Archive of Our Own

To some people it may have felt uncomfortable – the weight of another body laying on top of him. But others, such as Horace, found the feeling to be very comforting indeed. The only slight discomfort he got from it was when Will would shift and the hard bones of his elbows would dig into the bigger boy. But after a short grunt of complaint Will would shift again and the pain would subside. It was nice, lying in the warm cozy cabin on Will’s warm cozy bed with his boyfriend in his arms. 

Boyfriend. It was an unfamiliar but sweet word. They had only made it official the week before, and so far the only ones that knew besides themselves were their old ward mates, but it felt right. He could vividly remember the accomplished feeling he had when Will asked him to be his. 

“Took you guys long enough,” Alyss had joked, unknowingly echoing Horace's own thoughts. Of course, he now lived in Castle Araluen, as a freshly appointed knight, and they’d have to make it work long distance. This visit was the last time they’d be seeing each other in a while. 

He was itching to tell more people, but he just didn't know who to trust. He couldn't risk any of his new knightly colleagues knowing. It would only be a short amount of time before word got out across the whole castle. He wondered if Will was just as eager to share the news as he was.

“Have you told anyone else yet?” he asked. 

“About what?” Will had been resting his eyes, warm against Horace's chest, but he opened them now. 

“About us. Have you told anyone besides Alyss and Jenny and George?”

Will shook his head, his chin digging into Horace. “No. I wouldn't want to without asking you first. If someone else knows you should be aware.” 

Horace felt a wave of affection smash through him at those words. Will would never do anything Horace wasn't okay with, and Horace vowed to do the same. “So Halt doesn't know?”

“No.” Will's voice lowered slightly and Horace knew why. Will hated to keep secrets from his mentor. “But it's only a matter of time before he finds out. He's very observant, you know. He'll figure it out whether or not we tell him. The question is when?”

Horace thought about that. Will was right. They couldn't hide it from the ranger forever. Will had tried hiding things from him in the past and it hadn't worked out so well. Horace liked Halt. He had spent months with him while traveling through Gallica and Skandia and he felt the two of them had formed some sort of emotional bond. But he was still sometimes a little scared of the grim ranger, and he'd be lying if he had said he wasn't at least a tad bit nervous. 

“Speaking of Halt,” Will continued, “what are you going to do when he gets back? Do you want to stay here and just say we were hanging out or climb out the window like in one of those forbidden romance stories Murdal used to tell?”

Horace laughed. "As fun as the window thing sounds, I think I might just say we were hanging out. It's technically not a lie."

"True," Will conceded, and rested his head comfortably back on Horace. Horace lifted his hand to Will's back, tracing small circles along it with his finger. "Mmm," Will mumbled drowsily. "That's nice."

There was a small window just above Will's bed that provided a little view of the trees behind the cabin. Horace could see a sparrow flying around the branches, pausing to perch on one before deciding it wasn't good enough and finding a new one to perch on. It stopped on one and seemed to approve of it, but saw Horace through the window watching it and flew off, thoroughly frightened away from the tree. Horace breathed through his nose in a little laugh. 

"What's so funny?" Will asked, his voice growing sleepy. 

"Nothing. Just a bird." He glanced down at the apprentice ranger. "Are you going to fall asleep on me?"

Will grinned, his eyes still closed. "Don't know. Mebbe. You're warm."

It was Horace's turn to grin now. "I'm glad you think so.” He lazily turned his head back towards the window. He could see no more birds but the simple trees and leaves gently shaking in the breeze were peaceful enough for him. He was ready to succumb to the comfort and the warmth. At that moment, he could think of no better way to spend his time. Will's breaths had gradually begun to grow more slow and deep—not quite asleep, but close to it—and he could see a fond smile on his lips. It matched the smile on his own face.

"Why'd we take so long to do this?" Horace pondered, more to himself, but Will cracked an eye open and answered anyway.

"To do what? Cuddle? Or date?"

