Knuckle Joe had started to really
look forward to this part of the day. Gardell was an excellent
teacher. He wasn’t strict or mean like his aunt had sometimes
been (she loved him, but she was terribly impatient) and he
managed to be so relaxed about it. Joe had yet to see him lose
his cool.
A lot of the training was close
range fighting. Joe’s long range was good, but he’d grown so
used to attacking from afar his actual hand-to-hand had
suffered. He was disappointed to find how much work he really
needed in that area.
“Sometimes it’s best to
attack the opponent’s weak spot instead of just overwhelming
them with fire power. And it’s harder to dodge close range.”
Gardell said, standing in front of him. “You want to trick
your opponent as well… There isn’t always anything wrong
with fighting dirty. Everyone else does so it’s your best bet.”
Joe stood in his usual fighting
stance, left foot forward, listening carefully.
“Okay then Joe… Try to hit me
again.”
Joe cringed. This hadn’t been
going well for him actually. Every time he got close, Gardell
was able to easily get through his defenses or turn his attack
against him. Joe blamed the fact Gardell was taller than him,
but the man had only laughed and told him to stop making
excuses.
He dashed towards him, looking
like he was going for a direct attack- but at the last second he
leapt, up and over… but instead of landing behind him, he
landed ON him… grabbing his horns.
“Not bad!” Gardell said, tone
light as he merely reached back and up and grabbed Joe’s legs.
“But you could do much better.” He swung him forward and
dropped him rather unceremoniously.
Joe stood up slowly, glaring
daggers at him. Every time so far he’d been beaten that
easily! “Damnit… You don’t even give me a chance!”
“Hm? I’m giving you more of a
chance than most other opponents would… You’re still alive.”
“I can’t learn a thing if I
can’t even hit you!”
“Learn to hit me then.”
Joe moved quickly, before Gardell
even finished speaking. His fist shot out, aiming for his side…
Only to be grabbed at the last
second. Gardell sighed. “I could still see that coming. You
have to be faster or make sure I don’t see it.”
Joe glared at him more, trying to
pull his arm back. “Maybe I just can’t fight like that! I’m
not stealthy, I’m a fighter!”
Gardell tilted his head to one
side in any odd way, just looking at him for a moment. “You
know, I think that’d enough for today,” Gardell said. He was
still holding onto Joe’s arm, grinning.
“No, I want to get this right,
damnit! You said you were goi-“ Joe started to protest, but
suddenly found himself spun around, trapped in the older man’s
arms. “What the-“ And then he let out a high yelp as Gardell’s
hands moved to his stomach and neck, moving rapidly.
“AH wh-what are you doing??”
he managed to say, trying hard not to laugh. Was he… tickling
him?? “Ahah knock it… knock it off!” Joe struggled,
but Gardell had managed to get a surprisingly good hold on him.
“Plea-ahahaa-please!”
“You’re too grumpy today, you
need to cheer up.” he said, trying to take off one of Joe’s
shoes. “This is a surefire way to do it too.”
“Gah, stop stop stop!” Joe
pleaded, eyes tearing up from laughter. “I’ll be – ah –
happy I swear!”
“Hm?” Gardell finally ceased,
holding the boy in front of him. “Okay, you’ve had enough…”
He grinned widely. “I’ve never heard you laugh before, you
know. It was bugging me.”
“You could’ve just told a
joke…” Joe said, trying to get his breath back. Now that
had been an entirely new experience for him. Very weird but not
entirely unpleasant… His face felt hot. “Um… yeah, thanks…
Maybe I needed that…
“Don’t mention it. Well, let’s
get back and I’ll make some dinner.”
Joe stood up, a bit wobbly and
checking to make sure his bandana was in place. “Sounds good…
And don’t ever do that again.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
~*~
Knuckle Joe made more progress in
his training over the next few days, even being able to strike
Gardell a few times. It gave him confidence, and he still looked
forward to training each day. At night, Gardell taught him some
survival techniques, things he could find to eat, how to make a
fire, the basics…
The only time Joe had to stay
behind at the shelter was when Gardell went out to look for
weapons. He had to go into more dangerous areas, usually
populated by monsters, so he felt it was safer if Joe stayed
back.
