Karma (m/m)

Chapter 8

He woke up with Geoffrey resting relaxed across his chest, long golden hair interlaced across his fingers, and a pale leg draped across his abdomen. He caressed Geoffrey's head, smiling when he tucked his face even further on the crook of his neck and made soft cooing noises. He put one hand on his thigh moving it up and down his skin, and Geoffrey only burrowed himself closer. Geoffrey was a lot better like this, docile. He liked it.

Groaning to himself, he remembered he had to leave. It was already morning and there were things to do. Several lords to send messages too, about mithlornians on their lands and how they would deal with the increase of foreigners. He also wanted to check on his wolves. They usually slept outside his door, sometimes inside, but yesterday he had to lock them in the kitchen. No one would dare to approach them, so he had to untie them himself. He moved carefully from under Geoffrey but the man immediately woke up, alert and looking at Wolfgan with confused, half closed eyes.

"Oh, you're leaving," Geoffrey said, emotionless, slowly settling down on the bed again. Wolfgan nodded.

"Some business to take care of," he said. "Have to release the wolves too. They're in the kitchen."

"They're usually here," Geoffrey said again without asking, voice muffled by the pillow.

"Yes," he said, slowly. "I can leave them in the kitchen at night, if you want."

Geoffrey narrowed his eyes at him and scoffed. "I'm a druid, Wolfgan. I can deal with your wolves," he said slowly as if Wolfgan was an idiot.

Wolfgan turned around and sat on the bed, pulling on his boots.

"Yes, well," he said. "The'll follow you around anyway, you do something with their heads."

"It's called communicating, you dimwit," Geoffrey said, shrinking himself on the bed once the warmth of Wolfgan went away. He made sure to pull his cover up and all around himself so no piece of skin would show. The cold was getting to him. Calim was really warmer, he thought. To him, Calim was cold too, but he had lived all his life in Mithlorn.

Wolfgan looked back at his small figure all curled up without him. The insult sounded a little wan, not as energetic as it used to be. He put a hand on the small of Geoffrey's back, but he only ignored it, or tried to, freezing underneath it. Sighing, he stood up and walked to the door, pulling the chain out from the doorknob and unlocking it before pulling around his neck again. Geoffrey sat up then at the noise, looking up at him with worry in his eyes.

"Are you going to lock it again?" he asked, rather timidly. Wolfgan shook his head.

"Not anymore, Geoffrey. I had to, yesterday. We were not married yet and I wasn't sure if you or your father would..." he trailed off, giving him a small smile. "Like before."

Geoffrey only stared at him, and he pursed his lips.

"Well, it's unlocked now," he said, leaving Geoffrey alone in the room again.

~.~

Wolfgan watched Geoffrey for afar, while he walked across the corridors looking out the windows to the garden where the tree of the Golden Peas was. Three days passed, come and gone. For three days Geoffrey had avoided him, panicking and closing the door on his face when he tried to enter their room at night, and running away from his hands when he tried to kiss him good morning.

It wasn't how he imagined how he would be spending his time only three days after married but he knew since the beginning it wouldn't be easy to get Geoffrey to come around. He sneered at himself, his own foolishness. He had promise himself to give him time to adjust to the castle, to his duties and to the role he now had, but despite the time, he hadn't warmed to him not even a little.