"All of it. Why'd we take so long?"

"We were scared," Will said and Horace knew it was the truth. "I mean, I don't know about you, but I was terrified you wouldn't feel the same way."

"That's exactly how I felt." Horace stopped tracing circles on Will's back and moved his hand to his hair, slipping his fingers through the unruly strands. He smirked although the other boy couldn't see it. "Your hair's almost as bad as Halt's."

Will gave a gasp of mock outrage. He pushed himself up on his elbows and gave Horace an offended look. "How dare you. My hair is much nicer than his. And mine's natural. His is like that because he sucks at cutting it."

Horace let out a small chuckle that Will could feel shake through his chest. "That's what he gets for cutting it with his saxe." 

Will had to suppress a laugh at that. He was half tempted to tell Horace the truth of the ranger’s haircuts—that he really cut it with shears but was indeed just awful at it—but he stopped himself in time. When Will had accidentally walked in on his mentor shirtless in the washroom cutting his hair just three months earlier, he had sworn himself to secrecy. Halt of course had threatened to cut his hair off he told anyone, and the sharp shears in his hand had only made the threat seem all the more real. So Will had kept silent. 

Horace didn’t say anything further so Will dropped back to his boyfriend’s chest and closed his eyes, once more succumbing to the warm feeling. He wished they could do this more often. They could if they didn’t have to be so secret about it, but there were just so many people they couldn’t tell. It was too risky. The more people that knew, the more likely it would be that the news would reach the wrong person – then they’d really be in trouble. But for the time being, he could enjoy the time he had. He let his body completely relax against Horace’s, the continuous movement of Horace’s fingers through his hair lulling him quickly back to the drowsy state of half-asleep he had found himself in before. 

But Horace’s thoughts had drifted. Without a steady conversation with Will to ground him, his mind began to wander back to doubt; about what could happen if people found out. Nothing bad would come out of his wardmates knowing, he knew that to be true. They would take the secret to their grave if they were asked. What Will had said earlier came back to him. Halt was going to find out. Part of him wanted to get it over with, but the other part of him was terrified of the ranger’s possible reaction. When travelling with him, the discussion of romance and who was allowed to love who had never been brought up, because why would it? He had no idea how Halt felt about it. What if Halt finding out would cause Horace’s relationship with Will to crash and burn before it even started?

“Do you think he’ll accept us?”

Will, who had been just at the brink of falling asleep, was a little miffed at being disturbed. But he opened his eyes and looked up at Horace. “Huh?” Horace’s apparent refusal to elaborate what he meant right from the beginning was starting to get a little annoying. 

“Do you think Halt’ll accept that we’re dating?”

“Yes,” Will answered without hesitation, but then he paused and thought about it a little more. “I think he’ll accept it. But I don’t know if he’ll approve.”

Horace nervousness spiked at the words. “What do you mean?”

“He’ll accept us as in he won’t have a problem with the fact we’re both boys. He doesn’t care who people like or date. But I’m not sure if he’ll approve of me dating anyone at all. We’ve never talked about it before so I don’t know. There’s a chance he might think it’ll ‘distract me from my training’ or something.”

Horace breathed out a small sigh of relief. “You’re sure? You know for certain he won’t have a problem with it?”

“One hundred percent sure,” Will confirmed. “He really doesn’t care about other people’s love life’s. I’m pretty sure he finds the whole thing boring. Also, I once saw him threaten a man who was being rude to these two men holding hands.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

Will looked at him seriously. “I promise you he won’t have a problem with it. He’s safe.”

Horace still seemed worried. “Well, if you say so…”

“I do say so. Trust me.” Horace looked deep into Will’s eyes. They were so deep and brown, but in a warm and almost cute way. Like a puppy’s eyes. Looking into them, he knew Will was speaking the truth.

“Okay. I will.”

