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Sir Bayern had been out in Cremo when he’d caught an unfortunate case of the sniffles. Passing back into Frontera land had prevented further spread of the disease thanks to their advancements in cleanliness and medicine (as well as the magic Lloyd had earned from The System), but it still, unfortunately, took hold in the man. He’d tried to work through it, but, ultimately, the Flu had gotten the better of him. He’d been in a practical coma for three days now, but he was on the mend and would be back to full strength in no time.
Unfortunately, those three days had been extra hectic with building plans, contract work, and more. With Sir Bayern down, the excess work largely fell onto the young master of the estate, one Lloyd Frontera.
At one point, the estate would find itself in chaos and misery should even the smallest of tasks fall to Lloyd, but, one night, Lloyd had gone out the drunken hooligan all knew him as and came back… different. A new man. This was the night the original Lloyd went… somewhere. Suho Kim had no clue where, but he, an average Korean guy just trying to survive, found himself the new owner of a fantasy nobleman’s body in a story he’d just read. No one but Suho, now Lloyd, knew this detail.
Javier Asrahan, a master swordsman sworn to the Frontera Family and the estate, was one of the few with such an extensive insight on Lloyd’s change. There were still things Lloyd hid, such as his ‘real’ name, but Javier trusted the man with his life and the life of his people. He’d seen past the lies and misdirection that the young master used to distract everyone else from said mysteries.
No, while at one point that darn face of steel would work on the swordsman, they’d broken down that wall. Instead of working around one another, Lloyd would be as honest as he could with Javier whenever he could, with the young swords master trusting the plan, and, in turn, Lloyd would listen to Javier’s feedback and back the young hero when he asked for that trust in return. Of course, none of this was without a little sass, the occasional bets, and a lot of eyerolling, but Lloyd could honestly say he couldn’t imagine his life without Javier. Javier felt much the same.
Somewhere along the way, they’d grown close. Closer than most knights and their royal charges.
The two were stubborn and dense, and it had taken some time to realize both felt the same. It was still new, the two keeping it quiet for multiple reasons.
While it was not the automatic assumption of most people, there were no laws or rulings against same-sex relations. In general, though, there was an expectation that there would be lines of biological heirs amongst the ruling classes. Their world of magic, of course, meant that there was always the chance of an heir coming out of thin air (or clay, or potions… you get the idea), and the Frontera’s had the added bonus of having a second son who, at least at this time, was more interested in more feminine partners. Really, the biggest issue with Lloyd, specifically, taking on a male partner was the fact that the many potential fathers-in-law male nobility taking affront to the fact that their own child was not chosen (the children attracted to males, of course, would sigh in relief at missing the Lloyd bullet, but they would complain loudly at hearing who, exactly, the young noble had taken as a suitor).
(Unknown to Javier, Lloyd was also still a little scared – he remembered, as Suho Kim, the terrors that people who did not conform to the cis heterosexual ‘norm’ of his world had faced, and, while he logically knew that this same bias largely did not exist here, thanks to the prevalence of Magic to mix things up, he still couldn’t bring himself to be open outside a very small group of people to his bisexuality.)
(Thankfully, Javier, with his own reasons – largely that the Lloyd Frontera fan club/cult would never leave him alone should they announce their courtship – never questioned Lloyd’s hesitance to tell people.)
For the sake of the business and estate (and their own sanities), the two were keeping to themselves at this time.
The two’s close friendship and later relationship meant that Javier was always about when Lloyd needed him, whether the young master agreed to it or not.
For several nights now, when Javier had drifted off at the side of the young master, the presumption was that Lloyd would follow in sleep soon after. Unfortunately, Lloyd had not slept, and, on this third day of the bags under his eyes growing, Javier knew he had to put a stop to it.
“You need to rest, my lord.” The young knight approached the young developer. It was just after lunch when they’d returned from the coal mines. They’d gotten a call that the excavators had found signs of another giant ant colony, and, while the Orcs had been sure that they could handle it, Lloyd was never one to go in blind. Measure twice and cut once, as it was. Lloyd had gone through the new cavern they’d dug with his strange magic that could seemingly allow him to detect through walls, and, while they had discovered a few tunnels and a handful of ants that had somehow dodged the initial blast out, it was nothing the workers couldn’t handle on their own, let alone the force that was Lloyd Frontera and Javier Asrahan. Twenty ants had made their last stand before the duo, and Javier cut them down in three swipes.
Now that the initial panic had passed, the two were headed back to the main house, Lloyd already pouring over some notes that he’d brought with him in a shoulder bag and muttering something about how he “wished the search function was still a thing,” whatever that meant.
Lloyd seemed to not register what Javier had said for a few steps before looking over at the man. “What? I’m fine! Besides, with Sir Bayern down, we need all hands on deck.”
Javier lifted an eyebrow. “The man is well on his way to recovery, and I do believe that this kind of work can be spread amongst other members of the home. Lord Frontera has assured me that his contract skills are nothing to sneeze at.” Javier insisted in the most polite way possible. “This kind of pace is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle, my lord.”
Lloyd, however, heard the underlying words: “You are an idiot. You will pass out, and your parents will ream both of us.”
Lloyd shook his head. “He has plenty of work at this time, and I will not encroach on Sir Bayern’s sick leave. When he returns to full health, then I’ll give him back his work.”
Javier sighed. Lloyd always preached fairness in the workplace, and yet he treated himself like shit. “Then you leave me little choice. I will have to call in your mother.”
Lloyd froze. “You wouldn’t.”