He hated days like that, waiting
around for hours by himself. He wasn’t sure though if it was
because he felt he was strong enough to help, or if he just didn’t
want to be alone again… He’d just gotten so comfortable,
being with him like that. He hadn’t really noticed how close
he was getting, but he didn’t mind. He had it pretty good now,
after all; he couldn’t very well complain.
Winter was coming, Gardell had
told him. Joe wasn’t sure yet if he was staying long enough to
worry about it though. It was probably a safer bet to stay
though, wasn’t it? He had no way to get off the planet; the
last thing he wanted to be doing was wandering around in two
feet of snow.
Joe sighed, pacing the room some
more. Well he couldn’t stand waiting here… He’d do
something to make himself useful then. The woodpile was low, so
he could go gather more firewood. Smiling to himself, he headed
outside. It was only afternoon, so he’d have time to gather
plenty…
He started with just sticks at
first, but some good-sized logs would be better he realized.
They rarely made fires, and only at night when the smoke wouldn’t
be seen. If it was going to get colder soon, then they were
going to need a lot.
He walked until he found a fallen
tree. Perfect.
“Spin Kick!” He spun back in
the air, trying to focus the energy blade in just the right way…
Success! It sliced right through the trunk, cleaving the tree in
two halves. He went about cutting the rest into smaller pieces,
but found he could only carry a few back at a time… Still,
this would save work later.
Feeling rather proud of himself
he carried back the last of it, he thought about the decision he
was going to make…
~*~
“You’re staying?” Gardell
said, dropping a bag of weapons he’d salvaged. Not as much as
last time, but then each time he had to go farther to find more.
He looked mildly surprised.
“That’s what I said,” Joe
confirmed. “Heh, I’ll try not to eat you out of house and
home though.”
“I’m not worried about that…
I’ll appreciate your company, to be honest.” Gardell noticed
the woodpile over in the corner. “Oh, yes, definitely
appreciative here…”
“I did that to be nice. Just
don’t expect me to do all your work or anything,” Joe said,
crossing his arms.
“Maybe I should make you work
to get food or something...” Gardell shook his head, chuckling
lightly. “No, I wouldn’t do that, I invited you here in the
first place… I can count on you to help out though, correct?”
“Of course!” Joe said. He
wasn’t that ungrateful. “When’s the next time we’re
getting supplies?”
Gardell started sorting out some
of the weapons. “Hm… Probably in a few days. You’re going
to need some warmer clothes soon, too.” He glanced up at the
boy and the tattered red outfit he wore. “You ran away from
home and you didn’t even think to bring a coat?”
“Er…” Joe laughed
nervously. “You always think of things like that when it’s
too late…”
“No worries though… I’ll
take care of it.” Gardell smiled in that appealing way,
walking over to the crate he kept supplies in.
“Thanks… I’ll make it up to
you someday.”
“You really don’t have to owe
me anything, Joe… Don’t do anything just because you feel
obligated to.”
He nodded slightly, looking away.
“I know… So, what do we have to eat?”
“The usual, some dried meat and
stale bread… I don’t think even my cooking skills can
salvage this. But it’s still food, right?” He tossed a
package to Joe. “Eat up. We’ll get more at the camp in a few
days.”
~*~
Joe curled up on the stone ledge,
blanket wrapped around him like a cocoon. It was cold. If
it wasn’t pitch black in the room, he suspected he would have
been able to see his breath. The two of them had been unable to
trade for more blankets at the camp, so they were stuck with
what they had… At least he’d had a decent meal.
A glance at the fire showed only
a few glowing embers. Joe didn’t really want to get up and add
to the fire. He could never get the stupid thing going…
He lay there for a few more
moments, shivering. “Damnit…” he hissed, finally getting
up. The stone floor was icy under his feet. He tried to find his
shoes, but he couldn’t see a thing.
Blankets rustled. “Mm… Joe?
What’s wrong?” Gardell’s voice, tinged with sleep. Joe
looked over, barely making out his form in the dark.
“Sorry… It’s just a little
cold in here…”
“Oh…” There was a pause.
“Well, come over here then.”
Joe glanced about uncertainly.
“What?”
A sigh. “I said come over here.
You said you were cold.” Joe moved closer, walking on his
tiptoes to keep more of his feet off the floor.
