such, but…”
“Ah…” Connor laughed self-consciously. “I do my best. I do get fed, at least. But every day is busy, and… well, this is one of the few things I’ve been able to do… just for myself. I sneak down to play with the dogs sometimes, too. Hank is the only person there I’d consider a… friend. Not that everyone else is against me, I have people I can rely on. But… not many to talk to.”
Rook frowned. “I… I’m not trying to avoid you, I –“
“No – I’m not blaming you, I just… I’ve never had many… personal connections anyway, I should be used to it.”
Rook reached out to clasp Connor’s arm, his eyes stormy.
“I – sorry, I’m not phrasing this right.” Connor put a hand over Rook’s. “You know what we both grew up with. I know it was even worse for you. It’s – I’m working hard to improve things.”
“I should make a point to visit more often,” Rook muttered.
“I’m always glad to see you, but I absolutely don’t want to take away from your life here.”
“You don’t,” Rook said flatly.
“Of course not!” Simon spoke up. “And you should come here more often too, as much as you’re able to.”
“You would… add to our life here, if anything. You’re family, after all,” Rook said quietly, not quite looking at his brother.
“…Thank you,” Connor murmured, his eyes shimmering. “That means… so much to me. I’m glad we could… we could be family, despite… everything.”
“So am I.”
Connor exhaled, breathing out a lot of his nerves. “Well… I’ll definitely make an effort to come here more often. Even if I have to sneak out.” He grinned. “And you’re welcome at the Tower any time. Simon, you too.”
“We’d love to come,” Simon said, smiling warmly.
“I’m afraid it won’t be as comfortable and intimate a setting as you have here… but it would mean a lot, and I’d be glad to have you.”
The three sat talking long into the night – Connor had warded his study so no one would disturb him. When he finally left, he was smiling and clutching a cookie for the trip back. Rook and Simon walked him out and watched him go, each with an arm wrapped around the other.
“We should keep an eye on him,” Simon murmured, leaning his head on Rook’s shoulder. “He’s stretching himself awfully thin.”
“You can’t look after everyone,” Rook said softly. “…But I agree.”
“No, I know. But he’s your brother, so he’s different.”
They watched the street Connor had disappeared down for a moment, then Rook turned slightly to envelope Simon in a hug. Simon returned the embrace, rubbing his back. They stayed like that for a long time, until Simon shivered a bit.
“Come in and get warm,” Rook murmured, and let Simon go just enough so they could head back inside together.
“Mm, we should make sure North’s doing okay.” Simon mumbled, taking a moment to nuzzle into his chest.
“…In a minute,” Rook whispered, wrapping his arms around him fully once more and rubbing his face into the blonde’s hair.
“As long as you want.” Simon sighed happily and relaxed into him.
“I don’t think we should make her wait that long.”
“Mm. Well, there’s always later.” Simon pulled away slowly.
“Later, then.” Rook held onto his hands for a moment, his eyes shining, before they headed out to check on the dining room.
“We’re getting close, we’ll make it there by tomorrow night if we hurry.”
“Yeah, if you’d gone and rented a cart, we’d be there already.”
“I – I’m not going to rent a cart, I have a perfectly good cart.”
“…That’s in the shop right now.”
“Yes, and it costs money to have fixed, and so does the horse that keeps throwing that front right shoe. With all the expenses lately, I can’t afford it.”
The brunette rubbed his face. “Well don’t complain about how long it’s taking, then.”
“You’re one to talk…”
“Y’know what? I’m gonna head out, I think.”
“What?” the blonde asked, stopping dead in his tracks. “Listen, I – I didn’t mean any of that as anything against you. You know I’m glad to have your company, right? You know I don’t begrudge you anything, I’m not blaming you –“
“I know,” the other cut him off. “You’ve said that plenty of times, I know. Don’t worry. I just… you’ve helped me a lot, I’d probably be dead without you. I owe you. I appreciate it, really. But… you’ve got your family business to take care of here, and… I’ve got my own.”
