Chapter 364: I’ll Take That As A Yes.

Chapter 364: Chapter 364: I’ll Take That As A Yes.

Apparently not enough, because now that Rogard’s gotten a bite he wants to know everything .

Khobi’s not quite sure when his sex life became an appropriate topic of discussion –presumably when he got one –but Rogard has zero qualms about asking.

He does feel kinda bad that he was probably the last of his friends to know, but while it’s not like it’s a secret exactly, it’s also not like he’s been going around telling anyone, either.

They all just kind of... found out. In fact, if Rogard had’ve come by a bit earlier, he probably would’ve found out for himself.

​And to deflect Rogard away from pretending to be cross at him for keeping secrets he wasn’t even aware he was keeping, Khobi asks him about that day with his father.

About what was written on that paper that was so terrible that his father had reacted the way he did.

And then when Rogard tells him, he surprises them both by hugging him.

Rogard squawks so loud and so often about how much of a catch he is that it’s almost reflex to try cut him down with a who would marry you but the words don’t so much as cross Khobi’s mind when he hears.

​"...Khobi?" Clearly Rogard doesn’t understand what’s going on –Khobi’s not super sure of it himself; he’s pretty sure they’ve never hugged like this before either.

But he can’t help it. Rogard tells him somethin’ like that and what else is he meant to do?

​"Hug me back, dammit," Khobi demands crossly, annoyed that it’s taking him so long to get it.

He can hardly believe it; Rogard’s found someone who he loves and who loves him like Khojin Frost loves his aunt Mozry. But he does believe it, because he’s seen it for himself.

"I’m happy for you, idiot." That makes Rogard laugh, and finally, finally he hugs him back. With his whole body –big surprise –and a choked wheeze fizzles from Khobi’s lungs as he gets squeezed so tight it feels like his ribs are about to break.

​"Y’know, for someone with such a mean face, you’re not so bad," Rogard tells him, voice muffled on a face full of Khobi’s hair, and follows up with a quip about how maybe if he’s lucky and Drogger doesn’t drag his heels –whatever that means –he might just consider him for his retinue, whatever that means.

​Rogard getting married.

​Wild.

​"But I’m still mad at you," Rogard makes sure to tell him, finally letting him go so that his lungs can re-inflate and throwing himself down into one of the comfy chairs.

He also helps himself to Khobi’s snacks. And because it’s a good day, Khobi lets him get away with it.

Just this once though; it’s always dangerous to indulge Rogard too much.

"And Loac," he decides, with a small pout, "For getting you locked up again."

​"It sucks," Khobi agrees with a heavy sigh, and Rogard lets out a small bark of laughter as he leans his chin into a hand and gazes around the room at the assortment of new furniture and the table where the plates from lunch and the dice game Mural hadn’t been bothered to take away with him are still scattered.

"...Sounds like you’re making the most of it this time."

​There’s a definite innuendo there, which Khobi probably deserves.

​" –So explain this to me; a couple of weeks ago, you hated his guts and now you’re going on dates and getting naked together."

​Khobi’s face instantly curdles. Way to ruin a nice moment.

​"Um what ." Seriously, Rogard needs to stop. It’s a good thing he’s eaten all his damn snacks or he probably would’ve choked.

"Who said anything about dates ?"

​"Oh, is that not what happened?" Rogard’s got this innocent face on like he hasn’t said his most outrageous thing to date.

It even takes Khobi a moment to gather that what he’s referring to is the reason for his imprisonment.

​A date ?

​"You know it’s not," Khobi scoffs scornfully. The fact that he’s even suggesting that’s what it was it laughable.

Except that Rogard’s not laughing –he’s just sitting there blinking politely at him, patiently waiting for him to explain what it was, then.

"It was...we just went for a ride, sparred til the storm started, then came back. And I still hate his guts." He’s not sure why he adds that, but it feels like a necessary correction.

​"A ride, huh." It’s weird how Rogard’s acting like he’s just proven his point when Khobi’s pretty sure he’s just done the opposite.

"And you just... went ? Just like that?"

​"Uh, yeah?" Khobi frowns. Could you blame him?

​"...What if he was planning to, I don’t know, kill you or something?" Rogard squawks.

​Huh. Khobi hadn’t even considered anything like that. It would have been a good plan for it; alone in the wilderness with no one around for miles and no one knowing where they’d gone or when they’d be back, Loac would have had ample opportunity to try and put an end to him, and if he had then one would have been any the wiser.

​Keyword being: try.

​"...I don’t think he’d do something like that," Khobi states with an easy shrug.

​"Well, me neither; but he could’ve!" Rogard points out insistently, "...So where’d you go, then?"

​Khobi’s immediately suspicious of Rogard’s motives, but there’s nothing suspicious about his answer. It’s the same one he gave to Montrel, after all, "...Out into the forest.

Dunno where exactly."

​"The forest, huh?" Rogard echoes curiously. Khobi’s not to know that Rogard’s already asked Loac the same question, and gotten a vague, "Just some place I know" kind of answer. "...Sounds romantic."

​Khobi chokes on his spit because somehow with all the terrible things he’s already said today that’s the worst.

​"What are you –it was not romantic," Khobi splutters, his voice pitching unusually high on the last word. It was the cold, barren middle of winter, and okay, so the waterfall had been a real sight to see, but --

​" --And yet you still put out," Rogard trills, and any misguided sense of camaraderie evaporates as Khobi reaches over to pinch him. "And on the first date! Ow, Khobi that hurts --"

​"Are you gonna drop it?"

​"Absolutely not~" Rogard assures him, and Khobi groans melodramatically, wondering if it’s possible to lock Rogard out of his room in future so that he never has to sit through these sort of accusations again.

"Oh come on Khobi; I have no one to talk to about this stuff!"

​"What makes you think I want to talk about this stuff??" Khobi groans, and Rogard flashes him a horrifyingly bright smile and says, "That’s what friends do!"

​" Is it?? " Khobi squawks, because last he checked he’s never asked anything about Rogard’s sex life and he’s not sure he wants to start now.

​"It is," Rogard insists, "But Binny is so busy pretending there’s nothing going on with him that –"

​"Wait, wait, Binny ?" Khobi baulks, "What about him?" Rogard looks contemplative.

​" Well , our working theory is that he has a secret lover."

​" Lover ?" Khobi splutters, because does Rogard know how ridiculous he sounds sometimes?

​"A secret one," Rogard states, unperturbed, "It would explain why he’s been in such a good mood lately."

Khobi doesn’t know what to make of that. Binny has been in a good mood, but he hasn’t said anything that would at all hint that he was seeing someone.

Although, c ome to think of it, what had Binny’s sister said? That he was indisposed ? Could that mean...

​"What makes you think he’s sneaking around with someone?" he snorts, curious despite himself but not wanting to let Rogard know it since he’s just spent most of their conversation chewing him out for being nosy. Most of his friends are pretty open about their previous relationships and all the associated exploits, failures, and aspirations, and it strikes him that Binny’s never been particularly forthcoming about anything like that.

​"Let’s just say I now get how you guys figured me out, too," Rogard admits with a sigh, shifting in his chair uncomfortable, "It really is...kinda obvious."

He pauses, dramatically, and Khobi gets a dreadful sense of where this is going. "...And while we’re on the subject, since Loac doesn’t quite have the look about him I’m just gonna assume –"

​" Rogard ." It’s meant to come out like a warning but it winds up as more of a whine. Rogard either does not hear the pleading tone or chooses not to.

​" –So I’m just going to assume..." he continues, and has the nerve to look affronted when Khobi promptly hits him.

​"...I’ll take that as a yes then."