“Thank you,” Will said chipperly, and leaned his face closer to Horace’s to give him a light peck on the lips, before relaxing against him for what was probably the fifth time that afternoon. “Besides,” he added, “I have a strong suspicion him and Crowley have something going on.”

Horace’s eyebrows rose at that. “Your commandant?” Will nodded, grinning like a little kid. “Wow. Who woulda thought?”

“Basically everyone in the corps. I think some of them are betting on how long it takes them to get together, and everyone else thinks they already are.”

“What do you think?”

“I think if Halt’s going to end up with anyone it’s either going to be Crowley or Pauline. No one else.” 

“Have you ever asked Halt about it?”

Will gave him a look like he had gone mad. “Oh, god no! I value my life, thank you very much.”

Horace laughed, leaning his head back against Will’s pillow and staring at the ceiling. “True.” Will rolled off of Horace and lay on his side next to him. Horace looked at him, slightly disappointed he had moved. “What are you doing?” 

“Trying to find a better position,” Will replied. Horace rolled on his side as well so he was facing Will. Will moved as close to him as he could and snuggled his head against Horace’s chest, flopping one arm over the bigger boy. “This is better.”

“Mmm,” Horace agreed. “Your elbows aren’t digging into me this way.” He draped his own arm over Will’s body and held him tightly, his chin resting on top of Will’s head, the apprentice’s hair tickling his jaw. Yes, he thought. This is a lot more comfortable. He could only enjoy Will’s presence as a weighted blanket for so long. After a while his limbs started to hurt.

Will’s breaths began to even out again, much faster than they had previously. They were rhythmic and calming, pulling Horace into a deeper sense of drowsiness and relaxation. An afternoon nap with his new boyfriend didn’t sound so bad. 

It was funny. Not too many years ago he would never have imagined this was what he would be doing. The thought of him even considering cuddling with Will in his bed would have been unbearable for him. If he could go back in time and tell his past self what would happen, he would have laughed in his own face and called himself crazy. But he wasn’t crazy. He was here with Will in his arms, enjoying a kind of solitude he never thought he could get from another boy. Life had a funny way of turning out. 

He sighed deeply and contently through his nose, his breath making the curls of Will’s hair flutter slightly. He let his eyelids droop close, the blackness clouding over his mind as he drifted into a light sleep.

He didn’t know how long it had been but he woke up to the sound of two horses greeting each other. Straining his ears the best he could, he could vaguely make out the soft footfalls of hooves. Halt was back. He gently nudged Will’s shoulder.

“Will. Halt’s home.”

Will groaned, buried his face deeper into Horace’s shirt, then rolled onto his back, opening his eyes with a look that made it seem like it was taking him a huge amount of effort. “Why couldn’t he take longer?” he asked. “I don’t want to get up.”

“Well, would you rather go out to see him or have him come in here and see us like this?”

“I told you. He won’t care.”

“I know that. But that doesn’t mean he has to find out today.” He pulled himself away from Will, causing his partner to groan loudly again, and stood up, straightening his rumpled clothes out. There was the light sound of water hitting the cabin roof in steady drops and he glanced back out Will’s window. To his slight surprise, he saw that it had started raining in the time he had been resting. 

“It’s raining,” he pointed out, rather unnecessarily.

“Cool,” Will mumbled with the tone of someone who did not find it cool in the slightest. “That’s what the weather does.”

“It was sunnier earlier.”

“Yeah, well, the weather’s weird. It does that sometimes. I thought you would have known that by now, considering you’ve lived here your whole life.”

Horace gave him an annoyed look. “Whatever. Just get up.” He grabbed Will’s wrist and began to tug at his arm, pulling his body halfway off the bed. At the same time, the cabin door opened. “Get up you lazy ass.”

Will eventually did get up, giving Horace a betrayed look, before stepping out into the cabin’s main living area with him. Halt was standing by the kitchen cabinets, predictably pulling out a mug and the bag of coffee beans. He had removed his cloak and draped it over one of the dining table chairs. 

