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Barok woke up in the comfort of his bed that morning, which was quite surprising. He couldn’t remember getting there the past night… In fact, he was sure that he had dozed off on his desk while working late.
A puzzling situation, but he chose not to think too much about it: he had been exhausted the previous night, and had probably moved to the bed while half-asleep. He changed his clothes, then made his way downstairs, meeting Kazuma in the kitchen.
“Lord van Zieks.” His apprentice offered him a smile. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
In what had become something natural by that point, Barok helped him prepare breakfast—he wasn’t confident in his cooking skills, but still managed to do some simple tasks without much problem. The conversation flowed as easily as those actions. It was strange to think that, not even a year before, it was difficult for them to be in the same ambient without the uncomfortable silence taking over. Now, even when they didn’t say a word, there was still a warmth to their proximity that Barok hadn’t felt in a long while.
His mornings were much more lively whenever Kazuma spent the night at his place. More than once, Barok considered asking him to move into his house again, but always stopped himself: he knew that, deep down, his reasons weren’t as pure as he wished, and wouldn’t want to risk putting Kazuma in an uncomfortable position.
Besides, Kazuma seemed happy living in Sholmes’ attic, and his visits to Barok’s residence were quite frequent as well. If anything, Barok should be thankful that, despite everything, the two of them had become so close, instead of selfishly wishing for more.
A few days later, it happened again. Barok remembered being on his desk, his mind starting to flicker from exhaustion as he tried to keep his eyes open. And now, there he was, safe and comfortable on his bed.
Was he so tired that his memory was starting to fail him? Or could that be a case of sleepwalking? If so, that was quite the problem… He could deal with such a situation on his own, but if it happened again when Kazuma was spending the night there, it would only trouble him, especially if Barok ended up falling from the stairs or breaking something—or worse: walking into his room in the middle of the night and scaring him awake.
Still, it would be a good idea to warn him about it later, so he wouldn’t be caught by surprise if he came across Barok walking around in the middle of the night. The last thing he wanted was to give Kazuma any reasons to keep his distance again.
Troubled by those thoughts, Barok walked downstairs. As usual, Kazuma was already there; he turned to face Barok, and his smile soon faded into a concerned expression.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
Barok considered touching that subject, but stopped himself: it was still too early in the morning to bother Kazuma with such things.
“Yes,” he said, “it is nothing.”
Kazuma observed him, seeming dissatisfied with that answer. “You should stop working until so late. It’s not good for your health.”
“I will try.”
“Trying is not enough.” Kazuma sighed. “If you are too busy, you can ask me for help, you know?”
“It is not your responsibility to do my work for me.”
“But it is, as your apprentice, to assist you.” Kazuma took a step forward, meeting Barok’s gaze. “Just let me help you, alright?”
It was hard to argue with him when he was so clearly concerned about his well-being. Besides, it also made Barok feel happier than he should.
“I will keep this in mind,” said Barok.
Kazuma smiled, pleased.
Barok tried to do as Kazuma said, and—unsurprisingly—not forcing himself to stay awake until late at night had some positive impacts on his health and humor.
That day, however, they had to deal with a sudden, complex case. Kazuma spent the entire day investigating a crime scene with Gina; Barok joined them in the afternoon, when the duo had already done most of the hard work, managing to locate the suspect and secure enough evidence to guarantee a guilty verdict during his trial, a few days from then.
Barok didn’t always tell them this, but he was proud of those two. In such a short time, they had proved to be an incredibly capable pair, who let no detail pass unnoticed, finding the truth no matter how much others tried to keep it hidden. Especially with how chaotic London’s justice system had become after Stronghart’s arrest, Barok was glad to have people he knew he could trust without a doubt.
Once again, he caught himself thinking of how far Kazuma had come in that past year—and, by consequence, how deep their bond had grown. He wanted to be not only a good mentor to that man, but also a good friend… someone Kazuma could rely on in his times of need.
That was one of the reasons why, that night, Barok did something he knew would make his apprentice angry at him if he ever learned about it, staying awake late into the night to deal with the accumulated paperwork by himself. He wasn’t planning to turn that into a habit again, but Kazuma was tired, and Barok didn’t want to disturb him with even more work. So, just that once, he decided to deal with everything on his own.
Barok managed to get most of the work out of the way, but before he was done with it, the exhaustion finally managed to catch up with him; he tried to fight it, but caught himself dozing off again and again. He was almost asleep when the sound of light knocking on the door pulled him closer to reality.
Not receiving a response, Kazuma opened the door, glancing inside. “Barok?”
What was he doing awake at that hour? Barok wanted to respond, but was too tired to move or speak. Kazuma moved closer, observing him for a moment.
“This again…”
At least he didn’t sound angry. Carefully, Kazuma placed his arms under Barok, and, with considerable ease—especially considering the difference in their sizes—lifted him, carrying him to the bed. He placed a pillow under Barok’s head, then covered him with a thick blanket.
“There you go…” he said. “You troublesome man.”
He frequently used those words to refer to Barok, but there was always a hint of fondness in them—and it wasn’t different that time. After making sure that Barok was comfortable, Kazuma reached for his head, lightly caressing his hair.
“Sleep well,” he murmured.
He walked out of the bedroom without making another sound, closing the door behind him. Barok turned to the side, covering his burning face with both hands. All that time, that possibility hadn’t even crossed his mind… And Kazuma had never mentioned it, either.
He wasn’t sure of what to think about it. It was embarrassing that his apprentice had to take care of him like that, and at the same time… Barok couldn’t take the warmth of his body and the gentle tone of his voice out of his mind.
How was he supposed to fall asleep like that…?