“Gardell, what do you wan- Gah!”
Then the next thing he knew, a strong arm pulled him down in the
dark and he was enveloped in blankets and warmth. He didn’t
move a first, not really sure what to make of the situation.
“Better…?”
Joe couldn’t speak at first,
stammering something unintelligible. “Um… I…” Gardell’s
arm was just draped over him, not holding the boy to him or
keeping him from moving away if he so chose… “Y-You’re
dressed right?”
Another sigh. “Yes, Joe, I am…”
“O-Oh…” Joe noticed how
tensed up he’d become, tried to relax… Not that it was
difficult. He was warm and where Gardell slept was certainly
more comfortable than his own sleeping place. “Y-yeah. This is
better…”
“Good… Though… your hair’s
in my face…”
“Sorry,” he said, moving down
a bit. “Okay?”
“Much better…” Gardell
exhaled a long, slow breath, closing his eyes. Joe relaxed as
well, snuggling under the blankets and against the warm body
near him. Something was saying that he was more than old enough
to sleep by himself, and that it was childish of him to actually
want to be there like that, but he found he didn’t care. He
was asleep in minutes.
~*~
When he awoke the first thing he
noticed was he was alone again. Half asleep, he fumbled with the
blankets, wondering if maybe he’d dreamed it. Would’ve been
a weird dream, in that case…
Wait… He’d just slept in the
same bed… with… He sat straight up, eyes wide.
“Morning, Joe,” Gardell was
all ready awake, sitting on the edge of the stone platform where
they’d both slept. “Sleep well?”
Joe nearly tripped on the
blankets as he tried getting out of the bed. “N- No! I mean-“
He scrambled out, still holding his own blanket. “I was just…
I was sleep walking… and…”
Gardell’s shoulders shook as he
laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Why are you so
embarrassed?”
“I’m not… But that wasn’t
what you think, I just…”
The older man stood up,
approaching him. “Joe, just relax… There’s nothing wrong…”
“I know…” he said, mouth
dry. He didn’t know why he was so nervous all of a sudden. He
set his blanket down and went over to get his shoes. It was
still cold, he noted and now he really could see his breath. He
still had no coat, either. “Can we train today?”
“Of course, if you’d like,”
Gardell stood up, reaching for his armor and belt on the ground.
Joe went to put his shoes and bandana back on, trying to avoid
looking at him. Gardell just smiled, watching him. “I’ll
make some breakfast and we’ll go early.”
~*~
After an hour of training,
Gardell announced that they were going to be leaving their
current shelter, for a time anyway. Joe asked him what he meant
as they were walking back. The forest was even grimmer now, as
the few living trees had finally shed their last leaves in
anticipation of winter. They crunched dryly beneath their feet.
“There’s a nice little place
I know about, up at the base of the mountain,” he said. When
he said ‘the mountain’ he only meant the largest one. They
were in a large mountain valley, Joe had discovered earlier. It
was nearly impossible to get into on foot, which was why
terrestrial monsters were rare. An aerial attack had been this
place’s undoing.
“Problem is,” he went on, “It’s
farther from the camp than where we are now, and I wouldn’t
want to make the commute so often, you see…”
“What’s there?” Joe asked,
walking with his hands up behind his head.
Gardell grinned. “Oh, you’d
have to see it… And you will, since that’s where we’ll be
going tomorrow. I’m getting extra supplies today.”
“Oh…” Joe said, feeling a
tinge of excitement. He’d love to see whatever place Gardell
was speaking of.
“We’ll probably stay there a
few days… Think of it as a vacation.”
~*~
Knuckle Joe stood inside Trevor’s
tent, waiting. It was odd, he thought. Considering how this
place was devastated by the demon attacks, people like Gardell
still lived in relative luxury. It was true though, the strong
survived. And the shrewd survived even better.
It was rather simple. Supply
ships did come in from planets yet unaffected by the war. Some
made it home safely; others were attacked and robbed of course.
The smart people, the resourceful ones, knew just how to divide
it up between the people- or at least those that could pay. If
you couldn’t pay, you stole it. And if you got caught, you
were left out for the demons to pick off.
Gardell definitely knew what he
was doing… Calm, collected, always with a plan. And he’d
chosen to take Joe of all people under his wing. The boy
wondered just how he’d been able to end up with him… Sheer
luck if anything.
