Chapter 413: To The Ground.

Chapter 413: Chapter 413: To The Ground.

Even without a word for it, Loac’s kind of had an inkling for a little while now that something had changed in the way he saw Khobi.

Obviously there’s the sex. And it probably should’ve flagged when after having him for one night he’d needed to have him every night. Loac’s taken a lot of people to bed in his life thus far, and he doesn’t make a habit of doing it on the regular with any one person.

​He didn’t want them getting the wrong idea. Getting attached, when he had no interest in being weighed down by someone who didn’t spark, well, anything .

​Oh, the irony.

​But being with Khobi doesn’t weigh him down. In fact, that first time they’d fought, when Khobi had hung suspended in the air and come crashing down on him, it had felt like the shackles chaining him in the dark had been shattered.

Like he might finally be able to breathe again; hear the wilderness call and go to it, because there was something out there on the hunt, and it was terrifying and beautiful in all the ways he thought things could never be for him again.

​Losing that day was the worst he’d felt in years. But frozen limbs need time to thaw. No matter how desperately you crave warmth, too hot too fast, and all you’ll feel is pain.

And for a man who had let his heart turn cold, Khobi Frost had been wildfire. He’d burned and burned, blinding him with light and showering him with sparks.

​One of those had reached Loac, and caught alight.

​And while eventually the pain had faded, the fire had lingered.

​Maybe he should’ve realised sooner. There’s always been something kind of irresistible about Khobi.

​"You coming?" Khobi calls, slinging him a challenging look as he balances on one leg to pull on a boot, "Or was yesterday too much for you?"

​Like it always does; like it always has –that red strikes up drums in Loac’s chest. And so, while Khobi’s got his back turned, Loac licks his lips and slowly reaches for one of his pillows.

​"You wish," he taunts back, timing the toss to perfect slam into him while he’s pulling on his other boot.

Balanced precariously on one foot, he topples with a squawk, and Loac dive bombs off the side of the bed a second later, laughing, as Khobi hurls his other boot at him. It almost hits him, too.

​Incredible .

​His own boots come flying at him the moment he pokes his head over the lip of the bed. Khobi straightens up, grin wide and bright and hair flopping in a mess over his face.

​Yeah. He’s totally fucked .

​"Prove it then," Khobi dares, flipping his hair out of his eyes and bolting towards the door with one boot on; a second pair in one hand.

​"Hey, what the fuck –" Loac howls, ignoring the shoes and hurling himself across the bed only to have the door slam right in his face. "You dirty cheat!" When he wrenches the door open Khobi’s already off disappearing down the hall.

​" –Too slow, Loac!" he laughs, and when he reaches the end of the corridor he stops; just long enough to smugly look back over his shoulder at him.

He’s grinning; tongue peeking out from behind his teeth and a triumphant, challenging glint in his eyes that makes Loac want to both kiss him and kick him.

​Come and get me , it seems to say. If you can .

​And then just like that Khobi’s off again, his laugh echoing off the walls as he goes.

​There’ll be time for rage. But not now. Not yet. Silas’s not here, but Khobi is. So he stows that anger away for another time, and throws himself after him.

...

Frustratingly, Khobi beats him today. And they’re late – obviously –which means that he also gets a head start on their penalty laps.

The soldiers don’t even get in their usual jibes about sleeping in because the moment he hits the training grounds he takes off after him, nevermind the rough ground underfoot and the fact that he’s left his boots up in his room.

​He’ll get some at breakfast.

​"Oh come on Loac –" Montrel hollers after him as he thunders on past, shaking a fist at his rapidly disappearing back. He goes ignored, obviously.

"At least put on some goddamned boots before – fine, wreck your feet, see if I care ..."

​" –On your left, Khobi," Jaga warns loudly, and Khobi lets out a yelp and hurriedly accelerates when he flings a look back over his shoulder to find Loac rapidly gaining on him. What a dumbass; always thinking he can take him on.

Loac hopes he never stops, but every now and then it doesn’t hurt to remind them which one of them is stronger, or faster, or whatever it is they’re trying to assert that day.

He closes the gap before they even make it once around the perimeter, and a loud shout echoes out over the training grounds as Loac hits him with a clean but totally unnecessary tackle from behind to drop him to the ground.

​(Drogger sees, hears, and doesn’t bother telling them to keep it clean because he knows they won’t.

They’re not hurting anyone other than each other, and he’s happy for anyone that gets distracted from their training to join them.)

​"Get off –" Khobi starts to growl, but it’s too late; Loac’s already using him as a stepping stone to barrel on ahead of him, and grinning while he does it.

"Ugh you’re the worst," he complains, making a relatively decent grab for his ankles as he tries to scramble to his feet but coming up short.

"Get back here–"

​Maybe Loac shouldn’t mess with him so much.

​But it’s way too much fun to stop now, and by the time they collapse down on the steps, having completed their daily penance, they’re both drenched in sweat and grinning their asses off.

Loac’s feet are sore from pounding into the dry ground and he’s filthy up to his knees, but it hardly matters because Khobi’s even dirtier and leaning into him as he tries to claim that it’s his win this time (it’s not) and the heat between them is effortless and warm like it was that day out in the forest.

Now that the weather’s getting nicer he’ll have to find a way to take him out there again. Without getting caught this time.

He thinks if he asked Khobi would probably go –he liked it last time, after all, even though he hates the cold. Hopefully he can swim, because the lake there is great on a hot day like yesterday.

​" Well you better watch out later coz I’ll get you then for sure ." That’s as much of a concession as Loac’s ever gonna get, and Khobi gives him a hefty boot with his foot to go with it that doesn’t knock him down a peg so much as knock him off the step he’s sprawled on.

​( Maybe they could catch frogs together. )