Chapter 339: Ask Him...Out?

Chapter 339: Chapter 339: Ask Him...Out?

​"Ugh, I totally forgot," Khobi grumbles. He’ll do it; obviously he’ll do it –he likes the stables –but if he doesn’t go soon then he’s gonna be late , and while he could probably do with burning off some steam, he’d much rather do that with a sword than running laps.

​"Lazy bastard," Gandy tuts, shaking his head, "Skipping out on his girl like that.

She’s gonna be so mad at him."

​"Not a chance," Mural assures him easily, "She loves Khobi."

​She does. In fact, when she sees him, she doesn’t even seem to mind that it’s not her master coming to pay her a visit.

The sugar cubes certainly help, and Khobi always has sugar cubes.

So consistently, in fact, that the other horses have started taking quite a liking to him as well, prompting the stable grooms to start checking his pockets to make sure he’s not sneaking any in.

Binny’s taught him a thing or two about smuggling sweet contraband though, and when they forget to check his sleeves this morning he sneaks one to her with a conspiratory finger pressed to his lips.

It’s largely unnecessary though; she understands that if she fusses too much the other horses are gonna know, and then she’ll have to share.

​Loac’s horse, however, seems to have an uncanny ability to sense when he’s missing out on something.

​" Shh !" Khobi hisses, when the black stallion cranes his enormous head out over the gate of his stall and huffs when he catches Khobi stuffing his hands into his pockets like he hasn’t just been fed.

Which he has , seeing as Loac had invited himself along to the stables, much to the relief of every servant in the vicinity.

Even on the best of days his bully of a horse gives the grooms some grief, and by all accounts the bad weather has been making him antsy.

Khobi never thought he’d relate to a horse, but he gets it. " You’re gonna get me in trouble !"

​"S’no good," Loac drawls, leaning over to give his horse an affectionate pat on the neck but otherwise making no attempt to stop his tantrum, "He’s not gonna shut up ’til you share." Right on cue, the stallion starts stamping, making every servant within earshot jump. "See?"

Unbelievable.

Khobi knows for a fact that Loac’s got sugar cubes of his own and that his horse knows it, but for whatever reason the ones in Khobi’s sleeves are the ones he wants.

What’s the difference? They all came from the same damn sugar bowl! Shaking his head in disbelief, Khobi makes sure Montrel’s horse is happily munching on her breakfast before stomping over to Loac’s horse to buy his silence.

Instantly, there’s a heavy, black nose pressing into his face and his chest and then dipping low to sniff at his pockets.

​"...Demanding," Khobi mutters, and can’t help but spare a sidelong towards Loac as he slips a sugar cube into the palm of his hand and offers it out to his horse.

No sooner has it been snatched up than he’s nosing around looking for more.

​Sounds like someone I know .

​(Come to think of it, Loac’s got a similarly bad habit of ignoring whatever’s on his own plate in favour of whatever Khobi’s got on his.)

​The thought makes his eyebrow twitch.

​"...Happy now?" he grumbles to the horse, obligingly raising a hand to give him a pat and unable to hold back a grin when he leans into his touch without any further complaint.

At times it’s kind of unbelievable how much fear he can instil in people who spend so much time around horses.

Even Binny keeps half an eye trained on him at all times, although he’s not above mouthing off at him – from a safe distance, of course.

" Don’t even think about it ," he scolds when the horse starts to show an inordinate amount of interest in his sleeves, and from the corner of his eye he’s pretty sure he catches Loac in a grin.

But when he turns to ask him what’s so funny, Loac’s already slipped his gaze.

​He slips his horse another sugar cube.

The last one he saves for Montrel’s horse, because she’s been very good for him this morning; eating her breakfast without fussing and not talking back, and according to Binny sugar cubes are reserved for good horses.

Khobi has allegedly been ruining the system by continuing to spoil Loac’s horse even when he’s being a brat.

​"We should get going," Khobi points out from her stall, slinging a look down towards the stable doors and making a face, "We’re totally gonna be running laps."

Having taken over fussing over his horse in Khobi’s absence, Loac lets out a light snort.

​"...Not if we don’t go."

​Surely Khobi’s misheard.

​"What are you talking about?" he deadpans, but Loac just shrugs.

​"It’s nice out," he states offhandedly, reaching up to rub down his horse’s thick neck, "Thought I’d go for a ride."

From the way the stallion immediately begins tossing his mane and pawing at the ground, he certainly likes the sound of that.

Khobi can’t bring himself to share his enthusiasm.

​"Oh," he says, disappointment evident in his voice and in the way his shoulders droop.

He’d been so looking forward to finally getting to face off against Loac today after having spent so long waiting on the sidelines, and maybe it was just wishful thinking, but he’d figured that Loac had been looking forward to it, too.

"Right. Sure."

​Abruptly, Loac’s hand suddenly stills on his horse’s neck and he shoots a fleeting glance back over his shoulder.

​"...You wanna come?" he inquires, and Khobi gives him a dry look.

​"What, for a ride?" he scoffs sarcastically.

That’s gotta be a joke right? Coz last he checked that’d involve leaving the castle, and he’s pretty sure that that’s like the one thing he’s been told time and time again that is entirely off the table.

​"Sure, why not?" Loac remarks nonchalantly, and confusion overtakes Khobi’s expression as he realises that he does not appear to be joking. In fact, just like that last time, he seems entirely serious.

​"Uh, coz I’m not allowed?" he reminds him warily, and Loac raises a sceptical eyebrow as he counters with, "When did that ever stop you?"

​He’s got him there.

​"You’re serious, aren’t you?" he says solemnly, and even as the words leave his mouth he realises that he already knows the answer.

​Why wouldn’t I be ?

​Loac doesn’t bother repeating himself.

​"...It’s fine if you don’t want to," he mutters instead, turning his attention back to his horse, and it’s weird because despite his words, Khobi gets the strangest feeling that it’s actually quite the opposite.

​" –I didn’t say I didn’t want to," Khobi huffs, and then swallows because that came out way more excited than he meant for it to.

Going outside the castle again? What is Loac, an idiot?

​Fuck yeah he wants to.

​Clearing his throat, he tries again, "...I’ll come."

​"...Yeah?" Loac says, and when he looks back at him with a small grin playing on his lips and in his eyes, Khobi’s stomach pitches and rolls unnaturally, "Cool. Gimme a sec."

​"Wait, now ?" Khobi hisses in surprise, hurriedly lowering his voice in case someone overhears.

Most of the soldiers should be at training, and none of the stable hands seem to be paying them any mind, but there’s no telling who could overhear them scheming.