It had taken him a while to trust
him, but by now he just knew somehow that he could depend on
him. Why else would Gardell do so much for him unless he meant
it? No one else ever had before… His aunt perhaps, but she’d
had to really. Joe was more or less forced on her, one of his
only surviving relatives, after both his parent’s deaths…
He held no dislike towards her,
but his childhood had lacked in so many things. She hadn’t
really known how to show love for her nephew, so her main way of
interacting with him was teaching him to fight. He’d gained
something at least.
He listened to Gardell and Trevor
speak, but they weren’t talking about anything interesting. He
glanced at the tent flap, but didn’t feel like trying his luck
outside again…
Then again… He didn’t have
anything to be afraid of, really. Yes, he could handle himself
just fine.
“Er… Gardy?” Trevor said,
interrupting him.
“Yes…?”
He pointed. “The kid just went
outside again. So ya know I saw that group again the other day.
They’re still up to trouble… You wanna stop him?”
Gardell looked back a moment,
sighing. “No… I’m pretty sure he’ll be okay.”
Trevor laughed. “Pretty sure?
Well, I guess that works… Ya know, I never thought of you as
having a soft spot for kids.”
“Well, I’m full of surprises…
Joe’s an unusual boy, though. He’s not just any kid. He’s
strong… and… well…” He paused. “It’s hard to
explain.”
The other man nodded, sounding
solemn now. “It’s good of you, really. Dangerous world for a
kid these days…”
“I know…” He looked back
again. He knew he didn’t need to feel protective of him, Joe
was far stronger than most of the goons around there… “I don’t
want to see him hurt.”
“Eh, I’d check on him then.
Even if he’s strong, he doesn’t know how things work around
here.”
Gardell sighed again. “Right,
right… Well, I think I have everything… Thanks again.”
“Anytime. Good luck. Oh…”
Trevor reached into a case next to him, pulling out a small
cloth bag and tossed it to Gardell. “For the kid. He looked
kinda down.”
“Thank you.” He gathered his
other supplies and headed out, wondering just where Joe had
gone.
Shifting the weight of the pack,
he walked past the tents, looking around for any sign of the
boy. “Joe? Joe, we’re leaving!” he called. No answer. Was
he too far to hear him? He couldn’t see Joe going very far. It
was cute, he thought. As much as Joe liked to boast of how adult
he was, he still acted like a child much of the time without
realizing it.
He heard a noise to his left,
turning that way. No, just some beggar, he thought. And didn’t
have time to react as something crashed into him from his right,
sending him tumbling to the ground.
“Oof!”
“Ha! I got ya!”
Gardell shook his head to get his
hair out of his good eye, lifting his head enough to see Joe,
now sitting on his chest and looking smug.
“See, I can do stealth! You
didn’t even see me coming.” He grinned widely, as did
Gardell after a moment. Joe hopped off and Gardell stood,
brushing himself off.
“Very good, but after that I
don’t think I’ll give you the treat I got for you…”
“Huh?” Joe said. “What? A
treat?”
Gardell held up the little bag.
“You aren’t getting it now.”
“But I beat you this time!”
“Sneaking up on me doesn’t
count.”
“You said it was okay to fight
dirty!”
“Exactly.”
“C’mon, give it to me…!”
Joe grabbed for it, yanking it away. “Ha! See, I’m getting
faster. …Or maybe you’re getting slower...?” He jumped
back, laughing as Gardell made a halfhearted attempt to grab
him.
“Well I’m not as young as I
used to be.” Gardell picked up the bag again. “We need to
get our supplies together, we’ll be leaving early tomorrow.
Let’s hurry up.”
~*~
Joe couldn’t help how excited
he felt. Were you supposed to go on little trips like this when
you were on a planet that just went through a war? Well, why
not? He felt he deserved to have fun sometimes, especially now.
“Got everything?” Gardell
asked, giving his own pack a final check. They had blankets,
food for a few days, and extra weapons of course. Gardell had
even managed to trade for a large but warm shirt for Joe to
wear. It hung down to his knees, but it was better than nothing.
Joe rolled up the sleeves so he
could actually see his hands. At least the sweater was just a
dark blue color and not something to make him look ever sillier.