“The Lady of the House will surely be distressed to know her eldest is working himself into an early grave.” Javier continued.
“That’s…! Not…!”
“She’ll be so disappointed… She may even cry.”
Lloyd grew more tense. “For fucks… Fine! I’ll go back to the manor as long as there are no other incidents today. Is that amenable to you?”
It wasn’t a guarantee of rest, but it was a step in the right direction. The hardest part of getting Lloyd to sleep was getting him somewhere he felt safe and comfortable. He never risked sleeping in the open, let alone where his workers could see him. He considered it slacking at worse or unsafe at best.
“For now.”
Lloyd grumbled as they continued their route through the town, the manor a clear destination now in mind.
Lloyd refused to go to his bedroom, but the office would do fine. What was once a guest room collecting dust was now Lloyd’s study. The old bed had been moved somewhere else, the space filled with tables for drawing and writing, supplies off to one side in a series of shelves, and walls with various maps and images from across the region.
Thankfully, the rest of the furniture that hadn’t been used in the remodeling of the room had been pushed off to one corner. A small sofa and two chairs around a coffee table sat near the window away from the chaos that was Lloyd’s workspace. The clothing closet was also pushed into a corner there, now storage for the things the Summons liked to collect or small things that Lloyd had deemed to keep.
When Javier was with Lloyd in this space, he would find himself in this little corner, sometimes with a book if he knew it would take Lloyd time to get done. The corner was perfectly located to create a choke point should an intruder try to attack through the window or door, though no one had tried in a while. Lloyd rarely, if ever, sat in said corner.
Javier was momentarily distracted as Ppodong struggled to get the cabinet with the Summons’ things open. After assisting them with the door and pulling out a soft blanket for them to play on, the Summons were off to their own devices.
In that time, Lloyd had gone over to his table, attempting to continue his work.
Javier wouldn’t let that be.
“No.” He said in a firm voice as he came up behind the young lord.
“No?” Lloyd looked over, confused, before looing back at his notes. “What did I miss?”
“That you were intending to rest.” Javier reminded the man.
Lloyd was stubborn. “I have work to do.”
Unfortunately, Javier was also stubborn.
“Hey! Put me down!” Lloyd complained as Javier swiftly pulled out the chair the brunette had been sitting in and scooping him up. “Hey!”
“Our deal was that you rest.” Javier reminded the man.
“I was resting! I was sitting!” Lloyd protested further.
“Rest over here.” Javier finished by sitting down and depositing the young man on the sofa next to him. It was at this point that Javier noticed the bright red blush on Lloyd’s face. The shorter man was trying to be mad, but he was fighting his own fluster.
Javier blushed lightly, but he smirked through. “Rest.”
“Uhg! Fine, I’m here.” Lloyd huffed as he set his feet up on the table, the papers he had been clutching still in hand. “But if I need anything else, I’m getting up.”
“I’ll get it.” Javier reassured.
Lloyd shot Javier a frustrated look, but it was at this time that the Summons spoke up from where they had been playing. “Ppo-ppodong!” The hamster called to the master.
Lloyd spun on them. “Hey! You stay out of this!”
“Ban-gul!” The snake added.
“No! No, Javier is NOT right!”
“Ham… Hamang…” The little hippo stated.
Lloyd groaned. “This is a mutiny!”
“Ppo!” “HAM!” “Gul!” “Ggo…” It seemed as even the lazy Ggoming was even aligning with said “mutiny.”
Javier may not understand, exactly, what they were saying, but they seemed to agree that Lloyd needed rest.
Javier, deciding to indulge the man a little, did keep some supplies within reach, but he didn’t leave Lloyd’s side otherwise.
Lloyd began to sink into the sofa, a bound book for notes in hand. He was writing up notes, instructions, for upcoming builds as well as referring to the papers that were stacked to his other side. Javier kept an eye on this while reading a story from a nonfiction book.
The young noble sunk further, and, soon enough, he was leaning on the knight. Lloyd was so exhausted that he hadn’t yet noticed, but Javier had. Using careful movement, he set his book aside and used his other hand to ease the smaller man further into his hold. Lloyd was like putty.
To Lloyd, he had been so focused on his notes (or focused on focusing on his notes, his eyes watering from remaining awake) when he heard it. The soft bu-bump, bu-bump. Lloyd tried to ignore it. He soon grew warm, his legs sliding off the table to lean against the sofa and his back growing warm against the strong but comforting surface.
…the construction of the anchors for the mountain currently employ alloys of…
Bu-bump. Bu-bump.
…the contractor in Cremo should be able to assist in casting the drills…
Bu-Bump. Bu-bump.
…the construction of the anchors… Wait, hadn’t he already written this?
Bu-Bump. Bu…
The book slipped in his grip to rest on his stomach. Javier focused on Lloyd’s pulse, which slowed to an easy rhythm. Lloyd snored softly, finally falling prey to his own exhaustion.
Javier smiled as Lloyd rested, using his one arm to shift Lloyd so that he rested easy on the sofa. When Javier tried to leave, Lloyd shifted, digging deeper into Javier’s chest and grumbling about “contract bridges” and “flowers that match his eyes.” Whatever his dream was, it was sure to be interesting.
The knight resigned himself to being the former hooligan’s pillow, blushing at the thought. After a few more careful shifts, he found the two of them lying on the sofa, Javier’s face dusted red even as he used his free hand to gently card Lloyd’s locks. The brunette was tucked against the swordsman’s chest, their legs tangled together. The sofa was a tight fit, but Javier couldn’t find himself caring.
As it turned out, there was a lullaby for the greatest estate developer after all.