“How was it?” Will greeted, stifling a yawn. Halt turned around, leaning against the bench. He looked at the two boys curiously. 

“Were you sleeping?” 

“Did you just answer a question with a question?” Will teased, a smug look on his face. Halt glared at him before turning back to his coffee.

“Shut up,” he muttered. Will raised his eyebrows at Horace, a look of absolute delight on his face. Halt finished making his coffee, but didn’t take a seat at the table. He stayed standing by the bench, moving his attention to Horace. “How long have you been here?”

“A couple hours, I think,” Horace answered.

“He came over shortly after you left,” Will piped in. “Came to visit one more time before he goes back home.”

Halt nodded. “Fair enough.”

“So how was your…” Will trailed off, thinking. “Whatever it was you were doing?”

“Fine. Nigel was rambling on as usual. But other than that it was fine.”

“You were with Nigel?” Horace asked. “The scribemaster?”

“Yes. Him, and Rodney and Chubb and Pauline and Arald and Sandra. Arald invited us over to his place for drinks and a break.” He looked at Will, eyebrow raised, and asked again, “So were you sleeping or not?”

“Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t,” Will said, rocking back and forth on his heels and grinning ear to ear. “What are you going to do about it if I was?” Halt stared at Will with exasperation before looking back down at his coffee, not answering him. Will’s grin just grew wider. He shared a look with Horace – smug accomplishment at getting the last word with Halt. A rare occasion, indeed. Horace smiled back at him then looked out the window. It had begun to drizzle down harder. If he waited any longer, the rain could get worse and he’d have to walk back to Castle Redmont, where he had a suite of rooms for his stay, in the downpour. He didn’t want to leave Will so soon, but he’d have to get going.

“I might go now,” he said, a trifle apologetically. “It’s going to get wet soon.”

“It’s already wet,” Will pointed out. “But alright. Will you visit tomorrow morning before you leave?”

“Hopefully I’ll have time.” He paused and grinned. “And if I don’t I’ll make time.” He moved forward and wrapped his arms around the other boy’s shoulders, holding him close. Will eagerly hugged him back, his arms finding a position around Horace’s waist and squeezing him tight. They stood together for a long time, much longer than a normal hug between friends would go on for. Seemingly forgetting the man in the room with them, Will let his head rest against Horace’s chest, enjoying their last moments of contact for the day. Horace was at the right height to rest his mouth against the top of Will’s head, closing his eyes so that the only thing he was aware of was his boyfriend against him.

Halt watched them with a knowing look. He figured it was about time he took Horace aside and had a chat with him. He had something he wanted to say to the young knight. Horace and Will eventually stepped apart, holding eye contact and their hands somehow finding hold of each other. Then Horace suddenly became aware of the ranger’s presence again. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Right, well. I’ll be going now.”

“Wait,” Halt stopped him, and Horace paused in his tracks, nervously awaiting what was to come. “Can I talk to you first? For a second?” Horace nodded stiffly, his entire body feeling strained with tension. Halt glanced outside, saw the rain that had grown even stronger in the short time they had been standing there, and nodded towards his room. “In there. It’s more private.” He gave Will a quick glare as he said it, knowing his apprentice’s tendencies to want to eavesdrop.

Halt walked to his room, Horace shuffling behind him. Will gave him a thumbs up for encouragement and mouthed, you’ll be fine. Halt let Horace enter the room first, then shut the door behind him. Horace stood awkwardly in the centre, not knowing what to say or do until Halt spoke, gesturing to the bed pushed up against a corner.

“You can sit down if you want.”

“Okay,” Horace said, not completely able to keep the nerves out of his voice. He sat down, the surprisingly soft mattress dipping under his weight, and Halt took a seat next to him. Horace placed his hands on the edge of the bed, gripping and ungripping the mattress over and over again. He stared at the floor, trying to will his leg into not bouncing up and down – a sure sign of his racing heart. What Halt said next startled him.