“Yeah, I think so.” He lifted the bag onto his back. “What
do we do if we come back and someone else found this place?”
Gardell grinned a bit oddly. “Don’t
worry about that. Let’s get going.”
“Er, right…”
~*~
Gardell took the lead, humming
some tune to himself. Joe stayed quiet for the most part, just
focusing on keeping a steady pace and wondering just what this
place was going to be like. Could there be some tiny hidden
paradise in this dead land? Leave it to Gardell to know where it
was…
The trip was (rather
unfortunately, he thought) uneventful. Nothing much to say in
terms of scenery and the few monsters that attacked were easily
dealt with. Joe didn’t even realize how late it was until he
glanced up and saw the reddening sky. It really was far away,
and his feet were beginning to ache.
He absently rubbed his eyes,
yawning lightly. Admittedly he hadn’t gotten much sleep the
night before. He’d slept by himself, still somewhat
embarrassed by what had happened the night before.
“You all right?” Gardell had
stopped to look back at him. Joe yawned again.
“Mm, I’m fine. How much
farther?”
Gardell glanced toward the
mountain, which looked huge by now. It was hard to judge the
distance. “Oh, not far… Less than an hour. Think you can
make it?”
“Of course!” Joe said,
standing up straight and trying, with little success, to get the
sleep out of his eyes. “I’m fine.”
“If you say so.” He smiled,
and continued on ahead. Joe quickly followed.
~*~
When they finally made it, Joe
worried he’d be too tired to enjoy whatever this place was.
They’d had to go through some rough terrain for the last part
of it, dense forest and brush and rocks, and Gardell had
insisted on carrying the boy on his back to make it quicker. Joe
didn’t really feel like arguing at that point and went along
with it.
He’d almost drifted off when
Gardell gently set him down.
“We’re here.”
Joe looked around, rubbing his
eyes again. At first he didn’t see anything. It was a rocky
area, surrounded by still living evergreens. He saw… steam?
Yes, steam was rising up from somewhere. He walked over,
dropping his bag. Water, several bubbling pools of various sizes
around the stones.
“What is…?” he pointed.
“Hot springs!” Gardell
exclaimed, beaming. “I haven’t actually been here in long
time, I’m glad it’s still here… Well, I don’t see why it
wouldn’t be… But anyway!” He set his bag down as well,
looking around some more. “There’s a small cave nearby, it’s
big enough to sleep in- we’ll have to make fires outside
though… So, what do you think?”
Joe wasn’t sure what he’d
been expecting, but this did seem nice… He smiled, genuinely.
“This is great. Er, I’ve never been in a hot spring before…”
“Oh, you don’t know what you’ve
been missing then.” Gardell said, going over to test the water
with his arm after removing one of the studded leather gloves he
wore. “Hm, feels good… Well, shall we?”
Joe tugged his shirt down. “Um…
What?”
“We’re here, let’s not
waste any time then. It’ll be relaxing after all that walking.”
He pulled off his other glove and started on his boots.
“Shouldn’t you check to make
sure there isn’t anyone around here…? Demons or anything?”
he asked. Gardell paused.
“Oh… Yeah, that probably
would be a good idea.” He looked a bit disappointed, pulling
his gloves back on. “Okay then…” He picked up both of
their bags. “The cave’s over here…”
It was just a small opening in
the side of the mountain, hidden by brush. It was big enough to
walk into at least, and Gardell went in first, weapon ready. He
came back out a moment later, nodding. “It’s safe. It’s
small like I said, so no place for anything to hide…” He
suddenly grinned. “Want to go now?” Joe couldn’t help but
notice how he was acting like a kid.
Joe shrugged, but was a bit
amused by how exuberant he was. “I guess…” He was tired,
but apparently Gardell had really been looking forward to this.
“For a little while.”
~*~
Knuckle Joe was suddenly not so
sure about his decision. No, in fact he’d started regretting
it. It had gotten very cold suddenly, and there he was wearing
nothing but a tattered old blanket that would serve as a towel,
standing on the edge of the spring. He felt his face grow hot as
Gardell laughed. He was all ready in, of course. And… well, it
wasn’t like either of them had bathing suits…
“Are you going to stand there
all night? You’ll freeze.”
