" last night "

Chapter 12

     With a sigh, Windham gently clouted the child over the head and quickly strode to the bunk house.
     "I'll be back, don't climb on the warehouse, understood? I don't want to explain that again," he called over his shoulder to Overholt.
     "You climbed on the warehouse?" Darion inquired. Despite how low to the ground it was, it didn't seem very climbable, unless someone as tall as Windham attempted to do it.
     "Yeah! It was fun, the artificer's apprentice nearly had a heart attack!"
     "And you're proud of that?"
     Overholt grinned and nodded, which earned a smile from Darion. "Has Windham done anything stupid like that? If he has, he hasn't told me about it. I didn't really take him for one to protect his pride with everything he has, but what do I know?"
     He thought about it for a moment and then said, "Well, one time he threw a knife at an elder overseer. I didn't see it, because that happened seven or eight years ago. Declan told me about it, though. I'm pretty sure Windham still has the scars from the beating."
     That certainly wasn't what Darion was expecting. He knew Windham possessed a burning hatred for the Abbey and everything it stands for, he just didn't expect him to do something so reckless.
     Darion was barely able to get out a surprised, "Why?" before the overseer in question returned to his side. Luckily he hadn't heard their exchange.
     "Let's go before I fall asleep standing up, yeah?" Windham said with a stretch, slinging a small canvas bag over his shoulder.
     Darion chuckled and lightly punched his shoulder. "C'mon, you can stay up a bit longer, just wait till the train gets here. Then you can pass out. But I'm not carrying you to my apartment, understood?"
     "Yeah yeah, whatever. You probably couldn't pick me up anyways."
     Considering how Darion hardly ever backed down from a challenge, Windham made a mistake by saying that.
     "Oh really now? Wanna test that theory out?" he responded with a smirk that was both suggestive and arrogant.
     Windham could feel the heat in his face rising with embarrassment. "Darion, out of all the stupid ideas you've had, this one's near the top of the list."
     The officer frowned slightly, but remained undeterred. "Alright...I'm still gonna prove you wrong, though," he retorted, quickly grabbing Windham, easily picking him up in a sort of bridal style. However, to Darion's surprise, instead of smacking him and then jumping down, Windham just gave him an extremely unamused, almost dead expression.
     "You cheeky bastard. Remind me again why we're friends?" Windham implored, a small smile coming to his face.
     Darion laughed and set the overseer down. "Because you saved my life, duh."
     Windham rolled his eyes and gently elbowed him. "Let's go before you cause any more trouble, short stuff. Overholt, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, alright? And try not to torment Bartholomew's apprentice too much, would you? He nearly died of fright the last time you put a wolfhound skull in his bunk."
     Overholt grumbled something along the lines of "sure, fine" before crossing his arms and skulking off. Windham and Darion weren't even out of the courtyard before they heard what was likely the artificer's apprentice screaming in fear. He probably threw a rat at him or something.
     "Damn, you should have told me you were a single father," Darion snickered. True, the overseer's relationship with his trainee was something between a father/child and really irritating brother/sibling type deal.
     Windham threw back, "Yeah, and you should have told me you were a chain-smoking adrenaline junkie."
     Had Darion been a more serious man, he might have been offended, but the way that Windham was smiling at him made him feel more comfortable with the overseer than anything.
     "I do not chain smoke...all the time." As soon as he finished that sentence, Darion lit up a cigarette. He took a long drag from it as the duo walked back into Clavering.
     "You sure this is safe, Darion? You know, with the bridge just being repaired and all," Windham asked.
     He nodded. "Uh huh, perfectly safe. How do you think I get here every week?"
     "Good point."
     Darion took another drag and exhaled loudly. "If you're really that nervous, though, we can just take the railways by Rudshore. Sure, it'll take longer, but if it makes you feel better, I don't mind."
     Windham leaned against some aristocrat's apartment and yawned. "Yeah, actually, I think I'd rather that. Thanks."
     Darion nodded. "No problem." He exhaled deeply, watching the smoke fade. "Here, you want the rest of this?" At Windham's surprised expression, Darion facepalmed. "Wait, no, you have rules against that kind of stuff, don't you? Ah, fuck, sorry—"
     With a snicker, the overseer held his hand out. "Just give me the damn cigarette. Since when have regulations ever stopped me?"
     Darion gave him what was left of the cigarette, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, lots of times?"
     "...Shut up."
     The officer laughed and slumped against Windham's shoulder, snorting as the overseer fumbled a bit with the cigarette. "Having trouble there?"
     Eventually he figured out what he was doing and breathed the smoke directly into Darion's face. "Not at all," he responded with a catlike smile.
     Before Darion could finish his comeback, though, his voice was drowned out by the screeching of metal against metal.
     "Sounds like our ride's here. C'mon, I think it's gonna rain." Darion motioned for Windham to follow him with a jerk of his head.
     The overseer dropped the butt of the cigarette, ground it out with his heel, and wearily trudged after Darion. As soon as he had set the canvas bag down and climbed into the cramped railcar, he passed out against Darion. Had anyone else been around to see them, Darion might not have let the soft smile spread across his face. Flirting and messing around was one thing, but letting anyone see just how hard he had fallen for the broody overseer was an entirely different story.
     But no one was around, so he did smile, and he did rest his hand over Windham's, and he did lean his head on top of the other man's. Darion allowed himself a moment devoid of anything but content. It was the first in a long time, but it was nice.
     He'd have to try to do it more often.