MANHUNT {dreamnotfound}

22 • George's Secret

A/N: HELLO ITS BEEN A WHILE BUT THIS IS 4K WORDS SO ENJOY ;)

i'm guessing there will be up to 25 chapters altogether, thank you all for your comments and support, sorry updates are so slow!! love u love u love u (platonically)

Edited 18/8/22
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Throat dry, George spluttered, "I can explain—"

"Not sure there's much explaining to do," Bad said slowly, dragging the words out painstakingly, "because we've heard from the King. We know about you going along with the thief you swore to catch."

"And it was you," Sapnap burst out. His anger was louder, more scathing, though equally as painful as Bad's calm and controlled anger. "It was you who smacked me unconscious to save the bastard. You hit me, just to get away—"

"I'd made a deal with him," George pleaded, small beneath their unyielding gazes, "it was stupid, it was so stupid."

"Deal or not, I didn't think you had it in you to leave us for dead," he snarled, and Bad nodded silently, "especially just for some criminal."

"I— I didn't—"

"You know how important he was, and regardless of your relationship to the King, you knew how important it was to us."

The crack in Bad's voice made George want to fall upon his own blade. He deserved it, he deserved to die. All he did was hurt people—

How could he have done this to them?

Quietly, desperately, he asked, "Did he hurt you?"

Sapnap's amber eyes burned like coals. "Nothing I couldn't handle, but he was mad about you leaving. I already had a concussion, a few more hits was nothing."
He stepped forward, challenging, right up in George's face. "And Bad broke a rib under that gravel trap that you and your new best friend made up. I didn't want to believe it at first, but we tracked you through the plains, we found so much evidence that you two were on the same fucking side. You were running away, while we—"

"I came back!" George spat, his voice trembling. "I came back for you!"

"You chose him over us," Sapnap shouted back, stabbing a finger in his chest. "So don't act all noble just because you felt guilty enough to return."

George slapped his hand away. "I chose to run away from the King, not from you. I was a coward." He breathed deeply, full of earnest as he pleaded, "I'm sorry. I need you guys to trust me. I never wanted to hurt you, but there's so much I have to say."

Lips curling, Sapnap looked just about ready to punch him in the face.

Bad was looking between them with worry creasing the lines on his face. Carefully he said, "I don't think you're in the position to ask us for anything."

"Please," he pushed, "hear me out, at least?"

"Actually, we have orders for your indefinite arrest," Sapnap said with a smile that didn't meet his eyes.

George's brows hit his hairline, involuntarily stepping back from them. "But I'm—"

Bad cut in, "It's the King's orders. While we raid the village, you'll be locked up. Here."

"What? That's outrageous!"

"No, what's outrageous is you leaving us and thinking you can waltz right back," Sapnap snapped, "after everything we endure for you, you repay us by fucking off with the enemy—"

George's cheeks burned. "That's not what it was like, you don't know what I—"

"What, you being a softie for the criminal? Is your life that pathetic?"