“I-I’ll get in when I’m
ready to!” he snapped, hunching down so he concealed himself a
bit better. He didn’t want to have to remove the towel to get
in. Yes, he could go in with it on, but then he’d have nothing
to dry himself off with. It was quite the dilemma, and Gardell
found it quite amusing.
“Well?”
“…Close your eyes.”
“What?”
Joe scowled. “Close your eyes!
I’m not getting in until you do!”
“Joe, you don’t have anything
I haven’t seen before…”
“I don’t care. Just close
your damn eyes!”
“Oh, fine, fine…” Gardell
said, sounding a little annoyed and did so, even putting his
hands in front of his face. “Better?”
“You’re peeking.”
“Now why would I do that?”
After a moment, when he was
satisfied Gardell wasn’t looking, Joe quickly tossed off the
towel and jumped in. That was something he immediately
regretted- the water was much hotter than he’d expected. And
deeper, so he’d managed to be completely submerged.
“SHIT!!” he sputtered,
moving to a shallower part.
“Bit hot, isn’t it? Takes a
minute to get used to…” Gardell chuckled, leaning back on
the rocks. The place had apparently once been one where many
people went to relax, abandoned now. “Why are you so shy,
anyway? We’re both guys, it’s not a big deal…”
Joe moved over to a place where
he could sit, drawing his knees up in front of him. It did feel
really nice, and helped him relax… just a bit. “I don’t
know…” Maybe it was a bit immature of him… “It’s just
I’ve… never seen anyone… you know… No one’s seen me…”
He trailed off. Yeah, it was a bit silly… But he really hadn’t.
Definitely not his aunt, and of course the only time she’d
ever seen him naked was when he’d still been young enough she
had to give him baths. (Which he’d hated, as all little kids
do.)
“So it’s not like you have
anything to hide?” Gardell said with a slanted grin. “Worried
I’ll laugh? What?”
“No, no, I just…” Joe shook
his head, moving his now wet and limp hair from his face. He
always had it spiked up, held by his bandana, and when it was
wet it fell past his chin. “Will you stop asking?” He
sounded just a bit annoyed.
“Okay, okay…” Gardell
sighed lightly, closing his eyes… eye… as he sank down into
the water. Joe watched him for a moment, wondering…
“…Why do you hide your eye
like that?”
Gardell sat up slightly, but didn’t
respond at first. Joe had realized he’d never asked before.
About the way Gardell’s left eye was always hidden behind his
hair… He waited and started regretting ever asking…
“Because… there was an
accident… When I was a little older than you are now…” he
said after a long pause, his voice quieter than usual. His eye
was still closed.
“Oh…” Joe said, unnerved at
how silent it suddenly was. “Sorry…”
“No, you’re just curious.
Besides, that happened to long ago. It’s behind me.” He
looked over at him, smiling. “Ruins my depth perception
though, but you learn ways to compensate over the years… I
still have a blind spot to worry about though.”
Joe had never thought of that.
Missing an eye would be a huge handicap, yet Gardell still
managed to be so skilled… He was a strange guy, oddly
fascinating, but still strange.
He leaned back as well, looking
up at the night sky. It was a new moon, but clouds were starting
to move in. He felt a sudden chill and sank lower into the
water, which just felt warm to him now. He closed his eyes, the
warm water making him more tired than anything… He’d just
stay in… a little bit longer…
~*~
Joe woke up to darkness and
panicked. He had no idea where he was- hadn’t be been in the
hot springs? He was dry now- somewhere- someone was near him.
“Joe, stop, calm down!” A
soothing voice- Gardell’s. Strong arms around him, gently
holding him. Joe stopped moving, but still breathing fast. “Sorry,
but you’d fallen asleep in there… You must’ve been
exhausted…” A light chuckle. “I didn’t have the heart to
wake you…”
Joe lay there for a moment,
mulling over this. That meant… Gardell had carried him out…
and… He felt what he was wearing- that oversized shirt. He’d…
Joe cringed, face hot from
mortification. He’d seen him… without… He couldn’t
believe it…
“Are you all right?” Gardell
asked, and managed to hit the reason perfectly. “There’s no
reason to be embarrassed you know… Like I said…” The arm
around him tightened somewhat, reassuring…
“I’m okay…” The boy
nodded slightly. It was okay… “Um… thanks.”
