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He’d gotten stabbed. And he knew even without looking carefully that he was a goner. There was no coming back from this. No-one would be able to get to him in time.
It was a strange feeling. Dying in this manner…
This was not the first time he had a lethal wound. But… it was the first time he truly didn’t want to die. He was alone here after all.
He wanted to see their faces again… Once last time.
If he survived today, Master would surely kill him for taking such a risk. He’d rushed out without thinking about how it could be a trap. But the thing is… when it was his master’s life on the line, it was hard to think straight.
He always teased Mitsuhide about losing brain cells when it came to Zen but turns out he was no better.
Ah… no good. His vision was swimming. Was this the end of the line?
Obi! Wake up, Obi!
The distant voice was familiar but where was it coming from?
“It’s too late for me.” He tried to say, but the words didn’t come out.
The owner of the voice shook him gently. Strangely, the voice was much closer this time. Or perhaps more defined?
He blinked. The surroundings changed and a very different room came into focus, along with a head of blonde hair he would recognize anywhere.
“Huh…Master?”
Oh. That’s right. While waiting for Zen to finish work for the day, he had plopped on the prince’s bed to relax…and promptly fell asleep. He had underestimated how tired he was, but it was to be expected. Things had been so busy once they had moved to Wilant. The King’s wedding ceremony had just passed too, and as Zen’s knight, things had been exceedingly busy for him.
But something was a little off. Instead of being exasperated that Obi was lounging on his bed for the umpteenth time, Zen seemed…concerned?
“You were crying in your sleep, Obi.” Zen said softly.
That broke Obi from his sleepy haze immediately. He instinctively touched his face, and sure enough, his cheeks were damp.
That had been one realistic dream. The feelings from it hadn’t quite faded.
But he knew he was alive, with no injuries. And Zen was here solidly next to him; he could feel the warmth from his hand on his shoulder. He hadn’t moved it from when he shook him awake.
“It’s nothing, Master.” He lied easily. “Most likely, you were just being mean to me in my dream.”
Zen’s rolled his eyes, but he let it go, probably due to the lateness of the hour.
“What time is it?” Obi asked curiously.
There was a pause.
“…3 am.”
“Wow, you almost lied to me, didn’t you. You know it’s bad when you’re worried about getting a scolding from me of all people. Well, I know you’ll get an earful from Mister Mitsuhide later. If he finds out, that is. And maybe the Young Miss too.”
“You’re awfully talkative for someone who just woke up, Obi.” Zen rolled his eyes, but seemed to relax, releasing Obi’s shoulder.
Obi nimbly got on his feet to head back to his quarters, despite the fact that he would like nothing more than to close his eyes and drop back to sleep.
To his surprise, Zen stopped him. “It’s okay, just stay.”
“Trying to distract Mitsuhide so that he scolds me, instead, hmmm?” Obi said slyly. Mitsuhide had lectured him on the propriety befitting of a prince’s knight so many times, he could predict exactly what the older knight might say.
“It’s fine, I’ll make an excuse on your behalf. It’s my fault you fell asleep here anyway. You were waiting for me, weren’t you?” Zen said the last part quietly.
Obi's eyes widened. Zen hadn't forgotten after all.
It was true that they were supposed to hang out today, but Obi thought that maybe Zen had forgotten since it wasn’t anything concrete. He shouldn't have doubted his master though. The second prince of Clarines never ignored a commitment to his friends and subjects, even if it was a tentative one.
“Sorry, Obi. My work got away from me, and there were some things I just had to finalize today.”
“Hahaha, Master, you’re making me blush, giving me a formal apology like this for such a trivial thing. It’s not that serious, don’t worry. I know you’re basically drowning in paperwork since we got back from the wedding festivities.”
Zen scowled. “Why didn’t you swing by and touch base with me if you were here anyway? It would have been nice to have company.” He had been at his desk in the next room over, so it was a valid question.
Obi let the prince settle under the covers on the other side of the bed before he replied with a grin, “Didn’t want to risk being roped into paperwork. I would love to help, truly I would. But I'm a mere knight, not an aide. I don't have the brains to handle paperwork, you see.”
Zen threw a pillow at him.
“Come on, let’s sleep. Mitsuhide wasn’t with me so I’m sure he’ll come to wake me up at the usual time. I want to try to get five hours in, at least.”
With that he blew out the candle at his bedside.
Obi didn’t comment on how he could have slept on the couch like he normally did when he slept over in Zen’s room. If Zen didn’t mind sharing, who was he to complain? The bed was so much more comfortable after all. Not to mention how good it smelled.
The only problem was…once Zen dozed off, which took him exactly one minute, he unconsciously gradually drifted towards Obi.
Obi wasn’t delusional enough to think Zen was seeking him. It was more like he was seeking warmth. Obi’s side of the bed just happened to be warmer due to his last few hours of occupancy, that was all.
Still… thanks to Zen hugging him, his sleepiness completely evaporated. He felt intoxicated by the prince’s smell and warmth.
Obi thought back to earlier and his real reason for not joining Zen in his study…
It had nothing to do with paperwork.
Several hours ago…He had gone to see Zen in his study, sailing in through the window as was his habit. Zen was so focused on what he was working on that he hadn’t noticed Obi.
So, Obi spent a few moments observing his master since he didn’t want to interrupt. It was only recently that they had all been stationed in the same place again, so it had been a long time since he had a quiet moment to observe the prince work.
And even though he had observed his prince working with such focus dozens of times before in Wistal, somehow it invoked a completely different emotion.
Was it the time? The distance? The fact that they were in the same place once again?
He had no idea. All he knew was that the emotion invoked was so strong, his mouth went dry.
He basically fled the room from the window before Zen had a chance to notice. He needed to compose himself and that’s how he ended up in Zen’s bedroom next door.
Obi paced restlessly for a while, not sure how to process what he had just experienced, eventually tiring himself out with his relentless thoughts.
Taking a nap on the prince’s bed probably wasn’t the best idea, but it was Zen’s smell from the sheets that eventually calmed him down enough to fall asleep.
In the present moment, Obi looked down at the prince, tucked at his side peacefully. In spite of himself, Obi found himself smiling.
He didn’t necessarily know what to do with these feelings, but the fact of the matter was… there was no other place where he would rather be.
He wanted to be by Zen’s side until he delivered his last breath. And he knew that Zen wanted that too. No matter how Obi’s feelings evolved, that fact would not change.
With that rather comforting thought, Obi managed to drift back to sleep.