“You’re dating him aren’t you?”

Horace whipped his gaze up to look at the ranger, eyes widened with shock, his mouth slightly agape as he tried to think of what to say. “What? How did you–”

Halt rolled his eyes. “It’s pretty obvious Horace. I’m not an idiot.”

Horace looked down again, mumbling. “I never said you were.”

“I know you didn’t. I’m just saying you’re not as discreet about it as you think you are.”

Horace was still baffled. How had the other man figured it out so fast? He knew Halt was observant. It was part of a ranger’s job after all. But so soon? “We only made it official last week,” Horace muttered. “How’d you know so fast?”

Halt stared at him, a rare flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes. “It’s only been a week?” Horace nodded. “I thought you two had been a thing since Skandia.” He shuffled back across the bed, leaning against the wall. After a moment’s hesitation, Horace did the same.

“Since Skandia?” Horace repeated. “I didn’t even realise I liked him like… that, until after we came home!”

“Well then you must be pretty oblivious. I know Will is with these kinds of things, but I thought you’d be a little different. I’m pretty sure Evanlyn thought the same thing.”

Horace didn’t know what to say. So much for keeping it quiet. “We’re really that obvious?” He didn’t like the feeling of that. How were they supposed to keep it a secret if people figured it out before they even did? People were going to know. And it would be over. Halt however just shrugged.

“It was to me,” he said. “Evanlyn too. But that might be just because we know you. I don’t think strangers are going to notice. Besides, most people don’t approve of it. It’s something they don’t want to see, so they won’t. They’ll think you’re just friends. The idea that you’re anything else is something they can’t bear to think of. I’d say you’ll be safe. As long as you’re careful.”

“We will be,” Horace confirmed. “So, you’re okay with it?”

Halt glared at him slightly, as if the mere idea that he could possibly think otherwise offended him, because it did. “I don’t give a shit who you like, Horace. Getting mad at someone else who’s happy is useless and pathetic. Sounds like jealousy to me.”

“And you’re okay with Will dating at all? Like, during his training and everything?”

“I just said I don’t care. I don’t think he’s going to be any more distracted than he usually is. Unless he starts drawing your face onto the maps it’s not a problem.”

Horace flushed slightly at the idea of Will doing that. But the overwhelming relief that came with hearing Halt didn’t have a problem was a marvelous feeling. That was one less person to hide from. And if what Halt said about Evanlyn was true, that would make two. 

“Thanks, Halt,” he said sincerely. Halt dipped his head to him. 

“It’s fine. You shouldn’t have to hide something like this. People are just sensitive little bastards.”

Horace laughed at that. Assuming the conversation was over, he started to shuffle off the bed, but Halt stopped him again.

“There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Horace looked back at him, the slightest inkling of nervousness sparking again. Halt’s tone has changed, and Horace wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

“There was?”

The ranger nodded. He gestured for Horace to stay seated, and the young knight did so. He began to fiddle with his hands. Oh god. 

“I can’t stress to you enough how special Will is,” Halt started. “How much he means to me.” Horace blinked. That was oddly honest of the ranger. It was very rare for the man to be open and vulnerable about his feelings. That was Horace’s sign that this was serious. He nodded his understanding.

“He means a lot to me too.”

“Good.” His face hardened. “Because if you hurt him in any way, I’ll shoot you.”

Horace started to laugh, albeit a little nervously, but saw no trace of humour in Halt’s demeanour. He wasn’t joking. But surely he wouldn’t actually shoot him? Would he? He looked into the ranger’s eyes and saw that they appeared to have darkened quite considerably, as if the mere thought of someone harming Will was enough to anger him. It probably was.

Horace stammered a little. “What?”

“Don’t hurt him.”

“I would never do that! I swear!”

Halt crossed his arms across his chest. “I know. I’m just letting you know what will happen if you do.”

