RakishRascal

His pose betrayed nothing. He relaxed just around a corner of the old barracks, half-obscured by an overgrown berry bush, an unlit cigarette in his fingers. Insurance that he hoped he’d never need, as he hated the things.

At last, across the training grounds, a door opened from the castle grounds proper, and a small figure bustled out, wide-legged pants swish-swish-swishing as he hurried toward Etho with all the subtlety of a cannonball. It was a wonder he wasn’t yelling.

He at least had the sense to look around before he skirted the edge of the grounds, moving to a casual stroll as he approached him. Oh, just a morning walk to the gardens, taking a shortcut by the old barracks. And wouldn’t you know it, he’d just so happen to run into an old friend on the way there.

He came to Etho at last, big brown eyes already pleading. “S’not my fault!” he said, as overloud as ever. “There was an emergency!”

Etho arched a brow at him, stowing the cigarette. “Should I notify my men?”

“Not that kinda emergency,”Bdubs groused. “A paperwork emergency! The head of the merchant guild moved their meeting up a day, and I have a tight schedule this week, what with the problems from the building permit’s office–”

Etho cut him off with an arm around his waist, tugging him close, chin resting atop the other man’s head. “The perilous life of an equerry,” he intoned dryly, smiling at the muffled sputtering against his chest.

“Like you’d know. Out here playin’ with swords all day,” Bdubs muttered, but he stayed lax against him, one hand gripping Etho’s shirt, the other hanging onto his forearm. “Never done a full day’s work in your life. Now that’d be an emergency situation.”

Etho just looked at him, mindful of the sand in their proverbial hourglass, quickly running out. Bdubs lifted a finger to tap at the mask covering the lower half of Etho’s face, and Etho reached to tug it down, other hand moving up to take hold of Bdubs' chin.

They wasted no more time, slotting their lips together in a lingering kiss, rough pad of his thumb tracing the top of a rounded cheekbone. He buried his fingers into the hair at Bdubs’ nape, tilting his head to deepen the kiss in a way that made the shorter man whine, no matter how many kisses he stole.

Arms back around his waist, Bdubs’ hands on his shoulder blades, they were practically crushed against each other. No number of cigarettes, talks of reminiscing on the old days, or ‘this isn’t what it looks like’ would ever convince a passerby they weren’t doing exactly what they were. The most oblivious person in the kingdom would see this for what it was: naked love, hidden in plain sight.

Luckily, the most oblivious person in the world was on their side - Scar whistled loud and sharp from his place in the mess hall, a signal that he’d spotted someone headed their way. Or perhaps it was just that breakfast was over and trainees soon to descend on the yard, eager to hit each other with sticks.

Etho kept Bdubs against him one desperate moment longer, snickering at his squirming, before he let him go and pulled his mask back over his nose.

“You–” Bdubs leaned back to glance behind the berry bush, groaning. “You’re a menace. And your mini-menaces are ready for your tutelage.”

“Hermitopia’s finest,” Etho replied. His arm grazed Bdubs as he walked past him. He glanced back, watching Bdubs begin stomping toward the gardens.