“What?”
“Hey, take it easy. I’m not – I just have some shit I’ve gotta do here. Been thinking about it for a long time. Uh – might not even work out, but… well, I’ve got a place to start that’s pretty close, and I’m gonna check it out.”
The blonde stood stiff, staring at his companion. “You’re just… leaving? Going back there? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I’ve been a lot better lately. Thanks to you.” He smiled crookedly and patted the other’s shoulder. “And listen, I’ve just gotta work out some shit, and then I’ll find you. You write down the name of this place you’re going, and I’ll come find you when I’m done. Or if… if nobody’s home. I’ll find you again, though.”
Blue eyes searched the gaunt face uncertainly. “Are you… sure about this?” he asked quietly.
“I’m sure. I fucked it up bad last time I was home, and… well, you saw what a mess I’ve been since then. Gotta see if it’s too late to try to fix some of it.”
“Do you… want me to go with you?”
“Nah, I know you’ve gotta save your dumbass brother from that creep.”
“I – can you wait for me? Can we go on the way back?”
“I’ve gotta do this. And it’s better if I do it alone, that’s… it’s my problem. You’ve got your own problems to deal with, and you know I wouldn’t be any help with that.”
“I… I guess not, I just thought…”
“I mean, I… oh. Uh. I can go with you if you want. Just for… just to be there if you… if you need me. Don’t think I’d do much good, but…”
“No.” The blonde squared his shoulders. “No, if you had other plans, go ahead. I wish you’d told me ahead of time so I knew you’d be leaving, but I won’t stop you.”
“Hey, I’m not – are you okay?”
“I’m – no, I think my brother’s being manipulated by someone with more power than I can even imagine, and I have no idea why, of course I’m not okay!”
“Yeah, but aside from that?”
“…Aside from that, yes. Fine. Wonderful.” He rolled his eyes.
“Okay. …Do you want to stop for the night and leave in the morning?”
“I can’t waste any more time, I –“
“Hey.” The brunette grabbed his shoulders and squeezed. “Breathe for a second. Nice and slow like you tell me to do. In his letter he sounded okay, right?”
“He sounded gullible and duped by the most obvious villain I can imagine,” the blonde muttered, pulling away halfheartedly.
“Okay, but he was alive and didn’t seem like he was… suffering, right?”
“Only because of the enormity of his stupidity.”
“But he said business was picking up, and he was doing all kinds of stuff. Like, good stuff to keep busy. Stuff he’d have to be in decent shape to do. Stuff other people would be seeing.”
“I guess.”
“So he’s not dying,” the younger man reasoned, scratching his face absentmindedly. “So if you stop for a meal and a good night’s sleep, he’ll still be there when you get there. And you’ll be in prime condition to beat this guy who’s taking advantage of your dumb brother within an inch of his life.”
The blonde’s shoulders drooped, and he exhaled. “I’m not going to be able to sleep much either way,” he muttered in defeat.
“C’mon, we’ll find a nice place to stay”
There wasn’t much in the way of lodging, but the two rented a small room over a stable and gulped down bowls of chicken and dumplings that was mostly mushy flour. The brunette fell asleep quickly, while the blonde tossed and turned for a while before falling into a fitful slumber. In the morning they each got a thick slice of buttered bread and said goodbye at the crossroads.
“Here, this is where I’ll be.” The blonde handed over a slip of paper.
“…Jericho Inn,” the brunette read. “That’s downtown?”
“Yes, not far from the border.”
“Big place?”
“Pretty big.”
“Yeah, I’ll be able to find it.”
“And you’re… are you sure about this? Really?”
“Yeah… yeah, I need to do this. I - it’s been a long time coming, and I’ve gotta take care of this. Thanks for… for everything, Daniel.”
“Be careful, Leo.”
The two clasped hands, sharing one last nervous smile before parting ways.