Horace continued to stare, not entirely sure how sincere Halt was being. It definitely wasn’t out of his nature to do something like that. He had witnessed the ranger’s temper before, witnessed the sheer protectiveness he felt towards Will. Anyone that brought harm to his apprentice in any way, shape or form usually went on to regret it. 

His mind went back to the old days – the days before he had matured into the young man he was now. He remembered the way he used to treat his now best friend and partner. The cruel taunts, the assaults and mockery. He wondered if Halt knew about his past mistakes. He had a feeling that he didn’t. He had a strong feeling that if he did, he would not have warmed up to the knight as fast as he did. He was sure if Halt heard about it now, he would be furious. 

He recalled sometime after his fight with Morgarath, while he was recovering, Sir Rodney had wanted to have a talk with him, keeping him company and catching up with his star pupil. Rodney had told him that Halt had been in a rather bad mood and shortly after Horace and Will had left for Celtica with Gilan, he had sent two apprentice knights to the infirmary for merely insulting Will. He had no idea if Halt would do a similar thing to him, and decided he didn’t want to find out.

But then he realised he wouldn’t find out. He had nothing to worry about. Because he would never hurt Will. He would be there by his side. Supporting him. Helping him. And god forbid if he ever decided to end things between them, he had already sworn to himself he would do it as gently as possible. He squared his shoulders, looking at the intimidating man before him with new found confidence.

“I won’t hurt him. Ever. And I’ll fight anyone that does. I care about Will. Really care about him. Hurting him is the last thing I want to do.”

Halt didn’t say anything for a while. He looked at Horace, studied him, and saw the boy was telling the truth. He meant it more than anything. Finally, he spoke again.

“I know.”

His voice was softer now, some of the protective light fading away from his eyes. But not all of it. 

“If you want,” Halt continued, “You can stay here the night. You don’t have to walk back to the castle in this weather.”

Horace perked up at that. “Really?”

“Sure. Why not? You can stay with Will. He’d be excited about it.” He paused and glanced towards his bedroom door. “He’s probably eavesdropping right now, actually.”

When the ranger and the knight exited they were mildly surprised to find Will not with his ear pressed up against the door, but seated by the fireplace, prodding the burning log with the poker. He glanced up now as they walked out. 

“Horace is staying the night,” Halt told him, and Will’s eyes lit up. Halt dimmed the light ever so slightly with his next words. “But you’re still making dinner. It’s your night.” Then he walked back into his room, shutting the door behind him and Will knew he most likely wouldn’t come out until dinner was ready. 

It was a little past midnight and Horace and Will found themselves in the same position they had been in earlier in the day. Will’s head rested on Horace’s chest, playing with the fabric of his shirt. Horace’s arm wrapped around Will, his finger continuing the circling motions on his back. Will was more awake than he had been before, while Horace could feel himself slipping closer and closer into sleep with every passing minute. Will, unfortunately, kept him from it, with his constant chattering. It was cute, but annoying.

“The gathering is in a couple months I think,” he was saying. “I’m not sure where it is—they change it every year—but if it’s close to Araluen I might be able to convince Halt to let us swing by and visit you. If we can’t do that then I don’t know when I can see you next.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Horace mumbled sleepily, only half paying attention. This was not the type of conversation he wanted to be having at this hour. “Go to sleep.”

Will lifted his head to look at him. “No. I’m not tired. Wake up.” He gently slapped Horace on the cheek, but the bigger boy just ignored him. “By the way,” Will leaped to a new topic. “What did Halt talk to you about before?”

Horace opened his eyes now. Right. He forgot to tell Will. He was going to but Will had been chatting his ear off all evening, excited by the prospect of a sleepover. He supposed now was the time to tell him. 

“Oh, right, that. He knows about us.”

“Really?”

Horace nodded. 

“He figured it out that fast?”

Horace nodded again. “He said he knew since Skandia.”

