Chapter 403: They’ll Catch Up.

Chapter 403: Chapter 403: They’ll Catch Up.

Not everyone is quite so lucky.

​" Khobi ," Binny heaves, face down on the ground with Khobi’s entire weight sprawled across his back. "Get off. You’re heavy ."

​At least, that’s what Khobi thinks he says. It’s kinda hard to decipher on account of the dirt. Given that he’s y’know, face down on the ground.

​"Can’t," Khobi croaks bleakly, staring up at the sky and wondering if there’s meant to be four suns at this time of year. Squinting helps focus them back into one.

​"I thought you liked the heat," Rogard huffs from somewhere nearby; his back propped up against Loac’s to keep him from similarly collapsing to the ground. If he falls he’s pretty sure he’s not going to be able to get up, and while the dirt has actually helped keep his fair skin from burning entirely to a crisp, he doesn’t want another layer.

​"I do ," he heaves back, sagging boneless into Binny’s spine and making it –and him –groan loudly. "Right now I feel like a chicken."

​"Seriously, Khobi?" Rogard sighs, lacking the energy to even put any flounce into it, "I think if I eat anything right now I’ll throw up."

​" No ," Khobi grumbles, laying a hand over his head to keep the sun out of his eyes. Shit, he hasn’t felt this exhausted in a long time, "I feel like a chicken being roasted."

​Binny’s lungs have long since lost their capacity to inflate properly, but he still lets out an ugly snort, because that’s the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard. A second later, Rogard joins in, only a little hysterical.

​"...You’re a real fuckin’ idiot, you know that," Loac snickers softly, biffing a handful of dirt across at him. It barely even reaches him.

​"Speak for yourself," Khobi mumbles. It comes out awful half-hearted, and when he raises a hand to his numb face he finds that he’s smiling.

​Distantly, he hears voices.

​Nope, they’re not far; that’s just the ringing in his ears.

​" –Are they dead?"

​"Nah, nah, Rogard’s still sitting up, we’re good."

​"Where’s Binny?"

​" –I think Khobi’s squashing him."

​" Help ," Binny manages to squeak, and then suddenly the world is doing something very strange and Khobi’s body is moving all on its own.

​Nope again; he’s just being hauled up off the ground.

​"Up you come," Montrel chuckles, yanking Khobi away from Binny’s lifeless form by the arms and hoisting him up until he manages to find his feet.

It takes a little bit of swaying, but he gets there eventually. Even manages to figure out how to walk all on his own. Shit, he’s almost forgotten what it was like to be upright.

"There ya go."

He pushes Khobi’s dirty, sweat-streaked shirt back into his hands and then biffs Loac’s at his head before turning to holler, "Hey, Mural, how’s Binny doing?"

​" –How are you doing, Binny?" Mural inquires obligingly; Binny’s sweating, limp body draped over one arm.

​" Go on without me ," he coughs, "Tell my sister I love her. Most of the time."

​"He’s fine."

​"What do you mean fine ?" Binny promptly squawks, drawing up indignantly before he remembers that he’s supposed to be on death’s door. " Look at me ."

​He’s got a point. He doesn’t look as exhausted as Rogard or as sunburned as Mural but he doesn’t look fine . But he sounds it, so that’s good enough.

​"Just look at it as getting the full training experience," Jaga advises. There’s no way to avoid laps forever, after all, although the soldiers can agree that since they started keeping company with Khobi and Rogard they’ve definitely been running more.

Not pissing off Drogger is a resolution that is easier said than done.

​" –You could always try behaving ," is what Drogger has to say on the matter, having overheard and giving his men the fright of their lives as he makes his approach.

​" Ah, Captain –"

​"We didn’t –"

​" Master, please don’t make us run again –"

​"Who said anything about running?"

Drogger snorts, "Training’s over." The soldiers’ shoulders visibly sag, until Drogger adds, with a touch of amusement, " –For today ."

​"Right you are, Captain," Montrel states weakly, but Drogger’s presence amongst them doesn’t seem to be for chewing them out. This time.

​" –Rogard," he says, and there’s really no hiding the way his expression softens as Rogard’s ears prick up.

While everyone knows they’re involved, within the castle and in particular at the training grounds, Drogger is generally very careful to treat him with as strict professionalism as he would any of his other soldiers, but recently he’s started approaching him like this.

After training’s concluded for the day, of course.

​"I’ll be late tonight," he informs him, somewhat apologetically. The dip is a little formal, but Rogard’s working on it, "I’ll see you at home."

​Rogard’s eyes crease at the corners. He’ll most definitely be teased for it later. "Don’t work too hard, master."

​A few of them chuckle at that. Drogger’s one of them.

​" –Binny," he says, redirecting his attention and reverting from mild-mannered boyfriend back to the stern, no-nonsense Captain so fast it’s scary, "A moment?" Binny frowns, looking confused and a little concerned, but he nods nonetheless, and despite his complaints manages to find the strength to fall into step when Drogger gestures for him to follow.

​"I wonder what that’s about," Mural muses thoughtfully, and gets a round of shrugs in response.

Knowing Drogger, he’s probably secretly checking to make sure he’s okay. Or, equally likely, giving him a talking to about how he should mind the company he keeps.

Needling Rogard yields no answers but they do so anyways because it’s fun.

​" –Let’s get dinner," Montrel declares, swinging Rogard into his armpit to stifle his complaints, "I need a drink or twelve after that."

...

It’s funny that Loac and Khobi think they’re being sneaky.

​"Keep walking," Jaga states when Mural opens his mouth to verbalise that Loac and Khobi are no longer with them. He keeps his eyes forward and his ears closed. They all do. "...They’ll catch up."

​How they have the energy at this point is honestly quite beyond him.