“No problem.”
It was okay then… Nothing wrong…
He was just getting upset over something silly. So what if
Gardell had seen him… like that… It wasn’t a big deal. No,
not at all.
Joe thought about getting up to
find his own blanket in the dark and making a bed out… Then
again, he was pretty comfortable there. He didn’t feel as
nervous as that other time. Why had he been so edgy before…
Joe had always avoided being
close to anyone, after he’d left home and even before it. He
would say he had no time to play, or some excuse. Being close to
someone, in any way, could become a weakness. But this felt
somehow different… He couldn’t place how, but he liked it.
~*~
Gardell made a rule the next day
that annoyed Knuckle Joe more than a little. No training while
they were there.
“But-“
“No. We came here to relax.
Vacation, remember?”
Joe lifted an eyebrow. “…You
do realize we’re in a place that just went through a war,
right?”
“Yes, yes I do.” Gardell
grinned. “Too bad for everyone else. I plan on enjoying myself
while I can! I could be killed by a monster tomorrow, you never
know.”
“I guess that makes sense,”
Joe said, standing on one of the boulders that dotted the area.
It was a rocky forest, still dense and green, away from the bulk
of the fighting with nothing of value to the invading demons.
The mountains loomed around them, a shelter. The hot springs
were the nicest feature of course. If it weren’t for the fact
they were so far from the camp, and the main source of supplies,
Joe would have liked to stay there longer…
“Okay, no training then…”
Joe agreed, but sounding more than a little disappointed.
Gardell had apparently noticed that, walking over to the boy.
“Doesn’t mean you can’t
still enjoy yourself.”
“Huh?” Joe looked down at
him, a bit confused. But Gardell just smiled, a bit oddly now,
and strolled off towards the cave, most likely to get some food.
Joe hopped down, watching him for
a moment. He smiled slightly. Of course there were plenty of
ways to have fun, not just fighting…
~*~
Gardell whistled softly,
searching through one of the packs at the cave entrance. They
had enough food for at least three days and the trip back. More
than enough time, he thought.
He glanced up slightly, grinning.
He knew perfectly well Joe was trying to sneak up on him now.
The boy was strong, yes- and subtlety was not his forte. He made
too much noise.
“Ha!” Joe jumped out from
behind the rock next to him, stopping abruptly as he saw…
Gardell wasn’t there anymore. “…Huh? Where- GAH!” He let
out a yelp as he was grabbed from behind and lifted into the
air. He heard Gardell laughing. “ARGH! You bastard, why’d
you do that?!”
“What, was I supposed to just
let you sneak up on me?”
“Yes! You- AH! H-Hey! Stop
that!” Joe cried as he was put down and reduced to helpless
laughter under Gardell’s hands. He squirmed and kicked but he
was held down with relative ease. “Ahaha- stop iiit! Y-you
promiiiised! Ahaha…” He was released and he moved away,
wiping some tears from his eyes and once again pretending to
glare at Gardell. It was strange. How could something so
annoying while it was happening, but afterwards he wanted to do
it some more?
“Maybe we should still train,”
Gardell mused, bringing his hand to his chin. “You still need
a lot of work, don’t you?”
“Yeah right! I could run
circles around you if I wanted! I just go easy on you because
you’re old,” Joe taunted, moving into Gardell’s range.
“Oh, you’re bringing age into
it now, are you pipsqueak? Two can play at that game!” He
lunged, maybe not as fast as he could have and Joe dodged.
“Ha! You’re too slow!” Joe
said, out of range, rubbing his nose in his odd way. “Maybe
you could learn something from me.” With that he ran off out
of sight. Gardell smiled, a bit lopsided but still happy… He
followed, chuckling to himself.
A/N: Yo,
people. Anyway, just some warnings n’ a lil something extra.
The next chapter will be a bit more… how do I put it… well I
should mention this story was a bit of a challenge for myself.
Trying to write a consensual pairing with my character
Gardell and Knuckle Joe. It’s all my friend Pyrasaur’s fault
really. ^_^ You can yell at her if you want! So yeah, this is
dealing with a kind of twisted romance between a boy and a much
older man. Eh, I’ll save my full explanations for my final
author notes. =P