“Skandia?” Will squealed incredulously, louder than he intended. Horace shushed him, gesturing to the direction of Halt’s bedroom, where the ranger most certainly would not appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night. Will understood, lowering his voice, but his tone didn’t change. “We didn’t even know back then. How did he?”

“I thought the same thing. I guess it’s like what you said: he’s observant.”

Will still looked completely dumbfounded. “Yeah,” he spluttered. “But I didn’t think he was that observant. That’s inhumane!” He felt Horace’s chest shake as he began to laugh quietly. Will sighed, supposing there was no point in dwelling on it. “So did he say anything else? Or did he just tell you he knows?”

“He said if I hurt you he’d shoot me.”

“He threatened you?”

“Pretty much. Why? Are you surprised by that?”

Will shook his head multiple times. “No. That’s basically what I expected. Since we got back from Skandia I think he’s been extra protective. Some guy we were talking to clapped me on the back and Halt glared at him so bad I thought he was going to start something. He didn’t though, thank god. But I think he also knows that if he did actually shoot you I’d never forgive him.”

“Even if I hurt you?”

“I don’t think you could ever hurt me in a way that would make me not care if you got shot.”

“Well,” Horace closed his eyes again, sinking into Will’s pillow. “In either case I don’t think he was being serious. He wouldn’t actually shoot me. He loves me too much.”

Will raised an eyebrow at him, a skill that he had finally managed to master after hours of staring at his reflection of the river behind the cabin. Unfortunately, as Horace could not see him, it was useless. “You sure about that?” he asked wryly. “No offense, and not that it’s a competition, but I’m fairly certain he loves me more. He’d shoot you in an instant if it meant keeping me safe. I’m his favourite.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Horace shot back, although he knew Will was telling the truth. He turned onto his side, keeping a tight hold on Will as he did so. Will’s face became smushed against his chest.

“You’re suffocating me,” the apprentice’s muffled voice said. 

“Mmmm. Good. Then it’ll finally be quiet and I can go to sleep.”

Will managed to push away from his boyfriend. He gave him a mock hurt look. “You care more about peace and quiet than me? For shame Horace! I thought I meant more to you than that!” His voice had gradually begun to slip away from the stage whisper he had previously been talking in and back to a normal volume, far too loud for the quiet hour.

“I do care about you,” Horace told him. “But once it gets dark you’re second. Sleep comes first.”

Will frowned at him. “You’re mean. I never would have agreed to date you if I knew this is what it would be like! We might have to start thinking about seeing different people. I don’t think this is working out.”

“Will you be quiet?” Horace scolded him. He sighed. “This is why you shouldn’t have naps during the day. You get too much energy during the night and do this.”

Will grinned mischievous at him, twirling Horace’s hair around his fingers. “Am I annoying you?” 

“Yes,” Horace admitted. “But I’m not the one you should be worried about.”

Will’s grin morphed into a look of confusion. “What are you talking about?” he asked, and a second later he got his answer in the form of three forceful bangs on his door.

“Shut up you two!” Halt’s tired voice growled at them, sounding more Hibernian than usual. The command was shortly followed by the sound of the ranger’s door angrily slamming shut. Will looked at his door wide-eyed. He hadn’t even heard Halt leave his room, despite the noisy hinges. Maybe that was a sign. It was time to quiet down and go to sleep.

“Sorry,” Will mumbled, his cheeks going red in the dark, although Halt could no longer hear him. Horace began laughing quietly again and Will glared at him. “You shut up as well,” he mumbled, being mindful to whisper. “He said both of us.”

Horace chuckled. “Yes, but he was really just talking to you.”

Will huffed, but settled down again, burying his face back into Horace’s body, not suffocating. Despite how energetic and awake he had been, the warmth of his blankets, bed and boyfriend, coupled with the steady drizzle of the rain outside, lulled him into a soft sense of relaxation, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. And being next to the person who brought him joy and comfort, it was one of the best sleeps he had had in a while.